Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The show closed as everyone took a bow and got 4 standing ovations. The hour was late according to the clock tower that read an hour past midnight, and everybody had completely forgotten all about Sly and Lorna, as they had slipped through the night with Lenard and his wife Cora, Derrick and King Salsern. They had some last minute chores to do back home. Plus see to their estates and deliveries. King Salsern handed Sly a large velvet blue bag, no bigger than a kids marble bag, All he was told was the orbs inside would really help things grow quickly and plentiful. All he had to do was place them in the bottom of the lake and the land will flourish, and that lake will be drinkable and fresh forever just like the one here in town.

The orbs will grow and he can use them anywhere to help the land grow once more. All he needs is a large water source lake pond or lake.  Where rivers and streams connect to it and the runs back to his ocean. He gave him a map where the rivers used to be and the streams, but left the lakes and the ponds hidden as well as the towns telling him he must negotiate the water rights if he wanted to move the water deposits to help grow their town. now that he is King of the northern territory. He must act like one, dress like one. Study their laws and be a just and fair King and Queen when handing down Judgment.

Sly swallowed hard about 100 times hearing that as Kodarel climbed on his dragons back with his bride while Lenard wife got ready to hang on for dear life making sure her husband didn’t forget anything. The moment they were ready they leaped into the air hearing “ Oh my god I am about to die,” and the other screaming “I can’t believe I am riding a dragon and he’s my husband.” That was the last King Salsern and Derrick saw or heard from them.

So when Grand Duchess asked the question regarding Sly and Lorna the boys kindly picked up their plates slipped out said “will see to it ma’ma, but seems we have boy duty and paperwork if you want to run them through the paces by lunchtime,” and quickly made a run for it.

Derrick quickly introduced Ben to a hologram chip by handing him one on the way towards their main office building. Having to take many a detour where the stage crew was setting up for some play he never heard about other than to come down for a fitting him and Less as soon as possible. He sent his shirt and pants and shoe size already, yet underlined showing what they really wanted causing him to gasp.

Ben laughs by explaining what the play is about and the setting as well as the clothing that they are about to wear and why. That they should feel honored and luckily they are wearing the minimum and the maxim, for it they were in front among 12 Elders that guard the planet well and it was your quest to grow marriage tree of old. There would be no clothing at all. Ben turned them back around towards the stage crew sets having Derrick ask about the fittings rooms. Within a few minutes they arrived and within 1 hour they had been shaved and fitted for a one-piece male waste bottom that showed everything, through the skin light panty house. They might as well taken the first choice and gone naked.

Once they had finished with their fittings Derrick said to Ben tossing him one of the hologram chips. “ Ben I would like to introduce to you our pride and joy the hologram that holds everything and does everything except prepare meals and tuck you in at night. However, it would find somebody to do that for you if asked it to. For instance, I press the button and it says how can I help you, Derrick. The thump print is registered to this device or any device I use. So it recognizes me on sight.” Derrick tosses him one says. “Every book, every picture, every scrap of a piece of paper we had in the catacombs where I use to live and the old prison including lessons on magic. Is download on computers right in that building? Come I’ll show you American magic that might save us all.”

The boys spent the entire day showing Ben their infrastructure. That they may be living in small-town cottages, but they have the knowledge to expand beyond. Yet they have chosen the simple life instead. Using technology in building houses to last longer and hold stronger with better materials. Ben asked. “How long would it take for an upgrade of their main castle. Its always cold, the roof always leaks no matter how many times the builders put on a new one. It costs us king's ransom and the people are poor enough already because of Morgan and Hess. That we asked the Elders to create a spell to hide us from the world until they are gone and boy has passed the first 10 tests. I would like to tear down the whole damn castle, but we can’t if we are holding a wedding in two weeks.”

The hologram Kate butted in. “Sir that’s not totally correct if my calculations are correct. Not only could we rebuild the castle in 14 days with the help of Sly’s and Lenard builders. We could move it up the adjacent hill where you won’t have to be so crowed and in large certain areas for extra bedrooms if I may assume Ben and his wife are related to Sly and Lorna as grand parents they would carry the same dragon blood genes. Meaning their current age would fall backward and Ben would and his wife would be expecting more children. I have scanned Ben and it would seem those children would be 9 boys and 2 girls. If he and his wife remarried with the gift of dragon blood from Sly and his wife Lorna.”

Ben blinked a couple of times and looked at Derrick and Less and said. “Where do I sign up? I got to have one these do-dads. Question do really think you can rebuild a new castle in 14 days?”

Derrick said “Kate process the order, give me a blueprint of the entire castle.  Do I have your permission Ben to send someone to enter every room and do a scan? Also, may I send my boys over to raid your library and catacombs and empty the castle we have plenty of storage space here. If you need money for staff to find hotels or a place to stay please let them know they are welcome we have plenty of tents. But beware the water here it changes oneself as you know Ben.”

Ben gave his permission gladly as letter type scroll came forth as he sighed it and using his ring as the stamp of approval. And just like that he gave heavy sigh and said “Derrick you have no idea how much you have helped me and my family. You have earned a place at my table. Now then let's go find the boys and the girls and see what my wife is doing. Oh God helps me when I tell her we can’t go back because we don’t have a pot to spit in.”

As they were walking they heard several loud booms in the air near the main gardens they looked up finding Sly, Lenard and his wife who has transformed into beautiful white and yellow dragon carrying large pieces of wood and slowly descending as they transform into their human form. The 4 large pieces wood were beautifully carved into bench seats so smooth you would think they were cut with butter. On the seats were rabbit fur pillow backs and elk and deer comb so soft you think you died and went to heaven. Sly spent the night carving each bench to the greatest detail. He was exhausted, but he didn’t show it as he placed the last bench in its place.   

The Grand Duchess and the three witnesses that followed her checked his work and having the wittiness bare wittiness that he had no help that this was his work alone. Grand Duchess said. “Very good Sly I didn’t expect you to do it in one night considering I would be back in a week to go over the wedding plans.”

Ben coughed said. “Pardon me, Lil, I hate to inform you that won’t be possible at the moment. You see I have decided to tear down the castle estate altogether.”

She blinked with a slight cough as she stumbled causing Kate to hold onto her as she said. “ You ..What.. why… how… why now Ben? And please tell me what was going on in your mind after 300 years to make that kind of decision without me..?”

Ben rushed to her and wrapped his arms around her said. “Because we both hate the place, so we live somewhere else to avoid old ghost. Derrick tells me they can rebuild the castle in 14 days better then it was. All we have to do is decided on a brand new floor plan. Because it seems we have forgotten that once Sly and Lorna are married we become their grandparents. Which means we must carry the same genes of both Lorna and Sly and the moment we remarry, we age backward and we become immortal and given the same gifts as our grandchildren, and our own children.

“That’s right dear we are going to have more children so the castle will be filled with laughter once again. We will have new tools where we can help our township with very little money. All we have to do is bring in more trade and build more smartly using our hands and tools and less magic. Use magic for other things like growing food and trees and healing, making things stronger. Build larger homes to feel comfortable, no more this feeling cramped when we have all this empty space to build new roads and housing and new towns. We need to go back to the basics when comes to taxes.”

She cried in his arms. “So you are telling me I am stuck here when I have to plan the biggest wedding of the century with no castle. Well, Damn it Ben I love you. Now get that boy over here he has a wedding tree to grow or nobody is getting married today..”

Sly was already over at the fountain which had been turned off and put on rollers as they asked for ten little minute’s of their time so they could remove it and clean up the area while everyone else was setting chairs up to see the boy Sly grow a wedding tree without seed or root, again doing the impossible. Lorna and the Duchess made sure the 8 girls got a good seat. In the audience of course.  The judges and Duchess as well as the Queen and King of the pixie’s all got the best seats in the house, so they could see everything that was going on from every angle and was allowed to get close enough to see in fine detail.

In truth, it was up to Sly and Lorna wondering the best tree that would make the best wedding tree and they had decided on a mix between pine and white oak. They had practice almost every kind of tree and these two were the hardest, but once he had the root mixture they grew quickly it was if the land it self bonded them together, he said “Duchess will you and the wittiness inspect the area for root or seed in the area where I plan to plant the wedding tree as well as myself.”  He unbuttoned his shirt and removed it and handed to Lorna as he removed his shoes and socks placed them near her. He then removed his pants finding a loincloth made of leaves. He turned to hand his pant to her as the people note he was completely naked other than loin cloth wondering why he would go to such extremes.

Everyone watched wanting to see the boy that can grow flowers and trees without seed. However today they got good look to what they were missing more so the girls seeing Sly a well-muscled specimen that they could sick their teeth into as they raised one knuckle hand to their mouth and bit on it wanting to devour every inch of him, yet knowing that was never going to happen to see Lorna holding his clothes smiling back at them. The same ordinary girl, a 3rd class citizen not worthy of such a prize.

The moment he took his shirt off the flowers started to bloom new blooms with brighter colors and grew 3 inches taller. Everything around him started to grow bigger and brighter. The grass grew right at his feet like a carpet. He emptied his pockets showing he had nothing inside them even though he had taken them off. They searched his palms his hands and his feet and in between his toes. had him do several jumping jacks until they realized the leaves were about to fall off. Not that girls would have minded.

After the search, he walked over the spot where Lorna planted two rocks he poked his fingers in the ground and placed his feet into the soil and closed his eyes and searched the land for the items he needed. He could feel a part of a root from white oak snap off and make its way towards him then the second root snap off from a pine tree. He turned to Lorna and said. “Water me please dear.” 

The Duchess and the wittiness stopped her asking her why he needs the water. She simply replied. “My husband to be is the mother and the father of the trees he is growing. He is the root of the tree. If you look you will see that his fingers and toes are planted have become roots. If I don’t water him he will not be able to grow and his roots could die.” The Duchess and the wittiness took a quick look seeing that indeed Sly’s fingers and feet and toes have become roots and the rest of his body has become like a tree seeing a piece of bark on his back and arms come out of his skin. Giving Lorna permission to water him when needed. Making sure they add this to the record books.

Sly reached with his mind as the roots slithered through the dirt his body grown with relief as he called for water as his voice sounded like an oak tree. On the outside, as Lorna filled the bucket and poured it over his back the loincloth slipped off and fell apart after too many watering’s. The weer cat gabbed his shirt and tied it around his waist and made a bed right on Sly’s back. To prevent anyone from looking at Sly.

It wasn’t long as the roots snapped into four roots and grafted together and started to sprout into four trees. Kodarel felt Sly move a little as he called for more water. Having to jump off as Lorna was at the ready as she covered him with more water. Notice his body had changed to a bright white color and had more little branches sticking out of his skin with green leaves and more bark on his arms, back, and chest. His legs were covered with roots wrapped around him from the back to the front.

Sly groaned as he swayed like a tree, his hair was completely green with moss and his face had hard bark lines. You couldn’t tell if he was a person or tree. He stood tall raising arms in the air the Duchess running to his side placing a scarf around his midsection noticing the large audience had grown even more to stare at her naked grandson. She watches the roots at his feet climb and thickens as they rise up to his waist. Sly twisted towards his left as his right side is growing around his legs.

They watch as Sly lifts his hands over towards the other side as his fingers now turned to knotted roots the moment he turns his palms down the roots from the ground and the roots from his fingers meet and create a fast bond and start become two individual trees. He calls for water this time 8 buckets full.  Then he told Lorna to prepare the tree sap oil and make it extra hot. The Duchess asked Sly why he said. “For tree weaving, growing trees like this are hard, but tree weaving is a lot harder. Now excuses me I need to finish growing these trees, now the hard part is done.” Lenard helped by adding the water when he needed it.

Sly raised his hands as he bends the trees high in the air and turns to left side and the same, then bonds them together over him allowing the white bark to cover the branches and large limbs of pine branches intertwine he looks down at his feet and watch the roots give way releasing him and become one the same for his legs and waist as they release him. He steps out of the rose garden proud of himself said. “I have grown a tree where there was none, using no seed no root of any kind. You are free to inspect it. While I rest and prepare for the next phase which is making it beautiful. However, it requires something special pageantry Known as how the first wedding tree was made.” He turned his head towards Derrick and says. “Derrick tells our fairy folk I will return once the stage has been set. If you will excuse me I need to change into something more presentable, and rest up a bit.”

Lorna had the oil ready as she covered Sly wearing tight spandex stating he should wear this in the first place, but the elders said would be best if wore leaves in honor of the trees or nothing at all. Worry about modesty later more so around his wife. Lorna slipped into a very slim bikini it was like she was almost not wearing anything at all. There were no strings to tie. Except one the marriage knife at each of their sides, remembering to take it off and hand it to their acting Elders.  Sly covered her with the same oil. They both took a breath and he held her in her arms and kissed her before walking out.

The Duchess gasped seeing Lorna and Sly wearing basically nothing covered in oil. The courtyard had changed by adding more seating so all can see what’s going on. Sly wanted the 8 girls up front so they can see what kind of studying Sly and Lorna had been doing. Besides setting tea parties.

It took three hours to reset the courtyard. It was like moving the stage from one place to the other, with very little time for practice. Sly said to Derrick and the men as they were getting ready. “Not so hard to beat a drum guys. When it's more about Lorna and me acting like crazy people. The only ones that will understand are the King and Queen of the Pixies and the Elders who taught this dance to us. It's about love, war, and death finding each other again and fall in love all over again. They call it seasons of love. The oils help us move and it's out of respect for nature. When L and I learned this dance we were naked and when the dance end we were considered married by their standers. So when you watch the dance remember that and feel what we are feeling trying to get back to the wedding tree.”

The large courtyard had completely changed with jungle theme which included bamboo fencing and large fake metal trees high up in the air with jungle vines to move across the courtyard and plenty of lower tree branches to swing on as well as large leaf skirting to pull down at will. The lights and sounds of the forest made you think you actually inside. Not to mention the fun and unusual toys like weaponry like swords, whips, and spears. In four corners on wooden racks north side and the south side and near the four guards are to be stationed   Also in two corners is a big pot of steaming oil. Around the courtyard are lit tortures.

It took several minutes for the audience to adjust to their new surroundings from, the moment they step through the newly built doors as they looked upon the ceiling and the walls seeing nothing but real live jungle plants and nothing but empty box with house lights on as they found their seats, staring at leaf screen curtain; all that was left the anticipating waiting. Lucky for them they were each hand two towels and raincoat for each of them, before entering as the people gave them strange looks seeing the sign said explanation awaited inside.  

Derrick and Less and Dale the other men were all dressed liked Sly sitting in four corners with floor drums. Ben was dressed like Sly as his wife gasped as he stood proudly taking the north side and Lenard taking the south side to finish the requirements as they guard two large fires as Sly and Lorna hand them their knives and shook hands and wished them luck in taking them down for a mug of Ruby’s Berry Wine. The audience would not be able to tell if this a battle or the death or lovers dance or what happened to the wedding tree?

The Queen and King of the pixies soon arrived to inspect the courtyard, more important the marriage tree. Once they a proved they would make sure everything was in order.  Then nod taking the throne the best seat in the house. The band was ready, only allowed wind and string instruments no drums, no horns during this part of the pageant. It must be the sounds of nature. They dug deep into the ground and built a platform so they could see what was going on.

The King and Queen of the pixies gave a nod. Seeing everyone in their places. Sly and Lorna approach the center of the stage, ignoring the gasps of their lack of clothing. Sly takes the microphone and said. “Many of you might not know of the challenges I was facing to marry Lorna. Who introduced me to my Grandfather happens to be the High Elder who watches over these realms. You might have thought she was a just a poor 3rd class citizen an or misplaced orphan, yet I am here to set the record straight.

“Lorna is the high princess and the second daughter of the Moon Goddess. I am the first prince and my brother Rollin is the second prince of High Elder of Seth who rules over the Northern realms such as this one. In 2 days I will marry my true love and after we have toured the countryside in its fullness we return back to her castle where we will be coronet-ed as King and Queen and King of the Northern Realms. We will then return to live out our days here, well south from here where things are still growing.      

“My last test is to grow a wedding tree in the main garden with no seed, no roots. Which you would think would be impossible even more so in human form. It took me weeks of study until I was able to do it with my wife Lorna help’s, which also explains my appearance. Try to get trees to wear clothes, I would be breaking the rules if I tried other then a loincloth made of leaves. Thanks to Lorna and my grandmother keeping me from total exposer as well as our weer cat Kordael.

“The pageant we are about to do however requires far less clothing then we are wearing right now. In fact, everyone one on stage there would be naked. According to the rules of nature which Elder Seth rules over. All 12 Elders watched and participated in this pageant. Until L and I got it right. When that happened they married us. We will be married again in two days for public record. So we welcome you to our garden, hoping that those that are being married under this marriage tree know how special this tree really is compared to other trees in our gardens.

“For your benefit I have asked Ruby to interpret what is happening and what we are saying for the words are in a different language and our bodies movement could be miss read, our stage crew would like to leave you with this warning this is a live set, the trees, plants, dirt itself is real as well as the air and the water hence the rain and why we are clothed this way.”

Someone took the microphone as the two walked under the marriage tree facing each other. The sounds of the forest blasting through loudspeakers. Their hands behind them holding onto the branches. The moment drums started to beat they shifted as they screamed falling to their knees causing the wedding tree to shudder and break apart into two halves.

The narrator Ruby read:

“It was in the time of a war when the large magical army was crossing into the land looking for men and boys to serve in it.  He was a young man at the time by the name of Hess Pentagras and his father High Elder Daniel who betrayed the group overturning many of there ideas because they didn’t seem fair or worth the trouble, more so when his ideas have never listened too because they seemed too risky, to outlandish or too dark to even to be considered.

“His plans were a game changer that would lead them down a path none of them wanted to go costing billions of lives; their plans would save millions of lives. To him a person life meant nothing to him, so they all took a vote and revoked his seat of power and took his powers, and gifts, as well as his immortally way, then placed him on his home planet completely alone. Within five short years, he started a wizard war and found Hess Pentagras as a young man and mentored him. This was the war that these people saw. Hear their words and listen to their tale as the wedding tree is built in their name.”

She moved off into the corner taking a chair with her husband and her two children. Having one of the best spots of the center stage sets and the wedding tree seeing that is nothing more then tree bent over complete in a U shape covered with moss and bark, if you looked close enough you still see images of Sly’s body ripped from the tree itself. Not in her entire life-time has she ever seen a human being do that to oneself to become the root and the tree, but why the big production. He could have just finished it and be done with it. All he would say was no. that she and everyone will understand once the pageant is done.  So here we are as instructed… least the scenery is beautiful and looks like a rain-forest.  Ruby gets ready to speak again as the two take their spots under the marriage tree facing the audience.

Ruby reads:

“Pogo (Sly) had no choice but to leave Lily(Lorna) there with no home with the war on there doorsteps most of the boys his age had already gone to protect their villages the Elders would be moving the women and child further into jungle soon.”

Pogo (Sly) grieved moving his body in swaying motion as he cries out in a language nobody understands. Lily (Lorna) moves to circle the flower garden cutting all the roses off the branches throwing them into the large fire. Kate in the audience gasps. “My beautiful roses.” Watching Lily (Lorna)  ran to the northern side and wept in a language nobody could understand and jumped into the air as she grabs onto jungle vines and curls up into a small corner of a tree weeping to let spotlights fall on her and dim turning to fades of green lights.

The violin played softly as Sly grabs a jungle vine and heads back towards the marriage tree finding his way blocked by his grandfather holding a sword. The drums started too beat slowly as the music got more intense Ruby reads: “Pogo (Sly)  tries to convince his grandfather to let him pass, but instead he slaps him across the face telling to him to go, pointing northward, that he has dishonored his house. That next time he crosses this way he will challenge him to fight before he will even speak to him again. 

“Pogo (Sly) tries to get closer, but his grandfather is strong as he slaps him so he hard he falls into the dirt throws him his knife and turns his back on him. The sound of lighting and the flashes from the trees indicate a storm as it slowly begins to rain.” All around the enclosure every felt a cool wind as a looked up seeing dark skies seeing lighting flash across the skies felt the raindrops, heard them increase all around them more so on the stage before them.

“The rainfall quickens as Pogo (Sly) gets back on his feet and tries once more, but with his grandfathers back turned his arms fold. Sly had no choice but to travel northward with the rest going to war.” The audience watched Sly disappear into the trees. The very moment he and Lorna left the stage the marriage tree split right down the middle making a deafening sound and all the rose bushes crumbled to dust causing everyone to gasps. 

Even Ruby was caught off guard as she reads in a choked up voice. “After many moons have passed. Lily (Lorna) had got over her grief and walked back to the tree where she and Pogo (Sly) met before the big war that took her love away from her. The jungle had taken over, but she could still find their wedding tree. But the roses were completely gone, in fact, nothing except the tree was standing, the ground was barren. She showed her guardian and everyone else from her tribe, but they didn’t seem to care, other than to say it must have been the war that had done it. No one cared about true love, to them, it was nothing more than a fairy-tale. Telling her what she needed to do was focus on, was finding a good husband and babies.  Trying to pusher away from it, but was unable to do so, so they left her there; leaving her with her knife for some protection against the wild beasts of the forests.

The audience watched people from her village make a full complete circle and disappear into the jungle. “Lily (Lorna) set up camp right next to the marriage tree using a small hut made of jungle weeds.” Pre made straw mat too lay on outside onto the concrete now covered with 10 inches of dirt, go stage crew for making everything so real. “She had enough food in her pack to last a week maybe two before having to leave the tree go hunting for more, while she waited for Sly her true love to make it make it back to her.

“It was five or 6 moons ago she had gotten the word, that they had finally killed the man in charge of five armies causing mass panic by breaking the spell he and Pentagras held over them that they left realm entirely and back into 12 Elders hands. Which meant he and his group from our village are coming home in 2 weeks time.

“It had been well past that going two moons, but yet still no sign of him even though like he said the other boys and men had come back telling her he went back to help someone as their eyes fell to the ground ashamed. It was nearly two more days later as another group of boys from their village looked in pretty bad shape, but had been seen too as their wrappings and stitching looked fresh and covered warm blankets and animal skins. One pulled a wagon full of supplies and was told to give them to a man called Elder Ben known as Grandfather... There nearly 15 in this group and none were from this tribe.

“A week later there was still no word from her true love and Lily (Lorna) village had grown 3 sizes over the last moon cycle, the many of boys were sent to court her, but again she refuses to remind them if it wasn’t for her true love. None of them would be here today; leaving her alone as they tell her she was waiting for a ghost. It rains non stop for two days.” The audience watched and felt the rain on stage dripping down onto the leaves, turning everything into mud. Seeing all the little huts built around on the stage finely understanding the clothing or the lack of as little boys and girls played in the rain as their mothers worked the campfires inside little dome’s, The menfolk talked around a larger fire pointing to Lily (Lorna) as if scolding her at foolishness.

“It was two days later when Pogo (Sly) entered the woods of his village pulling a large cart with the sick and elderly and small children in the cart and upon his back, what looked like a small child, but wasn’t, it was a woman and her baby. He himself was injured wearing a bandage on his right leg where it showed fresh blood trickling down, fresh scrapes on his face that need stitching he was walking with a limp on his left hip finding a well-placed arrow.

“Right behind the cart was an entire village of woman and children covered with fresh bandages pulling smaller carts of boys and men that did not fare so well during the war. Lily (Lorna) is the first to reach him seeing the tears of pain and legs and body shaking with fever. Everyone in the village stood in shock as they whisper. Pogo (Sly) calls back “Jaz (Rollin) we are here at last,” as he chokes up blood and cough with those words he falls forward to the ground with the woman and the baby on top of him, into the muddy water.”

The marriage tree burst apart its ugly brown thick bark showing pure white flesh the dark bark, falls to the ground washes away in the rainwater. The marriage tree glows into a pure white tree with little green pine branches down below little sprites of rose bushes are peaking out of the ground.

“Jaz (Rollin) came forward almost in the same shape, he was in telling them to keep moving into the village.” Watching the people circle the stage as the stage crews setup 3 large huts moving the wedding tree completely out of the way on long metal wheels trying not to disturb any of the plant's roots. Using the hologram to scan the soil for safety as they wheel in another planter of fresh dirt to cover the hole as people walked the around them in a circle.

Ruby reads after giving the queue seeing the last villager walk off the stage, said.

“The rain still pouring as Lily (Lorna) had moved Pogo (Sly) to her father’s tent since Pogo (Sly)  Grandfather had much to consider before seeing his grandson, besides some were predicting he would not make it through the night. What he didn’t know that each person he had saved had visited the tent and gave him a gift, apart of themselves; that when the last gift was given he became the first immortal.

“The doctors were astonished as they were about to change his bandages finding no wounds at all, not even a scar, no sickness nor fever. It was beyond them how this could have happened so quickly. That they need call meeting at once to describe this, the next day the rain stopped, it was that day Sly and Lorna noticed something strange about him the moment he walked out of his sick bed into fresh air… flowers started to grow all around him. It was like a soft white glow and then would grow bigger and brighter. 

He was caught off guard when something from the trees grabbed a hold of him. Knocking him to the ground all covered in black except for its tail that seemed to be dipped in silver and gold. It had a white chest with silver and gold spots and blue eyes. Pogo (Sly) and Lily (Lorna) had no idea what type of animal this was. It was no cougar or lion cub for the markings were all wrong but was in the same form as a cat.

They watched as this cat jumped off his chest and said “  Pardon me, you must be prince Pogo (Sly)  and princes Lily (Lorna), my name is Kodarel the weer cat, I have been sent to as your guide, your teacher, and your protector for three of my life spans. It is your duty to see that I am well fed, and you follow my instructions. As your weer cat I have no obligation to speak or be seen by others unless I wish, or I feel it is necessary or if I am in the mood.

“However you can both speak to me any time you would like. I understand a thousand languages. Anyway, there has been a lot happening since you have been gone, your girl is here about to be married off tonight unless you can prove that it was you that saved all these villagers lives. For when you left you had no skills as a surgeon, you had no fighting abilities or hunting skills. You have no honor, according to your grandfather who is over the entire tribe.

“Your tribe says they will lay down their lives for you for saving them so it could go fifty, fifty. Then again your immortal and have been given the gift of dragon blood. A first for any human;” They look throughout into the audience as if it was nothing but more forests.

Ruby says: after a few lines of Pogo (Sly). “Let's go around the back and see if we can get a better look.” Pogo (Sly) takes Lily (Lorna),  hand walking turning the complete circuit a curtain drops around three large tents and heads towards the back where several small huts can be seen out in the distances the walk through the plant life forest and disappear.