[Trade] Damp

Quil had found another secret spot to show Cherry and both raptors were hustling through the streets of the Sunken City to reach it before the sun went down and the tide cut them off. Cherry was struggling to keep up but she didn't want to slow Quil down so she stayed quiet and wheezed along behind her. At least the sun was beginning to set, letting her see a little more clearly in the dark. It was still in that murky stage between day and night but that suited the pale raptor just fine, it wasn't the sharp blinding light of the midday sun and anything was an improvement on that. Quil had been getting more accommodating with her field trips as they grew up, like as she aged she was gaining more awareness of the world and of the limitations of her closest friend. Even if they parted as adults, Cherry hoped this was something she would carry forward in life, Quil had been so kind to her and she wished for another in her position to experience that kindness. With the concrete buildings whipping by them the pale raptor had long since lost her sense of direction, relying entirely on keeping an eye on Quil. She would never be able to find her way back out and she hoped Quil could navigate this place as well in the dark as she could in the light. Rounding one more corner, the darker raptor slid to a stop and looked up at the building in front of them. There were no glass windows in this structure, just a solid stone wall with a door in the centre. Cherry looked at it curiously, wondering what the humans needed a dark room for.

"The outside is nothing," Quile declared confidently, "Wait til you see what's inside." Cherry believed her, she had quite the talent for finding unusual places all over the island. 

"Lead the way," she encouraged, eager to see what she had waiting inside. Quil obliged, beginning to push the boards over the door. They were a shoddy barricade, swinging up like a lever on its nails acting as hinges. Quil held the boards up and her friend scurried in under her arms, stepping into the pitch black room.

“Now, we just have to get into the back room-”

A deep groaning came from the wood below them and the two raptors exchanged glances before it gave way entirely, plunging Quil into the flooded basement. She spluttered the sea water from her mouth, grateful at least that it wasn't stillwater, that usually harboured such heinous disease it probably would've melted her scales clean off just from touching it. She paddled in place, regaining her sense of direction before peering into the dark and looking for a way up. The hole she fell through was a good few feet above her, impossible to jump to from her current position treading water. She looked to the side and through the darkness she could just about make out the smooth, algae covered walls of the basement. There were no stairs visible, so she began to swim to the far end of the room to follow the wall along and look for options.

"Are you okay?" Cherry's high and stressed voice called through the hole in the ceiling.

"I'm okay! Just can't seem to find a way up," Quil shouted back, squinting as she tried to search the pitch black basement. Her legs were beginning to get tired and the chill of the water wasn't helping matters, starting to make her shiver as she crawled along the wall. She glanced back up to the hole and her heart sank when she realised she had done a full lap of the room. The door must be fully underwater, which she wasn't a good enough swimmer to reach. "Um, Cherry, you might need to get help," she called nervously.

"I can do that! I'll, um, I'll be right back!" Her friend's voice came from above, and Quil could hear the sound of claws on concrete and the creak of the boards on the door being moved. All she had to do was tread water until Cherry got back with help, it wouldn't be too bad.

Cherry staggered through the maze-like streets that they had navigated so easily earlier. Every street seemed to lead nowhere, looping back onto itself, Cherry could have sworn she had seen this bench and lamp combination before. SHe kept running, knowing Quil couldn't stay in that water forever. There was a time limit on this, and it was running out faster than the pale raptor could keep up. She stopped at another intersection, completely lost, panting and her anxiety peaking. She felt close to tears and resorted to her last option.

"Help!" she screamed into the night, "Someone help please!" Her head spun with the effort and she struggled to stay on her feet as her nausea and stress caught up with her. She barely heard the noise behind her and only whipped around when she felt a clawed hand on her back.

"Whoa! Easy now," a dark purple coloured raptor with a white face soothed her, "You need to be careful out here kid, anyone could hear that."

"Please, my friend," she begged, trying to communicate the gravity of the situation as her mind fought itself.

"Show me where," the raptor said firmly but kindly. Cherry began to panic again, not sure if she could even do that, but in the low light her eyes snapped to a lamp post and bench. She had come from there, past the building with the ragged red and cream awning. She began to move, only stopping briefly to make sure the older raptor was following before forcing her aching body into full speed. She found the boards faster than she thought, almost running right past it. She lifted the boards but the older raptor simply ripped them off to fit inside.

"She's in the water," Cherry managed to wheeze.

"That's alright, I'll take it from here," the raptor assured her. Her legs gave way, trusting the stranger entirely. 

It turned out she was right to trust him, the purple raptor, Equinoix as he later introduced himself. was able to drop his tail into the hole like he was fishing until he found the sharp end of Quil. With her clutching his tail for dear life he managed to pull her out of the water and up until she could scramble up the rest of the way. She was soaked and shaking with cold but she was safe on dry land.

"Thank you," she rasped, not able to say much more.

"No problem, kiddo," Equinox shrugged it off. "Lets get you two back home to your nest, yeah?" With a short break to catch their breath and dry Quil off, the trio were on their way out of the city. Quil leaned into Cherry's feathery shoulder as they walked.

"Thank you too," she whispered, "You were super brave." Cherry did her best to not burst into tears at the compliment.