Diversion To Urasha

James felt Phil’s strong arms enveloping his entire body, preventing him from following Crystaline. It took Zach, Morcees and Borcees to restrain Crystos. Everyone was paralysed, completely and utterly immobilised as they watched Crystaline intercept the attack of the feroshie.

James watched as Crystaline ran towards the injured chugga, illuminating her sworsha purple as she fended off the attacking feroshie. Whenever the feroshie sprang towards the chugga, Crystaline would strike at them, stunning them, instead of killing them. James watched as the feroshie rolled around on the floor, whimpering and howling until the stun wore off. Once they’d managed to right themselves, the feroshie would leap back into action, attacking relentlessly.

James tried to pull himself free from Phil’s grasp, he was desperate to help Crystaline and the chugga. Unfortunately, Phil was refusing to let go.

James watched as Crystaline ran up a nearby tree, using it to leap from it at a great height. Whist in midair, she turned her sworsha blue. As Crystaline landed, she pointed her weapon downwards, stabbing the ground with it.

BOOM!

James lost his footing as the circle of blue light reached him.

When James managed to scramble back up onto his feet, he could see that Crystaline was stood in front of the chugga with a protective, strong stance. She looked defiant and powerful as the feroshie managed to shake themselves back onto their feet. For a while, the pack just watched her, weighing up their next move. To James’ relief, they turned and ran.

James closed his eyes, taking a big breath of air into his lungs. It was over. Crystaline was okay. The chugga was okay. Everyone was okay.

Crystos ran towards his sister. “Crystaline, are you hurt? Are you okay?”

Crystaline did not answer her brother. Instead she switched off her sworsha, placing it back into her pocket as she stared off into the distance.

“Crystaline! Are you hurt? Tell me!”

Crystaline turned to her brother, the recognition growing in her eyes. “I’m fine,” she whispered. She then turned to the chugga, her face soft and inviting. The chugga gave a few feeble little whimpers as it watched Crystaline, its eyes glazed with tears. “Hey,” Crystaline gently whispered to the animal. “It’s okay, you’re safe now.”

The chugga’s eyes dropped to the ground, nervously glancing back up to Crystaline.

Crystaline continued to watch the chugga, smiling affectionately at the creature. “Borcees,” she whispered. “I need your bag.”

“What for?” Morcees hissed, exasperated.

Crystaline turned to face Morcees, her expression maddened, and her teeth gritted. “I’m not asking you. I’m asking him. Borcees, I won’t ask you twice.”

Hurriedly, Borcees removed his bag, handing it over to Crystaline. She delved her hand into the bag, taking from it a bright red piece of fruit. She held the fruit in her hand, proffering it out to the baby chugga.

The baby blue chugga took a tentative limp forward, sniffing Crystaline’s offering. Then, in one, swift sudden movement, the fruit was gone, consumed by the hungry little chugga. Its eyes lit up with appreciation as it licked its lips with its pale pink tongue.

Crystaline grinned, pleased that the chugga enjoyed her offering. “We’re taking him with us.”

“What?” Morcees was even more exasperated than before. “You can’t be serious? After what just happened, what that thing attracts? I don’t think so.”

“Well luckily, it’s not up to you, Morcees,” Crystaline retaliated back. “I am going to find us all a resting spot, and this chugga is coming with us. Like it or not, it’s my choice.”

“So, you can carry that thing, can you?” Morcees scoffed.

Crystaline’s face dropped, her expression losing hope.

“She won’t need to.” James took a supportive step to Crystaline’s side. “I’ll do the carrying.” When James looked at Crystaline, he could see the thankful expression on her face.

“Be gentle with him,” Crystaline pleaded.

James gave Crystaline a cheeky little wink, carefully approaching the chugga. Luckily, it let him take it in his arms without getting too frightened. “Let’s go find a place to get this chugga looked at, shall we?

To James’ relief, it hadn’t taken Crystaline long to find a new bunch of furleaves to rest on for the night. As James had carried the chugga, his arms had begun to feel as if they would literally drop off under the chugga’s weight. The thing was heavy, too heavy really for one man to carry. James would not let this show, he would have endeavoured to carry that chugga all night if he’d had to.

As soon as he reached the new camping spot, James had gently placed the chugga back down onto the forest floor, leaving the creature in the caring hands of Crystaline.

As Crystos started the fire, Crystaline had asked everyone else to gather the softest leaves they could find. Once everyone had gathered a sizeable pile, Crystaline used the leaves to craft a cushion on the floor. Crystaline popped the chugga onto her makeshift cushion, stroking it and talking to it as if it were a baby.

James knelt opposite Crystaline, taking a moment to admire how gentle she was being with the injured animal. “How’s he doing?” he eventually asked.

Crystaline looked at James, her eyes assessing him. “I think he’s okay. From what I can tell, he just has cuts. I have a feeling he was attacked, maybe by a single feroshie before it alerted the rest of its pack.” Crystaline paused, looking intently into James’ eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For supporting me back there, for carrying him all this way.”

James grinned, “please, there’s no need to thank me. I wanted to help.” James looked down at the healing supplies which Crystaline had prepared. “Are you going to apply the healing fluid to him? Will it work?”

Crystaline began to clean the chugga’s wounds. It cried a little, but she kept comforting it along the way. “It will work,” Crystaline eventually answered. “That’s how we discovered the healing fluid in the first place, by healing creatures.”

James watched as Crystaline began to apply the healing fluid to the chugga. He watched as its breathing calmed, and it even appeared to smile, enjoying the relief and the sensation of the healing fluid. James could relate to this little guy right now. He’d been healed twice by the healing fluid himself.

As he continued to watch Crystaline massaging the blue fluid into the broken skin of the chugga, James noticed two long slits on the creature’s back. “Hey er, what are those? Those slits?”

Crystaline gently trailed her dainty forefinger over both slits. “You mean these?”

“Yeah. What are they?”

“They’re something quite remarkable actually.”

“Oh yeah? You know about this creature?”

“Yes. Chuggas are a cherished species among my people. We have learned a lot about them over the years.”

James’ eyes were alight with awe and fascination. “I’d love to hear how you guys came to cherish these awesome creatures.”

Crystaline looked surprisingly shy, hesitant. “It’s a long story,” she mumbled.

James grinned. “I love a good story. I would love to hear it.”

Crystaline sighed, as if she were deciding whether to share her story. Then, her lips parted. “It all started way before my time with one of my Great Grandfathers. Crysteich was a wonderful man who went onto become such a truly wonderful king. The story of how my people came to cherish the chuggas began with him. As I said, it’s a long story. Are you sure you want to hear it?”

James grinned, eager for Crystaline to begin her tale. “Of course, I want to hear this. I’ll wait up all night if I have to.”

Crystaline smiled as she gently caressed the chugga’s back. “Crysteich was a huge lover of creatures, and often, particularly in his younger days, he would venture out here, into the Urashan wilderness to be at one with nature. On one particular occasion, however, when he was about my age, and Prince of Urasha, my relative found himself a little lost. Usually, he was more than capable of finding his way back home, but on this particular day, Crysteich had lost track of the time, and nightfall was approaching him fast, too fast. I guess you could say that my relative became a little fearful, a little panic stricken. He knew that the Urashan forest was a very dangerous place, particularly at night.

“As he scrambled his way through the forest, his anxiety increased, and so he lost his focus. He failed to take proper care of his footing, until eventually, he suffered a nasty fall, injuring himself terribly. He broke his foot, and he suffered a head injury which knocked him out cold for a while.”

“When my relative eventually awoke, nightfall had arrived. Dazed, injured and disorientated, Crysteich couldn’t even move. His body just drifted him in and out of consciousness, taking him through the entire night.”

“When my relative finally properly awoke, it was daylight, and Crysteich’s senses began to return to him. He realised what danger he was in. His foot was broken, causing him such an agonising pain. There was no way he could travel through this forest alone. The thought did occur to Crysteich that his father, King Crystic, would send out aid, guards to locate him. However, in such a dense and untraveled forest, my relative knew that there was little hope of them actually finding him.”

“Crysteich had always recalled just sitting there, tilting his head back defeatedly as he rested it on a tree trunk. He’d remembered that moment, that moment when the chugga had first caught his eye. Crysteich had been afraid, very afraid. He had never ever seen a chugga before, and the creature was big enough to harm him, especially in his injured state. I should imagine that the chugga looked a little like our friend here. I know it was blue, and male.”

“Anyway, instead of attacking Crysteich, the chugga just laid down next to him, not even budging at all. Feeling both terrified and puzzled, Crysteich eventually summoned the strength in his arms to move. He began to slide his body away from the chugga, stirring the creature’s attention straight back to him. For a while the creature and my relative were immobilised, looking directly into each other’s eyes. A few moments later, the chugga was gone, invisible amongst the trees. At this point, my relative was completely dumbfounded. Had he, in his injured state, frightened off the creature?”

“After a few more minutes of wondering, Crysteich’s question was answered for him. No, he had not scared the creature away, for the creature had returned to him, carrying a piece of bruc in its mouth. Even more astonishingly, the animal was offering him the food. With reluctance, my relative accepted the chugga’s offering, feeling his body refilling with strength and energy. Crysteich was never a greedy man, and as he watched the chugga lie down beside him once again, he offered the creature the last half of his bruc. The chugga accepted rather willingly, amusing my relative and filling him with warmth.”

“That morning, Crysteich had laughed at himself. You see how innocent our friend over here looks? Well Crysteich’s chugga was just the same. It was a friendly creature, one who had already helped him greatly. Tentatively, my relative stroked the creature, and much to his relief, the creature purred out its return to him.”

“Just as Crysteich began to wonder if he’d ever move, the chugga rose, tugging gently on the prince’s arm. Once again, my relative was momentarily dumbfounded. What did the creature want now? The thought did occur to my relative that the animal might be trying to eat him. But then that theory just didn’t make any actual sense. The creature would have killed him by now? Not offered him food? And besides, its tugs weren’t even painful. So what else? What else could the chugga want? My relative understood then that the creature was once again trying to help him. It was trying to move him. Looking all around him for inspiration, Crysteich studied the trees all around. He didn’t want to be dragged the whole distance, and so my relative pulled himself up onto his good foot using a nearby tree. Apparently, the chugga was delighted at this point, jumping up and down, gleeful that Crysteich had understood it.”

“From that very moment, a special bond had formed between Crysteich and the chugga. The little animal had slid itself underneath my relative’s armpit, and Crysteich had bent over to meet the little creature, appreciating the support that the animal gave him as he limped his way through the forest.”

“All in all, Crysteich spent days with the chugga. Every day, they would walk some more, and then they’d have many moments of much needed rest. The chugga was always careful to lead Crysteich through areas where both food and water were plentiful. Another thing that never ceases to amaze me, is that the chugga always led Crysteich into areas teeming with ganzar plants and furleaves, just in time for nightfall. It knew of the dangers of the Urashan wilderness, and it wanted to protect both itself and Crysteich from those dangers.”

“Now I must mention here, that unbeknownst to Crysteich, his father had indeed sent out a search party to look for him. The men searched for many days and many nights, but still could not find Crysteich. A week later, they were forced to return to their king empty handed. A heartbroken Crystic could only conclude that his son was dead. He had no choice but to call off the search.”

“Meanwhile, and once again, unbeknownst to the king, the chugga and Crysteich continued to slowly travel through the forest. Only this time, both friends were beginning to weaken. The chugga in particular, had deteriorated very rapidly, and the thing looked close to death. My relative was devastated. He had always recalled that feeling of powerlessness. He’d never ever felt so powerless in all his life. That chugga was his friend. The creature had helped him, sought out food and water for him, and now Crysteich had that responsibility. The prince had to become the leader, the carer, the gatherer. He gathered fruit, bruc and water, but none of it was of any use. The chugga just kept on growing weaker and weaker, until the next evening, the thing died, taken by death.”

“My relative suffered that night. His heart was heavily broken. He had lost a friend, a very good friend, his best friend, and what was even more incomprehensible was the fact that the chugga had given its life for him. In protecting him and making sure that he was okay, the chugga had not been okay, and now it had died. My relative spent that night weeping over the chugga, unable to move himself away from the carcass of his best friend. He recalled that its lifeless body was rather strange. Slowly, it had swelled up and had grown in size. After creatures pass away, it is not uncommon for their bodies to swell up, and so, at the time, Crysteich thought little of this rather strange phenomena. He just sat with his back leaning on a tree for the night, watching as his best friend swelled right beside him.”

“As night turned to day, Crysteich had watched as the unobstructed sky up above had become paler and paler. The prince took another look at the body of the chugga beside him in this new light. His chugga friend had given its life to try and keep him alive. That sacrifice, had it all been for nothing? Would it be right to just give up and die out here? Crysteich felt his heart pumping the adrenaline back into his body, no, no, definitely not. His chugga friend, his best friend. It had not died for nothing. He would find his way back home, he would never ever give up, and once he returned home, he would live each day, not just for himself, but for his best friend too. Crysteich lifted his arm up and gripped onto the branch of the tree he was leaning on. With all his might, he pulled himself back up onto his foot. Yes, my relative could only use one foot, but he would get home, he would use the trees for support, he had to. Crysteich took one final look at the dead chugga, the pain returning to his heart. He shed one final tear for his friend, and then he left, deciding that he would call this creature a ‘chugga’. He didn’t quite know why.”

“My relative spent several hours battling against the odds to stay upright. He used the trees all around him for support. Yet sometimes, the support was not enough, a branch would give way, or his arm would feel too weak to grip onto it. Nevertheless, Crysteich was not going to give up, he couldn’t. Willpower to go on was all that the prince needed. He had that, he had that need to go on coursing through each and every vein in his body. That need, and that willpower got my relative through the forest, forcing him into a new realisation. The chugga had been leading him out of the forest all along, back to the city’s wall. Yes, it had taken them days to get there, but he’d done it, Crysteich could see the city wall! Feeling the elation coursing through his body, the prince took a careless step away from the trees, falling flat on his face as his support had disintegrated away from him. Realising that he’d made a stupid move, and that he faced a new difficulty of actually reaching the city wall, Crysteich rolled over onto his back, wondering if the tiny remnants of energy left in his body would even be enough to reach that wall. It was so cruel, to come so near yet so far to the city.”

“As Crysteich lay, facing the clear sky up above him, he noticed something alarming hovering through his vision. Something was up in the sky, and it was sinking closer and closer to the ground. Feeling suddenly terrified and preyed upon, the prince sat himself upright, dragging himself against the cold gritty ground. As he felt his hands cutting open, he could hear the creature landing behind him. He could even feel the wafts of air from the creature’s wings hitting his fearful body.”

“Feeling suddenly defeated, Crysteich halted his dragging, turning around slowly to face the creature that stood behind him.”

“What my relative saw, was not what he had expected. It took him a while to realise or recognise his friend. He noticed how the creature looked so familiar, with that same shade of blue, that same playful face. Those same sparkling eyes, and even the way those eyes would look straight back into his own eyes, with what? Love? Affection? The chugga had grown, tripled in size at least, and maybe even quadrupled. The thing was massive, with a huge wingspan to match.”

“As Crysteich stared at the rather tiny looking piece of bruc in the chugga’s mouth, his heart leapt into action, forcing his body to hop up onto his good foot, and to dive into the creature, his arms fully prepared to embrace the animal. The chugga met with Crysteich’s arms, supporting the prince once again.”

“My relative had always recalled that moment, stating that it was probably the best memory of his life. That relief, that euphoria to know that the chugga, his friend, was okay, nothing could ever top that. Not even the thought of returning home, to the city.”

“Much to Crysteich’s reluctance, the chugga did return my relative to the city. The prince had initially been apprehensive about the idea, begging the chugga to stop as it had begun to take off into the air, with him clinging onto its back. My relative was worried that the Urashans would open fire, that his people would assume that the chugga was a gersher. Crysteich’s protests did not stop the chugga, and soon, the pair reached the city. As the prince had expected, they were met with Urashan weaponry, as men tried to blast the ‘flying beast’ out of the sky. The chugga however, was very skilled, and very agile. It successfully dodged fire after fire, until as if by some miracle, the fire suddenly stopped. The chugga circled around in the sky for a bit, and as the creature did this, Crysteich heard the cries of recognition sounding out below him. It was over, the whole ordeal was over. Crysteich had made it. He had made it home with the help of his best friend. The people of Urasha were extremely thankful to the chugga. The king was so grateful to have his son returned to him.”

“My people learnt something that day: they learnt that creatures were intelligent, and many of them, harmless. They would forever cherish the chugga. Seeing a chugga has now become a lucky sight for my people.”

“Crysteich went on to continue a lifelong friendship with his chugga friend. The two would travel the Urashan skies together, exploring Urasha at her very best. Crysteich was always at his happiest whenever he rode on the back of his chugga.”

As Crystaline’s words slowed into a complete halt, James looked down at the baby blue chugga in front of him. Gently, he rested his hand on its rubbery body. He used his finger to softly feel the slits on its back. Would this be where the wings would grow? “Is that where his wings will be?” James softly whispered, still caressing the chugga. “Our chugga? He’ll grow? He’ll develop wings, too?”

“Yes, that is the idea.”

“When?” James could barely contain his enthusiasm. “I mean er, do you know how long our chugga has until he grows his wings?”

Crystaline shook her head sideways. “No. It could happen any time. I mean, he’s more or less developed appropriately now, so really, it could happen tomorrow for all we know.”

“Will he get sick? Like Crysteich’s chugga?”

“Possibly,” was all Crystaline answered with.

James could no longer contain his grin. Not that he’d been doing a great job of containing his awe-inspired smile anyway. “So, what do you reckon we should call him? Chugga two?”

Crystaline shook her head, pouting her lips wryly. Her eyes were smiling. “No, Chugga two is rather lame. I prefer Chugga-Chugga.”

James’ grin widened. “I like that. It suits him.”

Once the chugga was healed and sound asleep, James wandered over to the campfire. Phil, Zach and Crystos were sat silently around it. James sat next to Zach.

“Is the animal okay now?” Phil was terrible at hiding the lack of concern in his voice.

“You mean Chugga-Chugga?” James corrected his captain.

“So, you’ve named him now, have you? Don’t get too attached, James. That thing won’t last out here.”

James’ eyes widened, this man was crazily cold and annoying. “Luckily, Chugga-Chugga has all of us looking after him. We’ll make sure he’s fine.”

Phil scoffed. “I don’t know about that, James. I’m pretty sure we’re gonna have to let him go. He belongs here, in this forest. He can’t come back to the city with us.”

James shook his head, feeling completely vexed. “Crystaline isn’t just going to let him go. She’ll make sure he’s okay, and if that means him tagging along with us for a while, then it means him tagging along with us. If it means bringing him back to the city with us, then it means bringing him back to the city with us. You don’t get a say in this, you insensitive old man.”

“Whoah, whoah, whoah! You guys,” Zach intervened. “Can we please not argue? Let’s just finish our meal and then rest up for the night, yeah?”

“Have you had something to eat yet?” Phil asked James, his voice calmer.

“No, that’s what I came here to do.”

“Right. Good. That bruc is nice, you know. It’s sure sated me for the night. I’m taking my furleave now, as is Zach. Don’t be too long, James, you’ll need your energy for tomorrow.”

James nodded. He had little else to say to his captain as he watched the pompous git dragging Zach away to their furleaves. James took a piece of bruc, feeling slightly unnerved by the fact that Crystos was the only one sat around the fire with him. He’d never actually spoken to Crystos before, not properly anyway. Crystos seemed so shy. He reminded James a little bit of Lottie. She was also shy around strangers and avoided conversing with them.

James tore his bruc in half, placing a chunk of it in his mouth. It tasted lovely, like a freshly baked cake. It was crunchy and sugary around the edges, and soft and spongey in the middle. “This stuff’s really good,” James said to Crystos.

Crystos raised his head, eyeing James like a cautious, timid little animal. “Yes,” he eventually answered, his voice gentle. “It’s a delicacy here. Your captain also complimented it earlier.”

James felt a pinch of agitation. He didn’t want to be likened to Phil in any slight way.

As if sensing James’ agitation, Crystos nervously continued. “You don’t seem to like that captain of yours very much, do you?”

James closed his eyes and sighed. “No, I don’t. Phil and I, we don’t get along. At all.”

“May I ask why?”

James shrugged. “To be honest, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact reasons. I mean he smothers me for one thing. Then he’s seeing my mother too.”

“Seeing?”

“Yeah, he’s er, he’s with her...you know?”

“They’re sexually involved?”

James shuddered, immediately feeling the need to gag. He did not want to think of his mother or Phil in that way, but, well, yes. James just nodded, swallowing down his vomit.

“I see,” Crystos continued, contemplating James’ reasoning. “So, your captain, is he your father?”

“Eww, no!” James was quick to correct. “God no. He might like to think of himself as a father figure now, but no. I’m not related to that man - thank god! It’s complicated. He knew my father. They even traveled through space together. Then my father, he er, he died...”

Crystos’ eyes shot down to the ground. “Right,” he choked. “I’m sorry. I see, I understand. My mother, she passed on too.”

It was James’ turn to choke, even though he’d suspected this unfortunate circumstance. “Oh, I er, I’m sorry. I’d wondered why I’d not been introduced to the queen, and then, and then I’d assumed...you know?”

“Easy assumption to make.”

“Yeah…I er...your father? I can’t help but notice that the two of you don’t seem to get along either?”

Crystos’ face blanched, his lips forming a hard line. “No. I hate that man.”

“Why?” James whispered, feeling the apprehension sweeping through his body as he stared at Crystos’ changed expression. He had tensed himself into a tumultuous ball of agony, glaring at Crystaline.

Crystos took a while to respond to James. At first, he continued to stare at Crystaline, and then he looked away from her into the burning flame in front of him. His fists were now clenched tightly together. It looked as if he would crush his own fingers through the sheer force of his anger.