Azariah Foragings

Azariah Foragings

Entrance Caves: Azariah stretched his arms and legs, today he’d be beginning a journey to discover more about nature. He felt a pull to go on a long voyage, so he created a map and prepped his belongings. His Kuvine, Astro, happily trotted up alongside him, ready to come along on the trip. He was a bit larger than a typical German Shepherd dog, so he was able to actually carry some bags and supplies as well. He would also only require a few bones here and there as food, so Azariah wasn’t too concerned about packing food for his pet.

The journey began with several train rides and a boat trip to cross the ocean between them and the Harrow. Azariah was determined to reach the center of the Harrow and record what he found there. The start of their journey would take them through some smaller caves before finally opening up into the lowlands of the Harrow itself. Once he reached the outpost just north of the Harrow, he rested well and refilled his bags for the longer portion of the journey.

The dawn light woke Azariah, flushing through the tent opening that Astro had opened in the night. It was time to head off on the first stretch of their journey. It only took a few hours to reach the base of the mountains that surrounded the north side of the Harrow. The caves were fairly explored already, and had some foot paths made by others that Azariah would follow to make it to the fields on the other side. At the face of a smaller cave entrance, Azariah paused. It would be a while that he’d be away from the suns light, so he had brought a special liquid substitute with him, but it never compared to the sun itself. At least it would only be two days, he hoped.

Taking his first steps into the cave, the temperature dropped drastically. Azariah could see his breath in the dim light of his oil lamp he now held. Water dripped somewhere further in, adding to the ambiance of the caverns. The path winded down as it went deeper into the earth. Stalactites and stalagmites surrounded him on both sides, some even creating columns where they had met in between. The dripping sounds followed them the further down they went. Azariah stopped to look at his map briefly. They were almost to the center of the caverns where they would be cutting off to take a special route he had only read about. Excitement welled inside, though his face stayed stoic as ever.

Astro kept up well, occasionally wandering off to splash in a pool or paw at some glowworms. The cavern walls began to narrow as the entrance to another wide cavern loomed ahead. Skittering sounds became louder as they approached. Azariah actually needed to crawl to be able to go through, but it was worth it in the end. The tunnel opened up into a massive room, moonlight flitted through some holes far above, water cascaded down in small falls along the edges of the walls. Moss and other grasses actually grew here too. Birdsong could be heard faintly, probably somewhere above near the surface were nests. The moss was soft on his weary feet as he sat down to remove his padded footwear. Astro lay nearby, already snoring softly in slumber. For now, they would rest until morning.

Once they woke, the cave had changed dramatically. It was lit from the sun now, and held a warm glow throughout the cascading waters. It was a beautiful sight, but they had to press on. Azariah made a quick sketch in his small personal book to make note of the scenery, he would maybe paint it someday, or use it in a novel if he ever decided to write one. Grabbing their bags, Azariah lead the way to one of the many openings on the other side of the room. This specific cavern was well traveled, with many images available to look at, but it was something else to see it in person. Azariah pressed on, Astro keeping at his heels in the narrow passageways. It was maybe a few hours before the tunnel opened up more than an arms length across, and that’s when the faint glow illuminated their surroundings. Crystals grew from all around. Shades of greens and blues filled the cavern with a soft glow. It almost felt as if they were outside with how bright it had become. The pathway continued through the crystals, creeping upwards once more. The crystals became quite large in some areas, even being used as bridges in some cases.

Feeling the need to rest once more, Azariah stopped by a small cluster of gems near a pool. The cold water reflected the ceiling of stalactites above. The water was as still as glass, no droplets disturbing the pristine surface. Azariah used the bags as a pillow to lean up against a thick column, Astro laying his skull on Az’s lap. The fell asleep like that for a few hours, Azariah stirring at any sounds around him. Being used to waking early, Azariah naturally rose in what he assumed was morning. The cave had not changed in brightness from when he fell asleep, and he wondered if time had even passed. He was only comforted when he saw his pocket watch showed that four hours had passed. Time keeping would be a valuable tool on this journey he thought, already seeing how one could easily lose track of the time they had in such a wondrous place. Azariah thought back to the previous day; although not having seen anything regarding death or decay, Astro had somehow found a fairly large bone to eat amongst the crystals. Az shook his head, best not think about the implications of that situation. Their journey through the caves was nearly at its end, so he pressed on.

As the light from the crystals faded behind them, Azariah’s lamp had once more made an appearance. It clinked softly as he walked. The lamp’s light was becoming dim, needing to be serviced, but Az was too focused on the light ahead of them. The soft warm glow called to him, so he let the lamp simmer out. The cave grew brighter and brighter, eventually opening up into the sunlight. They had made it through the caves, and had made it to the grasslands at the foothills of the mountains. The forest could be seen far across the fields ahead, the next leg of their journey would soon begin.