"It is good that you can all see once again, but this trip will be a long one," explained the tall lizard that was to escort them through the mountain cleft these lizard people called home.
Gia had managed not to stare at the lizard's dark scales or the bright red patch around its neck, but her father had no such qualms.
"What is the significance of the red mark on your neck?" asked Tom, blinking several times as he tilted his head to see the red spot easier.
"They signify that my body is ready to mate. Do not worry, human male, I have decided not to lay eggs at this time. You need not worry about it," said the lizard, waving her hand as if it was nothing.
Tom nodded, but Gia caught a worried glance from Vonn.
"What sorts of obstacles will we need to expect on our trip through the cleft?" asked Gia, tightening the straps on her bag as everyone gathered around the lizard.
"The only creatures you will need to watch out for are the needle teeth packs that run among the thick foliage in the base of the cleft. When overwhelmed, they can strip an animal to the bone in minutes. If cornered, they can also zap their perceived threat to dissuade it from attacking. If you get zapped enough times, from enough of them, it can knock you out and put you at risk of being overwhelmed."
Carla covered her mouth in horror, glancing at Mikey who was bent over showing Sprout a caterpillar that was crawling across the ground.
"I'm sure we will be able to avoid those, are there any other obstacles we will need to overcome?" asked Tom, giving Carla a look of reassurance, that she missed because he was to her left.
"There will be a waterfall we will need to get past. The river that runs to and after the waterfall is very dangerous. The safest place to traverse it is over the top of the falls itself. You will be able to see the great world tree from the falls, a sight that no other human has ever been graced with being able to see," said the lizard, as if this was something significant.
Carla turned to Tom, looking worried, but once she saw the look of reassurance on his face, she calmed down. Gia nodded her thanks to the lizard and turned to Vonn, who was getting Mikey up off the ground.
"Shall we be off?" asked the lizard before turning away to lead them out of the village.
Tom took Carla's arm tightly as they went to leave, since she still wasn't steady walking with having lost one eye. Vonn had to pick Mikey up and put him on his shoulders to keep him from showing Sprout everything.
As the village disappeared behind them, Gia kept her eyes on the underbrush around them uneasily, not sure exactly how big the needle packs were. She would have to keep a good eye out for them. There was no way she was going to lose anyone, being this close to home. They only had to cross the plains on the other side of the mountains, to reach the human lands.
"This is so hard!" complained Carla to Tom.
"I think it probably would have been easier to lose your entire sight, rather than just one eye. You have to adjust so much," consoled Tom, holding her arm tightly as she almost tripped over a branch she hadn't seen.
"There will be a time of adjustment, but I assure you, you will adapt," said the lizard, glancing back at them.
They broke through some bushes, not too much further ahead, and stopped short at the shear cliff that was before them. Carla whimpered and clung to Tom, hiding her face in his chest.
"Wow! You can see so far from up here!" exclaimed Mikey. "Look Sprout! You can see the waterfall from here!"
Gia looked out over the valley they were in, marveling at how beautiful it was. She could see lizardmen everywhere, climbing the cliffs and running along the river below them. Some were even fishing. By ignoring the sheer drop before her, she was able to appreciate the space these lizards lived in, but a realization came to her. With the way they were spread out, it was impossible to imagine them being able to sneak through the valley as the elves had suggested. Of course, the magical necklaces helped.
"So, we will be traveling along this ridge all the way to the waterfalls?" asked Vonn.
"Yes. It is the quickest route out of the cleft," said the lizard, turning to continue along the edge of the cliff.
"Look! There's some tiny little lizards that are glowing blue!" laughed Mikey, pointing ahead of them.
They all turned to see a swarm of needle teeth blocking the path ahead of them. Gia watched as the shadowborn lizard that was leading them, grabbed a branch and swung it at the lead lizards. They scattered, but gathered back together, snapping and snarling.
"They're the dangerous needle teeth, right?" asked Carla, sounding faint.
"Yes. If I can get them to spook, they'll run off and we can get away from here," said their guide, gritting her teeth as she swung at the swarm again with her stick, knocking several off the cliff.
The screams of the falling lizards seemed to agrivate the rest of the swarm, causing their frills to rise along the backs of their heads and they started chittering and making high pitched chirps. Gia could see the flicker of bright blue arcs of electricity jumping between them as they milled around the bend in the path ahead of them.
"They should not be acting this way," growled the lizard, glancing further ahead, to see if there was anything there. "Take this stick and keep them at bay. They should not charge you. I need to see if there is something ahead making them think they are trapped."
Gia took the stick the lizard shoved into her hands and watched as she slipped away into the thick brush beside them. The swarm of lizards, that stood on two legs as little dinosaurs, eyed her. Their frills started to lower and the electrical flickering died down. She stood her ground, watching the lizards, but not making any move to swing the stick at them.
"They're actually kind of cute," said her mother softly.
"I don't intend to try and capture one for you to have as a pet," said Gia lightly, in a gentle tone so as not to spook them.
"Do you want me to swap places with you?" asked Vonn, moving to set Mikey down.
"No, you keep Mikey safe. I'm fine," said Gia, not taking her eyes off the swarm that was watching her carefully.
A few of the lizards stepped forward, as if to test her resolve, and she found herself reaching into her pocket for some of the dried meat she had left. It wasn't much, but if she could convince these things she didn't mean them any harm, maybe they could get around them without any problems. Before she could lean down to give the food to them, there was a loud crash on the other side, and a large tree was flying off into the air. A loud cry went out, and she saw every lizard person in the valley turn to see what was going on. The swarm wasted no time in running back off into the underbrush, leaving the path clear.
The shadowborn lizard reappeared on the path, waving for them to come to her. "A tree had fallen, and it was big enough they couldn't jump over it. I moved it, allowing them to escape, and us to continue."
Gia glanced over the edge of the cliff, seeing the tree far below them, having crushed several smaller trees and causing a small partial dam to the river below.
"Let's go," said Vonn, touching her arm as he passed.
She nodded and turned away from the edge. Memories of the fall danced in her head, and she couldn't help but glance around to make sure Llewel wasn't there. She knew the elf was dead, but goosebumps danced along her arms with his memory.
Climbing up a small rock fall took time as Carla hesitated and Tom coaxed her up. Gia watched as he patiently helped her mom place each foot, and remembered how Vonn had done that for her when they fell against the vines.
Glancing at him, she saw he was watching her and quickly looked away in embarrassment. She could hear his chuckle moments before he wrapped his arms around her.
"What ever is the problem, my dear wife?" he asked with a mischievous grin.
"Oh you!" she laughed, wrapping her arms around him as well. They were all safe and sound, her dad had his sight back, and they were almost back to the human lands, where they could build a new home. Life was good!