Tales from the Tavern...

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.