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animeboye · 8 months ago

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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.

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