Search for the Emerald Sunstone Flowers: Part 8

Quickstride turned to Sparks and Riptor. "Do the hieroglyphs say anything about how the allos get to this valley? How did that guy get in here?"

"Perhaps we set off another trap when we came in here, and it alerted the allos and allowed at least one passage from the hidden valley to here," offered Swiftclaw.

"So then how do we fix it so they're all where they should be when we leave?"

"Maybe we have to set off something else," suggested Tamith.

"The question is: what?"

A loud roar from one of the sprogs startled them all.

"Look, as long as the stone is within range, the force field will remain, and anything that crosses to that side can't get over here," reasoned Lian. "Now, let's get all the allosaurs in the sprogs to the other side before one of them escapes." She looked doubtfully at the sprogs' bars, and wondered how much longer they would hold the allos.

"I guess we don't have a choice," said Swiftclaw, wondering the same thing.

"I have an idea!" Tamith exclaimed, "but I need to know how fast those sprogs are and how far away the valley or where ever it is we are taking the semi-allos is."

Thinking for a moment, C'xoila said, "Me think can just let 'em off here, an they go to valley by 'emselves.

Despite her nervousness, Quickstride agreed they should do such as soon as possible. She didn't know how much longer the sprogs could hold and didn't want to find out.

Tamith considered C'xoilas suggestion for a moment. "But what guarantee do we have that they will go to the valley by themselves? What if they just follow us or return to the village? My idea was that a small and apparently weak group of us could go play bait for Mr. Sharptooth over there," she said gesturing to the frustrated semi allo outside the shield, "and while we keep it busy, the rest could take the sprogs away. The other group would later join them and trap the last allo. The down side is that it would have to happen fast because I'm not sure how long the bait group can run, and it also depends on how far the valley is."

"We could just keep Quickstride here with the stone until we figure it out," said Swiftclaw. "As long as it's within range, the shield will stay up."

"Who says I have to stay with the stone?" protested Quickstride. "Why don't we just leave it here?"

"Someone should be around to watch it," said Sparks.

Story cleared his throat. With Quickstride translating, he said, "There appears to be a lever of some sort on that wall yonder. I think it may open a passage to this hidden valley. However, it's on the other side of the force field."

Instead of just eating dinner with Az's family, the adventurers were pleasantly surprised to find that an entire feast had been prepared in their honor! There were six different kinds of fish prepared un-countable different ways, smoked eels served with cashews and some kind of exotic fruit, salads for the herbivores, and many different kinds of non-meat dishes.

"Here," Az said handing Kaz an odd peachish fruit shaped like cross between a pear and a strawberry. "It's Pompa fruit, the only kind of fruit that I really like."

Taking a bite, Kaz declared, "I love it! This is really good. Where dose it come from?"

"It grows near the rivers," Akiva, Az's little sister, explained.

After not having anything to eat for three days, the three Deinonych sibs pigged out.

"Pity C'xoila and the others can't be here." Azonthus said.

"I wonder how they are getting on? It feels like we've been separated forever!" Trying to look thoughtful Kaz failed when she spotted a different kind of fish she hadn't yet tried!

Okalo waddled over with aquatic vegetation hanging out of his mouth and burped.

"This is really good! I was so hungry! Thank you for this feast." Tirana Ki gratefully said.

Alkazra stood and spoke to all present, "On behalf of my friends and I, I would like to thank you all very much for your hospitality. We very much appreciate the warmth of our welcome and that of the food as well!"

The newly arrived, ravenously hungry Utahraptor, Boojinko gulped down any fish he could reach. "Umm.... Fish me favorite!!"

Cyrrus bobbed her head to the kind Velociraptors. "Thank you ever so much for taking the time to prepare all this, as well as give us shelter. I am in your debt! If you ever need help, I will be most willing to assist you."

Feeling very full and happy after the wonderful meal they had been presented with, the group retired to sit by the fire and discuss a few things.

Kaz spoke first. "Something seems to be happening to the flowers we picked for Treetown and I don't like the look of it. We need to move as quickly as possible to the town as soon as it gets light."

Cyrrus tapped her straight claws together.

"I'm a biologist, but my specialty is animal life. However, it appears the flowers are lacking in water, as well as soil nutrients. They need to be planted very soon!"

She turned to Azonthus. "How far to Treetown? You are from around here. You are the most likely to know."

The three Deinonych sibs yawned sleepily. "Do we have to leave? We're sleepy."

The blue struthie smiled at the three youngsters. "I'm sorry, but we have to move now. But I can carry the smallest of you on my back. Maybe the other two could ride on Okalo." She turned to the Styracosaur. "Is that okay with you, friend?"

The ceratopsian nodded. "No problem with me. They don't look too heavy.

Az spoke up, "If we left now, we could be in Treetown around mid-morning tomorrow. But I would really like to wait till light at least. Now is the time the Allos and Tyros are out. If we waited till light, we could be there around noon.

"I agree." Kaz said. "I didn't mean that we should leave now, just that we should be prepared to leave as early as possible and that we should travel quickly. We should start to get supplies and our own bits and pieces together before we go to sleep."

"Good thinking!" A yawning Cyrrus said.

"If those of you, who like me, have un-packed their bags slightly could get them together then that would be a help. I'll sort the flowers out and maybe some of you could get together some food for the journey? Az, what do you think?"

The three Deinonychus sibs pointed to their backpacks, which sat outside Azonthus' house. "We're already packed!"

"I know you're tired so if you want to get some sleep I suggest you get as early a night as possible. There's enough of the rest of us to get the food etc. together."

Az's mother spoke up, "No, all of you go to bed. The rest of us will pack your things and provisions for you.

"Azonthus, will you please show your friends where they can sleep?"

"This way," Az said beckoning her friends to follow. "You can either sleep in my families hut or outside. I know that some who have visited us before have been uncomfortable sleeping around so many carnosaurs."

Smiling, Tirana Ki said, "I don't mind sleeping with carnosaurs, after all, I've been with Shada for a long time now.

The underground party started arguing what to do, because of course no one wanted to go to the other side of the force field and be trapped with the allos. Then Quickstride had an idea.

"C'xoila? You're still invincible, right? You're still glowing. Perhaps you could go to that side of the field, pull the lever, hopefully open the door to the valley, and when the allos are gone, as soon as I walk out of range with the stone the force field should come down and you can join us."

"Wouldn't the semi-allos follow C'xoila back out here?" Lian asked.

"No," he said, "not if shut door first."

"It beats having to run around like crazed ants," Tamith said smiling, "good luck C'xoila." Tamith said.

After a short nights sleep, the travelers were ready to head back to Treetown. Picking up their belongings and supplies, which had been packed by Azonthus' tribe, they started down the trail to Treetown.

"Hey! Wait up!" Talon cried out as the travelers were leaving. He was carrying a fighting staff and backpack. "I want to come with you. I could protect you guys form carnosaur attacks."

The three Deinonychus sibs smiled. Fer'dri, the youngest said, "Sure! The more the merrier!"

Azonthus looked at Talon and said, "But aren't you supposed to be on guard duty?"

Talon shook his head. "No, I asked the elder's for permission. They said I could come!"

The party continued on its way, with the members snacking as they went knowing they didn't have time for a real break.

Underground, while the party talked quietly about what they would do next, Quickstride peered at the switch on the other side of the force field. She wasn't sure, but it seemed to have carved in it a picture of a semi-skybax, the third known species of semi-saurian.

She turned to C'xoila. "Are you ready to do this?"

C'xoila nodded. "Me ready, but what you think semi-skybax symbol mean?"

"No, but judging by what's happened so far, I'm sure we'll find out sooner than we'd like to," replied Quickstride. One of the imprisoned semi-allos roared and rammed the bars of the sprog angrily. The bars rattled a little. "We'd better hurry. I'm not sure how long those sprogs will hold."

Catrina sighed heavily. She gazed up at the sun. A tiny creature landed in front of her. It called out in soft whirs. Catrina held out her hands in a cupped-palm fashion. The tiny flying lizard jumped into her hands. Catrina brought it to her face, rubbing her cheek against its nose. The tiny lizard cooed. Then lightly hopped to sit on a horn on Catrina's best friend's nose. "Well Chata-Chassa...Chirpz...we'll just have to hope someone finds us...and soon." They listened as the jungle called out in its normal cries.

Now accompanied by Az's brother, the group above ground continued into the jungle. They had been walking all morning and the trail seemed never ending when suddenly Talon and Az stood stock-still and looked around.

Az quietly warned her friends. "There's something nearby, but I can't tell what it is yet."

With all the raptors on the outer edges of the group for protection they moved off the trail into the thicker jungle. Walking cautiously into a clearing they came upon a small group. A girl was there and, jumping at the sound of the raptors approaching, she turned to face them as a girl in a skybax riders uniform appeared from behind the raptors.

"Hello. We weren't expecting to see any other small groups out here, can we help you?" Alkazra asked.

Not sure if what she heard was friend or foe, Az had skillfully knocked an arrow and advanced from the brush to confront whoever it was. Realizing that it was someone who was lost, she shot the ground to release to pressure of the taught string. "Greetings. Are you in need of help?"

Chirpz began to wildly fuss.

"What is it Chirpz?" Catrina heard the sounds that were obviously making her flying-friend worried. Suddenly Chata-Chassa grunted loudly and the styracosaurus cry could easily be heard from all over.

"Shhhh....." Catrina warned.

Chata-Chassa wouldn't keep from yelling out "Raptors, raptors, RAPTORS!"

Catrina was worried that the raptors might hear. She pulled up the collar one her tunic and kissed the jade claw around her neck. "Come. Lets move on."

Watching the group quickly turn and leave, Az puzzledly said, "Well, that certainly was weird.

Atero had been re-located to another one of the giant Redwoods that he had such a passion for.

"Your neck's healed," Kara said to him, "but your arm will need to be in a sling for a while. As for your knee," she continued, "you hit your head on the place that controls that particular muscle movement, so that's why you can't feel or move it. It'll be fine in about a week. How are you doing with those scrolls?"

"You mean the language scrolls?" he replied. "I've got the English alphabet, and I speak that already, so I finished that. But I haven't done much else. Other than starting on Spanish. Oh, and tell me when all the people that left come back, okay?"

"You'll be the first to know. Breath deep, seek peace," Kara said as she left.

Atero got on his crutches and looked out at the night sky, where he finely saw some smoke. "They're close. I know it." he muttered into the still night.

Around mid-afternoon, Atero was aroused by the familiarly deep cry of a Skybax. And another one. He had ignored it at first, as he knew there were riders periodically checking with Kara over the days. But suddenly a shower of multi-colored confetti and streamers rained down over his hut. "Only one Skybax I know of knows..." He jumped over to his crutches, nearly forgetting about and almost falling twice because of his knee, and ran outside.

"Talon! You're all right!! If you aren't sight for sore eyes! Come here!"

Talon did accordingly and kicked off the hidden ropes and bags as he folded his wings, and Kara looked up at Atero from a few platforms down and yelled, "I thought you might be excited to see him, Atero."

"Who showed you how to rig these ropes??" Atero questioned. Talon screeched and bowed after this inquiry.

"He wanted to have a bit of an entrance," Kara replied. "It was a bit hard to understand him, you would know more about his signals than I do, but I got it. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone!"

Atero simply looked at Talon and put his arms around the Skybax's craning neck. "Thank you, Kara! Thank you for helping heal Talon!" Atero yelled down as Kara walked back to the makeshift hospital.

"Talon, listen up. I need you to check for the people that left Treetown in search of the cure for this epidemic. You know who they are, right?" Talon nodded accordingly. "Good. When you see them, and you are certain it is them, call. If they ignore you, drop some confetti. I'll rig you with two shots, one for each leg, but only two. Understand?" Talon nodded and signed what Atero had recited to him. "Good. Now, I will also attach three notes to you, like we used to do in one of our shows. Remember? One on the neck, one on each wing. The one the neck will ask if they have found a cure for the epidemic. If they answer no, signal the note on the left wing, then return here. If they answer yes, the one on the right wing, then lead them home. Do you understand all of what I just said?"

Talon nodded a third time and signed all of what Atero had related to him.

"This is very important. Just to make things clear, the note on the left wing tells to search as quickly and thoroughly as they can, and the right wing tells them to follow you home. Make sure they follow you, and walk if you have to. Again I tell you, this is very, very important."

Atero had the equipment rigged in about an hour, and said goodbye as Talon took off for his search.

"Good luck, Talon. Breath deep, seek peace." were the last things Atero said to Talon before he left.

The newly enlarged group above ground continued on their way. It was fairly slow going as they had been walking for a long while, but nevertheless they made steady progress. Azonthus confidently lead the way through many a trail that seemed invisible to the others whilst Kaz kept an eye on the flowers that Cyrrus was carrying. Just as they were all about to agree to a break a shadow fell over them. Looking up Kaz recognized a friend from her training days.

"Talon! Down here!" She cried out to the skybax.

Swiftly landing, he approached the group and, using the messages given to him by Atero, he soon knew that the were ready to be of use to Treetown. Spurred on by the new arrival the group doubled their pace and were soon on the outskirts of the town. However, it was far from the town that the group knew and loved: it was very quiet, trees had fallen, and though there were a few people there, they were all obviously preoccupied and had soon gone about their business without really taking notice of the group.

Running forward everyone began to search and call out: "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Suddenly a pretty girl in a healers uniform climbed down and was running towards them. Her large blue eyes shone with happiness as she recognized her best friend. "Kaz, it's great to see you! We've been so worried. But I'm afraid you can't stay, it's too infectious."

"Kara, it's alright, we have the antidote! Cyrrus has the flowers in her pack and we know how to mix them."

Everyone was relieved and were all soon, under Kara's directions, helping out in the best way that they could.

Kaz meanwhile had wasted no time in finding Mirajai and re-united again, they set off to find the half of the group they had last seen underground.

Choosing to stay in Treetown, Azonthus said her goodbye to Kaz. She then headed toward her tree, which had been spared from the storm. The raptor was still weak and needed more rest.

With the semi-allo watching him, C'xoila carefully slipped through the force field. The allo immediately attacked him, attempting to bite with his savage jaws, but this proved a mistake. The allo only succeeded in breaking teeth trying to penetrate the Deinonychus' invincible hide. Perplexed, the allo backed off to glare at C'xoila while he tried to figure what to do next. Ignoring him, C'xoila walked to the lever and pulled it down.

Immediately, the entire wall on that side of the force field slid up into the ceiling, and standing there, as if waiting for them, was a semi-skybax!

"Well, it's about time. What took you so long?" he asked. He had a man's head and body, but skybax wings. "You triggered sensors entering this room. Fiercesnarl and I were volunteered to deal with you."

"Oh, great," muttered Quickstride.

"Look," said Tamith. "Look at the allos." The allos in the sprogs were on their knees, genuflecting to the skybax.

"Ah, the Bloodfang clan still lives," said the skybax. "Oh, well, they're still welcome in our valley. It's a semi-allo taboo to attack a semi-skybax." With one of his wing fingers, the skybax pressed a button. The force field flickered a moment, then vanished. "Fiercesnarl, please release the others."

Nodding, Fiercesnarl walked the sprogs, opening the doors. Though the party watched them warily, the allos silently walked to the skybax and knelt, murmuring some chant or prayer. The skybax pointed behind him to a tunnel. Though it was too dark to see where it went, the saurians could smell beautiful plants and flowers faintly as they drifted from the other end. All the allos rose, and walked single file down the tunnel.

"Now that that's taken care of," said the skybax, "I suppose you would all like to leave." Everyone nodded their heads enthusiastically.

"I will show you the way out on one condition: give me the rainbow sunstone. It must not leave here."

"What?" Quickstride asked.

"We entrusted the rainbow stone to the Emerald tribe," he said, "but, as you can see, they are no longer capable of guarding it. So it must stay here until I find someone else to watch it."

"We will!" said the leader of the anthroceratops.

The skybax smiled. "Very well. I will take you to your valley with it once I deal with these surface dwellers. The stone, please."

Quickstride handed it to him, a little upset at losing her prize but much happier knowing she was going home.

The skybax pressed another button and there was a panel in the wall- and the wall to his right also slid into the ceiling, revealing a stairway big enough for Triforce to climb. "This leads to the surface. The entrance to here will close off after you leave."

Overjoyed, the party thanked him and raced up the stairs. Then Quickstride noticed the other gallies weren't with them. She stopped and turned. "Aren't you coming?"

Swiftclaw smiled. "Our spirits remained here to guard the emerald flowers. Now that they are safe, we can go to our rest. Thank you." He started to fade.

Quickstride smiled sadly. "Breath deep, seek peace," she said.

"Farewell," said the ghosts, fading until only their eyes remained. Then they disappeared too. Quickstride watched a moment more, then hurried to catch up with the others.

The group started of running up the stairs, after a few minutes of running upwards, the humans became tired so the saurians slowed down to their pace. About half an hour later, they finally emerged form the endless cave system in which they had been trapped for the last few weeks.

"Sun! Air! Breeze!" Tamith exclaimed as soon as the first golden rays touched her skin. It took a few minutes to adjust to the light, but as soon as she did, she saw that all the others where also rejoicing in the open air around them.

She walked over and hugged Triforce who almost ran her over from joy.

"Ow!" said C'xoila. The sunlight was very bright, and rather painful after being underground for so long. "Well, me glad to me 'bove ground."

The group traveled through the Basin, miraculously avoiding the Carnosaurs. When they arrived at Treetown, most of the evidence of the epidemic and storm were already cleared away.

The bright sunlight shining in her bed-basket awoke the tired raptor. Grumbling about being hungry, Azonthus went to her kitchen and got out a cat sandwich.

Walking at ground level, Az was surprised to see her friends who she had left behind underground.

"What are you doing here?! That must have been one fast trip to the Allo village. Welcome back to the land of sun and good food."

Cyrrus, who had been nearby, saw that Az was finally up. "Az! Great to see you are awake. You've been sleeping for the past 3 days!

C'xoila stared hungrily at the sandwich Azonthus held. "Um, 'Zonthus," he said, "You is gonna eat that sandwich?"

The group of hungry cavers and their friends found their way to an open field. They sat down and exchanged stories, as well as food. The party who had been above ground set out the food left from the Velociraptor banquet they had attended.

C'xoila stared at it all. "You mean tell me you went to 'Zonthus' pack," he said, "And had feast without me?"

Azonthus snickered and said, "You'll have to ask your sibs all about it."

C'xoila smiled and replied, "Yes, an me glad they's alright." C'xoila sat down beside his sibs and put down his backpack, which he'd been carrying.

They began to eat, when Alkazra noticed something. "C'xoila," said she, "It looks like your packs moving."

C'xoila blinked. Picking it up once more, he noticed it felt slightly heavier then it had been before. Pulling open the drawstrings, C'xoila yelped as a small, golden object tumbled out. It lay there on the ground for a moment, and then unfolded. Sparks stood and dusted himself off. The pupils of his mechanical eyes shrinking in the bright light of day.

"I have not been above ground in quite a while." said the hoverhead. He stretched each of his mechanical limbs and yawned.

"Sparks?" cried Tamith, "What are you doing here?"

C'xoila put in, "An in my pack too!"

Looking somewhat embarrassed, the hoverhead said, "Well, Boss, it's just that I haven't been above ground in a long while, then I had an idea."

Slightly amused, C'xoila said, "What the idea?"

Sparks shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and replied, "Well, Boss, that is, well I thought you could use an, well, um..."

Smiling, C'xoila said, "Use a what?"

Sparks looked extremely uncomfortable. "Well, Boss, I was thinking you might be in need of an assistant of some sort. A helper."

C'xoila nodded and said jokingly, "Well, sparks, who you suggest?"

In confusion, Sparks blinked once, twice, three times. "Well, someone small, compact..."

C'xoila finished the bot's sentence, "Someone like you."

"Exactly!" cried the robot happily.

Suddenly, a tiny shriek was heard above them, and a small pterosaur landed on Quickstride's head. "Jonathan!" she cried in recognition.

The Eudimorphodon wasted no time in greeting. "AAARRRRKKK! Francis and family wait word in Cornucopia. Want know how are."

"I'm fine," said Quickstride. Upon hearing of her family, she thought of the scroll Swiftclaw had given her. Since Jonathan was too small to carry it back with him, she said, "Tell them I've found something, and I'll get it to them as soon as I can."

"AAWKK! Yes, yes," said Jonathan, preparing to leave.

"Wait!" said Kara, holding out a teaspoon of medicine. "Whether we have the cure or not, we shouldn't chance spreading the illness beyond Treetown." Eventually, they got the very displeased pterosaur to swallow the medicine, and as soon as he could afterward he took to flight and disappeared.

"This is so nice us all being able to sit down together and be fairly relaxed." Kaz said from her position laying on the ground, looking up at the sky.

She used the words 'fairly relaxed' as she didn't want to jinx the situation as knowing how their luck usually went something was bound to come up.

"I hope to see you all again, but in a few days or so me and Jai should think about going home, we haven't been back to the Canyon in what feels like ages!"

"Good luck Kaz, I think I should send a message to Bonabba and see how the other half of the convoy did. Then... Well, I'll have to wait for the reaction and see if any one wants to have my head! Nah, I hope Bracken isn't THAT upset."

Triforce touched her nose horn playfully against Tamith's back and grunted something in her own tongue. Tamith laughed.

"Yeah! We did stop an epidemic and find an extremely rare cure after all!"

After several days of rest at Treetown, C'xoila and his sibs Sashaa, Kaylah, and Fer'dri made their way back to their home in Waterfall City. C'xoila returned to his job at the library, Sashaa to her job at the observatory. Kaylah was once more practicing to play at the concert hall and Fer'dri was just glad to be home.

Quickstride eventually made her way back to Outer Island and showed everyone the scrolls she had been given by Swiftclaw, which are now stored in the Kylum library there. Certain details of how she obtained them were omitted in her explanation to make it more believable.

Tamith and Triforce returned to Bonabba to find a rather anxious Bracken and Fiddlehead. They where informed that the former convoy had completed their mission and where happy to know a new medicinal plant had been identified. Later, both dropped by Waterfall City to visit Tamith's parents and fill them in on her rather unbelievable adventures.

Az stayed in Treetown for a while and healed. She traveled back to the Basin to visit her family and take Two-Talon home.

As she had said, after a few days with the others in Treetown Kaz and Mirajai went home to the Canyon. They went about their usual duties, told their friends of the adventures they had had and generally had some well earned rest.

After they had spent some time there they were charged with transporting some papers to the healers library in Hadro Swamp. They were more then happy with this as they were able to spend more time with Kara and Aja from whom they had been separated once again.

Once Tirana Ki and Shada arrived at Treetown, they made sure they weren't needed anymore and continued on their traveling, Tirana Ki's works of art as proof of the exiting and strange adventures she had had, and the new friends she had made. And she hoped that they would all meet again one day soon.

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