As the sun slowly rose to take its position of dominance in the sky, creatures and people slowly awakened from their slumber. Although the darkness of night hadn't fully faded, a new day had already began. Few people were awake at this time, but the creatures of the forests were already up and about. Amongst the few humans that had awakened, there were 6 of them standing on the outskirts of the village. Three of these humans were teenagers – two boys and a girl.
The boys were charming, blessed with features that would turn the heads of any who saw them. Both of the boys were tall, but one was taller than the other. The shorter one had beautiful curly black hair and a well sculpted face. His eyes were gentle yet filled with strength, and his build was relatively good. The taller one was also a beautiful boy. His long blonde hair fell to his shoulders and his well-trimmed beard made him look a tad bit more mature. Although the sky was still a bit dark since the sun wasn't fully up, one could see the beautiful sky if he/she looked into the boy's eyes. They were blue and beautiful like turquoise shells.
As for the girl, she was no slouch either. Even amongst these good looking boys, she still stood out. Like a beautiful flower that still caught the eye of the masses even if it stood amongst several other ornamental plants, her beauty was unhidden. Her long black hair fell down her back onto the curve of her buttocks, and her beautiful green eyes were filled with so much innocence and youth that even the cruelest of men would find it hard to hurt her. Her long slender neck looked like it could be broken with a simple touch, and her simple clothes did nothing to hide her wonderful curves. She truly was a spectacular beauty.
Next to these charming fellows were three older men. One of these men was tall with a well-built figure. Even in the cold weather, he only wore a tank top which exposed his powerful arms that were filled with great strength. He had gorgeous black hair which complemented his dark complexion wonderfully. He was a handsome middle aged man with an aura that filled many with calm.
The other two weren't as eye-catching, for one was an old man hunched over on a wooden stick and the other a large potbellied man with a sly look on his face.
"Please take care of my grandchildren, Ivor" the old man bowed slightly to the large potbellied man and requested.
"Even if you didn't ask, Sir Fan, I would do my best to protect them," Ivor, who was even taller than Dan replied solemnly. His usually playful expression was not there. He looked like a valiant warrior on a mission to protect his young lords.
"I would protect Mane as well, Sir Dan," Ivor smiled slightly and turned to face Dan. Dan didn't seem moved by his words. He moved closer to Ivor and grabbed him in a hug.
"Mane says you're stronger than me, so I dare not allow you to call me Sir," he whispered into the ear of the large man. Ivor's eyes widened in surprise at Dan's words. He wondered how Mane could come to such a conclusion after only meeting him once. Then he thought about their brief handshake and remembered Mane's reaction that was very much like his own.
'Was that how he knew? And how could he tell?' Ivor wondered.
"But if anything happens to him, we would find out if he's right or wrong," Dan finished his statement and then let go of Ivor. There was a slight smile on Dan's face, as he left Ivor's embrace. To the others it looked like he had a good relationship with Ivor, but Mane wasn't fooled. His sensitive ears picked up their one-sided conversation, and a small smile of appreciation graced his lips. It was nice to see someone you loved showing concern for you.
"We must be off then," Ivor announced. For the past five minutes Dan had been speaking to Mane, and the twins were receiving their grandfather's concern as well. At his words, the two older men handed over large bags filled with supplies to each of their wards and stepped back.
"Let me grab that for you Lily," Mane reached out for Lily's bag and said. Her reddened hands and sunken arms suggested that the bag was a bit too heavy for her to carry. Old Fan smiled embarrassingly seeing this. He was so out of it today that he had given his weak granddaughter a huge bag to carry.
"Thank you Mane," Lily smiled shyly as Mane picked the bag from her hands. Lam didn't try to take the bag because it was indeed very heavy. One was his limit. Plus he knew that Mane was strong enough to disregard the weight of the bags. Ivor frowned when he saw the interaction between Mane and Lily, but that smile disappeared quickly, and no one saw it. At least that was what he thought. But Dan's sharp eyes caught his little change in mood and wrinkled. He balled his fists as worry flashed across his face. But then he remembered Mane's words about the difference in strength between the two, and held back.
'I would use the manual to focus on recovering my power first,' he thought to himself. Mane told him that if he was able to recover his ability he needn't fear Ivor. So recovering was what he was going to do.
"I presume that you don't plan to have us walk all the way now," Mane smiled slightly as he slung both his bag and Lily's over his shoulder. His nonchalant expression and his unhindered breathing showed that he truly wasn't affected by the weight of the bags. He knew they didn't have that much time to get to Asher City before the next game, so he knew that there was no way they would walk.
"Of course not. How could I let my Prince and Princess walk?" Ivor smacked his head comically like he had forgotten something important and clapped his hands.
*neigh*
His action was met by the neighs of a few creatures, as four beautiful horses galloped into view. In next to no time, the horses had arrived right beside them.
"Are those…" Lam looked stunned when he saw the profile of the horses. They were large and beautiful, with luscious red manes that cascaded down their beautiful shoulders like veils.
"Red Maned Horses," Mane finished Lam's statement. Although he was surprised to see the horses, his surprise was for a different reason. He hadn't seen anything about Red Maned Horses in the slates Dan gave him. If he had, he wouldn't have been this shocked. As to why he was stunned, it was because these Red Maned Horses were the same as the ones on Zandor!
"They are beautiful," Lily remarked with slightly dazed eyes. She approached the horses eagerly. When she was finally close enough to one, she reached out to the beast.
"Wait!" Ivor and Mane tried to stop her. Red Maned Horses were considered docile when compared to other Magical Beasts, but they didn't take kindly to strangers. However, right when both men were about to race to Lily's aid, they witnessed something surprising.
The Red Maned Horse didn't trample on Lily. It did the opposite. It nestled its head in her arms as she stroked its long mane. The other horses approached her as well, as they all sought after her affection.
"That's unbelievable," Hildegarde remarked seeing what the others saw. Lam didn't know what was so remarkable about what Lily was doing, so he didn't look impressed. But the others were very impressed.
"Which of you can ride?" Ivor asked.
"I cannot"
"I cannot"
"I can"
The twins turned to look at Mane with some surprise. He was the only one who said he could ride, and they were surprised that he could.
Mane walked to one of the horses. Seeing him approaching it stepped back slightly. If Lily was like a warm breeze that filled it with joy, Mane was a billowing storm that threatened to crush it.
"Come here," Mane ordered seeing the retreating horse, and it halted its steps, and slowly walked to Mane.
"You're like a villain," Hildegarde laughed gracefully, and Mane could only smile bitterly.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Mane assured the beast and picked a sugar cube from his bag pack. The beast's wariness reduced drastically as Mane feed it the sugar, and then it rubbed against him lovingly.
"Well done," Ivor remarked sincerely seeing how easily Mane won the beast over.
"Does she have a name?" Mane asked as he fed the beast more sugar cubes.
"No she doesn't," Ivor replied, once again impressed that Mane could even tell the gender of the horse.
"Roxanne," Mane stated. "Your name is Roxanne," Mane reiterated as he rubbed Roxanne's mane smilingly. Roxanne neighed in pleasure as she nestled close to Mane. Mane smiled and jumped onto Roxanne. He glided in the air and landed gently on the horse.
"Would you ride with me, Lily?" Mane reached out to Lily and asked. Ivor frowned and tried to speak up, but Lily had already grabbed Mane's hand. She blushed slightly as Mane pulled her up and placed her behind him and onto the horse.
"Then you would ride with me, Lam" Ivor offered. Lam nodded his head and got on. The horses were big enough to accommodate both Ivor's large frame and his slender build.
"We're off," Ivor nodded his head at the older men and urged his horse forward. Mane nodded at Dan and followed the large man.
Dan and Old Fan watched their figures disappear into the horizon, before Dan turned and bid the old elder his goodbyes. Then he dashed into the village, eager to regain his former power.
"What would they do with the boy?" A figure flashed next to Old Fan, and an old man appeared next to him. The old man was clad in several strange chains and amulets, and even his ankles weren't spared from the binding of these ornaments. His eyes were completely white, and his hair was fully gray. There was a huge ring hanging on his nose, and his lower lip had been pierced with a small rod.
"I don't know Kaka," Old Fan sighed. That's right. This queer looking old man was Chief Doctor Kaka! He was the man who cared for Village Head Samoa's son when Mane injured the boy!
"If he's harmed even a little bit, Dan wouldn't forgive you," Chief Doctor Kaka reminded
"I know," Old Fan sighed. "I only hope it doesn't come to that. I wouldn't want to go to war with an old friend"
Old Fan had a complicated expression on his face, but soon it was wiped away and replaced with a determined look.
"But I would do anything to protect my family. Even if it means destroying his!"
"And Samoa? Is he still within your control?" Old Fan turned to Chief Doctor Kaka and asked. His words would have shocked anyone close by. Alas, there was none.
"Of course. He has been within my control for the past decade at least. Why would that change now?" Chief Doctor Kaka replied nonchalantly.
"Good. We still need him."