Up in the sky, Madison and her friends kept on flying in the sky as they were searching Derek's castle. Madison looked at the sky to see that it was starting to change as the sun will go down soon. But when she looked at Odette, she looked very concern as she was looking down at the trees.
"Something wrong, Odette?" Madison asked as she looked at the princess.
"We better keep an eye out for hunters." she spoke as she looked at her and Puffin.
Madison nods her head in agreement. Knowing that Derek and his friend, Bromley are out hunting in the woods to find the Great Animal and to find Odette.
Puffin chuckles and spoke, "At ease, Odette. I can smell a human a mile away."
Suddenly, an arrow came flying up out of nowhere and almost hit Puffin. Causing the bird and Madison to shriek and Odette gasped.
"Wha...? Was that an arrow?!" Madison questioned in shocked.
"Where did that come from?" Puffin wondered as he looked down until all three heard a voice that was actually from Bromley's.
"Derek?! Alex?!"
That one name that Madison heard made her froze as she couldn't believe what she just heard. Odette have heard another named and gasped.
"Derek! He's here!" the princess said as she felt with hope in her.
"Did I hear him say Alex? Surely that cannot be..."
Just before Odette was about to fly down, Puffin stopped her as he was in front of her.
"You will not lose control. You will follow the plan as outlined." he said as he tried holding her, but the princess was resisting. "Acknowledge. Acknowledge!"
Madison watched as Puffin tries to stop her, but the princess quickly flew past him as she was heading towards the forest. Madison had no choice but to quickly follow her as she also heard Puffin's voice hollering to them.
In the forest, Derrek and Alex kept searching as they were still on their guard. Zor, was now hiding in his master's satchel, feeling as though his little heart was pounding like he's scared. But he's a dragon and dragons aren't supposed to be afraid of everything or anything. As the two young men stayed close, they looked around to see if anyone was around until they heard a branch snapped. The two quickly dodged into another spot and armed their bows and arrows, pointing to different directions but then only heard noises from the birds.
Once everything was clear, the two continued their search as they walked away until the prince looked at Alex as he notices something.
"Alex..." he spoke, "the necklace. It's glowing."
Alex looked down at Madison's necklace and the gem was indeed glowing. Zor popped his head out of the satchel and looked at the necklace as he saw the glow. As all three stared at the gem, a beam somehow went straight to a different direction as they were pointing at something. Zor quickly got out of the satchel and climbed up to his master's shoulder.
The three still stare at the beam until Zor broke the silence as he chirped. The two men looked at him and saw that his tail was pointing, squeaking with his sounds as he was trying to tell them something.
"What does this mean?" Derek questioned as he continued to stare at the beam.
"I don't know." Alex answered as he looked back at the necklace and thought of something.
He tried to face another direction but only to the beam was facing the same direction from before. He tried a different direction, but the beam was still pointing the same thing.
"I guess we go that." Alex pointed to the direction.
"How do you know?" Derek asked and Alex shrugged.
"I guess it's pointing for something. Could be the Great Animal or... maybe where my girlfriend is."
Derek slowly nodded. His thoughts were now to thinking that if the necklace was pointing to where Madison is, then maybe he'll find Odette as well. While the two start following the beam as Zor was hanging on to Alex's shoulder, Odette and Madison, as they were on the other side of the forest, continued to search for them while Puffin follows them.
Suddenly, Madison felt something strange as she stopped her pace. Odette stopped for a moment and looked at her friend.
"Madison, what's wrong?"
"I don't know... I felt something strange. I don't what it is, but it felt close." she replied and looked at the princess. "Let's keep going."
As the two continued flying, Madison felt the strange feeling that was getting closer until she along with Odette stopped as they something or someone. They saw two familiar men out hunting with their bows and arrows. The princess looked at one of men carefully realized who that was as she gasped.
"Derek." she whispered and flew towards him.
Madison quickly followed her as they were heading straight towards the men. Since the one man was Prince Derek, Madison looked at the other carefully and then she couldn't believe her eyes.
"Alex?"
Alex and Derek looked around until they noticed a bright light coming towards them. The two quickly hid behind the tree and looked carefully at the light as it was getting closer. Alex looked at necklace as the beam was pointing straight towards the light and the two men watched until they spotted two beautiful birds flying towards them.
"Are those...?" Alex whispered as he looked at them.
Zor looked at the birds and noticed they were swans.
"Swans?" Derek questioned as he looked at them. "A swan! Of course, It's not what it seems!"
"But which one is the Great Animal? There can't possibly be two." said Alex.
"Only one way to find out." said the prince as he got his bow and arrow ready. "Just a little closer… Come on… Come on…" Derek sees the swans coming closer and popped out, "This one's for Odette!"
Madison stopped flying and gasped as Derek was about to fire his aim until she heard Puffin's scream.
"Ah! Girls!" he shrieked and quickly flew off to push Odette away from the flying arrow. Madison quickly dodged from it and flew up to catch up with her friends. Derek was shocked to see them got away but he wasn't giving up.
"Come on!" he spoke to Alex and the two starts following them.
"Oh, phew. Oh, that was close!" said Puffin as he and the girls were flying up in the sky.
"I was almost about to be a dead bird by now." said Madison as he and Puffin starts looking down at the forest to see the two men following them.
"It's working! Here he comes." said Puffin as he was smiling to see Derek running behind them along with Alex, but as he looked at Odette, he along with Madison saw that Odette was flying faster. "Hey, slow down, you're going to lose him!"
Madison looked down to see Alex with the prince, but as she noticed the beam, she realized it was coming from the necklace. Some theories came to her head as she was ganging up with Odette and Puffin. The theories from the beam were either the necklace was finding her mistress or pointing at her to think she was the Great Animal. That's what worried her.
"Slow down!" Puffin shouted as he was trying to stop Odette.
"He's too close." the princess spoke.
"Too close?" Puffin question.
"Odette's right. They do look pretty close to me." Madison replied as she looked down at the men.
"Nonsense. He can hardly see us anymore let alone – aah!"
The arrow almost hit Puffin again but luckily it didn't hit him.
"Speed up, girls. Oh, that boy of yours can move." he said as he looked down at the prince and the other man.
"I told you! He's faster than you thought." said Odette.
"Any ideas?" Madison asked as she looked at Puffin.
"Don't worry, girls, I've been taught just what to do in this situation." the puffin tries to think.
"Well?" "Anytime now, Lieutenant." the girls looked at him but then looked down and the men at the cliff which Derek was about to aim. "Puffin! He's going to shoot!" they panicked.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! When the archer has you in his sights, fly into the sun and use its light. Follow me!" said the puffin as he and the girls quickly flew up to the sun.
As Derek was about to shoot, the sun blinded his eyes and covered them, along with Alex as he was about to blind from the bright light. The plan was working as Puffin laughed.
"Well, what did I tell you, girls? Now all we have to do is stay in the sun." he said.
"Um... think again Lieutenant. Look!" Madison pointed as she notices that the light was fading.
Puffin and Odette looked to see that the sun was going down. But as the three turned, they gasped to see that Derek and Alex are gone.
"Where they go?!" Madison questioned as she looked around.
"All right! Don't panic, don't panic!" Puffin spoke as the three flew but then screamed as they stopped to see them at the other cliff.
"Puffin!"
"Girls, hurry!"
"Into the trees!" said Odette as they flew down letting arrow fly into another direction.
Derek and Alex quickly jumped off the cliff and head back into the woods while Puffin and the girls stay hidden.
"That was close." said Madison as she was trying to catch her breath.
"We better think of something quick. Or else, we're dead ducks." said Odette.
"Any ideas Puffin?" Madison asked as she looked at him but notice a genius smirk on her face.
"The old possum said, when there's no escape, you have to play dead." Puffin grabbed one of the berries and rub it on his chest. "Gives the right the right touch, yes? Wait 'til I give you a ha!"
The girls watched as Puffin dropped himself to the ground.
With the sound of a thud, Derek and Alex looked to the puffin, acting with death sounds and being dead.
"Is... Is he...?" Alex wondered as he and Derek got closer to him.
As the prince got even closer to the bird, Puffin moved his eyes a little and then... he jumped as he bit his foot. The prince yelped from the pain while Alex was shocked to see that. With his victory cheer from the bird, Puffin flew up to catch up with the girls.
"That'll put some distance between us." he said.
As Madison kept on flying, she looked back at to see the men but mostly Alex, as he was still looking at her. The beam was still pointing at her and still wasn't so sure why, but she shook her head and continued flying with the others as they were close to the lake.
To Be Continued...