Earth Protectors

Jester: Here y'go. Chapter 25.

~~Begin Chapter~~

For two nights the girls stayed with the Frost Leprechauns. And for two nights the boys on both sides of the mountain traveled endlessly to the other side of the mountain in hopes of finding the girls.

Upon the sunrise of the third day Arty got up and looked to the east as the sun rose. Someone came up next to her, it was Freuer.

"Oh, hello Freuer," Arty said boredly. Freuer nodded.

"Hi. It's beautiful isn't it?" he said.

"what?" Arty asked. Freuer pointed to the mountains.

"How when the sun crests the mountains a silver lining outlines them and then comes a burst of gold and colour restores to the Crypto-World," Freuer said. Arty laughed a little and nodded in agreement.

"I never thought you to be the sensitive type, Freuer," Artemis said. And she really didn't think he was for Spike, Will, Jude and Brendan told her and the girls of what little they knew of Freuer's dark and horrible past. How his parents were killed in a freak accident that concerned humans from Arty's world and the evil they were to face.

"So to-day you and the others are to head out to Mekin, the wizard," Freuer said sighing at the sunrise.

"Yeah," Arty said entranced in the sunrise.

"I shall accompany you and the others. There are many dangers in this freezing desolate place. Many Juniks live here," Freuer said.

"juniks?" Artemis repeated, confused.

"Monsters, evil creatures," Freuer said. "I can understand you not knowing, humans of Crypto-Earth never use that word, as you know. For you humans of Crypto-Earth are kind to all hekon, even if they are not kind to you," Freuer said. "Humans of Crypto-Earth know no evil, such peaceful and brave souls they are. How your kind will just fight a battle for the meek and win. How your kind defends the innocent and protects those weaker than them. Your kind is so pure hearted and loving. The most famous of your kind must be Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse of the plains people at least. Freu Arthur of the misty lands that are always green, and Freu Khan of the lands of the East just before Crypto-Egypt and Crypto-Arabia."

Freuer smiled, he had once been an explorer with his deceased parents and he missed them greatly, and he really missed exploring. So when he found out that Arty and the girls were leaving to the edge of the Frost Pleatuea he seized his opportunity. Freuer was a good looking leprechaun, as every girl in Arty's group had noticed, and he was just about a Crypto year older. Than them. Though he'd be many years older than them when they spent one year in their world. Crypto-Earth years were much shorter than the years in Arty and the girl's world. Though details on that will be explained after the epilogue of this story if we ever get there…. Freuer wasn't one of a romantic he thought, but Artemis could tell he was waiting for someone, just someone right for him. She could tell by what he had said earlier: "How when the sun crests the mountains a silver lining outlines them and then comes a burst of gold and colour restores to the Crypto-World." It was quite obvious, don' you think?

Artemis was awed by the burst of colour that seemed to just come out from the sun in a split second. Artemis eyes widened, "Wow, it is beautiful!"

"I know, it's the only reason I wake up early," Freuer said, looking up and seeing the stars fade. Artemis smiled and nodded.

"It'd sure make me get up early," Artemis said. Just then Jen and Katrina came up and patted Arty on the head.

"Having a good time being sensitive, are we, Arty?" Katrina teased. Artemis snorted.

"I'm not sensitive!" Artemis said. Jen laughed.

"You'd like to think you're not! But we know you are. We know you have a heart, you've shown it too many times," Jen said smiling. Artemis smiled and nodded.

"Fine, I admit it, I have a heart," Artemis said. Freuer looked at her.

"Of course you do, you're a human of Crypto-Earth," Freuer said then got up and left to get his wolverine gloves/claws. Jen and Katrina grinned as they saw Artemis watch him. They started to chuckle evilly.

"What?" Artemis said. Katrina and Jen just shared a look. "Oh girls, get your head out of the gutter, I don't like him."

"Sure, Arty, sure," Katrina said rolling her eyes. Jen just laughed. Artemis scowled then laughed. Their laughing woke up the rest of the girls.

"Oi! Stop that laughing and let a girl get her beauty sleep!" Ashleigh said throwing a blanket right in their faces.

"Oi! Don't throw that at me!" Artemis said and threw it back. She then pointed to Katrina and Jen, "They started it!"

"Did not!" They protested.

"Did too!" Artemis said.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did NOT!"

"Did TOO!!"

WHOMP!! WHAMP!! FOOMP! Three blankets shot into their faces.

"knock off the noise!" Ava said.

"Yeah, I'm trying to get the last bit of sleep in!" Terry said.

"Can't a girl sleep anymore?" Selena said.

"I'm too tired to put up with your arguing!" Lyra said then fell asleep immediately, the Apple Cider canteen right next to her. The girls laughed, Lyra had gotten addicted to the Apple Cider ever since Jude and Brendan forced her to drink it. At first when they offered it to her she was resistant, a "very embarrassing incident" she had said made her dislike it. But then Spike and Will grabbed her from behind and Jude and Brendan forced her to drink it. Ever since that first night Lyra didn't go an hour without drinking a cup of it.

"Great!" Ava laughed. "Now I'm too awake to go to sleep now!"

"Same here!" Selena said.

"Damn it, you passed it to me too," Terry said stretching.

"Jeez, what is this, awake ness? Contagious?" Ashleigh said, also not able to go to sleep again.

Lyra yawned too and sat up, "Great now I'm awake!"

Lyra to a swig of her Apple Cider, "Thank God they don't have alcohol here…"

"Yeah, you'd be suffering a MAJOR hangover if they did put alcohol in that," Artemis said. "Plus you'd be taking a piss every hour."

Jude, Brendan, Will and Spike ran in and jumped on the girls, "WAKE UP!!" They yelled in unison.

"WE'RE UP!!" They said in unison.

"Well you don't have to be so rude," Will said. All the girls threw their blankets on them. Freuer was just walking up and saw what happened. He laughed, for the first time in many years he laughed.

"Hahaha, finally, the little jokers get their own punishment!" Freuer said. "Okay now, let's go girls, we have to leave on the double."

Spike, Will, Jude and Brendan all jumped up and followed the girls. Freuer stopped Jude and Brendan, "and where do you think you're going?"

"With them!" Jude said.

"I don't think so. Your mother would die of grief if anything horrible were to happen to you. There are so many juniks in the mountains," Freuer said in a mysteriously scary voice. Jude and Brendan were unaffected though.

"Yeah? So? We've lived here all our lives, we can deal with it! We're just going to help you protect the girls!" Brendan said. Jude nodded in agreement. Freuer thought on this for a moment.

"Fine, you can join us, but you will have to come back alone after we are finished speaking to Mekin the Wizard," Freuer said. Jude and Brendan nodded. "Let's go, but first-"Freuer took out a parchment and pen and scribbled something down- "leave this by your mother's bedside so she won't die of worry over where you two are."

Jude nodded and took the note and did what he was told. He was back shortly after and they left. But what they didn't know was that another one followed them.

~~~~

"We'll have to go down to the base first," Freuer explained. "So then it'll be safer."

"How long will it take to get to the base?" Terry asked.

"Oh an hour or two. It's only about one and a half mellers down," Freuer said, walking a little sideways as he made his way down a rocky part.

~~~

The boys had met just two hours after sunrise.

"Hey!" Khan said greeting the other group. "Any luck?"

Rain shook his head then noticed that Nny wasn't talking nor walking but being carried by Vassilij, "Oh my ra! What happened to Nny?!"

"He was knocked out," Vassilij grunted, "as we escaped the mudslides and avalanche. He's been in and out of consciousness for two days. He needs help and soon."

Just then they heard a yell, a female voice yelling, "HEEEY!! GUYS!!"

They all looked up the mountain and saw the girls standing on a cliff just fifty feet above them.

"Katrina!!" Khan yelled and waved.

"Lyra!" Rain yelled.

"Selena!" Miguel yelled as well.

"Terry! You're alive!!" Jake yelled gratefully.

"Yeah I'm alive! Why wouldn't I be?!" Terry shouted back, laughing. Freuer looked down and made a few calculations. Then he went back to the four young leprechauns accompanying him and the girls.

"Give me the long rope, Brendan," Freuer said stretching his hand to him and he shifted a stable rock into a better position. Brendan handed him the long rope. "Okay this rope it only forty-five feet long, so you'll have to jump down five feet , you four. The humans are just tall enough to be able to reach the ground in good shape."

Freuer secured the rope and tugged it a bit to make sure it didn't move the rock.

"Okay, who first?" Freuer said.

"Jen, you go first," Artemis said pushing Jen ahead. Jen nodded and went down. After her was Selena, then Terry, then Ashleigh, then Lyra, then Ava then Katrina and then Artemis. Then went the four young leprechauns and then the unexpected companion, Lena came up to go down. Freuer was shocked to see her.

"Lena, what're you doing here?!" Freuer said, trying to hold back his frustration.

"I didn't want to be left alone without Jude and Brendan," She said meekly.

"Lena, you could've been killed! How far away from us were you?"

"Only a few meters," Lena said. Freuer sighed heavily. "Did I make you mad??"

"No, no Lena, but you shouldn't have come. If we get in a tight spot you might be injured or worse, killed!" Freuer said a bit loudly. Lena sobbed, for she was only six and it was her God given right to cry when she made a mistake. Freuer realized what he said and tried to calm her by hugging her, "no, no don't cry, Lena, don't cry. Here, jump on my back I'll carry you down."

Lena sobbed and nodded and did as she was bid. Freuer untied the rope and climbed down the edge of the cliff. When he was far enough down for one of the humans to get Lena off his back he called to them. "Hey! Could someone take Lena off my back so she'll be alright?"

Lyra came up and took Lena into her arms and Freuer jumped down.

"Thank you," he said. "Now, follow me."

He was talking to no one, for everyone was huddled around Nny. He turned around and walked to them.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"It's Nny, he's injured and badly," Artemis said, Jen was sobbing on her shoulder and Artemis was trying to comfort her though she was never good at doing such things.

"Let me see, I have some herbs," Freuer said. He inspected the numerous wounds. "I have herbs to heal this, but I'll need some others as well that can only be found in that mountain's forest." He pointed to the forest on the other side of the small river that ran in between the forest and the mountain they had just gotten off of . "It'll take a day or two for the herbs to have the full effect than after that another day of rest. So we'll be traveling in another three or four days."

"Rain and I can go get the herbs," Vassilij said. "Just gives us the list and we'll get 'em."

"No, you probably won't recognize them, they are only found in this region, you're obviously from the south so take Jude or Brendan with you, they'll be able to spot it," Freuer said. "Jude you go with them." Freuer took out parchment and pen again and scribbled down the list. "Here y'go. Go quickly we have little time."

Rain and Vassilij nodded, and left to across the river Jude following them. Jude stopped before the river. Rain and Vassilij were about to enter the water when Jude stopped them.

"Wait! The water is freezing, you'd die of freezing before you got to the other side!" Jude said. "We need to build a boat!"

"How are we going to do that?!" Rain asked.

"I can be of help there," a deep gruff male voice said.

~~End Chapter~~

Yeah, yeah I know, short, but hey! It's 9:37 P.M. here!! Cut me a break eh? So please review and SOON! I want to know what you think.

Jester