Author's Note: Here's chapter two! I hope you all like it, and I promise to
post the third chapter soon. Enjoy!
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Filia sat in the inn common room with Valgaav the next morning, sipping her tea. She had gotten a good night's rest, and was eager to get on the road again. Valgaav sat beside her, sipping a mug of apple cider and smiling happily.
Jillas stepped into the doorway of the inn, and Valgaav ran over and hugged his leg.
"Good mornin', Mither Jillas!" he said.
"Well, good morning to you, little boss," the fox replied, patting Valgaav's head with a paw. Filia walked over to them, and Jillas asked her, "Are you ready to leave yet?"
Filia nodded, and all three of them headed outside after she paid for breakfast. As she had been expecting to walk, Filia was surprised when Jillas led her to a brightly painted covered wagon and helped Valgaav to get on. Hitched to the wagon were four large birds that looked like the ones Jillas and his companions had ridden when Filia had first met the fox.
"Need help getting on, Filia-san?" Jillas asked, offering a paw. "I travel in this because I can keep my fireworks dry, but I used most of them up last night. There's plenty of room for you and the little boss to ride in the back."
Filia took the fox's paw and climbed on. "Alright. Thank you. This will be a lot less tiring and a lot faster than walking."
Soon, Jillas took his place at the front of the wagon, and the wagon started to move. The huge birds kept the wagon moving at an easy pace, much faster than walking, but not so fast that the cart was uncomfortably jostled by bumps in the road. Jillas allowed Valgaav to sit beside him on the driver's seat, and pointed out interesting landmarks. Filia passed the time by thinking about her friends. She hadn't seen Lina or Gourry since their wedding, but she knew they would be happy together. That pair went together like… Jillas and gunpowder. She wondered if Zelgadis had found a cure, and if he was still exploring the world on his own or if he had settled down with Amelia. She even wondered about Xellos, if he had found another dragon to annoy, or if he still remembered her. Filia decided she wouldn't think about the trickster priest as much. She didn't really care about him anyway.
At around noon, they stopped and had lunch beside the road in a grassy field. Jillas provided some cheese, bread and some round fruits that Filia had never seen that looked like large oranges with yellow peals.
"Mommy, what's this?" Valgaav inquired, holding up one of the fruits.
Filia replied, "It looks like an orange, but I'm not really sure."
Jillas pealed one of the fruits, took a section, and ate it. "Actually, it's a grapefruit," he said when he finished chewing. "They don't grow around here, but they're pretty tasty." The fox offered Valgaav a piece. The young dragon ate it and frowned.
"Sour…" he muttered, sticking his tongue out. Filia tried a piece too, and found the grapefruit to be a bit tart, but very good. Jillas smiled and continued to eat.
"It must be interesting to travel as much as you do," Filia commented after they finished eating and Valgaav was releasing his extra energy by running around the field after butterflies.
"It is," Jillas replied. "I have all sorts of exotic food that Lina- san would just love. I just get lonely sometimes."
"I never get lonely. I have my pottery shop, and I always have Valgaav." Filia sighed. "Since dragons live longer than humans, they develop slower too. He's quite a handful at this age, and he'll be like this for a while."
"But you never wish you had someone else to help you?" the fox asked.
Filia shrugged. "I'm independent, and I've made it this far without help." Jillas watched her. "But… yes, I do wish I had some help," she admitted.
Jillas smiled and said, "Filia, why don't you-"
"NO!" she yelled. "Y- you're a fox! And I'm a dragon… it wouldn't work."
The fox laughed. "That's not what I was going to ask. I was just wondering if you'd be willing to go look for Xellos."
After several seconds, Filia exploded angrily, yelling, "NEVER! I hope that Namagomi is dead! I hate him!" She lashed her golden tail, growling with fury.
Valgaav came over, a worried expression on his face. "What's wrong, Mommy?" he asked.
Filia sat down, realizing she'd let herself get so angry. "Nothing, Val." The green-haired dragon blinked, confused, then ran off across the field.
Jillas grinned at Filia. "Sorry," he said. "I guess that was a bad idea."
Suddenly, Valgaav screamed. Filia and Jillas jumped up and turned to see that Valgaav was surrounded by black fog. Filia ran to her adopted son and picked him up, preparing for an attack. Jillas stood at her side holding a dagger.
A shadowed figure appeared in the fog as a familiar voice said, "Filia-san! It's been far too long…"
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Author's Note: I'll be mean and end chapter two here, but I promise I'll get chapter three up soon. I have no school this week (yay!) so I should be able to get it written and posted sometime in the next week and a half.
***********************
Filia sat in the inn common room with Valgaav the next morning, sipping her tea. She had gotten a good night's rest, and was eager to get on the road again. Valgaav sat beside her, sipping a mug of apple cider and smiling happily.
Jillas stepped into the doorway of the inn, and Valgaav ran over and hugged his leg.
"Good mornin', Mither Jillas!" he said.
"Well, good morning to you, little boss," the fox replied, patting Valgaav's head with a paw. Filia walked over to them, and Jillas asked her, "Are you ready to leave yet?"
Filia nodded, and all three of them headed outside after she paid for breakfast. As she had been expecting to walk, Filia was surprised when Jillas led her to a brightly painted covered wagon and helped Valgaav to get on. Hitched to the wagon were four large birds that looked like the ones Jillas and his companions had ridden when Filia had first met the fox.
"Need help getting on, Filia-san?" Jillas asked, offering a paw. "I travel in this because I can keep my fireworks dry, but I used most of them up last night. There's plenty of room for you and the little boss to ride in the back."
Filia took the fox's paw and climbed on. "Alright. Thank you. This will be a lot less tiring and a lot faster than walking."
Soon, Jillas took his place at the front of the wagon, and the wagon started to move. The huge birds kept the wagon moving at an easy pace, much faster than walking, but not so fast that the cart was uncomfortably jostled by bumps in the road. Jillas allowed Valgaav to sit beside him on the driver's seat, and pointed out interesting landmarks. Filia passed the time by thinking about her friends. She hadn't seen Lina or Gourry since their wedding, but she knew they would be happy together. That pair went together like… Jillas and gunpowder. She wondered if Zelgadis had found a cure, and if he was still exploring the world on his own or if he had settled down with Amelia. She even wondered about Xellos, if he had found another dragon to annoy, or if he still remembered her. Filia decided she wouldn't think about the trickster priest as much. She didn't really care about him anyway.
At around noon, they stopped and had lunch beside the road in a grassy field. Jillas provided some cheese, bread and some round fruits that Filia had never seen that looked like large oranges with yellow peals.
"Mommy, what's this?" Valgaav inquired, holding up one of the fruits.
Filia replied, "It looks like an orange, but I'm not really sure."
Jillas pealed one of the fruits, took a section, and ate it. "Actually, it's a grapefruit," he said when he finished chewing. "They don't grow around here, but they're pretty tasty." The fox offered Valgaav a piece. The young dragon ate it and frowned.
"Sour…" he muttered, sticking his tongue out. Filia tried a piece too, and found the grapefruit to be a bit tart, but very good. Jillas smiled and continued to eat.
"It must be interesting to travel as much as you do," Filia commented after they finished eating and Valgaav was releasing his extra energy by running around the field after butterflies.
"It is," Jillas replied. "I have all sorts of exotic food that Lina- san would just love. I just get lonely sometimes."
"I never get lonely. I have my pottery shop, and I always have Valgaav." Filia sighed. "Since dragons live longer than humans, they develop slower too. He's quite a handful at this age, and he'll be like this for a while."
"But you never wish you had someone else to help you?" the fox asked.
Filia shrugged. "I'm independent, and I've made it this far without help." Jillas watched her. "But… yes, I do wish I had some help," she admitted.
Jillas smiled and said, "Filia, why don't you-"
"NO!" she yelled. "Y- you're a fox! And I'm a dragon… it wouldn't work."
The fox laughed. "That's not what I was going to ask. I was just wondering if you'd be willing to go look for Xellos."
After several seconds, Filia exploded angrily, yelling, "NEVER! I hope that Namagomi is dead! I hate him!" She lashed her golden tail, growling with fury.
Valgaav came over, a worried expression on his face. "What's wrong, Mommy?" he asked.
Filia sat down, realizing she'd let herself get so angry. "Nothing, Val." The green-haired dragon blinked, confused, then ran off across the field.
Jillas grinned at Filia. "Sorry," he said. "I guess that was a bad idea."
Suddenly, Valgaav screamed. Filia and Jillas jumped up and turned to see that Valgaav was surrounded by black fog. Filia ran to her adopted son and picked him up, preparing for an attack. Jillas stood at her side holding a dagger.
A shadowed figure appeared in the fog as a familiar voice said, "Filia-san! It's been far too long…"
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Author's Note: I'll be mean and end chapter two here, but I promise I'll get chapter three up soon. I have no school this week (yay!) so I should be able to get it written and posted sometime in the next week and a half.
