I stepped out of the World Gate, my holographic disguise in place, with Kowloon following closely. He was scowling at my disguise, almost as sickened by it as Nibbles. He'd argued against me using it, but I'd responded that I'd already received enough attention today; I didn't need more. He snorted, still displeased, but he didn't argue further, simply accepting my decision as his alpha. I felt him tense when we entered Fossil Park Europe, the unfamiliar setting disturbing him. I then felt him relax spontaneously, and, in the next second, I knew why.
"Hello, Tria…and Kowloon?!" Olga exclaimed in surprise as she approached us, "What are you doing here?!"
"I am following my alpha." Kowloon replied simply.
"I have been set off a couple times today, so I can't fight out of anger." I elaborated, "I'd called Kowloon to help me protect a Warden in Fossil Park Asia, and he's staying with me for a while. I'm here to relax; it's so calm here."
"That sounds to be lovely plan." Olga said, smiling gently, "I would much like to relax, but I must be preparing for the Warden Test."
"Ah, yes. That's coming up soon." I muttered, more to myself than to either of the two humans around me. I then looked up at the tall Russian woman. "Would you like to join us for a bit?"
Olga jolted, staring at me in surprise. I could sense Kowloon jolt as well, and when I glanced back at him, I saw an identical expression on his face: surprise, with a small degree of hope and gratitude.
"Really, Tria?" Olga asked me, "You would allowing me to be relaxing with you?"
"Sure." I replied, "You're my Paleo Pal, and you had said that you wanted to learn at my side. I can advise you on how to live among the Wardens, and your presence would be welcomed by me." I then looked back at my packmate. "What say you, Kowloon?"
Kowloon glared at me for putting him on the spot, but looked away and blushed slightly when he met Olga's gaze.
"I have no objections." he replied, not meeting either of our eyes. I smiled, patting his leg with my tail in praise and comfort. Olga beamed at her former comrade, embracing him spontaneously in her delight. I half-expected him to push the woman away, but he simply turned redder and allowed her to hold him. I smiled wider, glad that Kowloon had someone else who would support him and that Olga had another friend in the Fossil Parks.
"Well, then. Shall we walk around the park, or should we remain standing here?" I asked, smiling up at my two companions.
I'd never imagined that hanging out with two former enemies could be so relaxing, for me or for them. At first, I had worried that their different motives for joining the BR Brigade, Olga's unwilling loyalty and Kowloon's bloodthirsty nature, would've caused a rift between them, but observing them interacting in a casual setting showed anything but. From the close bond they seemed to have, I concluded that Olga's brainwashing wasn't always strong enough to control her, and during her moments of horrified clarity, it was likely that Kowloon had comforted her. It may be hard to imagine Kowloon, cold and violent Kowloon, comforting anyone, but he has vivosaurian loyalty. He takes care of his pack, and since Olga had been a member of his pack, he'd looked after her when she'd needed him.
We entered the Fossil Stadium, ignoring the uneasy glances we were receiving. Even if the civilians didn't recognize me in my human disguise or the two former BR lieutenants, we were still a group consisting of two large, intimidating people following a younger woman around like bodyguards. We continued our conversation, which had me explaining the Seven Scramble, the tournaments used by the Wardens to raise their ranks, without even acknowledging the civilians, until we came across a group standing against the left wall of the Stadium lobby. They caught my eye immediately, and we caught theirs.
"Hm? What you want?" the largest male asked when he saw us. He was bulky, heavily muscular. He had brown hair and a red-and-yellow headband, as well as a white shirt and gray pants. He spoke with the accent of a country bumpkin.
"What's it to you?" Kowloon snarled, sensing a challenge and stepping forward dangerously.
"Oh!" a small-built girl with dark brown hair in pigtails, and orange sweater, and glasses gasped when she saw me, "This individual is Tria! The Commander of the Vivosaurs!" She looked at me with intense fascination.
The large male jolted and stared at me warily. Kowloon turned on the girl, now growling openly at the threat her knowledge of me implied. Olga looked between us and the group nervously, though the source of her unease wasn't clear. I simply arched an eyebrow.
"You've heard of me?" I asked, maintaining a slight air of innocence to keep myself and my companions calm.
"Oh my, yes…" the man standing behind the other two muttered, his tone one of calm intrigue. He had green hair pulled back into a loose ponytail that fell down his back and green eyes to match, his green-striped shirt, dark green vest, and yellow cravat giving him a proper, professional look that matched his tone. "And you two must be the reformed lieutenants of the BR Brigade, Olga and Kowloon."
My two companions jumped slightly at the recognition, Kowloon baring his teeth and Olga edging closer to him with wide, fearful eyes. I didn't react, simply deactivating my holographic disguise and finding amusement in the jolt from the other group.
"Yeah, that's us." I replied, crossing my arms and swishing my tail, "Who are you?"
"Ah, yes. Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are the upper brass of the herbivorous vivosaur corps, the Green Wave." the green-haired man told us.
"Me Rocky Collingwood! Me actually very friendly!" the buff male introduced himself, his loud voice making Olga shrink back slightly.
"I'm Gauss Falkenrath. I'm here on scholarship." the girl told us. Kowloon snorted derisively.
"And I am Lancelot Chevalier, the leader of this merry band." the green-haired leader finished, his charming smile that was reminiscent of Elric's still in place.
"Nice to meet all of you." I greeted them in return, "You already know this, but I am Tria Seishin, the Commander of the Vivosaurs."
"I am Olga Stroganoff." Olga added, following my lead, "It is nice to be making your acquaintance."
We all glanced at Kowloon. When it became clear he wasn't going to introduce himself, I did it for him.
"And this is Kowloon Zino. He's not quite as bad-tempered as he seems."
Kowloon stared at me, his eye widening when he registered the last name I'd given him. I then faced the group again, taking note of the satisfied smirk on Kowloon's lips as he did the same.
"The pleasure is ours." Lancelot replied politely, before focusing his attention on me, "Now, Tria. We have heard that you are a strong battler in your own right. We would like to test your strength." He tilted his head. "What do you say? Would you battle us?"
I looked back at my companions. They were both watching me curiously, Olga to see how a Warden should respond to a challenge and Kowloon to see how his alpha would respond.
"Oh, I suppose so." I replied casually, "But just so you know, I'm not very good at holding back."
"Just as it should be." Lancelot said, his smile widening ever-so-slightly.
"According to my slide rule, our odds of beating the Commander of the Vivosaurs are actually-" Gauss began, but she was interrupted by Lancelot.
"That won't be necessary, Gauss."
"Fossil Battles not charted on graph!" Rocky yelled, "Fossil Battles are chaos personified!"
"Er, right." Gauss mumbled, "But I still think it makes sense to analyze our opponent and check the odds before we rush into-"
"Even data has its limits." Lancelot chided his subordinate gently, "We can learn all we need to know by engaging them in battle." He then addressed me directly again, "I'll be using Seidon, by the way. His Tail Axe is legendary. So then, if you're up for a four-round fight, we can let skill decide. What do you say?"
"Let's fight!" I growled, my tail thrashing as my fire flared.
"Excellent!" Lancelot replied happily, "We'll see if you're as good as everyone says."
"Me hold nothing back!" Rocky declared.
"My tactics have been run through over 700 different simulations. Don't say you weren't warned." Gauss informed me. And, with that, the group entered the arena.
"Are you sure this is wise, Alpha?" Kowloon asked me once the humans were out of earshot, "You called me so you could avoid fighting, didn't you?"
"You are not having to fight, Tria." Olga told me, looking at me with concern.
"It'll be all right." I replied, my tone reassuring, "I normally only lose control when I'm attacking out of anger. I'm not angry at these people; they actually seem quite nice. I should enjoy testing myself against them." I then looked back toward the arena and added, "Though, to be safe, I would like you two to watch from the stands. Just in case."
"Of course, Alpha."
"With greatest of pleasures."
"Thank you. Both of you." I said, smiling at them, before heading into the arena's waiting area. There, I took my battle form and faced the three Bone Buggies of the Green Wave.
"Well, Tria, this is it." Lancelot's voice reached me, "Our plan is for you to fight each of us individually, then finish by facing us together. Is that agreeable to you?"
I nodded, knowing they didn't have the translators given to the Wardens. Through their windows, I saw them nod in acceptance. I stepped out into the afternoon sun, followed shortly by a green Heavy Hauler.
"Me gonna smash ya! And bash ya! And craaaaash ya!" Rocky yelled at me from across the field. He then sent out his vivosaur, the Water-type Jiango. The spined vivosaur stomped his feet aggressively. I roared back, extending my wings intimidatingly as the battle began.
Knowing the vivosaur was far slower than I was, I darted forward, keeping myself low to the ground. I also knew from experience that, with the spines covering my opponent's back and tail, attacking from above would not be wise. My tail cracked like a whip as I got beside the herbivore and turned toward it, slashing at its exposed flank while expertly avoiding the long spines jutting out of its upper forelegs. The Water-type staggered sideways from the blow.
"Jiango! Toxic Spike!" Rocky ordered. Jiango narrowed his eyes and spun around, attempting to catch me with his poison-coated spikes. I growled and jumped, flipping over my opponent and landing directly in front of him.
"Jiango! Get back now!" Rocky yelled desperately to his vivosaur.
"I think not." I growled, unleashing my Angel's Fire onto the helpless herbivore. He cried out in pain and retreated to his fighter as a Dino Gear. The audience went wild.
"No!" Rocky cried, "Me got smashed!" He then drove back to the waiting area, his Heavy Hauler soon replaced by a light green Digger's Rig.
"I have completed my analysis of the first battle." Gauss told me, "You should prepare to lose."
"You shouldn't be so sure." I growled in response, even though I knew she couldn't understand me, "You've seen nothing yet!"
Gauss sent out her herbivorous partner, who was very different from the prey animal that my previous opponent had been: the Earth-type Lophus. A regional variant of the Lophus MN who'd helped me defeat Gorgo, the light brown duckbill whistled at me, her confidence similar to that of her fighter, calm and analytical. Her eyes did, however, gain an instinctive wariness when she properly faced the predator who stood against her.
"All right, Lophus. Let's get this started! Battering Ram!" Gauss ordered, choosing a more aggressive tactic based on how ineffective the defensive one was in the previous battle. That worked for me; I simply crouched down and waited for my opponent to come to me. When she got close, I side-stepped around her and rammed into her flank. The herbivore staggered slightly.
"Now! Butt Strike!" Gauss commanded. Lophus laughed and launched herself backward in an attempt to crush me under her weight. I rolled out of the way and cracked my tail across her snout, temporarily blinding her.
"Lophus! Get a hold of yourself!" Gauss called to her partner. I smirked and landed directly in front of the herbivore, staring directly at her from only a few inches away.
"Nice try." I purred sadistically, "But this fight is mine." I then opened my jaws, unleashing my Heaven's Call at point-blank range. The powerful roar deafened the herbivore and sent her fleeing back to her fighter. I had won.
"I…Impossible…" Gauss muttered, staring at me disbelievingly before driving out of the arena.
While she entered the waiting area, I glanced around at the audience. There was a good-sized crowd gathered in the stands, especially for an unofficial battle. Then again, I was fighting directly, and few of the Parks' visitors or residents ever wanted to miss that. I identified Olga and Kowloon sitting in the front row, Olga smiling pleasantly and Kowloon smirking with confident pride. I smiled back at both of them before facing the yellow-and-green Speed Demon that had driven out to meet me.
"Ha!" Lancelot laughed, sounding pleased, "It would seem the rumors about you are true!"
"For the most part." I growled in response as I faced off against Lancelot's partner: the towering Water-type Seidon. His back bore the pattern of flowing water, and as he moved, the pattern rippled like ocean waves. I growled, ready to face off against the massive herbivore.
Just like with my fight against Rocky, I began the battle, dashing toward the slow-moving vivosaur with claws bared.
"Seidon! Head Pounder!" Lancelot ordered calmly. Seidon bellowed and slammed his head into the ground where I had been. I had side-stepped him easily, turning on his flank. From the corner of my eye, I saw Lancelot smirk. "Now! Heavy Shoulder!"
Seidon rumbled with a vivosaurian chuckle and swayed toward me, attempting to slam his massive bulk into me. I snorted.
"Clever." I growled as I leapt upward, my wings giving me the boost I needed, "But not clever enough!" I landed on the sauropod's back and raised my claws for a strike.
"Power Average!" Lancelot's voice reached my ears. It reached Seidon's as well, and he howled, absorbing my strength and decreasing my attack's power. I growled in frustration, slashing at his neck before jumping off his head and landing in front of him.
"I see." I growled, more to myself that anyone, "That's your strategy. You use your size as your main defense, and you drain your opponent's attack power further to make it even more difficult to bring you down, while simultaneously adding their power to yours. I'll admit, that is impressive. However…" I smirked. "It won't be enough to win against me!"
I then roared to the sky, announcing my power to all before me, as my scales brightened. My audience and opponent blocked their eyes from the piercing light of my Blinding Strike. I shot forward, my glowing grin outshining even Becky and Sean's.
"Seidon! Tail Axe!" Lancelot commanded, a hint of desperation entering his voice. Seidon bellowed again and spun around, aiming to strike me down with one blow.
"Not gonna happen!" I shrieked back, leaping over the sauropod's tail like it wasn't even there. I bared my shining teeth and claws and struck the behemoth vivosaur that stood against me. One attack after another landed on the massive herbivore, his size useless against the onslaught.
"Draining your opponent's power may work when they can only land two or three blows at one time, but when your opponent can land ten or more within seconds, you're helpless!"
With that last word, I landed the final strike of the battle. Seidon groaned in pain and fell, reminiscent of a falling building as he crashed to the ground before disappearing in a flash of light. Amid the cheering crowd, I heard Lancelot whistle.
"Wow. That was indeed amazing." he said, driving back to the waiting area. This time, I followed him.
"You really are impressive, Tria." Lancelot praised me as I stood before his team in the waiting area, "But I'm afraid your winning streak ends here."
"Oh yeah?" I growled questioningly, knowing they couldn't understand me.
"Is your strength dangerous? Or can it be harnessed for good? The Green Wave must know!" Lancelot declared, and I froze, "We cut to the core of each opponent!" He looked up at me through his Speed Demon's window. "Tria! Summon a team of your choosing, and hold nothing back!"
I cringed, the Green Wave leader's words striking my entire being. I shook it off, focusing on the battle ahead, and thought briefly about what Lancelot had said about a team before grinning. I turned my head back toward the arena and barked a short command, noticing how both the audience and the Green Wave jumped at the sudden loud noise. Smiling somewhat-smugly, I leaned down in front of my opponents, squarely facing their leader.
"Is your team coming?" he asked. When I nodded, he smiled.
A minute later, the doors leading from the waiting area to the parking lot opened, admitting two Bone Buggies. The dark purple Rock Crusher was covered with spikes, its frightening appearance standing in stark contrast with the personality of its driver. Next to the Rock Crusher was a black-and-gold Turf Shredder with spikes on the wheels and a claw in the front, the driver smirking confidently.
"You called, Alpha?" Kowloon asked, more of a formality than anything. I purred in response, standing and placing myself in between my chosen teammates.
"So you're facing us alongside the two former BR lieutenants? An interesting choice." Lancelot commented, before nodding with something that might've been approval, "All right. Let us begin this search for answers!"
"Let's." I growled, suddenly ice-cold. As the Green Wave drove into the arena, I faced my teammates.
"So we're facing them with you?" Kowloon asked. I nodded.
"Yes. It would not be wise to push myself too hard right now, so I shouldn't take on an entire team by myself. I also thought it would be good for us to work together. Do you disagree?"
"Of course not, Alpha." Kowloon replied immediately. At the confused look Olga gave him, he translated my words for her.
"Oh!" Olga gasped, clapping her hands together happily, "A most wonderful idea! Let us make with the trouncing!"
"They won't know what hit 'em." Kowloon growled, getting excited as he always did before a battle. I smiled at my teammates before turning around and leading them into the arena.
As our teams faced off, the crowd became tense with anticipation and uncertainty. On one hand, they knew this fight would be exciting, but on the other, my teammates were the two former lieutenants of the BR Brigade. They still weren't fond of the organization that had caused so much havoc in the Parks, and to top it all off, I was leading them, and the Park residents' trust in me was even lower than their trust in the BR Brigade. I swallowed the pain that came with that knowledge and called out to my opponents in challenge.
The Green Wave sent out their team of herbivores, Jiango and Lophus standing on either side of Seidon. My team sent out the partners who had stuck with them through their entire time with the BR Brigade: Zinodious and Gorgostroika. I stood tall between them, ignoring the anxious angry murmurs from the audience just as my vivosaur teammates did. I could sense the unease in their fighters, so I increased my light, allowing my confidence to flow from me to the vivosaurs, and from the vivosaurs to their fighters. The battle began.
"Jiango! Low Tackle!" Rocky called out impatiently.
"Lophus! Battering Ram!" Gauss ordered calmly.
I growled and shot forward, pressing my wings tight to my flanks so I could slip between them the two charging vivosaurs. They kept going, targeting my teammates, but I then smirked and extended my wings, throwing both herbivores to the side and off balance. My teammates took advantage of this opening.
"Zinodious! Face Ripper!"
"Gorgostroika! Deadly Fangs!"
The two dark vivosaurs charged forward, claws raised and teeth bared.
"Seidon! Power Average!" Lancelot ordered calmly. Seidon lumbered forward, reaching out to drain the strength of my team.
"I don't think so!" I roared, continuing my own dash toward the massive sauropod. I leapt up in front of him, spreading my wings as I hovered right in front of the Water-type's face. With me taking up his entire field of vision, he focused his power draining on me, and zapped nearly all of my strength to make up for not being able to reach my teammates. I growled when I became too weak to keep myself airborne, but smirked at the sauropod.
"Sorry, big boy, but you're a bit troublesome. I need you out of the way." I snarled sadistically to my opponent as I grinned. I then leaned back and kicked the massive vivosaur directly in the face. Seidon staggered backward, the blow, although weakened, landing on a sensitive area and disorienting him. I pushed myself off of the sauropod's neck, sending him back several more steps, and landed back on my side of the field as I tried to regain my lost strength and assess how my teammates were doing.
Zinodious had tried to strike Jiango's small head, which was one of the spined vivosaur's weak points, but the herbivore had crouched down and caught the attack with the long spikes on his back. Meanwhile, Lophus, despite her various disadvantages, had managed to evade the large carnivore's jaws and slam into Gorgostroika's side, throwing the dark vivosaur off balance. Lophus dropped to all fours as she activated her Wrestler's Spirit and focused on her opponent.
"Zinodious! Claw Down!" Kowloon ordered viciously. Zinodious raised his other claw and struck the small herbivore, sending him closer to the ground.
"Gorgostroika! Tail Bash!" Olga called, sounding slightly nervous. Gorgostroika narrowed her bright blue eyes and spun around, her speed surprising for a carnivore her size, and struck the herbivore she was facing with her tail, spinning both of them around.
"Jiango! Stance not good!" Rocky yelled to his vivosaur, "Toxic Spike!"
"Lophus! Get out of that stance! Face Slapper!" Gauss cried, her own urgency seeping through.
Jiango rumbled dangerously, his spines becoming covered with toxic poison. Lophus glared at her opponent and spun around, swinging her forearm at Gorgostroika.
"Ha! You think poison that weak will bring us down?" Kowloon laughed, his tone patronizing, "Let's show him what real poison is! Toxic Rush!"
Zinodious growled, also grinning, as he raised his claws again, the long scythes becoming black with the poison of the dark energy. He swung down, his toxins battling with the toxins of the Water-type vivosaur.
Meanwhile, Gorgostroika staggered backward from the confusing slap from Lophus. She shook her head as she tried to focus on the Earth-type herbivore that was charging toward her again.
"Angry badgers! The confusing!" Olga cried, sounding distressed. Then she sighed, shaking her head. "Is hopeless, you know. Gorgostroika and I, we have been made with the confusing for many years. You cannot hope to be fazing us." Her voice then hardened again and she commanded, "Now! Corpse Breath!"
Gorgostroika growled, facing the direction of her opponent, and opened her jaws, releasing the scent of rotting flesh against the herbivore. Lophus froze, backing away from the scent as it activated the instinctive fear from when she was a dinosaur. Gorgostroika took advantage of the opening that fear provided and ran forward, biting down on Lophus and sending her back to her fighter.
"Is sweet bliss…" Olga sighed, and I could hear the gentle smile in her voice. Gorgostroika purred.
Suddenly, another pained cry was heard. We turned back to Zinodious' struggle with Jiango just in time to see a Dino Gear fly back to its fighter, the victorious vivosaur gloating proudly.
"Now we're cooking, Zinodious!" Kowloon laughed, his own voice containing his trademark smirk. Zinodious howled triumphantly.
"Don't get too comfortable." a forgotten voice entered my team's awareness, "This battle isn't over."
The dark vivosaurs and their fighter turned in time to see Seidon charging toward them with surprising speed, the Stadium shaking with the sauropod's weight. Having recovered from my attack, he was furious at the defeat of his teammates, and he intended to avenge them.
"Now, Seidon! Tail Axe!" Lancelot, his voice harsher than usual. Seidon bellowed in response and spun around to take out both dark vivosaurs in one powerful strike.
"Zinodious! Get out of the way!"
"Be looking out, Gorgostroika!"
However, neither of the dark vivosaurs could move. The violent shaking of the ground had knocked them off balance, leaving them unable to evade even the slow-moving sauropod. Seidon swung his tail at the two vulnerable vivosaurs, the broad weapon glowing with the Water-type's power. Zinodious and Gorgostroika braced themselves for the powerful strike, but they needn't have.
As Seidon's attack landed, the audience gasped. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lancelot gaping slightly. Out of the corner of my other eye, I saw Olga and Kowloon both staring at me with wide, pained eyes. Gorgostroika and Zinodious looked at me in shock.
"Tria!" Olga cried, tears in her eyes.
"Alpha!" Kowloon called to me, feeling failure at my agony.
I stood in front of my teammates, holding the still-glowing tail of my opponent in my claws. My body screamed in protest from the force of the attack I was restraining, but I would protect my packmates. I would not back down.
"Olga! Kowloon! Gorgostroika! Zinodious! Hurry!" I roared to them, my tone just on the edge of begging, "Finish this!"
"Right!" Kowloon yelled, his voice becoming lethal as his rage took hold.
"Never again should you make with the defying!" Olga called to our last remaining opponent, getting my message even though she couldn't directly translate my words.
"Leave it to us, Alpha!" Zinodious roared, making me smile through the pain. He had never readily called me his alpha before.
"We will not fail you, Commander!" Gorgostroika promised me as she and Zinodious charged forward.
Seidon tried to evade the oncoming attack, but soon found himself held in place by the very claws that had blocked his Tail Axe.
"Toxic Rush!"
"Deadly Fangs!"
Zinodious roared viciously, digging his poisoned claws into Seidon's shoulder. Gorgostroika added her voice and power to the assault on the sauropod as she clamped down on his other shoulder. They both threw the Water-type back and away from me, standing in front of me protectively.
"This isn't over!" Lancelot called to us as Seidon staggered backward, the vivosaur's massive size allowing him to withstand even Zinodious' poison and the jaw strength of Gorgostroika. Seidon bellowed at us challengingly.
"Yes, it is!" I snarled, my voice pained, before darting forward, the light from my Blinding Strike not even reaching its full glow before I landed a single blow to the sauropod's chest. As Seidon fell, his own Dino Gear following his teammates, I settled myself in between my teammates. They roared victoriously as the crowd went wild.
"Aw. We beat pretty bad…" Rocky mumbled when we met them in the Stadium lobby again.
"This data makes no sense!" Gauss cried in confusion, "And yet…it happened."
"Hmm." Lancelot hummed in contemplation, "Perhaps I finally understand."
"Understand what?" Kowloon growled, stepping forward defensively. I faced the leader of the Green Wave, carefully neutral, as he looked at me and smiled.
"Your strength comes from the heart. From your belief in yourself and your friends." he said, nodding in approval, "This pleases me. Such strength will most likely be wielded for a good purpose. So long as you continue on the honorable path, we would be delighted to fight by your side!"
My eyes widened. "Really?"
"Me smash for you!" Rocky declared, grinning happily.
"I calculate this is the beginning of a lovely friendship!" Gauss stated, smiling as she adjusted her glasses.
"That's awesome!" I said, smiling as my tail swayed happily. Olga smiled as well, her gentle smile, and Kowloon scoffed, not seeming pleased but not arguing, either. As the Green Wave left the Stadium, my face fell slightly.
"Wielded for a good purpose?" I repeated, catching the attention of my companions, "Well, at least someone thinks so."
"You all right, Tria?" Olga asked, looking at me in concern.
"I'm fine, Olga." I replied, smiling up at the kind-hearted woman. Kowloon looked down at me as well.
"Are you sure, Alpha?" he asked, the worry on his face out of place next to his natural cocky smirk, "You took a hard hit. You aren't built to take powerful attacks head-on."
I sighed, flexing my sore arms. Actually, my entire body hurt. Still…
"That is true." I replied, pulling both humans closer with my wings, "But, although my body is heavy, my heart is light. I am very happy. I will recover without a problem."
Kowloon looked away in embarrassment, still not used to such gentle affection, while Olga's smile widened as she wrapped an arm around both me and Kowloon. We then walked back to Fossil Park Asia, watching the sunset when we got there. Olga headed back to her room, bidding both of us an early goodnight, and Kowloon did the same, returning to Autumn Garden with a look of relaxed contentment. I stood on the mechanical dinosaur in the plaza for a while longer before heading back into the Fossil Center. I was about to take the elevator up to the Captain's office to report that I had returned, but as soon as the doors opened, my sensitive ears picked up the words that extinguished the light from the Green Wave and the former BR lieutenants and left me chilled to the core.
"…this wound from Tria. She still beats herself up over it sometimes, despite it being over ten years old by now." Elric's voice traveled down the elevator shaft to me. I gulped, tears welling up in my eyes as other voices followed.
"Did…" the voice of Mei Lian barely reached me, the unusually-soft quality adding to the pain the fear in her tone inflicted in me.
"D-Did Tria…attack you?" Drake stuttered, and I cringed in response, feeling sick.
Elric replied with a negation, followed by a story that I was far too familiar with. Unable to bear it anymore, I rushed to the corner of the Center lobby. I remembered that scar, the one on Elric's left shoulder, and, as painful as it was, I would never forget how he got it.
My 7th birthday party…an occasion most kids look forward to. I'd never looked forward to my birthday parties. Due to the fame of my parents and the controversial nature of their relationship (and, by extension, my existence), there was always a group, usually of humans, but not always, that gathered nearby to express their anger at my birth and the view that my continued existence should not be celebrated. This particular day, however, made me actively dread my birthday. I'd hated that I'd been born, I'd hated that I continued to live, and I'd hated that those around me wouldn't let me die. The weight of this world has been on my shoulders since I was born; that's a heavy burden for a child. Still, I never should've lashed out against those outspoken humans that day. I should've had more control than that. If I had just ignored them like I was supposed to, then Elric wouldn't have…
Once again, just like this morning after Violet had stormed off, my thoughts were interrupted by an irritating beeping noise from my left wrist. Normally, I would've waited for one of the Wardens to turn it off, but I couldn't bear to face them, not right after they'd learned how dangerous I was. I stared at it, then looked around frantically and, in a desperate attempt to shut it off, slashed it with my claws, causing it to crash to the floor. That alone didn't stop the beeping, but the splash of blood from the gash on my wrist from my careless attack did, and I sighed with relief.
I then jolted when I heard the elevator doors open. Hastily, I grabbed the bloody device and hid myself in the shadows, crouching low. My light had been properly dulled, so I had no trouble blending into the dark area. At first, I thought it was a Warden responding to the signal from the device, but all of the Wardens filed out almost sluggishly, their faces pale and disturbed. I held my breath as the American and European Wardens walked through the World Gate, praying they wouldn't see me. They didn't, and neither did the Asian Wardens or the Captain and Professor as they made their way to the kitchen. Nibbles didn't notice me either, too focused on getting his steak. When the last Warden left the elevator, I ducked down further, my eyes blurring with tears. And, unfortunately, he did notice me.
As I met Elric's golden eyes, I took in the deep guilt and sorrow within them. I also saw them begin to cloud as he looked me over, taking in my own pitiful appearance, and my own eyes shifted automatically to his left shoulder where I knew his scar lay, the scar left by my claws. I swallowed again, tears threatening to break through my careful control, before fleeing into the World Gate, not even caring where it took me as my despair filled my mind, the memory of my closest friend's tearful eyes and bloodied shirt still fresh in my mind from that terrible incident over ten years ago.