"Your such a cutie!" Sandra purred as she held Tir close to her chest, stroking the small lizard's head. Mason was staring at her from a small distance, his mouth gaping and wide-eyed, Ter squirming forgotten in his arms.

"Mason, snap out of it! Were you even listening?" Jake put his head in front of his friend's causing him to suck in a deep breath before shivering. What is wrong with him? They have all been acting weird!

"Sorry, sorry. I have just never seen her like that," Mason mumbled, casting another covert glance at Sandra. Hearing Jake's low growl, he shook himself again. "Fine, yeah, I was listening, alright! After you changed, your personality changed with it, but only a little bit. These small lizards are from the same nest as your new body, and you came across some giant underwater thing. See? I was listening!"

Jake worriedly watched his friend before slowly nodding. "Yes, and I said I'm really happy to find you, but don't you think we should go away from here before more Goblins show up?" He pointed at the corpses littered around.

They were still below the tree in the jungle, the other Kobolds standing huddled together behind Sandra, chatting softly. Henry was still staring wide-eyed at Jake, while Melissa was telling him what a rush it was to fly.

Jake was about to call Sandra to snap her out of it when he heard a soft rustle in the vegetation. He swirled around a stunned Mason, jumping between the sound and his friend. From the side, Sandra cursed and backed up, protectively holding Tir in her arms.

"Sam, is that you?" Mason's voice sounded hopeful, but the reply wasn't what he was hoping or expecting.

"Don't attack. It's me." A rough, familiar voice was followed by Bolyr's head sticking out of the bushes.

"What is he doing here!" Sandra cursed, stepping forward until she was standing next to Mason, she was still holding Tir. Jake blinked when he saw them standing together, growling in unison. What happened while I was gone?

"It is safe to come out, Bolyr. They won't attack you." Jake moved between the indigenous Kobold and snorted. "Take it easy. I know you guys have questions, but Bolyr came here to help. Where are the others?"

Mason took a deep breath and turned his burning gaze from Bolyr, who was slowly moving out into the open. "We have a camp hidden deep in the jungle. Wilson and the others are there right now." Mason sounded angry, and Jake saw he was having a hard time keeping himself in check.

"Mason! Calm down. You remember what happened. Bolyr wasn't the reason we had to flee, that was the other one!"

"How can you be so sure? They were keeping things from us, lying. It wouldn't surprise me if this were all some elaborate plan to have us join their tribe." His friend's slitted eyes were rolling oddly in their sockets, and Jake realized something was very wrong.

"What is going on with you! Snap out of it!" Jake shouted, followed by a roar, so loud, his friend's hair blew back. All of the Kobolds froze a slack look on their faces, all but Bolyr. The Kobold snuck next to Jake and began whispering rapidly. "We've got trouble. From their behavior, they have some kind of parasite or are under a spell. A dragon's roar can dispell certain mind-altering effects. If we are lucky, they will turn back crazy soon, because that means parasites. If they snap out of it... we have larger troubles."

Feeling a shock run through his massive body, Jake narrowed his eyes as he looked at Mason. His friend was shivering, and all of a sudden, his head snapped up. A fog that Jake hadn't noticed before cleared from his eyes. "Wha- What the hell is going on? Why are we here?" Seeing Jake, he jumped back. "A bloody Dragon!"

The other Kobolds began backing up, all besides Sandra, who frowned, staring at Jake as if trying to remember something.

"Calm down, Mason, it's me. Jake. Don't you remember? We already went through this. "

"Jake!? Jake! You're back! How the hell did you turn into a Dragon? Wait, why do I have the feeling I've said this before... Deja Vu..." Mason began rambling, and then he saw Bolyr. "Bolyr? What are you doing here? What the hell is going on?"

Bolyr nodded at him before looking at Jake. "We have big problems. Someone had them hexed, a thing I had not seen since the previous war over thirty years ago. Jake... we have a very nasty Fiend running around, one that can even hex Kobolds."

Jake felt a shiver run across his back. This just keeps getting better and better.

--

"We have to go after Sam. We cannot let those Goblins take her back!" Mason looked at Sandra, who was thinking quietly. Of all the Kobolds, she seemed to have reverted back to her old self quickest, and she shook her head.

"We can't. We walked into one trap. We cannot run into another. Besides, we need to get back to Willson and the others. If what Bolyr said is true, we need to get back before something bad happens." Halfway through, Mason snorted, but he waited until she finished before shaking his head.

"You can go back. I am going after Sam. We both know what those disgusting monsters will do to her if we don't help her, and I will never sleep well if I don't at least try." He resolutely turned away from her, moving to the edge of the jungle before turning back, staring at Jake. "Are you coming, or do I have to beg?"

Seeing the well-hidden fear of rejection in his friend's eyes, Jake pushed away from the doubts he had. "Beg? Since when do we beg? Just give me one moment, ok?" Seeing a relieved nod, he walked to Sandra, staring at her. Sandra's face was a bit harder than it had been, but there was also something about her that gave him a familiar feeling.

"Can you take Tir and Ter with you? I have the feeling that they are going to be safer with you, and-"

"NO! Brother, we stay with you!" Tir began fidgeting on his back, while Ter stayed perfectly still.

"Hush, Tir. I know you want to, but what I am about to do is dangerous, and I might have to run and hide and fight. Remember, in the sea? How terrible things got? Stay with Sandra!"

Tir continued mumbling, but Sandra nodded. "I can take care of them, but I want you to promise me something. If things get too hairy, grab that fool and fly away. Even Sam would not want him to die in a foolish gambit like this. "

Stunned by her request, Jake could only nod. "I wasn't planning anything else. Take good care of these two trouble makers, alright?" Sandra frowned, but nodded, holding out her arms for the two small lizards to climb on.

Tir was scowling, an adorable thing on her small lizard head, but when he walked off, she howled. "Brother, be careful! Come back safe so we can hunt!"

"Don't worry! There isn't anything as big as me in these jungles, anything that attacks us, I will just eat!" Almost believing his own words, Jake snorted and moved beside Mason. Bolyr was standing there as well, a resolute look on his face. "I am coming too! I have promised to guard you!"

"And how do you expect me to fly away with both of you if I have to?" Jake was shaking his head, but Bolyr interrupted him forcefully.

"I don't. If something goes wrong, you can leave me behind. But I won't stay behind with the chance of you never returning. No matter what you think, you are the only future my tribe has right now. Just being near you would increase their chances of awakening, I will be damned if I let you go alone."

Mason was staring at Bolyr as if he had never seen him before, but then he snorted. "Got yourself a new friend, Jake? Just let him come! The camp of the Goblins is one day from here, and even if they have half an hour on us, we are much faster! The chances are, we can catch up, free Sam, kill some Goblins and be back before nightfall!"

Hearing the confidence in Mason's voice, he sighed, craning his long neck to stare at them. "Fine, Bolyr's a better tracker than either of us anyway. Let's go do this then!" Trying to suppress his rising fears, he turned and disappeared into the jungle, the other two following close behind. Mason was humming an old song from a tv-series he enjoyed, clearly not the least bit worried, or pretending hard not to be. This had better go well! Jake lamented, as his tail swished in agitation.