Welcome to Gaia! ::

((Alhiria is a butterfly, a natural prey of the spider.

Though Alhiria is poisonous, Langsley doesn't exactly know that, so she might try to eat Alhiria.

At least that's what Alhiria thinks.))

Falian blinked, looking Lucius over.

"Who exactly are you?" She asked. "I'm Falian. What's your name?"

"Floreta, back away!" Alhiria squeaked to her Guarded. "Back away. Right now. Do it. Please."

Blinking in confusion, Floreta obeyed.

"Oh..." she breathed, attempting to get a glimpse of the butterfly from where she was nestled between the girl's hair and the nape of her neck. "All right. What's wrong?"

((Zoey cosplay! I would have a platypus there, but well, I needed Mona for the eyes >< ))

((I apologize Hayato. I typoed. I meant Shef to ask Lucius if his name was Langsley.))

Accumulating group. That was one way to describe the quirky crowd. Shef felt tired, resources and ability to comprehend exhausted beyond belief. Not an hour or two had passed, and Regond had already driven Shef crazy. When it was supposed to be the other way around.

"Well, I'm going to Ether," announced Shef. He was still unaware that a Guardian would be required to allow him to go, not necessarily his own, but a willing one all the same. "It's in those forests, you said?"

To tell the truth, Shef was rather excited to be finally going to the fabled Ether. His father had told him stories, once upon a time, of the magical scenery to be found there. Also emphasized had been the many, many dangerous, both hidden and apparent, of Ether. So many dangerous traps and creatures existed there, it wasn't even a joke.

Shef turned and tramped off, towards the forest in which he had met Regond. Which was wrong, actually; the gate was in the forest next to the one in which he had met Regond. But Shef, being a silly human, was incapable of telling the two apart.

Narissa hissed at Regond's human, feeling the vibrations as he stomped off to who-knew-where. According to him, the Ether.

"Holly, look at your friend there," she reasoned, certain her voice carried over to where he was. "He can't fight and even he has the balls to go for something he has no chance of getting, even if he's going the wrong way."

Holly ignored the crude comment, but she'd heard that tone of voice before. "Fine!" she yelled, standing up, almost wishing Narissa would've fallen off her ankles and into the grass. But Holly would've felt bad about it, if she had. "I'm going. Happy? But I'd better learn how to fight and survive, otherwise I'm not going to last long."

Although she hadn't realized it at that point, her first words were backed with a long, low roll of thunder. The clouds had crept up on them as Shef made his decision and Holly hers.

((Where did all of your gold disappear to, Hayato my dear?))

((I have returned to once again reign over you all. I hope that none of you are too disappointed that I am still alive and more bitter and despicable than ever.))

((We will be leaving now.))

-----

Regond discreetly flew after Shef, hoping not to attract the attention of the chattering group of strangely common Guardians and Guarded.

"Shef." he whispered as he caught up to the boy, "You are entering the wrong forest. We travel this way."

He pointed his wing at the proper forest and soon had to continue flapping due to the loss of balance.

-----

Yemits clenched his enormous fists, which made a creaking noise similar to that of a tree as it fell down from it's majestic heights, rend in half by the accursed axe o' the lumberjack.

"You are getting on my nerves, dragon." he bellowed, "Face me in battle, and we shall see who is truly deserving to roam this sacred forest!"

Regond looked behind him and saw that creepish young man.

"Pick up the pace, pick up the pace..." he whispered anxiously as he began flying faster.

-----

Yemits ignored Zoey completely and concentrated mainly on the dragon Onstaan. Raye stepped in front of her, frowning.

"He can't hear you, Zoey..." he said quietly, "Trust me. We can't stop him now."

Calentine was agreeing with Yemits at this point. When Onstaan finally could be persuaded to fight, he was annoyingly slow and paced about it. He would take his good time.

Onstaan slithered up and around one tree, avoiding branches and climbing gracefully, without using his limbs, as a snake might. When Onstaan was nearly invisible, so high up was he, the dragon glanced down with a diamond blue eye.

"Are you ready?" he asked calmly.