He felt cold steel against his face as he woke, not having
any memory about what had happened. He remembered following the helicopter to
some sort of base where he landed, and then his memory began to get fuzzy. He
assumed they must have injected him with something, and now he was feeling the
after effects. Not only did pain pound inside his head, but he felt dizzy as he
tried to stand.
To his surprise,
he found himself in a solid metal cage. This cage was different, however. It
had no bars, and was more like a box than a cage, and the front door was wide
open.
He stumbled
as he tried to stand and lumbered towards the opening, sticking his head outside
to look around. Everywhere he looked he was surrounded by trees. These trees
weren't like the ones around the cottage that he was familiar with, more like
tropical trees than anything else. The air even felt different. Instead of
being dry and cool, it was warm and humid, like being in a hot spring.
He inched
further out of the cage and tried to focus on the new world around him, but the
harder he tried to focus, the faster the world would spin. He began hearing
strange noises, as if the forest sprang to life, spouting strange languages and
odd sounds.
Finally
stopping to close his eyes, he tried to focus on his inner thoughts. His
thoughts drifted for a moment, then rested on a happy memory. A memory of
Rosette. He could remember the first time Rosette had smiled at him after
telling her his secret, and it made him feel good, to be finally accepted for
what he was. His silent reverie was interrupted by the crack of a twig behind
him.
He must
have spun around too fast because he fell over when he saw what it was. He was
met with another scaled face and another set of wings. He could tell right away
that it was a female dragon, but it was one he had never seen before, and she
was staring at him in the same way as he lay in the mud, with his head swaying
with the spinning world. The strange dragon inched forward as he staggered on
his feet, then jumped when his head hit the ground and he blacked out.
His dreams
were filled with her. The happy times played over and over in his mind.
Memories of flying with her, going to class, and even going to the bar were
times he wished he could return to. He wanted to go back. He wanted it more
than anything. He wanted it more than anything, and he vowed to go back to her,
even if it costs his life. The memory of their first kiss lingered in his mind
as he woke. It wasn’t really their first kiss, but it meant more to him than
she’ll ever know.
He awoke
still in the same place as before, still lying in the mud, and she was still
standing over him. He opened her eyes and she smiled, poking him with the tip
of one of her wings.
“You awake
now?” she said in Dragonish, “How are you feeling?”
“What?” Ryu
mumbled, trying to stand. She laughed as he slipped on the mud and fell again,
“Where the hell am I?”
“You must
be new here.” She said, “This is paradise!”
“P-Paradise?”
he exclaimed, “Where is that?”
“Its right
here!” she said, gesturing around her, “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
“I have to
go.” He said, “How do you get out of here? Where are we?”
“You have
to calm down first!” she said, “You don’t want the wrong dragons to hear you!”
“You mean
there are other dragons here?” he asked, “Where?”
“They’re
all over the place!” she said, “There are all kinds too! Some are good and some
are bad. You might want to stay away from the bad ones.” She hesitated and
looked him in the eyes, “You’re not a bad dragon, are you?”
“No, I’m
not bad.” He said, “I just want to know how to leave this place.”
“You
can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because
it’s an island.” She said.
“So?”
“So, you
can’t leave. We’re surrounded by water!”
“Well can’t
you fly?” he asked, “or swim?”
“I can
fly!” she retorted, “But I can’t fly very far and I can’t swim.”
“What
element are you anyway?” he asked, eying her blue scales.
“I’m a
water dragon.” She said in a pout, “What of it?”
“A water
dragon that can’t swim?” Ryu found it hard to believe, but he surprised her by
not laughing, “You mustn’t travel very much,”
“Never had
to.” She said, “We found this place and we never had to leave. Everything is
here.”
“You never
ran out of food or moved with the animals?”
“No, it’s
all here. This is an island!”
“But since
this is an island, the animals should be getting pretty thin because of all the
dragons here.”
“No, not
really.” She said, “There’s always something around.”
“How is
that possible?!” he exclaimed, “How long have you been here?”
“About a
sixty years.” She said, “My family has a cave on the other side of the island.
You should come stay with us until you find your own place.”
“I don’t
intend on staying long.” He said, standing up, “I have to get back.”
“Back to
where?”
“Toronto ….” He trailed
off, “Back to her.”
The box of
tissues in the middle of the kitchen table was almost empty by the end of the
night. The girls all sat around the table still sniffing from the scare, except
Rosette of course, who was upset because he was gone again.
“I just
don’t understand it!” Rebecca said, “How the hell can he go to school with you
as he did before if he was a real dragon?”
“I told you
before, Rebecca, they can take human form.” Rosette sniffed, “They do it to fit
in.”
“All this
time…..” she mumbled, “It’s still hard to believe. Even if he was standing
there in front of us. It’s just too unbelievable.”
“But that’s
just it, Rebecca.” June said, “We were there and we did see it. Right girls?”
the two sitting next to her nodded. “We can’t ignore what happened either. We
have to do something!”
“But what
can we do, June?” She yelled, “They looked like the fucking military for God
sakes! We can’t go up against that!”
“We
can’t…..” Rosette said, “But maybe…”
“What are
you getting at?” June asked. She was cut off and Rosette ignored her question
when there was a knock on the door and she got up to answer it.
“What’s all
the yelling for?” Sparcy asked, peering over Rosette’s shoulder, “Why were you
crying? What happened?”
“Come in
it’s a long story. Maybe you guys can help.” She said, letting them go by. Both
of the sisters nervously looked around the room at the table full of sad faces
and became confused.
“What’s
going on?” Crystal
asked, “You guys seem as if someone died!”
“Rosette,
aren’t you going to introduce us?” Rebecca asked, wiping her eyes.
“This is
Sparcy and Crystal.” Rosette said, “They’re Ryu’s sisters.”
“What?”
June exclaimed, “Does that mean you two are….” The sisters looked at each other
in confusion.
“What?”
Sparcy asked, innocently.
“You two
are dragons too?” Rebecca gasped. Both sisters shot a glare at Rosette, but she
looked at the floor.
“What did
you tell them?” Crystal
growled. Her voice seemed to echo off the walls making the girls jump and
Rosette knew she was really mad.
“I didn’t
tell them anything.” She said in a whimper, noticing the sharp drop in the
temperature. She hoped it wouldn’t snow inside her apartment and she could
already hear the light bulbs buzzing from increased voltage. “I didn’t say
anything, they saw him.”
“What
happened?” Sparcy snapped, stepping forward, “Where is he?”
“We went to
the bar and got mugged by some drunk after we left.” She said, “We thought he
was going to kill us!”
“Ryu saved
us!” June said, standing up, “The guy was going to shoot and he didn’t have a
choice!”
“He had a
gun?” Sparcy asked, somewhat surprised, “Why would he pick you guys out of a
bar full of people to rob anyway?”
“He, um,
thought Ryu was gay, I think.” Rosette said, shyly.
“What?”
Sparcy’s mouth fell open, “Why would he think that?”
“Well he
came in with a group of girls and didn’t even look once at the waitresses as
they walked past. Maybe it was because the guy was drunk but it was a
misunderstanding. The guy hauled him outside and we followed.”
“That’s
besides the point.” Crystal
said, “More importantly, where is he now?”
“A man
dressed in white showed up after Ryu scared off the drunk.” Rosette said, “He
brought a lot of men in military gear and pinned us in the alley. He wanted Ryu
to follow the helicopter to ensure our safety.”
“So he went
with them so you girls wouldn’t get hurt.” Crystal asked.
“Yeah.”
Rosette was expecting some kind of response, like a blast of snow or something.
But when the chill in the room faded and Crystal
turned around, she heard a sigh.
“You have
no idea where the helicopter went?” she asked.
“It went
south, I think.” June said.
“Well there
is a military base in that direction.” She said, “Maybe they went there.”
“But why
would they want him anyway?” Rosette asked, “Couldn’t they just leave us
alone?”
“They could
have,” Sparcy said, “But what military wouldn’t want a real, fire breathing
dragon in their ranks?”
“That’s not
helping, Sparcy.” She muttered.
The dense
forest seemed to get darker as they trudged through the trees. Ryu followed the
water dragon towards the middle of the island, not knowing what else to do. He
could hear her humming as she walked, and he noticed her glancing at almost
every pretty flower on the road. The path they took was somewhat straight, but
it kept going down hill until it hit the bottom of what he finally realized was
a ravine and they diverted from the path.
Here the
forest was as dark as night and he was unsure about going further. She seemed
to know where she was going, but it was too dark to know for sure. The tip of
his tail ignited and he held it high, letting the orange light bathe the
surrounding area. She stopped in the path in front of him and turned to look at
the flame he held high in the air.
“What are
you doing?” she asked, still staring at the flame.
“It’s
dark.” Ryu said, “This way you can see where you’re going.”
“I know the
way.” She said, “We don’t need that.”
“Just
trying to help.” He said as the flame died. It took him a moment for his eyes
to adjust, and he found her face inches from his when they finally did.
“Don’t take
this the wrong way, but I’ve been alone here for a long time and I rely only on
myself.” She said, “I’m just not used to getting help from others.”
“I thought
you said you live with your family?” he asked.
“I do. I
eat there, I sleep there. But other than that, I’m alone.” She said, “I’m used
to it being that way.”
“I’m
sorry.” Ryu muttered. She turned around and continued down the path.
“Come on,
it’s just up ahead.”
“You know I
never did catch your name.” Ryu said. She turned around with a smile.
“It’s Nydra.”
she said, “And you?”
“Ryu.”
“See what I
mean about being alone?” she asked with a smile, “I even forgot to introduce
myself!” She turned around once more and lumbered up the path. Ryu shook his
head and followed after her.
It seemed
like a long time since he last had raw meat and for some reason, he could
barely stomach it. He was used to Rosette’s cooking and even if he did cook it
himself, his charred deer just wasn’t the same as her roast chicken. He lay at
the mouth of the cave and tossed the bones to the ground as he stared up at the
few rays of light that found their way through the thick trees above.
“You seemed
depressed.” Nydra said as she sat beside him, “You want to talk?”
“I just
miss her.” He said, “It’s only been a day but it seems like forever.”
“And who is
her?” she asked.
“Rosette.”
He said, “She’s my best friend.”
“Were you
two mates or something?” she asked. She couldn’t tell that he was blushing
because he was already red.
“Not
really. Just best friends.” He muttered.
“Now what
kind of dragon could make a fire dragon their best friend?” she wondered out
loud, “I heard that fire dragons were unruly.” Ryu seemed offended.
“Now where
did you hear that?”
“Just
around.” She said, “I picked it up over the years.”
“Well it’s
not true.” He said, “Besides, how many fire dragons do you know?”
“Just you.”
She said.
“And am I
unruly?”
“Don’t know
yet.” She said, “We’ve just met.”
“Well don’t
go assuming things like that.” He said, “Besides, Rosette is a human, not a
dragon.” He had to divert his gaze from the trees over head when he didn’t get
a response. He found her staring at him with her mouth open.
“You are
best friends with a human?” she gasped, “A fire dragon befriended a human
girl?!”
“Is there
something wrong with that?” he asked.
“No it’s
just, well, unexpected.” She said, “I didn’t think our kind and humans could
get along at all. And with a fire dragon to boot.”
“What do
you have against fire dragons anyway?” he asked, she became defensive.
“Nothing
personally.” She said, “But to be descended from him, I wasn’t expecting it.”
“Descended
from who?”
“Bahamut.”
She said, “All fire dragons are a descendant from him. You didn’t know that?”
“No. Who is
he anyway?”
“He was
considered to be the king of the dragons.” She said, “He was a fire dragon, and
a holy dragon. A kind of hybrid, but was a hundred times more powerful than any
other dragon.”
“So he was
a king?”
“We’re
talking ancient times here, Ryu.” She said, “It would be ancient even when we
were born. He was around before anything else. One of the first dragons.”
“I see.” He
muttered, resting his head on his arm. “So what?”
“So, he was
a good dragon, while he fought with his counterpart. An evil dragon by the name
of Tiamut.” She said, “Not sure who won the battle, but that’s too far in the
past to be completely sure anyway.” Ryu didn’t move, “Anyway, those descended
from him are supposed to be a bit different than the rest of the dragons.”
“How so?”
“I heard
they have special powers.”
“Like?”
“Some had
super destructive powers.” She said, “I’ve even heard of a few who could
resurrect others from the dead and cure incurable diseases! Isn’t that
amazing?”
“If it were
true.” Ryu said.
“So you
must have something like that, right?” she asked, leaning down to stare in his
face, “Any special powers?”
“None other
than normal.” He muttered.
“None at
all? Any healing abilities?”
“No.”
“Enhanced
flames?”
“No.”
“Have you
ever brought someone back from the dead?” she asked. Ryu turned over and stared
at the cave wall.
“Why are
you pestering me like this?”
“Just
curious.” She said, “I want to know more about you. That’s all.”
“Why?”
“I want to
become friends.” She said.
“I
t-thought you w-wanted to be a-alone?’ he stammered.
“I said I
was used to it.” She said, “I didn’t say I liked it.”
“S-So you
want to be f-friends with a f-fire dragon?” he muttered. Nydra noticed he was
breathing heavier than before.
“Yes.” She
said, “Are you alright?”
“I don’t
feel very good.” He muttered.
“It wasn’t
the food, was it?” she asked.
“No, it’s
not t-that.”
“Then
what’s wrong?” she gave him a nudge and he fell over onto his side, breathing
heavily. “Wait, I’ve seen this before! You’ve made the bond with that girl,
haven’t you?!”
“Y-Yes.” He
whispered.
“Then you
must be too far away from her! You’ll get worse unless you two are brought back
together! She will get sick too!”
“W-what?”
he stammered, trying to stand, “I have to get back..”
“There’s no
way you could get off the island even if you were fine, let alone now!” she
said, “If only there was a way to slow it down! Being a dragon makes it worse!”
Ryu sat up
as best he could and closed his eyes. It took a bit of concentration but a
pillar of fire rose around him, and then faded, leaving a red haired teenager
in his place. He instantly fell to his knees and toppled over into the mud.
Nydra was too shocked to move at first. This was the first time she had ever
seen a dragon become a human, and frankly it made her feel uneasy. She quietly
poked him with the tip of her tail and he came around, trying to push himself
against the wall of the cave.
“How did
you do that?” She exclaimed, “Is that how you lived with the humans?” Ryu
nodded.
“You can do
it too if you try.” He said, trying to stay awake, “I need you to help me get
back. I need to see her again….” He tried to hang on a few seconds later but
his head slumped forward and he blacked out, leaving a very confused dragon
staring into his human face.
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