Continued from Chapter Eleven (Part Two)

Continued from Chapter Eleven Part One

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Camp New Rain: Dusk

Night had nearly secured its place in the sky after overthrowing the sun’s setting régime. The waning moon-- no more than a crescent-- floated like a yellow gem in the orange and black skies over the military encampment. Luminous Orbs on tall wooden poles were set up by duo of a Machoke and Rhydon around the camp, casting their mystical blue light down on the denizens of the land below.

Leo watched it in a tranquil trance as its golden face highlighted the shadows produced by the setting sun. His red, stumpy legs swung from the wooden bench he sat on as he watched Noah talk his way to the front of the meal line for the fourth time tonight as he got them their food.

Noah was an oddity. From what Leo could see, the Dewott could shift from being an easy-going, sarcastic slacker, to an enthusiastic, serious fighting partner in a matter of seconds. Leo would have almost thought it impossible for someone to change so rapidly, but he still recalled the memories of what the Mismagius had done. The impossible never really was.

He thought back over the last hour as he waited with Jay and Kelly for Noah. After the skilled Dewott had bested the two males of the team, he quickly ate an Oran raisin, and challenged Kelly to a duel. Leo felt a small smile creep up the sides of his mouth. Kelly had Noah paralyzed on the ground within ten seconds of the start of the match. The loss broke him for a few moments; he couldn’t talk or move, but that might have been the paralysis.

What was that old phrase? Twice the pride, double the fall?  Leo shrugged, whatever it was, it fit the situation perfectly. He also remembered how Kelly didn’t seem too excited with her win over Noah. He made it a note to ask her about it if he got the chance. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he failed to notice the group of Pokemon approaching them.

“I don’t believe it. Could it be? The legendary saviors of Spore Meadows?” asked a familiar voice, dripping with sarcasm.

Leo twisted around in his seat to see who the newcomers were, even the fatigued Jay and sullen Kelly turned around in their seats. A large green reptile walked up to them, flanked by a white-furred beast with a crescent blade sticking out of its head and a dusted-green dragon.

“Blade? Elliot? Sonic? Is that you?” Leo asked, thankful that his memory had dredged up those names from the black abyss of his mind. The Grovyle smiled and clapped a claw down on the Charmeleon’s shoulder.  

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I honestly didn’t expect to see you lot here of all places. How’d you get here?” he asked as he and his teammates took a seat on the opposite side of the wooden table. At that moment, however, Noah came back balancing four wooden bowls in his arms, his stride wobbling as he tried to keep them from spilling all over the ground.

“Can I get some help here?” Noah asked as one bowl slipped out of his hands. He quickly bent down and caught it before it hit the ground and spilled. The Flygon quickly flew over to the struggling Dewott and relieved him of two of the wooden bowls.

Once he reached the table, he quickly slid a bowl down to Kelly as Sonic passed his two to Leo and Jay. The bowl wobbled on its bottom rim as it settled in front of Leo. Its amorphous contents sloshed around with each movement of its container.

Leo stared at the almost sickly green fluid in front of him. Leaning in close to it, he could swear that it hissed at him. His stomach tied itself in a knot at the thought of eating the revolting meal. What is this? he thought as he poked a claw at the substance, eliciting another angry hiss from the goop.

“Noah?” he questioned. Noah took the bowl down from his mouth, and finished swallowing the last of the green mass of “food”. The Dewott turned to face him.  

“What exactly is this stuff?” he inquired as he saw Blade down his own bowl of the substance, same with the Absol. Sonic seemed just as curious as he was concerning the substance. He, Kelly, and Jay also awaited the Dewott’s response.

“Yeah, I know it looks nasty –that’s just how Ramses, our Yamask cook, makes it—but I tell you it’s really good. Ramses says it’s a old recipe from his homeland. It’s basically a whole bunch of Lum, Pecha, Oran, and Cheri berries mashed up and boiled together. I’m not sure why it’s green like this, but it tastes amazing,” Noah elaborated while pointing at their uneaten bowls, “Go on, try it!”

Leo looked around. Neither Kelly, Jay, nor Sonic were making any moves toward their bowls. He sighed, he knew it would come down to this. He took a deep breath as he clasped the bowl with both sets of claws. He still wasn’t sure of what deities ruled this world, but he silently prayed to each and every one of them that he didn’t regret this later.

Under the watchful eyes of his teammates, Leo lifted the bowl to his mouth. He could hear the vibrant green goo hiss at him, as if it said “eat me, I dare you.” Shaking his head, he gulped as he tipped the bowl’s contents into his mouth.

His pupils became like dinner plates. Instead of the revolting sludge he expected, waves of wonderful flavor dive-bombed each individual taste bud. Flashes of spicy Cheri, sweet Pecha, and something cool he suspected to be Lum took their turn in playing their symphony of taste on his tongue.

Before he knew it, he had gulped down the last of the meal. He slammed the bowl on the table and took a deep, satisfied breath. His teammates shrugged as they tentatively raised their bowls and ate. Sonic had already finished his meal ration with a loud belch. Leo watched as Jay and Kelly’s faces as they experienced the same blast of flavor as he did.

“You weren’t kidding, Noah. That tasted amazing!” Jay exclaimed. Leo silently agreed while wishing that his bowl would magically refill, but to no avail. Noah laughed and collected everyone’s bowls and went off to the larger tent that housed Ramses’ cooking operation.

“Can we get back to my question, please? What are you guys doing here?” Blade inquired once again, leaning across the table towards them. Leo looked at the three Pokemon. Elliot’s white figure sat still to the right of his leader, his stoic gaze seemed to pierce into Leo’s heart. The Flygon seemed just the opposite. His red eyes carefully darted about, seeming to take in every detail of his surroundings. If Leo didn’t know any better, he would have said Sonic looked just as lost as he felt.

Shrugging his shoulders, Jay began to tell of their odyssey from the two nights previous. Blade and company listened attentively as they heard about Gear’s murder and Richelieu’s takeover. How the Magnemite had forced them away from their base, how Icarus had found them, and how Noah had ambushed them in the field.

Elliot asked questions in an attempt to clear up the muddied details of that night, but no one, it seemed, knew enough to answer them confidently. The Absol huffed in contempt as he muttered something to Blade. The Grovyle quickly shot a glace over to Leo before returning to Elliot. Blade nodded and said something to the Absol that made him quickly get up and leave the table. When asked about what the exchange was about, Blade mearly laughed.

“Elliot had asked if it was more than a coincidence that in the days after we left town Gear turns up dead. I told him it was suspicious and to go ask General Torrent about it. That’s all, nothing to worry about,” he had said when he recounted the conversation to them minutes later.

After that, the teams parted ways, each going to their own tents as the nightly curfew was fast approaching. The group walked along the pathways between the stacks of crates and tents, passing Pokemon along the way. Icarus bid them goodnight as he flew overhead on his way to his shift as camp sentry. A small blue and white squirrel energetically asked Noah whom his new “friends” were before zipping off on all fours past them, not even giving Noah a chance to respond.

Despite the encounters, they arrived at Noah’s tent shortly before the Orbs were shut off for the night. The interior of the tent was just as Leo expected it to look, though he had to admit that it was more spacious on the inside then the exterior had lead him to believe. Four small hammocks were set up side by side, three of them barring evidence of their recent construction and placement. A small Luminous Orb sliver hung from a string from the ceiling of the tent. Noah tapped it lightly with his paw and instantly the entire room was flooded with a bright blue glow that slowly dimmed down to a soft radiance.

After all four Pokemon had finished rubbing the spots out of their eyes, they each climbed into one of the hanging beds. Leo was comforted when he saw that it felt just like the ones they had abruptly left back at their base. Kelly gingerly placed her forepaws into the hammock and tried to hold it steady as she jumped into it. Her bed swung wildly like an enraged Tauros as it threatened to dump Kelly back onto the ground. Wobbling on her four legs, she was slowly able to balance the hanging cot and ease herself into a comfortable sitting position.  
“So tell me,” Noah began as he leaned forward on his hammock, “what’s your guys’ story? I’m not talking about how you got here. What did you all do before things went wrong?”

Jay shot a quick look towards Leo and Kelly as he tried to find some approval to tell the Dewott their story. The Jolteon nodded as Leo simply shrugged his shoulders. Jay took this as a go-ahead signal and started to talk.

“Well, it all began when I first arrived at Loyalty Square....”
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It had been a few hours since Jay’s retelling of the adventures they had all been on. Leo was zonked out on his hammock; Jay’s story, combined with the fatigue from his battle with Noah earlier left him completely exhausted. The Riolu had went into excruciating detail with the menial chores he and Kelly did in the short weeks before they took the job to patrol around the Field. It was a dull prattle on the small-paying jobs they did each day: cleaning windows in the cafe, finding an Oran Berry that fell down a well, repainting the wall of the guild after anti-Kingdom graffiti had been painted on it. These jobs made both Noah and Leo’s eyes droop just at their descriptions.

Leo wasn’t sure if Noah stayed awake to hear Jay’s explanation on how they found Leo and how everything snowballed from there, but he wasn’t too concerned. He said a small prayer for one night of uninterrupted, dreamless sleep, but he had little hope that it would be answered.

After what seemed like an eternity, Leo opened his eyes. He stood in a massive stone amphitheater. The long-abandoned spectator seats still seemed to echo the roars of the crowd as the frozen wind swung its biting sword over the structure. Leo’s tail wavered in the wind as chills ran down his body.

He gazed around the stage he was upon, much like the seats, the stone was cracked and worn from centuries of use. Looking up at the sky, it took the Charmeleon a moment for him to realize that there was no sky. The void where the sky was supposed to be was an open abyss, black as night and, unlike space, there were no stars to decorate this tapestry.

Leo shook his head, he couldn’t afford to be distracted by the scenery. This was just another test; he was sure of it. That damned Mismagius was watching him from somewhere in the shadows of the ruins, waiting to see what he would do next. He clutched his claws into a fist. He was tired of being a lab rat to this mad scientist. Despite the all-too-vivid memories of the unnatural powers he’d seen the ghost use on him, he allowed his rage to gain control.

“Where are you? Tell me! I know you’re here! There’s no use hiding, you cowardly excuse of a Pokemon!” he screamed as the amphitheater resounded a haunting echo of his words, as if passively mocking him in his fruitless endeavor. The wind suddenly howled in response, swinging its sword directly into the Charmeleon, knocking him off his feet and forcing him to tumble backwards several feet on the stage. The wind swirled its misty cloak around in triumph, the folds of the garment forming a small sphere in the air above the stage.

From within the ball of wispy clouds, two all-too-familiar golden eyes flashed once before the sphere dissipated, leaving the floating figure of the bane of Leo’s entire existence. Looking up at the Pokemon from the ground, he showed his fangs and produced a growl from deep within his throat.

“Now, now, that’s no way to treat a guest, is it? You are being a horrible host, you know. It was most rude of you to call me all the way out here only to make these primal noises at me,” he said with a smirk as he hovered far above the Charmeleon. Despite the distance between them, he could hear his foe with complete clarity. Leo narrowed his eyes, he didn’t believe it for a moment. The Mismagius noticed this almost instantly.

“Do not give me that look. I did not do this to you. I am remaining true to my word as long as you hold up your end of the bargain. Your mind did this to you. Why? I do not know. Your mind is perhaps finally … what is the common expression? ‘Losing it’, I believe,” the ghost reasoned, simply shrugging his shoulders. Leo slowly got up from the ground, convinced that the sadistic Pokemon wouldn’t murder him just yet.

“You’re telling me that you’re only here because I asked where you were? You expect me to believe you?” Leo asked, crossing his arms in disbelief.

“I expect that you will do as I say. But, yes, you must believe that this is your own doing and not my own creation. There is no test at the moment. Not for you... Now, if that’s all, I really must be going...” He didn’t know what compelled his mouth to say it, nor would he ever fully understand it, but it happened regardless. He knew it was now or never.

“Wait!” Leo shouted, holding out a claw towards the Mismagius. The fiend turned back towards him.

“Yes? What is it you want, mortal? It is expedient that I return to my dealings immediately.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” Leo asked. He watched as the Mismagius slowly drifted lower to the ground until he was only an arm’s length away from the Charmeleon. Leo could almost reach out and touch his thin purple frame, but, seeing how he liked use of his hand, he refrained from doing so.

“Oh, Leo, those facts are strictly confidential. I wish I could tell you, as it would make my job infinitely easier, but alas, I cannot. Any other questions? You might as well ask since I’m already here.”

“Who are you?” he inquired as he watched the creature’s eyes flash with amusement.

“Hmm, a good inquiry. Only one other of my projects has ever asked he that before. I am the watcher and the interceder. I work for those who can afford my services, since so-called ‘divine intervention’ is now forbidden. My name has been lost to the centuries, and I see no reason to bring it up now,” the Mismagius answered, starring Leo straight in his eyes. He gulped slightly, and the other Pokemon smirked as he saw the involuntary show of fear.

“W-what role do I play in all this?” Leo asked as the Mismagius began to slowly fade from view. “Please, tell me!” he was begging on his knees now, the stone digging painfully into his scales. He didn’t care, he wanted an answer. He needed it.

“There is a remarkable work of literary prose from a civilization long, long ago in another time: ‘Theirs not to make reply. Theirs not to reason why. Theirs but to do and die...’ And so it shall be for you, Leo. I really must be going, so wake up, Leo. Wake up and leave me alone.”
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With those final words, the void exploded in a flash of blinding white light that engulfed all. Leo’s eyes were forced open as his vision was met with the dull green cloth that made up the tent ceiling. Spots danced in his vision as his mind tried to process whatever the Mismagius had told him. I’m not crazy, I can’t be.

After staring at the ceiling and apparently unable to coax sleep to return to him, he leaned forward in his hammock, and pulled his tail up from over the side. Using it once again as a torch, he saw that it was shortly before dawn outside due to the pale grey light that shone through the tent flaps.

Looking around, he also saw that even though Jay and Noah were still sleeping soundly-- the Riolu snoring slightly as he slept sprawled across his hammock-- Kelly’s hammock was seemingly empty. He let out a quick yawn as his body finally began to function normally once more. He tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes with the smooth sides of his claws as he rolled off the hammock. He remembered too late that the bed was a few feet in the air, and his front greeted the ground with a thud.

Only slightly dazed by the incident, Leo laboriously used his arms to push himself up off the ground. Once he got his legs under him once again, he listened for any signs that Jay or Noah had stirred from their sleep. The Riolu continued to snore softly as he curled into a circle in the center of his hanging bed. Leo turned to his left and observed any change in Noah. The Dewott seemed unaffected by Jay’s nocturnal noise and continued to sleep.

Slowly walking on the tips of his feet, he made his way across the small tent and ducked under the flaps; he held his tail once again to light his way and to keep the flame from brushing up against the flammable cloth. He emerged in one of the narrow rows between their tent and several dozen others. He was so close to the other tents that, as he walked through the narrow “alleyway” he could hear various forms of snoring. Do they all know that they snore? He wondered as another thought came to him, Do I snore? Is that why Kelly woke up?

He pondered it as he tried to keep his tail from being the cause of a camp-wide inferno. He had never put much thought into it, there was always something else demanding the attention of his mind. He never had any time to observe his new body for any quirks or interesting details after his initial inspection back in the Fields. That day felt so long ago to Leo, yet he knew that it had barely been a week since that fateful and immensely confusing day.

Absorbed in his thoughts, Leo vaguely noticed that he was passing the center courtyard of the camp and one of the poles with an activated Luminous Orb propped on top of it. Leo looked around, the entire camp was bathed in a dull grey light once more, but this time, the light was growing brighter, little by little aided by the rising sun on the eastern side of the camp.

He continued to walk past the center yard and into a maze of more tents and wooden crates piled high upon each other to look like temples to heathen gods. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but he simply let his feet move forward toward the sun that was almost ready to poke its golden head above the far off horizon.

Just as he reached the wall of tall grass that marked the camp’s border, he saw her. Kelly sat on her haunches on a small embankment of dirt that rose slightly above the grass; the small wooden platform built on top of it apparently marked it as an unoccupied lookout post. Leo carefully walked up the mound, trying not to make noise even as his claws sent dirt clods rolling down in a miniature avalanche. Once he finally made it to the top, he went forward and suddenly sat down next to her on the edge of the platform. Kelly must have been wrapped up in her thoughts as she nearly jumped a foot in the air when Leo plopped down beside her.

“Wha-? Leo? What are you doing up?” she said in a hoarse whisper as she kept herself from raising her voice in surprise. Leo didn’t answer her immediately, instead he let his vision take in the view of the first dim rays of the sun starting to shine out of the darkness of the night.
Leo shrugged his shoulders, he didn’t know what to say to her. Oh, the demon that haunts my very thoughts decided to visit me again tonight. Business as usual. You?  

“I had a bad dream. How about you?” he said with a sigh. Well, it’s not a complete lie. That dream was horrible.  That thought was the catalyst for what became a chain reaction of thoughts, I’ve been lying this whole time. Kelly shifted her front paws in discomfort, as if she was unsure of what to say.

“I had a bad dream too … it was of my parents... “ she admitted softly seemingly worried someone else would eavesdrop on their conversation. Leo was surprised, in the short time he had known her, he hadn’t even come close to hearing anything concerning his teammates’ past lives.

“What happened? I’ve had my share of nightmares, so I can try to relate,” Leo said, trying to be as sincere as he could be. He was genuinely intrigued, this was a chance he wasn’t going to miss out on. She seemed to grimace slightly at his question, but she took a deep breath.

“I--I don’t know if you would understand,” she faced away from him, “it’s something that honestly scared me, Leo.” He placed a claw on her shoulder in an effort to provide some sort of comfort.

“It was just a nightmare, Kelly. I’m sure that--” he began as she quickly cut him off.

“No, you don’t understand. It scared me, Leo. I don’t get scared. I’m always the calm and collected one, but back there … I couldn’t do anything,” Kelly confessed, her voice wavering on the verge of tears. Leo had no idea how to react to this; he didn’t recall his past self being an expert on this in any means.

“Well, I can say that I’ve had nightmares like that. It feels as if your entire being is not yours to control. Like someone or something is using you,” Leo said as he tried to relate with his teammate. The Jolteon faced him once more, tears running down the sides of her face.

“You don’t know what it’s like to have your parents tell you you’re worthless! Having them scream that they wish they’d never had you in the first place! To hear them laugh when you’re in pain! You don’t know, Leo!” she screamed as she suddenly bent her head down and let out a hard sob. Her entire body seemed to shake as she tried to breathe, but she wasn’t able to get enough to calm herself down. Leo looked around, panicking. He hadn’t meant to make her start sobbing, all he wanted was some way to make her feel better. Now, yet again, he had somehow made things worse. He searched his mind for something to do or say, but he didn’t know. He couldn’t remember.

“Hey …” he said, putting his claw on her back, “at least you have parents to have nightmares about.” That got her attention. Though her face was still a small river of tears, she looked up at him. Leo wasn’t an expert on reading facial expressions of Pokemon, but he had a feeling she wanted him to continue.

“I don’t even remember my parents. They could be alive or dead, and I would never know. In fact, they could be searching for me right now, or they could be celebrating that I’m gone. I don’t remember, Kelly. I can’t remember,” Leo said, emotion beginning to spill forth from his mind’s floodgates. The Jolteon stood stock-still, her expression showed that in the last few days, she had forgotten that he had amnesia.

“Leo. I … I... “she tried to say, unable to find the right words as Leo continued.

“I just want to be able to see them again, Kelly, even if it’s just a memory. But I can’t. I couldn’t possibly know what it’s like to have gone through what you did, but I can try.”

“Leo, I’m so sorry...” she said with a sniffle as she regained her composure, “You’re right, I’m acting like this all over a stupid nightmare. It’s selfish of me, especially considering what we’ve been through,” she conceded. She took a few deep breaths as they both watched the sun’s rays suddenly shoot through their prison of night and shine over the dew-covered field.

“Hey, Leo. I just had an idea,” Kelly told the Charmeleon seated next to her. Leo gave her a quizzical look, unsure of what she could mean by this. “I’ve heard of some Charizard clans in the northern mountains of the Borderlands. I’m sure your parents are searching for you as we speak. So, if we find a way to see if any of them filed a report for a missing Charmeleon, we could have a lead to your past!” She exclaimed, the cheerful personality Leo had known her to have finally returning.

While he was glad she felt better, he still didn’t know how to respond. He didn’t have the faintest idea of what these “Charizard” Pokemon even looked like, and he knew for certain that none of them were related to him in any way, shape, or form.

“Of course we’d have to wait until our current situation improves, but I promise you that I’ll do everything I can to help you, Leo. You’ve been a great friend.” Leo felt like his vocal cords had frozen over; he couldn’t piece together the words he wanted to say. His thoughts screamed at him, She’s offering to help you! She just told you one of her secrets! How is she going to help you if she doesn’t even know what you are? Sometimes he wished he could tell his mind to shut up. Though it brought up a good point, he still hadn’t told them anything about that aspect of his past.

“Kelly?” Leo inquired tentatively. It got her attention once more, her dark eyes staring at him.

“Yes? What is it, Leo?” This is it! Tell her now! He hesitated, trying to figure out what was the best way to say it.

“Kelly … I found something out about me. About my past...” he paused for a second. She seemed completely attentive, but he thought he heard a noise from elsewhere in the camp. He dismissed it. “Kelly … As unbelievable as it sounds …I am--” he stopped. He knew he heard it this time. The sound of a set of heavy footsteps. He swiftly turned around to face the intruder to their conversation.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he said as he finished twisting his body around. What he saw made the crimson drain from his scales. He expected it to be Jay, Noah, Blade, or maybe even Elliot, but not the massive, blue-scaled, reptile commander that he had a healthy fear of. Torrent didn’t seem angry, or even upset, but he gave the two smaller Pokemon a stern look nonetheless.

“T-Torrent, sir!” they both yelped as they shot to their feet.

“Well, this was not the way I expected to start off my morning. Tell me, were you two watching the sunrise as well?” the general asked as he strode between them to the center of the platform.
Perplexed at why the Feraligatr apparently brushed off his rude comment, Leo simply shrugged his shoulders and decided to answer.

“Yes, sir, we were. As well as discussing our thoughts,” Leo told the general, who nodded in reply.

“Good, good. I’m glad you both share my appreciation of this phenomenon of nature. I used to take it for granted, but after spending a week underground in a bandit’s cave you tend to find even the everyday occurrences a miracle. There was once a Grovyle I met a couple of years ago who told me that the sunrise was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen...” he recounted to them, seeming to grow silent as the upper edge of the sun broke free of the horizon’s shackles. Torrent shook his head as he found his thoughts again.

“Sorry about that. I went off on a tangent there. What I’ve been meaning to say was that I’m glad you two newcomers are up, because now you’ll see just how we get things started in the morning. Quark, get over here!” Torrent called as a bright flash of white light went off behind the general. A brown and gold-colored figure appeared floating slightly above the dirt slope. As soon as he got a glimpse of the Pokemon in the light, Leo’s eyes were immediately drawn to the creature’s large head and mustache.

“You called, general?” the strange Pokemon said, brandishing two silver spoons. Torrent nodded, affirming his order.

“Yes, I did. You two, this is Quark the Alakazam. He’s the best healer I’ve ever met, and I’ll be cursed by Kyogre if I ever find a better one. If there’s anything wrong with you, he’s the one to see,” Torrent explained as the Alakazam bowed in mid-air.

“Thank you for your comments, sir. Now, what shall it be today, sir? A shrieking Braviary’s cry as usual, or something different?” Quark asked as Torrent thought for a moment.

“How about Groudon’s roar? That one always gets the best results.” Quark acknowledged this and closed his eyes as purple waves of energy appeared around his set of utensils. Seeing Leo and Kelly’s confused looks, Torrent went on.

“In addition to being the healer, Quark is also very experienced in the art of psychic amplification in dreams. Meaning that in a few seconds...” Just as he said that, a great series of thuds, curses, and screams were heard from the opposite edge of the camp. Leo could see droves of Pokemon exiting their tents en masse. He was almost appalled and yet fascinated at how Quark woke up the camp. If he can affect dreams like that, then maybe he could figure out what’s going on in my dreams... Leo wondered as he watched the crowd of Pokemon walk, fly, and teleport their way to the mess tent to get their morning meal.

“Thank you, Quark. Go get the obstacle course ready,” Torrent ordered as the Alakazam nodded and instantly vanished in another flash of light. Alone once more, Torrent looked down at Leo and Kelly.

“Now, you two. Several crates of supplies came in during the night. They are at the north entrance of the camp. Move them to the storage area here,” he said, pointing out the places he spoke of.

“Sir?” Kelly asked. She wasn’t able to say more as the Feraligatr immediately cut her off.

“No one talks to me like that and goes unpunished! Now hop to it, you two, else breakfast will be long gone by the time you get done!” he yelled. Cursing his past choice of words, Leo and Kelly sprinted down the embankment. Half way down the short hill, he tripped on thin air, and once again acquainted his face with the gravel.

Leo knew the stinging in his face wouldn’t go away just as he knew Torrent would never let him live what he just witnessed down. Regardless of what the general now thought of him, he accepted Kelly’s paw, and hoisted himself up.

“You’re part of the king’s army now. If you want to stay here, then you better start pulling your weight!” Torrent yelled from the platform above them. Leo groaned, he knew this was going to rank among the worst days of his life.

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End Chapter Eleven
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