Hey everyone! Happy Pride Month! I can't wait to start the summer! And what better way to start the month then to write another chapter of my story. And because it is Pride Month, I have decided to introduce two more characters in this chapter. Enjoy reading. And enjoy Chapter 9: Udder Madness.
Not long ago, Dyllan was tasked by Chief Nightoum, to find his son Flaps and the tribe's herd of earthworms. Dyllan was at first surprised that he was assigned to find his bully. But he knew that he had to do the right thing if he was ever going to be on good terms with the tribe. But before Dyllan could go out and find Flaps and the livestock, he needed to get prepared for the long journey ahead.
He, Tint, and Spots get fully stocked with supplies. Dyllan packs his staff, enough food for the group, and for Clipper to feed on. Tint gathers all the tools they'll need for setting up campsites. And Spots obtains a map of the island to navigate the treacherous passages.
"Alright, do we have everything?" Dyllan asked.
"I've got us some health potions, a couple of spears, a few fish pouches, and our bed mats for camps," said Tint.
"I got us the map, a bag of dried mealworms, and my lucky walking stick," said Spots. He takes out an old, yet sturdy walking stick from his backpack.
"You got a walking stick?" Dyllan asked.
"Yeah, I always take it on long trips," replied Spots. "This baby's been with me since the day I took my first steps."
"It could come in handy," said Tint. "You'll never know."
"I'm just so excited to hike close to the Red Scar," said Spots. "My father always told me that the cliff sides of the region hold marvelous historical properties of the island. But eventually, it became difficult to bear against the rising temperatures."
"So it's like once you reach the deserts, you could probably dehydrate before you take your first steps?" Dyllan asked.
"More or less," replied Spots. "Do you have a Red Scar in your world?"
"Something like that," replied Dyllan. "Back in my home world, there was a place so hot, no vegetation could grow. Trails of rivers would stretch for miles, and yet no water would be sighted. The air is so hot, humans could get sunburn in an instant. And the ground is so hot, it could cook their skin at first contact. We call this place: Death Valley National Park."
Spots and Tint are amazed with how Dyllan introduced one of the most deadliest parks in California. "Wow," gasped Tint.
"How many of your people died in that park?" Spots asked.
"It's hard to say," replied Dyllan. "No one has ever dared to stay in that park for over at least a day." Dyllan, Tint, and Spots pack up their bags and prepare to leave the village and start their journey. But before they could go any further, a couple voices stop them in their tracks.
"Wait up!" cried a couple salamanders.
Dyllan, Tint, and Spots look behind them to see two salamanders who look ready for the journey as well. One salamander is a brown skinned salamander with yellow stripes, yellow gills, and light yellow hair. The attire consists of nothing but orange tattered pants with grey rope holding them up.
The other salamander has aquatic blue skin with light blue-green gills that goes all around his head. The stripes are a darker shade of blue and the attire consists of kelp pants with a shell belt holding them up. The salamander trips on his feet as it gets close to the group.
"We want to come with you," said the brown salamander.
"Flaps is our friend," said the blue salamander. "And we'd be nothing without him."
"Who are you guys?" Dyllan asked.
Spots walks up and points to the brown salamander. "This is Mole, he's the greatest digger in our tribe. He once broke Tailuine's digging record, digging a tunnel straight through the mountain with his bare hands."
Mole gets in a victory pose and cracks his knuckles. "I eat dirt with the other bugs," he said.
Then, Spots walks up to the second salamander. "And this is Balkan, they're the villager's top swimmer. Their great great grandfather once swam to and from the island without breaking a sweat."
"Then how come I didn't see you in the race?" Dyllan asked.
"Because I won enough swimming races that I got bored," replied Balkan. But as they took another step, they slip and fall on the ground. Tint and Spots laugh. "Just because I'm a professional swimmer, does not mean I like walking on dry land."
"They're still trying to take his first steps on land," said Spots. "People say their parents welcomed them from underwater."
Dyllan nods. "Hey Balkan, are you sure you want to come? The Red Scar isn't as moist as it sounds."
"I told you," said Balkan. "Flaps is my friend. He saw great potential in my swimming abilities. And I see great potential in him being our chief."
"Even when he tried to cheat in the annual race?" Tint asked.
Mole steps up, "It's not like we stopped caring about Flaps," he said. "We just want what's best for him. And in times of need, his friends must always stand by him."
Dyllan smiles and nods in understanding. "I like your determination," he said. "I can relate to being loyal to friends." Dyllan takes a breath and then said, "Alright, you can come with us. But we have to listen to all the warnings and follow the right paths." Mole and Balkan salute in agreement.
Outside the cave, Clipper is being strapped with an old fashioned saddle. The saddle looks like any ordinary saddle but this one is well equipped for large insects. Cronaxx and the captain of the guard strap it tightly and give Clipper a mealworm as a treat. Clipper purrs with happiness, but has a tough time adjusting to the saddle.
"I know it'll take some getting used to," said Cronaxx. "But it's the only way to keep Dyllan and the others on your back."
"I don't know how that creature does it," said the captain. "He's been here almost two weeks and he's practicing magic, taming a wild insect that destroyed almost all our crops and streams, and now he's taking a journey to bring all our worms back from the Red Scar."
Cronaxx just smiles, "He's got two things that creature lives on: Loyalty, and the drive to return home. If we can help him get back, I'm sure he'll be grateful to us for the rest of his life."
Just then, Te' Kaya shows up with a special water pouch. "Did they leave yet?" he asked. "I just want to give my son something for the trip."
Lucky for him, the group comes out of the cave, all packed up and ready for their journey. The three elder salamanders find Mole and Balkan tagging along with them. "Guess you got a couple more volunteers," said the captain. "That's a good thing. Safety in numbers."
"We told our parents and they said it's okay for us to go," said Balkan.
Te'Kaya walks up to Spots and gives him the pouch. "Now remember son," he said. "This pouch isn't for drinking. This is to aid you on your journey. If things get too hot, take this and cool down your comrades. Use it well, use it wisely."
Spots nods, "You got it father."
The group climbs up onto Clipper's back, but as they all get on, Clipper sits down. This confuses Dyllan. "Clipper, are you okay?" he asked.
"Maybe it's because there's too many riding on him," replied Cronaxx.
So Tint, Spots, Mole, and Balkan get off Clipper and the nymph gets back up and wiggles its entire body ready to go.
"Travel slowly," reminded Cronaxx. "Salamanders can only hike with two legs."
Dyllan nods, "You got it Cronaxx. And don't worry, we'll find Flaps and your herd before you know it. I promise."
And with that, Dyllan kicks Clipper on the thorax and Clipper races into high gear. Dyllan quickly pulls Clipper to slow down just as the rest of his group catch up with him.
"Guess I shouldn't be doing that," said Dyllan. Tint and the others grin and shake their heads. And with that, the group make their way east, to the passage that leads to the Red Scar.
The group venture down the passage that leads to the open fields where the worms were grazing. They see loads of dirt tracks leading out of the pen. The first thing Mole did was get down on the ground and start sniffing. Dyllan is very confused.
"What is he doing?" Dyllan asked.
"Shh," hushes Spots. "Mole is not only the best digger in the tribe. He's also a great tracker. Give him a great amount of dirt, and he'll know any animal that comes our way."
Mole gets up on his knee and points to the Red Scar. "They panicked during the attack," he said. He looks at a broken fence. "They were desperate trying to get out." He looks down to see. Flaps' footprints near the lock. "Flaps tried keeping them in, but when he saw the worms break the fence, chaos erupted."
"Wow." Dyllan is really surprised. "Think they passed the Red Scar by now?"
"They had quite a head start," said Mole. "These tracks were a couple days old."
"We should keep moving if we're going to find them," said Balkan. As they try walking again, Balkan falls flat on their face. Dyllan picks them back up and places them on Clipper's back. "Probably for the best," they said.
The group follow the mud tracks, passing a few hills and hiking through a trench. Dyllan walks alongside Clipper, making sure he doesn't run off with Balkan on his back. Tint and Spots follow Mole as he takes charge in following the tracks for the group.
"I really appreciate what your doing for us Mole," said Spots. "I know Flaps is your friend, but maybe we can be friends again?"
"Flaps said that's not how it works," said Mole. "Only when you gain his friendship, that will make us friends again."
Spots sulks, and Tint steps up to defend him. "Well Flaps is wrong," he said. "How long have you and Spots known each other?"
Before Mole could answer, the group starts to feel a change in the humidity. The temperature increases, and Mole knew just exactly where they are. "We're here team."
The group exit the trench to reveal a large open field of sand and rocks. The sand is coated with red dust and skeletal remains scattered across the open area. And just beyond the red sand, a large canyon as deep as the planet itself stretched as far as the eye can see.
Dyllan is surprised at the sight, "Wow!" He turns his head left and right, observing the Red Scar. "Does it ever end?" he asked.
"It only ends at the edge of the island," said Balkan. "The Red Scar may be great. But it's not as big as the planet."
"How do we get across?" asked Spots.
Mole gets on the ground and sniffs the dirt. "We keep following the tracks," he said. "The worms must have found a way to reach the other side."
"Is Flaps with them?" Dyllan asked.
Mole crawls on the ground and finds footprints imprinted on the ground. "He's not with them," he said. "They had a head start, and Flaps followed after them just a few hours behind."
Dyllan leads Clipper, and the group continues to follow Mole. They reach the edge of the Red Scar and continue on the dried up worm trail. The sun starts scorching down on the group, making them cover their heads with their cloaked hoods. Along the way, Spots starts to grow tired and slow down. Dyllan takes notice, and pulls on Clipper to slow down.
"We can't slow down," said Balkan. "We'll loose the trail."
Dyllan looks down at Spots. "We can't just leave him."
"Balkan is right," said Mole. "The more time we waist, the less chance we have of finding the worms and Flaps."
"Dyllan said we don't leave him," said Tint. He picks Spots up and places him on top of Clipper's back. "And I second that suggestion." Mole and Balkan are displeased.
However, as Tint put Spots on top of Clipper, they hear a noise above a chasm. The noise sounds like a small screech. Even Dyllan is curious as to what that is. The salamanders get in a defensive stance and watch the cliffs.
"Where's the fire?" Dyllan asked.
"Be quiet," whispered Spots. "We're about to enter the old Geckondian tribe lands."
"Who are they?" whispered Dyllan.
"They're a tribe of geckos who once lived in these canyons," said Balkan. "Both our tribe and their tribe were bitter rivals with one another. Sometimes they enter our lands just to steal food."
"That's terrible," said Dyllan.
"It was," said Mole. "But thankfully, they stopped one day and never showed their faces on our side of the Red Scar."
"Now they act like scavengers," said Spots. "They lurk around waiting for us to cross the canyons, only to ambush us when we aren't looking. Most of that happens in the dead of night."
"Speaking of which," said Tint pointing to the sun setting. "Guess we're going to have to make camp."
The group start a fire for light and sit down to eat some provisions. Mole stands on top of a rock, keeping an eye out for geckos. "It's extremely important that one of us keeps watch, to alert us if geckos are around. These guys blend really well in the dark."
"I'll go first," said Balkan. "We'll each take two hours. Next will be Mole, then Spots, then Tint, then the creature."
Dyllan frowns, "I have a name," he said. "It's Dyllan."
Balkan shrugs. "Okay, okay. No need to get all worked -." Just as Balkan takes one step on the dry sand, they slip and fall face flat again. "-up."
As the sun is seen setting on the horizon, the group starts to make camp. Spots and Tint have no trouble setting up their own tents. Mole simply just digs a hole next to where Balkan is set for sleeping. And Dyllan was organizing his tent supplies. He tries getting his tent all set up, but the task proves to be difficult for him.
He tries inserting the poles into the fabric of the tent only to rip a small hole in the process. "Are you customizing your own tent?" Spots asked. Dyllan doesn't listen to others well as he struggles pitching it up. Then he starts pressing the fabric down with his own two hands.
"Tents don't usually get tenderized like that," said Spots. Again, Dyllan didn't listen and starts tumbling around with the fabric, poles and ropes. He turns to see the salamanders staring at him, looking like a fool. He just kicks the tent away out of embarrassment and sets up his sleeping mat over the stars.
"Alright you guys," said Balkan. "Get some sleep."
The group start to get some rest at the now burnt out campfire. Balkan keeps a small lookout fire blazing hot to keep the intruders at bay. Having trouble falling asleep, Dyllan asks Spots a question about Balkan.
"This is the first time I've heard of Balkan being addressed as they or them," he said. "I've never seen or heard of something like this before."
"You obviously never heard of non-binary genders," replied Spots. "At first Balkan was born a girl, but then they grew up not feeling their gender as feminine. They stopped hanging around with girls and spent more time hanging around with boys. That's when I met them. And eventually, there came a time where salamanders felt the same way Balkan did."
Dyllan is impressed with the discovery. Soon it became an eye opening revelation that expands his understanding beyond the traditional binary framework. He smiles learning how Balkan is comfortable with the way they are. And is happy with the possibility that their parents understood their transition.
As he tucked in his sleeping bag, he starts thinking about how life on Earth would be if everyone embraced and celebrated the diverse spectrum of gender identities. The more he thinks about it, the more he grows tired and falls fast asleep.
As their time draws near, Balkan signals Mole to take the next watch. Mole keeps the fire going and keeps an ear out for intruders. Luckily, there is no one around.
And now it is Spots' turn to take watch. Spots takes this opportunity to prove to Mole and Balkan that he is worthy of their friendship. 'I wonder if they'll vouch for me in front of Flaps,' he thought. But as he takes watch, he is so excited that he couldn't keep himself awake. Before long, the young spotted salamander falls fast asleep at the look out post.
Tint wake up, and he realizes it was morning. He also realizes that he is tied up at a stake alongside Dyllan. He struggles to break free, but the ropes are too thick and too tight. "Ngh. Dyllan. Dyllan! Wake up!"
Dyllan's eyes open sharply wide as he hears Tint yelling. He looks around to see himself tied up. Then, looks around to see Spots and Balkan tied up at another stake. He observes his surroundings, finding themselves in the center of a village. The huts are dome shaped and are the same shade of color like the sand below their feet.
"Wh-Where are we?" Dyllan asked.
He gets his answer when a bunch of geckos wake up and smile at their prisoners.
"We're in the Geckondian village," said Balkan. "Spots! What happened?"
Spots wakes up and finds himself tied up. "Uh oh,"
"You were supposed to be keeping a lookout!" cried Balkan.
Then, a geckondian comes up and snarls at the two salamanders. Dyllan tries to break loose, but then looks around. "Wait, where's Clipper and Mole?" he whispered. Tint looks around only for the two to be doused in white and black flakes. Dyllan's nose twitch and he sneezes. "ACHOO!" That's when he realizes that the black flakes are pepper flakes.
As the geckondian's chant and dance, they sing in their native language. Completely different from the salamanders, and to Dyllan as well. They dance on every surface they could find. They dance on the ground, some dance on the walls. "What is going on?" Dyllan asked.
"Looks like we're about to be gecko food," said Balkan. Dyllan darts his attention, barely seeing the pile of open bags behind a hut. "I forgot to mention this. They're cannibals."
Dyllan keeps struggling as much as he can, trying to break free from his bonds. But then, everyone hears a large screeching sound. The geckos look up to the sky and they scurry away into their huts. Dyllan is confused, and so were the others.
"Something's not right," said Balkan. "Why did they cower?"
Tint looks to the sky, the same way the geckos did. And he sees a small silhouette circling them in the sky. Tint looks down with a sudden realization. "Because they're not eating us. They're sacrificing us!"
Then, the silhouette lands violently down on the ground. Revealing itself to be a large bird. The bird is a giant sparrow with dark orange wings and a light underbelly, along with a grey beak and talons. The bird screeches at the four distressed hikers, and they keep wiggling for their lives. The bird hops closer to Dyllan and the bird screeches again, making the human scream.
But just when all seemed lost to them, another figure leaps in front of the sunlight and blocks the large bird's sight of the human. Dyllan looks up to see Clipper being ridden by Mole. Clipper jumps onto the bird and crawls around, trying to distract the bird from eating them.
"Hang on Dyllan," said Tint. "I've got an idea." Tint concentrates on his magic and taps the rope with his glowing finger. The rope starts glowing a burning ember until the rope snaps. Dyllan gets up and goes to get their stuff. Tint goes over to Spots and Balkan and sets them free with his fire magic.
Dyllan grabs his backpack and his staff and rushes over to the others. Clipper and Mole keep the giant sparrow bird at bay until it grabs Clipper by the leg with its beak. It swings Clipper until Mole flies off and lets go. Clipper lands onto an empty hut, causing a cloud of smoke.
"Clipper!" cried Dyllan. He turns to the bird and raises its staff at it. But Tint grabs Dyllan and drags him away into a cave. Balkan and Spots follow after them, along with Mole. Clipper gets back on his legs with only a couple bruises and scaling skin. Then follows Dyllan and the salamanders into the cave.
The large bird tries to follow them into the cave, but before it could, Mole closes it up with his earth magic. He sweeps the sand below his feet, gets on all fours, then calls out like a screeching frog. The boulders come crumbling down, blocking the sparrow from entering, but also trapping the group in the process.
The group breathe heavily, trying to recover from the attack. Dyllan comforts Clipper and tends to his bruises. Tint sparks up a torch light from his hand and takes a good look around the caverns. Balkan gives Mole a high five for saving them.
"What do we do now?" Spots asked.
"You tell us," snapped Balkan. "If you just kept a lookout like you were supposed to, we wouldn't be in this mess!"
"Look, I'm sorry," said Spots. "I'll do better next time."
"Flaps was right about you," said Balkan. "You're a screw up."
Hearing that makes Dyllan snap at the two salamanders. "Hey! At least he's trying, okay!"
"Well not hard enough to get on Flaps' good graces," said Mole. "No one screws up in his group. Sorry Spots, but you're just not cut out to be one of us."
Spots' heart breaks in a thousand pieces. All he ever wanted to be accepted into Flaps' friend circle. But now it seems unlikely. So he sulks sadly away as Dyllan and the salamanders argue.
"So what if Spots messed up?" Dyllan asked. "Nobody's perfect! So don't tell me that you two never messed up with anything in your life? Cause if you asked me, you both messed up when you wouldn't keep a friend like Spots."
Mole and Balkan are hesitant to tell the human if they ever messed up. "Well what about you?" asked Balkan. "Have you ever messed up with anything in your life? Name us one time, and we'll tell you."
Dyllan at that moment could tell them how he made the biggest mistake of his life: The one that brought him to Amphibia in the first place. But he is still too shy to tell his biggest mistake to strangers, especially to those who are mean to Spots. So he opens his mouth for one moment, but then he closes it, looking down at himself, still ashamed with what happened.
"Uh huh," said Balkan. "I didn't think so."
So while the three keep arguing, Spots sulks while Tint keeps looking for a way out. Tint finds that Spots is really upset, so he tries comforting him. "Still trying to think you're one of them?" he asked. But Spots doesn't reply.
"Listen, for what it's worth. Who cares what they think? Who cares what Flaps thinks? All Flaps was trying to do was get you hurt in some way. I've seen you try countless times to get included in his circle. And all that does is get you hurt. Flaps is no friend of yours."
"But why did he take my friends?!" asked Spots in tears. "You don't know what it's like to lose friends when you never even made any!"
Tint silently listens to the young salamander carefully.
"I was only a hatchling when I met Balkan and Mole. I thought Mole was a cool digger, I tried to dig just like him. We even took turns digging the same hole that we had fun. Balkan was a fantastic swimmer, I wanted to swim just as fast as they do. Shortly after, the three of us were inseparable."
"It was only until our magic powers kicked in, that Flaps saw great potential in Balkan and Mole, he invited them to be a part of his posse. I was only a few weeks later than them, but that never stopped us from being great friends. But then, he started hanging with them, and only told me once I mastered my magic I could hang with them too. It wasn't long until I got my full powers, a couple months later. That's when I should've realized I lost the only friends I had."
Tint sits next to Spots and gives him some assurance, "Just because you lost a couple friends doesn't mean it's the end of the world. You should take my uncle's advice and try to make new friends. Besides, what else is there for you to do?"
"Other than get myself in difficult situations," said Spots. "I can't think of anything else." But as he leans back onto the cave wall, the wall suddenly pushes back like it's soft sand. Spots tumbles backwards and thanks to Tint's light, they see the worm tracks.
"So if Flaps tells you to get something, you fetch them like the dogs you are?!" Dyllan asked.
"Dogs!? Wh-what are dogs?" Mole asked.
"GUYS!" Tint shouted. The three stop arguing and see the hidden passage behind them. "I think we can continue following the worms from here." He points to the ground where he finds fresh worm tracks.
"Fine," said Dyllan. "But this isn't over." He grumbles and guides a now shivering Clipper through the dry yet cold caves.
The group follow the tracks until they hear small noises. Mole recognizes them right away. "Those are our earthworms!" he cried. "We're close I just know it." Mole gets a head start from the rest of the group. Dyllan, Tint, Spots, and Balkan follow them shortly after the salamander.
Mole takes a sharp turn from one of the rocks, and finds all the tribe's earthworms cowering with fear. Mole smiles with glee, knowing the worms are safe. He slowly crawls on all fours and approaches one of the worms. The worm recognizes the smell of the salamander and purrs with joy. It places it's tip on Mole's hand and Mole scratches it with delight.
Then, a small noise is heard. And out of nowhere, Mole gets tackled by an unseen force. The two wrestle on the ground, making the worms anxious. The mysterious figure pins Mole face down in the dirt until the others rush in. Tint shines a fire light in his hand revealing the figure to be Flaps tackling Mole.
"Flaps!" Balkan cried.
Flaps turns around to see Balkan and the others with shocking looks on their faces. "Balkan?" Then, he turns back to see Mole on the ground. He gets off of Mole as quickly as possible. "Oh, sorry Mole," he said. "I didn't know it was you. It's just too dark here."
"Well now that you're here," said Tint. "We just need to find a way out."
"Good luck with that," said Flaps. "We can't escape the geckos. I hid the worms in the caves so they wouldn't find them."
"But geckos are nocturnal," said Mole. "They work well in the dark."
"That doesn't mean these geckos live in caves," said Flaps. He then spots Dyllan, Tint, and Spots all with neutral expressions on their faces. "What is that even doing here, along with the Hot Head and the Half-Mage themselves?"
"If you must know," said Dyllan. "Your father sent us to the Red Scar to find you and your livestock. The dragonflies are gone, and the villagers are still rebuilding."
"Yeah," said Spots. "So it's safe for the worms to come back home with us."
Then, Clipper appears from the rocks and looks down at Flaps. Flaps freaks out and hides behind Mole. "That's no ordinary nymph!" he cried. "That's a dragonfly nymph! It'll eat all our livestock! See!" He points to the livestock, cowering in fear. "They know how dangerous it can be."
"Will you shut up!" Tint shouted. "You're being paranoid! They're probably just upset that you're freaking them out."
"Yeah, what do you know?!" Flaps asked. "You've never herded earthworms before!"
"Well I've never used magic before," said Dyllan. He takes out Lerrad's staff and it gives off a red glow. Flaps takes a closer look at the staff, and his eyes marvel at its power. "But I guess you don't know anything about me, because you don't take the time to do so."
"Where did you get that?" Flaps asked.
"Like I'd tell you," said Dyllan. "You're just interested in it because this is the Staff of Lerrad. One of the first wizards to walk upon Amphibia. That's right, Cronaxx told me. And besides even if I did tell you, you'd want me in your friend group because of this thing!" Eventually, Mole and Balkan come in to defend Flaps.
While the rest of the group were arguing, Spots groans with despair. 'How is the group going to work together if they just argue like this?' he thought. He looks at Tint with a depressing look, seeing his old friends argue when Flaps is in the wrong.
Then, they feel some sand fall on their heads. The two look up and realize that they're right under the geckondian village. Above them, the geckos are upset that the sparrow didn't take their offering, so they decide to take matters into their own hands. They get a large bonfire set up and prepare to go find the group.
Spots looks to the earthworms and that's when he comes up with an idea. He looks over to Dyllan, Flaps, Mole, and Balkan and shouts. "STOP!" The sounds of his scream echo through the caves. Dyllan, Flaps, Mole, and Balkan look at the blue spotted salamander.
"I've got an idea on how to escape the geckos," he said.
All Flaps did was groan at the statement. "No offense kid," he said. "But there's no way we can escape the geckos when there's only one way out."
"Not to mention even if you succeed," said Balkan. "There's still that large sparrow out there looking around to eat us."
"Look, I know I messed up with the lookout," said Spots. "But this time, I want to do something other than see all of you arguing and fighting coming up with something."
"If you're going to come up with something," said Flaps. "Then do it away from here. I'm holding my ground until the geckos give up trying to find me."
Spots decides he's had enough. All he ever wanted was to make a good impression on Flaps. But now, seeing him wait for an inevitable possibility, makes him realize that his friendship is not worth it. So he takes his special water pouch and uses his magic to sprinkle some water all over the earthworms. The worms enjoy a good sprinkle and purr with delight. Then, the worms feel a gentle touch from Spots' hands. As Spots brushes his hands across the worms, he notices some of them have a couple of bruises on their sides.
Thinking back to his idea, Spots twirls his finger on the alpha worm. And the worm signals the other worms to follow her. The worms dig a few tunnels, and the rest of the group watch them with confusion. The sound of their digging echoes underground. Flaps watches with anger.
"It took me a long time to keep them together!" he shouted. "What were you thinking?!"
Spots just smirks. Then, the worms come back, and a cracking sound can be heard from the newly formed tunnels. Before long the ground shakes and the rocks above them start collapsing in the newly dug caves. The group runs for cover, and Clipper clings on the top of the ceiling.
The smoke clears and the group climb through the tunnels, guiding the worms out into the light. They could see all the rocks, village debris, and buried unconscious geckos across the collapsed land. Dyllan and Tint are impressed. But Flaps and the others are shocked.
"I can't believe it," said Balkan. "How did you know?"
Spots just smiled, "That's the best part when you give a worm water. They'll do anything when they're clean."
"Yeah, but how did you train the worms to do that?" Dyllan asked.
"Let's just say my father taught me a few tricks of his own when I was on shepherd duty," said Spots.
"Alright," said Flaps. "Now that the geckos are taken care of. Let's get these worms back to the village." He turns his attention to Spots, Dyllan, and Tint. "And as for you three. You follow me, and you better keep up. Because I don't wait for trainees and know-it-alls like you."
Dyllan and Tint scowl at Flaps' method, Spots however is the least impressed. "Keep an eye on his methods guys," he whispered. "I noticed a couple of bruises on some of the worms." Dyllan and Tint look to each other with the assumption that Spots knows something that they don't.
"Move out!" called Flaps and takes the lead guiding the worms back to the village. Mole and Balkan follow behind him close, waiting for their leader to make a command. But Dyllan, Spots, and Tint follow behind the worms to make sure none of them wander off.
The group herd the worms out of the destroyed village. Suddenly, Dyllan realizes that Clipper is still inside the cave. Dyllan goes back to get him, but Flaps spoke out. "Leave that disgusting nymph, outsider! He'll just slow down the geckos!"
Dyllan grows angry with what he said. "I can't just leave him like this," he said. "Come on Clipper. We gotta go!" But Clipper just shakes off more of his shedding skin.
Tint goes back to get Dyllan. "We gotta go Dyllan," he said. He looks up to see the nymph shedding his skin. "We can't wait for him forever. Insects could take days or weeks to shed their skin."
Then a large screech is made from a distance. "I'm sorry Dyllan," said Tint. "But it's now or never."
Dyllan sighs and nods sadly in agreement. He turns back to Clipper and said, "Sorry bud, we gotta go. Just catch up when you can." He pets his head one more time, then quickly leaves the cave to catch up with the others.
And so the group journey home through tight spots, avoiding the creatures out in the open. But ever since they got captured by the geckos, they have no idea where they are. And without their map to guide them back to the village, they could be walking in circles.
Dyllan suggests to use his compass to guide them out of the canyon. But Flaps just rejects the idea and wants to follow the path himself. Mole and Balkan are a bit concerned with his idea, but he assures them that they'll be fine as long as they keep moving.
For some strange reason, Tint feels like they are going further and further from the Red Scar. The temperatures start dropping drastically, and the worms try turning around. So he climbs up the canyon to get a better look at where they are going. And to his surprise, Flaps is leading them away from the Red Scar, and away from the village.
Tint called out, "Stop the herd!" he shouted. "We're going the wrong way."
"I know exactly what I'm doing," said Flaps. "We keep heading west."
"But we're hiking east," replied Spots. "You're leading us away from the village."
"We're supposed to return home," said Mole. "You sure you know what you're doing?"
"Of course I am!" yelled Flaps. "Just let me do this!"
Balkan senses that Flaps is upset and tries talking some sense into him. "Is this because you wanted to succeed on your own?" they asked.
"Stay out of this!" yelled Flaps. "I can't mess this up!" And just when he thought they could go further, they reach a dead end.
Flaps couldn't believe his eyes. He pounds his fist on the wall and on the ground out of frustration. "No, No, NO!" The group waits until Flaps calms down. "This is supposed to go so smoothly." Flaps sits on the ground and expresses his upsetting failure. "I'm supposed to be the next chief of the tribe."
"Life doesn't always go the way you want," said Tint. "That's how it works."
"But I can't herd worms, I can't win races, I can't even lead a team to safety. How can I be a leader if all I do is fail?"
"Because failure is a great teacher," said Dyllan. "When you fail, you take the mistakes you made and make yourself better. But if you give up today, the villagers will give up on you. You can't quit on them. Now show your people that you're the salamander you say you are!"
Just as Flaps looks up at his team, he spots something approaching them at a fast pace. "Look out!" The group turns to see that the swallow has returned, and it has a hungry look in its eyes. The swallow lands near the cliffside and squeezes its way into the crevice. The worms start freaking out, that they couldn't turn around.
The sparrow comes down and grabs the alpha worm with its feet. Flaps watches in horror until he thinks back to his father in the spider's nest. "No! Not this time!" he cried. He climbs up onto one of the worms and grabs onto the alpha. Dyllan sees this and grabs the other end with one hand and his staff on the other.
The group watches in shock and decide to take the herd of worms to follow the bird. But due to the nature of the worms they couldn't move out of fear of sensing their natural enemy. "Dyllan!" cried Spots. "We have to go after him! Tint, you're with me. Mole, Balkan, keep the worms under control and follow us when you can!" Mole and Balkan couldn't believe their eyes, seeing Spots barking orders to them like Flaps. But before they could say anything, Spots and Tint race through the canyon to catch up with Dyllan and Flaps.
Back with the Sparrow, Flaps and Dyllan hold on for dear life as the bird flaps its wings profusely. Flaps doesn't want to give up on the worm so he grabs on another section of the worm and starts climbing. Dyllan climbs up as well to catch up with Flaps. Eventually, the two meet up just as the bird reaches the end of the canyon.
"We gotta make this bird let go of the worm!" shouted Flaps. He grabs one of the bird's toes and starts loosening its grip. While he's prying the grip, the swallow takes notice and tries pecking the salamander. Dyllan swings his staff at the bird, causing it to daze out for a second.
"Keep going!" shouted Dyllan. "I'll hold it off!" Flaps nods in agreement, and keeps going. Soon Dyllan gets on his feet and tries to keep a balance on the wiggling worm. Then the swallow starts flying higher, up into the sky, making Dyllan feel a bit woozy. But his defiance with the monster causes him to loose focus on how high they're going.
With his staff in hand, he thinks of another spell to distract the bird. Then, he thinks of an idea. What better way to distract a bird, then with light as bright as the sun? Lerrad's Staff begins to glow bright red. Remembering what he saw in his translation book, Dyllan chants a new word to the staff.
"Licht!" (Light!)
And just like that, an orb of light blasts from the staff and shines in the bird's eyes. Causing it to be blind for a moment and lets go of the worm, along with Dyllan and Flaps.
"Yeah!" cried Flaps. "You did it!"
Dyllan smiles, then realizes something. "Wait a minute. That bird just let us go. And we're still in the air!"
And with that, the three flying victims start falling to the ground. Dyllan screams for his life and Flaps holds onto the worm for dear life. As Dyllan kept falling, he starts feeling his life slip away. Remembering his life as a kid, up to this point. Dyllan just closes his eyes and waits for the end.
But then out of nowhere, something catches him, Flaps, and the worm. The mysterious being gives off a large buzzing noise and grabs the worm with its legs. Dyllan opened his eyes to see himself on a large blue dragonfly with yellow eyes. "What is this?" he asked.
"I don't know," said Flaps. "But I think you should know."
"What do you talking about?" Dyllan asked. Then, he hears a loud clipping sound from the dragonfly. He looks over to see a stubby leg right middle leg and puts the pieces together.
"Clipper? Is that you bud?!" he asked. Clipper clips with joy and Dyllan nuzzles his head. "Wow! Look at you!" He climbs onto his saddle and places Flaps behind him. "Okay bud, let's take you down."
Dyllan grabs his dragonfly's antennas and pushes them down like an airplane. Clipper shoots straight down, and Dyllan pulls up quickly to slow him down. Flaps looks around to find the others, but while he's looking, the swallow comes back.
"Look out!" he cried.
Dyllan turns around to see the bird coming back. Then sees a huge fallen dead tree nearby. Out of instinct, Dyllan pulls on Clipper's antennas and leads him to the dead tree. The swallow gives them a chase along the way. With a few turns of flying, the swallow tries to grab the worm again. Only for it to slip out of its grasp.
"It's getting closer!" Flaps cried.
"Just hang on!" cried Dyllan.
Dyllan then flies straight to the dead tree as fast as he could and the swallow comes darting behind them. The swallow opens its mouth, hoping to grab the worm again, but they fly into the hole of the dead tree just in time. The swallow keeps trying to get in the hole, scratching and biting the wood to make the hole bigger.
Dyllan climbs off of Clipper and raises his staff in his hand. "GO AWAY!" With one swing of his glowing staff, he hits the swallow's left eye, causing the impact to scar the bird. Injured and scared by the human, the bird flies away to parts unknown. Dyllan, Flaps, and Clipper sigh in relief from the chase. Then the two rivals start laughing.
"I can't believe that just happened!" said Flaps. "You definitely told off that bird!"
"I know," said Dyllan. "And all that falling and flying! All that just happened out of pure luck!"
"How did you even learn to control this creature?" asked Flaps.
Before he could answer, Tint, Spots, and the others arrive just in time to see that they're okay. They are even more surprised to see Clipper has molted into a large adult dragonfly. But all that relief is short lived, when they turn to see the alpha worm slowly groaning.
"What's wrong with it?" Dyllan asked.
Balkan walks over to take a good look at the worm. They see the injuries and the puncture wounds from the bird's talons. "This is bad," they said. "The swallow must've punctured the worm's main arteries, causing a major blood loss. And I'm guessing during the fall, I'd say it made the blood gush faster." The group look to see Clipper with red all over his legs.
"Can't we save him?" asked Dyllan. "I can heal it with my magic."
"Even magic has its limits," said Tint. "The bigger the wound the longer it takes. And in this case..."
The group turn to the alpha and the groaning stops. And so did the small wiggling. Flaps, Mole, Balkan, Spots, and Tint bow to the alpha with respect. As do the herd of worms outside. "May the spirits guide you and keep you safe," said Spots. "Walk the path with our ancestors."
Then Flaps, with a heavy heart says. "I'm sorry father. I failed you. I guess I'll never come back."
"That's not true," said Dyllan. "I told you, your father sent me not only to find the village's worms. But mostly you." His statement shocks Flaps. "Look, I know we didn't get off to a good start. But..." Having trouble finding the words to comfort Flaps, Tint took over.
"But that doesn't mean your father wants you out of the village," said Tint. "You messed up. But only when you take responsibility for your actions, will you be on the right path to being the next chief of the Nightoum tribe."
Flaps looks to the group with smiles and eyes of assurance and nods silently.
Back in the village, the salamanders are close to fixing all the damage the dragonflies had done days ago. The river starts flowing again, but there are still large rocks blocking the water. The damaged trees are made into firewood, but there are still stumps where the trees used to be. And finally, the crops are cleared of damages, but they are covered with leaves and dead roots.
Chief Nightoum could feel the sun about to set again, and hear the despair of the villagers without their livestock. He too is in despair that his only son was out there in the wild, and all alone. Cronaxx keeps a vigil watch with his good eye. He starts growing tired with the sun setting, and decides to turn in. But just as he turns around, he hears a loud buzzing noise. He turns back to see Clipper as an adult dragonfly and see Dyllan, Flaps, Tint, Spots, Mole, and Balkan flying on his back. And underneath Clipper's legs is a large sack containing the village's earthworms.
"They're back!" he called out. "They're back with the livestock!" The villagers cheer and race out of the village to see them return triumphant. They rushe out the village entrance to see Clipper with the livestock and brings them back to their pen. Then, Clipper lands close by and the villagers welcome the group back with thanks.
Flaps couldn't bear to look at his villagers, worrying that he failed to bring them all back. His father comes up to smile at his sons presence, but Flaps feels more shameful. "I failed you father," he said. "I lost one of our best worms. Our alpha almost got eaten by the Sparrow. I can't even-"
Before he could say any thing else, something wonderful happens. His father hugs him with relief. Flaps gets confused, "How can you be so gentle with me?" he asked. "You should be furious with me."
"I was never angry with you," said Nightoum. "I was scared, because I thought that you were lost forever. All that mattered to me was that you came back. And I am so happy you returned with the others. And in one piece."
"It wasn't easy father," said Flaps hugging him back. "We had some trouble along the way."
Dyllan looks to his bully and smiles. Flaps and Nightoum turn to the human. "Thank you for saving my son," said Nightoum. Dyllan looks to Flaps hoping he could get an answer out of him.
"I suppose I should thank you too," he said. "But don't think for one second that this makes us friends. I still don't trust outsiders, but maybe not all of them are bad."
Dyllan shrugs his shoulders. "That's okay," he said. "There's only a few friends I'd want in my life anyway."
Spots and his father hug with relief, and Mole and Balkan walk up to the little salamander. "Hey Spots," said Mole. "That was really brave, and quick thinking with what you did."
"I'm sorry I almost gave you a hard time earlier," said Balkan. "Do you think maybe we could all be friends again?"
Spots takes a moment to think about it and says, "I'm gonna need some time to think about it. You both left me for someone who belittled me for not being as strong as him. And I want friends who accept me for who I am. But, if you want, we could start this friendship over. It'll take some time to regain your trust, but it'll be a promising start." Balkan and Mole nod in agreement, understanding how long rebuilding trust could take depending on Spots' decision.
As the sun disappears from sight, the villagers put the livestock back to work. The worms provide nutrition to the salamanders by munching on dead roots and leaves, making their fields look fresh and new. Then, they pull all the strong rocks out of the way by being tied to them with ropes as they pull. Then, they dig under the stumps and clear the valleys, making room to plant new trees for the future. The crowd cheers for a job well done. Then, they thank Dyllan, Tint, Spots, Flaps, Mole, and Balkan for bringing back their herd of worms.
Later that evening, Dyllan is escorted by Tint and Cronaxx. Dyllan is unsure about what is going on, but he let the salamanders do their thing. Then, chief Nightoum appears with Flaps by his side, standing behind a cave wall covered with hand prints. Flaps is holding an ancient torch.
"Douse the torch," says Nightoum. Flaps did what he was told and placed the flame over a bowl of water. "Dyllan, please kneel."
Dyllan approaches the father and son and takes a knee in front of the whole crowd. Flaps removes the torch from the water and gives it to Nightoum. He dries off the torch and drags his fingers on the charcoal. He draws a few straight lines and squiggly lines chanting in salamander tongue.
"In gratitude for your services to our people. For saving the future of our way of life, time and time again. It is my great honor to bestow upon you, the privilege of becoming a member of our tribe. No more Dyllan the Outsider, but Dralmac of the Nightoum tribe."
Dyllan stands in shock, but the rest of the tribe cheers. Even Tint and Cronaxx are happy to cheer for their friend. Flaps smirks, and watches the first human being become an ally of their tribe. He isn't entirely happy about the idea, but he trusts his father.
Nightoum then takes Dyllan's hand and places it in a bowl of fresh paint, Then he places it on the cave wall, making a handprint among the others. Dyllan smiles at his accomplishment, knowing he did the right thing for a group of people he rarely met.
"You have earned a place among us," said Nightoum. "And we have earned a friend."
"Let's celebrate!" Spots cried.
The salamanders celebrate for the addition of Dyllan Loyalitat in their tribe. Dyllan smiles from ear to ear and lets a tear drop from his face. Never before has he felt so welcoming. The salamanders sing and dance the night away. Some even shoot colorful flares from the tips of their fingers.
Dyllan joins in on the celebration, dancing with the salamanders. He feels like he's gained more friends with the community. As for Tint, he joins in on the celebration. He dances with the competitors from the race. He pulls out his most trusted flute and plays to his heart's content. His flute playing causes a lot of musical notes to dance in the air.
Even some notes dance in the smoke of the bonfire like a musical sheet. And Cronaxx just stands by the sidelines watching. Of course he would celebrate with his students, but he is too old for stuff like this. But he occasionally bounces his head to the beat of the music, which counts for something.
But despite being a friend of the tribe, Dyllan knows he still has to get back home. He grows tired, he makes his way up to the cave entrance and takes a seat, watching the moon. Tint follows closely behind him and smiles sadly at his friend.
"Still thinking about your home?" he asked.
"Yeah," sighed Dyllan. "Don't get me wrong. I am grateful I've become part of the tribe. But I still got to find a way to get back to my family, my friends, and my life. I miss them all so much. How could I not?"
"Guess you never know what you have, until it's gone," said Tint. "Dyllan I promise you, me and my uncle are going to do whatever it takes to help you get back home. If that isn't the most loyal thing I could say, I don't know what is."
Dyllan smiles and sniffs, letting a few more tears fall down from his face. Then, he hugs the young salamander and whispers, "Thank you." He lets him go and then says. "But you know, something is also bothering me. What if my friends are out there? But if not here, where else in the universe? I mean, how many more possibilities can there be?"
Dyllan looks out into the stars, then pulls out the photo of him and his friends. Then, he starts singing softly to himself.
"Somewhere out there/ if love can see us through/ then we'll be together/ somewhere out there/ out where dreams come true."
He places the photo back in his pocket and then follows Tint back into the cave to get some sleep.
Meanwhile in Te'Kaya's hut, he is communicating with the spirits. As he chants in salamandrian tongue, he starts feeling a strange vibe tingling in his head. He looks up at the smoke above him, and what he's seeing within, surprises him. "What is this...?"
Keep on Truckin'! Hope everyone enjoys Pride Month!