The Systems Challenge

Elmo wasn't sure what to expect. He'd barely noticed Kim and Sonya leaving earlier, then when he saw Heather and Elin moving away to follow, he weighed his options briefly of continuing to listen to the endless discussion about how to deal with the stellar bear and seeing what Kim and Sonya were up to. Naturally, his indecision didn't last long.

He moved quickly to catch up to Elin and Heather, but slowed his pace when he managed to catch with them. Neither said anything about his presence, though Elmo didn't give it much thought. After all, he didn't think that they wanted Kim or Sonya to know that they were following them and if they had a problem with him joining in, then they might only not be saying anything simply because it could very easily alert Kim and Sonya to their presence.

Fortunately, when they saw Sonya move ahead past some bushes with Kim staying behind, Heather insisted that they should approach then. Though, Elmo felt rather hesitant about that, since he really couldn't say he understood what was going on, he still approached Kim with the others.

Maybe it was because he'd been woken up so early and his mind still hadn't started to function properly, but he just couldn't think why Kim and Sonya would be out here in the first place. As such, he wasn't sure if it really was a good idea for them to approach Kim at this time.

Yet, what little exchange of banter or discussion happened, Elmo didn't really pay attention to. He was starting to wonder if he should have waited to try and get something to eat first. Maybe then his brain would finally wake up. Though, without it functioning properly at the moment, he really couldn't be sure. Still, he climbed on Sonya's back with the others, half wondering what he might have gotten himself into.

Regardless of what it was, either the cool air suddenly moving so much around him or the feeling he had only ever gotten before when riding a roller coaster, but he felt like he'd been splashed with cold water and was fully awake. Or at least for the moment.

He was towards Sonya's tail, well behind the others. Enough so that he didn't expect his voice to reach them if he did try saying anything. Though, from what he had spoken to the others the night before, he suspected that the closer to Sonya's wings they sat, the harder it was to stay in place. Or at least the less comfortable it would be with all the muscles that seemed to be used in order to get Sonya's wings to work.

Elmo briefly started to wonder about the anatomy of dragons, particularly their musculature, when he suddenly noticed that they were heading straight for the stellar bear.

When he realized that, he first felt a stab of panic. First thinking that they were heading to fight against it right then. Yet, a moment later his rationality returned and he realized that they had some other purpose in regards to doing this. As while they were heading in the direction of the bear, Sonya was actually continuing to climb higher into the air. Which would make it less likely for them to try anything against the bear.

"Actually, I'm gonna need you to get a little closer than this," Kim called out to Sonya, her voice carrying on the wind.

Sonya's response was more of a grumble than an actual response, but at the same time, he could feel it through the contact he had with her body, as much as heard it. Which made it feel rather strange.

Still, whether Sonya was happy about the course change or not, she still began to descend, bringing them closer to the bear. Elmo wasn't sure what it was that Kim was trying to see or why she needed to get closer, but he didn't see a point in trying to ask. Especially since he was pretty sure that the others wouldn't likely hear him, even if he screamed his lungs out. Not with how quickly they were moving or with how loud the wind was in his ears.

As he started to focus his attention more on her than the bear. He had a feeling he might figure out what this was about if he did that rather than on the bear. After all, out of all the elements that led to this situation, Kim was the only one that didn't quite fit, with what little he knew. Sonya changed into the dragon, and so would be the 'transportation' while Heather and Elin merely followed Sonya and Kim. Which made Elmo wonder if Kim was the one behind this excursion and was the one who had something in mind. Part of him also wondered if maybe she might lead to a breakthrough with the issues they were having with the stellar bear Or at least the issues the others were having.

After all, it wasn't like the strategy discussions were really heading anywhere. Or at least as far as Elmo could tell. Everyone there seemed to be more at a stalemate than anything else. Where everyone was sticking with what they felt would be the best thing to do while the others refused to give an inch in the discussions and arguments on that subject.

When they were maybe twenty or thirty feet above the dragon, Elmo heard Sonya tell Kim, "This is as close as I'm going to get. If you want to get closer, I can drop you off nearby, but as I said before, I'm not going to do this so you can jump off onto it or anything."

Elmo nearly laughed as the rumbling of Sonya's voice through her body tickled him. Making him wonder if maybe that part was what would qualify as 'something strange' for her in this shape.

When Kim responded, Elmo wasn't able to make what she said, but got the sense that she wasn't going to complain. That she was as close as she needed to be for whatever it was that she had planned.

Elmo watched her, but she didn't seem to do anything other than gaze at the bear. She didn't say anything. All she did was sit on Sonya's back, one hand on one of the spikes growing out of Sonya's back, and the other on her sword. Elmo didn't know what he should be looking for, nor did he have any idea of what she might be doing.

However, after a couple of minutes, Kim took a deep breath and called out, "Okay, I got what I came for. Unless anyone else here wants to take a look at something."

Elmo felt stunned. He hadn't really cared to look at anything with the bear. All his attention had been on Kim. Yet, he couldn't think of what she had done or had been paying attention to. It didn't even look like she'd really even looked for anything specific with the bear. Just merely gazed at it's general direction.

Elmo didn't bother saying that he didn't need to see anything himself. While he doubted that heather or Elin had anything they wanted to see, he couldn't really even hear what they responded with. All he was aware of was that shortly after Kim's statement, Sonya turned and started flying back towards their camp.

The journey didn't take long and Elmo wondered if maybe the others would still be in the middle of their discussion and didn't even notice their absence. He knew he wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. After all, it wasn't like most of the people involved in that discussion seemed to really be aware of anything outside of their own ideas.

Though, Elmo wasn't surprised when Sonya landed where they'd taken off from. Partly because he had seen she'd left her clothing there and partly because he knew that if their absence hadn't been noticed, that landing in the middle of the camp would have raised questions and likely led to their trip getting discovered.

When they started walking back, Elmo kept away from the others, mostly because he didn't really feel like his presence would be wanted there. He had a feeling that it would only complicate things.

Though, aside from Kim, the others chatted as they walked. Making it appear as if they'd all just gone for a morning walk, though Elmo wondered how easily the others would believe that. He wasn't sure he would himself, but it wasn't like he knew what they themselves were thinking.

However, as they neared the camp, Elmo had a strange feeling that something was out of place. The discussion seemed to have either ended or been paused as everyone ate breakfast. In silence. What Elmo found strange about that was the fact that there typically had been side conversations going on during that time. Though, while he wouldn't have been surprised if the discussions had gotten a little heated, there didn't seem to be any tension in the air. Just that no one looked like they felt the need to say anything right then.

"Where've you been?" Frank called out as they approached the fire, to collect some of the stew for themselves.

"Just out for a walk," Sonya said. "It felt like too nice of a morning to deal with that never-ending discussion."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that anymore," Frank said with a grin that gave Elmo a sinking feeling in his stomach. "We've resolved the problems and everyone's come to an agreement on what we should do."

"Oh?" Kim asked, sounding rather skeptical. "What's that? Have you decided to find a way to complete the challenges and just ignore the bear?"

Frank shook his head. "Not at all. We've decided that Sonya needs to help us land on the bear's head and then assist us in cutting through the neck to decapitate the bear."