Bubbles small waist was pressed up against Lilo as he gripped tighter around her.
The wind was roaring in his ears and the view above the horizon line was heavenly from the griffin glutton's back.
The view below though… Lilo didn't dare look down.
Bubbles pink hair whipped across his face to cover most of the view anyway.
The scent of their recent bath enetered his nostrils from her flowing hair and suddenly his cheeks flushed from the realization of their close proximity.
They were pressed close by necessity, and the only thing between them was the thin material of her skin tight bubble suit.
Every curve of her athletic build and steady breath from her diaphragm could be felt as he clutched onto her from behind.
The two girls he had met so far had not even had the slightest effect on him as Bubbles somehow did.
Lemon was a child so he never even considered her - she was more of a bratty little sister - and Miss Peppermint was perhaps more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen (outside of Candy); but Bubbles had a mysterious alluring aura that attracted even the well versed veteran interest of Lilo.
'Get it together Lilo, you have a wife you're trying to get back to.'
"That's a bummer. I was really enjoying myself." Soda's pervy voice echoed in Lilo's mind.
They were shockingly starting to sound more and more alike and it frightened Lilo.
Where did the scared timid innocent kid go that Lilo knew Soda to be?
Lilo quickly locked in, shaking the dazed feeling of lust bubbling inside of his heart.
He didn't have to try hard to get his mind off of impure thoughts.
They were currently hundreds of meters up in the air, riding atop a giant menacing creature with a menacing shepherd, on their way to a glutton infested battlefield of some sorts.
He had a lot to keep him distracted.
The wind was too loud for him to speak over it and ask questions; so he was forced to observe keenly and come to his own conclusions.
Bubbles wore her usual outfit, her cloak lifting from the wind revealing her skin tight pink suit.
Liko wondered if she only wore the cloak in the past and only considered wearing her bubble suit after Lilo had asked her to get dressed in the bath.
Impure thoughts resurfaced.
No no, she seemed to familiar with the concept as well as how to utilize it to the fullest. This suit must not have been a new concept.
Meanwhile, the shepherd ahead of the two of them, guiding the glutton with an obsidian embedded staff, was wearing an elaborate outfit to this battle.
He reminded Lilo of the Aztec warriors that he would study when traveling Latin America.
With their bone armor, menacing masks, and weapons made from wooden clubs that had obsidian glass embedded into them; used to cut open their opponents and shred the flesh when they slashed.
Similarly, this shepherd wore a mask made from a gluttons skull, and a cloak that resembled what Cravers normally wear.
Under the cloak, Lilo noticed a stark black armor, made from a meshy material that seemed metallic in nature.
It also had glowing runes of purple hues littered throughout it, creating a mystical aura of chilling power.
In his hand was a club like staff, with shards of obsidian around one end, enbued with even more shimmering purple runes.
He would wave it towards the direction of flight he wished, and the monsterous glutton obeyed.
Despite this elaborate outfit and the outstanding height of Burberry, the crowd of shepherds back at the citedel of peace were uncaring and seemingly undisturbed.
Lilo was sure it had something to do with concealing magic.
Even if the crowd was used to the presence and unique aspects of Burberry, the way they parted for him and nonchalantly pretended he didn't exist all at the same time was simply too uncanny.
For whatever reason, Burberry did not like crowds and he did not like being noticed.
Pepper had already told him briefly what type of shepherd Burberry was; although at the time, Lilo had just woken up in the med bay after a brutal spar with Pop, so he did not retain much of their conversation.
He remembered her saying that he kept a small circle, having only one craver within his cohort and that he didn't enjoy having company.
Lilo could now see why. With how versatile Bubbles was and how Burberry could somehow tame gluttons to obey his commands, he really didn't have a use for Lilo at all.
If anything Lilo was a hinderance. An incompetent child that needed baby sitting.
A determined desire grew in Lilo's mind. For some reason, he admired the mysterious shepherd and wanted to earn his approval.
No matter what obstacle they faced, Lilo wanted to contribute and he wanted his contribution to be significant enough to earn the respect of his peers.
Perhaps even the cohort of cursed tech friends he made would marvel at what he was capable of.
Wait… what exactly was he capable of?
He could barely do magic and his hand to hand skills only came in handy when facing humans… even then, still with the disadvantage of the small frame of a child.
The only ace up his sleeve was his secret of being a craver who could heal… but that alone was not going to be enough to survive out here.
He remembered the harrowing night spent alone in the outskirts and how his body was pushed to the brink from the fall he endured.
There were limits of his healing abilities, he was not immortal.
He quickly switched his agenda as he surveyed the caravan of shepherds and their flocks of cravers and herders finally exiting the gate and entering the out skirts.
He was not going to be a hero today. Fuck the approval and respect he desired.
His agenda was simple. Survive. That should be manageable enough, right?
Just as that thought crossed his mind, the clouds cleared before him, revealing a canopy of a horrifying sight.
A colossal shadow was deep within the mist and a ground shaking roar made the blood in Lilo veins freeze.
A menacing and magnificent head emerged from the mist - the height of several stories and the size of the Griffen itself - revealing a small figure in comparison standing atop the nape of its long scaly neck.
Lilo held his breath and he could feel Bubbles do the same as her diaphragm clenched under his grip.
Atop the head of a colossal glutton dragon, was the sentient glutton who claimed the forbidden temple, looking out at the army of shepherds with a chilling indifference.