Chapter 4
The hour felt early when tapping woke Krystal from her sleep. She slowly rose and slid open the folding door. An EarthWalker stood waiting.
"Yes?" she yawned.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but there is a very strange contraption outside. We don't know what it is," he said.
Nodding, Krystal replied, "Give me a moment."
The 'contraption' could be anything, from a bomb to a harmless pile of broken junk. She emerged soon after and followed the EarthWalker to the large platform she had first seen. When Krystal saw the 'contraption', she gasped.
It was a speeder, with what looked like a large container of fuel cells.
"Fox…" she whispered as she came closer.
The EarthWalker smirked knowingly and turned.
"You knew about this?" she asked.
He chuckled, "Fox knew you wouldn't accept it outright. Take it; you'll need it to get around the planet quickly."
Krystal slowly smiled and gave the speeder a few practice runs around the platforms. It was easy enough to handle and was quiet too. After parking it near to the main door, she jumped off and ran in to pack a travel bag.
"Some warm clothes," she started, "Water skins and filters, a compact tent and blankets," the bag grew heavier, but it didn't matter anymore.
Last, she picked up her cloak. It was fashioned from animal skins her people hunted on Cerenia. Many furs recoiled in horror when the found out that she wore real leather, but on Cerenia, the blue foxes were the only advanced life forms. After Krystal had begun traveling around, she found it was better to not wear it at all, but on Dinosaur Planet, no one would have to know.
It was one of the few things she still had from her missing home world. Ah, there was the nostalgia followed shortly by sadness. The vixen felt pulled in so many directions then. It was a lot of stress for one fur to handle alone.
Krystal walked to her speeder and started it. She committed herself to her mission; it was the only way she could remain positive about staying on Dinosaur Planet.
The walk to CloudRunner Fortress would have been eight days, but on the speed bike, it was three. Krystal arrived at the Fortress by midday, but she had been seeing CloudRunners all morning. They had seen her, she knew, and had probably flown ahead with word of a visitor.
The path she was following came to an end by a huge wall. It was smooth, so there were no footholds. Krystal stepped back and looked up curiously. Flapping wings sounded behind her, and she turned to greet a random CloudRunner.
"You look up when you should be looking down," he said cryptically.
She did look down then, and saw a small metal box peaking out from under leaves. The vixen brushed them aside to reveal a boost base. Smiling, she launched herself up onto the wall. It was a raised path that led to the main entrance of the fortress. Two CloudRunners were waiting for her there.
"Greetings," both said and bowed.
Krystal returned the gesture and said, "I am Krystal and I am here to speak with your Queen, if she will permit it."
"Follow us," they said and began waddling up the circular path.
She mused that most CloudRunners didn't walk much. Krystal did look around as she was led into a grand looking courtyard. Fox had said the place had been trashed by General Scales, but there was little evidence of damage. Only skid marks on the grass and chipped rocks revealed what had taken place.
In the center of the courtyard was an ornately decorated, raised platform. On it was the Queen CloudRunner, wearing regal blue. Krystal doubted the Queen would know her, but the CloudRunner showed no discomposure.
"Welcome to CloudRunner Fortress," she said, "I hope your stay is enjoyable."
Krystal bowed, "I thank you for the welcome. My name is Krystal, and I am from Cerenia. My people, however, came from Dinosaur Planet."
The Queen's head tilted back slightly, but the circle of councilors behind her gasped out loud.
"That's impossible," one declared, "The only furred animals on the planet are SnowHorns and small, unintelligent creatures."
"We left many years ago, probably before any of your grandfathers were born. I happened upon the planet by a distress call. I believe it was a call home," she replied.
The councilors talked animatedly among themselves while the Queen simply stared at Krystal. The vixen wondered if perhaps she was only a puppet, who followed orders given by the true leaders.
"If this is true, where is your proof?" the Queen finally asked.
"Had I not talked to the WarpStone in ThornTail Hollow, I wouldn't have known about the past at all. He was the one to recognize me," she answered.
The Queen turned to the advisors and Krystal was left to wonder what they discussed. Her sensitive ears picked up snippets of conversation; all of it was disparaging. She inwardly groaned. If she couldn't convince a few of the friendly tribes she belonged, then how did she expect to get the more volatile ones to cooperate?
The Queen slapped her wings against her body several times, a sound that startled Krystal. All the councilors looked at the CloudRunner, and she spoke a few words before turning to the vixen.
"I will speak personally with a WarpStone. You will remain here," she said.
The final look she gave Krystal was not threatening, but neither was it friendly. The Queen flew away then, and the vixen felt quite uncomfortable with the stares of the councilors bearing down on her.
"Krystal!" A familiar voice called behind her, "I'm glad you're okay."
"Shimi, it is good to see you too," she said, embracing the CloudRunner who had saved her from Scales' galleon.
"Come on, I'll show you around here," he said, leading the way to a wind tower.
Shimi lead her up to the three 'perches' on the north-facing side of the fortress. From there, Krystal had a breathtaking view of forests, rivers, and far away, an ocean. CloudRunners were landing and taking off from the perches as the two stood out of their way.
"It is beautiful," she whispered.
Shimi stepped close to her, "I hear you are staying on the planet. Is this true?"
"Yes," Krystal said, "I wish to stay. Being welcomed to is another story."
The CloudRunner bobbed his head thoughtfully and turned away from her, "You won't be welcomed at first. Not likely that we will see another crisis on the magnitude of General Scales, but if you show your use bit by bit, you will be accepted."
"I plan on meeting with all the tribes," she said quietly.
Shimi turned to look at her, hoping she was in jest. Instead, he saw her seriousness and asked, "All? I don't think you would even be allowed to enter some of the tribes' grounds."
"I have to try. If anything, I should let them know I am here."
It was the same reaction every other dinosaur had given her: disbelief followed by incredulity.
"Well," he finally said, "I wish you luck. If you need my help, don't hesitate to ask. You gave us help when you didn't have to, and we appreciate that."
Shimi and Krystal returned to gazing over the beautiful landscape.
"Ah, there is the Queen," Shimi said.
As the Queen CloudRunner landed, both Shimi and Krystal bowed. Shimi excused himself, obviously not considered important enough to hear the Queen's news.
"I have spoken with the WarpStone, and he has confirmed your story. He also wishes to see you, and he seemed quite pleased that a Keeper has returned. These are strange times, Krystal. The tribes are trying to rebuild what they once had, and some are not going to be happy that this new change has come about. I suggest you stay away from tribe business, and keep to the shrines."
The Queen flapped her wings a couple times to adjust the folds of her fleshy wings, "On a more personal note, some diplomacy would serve you well. While some tribes see bluntness as a good trait, others do not.
"The Council was displeased that an unfamiliar fur would come trouncing in, claiming to belong to the planet when none but WarpStones have seen them in a thousand years. You have my permission and welcome, but it will take some convincing the Council on my part. The first impression is a lasting one, and I sincerely hope you make good impressions with less receptive tribes."
The Queen smiled, or at least as much as a beaked creature could smile, at Krystal, "You are welcome to stay in CloudRunner Fortress as long as you like. Perhaps Shimi could show you around more. Good day."
The Queen had given Krystal a lot of good advice, and some that she had already heard a couple times. The CloudRunners and EarthWalkers may not have been outright allies, but they were indeed the most civil of tribes it seemed.
A thought occurred to Krystal then, perhaps she would go see the SnowHorns next. Avoiding the inevitable may not have been the best solution, but right then, it seemed the wisest choice.
Shimi did show her around the Fortress more. When she asked about the WarpStone, Shimi directed her to a ladder on the side of the Fortress. It was carved in the side of the wall, but was still sturdy even after a thousand years. The path at the bottom wound through a valley and along a creek. The Warp Stone there was surrounded by water, like the one in ThornTail Hollow.
The conversation with the WarpStone nearly ended before it began. Krystal had no gift to give the great WarpStone, and he was not happy. She promised to return with some lovely gift (after she figured out how to warp there, which was a different story altogether) and the WarpStone accepted the promise, on the word of a new Keeper.
He told her of the many caves and underground caverns the planet boasted. The Keepers were very adept at building and tunneling, and she must explore every inch of the lower levels at Krazoa Palace. There were many secrets the planet would hold from her if she did not recover the information hidden there.
It was a trip well worth the effort, but Krystal was still confused about many things. She had many puzzles to solve, and the hints she received seemed even more cryptic than the puzzles themselves.
Krystal stayed in the Fortress only for a few days. Most of the CloudRunners welcomed her, but she had the distinct impression that many others were uncomfortable in her presence. Her desire to visit all the tribes was beginning to wane.
Back at Krazoa Palace, she found her way to the dark chambers of the lower levels. Krystal tapped a glow stick to light it and began walking down the musty hall. She stood in the Chamber of Secrets and plotted a least-destructive path across the parchments. After making her decision, she tiptoed and leaped across the piles, tenuously landing on several of the irreplaceable relics. Unfortunately, most of the papers crumbled into dust, which in turn caused her to sneeze several times.
The vixen did finally arrive at the opposite entrance to the room. She looked back once in regret, and then turned and walked down the hall. It curved slightly to the right, and she soon reached the end of the hall. The room was oval in shape, and much longer than the previous room.
Krystal looked around what appeared to be some type of storage room. Several hand-made, wooden chairs were stacked, or tossed, on one another. A few tables, and a few more broken sections, littered the floor. There were all sorts of different furniture pieces in the room, and there was only a path through it.
Just to her right was a small entrance, and further to her right, at the 'end' of the oval, was a much larger entrance. Krystal consulted her paw-drawn map and added the new findings. She sighed once and took the smaller tunnel. All at once, she felt very claustrophobic and it took much of her will power to keep going down the tiny tunnel.
She paused to note a branch to the left, and continued a few more steps to an empty room. It was oval in shape, she noted, but was nothing in the room, only dust.
Krystal left the room and started down the connecting tunnel. A soft hissing sound came from down the hall, eerie and almost threatening. When she was hit by a gust of wind, she shrieked and bolted back down the way she came, and all the way to the parchment room. She carefully picked her path across the spoiled papers as fast as she could, using her first route.
"No more for today," she whispered as she quickly paced down the hall back to the warp dais.
When Krystal materialized in the ornate room above the dark passages, she was sweaty and dirty, and her heart was still pounding.
"I need to get outside," she muttered, "A nice swim in ThornTail Hollow's creek sounds very good right now."