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| #Post#: 15786-------------------------------------------------- | |
| THE D O O R M A T -- a dragon story && please read! | |
| By: swifty Date: July 31, 2013, 4:54 pm | |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | |
| [center][font=georgia]THE DOORMAT[/font][/center] | |
| [center][img width=510 | |
| height=382] | |
| http://i42.tinypic.com/2uei93t.png[/img][/center] | |
| [sub]I'm writing a story, obviously. The second story I ever | |
| wrote was about dragons. This isn't it, but I wanted to write | |
| another story about dragons. So I did. I appreciate constructive | |
| criticism, as long as it's not full on mean. It tells me where | |
| I've gone wrong. Just to let you know, this hasn't been edited | |
| at all. There will be mistakes. Sorry about the picture being | |
| black. | |
| characters (though it might give some stuff away): | |
| [spoiler][sub]Bad Side: | |
| J�rvseyt;; black dragon with black eyes and black wings, male | |
| M�rting;; j�rvseyt's maid. wine-coloured scales, no wings. | |
| black-brown eyes, female {nice, but on evil side} | |
| Aalt�ra;; J�rvseyt's head deputy, brown scales, black eyes male | |
| Good Side: | |
| King Pangho;; king of the Palen--golden scales and blue eyes, | |
| male | |
| Nymph;; main character. purple scales, emerald eyes, girl | |
| Felb�ed;; head knight, organiser, deputy, scarlet scales green | |
| eyes, female | |
| Daer;; nymph's foster mother, white scales, yellow eyes | |
| Medfr�;; a mother, maid of Daer, grey scales, yellow eyes, | |
| female | |
| Suanki;; healer, brown scales, sapphire eyes, male | |
| Thr�tch;; mate of Daer, green eyes, brown scales, male | |
| F�ressa;; best friend of Nymph, brick red scales, green eyes, | |
| female | |
| Oct�ul;; mother of Faressa, orange scales, amber eyes, female | |
| Ulen;; son of Medfr�, dark yellow scales, green eyes | |
| Morphod;; friend of nymph & f�ressa, navy blue scales, blue | |
| eyes, male | |
| Destaal;; father of Morphaed, grey eyes, dark green scales, male | |
| Other: | |
| Lu�tria;; the kind of 'god', female,[/sub][/spoiler] | |
| [sub]PROLOGUE&&[/sub] | |
| [spoiler][sub]A STRANGE, SMOOTH stone glided through the fast | |
| flowing river. It glowed a pearly black in the afternoon sun. | |
| Surrounding the river was dense forest, with tall trees and many | |
| forest critters. Then suddenly, a looming shadow appeared. From | |
| the dense undergrowth a huge dragon with thick muscles adorned | |
| with scars and dark eyes like black slate appeared. His claws | |
| curled over the edge of the bank. | |
| "Ah," he sighed happily, a terrible grin curling onto his | |
| scarred maw. "There it is. There's the egg." He chuckled loudly. | |
| "M�rting, come out. I was wrong to doubt you. The egg is here | |
| and it is totally unguarded." He sunk his thick claws into the | |
| earth to steady himself and reached out, snatching it up | |
| greedily. | |
| "T-thank you master," said a frail female dragon, skittering out | |
| of the bushes to stand behind him. Her scales were a dark | |
| red--the colour of wine. "But it was Aalt�ra's patrol who | |
| notified me." Her head was lower than it should have naturally | |
| been; she seemed to have bent it down so low that she looked | |
| like a turtle. Her wings were stumps; they looked like they had | |
| been cut off, but once been there. | |
| Then, a long shadow passed across them. The black dragon looked | |
| up, furious. "M�rting! I thought you said no one was here!" he | |
| hissed, furious. M�rting looked horrified; poor thing, she was | |
| probably scared to her bones about what the black dragon would | |
| do to her. | |
| "That was what Aalt�ra told me! Please, I didn't know!" she | |
| shrieked. He hissed at her to shut up, and she clamped her jaw | |
| shut, though all the blood seemed to be drained from her body | |
| with fright. She stepped back, eyes wide. | |
| The shadow from above passed. "Maybe it passed..." the black | |
| dragon hissed. He turned to M�rting. "You'd better hope that it | |
| passed." He bared his teeth at her, and she whimpered slightly. | |
| Anyone could tell that she was terrified. The black dragon | |
| seemed to like making her frightened, and ran his tongue over | |
| his two huge, ivory fangs. | |
| But, a dragon did land. He had golden scales and blue eyes, with | |
| wings that were like spider webs. "Leave her alone. She didn't | |
| do anything to you, J�rvseyt." He hissed. Then his eyes | |
| flickered from J�rvseyt, who appeared to be the black dragon, to | |
| the smooth stone he had attempted to conceal from the new | |
| dragon, to no avail. | |
| The black dragon snarled at the new dragon. "That's none of your | |
| business, Pangho!" He growled as Pangho, the golden dragon, as | |
| he circled J�rvseyt and M�rting just watched, shivering and | |
| terrified in the background. | |
| "I see you have a nice new egg there. Mind letting me see?" | |
| "Of course not! Just go away; I have things to do, and you're | |
| getting in my way." | |
| Then suddenly, Pangho leaped at J�rvseyt, catching him by | |
| surprise and causing him to loose balance and topple over. | |
| M�rting stepped back to let them have space as they both tackled | |
| in a whir of paws and claws, until they were both standing in | |
| front of each other, panting heavily. J�rvseyt held the egg. | |
| "Hah! You'll never get it. Even trying to pry it from my dead | |
| claws would be useless." J�rvseyt spat, his wings slightly | |
| raised in aggression as they both circled each other. | |
| "That's because your grip is too tight! You need to let go of | |
| the past." Then once again, Pangho leaped at J�rvseyt, slashing | |
| his shoulder. With a roar of fury J�rvseyt boxed Pangho's ear, | |
| and again they were a frenzy of fighting. Blood splashed the | |
| ground, and M�rting, too afraid to do anything, only stood | |
| there, emotionless and seeming paralysed; unsure whether to help | |
| her master or watch. | |
| But then it all ended. It was blunt; Pangho smacked the egg from | |
| J�rvseyt's claws, and it rolled to the river where it continued | |
| down the current. Both dragons attempted to get it but Pangho | |
| was the one to succeed. He fastened his claws around the pearly | |
| black egg and without another moment's hesitation, took to the | |
| sky. | |
| J�rvseyt flew after him but Pangho had been taught in speed and | |
| got away. There he flew to his kingdom, where he ruled. Palen. | |
| "Look!" Daer shrieked, her eyes wide and excited. "It's | |
| hatching! My darling egg is hatching--finally!" Medfr�--Daer's | |
| maid--hurried over, who looked extremely happy on that evening. | |
| "Congratulations!" Medfr� babbled. "Do you know if it's a girl | |
| or a boy? Ooh, I wonder!" The two mothers continued to chatted | |
| on excitedly while the egg cracked. Twas was a long, long | |
| process, but finally, after countless hours, the egg had | |
| hatched. A small, purple dragon crawled from the cracked shells | |
| towards Daer, and began to suckle. | |
| "Oh, isn't my adorable?" Daer whispered, beaming down onto the | |
| young dragon. A happy smile was on her maw as she curled up | |
| around her baby; her hatchling. | |
| "What's happening? Is everything okay?" King Pangho burst into | |
| the dimly lit cave. Once he rested his eyes on the hatchling, he | |
| smiled, and knowing shone in his eyes of what had happened. All | |
| urgency seemed to disappear. | |
| "Ah, I see." He murmured. "Felb�ed told me that something was | |
| going in on here and that I should probably be there soon, but | |
| she was in a hurry to go find one of her knights for something, | |
| so had no further time to explain. I came as quickly as I could | |
| thinking it was bad." | |
| Daer frowned. "When do you think she should know the truth--that | |
| she isn't like the rest, that I'm not her real mother?" she | |
| looked at Pangho with mixed feelings; worry and happiness that | |
| her first child had hatched, even if she had not laid the egg. | |
| "I think that she will know when the time comes. We can't rush | |
| her--she should be prepared and should hopefully take the truth | |
| well when it comes." Pangho responded carefully. "But no one | |
| else can know, other than us three, Felb�ed, Suanki and Thr�tch. | |
| Agreed?" The two female dragons nodded in response. "Good, I | |
| will leave you be. Shall I send Thr�tch over?" | |
| "That would be nice of you. Thank you you're Majesty Pangho." | |
| Daer responded, dipped her head in respect, eyes brimmed with | |
| pleasure. She obviously couldn't wait to see Thr�tch. | |
| "How many times I've told you not to call me your majesty, I do | |
| not know. But that does not matter. You are a trusted dragon of | |
| Palen therefore calling me your majesty is not required." Pangho | |
| said with a smile. | |
| "But every other high ranking of the Palen calls you your | |
| majesty!" Medfr� put in, looking at Pangho with curious eyes. | |
| "Yes, but I tell them not to. They disagree with what I say; it | |
| must be because of the old ruler--he seemed to want everyone to | |
| call him his majesty." Pangho said with a distant smile. "It is | |
| an order for both of you, Daer and Medfr�, to stop calling me | |
| that. You are a friend and friends do not call each other | |
| formerly." | |
| "It is an honour for you to say such a thing, yo-- I mean, | |
| Pangho. Yet I am afraid I will not be able to keep calling you | |
| that for long; it doesn't seem right to not call you formerly." | |
| Daer said with a smile up at the huge golden dragon. He grinned | |
| at her and then turned away towards the exit. Looking back, he | |
| spoke again. | |
| "I will send for Th�tch immediately. Expect him soon." Then two | |
| massive wings spread out and Pangho leaped off the rock where | |
| Medfr� and Daer, and now another small dragon's home was. That | |
| was one cave in thousands in the three huge mountains that | |
| stretched over Palen. | |
| Once the king had left, Daer let out a sigh of relief. "I'm | |
| always scared that I'm going to say something wrong around | |
| royals," she murmured to Medfr�, who nodded in agreement. | |
| "However, King Pangho is better than the old one. He was old, | |
| rude and bossy. Pangho is a much better adjustment." | |
| "Yes, well, I suppose father and son are much different in their | |
| case." Medfr� snorted. "How is the little one doing? Is she | |
| okay?" She peered under the wing which Daer had rest upon her | |
| daughter to her her warm. | |
| "She's sound asleep, and I plan to keep it that way." Daer told | |
| her maid. The grey-scaled dragoness snorted. Well, it was a true | |
| fact that awaken dragon hatchlings could cause quite a havoc. | |
| "Do you think Thr�tch'll like her?" Daer asked Medfr� worriedly. | |
| "I think that he was hoping for a male." She frowned and lifted | |
| her wing slightly to look at the dark purple blob sound asleep | |
| next to Daer. Her eye colour was unknown for the moment. Daer | |
| sure hoped it would be green, or even blue would be okay. Just | |
| not yellow or brown...and please, please don't be black! | |
| "I'm sure he'll love her. If he's worried about whether or not | |
| she'll become a knight because of her gender, just think of | |
| Felb�ed. She managed pretty well to a good position--what being | |
| deputy of Palen, head of knights and stuff--and she's a girl." | |
| Medfr� said kindly. | |
| "I suppose you're right." Daer admitted, and a little of the | |
| weight from her worry seemed to disappear. Thr�tch'll love her, | |
| I just know it. He'll absolutely love her. Feeling satisfied | |
| that she was confident, she turned to Medfr�. | |
| "I think he'll lo--" | |
| "Daer! Medfr�!" Thr�tch burst into the cave, hardly managing to | |
| fold his wings in time before they hit the sides of the | |
| entrance. Both of the dragoness's hissed at him to be quiet, and | |
| he--quietly--apologised. "I was just so worried--see, King | |
| Pangho said that something important was awaiting me at your | |
| cave. I wasn't sure whether it were good or bad." | |
| "Don't you think if it were bad Pangho would have given you | |
| backup, or at least told you what you were facing?" Daer | |
| questioned him, wondering why the king hadn't told her mate what | |
| was happening. Maybe he wanted Thr�tch to find out when I told | |
| him. She decided. | |
| "I don't know. Pangho's strange, he is. Besides, bad might not | |
| always mean 'you being attacked' bad." Daer let out a snort of | |
| laughter at this. "But anyway," Thr�tch puffed, "What did I come | |
| all this way for? I was leading a patrol around the north west | |
| border to Baershu." | |
| "Well," Medfr� huffed, "It was most certainly more important | |
| than that!" the grey dragon clucked, and Daer chuckled with | |
| amusement, but all the same dipped her head in agreement to her | |
| friend. | |
| "It was." she said with a smile. "Because while you were gone, | |
| something very good happened." Thr�tch leaned forward. "You see, | |
| our egg hatched!" she couldn't help get louder at the end of the | |
| sentence, which caused their little daughter to roll over and | |
| yawn. Luckily, she didn't wake. | |
| Thr�tch, having heard this, let out a bellow of excitement. | |
| "Really? Let me see her!" Gently Daer pulled back her wing and | |
| revealed the small purple dragon lain before them, who was still | |
| asleep, full from suckling her mother. | |
| "It's so good, isn't it?" Medf� giggled, not being able to help | |
| herself and peak over Daer to look at the young one. Her heart | |
| seemed to melt and she stared at the little dragon for a while | |
| before swinging back to her haunches. | |
| "We need to think of a name." Daer said quietly, putting her | |
| wing back over her hatchling and looking at her mate, then at | |
| Medfr�, then back at her mate. Everyone silenced with thought. | |
| Many names came to mind; names of ancient dragons that no one | |
| didn't knew the name of. But all the names seemed to common. | |
| Daer was looking for something simple, but uncommon. | |
| Medfr� paused, and then said, "Would you like me to leave while | |
| decide?" the old dragoness was very kind and helpful, and Daer | |
| nodded, grateful that she had said it first. | |
| "That would be nice, thank you, Medfr�." Then the maid nodded, | |
| smiled, and set off toward the cave exit, where she spread her | |
| wings and took flight away from the cave. Daer turned to | |
| Thr�tch. "Have you thought of any, yet?" she asked, but Thr�tch | |
| shook his head. | |
| "No. Remember, though, we still have a fortnight to decide." The | |
| dragon told Daer, and she dipped her head. | |
| "Yes, I know, but I want her named now. I don't want to just | |
| call her little one, or my darling or my hatchling. I want to | |
| give her a name to be called, so we can tell everyone who our | |
| little hatchling is." Daer looked at Thr�tch. "Do you get what I | |
| mean?" she asked him. | |
| He smiled. "Of course I get what you mean. Everyone deserves a | |
| name; to be known as something more than dragon." Grateful for | |
| his understanding, Daer looked at her child and thought for a | |
| long while. "If you can't think of anything," Thr�tch said, | |
| "Just think of what she is. What is she, Daer?" | |
| "She is beautiful," the mother whispered. "beautiful and young." | |
| She smiled hazily. "I know the perfect name for her, Thr�tch. | |
| The most perfect name for her of all." | |
| Thr�tch looked up. "What is it, my dear?" | |
| "Nymph."[/spoiler] | |
| [sub]CHAPTER 1&&[/sub] | |
| [spoiler][sub]"WHEN IS SHE going to open her eyes?" Medfr� | |
| demanded, looking down at poor Nymph--who was me. I groaned and | |
| wriggled closer to my mother. At least she didn't complain about | |
| when I would open my eyes, or move. In fact, I would rather stay | |
| there all day. | |
| "Patience, Medfr�. She'll open them in all good time." I grunted | |
| my agreement, making the two female dragon double over with | |
| laughter. "See, Medfr�, she has a mind of her own now! She's old | |
| enough to think and respond." Daer said in a rather proud tone. | |
| Medfr� chuckled. "I suppose your right. Nymph, I'm sorry for | |
| being bossy and impatient. Please forgive me, m'dear." I could | |
| fell the edge of her wing tap my back as if to back up her | |
| words. | |
| I rolled over and tucked my head under my wing. I just knew they | |
| were both laughing silently at me. In indignation, I turned over | |
| again and swished my tail and back and forwards with annoyance. | |
| I could feel the back of my mother's paw running over my head. | |
| "Shh, I think now she needs sleep. Let's leave her be and be | |
| quiet ourselves." Medfr� whispered her agreement and I heard her | |
| leave the cave. I could hear the huge beats of her wings, and | |
| the air swoosh around her. She was out. | |
| But then, almost a split second afterwards, I heard another | |
| dragon land. "Ah, Thr�tch! Good to see you. Nymph is growing up | |
| fine. She's quiet some dragon." I heard Thr�tch chuckle and | |
| nuzzle Medfr�. | |
| "Of course she is. She carried on from you, Daer. I think when | |
| she's older she'll be just the same." My father said. They're | |
| too loud! I complained silently, and grumbled in complaint to my | |
| mother who seemed to know exactly what I was thinking and repeat | |
| this to Thr�tch. | |
| "Well I'd best be off then. Felb�ed want's me on a patrol by | |
| midday, and I might be late if I put it off any longer. I | |
| thought I'd just pop in and say hi--see how everyone is going. | |
| It seems that everything is good." The large dragon walked to | |
| the entrance. "Goodbye Daer, Nymph." | |
| "Goodbye, Thr�tch!" Daer called. Once he had left, she curled up | |
| around me. "I'm going to have a nap. Medfr�, you do what you | |
| like--I'm not budging until Nymph has opened her eyes. I want to | |
| be the first to see it." | |
| "Yes, Daer--I might go over to Oct�ul. I heard her egg hatched, | |
| and I want to go see. Maybe one day her hatchling--it's a | |
| girl--and Nymph could be friends." I heard Medfr� walk to the | |
| edge of the cave and stretch out her wings. | |
| "Yes, I think that's a good idea." Daer said, sounding a bit | |
| happier. "Tell Oct�ul that she has my blessing for her child. I | |
| hope both our daughters grow up strong and tall." | |
| Even though I couldn't see, I knew that Medfr� was smiling. | |
| "Yes, Daer. I'll see you soon." Then she left, and it was just | |
| me and my mother. I yawned, and then fell asleep, feeling quite | |
| tired from all this listening. | |
| I woke up to hear the birds squawk their shrill calls. I | |
| wriggled around a bit, and I heard Daer stirring. I realised she | |
| must have been asleep. Hungry, I wriggled over to suckle, | |
| stretching my wings out to stretch them and then folding them | |
| back at my sides. | |
| "Oh, Nymph. When'll you open your eyes? Everyone else's | |
| hatchling's opened theirs within their first week, and you just | |
| stepped into the second week." Daer whispered, and then nuzzled | |
| me. I yawned and heard her laugh. | |
| And then, as if magic, I opened my eyes. | |
| At first, the light was dazzling. It blinded me. I blinked, | |
| trying to scare the light away, but it stayed there. Daer had | |
| her head turned and was unaware of what I had done. I looked at | |
| her and smiled. She was very pretty, with sleek white scales and | |
| a slender, skinny body frame. | |
| I looked around our cave. Daer, Medr� and mine. It was rather | |
| small, and the entrance was extremely tiny. I would be able to | |
| get through it easy, but larger dragons would have a harder | |
| time. Our cave was littered with lots of things. I was lying in | |
| a bed woven from reeds, grass and some other extremely soft | |
| material. Vines hung from the walls, and in a small crack in the | |
| wall there was a little fire, to light the cave. | |
| "Nymph--oh, you've opened your eyes!" Daer sounded very excited. | |
| "Why, when Medfr� gets back she'll get such a shock!" I giggled | |
| at my mother. She had vibrant yellow eyes, that looked kind. She | |
| looked closer at my eyes. "But, Nymph...your eyes...they're | |
| emerald." She seemed to pale. | |
| I looked at my mother. My eyes are emerald? Is that a bad thing? | |
| I didn't know the colour emerald, but the word sounded nice. I | |
| hoped it was a good colour. If it was a bad colour that wouldn't | |
| be too good--maybe that was why my mother was getting | |
| scared--because I had badly coloured eyes. Well, that's a bit | |
| stupid. I thought to myself. | |
| At that moment, Medfr� landed. She looked at me, her eyes wide, | |
| astonished and happy. I studied Medfr�; she was rather plump | |
| with grey scales and a rosy, kind face. "She's opened her eyes!" | |
| she gasped at Daer. From such a far distance, she couldn't tell | |
| the colour of my eyes. She frowned at Daer and then asked, | |
| "Well, aren't you glad? Your daughter finally opened her eyes | |
| after so long of waiting! You haven't left the cave once!" | |
| "Come over here, Medfr�, look at her eyes." Medfr� frowned. She | |
| walked over, her talons clicking on the stone floor. She seemed | |
| slightly worried as well at my mother's lack of enthusiasm. | |
| "They're not black, are they?" Medfr� suddenly fretted, half way | |
| across the cave. Daer shook her head, and motioned for Medfr� to | |
| continue. Wanting to see, the grey dragon--with yellow eyes, | |
| like my mother's--came over as quickly as possible. She looked | |
| at my eyes for a long moment, and I could see that she looked | |
| worried as well. "I'll get King Pangho." She said in a hoarse | |
| voice. Daer nodded her agreement. | |
| "Oh, and Medfr�," she called. Medfr� looked back questioningly. | |
| "Please, don't get Thr�tch quite yet. I was King Pangho to see | |
| them first." Medfr� then dipped her head and stared off at a | |
| run, leaping off the little ledge of the mountain and spreading | |
| her wings. I watched it awe as she sailed through the air, but | |
| then she was out of my sight and I looked back at Daer. | |
| Why are they all so worried? Seeing them so worried made me feel | |
| weird. Was something wrong with my eyes? Were they the wrong | |
| colour? Were they meant to be yellow, like Daer and Medfr�'s. I | |
| felt my heart sink at both of their worrying. Weren't they glad | |
| that I had opened my eyes finally? | |
| Daer looked at me, and she looked so scared it made my heart | |
| ache. I stared into her eyes meaningfully as she spoke. "So, | |
| Nymph. You're either destined to become a great, great dragon, | |
| or a terrible, terrible one."[/spoiler] | |
| [sub]CHAPTER 2&&[/sub] | |
| [spoiler][sub]KING PANGHO ARRIVED later that evening. "I'm sorry | |
| I couldn't get here quicker, Daer. One of the dragons on a | |
| patrol had hurt his wing and I needed to send a rescue patrol, | |
| plus Suankl said he desperately needed my assistance in some | |
| prophecy, and--" | |
| "Calm down, sir. It's fine." Daer told him gently. He grunted at | |
| the fact that she had called him sir, but he didn't chide her. | |
| They'd already discussed it enough. "My hatchling opened her | |
| eyes." She added with a weak smile. | |
| "Medfr� told me something was wrong due to her eye colour." The | |
| king said to Daer, looking down at me. I turned around so he | |
| couldn't see me. I felt quite ashamed. What had I done to | |
| deserve the wrong eye colour? What did it matter anyway? | |
| "Yes, sir. She has...well, have a look." Daer gently nosed my | |
| head that I would turn. I glared up at the king, who chuckled. | |
| Daer looked at him with astonishment at his lightheartedness. I | |
| felt a bit better. | |
| "She obviously doesn't like us talking about her like this. | |
| Look, I know she has emerald eyes--but do you really think | |
| she'll go evil? I, truthfully, think she is destined to be a | |
| great dragon, not evil. It was I, not J�rvseyt, who got my claws | |
| around her egg. That must mean something." King Pangho told | |
| Daer. She smiled at him. | |
| "Well, thank you. You certainly have put my moods up--besides, I | |
| should be grateful that she opened her eyes." Daer said in a | |
| lighter tone. I felt slightly better--the kind had said that I | |
| was destined to be great, not be the evil. And he was the king. | |
| Well, unless Daer called him king for a different reason. | |
| "That's the spirit!" The king chuckled. "Anyway, I must be off. | |
| There is much to do and simply not enough time." Daer nodded. | |
| "Thank you, sir, for being so generous. Your words shall be | |
| cherished. May I ask, where if Medfr�?" Daer asked the king, | |
| looking at him with kind eyes. I knew that Daer was extremely | |
| relieved that the king had accepted me and thought that I was | |
| going to be great. Emerald eyes must mean something about | |
| greatness or evilness. | |
| "Medfr�? Oh, that dragoness went to see Oct�ul, I do believe. I | |
| think it'd be good for you to get some fresh air, since you | |
| haven't been out of the cave for a week." Pangho told Daer, who | |
| looked a hesitant to leave. | |
| "But I can't just leave Nymph here by herself! Something might | |
| happen. She only just opened her eyes today, and I think I | |
| should stay with her." Daer said stubbornly. "Anyway, I don't | |
| feel like flying. Sitting here is fine." | |
| King Pangho sighed. "How about I send over Medfr� to look after | |
| Nymph? I really think you should get out--at least visit Oct�ul, | |
| see how her daughter is going. Those two might become friends. | |
| After all, they are the same age." | |
| Daer still looked hesitant, but finally she sighed and said, | |
| "alright. But only for a little while, I'll be back soon." The | |
| king, looking satisfied, dipped his head and padded over to the | |
| exit. | |
| "Alright. Good. Stay here, and I'll send her over immediately. | |
| She'll understand." The king smiled, and then left as he spread | |
| his wings and soared away. I wished I could do that...that would | |
| be great. | |
| Daer looked down at me. "Now we only have to wait. Soon enough | |
| Medfr� will be here to look after you." I smiled up at Daer, and | |
| then said a word. | |
| "Emerald." Daer stiffened. I knew she didn't like me saying that | |
| word, but I had heard it so many times--or at least about | |
| that--that I couldn't get it out of my head. It was the word I | |
| had heard, digested, and finally spoken. | |
| "I think getting out will do me some good," Daer murmured to | |
| herself, and I smiled at her. She smiled back and brushed her | |
| wing over my back. "It's been too much. I can't wait until | |
| Medfr� arrives." Relief crossed her face, and I knew that she | |
| really, really needed to get outside. She had hardly moved since | |
| I had hatched, because, of course, she wanted to stay next to | |
| me. | |
| Why couldn't I have had a different coloured eyes? Then maybe | |
| everyone would have accepted me. This would have a good day, | |
| everyone would have been happy, and the assistance of King | |
| Pangho wouldn't have been needed. | |
| Stupid eyes. | |
| FOUR MONTH'S LATER;; | |
| I stretched out my wings. They had grown a lot, and now fit the | |
| size of my body. Finally! I'm almost ready to start flying | |
| practise. I had been unable to leave the cave because, being | |
| dragons and all, we were meant to fly to and fro the cave. Our | |
| cave was on the side of a sheer mountain--there were three in | |
| Palen, and one was for the royals. King Pongho lived at the very | |
| peak, while the other royal members lived below. My mother was | |
| now part of the council, but she didn't live there. She stayed | |
| on this mountain, and I was glad. Being surrounded by royals | |
| everyday would make me practically die. | |
| "Mother! Mother! Can I start to practise flying?" I squeaked, | |
| racing over to her and flaring out my wings to show off how | |
| large they had grown. I just hoped she said yes. But, she looked | |
| at me wearily up and down and a wry smile grew on her maw. I | |
| folded them and looked hopefully into her eyes. | |
| "I think she should," Medfr� announced loudly. "Every dragon | |
| around her age should start flying practise. She'll ruin the | |
| cave if she stays in here any longer, and she needs to make new | |
| friends--socialise. You know how boring being stuck in a cave is | |
| all day, Daer. Don't you remember when you were young?" She | |
| looked at my mother, eyeing her pearly white scales. | |
| Daer sighed. "I suppose so. It's been so long since I was a | |
| child--almost half a century." She lifted her wings slightly and | |
| shook her body, as if ridding herself of the dirt and grime. | |
| Then she folded her wings back up and walked to the entrance of | |
| the wave, where dawn light was spilling through the entrance. | |
| "Hah! You're young compared to some of the dragons in Palen; I | |
| know the King Pangho is at least two centuries old--more, in | |
| fact!" Medfr� said to Daer rather snidely. "Of course, he hasn't | |
| been a king for that long, but he was born a prince." | |
| "And he has better things to worry about than his childhood." | |
| Daer finished, looking at Medfr� as she stood up from her | |
| snooze. Her grey scales shone in the light, and her yellow eyes | |
| sparkled. | |
| "I suppose your right," Medfr� said. "But--" | |
| "Can we just get on with the flying practise?" I asked, | |
| impatiently pawing the ground. I spread out my wings again, my | |
| heart thumping in my chest. Finally I was learning how to fly! | |
| In no time I would be out of the cave and off to find some new | |
| friends. | |
| "Yes, yes." Daer responded, and flicked her tail for me to | |
| follow. She led me onto the ledge of the cave. I looked down, | |
| and saw a long, sheer drop. Heights didn't scare me, but I was | |
| always scared that I would fall. Sometimes I just sat on the | |
| ledge and watched the view, wishing I could go there or have a | |
| better look. Flying would be wonderful--I knew it would. | |
| I looked at her expectantly. "So, what do I do?" I asked | |
| excitedly, flapping my brilliant purple wings. The membrane had | |
| grown thick and tough, which would allow me to get in good | |
| glides, and hold my body aloft. | |
| Daer smirked at me, and I knew something was up. I looked at her | |
| skeptically. "Well, do you want to know how my mother taught | |
| me?" I paused for a moment and thought. Sometimes I dragged my | |
| mother outside to show me flips and turns she could do, because | |
| I personally thought she was a brilliant flyer. If I want to be | |
| as good as her, then I suppose that's a yes. | |
| Slowly, I nodded. "Okay. How did you're mother teach y--?" | |
| Then she pushed me off the ledge. | |
| My jaws were agape in a silent scream as I plummeted down. "Come | |
| on!" I heard her call. "Catch the air, make a glide!" I could | |
| see the ground getting nearer and desperately, I tried to flap | |
| my wings. "You need to be in the right position. Straighten up. | |
| You can do it!" Then, at the last moment, I flipped over, | |
| straightened my wings and was flying upwards. | |
| It felt so great. The air rushed passed me as I pumped my wings | |
| to fly faster, harder. It was so exhilarating...I loved it. I | |
| hurtled up through the air like a rocket to the cave. I | |
| recognised it easily. I could see many other caves littered | |
| around the mountain. I could see dragons flying, talking. It | |
| made my heart leap. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I | |
| landed. | |
| "Good job!" both Daer and Medfr� cheered, and I saw that Medfr� | |
| had come out to watch. I swelled with pride. I had just flown! | |
| Finally. For my whole four months of life, I had wanted to fly. | |
| And finally I had done it! Gosh, I was so, so happy. | |
| "But hang on," I added, looking at my mother slightly angrily. | |
| "I could have been killed! If I hadn't flown at that moment then | |
| I would have snapped my neck and died." I looked at her with | |
| annoyance. | |
| Daer chuckled. "But it didn't happen, did it? Besides, I would | |
| have been there to break your fall." She grinned at me, her eyes | |
| sparkling. "If I hadn't, I would have gone through days of | |
| talking about what to do, and you would have practised gently | |
| gliding from one spot to another. Which would rather have done?" | |
| "I suppose I would have rather done what you did," I admitted | |
| grudgingly. "But can I go again? Can I go meet dragons and make | |
| friends?" Truthfully, the only dragons I had ever seen were | |
| Daer, Medfr�, Thr�tch, Pangho and once or twice Ulen, who was | |
| Medfr�'s daughter. However, he was old now and had a cave of his | |
| own with a mate. | |
| Daer frowned. "I think that's enough for toda--" | |
| "We could take her to meet Oct�ul to feet F�ressa!" Medfr� piped | |
| in, breaking Daer's speech. I was glad that Medfr� were there, | |
| for otherwise Daer would have never taught me to fly or taken me | |
| anywhere. I looked at my mother hopefully. | |
| "But wait--who are Oct�ul and F�ressa?" I suddenly asked, making | |
| my mother smile. Medfr� chuckled loudly. "What?" I demanded. | |
| "What's so funny? Who are they?" | |
| "Oh, nothing's funny." Medfr� chuckled. "Just the look of utter | |
| adorability--or at least trying--and hope that you're giving | |
| your mother." She grinned at me, and I rolled my eyes. "As for | |
| Oct�ul and F�ressa--well, Oct�ul is the mother of F�ressa who | |
| was born only a day after you. I think you two could become good | |
| friends." | |
| "Yes! Please, mother!" I looked at my mother hopefully, really | |
| over exaggerating the trying-to-look cuteness. "I do need to | |
| make some friends." | |
| "Oh, come on. You can't fly all the way to Oct�ul's after one | |
| short flight." Daer sighed. "Why don't we practise a bit more, | |
| and then tomorrow you can visit?" she stared at me, and I | |
| realised this was as good as it was going to to get. With a | |
| grumble of annoying, I grudgingly agreed. | |
| We walked to the edge. "So do I just jump off?" I questioned my | |
| mother, looking at the deep drop and how I had almost hit the | |
| ground. If my mother was not there to tell me what to do, I | |
| would have been rotten flesh by now. I thought to myself, and | |
| swallowed. My skin tingled from how close that had been. | |
| "Jump, fall, soar--do whatever you want, dear." Daer told me | |
| with a graceful smile. I nodded and stepped back, and then | |
| leaped off the cliff with a running start. At first there was | |
| that terrifying feeling of falling, but then I caught myself and | |
| soared through the empty airs, the exhilarating feeling flooding | |
| through me. | |
| Me and Daer, and at one point Medfr�, spent the rest of the day | |
| practising flying, trying out flips and turns and other tricks | |
| she taught me. By the end of the day, I was exhausted, and also | |
| famished. While Daer went off the hunt Medfr� took me off the | |
| cave. We sat alone in our separate nests, thinking. | |
| "Medfr�," I asked the maid carefully, "why are eye colours so | |
| important to us?" I looked at her, and she frowned at me as if | |
| unsure whether to answer. But I really wanted to answer, and so | |
| kept staring expectantly at her. | |
| "Well, m'dear," she finally sighed, "I'm not sure your mother | |
| wants me to tell you this." I opened my mouth to say something | |
| back at this, but she stopped me with a hard glare. "However," | |
| she continued, making my heart skip, "I think you should know. | |
| You'll learn one day." I smiled at her, and she smiled back | |
| kindly. "See, each dragon's eye colour defines their | |
| personality. They're all in a pretty straight line--it's hard | |
| not to get what they are." | |
| "What are the eye colours?" I prompted her. I had only seen | |
| yellow, blue and green. "I mean, what are the eye colours and | |
| what do they mean? Are there more than three colours?" I looked | |
| at her questioningly. | |
| "Yes, there are more than three colours." Medfr� responded | |
| carefully. "There is blue, yellow, green, black, brown, amber, | |
| grey and...well, there are two that both mean the same | |
| thing--sapphire and emerald." Emerald. That's my eye colour. I | |
| had never forgotten that discussion between Medfr�, Daer and | |
| Pangho. | |
| "And what do they mean?" | |
| "Blue means that the dragon's heart is good, that they are | |
| leader-like and kind." Medfr� paused for a moment before saying, | |
| "King Pangho has blue eyes, and for a good reason, at that." I | |
| dipped my head in agreement. | |
| "King Pangho is a good dragon, yes?" I asked her, and she smiled | |
| at me. "Well, of course he is--but is he a good king? Shouldn't | |
| you be more than kind to be a king?" | |
| "Of course kindness isn't the only virtue to being a king, but | |
| it's a big part." The maid told me. "Anyway, yellow--which is | |
| your mother and I's eye colour--means kind, mothering, | |
| nurturing." When I looked up at her, I immediately recognised | |
| why her eye colour meant this. They're both very kind and | |
| generous. | |
| "And green is..." | |
| "Green is ferocious--feisty and strong. Many knights have green | |
| eyes." I understood this. "Black means the evilest of evil. It | |
| means that the dragon has a purely dark heart, with no room for | |
| softness, kindness, love..." | |
| I right then immediately understood Medfr�'s worry that I had | |
| had black eyes back when I had opened them and my mother was | |
| fretting over my colour. I sure am glad that I didn't have black | |
| eyes. I don't want to be evil! | |
| "Brown means timid and quiet, and upon some cases, true hearted. | |
| However--it does not always apply. Love is not something that | |
| can be shared out evenly." Medfr� sighed slightly at this. | |
| "Amber is sly and clever. As some say, sly as a fox. These | |
| dragons usually have very good minds. They can either be used | |
| for good or evil. Oct�ul has amber eyes, yet she is a mother and | |
| a very kind dragon." | |
| "I've never seen brown or amber--or black, for that matter." I | |
| piped in, and suddenly noticed how she had listed all the other | |
| eye colours before mine. I desperately wanted to know what | |
| emerald or sapphire meant, but I stayed patient, not wanting to | |
| rush her in fear she would stop telling me about this. | |
| "You should be glad you haven't," Medfr� snorted. I knew that | |
| she hated black eyed dragons--from the way she'd reacted before | |
| and the way she spoke so ferociously about it, I knew something | |
| was up. | |
| I paused, wondering if I should say anything, then asked her | |
| rather quietly, "Why, have you?" this made Medfr� look rather | |
| pained. I wished I had just kept my loud mouth shut. Something | |
| had happened between her and a black eyed dragon. | |
| "Yes," she sighed. "His name was Aalt�ra, in the kingdom of | |
| Sth�en. Me and my sister were flying when he intercepted her | |
| path. He blamed us for stealing from his kingdom--we denied, of | |
| course, because it was not true. In the end he slew my sister | |
| and left, saying that was a warning for next time." Medfr� | |
| swallowed. | |
| "Oh..." I trailed off, scared I was going to say something | |
| wrong. "Oh, Medfr�, I'm sorry." I looked at her, worried I had | |
| upset her too greatly for her to continue. | |
| "Don't be," she said bitterly. "I'll avenge her one day." A | |
| shadow crossed her eyes, and a shudder ran down my spine. | |
| "Anyhow, let's get on with the eyes." She said, shaking her head | |
| as if to clear it. "Grey eyes mean loud and stubborn. I must | |
| say, these dragons are the bitter and annoying dragons. Trust | |
| me, you wouldn't want to meet one." | |
| Would I want to meet one more than I would rather meet a black | |
| eyed dragon? I thought, but didn't say anything. I didn't want | |
| to upset her more than I already had. I shuffled to make myself | |
| more comfortable. There's only one--well, two to be precise--eye | |
| colour left. | |
| "And finally, emerald and sapphire." Medfr�'s brow was knitted | |
| in a frown. I knew she was scared at Daer would get furious at | |
| her for telling me this, and I really hoped she didn't, for the | |
| maid was nice and I didn't want to get her in trouble. | |
| "Go on," I persuaded, trying to get her to reveal the bottom of | |
| the truth I had been yearning to know for months. Will she tell | |
| me, or just give up? She must tell me! She must! I leaned | |
| forward a bit. | |
| "Dragon's with either of these colours are very rare. You are a | |
| very rare dragon, my little Nymph." Go on, go on! "A shaman of | |
| the kingdom has this coloured eyes. His name is Suanki." I felt | |
| impatience creep up my spine, but I forced myself from | |
| screeching at her to tell me the answer. I knew she was putting | |
| it off. I knew she didn't want me to know. "It means, dear | |
| Nymph," Medfr� whispered, "that you are either destined to be a | |
| great or terrible dragon."[/spoiler] | |
| [sub]CHAPTER 3&&[/sub] | |
| [spoiler][sub]I REMEMBER, THAT'S what my mother had told me. She | |
| had told me I was destined to either be a great, great dragon, | |
| or a terrible, terrible one. I had never really thought those | |
| words meant anything; that they were just things she had thrown | |
| into the world without thinking about it. | |
| Right then, there was the sound of a landing dragon. I turned | |
| and saw my mother hauling a heavy deer into the cave. Medfr� | |
| hurried over to help her, and together they dragged the huge | |
| creature to the centre of the cave. | |
| "Tonight, we have a feast!" Daer declared loudly. "Today, Nymph | |
| flew for her first time and she left the cave. I think it's time | |
| for a celebration, don't you, Medfr�?" My mother glanced at the | |
| maid, a huge grin on her face. | |
| "Oh, oh, yes! Of course!" Medfr� responded hastily. "Our | |
| mother's both celebrated our first time's out of the cave, did | |
| they not? Therefore it should be no different for young Nymph | |
| here--she is the same as we are!" | |
| This made Daer hesitant. Because I'm not like them, I thought to | |
| myself bitterly. I'm destined to either follow the path of a | |
| great dragon, or a terrible one. Medfr� glanced at her mistress, | |
| then at me, and then at the ground, seeming annoyed at her for | |
| making this awkward silence. | |
| "This should last us two meals," Medfr� commented, breaking the | |
| silence. Both Daer and I dipped out heads in agreement. "Unless | |
| Nymph is as greedy eater as her mother, then I'll think we'll | |
| have another meal for tomorrow." | |
| This caused Daer to chuckle, which lifted the heavy weight. | |
| "Yes, yes. I hope so. But let's not eat it raw and cold--warm, | |
| cooked and tender is more my kind of style." She said with a | |
| grin, and took in a deep breath. Then she breathed blue flame | |
| onto the deer. After a few moments, she stopped. "Done." | |
| Satisfied, she stepped forward to take the first bite at the | |
| belly, which was her favourite bit. | |
| "I've never eaten deer before!" I squeaked, stepping forward to | |
| inspect the creature, wondering where to start. "It's so big. | |
| And it smells so good!" I could see Medfr� greedily nibbling at | |
| it's haunches, and I settled for a shoulder, tearing off the | |
| rich, fatty meat and gulping it down. "It's delicious." I | |
| whispered. | |
| "Of course it is! It's deer!" Daer laughed, and then went back | |
| to gulping down it's belly. I watched her and Medfr� with a | |
| smirk. They were both as greedy as dogs, gulping down the meat | |
| with lavish. | |
| After our bellies were thick with meat and we could eat no more, | |
| we settled down in our nests to sleep. I was exhausted with all | |
| the meat I had eaten, but also very satisfied. That was the best | |
| meal I'd ever had. The only thing I'd ever eaten were bugs like | |
| beetles and grasshoppers, or when I got a bit older, lizards and | |
| squirrels, and upon rare occasions, rabbits. Meat tasted | |
| delicious. I loved it more than any of the yucky bugs I had | |
| tasted, or even plants and fruit my mother gave me. | |
| With a happy sigh I closed my eyes. I was warm against my mother | |
| who had placed her wing over me, and I felt happy. All my | |
| troubles eased away, leaving me to feel perfectly warm, | |
| perfectly happy. Everything was good. | |
| The next morning, I woke bright and early, much before my mother | |
| and Medfr�. Usually I would have gone and looked for some bugs | |
| in the cave to nibble in, or sat on the ledge and watches as | |
| dragons woke and zoomed across the clear blue sky. But this | |
| morning was different. This morning I felt freer than I ever | |
| had; I could actually leave the cave when I pleased. | |
| I planned to have a quick fly around, and get back in the cave | |
| before my mother or Medfr� even woke. But it seemed not, for I | |
| was so indulged with my flight I didn't realise how much time | |
| has passed, and that my mother and the maid were already up. | |
| "Nymph! Come down!" I heard Medfr� call. I looked down and saw | |
| the plump grey dragon standing on the ledge, watching me. It | |
| seemed I had lost track of the time and that hours had passed | |
| without my knowing. | |
| Quickly, I flew down the ledge where a worried Medfr� was | |
| waiting, with my mother inside. "Don't ever do that again! We | |
| thought you were lost, or that you'd fallen off the ledge or | |
| something." My mother snapped at me. I shied away, afraid she | |
| would loose it on me. | |
| "You knew I could fly," I said bravely to my mother. "Why didn't | |
| you just look outside? It would have been easy to spot me. I | |
| mean, what else does a dragon do after they've learned to fly?" | |
| "Well, usually they'd notify their worried-sick mother before | |
| leaving the cave. We looked outside alright, Nymph. But there | |
| are more dragons than you could imagine out there and it's hard | |
| to see if you were there, especially since you were so far | |
| away!" | |
| I realised what she was saying was true and bows my head between | |
| my shoulders. "I'm sorry," I said sadly, "I didn't realise that | |
| I could cause you so much trouble. I just wanted to fly | |
| again--it felt so great, and I didn't want to wake you that | |
| morning because it was so early and I thought you'd snap at me." | |
| My mother looked down at me, and her eyes softened.. "I know, | |
| Nymph. And now you know for next time. Now, like I promised, | |
| we'll go see Oct�ul and F�ressa today. Alright? Let's just | |
| forget this ever happened." | |
| "Okay!" I squeaked, excited to go see another dragon my age. We | |
| can be friends. I thought to myself. I had never made any | |
| friends because I wasn't allowed to leave the cave, and other | |
| dragons my age wouldn't be able to leave the cave either, which | |
| meant that I could never meet anyone my age. | |
| "Come on," Daer called, and she walked to the entrance. "Oh, | |
| Medfr�--do you want to come, or would you rather stay here?" She | |
| looked at the maid, her eyes questioning. | |
| "I think I'll stay here, but I'll be there soon," she said to | |
| Daer, and then turned towards her nest. "I'm just going to tidy | |
| up a bit and you know, do some other strange Medfr� stuff." She | |
| chuckled, turned away, and then me and my mother left. | |
| We leaped into the air. It took me a moment to start flying, and | |
| for a sickening moment I thought I would fall again. I lifted my | |
| head and closed my eyes, feeling the wind rush passed me. I let | |
| out a happy sigh. | |
| "It's great, isn't it?" My mother whispered to me. "The feeling | |
| of flying, feeling like you have nothing to loose, like there's | |
| nothing that can go wrong. Cherish these few moments in flying, | |
| because one day it will seem like something ordinary. Something | |
| that isn't special." | |
| I couldn't imagine it feeling like that, but dipped my head | |
| anyway. I guess you'd do it so often it wouldn't seem special | |
| any longer, just normal--boring, in some ways, possibly. Though | |
| I don't see how that's possible. Flying was great, and the | |
| prospect of it being boring seemed foreign--strange and unreal. | |
| "We're almost there. Oct�ul doesn't live far. She lives on the | |
| other side of our mountain." My mother told me. She then pulled | |
| in her wing slightly to do a smooth, tight turn. I tried to | |
| mimic her move, but failed--it was sloppy and I turned to far. | |
| Seeing my mother looking at me, I blushed. "Don't worry," she | |
| said. "You'll get the hang of it one day." | |
| I nodded. One day. | |
| We continued flying for who knows how long, until finally my | |
| mother called out that we were there. I looked down at her--she | |
| was now flying downwards, towards a small, hardly noticeable | |
| cave. I wonder how everyone remembers each cave--it would be | |
| hard, since they all look so alike. | |
| I followed her, hoping that I wouldn't crash land since I was | |
| going down so quickly. At the last moment I saw my mother | |
| straighten her flight path and land smoothly on the ledge. I | |
| attempted to copy her, but only managed to hurt my wing. | |
| "Ow..." I grumbled, and she smiled at me. "Yes, I know, I'll get | |
| the hang of it one day." I sighed to myself. When was this 'one | |
| day' going to happen? If only it happened quicker. Then maybe I | |
| would be an expert flier. | |
| Then, a dragon cave out of the entrance of the cave. She had | |
| dark orange scales and bright amber eyes. | |
| Amber...amber...doesn't that mean sly and clever? But Medfr� | |
| said that the dragon's could be good as well. I looked at her | |
| and frowned, wondering if she was a nice dragon. | |
| "Hello, Oc�ul." Daer said pleasantly. I looked at the orange | |
| dragon and realised that she was the mother of F�ressa, the | |
| dragon who was my age. My heartbeat began to race. Finally I was | |
| meeting F�ressa! "Sorry for coming without telling. Nymph was | |
| getting impatient and so we decided to come here." | |
| Oct�ul dipped her head. "Ah, I see. You've brought along young | |
| Nymph. I'm sure my F�ressa will be very pleased to finally meet | |
| someone her own age. She's been beginning to go and meet someone | |
| her own age. She's quite restless now, really." Oct�ul studied | |
| me up and down. I saw a flicker of worry in her eyes when she | |
| saw my eye colour, but it was replaced by the same calm | |
| atmosphere she seemed to always hold. "F�ressa!" Oct�ul called. | |
| There was silence, and then shuffling, and then a smallish red | |
| dragon came out of the cave. She had light red scales--brick | |
| red--and green eyes. I clearly remembered that green eyes meant | |
| feisty and strong, and most knights had green eyes. | |
| "Ooh, hello!" she squeaked, looking very excited. She hardly | |
| noticed my mother--her eyes were fixed on me, excited and | |
| bright. "I'm F�ressa. Come into the cave! What's your name?" | |
| "F�ressa, meet Nymph and Daer." Oct�ul motioned to both me and | |
| my mother as she spoke. F�ressa nodded at this. "Be nice. I | |
| don't mind where you go--" she turned to Daer, "--F�ressa was | |
| taught how to fly a couple of days ago." | |
| Before I was, I thought grudgingly. And I'm a day older than | |
| her! I mean, a day doesn't matter very much, but still! | |
| Sometimes my mother could be too protective of me. I could have | |
| learned to fly ages ago. | |
| "So, F�ressa, what do you want to do?" I asked her once we were | |
| inside her cave. I looked around their cave--it was much plainer | |
| than ours. It had a nest made out of twigs and sticks and leaves | |
| right at the back, and a small pool of water with moss | |
| surrounding it close the entrance. I could hear the drip, drip, | |
| drip of water as a droplets fell from a tiny cranny in the roof. | |
| F�ressa shrugged. "I'm not sure. We can either stay in this | |
| boring cave or we can go exploring, but mother told me that I | |
| have to be back by sundown otherwise she'll get worried." | |
| Thinking back to when my mother had snapped at me for leaving | |
| the cave earlier that morning, I certainly didn't want to get in | |
| trouble with another mother. | |
| "Let's leave!" I squeaked. Leaving would probably be the best | |
| idea for fun. Both F�ressa and I had been stuck in a cave for | |
| four months and she probably didn't want to stay in there | |
| anymore than I did. | |
| "Good idea," F�ressa agreed. "So, where do you want to go? | |
| Mother told me of some dragons around the same age as us. We | |
| could go visit them." She suggested. | |
| I liked this idea. "Let's do that," I decided. "But first, I'll | |
| show you where my cave is so you can visit later, whenever you | |
| want." I certainly hoped that F�ressa would come and visit. | |
| Mother wouldn't let me out of the cave every day. | |
| "Okay!" F�ressa squeaked excitedly, and flapped her wings as if | |
| showing how much she wanted to do it. We both walked to the | |
| ledge and leaped off. She went first. I noticed how she spread | |
| her wings before she leaped and then glided down, and then came | |
| back up. It looked smooth and precise, and wanting to show off | |
| my flying skills, I attempted to do the same thing. This | |
| resulted with me loosing my balance, and I blushed once I had | |
| made it up close to her. "Don't worry; you'll get the hang of | |
| it." She giggled. That's what everyone says. I thought to myself | |
| sadly. | |
| Now I led the way; I had only my memory to rely on, and I hoped | |
| that I had payed enough attention when we had gone to F�ressa's | |
| cave that I would remember the way back. My mother had told me | |
| that we had both lived on the same mountain, so it shouldn't | |
| have been too hard to find. Trying to act as if I knew where I | |
| was going, I sprang off towards the side of the mountain. It has | |
| to be somewhere here. | |
| I recognised a few things that my brain had noted on--the huge | |
| swaying oak perched precariously on a crumbling cliff, or the | |
| pattern in the mountain that I thought looked a lot like a bunch | |
| of cherries. Soon I began to recognise more and more, and to my | |
| relief, then saw my cave. | |
| "This way!" I told my new friend, and tilted my way downwards so | |
| that I was hurtling straight for the ledge. To make up for the | |
| sloppy start, I wanted to prove to F�ressa that I could land | |
| perfectly. My mother had told me that getting landing right was | |
| extremely hard to perfect, yet I really wanted to do. I tried to | |
| mimic exactly what my mother had done. After I zoomed down, I | |
| slowed a bit by tilting my wings back so the underwing was | |
| facing outwards. The wind was pushing against me, which slowed | |
| me up a bit. Then I tilted down to land smoothy on the ledge. I | |
| lost my footing, but other than that, I thought I did it pretty | |
| well. | |
| I stepped back so F�ressa could land next to me. She wasn't too | |
| great at landings either, and did it sloppily. Feeling proud of | |
| myself, I slightly puffed out my chest. F�ressa grinned at me. | |
| "Well, I suppose I'm good at taking off and your good at | |
| landing." I smiled and nodded my agreement. | |
| "This is the cave. Nothing much," I motioned with my front paw | |
| to the cave, with the two nests--Medfr� and mine and my | |
| mother's--and the ivy climbs and the walls and vines that | |
| adorned them for decoration. There was even a deer skull above | |
| the entrance which F�ressa fussed over a lot, sowing how much | |
| she liked it. I was glad that she liked the cave. | |
| "Your cave is so much better than mine! Mine's so boring!" | |
| F�ressa grumbled, over-exaggurating the 'boring' part. She | |
| sighed as she glanced wistfully around my cave. "I wish this my | |
| my cave." | |
| "I could say the same about yours." I said to her, making her | |
| eyes practically pop out of her head. "I mean, I've spent my | |
| whole life in this dingy old cave and a change would be nice. | |
| Although, I suppose that I've kind of gotten used to it." | |
| She snorted. "Whatever. My cave is bland and boring and plain | |
| and anyone that likes it is crazy! No offence, but I'm just | |
| saying. I mean like...the view is terrible. There are a few | |
| trees, gravel, grass and mountain. You've got a view of the | |
| forest--you've go a view of Baershu! I would do anything for a | |
| good view." | |
| "Baershu?" I questioned her, not knowing what this was. | |
| "You know, the territory next to Palen. The territories that | |
| border us are Baershu and C�schla." F�ressa said as if it were | |
| obvious. She eyes my stumped expression and then asked, "You | |
| don't know any of the territories? My mother would tell me all | |
| of them. She would make me listen to them day after endless day | |
| until I had them memorised. Those were long, painful days." She | |
| sighed, which made me laugh. | |
| "So, you know all of the territories?" I asked. She nodded. I | |
| wished I knew the territories--or I wished that I knew of | |
| something that she didn't. "What territories are there?" | |
| "Well, there's the ones I just said," she said with a frown, | |
| "and many more. The largest is Xyn�rli, which borders C�schla, | |
| Baershu, Eklarp and Draenth. Basershu borders Eklarp, Delzar and | |
| Ante�, and Delzar borders L�ttaroar, Eklarp and Ante�. L�taroar | |
| borders Delzar, Eklarp, Draenth and the Morbid Lake which is | |
| across from Stha�n. So, all the territories are Palen, Baershu, | |
| C�schla, Xyn�rli, Eklarp, Ant�e, Delzar, L�ttaroar, Draenth, and | |
| Sth�en." | |
| "Wow." Was all I could say. I was speechless at her knowledge | |
| and how much there was the learn about this. She grinned at me, | |
| pleased that she had impressed someone. "Your mother must be | |
| smart. My mother never teaches me anything--it's always Medfr�, | |
| who is our maid." | |
| "You have a maid?" F�ressa gasped, her mouth agape. "Aw, I want | |
| a maid! She'd keep me company, probably. My mother is good and | |
| all, but she can sometimes get a bit boring. When I get home I'm | |
| going to ask for a maid." | |
| I giggled at this. "I'm sure you will." I then added, "Yes, | |
| Medfr� is good company. She tells me lots of stories about her | |
| past and cleans up and does all the work. I really like her." I | |
| looked around the cave and realised that she wasn't there. She | |
| must have gone to Oct�ul's cave with mother. She said she would | |
| be there soon. I decided. | |
| "Anyway, shall we get going to this other dragon our age?" | |
| "Yes," I agreed, and we both took off, this time with F�ressa in | |
| the lead. This is life as it should be. I thought to myself with | |
| a happy smile. Friends, flying places, doing things. Doing | |
| things without a mother, or even a maid, to tell you what to do. | |
| "Mother said that they were on the second mountain. She showed | |
| me the cave, but didn't let me go in." F�ressa explained. The | |
| second mountain? But that's the royal's mountain... I thought | |
| with a frown, but didn't say anything as we flew further. | |
| We flew in silence for the rest of the trip. It was longer than | |
| I had expected and I was surprised that F�ressa had remembered | |
| the whole way. However, the prospect of meeting new friends was | |
| the only thing that kept me going. | |
| However, finally I voiced my only worry. "But do you think that | |
| your mother didn't let you go inside because it's in the royal's | |
| mountain? I mean, usually they're quite busy." Yes, friends | |
| sounded appealing, meeting new dragons sounded awesome...but | |
| getting in trouble with a royal? Not so great. | |
| F�ressa frowned. "That's the royal's mountain? I didn't know | |
| that." Her flight had slowed down slightly. But then she sped up | |
| to her previous speed. "But I'm sure it'll be fine. After all, a | |
| dragon our age can't be that busy. Four month's isn't old enough | |
| to do royal stuff." | |
| I supposed she was right, and so I didn't say another word for | |
| the rest of the trip. | |
| "We're here!" F�ressa squeaked five minutes later. I saw that | |
| she was right; the mountain loomed in front of us. Out of all of | |
| the mountains, it was the least fat one, yet the highest and the | |
| centre mountain. From what I had heard many tunnels went through | |
| the mountain where dragons met to discuss things, have meetings, | |
| etc. As well as that there were the normal caves were the | |
| royal's lived. I heard that King Pangho lived at the tip, where | |
| he could watch Palen easily. | |
| "Now all you have to do is identify the right cave." I told her. | |
| F�ressa nodded, circling around and looking for the right cave. | |
| I just hope no knights found us and took us to our mothers. Mine | |
| would be furious--she wouldn't let me out of her sight again. | |
| ***************************************************** |