Chapter 21: Get away from me

After Rakesh taking rest somehow he felt something was odd to his body. He tries to find from his body everywhere that made Rachel notice the strange behavior he was doing.

"Rakesh? Are you alright?" Rachel ask her friends also notice Rakesh sudden behavior. Rakesh couldn't transform into human it was like something or someone was blocking it.

He also tried his ability but only he could do was to breathe fire and fly nothing else aside that.

Rakesh find himself different after what the researchers did to him. He wanted to escape not all dragons wanting to be experimented by humans.

Minute later still no changes on his sudden behavior all of them became wary of his actions. It was like there's something on his head.

Rachel and the others were worrying too much about him.

"Rakesh please transform into human so we can understand what is your problem" Daisy said but instead of doing that, Rakesh fly away from them that shock all of them. They were also alone in the unknown forest so how could they survive without Rakesh?

"What are we gonna do now Rachel? Rakesh wasn't there to be with us, we also don't know this place so what we gonna do without him?" Stacey said.

"For now, the only thing that can help us is ourselves. And right now the only thing we could do is that to protect you all girls." Dennis said.

"Yeah, don't worry we will protect you" Louis added. So the girls agrees but for Rachel she's been so worried to Rakesh, she also tries to communicate with him by using telepathy but instead, she can't communicate with him.

In Rachel's mind, asking where does he go and why he left them? Is there something wrong that the researchers did to him? A lot of questions hanging inside of Rachel's head but she knew no one could ever answer that except Rakesh.

Rachel and her friends decided to walk to find a way out in the forest they've been travelling for 6 hours already without food and water to ease their thirst. The girls already been complaining over their travel but still they can't stop from finding a shelter or finding way out of the forest.

"Are we there yet now?" Daisy ask complaining since they were walking too much and they wanted to take rest.

"No, maybe we should take rest." Dennis said. So all the girls lay in the grounds while Rachel sits next to a tree not too far from them.

Louis on the other hand look at Rachel who is seems to be occupied, Rachel was looking at the sky who is the sun is almost setting set and the clouds already turn into dark. This is the first time Rachel feels uncomfortable inside the forest, it's just only them. For sure there were wild animals living inside them waiting to attack them. And for the record, their feet almost swollen because of too much walking.

"We should find shelter and find a roots where we could place a fire before dark. It would be a trouble for us without fire inside the forest" Louis said.

"We saw roots not too far from here we can bring them while all of us were finding a shelter. Also, does anyone of you can create fire only using woods?" Stacey said and asking if the boys can make fire..

"Of course I can do that. Boy's scout remember?" Dennis said.

Dennis start making fire before they leave so that they could beware of their surroundings. After making fire they headed to find a shelter and every steps they make the darker the forest they walked in.

A strong wind blows them making all of them feel chill on the way, and the fire lit was almost gone from the wind. They keep their fire in touch until they saw a cave, all of them went inside but not too inside of the cave.

They created a small bonfire inside so that they wouldn't be attack by something or anything that can harm them. They gather in one place, the 2 boys in the opposite place while the girls where in the middle.

2 minutes but still the wind blows up heavy, it seems to be having a bit rainy later. But before they could manage everything they heard a growling roar from unknown creature that made Rachel and her friends felt numb.

They feel scared and also feel terrified. Wondering where that roar came from? Dennis gestured all of us to become quiet. He place his fore finger next to his lips and gestured to be quiet.

A minute later someone has entered the cave it was a monster strange creature monster. It has big 2 eyes, a tail like a snake, and it's head like a wolf. It also has big teeth. If you can imagine a monster like a pet then it should be this like.

The monster went inside the cave not knowing that there were people inside. The monster notice the scent of a burning woods, it notice the fire in the middle and became alerted to it's surroundings.

All of them were trembling, scared, stopping their breath as soon as the monster tries to see inside the cave when another roaring sound came. And soon it was a dragon, it bites the tail of the monster causing it to scream in pain and they fight. Rachel soon it felt relief knowing that it might be Rakesh, but that is only in her thought because the dragon who killed the monster wasn't him.

It was from another dragon who just fled in their place to hunt for food.

It successfully kill the monster and they were relief that the monster is already killed by a dragon. Rachel on the other hand went outside to see the dragon to see if this is Rakesh.

She call him out, "Rakesh! Where have you've been?" Rachel said, but the dragon seems not to know her. It was angrily roaring at her that made Rachel think of something. She remembered that all dragons were same alike but the difference was their abilities.

So, does the person or the creature that they were facing right now wasn't the real Rakesh she knows, she felt scared the moment she laid eyes on the dragon who is now looking at her.

It's dripping it's water from it's mouth and looking hungry at her, her friends don't know what should do. No one ever defeated a dragon on one on one.

But before it could happen the dragon speak up and said, "You know Rakesh?" It was obviously knows about Rakesh even though it wasn't here.

Rachel at first hesitated to answer but in the end she nod to answer the dragon's question. At first, the dragon look at her but in the end it leaves her.

"Wait! I wanna know if you see him?" Rachel ask before the dragon leaves, it stops and look at her. It was staring at her and Rachel felt intense the way it look at her. But in the end the dragon fly away from her that left them alone again in the forest.

"Now, what do we do?" Stacey ask, all of them heave a sigh without any clue if there will be hope for them to get out from the forest. Not until Rakesh returns and drink of water not too far from the cave it roars and Rachel knows that sounds. She knows that it was from Rakesh this she know that for sure.

"How can you be so sure right now? You're guess earlier was wrong so, how do you know it was him?!" Stacey ask.

"I know that... I got a feeling that it was him. I know he will come back. If you won't believe me then you stay here. I'll go and check it" Rachel said.

"What?! You can't just leave us here?!" Stacey said.

"Then come and follow me" Rachel said.

"Are you nuts!? We can't just go there to check it? What if it was from the enemy? Or worse?" Stacey ask.

"Don't ask stupid? If you don't want to follow me then you stay here, I will come back if I check it out" Rachel said then before she gone she stop and added, " No one was ever forcing you to come with me."

With that Rachel finally went to where was that roaring sound, she had hope that Rakesh will arrive there soon. And save them, at first she gets mad at him for leaving them behind but then Rakesh was arrive she can't help but to feel worried for him. Even though she was mad, she can't change the fact that she was worried since the researchers did something horrible to him.

When she arrive to the river, she look around to see if Rakesh was here or is there a clue that left him to know that he went here. But then again all of that immediately erase when she found him laying on the grounds and it has wounds all over his body. Now for sure it was Rakesh.

Rakesh was breathing deeply to his body full of wounds since the researchers find him wherever he goes. He wanted to escape from them but wherever he goes the researchers found him. He felt that they always trace him...

"Rakesh!!" Rachel shouted and went closer to him when he reacted and instead of he was like a pulp who is scared from the beast.

He roared at Rachel who is stop from running towards him and looking at him weirdly. Rakesh showing it's fangs and ready to attack her. Rachel and her friends felt strange towards to Rakesh it was like he was trying to block them away from him.

"Rakesh??" Rachel ask while looking at him but Rakesh shaking it's head until they heard his voice.

"Stay away from me!" Rakesh shouted at him and with that Rachel knew that something wasn't right. They knew that the researchers did something to him but they can't express their feelings right now. Why would Rakesh wants to be away from them?