NOTE: This weird little story very definitely takes place in an alternate reality.
The Nightcrawler
By Rowena
The misty air was thick with the threat of rain. The chill wind blew past the cave entrance, the sharp, acrid scent it carried stinging his nostrils as he pulled up his protective boots and snapped his filter mask into place. There was no turning back now.
The fields were deserted as he made his way through the sharp, purple grass, the thick blades gleaming like amethyst crystals in the dim, reddish light that managed to filter through the dense, black clouds. Even the insects had fled this open space, seeking better shelter from the deadly weather.
No other person would think to venture out with the impending rain so near. But then, no other person could see through the dimness as well as he could, or possessed his unique power of instantaneous self-transport. There was no doubt in his mind that he was best suited for this dangerous task. But, even so, to venture out in a rainstorm was to flirt with death.
Others had tried before him. Only two had ever returned alive, although they had not lasted long after the rain had touched them. He had seen them, their skin a horrid, unrecognizable mass of bubbling, oozing, gore as the black rain ate through their tissues, dissolving their very bones. There was nothing anyone could have done to save them, and their agonized screams still haunted his dreams.
He closed his eyes, praying silently, his pointed ears twitching slightly at the distant rumble of thunder. It was almost time. He could do this. He had to. If he failed, everyone he knew, everyone he cared for, every person in his colony would die of starvation.
The earth was dying, the oxygen and nitrogen leaving the polluted soil, the acid rain stealing the nutrients the plants required to grow. Only the bloated, twisted fungi and the strange, crystalline grass could thrive in this harsh environment, and both were completely inedible. His task was vital if his colony was to survive another year.
The wind picked up. He took in a shaky breath, feeling his fear wash over him then fade away as he focused on his task. They would come. They always came out in the rain. It was during the still time just before the clouds broke that they left the safety of the ground on their suicidal journey into the open air.
He kept his eyes on the ground, waiting for them to show themselves, unsure what to expect. The thunder rumbled again, closer this time. He felt his tail shudder behind him, but he resisted the urge to transport himself back to the safety of the cave. His colony was depending on him. If he left now, it would only be to die later.
It was the smallest of sounds, but his sensitive, pointed ears managed to pick it up. His golden eyes widened, his heart thrilling with excitement, his long tail lashing behind him. They were coming! They were here!
Quickly, he dug his gloved fingers into the hard dirt, his breath quickening as he caught his first glimpse of the long, flesh-colored, slimy creatures that were his colony’s best hope of salvation. Picking them carefully from the clinging dirt, he gently placed each precious worm into his specially made container, tears of relief, hope, and fear stinging in his eyes as he worked.
There were so few of them. The rains had nearly wiped them out entirely. He peered into his container, his lips pursed when he saw it was barely a quarter filled. But the clouds were directly overhead now, the reddish sun was gone, and the thunder was pounding in his ears. He had to get out of there, now, or risk the fate of his predecessors. He only hoped the few worms he had managed to collect would be enough.
Rising to his feet, he looked back in the direction he had come, picturing the cave entrance in his mind. A jolting wrench, the stench of sulfur, then he was there.
He jumped, his tail wrapping itself around his leg in fright as the black clouds burst, drenching the scarred, darkened landscape with their toxic drool before the rapidly dissipating smoke that accompanied his self-transportation had even cleared. The foul reek the rain brought was overwhelming, even with his filter mask. He gasped, holding his breath as he stretched out with his senses, feeling for the underground cavern far below his feet. The last thing he needed after all this was to transport himself in a panic and end up inside a wall.
BAMF!
“Did you hear that?”
“It’s Kurt!”
“My God, the kid made it!”
“He’s alive!”
“He’s back!”
Kurt straightened as he suddenly found himself surrounded by a teeming throng of excited colonists, a broad grin slowly stretching itself across his fuzzy, indigo face. Quickly, he removed his filter mask, holding up his container with a reverence that befitted the precious nature of its contents.
“Professor!” he called out, spotting the old man through the crowd and transporting himself instantly to his side. “Professor, I did it! I collected the nightcrawlers. Are there enough? If there aren’t I could go back another time—“
“No!” the professor exclaimed, taking the boy by his narrow shoulders. “No, Kurt,” he said, more gently this time. “You have done more than enough.”
He took the container from the boy, his breath catching and his eyes tearing when he saw the squirming worms within. “Oh, my boy, you’ve done it!” He grinned, embracing Kurt with a surprising strength, considering his thin, wasted body. “Your bravery has saved us all!”
“He needs a reward,” a tall woman pointed out. “The boy is a hero now. He needs a new name.”
Kurt shook his head. “I’m not a hero,” he told her with a small laugh. “I was scared to death! My tail was shaking the whole time!”
“But you went out there anyway,” the Professor said. “You knew what could happen to you, yet despite your youth and the objections of the entire colony, you volunteered for this mission and you were successful. Jean is correct. You have earned a new name, a name that will remind all who hear it of your heroic actions this day.”
Kurt blinked, a deep flush rising under his fine, indigo fur. The tall woman smiled down at him, and he met her gaze, returning her smile with one of his own.
“From this moment onward,” the Professor announced, his strong voice carrying throughout the entire cavern, causing all heads to turn and all conversations to stop, “this boy will no longer be known as Kurt Ravensson, for he has earned a new name. From now on, all shall address him as the Nightcrawler!”
The gathered crowds burst into riotous cheers and applause, calling out the name of the Nightcrawler as Jean used her powers to lift him into the air, allowing everyone to get a good look at the boy who had risked his life to save theirs.
Kurt laughed in giddy delight as he listened to the crowd shouting his new name with such joy. Perhaps he was a hero after all. No, there was no perhaps about it. He had earned his new name. He had brought back the worms that would clean and aerate the dying soil and allow the food crops to grow.
He was the Nightcrawler.
The End
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Naz-Bunny Lover Club member #1
You have the same avatar as her, I completely forgot. :blush
:respectnc