SS-Lalala…here I go again. On with the story right?

Tym-Yup. Keep going before you leave a big gap like you did with SSM-

SS-Please don't start. You bring it up every time and everyone's getting sick of it, not to mention it's not helping my fever.

Tym-*grumbles* Fine…

SS-But the reviews help! Thanks for your comments and stuff; it makes both of us feel better!

Tym-Cookies make me feel better…*hint hint* ^_^

~*~*~*~

Loving Legends

Chapter 5 – A not so warm welcome

Disclaimer: See prologue please ^^

~*~*~*~

          "Look, if you really are scared of this place then we can go somewhere else, just make up your mind." That did it.

          "I am not afraid of this cave." Rei sat down and slammed his hand down on the ground next to him. "Now shut up and sit! Let's get this over with!" Kai smirked; he knew that if he pushed the right buttons, Rei would take action. He whistled for Dranzer and sat next to him, eager to get started.

          Rei took a deep breath and calmed himself down, no sense in starting another argument with Kai seeing as he would be with him for a while. "Ok, now…I don't really remember exactly what happened the first time I spoke to a mythical creature, it just…happened."

          "Like that helps." Rei glared at him.

          "I'm doing you the favor remember?"

          "Actually this is your part of our de-"

          "Anyway…I suppose teaching someone how to speak to animals is just like teaching someone another language, so let's start with the basics." He told motioned Dranzer to sit by Kai while he stayed on opposite of them. "All right, since she already knows names, we'll try direction. Without using your whistles and hand motions, tell her to sit by me." Kai glanced at Dranzer and then back to Rei.

          "That's it? Aren't you supposed to tell me how?"

          "What's there to know? You just tell her to sit by me."

          "I don't have your ability to speak to animals, otherwise I wouldn't be here." Rei sighed.

          "Just…just do it ok? I need to see how she responds to you before I can do anything."

          "Hmph. Some teacher." He looked at the firebird again. She stared back into his crimson eyes, waiting for orders. "All right. Dranzer, go sit by-"

          "Wait."

          "What?"

          "You used your head." He raised an eyebrow.

          "I what?" Rei pointed at him.

          "You nodded your head to me when you told Dranzer what to do."    

          "And?"

          "And don't. You're giving it away." Kai huffed.

          "No I'm not!" Rei shook his head and crossed his arms.

          "Just do it again without moving."

          {Rei, what are you and Master Kai arguing about?}

          "We're not arguing…" Kai looked over.

          "Then what do you call it? Loud disagreement?" The raven-haired boy motioned to Dranzer.

          "I wasn't talking to you. I was answering Dranzer. Now tell go and try to tell her again."

          "…Dranzer." He waited until the phoenix had caught his gaze before continuing. "Go sit by Rei." She tilted her head and gave a low chirp. "Sit by Rei." She turned to Rei.

          {What is he saying? Why won't he give me any signals?}

          "Uh…Kai, say it slower. And you can motion a little."

          'Now you tell me…' He tried again. "Dranzer, go and sit by Rei." He nodded towards the younger boy on the other side, hoping that she caught his action. Still, it didn't seem like enough.

          {Rei…why isn't it working?} He sighed in frustration.

          "I don't know! Kai…forget it. If you saw me for the first time and you wanted Dranzer to go see what I was, what would you do? How would you tell her?"

          "Simple, a whistle." He whistled to her. "Dranzer." She turned to him as he gave two low whistles and pointed to Rei. She chirped and hopped over to him, taking a seat on the half-breed's knee.

          {Why didn't he do that in the first place, young Rei?} The raven-haired boy sighed as Kai smirked.

          "That was easy." Rei brushed Dranzer off and stood up.

          "I…I don't get it Kai. If you already have a system of communicating with Dranzer, then what difference would it make if you knew how to speak to her?" The bluenette didn't raise his voice or himself for that matter.

          "There are some rough spots between us. I still can't understand every chirp she says or every motion she does. Don't you realize how easy it'd be for us to work if I could use words instead of actions?" Rei crossed his arms and walked towards the entrance.

          "No I don't know. I don't even know what you do for work." Kai stiffened slightly. That's right, he never actually told Rei that he was a bounty hunter. When he tried to catch him with the rope, his cloak covered his face. And Rei probably assumed that he just saw him at the festival and got curious. As if reading his mind, Rei glanced over his shoulder and asked in an inquisitive tone:

          "What do you do Kai? Why do you need to be able to talk to Dranzer directly?" Kai stayed where he was while his faithful phoenix pecked his arm lightly.

          {Master Kai? What is the matter?}

          'I can't tell him who I really am. That'll ruin everything. I just need to redirect the conversation. Or just give him a simple answer.' Rei swished his tail impatiently.

          "Kai?" The older boy looked up. "Kai, what do you do for work?" He shifted slightly and mumbled a response.

          "I…find things." Unfortunately for him, Rei's cat ears picked up his answer.

          "You find things? Like what? For who?" Kai swore and tried to get back to the lesson.

          "It's none of your business. Now are we going to do this or not?" Rei walked back slowly.

          "What kind of things do you find? A-Are you a bounty hunter or something?" The bluenette tried to stay neutral. He knew that if he gave any indication that Rei was right he would pick it up.

          "Of course not." He locked his gaze with Rei's curious one. "Are you going to teach me or are you just going to stand there all day?" The younger boy broke the gaze and looked around, contemplating what he had just said.

          'Why won't he answer me? I know he's always been stubborn…but it was a simple question. He…finds things? Like what? Well, it would explain why he wants to be able to speak to Dranzer directly. It'd make finding…whatever he finds a lot quicker.' With his peripheral vision he could see that Kai's red eyes were still starring at him. 'I did promise…'

          {Rei-neko?} He shifted his gaze to Dranzer, who had hopped over to him. {Why aren't you doing anything? What are you waiting for?}

          'I never break my promises…and he is keeping his promise of not hurting Max. If I don't hold up my end of the bargain he'll break his. And what's the harm in teaching him anyway?'

          "Are you part statue too? Can we get on with this already?" Rei growled lightly. The least he could do is be a little patient.

          'Heh…and I'll sprout wings…' Turning around he motioned Kai to stand up. He did so…reluctantly. "I know you probably won't answer…but it would put part of my mind at ease if you did. What or who do you find?" Kai gazed intently into his bright, golden eyes. He was very persistent, he had to give him that much. And maybe if he told him something, he would shut up. Grudgingly, he closed his eyes and whispered:

          "I…find animals." It wasn't a lie, but in turn, it wasn't the whole truth. Rei echoed him.

          "You find animals?" Walking over to Dranzer and looking down at her questioningly he continued his questioning. "Like Dranzer?"

          "Yes and no. I find animals…for other people. Dranzer isn't for anyone. She's my partner." Rei nodded and was about to proceed with the lesson until a thought occurred to him. His eyes slitted as his ears went up.

          "Wait a minute…if you find animals like Dranzer, that means you're a…" He drew out his claws and prepared to assault him. "You're a bounty hunter…"

~*~

          "I'm home, home, home! Oh it's good to be back!" Kenny gawped at the screen.

          "Dizzi you recognize this place?"

          "Of course I do Chief! I'd know this place even if I was blinded and trapped in a…well, I'd know this place anywhere!" Max smiled and led them into the valley.

          "That's awesome Dizzi! I didn't know that you used to live here. If only you weren't trapped in that machine thingy then you could be our tour guide." Tyson patted the blonde's shoulder.

          "It's a laptop Max, and that's ok. It's better to explore on your own. You find more stuff that way." The same fairy that almost knocked him over when he first came here circled around him again. He swore he could here her 'tsk' as she went. He tried to swat her away.

          "What is with this fairy?" Kenny sighed.

          "Well you always said the ladies loved you." Max laughed as the little sprite finally took her leave, in a hurry too.

          "I never thought I'd be a hit here. Anyway let's keep going. Hopefully without running more fairies like her."

          "Trust me Tyson, if you want to go further into my home without running into female fairies you better leave. Most of the fairies here aren't male."

          "I don't mind girl pixies and elves, just none that are like that one." The blonde stepped ahead of Tyson and spread his wings.

          "Don't worry, I'll protect you! And I have been here more than you guys….uh…except you Dizzi." The trapped sprite took the acknowledgment.

          "Thank you."

          "You can lead the way Max," He gently took hold of the ends of Max's wings and pushed them back together so that they were close to his back again. "But I don't need saving." With a few more steps he shivered. "I know we're deep in the forest, but isn't it a little chilly in here?" Max could feel it too since his shoes were very thin.

          "Yea…the ground does feel unusually cold. I guess I never noticed it before because I was flying last time." Kenny opened his laptop and pivoted the camera so that Dizzi could get the picture.

          "Do you know why it's cold Dizzi? I was wondering about that when I first came here and found you…but I never really thought about it."

          "The ground around my home has always been cold. That's why the flowers don't grow as well as they should." Max bent down and cupped one of the roses.

          "They shouldn't be growing at all if the ground has a layer of permafrost below it." Tyson raised his eyebrow.

          "Permafrost?" He nodded.

          "Permafrost is subsoil that is permanently frozen." Max let go of the flower and dug up some of the earth. When he got about one foot down there was a thin sheet of ice blocking his way. "Robert told me about it when he pointed out the snow topped mountains. He told me that permafrost is usually found in tundra areas, but because of a war between the animals of the Umber Woods a long time ago, ice animals froze the ground as a way to claim it as theirs." After he had filled the hole he got up and patted the soil off his hands. "I guess after the war, those ice animals forgot to remove the ice." Dizzi congratulated him.

          "I'm surprised you knew so much about the history of my home Max." The blonde laughed.

          "I was just curious."

          "Curiosity is good if you're not a cat. But you're right. There is a thick layer of permafrost under my valley that prevents the plants from growing to their fullest potential." Kenny nodded.

          "But then how do the flowers grow? I mean…this whole valley is covered in plants and shrubs."

          "That's where a bit of fairy magic comes in. All you need is a bit of luck, and a bit of pixie dust." Tyson crossed his arms with a laugh.

          "Now you're quoting from Peter Pan Dizzi."

          "Same difference. We just use our magic to sustain the flowers and give them a little magical resistance from the cold."

          "Then why don't you just use your pixie dust to get rid of the ice? Or you could bring in some fire animals to burn it up for you."

          "Number one Tyson, of course we've tried to get rid of the ice, but we simply don't have enough magic. Number two; most fire animals live on the other side of the waterfall and they don't bother to help us anyway."

          "Ok, then you could always move."

          "It's our home Tyson. We can't leave our home. Plus most of the other areas have been taken already so we wouldn't have anywhere to go." Max walked over to the laptop.

          "Well that's no good. All this time your home is has been sitting on a block of ice?"

          "Pretty much. That's one reason why it's good to be in this laptop. Though I do miss my family and friends." All three of them nodded.

          "Your friends and family are here Dizzaria!" The trio turned to see what looked like an army of fairies coming towards them.

          "What the heck?!"

          "Whoa…I've never seen so many fairies at once." Tyson pulled Max back.

          "This is no time to gawp at them Maxie." He tried to calm him down.

          "Don't worry Tyson, fairies and sprites are among the gentlest of creatures in the Umber Woods." He quickly freed himself from the boy's hold and walked up to the apparent leader and gave her a warm greeting.

          "Hi there! My name's Max, who are you?" The leader flew forward and stopped a few feet from his face.

          "My name? Look here human; I am the queen of my people! You may call me Lady Eleanor." Max blushed and rubbed his arm nervously.

          "Oh, my apologies. Hello Lady Eleanor. You said that you were friends with Dizzi?" She flew around the entire group and responded.

          "Yes! Dizzaria where are you?! We've been looking for you for months!"

          "Elle? Elle, oh it's good to see you!" The queen stopped and looked around frantically.

          "De? De I hear you but I can't see you! Where are these humans hiding you?!"

          "Elle calm down. I'm right here!"

          "Right where?"

          "I'm in the laptop." The queen flew over to the laptop and stared into the camera lens.

          "You mean this contraption?"

          "Yes! Oh Elle it's so good to see you again!"

          "It's good to see you too De! My goodness gracious what have these humans done to you?! Stuck in this metal machine! Don't worry, I will have you out in one second!" With an explosion of sparkle a full-grown girl stood where the queen once fluttered. She had long green hair neatly tied into a lose ponytail that flowed over her right shoulder and emerald eyes to match. Her gown was pale lavender with sleeves that split into strands at her shoulders and had a silver string tied around the waist as a belt. She held a thin silver wand and her set of wings sparkled behind her. Finally a small golden tiara rested on her head, it held one diamond at the top and two smaller ones at the base.

          "This won't hurt a bit De." With a wave of her wand and another explosion of sparkle the laptop Kenny was holding suddenly sparked, causing him to drop it.

          "Oh no!" He bent down to pick it up and saw the bottom of a blue dress. "What?" As he stood, with his laptop tucked safely under his arm he realized that this new fairy, this one with shoulder length, snowy-white blonde hair, a blue dress with long sleeves that opened at her elbow, cool cerulean eyes, and a pair of transparent wings, was his friend Dizzi. "D-Dizzi?" She whirled around to look at Kenny and smiled.

          "Chief! Look at me! I'm…I'm me again!" With a smile as her only warning she pulled Kenny into a hug. "I thought I'd be stuck in there forever! Oh I'm so glad I can finally see without that camera and be seen!"

          "De! What in the world?" Dizzi let go of Kenny and faced the queen again.

          "Elle! I've missed you!" She hugged her too, and though the queen was happy to see her, she gently pushed her back.

          "De, what did you just do?!" Dizzi laughed.

          "I just hugged you."

          "No, I mean him!" She pointed her wand at Kenny, who jumped back in fear of getting hit by magic. "You hugged the human! In fact it looked like you liked him!"

          "Elle! I don't like him like that! Kenny is one of my friends," She stood by the boys and pointed them out as she named them. "So are Tyson and Max."

          "I-I can't believe it, they've brainwashed you De!" Flying over she grabbed hold of Dizzi's wrist and pulled her back.

          "Brainwashed? I don't know what you're talking about. They're my friends Elle. Just like you are." Elle waved her wand and her head in firm disapproval.      

          "No De, I am not like them. They're…they're humans!" Max raised his hand and spread his wings.

          "Actually Lady Eleanor, I'm only half human." Elle studied him and then waved him off.

          "Oh that's right, you're one of Robert's little half breeds. Well, I supposed you aren't as bad, but those two humans shouldn't even be here!" Dizzi pushed her wand away.

          "Elle, I can't believe you're being so narrow-minded. Humans aren't bad. Ok, I admit that sometimes they can be naïve, but you have to admit that you've had your days too." The queen shook her head.

          "Humans are nothing but trouble. And we should be going before they try to hurt us." She pulled Dizzi with her, but she got out of her grasp. "Dizzaria."

          "Elle listen to me, Kenny is one of my best friends. He has been there for me ever since I got stuck in that laptop and I'm not going to leave him just because you freed me." The queen looked shocked. "I am very grateful, don't get me wrong Elle. And I'm glad to be home, but I still want to visit Kenny. I can't just cut him out of my life now that I'm the way I was before." Tyson nodded.

          "Yea! Dizzi should be able to come and go as she pleases! You don't own her…uh…Lady Eleanor." Elle looked ready to kill.

          "I will not tolerate that tone of voice human! Now Dizzaria, let's go before I lose my temper."

          "You've always had a short temper Elle, and I'm not leaving until you realize that humans aren't that bad."

          "What you are asking Dizzaria, is out of the question. You know that you are one of my dearest friends, but when you start defending humans and telling me that I am just like them, I just won't stand for it. Guards!" Soon more of the small fairies transformed into their larger forms, armed with shields and wands. They rushed to Dizzi and took her forcefully back to the queen's side. Kenny ran after her.

          "Dizzi!"

          "Kenny stop, I don't want you to get turned into a frog or anything!"

          "A wha?" Shots of magic were soon flying towards him. "Ah!" Max spread his wings and took a running start before taking flight.

          "Don't worry, I got you Chief!" He lifted him into the air and back to where Tyson was before any strings of dust hit him. Kenny sighed.

          "Thanks Max." He smiled.

          "No problem." Once he put the brunette down, Max flew over to the queen. "Lady Eleanor, with all due respect, don't you think you're being a bit harsh? I mean Kenny and Dizzi have been friends for a long time. Since, well, a long time before I met them. Don't you think we can reason this out?" She shook her head.

          "I'm afraid not young half breed. Humans will not be tolerated in my kingdom." With a wave of her wand, more fairies transformed and began attacking Tyson and Kenny. Max glanced back.

          "No!"

          "And you'll do well to not interfere in our business either…Max." With that she turned and left. Max wanted to pursue her, but had to save Tyson and Kenny. So he turned around, flew straight through the guards and grabbed each by the wrist. The guards soon stopped their pursuit when they saw that they were leaving and returned to the queen's side.

          "Dizzi…" She was still struggling against the guards, trying to escape with her own magic but failing terribly. "No…" Max sighed at his friend's sorrow and flew in the opposite direction, away from the fairy valley.

          "Don't worry Chief, if anyone can make things right again, it's Rei." Tyson nodded.

          "Yes, we'll get Dizzi back! I'm sure Kai'll help too." Kenny starred quizzically at him. "Ok…so maybe Kai won't, but Rei will! And with all the connections he's got I'm sure we'll get her back!"

          "Really?"

          "Of course!" Kenny sighed and nodded.

          "Ok." Max smiled and continued skimming through the forest, searching for a cave that Rei might have used as a training area.

          'I wonder where he could have gone…'

~*~

          "Argh…let me up!" Rei struggled, trying to get his claws lose or at least his tail so that he could smack Kai.

          "Not when you're out to kill me! You think I'm that stupid?!" Rei smirked.

          "Well…" The bluenette momentarily let go of the boy's right arm to hit him lightly on the head before regaining his grasp.

          "Would you stop wiggling already? Isn't it obvious that I'm not going to get off you until you drop this vendetta you have on me?"

          "You want me to drop it? You're a freaking bounty hunter! I find animals…" He repeated in a mock tone. "Feh…you find animals all right, and then you sell them to the highest bidder!" He struggled more, wishing he hadn't let his guard down before.

          After Rei had concluded that Kai was a bounty hunter he went for his throat. Luckily (Or unluckily for Rei) Kai dodged in time to get away. Rei continued to go after him until Dranzer tried to reason with him. That's when the raven-haired boy lost his concentration, giving Kai enough of an edge to knock Rei over. And that's the way it was now. Kai had pinned Rei down, straddling him and holding his arms down his hands and his kicking legs with his own. The only way Rei could get up was if he turned them over, but Kai outweighed him by a few pounds so that was out of the question.

          "I don't sell them to the highest bidder! Clients come to me in search of a particular animal and offer me a price. If it's worth the money I go to find it. And that's why it's so important for me to be able to communicate with Dranzer by word of mouth! If I could verbally tell her what do to she'd be able to take the animal down quicker." Rei huffed and tried to kick out.

           "You really think that argument is going to win me over now?! Why the hell would I want you and Dranzer to be able to work more efficiently? That means that you'd capture more and more of my friends! You really are as stupid as I thou-" Kai swiftly planted his feet down, effectively hitting and knocking Rei's to the ground. "OW!"

          "It's your own fault." Kai sighed as the boy continued to show his rage. "Rei I'm not dumb enough to take every offer handed to me. Most aren't even worth my time. And I keep track of how many of which animal I've caught and Kenny keeps an approximate count of how many of the species are left. If the numbers go down I'd turn down every offer that came. I'm not so cruel that I'd actually let one of these creatures go extinct you know!" Rei tried to look up at him, his claws digging into the dirt.

          "Well all I know it that practically every time I go searching for more inconspicuous ways into town, I see and destroy many traps set for animals! Nets, holes, slings, baited boxes, cages, even bear traps, you name it I've annihilated it! Someone set those traps Kai, and I'm betting it wasn't by an environmentalist!" Kai brought both of Rei's claws together behind his back and held them both down with one hand while he used his now free hand to push the boy down at the base of his neck, careful to avoid putting pressure near the burn on his shoulder. He leaned down so that he was right by Rei's sensitive ears.

          "Listen, do you know how poplar bounty hunters are in town? I'm betting one third of the workingmen and even some women in town are on some level a hunter, and all of them set their sites on Umber Wood creatures. They probably lay out those traps everyday in hopes of catching something by nightfall, but guess what? At least ninety percent of them fail because either you get to them, or the animals are too smart to fall for them." He sat up again, applying less pressure on the base of his neck.

          "I don't use weak and immoral traps like those to catch my target. I use my skill, Dranzer, and the supplies on my belt. So don't go writing me off as one of those lower class hunters. I'm the best for a reason Rei, because I actually know what I'm doing and I do it well." He noticed Rei's ears lower, and his struggling stopped, was he humiliated because he realized he was wrong?

          "Huh…"

          "What? Surprised that you're wrong?" Rei hissed at him.

          "No…someone's coming." Guess he wasn't humiliated. Kai looked around.

          "Who would possible come up here?" Dranzer, who up to then had been silent because she was tired of listening to their banter, hopped over to the mouth of the cave.

          "Who is it Dranzer?" The phoenix chirped.

          {It's that blonde friend of your Rei-neko, and Tyson and Kenny too.} Rei raised an eyebrow as his ears went up.

          "Max, Tyson, and Kenny? Why would they come here?" He was soon answered when Max flew into view, with the two other boys as well.

          "Rei! We need your help-uh…what happened?" He placed the two boys safely on the ground before landing himself. "Were you guys in the middle of something…important?" Rei blushed as Kai finally let go of him and got up like nothing happened.

          "Uh…no, it's nothing." He arched his back as he stretched just as a cat would. Hey, your back would hurt too it Kai was practically sitting on you. "So what did you need help with?" Max turned to Tyson, who turned to Kenny, who looked at both of them surprisingly.

          "Why do I have to say it?" Tyson crossed his arms.

          "Because Dizzi was trapped in your laptop." Rei caught that last part as he stood up.

          "What do you mean was?" Kenny sighed and started from the beginning. It was a long story…

~*~

          Once Elle and her guards returned to her throne (1), she put Dizzi in a magical cage. "I'm sorry to do this to you De, but it's for your own good." Dizzi got up and grabbed the bars.

          "For my own good?! Elle, you're keeping me here against my will! I know that when we were growing up we played fairy and human (2) but really! You know that fairies are allowed to come and go as they please! How else can we spread our magic to the other plants and flowers in the Umber Woods?" The queen sighed and sat on her throne.

          "I know that there is no such law, but there is one about humans and how we are not allowed to bring any here."

          "I didn't bring them here! Max wanted to show them this valley that he found a while ago. I can't see without that camera, how was I supposed to know we were coming here?"

          "I'm sorry De, but I'll have to keep you locked up until you come to your senses and realize that going back with those humans is a mistake." Dizzi leaned against the bars.

          "He'll come for me you know. So I don't see why we don't try to talk this out." Elle looked over to her.

          "Who will come, the human? They'll have to get past the guards and the magical boundary, you know, the one that wards off humans. As for talking, I don't see what we could have to talk about."

          "Elle, just because I'm friends with Kenny doesn't mean I'm different then I was before. I'm the same person, only with more friends. And even though I'll be with him most of the time, I'm definitely come back to visit." Elle met Dizzi's blue eyes but sighed and got up.

          "Listen De, I don't want to keep you locked up, but the law is very clear on humans. We cannot interact with them. It's just not done. And unless a deal is made, then the law will hold strong." Dizzi reached out to her.

          "Elle, we're grown up now! We don't have to make-believe we're queens anymore; you are the queen! You can change the law!"

          "I wish I could, but then my supervisors would tell me that if I make an exception for you, I should be able to for the others. And I don't want all my people to go out into the human world. I don't want to see them trapped in nets, jars and who knows what else."

          "But fairies go into the human world all the time to keep the plants growing! I think even they know that someone is helping them. I mean, take it from me, I've lived with humans for months and Kenny can't even keep his little Chia pet thingy alive without my help." Elle shared a laugh with her.

          "They do need a lot of help don't they? But only my most experienced fairies can go out to town and there is a law enabling them to. I'm sorry De, it just can't be done." Dizzi sat down with a sigh.

          "Well, all the same, Kenny and the others will come and try to get me out." Elle shook her head.

          "No human can get through without a fairy and since you aren't in that laptop thingy anymore, I'm afraid they won't get through." Dizzi tilted her head.

          "Who said they'd be alone?" Elle snapped her head up.

          "Who else could get them throu-oh no…the half breed." Dizzi nodded with a smile.

~*~(While that was going on…)

          Once Kenny had finished, Rei scratched his cheek and leaned against the rocks.

          "This is why I didn't want you to meet up Max. I knew you guys would get into trouble." Rei sighed, seeing as this wasn't the best time he thought about the current problem. "So…you want me to get some animal to help or something?" Kenny, Max and Tyson nodded; hope gleaming through their eyes. "I want to…but I don't have much precedence in the fairy valley. I doubt Robert has much either. It's on the other side of our mountain you know." The blonde shrugged.

          "But I thought that you might know an animal that would be able to help." Rei tilted his head.

          "Hm…most of the animals I know hardly ever cross to the other side, even Driger hasn't gone to the valley more than once." The smile on the younger boy's face faded.

          "So you don't know anyone?" The raven-haired boy thought hard, there must have been some creature that owed him something or that could help…he just wasn't thinking. Tyson groaned.

          "Sorry Chief, I guess this was a dead end. And even if Rei did ask someone to help do you really think that creature would do much? I think that permafrost stuff has iced over the queen's heart." Kenny hit him with his laptop.

          "Tyson!"

          "What? It's not like they can hear me." Rei's eyes lit up and he gave them a toothy grin. Max smiled too; when Rei had that look in his eyes he usually had an answer.

          "I think you've got something there Tyson." The blue-haired boy and the brunette looked over.

          "I do?"

          "He does?"

          "Yea! Well, not about their hearts freezing over, but about ice. There is this one animal I know that might be able to help us out." Max floated over to him.

          "Who Rei?" The older boy turned to him with a triumphant look of his face.

          "Wolborg."

~::~::~::Since I took such a long break and might take another I better keep going::~::~::~

          Max echoed him curiously.

          "Wolborg? The wolf that Robert showed us that lives all alone by that lake near your arch?" Rei nodded.

          "The very one." It took him a minute, but soon the little angel understood.

          "Oh, I get it! That's a great idea Rei!"

          "Yea, hopefully he remembers that he owes me a favor and will do this for us though." While those two applauded their success, Tyson and Kenny were in the dark (And Kai was barely paying attention).

          "Uh guys, who or what is a Wolborg?" Max turned to face Tyson.

          "I told you. Wolborg is this wolf that lives by the lake-" He stopped him.

          "No, I heard that, but who is he?" Rei took over.

          "Wolborg is one of the remaining ice animals in the Umber Woods. Robert pointed him out to us once and after that I went back to get to know him. He owes me because I helped him tell a bunch of unicorns that the lake was his territory and that they should go find another area. He said that he'd pay me back, but I'm not too sure if he remembers." Kenny smiled.

          "Ah, I get it!" Tyson sat down.

          "Well I don't. How will Wolborg help get Dizzi back?" Max floated over to him.

          "Fairies are strict in their laws, and since they have one about no association with humans, we have to make a deal with them instead." Rei agreed.

          "Yup, deals are loopholes for us."

          "So all we have to do is trade Dizzi for Wolborg's services."

          "His…services?" Kai scoffed at him and told him clearly as he was getting annoyed.

          "Wolborg can remove the permafrost below the earth so that the fairies don't have to use so much of their magic on helping their own plants." Tyson finally nodded in understanding.

          "Why didn't you just say that in the first place? Wow, how cool is that?! Where did you say Wolborg lived? I want to go visit him!" Rei got off the rocks and walked towards the mouth of the cave.

          "The lake by the arch on the other side of the mountain, but I'm afraid you can't see him, he's…not too fond of company. I'll get him and meet you guys at the valley, ok?" He was about to jump down until Max stopped him.

          "Hold on Rei, can't you just go through here?"

          "What?" Max glanced back into the cave.

          "Well, doesn't this cave lead to Robert's-mrmph…" Rei covered his mouth quickly and shushed him. The others eyed him curiously and he laughed nervously. He hurriedly whispered into Max's ear:

          "I know, I know that Robert's cave is just on the other side of this mountain, in the exact same spot…and yes I know that this cave probably leads straight to it but I can't go that way! Grypholyion is probably waiting on the other side, so I'll have to go the long way. Bring the others to the tree that bears the sweet purple berries, and stay there. I'll meet you there as soon as I can." Max wanted to argue with him, to tell him that if he flew him over he'd get there quicker, but he knew better. Rei would probably win the argument sooner or later.

          "Which purple berry tree?" Rei smiled and scanned the forest.

          "Uh…the one that marks off the boundary of the fairy valley. The queen probably reinforced it so that we can't get in. Take your time, I might be a while." Max gave him the ok.

          "No problem. Oh, and watch out for Grypholyion when you go to the other side, he might be making his rounds."

          "Then it might be good to let him see me, so that he doesn't suspect anything." The blonde laughed.

          "I guess that's why you're the older one." He turned around to meet the others. "See you at the tree!" Rei nodded and jumped down, quickly making his way down the rocky ledge until he hit the ground.

          "Let's see…it's the right." Turning around, Rei sprinted over to the waterfall as Max told the others what was going on.

          "So we'll meet Rei and Wolborg at the purple berry tree that marks off the beginning of the fairy valley and take it from there." Tyson got up and walked over to him.

          "You sure that's going to work?" The blonde nodded enthusiastically.

          "Of course it will! We just need Wolborg and everything will go smoothly. Now we better get going, it might take a while to get there if we don't fly." Kenny, Tyson and Kai followed Max to the cave's mouth and starred down the steep ledge.

          "Uh…why can't you fly us down Maxie?"

          "After taking you guys from the valley up to this cave? My wings need a rest." Tyson continued to look down at the seemingly higher than before cliff.

          "But you're flying now."

          "Yea, but I'm used to just supporting myself. It's hard to carry two other people." As he groaned Kai passed him and started descending.

          "Stop complaining and start going Tyson, you're lucky he flew you up. I had to get up here myself." Kenny reluctantly went after Kai as the other blue haired boy huffed.

          "Excuse me, I'm not an experienced hunter like you are." Grudgingly he kneeled down and began his descent. "I don't do this kind of stuff everyday." The older bluenette suppressed a growl and continued his path.

          "Do me a favor Tyson and don't mention that I'm a bounty hunter around Rei." Max agreed as he flew near them.

          "Yea, Rei really doesn't like bounty hunters. Oh, I keep forgetting that you're one Kai. Is that why you were holding him down when I flew up?" Kai gave a 'hn' and carefully placed his foot on a rock to hold himself.

          "You couldn't have told me about his temper earlier?" Max shrugged.

          "I didn't think you'd mention it."

          "How could I not? It's my job." The blonde made his way over to him.

          "Sorry. That's just how Rei is when he hears about them, Robert too." Kai glanced at him and then at the cliff again. He had to concentrate on getting down safely, but he also wanted to know why Rei nearly clawed is eyes out…again.

          "Tell me Max, you seem ok with the fact that I'm a bounty hunter, what's Rei's problem?" The blonde crossed his legs and his arms, thinking back.

          "Well, it happened a few years ago, maybe a month or two after Robert found us. Rei had just befriended Driger (As a cub) and was starting to gain interest in the world beyond the waterfall…your side of the forest. So one day he went out there with Driger and while they were exploring, a bounty hunter went after Driger. I suppose he thought Rei was a little boy who had wandered in because he didn't try to get him. Anyway, Driger was almost caught if it weren't for Robert. He was coming back from town and when he saw the situation, he knocked the hunter unconscious. Rei freed Driger and Robert brought them both back to our side of the mountain." Max sighed.

"Ever since then Rei has held this huge grudge against all hunters. Even now when Driger is full grown and capable of taking on three hunters, Rei is still full of disdain, though he won't show it unless he's around one." Kai nodded.

"That'll explain why he practically ripped my throat out back at the cave." The winged boy uncrossed his legs and landed as he was pretty close to the ground.

"I'm surprised you were able to get away with only a few scratches. The last time Rei ran into a hunter he nearly killed him. That guy was lucky I had come by and flew Rei back to our side of the mountain, otherwise who knows what would have happened." Kai jumped off the side of the cliff and landed nicely beside Max. He brushed off the dust and dirt on his hands and shirt before looking up at the others.

"How come he didn't attack me when I first saw him at the festival?" Max pointed to the boy's hands.

"Didn't he get a good strike at your hands?" Kai glanced at his gloved hands.

"Those are nothing, he didn't really try to kill me until now."

"Well Rei doesn't want to seriously injure anyone until he knows that they are really hunters. He probably thought you were some jerk who saw too much back at the festival." Once he had realized his choice of words Max laughed nervously. "Uh…well, you know what I mean. Rei's naturally defensive around people and sometimes he forgets just how sharp his claws can be." Kai absentmindedly rubbed the spot where the raven-haired boy had scratched him.

"Looks like I chose the wrong half breed to discover." Max nodded with a smile.

"Yup. I'd never scratch," He checked his own nails. "I can't do that, but don't count me out either Kai. I have my own defensive tricks." The bluenette raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Hey Max! I think I need a hand!" The blonde and the older boy turned their attention to the source of the call. It seems like Tyson and Kenny stopped their journey half way down the hill and were stuck.

"Some assistance would be nice if it's not too much trouble Max!" He giggled and flew up to them.

"No problem guys." Grabbing Tyson's wrist and Kenny's hand they let go of the cliff and allowed Max to lower them gently to the bottom. Once firmly on the ground, Tyson hugged a nearby tree in relief.

"Oh it's good to be back!" Kenny wasn't as dramatic, but he was grateful.

"It is nice to have two feet on the ground again. Thanks Max."

"Yea, thanks Maxie. We owe you one." The blonde waved off their thanks.

"You're welcome, and don't worry about it, it was nothing." Kai crossed his arms.

"I thought you said your wings were tired." The younger boy turned to him.

"They are, but I can handle a little thing like bringing those two halfway down a cliff. Now if they ask me to fly them to the valley I'll have to pass." Tyson patted his shoulder.

"No need. I think we can handle that." With an agreeing nod from Kenny Max smiled.

"Then I think we're ready to go. Rei's probably there waiting for us already."

"If he's as fast as I predict he is than you're probably right." Kenny opened his laptop and frowned at the emptiness that faced him. "Then again, without Dizzi…I don't really know."

"I'm sure everything will be ok Kenny. Rei said that this plan would work and I believe in him." Max folded his wings behind him and led the group on. "He's probably thinking up the rest of the plan already. Let's go!" Tyson and Kenny nodded and followed him while Kai glanced up and the cave.

'Rei also said that he'd teach me if he wants Max safe. Will he put aside his thoughts of killing me long enough to do it?' With a sharp whistle Dranzer came down from the mouth of the cave, where she had been waiting patiently. She landed on his shoulder with a chirp.

"If he doesn't I'm sure I can convince him, right Dranzer?" She tilted her head in confusion but gave a screech anyway. "Dranzer…"

{I sure hope Rei-neko won't try to hurt you again Master Kai. Hm…how will we be able to communicate if you are always at each other's throats?} Kai picked up the pace and caught up with the others, this was going to be an interesting day.

~*~*~*~

(1) Her kingdom is the entire valley, the only place that is truly marked off as hers is a throne/chair by a small stone monument.

(2) Their version of Cowboys and Indians where one is bad and the other catches them and locks them up.

SS-Hey, it looks like the group is going to meet Wolborg next. ^^ Isn't that cool?

Tym-You can leave the puns for some other time. Right now you should finish the chapter of SSM that you promised.

SS-Give me a little rest I'm still recovering from my fever!

Tym-Hurry then, Winter Break is halfway done!

SS-*cries* I know! Sorry for the delay everyone, it shan't happen again. Tootles!

Tym-*blinks* Shan't?! Who the heck uses shan't anymore?!

SS-It's a fancy shall not! Jeez…you try to be a little proper…

Tym-*sigh* Please review…and don't worry about that word…she shall not use it again.