Panlong Tears & Love's Scales

"Let's get this over with." Pickle said. As much as he was worried about Celtic, he just wanted to go back to a normal life. He envied Heat... well, maybe not the potential warrant for his arrest... but for being able to live a normal life.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Wolfie questioned; his tone sad.

"I don't know." Pickle replied. He really didn't know if they'd be able to save Celtic, but he knew they would try.

"Which should we get first?" Wolfie asked.

"Let's get the hard one out of the way." Pickled said, Wolfie nodded. "Panlong tears... we should be able to find them where water, air, fire, and earth meet." They headed to one of the farthest points.

"I don't see any." Wolfie said. "Wait, there's one" A Panlong dragon came into view.

"Wolfie, what are you doing?" Pickle whispered when he noticed the General of Lightning start to approach the Panlong.

"Hiz." Wolfie said when the dragon noticed him and stopped. "Sorry to bother you but my friend needs your help." Innocently, Wolfie began to tell the Panlong dragon all about the Epic Battle and what has happened to Celtic. "That's why I need some of your tears." The dragon nodded, tears already pouring down its face. Collecting the tears into a vile, Wolfie felt great that his hair-brained scheme worked for once. "Thank you." Wolfie thanked the dragon and headed back over to Pickle.

"Not what I would have done..." Pickle said as Wolfie made his way back. He shrugged. "Well, whatever works, I guess."

"I can't believe that worked." Wolfie laughed as they headed towards their next goal. "Love's scales."

"Should be easy enough." Pickle felt hopeful that they'd be back at the island in a day or two.

"I just hope there are some around." Wolfie remembered how shy the Love dragons could be... it was extremely rare to find them in the wild except for a few weeks in February. "To the Berrywhite Mountains."

"Do you see any yet?" Pickle asked. They'd been hiding near the mountain range for hours.

"None." Wolfie replied. "Not as easy as you thought, huh?" He teased.

"Hush..." Pickle grumbled.

"Once we spot one, if you could it to like you, she might just give you the scale." Wolfie said. That earned a look from the Water General. "What?"

"I may consider myself a 'ladies' man' but I am not about to make a dragon like me!"

"You might not have to try hard." Wolfie pointed to an approaching Love dragon. "It looks like she's headed straight for you." He grinned.

"The things I do for Celt." Pickle muttered and then waited.

"Don't just stand there." Wolfie encouraged. Suddenly, Pickle found himself toe-to-claw with a Love dragon.

"Hello..." If it wasn't for a friend, Pickle would not be anywhere near a Lightning element dragon. His nerves were starting to show. He froze as the dragon stretched her neck and sniffed him. After she snorted, she turned her back to him and proceeded to head back the direction she had come from. Thinking quickly, Pickle tore a few scales from the dragon's tail.

"Run!" Wolfie yelled. He'd watched Pickle grab for the tail... not sure what he expected Pickle to do, but it definitely wasn't to pull scales off. Before Pickle could move, the Love dragon turned around and roared. AzuraLuna landed beside Pickle, ready to defend. The Love dragon decided not to pick a fight with the Blue Moon dragon.

"That was close." Pickle said as he and Wolfie made their way back to the island with their two ingredients.

"Any change?" Liber asked as he, Nate, Echo, and Wiz returned to the Island of Fire and Cold.

"None. Her breathing seems to have steadied though." Dt answered. "Have you learned anything?"

"Nothing yet." Nate said, sitting down. The four of them didn't get much sleep and they had decided to leave at first light. They were tired, but they made good time getting back.

"Here, Argyos." Echo handed Argyos the Butterfly chrysalis and the Terradiem leaves.

"You four need to get some rest." Argyos said, taking the items and placing them with the water from the Fountain of Youth.

"Argyos is right. You've done well, now rest. We can talk later." Dt pushed the four men to the tents they had set up out in the garden.

"What's the word, Shadow?" Justin asked, tapping his fingers on the table.

"Echo and Wiz have returned with the first two ingredients. Liber and Nate are back as well." Shadow paused, thinking of the best way to word the worst news his spies had told him.

"What?!" Justin noticed that Shadow was just staring at him.

"Her condition seems to be unchanging... Celtic's been unconscious for two weeks now. It seems Argyos and Dt fear they may lose her." Shadow said.

"I thought you said it wasn't lethal?!" Anger flared in Justin; everyone in the room jumped.

"It isn't... normally..." Shadow was at a loss as to why Celtic might die.

"Find out what's really going on!" Shadow bowed slightly and headed to send out more spies.