I force myself deeper into the human's mind. <Your goop worked, Thunder. Thank you. We're trying. Don't worry. I'll stay linked to you, if that helps.>

<Ah, yes, I owe you an explanation as to why I acted like I did, but that can wait until everything's back to normal.> *I pause awkwardly* <Unless you need to know now.>

<You may as well explain now. We're going to be here a while. And nothing will ever be normal.> I gave him a mental smile. I was glad he healed my eyes, even if I still hadn't gotten all the goop out of them.

I glide gentaly down to the forest floor and back up as Mini lands shakily. Being twin sister's, were both equaly matched at flying, but a broken wing makes everything that much harder. I use magic to heal the wound with no scars, then look around. "We have to leave. Were out in the open. Come on, there's a place we can go, dragons to meet."

To be honest, I was ecstatic to know that Thhunder was ok. Now if I could just find the others…

<Yes, well you're right.>
<That 'goop' was from inside Clat's egg. After she hatched I took the shell and found a blood vessel stuck to the inside, that was the beginning of my plan... and their's> *I hesitate* <The dark dragons, they somehow knew about the special cells that form as an embryo is growing. These cells are called stem cells, and can form into any tissue, even an entire being. I planed on refining the mixture a little more and giving it to you triumphantly, but the dark ones somehow found out and attacked my mind.>
<So I fled, and pushed the mess into your eyes in order to destroy it without wasting all my hard work. Those eyes of yours, they are your daughter's eyes, and if I had not acted in haste, then the army that attacked us, it would have had your daughter's clones swelling their ranks.> *I fall silent*

His words stunned me. <You should have told me! I could have protected you! It was this secrecy that killed our father. I guess I should tell my part of the story.>

"yes." the girl said. "i can get you into any building that is not federal.so, when do we go?" i nodded to the girl and said, "i would lke to see how you get in." <so, when do you want them records?>

I pulled myself out of Thunder's mind for a brief moment. <As soon as possible. Those Records are crucial.>

<right, i will take her now if you want>

<Hurry. We may not have much time.>

<on it.>
"come on. we need to hurry." i told the girl and then crouched low so she could ride.once she got on i jumped out of the cave and soared over the land.<wait, what books do you need?> i landed outside the closest town. "i don't know this town as well as mine but i can still get what you need. just tell me, what am i looking for once i get in?"

<It's called Ways and Laws. Written by the Great Ones themselves, it details how dragons are to live their lives.>

<got it.>
"find and take the book 'ways and laws'."

While they were gone, I engaged in my favorite pastime: pacing and snarling at the humans.

As Mini and I flew towards the cave, I noticed Mini glancing around every couple seconds. "You okay?" I ask.

"Yeah." She replies. "I'm fine. I've just been there for so long, I'm expecting someone to jump out at me."

"Were?"

"With the dark dragons." She shudders. "Someone had buried my body, thinking I was dead, but I managed to dig myself out, and they found me and took me prisoner when I was 100. Been there ever since." She looked at me, smiling faintly. "I thought you were dead, and it nearly killed me."

I chukeled. "Me too! But were not, so thats a plus." I tucked in my wings as I dove towards the cave.

Overpowered by the odor of smelly human, I stuck my head outside the cave, in a vain attempt to get a bit of fresh air.

As I was about to land, Twera stuck her head out of the cave, focring me and Mini to pull up sharply and lean back. We landed very ungracefully on some snow and had o twist around to avoid landing on our backs.

"Sorry. It REALLY smells in there. I don't know how the ancients could stand it. They're worse than goats. Memesis left with the girl to get a certain book. Who's this?" I asked, glaring at the newcomer. "I've not seen you around. I don't trust you."

((wow. this twera s some character huh?))
the girl picked the lock and got in. she was gone for about 10 minutes then returned with the book and two others. "what's with the other books?"
"tell ya later." she said and climbed on my back. i did not like it but took off anyway and gently landed in the cave. twera was snarling at Mimi((is that right?)) and the human stench filled the cave. i folded the flaps over my nostrils i have for keeping water and snow out. that way i could not smell t and my other senses sharpened up so i could balance the loss of sent out. the only down side was that i could almost taste the humans. their flesh is not the most appetizing. "what is going on? did i miss that much?" i asked as the girl got off

Apparently we have an intruder." I continued snarling, not breaking my stare. The newcomer could be a spy. ((Twera will do anything to protect her family. Also, these past couple daysreally hardened her.))

i rolled my eyes. "she is nimi's sister. and if you think she is a spy check her mind"
<although i can block you out...but she is younger so she won't be strong enough.>

((this reminds me of twera...link))

((Yeah, that's her, all right)) I push my mind against the newcomer's. It felt clean of the dark dragons. I was still wary of her, as the others no doubt were when I first showed up that stormy night, pregnant with Clat.

i motioned for puma to walk forward. "she got the book. and others."

"Thank you…Puma. I greatly appreciate your help." My human was still a bit halting, but it was serviceable. I bowed low, out of repect. This human had given up any hope of a normal life to help us, a bunch of misfit dragons. "You have other books?"

"ya. dug, what do you think these are?the lost videos of Apollo?never mind. these are books i found in secret shelves in the wall. they are as old as this one and about dragons too. i thought you'd be interested."

"Let me see them." I held out one claw for the boks. "How did you know of them? Most of the Ancient Records were destroyed centuries ago in your humantowns. There shouldn't be any copies left. How is this possible?"

I shrugged as me and Mini enter the cave, breathing though our mouths so the human steanch wasnt so strong. "If no dragon was there, one could have gotten away, so plenty possible.

I shok my head. "Once organized religions began in the human cultures, the humans' rulers saw no need for Dragons. We became mere stories to them, something used to frighten young humans. The Ancient Records were burned. As the humanrulers put it, burning was the only way to destroy anything written by a Dragon. I've followed human history. It seems that old belief is still present in humanculture. I just never knew there were still copies of these left. From what I heard, the Being only made nine copies. He had placed them in certain places around the world, each representative of one of the Great Ones."

I nodded. "So," Mini said, staring at the book. "Whats in it?"

"Everything." I held the book carefully in my claws. The hide pages were thin with great age. I was reluctant to open it at first, but the urgency of the situation got the better of me. Slowly, I opened the ancient book. The pages were neatly lettered in the writer's finest Dragon. Every page had a heading and was numbered.

* Whistles: v > < v > <* ((if you recognize that you are a nerd!))

"Awsome." I looked over Twera'sshoulder. "So, what do we need to know first?"

I heard Thunder's whistle inside my mind. The sound was shrill and grated on my already thin nerves. <What? I'm about to read a very important book. Your whistle could have made me destroy it!> I then spoke aloud. "The magic of these books, what makes them so valuble, is that they take you right to the information you need. No other Draconian books will do that. It's part of the Being's Magic."

I coked my head to the side. "So, you just ask it what you need to know, and it will turn to the right page?" Mini asked.

"You don't ask. It already knows what we need. Watch the page." As I spoke, the page began to blur. The fine ink ran together. New words began to form. The new words were in a slightly different handwriting.

"Cool." me and Mini said at the same time. we grinned at each other. Old habbits.

I shook my head at them and turned my attention to the book. The words were fairly simple, but the information itself was complicated.

'Whats it say?" I asked, looking at twera's face for any indications.

I ignored Nimi. "That's not possible…Isn't there another way?…Something must be done…"

I look mervously at Mini, who mirror's my expression, then back at Twera. "Um, Twera? What's not possible?"

"This magic. Only one of the Great Ones could ever be capable of being hosted. According to this, Thunder IS one of the Great Ones."

<WHAT?!> *Stunned* <Hey, I'm not that awesome, there must be some mistake...>
((If Thunder was in a physical form he would be falling over right now))

((I could tell)) <Trust me, I don't believe it either. It has to be a mistake…>

I raised an eyebrow. "But why not? I mean, what EXACTLY defines a Great One?"

I sighed. "The Great Ones are the Nine beings that created this universe. Only one can be provedn to be corporeal. The rest exist as spirits of their element. They do as they please, yet they have followed somewhat predictable patterns over the centuries."

"So, Thunder is an ancient being that made the world.". I nodded. "Seems legit." I added slightly sarcastically.

I sayed silent, my eyes locked on the words that confirmed my worst fear.

"wait, " i said after thinking on what they said, "thunder could BE HOSTING a great one. then, if my math and reasoning is correct, he himself could be hosted. but the reason the great one staid quiet is beyond me, if i AM correct."