Melody looked down again. "It's S!" The men shuddered to a stop,
then marched out again, this time coming back made of ivy like the
walls. "You heard me before, yet you hear me again, but then I die,
until you call me again. What am I?"
The general nodded. "I respect anyone who realizes that the king is
greatest."
This one was a little harder... but hearing and hearing again
sounded like an echo, a little. The "dying until called again"
fitted it as well... Unfortunately, this was the hardest one for
him to scratch out. His claws kept jerking across the dirt, until
he was left with an unreadable patch of earth. After pacing out of
frustration, an idea came to him. Kieran barked, then again,
quieter, and again and again, till the bark was silent, hoping that
the humans would figure it out.
Melody tapped her chin. This one was harder-hold on. The bark was
getting quieter? Like an-"Echo!" she said. The men stopped moving,
marched out and in one more time as stone, then marched out again.
"Follow us, Follow us."
Content, relieved and proud, Kieran trotted excitedly after the
stone men. Looking at the sky told him that it was about noon...
Just a few more hours before he could shift back into his human
form.
This must be the well where the flower was hidden! Kieran bounded
up to the edge of the well, his feet aching but excited to move. He
peered down into the depths of it, searching for the flower.
The glass flower glistened, balancing precariously on the edge of a
loose stone. It is not far from the top, but it is clear that one
wrong move could send it to the rocky bottom of the well.
Despite his love of logic, Kieran wasn't the most careful,
meticulous planner. He made a whining sound, trying to bring
attention to the flower in the well. Someone else would be better
at this.
Melody came over. "What is it?" She gasped. "It's the flower!" She
paused. "But how to do this..." Melody knew they only had one shot
at this, or they'd have to figure out where the next location was
without help. She leaned over the side. "I think I can get it...but
I don't want to fall in."
Kieran took a few awkward steps, hesitating in between each. He
wasn't sure what to do... Looking around, he could see some small
vines and sticks lying around, but he didn't know how any could
really help that much. He was stuck, and it was a frustrating
feeling.
"Wait, I think if I.." Melody put her hand on the stone and on each
side, then lifted herself down. Slowly, she started climbing down
until she had dropped to the bottom. The well wasn't horribly deep,
and Melody found a few sticks on the ground. She picked a
particularly long one, and jabbed at the loose stone, causing the
glass flower to fall. With one quick movement, it was in her hands,
though she almost dropped it. Melody let out a sigh of relief. She
was going on pure luck that she would catch it.. "Is someone up
there good at catching?," she called up.
One good thing about being a canine is that they were great at
retrieving things, if they knew that that's what they were supposed
to do. Kieran padded over to the edge of the well, letting out a
confident bay. The noise echoed through the well.
Alright. "You better get ready!" Melody tossed the rose as high as
she could, watching it soar out of the well. She prayed that the
racoon dog would get it in time.
Kieran let some reflexes kick in, as he leaped up and snatched the
flower in his jaws. He held it carefully like an egg, so as not to
break it. Now, what next...? Ah, they had to bury it! While
clamping onto the flower, Kieran began digging a hole in the dirt,
his paws a whirlwind of gray.
Melody gripped the sides, carefully raising herself up. When she
reached the top, Melody pushed herself out with her feet. "Great,
is the hole big enough?"
Melody bent down by the hole and carefully placed the flower in the
hole, then quickly started filling the hole. "We've got to bury it
before it moves, remember! The Elemental said if we wait, it's
going to teleport!"