-Well, here's the next chapter guys sorry it took so long.

||Ronin's Pov||

News just broke out and as soon as I heard I rushed to the infirmary. I moved as quickly as I could and tried to dodge all the Jinn medics there. When I finally reached him he was sitting on a chair holding his nose in one hand.

"I got here as soon as I heard." I said, Nod looked up and smiled sheepishly. "What happened?"

"I was on my way to M.K.'s house when boggans ambushed me." He said.

"Where's your bird, Cray said you walked here?"

"Yea, they shot him down there was nothing I could do." He sighed sadly looking at the floor before getting up.

"Then it's best you go to the hatchery and get a humming bird, not a sparrow this time." I see him disappointed. "He was old and I'm sure you did all you could to help him." I quickly add trying to make the boy feel better. He half smiled with his good cheek and I led him outside the infirmary.

"Yea you're probably right, old man." He teased.

"Ah, old man? You can wish that you were as tough as me." I said playing along. We both looked at each other and laughed.

"So what's the plan with the boggans being so close to M.K.'s house, they never used to go near that place?" He asked me with concern in his eyes.

"It may be that they followed you there but it's highly unlikely."

"So then what is?"

"Well since their last encounter with her, Mandrake might not fear the stompers anymore."

"But then that means M.K. and her dad might be in trouble, Ronin we got to do something Mandrake would want to get revenge." His eyes widened in worry, concerned for them but mostly concerned for her.

"I'll talk to the queen." I reinsured him.

I enter Tara's chamber and find her once again kneeling down to help a small sapling. She turns to face me and says.

"How's Nod?"

"He's fine, but he was attacked near the stomper's house." Her eyes glimmered in surprise.

"And what of Mary Katharine and her father?"

"They're fine but honestly the boggans were too close for comfort, they might be in danger." She nodded and smiled.

"Then maybe it's time she comes back to Moonhaven, until the threat has passed." She walked over to a rather large seed lying on the ground and picked it up. She kissed the top of it and instantly it began to glow. "Take this to her and ask her if she and her father would like to come and join our world until we know for sure they are not in harm's way. If they agree then they need to touch this in order to shrink."She hands me the seed.

"M.K.! Professor Bomba!" I yelled at the box the stompers built so we could keep in chat. Where are they? Then I see M.K. rushing come out from one of the corners of the screen.

"Hello Ronin how's Nod?" she asks me with worry in her eyes.

"He's alright but I came here to see if you and the professor are alright."

"Oh we're fine." She says

"The queen asked since the boggans have been nearing your home if you and your father wish to come back to Moonhaven. It's possible that since their last encounter with you that they may not fear stompers any longer, putting you both in harm's way." She is shocked my words, but in her eyes you could tell she was excited to come back.

"I'll go ask my Dad." She smiles and runs off excitedly to her dad. When she comes back with her father he grins and greeted me.

"Good morning general Ronin." I could see he was trying to hide his enthusiasm. "Of course we'll come, I knew about them getting closer into the forest but I didn't realise that they were closing in by us too."

"When I come over be ready to leave." I nod and just as I jump on my bird Bomba adds.

"Oh c-can Ozzie come with." I face him and say.

"Sure." I don't understand Stompers, and I honestly don't understand why they keep that creature around.

||Nod's Pov||

I look in my mirror to see the white bandage on my cheek is slowly turning red. said if that happens then I'd have to change the dressings. I take out a clean bandage and slime- to keep the dressings on- in the top right draw. I slowly pick the one side of the bandage and start to peel it off carefully. My toes cringe as it stings my face. When it's finally off it leaves a mark of sticky redness from the slime holding the dressings there, I dap water on it and wipe the old slime off. Then I dab the fresh slime around the new piece of bandages and stick it over my cut.

"You enjoying yourself there?" I hear a teasing yet familiar voice say. I spin around to her leaning on the door with her arms crossed.

"M.K.!" I shout excitedly. I run up to her and embrace the gorgeous teen in my arms, then kiss her. We stay like that for a few moments until I realise that I just embarrassed myself. When I break apart she stares at me confused. I mean I want to keep kissing but I don't know if she even loves me. I could feel my face start to turn red in anxiety.

"Uh... so M.K. what are you doing here?" I say trying to draw away her attention from my blushing face.

"Oh uh yea, well Ronin said that since the boggans have gotten closer to our house he said that it was best that we stayed in Moonhaven, until they know that it is safe to go back." She said nervously.

"That's great, your Dad must be pretty excited huh?" My face lights up.

"Yea you can't keep up with him, he's like a kid in a Toys R us store." I raise my eyebrow and she just shakes her head.

"It's a Stomper thing."

"Oh have you met Jack yet?" I say grabbing her wrist and leading her out the door.

"Oh no not yet."

"Well you're going to love her."

||M.K.'s Pov||

We run through the hallways of the palace heading to one of the towers. I think to myself, why did Nod just kiss me and then suddenly push away like that? I loved kissing him, heck I love HIM. But why did he push away, is he ashamed kissing me? Gosh I don't even know if we are a couple. It's only the second time we've kissed but I don't know if it means anything, they both were too fast. I don't- I don't know.

Nod and I come to a door in one of the towers and he knocks on it.

"Jackie, you there?" The door opens and a young girl up to my shoulder in height stands before us. She wore a green with gold patterns shirt and dark brown pants, the colours she wore clashed with her unusually pale skin and white hair. She smiled and dragged us both in the room.

"Hey how's it Nod, who's your friend?" She dives onto the bed and quickly crosses her legs in a sitting position, then slowly rocked back and forth.

"Jack this is M.K.. M.K. this Jack." Nod replied.

"Pleased to meet you M.K." she held out her hand with a warm grin on her face, but when I shook her hand it was cold, as if I was hold a lump of snow.

"Nice to meet you too Jack."

|| Tara's Pov||

Swords clashed at one another, clanging together. Bows firing arrows and hitting familiar white armoured targets, as dust rose up from the ground beneath. I tried all I could to get away from the blood bath, dodging both boggans and leafmen. Then I hear a distant cry and I turn see a familiar brown hair leafmen battling numerous boggans. Then as I run to help him I hear talk below me and an arrow whip past me in its direction. It missed the two and landed somewhere below them. Then I recognise one of the two who are duelling. Ronin. I shout his name. Regretfully he was caught off guard and was thrown backwards.

Then everything went black.

-WOW how about that. Well thanks guys for reading and I hope to read more of your reviews. Until the next chapter! Bye