The Four Faces of Rath - (CC, ALL, YTEEN) -Ch 66-71 - 8/6/05

isndbreeze · Post by **isndbreeze** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 4:35 am

The Four Faces of Rath SeXXX 101 Chapter 52 LII Varec turned the fluffy little creature upside down and pushed the fluff aside with his fingers, then, thinking that maybe he had had it right to begin with, he turned it back over and checked the other side. Then he turned it around and checked the other end. “I’m sorry, Zan. I can’t tell you if it’s a male or a female. The scans didn’t show anything, either. I guess I could dissect it.” “No!” both Max and Liz said at the same time. “No,” Max repeated. “That won’t be necessary. We’ll find some other way to tell. “Well, if it’s a male, you’ll only have a problem if you get another one and it’s a female. If it’s a female… I can’t be sure what will happen. I’m not familiar with this species. But I can’t find any evidence of sexual organs anywhere. I have no idea how it reproduces.” “Thanks, Varec,” Liz said. Then she turned to Max. “Do you think Kryys could tell? You know… if he turned into molecules and, like, checked it out… or something.” Max smiled then started to laugh. “What’s so funny?” “Just the picture that left in my head… of Kryys turning into atoms and checking out the sex of a tribble… or whatever this crazy little thing is.” Liz smiled. “Well, I didn’t mean it to be funny. I just thought that maybe he could check it… sort of… you know, internally.” “We can ask him, I guess… if he wants to do it.” “That’s what I meant.” “Thanks for trying, Varec. We’ll run over to Michael’s and see if Kryys can tell us what it is.” “Okay. Sorry I couldn’t help, Zan. I’d be interested in knowing what it is myself if you find out.” “I’ll let you know.” Max and Liz left Varec and Amy’s house and drove to Michael and Maria’s place in the country, not far from the Valenti estate. Maria saw them coming and came out to meet them. “Hi, Liz! Max! What are you guys doing way out here at this time of day?” “We were looking for some information,” Liz said. “About what?” “Sex,” Max said. Maria grinned then turned around and yelled into the house. “Michael, you’re wanted!” Michael came out of the house wearing a chef’s apron and carrying a spatula. “Hey, guys. What’s up?” “You barbecuing, Michael,” Max asked. “Not yet. Just getting ready to.” “Michael makes great barbecued yegg steaks,” Maria said. Then she turned to Michael… “Max said he was looking for information about sex.” Michael grinned. “Well, you came to the right place, Max. I’m glad to see you know where to go. I didn’t know you needed a tutorial, though.” “Get real, Michael.” Max raised one eyebrow slightly. “We just wanted to know what sex Harold is.” “Oh. Well, you see, Max, you turn ‘im upside down and if…” “Yeah, yeah! …Never mind that, Michael.” Michael and Maria both laughed. “We tried that already. We couldn’t tell. Neither could Varec.” “Varec couldn’t tell? What is it… asexual?” “I don’t know, Michael. Maybe it reproduces some other way. We wondered if Kryys could tell us what it is.” “Probably. I explained all this to him already.” Michael snickered. “I’ll see if Kryys wants to explain it to you.” Michael gave Liz a sad look. “Laugh it up, Michael,” Max said. “You won’t be able to tell, either.” Michael went into the house to look for Kryys, still snickering to himself. In a couple of minutes, he was back with Kryys. “Dad said you need to know how to tell a boy from a girl.” Michael grinned. “I think Max already knows that, Kryys,” Liz said, smiling. “What Max… what we need to know is what sex Harold is.” “You don’t know how to tell?” Michael snorted, and Maria smiled in spite of herself. Max turned slightly red. “We know how to tell, Kryys,” Liz said. “But Harold is sort of… different. You see, we already tried the usual methods, and we can’t tell. Varec couldn’t either. Even his scans couldn’t tell.” “So… you want me to check ‘Harold’ out… inside…” “If you wouldn’t mind, Kryys… Would you mind checking him… her… whatever?” Kryys looked at the little ball of fluff and shrugged. Then he began to dissolve into atoms. The atoms swirled around the little creature tightly then passed into and through it as Max held it in his hand. After a few seconds, Kryys reappeared. “What is it,” Liz asked. “It’s neither one,” Kryys said. “It’s not a boy or a girl.” “How does it reproduce, then,” Liz asked. “I don’t know,” Kryys said. “I didn’t see anything that might function as reproductive organs.” “See, Michael,” Max said. “It’s not just me.” Michael grinned. “We appreciate you’re checking Harold out, Kryys,” Max said. “Here.” He handed Kryys several coruns, equal to about two dollars each. Kryys smiled, and his eyes lit up. “Thanks! Any time you want to know what sex something is, just bring it to me, Uncle Max!” Michael was struggling not to laughing out loud again, but only because Maria was threatening him if he did. “Well, thanks Michael… Maria…” Max said. “I appreciate you’re letting Kryys check it out for us.” “What you gonna do with it now,” Michael asked. Max shrugged. “You can’t ‘fix’ something that you can’t find the… find the… you know…” Michael broke down and started to laugh again. “Have you thought about asking Andya?” “Andya? Why Andya?” Max asked. “Well, she’s the one who created it, right? Maybe she knows what it is.” Max looked at Liz, and Liz nodded. “It’s worth checking. Alright, thanks guys. We really appreciate it… especially your help, Kryys.” Kryys smiled. Back at the palace, Max and Liz called for Andya, who came running from the VidScreen room. “What is it,” Mom?” “We need to know something, honey. When you made Harold, did you make him a boy or a girl?” Andya thought about it a moment then looked embarrassed. “I didn’t think about it. I didn’t make him either one. I made him like the ones on the VidScreen.” “They weren’t real,” Liz said. “Oh. That must be why they didn’t… why they weren’t real boys or girls.” “Makes sense,” Max said. He looked at Liz. “I guess Harold can’t have babies then. We won’t have to worry about the palace being overrun by little tribbles.” “It looks that way,” Liz agreed. “Is that okay, Mom?” “That’s more than okay, Andya. That’s… perfect!” “So I did alright?” Liz and Max both nodded. “Very alright,” Max said, smiling. Liz nodded her agreement. “You can go back to whatever you were doing, dear,” Liz said. “Here. Take Harold with you.” “Sure Mom.” Andya headed off to the VidScreen room with Harold. “Problem solved and everything back to normal then?” Liz asked, looking at Max. “Partly.” “What do you mean?” “I’ll never be able to face Michael again.” tbc Coming next: Maya has a vision of someone in need of help… someone who has already been horribly hurt… and who is in danger of being hurt again and possibly killed… and she believes it is her mother… Liz. Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub129.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsr ... dbreeze</A> <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://users.aol.com/isndbreeze/aim116b.jpg" BORDER=0> at: 9/16/03 4:43 am

isndbreeze · Post by **isndbreeze** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 5:34 am

Thanks for the feedback, Fallen Magic, Melisa, and Veca! Here's the next part. I think you'll like it. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /smile.gif ALT=":)"> <div style="text-align:center"><img src="http://users.aol.com/isndbreeze/skysymb ...   Gerry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hopeless Candy-Coated, Stargazing, Dreamer! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</div>

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 6:18 am

<img src=http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/cwm/cwm/spit.gif ALT=":spit"> Gerry this was a hilarious chapter! I couldn't stop laughing especially that conversation between Max and Michael! That was too funny!<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/roll.gif ALT=":rollin"> But my fav line had to be: <blockquote>Quote:<hr>“We were looking for some information,” Liz said. “About what?” “Sex,” Max said. Maria grinned then turned around and yelled into the house. “Michael, you’re wanted!”<hr></blockquote> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> That was great! Makes sense Maria would think so! <blockquote>Quote:<hr>“Max said he was looking for information about sex.” Michael grinned. “Well, you came to the right place, Max. I’m glad to see you know where to go. I didn’t know you needed a tutorial, though.”<hr></blockquote> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> I really doubt Max would ever want to see a tutorial!<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> But you know what got me the most piped up? this: <blockquote>Quote:<hr>Coming next: Maya has a vision of someone in need of help… someone who has already been horribly hurt… and who is in danger of being hurt again and possibly killed… and she believes it is her mother… Liz.<hr></blockquote> It made me spring up!<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/slinkie.gif ALT=":slinkie"> Could this be it? Could this be the link between the two stories of yours? Is Andya going to see Liz and Jamie?? Aarghh! How can you keep me hanging! <img src="http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sra ... 55ad1f.jpg" style="border:0;"/>

vecastone · Post by **vecastone** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 4:30 pm

<img src=http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/cwm/cwm/spit.gif ALT=":spit"> <img src=http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/cwm/cwm/spit.gif ALT=":spit"> <img src=http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/cwm/cwm/spit.gif ALT=":spit"> <img src=http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/cwm/cwm/spit.gif ALT=":spit"> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/roll.gif ALT=":rollin"> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/roll.gif ALT=":rollin"> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/roll.gif ALT=":rollin"> that update was great !!!

Post by **roswellkitkat** » Thu Sep 18, 2003 9:35 am

Ah, a sex tutorial <img src=http://www.uniquehardware.co.uk/server- ... humpup.gif ALT=":thumbsup"> And it was hysterical!! <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> <div style="text-align:center">Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.</div> <div style="text-align:center">Rudyard Kipling, English author</div> <

isndbreeze · Post by **isndbreeze** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 1:40 am

Thanks for the great feedback, FallenMagic, Veca, and Melisa! That was a chapter I had fun writing. It just sort of happened <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> Everything just fell into place. Well, the next chapter is heavier, but with a little humor. Hope you like it. And FallenMagic, you're right. It is part of the tie-in. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /smile.gif ALT=":)"> <div style="text-align:center"><img src="http://users.aol.com/isndbreeze/skysymb ...   Gerry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hopeless Candy-Coated, Stargazing, Dreamer! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</div>

isndbreeze · Post by **isndbreeze** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 1:42 am

The Four Faces of Rath Visions Of Danger Chapter 53 LIII The man sitting on a little platform high up in the tree appeared to be waiting for something. Maya felt uncomfortable. She had been dreaming about playing on the j’koozzeen –the beach- when her dream had taken a strange turn. Suddenly, she was no longer on the j’koozzeen by the Golden Sea. She was somewhere else. There were trees all around… and flowers. It was a pleasant place… actually quite pretty. But there was the man in the tree. He worried Maya. In his hands, there was a long thing that looked like the primitive projectile hurlers that Antarians once used. Some Antarians still had them, though Maya had never seen an Antarian one herself except on the VidScreen. Why would a man climb up in a tree with a projectile hurler? Maya wondered where this place was. The man lifted the ancient weapon to his face and peered through some kind of scope. He must have seen whatever it was he was hunting. Maya turned to see what that might be. She didn’t see any animals… only a woman pushing a wheelchair with a younger woman in it. Maya couldn’t see her face. “The man in the tree will have to wait now,” Maya thought to herself. “The lady pushing the wheelchair probably scared his prey away.” Maya looked back at the man in the tree. He was preparing to fire his weapon. Maya looked again at the woman pushing the wheelchair, and her mind registered alarm. “Is he planning to…?” Suddenly, there was a deafening sound, as a shot was fired. Maya saw the young woman jerk back then fall from the wheelchair, bleeding from the head. The older woman ran hysterically, screaming for help. Maya’s breathing quickened, and her heart raced in sheer panic. She tried to look at the face of the younger woman who had just been killed, but the vision began to vanish. In its place, Maya saw a man start a chainsaw and begin to cut through the trunk of the tree. In a few moments, the tree came crashing to the ground, bringing with it the man with the projectile hurler. Maya watched as the man with the chainsaw stuck the end of his own projectile hurler against the nose of the man in the tree. She turned again to look at the young woman who had been killed… only now the young woman had not been killed. She was alive, and the older woman was still pushing her in the chair. Almost as though she somehow sensed Maya’s presence, the young woman turned and looked in Maya’s direction. Liz and Max heard the scream at the same time. Both jumped out of the bed and ran to Maya’s room. “Maya? Maya! What’s wrong, honey,” Liz asked, flipping on the lights. Maya wiped the sleep out of her eyes and grabbed her mother, sobbing inconsolably. “What happened, honey,” Max asked softly, running his hand over Maya’s back protectively. “Did something hurt you?” Maya shook her head. “Something hurt Mommy,” she said, her voice breaking, as she began to sob again. “I’m here, Maya!” Liz said soothingly. See? Nothing happened to me. I’m okay! You must have had a bad dream.” Maya sniffed and wiped the tears off her cheeks and out of her eyes. “Mommy, some man hurt you. And… and you couldn’t walk. Another lady was pushing you in a chair with wheels…” “A wheelchair?” Liz looked at Max. “Are there any wheelchairs on Antar, Max? I don’t think there are.” Max shook his head. “Wheelchairs haven’t been used on Antar for over ten thousand years. Spinal injuries are curable.” “Where would Maya have seen a wheelchair,” Liz asked, stroking Maya’s hair as she held her close to comfort her. “I don’t know. Do you think she could have been sensing something that happened to one of the ‘Antarians Too’… on Earth?” “Do you think so,” Liz asked, repeating Max’s question. Max shrugged. Maya wiped her eyes as she began to calm down a bit and her pulse returned to closer to its normal rate. “No, Mommy. It wasn’t one of them. It was you. A man with one of those things you call a gun threw a bullet at you and hit you in the head.” Maya sniffed and wiped her cheek again. “Shot me? Who would have done that,” Liz asked. “I don’t know,” Maya replied. “Another woman was pushing you in the chair, and a man in a tree killed you.” Max looked concerned. “Maya could be seeing the future, Liz.” “Maybe,” Liz said. “It can’t be the past. That never happened before.” “Well, there’s nothing to worry about now, Maya,” Max said. “Your Mama is fine. I’ll protect her. If you’re seeing something from the future, we’ll be very careful to make sure that it doesn’t ever happen. Okay?” Maya nodded and sniffed again. “Will you be okay now if we go back to bed,” Liz asked. Maya nodded and kissed her mother on the cheek. Liz returned the kiss then tucked Maya back in and closed her door. “What do you think that was all about, Max?” “It could be the future… or it could have just been a bad dream… like you said.” “I guess. Maya’s never had premonitions before. She just sees things that happen to others sometimes when they’re happening.” “Maybe she’s developing a new thing… like a new power,” Max said. “You have premonitions. Maybe now Maya does, too.” “Well, unless we’re planning on going back to Earth anytime soon, I don’t see this dream coming true, Max.” Max nodded. “You’re right. Let’s go back to bed.” <div style="text-align:center">**********</div> Max woke up early and rolled over. Liz was already up. Walking out to the kitchen, Max found Liz sitting at the table writing in her diary. A cup of coffee sat steaming in front of her. “Oh, you’re up,” Liz said smiling. Max kissed her and sat down at the table. “I’ve got some blue hen eggs out. You want them scrambled or in a taco?” “I don’t know… You decide. On second thought, the egg taco sounds kind of good… with a little Tabasco on the eggs.” “Of course.” “What are you writing about?” “I was just updating my diary. The last time I wrote in it was when we went diving in the Golden Sea and Alex and Isabel came with us and helped us watch the kids.” “Well, that wasn’t so long ago, Liz. Did you put something in there about Harold?” Liz looked at Max and smiled. “Of course. You don’t think I could forget that…” Max smiled. “Michael and Maria are going to join us for lunch today at the CrashDown, Max. Is that okay?” “Sure. We haven’t been in there for a couple of weeks at least. Sounds good.” “They’re bringing Dan and Diane with them.” “Klein? Are they back?” “Yeah. They came back several days ago. Dan likes to go yorith riding with Jim, and Diane needs some things from Kyyk’s.” “That’s the first thing Diane always does when they come back after spending several weeks on Earth… She runs out to shop.” Max chuckled. “It’s a girl thing,” Liz said. “You wouldn’t understand. I heard they’re opening a new showroom over on the south end… some Garengian owns it. He’s going to be selling the newest hover cars and bikes from forty different planets.” Max perked up. “Maybe we could drop by there later today and look!” Liz grinned and nodded. “I thought so. Must be a guy thing.” As Liz spoke, Maya, Andya, and JoLeesa walked into the kitchen together. “What would you girls like? I’ve got blue hen eggs. There are a few golden eggs left, too, I think… and the pashita bread is baking.” “That sounds fine, Mom,” Maya said. “Scrambled.” “Same for me,” Andya said. “Can I boil a couple of golden eggs, Mom,” JoLeesa asked. “Sit down, I’ll get them when I get the others,” Liz said. Alyyx walked in at about that time and sat down at the table, too. “What’ll you have, Alyyx,” Liz asked. “Blue eggs or golden?” “I think there were some jaht-roo cookies and japo left over, Mom. I’ll have that.” “For breakfast? That’s dessert, Alyyx.” “What’s wrong with dessert for breakfast?” “I’ll scramble you some blue hen eggs.” “Aw, Mom.” Alyyx looked at Max. “Whatever.” “Is Jeffy still asleep, Mom,” Maya asked. “Yes. But I’m sure he’ll wake up soon wanting his breakfast.” Maya grinned. “By the way, Maya, did you have any more dreams last night,” Max asked, as Liz poured him some coffee. “No. Just that one. But it was so real, Dad! I can’t explain it.” “What did you dream,” Andya asked. “Well, I was dreaming about us being at the j’koozzeen and suddenly it was like I was somewhere else. There was a man in a tree with one of those things they call a gun on Earth, and he killed Mom.” “What? Where was this?” “On Earth, I think.” “Eluymer?” Alyyx asked questioningly. “Duh,” Andya replied, as Maya continued. “Mom was sitting in a chair that had two big wheels and two little wheels on it, and another woman was pushing it.” “It’s called a ‘wheelchair,’ Maya,” Max said. “On Earth, they use them when someone can’t walk.” “Why wouldn’t they be able to walk, Dad,” JoLeesa asked. “They don’t know everything we know about fixing injuries, Leese. On Earth, they can’t always fix legs or spines when they’re hurt bad.” “Oh. So people have to ride in a… ‘wheelchair?’” “Sometimes.” “Who was the woman pushing Mama,” JoLeesa asked Maya. “I don’t know. I didn’t know her. But the man in the tree was waiting for them to come, and he killed Mom with his gun. Then the dream changed, and I saw a man that looked like Uncle Jim cutting down the tree that the bad man was in. When the tree fell, the man that looked like Uncle Jim chased the bad man away. Then the woman in the ‘wheelchair’ looked at me, and I saw that it was Mom.” “Maybe it was just someone who looked like Mom, Andya said. Maya shook her head. “No. It was Mom… only… she looked younger.” “You didn’t tell us that before, Maya,” Max said. “How much younger?” “I don’t know… maybe like she was a teenager.” “Well, that couldn’t be Mom,” Alyyx said. “I heard that, Alyyx,” Liz yelled back from the preparation area. “I didn’t mean anything, Mom,” Alyyx said, as the others looked at him, putting him on the spot. “I just meant you’re not a teenager.” Liz laughed. “Well, I’m glad I’m not. Your Dad and I have what we always wanted now. When we were teenagers, we were always having to worry about the Special Unit guys chasing us or someone else finding out about your Dad being an ‘alien’ (Liz said this word dramatically). We weren’t sure we would ever have a real life together. We worried about our parents… even our friends. There were people in the FBI’s Special Unit and in the army who wanted to kill us.” “Or worse,” Max said, sipping his coffee. “Why?” JoLeesa asked. “The same reason they tried to kill us when we were in the mountains,” Max said. They don’t understand us… so they’re afraid of us.” “That’s stupid,” Alyyx said. “We’re people just like they are.” “They don’t understand that, Alyyx,” Max said. “That’s the problem.” “That’s why they were chasing Mom… in my dream,” Maya said. “How do you know,” Max asked. “I felt it. The man in the tree… He was afraid of Mom.” “Oh! Some big brave man… afraid of Mom!” Alyyx exclaimed. “Well, he was…” Maya said. “I’m not sure why, but he was scared of Mom. And he was scared of Dad and Uncle Michael especially.” “Did he shoot them, too,” Alyyx asked. Maya thought for several moments. “I think he did… but… now he’s afraid of them.” “Well, if he killed them, why is he still afraid of them?” “I don’t think he killed them,” Maya said. “I think he just tried to.” “Did they get away,” Andya asked. “I can’t tell…” Maya replied. “I just feel like they’re in a lot of danger.” tbc Coming Next: Maya has another vision, and the group begins to piece together the clues to determine the most likely source of the visions, convinced now that they may not have been dreams after all. And Dan and Diane meet Harold.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 6:44 am

Cool! The first signs of a link!!<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/boldblue.gif ALT=":blue"> Maya doesn't have premonition powers like Liz does then how come she saw that? I hope they piece together the puzzle quickly because all this time Liz is alone in that othertime line! Come back quick!!<img src=http://www.uniquehardware.co.uk/server- ... kliam2.gif ALT=":hotpink"> <img src=http://www.uniquehardware.co.uk/server- ... kliam2.gif ALT=":hotpink"> <img src="http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sra ... 55ad1f.jpg" style="border:0;"/>

Post by **roswellkitkat** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 7:40 am

Nice tie in! <img src=http://www.uniquehardware.co.uk/server- ... humpup.gif ALT=":thumbsup"> Can't wait to see how they peice everything together! <div style="text-align:center">Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.</div> <div style="text-align:center">Rudyard Kipling, English author</div> <

vecastone · Post by **vecastone** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 11:34 am

Wow !! great update !! great update !! I can´t wait for Maya´s next dream <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /smile.gif ALT=":)"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/love.gif ALT=":love"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/love.gif ALT=":love">

isndbreeze · Post by **isndbreeze** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 1:37 am

The Four Faces of Rath Yoriths And Harold Chapter 54 LIV Jim pulled back on the reins, bringing his yorith to a stop at the edge of the Starkeen River. As the yorith bent its neck over to drink from the pure waters of the river, Jim slid off and patted his steed on the side. It was a beautiful animal… very much like a horse in many ways. Clearly, it was a “horse” of a type… but the “type” was like none Jim had ever seen on Earth. This yorith had large, vivid emerald-colored eyes. The sides and head were pure white with light traces of zebra-like stripes, though these were not as prominent as those of a zebra. The tail and mane were jet black and shone with a deep, rich luster. On top of the head, there was a pointed, knob-like protrusion that made the animal look somewhat like a unicorn. Jim was uncertain what the knob actually was. In structure, it was unlike any horn he had ever seen, yet there was nothing else to compare it to. Jim suspected that it served an active function for the animal in some way. He theorized that it could contain a guidance system like dolphins are known to possess in their heads… or that it could serve some other totally unknown purpose. He was certain that it served some functional purpose, though. Dan and Diane slid off their yoriths and walked them over to the edge of the river, and their guest followed suit. Diane’s yorith was a light lime green color, and the mane and tail were deep forest green. The large eyes were a brilliant blue-green. This animal had no trace of the stripes that Jim’s yorith had, but it did have the same horn-like knob on top of the head. Dan’s yorith was a light but vivid translucent blue color with light golden flecks all over the body. The mane and tail were rich golden-colored, as were the eyes. The yorith that their guest rode was jet black. It’s tail and mane, however, were a lustrous ruby red with golden highlights. Its large eyes were golden. And like all the other yoriths, it had a small unicorn-like protrusion on top of its head. The guest slid off his yorith and patted it on the side, smiling appreciatively. “I really wish I could take some of these beautiful animals back to my ranch. I’ve never seen anything like them! You don’t think you could spare a few do you, Jim?” Dan grinned. “That would be a bit hard to explain, sir. PETA would accuse you of spray painting your horses and putting eye makeup on them.” The guest nodded… “and gluing a horn on their heads… Yeah, I know. They would be pretty hard to explain… but damn, these are some mighty fine-looking horses, Dan!” “I can’t disagree with you there, sir,” Dan said. “They’re strong and sure-footed, too,” the guest noted. Jim nodded appreciatively. “I’ve taken these guys into the hilliest, roughest areas, and they’ve never missed a beat. They almost seem to walk on air. Sometimes I think they do,” he added with a laugh. “Well, if you ever want to send a few of them back to Earth, Jim,” the guest said, “let me have first dibs. I’ll tell PETA I rescued them from a circus or something. I’ll think of something.” Dan laughed. “Yeah! Until the press figures out that the paint and makeup aren’t wearing off!” The guest smiled. “You’re right, Dan. I guess I’ve got enough things on my plate right now without havin’ to explain to the press how I happen to have some alien horses runnin’ around on my ranch. My rivals would have me pegged as an alien. I can see it now… some old guy in a condo down in Palm Beach sayin,’ “Well, Lucille, that explains it! ‘e was a damned alien!” Dan and Jim both laughed. Diane grinned and made an effort to refrain from laughing, but the more she thought about it, the more she grinned. Then she started to laugh, too. “Let’s mount up and head back to the ranch,” Jim said. “We’re meeting the king and queen, Max and Liz, and his General, Michael Guerin and his wife, Maria, for dinner at the palace.” “King,” the guest said to himself, nodding. “Has a nice ring to it!” “It won’t fly, sir,” Dan said. “Earth isn’t ready for… that.” The guest grinned and mounted his yorith. “He was kidding,” Diane said to Dan, shaking her head with a smile. “Are you sure,” Dan asked with a totally straight face. Diane looked at Dan momentarily, as her smile wavered, then Dan grinned and winked at her. <div style="text-align:center">**********</div> The guests were led into the large front reception area of the palace, where Liz and Max met them with Michael and Maria, who had arrived ten minutes before. Liz and Maria gave Diane and Dan a quick hug, as Max and Michael welcomed Dan’s “boss.” Then Liz and Maria welcomed the guest and Max and Michael welcomed Dan and Diane back again. Dan and Diane’s returning to Antar was not at all an unusual occurrence. They came and went with some regularity, since Liz gave Diane the use of the sphere of the portal before she and Dan were married. It was the sphere that resulted in Dan’s “boss” learning about Antar. When Diane was planning their wedding, she used the sphere to pop into Dan’s D.C. office from Antar. Dan almost never had visitors, and it simply did not occur to Diane to check this time to see if he was alone or not before she popped in. It was an eye-opener for Dan’s “boss,” who happened to be there, and it took a lot of explaining by Dan, but the secret was kept. Max motioned to the three oversized Antarian easy chairs and two oversized Antarian sofas. “Have a seat wherever you’d like. Dinner will be ready in about half an hour.” Dan and Diane sat down on one of the sofas, and their guest chose one of the large easy chairs. Max and Liz sat together on the other sofa with Michael and Maria. A maid brought before-dinner drinks and a tray of light jaht-roo cookies and placed the cookies on a table between the seats then poured each person a small glass of jubish. “Nice place,” the guest said, admiring the architecture and spaciousness of the palace. “It looks old.” “It is,” Max said. “The palace was built 1,687 years ago during the reign of King Starma, my great, great, great… well, you get the idea.” Max smiled slightly. “Amazing!” “After Kivar killed me,” Max continued… “I mean, after he killed my ancestor, he took over the palace and changed some things, but we were able to return it to its former appearance after I returned and took back the throne.” “So you had to fight for your throne,” the guest said. Max nodded. “Max and Liz and Michael and Maria, grew up on Earth,” Dan said. “Max and Michael returned here and retook the throne from Kivar, who was a despot. Max’s real name is Zan, and Michael’s is Rath, but among us, they’re Max and Michael.” “Yeah, I think you told me something about them being from Earth before,” the guest said. “I think it was when you and Diane were planning your wedding… or was it at the wedding? No matter, I remember you mentioning something about it.” Dan smiled and nodded. Maya, JoLeesa, Andya, and Alyyx walked into the room together at that moment and sat down politely on a smaller sofa beside their parents. Liz introduced them, and the guest shook their hands. As he did, he noticed Harold peeking around the corner. Dan noticed the look on his guest’s face, and apparently, Michael noticed it, too, because Michael immediately said, “Oh, it’s not a rat. I thought that, myself, when I saw it.” “Oh, thanks a lot for explaining that,” Liz said. Then turning to the guest, she added, “There aren’t any rats in the palace. I don’t think there are even any on Antar. Michael just meant that he thought it looked like… well… it was little and fuzzy…” Liz started to turn red. “Harold, come here,” Max called. “We’ll give you a cookie. Harold loves cookies.” Dan, Diane, and the guest watched as Harold made his way shyly across the room and took the cookie from Max’s hand. It was impossible to tell how he took it. He had no arms, and his face was covered with hair. But the cookie did disappear somewhere underneath all the hair. “What is it,” Dan asked. The guest looked at Dan as though he had asked a dumb question. “It’s a tribble, Dan. Haven’t you ever seen a tribble?” Dan shook his head. “What’s a tribble?” “I’ve heard of tribbles,” Diane said. “But I don’t remember where.” “Star Trek,” the guest said. “Kirk had to get rid of them after they made so many babies that they filled up the Enterprise.” “You know what scares me, sir?” Dan said. His guest shook his head. “That you actually know that.” “Well, I had a past life, Dan. I didn’t develop amnesia when I moved in at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue! You should watch a little TV sometime. There’s more to life than just files and briefs.” “Yeah,” Dan said. “There’s tribbles.” Diane picked Harold up and stroked him on the back and tummy, and Harold began to make a purring sound. “He’s cute,” Diane said. “How can you tell,” Dan asked. “All I see is a hank of hair!” “Don’t listen to him,” Diane whispered to Harold. “He’s just jealous ‘cause you’ve got more hair than he does.” Michael snorted quietly and smiled. “I like my hair short,” Dan said. “I’ve got all the hair I need. You don’t see any bald spots!” Diane grinned. “I know. But Harold does have beautiful hair, don’t you Harold?” Dan looked at his guest, and both of them smiled. “Max, where in the world did you get this thing,” Dan asked. Max pointed at Andya. “You want to tell him, Andya?” “I made him for Jeffy. Harold was my present to Jeffy.” Diane looked lost. “Jeffy?” “Oh! Diane, you have been away haven’t you!” “Well, for a few weeks… Who’s Jeffy?” “Maya, would you?” Liz asked. Maya smiled and ran from the room. She returned with Jeffy cradled in her arms. Diane gasped. “Omigod! Liz! Omigod, he’s beautiful! But… how? Liz, We were only away a few weeks. Even Antarians don’t work that fast, and you’re not Antarian.” “Well, actually, she is,” Max corrected. “Partly.” “Yeah, but still… a few weeks? Come on, Liz! What is going on?” Liz smiled. “It’s a long story, Diane. The short answer is that time got thrown off, and Max and I had a baby…” She looked at Jeffy. “…in another timeline. When the timeline got fixed, here he was. Well, not really. Actually, Kryys had to go find him for us and get him into this timeline. It’s all pretty complicated.” “And I want to hear it all,” Diane said. “Don’t leave out a thing! Not one word! When you have time.” Liz nodded and looked at their guest, who had taken Harold and was petting him. “He likes you,” Diane said. “He’s purring.” “Well, I like him.” Dan shook his head. “You know what we need, Dan? We need a tribble in the White House. Uh, it is neutered, isn’t it?” “It’s neither a girl nor a boy,” Max said. “Andya reproduced it as neither one.” “Sir,” Dan said. “What do you think the press would do with that story if they got a hold of it?” “I know, Dan! Just imagine for a moment, will you! Suspend that reality-locked mind of yours for a moment and just imagine what could be… He’s the perfect pet! All he does is scoot around and polish the floor all day long… and eat cookies.” “Yeah… I see your point.” “Too bad, little fellow, Earth isn’t ready for you yet,” the guest said, as he set Harold down on the floor and handed him another cookie. “Oh, now you’ve made a life-long friend,” Liz laughed. “There you go, Dan! See how simple life can be? A cookie and someone to rub your tummy and you purr all day long.” “Oh, sir, don’t get me started.” “I like to annoy Dan,” the guest said to Liz and Max with a wink. “He doesn’t know how to see things with a different perspective… separate himself from the cold realities sometimes. But he’s a good Head of Alien Affairs. He’s a hard worker, and he’s perfect for the job I placed him in. I couldn’t have asked for a better man!” Max and Liz both nodded. “We think so, too.” “I owe Dan a lot,” the guest added. “He’s brought that agency and our country into a new era… a new era of awareness. Unfortunately, he’s right about one thing, though. The country… the world for that matter… isn’t ready yet for everything. They wouldn’t be able to handle things they don’t understand. We have to take one step at a time. Abolishing the Special Unit and cleaning out the secret, deeply-buried agencies that lived and breathed paranoia about everything alien, though, has been a good start. If Dan never does anything else but that, he will have already done the world a great service.” “Amen to that,” Liz said. Max, Michael, and Maria all nodded enthusiastically. Maria was the first to notice Maya. Maya had been seated, but she was standing now, with a far-away look in her eyes and tears streaming down her face. “Maya?” Maria said, jumping up to put her arm around her. Liz immediately ran to Maya’s side and put her arm around her, too. “What’s the matter, Maya? What is it?” “Somebody still wants to hurt you, Mommy… and Daddy, too. Somebody on Earth. I saw Daddy in a box, and he looked hurt.” The guest looked at Dan questioningly. “Maya has the ability to communicate with some people and see some things in other places,” Dan said. “It’s possible she’s seeing something happening on Earth.” Daddy was in a box that was in the air, and Uncle Kyle pulled the ropes loose and the box fell. Then Daddy fell out, and… and he was hurt… or dead. And Daddy and Uncle Kyle were very young… like teenagers.” Liz looked at Max. “Maya’s seeing something, Max.” Max shook his head. “I know. But this is something that never happened before. How could it have happened if we were young but it never happened to us then?” “You know, Max,” Dan said. “I probably am pretty reality-based, but I’ve seen a lot of things since I met Diane that I never would have thought possible before I met her. Logically, if Maya sees something happening to you when you’re young, and it never happened to you, she must be seeing it happen in some other time or… or dimension or something.” Max thought about this for a few moments. “Okay, I’ll buy that, but where? How? What does it have to do with us here? Why is she seeing it?” “She saw me in a wheelchair a few nights ago,” Liz said, “and she said that I was in danger. Now she sees you in a box… a coffin?” “It sounds to me,” Maria said, “like someone, somewhere, needs help, and they are tied to you… or tied to all of us… in some way… maybe because they are us… in a different time or dimension or something. If the girl in the wheelchair is you, and she has your powers, she might be able to communicate with Maya… without even knowing she’s doing it. And if the guy in the box is Max, then Maya might be able to see that, too.” “But where are they,” Liz said. “How would we ever find them to help them. And should we even help them? We’ve already seen what can happen when time is messed with.” “Maybe it’s not time,” Michael said. “Maybe it’s like a different dimension. There are others, you know. If it is, then what happens to them could have consequences for us here. We don’t know what the consequences might be. But if we died there, we might even cease to exist in our dimension here.” “I didn’t know dimensions were inter-connected,” Liz said. “I didn’t even know they were real.” “I’m not sure that they are,” Michael said, “It just makes sense to me that if any of us is killed in another dimension, if that’s what it is, that can’t be a good thing. It would almost have to have some kind of consequence for us.” “And that would be why Maya sees it,” Liz said. “If it poses a danger to us here in some way… that would make sense.” “So what can we do about it,” Maria asked. “We need to make an effort to find out where this is happening and keep an eye on the situation,” Michael said. As a military man and the number one “Defender of the Realm,” Michael tended to take a preemptive view of most situations involving danger. Max nodded his agreement. “Alright. As of now, we are going to see if we can find the source of these visions Maya is having. When we do, we’ll monitor the situation, and if it seems to require our intervention, we will decide how best to react.” Everybody nodded. tbc Coming: Jungle Jim returns, and Max and the others zero in on the source of Maya’s visions. Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub129.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsr ... dbreeze</A> <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://users.aol.com/isndbreeze/aim116b.jpg" BORDER=0> at: 10/4/03 11:20 am

isndbreeze · Post by **isndbreeze** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 2:15 am

Thanks for the feedback, FallenMagic, Roswellkitkat, and Veca! Yes, the first hint of a connection. And there's more coming up in this next chapter. But there's a lot more in this chapter, too! Hope you like it! <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /smile.gif ALT=":)"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/ufo.gif ALT=":ufo"> <div style="text-align:center"><img src="http://users.aol.com/isndbreeze/skysymb ...   Gerry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hopeless Candy-Coated, Stargazing, Dreamer! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</div>

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 9:49 am

Okay...<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/confused.gif ALT=":confused"> I'm confused here. Who's this mystery 'guest'? I remember that scene in which Diane pops up in Dan's office and someone was there but I can't reall who! Damn it!<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/doh.gif ALT=":doh"> Who is he? Are you gonna clue me in Gerry or make me wait?<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"> If only he could take all those animals to Earth! I'll bet that would spark a wholelot of rumours!<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> Maya's powers are quite strong if she can sense so much! But poor Maya, it must be so horrible for her to seeall that and not be ableto help or know what;s going on! I hope they figure it out! Cool parts! Love this!<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/love.gif ALT=":love"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/love.gif ALT=":love"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/love.gif ALT=":love"> <div style="text-align:center"><img src="http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sra ... f8323d.jpg" style="border:0;"/></div>

isndbreeze · Post by **isndbreeze** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 2:52 pm

Hmmm. I thought the clues were all there. He's supposed to be a mystery but not that much of a mystery. The references to him as Dan's "boss" and this quote should have given it away: <blockquote>Quote:<hr>“You know what scares me, sir?” Dan said. His guest shook his head. “That you actually know that.” (what a tribble is) “Well, I had a past life, Dan. I didn’t develop amnesia when I moved in at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue! You should watch a little TV sometime. <hr></blockquote> Dan was appointed to head the agency that deals with aliens and area 51 and all (I forget what I called it) by the President after Zwolinski and the other bad dude "disappeared," and the President is his "boss." Having met Diane and her "friends," Dan turned the agency around and gave it a new direction at the end of "Life In The Stars." It was right before the epilogue. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /smile.gif ALT=":)"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/ufo.gif ALT=":ufo"> <div style="text-align:center"><img src="http://users.aol.com/isndbreeze/skysymb ...   Gerry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hopeless Candy-Coated, Stargazing, Dreamer! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</div>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub129.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsr ... dbreeze</A> <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://users.aol.com/isndbreeze/aim116b.jpg" BORDER=0> at: 9/30/03 2:58 pm

Post by **roswellkitkat** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 4:16 pm

I hope they get to the bottom of her visions and fast. <img src=http://www.uniquehardware.co.uk/server- ... humpup.gif ALT=":thumbsup"> <div style="text-align:center">Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.</div> <div style="text-align:center">Rudyard Kipling, English author</div> <

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Oct 01, 2003 5:46 am

ohh!! Now i remember!! I thought it might be him but then I'm not too good at remembering details! Don't know how you do it Gerry but great work! <div style="text-align:center"><img src="http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sra ... f8323d.jpg" style="border:0;"/></div>

isndbreeze · Post by **isndbreeze** » Sun Oct 05, 2003 3:47 am

The Four Faces of Rath Jungle Jim Tries Again Chapter 55 LV “Okay, aim the cameras right over here. I’m going to be standing right here when I open. Then I’ll turn and walk into the Nan-Torel… and you guys will follow me with the cameras… into the Nan-Torel… Got that?” The camera crew nodded. “Good,” Jim said, noticing that his words sounded a bit déjà vu. “Okay, let’s do it,” Jim said. “Action, gentlemen! Uh… or whatever…” The cameras came on, and Jim smiled as the crew panned dramatically across the dark Nan-Torel and came to rest on his face, just as the previous crew had done. “Hello, and welcome to the Jungle Jim Show! I promised you that I would return and we would take this trip into the Nan-Torel. The last time, we made a valiant effort, but, well… I guess the Nan-Torel is not for the faint-of-heart.” Antarians, already packed around the public viewing screens and living room VidScreens for “Jungle Jim Tries Again,” chuckled at Jim’s understatement; and the mantra, “They’re all gonna get eaten,” seemed to still be the popular belief… or at least the statement that was heard the most wherever there was a VidScreen. There was no questioning that the show had not lost any of its popularity despite two previous “failed” attempts… well, failed in Jim’s opinion… Antarians considered them the most entertaining thing to come along in recent memory. Jim turned and motioned to his crew, then he walked toward the edge of the Nan-Torel. The crew followed. As Jim had told his audience before, there were no real paths in the Nan-Torel… at least not ones made by human feet. No Antarians ever went into the Nan-Torel voluntarily. Of course, this was not news to Antarians. But there were smaller trails… ones made by… well… no one really knew what. Jim set out with his latest crew, pushing aside undergrowth, bushes, and poison Guma plants. Soon, they came to one of the small trails that lead to mysterious places unknown in the deepest Nan-Torel. Jim followed it, and his crew followed him. Inside the Nan-Torel, the trees and dense jungle-like growth blocked most of the sun’s light from reaching the ground. Fortunately, the Antarian cameras and lights being used today had advanced power cores that could run for days without recharging. The camera crew recorded every step Jim took, as they pressed on for the next thirty minutes deeper into the Nan-Torel’s dark depths along the strange little trail. About a mile inside the forest-jungle, Jim stopped, as a noise of fluttering wings got his attention. Jim searched the trees. He had heard this same sound the last time he had brought a crew into the Nan-Torel, but that time, they had never seen the creature that had made the sound. This time, Jim glimpsed it, as it fluttered from one dark treetop to a nearby dark treetop. “These are Ama trees,” Jim said to the cameras. “As I told you last time, they are a larger relative of the smaller Ama tree that grows outside the Nan-Torel. The leaves of that tree are used to make salads. A smaller, less-poisonous relative of the Guma plant can also be found outside the Nan-Torel, and it is detoxified and eaten in salads, too. The leaves of the giant Ama trees of the Nan-Torel fall densely on the forest floor, and they can be very useful if you should ever happen to spend the night out here. Of course, as I have been amply informed since my last show, nobody on Antar is likely to ever do that… present company excluded, naturally.” Around VidScreens everywhere, viewers chuckled and nodded at Jim’s second understatement of the day. “The fact is,” Jim continued, “when Zan was forced to flee into the Nan-Torel to escape from Kivar’s soldiers during the Battle for Antar, he slept under piles of Ama leaves at night, because that was the only means he had to protect himself from the bat-like rob-jeta that descend on any unprotected living thing in the Nan-Torel at night like flying meat cleavers. The rob-jeta can devour a shebble –or an Antarian- down to the bones in just three minutes while it sleeps. If you will look up in that far tree, you will see a large nest. Shine the light on it, Gorath. Yeah, there it is! See? That is the nest of a colony of rob-jetas. There may be as many as three thousand in there. The fluttering sound we heard a few minutes ago was a rob-jeta scout moving from one tree to another. It is probably keeping a watch on us, not unlike the way a large bird called a vulture on Eluymer circles and keeps a watch on a wounded animal or being, waiting for it to die. The difference, of course, is that the rob-jeta do not wait for their prey to die. Still, we will be safe from them as long as we do not go to sleep out in the open or are not seriously injured or incapacitated.” The camera crew looked at each other, acknowledging Jim’s words judiciously. They did not seem overly concerned, however. Jim led the crew further down the small, mysterious trail then stopped again. “You will remember this creature from our last show, I’m sure.” Jim bent down and carefully picked up a six-foot-long red snake with a light mint-green belly and an electric blue zigzag pattern on it sides. Above the zigzag pattern, there were small, luminescent greenish spots that glowed brightly in the darkness of the Nan-Torel. “The one we saw last time was almost twice the size of this little guy, but this one still has all the fire power of it’s larger relative,” Jim said enthusiastically, holding the snake up. “This is an Antarian green-spotted fire snake. Most Antarians believed it to be a myth before seeing the one on our last show.” Jim picked up a small branch from the ground and carefully pulled the snake’s tail with the branch until the tip of the tail touched the snake’s head. As soon as it did, the entire snake lit up brightly like an atom bomb that had just exploded. Then the snake threw a roaring sheet of flames high into the air. The camera crew backed up and looked around cautiously but did not seem intimidated by the sight of the fire snake or its unusual display. “I explained last time that the flames the fire snake shoots out are its way of defending itself. In the Nan-Torel every creature must have some means of defense to survive. Few other creatures will mess with a fire snake. Now, some people have wondered why it is that the fire snake, here in all this dense jungle growth with trees and leaves and bushes everywhere, doesn’t set the Nan-Torel on fire with its defense mechanism, and I am going to tell you why. It is because the flames of the fire snake are an illusion. They are not real at all.” Jim placed his hand over the fire snake and touched its tail to its head again. Again the fire snake lit up, this time throwing out a sheet of “flames” so intense that it went right through Jim’s hand then through his entire body, causing the viewers at home to actually see Jim’s skeleton in a sort of X-ray effect… and making it momentarily appear that he had been simply vaporized. Gasps were audible all over Antar; and for the first time, Jim’s camera crew appeared to be a little unnerved. Slowly returning to his normal non-transluscent state, and with the radiation-like glow all over his body starting to subside, Jim smiled and carefully laid the snake back down on the trail, where it quickly slithered off again into the underbrush. “Was that amazing or what?” Jim exulted with a huge grin. “You know, the flash of fire that the fire snake gives off is a function of two factors. First, as you have just witnessed, the fire snake gives off a type of radiation in massive bursts. This is non-lethal to humans or Antarians but can be lethal to smaller animals and to some larger animals with susceptible nervous systems. On Eluymer, where I come from, this dosage of radiation would probably have put me in the hospital and might possibly have killed me, but in Antar’s atmosphere, the radiation effect is limited. Also, you have ways to readily counteract it here. The “flames” of the fire snake are not based solely on this radiation burst, however. At the same time as the fire snake gives off its flash, it sends out a fairly powerful signal from its brain. This signal enters through the eyes of the predator and causes a kind of mind-altering effect that allows the predator to actually see the radiation flash appear as flames. The flash is real… it just would not be visible, or certainly not as impressive, without the sensory boost from the snakes mind. This snake is truly one of the great wonders of your planet.” “I know there are some of you out there who are asking right now, ‘How is it that Jungle Jim knows so much about these animals and what makes them function?’ And that’s a good question. I never brought a fire snake out of the Nan-Torel to study it, it’s true. I did bring a dead rob-jeta out once, but most of what I know I have learned from observation and from a most unusual source… one that most of you have not had available to you… my son, Danyy, and his friends, the pawgors. You see, Danyy can talk to animals and ask them things. But since neither Danyy nor I have ever seen many of these animals, Danyy’s pawgor friends have described them to him, and he, in turn, has told me about them. Also, Zan has told me of some of the things that he learned from the jah-ee long ago concerning the creatures of the Nan-Torel. There are some very strange creatures in the Nan-Torel!” Jim smiled and leaned in close to the cameras as he said this and added mysteriously, “The pawgor has told us of some that I hope we will see… and of some it might be best if we never see!” This information seemed to worry the camera crew somewhat, and they looked at each other momentarily, but then they seemed to decide that any danger was probably based solely on the more vulnerable nature of these flimsy creatures called Antarians and Hu-Mans and was probably over-rated in their case. Turning to lead the crew down the trail even further, Jim almost tripped over a wiffer. Gorath turned a camera on the armored creature and followed the moving mound of leaves and grass under which it was hiding. Jim brushed off the turtle-like creature for the cameras to get a better view. The head had a pair of stiff combs or ridges that were vaguely reminiscent of a dinosaur’s. The tail was armored and had spikes on the sides. In spite of its appearance, though, the wiffer appeared to be quite docile. “The wiffer is harmless,” Jim said. The leaves and grass stuck all over its back are its defense. It stays camouflaged.” To emphasize the wiffer’s docile nature, Jim offered it a piece of fruit from his pocket, and the wiffer took it gently from his hand. Then Jim carefully sat down on the huge turtle-like creature’s shell, and it moved along, carrying him for about ten feet on its back before it suddenly decided to go underground again. Using its spiked tail to dig with, the wiffer quickly reburied itself, leaving only a few inches of its camouflaged shell protruding above the ground. Now the camera crew was smiling, and many of the viewers were imagining themselves having a wiffer for a pet or riding on it. That’s when they suddenly heard the shriek. It pierced the darkness like a stab going through everyone there. And it was followed by a series of short shrieks from the other side of them. Jim looked at his camera crew, expecting to see their backsides running through the bushes, eyes wide with terror, dragging their cameras and lights behind them or carrying them dangling at their sides, as had happened with the Xarian crew last time. (The Antarian crew had refused to go in the Nan-Torel at all.) To his surprise, the camera crew was still there… every single one of them. Jim smiled. “Excellent! That was the sound of the wild pawgor and its mate answering him! The wild pawgor is a very dangerous and ferocious animal, and I would not recommend anyone to confront or mess with one ever. But there are ways to defend oneself… mainly by avoiding being attacked in the first place. If you are attacked, there is probably nothing that will save you, so you definitely want to avoid being attacked at all cost. What we have learned from the pawgors themselves is that pawgors prefer to attack anything that runs. In fact, if you run when you see a pawgor, you are making yourself pawgor food. Standing still alone does not guarantee that you will not be attacked, it merely makes it less likely. But if you run you are guaranteeing it will attack. So if you run, you’d better be fast!” Jim laughed. “Since I doubt any of you are as fast as a pawgor, I don’t recommend that. There is one thing, though, that can almost eliminate the possibility of an attack one hundred percent, according to our pawgor friends.” “Yeah,” Varec said to Amy, as they watched on their VidScreen. “Stay out of the Nan-Torel!” Amy laughed and nodded. “The pawgor,” Jim said, “will never attack a creature that bends over and places both arms or forelegs flat on the ground and remains that way until it is gone. I suspect that is a form of surrender or acknowledgement of the pawgor’s dominance. In any case, it works I am told. We may have the opportunity to test that here today.” The camera crew looked much more concerned when Jim said this. They knew what a pawgor was, and none of them really wanted to challenge one, even with their superior Dragon physiology and strength. It hadn’t been enough when Danyy’s pawgor had ripped into them on their own planet the first time they and the Antarians had met. Then, the Antarians were rescuing their kidnapped children who had been sold to the Dragons by the Ghor slavers for the Dragons’ barbaric New Year’s feast of Vyatu-Xi. Later, after the Dragons learned that the Ghors had also enslaved many of their own children and sold them… and after Michael and Max rescued their children along with many others, the Dragons became allies of the Antarians. “Let’s move on down the trail a bit,” Jim said, walking off, following the mysterious little trail deeper into the Nan-Torel’s depths. The Dragon crew followed along behind him with the cameras and lights. After a few minutes, Jim stopped and turned to the cameras, placing his finger over his mouth to indicate quietness. Nobody spoke. Momentarily, a small creature flew into view. It looked like a large dragonfly at first, perhaps eight inches long. The wings made it look quite pretty, and the body was vaguely human-like, not in a pretty way, but human-looking nonetheless. As the creature spotted Jim and the others, it stopped in mid-air and backed up. Then it flew around them, examining each one. “Do not touch it,” Jim said, warning the Dragons. He didn’t have to tell them. They remembered Ee-l’wee, the little Aklatian fairy. Ee-l’wee had been much prettier than this creature and quite obviously much more evolved. Ee-l’wee was highly intelligent and highly civilized. This creature was clearly not as evolved or particularly intelligent. By comparison, it was more like a chimpanzee to a human. But it was beautiful all the same. The wings were especially lovely. “Some of you,” Jim explained to the cameras, “may remember Ee-l’wee, the little Aklatian fairy. Ee-l’wee was able to give off a powerful shock that could burn out many creatures. In fact, she stopped two of Hosk the Ghor’s hearts when he tried to capture and enslave her. This little creature, which I call a ‘Nan-Torel fairy,’ is not civilized like Ee-l’wee. It’s also not really intelligent in our definition of intelligence, but she is not at all defenseless. She packs the same electric wallop that Ee-l’wee did; and in some primitive way, it is tempting to believe that she, though native to the Nan-Torel here on Antar, is a sort of primitive Aklatian fairy.” As Jim said this, a portion of a tree nearby seemed to detach from the trunk. Then it sprung at the little flying creature. As it’s body came within two feet of her, an electric charge so powerful erupted from the little fairy-like creature that the tree trunk attacker was burned to a crisp and fell smoking to the ground. “That,” Jim said, “was a brown bark snake. It attaches to the side of a tree and looks like part of the tree. When its prey comes along, it detaches and springs on it.” Jim picked up the still-smoking reptile. “This one will no longer be attacking Nan-Torel fairies… or anything else it would appear. It’s quite dead.” As Jim looked back at the little fairy, the creature suddenly darted off. Jim looked around to see what had frightened her away, and not twenty feet from him stood a full-grown male pawgor, almost twice the size of a Siberian tiger. Jim froze in his tracks. Carefully, he glanced back at his camera crew. It seemed they had been listening. Every one of them was bent over, arms flat on the ground. The pawgor looked at Jim and let out a threatening, bone-chilling shriek. Seeing that his crew was apparently taking his advice, Jim took his own advice and bent over, placing his arms flat on the ground. He had to drop to his knees to get both arms, not just his hands, on the ground. As they all remained perfectly still like this, the pawgor walked around them, making an unusual rumbling mewing sound. Jim wasn’t sure what it meant. Gorath felt a cold nose sniffing his backside, as the large saber-toothed cat passed behind him. He grimaced and vowed to demand more money when they got back to civilization. The pawgor walked on around the group, sniffing each backside in turn, nudging Sharno so hard that it momentarily lifted him off the ground with its nose. It seemed less interested in Jim, giving him only a passing sniff. Then the huge cat walked away, apparently uninterested in anything it had seen. After a few minutes, Jim decided it was safe to get up, and he struggled to his feet. After having been on his knees with his arms flat on the ground for the last ten or fifteen minutes, he found it a bit difficult to just stand up. The Dragons got back up, too. “Jim,” Sharno said, “Dragons don’t normally wear clothes like Antarians do, except for a vest on celebratory occasions, but if you want me to come back into this jungle with you again, you’re going to have to have the Antarian tailors make me some pants!” Gorath, Kharsom, and Danjat mumbled their agreement. Jim nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.” <div style="text-align:center">**********</div> That evening, at his ranch, Jim was being congratulated by a group of friends and family for finally completing a whole show without his crew running away. “That was an amazing show,” Kyle’s wife, Jeliya, said. “I really learn a lot from your show, Jim!” “Thanks, Jilly,” Jim said. “I guess it went pretty good… except for that part where the pawgor showed up.” “Oh, that was the best part,” Kyle laughed. “I loved that! But I admit, I was a little worried about you there for a while.” Jim shrugged. “Well, Danyy never told me that bending over with the front legs on the ground is a mating offer to the male pawgor.” Kyle was laughing so hard that he had to wipe tears from his eyes. “Don’t laugh, Kyle,” Jim said. It kept us all alive!” “Dad, did you ever think that maybe some of us would rather get eaten than the possible alternative here?” “Oh, I don’t think the pawgor is interested in non pawgors. It just sniffed us and left.” “Yeah, well, you aren’t a Dragon, Dad. You had pants on.” Jeliya smiled and began to giggle, and Michael grinned and slapped Kyle’s hand… “If you ask me,” Michael said, “I’d want body armor from the waist down… maybe something like knights used to wear, before I’d take a chance like that. My body belongs to Maria.” “Yeah, yeah! Laugh it up you guys,” Jim said. “But I’m the one with the top-rated TV show.” “Yeah, let’s hear it for Jungle Jim!” Max said, raising his glass. Everyone raised their glasses and toasted to the success of Jungle Jim, the Pawgor’s Friend. tbc Coming: Max and the others zero in on the source of Maya’s visions, and they make a decision. Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub129.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsr ... dbreeze</A> <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://users.aol.com/isndbreeze/aim116b.jpg" BORDER=0> at: 10/5/03 4:22 am

isndbreeze · Post by **isndbreeze** » Sun Oct 05, 2003 4:46 am

Thanks for the feedback, Melisa and FallenMagic! I really appreciate it! Well, Jungle Jim is back, so let's see how he does this time. <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> <div style="text-align:center"><img src="http://users.aol.com/isndbreeze/skysymb ...   Gerry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hopeless Candy-Coated, Stargazing, Dreamer! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</div>

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Sun Oct 05, 2003 7:59 am

Yes! Let's hear it for Jungle Jim!<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/Grin_anim.gif ALT=":grin"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/clap.gif ALT=":clap"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/clap.gif ALT=":clap"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/clap.gif ALT=":clap"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/clap.gif ALT=":clap"> <div style="text-align:center"><img src="http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sra ... f8323d.jpg" style="border:0;"/></div>

Post by **roswellkitkat** » Sun Oct 05, 2003 10:45 am

Yay Jungle Jim!!!!! Finally managed to do a whole show!<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/clap.gif ALT=":clap"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/clap.gif ALT=":clap"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/clap.gif ALT=":clap"> <blockquote>Quote:<hr>Well, Danyy never told me that bending over with the front legs on the ground is a mating offer to the male pawgor<hr></blockquote> I about died when I read this..too funny! Those poor dragons...a pawgors nose was just a little too friendy for them! <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> Great part Gerry! <img src=http://www.uniquehardware.co.uk/server- ... humpup.gif ALT=":thumbsup"> <div style="text-align:center">Knowing you'll be haunting me to the end of time? It's a dream come true...</div> <div style="text-align:center">Angel to Spike</div>

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