Young Writers Society

Tyrin

I walked up to Seeker slowly, gazing at him critically.

"What's your game griffin?" I asked quietly. He turned and looked at me strangely.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you stand to gain from this. You have to have a reason to come with us, and if you don't that means your just going to turn tail when things get rough...and your still here."

"Why I am here is none of your business."

"It will be my business as soon as we take to the road with me in lead as a guide. I don't want your claws in my back without due reason."

He looked at me and I stared back at him. I could read nothing in his gaze.

Karana

I looked at Tyrin, then at the griffin.

"It's insane!" I couldn't hold my tongue. "We just got out of a battle! At least three of us need to rest before even trying to get back on the road!"

Ryouku nodded at me; I had let my thoughts go. Seeker seemed taken aback.

"Karana - " Tyrin began.

"No, Tyrin! Seeker, whatever you have planned, just know that if you want our full trust, you have to trust us with the truth!" I pat Ryouku's leg, liking the feel of the scales beneath my fingers. It made me feel strong. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to recover some before I get back on the road."

Julia

"That sounds like a good idea," I replied with my grin back in place. "All children need their rest." Karana turned and gaved me a confused look. She didn't seem to understand why I had reverted back to my old self and neither did she like it but I matched her glare with a smile and walked through Tyrin to reach her and Warren.

I knelt beside the two and flashed a quick smile at Luna, Sonya and Ryouku who were also gathered round them.
"I think we should move dwn to the stream. Some sunshine would do everyone lots of good and it might please Seeker a little. At least that way we're making progress," I suggested.

Warren overheard Julias idea.

"That sounds great! Lets go, im tired of sitting on the ground."

They started heading down stream towards a patch with some grass and wild flowers.

"This is beautiful."Julia remarked. Sonya and Luna nodded in agreement.

Warren headed for a soft patch in the grass, and simply plopped onto the ground. He looked around at the tall trees and the slowly redening(?) sky. It seemed as if life were perfect at this exact moment. Slowly pulling his gaze from the sky, Warren looked into the water watching the fish swimming together, looking synchrinized.

Everyone seemed to settle down in this spot. Then, it felt as if it were to comfortable, as if they were being lulled into comfort by some unknown hand. Warren looked around, as if looking for another zombie attack, but saw nothing.'It must be in my head.' He thought, and settled down, ready for sleep to overtake him at last.

Julia

I sat back down beside the stream and then layed my head on the ground, relaxing against the soft, springy grass. Something felt different. Something felt wrong. The water was calmer, more soothing and the air was still. I sprang to my feet but even this action did not appear to disturb my companions.

"I don't think this is such a good idea," I protested. The wind seemed to steal my words and I wondered if the others had even heard.

(Is this what you were thinking of, kitty?)

Ryouku noticed Julia, and that had drawn him out of the peacefulness he had been in. He looked around at everyone. They all looked so peaceful, too peaceful. Something wasn't right. His gut told him that things wern't right.

"Something's wrong." Ryouku announced. As soon as he did the wind became a little stronger. It was as if something was trying to stop him from breaking the peace.

The wind began to make him feel calm again. All he wanted to do was to lay back down and go to sleep. It was a spell, he knew it was. He let out a thundering roar that echoed all throughout the forest.

"What the hell?" Luna exclaimed, opening her eyes. SHe was leaning against a tree next to Warren, making sure his wounds didn't get any worse.

"Magic. Strong magic," Ryouku answered, at the same moment that Luna felt it in the wind.

"We need to leave," Luna decided, standing up.

"BUt we just got here," Julia argued sleepily.

"No, you don't understand. There's a spell; I don't know where it cuold be coming from, but WE ARE NOT SAFE," she put emphisis on the last four words, making it very clear. Nobody, apart from Ryouku, even attempted to move.

"We'll have to get them out," Ryouku decided, fighting off the spell with anotehr loud roar. Luna nodded, shapeshifting into a dragon. She scooped Warren and Karana gently into her claws, and grabbed Julia as well. Ryouku grabbed the ohters and they flew high into the air. THe spell began wearing off as they rose, and everyone began waking up.

Karana

That was strange. It was peaceful and quiet, soothing enough for me to fall asleep, and Ryouku and Luna were flying us away...taking us away from paradise...

I opened my eyes, and then it hit me. I could feel a strange, pulsing force seemingly on the wind, through the trees, around us. It sent chills down my spine, made me tremble in fear. What was this? I had never known something such as that, and it terrified me.

"Ryouku?" I pleaded, half panicking.

"Calm down. You're safe," he replied, still flying straight through the clouds. Even in the mists of the sky, everything was getting darker and felt more malevolent.

"Ryouku, what is this? What's this feeling?"

"It's all right. It's just powerful dark magic."

"Dark magic?"

"Yes. Don't worry, though. I will protect you. We will protect each other."

I looked at Julia, then Warren. They seemed unaffected by it, or they were hiding their terror, their anxiety, their panic. What would happen to us? We weren't fit to fight again! We had to find shelter, to get away, to hide...For once, I felt like a child, afraid of the dark.

Julia

Irritated that I had allowed the spell to overcome me for a moment, I was more determined than ever to keep a clear head. The air tingled with fear and hatred but I refused to react to it. The dark magic was almost tangible and it was hard to resist the urge to reach out and grasp it in my hand.

"Look, over there!" Warren shouted. I turned my head and saw a huge, grey creature swoop towards us.

"Is that a gargoyle?" Karana wondered.

"A stone gargoyle," I confirmed. Ryouku and Luna banked right sharpy and the creature flew past us but it turned and resumed its collision course.

"Anyone know a spell we can hit it with?" Tyrin wondered.

"Umm. I could make us invisible?" Sonya suggested. "Or perhaps a wind spell?"

Karana

I was lost. I knew nothing about magic, spells, or enchantments. But, I wanted to help. I had to help! But I couldn't do anything; I was frozen in my fear...

Oh, snap out of it! something roared inside my head. You're being a fool! A child! What will Julia have to say about this?

I had to do something...but what?

Just as a test, Warren hurled a dagger at it, and chipped off part of its ear. It looked infuriated.

"Maybe that wasnt such a good idea."thought Warren aloud.

"Yeah, it could be a problem."Agreed Karana.

They all watched as he gained on them, but almost yelled when it appeared that they vanished from thin air. Warren looked at the place his hand would have been, and started messing with the invisibility, easily amused, as usual, completly forgeting about the frustrated Gargoyle.

Karana

I looked up at where Ryouku had just been, where he should still be...

"Ryouku, what did you do?" I asked, trying to find him.

"I cast an invisibility spell. No one should be able to see us, but with magic...we might be revealed."

Did the gargoyle know that? It looked like he was slowing down, looking for us...

"Stupid creature!" I laughed.

Tyrin

Suddenly the creature sniffed and then veered towards us. He missed us by an inch but immediately turned around. I clambered up Ryouku's back and yelled at our stone foe. He charged towards us and the dragon beneath me veered out of its way. I leapt onto its back and stretched my roots out, trying to find a crack. I found a few likely spots and began to reach in, pushing my hard wood into his body. Suddenly the creature twisted and I flew off. I shouted and suddenly slowed down. I looked up. Seeker held onto me tightly...I sighed with relief. My plan had almost worked; if only I had had more time.

Julia

"We have to distract it, buy him some more time!" I exclaimed.

"And how do we do that?" Ryouku wondered. Hearing our voices, the creature dived towards us again. Ryouku pulled up and I smiled sadly before dropping through the dragon's body. I landed upon the gargoyle with a heavy thud. It immediately tried to shake me off but I phased my hands through its body for a better hold.

"Come on Tyrin! Get down here and I'll hold you on!" I shouted.

"Are you crazy?" Warren called as the creature below me continued to turn in tight circles in an attempt to throw me.

Luna sighed, trying to think of a plan that wouldn't hurt Karana in the process of destroying the gargoyle.

"Nobody move!" she exclaimed, suddenly remembering a gargoyled most important weakness. "It can't see you as well if you're holding still," she explained quickly.

"I have to flap my wings to stay up!" Ryouku argued. "As do you!"

"Head towards the ground, as quickly as you can manage, and stay there!" Luna ordered, swooping down and putting Warren and Julia down. She changed shapes quickly, so that she was a type of bird that was large enough to fight off the gargoyle, but not too large either. She flew at the gargoyle, bent on destracting it long enough that Karana could jump off; Ryouku was sure to catch her.

The gargoyle lashed out with one of it's many sharp talons, narrowly missing Luna's stomach. She dived at it again, trying to get one of her talons through it's eye; it got her first, cutting her through the weakest part of her stomach, right where her scar was. THe pain was too much for her to handle, and she fell through the air, changing shape as she fell.