Januasai considered her options.  So far the sophont hadn’t attacked, or shouted Feralist slogans.  So there was that.  And it had managed to sneak up on an Affini, which was almost unheard of without advanced tech of some kind, like chameleonware.  Now that she was concentrating, she could feel a slight presence, a pressure in the air.  She could hear the tiniest exhale as the sophont breathed.  She didn’t smell gun oil, cordite, gunpowder, or any of the other things that Terrans used for firearms.  So…options.  

So far it hadn’t moved, and she was fairly sure that it wasn’t a Feralist.  Taking in some air through what some Terrans would call a “nose” but was actually several different olfactory organs that were located on several different vines to take advantage of air currents and was more similar to a cats, she winced.  It was strong, the odor coming off of it.  It smelled like…like dirt, excrement, sweat and…. And blood?  Oh dirt, it was hurt!!!

Deciding that this sophont needed help, Januasai decided to act.  Rather than turn, she merely reformed her body turned around the other way.  Which looked 'hella cool', as one of her friend’s florets had said, but was actually fairly easy.  Her vision changed, suddenly wavering as the multitudes of visual processing organs on her vines all suddenly changed orientation.  Her eyes swam into place as her face reformed..  Blinking, she looked around, the light just light enough that she could see.  

And she saw nothing.  

There was no sophont standing in front of her.  Just the cavern and…wait…there was something that wasn’t there before.  Small and..oh roots.  She had almost overlooked it, since it almost looked like some kind of stalagmite, some kind of fuzz on it that she’d taken to be a non-glowing type of mold.  It was only when she took a good look that she saw a glimmer inside the fuzz.  But it wasn’t fuzz.  That was hair.  The sophont looked at her with eyes that were pure black, as black as the abyss, and merely stared at her.  So she stared back into the abyss.

She blinked as it made no move or motion towards her, merely staring with what some Terrans might have found an unnerving focus.  She blinked, and then took a step towards it.  Before her foot landed, the Terran was a meter away, hands on the ground and prepared to move.  “Shhhh, it’s ok, little one,” she sang.  “You’re safe now, I won’t hurt you.  You’re going to be ok.”  There was no answer, just that stare and a quick blink.  “Little one?  Are you injured?”  There was no answer, merely that laser focus and a slight tremble, as if it was scared of her.  Januasai smiled, and tried to appear as non-threatening as possible, and then realized with a muffled curse that to anyone who had never seen an Afifni before, her teeth might be a problem.  So she merely smiled with closed lips, but in as charming a way as possible.  There was no response.  “It’s alright, the Affini are here now.  You’re safe.”  There was no response, no indication that this sophont understood her.  Januasai started getting the idea that this sophont had been here for a very, very long time.  And had been alone for just as long, seeing as how it was naked.

It had existed in The Place for as long as it remembered.  The Before Times were nothing but a Bad Sleep Time, and one that it paid no attention to when it wasn’t asleep.  It existed in its world, hunting when it hungered, drinking from The Wet Place and The Broken Pipe Place when it thirsted, returning to The Nest Place when it was tired.  When its scent got too strong, it splashed in The Wet Place, dulling its scent.  When it needed to release its own wet, it found The Empty Place and used that.  It was surprised to find what looked like a new thing by The Wet Place after it went to see what the noise was. Maybe the door to a new place had come down, as it sometimes did.  Each time that happened, it found new hunting grounds and new things to wonder over.  It hadn't found anything, so it came back, and found…this.  Whatever it was, it was bigger than it.  Shining brightly from the inside, almost like the glowey stuff, the new thing made it nervous.  

New things were bad, like The Big Four Legs that swam in The Wet Place.  It had to be careful when it splashed in The Wet Place not to attract attention.  Sometimes it would watch from the walls as The Big Four Legses would walk around on The Dry, and it dreamed of being able to hunt one.  But it knew its claws were not sharp enough, nor its teeth, and so it hid from the larger predators.  The Big Thing kept making noises, then stopping, then making noises again.  Like The Moving Food, only much louder.  Thinking about The Moving Food made it hungry, and it sniffed, ears listening, tuning out The Big Thing and its babbling after it seemed like The Big Thing wasn’t a danger  But it still moved away a bit more.  Especially because The Big Thing was scaring off The Moving Food.

Januasai watched as the Terran…it appeared female based on its body even if there was no way to ask it how it identified…girl sniffed the air after scampering back another quick step.  She watched as it glanced at her, clearly evaluating something, and then went back to what it was doing.  “Umm…Little one?  What are you doing?” and then watched as a hand, capped with nails that could be better described as claws, flashed into a crevice, pushing, and then pulled back, holding one of the rodents.  The Terrans head darted forward, biting sharply into the rodents neck, ‘so that’s why it smells like blood’, teeth crunching through the bones of its neck.  The rodent gave a single squeak as it died, and then the Terran girl bit its head off, spitting it out, and then reached a hand in, pulling the organs out which it threw up into the air.  A horde of the shrieking flying creatures descended on the offal, grabbing at it, and then began to fight amongst themselves for pieces, at least one falling into the water.  She looked down to see the Terran rip off a leg, and then look at her, and blink.

It held The Not Moving Food, and then considered The Big Thing.  Some dim memory, unremembered before and not consciously remembered now, had it moving carefully towards The Big Thing.  Ripping The Not Moving Food in two, it carefully tossed the piece towards The Big Thing.  Sharing.  Sharing was good.  The Big Thing caught The Not Moving Food, and looked at it, more sounds coming from it as it looked again.  The hunter licked its own hand clean of The Tasty Wet, sucking on its claws before beginning to eat.

Januasai looked at the naked Terran who was eating a rodent…after sharing it with her.  Something shifted in her heart, some protective feeling, and she vowed to herself that she was going to help this Terran sophont.  But not before lunch, which might help things.  Opening her mouth, she swallowed the food whole, her own stomach eagerly accepting it.  It had been a while since she’d eaten meat, and the first time it was of the once-living variety, but there was no point in wasting food.  Especially not if it made this sophont trust her more.  She glowed a bit brighter, and the Terran hissed and backed away, shielding itself.  “Sorry, sorry,” she said, her tone soothing.  “I’m sorry, little one,” as she dimmed her glow. 

It looked away from the brightness, then back as the glow diminished.  The Big Thing could glow brighter and lesser!! How interesting!!  It finished chewing, and then thought.  The Big Thing was taking something out from inside it, something that had wet inside it.  It knew that because it could hear the wet.  

Januasai tried again, holding the little canteen out to her, trying to appear as  un-threatening as possible. Which was tricky, considering she was dealing with a truly feral sophont who was as skittish as the rodents she hunted.

Shaking it, The Big Thing put The Wet Holding Thing down and then stepped back.  And then again.  It looked at them both, and then considered.  Taking The Wet Holding Thing would require it to get closer to The Big Thing.  But having The Wet Holding Thing would mean that it could have wet in The Nest.  It was…was…it was The Treasure.  It didn’t know what the word meant, only that it was good.  Meanwhile, The Big Thing started making noises again, and the hunter took a chance.  Darting forward, it grabbed The Wet Holding Thing and retreated, wincing as it made noise.  Too much noise and The Moving Food would hear it coming and it wouldn’t be able to hunt.  

While it was thinking, it noticed the rippling of The Wet, hearing it and whimpered.  A Big Four Legs Thing was coming.  The Flying Moving Food had attracted it with The Tasty Wet.  It immediately dashed for one of the tunnels, and then looked back at The Big Thing.  The Big Thing was just standing there, not aware of the danger.  The hunter thought, and then looked at it and hooted softly, then whimpered.  Why was The Stupid Big Thing not following?  It wasn’t going to try to fight a Big Four Legs Thing by itself….it had no claws or teeth that it could see.

Januasai watched as the Terran practically ran for another tunnel, smaller and farther away, and then turned, waiting for her.  “Allright, little one,”, she said in a soothing tone as she walked towards it.  “I’m coming,” as she followed her new friend.  She was in the tunnel, having to compact her vines a bit when she heard something behind her.  She turned and then gasped, realizing why the Terran had been so eager to leave.  Something huge rose from the water, a shadow that was larger than anything she’d seen here.  She pulled out her tablet, turning on the flashlight after making sure it was aimed the right way, and her eyes opened wide as it illuminated the thing that had her new friend scared silly.  And for good reason.  

It stood about two meters tall, and at least seven meters long.  Massive leathery plates of armor covered its six limbs and body, scarred from prior battles as Januasai could see obvious claw and teeth marks.  Giant claws tipped each of its limbs, thick and sharp looking.  She couldn’t even see the end of the giant tail that was still in the water.  Feelers hung from massive jaws that boasted six inch long teeth, writhing and moving, sweeping the ground and the air around it.  There were no eyes that Januasai could see, but it somehow sensed her as it turned towards her.  Judging that discretion was the best part of valor and that a fight could injure her enough that she’d not be able to help the Terran, or worse, force a Rebloom in an unsafe environment, she doused the light and moved after the Terran.  

It dashed from the hallway, not making a sound as feet avoided the bones, crossing a hallway, and then another.  The Big Four Legs Thing roared, and then moved away, the ground shaking as it walked.  The hunter whimpered, letting out some wet, and then shook its head.  The Big Thing was following but it made SO much noise, there's no way they wouldn't be heard.  The Big Four Legs Thing had never ventured into its home, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t.  So it doubled back, and huffed quietly. It waited, making sure the way was clear and the Big Four Legs Thing wasn’t following, before darting off in a different direction, climbing a pipe to enter a different pipe and slide down to and access a  different place.  It was leading The Big Thing to its sleeping place, to The Nest.  Maybe if it had a Nest Place then it would learn not to make noise and they could hunt together.

Dutifully chided by her new friend?  Ally?  Companion?  Januasai had no idea, but she was clearly being told that she made too much noise.  She winced as it became clear that the Terran had urinated on herself in fear.  Januasai changed her pace to walk quieter, following the Terran into a maze of pipes and tunnels that became smaller and then wider, going even deeper, and she brushed the walls with some ichor to mark her path.  Just in case.  They made a detour to a pipe that was dripping condensation into a big puddle, which the Terran slurped up from the floor, an act that made Januasais' heart break again.  “Sweetie, you don’t need to do that, I gave you a canteen.”  There was no indication that the Terran heard her or understood her, but it had a death grip on the canteen.  It picked off the glowing lichen that had landed on her body and ate it as it looked curiously at her, then began moving again.

Finally they reached their destination, no doubt the place that this poor girl had been living in for who knew how long. "You know, you don't have to stay here any longer," Januasai told her, soft and soothing, trying to use words that the girl might remember. "We can take you home.  Or away from here, somewhere nice and warm.  The Affini Compact will take care of you, little one.  We can help you," she said, with no visible understanding from her companion of the words she was saying.  ‘Dirt!! Maybe she didn’t speak Terran Common?  How many dialects are there…Dirt!!!’  Januasai wondered if the girl even noticed that she’d peed on herself back there.  Or cared.

She looked around.  Some glowing lichen served as a dim light source, letting Januasai see the chamber they were in.  Round and hewn from the stone around them, it looked like this would have been drilled out further before the work stopped, which made sense considering the large drilling machine that they’d passed.  There were some old crates of what looked like metal braces for the walls, and a grating set into the floor kept the room hot and humid.  ‘Keeping the lichen alive, and this sophont warm enough to not need clothing.  Geothermal, maybe?  Maybe this place had power at one time and it can be restored by an electrical engineer.’ There was what looked like a pile of some sort of of sleeping mats in the corner.  And that was it.  There was no other forms of..of anything.  No entertainment, no enrichment, no socialization, just the dark…her heart broke again, and she let out a quiet sob, tears leaking dripping from her eyes as she regarded the Terran.  The Terran who was crouched on all fours, watching her curiously, and shaking the canteen.  Clearing her throat, she smiled and tried again.  “My name is Januasai Etheri, Second Bloom, She/Her.  I’m an Affini.  What’s your name?”

There was no answer, the Terran merely stared at her.  

She tried again, this time saying it in a few of the Terran dialects that she’d heard spoken in her travels.  She received the same answer, a blank stare and then the Terran noisly farted.  Rather than be upset, instead Januasai felt an upswelling of sadness for this sophont who had been denied even the most basic of connection with others.  Tapping her chest, she simply said “Januasai.”  And then repeated it, and then pointed a finger at the Terran.  Who ignored her in favor of trying to open the canteen and failed, miserably.  She watched as the little Terran was stymied by a simple twist-cap that was mastered by most Terrans within half a decade of life.

It looked at The Big Thing that was making more noise now that The Big Four Legs Thing was gone.  That was ok, none of The Moving Food came here.  Its scent was strong here, and scared The Moving Food from approaching.  It watched The Big Thing as it made noise, pointed at itself, and then again.  It tried to get at the wet that it could hear inside The Treasure, but couldn’t get it.  Whining in frustration, it looked over as The Big Thing made more noise.  Whining again, unable to get to what it wanted, it watched as The Big Thing held a hand out.  It wanted The Treasure back.  It didn’t want to give The Treasure back, but The Big Thing was bigger and with a whine it handed The Treasure over.  As it watched, The Big Thing did something to the top of The Treasure and suddenly the top was off!!!!! Hanging by something, The Big Thing handed over The Treasure again!!!!! Squealing excitedly, it grabbed The Treasure and tried drinking.  It couldn’t get anything, until it tilted it up and got wet.  Wet came out, all over it, its mouth, its body.  COLD wet.  Squealing with delight after it finished coughing from the wet that was all over it.  So it did it again, getting just a trickle of wet.  Looking sadly at The Treasure, turning it up, looking for more wet, shaking The Treasure.  But there was no more.

“I’m sorry, little one.  That was all I brought, but we can get more later”, Januasai said as she tried her communicator again, with no luck.  Not even static.  By her guess, they were over three hundred meters down, so the chances of her communicator working were slim to none.  But she still needed to try.  She tried to communicate with the Terran again, who had curled up on the mats but watched her with eyes that glowed in the so-very-dim light.  She noticed that the empty canteen had been tucked underneath her, so that she couldn’t lose it. “It’s ok if you want to sleep”, she said, wondering how she was going to get this sophont to the surface.  Presumably there were other entrances, but if all of them were like this one, then she was screwed hard, as her friends floret like to say.  No matter.  There was a sophont who needed her, and she wouldn’t let her down.