[MarketTheBloodLine]

Jessica smiled, happy that Toon was awake again.
"So, are we to get going again?"
Yes, I would like to get my voice back.

[Toon-Souseiseki]

Holow heart nodded and Toon snifed again.  She walked foreward and steped in what looked like oil.  "Hm...  They must've left.  Oh well!  Hey Hollow Heart!  We don't have to search for Sheerbow and her android any more!  they left a long time ago," Toon said to Hollow Heart.  WHAT!!!???  They left!?  Dangit!  I wantd to ask Laffien for assisstants.  Big bum that they left," said Hollow Heart with her head down in dissapointment.

{69}

[MarketTheBloodLine]

Xanthos raised an eyebrow
Assisstants? What's this about? Androids? Slave?

Moderator edit: Please make longer posts or risk a warning. Thankee.

[Toon-Souseiseki]

toon heard a call from her earing and placed it on.  Hearing the call, she as shocked.    "I got a call from Sheerbow!  She's on the move!  We gotta go, Hollow Heart!"  Hollow Heart gasped and ran passed Xanthos and Jessice.  "Sorry you two!  But we gotta get going.  But here's some light dust to lead you the way," said Toon and ran after  Hollow heart, leaving.

{70}{{Hollow and Toon left}}

[MarketTheBloodLine]

Xanthos huffed. Ungrateful, ridiculous, I hope they get lost.
"Agreed. I could've easily used that nectar for myself."
And to think they expect us to follow their stupid light dust?
Xanthos laughed and blew at the dust, putting it out.
We don't need them. Hop on my back Jessica, I can see in the dark, I can do what they must accomplish with their silly magic. We don't need them. I guess we both were forgetting that I don't mind carrying you.
They walked until a fork in the path.
Which way Jessica?
Jessica thought for a moment. "Right. There's a green glow back there somewhere. The ingredient we're looking for was said to have that same glow."
Alrighty then. Right we go.

[MarketTheBloodLine]

As they continued through the right tunnel, with the faint glow in front of them slowly, so slow it was painful, getting brighter, Jessica began to get uneasy. Her bottom hurt from the scales on Xanthos' back and he wasn't exactly the fastest animal to ride on. Though he was trustworthy and determined, it still seemed to Jessica like he was being offset by something. Did he have the same doubts as she did? If so, why was he hiding them?

Because his hopes are so high. He's so ready for his voice to come back, he doesn't want me telling him to go back because it might not be what we need because it just might be.

Did you say something Jessica?

"No Xanthos, just thinking."

Okay, there's another fork coming up, the glow is on the left but I'm sensing something else on the right.

Jessica was now totally alert. "Like what Xanthos?"

Like, like... He stopped at what Jessica assumed was the fork, walked to the right a bit and sniffed. It didn't take his acute nose to smell what was there, it was a flowery scent.

A flower...could it be what we're looking for?

[MarketTheBloodLine]

Xanthos laid down by the fork. This was something they seriously had to think about. They didn't want to get lost in here.

Have you been drawing the ways we've taken?

"Yes. On this piece of paper see?"

Jessica held up the sheet. It had a short line that turned sharply right three times.

Hmm..three right turns huh?  Well, we are looking for a dreamsnare lily, correct?

Jessica nodded.

Xathos sighed. The glow we are to expect is on the left, but the lily scent is on the right...maybe both meet up somewhere?

"I don't think it's safe to just assume that Xanthos."

Correct...Hmm...we should take the right. The flower's glow may not be as bright as we were expecting. I must admit though, I'm starting to think that glow is an animal. I heard footsteps of a large animal a while back and we should've caught up with it by now. I'm thinking it's a dreamsnare animal that is purposefull trying to lead us the wrong way.

Jessica thought for a moment.

"Or it could be leading us the right way and that flower scent is a trap. If the animal was leading us the wrong way, why would it bring us to where the flower is?"

[MarketTheBloodLine]

Xanthos sighed and put his head down. For the first time in his life he had no idea what to do. He didn't know how to protect Jessica if he ran into that huge animal. What would he do if they took the wrong way and ended up in here forever? The mile or two he had already walked had felt like it lasted a few seconds while it was really an hour. How well time must be masked in this tunnel of endless searching.

But above all of these, the biggest doubt in his mind was:

What if the flower isn't even real? What if we're chasing a lost dream?

[MarketTheBloodLine]

Jessica waited for Xanthos to decide which way to go when he randomly stood up and threw a rock into the tunnel with the flowery scent. There was a faint ouch! as it hit a someone.
Before Jessica could protest, Xanthos trudged down the tunnel a few feet and came back with a small animal that smelled greatly of lilles. It was a blossom bleeder, and where there was a bleeder, there must be a host.

[MarketTheBloodLine]

The bleeder scrambled in Xanthos' arms wiggling to get free emitting a lod high pitched shreek.

Where is the Dreamsnare Lily?

*SHREECH*

WHERE IS IT!!!???

*LEFT TUNNEL!!! LEFT TUNNEL!!! TAKE THE LEFT THEN ANOTHER LEFT AND KEEP GOING UNTIL YOU SEE THE PURPLE GLOW!!!*

The voice was piercing and made even Xanthos wince.

Xanthos threw down the Bleeder and pulled Jessica on his back running down the left tunnel, the bleeder clinging to Xanthos' clubbed tail.

[MarketTheBloodLine]

Xanthos continued to run straight while the green glow ahead of him grew brighter and brighter, suddenly he slammed into a dreamsnare Yonyuu. He growled at the creature as the bleeder scrambled up his back, over Jessica, and onto the Yonyuu's shoulder.
The Yonyuu, very suspicious, stared at Jessica, the human looked just like her owner...

[MarketTheBloodLine]

"My name is Calamity, are you Jessica?" The Yonyuu spoke.
Jessica looked very alarmed, "Why, yes."
Calamity grinned, "You are my owner! Oh how long I have searched for you, stuck in this miserable tunnel. You must have thought I turned back when you found me years ago. I have simply been lost, here, in this neverending maze of dripping walls and magic flowers. Why, I ate one and was full for weeks, able to search for you longer. It wasn't until Lills here appeared that I realized how much I missed you and sought to find you again!"
With that, the Bleeder called Lills, poofed and Calamity frowned.
"Ah, she was but such a good friend."

[MarketTheBloodLine]

Xanthos had been listening contently through all this and now spoke up, placing his nose to the Yonyuu's wing.
You spoke of a flower, did it look like this?
Calamity closed her eyes as a picture of a black flower etched with a sickly green and glowing dark purple filled her mind. The flower pulsated softly and Calamity nodded breifly, telling Xanthos she did, indeed, remember the flower.
"That is it, the only flower that grows here. I will show you the way. I cannot leave this place now that I have been here so long because I am so sensitive to sunlight, so I will have to show you to this flower and help you acquire it. It is the least I can do. Follow me."

[MarketTheBloodLine]

Xanthos pulled Jessica on his back and eagerly followed Calamity.

The distance they covered seemed endless, and then, there it was, the flower of his dreams.

"The Dreamsnare Lillies everyone," Calamity informed them raising a paw to the gorgeous sight.

Jessica caught her breath and Xanthos fell on his bottom, eyes as wide as saucers.

[MarketTheBloodLine]

They were facing a huge cavern, with a large lake in the center. Around the lake and covering its surface were thousands, no, millions, of the Dreamsnare Lillies. The entire cavern was filled with a ghastly purple light.
"Wow..." Jessica murmured and Xanthos just nodded.