Chapter 32
The next moring Croco was up with the sun, bags packed and ready to go. The smile on his face was evident as he raced to the brach station to get his ticket. While he was waiting for the brach to arrive, he was greeted by Bix and Cassie. Each gave him a hug as they congratulated him on the victory in the race the previous day. But Croco wanted someone to guide him through Canyon City and asked Bix.
"I'd love to, but I've got some business to take care of back home," she chuckled. "But I'm sure Castra would be up to it." Cassie agreed as a man approached them.
"You guys going to Canyon City?" he asked. The three of them nodded in unison. "Very well then, come with me." He led them around to where a brachiosaur was waiting. The man simply introduced himself as Darwin and led them aboard the giant saurian. After a few more passengers got on, Darwin climbed on a saddle attached to the top of the saur's neck close to the head and led them away.
After about two days on the Northern Plains mingling with the Apatosaurus herds, they arrived at a junction where the Backbone Mountains met with the Forbidden Mountains. Darwin decided that it would be best if they disembarked and told them to go through Rocky Pass to avoid any "hard" climbing. He wished Croco luck in his training before he and his companion left them. They spent the following day walking through the rocky terrain, with Cassie explaining to him about a city at about 15,000 feet called Thermala where prehistoric mammals accompany the people there. She was talking about the hot springs when a strong wind came off a ridge, nearly blowing Croco off his feet. The little protoceratops laughed and lended Croco a support.
"We're here Croco!" Cassie said ecstatically.
"Where?" he asked. He couldn't see anything but solid rock. Cassie motioned to him to come over to where she was standing. When Croco went over, he got his first glimpse of Canyon City. Just the sight left him speechless, mouth agape and eyes wide as the canyon that it was built upon. Occasionally he saw a Skybax or two fly close to him as he was in a state of amazement. Cassie nudged him and he moved along, still stunned by the sheer magnificence of his surroundings. After about an hour of walking through the streets, they came up to a place in the rock with a door attatched to it.
"Cassie, what is this?" Croco asked, "Where are we?" She knocked on the door and swished her tail back and forth. A moment later a short yet solid man wearing the blue uniform of a Master Rider opened it. He smiled when he saw Cassie standing at the door and bent down to greet her, stroking her face.
"I remember doing this to your mother when I was just a boy," he said. Then Cassie backed off to where Croco was standing.
"I brought him with me," she said, nudging Croco to encourage him to step forward. "This is Croco Hallaway, the young man I've been working with over the past two and a half years. Croco Hallaway, this is Will Denison, a friend of my mother's and a truly gifted Skybax rider." They shook hands as Will led him inside.
"I am honored to meet you," Croco told him. "I've heard of your father's travels and it kinda gives a dolphinback like me a little hope." The older rider laughed as he asked Croco about his origin. Croco told him about the crash and that he was a fourth-generation pilot among other things. He also went on about his three years on the island, starting with his arrival in Neopylos and continuing on with his adventures in Waterfall City and Treetown. Every so often Will would ask a question that Croco was all too happy to answer. When he was done, he put a hand on the young man's shoulder.
"Well Croco," he said, "welcome to your home. This is where you'll be living for the rest of your days if you're gonna be a flyer." He led him around his rocky abode and Croco was impressed by the fact that the whole apartment was built into the canyon itself. They continued to talk for a little bit before the three stepped out onto a balcony to watch the sun disappear behind the rocky ledges. Realizing that it was getting dark, Will hurried Croco and Cassie out the door and was not too far behind himself. They walked a little ways before coming up on a larger cluster of apartments. Will talked to the manager, then he led them inside.
"This is where most of the beginner riders stay...the Rainbow Ridge Inn," Will told him. "I'm sure you two will be just fine." Cassie reassured him on this and said good night to him. When he was gone, Cassie helped Croco set up his room. They were to the point of falling asleep when suddenly Croco sat up in his bed.
"Cassie," he said quietly, "what did Thunderhorn mean when he told us that?" Cassie hopped up onto the small bed.
"What do you mean Croco?" Cassie replied.
"About us cracking through our shells...I never recalled being in a shell before." The saurian's eyes widened a tiny bit.
"Well...the way Thunderhorn sees young humans as that they are enclosed in eggs," she explained. "Cracking through a hard shell is no easy task if you ask me. Neither is living without a yolk sac, so that just goes to show you how hard this world really is...for all of us, human or reptilian." Croco eased back a bit, letting his head rest on the pillow. He had understood every word that Cassie had just said, and told her with a smile that his time in Treetown was well spent. Then the protoceratops bolted off the bed and circled around an area close to the bed.
"We've got to get some sleep!" she said, alarmed, "Will said you have to be at the Academy by sunrise!" Croco told her not to worry as they both slowly drifted off to sleep, dreaming of many adventures but by very different means. Croco dreamed of flying through the canyon aboard a Skybax, rising and diving through the rocky utopia while Cassie dreamed of the Rainy Basin and being among her kind in the wild, moving through clearings and running off wild velociraptors. At one point, a smile came across both of their faces, but it went unseen through their slumber as Croco would start the first day of the rest of his life at sunrise.
The next moring Croco was up with the sun, bags packed and ready to go. The smile on his face was evident as he raced to the brach station to get his ticket. While he was waiting for the brach to arrive, he was greeted by Bix and Cassie. Each gave him a hug as they congratulated him on the victory in the race the previous day. But Croco wanted someone to guide him through Canyon City and asked Bix.
"I'd love to, but I've got some business to take care of back home," she chuckled. "But I'm sure Castra would be up to it." Cassie agreed as a man approached them.
"You guys going to Canyon City?" he asked. The three of them nodded in unison. "Very well then, come with me." He led them around to where a brachiosaur was waiting. The man simply introduced himself as Darwin and led them aboard the giant saurian. After a few more passengers got on, Darwin climbed on a saddle attached to the top of the saur's neck close to the head and led them away.
After about two days on the Northern Plains mingling with the Apatosaurus herds, they arrived at a junction where the Backbone Mountains met with the Forbidden Mountains. Darwin decided that it would be best if they disembarked and told them to go through Rocky Pass to avoid any "hard" climbing. He wished Croco luck in his training before he and his companion left them. They spent the following day walking through the rocky terrain, with Cassie explaining to him about a city at about 15,000 feet called Thermala where prehistoric mammals accompany the people there. She was talking about the hot springs when a strong wind came off a ridge, nearly blowing Croco off his feet. The little protoceratops laughed and lended Croco a support.
"We're here Croco!" Cassie said ecstatically.
"Where?" he asked. He couldn't see anything but solid rock. Cassie motioned to him to come over to where she was standing. When Croco went over, he got his first glimpse of Canyon City. Just the sight left him speechless, mouth agape and eyes wide as the canyon that it was built upon. Occasionally he saw a Skybax or two fly close to him as he was in a state of amazement. Cassie nudged him and he moved along, still stunned by the sheer magnificence of his surroundings. After about an hour of walking through the streets, they came up to a place in the rock with a door attatched to it.
"Cassie, what is this?" Croco asked, "Where are we?" She knocked on the door and swished her tail back and forth. A moment later a short yet solid man wearing the blue uniform of a Master Rider opened it. He smiled when he saw Cassie standing at the door and bent down to greet her, stroking her face.
"I remember doing this to your mother when I was just a boy," he said. Then Cassie backed off to where Croco was standing.
"I brought him with me," she said, nudging Croco to encourage him to step forward. "This is Croco Hallaway, the young man I've been working with over the past two and a half years. Croco Hallaway, this is Will Denison, a friend of my mother's and a truly gifted Skybax rider." They shook hands as Will led him inside.
"I am honored to meet you," Croco told him. "I've heard of your father's travels and it kinda gives a dolphinback like me a little hope." The older rider laughed as he asked Croco about his origin. Croco told him about the crash and that he was a fourth-generation pilot among other things. He also went on about his three years on the island, starting with his arrival in Neopylos and continuing on with his adventures in Waterfall City and Treetown. Every so often Will would ask a question that Croco was all too happy to answer. When he was done, he put a hand on the young man's shoulder.
"Well Croco," he said, "welcome to your home. This is where you'll be living for the rest of your days if you're gonna be a flyer." He led him around his rocky abode and Croco was impressed by the fact that the whole apartment was built into the canyon itself. They continued to talk for a little bit before the three stepped out onto a balcony to watch the sun disappear behind the rocky ledges. Realizing that it was getting dark, Will hurried Croco and Cassie out the door and was not too far behind himself. They walked a little ways before coming up on a larger cluster of apartments. Will talked to the manager, then he led them inside.
"This is where most of the beginner riders stay...the Rainbow Ridge Inn," Will told him. "I'm sure you two will be just fine." Cassie reassured him on this and said good night to him. When he was gone, Cassie helped Croco set up his room. They were to the point of falling asleep when suddenly Croco sat up in his bed.
"Cassie," he said quietly, "what did Thunderhorn mean when he told us that?" Cassie hopped up onto the small bed.
"What do you mean Croco?" Cassie replied.
"About us cracking through our shells...I never recalled being in a shell before." The saurian's eyes widened a tiny bit.
"Well...the way Thunderhorn sees young humans as that they are enclosed in eggs," she explained. "Cracking through a hard shell is no easy task if you ask me. Neither is living without a yolk sac, so that just goes to show you how hard this world really is...for all of us, human or reptilian." Croco eased back a bit, letting his head rest on the pillow. He had understood every word that Cassie had just said, and told her with a smile that his time in Treetown was well spent. Then the protoceratops bolted off the bed and circled around an area close to the bed.
"We've got to get some sleep!" she said, alarmed, "Will said you have to be at the Academy by sunrise!" Croco told her not to worry as they both slowly drifted off to sleep, dreaming of many adventures but by very different means. Croco dreamed of flying through the canyon aboard a Skybax, rising and diving through the rocky utopia while Cassie dreamed of the Rainy Basin and being among her kind in the wild, moving through clearings and running off wild velociraptors. At one point, a smile came across both of their faces, but it went unseen through their slumber as Croco would start the first day of the rest of his life at sunrise.