Update! Cue the makeshift Mushu! Enjoy!
Chapter Six
Great Ancestor Brennan, the first of all Brennans to be buried in this country, looked down over his grief-stricken family as they stood out, amongst the pouring rain, looking out in the direction his youngest relative had just disappeared in. He shook his head in disappointment at young Temperance.
What could she be thinking? A woman joining the army? Preposterous! Women were meant for cooking and cleaning! And teaching and healing! But not for fighting! Absurd! Women could not fight! Not if their lives depended on it!
But still... Temperance was family. He could not leave her on her own, without a guardian to watch over her and make sure she stayed safe. "Parker!" he called out, suddenly, making a last-minute decision. "PARKER!" he called louder. "Where is that lazy oaf?" he grumbled to himself.
Suddenly, the temple was filled with thick, gray smoke as one of the statues in the temple began to change and take shape of a real, live, red dragon. Who stood about eight inches tall.
Parker raced to the ancestor and stood at attention! "Yes, sir! Who do ya need me to protect? Who, sir? Just say their name and I'll be right at their side! Just tell me who I need to protect and I'll be right th-"
"Parker!" Ancestor boomed. Parker's mouth shut immediately and he peered up at his boss, awaiting his instructions excitedly. Ancestor just glared down at him. "Do you honestly think," he spat, "that I would let you go out and protect one of my descendents? After what happened last time?"
Parker flinched at the reference to his past blunder. "It was just a little scratch."
"His head was chopped off!" Ancestor boomed in outrage.
Parker flinched, his entire body going tense at the outburst. "Just a little..." he said, softly. Ancestor's eyebrow lifted and Parker sighed. "Okay, okay! I get it, but in my defense I told him to watch that guy with the ax. It's not my fault he didn't listen."
"Actually," Ancestor retorted. "It is. Now, go get your gong and bring it over to a real guardian, like...The Gold Dragon! He will make sure Temperance is taken care of!"
"That show-off! He doesn't care about any of the descendents! He's just in it for his own pride! He's a jerk!" Park huffed, jealously.
"No matter!" Ancestor boomed. "He is the best we have and only he will make sure that Temperance returns safely, and with all her limbs attached." He shot a look at Parker.
"I said I was sorry!" Parker exclaimed. Ancestor just shook his head and pointed in the direction of the great dragon statue erected in the courtyard.
Parker wanted to argue more, but one more intense look from his superior sent him scrambling towards the statue.
As he approached the Golden Dragon, he stuck his tongue out at it, knowing that Ancestor would not be able to see from his vantage point, as the courtyard was concealed by the hut. The only part of the statue that could possibly be seen was the top of its head.
Parker glared at the statue as he hopped up and began ringing the gong in its ear. "Wakey, wakey!" He shouted. "Come on, Goldie! Wake up!" The dragon didn't even flinch. Parker pouted. "Come on! Wake up! Let's go! You gotta go protect Temperance!" Still no movement. Parker raised the gong's mallet and hit the dragon once in between the eyes, hoping that it would wake him up.
Instead, it caused a crack to spring up, much to Parker's horror, and a chip to fall off the face of the statue. "Oh no..." Parker whimpered just before the crack spread to the other parts of the statue, as quick as lighting, and soon he was lying in a pile of rock and rubble, dust rising around him. "Oh no!" Parker exclaimed, looking around. "This is not good!"
"Golden Dragon!" Ancestor called out making Parker jumped. "Have you awakened?"
Parker's eyes widened as he looked around himself and without thinking, he responded, in a voice much deeper than his usual one. "Uh, yes, Ancestor!" he called back. "I have awakened! And I'm...uh...I'm going to go save Temperance now! Rest assured! I will return with her, safe and sound! You can count on me!"
Ancestor laughed, jovially. "Very good!" He called back. "We have all the faith in the world in you! Now go forth and make our family proud!"
"Will do!" Parker called back, his voice raising an octave, involuntarily. "Goodbye, now!" he scrambled in the opposite direction of the temple, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible as he ran around the hut and through the front gate, hiding himself behind a rock. "Oh, jeez!" he moaned, collapsing against the rock. "What am I gonna do now?"
He closed his eyes, resting his face in his hands, a position completely devoid of hope. Then he heard a slight chirp at his side. He turned his head, seeing nothing and was about to turn it back when another chirp came from below and he looked down, staring at a curiously blue cricket, who was smiling up at him. "Who are you?" Parker asked.
The cricket chirped.
"Zack?" Parker asked. "What kind of name is that?"
Zack chirped again.
"What do you mean 'your name'? Smart aleck!"
Chirp. Chirp.
"Go after her? Are you insane? I can't just-" suddenly, his eyes brightened. "Hey, that's it! I'll go after her and help her in the army! I'll make her a war hero and they'll have to let me be a guardian again!" Parker jumped up. "I better get going!"
Chirp. Chirp.
"Who said you were invited?"
Chirp.
"What do you mean you're lucky?"
Chirp.
"Fine, but you better do whatever I say!"
Chirp. Chirp.
"No way you're smarter than me."
Chirp.
"What branch-?"
SMACK!
Chirp.
"Shut up, Zack!"
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