A Song for The Ages

The three sat in a loose circle, the dim light from some distant cracks in the rock casting faint shadows over their faces. The air was thick with the scent of damp stone and something faintly metallic, perhaps minerals seeping through the cavern walls.

Feiyin pressed his fingers against his temple, thinking. "First, we need to figure out the basics. Food, water, and shelter."

Yue's ears twitched, her sharp eyes scanning the darkness beyond them. "Shelter-wise, this spot isn't bad for now. It's away from the larger groups and doesn't seem to have any immediate threats lurking around."

Ren leaned back against the rock wall, one knee drawn up lazily. "But we can't stay here forever. If we want to survive a whole month, we need to move smart. The others will be wandering around blindly, getting themselves killed or wasting what little energy they have."

Feiyin nodded. "Exactly. We have to be efficient. If we can find a reliable source of food and water, we'll have an advantage."

Yue's tail flicked behind her. "Speaking of food…"

A sudden, loud growl echoed in the quiet cavern. Feiyin froze in surprise, Yue's ears flattened in embarrassment.

Then, another growl, this time from Feiyin's stomach.

A beat of silence passed before Yue covered her face with her hands, groaning. "That was me first!"

Feiyin coughed, his face warming as he laughed it off. "We, uh… haven't eaten in at least a day."

Ren, meanwhile, didn't react at all. His arms were crossed, eyes half-lidded, as if none of this concerned him.

Feiyin eyed him. "You're not hungry?"

Ren finally shifted, lifting a brow. "I've gone longer without food before. You get used to it."

Yue shot him a scandalized look. "That's not normal, you know."

Ren smirked faintly. "For you, maybe."

Feiyin shook his head, getting back on track. "Alright, we need to find something edible before we lose too much strength. Water, too."

Yue exhaled. "Water will be trickier. We need to find a running source. Standing water might be filled with parasites or poison."

Ren shrugged. "Could always drink some blood."

Yue visibly shuddered. "Okay, we're not there yet."

Feiyin pushed himself up, brushing the dust off his robe. "Then let's go find something before we reach that point."

The other two followed suit. They wouldn't get anywhere by sitting around.

They stepped cautiously into the tunnels, Feiyin leading the way, his heightened senses on full alert. The deeper into the cave system they went, the more he noticed the faintest of oscillations, traces of movement, echoes of life. Some far, some near. Some small, others… not so much.

Yue kept her nose tilted slightly upward, scenting the air as best she could. "I don't smell anything immediately dangerous nearby. Just… earth, damp stone, a bit of decay."

Ren walked just behind them, hands in his pockets, his posture loose but attentive. "So, dead things. Fantastic."

Feiyin ignored the sarcasm and focused on the ground. His foot nudged something small and brittle. He crouched, brushing away the dirt, revealing the remains of something skeletal, too small to be human, more likely an animal.

"There's life here," he murmured. "Which means food isn't impossible to find."

They continued onward, careful to keep track of their path so they wouldn't get lost. The caverns branched out in unpredictable ways, some tunnels sloping downward into even deeper darkness, others widening into open pockets of space.

Yue suddenly halted, her ears perking up. "Wait."

Feiyin and Ren immediately stopped.

"What is it?" Feiyin whispered.

She sniffed again, turning her head toward one of the side tunnels. "I think… I smell something fresher. Maybe a water source?"

Ren tilted his head. "Or something rotting."

Yue shot him a glare. "Do you have to be like this all the time?"

He smirked but didn't deny it.

Feiyin sighed. "Let's check it out carefully."

They moved toward the scent, Feiyin leading with careful steps, his inner sense stretching outward to catch any strange shifts in movement. The deeper they went, the more he started to feel a faint, rhythmic oscillation, soft and steady. Water.

Soon enough, the tunnel widened into a small cavern with a slow-moving underground stream running through the center.

Yue grinned. "Jackpot."

Feiyin knelt by the water's edge, observing its movement, the way the ripples spread naturally. He scooped a small amount into his hands and let it trickle through his fingers. "It's flowing, which is a good sign. But we should still be careful."

The oppressive darkness of the cavern wrapped around them like a living thing, thick and suffocating. It was the kind of blackness that swallowed light whole, the kind that made it easy to lose one's sense of direction, of space, of self.

Feiyin could see, though not in the way one normally did. His perception stretched beyond mere sight, he felt the oscillations in the air, the ripples of movement, the echoes of shifting weight on stone. Every step they took sent vibrations through the earth, faint but distinct, telling a story of what lay ahead, what lurked nearby.

Ren moved without hesitation, his steps light but sure. "You two are slow," he muttered under his breath.

Yue huffed. "Excuse me for not having demon blood."

Ren smirked. "Not my fault my ancestors actually lived underground."

Feiyin ignored their bickering, focusing on the cavern ahead. He could feel the subtle hum of something hanging above them, clinging to the rocky ceiling, soft, steady oscillations, barely perceptible against the stillness of the cave.

Bats.

He gestured for them to stop, his voice barely above a whisper. "There's food here."

Yue tensed beside him. "How do you, "

"I can feel them," Feiyin interrupted, eyes scanning the darkness. "They're hanging from the ceiling, near the stalactites."

Ren followed Feiyin's gaze, his demon-forged sight picking out the leathery creatures clumped together. "Bats."

Yue wrinkled her nose. "You're not actually suggesting we eat, "

"You have a better idea?" Ren asked dryly.

She fell silent.

Feiyin exhaled. "We need to eat. They're small, but they'll do. The hard part is catching them without getting swarmed."

Ren crossed his arms. "You're the genius. Figure it out."

Feiyin thought for a moment. If they startled the bats, they'd scatter in a panic, making them nearly impossible to catch. But if they used their surroundings to their advantage…

"Yue, how sensitive is your hearing?" Feiyin asked.

She blinked at him in confusion. "Pretty good, but not as sharp as my sense of smell. Why?"

"Bats navigate using sound waves. If we create a strong enough frequency to disrupt them, even for a moment, we might be able to force them lower and slow them down."

Ren raised a brow. "And how exactly do we do that?"

Feiyin tapped his fingers against the stone wall, listening to the way the vibrations traveled through the rock. Then, he inhaled deeply, adjusting his inner strength.

Instead of focusing it into raw power, he spread it out, letting it ripple through his chest, his throat. Then, he released a low, controlled hum.

The effect was immediate.

The bats above them twitched in response, their tiny, clawed feet shifting as they reacted to the disruption in frequency.

Yue's ears flicked. "Whoa…"

Ren tilted his head. "Did you just, "

"Not yet," Feiyin murmured, adjusting the pitch.

The oscillations in the cave shifted, vibrating in harmony with his voice. He carefully modulated it, fine-tuning the frequency to one that resonated with the bats' natural rhythm, then, with a sharp flick of his inner strength, he changed the pitch abruptly.

The bats shrieked in confusion.

The moment their wings fluttered wildly, Feiyin lunged.

His hands shot out, snatching one of the small creatures from the air. His grip was firm but precise, he didn't crush it, just stunned it.

Ren moved just as swiftly, grabbing another mid-flight, his reflexes honed from years of surviving in the slums.

Yue yelped when one nearly smacked into her face, but she ducked in time, growling under her breath.

Feiyin exhaled, tightening his hold on the struggling bat. "We got them."

Ren inspected his own catch. "Kind of scrawny, but better than nothing."

Yue grimaced. "We're actually eating these?"

Feiyin nodded. "We have no choice."

She sighed. "Fine. Just… someone else do the skinning."

Ren smirked. "Gladly."

They settled down by the slow-moving underground stream, gutting and preparing their meager meal. It wasn't much, but in the depths of the cavern, survival mattered more than taste.

As Feiyin watched the small firelight flicker in the dark, he couldn't help but feel the weight of their situation. They were still trapped. Still hunted.

But at least, for tonight, they wouldn't starve.

The damp chill of the cavern clung to them as Feiyin crouched by the underground stream, observing the faint ripples in the water. It had been a full day since they found this place, and so far, no predators had come sniffing around. It was a small relief in a situation where nothing felt safe.

Yue sat beside him, lightly kicking a small pebble into the water, her ears twitching. "So… do we stay?" she asked.

Feiyin nodded slowly, still watching the water. "I think we should. We have a water source, a defendable position, and we've lasted a full day without anything attacking us. That means, at least for now, this area isn't a hunting ground for something bigger."

Ren leaned against the cavern wall, arms crossed. "You're saying this as if we're staying here long-term. This place still stinks of death."

Feiyin didn't argue. It was true, the stench of decay lingered in the air, a mix of rot and old blood. But here, they had something rare: relative security. He wasn't going to waste that.

"I'm going to find more people," he announced.

Ren raised a brow. "And why would you do that?"

"Because the more people we have, the easier it will be to survive." Feiyin turned to him, eyes firm. "Strength in numbers."

Ren scoffed. "Or dead weight in numbers."

Feiyin knew arguing wouldn't work. Ren had survived on his own all his life, trusting only in himself. It would take time for him to see that people could be more than liabilities.

But Yue, on the other hand,

"I think it's a great idea," she said, tail flicking behind her. "There have to be more survivors out there, wandering in the dark. If we don't help them, they'll get picked off one by one."

Feiyin gave her a grateful nod. "But you should stay here. If someone attacks while we're both gone, it'll be bad. You're the strongest here after me, and Ren's not exactly the type to jump in and help."

Ren rolled his eyes. "Glad you understand."

Yue pursed her lips but reluctantly agreed. "Fine. But if you take too long, I'm coming after you."

Feiyin turned, exhaling through his nose. "I'll be back before then."

The moment he stepped away from their small sanctuary, the darkness swallowed him whole. His senses stretched, picking up the faint vibrations of shifting stones, distant scurrying, and, more importantly, the steady, erratic beats of frightened hearts. There were others.

He moved quietly, guiding himself by oscillations rather than sight. He followed the faintest tremors of human movement, weaving through jagged rock formations and cavernous tunnels. Soon enough, he found the first survivor, a boy, slightly older than him, sitting curled against a stone, his breathing ragged.

Feiyin knelt. "Hey."

The boy flinched, eyes darting uselessly in the darkness. "W-Who, ?"

"My name is Feiyin," he said, keeping his voice calm but firm. "I'm taking people somewhere safer. Come with me."

The boy hesitated. "You can… see?"

"In a way," Feiyin said. "Hold onto my sleeve. I'll guide you."

Trembling fingers found his wrist, grasping it with desperation. Feiyin pulled him up, steadying him before moving forward again.

One by one, he found more survivors. Some were huddled in small groups, whispering amongst themselves. Others were alone, curled up and shivering. Each time, he spoke to them, offered them a choice.

Some refused. Some were too scared to move. But many, when faced with the alternative of dying alone in the dark, reached out and took his hand.

The line of children grew behind him, each gripping onto the one in front of them so they wouldn't lose their way. Feiyin moved slowly, carefully. The cavern paths were uneven, littered with hidden pitfalls and jagged stones. If someone tripped, it could spell disaster.

"Where… where are we going?" one of the older boys, maybe ten, asked.

"To water," Feiyin answered simply. "To safety."

Another girl, her voice hesitant, asked, "How do you know where you're going?"

"I just do," Feiyin replied. He didn't have the time or energy to explain oscillations to them.

The line continued to move, step by step. Some of the younger ones whimpered in the dark, their hands tightening around the fabric of the person in front of them. Feiyin kept moving, listening, guiding.

Then, a faint tremor. He stopped abruptly.

"Quiet," he whispered.

The line behind him went still, holding their breath.

Something was shifting in the distance. It wasn't close, but it was moving.

A predator.

Feiyin's heart pounded. He couldn't afford to fight, not while leading so many. If it noticed them...

He exhaled slowly, adjusting his breathing. The vibrations around him steadied. Whatever was out there, it hadn't locked onto them yet.

"Keep moving. Slowly."

They pressed on, taking careful steps. Feiyin kept his senses wide, feeling the faint echoes of whatever beast prowled in the distance. If it turned toward them, if it got any closer,

He would have to make a choice. But after a few agonizing moments, the vibrations of the creature faded, moving in another direction.

Feiyin exhaled in relief.

After what felt like an eternity, they reached the cavern stream. Yue was already on alert when they arrived, ears twitching at the sound of shuffling feet. She relaxed slightly when she saw Feiyin at the front.

"You made it back," she said, relief in her voice.

"I said I would," Feiyin answered simply.

Ren, sitting against the cave wall, gave a lazy wave. "I see you picked up strays."

Feiyin ignored him and turned to the new arrivals. "This is where we'll be staying. There's water, and it's safe for now."

The children, exhausted, dropped to the ground one by one. Some whispered their thanks. Others just sat there, staring blankly, still processing everything.

Yue knelt beside one of the smaller girls, offering her a reassuring smile. "You're safe now," she said gently. "We'll figure this out together."

Feiyin watched them, a weight settling in his chest. They had a long way to go, but for now, they had survived.