You make your way down the cold, hard path and find that the pathway ends abruptly. It leaves you at the foot of some sort of strange river that flows north, like the Nile. The waters are crystal clear, and you can hear a waterfall in the distance.

You decided to follow the river and find that it becomes nothing more than a stream a bit farther down. It opens agian and becomes wider than before, and then it pours down into a waterfall. You can see that there is a camp on the opposite side of the river, and you look for a place to try to cross.

You find a small, natural bridge a bit farther back from the waterfall. It is made from a fallen tree, and it appears as if the locals have tied it down to keep the bridge there. You carefully walk across it, hoping that the tree holds for you.

After making it across safely, you make your way to the camp. I seems that the camp is more like a home, and you can make out a nearby village area. You shrug and enter into the small home to see who lives there.

No one is around, so you begin to examine the area. The home is made out of some sort of house that must have been destroyed ages ago. The inhabitance must have rebuilt it using one of the main walls, but the rubble of the original house is still very visible. You can also tell that the people of the area are crafts men. Many objects such as spears, axes, and paintings decorated the north wall.

You make your way into the bed room and find that it is much warmer than that of the rest of the house. Instead of a bed, there seems to be some sort of pillow-nest. Curious, you walk over to it and find something strange and wonderous. A small, white and blue egg!

You reach over to touch the egg to feel the texture. A hand grasps your arm and you jump back with a yelp. As you turn, your eyes meet that of an elven girl who looks rather displeased at your presents. You smile meekly and introduce yourself, and you eye the egg eagerly still wondering what it is.

"Just what did you think you were doing?" the girl snaps.

You gulp and look her over. She is a pale color with a long, purple rob about her. She holds a rather dangerous-looking staff with a moon-crest on top of it. You decided that it would be best to answer her honestly.

"I was just looking..." you say.

"With your hands?" the girl demands as she cuts you off. "You, as a wanderor, she know better than to be touching eggs and other such things. I leave for a few minutes to retrive some village news and a wanderor just walses in here and starts to touch things that they know they shouldn't! What is the wood coming to?"

"I am sorry, ma'am," you say, trying to make up for it. "I didn't know, really."

"I suppose I can forgive you, then," she says. "I am My'ana'va, one of the Elvish Gaurdians. I was sent here to protect this egg."

"What is it for?" you inquire, hoping to pull her away from the topic of anger.

"Why, we are hoping to hatch the first Kingdom Dragon of the Woods," she smiles. "They are in need of a good home, and the Elves and the Gryphons both believed that we could provide a good home." She nods.

"Kingdom dragon?" you ask, a bit hesitently.

"Oh, yes, silly me," she says. "They are dragons, of course, with different colors and things. They have the colors: blue, green, red, yellow, jade, water, earth, wind, fire, black, white, rainbow, abnorm, striped and spotted, darks and albinos, and finally metals."

"Wow!" you comment. "That's an aweful lot of dragons!"

"Exactly, which is the reason we will try to adopt some for the Wood. The Wood grows, by some unknown power, everytime a new creature ventures into the land. Some places are said to hide for a while before appearing to wanderors like yourself...all this through some strange magic."

"Why here?" you wonder, outloud.

"That's simple," she says. "First of all, it is near my village so that we can protect the egg if nessassary. Secondly, it is not too close to the village...that way the young children won't try to touch the egg." She adds a bit of a hint to the last sentance. "Furthermore, there is the river and the waterfall, which the dragon will hopefully like."

"Will you be taking care of the dragon?" you ask.

"Only if the dragon wants me to," she continues. "You see, I may care for the dragon when he or she is young, but if they do not need me, I suppose I will have to return to my village and hope for another egg to care for."

"Does that make you sad?"

My'ana'va smiles. "Not at all, silly! I am here to help this egg and my people. I can do that by caring for the dragon when he or she needs me most, and by stepping back when the dragon is ready to go on his or her own. That's nature." She sighs. "You should go, wanderor, but please do return to see if the dragon hatches!"

A short while later... you approach the river bed once agian, following the same path again. You meet My'ana'va, who appears to be a bit happier.

A small, yellow-ish colored creature dashes out toward My'ana'va. When the creature sees you, she slides back on her hauches and proceeds to dash behind My'ana'va. My'ana'va laughs and looks over for the creature.

"Rain'kia!" My'ana'va begins. "What are you doing, silly one?"

The creatures small head appears from behind My'ana'va. She is a dragon hatchling. She looks up at her caretaker, who smiles back to her. "Come on out, there, Rain'kai, this visitor won't hurt you."

My'ana'va looks to you and begins, "She's a bit shy, as most rainbows are. She tends to not like visitors, I am sorry. She's still young. Hopefully as she gets older she will grow out of it."

"You managed to be able to care for her past the egg stage?" you ask.

"Absolutely," My'ana'va replies. "You see, they become very loyal to those who care or protect them, especially rainbows. There may be a point where we won't be together all the time, but I will always be nearby for her."

Finally, Rain'kai comes out from hiding. She sits not too far infront of My'ana'va and stares at you. She looks back over to her caretaker for help, and she only smiles and nudges her forward.

Meekly the dragon says, "Hello...wanderor...you can call me...me...Rain'kai." With that, she runs behind My'ana'va and hides again.

"Well, wanderor, please come back to see if she has grown."

Again you return... hoping to see Rain'kai a bit older and a bit different.

The riverbed seems much the same, but you can't seem to find either of them. Finally, My'ana'va approaches you from out behind the bushes. "Oh, there you are, wanderor!" she says.

"I remember you," she begins. "Oh, yes, of course! You have been here a few times, right? Yes, now I know how I know you! I see you have come back again to see Rain'kai? Well, I guess you can. She's a bit...moody, I suppose. Like all young children, she has grown to a young adult."

"Young adult?" you ask.

"Yes, a young adult, silly!" she smiles. "I know, they grow awefully fast. She has surprised even me..."

My'ana'va takes you around the corner and past the bushes to a small watering hole in the riverbed. You look around, expecting a to see Rain'kia, but she is nowhere to be seen.

"Rain'kia? Rain'kai!" My'ana'va shouts.

Suddenly, a yellow-and-rainbow flash bounds out from behind My'ana'va and chases itself around in circles. Finally, it stops, and you can see: it is Rain'kia, much bigger than before.

"There you are!" My'ana'va says.

"Where else would I be, silly?" Rain'kai replies. She turns and sees you, and she backs away at first. However, she talks to you and says, "I think I know you..."

You introduce yourself and explain that you met her when she was younger, and once before she hatched.My'ana'va smiles weakly as the other scampers off. "You see, she's making decisions by herself now. I am very proud of her. She will make a great Wood dweller..."

"Aren't you sad?" you ask.

"In some ways, yes. I never thought I would be as attached to her as I am now, but she will visit, and I know that keeping her here is wrong..." she sighs. "Well, wanderor, I am glad you came back."

Back to the Wonderous Wood.