I decided to retcon the later half of this chapter. I felt the pacing got a bit too wonky, and Fox drooling over Krystal was a bit hard to swallow. Hopefully, this makes it a bit more readable.
It had been many hours since the flight began from Krazoa Palace. The flight across the skies of Sauria was long, but at least there were no horrible storms to impede their path. But there was one obstacle the trio still had to overcome.
Princess Kyte's boredom.
It was getting a bit tedious for the young Cloudrunner. While she was accustomed to flying and enjoyed it, longer flights such as this could wear on her patience. It had been at least 12 hours or so since they departed the Krazoa Palace, and there was nothing really to see or do from this altitude. All she could see were clouds. Besides, that she had already exhausted just about every topic, she could think to discuss. She had also been pestering her uncle about when they might get to Thorntail Hollow. After a while, it became clear she was just doing it for her own amusement.
"Are we there yet? Kyte kept asking.
"We get there when we get there," Kree responded, clearly annoyed.
Riding on top of the guard captain, Krystal. Krystal had tried her best to entertain her with stories, but she, too, ran out of things to discuss. She had listened to Kyte pester her uncle, over and over, with a sense of mischievousness. It became clear to Krystal that, despite Kyte's surprising maturity and elegance, she could still be just as mischievous as other children her age. Yet still, Krystal found her attempts at pestering her uncle to be slightly amusing.
"Kyte, we still don't know when we might arrive." Krystal began in a mock stern tone before winking at the princess, who caught on to what she was doing. On the other hand, Kree had a relieved look on his face, as if happy someone besides him was reining the young princess in.
"But seriously, Kree, when will we get there? Maybe we've been flying in circles?" Krystal asked, just to get a reaction out of Kree. Kyte laughed at the response, much to her uncle's chagrin.
The larger Cloudrunner rolled his eyes and groaned. "Ha, ha, hilarious, Krystal. You're just as bad as Kyte." He began before noticing a particular rock that was a landmark of Thorntail Hollow.
Elated, he stated," But, as luck would have it, we have finally arrived." He said.
He was met with a joint "Finally!" from the two females with him in response.
Kree noted that and began his descent into the valley where the hollow was situated.
After only a few minutes of lowering themselves through the clouds, the group was met with a breathtaking view. Just below them, they noticed a wide open hollow, covered in lush grass and filled with life of all kinds. Vibrant grass covered the whole area, with a large river running right through the middle of the hollow. Trees decorated the different parts of the area, producing fruit and shelter for those who needed it.
What Krystal found particularly interesting were the carved stone structures along particular walls and the living rock statue in another part of the hollow.
"Strange. I will have to question them about that later." Krystal thought.
Kree had set down on top of a cliff face, overlooking the whole hollow. The trio noticed many quadrupedal dinosaurs going about their lives, each one yellowish-brown in color, with spiked armored backs and large beaks. The Thorntails seemed to be minding their own business; some were calmly eating grass, others were sleeping, while some were just wandering around the hollow.
"I take it those are the Thorntails?" Krystal asked, to which Kree nodded. "And from the looks of it, they are doing better than our tribe at the moment." He added, gesturing to their surprisingly peaceful demeanor. In such a tranquil place, one could almost be forgiven for forgetting a war was going on.
Kyte landed right next to her uncle on the cliff before gazing down at the Thorntails below.
"Mother had brought me here before, during a time she had business with their elder. The Thorntails are super nice to everyone, even to other tribes. I am sure one of them can help point us in the right direction." Kyte explained. Kree nodded in agreement before gliding down to the lower part of the valley, with Kyte following shortly after.
Setting down at the cliff base, he allowed Krystal to get off his back. He then glanced around as if searching for someone. He then eyed a group of Thorntails, then began making his way over towards them. He signaled with his beak for Krystal and Kyte to follow.
Once they arrived at the group, the Thorntails simply glanced at the trio, making odd, confused expressions at Krystal. Clearly, they had never seen a creature like her before. One of them spoke up.
"Greetings, Cloudrunner. I hope you are doing well. Who is this strange friend of yours?" A Thorntail had asked. Krystal was about to reply, but Kree spoke first. "She is an outworlder who aided my tribe recently. Now, I need to ask you for some help." Kree redirected the conversation. "I am searching for some other Cloudrunners. Have you seen any around here recently?"
The Thorntail thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Nope, sorry. Not much has really been going on here recently. Don't think my friends here have seen anything either."
Kree thanked them for their time politely then began walking off. He glanced around again before he noticed another, lone Thorntail off in a field of flowers, seemly minding his own business. This one seemed slightly different from the other Thorntails, as he seemed to be focused on something over there, but the trio was unsure what. Adding to that, he appeared to be wearing a robe of some sort over his back and had some kind of symbol drawn on his head.
Feeling it was worth a shot, the larger Cloudrunner led his companions over towards the lone dinosaur.
When they got near the Thorntail, he abruptly stopped whatever he was doing and turned to face them. Oddly enough, Krystal sensed slight feelings of apprehension from the Thorntail but figured it must have just been because of the fact three strangers just approached him. She did not bother reading his mind, as she preferred not to do such a thing unless she needed to. She respected other's privacy, after all.
Kree approached the Thorntail, bowing respectfully. The Thorntail just glanced at the guard captain before uttering a slight "Hello" and looking away.
"This one is particularly nervous." Kyte thought as she waited to see what he said.
"Greetings. We were hoping you could give us some directions." Kree began. "You see, we are looking for some other Cloudrunners. It is important that-"
"If you are looking for your patrols, I saw them fly further ahead, into the Northern part of the hollow. Perhaps one is still there." The Thorntail interjected a bit hastily, catching the others off guard. He spoke in a slower tone, appearing to be older than Krystal initially thought.
"Excuse me, but how did you know that?" Kree inquired, puzzled by the fact this Thorntail had seemed to know who he was and what he was doing.
The Thorntail brushed off the inquiry." I recognize you as a member of the Cloudrunner royal guard due to your armor. Everyone here has heard of what happened with the planet breaking up and the chaos surrounding the tribes affected. Besides, your patrols informed me you would be coming here. Now, forgive me, captain, but it is important I get back to my business here."
And with that, the robed Thorntail resumed his business. From what the trio gathered, he seemed to be picking flowers. Seeing as he did not want to be bothered further, the trio made for the north end of the hollow.
Along the way, Kyte and Krystal started discussing the strange Thorntail. "That was kind of weird. Don't know why he seemed in such a hurry." Kyte had said to Krystal.
"It seems he was in the middle of a pressing matter, though I don't know what could be some important about some flowers," Krystal replied, still a bit confused.
"Whatever it was, it was his business," Kree interjected. "Though, I get the feeling he must be a bit important to the Thorntails, given his attire and the fact my patrols informed him about me," Kree added.
Pacing onward, they eventually made it through the rest of the hollow and came across an open area outside of a cavern. It seemed to be secluded, but no Cloudrunners were present at first glance, but just as they were about to turn back to check the rest of the hollow, the sound of wings flapping interrupted them.
"Captain Kree! Thank the Krazoa we found you." An orange Cloudrunner had appeared before them, wearing metal armor. He seemed to be a soldier.
"The Thorntail Leader met with us and gave us a place to stay. We informed him of the situation and that you might arrive. The rest of the patrol is already gone; they left me here to find you." He stated. Glancing behind Kree, he then noticed Princess Kyte standing beside him, as well as Krystal.
"Ah, Princess Kyte! You are safe! When we're worried for you." He said before glancing at Krystal. "And you, outworlder, clearly managed to save her. The rest of the soldiers and I cannot begin to express our thanks." The solider added before bowing respectfully.
"It's no big deal; I am just happy to help," Krystal replied.
"Thank you, but how are mother and my siblings? And our tribe? Is everyone ok?" Kyte began, clearly concerned about her family and tribe.
Sighing, the soldier began to inform the trio of the Cloudrunner Fortress and the rest of the tribe. Kyte and Kree exchanged a concerned glance at each other. Clearly, things had gotten out of hand.
"At least everyone is ok for now. I just hope we all can reunite at the fortress soon." Kyte said, a bit shocked but relieved to hear her tribe family was ok for the time being.
Krystal looked concerned but understood that the Queen and her army could handle the situation regarding the tribe.
"I understand the situation," Kree replied calmly, despite the concern apparent in his expression a second ago. "I need your help to link up with the rest of our members. We will find the Queen and regroup from there." He stated.
He then thought of the princess. The mission he was about to embark on was dangerous, and he risked putting the princess in harm's way. He pondered what to do with Kyte, as he had few places to leave her for her safety. The fortress was out of the question at the moment, as they could not reach it, and he needed this soldier's help to locate the rest of his army. It then hit him; perhaps he could entrust her to Krystal for the time being. The vixen had proven herself kind and trustworthy, as well as a very skilled fighter. The princess would no doubt be safe with her.
"I need to think of how to convince her, though. I can't just expect her to play babysitter for us." Kree thought to himself. Turning around, he motioned for the others to follow him.
"Come, we should gather what food we can before we set out. And I need to speak to you all after we do. There is much to discuss, and I need time to collect my thoughts." Kree explained.
The rest of the group understood and preceded to follow Kree back towards the main area of Thorntail Hollow. Walking through the lush hollow, the trio spotted a group of Dumbledang trees from earlier and headed towards them.
Approaching the trees, the younger Cloudrunner began to fly up and tried to yank a few pods out with her talons. Failing, she landed back down on the ground, disappointed. Seeing this, Kree and the soldier tried to yank them out with their talons , having a bit more success. Krystal also got in on the action, whacking another tree with her staff, causing several pods to fall. Kyte began eating away at a few of the pods while Kree and Krystal started loading some pouches they had on them. After a while, they had filled up the bags. The group took a moment to relax and enjoy the spoils of their efforts.
Taking the moment of respite, Kree figured now would be an excellent time to speak to Krystal about Kyte. Turning to them both, Kree said." Krystal, I need to talk to you about something." He began.
The vixen turned her head towards him, puzzled. "Yes?"
"As you know, I will have to go off shortly to regroup with the other Cloudrunners. I have no doubt we will be forced to engage in combat against the Sharpclaws once the rest of my tribe regroups. But the problem is we cannot bring the princess with us; it is much too dangerous." He began. The vixen could guess what he was about to ask.
"Do to the dangers of my mission, I feel it would be safest to leave Kyte in your care for a while. We can't reach our fortress now, nor do we have any permanent encampments the Sharpclaw aren't already aware of. We don't have anywhere I feel would be truly safe." He finished explaining. "I know it is a lot to ask, and you have already done so much, but would you be willing to watch Kyte for a while?" He asked.
Krystal thought for a bit about it. She had some experience with children, but she was a bit irritated at being asked to essentially babysit for the royal family. But, she had gotten to know Kyte over the flight to Thorntail Hollow. It was clear to her the princess was both strong and adventurous, despite her young age. Krystal had no doubt she would be alright in her care. Maybe she could even aid Krystal on her adventure.
"Very well, I will keep her with me. You have my word that I will keep her safe and return her to the fortress when an opportunity permits itself.
Kyte had been listening to the conversation. She took the news pretty well. In fact, she seemed excited at the prospect of staying with Krystal. "Sounds like an adventure to me!" She said before turning to her uncle, a look of realization taking hold of her face.
"But what about you, mother, and the rest of the tribe? Will all of you be ok?" She asked Kree, sounding concerned.
Kree responded by giving her an affectionate nuzzle before reassuring her: "Don't worry, Kyte. We will be fine. We just have to regroup, is all. Before you know it, you will be back home in your mother's wings, and we will have the Sharpclaw on the run." He said firmly. Kyte smiled in agreement.
After finishing the conversation, the group went back to enjoying their bounty. Eventually, they finished ensuring their pouches were full and they had everything they needed.
"Look like we are all set," Kree stated, satisfied with the bounty they had harvested.
"Agreed, sir." The soldier replied. The two adult Cloudrunners began going over their plans again. But as they were, they suddenly noticed something moving nearby. By the looks of it, a dinosaur, and one that would not be pleased to see the Cloudrunners.
An Earthwalker soldier, wearing light armor, had been walking towards the trees the group got fruit from. His scales were brown, and he bore a few scars along his side. Approaching the spot they were at, he seemed distracted, as if lost in thought. When he got near the Dumbledang trees the group had just looted, he suddenly glanced up.
Upon seeing the Cloudrunners, he grew an angry expression and took a more threatening stance. The Cloudrunner soldier took a defensive posture while Kree raised his wings, using them to shield Kyte and, to her own surprise, Krystal as well. It seemed as though he expected some kind of trouble from the Earthwalker.
"Fancy running into you here, Cloudrunner." The Earthwalker sneered. "What, the mountains aren't good enough for you anymore?"
Kree, however, responded a bit more rationally than Krystal had expected, given the apparent tension between the two tribes.
"Easy there, Earthwalker. We were merely gathering food. We mean you no harm. I, however, will not allow you to set a foot closer to my niece. I suggest you leave." He said, keeping his guard up.
The Earthwalker scoffed. "Our tribes' histories would beg to differ. Still, I don't want any trouble either. I just want a few Dumbledang pods from these trees. Wouldn't have dreamed of hurting your young companion anyways." He said, in a tone indicating he was a bit insulted.
Krystal suddenly stepped fourth, coming out from behind Kree. She pulled out a few Dumbledang pods and handed them over to the Earthwalker. "Here, take these. We have plenty to spare." She said. Taking them with his mouth, the Earthwalker then nodded in thanks.
Krystal then took the opportunity to address the elephant in the room. "But why must you Cloudrunners and Earthwalkers be so hostile to each other?" She asked, with each of the adult dinosaurs glancing at her in response.
After a long, awkward silence, the Earthwalker spoke up. "There is a long history of bad blood between our tribes. It was instigated by the actions of the Cloudrunners."
"We could argue the same thing, Earthwalker." The Cloudrunner grunt retorted.
Krystal interjected: "At times like this, it is vital you put your differences aside. Your two tribes could be the only ones capable of finishing the fight with the Sharpclaw." Krystal said, hoping to ease tensions in the group.
The Earthwalker and two adult Cloudrunners fell silent. After a bit, the Earthwalker spoke up.
"It isn't that simple, outworlder. Now, I need to get a move on." Before he left, though, he gave a glance at the Cloudrunners again. As he was leaving he spoke to the vixen again.
"Thank you, outworlder. This will be of great aid to my queen." He mentioned, before heading off, elsewhere in the hollow.
The group relaxed after that, with Kyte breathing a sigh of relief. "Glad that's over with." She said.
"I think it's time we left. There is much to be done." Kree stated. "Krystal, please take care of the princess. I know you intend to continue in your quest to find the Krazoa Spirits. Tread carefully; it will be perilous. But I have faith in you. And besides, maybe this is a good opportunity for the young princess to learn more about the planet." He added, eyeing his niece.
"Thank you again, Kree. For all the help you have given me. And don't worry, I will protect Kyte with my life if I have to." Krystal affirmed.
"Don't worry, uncle. With Krystal here, we will save the planet in no time.' Kyte said confidently.
And with that, the two larger Cloudrunners soon took off, saying goodbye a final time before they flew off. After the pair was out of sight, Krystal turned to her new ward.
"Looks like we're a team then, Krystal," Kyte affirmed happily. Krystal nodded in response before allowing the young girl to perch on her shoulder. "So, where do we go from here?" Kyte asked, realizing she had no idea where to even begin.
The vixen pondered this for a moment. She seems to have heard the Earthwalker mutter something about his queen. She then recalled how the Earthwalker at the Palace had mentioned sending out scouts to inform the Queen Earthwalker, here in Thorntail Hollow. It all seemed to click in her head at this moment.
"We need to find the Earthwalker Queen. I must speak with her." Krystal suggested. "Perhaps we can track the Earthwalker soldier." And with that, the duo began walking off.
(Meanwhile, in another part of the hollow.)
The sound of a ship landed broke the tranquil valley as Fox's Arwing had proceeded to land in the middle of the hollow. The many Thorntails in the surrounding area glanced up at the craft, baffled by what they were seeing. Despite the emergence of Sharpclaw spacecraft as of late, few common dinosaurs had seen a spaceship before.
It had been hours since he had left gotten the mission request from Pepper. Since then, his team wasted no time in gathering the supplies Fox might need from around the ship, as well as reviewing the intel Pepper had sent regarding Sauria. It was mainly sparse on detail, as the Corneria army had only limited information on the tribes living in this ancient world, but it did provide details regarding the key characteristics of each tribe and their physical descriptions.
As he finished the landing sequence, Fox climbed out of the cockpit and glanced around at his surroundings, taking in the beauty of the hollow for a brief moment. It was only for a moment, though, as he immediately opened his PDA and contacted Peppy.
"Fox to Peppy, I made it to the surface without incident." The vulpine had said.
"Good flying, Fox, as usual. Now, on to business. According to the data that Pepper sent us, you should start trying to locate the Earthwalker Dinosaur tribe. We believe them to have a presence somewhere in this area. Being one of the two ruling tribes of the world, their leaders should be able to provide further intel on the current situation plaguing the world." Peppy's voice sounded on the other end of the comm.
"Copy that, but where do we start?" Don't see any Earthwalkers around here." Fox replied.
"Try speaking to the locals. Slippy already installed the translator to your PDA. Peppy out."
Switching the comms off, Fox looked around at the Thorntails going about their business around the hollow. He was briefed on their descriptions; they seemed friendly to most creatures, even to outworlders. Perhaps they would be willing to help him out.
Glancing over at the group of Thorntails eating some grass, he the vulpine started making his way over to them. "Right, got to make a good first impression. Just play it cool. You've done this diplomacy thing before." Fox thought to himself as he got close. The Thorntails looked at him, curious looks on each of their faces. A Thorntail in the front spoke up.
"Greetings, outworlder. I wasn't expecting to see another one of your kind today. Is there something you need?" He asked in a friendly tone.
Fox was caught off guard for a brief second. "Another one of my kind, here? What do you mean? I just got here." He said, confused.
"My friends and I spoke to another outworlder with a group of Cloudrunners just a little while ago. She looked a lot like you but was blue." The Thorntail explained.
"She? I didn't know there were blue foxes out there. What is a member of my species doing here with these big lizards? It doesn't add up. Oh well, I suppose I can look into it later." Fox decided, refocusing on his mission. "I don't know anything about that, but have you seen any Earthwalkers around here lately? I need to speak to them. It is urgent." He pressed the dinosaur.
The Thorntail thought for a moment. "Yes, I believe I have. Try a bit further into the hollow; I think I saw one over there with our leader." He finished.
Fox thanked the dinosaur politely and began heading in the direction the Thorntail had pointed him.
(Meanwhile, with Krystal)
The duo had been making their way towards for end of the hollow Krystal the soldier heads off in. Kyte had lept off the vixen's shoulders and started flying overhead, trying to get a bead on where he might have gone. Eventually, Kyte spotted a pair of large footprints leading to a surprisingly ornate stone structure shaped like an entrance to a temple. At the front of it was a large stone door. Flying back down, she reported her find to Krystal.
Feeling that could be their best bet, she made for the stone structure. Glancing around it, the vixen tried to find a way to open the door. Eventually, she noticed what seemed to be a worn pressure plate on the ground, covered in grass. Stepping on it, she saw the door had been opened. Calling Kyte back to her, she proceeded inside.
The inside of the structure was spacious, definitely large enough to contain a group of Thorntails within it. It appeared to be built into a cave of some sort, which ran for a bit before coming on another chamber. Inside, the duo noticed two large dinosaurs. One was the same robed Thonrtail they had seen earlier, while the other seemed to be an Earthwalker. She was yellowish-brown with a purple streak along her back and was adorned in a jeweled headdress. Krystal guessed she must be the Queen Earthwalker.
The vixen and princess peered closer and caught sight of the queen's condition. She was visibly ill and seemed demoralized. She was lying down on a few rags, sporting several nasty bruises on various areas of her body. Her breathing was shallow as if she was on the verge of death. It was likely her wounds had gotten infected before she had received treatment.
The Thorntail leader, whose identity the duo had deduced by now, seemed to be attempting to treat the queen's wounds. He had several leaves to his side and many other florae Krystal knew could be used in medicine. A bowl with a mixture of some sort lay out his side while the Thorntail attempted to cover the queen's scars. While doing so, the Thorntail leader spoke to the queen.
"Your grace, how are you feeling? Is the medicine I gave you working?" The Thorntail leader asked, clearly concerned. The Queen attempted to answer but coughed instead. After a moment, she spoke in a weak voice.
"A bit, Bardon, but I do not feel well. Its at least eased my physical pain a bit." She said, her voice coarse. "But I don't know how long I can keep going like this.' The queen said in a somber tone.
The elder Thorntail's expression fell. "You aren't referring to your illness; I take it." He said as he attempted to comfort the regal Earthwalker.
"I am sorry about your son, my queen. We are doing everything we can."
"You've done more than I could ask, giving me and my tribe shelter here." The Queen said before looking off. "It just seems so hopeless. I can't help but feel I failed my tribe. I couldn't even stop my own son from being kidnapped. I just don't know what to do anymore. "She trailed off again, almost crying.
The Thorntail leader was unsure how to respond. He had no solutions to her problems. His tribe was not one of warriors; they were pacifistic. The best he could do was try to heal the queen. He turned his head in sorrow, at which point he noticed the form of Krystal poking out from around the corner. He stood up, alert.
"Whoever you are, please come out. We know you are there." He said sternly.
Krystal gulped, embarrassed at the fact they had been caught eavesdropping on royalty. She braced herself to face the queen and elder. Remembering the tensions Earthwalkers had demonstrated to Cloudrunners, she whispered for Kyte to stay behind her and remain hidden.
Coming out, she bowed politely and spoke. "Greetings, your highness. My name is Krystal. The Earthwalker Captain from Krazoa Palace told me to speak to you." She began. "I am terribly sorry to interrupt. I was unsure how-"
"Wait, you spoke with the Captain I sent to the palace?" The Queen gasped, surprised. "How did you get there, and what are you doing here, outworlder?" The Earthwalker Queen inquired, caught off guard by what she had just heard.
Taking a breath, Krystal began to explain what had happened at the Krazoa Palace. After she had finished, the two Saurian leaders before her were silent but clearly baffled, as evident on their expressions.
"I can't believe Scales would go this far." The Queen said, still in shock. But then her voice sounded elated. "But if you were already able to return a spirit..." She said as Krystal sensed hopeful thoughts shooting through her. "Perhaps there is hope after all. Now, forgive me, but I still have not properly introduced myself." The queen said, attempting to sit up as if to retain some kind of decorum.
"I am Queen Thera of the Earthwalker Tribe. And this is Elder Bardon, leader of the Thorntails." She said, still sounding a bit sick but trying to maintain a queenly elegance.
Bardon then spoke up. "I met this outworlder a bit ago while I was gathering flowers to use in your medicine, your grace. Though we did not get much chance to speak." He added.
Krystal bowed in respect to both of them before Thera went on. "I will gladly aid you in your quest to save our world. You have already proven yourself a kind soul; one of my soldiers mentioned you had given him some of the food you had collected. I also respect what you did for the Cloudrunner Tribe. They may be our main rivals, but I do not wish the loss of a child on anyone. Not even Queen Saffali." She added, to Krystal's surprise.
"She still values their lives, despite the tensions. Perhaps they could be talked into an alliance," The vixen thought.
Kyte's voice sounding from behind interrupted her thoughts. "T-thank you." She said before realizing she had just given herself away.
The two tribes leaders suddenly glanced behind the vixen. "More guests?" Bardon asked, without any hostility in his voice. "Come out, it's alright.."
The young Cloudrunner then nervously shuffled out from behind the vixen's legs, shielding her face with her wings. Krystal sensed nervousness and a hint of fear in the young girl, likely from the fact that she now faced the leader of her tribe's biggest rival.
"A Cloudrunner…" Queen Thera said cautiously before calming back down. Krystal was surprised that she didn't sense much hostility in the Queen; it seemed more like surprise more than anything. Krystal could not even feel many hints of anger within Thera either.
Before the Queen could say anything, Krystal spoke up while kneeling down to reassure Kyte. "Your highness, this is Princess Kyte, the- "
"Cloudrunner's princess, yes. I am aware, the jewelry she wears is a dead giveaway, as are her green scales. Her father was one of the only Cloudrunners known to have had those." Queen Thera finished Krystal's sentence.
(Kyte's amulet had been lost when she was kidnapped, and Kree gave her a new one on the flight to the hollow)
She then went on. "Do not be afraid, young one. Your mother may be my enemy, but I will not harm a child out of spite. There are some morals that we must uphold, despite our tribe's history."
At this, Kyte calmed down but still stood behind Krystal. It was overwhelming to be facing her mother's rival queen. "Uh, thank you." She muttered.
Turning back to the vixen, Thera's expression changed to a more urgent one. "But I must ask you help with something, Krystal. My son, Prince Tricky, was kidnapped days ago by the Sharpclaw." Her voice went somber. "They ambushed us while my soldiers were guiding him and me to safety. We tried to stop them, but they were relentless and numerous. I barely escaped alive, as did my other soldiers." She suddenly looked like she was on the verge of tears before she collapsed onto the ground again, clearly exhausted.
"Please, rescue my son. Do this, and I will do anything I can to aid you in your quest." She finally finished.
"So using children as leverage is routine for those monsters." Krystal thought, affirming her resolve. She could not leave an innocent child in harm's way, but she also needed the Queen's help. "Don't worry; I promise we will rescue your son. Just tell us where we need to go."
Krystal sensed thoughts of hope and relief surge through the Earthwalker. "Thank you. Now, if you are going to reach the prince, the my soldiers believe he is being held at a known Sharpclaw prison camp at Ice Mountain. I the warp stone might be able to aid you, but he normally requires at least some kind of gift or tribute for his services." She finished before coughing. "Please, find a way to save my son, I beg of you." The queen said, coarsely.
Krystal nodded. "I promise, I will do everything I can to save him."
Thera smiled at her, before coughing. " Thank you." She said, before lying her head down again.
Suddenly, Bardon broke his silence. Go forth, young one. I will do what I can to tend to the queen." Before going back to treating the queen, he gazed at the young girl present.
"If you wish, I could watch the young princess for you. It will be dangerous on Ice Mountain." He added.
Kyte shook her head. 'No, I'm with Krystal. I am not getting left out that easily." She said, confidently.
Krystal sighed. "Its her call, and she's already made up her mind, it seems." Krystal added.
Bardon simply nodded. And with that, the Thorntail returned to his medicine. Krystal and Kyte, meanwhile, began making their way out of the structure, arriving back outside in a minute or two.
"Well, that went better than expected," Kyte said, relieved. "She reacted to me much calmer than I would have thought."
Krystal nodded in agreement. "She seems reasonable. Still, I feel for her. What those monsters did to her is unforgivable." Krystal growled. Kyte only nodded solemnly.
"So, what might this Warpstone be like?" Asked the child.
"My guess, that big stone guy we saw when we arrived here." The blue vixen responded.
"And what would make a good offering to him, I wonder? A boulder? No, a mountain?" Kyte joked. Kyte and Krystal shared a hearty laugh for a few moments longer, before Krystal spoke further.
"In all seriousness, we have to think of something." Krystal said, putting her paw to her chin.
Kyte perked up. "Oh. Maybe the Thorntail shop has something we could buy. I heard some of the soldiers in the fortress talk about it. Apparently, the shop keeper has all sorts of oddities." The child stated. Krystal gazed down at Kyte, who was still walking at her side.
"Interesting. Could be worth a visit. But where is it?"
Kyte shrugged. "Maybe we could get directions from some nearby Thorntails?" SHe said, glacnign around for any. After a few moments, she spotted a lone Thorntail, over by a patch of grass. "What about him?" She said, as she pointed over the the dinosaur with her wing. Krystal shrugged.
"Sure."
Within a few moments, they had paced over to the lone Thorntail. The larger dinosaur was grazing away in some grass, stopping briefly to glance up at the duo as they came into view.
"Interesting sight. An outworlder, and a Cloudrunner." He muttered. 'Need something?" He inquired, idly.
"Could you give us directions? We are looking for the store." Krystal stated.
"Its further down the hollow, down a large cave in a rock formation near the Warps stone." The Thorntail said simply. "Check under some of the rocks nearby for some scarabs, if you don't have any. But be warned, the shop keeper is... something of an acquired taste. He seems a bit shady to me." The Thorntail added, a bit of contempt evident in his tone.
"What do you mean?" Kyte inquired?
"Alot of iffy rumors about where he gets his goods. But he certainly will have what you need." He finished.d
'We will be careful. Thank you." Krystal said simply. She and her ward left the Thorntail to his grazing sooner after.
(-)
Fox meanwhile, was making towards the other end of the hollow, following the instructions the Thorntails left him. As he he did, however, the conversation of a passing group of Thorntails caught his attention.
"Did you here about what happended to the queen? Those Sharpclaw beat her pretty badly." A male Thorntail said, shuddering.
"Thats horrible. i just got back from a visit to Cape Claw? What happened exactly?" Another female Thorntail asked.
"Sharpclaw ambushed her and her soldiers while they were fleeing from the Walled City. Heard they even took her son."
Fox stopped at this and listened.
"Poor thing. Queen most be having a hard time of it." The female muttered.
"She wasn't holding up to well from what I saw of her.
As the conversation went on, Fox felt his blood boil. That a group of savages would beat a woman senseless, and kidnap her son. As they conversation went on and outlined more of the cruelty of the Sharpclaws, he only grew angrier. Yet, at the sametime, he found an opportunity. Where before he was just going ot talk to the queen radonmly and hope for the best, now he felt an idea coming together. If he could save this prince, than perhaps he could get into the queen's good graces.
With that in mind, he butted into the conversation.
"Excuse me." He began, catching the two dinosaurs by surprise.
"An outwordler? Don't see many of you." The female noted.
Fox ignored the comment and spoke on. "Forgive me but I could not help but overhear your conversation. About what happened to your queen and the prince. I was hoping I might be able to help." He stated.
The two dinosaurs perked up. The male Thorntail's expression lit up a bit, but he kept a somewhat skeptical look in his eyes as he looked over the vulpine. After a moment, he shook his head. "No harm done in telling you, I suppose. As you heard, the Queen Earthwalker was beaten senseless." He began, before Fox interrupted.
"Some other Thorntails alrea told me about her. BUt what about the prince? Where would he be? I can't leave a child in the cluches of monsters." Fox said fimrly.
"If you really want to help, we believe the prince would likely be at an infamous Sharpclaw prison camp on Ice Mountain." The Thorntail stated.
Fox nodded. "Consider him saved.' He said, turnign away.
"Wait! Its dangerous, and we haven't even told you how to get there. What if you get heard?" The female chimed in, as Fox turned back around to face her again.
"Don't worry, I've handled plenty of nasty customers before. This shouldn't be too hard. And I have my methods of, shall we say, finding my way to places." Fox said.
The Thorntails sighed. 'Very well, you do what you feel is best, but be careful." They said, as Fox waved them off and walked away.
After getting out of earshot, Fox booted up his PDA and contacted Peppy.
"Fox to Peppy, you read me?"
After a few seconds, Fox heard noise on the other end, followed by an aged voice. "Peppy here, need something, Fox?"
"Yeah. Got a lead on something I thing will aid in our mission. Can you get me a scan of the topography and geography of the Ice Mountain region of Sauria?"
"Yes, but what's so important about some frigid rock?"
"A rescue mission. Heard from the locals the Queen Earthwalker is present in the hollow, but is in pretty rough shape. Plus, her son's been taken, and is being held prisoner at camp on Ice Mountain. By a cruel sounding tribe called the Sharpclaw. Think if we save him, we can the queen might be willing ot aid us further." Fox noted.
Peppy hummed for a moment. "I see. Fair enough, I will see about getting you a map of the region; and a way up. I suggest you pack accordingly." He noted
"Already on it. Get back to me when you can. Fox out."
Fox said, as he switched off his comms and went to retrieve the required gear he needed from his Arwing.
(-)
"That should be all."
Krystal mutterd, as she finshed collecting a scarbs from under some nearby rocks. With the aid of her staff, she had managed to lift up the larges stones and had foudn a bounty of scarabs. Though repulsed insects, she was assured they were valuable. Putting the golden hued insects in her rain jacket pockets, she motioned to Kyte to fly over to her. The girl had been perched nearby.
"Great job, Krystal." She said, as she perched on the vixen's shoulders.
"Thanks." Krystal said, as she began walking into the tunnel leading down to the shop
"Still can't believe this is what passes for currency on Sauria." She muttered.
Kyte raised a brow. "What do you use then?"
"People on other planets use different things for currency. Most are metal or paper. But it hardly matters. Lets just see if we can get what the we need." Krystal stated.
As they walked further through the stone tunnel, they shortly thereafter came upon a curtain, in a carved out doorway. Stepping through it, they duo found themselves in ornate stone room. The room was spacey, with a stone floor and walls, likely carved out of the structure. Several doorways, with corresponding fabrics over them were visible. Above each of them were symbols Krystal did not know.
Out of nowhere, a puff of what Krystal thought was magic puffed appeared, followed shortly by the materialization of a strange, floating dinosaur. This creature had green scales, a purple cloak and 'hood', but strangly lacked legs. In place of where his legs should be, was simply a 'tail', curled around itself. Krystal and Kyte did there best not to balk at teh strange creature before them.
"Ah, customers. Come in, and welcome to my store. I am the shop keeper, Shabunga. Pleased to make your acquaintance" The shopkeeper greeted, in a shrill voice. Kyte and Krystal had too take a few seconds to take in this strange creature's appearance, before Krystal spoke.
"Um, greetings. I am looking for a gift for the Warpstone, to-"
"Yes, for his services. Not is free, of course. Lucikly for you, I have just the thing. If you would be so kind as to follow me." He said, floating towards one of the doors. Krystal shrugged and followed, with Kyte still on her shoulder.
Following the shopkeeper, Krystal was led to a room with all sorts of odd items she didn't regonzie. Not paying them heed, she focused her gaze on stone the keeper gestured towards.
"Stone candy. A favorite of the Warpstone. Thorntails invented it a long time back, to thank the golem for his service to them. Only fifteen scarabs." He stated.
Krystal shrugged. "Fair enough." She said, fishing the bugs out of her pockets and handing them over. The bugs vanished in the Shopkeeper's hands, in a puff of purple smoke. He smiled.
"Thanks." He said simply.
Krystal took the stone and placed it in her pockets. Turning ot leave, seh was stopped when the shopkeepers spoke more.
"Before you go, I have an offer would like to make." He said, in a sly tone. Krystal grew rigid at the way he spoke the sentence, and turned around with hesitance.
"That girl on your shoulders. My sources say the Sharpclaw are looking for her. And willing to pay a hefty price." He said, deviously.
Krystal glared, as Kyte shrunk on her shoulders. "K-krystal..." She muttered.
"I will pay you a heft sum if you hand her over." He said, a sly expression forming on his face.
Krystal drew her staff, and kept it idle. "I will never hand her over to you!" She spat. The shopkeeper merely waved her off.
"Have it your way." He said, nonchalantly.
"You would turn over a child too those monsters?!" Krystal challenged.
The shopkeeper shrugged. "Its just bussiness, dear. I was merely making an offer. I only aim to make a profit, thats all." He said, before vanishing in a puff of smoke.
Krystal growled. "Were leaving Kyte." She said, as she stormed out. Hasteining her steps, she hurried out.
"Thanks for not handing me to him." Kyte said sheephilsy.
Krystal smiled. "I would never do that, Kyte." SHe siad, before huffing again.
"The nerve of that... crook." She said, trying to stop her self from cursing. Hurrying over to the warpstone, she and Kyte were both shocked to see such a strange being, though Kyte a bit less so. Ignoring their own feelings of surprise, the duo approached him. Clearing her throat, the golem turned to face her.
"Greetings. I am Krystal, and this is princess Kyte." She began.
The stone humanoid spoke up in a booming, deep, voice. "Yes, I know who she is. But you, outwordler, are new to me. I have not seen many of your kind." He spoke.
Krystal decided to get straight to the point. She pulled at the 'rock candy' she bought, and offered it. "I was told you could help me if I brought you a gift, right?" She urged. The stone giant nodded, and took the candy, eating it. Krystal did not even bother trying to guess how a stone creature ate things.
"Thank you Been a while. Now, what can I do for ya?" He asked.
"I need information of on how to get to Ice Mountain. The prince of the Earthwalkers is being held there. We were hoping you could assist us." She stated.
The stone creature sighed. "I cannot warp ya there. I can only warp individuals to magic rich areas of the planet, such as Krazoa Palace."
Kyte frowned. "But surely you can tell us something. We were told you could have vast knowledge of the world. Can you tell us any kind of short cut to get up the mountain quicker?" She inquired
The warpstone nodded. "Fret not, my dear. I believe that I can assist with that."
(-)
A bit later, the Krystal was at the foot of Ice Mountain, having found a good point to begin her ascent. The warpstone had imparted info of the fastest path one could take to get to the general area the prisoins camp was located. As it turned out, the Warpstone had been well traveled; he was able ot walk across Sauria, his legs simply being buried under the surface. Adding to this, he had accoumlated much knolwedge of the world throughout his travels, and would often share and trade this knowledge with others. Having listened intently, Krystal begrduleyl went back to the shop, and bought a bag for food, and gathered dumbledang pods elsewhere in the hollow. Shortly after, they were directed to the base of Ice Mountain by some other Thorntails.
Now, Krystal gazed up at the mountain, and gave an beleaguered sigh. Bracing herself for the hefting climb, she surveyed the crevices. After a second, she looked back to her ward.
"Are you sure you are up for this Kyte?"
Kyte laughed. 'I'm the one with wings. Why would I not be?" She asked, missing the point.
Krystal laughed. "Yes, but you have no fur. I should be ok for awhile, but you will be frigid. YOu can always stay." She stated. Kyte shook her head.
"I want to help you. I will be fine, I promise." Kyte said with a smile.
Krystal, knowing she could not change the young girl's mind, sigh. With a final deep breath, she began climbing.
And that's a wrap for this chapter. I rewrote this chapter because i felt the original version was a bit too wonky and clunkly. By doing it like this, I feel I can give this part of the story some more time to develop. And to to improve the pacing.
Sidenote: Please forgive me for any spelling mistakes or word checking. I try to be thorough in my editing of these chapters, but things seem to slip through the cracks. I will keep working on that. Also, if anyone notices, I went back and changed some of the ages of the characters. I want Krystal and Fox closer in age, but I still want it to seem plausible that he's an experienced mercenary, despite only being in his twenties. Ages won't really get brought up in the story too much, but still.
