The Portal Soldiers

Chapter XXIII

XXIII

“We're friends!”

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The sun came up when most roosters crow. Being on the side of the boys' tent where light somehow passes through, Lance was the first one awakened. While tipping and walking, he headed out of the boys' medium tent. The horses were still and tranquil on the ground while sleeping. The slit of the tent was opened by someone when he outstretched his hand to pat Airie's head.

"Lance, good morning," Felix charily rubbed his eyes with his right hand. Lance did not say anything as a response. Felix humbly asked to start a friendly conversation, "are you mad at me?" Because Felix said something kind, Lance looked at him over his shoulder. He turned to Felix and smiled.

"Felix . . . " Lance looked up the sky which was partly lit.

"Yes?" Felix responded.

"Come here, bud," Lance said. "We need to talk. We need to discuss something really serious."

While hiding hand mannerisms, Felix walked towards Lance. Lance took a brief glance at the two tents to check if no one can see them. When Felix was already in his front, he looked at Felix coldly.

"Let me get this straight," Lance inhaled. "We're the Juniors, an active team of Portal Soldiers. We are also the youngest team ever. We have one teammate's father jailed in the main base of Kininvas. Now, do you know where is the main base of the Kininvas?"

"Uh . . . No," Felix answered.

"I'm just joking," Lance grinned then shook his head. "I know we can trust you. Here's the real question . . . How do you find Amy?"

Felix blinked his eyes spontaneously and smiled weakly. "She's kind. She's brave. I want her to be my friend. I even want to be a Portal Soldier like you but I know it won't happen because I am ought to be our clan's leader," Felix said.

"That reason is just . . . sad," Lance commented.  "Also, thank you for giving me a reason not to hate you."

"What do you mean?" Felix asked.

"I'm the type of boy . . . that is not too secretive yet not too open," Lance said. "Since you've answered my question willingly, I'll give this secret to you."

Felix only looked at Lance without any response. After waiting for few seconds, Lance spoke up.

"Amy is my best friend," Lance started. "I just don't like it when someone slips right into my place as her best friend. I know it's a bad attitude to be possessive when it comes to friendship but I don't know how to get rid of it. And I want to learn how, with the help of time and experience."

Felix was hanging his jaw with all the words he heard. Lance just smiled.

"I'm sorry if you ever saw me being jealous about the friendship between you and Amy," Lance said.

Felix nodded with a pale face. After the uncomfortable conversation, the two of them marched back to the tent.

"The name is Juniors, the youngest active team." A Kininva was speaking monotonically on the line of a built-in dialer on its eight wrist.

On the other line, a peevish voice of a human replied, "command, back to base. Meeting at noon."

"Roger," the Kininva said. Without anyone looking at it, the Kininva flee away to shun from being seen.

---

"Hey, Lance," Tom grinned and stood up as he sets eyes on Lance. "How's the morning?"

"It's actually good," Lance said and strode nearer to Tom. He whispered, "I don't see him in a negative way anymore."

"I've heard that," William whispered and he was at the Lance and Tom's front like magic. "That's good and that's all I can say."

Lance looked at Felix who prepares his own things, and smiled. William, Lance, and Tom aped what Felix is doing. While the four were preparing their things, a soft voice was heard.

"Are we all ready?" It's Amy.

"Yes, your Majesty," Felix replied as he sped up in exiting the tent. The rest of the young gentlemen followed him out the tent to disassemble it into canopies, poles, and ropes. Taking the tents down did not take them ages considering only boys worked on it. As the boys were separating the canvas from the poles, the girls assisted the horses to get ready.

"If everyone's things are ready," Amy announced but chiefly commanding. "We should go off by now." Her eyes caught Felix, who ties the poles of the tent wrapped by the canvas around his torso. She almost laughed at what Felix absurdly did.

After climbing the back of the horses, Lance offered Felix to ride the horse at his back. Being careful not to hurt the backside of Lance's horse, Felix adjusted the poles at his back. After a one-digit number of minutes, they realized their horses' feet were on a vast grassland where the other end cannot be seen. As they commanded their horses to run through the tall grasses, some nonhuman laugh caught their attentions.

"Run, everyone!" Elise screamed and kicked the stirrups unintentionally hard caused by the panic. "Hyah!"

Without thinking twice, the Juniors commanded their horses to run with Elise.

"Oh, my my, bro!" Felix exclaimed and inadvertently held on Lance's brassards to avoid from being fallen off the horse. "Elise! Why did you say we should run away?"

"We're not safe here," Elise shouted as a reply and looked over her shoulder. She looked at her front again as the wind tries to mess her hair up. "Look at your back!"

Lance and Felix breathed heavily as they found out that they were at the rearmost and they were probably the nearest to whatever is at their back.

"Felix, carefully look at the back and I will focus at commanding my horse to get quicker," Lance said and leaned forward. Felix gripped on both of the shoulder pieces of Lance. He looked at the back and screamed manly.

"It's a hyena, Lance!" Felix shouted at the top of his lungs. "Hyenas! They're two!"

"Calm down, everyone!" Tom loudly said, yet he himself panics.

"Diagonally turn right, everyone!" Amy commanded.

"I am sorry about this but . . . why?" William asked.

"Well, you'll never agree but just do it," Amy said.

"Don't risk anything to calm the hyenas, Amy," Lance warned.

"Amy, we're still not sure of what will happen," Sally placidly commented without removing her eyes off of her front. "Yes, you calmed a lion days or even weeks ago . . . but we still don't know if you can calm hyenas, knowing they're two."

"Alright," Amy nodded.

While the others were heading forward, Amy turned Airie's head to the right, diverting the hyenas' attention because she is nearer. Amy looked over her shoulder and the hyenas chased them.

"Amy!" Lance called out loud without changing his direction.

"I will be fine," Amy replied calmly. She gave the trust to Airie and looked into the eyes of the hyenas following them in a zippy move. The hyenas ran away sooner than what Amy expected. She hugged Airie as she rode back to where her friends are. Felix and her teammates waited without a single move.

"I told you. I can do it," Amy smiled at them. "I did it and we're safe."

"I think we really need to get out of this place," Elise looked down. "I don't want that to happen again."

Felix and the Juniors searched for a way to exit the almost-edgeless grassland as the sun rises up. By afternoon, they went back to the camp of Barbarus Clan to bring Felix back.

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