The kankiru was asleep sitting by the entrance of the cave, a fine dusting of snow matting on his hair and body. He had rather blue lips, and wasn’t shivering, just leaned back on the wall, peacefully asleep.

Jing didn’t like how this looked at all, moving over to Bast quickly and shaking him. “Bast/ Bast wake up!”

Bast gave a soft groan, but otherwise didn’t react. He was icy-cold to the touch. the fabric brittle with ice. He only wore his beige shirt, having used his short jacket on Jing.

Jing shook her head a little, moving to pick him up. Kinu had said she had her powers back… so she was ready to use her powers if needed to pick up Bast. But, she wanted to see if she could pick him up on her own since… well she wasn’t as small now.

He was easier to grab, yes. But he was still a full-grown male and quite heavy for a 16 year old girl to carry.

Jing struggled with carrying Bast, finally using her powers to make it easy to pick him up. She couldn’t help but smile though, before she wouldn’t have been able to move him at all without her powers!

Bast shivered faintly in her arms, breathing making puffs of white in front of his face. As Jing brought him to the main cave area Leria moved to sit up, a look of alarm on her face. “Dammit, I didn’t think he’d be that cold!”

Jing brought him over closer to Leria, taking off her fur cloak and wrapping it around him. “Atleast its warmer in here.” She said quietly before wrapping her arms around the kankiru to use her body to help warm him.

Leria sighed, shaking her head. Looking around she nodded to one corner, as a fire sprang from the rocks. “Put him near the fire, and you’d better check his hands and feet, lest he lose them to frostbite.”

Jing nodded, moving Baast over to the fire and moving a little to take off his boots so they could be warmed. She then checked on his hands, hoping they didn’t have frostbite.

His fingers were blue and stiff, and cold as icicles to the touch.

Jing shook her head, wrapping her hands around Bast’s, using them to help warm them.

Bast was beginning to shiver madly now that the warmth of the fire thawed him out.

Jing smiled as she started to see him shiver, keeping close to him and her tail wrapping around him. She looked at his hands that she still held, hoping they were going to thaw well.

They did seem to be warming some, and eventually he opened his eyes slowly, teeth chattering. “J…j…jing…”

Jing looked at Bast, smiling a tiny bit. “Hey Bast. Looks like you were outside for too long.”

“S…seems… l..li..like it…” He slowly sat up, pulling te blanket over him tightly and scooting closer to the fire, thrusting his feet to almost burn them in the fire.

“Don’t hurt yourself!” Jing said quickly, watching him before sighing. “I’m… sorry about what I said before Bast…”

Bast blinked, still shivering badly, rubbing his hands together, wincing. “Forget it…” He said, staring into the fire.

Jing looked at him for a minute, but didn’t move towards him “What I said… I was wrong and… wasn’t thinking streight. So please… can you forgive me?”

Bast turned to look at her, and blinked, eyes widening suddenly. “Jing… what…. happened…” He turned fully, looking her up and down. “Am I still asleep?”

Jing couldn’t help but smile a little, and she shook her head “No… Your awake Bast.”

“But you look..” He moved closer to her, staring, then his numb hand reached out, and cupped a breast. “These weren’t there when I left.”

Jing face went bright red, and she quickly smacked his hands away “B…BAST!!!”

Bast flinched as he heard a cracking sound, and he jerked his hand back, looking down at it in a dazed way, two fingers at odd angles. “Huh… that’ll hurt once they thaw out…”

Jing looked down at his hand horrified “I’m sorry Bast! I…I forgot! And I did that without thinking!!!”

Bast chuckled slightly, shaking his head. “I… I’m sorry too. For er… the impulsive motion, and the fact my hands are so numb from cold I didn’t even get to feel you!” He looked back at her, “What happened?”

Jing’s face was still red, and it just got worse when she heard Bast’s comment. “Kinu. She had learned how to allow me to change and look my real age.”

Bast smiled, “That’s amazing!” He looked around, “Speaking of the silver, where is she now?”

“Because of the amount of magic it would take, Kinu had to fuse with me. She is still here, and she will be able to get stronger while fused with me. She said she would come back once she is better, though I can still talk to her in my dreams.” Jing explained.

Bast nodded, glancing past Jing at Leria, who watched with amusement. “You were in on this I see… Is that why you made me fall asleep and nearly froze me to death?”

Jing winced as she heard that, “I’m sorry abuot that Bast. It was partly my fault…”

Bast sighed, still cradling his frozen hand, though a look of pain was growing as his hand defrozted and feeling returned.

Jing looked at him before his hand “I’m sorry about that Bast. I forgot your hand was frozen when I hit it! You…You should put it in the lake’s water.”

He nodded, “Yeah… that’s… fine…” His gaze turned to look at her body again, then up at her face. He smirked faintly, “Still look like a kid to me.”

Jing glared at Bast annoyed, “I’m not a kid Bast! And now I don’t even look like one!”

“Sure you do.” He said smoothly, getting up and sitting by the lake close to the fire, dipping feet and hands in the water.

“How do I still look like a kid?!” Jing asked, standing and glaring at Bast.

Bast chuckled, back to her. “You still act like one, for one. And you’re only sixteen, Jing.”

“Atleast I don’t look like a little kid now.” Jing said, crossing her arms and sighing.

“True.” He nodded, turning to look at her with a smile of amusement. “Now you look like a rather beautiful young woman.”

Jing’s face went red at the compliment, not having expected that at all and not sure what to say now.

Bast watched her, his amusement growing. He turned back to ministering his hand, snapping the fingers back into position with a flinch, and quickly thrusting it under the water again as he bit back a cry.

Jing winced as she heard the crack, finally snapping back into reality and walking over to Bast. “Is it healing well…?”

“I guess.” He said, slowly rubbing his hands under the water. “So tell me, is your violent reactions tamed now that you look the age you are, or is that just how you are?”

Jing bit her lip a little “Matters. Are you going to grab me again when your hand is better?” She muttered. “Because if you do I’ll hit you again.”

Bast laughed, “Erm… can’t make promises, but I’ll keep that in mind next time I try.” He winked.

Jing blushed more, quickly looking away from Bast as her tail wrapped around her.

“So… is this why you take back what you said before?” He asked, “Gotten back your confidence to fight?”

Jing nodded, not looking at Bast yet, waiting for the warmth to leave her cheeks.

Bast sighed, “Well, I’m glad for you. Frankly I… don’t think I want to look my age.” He turned away from her, looking into the water. Leria grinned faintly. “I could do that for you as Kinu did for Jing.” He glared at her, “Don’t you dare!”

Jing chuckled as she heard that “There is no reason for you to look your real age Bast.”

Bast nodded, “Exactly. I’m rather glad the end of the curse didn’t suddenly turn me into a decrepid old man.”

Jing giggled, nodding “I’m glad too.”

Leria said nothing, smiling. She thought of what Aurixel had told her about him, and wondered…

“So… What are we going to do now?” Jing asked, looking into the water.

Bast shook his head, “We have to go back to the valley.” He said, “The others must be worried sick about us.”

Jing looked at Bast, nodding “Ya your right about that.” She said before looking at Leria.

Leria nodded, “I will teleport you two back when you are ready.” She sad, “But what are you and the others planning to do after that?”

Jing shook her head “I’m not sure what we are going to be doing.”

Bast frowned, looking down into the water. “We’ll have to talk it out with the others, Iris told me Cade was working on the disks and could read the contents. Hopefully we’ll find a clue… something that will help us against the dragons.”

Nodding Jing looked from Bast then to Leria. “How long do you think it will be before the metalic dragon’s fully realize they have been tricked?

“It could be a week… or a month.” Leria looked apologetic. “I’ll try my best to convince them fast, and let you know once I have.” Bast nodded, “But there’s so many forces of evil massing against us, will it be enough?”

“Its better then the force we have to fight agenst them right now.” Jing admitted before sighing quietly. “I wish we knew more about what their plans were…” She muttered, mainly refuring to why her and Bast were being targeted. Bast had mentioned a prophecy… but he hadn’t remembered much about it.

Bast was silent, not looking at Jing at this. He had a vague idea now of the plans they had. “They will need us both at the Isle, but… at the same time we HAVE to go!”

Jing nodded “I wish we knew more about why they need us…” She muttered, shaking her head. “If we need to go there… we have to figure out a way to get there without them knowing…”

“I don’t know where this place is… so I can’t help you get there…” Leria said gently, “But… why the insistence on going?” Bast sighed, and told her what he knew of the nightmare and the Green Dragon.

Jing’s hands went into fists as she listened to Bast, anger filling her. “I can’t belive that… the island is like that! All the people… They are all suffering!”

Bast nodded, “That’s why we have to go.” He said. Leria frowned, considering what she herself had learned from Aurixel, wondering if she should share what she knew…

Jing said nothing, stairing at the water and anger covering her face. Her people were suffering… and wanted to go there and save them!

Finally she decided to keep the knowledge to herself, for now at least. She would find out what she could, and once she knew more she’d tell the two. “Keep on your journey for now. You can do nothing about the Isle, since none of us know it’s location but for Aurixel. And he seemed quite ready to let the enemy capture and kill him.”

Jing winced as she heard that, shaking her head “I…I hope he didn’t go back to the island. But… I don’t understand… he was helping you two… How did that happen?”

Leria grinned, “I spoke with him. He’s not all that bad, just… slightly misguided and brainwashed.”

Jing nodded slowly “So… The Aurixel I knew… didn’t compeltly dissaper…?”

Leria shook her head. “No… but he was caught in the nightmare, and that… well you saw him.”

Jing nodded again “I noticed the changes in him… but its good to know the old him wasn’t completely destroyed.”

Leria smiled, and Bast scowled slightly. “He was important to you?” Leria asked.

Jing nodded “He was my best friend back on the island. And one of the only people I could talk to about anything and he would just… listen.”

Leria nodded. “He seems to care a lot about you too.” Bast’s frown deepened, staring at his hand.

Jing sighed quietly “I… I could tell he still did when I first saw him. But… Seeing him change so much… is it wrong of me to feel like he isn’t the same person I remember? Before I…I could forgive him if he did something or messed something up… but part of me can’t forgive everything he has done since he first attacked us…”

Leria sighed, “He IS different, in more ways than one. He saw you banished, he’s grown on the isle, with the teachings of your people. He’s suffered in the nightmare of the green dragon…”

Jing sighed “I realize that… it makes me wonder… how much everyone else I knew changed. And… how my own family is…”

Bast nodded faintly, though he didn’t have any family to worry about he felt… still worried about the fate of those on the island. “We’ll find a way, Jing… and I… I promise I won’t… ever… hurt you.”

Jing blinked a couple times, looking at Bast “What are you talking about…? Why would you hurt me?”

Bast winced. “T…the prophecy mentions… me… killing the second cursed one… and offering their heart to open the portal for Taksis.” He said finally.

Jing paled as she heard that “W…What? Thats… That can’t be right! Y…You would never do that…”

Bast smiled faintly, nodding. “I know. I… I know.” He looked down, “I don’t know how they’d even try to force me to… do that.”

Jing looked at Bast, moving her hand a little to try and grab his. “I…I know you would never do that Bast. And… we won’t be caught be them so it won’t ever happen.”

Bast clasped her hand, then pulled her close, hugging her tightly. “Of course…”

Jing moved a little at the hug, closing her eyes and leaning agenst Bast.

Bast held her close, relaxing slightly. He was still shivering faintly, and his hand hurt, but he just hugged her, not wanting to let her go.

Jing relaxed agenst Bast, burying her face into his shirt a little. It actually felt a little strange for her… before Bast seemed so much bigger to her.

Bast slowly stroked her hair, which had also grown out with her body. She seemed… to meld better now, into his embrace. Almost as if she was meant to be there.

Jing smiled a little as she felt Bast’s hand in her hair, sighing quietly and just enjoying being agenst him.

“Lovebirds…” Leria chuckled, “Go on and forget I’m here… I’ll look the other way while you take her virginity, Bast.” She joked.

Jing’s face went bright red as she heard Leria, coughing a little and sitting up away from Bast a bit, looking away from them both.

Bast went red too. “L…leria!” He whined, glaring at the dragon.

Jing couldn’t say anything, to flustered from Leria’s comment and just kept her gaze away from them both. Her tail, which the fur had ended up standing on end at the comment making it look even bigger and fluffyer, curled around her tightly.

Leria just continued to laugh, the two were easy to tease. Bast rubbed his cheeks. “A…anyways… we should probably head back.”

Jing nodded “We…We should. The others will be worried about us.”

“I can teleport you two when you want.” Leria said with a nod. Bast got to his feet, slowly flexing his hand. It felt better, but still sore. He walked over to where his jacket had been discarded and put it back on, then nodded. “Ready.”

Jing nodded, standing as well and streaching. “I’m ready as well… Wait… Leria can you get us inside the barrior of the valley?” She asked, blinking and looking at the bronze dragon. “And could you stay long enough to atleast say hi to everyone?”

Leria looked apologetic. “Sorry, I’d rather not appear with you guys with the others, but yes, I can get you inside the barrier.”

Jing sighed as she heard that, but nodded “Its alright. I just wanted to ask.”

Leria smiled, “Send my regards to the others, specially Silver.” She said, moving down so her head was level with them. “Place your hands on my muzzle.” She indicated. Bast did as told, waiting.

Jing smiled at Leria “We will.” She said before putting her hand on Leria’s muzzle. “I hope you can come back to the group soon. All your friends miss you.”

“I know, I miss you guys too.” She said. Bast grinned, “Best be quick about returning then!” Leria nodded, “Good luck you, and be careful. I don’t want you guys being captured again!”

Jing nodded quickly “We will be careful Leria.” She said, looking at Bast and smiling before looking back at the bronze dragon.

Bast’s free hand snaked out, clasping Jing’s and the two disappeared with a blink.