"What we have been through doesn't define us. What defines us is how well we've recovered."

***

Days turned into weeks as the group continued travelling through dense rainforests, jungles and vast green plains. Casey couldn't feel his feet anymore. They'd turned numb after the blisters and the aching muscles.

Just a few days past they'd stopped at a village to restock their supplies and get the boy fresh clothing after the flora had disrupted its cleanliness. One of the animals on sale there was a mount called an "Ekatuki." He now regretted not asking for one. They were a riding and working animal, big as a horse and quite similarly looking. Yet his pride denied him the pleasure of being carried, along with the permanent reminder that the group hadn't much money for such an animal.

Yesterday they'd entered a new stretch of land and the great mountain had appeared through the distant fog. It would be just another day until they'd reach the foot of the dormant volcano. However, today Casey felt a sense of uneasy dread. He felt like the enclosing, thick and tall trees were watching every single step leading deeper into the forest. 'I'm just being paranoid,' he thought to himself, thinking back to warnings and tales exchanged from the others and other travelers they'd passed. Human soldiers were in the area just a couple weeks prior, now assumed to be gone, but the thought couldn't be pushed away.

"Are you alright?" Rae's gentle voice cooed to the boy. He'd sensed the bitter scent of fear rolling off Casey's body in waves.

Casey nodded slowly. "I think so...I might be crazy, but....do you also feel like there's something watching us?" To check for the sixteenth time that afternoon, he scanned the area again for any signs to prove his obvious paranoia.
To his surprise, Rae agreed with him.

"I thought I was the only one," he admitted. "I tried looking around though there's nothing there. Maybe it's anxiety? I'm afraid we're too late to find Frost....or that something happened to her and now the humans have her and the Orb of Shometothrak!"

Casey had only heard that name once before. No one seemed to know who Shometothrak was, but they knew what the Orb could do and they were afraid of it. Only Shade knew who that was, and the others made sure to keep that information away from their ears. Fear ruled their hearts on the topic.

"Do you know if the others feel the same?" He decided to keep to the original subject.

Rae shook his head to the question.
"Sadly, I'm not an empath. I can't sense emotions from others...unless it's fear. That's the only chemosignal I can sense."

Casey gave a sign of understanding. He gazed ahead at Aero, who was dragging her long tail behind her. The white fur turned black with debris and mud, but she was too exhausted to do anything about it. Luckily, they were almost there.

Rae sighed deeply. He hadn't had much time to rest and recover his strength. His vigilance came with a cost. His pelt was more transparent than usual and the stars in his fur dimmed with each passing day.

"You should rest."

Rae felt a dreaded pang in his chest. He panicked. "N-no! Not until we reach the mountain and find Frost....I can't leave you now when there's something watch us..."

The boy scanned the area once more. Silence was all that he discovered, and some exotic bird calls.

"Fine...but the moment we find Frost, you're going back to Paradise to rest. I can't have an exhausted Guardian. I don't know what will happen to you if you don't rest. Will you disappear?"

The grey mekur shrugged. "I'm not sure. I won't let myself disappear as long as you need me. I'll take the rear now."

Only the anxiety was Casey's companion now. It didn't take long for this silence to become unbearable.
"Ryo?" he called to the Beta wolf ahead of him.

The wolf paused his steps so the boy could catch up to him. "Yes?"

Casey cleared his throat awkwardly, not knowing how to start a conversation with the wolf. He decided to go with small talk. "Um...so how are you?"

"Now's not the time for small talk," he sharply stated. When Casey started lagging behind again, that's when Ryo swallowed his pride. "I'm fine. What about you?"

The boy smiled to himself once the wolf opened up. "Really tired. Wish we'd gotten a....Eku...Etuki?" he said questioningly. "Oh Ematuki! Sorry...umm...but I also feel uncertain," he admitted more calmly than before. "What if the humans attack us? What if they already have the Orb and Frost is gone? What if we're too late? I would be a failure and the other wolves in Aasmyr already don't like me and-"

"Don't stress." The Beta's tone was was strict. "There's no way the humans have discovered the location. If they had, Frost is a very powerful dragon. She wouldn't let herself or the Orb be taken."

"But Frost doesn't fight, Ryo!" Aero's voice was annoyed. "She wouldn't even hurt a fruit bug."

"That may be true, but she is an Elemental Guardian. She will fight to protect," Ryo replied.

Casey didn't want them to end up fighting. "How well do you two know her?"

Aero hummed as she thought. "Quite well I think. We spent many years in the Dragon Sanctuary so we know her well. Besides she's been in Aasmyr for soooo long until she left like 30 years ago. I lost count."

"Does that mean Rin knows her?"

Ryo almost growled hearing his brother's name. He barely held it back. He couldn't let jealousy get the better of him in front of others, especially Aero and Shade.
"Yes, Rin knows her. He was an adolescent and the Beta when she vanished. I was barely old enough to count my toes and Ryun was-" he abruptly stopped.

"Ryun?" Aero and Casey questioned at the same time. Shade's tail lightly bristled like she's just recognised the name.

Ryo held back the urge to snap his tail between his jaws for snapping out like that. He shouldn't have said that name. Suddenly, he stopped walking.

"Ryo tell us!" Aero pleadingly whined and nudged him with her shoulder. Ryo shoved her back lightly.

"Shut up!" He barked, his voice more quiet. His ears twitched, alert for danger. Shade was no longer in front of the group. She had vanished from the sight of the trees.

Aero's breath hitched beside Casey while her fur stood on edge. She crouched low to the ground as if she was trying to melt between the particles of mud. A bitter scent rose in the air, the same scent Rae had told him about. Fear. The others were afraid.

"Watch out!" Ryo's warning howl echoed in the boy's ears. "Tsukian Guards!"

Casey's stomach sank like a stone when a body hit the floor. A pile of yellow fur lay in front of him, unmoving, but breathing. A flash later, another body dropped.
The boy gazed up at the tree branches to see a black mass racing through and knocking down tsukia fighters onto the ground.

A dart shot past him, missing his cheek by a hair, and hit Aero in the shoulder. The she-mekur screeched in pain and whipped the tsukia away with her tail. Her fighting grew weaker and weaker until she collapsed. She was no longer conscious.

Ryo raced in front of Casey and grabbed a tsukia by his teeth. He threw the little fox halfway across the clearing into a tree. It yelped with impact and scurried away into the safety of the purple-tinted bushes. More tsukias came from the trees and Casey found himself face to face with one. He didn't want to hurt the little creature, so he only knocked it away, but it came back with more spitting ferocity. Just before leaping at him, it halted, meeting his gaze, then turned tail and ran. Confusion distracted the boy as he watched the orange creature vanish from sight.

Another tsukia attacked Casey and sank its teeth into his shoulder. Let out a pained scream, he grabbed the fox and threw it hard against the floor, then kicked it away. His shoulder turned crimson rather quickly and it stung like fire down to the bone.

Even Rae, to his surprise, was able to fight the little warriors. He could touch them, but most importantly, they could see him. He seemed to be holding his ground well even with the restless attacks from each possible angle. Luckily the others were too busy fighting to notice tsukias from Rae's direction getting hit by thin air.

More and more tsukias came, forcing the human to hit, punch and kick them away. His first battle wounds littered his skin and turned it red or purple. In the corner of his vision, he saw how Ryo was completely overwhelmed by the jungle protectors. They were fast, and clearly mocking him as only one out of every five strikes landed. The elusive guards at last managed to put him down the same way they knocked Aero out - the sleeping dart. It took a few darts to finally make the Beta submit.

Before Casey could run to his aid, he was sent flying by a heavy hit to his side. The air was knocked out of him. Regaining his ground again, he turned to see what had shoved him so ruthlessly.

Rae stood where Casey was just a few moments ago with a blue dart in his chest. "Run," The mekur mouthed as he met the boy's shocked expression. He collapsed heartbeats later beside his two fallen comrades.

Casey didn't know what to do. The army of tsukias thinned out and attacks were slower. The human took the chance to do the only thing he could at this point - run. His stumbling steps chased by few tsukias led him deeper into the jungle and further from his friends. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him through the overgrown terrain. The pit-pat of tiny pawsteps grew quieter, but Casey didn't stop. He didn't dare stop. A glance over his shoulder relaxed him, the fighters had given up the chase.

A spiked vine caught his ankle and he planted face down into the spongy earth. He stayed in that position for what felt like hours. The will to get up and continue was gone. What was he supposed to do? His eyes stung with salt. His friends were gone, most likely now captured, and he was alone and lost in the vast, unfamiliar jungle. A heavy sob finally broke his silence and he curled up to give himself a sense of comfort. The cold, wet mud seeped away his warmth, but he didn't care anymore. His beautiful clothes he had gotten with Aero were now dirty with blood and clinging mud.

A hard yank pulled him out of his depressed thoughts and before he knew it, he was surrounded by warmth. He felt the tickle of soft fur, but all he could see was black. Instead of fighting against it, he buried his head deeper into the darkness and let his emotions take over. The fur turned wet with his tears.

"Hush...." the familiar, female voice was as sweet as the scent that flooded into his nose and soothed him until his tears subsided. At last he gazed up at his helper.

For the first time, he saw Shade with actual emotion on her face. Her eyes held gentle compassion, no longer the strict gaze she normally looked at him with. She understood him. Even though there were so many times when she was strict with him and would hiss at him for not listening to her, that all seemed so distant now. She didn't want to tear his head off or smack him behind the head for running and crying. She was so gentle now...so motherly. He felt safe with her.

"Are you alright?" Her words once again were sweet as honey.

Casey only nodded. He ducked his head to wipe his tears and any mud that cling to his face before facing her again.

"They will be alright...Ryo has the contract from Chief Orion so they won't be harmed."

The boy nodded again. At last he attempted to stand up. His body felt weak now that his energy was drained from fighting. "W-we need to carry on....they'd want us to carry on."

Shade knew he was right. They had a mission to complete, with or without Ryo and Aero. The future of the world depended on their success. "Alright, but first you must regain your strength and get yourself cleaned up."

***

The journey to the mountain didn't seem to take much longer now. The last rays of sun were being swallowed by the horizon as they were just a bit more than a mile from their destination.

Casey felt much better now that he'd cleaned himself off in a smooth river and got dressed in spare clothes. His wounds were dressed with a poultice and wrapped in bandages courtesy of Shade.

He wondered why she was so kind to him all of a sudden. It was strange, but he was grateful.
Now, he thought, I can ask her for answers. She must know them, I bet, especially about this prophecy of some sorts.

"So, Shade, uh...." he paused for a second. "You must know a lot about my prophecy, right?"

He could've sworn he saw her composure falter for a moment. "Yes," She replied simply. "I know a fair amount."

"Do you know why I was chosen specifically?" He asked. For some reason, he dreaded the answer.

"I know much about the prophecy. I was there when your coming was prophesied."

"But why me specifically?"

"Because you're the only one who can touch the orb, aside from Frost. It was your ancestors that created the damned thing. There's speculation that you're the descendant of a Miränaen human who saved his people from utter destruction during the Wyvern War. Your ancestor helped his people escape, and you're here to reunite them once more."

Casey took a few moments to process this new information. "Why...why exactly was the orb made in the first place?"

"To answer that, you must first understand what happened during the Wyvern War. Unfortunately, history has never been a strength of mine." Casey sighed as he heard that, then blinked in surprise as Shade continued, "but there is someone who witnessed the events personally. When we find Frost, ask her this question again. Perhaps she'll even tell you how she's able to touch the orb."

Enthusiastically, he nodded. "Thanks, Shade."

"Anytime, kid."

"You're not as bad as everyone says. Why are they afraid of you?"

"Because people don't trust monsters," her words carried a solemn tone. "No matter how much good they do. In their eyes, redemption doesn't exist for beasts like me."

Casey scoffed, meeting her gaze now. "You don't look like a beast."

She met his humour with a warning look. "Looks can be deceiving."

Once the first jagged rocks clawed up from the earth, that's when Shade started checking every possible bush. Caddy's first thought was that she was looking for somewhere to use the bathroom, but after explaining to him that they had to look for a tunnel, he understood what it really was.

The entrance of the tunnel was well hidden to keep nosy creatures out of the great mountain. The tunnel was one of the only entrances inside to where Frost would be. High and low they searched until the moon climbed over the peaks of smaller mountains and cast a silver glow onto the cold, grey stone of Aniyadir.

Suppressing a yawn, Casey whacked a long stick over a blue-leafed bush. The clang of wood against wood was satisfying. He sighed heavily and whacked another bush, then a boulder, then the stump of a tall tree. He gazed behind him to see where Shade was and saw her staring at a rather small wall of rock. A final whack against a branch and he dropped the stick to go to the mekur. Upon approach, he saw what she had been studying. Light scratches on the stone painted a picture. The moonlight had made it glow dimly and revealed its secrets.

"It's instructions on how to get in," said Shade to him, acknowledging his presence with a flick of her ear. "The moons shall show us the way."

"I hope this isn't like in the Hobbit...." Casey muttered under his breath as Shade bounded off to the right of the wall. "Hey, wait!"

Her black shape was hard to follow, but Casey tried his best. He ran as fast as he could, dodging low branches and spiky bushes or fallen logs that tried to trip him. His attention was forced from the mekur when a vine caught his ankle and he was left stumbling and fighting for balance, but when he looked up again, to his distress Shade had vanished.

"Shade?!" He called loudly at first. A bird squawked nearby and he lowered his tone in fear. "Shade?"

Suddenly he felt something grab his ankle and pull him into the ground. His frightened shout was short lived as he felt himself collapse against hard stone.

"Keep your voice down!" Shade hissed beside him.

Pushing himself back up, Casey groaned and yelped again when his head collided with more rock above him. "What the-" now he realised where he was. The tunnel was shrouded in darkness and blew cold, damp air at him from the deep. The only thing he had to help guide him was Shade's fluffy tail that he was allowed to hold onto. Keeping one hand on his head to avoid more brain damage, the boy and the mekur headed down the narrow tunnels.

Deeper and deeper they went down the caves. Casey could feel how the path sloped and turned, winding and confusing him more than ever. They passed large caves and some had more tunnel openings to lead them either to a dead end or another tunnel. He could pick up now which way Shade would take and even turned it into a guessing game to pass the drowsy time. The dead end tunnels were more stale and warm than the windy ones leading outside. The one Shade always followed had a cool, fresh tint to the scent.

It had been hours before the first source of light appeared and he had thought it was his brain playing cruel tricks on him. There was a dim blue light illuminating the outlines of jagged stalactites and stalagmites. As they walked further down this particularly open tunnel, there was a green light. Then a pink. Then orange. Soon the entire cavern was filled with colourful light from beautiful crystals. A shaky gasp escaped his lips. His eyes adjusted to the new light and amplified its low shine.

Yellow light flooded into the small cavern to reveal an even larger one. The ceiling was so high even the light couldn't reach it. In the centre of this great, crystal filled grotto stood a nine feet tall amber - the same Casey has seen in his scarlet dream.

Inside it was the woman with an orb between her hands. The orb glowed crimson from within the yellow crystal and enticing, soft whispers called for him. The slitted eye within it seemed to follow his every movement.

Shade slowly padded up to the amber and circled it once. After weeks of travel, they had finally found it. Yet there was no sweet victory relief in the air. Something felt wrong.

"Is that....is that Frost?" Casey asked Shade. Her black shape in front of the contracting yellow thankfully distracted him from the orb.

Shade nodded slowly. He could tell this sight had her wrapped in awe as much as it did him. "This is Frost....and that is where your destiny lies. The Orb of Shometothrak."

The boy placed a hand on the amber. It felt cold under his touch, more than normal stone would. "At last....we've finally done it."

A stone clattered behind them and they whipped around to examine the source. "Yes, indeed, we've done it."

Casey felt shock take over his entire body. His body froze in place and his heart stopped for a second. Even Shade's fur rose along with a threatened growl.

Soldiers dressed in black and camo and equipped with heavy firearms pointed straight at them surrounded the amber and enclosed them in the grotto. In the only entrance stood the very source of Casey's shattered heart.

"I never would've thought you to have been so quick to forget me. You should've known..." The man of higher authority than the other soldiers grinned and ran a hand through his sleek black hair. "Hello brother."