Chapter 9

After a while, we were all resting at the side of the waterfall. We decided to set up camp at the side of the waterfall and watch the sunset. The sky was like a blaze of fire with bright city lights.

'I am starting to get used to being here

Suddenly the dragons were on high alert. Wyvern started growling at the leaves that were moving.

'Can we ever catch a break from "Surprise" attacks?'

'I don't think so. Now get ready to attack with new powers,'

"What's going on?" Ryoko asked groggily, jumping up from his sleep.

"I don't know, she just started panicking," Kaida answered. She scooped Dalinda in her arms and tried to feed her pichuberries to calm her down. We heard rustling in the bushes again.

"That's why she's panicking, the bushes," Tatsuya whispered. Everyone got into a defensive pose. Even half-asleep, Ryoko changed into a bear.

I just stood there with Zaya's book ready to whack whatever came out of those bushes. We all stepped back as the bushes started to rustle even more. A foot stepped out, and we all tensed up.

The next thing we knew a boy with an owl on his shoulder stepped out of the plants. He had golden yellow eyes, dark brown hair, and a huge scar cutting from his left cheek into his mouth and down his chin.

He had a plant tattoo on his neck up to the left side of his face. He looked only a year older than us and I am only 16. To no one's surprise, the dragons started to chase after this guy and his owl. The owl flew up into one of the trees while the dragons pinned him to the other.

"Whoa, calm down," The boy pleaded with his hands in the air and unarmed.

"Who are you?" Kaida demanded, getting closer to his neck with a dagger made out of water.

"Calm down princess, I'm Krios," The boy replied, smirking. Kaida stepped back but still pointed the dagger in his direction.

"He's a smug one. Be careful." Tatsuya yelled at us.

"Don't say that. I am standing right here you know." Krios retorted.

"You guys he's unarmed, I think we are safe," I told them, still holding the book ready to attack.

"What do you want here," Tatsuya stepped closer, holding balls of fire in her hand.

"Nothing, I am just lost," Krios pleaded.

"Whatever, just go back to where you came from, bush-boy. I want to go to sleep." Ryoko said.

"Ryoko!" we all yelled. We all let out a sigh of disbelief. But Krios sighed in relief.

"Don't think we're done with you," Tatsuya said defensively. Krios flinched a bit and it was hard to notice, but he did.

"Can I just stay with you guys for a while?" He asked. We all just looked at him with suspicion.

"We just met a few minutes ago and you think we can trust you that fast?" Kaida stated.

"Yes?" Krios answered.

"I don't think so." Tatsuya flashed back at him. She signaled us to gather as a group.

"Do you think we should give him a chance?" Kaida asked.

"I don't think so, doesn't he look a little suspicious?" Ryoko complained as he glared at the whistling Krios.

"I think we should give him a chance," I suggested.

"You all gave me a chance," I added.

"That may be true, But we still are not sure if we are being tracked down by Mr. Okizari. " Tatsuya replied swiftly.

"That's right. But he is unarmed and we don't have any leads about who he's with," Kaida added. Both Ryoko and Tatsuya agreed. I guess they are right.

"I guess, we can try to get to know him, but I suggest we drop him after 3 weeks." Ryoko objected.

"Agreed," Tatsuya said. Kaida nodded along. We all broke apart and walked up to Krios.

"We are going to let you stay, only on one condition." Tatsuya dictated. Krios's face lit up.

"Don't try to get in our way," Ryoko added.

"No problem," Krios said with a thumbs up. They were not amused; at least they dropped their defenses.

"One last thing, can I get your names?" Krios asked. We all looked at each other; we looked back at him and sighed.

"Tatsuya," Tatsuya answered.

"And you princess," Krios asked.

"Kaida, and don't call me princess," Kaida responded in a mad tone. That surprised me.

"Ryoko," Ryoko hissed, glaring at Krios.

"You?" Krios said, pointing at me.

"Ayla, nice to meet you," I told him.

"Well, it's great to meet you all." He greeted me. He came closer to me and put his hand out for me to shake.

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, get a hold of yourself there, don't think we fully trust you yet," Ryoko remarked as he came in front of me, making sure Krios didn't come any closer.

"Calm down, Ryoko. It's fine." I say patting him on the back. I stepped in front of Ryoko to face Krios.

"You have my trust," I told Krios and shook his hand. We packed up the campsite; Krios offered to help, but they all refused.

'I wonder if they have a sixth sense, and Krios is triggering it.' We finished packing, everyone gathered up except Krios. We are currently trying to figure out where we are going next.

They were still suspicious of Krios and didn't want him in the conversation for 'some reasons'. I noticed he was just sitting under a nearby tree petting the owl and thinking, I suppose.

He looked a bit troubled. I can't blame him for being treated like a disease.

'I feel bad for him,'

Krios looks in my direction and winks at me. I am confused, yet I am flustered?

"Ayla?" Ryoko asked, and I turned around. Ryoko had a questioning look on his face.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"You okay?" He says in a worried tone, looking concerned. Maybe I was staring for too long.

"Peachy, do you need anything?" I replied.

"Yeah, we need you to confirm something." He responded. He grabbed my wrist and walked me towards Kaida and Tatsuya.

"Hey, Ayla," Kaida said with a bright smile, waving. Tatsuya gave me a wave. I waved back. They were both looking at Zaya's book, which I let them borrow.

"Ayla, what's your opinion?" Ryoko asks.

"On what?" I say. I must have forgotten.

"What do you think about the riddle here," Kaida says, pointing to a riddle below a picture of another stone statue.

"What does it say?" I ask.

"When I burst out of anger my tears scold the earth and my breath darkens the sky. What am I?" Talila says. Ryoko was pacing back and forth, thinking.

"Volcano," Krios says. I looked back and it was Krios standing right behind me.

"You know eavesdropping isn't the best thing to do right now in your position," Ryoko seethed. The gold path appeared in front of us again.

I was not going to tolerate another fight today, and the glaring atmosphere was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"Just shut up and follow the path, animal boy," Krios retorted. Not Krios too. But we're supposed to go up a volcano? This is getting ridiculous. But what surprised me the most was how much he knew about the path.

'Who cares, it's just a path you follow, what else would it be for.'

Tatsuya, Kaida, and Ryoko were left shocked, their mouths touching the floor. Metaphorically of course. I started following the gold path.

"Hey wait up!" Ryoko and Krios yelled. Both ran up to my side, and Tatsuya, Kaida, and the dragons caught up too. Ryoko and Krios kept bickering.

I didn't care what they bicker about, but all I cared about was getting to that temple and doing whatever I had to do to help and get home. I pushed more plants, vines, and bushes out of the way.

'Now that I think about a volcano, wouldn't that mean lava? Now that I think about it, even more, I think it is a bad idea to be going to an erupting volcano.'

Everyone was quiet except Krios and Ryoko. I was starting to get a headache and lose my train of thought.

"ENOUGH," I yelled. They both went silent.

"Do you both even know where we are going?" I asked them, stopping in my tracks. And turning around to face them both. They both turned a crimson color. I am sure that means they didn't have a clue.

"Well, we are going to a volcano that probably is erupting lava right this minute, and you are both giving me a headache," I groaned, rubbing my head. They both quietly whispered a sorry. I closed my eyes in pain and started walking again.

"WATCH OUT!" I hear both Krios and Ryoko yell. It was too late. I had already slipped through the plants, off the end of a cliff, and was falling. Rapidly. I closed my eyes and waited for me to fall into lava, sharp rocks, or an ocean that I could drown in.

Was this it? Do I die on this weird island? What kind of death was it that I was ready for?