It's been a loooooong time hasn't it? I am so sorry. Hopefully this makes up for the wait
"Overlander? How can it be?" Mareth mutterded.
"No…it can't be my family. It just can't be," Gregor said, with a tinge of worry in his voice.
"No….it is not. I have heard of your family, one of them it is not," Doroto coughed out.
"Who could it be?" Gregor asked.
"I am sure of it not. Can you lead us there?" Mareth asked.
"Yes, but I am very weak," Doroto said.
"Here, eat this," Luxa told as she gave Doroto a piece of bread.
Doroto thankfully took the bread and ate it slowly. He had a tough time swallowing the dry bread so Gregor gave him some water to wash it down easier. When Doroto was done, Mareth and Howard helped prop him up against the rock wall. Doroto looked around the tunnel and at the group. He shifted his weight and let out a shrill shriek.
"Are you hurt?" Howard asked as he ran over with a first aid kit.
"Yes, it may be my leg," Doroto said with a sigh.
Howard looked at both of Doroto's legs and picked out one that seemed out of the ordinary. He told Doroto is looked swollen and it was most likely broken. Howard rummaged through the first aid kit and picked out a bottle of pills and a roll of spider silk and a splint. Howard took Doroto's left leg and placed the splint under it and used the roll of spider silk to keep the splint in place, and then he took two pills and had Doroto swallow them with water.
Doroto soon fell asleep. There was nothing the group could do but fall asleep also, they couldn't travel with a crippled flier. Boots curled up with Gregor but was restless; she had gotten too much sleep the night before to sleep again. Gregor sat up and told Boots to go play with Hazard, quietly. Boots got up and walked over to Hazard and began to talk in a mix of crawler and human. Gregor soon fell asleep. He hadn't gotten much sleep from Boots kicking him and stealing his blankets.
Gregor woke up from the sound of Ripred and Mareth arguing. They were bickering about how Ripred wanted to find his pup as soon as possible but this flier would keep them from getting to it as soon as they could. Gregor got up and walked over to Mareth and Ripred.
"Ripred, we cannot go until Doroto feels well. It will take no longer than a few days," Mareth said, trying to convince Ripred to stay with the group.
"You are thinking of leaving?" Gregor asked.
"Yes boy, I cannot wait while my pup is out there with savages. They might get hungry!" Ripred hissed.
"We need you Ripred, you can't go on your own. What if they find you?" Gregor said.
"I can handle them, boy. I may need a few things though," Ripred replied as he began to rummage in the food basket.
Ripred pulled out a small box of cookies. He pulled the lid off with his teeth and put a sack of cream and shrimp sauce, and then he took two water sacks. "Help me over here, boy." Ripred said with his harness in his teeth. Gregor trudged over to Ripred and put the harness on him. Ripred told him to fix the two sacks onto the front of his harness so he could easily get to them. Gregor took the water sacks and clipped with onto the harness and handed Ripred his box of food.
"How are you to open those water sacks?" Luxa asked as she put her hands on her hips.
Ripred looked down at the sacks with a confused look on his face. "I will have to bite the caps off," he muttered.
"How will we find you again?" Gregor asked.
"I will find you. This old nose knows your scent by now," Ripred chuckled.
Ripred adjusted his harness and said his farewells, and then he walked out of the tunnel opening and onto the ash covered ground. Mareth shook his head and muttered something under his breath. Howard walked over to Doroto to check his leg and to see how he was feeling.
"I hope he stays safe," Gregor said.
"He will be fine, Gregor. That old rat knows what he is doing," Luxa said, then she gave Gregor a kiss on his cheek.
Gregor was starting to get used to his and Luxa's little relationship. Howard came over and told Mareth how Doroto was doing. He told him that Doroto said he could fly, but if he got tired from the pain pills he would have to be carried, which Ares volunteered himself to do the job.
"Ha, of course Ares steps up to the plate. What a little hero," Henry laughed from the back of the tunnel.
Ares got up in Henry's face, his ears pinned to his head. "Do you not understand how easily I could take your light?" Ares hissed.
"Try me…" Henry said, as he glared at Ares.
"Ares, we need him," Gregor said as he put his hand on Ares' chest.
"For what?" Ares spat.
"Well, we could always use him for bait," Gregor said as he shrugged his shoulders.
"You are beginning to speak like Ripred," Ares said.
"Yeah, well Ripred always brings life to the party. Maybe I should do it more often," Gregor replied.
"Maybe you should try it, Ares," Henry laughed.
"You, shut up," Gregor demanded, pointing at Henry.
"Must we fly out now?" Howard asked.
"Yes, pack up and then mount," Mareth ordered.
Gregor picked up a sleeping Boots and mounted Ares. Temp crawled up behind Gregor. Luxa helped pack up the baskets. When they were finished everyone mounted and flew out of the tunnel with Doroto leading the way. Doroto went through a twist of tunnels. If anyone wanted to turn back they were out of luck. Gregor clicked; under him was a small river of dirty, black water.
The group began to fly towards the ground. Doroto looked like he was having a hard time breathing. They had forgotten to make him a mask. But they hadn't worn any themselves because they didn't think their destination was far. Ares landed and Gregor walked over to Mareth and Howard who were talking to Doroto.
"Please, just go on. It is not much farther from here. Go through the opening and they will be there," Doroto coughed out.
"Here, take this," Gregor said as he put a mask over Doroto's face.
Howard opened a water sack and let Doroto take a long drink. Mareth told him they would soon be back and that if he needed anything he should just fly to him. Then Mareth told the other fliers to stay and take care of Doroto and to protect each other, if what Doroto said was true they didn't need to travel far to the mysterious being.
Gregor helped put a mask on everyone who needed one. He put a mask on and followed Mareth out of the tunnel. Dust rose from the ground and covered Gregor's clothes, he felt like a coal miner. The sound of something scratching on rock filled their ears. Mareth held out his hand, stopping the group in their tracks. Temp wiggled his antennae.
"Be it human, be it?" Temp asked.
"Is it?" Gregor asked.
"Yes, be it human be it?" Temp replied.
Mareth began towards another tunnel opening where a light showed through onto the dusty ground. There sat a figure draped in old, torn clothing, using a sharp tool to scratch into the rock wall. Sitting near him was a dust covered gnawer pup.
"Who be you?" Mareth called out.
The figure didn't reply so Mareth tried again.
"Who be it?" Mareth muttered.
Gregor's mind raced. And an image from a dream popped into his head. He then muttered "Sanwhich…."