Chapter 3 - Rainforest trek and the end of the adventure

Chapter3

Inside the fortress, Laraff was fuming. Back and forth he paced, raging anyone and everyone unfortunate enough to get in his way. The single guard beside his door was doing his best to be unnoticeable as his master seethed. “The Idiots! The slimy little half-witted slugs! They’re so blind, they couldn’t find a huge red boulder in the middle of an empty field at midday!” he strode over to the guard. “You! Why aren’t you tracking them down?” he grabbed the guard by the front of his chain mail shirt. “I…I….it would be impossible…in this weather…”he choked. “Grraugh! You're just as useless as the others!” he shouted as he slammed the soldier against the wall and dropped him. Then he marched across the chamber to a window from which he could see the clouds reaching past the horizon. The door opened and a short, stubby and bumbling lizard dressed in scraps of capes sewn together in an upheavaled way scurried in. The lizard master spun around. “What do you want?!” “Your wound requires tending.” he grumbled in a high pitched voice. Laraff mumbled in protest as he reluctantly sat down to allow the surgeon to attend the wound made by his own arrowhead. “Naw, naw, yew need to relax…three little half humans can't get far in the storm thet’s brew’n outside”, as if to emphasize his point, a bright flash of lightning lit up the room as well as the sky. “They tell me one of them is wounded. No, no. they certainly cannot be getting far.” the Lizard master nursed his rage sulkily as he whined to his surgeon. “Maybe not, but how could they be allowed to escape so easily?” “Those responsible for being slow enough to let them escape are being punished with starvation. Down’t worry. We will have the spies back soon enough.” Laraff shook his head angrily and wrenched his arm free. “I certainly hope so-for your sake!”

Progress was slow and painful for Marinia as she was helped along by Koji and Zhinari. It had been hours sense they first set out, and despite frequent stops and the cover of trees, they had now been slowed to barely a walk by the ankle-deep mud and rain. They had sent Matt ahead to camp with the blackstar devise, and now they did what they could to follow. A bright flash of lightning illuminated the dark forest for a moment as rain poured from the sky turning the forest floor to slippery slime that was hardly navigatable for the two who were in perfect health and nearly impossible for Marinia.
Suddenly she stumbled and collapsed to her knees in the soaked dirt gasping. Koji knelt down beside her regardless of the mud concerned. “Are you alright?” For a moment Marinia did not answer as she fought to catch her breath, and then looked into his eyes. She spoke in a whisper barely audible above the storm. “…It…it hurts so…so terribly bad…” she gasped and dropped her head, grasping her side with one hand and Koji’s wrist with the other. “I…I can't make it…not now…not like this…” she took a weak breath and rested her head on her friend’s shoulder. Together they sat oblivious to the rain that soaked them and the mud that soiled their clothing.
Zhinari stood under a tree a short ways ahead of them. She cared about Marinia, but when Koji was around the situation was often touchy and sensitive, so she preferred to stay out of the way. Instead, she occupied herself with trying to remember about how far the squirrel camp was from the fortress {{what herbs Marinia usually used to relieve pain}}. She knew that she could never remember something like that, especially sense she hadn’t been paying attention *when it had been gone over {{when Marinia had done her healing}}, but it was better than doing nothing.

Koji awoke in darkness to a quiet, whimpering moan emanating from the huddled figure beside him. Marinia was asleep, head resting on his shoulder. He had always known her to be a strong, gentle, but iron willed person. She was usually able to care for herself, and though now, as she lay beside him and seemed so small, helpless and pitiful, he sensed her strength and protectiveness. Yet he also could not help feeling the pain that indwelt her body at the time.
A dark blue light lined the horizon, illuminating the outlines of every cloud, though still the storm raged on outside the small cave. Koji vaguely remembered Zhinari helping him carry the half limp, half asleep form of Marinia to a small cave she had found the night before when she had wandered on ahead.
Here Marinia had slipped into a deep sleep, still leaning on his shoulder.
Zhinari sat alone near the entrance of the cavern staring out into the rain. She was concerned, he knew, for she had not slept all night. After leaving Koji and Marinia in the cave, she had gone back to the trail and cunningly marked the way they had come so that none but the squirrel folk could find them. Now she had returned to wait with her friends.
Koji touched his forehead to Marinia’s damp hair allowing the smell of a thousand woodland herbs and flowers to drift into his nose. She was the most extraordinary he had ever known, a close and trusted friend.
He couldn't let anything happen to her again- or so he hoped.

Matt swiftly beat through the underbrush. In the distance he could see three lantern torches marking the entrance to the squirrel’s camp. As he approached, a disguised voice greeted him.
“Who goes there?”
Matt answered without hesitation, “One of the carriers of the blackstar.”
Scarramaser squinted his beady eyes and peeped out from behind the log into which he had been speaking. Concern clouded his eyes as he spoke without bothering with the log.
“But where are the others?”
Matt shook his head.
“I’m not exactly sure…”
“Well, come inside and you can explain over a hot cup of tea.”
As he stepped inside the largest tent in the clearing- the meeting tent- a petite squirrel hurried up to him.
“Land sakes! You’re soaking wet! Come on over here and get dried off!”
Once settled and dry beside a small warm fire, he explained what had happened at the fortress- with a bit of exaggeration.
Three squirrel scouts were sent out, but other than that it was decided that a more extensive search would be delayed until it stopped raining-hopefully by morning.

Back in the fortress, the soldiers sat around tables in the great dining hall. Laraff strode around, glairing mercilessly at his horde. These were tough soldiers, war hardened, brave, and by no means foolish.
Yet under even a glance from their master they cowered in fear. They had all seen his strength; his wrath was merciless, and once stirred, relentless.
“Somebody tell me how three small prisoners were allowed to escape?” he asked on the brink of calmness. A few of the soldiers shuffled nervously, but no one replied. A moment of silence passed before their master spoke again.
“I will tell you how. Not one of you was on alert. Most of you weren’t even half-dressed!”
He was clearly disgusted.
“The guards were sleeping! If we had been ready, they would have stood no chance of escape!”
One particularly slow soldier spoke up.
“It was the middle of the night- most of us were asleep. What were we supposed to be doing? This whole thing was a surprise to us!”
Mumbles of agreement rose throughout the room. Lizard Master remained firm.
“From now on we prepare for the unexpected!” He stated in a commanding voice. “You sleep in your armor. Keep your weapons at hand-even in your bunks. And no one assigned guard duty will be found asleep!”
The unfortunate guards who had been napping the night before lowered their eyes in shame.
“You will be alert, report anything unusual. Let nothing escape your senses.” he glared around at his army for a moment with glinting red eyes. “Get out of my sight!” he finally shouted. The army didn’t have to be told twice- soon Laraff was the only one left in the dining hall aside from a deaf slave girl who was cleaning the tables.
He soon marched off to his chambers to sleep for a while.

It had been a long time sense Marinia had felt this weak. Slowly she awoke to a throbbing pain in her side. She was vaguely aware of Koji sitting beside her. She tried to move, but every part of her body screamed out against it. She lay her head back gasping.
Koji looked down at her and gently placed his hand on hers.
“Marinia?”
She looked at him through narrow eyes.
“Hey.” she whispered then tried to sit up.
His arm caught her as she fell back.
A moment later, Zhinari walked in with some firewood to replenish the dying fire from the night before. Marinia shifted her gaze from Koji to Zhinari.
“Zhari?”
The catlike figure came over and knelt beside her friend.
“How ya doing?”
Marinia smiled weakly.
“I’ve been worse.”
She caught her breath sharply.
“Then again, I’ve been better.”
Zhinari sat back and poked at the fire with a stick.
Marinia leaned back and rested her head on the stone face, eyes closed. Koji released her hand and brushed back a wisp of stray hair from her face.
Marinia lay still for only a minute before her eyes opened again.
“We should try to get back to camp,” she stated.
Koji made as if to help her up, but Zhinari stopped him.
“We will do no such thing. Or at least you won’t.”
In response to Koji’s inquisitive glance she explained.
“Marinia, you have been out cold sense early last evening. You know I am no doctor, but anyone can see you can hardly even move.”
“All the more reason to get back…they have more proper… healing facilities than this.”
Just then, a small voice piped up from the cave’s mouth.
“Milady’s right, you know. Top hole facilities back at camp.”
A short, straight postured squirrel scout stood in the doorway.
“Then again, it’s clear milady’s in no condition for traveling.”
Koji, who had trouble remembering any of the squirrels names spoke up.
“And you would be?”
“Sarheemp.” he replied.
“Not to worry,” He turned to Marinia, “Your friend was only about 15 minutes behind me. He insisted on coming, so Scarramaser and a couple of higher-ranking scouts are guiding him here.” without pausing, he turned to Zhinari.
“Nice job you made of marking the way- professional stuff.”
Matt came crashing through the underbrush, followed closely by his escorts.
“Hi guys! Nice hole you found!”
After a brief discussion it was agreed that everyone had to get back to the camp. Marinia refused to be carried, and so after a long, slow walk she arrived with the others at camp, limping and leaning heavily on Koji and Kitara, who had met them a little ways down the vague path from the cave. Two scouts had gone behind to cover their trail.
The entire squirrel camp was in a dizzying flurry of activity as they arrived. Pillows, blankets, and all sorts of bedding was being donated ant taken to a smaller tent in which a makeshift bed was being made for the injured princess.
She was soon lying atop a soft pile of the squirrel’s making. Once her wound had been cleaned and bandaged, she lay gazing at Koji who had never left her side.
“Go get some sleep.”
She smiled encouragingly at him.
“I’ll be fine now, and you deserve it.”
Koji smiled back and nodded respectfully.
“I will come back later.

Several weeks after the defeat of the fortress, Marinia crept out of her chamber and into a small clearing outside of the camp to watch the stars. As she approached, she saw another dark form sitting alone on a rock beside the path. Zhinari glanced over then looked back up at the stars as her friend joined her.
Koji awoke to silent darkness. He stepped out, Kiki, his cat bounding after him. Wandering down a path in the forest, he soon found himself in the same clearing as his friends.
They sat together that night, looking into the clear summer sky where shooting stars glided in a show seemingly exclusively meant for the three friends that night.
The End!!!!!!! lemme know what you think!!!!!!!!

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