#Animeboye

[animeboye]

Dragon's World Past Chapter 9

Chapter 9:  An Unexpected Mission

The next day, Saulstrance journeyed to the human realm by himself to tell Cyrus about everything that occurred since they saw him. The two of them went down to the lakebed where Saulstrance shared with Cyrus his story. Saulstrance explained to Cyrus that he was told that Agcro, a killer from his world, had taken the lives of his parents and Saulstrance chose to set out to find Agcro and hear the truth from him. He recalled, after capturing Agcro, how overjoyed he was to learn that his parents might have still been alive.

“So where is Agcro now?” Cyrus asked.

“He’s locked up in my master’s fortress. My master sentenced him to execution in a couple of days.” Explained Saulstrance.

“Execution?” Cyrus asked surprised.

Saulstrance nodded. “I can’t say I’m surprised. He killed so many innocent dragons including some of my master’s guards. After everything he’s done, I’d say it’s too fitting for him.”

Cyrus agreed. “I just don’t understand what could make someone want to kill another person or dragon. I mean, there have been times where I’ve been angry and hated people but not enough to make me want to kill them.”

After Cyrus’ statement, the two friends fell silent. They stared out at the lakebed for awhile before Saulstrance stood up and was about to open up a portal. Before he could, however, Cyrus called his name. He asked Saulstrance if, before he returned to his world, perhaps they could have a race. Cyrus mentioned that he had been practicing flying and he wanted to see how good he had become. Saulstrance smiled and agreed to his friend’s request.

The two of them journeyed to the forest where they first met. Once there, Saulstrance changed into his dragon form and Cyrus changed into his half-dragon form. The two launched themselves into the air, erupting through the trees and into the sky.

Cyrus pointed to another forest in the distance. He told Saulstrance that they would fly over that forest and land back in the one below them. Saulstrance agreed to his friend’s terms and like that, the two of them were off. Saulstrance had never seen Cyrus fly before so he had no idea just how good he truly was. Comparing the size of his wings versus the size of Cyrus’ wings, Saulstrance concluded that he was more than likely the better flyer since his wingspan was greater and therefore more capable of supporting his body.

The two of them flew through the sky as quickly as they could. For a time, Cyrus was able to keep up to Saulstrance much to the latter’s surprise. As they neared the other forest and circled around it, however, Cyrus gradually began to go slower. His wings were beginning to cramp. He tried to ignore it and keep up with his friend however the more he exerted himself, the further he fell behind. Slowly, his wing flaps began to come to a halt until inevitably, they did. Cyrus plummeted from the sky, screaming as he did. Just as he was about to win the race, Saulstrance noticed this. He flew back to Cyrus, flapping his wings as hard and as fast as he could. Just as Cyrus closed his eyes and prepared for the inevitable, Saulstrance swooped down, saving Cyrus in the nick of time. Slowly, Cyrus opened his eyes, noticing that he had been saved by Saulstrance. With Cyrus on his back, he flew for the forest. There, Cyrus hopped off his friend’s back and thanked him profusely for saving him.

“Are you okay?” Saulstrance asked worriedly.

“Y-Yeah.”  Cyrus panted, holding his hand over his heart as he tried to relax himself.

After awhile, Cyrus calmed down. He removed his hand from his chest and took a deep breath.

“Thank you Saulstrance. I guess this wasn’t such a good idea.” Said Cyrus, taking several more deep breaths.

“You’re not kidding.” Saulstrance replied.

“I just thought that…if I tried to push myself, then maybe…I could make my wings stronger. Then maybe you, me, Eig’nia, and Tourajé could all go flying together.”  Cyrus explained in a disappointed tone.

“I’d like that and I know they would too but not at the risk of almost getting yourself killed!!” Exclaimed Saulstrance, his eyes widened.

Cyrus looked down, feeling ashamed. He had been scolded by his parents before but never by one of his friends. He thought that everything would be fine. After all, if he was ever going to become stronger, he’d need to push himself as hard as he could. Although, perhaps this time, he pushed himself a bit too hard Cyrus thought to himself.

Grateful, he thanked Saulstrance for saving his life. Saulstrance apologized for going off on him and explained that he wasn’t angry at him, he just got scared. The last thing he wanted was for any of his friends to get hurt, or worse. Cyrus nodded, showing Saulstrance that he understood. He hugged Saulstrance, thanking him again for saving him.  In response, Saulstrance wrapped a wing over Cyrus. In dragon form, this was his way of hugging.

As the two friends hugged, suddenly Saulstrance’s tail began to move on its own. Taking note of this, Saulstrance moved his wing from his friend and looked towards his tail. It was writing something in the ground: “IT IS TIME TO COME HOME”. Saulstrance realized that this message was from his master. He opened a portal before himself and Cyrus, bidding farewell to his friend. Just before he stepped through, Cyrus asked Saulstrance when he might be back. Saulstrance wasn’t too sure of the answer himself but he promised his friend that they’d see each other soon.

Cyrus smiled. “I hope so. And next time, bring Eig’nia and Tourajé. Then we can all go flying together.”

Saulstrance smiled back. “Okay, but we’re not going to fly as high as we did today. The last thing I want is to see one of my friends get flattened.”

“Ha ha ha.” Cyrus laughed sarcastically.

Saulstrance nodded and smiled. As he stepped through the portal Cyrus waved goodbye. Once the portal had disappeared, Cyrus headed for home.

Later that day, Saulstrance sat in his master’s library. The library had clawmade shelves that continued all the way up to the ceiling and these shelves contained scrolls collected and written by the past Leaders of Zalphonia. No dragon, not even Léruc himself knew just how many scrolls there were. There might have been thousands, perhaps even millions.

Saulstrance had collected several of these scrolls and had sat them on one of the large rocks that were in the center of the library. These rocks were used to allow dragons a place to study. There were also a couple smaller rocks set upon the much bigger rocks to keep the scrolls from rolling up while studying.

Saulstrance grabbed a scroll from the collection. He unraveled it and set four rocks on its sides, two at the top and bottom. He looked at the writing which was in a language he had never seen before. Wondering what it said, Saulstrance read it to himself.

“Ichtal salum matsirc zelen. Tremel…” Saulstrance stopped.

None of this made sense to him. Saulstrance had no idea what he was saying. To him, these words just seemed like a bunch of gibberish. Did they even mean anything? Although he couldn’t understand these words, Saulstrance chose to continue to read them. Perhaps in one of the other scrolls, he’d find out what these words were supposed to be. He placed a claw under the word he left off on and moved it under the word that came next. He continued.

“Mitol selmec, kugan…”

“I never thought I’d see a dragon as young as you take an interest in the ancient tongue.” A voice said to Saulstrance.

Breaking away for a second, Saulstrance looked to the entrance of the library and saw his master Léruc standing there. The old dragon walked over to his disciple and sat down next to him.

“The ancient tongue?” Saulstrance asked.

“It is the language our ancestors spoke in. A very, very long time ago, our ancestors did not know of the existence of the other world, the one the humans call Earth. They spoke in their own language. And unlike us, they didn’t know of portals or how to conjure them. That changed when one day, a dragon somehow opened a portal. The dragon that created it and the others that were there for its creation had no idea what it was. Curious, they stepped through the portal and arrived on Earth where they learned of the humans. As years passed, more and more young dragons traveled to Earth, or as they dubbed it, the human realm and it is said that the more they went, the more they forgot their native tongue. The older dragons didn’t like this as they felt that letting their children be too exposed to human culture would become a threat to their ways. For a time, travel to the human realm became forbidden. But, as always happens, the older dragons passed, the younger had hatchlings of their own and with the older dragons gone, the younger dragons were free to journey back to the human realm, this time with their offspring. Each new generation of dragons became more and more exposed to humans and their culture as well as their language until eventually, we got to where we are today where we speak the same tongue as humans and our old tongue has become all but forgotten by most.” Explained Léruc.

Saulstrance was astounded. He never knew that there was another language that his ancestors spoke. He always thought that the language he spoke was the same his ancestors did.  Now he was even more interested in what these words meant. The only problem was…he wasn’t sure how he’d be able to learn exactly what they meant. He asked his master if he might know what these words were supposed to mean.

“Hmm…” Léruc thought. He looked over the scroll Saulstrance had been reading and tried to find a passage he could translate.

“I’ve studied a bit of the ancient tongue myself Saulstrance but unfortunately, there’s not much I can remember. Let’s see…Ah! Here we go!” Said Léruc, pointing to a passage near the end of the scroll.

“Kenzum i saul strance intael fo wy tazel.” Léruc read aloud.

Saulstrance was shocked when he heard his name spoken in the passage. More curious than ever, he asked Léruc anxiously what that passage meant.

“Translated it says: ‘may the fiery light look over our world. The fiery light the scroll speaks of is a dragon who is powerful, kind, and watches out for his fellow dragon. Assuming your parents got the idea for your name from this scroll, then they must have expected that you’d become a truly strong dragon.” Léruc explained.

Saulstrance smiled in response to his master’s words. It made him feel good to hear that. Although he always believed that his parents expected he’d become a good and kind dragon, it felt good to hear someone else acknowledge this too.

Skimming through the scroll, Saulstrance found a random passage. He asked Léruc what it meant and then proceeded to read it aloud: “E ken’ti semzal tu rinh echtun akch.”

Léruc snickered. Saulstrance looked at his master puzzlingly. He wasn’t sure what was so funny. He asked Léruc what he was laughing about. Léruc explained that it was just what the passage said translated.

Laughing again, Léruc read out loud what the passage said.

“Translated, it says, ‘I can’t seem to find my cave’”.  Said Léruc with a bit of a chuckle.

“What?” Saulstrance asked in a deadpan voice, not believing what his master said. “Is that really what it says?”

“Perhaps.” Léruc teased in a playful manner.

Saulstrance fumed. He wanted to know for real if that was really what it said. Before he had the opportunity to ask however, he noticed the expression on his master’s face suddenly become more serious. Saulstrance wondered what that was about.

“Saulstrance…I actually came here because I need to talk with you about something. When you get the opportunity, could you come and meet me in my chambers? I have something I need to discuss with you, Tourajé, and Eig’nia. They should be here momentarily.” Léruc said in a grave tone.

“Okay.” Saulstrance said.

Léruc returned to his chambers to wait for his students. Saulstrance placed the scrolls he had been reading back on the shelves and hurried to Léruc’s chambers. There, he saw his friends and his master waiting for him.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t keep you guys waiting, did I?” Asked Saulstrance.

“No, we just got here ourselves.” Eig’nia said.

“Please sit down Saulstrance. We have something very important we need to discuss.” Said Léruc with an unsettled look on his face.

Saulstrance sat down next to his friends. It was a short while before Léruc spoke. At first he paced back and forth fratically, letting out an occasional sigh every now and then. The three dragons had never seen their master so shaken up before. Whatever it was he needed to talk with them about, it must have been something very serious.

Finally, Léruc spoke. “…I’ve received some…disturbing news. Raolef, the Leader of Aanki, the village to the west, has declared an attack on the human realm.”

The three dragons were shocked to hear that. Were their master’s words true? Although they didn’t know the Leader of Aanki, they never would have thought that he or any of the other dragon realm Leaders would try to declare an attack against the human realm. Curious, Tourajé asked his master how he acquired this information.

“In the beginning, it was simply a rumor that had slowly spread amongst a select few. When word of this came to me, I sent one of my guards to Raolef’s fortress as a spy to acquire more information. As fate would have it, these rumors ended up being true. My guard overheard Raolef speaking with his apprentice and several guards about their plans.” Léruc explained.

“I…I can’t believe it.” Eig’nia said, shocked and a little disheartened to hear that one of her world’s own Leaders was really plotting an attack.

“Sir, did your guard find out when Raolef was going to attack the human realm?” Saulstrance asked.

Léruc shook his head. “No. From what the guard said, Raolef never specified when the attack would take place. Regardless, we can’t allow them any time. We have to stop the attack before it can begin.”

Saulstrance and the others agreed. They had to stop Raolef’s plan right away. They couldn’t allow anything bad to happen to the human realm, especially when Cyrus and his family lived there. Eig’nia asked how they would best be able to get to Raolef .

“Yes…you won’t be able to just barge in and beat up all the guards. You three will have to sneak in. When you get to his fortress, stay high in the sky and make sure there are no guards patrolling the top of the fortress. That will be your way in. Once inside, you’ll need to remain out of sight. The ceiling will be your best bet. Fly overhead and use the darkness to keep yourself hidden. Once you locate Raolef, kill him.”   Léruc explained.

“K-kill him?!” Tourajé gasped.

“Yes…Raolef must die if the human realm is to be saved.” Said  Léruc.

“We…we understand…it’s just…” Saulstrance tried to say.

“We’ve never killed anyone before. I don’t know if we can.” Eig’nia said, not liking the idea of taking someone’s life.

Léruc understood and empathized with his pupils. He didn’t want them to bloody their claws either however, it had to be done and they were the only ones who could do it. He needed his guards around to keep an eye on Agcro and he was too old and had grown too weak to be able to stand a chance of stopping Raolef on his own. Thus, it fell upon them to see this mission through.

“Now then, there is one final part to this that I hadn’t had the chance to mention: once Raolef has been assassinated, make haste to the human realm and hide out there for a couple days. His Champion, apprentice, and guards will be looking for you. Hide in the human realm and I’ll contact you three when I feel it’s safe to come back.” Léruc finished.

The three dragons nodded in understanding. With their orders given, Léruc dismissed them. He told them to return home and prepare as their mission began next morning. He also instructed them to keep what he had just told them a secret from their families. He wanted to keep the information he had just given them contained as best he could so as not to cause any panic.

That night felt like the longest night ever for Saulstrance and his friends. They all sat outside, staring up at the night sky for what must have been hours. They asked themselves if they would be able to do this. Could they really bring themselves to kill another dragon? Would they get killed in the process? They were only three dragons going up against a Leader, his Champion, his apprentice, and his guards. The odds weren’t exactly in their favor. Even if they did as their master instructed and snuck through the fortress, there was always the chance that things could go wrong.

After some time had passed, the three of them went back inside and drifted off to sleep. Tourajé slept next to his little brother Utzie, extending a wing over his younger sibling to keep him warm. He smiled at Utzie and looked over towards his parents who were sleeping right across from them. He hoped that this wouldn’t be the last time he’d be able to sleep with his family.

With a light yawn, Eig’nia squeezed between her two sleeping older siblings. Just like  Tourajé, Eig’nia’s parents were sleeping right across from her and her siblings. Being in between her brother and sister made the young dragoness feel safe. Just like Tourajé, she hoped that everything would work out alright and she would be able to keep sleeping together with her family.

Eventually, morning came. Eig’nia and Tourajé said goodbye to their families and rushed off to meet up with Saulstrance. They gathered outside their master’s fortress.

“Is everyone ready?” Saulstrance asked.

“I am.” Eig’nia answered.

“Me too.” Tourajé answered as well.

“Then let’s go.” Saulstrance said with determination in his voice.

[animeboye]

Mid Dragon's World Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Going to the Mall

That night, Alex, my dad, Theian, and I sat at the dinner table, waiting for Z'haer, Eig'nia, and Girido to return. My stomach was growling at me. It was telling me that it wanted food and it wanted food now. Dad had a chicken cooking in the oven that felt like it had been in there forever. I moaned as I slammed my head down on the table, feeling lightheaded.

"Jakol, head up." Dad commanded.

As soon as I heard him say that, I immediately swung my head up. My dad looked at me with an angry kind of look for a few seconds then turned his attention to Theian.

"Theian, how did their first day of training go?" Asked dad.

"Rather well. Alex shows a lot of promise. His strength should become a valuable asset to you in the future. Jake, however…While he shows potential, he's uneasy about using his powers. I hope to be able to change that." Theian said.

"Oh? And how do you plan to do that?" Dad asked, sounding interested.

"I'm not sure yet. But I'll think of a way." Theian answered.

"Hmph!" Dad smiled. "I admire your enthusiasm Theian. I will continue to leave their training to you."

"Thank you, sir." Said Theian.

Just then, the oven timer dinged and a knock came from the door both at just about the same time. The door opened and into the kitchen walked Eig'nia, Girido, and Z'haer.  They sat down at the table just as dad was pulling the chicken out of the oven. Dad brought the chicken to the table and sat it down. Then he took off his oven mitts and set them on the kitchen counter. I put my hand over my mouth, smiling, trying to keep myself from laughing too loudly. The thought of a dragon wearing oven mitts just seemed so funny to me. I didn't even know if dragons who were in human form could handle a tin just out of the oven with their bare hands. I guessed not if dad had to wear those every time he cooked.

Dad brought out seven plates and gave us each one. He took a knife and cut into the chicken, giving us a piece each. As soon as we were given our food, we immediately started eating, but before I started to eat, I got up and grabbed myself a glass of water and then went back to my seat.

"So how did things go? Did you find a good place to start?" Dad asked Eig'nia, Z'haer, and Girido, taking a bite of his chicken.

"Not yet sir. So far all the places we've inspected were much too big to begin the operation. We will be moving our search further out west tomorrow." Said Eig'nia, setting her knife and fork on her plate.

"Excellent. I look forward to your results Eig'nia." Dad said, smiling.

"Yes…" I heard Eig'nia say quietly. Strangely, she sounded a little sad.

For a few minutes, we were all quiet. No one said a thing while we concentrated on our food.  Suddenly, Girido sat his chicken leg down on his plate as he chewed. Once he swallowed, he placed his fork in his plate next to the chicken leg and leaned forward in his chair.

"So boys, how did your training with Theian go? Was he yelling at you the whole time?" Girido asked in a mocking voice.

"N-No, it was fine." I answered him, unsure of what else to say.

"Really?!" Girido said, pretending to sound surprised. "Goodness me! I guess Theian isn't such a bad guy after all!"

Theian jerked out of his chair, knocking it over, his left hand tightly clenching his fork as he looked at Girido angrily.

"Girido, how about you shut your goddamn mouth before I shut it for you!" Theian roared, looking like he was about to pounce on Girido at any moment.

"Ohh hoo!!" Girido laughed. "I'm SOOOO scared! Just sit down. You're embarrassing yourself in front of Lord Saulstrance."

"That's enough children." Z'haer butted in, sounding irritated by their fighting. "We're all working towards the same goal. So as long as we're working together, we might as well make nice."

"I can agree with that." Eig'nia replied, biting off some chicken skin.

Without saying anything else, Theian shrunk back into his chair and continued eating. For the rest of dinner, no one said anything. Once we were done, we just went straight to bed. I said goodnight to Alex who said goodnight back. Then I told Theian goodnight but he didn't say anything. He made his way to the door, followed by Girido, Eig'nia, and Z'haer. I closed the door to my room and went over to my window and watched as Theian opened a portal that he and the others went through.

I laid down in my bed, putting my arms behind my head, looking up at the ceiling as I thought about what happened at dinner tonight. I felt pretty bad for Theian. Girido knew how easy it was to make Theian angry and whenever they were together, he'd always try to make him mad. I didn't think Theian did anything to deserve that. Sometimes I wished that Girido would just leave him alone.

As I continued to think, there was a knock at my door. The door opened as Alex walked into my room. He sat down on the side of my bed and turned towards me.

"Hey man. Sorry Girido had to go and ruin your birthday." Alex said.

"It's okay, he didn't ruin it. It's just…I don't know…I think he's just a real jerk. I don't like him very much." I said.

"Just be glad dad didn't make you too work together." Alex added.

"I know right?" I said, sitting up and laughing. "It would've been worse if dad made him and Girido work together! Just think!"

"They'd end up killing each other!" Alex exclaimed.

"Yeah." I agreed.

Alex stood up and walked towards the open door. I laid back down and was about to close my eyes before Alex said my name.

"Oh! And, Jake?" Alex said.

"Yeah Alex?" I responded.

"Happy birthday, lil' bro."

I smiled. "Thanks, big bro."

Alex left my room and headed to his. I heard him say goodnight to dad as he passed him the hall. Just as I was about to turn off my light, dad came in, standing in the doorway. I turned over on my stomach and saw him looking over at me.

"So did you have a good birthday son?" Asked dad.

"Yeah. It was okay." I answered.

"I see that Alex got you a pretty neat birthday present." Dad said as he walked over to my PS5 that was still in the box.

"Hmm…Playstation 5…" Dad said as he picked my PS5 and studied it, turning the box over every few seconds and reading out loud what was on each side.  Being old and a dragon, I guessed that he didn't know much about video games. I wondered, if I was able to get dad to play some games, would he be any good?  …Probably not.

Dad placed my PS5 back on the ground and took a seat on my bed.

"Sorry that Theian and Girido ruined your birthday dinner." Dad said.

"It's okay. They didn't ruin it." I said, telling dad the same thing I told Alex.

"In addition to your video game, Alex and I also got you a chocolate cake. We were going to have some after dinner but…Well, maybe we can all have some tomorrow."

Dad stood up and walked to the door. He looked back at me one last time before leaving my room.

"Get some good sleep, Jakol. You have another big day of training tomorrow."

"I know." I said, shutting my eyes immediately after he said that.

"If training goes well tomorrow, I'll let you stay up until midnight so you can play your video games."

"Really?!" I said a little loudly, my eyes bursting open in excitement.

Dad shut off the lights and closed my door. I closed my eyes again and started to feel sleepy. I opened my eyes one last time so I could get a look at my PS5 once more. I blinked several times and then fell asleep.

The next day, Theian woke me and Alex up at around 9:00 in the morning so that we could get to the mall sooner.  Our training went until about 1:00. By then it was time for us to head to the mall.

Theian changed into his dragon form and instructed us to climb on. He crouched down so that me and Alex could get on his back.  Once we were aboard, Theian stood up and opened his wings.

"You know, I really don't think this is such a good idea." Theian muttered, lowering his head.

"Aw c'mon Theian! It'll be fun!!" I said in an excited voice, smiling widely.

"Fun for you kids! What am I supposed to do if some humans see me in this form?" Theian asked, sounding testy.

"Don't worry about it Theian! We'll cross that bridge when we come to it!" Alex said, sounding like he didn't have a care in the world.

"You kids are just trying to annoy me now, aren't you?" Theian sighed. "Oh well."

"Hold on tight!" Theian said and before we knew it, we were flying at superfast speeds straight into the air. First, we were thirty feet in the air, then fifty, one hundred; soon we were more than three hundred feet above the ground. I looked over the side just to see how high up we were. My body started to shake in fear as I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms tightly around Theian's neck. I knew I had wings and that if I did fall off, I could either fly back up or try and fly to the ground, but I didn't know just how long my wings would be able to carry me and I wasn't about to try.

We flew through the air, soaring high above the many houses, apartments, businesses, we were soaring over everything! I looked down again and saw all the people walking below us. They didn't even look like people, they looked more like ants. Even though I was still a little scared, I had to admit, I was having a lot of fun. Me and Alex, we were the only kids who ever got to ride on a dragon's back. I smiled at that thought. I thought it made us pretty cool.

"YEAH!!! WHOO!!! WHOOOOOOO!!!"  I shouted and cheered at the top of my voice, pumping my fist in the air a couple times.

"Isn't this awesome Alex?" I asked, turning around to face Alex and pushing my bangs back.

"Yeah! You havin' fun too Theian?" Alex asked, sounding excited, pushing his hair back too.

"It's not bad." Theian answered.

"Now hold on tight. I'm gonna show you kids something cool." Not sure what Theian meant but following his instruction anyway, I grabbed hold of Theian's neck and Alex wrapped his arms around my waist. Theian flew slightly higher and did two backflips. My legs pressed tightly against the sides of Theian's neck while Alex's dangled off the side.  I screamed, fearing thatmy arms wouldn't be able hold on and I'd fall off.

Once Theian stopped, I put my hand over my chest, taking as many deep breaths as I could. My eyes were wide and my heart was pounding.

"You okay Alex?" I asked.

"Ye-yeah." Alex responded, panting almost as badly as I was.

I shut my eyes, taking in one gigantic breath and exhaled. I looked down and saw that we were almost directly above the mall.

"Ooh, Theian! That's it! That's the mall!" I said, pointing ahead of us.

"Alright. Now the question is: Where can we land?" Said Theian.

"There's a parking garage built underneath the mall. We could fly through there." Alex said.

"Are there people in this parking garage?" Theian asked.

"Nah! Usually they're upstairs buying stuff." I said.

Theian flew around the mall, looking for the entrance to the parking garage. Once he found it, Theian swooped down into the garage, coming in for a rough landing as he collided into a car and me and Alex fell off of him. I looked at my knee and my elbow that had been scrapped. Although they weren't bleeding, they still hurt quite a bit so I rubbed them, trying to take some of the pain away. I saw that Alex was rubbing his arm and leg too. When I looked over at Theian, who had changed into his human form, I noticed that the car he crashed into was squished so it looked like one of those little box shaped cars. Two other cars had their backs destroyed and almost taken completely off by Theian's powerful tail.

"Umm…Oops?" I said nervously as the three of us stood up.

Panicking at the thought that one of the owners would come down and see what we did to their car, I looked around, hoping to find the escalator leading into the mall. I noticed it at the far end of the parking garage so I ran towards the escalator with Theian and Alex following behind me. We rode it up and a few seconds later, we were standing in the mall.

"Huh…Sure are a lot of people here." Theian said, walking forward and looking around in amazement.

"Haven't you ever been to the mall before Theian?" I asked.

Theian shook his head. "No. In fact, until now I never even knew what a mall was."

"Seriously?!" I asked, finding it hard to believe what he was saying. "Geez just how much time HAVE you spent in our world?"

"So Alex, you ready to buy me those games you promised?" I asked, smiling as I turned around and walked backwards.

"Yea-Yeah, sure…" Alex said dully.

"You okay Alex?" I asked, stopping in front of him.

"Huh?"

"I asked if you're okay." I said.

"Oh, yeah, sure I'm fine!" Alex said. "Well, come on Jake! Let's go get you some games!" Alex said, marching ahead of us.

Even though Alex said he was okay, I knew he wasn't. He always acted like this whenever we were around humans. When it was just us he was usually pretty happy but whenever we'd go somewhere like the movies or Gamestop, he'd always become really angry. I didn't really know much about what happened to Alex before my dad adopted him. He never wanted to talk about his past. All dad ever told me was that Alex's real dad, a human, did something terrible to his mom, a dragon, and that's how he came to live with us.

Theian and I followed after Alex as he made his way towards Gamestop. As I walked into the store, I bumped into a boy about my age who was just leaving, knocking his game out of his hand.

"Aw man I'm sorry!" I said as I bent over to pick up his game for him.

I handed the kid's game to him. He was about my height and had slightly tan skin and dark brown hair. He wore dark grey shorts and a white shirt with nothing on it. He thanked me and ran out the door, saying goodbye to the guy working at Gamestop who he called Billy.

As I walked over to the PS5 games, Billy asked me if I needed help finding anything. I told him that I was just looking right now as I kneeled down and glanced over the games. Not finding anything I wanted on that row, I stood up and browsed another row. This time I came across two games: One was Street Fighter 10 and the other, which was also a Street Fighter game was DC Heroes Vs Street Fighter, both of which were about $49.99. As badly as I wanted both games, I knew that was a lot of money so I'd probably only be able to get one. The question was which one? Both games sounded really good but eventually I settled on DC Heroes Vs Street Fighter since that one not only had the Street Fighter characters but also characters like Batman, Superman, Green Lantern and all the other DC superheroes.

With one game picked out, I figured I could probably get one more. This time I wanted to get a game like Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I remembered hearing that a new Final Fantasy came out a while ago that was kinda like Kingdom Hearts called Final Fantasy Versus 13 so I glanced around the middle shelves, looking for the "F" games. After searching for a little bit, I came across the game. As soon as I spotted it I picked up the game and placed it on top of my Street Fighter game. With my games picked out I took them over to Alex who was standing by the counter. Alex took the games and gave them to Billy.

"This it?" Asked Billy.

"Yeah." I responded.

Billy rang the games up.  They ended up being about ninety dollars together. Alex reached into his pocket, pulling out only forty dollars. I reached into my pocket to see if I had any money I could give Alex. I pulled out all of my money which was only thirty dollars. I didn't have enough to get both games.

"I don't have enough…" I said, disappointed.

"Well if you want, I could hold onto this for you for a couple of days." Billy offered, patting his hand on the game twice.

"That's okay." I said as I grabbed Final Fantasy Versus 13 and put it back on the shelf. I walked back to the counter.

"So just this today?" Billy asked, holding up Street Fighter.

"That's all." I said.

"Alright, then that will come to $51.10."

Alex handed all his money to Billy and I gave Billy two of my tens. He gave me my change and put my game in a bag which he handed to me.

Once we left Gamestop, I started to think about how badly I wanted to play that new Final Fantasy game. Of course DC Heroes Vs Street Fighter was cool enough but I thought it would just be awesome to get both games.

"Hey man, sorry I couldn't get you that other game." Alex said.

"It's okay Alex." I smiled to him, handing him the change Billy gave me. "I'll get to play it…someday."

As we strolled through the mall, my stomach growled.

"Hungry?" Theian asked.

I really was. After all, I didn't get to eat much today. All I had to eat was some breakfast and that only lasted me during training. What I really wanted to eat right now was a big, juicy cheeseburger, some French fries, a malt. Just thinking about all that food made me even hungrier.  Then I realized: Disco Burger!

"Hey guys! Wanna eat at Disco Burger?" I asked.

"Disco Burger"? Theian asked, not understanding what I was talking about.

"Yeah it's a restaurant. Follow me, I'll show ya."

And so I led Theian and Alex to Disco Burger. When we got there, Theian stood a couple feet in front of the entrance, looking up at it with an amazed look at his face.

"Come on! Let's go in!" I said

The three of us went into the restaurant. Inside, we had to wait in a line of five people. We waited for about a minute before we were seated. We sat at a table next to a window. Alex and Theian sat together in the booth on the left side of the table while I sat in the booth on the right. Alex and I grabbed ourselves each a menu while Theian continued to look around, still intrigued by this place. I grabbed a menu for Theian and handed it to him.

"What is this?" Theian asked.

"It's a menu. It shows you what kind of food the restaurant has." I explained.

"Huh…" Said Theian, sounding a little interested.

Theian opened his menu and looked through it. After a little while a waiter came to our table.

"Hello, my name is John and I'll be your waiter for today. Can I get you anything to drink?" The waiter asked.

"Can I get a coke?" I asked.

"Okay, a coke. And you?" The waiter asked Alex.

"I'll have what he's having." Alex answered.

"Another coke…And you?" The waiter asked Theian this time.

"What are these 'beverages'?" Theian asked.

"Umm sir, beverages are what you drink. You know, water, soda…That kind of stuff?"

"Okay…and what is 'soda'?" Theian asked again.

"You…you're joking right? You really don't know what a soda is?"

"I'm sorry!" I said, laughing uncomfortably. "He's my uncle! He's a bit weird. He's not from this world."

"Clearly…"  The waiter said, rolling his eyes.

Theian growled, looking angry at the waiter. He turned his head to the window.

"I'll just put him down for a coke too."  Once the waiter was done taking down our orders for what we wanted to drink, he went to go and get our sodas. A little while later he returned with three cokes. I grabbed my coke and gulped it down until there was only half a glass left.

"Aw man! That's good!" I said, sighing loudly.

"Whoa!" Alex said, amazed at how much I drank in such a short time.

Theian brought his glass to his lips. He took a sip of his soda, smacking his lips together a few times.

"Hmm…It's like water…but it's got a flavor to it. How's it made?" Theian asked, taking another sip.

"Umm…Umm…Well…" I said, not knowing the answer to that myself.

"Uh…" Alex stalled, also not knowing the answer.

"Well..., I don't…really know." I finally said.

"But…do you like it Theian?" I asked.

"It's not bad." Theian replied, taking another drink.

It was about another five minutes before the waiter came back to take our order. By then, me, Alex and Theian had finished our sodas. Much to my surprise, Theian somehow managed to finish his soda before I could get done with mine. I was watching in shock as Theian finished his soda in one gulp without even stopping to breathe.  I ordered a cheeseburger with a side of fries, Alex ordered the "Disco Double", a burger with twice the meat and twice the cheese, and Theian, not knowing what anything else on the menu was, just ordered the same thing I did. The waiter took our menus and our empty glasses and went into the kitchen. He returned a little later with our glasses refilled. He told us that our order would be ready shortly. A little while longer, he returned with our food

I ate several fries while Alex took a big bite of his Disco Burger. Theian, however, held the burger in his hand, looking at it like he was trying to figure out what it was.

"Theian, you gonna eat your burger?" I asked.

"Of course! It's just…I wonder what these are made from?" Theian said.

"They're made from cows." Alex said with his mouth full.

"This? This was made from a cow?" Theian asked, pointing at his burger.

"Well yeah." Alex said.

"This isn't a cow. I've eaten cows much bigger than this." Said Theian, setting his burger in his dish.

"Wait, you've eaten cows before? Like, cow cows, not burgers?" I asked, having a hard time believing what Theian was saying.

"Of course. I've eaten live cows, dead cows. I've also eaten stuff other than cows." Theian answered.

"Like what?" Alex asked, becoming interested.

"Hmm…Snakes, foxes, rabbits…I've even eaten bears before."

"What!" Alex said, smiling in disbelief. "No way! You haven't eaten a bear!"

"And what if I have? How would you know if you weren't there?" Theian replied.

"Do other dragons eat animals?" I asked.

"All dragons do. There are some dragons who will go only after small animals like rabbits or foxes. They are normally children or dragons who aren't necessarily the best hunters. There are also dragons who are against eating live animals. They will only take the carcasses of animals that are already dead. But then you have the dragons who like to hunt bigger targets. These are the dragons that will go after prey such as lions, tigers, bears. They're the risk takers.

"Whoa!" I said in amazement. "There are dragons that hunt lions?!"

I couldn't believe it. It sounded so awesome and yet so unreal. I knew I'd never be brave enough to try and take on a lion or a tiger or a bear. I'd be way too scared. But if Theian was strong enough to beat a bear, then he was even cooler than I thought he was.

"Theian! The next time you go hunting, please, take me and Alex with you!!" I pleaded.

"No." Theian answered quickly.

"What? Why?" I whined.

"Because it's too dangerous, that's why! If something happened to you boys, what would Saulstrance do? Besides, what good would a kid who's too afraid to use his own powers be on a hunt?"

Hearing Theian say that really hurt my feelings. I grabbed my burger, turned away from him and started eating it again without saying anything else to him. Theian just didn't understand. None of them did. It was my powers that made people hate me. It was my powers that kept driving friends away. I didn't want to use my powers because I was sick of them hurting people. Deep down, I didn't want people to see me as a monster. I just wanted them to see me as a normal kid.

When we had finished eating, our bill came to $18.75. I payed for all our food, leaving me with only a dollar and twenty five cents left.

Our flight back to the house was a quiet one. I didn't have anything to say to Alex or Theian. I just couldn't stop thinking about what Theian said to me. Over and over I kept hearing in my head, "What good is a kid who's too afraid to use his own powers?"

"Jake?" Theian called to me.

"Yeah?" I said in a slightly sad voice.

"Look, what I said at the restaurant…I'm sorry. That was a terrible thing for me to say."

"It's okay." I said, accepting his apology.

"But I still stand by what I said. I don't want you or Alex coming with me on my hunts. The kind of animals I hunt are too dangerous for you boys and I don't want anything happening to you. Saulstrance put me in charge of you two and that means I also have to watch out for your safety."

"I understand." I said, smiling.

While I was still a little hurt by what Theian said, his apology made me feel a little bit better. And even though I still thought it would have been pretty neat to see how a dragon like Theian hunts, I knew I shouldn't keep arguing with him. Besides, right now it was time for something just as neat.

It was game time!

[animeboye]

Yeah, I know, I'm really late with this, but well, I've been working on it throughout all of 2024, taking breaks in between to work on other projects which will be added on here someday. This marks the first time I've ever drawn Titus along with his dragon family. A buddy of mine suggested that for when I publish this series, I give Titus a set of biological siblings along with his dragon parents, which I think should be a good idea. I'm not going to introduce them into the web novel right now since, as of writing this, the main series is nearing conclusion, so it'd be too late to properly bring them into the story, but they will make appearances in shorts that I've been writing for Dragon's World which I'll be uploading here eventually, so you'll get to know who Titus's brothers and sister are. From the top, we have Minasha on the left and Cerquil on the right. On the bottom row, we have Entol, the sand-colored dragon, Alkhia, the green dragon and only girl of the siblings, Titus himself, the main character of Dragon's World, and Dontrot, the darker blue dragon. These four all hatched from the same clutch of eggs, which, in their world, sees them as quadruplets. Something that is just as unusual in their world as it is in ours. The background I used was provided by Adobe. If I remembered where I found it, I'd provide a link to credit the original artist, but I don't. Sorry, but if the artist sees this pic, please let me know, provide me a link, and I'll credit you. Everything else was made by yours truly.

Anyway, hope 2024 was good for everyone, and I hope you like this pic. It took me a long time to get it finished, but I hope it was worth it. See you in 2025.

[animeboye]

Dragon's World Past Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Dragons at Dinner

Saulstrance, Tourajé, and Eig’nia traveled through the portal in a hurry.

“Eig’nia!” Cried Saulstrance. “Is there anyone behind us?”

Eig’nia looked behind herself. She breathed a sigh of relief when she discovered that no one was following behind. She informed her friends that everything was fine. There was no one behind them. They too sighed in relief.

Shortly after, the exit appeared before them. With a blinding flash of light, the three friends found themselves in a very familiar setting: they were in the same forest where they first met Cyrus. The sun was just beginning to set, small beams of light poking through the wooded area. Pretty much everywhere else in the forest was dark.

The dragons changed into their human forms and journeyed through the woods as they made their way to Cyrus’ house. As they came out of the woods, Tourajé couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened. However, although he still felt uneasy about taking Raolef’s life, there was something else now that was bothering him. It was something that Raolef said right before his passing: “I leave the rest to you…Zano and To…”

It was the last name that was bothering Tourajé. He wasn’t quite certain but he had a feeling he knew what the rest of that name was. He just hoped that for his sake, as well as Saulstrance’s and Eig’nia’s that he was wrong and that that name didn’t belong to the dragon he was thinking about.

“Hey! Tourajé” Saulstrance called to his friend.

“Huh?”

With his concentration having been broken, Tourajé found that he was falling far behind his friends who were standing before the exit to the woods. Tourajé apologized for falling behind and rushed over to his friends.

“Are you okay, Tourajé?” Asked Eig’nia.

“I’m fine. Just a little shaken up, that’s all.” Tourajé lied, trying his best not to make his friends worry too much.

Despite Tourajé’s reassurance, both dragons knew that there was something else going on with him. Concerned for his friend, Saulstrance asked Tourajé if he was sure he was okay. Tourajé said again that he was fine and that they didn’t need to worry about him. Although they were still obviously worried, Saulstrance and Eig’nia decided not to pester Tourajé about it anymore. If he didn’t want to talk about it then they felt that it wouldn’t be right of them to try to force him to tell them.

Cyrus’ village was only a mile away from them. Once they arrived, they immediately headed for Cyrus’ house, bidding hello to the villagers they passed, including Robert who, despite his old age, was able to defeat Tourajé in a sword wielding contest. The older man asked the three dragons turned humans how they had been and asked Tourajé if he had been practicing with his sword. Tourajé shook his head and explained that he hadn’t had time as of late. Robert, disappointed to hear that, still understood and urged Tourajé to practice when he got the chance. Tourajé assured him that he would and promised him that the next time they dueled, not only would it be a great rematch but he would win. Robert laughed heartily. He truly and deeply admired the young dragon-boy’s confidence.

Bidding farewell to each other, Robert, as well as Saulstrance and his friends parted ways as the latter continued to Cyrus’ house. Once there, Eig’nia knocked at the door. After a moment, Miranda came to the door. She was more than happy to see her fellow dragon kin again. Although she had seen Saulstrance only a few days ago, it had been a little while longer since she saw Tourajé and Eig’nia. She urged them to come in and get comfortable. She poured cups of water for the three of them and brought the cups over to the dragons who had taken their seats at her kitchen table. She sat down at the other side of the table across from them and as they proceeded to take a drink, she asked them what brought them back to her village so late in the day.

Saulstrance sighed. “We’re here because…we need to hide.”

“Hide? Who do you need to hide from?” Miranda gasped, caught off guard by what Saulstrance had told her.

“The followers of the Leader, Raolef.” Eig’nia explained.

“We, or more specifically, I…killed him.” Tourajé concluded, a tone of disappointment and regret in his voice.

Miranda didn’t understand. “Why? Why would you kill him? I mean, I didn’t live in the village that he was Leader of but from what I heard about him, he seemed like a fair and kind ruler.”

“We never really knew much about Raolef but according to our master Léruc, what you said wasn’t quite the case.” Eig’nia said, gripping her cup a little tighter.

The three dragons went on to explain what Léruc told them about Raolef: that he was planning to launch an attack against this world and that, while they weren’t sure just when the attack would commence, they couldn’t allow Raolef to go through with it. They snuck into his fortress, taking great care to avoid his guards, and attacked him. Just as they had finished what they were sent to do, they were discovered by Raolef’s guards, his Champion, and his apprentice. It was then that they fled to the human realm where they believed they would be able to hide for the time being.

Miranda was speechless. She hadn’t the slightest idea. While still confused and trying to make sense of what she was just told, she figured that if what they were telling her was true, then she should thank them for saving not just her, Cyrus, and Bill but also the entire world. In the time that she had spent in the human realm, she had truly come to love the world she called her home. It would have pained her deeply for something to happen to her friends and family.

“Oh! It looks like Cyrus and Thomas are back!” Miranda said, beaming as she saw her son and husband from out the window.

The door opened and Cyrus and his father stepped into their house. The two of them were both surprised and overjoyed to see Saulstrance, Tourajé, and Eig’nia had come to pay them a visit. Cyrus eagerly greeted his friends and asked them what brought them here so late in the day. Although the three dragons felt slightly annoyed that they would have to explain everything again, they still went ahead and told Cyrus and his dad the same thing they told his mom.

After having listened to the story, Cyrus and his father were just as surprised as his mother was. And just like his mother, while they weren’t sure how to respond to this information, they were still grateful to the three dragons for saving them and their world.

Both Saulstrance and Eig’nia blushed bashfully, looking away from Cyrus and his family. Tourajé, however, didn’t feel the same excitement and admiration that his friends were feeling. He rose from his chair and proceeded towards the door.

“Tourajé, where are you going?” Asked Eig’nia.

“I just need to get some air. I’ll be back in a moment.” Tourajé replied before shutting the door behind him.

The five of them looked at each other, unsure of what was bothering Tourajé.

“Is Tourajé okay?” Cyrus asked, concerned for his friend.

Saulstrance shook his head. “I don’t think so. He was like this when we arrived and for some reason, he wouldn’t tell us what was wrong.” He explained.

“Do you think it’s because he took Raolef’s life?” Asked Miranda theoretically.

Saulstrance and Eig’nia both believed that that was only part of it. While killing Raolef bothered them as well, they weren’t nearly as shaken up as Tourajé was. They believed there was something else that was bothering him. What that something was though, they couldn’t guess.

Cyrus wondered if it might be a good idea to go find Tourajé and see if he’s okay. Saulstrance decided against it. He believed that for right now, it might be best to just let Tourajé be. Perhaps being by himself was what Tourajé needed right now as both Saulstrance and Eig’nia believed that maybe it would allow him to clear his head. Then afterwards, maybe Tourajé would come clean with them and reveal what it was that’s been bothering him.

Night soon fell upon the village. All that could be heard were the sounds of the crickets chirping and the watermill’s wheel turning. Tourajé walked through the village, drinking the peacefulness in. It helped to quell his worries for that moment as he took in a deep breath and exhaled. Feeling less worried and anxious, Tourajé made his way back to Cyrus’ house where the half-dragon boy’s parents were finishing preparing dinner.

At Cyrus’ house, Cyrus and his friends were sitting at the table as his parents brought their dinner over to the table. The dinner consisted of two fish Cyrus and his dad caught the other day cut into several portions, three loaves of bread, and several large slices of ham. To drink, they were given cups of water. Just as they were placing the last bowl on the table, the door opened and Tourajé came into the house. Sighing with relief, he took his seat next to Saulstrance where he found his dinner ready and waiting for him.

“Are you feeling any better, Tourajé?” Cyrus asked his friend.

“Yes a lot. I just needed to clear my head. Walking around your village definitely helped with that.” Said Tourajé, smiling at Cyrus, showing the half-dragon he was grateful for his concern.

“Rather peaceful, isn’t it? That’s one reason I love living here.” Said Thomas as he sat down in his chair.

“It reminds me a lot of home. Every night is always so calm and quiet. It really helps wash away your worries.” Tourajé said.

Once everyone had sat down, they began to eat. This experience came as a surprise to the three dragons. Not only were they disguised as humans but they were eating as humans too. Aside from fish, they had never even seen the food that was presented in front of them. Saulstrance reached for a piece of bread. He held it in front of him, studying it for a bit. It didn’t feel like anything he had ever felt before. He held it up to his nose and sniffed it, finding no odor. Finally, he brought it to his mouth and bit into it. It didn’t have much taste to it but it was still able to overwhelm the dragon based on the factor that it was something completely new that he was eating. Saulstrance finished his loaf of bread and grabbed two more.

“Hey now, save some for the rest of us!” Thomas laughed, grabbing a slice for himself before Saulstrance could get it.

They all continued to eat until every single morsel of food had been cleared from the plates. Although it had just been dinner, Saulstrance, Tourajé, and Eig’nia found it to be a rather interesting experience. They hoped that maybe they might get to do it again sometime.

The dragons helped Cyrus and his parents clear the table. Afterwards, the four friends decided that, before bed, they’d go outside and watch the stars together.

As they lay in the grass, Cyrus put his arms behind his head and watched with his friends. Stars covered the entire sky and a big beautiful full moon shone down onto them. The four of them were transfixed on the sky, not uttering a single word as they laid there, soaking it all in.

Cyrus closed his eyes and sighed. With a smile on his face, he opened his eyes and turned and looked at his friends. He was happy to be with them. Although he loved life in his village and the human side of himself, he was glad he was getting to experience what it was like as a dragon. Before they came along, the only other dragon he knew was his own mother. He wondered if Eig’nia, Tourajé, and Saulstrance felt the same way about getting to experience being humans.

“Cyrus. Have you ever seen the rest of your world?” Saulstrance asked curiously.

“No. There’s a town a couple miles from here that my parents and I go to sometimes to buy stuff but other than that, I’ve never really seen the rest of the world.” Cyrus answered.

“Do you ever wonder what’s out there?” Eig’nia asked this time.

“Sometimes. I know there are cities that make the town I told you about look tiny and there are far, far, more people in those cities than there are here.” Explained Cyrus.

“No way!” Exclaimed Saulstrance in utter disbelief.

“It’s true!” Cyrus exclaimed as he jerked upwards and glanced down at Saulstrance.

One by one, Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and Tourajé also sat up.

“ Do you ever want to see the rest of this world, Cyrus?” Tourajé asked.

Cyrus shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe someday. But for right now, I’m happy just living here. Because this is where my friends and family are.” The young half-dragon smiled.

Cyrus yawned and rubbed his eyes. He was beginning to grow drowsy. His yawning made the three dragons yawn as well. They had gotten so caught up in star gazing and talking that they hadn’t even noticed just how tired they were. The four of them decided to call it a night. Saulstrance and his friends knew that where they would be sleeping: it was the same bedroom they stayed in during their first visit to the human realm. They bid good night to Cyrus who wished them a good night back.

Entering the room, they saw the same to beds as before, waiting there for them. Saulstrance wondered which one he should take. Since there were only two of them that meant that he would either have to sleep with Tourajé or Eig’nia. Eventually, he decided to take the right bed but just before he could take more than a step, Eig’nia made her way over to the bed that Saulstrance had planned to take. He figured that maybe he would be sleeping with Eig’nia. Saulstrance didn’t see a problem with it. Eig’nia was just as good a friend as Tourajé. It didn’t matter to him whose bed he slept in so long as he actually got some sleep.

As Eig’nia climbed into bed, she saw Saulstrance approaching the bed she had claimed.

“Uhh, Saulstrance, no offense but I think it might be best if you sleep with Tourajé tonight.” Eig’nia said, feeling uncomfortable having a dragon sleeping in the same bed as her.

“Why can’t I sleep here?” Saulstrance asked, not understanding why she didn’t want him sleeping next to her.

“Because I’m a young, innocent dragoness!” Exclaimed Eig’nia.

As she turned her back to her friends to try and get some sleep, Saulstrance and Tourajé looked at her, not understanding what that was supposed to mean. Feeling unusually awkward after Eig’nia’s comment, Saulstrance went over to Tourajé’s bed and climbed under the blanket. Shortly thereafter, the three dragons fell asleep.

The next day, Cyrus awoke three and a half hours before his friends. After having breakfast, he asked his parents to let his friends know that he was going into the woods to practice flying. As soon as Saulstrance, Tourajé, and Eig’nia woke up, Cyrus’ parents informed them that he was in the woods practicing flying. Before Cyrus’ parents even got the chance to ask them if they wanted breakfast, they rushed out the door and headed after Cyrus.

In the woods, Cyrus sat on a log, panting. He had spent so long training almost nonstop that his wings were beginning to cramp. Cyrus thought about how badly he wanted to fly. He could already fly somewhat but he wanted to be better than just “somewhat”. He wanted to be good enough to fly with his friends and his mom. He wanted to be able to fly with them. Cyrus wasn’t about to give up though. He was going to keep practicing as hard as he could until he was good enough to fly like his mom, Saulstrance, Tourajé, and Eig’nia.

And as he thought about them, Saulstrance and the others came up behind him. Tourajé placed a hand on Cyrus’ shoulder startling the young half-dragon and snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Geez!” Said Cyrus breathless. “Don’t do that!”

Tourajé was just as startled as Cyrus. “Whoa! I’m sorry!” He exclaimed.

Cyrus sighed. “It’s alright.”

Saulstrance and the others sat down on some logs that were next to the one Cyrus was sitting on. Eig’nia asked Cyrus why he came here to practice flying. Cyrus explained to them that he wanted to teach himself to fly as well as they and his mom could. He might have had human blood but he also had the blood of a dragon coursing through his veins so, he figured, he should learn how to fly like a dragon.

“Is that the only reason?” Asked Tourajé, believing there was more to what Cyrus was saying than he was letting on.

“Well…the thing is…I also want to learn so that we can all fly together. But also because…I’m a little envious.” Cyrus explained, feeling a little ashamed to have said that.

“Envious of what? Us?” Eig’nia asked, not understanding what Cyrus meant.

“Yes! Of you guys and my mom! I can’t even fly half as good as you four can. My wings are just…not strong enough.” Cyrus said sadly.

Hearing this made Tourajé, Saulstrance, and Eig’nia feel sorry for their friend. They had no idea Cyrus felt this way. They wished there was something they could do for him.

“Maybe I’m just not supposed to fly…” Cyrus said in an even sadder voice. He sounded like he was almost on the verge of tears.

Saulstrance went up to his friend. He sat beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Cyrus…maybe you’ll fly someday…and maybe you won’t. But you shouldn’t try to fly just because we can. We’re us and you’re you. Don’t try to learn to fly for us. Learn to fly for yourself.” Saulstrance said, trying to help his friend.

“While we’re here, we’ll try to help you as much as we can, Cyrus.” Tourajé promised.

Saulstrance nodded in agreement. Eig’nia promised Cyrus that she would help too. Cyrus was deeply moved by his friends’ kindness. He smiled and thanked them from the bottom of his heart.

A week had passed since then. During each of those seven days, Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and Tourajé would journey to the woods every afternoon with Cyrus to teach him to fly and there they would stay until it had become dark. Cyrus could tell his wings were growing a little stronger each day and the more he practiced, the farther and farther he would get from the ground. Eventually, he was able to fly above the forest, and ascend past the trees. He would fly higher and higher above the trees and he would realize that his wings weren’t tiring in the slightest. Cyrus was elated at this. He couldn’t believe how far he had come thanks to his friends.  It was such an incredible feeling being able to fly even higher than he ever could before and knowing that he had his friends there to help him out.

“Nice job, Cyrus! Now try to come back down!” He heard Tourajé call up to him.

Cyrus decreased his wing beats as he descended back into the forest. Being careful to avoid catching his wings on a tree branch, Cyrus eventually touched ground where he was met with praise from his friends who were almost as ecstatic as he was at the incredible amount of progress he had made in the past week.

“Very well done, Cyrus!” Tourajé said proudly. “Keep practicing and you’ll get better and better!”

“We knew you could do it!” Saulstrance said, smiling.

“You’ve really come a long way. How do you feel?” Asked Eig’nia.

“Really good actually. My wings don’t feel quite as tired as they used to get if I tried to fly that long AND I’m managing to fly over the forest!” Cyrus exclaimed, his smile growing ever wider.

The three dragons felt proud not just of Cyrus but of themselves for helping him. Just a week ago, Cyrus was deeply saddened at the prospect of never being able to fly. Now, he seemed like a completely different person. He was more confident, more happy. He seemed as though he thought he’d be able to do anything.

Just then, Tourajé’s tail began to move on its own. The four of them watched as Tourajé’s tail dug into the ground and wrote something. With the leaves covering the ground, it was a little hard to make out what it was writing but as Tourajé moved the leaves aside, the message became a bit clearer.

“TIME TO RETURN” his tail had written.

The three of them knew what this must have been: Master Léruc had somehow taken control of Tourajé’s tail to give them this message. They had been with Cyrus for so long that they were actually feeling a little disappointed that they had to leave now.  And, since they had been in human form for so long, they were starting to become somewhat used to living as humans would.

“I guess we have to go.” Eig’nia said a little disappointedly.

“Oh…” Said Cyrus, equally as disappointed.

Saulstrance opened a portal that would take them back home. Just as they were about to step through, they turned back to Cyrus, who was waving goodbye to them but with a slightly saddened look on his face.

“Don’t be sad, Cyrus. We’ll be back!” Eig’nia promised.

“I know you will. I guess I wish you could have stayed a little longer. Well, the next time you see me, my wings will be so strong, they’ll be stronger than all three of you combined.” Cyrus boasted, even though he knew such a feat was more than likely impossible.

Tourajé smiled at his friend’s declaration. Cyrus was reminding Tourajé of himself with that statement. The three of them thought that maybe Tourajé was beginning to rub off on Cyrus.

Looking back one final time, the three dragons bid farewell to Cyrus who bid farewell back to them. Once Saulstrance stepped through, the portal behind them closed, leaving Cyrus in the woods by himself. He smiled, thinking of how much progress he had made on his flying and how much of it was thanks to his friends. He promised not just them but himself as well that the next time they would meet, he would be an even better flyer!

[animeboye]

Dragon's World Past Chapter 10

Chapter 10:  Dragon’s Creed

As the three dragons prepared to set off, Léruc stepped out from his fortress to wish them luck. Saulstrance smiled and promised his master that they’d make it back. As the three friends opened their wings and prepared to take off, Léruc stopped them once more.

“I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this but the fate of both worlds rests with you three. Should you fall, both worlds will fall into disarray.” Léruc said gravely.

“We understand sir. We promise we won’t let that happen.” Eig’nia said with determination in her voice.

“Very good.” The old dragon smiled at his students. “And Tourajé?”

“Sir?” Asked Tourajé.

“You want humans and dragons to be able to live together, correct? I desire the same thing. However, as long as Raolef and his aspirations still live, our goals won’t be met. Explained Léruc with a glum look on his face.

“I understand sir.” Tourajé said.

Saulstrance and his friends lifted off the ground and into the sky.  Tourajé predicted that it would most likely take them about two hours to reach Aanki. With that window of time he thought that it would be a good time to go over their master’s instructions once more before they reached the village.

“Understood? Remember, we can’t be seen once we’ve entered Raolef’s fortress. If we are, we won’t be able to fight against him, his guards, or his apprentice and Champion. Like Lord Léruc said: we need to be sneaky.” Tourajé instructed.

Saulstrance and Eig’nia nodded together, showing Tourajé that they understood. Eig’nia giggled a bit. Curious, Tourajé asked the dragoness what she found funny. Eig’nia explained to her friends that it wasn’t that she thought something was funny. She just thought that Tourajé, with how serious and mentorlike he could be, would make a pretty good Leader. Eig’nia also concluded by noting in a somewhat teasing fashion that Tourajé was kind of cute when he was like that. Her comment made Tourajé’s mouth drop open. He looked away, blushing in embarrassment. Eig’nia’s comment about Tourajé being “cute” didn’t sit too well with Saulstrance however.

“Hey! I can be cute too! AND I’d be just as good a Leader as Tourajé!” Protested Saulstrance jealously.

“Aww don’t worry Saulstrance! You don’t need to be jealous!” Teased Tourajé playfully.

“I—I’m not jealous! I just…I just think I’d be a good Leader too! That’s all!” Saulstrance stuttered.

“I think you would both make good Leaders.” Eig’nia smiled.

“But which one of us would be the better Leader?” Saulstrance asked, sounding as if he was starting to take it just a bit too personally.

Tourajé groaned. He told Saulstrance that he didn’t need to turn it into a contest. Eig’nia explained to the both of them that she believed they would both make good Leaders but for completely different reasons: Tourajé she believed would make a good Leader because of his strength and determination and Saulstrance because of his kindness and dedication towards his friends and others. Tourajé agreed with his friend. He believed that the features Eig’nia just described him and Saulstrance as having complimented each other very well. As she thought about it more, Eig’nia began to wonder out loud what traits she had that would be good for a Leader to have. She didn’t have to think about it for too long as her friends immediately told her what features they thought she had.

“You’ve always been very supportive.” Tourajé smiled.

Saulstrance agreed. “And you can be a pretty unconventional thinker. Remember how you beat Mayza during the exams ten years ago? I don’t think I would’ve thought of that.” The reddish orange scaled dragon laughed heartily.

Eig’nia smiled at her friends and thanked them. She was more than happy to have them in her life. No matter who became their master’s apprentice or became Leader, be it Saulstrance, Tourajé, or Eig’nia herself, she felt that she would be happy with the outcome no matter what.

After about an hour and a half, the three dragons arrived at the village of Aanki. There were a few dragons out and around, one flying overhead while two others drank from a small stream. There were also four hatchlings who were playing together, two of whom were rolling around together in a ball while the other two laughed and ran after their friends. Eig’nia smiled as she watched the four hatchlings playing. She thought they were pretty cute. Saulstrance looked around the small village. He noted that it didn’t seem all that different from his own village. It was just as peaceful and serene. Tourajé, in the meantime, looked around for Raolef’s fortress. He noticed what he deduced must have been the fortress poking over a plateau. He headed in that direction with Saulstrance and Eig’nia following behind him. As Eig’nia followed behind her friends, the two hatchlings that were rolling around crashed into her left front leg. They were broken out of their rolling around and lay spread out on the ground.

“Oww, oww…” The little dragon said to herself as she rubbed her front paw over her back leg, trying to soothe the pain.

“I’m so sorry!” Eig’nia said in a panic as she helped the little dragons up. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay now. That just hurt a little.” The young dragoness answered.

“I’m okay too!” The dragoness’ friend exclaimed.

“That’s good.” Eig’nia smiled.

“I’ve never seen you around here before. Are you from another village?” The young boy dragon asked.

Eig’nia nodded. She explained to them that she was from the village of Riotak as were her friends.

“We’ve never been to any of the other villages. Is yours far away?” The little dragoness asked.

Until now Eig’nia had never been to any of the other villages either. Considering how long it took them to get to Aanki, she would have had to say that it was pretty far.

While Eig’nia talked with the two hatchlings, their friends ran up next to them, asking them what they were doing. They explained that they were just talking with…and they paused. They realized they never asked the older dragoness her name.

“I’m Eig’nia.” Eig’nia introduced herself. “And what are your names?”

“My name is Minasha. This is Cerquil, Ontrix, and Angela.” Said the little dragoness, introducing herself and her friends.

Eig’nia was surprised when she heard the name of the last hatchling. Angela? That didn’t sound like a dragon’s name at all. Curious, Eig’nia asked Angela where her name came from. The small cerulean colored dragoness didn’t understand the older dragoness’ question. In a confused tone, she simply said that her name came from her parents. Eig’nia corrected her, explaining that she meant what made her parents choose to name her Angela. This was a story that Angela’s parents often told her: when they were younger, they used to journey to the human realm quite often. On one of their trips there, they met a kind old woman who was named Angela. This woman was the first and only human who Angela’s parents revealed their true selves to. With each consecutive visit to the human realm, they would teach Angela a bit about their world an in return, she taught the dragons about hers. One of the things she taught them was where her name came from. She explained that her parents followed what was known in their world as a religion and that a big part of this religion were beings called angels. Her parents named her Angela after these creatures because they wished for her to grow up to be as kind and as loving as the angels spoken of in stories. A few years after having met Angela, the old woman passed away.  In remembrance of her, they gave their first child her name.

Eig’nia found it very touching that this little dragoness’ parents would do that. She complimented Angela on her name, telling her she thought it was a very pretty name. This made the little dragoness grin.

“Thanks! My mom and dad said they once thought of naming me something else but they couldn’t remember what the name was.” Angela said.

Looking back towards her friends who had been waiting for her, Eig’nia quickly remembered they had something to do. She had gotten so caught up in talking with the hatchlings that the mission had completely slipped away from her. She bid farewell to the dragon children and went over to her friends. They continued on their path to Raolef’s fortress.

“They seemed like cute little hatchlings.” Said Saulstrance.

“They were.” Eig’nia said back with a smile. She looked back at the hatchlings one last time, noticing that they had gone back to playing.

“They remind me a bit of Utzie.” Said Tourajé, stopping and turning to the hatchlings.

Saulstrance and Eig’nia also turned around. It made them happy to see hatchlings like those four so happy and innocent. They didn’t know about what their Leader was planning and they didn’t have to deal with the inevitability that they would have to be the ones to end his life. Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and  Tourajé hoped that they’d never have to deal with the kind of things they were about to either.

“Hatchlings like them and my little brother are the major reasons why I want to see humans and dragons able to live together. So that they can learn and grow in two peaceful worlds.” Tourajé explained.

“And that’s why we’re going to stop Raolef and his plans. That way, we’ll be one step closer to helping you achieve your dream, Tourajé!” Smiled Saulstrance, a confident, determined look in his eyes.

“Thank you.” Tourajé smiled at his friend.

The three continued on their way to Raolef’s fortress. They walked for a short time, then flew into the sky high above the fortress so that Raolef’s guards wouldn’t see them. They circled over the fortress, observing the top. One guard stood atop the fortress, keeping a close eye out for any activity below. Getting past him was not going to be easy. They tried to think up a plan. Knocking him out probably was not the best option. What if one of the other guards were to come to speak with him and noticed him unconscious? That would raise alarm. They couldn’t just fight him either. The commotion would alert the others. Behind the guard on the ground there was a large wooden door with a round handle at the bottom. They wondered if they might be able to sneak past him and get in without him noticing. They quickly decided that that probably wouldn’t work either.

Just then, a blessing in disguise presented itself. The door opened as another guard emerged. The two guards talked for a second then together the two of them went back into the fortress. With the coast clear, the three friends descended. They landed in front of the door. Before opening, the three of them overheard the guards talking from inside. Their voices grew quieter and quieter until eventually, they couldn’t hear them anymore. This was their time to strike. Clenching the door handle in his mouth, Saulstrance pulled the door open. The three of them quickly hurried inside before the guards could take notice of anything suspicious.

It was pitch black inside. Saulstrance couldn’t even see his friends even though he knew they were right in front of him. Slowly, they crept down the steps, taking great care not to make the slightest wrong move. The stairway was long, it felt like it went on forever. What made it worse was that they still couldn’t see. They each kept a wing pressed against the wall to help guide them along. As they continued on, a feint glow made itself known to the dragons. There were several lit torches ahead of them. They just barely lit up the way. It was at this point that they decided to continue the rest of the way by flying. Slowly, they flapped their wings and raised themselves all the way up to the ceiling where they were once more obscured by darkness. They continued to slowly flap their wings as they moved along the ceiling.

Continuing further on, they were met with a slightly greater glow than the ones given off by the torches that hung on the walls by the stairs. They had come to a room occupied by three guards. There were several torches lit in different corners of the room. The guards lay in front of these torches.

One of the guards stretched his wings, yawning as he did so. The other guards yawned as well with one of them chastising the others for yawning as it was making him yawn too.

Eig’nia and Tourajé kept an eye on the guards as Saulstrance quickly looked around, trying to find a path for them to take. His work was soon done for him as another dragon came into the room.

“Courkin, Lord Raolef needs to see you.” The dragon said.

“Right now, Zano? I was just about to relax.” The dragon now identified as Courkin whined. “Let’s go, Courkin! If you don’t go see him right away, then that’s going to reflect badly on me!” Zano exclaimed.

Courkin sighed. He stood up and followed Zano. Saulstrance, Tourajé, and Eig’nia tailed the two dragons, expecting to be led straight to Raolef.

“I must say, Zano, the life of a Champion sounds pretty rough if you gotta take the fall for us.” Courkin said.

“It’s a small price to pay. Besides, you know Lord Raolef can be stern with us but it’s just because he expects us to give our best for him. Deep down, he is kind.” Explained Zano.

“I know he is. I just believe he should take it a bit easier on us. Especially on his Champion and his apprentice. You two have it rougher than us guards and the captain combined.” Said Courkin, sounding concerned.

“Maybe so, but that’s because, when Lord Raolef’s time as Leader comes to an end, one of us will take his place.” Zano said.

With the kind of plan Raolef had, his end as Leader would be coming sooner than later Tourajé thought to himself. Although all three dragons were determined to stop Raolef, Tourajé was the most determined out of all of them. After all, if they failed, both worlds would fall into disaster and he couldn’t let that happen.

They continued to follow Zano and Courkin for a time. Eventually, the two of them entered into another room. This room had to have been where Raolef was they thought. Sure enough, their hunches were confirmed as Zano spoke his master’s name, letting him know that he brought Zano with him. Raolef thanked his Champion and dismissed him. Saulstrance and his friends watched as Zano left the room and headed back in the direction he came from.

Saulstrance and the others couldn’t make out what Courkin and Raolef were talking about but they knew it must have been important as they had been taking a rather long time. Eig’nia wondered aloud if perhaps they were discussing their plans for the attack on the human realm. Saulstrance wasn’t sure but replied with a “maybe”.

They kept an eye on the room, anxiously waiting for them to step out. They continued to grow antsy. How much of an evil plan did an evil dragon really need to go over? Saulstrance couldn’t take anymore waiting. He was ready to rush into Raolef’s room and just take him and Courkin out. Before he could even make the attempt however, both Raolef and Courkin stepped out of the room. Raolef dismissed his guard and ordered him to return to his post.

“Yes sir.” Courkin said with a small nod.

As Courkin hurried back to his post, Raolef returned to his room. Once they were sure the coast was clear, the three dragons made their move. They quickly swooped into Raolef’s room and lowered to the ground. Raolef stood with his back turned to them.

“And who might you be?” The dragon asked.

“We’re the protégés of Lord Léruc. He sent us to put a stop to your plans.” Announced Saulstrance.

“My plans? What are you talking about?” Raolef asked.

“You don’t need to play dumb, Raolef. Our master told us you planned to launch an attack against the human realm.” Tourajé said in a somewhat angry tone.

Nothing was said for a moment. Then suddenly, a loud sigh came from Raolef. He swung around so that he was facing the three intruders.

“Is that what he told you? That I was going to attack the human realm?” Asked Raolef somewhat defensively.

Saulstrance and his friends didn’t respond.

“Listen to me. I have no desire to attack the world of the humans. You’ve been lied to.” Raolef said with a serious look in his eyes.

What Raolef said greatly angered Saulstrance. Who was this dragon to call Léruc, the dragon who took care of Saulstrance his whole life and raised him like his own child a “liar”?

Enraged at Raolef’s words, Saulstrance pounced only for Raolef to step back. He smacked Saulstrance in the face with his tail, knocking him off his feet and crashing into the wall. Tourajé and Eig’nia knew that wasn’t a good sign. They had to end this right away. Any more commotion would surely attract the attention of the guards, Champion, and apprentice.

The two of them charged at Raolef. As they attacked, Tourajé was yelling at himself internally. Why didn’t he just attack Raolef when his guard was down, when he didn’t expect them? He felt incredibly stupid. Unfortunately for Tourajé he was a bit too focused on his messing up. This allowed Raolef the opportunity to attack. He smashed into Tourajé, sending the younger dragon colliding into the same wall that Saulstrance had crashed into.

“Oh no…” Tourajé groaned. They were making far too much noise.

Both Saulstrance and Tourajé got back on their feet. They watched as Raolef continued on the offensive as he fought Eig’nia. The dragoness was just barely able to avoid his attacks.  Tourajé and Saulstrance knew they had to help her. The two of them both tried to quickly think up a plan. They had to put a stop to this. Everyone had surely been alerted by now. If Raolef’s guards as well as his Champion and apprentice got there before they completed what they were sent to do, then they would be done for. The three of them knew there was no way that they could take on so many dragons.

Just then, an idea came to Saulstrance. He whispered his plan into Tourajé’s finned ear.

“Hmm…” Tourajé thought to himself. “That might just work. Alright then. Let’s give it a try.”

Eig’nia was finding it harder and harder to avoid Raolef’s attacks. Eig’nia felt as though she was becoming more tired whereas Raolef didn’t seem as though he’d tire out anytime soon. The dragoness panted, trying to catch her breath. As she continuously slowed down, Raolef seized her neck in his jaws. He opened his wings, flew up, and crashed back down, smashing Eig’nia into the ground.  The dragoness lay by his feet, beaten and battered.

“I truly am sorry. But I can’t be killed here. I still have something I need to do. I don’t blame you or your friends. You’re young. Had you not followed Léruc, you three may have had a bright future ahead. “ Said Raolef, sounding surprisingly melancholic.

Just as he was about to move in to finish Eig’nia off, he felt something sharp go through his body. He coughed up some blood. Looking back, he saw Tourajé behind him. The younger dragon’s tail had gone through Raolef’s body and pierced his heart.

“N…N…no!” Raolef barely managed to say in a weak, sad voice.

Tourajé removed his tail from Raolef’s body. As the dragon fell to the ground and lay in a growing puddle of his blood, Tourajé watched, unsure if what he did was truly right. He wondered if there truly was no other way. Could they not have just locked Raolef up like they did Agcro? Did it really have to be…this? It seemed like such an easy decision to make at the moment but now he wasn’t so sure.

Saulstrance and Eig’nia also approached the dying dragon. As Raolef coughed up more blood, they also couldn’t help but wonder if what they did was right. Raolef had offended Saulstrance with what he said about Léruc but even then, Saulstrance still knew that wasn’t a reason to kill someone.

“Well, you got what you wanted. Are you hatchlings…happy?” Raolef said as it became more and more difficult for him to breathe.

They couldn’t answer him. The truth was…they didn’t even know themselves if they were.  They had stopped him from attacking the human realm but they just couldn’t help but feel that there might have been another way.

“In the end…I still don’t blame you three. You’re just…hatchlings. I lived a good life. I tried…to become smarter and stronger…I wanted…to devote…myself…to my village…no…my world.” Raolef said with tears in his eyes, yet sounding content…and at peace.

“I…leave the rest…to you…Zano…a…nd…To…” Before he could finish his sentence, Raolef passed.

The three dragons stood around Raolef’s body. Noticing that Raolef’s eyes were still open, Eig’nia put her paw over his eyes and closed them. They didn’t have anything to say about what had just happened. There was nothing they wanted to say about what happened.

Just then, they could hear commotion coming from out in the hallway. They couldn’t stick around any longer. They had to escape right away. Just as Eig’nia opened a portal for them and they were about to step through, the guards as well as Raolef’s Champion and his apprentice had come to see what was going on. None of them could believe what they were seeing. Their master, Lord Raolef…was gone…and they knew who it was that killed him.

“STOP THEM!!” The apprentice cried. “THEY KILLED LORD RAOLEF!! DON”T LET THEM GET AWAY!!!”  

As the guards charged at the assassins of their Leader, Saulstrance, Tourajé, and finally Eig’nia stepped through the portal. It closed before everyone in the room.

“Dammit! I’m sorry sirs, they got away!” The captain of Raolef’s guards said.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll hunt them down myself. And I will make them pay for what they did.” Raolef’s apprentice said, a terrifyingly angry look on his face.

[animeboye]

A Weird, Yet Cool Dream

I normally use this account for sharing stories (namely Dragon's World entries) and art, but in this case, I wanted to share a dream I had earlier this August with all of you. Strap in and enjoy. Taken from my DA journal, this is my weird, yet cool dream.

In the dream, I was younger, back in my teens, and I was starting at this weird school. The first part of the first day goes well, but then, just as it's about halfway over, I'm in photography class (I don't know why I'd be dreaming about taking a photography class since I've never taken one before) and our first assignment is to photograph our classmates so we can see what kind of monsters they are under their human disguises. The details of this assignment leave me shocked, because this means I've somehow ended up going to a school for kids who are actually monsters and this worries me because I start to fear that if I get photographed by one of my classmates and they find out I'm just a regular human, they might try to hurt me or even worse. So, before the school day comes to an end, I decide that I need to go talk to the principal and explain to him the truth about what I am. I don't recall the exact details on what I told him, but it led into him revealing to me that the school actually has a way to turn me into a monster so that I can fit in amongst the other kids without worry. He brings up a list on his computer and shows me what they have to choose from. Some of the choices I remember were vampires, werewolves, etc. but, of course, me being me, the one that caught my eye was dragon. I point to the dragon, telling him that's what I want to be...and that's where I woke up.

And sadly, that's as much as I experienced in the dream. I wish I could have gotten to witness more of this dream and see where it goes from there, maybe get to try out having a dragon form, but unless I somehow have a part two to this dream, this will probably be all I get. I might consider making it into a story, but if I do, it won't be for a while since I still have plenty of others to finish up first such as Dragon's World. I'd like to know what you think, if that might be a cool idea for an actual story. Perhaps I could try to expand on the dream.

[animeboye]

Dragon's World Past Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Mighty Sword of Tourajé

Tourajé’s words made Cyrus happy. He plopped down once more in the grass, thinking about how great it would be if he lived in a world where he wouldn’t have to hide his true self. In that short moment, Tourajé’s dream had become his dream as well.

The three dragons layed their heads down in the grass too. They lay together in a circle and closed their eyes, enjoying the gentle breeze and the calm gurgling of the river. They collectively sighed and before they knew it, they were fast asleep.

Awakening a little later, the four of them noticed that it had gotten a little darker. The sun was beginning to set. They stood up, brushed the grass off of their clothes and returned to Cyrus’ house. Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and Tourajé pondered. They weren’t sure how much longer they would be able to stay in the human realm. They had already been there for a pretty long time. Their master was probably starting to wonder what was keeping them.

Just as Saulstrance was about to say Cyrus’ name, Tourajé’s eye was caught by something. He spotted three men setting up what appeared to be a ring.

“Hey, Cyrus, what are those guys doing?” Asked Tourajé.

“Let’s find out.” Cyrus answered.

The four of them walked over to the men who were setting the ring up. Curious, Tourajé asked one of the men what they were doing. The man explained that every year, the village would hold a sword fighting contest as per tradition. The winner of the contest would receive one hundred and nineteen pounds sterling. While Tourajé didn’t know what pounds sterling were, he did know that he wanted to join in their contest so he asked the men if he could. Upon hearing Tourajé ask if he could join, the other two men stopped what they were doing. They looked at the young dragon turned boy as if he were crazy. They never had anyone as young as him compete. That was because they didn’t allow anyone that young to compete. To enter this competition, the combatants had to be twenty-one or over and despite Tourajé being twenty, in his human form, he appeared a bit younger.

“Listen young man, we admire your enthusiasm but swords aren’t toys. Have you even held a sword before?” Asked the man.

“No, but I can learn pretty quickly.”  Tourajé responded.

“That isn’t the point. You can’t compete. Maybe when you’re a little older but for right now, I cannot allow it.” The man said sternly. And with that, he turned around and went about resuming his duties.

The man’s back turned to him, Tourajé glared. Why did it matter if he was young? He was strong, he knew he was. After all, would a “kid” have become Lord Léruc’s apprentice? But Tourajé felt he knew what the real issue was.

“Are you going to be competing?” Asked Tourajé.

“Indeed I am. As will these two.” The man answered.

“Then I know why you won’t let me join: you’re scared you’ll lose to me.” Tourajé said with a cocky grin on his face.

Cyrus gasped. He wished Tourajé hadn’t just said that. The men stopped what they were doing and turned to face Tourajé and the others.

“Excuse me?” The man asked, walking up to Tourajé and folding his arms, trying to intimidate the young boy.

Tourajé didn’t budge though. He knew that if the man knew what he really was, then he’d be the one intimidated.

“If you aren’t scared, then let me join.” Suggested Tourajé, egging the man on.

The man knew Tourajé was trying to get under his skin so he’d eventually slip up and let him join by accident. He wasn’t about to let himself fall for it. He explained again that Tourajé was too young to join. Yet again, Tourajé would not accept it. Noticing this, one of the other men suggested that he just be allowed in just this once.

“But the tradition has always been--”

“I think we can break tradition just this once. Besides, the kid really wants to have a go at it and it doesn’t seem like he’ll take no for an answer.” The man’s coworker said.

The man gave a defeated sigh. Feeling agitated, he reluctantly gave up, declaring that Tourajé could be allowed to enter the contest but that this would be the only time anyone younger than twenty-one would join. In addition, this would also be the only instance where Tourajé would ever be able to compete. While Saulstrance and the others thought that seemed unfair, Tourajé didn’t complain. He agreed to the man’s conditions.

The man laughed. He was impressed that someone so young would agree to that. He half expected Tourajé to pout and whine about how unfair that was. Even though he’d never tell him, the man was beginning to develop a little bit of respect for Tourajé.

“The contest will be held tomorrow afternoon. If I were you, I’d get as much sword practice in as possible before then.” Informed the man.

“You don’t have to worry! I’ll get so much practice in that I’ll beat all of you no problem!” Tourajé boasted, trying to make himself seem impressive and intimidating.

The men had a hearty laugh at the boy’s declaration. They wished Tourajé luck and went back to setting up for tomorrow.

That night, Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and Tourajé stayed at Cyrus’ house. They sat around the dinner table with Cyrus and his parents. This marked the first time the dragons had ever eaten dinner the human way. Usually, their parents would just go hunting for dead animals in the human realm and bring the carcasses back to their realm for their families to eat.  Behind the table was a fireplace. The fire illuminated the otherwise darkened room. For dinner, the six of them had roasted chicken with a side of mashed potatoes. To drink, they had cups filled with water.

As they ate, Cyrus told his parents that Tourajé would be entering the contest tomorrow. They were just about to take another bite of their food when they heard the news. They paused for a moment, stared at their son for a moment, then turned to Tourajé who was looking back at them, confused as to why this was such a big deal. He understood that no one under twenty one was allowed to join but was it really that surprising that they allowed him in anyway?

“Tourajé, do you even know how to use a sword? Do you even know what one is?” Asked Cyrus’ father.

“Well…no…” Tourajé answered both questions, feeling a little embarrassed for joining a competition for something he knew nothing about.

“…Oh, dear…” Cyrus’ dad said worriedly. “You’re going to have a lot of preparing to do before tomorrow. In that case, I’ll help train you. After dinner, meet me behind the house. I’ll teach you how to use a sword.”

“You’ve used a sword before?” Eig’nia asked.

“Of course. I use to enter these contests myself.” Cyrus’ dad said.

“Dad used to be pretty good when he was younger. He doesn’t compete anymore but he should still be able to help.” Cyrus explained.

Smiling, Tourajé graciously thanked his new friend’s dad for offering to train him. He quickly finished his dinner and rushed out to the back of the house, urging Cyrus’ dad to hurry up.

Cyrus quickly finished his dinner as well and went to join Tourajé outside. He saw Tourajé standing there, staring up into the night sky. He walked over, stood next to Tourajé, and joined him in sky gazing.

“So, do you really think you’ll be able to win tomorrow?” Asked Cyrus while still looking up at the sky.

“In all honesty? Not really. I mean I didn’t even know what a sword was until a few hours ago.” Said Tourajé, sounding surprisingly unsure.

“But then why did you want to enter so badly?” Cyrus asked, not understanding what Tourajé was trying to accomplish.

“Well, I think it was because I want to challenge myself. That, and because I want to learn as much about this world as I can.” Explained Tourajé.

Just then, Cyrus’ father stepped outside. In his right hand he held a sword. He asked Tourajé if he was ready to train. With an eager look that was all too apparent on his face, Tourajé ran up to his friend’s dad and declared that he was ready. Cyrus’ father handed Tourajé his sword, instructing him to take it.

As Tourajé studied the sword that he held in his hand, He rested his other hand over the blade. It was smooth and cold to the touch. There were a couple nicks in the blade, no doubt meaning that it had been used quite a bit and was probably pretty old.

Tourajé couldn’t explain it but holding that sword made him feel stronger. It also made the dragon feel more confident. He had to wonder if perhaps this was how it felt being human. As a dragon, he was much stronger than anyone in this village but as a young human boy, he wasn’t quite as strong as most of them were. Tourajé pondered if maybe it was his human side beginning to take life.

“So Tourajé…” Smiled Cyrus’ dad. “How does it feel?”

“It’s…incredible.” The dragon-boy said awestruck. He swung the sword once, causing both Cyrus and his father to step back.

“Careful!” Cyrus’ father exclaimed. “You don’t want to swing that around anyone. Unless they have the proper protection, it could seriously hurt them.”

“Really? I’m sorry…” Said Tourajé shamefully.

“That’s okay. You’ll learn. For right now, let’s get your training underway.”

Meanwhile, inside the house, Cyrus’ mother showed Saulstrance and Eig’nia where they’d be sleeping. It was a small guest bedroom with only two beds, meaning that two of them would have to share a bed.  Cyrus’ mother sat on the edge of the bed on the left hand side while Saulstrance and Eig’nia sat on the right.

“It’s so hard for me to believe that you two kids are really dragons.” Said Cyrus’ mother.

“Why is that?” Saulstrance asked.

“I haven’t seen or even spoken to another dragon in almost twenty years.” Cyrus’ mom answered.

“Not even your family?” Asked Eig’nia with a bit of concern in her voice.

Cyrus’ mom shook her head. “Not even them. When I met my husband, Thomas and discovered that I would be having his child, I couldn’t return to the dragon realm. Our world doesn’t think too highly of half-dragons. I couldn’t take Cyrus back with me and risk his safety so I decided: from then on, I would be a human woman by the name Miranda and raise my son as a human as well.”

“But Cyrus knows he’s a half-dragon.” Eig’nia said, confused by the last part of Miranda’s story.

“I know but I couldn’t hide that from him. Ever since Cyrus was born, I felt that it wouldn’t be right to hide from him what he and I really are.” Miranda answered.

Cyrus’ mother, who had revealed her human name to be Miranda, stood up and headed for the door. Eig’nia also stood up and went to lie down in the bed Miranda was sitting on. She pulled the covers over her and shut her eyes.

“Good night, Saulstrance and Eig’nia. And…can you do me a favor? When you return to the dragon realm, can you please not let anyone know you met me? Please? I just don’t want anything to happen to me…or my family.” Miranda asked, almost sounding as though she was pleading.

“You don’t have to worry. This is just between us.” Saulstrance smiled in an attempt to assure her that he’d keep his word.

“Thank you.” Miranda smiled back, grateful for their kindness. She closed the door and retired to her own room.

For Tourajé and Thomas, most of the night was spent practicing swordplay. Cyrus watched for awhile as his dad tutored his new friend in the art of swordsmanship. Eventually, the half-dragon began to grow tired. He turned in for the night, leaving his father and Tourajé to continue their training.

The training lasted for two more hours before both Thomas and Tourajé decided it was time to call it a night. Tourajé handed the sword back to its rightful owner and the two of them went back in the house, more than ready for a good night’s sleep.

The next day, Tourajé woke up before everyone else. He decided to get in some last minute training before the contest began. He would train for ten minutes, take a break for another ten, and then train again. He continued this process until it was time for the competition.

The citizens of the village had all gathered around, anxious for the competition to begin. There was a small ring in which seven men stood inside, brandishing their swords. These men would be competing in today’s contest.

Saulstrance, Tourajé, and Eig’nia, along with Cyrus and his parents squeezed through the crowd and Tourajé took his place among the seven men. The chatter died down as soon as Tourajé stepped into the ring. All eyes were on him as people wondered what he was doing. They didn’t have to ponder over it too long though for as soon as all the contestants had gathered together, the holder of the contest who was one of the men Saulstrance and the others met yesterday, announced the beginning of the contest.

“Before we begin, I’d like to announce that this year’s contest, we will be experiencing something that, until now, had never been allowed to happen: everyone, meet our youngest ever contestant…what is your name?” The man said.

“Tourajé.” Answered the young dragon.

“Tourajé. And Tourajé, exactly how young are you?” The announcer asked.

“I’m twenty.” Tourajé answered again.

Despite that Tourajé had been truthful, the villagers didn’t believe him. He looked much too young to be twenty. They assumed he was more around fourteen or fifteen. They also didn’t believe Tourajé was his real name. They wondered if he was either making up the name or if he was from another country. The younger members of the village didn’t like that Tourajé was allowed to compete when they themselves were never allowed to. They jeered and protested, claiming how unfair it was that someone who wasn’t even from their village was allowed to compete in their village’s competition when they never could. In spite of all that, the competition commenced.

The line ups for the matches were drawn up and handed to each of the participants. The first two opponents entered the ring with swords in hand. As they fought, Tourajé looked over the piece of paper with the line ups written on it. He noticed that his match would be the very last one of the quarterfinals. He also noticed that his opponent would be a man named Robert. He looked around at the other men who were competing, wondering which one of them was Robert. As he looked around, he noticed one of the men in attendance was the man he met yesterday, the one who was setting up the ring. Tourajé had figured he would be one of the contestants. He hoped that he’d get a chance to face him.

The first match came to an end with a man named Thomas being crowned the winner. Thomas helped his opponent back to his feet and thanked him for a fun challenge. As they cleared the ring, the next two combatants stepped in.

“You may begin when ready.” Said the announcer.

Tourajé and the others watched in amazement as the two men fought. The way humans battled seemed so much different to them than the way dragons did. Tourajé also noted that it seemed as though humans also had much more diverse ways of battling each other than dragons.

After the last two matches, it was time for Tourajé to step into the ring. He could barely contain his excitement. As he entered the ring, to his surprise, he noticed that his opponent for this match would be none other than the man he met yesterday.

“Wait. You’re going to be my opponent?” Asked Tourajé with surprise in his voice.

“Now, now, don’t sound too alarmed. My name is Robert and I requested that I face you. After all that boasting you did yesterday, I just had to see for myself if you were really as good as you think you are.”

The announcer entered the ring and presented Tourajé with a sword.

“Tourajé, as this is your first time competing, you’re going to need a sword. So I ask that you use this one.” Said the announcer as he handed the sword to Tourajé.

Tourajé stared at the blade in wonder. He gripped the handle tightly as he felt power surging through his fingertips. Just like yesterday, Tourajé felt like he could do anything while holding a sword.

“Now Tourajé, since this is your first time competing, I am obligated to tell you the rules: you and your opponent are each given a sword. Your goal is to either knock your opponent’s sword out of their hands or knock them out of the ring. Causing severe harm to your opponent or worse, killing them is not allowed. There is no time limit. You either lose when you fall out of the ring, lose your sword or give up. Is that understood?” The announcer explained.

Tourajé nodded. The rules seemed simple enough. All he had to do was get this guy out of the ring or make him lose his sword. Didn’t sound too hard.

“Very well. You can begin when ready.”

Tourajé and Robert both gripped their blades. They circled around the ring, anticipating each others’ move.

“Just so you know boy, you don’t have a chance of beating me. I may be old but I’ve fought in these competitions for over twenty-nine years. And seeing as how this is your first and only time competing, you don’t have even a slim chance of winning.” Robert boasted.

Although he didn’t want to admit it, Tourajé knew Robert was right. He didn’t have a chance in beating him. If this guy really fought in this as many times as he said he did, then this match was over as soon as Tourajé got in the ring with him. Regardless, Tourajé couldn’t just give up. Even though he knew he would lose, he still wanted to give it his all.

Tourajé charged at Robert, his hands gripping the sword’s handle as tightly as they could. Robert took a defensive stance and just as Tourajé was about to swing his sword, Robert blocked with his sword. The swords clanged together as Tourajé struggled in a futile attempt to break through Robert’s defense. Tourajé withdrew his sword and tried again only to experience the same result. With his sword, Robert pushed Tourajé’s back, causing the dragon-boy to stagger back. With Tourajé off guard, Robert knew this was his chance to strike. He went on the attack and before Tourajé knew it, the sword flew out of his hand, landing at the edge of the ring.

Tourajé’s mouth hung open. He looked down at his hand that had been holding his sword. He couldn’t believe how quickly that match went. It was over. He lost.

“And the winner is…ROBERT!!!” Announced the announcer.

Everyone in the village clapped and cheered for Robert. Tourajé lowered his head, went over to his sword, and grabbed it as he left the ring. He didn’t say anything or look at anyone. He just solemnly took his leave.

Tourajé went to sit down by the riverbank. He tossed the sword on the ground in frustration as he proceeded to lean against a tree. Feeling ashamed for losing so quickly, he slouched down and buried his head in his legs.

A short while later, he heard someone call his name. It was Saulstrance. He and the others had come after him, unsure why he left so quickly.

“Tourajé, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Asked Eig’nia, concerned for her friend.

“No, I’m not.” Tourajé pouted.

“Well what’s wrong? Is it because of the fight?” Eig’nia asked again, trying to figure out what had made her friend so upset.

“Of course it is…I knew I wasn’t going to win but I didn’t think I’d lose that quickly.” Tourajé said sadly, feeling ashamed of himself.

“But Tourajé…” Cyrus’ mother chimed in. “We think you did pretty well. Especially for a dragon who had only been human for about two days. You shouldn’t be sad. If anything, you should be proud.”

“I agree with her.” Said Cyrus’ dad. “You know, I remember the first time I lost in that contest. I felt the same way that you do right now. But I kept practicing and practicing until I got good enough to win.”

“Yeah but you were still allowed to compete. I can’t anymore.” Tourajé replied.

“Perhaps not.” A voice said from behind them.

The six of them noticed Robert standing behind them. They asked Robert why he was there if the contest was still going on.  Did he lose a match? Robert laughed heartily, assuring them that he didn’t. He had made it to the finals which were going to take place within an hour. In that time, he wanted to find Tourajé so that he could talk with him. He sat down next to the disappointed boy and grabbed his sword.

“Listen, you shouldn’t feel so upset. For your first time with a sword, you weren’t that bad. Your sword skills do need work but I think you’ve got potential.” Robert smiled at Tourajé.

Tourajé looked at him, sighed, and then looked away. Robert released a sigh of his own. He guessed there was only one way to get through to Tourajé: share with him his own experiences from when he first entered the competition.

“You know, I didn’t win the first time I took part in this competition. Heck, I didn’t even win my second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth times. But even though I didn’t win, I knew I was getting a little better each time. As long as you keep practicing with the sword, you’ll become even better too.” Robert said empathetically.

“You really mean that?” Asked Tourajé.

“Of course! Now I do have to stand by what I said. You can’t compete in this contest anymore but…how about this? Keep practicing with that sword. Grow stronger, and when you think you’re good enough, come back and challenge me again.” Robert said.

Tourajé smiled. Robert smiled back, feeling glad that his words had gotten through to him. The two of them shook on it and Tourajé promised him that he’d get stronger so that they could sword fight again.

Everyone returned to the contest where the finals were about to take place. Both Robert and his opponent fought as hard as they could. In the end, Robert was victorious. Applause erupted from the villagers. Saulstrance and the others joined in. Everyone who had taken part in the contest reentered the ring and joined Robert and his opponent in enjoying the applause. Saulstrance gave Tourajé a little push, urging him to go up there and join them. Tourajé looked back at everyone who were all urging him to go up there as well. Taking in a deep breath, Tourajé ran through the crowd and leapt into the ring. To their surprise, Saulstrance and the others noticed that Tourajé was smiling. This made them smile too. It made them grateful to see their friend back in good spirits.

Some time had passed. The sun was setting on the small village and the three dragons knew that it was time for them to be going home. They couldn’t wait to tell their leader all about what they experienced in the human realm. However, before they were able to do that, Robert had something he wanted to do for Tourajé. He had asked to borrow Tourajé’s sword for something. Just what that something was though, he wouldn’t say. He returned some time later, apologizing for taking so long. He handed Tourajé something wrapped in cloth. When Tourajé removed the cloth, he noticed that it was his sword. However, there was something different about the sword. Tourajé noticed that his name had been carved into the blade.

“That sword is yours now. Take good care of it.” Robert smiled.

“I will. Thanks Robert.” Tourajé smiled back.

The two of them shook hands and bid each other farewell. Saulstrance, Tourajé, and Eig’nia, along with Cyrus and his family returned to the forest in which Cyrus had found them. They didn’t want anyone to see them opening a portal back to their world.

Inside the woods, Saulstrance and his friends bid farewell to Cyrus and his family. Cyrus asked them if they’d ever come back. They assured the boy that they would and that this wasn’t the last time they would see them. Just as they opened a portal and were about to step through, Cyrus asked them to do something for him: he wanted to see them in their real forms as dragons. Since no one else was around, the three of them didn’t see the harm in it. They closed their eyes as they felt their bodies begin to change back. When they opened their eyes, the noticed the look of surprise in Cyrus and his parents’ eyes.  As hard as it was for Cyrus’ parents to believe that these three kids were dragons, it was even harder for Cyrus himself to believe it. After all, aside from his mother, he had never met a dragon before. He smiled to his friends and waved goodbye to them. He told them that they better come back and that he’ll be waiting to see them again.

“Goodbye Cyrus!” Saulstrance smiled, before stepping through the portal.

As the last of them stepped through the portal, it closed, leaving the half-dragon boy and his family standing in those woods by themselves. Although he had only known them for a short time, Cyrus had come to really like the three dragons. He knew this wasn’t the last time he’d see them.

[animeboye]

Dragon's World Past Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Whole New World

For the next ten years, Saulstrance, along with Eig’nia and Tourajé continued their studies under their master, lord Léruc. Each day they grew a little stronger and a little wiser and, in what was seen as in the blink of an eye for a dragon, ten years passed.

Tourajé was playing outside in the front of his family’s cave with his younger brother, Utzie. Laughing together, the older brother chased the younger one around.

“You can’t catch me, Tourajé!” Laughed Utzie, opening his wings, about to fly.

“Oh yeah?” Tourajé said, taking his brother up on his challenge. He grabbed Utzie by the tip of his tail, pulling him back down to the ground as the little dragon struggled to fly.

“Hey no fair!” Exclaimed Utzie, flapping his wings fiercely.

“Weren’t you the one who said we couldn’t fly?” Tourajé asked his little brother in a teasing manner, removing the end of his brother’s tail from his mouth and grabbing it with his paw.

Utzie gulped, knowing he was busted. “Well…”

“Gotcha!” Exclaimed Tourajé.

Pinning his brother to the ground, Tourajé tickled his younger sibling. Utzie screamed and laughed at the same time, pleading for his brother to stop. The little dragon wasn’t necessarily ticklish but somehow his older brother always knew just where to get him.

The brothers’ parents stepped out of their cave. It warmed their hearts to see their sons playing and laughing together. They remembered how much Tourajé protested and hated the idea of having a younger sibling so to see the two of them so happy together made them happy too.

The siblings’ laughter and play died down when they saw three dragons approaching. Tourajé recognized them as three of Léruc’s guards and to his surprise, Eig’nia was with them! However what he wasn’t sure of was why they would be coming to his cave.

“Tourajé?” Said the guard up front.

“Yes?” Tourajé asked.

“Lord Léruc has asked to speak with you, Saulstrance, and Eig’nia. If you would accompany us to his fortress.”

“Did something happen?” Tourajé asked, growing a little concerned as he feared that something bad happened.

“It’s nothing like that. He just wanted to speak with you three.” The guard explained, noticing Tourajé’s alarm.

Tourajé agreed to go with them. He told his family that he’d be back in a little bit. He, along with Eig’nia, followed the guards back to their master’s fortress. They couldn’t help but ponder over what Léruc could possibly want to speak with them about.  Tourajé asked Eig’nia if she knew anything but she told him that what they told her was the same they told him.

Once they made it to the Leader’s Fortress, Léruc’s guards led the two dragons to Léruc’s chambers where he and Saulstrance were waiting for them. Tourajé and Eig’nia sat down beside Saulstrance.

“So you must all be wondering why I called you here.” Started Léruc.

“Yes sir. Is everything okay?” Asked Eig’nia.

“Everything is fine. I have just been thinking about how much time has passed. Ten years can seem like a really long time but for us dragons, it can also feel instantaneous.” Léruc said.

The three dragons looked at each other with confused expressions. Was this the whole reason Léruc summoned them? Just to reminisce?

“Umm, sir? Is this why you asked us here?” Asked Tourajé.

“Not quite. I have something more important I wish to discuss with you. Do you remember when I mentioned the ‘other world’?” Léruc asked.

Léruc didn’t expect any of them to remember any mention of the other world. After all, how would they? He had never discussed the other world with them in any of his lessons and had only mentioned it once briefly when they were hatchlings. However, much to his surprise, one of his students did in fact remember the other world: Tourajé.

“I do. I’ve also read a little bit about it. Unlike our world, this one is inhabited by many different species. The most dominant of these species is called ‘human’.” Explained Tourajé.

“Human?” Parroted Eig’nia.

Tourajé nodded and then resumed his explanation.

“This is the most interesting part: these humans are able to walk on only two legs!” Tourajé exclaimed, sounding as though he didn’t quite believe it himself.

Saulstrance and Eig’nia protested. There was no way that was true. How could there be a species that only needed two legs to walk? Saulstrance decided to try it himself. And so, slowly and carefully he raised up, lifting his front paws off the ground. As he tried to stand on two legs, Saulstrance wobbled around, trying to brace himself. Eventually he couldn’t stand up on his back legs anymore and fell backwards.

“I just don’t understand how the humans can do it.” Said Saulstrance as he sat up.

Léruc chuckled. “Don’t worry Saulstrance. You’ll understand once you see them.”

“Lord Léruc, you sound like you’ve been to the human world before.” Eig’nia said a little suspiciously.

“I’ve been there a few times. You may not believe this but their world is even much bigger than ours.” Léruc said.

“It is?!” The three of them said together, surprised.

“Indeed. And just as how our world’s name is Zalphonia, their world’s actual name is Earth. I could explain more of the world’s workings but perhaps you would rather see Earth for yourselves.” Said Léruc, knowing his pupils would be excited at the prospect of seeing a new world.

He was right. Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and Tourajé went wide eyed after hearing that they would get to visit this other world. They talked amongst each other, asking one another different questions such as what kind of things they thought the human realm had, what the other species that lived there must be like, and how big they thought the world must be. Excitedly, Eig’nia asked her master when they would be able to go. Léruc informed them that he would be sending them there tomorrow.  This news made them even more anxious.

Having said everything he felt needed to be said, Léruc concluded the meeting. He sent Eig’nia and Tourajé home, telling them and Saulstrance to get much rest for tomorrow.

That night, Tourajé and Eig’nia told their families that they would be visiting the human realm. Utzie gasped, a wide beaming smile on his face. He desperately wanted to go with his big brother but knew, and was disappointed that he was unable to.

Eig’nia’s siblings also shared a similar feeling of disappointment with that of Utzie. Despite being older, they had never gone to the other world. They never would have guessed that their youngest sibling would be going there before they did.

The three dragons lay in their nests, thinking about what the human realm must be like. What were the humans like and how could they walk on only two legs? How many of them were there and what would their world be like? These were just some of the questions that swam through their minds. After awhile of imagining the human realm, the three dragons fell asleep.

The three of them woke up bright and early that morning. Eig’nia and Tourajé met up and together, headed for their master’s fortress. When they got there, they found that Saulstrance was up but not Léruc. Tourajé asked Saulstrance where their master was. Saulstrance informed his friends that Léruc was still asleep. Because they were incredibly anxious to get to see the human realm, the three dragons decided to go and wake their master up.

They stepped into Léruc’s room. It was almost pitch black save for a small puddle of light by the exit. Loud snoring came from the sleeping dragon, something that surprised his students.

“I had no idea Lord Léruc snored so loud.” Eig’nia whispered to her friends.

“Should we wake him up?” Asked Saustrance.

“Of course! We want to see the human realm don’t we? And Lord Léruc is the only one who knows how to get us there! So let’s get him up!” Exclaimed Tourajé.

Just before they got the chance to wake their leader, Léruc groaned groggily. He slowly opened his eyes, surprised to see his students standing by his nest side.

“What are you three doing here?” Asked Léruc, still half asleep.

“We’re ready! We want to see the human realm, sir!” Saulstrance exclaimed.

Léruc moaned again. He raised his head slowly and quickly lowered it back into the nest.

“What time is it? Has the sun illuminated the sky yet?” Léruc asked.

“Uhh, not completely.” Eig’nia replied.

“Then let me sleep. We shall discuss your going to the human realm once the sun is high into the sky.” Said Léruc, shutting his eyes again.

“But sir!” Saulstrance was about to protest.

“No! Sleep now! I’m an older dragon, I need my sleep.” Léruc grumbled.

The three of them realized that they weren’t going to win this one. Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and Tourajé quietly left their master’s chambers and went to Saulstrance’s room where the three of them fell asleep together.

Five hours later, the three dragons awoke and met with a fully rested Léruc in the hall. It was there that he would explain to his young subjects how they would be getting to the human realm and what they should do once they got there.

“Now then, it’s time for what you three have anxiously been waiting for: your first trip to the human realm.” Léruc announced.

Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and Tourajé could barely contain their excitement. The moment they had been waiting for was finally here. They were finally going to get to see what the human realm…what Earth was like.

A portal opened up before Léruc. The three dragons had never seen anything like it before. They wondered how it opened up and whom, or what made it.

“This is a portal. We dragons use these to travel back and forth between Earth and Zalphonia. In order to open a portal of your own, you must first clear your mind. Afterward, focus and imagine a portal forming in your mind. Go on, give it a try.” Léruc instructed.

Eig’nia stepped forward. Just as her master instructed, she cleared her mind then imagined a portal forming. Tourajé and Saulstrance were surprised when they saw another portal forming next to the one their master had previously opened.

“Nicely done, Eig’nia. Tourajé, Saulstrance, it’s your turn now.”  Léruc said.

Saulstrance and Tourajé did just as Eig’nia and Léruc before them. They cleared their minds of any thoughts and focused on creating a portal. To their surprise, two more portals opened up beside Eig’nia’s and their teacher’s.

Léruc was impressed. It astonished him that they learned how to create portals so quickly. But of course, he thought to himself, creating a portal wasn’t that difficult. Even still, he knew he had made the right choice in naming them his apprentices. He closed his portal and walked in front of the portals his pupils had created.

“Now that you know how to create portals, it’s time for you to journey to the human realm. Go ahead and close your portals. Just imagine the portal closing.” Said Léruc.

They did just as their master instructed. They imagined their portals closing and as they did, their portals closed right before their eyes. With that done, Léruc opened another portal.

“This portal will take you to the part of the human realm I want you to go. Once you’re there, locate some humans. That will be important for if you’re going to walk among them.” Léruc continued giving his instructions.

“What do you mean by that, sir?” Asked Tourajé, confused by the latter part of his master’s instructions.

“We dragons have an ability that allows us to take on human forms. It’s necessary for if we ever visit their world. To humans, we’re creatures of myth. They would never believe their eyes if they saw one of us for themselves.”

Léruc concluded his lectures. Before his pupils could step through the portal, he told them that the process of changing into a human and vice versa was the same as creating portals: they just had to visualize themselves changing into a human form. With that, he wished them a fun and safe journey to this new world.

Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and Tourajé stepped through the portal. Once they were inside it closed behind them. They looked around, finding themselves floating in an endless void of nothing. What was this and where were they they thought to themselves. Then suddenly, their bodies began to move forward as if drawn by something. They didn’t know what was happening or where they were going but they didn’t fight it. They just allowed themselves to be pulled towards…whatever it was that was pulling them.

After a moment, a bright light shone, temporarily blinding the three dragons. As soon as they opened their eyes, they found themselves surrounded by trees. The trees’ leaves were thick, preventing all but small circles of light to break through.

“Where are we?” Asked Saulstrance as he stood up.

Standing up, the three dragons looked around. They had never seen so many trees before. Was this the human realm? If it was then where were all the humans? They decided to look around to see if they could find any humans.

After searching around this new environment for awhile, they stumbled upon two creatures they had never seen before. They noticed that these creatures had oddly colored scales, only…they weren’t scales. They were something else. They wore strange material over their bodies and one of them was carrying what looked to be a weapon while the other carried five parts of a tree in his arms. The dragons wondered if these were the humans their master mentioned. They also weren’t sure why one of them was carrying a weapon with him.

They observed these creatures for a short while. They were surprised to find that these creatures were capable of talking just like them. They stood there for awhile and talked a bit before finally making their way into another part of the woods.

Once they were gone, Saulstrance, Tourajé, and Eig’nia agreed to try changing into their form, certain that these were the humans Léruc mentioned. And so, they closed their eyes, imagining the creatures they just saw. Without their knowing it, their bodies started to change, their mass decreasing and their draconic parts such as their wings, horns, spines and tails being absorbed into their bodies.

They opened their eyes. The first thing they noticed was that their front legs were now in a different form. Their claws had shrunk and were now colored pink. Likewise, their paws had shrunk down a bit and were donned not with talons but something that seemed like talons. They weren’t sure how to describe these new appendages.

Looking behind themselves, they discovered that their wings and tails were missing. Their jaws dropped, eyes widened. It was then that they realized what had happened: they had turned into the same creatures they saw just a little bit ago. They had become humans!

Much to their surprise however, they noticed that unlike the humans that they had just seen, they weren’t wearing the same material that they were. In fact, they weren’t wearing anything at all.

First, they tried to stand on their fours. However, because of their new bodies, the dragons turned humans now found it strange to be doing so. Slowly and carefully, they tried to stand up on only two legs. Once they were on just two legs, they were surprised to find that it actually felt more natural now. They decided that they would try and walk around in an attempt to get used to their new posture but before they could, a loud scream came from behind them. Startled, the three turned around and saw a boy standing behind them. This boy was about their size in their human forms and, as they guessed, was probably about as old as they were too. He wore material sort of like the ones the humans from before had on.

“Who-who are you guys?!” The boy asked, feeling weird to be seeing three naked people out in the woods. “And…why are you naked?”

[animeboye]

Dragon's World Past Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Eig’nia and Tourajé

Saulstrance and Eig’nia followed Léruc and his guards to the resting chambers. It was there that Léruc would share with his three new underlings his plans for their studies.

The two hatchlings bounced up and down in excitement. They could hardly wait to hear what their new master’s plans were for them. The little dragons grinned at each other and ran past Léruc and his guards only to be called back by their Leader.

In the resting chambers, Tourajé and Roasch had both just woken up. They were laying in nests which served as the resting chamber’s beds. There were ten nests in the resting chambers, five for each row. A dragon who served as the doctor had been taking care of the two children after their battle.  Both dragons sat up in their nests, stretching their wings and their legs as Léruc walked in with his guards and his new apprentices.

“Ah, good, Tourajé. You’re up. Saulstrance, Eig’nia, if you wish, you may take a seat in the nests.” Said Léruc, sounding pleased.

Saulstrance and Eig’nia climbed into the nests across from Tourajé and Roasch. They listened closely to what Léruc was about to tell them. Before he began, however, he turned to Roasch.

“Roasch, what will you do now?” Asked Léruc.

“What do you mean, sir?” Roasch asked.

“Well, you may not have become my apprentice but that doesn’t mean your journey ends here. Perhaps you have a new goal in mind?”

“Well actually…I do.” Roasch began. “I thought about it for a bit and I decided that I still want to serve under you. Except this time as a guard.” Beamed Roasch.

Léruc was impressed with Roasch’s resolve. Even though the little dragon wasn’t able to become his Leader’s apprentice, that hadn’t discouraged him in the slightest. In fact, it seemed as though Roasch was more determined than ever now.

Roasch tried to stand up so that he could leave and allow Léruc to discuss with Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and Tourajé. As soon as he was back on the ground, Roasch collapsed. Immediately, Léruc went to help his still weak subject. He lifted Roasch up with his muzzle and lowered him into the nest. Léruc told Roasch that he didn’t have to leave just yet and that he could wait until he was better. Roasch smiled, grateful for his Leader’s kindness and thanked him.

“Now then, on to business. Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and Tourajé, you three have passed the exams and become my apprentices. From here on, you shall be studying under me. However, there will be more to it than just learning from me.” Léruc explained.

“Like what, sir?” Asked Saulstrance.

“You will also be working for me. As you grow stronger and wiser, I will be giving you harder and harder tasks and missions. And who knows? You may even get to see the other world someday.”

“The other world?” Eig’nia asked with surprise in her voice.

“What other world?” Asked Tourajé curiously.

“You’ll find out eventually. As for right now, why don’t you three get acquainted with one another? After all, from this day forth, you three are comrades so it will do you good to get to know each other.” Said Léruc.

Léruc left the resting chambers with his guards. Soon after, Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and Tourajé did as well. Saulstrance showed them to his room. In there was a small nest which served as his bed. Several torches illuminated the room, one of which hung directly above Saulstrance’s bed. Next to his bed were several scrolls which Saulstrance would read every night before falling asleep. The scrolls all contained different stories some of which were believed to be lore relating to the dragon realm.

“This is my room!” Announced Saulstrance with a smile.

“Wow!” Eig’nia and Tourajé said at the same time.

“So it’s true then: you really do live with Lord Léruc.” Said Tourajé in amazement.

“Yeah, he’s…kind of been like my father ever since I can remember.” Saulstrance said.

“Where are your real parents then?” Eig’nia asked.

“I…I don’t know. I never met my real parents.” Saulstrance answered, sounding unsure.

The whereabouts of his parents was something the young dragon always wondered about. However, every time that he would try and ask Léruc where they were, all he would always say was not to worry. Saulstrance never understood what Léruc meant when he told him not to worry. Could something have happened to his parents that Léruc didn’t want him to know about? Saulstrance chose not to worry about that right now and instead try to get to know his new friends.

“So, Eig’nia and Tourajé, what are your families like?” Asked Saulstrance.

“I think my family is pretty good. I’ve got my parents, and an older sister and older brother.” Eig’nia explained.

“Well, right now, it’s just me, mom, and dad but my mom’s having another hatchling.” Explained Tourajé, looking a little sad.

“Aww! You’re gonna have a little brother or sister, Tourajé? You’re so lucky! I wish I had a little brother or sister.” Eig’nia exclaimed, more thrilled than Tourajé was at the news.

“I don’t.” Tourajé said, looking down. “I liked it better when it was just me, mom, and dad. I don’t want to be a big brother.”

“At least you’re gonna have a brother or sister.” Saulstrance protested, sounding offended by what Tourajé was saying. “I don’t have any brothers or sisters. I wish I did.”

Tourajé frowned. For all his complaining about his new sibling, he never considered how Saulstrance must have felt considering that he never had any family. He never could have guessed how lonely Saulstrance must have been. Feeling ashamed of himself, he apologized to Saulstrance who smiled at his new friend, accepting his apology.

Some time later, Léruc entered into Saulstrance’s room, declaring that it was time for Eig’nia and Tourajé to go home. He told the young dragons that they should go home and share their accomplishments with their families. Excited at the thought of what their parents and siblings would say, Eig’nia and Tourajé eagerly ran out of Saulstrance’s room, quickly wishing their new friend goodbye.  But before he got the chance to say goodbye to them, they were gone.  

With a yawn, Saulstrance went to lay down in his nest. Léruc sat down beside the nest, smiling proudly at his protégé/adopted son. He placed a paw on top of his head, smiling wider.

“You did good today, Saulstrance.” Said Léruc.

“Thanks sir.” Smiled Saulstrance, happy to be complimented.

“You and your friends have a big day tomorrow. Get plenty of sleep.”

“I will.” Saulstrance said, yawning just before shutting his eyes.

With a small gush of breath, Léruc put out the small fires, making the room darker. As he turned towards the exit, he looked back at Saulstrance who had quickly fallen asleep. Then he left the slumbering hatchling’s room.

It was bright and early the next day. Saulstrance, Eig’nia, Tourajé, and Léruc gathered in front of the Leader’s fortress.

“Today begins your first lesson under me. Eig’nia, Saulstrance, and Tourajé, are you three ready?” Announced Léruc.

The three dragon kids erupted into thunderous cheers. All three of them were incredibly eager to know what their Leader had planned for them.

“Your first lesson is going to be about teamwork. In addition to learning together, you must also learn how to work together. During this exorcise, I want you to pay attention to each other. Learn each others’ strengths as well as weaknesses and determine how you can make up your teammates’ weaknesses and build upon their strengths.” Léruc explained.

“Yes sir!” The three dragons said together.

“Now then, for what your test will be: you three will fight against me. However, this won’t be a regular fight. I want you to find a place to hide and come up with a plan of attack. Tied to my tail, you can see three pieces of fabric tied to it. Work together, and try to claim all three. And once you do, we then can move on to the next lesson.” Léruc finished explaining.

The three of them nodded, showing their master they understood his instructions. He told them that he was going to close his eyes and wait until they were out of sight. The three of them huddled together and whispered amongst each other as they tried to think up a good place to hide. With eyes still shut, Léruc informed the three hatchlings that he could overhear them. Startled, they flew off together and tried to find a place where they could hide. They noticed three trees alongside the fortress. Thinking fast, Tourajé swooped down. He informed Saulstrance and Eig’nia of his plan: they would hide in the trees and wait for Lord Léruc to pass by. When he did, Tourajé would jump out first and snag one of the pieces of fabric without Léruc knowing. As a backup plan, if he were to fail, he would try to distract Léruc, allowing Saulstrance and Eig’nia to snag their pieces.

With the three in agreement on the plan, they each hid in separate trees. They waited anxiously anticipating Léruc to come by looking for them. So they waited until finally, off in the distance, Tourajé could see Léruc coming up. He alerted the other two, telling them to get ready. Once Léruc’s back was to them, Tourajé would sneak down and snatch a piece of fabric followed by the other two.

Léruc walked past them. Now was the time. Tourajé dropped out of the tree and snuck up to his master. Once Léruc’s tail was down close enough, Tourajé tried to grab one of the strands of fabric in his jaw, but to no avail. His master’s tail lowered again and Tourajé tried once more to get himself some fabric. Once again, he was unsuccessful. On his third try, Léruc’s tail slammed down on Tourajé, knocking the tiny dragon off his feet. Saulstrance and Eig’nia knew that this couldn’t be good. Tourajé had been spotted!

“That was a nice attempt, Tourajé. However, there was one fatal error in your judgement: you never took into consideration that your opponent may be anticipating your moves. I will give you this though: you were smart in trying to attack when my back was turned. Now then—EIG’NIA! SAULSTRANCE! I KNOW YOU’RE CLOSE BY! IT’S TIME TO COME OUT!!” Said Léruc.

For a brief moment, things were quiet and then suddenly, Eig’nia leapt out of the tree she was hiding in. She stood in front of her master, looking down in disappointment. The little dragoness was certain Tourajé’s plan would work but their master was just one step ahead of them…or so he thought.

“So where is Saulstrance then? I do hope he’s not planning on using the same tactic as Tourajé!” Exclaimed Léruc, swinging around, expecting Saulstrance to be behind him.

To his surprise, Saulstrance wasn’t behind him. He had expected Saulstrance to try the same tactic as Tourajé. Suddenly, it hit Léruc: if Saulstrance wasn’t there, then he must be…!

He swung around again and sure enough, there was Saulstrance. To Léruc’s frustration, not only had his pupil tricked him but he was also able to acquire his fabric piece. Saulstrance stood among his friends, smiling widely and proudly at his master as he held the fabric in his mouth, his tail wagging around excitedly.  Léruc was both proud of Saulstrance and also slightly annoyed that he was outsmarted by a dragon so much younger than him. He then noticed that Eig’nia and Tourajé didn’t have their fabric. When he asked why they didn’t try to get their fabric when Saulstrance did, Eig’nia explained:

“Me and Saulstrance were talking about it and we decided that one of us would trick you while the other stole the fabric from you.”

“Quite clever I must say. Yes…As I’m sure you three know, there are going to be times where you won’t be able to rely on strength alone to defeat an opponent. You will have to rely on three things: each other, your cunning, and your other attributes. Do you understand?” Coached Léruc.

“Yes sir!” Said the little dragons together.

“And Saulstrance, even though you were able to get your fabric, you still have to help Eig’nia and Tourajé get theirs. After all, as I’ve been saying: if you’re to work as a team, you must help each other even if one of you succeeds. It isn’t truly a team unless each member is successful.”

“I understand, sir.” Saulstrance said.

Their training continued for hours. In that time, neither Eig’nia or Tourajé were able to steal the fabric parts tied to Léruc’s tail. Saulstrance had also done his best to help his friends but he was ultimately just as unsuccessful.

Annoyed, Tourajé launched himself into the sky and dove behind his master. He leapt up and tried to snag a piece of fabric only to have his master grab him with his tail and throw him into the air. Tourajé propelled higher and higher into the sky, eventually becoming able to stop himself. His temper becoming worse, Tourajé flew high above the clouds, then spiraled down once he was behind Léruc. This time it had to work. He had the clouds to use as cover. There was no way he could fail.

As he got closer to the ground, he noticed that Léruc’s attention was on Eig’nia and Saulstrance as he fought the two. This was perfect! All he had to do now was stealthily take the fabric without Léruc knowing. But without turning around, Léruc’s tail lifted. He wrapped it around Tourajé’s right front leg and, with just enough force, but not enough that he seriously hurt Tourajé, slammed him into the ground.

Tourajé had no idea what just happened. His plan should have worked! Léruc didn’t even turn around. He shouldn’t have known he was back there. Yet…he did.

“Tourajé, if you’re going to survive in battle, you cannot be so predictable. If one tactic hadn’t worked against an enemy, what would make you believe it would work a second time?” Léruc asked, looking ashamed for his pupil.

“Well your back was turned, and you were focused on Saulstrance and Eig’nia so…”

“So you thought you would be able to sneak by and claim the fabric, huh? Listen: even if your opponent can’t see you, they can still anticipate you. I had a feeling you would try that again, and I was right.” Léruc explained.

Tourajé looked away, grumbling to himself. He thought his plan was perfect. He was sure it would work. But instead, his plan ended up being too obvious. He was both ashamed and upset.

“Well my little hatchlings, we have been going at this for a long time. Perhaps we should call it a day and then—“

“NO!” Tourajé and Eig’nia exclaimed together, interrupting their teacher.

“Saulstrance was able to get  his fabric piece and we can do it too!” Eig’nia said.

Léruc took note of the fire in their eyes. He smiled. It was a very admirable trait for dragons their age. He couldn’t just say no to determination like that. He allowed them to continue and promised that they wouldn’t stop until all of them had passed the test.

Determined to pass, the three of them took off and disappeared into the sky to come up with a plan of attack. They couldn’t very well just attack Léruc and get the fabric that way. He was much too bigger and stronger than them. They needed another way to beat him.

And then it hit Saulstrance: they might not be able to beat their master but maybe there was a way to immobilize him. Saulstrance explained his plan to his friends: he would act as the decoy. He would fly directly at Léruc and shoot fire at him. This would leave Léruc’s backside vulnerable allowing Eig’nia and Tourajé to sneak behind and claim their pieces of fabric.

The other two dragons decided it was worth a try. They lingered in the clouds, waiting for their chance to strike as Saulstrance descended. Léruc was down there, waiting patiently for them to come up with a plan of attack. He was surprised when he saw that Saulstrance was alone. This time he wasn’t sure where the other two were what they were planning. He quickly glanced behind him to make sure they weren’t trying the same trick again. To his surprise, neither Eig’nia nor Tourajé were there.

“Hey! Master!” Saulstrance yelled.

Returning his attention to his young pupil, Léruc suddenly found himself assaulted by a stream of fire, courtesy of Saulstrance. Just as Saulstrance had planned, Léruc used his wings to cover his face, thus leaving his back exposed. As Saulstrance’s onslaught continued, Tourajé and Eig’nia snuck behind their master. Because of this distraction, the two dragons were able to remove the fabric that Léruc tied to his tail without him knowing. Once they had done so, Saulstrance ceased his barrage of fire, allowing his master to move his wings away from his face.

“And what did you hope to accomplish by doing that, Saulstrance? All you managed to do was leave some small burn marks on my wings.” Asked Léruc, flexing his wings to try and get the slight burning feeling out of them.

Saulstrance giggled. “Oh I accomplished more than that.” He said knowingly.

Realizing what Saulstrance meant, Léruc turned around and saw Eig’nia and Tourajé standing behind them, the fabric pieces clenched in their mouths. The two of them smiled, knowing that they were finally able to pass their first lesson. Léruc, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as happy. He couldn’t believe that three hatchlings were able to outsmart him on not just one but two occasions. Despite his chagrin, however, a part of him was proud of the trio. If there was one thing this lesson had shown him, it was that these three little dragons were very smart for their age and that he had made the right choice in naming them his apprentices.

“Well, with that, I suppose the lesson is concluded. Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and Tourajé, you have all passed your first lesson.” Léruc declared.

The three of them cheered proudly. It had taken them a long time but finally, they all managed to succeed.

“You three really worked well together. Your teamwork and strategizing really helped you in this lesson.”

“But master, I thought you wanted us to fight you?” Asked Tourajé confused.

“That is true. However I wanted you to rely more on your brains than your brauns. I may be old but were this a real fight, you three would not have stood a chance against me. And there will be times where you’ll fight someone who’s just too strong for you to handle. However, just because your opponent may be stronger that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t beat them.” Léruc explained.

“What do you mean?” Asked Eig’nia.

“You’ll learn as you grow older. It’s better if you learn that for yourselves instead of me telling it to you. For now, it’s starting to get late so let’s call it a day. Tourajé and Eig’nia, we’ll see you two back here tomorrow morning.” Said Léruc.

“Okay!” The two nodded.

The two of them said their goodbyes to Saulstrance and Léruc and flew for home, anxious to tell their families about their passing their very first lesson with the Leader.

Saulstrance stretched his limbs and yawned. He raised a paw and wiped the tears out of his eyes.

“Tired?” Léruc asked.

“Mmm-hmm…” Saulstrance said, still rubbing his eyes.

“You did really well today, Saulstrance. I’ve never seen you push yourself so hard before.” Said Léruc impressed.

Saulstrance smiled. “It was because I didn’t want to disappoint you guys. Not you, Eig’nia, Tourajé, or mom or dad.”

Léruc smiled back. He told Saulstrance that the only way he’d ever be disappointed with him is if he didn’t try. This made Saulstrance smile wider.

The two dragons walked back to the fortress. After both another big stretch and yawn, Saulstrance tiredly asked Léruc if he could carry him. Without hesitation, Léruc agreed to carry the worn out hatchling on his back. He lifted Saulstrance up and together they headed into the fortress. Léruc promised Saulstrance that in celebration for passing his first test, they would have a huge dinner, bigger than any they ever had. Saulstrance’s eyes lit up upon hearing this and he demanded that his adoptive father walk faster so they could eat.

[animeboye]

Dragon's World Past Prologue

Dragon’s World Past Prolouge

It was a tradition in this particular world: when a hatchling was about to be born, their parents, as well as the closest friend of their parents would be there to witness the child’s birth. Having witnessed this, the parents’ friend (or friends if they had a mate) would then become the child’s “nest parent” or parents. If the parents’ friends had any children of their own, then their children and the children of their friends would become “nest siblings”.

However, on this particular night, there were no parents or friends around to witness the birth of the dragon contained in this lone egg. It sat alone, in a cold, dark cave nestled in a nest that sat below a dimly lit fire. A cold wind ran through the cave, disturbing the fire but not being strong enough to put it out.

Suddenly, the egg began to move. Slowly, it began to crack as a small dragon with orange scales emerged, its cries echoing throughout the cave.  The little dragon’s cries brought attention to it as a shadowy figure stood at the foot of the cave, its wings stretched out in order to keep the newborn dragon from becoming any colder.

“You poor thing.” The figure spoke in a soft, sympathetic voice.

The shadowy figure moved closer towards the dragon as the fire cast a dim light over it, revealing that the figure was an old dragon. This dragon’s scales were white and its spines and the leather in its wings were black as well as its underside.

The old dragon moved closer to the newborn hatchling and wrapped its wing around the newborn to shield it from the cold.

“You’ve been here all by yourself. No parents, no siblings, no one to welcome you into the world. Well, I promise to look after you. After all, it is what your parents would have wanted.”

Although the older dragon knew the baby dragon’s parents, he was not related to them. Still, he sought to take care of the child as if he were his family. This child, whose parents left him with nothing but a name. And that name was…

[animeboye]

Mid Dragon's World Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Jake vs. Alex

I flew through the sky with Alex not far behind me. Looking back, I noticed that two fireballs were hot on my tail. I flew down as the two balls of fire flew past. I then flew further down, landing on the roof of my school. Turning around, I saw that Alex was also lowering. I shot a few fireballs of my own at him which he avoided easily.

As soon as Alex landed, he ran straight towards me, his scaly fists clenched. I clenched my fists too. Soon, the two of us stood in place and threw fist after fist after fist at each other, the two of us avoiding some punches while others landed. Once we stopped throwing punches at each other, Alex grabbed me by the shoulders and kneed me in the stomach. I held my stomach in pain as I hunched over. Alex squeezed his fist again and punched me in the face, knocking me off my feet. Rolling onto my back, I noticed Alex was standing over me. As he raised his scaly foot, I rolled out of the way before he was able to slam it down on me. I stood up and charged towards Alex. Our hands clasped together as we struggled, trying to push the other back.

“What’s wrong with you, Alex?!” I asked, managing to push him back a bit. “Jericho’s only ever been nice to you and you want to kill him?! WHY?!”

“This isn’t my choice to make, Jake! Dad said we gotta do this so I’m gonna do it!” Alex exclaimed, pushing me back this time.

“Is that really the only reason you’re doing this? Because dad said you had to?” I asked, not fully trusting Alex’s words.

Alex didn’t answer me. We continued to struggle, our hands locked together as we tried to knock the other back. Eventually, with enough force, Alex sent me stumbling back until I was just a few feet away from the edge of the roof. I glared at him, clenching my fist as tightly as I could.

“Come on Jake. You really think you can beat me?” Alex scoffed. “You could never beat me in training so what makes you think you can beat me in a real fight?”

“I’ve got to.” I said with a look of determination. “If beating you will save Cassie and Jericho, then I’m gonna fight as hard as I can!”

In response, Alex shot a stream of fire from his mouth at me. I threw my left hand up in front of me which stopped Alex’s fire. I pulled my arm back and launched the fire back at Alex. He took a couple feet back, barely avoiding the fire. I noticed that Alex was now barely standing on the edge of the roof. His foot slipped, sending him falling off the roof. My eyes grew wide and I gasped, my jaw dropping. I ran over to where Alex was standing, kneeled down and saw that Alex was now laying on the ground on his stomach. His arms were out in front of him, his tail laying in between his legs. He wasn’t moving.

“Oh my God!” I thought to myself, not believing what I was looking at.

“Alex. No! NO!!!” I exclaimed, tears forming under my eyes.

I started to cry. I didn’t want this. All I wanted was to protect Jericho and Cassie. I didn’t want to kill Alex in order to do it.

I wiped my tears away and stood up.  Flapping my wings, I flew down to Alex’s body. I gasped a few times, falling to my knees in shock as my arms dropped to my sides. My eyes were wide and my mouth shook. I just couldn’t believe it. Alex…he was dead.

Suddenly, I noticed Alex’s body begin to move. I gasped again in surprise. Alex was alive! He quickly got up and swung his paw at me, his claws slicing into my cheek. I placed my palm over my cheek, my eyes twitching as my cheek stung. Moving my hand away, I noticed the large amount of blood that covered the palm of my hand. I wiped the blood on the dirt and stood up as did Alex.

I turned around and ran with Alex chasing after me. Just as I got to the stairs leading out of the baseball field, I swung around and dashed at Alex, clenching both my fists as tightly as I could.  Before Alex could respond, I smacked one fist into Alex’s face and drove the other into his stomach. Alex held his stomach as he hunched over. I flapped my wings and was about to take to the sky again when Alex grabbed me by the tail. He squeezed it, causing me to scream in pain as my wings lost all their strength, sending me crashing to the ground.

With my tail still in his grip, Alex stomped his foot on my back. I screamed as incredible pain came shooting all the way from my tail and up to my brain.

“You can’t do anything to me as long as I’ve got your tail, Jake. I beat you again, little brother.” Said Alex confidently.

Alex placed his foot down on my back. He pressed down as hard as he could, causing me to scream again. I gripped the ground and growled under my breath, trying to think of a way out of this. I could barely move as long as he was squeezing my tail and he’d probably keep this up until I was unconscious. I had to think of something before that happened and I had to think fast.

Then it hit me: my fire! I could use my fire to force him to let go. It didn’t even have to be a lot of fire. Just enough to startle Alex and make him let go of my tail.

As his foot squeezed down on my back again, I let out another painful scream.

“Had enough Jake?” Asked Alex. “If you say ‘uncle’ and promise to take care of your friends yourself, then I’ll stop. Sound fair?”

I grumbled under my breath, still gripping at the ground, my eyes twitching yet again at the pain my tail was in.

“Sorry, couldn’t hear you. What did you say?” Asked Alex.

My answer was a stream of fire. While it wasn’t enough to hurt Alex, I was able to get him to release my tail. Before Alex could grab me again, I quickly ran from him while on all fours. I stood up and looked over at him. He growled at me, no doubt angry that I wasn’t willing to go along with this.

“I’m never gonna help you, Alex. I don’t want to kill them, and I don’t want you to either.” I said.

“Why?” Alex scoffed. “Because you think that we can all be friends? Jake, I don’t like humans. I don’t want to be friends with humans and I don’t need to be friends with humans.”

“Then what about Jericho? What about that drawing he made for you?” I asked, feeling a little angry at Alex.

“That…That--” Alex couldn’t finish his sentence.

“Or what about when his family was saying how cool we were? I saw you smiling at that. I think you’re lying, Alex. I think deep down, you don’t hate humans as much as you used to anymore.” I continued with a serious look on my face.

“Jake. Shut up!” Alex said sharply. And he ran at me, swinging one of his paws like a sword. I grabbed his arm and pushed it back. I threw a punch in return which Alex blocked.

Alex launched himself into the sky. I followed just a little bit behind Alex, sending a few fireballs after him. He flew out of their paths but I planned to make sure he wasn’t in the clear yet. As I continued to fly upward, I threw my hands into the air which caused two of my fireballs to stop. Quickly I threw both hands down with my fire following my movements. Once my balls of fire were at the same level as Alex, I swung my arms in his direction as they followed him.

Just as my fireballs got closer to him, Alex flew higher into the sky, just barely missing them. He flew higher and higher which meant my fireballs had to go higher too. So I raised my hands into the air again. Just then, I watched as Alex did a half somersault. His entire body was now directly hovering above my fireballs but just as they grew closer, Alex flapped his wings several times as hard as he could which produced just enough wind to put out my fireballs.  Afterwards, he swooped down and zipped past me. I flew in the opposite direction. The two of us turned around at the same time and quickly flew past each other. This continued for a few minutes before we both dropped back down to the ground.

Alex ran at me and swung his paw. I stepped back before his claws could get me. He swiped at me a few more times but still wasn’t able to cut me. Growling, he tightened his fist and threw a punch which I blocked with my arm. A bad idea as I felt a painful tingling feeling shoot through my arm. I held my arm, trying to get it to stop hurting so much. While it helped a little, it wasn’t enough to make the pain stop. I dropped my arm to my side and tried to turn my attention back to beating Alex.

We both jumped back, shooting fire at each other. We walked in a circle, our eyes locked onto the other. Alex released another fireball which I stopped and repelled back at him. He ducked out of the way as his fireball flew past him and scorched the ground, leaving behind a noticeably large black mark. He got up and the two of us continued exchanging fireballs. After a few minutes, our fireballs stopped. We stood there for a moment, panting, our bodies covered in sweat. My head was hurting like crazy and my vision went blurry for a second. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could continue. I felt like I was going to pass out. I was ready to make sure that didn’t happen though. I couldn’t let that happen. Not before I warned Jericho and his family and to do that, I had to beat Alex.

I stumbled forward, still panting loudly, my legs like jelly. I bent down, held my hands over my knees, and took several deep breaths, trying to get some air into my body. I looked up, seeing Alex was doing the same. He and I both couldn’t take much more. By now, the only way our fight was going to end was if either one of us or both of us were unconscious.

Once I was good and ready, I ran from Alex over to the baseball diamond. He chased after me. As soon as I was standing on the pitcher’s spot, I stopped and turned around and threw punch after punch after punch at Alex. It was just like before except this time Alex was the one who was avoiding my attacks. Just like with me, Alex was stepping back, avoiding each punch I threw at him. This ended with Alex grabbing me by the arm and tossing me into the dirt. I coughed as I rubbed the dust and dirt out of my eyes. When I opened my eyes, I saw Alex standing over me. He grabbed me by my shirt collar and pulled me up. He gripped it tightly in his scaled, clawed hands. I could see the ends of his claws poking through. He raised his one hand that was still free and was about to attack me with his claws again when, without thinking, I shot fire right into his face. He suddenly let go of me.

“AAAAAAHHHH!!!!” Alex screamed as the fire burned his face.

He covered his face, still screaming. His screams grew quieter until they became painful grunts. When he removed his paws from his face, I saw that he wasn’t horribly burned but there were some marks. He turned to me, a furious look in his eyes.

“Alex, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to do that!” I exclaimed.

Alex didn’t care however. He tackled me to the ground and started punching me. I held my arms over my face to try and protect myself. Alex was breathing loudly and heavily, his punches becoming more and more painful with each hit.

“Alex, please STOP!!” I pleaded desperately.

“Doesn’t feel good, does it Jake?!” Said Alex angrily. “Maybe I should burn your face to show you how it feels!”

“No!” I yelled.

With enough force, I pushed Alex off me. As I stood up, my eyes twitched in pain again as I noticed that both arms were hurting badly now. Alex also stood up. He was still panting but this time, it wasn’t nearly as loud as it was when he was hitting me.

“Jake…” Alex stopped to take a few breaths. “Do you see…what you’re doing? All this…just to save some humans.”

“How many times do I have to tell you Alex?” I said breathless. “Those humans…are my friends. I like them…even if…you say you don’t.”

“Oh yeah?” Alex said in a mocking voice. “Remember your…other so called friends? The ones…who got hurt…or scared by your powers? What if…something happened and your powers…ended up hurting your new friends? What if they…started to hate you for it? Would you…still like them?”

I didn’t know how to answer that. I just hoped that never would happen. Jericho and Cassie already knew about my powers so I knew they’d never be scared of me but…Alex did have a point: what if my powers did end up hurting them? Would they still want to be pals with me? I wanted to believe that they would.

“Well Jake?” Alex asked impatiently.

“You know what, Alex? Even if they hated me, I’d still like them. And if my powers did hurt them, I think they’d still want to be friends with me.” I said, feeling confident in my answer.

Alex rolled his eyes. He didn’t say anymore. He tried to take to the sky again but found that difficult as he got about two feet off the ground and fell back down. His wings were too tired to lift him. I tried to lift myself into the air too but didn’t have any better luck than Alex did. My wings were cramping. I tried not to move them too much in case it made the pain worse.

The two of us stood, trying to get more air into our lungs. This time, my head felt light. Things started to spin. I was feeling dizzy. My eyes shut a few times but I fought to keep them open, fearing that I might lose consciousness.

Slowly I walked past Alex, my hands held over my head as things continued to spin. I took a couple deep breaths, coughing a little once I was done. I stopped a few feet from the steps and watched Alex as he walked to where I was standing. He and I stood about five feet away from each other just watching one another, wondering what the other was going to do. After a few minutes, Alex suddenly charged at me. I prepared myself for whatever it was he was about to do.

Alex swung his claws at me a few times, each attempt missing me. When I had the chance, I swung my fist at him, hitting Alex right in the snout. I threw another punch and hit him again. Just as I was about to hit Alex a third time, he grabbed my fist, squeezing it tightly and pushed me back. I stumbled a few feet and fell backwards. I immediately stood up, noticing that my body was starting to feel weaker and weaker. I had pushed myself too much. This time, my body really couldn’t take much more and I was willing to bet Alex was feeling the same way. My legs felt like jelly. I was amazed I was still standing.

Using what little strength my legs had left, I charged at Alex. The two of us exchanged a couple punches before we leapt back and unleashed two small but fierce streams of fire. Our two waves connected, struggling to beat the other.

We stood in that same spot which felt like forever, our fires trying to beat the other’s. I had never breathed fire for so long. It was painful. I wished there was an easier way to do this. Then I remembered there was. I couldn’t believe I forgot it: I didn’t have to keep breathing fire. I could just manipulate the fire I had already breathed. Once that thought crossed my mind, I realized that this may be my best chance of beating Alex. Alex didn’t have the power to manipulate elements like I did. That was going to give me a huge advantage. He had to keep breathing fire while I didn’t. This meant that he would have tired himself out quicker. I did it! I was going to beat him and save my friends.

I raised my palms over my fire and slowly closed my mouth, preventing anymore fire from escaping my body. I smiled proudly. I couldn’t believe that for the first time ever, I was actually going to beat Alex. And even better, Jericho and Cassie weren’t going to die

“Hey Alex!” I shouted. “I finally beat you! You have to keep breathing fire but I don’t! You’ll become tired quicker than me!”

Alex couldn’t respond. I continued to hold my hands in front of my fire, putting as much force into it as I could so that it could beat Alex. Things started getting blurry again. I was starting to pant like crazy as the last bit of energy I had left was leaving my body. I couldn’t let it happen yet. Not when I was so close. I pushed myself even harder but it was no use. My fire was beginning to be consumed by Alex’s. I didn’t understand why. I had the advantage. Alex should have been getting tired faster than I was.

I couldn’t take anymore. My legs gave out and I collapsed to the ground. I felt like I was going to be sick. To my surprise, when I looked up, I saw that my fire as well as Alex’s was gone. My vision went blurry again, then returned to normal and became blurry again. I struggled to stay awake but I was quickly losing that battle. Finally, I fell on my side, my head smacking the dirty, dusty ground as my eyes began to shut. The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was Alex slowly making his way to the stairs. As my eyes fully closed and my consciousness was lost, one last thought entered my head.

“Jericho…Cassie…I’m sorry. This is all my fault…”

[animeboye]

Mid Dragon's World Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Jake Returns Home

That afternoon, Theian and I walked down a rocky path on the mountain as I explained my plan to him. My plan was that we would return home for like, three hours, hang out with Jericho and Cassie, and be back before anyone knew.

“Jake…” Theian sighed. “I don’t know about this. What if your father finds out?”

“It should be okay. I told him we were going into town.” I said.

“For three hours? Yeah, I don’t think he’s going to buy that.” Theian scoffed.

“We’ll be okay, I promise!” I assured.

I looked behind us to make sure no one was watching. Once we were sure that the coast was clear, Theian opened a portal. We stepped through, winding up in the dragon realm for a quick moment before Theian opened another portal that took us back home.

Stepping out of the portal, we found ourselves standing in front of my house. Even though it had only been a few days since we left I still couldn’t believe it…I was actually home! It felt great to be back. The grass, the houses, the trees, I never thought I would miss them this much. I was getting sick of that awful desert heat. I really wanted to go back home, even just for a minute but I remembered that Tomi probably had some of his henchmen watching my house.

Suddenly, we saw someone walking from the side of my house to the front. Theian grabbed me by my shirt collar and the two of us hid behind a car parked in the driveway by the house we were standing in front of. Slowly I peaked my head up to see who it was. I didn’t recognize him. He looked tall and skinny wearing a white shirt, with a pair of glasses and blue jeans. I watched, my eyes focused on him.

“Jake, get down before he sees you.” Theian whispered.

Doing what Theian said, I crouched down behind the car again, hoping that whoever this guy was, he wouldn’t find us. I was sweating in fear, my hands shaking. I tried to take some deep breaths and think of something else to calm myself down.

After waiting for five minutes, we poked our heads over the car again, noticing that the guy that was over by my house had disappeared. There was no sign of him anywhere. Perhaps he had opened a portal to the dragon realm. If that was the case, then he must have been Tomi’s henchmen and he was probably here to figure out what happened to Z’haer.

Theian and I checked one last time to make sure everything was alright before we stood up and walked from the front of the car. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and sighed, feeling glad we weren’t caught.

“Jake, listen, I know you don’t want to hear this but we really should go back. It’s too dangerous to be here right now.” Theian said, looking worried.

“Please Theian? Just for three hours! Please? Please, please please, PUH-LEEEAAAAAAAAASSSSSSE!!!?” I pleaded.

Theian groaned. “Fine. But if either of us get in trouble, it’s not my fault.”

“Awesome! Thanks Theian, you’re the best!”

“Yeah, sure I am. Now let’s do this and get back.” Theian said.

The two of us headed to Jericho and Cassie’s house. Once we were there, I rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer the door only there was no answer. I rang the doorbell again, still no answer. I tried one more time, still no answer.

“Jake, I don’t think they’re home.” Theian stated.

“Aww!” I exclaimed disappointed.

“Alright, well we tried, now we’re going—“

“Wait!” I said, cutting off Theian. “Maybe they’re at the mall!”

“Jake, no! We’re going—“

“Come on Theian!” I pouted.

Theian let out a long, annoyed sigh followed by another groan.

“ I swear…” He said under his breath, changing into his dragon form.

Once in the sky, we flew to the mall, keeping an eye out for any of Tomi’s henchmen. I hoped my hunch was right and that Jericho and his family were at the mall. Time was starting to go. It must have been an hour already since we got back.

“Hey Jake.” Theian called my name.

“Yeah?” I replied.

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you for awhile. I heard from Alex that there’s another half-dragon at your school? Is that right?” Theian asked me.

“Yeah. His name’s Drake.” I answered.

“I see. And he was the kid that pushed you?”

After Theian said that, I thought back to that moment. It made me feel upset. Ever since we traveled to the desert, I had been trying to forget about what happened between me and Drake. It wasn’t that he pushed me that made me feel sad. It was because Drake was just like me and Alex, a half-dragon, and I really wanted the two of us to hang out someday. But ever since I told him who my dad was, it made me wonder if maybe he hated me for it.

“…Yeah.” I finally answered. “That was him.”

“Hmm…” Thought Theian. “I wonder…”

“Wonder what?” I asked.

“Well it’s just a hunch right now, but if that hunch in question is right, then I may have just found the person I’ve been looking for.” Theian explained.

“You have?” I asked with surprise.

“We’ll talk more about it later. Right now, we’re almost at the mall.”

As we flew closer to the mall, Theian began to lower closer to the ground. He looked around the parking lot, making sure there weren’t a lot of people around. He descended into a nearby dumpster fence and as soon as I hopped off his back, he changed into his human form.

We headed through the sports store that was right next to the dumpsters and out into the mall. The place I decided to try first was the place I first met Jericho: his cousin’s Gamestop. I ran for the Gamestop with Theian trailing behind me. Once there, I looked around, hoping to find Jericho. There was no sign of him. Just then, his cousin Billy came out from the back room. He saw me and Theian standing at the front of the store and came over to see us.

“What’s goin’ on guys?” Billy asked.

“Billy, have you seen Jericho around?” I asked in a hurry.

“Yeah, he and his sister were in here an hour ago.” Billy explained.

“Do you know where they went?” I asked again.

“They said they had to get some things at the mall then they were going to the Winco on 9th Street with their mom. Why, what’s up? Is your dad going to let you hang out with him again?” Asked Billy.

“Well…something like that.” I responded.

“We gotta go. See ya later Billy.” I said as we were about to head out. But before we could, Billy asked us to wait.

“I have something I want to ask you.” Billy said, pointing to Theian.

“What?” Theian asked.

“I just wanted to ask you if you know of a way for a human to extend his or her lifespan?”

“Why would I know something like that?” Theian replied with a question of his own, sounding annoyed.

“Eh. I just thought you might. Thought I might ask, you know.”

Theian gave Billy a weird look. It felt weird seeing Theian looking so uncomfortable. Even weirder than Billy and his talk of extending someone’s lifespan.

“You are really weird.” Theian said bluntly before leaving the store.

As soon as we were back in the sky, we set our course for 9th Street. The good thing was that I had been to that grocery store before so I knew exactly where it was. As we flew there, Theian shuddered.

“That guy is just really weird. I’m sorry Jake, I know he’s your friend’s cousin but he really is.” Theian said in a disturbed voice.

“Billy? I think he’s okay. I mean it is weird how he talks about making someone’s life longer but I don’t think he’s a bad guy or anything.”

“You’re too nice, kid.” Theian stated. “But your friends’ parents do have a point in being worried about their children being around him. Even if he isn’t bad, he doesn’t seem like he’s…how should I say it? All there?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, not getting what Theian meant.

“Jake, as you get older, you’re going to learn that just because somebody seems nice, that doesn’t make them a perfect person. Billy might seem nice but the guy’s got problems.” Theian explained.

I didn’t really understand what Theian meant. Maybe it was because I was too young, just like he said. But even then, I still didn’t think Billy was that bad. Weird maybe but not bad.

After flying around for a bit, we were at 9th Street. Theian flew over the street, looking for a place where he could change into his human form without anyone seeing. Theian descended behind a liquor store, making sure no one was down there before he did.  Once on the ground, Theian lowered, letting me off and then changing into his human form. The two of us walked from behind the liquor store and over to the grocery store across the street. We walked through the parking lot, looking for Jericho’s mom’s car. The parking lot was filled, not one spot left open. This wasn’t going to be easy. We walked down each row looking for a green minivan. After not finding the minivan, I was about to give up when suddenly, I saw the green minivan I was looking for pulling out of the parking lot. And I knew which family it belonged to: Jericho’s!

Theian and I ran behind the liquor store again and Theian changed into his dragon form. He flew high into the sky and followed the van.

“Jake, are you sure that’s his mom’s van?” Theian asked.

“Yeah. I know it is.” I said confidently.

“Well I hope you’re right. We’ve only got about an hour and thirty minutes left before we have to go back so if this isn’t it, then that’s it. Alright?” Theian asked.

I agreed. I wasn’t worried though because I knew this was the right car. I just hoped that Jericho’s mom didn’t have to make any more stops on their way home. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t be able to see them.

After following them for about twenty minutes, Jericho’s mom’s van pulled up to their driveway and stopped. As everyone was getting out, me and Theian landed on the ground as Jericho, Cassie, and the rest of their family were grabbing the groceries from the back.

“Hey! Jericho! Cassie!” I called.

Everyone swung around when they heard me. Looks of surprise appeared on Jericho’s and Cassie’s faces.

“Jake?” Jericho said, not believing it was me.

“Hey guys.” I smiled.

The twins handed their parents the bags they were holding and walked up to me. Slowly, they started to smile.

“Jake! It’s really you!” Cassie exclaimed.

“Well of course it’s me! Who else would I be?” I said.

“Aww dude, I’ve missed you so much! School’s just not the same without you!” Jericho said excitedly as we high fived.

“Yeah really.” Cassie agreed. “Things just aren’t fun when you’re not there.”

I smiled, blushing, feeling a little embarrassed by their compliments. Still, I was really, really happy to see them. It made me glad to know they still thought about me and that they missed me as much as I missed them.

The twins’ parents and their brother and sister took the rest of the groceries in, telling Cassie and Jericho that they can stay and catch up with me.

“So how’s your new school, Jake?” Jericho asked.

I shrugged. “Eh. It’s okay I guess. I was only there one day.” I explained.

“Only one day?” Cassie asked. “What happened? You get sick or something?”

“No. See, what happened was…” I explained to the twins everything that happened until now. I told them about Drake and how he was a half-dragon just like me. I told them about how I told Drake who my dad was and how it freaked him out which made him push me and run away. I also explained to them about what happened with Z’haer and how that led to us going to the desert.

“That’s crazy. All that in just one day?” Cassie asked.

I nodded.

“Well that would explain why you weren’t at your house yesterday.” Jericho said.

Hearing Jericho say that shocked me. He was at my house?! I really hoped no one was there when he was. If Tomi or his henchmen knew Jericho or Cassie were my friends…No, I didn’t want to think about what they might do to them.

“Jericho, you were at my house?! Was anyone else there?!” I asked, grabbing Jericho’s shoulders and shaking him.

“No Jake, relax. No one was there.” He answered as I shook him.

“Really Jake. And stop shaking my brother.” Cassie added.

“Oops. Sorry Jericho.” I said, letting go.

“It’s okay.” Said Jericho. “But who is this Tomi guy and why are you so scared of him?”

“I don’t really know him. Just that he’s one of the Leaders of the dragon realm. I’ve never met him before but I get the feeling my dad might have. He seems to know a lot about this guy.” I said.

“Have you ever asked him about Tomi?” Asked Cassie as she leaned against the back of her mom’s car.

I shook my head. Since I had never seen Tomi before or even knew what he looked like, I never really thought about asking about him.

I asked Theian how much time we had left before we had to go back. He said there were only about fifty minutes left. That wasn’t much time for us to really hang out. I wondered what we could do for the next fifty minutes, then Jericho suggested we could play soccer just like we did when I went to their school. I thought that sounded like fun. I asked Theian if maybe he wanted to play but he declined. Just like always, it was me and Cassie against Jericho. Our goals were the house and the fence. For all the time we spent playing soccer, the two of us were only about to get one goal on Jericho.

Cassie and I sat against the fence as Jericho sat against the house. Panting heavily, we wiped the sweat from our heads and the three of us took deep breaths at the same time.

“Wow! You guys actually got a goal! Congrats!” Jericho smiled at the two of us.

“Yeah but you’re still just too good, Jericho! We’re never gonna beat you!” I said after taking another deep breath.

“You’re both still pretty good though. It’s just I’ve been playing soccer for a long time.” Said Jericho, holding his soccer ball in his arms.

“I guess.” I replied.

Theian walked up to me and told me it was time for us to get going. I sighed, wishing I could have had more time to spend with Jericho and Cassie. I said goodbye to them as Theian opened a portal to the dragon realm and the two of us stepped through it.

As we made our way to the dragon realm, I thought about how great it was to see the two of them again. It was my hope that after dad made the world his, me, Cassie, and Jericho could go back to hanging out together just like we used to.

Once we were in the dragon realm, Theian immediately opened another portal. Just as Theian was about to step through, he stopped and saw me just standing.

“Jake, come on, we gotta go back.” Said Theian, waving me into the portal.

“I know. I was wondering if dad might’ve found out where we were.” I said nervously.

“Well…all I can say is let’s hope he didn’t. Now come on.” Theian said, waving me in again.

Theian allowed me through first and then he followed, the portal closing behind us. When we arrived back in the desert, we found ourselves standing on the same rocky path we took as when we left.

“Just remember Jake: if your father asks, we were in Baker Valley this whole time.” Theian said, going over our excuse.

“I know.” I responded.

When we got to the castle, we saw dad sitting on the steps, his hands cupped as he looked down at the ground. He looked up and saw us and immediately stood up. He didn’t look too happy to see us. I was afraid that he might have figured out we weren’t really at Baker Valley.

“So Jakol…Theian…where were you two this whole time?”

[animeboye]

Mid Dragon's World Chapter 13

Chapter 13: To Bury a Dragon

IT. WAS SO. HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!

I woke up that morning drenched in sweat. I proceeded to sit up, my back peeling from the damp bed sheet. On the floor next to my bed were my shirt and shorts which I had taken off last night so that I wouldn’t be too warm. I stood up, put my clothes on, and headed out of my room.

From downstairs I could hear Girido and Rikai arguing about something. I looked down at the two of them and listened closely to what they were saying.

“For the last time, I don’t know anything about that! Now stop bothering me!” Girido exclaimed. This was the first time I ever heard him sound angry.

“Aww come on, Girie! You don’t need to be so upset. I’m just trying to have a conversation with you.” Rikai said, sounding almost as if he was mocking Girido.

“Don’t call me ‘Girie’!” Girido snapped.  “Besides, why do you want to know who Saulstrance’s Champion is so badly?”

“Because once I know the Champion’s identity, I’m going to kill them and take their place.” Rikai explained.

Girido laughed at Rikai’s statement. I could see Rikai’s confident, creepy smile turning into a scowl as Girido continued to mock him.

“And what will taking the Champion’s place accomplish? What will that do for someone like you?” Girido asked, giving Rikai a mocking smile.

“Well for one thing, ‘old chum’, it’ll place me above you. Secondly, it’ll make Master Saulstrance see my true worth.” Rikai explained.

“Old chum”? Did Rikai and Girido know each other? More importantly, what Rikai said made me think: just who was my dad’s Champion? Where were they right now? What were they like?

Girido laughed again. “’Your true worth’? Rikai, do you understand why Lord Saulstrance made you an Apprentice? Because that is your true worth! You should be thankful he even let you join us. Why he did, however, I can’t for the life of me figure out.”

Rikai growled very loudly. He clenched his hand into a fist and hit Girido in the face, sending him staggering back two feet.  The two of them stood there, not saying anything, just looking at each other with angry looks on their faces as Girido rubbed the cheek Rikai hit. As soon as Girido stopped rubbing his cheek, he turned away from Rikai and was about to leave.

“You’ve changed ever since you joined Master Saulstrance.” Rikai said.

“And you’re still the same nut you’ve always been.” Girido replied back.

As soon as the two of them were gone, I got up and headed outside. On the steps of the catle sat Alex who was holding the drawing Jericho made for him.

“Hey Alex.” I greeted as I sat down beside him.

“Oh, hey Jake.” He greeted me back, putting the drawing on his lap.

“What were you doing?” I asked.

“Just…thinking about stuff.” He said, pausing for a second.

“Like what?”

“Nothing big. Just stuff.”

Wiping away my sweat from my forehead, I took a deep breath. I pulled my shirt collar down to try and get what little air I could under my shirt. I looked up at the bright, burning sun for a second then quickly looked away as the sun quickly stung my eyes. I was only in the desert for a day and already I wanted to go home. I thought about the first thing I was going to do when we finally did go back: I would lock my bedroom door, turn my air conditioner on, and just lay in my bed and enjoy the nice cold air. Just thinking about how nice that would be started to cool me down. Of course, that quickly changed when Alex spoke to me, snapping me out of my imagination.

“Jake, I’m asking you something!” Alex exclaimed as he nudged my shoulder.

“Huh? Wha--?” I said confused.

“I was asking you how long you think we’re going to be out here? I can’t take it anymore! It’s so hot!” Alex said, wiping away his own sweat from his forehead.

“I don’t know.” I said, not able to think up any other answer. “I just hope it’s not too long. I feel like I’m getting a headache from the heat.”

Alex growled, sounding frustrated. “This is all Z’haer’s fault! If he hadn’t been a spy, none of this would be happening! We’d probably even be getting started on dad’s plan by now.”

It surprised me when Alex mentioned our dad’s plan. Ever since I met both Jericho and Cassie and ever since the incident with Z’haer, I had been wondering if what dad was trying to do was really right. Ever since I could remember, dad always told me that he wanted to make the worlds better for everyone, a dream he shared with his dead friend. He would always say that once the human realm was his, there would be no more bad things and everyone would like me and Alex. It seemed like a great idea but now I just wasn’t sure anymore. Was this really what dad wanted? I wanted to believe in him and his plan, the same way that Alex did but how could I now?  I wondered what Alex thought about this? But before I could get the chance to ask him, he stood up and looked down at me.

“Hey Jake, what do you say we train for a bit? We haven’t done that in a long time.” Alex asked, holding Jericho’s drawing in his hands.

I nodded. “Okay! That sounds good! Just no fire, alright? It’s way too hot for that.”

“Yeah, I agree. No fire.” Alex said.

Before we got started, Alex went back inside. He told me he was going to put his drawing back in his room. He returned a moment later and the two of us headed out to the ground. We changed into our half-dragon forms and rushed at each other. Alex threw the first punch which I blocked with my arms. I threw a punch of my own at Alex which he blocked in the same way I did. We continued blocking each other’s attacks, getting a few hits in now and then. We were pretty much even until Alex decided to change into his human-dragon form. I tried to attack him again only to be hit in the face by his scaly fist and knocked to the ground.

“Ow!” I exclaimed as I sat up, rubbing my cheek.

“Hey no fair Alex! You can’t use that form!”

“Why not? You just said we can’t use fire.” Alex replied.

“Well yeah but we’re just training so let’s try to keep our strength about the same.”

Alex groaned. “Fine…” He said as he changed back to his half-dragon form.

Suddenly I heard someone say to me, “You know Jakol, you’ll never get stronger if you ask for people to take it easy on you.”  Turning around, I saw that it was dad, and Theian was standing behind him. Dad looked pretty serious. I wondered what was up so Alex and I went over to the steps where they were standing.

“Hi dad. Hi Theian.” I greeted.

“Were you boys training?” Asked dad.

“A little.” I answered.

“Well I need you to put training on hold for a while. I have something I need you three to do.”

“And what’s that?” Alex asked.

Dad walked past us and approached the tarp that Z’haer’s body was wrapped in.

“I need you three to dispose of Z’haer’s body. I don’t care what you do with it, you can throw it over the mountain, bury it, burn it, it doesn’t matter to me but we need to get rid of it. Understood?” Dad explained.

I glanced over at the tarp for a second, then looked up at dad and nodded. Alex nodded too.

“Good. Now be on your way.” Dad commanded.

As he went back into the castle, Theian changed into his dragon form and crouched down. He ordered us to grab both ends of the tarp and but it on his back. I grabbed one side, Alex grabbed the other. It was difficult for us to lift Z’haer’s body even when we were in our half-dragon forms so to make things easier, Alex transformed into a human-dragon again and with very little effort, we lifted the tarp onto Theian’s back and set it down. After that was done, we got on Theian’s back. Since I was in front, Theian told me to keep a good hold on the tarp so that it doesn’t fall off. Once I had gripped it as hard as I could, Theian flew into the sky.

None of us were sure where to put Z’haer’s body. I didn’t think it was right to just drop his body somewhere in the desert and not even bury it. He might not have really been on our side but he didn’t deserve that and I definitely was not going to burn him like dad suggested.

“So do either of you have any ideas on what we should do with Z’haer? We’re gonna need to think of something soon guys.” Theian said as he flew over some mountains with no idea where we were going.

“I think I have an idea.” I said.

“Oh? What is it, Jake?” Asked Theian.

“Well, what if we take Z’haer to that town we were at last night and bury him there?” I suggested.

“I have no objections to that. Alex, what do you think?” Theian asked.

“It’s fine I guess.” Alex shrugged.

Once we were all in agreement, Theian turned around and flew in the direction of Baker Valley. While we made our way there, I looked at the tarp that Z’haer was wrapped in. I still couldn’t believe he was dead or that I was the one that killed him. I’d never forget that feeling I got when I killed Z’haer. I had never been more sick or horrified in my life. I was always going to remember that.

In my head, I apologized to Z’haer and I wished that things didn’t turn out this way. I didn’t care that Z’haer was actually a spy for Tomi, I still liked him. He was so nice to me, Alex, and Theian when he was alive and what he said before I did…that…about how he actually did like the three of us, I think he really meant that.

“Hey Jake!” Alex called to me. “I was just thinking. Where are we going to bury Z’haer in town? It’s not like we can just go into town, bury him, and leave.”

“Alex has a point Jake. Although…”Theian said as he quickly thought something up.

“What? Do you have an idea Theian?” I asked.

“I do: we could bury him on the outskirts of town. And if we do that, then his grave should be left alone for the most part.” Theian explained.

What Theian said made me think: when we bury Z’haer, we’ll be the only ones who will know where he was buried. Nobody would come visit him. Thinking about that made me feel even worse for Z’haer. Dying was bad enough but to die and not have anyone know where your grave was was horrible.

“Guys, I kinda wish we could take Z’haer to the dragon realm and bury him there. I mean, that is where he was from.” I said sadly.

“I understand how you feel Jake. Believe me, I really do. However, it’s too dangerous to take his body back home. Tomi might have his boys searching around the realm too and if we were there and they caught us, it would be over.” Theian explained.

“But what if they’re not there?” I asked.

“We can’t take that risk. I’m sorry.”

“I understand…” I said sadly as I looked down at the tarp again. I knew Theian was right and that going to the dragon realm to bury Z’haer would put us in danger but even then, it still made me sad to think that Z’haer would be buried all the way out here with no one except us knowing.

Once we made it to Baker Valley, we circled around the small town, trying to find a good spot to bury Z’haer’s body where no one would disturb it. Eventually, we decided to bury him on a cliff that overlooked the town.

Theian landed on top of the cliff and crouched down. Alex and I hopped off Theian’s back. I grabbed one side of the tarp that had Z’haer in it and Alex changed into his human-dragon form again and grabbed the other side. We sat Z’haer down next to Theian. Theian grabbed a nearby rock and handed it to me, telling me to hold onto it for right now. He walked towards the edge of the cliff and stuck his tail into the ground. He pulled his tail up, digging some ground up and knocking it to the side of the hole that he was creating.

“Hey Theian, do you want us to help?” I asked.

“No, that’s fine. Just stay there with Z’haer.” Said Theian as he continued to dig.

Theian continued to dig until he had made a hole big enough to fit someone in. He told me and Alex to grab Z’haer and bring him over to the hole. So once again, we picked up the sides of the tarp and brought it over. Before we put Z’haer’s body in, we set the tarp on the ground. I wiped away some sweat and took a few deep breaths as I looked at Alex and then Theian.

“You guys ready to do this?” Theian asked.

We all looked at each other and nodded at the same time. We grabbed the sides again and Theian counted down to three. Once he said three, Alex and I tossed the tarp into the hole. It landed perfectly, no sides coming undone or anything.

“Alright then. Now all we need to do is fill this baby back up again.” Theian stated.

“Can we help?” I asked.

“If you’d like.” Said Theian.

Alex and I grabbed some handfuls of dirt and dropped them into the hole. Meanwhile, Theian simply pushed most of the dirt in with his tail. The dirt that Theian pushed in almost completely covered Z’haer’s body. It took us awhile but eventually we were able to get it done. The hole was filled up. To finish our digging job, the three of us smoothed the ground out. Afterwards, we sat down on the rough rocky ground.

“Well that’s done.” Said Alex, changing back into his half-dragon form.

“Not just yet. Jake, can I have that rock?” Theian asked.

“Sure.” I said, handing the rock that Theian told me to hold onto to him.

Theian took the rock from me. He took one of his claws and carefully carved something into it. Curious about what he was doing, Alex and I stood up and walked behind Theian to see what he was carving into the rock. It was Z’haer’s name. Z, H, ’, A, E, R he wrote. Once the name was in the rock, Theian handed it to me once again and instructed me to dig a little hole by Z’haer’s grave and stick the rock into it so it could be used as a tombstone. Doing as Theian said, I went over to the grave and dug into the ground, setting the dirt I had just dug up on the side. I stuck the rock in and placed the dirt under it, patting the dirt against the rock so it’d stay.

Once Z’haer’s grave was finished, we stood in front of it, not saying anything but just looking at it.

“Perhaps it would be best to share a few words about Z’haer?” Suggested Theian.

“What’s there to say? He was our enemy. We shouldn’t’ve even done this for him!” Alex said angrily.

“He wasn’t really that bad, Alex.” I said softly.

“And how do you know that, Jake?” Alex asked.

“Because right before I killed him, he said something to me.” I explained.

“What was it?” Asked Theian.

“He told me that even though he was a spy, he still liked us. He said the three of us were the only ones he really did like.” I continued explaining.

Alex sighed. “I see…” He said as he turned away and walked to the other side of the cliff.

I wondered if Theian was going to say anything. What did he think about what I just said? I didn’t even know if he considered Z’haer an enemy after what happened. Was he angry at him? Did he wish things would have been different?

“Theian?” I asked.

“Yes?”

“What did you think about Z’haer?”

Theian sighed. He closed his eyes, lowered his head and rubbed his eyes with his paw.

“Well…” He began as he turned his head to me. “I do have some choice words I like to say to him. However, I won’t say them in front of a dead dragon’s grave. The truth is…I’m conflicted. I can’t say I hate him for betraying us because he was never on our side to begin with. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish things would have gone differently. I do believe that he truly did like the three of us and who knows? Maybe if things had been different, we could have been true comrades.”

I agreed with Theian and felt kind of the same way he did. Deep down, I was also a little angry at Z’haer but mostly I was sad. But I also realized that if I hadn’t done anything, we might have been in serious trouble. So I didn’t know…was what I did good because I saved us? Or was it bad because I killed someone?

As soon as I stood up, I saw Alex standing behind us. He walked in front of Z’haer’s grave and stared down at it. He clenched his fist as it started to shake.

“Out of the three of us, I’m definitely the angriest at you. We trusted you, Z’haer, and you screwed us over. As angry as I am though, I am pretty impressed with you at the same time. You knew your life was in danger once we discovered who you really were but you didn’t let that scare you. You were so confident and so sure of yourself. I have to admit, I thought that was pretty cool of you. If I were in your shoes, I probably would have been scared out of my mind. So…rest in peace, Z’haer. You were our enemy, and our friend.” Alex said with a small, sad smile.

I smiled at Alex, surprised that he would say those words to someone who be felt betrayed him. I wasn’t sure what else there was left to say. Theian and Alex pretty much said everything I would have. Instead, I decided to kneel before Z’haer’s grave, put my hand on top of his “tombstone” and just say “rest in peace. I’ll see you again someday”.

After we were done giving our final farewells to Z’haer, we flew down to the small town. We all changed into our human forms and just roamed around. We didn’t say anything to each other. We were probably all thinking about Z’haer.

As we walked down a street, I saw two kids, a blonde haired boy and a brown haired boy across the street running past.

“Hey Jimmy! Wait for me!” The blonde haired boy called out to his friend.

Seeing those two reminded me of the time I spent with Jericho and Cassie. I wondered what they were doing and if they were thinking about me. I wanted to see them again so badly but the only question was how could I do that without dad knowing? I couldn’t go tonight. Dad would definitely know something was up then. Then it hit me: tomorrow morning! Tomorrow morning, I was going to see my friends again!

[animeboye]

Mid Dragon's World Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Dragons in the Desert

I held my head over the toilet as I puked into it. Sweat ran down from all sides of my head as I clutched the sides of the toilet and heaved again. I continued to throw up for a short while until I finally stopped. I moved my hands from the toilet and wrapped them around my stomach which hurt terribly. As I tried to get some air into my lungs, tears ran down my face as I thought about what I did. Even if Z’haer said it was alright, it didn’t feel alright.

As I sobbed to myself, still holding my aching stomach, Alex opened the bathroom door and came in.

“Hey Jake. Are you alright?” Alex asked. He sounded as if nothing had happened.

“’Alright?! ALRIGHT?!’” I gasped as I layed against the wall, my hands still over my stomach. “I killed someone Alex! Of course I’m not alright!” I sobbed.

As I still sobbed, Alex sat beside me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. He pulled me closer to him.

“Jake, what you did saved us. Z’haer was our enemy. If we left him alive then who knows what would have happened.” Alex said softly.

Alex moved his arm from my shoulder. I sighed. I didn’t want to think of Z’haer as my enemy, especially after what he said right before I…killed him. If he really did think of me, Alex, and Theian as friends then I considered him a friend too. I wondered if Theian might have thought the same.

The bathroom door opened. It was Eig’nia. She told us that dad wanted us to return to the basement as soon as we could. Alex stood up and headed out of the bathroom but before he could leave, I called his name, stopping him by the door.

“Alex?” I asked, standing up.

“Yeah?” Alex asked back to me without turning around.

“You don’t…you don’t think Z’haer deserved to die…do you?” I asked, already certain of what his answer would be.

“Yes. Yes I do.” Alex said swiftly. Despite his answer, Alex sounded kind of sad. Perhaps deep down, he still considered Z’haer a friend too. I wondered if Theian felt the same way.

I stood up and followed Alex down to the basement where everyone sat waiting for us. Z’haer’s body had been wrapped in a tarp and was placed behind my chair, Alex’s, and the chair that used to be Z’haer’s. I quickly looked away and headed to my chair. As soon as Alex and I were seated, dad spoke.

“Rikai, would you care to join us? It seems we now have a chair with no one to occupy it.” Dad said, holding his hand out in front of Z’haer’s old chair.

“Gladly master.” Rikai smiled as he sat down next to me. A funny feeling went through my body and slowly I moved my right arm away from him.

Dad took a deep breath. He grasped the handles on his chair and looked at each and every one of us with the most serious look I’ve ever seen on his face.

“If everyone may please, Eig’nia has something she would like to say. Eig’nia?”

“Thank you sir.” Eig’nia said to dad.  “Due to these recent revelations, both Lord Saulstrance and I think it’d be best for us to relocate somewhere else for the time being and put our plans on hold.”

“I must agree. With Z’haer’s…unfortunate passing, Tomi and his boys will realize something has happened. Once they do, they’ll no doubt come here. For now, we need to lay low somewhere else.” Dad added to what Eig’nia said.

“But where?” Asked Alex, leaning forward in his seat.

“There is a place in the desert known as Death Valley and nestled deep, deep within its mountains is a small house sized castle. I came upon this place several days ago. I think this castle would serve greatly for our hideout.” Eig’nia explained.

“Yeah. That doesn’t sound too bad.” Girido agreed.

“Alright then. So we’re all agreed? We will head for this castle as soon as everyone is ready. Take what you need and be quick.” Dad commanded.

With the discussion over, everyone gathered what they could. Alex only brought a few of his handheld games with him and all I brought with me was a picture of me, Jericho, and Cassie when we went to In n Out Burger last month.  Just as we were about to join the others outside, Alex called my name.

“Jake.” He said.

“Yeah?” I asked.

“Don’t let what happened with Z’haer or that Drake kid bother you, alright?” Alex asked, sounding really concerned for me.

I nodded. I smiled and thanked Alex. Alex smiled back. It made me really happy to know Alex was there, looking out for me.

Alex and I joined everyone outside. Dad, in his true form, had the tarp that Z’haer’s body was wrapped in hanging over his back. Eig’nia stood in front of us and asked if we were ready, then she opened a portal. We followed her through the portal, ending up somewhere in the dragon realm. Immediately, Eig’nia opened another portal. This one led right to what would be our new home for awhile.

We stood before the castle, looking at it in amazement. It was small and dusty, the very opposite of what you’d think a castle would be. The castle was surrounded on all four sides by rocky walls that rose high above it. No wonder no one would be able to find us I thought to myself. I wondered how many people ever found this place aside from us. Couldn’t have been too many.

Dad set Z’haer’s body on the ground, changed into his human form, and walked up to the door. We followed behind him. As soon as he opened the door, we were attacked with a wave of dust. The inside of the castle was dark and dusty. So dusty that you could literally see the dust floating around.  I held my nose as the dust made me feel like sneezing. After a few seconds, I sneezed at the top of my lungs which caused me to unwillingly change into my half-dragon form.

“Huh. So you change into your half-dragon form when you sneeze too, huh, Jake?” Alex asked.

“Sometimes.” I sniffled, my voice stuffed up. “It’s usually just if it’s a big sneeze. Why, do you?”

“Yeah. But like you it’s only when it’s a really big sneeze.” Alex said.

We searched around the place. I went upstairs with Alex, Theian, and Eig’nia to check things out while Dad and the others looked around below. Upstairs, there were four rooms which meant one room for each of us. Inside these rooms was dust so thick it made it difficult to see. A small glow shined in through the window that was next to an old bed. It was an old wooden bed that had no pillows or sheets. I sat down on the bed and continued to look around. About two sneezes later, I decided to head downstairs and see things.

Downstairs there was a table and chairs set up with a fan hanging over it. To the right was a small hallway with three rooms. The doors to each room was open as dad, Girido, and Rikai looked around.

After awhile, we gathered by the table.

“Yes. I believe this will be fine.” Dad said.

“Alright then.” Dad continued, clapping his hands together.  “Let’s get this place fixed up. If this is going to be our home for awhile then we should make it feel like home. Jakol, Alex, Theian, I want you guys to go and get some pillows, blankets, and food. The rest of us will clean up.”

Dad pulled out his wallet and handed Theian a hundred dollars. As soon as they started to clean up we walked outside. Theian changed into his dragon form, Alex and I hopped onto his back, and we flew into the sky.

“Hmm. What do you boys think the chances of there being a town way out here would be?” Thought Theian out loud.

“Pretty good!” Alex exclaimed, pointing to our right.

In the distance, a small town could be seen. I was surprised. I didn’t think there would be a town all the way in the desert. The three of us agreed to check this place out. Perhaps everything we needed was in that town.

We flew high above the desert. The sun was setting, making the air feel cool. Below us were plateaus, cactuses, and a lot of dried ground. Being all the way out here, it felt like we were at the end of the world. I wasn’t sure how anyone could live in a place like this.

Theian landed by the entrance to town and reverted back to human form. The sign to our right read “Baker Valley, pop. 556”. Theian walked over and read the sign out loud.

“A population of only 556 huh? Sounds like a quaint little community.” Theian commented.

“How can anyone live out here?” Asked Alex.

“I was thinking the same thing.” I added.

We walked into town. Just like the rest of the desert, it was a dusty place. A few people walked down the roads as a single car drove by. There were three small stores to our left with a few houses to the stores’ left. None of these stores seemed to have what we needed however. To the right was a small dirt hill where you could look out over the desert.

The three of us continued into town. We passed by a small hospital and then a motel. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a store that sold pillows or blankets so we decided to find someone and ask them. We passed by a man on the street and stopped him to get directions.

“Excuse me.” I said to the man.

“Yes?” The man asked.

“We’re not from around here. We’re…uh…tourists. Right now we have a group of people waiting for us to bring them back some food, pillows and blankets. Do you know where we can get these things?” Asked Theian.

“Well if you’re looking to get some food, there’s always the diner. They have the best food you can find in a town so far out like we are. We also have a grocery store. It’s not big like those city ones but it’s good for what it is. As for blankets and pillows, there’s Sleepy Tom’s Dream Central. I can take you there if you want.” The man explained.

“That would be good.” Theian replied.

We followed the man to the store. As we walked, I studied all the places we passed by. I was still so amazed that people could actually live in the desert. I know I wouldn’t have been able to. I thought the heat would start to bother me after awhile.

“So you guys didn’t bring any food, pillows or blankets with you? How were you able to get so far out here then?” The man asked curiously.

“Well…let’s just say we’re fast travelers.” Theian said.

“Oh…kay…That doesn’t really answer my question.” The man responded, not understanding what  Theian was saying.

“Well, I’m not sure how else to put it.” Theian shrugged.

“That’s okay. So who are you guys?” The man asked.

“My name’s Jake.” I said, introducing myself.

Alex muttered something but none of us could hear it.

“What was that son?” The man asked Alex.

“I’m Alex.” Alex said more clearly.

“And I’m…” Theian paused.

“I’m…I’m Tom.” Theian finally answered.

“Tom. Just like Sleepy Tom? And then we have Alex, and Jake. Nice to meet you guys. I’m Garret. And here we are. This is Sleepy Tom’s.”

Garret had led us to the store. It was a small store with orange colored bricks and a sign that hung above it. The words on the sign were almost completely faded but I could still make out what it said. This was indeed Sleepy Tom’s.

“Well I should be getting home. Good luck you guys.” Garret waved goodbye.

We waved goodbye for Garret as he headed down the street we just came from. We walked up to the counter where an old man in a cowboy hat stood. He must have been Sleepy Tom.

“Welcome to Sleepy Tom’s! I’m Sleepy Tom! How can I help you fine folk?” The man asked us in a ridiculously happy voice.

“We need about six pillows and six blankets. Would you happen to have some?” Asked Theian.

“’Have some’? Friend, do you know who you’re talkin’ to? I’m Sleepy Tom! I got the best pillows and blankets for miles around.”

“This is the only town for miles around.” Theian responded bluntly.

An irritated look appeared on Sleepy Tom’s face. His smile turned into a frown as he set his arms on the counter and lowered his head. After awhile, he pulled his head up and looked at Theian.

“Look buddy, I’m trying to be nice and friendly. You don’t have to be a jerk, alright? Just tryin’ to be a friendly businessman.” Tom said through a fake smile.

“I apologize. It’s been a long day. Can we just please have the pillows?” Theian asked.

Tom nodded. He walked from behind the counter and first led us to the pillows.

“These here are my best pillows. Perfect if you’re plannin’ to travel. Now, let me show you to the blankets.”

Theian took three pillows, I took one and Alex took two. Tom then took us over to the blankets and just like with the pillows, I took one blanket, Alex took two, and Theian took three. Once we had everything, we took them to the counter and Tom rang everything up. The pillows and blankets together cost about $23.70. After Tom rang everything up, he placed everything in bags and we were on our way. Our next stop was to the diner to get food.

The three of us approached the diner with bags of pillows and blankets in hand. No cars were parked by it although there were people inside. When we got to the steps, Alex sat down on the third step.

“Aren’t you coming in?” Asked Theian, opening the door.

“Nah. I’m gonna hang out here. Is that okay?” Alex asked.

“I don’t mind. How about you, Jake?”

I decided right away to just hang out outside with Alex. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go in. It seemed like a decent place. I just wanted to sit outside with Alex.

“I’m gonna stay out here too.” I said, making my decision.

“Alright then. I’ll be back in a moment.” Theian said, going into the diner.

I let out a loud sigh and sat on the step right below the one Alex sat on. I sat the bag I was carrying by my leg as I layed down on the steps. I stretched and sighed again, only this time, it was a quieter, sadder sigh. Alex noticed this.

“Hey Jake, how are you doing?” He asked.

I shrugged. “I’m okay, I guess.” I said flatly.

“You don’t sound okay. Something bugging you?” Alex asked, sounding a little worried.

I nodded.

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Well…I’ve just been thinking a lot about everything that happened. I mean, dad making me leave my old school, the thing with Drake, and Z’haer being a spy. I just…I don’t know what to think about it.” I explained.

“And especially what happened with Drake. I mean, I thought it would be awesome to be friends with another half-dragon, and then he pushed me after I told him dad’s name. I just…I don’t get why he’d do that.” I continued, beginning to feel sad.

“Well Jake, if I ever see him, I’ll make sure I don’t let him get away with pushing you. I’m not going to let anyone mistreat my little brother.”

I sat up and smiled at Alex. “Thanks Alex, but you know, you don’t always have to protect me. I’m not a baby anymore.”

“I know that. It’s just that you’re my brother…and the only friend I have that’s around my age. I don’t want you to get hurt dude.” Alex said with a smile.

“Alright then.” I smiled back. “But in return, I’m going to protect you too. Sounds good?”

Alex smiled brighter and nodded. “Sounds good!” He said as we bumped fists, grinning widely at each other.

A short time later, Theian came out of the diner carrying several bags full of food. Theian didn’t know what we all wanted so he just ordered burgers and fries, each with a side of lettuce and pickles. He also bought us each six bottles of Pepsi.

My stomach growled loudly. It wanted food! But it was going to have to wait until we got back to the hideout. I figured it might be alright if I was to have a sip of Pepsi but Theian suggested that I wait for that too. My stomach growled again. I just couldn’t wait.

We walked down the street and made our way out of town. Theian carried the food while I carried the bag with the blankets and pillows Theian was carrying.

“So what were you guys doing while you were waiting for me?” Asked Theian.

“Just talkin’.” Alex answered.

“Talking about what?” Theian asked again.

“Just stuff. Nothing really important.” Alex replied.

Once we were far enough away from Baker Valley, Theian handed Alex the bags he was carrying. He changed into his dragon form and crouched down so that we could climb onto his back. His wings unfolded into the cool night desert air. Holding tightly onto the bags, he flew high, high into the sky and headed for the castle. As we made our way back, I looked behind myself and grinned at Alex who grinned back at me. Even though the thoughts about everything that happened this month were still in the back of my mind, what he said to me at the diner helped make me feel a little better. Alex and I may have fought sometimes but even then, there was no one I would rather have had for a brother than him.

[animeboye]

Mid Dragon's World Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Another Half-Dragon?

And so once again, I was starting at another new school. My new school was going to be closer to home, its name: Elwood Elementary. This school wasn’t as big as my old one, only one story. It was a long tan building with the playground and a large open field right in front. Just like at my old school, the playground was to the school’s left with the field to its right.

As I took my first steps into my new school, I thought about Jericho and Cassie and wondered how they were doing. Were they thinking about me? And what was my old class doing? I wished I was still there.

But maybe things wouldn’t be so bad here I told myself. After all, just because I was friends with Jericho and Cassie that didn’t mean that I couldn’t make friends with the kids at this school. And I remembered that that Drake kid was going to this school as well. If I saw him around school, maybe the two of us could be friends.

I followed dad into school. There, we met with the principal who introduced himself as Principal Smith. He welcomed me to the school and just like with Principal Beckman, dad told Principal Smith about what happened at my old schools and asked if he could keep it between them. Thankfully Principal Smith agreed. After that, he gave me my locker number and combination and led me to my locker. I put my stuff away, taking out only what I’d need for class. Once I was ready, the principal showed me to my new classroom. As we walked there, I thought about that half-dragon boy from the other day. What were the chances that I’d be going to school with someone who’s the same species as me? If he was also a half-dragon, then that meant one of his parents was a dragon. I wondered to myself…just who was Drake really?

“Alright, here we are. Your new classroom. Room 303. Your teacher is Ms. Thermacker.” The principal explained.

“You’re gonna like her.” Principal Smith smiled. “She’s really nice but she can be pretty strict.”

“That’s good.” I smiled back. I was hoping I’d get a nice teacher again. Not like my old teacher, Mr. Falkson.

From inside the classroom, I could hear my new teacher tell the class that a new student would be joining them. They sounded pretty excited. This was my chance to make some new friends. I put on my biggest smile and walked into the classroom. I studied the kids I was going to be in class with. I was surprised when I saw that Drake and his friend were also going to be in the same class as me but I tried not to think too much about that for the moment.

“Please introduce yourself to the class.” Ms. Thermacker told me.

I moved my hair out of my eyes and looked at everyone. Still smiling, I introduced myself to my new classmates.

“My name is Jake. It’s nice to meet everyone.” I said, trying to sound as friendly as I could be.

After introducing myself, my new class talked about me amongst each other. I looked over at Drake and saw him talking with his friend. I couldn’t hear them over the other kids but I assumed that they were talking about me, like the rest of our classmates were.

“Jake, you may take your seat now.” Ms. Thermacker said.

I sat down in the only available seat which was right behind Drake’s. As I sat my stuff on my desk, Drake turned around and introduced himself to me. He looked really happy to have a new student in his class. I thought this might work out after all.

“Hi! My name’s Drake!” Drake said excitedly.

“H-hi, Drake.” I said a little bit nervously.

“Drake! Are you paying attention?!” Ms. Thermacker scolded him.

“Yes, Ms. Thermacker.” Drake answered.

“Well turn around and stop bothering Jake.”

After the next three classes, it was time for lunch. I sat at a table by myself, eating my lunch. I watched Drake who was sitting at the table across from mine. He was eating lunch with his friend and a girl. Must have been another one of his friends. I thought about going over there and joining them but for some reason, I felt nervous about doing it. Was it because Drake was a fellow half-dragon? If that was it, then shouldn’t I have been more excited to talk to him?

While I continued to eat my food, I kept trying to get up the courage to approach him. Eventually, Drake and his friends finished their lunch and headed outside. I finished my lunch as quickly as I could and followed them. When I got outside, I saw the three of them running towards the jungle gym so I ran towards the playground too.

They climbed up to the slide and the girl sat down, getting ready to slide to the bottom. I figured this was my chance to talk to them and try to become their friend. I took a deep breath and approached them just as the girl was about to go down the slide.

“Hey guys.” I said, trying not to sound nervous.

“Hey Jake!” Drake smiled. “So what do you think of the school?”

“It’s…it’s okay…” I said, my nervousness becoming more obvious.

“That’s cool.” Said Drake. “Hey, I want to introduce you to my friends. This is Crystal and that’s Sean.”

“Hey.” Crystal and Sean greeted.

“Hi.” I greeted back with a little smile.

“Sean’s dad and my dad have been friends ever since they were even younger than us.” Drake explained.

“Really?” I said surprised. “That’s a long time.”

Crystal gave herself a little push and went down the slide followed by Sean, then Drake, and then myself. As soon as we reached the bottom, we raced each other to the swings. As we swung together, I smiled widely. This was awesome! I was becoming friends with another half-dragon! I felt really embarrassed for being so nervous about talking to Drake. He was actually really nice and so were his friends. Who knew? Maybe things would be alright at this school.

“So Jake, are you really from Michigan?” Crystal asked.

“Yep! My dad and I moved to California when I was in Kindergarten. After we moved here, I went to a few other schools before this one but I had to leave because the kids would pick on me.” I explained.

“You too, huh?” Drake asked. “Kids used to pick on me and Crystal too but Sean would always kick their butts for messing with us.”

“You do?” I asked Sean, feeling reminded of how Alex would try and protect me from bullies when he was in elementary school too.

“You bet! Crystal and Drake are my best friends. I’m not gonna let some losers pick on them.” Sean smiled proudly.

After he said that, Sean placed a hand on my shoulder.

“If any kid tries picking on you too, just let me know and I’ll make sure they never do it again.”

“Th-thanks Sean!” I said with a surprised look on my face.

Sean laughed. “Don’t look so surprised man. You’re our friend now, aren’t ya? I’d do anything for my friends.”

I smiled back at Sean and thanked him. After that, the four of us played together all throughout recess, playing games like tag and kickball. After the bell rang and we returned to class, the day went by like normal. At 3:30, the bell rang and everyone rushed out the door. As I was grabbing my things from my locker, I saw Drake who was just shutting his own locker. I figured this might be the best time for me to ask Drake about him being a half-dragon.

“Drake?” I asked, walking up to him.

“Yeah? What’s up?” He asked as he slid his arms into his backpack’s straps.

“I…wanted to ask you something.” I said with that same nervous feeling I had earlier today.

“Okay.” He said, looking curious. “Go ahead.”

“Drake? Yesterday…when you transformed…well…you’re a half-dragon, aren’t you?” I asked.

As soon as I asked that, Drake looked at me with a shocked expression. He gasped. I knew that gasp couldn’t mean anything good. Could I have just screwed up our new friendship? Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. At least not until later. My stomach twisted and sweat began to trickle down my forehead.

“Jake…how…do you…know that?” Drake asked me, with a growing look of surprise on his face.

I didn’t answer him. I was too scared to say anything else. I gulped and took several breaths.

“Jake, what’s going on? Who are you?” Drake asked me suspiciously.

Oh no! I thought to myself! I did mess everything up! Without thinking, I took three steps back and ran as fast as I could out of the school. Once I was outside, I collided into a group of older kids, knocking one of them, as well as myself over.

“Ow! Watch where you’re going!” The older boy said.

“Sorry!” I said.

I looked back and saw Drake was chasing me. I got back on my feet and continued to run, looking back one more time to see Drake being stopped by the same kid I ran into. I made my way to the back of the school and hid. I tried to take some quick breaths before I continued fleeing. I realized that just running from him wouldn’t be enough. I had to hide somewhere. The only question was…where? I couldn’t hide inside the shed and I couldn’t hide behind it either.

And then I realized: I was so caught up in trying to get away from Drake that I didn’t even stop to think that I could fly! I could hide on the roof of the school! Quickly, I changed into my half-dragon form and flew up to the roof to hide. Once I was up there, I crouched down and watched the ground below as Drake ran to the same spot I was hiding. He looked around in an attempt to find me, then he went over to the shed.

He looked around the sides of the shed, only to find that I wasn’t there. While Drake was busy looking for me, I decided this would be the best time for me to go. I flapped my wings and flew away from the school. Once I was a few blocks away, I landed on the sidewalk of a nearby neighborhood and changed back to human form.

I sat down on the sidewalk and took my backpack off, sitting it beside me. I took several deep breaths, trying to get some air back into my lungs. I wiped the sweat away from my forehead and gazed into the sky. I just couldn’t stop thinking about how badly I screwed things up. Maybe it would have been better if I hadn’t said anything. Perhaps I should have just let Drake eventually show me his half-dragon side instead of pretty much giving away that I was spying on him the other day. Well, it was too late now.

I saw someone walking down the street, coming towards me. It was Drake. As soon as he saw me, he walked right up to me. I was certain he was going to ask me if I was spying on him or something. Or maybe he was going to ask me again how I knew he was a half-dragon. Either way, I didn’t want to talk to him right now so I stood up, grabbed my bag, and was about to run again when Drake stopped me.

“Jake, stop.” Drake said in a surprisingly calm voice. “Can I just talk to you?”

His calm voice helped make me feel a little calm myself. I was still worried but not as badly as I was before. I decided I’d stay and hear what Drake had to say. I sat down again, once more taking my backpack and setting it down next to me. Drake sat down beside me. He took a deep breath, stretched his legs out, and placed his hands in between his legs.

“Jake…I just wanna know how you know my secret. I haven’t told anyone except for Sean. So how do you know?” Drake asked.

I looked at him. I could see in his eyes that he wasn’t angry or blaming me for anything. Maybe there was still a chance for me to make things better. However, I still couldn’t bring myself to tell Drake how I knew his secret. I mean, what I supposed to say? “I saw you transform when I was going home”? I was certain he wouldn’t believe that. Perhaps there was another way for me to fix this. That’s it! Since I knew Drake was a half-dragon, I’d show him that I was also a half-dragon.

I turned away from Drake without answering his question. Instead I grabbed my backpack and stood up, taking a few steps away from him.

“Jake!” Drake exclaimed. He sounded a little angry that time.

“…I want to show you something.” I said in a soft but understandable voice.

Drake stood up and followed me. We walked down the block as I tried to look for a place where I could show Drake my half-dragon form without anyone else being there to see it. As we walked for a few more blocks, I noticed an alleyway. All that was there was a single car. No one was around and the two closest fences were made of wood which made things perfect. I set my backpack on the ground and closed my eyes.

“Jake?” Drake asked, no doubt wondering what I was doing or why I brought him here.

Neither of us said anything for a little bit. But suddenly, I felt my tail begin to grow, ripping through my pants, my wings soon followed as they ripped the back of my shirt. Three holes were now present, two in my shirt, and one in my pants, making it possible for my tail and wings to fit through.

I turned around and looked at Drake. He stood there, not saying anything. I could tell he was surprised to be seeing another half-dragon.

“Jake…” Drake began to say. “How…is…that…”

“I’m a half-dragon also Drake. My real name is Jakol but my friends call me Jake.” I introduced myself as I really was.

“But…that can’t be.”  Drake said as the two of us stared at each other, our eyes locking, focusing on each other.

How couldn’t it be, I asked myself. Drake had never met another half-dragon before? That was hard for me to believe. That made me wonder how many half-dragons there really were in the world. Were me, Drake, and Alex the only ones? I always thought there might have been more out there.

“So Jake…or Jakol, or whoever you are, who are your parents? If you really are a half-dragon like me, then one of your parents must be a dragon, right?” Asked Drake.

Drake was right but I didn’t want to talk about my parents. I wasn’t as upset about mom as I used to be but thinking about what happened between me and dad yesterday…it just hurt too much to think about it. I looked down at the ground and sighed, choosing to answer Drake’s question anyway.

“I never knew my mom. She died after I was born and so my dad’s been the one taking care of me.” I explained with a heavy feeling in my gut.

Things became quiet for a minute. Perhaps Drake was thinking about what I just said.

“Then…who was your dad?” Drake finally asked, breaking the silence.

“My dad?” I asked back.

“His name…is Saulstrance.”

As soon as I told him my dad’s name, a terrified look suddenly appeared on Drake’s face. I wasn’t sure why he looked so scared. Had he heard of my dad before? And if so, where?

Drake was breathing heavily, the look on his face growing ever more fearful. I approached him, placing my hand on his shoulder which helped calm him down a little.

“Drake, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” I asked, worried for him.

“AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!” Drake screamed at the top of his lungs, pushing me off of him which sent me dropping to the ground, landing right on my tail which caused me some pain.

“St-STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!” Drake screamed in a terrified voice, his face now looking even more fearful than before.

I watched as Drake ran as fast as he could from the alley. I was speechless, not knowing what to think about all this. What just happened? Why the heck did Drake freak out like that?

I sat up a bit so that my tail spikes weren’t digging into my leg. I grabbed my bag, and went to sit against the door of a garage. I just sat there for a bit, watching the sky and trying to calm myself while I tried to make sense of everything. I couldn’t believe just how quickly things went bad. And yet…just a few hours ago, it seemed like we were going to be great friends. Now not only did I screw up a potential friendship but a friendship with someone like me.

I stood up, changed into my human form, grabbed my bag and walked home. As I walked, I kept thinking about what happened in the alley. Drake’s scared face, him pushing me, and his last words to me, “GET AWAY FROM ME” rang loudly in my head.

As I neared home, I passed school. I could hear some kids talking about Drake chasing me earlier. They said they had never seen Drake go after someone like that before. The kids noticed me and ran over to me.

“Are you okay?” The kids asked. “What happened?”

“Nothing.” I answered in a sad, gloomy voice.

“Why was Drake chasing you?” They asked again.

“I don’t know.” I lied as I started becoming a little angry.

I walked past the kids without saying anything else and continued for home. Once I got home, I sat my stuff by the door and sat down on the step. I sighed to myself. I wished I knew why Drake freaked out like that and how I could make things better between us.

As I sat there, thinking to myself, I saw Alex walking down the street.

“Hey Jake.” Alex said as he approached the step I was sitting on. “How was your first day at your new school?”

[animeboye]

To celebrate such a wholesome time of year, I figure why not honor the occasion with a wholesome family picture of the Flamels? This one is more recent than the one below and features Alex, drawn for the first time with the rest of his adoptive family. Hope everyone's holidays have gone well and hope you enjoy this pic of the Flamels, a strange, yet loving family.