CHAPTER 6: A Lesson Taught
The cave shuddered with the sound of heavy crunching, like bones being shattered at a steady pace. Milo sat, still glad the guides decided to accompany them despite all they had been through. "Then again," he thought, "they couldn't have exactly walked back…"
"How long have we been down here?" Audrey wondered aloud, holding onto one of the fin-like spikes on Kelly's back.
"There's no tellin'. In addition to the extra gauze and bandages bein' in the pack that went down with the Ketak, my pocket watch was also in there."
"You're not the only ones who wish you knew what time it was," Milo called down from the Doltak.
"Milo, in a bit I think it's ah Mole's turn to ride the thing, eh?"
The geologist grinned and put his hands together.
"Yeah," he agreed, not looking forward to riding on the armag's hard back again. "So, uh, Kida, there haven't been any forks large enough for an armag yet, but do do know where you're going, right?"
The woman, face lit blue from beneath by her crystal necklace, simply turned to look at him from the pilot's seat. "No."
"No?!"
"Do you truly believe I know every path to the city? A few years ago I would not know my way to the surface at all. I know the hunting routes and game trails, but little more."
"Okay…" he sighed. "Well, tell us if you recognize anything, all right?"
"Very well."
"Hey, Cookie?" Milo yelled as he twisted around. He realized the armags had stopped again. "Kida? Ma and Kelly have stopped to eat again." He felt the Doltak turn underneath him as they turned around. The scholar wondered if eating kriperlok was like eating chocolate after years of eating nothing but steamed cabbage. It seemed to please Mokele-mbembe, for she always rumbled when she ate the plants. Loud echoes ricocheted off the cave walls as the plants were being chisled away by teeth. "Cookie? Should we break for dinner, breakfast…? Whatever this is?"
"Y'know, that sounds good ta me," Sweet added.
"So… who else is hungry?"
The cook responded before anyone else could answer Milo's question. "Lets get to eatin' then. Got some jerky I could use to make all'r us a mean stew. Could even throw in some'r that plant down there. And I got plenty'r spices fer it all."
"Salt, salt, and sodium chloride," Milo remembered quietly to himself. He wondered if the kriperlok by itself would almost be better for him to eat, knowing in all reality that would not be true.
A mix of exclamations accompanied Cookie's as the armag jerked abruptly, raising both head and crest to listen as its mother was now doing. "Whoa! Hold on there, girl!"
"What's that noise?" Audrey's voice was jarring compared to the silence.
From the distance came forth the great calls of some enormous creature, familiar roars like thunder.
Everyone heard the rush of wind as Nguma-monele inhaled deeply. She then emitted a bellow so loud everyone grabbed their ears to shut it out. The linguist released his head, looking up at the large armag. His ears rang like the bells of Notre Dame. Based on the body language of Ma, he concluded she received a currently inaudible response. Milo saw her inhale again.
"Cover!" he yelled, barely able to hear himself. The academic man quickly plugged his ears again. The scholar felt another roar through his frame, as well as a deep, additional vibration he could only guess was Kelly.
Gingerly he uncovered his ears, which still buzzed, and opened his eyes. Nguma-momele had begun to gallop in the direction of the initial sounds. Kelly, regardless of her passengers, crunched behind.
"Kida!"
"I am aware!"
Milo held on tight as the Doltak whipped around to follow the beasts through the winding passageways. After a few rough moments of disarray the massive caverns began to fork and the creatures barreled through the routes, following the calls. The linguist quickly lost track of how many splits there were.
"NEE-shen! Kwalm! (Spirits! No!)" Kida tightened her grip on her spear.
"What's wrong?"
"This is a game trail! There are armags on the game trail!"
"What? Game trail for what?" he shouted over the cracking stomps.
A course, deep screech from the side turned his wife's head, revealing a horrified expression turning to one of determination. "Charokh!" she snarled.
"What in the cockle-doodle?!"
"Sacré Bleu!"
"Holy smokes!"
The Doltak dodged the creature's immense maw, speeding away. The screaming insectoid raised its massive horned head in display before pursuing on it's many legs. It's crimson eyes seemed to glow in the dim light.
"We've got to distract this thing!"
"We will be blessed if we can merely slow it down! It is hunting Ma and Kelly, not us!"
"Anything we can get! You know what to do!" The man jumped off the vehicle, grabbing hold of one of the massive serrated tusks of the charokh.
"Milo! Do not be foolish!"
"Ugh! You have a better idea?!" Clambering up he thrust with his spear toward the blood-red eye of the creature, but missed terribly when the creature lunged. It did not even seem to care.
A whistling buzz sounded as a thin lightning blot crossed the king's sky. The charokh squealed and looked back at the Doltak. With a single leg it swatted at the vehicle like a fly, sending it careening.
"KIDA! NOOO!" He almost lost his balance and glanced down, seeing the ground speed under him. To drop would mean death, if not by the fall, from being trampled. Milo climbed back on, hearing past the insectoid's calls various roars from above. "KIDAAAA!" Only then did he realize there were passageways above them, and they had started up a steep uphill slope. "Kida…!" Thinking of his wife he lunged again with his spear, hitting its target. The beast shrieked in pain, using a claw to try to remove the pest from its face. Milo dodged clumsily before being whisked upward. With a thud he landed on moving ground, the exoskeleton of the charokh. "Yaaaaaaa!" Using his spear, he thrust down between two plates to keep from sliding. There was a slight tremble beneath him. The animal felt it, but chose to keep pursuing its meal. Suddenly the creature burst into the upper chamber.
Inside were not only Ma and Kelly, but also what appeared to be a whole herd of armags. Only here were the walls almost completely barren of the vines. The sauropod-like creatures pressed up against the sides of the cave, curled up in defensive postures with spikes and carapaces helping to conceal flesh. Only Ma, he noted, dared to step forward, snarling.
Seeing easier targets, the charokh scrambled to the nearest armag, using its entire bulk to try and bowl the herbivore over and briefly expose its neck or underbelly. Milo was nearly crushed between chitin and carapace, being forced to pull in his legs to keep them. The insectiod moved back, ready to try again.
When a grunt from behind was accompanied by an agonized screech, Milo turned to see a figure with a spear jabbed deeply between the creature's plates.
"KIDA!" he cried in relieved surprise.
The creature lurched, forcing her to hold on the same way her husband was. "We need help!"
"No kidding!"
Milo felt an unbelievable wave of heat as an explosion sounded. Both armag and charokh cried out, the former running away.
"All right, Vinny!"
"I got ah one more!"
There was another incredible blast. The screeching beast held up charred, useless legs, then charged enraged at the cause of its injuries. Even minus a few sets of legs the charokh could still lumber along at a fast pace.
Milo was deafened again by Nguma-monele's awesome roar. She had positioned herself between the predator and the rest of the team and her offspring. The linguist clenched his teeth as the charokh reared to slash downward with its tusks, the armag bellowing excruciatingly. She returned the pain, catching the creature in the side of the neck with her tail. The insectoid sank its fangs into her leg, and in response Ma slashed with the spikes along her neck, creating a sound on the exoskeleton like nails on a chalkboard.
The linguist thought he could feel his ribs knocking together. To his astonishment, Kelly was peeking out from behind her mother, imitating her by waving her tail aggressively. This made for quite a ride for the rest of the group Milo could hear the other armags vocalizing to each other.
In its fury the charokh rammed Ma. She lay stunned on her back, twitching.
The insectoid reared, screaming to announce its victory to all, ready to come down on its meal.
The fluke-like blades of an armag's tail wooshed over Milo and Kida's heads, breaking their spears in the middle. A chorus of roars filled the great cavern as the other creatures closed in on the charokh.
"They learned!"
"Yes, bu--WHOOOOAAA!" The linguist and the huntress flew as an armag slammed into the aggressor. The two landed on one of the few places where kriperlok could soften their landing even a little. Looking up, he saw the crowd of armags beat the predator down into the fray. After a few seconds, the creatures backed away. The charokh lay lifeless as Ma rose.
"YAHD-lu-goh-nikh!" shouted a male voice. Milo and Kida looked back to see a group of stunned hunters gawking at them and the still body of the insectoid.
"Your highnesses!" exclaimed the leader. "Are you all right? I mean not to be irreverent, but what are you doing here? We were not expecting you."
"We are fine, Wandehm. Thank you."
"We, well, brought back some friends. Some you know and some you… don't." The scholar motioned to the two new armags after helping up his wife, nearly falling himself due to the gnarled vines. The entire herd investigated the two newcomers, scarlet crests raised as they sniffed. Even Kelly's passengers were inspected with some bewilderment. "Seems living in the upper world made these two armags a little more aggressive. They stood up for themselves as opposed to only being defensive. The others followed the mother's lead."
A low rumble Milo felt in his chest increased in intensity. The younger armag trotted to this new group of people, sniffing the new hunters and huntresses in her typical fashion. The rest of the team dismounted carefully, sliding down Kelly's tail.
"Is this their home?" Duma boomed, a little shocked at the whole situation.
"Yes," replied Kida. "There is a one other group, but with luck, they will meet and learn as well."
"Good, but…" Neil paused, though he was relieved. "How do we get home?"
"Well, we need to go back to Atlantis, first. You'll be there a couple days, though." The bookish man rubbed at a scrape on his arm.
"Oh, no. We're going to be fired coming back after so long!"
"Don't worry, Duma," Sweet consoled. "It'll be patched up. Whitmore made sure you guys were hired for us, Whitmore will make sure you aren't fired."
After a nod, Milo turned to Wandehm. "How far is it to the City?"
"It is nearly an hour's walk without the aid of spears, My King." The hunter took a step back as Mokele-mbembe looked him over.
"My King?!" Neil and Duma simultaneously exclaimed.
"Um…" Milo smiled modestly, looking over his glasses and running fingers over his hair. "It's kinda a long story. You see years ago…"
He trailed off, eyes widening as Nguma-monele approached. Even Kelly stepped back to allow her mother's enormous snout come through. The scholar nervously moved back as her horn pointed forward at him. She paused, the rank scent of her breath filling the immediate area.
The linguist stood baffled, unsure of what to do. He looked to Kida for a moment, then to the hunters, who all essentially shrugged. Tentatively he reached out then to put his hand on the massive muzzle. Ma's crest went back, spike now pointing the other way. She pressed her massive snout against him.
Milo slowly began to grin in amazement. "I… I think she likes me now!"
Nguma-monele snorted loudly, a bit of clear, sticky fluid splattering itself on the scholar.
Audrey laughed. "That probably means, 'Don't push it!'"
To the amazement of everyone, the great armag emitted a cooing sound before lifting its head and leaving, Kelly then hurrying to join her new family.
"Wow." Milo was simply awestruck. After a moment when the creatures had disappeared, his mind wandered. "I hope Packard and Garret found Marge is all right…" he wondered aloud.
"Packard… Packard… Yes!" Puknohl, another hunter, spoke in realization. "Khobdesheh received a notice. He was reading it out loud when I was reporting in to him--"
"Reporting in? Why would you need to report in?" Kida cocked her head when she interrupted, confused.
The hunters all gave her a strange look. Wandehm smiled, speaking to both Milo and Kida, though mostly the latter. "Do not worry, we shall make sure all of your injuries are treated at the clinic."
"As I had began," said Puknohl, "it was a message through Whitmore Industries. I… remember something about Packard and Garret needing to leave you for some reason… but being relieved as far as 'he' could tell. I am guessing 'he' is Garret?"
"Probably," Milo smiled "Looks like Marge is okay!"
Puknohl's news was a relief to all.
"Well, should we get underway, Milo? Sweet asked.
"Yeah, we'd better."
"I've got to see this…" Neil crossed his arms and shook his head.
Over the course of an hour they walked, the team actually happy to be using their feet instead of sitting, though the hazardous jumps that had to be undertaken were understandably not appreciated by the guides.
Finally light flooded a section of the cave. Milo waved a hand to follow. Before them all opened up the grand cavern that held the shimmering lost city.
"Whoa!"
"Good gracious!"
"Yeah, nice, isn't it guys?" He remembered his reaction a year ago to the splendor of the place. The scholar looked on again, taking in the feel of the soft earth beneath his feet and the salt-water scent he held so precious carried y the fluttering wind. He felt a presence beside him take his hand, and he took hers tenderly. When the queen laid her head on his shoulder, he rested his on hers.
Together Milo and Kida gazed up at the city of Atlantis, a place they called home, a place of new discoveries, and a place of miracles.
Together they would face what the winds of the future carried to them.
TEAM ATLANTIS: THE DARK CONTINENT'S ENIGMA
Credits:
In loving memory:
Holly the Hamster
Starting my little obsession:
Walt Disney
&
Everyone Involved in Making the Movie
Including:
Don Hahn
Gary Trousdale
Kirk Wise
Michael J. Fox
Cree Summer
James Newton Howard
To Name a Few
Encouragers/Plot Hole Searchers
Julie
Goblinqueeen
Fuse
My Help in Editing (Thank you!)
Goblinqueeen
Fellow Fans (To name a few, and in no particular order:)
From the Search for Atlantis RPG and the Destination Atlantis Forum:
Lisa
Mahteim Mu
Shahnahkehm
Karen
Julie
Sarah
Jodotha
Cali
Goblinqueeen
Princesszeldabelle
Mollydove
Dawn
Roaming_Tigress
Bitsy
Lieutenant Starlite
Vegakeep
Malkavien
Bubble_gum_grl
Jarofpaintbrushes
Meg_Servo
Sáhtibakósh/Jinjue
DareDelvil
Cacomixl
Fuse
Syren
Roaklin
Kat
isolde_scheurer
jozedxyqk
Reference Books Used:
The American Museum of natural History's Book of Dinosaurs and Other Ancient Creatures by Joseph Wallace
The Dinosaur Data Book by David Lambert and the Diagram Group
Dinosaurs Past and Present, Volumes I and II (Natural Museum of Los Angeles County in association with University of Washington Press)
Those Who Introduced Me to Fan Fiction:
Everyone in the Atlantis_the_Movie Yahoo! Group
Inspiration:
God
Group Allowing You to Read This Right Now:
Well, I notice you're still reading. I hope you enjoyed my story!
Including, but not exclusive to:
Zudomon
Grim=20Stripper
Kida Grath
Raymond Chuang
Ruggaphile
Dibsdib
Freakhybrid
The Snow Grygon
Jjvo
Lisa
Karen
Julie
The "Dinosaur" soundtrack, and thus
The feel
The Movie and All Those Involved
James Newton Howard, Whose Music Made Me a Fan
Whatever that place is where my mind wanders to and doesn't come back
Fanfiction.net
PAH-geh-sheh-nekh
Based off the Disney Picture "Atlantis: the Lost Empire." The name "Atlantis: The Dark Continent's Enigma," "armags," "kriperlok," and the characters Temlohn, Duma and Neil are my (Rebmakash's) property. The characters, "MUH-suh MIH-kee" and Khohbdesheh are my property, and I acknowledge I do not own the names. Fan fiction storyline also my property. Milo Thatch, Kidagakash, Puknohl, Wandehm and other characters, names, concepts, and all Atlantean in this story are property of the Walt Disney Company. I also recognize certain lines (such as "Salt, salt, and sodium chloride") are also property of the Disney Company.
Disclaimer: Atlantis: the Lost Empire, and the characters, language, symbols, storylines and titles are property of he Walt Disney Company. This site has been created for entertainment, non-profit purposes only. See sources.
Permission must be granted by the fan authors/artists before their material is to be used. Credit must also be given to the respective author/artist in question. Do so via their e-mail. Questions? Comments? E-mail me at Like_A_Star8800@yahoo.com.
