The Adventures of the Junior Phoenixes, Part 1: The Pendant of Life

Chapter 21: A Clash of Thundertails

Chapter 21

     The Thundertails swarmed and snapped at the group. The largest one, the first one that emerged from the cave, reared up and lashed its tail at the group.

     “Holy Penelope!” Ignatia screamed, and she dove right. The big Thundertail reared up again and it seemed to rumble words.

     “Who daresss tressspassss on my domainnn?” the creature spoke loudly.

     “Whoa!” Dan yelled, “It talks!”

     Shade thought quickly. “We are very sorry, friend!” Shade shouted. “We are merely travelling through the Woods and are on our way south from the school! Please forgive us, we mean you no harm!”

     “You dare to enterrrr my domainnn without leave?” the creature spoke again, thundering. “You shall pay forrr your disssrespect!”

     It reared up again, and whipped its tail at the crew, aiming right at Shade. Star ran and tackled him, narrowly missing the tail as it snapped and smote the ground it hit, sending rock and dirt in the air.

     “Less talking, more fighting!” Star said to Shade, getting up from off him and pulling out her wand.

     “Well,” Shade said, getting up and shaking the dust off of him, “So much for diplomacy.”

     The group scrambled. Echo pounced on a couple of Thundertails, squishing them under her tiger frame. But another one whipped its tail and it hit her in the side. The whipped end sparked and sent a surge of electricity through its tail. The shock made Echo roar in pain. She reeled back and changed back into her human form, holding her right side.

     “What the heck was that?” Echo shouted, wincing.

     “That’s why they’re called Thundertails!” Star shouted. “They can shock you with their tails! Be careful! Ouch!”

     A Thundertail shocked the ground in front of Star, which barely nipped at her feet but sent a few sparks flying, some of them hitting her arm.

     “Get ‘em away!” Sam shouted, still in the tree. “I hate spiders!” She started to hurl curses at the Thundertails, hitting them as they crawled towards the group.

     Dan jumped up and landed on one, smashing it. He sent a stunning spell at the swarm but it had no effect.

     “Okay, how do we stop these things?” Dan shouted.

     “No clue!” Star said. “And this time, I mean it! I have no clue!”

     “Malleus Hexen!” Rain Fox shouted, using the hammering spell that Shade had taught her. “There’s always squishing them!” She kept repeating the spell and smashing Thundertails.

     “Ventus Victor!” Shade shouted, and he cast a whirlwind at the swarm. The little ones got scattered and thrown but the larger ones remained, unfazed by his spell.

     Echo started to freeze the swarm. “Glaceus!” she shouted. A large Thundertail froze. “Polario!” she shouted again. The creature buckled, cracked, and fell apart into a thousand pieces of frozen ice and parts.

     “No!” the big Thundertail screamed. “You will not harmmmm my childrennn, you worthlessss bags of fleshhhh!”

     The creature dashed forward, its pincers snapping and swinging. The large left pincer hit Dan in the chest, and he flew back, hitting the tree Sam was hiding in.