9 Another Space

"No!" The boy shouted as a figure darted in the direction of the little girl, covering the girl from the falling debris.

"Don't worry." Jel placed a hand on the boy's shoulders. "She's ok."

"How do you know that?!" The boy asked, turning to his side to see that the man had disappeared. "Wher-"

The sound of a crash-filled the place as a large beast made its way out of the rubble, clutching the girl in its teeth before making its way to them.

"Hadley!" The boy shouted as the creature reached them and dropped the girl in his arms.

Panic dissipating as the boy made sure the girl was still alive, he turned to the large beast with chocolate brown eyes, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"My. I thought you said you wouldn't transform." Jel teased as the creature glared at him. "Well, I suppose this is fine. Come on turn back, you look a little scary."

The creature looked at Jel for a second before turning away. "I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" Jel slowly got to his feet, patting its silver-blue hair.

"It means I can't." He sighed, not pushing the man away. "This form … I took it by mistake and now … I'm stuck."

"Right. Shapeshifters need to be at full concentration when they change otherwise they will forget how to change back." Jel chuckled, running his hands through his hair. "Should I help you?"

"You know how to turn me back?" The creature asked, eyes widening. "You must be joking. I'll turn back by morning."

"You helped those kids." Jel pointed to the two. "I can't just leave you like that." He paused for a second, thinking. "I'll take you somewhere."

"Where-?"

Ignoring the creature, Jel picked the two kids up in his arms and threw the boy over the creature's back.

"W-what are you-? Ah!"

"Hold on tight."

The boy clung to the creature's flowing fur as Jel jumped on as well, holding the unconscious girl tightly.

"I will tell you where," Jel said, grinning at the creature turning to him with an annoyed expression on its face.

"Fine." It sighed, voice sounding like it is one with the wind and not coming from this massive beast in front of them. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Jel said brightly, putting his arms on either side of the boy to keep him from slipping off, as the creature jumped, landing on top of the trees.

With a wave of his hands, a golden light flew in front of the creature, "Follow that."

"Ahhhh!" The boy shouted, holding onto the creature's fur as tightly as he could. "This is terrifying!"

"Really?" Jel asked, staring at the creature. "I think it's beautiful."

"Huh?" The boy looked at the man before looking in front of him, at the way the creature's fur glistened like it was covered in stardust. "Oh."

"Right?" Jel said, smiling kindly at the boy. "Pretty."

"W-where are you taking us?" The boy asked, gently holding its fur now. "We don't have anything that you will want."

"Not true," Jel said, placing the girl on the back of the creature. "Everyone has their use. But that is not the important thing at the moment. I am just going to take you somewhere safe."

After a few seconds of the creature hopping from one tree to the other, it finally stopped. "The light is gone, Jel."

"Then we are here," Jel said, getting off the creature's back, wings appearing again as he flew in front of him. "You must keep this place a secret, Osbert. Can I have your promise?"

"That will depend on what is there." He answered truthfully.

Laughing, Jel ruffled its fur. "Well, I can't be too mad if you are being that honest with me. Fine. I will show you that it's harmless."

Waving his hands in front of him, Jel traced out the outline of a door before using his hands to push it open.

"Come on in."

______________________

One step inside and the two were in awe at the floating islands all around the galaxy way. The stars never looked so close before but this place looked like the stars were their neighbours.

It looks like islands of a city scattered all over the night sky, filled with stars. In here, even the creature was able to float without the help of wings.

Strange.

Jel sat back down on the creature's back, retracting his wings and summoning a cloak to cover the boy, girl and himself.

Suddenly there were guards all around them. Well, people in military uniform with two sets of large wings that looked like they belonged to creatures of the sky.

"State your business!" One of them shouted, holding a sword to the creature as his pinkish eyes glowed and his long sepia hair, decorated with the feathers from his wings in braids, flowed in the wind. "How did you get in here?"

"Jel?" The creature asked, turning to the man. "What do I do?"

"Leave that to me," Jel said, pulling the hood over his head as he made his way to the men and women with his hands up. "Hello."

"Who opened the door?" The first man asked again, still holding his sword though he was a little more relaxed.

"I did," Jel said, smiling at them as he took out his glove to reveal the marking on his palm. "I am only here to meet someone. We won't cause any problems."

They stared at Jel and then at the creature before sighing, "Fine. But one of us will accompany you."

"That is fine by me," Jel said, putting his gloves back on. "Let me ask my companions first though."

Floating back to the creature and the boy hiding behind them as much as he could, Jel smiled.

"What did they say?" The creature asked, keeping his voice as low as possible.

"They allow us to go in," Jel said happily. "But one of them is going to accompany us. Is that alright with you?"

"If it's no problem with you then it's ok for me." The creature said, turning its head to the boy. "What about you?"

"I don't even know why I am here." The boy said, gripping his sister tightly. "As long as you don't have any bad intentions for us, I don't care."

"I will tell them then," Jel said, floating back to them as the creature stared at the boy trembling in fear, a slight annoyance written all over his face.

"Have you two been alone long?" The creature asked, trying to make a conversation with the boy.

"It was just my mother, my sister and me." The boy said sadly, sitting cross-legged. "We were living our lives happily. Well, starving at the outskirts side of the city, running from stronger predators. But we were together and we were fine."

"Where's your mother?"

"Didn't you hear the man? My mother is dead." The boy hissed in annoyance before sighing. "I don't even have enough strength to be mad."

"I'm sorry."

"Why?" The boy stared at the creature. "You didn't kill her."

__________________

"Who are you here to meet?" The female guard that accompanied them asked.

She had four wings, all of them grey with black ends, completely matching her eye and hair colour as well. She was the one that volunteered to go with them when the man asked.

"We are trying to find the Lillian Rose," Jel said pleasantly, sitting on the creature's back as they floated through the little pathways between each broken piece of land.

The woman paused for a second and stared at everyone. "You know … Lillian Rose?" She asked, surprise written all over her face.

"Do you happen to know her as well?" Jel asked, smiling kindly at the woman.

"Know her?" The woman gasped, indignant. "I don't only know her. I worship her and the ground she walks on. But I heard she is very difficult to find."

"She is a good friend of mine," Jel said, grinning at the woman. "Finding her is easy for me."

"Really?!?" The woman extended a hand to Jel. "Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Reagan, a Griffin."

"I am Jel, this is my companion and these are …" Jel looked at the two kids. "Sorry, I completely forgot to ask your names."

"I am Tory." The boy said, not looking at them. "And this is my sister Hadley. We are both vampires, or something like that."

"It is very nice to meet you all." The woman said brightly before turning to the man. "So, how are you going to find her?"

"With this." Jel pulled out a little crystal ball. "I use this to communicate with her."

"That is extremely rare." The woman pointed to the crystal ball. "How did you get your hands on it?"

"From Lillian Rose," Jel said, shaking the ball in his hands as it began to float up and fly in front of them. "Follow that please, Osbert."

"Fine."