Dragon Dance

chapter 11: into the town

"Have you packed all you'll need? " Reema asked as she poked her head on Lusty's shoulder.

"Yeah" Lusty examined his gigantic backpack and tried to remember everything he would need.

Lusty Shook the giant bag lightly, it was sitting at the edge of the bed, soaked in sunlight that made it's old leather surface glow mildly.

Reema watched quietly behind him, AM clucking softly on her arms, while the others brush her feet.

"That's all we'll need" Lusty said, placing his hands on his hips. He took out a smaller leather slingbag ,it looks full but it didn't look heavy and gave it to Reema.

Lusty smiled at her sadly"those people might come back and hurt us again " he said to her eye, he meant the winged men that arrived the past day.

"I understand " Reema returned a demured smile.

"We'll be back home eventually " he smiled at her, he lowered his head towards AM and grinned widely, his eyes squinting. "Got any feathers for me buddy? " he asked, petting AM on the top of the head with his fingertip. AM let out a low cluck. AM Shook itself and leaped out Reema's arms. One of AM's wing plume fell on the ground. On first look the feather was nowhere far than normal, but Lusty picked it up, and carresed the feather, it's quill slowly turned to red.

Lusty proceeded to pick up more feathers from the cockatrices room. He gently pushed the feathers in his bag.

Lusty and Reema went outside, they stared at the hut, bathing in sunlight its wooden walls towered, standing straight above the ground.

Lusty placed a lock at the door, and Drew strange symbols on the ground.

door lock, lock of door,
Do not open for any visitor,
Clasp with might, as you should,
Keep this safe, keep unharmed this abode,

The hut's door melted and vanished becoming one with the wall. The cockatrices emerged from the wall where their small exit was hidden.

Reema looked at him, "I made a few twicks of the symbols to allow these friends of ours in and out " he said as he looked at her, Lusty kneeled on the ground, the cockatrices ran towards him forming a Heap on his lap as they brush thier heads on him.

"Be safe while we're gone, okay? " he said lowly, rubbing everyone's comb.

Lusty pulled himself up, his eye still on his beloved feathered friends. "We shall go" he said before looking at Reema, he reached out his hand for Reema to take, She smirked and laced her fingers through his. They locked stares with the cockatrices, saying their silent goodbyes. The cockatrices formed a line, and orderly entered the hut.

They exchanged glances, "time to go" Reema said.

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"Why can't we take them with us? " Reema asked as they walk down the mountain to the town, tress guarded them side by side, silently listening to thier conversation. The sky above was clear blue behind the whitest clouds, sunlight was warm on their shoulders as they bath on the golden light.

"It will be dangerous, not just for us, but for them. Cockatrices are like prized trophys for wizards, a creature that powerful is one of the things wizards are willing to die for" Lusty said, glancing at the tress as they pass it. They continued walking until they reached the foot of the mountain, a dusty small dirt road slithered across the ground, guiding them towards the town.

The town was buzzling with life, Sunlight has poured over the town, hitting the ground as milky yellow light, the dirt road that they have followed was connected into a larger cobbled street, people walk passed carrying baskets, one of them contains bread, they saw the tip of a hard brown bread peeking at the brim. Shops and houses lined along the streets, both having wooden and metal railings at the entrance, brightly coloured fabrics were hanged above, tied to the roof of each building to protect the people under it from the sun, the only thing that separates the shops from the houses were the wooden signs hanged above the door, painted with the most flamboyant colours.