Turning to Stone 4: New Leaders (Rewritten)

Chapter 2: Stowaway

"As much as I trust Ephex's care, I can't help but be a little... skeptical. Are you sure it's a good idea to bring a monster so young with you?" Basilio asked, his face worried.

"Absolutely. Xander needs time away from other monsters to figure out how to control their powers, and there's no way I'm leaving them on the island while we're gone. Ephex is the best at taking care of kids and I'm the only one here who knows how Ghazts work." Ailura held Xander close. The little Ghazt had woken up and was currently wiggling around in her arms, trying to look around at everything. They managed to tap one of her orbs, making a sound and making Ailura flinch slightly. She could feel every touch to her orbs, all Ghazts were connected to their instrument.

"I started my days out away from most other monsters. You don't need to worry." She handed Xander off to Ephex, who seemed happy to hold them. Xander seemed happy too, settling down. How come they like Ephex better? She was almost jealous. Almost. Totally not.

"You'll have to see Mooper for the ship, and Jolthead for the Wublin statues. You'll need them in order to wake them up." Basilio kept talking, trying not to giggle at the little family in front of him.

"Got it." Ephex said for both of them. "Let's get going, I don't think this little guy can handle being in one room for much longer." They cooed at the baby Ghazt, who giggled in response.

They walked out the castle's back door, immediately spotting the already ready skyship. It was tied down so it didn't somehow float away, but it was fully ready for adventure. All they needed was to grab rations and things, then they could leave.

But they also had to grab the Wublins first, so they stepped into the rebuilt and renamed "Inventor's Shack", although it was much more than a shack by now. It had been rebuilt to be bigger and better, with new versions of the previous rooms and an actual room for Mooper that wasn't just a hole in the ground. (Her old hole had been filled in after she moved all of her stuff up to her new room).

Since Mooper didn't have parents, and since she got along so well with Jolthead and Chomp, Basilio had been somewhat raising her alongside his younger brother. The two kids were practically like siblings by now, complete with a classic sibling rivalry.

They stepped inside, and immediately Xander tried to get up and fly around. At least they know how to float, most Ghazts do when they're hatched. "Don't touch anything." Ailura warned the other two, despite the fact that Xander was trying to touch practically everything.

"Ailura! Ephex!" Jolthead greeted them as soon as they saw them. "Who's this?" Upon being mentioned, Xander hid behind Ephex, peeking out at Jolthead.

"That's Xander. Ephex found a Ghazt egg and as the only Ghazt here, I'm taking responsibility." Ailura explained. "Oh. I thought you guys had a kid or something." Jolthead laughed, but stopped when they saw Ailura glaring daggers at them.

"I packed everything you'll need for the trip." Mooper piped up from behind them, startling Xander and making them narrow their eyes at the Fwog. "I helped!" Chomp trotted over eagerly, wagging his tail like an excited puppy. "Chomp, for the last time, 'taste-testing the bread' does not count as helping." Mooper said with a long, drawn-out sigh.

"But we gotta know that the bread tastes good because what if we accidentally gave them bad tasting bread?" Chomp whined. Mooper rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, none of the rations you're taking have been in his mouth."

"We'll need the statues, right?" Ephex asked Jolthead. "Yep! They're right here. Follow me." Jolthead gestured for the traveling pair to follow them, so they did. Mooper and Chomp stayed behind, bickering as always.

Ailura sensed Xander's apprehension of the other two, gently taking the young Ghazt away from Ephex to hold them comfortingly. They haven't had much experience with other kids yet, no wonder they're a bit scared.