In Your Nightmares Chapter 10: Meet the Pack, a kirby fanfic

In Your Nightmares, Meet the Pack

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and use of Strong Medication.

If anyone had ever wondered what a parakeet felt like if it were sucked into a twister, our small band of heroes found out. Anyone brave enough to open their eyes could see a blur of space before them, pulling violently at their bodies from all directions. Kirby cried out, in fear and pain, but Meta Knight held the child close to him.

"I've got you, little one. Hold on..." Meta Knight gasped, through great discomfort.

"Oh shit... not again!" Geoffrey groaned.

Suddenly, the distortion of their forced dimensional travel had come to a violent end, as the rift opened up and dumped it's passengers to the hard, dusty ground below. Kautounie and Neo couldn't suppress their groans as Tiff landed on top of the two sisters.

"Sorry..." she moaned, sounding rather dizzy and confused.

Next it was Geoffrey's turn, as Meta Knight and Kirby both landed on the rouge's chest, quite roughly.

"Are you... alright..., Kirby?" Meta Knight asked tiredly, but heavily concerned for the well being of his student.

He lifted his cape, looking down at the shaking pink puffball that was still clinging to him. With a small 'poyo', Kirby nodded his head. He was still weak from Riley's curse, and her teleportation spell didn't do anything to ease the pain.

"Owww..." was Geoffrey's off handed response to the two Star Warriors.

Dizzy, but realizing where he was, Meta Knight attempted to get off of the human, only to blindly trip on his own cape and roll off in an undignified matter instead, Kirby still tightly clutched in his protective grasp..

Though his vision was blurry, Meta Knight could make out the shapes of Neo, Kautounie, and Tiff, in a dog pile of sorts. But King Dedede was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he was still on the Halberd. But what if Riley and Nightmare had taken over his beloved ship? Where Sword and Blade alright? Were they able to get their refugees out of danger? Would King Dedede insist on taking command and crash the Halberd before Nightmare and Riley had a chance to destroy her? No, no, that thought was too painful to even think about! Oh, to many thoughts and 'what ifs', all at once. It made his head hurt.

Meta Knight could tell that they were in a barren wasteland. The only things around them were dirt, rocks, weeds, and some dried up dead trees in the distance. Up above, the sky was dark and gray, and the stagnant air had quite a chill to it. One thing was for sure, they were not on Pop Star anymore.

The old veteran struggled to his feet and took a few steps, then collapsed to the dusty ground, breathing heavily. And by the looks of things, no one was in any shape to be going anywhere but down. After the long battles and spent stamina, followed by that violent rift, everyone was exhausted.

"Who... are we... kidding...?" Neo asked, before passing out.

"Ti... Medi... Kni..." Kirby whimpered softly, before closing his eyes as he blacked out.

No one knew how long they had laid there on the ground, as everyone was constantly falling in and out of consciousness. In the distance, a pounding noise could be heard, and it was getting closer, and closer.

Meta Knight, as he slipped back into consciousness, slowly crawled towards Tiff and the sisters, only to collapse half way. Kirby moaned in discomfort with his eyes tightly shut.

"Stay with me now, Kirby. Stay with me." Meta Knight breathed, quietly.

Through unfocused eyes, he could vaguely make out shapes in the distance, that looked like rather large hoofed animals heading their way. Horses, if he recollected correctly. But it was not those things that were making the barking and yipping noises, it was their riders. Once they were closer, he could see that these animals were carrying zwetoocks on their backs.

Kautounie opened her eyes, just barely, and yelped softly, before falling back asleep. Before long, they were surrounded. Meta Knight couldn't remember exactly what happened, or if he had just dreamed the whole thing up. He could see these other zwetoocks, five in number, (the females easily distinguished from the males by their brightly colored manes) dismounting their horses and rushing towards them. Instinctively, Meta Knight reached for Galaxia's hilt.

These zwetoocks were dressed in a primitive fashion, wearing only simple loin cloths and tribal jewelry with colorful feathers. Meta Knight immediately relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. He recognized their tribal designs from his days in the GSA and the jewelry that Neo and Kautounie wore. These were Redsuns.

The canids cautiously approached the incapacitated adventurers, pointing and yipping to each other, though most of their attention went to Kautounie, Neo, and Kirby.

Before long, one of the Redsuns, a female with a royal blue mane, who looked to be the leader of the small pack, carefully took Kirby from Meta Knight's grasp. Gently, she pressed a flask to his lips and made him drink. By the looks of things, whatever was inside didn't taste very good. A small amount dribbled out the corner of his mouth from where he had attempted to spit it out. Confused and disoriented, Kirby struggled against the zwetoock that held him, only to fall limp when she ran her hand across his back and shoulders, muttering indecipherable but soothing words.

"Kirby... do not resist them. They are trying... to help you." Meta Knight pleaded, just before he was propped up into a sitting position.

Then it was his turn to get a mouthful of that thick, red mystery brew. The Redsun that held him slid his mask up just enough to pour the liquid into his mouth. It was truly disgusting, like an overpowering herbal syrup. Despite how unknightly it was, he spat it out. With a grunt, the female healer behind him rubbed his back and shoulders. The comforting touch caused Meta Knight to succumb just long enough for her to gave him another dose. This time, she covered his mouth with a firm paw, forcing him to swallow. Once it was down his throat, she removed her paw. Meta Knight coughed and gagged for a moment. Maybe he spoke to soon.

The canids yelped and barked to each other, working quickly to give everyone a mouthful of that awful tasting herbal medicine. Apparently it wasn't popular with Tiff, Neo, Kautounie, or Geoffrey, as they too wanted nothing more then to spit the thick red liquid out. Thankfully, the Redsuns were kind enough to give everyone a few sips of water to wash the horrible taste out of their mouths.

"Dear Sundar... what the f*** is that... shit?" Geoffrey grumbled, in a daze.

Meta Knight couldn't understand everything the zwetoocks were saying, as the medicine he had been given was making him quite groggy, but he could make out 'the Alphess' cubs', 'hurry', and 'I'll take the small ones,'.

He stayed awake just long enough to see Tiff being carefully loaded onto one of the horses before it's rider, a lithe black pelted male zwetoock, jumped on behind her and held onto her with one hand so she wouldn't fall off. Meta Knight noted that these zwetoocks took exceptional care with Neo and Kautounie.

Then, surprisingly gentle paw-like hands plucked him up off the ground and put him onto the back of a large gray horse. Still disoriented, Meta Knight grabbed a handful of the animal's mane so he would be able to stay on. The blue maned leader leaped on behind him, still carrying Kirby in the crook of her arm. She called to her small pack, each one carrying a member of the team on their horses, and they left with all haste, leaving the waste land behind them. Meta Knight leaned heavily against his rescuer, feeling the comforting warmth of her fur. Then everything went dark.

*Unknown location, nighttime*

Strangely enough, where Meta Knight woke up looked quite familiar. He was inside a sturdy bluish gray stone structure, with a stairway leading up to the entryway, and a raised dais with a small star shaped carving, just the perfect size for a Warp Star to fit. The cave-like room was lit softly by the fires burning outside. If the veteran warrior wasn't mistaken, he was inside Kabu! But there was something different. This was not quite like the Kabu back in Dreamland. Leather cords laced with colorful beads and feathers were tied in various places. Against the wall by the stairs were two large banners, the first depicting a dragon holding the sun and the second, an ornate rose surrounded by flames. The stone floor had many makeshift beds made of soft grasses, leaves, and fur pelts lined up against the right side of the wall.

Tiff was lying close to him, and Geoffrey, Kautounie, and Neo were resting not too far away. By the looks of things, someone or something had been taking care of them, as their wounds from previous battles were fully healed and there were some platters of food, water, and primitive medical tools and bandages set nearby.

Suddenly, Meta Knight felt his heart skip a beat. Where was Kirby? He looked down when something small and warm nuzzled against him. Kirby was lying next to his mentor, awake, but still using a fold of his cape for a blanket.

"Oh..." he thought softly to himself, feeling rather silly.

Then he realized that they were not alone. Meta Knight glanced up to see two zwetoocks, a male and a female, kneeling beside him, more so, beside Kirby. The male was coal black, tall, (for a zwetoock) and heavily built. His mate was lithe and thin, and looked somewhat fragile. She looked a lot like Neo and Kautounie, although her mane was streaked with prismatic stripes. On the floor beside her was an impressive staff, topped with a carving of a dragon's head. Both wore only loin cloths and lots of ornate tribal jewelry and feathers. What was more, Meta Knight knew these two, from a long time ago.

"You are troubled, little one," the female whispered, slowly handing Kirby some fruit, "I know, Kabu told me all about it while you rested."

A small 'poyo' escaped Kirby's mouth sadly as he nodded. He flinched slightly as the large male shuffled forward and knelt down, placing a paw-like hand on Meta Knight's shoulder.

"Your highness... Tamoko... Rhego... Redsun...?" Meta Knight questioned, still groggy.

The female looked up from feeding Kirby and flicked her ears at the sound of that unmistakable voice. It was now Meta Knight could see the scars across Tamoko's eyes, and the light blue color of her irises. If he wasn't mistaking, she was blind.

"I remember that voice well..." she mused softly, letting Kirby take the rest of the berries and free up both her hands, "the little one woke up and was hungry. You've all been sleeping for days, waking periodically long enough for my healers to feed you before you pass out again. But you probably don't remember any of that. Zwetoock medicine is rather... potent..."

She reached out, and her mate guided her hand to Meta Knight.

"Sir Meta Knight... it has been a long time," Tamoko sighed, "I must apologize for the... insistence of my scouts. But when they found you with my daughters and son, and the two small ones, prone and disoriented in the Badlands, they had to act quickly. What do you think you were doing out there like that? That's Bloodtooth territory. Do you have any idea what they do to Redsuns and Star Warriors they capture? You're lucky my scouts found you first."

Now Meta Knight understood just how close of a call they had. The Bloodtooth were a savage and violent zwetoock tribe, Demon worshiping, Nightmare cultists. No wonder Riley chose to dump them there!

"Trust me, princess, it was not our idea to be out there,"

"Ah, it is Alphess now, Sir Meta Knight..." Tamoko corrected.

"Forgive my mistake, your majesty," Meta Knight said, bowing his head slightly.

"No need to ask my forgiveness, old friend. I only wish that I could actually see you again, but it is comforting to hear your voice..."

Meta Knight felt both a little flattered yet disappointed. He had no idea that Tamoko had been blinded for all these years. But by the looks of things, if she were Alphess, she must not be in any way helpless. After briefly catching up with the Alphess, he explained their situation, (as much as he knew, anyway) starting from when he met Neo, Kautounie, and Geoffrey all the way up to when they were sucked into the rift and dumped on Horva. All the while he unwittingly stroked Kirby, holding his apprentice close to him.

"I knew something was wrong when my cubs did not return after their... as they call it... weekend getaway. So Nightmare has returned. That bastard sorcerer god," Tamoko cursed, pinning her ears back against her head, "And Riley used my cubs as well as yours to bring him back..."

"I'm afraid it is true, Alphess." Meta Knight confessed.

It was then he caught on to what Tamoko had just said. Wait a second! His cub? Did she think Kirby was his son or something? Before he could inquire further into this slight misunderstanding, the Redsun Alphess sighed heavily and leaned into Rhego. She glanced in the direction where her children, biological and adopted, were beginning to stir from their sleep, along with Tiff. She closed her eyes, thinking heavily as her mate stroked her. The Alphess knew of Riley's trickery, ambitions, and what she was capable of. Tamoko had just never seen the witch to use HER children to gain her power and revive an old adversary back from the dead.

When the others were up, they looked around, a bit confused. Naturally, the three Redsuns were the first to relax, realizing that they were back home in the Crimson Woods, inside the wise and powerful know-it-all, Kabu. Tiff on the other hand, looked quite surprised and alarmed until Meta Knight calmed her down.

"Tiff, do not be alarmed. We are safe here. This is Alphess Tamoko of the Redsun clan, and her mate, Alpha Rhego," he introduced, before the girl could speak, "they are friends of mine, from long ago."

Tamoko and Rhego both greeted Tiff in typical zwetoock fashion, to which the girl returned the greeting politely. However, it was the words that came out of Neo's and Kautounie's mouths that somewhat shocked her.

"Hello mother... father..." the two sisters said, feeling somewhat ashamed to be in their presence after everything that had happened over the past week.

"I am just glad you are safe, my children..." Tamoko responded, kneeling down beside her two daughters, closely followed by her mate.

"Wait a minute, your mother and father are the leaders of your...eh...pack?" Tiff questioned, turning her gaze to Neo and Kautounie.

"The wolf's out of the woods now, I guess," Neo sighed, running her hand through her bright pink mane.

"We don't like flaunting our titles around... unlike some other fellas I know," Kautounie explained, inwardly thinking of King Dedede at the time, "but yes... my sister and I are princesses of the Redsun pack."

After giving each of her daughters a welcoming, heartfelt hug and greeting, Tamoko turned to Geoffrey. The human stood up, still a little unsteady on his feet, and bowed.

"It's good to see you again, your majesty..."

"Geoffrey, what have I told you? You may not be a zwetoock on the outside, but you are still my son. There is no need to be so formal." Tamoko sighed.

"In that case, great to be home, mom!" Geoffrey shrugged, pulling the old Alphess into a warm embrace.

After reacquainting herself with her children and their companions, Tamoko insisted that they stay and rest a while longer.

"Go ahead, eat, regain your strength. I will leave you to speak with Kabu, perhaps he could be of assistance..." she suggested.

Rhego wordlessly helped his mate up the stairs, and the two left the small group alone.

"Poyo, Ti...?" Kirby asked, as he uncurled himself from Meta Knight's cape and approached Tiff.

The little Star Warrior had a sad expression on his face.

"I don't know, Kirby. But things don't look good for us. I can't believe Riley-" Tiff cut herself off, realizing that what she was saying was greatly upsetting Kirby.

What were they to do now? Sure, they could still fight against Riley's and Nightmare's demon-beast armies, but without the Star Rod, they were helpless against Nightmare himself.

"Hey Tiff... you're wrong..." Geoffrey sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"Riley didn't get all the pieces to that Star Rod."

The rogue looked through all his coat pockets, eventually finding what he was looking for. He took Tiff's hand in his and handed her a small, yellow shard of the Star Rod! It glowed faintly in Tiff's hand, and instantly a spark of hope ignited within her. Even Kirby looked much happier.

"But...but I saw Riley take some of the pieces a-and send the rest down that teleport rift... thing!" Tiff exclaimed.

She was having a hard time putting her words together.

"Yeah, and before I followed you guys, Triple D and I sucker punched the bitch. I was only able to swipe one of the pieces from her, but there you go. It's the least I could do after what I put you and Kirby though," Geoffrey mentioned, "I hope you'll both be able to forgive me."

Neo and Kautounie both nodded, and even Meta Knight appeared to be impressed, at least that's what the human was hoping. It was devilishly hard to read the old veteran, he was always hiding behind that mask and armor.

"Thanks, Geoffrey. Thank you so much!" Tiff said, tightening her hand around the shard.

Kirby even approached Geoffrey. He looked a little nervous at first, but then he gave the human a hug, (well, his shin a hug, anyway.) The human rogue looked a little awkward, and Meta Knight's eyes glowed pink in amusement.

"Well, it's not much, but it's a start." Kautounie stated, taking a piece of dried meat off the platter that had been left for them.

None of them, except for perhaps Kirby, could actually remember the last time they had eaten. The dried meats were nice and salty and the fruit and water was sweet. While the Redsuns, Tiff, and Kirby all ate together, Meta Knight sat alone with his back to them. He was quite zealous about his identity... or perhaps he was just shy and didn't want to admit it.

About halfway through their meal, a familiar booming, disembodied voice filled the room,

"I can sense that you are troubled. Nightmare has returned to our universe and seeks to conquer it once again." droned Kabu.

"Yeah... um... tell us something we don't know..." Geoffrey began, "please..." he added quickly, partially because of the dirty look he got from Tiff.

There was a brief silence.

"Please, Kabu. I-I know your counterpart back in Dreamland. He protected Kirby's Warp Star for years," Tiff pleaded, "But it's been broken into seven pieces by the witch, Riley Prescott. How can we find them?"

"Four of the shards you seek are here on Horva, guarded by Riley's most feared generals. One, you already have, the other two are held by Riley and Nightmare, on Pop Star." Kabu explained.

"Well... can't win them all." Neo sighed, "but at least we know where we stand."

"Yeah, in deep shit." grumbled Kautounie.

Meta Knight stood up from his meal and turned around. His eyes narrowed slightly as he wrapped his cloak around his body. Kirby stared up at the ceiling, where he thought the booming voice must have been coming from.

"Kabu, where would be a good place to begin our search?" Meta Knight asked, thoughtfully.

"The Free City... one of the shards is there," Kabu answered, "use the one that you have, it will lead you to the other shards."

A sly smile crossed Geoffrey's face. Of course, the Free City of Thea'or! He had a friend, (more of a co-worker actually,) that lived there. Perhaps she could be of help.

"Thanks a million, Kabu!" he shouted, already feeling his heart pounding inside his chest out of excitement.

"Geoffrey, do you know something?" Meta Knight questioned.

"You bet your ass I do. More like someone. If there's anything shiny, valuable, and powerful in Horva, odds are... she'll know about it!"

"She?"

"Garna Riverdale..."

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, rubbing his head in confusion.

Meta Knight didn't exactly trust Geoffrey, (you could never fully trust a thief after all). More so he wasn't too keen on meeting any of Geoffrey's... friends. Yet, there was a small spark, like Meta Knight knew had heard the name 'Garna 'Riverdale' before, but he just couldn't place it! But it wasn't as if they had a lot of options open to them at this point either.

"Oh, she'll just love you and Kirby, Sir Meta Knight." Geoffrey said.

If he was trying to sound reassuring, it probably wasn't working to well, as the rogue could hear Meta Knight's barely suppressed groan. Meanwhile Kautounie and Neo snickered and muttered to each other.

"Well... at least we've got a plan." Tiff piped in, trying to be optimistic.

With a hopeful smile, the girl pulled Kirby into a hug. It was good to hear him chiding happily again, even if no one could really understand him.

"Thanks, Kabu." she said, softly.

Later that evening, Tamoko had returned, anxious to hear what information they had gotten from Kabu. The Alphess and her mate listened intently. Tamoko felt her heart sink a little. She didn't want her cubs to set out on another journey again so soon, she had just gotten them back. But, with a heavy sigh, she nodded.

"Mother, it's our fault Riley got that scroll in the first place," Neo admitted,"we've got to make this right! Besides, we can't abandon our friends, not when they need us most."

"I understand... child," Tamoko sighed, "the pack has been warned about Nightmare's return, we take precautions as we speak."

Her ears twitched as Kautounie and Neo both lowered their heads.

"We were so stupid! It was too easy and we should have seen it!" Kautounie hissed, pounding her fist on one of the fur pelts.

"Wisdom is not given, wisdom is earned. We learn through our mistakes." Tamoko said, placing her hand on Kautounie's shoulder, "Do not doubt yourself, daughter. You have already taken responsibility, a good start. One day, you too will be a great Alphess."

Kautounie and Neo both glanced nervously, although they felt comforted from an approving nod, courtesy of Meta Knight.

"Sir Meta Knight, my friend. You will keep them out of trouble, wont you?" The Alphess asked, turning her blind gaze to the blue puffball.

"Trouble seems to find us, your majesty." Tiff interjected, scratching Kirby on the back.

"But I will do my best." Meta Knight said.

Tamoko smiled endearingly at Meta Knight. She knew that she could count on him.

"Rest well, my cubs and friends. Come see my husband and I in the morning. There are some things I would like you to have for your journey..." she said, before climbing up the stairs once again.

They bade the Alpha pair a good night before the two of them disappeared into the night. With a plan and a place to go, the group settled down for the night once again, thinking about the adventures that lay ahead. Meta Knight groaned as he felt something tug on his cape. His expression softened when he saw it was Kirby. Tiff just shrugged. Apparently the smaller warrior didn't want to stray too far from his mentor in this strange new world.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, giving the knight one of his cute looks.

"How can you say no to that face?" Neo giggled, quickly joined by Tiff and Kautounie.

"Fine, young one. But don't make a habit of it..." Meta Knight moaned as his heart gave in.

As soon as the older warrior had made himself comfortable in his makeshift bed, Kirby snuggled into his cape and in an instant, he was asleep. His eyes glowed pink for a moment, showing his amusement. Geoffrey was about to say something, presumably about how cute the two of them were together, but a harsh red glare from Meta Knight was enough to tell the human to keep his mouth shut. Tiff settled down next to the two puffballs, where she could keep a watch on Kirby, as usual. The sisters curled up into balls on either side of Geoffrey and were gently snoring. Well, it was going to be a long adventure, so they may as well have one last night of comfortable rest.

*Crimson Woods, morning*

Tiff awoke only to find that Neo, Kautounie, Geoffrey, and Kirby were already up, however, Meta Knight was no where to be seen. Moving quickly, they scooped up their supplies and headed out of Kabu and into the cool morning air outside. Now the full splendor of the Crimson Woods could be seen. It was no wonder how the place got it's name. All the trees had leaves and foliage of bright and dark reds, instead of the usual green.

Neo and Kautounie led the way to a small clearing, where the ruins of an ancient keep stood, now overgrown by massive tree roots and vines. Zwetoocks of all shapes and sizes wondered about, carrying on with their business, although they would stop to take a look at Tiff and Kirby. Tiff thought she recognized a few of them. Perhaps they were with the scouts that had saved them? But then again, she didn't remember that too well.

"Don't let them bother you, Tiff." Geoffrey muttered, looking down to the girl.

"I'm not bothered. It's just... sort of weird here. I feel out of place. This isn't like Dreamland at all." Tiff sighed, "but it is very beautiful."

"Poyo, poyo, Ti..." Kirby agreed, cutely waving his arms in the air.

"And we'd like to keep it that way." Kautounie grunted, taking a longing look around her.

Waiting for them at the front of the overgrown ruins were Tamoko Redsun, her mate, and Meta Knight. Apparently the Star Warrior had been conversing with the Alpha pair for a while now. Tamoko nodded, then Meta Knight joined his companions, cloak wrapped tightly around his body from the chill. Three zwetoocks were close by, one of them the blue maned scout from earlier, grooming and saddling up three horses.

Tamoko, using her staff to guide her, stepped in front of Kirby and knelt down to his level.

"Kirby, young Star Warrior. Sir Meta Knight tells me that you're becoming quite the swordsman," Tamoko said.

She smiled as she listened to Kirby's excited chiding. It was quite a pity she couldn't see his bright, happy, innocent eyes staring back up at her.

"I'd like you to take this!" she exclaimed, summoning an icy machete into her hands, "Winterclaw!"

It radiated a cold aura, and the blade was covered in unmelting frost. On the hilt was a light blue gem stone and carving of an ivory wolf's head on the handle.

"The machete in the favored blade of my people. Single edged, small, but fast! Take good care of Winterclaw, Kirby of the Stars, and Winterclaw will take good care of you."

With a smile, Kirby swallowed the sword, although he didn't transform. Apparently he was just storing the weapon for later use. Although he did get quite a rise out of the rest of the zwetoocks watching, and even Geoffrey found himself wondering how exactly Kirby was able to do it. Rhego sniffed at the pink puff a few times, just to make sure he was alright. Apparently satisfied, he rejoined his mate.

"Geoffrey... my son," Tamoko began, "I know you have a fondness for things that go... 'boom'..."

"Indeed I do, mom..." Geoffrey smirked, as the Alphess handed him a small leather pouch.

Inside were several gemstones, and the thief's eyes lit up like a Christmas Tree.

"No way! Are these really-?"

"Exploding Gems... they work quite well, I assure you. Easier to conceal then those... clunky fruit grenades of yours. Use these wisely though, they are good only once, but can get you out of a pinch in a hurry." Tamoko explained.

Geoffrey had wanted to correct the old zwetoock. They were called pineapple grenades, not fruit grenades. (Besides, never a good idea to correct your mother! Especially when she is the Redsun Queen.) But more so, the rogue always wanted to get his hands on these little gems for a long time. Shiny, beautiful, very rare, and explosive. What could be more perfect?

"Thanks, mom..."

Next, Tamoko stood before Tiff, who straightened up, even though the Alphess could not see her.

"Ah, an aspiring sorceress! Already I can feel the arcane energy surrounding you, young one. In such a short time you have learned so much. Here, take this."

With a flourish, a small black wand appeared in Tamoko's hand. It was quite ornate, with a dragon's head carved into the handle. Two acid green feathers were tied around the base. Tiff gratefully accepted the wand. Now she could give Neo's back to her.

"This is Wicked. She holds a nasty surprise for anyone who would wish to do you harm." Tamoko explained.

Tiff flicked the wand, and a bubbling whip of acid formed, startling the surrounding zwetoocks and even her own companions. Hastily and blushing a little, Tiff recalled the whip back into Wicked.

"I see... ehe... thank you, your majesty." Tiff said, taking a quick bow.

Next it was Neo's turn. This time, it was Alpha Rhego who presented her with the gift. A powerful looking bow, with runes carved into the wood and two dragon heads, one at each end, holding onto the bowstring.

"For my youngest cub, Neo. This is Heartseeker. In the hands of a worthy archer, it will not easily miss." Tamoko informed.

Neo's tail began to wag uncontrollably as she accepted her new bow. It felt so perfect as she held it in her hands. She couldn't wait to test it out in a real battle.

"Mother, father, I shall use it well. Thank you."

Tamoko now faced Kautounie. The elder sister bowed her head, only to have her mother lift in back up.

"For my oldest daughter, and heir to my throne, future Alphess or the Redsuns, I give you... this."

Tamoko muttered an incantation, and out of her staff, she pulled out an exotic, double-bladed sword and handed it to Kautounie. The fearsome young warrioress examined the craftsmanship of the curved blades and the intricate handle. It could either be used like a duel bladed quarter staff, or it could split into two separate swords.

"This Defender served me well when I was your age, child. Now I want you to have it. Rumor has it, that this particular weapon was forged from the fires of Horva's beloved dragons, over a thousand years ago."

"Mother... I-I-I... I don't know what to say..." Kautounie shuddered, completely at a loss for words.

"How about 'thank you', my child... and the promise to use this sword to cut down Nightmare's forces and make them wish they'd never seen the light of day!" suggested Tamoko, "I'll say, it's much more elegant then that... shotgun you seem so fond of..."

The Defender sword easily collapsed into an easier form to carry it in and slid right into the sheath on Kautounie's back. Indeed, it was a beautiful weapon, but Matilda was staying.

"Thank you, mother... father..." Kautounie said, taking a quick bow.

Last but not least, Tamoko approached Meta Knight. She knelt down to his level, placing her paw on his shoulder guard and sighed.

"Sir Meta Knight... there is no greater gift I can give to you then the one you already have."

Meta Knight looked confused for a moment, unconsciously loosening his cape and placing a hand on Galaxia's hilt. Tamoko's ears flicked and she laughed softly.

"Galaxia, she is a fine blade, Sir Meta Knight. But I do not speak of steel, gold, or jewels." Tamoko explained.

"What do you speak of, your majesty?"

"The cub you thought you would never have." the Alphess answered.

Meta Knight's eyes turned bright green for a moment. There was no mistaking it, she was talking about Kirby!

"Kirby? No, no, your majesty. He is not my child. I am his teacher, and he is my student," Meta Knight stated, bluntly, "Sure, he is my friend, sometimes, he is even my rival. I'm afraid there has been a slight misunderstanding."

Tamoko's smile only widened, causing Meta Knight's cheeks to warm as he blushed under his mask. Thank the Stars, Sundar, the trees, and anything else around at the time that no one could see the look of shock on his face.

"That's what you say now, my friend. You're mind tells you one thing, but you're heart tells you another," Tamoko whispered.

When she was finished, Alpha Rhego took what appeared to be a bone dagger off his belt and handed it to Meta Knight. Upon closer inspection, the dagger was made from the tooth of a rather large beast, and incredibly sharp.

"Take it, my friend. You never know when you might need one." Rhego said, speaking in the zwetoock tongue, "Some say that this dagger is made from the fang of Sundar himself. I would be honored if you carried it!"

"I thank you, your majesties!" Meta Knight answered back, taking a bow.

He froze slightly as he felt something rub against him, only to realize that it was just Kirby being affectionate again. The knight could hear Tamoko laugh softly to herself. Come to think of it, was she even blind? With a sigh, Meta Knight placed his new dagger beside Galaxia on his belt and gave Kirby a few pats on the head. Tiff couldn't help stifling a small laugh. Nothing like life and death situations to bring people closer together. Before she forgot, Tiff handed Neo back her wand, now that she no longer needed it, for which the young zwetoock thanked her. Now... it was time to head out.

"May the blessings of the Great Dragon go with you all!" Tamoko announced, as she wished them all luck on their mission.

"So, how are we going to get to this Free City anyway?" Tiff asked, "walk?"

"Nope... why walk when you can ride?" Geoffrey retorted, gesturing to the horses that were ready and waiting for them.

He approached the large, soot black thoroughbred stallion and scratched it's forehead.

"Hey there Gunner. Miss me?"

"Tiff," Kautounie called, gaining the girl's attention, "you're riding with me. This here is Diesel. He's a good horse and has never let me down."

Tiff glanced up to the large, hoofed beast. It looked as though if the massive gray Percheron made one wrong step, it would crush her flat into the ground. But, apparently the Redsuns were actually serious about riding on these animals.

"Come on, Tiff. The best way to travel Horva is on horseback," Neo mentioned, "most of my kind could ride before we could walk."

She carefully lifted Kirby up onto the smallest of the steeds, a black mustang mare Neo called Tank. (Please don't ask). The little pink star warrior didn't seem to mind at all, in fact he looked quite comfortable. Neo jumped on behind him and took hold of the reins. She kept one arm around Kirby to hold him in place so he wouldn't fall off.

"It may not be like your Warp Star, Kirby, but I think you'll like the ride."

"Hey buddy, you're with me, so-" Geoffrey began, looking down to where Meta Knight had been previously.

Then he looked back to his horse, Gunner, only to find that Meta Knight was already on the creature's back.

"Damn, how does he do it?" the rogue grumbled, placing his foot in the stirrups and climbing on.

In a swift motion, Meta Knight had somehow managed to swing around behind Geoffrey, thous confusing the human further. Naturally, the girls had a good laugh, and the rest of the zwetoocks muttered amongst themselves. He could have sworn he head the comment, 'damn, he is very good', muttered in the zwetoock language.

"Forgive me if I don't feel comfortable having a... rogue at my back." Meta Knight gruffed, knowing it sounded much more polite then thief.

"Hmph, can't say that I blame ya. Just hold on... Gunner's a bit of a wild one." Geoffrey warned, patting his mount's neck.

Already the black horse was chomping at the bit and snorting restlessly.

Finally, Kautounie helped Tiff onto Diesel's back, then leaped on herself. With one last wave good bye, the group was off, galloping down the worn, well used forest path leading out of the Crimson woods. Tamoko closed her eyes.

"May Sundar be with you..." she said, quietly.

Next stop, the Free City of Thea'or!

Author's Notes:: The adventure on Dreamland is over, now it's time to travel the rough and wild planet, Horva! So, pretty much to sum things up, they're dumped out of the rift, confused and incapacitated, a small group of Redsun scouts find them and bring them to their own Kabu to recover. (It had been mentioned in the anime that there's more then one Kabu, and they're spread all over the galaxy, so I thought it fitting to have one in the Crimson Woods.) Anyway, Meta Knight is reunited with some old friends, who also happen to be Neo's and Kautounie's parents. They learn that despite the Star Rod being broken, they're not totally screwed, and there's a chance to put it back together, if they find all the pieces. Not a lot of action, but there's been so much, I was trying to make this chapter kind of a relaxing breather, don't worry, there's going to be more action coming up, trust me! Before leaving, Tamoko gives each of them a gift to help them on their journey...

Who is this... friend... of Geoffrey's... and can she be trusted? Guess what... I'm not telling! Ha... ha... ha...