I lost my sense of hearing. My ears felt like they had been stuffed with wax, it was eerily quiet not a sound to be heard. My whole mind seemed to have gone blank and it felt as if I'm the only one in the whole wide world. I could feel my heart beating faster as I got more anxious .

Why couldn't I not hear anything?

Was the whole world sleeping?

I could feel the wind pushing against my face but could not hear the slight sound of it breezing by.

I took in a deep breath and tried to calm down. My eyes wandered around my surroundings ,but I could not see anything clearly as it was dark. I stood up as I felt a sharp pain in my right leg.

What had happened ?

I slowly moved forward . Suddenly a lurching shudder shook the ground beneath me making me fall down.

I felt the vibrations of the impact through the ground but did not know when and where it came from as there was no sound.

The air seemed to get more stale and the smell of burning ashes went through my nostrils.

I turned around sharply to see a huge wave of fire , burning not far behind.

Maybe there was an explosion?

I rushed forward to get away and felt sand on the palm of my hands.

Was this the beach ?

But I did not know as there was no sound of the waves crashing against the shore.

Nonetheless I made my way forward and after a while I could see the sea in front of me reflected by the moonlight falling upon it.

I sat down breathing heavily, as beads of sweat fell down my face.

What had happened to me ? Where was I? Most importantly why could I not hear anything?

Thinking about this sent a surge of fear through my mind.

Will I never be able to hear anything again?

At the moment I felt so alone, not because I was stranded in the middle of nowhere but because I could not hear anything .

I missed the sound of the busy traffic in the street, the sound of laughing, crying , singing . Little animals squeaking in their various voices , the sound of nature. All that I took for granted and would have never understood the value of until now that I had lost the ability to hear them.

I felt silent tears running down my face. I strained my throat, shouting at the empty sky which had started to get lighter .But there was nothing to be heard.

I felt my brain going fuzzy and felt tired . My vision started to blur and the last thing I saw was a group of familiar faces running towards me , their mouths were moving but no sound reached me. Finally everything went black .

***

(Third Person POV)

" What happened to her?"

" Thena!"

Zion and Ash were crouched beside the unconscious figure of their best friend.

The boys were getting more worried.

" Is she...- no it can't be ...no , no!"

"Have faith." Assured Rousie keeping his tiny paws on the boys shoulders while they both shook Thena, trying to wake her up.

" Why isn't she answering?!"

They observed that Thena's skin was getting more pale by each passing second. It seemed to them , as if her life was getting sucked out of her body.

" Rousie knows vhat I have to do... yeah that'z the only vay. Vorth a try..." murmured the small animal , lost in his thoughts.

" What do you mean?" Inquired Ash, in between hiccups.

" It seems to me as if she has sacrificed something."

She had lost her sense of hearing.

" But...it still ain't enough! " Rousie muttered some curses underneath it's breath. " Now there iz only one vay left. Soul for a soul. "

A deafening silence settled all around them.

" I'm ready to trade my life , if it means that will bring back Thena." Zion offered .

" Me too, I'll do anything ." Ash added , now looking hopeful. Some of the lost color was now back in his face.

" No, no...such loving friendship. Rousie has seen it very rarely. After all y'all did for each other. Rousie only vishes thaz you three remain happy. Y'all are meant to do great thinfs! "

Rousie looked up with his eyes sparkling with tears. A ghost of a smile could be seen on the creature's face.

" May thiz be the new beginning. No more varz, only peace. It vas mah pleasure , meeting you ."

This sounded like a goodbye speech . And it indeed was.

Little by little, Rousie transformed into small sparkling lights which flew away in the sky.

The humble, Rousie had sacrificed itself to save the trio. A soul for a soul. A sacrifice of love which would save them in disguise.

***

Thena woke with a startle. Before she could process anything, two pairs of arms tackled her to the ground.

" Thena!!!!"

She couldn't believe her ears.

Sound...

She was able to hear again.

" Guys... you're strangling me." She coughed out .

They immediately moved away with guilty expressions.

" Umm sorry..."

" It's okay ." She looked at both her best friends with a wide smile on her face. " I missed you two , so dam much."

Looking around for the first time since waking up, she took in her surroundings.

They were on top of a mountain. All around was a sea of greenery. Through a gap between the trees, the sun could be seen , slowly hiding away behind the huge mountains.

Birds sang an ancient lullaby. It was no ordinary song. It was a special respect for great heroes.

" Guys, what happened? And where's Rousie?"
Thena asked scrunching up her face in confusion.

She noticed that Zion and Ash had become silent. They looked at each other nervously as if having a telepathic conversation.

Thena coughed in order to gain their attention and rose an eyebrow in question.

" Rousie... sacrificed himself to save us. A soul for a soul. "

Thena was shocked. It seemed as if her heart had stopped beating.

That sweet ,adorable, kind creature was no more...

Her heart ached in pain, thinking about Rousie's sacrifice.

But what was done was done. They couldn't change it now. The best they could do was do the next right thing.

" So what now?" Ash inquired.

" Rousie did say something about peace...we can't let his sacrifice go to waste. We have to work hard to make this a better place. A peaceful place." Zion said , determination all over his face. " So are y'all with me ?"

He put forth his hand. One by one Ash and Thena added their hands chorusing- " Always united."

" But first let's build a monument in honor of Rousie." Interjected Thena.

" You got that right." Smiled Zion.

" Less gooo!" Ash added and immediately ran off to gather some equipments.

Together the trio worked hard, combining all their individual powers to build a monument in honor of the Great Rousie. The end result was satisfying.

Now high above the Great mountain stood a monument in honor of The Great Hero Rousie. Shining brightly amidst everything else.

Thena, Zion and Ash stood side by side. Arms around each other's shoulders as they gazed upon the magnificent setting sun.

Nature sang songs of victory. This was the beginning of a new era. No more rivalry like the ancestors. All was now united for the greater good.

★★★

Done dun dun
Another story finished !

Wanna know a fun fact?
I'mma just say it anyway. So basically I wrote many things during my school free writing classes and I combined some of them together with some editing and bam! This story was formed. XD

Hope y'all liked it ! (:

Vote and comment and stay tuned for more <3

A.M.K 💙