In the morning, I felt much better than I had since leaving Pira. I felt rested, and my back didn't ache from sleeping on the ground.

The beds were comfortable, which was all I needed. They were made out of light, bouncy woven leaves suspended over the ground with sturdy wooden poles. Almost too bouncy. For some reason, I liked it a lot and they reminded me of a trampoline.

I laid there with my eyes closed for a while, listening to the bustle of the early morning Lemureas get ready for the day. I wondered what Lemureas did all day. Did they have jobs? I wondered if they had any books, if so, what did they write about?

I had more questions than there were answers.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, shaking it gently. Before I knew it, I had whipped around, hair flying into my face, and was sitting up.

I blinked the haze of sleep from my eyes. "Kit?" I said groggily.

"Hello there," he whispered, putting his chin on the mattress and looking absolutely adorable. So adorable that I couldn't be mad at him if I tried.

"Hi," I said and flung my hair back over my head, "what time is it?

"Nearly times to eat if you want to come with me! I think I am going to burn another banana," he said thoughtfully.

I chuckled, "Of course."

I looked around the room, Remi was still sleeping, her shoulders rising and falling peacefully. I noticed that her face looked a lot better when she wasn't scowling. Why was I noticing that? Nick was sitting cross legged on her bed, reading from her apparent infinite resource of books.

"Hey!" She said when she saw me up.

I nodded to her then sat up and stretched.

I got up and ambled over to Remi's bed.

I tapped her arm with one finger, "Psst," I whispered.

She groaned and shut her eyes tighter.

I sighed, "Come on Rem," I said and gave her an awkward hug, "I think Meekit wants to take us to breakfast."

"We has peanut butters!" Kit crowed.

"Peanut butter, you say?" Nick said, closing her book and getting up.

Remi groaned dramatically and made a show of getting up and stretching. "But I was sleeeeping."

I smiled, "Well, you've gotta get up at some point."

"True," Remi said grudgingly.

"How are you feeling this morning?" I asked.

Remi shrugged. "My stomach hurts, but I'm a bit better I guess."

I hugged her again, never wanting to let go.

"Now that we are awakes," Meekit said cheerfully, "we can go to breakfast! We are having fruit pancakes!"

"What are fruit pancakes?" Nick asked as we followed Meekit to the door.

He grinned mischievously, "You will see!"

"Great," Remi growled and stomped after us.

Nick cuffed her on the shoulder, "Hey grumpy squid, cheer up."

We stepped out onto the path and bright light assaulted my eyes. I couldn't even tell where most of it was coming from. It had stopped raining at least.

The height did not do anything for Remi's mood. I remembered Nick's surprise at Remi's fear of heights. Remi told me years ago about it and I was just as surprised as Nick was. The fear was kind of endearing, actually. She seemed all tough on the outside, but she was afraid of something small like heights

Meekit bounded to the stairs, wagging his tail almost like a dog. "Come on!" he said, jumping up and down.

Remi stuffed her hands into the pockets of her pants and followed, gritting her teeth.

We descended the stairs. It was much easier now that we were going down instead of up. It still took us ten minutes to reach the bottom though.

Meekit bounded into the crowd of sleepy Lemureas getting ready for the day.

We followed him, getting stared and gawked at.

"Aren't Lemurs nocturnal?" Remi muttered as she almost stepped on the brown and white tail of a small kid.

"Remember that these aren't normal lemurs," Nick lectured, "These are Lemureas. I think they are more humanoid than regular lemurs and more lemur than regular humans."

"Thanks for the lesson Ms. Leview." Remi said.

We found Meekit again standing next to a large tunnel with a sign on the top. The sign had ruins written on it that I couldn't decipher.

"Follow, follow!" Meekit said and leapt into the tunnel.

"Why is he always so cheerful about everything?" Remi grumped.

"You aren't cheerful about enough things!" I told her. "Be happy. We're alive."

A burning smell started wafting through the air.

"What is that smell?" Remi asked, trying and failing to make her voice more cheerful.

"Fruit pancakes!" Meekit called back, giving us no information at all.

We emerged into the dining hall. We must have just taken a different tunnel to get to it.

I saw what Meekit meant about fruit pancakes a minute later. I hadn't noticed it the night before, but cut into the far wall, there was an opening on the ground where multiple fires blazed, and a thin layer of rock separated the bottom alcove from the top one. The alcoves were roughly the same size. I judged that I could probably curl up and fit inside of them. On top of the slab of rock, fruit pancakes were sizzling. Apparently, the Lemureas mashed up fruit like a smoothie and then cooked it into pancakes.

"How does that even work?" Nick asked, "How do they even hold their shape?"

I shrugged, I had decided not to question the weird things in my life anymore.

The pancakes were interesting to say the least. They tasted almost exactly like a strawberry banana smoothie, but with a more nutty, blueberry-like taste as well.

When we finished, we searched for Meekit.

We found him with his sister Criko. She was trying to balance a pancake on her nose, and they were laughing as she failed repeatedly.

"Hello!" Meekit said as I sat backwards on the bench next to him. Remi and Nicholina stood at the edge of the table.

Criko chattered at us and Meekit said, "She said good morning!"

"Good morning to you too, Criko," I said and Meekit passed on the message. Criko smiled and her pancake fell off her nose and landed on the table with a splat.

"We should leave," Remi said from behind Nick and I. "We have a mission to complete."

I nodded," Yeah, as much as I don't want to, we should."

"Kit," Nick said and straightened up, "Are you done? Can you lead us back to the hospital?"

Meekit cocked his head to the side, "Where?"

"The..." Nick looked at us for help.

"Healers?" Remi suggested, "medics?"

"Oh ok!" Meekit said and repeated in their own language for Criko, "Wait, a-are you leaving?"

"I...yes, Kit." I said, but immediately regretted saying it. Tears filled his eyes and even Criko looked heartbroken, even though she couldn't understand what was being said. She put a hand on Meekit's shoulder.

"We have to get our friend healed." Nick said.

"Maybe we could come here on our way back home?" Remi said with a shrug. She looked sort of troubled. She didn't mention what sort of welcome we would get when we did get home. That was a thought I wouldn't even let myself think about yet.

"Yesyesyes!" Meekit cried, his eyes brightening. He repeated it to Criko.

Criko bobbed her head and chattered excitedly.

"She said she would love it if you could come back; she said you shoulds come back often! We can take you to the healers now," Meekit said and got to his feet.

I stood, "Thank you."

We left the noise and smells of the room behind. I grabbed a handful of nuts and berries on the way out to eat on the way to the Elves.

We entered the hospital and were bathed in morning light from the leaf covered holes in the ceiling. It looked much airier and brighter there than it did the night before, and the light was sort of intense after being in a dark tunnel.

Criko trailed after some healers going up on the pulley system.

She talked to the Lemureas operating the rope and then came back over to us. She looked rather irritated, like the conversation was annoying.

We waited until the first couple Lemureas had gotten off at their stop, then watched as the pulley operators let the rope slide through their short fingers, making the platform whoosh down and come to a stop with a thump at the bottom.

Criko marched onto the platform and Meekit followed, bouncing manically.

"I love doing this!" He said.

I stepped up behind him and glanced back at Remi, she wasn't going to like it. Her scowl was deeper than usual as she made her way to stand behind Nick and I, close to the wall.

Me and Nick both offered her a hand at the same time. She took them.

We began to move up, a couple feet at a time. I got a glimpse of every level as we scooted past.

And then as soon as the ride started, it ended.

We stepped off the platform onto a level only about three quarters of the way up.

Criko sauntered in like she owned the place, which she kind of did, being the princess. We followed, still hanging on to Remi.

We didn't pass many injured or sick Lemureas on the way to Gen's bed. Just a few Lemureas with colds or some who were sleeping.

When we got to Gen, Criko shooed away the Lemureas working on her.

Nick let go of Remi's hand and went to Gen's side.

"How is she?" She asked Criko which Meekit translated.

Criko said something, and Meekit said, "She is bad, she will only live another four or five days. She thinks it is weird that she has lived even this long."

Remi growled quietly.

"What?" I asked.

"That just adds to the fishiness of this." She said.

I pursed my lips. "Maybe you're just suspicious of everything."

She shrugged, "I don't like it."

Meekit bounded up to us, "Criko has a gift for you!" He said. I realized that Criko had left.

A minute later, I saw her get off the platform again, pushing one of the floating stretchers.

She pushed it up to us and put it at the end of Gen's bed, then she said something to Meekit.

"This stretcher is for you!" Meekit said. "You can put your friend on it. This way, you do not have to carry her!"

"Wow," I said, grinning.

"Thanks!" Remi exclaimed.

"This will definitely help a lot," Nick said.

Criko beckoned for Remi and I to come over.

We did and we all helped her lift Gen up and onto the stretcher.

Nick swiped her bangs out of her face and pushed the stretcher toward the lift. Meekit tapped her arm.

"Back to mom and da- I mean, the King and Queen now?" He asked a little sadly.

I nodded, "Yes please."

We went back to the lift and began to move down. Remi tensed up, so I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, lending her support.

When we got to the bottom, Meekit and Criko led us out, back through the maze of tunnels and into the throne room.

We pushed Gen's stretcher to the thrones.

"Your majesties," Nick said. "We must leave, we have to get our friend to a cure for the venom in her wound."

"We cannot thank the Lemureas enough," I said.

The King and Queen pondered this for a moment.

"We understands," Queen Lisa said.

"Good lucks," King Doorphan said, then did something surprising.

He got up from his throne and came up to Nick. He stood on his back legs and touched the middle of Nick's forehead with the tip of his finger. Then he did the same to me, and then Remi.

He sat back down again.

"Wow," Meekit breathed.

I assumed that must be something important in Lemurea culture, so I said, "Thank you."

"Go," Queen Lisa said, "You have to be quick. Meekit, lead them to Dorian?"

Meekit nodded. "I will."

We turned, and left the huge throne room.

Meekit and Criko took us down a completely different path, a smaller, skinnier tunnel. None of the Lemureas were going this way. It gave me a creeping feeling along my spine. A feeling of...energy. Too much. It felt right and wrong at the same time.

"This tunnel will lead you straight to big forest, Dorian," Meekit said and brushed his tail with his sisters. It was hard to believe that they were the prince and princess.

The two Lemureas stopped in the middle of the tunnel and turned to us.

"We will have to leave you here," Meekit said, "The border pushes us back, can you feel it?"

As he said it, I immediately started to notice a cold feeling, like wind, pushing us back.

Criko said something to us, gesturing down the tunnel.

Meekit translated: "You will have to fight the wind all the way to the border. You must follow the biggest path only."

"Wind?" Remi said, "But why, why do we need to fight anything? Where does the wind come from?"

Meekit shrugged, "We do not know where the wind comes from, old Elf magik probably."

"Magic?" Nick asked, she sounds awestruck.

"We think so," Meekit said.

"Wow," Nick whispered.

Meekit stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Nicholina's knees, which was the highest he could reach.

"I will miss my new friends." He sniffled and hugged me as well, then Remi, who graciously refrained from flinching. I knew that I had just met the little energetic Lemurea, but I would miss him too.

"We will see you again," I promised as he stepped back to Criko's side.

We turned and continued down the tunnel without our Lemurea guides.

***

We traveled down the tunnel for a long time, ignoring all the other branches and sticking with the biggest one. Only Nick's flashlight guided us. We stopped to rest occasionally, but it was easier going because we didn't have to carry Gen. A good night's sleep also helped quite a lot.

We stopped when I judged it was close to lunchtime. I got some of the berries and nuts from breakfast and passed them around until they were gone.

"So," Nick said, breaking the silence. "We're almost there."

"I've always wanted to see the Elves," Remi said. "I've always wanted to call them out for rolling over on their backs for the Zorg like the humans did."

I gave her a look, "They didn't roll over for them, they went neutral so they weren't destroyed, though, I agree, the humans definitely did."

"Well maybe we can get them to fight again." Remi said, dragging a foot through the dirt, "If we can get them to attack, maybe if theres any Dragons who are still out there and in hiding will-"

"No," I interrupted, stopping her words before it could go too far. "Remi, stop your fantasies about going back to war again. I know your thoughts about that, and we can't do that. The Zorg and their Glyferno will wipe everyone out. At least now, there is some sort of peace."

"What are Glyferno? Does anyone even know?" Nick said. I could tell she had been wanting to ask the question for a long time.

I shrugged helplessly, "I don't know, one day, they just seemed to be everywhere."

"I know," Remi grunted, staring at her shoes. "Or rather, I heard a story."

"What is it?" Nick said, and began re-tying her shoelace.

"Some people say there was another Dragon tribe," Remi said.

I felt the weight of this settle on my shoulders. I knew where that was going. Nick's hands dropped to her side, her task forgotten.

"That there was a tribe called Soundtails," Remi said. "And that the Zorg captured them all and mutated them into...into Glyferno." Her voice cracked.

"Is that why they make that horrible noise? Because the other tribe was called Soundtails they probably had some sort of sound power." Nick said. Her voice was infused with disgust.

Remi nodded.

"That's-that's terrible," I said. The idea that even the Zorg could do that horrified me.

"Yeah, yeah it is," Remi said and got up. She pulled her backpack on and grabbed Gen's stretcher. "Let's go, maybe we can get to Dorian by nightfall."

Me and Nick get up, and without another word, we continue down the tunnel.

By the time we reached open air again, about thirty minutes later, surprisingly, the weird wind was a little stronger, rustling my sweater and brushing its wispy fingers through my hair and across my face.

Remi came out last, ducking through a velvet curtain of vines on the side of a large hill.

The sunlight was altogether too bright after trudging through a dark tunnel for most of the day. I was nostalgic for the bright, big cavens of Kragon, and the bustle of the Lemureas.

"Wow," Nick said, shielding her eyes.

I nodded unconsciously. The forest loomed ahead of us. 'Loom' was the only word for it. Already, trees were starting to creep up around us. Not literally creeping, but still. I began to wish I hadn't had that thought.

I looked back at the Nurgol mountain range behind us, "We did it! We went under them!" I exclaimed, fighting the urge to jump up and down. I had never heard of a human ever crossing or going under the legendary mountain range. Everyone always said they were too big, too vast, too...wild.

"We still have a ways to go," Remi said.

"Way to downplay the accomplishment," Nick said. Remi shot her a thunderous look. I could tell our earlier conversation was still bothering her.

We set off into the thickening trees.

I walked beside Remi. Nick in front of us, pushing Gen in front of her. "You guys already carried her most of the way," she had said when Remi had grabbed it at first, "Let me do it."

I glanced up at Remi, her mouth was set in a hard line.

"Look," I said, "I know you have, er, strong feelings, about the Zorg, but, we can't just go start another war. We need to finish this mission, and then go home. Do you know what another war would mean?"

She was silent for a minute. I watched the forest fold us into its embrace. Despite my constant fear, I started to feel a sense of safety as well. I knew that the forest was the one place no Zorg or human would go. Yeah this would be fun.

"I do know that another war would not be the ideal option," Remi said, ducking under a tree branch. "But I think that we need to fight for the Dragons. What the Zorg are doing, it isn't right, they need to be stopped before they actually wipe us out. I don't want to see any Dragons die."

I nodded, she had a point, but what was the right option? Would anything we do be right?

"What will happen when we get back to Pira, do you think?" She asked.

I hopped over a log, trying to ignore the forest noises starting to sound around us.

"I don't know," I said, "If I'm being honest, I'm worried. I don't know what people will think, we have been gone almost a week now-" I cut myself off as a thought hit me like a tether ball to the face.

"Remi," I said, stopping in my tracks, "Gen."

"What?" Remi said, on guard, "What about her?"

Nick stopped and looked back, "Guys, what is it?" She asked.

"Gen," I said again, raising my voice slightly. "She's seen us as Dragons. She knows we-"

Remi's face paled as she caught on, "My gosh, she knows what I did to her."

Nick's mouth dropped open, "What if she said something! Why didn't we ever think of this!"

Before we could further discuss this new problem, a bugle rang out through the woods, unlike anything I had ever heard before.

We all froze, scanning the surroundings.

"I swear," Remi said and picked a long stick up off of the ground, "If it's those gods cursed Zorg again-"

"It isn't!" Nick shrieked suddenly and barreled toward us, dragging the stretcher behind her. "It's that thing!"

I got a glimpse of what was behind her and my mouth dropped open. I was unable to move.

"Run!" Nick screamed, "It's a giant rhinoceros!"

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Written by justasnarky_sandwing on WATTPAD