Asha felt her chitin warming. She rose up on four leg/arms and looked at the horizon. The deep blood red glow slowly seeping over the horizon silhouetting an ancient, deserted city. I fell asleep. I must get back home. Looking around, where am I. This is too far; I won’t make it back. Mmm babies will sleep but Talas. He will sleep too. I can die, he care not for me, but babies need me. Too far. Secret cave at city. Old home will have to do until night again. With that thought Asha skipped ran on all eight leg/arms to the safety of a cave as the heavy shadows of the Dark Star chased her.

She was born under that star; she would die under that star she knew one day but not today. Her chitin now hot as she was getting full rays of the eclipse red star upon her. Pushing forward as her joints began to ache as the radiation seeped into the softer areas of her armor. Hissing and gasping in pain Asha saw the cave ahead only meters now. Stumbling she pushed ahead as her inside body started to burn from the searing heat of her chitin. Steam was now coming off her armor. The blood red light soaking the rugged cliff side she was running for. Blinded she blinked to get her bearings again and as such closed her emitting eyes tight, this helped but the surfaces were bright and the safety of shadows obscured now with the rising mist as the eclipsed star’s rays warmed the moon’s surface.

Reaching the cave entrance dragging herself she felt the cool air in her lungs, the darkness safe and assuring she continued to drag herself further into the cave. She was still cooking from the heated chitin that encased her. Once before this had happened, she knew what she needed. Opening her emitter eyes, she could now see the cave in its entirety. It was large, not as large as the Home, but it should have what she needed. A pool of liquid that would cool her armor off. The air helped a little, but she was cooking inside.

 She heard/sensed the dripping of liquid. Examining her surroundings she zeroed in on where the dripping was. She now hoped there was a pool large enough to get into. The sound now closer and deeper. Relief passed through her as she saw the large pool of liquid. Any liquid would do to cool her. Slipping into the cold dark liquid she realized it was water and drank deeply. As the cold water cooled her chitin she could feel her armor straining with the quick change in temperature. With a loud crack-pop her chitin cracked completely down the entirety of her front body if she stood. The relief of cold-water rushing in made her gasp. Slowly wiggling and working each limb out of the protective outer body made of chitin which acted much like a power armored suit she left it behind to swim and soak in the pool of water healing her inner body.

 Feeling her body’s temperature returning to normal she found a shelf in the pool of water to lay on. Relaxing every muscle, letting the emotions of the night go; Asha silently sobbed until sleep took her into the day.

Talas had a fitful sleep without Asha near he realized. She seemed to soothe his thoughts while he slept but without her he woke off and on to gnawing feeling at the edges of his mind. He found he missed her in a strange sense, he felt safe with her, but she was a monster. With those thoughts running through his mind wondering if he would ever get home. Where am I? No stars just that red eclipse for daylight and starless dark for night. Where is she?

 Talas had been able to get around a little and made his way to the entrance of the cave. On the horizon he saw the faint tinge of a blood-colored thread stretching across and growing. Any minute I will see here skipping home. HOME, what the. I am not home! Talas watched for Asha a bit more then made his way back to the sleeping silks, this is what he thought of the bedding now and collapsed into the spun silk sheet like bedding. Weary of fitful sleep, nightmarish dreams, longing for home, and the damnable gnawing, gnashing at the edge of his mind, those Babies, Talas drifted off again to sleep with thoughts and hopes of Asha’s return to his surprise.

-d²