To 8ball3- yes, they did! ^_^

To An-Unnamed-Goose- (Chapter 56) It was fun typing on my laptop too! PSPSPSPSP! (Chapter 57) Oh no no no, minds are all lost here. Grilled cheese sandwiches must be remembered!


"Are you sure we're goin' the right way?"

"The map never lies."

"Yeah, but you might."

"Why would I-?" Huxley stopped himself, flicking his map self-importantly. To his left, Louisa snickered. "I don't know why I bother with you."

"Are we lost?" Raijin inquired, jumping on Huxley's back to see the map over his shoulder. He decided to stay in that piggy back- Huxley clearly didn't have much choice. He looped his arms, one by one, under the smaller boy's legs to secure him, and then continued studying his map.

"No, we're not lost."

"Mmph." Ruby was a few paces behind them, sneakily feeding Storm apples. "Typical bloke. We're so lost."

"We're not! I know exactly where we are!"

"And where's that, clever-clogs?"

"Here." Huxley tapped a finger on the paper. Raijin leaned forward, squashing his cheek against Huxley's. "What are you doing?"

"Seeing it how you see it."

"Ah, you ain't doin' it right." Louisa pointed out, wagging a finger at him. "You need to be more grumpy. Like this." She pulled at her face, deepening her mock frown, furrowing her brow crossly and going boss-eyed. Raijin giggled and copied, groaning for extra effect. "That's more like it." Louisa nodded.

"We're here," Huxley pressed on, tapping the map again, "and if I've worked it out right, we should be there in another… six weeks?"

"Six weeks?" Ruby protested shrilly. "My feet hurt!"

Mine too! Storm joined in. Louisa looked back.

"Are you feedin' my pegasus?"

"No?" Ruby part-smiled, part-winced, tossing a half-eaten apple over her shoulder. Storm did her best to look innocent too, but that was a little hard with chewed up bits of apple on her chin.

"If she's sick, you're cleanin' it up."

"Is there not a quicker way there?" Ruby asked quickly.

"Mm." Huxley folded his map back up, smacking Raijin's inquisitive hand away. "Public transport, but…" He glanced back at Storm. "I don't think we can take a winged horse onto a bus."

"She could sit on the roof." Louisa suggested. Storm huffed, headbutting her human in the back. Whatever she had to say, made Louisa laugh and hold her hands up in innocence.


"What are they?"

"Bird ladies."

"Well, yeah, but what are they?"

"Bird ladies."

"You're hopeless."

"I don't understand." Louisa hissed. "You asked me what they were 'n' I told you. Bird ladies!"

"That's not their name." Huxley countered.

"Um, excuse me?" Ruby reached backwards to wave her hand at them. "The bird ladies can hear you."

"Do they look hungry?"

"Yes."

"Should we run?"

"Way ahead of you!" Raijin shouted, already twenty feet away with Storm. The other three scrambled, extracting themselves from the bushes with many 'ow's and 'my hair!' and 'me first, me first!' Behind them, bird ladies launched themselves into the air and screeched a noise that tore through their ears. "Run, run, run!" Raijin encouraged, arms pumping, feet slamming into the ground.

"Duck!"

"I think they're chickens!" Ruby corrected.

"No, duck!" Huxley demanded. Louisa dropped into a roll, a bird lady swooping over her head. Ruby didn't react as quickly, throwing her arms up to protect her face. She screamed, talons raking across her forearms and leaving wicked, scarlet lines, bleeding into the sleeves of her jacket.

Huxley careened to the side, tackling Ruby and slinging her over his shoulder. Louisa called on her bow. The bird lady with Ruby's blood on its claws spun around for a second attack, cawing maliciously. She went down with an arrow in her forehead, slamming into two of her friends before disintegrating.

"Keep goin'!" She ordered, drawing three arrows from the quiver. She fired in quick succession, slamming her bow into the head of one that got too close. Her arrows hit true, three more explosions of ashes scattering across the ground. The concussed bird lady at her feet groaned and tittered in pain, eyes bleary. Louisa stabbed down with another arrow, dispatching it, loading the same missile and shooting one inches from swiping at her face.

A neigh to her left and Storm charged in, barrelling into a cluster of the creatures. She whinnied defiantly, rearing and bucking. She kicked heads and limbs, headbutted one in the face and sending it sprawling. She caught one in the chest and it burst into ashes on the spot. Louisa fired, taking out one about to pounce on her pegasus's back. Thanks! Storm called, slamming her hoof into another's face. Behind you! Louisa spun on her heel, swinging her bow like a bat. There was a very satisfying WHACK and the bird lady was propelled into her buddy. Louisa twisted the bow in her grip. Her arrow took them both out.

Storm got the last one, kicking it to the ground and then trampling it into dust, jumping on the spot and snorting victoriously. Did it! She declared, rather proud of herself. Louisa shrunk her bow into her watch, smiling. The pegasus trotted over for victory pets, relishing in her favourite ear scratches. I got more than you.

"You did not."

Did too. See? Storm kicked her foot out to point at a non-descript pile of ashes. That one there, mine. And that one. That one. Those two. Also mine. That, that and that one way over there- mine, mine and mine. And that one. She huffed air in Louisa's face, licking her cheek. I win.

"Are you dead?" Raijin's voice shouted. They turned and he swung upside down from a tree, about fifty feet away. "Are you dead?" He called again, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Yes!" Louisa called back.

"That means I get your dinner!" He half-turned at the waist, looking back at something with a curious head tilt. He faced them again. "Huxley says Ruby's arms fell off!"

"No, they haven't!" Huxley's voice came.

"My arms are going to fall off?" Ruby sobbed.

"No, they're not!"

"But Raijin said-"

"Don't listen to that idiot. Raijin, get down. Lou, get over here! Need your water magic! Raijin!"

"I'm going!" Raijin confirmed. He shot Louisa a thumbs-up, which looked like a thumbs-down to her, and dropped, disappearing into a clump of bushes. "Ow." He groaned. Louisa could only see his feet, kicking and stomping at the air, stuck. "Help." Louisa raised an eyebrow at Storm.

Don't look at me. They're your friends.


"Have you got any twos?"

"Raij, this is draughts."

"Oh. Checkmate."

"Do you know how to play?"

"Yes. Clearly. I'm winning."

"You're not winning. You've got two pieces left and you move either, I can get them right away."

"Exactly!" Raijin beamed. Huxley's expression settled into a familiar deadpan and Raijin's smile dimmed slightly. "It's… not the first person to lose all their pieces?" Huxley shook his head, not breaking eye contact with the smaller boy. "Right." Raijin tipped his chin onto his chest, reconsidering the board. His eyes flicked up, narrowing at Huxley. "Hey, what's that over there?" He flung out a point- Huxley didn't fall for it- and flipped the board, pieces scattering into Huxley's lap. "Ah, man. I hope there aren't any more random earthquakes."

"You're a sore loser, little man."

"Lou! Control yourself!"

"Huh? What? What happened?" Louisa, having been drawing Storm, raised her head to show she was listening, but didn't look round.

"No more earthquakes, Lou!"

"I didn't do anythin'?"

"He's cheating, Lou. Just ignore him."

"Done 'n' done." She confirmed, bowing her head to resume her drawing. "Keep still, Storm." The pegasus was more than happy to comply, mollified with a pile of apples.

"Play again?" Raijin grinned lopsidedly.

"No." Huxley began picking up the pieces. It was a small travel set they had acquired at the mini-mart last month. Just a little something to pass the time. He ignored Raijin's pout. "Shouldn't Ruby be back by now?"

"The stream ain't far." Louisa reminded them, shading Storm's mane. "Can't be much longer."

"Maybe she saw a pretty flower." Raijin suggested, splaying his hands. "She likes pretty things." He flourished his hands and tucked them under his chin. "That makes me her favourite thing on the planet."

"I'm sure it does." Huxley agreed, tucking the draughts set back into his backpack. "I'm going to look for her. You stay here." He jabbed a finger at Raijin and then at the ground. The boy blinked at him, a slow, sly smirk creeping over his face. "Lou, keep an eye on him for me."

"'Kay."

The stream wasn't far, as Louisa had said. Ruby had insisted she collected the water today- "Let me help. I can help. I'll go." Hardly a ten minute walk. With her arms patched up and definitely not going to fall off, she seemed to be making the most of them, while she still had them.

"Ruby!" Huxley called. "Ruby!" He paced along the edge of the stream, frowning. "Ruby!" A light breeze brushed through the treeline, rippling the leaves with gentle whispering.

Something crunched under his foot, making him jump. He looked down, hopping away from whatever he had stood on, holding his foot off the floor.

A water bottle, now a bit muddied with his shoeprint.

All of their water bottles were there. Two had been filled. One had been dropped, which he had stood on, and it lay without its lid. He couldn't see the lid. The fourth was still empty.

Huxley crouched beside the debris, rubbing his hands together nervously. "Ruby?" He tried again. "Ruby, not funny! Where are you?" He stood, reaching into his pocket. He squeezed his keyring, axe lengthening in his hand. "Ru-?" He quietened suddenly, stepping back into the stream. Blue-green steam rolled across the ground, slathering over the mud, the water bottles. The plastic recoiled, folding in on itself in goopy blobs as it melted.

The steam stretched towards him, bubbling and billowing wispy fragments. "Ruby!" Huxley called again, desperation cracking his voice. He swung at the steam, foreboding coiling in his gut. His axe passed straight through the oncoming vapour. He splashed backwards, clambering onto the other side. It crept closer, not even faltering on the water.

He tried to run. Tried to get around it, to get back to the others, get their help. The second he poured on speed, the second he moved away… the steam lunged. It reared and broiled, darkening in colour. It threw itself at his ankles, binding with all the force of the Minotaur's grip. Huxley toppled, axe flying from his hand. "Help!" He shouted, feeling the mist race up his back, lathering over his limbs. "Help!" He called again, vision losing to blurs of navy and dark green. He opened his mouth to yell again. The steam crawled in, eradicating his words and burning across his tongue like lava.


Ooooohhhhh