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The triad composed of Dersaco, Lizaru and Yeran had initiated their long journey in a wooded zone,

near Yomei's steep hills. On the left part of the continent, there was little vegetation. As a matter of

fact, there were plenty of moors, gulches, crags and precipitous regions. The warriors crossed by a long

river that went from the centre of the continent to the south-west extreme, which flowed into

Mieseker's marshes, not far from Yomei.

That beautiful place, alive with peace and silence, seemed to have emerged from a fantasy book

because of its picturesque scenery. It was hard to understand how malevolent creatures like dragons

dared to destroy such a beautiful paradise. Those creatures only had odium in their minds. Their thirst

for power had made them ghastly monsters. They were zealots, blinded by fear, who only followed

orders. Immolation was a very common practice for them. Irrationality and superstition guided them to

their doom.

By midday, Dersaco was exhausted so he preferred to have a break. He sat down next to the

bracken, under weeping willows, and took some objects out he had in his pocket: a compass, a

bandage, a sheet of paper and a quill with ink.

'Where did you have all those things?' Yeran asked, who had just approached him.

'I brought all these things just in case something bad happens to us. You must never go out without

auxiliary equipment,' he replied. 'This journey will be very long. We must be ready for anything.'

Yeran only had her silver bangle, which she had inherited from her mother, and her long metal axe

forged by the best blacksmiths of Zurvenia, the black wolves' village.

'Specially dragons.'

'We'd better rest a little before we go on,' he suggested and wiggled his tail.

'That would be nice,' she agreed with him.

'Could you go to the forest to look for some fruits, please? I haven't brought any food and Lizaru

either.'

'Sure. I'll be back in a moment,' she said and went to the forest to seek fruits.

After some minutes, Lizaru, who had been exploring the environs in search of menace, returned and

found her companion close to the bracken. As Yeran was not there, she felt free to express her feelings.

She sat down beside him and asked him how he felt in that distant place.

'It doesn't bother me being here,' he replied. 'As long as everything goes as planned, there's nothing

to worry about.'

'I just wanna be by your side,' she whispered with a delicate voice. 'I could've never made this

journey if you hadn't been with me,' she claimed in a loving way and embraced him.

'What concerns me is just your protection,' he reminded her.

'Don't pretend you don't care about me,' she moved her arms away from him.

'The thing is that I don't like to be hiding our relationship in front of everybody. We must

accomplish our mission first.'

'And after this journey ends, will we be able to be together as before?'

'Of course,' he replied blithely.

He embraced her and nuzzled her, spreading his breath over her ears, then he gave her a French

kiss. They could not express their love with liberty; it was neither a good time nor the proper site.

Due to the constant struggle, Lizaru's desire to find a tiger with whom she could have descendants

was too hard to come true. Dersaco did not expect to find a female of his species either. They loved

each other, though they were aware of their genetic incompatibility. To avoid social disapproval, they

had decided to maintain their relationship hidden. It was frown upon two different species having love

relationships or affairs.

He gave her the compass and the bandage in case she needed them sometime, then he whispered in

her ear and told her to stash those things away so that Yeran did not discover them.

'We have to be chary,' she muttered.

Yeran came back with fruits of different kind and found her companions chatting in an unusual way.

She approached to hear them. It looked like they were planning something and did not want her to be

enmeshed in. A bit upset she got about her friend to be hiding secrets to her. When she appeared

behind the shrubbery, Lizaru stood up and moved away.

'At least we can eat something,' he spoke.

The three travellers gathered and gobbled the fruits. Although they were carnivorous beings, they

had not eaten meat since a long time. There were no wild animals to catch in Arkadia's outskirts. They

had to become accustomed to a vegetarian diet; however, they were always eager to eat meat.

'These fruits are bittersweet,' Yeran mentioned.

'I would do anything to get a steak,' Dersaco said.

'We can't live without eating meat,' Lizaru remarked.

'We may find some meat soon,' Yeran said and took a hamin.

'I hope so,' Dersaco whispered. 'It's hard to change eating habits.'

After having eaten the fruits, Lizaru said that she was very thirsty so she went to seek some water.

What she actually wanted was making sure her friend did not discover what she was hiding to her; she

needed some time alone to think about the matter. Dersaco stayed with Yeran in the same place,

waiting for her to return.

'So... what's the little secret you can't share with me?' Yeran asked.

'What? There's no any secret.'

'I've noticed. Don't dissemble!'

'Sincerely, I have no idea what you're talking about.'

'You're hatching something up and don't want me to know it.'

'What?'

'Since Lizaru met you, she's been acting weirdly. I know it cos she and I have been friends for many

years.'

'What do you mean?'

'You're not good at lying, Dersaco. I know you're in cahoots with her. You don't trust me, don't

you?'

'We're not hiding you anything,' he said a bit vexed. 'Why would we do that?'

'I don't know... maybe cos you want to get rid of me.'

'If we wanted that, we would've already got rid of you.'

'I've seen enough. There's no way to hide it.'

'There's nothing we're hiding you and we don't want to get rid of you. You're part of the group.'

'I bet you wouldn't care if I left you.'

'What would you do alone with nobody to protect you?'

'I need nobody to protect me. I came with you cos I thought it was correct. I wasn't going to join

the other dorks. Besides, Lizaru is my best friend.'

'But you're saying you don't trust her.'

'I do trust her, but that doesn't mean I have to trust you.'

'So it's just me, right?'

'You manipulate her.'

'How?' he asked. 'That's not my skill.'

'You can do that. You're a handsome male and a great seducer,' she was trying to ingratiate herself

with him, even using unsuitable methods.

'I don't deny it. I didn't choose to be born beautiful, but that doesn't mean I can manipulate others.'

Dersaco was not the ideal example of masculine beauty, he's manly attitude, recurrently acting butch

to imbue others he was an alpha male, made him attractive for many females.

'Is there any way you can tell me the truth?' Yeran said and approached him in a seductive way.

'Are you making advances to me?' he didn't like her reaction full of innuendo. 'You think I'm a

gryphon?'

'I'm just playing with you.'

'I don't like you're accusing me without any proof,' he reproved her.

'I just wanted to know if you were hiding something. No offense meant!'

'There's nothing I'm hiding you.'

Yeran was not a clot female and was not going to concede. She knew something was being hidden

to her and she was capable of doing anything to discover the truth, even if her actions irked Dersaco.

After a while, Lizaru's absence started to concern Dersaco. Yeran did not feel tranquil either; she

knew anything could happen to the tigress. Invaders were far and near, ready to ambush strangers.

'Where the heck she went to look for water?' he asked.

'Near the place where I found the fruits, there was a lake that led to the central part of the forest.

She may have stayed there drinking.'

'I hope so. I wouldn't like to know something bad has happened to her.'

'Nor would I.'

They waited some more minutes, expecting to see her back soon, but as she never returned, they

had to go seek her. They walked for ten minutes and found the narrow lake that traversed the forest,

split up and sought her in different niches. Dersaco found some blood drops on the grass and felt

strained about her as he thought she had been attacked. He told Yeran about it.

'Something bad happened here. We need to find her,' he said with a serious tone.

They penetrated into the central part of the forest, which was darker and quieter. The more they

walked, the darker the surroundings got. Everything changed suddenly after they crossed through a

secret passage covered in trees marked with strange symbols; they had gone through an invisible force

field.

'I've got a bad feeling about this forest,' she said while observed the dark hideous surroundings.

'It doesn't matter. We have to find Lizaru,' he said, feeling uncomfortable in that creepy place.

All of a sudden, the forest turned blue, queer plants and gigantic paper birches appeared, the

atmosphere looked different, the air got dank and the sky darkened completely. They realised that they

were in a different dimension.

'What place is this? What's going on here?' she asked in a frantic way.

'I don't know what's happening, but we have to go on.'

'I'm scared,' she said holding her axe firmly.

'Stay close to me.'

They walked a little more in the gloomy forest until they smelt a strange odour coming from the

deepest part.

'What's that stench?' she asked.

'It's like...' --he tried to guess while sniffing, 'burnt meat.'

'Do you think that...?'

Almost at the end of his tether the coyote started to run following the smell, he thought Lizaru was

in danger. If dragons caught her, it could be the end of her life. By leaving Yeran behind, he showed

that he did not care about her as much as he cared about Lizaru. More suspicions emerged.

He fell down from a steep slope and landed on dry leaves. Then he noticed the quaking aspens were

adorned with polished bones and pieces of red cloth, rocks had abstract symbols engraved on them,

strange insects were flying around, fur from savage animals was holding from a washing line and there

were livestock skulls on stakes. Aghast would feel anyone if they were trapped there.

'What the fuck is all this?' he whispered staggered.

He could hear wobbly voices from the front part. A sparkling ineffable light illuminated the

surrounds. By following the glittery light, he arrived at the encounter zone and saw a group of

yolumpas that were gathered around a bonfire. They were burning the remains of a dead savage animal

on a blood-spattered altar. It was a religious ritual undertaken to pacify their god's thirst for reprisal.

Yolumpas were a race of cannibalistic small blue-furred civets with lion tail and olive eyes. They

were very introverted and skilful at hunting savage animals from the forest. They always wore long

black tunics, golden earrings, bangles, necklaces and covered their visages with pieces of dark cloth. All

of them had a great respect for Mother Nature since her blessings made it possible for them to

continue living. They worshipped master Rankosh, who was one of the oracles that had belonged to

the Real Order. On account of his great munificence he had become a respectable figure in the

continent. Yolumpas considered him their only protector.

Dersaco interrupted the scene inappropriately and entered the area. He walked towards the creatures

to see what they were doing there. They frightened when saw him approaching, they stood aside and let

him walk on. He just wanted to see what they were burning. When he saw the remnants of the savage

animal, he simmered down. As Lizaru was still missing, the search had to continue. He suspected those

creatures had something to do with her scheming disappearance so he asked them who they were. They

spoke an ancient native language unknown for him; impossible was to establish communication with

them.

Yeran appeared and approximated to her companion. As she had studied aboriginal languages for

several years, she could communicate with them. She asked them who they were, what they were doing

and why everything was so dark there. The chief responded her that they were yolumpas from Arkhum,

but as the invaders had been attacking the neighbouring villages lately, the tribe was forced to move to

that hidden abyss, protected by a force field that repelled evil beings.

'Ask them if they saw a tigress around here,' Dersaco told her.

She asked them about her missing friend, they denied having seen her.

'They haven't seen her.'

'We'll have to look for her somewhere else.'

'Hold on a second... '

The chief asked her where they came from. She told him they were warriors from the south that

headed north so as to rout the invaders and restore peace. The creatures were very chirpy to know that.

Their faces filled with joy and hope. They were so glad and moved that they took them to the back part

of the area and showed them their sacred tree.

Under its big roots lay Rankosh' bones. That oracle had been killed by black dragons in that same

place. The natives believed his spirit gave strength to the tree so it could protect them. That huge tree

was the only reminder of his existence. As their most precious treasure, Kolumppus ball, had been

stolen by shatokers, he was never going to rest in peace. The natives wanted the ball back, but they

were unable to get it inasmuch as it had been taken to mountain Femerty. The ball was a well-known

powerful talisman; it had a lot of energy inside that could be used to do many things. The only concern

was that only oracles knew how to use that energy. Shatokers took the ball because they liked collecting

stolen jewellery and talismans. They did not know how valuable and useful that ball actually was.

The only safe refuge for the north-western plunderers was the peninsula of Domenisa, which was

practically at the extreme northwest of the continent, after crossing Mieresia, Ankoleria, Lozaminkia,

Sanghaï and Wasiria. Those villages had been the first ones to suffer invasions that took its tolls on the

dwellers. Many of the inhabitants from that region had migrated southward, including Yeran and Jakso,

while others had migrated to Gasenou island.

The natives gave their energy to the tree so it could survive. By doing that, many of them ended up

dying. As sunlight could not penetrate there, the tree was slowly dying. The only way to keep it living

was by destroying the force field. Without it, invaders might find the area, and if that happened, they

were going to be killed. Kolumppus ball could be used to make the tree strong and healthy as it had

been in the past.

Dersaco and Yeran felt sorry for them. They promised them to find Kolumppus ball and give it

back to them. None of them was aware of the great distance that they had to walk to get the ball. It was

going to be very hard for them to find it. Mountain Femerty, where shatokers had their den, was many

kilometres away.

'It's the least we can do for them,' he said.

'I don't want to see them suffering.'

'We've got our work cut out for us,' he had a feeling that they were not going to weather the storm

setting off on such considerable journey.

The chief gave him a blessed spear and a pearl necklace to her as a sign of gratitude for their value

and boldness. The canines had to show them they were strong reckless warriors, worthy of their

respect. Dersaco could not stop observing the sacred tree, which was coated with a purple aura. It

made him think that life was very miserable for many innocent creatures. The guilty ones were the

invaders. They had to pay for what they had done.

'This tree won't last one more year,' he whispered.

'It'll die soon.'

The yolumpas thanked them for everything and took them to a path that led to the exit. Once the

warriors abandoned the hidden dimension, everything returned to normality. It looked like it was

already afternoon. They did not understand what had happened, they had been just a few minutes

inside the other dimension.

At the drop of a hat, Dersaco hastened to seek Lizaru. He was worried about her. Yeran had already

noticed and supposed they were more than close friends. There was no doubt about that. She preferred

to feign being absent-minded and continued seeking.

Even after an hour of incessant search, they did not find any trace of her. It seemed that she had

fled. Dersaco was over-wrought and did not know what to do. His darling tigress had disappeared. He

felt guilt-ridden about having left her go to seek water on her own. Being alone in a distant place like

that was very hazardous for anybody. Yeran was almost as worried as her companion. The last thing

she wished was to find out that something bad had happened to her best friend. She was also

responsible for her protection. They gathered again near the weeping willows.

'I'm so sorry, Dersaco,' she whispered and embraced him.

'She must've gone somewhere; she can't just disappear. She knows how to defend herself,' he said

and moved away.

'We shouldn't have left her alone. This zone is unsafe.'

'She had been exploring the area before you went to look for the fruits,' he could not avoid feeling

culpable. 'If something bad happened to her, I don't know what I'll do...' he murmured.

Not capable of giving in, they continued seeking her in the surroundings, convinced they were she

had to be somewhere.

At dusk, they saw something moving in the midst of the scrub and prepared their weapons to attack,

it could be an invader hiding. Both approached bit by bit and waited to see what emerged from there.

Yeran saw a long furry striped tail and knew it was her friend. She told him and together they went to

see. They felt mellow when they saw she was okay.

'Lizaru, where have you been all this time?' he asked her. 'We've been looking for you.'

'We thought something bad had happened to you.'

The tigress was carrying a dead savage doe that she had caught. She was still exhausted as she had

run like the wind to get her prey.

'I ask you the same question. Where have you been?' she asked them. 'When I came back, I didn't

find you. I thought you had left me.'

'We would never do that.'

'Where did you go to look for water?' he asked her.

'I was drinking on the shore and then I saw this deer nearby,' she said and paused for a moment. 'I

attacked it with my claws, but I only scratched it on one leg. It ran away to the east so I chased it until I

finally got it. I don't know how much I ran, but I ended up dead tired,' she said rapidly. 'Anyhow, don't

you think this is a good meal for us?'

'Why did you make after that deer? It wasn't necessary to do so,' Yeran said.

'Of course it was,' she replied. 'We were talking about this. We can't live eating fruits the rest of our

lives. We need meat.'

'You put your life at risk. You know this area is dangerous to be.'

'Yeran's right. That was a great risk,' he said.

'I took the trouble to get this deer for you and this is how you thank me? You should be more

grateful to me,' she replied with an angry tone. She did not like being treated like a kitten.

'As I saw blood on the grass, I thought somebody had attacked you,' he said feeling like an idiot.

'You're a paranoiac,' Lizaru said to him.

'The important thing is that you're fine,' Yeran said.

The tigress noticed Yeran had a bright pearl necklace and Dersaco had a long spear.

'Where did you get those things?' she asked them.

'The yolumpas gave them to us,' he replied.

'Who?'

'It's a long story,' Yeran added.

'What story?'

'We'll tell you about it later,' he replied. 'Now, we have to carry this tasty deer.'

'I caught it so I deserve more meat than you,' she told them.

'No problem,' Yeran accepted with alacrity.

They carried the doe to a distant place protected by huge banyan trees and started preparing

everything to cook it. Ages the canines had waited to get some meat. It was going to be a fantastic

dinner.

The three warriors had a wondrous amity. Their experiences in the outside taught them many things.

They could know more about one other. Yeran was sensible of her companions' secret, but she

behaved as though she knew nothing. To discover what they were hiding, she had to watch them

closely. The lovebirds had to be painstaking if they wanted to keep their secret in for a long time.

After having dinner, Dersaco told Lizaru about the yolumpas and their hidden dimension. He

mentioned that he and Yeran had promised them to go seek Kolumppus ball in the northwest extreme.

She did not complain about that, but as she was part of the group, they could not leave her behind. She

had to go with them, unless for some reason she did not want to go.