"Heads up, it's coming down!"

Kyte quickly scurried backwards as a fist-sized, bright scarlet fruit came careening down from the top of the tall tree and hit the ground with a soft thud. As quickly as she could, the young girl ran forward and grabbed hold of the plump fruit, dragging it backwards so that she was out of the path of any more falling projectiles.

As soon as she was, her eyes went back up to watch the top of the tall, thin tree, where Krystal was reaching out to grab hold of another bright red, hanging fruit. With one arm and two legs wrapped tightly around the tree's trunk to keep herself from falling, her other hand closed firmly around the fleshy bulb, and she began twisting it back and forth to break the long, green stem that connected it to the rest of the tree.

As she did so, Krystal smiled and chuckled softly as she sensed her young ward's worry. The vixen hadn't quite figured the young CloudRunner out yet, at least completely. Sometimes, it seemed as though the girl was limitlessly brave; not afraid to converse with those several times her size, perfectly willing to rush forward into potential danger in an effort to help others, and occasionally showing signs of an attitude that would intimidate the toughest of dinosaurs into humility. And yet despite all that, here she was now, almost on edge with concern as she watched Krystal climb a modestly-sized tree.

"Krystal! Do you have it yet?" The girl called up.

"Almost! Just one more second..."

With one last, firm twist, the red fruit snapped loose from its stem, and and Krystal held it up triumphantly.

"Got it!" She called down.

"Okay, good! Now come down! Hurry! But, I mean… go slow too! Don't jump!"

Krystal rolled her eyes and chuckled softly. However, she decided to humor the girl and shuffle back down the tree slowly and carefully, despite knowing she could make the jump down quite easily.

She made it down quickly and without incident, and the moment her sandaled feet touched the earth, she could feel a surge of relief rush through Kyte. With a little bit too much enthusiasm, the girl ran right up next to Krystal and seemed be on the verge of giving her leg a hug.

"Are you okay?" She asked, looking up at Krystal with wide eyes.

Krystal raised an eyebrow, even though a grin was tugging at her lips. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Um, I dunno. I guess you... Never mind."

"I didn't peg you to be such a worrywart." Krystal said teasingly.

"I-I'm not! I just didn't want you to… I mean, you don't have wings, so you could've… fallen..."

"Oh, is that so?" She said with a chuckle. "Well, I'm glad you care so much. Thank you, Kyte."

The princess looked up at the vixen with a brief glint of surprise in her eyes, but after a moment, her face lit up with a wide smile. "Yeah! Sure!"

With reinvigorated enthusiasm, the young CloudRunner spun back around and dashed back to where she had left the first fruit. "C'mon, let's eat!"

"Hold on!" Krystal said quickly, her hand shooting out to grab hold of the girl's shoulder. "Not yet. We can't just eat any random fruit we come across; we need to make sure it's safe first."

"What? Oh…" Kyte glanced back at the fruit as it lay on the ground as though realizing it could be hiding a weapon. "Yeah, good point."

"Come on." She said, motioning to the girl and beginning to walk away, red fruit still in hand. "I'm sure one of the ThornTails can tell us."

"Are you sure they'll talk to us?" She asked as she picked her fruit up between her wings and began following the vixen's strides.

She shrugged. "No. But, I also believe that even in tough times, there are always at least a few civil people willing to offer a bit of help."

Kyte gave Krystal a quizzical look. "Um, okay. Sure thing."

Krystal laughed. "Oh, are you making fun of me now?"

"N-no, of course not!"

"Well, that's good. I'd hate to have to return the favor."

"That's not very nice…" She muttered, a soft giggle sounding up from her beak.

"Isn't it? Perhaps you're just rubbing off on me."

Krystal grinned as she caught sight of the incredulous look on Kyte's face. Despite it, she knew that she wasn't pushing the girl too far, since she could sense a hint of mischievousness at the back of Kyte's mind, suggesting she was in the process of formulating a good comeback.

Krystal knew she had to stop that from happening.

"Hey, over there." She said, tapping the girl on the shoulder and pointing. Just a short ways away, near an old, dilapidated stone structure, a lone ThornTail was lying lazily on the grass, its four legs tucked underneath its body. "Let's ask him."

"Alright. I mean, if you think he'll talk to us."

"I'm sure he will; have a bit of faith."

The girl shrugged, but still followed close behind as Krystal made her way towards the lone beast.

As they got closer, Krystal had a brief moment where she believed the ThornTail be asleep, since it was laying motionless with its head down on the grass. She was incorrect however, as when they got close enough, the ThornTail suddenly spoke up, apparently hearing the duo's footsteps behind him.

"Whoever you are, keep walking, if you know what's good for you."

Krystal was taken aback at the harshness in the ThornTail's tone, as well as sensing the hostility in his mind that proved he wasn't making an idle threat. She was about to quietly yield to the ThornTail's demand and walk away without a word, but unfortunately, Kyte spoke first.

"Hey, you big dumb rock! We're just trying to ask you something, so how about you pay attention!?"

"Kyte, don't!" Krystal hissed, feeling her heart sink in her chest.

The ThornTail suddenly and quickly made a motion to stand, and Krystal, with her muscles tensed and ready to either fight or flee, quickly stepped to the side to shield Kyte from the beast. With heavy, stomping strides, the ThornTail began turning to face the duo.

"Princess Kyte?"

Krystal's defensive stance immediately dropped as she heard her young ward's name come from the ThornTail's beak, and she also realized that any hint of aggression had similarly disappeared from the creature's mind. Now, he was left with a shocked and disbelieving expression on his reptilian face as his gaze fell onto the young CloudRunner.

"Barun!" Kyte suddenly cried happily, and she darted out from behind Krystal's legs, dropped the red fruit to the ground, and dashed towards the ThornTail, wrapping her wings around his front leg in an excited embrace.

"Ohohoh…" The ThornTail, Barun apparently, laughed. "I'm surprised you remember me, little bird."

"Of course I remember you!" She giggled, jumping back and looking up at the huge beast with a joyous expression on her face. "You're my big, dumb uncle!"

"Hold on," Krystal said with a small laugh. "I'm a little lost. You know each other?"

"Yeah! Barun is good friends with Tekamus! I used to see him a lot back home!"

"Is that so?"

The two dinosaurs seemed to be too excited to see one another to pay the vixen much attention. "I can't tell you how relieved I am to see you safe and sound, little bird. When I heard that you had been taken from your home, I was ready to storm every one of Scales' prisons until I found and freed you myself."

"Aw, thank you." She giggled again, however her smile quickly fell. "Why didn't you?"

Barun let out a sad sigh. "Things have only gotten worse for us here. The SharpClaw have tightened their grip on our tribe and they refuse to let anyone come or go. There was no way I could have left the valley, no matter how much I wanted to."

"Have you talked to my mother?" Kyte asked. "I know she could find a way to help you."

"Hmph, that's a nice sentiment, but I don't quite share the same optimism, Princess." He grunted, and Krystal noticed there was an obvious touch of bitterness in his voice.

Kyte seemed to notice it too. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing, it does not matter." He huffed dismissively. "But regardless, I have not talked with someone from another tribe for a long time, apart from you and Tekamus."

"Tekamus has been here?" Kyte asked, her excitement growing again.

Barun nodded. "He was, not too long ago. He was evidently just passing through, but he brought me news about the state of our world, and also told me the story of your rescue, little bird." He turned to Krystal suddenly, as if just noticing her presence. "I'll assume you are the outworlder Tekamus mentioned; the one who helped free Princess Kyte from the galleon."

She nodded. "I am. And I've been caring for her since."

"Hmph. Were I in Tekamus' place, I would never have left the child in the clutches of an outworlder like you. But, it was not my decision, so I'll say no more about it."

Krystal frowned at the blunt, borderline confrontational comment, but decided not to respond to it.

Kyte responded instead. "Don't say that, Barun. She's been a great guardian, and a really good friend too! I trust her completely!"

Krystal felt a surge of quiet pride wash over her, and she gave the girl a grateful smile. "Thank you, Kyte. I truly appreciate that."

Barun sighed and shook his head. "Well, if you've earned the princess' trust, then... I'll let it go. Just know that if you allow her to be harmed in any way…"

"I know." She interrupted plainly and firmly. "I will not allow it."

"I would hope so, for your sake." He let out a long, thoughtful grumble before suddenly turning away from the two. "Come, both of you. It's probably unwise to be standing in plain sight with the SharpClaw so close."

"Where are you taking us?" Krystal questioned with crossed arms.

He didn't respond for a moment, evidently pondering what the best answer would be before speaking. "We cannot risk you two being found by the SharpClaw." He said at last. "I will not allow the princess to be abducted again."

Krystal frowned and raised an eyebrow at the dismissive answer. However, Kyte seemed satisfied enough and began following Barun's strides without a second thought.

"Come on Krystal!" She said, gesturing to the vixen to follow too.

Krystal obliged, albeit a little hesitantly. She wasn't entirely sure how much they could trust Barun yet. Not only did he seem rather aloof and a bit abrasive, but it was obvious he knew a lot more than he was letting on. She knew all too well how devastating it could be to throw caution to the wind, especially in complex matters...

Even still, they desperately needed as much help as they could get, so she wasn't about to turn down a potential ally. Plus, Kyte seemed to trust him, so that was good enough for her. Well, more or less.

With a sigh and a short shake of her head, she picked up the pace for a moment to catch up with Barun and Kyte just ahead. Kyte had flown up and perched on Barun's back as he walked through the tall grass, and the two were chatting like friends who hadn't seen one another in years. Well, Kyte was the one talking the most, and Barun was instead mostly nodding and chuckling softly every now and then, occasionally asking the girl a quick question or two. Krystal didn't bother to join in, as she was more than happy to let the two catch up a bit.

Instead, she found herself finally able to pause and reflect a bit, thinking back on past events and their current situation. She knew that, without a doubt, their first priority was to track down the scattered Krazoa spirits, or at the very least inform the leaders of the other tribes so that they knew of the looming danger and could act accordingly. Preventing the destruction of the planet that the spirit had warned about had to come before all else, and she was (reasonably) confident she could at least pave the way for others to step in and save the day.

Beyond that… well, honestly Krystal was a little lost. As far as she understood, the war between the SharpClaw and the other tribes seemed to be ravaging every last part of the planet, and even the spirit had warned that the planet wouldn't truly be safe until peace was restored. But what could Krystal alone possibly do to stop such a war?

Nothing. As the spirit said, if the tribes of this world wanted peace, they'd have to find it themselves. Krystal knew, without a single doubt in her mind, that there was no chance she could stop the fighting singlehandedly. No one had that much power.

Well, no one with a good heart, unfortunately.

"-stal?"

Krystal blinked once as she exited her mind's train, and her eyes turned up to where Kyte was sitting on Barun's back as he walked. The girl was looking down at the vixen with a cocked head and what looked like concern in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Oh, of course. Lovely." Krystal said, shrugging off the question with a smile. "Just thinking again."

"O-oh. Okay then." She seemed to shrug off Krystal's shaky answer in turn. "Um, I was just thinking, you should ask Barun about that."

She pointed down at Krystal's side, and Krystal's eyes followed until she realized that she was still holding the scarlet fruit in a clenched hand. She had frankly forgotten she even still had it, and the realization also brought a reminder of the steadily growing, gnawing hunger in her stomach.

"Good idea." She said with a nod.

Quickening her pace a bit, she moved forward until she was walking next to Barun.

"Barun," she said. "Kyte and I picked these just minutes ago, but I wanted to make sure they were safe to eat first."

She held the fruit out, and Barun cast a sidelong glance at it. "Hmph, I wouldn't." He said simply.

"Why? Are they poisonous?"

"No, but they have a biting, rotten taste, and tend to leave those who eat them with… gut problems." He shrugged the shoulders of his front legs. "Though, feel free to still try it, outworlder. Perhaps your kind don't mind that kind of thing."

Krystal frowned again, and her eyes fell away from the ThornTail as she allowed the fruit to slip from her fingers to the grass below. She wasn't so naive as to miss that obvious, if underhanded insult. It was becoming increasingly apparent that Barun really did have some sort of problem with her. Though, what it was exactly, she had no idea.

Kyte didn't seem to notice. "So, we can't eat them?" She asked, disappointment clear in her voice.

Barun tried to turn his head to get the best look he could of the princess as she sat on his back. "Are you hungry, princess?" He asked, his gruff voice almost magically becoming soft and nurturing.

"Yeah, we both are..."

"Well, don't waste time fretting, little bird. Where I'm taking you, I have plenty of food stored away. For both of you." He added, almost as an afterthought.

"And where are you taking us?" Krystal tried asking again, hoping this time she'd get a straight answer.

Barun sighed softly. "Someplace safe. And secret. And somewhere I really shouldn't be taking you."

"Ooo, cool." Kyte grinned softly.

Krystal however huffed in quiet frustration. She didn't understand why he thought it necessary to be so vague. Perhaps he was just the type who found it difficult to put trust into others.

Or more likely, it's just me he doesn't trust. She thought with a sinking heart. Why? I've done nothing to him. So why does he seem to be treating me like an enemy?

She let out a soft sigh and shook her head. I need to do something to earn his trust. Whatever his problem with me is, I can't let it stop me from helping Kyte and her people, however I can.

Her eyes slowly went up to watch Kyte as she continued chatting idly with Barun while sitting on his back. Don't worry Kyte, I promise you won't have to lose your world…

Mere minutes later, the vixen and the two dinosaurs were standing alone in front of a stone arch, sculpted and nestled into the side of one of the many hills surrounding the valley. Krystal was looking the arch up and down with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. Despite looking both very old and well crafted, with a similar style to the other structures littered around the valley, the arch appeared to lead nowhere, with nothing beyond it except a wall of solid stone, carved with a picture of what looked like a herd of ThornTails standing together in a circle. Her best guess was that the structure was some kind of altar or shrine, and she couldn't seen any signs of it being any more or less.

"What are we doing here?" She asked Barun as he began walking towards the arch. "What is this place?"

"You know," he responded. "I think you'll start getting more answers if you stop asking stupid questions, outworlder."

To her shock, Krystal heard Kyte giggle softly at Barun's harsh words. Whether the girl thought it was a joke or not, it still sent a pang of humiliation through Krystal's heart, and she quickly crossed her arms over her chest with tightened lips.

"Now then," Barun turned to face both of them, a gravely serious look on his face. "I am about to show you something that no one can know about, understand? Not the CloudRunners or your outworlder friends or even my ThornTail brothers. If the SharpClaw discovered this place, it would bring our world that much closer to ruin."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone! Promise!" Kyte said, obvious enthusiasm in her voice.

"Neither will I." Krystal responded, adding. "You can trust me."

She felt a pang of irritation come from Barun's mind, signifying he most certainly did not trust her. However, perhaps against his better judgement, he still let out a course huff and turned away from the duo. He slowly stomped forward towards the right-hand side of the structure until he was close enough to touch it. Then, without warning and much faster than his size would suggest he could manage, he reared backward and swung his tail around in a circle. His tail impacted one of the stone blocks in the arch with a sharp, resonating crack of bony spikes on stone. As the ThornTail turned back towards the arch and stepped away a bit, Krystal saw that the powerful blow had knocked the stone block inwards a surprising distance.

"What did that…"

Before she could finish, a steady, rumbling sound suddenly began emanating from somewhere within the hill, just behind the arch. Slowly, the wall beyond the archway began to move steadily downwards with both the craggy sound of stone grinding on stone, and a steady wave of dust slowly floating down as the stone rumbled downwards.

"Oh, cool." Kyte said with a smile on her face. "Krystal, it's like, some kind of secret door!"

"Yes, I figured that out." Krystal responded simply.

Within moments, the stone door had vanished completely into the ground and out of sight, leaving what appeared to be a dark, quiet cave beyond.

"Come, quickly." Barun said, urgently motioning with his head. "Inside."

Both Krystal and Kyte complied, with Kyte jumping up and perching on Krystal's arm as she ran through the doorway and into the cave within. Barun followed behind, and the moment they were all inside, he turned around back towards the open doorway and, with one of his front feet, he pressed down on a protruding, stone button on the floor next to the doorway. With the same rumbling sound as before, the large door began to slowly rise back upwards until it resumed its disguise as a simple, stone wall, leaving the three alone in the cave, lit only with the soft burning light of a few, wall-mounted braziers.

The moment it did, Krystal turned around to inspect her surroundings. The cave they were in was rather small, trailing inwards only a short distance before turning to the right and out of sight, and compared to the careful craftsmanship of the stone structures and even the archway outside, the walls in here were crude and uneven. It was as if the cave itself had been formed naturally, and someone had simply come along and expanded the formation to be more accessible to the large ThornTails.

"What is this place?" Krystal asked, keeping her voice as quiet as possible to prevent it from carrying too far.

"Hmph, more stupid questions…" Barun muttered, loudly enough that Krystal was sure she was meant to hear it. However, this time, she actually got an answer. "This was once a sort of… meditation chamber for my tribe's elder that only he and I knew of. But after he was murdered, I made sure to seal it off so that nobody could find it. Now it is… well, you'll see."

Without another word, the ThornTail began making his way deeper into the cave, with Kyte and Krystal following close behind. As they made their way down the relatively short trail, Krystal's nose twitched as she noticed a dank, musty smell coming from deeper into the cave, as though something were living within. Bit by bit, she began piecing together what it was Barun was trying so hard to hide from the outside world.

"Princess…" Barun said, stopping suddenly and turning to look at the girl. "I… well, I believe it would be best if you stayed behind me. You both should, but… you especially."

Kyte cocked her head, and Krystal sensed a touch of confused unease rise up in the girl as a result of Barun's words.

"What do you mean?" The princess asked softly.

Barun, though he looked like he wanted to answer, also looked as though he didn't have the right words. Instead, he turned around again and continued down the cave, while Krystal and Kyte followed closely behind. Soon enough, the three were making their way around the right-hand bend, and Krystal saw that the cave almost immediately opened up into a vaguely circular chamber that, though not spacious, was large enough that something Barun's size could live there quite easily.

And sure enough, as Krystal's eyes trailed around the room, she saw another dinosaur, lying on a pile of matted rags and old grass, and who seemed to be fast asleep. However, after looking over the sleeping beast, Krystal was surprised to see that it was not a ThornTail. Instead, as her eyes passed over the three horns on the front of its face and the bony, crested crown on top of its skull, she realized that the beast was another EarthWalker, like the ones they had encountered back in the palace.

"Barun," she said softly. "Who is this?"

Barun cast her an irritated look, making it clear she wasn't getting an answer from him, before turning towards the sleeping EarthWalker and making his way towards it. As he stomped softly to its side, he gently nudged its shoulder with his head in an attempt to stir it from its slumber.

"Your highness…" He muttered. "You need to wake up."

Bit by bit, the EarthWalker's eyes flickered open, and a soft, pained groan escaped from its lips.

"B-Barun…" It said with a hoarse, but clearly feminine voice. "What is it?"

Slowly, the EarthWalker raised her head up to better look at the ThornTail by her side. As she did, Krystal saw that her bony crown was adorned with a golden headdress, glittering with beautiful if dirty jewelry, and very obviously intended for ceremonial purposes. Slowly, Krystal began to guess who this particular EarthWalker really was.

"I am sorry to wake you, your highness, but I have-"

"Is… is it my son? Oh, Barun, please tell me you have news!"

Suddenly, her whole body looked as though it had received a jolt of energy it wasn't equipped to handle, and she began trying to climb to her feet, despite a wave of trembles that seemed to be fighting her from doing that very thing. Very soon, she collapsed once again upon the ratty rags, a sudden fit of coughs overtaking her. In spite of the obvious illness eating away at her body, Krystal could still sense a spark of hope burning in the EarthWalker's chest that frankly broke Krystal's own heart, since she could tell what Barun's answer would be just by looking at him.

"Please your highness, don't try to get up." He said sadly as her coughs died down. "There's been no word about the prince yet, but I'm still searching."

Your highness… prince… Krystal repeated Barun's words in her mind, her eyes continuing to study the EarthWalker. She must be a queen. Queen of the EarthWalker tribe perhaps? But what is she doing here?

The queen's face fell into a distraught, heartbroken look, and she slowly laid her head back on the ground and closed her eyes. "I… I understand…"

"I'm sorry your highness, I'm doing all I can…"

Krystal forced herself to look away from the two dinosaurs, her heart aching as she felt the despair seeping from the mother. She may not have known what exactly happened to this son they were talking about, but it wasn't hard to guess.

However, as she turned away, she realized that Kyte, almost silently, had been slowly backing away from where the queen lay. As Krystal turned her mind towards the young girl, she felt a surge of numerous conflicting emotions: Distrust, confusion, sadness, anger, and a touch of pity, among other things. Krystal remembered how Kyte had hinted at a distrust between her tribe and the EarthWalkers, however, now that she could feel just how apprehensive Kyte was at even coming too close to the EarthWalker before them, it was obvious the feud went a lot deeper than Krystal had guessed.

"Kyte…" Krystal whispered, bending down and offering a hand to the girl. "It's okay."

"I… I don't want to…" She stuttered, her gaze falling to the floor. "I don't think… my mother would, um…"

"Kyte?"

However, before Krystal could try to encourage the girl, she heard the EarthWalker queen suddenly speak up behind her.

"What? B-by the spirits, Barun, what are they doing here?"

Krystal quickly turned around to see that the queen had noticed both her and Kyte, and she was slowly pushing herself up off the ground with her face twisted into a look of simultaneous shock and disgust.

"I know, I know. Please, don't get up." Barun said quickly, though keeping his voice low and steady in an attempt to keep her calm. "I'm sorry I brought them here, but I didn't have a choice."

Despite the scratch in her voice, a product of the heavy illness, it wasn't hard to discern the anger in the queen's tone. "Didn't have a choice? My son is out there in the SharpClaws' filthy clutches, and instead of going out and finding him, you… you let a CloudRunner into our only safe place? Have you lost your mind?"

Before Barun could answer, the EarthWalker's angry gaze turned to Krystal, who instinctively stepped back as she felt the growing aggression in the sick mother.

"And you, outworlder. I thought your kind agreed never to step foot on our soil again. What gives you the right to break that promise?"

"'My kind'? What do you-"

"Please, your highness," Barun interrupted. "Allow me to explain. The girl is Princess Kyte, daughter of Queen Ventia, and niece to my good friend. I couldn't let her roam around outside to risk being found by the SharpClaw."

"'Niece'?" Krystal repeated under her breath. With a raised eyebrow, she turned to Kyte. "You didn't tell me Tekamus was your uncle."

Kyte shrugged absentmindedly. It was obvious she was not paying too much attention to Krystal, as she was instead still carefully watching the exchange between the ThornTail and the EarthWalker.

Meanwhile, it seemed as though Barun's words had calmed the queen, at least to a degree.

"I… I see." With a sigh, the queen slumped back to the ground, as though the outburst of emotion had exhausted her. "In that case, I understand. But what about the hairy one?"

"She… well, that's not-"

"Please," Krystal interrupted, leaving Kyte behind as she stepped forward before the sick queen. "If you'll let me, your majesty, I can explain myself."

As both Barun and the queen gave the vixen a disapproving look, she realized that she had probably spoken a bit too forcefully, especially since she was technically dealing with royalty.

"I'm sorry," she said, bowing her head respectfully. "It's just, I haven't yet told Barun my full story, so I think it would be best for both of you to hear it from me."

Though neither of them seemed too pleased, the queen nodded slowly. "Very well. Explain yourself then, outworlder."

Krystal bowed again. "Thank you. My name is Krystal, and I came to your world some time ago after I received a cry for help."

With that, Krystal went off explaining everything that had happened up to that point, from her arrival to the planet, to her infiltration into Scales' galleon to rescue the princess, all the way to their arrival at Krazoa Palace and the point where Tekamus left Kyte under her care. The queen seemed reasonably invested in her story, right up until Krystal mentioned how she believed the distress call came from within the palace.

"Wait," she interrupted, her face falling into a thoughtful look. "Did you find the ones who sent the plea?"

Krystal nodded. "Yes, it was… well, it was a group of fallen EarthWalker warriors. Your warriors. I talked to one of the survivors, and he told me-"

"That they had been sent to plead to the Krazoa God for our salvation." The queen interjected, finishing Krystal's sentence before sighing sadly and shaking her head. "I feared that they would not succeed. Scales has an uncanny ability to see and hear everything that goes on on Dinosaur Planet."

"Your highness," Barun said turning to the queen, "You sent warriors to Krazoa Palace?"

"I had to, Barun. This war has crippled everything we care for, and there is no way we can stop it ourselves. We needed the Krazoa's blessing." She suddenly let out a sad sigh, and weakly laid her head down on the ground, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but it hardly matters now. Now that the Krazoa spirits are in the SharpClaw's grasp, we are already doomed."

"Your majesty, I don't mean to be rude, but that's not true." Krystal said. "The SharpClaw don't have the spirits, at least, not yet. We still have a chance."

"What do you mean?"

"The survivor I talked to told me that the SharpClaw only succeeded in scattering the spirits across the planet, to places of refuge. If we can gather them together back to the palace, and deliver them to a shrine at the peak of the palace, then we can stop Scales from destroying your world."

"What do you mean by 'destroying' our world, outworlder?" Barun asked.

"I… I am not sure entirely. But I talked to one of the Krazoa spirits, and it mentioned something about how Scales' conquest is doing something to the planet, and if he's allowed to continue, your world will…"

She trailed off, making it painfully obvious what would happen. Though the queen certainly looked troubled by Krystal's words, Barun had a totally different countenance; one that seemed to be bordering on anger.

"You… you talked to one of the sacred Krazoa spirits?"

"Y-yes." Krystal said hesitantly, unsure what it was that was making Barun so agitated. "I… well, Kyte and I entered his hidden shrine and took a sort of test he designed for me. After that, he allowed me to bear him and take him to the shrine."

Barun huffed an angry huff. "That… that's ridiculous. You cannot… the Krazoa would never allow an outworlder to be its vessel."

"I… I'm not lying."

"And I suppose you have a way to prove that?" The queen said, sounding as though she didn't believe the vixen's words either.

"I-I…"

Before Krystal could try to defend herself, Kyte suddenly spoke up from behind her, her voice loud and agitated.

"She's not lying! I was there too, and she took the spirit's test, just like she said!"

"Hold your tongue, CloudRunner," The queen said, her voice stern and condescending. "And don't interrupt again."

Krystal could feel Kyte's ire immediately fade into deflated shame, and as the girl's eyes fell to the floor and she shuffled backwards a bit, a pang of anger shot through the vixen's heart.

"With respect, queen," She said, stepping in front of the girl protectively, her voice low and steady, "I'd appreciate it if you don't talk to the princess like that again."

Though the queen seemed mildly surprised at Krystal's sudden, aggressive stance, it was obvious Barun had had enough.

"Respect?" He growled. "I'm failing to see any signs of respect from you, outworlder. You come to our planet when you're not welcome, you interfere in our business, and you make a mockery of our sacred palace and our religion. I suppose that that's 'respect' to you monsters?"

Krystal clenched her fists and glared at the huge, angry beast before her, her heart beating strong with indignation. "I'm not making a mockery of anything. In case you haven't noticed, I've been trying to help your people."

"Like your people helped us in the past?"

"Barun, that's enough!" The queen suddenly cut in, before turning to Krystal. "Tell me, if what you say is true, then did you indeed release the spirit to the shrine at the peak?"

"I…" The anger quickly vanished from her heart, and she found her eyes flickering away from the ThornTail's angry glare and the queen's soft but stern gaze. "N-no, I didn't. I… lost it."

"You lost it?" Barun demanded. "You lost one of the sacred Krazoa spirits?"

"It wasn't my fault. Someone attacked us and knocked us out. When we awoke, we were here, and the spirit was gone."

"So, someone attacked you? And I suppose it was too much to ask to defend the spirit, or the princess?"

"He snuck up on us." Krystal said softly, rubbing one of her arms timidly. "There was nothing I could do."

"'Nothing you could do'. Of course. And we're supposed to believe you're worthy of bearing the Krazoa spirits."

"I-I…" Krystal averted her eyes again, her heart sinking deep into her stomach. She hadn't expected to be met with so much resistance, and now that her mistake was laid bare to receive harsh judgement, she found that her will had failed her. She was almost tempted to quietly admit defeat and respectfully ask her leave, but Kyte suddenly spoke up.

"Barun, stop it! Why are you treating her like the bad guy? Can't you see she's trying to help?"

"Please, stay out of this, little one." He growled. "This doesn't concern you."

"Yes it does! Krystal and me are trying to save Dinosaur Planet together! And in case you weren't listening, she did pass the Krazoa's test! She is worthy of bearing the spirits!"

The princess' words almost instantly gave Krystal at least a spark of confidence, and she quickly gave the girl a small, grateful smile.

"Princess," Barun huffed, shaking his head in exasperation. "I apologize, but you're just not old enough to understand. This outworlder is not worthy of the spirits, and she's certainly not to be trusted. I know I won't be able to convince you-"

"No, let me convince you." Krystal interjected suddenly, surprising even herself with how firm her words were. "If you just give me the chance, I can prove I'm not only worthy of your trust, but worthy of the quest for the Krazoa spirits as well."

"And how do you propose to prove this, outworlder?" Barun asked, his voice ripe with scorn.

Krystal paused, her eyes flickering downward for a moment as she racked her mind for the best answer. However, as her gaze passed over the queen, silently watching this exchange in the background, she had an idea.

"You said that the queen's son has been captured? What if I were to bring him back to her?"

Immediately, Krystal could sense a surge of hope from the queen at the mere suggestion. She had counted that the queen would jump at an opportunity to save her son, and now, Krystal had no doubt she would have the grieving mother's support.

Barun didn't seem convinced however. "And what makes you think you could even do this?"

"I rescued the princess right from under Scales' ugly snout, didn't I?"

"With help."

"Barun, stop." The queen spoke at last. "I understand your concerns, but I see no problem with letting her at least try."

"Your highness," he tried to argue, "I don't believe this is-"

"Barun, this is my son. If there is even the barest chance of his being liberated from those savages, I will not hesitate to give the outworlder my blessing to proceed. And if she does bring him back to me when you could not, I would see that as proof enough she is indeed worthy of this quest."

"Thank you, your highness." Krystal said, bowing her head. "I appreciate the faith."

"It's not faith, outworlder. It's just a chance."

Despite her stern words, Krystal could sense that the queen's heart was alight with excited hope. Krystal smiled, glad that she had the chance to not only prove herself to the two dinosaurs, but perhaps reunite the old mother with her lost son as well.

Barun, even though he still didn't seem convinced, shook his head and sighed in defeat. "Very well. As you wish, your highness."

"Thank you Barun." Krystal said.

"Don't thank me yet, outworlder. I still don't believe you can do this, but if you want to kill yourself by running into SharpClaw territory on some fool's errand, I won't get in your way."

"Lovely. Now, just point me in the right direction, and I'll be back before you know it."

Barun sighed again, but motioned for the vixen to follow as he began making his way back towards the entrance of the cave. As Krystal followed the ThornTail, Kyte walking at her side, she heard the queen speak one more time.

"You have my blessing, outworlder. May the Krazoa gift you strength and will."

Krystal turned to give the queen a quick, grateful smile, before making her way to the sealed entrance where Barun and Kyte waited.

"Now then, outworlder." Barun said as she approached. "The SharpClaw have a fortified camp overlooking our valley on Ice Mountain, the great mountain that hides the sun as it sets. My people believe that is where they keep their captives, but we have no way to prove this."

"It sounds like a good enough lead to me." Krystal said. "If they know the child is a prince, they would want to keep him in a secure place."

Barun nodded. "Those are my thoughts as well. But you won't have much time, outworlder. The prince was lost only a few days ago, and if the SharpClaw plan to move him away from the valley, it will not be long before that happens. Assuming he is not gone already."

"I'm sure it's okay!" Kyte said. "This is gonna be easy as long as Krystal and I stick together."

However, Barun shook his head adamantly. "You are not going anywhere, Princess. This is going to be dangerous, and I already said I won't allow you to be captured again."

"Wait, hold on!" Kyte said. "I have to come! Krystal and I are a team!"

Krystal crossed her arms in adamant agreement. "We are. I'm not leaving her behind."

"Outworlder…" Barun growled, his voice becoming deathly serious. "I've already told you I won't let the princess get captured again."

"I know, but I've already made it clear you have nothing to worry about. Her safety is my responsibility."

"And I've already made it clear that I don't trust you."

"Well, that's too bad." Kyte said, a hint of smugness in her voice. "Because I'm going with her no matter what you say."

"Princess, I will not allow-"

"Try to stop me."

Barun cast a surprised glance down at the girl, as though he hadn't expected such bluntness. However, after a moment of looking as though he were trying to think of an argument, he shook his head and sighed softly. "By the spirits, you're as stubborn as your mother."

"It will probably be easier for you to just do as she says." Krystal said with a small grin. "She is a princess after all."

Barun gave the vixen an irritated glare, but he soon grumbled in quiet defeat. "I'm going to regret this…"

"No you won't." Krystal said. "Now, if you'd be so kind, I think we're both ready to start."

The ThornTail let out one more grumble before turning and pressing the stone button that slowly caused the stone slab to sink into the floor and reveal the outside world once again. All three of them stepped outside into the humid air, and as soon as the stone door was concealing the cave again, Barun pointed out which mountain Krystal would be climbing far off in the distance.

"Now, any more questions, outworlder?" He asked.

Krystal shook her head. "None."

"Good. But before you begin your journey, I have one more warning."

"Oh?"

The ThornTail nodded. "I've heard some of my people saying that there's been another outworlder like you running about the valley and harassing the ThornTails. No one can tell what his intentions are exactly, but he showed up about the same time you did."

Krystal crossed her arms, understanding what it was that he was implying. "If he came to the valley the same time we did…"

"Then it stands to reason he's the one who attacked you in the palace. So, if I were you, I'd be wary."

"If he shows his dumb face again, we can take him!" Kyte said proudly.

Barun couldn't seem to hide the slight grin that suddenly pulled at his mouth. "Yes… well, be careful little bird. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you."

Kyte, with a wide smile on her face, suddenly jumped forward and wrapped her wings around the ThornTail's front leg in a tight embrace. "Don't worry! We'll be fine! Both of us!"

Barun didn't look as though he was entirely convinced, but he smiled down at the girl all the same. "I hope so. Safe travels, and may you be guided by higher lights."

"You as well." Krystal said with a smile, even though she could still sense a lot of conflicting emotions within the ThornTail.

However, with one last sigh, and a curt nod in Krystal's direction, he turned away from the duo and began slowly stomping his way back into the valley, away from where they stood in front of the hidden cave entrance.

As soon as he was far enough away, Krystal turned to Kyte. "Well, shall we begin?"

Kyte smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Let's go!"

And with that, the two began following the path that Barun had pointed them down towards the towering mountain. Krystal could sense that Kyte was feeling just as excited as she appeared to be, obviously exhilarated by the prospect of the adventure before them.

Krystal wished she could be as optimistic. Even though she was making a concentrated effort to put on a confident face, she was really feeling completely overwhelmed as she tried to wrap her mind around everything that had just happened. Bit by bit, she began to realize just how heavy a burden had been placed upon her back, and even though she knew she had the support of both Kyte and the queen, for some reason, her heart began to ache with pangs of burning loneliness.

She took in a deep breath and drew her eyes upwards towards their destination in an attempt to clear her mind. However, now that she had a good look at the great mountain, she realized with a sinking heart just how high it really towered above them. They had a very hard climb ahead of them.

Author's Note: I don't think I've ever written, scrapped, and rewritten a single chapter so many different times before. I think it goes without saying that trying to write this chapter has been an absolutely exhausting experience, and I've gotten to the point where I'm just glad it's done and I can post it. Once again, I'm sorry about how long it's been between postings, but I didn't want to give you all something lackluster and less than I could have done. At least it's a very long chapter I guess, though, that might not exactly be a good thing.

Alright, that's enough of that. Thanks once again for viewing and reviewing, and though I do have an idea for a new short story I really want to try my hand at writing, I absolutely will not forget about this fic. I hope it's been enjoyable for you all, and I'll post more as soon as I can.

Yours Truly, Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman.