Chapter Two

Tavros jumped through the cave of sleeping trolls, tripping over a couple as he made his way towards Summoner.

"Dad!" He called. "Daad! Come on! We gotta go! Wake up!"

"Oomph!" One of the sleeping trolls moaned as Tavros tripped and fell on top of.

"Oh, sorry."

He makes his way all the way to Summoner, who was curled up on the cave floor sound asleep.

"Dad. Dad. Wake up. Dad. Dad. Daaaad. Dad."

Tavros chanted dad for a couple seconds before Summoner peered through one open eye at Tavros.

"You promised." Tavros frowned.

"Ok, ok." Summoner pushed himself off the ground. "I'm up. I'm up.

He yawned, outstreaching his long jaw, before he hoisted himself onto his feet and followed Tavros out of the cave.

They climed up the large rock, which they considered home, to the very top, where both of them sat down, next to eachother, and dangled their feet over the edge. They watched the sun climb over the horizen and peer over every inch of the land.

"Look, Tavros." Summoner gestured to the never ending land. "Everything the light touches is our kingdom."

"Wow." Tavros sat in awe, staring around their kingdom, learning every detail.

"A king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, Tavros, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king."

"And this will all be mine?"

"Everything."

"Everything the light touches." Tavros looked around, before noticing a dark, swampy area, where the trees blocked the sun from entering.

"What about that shadowy place?" He wondered, pointing toward the unlite area.

"That is beyond our borders." Summoner answered. "You must never go there, Tavros."

"But, I thought a king can do whatever he wants."

"Oh, there's more to being king than getting your way all the time."

Tavros stared in awe. "There's more?"

Summoner chuckled. "Tavros..."

He grabbed Tavros by the waist and began flapping his wings. Flying him down the large rock, they landed not too far into a large field. He set Tavros down and they begin walking again.

"Everything you see exists together, in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance, and respect all the creatures- from the crawling squeakbeast to the leaping hoofbeast." Summoner explained."

"But dad," Tavros wondered. "Don't we eat the hoofbeasts?"

"Yes, Tavros, but let me explain. When we die, our bodies become the grass. And the hoofbeast and lusus eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life."

Tinkerbull flew in and hovered in front of the two.

"Good morning, sire!" He said.

"Good morning, Tinkerbull." Summoner responded.

"Checking in with the morning report!"

"Fire away."

"Well," Tinkerbull cleared his throat as he began his speech. "The buzz from the bees is that the spottedbeasts are in a bit of a spot..."

Summoner sat down, crossing his legs as he listened to Tinkerbull go on. "Oh, really?"

Uninterested in Tinkerbull, Tavros watches a small butterfly flutter around and land on a patch of grass.

"And the apebeasts are going ape over this. Of course, the long neckbeasts think they're above it all..."

Summoner leaned over and whispered to Tavros. "What are you doing, son?"

"Watching this butterfly." Tavros whispered back.

"Want some charging lessons from an old pro?"

"The tick birds are pecking on the tuskbeasts. I told them to forget it, but they can't..." Tinkerbull continued, unknowing of Summoner's lack of enthusiasm.

"Tinkerbull, would you turn around?"

"Of course, sire." Tinkerbull planted himself on a rock poking up from the ground and turned himself around before immediatly starting again. "The spotbeasts are hard up, but I always say..."

"Stay low to the ground. Always keep your horns pointed to your target."

"Ok," Tavros whispered back to Summoner. "Horns pointed toward the target. Alright. Yeah."

Tinkerbull tilted his head to barely look back at Summoner. "What's going on?"

"Charging lessons." Summoner responded to him.

"Oh, very good. Charging." Tinkerbull stopped and realized what he said. "Charging?! Oh no, sire! You can't be serious!"

Summoner motioned Tinkerbull to turn back around.

"Oh, this is so humiliating." Tinkerbull spun himself back around.

"Try to keep your eye on the target." Summoner whispered to Tavros as Tavros prepared himself to charge.

"What are you telling him, Summoner?" Tinkerbull turned around uneasily to find that Summoner and Tavros were not there. "Sire? Tavros?"

Suddenly, out of no where, Tavros hits Tinkerbull full on with his head, and Tinkerbull is thrown into a tree, and left completely stunned.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Summoner laughed. "That's pretty good!" Tavros smiled up at him.

From under Tinkerbull, out popped a small lusus from the ground.

"Tinkerbull!" He called.

Tinkerbull looked down at who called him. "Yes?"

"Sir! News from underground!"

"Oh my..."

Tinkerbull hovered over to Summoner with urgancy.

"Sire! Seadwellers! In the Pride lands!"

Summoner's expression changed almost immediatly.

"Tinkerbull," He ordered. "Take Tavros home."

"Oh, dad." Tavros asked. "Can't I come?"

"No, son."

Summoner flew off into the distance, leaving Tavros standing there pouting.

"I never get to go anywhere."

"Oh, young master," Tinkerbull reasured. "One day you will be king; then you can chase those sloppy, wet, stupid fish from dawn until dusk."