Disclaimer: (sings) I don't own the TMNT…
A/N: Oh, bother! It's been a month again! More than a month even! I need to get my tail in gear…(grumbles) Well, yo guys waited so darn long. I didn't want to take more time in giving Leo a part because I've gotten writer's block for him. However, I do have Raph's and Mikey's part planned up through the next chapter. So be happy about that. I had to cut off at least a third of Mikey's part because it was too long and I wanted it for the next chapter. Plus I had a research paper to write.(grins) Enjoy!
18.
Raph crouched in the bushes and waited. This had been where they had seen them going. A day's worth of tracking. And if they were to lose them after all this, he'd be ticked off. A pleasant day breeze ruffled the leaves, whispering eloquent words. Words that Yulakai had said Haradris had forgotten long ago, that only the wind mages would remember. Words that could tell the mood of the very air itself.
Clouds drifted by lazily above in a blue-green sky. If there was one thing Raph had learned about this wacky world, it was that the things that were deceptively peaceful could only mean destruction. He knew blood was coming. That's why they had waited in ambush for twenty minutes now. And he was getting restless.
They had seen a troop of Empire soldiers marching this way. That could only mean trouble. When Yulakai had given them a mental picture of what he saw many hundreds of feet below on the hilly country, it revealed creatures they hadn't seen before. There were things that looked like anteaters, only ten times that size, burdened with bags and weapons. There were equine creatures with cloven hooves, small velvet antlers, and feline tails. There were squat and giant man-like people, clothed in spiked armor and cruel swords. And there was a wingless griffin in the lead, ridden by a cloaked figure.
Truth be told, Raph had been aching for a skirmish for some time now. They had been flying for at least four days straight since leaving the beach, only stopping to walk for long distances when Yulakai wearied of using the skies for transport. It was slow going on foot because the black dragon's legs were not as flexible as they would be on a younger reptile of his species. He claimed it was because his age was finally catching up to him. The only other time they stopped flying was for food. Tahkar and Lharom would go out hunting for game while the others waited at the camp, spent of all energy and full of bottled up boredom.
Nearby, a little red and green bird chirped uneasily in a stand of slender silver trees. Raph gripped his Sais impatiently, nearly ready to spring out of hiding and demand what was taking so long to the Empire troops' faces. Minutes passed without incident. The turtle focused his anger instead on an indigo-laced leaf bobbing on a twig in front of him, hoping absurdly that it would start on fire and burn. He lashed his tail, listening intently with his long red ears.
Faint sounds of jingling armor and swords faded just out of hearing, leaving him again in complete silence. This is crazy! Why don't we just take them on right now? Raph muttered to himself, leaning forward on his toes. I don't believe this. I'll turn to stone before we even see them! He then rethought that and shivered. No. Being stone would be most unpleasant, not to mention infuriating. Seeing what was going on before you without being able to move or speak.
He heard a rustle nearby and glanced to the right. First he saw the wing, then the rear, and finally Rijinn emerged covered in twigs and leaves. "So, what's the deal here? My leg's falling asleep!" Raph hissed.
The dragon sighed and sat in a pile of compost, bending around to pluck a leaf off his wing thumb. "Saesha still hasn't gotten back from scouting," he mumbled.
"For crying out loud, she's a telekinetic, isn't she? Can't she just contact us with her mind or something?"
"That's what I said, but she came back with her response of 'There are certain others who can hear that sort of exchange' bit, so I didn't bother arguing."
Raph growled, "Well, that's beautiful," then fell silent.
For what seemed like hours, they waited longer. The sun, white and cheery, rose higher in the sky, marking the mid afternoon section of the day. Raph stifled a yawn. Just as he was giving up hope of ever seeing the action of battle again, Saesha dropped down from the sky in a frantic panic. She was rambling on and on incoherently, saying something about 'fire' and 'broken'.
"Hey, get a grip, Saesha, and tell us something we need know!" Raph yelled, barreling out of the bushes, Rijinn not far behind. The purple dragon continued muttering and flapping her wings one at a time as though uncoordinated. "Um, Saesha? You okay?" Bewildered, the turtle watched as she fell to the ground and convulsed violently. "What's wrong with her?" he asked as Yulakai emerged from behind a stand of thickly growing trees.
He bent his great head slightly, sniffing his daughter, before slowly withdrawing. She has been…broken, Yulakai stated, a hint of confusion to his voice.
"Broken?" Don repeated, emerging from behind the dragon. "What does that mean?" He took on a troubled look and carefully picked up Saesha, who was still writhing like a worm.
"FIRE! Fire, war, death, soldiers…Broken!" the dragon shrieked, spouting smoke every now and then.
Lharom trotted out from the other side of the road, a covey now. He climbed up Don's leg, latching onto his belt and pulling himself up to his shoulder. "To be broken means that…Well, I'm not sure," he muttered, eyeing her critically. "It's been so long since I've seen a broken person before. The last one was before the reign of that accursed bakira."
It means that she has had an encounter with a very powerful force, Yulakai explained, blinking his red eyes thoughtfully. They have had a mental grapple, and the other was more powerful. It broke her mind.
"That sounds bad," Don said, gazing at his now limp friend in concern.
She will reconstruct herself in a matter of hours, but unless we can get a coherent reply out of her, we will have no leads as to where the army went.
"Will you people quit relying on such useless methods to locate the enemy and start sniffing?" Tahkar shouted crossly up ahead.
"Why didn't I think of that?" Lharom groaned, leaping nimbly down to the ground. "Give me some room here, guys. I'm going to become an agrion!"
"What the heck's an…" Raph began.
Lharom's body reformed itself like a blob of clay, pushing, pulling this way and that, until he was finished. "Phew, I'd forgotten how hard it was to become one of these things!" the strange creature said squeakily. The agrion was actually just about as impressive as a field mouse. It was a tawny plump rodent about the size of a full grown cat, with a short nub of a tail that had a plume of black fur on the end, standing up like a feather on a hat. Its paws were clever and long fingered, with large back feet perfect for jumping. A tuft of fluffy fur stood out on the chest, creamy and soft. Its eyes were large and black, a little pink nose twitching on the end of its short snout. Large, cupped, fluff-tipped ears spread out on the sides of its head. "What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at their stares.
"I'd never a guessed something so ugly could be something so ridiculously cute."
"Hey, watch it, buster," Lharom grumbled, displeased with the respect he was getting. "I've got teeth too."
How did you manage to get an agrion's shape? Yulakai asked curiously.
"Took me ages to even find one to touch!" The little rodent reared up on his hind paws, sniffing furiously. "Whoa, scent already! Move it, troops, let's go!" He bolted off, tail waving furiously as he bounced along the dirt road.
Don exchanged looks with Yulakai, then ran after Lharom and Tahkar. "Keep tabs on us, we'll signal if we find something!" he yelled as a parting shot.
"Oh, sure, leave me here, Donnie," Raph muttered, climbing aboard the black dragon. He launched into the sky with a few wing beats.
Below, Lharom ran like a demon-possessed unicorn, sniffing this way and that. The only thing that showed where he was was his large plumed black tail. "Anything?" Don panted, catching up.
"I don't think we need to look for very much longer," Tahkar whispered, eyes widening. "Look!" Dread filled the three as they spotted a growing cloud of ominous black smoke forming over the horizon.
"I hear screams," Lharom remarked, perking his ears forward. "Run towards the smoke!" he shouted in the diminished voice of his agrion form, bolting again.
"Hop on so I don't have to walk back here with you," Tahkar muttered gruffly, presenting her back to Don. He clambered on, grabbing a fistful of her black mane. Before she burst into a full-fledged run, Don inched down until he was resting on her muscled shoulders, remembering that a canine's spine moves up and down when running. Then she began galloping hard along the road, her padded paws making dull thuds in the hard dirt. Saesha bounced limply in his left arm like a rag doll.
Very soon they had topped the crest of a hill, getting closer to the smoke. Ashes rained down from above, making both squint. Hurry! Yulakai bellowed thunderously, diving in from above and going over the next rise. They heard his battle roar as they finally arrived at the next top.
"What the Claw?" Tahkar gasped, sliding to a halt in the damp grass.
It was pandemonium, simply put. Soldiers ran from hut to hut, putting fire to all they came across. Civilians, screaming, came from all directions young and old. Many of the enemies corralled young females and kept them in a huddle. Others had a group of males and small boys in a group, held back at spear or sword point. And in the middle of it all was Yulakai, Raph, Lharom, and Rijinn.
All fought like demons. The dragon used his tail as a mace, his claws and teeth like swords. Lharom located opponents and slashed them open with griffin talons when he found a weak spot in their armor. Raph worked at defending Yulakai's back. Rijinn could be seen darting around, his spine aflame, attacking random soldiers with fury.
"We have to help!" Tahkar snarled, taking a step forward.
"No, wait!" Don told her, pulling her mane to get her attention. "They have things handled over there. We need to help the captives."
The serulaf's eyes narrowed as she cursed. "They're taking some of the women away!" she hissed, breaking into a headlong gallop. The soldiers leveled their spears at her as she came running. At the last second, she leaped over the weapons, landing on one of their heads. At the same time, she deposited Donatello in the circle of females.
"Um…" he stammered, blushing slightly as they looked at him with wide eyes. "Here, hold this!" Don said, recovering some of his dignity as he shoved Saesha's unconscious body into one of the younger rukits' arms. He hopped out of their circle and whipped out his staff, swinging like a madman. With every swipe, he seemed to take out at least two. Tahkar finished off three more before swinging Don onto her back and loping after the enemies carrying struggling, screaming, hysteric females away for their own pleasure.
"Die, scumbag!" she roared, leaping onto one's back and ripping out flesh from his back. He died without a sound, his prisoner stiff with shock.
"Don't worry, we're here to help!" Don assured her before deftly holding up his Bo like a jousting lance. Tahkar ran smoothly into another of them, the turtle's staff running into his mid back. It hit armor, fazing him for a second before the stupid rukit shoved down his crying captive and unsheathed his sword with a grunt. "Make a wide turn, I want another swing at him!" Tahkar obliged, running full speed at the opponent. Don wound up and hit hard into the rukit's curved sword, digging his staff in. The rukit proved to be heavier than he, and as such, stood his ground while Don was ripped from Tahkar's back.
The turtle rolled to decrease the pain of the impact. Don hopped out of the way as the rukit brought his sword down into the hard dirt and grass with a whistling sound. The turtle landed on his feet, unarmed. He took a defensive stance, eyeing his bo. It lay fifteen feet out of his reach. He clenched his teeth and dodged another poorly-aimed strike, whirling into a roundhouse kick that caught his foe in the side. As luck would have it, Don also struck a spike. The thin piece of metal dug into his calf, ripping a gash in his leg.
He yelled in pain and jumped back a short ways. Blood trickled down in rivulets, staining the grass. The rukit came at him again, sword raised for a downward slash. Don dove aside, catching his bo up from the ground and flipping onto his feet in one feel swoop. He gritted his teeth as his foe charged again, readying to skewer the turtle. At the last second, he sidestepped and brought his staff around so hard that it whistled, hitting the back of the rukit's head with a thunderous crack. The unfortunate sap dropped, dead, to the grass.
Don stood where he was, panting heavily, tail wrapped around the cut. Gotta get a tourniquet on this thing before it makes me bleed to death…He put his staff on the ground and tore off his belt. Pain lanced up his leg as he bound the strip of leather tightly around the wound. That'll hold for a while. Favoring his injured right leg, he hobbled back to where Tahkar was waiting with the females.
"I have to go free the men and children," she announced when he arrived. Without another comment, she bolted for the next group, where the soldiers were readying a bigger force.
Don staggered once, righting himself with his Bo. He watched as the serulaf tore viciously into her victims, blood spurting everywhere. Spots began dancing in his eyes. He started to feel lightheaded. Lost too much blood, the turtle mumbled to himself, struggling to keep upright. He suddenly saw doubles of the worried images in front of him. They merged and separated several times before he felt his legs give way. He hit the ground with a thump, out cold.
Raph saw his brother fall from afar. "Dang it! Donnie went down!" he growled, striking out with his Sai at a soldier. Most of the force was diminished, but strangely, nobody seemed to be running a retreat. "Why the heck aren't we winning?" the turtle demanded, felling another.
It is because their leader still prowls the battlefield with another group! They know she is coming! Yulakai bared his teeth and clawed out a soldier's bowels.
"She? There's a chick leading this?" he asked incredulously. "This whole world's gone bonkers!"
I recognized her when we were flying. She is an excellent strategist and cold murderer who goes by the name of Binedri.
"Sounds like another funky title for Benadril."
All of a sudden, Lharom came galloping back, griffin ears flat against his skull. "I've seen her! Binedri!" he squawked angrily, yellow eyes wide.
Calm down! Where was she going? Yulakai questioned, sweeping a couple more opponents away with a hard tail strike and not even blinking an eye.
"Northeast! Toward the ruins…"
Why would she go there? Yulakai wondered, eyes narrowed. Xetyphaes has no reason to visit that place unless he…Oh no…He can't have…
"What?" Rijinn asked, dropping in, back smoldering. "'Can't have' what?"
This is bad. We need to get moving to the ruins immediately! Tahkar trotted up to the group, Donatello strung over her back, along with Saesha carried in the arms of a girl.
"Where are we going?" the serulaf demanded. "If it's to someplace we have to run, I can't do anything with Deadweight here bouncing all over my back."
Well, we can't leave him here either!
"So what do you propose we do? As we speak, we're losing precious time!"
One of the women piped up. "If you like, we could take care of him while you're gone," she said shyly.
Yulakai turned a flaming eye on her. How can you be sure they won't come back for…pardon my saying, 'pleasure activities'?
"Some of the other guys can wield a sword," another called out.
He lifted a lip. Then you must promise you will hide. I cannot be responsible for the actions of rebelling enemy soldiers. The rukits nodded as one and five came forward to lift Don off Tahkar. Now, quickly, we must hurry!
"Can't we just fly?" Rijinn asked, looking at his short legs. "I can't really run all that fast."
You may, but not I. I am too large and would be spotted almost instantly.
"Then let's go already! What the heck is so important about some stuffy, dusty old ruin anyway?" Raph snorted, sticking his Sais in his belt.
Yulakai glared at him. Be still! he hissed, turning in the direction they assumed to be northwest. Then, he broke into a thundering gallop that shook the ground, making good time despite being an elderly dragon.
"Get on me!" Tahkar yelled, running in between Raph's legs. She lifted and tore away, with him hanging onto her black mane for dear life. Rijinn, indignant at being left behind, was flapping furiously to keep up. Lharom took a lithe, black and white spotted feline's form, running smoothly alongside them. After a while, Yulakai appeared to be slowing down to a soft trot. "What's the deal?" Tahkar panted.
We're getting close. We must act more stealthily now. He finally walked, padding on the grass. I believe Binedri is also a telekinetic, which means we must veil our minds from her awareness.
"How do you do that?" Raph asked, puzzled.
The dragon stopped and turned his great head to look at the turtle. You have not learned?
"Well…maybe a little from Master Splinter, but I didn't really pay much attention," Raph admitted.
You must concentrate on being invisible, in body and mind, by not making contact with those we are trying to destroy.
"Come again? What the heck does 'not contact' mean?"
I mean contact one mentally, to attack their mind with a barrage of angry thoughts. You must not do that. Telekinetics are adepts at breaching your mind's defenses once you do make contact. They will break you without a moment's hesitation.
Raph scratched his head. "What happens if we do get…um, broken?"
Reconstruction of one's mind will never be easy, for a mind is not an easy thing to break in the first place, except by those whom I mentioned before. Usually to rebuild one's consciousness, it takes hours of careful gluing of your memories. You have to locate your strongest, most prevailing memories. The ones that occupy you as a priority when you remember. Now, do not ask more questions. After the top of this hill, there will be no going back.
The turtle felt fire building in him; an eager, savage request for battle. He took hold of his Sais as they crept along the side of the rise, keeping low to the ground to avoid being seen. Yulakai motioned with his head that they were to make for a dip where a large stand of trees grew, thick and close together. Once they were all hidden sufficiently, the smaller, less noticeable people peered through the dense growth of leaves.
First they saw Binedri. A slender, raven-haired elf, she stood of medium height. Her amber eyes, catlike and slitted, darted around, piercing with her gaze. Binedri was clothed in a royal purple sort of skirt that had a cut all the way up to her hips, revealing her legs on either side. It hung on her waist from a chain adorned with jewels. Her upper torso was wrapped tightly in a bolt of black fabric that crossed in an X around her neck and over her…erm, bosom.
"One thing's for sure, she's a looker," Lharom muttered softly, in agrion form. Raph dealt him a backhand on his head.
Next, they observed her fighting force. Nearly forty orcs and rukits stood in a half circle around her. Binedri's mount, the wingless, ivory-maned, chestnut griffin, lay nearby lazily with half closed eyes, flicking its tail about. The ruins on which they were gathered had a statue on a stone pedestal before them. It was a crouched dragon (or used to be) missing its head, which lay in mossy pieces on the rocks. One wing was nearly gone from so many years of erosion. On the other hung strings of moss and plants. On the pedestal was a small indent for something.
The watchers listened intently as Binedri began to talk in a rich, lilting voice. "My servants, we have triumphed over the pitiful settlement that guarded this sacred place. I congratulate you on your wondrous fighting." The troops grinned at each other and elbowed their friends in pleasure of being acknowledged. "When we are done here, you may do as you like with the women." A chorus of chuckles. Raph grimaced and perked his ears forward even more.
"Today we stand here because our conquering master, Emperor Xetyphaes, has asked that we take the second Jewel of the Dragon for his battle against the heathens. You have done well in finding the first." Binedri held up the aforementioned item in the light. It was a topaz-like crystal wrapped in a slender golden lines up to the top. Raph's acute hearing picked up a soft growl from Yulakai. "And now the second is almost in our grasp!" Cheering roars rolled from their mouths as she put away the crystal into a bag at her hip, removing an oval object in the same movement.
Yulakai lifted a lip and showed his bared teeth. That is a dragon egg! he privately told Raph, radiating fear. I had thought Xetyphaes could not find another male dragon! And he would not dare go after me! Could it be that he has…
"My faithful warriors, let us bask in the light of victory!" Binedri shouted over the whoops, setting the mottled tan egg in the indent.
At first nothing happened. The only sound was the rhythmic hooting of the enemy. Then the watchers felt a faint vibration. Another. Then a violent shudder came from the ground. The stone ruins bucked and heaved. The pedestal cracked. The stone dragon crumbled, making raucous explosions as it connected with the hard ground and shattered into pieces. From the ruined pedestal came an eerie shriek. Then there was silence. Raph tensed as Binedri took the egg from its indent.
Then there was a hiss of escaping gasses under pressure and the whole pedestal blew sky high. Rocks rained down from on high. Most of the trees took the impact, but Raph had to dive aside to miss being flattened by a slab of stone. He heard a loud cheer and looked out from the bushes. In her hand, Binedri held a crystal like the first, only it was hexagonal, round in shape and was a deep garnet shade.
I will not watch and let this woman take my kind's past away! Yulakai let loose a deafening battle roar and barreled out of the trees, crashing into the soldiers at top speed. Binedri looked stunned for a moment but regained her cool countenance.
"Hello, Demon Eyes," she crooned as he stood where he was, having felled ten of her men. "I had heard you were about."
Be silent, bakira! Yulakai snapped, hot wrath showing in his crimson eyes. He prowled back and forth over the bodies that had been in his path when he charged.
"Foolish lizard," the elf taunted. "Do you really think you will be able defeat me on your own?" In that moment, Raph, Lharom, and Tahkar ran out of the growth. Tahkar bared her teeth and made her hackles stand up at her next comment. "I see you found some allies. A freak, a mutt, and a fugitive. Oh, plus that little pink lizard."
"Pink lizard?" Rijinn sputtered, flapping his wings. "I'll show you pink lizard!" he growled, back bursting into angry flames of crimson. He jumped off Raph's shoulder and shot at her like a bullet, aiming for the gold-laced jewel in her hand. With a telekinetic blast, she stopped him short, freezing him in midair. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't get free.
With a swift jerk of her hand, Binedri flung him onto the stone, initiating the end of the staring contest they had started. Raph bellowed and ran at her, suddenly finding his feet grounded after two steps. "I can't move my feet!" he snarled in surprise, jerking his legs.
"Me neither!" Lharom squawked, beating his wings futilely in an attempt to get off the ground. Yulakai made no move, knowing he couldn't, and sat where he was, glowering viciously at the elf. Without breaking stride, she summoned a block of rock with her mind, floating it over Rijinn as he lay there groggily.
"Surrender the Dragon Kin to me," she said coldly, glancing at Raph, "or I'll crush him."
The caravan that Iwansi had observed from above happened to be a troupe of Players who traveled across the countryside setting up acrobatic shows and plays for the younger audiences. There was the driver, flutist, and commander of the band of mischievous miscreants, a quick-to-grin brown rukit with white splotches named Rholyn. The drummer, Ilon, was a quiet, young, green-eyed pearl rukit. The three dancers, siblings named Unai, Unoi, and Unei, were all sandy yellow females both loud and obnoxious. Meikle and Orom, a married couple, did the costume-work and props for the caravan. Their cynical son, a dark chocolate brown boy named Choleil, herded the animals that included teelas, sheep-like creatures called gorals, and a few bovines. Alongside the herd would be two wolfenas raised from birth by the caravan, nipping the heels of the animals to keep them moving.
Lastly there was a fiery elderly lady with indigo eyes who sat in the back of the wagon and made snide comments about the mess-ups Unoi, Unei, and Unai would make, called reverently Mhal. And it turned out that Mhal was the one who saw them first, despite Ilon and Rholyn being in the front. "H'lo, Rholyn! You dirtbag, do you have yer eyes sewn shut?" she yelled over the music, banging the poles that held the canvas roof up with her gnarled walking stick. "I jus' saw something disappear into the bushes!" The music continued without interruption. "Rholyn?" Still no reply. "Oh, I swear, even my ears are better than his…" she muttered scornfully, gathering her skirts and hobbling toward the front.
"What's the matter Mhal?" Meikle inquired over the loud drumbeat.
The old lady shot her a glare and continued to hustle toward the driver's bench. "Hey! Stone Ears!" she bellowed, jabbing him between the shoulder blades with her walking stick.
The flute playing stopped, leaving the song with drumbeats, and a rather loud cry of pain. "Good heavens! That hurt!" he moaned, leaning over onto the sun-warmed wood of the bench, his back stinging from the blow. Ilon quieted the drum, looking at the driver in confusion. The trio behind the wagon continued to sing, a bit off tune without the melody to guide them.
"Ya pansy, I could've taken something harder than that and still stood," Mhal said, unconcerned, eyeing him. "Now listen here, Doughboy. I saw something white go into the bushes up ahead."
Rholyn massaged his spine and grimaced. "Oh, Mhal, your old eyes are deceiving you. I didn't see a thin – OWW!" he cried, clutching his skull.
Mhal glared at him, walking stick in hand. "Stop the wagon and look into it," she growled, "or I will."
The brown rukit rubbed his furry ear and grumbled. "Ho, Ohrani!" he shouted at the quiffer bouncing merrily along in his harness. Ohrani dug his claws into the dirt road and stopped with a high whistle of indignation from his nostrils. "Good boy," Rholyn said, sliding down off the driver's seat.
"Hey! Why'd we stop?" came the loud question from Unai. She peered around the corner of the wagon, brown eyes half-lidded. Barking came from the two wolfena who were running around the herd, keeping the rebels in their circle.
"Be quiet," Mhal grunted, sitting on a convenient bag of carrots. Unai snorted.
"Where'd you see it?" Rholyn asked, parting a line of growth.
"A couple feet to yer right, ya sleepy old man." The rukit's tail bristled out like a bottlebrush.
"I smell something weird…doesn't smell like a plains bird or a rabbit…," he muttered, wrinkling his snout as he stepped away. "Ilon, my dagger if you please."
The girl turned around and rummaged through the sacks they used to hide the trap door in the floor, pulling up the nearly invisible corner of the wood and taking out a plainly sheathed blade. "Here Lyn," she said, ignoring the snort Mhal gave at her pet name for Rholyn. The whole troupe knew that the two fancied each other. It was awkward though, because neither knew it. On quiet days, either one would confide to a different person that he or she liked him or her. The caravan, amused at the naivete of the duo, chose to keep quiet about it until one of them decided to pluck up their courage and tell the one.
"Thank you." He took the weapon from her slender hand and threw the scabbard onto the road, blade at the ready.
"If you get eaten, I'm not going to cry for you," Mhal called rudely. Rholyn ignored her and stepped into the undergrowth. After several tense minutes, there came a surprised 'Holy Claw!' from Rholyn and thunder from the forest that said "big creature coming this way" to the caravan. The brown rukit suddenly was ejected from the bushes like somebody had kicked him out and grabbed the sheath from the road where it lay.
"Get moving!" he yelled, scrambling onto the bench. Just as he gave the hoarse 'hiya' that made Ohrani take off like a sprinter, the vern Naicro burst out of the trees and landed in front of the quiffer, scaring him witless. The animal uttered a terrified screaming whistle and made a break for the right side of the road, the sudden motion knocking Mhal over with a shout. The contents of the wagon bounced as the quiffer ran like the devil was after it. "Oh yatin! They're still back there!" Rholyn bellowed, seizing the reins and yanking hard. The resulting motion made poor Ohrani stop abruptly and the wagon to jerk violently.
"Too late!" Orom moaned, looking out the back. His son, the herd, and the trio of sisters stood surrounded. "Jhadie!" he cursed. "I will not let them lay a hand on Choleil!" The black rukit jumped angrily out and ran full speed at the first person he saw, which happened to be Mikey waving his arms in a panicked motion at the enraged father.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" the turtle squealed. The oncoming Orom didn't slow at all. At the last possible second, a yellow, nine pound ball of hair and metal launched herself from the ground and ran into his chest, knocking him, breathless, to the dirt. He groaned and lay there for a moment before Palaesi climbed onto his chest and stared at him in interest.
"You hurt?" she inquired, poking his snout. Orom didn't answer but tried to catch his breath. "I help you up," the gunghir said happily, stretching her wings out. Wind blew him upright and she fell to the ground with a fleshy plop. Jehk ran to her from near Aireilei and helped her up.
The white dragon came over and inspected him with a critical periwinkle eye. "You really shouldn't do that," she said matter-of-factly.
"Orom! Orom!" Meikle cried.
"Dad, why'd you do a stupid thing like that?" Choleil muttered, seated atop a teela mare. Naicro came back at a lordly pace, escorting the frightened occupants of the wagon and the wagon itself back to the group.
"There is no reason to be afraid," the vern told Rholyn as he hopped down from the bench, the dagger clutched tightly in his hand. "We will not hurt you."
"I'm more afraid of being eaten," he replied truthfully.
"That lizard? Eat you?" Mhal said snidely. "You'd hardly make a mouthful!" Naicro extended his neck as a handhold for the elderly rukit as she descended.
"I have no interest in lunch at the moment," the vern said, eyeing Ohrani, whose spines were flat against his back with fear. Meikle jumped out of the wagon and ran to her disoriented husband, asking him odd questions and scolding him for his rashness.
"So what do you intend to do with us?" Ilon asked. "Are we to be arrested for insulting Xetyphaes?"
"Are you going to torture us?" Unai asked frightfully.
"Fry us?" Unoi added.
"Eat us?" Unei whispered. "Don't eat me, I'm only a child!" she whimpered when Iwansi suggestively eyed her leg. The dragon laughed at her response.
"You're almost twenty," Unoi said dryly.
"So?" Unei defended weakly.
"At the moment, we're not going to do anything," replied Bima, scratching what was left of her right ear. "And besides, we don't work for that bakira."
"I'd rather leave his entrails out to dry and give them to a griffin," Aireilei said vehemently, clenching her fists.
"Hey, there's tots around here, y'know," Mike protested, Palaesi and Jehk in separate arms.
"What's entrails?" Palaesi whispered to her friend. He shrugged.
(grins) And the plot thickens! At least for Raph it does. I'm keeping the plot thickener for Mikey from you until the next chapter.
Raph: (grumbles) "Maniac. What' 'cha gonna do to me now?"
(wink) I ain't telling! See you on the next installment!
Ashite Imasu,
LN