03 The Shadowy Figure

CHAPTER 3 THE SHADOWY FIGURE Blaze sat with her head in her wings. Tag patted her shoulder and handed the feathers back to Skyla. "Do you remember where the portal was in your vision?" Tag asked. Blaze shook her head. "I could only see the firehawks and the doorway, nothing more", she replied. "But those were both definitely on Fire Island."

Skyla's tail twitched. "We'll search the whole island then. It must be here somewhere." Blaze jumped to her feet. "You're right! We just need to keep looking!" Tag followed as they headed down the mountain. A creepy feeling crawled down his neck. He couldn't shake the sense that something was not right.

A dark figure moved in some tall trees nearby. Tag took a step toward it. "Who's there?" he whispered. The figure moved and ran deeper into the woods. Tag raced after it. "Come back!" he called. The woods were dark, full of twisting trees. Tag slowed down. He couldn't see the shadowy figure anymore. He took a few more steps when— SNAP! A twig broke behind him. He spun around with his dagger.

"Skyla!" Tag cried. "You scared me!" "What are you doing?" Blaze asked. "I saw something..." Tag began. "Never mind. Let's just keep looking for the portal." Tag kept his dagger close just in case the strange figure appeared again. The friends searched the island from the very top, all the way down to the bottom of the volcano. "There's nothing here," Blaze said. "Let's check the beach," Skyla suggested. A large, wrinkled turtle sat at the edge of the water. It waved a flipper at them.

"Thaddeus!" Blaze called out, running to greet their friend. "Hi! What are you three doing here?" Thaddeus asked. He spoke very s-l-o-w-l-y. "We're searching for a portal," Tag said. "We think the firehawks went through it to get to the Cloud Kingdom. Have you seen one?" "Hmmmmmm," Thaddeus said. "I haven't seen a portal. But I remember a place where the firehawks gathered. There is a circle of tall rocks deep in the forest."

"Maybe it's there!" Skyla said. "Thank you, Thaddeus," Blaze said. They said goodbye to Thaddeus and hurried off through the trees. The sky was darkening as night settled in. After hours of searching for the circle of tall rocks, Tag dropped his sack to the ground. "Let's make camp and search again in the morning," he said. They made a nest using branches and leaves. Then they quickly fell asleep.