Knighthood Under the Ocean

 Honor Guard

(Continuation of my Chapter 2 Lit.)

Gatcha’s mind stirred as he gently woke.  He could smell the damp, earthy air and feel the soft moss and grass beneath him.  He peeked an eye open, for a moment forgetting he wasn’t within the boundaries of his own territory.  He had slept underneath the dome all night alongside a few of the dome guards.  Pumpkinseed lay nearby, still snoozing.  The overhead lights for the domes leafy inhabitants hadn’t flicked on yet and the sun was just beginning to glisten through the waves above.  

Gatcha had lived near the ocean his entire life, and yet he had never envisioned being below it.  It was peaceful and serene, but looking out into the vast nothingness beyond the dome made Gatcha's stomach lurch - what was possibly out there?  

Gatcha rolled up onto his elbows, his hind legs still resting to the side as he looked around the dome more and blinked the sleep from his eyes.  He pulled himself up to his feet, shaking any dirt off of his scales that he may have collected while he dreamt.  Since Pumpkinseed wasn’t awake quite yet, Gatcha decided to look around a bit.  He felt comfortable being here now and was curious to see what else this facility had to offer.  He exited the large dome through the dilapidated doors and walked down the hallway, eyeing signs that lined the walls full of human information that Gatcha couldn’t quite decipher.  A few minutes walk and Gatcha had reached another large set of doors, however, the outside of these were ornately decorated with dried flowers, sticks, and… are those skulls?  Gatcha hesitated, although he didn’t see any Styracosaurus skulls amongst which brought him some semblance of comfort.  

Gatcha anxiously and nervously tip-toed through the ajar doors, stepping over thick winding roots that had embedded themselves along the metal of the door frame and continued down the paved path ahead.  He heard a noise echo through the large dome, it sounded like conversation but it wasn’t at a volume that Gatcha could overhear.  He poked his head around the edge of some large, leafy plants and was immediately spotted,

“SPEAK OF THE DEVIL!”  A familiar voice rang out as Pumpkinseed seemingly spotted Gatcha before he had spotted her.  But wasn’t Pumpkinseed still asleep?  How did she beat him here?  Gatcha smiled gently and walked out toward her,

“How in the world did you get here so fast?  I was hoping to get some early-morning exploration done while you were snoozin’.”  He rambled a bit, but her soft expression made him feel comfortable here.  

“Us guards have our… secrets,”  She squinted and puffed out her chest as much as an Euoplocephalus could, “But this is him!!”  A large dinosaur with beautiful white and blue feathers rose from a laying position beside Pumpkinseed.  Gatcha nearly missed her; she was in a bit of a hidden bed of greenery and straw that looked quite comfortable.

“Hello Styracosaurus,” she softly bellowed, a small humanoid creature with fur sat on her back inspecting her scales meticulously, “Pumpkinseed has told me much about you and how you helped her yesterday.  She told me about how you’ve been a part of these lands for many years and that you’re familiar with Morpheus; the same words that line these halls.  I am interested in what you know about Morpheus - as to us it has just been a mysterious word we see throughout the domes and hallways.”  Her tone was stern, but sincere, and Gatcha felt that she was being genuine.  

“I can share all I know about Morpheus and the islands above.”

For the remainder of that day, Gatcha laid about lazily with this large dinosaur and Pumpkinseed, recalling tales of Morpheus and about the other dinosaurs on the island.  Gatcha learned that this large dinosaur was an Iguanodon named Queen Rhys and she ruled these domes.  It wasn’t before long that the sun that sparkled through the sea above began to set and a beautiful orange twinkled through the dome.  

“I hope that wasn’t too rambling.”  Gatcha signed, his voice a bit tired and strained but he smiled, thankful he could share the information with these dinosaurs.

“This was incredibly helpful.  I would like to thank you in the only way that seems right; a knighthood ceremony.”  Gatcha was a bit taken back and let out an audible inhale.

“I would be honored!!”  His eyes glittered with excitement, he was so happy that he had been such a help to these dinosaurs.  The queen got up once more from her cozy nook where the three of them had settled down for discussion all day and walked toward the center of the room, looking up towards the bright orange toward where the sky would be.  

“We shall host it tonight.”  The queen quickly trotted over towards a large metal sheet that had fallen from the ceiling and was now leaned up against the dome wall.  She used her massive thumb spike and raked it across the corrugated metal, causing a loud metallic sound to ring throughout the hallways.  Not long after, several more Euoplocephalus flooded into the large dome, clamouring with curiosity and slight alert.  The queen rose up on a platform in the center of the dome, looking down on the dinosaurs,

“Tonight we will host a knighthood ceremony for Gatcha.  He has provided us with aid and bountiful information about the above worlds and has proved to be a valuable ally during these uncertain times.”  The queen began a long speech as Gatcha felt Pumpkinseed nudge him up toward the queen with her blunt greenish nose, smiling from ear to ear seemingly proud of Gatcha.  Gatcha stumbled after Pumpkinseeds nudge, she was much larger than him and much stronger.  He staggered up the slope to where the queen stood, she craned her domed nose toward him, her eyes gentle and welcoming as she continued to speak.  Gatcha couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed, he looked down into the crowd of guards and several other species of dinos as well that he recognized from above-ground.  

The queen moved to the side, her armor lightly clanking as she shifted to face Gatcha.  Gatcha turned to face her as well as she spoke,

“It is under this amber moon that we welcome Gatcha into our family.  Tonight he becomes a member of the Guard alongside you, sworn to protect and do no harm to all inhabitants of Atlantis; both plant and animal.”  Gatcha bowed instinctively before her as it felt right.  He leaned down, tucking one foot underneath him and bowing his head low, closing his eyes.  He felt the warm breath of the queen on his temple, hot and slightly threatening.  

“Welcome to Atlantis,”  She whispered softly, rubbing something on Gatcha's forehead that had a very pungent smell, “Sir Gatcha of The Domes.”  Gatcha felt her face back away and the audience broke out in guttural howls and bellows.  The Euos, heavy and armored, shifted their feet underneath them and some of the more agile Euos were hopping on their front feet in excitement.  Gatcha smiled, overlooking the crowd, the aroma of whatever herb that had been rubbed into his forehead permeating his nostrils.  The queen looked down to him once more,

“This doesn’t mean you can stop telling me all you know.”  She joked, letting out a giggle that could barely be heard above the celebratory cries of the crowd below.