OMG, you guys. I literally just woke up and I had a dream about the Bad Guys holiday special (or maybe it wasn't the holiday special considering it had nothing to do with Christmas or anything, but whatever). I was watching a trailer for it and it showed the Bad Guys interacting with Agent Kitty Kat from the books as well as some other characters my brain made up (one of them was a giraffe but I can't remember the rest). My dream self was practically squealing.

On a side note, why haven't they released any promotional material for the special yet? At the very least, I thought they would have had a release date by now. With the writer's strike going on, I just hope they haven't ceased production or anything like that.

Anyway, new chapter time!

Chapter 8

The Encounter

"So…this is Dragon Country?" CJ asked once he and Madeline got over the shock.

"I think so." she nodded. "I mean, there are weird, spotted eggs lying around and the air is filled with smoke. It's gotta be."

"I guess so. Just can't believe this place was behind a cave on a Florida beach this whole time."

Madeline started walking ahead. "C'mon! Let's look around. I'm positive Devon and Cornwall are nearby."

Madeline and CJ slowly and carefully began to move through the smoky, creepy canyons of Dragon Country. As tempted as they were to call out for their two-headed friend, they feared they would attract unwanted attention from the more ferocious dragons that were most likely lurking around somewhere. A few times they even spotted a few flying right above them and they had to hide as quickly as possible, or else become their lunch. Madeline hoped that the beasts couldn't really smell fear like Marcus had told her, because she hadn't felt more scared in her whole life. She wished she had brought Sir Sprinklehooves along for comfort.

But as much as the child wanted to hightail it out of there and go home, she knew Devon and Cornwall were around somewhere and finding them was worth the risk of getting eaten.

Eventually, the two kids came upon a small river near the canyon's edge. Inside the river were several stones floating in a strange, bubbling green liquid. On the other side of the river was what looked to be an entrance to a forest.

"Hey, check it out!" CJ pointed. "A forest!"

Madeline recalled something her dragon friends said. "That must be the forest Devon and Cornwall tried to stay in after they were banished. I heard there's lots of weird stuff that goes on there."

"Maybe we should take a look inside it." CJ suggested. "C'mon, we just need to hop across this river."

With that, CJ jumped onto the first rock, almost splashing Madeline. She, however, didn't follow him. There was something off about that "water," she could tell. She picked up a nearby branch and stuck it in the river. When she pulled it out, its end had completely dissolved.

"Whoa…that water's dangerous! CJ! Come back!"

But CJ was too far gone already.

"What? What'd you say?"

ROOOOOAAARRRR!

Before CJ could take another leap, something huge came out of the river and knocked him to the other side.

"Whoa!"

"CJ!" Madeline cried.

The thing that emerged from the water revealed itself to have black scales and huge wings. It turned to Madeline and roared again, showing its sharp teeth and spraying a disgusting ooze dripping from its mouth. Madeline backed away as the dragon landed beside her, snarling.

"Madeline!" CJ called.

"CJ! Run! NOW!" Madeline begged.

The dragon turned its head and growled at CJ, making him its new target. CJ ran in the opposite direction toward the forest prompting the dragon to give chase. Or rather, it was going to give chase until a rock hit it in the face.

"Leave him alone!" Madeline scolded.

The dragon looked back at her angrily.

Madeline frowned, regretting her decision.

"Uh…please?"

ROOOOOAAAARRRRR!

Then, before she could scream, run away, or do both, the dragon picked her up by its mouth and began to carry her away. CJ watched the scene from a safe distance. He wanted to go after her, but he realized that him trying to help would just end up getting them both in more trouble. He needed somebody bigger and stronger who knew how to deal with these malicious creatures. He needed Devon and Cornwall. As quick as he could manage, the boy made his way into the strange forest, praying he would find them there.

As for Madeline, she found herself being taken to a cave on the north side of Dragon Country. Once there, the dragon dropped her on the ground.

"Hey guys!" it said. "Check out what I caught!"

Madeline shivered as three more dragons, one blue, one red, and one green, came out of the shadows.

"Well, well! It's been centuries since we've seen a human wondering around here, hasn't it, Flare?" the red dragon chuckled sinisterly to the green dragon, licking his lips.

"Yes, and what a plump and juicy one it is, too!" the green one, who also seemed to be the only female, drooled. "Wouldn't you agree, Flicker?"

"Heh, heh! Uh…yeah?" the blue dragon answered. Madeline had a hunch he was the least intelligent of them all.

"Well done, Blaze." the red dragon told the black one. "Looks like we'll be eating like kings tonight…"

"Thanks, Scorch." the black dragon known as Blaze replied.

Madeline gulped. "L-L-Look, I don't want any trouble here…I came here to look for my friends. I think you might know them, actually. They're dragons just like you. Well…I guess technically they're just one dragon with two heads, but still. Their names are Devon and Cornwall."

"'Devon and Cornwall'?" Scorch repeated, laughing. "You mean the walking, talking freak show?"

"The flightless, flame-retardant failures?" Blaze joked.

"The wannabe thespian and his loud-mouthed pimple?" Flare giggled.

"Uh…um…yeah! What they said!" Flicker added.

"They're not welcome here anymore." Scorch explained as he cornered Madeline. "Only real dragons are allowed to roam these parts."

"Yes…those two are disgraces to our community." Flare also cornered the human child. "Nothing but an embarrassment."

"Even if by some miracle they did learn how to fly and breathe fire," Blaze spoke down Madeline's back. "We still wouldn't let 'em back in. Given that they broke the dragon's cardinal rule."

"'Never wear brown shoes with a blue suit?'" Flicker guessed.

Scorch smacked him on the head. "'Never make friends with a human,' you ditz. But given how generally un-dragonlike those two are, it shouldn't come as a surprise that they would find companionship in your kind."

"S-S-So where are they now?" Madeline asked.

"Who knows? Who cares?" Flare snarked. "Good riddance, I say."

"Yeah! Heh, heh! Good riddance!" Flicker snickered.

"Aw, shut up!" Scorch smacked him again.

Madeline took a few steps back.

"Well, okay…since they're not here, I guess I'd better go look somewhere else."

Blaze's foot blocked her path.

"Not so fast!" Scorch slowly approached the girl. "You only just arrived…"

"Yes…won't you stay…for dinner?" Flare offered.

Madeline gulped. "I-I-I'm not hungry…"

"Oh…but we are…" Blaze licked his lips. "Let's eat, guys!"

Thinking fast, Madeline kicked Blaze's foot, forcing him to lift it out of her way.

"Ow! Why you little-"

Madeline ducked under the scaly beast and made a run for it out of the cave.

"Hm…" Scorch smirked. "I've always been fond of…fast food…"

Meanwhile, somewhere in the forest, Devon and Cornwall were solemnly looking around, trying to locate a new permanent residence but to no avail.

"This is hopeless." Devon lamented as he and Cornwall sat on a rock. "We can't possibly live out here! It's mucky and filthy and there aren't even any caves! A dragon doesn't belong in such a primitive setting!"

Cornwall picked up a few sticks and rubbed them together to start a fire.

"What other option do we have? Anyway, at this point, I've accepted the fact we don't belong anywhere. Not with dragons, not with humans, not with nobody!"

"Oh, you're right…" Devon sighed. "Tis lonely, the life of an outcast lizard, with only a pair of sticks to keep us company."

Suddenly, the sticks jumped out of Cornwall's hands and ran away, much to the two's surprise.

"Guys!" a voice cried out from behind them.

Both heads turned to see CJ coming their way.

"Guys, there you are! Thank goodness I found you!"

"CJ? What on earth are you doing here?"

"Yeah, how'd you find us?"

"That's not important!" CJ insisted. "Listen, you have to go back to Dragon Country!"

"Whatever for? We're not welcome there."

"And even if we were, we still wouldn't go back. There ain't nothin' left for us in that place anymore."

"But-"

"Yes, and there's nothing left for us back in your realm either." Devon claimed. "As painful as it is, Madeline will just have to go on living without us."

"That's just it! Madeline-" CJ tried to explain.

"Look kid, we know you and Madeline liked playin' with us and all that and we liked it, too." Cornwall admitted. "But we just can't do it anymore, all right? Other humans wouldn't get it. They'd probably kill us if they found out."

"Exactly." Devon agreed. "And even if they didn't learn of our existence, we'd be putting too much strain on Madeline to have to keep us a secret, given that we can't fly and all. And we don't have the heart to do that to her. Trust me, my boy, this is for everyone's own good."

"But-but the other dragons-"

"Who cares about the other dragons?" Cornwall interrupted. "We're dead to them and they're dead to us for all we care."

"Well, Madeline's about to be actually dead because those other dragons got her!" CJ finally said.

"WHAT?!"

Devon and Cornwall stood up and grabbed CJ by the collar.

"CJ, why didn't you say somethin'?"

"This is dreadful! Horrible!"

They dropped CJ on the ground and started to pace back and forth.

"Who knows what despicable things those ruffians are putting her through? I can't bear to imagine it!"

"Well, whatever it is, they ain't gonna get away with it! I swear, I find even just one claw mark on her and that's it! I'll pulverize those guys! Pound 'em! Make 'em regret the day they were hatched from their eggs!"

"Indeed! It was one thing when they bullied us, but bullying a sweet, angelic thing like Madeline? Now they've gone too far!"

Without even realizing it, Devon and Cornwall's wings started flapping and their feet rose above the ground. CJ sat up and his eyes widened upon seeing the previously flightless dragon hanging upside-down in midair.

"Just wait until we get our hands on them!"

"Yeah! We'll show them a thing or two! Won't we?"

"Yes! We darn well will!"

"Hey! You're flying!" CJ informed them.

That's when Devon and Cornwall realized it, too.

"Gosh! He's right! We are flying!" Devon observed.

"I did it! I'm great!" Cornwall bragged while kissing himself. "I love me! I did it!"

Devon repeatedly hit his other half on the head.

"Excuse me, egomaniac! You mean I did it!"

"No, no! Ow!"

SPLAT!

In a matter of seconds, the dragon's wings halted and they fell into a mud puddle below them.

"Wait, I get it now!" CJ said, wiping some mud off his face.

Devon and Cornwall sat up.

"Get what?" Cornwall asked, rubbing his head.

"The only way you two can fly is if you agree on something. And you just did! You agreed that you both really care about Madeline."

"Well…of course we do!" Devon confessed.

"Whoa, whoa! Hold up! Why are you speakin' for me?" Cornwall demanded.

"What? I just said what I thought was true!"

"So, what? You think I care about that little human? The one we barely even know? That same kid I warned you not to get too attached to because we're not supposed to be friends with her species? You think I care about her?!"

"Yes! As a matter of fact I do!"

"Well, I got news for you, buster! You're right! I do care about her! I care about her just as much as you do! More than that! The fact is that little girl means everything to me and if you ever doubt that, I'll smack some sense into that empty head of yours! Ya hear me?"

"Well, she means everything to me, too, and if you ever doubt that, I'll-"

He paused and the two looked over at CJ.

"…I say…the lad may have a point."

Crossover fic is making progress. Chapter 2 is nearly finished but I might need a little time for Chapter 3 because I'm having some minor issues with casting.

Review if you'd like.