Eliya sighed while resting her small head on the side of her pond lazily. She stared at a plant for a few seconds before huffing at it and growling slightly. *Okay body. You’ve gotten bigger, yes you have, but you aren’t a Shrape yet! Keep growing!*

“I don’t think your body is going to be listening Eliya. You are still little, just face the facts.”

*I know.*

Shune walked over to sit next to Eliya. “How are your projects going?”

*My plants have been watered. Now I’m just sitting in the water. My projects are going fine I suppose.* Eliya smiles then frowns and says, *I’m letting myself get bored.*

“Well you don’t really have much to do if you’ve already done all that there is to be done.” Shune blinks at what she said and briefly wonders if she made any sense at all to the little wyrm. “Soon we shall be arriving at the planet then as we search for any evidence or clues as to where the Riktosus Stone is you won’t be bored.”

Grinning Eliya says, *Are we there yet?*

“Um,.. No.” Shune says sighing at Eliya. “I’m sorry you’re bored.”

*It’s not your fault. Probably my own fault, or rather, it is my own fault.*

“Nonsense. Now, go catch a fish or something. That might prove to be fun.”

Eliya blinks at Shune’s statement and asks, *Catch a fish?*

“Sure!” Shune exclaims, “Catch a fish that is in your pond. I’ll tell you what. If you can catch a fish then you can have any kind of dessert you want for dinner. How about that?”

*I don’t know,* says Eliya thinking for a bit. *Okay you win. I like dessert so I’ll catch a fish and have my dessert.*

Shune smiles at Eliya as the little wyrm dives into the pond and swims about trying to snap up a fish. Surprisingly for Eliya though, it is a lot harder than she had expected it to be. “Good luck.” Shune says and then walks out of the small relaxation room and towards the controls of her ship.

*Blasted fish.* Eliya mutters as she pops her head out of the water to gaze at all of the fish. *Those little things are faster than I thought! But they can’t out swim Eliya!* Ruffling her feathers tiny droplets of water fly everywhere. Eliya then leaps up and dives down into the water yet again to catch a fish.

Shune tilts her head to one side and then the other as she looks at a blue sphere with white clouds spiraling around on it. She had finally reached the planet, but now, where to land? Blast. Shune listened slightly to the splashes made by Eliya and then wondered if the Aquamarine had caught a fish for now it was silent and no splashes rang through the air. “Eliya?” Shune asked curiously twirling her chair around to see if the wyrm was there. Indeed Eliya was there, but she wasn’t holding a fish in her mouth, she was holding a piece of paper. “What?”

*I gave up on the fish thing so here’s your fish.* Eliya declared while setting the paper down. On it, Shune could see, was a small rough drawing of a fish.

Shune laughed. “Well done.”

*Soooo…* Eliya said. *Do I get my dessert?*

“Well,” said Shune, which made Eliya give her a classic sad pouting face. “Fine!” With that Shune looked to the ceiling and sighed. “You can have it. I’m sure you tried your best and you aren’t bored?”

*Nope. Now if you excuse me I’m going to eat my dessert then get misted.* Seconds later Eliya zipped out of a room where Shune had given her her promised dessert and Eliya pressed a button to mist the plants but moved the plants out of her way and instead got the mist sprayed onto her.

*Ahhh..* Eliya said. *Wonderful. So are we there yet?*

“Indeed yes we are. We have arrived at the planet.” Shune smiled at the wyrm who was now dashing off to get her pull-toy.

Returning back to get mist sprayed on her Eliya yawned and said, *Great. Now what?*

“Now we land then we pack and then we go off to find the stone.”

*Can I take the ship with me?*

“What?”

*Oh never mind, but if we are gone for a long time won’t my plants die? They need water! And I can’t let my pond get all messy with those stupid fish that won’t let me catch them. Blasted fish.* Eliya now slithered over to her fountain and sat next to it. *And my fountain!*

“Eliya. You said you wished to come with me on this journey. I can’t bring the ship everywhere we go, you must leave this behind or you can stay on the ship while I go out.”

*No. I said I’d go with you wherever you went, but I shall hope my plants do not die, my pond gets messy with the stupid fish, and that my fountain remains the way it is.* Nodding Eliya flutters her feathers and hisses slightly at them when she doesn’t get off the ground at all. *I want to fly!* She says with a growl. *Oh fiddle sticks why haven’t I grown yet!?*

“Okay Eliya. I’m going to be picking a spot to land now. Hopefully I can find one closest to where all of the tales of the stone have been located. Now calm down and don’t be scared.”

*Scared? Me? You must be mistaken I’m never scared.*

“Oh. Right. Sorry about that I must have gotten you confused with another Bishel wyrm.”

*Are you saying that I’ve been scared?!*

“I’m just kidding Eliya, I know you’ve never been scared.”

*Of course I haven’t! Now then, I must ask what am I to take?* Eliya wasn’t really asking Shune what she should take, she was actually asking herself.

“Anything you feel you have to take and can carry, I’ll carry some of your stuff for you I suppose, but not a lot. We won’t be gone forever Eliya,” said Shune answering Eliya’s question to herself anyway.

Eliya had scrambled off and soon a song was playing around the ship as she got around what she believed were necessities. Eliya actually ended up singing some of it to herself while making a pile of her things in the center of the ship. *Ah! Shune!* Eliya said suddenly with a worried look written across her small face. *What if the planet is one that is extremely dry and hot?*

“The place were the stone is located is actually a hot environment, why?” Shune asked Eliya gazing at the little one curiously while she too got her things around.

*I do not wish to be in such a place,* stated Eliya. *That is why.*

Shune frowned slightly then smiled at Eliya and said, “Do not worry dear. I shall find a way for you to stay cool and happy.”

Eliya wondered what Shune was talking about and how such a thing would be achieved, but she put the thought out of her mind and concentrated on other things. *Let’s see, what do I need now?*

Eventually Shune and Eliya were both ready to go. With the ship landed Eliya frowned as Shune lifted the wyrms small pack and put it in her own. *I should be carrying my own things.*

“It’s fine Eliya. Don’t worry about it.” Shune said smiling at her. “By the way, wait here for a second.” Shune off quickly and returned just a fast leaving Eliya’s head momentarily spinning. “Here!” Shune says putting a small object onto Eliya’s head. “This will keep you cool.”

*What is on my head?* Eliya asks as Shune leans over and presses a small button on the thing. Suddenly a small amount of mist sprays onto Eliya’s head. *Oh. Wonderful! Though if we find a small pond I can’t guarantee that I won’t leap into it to cool off even more. Oh how I wish I could fly into the sky so fast with the wind cooling me off.*

Shune sighs at Eliya and smiles, “You are a confusing one.”

*Thanks.*

“Come on now silly little Aquamarine Divine of mine, we must get searching.” Shune smiles. “If you like you may ride around my neck or in the pack instead of slithering.”

Eliya brightens up at this and says, *Okay!*

“You’ll have to have your head out if you ride in the backpack you know.”

*Yeah, yeah. I know.*

After Eliya was seated in the backpack with her curious head poking out of it and the mist spraying onto her face Shune opened the ships door and stepped outside. “Interesting,” says Shune while she steps onto the land and the door of the ship closes behind her.

Eliya raises her head to glance at the sky then looks around in search of any water or any sign of, well, anything! *It looks like Mars.* She states dully.

“Cheer up! Just because there aren’t any trees or water nearby doesn’t mean that we won’t find any! In fact there is a small town just a little ways away from here!”

*Water! Thirsty!*

“Thirsty? Already? Hang on Eliya it’s not a far walk to the town.”

*Okay.*

Once reaching the town Shune asks a small boy if there is an inn anywhere. Smiling at her he says, “Yup! Me show you!” Shune smiles at the boy who looks very human except for a couple strange spikes coming out of his arms here and there and one on the top of each shoulder. He takes off in a flash and Shune easily keeps up with him.

“Wonderful! Thank you.” Shune says smiling at the boy.

“Yup! One question though! Why you have weird lizard in backpack? Can I eat it?”

Eliya gapes at the boy. *NO YOU CAN’T EAT ME!* She bellows at him absolutely shocked. *I am a Bishel dragon named Eliya!*

The boy’s eyes go as widen a plates and he says, “Talking lizard! Me sorry!”

Shune immediately drops to her knees so that she can look into the boy’s eyes directly instead of looking down at him. “It is fine! She just didn’t like the thought of being eaten. Just as you wouldn’t like to be eaten right?” The boy nods. “I’m sorry if she scared you. Thank you again for bringing us to this inn.” Shune swings the backpack off of her back and brings out a small piece of bread. She holds it out to the boy and says, “Take this as an apology please?”

The boy’s frightened look vanishes and he takes the bread from Shune. “Thank you!” He cries happily and actually hugs Shune surprising her.

“You are welcome.” She stands and grins at him.

The boy then runs off and shouts over his shoulder, “Thank you again nice lady!”

Shune sighs as she sits onto a bed in the room she had just got. Eliya crawls straight to the bathroom and hops into the already filled bathtub. Shune had already asked it be filled with cold water for Eliya to splash in. *Ahh…* Eliya says. *Now what?*

“We search for the stone.” Shune states not knowing that outside her door is a listener.

*Now?!* Eliya asks fluttering her feathers after getting out of the water to sit on the side of the tub. She looks down at the drop and then to the bed where Shune is. *Hmm..*

“As soon as possible.”

Eliya nods, *Okay.* Then she shakes her feathers a bit more then she leaps off of the side of the bathtub flapping like mad. *Come on! I know I can fly. Please?* She says while trying to fly through the air. Slowly she wilts like a dead flower to the ground. *Why?* Eliya asks looking up at the ceiling. *Why?*

A knock interrupts Shune’s note of concern though and she instead says, “Yes? Come in.”

Into the room comes an old man leaning onto his walking stick. “Hello.” He says. “I heard you were looking for a stone, eh? Would that be the Riktosus stone you search for?”

“Um,.. yes.” Shune says.

“Do not bother! There is no such thing.” The old man declares.

“What?! No! But there has to be!” Shune says starting to go insane at being told this. Eliya meanwhile slips under the bed grumbling about being eaten.

The old man then bonks Shune on the head lightly with his stick. “Quiet girl!” He says. “Now. Tell me why you need the stone.”

“Than has died. Than was my friend and I am very sad, it was not his time to go.”

*A Hirgyae named Syl’Onora died too.* Eliya adds.

“Ahh. Voices from underneath! Come out dragon I won’t eat you!”

Eliya grumbles. *I won’t ask how you new I was a dragon, I won’t ask that oh no I won’t, but if you do try to eat me I will take you down!*

“Of course little one.” Eliya remains watching the man while he turns to Shune and says, “I will help you, I’ve been known to bring back a few in my days.”

“You can bring Than back?” Shune asks amazed.

“Give me a minute dear!” Then the old man closes his eyes and seems to concentrate while Eliya looks at him like he’s insane. Suddenly his eyes fly open, “Ahh, alas!” He says, “Your friend is not dead as you believed.”

“WHAT??!?!” Shune jumps up and continues, “Then where is he?” She asks now realizing that she had almost exploded at a poor old man who was trying to help her.

*He’s not dead!? But Shune saw him die!*

“No. I know where he is though.”

“Please! Tell me where he is!”

“Calm down girl! I shall! But I ask something in return. Before you go off in search of your friend I wish for you to take me to the planet Ihaut.”

Shune sits back down on the bed after getting a chair for the old man and says, “I shall. I will take you there as long as you promise me that you will tell me where to find Than.”

“Of course dear.”

*Don’t you be forgetting about me!*

The man smiles, “Yes, you too dear.”

*Dear?*

Shune sticks out her hand to shake the old mans saying that they have a deal. “When would you like to leave for Ihaut?”

“As soon as we can. I’m ready now.”

“Likewise!” Shune smiles.

*I’m ready to get off the desert planet as soon as I can!*

Not soon after this little meeting of the old man they were all walking to the ship or rather Shune and the man were walking, Eliya was comfortably sitting in the backpack. “My name is Ponto, by the way.”

“I am Shune and my companion here is Eliya.”

Ponto nods his hazel eyes holding wisdom within them. He yawns and scratches his white hair. “Well off we go then.”

“Yes.” Shune says. “Once again Eliya and I are off.”

*Yup. Back and forth this galaxy we go. When I get back to the ship I’m going to soak in the pond then fly around the ship.*

“You mean try to fly?”

*I shall fly one day! Or why would I have feathers?*

Shune smiles, “Well when I get back I’m going to set a course for Ihaut at the maximum speed.”

Ponto smiles, “I shall be standing or sitting somewhere awkwardly wondering what to say if anything.”

Shune laughs slightly. “Feel free to speak up with us, we shall not bite.”

*What she means to say is she won’t bite. Make me mad and I might. Hey! I rhymed! Anyways. Faster! I want my soak in the pond and fly around the ship!*

“Hush Eliya. We are the ones walking here, give us a little break.”

*I was just kidding. Okay, okay, off we go!* With that said Eliya now does a song of whistles, clicks, and occasional small, ‘Treee!’ sounds.

Shune smiles happily at Eliya then turns into her own thoughts. ‘Than is now dead, nor Syl’Onora and Eliya and I have a new friend. Things aren’t so bad after all.’ Shune smiles and briefly listens to Eliya talk with the man about her love of trying to flying and swimming. ‘She is growing, yes, but into what type shall she grow?’ Sighing Shune thinks again, ‘Things aren’t so bad after all.’