Silence is golden

Mouse stood in thought watching as the others were fighting. He frowned and jumped down to the bottom of the stairs and put his hand on the ground. "No water... Trees won't like it here." He nodded at Tofana, and threw daggers and leaves at drones he could see stuck in the sandstorm.

He turned and looked up at the doorway in worry. "Don't worry about him Mouse." He turned and sliced a drone heading in their direction. He looked at the firewarrior nodding. "He's strong... He knows what he's doing, and as you can see. We're not dead yet." Mouse nodded and stared out into the sand storm around them.

"All we can do is stand here and wait... Leave it to the fire eaters and Star... They're the ones who can hit them now." He looked at the firewarrior and back up at the stone archway where Harnio and the priestess were standing. "Relax Mouse... This storm has made them blind... I know you want to go out there and fight, but the moment you leave this place you'll get lost in the storm... If I was you, I would be taking this chance to rest, and recover from all the hard work you've done, from the past few days."

Mouse nodded at the firewarrior and stood looking at the storm surrounding the stone pyramid. He looked at the carvings on the stone and closed his eyes. "Have you seen these before Tofana?"

"I have... These show the battles between people fighting for Athlos... and those who want this place to be destroyed..." Mouse nodded, while smiling at Tofana as she spoke. "What is it?" He shook his head. "Nothing... Just admiring beauty."

"You should be resting, just in case the trolaiths make their way through the storm... Don't forget there're trolaiths that dig tunnels for the smaller ones to travel" He nodded and hugged her tightly. "What was that for?"

"Just wanted a hug... I'm worried about the monk..."

"Don't worry about him, he'll make it out alive..." Mouse frowned. "The reason why I'm worried, is that if there's a door down there, I hope he doesn't open it..."

"He won't I'm sure that he'll realize the danger behind that door, and walk away from it." Mouse smiled and nodded, kissing Tofana on her lips.

"BOOOMMM!"

He opened his eyes and felt the ground shake. He frowned and looked at the others. "Don't worry Mouse... If he did what you're thinking, we'd be dead already... He's probably fighting down there." Mouse nodded. "Thanks for calming me down... I should trust them more than I do now... He's smart he won't do anything stupid."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He turned and looked at the firewarrior. "That was his voice... What's happening to him down there?"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH! It burnsssssss!"

He watched as the firewarrior looked at the archway and than back at the storm. "Mouse... Don't go down there... This is his trial... Our job is to guard this place. He'll make it out."

Mouse nodded and sat on the stone steps staring at the archway. He looked as Harnio sat next to him. "He's not stupid... That's what your thinking isn't?"

Mouse smiled and nodded. "Good... Trust him to do the right thing." He nodded and watched as Cliffhopper stood in front of the archway and sat down with his back against it. "No one enters... He'll come out... We all trust him to succeed... You should as well." Mouse smiled nodding at the people around him.

"That seems to be all the straggler drones... I don't see anymore around in the storm... So all we can do is sit here and wait." Mouse looked up at the sky above him. "The storm covers all... Not even those trolaiths that fly can find this place... They have to wait until it dies down."

"Unless they're digging tunnels, with that tunnel burrower trolaith..." He watched as the firewarrior shook his head. "I don't think that they'll send one of them this way... There's no advantage for them... It was just one of those people with drones."

Mouse nodded. "See Mouse agrees with me... I feel a little hungry... I haven't had a chance to eat... Actually none, of us have had a chance... Lets sit and eat now, while waiting."

Mouse joined them in a circle, and ate some fruit he had collected from the last city. He shook his head when the firewarrior gave him some dried meat signing at him. "Ahh... I didn't know that... It seems our Mouse prefers his fruits to meat..."

"What are you talking about? I've seen him eat meat before... Has something changed?" Mouse nodded, signing back to them. "He said, the taste of meat is no longer delicious to him... The fruit he eats is full of flavor, and more enjoyable."

Mouse nodded. "That makes sense... Look at his body... He's almost a tree." Mouse lowered his eyes at Cliffhopper, with a mischievous smile, and started signing at him. "Cliffhopper he said... Hahahaha... He said... Actually you don't want to know what he said. Hahahaha..."

"Why? Mouse what did you say? Were you being a bully or something? Tree man..."

"No. He wasn't being a bully at all. He just talked about you and eating your meat... But how he said it, made the meat something else." Mouse looked at Harnio in surprise. "Yes... I've learnt your signing language... It wasn't hard to pick up... Actually I think it makes communication a lot more beneficial."

"You're the ones following my husband?"

Mouse turned and stood up staring at a dark curly haired woman with his swords raised. "We are..." He looked at the firewarrior, shaking his head at him. "My husband has past the trial, and he's currently going through a change... Don't worry, those screams and curses he's making is a good thing... Just stay out here, and wait a few days... Its a cost he's decide to pay..."

"Thank you for the information... What should we call you?"

Mouse watched as she walked through the archway. "Call me Drummen's wife... Thank you for keeping him safe, during this time... He's had a lot on his chest... We're just helping him so he can carry his burden without anymore hindrance." He looked at the smiling Cliffhopper. "Hahaha... Now, I have a sister in law... Now I know what that feels like... Lucky drunk monk."

Mouse sat down and looked at the firewarrior. "She's strong Mouse... You could feel it too. If she's traveling with our monk, than we'll have a very strong team to face those against us." He smiled and nodded.

"BLLLASSSSTED HELLLSSS!"

"Who is doing what to him down there?" Mouse turned and looked at the priestess. "You heard what his wife said... We wait here... Ignore the cries and curses... He isn't calling out to us is he?" Mouse looked at Cliffhopper in thought. "He's right... If he really was in trouble, he'd being calling for us... Or at least his brother to go and help him... We stay here, and rest."

"BOOOOOOMMMMM!"

He stared out in the sandstorm... "Don't worry... That was my brother... There aren't anymore of those drones around here... This place is protected by my family... Rest and relax... The evenings here are beautiful."

He looked at the archway where the voice came from and continued chewing on his fruit. "He didn't open the door Tofana... He must of passed."

"Yes... Mouse. See you just needed to trust him that he wouldn't do something stupid... But now it seems, his wife's family is helping his body become stronger." He nodded, smiling at her. "We can't fall behind and become weak... We need to get stronger too." He opened his eyes and looked at the others as they stared at the fire in the middle of them. He smiled. "They are all seeking to become stronger... You can see it in their eyes. Tofana."

"You're in a good team... Mouse... Grow with them... Be a mouse with a steel tail and steel teeth, chewing and destroying whatever comes against you." Mouse smiled and stood up walking to the stones and stood looking at the sand storm around them.

"What are you looking for out there?" Mouse turned and saw Harnio and the priestess walk up behind him. He looked at Harnio, and started signing at him. "He's looking for dragons among men... What does that mean Mouse?" He looked and pointed at them both. "Become dragons of men and women... Walk through Athlos and become strong." He saw Harnio smile and the priestess both smile at him, as they returned their gaze to the sand storm. "That woman's brother has wiped out all the drones out there... All we can do is wait... I've forgotten how peaceful this can be... We've been fighting hard constantly for a while, but to sit and not worry about the world is something that we all need."

Mouse nodded at Harnio. "You can be wise some times you know... When I was in the mountains, I enjoyed the peace back then... This rest is helping me remember why we should be fighting, and what we should be fighting for." Mouse nodded staring into the sandstorm at a pair of orange eyes looking back at him. He nodded to the eyes, and felt his heart race. He smiled as he heard a deep voice come from the storm.

"Bring it little shadow... Lets have some fun..." Mouse turned to the others and looked at them staring in the storm. "Don't worry, they didn't hear... I just feel your fighting spirit... A nice spar will be fun... No killing blows, or my brother in law and mother would be upset at me."

Mouse stepped off the stone and into the storm. "Mouse... Don't be stupid... What are you doing?" Mouse turned and looked at them with a smile, signing back at Harnio. "He said he's gone to go training..."

"Training in the sandstorm... Mouse you're an idiot... Don't go blind on me."

Mouse waved his hand at them and disappeared in the storm. He stood in front of the large beast smiling. "I knew it... Dragons among men, and women... The true guardians of Athlos... Tofana. Once I saw his eyes, I knew I was right."

"Clap... Clap... Clap... Good for you... Now go play with him... He looks bored and wants to have some fun too." Mouse smiled and jumped towards the large dragon in front of him. "Mute... Doesn't bother me at all... I'm just glad I can spread my wings and have some fun... This is just training... Nothing more little shadow."

Mouse nodded with a smile on his face and went to attack him, before being sent to the ground with a sudden attack. He got up and shook his head. "Nice... You've got fighting spirit... I like that in shadows... Come at me again... I'll make it fair for you this time." Mouse watched as the figure became smaller until a large man stood in front of him with a long pillar on his shoulders. "Oh, this is my staff... Nothing suits, me apart from this... I found it in ruins years ago..." Mouse looked into the man's orange eyes and jumped at him with his fists. "No weapons... Just a brawl than shadow... That's fine with me..."

"BOOOMMM!"

Mouse felt the ground shake as the man dropped the pillar onto the ground. He heard him crack his knuckles as he went to strike the man's legs, but was caught by this block. He jumped up, and tried to hit the man in the face.

"Nice linking... No hesitation... Quick moves and reflexes... Strong... But shadow you can be stronger." Mouse rolled in the air and sent his leg into his blocking arms.

"Ohh... It seems your trial will be coming soon as well... We better get you stronger." Mouse smiled and looked up on a dune as two other figures stood staring at them. "Don't mind them... They're making sure I don't lose control little shadow." Mouse shrugged his shoulders at him and ran at him again punching and kicking as fast as he could. He felt himself being pushed back and rolled out of the way of a fist.

"Come at me again... Again, and again until you get stronger."