Agh, another harshly-written chappie in the attempts to keep my account 'alive' while I'm away. Thank you SO much to all the reviews. I'd try to
write individual replies, but I just have no time on my hands nowadays.

Anyway, my course has 3 weeks left till it finishes: and I should be home
in about 4 weeks (I'm going to try and get a little snowboarding done before I fly back home, because I love it and it's kinda hard to find snow in Hong Kong. Ah, God Bless New Zealand and its glorious snowy mountains
()

Okay, so please try and bear with the pathetically short and evil little chapter (and when I say evil: I mean it could be better --- if I had more
time to work on it).

I have an announcement about my fics as well --- but I'll save that news
for one of my later updates. Right now I've got a few assignments to finish. Oh woe is me. Three weeks left of torture with one of the world's
evilest lecturers.

Anyhow, I'll see you all again in about four weeks!

~ Keysha

***
The Kryzdal Guardian

Chapter six: The Kidnapping

***

"Hey, is it just me, or is there something up with Dax?"

The three kids (Well, two kids and an ottsel kid) sat around the small table nodding in agreement. Jak, Keira and Xema were discussing the recent character change in their close companion.

"Yeah, he HAS been acting odd lately." Keira whispered - just incase the ottsel in question happed to walk into the room. "He's been so--"

"QUIET!" Jak shot in. "It's been two days since I've had to tell him to shut up!" The two girls giggled at the idea. Of course, it DID mean something. A quiet Daxter was NOT a normal Daxter.

"Jak? Xema? One of you has to talk to him." Keira insisted. Jak just sighed heavily.

"Already tried." He grumbled. "Yesterday, when we were on the beach. He threw a couple of stones at me and told me to 'leave him alone'". Jak rubbed at the small bruise on his arm. Daxter may have been small, but he sure could hurl the stones when he wanted to be left alone.

"Maybe I should try." Xema piped in. "After all, I highly DOUBT Daxter will throw anything at me. And if he DID--". Xema punched one of her clenched up paws into an open palm. Jak and Keira winced.

"Ouch! Bet he'll be sore for a week!" Keira laughed nervously.

Xema looked up.

"Who said anything about HURTING him? I'd just nag him for a week, and when I finally get his attention, give him another week of the silent treatment!"

Jak groaned as Xema and Keira laughed together. "Women!" He grumbled, making his way towards the door to get as far away from their laughter as possible.

*** FLASHBACK ***

"How long has it been going for?"

"A few hours now your highness! Xi believes she may give birth any minute!"

Kryzdal raced down the corridor as fast as she could. Word had spread to her that Jewlii had been in labor for quite a while. Kryzdal had made a promise to be there with her when her child arrived into the world - and Kryzdal always kept her word.

"Queen Kryzdal! Please slow down! Your baby!"

Kryzdal ignored the young woman behind her. What did she know? This was a matter of life and death!

"Kryzdal?"

Jewlii was in a terrible state. Sweat was pouring down her face, and she looked like she was going to faint from the pain. Kryzdal held out her slender, cool hand to the young girl, and Jewlii grasped it tightly in her sweaty palm.

"Kryzdal! It hurts! I can't do it!"

"Shhh." Kryzdal brushed Jewlii's hair out of her eyes. "You're doing great Jewlii! It will all be over soon!"

***

"Queen Kryzdal? You should come look at this."

Kryzdal looked up at Xi. He was carefully wrapping up the young child in a clean blanket, a look of concern on his face. Unaware of what she was about to see, Kryzdal crept up to the elder, desperately trying to get a glimpse of the child.

"Kryzdal? You KNOW what this means." Xi held the child out to Kryzdal, who gently touched the baby's forehead. Wingless. The child had no wings. The baby had the blood of a wingless person inside of it.

"THIS is why she never revealed who the father was." Xi looked down and the baby, a look of disgrace on his face. "He is not one of us."

"Kryzdal? What's wrong? What's wrong with my baby?"

Kryzdal spun around, rushing to Jewlii's side.

"Jewlii - you're child - has no wings."

There was a slight pause. Tears were filling up in Jewlii's eyes. "W-what does this mean?"

Xi stood up, carefully handling the baby.

"He has to leave the city. You need to tell us who the father is - so that the child has someone to take care of it." Xi looked down. "I used to think highly of you Jewlii. I thought you of all people would know better than to taint blood like ours." He turned to leave, taking the child with him.

"NO! Don't take my baby!" Jewlii cried, her eyes filling up with tears. She tried to stand up, but was too weak from her hours of labor. She fell back into Kryzdal's arms, watching helplessly as Xi took her child away.

"Kryzdal - can't you do anything?" Jewlii wept, burring her face into the Queen's shoulder. Kryzdal felt a tear trickle down her face as she shook her head.

"I wish I could." Kryzdal sighed.

"I didn't even get to see my child! I don't even know what it was!" Jewlii sobbed.

"It was a boy." Kryzdal whispered, rubbing Jewlii's back, trying desperately to comfort her. "It was a beautiful baby boy."

*** END FLASHBACK ***

"Okay, SPILL! What's WRONG?"

Daxter squealed. Xema had him pinned down in the sand by his wrists and ankles, hanging over the top of him and looking him dead in the eye.

"Xemie! PLEASE! I'm FINE!" He groaned, trying to wriggle free from her grasp, yet failing miserably.

"BULL! Something's up! You've hardly said a word in the past few days. I figured either you have a bad throat infection or something's depressing you, so SPILL!"

Daxter quickly squirmed to the left and then the right, breaking one of his paws free from her grasp, then turned the tables by flipping Xema onto her back, so that he now had her pinned down in the same manner that she had done to him only moments before.

"Ha! Thought you had me for a second, DIDN'T YOU?"

"Still do!" Xema grinned, squirming free from his grip and away; she dashed off across the sand, with Daxter in hot pursuit. It didn't take him long to catch up with her, and once again, the princess found herself pinned down once more.

"Hey, you're not so moody NOW!" She giggled, nuzzling her check against her captors. Daxter blushed heavily under his furry face.

"Yeah, you always manage to cheer me up!" Daxter released the female from his grip and invited her into his warm embrace. "You're such a sweetie, you know that Xema?"

The ottsel smiled, twirling the loose fur on Daxter's chest about her fingers. "I just hate seeing you depressed Dax."

He smiled. "I haven't been depressed. I've just been - thinking."

"About what?"

"Stuff."

"Uh-huh." Xema kissed him on the cheek. "You know I don't deserve you Dax."

He grinned. "Hey, it's not my fault I fell in love!" He grinned. "It WAS you who tripped me!"

Xema gasped, trying hard not to laugh.

"Daxter? That was ---TERRIBLE!"

"Yeah, I know."

***

"You know what you have to do?"

Bryon nodded. Through the thicket, he could see the two ottsels, sitting on the warm sand together, in a tight embrace. It made his blood boil, seeing Xema so close to someone else. The fact that she was a small little animal did nothing except add to his anger.

"Catch the rat - er, boy." He grumbled. "Wouldn't it just be easier to grab Xema while I'm at it?"

Karma glared. "I want to toy with them first Bryon. Mess with their minds before I hurt them."

Bryon shook his head. "You are a twisted woman Karma."

She smiled. "No Bryon. I'm just a girl seeking revenge.

***

"Do you hear something?"

Daxter pricked his ears. Far off, he could hear the faint rustling of leaves.

"It's just the wind." He insisted, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Stop worrying."

"I - I can't Dax. I'm SURE something's out there."

"Yeah Xema, there's LOTS of things out there! Bush, birds, ugly little animals -"

Xema shook her head. Deep inside, she had a gut feeling in her stomach. An icy-cold grip that was curling around her waist. It seemed almost real. TOO real.

"Got ya!"

The two ottsels were torn apart by Bryon's large hands. Holding one ottsel by the waist in each fist, he grinned from ear to ear as they stared up at him in horror.

"Thought you'd seen the last of me huh?"

Daxter squirmed with all his might, scratching at the boy's fists with his claws and hissing murder. But Bryon was not willing to give up just yet. He looked down at Xema, who glared up at him.

"Karma told me to take the brat - but why waste my time when I can just take you Xema?"

"NO ONE is taking her ANYWHERE!" Daxter growled, baring his teeth and biting hard on Bryon's wrist. Yelling in pain, Bryon dropped the ottsel to the ground.

"I'll deal with you LATER rat!" The boy hissed, before spreading his wings and taking off from the ground. Daxter watched helplessly as Bryon took off, heading far north, and away from the beach, and Sandover all together.

"NO!"

"Daxter! What's going on?"

Kryzdal raced along the sand towards the ottsel. The sound of angry yells had not escaped her attention as she was taking her evening stroll, and she had come to investigate. Daxter looked beat-up, and his eyes were filling up with tears as he gazed up at the sky.

"Bryon - he - he took Xema." Daxter choked.

Kryzdal gasped. Her worst nightmare was suddenly becoming a reality. The one person she wanted to keep her as far away from as possible had kidnapped Xema.

"Don't worry Daxter." She whispered, placing a paw on his heaving shoulder. "We'll get her back. You can count on that."