Earth Warriors
~~Begin Chapter~~
The next morning, about three hours before sun up, Freuer had all the girls and guys up, and also the five little leprechauns, whilst Rican still lay asleep in a peaceful slumber.
"Let's go quickly," Freuer said packing a few victuals. Artemis came up and took some from the bag. "What are you doing?"
"Giving back to those who helped!" Artemis said. She took two loafs of bread and two canteens of Apple Cider.
"Not my cider!!" Lyra said. Artemis just gave her a look and Lyra stood back and nodded in agreement. Artemis set the victuals next to Rican, and then walked back over to the group.
"Let's go," Freuer said and then they all left.
Trekking through the Frost Mountains seemed a lot harder than it looked. Don't be fooled by the bare trees of evergreen, for the Frost Mountains are truly cold no matter the altitude. The group stuck close together Khan and Vassilij carried Nny on a stretcher in the middle with many coats draped over him. Jen was near him all the time.
"Nny, you're going to be alright! By tomorrow you'll be marching faster than Freuer!!" Lara kept repeating. Khan shot her an annoyed look.
"Will you stop saying that? I'm getting annoyed," Khan said.
"Well! Excuse me if I want to talk to my friend," Jen said. Khan snorted.
"Pah, I know you like him. It's rather obvious! You should just admit it!" Khan said.
"Excuse me?! He's just a close friend and that's all! Do not jump to conclusions on what I feel, because you do not know what I feel!" Jen snapped and did not talk to him. Khan just kept walking on.
"People can we please not fight for one day here?!" Artemis said. "If we're going to fight, let's fight together against the evil and not each other!"
"Oh, you should talk!" Alex said. "You've berated me for every little mistake I make!! You lecture us on not fighting, when you yourself seem it fit to berate me?! That's screwed!"
"Shut-up, Alex! By just stirring up more trouble you bring it upon yourself!" Vassilij said. "So just can it, and leave it be!"
"Everyone will have to walk in silence if you cannot speak without poison upon your tongue!" Freuer said. Everyone shut-up then and continued walking.
The only stops they made were pit breaks and food breaks. Freuer kept everyone silent during the meals and pit breaks.
"You all shall be silent on this journey to the Forest Leprechaun Village. It seems that you cannot speak without poison on your tongues to each other. To prevent a death you shall be silent, and only speak to me, in a whisper," Freuer had said, and everyone nodded in agreement.
The trip took a week, by the time they reached the edge of the Frost Plateau Nny was up and walking again.
Freuer started to tie a rope to a stable boulder. He threw the whole length of the rope down the slope of the plateau saying to the group, "We'll climb down, five feet of length between us all. Lena, you stay on my back, I'll carry you down."
"No, I'd suggest that she be on one of our backs, we're bigger, we can probably support her weight more," Rain said.
"You really think you're stronger than I?" Freuer said with a cocky grin on his face.
"Fine then, you stay up here and hold the line. I'll go first and keep it steady as they come down. And you can carry Jake on your back as you come down."
"How about I just give you all a flight down?" a strong voice with a hint of a growl said. Then the wind picked up and down from the sky came Russano the Rage.
"RUSSANO!!" Ashleigh ran and hugged Russano. "What are you doing here? I thought you and the others weren't allowed to help us!"
"Cheiday said that Koten said that I was to be here with all of you," Russano said. "So I had to obey orders from Koten."
"Who's Koten?" Ashleigh asked. Freuer looked at her strangely.
"You know who Koten is! Ahahahahahaha! Don't be such a kidder!" Russano said slapping Ashleigh on the back, knocking the wind out of her. Everyone gave him a weird look.
"Yeah, you must be kidding because everyone has at least heard of Koten, the great Forest Guardian!" Jude said. "Even up here, everyone has heard of Koten!"
"Yeah, but even those who live in the forest have rarely seen the great Guardian of the Forest!! I bet humans see him all the time though! Have you met him?" Spike asked. They shook their heads.
"Not yet, we've been mostly traveling away from the forests and such," Alex said.
"Oh, well perhaps with you along with us, we'll get to meet him! That'll be a tale to tell the village huh Spike?!" Will said happily. Spike nodded, his eyes all starry.
"Yeah! That'd be the best thing to happen in our lives!!" Spike exclaimed. Freuer's lip twitched up in a quick smile then back to his usual scowl.
"Listen, we won't get to Koten until we talk to the wizard Mekin, he lives at the bottom of the Plateau-"Freuer began.
"Nay, I live not down there anymore," an old feeble voice said. From behind a large boulder stepped a man hunched over holding onto a long walking staff for support. His hair was white as snow but not long at all, it barely reached three inches. On the top of his head a few strands of hair waved all about unkept unlike the sides and back of his head which was covered in full hair. His face was wrinkly like any old man and kindly as well. His eyes were ice blue and showed much wisdom. He wore a simple large shirt that was a silver-blue and had red squares around the neck and sleeves. His pants were torn at the bottom and were a dirty light brown.
Freuer bowed and so did the leprechaun kids and the others followed suit. Freuer approached, "Hello, Old Mekin. How are you this season?"
"Season? Just this season? My, I have lived millenniums this season is just like the rest. But this day is different. Humans I see," Mekin said. "Yes, different, certainly different."
"Yes, isn't every day different from the other though?" Alex said. Mekin looked at him.
"Why, so tis, so tis," Mekin said. "You look very familiar, but I can't seem to put my finger on it from where I hath seen thee. All of thee, from so long ago. But I sense that all thou art different from others who here dwelt and dwells."
"Well, Mekin whatever it is, it'll have to wait, for we have come to see you," Freuer said.
"To see me? Hehe, didst thou thinkest that I knew that not?" Mekin chuckled.
"What they hath come for me is for their own matter, you, Freuer Reinhold, stay with yon children of the Forest and Frost Mountains. What I hath to say to the humans is for their eyes alone. Russano the Rage, look after the children with Freuer."
Russano nodded. Mekin turned around and walked off, "Follow me."
They did follow him into a cave. He motioned them to sit around the fire. He sat down on a green slab that looked like a throne almost. He looked around closely at the teens. He sighed a moment and said with lips that seemed to barely move, "So you're here at last. I know thou are not Crypto-Earth Humans, but actual humans from the Other Earth. Thou are taking a risk having a leprechaun who hates Other Earth Human being your guide."
"Well, we didn't know they hated Other Earth humans," Lyra said. Mekin nodded.
"I certainly know that, friend," Mekin said. "But the challenge you are to face is much more risk. You know why you are do you not?"
He didn't get a response. Then Arty said, "Yes we do, our friends told us."
"Good, now, the trip to Koten's lair is long and hard. But the training is much more challenging. You must know who Koten is."
"Uh…" was all the kids said.
"He is the Guardian of the Forest," Mekin said. "He is of high stature amongst all lands. You must pay him respect when you visit him. He will train you."
"Train us for what exactly?" Alex asked. Mekin looked at him then looked in the flames of the fire.
"To fight the evil," Mekin said quietly. "There is an evil out there across the Doragon Mountains. In the lands of Darkness and Despair dwells an evil so powerful even the guardians have trouble fighting it."
"If the guardians have trouble what makes them think we, mere humans, can fight this thing?" Rain asked.
"You all have something in you, much more than mere kilons, you have much power in all of you, it can rival the guardians, and with the guardians to help you, you all may certainly be able to defeat this evil," Mekin said. "You are Earth Warriors, the second generation. There was a team before you millenniums ago when the evil first rose, but you are now the only hope for Crypto-Earth and Other Earth." Mekin got up and walked over to the wall and tapped a picture painted on the wall three times. The wall opened and Mekin stepped in for a while coming back out he held a large box in his arms. He set it in front of the group and opened it revealing beautiful jade necklaces. "Take these with you, it'll help you on your journey make it easier. And here-" he handed them more rope- "rope for the journey down to plateau."
They took the necklaces and the rope and walked out of the cave.
"Good Luck on your journey friends, and be well," Mekkin said waving them off as he watched them climb down the plateau. His eyes seemed a little moist as he watched Freuer go down last. He walked back into his cave and set his walking stick aside. He sighed heavily, "I fear for you my friends, one of you is going to loose someone close. I fear much loss will be found on the battle field. Please do not drag others into your fight with The Evil. The cost of peace can be too high…"
~~
White stood in front of his prize that floated in the liquid gel of green, now in the final stages of the healing process. White smirked, "Soon with you, I will take over The Dark Lands and I shall rule over Crypto-Earth, Koten will bow at my feet."
"White, are you talking to yourself again?" a deep voice said with a bit of a growl and it dripped with sarcasm. White spun around quickly and saw a white tiger with a wolf's neck.
"Wolfneck, what are you doing here?" White asked. Wolfneck laughed a little.
"I'm here to fetch you, White," Wolfneck said. "The Master wants to see you now."
"Tell Zalaris he can wait!" White said then he yelled in pain as Wolfneck scratched his back like a scratching post.
"Never say The Master's true name unless going into battle or you know him and are his right side creature!" Wolfneck growled. Then they heard another chuckle come from the doorway. A dark red-orange lion with a black mane and green eyes with some red in it came down. It had a snake tail the hissed and moved around having a mind of it's own.
"Master Chimera," Wolfneck bowed. Chimera chuckled.
"Good job, Wolfneck, to enforce The Master's law even on his own subjects that are in their turn to destroy the Earth Warriors," Chimer said. Wolfneck crept away from White letting Chimera have his turn at enforcing the law. Chimera circled White smirking smugly and evilly, his snake took a few snaps at him. Chimera put a paw on the head of his snake tail. "Settle down, Snake, I know how you are when rules are broken."
Chimera looked at White and said, "So, mate, looks like you've said the name of The Master as if he were an equal. Well that's not nice." Chimera slashed White's face now Chimer had on an ugly angry look and he growled, "Now get to The Master he's called for you! If I ever hear you say The Master's name in such a careless tone again that isn't a war cry then you'll die!"
White got up holding the right side of his face where Chimera slashed at him. He held it a
moment then said, "You crazy lion! I swear Chimera one day you will die by my hands!"
"Only in your dreams weakling," Chimera growled then got ready to pounce. He made a toothy grin, "Now get out before I decide to destroy you now."
White went scampering down the hall. Chimera looked at Wolfneck who was still bowing in his master's presence, "Get up now, Wolfneck. You know it's been three centuries since you've been appointed Wolfneck."
"Yes I know," Wolfneck said. "It is time for a new Wolfneck to be brought by. With the same markings I have and the wolf's neck. We have to search for him across the border."
"How do you know that?" Chimera asked.
"It came to me in a dream, like the dream my master Wolfneck had before me," Wolfneck said. Chimera nodded.
"I knew that, I just didn't think that you would have the dream by now," Chimera said.
"It'll be up to you to train this new Wolfneck."
"Yes sir," Wolfneck said. "I'm fully aware of what my duties are."
"Good now beware that now your duty for tonight is to make sure White doesn't come in here anymore," Chimera said then he trotted out into the hallway. Wolfneck lay in front of the large container that held the human.
~~End Chapter~~
Well, here it is! Yep! Another chapter in Earth Warriors. I know I haven't updated in God knows how long…BUT I have now! And sorry for the wait, but this thing is probably going to be a frikkin' novel as I introduce some other characters. Take not of Wolfneck here people. Oh and Chimera generally looks like Scar on the Lion King only with a snake tail. Hehehe. Okay now, I released the chapter today in Celebration of The Quiet American be released today on DVD. tQA stars Brendan Fraser! ^__^ Look for another chapter on Griffin Fraser's birthday (in September) or even sooner!
Jester