Chapter 2

Location:Earth

Manx felt the roller coaster car rattling beneath her, nothing like riding a dragon. The car was solid, cold, and lifeless, passive and uncaring whether she survived its perilous flight. It moved slowly, tension rising in her chest as the metal beast rose higher and higher along its serpentine track. She desperately fought at the restraints, pulling, pushing, and kicking to free herself but the padded restraints were not responsive. She looked at the ground far below, strange and alien, and all she wanted was to wake up from this horrible nightmare. She tried to use her powers to teleport away, but the fear alone was sapping her strength. On a dragon, the scales were warm and alive, muscles rippling with every move. On a dragon she could feel the creature's life as it breathed during flight, its wings flapping rhythmically up and down. With a dragon, Manx could tell its motives and intentions. It was as if her heart and that of the mighty beast were one. On this metal monster, there were no warm scales to reassure her, no soft rippling of muscles, no conversation as to where it would take her. As the metal beast climbed higher and higher, Manx would have sworn that her entire life flashed before her very eyes. And then, it stopped. The horrid metal monster stopped at the very top of its hill, leaving Manx and Vaskin to gaze at the world below. Manx was hoping against hope that the thing would stay up there forever so maybe she could figure out how to escape its clutches, but to her shock and horror it tilted forward and began to fall, faster and faster, the ground speeding towards her face. Manx felt tears streaming from her eyes while Vaskin gave a whoop of laughter. She so wanted to punch him or something, maybe twist his arm like her father had showed her, because he had no right to be having a good time. Not when she was so miserable. But all she could really think of was her own survival as the ground was approaching fast.

But just as she thought that surely the metal monster would slam her into the ground, it shot upwards powered by its own momentum. The rest of it flashed by so fast that all Manx remembered was shooting through a dark tunnel and then winding up back in the station where it had all begun, only for the restraints to loosen and for Khashmyr to drag her off the ride, saying, "Meh. It gets old after the tenth time or so."

Manx could barely walk with all the distortion of equilibrium, and she half limped, half stumbled down the stairs to exit the ride. "So, you two want to head out to the food court and get lunch?" Khashmyr asked innocently. Manx was fuming with rage at her for dragging her along on the ride, and so she crossed her arms refusing to speak.

Manx and Vaskin followed Khashmyr through the endless crowds of people until they reached a place where there was a few booths in clusters with more people standing in line. "Y'know what, how about dessert instead? I stocked the fridge back at my place, so we can eat healthy when we get there. It'll be my treat." Khashmyr said. Vaskin perked up at the mention of dessert but Manx was still reeling from the trauma of the roller coaster.

"You okay, Manx?" Khashmyr asked when she saw how Manx was staring off into space with a fearful look on her face.

Manx spun around to face Khashmyr and then said, "Do I look okay?"

"Mmm...you look fine, but a little sick besides the fact." Khashmyr mused. Manx clenched her fists and her jaw, but said nothing in reply. The look on her face made Vaskin want to know just what exactly was going on in her head, but he had a feeling that she would probably bite his head of with her words if he did talk to her, and so instead he turned to Khashmyr and said, "What do they have in this world in way of dessert?"

"They have quite a ton of things you might like. For me I wouldn't know much in way of sweets though, because us cats don't have the receptors needed for tasting sweet stuff. So just pick out whatever you want. It's on me." Khashmyr replied. Vaskin nodded and eagerly looked up at the menu and read what the food stand had to offer while Manx gawked at him with annoyance. Vaskin ordered a large hotdog with mustard and a side of pepsi and fries, not knowing what he was getting himself into. Manx refused to order with the excuse that she didn't feel like it, while Khashmyr ordered a large ice cream for herself. When Khashmyr paid for their food and sat them down at a table with an umbrella overhead, Vaskin asked her, "Why did you get that thing there if you can't taste anything sweet? Wasn't that on the dessert menu?"

Khashmyr gave her ice cream a bunch of long methodical licks before saying, "It's sooo good even if I can't taste the sweet! I just can't help myself!"

Manx rolled her eyes while gazing forlornly off in the distance, wishing she could be anywhere but here. Vaskin took a small bite of his hot dog and then his eyes opened wide in surprise as he exclaimed, "What is in this thing? Holy mother of pearl, this is AMAZING! Manx, you want some?"

Manx sighed and got up and walked away before sitting down at another table without speaking a word. Vaskin stood up to join her, but Khashmyr shook her head and said, "Don't. You will regret it."

Vaskin shrugged and sat back down while gazing longingly over at Manx, watching as she just sat there, alone and forlorn. After all they had been through together, he thought she would at least have opened up to him a bit more. He vividly remembered how at the awards ceremony she had nearly kissed him, until her father stepped in and then she ran off without looking back. And then he had spent the first part of the second quest trying to find her, only to find that she had made friends with this annoying kitsune with lightning powers. And she had been distant with their every exchange slightly awkward after that. He never could figure her out. But still, he imagined what might have happened if her father had never interrupted. Maybe he would have gotten that kiss after all.

Manx stood up and walked over to Khashmyr and asked, "How much longer are we going to be here?" with a long exasperated sigh.

"Depends on how long you two want to be here." Khashmyr replied with a smile.

"Can we leave now?" Manx asked in annoyance.

"If you insist, but before we leave, you HAVE to see the gift shops. Shopping in this world is faster and more fun than from where we come from, and they have so many neat things for bargain prices!" Khashmyr replied with excitement. Manx shook her head and said, "Fine, but after that I want to get out of here. And no more rides."

Khashmyr finished off her ice cream and then sprang from her seat with an excited clap and she said, "Great! And Vaskin, you're free to wander about if you would like. Here's a map of the park so you can find the rides. Or you can hang with us."

Vaskin thought for a moment and then decided, "I would like to try out some more rides, but if we are splitting up, where are we going to meet up?"

"We can meet up at the park entrance of course!" Khashmyr said with an enthusiastic spin while pulling Manx in close to her. Manx pushed Khashmyr away in extreme annoyance and said, "Get it over with already."

Khashmyr nodded and then said, "Through the crowds and past the bend, we'll search the shops from end to end, looking, seeking, evermore! We'll shop till we drop and then we'll hit the next store!"

Manx wished that the cat would drop to the floor from her own excitement. Then maybe they could peel her off the pavement and go somewhere much quieter. But her wish was to no avail, because Khashmyr was cranked like a magic wind-up toy that couldn't ever be shut off. Vaskin took the map and made a day of it, while Khashmyr dragged Manx around all the gift shops, in the process making her try on wild and pointless hats wherever they were found and then taking pictures without Manx knowing from her smartphone. At around the twentieth ridiculous hat, Manx was getting very stubborn. With anyone else, Manx would have already smacked them into tomorrow, but Khashmyr held immense power in her paws, and Manx did not want to risk angering the two tailed monster cat wearing a human guise. Even in this world Khashmyr was extremely volatile and dangerous, and she could sway someone's opinion with just a wink. Even if Khashmyr was technically on Manx's side, Manx did not want to risk angering the cat. Still, this was too much.
"You look beautiful! Now say cheese!" Khashmyr said, as the fake tentacles of the neon green squid had drooped limply over Manx's face.

"No." Manx muttered. Khashmyr tilted her head and replied, "What was that?"

"What is the point in saying cheese while you hold up that stupid metal brick that lights up? This is all just so pointless!" Manx snapped.

"You will see later." Khashmyr said with a wink of her vibrant green and yellow eyes.

"You've cleared out all the hats in this stupid shop, and all the other ones mind you, and I'm tired of all this nonsense!" Manx sighed.

"Oh, I see...Hmm...yes, I think I did. Oh well. Ooh! I know! How about I win you one of those giant stuffed bears!" Khashmyr replied excitedly.

"I need to see this." Manx said skeptically. As she had stood there modeling the hats, she had watched as tons of humans had tried to win the stuffed bear, but none had succeeded. And she figured that if the cat was so intent on winning the bear, she could maybe get lost in the crowd while Khashmyr was distracted and find somewhere quiet. Khashmyr and Manx left the gift shop and Khashmyr paid the man running the ring toss booth to have her try at the stuffed bear. Manx stepped back, turned to make her daring escape, when the unthinkable happened. The ring clattered around the neck of the bottle in the center, making it an instant win. Khashmyr triumphantly selected a huge orange bear and held it with pride as the man running the booth brought it down for her. Manx rolled her eyes, secretly very surprised, but trying to keep the cat distracted, she said, "Beginner's luck. You're probably not going to win on the second try."

"Watch me." Khashmyr said with a smirk, before paying for another round. She then threw the ring again, and once more it was a perfect shot. Manx watched, her eyes wide as the man brought down a purple giant bear. Manx decided not to challenge Khashmyr again, and she said, "Now how are you going to carry those things?"

"I'm not. They are all yours, after all. You make the bet, you pay the debt!" Khashmyr said.

"I didn't want..." Manx started, as the two giant bears were thrust into her arms.

"Oh, Manx, We forgot to look at the jewelry! There are these really neat necklaces that change color depending on your mood!" Khashmyr exclaimed, dragging Manx along. Manx was beside herself with frustration. She was seriously thinking that she had had enough, but she didn't want to say anything in fear of angering Khashmyr. She wished that she had not returned the cat's tails out of compassion and pity when her father had sliced them off on the first quest after the cat had saved the Empress, but maybe he had a little sense about this after all. But Manx couldn't bring herself to harm the cat, no matter how annoying Khashmyr got, because she owed the cat her life. It would have been much easier if she had just died from the wounds she had received in the battle on the first quest, and she wouldn't have to live with the haunting fear of the scorpion venom taking over on any day, but if she had died that day, then she would have never seen her parents happy and together and have the family that she had always wanted. Khashmyr had given up seven of her nine-thousand lives to save her, and the cat would have given all of her lives if the need had arisen. Manx did not understand why Khashmyr was so protective of her, and yet so annoying and incorrigible at the same time. And Khashmyr had never, not once given anyone a straightforward answer, and it was not likely she would be willing to give a straightforward answer now.

Soon after showing Manx the jewelry in the gift shop, Khashmyr finally got bored and decided to head to the park's entrance and exit, with Manx eagerly following close behind.    When they got to the park entrance, Manx looked around wide eyed at the fountain near the park entrance and she looked at the strange sculpture of a cartoon dog that had been here and there around the park, surrounded by little yellow birds. And then she looked behind her, at the stone Griffons perched on the roof of the gateway, their presence ominous and imposing. Vaskin was already there waiting for them near the fountain and he was wearing more necklaces than a single display at the giftshop could hold, and in his arms was a giant stuffed neon green bear. He immediately recognized Khashmyr and Manx, but when he saw her holding the two other bears, his face flushed bright red.

"Did you have a good time?" Vaskin sheepishly asked. Manx gave him an icy stare and he decided to drop the conversation. Khashmyr smiled and said, "Well, We've got daylight to burn, and you two are going to love the accommodations! I bought a house last time I was here, and it just happens that it is big enough for us each to have our own room. Oh, and when we get to the parking lot, watch out for cars. Just follow my lead, alright?" She then led them through another gate, and then into the parking lot. Manx watched in horrified fascination as people climbed into vehicles and then put their hands on this strange wheel and then the things called cars would speed off. Khashmyr led them through many aisles of lines painted on the black stony surface before finally stopping by a flaming red convertible with the license plate saying WILDCAT. Khashmyr effortlessly fished a set of keys out of her purse and then unlocked the sleek vehicle, showing Vaskin and Manx how to open the door. She had to take a little while to explain the seatbelts to Manx, as she thoroughly refused to be restrained again, but Khashmyr managed to convince Manx that it was a lot worse if the seatbelt was not fastened securely. Khashmyr then helped Vaskin out in the backseat and put one giant bear in the trunk of the car, and then she buckled the other two on either side of him. When Khashmyr put the keys in the ignition, Manx closed her eyes in fright, hoping against hope that this would not be another roller coaster ride. As the vehicle started, she felt it vibrate beneath her, and soon she opened her eyes to find that they were on a long winding street made out of that black rocky material and painted with various lines. When they stopped at a long red light, Khashmyr plugged her smartphone into a cord connected to the front of the car and then pressed a few buttons, and suddenly Manx's ears were filled with a dreadful high pitched noise. Manx put her hands over her ears to block out the sound while a few of the vehicles around them started honking their horns and a few even rolled down their windows as the humans inside shouted profanities at Khashmyr, but the noises coming from the convertible were too loud for anyone to hear the horns or insults.

"Make it stop!" Manx yelled over the dreadful repetitive high pitched noise. Khashmyr turned and said, "What? The music is too loud!"

"MAKE IT STOP!" Manx screamed over the cacophony. Khashmyr stopped the music and asked innocently, "What was that?"

"I said make it stop." Manx repeated, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"What, you don't like Nyan cat?" Khashmyr asked. Manx shook her head furiously. And then Vaskin piped up from the back, "Actually, it's kinda catchy. If Cecyll were still around, I wonder if he could have played this on one of his instruments."

Manx blew the curl that always happened to fall over her face up in the air and sank into her seat waiting for all this to be over. The rest of the drive was mostly uneventful, except once Khashmyr got pulled over by a cop for speeding, but she just winked at him and he let her off on a warning.

Eventually the hot-rod convertible pulled into the driveway of a large house painted sunny yellow with red bricks and a red roof and white trim. All the other houses on the block were various shades of brown and grey, but at least Manx and Vaskin wouldn't get confused about which house was Khashmyr's. Manx closed her eyes as the vehicle slowly rumbled into the driveway. She was all too grateful when it was all over. Khashmyr led them inside, where they both looked with interest at all the unusual things this world had to offer. Khashmyr had already somehow set up their rooms with everything they needed, taking every small detail into consideration. Except for one important detail in Manx's room, that is. Manx dragged the giant stuffed bears to the room Khashmyr had set up for her, and she opened the door, only to see the walls painted a caustic bright purple. Manx stared at the walls with anger and disgust. She absolutely loathed the color purple ever since she had been stung by the juggernaut scorpion, and that cat had the audacity to paint all four walls of the room the exact color of the scorpion's venom, as if intended to bring back those horrible memories. Manx then looked over in the corner where there was a set of drip mats and an empty bucket of purple paint, and an untouched can of black paint. If only she knew how to open it. She cautiously went down the stairs, where Vaskin and Khashmyr were sitting down watching a box full of moving and talking pictures.

"Khashmyr?" Manx asked with annoyance in her tones.

"Yeah? Is something wrong?" Khashmyr replied.

Manx gave her a cold hard stare and said, "Why would I be down here if something wasn't wrong?"

"What is wrong then?" Khashmyr asked innocently.

"My room. It's purple." Manx snapped.

Khashmyr tilted her head and replied, "Is that a problem?"

Manx just stared. And then Khashmyr seemed to get the point, because she said, "Oh, that's right. That didn't cross my mind. I'll fix it."

Khashmyr then turned back to her true form, her gold and red fur shimmering in the evening light and her two tails waving gracefully. The cat then walked up the stairs and stepped into Manx's room at the top of the stairs. As soon as she set her paw on the floor of Manx's room, the carpet turned to a maroon red and the walls turned to black. "There. Anything else you need?" Khashmyr asked.

Manx wanted to give a venomous retort, or at least express her displeasure, but she just stood there and shook her head no. Khashmyr shrugged and said, "Alright then." Before changing into her human form. She turned to go down the stairs, when she added, "Oh, and you can take the amulet off whenever we're inside if you would like to have the freedom of your true form. And I got a few basic items of some styles from this world you may like, but we can go shopping later for more." Manx nodded in annoyance before walking into her room and slamming the door a little harder than she had meant to. She then yanked the amulet off of her neck, setting it down on the dresser.

Manx then collapsed in a heap on the bed and screamed. She had had it with this world, she had had it with that stupid park and she had had it with Khashmyr. She had had a horrible day in this horrible world, and most of all she was infuriated with herself about not saying no when she had the chance. That cat had dragged her in all the places she absolutely didn't want to be, making her do the things she absolutely didn't want to do. It was not that Manx did not like shopping, but it was that she was not comfortable in this world and every sound, sight, and feature of it made her feel threatened, and she could not bring herself to communicate how horrible the experience was for fear of upsetting Vaskin and Khashmyr. She just could not take it anymore, but she was afraid that they wouldn't value her emotions and that they would never understand the extent of her pain. And that was leaving out the fact that she had been torn apart from the family she finally had to travel to this stupid world with its stupid noisy people and its stupid different ways. Manx felt that she was destined to suffer alone through all this without anyone giving a care. After all, they most likely just would not get it. Manx looked up to see a wall of shadows thick as fog closing in around her, and she couldn't help the stormy emotions she had kept locked up inside for all this time. She stood up and kicked the huge bright orange teddy bear across the room and listened to the satisfactory "thump" of it colliding into the wall. She gazed into its sparkly eyes, cold, distant and unblinking as if it were mocking her. She spun around to meet the gaze of the purple bear and instinctively brought up her fists. She let out an enraged battle cry and threw the purple bear against the wall next to its orange twin before diving into the soft fuzzy pile, all the while scratching and punching and screaming and kicking. She threw around her fuzzy opponents, only to pick them back up and throw them again. She finally stopped when she had the two bears lying face down in a heap on the ground, and then she fell onto her opponents out of sheer exhaustion.

She lay there for a few seconds before the door slammed open as both Vaskin and Khashmyr had rushed to see if she was alright. Vaskin came in and knelt down beside her and asked, "Are you okay?" only to get a hard and painful and precise kick to his shin. He doubled over and collapsed in pain and said through clenched teeth, "What was that for?"

Manx replied by disappearing in that all too familiar wisp of swirling shadows without saying a single word. 

"Now the question is 'are you okay?'" Khashmyr said. Vaskin nodded, wincing through the pain. He slowly got to his feet and then doubled over from the pain. He tried to stand up again, this time being a little more successful.

"Let me see it." Khashmyr said, kneeling down to inspect the injury. Vaskin carefully pulled up his pants leg to find a glorious purple bruise beginning to form.

"It doesn't look broken. Can you walk on it?" Khashmyr asked.

"Um...I guess." Vaskin said, hobbling forward a few steps while trying not to curse. He had no idea why Manx had gone and kicked him like that. Khashmyr watched him with interest and then said, "If you just ice it for a bit you should be fine. It might turn some unusual colors, but that's normal for a bruise like that."

Vaskin nodded and half limped, half stumbled out of the room, Khashmyr offering to help him down the stairs. Vaskin denied her assistance in fear that it would be a blow to his masculinity. As if she could almost read his mind, Khashmyr said, "Vaskin, receiving help is more manly than denying it. And you shouldn't have much to fear with all those necklaces you bought at the amusement park. You're already on the verge of screaming like a little baby about this, and it's probably your pride that's hurt more than your leg from this."

"Shut up cat." Vaskin replied, managing to drag himself down the stairs. Khashmyr found his efforts especially amusing, especially when he was on the bottom step and nearly had made it, when he tripped and fell flat on his face. Khashmyr smiled and offered a hand to help him up, and he glared at her for a moment before taking her hand and standing up.

Khashmyr helped Vaskin into a seat on the red leather reclining couch before getting a bag of ice to help the injury. Vaskin clenched his teeth as the cold hunk of ice was placed on the bruise, as the pain was awful and the cold made it even worse at first. But soon the ice helped a little bit. Khashmyr had been right about his wounded pride, though. He had no idea in the world of why Manx would do this to him. He had thought that maybe they were at least friends, but he desperately wanted more of her than just friends, even though the friend zone was the highest she had regarded anyone. Vaskin was slightly jealous of that hotshot Kitsune twin of Miraj's, because it seemed as if Manx and Xolt shared enough common ground to talk to each other.  Secretly, every time Vaskin was around Xolt, it was always a competition to him of who could talk to Manx and relate to her more, and it seemed like he could never measure up.

"Yeah, he has four tails and all, but hey, mine is full of caustic venom. Okay, maybe there is an extra cool factor with the lightning bolts, but c'mon! I got something! I mean, I guess he is a silver helix like she is, but how can shadows and lightening ever work out? I mean come on!" Vaskin mused aloud to himself while Khashmyr was busy making dinner in the kitchen. The odor of singed fur and feathers dragged him off of his train of thought as he wondered what in the world that cat was making for dinner. He then went back to his state of contemplation, thinking aloud, "Well, at least Ravenna is usually there to listen. She knows how it feels I guess."
And then he thought of his past and realized that there was no way he would get the girl. Not if she knew how he had been orphaned at five years old, and how he had been a thief to survive.

Khashmyr served up dinner and put on a moving and talking picture called "The Lion King", but Vaskin wasn't hungry. He decided to sit through the movie, getting hooked in the opening scene. He wouldn't get up anyway, because of the bruise she had given him. But the bruise on his heart hurt more.

Meanwhile, Manx had finally crawled out of the closet in her room where she had teleported to after kicking Vaskin. It was really just an accident, a reflex from all the chaos of the battle with the bears. She had not meant to kick him, but she really didn't know what to say. She wondered why he had become so distant after the second quest. Was his behavior on the first quest genuine attraction to her or something else? Manx had never understood. She wondered why he hadn't tried to draw closer much, and whenever he was around her and Xolt, he became edgy and defensive. It was like he always had to pick a fight with Xolt for some reason, only to chicken out when Xolt brought forth balls of lightning in his hands. Manx wondered if he even liked her still. All this attraction stuff was so confusing. And with everything that had happened, she wasn't sure how to open up to him or tell him about all the chaotic emotions inside. What if she said something that made him leave forever? She longed for his affection and yet she feared it at the same time. What if she gave her heart away only for him to shatter it upon the ground. Besides, she was not really ready for spending the rest of her life with him, if that was where her fate was destined to land. And then there was Ravenna. She was bold, gutsy, a bit of a klutz, but she had the courage to pick herself up when she had fallen and the charm to make any guy love her anyway. And the way she drew so close to him, Manx knew. Ravenna was making a move on him, she was sure. And Ravenna was willing, too willing, to express her emotions in front of Vaskin and to hug him and to sit by his side. Manx longed for the courage to talk to him, she wished to be by his side, but all the while she just stood and stared. And what if he didn't want her if he knew about all her emotional complexities. Manx cautiously lifted up the green teddy bear he had won for her, that had sit back and watched as she had mercilessly fought the other bears. She held it close to her and soon she was fast asleep. She dreamed of almost holding hands with him, only for an earthquake to shake them apart and she found herself falling in deep darkness.

She awoke with a start and shook herself. She then cautiously walked down the stairs with the green bear in her arms, hoping to apologize to Vaskin. She found him on the couch with a bag of ice on his leg, sobbing wildly like a newborn baby. She then looked at the strange box to see a young artistic rendition of a lion laying in the middle of the desert with vultures circling overhead. Through all they had been together, she had never seen him cry. She looked at him with concern and said, "I...I'm sorry. Is it that bad?"

Vaskin looked up at her, as red as a boiled lobster with tears streaking down his face, and he said, "Mufasa's dead!"

Manx furrowed her brow and asked, "And who is that?"

Vaskin sheepishly said, "Simba's an orphan now! That monster!"

Manx was extremely confused and she said, "Um...okay. I...came...sorry."

At that moment Khashmyr walked in with a steaming bowl of some really strange smelling stuff with grass on the side, and she triumphantly paused the movie before saying, "Dinner is served!" while she handed them each a portion. Manx eyed Khashmyr's cooking suspiciously while Vaskin tried to forget that he was crying as he took a bite, but he coughed and managed to gag down the first bite.

"Um...What is this?" Manx asked.

"It's my special garden soup! I made sure to cook the rat extra crispy!" Khashmyr replied, extremely satisfied with her creation, while Vaskin spit it out in shock and he said, "This is RAT?!"

"Yep! And I also added gopher entrails and little robin's feet!" Khashmyr said. Vaskin and Manx made eye contact, in agreement that the soup was beyond disgusting, when suddenly a live cricket hopped out of Vaskin's bowl of soup.

"Um, Khashmyr...I suddenly don't feel so well. I can't eat this." Vaskin said, in full truth. Khashmyr tilted her head and asked, "Was the robin's feet a little too much? Oh, I know, maybe you would've liked the monkey meat and the camel saliva. I had to leave those out because monkeys are not native here, and I would rather not eat another creature's spit. My inspiration was this song here that goes, 'great green gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts, itty bitty birdy feet, marinated..."

"ENOUGH!" Vaskin and Manx yelled at her at the same time.

"Oh, well, if you don't like it, then there's more for me." Khashmyr happily replied as she took the bowls of the vile concoction out of their hands.


Vaskin and Manx watched in horror as Khashmyr slurped down an entire gopher intestine like a wet noodle.

"Please go somewhere else and eat that!" Manx growled warningly. Khashmyr shrugged and said, "Suit yourself."

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