Sami's Oddysee

[skillya_glowi]

For those of you that saw my dead thread entitled "Fanfiction?!", here it is again. But this time, I'll post the finished version of my fanfiction here, with hopes of a better turnout. Unfortunately, due to the 60- seconds- between -posts rule, not all of it will be posted at once. I can't be at the computer all day, but I suppose in a few days you can expect all 11 chapters. As always, comments and constructive criticism will be appreciated.

Here we goooo.

Sami's Oddysee

Part One

Chapter One

… Sami coughed slightly and leaned back onto the stone, shivering. Rain trickled down his snout, making him sneeze. He stood behind the stone wall, rubbing his paws together, trying to be as invisible as he can.
Keeping his eyes alertly open, he started carefully groping his way along the wall, ready to dive into the mud at the slightest tremor in the atmosphere.
A scaly, webbed paw reached over the wall. Sami held his breath.
He saw a shadow fall upon him. Unable to help himself, he uttered a high-pitched squeal and dashed in the opposite direction.
From behind he heard a mighty growl — it started out low like a whale call, but ended in a hyaena shriek. The force of it nearly swept him off his feet… And he froze.
It howled again. Sami could feel its hot breath on his neck, but he dared not look back… Instead, he dived into the turbid water.
For a split second, he felt relieved. In the water, his kind were among the swiftest. With resolution, he shot forward.
His easiness didn’t last long, however. He felt he was being followed, and with a speed that he did not expect. He was beginning to become tired — and, in such a case, tired was dead.
He was on the brink of giving up when he felt the water becoming less dense — he found that his fin scraped the river bottom more and more pronouncedly. Feeling that this was his only hope, he scrambled upwards onto the banks of the river.
He was almost at the ledge when he felt a set of sharp claws rake across his back. In despair, he pawed at the webbed claw wildly, somehow hoping to throw it off and escape, when suddenly, with a giant thud a heap of rusting metal collapsed on the riverbank…Sami’s vision went dark.


He could not tell how long after, but miraculously, his conscience returned. Sami could not move a single muscle. When the scrap was dumped out, apparently the beast’s heavy clawed hand was still trying to reel him in, and now, with an extra half-ton of weight on it, the claws were hideously buried in his back. The Woulk, it appeared, was dead.
Doing his best to ignore the excruciating pain and the enormous weight pressing upon him, he made an attempt to examine himself, which led him to find that both his hands were crushed by the scrap metal. Even the smallest endeavor to wriggle was met with agony.
Luckily, his head was not in the scrap, or it would have been crushed, resulting in, obviously, death. Thus, not all hope was lost, but it definitely did not seem so to him at the moment. He lay in the dirt and wept — he was afraid of what might happen to him. He thought of how eventually he would starve to death and how his body would lie there, decaying through the ages…
Recovering from his fit, he realized with a pang that the pile was rocking back and forth. Also with a pang, he realized that if the pile collapsed, his skull might be crushed and
there would be absolutely no hope of him climbing out. He lay there, holding his breath when he felt a harsh itching in his nostrils. Unfortunately, his writhing to keep from sneezing was ample to shift the top of the stack just enough so it could fall freely…
With a loud bang, the scrap pile collapsed. The ground shook as the metal fell to the ground. Sami closed his eyes and prayed for the better…
After a while, the banging stopped. From this Sami had to conclude that he was still alive, for if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be able to feel the ground stop shaking. Sighing with relief, he realized that now, with an effort and quite a bit of pain, he could haul himself up. There was virtually no metal left pushing him down, except for a few pipes, and, of course, the paw of the Woulk, with its three-inch talons still digging into his flesh. There was only one problem — his hands were still stuck under the scrap.
He opened his eyes and was terrified by what he saw — both his forearms were completely saturated with blood. With even more horror, he discovered that his left arm was free — but cut off to the elbow!
He examined with disgust the useless stump, feeling like he is going to be sick. The dried blood was caked on thickly, and thus impossible to wipe off. Moreover, fresh blood was starting to leak from the gashes. Sami made a face and closed his eyes.
Soon, he found that a piece of metal that fell when the whole pile crumpled fell across the end of the pipe that was holding his right arm down, lifting the other end a little ways up into the air. This made it possible to free his right arm.
Working very carefully, he managed to wriggle out his right hand. With revolt, he discovered that it was missing one finger. Such was the price of staying alive, he thought.
Gritting his teeth, he reached back with his right hand and tried to lift the Woulk claw from his back. It was awfully heavy, but it gave. Sami could actually feel the talons sliding out of him.
Now, he thought to himself, I should be able to stand up.
Propping himself up on his right hand, he managed to draw himself up with a great effort. Twisting his neck, he looked back on the place where he lay. All he saw was a bloody imprint in the dirt. Sighing, he hobbled over to the grass.
The lacerations in his back and his left arm were throbbing with pain. Looking around him, Sami discovered that he was on the edge of a forest. A forest no one has ever seen before.

[skillya_glowi]

Chapter Two.

It turns out that the metal was actually dumped from a nearby plant, which had a garbage chute exit into the river. Sami thought about coming back home. No, he told himself firmly. The Woulks have made it their nesting place. It would prove difficult, Sami reasoned, nearly impossible to win it back. And yet, he had to try.
The wood that he was standing on the edge of looked very unfriendly. Where the trees parted, there was blackness.. Even the sky above it seemed darker.
Still unsure of himself, Sami sat down on a rotting log. He found that the less he moved the areas containing his wounds, the less they hurt. He hung his head and closed his eyes.. After all, it couldn’t be much worse — this was the point in life where there was no turning back..
Sami decided to risk going in. Heavily hauling himself up off the fallen tree trunk, he stood unstably on his one foot, swaying back and forth.
Since the Gabbit is an amphibian species, their appendages were not made for the ground. Neither were Sami’s. Instead of walking, he had to move by awkward hopping motions. He could use a stick as a support, but he did not wish to overload himself and so bravely hopped toward the wood.

The giant trees cast a shadow over the entire forest, forming a semi-light-absorbing canopy over Sami’s head, much like the jungles of Necrum. The beams of light traveled down from the tree tops with an eerie orange glow. Calls of birds and rustling of leaves could be heard through the dense air, carried in some unearthly echo. An occasional wind gust would send fallen leaves flying up in the air in a frenzied swarm.
Sami hopped timidly, doing his best not to disturb the atmoshere. He could even hear his own labored breathing. He was a strange sight — both his injured arms stuck out stiffly in opposite directions and his spine erect. He looked much like a rather fat scarecrow.
Suddenly, there was a swooping sound from above and a great howl, followed by a noise as an egg being struck with a fork. Instinctively, Sami dropped to the ground and covered his head with what was left of his arms.
The breaking calls continued, but Sami could not yet feel claws being stuck into him and flesh torn out of his ribs. He ventured to look up.
What he saw was a small creature, hardly double his arm’s length. It possessed massive jaws with a heavy overbite, narrowed like a beak. Its forearms were muscular and flexible, and it had no paws. Instead, a single, long claw grew out of its wrist, for the purpose, as Sami could see, of anchoring itself in a nearly vertical position against the tree bark. Its hind legs looked limp and immobile, with three digits on each foot. An elastic membrane joined the fore- and hind- legs together.
While Sami was gaping at the animal, it lost no time. Immediately, it began digging in the bark with its sharp mandibles and pulling in the critters found inside with its long, sticky tongue.
Supposing it was some sort of undocumented species, Sami hurried on.
After a long while, Sami grew tired. The vegetation growing in these parts was, for the main part, unsuitable for Gabbit consumption, but Sami was able to compromise by eating the few known species of insects he found along the way. Shortly, he came to a stopping place, sitting down on the dry grass.
He wiped his nose with the right paw and sneezed. Most of the dried blood had worn off, and now his limbs looked much less repulsive. However, the throbbing pain was still present, and he needed to find a solution soon. His back was feeling much better, although he still only could lay on his side and the wounds broke occasionally.
The sky was beginning to darken. Most of the birds have ceased their singing, but now the night was filled with the sound of crickets and calls of various nocturnal animals. The orange glow has been replaced with a rich purplish one, and the forest floor has burst into light. It appeared that bioluminescence was not unusual in such forests, and this one particularly had it in abundance. Now and then he could hear distant cries of animals, and the rushing of the wind as it passed between the trees. But apart from that, he was quite alone.
Gabbits are social creatures, who do not like to be alone. And so, Sami gave way to sniffling and whimpering into the night, not sure whether he wanted anyone to hear or not. He himself did not notice as he fell asleep.

He was awakened by sounds coming from behind him. Scraping leaves off his face, he sat up. Looking around him, he found that it was still semi-dark and the golden sunlight was just beginning to penetrate the forest canopy.
Sami yawned and shook his head, sure that it was someone singing that awakened him. Perhaps not singing, but the sounds definitely were musical.
As it were, the forest was, at present, devoid of sound. Musical sound, leastways. Just beginning to present itself was the chirping of birds and the now-familiar howls of the unknown inhabitants of the wood, along with the customary wailing of the wind.
On the tree against which Sami was leaning were more claw-wristed animals that he had glimpsed earlier. Fearing that one of them might fall, he crawled away from the tree to sit on a dead log. Sami yawned again and leaned back, accidentally falling off the log.
Now he was completely upside down, but did not take care to adjust this position, as he was already half asleep. Eventually performing a sort of front-flip and landing on his stomach, Sami made himself comfortable in the leaves and started snoring.



I know, my style is horribly boring. But try to bear with me. I am trying to get opinions here!

Oh, and by the way, I made a sort of model of a daggerwrist by piecing together bits of Paramites, Scrabs, Fleeches, Ratz and Mudokons. However, I think I lost it when my computer crashed.

[skillya_glowi]

Chapter Three.

Sami rubbed his eyes and stretched. Remembering the noises that woke him last night, he looked around alertly. Nothing seemed out of place.
The deep orange glow had by now turned rich yellow, from which Sami concluded that it was nearing noon. The wind has also picked up and was swirling the fallen leaves around, along with chips of bark and small stones. Sami yelped. The wounds in his back were still very sore and it was difficult to move around.
Grabbing hold of the log, Sami drew himself up. Slowly and painfully, he made his way around the log and sat down.
He was disturbed by a screeching noise coming from the shrubs. Expecting the worst, he cowered and shut his eyes, but once again, not noticing anything changing he looked up. There was nothing unusual in sight. Supposing it was only an aftereffect of yesterday’s chase, Sami straightened up and resumed drawing in the dirt with his toes.
However, as he himself reasoned, he could not stay here forever. He must find a way to live. He was very hungry, since he had not eaten anything since yesterday except for a few stray insects, which were far from nourishing. Sami rose carefully and started hopping eastward, with hope that he may find a pond or a stream, at the least.
Soon Sami noticed something very strange: the sounds of the wood, the chirping of birds, the cries of animals have vanished. More wary than ever, he started moving very slowly, then stopped completely, looking around, puzzled.
While he stood there, suddenly the noise reappeared. Mystified, he shook his head, not sure if there was a momentary silence, or perhaps the lapse was due to some internal malfunction.
Suddenly he remembered his home. He remembered the crackling of the fireplace where he used to sit on cold winter days. He remembered his favorite chintz armchair, the cover of which looked like a patchwork quilt because it was torn and darned so many times. He used to sit there and read, or spend his nights. Now he pictured his cosy river home, if not shattered to smithereens, as the hive of the Woulks, the breeding grounds of ruthless predators.
Sami sniffled and wiped a tear. Sighing, he sat down onto the dry leaves, staring blankly into the thick air. His head drooped down.
Without noticing, he drifted off into a weary sleep.

Sami woke from the sensation of being carried. Opening his eyes wide, with a pang he realized that he was carried — He could feel a stretcher under him. Whoever — or whatever — was carrying him seemed to be hidden under the stretcher, and it seemed to be tall.. The acrophobic Sami stammered and bolted up. He closed his eyes and clenched his two fingers tightly in his teeth.
After a while his fingers started hurting. Not wanting to lose his last fingers, he took them out of his mouth and gritted his teeth.
He noticed that his escorts were talking in a strange language. Sami pinched himself to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming, and then carefully tried to lean over to look at his kidnappers. While he was leaning over, however, he saw the ground — very far away. Quickly he sat up. Breathing heavily, he leaned close to the stretcher and lay down.
After approximately a minute, the motion stopped. Sami’s eyelids flew open, immediately revealing the hide of the stretcher. Sami flipped over and saw the roof of a cave. By the glow on its top half he concluded that there was a fire going. He shook his head and sat up.
He was definitely in a cave. On the walls there was the most peculiar sort of art, along with mysterious symbols, overgrowing with moss and vines. In the corner Sami saw (and felt) a giant bonfire. In the flickering firelight, he noticed four odd faces staring at him.
Their eyes seemed to emit an orange glow, almost obstructing the pupil. Their eyelids, as he could see, were translucent, and so were the hornlike protrusions, five on each side of the head. Between each horn a thin membrane was stretched, forming a finlike mane around the face. Their skin appeared to be a smooth grayish-green hue, splattered with yellow and white war paint.
One of them approached Sami. Sami shrank back. The creature stopped halfway and asked something of his associate. They argued for a moment, then the first one grabbed a stick and started drawing in the dirt.
He drew an arrow pointing towards Sami. Sami pointed a finger towards himself and raised his eyebrows. The creature nodded vigorously. It held up two webbed fingers, turned them upside down, and flicked them out, one after the other, as to suggest walking. Sami interpreted this as “Where do you come from?”
Mutely he pointed his finger at the ground and wove his hands, and hopelessly said, “Not from here”.
The stranger turned to his associate again. He seemed to lead a short discussion, which appeared to be fervent and fast-paced.
Hanging onto his last bit of hope, he started silently telling his story. He stuck out his fingers and curled them to suggest claws, waved his hands again. Pointing his fingers to the walls, he made a whimpering noise, and moved his leg as to swim. He made a karate chopping motion to his missing arm, and then spread them apart as to say, “I dunno.”
This time the creature turned and called a name.
“Ikha!”
A fifth figure appeared.
The caller said something very fast and motioned for Ikha to come closer. They dove into conversation, which included fervent pointing at Sami and hand gestures.
“ You…problem?” Ikha asked, raising his eyebrows.
“ Woulks overran my home and I need a way to get them out!” Sami blurted.
“ Woulk…A ta pe e kha naya ,” Ikha turned to his partner.
“ A ta pe, wanu lus kah. Y ko lus kah, e neh kah, lus ah kah .”
“ A lus e naya, kah naya ta pe. A ihino e pe ta .”
The other creature shrugged.
Sami supposed it was for the better. Anything was good if it did not end in him roasting over a fire. Perhaps this translator of theirs could understand his trouble. But even if he did, how in the world could they help?
Ikha turned to Sami.
“We know…help you. Rest.”
This Sami did not mind. He has been up from dawn to dusk and was very tired. He sighed contentedly and leaned back on the stretcher. The experiences of the day have worn him out and he was snoring not before long.

[skillya_glowi]

Chapter Four.

When Sami opened his eyes the following morning, it took him a few moments to recall what had happened during the previous day. Finally he remembered that he was in a cave of an unknown tribe of intelligent creatures, and that, most importantly, they knew someone that could help him. He was a little shaken after yesterday’s interview, but he saw no possible way to avoid them. Besides an occasional sniffle, he lay still. He was afraid that his captors would wake.
It all seemed so very hopeless. Sami himself could not think of one way to drive the Woulks out, unless it happened to employ the help of the industrial races, of which nearly everyone tried to steer clear. After all, it was they who drove Gabbits to the brink of extinction, and if Munch had not saved the last can of Gabbiar … Explosives, weapons, machinery were all their area, not that of the native races.
Apart from that, he could see absolutely no hope. The ancient spirits could not nearly be enough unless they happened to have the ability to spew grenades from their eye sockets or possess the power to shoot poison darts from their mouths. Sami shivered. The bonfire has fizzled out sometime in the night, and now it was beastly cold in the cave.
Stifling a yawn, he rose halfway on his elbow. Staring straight at him was a charcoal drawing of a Meech. Whatever it was, this race was ancient. Meeches were known to be extinct long before even Munch was born .
Sami examined the picture closely. It was carefully drawn, yet starting to wear off. He sighed and shook his head. While he was here, involuntarily imposing on some tribe’s hospitality, he imagined his house shaken to the foundation by a Woulk’s roar, perhaps even submerged in the water of the very spawning pools where he was born. He shook off the memories. There’s nothing he can do about that…yet.
Examining the cave art, he had not noticed as Ikha approached. The orange glow of his eyes that has been so prominent in the evening was now dimmed. His mouth was partly open, revealing three rows of sharp sparse teeth, much like the Gabbits’.
“ We have held council,” he said in a low, smooth voice.
Sami eyed him apprehensively.
“ We know who you need to see.”
“ Who?” Sami queried eagerly.
“Come,” Ikha said solemnly, gesturing for Sami to come along.
Sami rose with much difficulty and hopped up to Ikha’s side.
“You need to see the Almighty Raisin,” Ikha announced.
Sami remembered his grandmother telling him the story of Munch.
“You mean the Elderling?” he asked.
Ikha nodded.
“ Where could I find him?”
Ikha shrugged.
“But I need to know!” Sami cried desperately, tugging at Ikha’s elbow. “ As of now, that Almighty Raisin is the only chance I have!”
“ I am sorry, I do not know,” Ikha repeated.
“Does anyone else know?”
“ Otushe might,” Ikha said. “He has walked this planet for more than one thousand years…he would know.”
“ Why won’t you ask him?”
“ No one dares ask him.”
“ Why not?”
“ You ask too many question. It is just that way.”
Sami hung his head. He sneezed and started hopping away. About halfway to his resting place he turned.
“ Do you at least know what direction to go in?”
“ The Raisin’s cave is all way south. Long journey,” Ikha replied.
Sami sighed. What could the Raisin tell him? How could it help? Unless his Ratz bunched together and bit the Woulks to death, he could not see any point in coming all that way . But, he remembered one of his grandmother’s maxims, sometimes all one needs is a little information. The Woulks must have some vulnerability…
No matter how great his weapons or his army were, he was afraid to face the Woulks. The last thing he could ever want is see the knifelike teeth inside the gaping mouth, to smell its putrid breath… He still winced whenever he bent over or leaned back. He has gotten pretty much used to the pain, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt anymore.
Don’t worry, Sami told himself. Soon you’re going to be home…When you manage to find the Almighty Raisin… And kill the Woulks… If home is still there. He sat down and wept. It’s not going to be the same. The past cannot be changed…
He remembered himself as a young Gabbiwog, playing in the cool waters around his shack. As he grew up and crawled out of the clear pool, he fell in love with it at first sight. He has spent his three years making it as homelike as possible, with the help of his brothers and sisters. The little cot where he used to sleep was weighed over by puffy blankets and small pillows. His yellow-striped wallpaper resembled the sides of this cave, because as a child, he loved to doodle. In some places it was charred as well (it took him a while to figure out how to get a fire going). He remembered how he used to swim carelessly in the river, taking it all for granted…he couldn’t let it all go. He simply couldn’t.

[skillya_glowi]

Chapter Five.

At this point, there seemed to be no possible alternative. If only the directions given to him were a degree less vague…The Almighty Raisin could not drive out the Woulks. Neither could his Ratz. He couldn’t imagine what else he could do.
Ikha entered with a ripe fruit. Dropping it into Sami’s hand, he said,
“Farewell.”
Sami nodded, thanked him, sighed, and started hopping toward the exit.
It was early in the morning. The inhabitants of the forest were making the minimal noise, one that could only be heard by concentrating. The birds, however, were in full swing. Sami supposed it was interchangeable — birds in the morning, crickets in the evening. Squinting at the sun and spending a minute or two thinking, he finally figured out which way the south was, and headed in that direction.

The fruit turned out to be succulent, but not very fortifying. In a few hours, Sami was hungry again. It could be miles to the nearest lake, or maybe even more.
Walking warily through the forest, he could not help but notice the trees growing less dense. Sunlight in large amounts was starting to leak through the forest canopy, and here and there he could see the sky through the trees. Perhaps he had walked right through the forest, or turned and took the way out. He hadn’t expected it to be so small, but he was glad it was over.
At last he walked out and saw the blue sky for the first time in three days. Unable to control himself, he giggled with glee and dashed forward.
After frolicking for several hours in the grass, he remembered what he set out to do. His task was to find the Almighty Raisin, not to jump around the fields, screaming like a little idiot. His eyes, once again, snapped to “alert” mode, and his dark thoughts began to haunt him again.
With much effort, he moodily started making his way up the hill.
It was beginning to darken, and the sky was transforming into a rich sapphire blue. Unfortunately, this also reduced visibility, which Sami could barely cope with. He needed to be on the lookout, but how was it possible to be on the lookout when you cannot see two inches beyond your nose?
It was fortunate that Sami found his way out of the forest. Using the light spot on the horizon from where the sun set, he checked his direction and adjusted it.
Crickets ground Sami’s ears as he continued on his nightly walk. He gritted his teeth and moved forcibly.
Suddenly he stumbled into a thicket.
“You…” he swore.
Struggling to untangle himself from the spiny weeds, he noticed that the ground beneath him was somewhat squishy. When he freed himself from the vines, he stood on tiptoe and peered over the cattails. Water!
Instinctively he lunged forward, but then stopped.
That’s water, all right, he told himself. But you don’t know what might be in it. There could be more Woulks infesting the lake, or worse. Sami sadly turned away. He would have to wait until morning. Now, he had to concentrate on finding a place to spend the night.
After searching for about a quarter of an hour, he gave up his attempts and started to dig a pit in the earth. After discarding several worms and pieces of wood, he hit stone with his stick. He laid it out with moss, involuntarily remembering the comfort of his bed back home. He sighed as he made himself comfortable in the hole and covered himself with a few spare leaves.

Fortunately, he was not discovered during the night by any carnivorous species. This was the first thing he realized when he woke up. The second thing he realized was that there was a pond nearby and he was wasting his time lazing around in a pit in the ground. Sami stretched and yawned, and crawled out of the hole.
It seemed to be very early in the morning. The sky had not yet lost its dawning pallor, and the sun was cool and clear. The lush grass still held on to its last drops of dew.
Eagerly Sami approached the pond. The water was very clear, and even the round pebbles at the bottom could be seen with little effort.
Apart from a few small fish, the water was tranquil. Sami decided to risk it. Taking a deep breath, he slipped into the water.

[skillya_glowi]

C'mon. If my English teacher can stomach it, so can you.

Chapter Six

At last, Sami felt at home. He shot toward the bottom of the lake with as much speed as he could gather, then slowed and floated upward. Sami brushed aside the seaweed and looked down. The lake seemed endless. It was almost like an ocean. Shooing away fish with his hands, he started descending.
Gabbits were adapted to having immense amounts of pressure on them. It would be a long way down before Sami would feel any different, let alone uncomfortable. The lake, however, was growing darker as Sami moved down. To keep himself safe, he decided not to approach the abyss but stay near the surface. Instead of moving down, he started moving forward.
He transformed from the clumsy, slow creature on the ground into the graceful, swift animal in the water. He hind fin beat rhythmically ; his head tilted forward. In ten minutes, he could cover the distance which took him an hour to cover by land. Smiling to himself and performing random somersaults in the water, he moved along, occasionally surfacing to get a fresh breath of air and check his direction.
He was starting to notice something strange, however. The lake he saw above ground couldn’t be more than a few hundred feet wide; yet when he was in the water, the lake seemed to go on forever. Suddenly, as he swam, everything became dark. Sami could not see a thing. He floated upwards to check what was going on.
It turns out that he swam into an underground (and underwater) passage. The only light in there was the faint bioluminescence on the walls. Sami could even see it underwater if he swam closer to the wall of the tunnel.
It was present on the lake bottom, as well. Sami could see blobs of light under him. Unfortunately, that was the only thing he could see.
To be safer, he floated up to the surface. The glowing algae on the walls were in such numbers now that some things were starting to become visible. He could, with effort, make out the walls of the cave.
Soon he noticed a wall in front of him. It looked like a dead end. Sighing, Sami was about to turn back when he found that there was a dark spot on the wall. Swimming closer, he saw that it was a tunnel.
You don’t care if that’s a tunnel, he told himself. You’re turning back.
Sami fought hard the battle against curiosity, but he lost, unfortunately. Alert as ever, he stuck his head into the hole.
It was pitch dark. Sami could hear water dripping, but nothing else. His mind urged him to wriggle in, but his instinct told him to swim away as fast as possible. Finally, he balanced out by saying to himself, “I’ll just take a look”.
Gulping, he climbed into the hole.

Sami could see nothing but dark for a few minutes. Under his foot was rock and sparse puddles of water. Then he felt the tunnel floor getting steeper. Sami leaned backward to keep his balance, when suddenly, the tunnel ended.
Sami went through a strong déjà vu. The tunnel had an exit into a cave identical to the one he left but five minutes ago, with patches of glowing algae on the walls and murky dark water. Sami rubbed his eyes. This is really getting weird, he thought.
He was about to climb down when a rock slipped from under his foot. Sami yelped and fell into the water.
After a few futile attempts to reach to the hole, Sami gave up. Sighing, he thought it best to continue here. After all, what difference could it make?
Warily he swam forward, ready for anything. The glowing walls made it seem as though he was at outside at night. Gasping with delight, he was gaping around when his forehead bumped into solid rock.
“Ow!” He yelped. Rubbing his forehead, he refocused his eyes and found himself staring into a patch of glowing moss.
Something was amiss, though. Although his head was flat against the rock, he could swing his foot freely and not hit anything.
Bending down underwater, he found that the cave continued on, but it sloped so much that there was no room for air. Well, Sami thought to himself, there’s no way out.
Sighing, he shot straight down into the water. Now there was even no more room for the bioluminescent algae, and all Sami saw was darkness, darkness, and more darkness.
Sami was beginning to feel a sight uncomfortable. Anything could be lurking in these depths. Even the fish had left. His mind was half-set on turning back, when suddenly, he was blinded by sunlight.
For a moment, all he could see were stars. Then he started to make things out: the “lake” bottom, the fish, the seaweed, the beams of light… Quickly he surfaced.
Looking around him, he saw sparse pine trees and a rocky floor. Not only that, but gaping cave mouths surrounded him. There were even a few leading into the forest floor.
Sami was angry with himself. “I’ll just take a look,” he mimicked. Well, just see where your “look” has led you!
There was nothing he could do about that at the moment, however. To him, the most logical step seemed to be to enter the cave furthest south. As he approached it, he felt a strong foreboding. It looked dark and cold. And, as he stood there, mulling over its darkness and coldness, he had an idea.
Using the grayish rocks to hack and tear at the branches, Sami managed to separate a few limbs from their parent tree. The wood was green but brittle, and the branches tore off with horribly jagged edges.
Sami stood there, pondering what to do next. The forest was completely deserted, except for a few grey birds.
Sami’s eyes traveled down from the tree tops to the ground. Carefully bending over (the wounds in his back were still sore), he picked up a couple grey rocks. He sat down and laid his branches in front of him.
The quiet atmosphere made Sami uncomfortable. With frightened eyes, he looked above him, but saw nothing but a grey sky. He took a deep breath and calmed himself.
Laying one of the rocks on the ground and picking one up with his hand, he struck them together hard. Nothing happened except a deafening crack. Sami tried again and again, but all his attempts to start a fire were ended with failure.
After striking the rocks together with no effect for the millionth time, he had another idea. Sami was quite surprised that he didn’t think of it before. After all, the things that he was trying to avoid were darkness and uncertainty, and he was thinking of a way to enter them.
Now it was midday, and this field felt considerably more cheerful. The sunlight was bright and warm now, and the sky has cleared as the hours passed. Sami’s solitude was almost enjoyable to him.
Sami was still wondering why it didn’t appear to him that he could go around the cave when he was sent cowering to the ground by an earsplitting shriek.

[skillya_glowi]

Chapter Seven

Sami whimpered and leaned closer to the rocky floor. He could hear footsteps approaching. As well as that, a peculiar high-pitched hissing sound was being emitted by the stranger. Sami held his breath, but the creature wasn’t attacking. Still, he wasn’t taking any chances.
With horror, Sami felt a sticky paw on his side. I’m done for, he thought. He felt himself being turned over, and, for some strange reason, stared at, but not harmed. He felt himself being picked up. Ready to feel inch-long teeth sink into his flesh, he sighed and hung out his tongue.
Time was suspended. Sami’s joints were frozen with terror. Once the beast had given Sami a thorough inspection, however, it dropped him. As the rocks struck his wounds, Sami yelled with pain and bounced up without thinking.
Looking around him, he made sure he was completely alone. He steadied his breath and got up. Sami noticed M-shaped footprints in the fine gravel, much like his own. Wet footprints.
Not letting the close encounter stall him, he started moving forward.
Sami hopped up to the cave. Going around it indeed seemed a better choice than going into it. Inside it seemed dark and unpredictable. Carefully he made his way around it and kept walking.
The sky now had run over with clouds, making his surroundings seem more drab than ever before. Sami felt lonelier than ever. He walked slower and slower, until he stopped completely.
Sami sneezed. He had the strangest sensation of being watched. Suddenly, the same familiar hissing noise reached his ears. Instinctively he fell over and hung out his tongue.

Sami opened one eye. The coast was clear. He opened his second eye and sighed with relief. The elusive beast, it seemed, had disappeared again.
Sami got to his feet. His anxiety to see what lies ahead, unfortunately, was met with sour disappointment. He found himself facing a 100-foot-high stretch of smooth stone.
What was he going to do now? He was sure that he didn’t pass the Raisin’s Cave, and so he wouldn’t want to turn back, and it wasn’t possible to go forward…It seemed like the only choice was to go into the cave. Perhaps it led to another underground pool, and he would travel faster…or it could contain unfathomable dangers, in which case he wouldn’t travel at all.
Remembering his last underwater journey, he decided to go in. What was the difference? But he would have to start a fire to go in, since it was simply too dangerous to enter it without light.
Repeating the procedure he started a while ago, after approximately quarter of an hour he managed to light some dry leaves. Nostalgia bore down upon him, making him remember his fireplace at home. Sami fell into memories…
He only came to when he realized that his makeshift bonfire was starting to fizzle out. Not wanting to spend another half-hour lighting his twigs, he lit one of the branches. Squeezing his two other ones in between his half-arm and his side, he hopped up to the cave.
With his torch he felt much more comfortable. It was fairly efficient in fulfilling its purpose, and Sami confidently hopped forward.
So far, the tunnel was only hard, cold stone. There was even no sign of bioluminescence. It was completely dry and completely silent.
Sami was traveling for more than an hour(stopping periodically to rest) and the tunnel still kept on going. He had already used up two of his three torches. If he ran out and he was still in the tunnel, Sami knew he was doomed.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Or something close to footsteps. It sounded like something jumping. Something relatively small.
Still, Sami stopped and held his breath. He heard it coming closer…

Without warning, two bright green glowing spots appeared. They grew brighter and brighter, and every few seconds or so, they blinked.
At last, Sami realized what it was. He sighed with relief and hopped forward a few steps. The Raisin’s cave was near. He need not worry anymore. Soon he would be home, basking in the warmth of his hearth. Soon he could forget this ever happened.
The rat turned and started jumping away. Sami followed it. If everything was all right and this rat was not lost, he would be at the Raisin’s lair in a few hours.
In about five minutes, his last torch fizzled out. Now, however, he was not so afraid, since the rat’s eyes lighted the way for him.
The tunnel was still frustratingly monotonous. It even kept the same height all the way through. The rat’s eyes, however bright they may be, were no match for the torch, and Sami kept nervously looking over his shoulder.
Suddenly the tunnel made a sharp turn, and once Sami had cleared it, he found that the tunnel ended. He was in a giant cave. There were glowing patches of green on the walls, and the cave possessed a purplish highlight. Ratz were swarming at Sami’s feet, and in the distance, he spotted two tall pillars.
Such was the Raisin’s cave.

[skillya_glowi]

Part Two
Chapter Eight.
(My personal favorite)


Sami was overwhelmed by the feeling that he was actually looking for this and now at last he could go home. The Raisin would tell him what to do. He could not understand, however, why his journey was so easy. It had only taken him two days to find the lair. Ikha said that it would be a long journey. It was so fortunate for him to stumble across a lake along the way, or the journey would have taken twice as long, but Sami was sure that four days was still not considered “long” He had made a firm decision not to take anything for granted now, including the ease of his journey.
He could see the Almighty Raisin now, resting between the pillars. What a sight! Sami pinched himself and bounded down the slope. Several ratz that saw him scuttled off to tell the Almighty Raisin that it has a visitor. Sami smiled to himself. It was all over.
He imagined himself finally at rest. Perhaps he has lost a limb and a finger, but he would feel much safer knowing that the Woulks wouldn’t be able to attack him.
Sticking his arms out to balance, he made his way down the slope. The rock was good and firm; it didn’t crumble like the rock in the underground lakes. When he was at the bottom, he started towards the Raisin’s lair.
He felt its many eyes attempting to focus on him as he approached it. Sami was singularly nervous, but happy.
“Yeeeees?” It inquired in a deep, stretchy voice.
Sami, in all his preparation to talk with the Raisin, had forgotten to plan exactly what he was going to say.
“Well…” it stammered. Taking the bull by the horns, he blurted, “My home in the north has been overrun by…strange species…that no one had ever seen before?’’ He ended uncertainly. The Raisin appeared to be waiting for more.
“I…was in this forest…the other day, and this tribe found me, and they said that I needed to see you to solve my problem,” he finished. Doubting his rhetorical skills, he waited for the Raisin’s response.
“Describe them,” it pronounced slowly.
Sami, recalling his night of horror, sketched a mental portrait of the Woulks for the Almighty Raisin.
It appeared not to be familiar with them. The Raisin released a very long “hmm” sound and closed its eyes.
“What do I do?” Sami cried desperately.
“I…don’t know,” came the dreaded reply.
It hit Sami like a bolt of lightning. The Raisin didn’t know the answer. There went all his hope.
Sami looked at the Raisin with frightened, wide eyes. Its were closed, it appeared.
Sami felt as though his skull was about to explode. Now, he didn’t remember his yellow-striped wallpaper and torn cushions with a smile. He remembered them with tears in his eyes. What was there left to do? He would be torn apart by southern Mudos’s predators if he made his home in the open. If he lived in the trees, he could be reached by the claw-wristed animals, and if he lived in water, he would be attacked by the mysterious creatures that nearly killed him today. Not to mention the ground-dwelling species native to Mudos! But he checked himself in his thinking. Without a home, life was nothing. Nothing to come back to after a long hunt, nothing to spend rainy or snowy days in, you were left without shelter, but more importantly, left without the sense of belonging.
Heavily, Sami turned away, his head hung. Very slowly, he crawled up the hill and back into the tunnel. Sami traveled in such a languid manner that the trip out of the tunnel nearly took three hours. Yet, Sami was not worried about his speed. He was much too busy thinking over his next action.
As he had cleared the tunnel, he found that it was already dark. The sky was partly clear, with heavy clouds here but bright, starry sky there. Sami wiped his tears. He could see the brim of Munch’s moon , just above the horizon. He looked at it with imploring eyes. Here was the gallery of heroes, those who had changed the course of life on Mudos. Right above Munch’s moon he could see another, a bigger one, but partly hidden by clouds — Sami could make out a handprint , rather odd in shape. Sami sighed. This was somewhere where he could find counsel — here, in the limits of his fantasies, there were no dangers, only safety and comfort. Here, he could stay forever, if not for the crass yet assertive demands of the soma. Here, in the parlor of stars, accompanied by the greatest heroes Oddworld has ever seen, he was not lonely, nor was he alone.
Sami would gaze at the stars all night during his childhood and not become dizzy. He wished now more than anything that he knew the ways of the world as well as the ways of the sky. He knew no more than anyone about the place one goes when one dies, but somehow, he knew that it was…up there. He knew that the firmament was a place of stability, but at the same time, of change. The stars all stayed in their relative positions, yet they moved, or appeared to do so. That way, Sami believed, the world should be.
Stifling a yawn, he sat down. The clouds were slowly floating forth, covering the moons, then uncovering them. Sami sighed deeply. It was a harsh night. The atmosphere was completely still, except for the sloshing of water in the lake whence Sami came. After having cleared away the rocks, he lay down. Sami didn’t even bother to dig a pit. It doesn’t matter if I live or die now, he reasoned. Peacefully, he drifted off to sleep.

[skillya_glowi]

Chapter Nine.

Sami was wakened by a thunderclap. The dawn has already lightened the sky, but now it was run over by ominous heavy clouds, and rain was pouring down heavily. He could still see the faint outlines of the bigger moons, but at the eastern horizon beams of light were beginning to penetrate the heavy rain. With a strong desire to keep himself warm and dry, he hid in one of the caves, but, not wanting to put himself at risk, stayed relatively near the edge.
When he woke for the second time, the sun was high in the sky. Wondering about the length of time he had been asleep, Sami sat up.
The sun itself could be seen as a pale patch of light in the cloudy sky. It was starting to drizzle. Sami’s spirits were as low as ever as he sat there, contemplating what he would do next. His turn was over. Perhaps now all he was to do was give in to the ways of fate, limp into a dark corner, and die quietly. However, this was the last thing on Sami’s mind. Overpowering his will to belong was the will to survive. He would still retain the ambition to live even though there was no reason to do so. The Gabbit race was born enduring and patient, and, as we all must remember, Sami was a typical Gabbit. Perhaps a little small for his age, but “built to last” as the rest of his species.
He considered the option of becoming a recluse and living in the underground pools. No, he told himself. That will not do. He could never be happy living alone. Maybe he could travel Mudos in search of his own kind, but where would he find them? Perhaps not far from here, but the question was, what was he to do after?
He also thought about traveling Mudos in search of a suitable dwelling place. He could never love it as much as he loved his hut on the bank of the river, but the plan was better than nothing. He decided to elect this option.
Sighing, Sami strode up to the lake. After watching it for a few moments with mournful eyes, he waded in and gradually submerged himself. Pushing off the bottom with a powerful fin, Sami swam slowly, warily gazing around. The water was very still and clear, only occasionally hazed by the sand that was being kicked up by Sami. He moved very slowly, as though he was stretching the time between him and his destination — only that he did not have any.
When he swam through the first cave, he once again became faced with the problem of the mouth of the tunnel being too high for him to reach. After several attempts to cling onto the edge and lift himself up (his arm was too weak to accomplish that task, especially with a missing finger), he stopped to think.
There was nothing he could use as a support. The stone was very smooth and brittle, and thus nearly impossible to hold on to. Grunting in frustration, he punched his fist into the wall and turned around, seeing something that made him let out an involuntary “huh?” and swim closer to inspect this find. What he saw was another cave mouth, only a few dozen feet away from the first one. Unlike the one he was trying to reach, however, it was quite within grasp; it was only a few feet above water level.
Judging by its relative darkness, Sami figured that this tunnel was a long one. Disheartened by his recent stroke of misfortune, he thought it best to enter bravely (yesterday he would have called it — rashly) with no preparations. Energetically approaching the hole, Sami hoisted himself up and got to his feet. Without hesitation, he hopped forward resolutely.
Sami was right — the tunnel was very long. He has been walking for almost an hour and the tunnel seemed to have no end. It was as dark as ever, as cold as ever, and as silent as ever.
Suddenly, however, a crackling sound reached his ears and he felt an unexpected warmth. Also, an orange flickering light has begun to penetrate the darkness. This tunnel must lead to a cave, he reasoned. And there’s someone in there!
His first instinct was to flee from the tunnel, but, feeling an unexpected rush of bravery, he remembered that his life was worth nothing. Sami walked warily forward.
Apparently, someone had a fire going. Sami had not been so warm ever since he escaped from his home to avoid the ravaging Woulks.
When finally he came close enough to see what actually was going on, he saw a very familiar creature sitting by the fire. Its eyes were closed, and it was sitting cross-legged facing the tunnel mouth, as if in meditation. Ever since then, Sami was not able to explain how, but at once he knew who it was. He remembered Ikha say something about their shaman Otushe, who seemed to know what could ultimately destroy the Woulks. He also said that no one is able to ask him. Perhaps that was because Otushe lived in the middle of nowhere.
But now, Sami was sure that it was Otushe that was before him. His war paint has almost faded from his wrinkled face, but it proved that once he belonged to the tribe. Otushe seemed not to notice a stranger in his cave. Perhaps he was just hard on hearing due to his age.
Sami cleared his throat. Otushe slowly opened his eyes, revealing two orange orbs staring at Sami with absolutely no expression in them.
“Uh…I met your tribe,” Sami said uncertainly.
Otushe raised his eyebrows, then nodded, slowly at first, then more vigorously, eyes glazed.
“How did you come to be here?” Otushe asked. Despite the fact that he had lived for more than one hundred years, his voice still sounded smooth and low, pleasing to the ear.
“I was returning from the Almighty Raisin,” Sami sighed.
“And?”
“Well, I couldn’t reach the tunnel I came from, so I went into this one…does it have any exit?”
Otushe didn’t reply but cast his gaze around him, motivating Sami to do the same. The cave was a dead end. Sami slumped against the cave wall.
“Incidentally, what have you wanted to see the Raisin about?”
“Nothing it could tell me the solution to.”
“Sit down.”
And so Sami told his story to Otushe, with every detail he could remember. Dawning in him was a new hope. Hasn’t Ikha said that Otushe would know the answer?
“There is one thing you can do,” Otushe said, after Sami finished.
Sami leaned closer. His heart beat in joy.
“You can find the Shrykull.” Otushe paused, to let it sink in.
Sami has heard of the Shrykull. But in the whole history of Mudos, there has only been one creature that could summon him . Certainly not a Gabbit. In fact, Sami was not even sure what the Shrykull was.
“How?” was Sami’s all-encompassing query.
“You have to obtain the Shrykull Rings to summon him,” Otushe said. Only then will he come to you.”
“Where do I find them?”
“They cannot be found. They will come to you.”
“When?” Sami asked in a desperate voice. Every word of Otushe’s only arose more and more questions within him.
“When you earn them.”
“How?”
“No one knows. It is different for everyone. An act of bravery, chivalry, kindness, anything like that could bring them to you. It may be given as a reward for a great deal of suffering and hardship. Then again, it may be given for nothing at all. Or…it may never be given.”
“But I thought that Gabbits couldn’t summon him.”
“Anyone can summon him. It is only easier for others.”
“You don’t have any guidelines for me to find them or anything?” Sami asked.
Otushe shook his head. “They usually appear in the last place you would expect them.”
“But I can’t chant or…anything,” Sami said sadly.
“Chanting only enforces the power of the Shrykull, it does not summon it.”
“ I suppose I’ll just go…then,” Sami said. “Thank you for the help.”

[skillya_glowi]

Chapter Ten.

Sami had to come back a few minutes later. He remembered that he couldn’t reach to the tunnel opening. He told this to Otushe.
“Of course you can,” he said. Confused, Sami walked back to the pond.
By some strange miracle, he managed to hoist himself up after a few dozen attempts. He felt a definite injury in his right arm, which has already suffered enough, but knew he was lucky to get up. Trying very hard to remember what lies ahead, Sami recalled that the tunnel led to another cave, which led to the lake in the field at the edge of the forest. So, technically, he was right back where he started. This frustrated Sami immensely, but he remembered that he still had fifteen years to find the Shrykull Rings . He certainly had time to spend.
Successfully navigating the way through the underground caves, he broke the lake surface when it was nearing dusk. The sun was still in the sky, but it was scarlet red and seemed as large as a dinner plate. The wispy clouds surrounding it were turned pastel shades of pink, and a dark orange sky shrouded the opposite horizon.
Sami had hope, but no hope. What could he do to call the Shrykull Rings to him? There was nothing remarkable he could accomplish, when almost every part of him was in a way disfigured. Enduring hardships was what seemed the most promising, but Sami was not about to go looking for them.
He sat resting and drying for about half an hour. By this time the sky had mostly darkened, and the singing of birds had ceased. The stars were beginning to become visible, but both the Heroes’ Moons were shrouded by clouds. The mournful night scene was beginning to cover the land.
Sami lay on his side, scrupulously planning his next action. He thought about going back to the forest, but no, Sami thought, such dangers lurked there that he did not even know of. He could possibly walk along the field and see where it leads him. Yes, he thought, it is the better plan.
Sami’s sleep was continuously haunted by nightmares, and his night was not a peaceful one. When he woke at the crack of dawn, he found that now, with care, he could lay on his back, although he has gotten accustomed to sleeping on his side. Sami yawned. He was still very shaken from the encounter with the shaman and rejoicing at his newfound hope. And now, at dawn, he felt more powerful than ever. He sighed with content and sat up.
He wondered what it would be like to turn into the Shrykull — to transform from a useless weakling into an all-powerful monster. The only one who did never told.
Dwelling on these thoughts, he made his way along the field. He was traveling on land, thus progress was slow; he had the grass under him, the forest on his left side, and the lake on his right. Like so it remained, for how long Sami could not tell.
Soon, he noticed a mountain growing on the horizon. Groaning at the thought of another obstacle course, Sami considered changing his route; seeing, however, that the mountain was not very steep or tall, he decided to continue on.
The way to the mountain turned out to be longer than it looked; Sami has been traveling for almost an hour until he reached the mountain base. It looked relatively easy to climb, and, mysteriously, someone had left a trail leading right to its top that wound around its perimeter.
Using his right hand for a support, he carefully started making his way up. The sharp gravel cut into his hind fin, but Sami gritted his teeth and continued on his path.
Sami paused. Not only did the mountain turn out to be farther than it seemed, it also was taller than it seemed. He turned around and looked back over his shoulder. He had not gotten far at all! Desperately Sami hung his head. He slumped down onto the ground, resting. Sami looked up. The sky was crystal clear, with not a cloud to be seen. The sun beat down relentlessly on the lee side of the mountain, where he was sitting, and Sami was dying from heat. Reasoning that he did not get very far up the mountain anyway, Sami decided to descend the mountain and go around it. If his vision was not deceiving him, he could see some sort of growth at the foot of the mountain, and growth meant shade in such an instant.
Slowly he started descending the slope. His foot had to endure considerable pain, since the gravel grains were very small and sharp.
Suddenly, without any warning, the gravel started sliding, and Sami bent backward to counteract the laws of gravity, as a result of which he fell onto his lacerated but partly healed back, while all the time uncontrollably slipping toward the foot of the hill. Sami closed his eyes and prayed for the better.
Finally, the motion stopped. Sami felt severe pain all over his body, but he dared not open his eyes before he was completely sure that he was at the foot of the mountain. It felt like Sami was laying in some thicket, and the sunlight was much less intense, suggesting that he was in the shade. Sami groaned with pain and opened his eyes.
Gritting his teeth, he slid off the shrub. Ending up in a sort of a crouched position, he straightened up and found that he was in front of a large tree. Its bark was peeling, and Sami could see that so many leaves have fallen off it that they covered the forest floor like a carpet.
Its roots were partially revealed, and between them all sorts of shrubs and grasses were growing. Its branches, as well, had no lack of residence: Sami could see bird nests and ivy stalks. With all this, however, one thing puzzled him: where were all the birds?
He could not shake the feeling that something was watching him. The air was unusually thick and still. Sami had a strange premonition that danger lay ahead.

Suddenly, a shrill hiss cut through the silence. Sami’s blood froze in his veins. He knew that hiss all too well.