Chapter 59 Desperation

The hatchlings, still trembling from the recent trauma, began to explore their new surroundings with a mixture of curiosity and fear. Their tiny eyes darted around the dimly lit cave, taking in the unfamiliar sights and sounds as they frolicked around. 

One of the braver hatchlings, a small goblin with bright green skin and oversized ears, ventured forward and sniffed the air. 

"Ugh! Ugh! Smell better than outside," he said, his voice a high-pitched whisper.

"No stink like a bad stinky hole."

Another hatchling, smaller and more timid, clung to Kaka's leg, peeking out from behind him.

"Dark here... but... not too scary. Safe with big gobbies. I... hope there are no big spiders here. Me scared, big spider scary." he whimpered, his eyes wide.

A third hatchling, slightly older with a missing ear, began to scuttle around, touching the walls and examining the cracks and crevices.

"Cave good place. Meny hiding holes! We can hide here. Baddies no find us."

Grub, seeing the hatchlings' reactions, squatted down and grinned at them.

"Yes, yes, little ones. This is our home for a little bit. We are safe here. We make it nice until we find a place to live. We must."

The hatchlings started to relax, their initial fear giving way to a sense of adventure. They began to chatter among themselves, their voices echoing softly in the cave. Some of them found a small pool of water and giggled as they splashed in it, while others discovered a pile of soft moss and promptly curled up in it, sighing with joy.

Kaka, still sore but eager to provide comfort, knelt and gathered the hatchlings close.

"We safe now," he reassured them, his voice gentle.

"No more bad things. We escaped the evil goblins and the ruthless hands of adventurers. If we are lucky enough, there will be no pain no more! We will be free to live. But we stay here, just for now, and make a temporary home. Just until things calm down. Then, we will go to empty plains. There... there won't be suffering and pain anymore. But we need to be strong, stronger than ever if we want to reach it."

The smallest hatchling, his eyes reflecting the faint light, looked up at Kaka and then at me.

"We have each other! Many goblins, right?" he said, his voice filled with childlike wisdom.

"That makes us strong, right?"

I nodded, feeling a surge of pride and protectiveness.

I knelt next to the hatchling, my bony knees cracking against the hard dirt floor, and placed a shaky hand on his tiny, trembling shoulder. His wide eyes stared up at me, filled with the kind of innocent, confused hope only a hatchling could have. I tried to muster something - anything - that could reassure him, though I knew, deep down, I was just as terrified as he was. But what choice did I have? He looked up at me, dumb as I was, thinking I had the answers.

"Y-yeah," I stammered, my voice wavering like the flickering light overhead.

 "We... we stick together. That makes us... strong, right? 'Cause... um, when there are lots of us, they can’t... uh... they can’t get us all!" I tried to sound confident, but even I knew it was a pitiful excuse. Still, the hatchling nodded, his little head bobbing like he believed every word. 

I cleared my throat, trying to sound wiser - like I understood how the world worked, even though I didn’t.

 "See... we’re goblin slaves. We ain’t big, we ain’t strong like the others. No claws like beasts, no fancy gear like adventurers. We got nothin’! Just... us." I paused, trying to think of something that sounded less pathetic, but the truth was all I had. 

"But... when there’s lots of us, we can swarm ‘em, yeah? Like ants, you know? Ever seen ants take down a big old spider? Same thing. We’re small... but we’re many."

I scratched my head, trying to make sense of my own words.

 "Uh... yeah, so, we huddle up, right? When we’re together, they gotta get through all of us. And that’s harder. For them, I mean. It’s like... uh... we make one big goblin... sort of. And a big goblin is harder to beat than one tiny goblin. Even if the big goblin is made of a bunch of scared, tiny goblins. Understand?"

The hatchling blinked at me, clearly not getting it but nodding anyway, his little face scrunched up in concentration like he was trying so hard to be smart. 

"So... we’re like ants?" he asked, his voice small and uncertain.

"Yeah, like ants," I said, though even that felt like too big a compliment. 

"But... dumber. But we’re together! And that’s... that’s what matters. We take care of each other. We... we gotta look out for each other, ‘cause no one else will, right? We ain’t got no friends out there. The world’s big and scary, and it’s full of folks who wanna squash us like bugs." I bit my lip, thinking of Slasher and the others, their cruel laughter still ringing in my ears.

"But we... we have each other. That’s all we got. So, we stay together. We stay close. Even if... even if we’re scared. Even if we’re too dumb to figure stuff out on our own. We have each other’s backs. That makes us... strong. Sort of. You get me?"

The hatchling nodded again, his face lighting up like he’d just heard the most brilliant thing in the world.

 "Yeah! We’re strong in numbers!" he chirped, his voice filled with that childlike wisdom that made me feel like maybe - just maybe - I hadn’t completely failed to make sense.

"Exactly," I said, forcing a smile.

 "We might be... cowardly, miserable, filthy goblin slaves. But together? We’re... we’re a little bit less pathetic. And that’s what matters, right?"

The hatchling grinned, proud of this newfound revelation, and I couldn’t help but feel a weird mix of pride and sorrow. He was too young to understand how the world worked. Too naive to see how hopeless it all was. But for now, maybe that was a good thing. Maybe believing in something as stupid as strength in numbers was all we had left. So, I patted his head, trying to ignore the gnawing fear in my gut.

"Yes, little one. We’re strong... in numbers," I repeated, more for myself than him. Because deep down, I knew we’d need every bit of that so-called strength if we were gonna survive another day in this forest.

The hatchlings began to settle down, their initial excitement giving way to exhaustion. One by one, they curled up next to each other, their tiny bodies huddled together for warmth in a big pile of tangled bodies. As they drifted off to sleep, their soft snores filled the cave, a soothing sound that reminded us of the innocence we were trying to protect.

As night fell and the cave grew darker, we settled down around the hatchlings, forming a protective circle. The faint sound of the outside world was muted by the thick stone walls, giving us a sense of security we hadn't felt in a long time. With the hatchlings safely nestled between us, we allowed ourselves to finally relax, knowing that, at least for now, we were safe.

As morning light began to filter through the narrow entrance of the cave, we stirred from our sleep-induced stupor. The hatchlings woke up first, their tiny yawns and stretch a sign of their youthful resilience.

Kaka, still sore but eager, was the first to stand and take stock of our situation. He called us together in a hushed but urgent tone, making sure everyone was awake and paying attention.

"Alright, gobbie friends," Kaka began, his voice low but firm.

"We need to decide what to do next. We can't stay here forever. Humans, monsters, evil goblins, or worse might find us. This cave is sturdy, small enough to protect us from large nasties but it is not safe here. Sooner or later predators will eat us, find a way to kill us, they always do. They do!"

Kaka took a short pause, then continued, "Gobbie friends, I'm sorry to say this but we have little options here."

Grub scratched his tucked-in belly thoughtfully before nodding in agreement. His squashed face was lined with worry.

 "Yes, yes, Kaka right. The cave is small... cozy, but not safe. Not gonna protect us long time. Monsters, bad goblins... they come soon, we know this. Need a big plan. Need a big, safe place! But... what plan?"

Grill scratched his head. 

"We are weak gobbies, we are! Not fighters or warriors like evil goblins. We not like evil goblins, not big like them! We are just... food! Without walls to protect us, we will become food for the forest monsters. They eat us up like crunchy bugs! We no fighters, no warriors, no sharp claws or big sticks. We have nothing! We need to find a safe place but we need to be smart about it. But where do we go? Where can we be safe?"

Kaka frowned, rubbing his temples.

"Yes, yes, I know... I know," he muttered, his mind racing but finding nothing.

 "Without walls... without someone protecting us... we’re doomed. We have no choice. But we need to be smart gobbies. We can’t just run into the forest, not without a plan." He paused, his thin lips trembling, unsure of how to continue.

Grill, still scratching his patchy scalp, chimed in, "But where do we go?!" 

His voice was shrill, full of frustration. 

"Where can we be safe, huh?! No one wants weak goblins like us! Everyone thinks we are useless! Worthless! The monsters eat us, the bad goblins beat us! And if we hide... they find us eventually, right? We’re just... just waiting to die!"

The whole group of hatchlings began to murmur, their voices rising in nervous chatter. They sounded like a chorus of scared baby monkeys, smacking their lips nervously and making soft cooing sounds of distress. Their tiny hands wrung together anxiously, eyes darting around as if expecting danger to appear at any moment.

 "I have an idea," Kaka finally spoke.