"So here's an idea," the group had left Forest Cape shortly after breakfast and were making their way farther east by following one of the main trade routes in hopes of sticking close to towns. No one was ready just yet to spend another night out in the woods. Jason was scratching his chin lightly as he spoke to the rest of the group. "Next time we stumble upon a town full of sick kids or something, can we just leave? I mean, why bother dealing with the whole demon deal, huh? Let's just leave!"

Janet rolled her eyes and sighed. "Here's another idea. Next town we run across, let's just leave you there. I'm pretty sure that'll make most of us happy, am I right?" She glanced around at the others for their support. They just ignored her. The group had finally figured that no matter how many times they were told to keep quiet, Jason and Janet were destined to argue.

Brandon leaned closer to Ray, who had been walking on his left and whispered quietly. "I say next town we come across we just dump the two of them and let the townspeople sort it out."

Ray chuckled. "Not a bad idea actually."

Lucy didn't comment. She was on the right of Brandon, walking just a pace behind him. Janet and Jason were a few steps behind, slowing each other down with their constant fighting. With an absent-minded sigh, the dark haired windian turned to her brother.

"What is the nearest town anyway?"

Brandon shrugged. "I'm not sure. Some trade place I'd guess."

"How long until you think we'll reach it?"

"Hard to say. I've never been this far east of Windia."

Of course you haven't, Lucy thought. You've hardly even left Windia... The job Brandon had been given, to watch over Lucy, had kept him from being able to participate in any other assignments that might allow him to travel around more. Lucy couldn't help but feel bad at times when she thought about all of the places their father would visit, and then all of the places Brandon could visit if he wasn't stuck watching Lucy. She had often thought about encouraging her brother to just sneak out sometime and take some of the scouting assignments, has a chance to see more of the world, but she always knew he would just turn that idea down. Brandon was devoted to his job, even if that meant following Lucy around all day long. Oh well, now he gets his chance to travel I guess.

"There's a town called Springton somewhere along this route." Ray turned to Lucy. "It's not as small as Forest Cape, but it's not that big either."

Lucy nodded. "Hopefully it's not that far away. I don't really think any of us want to spend another night out in the woods if we can help it."

Brandon shrugged, fluttering his wings lightly in boredom. "Actually, it seems that so far we get less trouble when we stay out in the woods." His sister gave him a curious look at Brandon continued. "Well, when we stayed in the woods the first time, all we had to deal with was your little tree episode, but the minute we hit a town we had a few days of trouble on our hands." Brandon didn't seem to notice that he was taping the hilt of his rapier lightly as he spoke. "Maybe if we steered clear of towns then we won't get as side tracked and can make better time."

"Hold it! I am not sleeping outside every night that we're out here!" Janet had sped up to match her pace to the three in front of her, leaving just Jason to follow along behind.

"Well we don't know, that may be your only choice." Ray glanced over to where Janet was walking beside Lucy. "The thought of sleeping under the stars doesn't sound appealing to you?"

Janet rolled her eyes. "Oh yea, the thought of sleeping on the hard, dirty ground outside on a cold night with the weather, bugs, and smoke in my face from a fire that can't go out or we're all good as dead, while surrounded by woods that may be full of some demonic essence that is making fairy tale monsters come to life, that all really sounds just like a walk in the park to me."

"Well good then, you don't mind." Ray smiled over at Janet. Janet could feel the urge to grab her revolver and just take a couple shots at the dragon right then and there.

No. She sighed to herself. No, I have to get along with the damn dragon for Lucy's sake... Janet muttered quietly under her breath as she wrapped her arms around herself, walking along side Lucy quietly. It still wasn't the most thrilling thought in the world to her for her to think about how she was stuck out in the middle of nowhere with Jason and Ray.

The afternoon wore on into the evening, and finally the group was forced to look for food. Jason pointed to a few fruit trees that grew along side the path.

"What about those things?"

"What, these?" Brandon reached out and plucked fruit from one of the trees. It was large enough to fit in his hand, and had a slightly bent shape to it. The Windian Guard studied the speckled brown and yellow fruit for a while before handing it to Jason with a shrug. "It looks okay."

Jason took the fruit and turned in over in his hands a couple of times. "Know what it's called?"

"I have never seen that fruit before in my life." Brandon was picking a few more for the rest of the group. Jason stared at him.

"But you say it's safe?"

"Pretty sure it is."

"And you don't even know if it's poisonous or not."

"It doesn't look poisonous."

"Well how could you say that? You don't even know what a normal one of these looks like!"

"Jason just take a bite of the stupid fruit already!" Brandon had his hands full with four of the fruits as he glared at Jason. The red-haired windian shrugged.

"Fine." Jason wiped the fruit lightly on his jacket and bit into it. It was crunchy, not very juicy, but it had a slightly sweet taste to it. He chewed a bit, swallowed the bite and shrugged. "Tastes fine to me. Kinda bland though... what?" Jason raised an eyebrow curiously at the rest of the group. They were all staring at him. "What, did I grow a second head or something? What are you all staring at?"

Janet stepped up and waved her hand in front of Jason's face. "Nope, he's not blind, guess it's safe."

Jason rolled his eyes and Brandon handed his burden of fruit to the others. "Great, I love playing guinea pig for you all." He took another bite.

Janet shrugged as she took her fruit. "Not like anyone would mind if you keeled over dead anyway."

"Thanks, I'll remember that." Jason grumbled. Brandon picked some extra fruit and tossed it to Jason.

"Here, Burnhart. Carry these."

"Glad I can be of some assistance." Jason muttered as he shoved the fruit into his pockets.

"Hey, lighten up." Lucy shrugged as she munched on her fruit. "You make a great decoy."

Jason glanced from one party member to the next, a look of bewildered annoyed look on his face as he studied each of his traveling companions. "You're all against me, aren't you."

"Come on, let's keep walking." Brandon motioned to the group. "No need to stop and chat, just walk and eat."

The evening grew later and still there was no sign of any nearby villages as the group continued along the trade road. It was looking like it would be another night out in the wild.

"We'd better find a place to stop for the night," Brandon was staring up at the sky, "before it gets too dark. Maybe a spot just off from this trail."

Ray nodded. "I don't want to lose the trail, but I don't want travelers stumbling upon us in the middle of the night incase anyone else is coming down this road." The dragon stopped and gazed at his surroundings. "Should we split up and look for a spot or just keep going as a group?"

Brandon shrugged his wings lightly. "I think we should send out someone to take a look around here and see if there's anyplace fit to rest in." His eyes turned to Jason. The windian put his arms up in defense.

"Hell no, I'm not wandering around out there alone! You guys have had me do enough things already. Why not send her out?" He jabbed his finger at Janet, who sighed heavily at him in.

Brandon shook his head. "Forget it, I'll go."

"I'll come with you." Lucy started to follow her brother, but he stopped her.

"No, you stay here and wait."

"But-"

"Forget it." Brandon was already making his way off the trail. "Just wait for me to come back." Lucy sighed and folded her arms across her chest as she watched her brother go.

"Great, so he won't let me go off alone, but he'll go and do it himself."

"Don't worry about him. Brandon's probably the only one who knows what he's doing out here anyway." Janet took her place next to Lucy.

"Yea well, if it wasn't for me you all would be ghost bait or munching on poisoned fruit by now."

"Jason," Janet fixed him with a glare, placing her hands on her hips in a determined way. "If it wasn't for you my mood would be ten times better by now."

"Well if it wasn't for you my life would be ten times better by now!"

"My life would be a hundred times better if you were never born!"

"Will you both just HUSH?" Lucy snapped loudly at the two fighters. "I may as well be stuck with two children the way you both fight!"

Jason and Janet held each other in a glare as they muttered an empty apology to Lucy. Lucy sighed loudly and paced over to where Ray was standing, resting her forehead on his shoulder. "I give up on those two."

Ray chuckled. "They certainly do bring something to the group."

"Yea, a headache." Lucy stood up and rubbed her temples. She could hear Janet and Jason starting up another argument. "Don't they ever get tired of that?"

"I think that's how they communicate." Ray glanced over at the two windians.

"Well if it weren't for you-"

"Yea? Well if you weren't here-"

"If we didn't have the both of you I don't know how I'd find my way back to the trail." Brandon stepped out from the foliage, brushing a few leaves and twigs off of himself. "Your voices travel all over the place."

"Did you find anything?" Lucy walked up to her brother, hands clasped in front of her.

Brandon nodded. "A few paces away from here there's a nice little clearing we can set up camp in." He motioned for the group to follow him. "Come on, we can get out there and get a fire going before it gets really dark."