The Last Guardian (I'm not dead)

Chapter 20: Snap Out of It!

Risk. The word floated around Runako's mind. Either Trico and him could risk falling along with the platform or risk jumping. Risk. The risk would either likely kill them or save them. Trico had risked to think for a long time to leap. The risk. He curled in his haunches as he leaped unsteadily as he gripped on. His talons scraped the wooden platform leaving scars on it. He was trying to lift himself up. He couldn't. Runako climbed up Trico's feathers. Scaling up his back and up to his head. A log and a pot was on the platform. Runako jumped off Trico's head. The risk of doing it. "Hold on a little longer Trico!", he called, as he threw the pot, hearing the platform creaking. It was breaking off. The log rolled down towards Trico. The beast held on with dear life as he lunged down and took Runako's shirt form the 'scruff'. He leaped again before the platform collapsed under his and the boy's weight.

As they stood on firm floor Trico lowered his head as he placed down the boy. Runako glanced up at him. "Trico!", he called the beast. "Come here. I wanna rub ya! I wanna give you a hug!". Trico dipped his head low for the boy to reach. Runako placed his hands over his muzzle as he began to stroke his hands all around his face. His wet nose, and the bones you can feel under his feather soft down. Slowly Trico's face was out of his reach. He turned back and began to climb up the stairs. Trico was following and was a couple of feet behind, as he had just noticed that the boy was leaving. Runako had called out: "Trico!", just to let him know that he was present. A memory flashed in his mind as he entered into a squared room-arch thing. Trico was with him back when they had first met. When Trico had kicked at him and kept him unconscious for most of the time. When Runako wanted to get rid of him. But now Trico risked his life, and he risked his life for Trico, that was just how it was.

A bright color made him snap back to life. An eye. Even worse: Samurais were blocking where Runako had to go to get rid of the eye. Trico couldn't battle if he was transfixed on the eye. There was Trico, sitting down, eyes glowing white, and was very still. Runako looked at the amount of Samurais, and saw where they couldn't reach him.  He barged past the ones that were awakening as he jumped up a platform. As he ran the magic symbols that the Samurais shot out hit him. The magic was paralyzing him. The Samurais behind him were advancing, he had to run. He sprinted and climbed up where the Samurais could catch him. He spotted a chain and pulled himself upward. The blue magic was hitting him. He tried to keep going but had to stop once in a while, He took a leap and reached a platform.

The smooth stone shone in the light of a barrel. "Maybe if I lure Trico over here with this barrel?". But Runako soon had noticed that he would refuse to move when a colored-glass-eye was around. That would be a treat for later. He jumped off and hit the chain. Like the other chains he and Trico had encountered this one could move. It swung to where the eye was and came back. Runako jumped on and held on as he felt the magic all over again. He knew once he got rid of the  eye that he would be fine, because Trico, he did not like intruders. Once the chain was where Runako wanted it to be he got off. He pushed the eye off as it fell off with a hysterical Crack!

Snap.

Trico was back. He lunged forward as he batted the first Samurai he saw. Anger pulsed in his veins. Blood roared in his ears. His blood turned to ice. Revenge was all he wanted. He swat at all his enemies not feeling bad that they were dead. They tried to hurt him and Runako. He was blind with fury as he saw the last Samurai aiming a spear at him. He arched his back, flapped his wings,  fluffed his feathers, and roared, as he leaped forward killing it in one blow. Runako was on the platform looking down pleased. "You okay?", he asked after a while. But Trico only let out a cold snarl. It was quiet again before another scream dropped from Trico's mouth.

"Need me you calm you down?".

There was no need for an answer. Runako leaped down and landed on the beast's head. That was not a good place to land when an animal was hostile or tense, or both. Once he was on he began to rub as Trico tried to shake him off. The tense beast was now calm and letting out soft purrs. "I'll get you your barrel!". Runako raced off, climbed up the chain, got the barrel, and got back down. He placed it in front of the starving beast. Trico lunged in for the 'kill' as he swallowed the barrel whole before throwing the wooden pieces out onto the ground.

"Come on Trico. We need to keep going, you know our journey isn't over".