Disclaimer: I own Haradris, but not the TMNT world. It's just a little universe I like to play around in, 'kay?
A/N: Whoo, it's been a while, hasn't it? (readers glare) Oh, yeah, let's see you try and write three different places in one chapter without taking a century. Well, guys, I…hmm, what is there to say? Nothing exciting, that's for sure. Except for the fact that school gets out next Tuesday! YES! (pumps fist jubilantly in the air as readers switch from glare to stare)
5.
"Tell me again, where exactly are we going?" Don grouched, ducking out of the hidden Cavern exit. Kyrunir, who had gone shortly before him, caught a branch and pushed it forward as he passed. This motion inevitably came back to smack Don in the beak, forming a red welt where the leaves had snapped his face. He stood there, rubbing his snout as Ukeera held up a hand, signaling silence. She crept up to a massive tree, stepping carefully over twigs and other items that would reveal her presence. Raph came up behind Don, who was still rubbing his sore beak, and made as if to growl, but stopped when he saw Ukeera's huge ears twitching and rotating to catch every sound.
Nobody moved. It seemed like an age had passed before she turned around and nodded, a trigger for several deep exhales. "What the shell was that for?" Raph grumbled.
The female rukit scowled darkly, looking ready to attack him with her teeth for the impudent remark. "Raphael, unless you wish to be caught, you'll shut up and listen to me when I tell you I need silence!" she growled commandingly, turning around again. Raph made a rude face at her back, mouth contorted in an ugly grimace.
Kyrunir, appalled where he stood, looking ready to faint from his companion's sudden show of aggression. "Ukeera, he was only asking—"
"Ky! Shh!" Saesha rolled her eyes and reared up on her hind legs, sinking her claws into the tree bark. The little dragon scampered vertically up the trunk until she came to a thick branch sticking out, laden with brown leaves and nuts.
What in the world are you doing? Don asked mentally, the sting finally wearing off.
Saesha lashed her tail from on high, clearly concentrating on a distant scent. If you must know, I'm sampling the air for foreign smells such as orc, she said, alarming Don with her bluntness. I seem to have found a band of some, but they're rather far away. The turtle let out a nervous breath, hardly aware he'd been holding it.
"Well?" Raph demanded abruptly, nearly making his brother jump out of his shell. "What she doin'?"
Fighting to still his beating heart's spasmodic reaction, Don flattened his long ears. "She's scented a large band of orcs not far away. She says they won't be a bother if we avoid them though." He tried to deliver the verdict without putting an annoyed growl into his tone, but Raph got the message that he was irritated.
"What the shell is an orc?"
"Rather unsightly creatures the height of your leg," Kyrunir said quietly, scratching his thick white chest fur. "They're usually armed to the teeth and torture prisoners within an inch of their lives. Once a party of our clan went out to trade for food. They never came back. A few months after the incident, we found their bones in a ravine, riddled with orc arrows."
Raph looked like he'd been delivered a hard punch to the gut. "Oh. Sorry," he apologized weakly. "Didn't mean anything by it." Kyrunir shrugged and went to go join Ukeera, asking quietly if they were ready to depart. She scowled, muttered something, and sighed, shaking her head. Saesha came gliding down from the tree branch, landing neatly on Don's shoulder and settling there with a satisfied look on her lavender face.
"Yes, there are orcs around here, but thankfully, the rank lot of them are several miles away," she said, puffing black smoke.
Rijinn unfurled his wings impatiently. "Well then, can we go?" he asked, wearing the look of a bored little toddler who was ready to blow his stack.
Kyrunir looked up at the dragon on his shoulder. "Hang on a moment, Jinny boy."
Rijinn looked positively insulted. "Jinny boy?" he growled in shock. "Oh, that's it, mister egotistical maniac, I'm leavin' your shoulder!" He leapt with catlike reflexes from the rukit's furred shoulder and onto Raph's scaled green one. "Jinny boy…hrmph! I've heard better." He grumbled some more, spat smoke and settled down to fume for a nice hour.
Ukeera turned around. "Alright, guys, we're going. Don't make any noise, or it's curtains. The Rocs around here have awesome hearing and can detect you within a moment's notice. Got it?"
Raph smirked knowingly. "Oh, I got it." He felt rather smug knowing that Ukeera had no idea they were trained to be shadows.
Ukeera's light blue eyes glowed eerily. "Then let's go. Follow me." She set off around the tree and ducked an overhanging branch, disappearing into the thick forestry.
He snorted in contempt and slunk off the way she'd gone, muttering insulted phrases. Kyrunir's ears drooped low, indicating he was in a sad mood.
He's remembering his mother, Saesha informed Don as they followed the rukit.
Mother?
She died in the ambush, along with Ukeera's parents. Now that he knew, the turtle felt sheepishly stupid and wanted to floor Raph for being such a piece of dirt toward the mourning boy.
Would it help to say I'm sorry that I brought it up?
No. But he's getting away. Move yourself, Donatello, or we'll fall behind.
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered aloud, picking up the pace and hopping over a rotting log. Kyrunir seemed to drag his foot paws as he walked, bushy tail almost touching the wet leaves on the loamy forest floor. "Um, hey. Did I say something wrong?" He felt rage and helplessness emanating from Kyrunir in sickening waves.
The rukit shook his head, ears flopping back and forth. "No, Don, you didn't. I just…" He stopped and sighed. "I'm tired of hiding, tired of being helpless, tired of having no say in what I do!" he growled, tears beginning to form and pool in his eyes. "I hate being a wimp, being picked on, having no mom, hate this stupid Empire, and…and I'm sick and tired of my life!" That was all it took before the waterworks began to function. Don felt himself wanting to reach out to his broken soul, to put the scattered pieces of his happiness back together, to comfort the kid. But somehow, anger stayed his hand. How unfair was it that children had to hide away in a cave? That they never got to experience play with friends other than the ones they'd had from birth. He gritted his teeth and forced himself not to punch the tree next to him, instead growling.
Kyrunir didn't sob once. He just walked along, letting the tears flow, and took it like a man. Saesha, who always comforted Don when he was in need of balm for his anger, launched her tiny form off his shoulder and landed on Kyrunir's. Her eyes glowed and Don felt an immediate halt to the rukit's emotion flow. She was communicating mentally with him, and clearly didn't want Don listening in, because there was an arcane barrier around her mind. The turtle stopped to let the two talk in peace.
He rotated his ears around a couple of times to catch the medley of animal noises around him. Once his sharp hearing even caught a wolf-like howl on the air. Hm, scratching…might be a rodent searching for seeds in the undergrowth…ooh, bird call! A loud, grating screech pierced the peaceful silence, startling Don again, and making him jump up at least ten feet. Kyrunir and Saesha both snapped out of their trance too.
The rukit's eyes widened with panic. "Uh-oh…jhadie, it's a Roc!" he cried, immediately bolting into a random direction.
"Hey!" Don jumped up and darted after him, grabbing the bunch of loose skin on the back of his neck and pulling to stop his frightened flight. "Calm down, Kyrunir! Now, what's a Roc?"
He pointed with nameless fear. "T-that!" Don turned around and paled within a second. An enormous, chestnut-colored bird had cut off their path back! It was about seven feet tall, its feet sporting huge, serrated onyx talons that looked quite deadly, even to a tree. The Roc's black beak was jagged and sharp, and at the moment, open and ready to eat some turtle. And its beady eyes followed every panicked move Kyrunir made. "W-we've gotta r-run for it!" he stammered, struggling in Don's strong grip. Saesha's eyes glowed as she attempted to pin it to the ground through telekinesis, but the giant bird was unaffected. "That's w-why I said r-run! M-magic doesn't w-work on R-rocs!"
Suddenly Don felt very small and uncomfortable. "He's cut off our only escape!" he whispered. True; they were hemmed in on all sides by fallen trees, oljis thorn bushes, and thick vegetation, impenetrable without a blade of some sort (A/N: And a suit of armor for them extremely unfriendly oljis thorns). "We can't run now!" He let go of the gray rukit and pulled out his Bo, cautiously advancing on the twitching bird. "Okay, take it easy now, I don't want to…YIKES!" He hopped nimbly to the side as the Roc's beak skewered the loamy soil on which he had been standing. "Okay, you wanna fight? Then fight I shall!" Inwardly, he was thinking I've fought a giant dragon before…how hard can it be fighting a giant chicken?
With a thunderous war cry, he jumped forward, staff raised, and brought it down hard on the bird's foot. Roccy (A/N: as I shall call him) squawked in rage and butted Don in the plastron with its head, sending him flying into a tree. Dazed, the turtle sat there, head swimming, as the predator waddled toward him. He found himself unable to move as the black beak opened and slowly moved toward him. Oh shell…
"Good! You're here!" The creamy white rukit general acknowledged Sor and Mikey with a curt nod. "Now then, Michelangelo…" The turtle gulped, expecting rebuke from the slightly plump military commander. "I am aware that you can fight to some degree. Will you help us?"
He smiled nervously. "Course I will, dude!" he replied, fighting the insane urge to run out of the tent. Something about this guy just spooked him.
"And you, Sor," he said in a fatherly tone. "I will apologize for my previous behavior regarding the dragons and Michelangelo." The gunghir scuffed his foot in the dirt and murmured a soft, "thanks" before flushing red.
Kiyo, who was sitting on the wooden table in the center of the large tent, puffed a bit of smoke. "I'm going to point out that every single one of us knows how to fight, General Knami," he said quietly. "And though most may not see use for the wind, I can help in ways your mages could not."
"Example," Knami replied, crossing his arms as if challenging Kiyo's ingenuity.
"I can conjure a storm," he answered simply, flaring his wings.
He scratched his chin thoughtfully as Mikey forced down his need to gape with shock. Sor was already standing there with his jaw hanging. "Well, that's all well and good, Kiyo, but what can Bima and Iwansi do?" he asked, wagging his bushy tail once.
"Bima can swim underwater without having to come up for air, and Iwansi can make herself, and any breathing thing she touches, invisible for as long as needed." Aireilei supplied the information with a wicked smile. "And I must say, I'm rather eager to help out. All these years being away have made me go soft," the white dragon declared, grinning evilly. Knami coughed out a belly laugh that made his stomach ache. "By the way, Kiyo, do you have any idea how a storm is made?" He glared at her, his anger from the corral still smoldering uneasily. "You will need water and fire mages, because to make a cloud, one needs particles for the water to condense on. So, maybe all we need are those two mages. You, however, will need to blow those particles into the troposphere so the water mage can use moisture in the air to condense. Every time you are in need of more particles, the fire mage can make ashes."
Kiyo stood up and lashed his long tail. "In that case, I shall find them and set them straight to work!" He launched off the table, and shot out the door on wings as Sor gaped some more. Mikey just stood there, unsure of what to do.
"Mike? You okay? You seem…perturbed."
"Are you sure I'll do well? I mean, this is my first real battle," he mumbled, blushing with embarrassment.
"You'll be fine. I'll have Sor and Kiara partner up with you," Knami told him. "But now, where are Iwansi and Bima? I have instructions for them."
Sor recovered from his gaping spell, replacing it with a perplexed look. "The silvery blue dragon? She came in here with us, I thought…"
Aireilei closed her eyes and snapped them open again. "They were seeing how far away the army was. I have told them to come back immediately. They're on their way."
"Ah! Thank you, Aireilei!" Knami bowed and straightened up. "Sor, would you go and equip Michelangelo?"
"Ah, no, that's okay!" Mike blurted. "I'll be fine!" The creamy white rukit frowned.
"That's alright, General. He has the reflexes of a covey with hot feet," Aireilei assured, trying to calm Mike. The turtle was nearly dancing with the need to get out of Knami's presence. "Something wrong, Mikey?"
He grimaced urgently. "Nature calls!" And with that, he bolted frantically out of the tent, leaving Aireilei in complete hysterics.
Knami and Sor, however, didn't get it, and were looking very confused. "What in the name of Yulakai did he just mean?" Knami asked, furrowing his brow and frowning.
Aireilei laughed so hard she almost fell over and knocked down an array of sharp, pointy weapons. "It…means," she started, gasping for air, "That he has to…go!" Another fit of guffaws took the white dragon captive as it finally dawned on Sor.
"Ohh…that," he said with reverence, nodding. Knami was still in the dark, frowning as Sor began to chuckle and Aireilei's faded.
"Humph. Rubbish," he snorted, resting his hand on his long sword's hilt.
Kiara thrust the flap aside as she marched inside, looking fully and utterly ashamed of herself. The black rukit stepped up to Aireilei and muttered contritely, "Ei ati seiwurseiyenalalaphr iruyeyephr." (I am eternally sorry.) Knami, clearly not fluent in the language of the elves, scratched his head and mumbled something about not telling everybody else in common.
Aireilei bowed and replied, "Phrruer ayesei fruyepeijhsein." (You are forgiven.)
Knami glanced at the two alternately before making a huffing noise. "Ah, Kiara! Don't worry about it, girl, you're alright!" he said. Apparently, it was just a guess at what the rukit said to Aireilei, for he still wore a confused face. Kiara nodded slightly as Knami took on an angrier countenance. "It's that butterball Huena I must speak with. He has abused his post for far too long now."
Disgusted, Aireilei agreed with a fervent, "Aeiyehseiaey," before lashing her long tail and exiting the tent.
"What'd she say?"
Kiara smiled with a weary chuckle. "Airhead."
"Ah. I really must get a translator for this rubbish someday," said Knami, hooking his thumbs in his belt. "Can't understand a word the elven recruits say."
"You can't understand them even though you've been commanding them for five years?" Sor asked.
"But of course not!" he snorted. "If I tried learning that load of poppycock, I'd be tongue-tied! No, I only understand good old Common talk."
Kiara nodded politely. "General, I'm off to get my armor." She gazed at her male companion. "Sor, you ought to come too. You need help getting outfitted."
Sor glanced sheepishly at his two winged arms. "Uh, yeah. Can't very well get my chain mail on on my own," said the gunghir, shrugging. The rukit grabbed the tent flap and held it aside as Knami waltzed out, dignified, followed by Sor, who was still in shock from being summoned to his commander's quarters.
Once outside, Bima greeted them with a triumphant squawk. "Hey, I've been looking for you lazy lumpkins!" she said, flaring her wings. "Come on, you've gotta see Kiyo workin' with those green mages over there! Hah! Wouldn't know a storm if it came up and bit 'em in the butt."
Knami coughed. "I say, that's rather unfair, miss. Narii and Folla have hardly had any time to prepare!" he defended.
"Oh, sure. Says the gaffer who probably knows nothing about magic."
The cream white rukit glared, then averted his eyes. "You're right on that account; I can't even light a bloody candle." Kiara found herself giggling at the abashed Knami's expense. "On with you two," he commanded, shoving Sor and Kiara away towards the maze of tents. "Unless you're fixing to get punctured with an orc arrow, you'd better get equipped now!"
When they arrived at the armory, most of the warriors had already left. As Sor rummaged around in a large trunk for gunghir mail, Kiara slipped on a leather tunic over her coat of chain mail. The rukit put steel greaves on her legs to protect from attacks from enemy pike men. "Kiara? Little help here?" Sor squeaked. Kiara turned around and burst out laughing. Sor had attempted to get the tricky mail on by himself but was tangled in the belt.
"You never learn, do you?" she asked, going behind him to remove his sword. "If you'd taken this bulky thing off first, you would've been fine, silly." She put it on the ground and untangled the mail from his arms. Gunghir mail is made differently than other mail. Because of the skin that comes off the winged arms and attaches at the edge of the ribs, a regular coat of mail would be impossible to get on. Gunghir mail has a head hole and a belt running around the bottom. To get it on, you unbuckle the belt and slip the chain mail over the gunghir's head and buckle it under the wing flap. "There, now for the tunic." Kiara reached into the chest and pulled out Sor's personal favorite, a brown tunic with a pair of black wings on the front. She slipped it on the same way the mail went.
"Personally, I'd rather go shirtless," he muttered, tugging his shorts up in annoyance. She chuckled and pulled on some steel plate-backed gauntlets. "Do you really think that the dragons will be any help? They're kind of small…" he said doubtfully as Kiara strapped on gold-flanged vambraces to her forearms.
"Were you even paying attention when Kiyo blasted me off the ground with wind?" she asked crossly. "Don't you get it? They're mages, Sor, and mages are bloody hard to put down." The rukit finished up by buckling her two thin rapiers on, one on each side. "Now, are you ready?"
Sor looked himself over. "Well, let's see here…I can't put on my greaves because my arms are pretty much unmaneuverable…"
"Oh, quit it, you whiner. They aren't wooden boards you know." He grumbled and put on the guards clumsily. "Now, let's go see the action. I think I can hear Kiyo's winds."
Mikey almost bumped into them when they came out. "Oh, hey guys!" he said.
"Relieved yourself I see," Sor snickered. Kiara, who had not been in the tent when the turtle had bolted for a bush, looked confused. "He had to…um, how shall I put this?"
"No, I get it," Kiara said hurriedly, clearly not wanting to further the subject.
"Man, have you guys seen what Kiyo's doin'?" Mikey asked, stretching.
"We're on our way over there, Mike."
"Look up there then." He pointed with a square finger at a swirling gray cloud that was growing bigger by the second. Flashes of lightning flickered in the cumulonimbus cloud (A/N: Otherwise known as a thunderhead.), some even emerging to smash the plains with their fury.
Sor flinched as a patch of grass got incinerated by a bolt. "Will that hit us?"
"Naw, I think the plan's to have Kiyo keep the thing at bay with wind. Them orcs are going to get mighty wet though." Thunder rumbled in the distance and Sor whistled appreciatively.
Iwansi landed in front of them, imprinting the sandy dirt with claw marks. "Will you guys move it already? That smelly ol' army is almost here!" Sor seemed transfixed by her titanium leg. She noticed. "Quit that staring, mister. Act like you haven't seen an artificial limb before…"
"What happened to you?" he asked tentatively.
The yellow dragon made a face. "Basilisk. Stupid moron ambushed us in the Dream Realm while we were looking for an old friend."
"Yikes."
Kiara tugged impatiently on Sor's ponytail and bounded down to the tree line, where the warriors were stationed in long lines. Mike sprinted after her, whooping like a madman and striking Sor dumb. "What a weirdo, huh?" Iwansi said, launching into the sky to follow by air.
A grimy-sounding horn reached his ears and a thunderous war cry went up amongst the rebel troops. The battle had begun.
"Leonardo-san, wake up please!"
He groaned and turned over. He felt horrible and his face was burning. "What?" he asked, blinking as his vision focused.
A cool rag was pressed to his forehead. "You must arise, Leonardo-san. We are ready to depart from Aloria," Dakari said softly, patting his carapace. "And," he added, "Watishi is becoming unbearably agonized over you." Leo chuckled shallowly. "How do you feel?"
He turned back onto his plastron. "Tired," he replied with a yawn.
"That is what the healer expected. Realm traveling throws one's self for a spin." The turtle rubbed his eyes and gazed around. He was in a…tree? That's what it looked like. Beams of softly glowing ivory wood ached gracefully above his bed to form a dome through which warm sunlight streamed. Outside, branches rustled in a light breeze that entered the room, blowing across Leo's beak and filling his lungs with a sweet, flowery scent. The bed on which he was sprawled was exceedingly soft, as if he were sleeping on air. "It is called heather," Dakari said with a small smile, "and it does a body good to rest upon." The turtle nodded stiffly in agreement before seeing a slim elf maiden glide into the fanciful room.
She was one of those people you see in a fairytale, perfect and unmarred. She was clothed in a red and white gown that brushed the wood floor. The neckline scooped low, revealing a silver chain going around her neck. Her sleeves were wide and funnel-like. They were tapered near the shoulder but wide near the hands. "Watishi has been prepared, Dakari," she said quietly in a voice that sounded like a chorus of starlings.
The rabbit got up and bowed low. "Thank you, Hannalei, you have been most hospitable." Seeing Leo's perplexed stare, Hannale smiled kindly.
"You have never been to this world, Dakari tells me." He nodded mutely. "And yet, you have the tail and ears of a dragon," she pointed out, her raven colored hair sliding over her shoulder in a shimmering cascade. "How is that possible?"
Leo sat up on the edge of his bed, deciding he looked rather ridiculous on his stomach. "I am friends with a group of dragons, lady," he mumbled, raising his tail and wrapping it around the bedpost. "But I have no idea where they or my brothers are at the moment."
"I see. So there are others like you?" Another mute nod. Hannalei stepped forward and gently grabbed his chin, raising his face to eye level. "Little one, you need not fear me." Leo blushed as her emerald eyes searched his. "Dakari will help you find your siblings and friends."
Dakari's eyes grew flinty. "I have a desire to meet Aireilei as well," he said fiercely.
Hannalei drew away gracefully. "Leonardo, I have had a teela prepared for you as well. Neither of you shall walk. I must go now, but farewell." She glided out the door.
Dakari took on a sly countenance and nudged the flushing turtle playfully. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were in love, Leonardo-san," he teased. Leo felt himself growing hot with embarrassment. "And I thought Watishi was a hopeless cause. But come! To the stables!" He held out his hand and pulled the red turtle up. "Oh, and I took the liberty of cleaning your katanas for you. They were rather dirty." The rabbit held out the two sheathed swords and Leo strapped them on before following Dakari out the door.
He found himself gaping with amazement. They were in a leafy dome that stretched from his room to the far end, letting streams of sunlight through the green net. Thin white beams snaked across the walls and ceiling. And in the very middle was a huge garden full of exotic plants. "You look like a fish," Dakari commented, descending the stairs with ease. Leo followed.
They passed a variety of elves on the way, all of whom spoke a foreign language that he could not decipher but Dakari could. Often times he found himself waiting for his companion to cease talking in the fluid language. Finally, they reached a large archway that led into a massive stable. Dakari passed several stalls before stopping at two of them. "Leonardo-san, you will be riding Tunali," he said, opening the door to the straw-filled stall. Inside was a light brown teela, striped with black on his forelegs and hind legs. His ears were tipped with ebony and his eyes were a friendly blue. "Walk up to him slowly and make sure he gets your scent. Otherwise, he won't let you ride him. That's how teelas are."
Dakari left and could be heard in the next stall over, conversing happily with Watishi, as Leo cautiously approached Tunali. The teela snorted and stepped forward to sniff Leo's hand. Once that deed was done, the animal butted him in the plastron. His back was up to Leo's mid torso. "Hey there," he said tentatively, petting the animated teela. He scratched Tunali behind the ears, which produced a happy groan. "So I guess we'll get to know each other pretty well, huh?" He gazed up at Leo with liquid blue eyes. The turtle felt like a moron, not knowing if the animal was comprehending him or not.
Dakari appeared in the doorway, Watishi's reins trailing behind him. "Are you coming, Leonardo-san?" he asked, Watishi coming up behind him and snorting indignantly when Tunali came into view. He shrank back, clearly not wanting to challenge her authority. "None of that, Watishi. Be nice," the samurai berated, frowning. "Follow me, Leonardo-san." He tugged the reins and led Watishi out of the stables. Leo sighed and looked at the reins doubtfully. How the heck was he supposed to ride this thing? Tunali seemed to sense his apprehensiveness and mooed encouragingly to goad him on. The turtle inhaled and started forward, Tunali following close behind and butting him whenever he stopped.
Then Leo's tail twitched. Tunali caught sight of the wriggling thing and backed peddled nervously, eyes widening. "It's not a snake, you know," Leo told him, grabbing hold of it. "It's a part of my body." He held it closer to the frightened animal's muzzle. Gradually, he gained confidence and went to sniff it. Finally satisfied that the foreign object wasn't going to bite, Tunali paraded forward, a chuckling Leo at his side. Once they exited the stable, Watishi grunted impatiently and stamped her paw on the ground.
Tunali shied away from the dominant female, hiding behind Leo. "Will you stop that?" Dakari scolded. The turtle patted the teela, who peeked out from his refuge anxiously. "Let's go." The samurai led Watishi toward a tunnel entrance, where he went in. Leo followed, not sure if he was going to stub a toe on some unseen rock outcropping on the floor, but it was smooth and polished. Glowing crystals lit the way to a large stone door. Dakari spoke a word in elvish and it opened with a loud, grating groan, revealing the lake where Leo had passed out. The door was behind a huge waterfall, which was parted because of the extrusive slab of stone.
Tunali plodded alongside the turtle as they inched along the shoreline. Dakari shut the door again with a word. The slamming sound reverberated off trees and water, triggering a flock of brightly colored birds to break from the trees, chirping. As Dakari mounted Watishi, Tunali and Leo satisfied their thirst at the shoreline of the clear lake, sucking up water like camels. Leo could feel the water sloshing around in his belly as he got up and sighed with contentment when the irritated, dry tissue at the back of his throat ceased burning.
"Come along, Leonardo-san. We have a ways to go yet," Dakari called from atop Watishi. The teela stamped her paw once more, eager to be off.
Leo stared doubtfully at Tunali before scrambling into the saddle and taking the reins in his hands. Well, this is nice! he thought dully. I haven't even ridden a horse before! How in the world…? The teela under him seemed to sense his apprehensiveness and took a smooth step forward. The stride caught Leo completely by surprise and he nearly fell off into the pebbly sand, saving himself by grabbing wildly at the saddle. Tunali mooed an apology and bent around to nudge the turtle back up. Watishi uttered a loud cough and Dakari laughed. Leo realized that a cough from an animal with such personality equaled a guffaw. He lashed his tail in the air, frowning as it caused a whip-like noise that startled Tunali into bounding forward.
Leo yelped and fell forward to wrap his arms around the frightened herbivore's neck as he galloped into the trees. Dakari let out a whoop from behind and crashed through a nearby thicket to take the lead. Leo, however, was busy hanging on for dear life and not in the least looking forward to the sore butt he'd have in the morning. Tunali got control finally and leapt a large log, landing in a muddy patch of grass. He recovered his balance, veered to the left, and emerged into the ambush site, where two dead orcs still lay, neck and backs broken. Leo shuddered as the teela passed the two and vaulted over the stone monolith that Watishi had rammed over.
Within minutes, they sped out of the forest and onto the plains of Alorian, where golden grass swayed in the breeze. Dakari could be seen ahead, ears streaming back, and bouncing with Watishi's long strides. Tunali lengthened his own steps until the two were even, racing together through the grass. Leo's long tail was blowing around in the wind like a flag in a hurricane. "Where are we going?" he yelled to the samurai.
Dakari laughed as Watishi bucked over a ditch. "The gunghir mountain village of Lorra!" he shouted back, blinking as a bug met its doom on his forehead. With a disgusted growl, he flicked the thing's spattered insides off his gray fur, and bounced two feet up when his teela leapt and came back down to land hard on the dry soil. "I have somebody to meet there who might know a way to locate your brothers!" Leo carefully raised himself off the saddle, clutching the rim of it as though it were a lifeline. "And by the way, you look ridiculous."
The turtle glared at him as he grinned. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't push you off right now." In response, he innocently put a hand to his mail-clad chest and mouthed 'Me?'. Leo rolled his eyes as he veered away. Tunali's steady breathing grew harsh and he began to sweat profusely. It was almost late afternoon when they finally reached the end of the Alorian Plains. The teela slowed to a halt, sides heaving, as his rider slid down into the knee-deep grass, grimacing when his rear began to ache.
Dakari took one look at him and chuckled.
Alright, Chibi Rose Angel, you'd better not try to steal Tunali too! I swear, you're the worst! (eyes go red and steam shoots from ears)Ahem, now that that warning's over with (cools down and eyes return to normal hazel), next time I update might not be too long. And before everybody startsscreaming "You stole Arwen!" I very loosely based Hannalei on Arwen. Didn't steal her. And I also looselybased Aloria on Rivendell. That's where the glowing white wood comes in.I've got Don's thingie already planned out, and it's pretty good! As for Leo's, I'm not sure. Mike's, you already know what's going to happen. (gets out plastic battle axe)A battle. Big fat battle. See yah!