Crustel

Chapter 35

           "Does that mean....ugh...I have come to Ardian before, Flexner?" I asked calmly. He nodded. Suddenly, the rock that I was sitting on was trembling. I jumped off. Unfortunately, I was about to trip off but fortunately, he held me tightly. "Thank you," I whispered. He smiled. I turned back. To my dismay, well to our dismay, a huge rock panther was standing in front of us. "How dare you sit on me?" It roared. "So So Sorry. It was my fault. I thought I was sitting on a rock," the rock panther cut me, "You think I am a rock?" asked theatrically. I looked at Flexner. He shrugged. "I didn't mean to," I told it calmly. "You think, The Great Healer, The Panther of Crustel, The Hope of Ardian, would be just a rock?" it roared. To be honest, I was startled. I thought The Panther of Crustel would be in Crustel. "You're the Panther of Crustel?" I asked surprisingly. It stared at me. "Wait, let me have a closer look at you!" The panther leaned on me. The gap between us was just a few millimetres. I was sweating. "How come you're still alive?" It asked me. I couldn't resist it. "Seriously? Why everyone is asking me the same question the moment they meet me?" I was quite outraged. "Woah. Lama was right. You have some anger management problem, Princessa." It wandered around me in a circle. "How do you know Lama?" I asked concernedly. 

    It zapped with its tail. All of sudden, the rock panther turned into a woman form. It seemed like she might be in her 40s. To be honest, her silver gown with green and pink beads indicated the green-pink river. It was drop-dead gorgeous. "In Hatakuna, you will discover so many truths. Well, the first was obviously about the heir of Ardian's throne. Next, listen carefully. Don't freak out! It might disturb the sleeping SLINGS inside that cave. The cave right beside the volcano." She paused. I nodded. Then, she continued, "I am Lama's wife." She told us it was a piece of disgusting news. I gasped quite loud. She shooed. I looked into her eyes to know her past. To my surprise, she had told the half-truth! She was Lama's wife. Well, she hadn't finished about it. "What happened to you both?" I asked worriedly. She realized that I tried to read her past through her eyes. Immediately, she changed her eyes colour from red to purple. Her purple eyes seemed familiar. Before she continued, "So, I was following you?" I asked her. "Cora, hold on your horses. You have to listen before you talk. If you talk, you're just repeating. If you listen, you will learn something new." She told me slower than a whisper.  She headed to the village. "Where are you going?" I lunged out. She turned as she was rolling her eyes. "You were supposed to follow me, Cora!" She groaned. I kept silent. I followed her. Surprisingly, Flexner was following too. 

     "You came Ardian alone?" He asked me. I replied, "No. I came with my three best friends. We were attacked by a huge spider. I commanded my friends to save their lives and I will follow them but I couldn't find them," He looked at me uncannily. "Stop. Slings are sleeping. We should head back," She whispered worriedly. "Wait. Where are we heading?" I asked quietly. She came near me, "Well, can you bring us if I tell you?" asked angrily. "I might use my powers or magic," I said while looking around. "Hmm. In that case, we are heading to the volcano. Below the volcano, there's a hidden chamber." She told quickly. Flexner and I gasped. She shooed. "Well, you mean that volcano?" I asked her while pointing at a volcano that was about to erupt. She nodded. I immediately took my wand which was bent like a bracelet. I straightened it and waved it over us. In a twinkling of an eye, we were in our eagle form. Lama's wife smiled. Suddenly, Flexner was crying. "What have you done to me? I was the finest man in this entire village. Now nobody will love me!" He cried too loud. I wanted to laugh but when I noticed the sleeping slings which were similar to Chimpanzees were awaken by his cry. "WINGS UP!" I shouted.  I flew as both of them caught up. Flexner was new to flying. He almost hit every tree branches. Lama's wife and I couldn't control our laughter. As we were flying so far from the Slings, "I am Isa, Isabelle. " She said happily. I was elated to see her smile but when I remembered that Lama was no more, my smile faded. 

      "I know why your smile faded." She said looking into my eyes. I saw her purple eyes turning red again. She let me witness her past. I saw their wedding moment. Lama was in his human form. The last time I saw him in his human form was when he was dead. They lived happily in Aquanya before I was born. When they got the news that I was born, Lama was asked to train me but Isa didn't agree. She was pregnant and didn't allow Lama to go far away from Aquanya. She was an Ard Aquanyahan which means, she was born to an Ardianyan and Aquanyahan. She was much more powerful than Lama. Her anger turned Lama into a black panther. Only once a year Lama could turn back into his human form to meet his son, Lexter. Lama trained me so hard till he didn't focus on his own son. One day, while Isa went to buy bread from the famous bakery in Corta, she left Lexter with Lama. Lama was too busy training me till he didn't notice a tranquet was kidnapping his son. He realized it when he couldn't hear his son's giggles. He searched everywhere but couldn't find him. When Isa came back, she was upset, well ashamed of Lama. She searched for her son too but couldn't find him. She went back to Ardian and decided to never meet Lama. She spent days with no food. I couldn't see her past vividly as my eyes were watery. Tears dropped.