When Melody caught up to Devil she saw Max holding Feather by the scruff and he was sitting next to Devil's feet.
"Um...why?" Devil patted Max's head and gently took Feather from the dog's jaws.
"Max is so smart Symphony, and he cares for the cat! He brought her over the river" Max barked at the compliment. He liked the red eyed boy.
"Devil has a way with animals, it's his spiritual side,. Did you know he had one?" Leaf walked over to the two teens and smiled at his sister. Devil glared at the boy.
"Shut up! My spiritual side died when you came along!" Devil punched Leaf's arm and Leaf hit him back. Melody giggled as Rose came over shaking her head.
"Boys, can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em, right Melody?"
"Answer that, and I'll push you in mud" Devil warned.
"Push her in mud and I'll kick your ass!" Leaf warned the rude teen. Melody felt happy once again. She had an older brother who could beat up Devil if he hurt her!
"Leaf, what did we say about violence?" Takeshi and Sky came nearer. Sky looked like she just woke up from the best sleep in the whole world.
"We said nothing. You said it must never be distributed unless by you." Leaf mumbled.
"Exactly!"
"Yeah sure" Devil rolled his eyes and Takeshi grabbed both of the boy's heads and made them collide. The two began to clutch their heads in pain.
"There! Now you're even" Takeshi smirked and the girls laughed. Leaf growled and Devil glared. Suddenly both boys lunged and tackled the blind boy. Soon the three were in a wrestling match and Takeshi was winning.
Against both of them.
"Umm.....guys, John's here" Sky's soft voice interrupted the three boy's killing spree. Devil and Leaf looked up and sure enough, John was standing there. And he did not look happy.
"Hey Old Man, what's up?" Devil flashed a toothy grin.
"What's up? It's almost time for them to have dinner, and they're not even ready, and because you forgot the time, I had to put all the horses back by myself, and you ask me what's up?" John was eerily calm as he talked. But Devil knew that this was the calm before the storm.
"Well, I did forget the time, and aren't you used to doing things by yourself?" The older man looked as if he'd murder someone, and that someone might be Devil. He took a big breath.
"Yes, but if you're going to be my apprentice, you might as well do something, instead of playing around."
"Well, I am only a teen. I don't wanna waste my time playing games when I could be working." Devil's voice was full of poisonous sarcasm. John rubbed his eyes.
"Forget it, come on children, Queen Ariel and King Eric are worried. Besides, this time of year is really dangerous."
"Why is it dangerous?" Sky asked as a icy wind passed over them.
"It's almost winter, and dragons get really agressive durring winter." John explained as they led the horses to the river.
"Why is that?"
"No one actually knows, though there are lots of rumors." Melody answered her sister.
"Like what?"
"Some people say that this time of year because it's near the day of their creation. People say that the first dragons were the most horrible." John yelled over the rushing waters.
They made the jump.
"To signify this, the mountain the dragons live on, which is actually a volcano, erupts and prevents anyone from aproaching it." That mountain is so much more than that Melody. Sky corrected her sister in her mind.
"Why do you want to know such things, Princess?" John asked as they stopped to untie Acorn from the tree Takeshi tied her to.
"I was just curious. Dragons can't be that bad, can they?"
"They eat people, Sky. They also steal cattle and sheep." Melody slowly explained.
"Well, we eat cattle and swine, we also have to eat. It's the circle of life." Sky commented.
"But dragons don't think. They're all heartless beasts who like to torment their prey and destroy villages." Melody spat out, trying to make her sister see dragons for what they were.
"I'm pretty sure they could think, Symphony, all living things think. Hell, I even think plants think, I mean, they stay silent, but how would we know if they feel pain or have thoughts." Devil jumped in the conversation.
"Devil is right in a way, Melody" Leaf nodded in agreement.
"How do we know that animals don't think of us like the way others think of dragons? I mean, we moved into their territory." Rose explained.
"Dragons are different. They burn villages for no reason, they eat more than they need to, they're just barbaric!"
"Melody, you don't have to be so narrow minded. No one knows anything for sure." Takeshi spoke up as they neared the stables and the pasture.
"I'm not being narrow minded, it's a fact!"
"What's a fact?" Melody turned her head to see her mother and father standing close to each other and awaiting the arrival of their children and the other three teens.
"That dragons are barbaric." Melody stated. Eric agreed with his eldest daughter while Ariel remained silent. She wasn't sure.
"Well that was an eventful ride! Come on Devil, put the horses in their stalls!"
"Yeah yeah, whatever." Devil began to mumble as he walked away.
"That boy! He's got more mouth than a gossipy maid!" John growled at the boy's back. Ariel put a hand on the old man's arm.
"Now now, John. It's apparent that he's going to be trouble but you have to be patient, he'll warm up eventually, he just needs someone to discipline him. He was an orphan remember? Besides, you two have more in common than you think!"
"Bah! What do you know?" John walked away muttering under his breath. Eric laughed.
"I can see Devil in the future. He's going to become an old cranky man! Well at least John has more manners" Ariel playfully pushed her husband.
"Hey Leaf, did you finish your lessons with Devil?" Ariel looked to her son.
"He said I was ready. I just have to try not to step on any girls toes."
"Yes, because we all know that make a total fool of yourself if you do" Rose smiled. Takeshi threw one arm around Leaf and Sky did the same.
"But he'll be our fool!" Ariel giggled at the teens. Secretly, she did hope that nothing went wrong that night. She didn't know how many things would go wrong that night.
My Special Words ( or not )
Merry Christmas everybody!!
I'm not grounded!! Yay!! I got a new TV!! WHooHooo!!
Anyways, for a special treat look up my story Chronicles of Questions and Holidays, I promise you that it has something to do wth this story!