Me: Hello, dear readers! I've finally been given back my notebook! YAY! I can continue the story!
Chiro: And I can get better! I've been sick for almost a year! A year!
Me: You'll get over it. Anyway without further ado let the chapter begin 'cause I know you are all waiting anxiously.
Key
"Talking"
'Thinking'
Memories
//Dragon's telepathy//
End Key
Chapter 13: Dragon's Cave
The trio continued on their way up the mountain. Jen had taken it upon herself to carry Mandarin and be the navigator. She didn't mind it though, she was just glad to be helpful.
They jumped from rock-to-rock when the way was rocky and strained their legs when they came to hills. All the while they never gave up hope.
Toward the afternoon the sky had clouded over and the clouds released their burden. The rain poured down in gallons, and the trees did little to shelter them from it. Eventually Antauri began to tire.
Jen ended up carrying him too. She had Mandarin clinging to her back and Antauri cradled to her chest. As she climbed she clutched Antauri to herself tightly.
Jen stopped dead in her tracks. Antauri looked up at her, confused. She had seen something dash ahead. It stopped close enough where she could see its shape, but far enough away where she couldn't make out its features. The shadow was watching them, waiting.
Jen stepped closer, slowly and hesitantly. Just as she got close enough to almost see the creature clearly it dashed a head again. It stopped and waited again, watching them once more.
Jen stopped. 'What is that thing?'
"I think who ever, or what ever, it is wants us to follow it." Antauri observed. "Should we follow it?" Jen asked and looked to Antauri.
There was a pause. The creature remained patient, waiting for them from a distance. Was it going to lure them into a trap? Or was it going to help? The trio didn't know, but they had to decide what to do.
"I say we follow it." Jen announced.
"What if it's a trap?" Mandarin demanded. "It could be luring us to its den so it can catch us and eat us."
"Then I'll just have to kick its ass." Jen replied bluntly. "Besides, it might be trying to help us out of the rain. I'm more than willing to get out of it. Even my underwear is soaked. And the weight of the water is making you two heavy."
"I agree with Jen. We need to get out of the rain. And if we're lucky that thing will know were the feather dragon lives." Antauri said.
Mandarin sighed. "Fine you out number me 2 to 1. Let's go."
Jen smiled triumphantly and pushed forward. She followed the shadow as it jumped up the mountainside. Not knowing where it was leading them.
The shadow hopped onto the ledge of a cave where it stopped. It turned to look at them. It stretched itself out. A pair of 1-foot long wings extended as the shadow stretched. The wings looked too small for its body. The figure stopped stretching and folded the wings.
The figure turned its back on the three to face the cave entrance. It glanced over its shoulder once before facing forwards again. It entered the cave, vanishing from their sight.
Jen carried the two monkeys up to the ledge. Once on the ledge they insisted they be put down. Jen did as they asked. They walked into the cave side-by-side.
It was pitch black inside the cave. They strained their eyes and ears, trying to see or hear, but nothing came to them. They were nervous. An enemy could be right under their nose without them knowing.
Antauri and Mandarin activated their night vision. Jen reached into her hip bag and fumbled around in it. Her hand brushed over the object she sought and she put them on. It was a pair of goggles the color of dried blood.
The moment they were on the cave became clear. The walls and floor were worn smooth. What kind of creature lived in a place like this? What would smooth out the walls in such a fashion? They had never heard of such a thing.
Jen looked at the two monkeys, puzzled by what she saw. "You look absolutely ridiculous." Mandarin commented.
"They're night vision goggles. Quite frankly I don't care how ridiculous they look. As long as they get the job done they stay." Jen defended.
She looked once more about the cave. The air was warm and it was constantly circulating. The pattern in which it circulated made the air about them fresh and clean. What lived here? What kind of creature could cause the air to behave in such a matter?
A growl came from deep within the cave's depths. The three froze, every muscle in their bodies tense. What ever lived there sounded big. Really, really, BIG. There came the thudding of large feet upon the ground. The cave floor trembled slightly with ever step the beast made.
Without really thinking of her actions, Jen pushed the two monkeys behind her. They looked at her, startled. Was she crazy? Jen raised her fists in a fighting stance. Her blue eyes narrowed as she stared into the cave.
The creature loomed into view. The beast nearly took the three's breath away. It was a dragon. The feather dragon of which they sought.
It was about 20 feet long from snout to tail. It was maybe about 15 feet tall and covered by feathers so white they rivaled fluffy white clouds. It stood upon slender, yet powerful hind legs. Instead of forelegs (front legs) there were large feathered wings. The feathers were white, tipped with sapphire blue.
The tail was similar to a bird's. It was made of three long feathers. Each of the feathers had a sapphire marking. The dragon's eyes were sapphire.
"The feather dragon…"Mandarin breathed.
"Guess we "got lucky" eh, Mandarin?" Jen asked.
Mandarin nodded. "Yeah, I guess we did."
The dragon raised its head high and looked down upon them, freezing the three under its gaze. It radiated power and strength. There was no doubt that this beast was capable of killing them in an instant if it wished to do so. How were they to get a feather from it?
The dragon's eyes stared at Jen. Why did this girl look so familiar? Maybe… The dragon's eyes went blank.
A man in dark robes stood before the dragon. His hood was down, exposing his shoulder length black hair. His miss match eyes sparkled, reflecting the smile upon the man's lips.
Beside him stood a woman, a felinadon. Her hair was golden blonde and her eyes were emerald. The cat-like ears and tail were red. Her small-feathered wings matched her ears and tail.
In her arms was a bundle of light violet blankets. In the bundle was a little baby. The baby had a mass of silky black hair upon its head. The eyes were large and innocent, yet they were the piercing color of ice.
The dragon blinked and looked down at the young girl that stood before it. Why did that memory come back to it? Unless… Could this girl be the baby from all those years ago? How was that possible? The child would have to be about 1, 028 years old now.
Yet… She only looked like a 14-year-old human girl. Humans had a shorter life span than felinadon, granted she was half felinadon. Could she have inherited her mother's long life span?
Jen was unsure of what to do. The dragon had looked ready to attack, but it had looked at her and froze. Those brilliant sapphire eyes went blank. It blinked a few seconds later and the eyes returned to normal. Now it seemed to be pondering something. What was going on?
Movement by the dragon's hind leg caught Jen's attention. A girl poked her head out. Her dark chocolate brown eyes held curiosity, but they were shy. Her hair was chocolate brown with blonde streaks and reached just past her shoulders. A pair of black cat ears rested atop her head.
'She's a felinadon!' Jen thought in surprise. "Huh?" A small wing with royal blue feathers tipped with royal purple stretched into view.
'Could she be the one who led us here?' Jen pondered and took a step closer to get a better look at the girl.
//You, girl!// The dragon snapped, using telepathy.
The three jumped at the thunderous voice that echoed off the walls. Jen looked up into the dragon's face. "Y-yes?" She stammered. She had been hoping to not sound so frightened, but that was flushed down the toilet the moment she opened her mouth.
//Who are your parents?// The voice was thunderous,and impatient.
Jen was proud of who her parents were. She straightened herself up and shoved all fear from her body. "My father was a human alchemist whose name is unknown. My mother is a felinadon named Aloe, preferably Athelas."
//Hmm…// The dragon rolled this new piece of information through its mind. //What is your name, girl?// It demanded.
Jen inclined her head proudly. "Jennifer."
//"Jennifer, huh? How old are you?//
At this Jen paused. Now how to explain this… "Well I'm technically 1,028 years old, but my body is still at 14."
//Elaborate.// The dragon commanded.
"I was only 14 when my father put me in dormant. I was asleep for 1,000 years and when I did wake I didn't age for another 14 years. Meaning I only just started to age again."
//Then my suspicions are correct.// The dragon's voice was no longer fierce. It was soothing and calm. //You are that new born my friend and his wife brought for me to see 1,028 years ago.//
The dragon lowered its head and nudged Jen in the chest with its snout. Jen stroked the feathered muzzle and the dragon made a purring sound deep in its throat, much like a cat. The large sapphire eyes closed, showing the dragon was content.
The girl that had been hiding for the past few minutes came out from behind the dragon's leg. Now that she was out in the open they could get a better look at her.
She was Jen's height. She had a black tail that matched her ears. She wore a black mini skirt and a royal blue tank top. Tied about her neck was an emerald green ribbon. Her feet were bare, but that didn't seem to bother her any.
The dragon cracked open and aye and noted their attention was focused on the girl. It closed its eye again. //That's my adopted daughter, Krystal. I found her lost at the bottom of my mountain 4 years ago. I took her in and cared for her as though she were my own offspring.//
"It's nice to have someone to love and care for you." Jen mused. "I was adopted in this time frame, myself. But all this talk of love reminds me." She backed away from the dragon, who, opened its eyes and peered at her in confusion. "We need one of your feathers. A friend of mine is severely ill and dying. We need one of your feathers and a tear from the phoenix if we want to cure him."
//What do you mean?// The dragon tilted its head and Krystal came to stand by its shoulder.
"He has what we call the "Deadly Virus." He has only had it a couple of days and he has already reached a temperature of 109 degrees. Can't we please have one feather? We want to save him and this is the only way." Jen begged.
//I can do better then that.//
"May I inquire as to what you mean?" Antauri asked.
//I can carry the three of you to the phoenix. She is a friend of mine. You'll get there faster on my back. I'll give you my feather when we get to the city.// The dragon ruffled the feathers on its wings. //But we'll have to wait until the rain stops. I can't fly very well with wet feathers. If I were you I'd take this chance to rest.//
Jen looked at the other two who nodded. Jen looked back to the dragon and bowed politely. "Very well. Thank you very much for your assistance."
The dragon nodded. //There is no need to thank me. After all you are a friend from a long ago past.//
Jen walked over to the wall of the cave with Antauri and Mandarin. The three sank to the floor. Jen removed her goggles and put them back in her bag. Without them she couldn't see of course, but they were in a safe place and she was going to go to sleep. There was no need for sight.
Jen's eyelids drooped closed and she lay herself down, her head coming to rest in Mandarin's lap. He smiled and began to stroke her hair affectionately. Jen was soon sound asleep. Antauri found himself smiling as he watched his brother and the girl.
"She really liked you doesn't she?" A voice asked timidly.
Mandarin's hand stilled and both monkeys looked up at Krystal, who, was kneeling in front of them. Mandarin looked back down at Jen. "Yes, we've been friends for 1,028 years now. I used to help care for her when she severely injured."
"Severely injured?" Krystal inquired and crept closer, curious and eager to learn more.
"Yes. When she was 4 I didn't really like her. She was upset and confused by this and ran to the park. She was sitting in a tree when the branch broke. Jen had landed on her back, severely injuring her. It was bad enough where she might have been paralyzed. But she had a strong will and her power that hid deep inside healed her."
"As her body healed I stayed by her side. I was her caretaker, her best friend. I wasn't alone though. Wish, a violet monkey, helped when I couldn't be there." Mandarin began to run his fingers through her hair again. His eyes were soft and a small loving smile rested upon his lips. Jen was like a sister to him.
They sat in silence, listening to the sounds of the rain outside. It was a comfortable silence. No one was in a rush to break it.
Jen coughed in her sleep. Mandarin's brow furrowed in worry. Could she have gotten the virus too? Was it contagious? Or was this just a minor cold?
Mandarin shot Antauri a nervous glance. Antauri's olive met ruby. "She doesn't have the virus. She would have been in worse shape if she had it. It's probably just a cold. The journey most likely just weakened her immune system a little, just enough for her to catch a cold." Antauri reassured.
Mandarin relaxed ad looked down at Jen's peaceful face. It reassured him even further. She seemed unbothered by the coughing.
After a while the rain ceased its onslaught and the evening sun came out. //Let's go.// The dragon crouched near by, giving them easier access to its back.
Mandarin gently shook Jen's shoulder to wake her. She sat up and blinked. She looked about, rather dazed and groggy from being woken from her sleep. Mandarin couldn't help but chuckle at Jen's puzzled expression. He got to his feet and was followed by Antauri. Jen quickly followed their lead.
The faint sunlight was strong enough to illuminate the cave to some extent. Well enough for Jen to see without the goggles anyway. The three went to the dragon's side. The two monkeys looked at each other, silently asking 'who's going to get on first?'
Jen rolled her eyes at seeing the two boys look at each other like that. She climbed up onto the large beast's back and settled herself there. Antauri and Mandarin quickly followed her lead. Krystal stood of to the side, however. Her eyes glittered with excitement. She knew what was going on. She was eager to stretch her wings.