Post by The Pantheon Dragon on Jun 24, 2007 9:42:16 GMT -5
Destination:On the beach strip of Cozumel Mexico...
Late morning beheld the vast clear Atlantic ocean which nearly seemed to begin at the smooth sanded coastline.Trixie and Rose lounged on two fold-out chairs with an umbrella slanting backwards right between them.
Against the partly cloudy backdrop,rose a small wave that Jake rode up high on with his longboard skimming it's curling waters.He looked down at Rose who smiled and gave a little flirtatious wave of her fingers.Caught up in flashing her a winning grin,he was unaware of when he hit an object.
As he went flying off the board droplets fell after him.While Trixie lowered her sun glasses,Rose grimanced and yanked up the umbrella,twined it once in a typical staff twirl and brought it up above them as the ocean barraged.
Right onto the fully expanded material.
x.x.x.x.x
Fu Dog and Spud stared each other down.
"If I win,you have to clean up your room and everyone else's."
The Sharpei narrowed his eyes."And if I win,you have to quit practicing the tuba at all hours of the night,"he turned slightly,paws poised to begin.
"Alright,"Spud bent his knees and turned readingly as well."Now on go-"
"Go!"
Though Fu Dog took the advantage of a headstart,when he looked over his shoulder a minute later to see the mountainous sand structure he could not help but to gap.Spud smiled smugly at his opponet's lesser sand castle.
"Hah,"he tossed his red plastic shovel up and caught it."I win."
His accomplishment was short lived as it was demolished by the wave,Fu waned and postioned himself in an arc over to protect his own.Pushing up after he had gotten soaked he grinned at Spud,only to see him distracted.
"What're you lookin' at?"He asked curiously.
"I'm not sure but I think it's...no,it couldn't be.Oh,wait,yeah.Here's Jake."
"What?!"
Out of the sky came a free-falling Jake that plowed face first into the only remaining castle and continued to move under the sand until he managed to make contact with a palm tree,leaving a large clumping trail left behind him.
"You okay,Jakey?"Trixe asked as her and Rose approached.
He unearthed himself and shook the grains from his hair."Well,I know I'm definitely gettin' a refund on this water-proof hair gel back in New York."
"You goat-napping ladrón!"
All of a sudden an orange furred and beady-red eyed creature with jagged jade crests running down it's back leaped out of some nearby bushes with a limp grey creature clutched in it's claws.Then out came a brown dragon.
The creature looked over it's shoulder to make sure it's pursuer was still at a good distance,only to have the American Dragon blocking it's path now.
"Sorry,gremlin.But I'm gonna have to give you the no go."
"It isn't a gremlin,it's a chupacabra!"The Mexican Dragon corrected him.
Jake wrinkled his brow."A what-?"
"Kid,don't let it bite you!"
The creature gave a yelp as Fu Dog came up behind it and bit onto it's tail before it took a bite from Jake with needle-sharp teeth.Though it managed to whirl around and claw the canine on the muzzle,Jake grabbed hold of it.
"Hey,you're right.Gremlin's are more slippery."
"I'm Hedro."he introduced himself as he wrapped a fine film net around the struggling chupacabra."This would be only one of numerous goat suckers."
"Well,at least it doesn't got your goat."Fu Dog joked."Get it?Because it's like when someone...eh,uh.You people just don't know any good humor."
Spud uncloaked the airship near them so they could board and quickly get dressed and begin.Hedro watched them go,the wheels in his mind spinning.
x.x.x.x.x
"Somehow when I picture Mexico I picture thatch homes and people with satelite dishes."Rose said as they walked through the almost modern town.
"There are some islands like that but their still almost totally dependent on tourism money."Pedro awnsered and looked on to a sturdy white adobe.
"Nice crib but it does have indoor plumming right?"Trixie asked nervously.
"There's no time for that,"Jake insisted,stepping passed them."Guys,we've gotta find the fifteenth talisman before they do.There's only so many days."
"He's right."Rose agreed."But we don't even know where to start looking."
The casually dressed Hispanic grinned at them."I was wondering when one of you would bring that up.The chupacabra leader is safeguarding it now."
"Where is he?"
"You can't just go rushing in,"he explained to Jake."It requires tranqulism."
The teen raised a brow."What do puppets have to do with it?"
"I have no idea,"Hedro said cluelessly and produced a bamboo shot from his pocket."This has the serum to knock him out,aim right for the rear end."
While the rest blanched out,Jake took the shot and forced a laugh.
"That's funny,for a second there I thought you said we have to aim for..."
Hedro's expression didn't change."I'll give you the arrow on one condition."
"You want your goats back?"Spud guessed.
"Not quite,"he turned somber."You have capture the chupacabra's and give them to me.Once the leader is down,they'll turn submissive.I'd go with you but the Dragon Council gave me and my dragon master orders to stay out."
"And it's only been the last few days they've really given you trouble?"
He nodded at Fu."Just about."
As they started in the direction the Golden Compass was pointing them,Rose gave one last glance at the confident-looking Dragon.Something wasn't right.
x.x.x.x.x
All five of them headed into the lush tropical rain forest towards the entrance of what Hedro had told them was an underground cave where the creatures lived and there would be stone staircase to simply walk their way down into.
It came upon them a think mouthed cave that resembled what looked to be a stone igaloo.Rose pulled Jake aside to talk privately as the rest went to enter.
"He seem's like an okay guy but I just don't trust me,"she told him,hushed.
"Rose,these guys need all the cash they can get and I guess sacred goats are the way of going."Jake reasoned."Look,let's just go see these thing,all right?"
She rolled her blue eyes skyward."All right,Jake.But I'm telling you there's-"
Her words finished in an echoing noise as solid earth left their feet and they were sent plummeting straight down.Darkness filled Jake eyes and he began grabbing around blindedly for Rose's hand,knowing they needed each other.
He landed in something soft and it cushioned his fall."Guys?Are you okay?"
Soft hissing were heard below him,hissing that materlized into a low,guttural growl and suddenly hundreds of red eyes illuminated a hollowed out cavern beneath the surface.Jake,thinking quickly,morphed up into his dragon form.
"Eye of the dragon."
Though it was unnecessary as the chupacabra's eyes provided plenty or light.
"Jake!"Rose called out from behind him.
He turned over his shoulder to see that the others were waiting for him near another pathway.The dragon was about ready to tell them he was staying to fight when the gleam of a thousand teeth brought him instantly to his senses.
They fled.
x.x.x.x.x
"We can't just outrun them forever."Spud noted as he huffed along.
"You're right.Fu,"Jake turned to his animal guardian."Any ideas?"
"All my potions and books are back in my room."
"Which you never clean up."Spud put in sarcastically.
"Well we got to think of somethin',this tunnel just keeps going on."Trixie said.
Rose's face lit up in realisation."A labyrinth!This is just an underground series of walls and mazes.If we split up we would might be able to shake them off."
"Haven't you heard splitting up gets us killed quicker?"Spud told her.
"It's our only way unless we find another way out of here."
"How about we just go up instead."Jake said as he tried to gather them all up in his arms but before he could five different tunnels came within his eye shot.
The loud growling of the chupacabra's grew as they neared and he gave one look over his shoulder to see that a large one was leading them and jagged piece of bright red hung from it's neck by a thin piece of string as a necklace.
"The talisman piece!"he announced."Guys,just keep going.I'll catch up."
Tightening his claw on the bamboo shot,he waited until the others branched off before he spread his left wing tip and tail tip the length of the entrances to block them and waited until they halted before he launched himself at one of them.He seized the leader by the tail,closed his eyes and aimed for the rear.
Phhtt!
"Ugh,man that's gassy.He owes us big time."
x.x.x.x.x
"How did it go?Did you lead those boneheads to their doom and retrieve the piece of talisman I need?"Eve inquired in her sleek,shifty voice over the line.
The Mexican Dragon clutched the window seal."Well..."he looked out to see that his visiters were returning with a cage full agitated creatures."You can just forget it.If your so gung-ho then just do all this dirty work yourself,harridan."
Hedro clicked off and rushed outside to greet them.The orange,emerald,red and blue balls of fluff clawed and hissed.He looked at them with vengefulness.
"Excellente' job.But wait,where'd you get the cage?"He slapped his forehead.
"Yeah,we found your secret stash."Spud said accusingly.
Rose came forward."There's everything under the sun from shock collars to a giant toothed ankle catcher.You've been hunting them every chance you get."
"Can you blame me?"He countered angrily."These monsters have been eating all our livestock and now that you've brought them to me I can end them all."
"Dude,"Jake approached him calmly."Part of being a dragon is compromising and finding solutions."his eyes narrowed."Wiping them out won't solve a thing because it's destroying them.It's something that we learn from the beginning."
"Their wild animals with no feelings."Hedro argued and morped up."If I let them at all,then I'm just letting us suffer even longer.Now get out of my way."
"Slaying them isn't the awnser,"Rose told him,adding silently."I should know."
"That's enough."A large maroon colored dragon landed next to him."I've been searching everywhere for you Hedro,I needed to tell you that they've arrived."
"I know,"he became less combative."We had a deal and they're not keeping it by handing over the chupacabras so we could solve our problems,Carlitos."
"Only because we didn't know what you were planning,"Trixie spoke up.
"As your Dragon Master,Hedro.I'm telling you that the talisman retrieval is far more important then this problem.The Dragon Council granted them the duty of gathering the pieces and as members of the order,we're obligated to obey."
"Sorry,"He said begrudedly."But there's just been so many hits lately."
"You must be starved,"Carlitos smiled politely."Come with us for tortillas."
x.x.x.x.x
They all stood looking at the seperated four pieces,levitating in differing lenths under glass.One was in the poccession of the enemy.Jake looked at everyone and he knew immediately that it was only going to get harder from here on in.
x.x.x.x.x
"Another traitor,"Eve said simply."We'll exterminate them all in the end after we conquer the world with the Dark Dragon.Now,onto Japan.The next piece has been spotted in Toyko where we'll begin toying with their weaknesses."
"And I'll get a re-match with that dragon,"Arden added as he finished lifting up his weights,his ashened human skin and cold,instinctful yellow eyes reflecting a life without joy."Where do I teleport us next to,Eve?Tell me now,I'm well set."
"I just told you."She reminded him,fastly accustomed to his one-tracked mind.
"Right,"he shook his head."Toyko.My mistake."
Gregory felt the wash of doubt he always did but kept quiet.This was going to make him somebody and messing with his cousin on a new level would make it happen.Even if he knew that their next plan would tear Team Dragon apart.
To be continued...
LP
Late morning beheld the vast clear Atlantic ocean which nearly seemed to begin at the smooth sanded coastline.Trixie and Rose lounged on two fold-out chairs with an umbrella slanting backwards right between them.
Against the partly cloudy backdrop,rose a small wave that Jake rode up high on with his longboard skimming it's curling waters.He looked down at Rose who smiled and gave a little flirtatious wave of her fingers.Caught up in flashing her a winning grin,he was unaware of when he hit an object.
As he went flying off the board droplets fell after him.While Trixie lowered her sun glasses,Rose grimanced and yanked up the umbrella,twined it once in a typical staff twirl and brought it up above them as the ocean barraged.
Right onto the fully expanded material.
x.x.x.x.x
Fu Dog and Spud stared each other down.
"If I win,you have to clean up your room and everyone else's."
The Sharpei narrowed his eyes."And if I win,you have to quit practicing the tuba at all hours of the night,"he turned slightly,paws poised to begin.
"Alright,"Spud bent his knees and turned readingly as well."Now on go-"
"Go!"
Though Fu Dog took the advantage of a headstart,when he looked over his shoulder a minute later to see the mountainous sand structure he could not help but to gap.Spud smiled smugly at his opponet's lesser sand castle.
"Hah,"he tossed his red plastic shovel up and caught it."I win."
His accomplishment was short lived as it was demolished by the wave,Fu waned and postioned himself in an arc over to protect his own.Pushing up after he had gotten soaked he grinned at Spud,only to see him distracted.
"What're you lookin' at?"He asked curiously.
"I'm not sure but I think it's...no,it couldn't be.Oh,wait,yeah.Here's Jake."
"What?!"
Out of the sky came a free-falling Jake that plowed face first into the only remaining castle and continued to move under the sand until he managed to make contact with a palm tree,leaving a large clumping trail left behind him.
"You okay,Jakey?"Trixe asked as her and Rose approached.
He unearthed himself and shook the grains from his hair."Well,I know I'm definitely gettin' a refund on this water-proof hair gel back in New York."
"You goat-napping ladrón!"
All of a sudden an orange furred and beady-red eyed creature with jagged jade crests running down it's back leaped out of some nearby bushes with a limp grey creature clutched in it's claws.Then out came a brown dragon.
The creature looked over it's shoulder to make sure it's pursuer was still at a good distance,only to have the American Dragon blocking it's path now.
"Sorry,gremlin.But I'm gonna have to give you the no go."
"It isn't a gremlin,it's a chupacabra!"The Mexican Dragon corrected him.
Jake wrinkled his brow."A what-?"
"Kid,don't let it bite you!"
The creature gave a yelp as Fu Dog came up behind it and bit onto it's tail before it took a bite from Jake with needle-sharp teeth.Though it managed to whirl around and claw the canine on the muzzle,Jake grabbed hold of it.
"Hey,you're right.Gremlin's are more slippery."
"I'm Hedro."he introduced himself as he wrapped a fine film net around the struggling chupacabra."This would be only one of numerous goat suckers."
"Well,at least it doesn't got your goat."Fu Dog joked."Get it?Because it's like when someone...eh,uh.You people just don't know any good humor."
Spud uncloaked the airship near them so they could board and quickly get dressed and begin.Hedro watched them go,the wheels in his mind spinning.
x.x.x.x.x
"Somehow when I picture Mexico I picture thatch homes and people with satelite dishes."Rose said as they walked through the almost modern town.
"There are some islands like that but their still almost totally dependent on tourism money."Pedro awnsered and looked on to a sturdy white adobe.
"Nice crib but it does have indoor plumming right?"Trixie asked nervously.
"There's no time for that,"Jake insisted,stepping passed them."Guys,we've gotta find the fifteenth talisman before they do.There's only so many days."
"He's right."Rose agreed."But we don't even know where to start looking."
The casually dressed Hispanic grinned at them."I was wondering when one of you would bring that up.The chupacabra leader is safeguarding it now."
"Where is he?"
"You can't just go rushing in,"he explained to Jake."It requires tranqulism."
The teen raised a brow."What do puppets have to do with it?"
"I have no idea,"Hedro said cluelessly and produced a bamboo shot from his pocket."This has the serum to knock him out,aim right for the rear end."
While the rest blanched out,Jake took the shot and forced a laugh.
"That's funny,for a second there I thought you said we have to aim for..."
Hedro's expression didn't change."I'll give you the arrow on one condition."
"You want your goats back?"Spud guessed.
"Not quite,"he turned somber."You have capture the chupacabra's and give them to me.Once the leader is down,they'll turn submissive.I'd go with you but the Dragon Council gave me and my dragon master orders to stay out."
"And it's only been the last few days they've really given you trouble?"
He nodded at Fu."Just about."
As they started in the direction the Golden Compass was pointing them,Rose gave one last glance at the confident-looking Dragon.Something wasn't right.
x.x.x.x.x
All five of them headed into the lush tropical rain forest towards the entrance of what Hedro had told them was an underground cave where the creatures lived and there would be stone staircase to simply walk their way down into.
It came upon them a think mouthed cave that resembled what looked to be a stone igaloo.Rose pulled Jake aside to talk privately as the rest went to enter.
"He seem's like an okay guy but I just don't trust me,"she told him,hushed.
"Rose,these guys need all the cash they can get and I guess sacred goats are the way of going."Jake reasoned."Look,let's just go see these thing,all right?"
She rolled her blue eyes skyward."All right,Jake.But I'm telling you there's-"
Her words finished in an echoing noise as solid earth left their feet and they were sent plummeting straight down.Darkness filled Jake eyes and he began grabbing around blindedly for Rose's hand,knowing they needed each other.
He landed in something soft and it cushioned his fall."Guys?Are you okay?"
Soft hissing were heard below him,hissing that materlized into a low,guttural growl and suddenly hundreds of red eyes illuminated a hollowed out cavern beneath the surface.Jake,thinking quickly,morphed up into his dragon form.
"Eye of the dragon."
Though it was unnecessary as the chupacabra's eyes provided plenty or light.
"Jake!"Rose called out from behind him.
He turned over his shoulder to see that the others were waiting for him near another pathway.The dragon was about ready to tell them he was staying to fight when the gleam of a thousand teeth brought him instantly to his senses.
They fled.
x.x.x.x.x
"We can't just outrun them forever."Spud noted as he huffed along.
"You're right.Fu,"Jake turned to his animal guardian."Any ideas?"
"All my potions and books are back in my room."
"Which you never clean up."Spud put in sarcastically.
"Well we got to think of somethin',this tunnel just keeps going on."Trixie said.
Rose's face lit up in realisation."A labyrinth!This is just an underground series of walls and mazes.If we split up we would might be able to shake them off."
"Haven't you heard splitting up gets us killed quicker?"Spud told her.
"It's our only way unless we find another way out of here."
"How about we just go up instead."Jake said as he tried to gather them all up in his arms but before he could five different tunnels came within his eye shot.
The loud growling of the chupacabra's grew as they neared and he gave one look over his shoulder to see that a large one was leading them and jagged piece of bright red hung from it's neck by a thin piece of string as a necklace.
"The talisman piece!"he announced."Guys,just keep going.I'll catch up."
Tightening his claw on the bamboo shot,he waited until the others branched off before he spread his left wing tip and tail tip the length of the entrances to block them and waited until they halted before he launched himself at one of them.He seized the leader by the tail,closed his eyes and aimed for the rear.
Phhtt!
"Ugh,man that's gassy.He owes us big time."
x.x.x.x.x
"How did it go?Did you lead those boneheads to their doom and retrieve the piece of talisman I need?"Eve inquired in her sleek,shifty voice over the line.
The Mexican Dragon clutched the window seal."Well..."he looked out to see that his visiters were returning with a cage full agitated creatures."You can just forget it.If your so gung-ho then just do all this dirty work yourself,harridan."
Hedro clicked off and rushed outside to greet them.The orange,emerald,red and blue balls of fluff clawed and hissed.He looked at them with vengefulness.
"Excellente' job.But wait,where'd you get the cage?"He slapped his forehead.
"Yeah,we found your secret stash."Spud said accusingly.
Rose came forward."There's everything under the sun from shock collars to a giant toothed ankle catcher.You've been hunting them every chance you get."
"Can you blame me?"He countered angrily."These monsters have been eating all our livestock and now that you've brought them to me I can end them all."
"Dude,"Jake approached him calmly."Part of being a dragon is compromising and finding solutions."his eyes narrowed."Wiping them out won't solve a thing because it's destroying them.It's something that we learn from the beginning."
"Their wild animals with no feelings."Hedro argued and morped up."If I let them at all,then I'm just letting us suffer even longer.Now get out of my way."
"Slaying them isn't the awnser,"Rose told him,adding silently."I should know."
"That's enough."A large maroon colored dragon landed next to him."I've been searching everywhere for you Hedro,I needed to tell you that they've arrived."
"I know,"he became less combative."We had a deal and they're not keeping it by handing over the chupacabras so we could solve our problems,Carlitos."
"Only because we didn't know what you were planning,"Trixie spoke up.
"As your Dragon Master,Hedro.I'm telling you that the talisman retrieval is far more important then this problem.The Dragon Council granted them the duty of gathering the pieces and as members of the order,we're obligated to obey."
"Sorry,"He said begrudedly."But there's just been so many hits lately."
"You must be starved,"Carlitos smiled politely."Come with us for tortillas."
x.x.x.x.x
They all stood looking at the seperated four pieces,levitating in differing lenths under glass.One was in the poccession of the enemy.Jake looked at everyone and he knew immediately that it was only going to get harder from here on in.
x.x.x.x.x
"Another traitor,"Eve said simply."We'll exterminate them all in the end after we conquer the world with the Dark Dragon.Now,onto Japan.The next piece has been spotted in Toyko where we'll begin toying with their weaknesses."
"And I'll get a re-match with that dragon,"Arden added as he finished lifting up his weights,his ashened human skin and cold,instinctful yellow eyes reflecting a life without joy."Where do I teleport us next to,Eve?Tell me now,I'm well set."
"I just told you."She reminded him,fastly accustomed to his one-tracked mind.
"Right,"he shook his head."Toyko.My mistake."
Gregory felt the wash of doubt he always did but kept quiet.This was going to make him somebody and messing with his cousin on a new level would make it happen.Even if he knew that their next plan would tear Team Dragon apart.
To be continued...
LP