[center][url=https://imgbb.com/][img]https://image.ibb.co/mrgF0T/Jaxil.png[/img][/url][/center] Jaxil nodded solemnly when Terra explained that it was the best place he could use to try to stay hidden. He didn’t like how open the cave was to the river. All it would take was one curious human wandering too far upstream, and he would be discovered. Unfortunately, it would have to do for now. Being unfamiliar with the labyrinth of tunnels, he didn’t have any better ideas. [b]“Terra!”[/b] a new voice called from another part of the river. [b]“You in here?”[/b] Jaxil’s eyes widened in terror and he pressed his back against the wall of rock behind him. In his panic, he slipped on the wet floor of the crevice and sent a small flurry of rocks down into the water. There would be no hiding the sound they made. He looked around, hurriedly trying to find an escape route, but Terra held her hands up in a calming gesture. [b]“Stay here and stay still,”[/b] she whispered. He shook his head slowly in agreement, watching as she slipped out of the cave to confront the source of the voice. He crept forward, just enough to listen to them speak without being within their range of sight. [b]“…I’m here!”[/b] he heard Terra shout as she scrambled down the boulders. [b]“I was just checking out all the tunnels.”[/b] [b]“Terra, what the hell were you doing up there?”[/b] the other person replied. By the low timbre of the voice, Jaxil decided it was a male. He couldn’t tell anything else about the stranger though. The male human went on: [b]“You know Ryan doesn’t want anyone heading up there. The rapids are too rough. You could have slipped and been pulled under. None of us would have ever been able to find you.”[/b] [b]“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry, I just wanted to check everywhere. Just to be sure.”[/b] [b]“Just… don’t go up there again. We can’t lose another person today,”[/b] there was a brief pause before the male asked: [b]“Did you find anything?”[/b] Jaxil held his breath, leaning as far forward as he could. This was the moment of truth. Would Terra betray him to her own people or would she protect him from them? He braced himself, ready to bolt if he needed to. However, his fears were laid to rest when she answered: [b]“No, I checked all through the lower river caverns and all in the upper river caverns. He’s not there.”[/b] He let out the breath he had been holding in a long exhale. She had chosen to hide him after all. Her lie had bought him some time as well. As long as the other humans believed that she hadn’t found him in the upper cavern, they would have no reason to look for him here. He could rest easy for now. Suddenly, exhaustion struck him at full force. He hadn’t thought about it before, but he had had a busy day. From commencing the raid on the humans, to getting imprisoned, to escaping from the cell, to his encounter with Terra, he hadn’t had a single moment to rest. He sank to a sitting position with his back against the wall once more, his eyelids drooping heavily. He wanted to stay awake to keep watch for humans, but his tired body protested. He yawned. It wouldn’t hurt to sleep for a short while, right? After all, Terra had misled the others to keep them away from him. Surely that would give him enough time for a nap. With that thought in mind, Jaxil let himself lay down on the damp stone floor of the crevice. He drifted off, too weary to care about the wetness that seeped into his clothing. At that moment, all he wanted was to sleep. [center][url=https://imgbb.com/][img]https://image.ibb.co/d4TZuo/Serix.png[/img][/url][/center] Time passed slowly by as Serix searched the compound for Jaxil. The missing Lunairan had left no signs of his presence anywhere. He hoped Ryan wasn’t having better luck on his end. It would be a problem if the other humans got ahold of the young male before he and Cassie did. There was always a chance they could convince Ryan to spare Jaxil, but after that battle he doubted the human leader would let him off the hook so easily. His mind wandered back to the events in the hold. So much had happened that it was a bit overwhelming. He was shaken up by just encountering others of his own kind after being integrated amongst the humans for so long. To learn that he had hurt Celuria and been disowned by his people on top of that was tough to deal with. He wondered if the Lunairan prisoners would even be willing to cooperate with him if he tried to save them from death. They all seemed to hate him for betraying the higher powers. He sighed. If they only knew how twisted their leaders had become, they would understand why he had chosen to fight for the half-bloods. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem very willing to listen. Serix looked up to see Quincy and Ray approaching from one of the tunnels. The former raised his hand in the typical human greeting, “Any luck?” “No,” he shook his head. “Same here,” Ray said. “Anyway, we just wanted to let you know that dinner is ready.” “Thanks,” Serix said, turning to Cassie as the two males walked away. “We should take a break. I want to find out if anyone else has found Jaxil yet.” They headed after Quincy and Ray, making their way to the dining cavern. There was already a large group seated at a table—the search parties Ryan had organized to find their runaway prisoner. Serix and Cassie quickly piled food onto their plates and chose a table nearby so they could listen to the others discuss their findings. Serix was relieved to hear that none of the others had had any luck. The young soldier was safe for now. He ate his dinner slowly, taking time to hear out Ryan’s next plans. “Seal off the main exit first,” the half-blood leader was saying. “That’s how the aliens got in the first time, so that’s probably the first route he’ll try. We can’t let him escape and report to his leaders.” “Monty and I can do that,” Hunter volunteered gruffly. Ryan nodded at the male and turned to the others, “Everyone else, fan out and block off all the other tunnels we know about. Gunner, come with me to search for any possible unmarked tunnels. We need to put this place under complete lockdown.” “You got it,” Gunner whistled to his dog, summoning the creature to his side. “If there are any more passages big enough to fit a man, we’ll be sure to find them.” “Alright,” Ryan said, rising to his feet. “Let’s get to work.” He and the others tossed their trash and gave their dishes to Victoria and Emily to be washed. They spread out in small groups of two or three to complete the tasks Ryan had distributed, each group heading into a different tunnel. Serix watched them with a frown. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Ryan’s move to seal off the caverns. On one hand, it would have been bad if Jaxil escaped and reported to the higher powers, but on the other hand, he would suffer terribly if he was caught. Serix just hoped the young Lunairan had found somewhere safe to hide until this mess was sorted out. “If none of the others have been able to find him, I don’t think we will either,” he said to Cassie, popping the last bit of food into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. “I think we should call it a day and get some rest. How about you?” [center][url=https://imgbb.com/][img]https://image.ibb.co/mrgF0T/Jaxil.png[/img][/url][/center] Jaxil slept soundly in spite of his situation. His slumber was filled with pleasant dreams in which he was a young child again, safe with his parents back on the ship. There was no war, no battles to be fought, no death or destruction. There was simply peace. It was a glorious utopia in which the higher powers had successfully eradicated the human race, and his people were preparing to land on Earth and make it their new home. Everything was how it was supposed to be… His eyes fluttered open as the faint sound of shifting rocks awoke him. Someone was outside. He sat up quickly, dully noting how soaked his clothes were from lying on the wet floor, and stared intently at the opening in the cave. Was it Terra? Or had the other humans found his hiding place? He tensed, waiting for the intruder to reveal him or herself. [b]“It’s me,”[/b] Jaxil relaxed at the sound of Terra’s friendly voice. She crawled into the cave and sat in front of him, offering him various items. First, there was a pillow and blanket for him to sleep with. He appreciated them after taking a wet nap on the stony ground. Next, she held out a bowl of delicious smelling food, which he accepted and began to devour ravenously. Having not been able to eat since the early morning, he was starving. Last, she held out a book, which he eyed curiously. It was one he had never seen before, which wasn’t that surprising since the only books Lunairans kept were historical documents. He doubted Terra would have been able to get ahold of one on her own. [b]“I… wasn’t sure if Lunairans read,”[/b] she explained bashfully. [b]“But I brought a book just in case, to pass the time here so that you’re not just sitting here.”[/b] She hesitated a moment before asking, [b]“Do… Lunairans know how to read?”[/b] “Yes,” Jaxil answered. “But it’s never been my favorite activity.” He examined the book curiously. “Learning about history wasn’t something I particularly enjoyed in my classes. Do humans study for fun?”