~Chapter 4~
They made their way into the canyons and followed the path Nang had given them. Hopper was on high alert the entire time, as if they were being watched. Veena, Aero, and Hopper came upon a reservoir in the canyon, with waterfalls at its interim.
The waterfalls flowed into a lake. Peculiarly, the waters would turn a vibrant shade of pink when the sun struck them. Around the lake they could see a crew of men, some Phantine, others Ralosian. There were several large cages on wheels at the ready.
All but one of the larger cages were empty, that one held a parrot. A large, brightly colored bird which was clawing viciously at the bars of the cage in a futile attempt to escape. One of the crew members banged on the cage, trying to quiet the parrot.
Aero and Veena knew this was the place. It made her heart sink to think that Digger would be held in one of those cages. Veena noticed that there was a large open carriage with the men, one large enough for Digger. If he was here, they could bring him back home in that.
"Okay... I'm thinking we should wait and see where they bring that parrot. Wherever they take him will probably be where Digger is." Veena said.
"That could take a long time though," an anxious Aero replied, "Hopper and I could just charge in there and take care of them."
Veena looked at the weapons the men held, swords, axes, and bows, "Are you sure you can handle that kid? They look pretty dangerous."
"Yeah, those guys don't look all that tough. We can question them after the fight." Aero said.
Veena hoped that the boy wasn't just being optimistic. But Hopper began growling, and when they looked behind them they saw several hyena riders blocking their way out.
One of the hyena riders spat on the ground, "You here for a trade?"
Aero stepped forward and gestured to Veena and Hopper to stay back, "What if we are?" The boy asked cheekily.
The man looked at Hopper closely, "We'll take the Chihuahua for 3,000 Ivases. If you don't like that deal, too bad." The man pulled his sword from his sheathe, sunlight gleaming off of it.
"Where are the other animals you stole being kept?" Aero asked, ignoring the man's threat.
The men looked at Aero with confusion. They couldn't understand why he wasn't scared. Veena couldn't either. But one of them recognized Aero.
"I remember that kid! He was on Cook and Chill's island!" One of the hyena riders pointed frantically, "He hit Cook with a palm tree!"
"A palm tree?" Another hyena rider asked.
Aero smirked, "I'm taking those animals back. If you know what's best for you, you should all leave."
The hyena rider that recognized Aero didn't hesitate, he turned tail and ran. But the others drew their weapons and held their ground.
Aero cracked his neck, "I warned ya."
The black-haired boy punched the air, and a burst of red light emerged from his fist. It struck one of the hyena riders and cleanly knocked him off of his mount. Veena wasn't quite sure what she just witnessed.
The boy sprinted forward to engage the rest of them with Hopper following close behind. Veena could hardly believe what she was seeing. Aero moved with incredible speed, jumping up into the air and kicking them off their mounts. When they came at him with swipes of their sword, he evaded it effortlessly, all with an honest smile on his face.
Hopper barked at the hyenas and scared them off while Aero struck one of the bandits. With a single blow the man fell to the ground. Another came up behind him and raised his axe.
"Watch out!" Veena shouted.
Aero turned and caught the axe's blade in his bare hand, before striking the man in the gut and continuing on to the others. The men laid on the ground, struggling to get up. In mere moments the boy had defeated them, no worse for the wear.
"How did you become so strong Aero?" Veena questioned. She hurried to the boy and looked at his hand that had caught the axe. There was only a slight red mark across his palm.
"Mainly my dad. I'm tough, but I think he might be the strongest person in the world." Aero said proudly.
Veena knew there were people in this world who were capable of incredible feats of strength, but she never imagined a child could too.
"Do you still want to wait to see where they take the parrot?" Aero asked.
Veena laughed, "If you think you and Hopper can take them, I believe you."
Veena watched from afar as Hopper and Aero charged towards the crew of men waiting near the lake. Aero moved at incredible speeds, felling each man with a single blow. Hopper bit one of the men before tossing him into the lake, and he skipped across the water like a stone.
Aero punched the air and bursts of red light emerged from him again. The light behaved like a projectile, striking some of the men and knocking them into the water. When it became clear that Aero and Hopper couldn't be stopped, some of the men mounted their hyenas and fled, running past Veena into the canyons.
Veena approached once the fight was over. Men grumbled in pain on the ground, and Aero tugged at the hinges of the cage holding the parrot. With a few hard pulls, the hinges of the cage were torn off, and the parrot flew into the sky.
Veena picked a sword off the ground and stood over one of the conscious men, "Where are you keeping my dog?"
The man didn't say a word. Instead he pointed to one of the waterfalls at the edge of the reservoir.
When Veena, Aero, and Hopper approached the waterfall, they could hear the barking and whelps of animals from behind it. When they circled behind it they found a large cavern.
They entered inside and the wails of various beasts only became louder. They came upon a large and dimly lit area, with dozens of cages of varying sizes holding all manner of animals. A few guards attacked them in the caverns, but Aero and Hopper made short work of them.
Aero questioned one of the guards, "Why did the Collector take all these animals?"
The guard grumbled, "He keeps saying, 'There's something profound about a caged beauty'."
Aero gave the man a confused look, "That's dumb."
Veena walked through the aisle of cages. Exotic birds, a cage full of tiny lions, a boar with blue skin, and many other rare animals. For most of the animals the cages were barely large enough. Some of the animals frantically clawed at their cages to try and escape, but most seemed to resign themselves to their fate. Hopper seemed unsettled by the sight.
Veena finally found a Chihuahua with white and black fur, and downcast ears. Digger.
He looked terrified. Veena reached into his cage and caressed his face. "Oh, I'm so sorry baby! I'm so sorry! I'm here now!" Veena uttered to the deaf dog. His eyes lit up at the sight of her.
Aero gripped the cage's doors and tugged hard. He pulled as hard as he could, and the metal began to creak before the hinges came off. The old Chihuahua walked out of the cage and nudged his snout against Veena. At that moment, Digger was content. All he needed was to be with his owner.
Aero looked at the other caged animals, "We can't leave all the others here."
Veena nodded, "You're right," Veena picked a key off of one of the guards and handed it to Aero, "Don't let them all out at once, they might hurt one another."
Aero nodded, "Okay, you take Hopper and Digger outside, and I'll start letting them out."
Veena walked the two Chihuahuas out. She had expected Hopper to be aggressive with Digger, but he seemed more concerned than anything. She looked at the two massive dogs walking alongside each other, and smiled. 300Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLLtl9pWXJ
