-The Lost Kingdom-
It was getting darker within the dense forests of Valinior. A cool breeze chilled the air as Atemu slowly pulled Aries to a stop within a small clearing where the sun's rays was able to penetrate the lush canopy. Glancing up at the higher branches of the trees through his jagged bangs, Atemu's eyes narrowed. Something had been following him for a good hour now and he could still sense its presence… but where was it?
A sudden rustle of leaves in the tree beside him caused Atemu to grab the hilt of his sword. "Show yourself, I know you're out there!" he ordered while tugging the reins to the side with his free hand causing Aries to turn into a slow circle so that he could see from all sides. "Come out and face me!"
"No need to shout, Dark Knight."
The voice seemed to come from all directions as Atemu pulled Aries to another stop. He was certain it was a female's voice but it was accented like that of the Beastarians. "Come into the light, so that I may see you!"
"Nay, I think not, Dark Lord. Just know that I am friend and not foe."
The voice was different from that of any Lupian or Rapterian he'd ever met, but still there was something familiar about the tone. "How am I to believe you when you don't show yourself?"
"I prefer the shadows. Just know that I come with a message. Beware; for the Dyers are tracking you and your company. They are getting closer to your camp and the Road to Fedlyn is blocked. You must go to Nyrivee Canyon to make it to Sacreia."
Crimson eyes widened at the haunting voice as Atemu thought about what a pack of Dyers would do to the others back at the camp. "How do you know this?" he asked, only receiving silence as another chilling breeze wisped through his bangs. Growling at the creature's timing and ill news, he nudged Aries' sides. "We have to get back before its too late," he cursed, earning a hearty snort of agreement as the black unicorn's heavy hooves raced across the ground.
Watching the disappearing knight, a pair of gold eyes glimmered lightly from the cascading sunlight before a figure emerged from the shadows of the canopy. Brushing a strand of purple streaked black hair away from one of her golden eyes, the figure sighed. "Protect your Little Prince, Dark Knight, for he is going to need you now more than ever," she breathed before leaping off the branch and transforming into a large black panther before running off to disappear deeper into the shadows of the forest.
MEANWHILE…
Dazed grayish blue eyes slowly opened to unfamiliar surroundings as their right arm sluggishly lifted causing them to groan at the effort before timidly rubbing their temples. There was something definitely wrong with him, this aching feeling between his eyes was something he'd never felt before. "Seto… something's wrong with me," the figure whined, which caused his already hurting head to throb.
Continuing to rub his temples lightly, the little one groaned as he looked around the room once again. "Where am I?" he asked softly before forcing himself up into a sitting position. "Seto!" he called louder, hissing at the throbbing pain it caused.
"I'm afraid Seto won't be able to help you."
Nearly falling off the bed at the sudden voice, he felt his body tense as his dragon senses crackled at the tone of voice. Whirling around in the direction of the voice, he hissed as threateningly as possible in his drowsy state at the imposing, robed figure that was watching from the doorway. "Who are you?!"
"I am the Lord of the Southern Kingdom and you are in my citadel."
Groggy or not, at the mere mention of Zilaria, grayish blue eyes widened. This was definitely not good. His brother had told him all about the Southern Kingdom and its Evil King and here he was in the man's presence. "M-my brother will come for me and when he does he'll toast you!" he warned while swallowing the lump in his throat.
"I doubt that, but I do look forward to meeting your brother," Dartz replied with a crooked smile. "I think with the right incentive that your brother could be a very powerful ally."
"Seto will never work with you!"
"Oh, I'm sure he and I can work out a bargain," Dartz chuckled, causing the young Draikian to scoot further away from him. "Like say his service for your life."
"Y-you wouldn't…" the little one whimpered, feeling tears well up in his eyes at the thought of his brother being used in this twisted man's scheme.
Smiling evilly at the little one, Dartz turned and placed his hand on the door. "There is a war coming to Illashira and I plan on being the victor at any cost," he stated before opening the door and closing it behind him.
Feeling tears sliding down his cheeks, the little one let out a loud animalistic whine before burying his face into one of the pillows. As much as he wanted his brother, he didn't want his brother roped into this oncoming war. "Seto, I'm so sorry…please forgive me."
The forest was too dense, even for her extraordinary vision as she soared over the thick canopy. Finding a small break in the foliage, Mai dove into the lush thicket of branches with a shrill call as she flew lower than she liked to avoid the overgrowing limbs. There was something about this forest that worried her, and it wasn't just the thought of Dyres looming in the shadows, but the sheer vastness of this ancient wood.
There had been many tales of Necromancers forming rituals in the very depths of the forest, summoning creatures that did not belong in this world, remnants of evil that could destroy the kingdoms of Illashira. Flapping her wings, Mai cut through the forest with amazing speed before coming to a screeching halt as something darted across her vision before disappearing into another thicket of shadows.
Curious as to what it was, she hovered there for only a few seconds before turning her head at the unmistakable sound of approaching hoof beats. Getting ready to shift if need be she waited patiently as the outline of a rider appeared in the ripples of sunlight. However, as the rider neared her she felt a familiar wave of intense power and let out a screeching welcome.
"Mai, what are you doing out here?"
Shifting, she gave Atemu a rather cross look. "You told the Lupian to send me scouting and then you do your own. I thought you were supposed to stay with the Prince as his body guard," she chided, watching as the proud knight lowered his head. "I'm sorry, it's not my place to chide you on such manners. You are the one in charge of this journey and I'm only here to help, but Solomon is a dear friend to me and so is the young Prince."
"I understand Mai, and you're right. It is my duty to protect Yuugi, but with such dangers lurking I assumed the Prince would be fine while in the camp as long as Jou stayed with him. However, we don't have time to discuss matters, for I've received dire news from something that was trailing me in the wood."
"What do you mean? How can you trust something that you do not know?"
Shaking his head, Atemu looked up at the confused Rapterian. "I'm not sure, but it was something about her voice. It was oddly familiar and accented like one of the Beastarian Clans… but it was unlike one I had heard before."
"What news did she bring you?"
"That the Dyers are close to our camp, and that the path to Fedlyn is blocked. It seems that Nyrivee Canyon is our only route," Atemu explained while patting Aries' broad neck. "I need you to fly ahead to the canyons to make sure that the route is safe."
Nodding, Mai quickly shifted back into her Gold Eagle form. "Atemu you know that if the Dyers are so close that the only way is to split the company up."
"I know, but only if there is no other way," Atemu stated.
"As you wish," Mai replied while flapping her mighty wings causing a gust to ruffle through Atemu's spiky tresses and Aries' flowing mane. "I'll go and check out the canyons and then come and find you. I'm sure you'll be on the move."
"As soon as I get back to camp we'll be heading toward the canyons," Atemu stated while giving the Rapterian a concerned look. "Be careful where you fly Mai. I don't know how many know of your allegiance to King Solomon, or how many spies are out there--"
"Have no fear Atemu, I will be swift and careful," Mai interrupted as she deftly turned in the direction of the canyons and took flight with a mighty call that seemed to echo throughout the entire wood.
Watching the eagle disappear into the dense canopy, Atemu took another careful look around the area. "Let's go Aries," he said while giving the black unicorn a nudge to the flanks, setting him off into a quick canter. "It's getting too quiet and we don't know where the Dyres are coming from."
Letting out a hearty neigh, the black unicorn quickened his pace as his mighty hooves cut through the ground before disappearing completely into the shadows of the thick underbrush heading back toward camp.
ELSEWHERE…
Sapphire eyes narrowed as they surveyed the empty cave. "Mokuba, I'm back!" he yelled, his voice echoing off the walls. Not receiving a reply he walked deeper into his home and sniffed the air. His brother's scent was faint meaning that he'd been gone for a long time. Growling to himself, he walked back out of the cave and looked for any traces of where his brother had possibly wandered off to.
"MOKUBA!" he yelled loudly causing a few birds to scatter from their nests. Shaking his head at the lack of any answer, his form started to shift until a large white dragon with deadly sapphire blue eyes stood in his place. Roaring loudly, he flapped his wings before taking to the skies and beginning his search for his younger sibling.
It had never dawned on him that his little brother would be taken, there wasn't many humans who dared to mess with the Draikian Clan, especially that of the White variety. Soaring above the barren, painted canyons, he rumbled darkly as he swooped down toward a clearing that he knew Mokuba used to play in because of the rare berries that grew on the steep canyon walls. Landing smoothly, a vicious growl escaped his throat as he sniffed the air to catch the unmistakable stench of magick.
"Wretched humans!" he rumbled angrily while smacking a large boulder with his tail, causing the rock to shatter at the brutal impact. Sniffing the air once again, his eyes narrowed as they caught sight of a large Golden Eagle appearing over the canyon. Even from this distance he could see the dark violet of the Eagle's eyes and knew that it was surprised at finding him. Roaring at the large raptor, he felt a grim satisfaction as it dipped to the side before quickly flying back toward Valinior.
Flapping his wings, he quickly took to the air as well. He knew that the Rapterians had an age old alliance with the humans and if they were the ones responsible for his missing brother then they were going to pay. Following after the large raptor, he had to give the Eagle some credit, it was definitely a warrior of the sky and able to zoom across the horizon with amazing speed, but the Draikians were and would always be the masters of the sky.
Using his tail as a rudder, he angled his wings and swooped down a bit further, catching greater speeds as he gained on the large raptor, but he wasn't ready as the Eagle looked back at him and with a mighty, screeching call dived into the canopy of trees. Having the raptor disappear from his vision, he growled as he looked down at the Ancient woods of Valinior. Roaring at his ill luck, he circled around the area before heading back toward the canyons with amazing speed.
The raptor had been circling the canyons and he could be patient if need be. All he had to do was bide his time and the humans would probably come right to him and he would be waiting. Satisfied with his musings, he landed back on the other side of the canyons and folded his majestic wings as his body shifted and he returned back to his human form. Crossing his arms, he walked over to rubble where the boulder used to be and sat on one of the larger rocks. All he had to do now was be patient… even though it was never one of his strong points.
If he didn't hate it so much, Jou would have started pacing as he sat back on his haunches on a large boulder that gave him a good view over most of the thick underbrush that surrounded the camp. He hadn't seen anything to warrant any alarm, but there was something definitely happening in the woods and it couldn't be good. Twitching his ears in every direction, he almost let a whine slip at the eerie silence that covered the woods outside of the camp.
"Jou, is everything alright?"
Perking his ears forward at the voice of his friend, he gave the woods one last look before turning to lock gazes with worried amethyst. "What's the matter?" he asked ignoring the prince's question and covering it with his own as he noticed how tight the prince was holding Artemis' reins.
As if to answer his question, the winged unicorn mare shook her head before pawing at the ground with a silver hoof.
"Something's not right," Yuugi stated while looking around worriedly at the camp before turning back to face Jou. "It's too quiet and Atemu hasn't returned and neither has Mai."
"I'm sure that Atemu and Mai are fine… but you're right about something not being right," Jou replied while taking another look around the woods. Not ready for Artemis' uneasy neigh, he was startled into a battle ready stance as his lips curled into a snarl and his fur bristled. Turning to the unicorn mare, he could tell that she could sense something was wrong as well. "Yuugi, I need ya to get the others ready. I don't know what's going on… but something isn't right."
Though he'd never admit it, Yuugi was getting scared. The forest had gotten quiet only moments after Mai left and it was deafening. He didn't know if he imagined it or not, but he could've sworn that he heard a twig snap somewhere, and it didn't help that Artemis was also starting to get jumpy. Letting Jou's words sink in, his eyes widened as he looked at the cluster of people in the camp. "Jou, I can't…" he muttered while turning back to the Lupian to find him frozen in place. "Jou…"
Curling his lip in the beginning of a snarl, Jou turned back to the young prince. "Yuugi you have to, we have to leave now, they're coming!" he growled before leaping from his perching and heading toward the brush.
"Jou, what are you doing?" Yuugi asked while walking after the Lupian before coming to a stop as Jou looked back at him with worried, yet determined honey colored orbs.
"Hurry buddy and get the others out of here, I'll try to lead them elsewhere," Jou replied while giving his friend a hopeful wag of his tail before leaping over the underbrush and out of his shorter companion's line of sight.
"Jou!" Yuugi yelled watching the Lupian disappear. Swallowing the sudden lump in his throat, he quickly climbed on Artemis' back and nudged her sides causing her to walk swiftly to the others. "Everyone we have to hurry and leave the camp!"
Regarding their prince with odd looks, the other members of the camp were unsure of what to do, but they quickly grabbed their belongings and loaded them into the large wagon that had been brought along. "What's happening, young Prince?"
Yuugi frowned. He honestly had no idea what was going on. Whatever it was though it couldn't be good. "I don't know, but something is amiss in the woods and we must move quickly," he stated, hoping that his voice didn't quiver since he was scared and worried about Jou, Atemu, and Mai.
Snarling, Jou had barely made it a few leaps away from camp before he came across one of the creatures that he had scented on the Necromancer's blade earlier. The creature resembled a large wolf like creature by the way its face was made but that's where the resemblance ended. Its lower body was covered in long, matted hair while the top part was covered in almost reptilian scales as well as spikes that dotted the length of its spine and whip like tail. It also had large canine teeth and tusks that curved menacingly away from its lower jaw.
Narrowing his eyes at the large beast, Jou continued to growl. He could tell that this was just one of the scouts because it was missing the deadly sickle like claws that grew where the dew claws would normally be. Scout or not, this creature was not going to be easy to deal with as it growled in retaliation. Lowering himself down into an attack position, he curled his lip into a threatening snarl as his fur bristled and his ears lowered back against his skull.
Urging the convoy to hurry as fast as they could, Yuugi had just pulled Artemis to a stop when the sound of vicious snarls broke the silence of the woods. "Jou!" he yelled, worried about his friend as the snarling grew more prominent.
Hearing the commotion as well, the convoy gained speed as they moved deeper into the wood, only hoping that whatever the Lupian had come across didn't have friends. "Prince we must hurry to get to safety!"
A painful yowl caused Yuugi's eyes to water as he thought of all the possibilities that could be happening to his companion. Getting ready to rush to his friend to offer his help since he was a talented Light Mage, he was stopped as Artemis fought his control and started to canter off with the rest of the camp. "Artemis, stop!" he cried while grabbing the reins and trying to pull the mare to a stop but she refused him. "I have to go help him."
Shaking her head, Artemis whinnied softly as her horn gave off a faint glow. She knew what her partner was about to do and wouldn't let him do it.
"Arti, please release me, I have to help him," Yuugi argued, watching as the unicorn mare shook her head and continued on her way with the rest of the camp.
Feeling tears roll down his cheeks, Yuugi lowered his head in remorse. There was no magick stronger than a unicorn's and he'd just been grounded to the saddle by his mount's own powers. He could only hope that Jou would be alright and that what he'd heard had been whatever Jou was facing instead of him.
Spitting at the taste of his own blood, Jou once again lowered himself to the ground. He had forgotten just how quick Dyres could be and had been slapped in the face by that accursed tail. Snarling at the vile creature, he quickly leaped to the side to avoid a swipe of its paw before leaping at its throat and sinking his fangs into the creature's neck.
Roaring the Dyre reared on its back legs at the sudden attack before swinging around and hitting the ground with its forepaws. Shaking its body with as much force as it could muster it tried to dislodge Jou by slamming him against the ground with a shattering force while batting at the Lupian with its paws.
He could feel his hold slipping and Jou tried to clench his jaws tighter, but he was taking a brutal beating in the position he was in. Closing his eyes at the impact of his back against the ground, his hold was broken as the creature reared back on its hind legs once again. Scrambling back to his feet, he jumped away as the creature made another swipe at his already battered body.
It was times like this that Jou really wished he'd paid more attention to tactical lessons when he was a pup. Dyres were such a hard creature to deal with since the scales on their back made it impossible to bite and the only vulnerable spot was their neck even then it was tricky getting to it because you'd get banged up just like he did.
Leaping out of the way of another attack, Jou growled. He was not one to back down from a fight, especially since this thing would go through the camp as if it were nothing. Whirling around on the creature, he made to make another go for the neck when it whipped around and smacked him with its tail slinging him back into a bush of prickly thorns.
Flinching at the feel of each thorn cutting into his skin, Jou snarled as he looked up at the creature to see it charging toward him. Trying to get up as fast as he could, he let out a painful whine as he felt a cluster of thorns piercing into his right foreleg. There was no way he'd get out of this in time. Growling he fought of the urge to yowl in pain as he stuck his muzzle down to his foreleg and bit through the annoying branch.
It would only be a few more seconds before the Dyre barreled into him and started slashing him with those tusks. Jou narrowed his eyes as he looked at the creature. At least he'd go down with a fight, he growled while pinning his ears back against his skull and looking as imitating as he could be.
The Dyre was only a few feet away from him when something sailed over him before landing with a loud thud as a threatening neigh echoed through the woods as a large familiar black unicorn reared on its back legs just a mere foot away from him.
Pulling up fast at the dangerous gold hooves, the Dyre snarled as it glared up at the black steed. Getting ready to attack it jumped back as the unicorn its front legs just a few inches away from its face.
"Jou, are you alright?" Atemu asked as he looked back at the wounded Lupian.
Jou was panting in fatigue, but he managed to wag his tail to show that he was alright as he watched Atemu and Aries drive off the Dyre. Falling back on his haunches, he gulped in deep breaths as he watched the way the black unicorn stomped its hooves and lowered its head at the filthy beast while using its horn as a weapon.
Not finding and opening the Dyre growled and made to launch another attack but stopped as its ears perked and swiveled in the opposite direction. Giving its opponents a feral glare it quickly turned and leaped quickly away.
Satisfied at its departure, Atemu quickly dismounted and ran over to his friend. "Jou, where's Yuugi?" he asked urgently while looking over the Lupian to make sure that nothing was life threatening.
"I told him to leave with the others back at camp," Jou wheezed as he closed his eyes and with the last of his strength shifted into his human form. "I knew something was wrong and I wanted him to go before that thing reached the camp."
Frowning, Atemu quickly leaned down and wrapped his arm around Jou's waist. Allowing the Lupian to use him as a crutch, he walked over to Aries and helped him mount the large steed. Climbing on behind Jou, he nudged Aries' sides as the unicorn lurched into a steady gallop. "I just hope that we can reach them before something else happens," he said as he felt Jou go slack against him.
Cold cinnamon colored eyes gave off a feral glow as they watched the large Gold Eagle skim through the thick branches of the wood. It'd been a long time since he'd come across one of the Rapterians especially one of the Monarchs. Twirling a dagger deftly between his fingers, a small smirk worked its way on his face as he glanced over to the hidden trap he'd set up earlier in hopes of catching some pheasant, but just the thought of using it to catch the Rapterian was too tempting.
Waiting for the right moment, he watched as the large eagle dived down to the lower branches and quickly through his dagger which instantly sliced through the ropes holding his trap at bay as it sprang up.
Not having enough time to stop, Mai slammed into the netting of the trap and screeched loudly as her wings grew even more tangled. Turning her head at a loud bark of laughter, her eyes narrowed at the figure standing on a large branch across from her. "Who are you? Release me at once!" she hissed, growing even angrier as the figure continued to laugh.
"I'm afraid not," he said, smirking victoriously at the distraught Rapterian. "You see you have something that I want," he continued while leaping over to the branch that Mai was currently tangled to and pointing at the pale stone that was attached to her leg.
Puffing out the feathers around her neck in annoyance, Mai dug her claws into the bark of the tree. This had been the first time she'd ever been caught by a silly hunter's trap and the humiliation of it was not easing her already ill mood. "I don't think it'd look good on you," she countered as she looked down at the pale stone.
"I'm sure I can make it work," he boasted while leaning down to retrieve the stone but quickly pulling back as Mai managed to break her head through the netting and snap at his arm. Making sure that the Rapterian hadn't got him, he glared back at the regal raptor. "Feisty one, aren't you."
Eyeing the figure before her more closely, Mai's feathers ruffled as recognition dawned on her. "I know who you are now," she screeched angrily. "You're that traitor from Sacreia!"
Scoffing at Mai's tirade, he crossed his arms in slight amusement. "Well I haven't been called that in a long time."
"Indeed," Mai snorted while glaring menacingly at the man before her. "You've claimed many names by now, though the one you're most known as is the infamous Bakura, King of Thieves…"
TBC…
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