Ch. 12 Family Outing

The next morning everyone woke up before the sun. Tian was still the first to wake but wasn't surprised to see his sisters stir next to him. They were told last night that it was time for the family to head out and explore the forest together and the girls had been extremely excited. Eldra was the first awake. As soon as her eyes met Tians she jumped up and ran to the entrance to look out. This movement also woke up the other two girls. Kodama was forcefully rolled over as she had been resting her head on Eldra. She looked around wide eyed and then let off a huge yawn and rolled onto her belly struggling in her mind if she was going to get up yet or not. Cypheras perked her head up and looked around and then also let off a massive yawn. She stood up shortly after however and stretched her legs.

It had been a few days since Tian had gone out and his father told him they would go out as a family. They weren't able to go out yesterday because there was a matter his father had to take care of and was gone for the whole day. When he returned he had Xic meet him at the entrance and they had a long talk that went well into the night. So late even Tian couldn't stay up long enough for them to come back in. He looked over at Kodama and Cypheras walking over to Eldra as she paced back and forth looking at the forest with more interest he's ever seen them give towards the outside world. They always seemed more interested in playing with each other rather than looking outside.

He walked over to the entrance and peered at the forest as he towered over his sisters. He still couldn't believe at how much he'd grown. He's almost twice as tall as the girls now and his body looked like he could fight a tank. When he walked it was like watching a massive majestic tiger. The light danced on his scales shining brightly as he went. The morning light peaked through the mountain shined on the four siblings as they all began to ponder what they were going to do. Eldra wanted to find someone strong to fight and become like Tian. Kodama just couldn't wait to get out of the cave and run in the grass. Cypheras noticed the lake and really wanted to go swimming. Being a water element she felt strange being in the cave even though it's all she's known.

They were all ready to go exploring and were looking forward to it for different reasons. Tian looked out at the forest, seeing the new mountain that popped up from the last time he had went out. The was a story his father still had yet to tell him. Or any of them. His mother didn't really care as long as her baby came back safe. Tian looked at the side of the cliff from where he first climbed down and then back at his sisters. He couldn't wait to go back down there and now he would be able to enjoy it with the ones he loved. Apparently his sisters thought the same thing as they were all running in to jump on their parents. Cypheras and Kodama started to jump on Xic as Eldra went straight for her fathers face biting at his face. She finally got him up when she bit him right on the nostril.

Muks head shot up so fast he sent Eldra flying doing a backflip. When she landed she was laughing so hard she couldn't even stand up. Muk looked at the little red ball of scales and blew a small fireball at her. It engulfed her quickly and his laughing stopped at she looked at her father with a shocked face and then charged him. He quickly grabbed her in his front arm and ran to the entrance and dove off. Cypheras and Kodama were looking over the edge when their mother grabbed them in her arms and jumped off. Tian ran and watched his family as Xic turned around and yelled out to him "Meet us at the lake. You apparently already know the way!" and then dove after her mate.

Tian smiled broadly and then jumped off the ledge towards the side of the mountain again. This time he noticed that he can dig his claws in right away and with little effort. He worked his way down the mountain until he once again made it to the forest. It looked different than before since he was viewing it from a different angle. He recognized the area but it was still new to him. He started walking forward until he came across a large tree. He looked at it and recognized it was the troublesome tree from before. He was different now. His inspect was higher now.

"Inspect"

Large Tree

[Tree that grew large]

Tian scowled at it and and yelled "I will burn you down as soon as I am able I swear to the gods!" He kicked the tree and walked away until he came across a rather large rock with moss growing on it. He roared at it and ran off deeper into the forest

Tian came across a pillar surrounded by water and remembered how refreshing it was. He quickly took a sip and took off towards where he remembered the lake being. He got that same powerful feeling he got last time he took a drink and it put extra bounce in his steps. He made it to the edge of the forest and saw his father laying by the water. He didn't see his mother or sisters around so figured they were off somewhere else. Tian ducked down low and began to stalk forward towards his father. As he was about half way to him he was hit by something to the side. This stumbled Tian a bit but didn't do too much more, he quickly jumped away though and got into an attack position.

Then he noticed what had hit him was Eldra. She was now laying on her stomach shaking her head like she just ran into a large bolder. He chuckled and nudged her to get her back to her feet. As he watched her stand a large shadow quickly covered them both. "You can get so focused stalking your prey... You don't notice that you yourself is becoming prey. That is when a predator is at its most vulnerable. You need to learn to avoid getting caught in that zone." Tian once again jumped around from being snuck up on and noticed his father towering over them. He chuckled at his sons reaction and turned back to the water. "I noticed you the moment your feet touched the ground. If you are to master your domain, you must know who is in it at all times." Tian nodded and followed behind him with Eldra following behind him jumping around looking at all the new sights.

He noticed a huge gust of wind kick up to his right and saw a green blur. He focused as good as he could and was able to make out enough of the figure to realize it was Kodama running to her hearts content. For once she could let loose and run as fast as she wanted. He couldn't help but chuckle when he saw her tongue out. It reminded him of a dog in his old life as it stuck its head out the window of a car as it drove down the road. This image changed to Kodama in the back of a car with her head out of the window and Tian couldn't help but let out a laugh from this. He tried to suppress it but failed miserably. The laughter turned into a warm feeling in his heart as he was glad to see Kodama so happy. As he caught up to his father who had went back to his original spot near the water Tian also sat down and looked around.

Still not seeing his mother or Cypheras, Tian looked around however as he saw his father was relaxed he knew nothing was wrong. As he finished this thought he heard a small splash come from the water. This caught his attention and he stared intently at the ripples that softly dispersed. That was when he saw a massive shadow appear in the water before an geyser of water exploded from where the shadow had been. Tian watched in awe as his mother soared into the air before flipping to face the water and dive back in. The was followed by a much smaller form of Cypheras jumping out of the water and diving back down. Though, not as high since she didn't have wings to project her further. Tian quickly stood up as his mom and sister danced in the water. Even though this was Cypheras first time in the water she was clearly a natural. She flew in the water like her parents flew through the sky. The water was clearly her domain.

Tian looked at everyone in his family and nodded his head. This was amazing. Having a family that was full of love for each other. As Tian was standing near his father he noticed a shimmer of red catch his eye. He looked towards it and saw the back scales of Eldra as she appeared to be stalking something. He followed the way she was stalking and noticed a small wild pig. It looked like it was an unevolved form of the Pigses he saw on his last adventure here. Tian nudged his father with his tail and pointed in the direction. Both of them now watching her do her first hunt.

Eldra moved like an experienced cat stalking a mouse. She'd move forward and wait. Ensuring every movement was calculated and precise. She knew this was an important hunt for her. Her big brother had brought back food on his first hunt. She can do it too. The pig had its back to her and she move forward some more. A sudden gust of wind however appeared at Eldras back going towards the pig. It's nose shot up for a moment as it smelled the air. It stiffed up and then quickly turned. As it was turning Eldra noticed the mistake and quickly ran and jumped at it. This was her second mistake. The pig quickly stomped its foot on the ground and a pillar of hard dirt rose in Eldras path. This caused her to dive directly into it. It crumbled but she crumbled with it. She stood up spitting out dirt and looked around but the pig was nowhere to be seen. Muk saw her head drop in shame and walked over to her to console her.

Tian saw Kodama running around in the field some more before disappearing into the trees. Muks voice flooded Tians head as he remembered what his father told him at the entrance of the cave the other day "I expect you to help your mother and I keep an eye on your sisters. They aren't as strong as you so you will need to keep an eye on them." With this in Mind Tian ran to where Kodama had run off to in the forest.

"I will not let father down again."