"It just cannot be true," Salazar said to himself. "I was so sure this was it! That I could finally turn back into a Marmera and talk with my brother over the situation." Salazar got on his knees and started to pound the ground below him. He was so frustrated at this that he could scream at the top of his lungs. "Why does Adrian hate me so?"
But someone was nearby, listening to Salazar's frustration. It was the Grounderl from yesterday. Groundy looked at Salazar for a moment before a slight frown appeared on her face. "The potion didn't work?" Groundy asked. "You still look the same."
Salazar perked his head at Groundy, a tear struck his face. "I just want to turn back so badly," Salazar said, almost breaking into a cry. "Groundy... Why didn't that potion work. Everything was supposed to be fun again after I drank the potion." Groundy started to stutter. "Maybe the potion doesn't work on Pash." Salazar was next to flustered. For days he'd been a Pash, and being a Pash was not as fun as it was when Salazar was young. Everyone in the Miggens Colony was mean to him. Not the Pash he grew up with, they were generally very nice. But now, everyone assumed Salazar was just a random Pash making up stories. No one would take him seriously.
"Look, if it helps," Groundy said. "I will help you become a Marmera again, whatever it may take." Salazar didn't calm down entirely, but he was relieved to know Groundy was willing to help him further. "You would help a random monster you just met yesterday?" Salazar asked? Groundy nodded. "I don't have many friends either," Groundy mentioned. "I can relate to your situation."
Unbeknownst to them, a cloaked figure was watching them behind a tree nearby. The character was particularly tall and his snout was sticking out. There was a huge tail behind the creature as well. One could only assume this creature was a Marmera, but why would the character need to hide his profile? Regardless, the Marmera waited by the tree, waiting for the right moment to interupt.
"Thank you, Groundy," Salazar complimented. "I have no doubt that you can help me in this endeavor. I'm going to be a Marmera again, isn't that great Snakey?" Salazar held his right arm up and looked at it. He then dropped it back down, hanging his head low in the process. "What was that about?" Groundy asked. Salazar looked back up at Groundy. "Oh... We Marmera have snakes for arms, and sometimes I like to use my snake arm as a sock puppet." Salazar shook his head for a second before realizing something. "Where should we start the search?" Salazar asked.
"...Perhaps I could help you." Eventually, the cloaked Marmera exposed his presence. Salazar tilted his head while examining the Marmera. He didn't recognize the voice on hand. "Am I supposed to ask who you are?" Salazar asked rhetorically. "That will come later," the cloaked figure stated. "First, I wish for you to follow me back home. I have an old tome that can give you some advice. Please..." And with that, the Marmera started off.
Salazar was happy to hear that he could possibly have help in high places, and started to follow the Marmera. "Come on, Groundy. Let's go," Salazar said to Groundy. "He could have the info I need to change back."
...But Groundy wasn't biting. "I wouldn't follow that guy," Groundy suggested. "He seems suspicious. Why is he wearing that cloak?" Salazar was desperate enough to believe anything right now, and did not head Groundy's words. As Salazar followed the cloaked figure, Groundy started to feel uncomfortable, and followed him as well. "I got a bad feeling about this," Groundy said to herself.
As they were walking along, they started to climb up a series of stairs that lead to the homes of many Pash, Opolars and Marmeras. "Your problem is that you are not compatable with the potion that was given to you yesterday," the Marmera mentioned. "Pash have tiny bits of dragon in their DNA. Hmmm... I'm afraid that's all I can tell you till I find the book." Eventually, they came to a rather small home in the trees that seemed to have stationed a couple of Opolars outside, as well as another Marmera. "Please, come in," the cloaked figure said as he walked in. Salazar followed the cloaked Marmera, but Groundy stayed out. She did not trust the cloaked figure at all.
As they were inside, Salazar started to look around the home. It seemed... oddly familiar. Then again, all Miggens colony houses looked the same. "Now... where's my book?" The cloaked figure started to look around the place, either for a book or whatever could possibly be inside. While searching, the Marmera turned it's body towards Salazar. "What happed to the larger fellow?" he asked, looking out the window next to the door to see Groundy. "Please... come in," the cloaked figure said softly. Groundy started to back away from the place, still scared. "COME IN!" The cloaked Marmera yelled in a very rude fashion. Groundy wanted to run away from the place, but the Opolars blocked both the paths that surrounded the house. Groundy almost wanted to go off the pathway and down to the forest below, but the Marmera that also resided outside was hanging onto the side of the pathway, crossing that option off the list as well. With no other choice, Groundy went inside, still shaking.
"Many apologies are in order for that," the cloaked figure pleaded. "I get frustrated easily. Now where was I?" The Cloaked Marmera went back to searching for the book. That's when Salazar started to look around. He noticed the door was currently closed, which didn't seem like a promising guesture. But what seemed even weirder were the trophies on the wall. As Salazar was examining them, the cloaked figure was talking. "I find it hard to believe you would look in a Burrly colony to begin with. They cannot help you, Salazar." That made Salazar grow nervous. The creature knew his name. To make matters worse, the trophies on the shelves were entitled to a particular Marmera by the name of, as if by some freak coincidence, Salazar.
"That Werederl you met yesterday seemed to know more than he was letting on as well. He knew that potion would not help you, but I told him to give you the ingredients anyway." Now Groundy had questions brough up in her head. "Wait, YOU sent the Werederl? But why?" The cloaked Marmera stopped searching for a book and stood upright. "Just as some insurance. To give Salazar false hope of ever achieving his goal." Groundy was freaked out right about now. "But why? I don't get it?" Salazar was even more scared. The trophies were his own. There were even pictures on the wall. One in particular depicted two Marmera shaking hands. One of them was rather short and wrinkled, and looked pretty wise. He was handing a diploma to a very tall Marmera with a huge "S" on its chest in blue and yellow. That tall Marmera, Salazar would know him anywhere. It was himself! And the house was his own! Which means the cloaked figure could only be...
"Do you get it now? BROTHER!" Salazar jumped out in exitement at the voice. Eventually, the Marmera threw his cloak off, revealing himself. He didn't look much different from the Marmera outside, except for a fiendish "A" printed on his chest that looked to be part of a Marmera's natural fire paturn. This Marmera was Salazar's jeleous brother, Adrian. Quickly, Salazar ran behind Groundy and cowered as Adrian burnt his cloak to ashes with the tip of his tail. Adrian was Salazar's biggest fear of all.
"Yikes, he must be your evil brother that you've mentioned before," Groundy mentioned. Adrian tilted his head up and stared down. "Evil?" Adrian dove at Groundy before knocking her away. He then picked Salazar up and turned him towards his face. Salazar started to sweat bullets. "That's how you see me big bro? Evil? Feh!" Adrian dropped Salazar carelessly onto the ground. "Nothing but nice my tail! You always use that as an excuse to justify your actions! Well now, the tables have turned. Now I am big and you are USELESS! And I will make sure you stay that way for the rest of your miserable life!" Adrian then turned his head towards Groundy. "And as for you, Grounderl! You are never to see your little friend again!"
Groundy needed to mutter up a dose of courage to confront Adrian. It's obvious Salazar would not. "Oh stop talking!" she yelled. "You're acting like his entire life revolves around making you miserable. So what if he got a bunch of awards! So what if you've never been able to achieve his status! You think Salazar was going to just fail on purpose to make you happy!?" Salazar noticed that Groundy struck a nerve. Adrian looked at Groundy with furious eyes, a glare that told you he didn't like what he heard. Because of this, Salazar butted in. "Listen, Adrian! I tried to be as nice and supportive towards you as possible, but sometimes you can be that much unlikeable!"
"SILENCE!!!" Adrian roared. Adrian eventually turned his back to show Groundy all the awards Salazar has won at school. "THIS is what I've had to put up with for all these years!" Adrian got himself so frustrated that his screaming eventually changed to loud whining. "1st prize at the Science Fair! 1st place spelling bee champion! 1st place EVERYTHING! I couldn't even beat that stupid wench at sports!!!"
Truthfully, Salazar felt sorry for Adrian. His little brother's pain really showed through. But now was not the time to feel sorry, they needed to find away out. And Salazar figured out a plan. Salazar looked at Adrian's cloak. The cloak had disintegrated, but there was still a fire burning a hole in the floor. But it would be too risky to go for the hole, they needed to make it hard for Adrian to catch them in the process. That's when Salazar took a look at Adrian's legs. Marmera's were tall creatures. Adrian's not as tall as Salazar was when he was a Marmera, but his legs were still an easy target. And Adrian was caught up in a tantrum right now. Which gave Salazar enough time to talk the plan over with Groundy.
"Aim for his legs," Salazar whispered. Groundy shruged. "You want me to attack him with these claws?" Groundy asked, also whispering. "They're not as sharp as they look." Salazar held out his claws. "Mine aren't any sharper," he said. "We have to act quick." Eventually, Adrian turned around to see Groundy and Salazar. Adrian was frustrated to tears. "ALL THOSE STUPID ACHIEVEMENTS OF HIS! THEY'VE HAUNTED ME MY ENTIRE LIFE!" Adrian eventually approached Salazar and Groundy. "Now I finally have a chance to make HIM miserable, like he's made me my entire YEEEEOOOOWWWCH!!!"
That's when Groundy threw her claws at Adrian's legs. Adrian took enough seconds to focus on the pain for Salazar to initiate the plan. "Follow me," he said, running towards the burning hole! Groundy followed in suit. Groundy went down the hole first before Salazar started down. "DON'T YOU DARE GO DOWN THERE!!!" Adrian yelled as Salazar started down the hole. "Next time put your cloak out," Salazar retorted as he went down. Eventually, Salazar met up with Groundy at the base of the tree trunk, which was not very high up from Salazar's home. Also lucky was the fact that there was a hole at the base of the trunk for Salazar and Groundy to escape through. And then, the chase was on.
"GET THEM!!!" Salazar could hear Adrian screaming. "GET THEM!!!!!" Eventually, the Opolars, the Marmera, and Adrian were all running down the steps from Salazars house to chase after Salazar and Groundy. They were lucky the rest of the colony was just minding it's own business. "Great, where should we go now?" Salazar asked Groundy. "Anywhere but here," Groundy answered. Salazar looked back to see that Adrian and his gang were catching up. And eventually, Salazar and Groundy came to the outskirts of Miggens, and right where the hole was.Salazar looked around him and didn't know what else to do? "Shall we go in the hole?" Salazar asked, getting seriously nervous. Groundy dived in right away. "Yes. It can't be any worse down there!" With this in mind, Salazar followed Groundy down the hole. And now they were heading for the depths. Not knowing where they would be heading next. But for now, Salazar was on exile, and could not go back home.


I'm trying to give my characters as realistic of a personality as possible. Salazar is smart and friendly, but is also cowardly and gets desperate easy. Adrian is not just a huge mass of anger, but he's also fueled by honest frustration, which I try to show in the story. Groundy is... a little harder, since she's technically not my character.

As for the drawing? I tried to give a slanted perspective by having Salazar and Groundy in the foreground while Adrian appears father away. Obviously, I didn't even come close, as the illusion of depth is awful.

Groundy/Grounderl belongs to  Burgundy-Maroon2012