Submission (#6512) Approved

The air in Ahza shimmered. The sand reflected the blazing sun, and around Mary, the ground sparkled as he ran up the dunes and looked up at the rocky outcrops stretching before him. He knew he was being unfair; but he couldn't stand another second with Nico.

Since they had found the corrupted shrine, two days had passed, and the two were increasingly at odds. Mary was spiteful because Nico hadn't immediately listened to him, while Nico overcompensated and tried to make amends with Mary, which grated on Marys nerves. A normal Nico was already too much at times for Mary; a Nico who behaved like a mother hen and apologized for practically every breath was more than Mary could currently tolerate. And so, Mary had just scolded the younger one fiercely, and instead of getting angry, Nico had been disgustingly understanding, which pushed Mary even more over the edge, prompting him to bolt to calm down.
This was now a few hours ago.

Technically it would’ve been wiser to turn back. By now, the sun stood high in the sky; Mary had set out before sunrise, but now the heat was overwhelming. His plan was to find shelter in the caves of the plateaus and wait there until evening.
Maybe by then, both Ahza and his temper would have cooled down.

Unfortunately, someone had other plans.

Mary was climbing the rocky walls of the outcrops when he heard someone calling out for him. Frustrated, he paused, laying his ears back before hoisting himself over the cliff and turning around.
//Oh, you gotta be kidding me.//
A little below him, Nico suddenly emerged from the shadows and looked up at him.
//What part of 'Leave me alone' was too hard for him to understand?// The elder hissed quietly, blatantly ignoring Nico. The younger one could do whatever he wanted; Mary had no intention of being considerate. He just wanted some peace - was that too much to ask for? Apparently so, since his partner was quicker to reach him than he would have liked. Nico grumbled unwillingly as he finally appeared beside Mary, who hissed at him.

"Could you kindly stop running away?"

"No; and stop following me!" Mary threw his head back and glared at Nico.

"Mary, this is a waste of time... let's just go back," Nico pleaded and sighed softly when he realized that the other was still in a bad mood.

"No," grumbled Mary unwillingly. "Unless you want me to scratch your eyes out!"

Nico sighed again. Mary knew he was being irrational, but unfortunately, he couldn’t help it. He didn't want to argue or fight with Nico, but the older one was pushing him more and more into a corner, and Mary didn't know what to do.

"Just go and leave me alone!"

"But it's dangerous if you're running around here alone, especially in this heat and when you're so upset." Nico cautiously took a step towards Mary and looked at him gently. "Come on, Darling…please. It's not worth it. I'll leave you alone if you want to, but please come back with me."

Uncertain, Mary took a few steps backwards as the taller one approached. He didn't want to give in because he knew he was still angry, and sooner or later, the cycle would start again and he would lash out. Nico could easily convince and sweet-talk him, but he couldn't give in now -

"MARY!"

Nico called out for him as the elder bolted again, before running after him. "You stubborn fool," the younger one muttered, concerned.

Overwhelmed with himself and the world, Mary did what he knew best; running away. An emotionally stable Elnin probably would have managed a way to deal with this situation better, or wouldn't be in this mess in the first place - but sadly, that wasn't Mary. He knew that Nico knew this and wouldn't hold it against him, but Mary still felt awful, and at this point, he was angry at everyone, including himself.
He was reckless, just as Nico had feared. The terrain around them became more dangerous and wild, yet Mary didn't stop. He ran through narrow tunnels, leaped over too wide chasms, and jumped over jagged rocks; more than once, he slipped, but he caught himself just in time. He ran without destination. Just away.

Nico watched all this with growing concern; he stayed at a distance to not overwhelm the elder any further, but he couldn't let Mary go on a rampage out here alone - if something were to happen, he would never find the other one in time.

And then the exact thing Nico was afraid of happened - Mary misplaced one of his paws and slipped. Instinctively, he tried to catch himself, but the rocky ground crumbled beneath his claws. "No," he gasped in shock, hearing Nico scream for him. But it was too late - the other one didn't reach him in time. Everything felt like slow motion at first in his head, and then he was in free fall.

Nico came to a shocked halt as Mary plummeted into the ravine. He couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. The smaller one was thrown against rocks and then disappeared between cliffs and caves, and Nico couldn't see him anymore. A shiver ran through his body before Nico desperately shook his head to regain composure. Hastily, he looked around and searched for a safe way down to find Mary.

Meanwhile, Mary had finally reached the bottom. He rolled the last few meters out of a cave and just laid there, panting rapidly. Everything hurt, and he had completely lost his orientation. Exhausted, he stayed on the ground, waiting for everything around him to stop spinning. Apparently he was in an entirely new area; he had fallen through various caves and tunnels, and before him stretched a vast open space; a wild oasis and rugged outcrops. He was sure he wasn’t severely hurt, but he did hit his head pretty badly and a raging headache was getting on his nerves.
Part of him just wanted to stay put and wait for Nico to find him; but who knew if the other one would even bother to look for him,... after everything he put him through.
Mary carefully got up and looked around. Something felt odd about this place, but he couldn’t put a paw on it.

Curiously, he looked around; lizards darted over the rocks, and beetles crawled across the glittering sand. The black Elnin moved forwards; after all, he couldn't go back. But as soon as he stepped out of the shadows, Marys keen eyes caught sight of an unusual phenomenon ahead.

A shimmer.

An odd one.

It wasn’t the normal heat shimmer of Ahza. This one was…. different. It stretched from the ground into the air, the swirling pattern ever changing, like a drop of oil in the water. A shimmered veil, a boundary that didn't always adhere to a fixed form. Approaching cautiously, Mary observed the ever-changing borders of the veil. Sometimes, it resembled an oil sheen iridescence, hanging in the air like a surreal painting. The colors danced in dark purples and blues, casting an enchanting aura over the landscape. At times, the veil appeared akin to the northern lights but with an eerie twist - closer to the surface of the land, intertwining with the rocks and desert below.

Like it didn’t belong here.
Something in his mind told Mary to run, but he ignored the sensation. He wasn't even sure if what he saw was truly real. His head had taken quite a beating in his tumble, and his thoughts kept getting jumbled. As a result, he failed to recognize the Overwild border that stretched before him.

As Mary ventured closer, the boundaries shifted, sometimes manifesting as little waves of iridescence that played with the sunlight. The veil seemed like a force of nature, a vertical purple-dyed waterfall, see-through and suspended in the air, which seemed to ripple with an energy that whispered tales of hidden wonders beyond it. Its appearance hinted at the elusive nature of the oasis beyond; an oasis that seemed to pulse with wild vitality amidst the arid expanse. Mary felt like a magnetic pull toward the ever-changing border, as if the veil itself beckoned him to explore the secrets concealed within. Each step closer revealed new facets of the veils unnatural beauty. The boundaries created a dreamlike transition, inviting Mary to cross into a realm where the ordinary rules of the desert seemed to blur with the magic of the oasis beyond.

He didn’t realize that he wasn’t thinking rationally.
Normally he would be a lot more cautious, but Mary was too enchanted by it all. He usually avoided going near the borders since he knew it was dangerous, but this time, it was different. As the black Elnin approached, the air seemed charged with anticipation, as if the veil held the key to a realm of wonders waiting to be uncovered - and throwing caution to the wind, Mary stepped into the overwild border.

[...]

Nico was frantically looking everywhere. He thought he was close to where Mary should’ve been - but he wasn’t sure. The cave system was enormous and confusing, and the scents were very faint. He had assumed he was on the right track - but where was Mary? Why didn’t he just wait for him? Was he wandering around? If so; why? And where could he have gone? The younger one was concerned, it was still in the middle of the day, the heat was overwhelming and something in his gut just wasn’t sitting right with him.
He ran around, a little aimless, hoping he would find Mary by random chance. This was exactly what he wanted to avoid this whole time. It was a disaster.

After a while, he finally made it out, and spotted something in the distance.
Were his eyes playing tricks on him?
“What the hell is that?”, he muttered to himself as he saw the overwild border. Whatever it was, something told him to stay away from it.
But then he saw movement in the distance; and to his absolute horror he witnessed Mary stepping into the veil. Panic rushed through him, as he called out his name.

Too late.

The other one was gone.