Chapter 1
I walked through the jungle as quietly as I could. The ground was moist under my feet and the air was humid and hot. I hated this kind of weather, but there was nothing I could do about it. This was where I lived, so this was what I had to deal with.
"Cassidy!" A voice shouted from behind. I groaned. It was that stupid Nolen again. Nolen was on the nephew of the Mayor of Waterfall City. That being so, he had some power in the government, and was trying to use that power to get me to move out of the Rainy Basin! The nerve! I could never leave my friends, never...
"Cassidy, stop!" The well-dressed toad was now at my side. He was sweating heavily and painting. "Didn't you hear me?"
"Unfortunately, yes. And for the bloody last time, no! I refuse to leave the Rainy Basin!"
"But it's dangerous! With the tyrannosaurs and all those other carnivores, the bad weather-"
"Don't be stupid! I'll be fine! What do you take me for, some hot-headed dolphin-back? Now if you'll excuse me, I need to be getting back home before nightfall. My friends await me." And with that I stomped off, leaving the enraged Nolen behind.
After about an hour more of walking home was in sight. The juveniles were running around our home, nipping at each others tails and tackling one another. I sighed and pushed my light, straight blonde hair out of my face and wiped the sweat off my forehead so it wouldn't get into my blue eyes.
"You're back!" A voice called from behind. It spoke in bird calls, but after living with the raptors for such a long time, I could both understand and speak in them.
"Yeah! How are the little ones doing, Artemis?" I asked the raptor, whose name was obviously Artemis. Her offspring ran around her feet. I counted. 1...2...3...4...5...6......Where was 7? I knew that Artemis had given birth to 7 babes this year. "Where's the seventh?"
Artemis frowned, or rather, made the face expression that raptors make when they're unhappy. She gave a sad chirp.
"I'm afraid Charlin has come down with a disease. He probably will not make it to December."
"Oh, no! Isn't there anything that we can do? Any medicine-" Artemis cut me off.
"No, I'm afraid the only medicine that could cure Charlin probably lies in one of your kind's cities. And you can't go there, they'd never let you leave. They don't understand like the people of Tree Town."
"I could go! I could! I'd be in and out before anyone realized that I had even been there! I would just have to get out of the city before the merchant I would go to squealed!"
"Yes! That would work! You, you could leave tomorrow!" Artemis chirped excitedly.
"Then it is settled. I shall leave tomorrow! Now, if you'll excuse me, I going to pack."
"Oh, thank you!"
I walked through the jungle as quietly as I could. The ground was moist under my feet and the air was humid and hot. I hated this kind of weather, but there was nothing I could do about it. This was where I lived, so this was what I had to deal with.
"Cassidy!" A voice shouted from behind. I groaned. It was that stupid Nolen again. Nolen was on the nephew of the Mayor of Waterfall City. That being so, he had some power in the government, and was trying to use that power to get me to move out of the Rainy Basin! The nerve! I could never leave my friends, never...
"Cassidy, stop!" The well-dressed toad was now at my side. He was sweating heavily and painting. "Didn't you hear me?"
"Unfortunately, yes. And for the bloody last time, no! I refuse to leave the Rainy Basin!"
"But it's dangerous! With the tyrannosaurs and all those other carnivores, the bad weather-"
"Don't be stupid! I'll be fine! What do you take me for, some hot-headed dolphin-back? Now if you'll excuse me, I need to be getting back home before nightfall. My friends await me." And with that I stomped off, leaving the enraged Nolen behind.
After about an hour more of walking home was in sight. The juveniles were running around our home, nipping at each others tails and tackling one another. I sighed and pushed my light, straight blonde hair out of my face and wiped the sweat off my forehead so it wouldn't get into my blue eyes.
"You're back!" A voice called from behind. It spoke in bird calls, but after living with the raptors for such a long time, I could both understand and speak in them.
"Yeah! How are the little ones doing, Artemis?" I asked the raptor, whose name was obviously Artemis. Her offspring ran around her feet. I counted. 1...2...3...4...5...6......Where was 7? I knew that Artemis had given birth to 7 babes this year. "Where's the seventh?"
Artemis frowned, or rather, made the face expression that raptors make when they're unhappy. She gave a sad chirp.
"I'm afraid Charlin has come down with a disease. He probably will not make it to December."
"Oh, no! Isn't there anything that we can do? Any medicine-" Artemis cut me off.
"No, I'm afraid the only medicine that could cure Charlin probably lies in one of your kind's cities. And you can't go there, they'd never let you leave. They don't understand like the people of Tree Town."
"I could go! I could! I'd be in and out before anyone realized that I had even been there! I would just have to get out of the city before the merchant I would go to squealed!"
"Yes! That would work! You, you could leave tomorrow!" Artemis chirped excitedly.
"Then it is settled. I shall leave tomorrow! Now, if you'll excuse me, I going to pack."
"Oh, thank you!"