* * * A U U U G H - * T A' W H A C K ! ! ! * * *

The sound instantly had X out of a deep sleep and onto her feet. Clacking her 
knife
claws on the marbled floor beneath her as she slid snatched up her gun, 
instinctively
checking it's settings, dials, switches, and slide-whistle. 

* * * A U U U G H - * T A' W H A C K ! ! ! * * *

The sound occured again, echoing through the halls and corridors of the 
Turdis. Giving
one last look back at the sleeping Dinosorcer, all curled up in his blankets, 
she
quickly decided that she need not wake him.

Her thinking was quick and precise,
they were in the Turdis, it's protections so much further and above their 
previous
ex-fortrette. Nothing could get in or out without their knowledge, extremely 
convenient
when they ordered out for pizza and were able to convince the delivery person 
to deliver
to a porto-let.

* * * A U U U G H - * T A' W H A C K ! ! ! * * *

Still the sound hounded her. "I'll get to the bottom of this," she murmered to 
herself
as she took off in bounding strides through the turdis. Her claws clacking on 
the metal
panels of one corridor, then tearing through the dirt of a garden and nicking 
at the
fabric of carpet. Past the numerous wonderous passages, rooms, and mini-mart's 
that
filled the interior. Hastilly skittering past a X-Rated theatre that proudly
proclaimed features such as 'Bambi meets Godzilla' and 'The Attack of the 
50-Foot
Naked Snake Women in 3D'. Admittadly some of the theatre's other features gave 
X pause
for a moment, especially as she hadn't been in this part of the Turdis before. 
And she
filed the location away for less hectic times.

* * * A U U U G H - * K' **THUNK** Wooosh.........  
                                            'Oh Shards..."
                                            
Told her she was just about there as she rounded a corner and entered into the
'Pyrite's Gym' and past it's logo of a tyrannosaur weightlifter lifting a 
barbell with
his jaws alone. As she entered she brought her assault rifle up to bear on the 
cutest
little hatchling you ever did see, and a most flustered stegosaur, hastilly 
trying to hold
a punching bag together as the sand rushed out of a huge rent in it's side. A 
colorful
bit of it's rough fabric caught upon Jerhevon's tail spikes.

Rolling her eyes, she checked her gun, activating it's safety and releasing it 
to let
it hang by her shoulder strap. "Just what do you think you're doing, 
Jerhevon?" she called out.

Jerhevon blinked then looked to her, abruptly realizing that company was 
present.
And in doing so released the punching back which disgorged the rest of it's 
sand onto
the gym floor with a discordant whoosh. "Er, ah. Practicing actually. Since 
He," indicating
the little dragon "Couldn't sleep."

X relaxed, further entering the gym and looking it over. Fairly well equipped, 
she assessed,
aside from the destroyed punching bag. "And what did you do to that?"

"Oh, well, I haven't had that much to offer to this save the world effort. I 
mean,
you have that gun. Dino has that lens. And Red has, er well, had, magic. I've 
just
been racking my brain to try and figure how I can help."

"Alright," X drawled, "So what have you been up to here?"

"Well, Red was restless, so I decided to walk him about the Turdis."

Jerhevon rustled in one of his pocket's for a moment, pulling something out 
and handing 
it to X "We found this, er, more appropriately Red did. Sorry for the corner."

X mmmHmmd and unfolded the packet she'd been given. "Well now, isn't this 
interesting,"
she remarked as she got it opened. Happilly labeled as the Turdis's Visitor 
Guide,
she held a cartoon map of the nearby portion of the turdis, with a round bite 
taken
out of the middle of it. Cartoon dragons and dinosaurs dotted it's meandering 
paths,
indicating various rides, souvenier shops, and picnic areas.

Jerhevon continued "Anyways, I noticed there was a gym. So the thought occured 
to me
to try and remember the martial art training that I got when younger"

X, nodded, considering and looking to the white dragon now playfully building 
sand
castles from the punching bag's sand. "Martial arts?"

"Yes, most of the larger Veges study them when young. Just in case of any 
rampant
Carne's. No offense intended."

"None taken" she replied.

"Basically the training is for honing natural instincts. And so that's what I 
was
working on, my aim with my tail." And he blushed as best a stegosaur could 
glancing
back to the sand pile himself "Guess I got a little carried away, I ended up 
spearing
the bag."

X nodded "Quite so, hmm, might be good practice to get Dino and the others 
toned up
a little bit more... did you find anything else? Like how to fly this Turdis?"

The stegosaur shook his head, "Fraid not, but have you tried the information 
booth?"

"Information booth?"

"Yes, I noticed it towards the center of the map. Might they have something?"

--------------------+-------------------------------------------------------
Jerhevon            |"Oh I'm a Stegosaurus, and my friends all call me Pete"
Stegosaur at large  |                      - Brian Dullaghan, Dinosaur Songs
brefin@cache.cow.net|           http://cache.cow.net/~brefin/Sarthia/
--------------------+-------------------------------------------------------