*Adela*
After having descended to the ground, I formed a makeshift shelter made out of interconnected branches to shield Elliot and me from the heavy rain.
I even made a small fire to warm my brother and me up. Of course, like usual, I adverted staring right at it. Thankfully, I didn't need to look at it in order to maintain it and make sure it wouldn't burn down our little hut of branches.
I sighed as I leaned my back against one of the walls. I hadn't heard from Xun yet. Was he safe? Was he the one who blasted the magista bomb out of the sky?
I glanced back at the unconscious Elliot. If he wasn't passed out, I would've gone ahead and looked for Xun.
My lips curled into a slight smile as I realized something. I could have someone look after him while I went to look for Xun!
I walked out of the hut and whistled.
Suddenly, a giant black bear emerged from the woods.
"Hey there," I said, waving.
It calmly approached me with no sense of fear in its eyes. I smiled and patted its head as it let out a soft growl. Well, as gentle a growl that a bear could make.
"I see, so that's your name. I'm Adela. I was wondering if you could watch over my big brother. He's sleeping in the hut over there. If you'll like, you can stay inside, that way you won't need to get wet and cold."
It let out a growl.
"I see," I said, tilting my head. "Well, my brother isn't afraid of bears. He likes most large creatures." I laughed. "That said, he might want to touch your ears."
It glanced up at its ears.
"But don't worry, he doesn't mean harm. He would never harm anyone unless if there's a reason to do so. If he wakes up before I return, then let out a quick triple growl."
*growl* *growl* *growl*
I nodded. "Exactly! You're a very smart girl for your age!"
The bear went around me and poked its nose against the door of the hut, but the opening was too small for it to enter.
"Here, let me make it larger." I spread out the branches forming the arch of the door and moved the door aside until the opening was wide enough for her to enter.
She suddenly came to a stop. It raised a paw toward the fire.
"Oh, right. There's a fire inside, but don't worry, it won't harm you as long as you don't get too close to it." I turned aside. "Personally, I'm afraid of fire too. But as long as we keep our distance, we're fine." I smiled upon saying the last part.
She nodded and entered the hut.
"Bye, take care! I'll be sure to bring back some food to reward you!"
The bear let out a growl that reminded me of Lan's happy squeaks whenever I feed him his favorite food.
I laughed and closed the door after making it big enough to match the widened arch.
My eyes turned toward the cloudy sky once more. Fire... I keep on saying that I'll get over my fear of it, but when would that be?
I shook my head. Right now I needed to focus on finding Xun.
I sprinted forward, moving several feet in an instant.
Hopefully, that red-haired general was the last of the Hiearchians I would encounter on this trip.
I smiled as I came across a tree larger and older than most of the others around it. This would help out with my search.
Shivers ran up my spine as I slowly walked over to the tree. I rubbed my shoulder as the rain caused my silk clothes to stick to me. Once I have found Xun, I planned to dry myself up.
Then, once Elliot was back on his feet, we would continue our journey northward in the hopes that we could meet up with Lei and the others. Though, maybe heading west would allow us to meet them sooner. Especially if they decided to change plans.
Suddenly, a gust of wind rushed past me. I looked over my shoulder and saw dried leaves flying toward me. For a moment, I had felt a familiar presence, like that of Aida.
Aida... Iah said that he saw her, and that was several hours ago. Does her presence here have anything to do with the dropping of the magista bomb? Or is her being here merely a coincidence? No, that can't be. Why would she randomly roam these lands? Should I give chase?
I sighed.
No. First comes finding Xun.
I glanced up at the large tree and placed my hand on it.
Though, that doesn't mean that I can't track her movements while looking for him.
I closed my eyes and covered my hand in green prana. My mind's eye traveled into the tree and down its deep roots which I spread outward like a web using my magic. Someone was indeed moving incredibly fast in the direction that gust was moving in.
But it wasn't only one person. There was another presence moving parallel. It was that of the sound mage, Benjamin if I recalled correct.
My mind's outlook expanded in various others directions as well, while simultaneously searching for my eldest brother. Assuming he wasn't in the sky or too far away, I should be able to find him.
"Hey, what are you looking for a voice called out?"
I gasped and opened my eyes, breaking the spell. I turned and saw a smiling pink-haired man floating a foot off the ground.
I jumped up and hugged him, causing him to fall into the muddy floor.
"Xun!" I yelled. "You're okay!"
He snickered. "Of course I am." He ran a hand through my hair. "Sorry for vanishing on you like that. I rushed over to the capital to put up a barrier over it. Unfortunately, I could only cast a barrier around it from a distance."
I looked up. "That's great!"
He averted his gaze and sighed. "Not all that much. I likely only minimized the damage."
I let go of him and stood up.
"Minimized damage is still better than the alternative," I said as I held out my hand toward him and smiled.
He grinned as he took it. When he smiled like that, he looked more like Elliot... and our late father.
Xun glanced around. "Say, where is Elliot?"
"I left him in a makeshift hut. It's nearby." I laughed nervously as I started on my way. "Guess I didn't need to bother miss bear after all..."
"You left a bear to watch after him?" he asked with a playful grin.
"Yeah. At least Elliot likes bears. Imagine if I left him with a snake."
He laughed. "Good point. He would've been horrified. But, I would feel sorrier for the snake as Elliot would probably try to kill it."
"Hence why I don't ever plan to leave him with one. Plus, I'm not fond of them either. After foxes, snakes are my least favorite animal." Especially after our battle with Mayu and her Seven-Star snake familiar. "Honestly, I don't get how Celeste can like them."
"I don't have great experience with serpents either," my brother said as if he had read my mind.
"Xun, you really scare me when you do that," I said, smiling nervously.
"Huh, do what?" he asked.
"When you seem to know what others are thinking. Are you sure that you aren't psychic?"
He smiled and shrugged. "Who knows, maybe I am and I'm just hiding it."
I leered at him. "If you are then don't keep it a secret from Elliot and me."
He ruffled my hair. "Come on. If I were, I would've told you by now!"
I sighed. Sometimes I really envied how laid back my brothers were. My dad was rather laid back too... meanwhile, I got my mom's slightly more uptight personality. Then again, they were boys. They didn't have to worry about running a nation like us.
"Being a Xianian male isn't as easy as you think," Xun said, walking ahead of me.
I raised an eyebrow. "There you go again!" I snapped.
He laughed. "What? You might think that you have a great poker face, but that's not true at all. You're almost as easy to read as Elliot and your male teammates."
My mouth widened. "Hey, I take issue with that! Those boys are way more simple minded than I am!"
He covered his mouth. "At least you admit that you are simple minded."
My face flushed. Xun might've been my favorite brother, but at times like this, I preferred Elliot.
Xun gasped. His blue-eyes were focused on the sky. The clouds were dissipating rapidly, as if someone had told the sky 'no more raining'.
A laughed as soon as a rainbow appeared. According to our holy book, seeing a rainbow immediately after a rain shower was a symbol of joy and happiness. It also represented the bond between heaven and earth.
I took hold of my elder brother's hand. "Let's go and see if Elliot woke up!"
Xun smiled. "Okay," he said, nodding.
***
Xun and I arrived at the hut to see Elliot dancing around with the bear, having her mirror his actions, such as placing their hands (or paws in Miss Bear's case) over their heads.
"Oh, you're back!" he said, waving.
"Uhh, I thought he was unconscious when you went to look for me. How long did you take walking that short distance?"
"Not that long." I walked over to Elliot. "It's just Ellie jumping back right away, like usual."
Xun laughed. "Right, he does tend to move and act as if nothing ever happened as soon as he wakes up. It's as if he's a phoenix."
Elliot put his hands behind his head. "A phoenix? Well, it is part of our royal emblem," he said, laughing.
Indeed it was, hence why my position was often called 'The Phoenix Throne' in official state documents both in and outside of Xian.
"If you're up and dancing, how about we set out?" I asked.
He lowered his hands and furrowed his brow. "What about you, sis? Are you feeling well?"
"I rested for awhile before going to search for Xun."
"But, was it enough," he said, walking over to me. "I mean, you haven't always taken good care of yourself. So, if you feel tired, just say so. We can wait."
I laughed. "Funny, coming from you."
"But I'm different. I get up like a phoenix after a bit of rest like you've just said."
I crossed my arms. "While my situation might not be that extreme, I can also be up and running after just a short rest," I said, smiling. "Now, let's go."
I turned to Miss Bear. "Thanks for watching over my older brother."
She let out a growl.
I chuckled. "I know he might not behave like it, but he is older than me."
Elliot leered at me in the same the way Lei would at Nyima whenever she called him a 'kid'.
"Come on, don't sulk. You know I'm just teasing you. If anything, you proved how much of a big brother you are today. Thanks for protecting me."
He rubbed his head and snickered. "No problem! What are big bros for?"
"Well, seems we're all filled with energy, so let's head out now," Xun said, turning to face the wooden door.
"Bye Miss Bear!" Elliot yelled, waving at her. He stared at her with sad eyes.
"Thanks again," I said, patting her head. I gasped as I remembered what I had promised her. "Wait, Xun! Elliot!"
"Huh, what's wrong? Don't want to say good-bye to Miss Bear either?"
"Well, departing is always sad, but that's not it. I remembered that I promised her some food!"
Xun chuckled. "Alright, then let's go get some as thanks before we depart for the north."
"Yahoo! Let's go catch Miss Bear some yummy grub!" Elliot yelled, swinging his arms up.
I laughed. I wonder what would've become of me without my big bros and friends.
**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter, if so then be sure to click on that star to show me your love! Also, feel free to drop a comment or two. If you're too shy to post them here, PMing me works too. I love hearing from readers like you.**