Chapter 15: The Search
Valerie finished decorating the table for dinner. She couldn't help but wonder how Ruby was doing with Miles.
She straightened out the doiley and looked back towards the kitchen. She could smell the fried rice from the living room.
Valerie went towards the kitchen and smiled at her dish. She looked around. This will be the first time I've been able to cook something in peace since I got here, thought Valerie.
The snow leopard got the dinner ready for everyone. Josie came running in and said with a cheerful smile, "Dinner smells divine!"
"Thank you, Josie. Where's Peter?" Valerie said putting the wok in the sink.
"He's in the guest room putting away his fresh laundry," Josie said.
Valerie nodded. "Can you tell him to come down for dinner?"
Josie nodded. The South Chinese Tiger ran out of the kitchen and dashed up the staircase. She stopped midway. "Where's Ruby?"
Valerie smiled at the thought. "She's with Miles," she said happily.
"Who's Miles?" Josie asked.
Valerie shot her a look. "You've forgotten already?"
Josie blinked. "Oh yes. Sorry," she said running up the steps. She knocked on Peter's door and told him to come down for dinner.
Peter looked for Ruby as well. "Where's that little trouble maker?" he asked.
"She is with her crush Miles. He came over today and said that he was perfectly fine with that article in Josie's newspaper. Then, apparently the two went off together," Valerie said.
Peter knew she couldn't hide the smile on her face. "Well that's nice to hear that Ruby is happy."
"Don't you think we should go look for her?" Josie asked.
"I don't know," Valerie said bringing the plates out to the table. "Maybe they're eating together."
"I think we should go and get her," said Peter.
"Well I don't want to ruin her fun if she is enjoying herself with Miles," said Valerie.
"And what if she's not?" asked Josie.
Valerie sighed. "Alright, I'll go out. You stay here, I'll go and find her," she said reluctantly.
"Wait," Josie said, stopping the female snow leopard.
She looked at her friend. "What is it?"
"What did Miles look like?" Josie asked exictedly.
"Well he was a green crocodile with shiny, metal armor and black eyes. He had a black sash by his waist and he had flowers in his hands for Ruby as well," said Valerie.
Josie and Peter cocked their heads. "A crocodile?" they asked curiously.
"What? Some foxes can have crushes on crocodiles, right?" Valerie said.
"No foxes that I've ever heard of," said Josie.
"Nevermind that, just go look for her," said Peter, getting impatient.
"Alright, alright," Valerie told him leaving the mansion.
Valerie wondered where to look first. She thought that maybe he would be at his house. I'll just ask someone in the city where Miles lives, she thought to herself.
The snow leopard went off into the city and looked around the streets. People passed by in a rush and some took their time to enjoy the shops and say hello to friends and family.
Valerie looked around and saw a messenger goose. She tapped his shoulder and he turned around. "Yes, may I help you?" he asked.
"Hello, I was just wondering if you knew where a boy named Miles lives?" asked Valerie.
The goose said in a dull tone, "There are many 'Miles' in the world, miss. Can you please describe the one you're talking about?"
"Well, he has green scales, black eyes, he wears metal armor, and he has sharp teeth," Valerie said trying to remember more about the crocodile.
The goose just blinked and said in his dull tone, "I'm sorry miss, but I don't recall a crocodile named Miles in this area."
"But that's impossible. He came to my house saying that he wanted to see someone," Valerie said starting to pace back and forth.
"Well that must've been someone else, because the only 'Miles' I know in this city is a fox with jet black fur, metal-gray eyes, and some white fur by the tip of his tail."
Valerie facepalmed herself and moaned, "What have I done?"
"Is there anything else I can help you with, miss?" he asked in the same dreary tone.
Valerie just glared at the goose who didn't seem to have a care. "Yes, you can change that attitude before I swat you!"
The goose just took a step back with wide eyes. He swallowed hard, "Sorry."
"It's alright. I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's just that Ruby is probably really mad at me right now," Valerie began, but the goose interrupted her.
He seemed to shake while asking, "Did you say Ruby?"
Valerie nodded. "Yes, Ruby Xiaolin. Why?"
The goose panicked. "Oh my! You better run! Hide somewhere safe until she's cooled off," he said frantically.
Valerie stopped the panicking goose and said, "Relax. I will survive through her temper."
Then a voice in her mind said, Hopefully, you'll survive through her temper.
Valerie then returned her focus back on the issue. "Where is the Miles you just told me about? Where does he live?"
"He lives a couple blocks away from Gongmen City. He helps his family with the rice farm," said the goose.
"Thank you," said Valerie.
The snow leopard ran out of the city and tried to look for Miles' house.
She spotted a rice field a little way ahead. She got a little too excited and ran across the rice field.
She spotted a black fox with white fur at the tip of its tail. The fox looked at her wondering why she was running through the fields.
"You're ruining our rice fields," he said plainly to the snow leopard.
"Have you seen Ruby?" Valerie called out, completely oblivious to what she had done.
Then she noticed that the fox was giving her a look. She looked down and saw what she had done.
She tried to go back, but when she began to go back, she started to mess it up even more.
Something grabbed her arm. "I'll help you," the fox said.
The fox led her out of the rice fields and she looked at him. He had a gray vest on with black pants. He had a hat similar to the hat Crane wore and saw that he held in his paw, a bo staff.
Miles looked at her and asked, "What is this about Ruby?"
"Well you see, Ruby was worried that you were mad at her for that article in the newspaper and she was mad at me and my friends so we tried to cheer her up, and then a crocodile came and said he was you but he wasn't really you," Valerie blurted out in a rush.
Miles stopped her before she went on. "You thought I was a crocodile?"
"I've never seen you before," Valerie said.
Miles nodded. "So, apparently Ruby has gone off with a crocodile whom you thought was me?"
Valerie nodded. "I have no idea where she is and I was going to ask if you knew where she was."
Miles crossed his arms and thought for a moment. His metal-gray eyes looked at the snow leopard and said, "I don't know where Ruby is, but I will help you look for her if you'd like."
"Thank you so much," Valerie said with relief.
Miles looked up at the sky. The sky was now a beautiful pink-orange. The sun was setting. "We better start looking. I'll go and get a lantern so we can search when it gets dark."
Valerie nodded. She followed Miles to his home to get the lantern for the search.
Meanwhile, just outside Miles' home, Zenghui and his parents ran down the streets towards their home. "Pick up the pace, sweetie," Mrs. Xiaolin said to Zenghui.
For once, he couldn't keep up. Zenghui had barely ever ran with his parents.
Zenghui tried to run faster to keep up with his mother. His father, however was far ahead. They soon reached the mansion.
They reached the door and Zenghui's father swung the door open in a rush. He looked around for anyone who might look supicious.
He saw Peter and rushed at him. Zenghui quickly called out, "Wait Father, he's a friend of Valerie!"
The metal-gray fox stopped. Peter looked at them curiously. "Zenghui, are these your parents?"
Zenghui nodded. "Is Ruby okay?"
"Yes, she's with Miles. Valerie just went out to get her back for dinner," Peter explained.
Mrs. Xiaolin sighed in relief. "Shandian," she said to her mate. "I'm going to bring Ruby home immediately."
"Good idea," he said. "That crocodile may not have gotten here yet."
"Wait," said Peter.
They all looked at the snow leopard. "What is it?" asked Shandian.
"A crocodile?" asked Peter. He began to worry when he heard this.
"Yes," Zenghui said. "He had green scales, black eyes, metal armor, and was looking for Ruby."
"I think I know what might've happened to Ruby," said Peter.
Mrs. Xiaolin looked at him worriedly. "What's happened to our little Ruby?"
"Well, this crocodile came to the door and said he was Miles and Ruby might've gone off with him. I don't know. I was doing laundry when Valerie opened the door," said Peter.
"Valerie," said Zenghui. "Where is she?"
"She went to look for Ruby and Miles," Peter explained.
Shandian then turned to his family. "We're going to look for Ruby," he said. He looked at the snow leopard. "Will you come with us?"
"Of course," said Peter.
Zenghui went to the drawers. "Grab a lantern. It's getting dark out. We will need these to find Ruby and Valerie."
Peter grabbed a lantern and they lit them. They saw the lanterns glow brightly and then set out to find Ruby and Valerie.
Zenghui just hoped that they wouldn't be too late. He just couldn't imagine what would happen if they didn't make it in time.
As the group set off to find the two, Josie came down the staircase, looking down at the gameboard she held in her paws.
"Alright, Peter. I got the game. But I think it's missing a piece. Do you think Zenghui will get mad once I tell him I went into his room?"
The South Chinese Tiger paused once she looked up from the Chinese Checkers box. She blinked. She saw that she was all alone in the big mansion. "Peter?"