First Eclipse

Fauna crawled along in front of the couch and looked underneath it.

"Moxy M.I.A again?"

She looked over her shoulder and saw Sparx standing there. "Yes. I don't know what's going on with her lately."

Sparx scoffed. "If you don't, no one does."

Getting up, Fauna put her hands on her knees and debated whether to go upstairs again or search the kitchen. Last week, she had gotten stuck behind the fridge.

"Ava took off out to the garage a few minutes ago. Karma called and said there was an issue with Tera's bike, and they'd need her outside when they got here." Sparx pointed to the door. "I'm going to go see what happened." Fauna bit her bottom lip. "Did she say what kind of problem?" She understood how urgent it was if something went wrong with your bike. She'd had a fuel issue last year, and it had felt like the machine hopped the last few blocks home. "Something about driving where they shouldn't." Sparx cocked her head to the side and then grinned and turned to go out to the garage.

Fauna looked at the stairs.

"Fauna. The door is open." Sparx called out.

Fauna sighed and made an about-face. "Silly creature hates it outside but keeps going out there." She grabbed her jacket off the chair on the way by.

Fauna ran down the steps into the garage. Ava stood outside the door, watching down the alley. She heard Sparx talking to someone and went toward the door. "Have any of you..."

A large man stepped in front of the open door. He was well over six feet tall because he looked huge to Fauna, and she wasn't a short person. He had dark hair and a few days of growth on his face, and honestly, if he had an earring and eye patch, he could have been a pirate like in the movies. She stopped and stared. In his arms, she'd barely noticed because those were some large arms, was Moxy. She wasn't freaking out but sitting there contently, letting him rub the top of her head.

"Are you looking for her? She bolted out of here, got thirty feet, and froze." He leaned down and rubbed his jaw against her fur.

Fauna blinked. Moxy hated strangers and, more than that, hissed whenever a man was nearby. "She keeps thinking she wants to come out, but then gets here and changes her mind."

He smiled at her as he ran his hand down Moxy's back. There were no rotted pirate teeth for him, she thought. "Maybe it's a smell she doesn't like." He walked toward her. "I had a pup once that wouldn't come in the house if my mother was cooking anything with potent aromas."

Fauna glanced at Sparx, who raised an eyebrow. "Flora's been making incense." She sighed. "I never thought of that." She went over to him and looked at the animal. "I'm sorry, girl. I guess I've been distracted with everything going on." She rubbed under Moxy's chin and then glanced at him. "Thanks for rescuing her." She scooped the cat into her arms.

"No problem. I hate to see an animal stressed."

Fauna snuggled Moxy against her chest. "Same."

"Fauna." Princess Kara smiled at her. "Tim is going to be going to the mountains with you tomorrow to find Tawny a friend." She smiled.

Fauna looked at him. "Great." She said the word, but she didn't mean it completely. He made her feel-she didn't know what the word was. "I'm hoping we come across an orphan."

He nodded. "It's getting close to the weather changing, so predators will be out in full force before winter hits." He shrugged. "There's always a few little ones left behind."

Fauna nodded. "That wouldn't..." The sound of two bikes had all of them turning. Tera drove in front, with Karma following.

Ava walked toward them as they slowed and shook her head.

Fauna hurried to the stairs and put Moxy in the house. "We'll talk about this later, missy." She put her down and closed the door.

The bikes were shut off. Karma was off hers and standing beside Tera's.

"Where did you guys ride?"

"We went to check out that circle of stones place." Karma put her gloves into her helmet and tucked it under her arm. "Tera got hung up on some branches."

Tera sat on the bike still, her helmet on the ground beside her. "I didn't see the hole until I was in it." She leaned over and looked at the other side of the bike. "Can you fix it?"

Ava was on the ground now. "You gouged your chrome good." She scoffed. "Your kickstand is mutilated."

"Yeah. I think that's what got hung up, but once I got it moving, I wasn't stopping until I was freed."

Sparx went over and picked up her helmet. "You want the stand set up, Ava?"

Ava nodded still had her face to the concrete, looking under the bike. "It's going to be a special order. Shops don't stock Guzzi parts, Tera."

Tera sighed. "I know. I have royalties coming in this month."

"Royalties?" Kara looked from her to Sparx.

Sparx came back out of the garage. "Tera writes books about bugs and stuff related to bugs."

"Oh."

Ava got up. "I'll talk to Jim. He'll give me a discount." She wiped her hands on her jeans. "But that chrome is a mess." She turned around and looked at Tim. "Those big arms useful or just for show?" He gave her a lopsided grin. "What do you need?"

She motioned to the bike. "This lifted so I can get the stand under it, but everything you touch is going to be hot."

Tim went over and looked closer. "I can lift from the back. Will that help?"

Ava nodded and waved her hand at Tera. "Hop off, let's get it inside." She motioned to the garage. "Grab the wheel chock stand, too, Sparx. I'll put it on the front and just lift the back until I see what has to happen with it."

Fauna went over and took the other side of the bike to help Tera push it into the garage. "Why were you at the circle place?" She glanced at Ava. "I thought you couldn't go inside or see it or something." She didn't completely understand everything they'd been told when Jeri, Espy, Ava, and Capri had come back from the big meeting there. All she knew was they had their work cut out for them.

"I blame Espy. She came back talking about vibrations and the way it felt there." Tera shook her head. "We didn't even reach it before this happened."

Fauna glanced at Ava as she moved the stand where she needed it. "Did you feel that way when you were there, too?"

Ava snorted. "I felt things." She scoffed. "And then I met my grandmother and forgot about everything else."

Kara moved out of the way. "There's a meeting in a few days to discuss the search grids," she said, looking at Tim. "Which isn't going to be fun, I'm sure."

He nodded. "Like everything else. They had to know we'd figure it out and look, so I expect traps, ambushes, and all the other fun things." He walked behind the bike.

Ava held up her hand. "That's good. Let me get this chock on first, and then we'll deal with the back end."

Fauna held her side of the handlebars to help Ava guide it. "Traps?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at Tim.

He shrugged. "There have been some good ones."

Kara hissed out a breath. "Don't remind me. The memory of almost drowning in that cave still haunts me."

Fauna and Tera exchanged glances. Before they started the search, they would have to get a lot more details on what could happen.

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"All right, big guy. Give me some lift." Ava moved around and shoved the stand closer. Fauna stepped out of the way.

Tim walked up behind it and shoved his hands beneath the rubber of the tire. His fingers went between the spokes, and Fauna held her breath. If he got too close to the brake disc and caliper, he was going to have some burnt fingers. He lifted it like it weighed nothing. Moving just her eyes, she looked at Sparx and then Karma. They looked impressed and amused at the same time.

Ava cursed under her breath for a minute while she found a good place to put the stand. "Okay. Lower it, but don't go far. I don't know how well it's going to balance there." Her face was almost under the bike as Tim set it on the stand. "I'm probably going to have to take the shocks and back wheel assembly completely off." She leaned back from it and straightened up. Putting her hands on the seat, she pushed against it. "Seems solid enough." She nodded to Tim. "Thanks." Tim bobbed his head and stepped back. "Happy to help."

"So, Tim-" Karma looked him up and down. "You're one of the guards. I remember seeing you at that meeting."

He wiped his hands together and nodded. "I am the Huntress' guard."

Kara looked at Karma. "Daxx."

"The Huntress?" Karma looked amused. "Is that her title?"

"Oh, no." Kara shook her head. "Her title is queen, but we're afraid she'll stab one of us if we call her that." Tim grinned but did not comment.

Karma gave Fauna a big grin. "You're going to the mountains with Fauna to find an orphan animal?"

Fauna watched him nod. "Yes. Tawny needs a friend."

"It's either that or we build her a really, really big cage, and I don't want to do that." Kara sighed.

"Right." Karma looked at Tim again and then at Fauna. "And you're okay going into the wilderness with him?" Tim's brows creased.

Fauna nodded. “Sure. If anything chases us, he's a really big target, so I can escape while he distracts them." Tim gave her a shocked look. "If anything is chasing us, we got too close to somewhere we shouldn't be."

Fauna smiled and looked back at Karma. "He seems to understand nature, so yes, I'm okay going into the wilderness with him." Tera looked from one to the other. "That's..."

Fauna shook her head. "No, we will not have time for bug hunting."

Tera exhaled. "Fine. But I'm sending you some pictures, and if you see any of them, you bring them back to me."

Tim looked confused. "You want us to bring you back bugs?"

Tera nodded. "Alive, preferably. There are a few species of beetle I'm looking for."

Tim scrunched up his nose. "I don't know anything about bug collecting. I just know how to avoid them."

Fauna laughed. "Careful, or she's going to take you on her next bug trip."

Ava brought over a small toolbox and got down on the floor and looked under the bike.

Tim shrugged. "I'm always up for learning something new."

Kara snorted. "You need to talk to the royal brothers; all we've heard lately is that might be dangerous."

Tim opened his mouth and then closed it and shrugged. "You ladies do get yourselves into some interesting situations." Kara scoffed and pulled out her phone.

"What did you do before you were a queen's guard?" Sparx asked him as she handed Ava a tool.

"I guarded a door that only the royals or their guards could use."

Sparx cringed. "No wonder the guy is up for bug-hunting lessons." She laughed.

"We need to get back." Kara looked at Tim. "Paisley found some places on those videos."

Ava paused and looked at them. "Places?"

Kara nodded. "Places Arwan and company were watching."

"In this realm?" Kara nodded. Ava looked at Sparx and then back to her. "Give us a shout if you need help."

"Thanks, we will." Kara waited for Tim to come over closer. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and then they disappeared.

"Anyone think that looks cool to do?"

Ava looked over at Sparx. "It's all right."

Sparx rolled her eyes. "Some of us mere mortals haven't had the adventures you have," she said, shaking her head, and went up the stairs.

"You sure you're good going in the mountains with him?" Karma was serious this time.

Fauna looked to where Tim and the princess had been before they vanished. "He's the size of a bear, and the royal family trusts him with one of their queens." She looked back at Karma. "If I can't trust him, then I don't know who else I could." She shrugged. "Besides, he understands about nature. Not many do now. They watch YouTube and think they know it all, but it's a...'

Karma held up her hand. "I know. You have to be there and feel it to get it." She grinned. "I'm going to go be in the kitchen and deal with these hunger pains I'm feeling." She saluted her and went into the house.

"Firo says the Alterealm royal guards are some of the most loyal men he's ever met," Ava said quietly. "And-" She raised onto her knees so she could look right at Fauna. "if you have issues, you'll have one of those porter things to vanish in a second."

Fauna nodded. "I might use it just to see how that works."

Ava grinned. "Don't tell Em. She's still worried about molecular something-er-other."

Tera laughed and then suddenly stopped. "Guys, do you think the other realms have bugs unique to their realm only?"

Ava moaned. "No, we are not going on any bug-finding trips to other realms." She motioned to the bike. "Right now, I have to figure out how broken your ride is."

The excitement on Tera's face faded.

"I'm going to go dig out my hiking clothes." She turned to go up the stairs. "Let me know if you need help with funds until your royalties come in. I could grab some shifts at the animal shelter."

Ava's head popped up. "Capri says no shifts anywhere for any of us unless we can take someone with us."

Fauna sighed. "Right. No going anywhere alone." She hissed out a breath. This trip was going to help with the stress that her mind had created with all the things that could go wrong with this born to save the planet stuff. She turned and ran up the steps. Not planet, she thought as she went into the house. Realms. Six of them. She shook her head. The mountains and simplicity were sounding better and better with the more she thought about it.