[Gift] Oak's heart part 3 -stregth-

Maze of darkness- part 3

       Li, Oak, and Xena wake up as they wake up to total darkness. “Li! Xena?” Oak asks as he feels a clawed hand on his arm. 

        “I'm right here Oak,” she says. “Li!!” 

        He bumps into Xena. “I’m right here,” she picks him up and shoves him in her backpack, “Looks like we woke up in total darkness.” 

        “Looks like we have to use more than our sight for this test,” she says. “It looks like even my cat sight can't peer through,” she says, her hand on Oak’s side. Li shivers. “It's ok, we have to rely on our other senses. What was that saying from the video game?? “Let the world talk to you?” she waves her hand away. 

        “I can't see anything…even with my dark sight,” Li starts to panic as Oak starts to panic. 

       “Hush both of you,” she says. “We will get through this even if it means it's dark,” her cat ears twitch. “My hearing seems to be unaffected,” she says as her cat ears swivel to the left. “I think we go left” 

       The party follows the cat girl as she stops. The soft sound of oaks hooves on the stone echo. “What is it?” she asks. “What do you sense?” 

       “Something up ahead” they move slowly into another area… “Oak!” she calls as he turns human and grabs her hand, “Thanks.” 

        “It seems we are in a maze,” her hand touches the cold stone, “A wall. I feel a wall” she says. “This way.” 

       “Xena,” she swings her head around, “Xena!! Come to me,” a male voice calls. “We can be happy.” 

      “Aelfa!!? Is that you?” she lets her hand fall off of oak and she goes off to follow the voice. “Lycon!!” 

        Oak goes to follow and find her but gets lost in the labyrinth of stone. “Xena!!” 

        -test of will- 

          Li tries to shake Xena from her trance as he jumps out of her bag “Xena!” he trips her as she falls. “Xena, listen to me!” he says. “This Shino, isn't there a trick?” 

         “No he’s there!, my Lycon is here!! He made it” she says as she cries softly. “He's here” 

       -Oaks test- 

          He runs through the halls hunting for Xena. he will make it out with her and Li. “Xena!!” he calls, he can't see anything as the darkness closes in around him. Who is this lycon she's going on about? “Xena!!” 

        “He's here! Li I can see him…he's here! Lycon my Lycon is in this world…i just have to find a way to him!” she struggles to push a door. “His voice!! I heard it!! Lycon . I'm coming!! Hold on, I'm coming.” She tries to push her way through as she growls. She snaps her fingers as she breaks through the wooden door blindly following the voice. “Lycon!!” she pants. “Lycon!!” 

        Oak hears her voice echoing…but can't point it out. “Xena!!” 

        “Lycon, I hear you” her voice calls out.
        Oak shivers. “No…I’m alone,” he pants. “No…face your fears…when the magic is in me magic is eazy,” he chants softly as the darkness closes in on him…a creature nearly gets him as he doges. “I'm not alone” he realizes, “Xena is counting on me, Li is counting on me,” he shakes his head. 

         “You're not worthy of the name,” a voice says, “Thorin?? She gave that to you as a joke” 

         “NO, Xena believes in me,” he says. “I am worthy of the name.” 

         “You think that??? Hahaha!” the voice echos. 

        “She thinks I'm worthy!! I am worthy of the name she gave me!” 

        “Worthy of my name,” a deep baritone voice says. “Worthy of being called Oaken heart?” Oak skids backward as he digs his claws in. 

         “Who are you?” he asks. 

        “Thorin Oakensheild. The REAL king under the mountain.” he says. “You're Not even half worthy of the name” 

         Oaks horns start to glow as he growls. “I am worthy of the name, i am strong and i am wise, she named me that because i reminded her of you” he roars as his horns unleash a ring of power. Ending the test. His sight comes back to him as he can now see it's just a simple labyrinth…he flaps his wings and sees where the other two are…xena dropped her backpack leaving li alone…li is facing his own test. He tries to get to them as he is pulled back. 

         “These are their tests” 

        -Xena's test- 

          In her eyes she sees him, he's smiling his arms out in a hug. “Dragon” she breathes in tears, he runs to him deeper into the maze. “How long was I gone” 

          He smiles “about a year,” he walks around her. “I'm happy you’re ok.” 

          “I've missed you so much,” she says, “You should see the wonders of this place. There's temples of trials, and stars so bright they would make earth pale in comparison,” she says, “You have to see them…you have to, then meeting oak my new friend…and the Coldsnap twins…and April and Fooli,” she chuckles. “Dragon, you would love it here.” 

           He laughs… “You think I care??” 

           “He's not real, you'll never see him again, your beloved is gone,” a voice over laps him. “You’re alone.” 

           “No I'm not…i have Oak, li and the rest to help me, I won't have that hope that I won’t see him again gone…I will see Lycon again. I will,” she says. 

           “You really believe that?” another voice cuts in, “Your dumber than i thought” 

           “No I'm not!! I won't have any voices in my head saying to give up! Someday I will have my beloved next to me and I WILL have him with me,” she growls, swiping at the darkness, “No darkness or voices to tell me otherwise, he called me brave, and strong and I can do anything,” she growls as a blast of energy from her clears the darkness as she can see again. “Oak!! Li”
          Oak spots her and carries her out of the maze. “I got you,” she trembles scared.

          -Lis test-

          “Ok…im strong, I'm small but strong” he says as he walks through the darkness, “Im small but strong.” 

         “You think you're strong?” a mirror of him says laughing “You’re barely Oak’s size and you have to get carried everywhere. You’re just useless.” 

         “No I'm not. Xena likes me…says I'm a pomeranian” he says proudly. 

          “That's an insult…you are just a little pest.” 

           He shivers, “No…I'm not, I'm big and ferocious,” he says.

          “When fighting that tiger, Oak nearly got hurt protecting you,” the mirror Li says, “Your nothing.” 

          “No I'm not…I may be small but I'm still mighty,” he says. “Like a lil dragon” 

          The mirror laughs, “A pet” 

           “Hahaha not mini funsized,” xena's voice echos, “You're tiny but mighty,” she giggles, “You can get through anything if you put your mind to it, quit holding yourself back because of your size. Be who you are.” 

           Li looks at the mirror version. “You may be my worst critic,” he stomps his hoof/claws/paw, “But you have no power over me!” The words echo as the darkness and illusion shatter for all three of them completely as they each receive a piece of the triskelion. Xena receives the base, Oak receives the first, Li receives the second and they already had the last part from the trial with the tiger. 

         A white-haired man appears to them. He chuckles, “Congratulations on passing my trials,'' His voice reminds Xena of a character from an old movie back home…she can't place it but the wild rocker hair and eye make up is very familiar to her. 

         Li with his new found might growls. “Who are you?” 

         “Forgive me, I am Valreven,” he says, “This is my dream world. You see the fire you were around, I pulled you into it to test your strength of the mind.” 

        “Your Valreven,” Xena says. “I thought he was some vulture creature.”

         He laughs, “I must send you off now to deliver those but take care and remember, you're all stronger than you think,” They smile. “And Xena…watch the skies and look for Zyial…she will usher in the arrival of someone close to you.” 

        He puts them back into their bodies as they wake up the next day with the pieces in their hands. They pack up and walk to the massive temple. “Looks like what we faced was all in the mind.” 

        Li jumps around and smiles, “I am fierce, I am mighty, I am tiny,” he says. 

        Oak stands tall as he smiles, “Yeah, and I am worthy” 

       Xena looks to the sky, “Soon my love,” she whispers as the party makes their way to the inner sanctum. “Ready” she sets the base in the stone carving. “Strength,” she sets her piece into its setting as it glows. 

      “Endurance,” Oak says as he sets his piece into the setting, it glows.

      “Maturity,” Li says. As he glows as the gate opens. The three walk into the glowing portal as they are transported back to their home. 

      “That was amazing,” Li says. 

      Oak smiles, “We learned that we are brave and strong and able to conquer anything we put our minds to.” 

       “And we grew closer too,” Xena smiles. “Till next adventure!” She walks off to explore the world as Oak runs to her. 

       “I can be your guide,” he says. 

       “You bet,” she smiles.