Chapter Ten

After the battle the group sets up camp

Rose, Gina and Haru rushed down the forest path in hopes to find Jade and Asha. When they had left Tygra and Drake, they were in the middle of a grueling battle with one of Alester’s followers.

"Are you sure you know where you are headed?" Haru questioned running beside Rose.

"I’m just going the way Tygra told me to go!" She cried frustrated. “We should have just stayed with them! We could have helped!”

“We are better off just finding the others and regrouping.”

Rose’s breath quickened as she ran harder. “You’re right! We’d have a better chance if we stay together now!”

"I hope that we find your friends soon. I'm tired of running." Gina called from behind them wearily.

Rose gasped once she saw Jade running towards them with Asha not too far behind. She looked back as Jade past her then collided with Asha a few moments later, both falling back towards the ground landing flat on their backs.

Jade stopped short looking back to her two friends as they began to stand to their feet, brushing their clothes free of dirt. “Where are Tygra and Drake?”

"They are back there fighting some guy named Kane." Rose answered pointing in the direction.

"You left them to fight alone!"

"We were coming back to get you and Asha." Rose said narrowing her brows as she noticed the dark stain on her shirt. Her eyes widened in shock and fear. "Oh Jade you’re hurt!"

"I'm fine. We have to get to Drake and Tygra." Jade said as she began to walk in the direction Rose had shown her.

“You should really take care of that wound first, Jade.”

"I don't care about that right now." Jade said coldly continuing to walk forwards then stopped abruptly when she saw Drake in the distance, carrying Tygra in his arms. Jade stood where she was, stunned as the others passed her by.

"Oh Tygra!” Rose cried now at Drake’s side. “Is she…is she…”

"I-I don’t think so…she had a pulse back there…I just don't know…” Drake said solemnly his voice cracking as he was nearly in tears.

"Oh my!" Asha cried placing a hand to her lips.

Jade took a step back, unable watch the scene before her as Gina rushed to Tygra’s aid. She reached out towards her without delay, feeling her throat for a pulse.

"Tygra…" Jade whispered as she felt hot tears roll down her cheeks. This is all your fault! “Who said that?” She questioned herself blankly, her mind slipping into a deep fog. A roar of laughter was her answer. “What do you want?” This is your fault. If you had only stuck to your plan on staying together, Tygra would have never had to fight such a powerful foe. She wouldn’t be so close to death-

"There's a pulse. A little weak but there is one." Gina said happily snapping Jade from her thoughts. "She's just a little drained of energy is all."

"Oh thank god!" Rose exclaimed clasping her hands together.

Asha lowered her hand as she sighed with relief. She turned to Jade whose face was deathly pale and blank of all emotion. "Jade, she's okay."

Jade blinked rapidly, trying to bring herself out of her deep fog. She smiled weakly, glad to hear the news. "Good…" she whispered lightly as she took a step forward. "That's…good…" she then fell mid-step to the ground, out cold.

* * *

After Jade fell unconscious, Drake and Rose decided to set up camp. Gina treated Tygra and Jade's wounds as Drake and Haru prepared a hut for the two to rest in. Once finished, they transported the two inside where Gina continued her care for them.

Drake and Haru began to collect firewood while Rose helped Gina. Asha remained within the camp, guarding the surrounding area until Haru and Drake came back.

"Why are you here?" Drake asked with an arm full of branches.

"I'll explain when everyone is accounted for." Haru said looking to the side. "It gets a little monotonous repeating the same story, if you catch my drift."

Drake nodded in agreement as he readjusted the branches within his arms. "Tell me about it."

"So, why are you hanging around with a group of girls?"

Drake blushed lightly. "T-they’re my friends." He stammered as they made their way to the campsite.

"And Tygra?"

Drake stopped narrowing his eyes in confusion. "What about her?"

"Well she's your lover is she not?"

Drake’s jaw dropped as did a few of the branches in his arms. He quickly bent to the ground picking up the fallen branches. "Of course not!" He said a little too loudly as his face turned another shade of red.

Haru laughed slightly. He's such a child still…reminds me of Katsuro…

 

"What took you two so long?" Asha questioned as Drake and Haru entered the camp grounds. She looked off into the sky. "The sun has already begun to set. "I was beginning to get worried."

"There's no need to be worried Asha." Drake said picking a spot in the middle of the camp and dropped the firewood. He turned back to her. "It's not like we can't fend for ourselves."

Asha crossed her arms as she watched Haru place his stack of firewood down next to Drake's. "With the way things are going I don't know what to think anymore."

Drake came towards her. "What do you mean?"

She looked back to him with saddened eyes. "Drake you know what I mean." She pointed towards the hut. "Two of our friends are hurt; they could have been killed-"

Drake placed a hand to her shoulder. "You can't think that way Asha. Everything turned out alright just like always-"

"And what if next time it doesn't?"

He remained silent for a moment as he let his hand fall to his side. "I can't answer that Asha." Their gaze met. "None of us can." He sighed as he looked to the side. "It may sound cruel, but if something like that is going to happen, it'll happen. We can't change it."

"But we can prevent it." Asha said lowering her arms. "I'd be damned if I let any of us die!"

Drake couldn't help but smile. "You are starting to sound a lot like Jade."

Asha blushed slightly. "You think?"

Haru walked over towards the two. "Jade? She’s the Earth Guardian is she not?"

Asha turned to him with a nod of her head. "Yeah, she's the one who is in there with Tygra…she saved my life plenty of times."

Drake placed a hand on her shoulder. "She’ll be just fine Asha."

"I know." She said with a weak smile. "But, I can't help but shake the feeling that something is going on with her right now."

Gina sat beside Jade whom lay motionlessly upon the ground and Rose sat beside of Gina assisting her. “Hand me that blue-green leaf over there." Gina ordered as Rose immediately did as she was told. Gina then gently laid the leaf over Jade's stab wound pressing it down lightly to cover the area. "There, the wound is all covered up." She looked over to Tygra who remained lying only a few feet from Jade. "I can't do much for her; she must do so on her own. Sleep will recover the energy she has lost."

Rose looked back over to Jade; sweat was beading down the sides of her troubled face. Her peaceful sleep seemed to be disrupted at the moment. "I just wish that I could do something." She looked down to her hands within her lap. "Maybe if I tried hard enough, I could heal her."

"You don't need to do that."

Rose looked to Jade seeing her eyes were now opened. "Jade."

Jade placed a hand to her stomach removing the leaf Gina had just placed over her wound. "No no! You mustn't do that!" Gina protested, reaching out for the leaf. "You must allow the wound to heal!"

Jade looked to her coldly. "And who are you to be telling me what I need to be doing with my own body?"

"Jade," Rose said gently.

"Don't worry about me." Jade said closing her eyes. The ground beneath her began to glow a dark green as the light wrap itself around her stomach. After a few moments, the light returned to the ground before disappearing altogether revealing her smooth, unscathed skin. She then opened her eyes, and then looked back to Rose. "Where's Tygra? Is she alright?"

Rose turned to look to her left. Jade followed her gaze, seeing Tygra lying only a few feet from her.

"I don't understand…" Gina muttered to herself as she was now leaning over Tygra, checking her scrapes and the long gash along her back. "Her wounds are healing at a very fast pace, too fast for my medicine." She looked back to Jade, a puzzled expression across her features. "And then there is you who completely denies my treatment and your wound heals within seconds." She shook her head. "It is the same as the Dark Lord's…what kind of magic are you people trifling with?"

Rose looked down to her hands. "It's not what you think. Tygra is able to heal anyone she pleases where Jade is only able to heal herself." She looked to Jade who looked back to her with cool eyes. "Only when she chooses of course." She then looked back to Gina. "We are the Elemental Guardians."

"The Elemental Guardians?" Gina asked taken aback. "You mean the ones who took down that tyrant Caleb?"

"Jade!" The girls turned to see Asha now at the entrance to the hut, looking in. "You’re awake!"

"Yeah, yeah. I told you that I was fine." Jade said waving off her concern.

"Well, come on out to the fire. It will help you warm up."

"Yeah that's a good idea." Rose said brightly with a warm smile.

Jade shook her head. "No I want to wait for Tygra to wake."

"Go Jade." Gina said shortly. "You are no help here. From what Rose said you are not able to heal her."

Jade scowled at her as she sat upright. "You are no help either with those herbs of yours. Just leave Tygra be and she will be fine by the morning."

"Jade, we are just-" Rose began taken aback by her friend's reaction.

"Doing nothing. Just go now!"

Rose and Gina stood and quickly left the hut with Asha shortly after. Rose placed a comforting hand to Gina's shoulder. "She's just worried is all."

"She doesn't have to be that way!" Gina huffed. "Mocking my heritage like that. My family has past the art of healing through the generations!"

"Just come and sit down." Asha said sitting before the fire. She turned back to Rose and Gina. "There is no sense in getting all worked up over this."

Rose studied Asha for a long moment as she and Gina took a seat before the fire. "My, Asha that doesn't sound like you at all."

Asha narrowed her eyes as she lost her gaze in the fire. "It was that way of thinking that caused Jade to be wounded in the first place…again."

"Now, now," Drake began sitting back from the fire and stretching. "How else are you going to learn if you don't make mistakes?" He held up a hand as Asha gave him a look. "I'm just saying that everyone makes mistake Asha. Even Jade. It's the only way we, as people, can learn."

"Yeah Asha," Rose said with a gentle smile, "you know how Jade would react anyway if she knew you were letting this bother you." She then looked to Gina who remained looking to the flames. "Jade wasn't trying to mock you Gina. It's just her way is all. You'll see; tomorrow she will be a completely different person."

Jade sat up next to Tygra placing her one hand onto her friend's hot forehead. I thought that you were dead. What happened to you?

"You are so stubborn sometimes you know that don't you?" Jade questioned aloud then sighed closing her eyes. "I only wish that you could hear me."

She then felt a cold hand over hers. Her eyes snapped open seeing that Tygra had placed her one hand over the top of hers.

"I can hear you just fine, Jade." She said in a weary voice.

"Are you alright?" Jade questioned in relief.

Tygra placed her hand back down to her side. "Of course I am. Just a little tired is all." She then looked back to Jade, studying her carefully. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Her question sounded more like a statement.

"Are you feeling alright?"

Jade stood to her feet. "I'm just fine." She began to walk towards the hut entrance. "You should get back to sleep." And before Tygra could reply, Jade stepped out of the hut.

Tygra shifted her gaze up to the ceiling and sighed. Now all I have to do is try and remember what happened out there…