Public service announcement, I guess: please don't harass other authors, or be toxic to people. I had a dude (who I will not name) demand in the PMs that I wrote this certain story idea he had, under the guise of a 'suggestion'. He kept peddling it to me after a declined. I blocked him, but I thought I would do the site a favor a leave this message here, so hopefully more people see it. Please don't be toxic and strong arm people into writing your idea's or you or pester authors in any way; its demotivating and toxic as hell.
Ok, got that out of my system; a bit after the fact of this chapter already being posted, but I feel it better to leave this on my most popular story, while its' fresh in my mind.
Ok, ramble over. Right, now the thing you are all really here for...
Well here it is, a new chapter spawning out of nowhere, after a random amount of time with no updates. The typical fan fiction schedule, really.
Also to the recent reviews I got:
YogurtBear: Thank you so much, I appreciate the kind words. Yeah, I am trying to add more to spice things up in this story. Glad you like it.
Also, again, I am sorry this story got so damn long. I know I said this already, but I promise to keep this streamlined as much as I can, without rushing it.
X-game: I did note this in the pm, but yeah I saw your story. Awesome work on, hope you keep it up.
Ultimate CCC: I appreciate consistently commenting on my story. Thanks for the praise.
Tricky and Kyte sat near their tribe's respective captains, listening to them arguing endlessly.
Neither one of the two children was particularly surprised by this, however. Just because their rulers ordered it, didn't mean the captains would exactly get along.
The pair had both been arguing about the best course of action to take for the falls, assuming the Sharpclaw came back.
Kyte sat on Randorn's shoulders, with an unamused look on her face.
"Maybe we should have a word?" She suggested.
Randorn looked up at her. "No, not yet. Let's see if they come to an agreement. Then I will say something." The wizard replied.
Kyte huffed. As the princess, her word technically had weight, but she was only a child. Authority was given with respect and experience in her tribe, and a young princess could do little to sway the opinions of her tribe's military leaders.
"We should position most of our troops on the Earthwalker side of the falls. We have reasons to believe the Sharpclaw will try attacking there again!" The Earthwalker captain spat.
The Cloudrunner growled. "You ask that I give you most of my soldiers, to defend your tribe's sides Why should we put our own soldiers at such risk? What about this end of the falls? We both pushed the Sharpclaw back, but we don't know what they could be doing."
The kids and Randorn both sighed again.
Randorn sighed, and backtracked on his own suggestion, instead deciding to step in. He had been patient, but it was clear they were arguing in a circle. He approached the pair, hopping off his shoulder and clearing his throat. Kyte, however, landed on Tricky, who sighed. She had a habit of perching on others, it seemed.
"Pardon my intrusions, captains, but might I say something," Randorn spoke. Both captains turned to the elder. They both stopped talking for a bit, and after a few moments, nodded. The wizard seemed a respectable sort to them.
"Thank you. I mean no offense, but this is getting us nowhere. Perhaps you could devise troops on both ends equally?" He suggested.
The Earthwalker looked up. "Of course, we thought of that." He scoffed.
"Then why have you not-"
"Captain Herris here does not want to 'waste his men guarding our side', so he claims."
The Cloudrunner captain frowned. "Why should I if you Earthwalkers won't lend us support?" He growled.
"We are more than willing to, if you would-" The Earthwalker was about to retort before the sound of wings flapping alerted the group to the
Abruptly, however, a new Cloudrunner flew in. All bickering stopped, and the group looked up at him.
"Sir. Scouts sighted Hookclaws near the perimeter wall. We think they are going to try to breach the main gate."
The captain growled. "Probably more out there. Might have something to do with the Sharpclaw." He growled.
"Converge on the wall and assist the Earthwalkers." He ordered. The soldier flew off, and the captain turned to the Earthwalker captain.
"We shelve this for now." He said sternly.
Both dinosaurs turned away each, and the Earthwalker bolted back in the direction of his soldiers. The Cloudrunner turned towards Randorn and Kyte.
"I am needed at the wall. Can I count on you to help?"
Randorn nodded. 'Of course"
"Good. Follow me. My soldiers will take care of the princess and the earthwalker prince." He noted.
The captain took flight, and the others followed behind him towards the meeting place.
Only a couple of minute later, Randorn and the kids had arrived at the wall's main gate. He quickly passed off Kyte and Tricky to some of their respective tribe's soldiers and converged in at the gate with the captains and some of their soldiers. The rest of the soldiers were orderd to specific vantage points along the perimeter.
As Randorn got closer, he addressed the Cloudrunner captain. "SO hat's the situation?"
The captain turned and addressed the wizard. "Damn Hookclaws are hiding the foliage. They act on instinct but are more intelligent than we give them credit for. We think they intend to hit our main force here. The thing is, we have no real way of knowing where they might be, as they are infamous for their stealth capabilities. We do, however, know their tactics. They are ambush predators, and pick off isolated individuals." He explained.
"So group everyone together and hope for the best?" Randorn inquired.
The Earthwalker captain spoke up. "Best we can do, really. They are nothing if not unpredictable. Our soldiers along the perimeter on in groups. With any luck, they will spot some coming and warn us in time."
Randorn frowned and nodded. "Very well then. Let us-" He spoke before he sensed something.
He turned around and scanned the foliage in the area. He sensed only trace thoughts and intent, but it was enough to tip him off to the Hookclaw's presence nearby. Their thought process was mostly primal and instinctive, but there was at least some cunning within their primitive brains.
"They here, I sense it!' He announced. None of the Saurian's presence bothered questioning what he meant by sensed', and readied themselves for battle.
Randorn drew his staff, and began charging an ice blast. He and the others present grew tense, as the anticipation washed over them, followed by anxiety. They could not predict what this enemy would do.
They could only trust their sense and hope for the best.
Sure enough, their waiting did not last long. A few Hookclaws dropped out of the trees. Randorn only saw them for a moment but took in their appearance: Bipedal velociraptors, with dark colored scales, and stubby arms. They had long legs, agile builds, and stood close to Randorn's standing height.
"They're here!" Randorn shouted.
Within seconds, the scene descends into chaos.
Hookclaws began attacking on all sides, as the Earthwalkers formed a perimeter around each other, while others of them began charging the raptors, in a 'wall' formation.
The Cloudrunners each took flight, trying their best to pick off Hookclaw's with their talons, and fire breaths. Bursts of fire flew across the scene, scoring the ground and any Hookclaw unlucky enough to get hit.
Randorn himself focused his telepathy, trying to predict any strikes that came his way.
Predicting an assault, he turned and froze a Hookclaw's head with his staff, before he finished it with a fire blast to head, once it was on the ground.
Within a few seconds, however, another predator was already on him. Predicting its attack, he side-stepped it, and stabbed it with the sharp bottom end of his staff. The Hookclaw died quickly, not being built to take blows.
Randorn took half a second to survey his surroundings. Hookclaw's were trying to jump on and bite the Earthwalkers; succeeding in some cases, but only inflicting a few gashes or mild cuts. Being so fragile, it would take a few Hookclaws to bring down a single Earthwalker. Luckily, the larger dinosaurs had their friends around to protect one another.
The Cloudrunners, meanwhile, were converting over the Earthwalker's as well, some clawing Hookclaw's off the backs of Earthwalkers who had fallen out of their groups in the chaos.
Randorn ducked as another Hookclaw tried to jump him, but he quickly dispatched it. Right after that, two more came out of nowhere, but he quickly sidestepped their assaults, and killed them with well-placed fire blasts, leaving smoking burns on the sides of their necks and heads.
Nearby, Randorn sighted the Earthwalker's captain bashing away Hookclaws, while the Cloudrunner's captain Herris dispatched any Hookclaw's who climbed onto the Earthwalkers.
The fighting went on for only a few minutes more. Randorn continued to predict and down any Hookclaw who came his way, while the Saurians contoured to work together to pick off any Hookclaws who dared approach them.
Sure enough, the hookclaw attacks subsided and any hookclaws left grew wise and fled back into the foliage.
Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief, as the battle ended soon after.
Both captains wasted no time addressing their respective troops.
Giving them a minute or to converse with their tribes, Randorn decided to be the liaisons between the groups.
"Everyone ok?" He asked, as he put away his staff. The captains turned to him, with the Earthwalker being the first to speak up.
"A few injuries, but no casualties."
Herris looked toward the wizard. "Minimal injuries on my tribe." He said as he turned towards his soldiers. "Get some medical supplies for the Earthwalkers." He ordered. The soldiers complied and flew off.
He then addressed the Earthwalkers. "Well, I will admit, you all fought well there. Those Hookclaws would have had a hard time reaching us in the air, but with your assistance, I think we did them in a bit faster than my tribe could have on his own.' He said, in a somewhat haguty tone.
The Earthwalker captain laughed. "I will take that as a compliant. You did well yourselves, I will say. Kepeing them off my soldiers like that. Perhaps we should thank you."
Randorn gave a slight chuckle. 'All it took for you lot to get along was a bit of battle?" He asked, with a laugh.
Both Saurians shrugged as best they could.
"Something like that, I guess. But we know now we work better in a team…" Herris stated.
Before he could continue, a few soldiers came in with Kyte and Tricky, who ran up to Randorn.
"Randorn, is everything ok? We got worried after the attack ended." Kyte announced.
A Cloudruuner near here shook his head. 'She and the prince kept insisting we come as soon as we could. Once we heard the fighting end, she nearly bolted out." He said, noting the bodies of the Hookclaws around them. "Seems like you all handled it pretty well."
Randorn nodded, as he addressed the children. "Not to fear, little ones, all is well." He said simply.
He was about to speak up, when he noticed Fox and Krystal walking back in on the scene. He nearly laughed at their convenient timing.
The pair noted the scene briefly, before looking to their wards and Randorn. They ran over, and Krystal gave her father a hug, which he returned.
"Good to see you all are in one piece. Hell of an attack, it seems." Fox said, looking around at the Hookclaw bodies. The Saurian soldiers, meanwhile, were attending to one another, leaving the outworlders to their own devices for the second.
"Indeed. Hookclaws attacked, as you might have guessed, but we have no casualties. Hookclaws were not meant to attack large groups like this. They are ambush predators; they isolate their prey, usually. Guess they got a bit cocky?" He mused.
Fox shrugged. "Sorry we weren't here to help, but we at least got the spirit."
"Well done. " he said, noting the purple glow in Fox's eyes.
Krystal huffed. "That's not all. Forgive me, but I feel it best to tell you this now." She said sternly, getting her father and ward's attention.
"We fear Drakor might be back. You see, an assailant from off-world ambushed us after we exited the shrine. We defeated him, but he caught me off guard by stating… something rather shocking." She grimaced.
Randorn raised a brow, shocked. He was worried to hear Krystal had been ambushed but took solace in the fact she was here now and safe. "How could he be here? What did he say?"
Krystal sighed. "He claimed our people were blind to the scheme of Drakor's. Before that, he taunted me about Cerinia's doom. But… I can't validate anything he said." She said, exasperated. "He had some kind of helmet stopping me from reading his mind, but the fact he would bring up Drakor and Cerinia like that… There is no way he could have had that kind of information just randomly. If Drakor was involved somehow…" She shook her head. "I don't know what to think."
'Forgive me, Krystal. I am at a loss for words. I… if Drakor really is involved in Cerinia's destruction… then he must be stopped.' Randorn said, uncharacteristic anger briefly overtaking his mind. "I refuse to let another world suffer the fate of our home." He calmed himself a bit, before collecting his bearings.
Krystal sighed again. . Fox, meanwhile, just shook his head., not sure what to say.
Kyte and Tricky, meanwhile, were shocked.
'Wait, Drakor!? The one from the legends? He's-?" Kyte gasped.
'No way." Tricky said, bemused.
Krystal turned and addressed the two. "I don't know how little ones. But we need to inform your tribes." She said, standing up again.
Randorn nodded and singled over the two captains, who were still in range.
Both noticed and came over quickly.
"Ah, you two are back! Good to see you the trail went well.' Herris said.
"Thanks, but we have a situation. Forgive me if I am blunt, but we fear Drakor might be present in the world."
Both captains looked p.
Fox sighed and began to explain things to them for a minute or so, while Tricky wandered off a bit, to get a closer look at the Hookclaw. Krystal and Randorn conversed with each other and Kyte. Fox made sure to note the location of Vulga's body as well.
After a few minutes, Fox was done explaining.
"To think he could have survived for so long…" Herris muttered.
The Earthwalker looked lost in thought. He shook his head. " I see then. I am not quite sure how to respond to such a claim, but I will ensure my tribes looks into it, as much as we can." He responded.
"I will have scouts inform my tribe's fortress, as well as the Earthwalker queen in Thorntail Hollow." Herris stated before he flew off.
Fox sighed again, not sure what to even make of the matter anymore. All he had to go on was second hadn't information and no leads, besides some speculation about what he knew of Drakor's possible involvement with the Venom army.
Across the clearing, Tricky was busy inspecting the Hookclaws, having been curious about what they looked like close up. As he did, he failed to notice something moving in the foliage above him. Soon enough ,he was satisfied with his inspection and turned to go back to the others.
A few meters behind the prince, however, a dinosaur suddenly dropped out of the trees. One of the Earthwalkers spotted the predator almost instantly.
"Look out!" He cried, alerting the camp and the prince to the Hookclaw.
"Wha- Ahh!" Tricky cried.
The next few moments happened quickly. Various Cloudrunner and Earthwalkers made to run over, but they were too far away to reach the prince in time. Within half a second, the hookclaw was closing the gap between it and the prince, even as he bolted as fast as he could.
Krystal turned around quickly, panicking. She drew her staff as quick as she could, but realized in an instant she could not get a bead on the Hookclaw. At least not fast enough. Her staff was not exactly a quickdraw weapon, neither was its fire blaster.
Fox, having seen what happened, quickly made to grab his pistol from its holster. In his panic, he fumbled just slightly but managed to unholster it and draw.
Already, the hook claw was nearly on top of the prince, about to sink its sharp teeth into his hide. Fox panicked internally.
But before he could even finish pointing his gun, a red burst of energy had been launched from at the Hookclaw, searing it to death.
Fox and the others stood dumbfounded for a brief second before everyone looked up. Tricky stopped dead, his heart having likely skipped a few beats. He was breathing heavily.
The Cloudrunner Captain was hovering overhead, a stern look on his face. He landed over the body ensuring it was dead.
Meanwhile, after the entire camp breathed a collective sigh of relief, a Krystal, Fox, Kyte, and a few Earthwalkers ran over to where the prince was, looking him over.
"Are you ok?" Krystal and Fox both asked in unison.
"You're highness, are you hurt?" A soldier inquired.
"Tricky, speak to me!" Kyte urged.
His guardians surveyed him for any kind of wounds but found none. They both sighed in relief again, as Tricky recollected his bearings.
"I'm alright." He said, before turning to the Cloudrunner captain.
'Thank you.' Tricky said. The large Cloudrunner looked up from the Hookclaw body, and over at the child, his face still neutral.
"No problem, kid." Herris said, before turning back towards his men.
Briefly, the vulpines overheard the Earthwalker captain mutter something under his breath.
"Maybe he's not so bad after all." He muttered, before turning towards his men.
Tricky then addressed his friends. "I am fine, don't worry guys. Just a bit shook." He admitted.
Kyte landed on him and gave him a hug. "Oh, uh, thank you.' He said.
With their ward's safety ensured, they Fox and his friends reconvened to discuss their next move. The two Cerinians certainly had more they wished to discuss Drakor, but neither wanted to do it right this moment. Subconsciously, both opted to wait until they had calmed down a bit and had better states of mind. It was a heavy subject to discuss, and both had just come fresh out of battle.
Only a little while later, Fox's group had already departed the falls. They had little reason to linger there, really. After the attack, the two groups of soldiers quickly realized the value in working together. Any lingering animosities between them had been swept aside, so the group could tell. Surely it was not that simple, but the two groups seemed to a least be starting to find common ground.
Their goodbye was mostly abrupt and simple. Not much to linger on. They had to continue their quest and had no more business in the falls. Tricky had taken to leading the group on the path back towards the hollow. Whatever other things lay at the falls, the group would have to look into later.
The group was now making headway through the jungle, circling back towards the path to the hollow, which they knew to go through Lightfoot territory. As they did though, the Cerinian family could not shake their feelings.
They need not be telepathic to know each of them wanted to talk. With a glance to one another, they got the message across. Krystal, who was at the back of the group, looked to her young ward, riding on her shoulder yet again.
"Excuse me Kyte?" She said.
Kyte leaned in. "Yes, Krystal?" She asked, innocently.
"Could you go join the others for a moment? Dad and I wanted to talk."
Kyte nodded. 'Alright, I understand." She said politely, fluttering over to Fox and perching on his shoulder, to his surprise. She lands on his bag without a word.
"Kyte?" He muttered, in surprise.
"Krystal needed a moment." She responded.
Tricky and Fox looked back at the Cerinians.
"Yeah. Sorry, but can dad and I have a moment alone?" She asked.
Fox and the kids nodded. "Of course. Come on, kids." He said, walking a bit further ahead, with the kids in tow.
Randorn sighed and turned to Krystal.
"Thank you. To address the elephant in the room… I am… concerned about Drakor's presence." He spoke bluntly.
Krystal could tell they were on the same wavelength already. "… Do you think it's true then; could he have had a hand in Cerinia's downfall?" She asked.
Randorn nodded. 'Perhaps. Its just speculation from a second-hand source, but if he is still alive, it makes sense he would have wanted to destroy a world so important to the Krazoa." He noted.
Krystal, in an uncharacteristic display of anger, stomped on the ground, a few tears evident. She took only a few moments to breathe deeply and calm herself. "It's like a cruel joke, you know." She said, a bit irritably. "I search endlessly for answers for months and found nothing. And yet, just after I finally accept I may not find the answers I seek, some random assassin just shouts what very much might be it? I shouldn't even believe his word, and yet I find it hard to believe he would bring up a name like Drakor out of the blue like that." She noted. "I mean, who else could have sent him? If it were Scales, he would have said something, I am sure."
Randorn sighed and pulled his daughter in for a hug. He the two foxes embraced for a minute, before letting go.
"I am sorry Krystal, I truly do not know." He said.
Krystal nodded but huffed. "I do know one thing, though…" She said, looking aside. "If Drakor is still out there, here on Sauria even… there will be hell to pay for what he did; for all the lives he took, and threatens here." He she affirmed.
Randorn nodded. 'Indeed. I am not one for vengeance, but we will see justice done." He nodded.
Krystla looked at him. "Its justice I seek for our people's fate." She then thought of Kyte and Tricky. "And for the dinosaurs of Sauria. If Drakor has any kind of hand in Scales' subjugation of this world… then we must find him and stop him." She affirmed.
Randorn nodded. 'Of course, but we cannot jump to conclusions. We do not know for certain what hand he has in all this. For now, we must continue our quest. Perhaps in doing so, we will find the clues we need." He affirmed.
Krystal nodded. Contnet with this for now, and feeling better to have vented, she turned back in the direction they were walking just prior. "Come on, let's catch up with the others." She said, leading her father over to where Fox and their wards were.
Sorry if the end of the Discovery falls stuff was bit quick, but we had spent enough time there as it was. There were so many plot developments there, the plot itself was beginning to slow down. I don't want to needlessly drag this out. So, here we are.
Also, unrelated note, but I wanted to vent my thoughts; is it weird that I find all the fanfictions of the sight a bit… overwhelming? I mean there are just so many stories and many of them are long. Heck, I never really intended this one to get so long either. Normally, the length of this story would be a turn-off for me but, I guess its different for me since I am the one writing it. Additionally, I feel my interest shift more and more to comics and visual mediums; but I still enjoy writing my stories and intend to finish this one out strong.
Well, until next time.