Chapter 5 - Trouble ahead
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Things had been going so well Ragdonly's 2nd year birthday was fast approaching and she was anticipating things to come. It would means she'd be 15 she was so excited, Dan's birthday wouldn't be too far long after hers. She looked out her window and
hugged herself, spun around dancing in her room smiling. Things were so awesome in her eyes, she had a great guy, she had earned her history Avi and now she was training more often. She didn't have to go to classes if she didn't want to but it was always nice when she did, most of the times Lila said it was best to take night classes they lasted just as long but they seemed to go by faster for some reason. Her owner Lila had informed her the last series of battles she did was for the Knutt Knight and if she wanted to go back she could do more. They earned her MANY diamonds and she liked that as they could be used for training in the elite gym which had been helping with her flying and other skills
her coordination was already past forty.

Dan walked in the room to see Rags hovering in the air. He walked under her she looked down and

smiled flipped in mid air and then planted a kiss on his forehead, giggled and flew up a bit higher than Dan could reach.

"Hey get back down here" he said with laughter in his voice. "I can't hug you when I can't reach you."

"I want to play Dan!" she giggled... "catch me if you can!"

with that she raced off flying at a pretty clip right down the stairs and out to the garden.

"Damn" he though... "How do I catch her now?" He looked around saw his board and grabbed it...he had an idea.

Flying down the stairs as fast as his two feet would carry him he hit the floor with a clunk noticing the front door opened he headed for it and chucked his board at the same time, it landed on the outside walk and he landed on it like a pro. Doing so caused his momentum to glide him forward, he spotted Ragdonly ahead and pushed himself forward to catch up.

She was flying JUST far enough out of his reach, so she though... a fraction of a second later he was right behind her and if she had pulled up on time she might have gotten away but she didn't mind being caught either. He got her by the tail and she let out a delighted squeal that made Dan chuckle, she was now dragging him along on his skate board!

"Faster!"
he yelled over the noise of his wheels.

She obliged and took a massive beat of her wings to make him move even faster, two more andhe was nearly flying like her, if she pulled up he'd come right off his board...she hoped he was good at hanging on. With a smirk she flicked her tail testing his cling to her tail and found he wasn't holding on all that tight. He came loose and was now cruising on his own at a fair clip. She hovered as he sped right under her and off ahead.

"Be careful Dan!" she shouted. He was after all heading for a hill and she didn't want to see him hurt. He tried to turn and slow down but because of his speed his judgement was a bit off and even a bit was enough to call for disaster. He hit a glitch that was wandering around wildly as he turned and the skateboard flipped taking him with it.

"DAN!" He heard her scream in fear, he went down hard.

Ragdonly was by his side in a second when she seen him fall. He looked up a bit shocked.
He rarely fell and he wasn't badly hurt but his pride was as scuffed as his arm.

She landed beside him and looked at his now bleeding arm.

"Come on, I'll fix it for you" she said, feeling bad since she caused his fall.

She ripped the sleeve off her shirt and ripped it again into strips to bandage his arm.

she was crying as she wrapped his injury and he looked at her and frowned.

"Why are you crying" he asked.

"Your hurt and it's all my fault!" she sobbed as she tied the knot on the last piece of makeshift gauze.

"Actually it's not your fault at all." He pointed to the glitch now stunned in the road.

Ragdonly looked over to see the vile vermin staggering around. She hated glitches they hurt everyone in some way. She threw a rock at the critter missing it but it still hissed at her anyway, fell over and then passed out.

Ragdonly thought that she should take this nasty creature to someone who could take care of it properly. She looked for something to contain the vermin. she spotted a cup and plopped the critter into it and covered it. She looked at Dan who was now standing, brushing off his shorts.

"Are you ok?" she asked him.

He smiled weakly but replied cheerfully, "Yep, gotta expect a few spills and that's just one of many that will happen."

"what ya got there?" He asked.

"That damn glitch that nailed you, I think I'll ask around on what to do with it." she said with a look of disgust on her face.

"Wow I think this is the first time I've ever seen you openly show major distaste for anything, your even shaking" he said looking at her concerned.

"The thought of you getting hurt by anyone or anything gets me all charged, like I could explode into a million pieces" she said looking at him with a tear in her eye, hoping he understood. He cradled her cheek and raised her head to look in her eyes. Brushing her tears away with his thumb he spoke words that touched her heart.

"I to would hurt with the agony of a million burning suns if you got hurt and no matter where you maybe in this world I will always and forever hold you near my heart until the last star burns in the sky." with this he kissed her soundly to ease her distress over his accident.

She watched the action unfolding on her ball. The sour taste of hatred on her tongue, she hissed at the scene and then screamed. Eleka mulled over her options on obtaining the now new skater Snookle. He had slipped from her grasp once before. She had not known he was portaling himself before and missed his name change for about a month he was missing from her minions radar.

"Nettogrof!" she screeched.

The timid young dark Fasoro scuttled to her feet cowering. "yes my darkest queen." he stammered. "of what service can I be to you?"

She brought the image of the young Snookle before his eyes, "His name is Dantillias, he is the future of our reign over Marada, he can see into the future, I want him here NOW!"

"Yes my lady" he said and scurried off in a hasty retreat

She stared at his face and her evil plot to gain his trust manifested in the utmost evilest ways, "If you can't join them, beat them with their stupid dreams!" she cackled and then hurried off to start the process of ruining one families life.

Lila received a free scratch and sniff card in her mail and didn't even know where or who it came from. It was an oddly shaped card like a moon with wings and it's purple color
and hologram reflective colors reminded her of something but she couldn't quite put her fingers on it.

She placed it on her counter and read over the last correspondence she got from Anne one of her best pals in Mara, she'd been on a bit of a break as of recently due to her health
but was back more often and Lila was happy to hear it. She picked up the card again and sniffed it, the smell was sickly sweet and made her head swim, just then Ragdonly and Dan walked in.

Ragdonly asked her what she had and Lila said
"Nothing" she placed the card down and forgot about it.

She seen Dans Injury but didn't think about it in the concerned matter she would usually muster and was more concerned to find out that Rags had a glitch in a cup...

"Oh my gosh!" she wailed "Let the poor thing out of that cup!" Lila grabbed the cup from Ragdonly's hand and went out to the yard and released the now coherent glitch.

"MOM! What are you doing!? That thing hurt Dan!" Ragdonly squealed in shock at her owner.

"All creatures are to be treated with the respect they deserve, how would you like to be put in a cup?" she shot back at Ragdonly with venom in her words, which was so unlike
Lila all together. Ragdonly cringed thinking Lila must have one of her headaches it was usually the only reason for when Lila got so cranky.

"S-sorry" Rags stammered and backed away.

She returned to the kitchen to find Dantillias standing there with the card in his hand. "Looks like your mom got a card from an admirer but there's no signature." He propped it up on the fridge.

"So whats your mom up to?" He asked , leaning against the counter he proceeded wrapping his hands and tail around Ragdonly's waist pulling her closer.

"Going nuts I think" she said with a confused look. "She released that glitch, it could cause more trouble and she let it go, even I know that's not like mom she hates them just as much as I do."

Dan looked down at Ragdonly with a bit of concern to but said, "maybe she's just having an off day. Why don't you ask your neighbours or your mom 's friends what they do with glitches maybe the reaction your mom had was just confusion on what to do, you might find answers that way."

"Ok."Ragdonly said "I'll be back soon" with that she kissed his nose and headed off for Shaggy's home first and then she'd go to Justin's place.

Dan was minding his business when Lila walked back in with a dark looking Fasoro at her side.

"Who's that?" Dan asked pointing to the obviously Eleka related creature.

"This is Nettogrof" Lila said with a smile. "I rescued him from the pound" she patted the creatures head, who in turn looked at Dan and licked his lips and grinned evilly.

A shuddering vision hit Dan with the force of a brick and he shrunk back from the evil creature Lila was patting. He had a vision of that thing leading Lila away, to where was not clear, but Dan knew in his gut it wasn't normal. This was the third time he had his weird 'waking dream' as he tend to call them, ominous feelings of pending dread that only he felt he could stop creeped into the back of his mind.

He looked at Lila who was merrily singing to herself and hugging the new found friend that creeped him out. He thought to himself, I know she's got an affection for Fasoros but this is beyond what I know... sighing he convinced himself out loud

"Get a grip Dan, and let it be she's probably got plans for that particular pet"

With that he went to the fridge to grab a bite to eat, only to find the creature of his wariness right beside him staring at him with hunger in its eyes. The card he had plopped on the fridge fluttered to the floor, It was the last thing Dan remembered.