Kin of Jörmungandr

The earth at the bottom of the canyon laps at the walls like a river would its cavernous sides. Fluid. As with the churning rock below, it acts as much a liquid as it does solid. The worst facets of both.

The flow strikes with the strength of a physical presence — made worse by the presence of ranked stone boulders carried within — and yet it does not retain that strength to lift my body. Like an ocean, I sink immediately. Intense turbulence making it impossible to hold myself afloat.

Despite the giant lynx hunting us, I’m forced to grow to fight against the gravel that threatens to tug us beneath the waves.

I slither forward, fighting against the earth to push us away from the creature that hunts us. If we’re not quick, there won’t be any chance to escape. If that pseudo-Titan can run at the pace it showed off when it sprint from the skull shard, then only the cover of these gorges will be enough to keep from the jaws of the beast. I cannot outpace it.

An earsplitting crash shakes the earth. I twist, fearing the worst. Has the lynx caught up already?

What I find, is the two sides of the gorge I just slithered through having crashed together. The feline didn’t land behind us, as I’d expected, but the environment slammed into itself.

I return to my slither, but keep an eye on the massive cliffs of rock around us. Now that I’m looking closely, it is obvious they are moving. A crevice opens up in the wall of the gulch before me, and I slither through, taking advantage of the narrow path to avoid any eyes standing at the top of the cliffs.

The longer I slither, the wider the walls grow around me.

These gorges are moving.

As I continue fleeing from the predator, cliffs crash into each other and new paths open up anew. Each large mass of stone that makes these bluffs are floating upon the fluid earth no different than I am.

To my right, two crags pound together. They screech a deafening grind as the surfaces slide along each other, breaking off boulders of stone. One side slams into the wall behind me.

An ever-changing labyrinth of stone. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to hide.

I snap back, barely avoiding the compression of two walls that suddenly crashed into each other. A few loose stones fall from the cliff above and clatter over my scales. Scia blinks beneath my head for a moment before returning to her place.

This place is far preferable to the pseudo-Titan, but it is nothing I can treat as safe. The cliffs are just as determined to crush me as they are to hide me.

Scia lets out a panicked squeak, and I react before I have time to think. I snap into a closing crevice and slam my tail against the cliff-face. My body shrinks as quick as it can and I fit us in the tight space I made right before the wall shifts into the other. The earth grips my scales tight, and I can feel the heavy thump that thrums through it as both masses impact.

Not a moment after the earth settles, do I hear ever so slight thumps from where I just was. Through the tiniest cracks remaining from the path that was once there, the massive crystal covered paws of the lynx come into view. They stand on the fluid earth as if it weighs nothing, but as I peer close, gravel flows around growths of diamond that rise to hold the beast upright.

It steps forward, rear paws taking place of the front pair. The lynx stops, letting out a deep growl that pierces through my spine. All along my back, it feels as if I’m pierced by sharp, hard diamond spikes.

Has it found us?

I coil up in what little space I have, ready to fling us away the moment the beast starts digging us out, but the shift of earth stops me.

All I can see is the lynx’s rear legs, and of them, only that below the ankles. But even from that, it is clearly not looking our way.

The feline grunts, and our rock moves. Not only that which directly surrounds us, but the entire gorge shifts away from the pseudo-Titan. Through my slight crack, the opposite cliff does same; sliding further away. The earth screams in protest. More rock grinding against itself than usual. Far off, I hear something crack. A deafening crash follows moments after.

Both dangerously clawed paws disappear.

The lynx is gone, but I wait with Scia in our tiny pocket of safety until the last footsteps are gone. And even then, I wait a while longer before breaking through the rock and returning us to the crevice.

Despite how wide the gorge is, large, cracked indents half up the walls reveal why the lynx stopped. It wasn’t because it found us, but rather the canyon grew too narrow for its liking. Using its massive size, it pushed the huge islands of earth out of the way.

That strength is not something I can replicate. Sure I can break some rocks, but to shove mountains out of my way? Such a thing is impossible.

I suppress the irritation of being outmatched, and turn the opposite direction of the lynx. We stick to narrow crevices where we can, and hurry past the wider ones. Before long, I’m certain the lynx has lost our trail. It can follow our scent all it wants, but with the shifting landscape, any path we take is gone by the time it tries to follow.

A subdued hiss escapes my lips. An expression of relief at finally being free of the hunt. Experiencing it from the other side is not pleasant. I can only hope it will give up.

While I’m relieved that its finally over, I still keep my wits about me. The environment is hardly safe — particularly for little Scia — and the pseudo-Titan might appear at any moment. Of course, we’ve thread ourselves through enough narrow fissures that I don’t think it’s likely, but best to be alert.

These shifting gorges are not endless. We should be alright while we hide in here, but the moment we leave to continue following the path of distortions is the moment we reveal ourselves to any being that waits above. If the lynx hasn’t left by then, we will die.

Fortunately, Scia just ate, so we have some time before we need to worry about that. Some time to wait out the pseudo-Titan.

A deep thrum ripples through the earth, unmissable even through the constant churn below.

At first, I think it’s the lynx. It may have landed hard and shook the earth. But it comes again, this time stronger, louder. The quake rumbles through the canyon, sending each mass of rock quivering. Wind slams overhead, thundering with power.

This is not the lynx. This is something so much worse.

For a moment, everything falls silent. The wind and quaking stops, but so too does the shifting cliffs and earth below. The world is still.

But only a moment.

A roar. Unhindered by impossible quantities of rock, it sweeps across everything with power.

I find myself locking up. The undeniable presence washes over me as the upper crest of each cliff shatters. I have to fight the burning fury of my muscles that want to do nothing but remain frozen simply so my tail can shield Scia from the rain of stone.

The Titan’s roar continues for a moment longer, before it is suddenly cut short and a mighty tremor floods through my body.

Earth immediately tries to consume me. What little stability the earth below had is now gone. It grinds and churns no differently from the space far below.

I snap my tail, forced to start growing just to keep aloft. The Titan’s presence has not yet truly left me. My spine, ribs and muscles all fight my movements, but I push through. I refuse to allow something as foolish as an instinctual fear consume me. The Titans are unbeatable, sure, but that is no reason to bow down my life simply because they are nearby.

In the air above, a wave of heat slams past. Steam rapidly rises from the upper ledges of the gorge, mixing with dust as the surface crumbles away and vaporises. The warmth hits us, but it is nowhere near as impacting as it was to the rock above. Shielded by the canyon, both Scia and I remain unharmed.

The tremors continue. No, they gradually increase. Regular, intense thumps roll through the earth and amplify the turmoil around with each pass.

The Titans are getting closer. I need to find somewhere to hide.

I spring to the nearest cliff and whip my tail into the wall, shearing out a space to huddle. Scia is still frozen, so I can’t expect her to blink away should she find herself in danger. I need to watch her. If that wave of heat hits us again, I don’t want her to be out in the open.

Before I can slide down into the grotto, it is taken from me. The churning earth whips at the bluff like crashing waves, swallowing the shattered section of rock I cut. Not only that, massive swathes suddenly sink beneath the ground.

I twist. All around, the gorges no longer float. They bump and crash into each other as usual, but the cliff-tops continue to fall. There is no taking refuge in the walls of the canyon; in a few moments, there won’t be a canyon.

My head whips around, looking for something, anything that appears stable. Nothing reveals itself.

The pounding grows ever stronger. Earthen turmoil increases with each strike, clinging at my body and trying to pull us down into the shredding depths. Power fills the air. Through the ever increasing storm of dust above, energy seems to pilfer all, stinging at my scales.

My tail snatches Scia as she finally starts to show signs of movement again. I curl her within a coil, hiding her from the increasing danger of the world around us. I consider allowing the earth to swallow us; to stop fighting against the pull. But doing so… I hate the idea.

I cannot go back to being blind. Not when a Titan is so close. By staying above, I can at least watch and react to the danger that comes. In the churning earth, I’ll be stuck at the whims of the world around me. If the Titan steps in the wrong place, we’ll both be dead before we realise it.

The next thump changes things. It is stronger, and pounds through my veins with a strength nothing but the roar could compare. The cliffs slide down beneath the earth all at once, churning up a cloud of dust and ash.

The sky is thick with it now. No longer does that warm ripple beam down from above. A mist of debris blocks the energy entirely.

Scia blinks out of my grip, landing on my head. I hiss, and snap my tail around her again, frustrated that she would expose herself in such a situation. Besides a few scratches at my scales, she thankfully doesn’t come out again.

The cliffs finally disappear. Nothing but a sea of earth remains.

Except the lynx.

The rock drops away to reveal the pseudo-Titan standing there, motionless amongst the lapping waves of fluid rock. The beast stands there as if the world falling apart around it doesn’t affect it. A picture of power that I envy.

Yet the lynx stares with dread at something beyond my sight.