"Right, right!" Lamb said as she caught her breath. Emerald and Tiaris looked at each other then back down at Lamb who put her little hands on her hips and grinned proudly.
"Jin's done with his chores and heading towards the forest just like you said he does! I think we can follow him this time! He looks tired from all the chores!" Lamb said while looking at the two of them with a proud grin.
Emerald and Tiaris both look toward Lamb and smile. Emerald walked up and patted Lamb's head softly while Tiaris clenched her fist and held it up determinedly.
"Good job, Lamb. You're the best scout of the Sirt Village Secret Club," Emerald praised in her posh accent.
"Yeah! Let's go find out what that boy keeps doing all the way out there so suspiciously," Tiaris said. Lamb looked up at the two with wide adoring eyes and nodded energetically.
"Aye aye, Boss!" Lamb said before turning around and taking off out the door of their hideout. The other two giggled and followed after her.
###
Jin treks through the same path in the forest, past the overgrown tree root, over the shallow stream, and into the cave.
"Greetings, my liege!" The first of the bugs call out as Jin passes through. Jin enters the familiar cavernous space, looking at the ray of light that spills down onto the clear shallow pool in the middle.
The moment he enters the space, chitters echo off, reminiscent of cheers. Blue lights flutter on and off along the walls and ceilings.
"Good afternoon, my liege!"
"Greetings, my liege!" They all call out happily.
Jin waves and giggles as he steps down into the soft sandy area of the center. He hops over the shallow ring of water into the man-sized island to look down at the budding flower.
The flower had yet to bloom, but it's purplish-blue hue and tri-tipped leaves set it apart from any flower Jin had ever seen anywhere else, even in books.
"Guys, look, the flower's coming along nicely!" Jin cheerfully says. He takes a step back to allow the room to view its sight.
One bluefly flies up and perches on Jin's instinctively raised hand.
"Indeed, my liege. We have kept watch over it and bided our time. But we have important matters to discuss," The little bluefly says with its blue bulb glowing and fading in time with its speech.
"Oh, what do you guys need? I can get you guys anything!" The boy says proudly. The bugs on the walls chitter and chirp.
"That's our liege. So kind."
"At only the age of seven no less!" The bugs say happily.
"Quiet! This is a serious matter, my brethren. Remember what we were entrusted to do!" The bug perched on Jin's finger says. Jin looks at him with a bit of surprise.
"Well, what do you need then, mister bug?" Jin says again. The bug remains silent for a moment before it responds in a mournful tone.
"Our end dawns on the horizon, my liege. Soon we will be gone from this world and returned to the embrace of the moon," the little bug says. The chittering and chirping dies to a strangled silence.
"But... I thought you said you had another year. You've gotta wait until I'm eight at least, no seven and a half," Jin says, heartbroken. The bugs all remain silent as if wishing they only could.
"The cogs are already turning, my liege… There is nothing we can do. Even now as we speak, the scent of decay creeps up on us." The single blue light on Jin's palm glows softly, as if to comfort the boy.
Jin sniffles and looks down at the bug sadly. The bugs on the walls all glow in a similar pattern to that of the stars in the night sky.
"Do not cry, my liege. There will always be brethren in the world to help you. But this cave will be gone. So let us impart one final wisdom onto you before we lose the opportunity," the bug says, glowing in his hand to same rhythm as the others.
At the entrance to the cave, the three girls look at the huge entrance before them. Their forms pale in comparison to the mouth of the cave. Lamb opens her mouth to say something in gleeful shock, but Tiaris covers her mouth and holds a finger to her lips, quieting her. Lamb nods and follows after them.
Emerald leads the way as the most confident one, with Tiaris behind her, and Lamb holding onto Tiaris' dress.
As they walk, suddenly some blueflies on the wall flutter off, glowing their evil blue as they head deeper into the cave. The three girls all flinch in fear but quickly push it aside and continue onward. Lamb loses all of her glee at the scary environment surrounding her.
She desperately clenches at the dress Tiaris wears, hiding her head behind it as they walk. Suddenly they heard the sound of chirping and chittering, then the sound of Jin talking.
"Really? I know those girls. Why are they here?" Jin says confusedly. The three freeze up before Emerald straightens and walks out into the cavernous space, with Tiaris and Lamb in tow.
"Oh, you two brought that boy from the house by the river, why?" Jin says, even more confused and now slightly nervous.
Emerald gazes down at him with a slight contempt. Tiaris looks out at the cavernous space, seeing the glowing blue lights on the walls before they all die out. She was momentarily captivated by the beauty of it all.
"H-How did you know we were here? And who were you talking to?" Lamb asks hesitantly as she hides behind her sister more. She glances at the walls, hoping none of the bugs were going to bite her.
"He was talking to the bugs," Emerald says with a disgusted look. Jin notices her glaring eyes and knows of the look all too well, but usually it was from Tiaris picking on him, not the boy from the village.
Jin looks at Tiaris, seeing her completely engrossed in the view of the little grotto. He smiles up at her.
"Why would I be talking to bugs? I'm just talking to myself." Jin tries to turn and hide the bug perched on his finger all the while laughing nervously.
"My liege, these intruders have breached our home. Give us the word and we shall attack." One of the bugs says to Jin, lighting up on the wall before him. The blue light draws the attention of the three girls, each with their own look.
"C-Can you make them glow again?" Tiaris hesitantly asks as she looks at the darkened room. Jin nervously thinks of what to say.