Chapter Twelve – Gone Again
It might be a surprise to hear that Ash, Erika, Icestorm, Finny, and Frosty were the last to arrive. In fact, one might be shocked as to why they were still a good distance away. Why did they not ride Frosty and get to the grotto sooner?
Well, they might've done that … if Frosty hadn't gotten his wings tangled in tarantapuff webbing.
What they failed to realize is that they hid in a cave where a tarantapuff lived. In their haste to escape, Frosty's wings became sticky with the spider webs, and the poison in said webbings immobilized the snow phoenix's wings. The bird would not suffer much, but it would take time for his wings to loosen up again so he could fly. Ash, optimistic and practical like his parents, said they would simply need to walk to the grotto, and he did have the map to guide them.
"And you're sure Frosty will be all right?" Icestorm asked. "We don't have tarantapuffs in the mountains, and we've never dealt with their webbing before."
"Don't worry." Ash assured. "It'll just take some time for the wings to loosen up again. In the meantime, we'll just keep walking!"
Just keep walking
Just keep walking
We'll keep walking, walking, walking
Erika giggled. "The one thing that amused me the most about your mother's people, Prince Ash: their ability to easily break out into song at any given moment. Such whimsy is not often found in the Wing Troll Kingdom."
"That's us!" Ash said proudly. "Whimsy as can be!"
"And here I thought grey trolls were grumpy like that Iris woman." Finny said. "Your colors don't exactly match your personality."
Ash shrugged. "Yeah. That's why I'm out here. I'm hoping to find my colors."
"So you had your colors and then you lost them?" Finny asked.
"No, I was born this way." Ash said.
"Then maybe these are your true colors." Finny said simply.
Ash forced a skip in his step so nobody would see his mood turning dismal. "I guess I'll find out."
"You have an undying optimism, Prince Ash." Icestorm said. "Something I admired about Queen Poppy. She was always so loving and kind, and she never worried about what others thought of her."
"I suppose that's why you think we could go back." Erika murmured.
Ash slowed so that he walked next to Erika. "I know what your grandfathers did was really bad. I bet you were really mad at them."
"They tried to keep us apart for their own selfish reasons." Erika said.
"But I met them." Ash persisted. "King Yuki came for my birthday last year. King Cobalt gave us shelter and food when he found us in the forest. I think you guys leaving really got to them."
"You are trying to convince us of things that are simply not true, little prince." Icestorm sighed. "We can't go back. That's not an option for us."
Ash sighed. "Well, you got each other, at least."
"You're not going to start singing again, are you?" Finny raised an eyebrow.
"Come on, it's what I do." Ash shrugged with a smile.
There's a fog inside my brain
Washed away by all the rain
At least I got you by my side
So I'll cross my heart and hope to die
Promise right now, I got your back
You lead the way, I'll bring the snacks!
We got each other while out here
The rain is gone and the skies are clear!
Ash encouraged the others to sing along. It took a bit of coaxing before Icestorm eagerly jumped in, and his little family joined him and Ash in the upbeat song.
Thought we'd be forever all alone
Till you came along, like a flurry of snow
It gets a little lonely without a friend
Now we see, little prince, you're a godsend
Kinda feels like having a little brother
Let's keep moving
One foot in front of the other!
We keep marching on together
With a bond no one can sever
No matter what, I got your back
Lose the trail, back on track
Don't stray to far from me
Together, we will always be
Keep marching on
We gotta stay together
Ash and Finny laughed, chasing each other around the trail while Icestorm and Erika watched amusedly. Finny finally caught Ash and they tumbled into the bushes, laughing the whole way.
"You know what, Ash?" Finny helped him stand. "You're not half-bad for a weirdo grey troll."
"Thanks." Ash blinked a few times. "I think." He and Finny froze when they heard a growl, and they looked around. The shrubbery hid everything from view, including Finny's parents and Frosty.
"Mom? Dad?" Finny called.
Suddenly, a furry blue creature with horns leapt from the bushes, straight for the children.
"Growl beast!" Ash shouted. "Run!" He pulled Finny along as they sprinted back to Erika and Icestorm. When Frosty realized predators were after them, the loyal snow phoenix scooped the trolls onto his back and took off running. A second growl beast had joined the chase. Frosty tried to flap his wings, but he was still partially paralyzed. Ash fired magical blasts at the growl beasts, but they would not give up.
"What do we do?" Finny whimpered.
"Just stay down and stay out of the way!" Icestorm ordered. "Faster, Frosty!"
Erika joined Ash in throwing blasts of magic. "They know Frosty's wounded! They're just going to run us down!"
"Look out!" Finny screamed, pointing ahead. There was a dip coming up, a sharp drop-off down a hill.
"Frosty, spread your wings!" Ash urged. "Glide, at least!"
"Come on, buddy!" Icestorm urged.
Frosty responded more to his master's urging, and he strained to spread out his wings and flap them a little. The snow phoenix jumped off right where the decline started, and he managed to catch a soft breeze under his wings. The growl beasts didn't see the hill until after they tumbled down it to the bottom. Frosty landed on the other side and kept running.
"Good boy!" Finny cheered.
"Way to go, Frosty!" Ash laughed.
Suddenly, a third growl beast pounced from the tall grass and tackled Frosty. Icestorm, Finny, and Ash flew forward while Erika kept a firm grip on Frosty's feathers. Icestorm, Ash, and Finny rushed to help as Frosty bucked off the growl beast, but the other two growl beasts caught up. One went to help his friend while the other chased Icestorm and the children away. They ran as fast as they could to avoid the sharp teeth and claws of the beast. The growl beast might have caught up with them had Ebony not swooped down from above. Steve came in right after, snapping his jaws. The two animals scared the growl beast away, and then herded the troll trio to the Grotto of Flowers.
"Ash!" Harper and Prowlus hugged the boy. "We're so glad you're okay!"
"Welcome back, my liege!" Sir Tandeth bowed.
"Erika and Frosty!" Icestorm gasped. "They're still out there! Those growl beasts might've gotten them!"
'Ebony and I will go get them.' Prowlus mounted Ebony and flew off.
"Icestorm, come on." Harper encouraged. "Stay here and rest. It's been an eventful couple days."
Reluctantly, Icestorm joined everyone at the fire. They exchanged their stories of how they got back, and Gris even showed off the picture that his family hid in his pack. Harper happily announced her and Prowlus' engagement. Ash, especially, was thrilled to hear it. But Icestorm would not participate in the talks. He kept glancing towards the forest, anxiously searching for his wife and bird.
Several minutes later, as dusk settled over the forest, Prowlus and Ebony returned, but without Erika and Frosty.
'We lost track of them after beating off the growl beasts.' Prowlus explained. 'Frosty took off in a panic and Erika went after him. She said to tell you,' he looked to Icestorm, 'that she'll find you.'
Icestorm looked out to the forest. "I'm going after her."
"But we're finally all together again." Gris protested. "And it's getting dark."
'It would be unwise to go after her in the darkness.' Prowlus agreed. 'We will stay here another night and give her a chance to catch up with us. I am sure she is fine.'
Icestorm still stared at the dark forest, but said nothing. Soon, everyone trickled off to bed. Ash noticed Icestorm whispering to Finny, and the child nodding in passive understanding. The grey prince shrugged and settled down for sleep.
The next morning, the travelers had hoped to see Erika and Frosty returning safe and sound. Instead, they found Icestorm missing.
"Didn't we specifically say not to go running off after his wife?" Iris sighed.
"He's stubborn like that." Finny said.
"Why are you still here?" Gris asked. "Does Icestorm expect us to wait here for him, Erika, and Frosty?"
"No." Finny said nonchalantly. "Dad just said to tell you to take me with you on your journey, and he'll meet back up with us when you go back to the Troll Tree."
"So we're babysitting?" Harper raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you not more concerned about this?" Ash asked curiously.
"Mom and Dad disappear sometimes." Finny said. "Now and then, they'll go on romantic vacations together and leave me at home. It's no big deal. Is it a big deal that I travel with you?"
"Well, we aren't going to leave you here." Ash said. "If Icestorm says we'll meet up back home, then we'll meet back at the Troll Tree. In the meantime, let's go! There's lots more adventure to have!" He whooped and laughed, running ahead while his friends scrambled to keep up. Still, none of them could stop smiling. It was a bright new day, and Ash's infectious optimism encouraged them to sing along when he started.
We keep marching on
Look how far we've gone
There's so much more left to do
And I'd rather do it with you
The sun is shining in the sky
Won't give up, just gotta try!
Gris tripped, but jumped up again and kept going. "'Cause I can do it alone!"
Prowlus spun Harper around, and she giggled. "Love speaks for us!"
Iris glanced to Ash and Prowlus, her voice quiet. "I'll get my revenge."
Ash took Finny's hand. "We'll stay together to the end!"
And we'll keep marching
Keep on marching
Together we'll keep marching on
Original song (in 5 parts): "Keep Marching On"