HELP ME!

The improbable story of how Krystal was rescued from the destroyed Cerinia. I used the real Dinosaur Language (to the best of my ability) to write this story, so, as you may guess, it took FOREVER! Please be nice and read it! Don't let all this hard work go to waste! Yes, the Dino language translates into some funny stuff sometimes, like the word "leg" turning into the word "cow", and the three O's at the beginning of the Dino word for "eyesight" because both "E" and "Y" translate into the letter "O". But it's funny that way. Another note: Some people will be mad because, later in the story, I will mention that Krystal's people have a God. Not a "god", a "God". Since I probably won't be able to write an explanation into the story, here's the deal: the original plan was Krystal worshipped the same God as most Earthling Christians do. I didn't feel good not capitalizing "God", so there's the explanation. Don't be mad. Put up with it.

Krystal sat with her mother and grandfather outside of the Rock Tribe family's den that day. Krystal's brother, Onix, was nearing 25 years of age; the age where he would learn to fend for himself and finally leave the family in search of new territory. At the ceremony later that day, Onix would be initiated into the outside world by his closest father figure; surprisingly, that father figure was Krystal! Krystal was the most boyish able-bodied person Onix knew. Of course, there was his grandfather, but his lame leg kept him from being their version of a 'father figure'. Krystal (wearing her ceremonial suit (the one you're familiar with) and her mother, Jade, mashed the Ekahri berries that would soon be rubbed onto Onix's black fur. Their grandfather, Beryl, sat to the side, holding his walking cane; a giant, naturally petrified bird leg.

Krystal stopped berry pounding for a second to ask her grandfather a question. "Whudtfu, nxo um A adakaukadw Onix uwuad?" (Grandpa, why am I initiating Onix again?)

"Xo bdenj olohokxadw xo bdenj rotuijo ev oei," Beryl monotoned. (He knows everything he knows because of you.) Grandpa had a strange talking style; he never changed pitch, and he talked with a certain rythmn that he never broke. It was very hard to distinguish emotions from him. Along with his voice being monotonous, his eyes (because he was blind) had been sown shut. "Xo tojohloj u fhefoh adkhetiskaed adke kxo nehct." (He deserves a proper introduction into the world.)

"Oeih whudtvukxoh suddek fhelato kxuk. Dek nakx xaj rut cow udt ooojawxk," Jade explained in her calm voice. (Your grandfather cannot provide that. Not with his bad leg and eyesight.) Jade always was a very smooth talker, with the voice of the wind (as her father used to say).

It was odd that Krystal remembered her father more than Onix did. After all, Krystal was three years younger than her brother. However, Krystal was more respectful of her father than Onix was; she made him a lunch basket the day he left for another tribe when the other simply turned their noses.

Jade tested the red berry's contrast against Krystal's blue fur. It was the color of blood, and it made Krystal look like she was bleeding from her forehead. "Ak dootj meho nxako rohhaoj av ak'j weadw ke jxen if ed ooih rhekxoh'j vih. Ak'j kee tuhb." (It needs more white berries if it's going to show up on your brother's fur. It's too dark.)

"Udomeho nxako rohhaoj udt kroo'cc ro urco ke jmocc xam vhem macoj unuo!" (Anymore white berries and they'll be able to smell him from a mile away!)

Krystal laughed at her Grandpa's goofy joke. She loved her grandfather more than anything, and sometimes wishes she had his golden-green fur. She'd give anything to be a puppy again; to bury her nose into his ears and drift to sleep as he told her stories of hunting and fishing in the outside world. Of course, Krystal was enchanted by these stories; females were normally not allowed to go too far away from the den. She was naive to the outside world, yet she knew every twist and turn of the den behind her.

Speaking of the den behind her...

"Mumu!" (Mama!) Onix pushed his way up and out of the den. He was wearing his ceremony loincloth. "Mumu! Uho kxo rohhaoj tedo ook?" (Mama! Are the berries done yet?)

Krystal terribly envied her brother; not only was he going out into the world today, but he was allowed to call Mother "Mama", or, rather, "Mumu". Females had to call their mother's stiffly by "Mother". His black fur was not inherited from his father (blue, like Krystal's) or his mother (Green), oddly enough, but from his Great-Grandmother. He was terribly spoiled, as a result. Foxes with black fur are said to be a gift from the God of their world.

"A muo doot ke jkuhk eleh. Ak jmoccj unvic." (I may need to start over. It smells awful.) Jade stood up, stretching her legs. "Onix, we wok jemo meho rohhaoj. Fufu, scoud if Krystal." (Onix, go get some more berries. Papa, clean up Krystal.)

Whudtfu smiled, "staring" off into space. "A't celo ke. Semo xoho Krystal, cok Whudtfu scoud oei if!" (I'd love to. Come here Krystal, let Grandpa clean you up!)

"Yea!" Krystal bounded into her Grandpa's lap, giggling happily as her favorite relative licked the berry juice off of her forehead.

"Suksx, Krystal!" (Catch, Krystal!)

Krystal screamed as Onix poured the berry juice all over her. Onix laughed.

"ONIX!" Jade scolded her son. "Wok ke seccoskadw! Den!" (Get to collecting! Now!)

Onix ran away as fast as he could, simply to get away from Jade. Krystal growled furiously.

"A XEFO JEMO MEDJKOH OUKJ 0EI! JKIFAT ATAEK!" (I HOPE SOME MONSTER EATS YOU! STUPID IDIOT!) Krystal shrieked at the top of her lungs.

Grandpa just sighed and continued licking the berry juice off of Krystal. She breathed tensely and closed her eyes, letting her fur be lovingly combed through.

After a while, the ground beneath them started to shake and rumble, scaring Krystal.

"Huh?" Krystal shivered, holding onto her grandfather. "Nxuk'j xuffodadw?" (What's happening?)

"Adjato! Adjato! Xihho!" (Inside! Inside! Hurry!) Jade yelled. Krystal pushed her grandfather into the den with her, but Jade and Onix didn't make it inside. Before they could reach it, they were suddenly crushed by a meteor, blocking Krystal and Beryl inside of the Den.

"Mekxoh!" (Mother!) Krystal cried."Onix!"

"Xihho, Krystal!" (Hurry, Krystal!) Beryl shouted. "Hid! Hid giasbco!" (Run! Run quickly!)

A boulder smash down in front of them, and Krystal pulled Grandpa in another direction. The calls of terrified foxes eminated from deep within the cave.

"Whudtfu! A'm jsuhot!" (Grandpa! I'm scared!) Krystal sobbed, still pulling Beryl behind her.

"A'm jsuhot kee!" (I'm scared too!) Grandpa cried.

In one fell moment, a rock hit Krystal in the head, knocking her unconscious.

**

It was much later when Krystal finally woke up. Rocks were all around her, and one large one pinned down her tail. A body was on top of her, squeezing her to the floor. She wiggled her way out of the body hold, yanking some fur out of her tail, and turned to see who it was. What she saw sent a wave of shock through her body.

"Whudtfu!" Krystal shook the old man's body, trying to wake him up. Rocks had crushed his back and entire body. It was clear what had happened; after Krystal fell, Grandpa pulled himself over her to sheild her from the falling rocks... taking his life in the process.

"Whudtfu!" Krystal began crying. "Ex de!" (Grandpa! Oh no!)

Krystal sobbed for a bit at her grandfather's side, and then sighed, realizing what she had to do. She took her first steps away from her grandfather's side and left the cave. She cut her tail trying to squeeze out of the Den, but she made it.

The world around her, which had been a foresting paradise, was dusty and dead. Large meteors dotted the surface, ruining the skyline and polluting the air. A few tree branches splayed across the ground, still burning and smoldering from the meteor shower. Krystal coughed, not used to the outside air, much less the dusty, disgusting air.

"Xocce?" (Hello?) Krystal clutched her hands together. "Xocce? Udoreto xoho?" (Anybody here?)

Krystal took a few more steps forward, the dust tickling her paws. She yelled louder, "Xocce!?" Nothing. In desperation, she let out a howl, only to be used in desperate situation. It sounded pitifully weak; she was used to howling in the Den, where it echoed to no end. Out here, it sounded simple and quiet.

"Ex de..." (Oh no.) Krystal sunk to her knees, dust sticking to her legs because berry juice had soken into her fur. "Olohokxadw'j wedo..." (Everything's gone...)

Krystal couldn't believe it; everything on the planet was dead... And she wasn't even there to see it. Why, of all of the creatures, she had to be left alive? Why couldn't she have died with her mother and Grandpa... Well, at least her brother was gone. She hated her brother.

It was scary. All her life, she had depended on her pack for everything. Everyone took care of everyone else; the males caught the food and prepared it, the females took care of the children and made the clothes. Everyone was connected... like ants, they were. Now that Krystal was seperated, she had no idea what to do... she would probably die soon... she would be with Grandpa... she would be with everyone...

BSHOOMF! A large, worm-like creature jutted out of the ground, to the front and left of Krystal. It stretched open its mandibles, ready to gulp Krystal down at the next instant. She screamed and ran away, quickly.

"AAH!" She scampered away. "Nxo tatd'k kxuk kxadw tao?!" (Why didn't that thing die?!) There was a loud explosion, and the painful shrieks of the fox eating worm announced that is was dieing and dead. She kept running, however, until she tripped.

Her ears picked up some traces of voices. It sounded like a young male, and it was heading this way, speaking in a strange voice.

"... something tried to attack me; I had to destroy it. (gibberish) Yea- yeah, I know, we're supposed to be saving stuff! I acted in self defen- Wait a minute. I think I see something. Peppy, I'll call you back."

A Fox creature, like Krystal, started running towards her. Her was orange and white, and wearing very strange clothes, but he was there! And he was alive!

"Xoo! Eloh xehe! Xocf mo!" (Hey! Over here! Help me!) Krystal ran to the other fox, running into his chest and crying uncontrollably. The fox grimaced in shock for a second, patted her back and tapped a button on his wrist communicator.

"I've found a survivor," Fox McCloud spoke into his communicator. He turned it sideways so that Peppy could see her. "Fox creature, 'bout my age. Female. Tribal native, it looks like. Doesn't speak our language."

"How's she look?"

"Looks like she's got come bleeding, and she's pretty torn up about some-" Fox stopped talking and quickly looked to his communicator. "Slippy?! Where's Peppy?!"

"He had to go to the bathroom," Slippy squealed. "Oo, your girlfriend there is cute!"

"PUT ME ON WITH PEPPY!" Fox lowered his arm, and caught a glance of the frightened Krystal. She began to inch away.

"Oh, no! No! I'm sorry!" Fox held Krystal again, stroking her head. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to- I'm sorry. Come'ere."

Krystal inhaled the smell. It was a nice smell; a little oily, but strong and powerful and calming. Also a little windblown. The dirt got into her nose, and she sneezed. Her tail stung in pain. "OW!"

"Oh great!" Fox cupped Krystal's tail in his hand. "You're hurt! How'd that happen?"

"Peppy here."

Fox started speaking into his communicator. "Finally. Look, we've got a survivor down here; the fur's been ripped out of the back of her tail.

"I'll send down Slippy with an Arwing," Peppy nodded.

"Hurry it up," Fox sighed. "Fox out."

Fox went back to stroking Krystal's head soothingly. "You'll be okay, kid."

Krystal relaxed. Fox's tail brushed against hers; the Universal Fox sign of ultimate reassurance.

She smiled.

DONE!