Chapter Ten

Tygra and Star are on a search for Jade�s cure�

Tygra and Star hastily ran over to Jade kneeling down at her left side. “Jade, Jade! Wake up! Jade, please open your eyes! Jade!” yelled Star holding onto one of Jade’s shoulders, shaking her, desperately trying to wake her.
“She doesn’t seem like she’s going to wake up. Serpenia must have poisoned her when he hit her into the wall. She did say his tail was covered with those poisonous spikes and they look as if they cut pretty deep.” Tygra explained as she pulled back Jade shirt to look at the wounds. A disgusted expression crossed her face as the smell of burning flesh made its way to her nostrils. She then put her hand on Jade’s forehead. “She has a bad fever, too.”
“Is she going to die?”
They both looked at Jade’s wounds which remained bleeding horribly. They could see her torn tissues and muscles clearly from where the poison had eaten away the skin. “Gross! I think I m going to throw up!” yelled Star, turning around, covering her mouth; she had never seen anything this severe.
“The poison is beginning to eat at the tissue! The smell is so horrible!”
“Can’t magic help her?” Asked Star, turning around.
“No, it s not going to work. Well, it might slow it down. But, there’s no promise.” Tygra explained.
“Then do it all ready!” yelled Star, her eyes started to water. Tears slowly rolled from her deep ocean blue eyes to her red cheeks. Even though she was a skilled healer, Star knew better then anyone else not to use her powers when she was upset. She could actually end up killing Jade instead of saving her.
Tygra placed her hands over Jade’s wound and began her spell, then stopped.
“What? What is it?” asked Star, confused on why she had stopped.
“Nothing . . . It just seems that the wound are smaller now.” Said Tygra as she examined the wound more closely.
“That’s impossible!” Exclaimed Star and then took a look for herself. “But it’s true. It is indeed smaller.”
“But, the poison is still there.” Tygra looked over at Star. “Is there anyway to cure it?”
After a moments thought Star nodded her head. “Yes. I remember reading about a plant, the Glowing-Garson, in the Forbidden Forest. That should do the trick, considering it heals all types of poisons.”
“Then let’s go get it!” Tygra said already beginning to stand when she stopped, kneeling back down beside her. “But I heard it’s extinct.”
“So have I but I don’t care! We’re going to find it! She saved our lives, more then once. Now it’s our turn to save hers!” Star said tears slowly filling in her eyes again.
“Fine. But, we have to carry her on this.” said Tygra as she clapped her hands together, a stretcher appearing before them. It was made, with two long bamboo sticks on either side with cloth spread to six feet in length in the middle of the two. “Let’s go!” she called with a little hope that they’ll find the plant.
“Alright!”
Tygra picked up a cloth and covered Jade’s wound. Blood rapidly soaked into the gauze. Then, they both picked up Jade, and placed her on the stretcher, crossing her arms over her chest.
Tygra picked up the stretcher at the end by Jade‘s head, and Star took the other side. They started at a running pace, before having to slow down to a slow trot.
“Stop! I have to stop for now!” Star cried and placed down her half of the stretcher as careful as possible.
Tygra did the same and took a water bottle from her belt. She handed it to Star. “Here, drink this; as much as you want. Are you ok?” she asked, kneeling aside of Star.
“I’m fine now. Let’s keep going.” She said already getting to her feet.
“Ok, but let me check on Jade. Her dressings need to be changed.” Explained Tygra.
She walked over to Jade, and unraveled the gauze.
“Oh!” Tygra exclaimed.
“What is it!?” Star asked frantically.
“Her wounds…they’re almost gone,” she felt her head again. “And her fever went down quite a bit.”
“Do you think the poison is going away?” Star questioned hopefully.
“I don’t want to take the chance. Even though it’s healing, a lot of the poison worked its way through to the blood stream. We should keep going.” she explained, and walked over to the stretcher. “How about you transform into a horse? I’ll make a wagon and you can pull her instead.”
“Good idea. I’ll get tired less easily that way.”
Tygra used her magic to summon a wagon where they immediately placed Jade in the back. Star shape-shifted into a horse with reins which Tygra held where she sat at the front of the wagon. Star began pulling the wagon, running for quite a length in time before they began talking again.
“Thank you, Tygra. It‘s a lot easier this way. We’ll be out of here and into the forest again in no time.” Star said with appreciation as she slowed down to a trot.
“I’m just glad that snake demon grabbed you instead of hitting you with its spikes. If he would have hit you, you would be in the same shape.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” There was a short pause as Star thought of what to say. “Thanks for taking charge like that. I know that I’m suppose to be good with healing but-”
“Don’t worry about it. I know how upset you get. Your magic and mind don’t want to work with you. You just have to learn to control it better.” Tygra stated, and then sighed. “Right now, we just have to find the Glowing-Garson plant to get Jade back to normal, maybe better.”
“No, you won’t.” said a demanding, but familiar, voice from behind.
They abruptly turned to see who was behind them; Star changed back to her normal form incase they had to fight.
“Hello.” said Jade teasingly as she sat up on the back of her heels watching them. “You mind telling me why we’re going the wrong way?”
“Jade!” yelled Star, surprised to see her awake.
“Jade, what are you doing up? You should be resting!” Tygra exclaimed.
“Ha ha! You really thought that I was out of this fight, didn’t you?” asked Jade, amused. She leaned in and whispered, “I’ll let you in on a little secret.” She pulled up her shirt just above the wounds. She removed the bloodied gauze from her skin to show them her wound, but there wasn’t a wound to be seen anymore.
“How?” Tygra and Star asked in union.
“My gift, and yet my curse. I’m not allowed to die, not yet anyway.” She said, still whispering as she jumped off of the wagon.
“What do you mean, not yet?” Star asked.
“I have a job to do first. I can’t die until it’s completed.” Jade explained.
“Anyway, you should rest now. You have to be treated as soon as possible.” Tygra said, walking over to Jade, who was now leaning against the cave wall.
“Look how long it took us just to get to the halfway point of the cave. It will take us twice as long if we look for that plant. We’re better off just going forward.” Jade explained, pushing herself off of the cave wall.
“But-” Star began.
“Think of what’s more important. My life or the lives of every single being not only in this world but in both worlds?” Jade asked beginning to walk back to the dome-shaped room.
Star and Tygra stood where they were for the moment, thinking of what Jade had said.
“I hate to admit it, but she’s right. We have to take care of this before Jade.” Star stated, and then began walking to catch up with her.
Tygra made a single wave of her hand and the wagon disappeared. She quickly caught up to Star who was only a couple of feet away from Jade. They both watched her closely. Neither of them was going to leave her out of their sight.