I HAD TO RETYPE ALMOST THE WHOLE THING, I HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS AND YOU FEEL SO STUPID AND THERES NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO GET IT BACK...phew had to get that off my chest (gotta need to rant about these things)
anyway on with the story! :)
Thryn and Nod woke up earlier, an hour and a half before sunrise. They each got dressed in their normal forest clothes, before meeting each other outside in the hall. Nod had slipped a makeshift cast on his arm, hiding the rose's bulk. Now people would think he had a broken arm, and not look twice.
Nod had never seen Thryn out of her uniform before, so it came as a bit strange. She wore a dark green tank top with long black sleeves, green pants, and black mouse skin boots. A hooded shawl of holly leaves hung over her shoulders. Her hair was braided, instead of in a pony tail. She had left her twin swords behind, and carried the quarterstaff instead. Sterling perched on the top.
"What?" she asked irritably, and Nod realized he had been staring at her for a while.
He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "Nothing..."
She snorted and led the way. They jogged quietly through the stone halls of Moonhaven, taking the stairs to the top. Finally, they came to a set of big, wooden door; the entrance to the hummingbird roost. The door opened on well-oiled hinges, so their entry was silent. The birds were all still asleep. A guard had been posted inside the roost, and they quickly ducked behind the racks of riding tack.
"Ronin knows me to well," Nod whispered.
"How do we get a bird now?"
Nod peeked out wearily. The guard had his back turned and he spotted a familiar shape. The scruffy old sparrow that he had acquired last year was snoozing on a perch, her eyes half closed in content. Nod had named her Cricket, after discovering the bird was a sucker for them. Her belly was rounder, suggesting she did a lot of eating and not enough exercise.
That was about to change.
"Grab a saddle and bridle," he told Thryn. "I'll get a bird." The Leafman waited for the guard to get to the far side of the roost, then he silently ran up to the sleeping sparrow.
He gently shook the bird awake, placing a hand on Cricket's beak to stop her from cheeping. There was a light of recognition in his bird's eyes, and Nod guided her to step down from the perch. He pushed the bird along, hoping the sentry was to far away to hear the faint clicks of talons on wood.
Cricket managed to squeeze into the small space behind the rack. Thryn held a green, hummingbird saddle and bridle slung over her shoulder. Sterling had flew outside to wait for them.
Thryn looked at Cricket in distaste, "What is this?"
Nod crossed his arms, "She's my bird."
"This old thing? Why didn't you get a hummingbird?" she demanded.
"This bird knows me, and the Leafman would've noticed if I took a hummingbird," he said defensively. "I won a race on this bird once."
"I guess that's suppose to make me feel better."
"Just help me get the tack on before the guard comes back."
As quietly as he could, Nod adjusted the straps of the saddle, while Thryn slipped the bridle on Cricket. Since the tack was meant for the much smaller hummingbird, Nod had to loosen and stretch the buckles but luckily, it just managed to fit.
"Now how do we get past the sentries outside?" Thryn asked.
Nod replied. "We have to fly straight up to the sky. The Leafmen will be looking out of Moonhaven. Then we fly high enough, until they can't see us."
"Sounds simple enough."
"Yes, but we must be careful, for they might just look up. They were trained that way, after all, to check for Boggan attacks."
She nodded and peered out from the hiding place. The guard was still patrolling the other areas of the roost, but he'd be coming back soon. Quickly and quietly as they could, they ran down the rows of birds, Nod pulling Cricket along. Fortunately, the sleeping birds didn't stir. They made it to the center room, which had an open ceiling to the sky, that was beginning to turn pink. Dawn was coming.
"Come on, Cricket," Nod said as he hopped on. "Show Thryn what you can do,"
"Just get going," she said impatiently, as she climbed on behind him. "The guard's coming back."
He reined Cricket into the air, and they flew straight up and out. In their favor, a wind blew through the trees, covering any sound they might make, and the darkness hid them from the sight of sentries. Sterling caught up with them, and flew behind Cricket, keeping out of sight of the bird's eyes. He didn't need training to know that sparrows liked to eat his kind.
Soon, they were high in the sky, the cold wind raising goosebumps on his skin and whipping his hair away from his face. He felt such elation and joy to be back in the sky, that he almost let out a whoop. Thryn, sensing this, pinched him in the side.
"Don't," she warned. "Not yet."
"Just relishing the freedom, that's all," he said with a toothy grin.
"Guess you never know a good thing until it's gone," she mused.
Her words made him think of M.K. He didn't know how much he cared about her until she left for home. What would become of them? Could they keep this up, pretending everything was okay with where they were? If he ever wanted to be with her, than one of them would have to give up a home. A world.
If this was a joyride, he'd head straight for the nearest video cam and ring her up, but he wasn't out here for himself. Okay maybe a little for himself, but for Thryn most of all.
"Time to visit the races," he said, and steered Cricket to the west.
The escapees landed in a tree a couple of yards away from Bufo's. They were on the edge of the meadow that was used for the races, and dawn had broken. It wouldn't be long before Mub and Grub noticed they were gone, and notified Ronin, but they had no way of knowing that they were at Bufo's place. It would take a while for the search parties to reach this far west.
"Stay Cricket," Nod said to the bird, making a signal with his hands. The sparrow chirped, huffing a little from the flight.
"I have to admit," Thryn said. "She got us here pretty fast, despite being a little overweight."
"Like I always say. It's not the bird, it's how you ride it."
Thryn ignored him and jumped down to the ground. She made a signal to Sterling, and the dragonfly zoomed off into the vegetation. "Don't need him getting eaten by all the birds in there," she muttered.
The teenagers ran across the forest floor, up to the ground entrance of the gigantic tree. The crowds were sparse and spread out, due to the earliness, so it was easy to move up the stairs and out into the grandstand branches. The first race of the day was getting set up, with Jinn lining up at the betting windows, and birds flying warm-up laps around the tree.
"Where would Bufo be right now?" Thryn asked.
"He'd be up in the lounge, getting breakfast," he said, pointing to the top of tree. "The lounge is for the exclusives only."
"So how are we going to get in?"
"Exclusives extend to the jockeys," Nod stated proudly.
"But you were fired!"
He frowned, "I know, but do you have a better idea?"
If looks could kill, her's would've vaporized him, "Alright wise guy, let's see you bluff your way in."
"Watch me," he said with a cocky smile, and power jumped to the lounge, skipping the stairs. He caught the attention of a few Jinn, but he didn't care. Thryn took the more subtle way of running up the stairs, and then leaping to the branch.
The entrance was guarded by a massive bulk of a bumble bee, his big black eyes regarding them with suspicion. He purposely moved in front of the entrance, which extended into a hall. It veered off, hiding what went on inside, and music leaked out.
"Hey Trippy," Nod said casually with a smile. "Great day, isn't it? How's it going?"
Trippy only narrowed his eyes in annoyance, and Nod was suddenly reminded of Thryn. He glanced over to see she was also giving him a piercing gaze.
"Well, nice talking to you," he finished, and moved around the bumble bee, trying to act like he owned the place. A shiny, muscular black arm (or leg?) barred his way.
"Push off runt, your not allowed," the bouncer growled.
"No need to be unreasonable buddy," the Leafman said smoothly. "In case you've forgotten, I'm a jockey for Bufo."
The bee blinked slowly, as if trying to remember. Then he came to a conclusion, "No your not. Bufo fired you."
Nod had been depending on the advantage that Trippy didn't know that yet. In his time working for Bufo, he had gotten to know the bee, and had learned that the bug didn't listen to gossip. But he guessed that Bufo kept him updated with a list of who were allowed in the lounge, and who he should throw off the tree.
"Oh that?" he wondered aloud, putting on a little innocent act. "That was nothing, Bufo and I just had a disagreement, but it's all over now. I'm here to talk to him."
The bee didn't looked convince, but Thryn suddenly stepped forward, "It's alright Trippy, I understand." she said knowingly.
The bee looked at her strangely and Nod mirrored it. What was she doing?
"You understand what?" Trippy asked.
She sighed and patted his shoulder, "The big boss man is too cool to let you know what's going on around here. All the guy thinks about is the next big score, not caring about the welfare of his employees. Has he ever asked you how your day is going?"
The bee was buzzing angrily, "No he hasn't." His eyes were scrunched up, the thought never occurring to him before. "Never thinks about anybody but himself! No manners at all."
"I hear you buddy. Us little guys gotta stick together though," she announced, and the bee's face lit up with a smile. "Maybe you could help us out..." Thyrn trailed off.
"With what?"
"Well, we want to talk to Bufo, give him a piece of our minds. He should know that it's downright wrong to trample the little guys into the dirt!"
"Yeah he should know!" Trippy agreed.
"I'm going to tell him that he isn't pushing me down, and even if he does, I'm going to get right back up, and push him back!" she exclaimed, getting on a roll. Nod had never seen Thryn like this. She sure had a way with words when they came out of her mouth. Her voice was distinct, the kind that made everybody turn their heads to listen.
"Okay well..." Nod interrupted, before Thryn could start a revolution. "Can we go in?"
"Yes, yes!" Trippy said, remembering that he blocked the way. "Go ahead!"
They moved through the door, and walked down the hall, clear of the first obstacle. Nod grumbled a little, "He conveniently forgot that I asked him how his day was going."
"Guess you don't count," she said tartly.
He harrumphed, but then started chuckling. "Great speech back there, by the way."
She fixed him with a cool gaze, "Like I said. I do what needs to be done."
He shook his head. This girl was too unpredictable.
The lounge was a big room, carved from the tree and the floor carpeted by moss. The ceiling was open to the sky and had an amazing view of the race track. A band played in the far corner of the room, and Jinn mingled around, engaged in conversation or involved at a card table. Playing cards were flicked out and the sound of chips being gathered or pushed away filled the room, amongst the laughter and music. It was the perfect place to lose-rather than win-money.
On the left side of the room was the bar, the shelves packed with bottles, jars, gourds, and pitchers of alcohol. A spider-like Jinn was the bartender, his many legs pouring, stirring, shaking, and serving drinks all at once. The bookie himself was sitting on one of the mushroom stools, flirting and laughing with a pretty female frog in a yellow dress. His two bodyguards sat next to them, glaring at everybody suspiciously.
Further down the table was Thryn's father, hunched over and his hair messed up. He looked as if he had slept there over night. An empty shot glass was next to him, but from the looks of things, he definitely had more than one drink. The bartender was already busy filling it up with a golden liquid.
"Oh Dad..." Thryn said softly. "So this is where you went after we fought."
Nod waited for her to gather herself. If they were going up against Bufo, he didn't want any of their weaknesses to show. She took a deep breath and that hard look returned to her eyes, zeroing it on Bufo. She was ready.
Bufo saw them as they approached, and surprise flickered for a moment on his face, but he covered it with a cold smile. "Well what do you know? It's my favorite jockey, Nod. Or should I say ex-jockey?"
Some Jinn from the crowd turned at Bufo's voice. Nod recognized them as part of Bufo's gang. They looked like nice, normal people, that is, until they took you out back and gave you close-ups of their fists.
"Nice to see you Bufo," Nod greeted and looked around the room slowly. "The place hasn't changed much," he muttered in disappointed tone.
Bufo caught the passive insult and felt a flash of irritation, but he smiled as if Nod had made a joke. The bullfrog didn't seem to notice Thryn, who went up to her father. The bartender was busy pouring the man another drink, but a glare from his daughter stopped him in mid-pour. He busied himself with the other customers.
Nod took a seat without an invitation, and the female frog batted her eyelashes at him, which Bufo did not appreciate.
"Hey babe, why don't you go play a game?" Bufo said. "Bet all you like, its on my tab."
The lady frog knew this was an order, not a request, but that didn't stop her from winking at Nod as she walked away.
Bufo wasn't mister nice guy anymore, and he glared dangerously at Nod, "You got some death wish to show your face round here again, punk. What do you want?"
His hostile tone was like a signal to his gang, to get ready for a brawl, but Nod showed no fear. He couldn't afford to, "I just want to talk about a friend of mine, who's in debt with you."
"Well that narrows it down," the bookie grunted sarcastically. "Your gonna have to more specific."
"She's standing right behind me."
Bufo looked at Thryn and her father, the former sending death stares at him, "Oh yes..." he said. "Well, Karow gambled away a lot of money, and now it's his problem to fix. He pays up or bad things happen. It's none of your business, so explain why your sticking your nose in it."
"She's my friend," Nod replied, tensing up despite himself. "I'm not letting you take her farm."
"In that case, I'll have to see the money your so willing to pay for her," Bufo growled, holding out his palm for the cash.
"I was thinking more along the lines of a challenge," the teen smirked. "I'll race against the debt. If I win, Thryn and her father owe you nothing and you'll leave them alone, and if I lose...then the debt is doubled."
Thryn rounded on him like wounded animal, "You didn't mention this in the plan!" She only managed to keep her voice in a whisper. He gave her an apologetic smile but she was beyond furious.
In his time working for him, Nod had learned that Bufo loved a challenge, so long as he had most of the cards in his hands. Nod could tell that Bufo hadn't changed at all since he left, so there was a good chance that he'd accept the bet. The double-or-nothing condition was meant to entice him.
Bufo's calculative mind gauged all the angles, thinking fast. It was one of things that made him successful at this business. "Now Nod, why would I want to risk losing all that money, that is sure to come my way, to a pathetic bet offered by a sniveling whelp?"
Nod had seen this coming, and although he knew it was unwise, the only way to get Bufo to accept the bet was that he had to stack the odds against himself. "I'll race the bird with the lowest odds. Every race track has an underdog, doesn't it? I'll ride the worst one you got."
Bufo's face remain stoic for some seconds, but a smile creeped on his lips, and all of the sudden he was laughing like Nod had just said the most hilarious joke ever. His goons were bewildered but they started laughing along, like the stupid yes-men they were. They had got the attention of the whole lounge, and Jinn had stopped in mid-conversation to watch them. It must have looked bizarre.
Bufo eased up on his fit enough to form words, "I really do like you Nod! You got guts, an endless arsenal of it!" He was talking loudly enough for the whole room to hear, "But honestly, I don't feel interested in taking your offer, even on those terms."
Nod was in a tight spot now. How could he help Thryn if he couldn't get Bufo to take the bait? "Oh come on Bufo, the advantage would be all yours! Look, I can throw in a broken arm!" He waved his bandaged left arm, drawing the whole room's attention to it. He hadn't want to show if off, but he didn't know what else to do.
"With your abilities, kid, you could have no limbs, and still ride the damn bird," Bufo said simply. He got up and turned his back on them, practically dismissing the teenagers. The bookie was done talking.
"Oh, so your scared I'd win?" The words blurted out before Nod could stop them. The bullfrog froze dead in his tracks, his back stiffening. His voice had carried out through the whole room, echoing mercilessly, adding insult to injury. Me and my stupid big mouth, he thought. You just want to challenge the guy, not get murdered by him!
Bufo smiled evilly, "Scared of wet-nosed punk like you? I'm not scared of anything!"
"Then prove it Bufo!" Nod challenged, chin raised in defiance. "Like you said, I am the great and awesome Nod...maybe I'm too tough for you to take on?"
The crowd whispered in excitement, his name being thrown around, all across the room. His popularity rivaled Bufo's. He was a crowd favorite, and Bufo would look bad if he didn't rise to the challenge. Not just in front of his customers, but also in front of his goons; he couldn't afford to show weakness or fear in front of the kind of men he bossed around.
The expression on the bookie's face spelled death for the boy. Nod met it with a fiery, determined look, smirking just to further infuriate the frog.
"Your just asking, begging, for it aren't you?" Bufo growled in an undertone, so no one else but Nod heard it.
"Do we have a deal, Bufo?"
The frog stuck out his hand, and they shook, "Deal."
IMPORTANT QUESTION: my Muse got this idea in her head and she needs your opinions on it:
What would be the best symbol you can think of that would represent imagination?
Like the dove represents peace and the skull and cross bones represent pirates or poison, just for imagination instead. Please pm me your ideas or put them in your review.
R&R! :)