Xaina stared at the dog sized creature before her. Her brow knit together.
"Are you some kind of giant frog?" she asked him.
He face faulted, making a gagging noise. Quickly recovering, he sat back up and smiled. "Not at all. I am a monster, thank you."
"But you look like a frog."
"I am not a frog! I am a powerful monster working for Lord Deep Sea Dolphin! I have killed over two hundred humans, dragons, and other monsters."
"You still look like a frog," she persisted. "Besides, killing is wrong."
The frog monster gave her an odd look. "And what kind of monster are you?" he demanded haughtily. "Who's your master!?!"
"Um, Xellos, but he works for Lord Beastmaster and I don't know what kind of monster I am. Nobody does. Everyone insists I'll find out exactly what I am when my powers are fully grown and and I develop some sort of type or something like that."
The frog monsters eyes narrowed. "Oh, you must be Xaina then."
Xaina smiled. "Yep. That's me."
"I see...Xellos must be here as well, then..."
"He can't go more then 20 feet from me. I'm pretty sure he's here. If he's not then somebody's been lying to us."
The giant frog frowned. "Hmmm...that makes things more difficult," he mumbled to himself, though Xaina's sensitive ears picked it up easily. "Very well then, Miss Xaina," he stated coldly, looking at the girl, "I take my leave of you." He gave a graceful bow and then flipped backwards in to the water, disappearing form sight.
"Take his leave? I didn't even realize I had his leave..." the girl trailed off. Shrugging the encounter off, she dipped the bucket in to the water and carried it as best she could back to the camp. The birds glided after her. As she walked back in to the camp, she saw Xellos sitting up in a tree. He watched her with one closed eye, while the other kept a watch over the camp. Everyone was starting to stir and wake up slowly. Gourry and Lina were still snuggled up close together. Amelia was fighting the morning light so she could get just a few more minutes. Zelgadiss was already awake and making some coffee. Filia was forcing herself to get up. Destiny had pulled the bag of bird seed out of her pack and poured it in the little bowl. Just like the night before, the birds waited patiently until she set the bowl down; then they dived on it. The black bird picked on the blue bird until the white bird broke it up and the gold bird ignore the whole thing. Xaina watched them with great interest.
"What are their names?" she asked Destiny when the birds had stopped bickering amongst each other.
"Prince, Dragon, Monster, and Outcast," the woman replied in her icy voice.
"Which is which?"
"The blue one is Prince, the black is Dragon, the white is Monster, and the gold is Outcast. Prince and Dragon are both male and Monster and Outcast are both female."
"Oh..." Xaina reached out a hand to pet Dragon. He jerked back out of her reach and cawed furiously. Monster proceeded to dive on him and shut him up. "What's his problem?"
"He lives up to his name," Xellos commented from his spot in the tree.
"He's stupid and easily beaten by a monster."
"Namagomi!" Filia spat as she brushed her long blond hair. He smirked, ignoring her comment.
The child reached out again to try and pet the bird. He wouldn't let her near him. He flew up in to a tree and turned his back to her. "What a brat," she commented. Sighing, she floated up in the tree to sit with Xellos.
Lina sat up groggily. She yawned, not the least bit happy about having to get up. She didn't look like she had slept well at all last night. The birds broke out in another fight, this time between the Turquoise and Dragon. The red head glared at them dangerously. The two stopped abruptly and scuttled out of her sight sheepishly. Normally, Lina was a morning person, happy to get up with the sun. Today, however, she was not. It just didn't look like a good day to her.
Understanding perfectly about not wanting to get up and face another day, Zelgadiss offered her some coffee. "Thanks," she muttered.
Xaina floated down and looked at the red head in the eye. "Do you feel bad, Lina?" Lina nodded. She looked down at the coffee and nearly gagged. "Tummy upset?" Lina nodded. "Think some water would help?" the child asked with a big grin. She wanted to go see the frogy again. The sorceress shook her head. "Are you sure? Water always helped me when I didn't feel good. I'll go get you some. Just wait right here."
"But we already have water," Filia said as the child disappeared through the bushes.
~*~*~
Xaina floated back to the water. It had to still be here. She floated over the stream and peered in to the dark blue water. She didn't see him. "Frogy man? Ya still here?" she asked the water. She waited... nothing happened. She pulled off one of her purple gloves and dipped it in the stream. The cool water flowed between her fingers. "Come on, you can't have gone far. I was just here less then an hour ago."
"And what exactly do you want?" an arrogant voice demanded. Xaina twirled around and saw the giant frog monster sitting on the shore. "Oh, Mr. Frogy, there you are."
The monster glared at her. "I am NOT Mr. Frogy."
"Oh, well then, what should I call you?" she inquired innocently.
"That is of no importance to you!" he huffed back.
"But I wanna know."
"No."
"But..."
"No!" he snapped.
"Fine. Don't tell me. I just keep calling you Mr. Frogy," she retorted as she folded her arms together and turned up her nose.
The frog monster growled, clenching his fists to his sides. "I AM NOT MR. FROGY!!!"
"Well, if you wont tell me your name, that's what I'm gonna call you."
"I don't have to sit here and take this from a snot nosed little brat!" He leaped gracefully in to the air and landed all the way on the other side of the stream.
"Wow. Hey, do that again." The frog ignored her and continued hopping away. "Hey! Wait, Mr. Frogy!" she cried. She floated after him as fast as she could go. She had gone only a few feet when she was suddenly jerked to a halt...
*****
While everyone was getting up on this sickenly beautiful morning, Xellos sat patiently on a tree branch. He was waiting for everyone to be a little more awake before he got his next meal. The food was better when they were awake. That is, he was sitting there patiently in a tree until he was violently jerked off the branch. He grabbed on to the next branch he could reach and clung to it for dear life. Everyone below stared at him.
"What the hell?" Zelgadiss stated half in shock.
"What are you doing, Xellos?" Lina demanded.
The force that had pulled him relaxed and Xellos loosened his grip. He was jerked again and nearly lost hold of his branch. When it relaxed again, he jerked himself forward, pulling back against the unseen force...
*****
Xaina felt her body yanked back. The frog was getting further and further away. She had to catch him. She just had to. She yanked again. It resisted her going. She stopped pulling and floated a few feet backward. She summoned up all her power and darted forward as fast and hard as she could. The force pulling her back resisted for a moment, then broke free and she went after the giant frog...
*****
He held on to the branch, refusing to go with what ever was pulling it. Cracks started appearing in the wood. Xellos gulped. The branch snapped off and he went flying through the trees, being dragged by an unknown force. He was yanked towards the stream and a loud splash was heard by the rest of the group.
"Where's he going?" Amelia inquired.
"Good question," Lina agreed.
"Remember when Xaina said they couldn't go more then twenty feet away from each other," Filia broke in. The others nodded. "Do you think that could be what happens when they try?"
"The child is stronger then he is," Destiny stated coldly. She was the only one who had not been disturbed by the whole scene. "It takes a little work, but she can out match him in such tests of will. They will return soon enough."
Everyone was quiet for a moment. Gourry broke the stunned silence. "Hey, can we eat now?"
He face faulted, making a gagging noise. Quickly recovering, he sat back up and smiled. "Not at all. I am a monster, thank you."
"But you look like a frog."
"I am not a frog! I am a powerful monster working for Lord Deep Sea Dolphin! I have killed over two hundred humans, dragons, and other monsters."
"You still look like a frog," she persisted. "Besides, killing is wrong."
The frog monster gave her an odd look. "And what kind of monster are you?" he demanded haughtily. "Who's your master!?!"
"Um, Xellos, but he works for Lord Beastmaster and I don't know what kind of monster I am. Nobody does. Everyone insists I'll find out exactly what I am when my powers are fully grown and and I develop some sort of type or something like that."
The frog monsters eyes narrowed. "Oh, you must be Xaina then."
Xaina smiled. "Yep. That's me."
"I see...Xellos must be here as well, then..."
"He can't go more then 20 feet from me. I'm pretty sure he's here. If he's not then somebody's been lying to us."
The giant frog frowned. "Hmmm...that makes things more difficult," he mumbled to himself, though Xaina's sensitive ears picked it up easily. "Very well then, Miss Xaina," he stated coldly, looking at the girl, "I take my leave of you." He gave a graceful bow and then flipped backwards in to the water, disappearing form sight.
"Take his leave? I didn't even realize I had his leave..." the girl trailed off. Shrugging the encounter off, she dipped the bucket in to the water and carried it as best she could back to the camp. The birds glided after her. As she walked back in to the camp, she saw Xellos sitting up in a tree. He watched her with one closed eye, while the other kept a watch over the camp. Everyone was starting to stir and wake up slowly. Gourry and Lina were still snuggled up close together. Amelia was fighting the morning light so she could get just a few more minutes. Zelgadiss was already awake and making some coffee. Filia was forcing herself to get up. Destiny had pulled the bag of bird seed out of her pack and poured it in the little bowl. Just like the night before, the birds waited patiently until she set the bowl down; then they dived on it. The black bird picked on the blue bird until the white bird broke it up and the gold bird ignore the whole thing. Xaina watched them with great interest.
"What are their names?" she asked Destiny when the birds had stopped bickering amongst each other.
"Prince, Dragon, Monster, and Outcast," the woman replied in her icy voice.
"Which is which?"
"The blue one is Prince, the black is Dragon, the white is Monster, and the gold is Outcast. Prince and Dragon are both male and Monster and Outcast are both female."
"Oh..." Xaina reached out a hand to pet Dragon. He jerked back out of her reach and cawed furiously. Monster proceeded to dive on him and shut him up. "What's his problem?"
"He lives up to his name," Xellos commented from his spot in the tree.
"He's stupid and easily beaten by a monster."
"Namagomi!" Filia spat as she brushed her long blond hair. He smirked, ignoring her comment.
The child reached out again to try and pet the bird. He wouldn't let her near him. He flew up in to a tree and turned his back to her. "What a brat," she commented. Sighing, she floated up in the tree to sit with Xellos.
Lina sat up groggily. She yawned, not the least bit happy about having to get up. She didn't look like she had slept well at all last night. The birds broke out in another fight, this time between the Turquoise and Dragon. The red head glared at them dangerously. The two stopped abruptly and scuttled out of her sight sheepishly. Normally, Lina was a morning person, happy to get up with the sun. Today, however, she was not. It just didn't look like a good day to her.
Understanding perfectly about not wanting to get up and face another day, Zelgadiss offered her some coffee. "Thanks," she muttered.
Xaina floated down and looked at the red head in the eye. "Do you feel bad, Lina?" Lina nodded. She looked down at the coffee and nearly gagged. "Tummy upset?" Lina nodded. "Think some water would help?" the child asked with a big grin. She wanted to go see the frogy again. The sorceress shook her head. "Are you sure? Water always helped me when I didn't feel good. I'll go get you some. Just wait right here."
"But we already have water," Filia said as the child disappeared through the bushes.
~*~*~
Xaina floated back to the water. It had to still be here. She floated over the stream and peered in to the dark blue water. She didn't see him. "Frogy man? Ya still here?" she asked the water. She waited... nothing happened. She pulled off one of her purple gloves and dipped it in the stream. The cool water flowed between her fingers. "Come on, you can't have gone far. I was just here less then an hour ago."
"And what exactly do you want?" an arrogant voice demanded. Xaina twirled around and saw the giant frog monster sitting on the shore. "Oh, Mr. Frogy, there you are."
The monster glared at her. "I am NOT Mr. Frogy."
"Oh, well then, what should I call you?" she inquired innocently.
"That is of no importance to you!" he huffed back.
"But I wanna know."
"No."
"But..."
"No!" he snapped.
"Fine. Don't tell me. I just keep calling you Mr. Frogy," she retorted as she folded her arms together and turned up her nose.
The frog monster growled, clenching his fists to his sides. "I AM NOT MR. FROGY!!!"
"Well, if you wont tell me your name, that's what I'm gonna call you."
"I don't have to sit here and take this from a snot nosed little brat!" He leaped gracefully in to the air and landed all the way on the other side of the stream.
"Wow. Hey, do that again." The frog ignored her and continued hopping away. "Hey! Wait, Mr. Frogy!" she cried. She floated after him as fast as she could go. She had gone only a few feet when she was suddenly jerked to a halt...
*****
While everyone was getting up on this sickenly beautiful morning, Xellos sat patiently on a tree branch. He was waiting for everyone to be a little more awake before he got his next meal. The food was better when they were awake. That is, he was sitting there patiently in a tree until he was violently jerked off the branch. He grabbed on to the next branch he could reach and clung to it for dear life. Everyone below stared at him.
"What the hell?" Zelgadiss stated half in shock.
"What are you doing, Xellos?" Lina demanded.
The force that had pulled him relaxed and Xellos loosened his grip. He was jerked again and nearly lost hold of his branch. When it relaxed again, he jerked himself forward, pulling back against the unseen force...
*****
Xaina felt her body yanked back. The frog was getting further and further away. She had to catch him. She just had to. She yanked again. It resisted her going. She stopped pulling and floated a few feet backward. She summoned up all her power and darted forward as fast and hard as she could. The force pulling her back resisted for a moment, then broke free and she went after the giant frog...
*****
He held on to the branch, refusing to go with what ever was pulling it. Cracks started appearing in the wood. Xellos gulped. The branch snapped off and he went flying through the trees, being dragged by an unknown force. He was yanked towards the stream and a loud splash was heard by the rest of the group.
"Where's he going?" Amelia inquired.
"Good question," Lina agreed.
"Remember when Xaina said they couldn't go more then twenty feet away from each other," Filia broke in. The others nodded. "Do you think that could be what happens when they try?"
"The child is stronger then he is," Destiny stated coldly. She was the only one who had not been disturbed by the whole scene. "It takes a little work, but she can out match him in such tests of will. They will return soon enough."
Everyone was quiet for a moment. Gourry broke the stunned silence. "Hey, can we eat now?"