Chapter 5.

The hunting party trudged wearily into the clearing where Ku-Lon waited, the elder poked at the fire a few more times, tossed some herbs into the waiting pot and then glanced upwards, Well? What have you found to make you come back so early? she asked, curiously.

We believe that we've found the Tendo girl Su-Tan's reply trailed off at the end as she gulped nervously.

I don't know.I'm still not sure that it was her, Cho-Mei replied skeptically while worrying at her lower lip.

Shut up! Shan-Pu growled, clenching her hands at her sides. It was her!..her eyes may have been different but.it definitely was her!

Mou-sei stepped forward, shoving herself in-between the two, placing her hand on their chests, she tried to placate them, Hey! Come on you two.there's no need to fight. We will get her _if_ she is the one we're looking for. I for one think that there is a slim chance that she's the one...but I did notice a few odd things about her. Noticing that she had their full attention, Mou-sei stepped back and continued, Did you see her eyes?

Shan-Pu frowned as she remembered the girls' strange pupil-less eyes. Noticing the purple hared amazons expression, Mou-sei forged on, .and those pointed ears? she smirked as Shan-Pu's eyes widened to the size of basketballs. Mou-sei's sense of satisfaction grew with each point that hit home, and the way she moved?.how about how she acted? A bit skittish of people wouldn't you say?

Hnnn. Now that you mention itshe was acting strange.kind of like one of the ancient forest folk, Su-Tan murmured, frowning, deep in thought.

Stepping forward, Lu-Fa interrupted them, Maybe it was magic that changed her? Whirling around, she faced the elder and asked, You are familiar with the lore of the valleyare you not, Elder?

Frowning, Ku-Lon pondered for a moment before glancing towards the group, Yes. But, it has been many years since I have had to search my memories. Turning, she scooped out some of the stew and began to eat, searching her memories of things learned when she was young.


(**Flashback **)

A noise was heard over the quiet chirping to the crickets; shadows moved, deceiving the human eye and then nothing. Another sound was heard, this time it was the footstep of two seven-year-old girls as they quietly moved through the village towards the record hall. One of the girls stumbled on a loose stone and cursed, Darn it!

A child with purple hair whispered harshly. Do you want to get caught?

But, Ku-Lon..we're only going to read more about the story mama told us, Ku-Ream replied, puzzled at her friend's insistence of stealth.

That's not the point! If we're caught then, we'll be punished. You have to remember that our mothers told us to stay inside at night or the Musk scouts will get us. We're still at war with them Ku-Lon replied, peeking around the corner of a hut to check for the guards. Seeing that the coast was clear, she motioned for her friend to follow and set off towards the center of the village with Ku-Ream following close behind.

They had almost made it to the safety of the record hall when the sound of voices reached their ears, followed by the flickering light of torches. Oh no!" Ku-Ream gasped at the sight of the flickering flames heading their way. "We're going to get caught! Quick!" she gave a slight tug on her companion's sleeve. Pulling Ku-Lon's arm towards the direction they had come from. "Let's go back! Ku-Ream whispered in a blind panic as she grasped onto Ku-Lon's tunic.

Ku-Lon whispered, pulling her arm from her friends' grasp, she covered her Ku-Ream's mouth with one hand. Hold still and don't make a sound, she breathed quietly, her lips brushing her friends ear as she pulled her back into the darkest shadows of the hut, they'll pass us by if we make ourselves as small as possible and keep quiet.

As three warriors paused in front of their hiding spot, both girls froze in fear. They knew if they were caught, their mothers would punish them severely. One guard spoke, "I was sure I heard something from over here." On top of her head; pointed ears swiveled from side to side, trying to detect the slightest whisper of sound.

"You're always hearing things, Cha-mez," a tall green muscular guard named Ivy spoke, rubbing the butt of her spear against her leg.

"Yeah, you're always jumping at the slightest noise, "a scarred red hared guard went by the name of Blaze, interjected teasingly as her foxlike tail wagged back in forth in anticipation of the coming fight. Her features resembled that of a human mixed with a fox. Her hair even matched her name, as it seemed to burst with vibrant color not unlike a flame. For some odd reason, she couldn't resist teasing her friend every chance she got, which was every night.


Cha-mez frowned and replied, "Hey! I can't help it if my hearing is sixteen times that of a regular human!" Cha-mez flattened her ears in a sign of displeasure as she continued ranting, "It's not my fault that I fell into the spring of drowned cat-girl....." her tail lashed back and forth; a sign of extreme agitation. Hissing furiously, not unlike the cat she now resembled, Cha-mez yelled, "I was pushed I tell you!" Her companions sighed in exasperation; extremely tired of hearing the same story every night.

"Well..... if you ask me....and I don't care if you didn't," Blaze said, giving Cha-mez a pointed glare that made her friend bite back a snarl and she continued speaking as if nothing had interrupted, "....in my opinion _ that's why_ the three of us are always given the night shift. After all, we all have a complimentary curse similar to yours. If there's anyone out there that we don't know, I'd be able to smell it."

"I for one, think we should get back to patrolling the village. You never know when those musk dogs will strike. We've already lost several of our warriors to the Musk warriors claws, " Ivy replied as she scanned the night with her keen eyesight. Her eyes glowed with an eerie luminescence as they absorbed all available light which enabled her to see as clearly as if it was daylight. Her companions nodded and they all moved off towards the other side of the village, leaving the two girls to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Come on, now's our chance!" Ku-Lon hissed as she pulled Ku-Ream along by her arm. "We better hurry while they're on the other side of the village or we'll certainly catch hell from our mothers if we're caught."

"Ku-Lon!" Ku-Ream wined as she tugged on her arm. "Not so fast!....hey let go!" she exclaimed in frustration as she was pulled at a much faster pace than before. Tripping over a loose stone in the path, Ku-Ream yelped quietly as it dug painfully into her knee as she fell, "I said...let go!"


Ku-Lon stopped her mad dash across the village square, turned towards her friend and whispered, "What the hell are you complaining about! We have to get out of sight before we're discovered!"

"That's easy for you to say! You can walk normally!" Ku-Ream whispered furiously, stabbing her index finger in Ku-Lon's chest as she continued to state her point, "I can't run as fast as you with my leg being half healed from that Bon-bori strike you hit me with this morning....I was told that the bone has a hairline fracture!"

Ku-Lon's eyes widened as she sucked in a breath of surprise she flinched and replied, "Why didn't you tell me before I started to drag you half way across the village!"

"I tried!" Ku-Ream whispered as she limped across the rest of the distance to the record hall. "You were not listening to me!" Sighing in exasperation, Ku-Ream continued as she picked the lock on the door and slipped inside, "besides, who else would be able to pick this lock. I'm the only one capable enough to do it without setting off the traps."

Giving her friend a slight smile, Ku-Lon nodded her head in the darkness and replied, "Yes. You're right...and I'm sorry for not listening to you when you told me to let go. I was so focused on getting inside and reading the scrolls that I deliberately ignored you. I promise to never do that again."

"Good!" Ku-Ream replied, smiling. "Now lets get to reading those scrolls, I, for one, am very curious as to why we're not allowed to read them yet."

"Well....since we're now here....why don't you take that side," Ku-Lon pointed towards a row of shelves over on her right. "I'll take the left side. If you find it give a shout...but, not too loudly or we'll alert the guards to our presence.

Nodding her agreement, Ku-Ream set off in the direction of the shelves while Ku-Lon searched the cabinets for the one scroll that gave the history of the forbidden valley. They had been searching for a good hour when Ku-Ream squealed in delight as she waved a scroll in the air, "I found it! Come see, Lon-chan....I found the scroll!"

Replacing the scrolls she had in her hand back where they belonged, Ku-Lon hurried towards Ku-Ream's side. Taking the scroll from her hand, Ku-Lon unrolled it and began reading. Two more hours passed as they gleaned important facts about the valley and it's inhabitants. So deeply were they engrossed that they never heard the door open behind them, nor see the narrowing of six pairs of eyes. But, the one thing they noticed was when their ears were yanked hard, pulling them to stand on their tiptoes by Cha-mez and Blaze while Ivy growled out furiously, "I hope you have a good reason to be in here!"

**End Flashback**


Shaking away the memory, Ku-Lon sighed wistfully before focusing on the group before her. Her suspicions confirmed by her recent memory recall, she yelled, I believe that the girl is the Tendo girl! But, we will go home so I may speak to the council. I will need their permission to hunt the girl if she lives in the valley. If we have their permission to enter then, I will make us some special charms so we will be able to return home alive.

What do you mean return home alive, Elder? Cho-mei asked as a deep shiver of fear ran down her spine.

Narrowing her eyes, Ku-Lon glared at the girl and snapped, I meant what I said! If we wish to remain in the world of the living..we will need those charms to be able to ward off the creatures that live in the valley."

"Why would we need such things as that great-grandmother? We're Amazons and we are superior fighters....even in a small number nothing would take us down easily. The ancient one might be a problem and besides.....I don't think we have anything else to worry about. Why wait and consult the council! We should use stealth and capture the girl and bring her back to the village so we can kill her in front of the council."


"Stupid girl!" Ku-Lon shouted as she stood; advancing quickly, the elder backed Shan-Pu up against a tree, her face red with anger she pointed her staff at her great-granddaughters throat and smirked as Shan-Pu squeaked in surprise. "Dragons are not the only things that live there," Ku-Lon's lips compressed into a thin line as she glared and snarled, "There are things in that valley that would not hesitate to eat you alive and there would be nothing you could do to prevent it!"

"How do you know, Elder?" Su-Tan asked quietly, her face alight with curiosity.

"Yes," Mou-sei piped up as she leaned forward, doubt clearly written on her face. "I would like to know how is it that you know what's in the valley? What would be able to take down an Amazon? I didn't think that there is anything that could do that."


"Ah, I see that I will have to explain." Ku-Lon said as she lowered her staff and motioned for the girls to break camp and follow. Nodding in satisfaction, Ku-Lon headed off in the direction of the village. As she walked, she told them her story, "When I was young.....a friend of mine didn't believe the tales told by the council and her parents. Her name was Per-Fum. One day, we were playing not far from the entrance to the valley. I told her that it was too dangerous to be so close to the valley. Per-Fum sneered at me and was about to say something when she was cut off in mid syllable as loud roar came from behind us. We turned around and came face to face with something from our worst nightmares."

The girls gasped in anticipation of the tail and a bit of suspense. They all glanced towards Ku-Lon with wide eyes.
Ku-Lon paused in her narrative and glanced back at the young warriors and nodded in satisfaction. She could see their expressions; they eagerly hung on to every word that fell from her lips. Turning around, Ku-Lon forged ahead, she could see the village just ahead. Eager to speak with he council, she quickened her pace and continued, "Before she could scream, it had her in its jaws. Now, I wasn't sure what it was at the time but a few hours later I found out that it was a fire salamander. The warriors from the village heard the commotion and came running will all available weapons. They were able to drive it back with spells and enchanted weapons. But, unfortunately they were not able to save Per-Fum. During the battle, the beast swallowed her alive."


"Aieya!" Shan-Pu exclaimed. "That's horrible!"

"Ooh, I think I'm going to be sick!" Mou-sei moaned as she shuddered in revulsion.

"That's no way for an Amazon warrior to die!" Su-Tan exclaimed, eyes wide, reflecting the horror she felt.

"Is there another way into the valley?" Lu-Fa asked quietly.

Sighing, Ku-Lon paused at the council chamber and replied, "No. There is no other way into the valley that we know of. All of the entrances are hidden from human eyes. The only ones that know of another way into the valley are the ones that currently reside inside. The dragons and the ancient forest folk are the only intelligent ones that live there along side the beasts. They are the ones that keep the beasts from straying into our world. But, with magic dying out, they are fewer in number and can barely keep up with controling the beasts." With those last words on her lips, Ku-Lon turned and entered the chamber; leaving the girls to their own devices.

Once Ku-Lon disappeared behind the curtain, the group sat down on the ground, fully prepared for a long wait. Over the next few minutes each thought about what the council might decide and hoped beyond hope that they would not have to enter the valley.

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"Ah, Ku-Lon, "Min-Tsu replied, glancing up from the papers scattered across the table. "I could not help but overhear what you have told the young ones. You know that to break this pact is a very serious offence and is one that must be considered from all angles."

"Yes, I understand honored mother, "Ku-lon replied, bowing low at the waist out of respect for the oldest living Amazon. "But we must capture the Tendo girl to restore Shan-Pu's honor and bring her wayward husband back to the village where he belongs. We think that the Tendo girl is, or has somehow been changed by magic and would like to bring her here to confirm this."

"Hnn, This is a decision that all of the council should make," Min-Tsu replied with a weary sigh. Being that she was the oldest living Amazon and that her age exceeded five hundred years, Min-Tsu was well respected for her advice and opinions. Everything she said _was_ law. When council meetings were held, it was Min-Tsu who had the last and final say on any matter in the village.

Min-Tsu rose slowly from her well used chair. Then, she grabbed her walking stick and shuffled her way over towards a horn that hung from the main post of the hut. Her journey around the table took her well over five minutes. Ku-Lon made a move towards the horn but froze when she received a withering glare from Min-Tsu. "I can manage well enough, child. I'm not so old that I'm helpless!"

"Forgive me, honored mother," Ku-Lon replied, bowing once more. Retreating a step, she wondered, "I know I should help her get the horn...but if I try I just know she'll wack me with that cane of hers. I remember all of the times she hit me when I was still a child." Ku-Lon shuddered in remembered fear. "Even now, she's still as agile when she was two hundred. But, that is very hard to see at the moment since she's decided to take her time." Turning her attention back towards watching Min-Tsu's journey to reach the center of the room, she heard her muttering quietly to herself as she walked, "Humph! Youngins these days! Can't allow us older people to do things for themselves, I'm not feeble...I can still take down anyone who tries to...to..." Min-Tsu paused as a puzzled expression appeared on her face as she lost her train of thought, focusing her attention towards Ku-Lon she asked, "now what was it I was saying?"

Rolling her eyes, Ku-Lon sighed quietly, then spoke up," Young people, honored mother."

"...ah yes, youngins, they have no respect for their elders....." Min-Tsu continued muttering quietly until she reached the horn. Grasping it around the handle, she drew a deep breath, brought it to her lips and blew with all her might. The sound that it produced was loud and carried throughout the village. During past years, the horn was used to call all warriors to battle and put fear in their enemies hearts; it was not unlike the sound of a trumpet but it had a much deeper sound that carried for miles around. Now, it was used to call the rest of the elders and warriors from the village to convene for a serious discussion. Removing the horn from her lips, Min-Tsu panted for awhile, waiting to catch her breath before speaking, " The council will meat at the first sight of the moon."

"But what shall we do now that you have called all of the village to the council meeting?" Ku-Lon asked, impatience thinly valed in her question.

"Now child, we must wait."


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"Your mother's a dragon!" the yell echoed loudly through the valley loud enough to alert the massive red dragon resting in the clearing.

Xanixi lifted her massive wedge shaped hear in alarm and whirled around to face the strange voice. Eyes focusing on the stranger the massive dragon growled, "A HUMAN!....HERE IN THE VALLEY!" the thought echoed throughout her mind.

Ranma heard the growl and gulped, "Hey, um...Storm. I don't think she likes me!"

"What makes you think that?" Storm asked from her hidden position behind a tree trunk.

"It's just that she growled at me, " Ranma replied, taking a cautious step backwards.

A clawed foot followed his retreat as Xanixi's rage skyrocketed. If Ranma had been able to feel the essence of it, he would have trembled in awe. "HOW DARE A HUMAN SET FOOT IN THIS PLACE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!" Xanixi thought, roaring her fury to the world and then, lunged, jaws agape, ready to break the intruder in half.

"Oh shit!" Ranma cursed as he threw himself to the side. Just in time to avoid the snapping jaws; jaws strong enough to crush a car if given the chance. "Hey! I'm not gonna hurt ya!" Ranma yelled in a blind panic as he continued to dodge the return swipe of a massive clawed forearm. "Why th' hell are ya attackin me!"


Storm watched the scene in complete shock as her mother attacked her new friend. Quickly, running out into the open, she tried to get her adoptive mothers attention, "Mother!...Stop!" Her shouts fell on deaf ears as Xanixi continued her relentless attack on the pigtailed boy.

Xanixi's rage was so great that it overrode all reason. Nothing got past it except one thing, "I MUST KILL THIS HUMAN BEFORE HE TRIES TO HURT MY ONLY DAUGHTER!...... HE MUST DIE!" Swinging her tail around with a loud crack, she used it like a whip, each time aiming for the human's neck hard enough to silce off his head in one blow.

"Yipe!" Ranma yelped as he managed to duck out of the way. He could feel the force of the swing as the air currents as the tail passed overhead, pushed him downwards. Quickly, jumping into a ready position, Ranma waited for the next attack. Cocking his head in a slightly puzzled manor, he watched as the dragon stopped all motion for a split second while taking a deep breath. Suddenly, an illusive memory tickled his conciousness; about a story his father told him when he was five hit him like a ton of bricks, "Now what was it that Pop told me about when I was five....I seem to remember that it was about dragons. This dragon is red.....red dragons....hmm,....come on, Ranma think! ....red dragons......................................red dragons.................breathe............................FIRE!"

"Mother...No," Storm whispered quiet enough that no one heard her words. She wastched as Ranma somersault over a tail-swipe and then flip himself over the searing heat of her mother's flame-thrower breath. "Why is mother doing this!....I must get her to stop this madness!" she thought as she took off running, heading directly towards Ranma.

"SHIT!" Ranma yelled, dodging the searing heat of the dragons flaming breath. "Do somethin'!" he yelled, bending over backwards as a massive clawed hand passed directly over where his head used to be. He was exhausted from all the traveling he had done all day and didn't think he could continue this much longer. "Hurry upor she's gonna kill me!" he panted, feeling the last of his strength finally leave him.

Storm watched as Ranma finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell to the ground. She watched in dawning horror as her mother opened her massive jaws for the final blow. "No!" Storm murmered and even before the words had finished forming on her lips she threw herself to the ground, covering his body with hers, closing her eyes, she screamed loudly, "MOTHER STOP! PLEASE!"

Rearing her head backwards at the sound of her daughter screaming, Xanixi cocked her massive head and glanced downward to see her covering the boys body with her own. "What are you doing my daughter! Get away from him! He's a human and humans are dangerous,"she hissed menacingly before snorting her eire and then continuing her speach, "...and by law, is therefore, not allowed inside of this valley without magic. So, it is my duty to eliminate the threat!"

Shaking her head, violently, Storm pleaded, "No! Mother, please don't!" Gripping, Ranma's waist tighter, Storm glanced upwards and whispered in mandarin, "He's my friend....and....and I think...No!" she shook her head as a memory surfaced. It seemed like she was there, watching him through her own eyes; it was of the boy she was holding. He stood in a wooden structure, wearing a white dogie, smiling....at her. Blinking the memory away, Storm whispered, "...I know that he has something....some connection with my past!"

Sighing, Xanixi backed away and replied, "Very well. I will give this human a chance to speak before I make my decision. Besides....I would like to take another look at him." Xanixi furrowed her scaly nose in thought as she detected something strange coming from the boy. "He seems to have some strange aurora around him....laced with something faint but yet, it is magic that I sense."

"Thank you, Mother!" she whispered hapilly while smiling at her. Then, Storm slowly stood, backing away from the pig-tailed boy only enough that he could get to his feet. Yet, she stayed near enough to help him should her mother decide to attack. Reaching out a hand, Storm smiled and helped him stand and spoke quietly, "Ranma, mother has decided that she wants to talk to you."

Eyeing the red dragon with trepidation, Ranma took the helping hand and stood. He frowned and replied apprehensively, "Ya sure she's not waitin' till yer distracted ta kill me?"

Storm blinked in surprise, "Why would you...."

Loud chuckling and a flash of light interrupted her as her mother transformed, "I like this boy!" Xanixi smiled and continued, "He has spunk and that is refreshing to see for someone as old as I."

Ranma gaped at the sight as an old woman stepped forward. Mouth flapping like a fish out of water, he asked, "W...where did_ you_ come from! Weren't ya a dragon a moment ago?!"

"Mmmm, yes." Xanixi laughed once more, a twinkle lighting her eyes as true amusement raced through her soul. "I'm considered ancient even to my kind. I have the ability to transform into a human if I want. This came through the practice of magic that has been long forgotten even to my kind."

Curiosity getting the better of him, Ranma stepped forward and asked, "How old are ya, exactly?"

Xanixi blinked as he asked that question and replied with a smile, "You do know that it isn't polite to ask a lady her age?"

Ranma blushed, finally realizing his social gaff. Toeing the ground he mumbled an apology, "Ah...s-sorry. My father raised me since I was five. Never had much contact with girls..." Silently, he cursed his lack of manners while eyeing the old woman to watch her reaction.

Xanixi smiled, then she laughed loudly, and clutching her stomach as tears ran down her human cheeks. "Oh my! I haven't seen one of your kind since I was five hundred years old." Sobering up, she replied seriously, "Ah, I see. You were taken away from your mother at a young age to train." Seeing his startled expression, Xanixi cocked her head and continued, "You didn't think I could tell that you were a martial artist?"

"Um, Yeah. How th' heck could you," he scratched his head while asking curiously, " ...tell I mean?"

"I could tell because _I_ have trained many of the forest folk in this valley the art." Turning, she pointed towards her daughter and replied, "Storm is my latest student. She has managed to master many things in such a short period of time and quite frankly, I am amazed. It is almost like she has had previous training."

"Muu, You never mentioned it before," Storm complained, pouting.

Raising an eyebrow, Xanixi replied hauntaly, "That is because if I did...you," she stroked her daughters cheek and smiled, "would have gotten a swelled head."

As Ranma watched their interaction, he could not help think of his own mother and how much he missed her. At Xanixi's last comment he laughed, "Hahahahaha! She's got a point!"

"Grrrr! RANMA!!" Storm yelled, whirling on her companion, she stomped up to him so they were chest to breast and growled, "You don't even know me...so take it back!"

Ranma blinked at the familiar sound of her voice and the cadence matched that of his fiancée, Akane. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he dismissed the possibility that she could be Akane and answered, "Hey! I'm only tellin' th' truth! My Pop told me th' same thing when he was trainin' me!"

"Humph!" Storm huffed as her anger and wounded pride deflated a bit. Turning, she crossed her arms and settled herself down to listen.

Xanixi smiled at the boy and decided to get right to the point so she asked, "Why have you come here?"

Ranma turned away from Storm and replied, "I've got a bone ta pick with th' Amazons.... they kidnapped my fiancée, Akane. I've been trackin' them since I got ta China." Then, Ranma explained as best he could, what his fiancée looked like. "... and I was just outside th' valley and almost got caught by a large hunting party when I met her," he pointed in Storms direction. Suddenly, he was hit by an idea; clearing his throat nervously, he gazed at Xanixi in renewed hope and asked, "Maybe you could help me find her?"

Xanixi furrowed her brow as his words tickled something in the back of her mind. What the boy said raised her suspicions a bit. But, not wanting to mention anything until she was sure of his true intentions, she decided not to say anything about finding her adoptive daughter in the woods. Nodding her head in agreement, Xanixi replied, "I will help you to the best of my abilities."

Letting the tension from his shoulders for the first time since he found Akane missing, Ranma smiled and replied, "Thank you."

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Autors Note: "Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Boy was it a hard one to write....especially when I had writers block! I'd like to thank one of my reviews in giving me this idea when she mentioned that she'd like to see Xanixi's reaction to Ranma. ..........Thanks! Anyway, I'm currenly working on chapter six and I hope to complete this story in ten chapters or less. Let me know what you think!

"Oh, and on another note, I've gotten a few reviews from some people who mentioned that they'd like a sequal to Stranded." (Well, I'm not sure that I will do a sequal...but if I get one hundred and fify reviews on that story....I just might do a sequal.)

Now, on Demons Revenge. "Some people were asking me to do a few more chapters? (Let me just say that if I get thirty people asking for a few more chapters then I will do a few more"

. As for Heritage...some people mentioned that they'd like to read about what happens when Ranma and Akane get to Hawaii...."hmmm that just might be interesting don't you think? I might...just might mind you; think about adding a few more chapters to that story if I get thirty more reviews asking for this. Well anyway, I'm glad you are reading my stories and I hope that you enjoy them.

Thank you for all of your support,

D-Chan! ^ --^