(Previously on TOF. Plot points) -Galonis revives Teuluar the vesuvius (Durahan/Dragon) and spotsaurian (Zuum/Hare) allies of his. They are brainwashed.

-Teuluar was an ancient soldier who fought Torrent, the evil stone dragon (See "Chapter 7")

-Tiger, Hopper and Moochi created the "Balsy Song" ;)

-Selon Rainforest used to be the home of intelligent monsters and human partners who knew how to read and write.

-The brainwashed Teuluar assumes that Tiger and Basilisk are attempting to invade his resting place and attacks

Chapter 10 Monster of the Zuum Race

It began to rain in Selon. As the droplets annoyingly hammered my black scales, my blood seethed, and I remained paralyzed while I watched the neck of Tiger being crushed between Teuluar's fiery iron gauntlet.

"OWW! Let go of me you big oaf! You're being controlled!" He cried.

"Still it boy! I won't ALLOW you to desecrate my resting place."

My jaw inclined. I slipped upon a dicey predicament I admit. Galonis's magic is powerful enough to even manipulate the heart of a great knight. Invading his resting place he said? Torrent Mountain or somewhere else?

My father is also a slave to that damned clown monster.

This was not right. That scum Galonis! He was cruel for what he did. First he turns my father into a slave and now he does the same to a warrior of justice, brainwashing him and saying that we are the bad guys.

"AHHHHHHH!"

"Give up now!"

Tiger continued to suffer and I have yet to mobilize into action. An abundant gust of breath rushed out from my lungs and through my nostrils, blending with the cool wind. The heart inside my chest compressed greatly--I was nervous. Teuluar's cluster of spotsaurians surrounded me, and glared at me viciously, ready to strike at any time.

They were brothers...sort of. They were zuums, and if I moved a step, they will fry me. They were determined to, I could sense it in their fierce hissing. Most zuums enjoyed battle.

The hoarse voice of the vesuvius boomed, "Time's running out patterned zuum!"

"Basilisk! Basi..lisk!"

Tiger's life was deteriorating. Was this rain a signal to his near death? The choice was now.

"Teuluar! Put him down! I want to talk to you!" I bet no one was expecting an answer like that. Since when was the "Zuum of Darkness" into negotiating?

"You want to talk to me?" Teuluar asked. Tiger grunted and twitched while hanging from the crimson dragon knight's grasp, almost out of life.

"Yes I do. Trust me. Aren't you not a warrior of honour?"

"I care NOT for honour, ebony scales! That I don't!" He replied. "We can engage in conversation while your friend is within my clutches."

I gulped. Was he kidding?! That long sleep must have made his head crusty. I thought Teuluar was a noble soldier of the ancient times. You know? The protector and role model of the weak plus the champion over evil forces? A typical paladin in a typical basic fairy tale? I didn't think that Galonis's power could destroy Teuluar's honour. Why was he behaving like this? Here is another question: What's wrong with ME? Why am I becoming so soft? The usual me would think: ~Hey! Let me just attack and everything will work out fine in the end~

That means I can attack Teuluar and with the potent endurance I have, I can handle the fireballs those spotsaurians shoot at me. Tiger might get hurt but he's strong and I'll know he'll make it. The hell with safety! Deal with the enemy before they deal with me. I was never serious with safety. I am the most reckless and most courageous warrior in Tiger's group of rebels.

Then again, there is Hopper, Celious and Tiger himself. Moochi is great but in my humble opinion, not THAT great. Yes, Tyrant is my buddy, and it's quite obvious that he's mighty. All of the golem species are giants, probably around fifteen feet tall. They are people of strength and defense, typically feared for their size but their SIZE makes them slow. I hate slow folks! Jeez hurry up, I wait for no one...but I like Tyrant because he helped me doing my darkest times. The times when I was truly alone. The times when Syler wiped my clan out. When he slaughtered my brothers and father, Tyrant took care of me and we became bonded.

That boy Hopper is like one and half feet tall. He only has fists as weapons and his speed is an advantage too. Hopper is adrenaline! He'll get up in your face and poke your eyes out. He'll do whatever to win--he'll even beat you in your sleep. Nah, that's more like me. He does, sometimes, back away from his opponent knowing he might not beat it and retreat, waiting for another chance. I like the guy because he shows you that size doesn't matter.

Now if there was one monster that really counterparts the crimson "dragon knight" that's before my eyes, it would be Celious. I've heard a few stories about the centaur people. Proud and just, the centuars were rare monsters who prided themselves to become coordinated warriors. Those were the old days though. They were noble heroes, famous, immortalized by memories and books. It's too bad, too too bad. We sure could more heroes like the centuars these days. Celious is just one--it's not enough.

Tiger is young and effervescent. He continues to grow and learn but I've never seen so much character development in a monster. Not even from my brothers. When I first met him, he was just a boy. He was the bravest boy I ever met, not even near a year old yet, fighting Moo. Moo was like the most dangerous monster that ever existed and all he cared was just the survival of his friends and oldest brother. He also cared for the monsters who has passed during that certain "war", including his other brothers (Daton, Yakuto, etc.), bless his heart. Tiger fought valiantly and I never realized it at first.

I was so blind, and so brash; my only goal was to make sure that Moo died. The same goes for Syler; I failed to defeat him. I didn't beat him, Skyfire did. He was burnt down to cinder and all I could do was watch. The immortal phoenix had more power than I possessed and I was truly upset.

I briefly praised Tiger in his victories...or did I even praise him at all? I only wanted to quickly advance further. Did I forget to mention that I was very skeptical? When I first met Hopper in that underground cavern, I thought he was one of Moo's minions, leading us into a trap. No big deal huh? I think so.

How did I ever gain everyone's friendship so quickly? Because I fought against Moo. Except Tyrant, am I really liked? Or am I just used a mighty weapon?

I never really had friends, because I what I am: A Basilisk. Half zuum, half joker. Zuum: Descendent of the dino monsters with dagger-like claws and teeth. Joker: Conjurer monster with a clown-like mask and uses an axe as a weapon. Basilisks are rare species that are the most violent, and most wild of the zuum race. It's true, that's what I am.

The most feared of the zuums. The most short-tempered.

The most hated, the most difficult, the most belligerent.

The most......

****** Ugly!

He looks dangerous!

He looks like a bloody killer.

More like a demon.

He's fine!

I was just an infant.

I remember the first day that I was born, or "unlocked". My father was four years old; my brothers murmured words of negativity and distrust when they first saw me. Discomfort really, for they never seen a black zuum with gray eyes, a devilish spade on it's tail and grayish patterns all over it's body before. A beast so evil looking; I walked towards Wildsaurian, who was destined to be my father, and he lowered his snout to nuzzle my face in greetings. Before he reached me, his subordinates backed up hissing and waving their foreclaws in front their snouts. They were disgusted of me. I remember father's golden irises moving to the corners of his eyes, watching them.

"Stop that! Come and greet our new family member. If you don't, you'll have more worse things to be afraid of." The round irises in his eyes flicked a golden hue; my older brothers gasped, hunched their bodies and moved forward. At that time, my hinge-like ankles were weak and my balance was unstable. As my brothers came forward, I fell on my back, surprised at how giant everyone was.

I purred playfully as my body became nuzzled by zuums. Father's snout rubbed up my grayish belly; my brothers took turns, nuzzling my head and neck. Father was the only one who understood me in the beginning, and it took years for my brothers to get used to me. It happened, and I was finally seen as a family member.

Up until that beast Syler the death dragon showed up. Now, I have no true family.

******

"Hey! Wake up!" The knight yelled.

"OOOWW! Let go you tin can!" Tiger yelped.

"Silence boy!"

I snapped out of my distraction and narrowed my eyes at Teuluar. No more procrastinating. I bent my legs, flicked my tail then dashed towards the enemy knight. The spotsaurian troops spat out their fireballs. I felt the heat at the tip of my tail then quickly leaped forward, bending my head. I bashed my head into the knight's torso, his grip loosens, and Tiger's throat is freed. Teuluar screamed, staggered, then fell on his back. I hastily leaped to the side, dodging the fireballs; they flew by the fallen Teuluar. Tiger landed on his side, outside of the spot saurian circle, coughing. Prodigious charge attack!

The spotsaurians gasped in fright.

"LORD TEULUAR!!" One cried.

"Are you alright Tiger?" I softly asked, walking towards the blue wolf monster. His mane was crumpled. He slowly got up, letting out his last coughs. "I'm cool!" He smiles. "I thank you. Took long. That's not like you Basilisk, stalling like you were. What happened?"

"Humph!" I shrugged my shoulders then turned away. The "usual" me. Tiger laughed.

"No one does that to me!" Teuluar said. He was getting up, his sword in hand. I growled. "Tiger don't hold anything back on this guy!"

"Huh?"

"He's no longer the hero that he used to be. He's been corrupted by Galonis's dark power." The knight stood up straight and I closed in for an attack, flashing my teeth at him. Now, he'll die for hurting MY friend.

"HOLD ON!" Tiger cried out. I paused then turned my head to Tiger, blinking.

"He's too strong!" Tiger said. "We need a new plan. Just using our attacks head on just won't work."

"Drat!" I growled. Tiger was right. Teuluar was powerful. Teuluar's attacks could cancel our own. And I think that sword of his can deflect as well. Now, Tiger and I fought Sir Knight Hound. He was part durahan as well. If I could only remember...oh great, I'm doing it again! Thinking of a plan! Forget a plan Basilisk, just attack! Things will work out later.

The troop of spotsaurians sprang forward to cover the distance between us and orb us for the next attack.

"Whachu ya'll standin' dere for?" A voice out of nowhere said. That voice was familiar to me. Sounded elderly and feminine. Tiger and I looked up and a swift shadow soared above the saurians and us. It dimmed our vision for a second, and as soon as it passed, we saw light again. Kind of like dawn to dusk, but in a matter of seconds. Heheh.

"AUGH!" Teuluar yelped. His sword dislodged from his hands, spun midair and landed onto the moist grass a far distance. The spotsaurians gasped. Tiger and I motioned our heads down and towards the knight, who was on the ground again. The "shadow" landed in front of the knight and looked down at him.

My eyes widen as I stuttered. "It's--it's!"

"Who is that?" Tiger asked.

Another one of my kind that's who it was. A zuum with black eyes and matted pink and peach fur, dripping wet from the still falling rain. Although it didn't have any wings, this species was called the fariesaurian, part zuum and part pixie. "HALSHA IT'S YOU!"

The female zuum turned her reptilian head around to face me. She smiles at me and finally speaks. "Kid! I'll get ta you in a moment. Also, keep in mind that you owe me a massage."

I blinked my eyes in confusion. "Massage? Why?"

Halsha's knees and spindly shanks began to wobble. "Because! Because I haven't made a move like that in a long time." She snarls.

Oh I see now, heh. She needs me to "relax" her. I felt my blood getting thin already. About to...pass out.

"Hey Basilisk! Basilisk?!" Tiger called out.

I shook my head then blinked. "Huh?"

"You okay?" Tiger asked me, with one brow raised. "Your face look red and puffy. Plus, your eyes were getting pink and bubbly or something. Are you getting sick?"

"Humph! I'm fine!" I said and turned away, again, to hide my "weakening" emotions. After I did, I listened to Halsha who was speaking to the fallen knight.

"I heard everything! Teuluar I want you to think on what you're doing." I guess this begins Halsha's parley with Teuluar. "You are a knight who prides on valor. A dark magic is consuming you and everything you have. I can't believe some clown, like Galonis would easily control a strong monster like you. Don't believe in just words, follow your heart. Basilisk is not here to invade anyone's resting place, he's a good monster. No, a great monster, I love him. He's here to rescue us; Teuluar, you're quite pathetic in your current state."

"Love you?" Tiger blinked his wet eyes and turned to face me. I didn't pay any attention to him though, I was paying attention to HER. My head turned and my eyes locked on the old fairysaurian, who apparently...admired me! I never thought I would feel this way.

Wait a minute! Why the hell is she even here?! I'm not thinking straight.

Regardless of my....stupid infatuation, my legs sprang out of their internal spasms and mobilized. I walked over to the side of the other zuum, continued to listen, and stared upon the downed crimson knight.

"What--What who...where?" He mumbled. The oval eyes inside of his draconic-shaped helmet flickered. Teuluar was returning to normal I assumed. Galonis's spell was fading.

I became consumed by anger.

"Teuluar where's my father," I asked looking down at him. "I want to know NOW!"

"Wildsaurian ye mean?"

"Yes you damned oaf! Where is he?!"

"He's at Torrent Mountain."

"Oh is he? I want you get your ass up and take me to him NOW!"

The fairiesaurian right beside me gasped, "Take you to Wildsaurian? Why?"

Tiger added, "By yourself? Are you nuts Basilisk? We're suppose to go to Torrent Mountain together."

"SHUT UP! Both of you!" Unconsciously I snapped, and swerved my head to face the old pink/peach zuum and then to Tiger after her. "Get out of here both of you!" I dictated, and looked back down at Teuluar. Just in case, I swerved my semi-invisible pupils to the side, and at the corner of my eye I saw the fairiesaurian not moving. Halsha's chest slowly rose and lowered. The breathing from her nostrils was inaudible. Silently, she gave me that worrisome look, her eyes glazed.

"Take Tiger with you, and leave!" I whispered.

Halsha gave me a rueful stare. ".......Basilisk."

My heartbeat labored. It felt so strange. I was unnecessarily being hard on her, and Tiger. I hissed. "I don' want to see you or Tiger again until this is over!" So hard, was I thinking straight? Did I want to see my father?

Is this what I really wanted I ask myself?

"Basilisk....." Finally, I heard a sigh. Halsha turned and walked away. As she did, she murmured, "What are you doing?"

She was utterly surprised I could tell. My pupils return to the centers of my eyes, and I look back down at Teuluar. "Will you get up and take me to Wildsaurian? You will take me there and leave is that clear? NO FREAKING QUESTIONS!"

The bold red knight lifted from the sticky mud ground slowly. He couldn't hurry with the armoured frame of his I could understand, and I remained patient. As he reached his full stature, he looked down at me. I looked up at him, staring at the eyes and the liquid rivulets that rolled down it's helmet and body. Yes this is what I want. I wanted to see Wildsaurian, the death warrior of the swamplands, my father. I bet the knight sensed my determination.

Teuluar spoke. "Spotsaurians here to me. Off to Torrent Mountain. Female zuum and canine, you stay!" After commencing the order, the scarlet vesuvius turned and walked away; the spotsaurians that surrounded Tiger and Halsha broke off from their circle and followed their Lord.

.....I followed.

"BASILISK DON'T!" Tiger cried out to me.

"Tiger no!"

"We got to get the others!"

I didn't pay any attention to any one of them. I just followed the knight and his zuum comrades to the mountain, where my father awaited me.

Father. Why? When you were murdered, I was left alone to renovate my life, repressing the grief that continued to put me down for minutes, for hours, for days. I sought revenge; Syler died once year, but it wasn't me that avenged you. Now you're alive, and turned against me.

I want to see you, my father, again.

And without any interference, I'm going to change you back to the greatest father that I have ever known. If I can't, no matter what, I'm going to stay with you.

======

Determined, Basilisk is going to confront his father, the death warrior Wildsaurian, alone. Tiger and Halsha seeks the rest of the rebel party. Was the zuum of darkness really know what he's doing? Find out next time on "Tiger of Freedom", the conclusion of the Wildsaurian Arc.

(This chapter was suppose to be a bit longer but I'll save the best...for the last chapter of the Wildsaurian arc.)

NOTE: This conclusion to the Wildsaurian arc seems slightly "yaoi", angst, morbid, a little insane, anti-dragon (including Moo), anti-teamwork and anti-human. It's also very long but I really enjoyed typing it, I really did ^^. You guys deserved it. You should like this chapter if you like zuums (BTW, "zoku" means "race").

=====================

(Last time on T.O.F) Halsha here, and the previous episode was short. It's okay though, because you're in for a great conclusion to this arc. Basilisk and Tiger was battling Teuluar the vesuvius warrior. Undergoing rare emotions, Basilisk didn't want to harm his friend Tiger, who was literally hanging by the neck. He however managed to ram the knight, dodge the fireballs from the spotsaurians and save Tiger from being choked to death. And that's when I came in. Still grieving about his father on the evil side, Basilisk told us to go away and went with Teuluar to Torrent Mountain. Can you believe it? I don't! I THINK that's it. Oh well, anyway, we must finish Wildsaurian and move on to the next monster lord. Although Basilisk said not to follow him, the good guys plotted to do so anyway. Let's go!

Chapter 11 Father & son reunited; Selon embraces the light (Author Definition: "The Zuum Chapter")

Tyrant, Mocchi, Hopper and Celious quizzically hummed at the exhausted trio of monsters panting in front of them, whom had escaped a short-lived "captivity" from the enemy. They were in disbelief.

"What?!"

"Basilisk's gone again chi?"

Minutes had passed after Basilisk departed with Teuluar and the spotsaurians. Tiger, Mocchi and Halsha met up with the rest of the group, lined up together in an array and panting heavily. The fairiesaurian breaks the order by collapsing onto the grass, her dark eyes arc. "I'm damned pooped!"

“So he’s gone,” Celious trotted towards Halsha, tapped the ground with the butt of his spear and gestured his head downward to look at the old saurian in suspicion, "and who might you be ma'am? A Wildsaurian troop?" He questioned in a surly tone.

"Keep...it down." Halsha replied then closed her eyes. A loud snort escaped her nostrils.

"I'll finish," Tiger said, a grin curling up his black jawline, "her name is Halsha, and she is Basilisk's friend that we were told about. She saved us from Teuluar."

The grayish furred Hopper gave off a scatter-brained look. "Teuluar?!"

"And where did Basilisk go?" Tyrant added.

"I'll explain," Tiger raised his white muzzle, stares at everyone above him and blurted out the entire truth, "since we teased Basilisk earlier with the "Balsy Song", I decided to take him for a walk to ease him. All I tried to do was calm him down so he wouldn't be so tense in fighting his father. Basilisk and I were searching for a way to get to Torrent Mountain, that being Wildsaurian's lair. We came up to this intersection sign but the problem is we couldn't read, and so we had to guess. We were going to come and get you guys but that's when Teuluar and his spotsaurians attacked us. Evidently they wanted to kill us because they were Galonis's goons, but not only that they were risen souls. THEY thought we were going to desecrate their holy place."

Everyone...looked shocked and dumfounded, oddly at the same time.

Tiger continued, "SOOO we fought Teuluar and his saurians. Then suddenly shadows of Wildsaurian and Galonis appear. Lightning and fireballs shot both Basilisk and me, and I get grabbed by the neck! Basilisk procrastinated and attempted to reason with Teuluar. But then he rammed into Teuluar, and then Halsha came to speak to him. After she did, Basilisk yelled at Halsha saying that he don't want to see her or me again, and that he was going to Torrent Mountain on his own. He followed Teuluar and his spotsaurian group en route Wildsaurian's lair! Also, Halsha says she loves Basilisk. Okay, did you guys catch that?"

"..................."

There was silence. Tiger tilts his head quizzically, "....what? That's what happened!"

"Are you JOKING chi?!?! Basilisk just left like that?"

"S-s-start all over," Hopper stuttered and pointed at Tiger. "Start over! Tell us again!"

"Yes chi, tell us--

The sapphire hairs of the 1-year-old's mane raised. "TELL YOU AGAIN," Tiger retorted. "WE DON'T HAVE TIME! BASILISK IS GOING TO TORRENT MOUNTAIN AND WE GOTTA HELP HIM!"

Celious bared his white teeth, SO, his grief caused him to betray us? That is not allowed in THIS war.

******

Thunder roared and lightning illuminated the sky and the stretching path tucked in between the rainforest.

I'm coming!

"After him!"

The rain had yet to recede, and time continued to elapse.

He was way in front, way past in front of the monster troupe in which he followed, whilst dragging his guilty feet on the moist rainforest grasses; heavy raindrops continued to fall from the steel firmament, slash through foliage and pound on the earth. Teuluar and the spot saurians' laboured breathing resonated through the forest as they chased after their "reconciled prisoner".

"Torrent Mountain is just at the western end of this forest, and so is--" That's all it took.

He scampered, leaving lengthy strides behind him, and prints; Teuluar's eyes could not keep up with the deceptive speed, caught off guard by the black carcass bolting away from him, and then blinded by the stream of smoke. He, an ancestor of elite durahan warrior monsters, cursed deeply at himself for being successfully turned off by a pathetic zuum monster, when he dealt with even bigger problems such as an evil stone dragon. He escaped without taking retaliation, violating the knight's prodigious sense of pride and honour. Composure.

To think he was weak, yelling at his friends intentionally so that he could see his father again. But no, he wasn't weak and wasn't unintelligent either like a typical zuum.

The hardened Basilisk wasn't a typical zuum; he was a subbreed, and a unique one. Being half joker meant he was chaotic and selfish, guile and dangerous like a fox. Also like every half joker, he was intelligent. Basilisk was intelligent enough to escape from the prominent Teuluar and his half-hare minions. Intelligent enough to make him seethe, even if his crimson armour soaked under the rain.

The force of his scrambling feet splashed up mud, which stained above his calves, his cheeks and even his front gray claws. Sentinel pines and the clear road in front of Basilisk stretched behind him as he ran. The whirl of rain slammed into his hard face, his grayish eyes and bared fangs. Basilisk WILL get what he wants without disturbance, and what he wanted was his loving father, in which he long lost about three or four years ago to a dragon of the same joker subbreed.

A tremor passed through him. Even if it kills the zuum of darkness, he would see his daddy again.

I'm coming! I'm coming! I'm coming! I'm coming!

Basilisk's mind and emotions fluctuated. Anger, sadness, confusion; he was quicker than the dragon knight and his spotsaurians, and made a pretty damn long distance between him and the charmed monster troupe. All he needed was directions. He didn't need a guide the whole way. The zuum thought aloud, "What will I say to him?"

It wasn't long until he reached his trajectory. Clear liquid rivulets slid down from his jagged horns to his snout. The water, and a forested-like scent absorbed through his stimulating nostrils as he breathed heavily. That smell was very familiar, fragrant like ripe mangos and delightful. It gave Basilisk more breath to carry on further, more energy to sustain the rain and the burning of sore feet.

The zuum's jawline curled up into a grin.

Galonis's wicked stratagem of having a once dead wildsaurian under an evil spell, and used against his son, succeeded.

In retrospect, Basilisk thinks of his past; the Wildsaurian Pack, their values and their strengths. He was a member; the pack had not seen too much battle in the three years since it's formation. Wildsaurian gathered the pack with a single claw, trespassing onto other zuum lands, dubbed as a "lone wolf", and challenging those on sight. He beat the best of the best, and gained their friendship. That's how the Pack was formed.

The Wildsaurian tribe flourished through the seasons. Wildsaurian's reign as leader over them was complete and stoure up until his death. The pack was a force to be reckoned with; many other packs feared them and disseminated across the planet, automatically giving up their lands to them. The zuums would steal food from human villages, even from other monsters. That's what being wild was all about. They were disloyal rogues, renegades of the human world; the born and inducted were taught these experiences--Basilisk is an example.

"The human was too strict; I was taken to a damned errantry every two months."

"I was abandoned!"

"My trainer was weak. I kept losing matches."

"I never got around much so I ran away."

"My trainer never played with me."

"I never got any treats after all the hard work.

"We monsters have more of a personality than those humans do."

Ireful zuums they were, growing accustomed to wildlife and carrying a lifelong grudge against the so-called superior species. They could struggle and prove that they were far more advanced in characters than the sapiens.

"I never agreed on ourselves being 'pets' to the mammals."

Obviously, they were unfortunate zuums. They never witnessed the ranchers who knew the true way of training; the ones who knew of the true monsters: "friends", "family members".

Basilisk and his pack were poisoned, spoiled in misunderstanding.

Here are a few things that Basilisk wondered throughout his life about his father: WHO unlocked him? Where did he come from? Did he belong to a human monster trainer of a ranch?

Wildsaurian never mentioned to his pack about what happened before he was lone zuum. All monsters were "born" (or should it be released) from shrine disks, Basilisk knew. He always remembered the push of the panel, and the disk would swirl. When it did it would shine, then form into a monster. Basilisk remembers all of that; zuums were taken into the pack while others were abandoned; Wildsaurian had to have a childhood history. His childhood past remained a clandestine matter to his pack.

Finally, Basilisk spots a rise in the earth. It was a hill; the trees were fully left behind. With all he had left, he dashed up the bluff until he reached the crest, panting a few times then bending his head to look down. The zuum gazed upon a mountain with a gaping cave of teeth. The lightning formed a flickering eerie halo around the mountain, the thunder boomed afterward, causing the zuum to flutter his eyes.

Basilisk held in his breath, great place for a zuum tribe. Basilisk slowly elevated his head, his gaze still on the structural-like mountain. The mouth of the cave looked almost like a maw of a gargantuan beast that became frozen into the mountain. Judging by its distinguishing features, Basilisk assumed that this was the lair of his father.

Mountains

Wildsaurian acknowledged to the pack that he had a reverence for mountains, even if the others showed a bit of a discontent for them. They found their ambiance creepy and dirty. Wildsaurian said that most of them are roomy and could fit even many dragon monsters, or perhaps golems; whatever his role model/father liked, so did Basilisk.

"This must be it! It MUST BE!" Basilisk murmured.

The flagrant scent that he savoured during running became stronger. A zuum's sense of smell was sensitive; Basilisk remembered how sweet his father smelled, the smell of forest pine perhaps. As a youngling, everytime he would wake up, that was the first thing he would smell: Pine, and the smell of fish or even mangoes after that. His father greeted him, the sight of his illuminating rotund yellow eyes breaking through the dimness as the fatigued Basilisk gradually lifted his eyelids. The delicious treat in his mouth. Basilisk was accustomed to Wildsaurian giving him food, only up until he was ten months old when he was taught the way of hunting.

His grin disappears. Basilisk closed his eyes. Even though he was alive, it's like his father's very supernatural soul embraced him. He began to remember: dark green scales, flashing amber eyes, gray claws and teeth, a deep and demanding voice.

Basilisk's eyes shot open; apparently, this was Torrent Mountain. Even after the grieving issues, the zuum/joker oddly felt rejuvenated.

It is HIM! POPS!

The time would finally come when he can see the beautiful face of his father again. Basilisk titled his reptilian head back, flexed his forearms and claws, and excitedly cried out in the air, "DDAAAAAADDDD!!!!"

******

DADDY!

The cry of a youngling had awoken Wildsaurian to the thundering and harsh weather; the lightning and the incandescent golden glow from his eyes moonlit the dwelling of the evil zuums. His narrow gaze catches Amethyst and Noblesaurian standing over the gaping cave hole of Torrent Mountain.

"Wildsaurian? Are you alright?" asked the lavender-scaled zuum.

"Of course." The zuum lord squared his shoulders, lowering the numbness. He rolled and got onto his two feet, tilting his head side to side, ridding the slight spasms in his neck. "Ugh," He grunted, stretching his arms forward. "there we go!" A smile curled around the maws of the two zuum cronies .

Wildsaurian fluttered the wavering out of his vision. The rain made him drowsy. He uttered to his two comrades, and they heard, "I had a dream?"

"A dream sir?" Noblesaurian quizzically titled his head to the side like a confused pet dog.

"About my son Basilisk, and the death dragon Syler. How I first met both..."

A bit rare for a zuum to remember dreams, dreams usually toppled down into nothing; Wildsaurian abruptly hemmed and scratched his throat. It was of no importance, and showed no vantage tactic on how to defeat Tiger and his friends. He admitted that they were tougher than thought, but Teuluar will most likely beat them. Vesuvius monsters were a rare species and were a higher class than the purebred durahans, half knight, half reptile god; a perfect combination of defense, speed, skill, intelligence and power.

"Nevermind," Wildsaurian shrugged if off, then asked, "you awoke before me?"

"Yes sir, and we're sorry," The nagasaurian apologetically nodded. "but we heard this yell outside of the cave and--"

"HEY!" A yell, following a roar broke through the conversation. Someone was here, but it wasn't Teuluar or his saurian troops, by either scent or sound. The alienating voice was modern, a bit more demanding, other than the durahan/dragon's canyon-deep medieval voice; the zuums smelled fresh mud. Wildsaurian's amber eyes expanded in surprise; the nagasaurian and the noblesaurian twisted their s-shaped necks and darted an abrupt glance at the cave mouth, snarling ferociously. A standing tall body of a theropod loomed over the mountain's threshold at the start of the lair's corridor.

Amethyst the nagasaurian snapped, "HEY! Trespasser! Leave or die!"

"You better leave or die! This is between me and your boss!" The protesting voice yelled back. The lightning flashed and lit up the cave once again; the distanced body was revealed, black scales, and covered in trailing white patterns. The narrow eyes were pitch black. The claws were steel gray; the lighting disappeared and the theropod fades into darkness. However, he remained in his position.

Wildsaurian gasped---It was the zuum/joker, his beloved son, "Basilisk!"

~He beat Teuluar the Vesuvius?!?!?!~

The blackness in Basilisk's eyes flickered light. "Father!" He uttered.

At last he found him, and he couldn't believe it. His big three-fingered claws cringed in anger; Amethyst and Noblesaurian whirled entirely around and hunched their bodies, roaring at the shadowed Basilisk. The reunion would begin, but only until his father's "henchmen" were defeated. They were in his way, they concealed his father's beautiful green image. In his mind, Basilisk assumed that they were his father's greatest warriors, but they had no play in this meeting. They weren't important, they weren't needed. Those zuums were pretty much like those other damned goons back in the forest: the black rex troops, the scaled worms that poisoned Tiger, Teuluar the vesuvius and the spotsaurians. They were just being used, they were just protective dogs. Basilisk was disgusted by both of the inferior zuums, and they had to be eliminated .Otherwise, they would interfere.

"I had to go through A LOT of misery and RAIN just to reach here. You two better get out of here right now!" The fearless zuum of darkness bared his fangs. A low growl bellowed out from the pit of the zuum's throat. He hunched over and stormed toward his dearest father giving him a belligerent gaze. He was ready to do combat.

The nagasaurian hissed at the approaching black zuum, "Go to hell you abominable zuum!"

"We cannot allow you to go any further." Noblesaurian added.

Wildsaurian's eyes narrowed. He looked at his son, almost impassively. Mentally, the old zuum inquired, ~Why are you here?~

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" The black zuum barked.

Both the purple and gold/white zuums sprinted forward and opened their raptor-like chops, revealing their rows of white teeth. Basilisk stopped and allowed his evil kin to cover distance. The black zuum examined them both. Amethyst was of the violent nagasaurian (zuum/naga) race, known for their violet armored scales and orange eyes similar to that of their naga ancestors. The nagasaurians, regardless of their low intelligence, has fine sustenance to blows and skill.

Noblesaurian is half zuum and half gali, and intelligence like Basilisk himself. Being half gali, the noblesaurians are more good-natured. They have beautiful vanilla scales, a large spot of gold/blue on their backs and golden eyes. Humans of noble status use them as a symbol. Bleech! Perhaps Wildsaurian picked him to be one of the best because of his loyalty. They weren't exactly built for great combat in Basilisk's opinion.

As they reached the couple of meters before Basilisk, both Amethyst and Noblesaurian sprang their legs upward, kicked the cave ground and leaped into the air with their claws splayed and stretched downward. Their jaws chopped. Basilisk lifted his head and watched the claws diving towards his head. He grumbled.

"Alas, you will finally die!"

"Our jumping claw attacks will get rid of you in one hit fledgling!"

Wildsaurian watched. His amber eyes flashed.

"DIE!"

*****

You're crying....

Go away golem monster!

Why are you here alone?

Are you hard of hearing?! I said go away!

Come with me. I'll keep you out of the rain.

I don't want any help. I can survive on my own.

Although he was the last one in the line, Tyrant dashed on across the forest road; Tiger was in front, and traced the tracks in the mud that Basilisk's feet made impressions in, blended with vesuvius and spotsaurian tracks. "Yeah, he went this way! And I think he's being followed."

Carrying his heavy spear over his shoulder, Celious trotted, surprisingly keeping up with Tiger who was in front of him; Hopper clutched on Celious's waist as he rode on the centuar monster. The next down in line was Mocchi then Halsha.

Mocchi panted, "Chi, chi, chi!"

"Aye, he went this way alright," Halsha said smiling. "I know his scent well. My cave where I first met him is filled with his great aroma."

Hopper rolled his eyes; Tyrant began to have another flashback:

Why are you saving me? My father said zuums only stick with other zuums.

That's not true, why won' t you come with me and I'll help you.

Don't you TOUCH me!

Ugh!

I will be able to bite through steel one of these days.

Stop fighting me! I only want to help you.

I don't want your goddamned help! Don't you understand that yet?

STOP!

They killed them, they killed them all!

Tyrant sighed. He remembered those gloomy days, when Basilisk became an orphan. The murderous death dragon that killed Basilisk's wild zuum-zoku was too a rare species, and he was a slave under Moo; Basilisk soberly, and angrily asked to be left alone, clipping his jaws on the red golem's hand out of fear and grief. The zuum was, still is actually, stubborn; as Tyrant ran, he shook his head, imagining the carnage Syler placed on the tribe.

He could just imagine how saddened Basilisk was: The throng of flying jaggernauts, the torn flesh of the zuums, the whiteness in their eyes, Basilisk's fear; Smoldering trees and copious amounts of lost disk stones surrounding the zuum as he awoke from unconsciousness.

The shaken Basilisk was cautioned to go alone in the forest; Tyrant was alone as well, and didn't mind to have a friend hanging around him. The zuum embraced his large leg, and accepted pairing with him.

I-I'm sorry! I won't bite you ever again. It's just--

Just what?

Everyone I know and love has been slaughtered.

By what if I may ask?

A dragon, made of bones. And, flying stagbeetle monsters.

"TYRANT!" A voice cried out. Tyrant shook his head and stared at Celious's back. Hopper was glancing at the golem over his shoulder. "You okay?"

"Um, yes."

"Clear up and cheer up. We'll get your friend and we're going to save him from Lord Wildsaurian."

Tyrant nodded his head quietly. He hoped the rodent monster was right. This was Basilisk's father he was fighting after all. What would his feelings be?

******

"But, why?"

"I made an official desicion."

Basilisk stood frozen with his eyes wide regarding his father fearfully, and his jaw dropped; Wildsaurian began to walk toward his son with his still narrowed eyes, swinging his arm and slashing through the concrete off of the pair of smoldering lost disk stones he passed. Pebbles flew, hit the ground and roll in front of Basilisk's feet.

The lightning flashed again, long enough for Basilisk to clearly see the deep claw marks on the lost disk stones, the smoke rising from them and the dangerously yellow glow in his father's eyes. Basilisk's breath became inaudible. The zuum before him was definitely his father Wildsaurian. Strong, green and protective, the true leader of the zuum-zoku, that died fighting the now dead Devious Dragon Four member, Syler. The dragon Basilisk vowed on destroying for so long, the dragon he had a tight grudge on. It was still unbelievable that his father was RIGHT there, standing in the flesh and moving. Wildsaurian waved his claw around after slashing the lost disks. "Why are you here by yourself? You have friends with you do you not? You're going to vanquish me by yourself?"

Basilisk took in breath soundlessly. Finally, the black zuum spoke, inquiring his father, "Why...why did you kill them?" suddenly his face morphs into a hard, angry shape. "and what the hell is this official desicion? You attacked my friends with your goons and blasted me with your fireball. " The zuum's dark eyes narrowed and his teeth locked together. A trilling, angry growl sharply passed through Basilisk's fangs audibly and was sent to the treacherous zuum, like an emphatic threatening message.

Wildsaurian remained still, his eyes glowing. He softly said, "No one is going to kill my son."

That was it? In surprise, Basilisk jerked his head back and raised up his jaws. The eyes widened again; he barked, "WHAT?!"

Wildsaurian kept quiet and turned his head, his snout pointing at the lost disk stones that no longer smoked. Amethyst and Noblesaurian were smote down by a sudden and unnoticed relentless fire breath attack, caused by their lord himself. He took down his best zuums, zuums known for their rectitude. Basilisk was still surprised, a cold sweat trickling down his head; Wildsaurian turned back to him, "I'm asking for a reconcilement."

Basilisk became silent again, and just listened. He was triggered by curiousity, wondering what his father meant. What was he up too, Basilisk thought.

"Your heart is under a mixing struggle," the green zuum said, "and you are not sure if you want to kill me or not. You are not sure if you want to join me or not, even after the tragedy and suffering you've been through .You want peace instead of evil, but I'm filled with Galonis's evil. I am Lord of the rainforests and swamps. This region remains unstable and haunted as long as I am present here. You want to stop me because I am one of Galonis's flunkies right? But you can't fight me because I am your father right? But you need to stop me in order to change everything back normal, and the next three lords after me right?"

"I-I....." The black zuum's six front claws fidget.

Wildsaurian's long jawline curls into a smirk, and he scoffed at his son "what's wrong boy? Can't stand a ghost of a chance?"

Basilisk jolted his neck forward and snapped his jaws at the green zuum, "STOP pissing me off! Stop it! Don't mock my emotions!"

Then suddenly, Basilisk gasps. The glow in Wildsaurian's eyes became hemmed in blood red. This was something Basilisk never seen before. A sight of evil, an evil soul was consuming his father, dark magics. A terrorist, a tormentor; Wildsaurian chuckled, and spoke in a deep bone-chilling voice that echoed through Basilisk's ears, "I want you to be with my best zuum again, Basilisk my son, my best buddy. Replace Noblesaurian and Amethyst; better yet...replace Durahan as one of the Death Warrior Five. Reunite with me and make me happy again. Restore life to our zuum-zoku in which we loved."

"Restore them?!" Basilisk jumped back into sanity. He snarled, "I would never want the tribe to become resurrected and end up like you. Resurrected into this gloomy hell place. We were life-filled monsters and we enjoyed ourselves. My TRUE father wouldn't believe in all of this."

"Exactly! I want to enjoy life again, as a family." One of Wildsaurian's bloodshot eyes winked. Basilisk gasped; the green zuum continued, "Don't you remember our beautiful family? Don't you remember how close were were? How flourished we were? Doesn't it break your heart that we are now a weak race, our promises now broken into useless fragments? Don't you remember how the beaclon monsters and their dragon leader assaulted and killed us?"

"I don't WANT to remember!" The zuum/joker vehemently yelled at his evil father. The slaughtering of the zuum-zoku lingered fresh in his mind, and the same goes for Wildsaurian. It hurt by the mentioning of it, just nagged him up to the point where he felt like exploding; the hammer bashing the iron treasure chest, demanding it to open up and reveal it's contents. It was encroaching secrecy, personal space.

"You will remember," Wildsaurian hissed, "I want you to blend in with my memories. I want you to remember how sad I was. I am so glad that you lived. I proved to be a great father, sacrificing my life to save you from the death dragon. With Gray Wolf and Tiger, you fought with Syler to have your revenge. You did that cause you loved me."

"How did you k---ugh?" Suddenly, an aura of red enemy encircled the stunned zuum/joker. Portions of that dreadful day gradually began to return. Basilisk clutched his head with his claws and reared his head back, roaring loudly in mental pain. "DOONNN'T!!!"

"Remember the pain. Once you do, you will want to stay with me instead of hurt me. Remember your brothers, remember our demises, and remember your desperation. You were the toughest zuum in our tribe and I thank the heavens that you lived, even after Syler knocked you out."

******

The tragedy occurred back at the tribe lair, at Wildsaurian's homecoming, when he announced the trouble of the difficulty in catering the pack. The purebreds of the pack crowded around as they assimilate the scent of their leader approaching. Once he arrived, the old zuum would first sight the arcing group of his curious, severely hungry kin.

"Rei! Rei! Wake up you lazy bones."

Kazuharu the purebred zuum stared at his face reflecting off the luster on Rei's shadowy scales. Rei was a blacksaurian, a fashionable zuum that is half monol and one of the half-breeds who were members of the Wildsaurian Tribe.

"Get up, Wildsaurian's coming," The green pure zuum said, pecking the blacksaurian's side with his snout, "wake-up!"

The ashen-scaled Rei raised from his curled position, stretched out his neck and tail, twisted his head and yawned. He lifted up until he stood up straight. Rei stared at his comrade. "What is it Kazuharu? Is everyone else up? What's going on?"

"Wildsaurian is coming home with a report about the scarce food amounts," The zuum shook it's head, "it must be those stinking dragons! Damnit, do we have to move again?"

The pack, devoid of females, settled in a large glade encompassed by sentinel pine foliage; a clear lake stood around the margin of the opening. It was a lake large and deep enough to feed the bellies of two zillas and the water was fresh as a waterfall's. They came here when their previous cave dwelling were captured by purebred dragons. Vengeance was plotting but they had yet to make a move. The irritating dragons were far more powerful in strength and were intimidating and large. Wildsaurian had to plan his missions very carefully to avoid deaths to his loving clan, which he single-handedly formed.

Rei motioned his head toward the brim of the lake, staring at another zuum. Judging by its azure and white furred body, and the small white horn protruding out of its forehead, it too was a mixbreed. It was another comrade. "Sergei, save some will you," Rei called out. "and hurry up!"

"In a minute!" Sergei, a houndsaruian (zuum/tiger) bent over and lapped at the surface of the lake. The gushes of water cleansed the insides of his mouth and swirled down his throat. It was the houndsaurian's custom to speed towards the lake the first time he opened his eyes, being the first to have a drink. He was the second only to Wildsaurian, being the fastest zuum in the pack.

Sergei continuously lapped in more water. The freshness was unbearable. Then, he suddenly blinked as he saw bubbles foaming above the surface. "Huh!" Caught distracted, a rush of water splashed up and into his face, and another zuum revealed himself with a large smile. "HIIII SERGEI!"

"GWAHHH!" The houndsaurian screamed and fell back on his carcass. He fluttered his eyes; the zuum that emerged from the lake walked on land and looked down on the blue/white zuum. This zuum was also a mixbreed, encased in loud orange slightly bulging scales and has claws shaped like sharp pinchers. Piker the crabsaurian (zuum/arrowhead) was his name and swimming was his game. Humans abandoned him because of his "ugliness", and the grudge was long held. Crabsaurians could both swim and run fast and carried tough scales, almost as tough as rocksaurians and shellsaurians. Rei got onto his feet and snarled, "You're just as bad at that Mustardy you crustacean zuum!"

"Sorry!" Piker shrugged his heavy shoulders and ran away from the blacksaurian to join the forming group of zuums. The same goes for Rei and Kazumaru, and Sergei when he first got him. The other zuums, who were all purebred, crowded together and faced the gap in between the forest trees. From afar, the foliage bent as three zuums stomped through them and brushed them away with their claws, heading towards the pack dwelling.

At the threshold of the glade, Wildsaurian protruded his head through the trees and into the opening, where his comrades greet him. He walks straight in, following a yellowish zuum with red waves on his back and the infamous zuum/joker that everyone knows about.

Briskly, Basilisk ran around his father as he entered. The purebred zuums chuckled at their youngest brother; the zuum of darkness has never been so happy. The presents of his father always made him happy. It was sad that they never knew how their fate was going to end up until it was too late.

"Okay son, knock it off." Wildsaurian gave off an embarrassed smile. For a half joker zuum his son was filled with ginger, "get back here."

"Okay dad!" Basilisk lined up at his father's left side; the yellowish zuum lined up on the right. This too was another mixbreed; a jester called Mustardy (zuum/suezo) whom is half zuum, half "eyeball". He is the one who brings humour to the clan even around the dullest times. Other than that, he was also the pack's most intellectual tactician and teacher. The sage of the clan. He almost seems like a shaman as well, teaching about the god monsters in devout hymns and stories, maybe in performances if in the mood.

Mustardy participated with Wildsaurian along with Basilisk to figure out the root of the zuum-zoku's latest predicament: the decreasing in prey.

"So leader what is it," One purebred asked, "is it the dragon monsters?"

"No," Wildsaurian said, lowering his head and shaking it vainly, "it is not them."

It was a surprise. The dragons and other inferior zuum packs were the only disturbance to Wildsaurian and his group around the forest and mountainous regions. The enemy zuums that Wildsaurian drove away would attempt to claim their lands back. But the dragons however, were a bigger threat. They too were renegades of the human world, and more superior and ancient than the zuums themselves. The dragon-zoku had wings for flight, giving them a spectacular advantage over the zuums. Their senses were more advanced; the ears could hear a zuum's roar from three miles away .Their noses without fail can determine prey thousands and thousands of paces; few of the Wildsaurian tribe had been killed by wild dragons. The zuums' rancor of dragons was almost to the level of humans. A zuum "never" forgets a grudge.

Wildsaurian began to explain, "to tell you the truth, we haven't been seeing many dragons around during our travels. I have no clue to where they went. Also, there weren't any sources of returning zuums. The only food I realized is in the nearby human towns."

"If it's not dragons or other zuums, then what is it?" Sergei asked, then baring his fangs. His fur ruffled as the passing wind tugged it.

The zuum-zoku leader sighed and answered softly, "It's Moo."

There was gasping within the reptilian throng, and Wildsaurian knew is was going to be a hard surprise; the rasped zuums cringed and snarled, oscillating their horned raptor-like heads, looking at one another, twitching the claws nervously. They whispered; Wildsaurian's fine hearing picked up the brief uneasy murmurs and sensed their fear:

"Moo, the dragon of darkness. I've heard he got powers beyond god monsters."

"He is able to turn monsters into slaves."

"Yeah, I heard he got four dragons as his best monsters."

"I heard he lives in a valley."

"Maybe he imprisoned our zuum rivals."

"He hates humans too, and wants to make a world of only monsters."

"If we challenge his power, we will all get killed!"

Wildsaurian sighed, and his mind trailed off into his subconscious. He did not know of Moo's powers, but he shall not be intimidated by such stories. He knew one thing though, Moo was a human hater and a destroyer of life by legend. The old dark green zuum was actually told of Moo's legend by his older human owners. Moo was created by humans but since he had the "power of Gods", he decided to turn against the humans and attempt to rule them. It almost sounded like the true goal of the Tribe; he abused his power, he made monsters evil and then this war formed. A war in which humans and monsters fought one another, and the humans won. The humans sealed Moo in a disk stone and was buried underground.

But somehow, he has risen from his prison......

"We're all gonna die?!"

The zuum boss abruptly broke out of his concentration by Basilisk's voice. Wildsaurian placed a claw on his son's forehead and rubbed it, speaking soothingly. "Don't worry my boy, we aren't going to die."

Basilisk was deeply brightened up by his ideal's optimism and rubbed his snout on his long neck. His role model was strong and courageous, and one day he would be like him. He promised to lead the pack if something happened to him, since the others doubted their caliber and denied leadership. They would allow their "ugly" brother to take position if Wildsaurian actually DID die; it was Basilisk's promise.

"Moo hates man. Perhaps we should join him to get rid of them, so our pack can have revenge over the mammals." One zuum said.

At that remark, Wildsaurian raised his foot and lowered it, stomping the ground and barking, "NO!"

The pack froze; Wildsaurian snarled, "We will not! We are better than that. That monster Moo will only make our lives miserable. He poisons life. If he takes over this planet, our sanity and dreams will be washed away. Darkness is not the way. Besides, if he kills all of the humans then there won't be anymore food to steal. The Way of the Wild has it's own aligned scale. We do not cross into good or evil, chaos or law. We believe in them to exist because the god monsters made us to believe in that. The zuum-zoku is three-dimensional and share many believes, many customs. If we kill the humans, then we aren't as good as they are. Humans gave us these feelings right? Don't let it completely consume you, like blindly. The humans made the wild zuum-zoku. Our misery only made us grow stronger. Life influences us in many ways. The influences will make us an advanced race. M-maybe you all don't exactly understand me, but that's fine."

"But we do understand you leader!" Piker said.

Mustardy turned to face Wildsaurian's right eye and cheek. "You done well to bring our pack together Wildsaurian and I'm sure your son will be a fine leader after you. The zuum-zoku's dream is to be more powerful than the humans are. Not consciously by force, cause we zuums together are already a great physical force. What I mean is by "build". We want to be the most developed zuums in life. Many find that a bit abominable and frightening but so? Why do you think we've done so well in purging this land of other zuums?" Mustardy opened his chops and released a loud laugh. He believed that this one specific tribe was truly the greatest.

The crowd sweats; Wildsaurian nodded and then looked down at his son, who smiled. Wildsaurian smiled back, "As leader, it's within my discretion to say that we will be moving out again. We must find a new hunting territory, and I just know just the place."

"Very nice speech Master Wildsaurian," A loud echo laughed.

All of the zuums gasped.

The surrounding foliage rustled and the lake surface undulate in ripples; there has been a sudden shift in wind, and the stench of graveyard soil glided along with it. Wildsaurian snarled and his comrades searched side to side. Basilisk and Mustardy huddled into the zuum crowd. Basilisk smelled the stench as well, and it seemed to expand. He twirled and looked at his dad, fluttering his eyes.

"Whoever you are, it would appear that we are in some kind of unison," The zuum boss asked, "an agreement yes?"

"Somewhat...."

"Whaa--" Wildsaurian twisted his head to the right, and before he could finish his sentence, a large baige claw of three fingers and a thumb whacked the green zuum at the side of his head. Everyone gasped; Mustardy glanced over his shoulder and hissed, "What?!"

Basilisk cried, "DAD!"

"AUUUUGGGHHH!" The old zuum went flying.

Bursting out of the forest was a large gaping jaw of a white reptilian monster. The zuums raised their heads and gazed up on...open sockets. No eyes, but empty sockets; Wildsaurian landed, rolled and stopped where the tip of his tail dipped into the lake. The white monster made a few more large steps, entering the circle entirely. Now the zuums could see the full characteristic of the monster. They solemn glare at the nasty beast before them: Long arms, three-toed fingers, no flesh, jagged wings protruding from it's bulky shoulders, a skinny neck and spinal cord running down behind it's ribcage and tail. It seemed that the monster was made of...bones, and stood at least fifteen feet tall.

Kazuharu screamed, "It's a freaking walking fossil!"

The monster of bones roared, awaking Wildsaurian. His lids shot open, and the zuum caught a glimpse of the monster. "What the hell?" He murmured. His body was still a bit weak from the shock of the slap.

"Ugh!" A feeble cough slipped from the old zuum, and he mentally berated himself for being caught so off guard. He caught the scent of fresh ivory, even before the beast revealed his ugly head out from the ferns. Why couldn't he dodge?

As Wildsaurian raised his head, the monster roared again and spoke with the rest of the tribe. "I am Syler, a member of the Devious Dragon Four unit created and administered by Lord Moo. I am of the death dragon-zoku (dragon/joker). I lead the jaggernaut, lilim, selketo and red eye monster troupes."

Sergei hissed venomously at the freak of nature, "What kind of piece of crap dragon are you? You're no dragon!"

"Oh but I am," Syler chuckled, "I'm more like a fallen dragon. A dragon that has been resurrected, consumed and forced to heed evil. I am now to obey Moo and defend his pride. You zuums dishonour him, but in my opinion you should be given a second chance. If you join Moo, you will be blessed by awesome power and you can destroy the humans whom makes you miserable."

Wildsaurian let out an empathic shout as he got up, "No," he limped towards his pack, "if we are to gain power, we are to work for it. Go ask a human if he or she wants to be bathed in complete power. They'll just think that they are becoming rich or a god even. We were taught that the minds of the humans are easily manipulated, and manipulation brings a fate that is ill. Cursed humans!"

Syler twisted his bony neck and gives the zuum leader a stern look. Eerily, his spaced sockets inside his skull cracked and became compressed into narrow ovals. Although he had no vital stimulating organs in sight, Syler still had his keen sense of hearing. He heard Wildsaurian swearing under his breath. He was being defiant; the other zuums began to shrink in fear.

The peculiar death dragon gave out a low growl.

*****

Basilisk winced, his body shaking. The red glow in Wildsaurian's eyes dissipated and reverted back to gold. "See son. Did you see how cohesive we were? Did you see how we were threatened? How Syler attempted to turn us?"

Still surrounded in red and his head still clenched by his claws, Basilisk fell to his knees and begged, "No! Stop it!"

"My soul gloated about you everyday Basilisk. Now you see how our dreams and kind were ravaged by that damned death dragon."

The painful memories continued. This time Basilisk would remember the slaughtering of his brothers. The zuum concealed his dark irises as his eyelids folded over. He heard a different kind of noise, like a roar. A roar of buzzing--a cluster of bees perhaps. The rapid fluttering of wings echoed through Basilisk's head. It's irritation almost made his brain spin. The memory picture was clearing; a swarm of black bugs, sharp wings knifing through forest foliage.

Basilisk knew what was going to happen next, and he could not break from his father's spell. He screamed in utter desperation, "NNNNNNOOOOOOO! NOT THIS!!!"

******

The zuum pack continued to stare at Syler while he looked at the approaching Wildsaurian. The old zuum limped with all his strength until he reached Syler's side, hissing, "You better leave them be and get out of here, or else!"

The dragon opened its empty chops, a mega roar exploded out. "Silence!" Phosphorescent violet light flicked inside Syler's maw.

Wildsaurian crouched and hissed venom at the freak dragon; Mustardy, not regarding the fiend reptilian, walks over to his leader, "Wildsaurian, we should--GAH!" He trailed off, seeing an explosion behind the green zuum.

He heard it as well; the old zuum lifted up and spinned his neck, "What is it?" His horned head made the complete turn and his eyes caught a glimpse of something bright and fiery soar though the trees, and igniting them ablaze. The other zuums turned and watched as well in total surprise.

A volley of many fireballs flew through the trees, exploding bark and spreading fire along the foliage; a couple of them glided across the lake surface behind Wildsaurian, evaporating a deep streak across it. The water slowly slid into the haitus, filling it up gallon by gallon. Piker's lower maw dropped, a gasp escaped. That was his favorite water hole; the other zuums looked at the other side and saw the trees being burnt by fire as well. The bodies of the dragon and the zuums became covered in radiating orange light. Some flame orbs bounced above and landed near the crowd, exploded and knocking most of zuums off their feet, including Basilisk.

The screaming of the assaulted zuums catches the attention of Mustardy, whom gazed over his shoulder "NO!" He screamed.

Wildsaurian was quiet, frozen with a grisly expression of horror on his face. He saw the curled bodies of his son and comrades scattered around the glade; Piker even landed near the lake. The forest lair was enveloped by crimson fire. Then there came a buzz, and the blatant sound of leaves tearing apart. Wildsaurian shook his head back to reality and faced where he heard the new sounds. It was closing in, and changed direction, heading left; Basilisk and the other zuums regained conscious and lifted from the ground, ignoring the sounds and snarling at the dragon. So, he could bring hell fires to them with a roar, or so that's what the zuums thought. Kazumaru and Sergei dashed toward the gigantic dragon.

"FIREBALL!" Both said simultaneously. Two bright orbs are launched out from the reptilian monsters' mouths. Syler cringed at the loud light from the fireballs, shielding his eye sockets with his large frontal claws and locking his teeth together. The spheres connect and the dragon roars, his skeletal frame apparently exploding into smoke.

"We did it!" Kazumaru cheered. "Two fireballs from us could even make a golem fall via heavy recoil. That brittle dragon couldn't have lived!" All of the zuums raised their arms and roared at their conquest over the freak dragon; all but Wildsaurian, "NO," he shouted, "he's alive!" He heard the sound of rattling, the rattling of bones.

The pack of dino descendants shiver in rage and raised their brows. They gazed at the cloud of smoke, and snarled angrily as the sound of something beating from within in it. To their dismay, the death dragon was evidently proven to be alive, as he abruptly stuck his head out of the cloud and roared ferociously at the inferior zuums who dared attacked him. The smoke weaved back and forth, and outward, revealing the flapping spindly wings of Syler. His feet, his arms, his burnt ribcage. In fear, the clan of zuums gasped.

"Damned lizards, die!" Roaring again, the seething zombie beast sprang forward with amazing speed and flickered his right claw at the closest fear-stricken zuum, knocking it under it's chin.

"Uwah!" Kazumaru's green frail body was knocked mid-air. His air and nerves were knocked down to nothing. His body glowed, and the zuums who watched him were breathless, especially Basilisk. The zuum/joker's eyes wavered; he saw this before, weeks ago, when a fellow zuum was fatality burned by a dragon's flame breath. After his last words, his body became a stone disk shape, and he never spoke again....

Kazamaru was dying. The glowing contracted, and shaped into a circular, twirling disk, replaced by a grayish color a second after and dropping in front of Basilisk's feet. Everyone looked down at the stone, blinking their eyes at the embedded picture of a curled black lizard. They began to quake in total rage. Tears fell on the stone. Basilisk lifts his head up and gives Syler an evil glance. The dragon just laughs; Wildsaurian who was still near Syler's flank, snarled, "You bastard! What have you done?!"

To Syler's utter happiness, the true killing will begin....now. Pissed off, Wildsaurian pointed a claw at the bastard dragon, "Attack!"

At their leader's order, Sergei, Piker, Rei and Basilisk ran in a diamond formation; Mustardy spinned and dashed for Syler's flank.

"I'll make you pay you bastard!" Basilisk jumped immediately from the rear, opened his maw and crunched it down on one of Syler's ribcage bones. His tensed, splayed claws scratched effortlessly at the bones. They even slip through the gaps; Syler lowers his head and tilts it, "Do you really think you can hurt me like that son?"

"Watch me!" Basilisk clamped down harder on the bones and clutched it tight, his eyes blazing white.

"Hey no!" To Mustardy's attention, the diamond formation was broken too early. The true tactic was for the three front zuums to attack first whilst the rear one leaped to attack the head or the rear. At least, that's how the zuum/suezo created it. Basilisk was too filled with blinding rage; the yellow zuum muttered swear words and jumped as well, spitting a fireball at the hand. Syler's left hand explodes off and twirls upon connection.

"Basilisk get down!" Mustardy cried; Rei, Sergei and Piker leaped at the death dragon's front as well, but before they could reach it, a sharp spiraling black wind passes by them. Wildsaurian's brows and upper jaw shot upward; the familiar sound of buzzing was now louder to the maximum, becoming blended by the piercing caterwaul of Rei, Sergei and Piker. Still hanging onto the dragon's cage, Basilisk glanced over his shoulder, and widened his eyes. Slash wounds rapidly appeared around the bodies of the midair zuums, waves of blood flew and splattered on the grass. The zuums glowed; Mustardy was "pitched" to the side by the same force, pieces of yellow flesh shred off from his back.

"Mustardy!" Wildsaurian cried. What was happening? What was killing them?

The red light subsided, and the black zuum saw his older brethren become transformed into dead disk stones by an unspeakable force. The disks land onto the ensanguined grass; Mustardy flew into the trees and was gone. There was no need to check on him, for the flashing red glow from the forest made the zuums assured that he was a lost disk as well.

"What's happening?!" Basilisk jumped off Syler and ran over to the three disk stones. Now it was the crabsaurian, the blacksaurian, Mustardy and the houndsaurian who loved to drink. Seething, Basilisk turned to face the one-handed Syler. "I had enough of this! What are you doing?!"

"It's not me," Syler said, bending down and picking up his cracked hand, "it's my colleagues, the jaggernauts. Look up you fools!"

Although they didn't appreciate the insult, all of the remaining zuums leaned back their heads and looked up, gasping in surprise. They saw new, different monsters. They looked like big insects. Their wings rapidly fluttered in a blur like a hummingbird's, and their white fangs and claws twitched. Basilisk examined them carefully, growling deeply. His hatred was building; bulky white chest with Moo medallions attached to them, a double-edged anchor shaped horn, bright red eyes that shined wickedness, black exterior with radiating white patterns around the shell. These monsters meant something to the dark zuum, "Their body coloring are like mine!"

Syler laughed, "Why of course. They are of the fallen beaclon-zoku, and are half joker just like you. Jaggernauts are very rare to come by, and they are swift and mysterious. Blame them for burning down your forest, and also blame them for killing your four zuums."

Wildsaurian was intensely both horrified and angry. His claws roll and clench, his teeth bare. ~Bugs faster than the wind and a god-like dragon. How are we supposed to win?~

Syler stretches his neck a bit and sees the teary-like glittering in Wildsaurian's golden eyes, "Desperate are we? Wildsaurian, join us. I'm sure you don't want anyone else to die. Join Moo and have your revenge on the humans. Perhaps he can accept you and Basilisk."

A tear actually seeped down the zuum leader's cheek. He gives the dragon a stabbing stare, and fearlessly began to walk towards his purebreds, "Like hell you murderer! You're like every damned dragon we've met so far. Tyrannical, power-hungry, and ugly I almost forgot! You think you can bribe us?"

Syler growled, but Wildsaurian continued, "The zuum-zoku is a free race. We won't be turned to your evil. Yes the humans have ruined us as monsters, but we have our own beliefs. We'll deal with them our own way. We rather die than join you!"

The jaggernauts and the death dragon let out an easy laugh. Basilisk turns to face the dragon that shoved his hand back into his arm ligament. The black zuum gulped, sweat popped out of his face. Syler laughed again, "You just said the magic word. Alright jaggernauts, kill them!"

At the dragon's command, the swarm of black-hued beetles dive downward and began hacking the purebred zuums with their horns. Wildsaurian leaped far enough for a jaggernaut to pass the tip of it's tail. Wind picked up in speed as the beetles flew, and the green zuums before they knew it were spiraling into the air, roaring in pain and feeling their protective scales easily ripped off by the insect's sharp horns. The same fireballs that lit up the forest easily blew off some flesh from the zuums. The jaggernauts launched them from their horns, much like cannons.

"I had enough!" Wildsaurian ran and met with his son's side, "Basilisk, I want you to flee from here. I want you to live."

Basilisk looked into his father's amber eyes and retorted, "NO! I don't want to leave you! I'm not doing it."

Wildsaurian was already tensed up, enough to kill him at his age. The stench of his lair was tainted with blood, and crimson-stained lost disks were scattered around. The purebred zuums were already finished, and now there was only two remaining of the tribe. Wildsaurian waved his claw at Basilisk's cheek and with all his strength smacked it hard, leaving a red rash. All that the black zuum did was rock and gasp. He didn't even reel. That's how powerful his father was. One claw felt like a stone, perhaps like steel; Basilisk was strong as well, but not as strong to resist the shocking whack that cause his abject spirit to freeze. Wildsaurian whispered and begged, "Listen to me son! This is a damned order."

"H-huh?"

"Zuum-zoku is perishing, and you as the greatest zuum I have, and as my son you must live. You are so different. You are just as strong as I am. It was such a blast when you first came out of that disk. At first, your brothers didn't like you but they came around it. You are WAY to precious to me. You're my favorite, I won't let everything happen to you. Flee from this graveyard and one day return with new friends, new family. Moo I bet will fall eventually. I don't know how but I have a hunch."

Basilisk's eyes began to waver again from emotion, "But dad I--"

"No buts," The dark green zuum retorted, "I know you can do it. I have trained you, and you know what's best. You're not a kid anymore. Most likely I won't live through this but I want you to know something, my soul will keep watch. SO will the others."

"Dad, you're really serious."

Provoked by their whispering, Syler's booming voice cuts through the conversation, "Are you two done praying yet?"

Wildsaurian with his fangs still bared, twisted his neck and faced the dragon, dashing with a roar.

"DAD!" Basilisk screamed.

"Basilisk! Get your ass out! I'm literally not going say it again!" Wildsaurian demanded and continued accelerating towards the evil dragon.

Basilisk took a one last glance around; the last battered bodies of the moaning purebred zuums fell onto the bloodstained grass. "This can't be happening!" The aroma of blood, the slashed up bodies of his tribe and the whiteness in their eyes aggravated him. Also, the fact that his father was committing suicide. The black zuum slightly gasped hearing the eerie blaring laugh and the buzzing from the impassive jaggernauts. He couldn't take it anymore, and just bolted away into the smoldering forest...like he was told to.

One wicked jaggernaut caught the half joker lizard retreat from the battle. "Oh, missed one!" The wings in the back open and the beetle jumps; one zuum, his pupils almost fully contracted into nothing, raised his head and spat out another ball, before dropping for good. "Good luck..."

"Come back here you--WHAK!" Before reaching the fleeing carcass of Basilisk, the jaggernaut's wings explode off as the fireball hit it. It's body flies into the trees, smoking rising from it's back. The other jaggernauts hissed and twitched their jaws, "You bastard zuum!"

Syler turned his head away from the running Wildsaurian, seeing that Basilisk got away. He chuckled, "Leave him, we'll get him after I deal with this old fool."

"You won't beat me!" Wildsaurian promised, skidding and stopping about an insane quarter of a meter way. The tail stretches outward and his toes digs into the dirt in anxiety. He looks up at the death dragon and then cries out, "FIRE BOMB!" The death dragon backs up a bit. After calling out the attack, Wildsaurian opens his jaws wide and unleashes the most forceful attack a zuum could ever learn: The mighty fire bomb. Syler bends but then gets pushed back completely as the giant ball hits his skull. Roaring, the beast staggers and clutches his cracked, blackened skull with his claws.

The fire bomb is a zuum's most greatest attack. Wildsaurian said he had to "walk through a bubbling hot spring, fall off a cliff and fight a tyrannosaurus in Kwarea" just to learn it, and of course the pack was slapped by thick confusion with his subtle reply when he was asked about it. This attack is flame rolled up in a huge sphere and spat out at the opponent.

A powerful move with one side effect: Wildsaurian flipped back and hard on his rear by the bomb's recoiling power. Quickly, he recovers and starts the procedure again. Stretch out the tail and curled the toes. He began to pant, "I won't lose to you. I'll keep shooting until I'm dead!"

"You won't shoot another one! Ever again!"

Still running, Basilisk's suffering continued. Although the stenches of death faded, he could still hear the sounds from back at the battle. The zuum cursed his hearing: the weak cry of a zuum, the explosion of attacks, jaggernauts laughing.

Syler's roar echoed above the canopy, following the muffled scream of his father.

Basilisk braked and turned back, his vision blocked by encompassing leaves that weren't burnt by the jaggernauts. "No, father, I can't leave him," he whispered to himself, "I can't!"

"He's finished!"

"NO!"

Basilisk blindly ran through the ferns, and eventually made it back into the open glade, seeing his father down and looking dead. The zuum turned to Syler and ran towards the dragon, flashing his teeth unforgivably at him. He was in a blind rage, no strategy, and no rules anew. He was reintroduced to the wind of blood and the laughing of the jaggernauts. The zuum could already feel his life flashing by him. He too was committing suicide. Basilisk leaped, and with a whisk of rushing air, there was darkness.

The next time Basilisk came to conscious and opened his eyes, he heard only silence. It was too quiet. He must have been out for long. He couldn’t pull himself up, and grimaced as his nerves felt the numbness of his body. The zuum's nerves, every time he'd attempt to move, would sensually send in more aggravating pain through the body in a piercing conflux. "Geh!" It was best to stay down and not move.

His ears listened and his vision, his pupils alone, slowly swept over whatever surroundings. There were lost disks scattered around, disks who once was Mustardy, Rei, Piker, Sergei, the purebreds; the black zuum sighed.

No more blood, burnt flesh, laughing, anguished screams of his kin; the rain was falling and it felt great. But, he only heard the rain. Basilisk just remembered, that the zuum clan was dead and only father remained to fight Syler. But, where were Syler and his jaggernauts? Where was father?

Dry blood, lost disk stones and burnt trees.

"Papa....? Papa where are y--wha?!??" Before there was even an expected answer, Basilisk 's eyes widened in shock as he saw something break his heart and soul: A greenish lost disk was lying right in front of his eyes.

"NNNNOOOOO!"

Feeling began to return gradually, first to his foreclaws. Basilisk bends his fingers, entwining them in the eclipsed grass. Rage was building; his father, and the rest of the pack were killed by that dragon. His singeing lungs spontaneously bloated as he regained life, then contracted, coughing out a word before fainting, "Dragon!"

When he woke up again, the mixed zuum walked alone as the "Basilisk of Rage". All that Basilisk desired for was vengeance. His eerie appendage to his father broke apart, but he did not fall...that he didn't. Instead, he became one-sided and demented. His personality became irate and belligerent. He was angry, miserable, and he would never be the same again.

"The jaggernauts will die! Syler the death dragon will die! I swear it," The zuum of darkness' mind carried on aloud, resonating, echoing, "Syler ! MOO! DIE!"

******

Raindrops and screaming threats.

The spell expired, and the black zuum's knees crashed onto the stone ground surface. The red halo around his body dissipates. His mind in which he left locked away from weakening emotions was unfairly tormented. Basilisk's eyelids wavered; Wildsaurian could hear his son's heart thrumming almost insanely and walked towards him, "After your regained your senses, you ran away in misery. In the rain, you pouted and you hated almost everything. Days later, you met Tyrant and surprisingly became his friend. You then met Gray Wolf, Mocchi and the young Tiger, and joined up with them in killing Moo."

Basilisk was wheezing, suffocating on his pain. It came to his realization that his skills were highly exaggerated by the pack, and that he was seen to be an aspiring leader that would take the place of his own father. He was the core to the survival of the zuum-zoku. Although he stubbornly disobeyed his father's order in running away completely from the slaughter, he somehow lived in the end.

"Regardless of your insubordination, I truly praise God that you survived Basilisk. This just shows how really strong you are, and I want you to be on my side again. We'll revive the zuums and make a family again. If you do join me, I promise not to harm your friends. Matter of fact, I want you to help me kill off that knight and his spotsaurians for me. They should be here soon; let Galonis take over the planet and we can go whatever you want. That's all I care about is you and me, I only care if you're happy. What do you say, son?"

He was intrigued, and the disesteem of Galonis apparently vanished. The zuum of darkness lifted his head and raised his lids, causing wavy rivulets of liquid to disperse and stream down his face. Once they reached his cheek, the droplets plummeted and stained the ground. Wildsaurian sternly stared at his last zuum; still he stared as he regard his son...actually cry.

"D-Dad?"

"Hmm?"

"...I love you." Weakened to the core, Basilisk immediately lunged at his father, embraced his waist and rested his lower maw on his shoulder. The old green zuum licked the tear off of his son's cheek and softly spoke, "I know."

******

The following of Teuluar's underlying prints has been canceled temporarily. There is now a block in the road.

"IM'MA GORE YOU!"

"I don't think so!" Tiger swiftly lashed his tail and swerved his head to the left while charging his ivory horns, regarding the roaring shadow scaled tyrannosaurus progressing toward him, splaying out it's tiny claws; "Ow ow ow!" A houndsaurian stuttered as his face dizzily shook side to side from the surprising stinging blows of Tiger's bushy tail. The one-year-old wolf monster blasts a twin of screeching azure electricity bolts, impacting the grayish breast of the running dino, causing it to slide back. Its rear claws slashed through the grass and into the soil, leaving six large marks; the houndsaurian collapsed behind Tiger's rear with two rashes on his cheeks and wavering eyes. He was down for now, but not the black tyrannosaurus. Tiger was still glaring at the dark monster with his solemn tangerine eyes, "Why did you come back? You're leader's dead! Get out of here!"

"Fool," The black rex protested at Tiger, wincing at the burning pain in his chest, "we're fighting for Wildsaurian! He's not dead! You will never reach him! Also, we shall avenge our captain from earlier."

Tiger watches the dino silently, examining his motions and waiting for his next time. If it was their choice to fight then so be it; the face of another black dino reflected off of Tiger's golden right cornea. It could see his shining teeth as it rushed toward Tiger's right flank for a massive bite attack. "I'll crunch your waist in half!" He heard the roar, the deep pupil encircled by his tangerine iris diverted toward the dinosaur.

There was only one houndsaurian, but black rex monsters surrounded the rebels. Tiger crouched forward, raised up his rear and jumped back and over Houndsaurian. The onyx beast closes it's jaws and chomps on nothing but air; "GAH!" Houndsaurian regained consciousness and scrambled to his feet immediately, frightened by the dinosaur's giant head diving in front of his eyes. His race was specifically fit for high-speed assault and performing powerful special attacks like the fireball, but for a long time he hasn't glimpsed extreme combat, but sticked within forest reconnaissance and espionage. The rex seethed behind the blue zuum and Tiger stared at the scarlet eyes of the mixbreed zuum, sensing guile in those eyes; the black dino's eyes flared.

Tyrant swings his powerful arms downward at the dinosaurs ramming his waist, crushing a couple of necks and pushing back most of them. The black rexes staggered away from the red golem. Two fell to the ground, paralyzed; Mocchi's whirlwind of pink cherry blossom leaves twirl and blind the troop of dinos, whilst Halsha leaps in and kicks their faces.

Houndsaurian had no choice, for during these times the rebels were progressing further toward Torrent Mountain, and Houndsaurian plus the dinos of darkness would have to purge the land of their damned presence. "I will not be defeated. I shall battle today Lord Wildsaurian!" With a devious snicker, following a blink that caught Tiger off guard for an adequate two seconds, the body of the bluish furred zuum disappears, giving a deceptive blurred impression to Tiger's eyesight. The blue mongrel creased his brows and bared his fangs, "What the hell?! How'd he do that?"

Tiger swung his head to the right. He heard the rustling trees standing at the margin on the forest road, and pursued the blur, the stench of moist fur lingering on the wind Houndsaurian left behind before he retreated into the foliage.

The dark rex monster that attacked Tiger earlier saw the wolf make a "getaway" and rushed forward, glimpsing it's next pair of prey: Celious and a scrawny Hopper upon his back. The centaur dog lifts up his already held spear with both palms, "Hopper distract him!"

"Right!" The little rodent hopped off the four-legged monster's back and lands on the dino's snout, tapping its forehead playfully, "Howdy?"

A malicious growl quivered the black dinosaur's jaws and the monster raised his upper maw, causing the rodent to flip off and over its head. Celious squinted through concentration and does a single prance forward as the dino whacked the flipping Hopper with his tail. Hopper grimaced at the tip slamming his small waist, and he flew splayed out into the forest edges; the rex, stiffened with horror, gasped as Celious reared on his hind hooves above him, and the edge of the spearhead coming down in three unseen strikes. Celious's erect ears caught the sound of a thud in the forest. Hopper has landed and Celious lowered his front hooves, and spear; the murky tyrannosaurus held in it's breath, it's body slowly slipping out into parts. Celious twirled and galloped, kicking the rex. He did not wish to witness today the falling body pieces of the dinosaur. His altruism secured his thirst for battle momentarily and he went out to look for Hopper, "Z-smash...." He whispered.

"Mocchi cannon!" The duck-billed monster cried. Halsha leapt off the heads of the dinosaurs, bending her head and watching the underlying beasts and the soil below them become vaporized by a razing pink beam. "Hell yes," She cheered then landed behind Mocchi, "there you go!" Then, the duck-billed monster gasped horrified, "NO CHI!"

"What?" Tyrant took down the last of the dinos and motioned his head to see where Mocchi was looking. He gasped as well; Celious, cuddling an unconscious and cute Hopper in one arm, walked back into the road covered with lost disks and bodies of some fallen dinos that have yet to apparently die. His eyes crinkled curiously. There was also the gap-like smoking streak in the soil Mocchi's attack made, but that was just it. That was the problem.

"I BURNT THE TRACKS," Mocchi smacks his round hands on his cheeks horrified. "What I have DONE!?"

Halsha apprehensively danced around, "How are we specifically suppose to find Basilisk now damnit!?"

Tyrant took in a breath and kept silent; Celious's lids creases his eyes into slits, and his jawline was about to part, until he was interrupted by the exploding sounds of a blaring cannon round, or so it seems. Smoke rised into the air. The centuar voted against berating Mocchi and he galloped into the other direction, "This way!"

Besides, Celious had not the time. There's an ireful twist in his canine face. No one could see it since he ran ahead.

His mind boiled in flames; he began focusing his anger onto the primary factor that has brought the upstart to this break in the rebel group. It looked like Galonis would win. It was thrown into his impression that Basilisk was in that direction. He mentally practiced hardness, and how he would deliver it; the centaur's precinct had been reached and the limits had been crossed.

Celious will kill the zuum of darkness and his father.

******

"Get back here!"

Houndsaurian blurred between and through the ferns, hearing the panting breath of Tiger, his pursuer, behind his six. Tiger also heard the explosion and was running straight in it's direction. Was the Houndsaurian leading him into a trap?

"I said get back here! Why are you running?! Get back here!" Tiger shouted.

Houndsaurian scoffed, "Screw you puppy," then he disappears into light as he entered an open area. Tiger winced at the light and stopped, skidding forward a bit, and gasping at the sound of anguished screaming. Houndsaurian screeched, his dying sound blended with other screams.

The light faded. The wolf monster straightened his eyes, "Huh? What happened?"

A deep chuckle emitted an echo through Tiger's ears and the hound monster walked forward, entering the open space, "Well, I've been waiting for you."

Winded from fighting and running, Tiger fluffed his blue mane and looked straightforward as he walked in gingerly. Then, his orbs swung side to side; the sight of lost disk stones everywhere brushed a radial chill through the body of the one-year-old. In retrospect, he pictured the stones back in the Tiger Valley where his older brothers were killed. This was not new; Tiger growled and reverted his pupils to the center, and gasped as he saw a pine-scaled zuum standing on top of a rock grinning at him. The joker-masked medallion finely glistered upon the reptilian's yellow pecks; the adolescent hound stopped in his tracks and growled, probing the seal, "Wildsaurian! I found you!"

"Indeed you have my boy."

It was indeed the monster lord of swamps and forests. Continuous droplets of rain felt from his front claws and chin, and to Tiger's surprise he was unscathed. The scent of Basilisk was all over his scales, "You met up with Basilisk didn't you? Why are you still alive?" Tiger grilled, "And are you responsible for all of this you monster?"

The lining around Wildsaurian's maw puckered into a smile. His golden irises and cornea flashed, "You're half right about these disk stones," Wildsaurian chuckled humorously, "I killed Houndsaurian because he was going to bring harm to you. The rest of these stones belong to Teuluar and his spotsaurians."

Tiger began to storm towards the zuum lord, boiling, "You're ludicrous! You butchering you're own men! As if I'm going to believe that you killed them because they were trying to kill me. What are you asking for saurian? Mercy? Forget it Wildsaurian! You are nothing about a wandering soul corrupted by evil, and I can't let you live. As long as you live, the planet will not return to normal. I'm sorry Wildsaurian but there is no choice." He barked.

The green zuum clapped his claws together, demurring, "Do you really think you stand above my supreme hand in combat? Besides, I don't think Basilisk would agree with you."

"Shut UP!" Tiger shouted emphatically and launched a couple quick lighting bolt at the haughty visage of Wildsaurian, who slightly gasped. ~Basilisk, I'm sorry about this!~

The bolts stretched forward, zigzagging, illuminating. Before the lancing blue jags could penetrate Wildsaurian's green face, a single ball of fire flies out of no where and impacts the bolts' needle tips canceling them out in an explosion, blinding the green zuum. A zephyr fluffed the mid-air smoke away from Wildsaurian's face; Tiger's eyes widened, "What the?"

Then, a soft deep voice from behind Wildsaurian, "Don't derisive him father. Tiger is a great friend and warrior."

"Huh?" Tiger's shocked face remained. He held his breath and wiggled his black nose, scenting a new organism more spicy that the green zuum. The hound's invisible ears fidgeted at the eerie voice and he stared at the trees over Wildsaurian's shoulder, and to his utter surprise, the zuum of darkness slowly walked away from concealment in the murk between the ferns, "These damned images! Corpses! The zuum race! Father and I will restore it," It was Basilisk, unharmed, with a nonviolent face, "we're together again. His words are precise."

Wildsaurian grinned at Tiger, "You see, it's been my son's eternal motive to keep me away from harm. This is the true Basilisk, and you cannot change him Tiger. When Syler the death dragon killed my pack, all he did was grieve and assimilate hate from each falling step and breath he took.

"No it can't be!" Alarms blared within Tiger's mind from indignation. This wasn't how it was suppose to be. Basilisk was supposed to fight his dad, not side with him. The dog monster felt this being too unfair. He must be charmed, he thought; Basilisk did love his father but he was on the side of darkness and a desecrated tragedy that deserves to remain resting in peace. If he didn't die, the curse of the rainforest wouldn't end. Tiger's jaws closed, and he assaulted Wildsaurian with another lightning bolt attack, "Basilisk! Your dad must be annihilated! Forgive me!" And at that, Basilisk's benign face twists into a hard, evil one. The dark zuum leaps; Wildsaurian leans left and the sharp under edges of the bolt slash his shoulder, tearing off scales and leaving a burnt mark. Tiger mutters a curse then looks up, seeing Basilisk dive his rear hind legs at him. "Don't do it!"

"Don't hurt my father!" The black zuum cried. Tiger pivoted ninety degrees but suddenly sank into the wet ground, screaming in pain as a large weight fell onto his side. A sharp pierce. Burning pain bounced and swallowed the blue canine's insides. His mouth and eyes shot open; Basilisk bent his knees and pressed down his two feet into his friend's fur, "ENOUGH!" Tiger's head fell to the ground. Basilisk inhaled and snorted out while looking down at the wide-eyed Tiger, "You need to stop. We can beat Galonis without my father getting killed like Durahan."

"You conniving son of a-" A voice referred Basilisk, "BITCH!" The zuum turned and is suddenly knocked off of Tiger's body and in front of his slightly wounded father by a bluish fist. Basilisk shook his head and snarled; trotting towards him and stopping about two feet away was Celious with a tight grip on his spear; Hopper was slumped over his back, still unconscious.

His eyes narrowed showing animosity and disapproval, and his teeth bared, "What do you think you're doing Basilisk? I knew you were going to betray us and join your father! All the monster lords must be eliminated Basilisk. They are slave-like puppets of Galonis! They live and corrupt the land with evil. If they continue to walk here, they won't rest in peace. And most of all, the planet won't return to normal. If it rains too much, the flooding will destroy this place. This rainforest will die, don't you get it? Galonis is trying to make you weak by choosing your father to becoming a lord. I didn't show my teacher Durahan any mercy. Galonis is a jester of darkness, he's toying with us."

Basilisk spins and turned his back on the centaur, walking near his father and frayed his shoulder with his snout. His cheek was reddened from the condign blow. Wildsaurian slightly hissed; Celious flexed his arms dangerously, "Are you understanding ME!?"

Silence. Both zuums gave the dog centuar an impassive glare; following the harsh yell, Mocchi, Tyrant and Halsha exited the forest and entered the circle of space, gasping with bewilderment at the two zuums and the tensed Celious. Mocchi ran towards his canine brother, "Chi! NO!"

"Damn you boy!" Celious was boiling deeply from Basilisk's unreadable reticence. He thought that the lizard was under precise vertigo thanks to his father, or were his emotions twirling him around? Tiger twitched; Mocchi leaned over and casts his shadow on Tiger's dented side. He lays his hand on the embedding prints, "Hang in there please Tiger!" A pinkish glow. Healing ensured, Tiger whispered a long thread of crude language as his bones magically reformed; Basilisk roared and leaped forward at Celious with deceptive speed, lashing his neck down and immediately impaling his teeth into the noble warrior's spear.

Celious struggled at the disgruntled beast's gripping hardiness. "Let go you traitor!"

I don't fathom your intentions, the warrior thought, why did you betray us? If you don't come to your senses soon, I will be forced to destroy you. I know you're hurting, but you got to let it go.

The teeth of the black zuum were fully pushed into the iron shaft of Celious's weapon. He yanked back attempting to break it; Celious reared back, hefting the zuum off the ground and giving the traitor a mercurial hoove blow to his stomach; Hopper rolled off the centuar's back and landed right beside a lost disk. Basilisk grunted, his eyes puffed and his teeth slid out of the pole. He flew back, curled his tail and flipped onto his feet, only just to grit his fangs from the strain he felt in his gut.

Now he was fraught with anger. "I made up my mind father! They don't understand. I say we just kill them so that they won't harm you!"

Celious smirked sardonically, "Funny, I made up my mind a long time ago."

"WHY YOU!" Basilisk raised his snout muscles, showing his teeth and prepared to lunge in for another attack.

But not before Wildsaurian stopped him, "Hold it! I'll get him."

Basilisk turned to face his father, raising both brows in perplexity, "What?!"

Wildsaurian parted his jaw as he spoke, "I understand now."

"Understand what? That they are not good friends?!"

Wildsaurian's golden eyes narrowed in annoyance, and then he lunged at his son in an indistinct rush, screaming, "Don't question me!" Basilisk gasped at the deceptive speed, then something in his cranium pained. Moochi gasped in surprise and Tiger lifted his head, "Basilisk!"

The black zuum groaned, rearing his head back and falling hard onto his back. One headbutt surprisingly knocked him unconscious. Wildsaurian postured like he was going to fall off a cliff from the edge. His rear foot fell, and his claws lowered. Wild raised his snout and caught a visionary of Celious who scowled at the old one, "he should be seeing black for five minutes. That's enough time for you to get rid of me, or for me to get rid of you. Basilisk and I wanted to resurrect the zuum race, the zuum-zoku. After some macabre displays of his past, he agreed to do it. We promised not to destroy you but I now see the disappointing mistake of our attempt. How sad."

"Likewise..."

Hopper regained consciousness and pushed the ground, rising from it and flapping his eyes. The rodent stifled a gasp as he saw the lost disk stone in front of him. He began to focus on Wildsaurian's voice, and turned to see Celious's rear end, Wildsaurian himself and his son on the ground lying before his feet. Tiger rises as well; Tyrant was frozen and listened.

Halsha carried a rueful look on her face, "...Basilisk."

"I am pretty much a ghost, an apparition. And you came all this far just to get rid of me because I am one of Galonis's vassals. Basilisk knew that I needed to harm you so Galonis could rule the planet, but I'm the only one whom brought him happiness. That's why he joined me because he doesn't want me hurt. Seeing that you don't want to negotiate and I hold the key to liberating the forests and swamps, we must fight."

"I won't waste anytime. ALL of you, stay out of this!" Celious regarded his "comrades" behind him. The centaur's thoughts of his friends dissipated, demanding only he and he alone to battle the zuum lord; Celious' abnormal flippancy caused Tiger, inside and out, to freeze. He internally held his breath as sweat formed and damped his blue mane. Why was he behaving so...raw?

"Basilisk's grief has NO spot in this war," the canine centaur continued and raised his entire heavy spear above his head from the butt, "he needs to get used to what that scum Lord of yours did, like how I got used to fighting my master Durahan. This needs to be put behind, moving forward matters now. And if Basilisk tries to stop me, I'll slay him. Now, prepare yourself!"

A grunt and a grimace were the responses to the incredible words sent to him; "Now wait a minute! Celious!" Tiger broke out of his surprised freeze and called out. The protestation inside the blue wolf's voice wasn't penetrative enough to break Celious from his modified temperament, and it was far too late...

There was an eerie cry from Celious. The muscles in his arms mobilized. The sharp silver edge of the four-legged warrior's spear swiped downward from above his ears while the shadow of the weapon's shaft progressed a long distance like naturally, elongating until it reached the zuum lord. Wildsaurian's clawed feet sprang off the ground and backwards, landing no too far from the ebony spearhead, which crashed and deeply clipped the grass and below Basilisk's tail by a mere inch. Mud splashed up. Wildsaurian scoffed, "How do you expect to beat me with such speed huh?"

Celious's eyes narrowed and vainly wavered at his blade implanted in the grass, and the tip of Basilisk's tail. With the rise of the arms, his silver curve blade was hefted from off the ground and immediately was thrust toward the saurian's chest where the joker medallion was located, "I'm not done yet Death Warrior!"

"Yes you are. You're not a good fighter," Indeed the spear was capable of long range, making it more risky to go in closer for claw and bite attacks. But it was also heavy. The polearm blurred before the zuum's very eyes. It's blade slightly grazes his back; the other rebels gasps; Celious's eyes widened after he saw the old lizard...duck from the piercing attack, "Your...reflexes! How can you be that quick?"

Wildsaurian does not answer verbally, but grins, with a mouth filled with tiny white spikes. He eyes Celious's tight stomach muscles. Then, the daggers part as the zuum's maw opens wide. Orange light filled the cavity of the mouth, flame brewed into an orb.

"I think not!" Celious said as he retracted his arm and brought his spear back for another piercing attack. His grip on the shaft tightens as he stares at the flame. The other blue palm grabs above the butt; "Try this!" Wildsaurian reared its head back, breathed and snapped forward the dog hybrid warrior, spitting out five searing fireballs in rapid succession. Celious expected a fire attack, especially fireball, which was a common attack for a zuum. He stuck out his spear and suddenly twirled it around with both hands. The luminescent fireballs ricochet off the polearm upon impact. They fly off balance. A few crashes into the trees, causing them to combust. The other two slams near Mocchi and Tiger, the forceful splash damage knocking them off their feet.

The yells from his friends caused Celious to cancel his attack and swerve his head around, "Get out of here right now!"

Smoke rised and virtually concealed Halsha and Tyrant; Tiger and Mocchi were on their backs, straining and wincing. The endless rain extinguished the burning and left only scorched black leaves.

Wildsaurian lets out a gale of laughter; "URGH!" Celious felt his body and stomach being pushed back. His legs tensed and his hooves locked into the ground. A strife between strength, and Celious continued to slide, mixing his face's sweat with the rain; Wildsaurian pressed his ramming head even further into Celious's gut, after he ran past his son, "Fool! Beseech for your friends so you can win!"

"No! I won't!" Wincing, the centuar hissed.

The wide-eyed Hopper stared in amazement, "How can he be so strong? Isn't he an old coot? How is he able to push Celious like that?" He continued to watch as Wildsaurian jumped away from Celious and landed near his son. The centuar grasped his stomach, slumped over and took in some wind. Tyrant softly patted his back, "You did good."

"Yeah, but I'm not done yet," Celious barked vehemently, "Stop helping me! I said stop!"

Something glistens Hopper's eyes as he watched his centuar friend go into a personal conflict, and Tyrant attempting to hold him back while embracing his horse waist. Why was he behaving like this? His head turned to see Wildsaurian pushing his son's unconscious body into the glade's outer foliage, "This should keep you out of the way my boy."

"Goddamnit! LET GO!"

The exacerbate burden that needed to be taken off from Celious's back.

The violating pain Basilisk felt that caused him to betray his friends.

Wildsaurian's care.....

It was now Hopper's turn, "I got to fight." He needed to decompose the pain, the hate, and the malice. At least, for today. His team couldn't walk like this. Hopper looked left and right.

Celious Wildsaurian Basilisk Celious Wildsaurian Basilisk

Friends Enemies Liberty

Mocchi and Tiger finally got their feet and blinked their eyes to fully focus; "HERE I COME!" Hopper's decision has been made. He dashed off before his friends could even let in an entire gasp. Tyrant released Celious, but the centuar didn't move.

"NO! Get back here NOW!" Celious demanded. Thunder flashed eloquently at his outrage. He did not follow.

After sheltering his residual son in the leaves, Wildsaurian swerved his head, locking his vision onto the brown rodent monster that voiced a challenge and immediately hopped towards him in a charging act. Usually, the zuum would grin, grin at the feeble and futile fighting, but he didn't. His face was hard, mad, disappointed. To think, they defeated Moo.

"We are Basilisk's friends! You are his dead father! The dead can no longer walk on soil. You can no longer be apart of his affairs. We know what's best for him now! You must return to the dead Wildsaurian!" Hopper leaped forward at high speeds, aimed and punched his tiny right balled fist through the wind that encased him invisibly. He kept going and going, heading for Wildsaurian's head. The zuum, with his face screwed in irritation, pushed his toes and caused the slippery grass to pivot him. His muscular tail whips through the air faster than Hopper's fist and lashes the rodent's cheek. "OW!"

"You stupid kids! DO better!"

Tiger raced into action, "Hopper! I got you!" He slid across the grass, and grunted as Hopper's body bashed into his side, causing him to wince. The rodent fell onto his stomach, "Ugh..."

"Take it easy, I got this." Tiger said with a grin. Hopper rised and turned on his back to look at the golden smile across the wolf monster's snout. It was...heart-warming, charming, a signal of hope. Hopper smiles and let's out a happy sigh, "Go, get him."

"I will, thanks," After an agreeing nod, Tiger's face abruptly switches into an angry one as he turns to meet Wildsaurian who was stomping towards him and his fallen friend, "You will not hurt Hopper, or anyone else! I swear it!" From the blue lighting of his horns, small bolts stream out.

"Oh?" Wildsaurian cocked a brow and tilted his head to the side, straightening it a tad bit. The lancing blue bolts pass the side of his neck, "Humph! You guys are failing, and your centuar friend has lost faith in you. How will Basilisk survive with you? This isn't how you behaved when you fought Moo and his Devious Dragon Four. You were more coherent, more like a team. Your strategy is broken. You, Tiger, seemed to be the only one who is the most strongest in spirit, like your brother."

"Enough!" Another pair of lightning bolts is blasted. Easily, Wildsaurian crouched to dodge the shots, "Come on now!"

"PETAL SWIRL!"

By the time he rose to attack Tiger, Wildsaurian was immediately caught in a swirling amalgamation of cherry blossoms, wind and rain. The zuum grimaced, his claws curled. His sharp toes dug into the grass to keep him on the ground. The force nagged him to not struggle and fly with the tornado, but he resisted.

Tiger's eyes widen in surprise. He knew that attack. His head turned, and in his sight he saw his brother Mocchi controlling the wind with the waving of his pink arms. Mocchi's duck bill curled into a smile, "Attack chi! I got him!" Tiger smiled wickedly, and nodded. He motioned his head to aim his white horns at the dark green zuum, and fired, "LIGHTNING!"

"Here's for my Basilisk! Five balls!"

"Fist missile!"

"Energy shots!"

The rebels cried in unison as the attacks were fired at the entrapped Wildsaurian. Blazing blue light bolts, raging balls of flame, flying fists made of stone, comet blasts. The zuum hisses, "I don't think so," then releases the ground. He's twirled into the air. The attacks either miss or collide into the wet grass below Wildsaurian's feet. From the explosion, the zuum is rushed upward and is completely void of the tornado right before it dissipates. He screeches angrily; the rebels look up to see the dangerous golden glow in his squinting eyes.

"This isn't good! Let's get in close," Halsha implied. "and whack him out of commission before Basilisk wakes up."

"You scum!" Wildsaurian roars while his body drops from the sky. His toes bend and his foreclaw rises, readying for a strike to one of the rebels' heads, Mocchi's that is.

"CHI!"

"Mocchi!" Tiger yelled in warning as his white snout leaped.

The claw slashed down; Basilisk remained in darkness. Voices of the past blared in his head.

******

"Boy! Hey boy! I know you're out here. Come and talk to me."

"Yes papa, what is it?"

"Kazuharu mentioned to me that, you're afraid to lead us when I pass."

"....Yes that's true. Some of my brothers contradict my skills. I don't want to lead because I'm afraid I'm not strong enough. I'm afraid I'll fail. Why did you pick me to be the future leader of this clan anyway papa? It seems like too much pressure. Just by the mentioning of it makes me sweat."

"Leading is a daunting task, yes it is, but I chose you not because you are my son, it's because I sense that you have the correct potential compared to the others. The correct 'stuff', you know the correct qualities. The correct sense of judgment, the correct heart, the correct strength."

"But how do you know papa? I'm still young! How do you know? Can you see it in me? What if my brothers challenge me for the leadership spot?"

"Hey, don't let these pressures get you down. With precision and instinct concentration, you'll have to know what is right and what is wrong. Able to encounter all obstacles and pass any boundary. From the confrontations with hostile groups to finding a mate, I know you can do it, disregarding how elusive it sounds."

"Um, okay papa. I won't let you down."

"Don't be afraid of destiny. Don't let destroy you. Destiny is life."

"Hey papa, I have one more question."

"Sure, good ahead son. What is it son?"

"Why do guy zuums get with girl zuums?"

Cough.

******

Mumbling.

"P..papa....d..destiny..."

Basilisk's eyes slowly opened. The leaves tickled his scales and the groans of battle gradually stirred him awake. His head ached, "Ow, where am I," He whispered to himself as he rose and rubbed his cranium. The rain had stopped, droplets slid down the leaves' veins and fell onto Basilisk's scales. He felt some kind of strange warmth. Leaves irritably poked his eyes as he struggled to get out and into the glade.

Tiger panted heavily and took a second to look at the rustling bush where Wildsaurian rolled his son in. He squinted, "He's awake."

While still lying down, the zuum/joker swishes his claws at the leaves, brutally shredding them off their branches until he had an adequate visual of the glade. He did, and indeed the rain had stopped. He saw his unscathed friends, encompassing the center; Tiger was looking back at him, and shook his head.

"Huh?" Basilisk blinked at the blue wolf. Tiger hunched his furry mane and backed away, revealing the sight of a fallen zuum in fetal position.

The mixbreed's dusky eyes widened, "PAPA," In hardly any time, Basilisk hastily got onto his feet , dashed out from his harborage and crouched beside his father, "PAPA NO!"

Wildsaurian's dark green scales were scorched and ashen. There were bleeding cuts around his hind legs, the muscles almost mutilated. He whimpered at the dying glow in his eyes. The old zuum's medallion was pulverized into little pieces near his puffy chest; his breathing laboured, "Blast it, I didn't want you to see me like this son," He said in a drawled tone, "you are up too early."

"P..papa?" Basilisk's voice became mournful. His clutched Wildsaurian's head into his claws gingerly and looked further into his dim golden orbs for eyes. His father's eyes...they were losing their fashion, their beauty, their regal presence. As for his friends, they left him in serenity, via walking out of the glade. All except for Celious, who stood behind the two zuums in silence while tightly holding his spear.

"I bet you feel really intrigued," Wildsaurian gave his son a warm smile to compensate for the loss of his golden eyes, "I mean Galonis revived me and used me against your friends. He ordered me to make you suffer. Cheap arsehole yes?"

Basilisk sniffled, then nodded in concordance, "Yeah, cheap arsehole."

An eyelid slumped down over one eye. Wildsaurian gritted his teeth. His body trembled. He was fighting; Basilisk gasped, "Dad please, please don't go!", and patted his father's cheeks, "papa!"

"Basilisk, it's okay."

"No dad! Stay awake! Stay awake! Don't you leave me! Don't you goddamn leave me you hear?!"

Celious held his air in and locked his lungs. continued to stare at the duo, while listening to this unendurable attempt to resuscitate with words. It's resultant is nothing but further deterioration; the centuar began to struggle inside once again. Undulating eyebrows manifested more piercing irritation; Tiger, Halsha and Moochi peered in between the forest leaves, spying on their friends. Tiger thought to himself, what is Celious doing? Is he going to apologize? They couldn't dare breathe, not even gasp at the strong scene. They wished to acknowledge it without a single sound, without a single question. Basilisk too has deep feelings of love; something transparent flowed inside Celious's eyes.

Basilisk continued to beseech as his clutch became tighter around his father's face. The tears began to spill out, spill out from the dark brims of his eyes. They splotch on Wildsaurian's sinking head, "PAPA! You forgot to answer!"

The older zuum whispered, "Answer....what?"

As he loosened a bit, Basilisk answered, "..about, about why zuum guys go with zuum girls?"

"You crazy boy," A rivulet trickled down Wildsaurian's eye, and his face fell on one side "you mean you don't know? After all these years you still haven't figured it out?" His son nodded, raising his eyebrows in bewilderment.

A grin curled between the dark green zuum's maw, "That is because, guys zuums can love girl zuums, just like they are apart of the pack. Girl zuums can be apart of the family. Look at Halsha, then you'll understand. By the way, I think she's your type. I also think your friends are great."

"Papa, no kidding," The flesh on Basilisk's face droops, giving him a rueful frown, "really? Really so?" This was no sarcasm.

Wildsaurian just lies there and chuckles. After that...the second eyelid shuts, and the second Death Warrior is permanently defeated. Inside of the bushes, Tiger and the others watches a hunched over Basilisk; the shadow of Celious's body eclipsed the zuum as he continued to stare down at him. Silently, Basilisk watched his own father's body become consumed in eye-burning red. It glowed bright, then dissipated, revealing a familiar green round item twined in sparkling vines. The three-year-old zuum's black eyes widen in an obvious state of shock.

Celious continued to stand. He had no intention to cry.

The black zuum slammed down and impaled his claws deep into the muddy soul beneath the grass. He hissed deeply. His claws roll, the eyelids close tight. He winces...this was the sight of pain. The final intense display of grief for today; Basilisk rears his head back and roars for his father. The river of tears splash back and out of his eyes, "NOOOOO DA-D-UGH!"

A loud bonk! Cold metal bashed into Basilisk's head. No more screaming. "I think that's enough! I knew that was gonna start sooner or later."

Tiger dashes out of the leaves, "What the hell?!", and snapped at Celious who leaped out of the way out of reflex; Basilisk's jaw was gaping, his eyes larger than acorns. Tiger yelled, "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"

Celious with his spear held forward, said nothing. Basilisk leaned over and fell onto his side like a lifeless animal, shot by hunters. The other rebels reenter; Tiger demanded, "ANSWER ME! Why did you hit him?!"

"Tyrant, pick up Basilisk and place him on my back."

Tyrant's face looked cold. He didn't fathom Celious's behavior toward his longtime friend, but deep inside he felt like this was the right choice. He knew, he know how Basilisk hated the monstrosities known as "feelings", and never wanted to shed tears again. He bit at them like flies, denying them, protesting them. Back at the massacred tribe lair, the zuum never saw his father die, but once again, Wildsaurian's lost disk grave was painfully displayed in front of his eyes. He was a Death Warrior, and he had to die regardless.

So, he obeyed. The red golem quietly walked over to the zuum and carefully scooped him up with one large palm, placing him slumped over Celious's back. Celious gave the team one cold glare and began walking up with his burden across his no sorry ass. Halsha shook his head.

"Now HOLD a damn minute," Tiger's rear leg muscles sprinted from rage, giving him the speed to pass the leaving Celious and block him by deliberately leaping into his way, "You STILL didn't answer my question?"

Celious calmly blinked once, then spoke, "It's time to go. Wildsaurian has been defeated and that's all. We must leave this rainforest and enter the next plagued terrain. I think Basilisk has suffered enough for one day. I hit him in the head so that he could rest and regain his composure later. He's a great warrior monster and he is going to be needed in the future battles. Other than that, he needs not to cry. He shouldn't cry, because he was selfish. That shouldn't be him. His father was suffering a lot more alive as Galonis's slave than ever, and that's what this fool needs to understand. He could not have it his way. Living in a patrilineal family such as Wildsaurian's zuum tribe means close relationships with the brothers and leader. Their pride, their survival, that's always on top. When we killed Basilisk's ideal, that one predicament caused his emotional shield to splinter. Now we have to recollect the pieces and bring his shield back, his rage, his coldness so he can put all of this behind."

Tiger was utterly speechless. A shocked frown dropped his muzzle, his pupils shrank

"Basilisk is going to return...and I don't give a damn if he gets mad at me either." Celious strode past the blue canine, and walked off. Mocchi walked over to his brother's side and parted his duck-billed lips, "Chi?"

The wolf monster sighed, "Let's go!"

Mocchi nodded his head, took in breath then moved his feet. Then came Tyrant, and Hopper.

In her own frozen encasement, trapped in an unblinking state, Halsha looked down at the exclusive green lost disk. She thought to herself:

He said...Basilisk should be with me.

=================================

Finally, Wildsaurian is defeated, but who is next on the Death Warrior 5? What will happen when Basilisk wakes up? What is Halsha thinking? And WHAT the hell is Celious's problem? Please wait for the next exciting adventure of "Tiger of Freedom".