Fox Magic

Chapter 20

Twister's pov

It seems the giant turtle wants us to follow him. The two strange creatures are gone now and the turtle has his back turned. This could be our chance to escape. But the turtle seems to know why we're here, and we did come here for answers. But could it really be that easy?

"Blaze, what are you doing?" I hear Aurora whisper.

Not a good sign.

I shake my thoughts away and look at Blaze just in time to see the fool jump up onto the turtle's shell. The turtle continued walking as if nothing had happened.

"Are you crazy? Get down!" I whispered, hoping to not alarm the turtle.

"Relax, he lives in a rock, he'll never know," Blaze whispered back as he sat down, swishing his fluffy tail.

"A tortoise's shell is sensitive enough to feel the slightest touch," the turtle said without stopping.

Startled, Blaze hopped off and stood beside me.

Elder gave a small chuckle, then said, "You're not the first one to make an attempt at a free ride."

As slow as the turtle walks, I'm kind of glad he didn't stop for a second to talk. We followed him to the big tree we saw just before landing. As we got closer, an opening appeared at the base of the trunk, between two big roots. The ground began to slant slightly as we entered. I couldn't even tell if we were inside the tree or underground.

After passing through a small tunnel, we entered into what appeared to be a large den. The dirt was smooth here, as if it had been trampled down over the years. I couldn't tell where the light was coming from, but it was enough to see the entire den. There was a small pool to one side, not even big enough to sit in. The far wall in the back was covered in many carved out pictures, though I couldn't tell of what.

"This place looks ancient," Blaze commented.

"This is my personal living space," Elder said.

"I mean, it does have a nice antique look to it," Blaze added.

Elder allowed us to drink from the pool and look around the den. I took this opportunity to get a better look at the carvings on the wall. There were a lot more pictures than I originally thought. There were small pictures of both animals I had seen and creatures I had never even heard of. In the middle was a very big picture of two powerful looking creatures. Whatever they are, I hope I don't ever run into them. Right above them was what looked like three symbols, though I couldn't imagine what they could mean. The rest of the wall was covered in pictures I can't even describe.

"What is all this?" Aurora said.

I didn't even notice her coming up beside me.

"I don't know, but I wonder if it means something," I wondered.

"Like what?" Aurora asked.

"I see you're interested in the mural," Elder said, coming up behind us.

"Mural?" I asked.

Blaze came over and looked at the wall.

"Cool pictures," he said, "What do they mean?"

"The mural tells of the legendary battle that occurred a thousand years ago, and the prophecy that followed," Elder explained.

Why do I not like where this is going?

Elder explained the battle to us, from what started it, to how it ended. He explained what most of the pictures in the mural mean. The two big creatures in the middle are the creatures who battled each other, and the three symbols above them represent the three powers that Auraking apparently possessed.