A New World
Here's the next chapter of my 'Dinotopia' multiple crossover story. Sorry for the long wait everyone, I was having a bit of a writer's block.
crocodilesmile55: I'm afraid there aren't going to be any trolls within my story, sorry. As for the dragons coming out of the Hidden World. I guess you could say that Dinotopia is connected to the Hidden World in some way, but you'll have to keep reading to find out more about it. Still, I do hope you continue to follow my story and just to let you know, I will be moving my crossover story to the Dinotopia section.
Guest: Here comes the eight chapter of my story. Also I will be moving this story to the Dinotopia section in hopes of getting more reviews.
Chapter 8: The Beast-Man Village
She didn't know how long she had been knocked out, but after a while Tabitha began to regain consciousness. She let out a soft groan as she slowly opened her eyes. The first thing Tabitha noticed was that she was in some sort of wooden hut. She also noticed that she was lying on something that seemed too gently swing her back and forth, while also feeling something soft and warm laying on top of her. Tabitha slowly sat up before looking down to see that she was lying in a hammock, which hung from two thick poles, and spread out on top of her was a blanket. The odd thing about the blanket was that it was made up of woven fur. Tabitha stared down at the blanket in confusion for a moment before she lifted her gaze up to look around the hut.
The inside of the hut was occupied by a table, with a few small clay jars and bowls filled with some herbs sitting on its surface, and a chair that stood near the table. On the other side of the room was another hammock that was hung between two other thick poles. There were two windows on the left and right side of the room, with one of them being covered by woven reed shade, while the other one was open to let in some light. The floor was bare except for a woven grass mat that was spread out underneath Tabitha's hammock. Hanging from a beam between the two hammocks was a small unlit oil lamp suspended on a metal hook.
'W-where am I?' thought Tabitha as she took in her surroundings.
Suddenly, Tabitha heard something shifting up above her before she looked up towards the hut's roof beams. That was when Tabitha saw the familiar form of Shorty sitting above her, sleeping.
"Shorty!" shouted Tabitha in joy and relief.
Shorty let out a squawk of surprise at being startled awake before he looked down and cried out in joy at seeing his friend awake. The little dragon quickly opened his wings before he flew down and landed in Tabitha's open arms. Tabitha hugged the little dragon as Shorty nuzzled against her neck and shoulder.
"I'm glad to see you too boy." Tabitha said with a smile.
The two friends' reunion was suddenly cut short when the door to the hut opened. Tabitha and Shorty quickly turned their attention towards the door to see who it was. The person that stood within the doorway had Tabitha's eyes widen in surprise.
Standing in the doorway was a humanoid female rabbit that looked to be a few inches taller than Tabitha. The rabbit had dark brown fur with white fur running down from her muzzle, chest and exposed stomach. The tips of the rabbit's feet were also white with small black claws on each of her four toes. The inside of the rabbit's ears were a soft pink, while the tips of the rabbit's ears were also white. The color of the rabbits eyes were a soft ocean blue with a few dark blue specks in their depts. The rabbit wore a green one shoulder sleeveless crop top, a brown skirt that went down to her knees with one slit exposing her right upper leg. Underneath the skirt the rabbit wore a pair of brown short shorts. Two leather brown arm bands sat on her upper arms and an emerald pendant, which hung from a short silver chain around her neck. Tied onto a loop on the left side of the rabbit's skirt was a small leather brown pouch, which probably held herbs inside of it.
The humanoid rabbit stared at Tabitha in surprise before smiling as an expression of relief appeared on her face.
"Good, you're awake," said the rabbit in a gentle voice. "I was hoping that you would wake up this afternoon. You were knocked out for almost the whole day."
Tabitha stared at the rabbit for a moment before she spoke in a cautious voice. "W-where am I?"
"You're in the Beast Man Village," answered the rabbit as she walked towards Tabitha.
"The Beast Man Village?" echoed Tabitha with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes," said the rabbit as she came to stand in front of Tabitha. "My name is Usagi by the way. I'm the healer of this village, or at least an apprentice that's just learning the basics right now. Luckily for you, you only bumped your head slightly."
"My head?" repeated Tabitha before raising her left hand up towards her head.
When she did, Tabitha felt something wrapped around her head. It was a soft cloth that was wrapped firmly and when Tabitha touched her head, she couldn't help winching in pain.
"Steady now," said Usagi as she gently placed a paw/hand on Tabitha's shoulder. "Your head is still tender after what happened to you."
Tabitha looked at Usagi in befuddlement before she remembered what had happened to her and her half-brothers when they had fallen over the waterfall.
"Uh...have you or the other Beast Men of your village seen two boys that might have been with me?" asked Tabitha with a worried expression upon her face.
"Two boys?" repeated Usagi as she took on a thoughtful expression for a moment before shaking her head sadly. "I'm sorry, but no. You were the only one that our warriors found within the forest."
Tabitha expression changed to one of confusion at what Usagi had just said. She was about to ask her what she had meant when the three of them heard the sound of feet entering the room. Tabitha, Shorty and Usagi turned to see who had entered the hut before the human girl let out a surprised gasp when she saw who it was.
"Tod?"
"Good to see you again, Tabitha," said the fox with a smile as he walked up to stand beside the hammock. "It's been a while since we've last saw each other."
"You're telling me," said Tabitha with an amused smile on her face. "I'd never thought I see you again."
Tod only shrugged his shoulders before Usagi spoke up: "I'm guessing that you two know each other?"
"We've met when I went searching for Chui," answered Tod with a sheepish smile on his face. "It was when I snuck into Waterfall City to look for him."
"Which earned you a very long and harsh lecture from the elders of our tribe," added Usagi with a smirk on her face.
Tod gave Usagi a glare, while Tabitha smiled in amusement. Tod quickly cleared his throat before he continued on with his explanation.
"Anyway, while I was walking around the streets of Waterfall City, I accidently bumped into Tabitha when I wasn't looking where I was going."
"And to be fair, I wasn't looking were I was going either," added Tabitha with a sheepish smile.
Usagi chuckled at what Tabitha had just said before she composed herself. "Well, now that I know your name. Do you mind telling me what had happened to you when three of our warriors found you?"
"There's not much to tell," said Tabitha with a light frown upon her face. "All I remember is me and my half-brothers fighting with each other over Karl cheating on his written footprint exam. Then falling off a balcony that over looked one of the large waterfalls before everything went black."
Tod and Usagi stared at Tabitha in befuddlement for a second before casting a quick glance at each other. Tabitha noticed this before she asked the young healer in front of her.
"Usagi, when you said that the warriors found me in the middle of the forest. Did you mean that they found me washed up on the riverbank?"
"No," answered Usagi with a shake of her head. "The warriors of our village said they found you lying unconscious on the forest floor with that little creature lying on top of you."
Tabitha frowned as she thought over what Usagi had just said. "This doesn't make any sense. How could I have just appeared in the forest when I had fallen down a waterfall with my half-brothers?"
Shorty, who had been quiet for a while, tensed up within Tabitha's arms before he turned his head away to avoid looking at his human friend. Luckily, Tabitha wasn't looking down at him at the moment.
"Well...whatever the case, we're just glad that you didn't sustain any serious injuries," said Tod with a smile.
"Yes, just some minor bruises," spoke Usagi with a gentle smile. "Also, I had to change your clothes since your other ones were, well...wet."
Tabitha blinked in surprise at what Usagi had said before she looked down at herself. She saw that she was wearing a long sleeved light blue tunic over top a sleeveless white undershirt. Tabitha shifted to hold Shorty in her right arm before she lifted the blanket off of her to look underneath. She saw that she was wearing dark brown leggings, and her feet were bare of any socks or other foot wear. Tabitha was surprised to see that she was wearing different clothing instead of the ones she had been wearing when she first came to Dinotopia. She looked back at Usagi as a blush of embarrassment appeared on her face.
"Um..."
"Don't worry. I made sure that nobody else came in." Usagi reassured Tabitha with a smile.
"And I can pretty much vouch on her word for that," said Tod. "Usagi is a very strict when it comes to making sure that her patients have privacy. Believe me, I've accidently walked in without knocking a few months ago while she was healing one of our female warriors. I was given a good whack on the head for that, not to mention a good scolding that came along with it."
"Well it was your own fault for walking in without knocking first," stated Usagi with a smirk on her face.
Tod only frowned at Usagi, while Tabitha let out a chuckle. Tabitha then swung her legs over the sides of the hammock as her bare feet touched the grass mat underneath her. Shorty quickly climbed up onto Tabitha's shoulders and sat there with his tail curled around his human friend's neck. Usagi took a step forward and gently grabbed Tabitha's right arm with her left paw/hand, while placing her right paw/hand between Tabitha's shoulder blades. The rabbit helped Tabitha stand up and let the human girl steady herself for a second before Usagi slowly let go of Tabitha's arm. Tabitha took a step forward before pausing for a moment when she felt herself wobble for a second, but after she steadied herself, Tabitha took another step forward. Tabitha soon grew confident within her steps as she began to walk towards the door with Tod and Usagi following close behind her in case she tripped and fell. Tabitha soon walked out of the door of the hut and into the light of the jungle. She quickly stopped in her tracks as she gazed upon the sight that was displayed in front of her eyes.
Tabitha saw that she was standing on a platform with a wooden railing that over looked a large village. But the huts of the village weren't built on the jungle floor like she thought they would be. Instead, the huts were built high up within the branches of the trees. The huts of village were all connected by suspension bridges, rope ladders and zip-lines. Walking in and out of the huts or across the bridges were all kinds of Beast Men and women that were either working or standing around in a group as they talked with each other. There were even bird and bat type Beast Men flying around the village as they delivered items to those who didn't have wings.
"Wow..." voiced Tabitha as she stared out at the village before her.
Tod chuckled when he saw Tabitha's amazed expression before he walked forward and leaned up against the wooden railing with a smirk on his muzzle.
"I'd bet you've never seen anything like this back where you came from, huh?" questioned Tod with a raised eyebrow.
"Only in stories and fantasy art," replied Tabitha as she continued to look out at the village before her. "But none of them can compare to your village."
"Our village was built in the trees so that it could help us avoid being snuck up on by the Tyrannosaurus herds that seem to be plaguing the jungle these last few days. The thick branches of the trees also make it hard for the Pteranodons to attack us from above." Usagi said as she came to stand on the left side of Tabitha with a light frown upon her face. "The carnivores seem to be growing more numerous with each passing day."
Tabitha frowned at what Usagi had said as she turned to look at the rabbit Beast Girl. "I heard about what was happening around here on this island from Chui a few days ago. It was just after I met him and Tod in Waterfall City by accident."
"Yeah, and you were pretty much the only human to listen to us, while not being afraid of us in the process." Tod said with a smirk on his muzzle.
Tabitha gave Tod a smile before Usagi spoke again. "Oh, I almost forgot."
The young rabbit untied the pouch on the loop of her skirt's hem and opened it. She stuck her right paw/hand into the pouch before pulling it out with her paw/hand now curled into a fist. Tabitha guessed that Usagi had grabbed a bunch of herbs from the pouch and was going to give some to her. She held out her hands towards Usagi and the female rabbit placed whatever she had in her paw/hand into Tabitha's outstretched ones. Tabitha was expecting to feel dry and brittle leaves in her hands, so she was surprised to feel something cold and smooth in them instead. Tabitha frowned in confusion before looking down in surprise when she saw her locket sitting within her hands. She quickly lifted her left hand up towards her neck to feel where the locket had once hung from. When she didn't feel the familiar chain around her neck, Tabitha turned to look at Usagi in confusion.
"I'm sorry," apologized Usagi gently with a sad frown upon her face as she retied the pouch to loop on her skirt. "But I had to take the locket off so that I could check your neck to see if it had sustained any injuries. Don't worry, I didn't look inside it if you're wondering about that."
Tabitha looked at Usagi in surprise before she finally spoke. "Um...thank you."
Usagi only smiled before she turned and began to walk towards one of the suspension bridges, which was attached to the healing hut.
"Now, since you're up, I've been ordered to take you to the elders of our village. They wish to speak to you as soon as possible."
Tabitha, once she had attached the chain of the locket around her neck again, quickly followed after Usagi with Tod following close behind her.
"Why would the elders of your village want to talk with me?" asked Tabitha as she slowed down to a walk behind Usagi.
"Well, they're hoping that you could tell them about what had happened to you and how you appeared near our village." Tod replied as he walked behind Tabitha.
Tabitha looked over her shoulder to glance at Tod with a raised eyebrow. "The last question of how I got here is going to be a little bit difficult to explain."
"Yeah, it is," spoke Usagi with a nervous smile on her face.
Tabitha lightly frowned before she began to let her eyes wander around. She noticed that some of the bird and bat Beast Men had stopped to hover for a moment to look down at her in wonder and confusion.
'I guess this is their first time in seeing a human walking around within their village,' thought Tabitha with a nerves expression upon her face.
The bird and bat Beast Men weren't the only ones who stopped to stare at Tabitha. The rest of the villagers all looked up to gaze at the young human that walked among them. Some of the Beast Men held guarded expressions upon their faces, while others were watching Tabitha curiously. Shorty tensed up on Tabitha's shoulders as he felt a little uneasy about all the stares that he and his human friend were receiving from the Beast Men. Tabitha noticed this and raised her left hand up to gently scratch underneath Shorty's chin. That action caused the little dragon to relax as he let out a soft purr at his human's gentle touch.
"It's alright, Shorty," whispered Tabitha in reassurance. "I promise that nobody is going to hurt you."
Shorty stopped his purring to give Tabitha a look that said; 'It's-not-my-safety-that-I'm-worried-about'. Tabitha raised a questioning eyebrow at her dragon companion before Usagi suddenly spoke up from in front of them.
"We're nearing the Elders' Hut."
Tabitha turned her attention forward to see that they were walking towards a hut, but this one was larger than the other huts within the trees. This hut was built within the branches of a giant tree, which stood in the very middle of the village. The large hut looked as if it was able to hold at least sixty people within its confines. The trio walked towards the front door of the hut where a grass woven curtain hung over the entrance. Usagi pushed the curtain out of the away as she walked into the hut first with Tabitha and Tod following right behind her. Once they had entered the hut, Tabitha saw ten adult Beast Men sitting around in a half circle on grass mats as they talked amongst each other.
The Beast Men were a mix of different animals and all of them were either male or female. Among the Beast Men was Chui as he was talking with a tigress that sat beside him in a low voice.
The tigress had golden fur with light brown stripes on her body, honey brown eyes and a light pink nose. She was wearing a black sleeveless Chinese tunic with golden leaf patterns sewn onto its surface, red pants and open toed sandals. The tigress was a foot shorter than Chui and she was leaner in her body structure, but Tabitha could tell that the tigress was just a strong as Chui.
Tabitha, Usagi and Tod stood quietly near the door as they waited for the adult Beast Men to notice them. It didn't take long for the Beast Men within the hut to notice the young adults as they all turned their eyes towards them. Chui was the first one to speak with a smirk on his face.
"About time you got up, kid."
"Nice to see you too, Chui," greeted Tabitha as she smiled at the leopard in return.
"We have been waiting for you to awaken young one," spoke a Beast Man that sat at the head of the circle.
The Beast Man was a male bald eagle, but his feathers weren't like the regular color that a bald eagle would have. Instead, his feathers were completely white, except for the tip of his wing feathers, which were a light grey. The eagle's upper body was humanoid with his arms and hands covered in white feathers, while his feet were covered in golden yellow scales and his four toed talons were jet black. The Beast Man's beak was also a golden yellow and his eyes were a golden brown. The eagle's wings, which sat behind on his shoulder blades, were folded behind his back. But Tabitha could tell that the wings were large and powerful. The eagle was wearing a dark brown aviator vest that was zipped open to reveal his muscular chest, light brown toraichi pants that were held up by a black leather belt. On the lower arms of the eagle were two traditional dark brown leather archer bands, with two markings of a six pointed star pressed onto their surfaces.
Tabitha could tell that this Beast Man was the leader of the village when she sense a noble aura surrounding him. Usagi and Tod bowed towards the eagle with Tabitha following suit as she bow low and deep in respect.
"Chief Adlar," spoke Usagi as she and her two friends straightened up again. "We've brought our visitor as you requested."
"Thank you, Usagi," said Aldar with a nod of his head before he turned his attention on Tabitha again. "So...you're the young human that Tod and Chui had told us about."
"Yes sir," answered Tabitha with a nod of her head. "My name is Tabitha Winter."
"We are honored to finally meet you, Tabitha," said Aldar with a smile before he gestured with his right hand towards three empty grass mats that sat on the ground before him. "Please, sit down you three."
Tabitha, Usagi and Tod did what Adlar requested as they sat down cross-legged on the grass mats. Shorty climbed down from Tabitha's shoulders and into her lap. The little dragon settled before Adlar began to speak again.
"Now, we have a few questions that we would like to ask you Tabitha. When we do, we'd like you to be honest with us when you answer them."
"I'll try my best to answer them," said Tabitha.
"Alright then, here is our first question. How exactly did you come to our village? Hardly any human upon Dinotopia, especially offworlders, know about our village. Much less have the courage to travel through the Rainy Basin and risk their lives when it comes to the carnivores that live in this jungle."
Tabitha frowned as she thought over the question Adlar had asked her. After a moment, she gave him the same answer that she had given to Usagi and Tod back at the healing hut.
"To be honest with you, sir, I'm not sure how I winded up in the middle of the jungle and near your village. All I remember was falling off the balcony with my half-brothers and going over the waterfall before blacking out."
Adlar stared intently at Tabitha for a moment before asking his next question. "And how exactly did you and your half-brother fall off the balcony?"
"We were fighting, sir," answered Tabitha with a sad frown upon her face.
A murmur rose up from the Beast Men within the hut before Adlar silenced them with a raise of his hand. He then lowered it after a moment before he spoke once again.
"I think it is best that you tell us why you and your half-brothers were fighting with each other."
Tabitha was reluctant to tell her story in front of Adlar and the other Beast Men within the room. But soon plucked up her courage and began to tell everyone her tale about what had happened. She told them about how her half-brother Karl had cheated within his written exam and how she, along with her half-brother David, had become so mad at what their half-brother had done. Tabitha got to how she and David began to push Karl as they let out their frustration on how their father had abandoned their mothers, and that they were both glad that he was dead. She then got to the part where she and David started fighting with Karl before she tackled into both of them, and caused all of them to fall off the balcony and over the waterfall. Once she was finished, Tabitha waited to hear what the Beast Men would say to her.
Chui, Adlar and the other Beast Men were quiet for a moment, until Adlar finally spoke in a calm voice.
"Tabitha, from what you have told me, you and your half-brother have let your anger cloud your judgement. In battle that could cost a warrior their life, but there is a law within Dinotopia that says it is forbidden to show such violence towards others. That will prove to them that you and your half-brothers are not ready to be citizens among them, especially your half-brother, Karl. After hearing a little bit about him, Karl seems to be more like his father than you and David are. He'll defy the rules of Dinotopia and will never fully love a woman that has fallen in love with him. And like his father, it sounds like he doesn't want to be tied down to anyone or anything."
"That pretty much describes him perfectly," said Tabitha with a sigh. "He's pretty much the mirror image of Frank, which is pretty scary."
"Something tells me that that boy is going to cause a lot of trouble around here on this island," grumbled Chui as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"He's just an offworlder, Chui," spoke the tigress that sat next to him. "He'll probably just be like the rest of the humans and accept his place here on Dinotopia."
"You don't know my half-brother," said Tabitha with a frown on her face. "He'll never give up on finding a way off this island. Even if it will cost him his life while trying to do it."
The Beast Men within the room began to whisper amongst each other for a moment before Adlar silenced them once again. He then looked back at Tabitha with a serious expression upon his face.
"There is still the issue that your two half-brothers are still missing. Seeing as they had not shown up in our village like you did. It can only be assumed that the river you three have all fallen into might have carried your brothers farther downstream. Maybe even deeper into the Rainy Basin where the carnivores are more abundant there."
"Then I need to go find them," said Tabitha as a determined expression appeared on her face.
The Beast Men within the room turned to look at Tabitha in surprise, along with Tod and Usagi, while Adlar just stared at Tabitha with a raised eyebrow before he spoke.
"It's going to be dangerous young one," cautioned Adlar in a firm voice. "You might not survive out there if you go alone."
"I know, but I have to," said Tabitha as she stared straight into Adlar's eyes. "I know that Karl is stubborn and is able to take care of himself. It's David that I'm more worried about."
"What do you mean?" asked Usagi with a concerned expression upon her face.
Tabitha turned to look at the female rabbit. "I can't really explain it, but I feel like David is in trouble and in need of help." She then turned to look at Adlar again. "That's why I have to go and find my two half-brothers, no matter what it takes."
Adlar stared at Tabitha intensely as she stared straight back at him with fierce determination shining within her eyes. After a minute of silence, Adlar smiled and spoke with a light chuckle in his voice.
"You have a strong and determined spirit, Tabitha. That's the mark of a warrior amongst our tribe members within this village."
Tabitha blinked in surprise at what Aldar had said before blushing in embarrassment. Some of the Beast Men within the hut noticed this and couldn't help, but chuckle at the sight of the girl. Tod and Usagi also chuckled when they saw Tabitha blushing and the teenager only huffed.
"Never the less, you're still going to need assistance when traveling through the Rainy Basin." Adlar continued as he took on his serious expression again before he turned his gaze onto the tigress that sat beside Chui. "Zara, I want you to fetch your younger brother and bring him here if you please."
"Yes, Chief," spoke the tigress, Zara, with a bow of her head.
Zara stood up and walked out of the hut before Tod spoke up. "Chief, I was wondering if I could accompany Tabitha as well."
Adlar looked at Tod with a raised eyebrow before Usagi spoke up. "I would also like to go with her too."
"Don't be too hasty you two," said Chui as he gave the two younger beasts a firm look. "The Rainy Basin is one of the most dangerous places on Dinotopia. You shouldn't take it lightly, otherwise you two will wind up being some carnivore's snack."
"But Tabitha might need our help in finding her half-brothers," argued Tod with a determined expression upon his face. "I'm one of the best trackers within the village, and I know how to get around the jungle without the T-rex's catching my scent."
"And Tabitha might need me in case one of her half-brothers is injured," added Usagi.
"You two are out of your minds," spoke a black bear Beast Man with an angry frown upon his face. "You and that young human wouldn't last a day out there in the Rainy Basin. Even with Zara's brother looking after you."
"We're old enough to look after ourselves," argued Tod fiercely.
The black bear was about to say something when Adlar raised his right hand up to silence him before the eagle chief spoke again.
"Are you two sure you want to do this?"
Usagi and Tod both nodded their heads with determined expression upon their face. Adlar stared intently at the two young Beast Men for a moment before he nodded his head at them.
"Very well," said Adlar.
The other adult Beast Men turned to look at their leader in shock and disbelief, except for Chui, who looked at Adlar with a deep frown upon his face. They were about to say something when Zara came through the door with another tiger following behind her. Tabitha turned to look behind her to see the new comer, and she couldn't help but blush at the sight of him.
Zara's younger brother was tall, probably around the same height as her half-brothers, with a lean body and slightly muscular arms. He had the same colored fur as his sister, but unlike his sister's honey-brown eyes, his were a silver-blue with a few dark blue specks in their depths. He was wearing a black sleeveless Kung-Fu vest with a golden sash tied around his waist, black pants and white bandages wrapped around his feet. Hanging from his left hip was a Katana with the hilt wrapped up in black leather, and was sheathed in a black scabbard. On top of his head was a tuft of fur that acted like hair as a few bangs hung above his right eye.
Tabitha stared at Zara's younger brother for a few more minutes before turning away with a blush when the male tiger turned his gaze towards her. Zara's younger brother stared at Tabitha with a stoic expression for a moment before he turned his eyes towards his Chief. He got down on one knee and bowed his head towards Adlar.
"You summoned me, Chief Adlar?" asked the young tiger in a slightly deep voice.
"Harimau," greeted Adlar with a small nod of his head before he continued. "I have summoned you here for you to help this young human, Tabitha, search for her two half-brothers. We have reason to believe that they are lost somewhere within the Rainy Basin. Also, Tod and Usagi will accompany you to help in the search as well."
Harimau glanced at Tod and Usagi for a moment before he turned his eyes back onto the Chief again. "As long as they don't slow me down, then I will accept them to come along with me."
Tod and Usagi frowned at what Harimau had just said, but they decided to keep quiet. Tabitha also heard what Harimau had just said as her blush was quickly replaced with a frown of her own.
'Why do I get the feeling that this Harimau guy is going to have the same personality as Karl?' thought Tabitha as she silently sighed to herself.
Chief Adlar nodded his head before he spoke. "Very well young warrior. May you and the others travel safely through the Rainy Basin, and that you will be able to find Tabitha's half-brothers."
"Thank you, Chief Adlar," said Harimau with a bow of his head before he stood up and turned to look at Tabitha, Tod and Usagi. "We'll be leaving in about five minutes."
With that, the young tiger turned and walked out of the hut without another word. Tabitha watched with a frown before she looked at Tod and Usagi, who also glance back at her with raised eyebrows. Shorty quietly growled as he glared at the entrance of the doorway. Zara was the first one to speak after a long pause of silence.
"You must forgive my little brother," said the tigress with a sad frown as Tabitha turned to look at her. "Harimau's one of our best warriors and trackers within our village, but he's not really much of a people person when being around other Beast Men."
"That's alright," said Tabitha with a reassuring smile on her face. "As long as he's able to help, then that's all that matters."
Zara smiled as she nodded her head at Tabitha before Chief Adlar spoke once again. "May you and the others be successful in finding your half-brothers within the Rainy Basin, Tabitha."
"Thank you, Chief Adlar," said Tabitha as she gave the leader of the Beast Men a respectable bow. "I hope to find a way to repay you and your village for your kindness one day."
Chief Adlar bowed back to Tabitha before he watched as she, Usagi and Tod stood up with Shorty quickly perching himself on Tabitha's shoulders again. They then turned and made their way out the door. Once the foursome had stepped outside the hut, Chui turned his gaze onto his chief with a serious expression upon his face.
"Are you sure it is a good idea to let Tod and Usagi go into the Rainy Basin?" questioned Chui with a frown.
"I understand your concern, Chui," said Chief Adlar as he turned to look at the leopard man in front of him. "But you must understand that you can't always keep those two sheltered within this village forever."
"He's right, Chui," spoke Zara with a sad smile upon her face. "Usagi and Tod will need to find their own way in life. No matter how much you want to keep them close to you."
Chui let out a small growl that sounded more tired than angry before he turned his gaze towards the door of the hut again.
'Please ancestors, watch over them as they journey through the Rainy Basin,' prayed Chui within his head.
Tabitha, Shorty and Usagi soon arrived back at the healing hut to gather up Tabitha's clothing, while Tod went back to his hut to pack up his own things. Usagi packed a few medical herbs and bandages into her shoulder bag, while Tabitha packed her shoes and clothing into her own leather brown shoulder bag that Usagi gave her when they first entered the hut. After packing her clothing, Tabitha slipped the strap of the shoulder bag over her head before turning to look at Usagi, who had also finished packing.
"Well, I'm ready, let's go," said Tabitha as she started to walk out the door.
"Hold on there," said Usagi with a smile, "haven't you forgotten something?"
Tabitha turned to look at the rabbit for a second before looking down in realization at her still bare feet. Tabitha blushed in embarrassment, while Shorty let out a scratchy chuckle of amusement. Usagi giggled before she walked towards the door and picked up a pair of light brown handmade flat heeled leather shoes. Tabitha looked at the shoes in surprise before glancing up at Usagi.
"Why do you have those around?" asked Tabitha curiously. "You and your tribe don't look like the type to wear closed toed shoes on your feet."
"I like to fiddle around and make stuff once in a while in my free time," answered Usagi as she handed the shoes over to Tabitha. "For some reason I had the notion to make human shoes a few days ago. I don't know why I made them, but I thought that they might come in handy someday in case we winded up having to take care of a lost human."
"Like me," stated Tabitha with a smirk.
Usagi only shrugged as she watched Tabitha put on the shoes. Once she was done, Tabitha couldn't help but marvel at how comfortable they were on her feet.
'Almost like they were made for me,' thought Tabitha to herself with a smile.
"Looks like they fit you perfectly," said Usagi with a nod of approval. "You can wear them for a while until your other shoes dry out."
Tabitha looked up at Usagi again with a shy smile on her face. "Thank you Usagi, you're a life saver."
Usagi only smiled back at Tabitha before Tod came in through the door with a one shoulder, tan leathered backpack hanging from his back.
"You girl's ready to go?" asked Tod with a smile.
Tabitha and Usagi nodded their heads yes, while Shorty purred his answer at the fox's question.
"Come on then," said Tod as he walked out of the door with Tabitha and Usagi following close behind him. "Harimau is waiting for us at his hut."
The foursome walked across two bridges until they came to Harimau's hut, where the young tiger stood with his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't carry much other than his sword and a leather hip pouch, which hung on his right side.
"About time you got here," muttered Harimau with a light frown on his face.
"Sorry to make you wait, stripes," said Tabitha in mock apology. "Usagi and I just had to finish fixing ourselves up before we came to visit you."
Harimau only glanced at Tabitha with raised eyebrow to show that he was not amused before he uncrossed his arms and opened the flap of his hip pouch. He then pulled out a strip of black wool cloth. He held the cloth out towards Tabitha, who looked at it in confusion.
"Here, tie this cloth around your eyes," said Harimau in a firm voice.
"Um...why?" asked Tabitha as she took the cloth from Harimau's hands.
"It's a precaution," answered Tod with a sheepish smile on his muzzle. "You see, you're the first human to ever come into our village, and we're very cautious when it comes to keeping our village a secret."
"I'm guessing that you're village doesn't want any of the civilians of Dinotopia to discover you guys and try to chase you off the island, right?" guessed Tabitha as she raised an eyebrow.
"Hardly," grumbled Harimau with a roll of his eyes. "The humans of Dinotopia don't have the backbone to do anything violent. Much less pick up a weapon to defend themselves against the carnivorous dinosaurs that want to attack them."
"Harimau, you know the Dinotopians chose to live in harmony with dinosaurs," reasoned Usagi with a frown of disapproval on her face.
"Yeah and just look where their so called harmony has gotten them," growled Harimau as he let out an exasperated sigh. "They all went soft and hide behind Sunstones that protect them when they should be protecting themselves."
"Okay, let's just stop," said Tod as he got between Usagi and Harimau. "Right now we need to focus on finding Tabitha's half-brothers instead of biting each others heads' off."
Harimau looked at Tod for a moment before he let out a sigh and turned back to look at Tabitha again. Tabitha raised her right eyebrow at him before letting out a sigh of her own.
"Alright…I'll blindfold myself," grumbled Tabitha as she began to tie the cloth over her eyes. "But I don't know how we'll get around through the Rainy Basin with me not being able to see where I'm going."
"Just leave that to me," said Harimau as a sly smirk appeared on his face.
Once Tabitha had the blindfold securely around her head, Harimau shot forward and scooped Tabitha up in his arms. Tabitha let out a yelp of surprise as she was suddenly swept off her feet. Shorty, who had flown off of Tabitha's shoulders, let out an indignant squawk as he glared at Harimau in anger. The tiger ignored the little dragon as he shifted Tabitha in his arms before he spoke in a serious voice.
"I suggest that you wrap your arms around my neck for what I'm about to do next," said Harimau.
Tabitha, with some reluctance, wrapped her arms tightly around the tiger's neck. She then let out a gasp of surprise when Harimau suddenly jumped down from the wooden boards of his hut and onto a thicker branch on a nearby tree. He repeated this action by jumping to the next branch, while Shorty quickly flew after him. Tod and Usagi quickly followed after Harimau as they too jumped from the thicker branches of the trees.
What they didn't know was that they were being watched from within the shadows of the trees. Sitting in the higher branches was the female Night Light, who was watching the three Beast Teenagers hoping through the trees with the tiger holding Tabitha in his arms. The Night Light became curious on where they were taking the human girl before she decided to follow them. The Night Light jumped out from the top branches of the trees and began to fly over the jungle canopy above the group, while keeping a close eye on them in the process.
To be continued
Okay, if you're all wondering where Tabitha got that locket I suggest to go back to read the first chapter of my story. I decided to fix the first chapter up a little bit before adding the locket to Tabitha's accessory. It will also have a significant part within the story as well. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
White Hunter, howling out to you and creativity!