Deep in the Jungle

Fred followed Astra deeper into the jungle, feeling rather nervous. They were deep in the jungle, where it began to get somewhat mountainous. He didn't know what he was so afraid of, no one would dare try to harm them seeing as Aqualarian royalty was in their company, but was afraid nonetheless.

Fred didn't want to tell the king about his shifter heritage at first, for about a week. He was worried how he'd react. Sir Toby constantly threatened to tell if Fred did not. Fred suspected that when he said "I wont tell yet," in the caves, he meant "I won't tell within a day." Eventually, he decided he was being foolish and told the king all in private. He didn't fear for his family anymore. Now that the dragon was dead and some other clans of shifters was found, the king had no reason to destroy the D'Honaires. The King was indeed shocked, "Interesting, I never suspected the D'Honaires of being shifters."

"We weren't aware of it, I'm the only one who knows, and I would like it to remain that way for a good long while. It would be rather unsettling for them all."

"Indeed, shame about the raids though, I'll have to-"

Fred quickly cut in, "No milord, you won't, there are two clans in Aqualaria, and from what I hear, their Queen is losing patience with them, and they're often disappearing and reappearing near our borders. It could just as easily have been them. Princess Astra of Aqualaria told me herself, I encountered her in the caves. She slayed the dragon, and said she was going to bring it to us to buy peace with our kingdom. She said that if all goes well, they will invite me and Toby down to meet with their shifters."

Emry thought for a bit then replied, "Yes, if there are others, I guess I can't accuse you of crimes I'm not sure you committed. But, there hasn't been such a raid since twenty years ago, so is it even worthwhile searching for the culprit?"

"Twenty years ago was about the same time the dragon appeared in the southern caves, your majesty. It may have been keeping them from getting over the border. Or maybe, they were just respecting it's territory. You know what happens when a dragon feels it's territory is violated. Now that the dragon is gone, the raids may start up again."

"True," said the King. "Very well, if the Aqualarians do bring the dragon's head to me, and invite you to meet with these other shifters, you may go."

Two others were sent with Fred and Toby. Sir Darren the Short, (that wasn't actually his title, but everyone called him that), Fred's childhood friend was with them, at Fred's request. He was one of the few people that Fred really felt comfortable telling that he was a dragon-shifter. Darren was about two heads shorter than Fred and had light brown hair. Most thought there was some dwarf blood in him, but the fact that almost no fat hung from his bones suggested otherwise. He was agile and quick, and a skilled fighter. He was usually in good humor, although he did tend to brag a bit. Still, he was one of the most popular and most trusted knights in the kingdom.

The other was someone nobody suspected. It was a young peasant boy named Ken from one of the villages that experienced the slaughter, only sixteen years old. Oddly, he was very well (self)educated, and was nearly as skilled in magic as some of the King's royal mages. Fred had found him when visiting the village, wanting to actually see the sites of the raids. He was standing in a farmer's field, where a large pile of corpses was found two decades ago, when Ken snuck up behind him and stunned him with a particularly strong stunning spell. The boy seemed very overprotective of his land, and after Fred woke up, he interrogated him with several truth spells. He managed to learn everything about Fred's shifter heritage. Ken had become rather frightened when he realized he had captured Allarian nobility. He explained that his family had been stealing spell books since he was young. His older half brother had lost his father in the raid, and Ken had been told terrifying accounts of the slaughter since his early childhood. They stole the books to protect the village, and Ken studied them day and night. Fred was surprized he was even literate, let alone such a powerful mage. He was brought before the King, and it was decided he would accompany Fred.

"It's over here," said Astra, taking the group through some brush. When they came out, they were standing before a large stone place, Fred couldn't find any word to describe it. It could just have been a series of caves in a mountainside, but it seemed like a city carved into a wall. No, it was a village carved into a wall. Fred had gotten the impression it was a city by it's size. Everything was large, Ken had wandered over to an entrance, and it was many times his height. The side of the hill looked like a gigantic staircase, with entrances in each "step". Looking straight up, Fred could see some dragons circling around in the sky. It dawned on him that these people must spend more time in dragon form than human.

"It seems large, but it's actually rather small for them," said Astra, "You'll probably get that impression, Fred, after wandering around in there in dragon from for a bit," she looked upwards, to see one of the flying dragons land on a "step", then disappear into the caves. "They've noticed that we're here. A messenger will probably be sent down to fetch us in human form."

Fred half wondered if they would come down naked. If they were usually in dragon form, they wouldn't have much need for clothes.

Soon enough, a young-looking girl came down, dressed in a plain looking peasant girl dress. Fred decided that they must keep something in case they were required to be in human form. She looked surprizingly pale, seeing as she lived in a jungle. "Princess Astra of Aqualaria, Lord Frederigo D'Honaire, and company, we are honoured by your presence."

1. "My father will meet with you soon. Please follow me."

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