OMG! I have to go get shots tomorrow! *Dies* I don't wanna get shots! Huh, they tell you it's like a mosquito bite, gosh, is going to swell up and itch too? Shots. Joy.

This story has sucked up all my time for other fanfictions! Feel lucky, I'm only working on this one right now :)

Assassin Author, the Pepsi was just for caffiene, Ayla is pretty much me, so she gets headachs without it, and diet Pepsi is her favorite, therfor being my favorite. By the way, I go back on the 7th too, I dread the day... *shudders*

In this chapter, you get to see what's supernatural! So if you don't like it, stop reading, because supernatural stuff ties into the plot from here on out!

-O-

"And the importance of this, is..?" Jinx asked, slightly confused, and fascinated by the phone.

"It belongs to my dad! And it's not dead, he must be down here!" Ayla said, her head was buzzing again, of all the times for her inner Rager to show.

"But, he could be dead, and the charge on phones last a long time, like two weeks, it doesn't take much time to be killed out here," Gregor said

"No, when I saw him last, two years ago, his phone was almost dead, I remember him complaining about it that morning, and he said he was going to charge it when he got back! And it's almost dead! I mean, this could have been dropped here only seven minutes or so, trust me, I know how this phone works," she said, starting to hyperventilate.

"Ayla, calm down, they're right, he could be dead, don't get your hopes up," Zeva patted her back with her tail.

"Fine, I won't get my hopes up... Wait, what's this?" Ayla said, looking at the banner on the screen. It read: Look up, don't scream, I love you.

"Ayla, you shouldn't look up," Gregor said, he had used his echolocation, she really shouldn't look up.

"No, I can handle it," her tone was icey. Ayla flipped on a flashlight, and looked up, "Daddy?" she asked.

-O-

A skeleton hung there. It was her dad. But more horrifying, was what held him.

"What is it?" Jinx asked, looking up at the other skeleton which held Ayla's father.

"I don't believe it... it's a dragon," she whispered.

"Dragon? Like spits fire, and hoards gold ?" Gregor asked.

Ayla scowled, "That's what everyone thinks, but they can breath other things, and they do not hoard treasure," she stated, "I went through a faze of warship," she said.

"But, they are myths, pure myth!" Luxa said.

"Think... Again..." a voice whispered. They all dropped into defensive positions.

"Who are you?" Ayla asked into the darkness, clicking every now and then in a futile attempt to echo locate.

"Be calm... you will know soon enough..." Ayla felt goose bumps rising on her arms, the voice was harsh and wispy, like thousands of the voices of the dead were speaking at once, writhing about the cave, "All in good time... go you to the Queen! Go..." it faded, and disappeared.

Her father's skeleton dropped. But before it hit the ground, the wispy voice came, but in her head.

"You have proven yourself... your courage will be rewarded..."

A roar echoed through the cavern, booming off the walls, then before her eyes, the skeleton jerked and moved, blood vessels began threading through the bones, lungs and other organs grew, then were sealed in by flesh. Clothes appeared last, jeans, a ragged t-shirt, and a pair of leather boots.

Instead of being rested on the floor gently, he dropped a few feet, and lay on the stone, unconscious.

"Dad?" Ayla asked cautiously. No answer.

Slowly, she walked over to were her father lay. A man in his early forties lay there, he had a scraggy black beard, and brown hair, it was him!

Luxa approched, and knealt by him.

"He lives, but is injured," she said, pointing to a long gash across his chest, and a large bump on the back of his head.

"No shit Sherlock," she thought,"What do we do with him, I know he won't be able to come," as much as Ayla hated saying it...

The gray bat Jiff, or Peanut-butter as Ayla called him, spoke up;

"I could take him back to Regalia, I am not metioned in this quest, I am not needed," he said, talking for the first time.

"And what, I leave you pups for a day and you get into trouble?" a leering voice asked from the shadows. Ripred.

"I've heard rumors about dragons, but never seen one, impressive they are," he said, finding a bone to gnaw on, "I do think he needs a doctor, yes, take him to Regalia as fast as possible," he said. Jiff looked at him stupidly for a moment, "Well? Go!" Ripred barked, clearly not in the best of moods.

Jiff dipped his head, and with the help of Luxa, pushed Ayla's dad onto his back.

"My mother is not going to believe this..." Ayla muttered, half to herself as the bat flew off.

"Well, we need to decide where we need to go, on this ledge, you can go almost any direction, all we need is a destination," Ripred gnawed on the bone a little more.

"Well, that voice said something about the Queen, and so does the Prophecy," Ayla said, pulling out her copy. Ripred rolled his eyes a little.

"Yes, it does say go to the Queen-" Ripred was interrupted by a snap from Ayla.

"The Bones betray the Secret! The Bones were my dad, and the dragon! They betrayed the Secret!" she was excited for a least the ninety billionth time that day.

"I guess, if you look at it the right way, and three over, two under, we know who that is, but what about the bodies will show? And it says you'll fall..." Gregor was doubtful.

"But the fall might not be literal falling like, 'I did not fall, I was testing Gravity,' kind of fall, like, death fall. Huh, that would suck..." she said, catching Gregor's drift, "My question is, who is the Queen?"

"It's a volcano," came from Silkfur, "They refure to it as Queen because it's the biggest volcano in the Scorched Lands, it was aptly named so during a quest the Warrior, and good Queen Luxa took," he said. Ayla raised an eyebrow "Intellectual geek? No freaking way," she thought

Silkfur sighed, "No, I am not an intellectual geek, whatever that is, I simply spent much time in a Library, trying to gather as much information before we left," he smirked at her expression.

"Silkfur, you didn't tell me you could smell thoughts too," Ripred prodded him with his tail.

-O-

Bwahahahaha! Short chapter, my bad, and another twist to the plot! Sorry this is so short, I'm leaving for two days, and there is no internet where I'm going, *shudders* but it will give me plenty of time to write new chapters for you awesome readers! :) I will be back around the 22nd, my birthday :D Bye! R&R!

AAST- Abbess and Recorder of Loamtree Abbey~ d:~)**(~:p