Search for the Emerald Sunstone Flowers: Part 5

Swiftclaw sent some of his ghost tribe to monitor the situation with the semi-allos. Then he motioned for Quickstride to follow him behind a large patch of plants. He pointed to a patch of dirt at his feet. "Dig there," he said. "Beneath the earth here is a record of my tribe's history. I want you to take it to the surface."

Quickstride silently dug into the earth with her forepaws and removed a small box. "Thank you," she said to Swiftclaw.

"Go now, you must help the others," he replied.

The blue struthie hopped from one foot to the other, ignoring the pain in her right leg. "We need more time!" she growled. She tapped her claws together.

A muffled crash warned the group that the semi-allos were getting closer.

"Maybe I could be a diversion!" the struthie said suddenly. "I'll go and distract them, maybe even loose them, then you guys can get a decent escape rope finished."

Cyrrus was just about to run out when C'xoila dashed in from of her. Smiling, he said, "Sorry, me not let you do that!" Cyrrus tried to go around, but C'xoila moved and blocked her again. "Me will go. Arrows not hurt me, 'member?"

Cyrrus nodded sullenly. C'xoila sat her down next to his siblings and leaned close to whisper, "Cyrrus, make sure Sashaa, Kaylah, and Fer'dri be all right. Me not want anything happen to them. Make sure they get to surface." He looked towards the wall as a roar echoed around the cavern. Turning back, h e went on, "And Cyrrus, you got go to surface too."

"No! I'm fine! I want to stay and help!" Cyrrus whined. C'xoila gently poked Cyrrus' flank and she cried out in pain. Looking smug, C'xoila said in a loud voice that everyone could hear, "Cyrrus gonna go up to surface with my brother, sisters." Both C'xoila's siblings and Cyrrus complained mightily, but he was adamant.

"We will aid C'xoila is his diversion as long as we can," said Swiftclaw. "But the semi-allos may have figured out we are of no consequence to them."

Suddenly, with terrible noise, the eastern wall crumbled down as the irate semi-allos made their own door. They poured in, roaring and readying their bows. Story, Shada, Triforce, and some of the other members of the party that were able to fight rushed to get between the semi-allos and the rest of the group, but they were heavily outnumbered. Quickstride could see the entire party would be taken down in minutes.

In the midst of battle, C'xoila suddenly had an idea. "Guys," C'xoila said as they were holding off the allosaurs, "Me have idea, but me got leave a get it. Me not even sure idea will work, but if it does, will end this."

The companions looked at each other, and agreed that it had to end soon.

"You guys got find safe place a hide. Safe place to a least hold them off. Protect yourselves while me gone."

Alkazra mustered a smile and said, "If you really think you're idea will work, then go. We'll be all right." Her smile darkened, "For now," she said grimly.

Dodging around the attack, C'xoila sped off into the jungle. What he didn't know was that his siblings had followed him.

He ran to where the old Anthro leader had introduced them, then to where he had first woken up with amnesia. After searching, he found what he was looking for, the way back into the temple complex. His brother and sisters followed, being careful not to be seen. C'xoila made his way through the tunnels, seeming to miss all the traps and pitfalls. His siblings, having heard of all the dangers, did exactly as their older brother did. Finally, after a solid day of walking and worrying abut his friends, he came to what he was looking for. A huge door, elaborately carved with images of machines. Wary of what happened last time he opened a strange door, he pushed it open and quickly jumped to the side. It slowly opened and inside was the hidden vault. All the machines the ancient ones had stolen from Poseidos, all the strutters and war machines. Hmmmm…… War machines.

"Juss as me thought!" C'xoila exclaimed.

C'xoila's siblings were hidden behind the doorjamb, and they leaned over so far to see that they fell over into C'xoila's view. C'xoila's head whipped around at the sound, and shook sadly when he realized that his sibs had followed him.

Downwind, Riptor silently watched the ones fighting the Allosaurs. She considered this a moment, scratching under her chin in thought. She wanted to help these people, but needed to figure out how. Her blood red scales glistened in the sun's rays, the black stripes from neck to tail tip gave her an exotic look, as did her sharp ebony claws, and along with her ebony eyes that flashed with her mischief. She wore nothing except the silver bracelet on her left wrist that was engraved with a running raptor pack.

This new velociraptor trotted around the clearing a moment, hidden in the shadows of the trees, gaining her speed. Her forepart slinking low, she darted to the left and with a screech of attack, leaped onto the nearest allosaur. Her claws dug into the allosaurs neck as did her razor sharp teeth. Trying her best to keep out of the snapping jaws, she was trying to create a diversion to help the others escape somewhere safe until C'xoila returned.

The battle with the semi-allos was not going well. Already wise to the ghosts' nature, the semi-allos ignored their attempt at diversion. Many of the anthros and the friendly Allos were wounded, some very badly. Triforce had several arrows sticking out of her, though her sheer size and tough skin prevented them from doing serious damage. Story and Shada, and a mysterious raptor who had joined the battle from out of nowhere, had fought well, but they were very quickly nearing exhaustion. The rest of the party huddled miserably behind a large patch of flowers.

Then, with a roar, a lone allo appeared from nowhere and attacked! One of the friendly allos leaped up in surprise and began to fight with the other one. There was a moment of confusion behind the flower patch as the party members scattered to get out of the way. Suddenly, Quickstride found herself not in the safety of the flowers, but in clear sight of the semi-allos! Yet they all seemed to ignore her, and then she realized- they thought she was a ghost! How could this be put to use… Quickstride thought.

Tamith and Kaz were attending to Triforces wounds as best they could while the battle raged around them. They were safe for now as Triforce was bravely defending them despite her injuries.

"Where is C'xoila? I thought he had a plan," Tamith said as she handed Kaz another arrow.

With a lopsided smile, Kaz replied, "I think he does, or at least he thinks he does! I'm sure he'll be back soon."

The fight continued with neither side being able to gain the upper hand. With makeshift bows the two, with Triforce, began to do their best to help, at least by sowing confusion among the allos, by aiming their own arrows back at them. Not being able to do any good in 'hand to claw' combat, this was the best they could do. It was a terrible thing to not be able to help their friends and it thoroughly disheartened them.

"You not should 'a come after me," C'xoila said sadly. "But long as you is here, you can help. Now 'member don't wander off!"

The four siblings entered the room. Huge machines loomed everywhere, apatosaur strutters and triceratops strutters, also, hundreds of fighter sprogs and hovercrafts. Far off in the distance, covered by a huge sheet was what looked like an air scorpion. Wires, cables, drive shafts, pressure hoses and other assorted parts lay everywhere. Built into one wall were shelves containing thousands of sunstones, in all shapes and sizes.

Picking one up, C'xoila felt a small jolt of energy run through his body. Turning, he saw that it would take days to activate all the machines.

Fer'dri exclaimed, "Hey! Look at this!"

With exasperation, C'xoila said, "Fer'dri! Me tell you not to wander..." He stopped mid-sentence when he saw what his brother was pointing at. The far wall was honeycombed with small alcoves and in each alcove was a hoverhead, a small robot.

"With this many helpers…" C'xoila began, but his sibs were already ahead of him. They gathered sunstones and started inserting them into the small robots. They hopped down from their shelves and ran towards the sunstone shelves. They gathered the stones and started activating their companions.

Once they were all operational, the hoverheads gathered in front of the carnosaurs. One single gold hoverhead, obviously their leader, approached them. He saluted and said, "You have re-activated us. What is our purpose, boss?"

Taken slightly aback, C'xoila replied, "Um, you is to re-activate strutters."

The hoverhead nodded and said, "Yes Boss!" He saluted once more and all the robots started grabbing power stones and attaching them to the dusty machines. The old machines shook themselves and rose to their feet, or wheels, or tank treads.

Once that was done, the hoverheads gathered in a line formation. Just as before, the single gold hoverhead approached, saluted, and said, "Objective achieved! All the machines are fully operational! Awaiting your further instructions, Boss!"

C'xoila had just realized that he and his siblings couldn't pilot all these machines by themselves, and told the leader hoverhead, "Second objective! There is battle. Between my friends and semi-allosaurs. We re-activate strutters to fight for us. Me and brother, sisters not able pilot all them, we need you help."

"Right away Boss!" The golden robot exclaimed. The hoverheads started clambering up to the control centers of the machines. They sealed the doors and hatchways for protection against attack.

"Quickstride! Get back to the others!" ordered Swiftclaw.

"It's okay! They think I'm one of you!" She shouted back. "What can I do to stop them?"

"Follow me!" Swiftclaw led Quickstride around the semi-Allos, who took no notice of them. They came into the main room, which had been destroyed.

"Before my tribe was destroyed, we buried our secrets in some of these caverns," Swiftclaw explained. "Dig here, quickly."

Quickstride dug furiously, and when she had dug so deep she felt certain Swiftclaw was mistaken about that spot, her claw struck something hard. She pulled out a large, beautiful sunstone, simultaneously colorless and all the colors of the rainbow. She's never seen anything like it.

"That is a rainbow sunstone," said Swiftclaw. "Useless for powering strutters, but it should provide you with at least a distraction. Now hurry!"

Still not sure about what she would do, Quickstride raced into the other room. As soon as the glow of the sunstone plants hit the rainbow stone, it seemed to explode into a dazzling array of colors. All activity stopped as everyone turned to see what it was. The party members cheered when they saw Quickstride had it, and the semi-Allos bellowed in fear. Quickstride smiled. They had a diversion, but how long would it last?

Quickly tiring from her efforts, she soon realized these semi-Allos took no heed of her. With a strain of muscle and maneuvers, she leaped off the Allo she attacked. Dropping to the ground, she darted back into the safety of the thick brush. Soon, only a pair of eyes could be seen as she watched Quickstride make another diversion. Seeing that the Allos were showing their fear, she knew this must be a good sign. Backing up more, she did not want to reveal herself a moment longer. With a screech in her department, Riptor raced off to see what more she could do.

C'xoila had already been gone more then a day, and things were beginning to look bleak. Alkazra and Tamith were trying to bandage Triforce's wounds and all present were growing to tired to fight. Cyrrus' wound hurt so bad she could no longer walk, and Azonthus was still delirious. The mysterious raptor who had come to their aid was growing tired, and the Semi-Allosaurs were gaining the upper hand.

Tamith and Alkazra were attending to Triforces wounds as best they could. The battle raged around them though they were safe for now as Triforce bravely defended them against the attackers despite her injuries.

"Where is C'xoila? I thought he had a plan." Tamith said.

Smiling a lopsided grin Kaz replied "I think he does, or at least he thinks he does! I'm sure he'll be back soon, he wouldn't just leave us without good reason."

The fight continued with neither side being able to gain the upper-hand. With make-shift bows Kaz and Tamith fired what arrows they could at the Allos. Knowing that they would be nearly useless in 'hand to claw' fighting this was the best they could do. Watching their friends tiring under the strain was the worst they could have possibly felt.

Suddenly, Alkazra felt the ground trembling. Small stones were bouncing off the ground and the sunstone plants swayed from side to side, even though there was no wind. Above all this was noise. The hiss of hydraulics, the racketing of mechanical limbs. Something slammed against the far wall of the enclosure, making cracks in the stone. It slammed again and small pieces of the wall began falling away. Through these holes, the companions could see flashing metal. The thing struck the wall one more time, and it crumbled. In poured dozens of machines, all Poseidon in design.

The lead fighter sprog opened it's mechanical mouth, and a net shot out, capturing 5 semi-allosaurs. The mouth slammed shut, trapping them inside. Through the wall, Tamith could see hundreds, perhaps thousands of machines. Another sprog approached, and shot out another net, capturing 3 more Allos.

C'xoila hopped off the Sprog he had been riding on and joined his friends. A golden Hoverhead followed him. "See!" C'xoila said, panting, "me knew this idea work!"

Tapping C'xoila's side, the lead hoverhead said, "Boss, I estimate our forces to be equal to theirs."

Tamith kneeled down and studied the little bot. Smiling, she gestured at the hoverhead and said, "C'xoila, friend of yours?"

C'xoila nodded. "Yes, Tamith this, this? Me not know you're name!"

The hoverhead nodded and said, "Everyone calls me Sparks. And, Boss, perhaps it would be safer INSIDE the sprog."

C'xoila shook his head, then had an idea. "Sparks, look there." he said, "You see Velociraptor and Struthiomimus? They injured, take them to sprog. Keep them safe."

The hoverhead nodded and said, "Right away boss!" He whistled and 10 hoverheads come out of the sprog. They half pulled, half pushed the two dinos into the sprog.

Lian had noticed a strange dinosaur involved in the fight, but had no time to figure out which side the carnivore was on. Luckily the semi-Allos didn't seem to know the packs the group's members were carrying had the sunstone flowers in them. Suddenly a bag dropped to the ground and split open, scattering flowers around it. Before anyone else could get at it, a small, fast semi-Allo grabbed the flowers and ran off with them.

Where could he be going? Lian thought before turning back to fighting.

One fighter sprog went and intercepted the Semi-Allo. It fired off a net and caught the creature. The metal lid snapped shut over it's mouth.

Now that the balance was tipped in favor of the mixed group the Allos laid down their arms.

"They seem to be surrendering." Alkazra said.

"Have caution, they are not always trustworthy." advised Swiftclaw.

The little one was one of the Bloodfang tribe, as his teeth were stained red.

As she was being loaded aboard the strutter, Cyrrus noticed something else. "Hey," she said, "that's the one that tricked us!"

Quickstride approached the netted Allo, rainbow sunstone still in hand. He snarled at first, but when he saw the sunstone it became a whimper. The Allos seemed to fear this stone greatly, although it was harmless.

Quickstride indicated the stolen flowers. "What do you want with these?" She then pointed to the sunstone. "Tell me, or I'll use this on you." While he didn't understand her words, he knew what she meant.

"C'xoila?" she called over her shoulder, "Can you come here and translate?"

C'xoila loped up to the Semi-Allosaur, the small golden Hoverhead following loyally behind him. Approaching, C'xoila made the Breath Deep, Seek Peace sign. The Semi-Allo just snorted. C'xoila spoke to it in it's own, growling tongue. The Semi-Allo supplemented this with gestures and glares. The two broke off, and C'xoila turned to the others. "He say, there is sickness at his village. He from village, only belong to Bloodfang clan. There is sickness. He disobey orders, they say Destroy all flowers, he look for flowers, to heal village. When he see flowers, he steal them. He is more loyal to village and family, less so to Bloodfang Clan."

After her tiring battle, the strange raptor gladly did not resist being led into the Sprog. She did not know any of these Dinotopians but wanted to lend them a hand. She had kept herself out of Dinotopian society to take her refuge of wild life in the Rainy Basin, only observing the caravans that mainly used the Cross-Basin trail. She chirped to herself, muscles aching as well as her teeth from latching onto the Semi-Allo. She took a look at the ones she helped, hoping she will be able to greet them all and get to know them, but for now the time was to rest. And rest she would until she was needed again.

All the evil Semi-Allos had been captured with no chance of them escaping, and it was time for all to rest. Everyone gathered in the sprog where Cyrrus and Azonthus had been placed. They were there asleep, along with the mysterious raptor who had aided them.

Quickstride boarded the "hospital" strutter with Story, who collapsed wearily to one side. Except for Tamith, Alkazra, Tirana Ki and most of the hoverheads, who tended to the many wounded Anthros and Allos along with Cyrrus and Azonthus, everyone gazed at the strange raptor before them.

"Who is she?" asked Quickstride to no one in particular.

"I guess we'll have to wait until she wakes up," said Lian.

"What are we doing now?" asked one of the deinonych siblings.

"I want to go home!" another started to whine.

"Soon," assured Quickstride. "We have a few things left to do, but soon we'll get out of here and go to Tree town with the medicine."

Turning to Quickstride, C'xoila said, "'Member those standing stones in snow cavern? It say that they wall up all entrances. Well, with machines, could dig through."

C'xoila looked out the door towards the hundreds of Sprogs, loaded with captured semi-Allos. He asked, "What we 'gonn do with them? Can't release them, and can't leave them in sprogs. What we do?"

The golden Hoverhead tapped C'xoila's side and said, "Boss, may I offer a suggestion?"

C'xoila turned to face the small bot, and replied, "Sure Sparks, what is idea?"

"Well," the robot began, "it seems logical to me, that we should construct some kind of barrier, to keep these creatures at bay. A wall of some sort. Yes, a wall, with a way in and out for those who maintain the wall."

The new raptor snored peacefully, curled almost like a cat or a cute sleeping hatchling. Then she began to stir, her eyes fluttered as she looked to the strangers around her. She blinked before all the images of the days events flooded into her head. She chirped as she remembered and slowly got to her feet, cocking her head as she watched the other saurians.

C'xoila approached the raptor, and made the breath deep, seek peace sign. "Greetings!" C'xoila said.

"Raptor, what is you name? Me is C'xoila. We thank for helping us! Please," said he, "tell us more 'bout you-self... how you get here, Rainy Basin carnosaur, underground?" Riptor gave him a strange look. Sheepishly grinning C'xoila said, "He he he... Me guess we need a 'splain what we's doin' here too!"

Riptor chuckled a bit, hearing C'xoila questions. She finally spoke after staring at him for a while, "I came from the Rainy Basin. My name is Riptor, but you all may call me Rip for short. I never really communicate to saurians because I like my solitude. I see you people pass every now and then, but never had the nerve to actually speak with you. I saw you in danger and I thought I could lend a claw."

C'xoila looked around at his friends and said, "Any you want take this one? Me is very tired from fighting."

Looking shocked, Cyrrus exclaims, "C'xoila DOESN'T want to talk!?!? He usually goes on and on and on... THIS IS AMAZING!"

Shada, who up to now hadn't said a single word, stepped up to the mysterious raptor and made low grunting sounds, followed by high chirps.

Tirana Ki looked at her friend in amazement, she usually didn't get along with others, not humans or raptors, so Tirana had to admit that she was kind of surprised when Shada had helped out with the battle. But now she was amazed that Shada had spoken.

Riptor cocked her head as she took a look at Shada. Lowering herself down a bit, then raising again as she lets out a series of chirping sounds in response, "I be Riptor. I come from deep within the Rainy Basin." Her eyes trailed to those around her as she tries to imitate C'xoila's sign of Breathe Deep, Seek Peace. "I am unfamiliar with your customs. I kept myself out of Dinotopian Society because I prefer my solitude. Though, I am always curious to watch your caravans use the cross-Basin Trail. I can't help but look at the cities beside the Basin, like the one I think is Bonabba. I hear the ones in armor speak of places like this and I follow to watch. And then I stumbled upon what happen with you this day and thought I would lend a claw." She shakes her wrist which has her silver bracelet, a habitat she has when she is not sure of what to do. "May I ask who you all are?"

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