Chapter 23: Adventure on the Rails

The thrashes of the waves collided against Hydro's lifeless body as drifted off further into the sea.

"Why am I here again? It's always the same dream."

Hydro only gazes upwards as he saw the shadow of the woman again.

"Who are you? You show up every time without answering a question I ask. Why is that?"

Hydro could feel his eyes gone heavy until they were immediately sprung open when Hydro felt he landed on something soft. Hydro scanned his surroundings, he wasn't in the sea anymore. Instead, Hydro was on a sandy beach. Hydro still couldn't move the rest of his body, however, Hydro could finally breathe for once.

"Where am I?"

"You're home." Hydro heard an angelic voice.

Hydro then snaps his gaze at the woman again. However, this time Hydro could see her clearly, everything but the face.

"Home?"

The woman had silky looking skin, as she had a fishy tail with dagger edges on the fin. Her tail had steel-blue scales, while she had skin reflected the blue of midnight. The woman also had scruffy daffodil hair.

"So pretty..." Hydro said without realization.

The woman's hitched her breath as she hesitantly reached to Hydro. Hydro felt a cold yet smooth hand landed on his head before it slowly rest his furry cheek.

"You're so much like him..." the woman spoke softly, her words sounded sad.

"Like who?" Hydro questioned.

The woman giggled before she answered. "Like your father."

Before Hydro could say anything more, a red blinding light clouded his vision.

His eyes snapped open as woke up in cold sweat. He scanned his surroundings again, to see he was sitting upon a bed inside an inn. Hydro then stared down at his paws as he started to mumble under his breath.

"What was that? My dreams don't usually turn out that way. Who was she?" Hydro pants are panicky.

"Did you have the same dream again?" the tiny red bird yawned as he plopped on Hydro's head.

Hydro giggled as he felt something crawling up his arm, he gazed down at a sleepy squirrel.

"Were you worried too? Sorry for waking you up Arty, and Cairo." Hydro said as he gently placed his little friends on a pillow.

Hydro then jumped as he suddenly heard knocking on his door. "Who is it?"

"Orange." spoke a familiar voice.

Orange? Was this a prank?

Hydro tilted his head before he shrugged his shoulders.

"Orange who?" Hydro responded as he walked his way to the door.

The door slowly opened to reveal a woman in a chapeau hat. "Orange you glad to see me?"

"Hi, Jesse." Hydro giggled.

"Hey, kid. Sorry if I waked you, I just needed to tell you something before the others wake up." Jesse said as quietly close the door behind her.

"It's okay, I was already awake before you knocked at my door. What did you want to say?" Hydro sat down on the edge of the bed as he patiently waited for Jesse.

Jesse chuckled. "I'm leaving today, I'm going on the Rail-Way to a seaside town called Keramoti in the next hour or so. You wanna come along?"

"A railway? What's a railway?" Hydro asked.

"The Rail-Way is the name of the tavern."

"A tavern?"

"It's like an inn but with more booze and alcohol."

"Is it at Keramoti? Or here at Bulgaria?"

"It's neither, the Rail-Way is coming to Bulgaria."

"But how? How is a building filled with people going to move anywhere? Building don't have legs."

Jesse held back her laughter before she explained calmly. "That's because the tavern isn't a building, it's a train."

"A train? Those big machines thingy with the big wheels?" Hydro questioned as he tilted his head confusedly.

"That's right, a train is a type vehicle that only moves in a straight line."

"But I thought you said the Rail-Way was a tavern?"

"It is a tavern. It's a tavern that you can travel in."

"Really?!" Hydro squeal as his tail wagged furiously.

Jesse placed a gloved her finger on her lips as she singled Hydro to hush. Hydro quickly covered his mouth with his paws.

Jesse removed her finger before she softly said. "Do you wanna come along?"

Hydro nodded his head eagerly. Jesse grinned widely as she petted Hydro's fluffy head.

"Then get your things ready, we'll be leaving in twenty minutes okay?" Jesse chuckled, Hydro nodded again as quickly hopped off the bed and rushed to his carrying bag.

"ACHOO!"

"EWWWW! Cairo! You got bird snot on me!" Hydro whined as he tried wipe the snot off his face.

"That's what you get for dragging me out here in the DAMN COLD!" Cairo squawked as he huddled inside Hydro's scarf.

"I told you before, we're going on a train ride with Jesse and Bob, and that is it!" Hydro barked as he rubbed the bird snot onto Cairo.

"DON'T YOU DARE RUB THAT ON ME!" Cairo squawked again but louder.

"I will if you carry on complaining." Hydro chuckled darkly as he slowly moved his face closer to Cairo.

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I'LL STOP COMPLAINING! JUST RUB THE SNOT ON MY FEATHERS!" Cairo caws in a panic.

"Much better!" Hydro smile as he ran to a long way building.

Hydro saw a beast man inside a booth while he talked to Jesse and to a tall man standing next to her.

"Jesse!" Hydro called.

Jesse turned her gaze at Hydro and waved at him with a huge grin on her face. "There you are! We were waiting for you!"

Hydro ran up to Jesse and gave her an hug. "Sorry for making you wait!"

"You better be! I almost thought you weren't going to make it." Jesse chuckled as brought a white piece of cloth and wiped the snot of Hydro's face.

"I'm assuming this is our extra passenger?" the beast man chuckled while he smiled kindly.

Hydro smile in return before he was lifted up and carried by the tall man's arms.

"That's right! His name is Hydro and he's originally from the mountain city Delphi. Him and his two little friends will be joining along with us." Jesse smiled.

"Before I can accept him on abode. I will need a form of identification from you, along with extra payment for the animals you'll be bringing on board if you would please?" the beast man smiled.

"Of course!" Jesse said before she brought out a old folded wallet.

Jesse open the wallet to show a knitted patch on one side and the other side is a picture of Jesse. The patch is a symbol of a golden deer standing in front of a huge scale. The picture only showed Jesse upper half. She wore a yellow noble uniform and her hair was tied up into a bun.

Hydro tried to examined the picture carefully before he noticed something. The Jesse in the photo looked like a kid.