This story is at the Royal request of a certain Little Princess, who is certain there are Dragons on the island, and asked if perhaps, with the Queens permission, that Falcon and she could go on a Quest to find them. Well as ever, I am at the service of the Queen and her council, and to a certain little Princess.

The character Dora is of my own invention, perhaps in the future she comes to the island, this I don't know. Falcon’s memories as they return are an on going process aided by circumstances on the island and in story.

So by royal request I submit for your approval "Golden Eyes"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Cried out the small child, as she ran down a darkened hall.

A dark figure appeared before the child and swept her up into a pair of battle hardened arms.

"PUT ME DOWN!" the child screamed and began to struggle. "HE NEEDS ME, PUT ME DOWN!"

"Who needs you Little Princess?" "Who calls you?" The dark figure turns out to be Falcon, the animal healer.

"He needs me Falcon, please, he needs me." Insists the child, as she tries to break free from her captor.

"Princess Marissa, you must tell me who 'He' is." "There is no one here save who must be here.'

A pair of amazon guards rushed into the hall looking for the source of the Princess' distress.

"Search the grounds and the rooms." Falcon orders and the guards obey.

Falcon carries the now weeping child back to the room she was staying in.

It is an embarrassed guard who stands outside the door of the Princess room.

"You left your post." It was not a question.

"Only for a moment, I needed to use the----- um." the young guard stammered.

"When your replacement comes you will report to my office, stand and wait till I come for you, and I mean stand"

Falcon’s eyes blazed, like many the safety of Princess Marissa was a major concern, as with any of the royal persons.

As Falcon carried the Princess into the room, a dark furred form slipped inside.

Falcon gently placed the Little Princess on the sleeping pallet, and sat on the edge. Taking a cloth from the table by the bed. Falcon dried the tear-streaked face. "Now Princess, who did you dream was calling you."

"It wasn't a dream Falcon, I heard him, he's calling me, he can't get out." Princess Marissa, looked at the Animal healer, her face set with determination.

Falcon sighed; this was the second night in a row that the Princess Marissa was caught running down the hall. She insisted that someone, or something was calling to her.

"Princess, I have been up all this night, and so to have the guards, no one was heard calling."

The little Princess lay with her back turned towards Falcon. " You don't believe Me." she whispered.

Falcon’s heart skipped, she gently stroked the soft hair on the child’s head. "I believe you heard something, but I think it was part of a dream." "Sleep now and we will talk more in the morning."

Falcon rose and started towards the door.

"Falcon?" the child’s voice called.

Falcon paused her back to the child. "Yes Princess? Falcon waited for the question she knew was coming.

"Can Shadow sleep with me?" " In the room I mean."

Falcon smiled, "He already is." Falcon turned and smiled at the gold yellow eyes peaking out form under the sleeping pallet.

"Your slipping my friend, I heard you come in."

The Black wolf's tail thumped on the floor. With a look at Falcon he then jumped up onto the sleeping surface and was quickly wrapped up in Princess.

"Shadow, guard." The animal healer said, and left the room, confident that the wolf would give his life, to keep the child safe.

As she herself would.

Falcon was deep in thought, but when she reached her office in the Animal Hospital, she paused. Standing, and looking at one of her books was the young guard, who had been given the duty to watch Princess Marissa's door. Quietly, she moved up behind the guard.

"IF THIS IS HOW YOU OBEY ORDERS ITS A WONDER THAT ANY OF US CAN SLEEP AT NIGHT!!!"

The young guard spins staff at the ready, but no one is there.

Suddenly an arm is around her shoulder and a knife is at her throat.

"If I were an enemy, sent to kidnap the Little Princess, she would be missing, and you would be dead right now." Falcon hissed.

The guard trembled; she had heard strange stories about the Animal Healer. Including her devotion to the Queen and the Princesses of the island; most of all the Princess Marissa.

Suddenly the guard found herself on her back with the butt end of her staff pressed into her throat. Falcon’s eyes were a cold fire.

"Falcon?" the Princess Marissa's voice called. The animal healer quickly went to the door just as Princes Marissa entered followed by two new guards and Shadow.

Falcon knelt before the child. Her face soft, her voice tender, a dramatic change from few moments ago.

"What is it My Princess?" "Can't you sleep?" "Do you wish to go back to your mothers hut?"

The small Princess puts her arms around Falcon's neck and buries her face in the healer's shoulder.

"Can I sleep with you?" She yawns and snuggles into the Healers arms.

Falcon stands lifting the small child. "As you wish Princess." Falcon says softly. "I have to finish something, you and Shadow go with the guards to my room, I will be in shortly.

One of the guards takes the sleepy Princess, and after a few whispered words they take their charge to the healers quarters, followed by her Dark protector.

Falcon turns back into her office and stares at the young guard. Picking the staff up from the floor Falcon sets it against the wall behind her desk. "You will report this incident to the Enforcer yourself."

The guard pales.

"You will explain everything that has happened this evening, including your absence from your post

"When she has decided what is to be done, I will expect word. Then and only then will I consider returning your staff.

Falcon stands by her sleeping pallet gazing down at the sleeping Princess; the child had once again managed to wrap herself around the black wolf.

"Who calls you Little One?" Falcon asks softly.

"Do you know my friend?" the healer ask the dark protector. A soft whine is his only answer.

The sun's golden light creeps into the window, and its rays gently tickle the eyes of the Little Princess. Princess Marissa stretches, and receives a morning face wash from a wet tongue.

"Shadow!" she squeals as she pushes him back.

The Dark wolf rolls over and in puppy fashion prances around the room.

The giggles and growls coming from the healer's room cause smiles on the faces of the guards posted outside the door.

Soon a small form bursts from the room and down the hall, followed by her dark companion, and two very startled guards.

"Falcon!" she calls. The Little Princess searches all the rooms of the healers living quarters that are connected to the Animal Hospital.

But cannot find her friend, and teacher, who, as far as she knew, had not slept in her bed in the night.

"Gee Shadow, I guess we took up the whole pallet," she said as she draped an arm over the broad back, and was rewarded with another tongue bath.

"Yes you did." came a voice.

The guards and the Princess whirled around, there standing staff in hand was the animal healer. Her skin shining with sweat, Falcon stepped forward to tousle the hair on the child’s head.

"Where were you?" the child asked. "You're all sweaty."

"Has the Princess forgotten what I do every morning?" Falcon chuckled softly

"You said you'd teach me Falcon." "Did you forget?" the child smiled.

Handing her staff to one of the guards Falcon nods her head and they move away released from their duty to watch the Princess.

"I said I would spar with you, I teach you about the animal that you can speak with."

"Now you must dress and get some breakfast, classes start in one candle mark." the Little Princess opens her mouth.

"And no you may not miss classes today." "Today you start riding lessons."

Falcon watched the small face light with delight.

"Today?" "I start today?" Princess laughed her delight; at last she would be able to ride the pony that she had been caring for.

"Now you go and change, and when you are ready we will go to the food hut." I have to wash and change or they wont let us in."

Falcon watched as the little Princess hurried down the hall to her room to get ready for the day.

Looking down at the wolf Falcon scratches a dark ear. "Shadow, stay with her today, I don't know who is calling her, and I don't like it." Pointing towards the retreating form Falcon gives her command.

"Shadow, watch."

The wolf's yellow gold eyes glance up to his alpha and then to the child. With a heavy sigh he trots over and joins the child.

"And you say that last night was the second night in a row that Rissa heard this someone, or something calling her." The Enforcer asked Falcon, as she watches some young Amazons at weapons practice.

"Yes, last night I caught her running down the hall from the room I had her quartered in." Falcon replied her face careworn. "She might have made it to the outside if I had not heard her calling."

The Enforcer smiled, she well remembered the pale stammering guard who at dawn was outside her hut, waiting to report her absence at her post. Chuckling she turned to Falcon, there was still so much she did not know about the Animal healer. Her apparent skill with weapons her ability to be seen one minute and not the next. Normally she would have investigated this Amazon more, but with the Queen's and Ashana's assurances that indeed Falcon had little memory of her past---

"THAT IS NOT HOW TO BLOCK THAT SERIES OF ATTACKS!!!!" The Enforcer yelled at a pair of young women who were sparing near by.

Walking to the pair the Enforcer grabbed the staff from one of them.

"If the attack comes from above you want to deflect it, and NOT leave yourself wide open for a counter attack."

A light gleamed in the Enforcer's eyes. "Falcon come here I need you to help me show the students something." Falcon advanced. "Give her your staff." the Enforcer said to the remaining member of the pair.

Stepping into the middle of the practice ring the Enforcer spun the staff to aquatint herself with its weight and balance. All activity stopped, and the students gathered to watch the two Amazons facing each other.

"Now with a simple series of attacks you can expect to use simple defense moves." The Enforcer demonstrated and Falcon easily deflected the blows. "But, she continued, you can't always expect a simple attack, an enemy is out to either wound, maim, or kill you."

With that the Enforcer began a series of fast and hard moves against the animal healer. Much to her surprise and pleasure Falcon blocked each and every one.

Stepping back still twirling the staff, she smiled and said softly. "Alright Falcon, all out, lets give them a real show."

The Enforcer attacked swiftly, and Falcon defended herself with equal speed, and skill. Each movement was met, and answered in kind. It seemed that the faster and harder the Enforcer pushed the faster and harder was Falcon's reply. Soon the students could barely keep up with the exchange of blows; the sound of wood clacking together was almost deafening.

Suddenly a voice "Falcon look what I can do." The voice of the Little Princess caused Falcon to turn her head at the wrong moment and "CRACK!!!!!" a partially blocked blow landed on the animal Healers head. Falcon's world went black.

"Falcon?" A small voice trembled. "I'm sorry."

Falcon opened her eyes and looked into the sad eyes of the Little Princess. Smiling weakly through the pain, Falcon cupped the small cheek. "Its alright Princess Marissa, I should not have allowed myself to get distracted. The fault was mine. Now why did you call me, you sounded so excited."

Princess Marissa jumped onto the pallet on which Falcon had been placed. Falcon's head spun a little, but not for the world would she allow the Little Princess to know this. So excited was the child that she seemed to forget that it was the healers hut in which Falcon lay.

"I was riding today. I was riding the pony you got for me." the child’s eyes sparkled as she relived her memory of her first real ride on a horse all by herself.

Falcon smiled. "Have you chosen a name for the pony yet?"

"No not yet." Princess Marissa's face became serious as she thought on the matter of a name. "He is the color of ashes from a fire. But I don't think Ash is a good name for him."

"Well how about Smoke?" Falcon suggested. "There is sometimes smoke in ashes."

"OH FALCON!" The Princess exclaimed, she threw herself onto the Animal Healer. "That’s it I'll call him Smoke!" The Little Princess went bounding off to tell her pony his new name.

"The Pony, you gave her?" Chakras the apprentice healer came over to examine a now pale Falcon. "If she was any more grateful I think she would have knocked you out cold again. By the way the Enforcer is waiting outside to see you; that is if you are up to it?"

Falcon lay back, her head pounding. Might as well get it over with. Time to let the Weapons master come in and yell at her for being so easily distracted.

Falcon lay still for a moment when she felt a presence, "OK go ahead, yell. I deserve it for my mistake." she muttered.

"Now why should I yell, I think you have had enough punishment, I saw what Rissa did before she left. Personally I think I would have puked." the Enforcer chuckled.

"Almost did." Falcon smirked. She then waited for the real reason that the Enforcer had waited outside the hut.

The Enforcer pulled up a chair and sat. "Falcon I've been thinking about what you said, about Rissa's hearing a voice at night, calling her."

Falcon sat up her head throbbing. "Two nights now she has insisted that she is being called to. Always when she was asleep, never when she is awake. As if what or who can only reach her when she is not distracted by other things. If she had managed to slip past the guards, and get outside.." Falcon was quiet and the two Amazons remembered the last time that Princess Marissa had gone missing.

"Do you think it would be better for the Little Princess to return to her mothers rooms in the palace?"

"Actually, no I think its better that she is here, with you." the Enforcer replied. "Marissa need her training, and you are more qualified to give her what she needs right now. She will continue with her Academy lessons and then return to you for the rest." The Enforcer rose and started to leave, stopped a moment and turned back to face Falcon. " By the way I have set a special guard in place for Rissa. The guard you sent to me."

Falcon looked at the Enforcer for a moment. " Are you sure that’s wise?" she asked.

"She will be watching over our energetic Little Princess while she is awake. She must also be unobserved by her. Oh and I've set a babysitter for the babysitter, just in case Rissa gives Dora the slip. So please Falcon, try not to make her anymore frightened of you than she already is."

"My concern was for the Princess." Falcon’s voice was low. "She left her post, and If I had not heard the child’s cries.."

"Falcon I know, but you better be aware, rumors are that where Rissa is concerned, you eat young Amazons for breakfast." The Enforcer chuckled, "And there are not enough for the two of us."

Falcon smiled at the joke, she had heard tales of the Enforcer and her training of young Amazons, in the art of arms and combat.

The Enforcer left the hut, and made her way to the Palace, she needed to speak to Princess Vicky about her daughter, Rissa.

It was a strange sight on the beach, a child, a dark wolf, a gray gelding pony, and a young Amazon guard who was desperately trying to keep under cover and still keep track of her charge. The child tossed driftwood, admired shells, and chattered at her animal companions.

Picking up a rather twisted piece of wood the child showed it to the pony and wolf. " I bet mother would like this one." The pony sniffed it, decided it wasn't good to eat and wandered off a little to browse on some dune grasses.

Soon they came close to the cliffs that came to the edge of the water. Marissa noticed that there seemed to be a dark spot just around the edge of the cliff face. On closer examination it seemed to be----- a hole.

As the sun went behind a cloud, Dora ducked behind a dune and just peeked over the top. It was then she noticed that the wolf, the pony, and ---the child were gone.

Rushing she followed the prints in the sand to the very same spot that the group was when she last saw them. The tracks let to the cliff face and stopped.

"Marissa!!!" she yelled, "Oh Gods." she moaned. "Marissa!!!!!!!!!!!!" she yelled again. Just as she turned and started to run towards the village. Dora ran right into Tamahome. The two warriors hit so hard that they seemed to bounce away from each other and landed flat on their backs in the sand.

Dora scrambled to her feet, seeing Tamahome on the sand she started to hurriedly explain. "She's gone, they're gone, there were there and now they aren’t." "We gotta find them, we gotta get help" If the Enforcer finds out that I lost...... OH Gods if Princess Vicky finds...." Dora sits down hard on the sandy beach. "If Falcon finds out I lost her." Dora holds her head in misery.

The sun passes from behind a cloud and soon goes behind another, but not before its rays touch the cliff face and a hole appears only to disappear without the suns warm rays.

The strange trio walked down the dimly lit tunnel, Smoke the pony's mind whirled in fear, if not for the comforting messages from the Princess, he would have run around in panic.

"Its ok Smoke, you're with Shadow and me." Princess Marissa scratched the gelding's head, right between the ears, a very hard spot to reach for the pony.

Shadow's ears swiveled about eyes and nose lending to the search for possible danger to his charge. He did not want to go into the large opening but he had been commanded to "watch" and so watch he must.

Soon the smell of sweet fresh air drifted down the tunnel. The trio followed the growing light to the tunnel end. Princess Marissa gasped in wonder at the sight before her.

Tall trees and rich lush vegetation was all around, Birds circled overhead, and it was a few minutes before the child realized that this vast wonder seemed to be surrounded by high walls.

"We're inside the cliffs." Princess Marissa said to her companions. "This is what is below the clouds." The Little Princess gazed out over the valley below, trees, bushes and vines, were everywhere, except for what seemed to be a large stone arch next to an even larger hole in the opposite cliff face.

"Well if we came into a small hole to get in, maybe a larger hole will let us out." Marissa reasoned. Smoke snorted, and Shadow whined softly, this to his mind was not a good idea.

But the animals followed the little Princess, one because he did not know what else to do, the other because he needed to make sure she was safe.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE FOOTPRINTS JUST STOPED!" Falcon bellowed, Tama stepped between Dora and the enraged Animal Healer. "Now Falcon take it easy Dora is telling the truth, I looked myself the tracks got to the face of the high cliffs and seemed to just go into the cliff."

"That is impossible." Falcon growled, she ran her finger through her dark hair. Whirling again on the young guard, Falcon's face is now devoid of all emotion, this is far worse and Dora knows it. "You are certain that the Princess was in the company of the Pony and the dark Wolf?"

"Yes" was all Dora could say.

"And that when you looked along the cliff face there were no more tracks" Falcon continued

"Falc", Tama began, Dora cringed waiting for the next explosion at the use of the shortened name, but none came. "I looked myself, if there were any tracks the tide came in and washed them away, but the tracks I saw seemed to, as crazy as it sounds, go into the cliff."

A gentle hand touches the Animal Healer and when she spins to see who had dared to touch her she looks into the warm eyes of Princess Vicky, Marissa's mother. Falcon drops to one knee her head bowed.

"Princess I am sorry, we will find her." "This I swear on my life’s breath."

"I know you will Falcon no oaths are needed. I have never questioned your devotion, just its intensity." Princess Vicky smiled, her eyes showing the fear she felt for her missing child.

"Now", the Princess began, "We will need to examine the area they were last seen and we can make plans from there."

It took some time for the strange trio to cross the valley to the large opening in the wall. The closer they got the more nervous the animals became. Smoke snorted, and Shadow whined softly, each trying to voice to the Princess their discomfort. Large dark shapes were pictured in the pony's mind. While Shadow kept sending pictures of the way back to the hole and of the village.

"I wonder what’s in the cave?" The little Princess said softly, and she started inside to find out.

Smoke the pony reared up and ran a short distance away, pawing at the earth. Shadow whines and kept trying to put himself in the Princess way to stop her from entering.

"Shadow, you big silly move." The little Princess laughed and tried to push the dark wolf away.

Shadow did his best but in the end he followed the Little Princess into the cave.

Once inside Princess Marissa discovered that the walls seemed to glow with a light of their own. She tried hard to remember what the word was that meant glow with its own light. "Like a Lightning Bug, Shadow." she said softly.