"I told you to stop talking!" A chorus of basilisk echoed the words around the two men. Cuthbert bounced awkwardly over Ta'Zan shoulder as he navigated the fish furrow in the dark. The emaciated Cuthbert didn't last long walking on his own let alone keeping up with the pace his companion was setting.
He lasted even less time in silence. Constantly asking Ta'Zan about things he knew nothing about– about people he didn't know. And for all the places and people Cuthbert mentioned not once did he mention Zanderheim or his father. It wasn't how Ta'Zan expected their conversation to go.
Yet he was still hopeful that he could show him how to escape this vibrant hell that has become his home.
His boots sank deeper into the dirt underneath him as the soil became softer, moist.
"Can you slow down!" Cuthbert's voice bounced around the flock of lizards as they littered the path in front of the weary travellers.
Cuthbert turned his torso closer to Ta'Zan to whisper in his ear. "Fascinating! Can both genders mimic this precisely? I would imagine there being some sort of sexual dimorphism among this species. Especially with a vocal adaptation such as mimicry."
Ta'Zan nudged Cuthbert in irritation with his shoulder. He heard a muffled grunt from the cloaked lump of bones that lay painfully over him.
'Does he have a death wish? He won't keep quiet!' In any other instance Ta'Zan would've loved talking about things he didn't understand with aomeone that had the same type of skin as him but the glowing amber eyes of the basilisk surrounding them kept him focused on the path ahead. Especially because he was certain the bolaj ch'u' finished connecting to the river that lay only half an hour away from them.
Mud began to cake the bottom of his boots crafted from isopod carapaces while water slowly seeped into the gaps of the shell. They didn't have much time before their path became just another body of water and Ta'Zan didn't trust Cuthbert to swim even if his life depended on it.
And unfortunately for them that would be the case. There was no telling what sort of aquatic creatures would funnel down towards them.
'What the hell is dimorphism?' unnecessary questions like these kept popping up into Ta'Zan's head while he tried to figure out his next move.
He kept an eye out for a good place to climb out but the flock of mimics made it difficult to go any other direction but forward.
'Or Lacertilla? It's like he's just making up words to impress me.' Ta'Zan never finished all his studies before leaving Zanderheim as a child but he couldn't believe his education would have that many gaps to not be able to identify even one thing that this half starved man rambled off about .
'Focus Ta'Zan, you'll get your chance to ask everything you want. Just ignore the bag of bones for a little bit longer.'
The pattering of the basilisk on the wet ground became more prominent as they repositioned themselves in front of Ta'Zan for the dozenth time.
"I've never seen a creature that produced bioluminescence with their eyes before. Absolutely stunning!"
Ta'Zan's disappointment travelled throughout his body at what he was hearing. The dryness in his mouth became more apparent and the mud caked boots felt impossible to lift. He warned Cuthbert to keep his eyes closed, granted he should've taken the time to explain why but he had expected the man to trust him enough to listen.
He shut his own eyes as if the act itself would free him from this nightmare. Cuthbert became stiff under Ta'Zan's left arm that held him over his shoulder– he could feel the man struggling to lift himself off his savior.
"Let me go." Cuthbert said in a leveled voice that felt out of character to Ta'Zan and he only just met the man.
He slowly placed the man on his feet and continued to march forward away from the living corpse. Ta'Zan contemplated his chances of fighting off all the mimics but the water that percolated underneath each step he took was a hindrance he couldn't ignore. The water level rose up to Ta'Zan's ankles and he wouldn't be able to move fast enough to fight let alone save Cuthbert.
The sound of a stream forming in the distance caught his attention for a moment before Cuthbert stole it back.
"I said let me go!" Ta'Zan turned around to see Cuthbert standing exactly where he left him. The black cloak wrapped tightly around Cuthbert's slim frame. The contrast of darkness was vivid among the other shadows that made up the night. One of the basilisks dropped to the ground in agony as it let out a death screech that pierced through the forest. The rest of the flock bellowed the new phrase in delight while the one closest to Cuthbert continued to squirm.
"You dare enter MY mind you insignificant insect!" The lizards began to waddle towards Cuthbert all at once. Some jumped off trees and others rushed past Ta'Zan to finish the hunt they started hours ago. The frenzy was palpable to Ta'Zan who could only stand and watch in awe as Cuthbert swiftly swayed from one beast to another, leaving a trail of death wherever he landed. His shadow danced in the air, seeming to never touch the ground as it snaked back and forth at each new opponent that dared approach.
It struck the last basilisk as it scampered towards its death, oblivious of the fallen that laid around it. The exchange lasted no longer than a few seconds. It only took so long because the basilisk couldn't run any faster.
Cuthbert's shadowy silhouette stood at the center of the carnage a moment before his posture changed noticeably to the onlooker. His head moved haphazardly as if he was lost. The cloak twirled in place before he raised his arm and waved at Ta'Zan.
"Can you slow down!" Cuthbert stomped towards his guide. Each of his steps punctuated the silence with the sound of mud tightly sucking the man deeper into the river bed to be.