Chapter 4: SPINE

Sleep evaded Namaari after her conversation with Raya. She was eventually able to catch a few minutes here or there but would always be awakened by something whether it was a creak of the boat or a light snore from one of the ongis. Once she was awake her thoughts always drifted back to the Princess of Heart and that took her down paths that made it even more difficult to get back to sleep.

Eventually she gave up on sleep entirely, laying there awake trying to rest her body but even that seemed impossible, so she sat up and surveyed the boat.

The ongis and Noi had chosen to snuggle up with Sisu while Chaiya stayed as far as she could up on the roof. Raya had taken her turn steering and then was relieved by Boun for the home stretch. Currently, she was leaned up against her TukTuk, both of them sleeping soundly.

This must be the safest place Raya had slept in a long time. Pain stabbed Namaari's chest at the thought. How could she be so spoiled to miss her bed back in Fang when Raya had not had the same luxury the last six years?

"So, does she know?" Sisu's rough voice caught her off guard and startled her out of her thoughts of the Heart princess. She hadn't heard her wake up, but it looked like the ongis and Noi had as they were stretching and already looking for food.

"What?" Namaari blurted, staring at the wild-haired woman beside her who seemed to have a wide, knowing smile on her face.

"What do you mean 'what?'" Sisu folded her arms across her chest, the long sleeves hiding her hands. "Does Raya know you're totally in love with her?"

Namaari was pretty sure she died for a second. Her eyes went wide, her heart stopped and then started beating wildly in her chest and she forgot how to breath. In a panic, her eyes darted over to where the Heart princess had just been and she was relieved to see her still sleeping soundly.

"Sisu!" Namaari hissed at her, lifting her hand to push her hair behind her ear anxiously.

"What? You do!" Sisu shrugged, her grin getting wider and more mischievous. Namaari's heart was still having difficulty finding a normal rhythm.

"I…," Namaari didn't know what to say. Was she really that obvious? Namaari was no fool. She had figured out what this feeling was, though she hadn't dared name it, even in her own mind.

"Don't worry, I won't tell her," Sisu assured, bumping her shoulder with Namaari's uninjured one companionly, before adding, "But you definitely should."

With that, the dragon-in-human-form hopped down from her perch, leaving Namaari to wonder what had just happened.

By now, everyone was awake, even Raya was stirring. The fog around the boat was becoming even more dense, making it difficult to see more than a few feet in front of them. Boun continued to navigate with the bamboo pole slowly and carefully.

"Hey, get any sleep?" Raya's voice drew her attention and Namaari watched as the woman approached her, a tired smile on her lips as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

Namaari offered her a smile of her own and she shrugged. "I'll sleep better when we have all these gem pieces."

"Agreed." Raya sat down next to her on the little step leading up to the bow. There wasn't a lot of room there, so Namaari was painfully aware of how close the Heart princess was, thighs flush against one another, her conversation with Sisu still ringing in her ears. "How's your wound?"

Namaari tried to remain composed with her this close, steadying her breath before replying. "It's okay. Just a little sore."

"May I?" Raya asked softly, fingers hovering over the bandage, waiting for permission. The Heart princess was so close that Namaari could feel her warm breath spreading over the bare skin of her arm and it was making it incredibly difficult for her to concentrate on the actual words leaving the other woman's lips. Somehow, she managed a slight nod in response, swallowing hard.

Namaari watched intently as the other woman gently peeled away the bandage, assessing the stitched up wound underneath. A feather light touch to the skin surrounding it caused Namaari to tense up. Raya picked up on it and must have assumed it was due to pain when really it was the electricity from her skin.

"Does it hurt really bad?" she asked, biting her lips. She seemed to search Namaari's eyes, a crease forming between her own brows in concern.

"Oh, no, it's all right. You just surprised me," Namaari told her. It wasn't a lie. But it wasn't exactly the whole truth.

"Mhmm," Raya hummed in response, turning her attention back to her arm. "I should change the bandage and put more salve on it. I'll be right back."

She watched as Raya went over to TukTuk's saddle and got the necessary items and came back a moment later. She continued to observe the woman as she tended to her wound, her face now soft and relaxed.

When she was finished, Raya put the salve jar in her pant's pocket but made no move to leave Namaari's side. "Thank you," she said, earning her a smile from the other woman.

"I feel like it's the least I can do for the woman who saved my life after I punched her in the face," Raya joked, with a shrug. A small laugh escaped her as she looked down at her hands, remembering vividly how close that arrow had come to hitting Raya.

They sat for a moment in a comfortable silence until Boun's voice cut through the stillness.

"Um, I think we're in Spine," Boun said from his perch on the railing of the boat. Namaari and Raya followed his line of sight towards the land on their right. It was still early and the light had not yet fully broken the horizon so the bamboo forest paired with the dense fog left an ominous impression.

"Geez, how can he tell through all this mist?" Raya wondered aloud next to her. Her words brought a flood of nostalgia that Namaari hadn't been expecting. Before she had given it much thought, she started speaking.

"'Little morning mist.'"

Sensing Raya's confusion Namaari explained further. "That's what my mother likes to call me." Namaari glanced over at Raya who appeared to be listening intently, head tilted to the side slightly so she continued. "I asked her once why she chose that nickname for me."

"What did she say?" Raya asked, intrigued. Namaari wasn't sure why she was revealing this to the princess of Heart, but it was too late to back out now.

"She told me it was because I gave her hope," Namaari recalled, looking down at her hands now as she spoke, quoting her mother. "'Like the morning mist at the beginning of a new dawn, there is the hope of a new day, new opportunities. Even if you can't see it yet'."

Namaari turned her face away from the other woman, her curtain of hair hiding her eyes as she felt hot tears welling up. She steeled herself and willed them not to fall down her cheeks. She was still so angry with her mother for everything that she had done but still a part of her knew that everything her mother had ever done was to protect her. Even betraying her own daughter and condemning another's to life as an orphan.

Namaari was surprised when the woman next to her slipped an arm around her shoulders, careful not to lean too much on her injured side.

"My Ba calls me 'Dewdrop'," Raya offered, a wistful smile on her face. Namaari couldn't help but find it interesting both of their parents gave them nicknames related to water. "I never asked him why but I imagine it was because I was annoying like when you walk through grass covered in dew and you're your feet get all wet and then everything sticks to them."

Namaari couldn't stop the bubble of laughter that escaped her. Raya was grinning at her, obviously pleased that her attempt at cheering her up was working. It never ceased to amaze Namaari that Raya could always find a way to transform her darkness into something light.

By this point Boun had found a place to stop the boat but it wasn't near the shore. They both stood from their spots, Raya's arm falling away from her shoulders, leaving Namaari's skin feeling cold without its comforting warmth.

Namaari gazed at the land before them and it looked as though the people of Spine had placed jagged bamboo stumps to keep boats from getting too close to shore. It was effective but by Namaari's calculations they'd still be able to hop across them to land.

"I'm coming with you this time," Namaari told Raya, leaving no room for debate. The woman smiled back at her, no hint of argument in her face.

"Good. Because I'm going to need your help with these Spine rage heads," she said and then walked over to TukTuk to grab her bag with the dragon gems, her sword, cape, and hat as well. Namaari simply checked that her dual swords were secured to her waist and told Chaiya she'd be back soon. The serlot still wouldn't risk coming down with the ongis and Noi still bouncing off the walls and eating anything they could get their hands on.

"Remind me never to have kids," Raya joked, exaggerating a sigh but Namaari just shrugged.

"They're not so bad."

Raya stared at her as was becoming a habit of hers and Namaari shifted under her gaze, wondering what she was thinking. She wouldn't get to find out now because Sisu came bounding up to them.

"All right! Let's bring this Spine Chief some eats! Can't go wrong with offering up a nice home-cooked meal," she declared, reaching for one of the only pans of food the ongis hadn't stolen yet, Boun opening his mouth to protest.

"I really feel like you'd be safer on the boat, Sisu," Raya tried but Sisu was ready for her this time.

"Look, we tried your approach. I stayed on the boat in Talon and we saw how well that went. So, with all due respect humans, I'm coming with you."

Namaari chanced a glance at the others on the boat who didn't know that Sisu was really a dragon. At her use of the word, 'humans,' Boun made a funny face but said nothing. The ongis and Noi were using TukTuk as a slide so nothing to worry about there.

"Okay, okay," Raya relented, also seemingly anxious about Sisu almost blowing her cover… again. "Let's just go. And leave the congee."

They bounded over the bamboo posts and onto land with no issue, then began the hike up. None of them had spent any time in Spine so they had no idea where they were going much less where the dragon gem piece could be.

The air temperature had dropped considerably so, while Namaari felt the chill in her tank top, she was grateful that Raya had her cloak to protect her. A light coating of snow covered the ground along with red leaves and it really was quite beautiful if the stillness wasn't so disconcerting.

They really should have seen someone, anyone, at this point. Sisu's voice filled the void even as Namaari strained to listen for anything that might put them in danger.

"So, what do we know about the Spine Chief? Because I gotta tell ya, I hope he's friendlier than Dang Hu and more alive than the Tail Chief," Sisu kept up her running narrative.

"I don't know much about him honestly," Raya replied, hand on her sword even as she tried to keep the water dragon entertained. "Namaari, do you remember how we came up with names for all of the Chiefs? What was our name for the Spine Chief again?"

The memory came back to her with perfect clarity and her face split into a grin. "Chief Pontificate," she replied, eliciting a snort of laughter from the other two women.

"Oh, my toi, yes! That was it!" Raya was holding a hand up to her mouth in a feeble attempt to stifle the sound of her uncontrollable giggles. "I mean what was he trying to prove using that word?"

"That Spine isn't a bunch of brainless rage heads," Namaari offered, the smile still on her face, pleased with herself for turning the tables and being able to be the one to make the Heart princess laugh this time.

"No wonder Kumandra fell apart," Sisu guffawed, holding a hand to her forehead, pretending to be scandalized.

They continued their trek, the incline starting to flatten and ahead Namaari could just make out what looked like gates.

"Looks promising," Raya said, her eyes shifting all around the area while Namaari did the same.

Namaari didn't like how exposed they would be if they walked through the clearing up to the immense gates. The longer she observed her surroundings, the more it looked as though no one had been here in some time. There were no obvious tracks in the snow and the bamboo wall had accumulated a layer of snow. Even on the ground in front of the gates there was no sign the snow had been disturbed in a way that the gates had actually been opened.

"Raya," she began but the other woman was already nodding in agreement.

"I know," she said, a grim look on her face, "I don't like the look of this either. It's too quiet."

"So, should we just knock?" Sisu offered and Namaari was impressed with the dragon's endless naivete even after what had happened in Tail and Talon.

"Uh, no. We won't be doing that," Raya said an incredulous look on her face.

"Oh, I'm doing it," Sisu told them and trounced off to the imposing gates before Raya or Namaari could argue with her further.

In a panic Raya ran after her but Sisu was already at the gates, her hand reaching for the comically large door knocker. Namaari raced after both of them, catching up with Raya.

"Sisu! No! Stop!"

But it was too late. As soon as Sisu banged the knocker against the door a hidden trap had sprung from beneath them. The next thing Namaari knew she was in complete darkness with the nauseating sensation of being flung into the air. She was aware of pressure against her chest and being constricted into an enclosed space so tight it was almost impossible to move her limbs.

"Oh, toi… okay so I can see now how I might have been a bit hasty, but I-I-I'll get you guys down. Don't worry," Sisu's voice was muffled and sounded like it was coming from a distance below.

Namaari's eyes were beginning to adjust to the dim light and the bag was some kind of loose burlap so it wasn't completely opaque. She could just make out Raya's mess of dark hair and her limbs struggling to right herself in their claustrophobic space.

Unintentionally, the Heart princess elbowed Namaari in the stomach causing her to let out a grunt of surprise.

"Sorry!" Raya apologized, stilling her movements to prevent from doing something like that again. Now that they were settled Namaari could use her other senses to determine that Raya's back was pressed against her chest, her head up against her shoulder and they were both bent at the waist in a way that Raya was pretty much sitting in her lap.

They both still had their weapons but as for Namaari's double swords, there was no way she'd be able to unsheathe them in these close quarters without someone being cut up to ribbons. The same could probably be said for Raya's sword even if she had the egress to do so.

"Guys! Someone's coming!" Sisu's voice called up to them again anxiously.

"Go! Hide! Get back to the boat. We'll figure this out," Raya hissed down to the dragon and Namaari thought she sounded surer than she felt.

Sure enough, a moment later the sound of heavy footfalls could be heard below them. She couldn't tell what the person was doing but just by inference she could tell it was someone large.

Suddenly, they began to descend. Namaari braced herself for the impact of hitting the ground but it still took her by surprise when her back connected with the solid surface and the wind was knocked out of her. They didn't have time to adjust to their new setting because they were subsequently hauled up again and moving forward, banging against something hard. From the rhythm of the motion Namaari could tell a person had lifted the bag and seemed to be carrying it over their shoulder with Raya and herself swinging against their back as they trudged along.

"Hey, let us out of here!" Raya yelled, kicking out towards the person a bit but with no response. Namaari's arms had been pinned to her sides during this time but she wriggled them free to encircle Raya. She wasn't sure if it would offer her any reassurance, but it would also function to protect the Heart princess if the person dropped them again.

Namaari wasn't sure how long they were in there trapped but at some point the movement changed and there were several new sounds as well. The first sounded like a door opening and closing and the next was more like the sound of footsteps on wood.

They weren't prepared for what came next either, at least Namaari wasn't. It was extremely disorienting to be in the dark like this and not know what this person was going to do next. But with a great hurl the trap they were in seemed to be flipped upside down. Namaari could feel herself falling towards the ground with Raya underneath her, she shot her hands out to try and catch herself so she wouldn't hurt the other woman, but in the next second they were righted again on their feet back to back.

Then they were being lifted from the ground in the bag, but just as they were about to make the most of their newfound egress, some kind of rope was pulled tight around them. Their faces were still covered so they couldn't see what exactly was happening or who was doing this but Namaari could feel the rope tighten on the skin of her arms, lower than her injury but close enough to pull at the skin uncomfortably.

Once again they were being lifted into the air, but this time they stayed upright, seemingly hanging from a rope between their backs which were pressed against one another's. Namaari was surprised to feel Raya's fingers slip between her own and clasp her hand.

The sound of the footsteps retreating was a welcome one and even more so when it was followed by the sound of the door opening and shutting again.

She could feel the other woman shaking her head to try and rid them of the fabric over their heads. Eventually, she managed to shed the sack and it didn't take long for their eyes to adjust to the newfound light.

"Okay, where are we?" Raya asked to the empty room. Namaari's eyes swept the space as well. It was a small hut, just one room by the looks of it. There was a large front door, a barrel that appeared to be used as a table, a bed, and their weapons and Raya's hat leant against the wall near the door. Her eyes continued to travel until they landed on a makeshift bassinet.

Namaari was taken aback by the tightness in her chest at seeing the evidence of a little one here, a handmade toy elephant sitting untouched for some time as evidenced by the layer of dust that had accumulated.

She didn't have time to dwell on this depressing image because the next moment the large door swung wide, cold air blustering in, the silhouette of a hulking man standing there. After a short pause he stepped in, having to duck his head slightly to get through the door.

"You two must be dung of brain to think you could steal Spine's Dragon Gem," the man growled, hefting his oversized axe onto his shoulder and sauntering into the cabin.

"Gem? Who said anything about gems? We have no interest in gems?" Raya scoffed and Namaari couldn't help but wince at how poor of a liar she was.

The man then proceeded to lift up her leather satchel and dump the three glowing gem pieces onto the top of a nearby barrel.

"Okay, yea. I can see how that makes me look like a liar," Raya said quickly, realizing she was caught. Namaari's thoughts were racing, trying to come up with some kind of escape plan, only vaguely listening to the man as he and Raya bantered back and forth.

As the man stepped away, talking more to himself now, Namaari could feel the woman behind her flail around a bit until her boot was up near her hand.

Somehow, she managed to get what she was after because Namaari saw that she had a little karambit knife. Raya hooked it on her pointer finger to prevent from dropping it as she began to awkwardly but carefully try to cut through the ropes.

Namaari couldn't help but be impressed with the Heart princess. But also the idea that the hardships she has been through being on her own had caused her to learn to be prepared enough to have a knife in her boot at all times was depressing. Namaari would have time to dwell on this later, but for now they needed to escape.

"Get ready," Raya made short work of the rope and they both dropped to the floor, landing on their feet with a thud and shaking off the excess ropes.

The huge man turned towards them at the sound, the eye not covered with a patch wide with surprise. He started to come towards them but Namaari was prepared. She leapt, twisting her hips and striking him hard with the heel of her foot in a jumping back kick to his chest. Even with his hulking frame it knocked the wind out of him and sent him stumbling back into a support pole. Raya seemed to be on the same wavelength because she was ready with the rope, rushing forward and tying him up, making multiple passes to ensure he couldn't get up. To ensure he didn't move during this process Namaari snatched up Raya's sword where the man had left it leaned near the door and kept it pointed at him.

"How?" Was all he could manage, his mouth hanging open, still apparently unable to process what just happened.

They didn't have time to talk further about it because then all of a sudden, the door burst open. TukTuk rolled in with the Boun, Noi, and the ongis on his back. They screeched to a halt just before running into Namaari who sprang quickly out of the way.

Chaiya rushed in behind them and straight to Namaari, rubbing against her side, before moving on to Raya and doing the same.

"Hey, we had it under control, Captain Boun," Raya huffed, her hands on her hips but the mood turned quickly with the boy's next words.

"Fang's here! They have Sisu!" he said in a rush, out of breath.

"What?" Namaari's head snapped to him, striding to the door and cracking it open to look out. She wasn't sure where they were in relation to the gates, but she quickly realized they were on a hill above.

There below stood General Atitaya and at least a dozen warriors from the Royal Army. And there was Lieutenant Wahn with a crossbow pointed at Sisu, still in her human form.

Fear, anger, and whole host of other emotions swirled through Namaari. She tried to steady herself by resting her right hand on the door frame to lean against it, silently cursing her mother. The last thing she wanted to do was to have to fight Ty.

The feeling of a gentle hand on her left shoulder drew her eyes to the side where the Heart princess stood, gazing at her in concern. She watched as Raya's eyes turned to scene as well before meeting hers once more.

"You know her?" Raya asked, her eyes unreadable. This really wasn't the right time to have this particular conversation so Namaari responded cryptically,

"You could say that."

That answer didn't seem to satisfy the Heart princess but as she turned to look back down the hill again something else caught her eye.

"Wait, you're the only one here?" Raya blurted, turning to look back at the Spine man with an incredulous look on her face. While Namaari had been focusing on the Fang warriors, Raya had been looking on the other side of the gates at the sea of people all turned to stone.

"My people battled the Druun with much valor, but lost," the man told them, looking away sadly.

"Okay, the Royal Army may be here on my mother's orders but they're still my people. I'll handle this. I'll get Sisu back. You get the others to the boat." Namaari handed Raya her sword back and grabbed her own dual swords, strapping them to her waist. As she did so Raya lightly grabbed her arm stalling her movements.

"Whoa, slow down, I don't think so. You can't take on the whole army by yourself. I'm coming with you," Raya argued before she was cut off.

"I knew you were Fang," the man practically spat with disdain at Namaari from his spot on the floor, interrupting their conversation.

Chaiya rounded on him and snarled sensing his hostility toward Namaari.

"Hey, watch it," Raya said, her voice low with warning as she pointed the tip of her sword at his face. Namaari placed her hand on top of Raya's on the hilt of her sword, convincing her to lower it.

"You are the reason my wife and son are stone," the man continued, his voice full of emotion, not caring about the weapon in his face. "My wife was one of Spine's most fearless warriors, she was there that day. The day your people destroyed everything," his words dripped with hate. Namaari could feel the venom and she couldn't say that she blamed him. Her attention was once again drawn to the makeshift bassinet in the corner of the room. Her heart ached knowing her mother's actions had hurt so many people. Children without parents, parents without their children.

Kneeling down so she could look into his eyes, Namaari wasn't sure it would work but she had to try and convince him her intentions were pure.

"What's your name?" she asked gently. She could see he didn't want to answer her, but he surprised her after a moment's hesitation by grunting in response.

"The moniker given to me is Tong."

"Tong… I know you're hurt. And angry. My people have done terrible things in the name of a misguided attempt to protect our own," she began, trying to keep his gaze as she spoke. "I can't change the past, but I'm here to fix what we broke. I don't expect you to trust me. But I'm asking you to help my friends. They need to be safe and you are the only one who knows this area. Will you get them safely back to our boat?"

Namaari wasn't sure she could trust him, but they didn't really have a choice at this point. After a pause in which she could see the internal debate in his dark eyes, he ultimately nodded.

"Okay, then," she unsheathed one of her swords and cut the ropes free, holding her hand out to help him up. He wasn't quite there yet so he ignored her hand, hauling himself to his feet.

"Namaari, no. You don't have to do this alone. Isn't that what you told me?" Raya pleaded, and Namaari was surprised by the level of emotion in the other woman's voice.

"We can't let them have the gem pieces. They'll take them and we'll never be able to get your father back or anyone else for that matter," Namaari tried to rationalize but Raya bit her lip in response, holding back a retort.

Without another word, Namaari left the others, Chaiya following behind her.

"Hey, you should go with them too, girl," Namaari argued weakly to the serlot, knowing that her faithful companion would never leave her side. The great cat just gave a chuff in response, falling into step beside her as they made their way down the hill.

Once they arrived, without preamble, Namaari shoved the enormous bamboo gates open with both hands and stepped through. Her swords were sheathed, she made sure it was obvious her hands were empty and weaponless. She strode across the clearing towards the line of her former comrades, all holding crossbows pointed at the ground, save for Ty, who, like her, was weaponless.

"Princess," Ty greeted her with her formal title and her hands in the form of a circle above her head with a slight bow. Traditionally, it wasn't proper etiquette in Fang for someone of a higher rank to do so, but Namaari felt she needed Ty to know she came from a place of utmost respect.

"General." Namaari bowed before lifting her eyes to her former… what? She wasn't sure what to call her. Their relationship was complicated at best and now, even more so.

"Chief Virana has sent me to bring you home along with the gem pieces and the dragon," Ty spoke in a strong, even voice, making it clear her orders came from above Namaari and there would be no room for debate.

Namaari didn't dare to look behind her to see if Raya and the others had gotten away lest she alert any of the warriors, but she sent a silent prayer they made it back to the boat okay. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Wahn with Sisu in front of him, anxiously fidgeting.

"I'm sorry that you wasted a trip because I won't allow any of that to happen," Namaari told her simply.

"Tell us where the dragon is!" Wahn shouted, lifting the crossbow higher towards Sisu's back. If the situation wasn't so dire Namaari would have been able to appreciate the irony of Sisu being right in front of him and him having no idea she was in fact the legendary dragon they were looking for.

"Stand down, Lieutenant Wahn," Ty ordered him, not even sparing the lower ranking officer a glance.

"Release my friend and let us be on our way," Namaari said calmly, knowing full well that the General would never go against her mother's orders.

"You know I can't do that," the other woman said.

"My friends and I are trying to help fix what Fang broke, Ty," Namaari tried a different tact and saw the General shift a little at the nickname, so she saw her opening and kept going. "While we've sat protected in Fang the other lands have suffered. Families have been torn apart because of our actions. We can bring them all back. But not only that, if we could reassemble the dragon gem and rid the world of the Druun, Fang could expand to the mainland. Our own people would no longer be starving. Please, you can help us make this right."

She had known her long enough to see that Ty was listening to her, really listening. Namaari could see the conflict behind her eyes and knew that she could hear the truth in her logic.

"Treason!" Wahn yelled, turning his crossbow to point at Namaari.

"Oh, I don't think so, bud. We're not doing that again," Raya's voice growled from behind her and she snapped her attention to the Heart princess just in time to see her fling her sword in its whip form towards Wahn's crossbow, knocking it out of his grasp.

Simultaneously, TukTuk had appeared in front of her, rolled up so only his shell was exposed, essentially forming a shield. Wahn had unwittingly gave them their window to escape and they all jumped into action.

"Oh, by the way…," Sisu said next to Wahn, "I'm the dragon." With that, she transformed into her true form before their eyes, leaving the Fang warriors, including Ty, dumbfounded.

"Hey, can I borrow that Talon gem real quick? Thanks," Sisu took the glowing gem from Raya and on contact with her paw, an opaque fog blew in, making it impossible for any of them to see more than a few feet ahead of them.

"Time to go!" Raya shouted, and for the first time Namaari noticed that Tong, Boun, Noi, and the ongis were standing near the gates, watching with wide eyes. Literally, no one had listened and gone back to the boat and now Sisu's identity was revealed. Namaari wondered how long they had been standing there.

Raya reached down and lifted Boun, Noi, and the ongis onto TukTuk with her and they began to roll down the hill towards the shore. Sisu bounded after her, nudging Tong, his mouth still hanging open in shock at seeing the dragon, "Come on, big guy. We'll explain on the way."

Namaari hopped on Chaiya and all of that pent up agitation the cat had been holding back came in handy because she sprang forward and sprinted after the others, easily catching up.

"You were supposed to get back to the boat," Namaari half-heartedly reprimanded Raya as Chaiya bounded along beside TukTuk. She couldn't find it in her heart to be angry with the woman, even finding her lips curling into a slight smile.

"What can I say? I was jealous," Raya smirked down at her, urging TukTuk faster, leaving Namaari and Chaiya to catch up.