(Pippa's P.O.V.)
I soon felt cool ground underneath me, distinct sounds getting louder and clearer as my ears gets back into hearing mode, detecting the faint scent of smoke, my mind slowly crossing the place between asleep and awake as darkness becomes mist, and I moved something, and I hear a loud shout, "Shush up, guys, I think she's waking up!", recognizing Zuri's voice, and sure enough under a minute, I hear other familiar voices.
I then suddenly remember everything that happened to me, and I felt instant relief that I am back within my friends, and I groggily, slowly opened my eyes, feeling sleep dust, and I moved my hand instinctively to clean the sleep dust off my eyes, barely gave out a disgruntled grumble.
"Pippa?", and I recognize Adam's deep voice, hearing a bit of concern there, and I blink my eyes open to see him and the gang surrounded around me as I rested upon the ground, and I spoke lightly as I see a night of stars above them, "Hey...How long was I in the temple?".
Emma raised a eyebrow, "Close to four hours, Pippa. What were you doing in there?", looking half intrigued and half annoyed, realizing that she and the others had woke up to find me missing, and waited for me as Mushu briefly mentioned that there was a shield over the temple, stopping my friends from going in and interrupting my tests.
I slowly got up into my knees, rubbing my head as I glanced over, and surprised to see that the temple is now hidden by several clouds of mist, only seeing the bare pillar tops of it, giving proof that I was in there alright, and I looked back at my friends, seeing their anxious, concerned faces.
I unconsciously moved my hand down to rub my neck when I felt metal, a metal chain, and I looked down to see the pebble-sized yet extremely powerful Stone, and I felt a warm presence, somehow sensing that I'm touching it, and I smiled softly, "Just the usual. Explored the temple, had some action, saw some cool stuff, and got this necklace at the end of the trail. Nothing much, really.", looking up at the others with a sheepish chuckle.
Adam blinked softly, "You scared me, Pippa.". I sighed softly, "I apologize, Adam, for that. I simply didn't want to wake you up just for wanting to check something, and well, you get grumpy about not getting enough sleep...", tilting my head slightly with a light crooked smile.
Adam sighed deeply, shaking his furry head, the slight beard moving with his motion, and smiled at me, "Oh, really? I think you beat me at that.". I blink, and I gave out a laugh, giggling as I agreed, "Okay, that's fair.", smiling widely at him, and hearing him chuckle at my comment.
Zuri asked softly, "So, you're okay, Pippa?". I smiled lightly, "Never better, Zuri. Let's head back before the others wake up.", and they looked at me for a moment before nodding, and they quickly doused the little fire, and I followed the others behind, taking one last brief glance at the temple, and remembering Mushu's words, making sure that I was close enough to see in the range of Lumiere's flames, I pulled back my right arm's sleeve, and I smiled brightly.
It was a tattoo, sure enough, and it is a exact copy of the dragon silhouette upon Mulan's title of introduction from the movie, being the exact color of red with the tint of gold to shape the dragon. The head is resting just a few inches below my hand, the body laying and twisting around my mid-arm, with the tail curled around my lower bicep.
When I was touching the back of the dragon, I somehow felt Mushu's voice, but not hearing it, feeling some satisfaction and amusement if I judged correctly, and I think he's enjoying his hiding spot as I have a feeling he's able to see me and the surroundings around us in moments of pulling back the sleeve, yet I figure he goes back to sleep if I pull back down the sleeve over him.
Somehow, I didn't feel threatened, and I feel safe if that's the right word, and besides, with the place of his position, he actually isn't a pervert or anything of that topic which I am glad for. I exhaled softly, "Thanks, Mushu.". I felt his voice, feeling some happiness and grateful appreciation, and I chuckled quietly, recognizing that we'd be connected like this for a long, long time, and somehow, I don't mind about it.
"You okay, Pippa?", spoke a voice, and I blinked, looking up to see Logan standing a bit from me, slight concern on his face, and I nodded, "Yeah. I was just lost in the clouds, that's all.". Logan nodded, "Oh, okay, come on, we are close. I need some sleep after this adventure.".
I laughed lightly, "Alright, I am coming, Logan.", giving a quick glance at Mushu's tattoo hiding spot, and pulling down the sleeve, figuring that Mushu would use some sleep after testing me and explaining stuff about my destiny, through I don't know all of it, but for some reason, I trust him, and besides, the Stone is definitely powerful if Reality somehow enforced the temple and vanished the place hours later.
Yet in the back of my mind, there's a vague thought that I might need Mushu's help more sooner than later as we are literally heading to a impregnable, dangerous, magic-proof fortress in a week or so. I deeply pray that Cinderella and the other prisoners are staying alive as they could with winter clearly grabbing the first tendrils of life.
(No P.O.V.)
Green eyes observed the first Protector of the Infinity Stones as she walked on to follow her friend back to camp, and Frederick, the Pied Raven nodded to himself, happy with the outcome about the Reality Stone, yet he knew his sons and their friends still have to face about the biggest obstacle of their lives next to the attack/rescue upon Prince Adam's castle.
He's decided to keep a eye on them as long as he can, through he had a feeling that he will appear before one of his sons someday in the near future, something niggling at the back of his mind about the next Infinity Stone being hidden in the province of Corona beyond the Black Mountains.
Neither way, Frederick is glad that he had checked on Sarabi for his friend, Mufasa sometime recently before he came here to observe things, and he was relieved he had done that already otherwise he would have been concerned about his sons' well-being or if he hadn't known about the Reality Stone's location.
He knew about the legendary story of the Infinity Stones back in the city of the Evening Star, and like Pippa, he knows that his sons wouldn't back out of a important mission if it meant saving people and fighting evils. He couldn't wait to see the outcome of the soon-to-come plan to attack Maleficent's fortress, even through he's anxious about losing his sons, but he's willing to help them out in any way he can in his form.
Being a spirit of sorts, he's able to hear prayers, both said and unsaid, and Frederick, he's not powerful like the fairies or the Infinity Stones, but he's able to sense things. Miles away in the fortress, he can sense Cinderella's anxious desperation, and the little unborn child, almost 8 months old, barely two weeks before the end of the month, can feel its mother's emotions, is seemingly scared yet protected.
Frederick only hopes that the child isn't planning to be born early as even if winter's not deep in its clutches yet, the mountain winter chill is dangerous to a newborn baby. Or dare be born on the day of the attack/rescue plan...Goblins has a sense about those things, and even when they are more prone to raping women, and murdering people in half-destroyed towns, they are lured to blood and vulnerability.
Honestly, the best bet for all prisoners if rescued is to go through the pass to the province of Corona, and there, it would be more safe and warmer for the baby to be born. But first, the army would have to travel to the fortress and enact the plan.
Frederick gave a chirp in a sighing gesture, and flew off from the high branch of a leaf-bare tree, flapping his wings as he called out with a caw, and dived down deeper into the trees to look for a place where he can sleep without the winter chill bothering him. He shall follow his sons and their friends in the morning, but for now, he needs rest, and he has a feeling that he will need it immensely on that incoming night before the fateful day as well.