//------------------------------//
// Adventure: Inside Outside 
// Story: My Own Wings 
// by Tatsurou 
//------------------------------//

Once Fox got his emotions under control, he turned to immediately lead the way back to Thorntail Hollow, saying nothing and refusing to answer Tricky or Sunset's questions about what had happened in the Krazoa Chamber.  The youngsters ceased to press the issue well before they reached the Hollow, and sat patiently as the Warpstone sent Fox to the Krazoa Temple to release this Spirit.

While he was gone, one of the female Thorntails raced up from an alcove near the Warpstone's glade, dripping anxiety.  "My eggs!" she screamed out in despair.  "They're stealing my eggs!"

Before she could say more, Sunset and Tricky raced into the alcove.  A wide circle of sand was surrounded by cave walls, with four narrow furrows that led to the center where a pile of eggs rested.  The furrows ended at four holes in the circular walls, and small reptilian creatures that resembled snakes with arms slithered out of the holes as they sought the eggs.  Sunset and Tricky immediately leapt into action.  First, Tricky kicked up a circle of sand close to the eggs that Sunset fused into glass.  It wasn't very thick or tall and wouldn't provide any obstacle for a Thorntail of any age, but it would provide a momentary hurdle for the thieving lizards...especially with Tricky inside it racing around blasting them with his fire breath as they got too close.  With that done, Sunset raced to each hole, kicking up sand and blasting it with flame to seal them over with a much thicker coating of glass, making it so no more creatures could get in.  Once she'd finished with each hole, the pair of them hunted down the remaining creatures and exterminated them.

"Thank you so much!" the nesting Thorntail called out happily as she relaxed.  "You've saved my eggs from those evil creatures!  How can I ever repay you?"

Sunset shrugged.  "Just happy to help," she offered warmly.

The Thorntail smiled happily, then lifted her head in thought.  "There is a certain magic the King Earthwalker used to keep secrets hidden," she began.  "I believe a spell to access those seals can be found within this alcove..."  As she spoke, part of the sand floor in the alcove began to glow green.  "Ah, right there.  I believe your mother's staff can utilize the spell."

"Well, that's useful," Fox spoke up as he entered the alcove, having returned from the Krazoa Palace.  As he walked to the spot, he pet Tricky's head and ruffled Sunset's mane.  "Nice work, kids."  With that and a warm smile, he descended into the space.

Sunset and Tricky sat back to wait.  "So...any idea where we can use this magic?" Sunset asked Tricky.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a habit he'd picked up from Sunset.  "Well, there's this weird runic door in the little Temple Mom's staying in that wasn't there before everything with the Sharpclaws happened," he pointed out thoughtfully.  "Off in the back.  No idea what that's about."

"We can ask your Mom when we go try it out," Sunset allowed as Fox returned, having not taken long to get the magic.  Grinning, Sunset turned to lead the group there.

As they arrived in the little Temple, the Queen looked wan.  "It's good to see you all," she greeted warmly, "but I have bad news.  I have located where my mate is being held prisoner."

"Isn't that good news?" Fox asked in confusion.

"Unless it's in the Walled City," Sunset spoke up worriedly.  "He's the Gatekeeper for that region, and while Tricky could command that power eventually, he's too young.  Short of the King sealing a Key Spell somewhere we have access to outside the Walled City, we'll have no way in to save him."

The Queen nodded her head.  "That's correct, Sunset.  You do pay close attention to lessons, don't you?"  She glanced to the rune covered wall Tricky had mentioned.  "And he was wise enough to do as you suggested, sealing his Gatekeeper power behind this sacred seal.  However, I do not know the spell to unlock the seal..."

"I think I just got that," Fox offered happily, heading up to the seal and inserting one of the staff's crystals into the hole and twisting.  The wall rotated, collapsed in on itself, and vanished, revealing a cloud of glowing white light behind it...that immediately shot out of the temple and into the sky outside, shaping a wormhole like what the other Gatekeepers had opened.

"Fox!" Slippy called out through the comm.  "I don't know what happened, but the path to the Walled City has opened!"

"That's good to hear," Fox replied eagerly as the trio raced to the ship.





As they soared down over the Walled City seeking the landing pad, the group found that the view of the Walled City was just as grand as ever.  The soaring pyramids and pagodas, the delicately carved yet visibly strong walls, the paths lined with verdant undergrowth...the only thing that detracted from the view was the total absence of Earthwalkers visible.  In fact, the only Dinosaurs visible were massive two-legged dinosaurs that looked somewhere between an Alosaurus and a Tyrannosaurus in appearance.  "What the-?" Fox gasped out in shock at the sight of them.

"The Red Eyes!" Sunset gasped in fear as she caught sight of them.  "But...but they were sealed!  What are they doing out?"

"Probably General Scales doing," Fox muttered darkly as he glared at them.  "If they've joined up-"

"They don't have the cranial capacity," Sunset interrupted.  "They're endlessly consumed by their hunger, and serve no one."

"Then he probably just let them loose so they could cause problems for us," Fox concluded.  "Still, we should be able to handle them.  Between my lightning and your fire-"

"They're immune to magic," Sunset interrupted.  "The only thing that affects them is powerful kinetic impact or devastating earth shakes, stronger than what the staff can presently generate.  Outside the Volcano Force Point Temple, I can't generate a magic fire hot enough to harm them, and your lightning would just bounce off their scales."

"...so we're sneaking around until we can find some large explosives or an upgrade to the earthquake spell," Fox grumbled worriedly as he set down.  "Preferably both.  Anything else I should know about them?"

"That's all I know," Sunset admitted ruefully.  "I never really thought to learn about them since I never thought I'd encounter one..."  She hung her head in shame.

"Then we'll just figure it out as we go along," Fox responded, gently rubbing her shoulder to reassure her as he set the Wing down gently.  "Be careful everyone."