Wizardland

"I'll get the parsley," Aiden suggested, shifting a bit on his feet.

Cole nodded at Esther. "I'll help with the griffin."

"Mister, can I go with you to get the parsley?" Al requested.

"Ok! Now that we have decided, let's go get those items." Esther turned to towards the forest and looked around. "Once we have them we'll meet here." She walked over to a tree and broke a branch. "Good luck everyone!"

Raine looked over to Erik and smiled. "I don't mind at all." She turned back to the others and waved. "Good luck to you guys too!"

Erik grinned at the others, waving to them too. "We'll catch up with you guys later."

Aiden smiled at Al. "Sure, I don't mind."

Al smiled at Aiden, skipping over to him. "Right. So we'll just have to find the old fellow who grows the parsley."

Cole waved to the rest, following Esther. He tripped briefly over a rock, resumed his upright position, then ran, slowing to a walk as soon as he caught up with her.

Esther turned to Cole and smiled. "What do you know about griffins?" She took careful steps and made sure to clear anything dangerous with her foot. "Honestly, I don't know much about them, but I heard they like to be left alone."

Raine waved to the others. "We'll see you guys later!" She turned towards the direction of the dragon and took a deep breath. "I'm ready!"

"Glad that you are," Erik told Raine, head tilted up as he sniffed the air. "Let's hope we can manage to do this quickly."

"And where would he be?" Aiden asked, head tilted to the side as he looked at her curiously.

He watched her clear the path and blushed a bit, ashamed of his lack of coordination. Finally, he realized that she had spoken to him. "Er...I think they're like birds, right? And lions? Are those the same as sea lions?"

Al met his gaze. "Oh, he's probably in the Deadly Forest a mile north of here, just like all the other demons." She sounded more cheerful than she really should have.

"I think sea lions are different." She paused a bit and frowned. "They like to be left alone . . . so they would probably be on a cliff or a cave." She turned towards Cole and smiled. "Which location should we try first?"

Raine nodded. "Definitely!" She turned towards Erik and smiled. "Where would a dragon be?"

Erik cupped his chin in thought. Then, he looked at her. He replied, "How about the caves? I've heard that dragons prefer staying in caves or something similar in order to protect whatever treasure they can get."

Aiden frowned a bit, noticing the odd cheerfulness in her voice. He eyed her warily. "Really? Then you can lead the way."

"Uh..." Cole was not exactly talented when it came to geography. "Let's just try the nearest cliffs then, I guess."

Al began to skip in the direction of the forest, seemingly oddly happy for someone whose brother was kidnapped by a mean witch.

"The cliffs it is. I saw some a bit away when I climbed up that tree. If we pick up our pace, then we should make it within an hour or so." Esther smiled and started walking a bit faster.

"That sounds like a good idea. To the caves!" Raine took a few steps forward and paused. "Hmm..." She looked around and slightly frowned. "I think there's something watching us."

Erik followed after Raine at an easy pace. He carefully scanned their area, using his strong sense of smell just in case he missed something out of place.

Aiden stayed at a safe distance away from Al, keeping his eyes on her just in case. There was something rather off about her that he didn't like.

Cole responded by walking faster as well, then falling and sliding down the slightly sloped forest terrain at a much more efficient pace.

Finally he sighed as he spotted the cliffs in the distance. "How do we get up them once we get there?"

Al suddenly began to cry loudly as she walked.

Esther shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. I can't really do much besides change my appearance. We might have to circle around the cliff and see if there's a way up."

Raine kept looking around. "Can you feel it too? It's like eyes are all over this place... it's kind of creepy."

"It's disconcerting," Erik admitted, his eyes slowly changing into a golden color. He kept close to Raine as he continued to observe their surroundings. Somehow, he got the feeling that something about this entire situation was wrong.