Ruby was so tired she wanted to cry. Sheer pride and stubbornness kept her from breaking down in front of Wildwing and his team. She would be more likely to get compassion from one of those machines she destroyed than from them.
On legs shaking with fatigue, she very slowly made her way down the steep hill. She was eternally grateful that the earth spirits had insisted that she take the time to get to know them. She wouldn't have gotten away much less have The Mask if it weren't for them. They seemed starved for attention, if their actions were any indication.
How long had this world gone without a magic user? If it had been as long as she feared, she might have opened up a really big can of worms by coming here. The Elementals would have gone dormant without magic users around. If her being there suddenly woke them up, there could be some major problems. Elementals tended to not like surprises.
She put any thoughts of magical beings out of her mind and concentrated on making it down the hill in one piece. She didn't have the energy to create another light, so she had to rely on the light from the moon. It was taking her longer to get down the hill than it had to get up it.
She had perhaps made it about half way down when the air spirits went crazy around her. It took her some time to calm them down. By the time she had, she could hear what they had been trying to warn her about.
She looked up and saw the Aerowing not too far away. It was using a massive search light to illuminate the hillside. They were coming right for her and she knew that they were tracking her somehow.
She needed a place to hide. She desperately looked around and the earth spirits came to her rescue again. She grabbed a large pine cone off of the ground and headed for safety, despite the spitting and sparking salamander sitting on her beak.
It had taken the Mighty Ducks over an hour to finally get free. The earth spirits weren't about to let them go and kept pulling them back in every time they got out. In the end, they had to use the Aerowing and the rappelling lines to get out. Duke was going to have a bruise around his middle from the rope being tied around his waist.
They were tired, dirty and pretty angry by the time they got back on board. Wildwing knew she couldn't have gotten far. She had looked like she was ready to drop and only pure stubbornness had kept her upright.
"Any luck?" Wildwing asked Tanya.
"I've just finished calibrating the sensors to pick up her energy readings," Tanya answered as she pushed a few more buttons. "There! If she's within a half mile radius, she should show up on the screen."
At that moment, a blip appeared on the radar.
"There she is!" Wildwing exclaimed. "Great work, Tanya."
"Ahh, it was nothing," Tanya replied with a blush.
He turned on the search light as he maneuvered the air ship. He could see something moving through the trees and he carefully moved the Aerowing into position. Just when he thought he had her pinpointed, she disappeared. He could no longer see her on the ground and she wasn't on the radar either.
"Where the heck did she go!?" Wildwing demanded of no one. "Why isn't she on the radar!?"
"She should be," Tanya said worriedly as she furiously started checking the machine. "It's set to her energy readings."
"Can she teleport?" Mallory asked.
"If she could, wouldn't she have used it long before now?" Duke countered. "Like yesterday afternoon? Or when she was fighting Dragaunus's drones."
"I'm going down there," Wildwing stated as he switched the controls over to the copilot position. "Dive, take over."
"No problamo, bro," Nosedive replied.
"I'm going with you," Mallory stated.
"Fine," Wildwing agreed before turning to the oldest member of the team. "Duke, you up to joining us? I could use your tracking skills."
"Yeah, sure," Duke replied with a shrug. "I'm always up to being nearly sucked into the ground."
"I'll go down first," Wildwing stated. "If the spirits are still protecting her, then we won't go down. No sense in getting them riled up again."
"That sounded like it came straight from one of those silly ghost horror movies," Mallory muttered and Wildwing silently agreed with her.
"Dive, bring us over her last known location," Wildwing instructed as he opened the side door. "Tanya, Grin, watch the lines and get ready to pull us up at a moments notice."
"You got it," Tanya agreed.
A few minutes later, the three ducks were being lowered to the ground. Wildwing set down first. He didn't let go of his line until he was 100% sure he wasn't going to get sucked into the earth. As soon as he felt it was safe, he let go of his line and the other two joined him on terra firma.
"Dive, bring the search light around so we can see what we're doing," Wildwing instructed into his communicator.
"Will do, bro," Nosedive responded.
A few moments later, the area was flooded with light. With orders to stay within shouting distance of each other, the searchers went their separate ways. After nearly an hour of looking, Duke found something and called the other two over.
"What have you got?" Wildwing asked.
"Foot prints," he answered, indicating to the ground.
"So, now we know she came this way," Mallory stated. "But which way did she go?"
"That's just it," Duke replied as he pointed at the last clear foot print. "The prints just stop. There's plenty of soft dirt right here, so there's no reason for them to suddenly stop."
"Maybe she's in a tree?" Wildwing suggested, looking up.
"I don't think so," Duke stated. "None of the branches are low enough for her to jump up and grab. She didn't have any rope on her and her bag didn't look like it contained much of anything when she picked it up."
"Then we're back to her being able to teleport," Mallory pointed out.
"I don't think so," Wildwing responded. "I'm no scientist, but I know that teleporting would take a lot of energy. She looked like she was ready to drop. Besides, if she could teleport, why didn't she do that instead of fighting us yesterday? Or when she was fighting the hunter drones earlier?"
"You know, there might be a more down to earth explanation," Duke added.
"What would that be?" Wildwing asked.
"Well, if those earth spirits things could pull us down and keep us from chasing her, what's to say they can't just open a tunnel for her," Duke pointed out.
"In that case, she could be anywhere," Wildwing sighed in defeat and then he activated his communicator again. "Dive, we're coming back up."
"Any luck?" Nosedive asked as the Aerowing started to come closer.
"I'm afraid not, baby brother," Wildwing answered. "We'll discuss it when we're back up."
Getting back up into the ship took a bit more time, but they returned without any spirits bothering them. Once they were safely on board, Nosedive took them home. Meanwhile, Wildwing explained what they found and Duke's theory of where she disappeared to.
Soon, they landed back at The Pond. Exhausted, dirty and defeated, they slowly made their way down the gangplank.
"I want everyone to get some rest," Wildwing tiredly ordered. "We'll have practice after lunch."
"The mask is gone and you want to play hockey?" Mallory demanded.
"Mask or no mask, we have a game in a couple days," Wildwing reminded her. "We need to get some practice in if we're going to play a half decent game."
There was some grumbling, but they didn't argue with him. With shuffling feet, they staggered off to their rooms. Wildwing watched them go. In the year of being their captain, he had never seen them so defeated in either body or spirit.
"Well?" Dragaunus growled upon Wraith's return. "Where is the carcass of the mage you promised me?"
"It seems the mage wasn't what I was expecting, my lord," Wraith started.
"And what were you expecting?" Dragaunus snarled.
"A male, first of all," Wraith started to explain.
"Are you telling me that over a hundred hunter drones couldn't defeat one female mage?" Dragaunus yelled. "A mage who's feather you used to make sure the drones only went after her?"
"It was more than that, sire," Wraith hastily continued. "Those cursed ducks showed up and started destroying the drones."
"So the reason you're not presenting me with this mage's head is because of Wildwing and his team?" Dragaunus demanded.
"No, my lord," Wraith stated with dread. "The plan was doomed from the start because of the Phoenix."
Ruby stumbled along the dark tunnel, though it was really more of a moving bubble through the dirt, rocks and roots. She was beyond exhausted and she just wanted to fall down and sleep for a week. However, she needed to get back to her hotel room before she could do that.
The salamander didn't like being underground and it was taking its stress out on eating the pine cone she had picked up. She was going to have to find it something else to eat soon. On the plus side, the little Elemental was at least giving her light to walk by even if it wasn't much.
She wasn't sure how long she had been underground, but it was starting to feel like forever. She just wished she could be back home, back before the Saurians had ruined everyone's lives. But she knew that she could never go home again and with a heavy heart, she kept moving.
When a wave of cool air hit her in the beak, it took her a moment to realize that they had finally reached the park entrance. With a sigh of relief, she stepped out into the cool night air. The sun wouldn't be up for a couple more hours, but the moon was nearing the horizon. As the hole in the hillside closed, she realized that she wasn't as close to the park exit as she had hoped to be. At least the Mighty Ducks and the Saurians were nowhere to be seen and she was well past the river. She stepped onto the path and started to head for the park exit only to stop dead in her tracks.
She hadn't seen him get on the path, but when you get to be as old and powerful as this Elemental, people only saw you if you wanted them to. This mighty Forest Lord definitely wanted her to see him. She tried not to stare, but he was magnificent.
She didn't know how big deer got on this planet, but she was fairly sure it wasn't this big. She only came up to his shoulder and his rack of antlers were so large, no mortal animal would be able to hold his head up. He was pure white and he glowed. She was completely mesmerized by him.
You have woken me from my slumber, little one, He said in a voice that wasn't heard by ears.
The salamander gave a startled hiss and then saw who had spoken. With a spark of fear, it immediately skittered up her arm and hid under her hair. She couldn't say that she blamed it as it started to tremble.
"I am sorry, mighty one," she barely whispered, finally managing to look away. "It was not my intent to disturb you."
It has been so long since one with magic in their soul has been here, He stated. But you don't belong here.
"No, I don't," she agreed. "When I came here, it was not my intent to stay long. I'm now stuck here with no way to get home."
He came closer to her until his nose nearly touched the exposed feathers on her chest. She barely dared to breathe. She could feel his power washing over her. As much as she needed a boost, he had not given the power to her, so she did not dare touch it.
You carry one of us within you, He stated unhappily.
"I was not the one who trapped her," she hastily told him. "She chose me to carry her."
And now that you have her, what are your intentions? He asked as he loomed over her.
"I don't know," she answered. "None have survived being partnered with her. I'm afraid."
As well you should be, He growled as he slowly walked around her. A Power that old does not handle prison well. She is very angry and her wrath has been riled. She is what woke me. How is it that she is still a prisoner after all this time?
"The spell that trapped her is worked in such a way that only someone who can control her can finally release her," she explained while the giant white stag continued to walk behind her. "No one has been able to do that."
And you think you can? He questioned.
"No," she answered sadly. "All I can hope for is to make my death meaningful."
So you have resigned yourself to death, He stated. Then you are already dead.
"How can I possibly hope to control her?" she inquired a bit heatedly.
You find something to live for, He answered.
"My family and friends are either dead or on another planet. I'll never see them again," she pointed out hopelessly. "I will never find love."
Are you so sure? He asked, sounding amused. Do you really think love is beyond you?
"The Saurian wizards made sure of it," she bitterly spat out. "The curse they put on the mages made sure we would always be alone."
The stag said nothing to this as he continued to slowly walk around her. She was so tired, physically, emotionally and spiritually. She had no hope, just duty to live for. She hadn't even realized that she was crying until a warm, wet tongue licked her cheek. She started, shocked that he would touch her.
Do not despair, little one, He comforted. The wizards are not as powerful as they think they are and curses can be broken.
He licked her other cheek and then continued walking around her. He surprised her again by gently touching the back of her neck with his soft muzzle. The salamander immediately ran down her front and hid in her bra. His amused chuckling filled her mind.
What are your plans for that one? He questioned.
"I'm not sure," she replied as she tried not to squirm when the little Elemental found a sensitive spot. "You wouldn't know of any erupting volcanoes, would you?"
None that you could safely or easily get to, He replied as he passed in front of her again.
"I'm not sure what I can do with it," she admitted.
Him, He told her as he continued to walk. You created a him.
"I didn't mean to," she stated.
It does not matter whether you meant to or not, he is here and he is your responsibility, He retorted and she could feel his hot breath moving her hair. Throwing him into a volcano will consign him to death.
"Oh, I didn't know," she said in a small voice.
At least you only created a salamander, He said. They are the smallest of my fiery brethren.
"But doesn't he need fire to survive?" she asked.
No, it just makes it easier for them to hide, he told her as he stopped in front of her.
Belatedly, she realized what he had been doing. She doubted she could have stopped him if she had realized what he was doing sooner. He had circled her three times and licked her tears.
"Why have you bound me to you?" she questioned as scared as the trembling salamander in her bra.
Better me than some others, he told her as he knelt down. We will not discuss this now. Get on. I will take you back to the place you have claimed as your own.
She couldn't have argued with him if she had wanted to. With a sigh of resignation, she climbed onto his back. The salamander immediately made a beeline for the top of her head.
Hold on, He warned as he got to his feet.
She tightened her legs around his chest and grabbed the sides of his neck, being careful not to dig her fingers in. Her body buzzed with all of the energy he produced and she swallowed her nervousness. She felt his muscles bunching underneath her and she tightened her hold.
He gave a mighty leap, going higher and farther than any mortal animal could go. He landed by the gate to the park and she saw him briefly put his ears back. Before she could fully process that movement, they were in the air again.
Houses passed underneath them as they soared by. A brief landing in someone's yard and then they were off again, leaving behind not so much as a hoof print. Leap after leap they made.
As they got closer to downtown and places of open ground became fewer and fewer, he started landing on the tops of trees. The branches barely even bowed under their weight and only a few leaves shook loose when they leaped away.
She didn't ask how he found the motel she was staying at. What would be the point? He was a magical being and could do almost anything he wanted.
They landed in a small strip of plants next to the parking lot. He knelt down again and she climbed off of his back. Her shaky legs barely held her, but she managed to stay up.
When you are fully rested and fed and your energy is restored, you will return to me, He ordered.
With that dictate given, he leaped away without a backwards glance.