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Chapter 11: The Dream Shaman

Starling thought it would be an easy mission. She was about to rescue a girl and take her somewhere safe. It sounded simple enough but unfortunately, it wasn't.

The two were now on an uncharted terra with a damaged skimmer. Its body was burnt and bashed. The sky knight was fixing it up, while listening to the apologies of her companion. She rolled her eyes before going back to work. It wasn't the best possible situation to be in.

Several minutes earlier, the two were flying at dawn towards another occupied terra. It was then that the same person that was being chased by the phoenix before their little detour at the Slum Markets. He decided that he would not be chased by a scary phoenix anymore, so he gave it to someone that was near him, A.K.A. the sky knight and Gaian. He flew next to them and threw the crystal near the travel companions. The girl caught it, accidently activating it. And just as it was activated, the phoenix came and started to chase them as well, breathing fire and attacking the ride. It was only when the girl dropped the stone that the fire bird left them alone.

The duo had to settle on a terra for repairing the damage done. Oh, it could fly, but there could be a chance of a breakdown and Starling didn't want to risk it. So, they settle on a deserted terra. The woman had some tools and extra parts that she carried with her, but there wasn't a pit stop shop near this place. It wasn't going to be in tip-top shape, but it will do. The worst of it all was that the child was feeling quilt for breaking the bike. It wasn't her fault, mostly.

"I heard you the first couple of times. Would you give it a rest already?" the sky knight said, before working on her bike again. She knew that it wouldn't be too long before someone might notice. The Cyclonians and Murk Raiders already seen the Gaian; if anyone else found out, then there could be total chaos. It was her job not to let that happen.

After a few moments of silence, she was done fixing the skimmer. It wasn't the best fix-up but it would do until they got to a terra that Cyclonia wouldn't attack any time soon. The woman looked up at the sky, seeing that it was almost dark, definitely not the best time to be on an unknown terra. There were dangerous things at night, very dangerous things.

Starling looked back at the girl, who was lying on a rock. She was staring at the sky, seeing only a few stars coming out. Back on Earth, the skies were either really cloudy or really bright in her town, so it would several weeks before seeing anything except for airplanes; another reason why she liked Atmos.

Emma sighed, before looking at the female sky knight, who was staring back at her. She felt a little weird since the older woman was gazing at her. Maybe it was the fact that she was not from here and her rescuer probably still couldn't believe that she was a living "myth". Or maybe she only saw her as useless. After the events today, who wouldn't? But maybe it was the perfect time of what she was thinking on her mind.

"How did you know I had a sister and that we're Gaians?" the girl asked. Starling stood up and placed a hand on her forehead. She thought the child was oblivious and would forget about that part. Oh well, she might as well answer it.

"I was there when you first came to this world on Cyclonia. I didn't see you exactly where you came, but I knew you were Gaians by the clothes you were wearing." the sky knight answered, making the teen paled. Probably that answer wasn't the best thing to say.

"Great! Now, your government knows of me! I'm doomed!" she replied, having a Stork moment. She was now thinking that the woman was now going to bring her to the Atmosian government to have her either charged of all the crimes Earth has committed against them, or be dissected like the aliens in Area 51 if there was one. Fortunately, her companion thought she was overreacting.

"No, the Sky Council doesn't even know that I'm doing this. Even if they did, they wouldn't believe that there you even existed," Starling said calmly, making Emma settled down. That was good; the younger girl wasn't going to be dissected. The woman continued, "You'll just be taken to a safe terra to have a nice life on Atmos."

The Gaian blinked before thinking. Did she really want to settle here? She didn't know much and even if she did, she wasn't sure if she could fit in. The closest she ever got into fitting in was with the Storm Hawks, and now they thought of her as a traitor for the Talons. And she bet there wasn't a chance for redemption.

And what about her sister? The brunette mentally promised herself that she would save her older sibling from Cyclonia. And if she saved her sister, she could indirectly save their home world as well. But there was the slight snag of her going against a huge army and coming out alive. Maybe what the sky knight was thinking was right for now.

The girl yawned before turning to her traveling partner, saying, "Are you fine with me sleeping for now?" The woman blinked, thinking about her question. It was nighttime and all. And as human beings, they needed rest as well.

"Yes, it would be nice if all of us went to sleep," she answered, before going over to the skimmer. She took out what consisted of her camping gear, which was two blankets, two pillows, and two sleeping bags. She gave the younger female a set before depositing her own on the ground. The teen did the same before lying inside. She looked up at the stars, thinking.

She was thinking about all the things she experienced while in Atmos. She thought about the weeks of being a Talon cadet. She thought about the Murk Raiders before she was rescued by the Storm Hawks. She thought about the crew and their silly shenanigans. She thought about Finn, Piper, Junko, Radarr, Stork, and Aerrow and what they thought of her now. 'Would they ever forgive me?' she thought, before finally falling asleep.

Starling looked at her with a raised eyebrow. 'What a strange Gaian…'

Emma was running, running from the darkness. The darkness to her was a big, black, tentacle beast that was coming towards her at a fast speed. She continued to run, even though it was in vain. It was only when she had fallen that that the monster grabbed her and started to pull her into the darkness.

The girl struggled wanting to escape. She was always afraid of the dark, especially watching those scary movies. And now it was like all of it was combined into one terrifying beast. She continued to struggle before staring ahead of her.

It was the Storm Hawks, but there was something strange about them. They were staring at her with blank faces; blank, judging faces. But she needed help, so she called, "Help me… Please."

There was silence at first before Junko spoke, "Sorry, but we don't help people who work for Cyclonians." The teen couldn't believe this. The wallop didn't act like this. He disappeared just when Finn was about to speak.

"I thought you like my guitar skills." the blonde said, before fading away. "I guess I was wrong." Once he disappeared, the brunette looked in shocked. She truly loved Finn's guitar skills. If he ever played Guitar Hero, he would totally rock. She turned to Piper next.

"I should have better protected my room when you were wondering around in it," the specialist said, as she evaporated as well. The Gaian laid there was the beast pulled her into the darkness. Was this what the Storm Hawks thought of her?

"I always knew you were trouble," she heard the merb say before he went away as well. They were leaving her to die. Some part of her felt that she deserved that. She turned to Aerrow with a freaked-out look on her face.

"Please… Help me," she pleaded, trying to grab the ground. Seeing the sky knight's face really broke her spirit. Instead of the kind spirit he usually had, it was a hidden anger face.

"Even I have my limits." he stated, before he and Radarr disappeared. Emma was freaked before looking at her legs. The fiend had already enveloped her legs and was moving up to her waist. She went back to struggling until hearing someone familiar taunting her.

"Oh, look, the trash has lead herself into itself into another mess," the voice said, before she looked up front again. There was the Dark Ace, along with Ravess, Snipe, and Cyclonis. They all stood there, mocking the child, telling how she was worthless and how she couldn't even save herself. She couldn't take it anymore. Between the Cyclonians ridiculing her and the Storm Hawks abandoning her, she wished that everything: human, beast, organism, being, would just disappear so she could be alone.

The girl closed her eyes once, and then reopened again only to see that the Talons and their master disappeared from view. Instead, it was a small hooded figure that was hunched forward. It stared at the Gaian before saying something that was as clear as a bell.

"Wake up…"

Emma woke up, dripping in cold sweat. The dream she had was definitely a nightmare. Nightmares were scary and at times made the person think it was real. Heck, even the pain she felt in her legs was probably a delusion. She started to relax again, before looking at what was staring down at her.

It was the same creature from the dream, same hood, same crouch, and same tail. The girl now noticed the lizard tail that came from under the cloak. She didn't know why it was here; maybe it wanted something in the way. But it was still freaking her out, even if she looked calmed.

"Starling…" the Gaian whimpered silently. It was always best to remained absolutely still in these type of situation. Whether it was animal or hostile being, but in this case, it was some old Raptor.

It was only a second until she heard the sky knight said, "I see it…" The sky knight had her nunchucks out and was in a crouching stance. Whatever this creature tried, she would be ready for it. The lizard stared at the child before walking off into the distance. After a good distance, it turned back to the two, motioning its scaled hand to follow it.

"… I think it wants us to follow it," Emma stated before standing up. She dusted herself off and started to walk after the reptilian creature. The woman panicked before grabbing the child. What was she thinking, going after some stranger in the middle of the night?!

"What are you doing?!" she questioned, sounding concern, "You don't know what that thing is, are you sure you can trust it?" The sky knight was right; there was no telling that the anthro was friendly or not. But the child looked at her straight in the face.

"I can trust it," the teen said, before moving her arm out of Starling's grip, "And besides, I like lizards." Then, she started to skip off. The woman stood there in deep thought. She knew the girl liked reptiles from watching her as a Talon cadet, but she seemed a little bit too trustworthy when it came to them. It was sheer luck that she was still alive.

"What a strange Gaian…" Starling said, before following after her. If the creature was evil, then the Gaian would need more than luck to get out of it.

The two continued to follow the creature across the terra. For a small being, it was really fit as it went a distance ahead, while the humans climbed up rocks and cliffs. It was when that the moon was high that they caught up to it at a small shack with smoke coming from a stack on the roof. The lizard walked in, leaving the door opened.

When the travelers went in, they gawked at what was there. It was pretty bare, except for a bed, stove, a few chair, and shelves filled with jars of strange items, two being of newt eyeballs and dog tongues. This gave the feeling that the creature had some links to the witches of Macbeth. The lizard was sitting down, mixing a few plants into a mushy mixture and then putting them into a cup. Then, it walked up to the girl and gave her the cup.

"Drink," it said, sounding like an old woman. The Gaian blinked before looking at it. It looked like brown tea, and she didn't like tea. She never tried it before, but she knew she would hate it. She turned to the sky knight, who gave her a stern look. The child had gotten into this and she could get herself out. The younger female gulped, before drinking it. It was bitter so it was probably medicine.

"Good, heal wounds, it will," the creature said again, before going back to putting some other herbs in the medicine wheel and grinding it. That's when the minutes of silence began. They watched the lizard as she milled the herbs into powder. It was actually creepy, so the teen decided to speak up.

"Ummm… Who are you?" she asked, gulping. The hooded creature turned to them, almost showing them her muzzle. Then, she stared with glowing yellow eyes. After that, she went back to the grinding, as if she didn't hear.

Emma sighed, before hearing the creature answered, "Mee, me is." That was confusing. Did the raptor answered her name or was it some mind trick.

"Me?" the teen asked before pointing back at herself. This earned a hiss from the hooded figure. It was like a warning hiss, but it made the teen feel jumpy. Starling went into a stance, making sure to be ready for anything funny.

"No, Mee, my name is. Raptor Shaman, I am." the lizard answered, as she put some more of the powder into some water in another cup. Then, she gave it to the brunette again. The human girl drank it again, knowing that even though it tasted bitter, it helped for some reason.

Then, she thought about what the raptor had said. A shaman, the teen only knew about shamans from was animes and video games. From what she gathered, shamans were a class that can talk to spirits and can heal and buff other classes up. Unlike those who can use magic from divine spirits, shamans were used in tribal communities and were considered to be one of the elders. If this creature was a shaman class, than the raptors were still in the undeveloped stage of civilization.

Starling jumped a bit when Mee said that she was a raptor. She stood up and said, "Then, you're possibly with Repton, right?" That was a bit true; most raptors were for Repton, unless they were Terradon scientists enslaved. But to see one helping them, there's got to be a catch for it.

"No," the shaman answered, before getting a few white crystals, "Once, Mee was. Now, one this terra, Mee lives."

"Why did you leave?" asked the Gaian with curiosity. From what she could tell, the leader of the Raptors wasn't the best of leaders. He seemed to be angry at all of his minions and thought that he could do everything himself. That and he let his instincts do the talking.

"When Repton's mother died, Mee left on own will. Alone here, Mee lives. Travelers by stop here, in case." the Raptor responded, before placing the crystals on the younger girl's legs. Then, the crystals started to glow brightly, giving out a soothing effect. It felt so good, that it made the child smiled like a cat on catnip.

"Why?" asked the sky knight suspiciously. She still didn't trust this lizard. It was very suspicious of the creature to live on a remote terra, especially if that creature was with Repton for a moment. Mi looked at the two, still hunched over, showing the status of her age.

She answered, "Evil, terra is. Makes evil dreams' pain real, it does." The two humans looked in surprised disbelief. But now that the shaman mentioned it, Emma did feel some pain in her legs. She lifted up her pant leg, and her jaw dropped. There were some black spots on her skin that was slowly disappearing as the crystal glowed. Once they completely disappear, she turned to Starling, who didn't believe this.

"You probably had an allergic reaction to the cotton in the sleeping bag." The sky knight explained making the teen puffed her cheeks out. The only allergy she had was sensitivity to pollen, but then she remembered this wasn't Earth and maybe the cotton here wasn't like cotton on Earth. She looked back down, before hearing the woman say, "Come on, let's go back to camp until mourning. Then, we'll get to a nice, safe terra."

"Safe terra, there isn't." Mee said, just as the brunette was about to get out of her chair. The lizard turned to them, as she set her materials on the table. "Her own kind, she dislikes. Here and Earth." The Gaian's eyes widened. How did the raptor know how she felt when she was back home? If what she said was true, then she really was a shaman. "Wanted only to be with knights of storms, she felt."

Starling blinked, before asking, "You mean the Storm Hawks?" The girl paled now. She thought the female sky knight knew that she was with the teenage squadron since she knew of her being a Gaian. Apparently, that wasn't so as the woman glared. "You know the Storm Hawks?"

The teen giggled nervously, before hearing Mee speak again, "Betrayed them to cyclones, she feels. Feels guilty, she does. Doesn't want to see them, she thinks, for fear of them not trusting her anymore." The human girl looked very disturbed by this. She wanted to disbelieve this, but it was the truth. She started to run out the door, not looking back. She didn't want to discuss this now.

The sky knight watched the girl, before glaring at the lizard. "If you are really with Repton and his cronies, then the Cyclonians would have loved to see this." Then, she ran after Emma. The shaman looked at them, before smiling.

"You're welcome, Mee says."

Emma ran; she wanted to be somewhere else right now. The raptor shaman told her of how she was a traitor. Now, she really felt like one. She stopped and looked at the sky, thinking. Maybe it would have been if she hadn't come here. 'I was being too selfish in proving to everyone that they are other worlds.'

Suddenly, she heard footsteps and turned to see Starling, who was looked at the girl with a stern face. This was a bad sign; maybe she was angry at the fact that she didn't tell the woman about her experience with the Storms Hawks. Either that or the betrayal, but it was her past before her rescue when the sky knight asked, "Why didn't you tell me about the Storm Hawks?"

"I thought you knew," the brunette answered, "You knew about me being a Gaian, I thought you probably knew about me being with the Storm Hawks." Then, she heard the purple-haired lady sighed. The child had used the age-old human ability of jumping to conclusions. It works at times, but mostly all Earth's wars were from that technique. This was going to be another one as Starling turned her with a firm look on her face.

"It doesn't matter, anyway. We're still sticking to the plan." The sky knight answered, while looking at the girl. The girl started to think about this. The shaman did warn them that there was no terra same for her. Was it really true? If it was, was it because of the Cyclonians or of her heritage? Maybe it would have been safer just to be alone.

"Can I just live as a recluse for the rest of my life?" Emma asked trying to sound like it was the right choice. The sky knight didn't buy it as she sighed. The Gaian wasn't taking this seriously; not only was Atmos in danger, but Gaia as well.

"You can't. It's obvious that you can't defend yourself against Talons and Murk Raiders. And did you forget, both are after you." the woman explained, making the girl feel useless. She knew she wasn't strong, but for some reason, it made her feel angry. She breathed it out and decided to come up with a good counter for this.

"So," the teen started, before continuing, "You're alone, and you're doing fine. You rescue me by yourself. Where's your squadron? Did they have other important things to do?" Okay, that was probably not the best thing to do.

Starling stared at the girl like a lion to a rebellious cub. "My squadron," she began, "Was killed by Raptors. I wasn't there when they did it, but I got there to see that bloody lizard mangled my wingman. Since then, I only relied on myself unless the job is too big for one sky knight. But it is best to rely on yourself, especially when you know you can do it."

The teen stood in silence, as the sky knight started to walk back to camp, saying, "I'm going back. I expect you to do the same." Once she was gone, the child started to mentally beat herself up. She didn't know that and now she angered someone who was giving her a ride from terra to terra. She decided not to go back in order not to be creamed.

"Confused, you are. Yes?" a familiar voice asked, causing the Gaian to jump. She turned to see Mee. The raptor probably followed them, and had been listening to them. "Talk, you must. Tell what ails you, you must."

Emma blinked, not sure what to say. She wasn't given any chance for speech when she wasn't in the class room. She didn't know whether to lie and said she was fine, or to just tell her the truth of how she was traitor to the Storms Hawks now. Oh man, the shaman was right; she was confused.

Suddenly, the brunette breathed in as she explained her problem, "I'm a traitor to the first friends I made here. I guess I'll deserve what they have in store for me when we meet again."

"Ahh, believe betrayer of last knight of storms, you did." the lizard said, sounding a little bit calm. It wasn't a lie; the Storm Hawks really thought of her as traitor after the girl left. But there was something else bothered her, something she didn't realized until now.

"It isn't just that, it's all these factions. Sky knights, Talons, Raptors, Murk Raiders, I just don't know which to chose. Usually, I would go with the good guys, you know, those who stand up for truth and justice, like on those old movies. But now, it's all so gray, like World of Warcraft. I don't know whether I have all the facts or if sky knights are good, or if I should like the Raptors, or if the Cyclonians are trying to restore world order, or anything!"

Mee listened, nodding as the teen breathed heavily. "Ahhhh… Loyalty issues, you have… Advice, Mee has. Go with those you feel best with." This was strange advice; Emma didn't know if this was a good sign or now. "Now, make you feel better, does it?"

"… Kinda." the Gaian answered. She felt okay, but still as wasn't in high spirits as she should have been. The lizard hissed before walking away. But she stopped and turned back to the girl, her eyes glowing.

"If still feeling low, do something than nothing." the shaman directed, before walking off. The human female blinked, before thinking. Do something than nothing, that's was a strange thing to say. She was on a remote terra with no TV, no internet, and no entertainment. What is there to do?

Then, the girl looked at a rock and thought for a moment. Maybe there was something. She stood up and walked over to it, trying to think of something. Once she got a basic idea, she took out a stone and started to scratch out some words. If she was to die in Atmos, she might as well give a few words of encouragement to someone else of Earth who went here by mistake as well. That and it kept her busy.

The mourning came quickly as light entered on the terra. The illumination caused shadows to form from the rocky structures. A certain shadow was cased over a certain Gaian, as she woke up to see Starling hovering over her like a hawk; she must have fallen asleep while finishing up her "words of wisdom".

"… As much as I think that you could do anything stranger, you surprised me." the sky knight said, as the teen stood up. She smiled goofy while rubbing the back of her head.

"Thank you," Emma said, while laughing a bit. The woman sighed while shaking her head. This child really was slow.

"It wasn't a compliment." Starling stated, making the Gaian blushed with embarrassment. Then, she breathed in as she said, "Come on, let's get off this terra. Who knows what else could be out here." She started to walk, but turned to see the girl standing there. She was looking down, probably thinking of something.

"Starling… I'm sorry for mentioning your squadron like that and the other stuff I've said." she mentioned as the sky knight heard her. She paused for a moment, before walking up to her. Then, she raised her arm and knocked the other human female on the forehead. The younger rubbed her head in confusion.

"Stop dwelling on that. It doesn't matter anyway. I'm still alive, and I can still remember the things we experienced when they were here." the woman lamented, before looking at the child. "Now, let us leave." Then, she started back towards her skimmer. Emma followed, but turned back to a non-scratched out sentence out of the many she wrote. She smiled a bit, before running to catch up. She was proud of what she wrote.

If there are any other Gaians out on Atmos as well,
I'm here and waiting.

Author's Notes:

Hey, guys! It's me again! Here's an update, sorry if it isn't as action-packed as the last ones or written as good, but it's an update.

For starters, I definitely owned the shaman Raptor, Mee. I always thought the Raptors were still in the tribal stage of civilized development. I think when the Terradons started to go into science, that's when Raptor superstition and modern technology started to fight until Mee left. Strange, huh?

I also tried to go with a Yoda speech pattern for Mee. Yes, I'm a Star Wars fan… And I think I did an epic phail with the speech.

Now, I like to thank Tuberculosis Queen and Kitten2007 for reviewing. Here's the update, and don't be afraid to ask questions or anything. I might be a little bit slow on the next chapter. Oh, I have it plan... Just not good enough.

Please Read and Review!