Mystic Land ♪♫♪

Creatures · Post by **LightningDragon** » June 3rd, 2012, 6:16:41 pm

Mystic Land~

A little note

Spoiler

I wrote this back when I was in fourth grade. It was a project for our class, and since then, I've fallen in love with writing. I've always wanted to be an author, and so, I've decided to re-write this. Along the way, I've been inspired by the Eragon series, the Temeraire series, and the Dragonriders of Pern. I know it won't be perfect, and critique would be greatly appreciated. :3

Creatures

Spoiler

I use a lot of commonly known creatures, such as dragons, phoenixes, and unicorns. However, since this is a story of my own making, there are also going to be some creatures of my own making.

•Jeeron-slim, elegant, deer-like creature. Pale blue, green, or violet coats. Males have shimmering, diamond-like horns, and both males and females have shimmering, diamond-like hooves. Quiet herd-animals; very flighty. Found in the Silver Forest.

•Varag-huge, wolf-like animal with long, hawk-like wings. Brown, black, grey, or white coats and wings. Very protective and loyal; quick to attack intruders. Found in the Shadow Forest.

•Callain-pure white eagles with golden markings. Black, pupil-less eyes. Solitary and nocturnal, they are not commonly seen; thus, not much is know about these magnificent birds. Found country-wide.

•Rutark-shaggy-furred, wolf-like creatures. They have paws and heads much like a bear, and a long, flexible tail like a cat. They hunt in packs, and are rather agressive when they find intruders; but only when their pack outnumbers the intruders. Pale brown or grey pelts, with big, dark eyes. Found in the Great Grasslands.

•Mystic Hounds-huge hounds bred specifically with the purpose of protecting the royal family. They have shaggy, pure black pelts and huge violet eyes. They are extremely protective, loyal, and intelligent.

Characters

Spoiler

•King William(Bill)-a tall, broad-shouldered man, with wavy black hair and a neatly-trimmed black beard. He has expressive, chocolate brown eyes and lightly tanned skin. Loud-mouthed and short-tempered, he tends to make hasty and rash decisions.

•Queen Nora-a small, slender woman with long, wavy, golden brown hair. She has pale skin and large blue eyes. She's quieter than her husband, kinder, and thinks things through before making decisions.

•Princess Meghan-the main character. Small and slender, with long, golden brown hair and large blue eyes, she looks much like her mother. She has moments of hastiness, and has quite a mouth on her. Depending on the person she's dealing with, she can be short, or she can be kind and thoughful.

•General Aretan (Air-Uh-Tan)-a tall, leanly muscled man, he is the captain of the guard. He has deeply tanned skin, wavy black hair, and laughing green eyes. He's taken it upon himself to teach the princess how to handle weapons and self-defense. Aretan came from a land far away, but quickly impressed everyone with his skill as a swordsman. He's very kind and patient, but once he meets an enemy, he's like a demon.

Terms

Spoiler

If there are any specific terms to my story, I'll list them here.

•The Bond- a trait specific to the royal family. Each member born has a bond to one certain dragon, and only to that dragon. This bond is thriving before the human is born or the dragon hatched. If one of the pair dies, the other often goes insane. They can speak telepathically to each other.

•Natz- a gold coin, worth the equivalent of ten American dollars

•Siv- a silver coin, worth the equivalent of five American dollars

•Bit- a copper coin, worth the equivalent of one American dollar

Creatures · Post by **LightningDragon** » June 4th, 2012, 12:38:21 pm

Chapter One; Dawn

I turned over, burying my face into my pillow. "Merf," I muttered into the creamy white cushion. I couldn't get back to sleep, and it was incredibly aggravating, even though I'd only been stuck awake for a few moments. I rolled back over onto my back, staring at the high, vaulted ceiling.

After laying like this for a while, I noticed a pale, rose light filling my room. With a sigh, I decided I wasn't getting any more sleep, and disentangled myself from my bedsheets. I stretched as soon as I stood, reaching for the sky, and strode out onto my balcony, leaning on the railing to watch the sunrise.

The sky was already a mosaic of vivid colors, red and orange and pink and yellow. I watched the sun haul itself higher and higher into the sky, and shivered as a chill wind blew my long, tangled hair away from my face and brushed against my bare legs.

I retreated back into my room, pulling thick, purple velvet curtains across the doorway. I rubbed my eyes, gathering my thoughts, and sprang into action. I stripped quickly out of my nightgown, changing into a pair of slim black pants and a loose, flowing forest-green shirt. I zipped into the bathroom adjoining my room, and yanked a comb through my hair, wincing at the knots in my unruly mane. "I need this cut soon," I murmured to myself, and growled as I pulled another knot.

I walked back into the main part of my room, and peered into my closet, selecting a pair of soft, ankle high black leather boots. I slipped these on and edged the door open into the hallway. I stuck my head outside, and peered up and down the hall. No one in sight. I quietly darted over to the winding staircase, and headed down carefully. I didn't want to trip and tumble down to the floor, like I had several times before.

I paused at the bottom of the stairs, glancing around the large, airy room I was currently in, and even took a look outside the great glass windows. Feeling rather proud of myself for getting so far without getting caught, I pushed the tower door open and entered the courtyard.

This was the tricky part. The sun was still low in the sky, and I didn't hear much noise; almost everyone was still asleep, I figured. I bolted full pelt for the shadows on the other side of the yard, letting out an explosive sigh of relief that I hadn't heard a challenge or had a questioning on where I was going.

Clinging to the stone wall's shadow, I crept around until I got to the rear gate; the great iron portucullis was down, the bride drawn up. A smaller iron door sat inside the portucullis, and I unlocked this and shoved it open. I froze as it let out an ear-splitting squeal, sure now that someone would come looking. I stood, frozen, for a few moments, the only sound my heart thundering in my ears.

Finally, I slipped through the open door, sighing in relief that I was finally out of the castle. A long, thick plank was the only way to get across the moat for now, and I lifted this by myself, arms aching as I set it down. I hurried across the makeshift bridge, trying my best not to look into the deep, murky water.

My target was the line of mountains a short distance away from the castle, and it was the largest one that I entered. A small cave at the foot of the mountain was my entry point, and I squeezed myself through a crevice, into another cavern behind it. In this cavern, stone ledges were cut out to make stairs, and I clambored up these, holding onto various ledges as a railing.

I stepped onto the first small landing, and surveyed the five caves ahead of me. All of them had neat, human-sized entrances; all of them had the same occupants. Finally, I decided on the cave to the cery far left, and examined it. It was small, very neat, with a deep dip in the floor full of crystal clear water, and another, shallower dip where the bulk of a huge monster lay. I made my way slowly to this monster, and nudged it with the soft toe of my boot.

The creature grunted angrily, and opened hellfire red eyes to glare balefully at me. The creature sat itself up slowly, towering several feet above my five-foot frame. Huge, bat-like wings stretched wide, and a fanged mouth parted in a massive yawn. Dark, silvery-blue scales gleamed even in the dim lighting of the cave, and huge, orange-brown talons straightened out as each foot was stretched in turn. The dragon swung its head to look out the main cave entrance, big enough for him, and its mouth dropped open.

"Meghan!" it said-or rather, he, for the voice was definitely masculine-with a touch of astonishment. "Why in the world did you get me up so early?!"

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. "Would you believe it's because I love you, just so much?"

A dull stare was my only answer. Shrugging, I repeated the process, and the answer, through two different landings and several other caves, before I came to one of the smaller caves on the top level.

"Oh, Violeta!" I sang as I walked into the cave, and a mound of amethyst-colored scales stirred. Light blue eyes opened and stared sleepily at me. I felt a warm stirring in my heart; Violeta was my dragon, my heart, the other part of my soul. I couldn't imagine lfe without her.

She kept her great head on the floor, and only lifted it slightly when I came near. I scratched a knot of scales at the corner of her jaw, and she hummed in pleasure, closing her eyes.

"I suppose I'm taking the others hunting?"

I smiled. "Why else would I wake you all so early?"

She shrugged huge shoulders, and lifted her head to the extent of her long, serpentine neck to drop her jaws open in a yawn. The shortest of her fangs was the length of my entire arm, from shoulder to fingertips. She shook herself, and shuffled to the back of her cave, where a spring of clear cold water lay, and took a deep gulp. I made my way to the ledge at the front of Violeta's cave, sitting there with my feet dangling off the thick stone, thousands of feet in the air.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," Violeta muttered as she stepped onto the ledge behind me.

"What? Don't you think you could catch me?" I teased.

"I'd rather not take the chance." With the scraping of a huge heavy beast on stone behind me, the dragoness laid down, curling the tip of her tail around me.

I quietly regarded her. She was a slim dragon, and small for her breed; not that there were many to base that off of. She was a member of the rare Indras Celestials, one of the largest dragons in existence. She herself was just under seventy tons, and nearly three hundred feet long. Her scales were a deep, dark violet, her belly, throat and neck a lighter shade of lavender. Her talons and teeth were a gleaming snow white, and a ruff of slim white horns framed her face, with a delicate membrane suspended between the horns. Her eyes were a bright, light blue, much like my own.

"Vi," I said, and she glanced at me. "You really should take them hunting."

With a nod, she stood, and hurled herself off the ledge and into the air with a joyful cry. The dawning sunlight sparkled off her scales, turning her into a beautiful point of light; from the lower caves came the other dragons.

I watched as Violeta and the others cavorted in the air, looking much like flying gems shooting through the air, and finally Violeta turned and led the small flock towards the Silver Forest, their best hunting grounds.

Looking over the land, I thought it looked so peaceful and calm, so beautiful.

What could ever go wrong?

Creatures · Post by **Rekkushi** » June 4th, 2012, 3:19:44 pm

*is now stalking this*

Creatures · Post by **LightningDragon** » June 5th, 2012, 11:56:11 am

BluestarAngel wrote:*is now stalking this*

Creatures · Post by **LightningDragon** » June 6th, 2012, 3:23:47 pm

Chapter Two; All The Time In The World

I snuck back to the door in the portucullis, wincing as its hinges grated again, squealing like a stuck pig. I made a decision to oil it tomorrow morning...or maybe I could just get someone to oil it today. I shook my head. I'd have enough to deal with today, I thought, making my way back to the tower in the center of the main courtyard. I glaced around; nervous agitation made my heart thunder. I was maybe ten yards away from the keep tower in the center when I relaxed, and started to think I'd get away with sneaking out.

As the thought entered my mind, an arm like a steel bar grabbed me around the waist and lifted me into the air, and a large hand clamped itself over my mouth. I screamed in reflex, but the sound was muffled. I kicked backwards, glad that I was wearing heavy, leather boots, but my attacker was holding me too close for it to do much damage. I started flailing around, and clawed at the arm that held me in the air, when a familiar voice murmured next to my ear; "I think we need to work on your defense skills. Now, would you mind not clawing my arm to shreds?"

I was set on the ground, and whirled around to see the captain of the guards, Aretan, staring at me, an amused light in his green eyes. "Aretan!" I screeched. "Don't do that!"

He smiled. "I won't anytime again in the future, if I want to keep the use of my arm," and held out his arm, the one that had held me in the air. Bloody furrows ran from his wrists almost to his elbow, and I flinched.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, and laid my hands on his arm, sending a small wave of healing magic along the scratches. The flesh grew back, and new skin formed in ridges; gradually, even the pink skin of a scar faded away, and Aretan examined his newly healed arm, rubbing his skin over where the scratches had just been, amazed that it didn't even hurt.

He looked up to thank the princess, surprised when he saw she was halfway across the courtyard. He jogged over to her side. "Where are you going?" he questioned, looking down at her.

"To let the horses graze," she said, as though it were obvious.

The main courtyard was the largest, with the royal family's great tower in the center, and a huge expanse of green lawn stretching from wall to wall. Cobbled pathways led across the great courtyard. To either side of the courtyard, great arched hallways led to two smaller courtyards. One held the stables and paddocks, the other the barracks of the Royal Guard, as well as the archery range. Both had massive, deep wells holding the center.

She entered the courtyard where the stables were, and entered the stable itself; the thing was built of the same stone as the castle, with heavy wood on the roof and between stalls.

The royal herd was the pride and joy of the horse-masters of Mystic Land; each one had the characteristics that were looked for in their breed. The battle horses were tall and powerfully muscled; the scout horses were lean and incredibly swift. Even the burden horses were damn near perfect, tall and broad-shouldered to carry extra armor and supplies for knights.

Aretan heard a horse shrilling angrily; probably Pride, he thought. Pride was the absolute leading stallion of the horses; none of them, not even Blackfoot, a huge burden-horse stallion whose hooves were as large as Aretan's face, dared challenge him. The horse-masters had done well with his bloodlines, but the beautiful stallion was as aggressive in the stable as he was on the battlefield.

The young captain of the guard stopped a few feet from Pride's stall, a huge box with thick oak paneling. The palomino was wheeling around his stall, ears flat against his skull and nostrils wrinkled, an obvious sign of his displeasure. Meghan continued to the door of his stall, soothing him with low, sweet words. Slowly, his ears pricked forwards again, and he stood still. She unlocked his stall door, and the stallion stepped into the main aisle of the stable, bringing to life the vivid proportions between the short, slim princess and the huge battle horse.

Yet, he was as sweet as a kitten with her; he dropped his head over her shoulder to nibble on the ends of her hair, and she scratched his neck along the crest. The stablehands were busy unhooking the stall doors for the rest of the horses, and Meghan lead Pride out the big double doors. The other horses followed in a slow, majestic stream, each of the stallions finding a place near Pride and the princess. The big palomino led his own small herd, three mares, two yearlings, and a filly, into their personal paddock, and Meghan closed the gate behind them.

Storm, a lighter battle horse stallion, passed by with his herd, including the four-year-old chesnut filly who was to be the princess's mount. The young horse was tall, with a clean build and gleaming gold-brown coat. The only reason she wouldn't be a knight's mount was because she had bright blue eyes, nearly Meghan's in shade; the queen had immediately asked that filly be for her daughter.

Aretan watched Meghan lock the paddocks, caressing particular horses as they came over for treats. "Damned unnatural," he heard a voice mutter behind him, and turned to look. The eldest stable-master spat onto the ground a few feet away. "That's a witch's talent, not a princess's. Damned magic." Rekell, that was his name. Aretan stared at him coldly, fists balled by his sides. The old man wandered away after another moment of staring at the princess, and Aretan sighed.

He couldn't blame him, not really; only the royal family had magic, and the current queen and king, Meghan's parents, never used their magic to do anything; they only sat in their tower all day, for the past hundred or so years. Meghan was an outgoing, friendly young girl, with a lot of magic; maybe she could set the land's minds right with a lot of effort. He sighed again, and walked to the tower keep slowly, deep in thought. He took his place, leaning on the wall by the door, and watched the castle slowly wake.

Well, at least she has a lot of time to make people understand. All the time in the world, really.

Creatures · Post by **LightningDragon** » June 8th, 2012, 11:12:43 am

Chapter Three; The River

I was sitting on the top of the barred fence, watching Pride's herd graze, when I felt the warm brush of Violeta's mind against mine. I'm taking the others to bathe in the Serpent River. Care to go swimming? I grinned, and slid off the fence, making my way to the tower keep with a few stops to greet a servant or one of the many cats that ran around, keeping the castle's mighty vaults of food vermin-free.

I slowly made my way up the spiraling staircase, feeling a bit of reluctance. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents, but I felt they could be friendlier, more outgoing rulers. With a sigh, I glanced out on of the great widows, the people in the courtyard already small. I knew people didn't like magic, or dragons, or even my family; and then I felt a surge of determination. I would get them to respect my family, the choices we made, the dragons, and magic, if not like it.

I paused outside my parent's great room at the top of the keep, gathering my thoughts, and pushed the door open. My mother was sitting on their huge, majestic bed, writing down notes from a piece of paper beside her; possibly tax rates, I thought idly. "Mama," I called softly, waiting until she glanced up at me. "Can I go for a ride on Pride?"

She thought for a moment, then nodded. "Don't take Pride, though, take Lightning; and make sure you return to your studies when you get back."

I nodded. "Thank you mama!"

I slipped back out the door, closing it behind me. I felt a strange sense of reluctance at having to take Lightning instead; it wasn't that I didn't like the energetic young mare, it was that I didn't have the same sort of bond. Pride had been born when I was younger, and my parents had let me be more of a tomboy when I had free time from my studies; once I'd turned ten, though, I was expected to learn how to behave like a lady; dancing, fine manners, all of that absolutely, wonderfully boring stuff.

I was fifteen now, and as such, I'd missed Lightning's birth and almost a year of her training. I hardly knew anything about her, besides her appearance. I shook my head. "Well, I'll just have to find out," I muttered under my breath, and made my way back down the stairs.

I pulled a well-oiled leather saddle and bridle off the racks labeled "Lightning." I also pulled out a grooming box, setting them in the aisle while I went to get the horse. I leaned on the railings around Storm's field, and whistled. The handsome black stallion's head flew up, and at his reaction, the rest of the horses stared at me. "Lightning," I called, low and sweet, and the golden chestnut shifted her weight uncertainly. She glanced at Storm, and her father glared at her.

With an unhappy sigh, Lightning plodded over to the gate, which I opened in front of her. The mare glanced around, seemingly in surprise, that I didn't have a halter, and I saw the tensing in her muscles as she prepared to bolt away. I took a firm grip on her forelock and looked her straight in the eye. "Don't even think about it," I said firmly, and she snorted, twitching her tail in annoyance. Even so, once I let go of her forelock, she followed me, curious.

She stood calmly in the center of the barn's massive aisle while I looked her over. She was surprisingly clean; even the white socks, which she'd gained from her father, still gleamed. I ran over her soft coat with a rag, then slipped the bit into her mouth and fastened the bridle. I heaved the saddle onto her back, tightening the girth and noting with satisfaction that she didn't try to blow out her belly, as horses tended to do; sometimes I almost thought they enjoyed seeing a careless rider's saddle flip around and send them into the dirt.

I swung into the saddle and turned Lightning around, calmly walking her out the stable's huge oak double doors. She moved easily, I noted; I'd have to thank the horse-masters for training her so well. She was calm, too, not spooking even when a cat bolted right under her hooves.

Once we exited the castle's grounds, and gotten past the mountains, I asked her to go a bit faster, pleased with the smooth trot. I let her stay at that pace for a while to be sure her muscles were warmed up, then asked her to go faster, into a steady canter. I knew she could keep up this pace for a few hours with no trouble, and I busied myself with studying the surroundings. Still, Mystic Land was calm. I almost wished there could be a battle of some sorts.

♠*♠*♠

I saw Violeta sunning on the riverbanks before I saw any of the others, and dismounted. I wasn't sure how Lightning would react around any of them; horses had a natural fear of the huge predators. I led the mare the remaining distance to the Serpent River, glad I only felt the mare's pace slow a bit. She didn't stop, or try to bolt; she just seemed content to follow me. I dropped her reins at the edge of the massive river, downstream from the dragons; I was sure she was drop-rein trained, and she was in easy distance of water.

With nothing more, I simply stepped into the water; the river was very, very cold, and I shuddered. "Maybe I don't want to swim."

Jade, one of the other dragons, snorted with amusement. "Well, in that case, you can help clean us." Obviously, the dragons ahd no problems ordering a princess around. I shook my head, and pulled a towel out of a saddle pack on Lightning's saddle, wiping river mud and gore off the scales of the dragons where they'd missed. Afterwards, they stretched out on large rocks, both in and out of the water, letting the sun dry them.

I loosened Lightning's girth, and the mare blinked at me, almost gratefully. She dropped her head to doze, and I made my way back to Violeta, who by now was only a few yards from the horse; still, Lightning hadn't spooked. I felt some respect for the young mare.

Violeta cracked an eye open, and stretched out a foreleg; I laid down on it, and she carefully curled her head and neck around me. We sat there for a good part of the afternoon, simply dozing in the sun.

An ominous rumble of thunder had me sitting up, eyeing the sky. It took me a minute to realize; it was a sunny, cloudless day.

I glanced at Violeta. "What the hell was that?"

Creatures · Post by **LightningDragon** » June 13th, 2012, 11:12:46 am

Chapter Four; All Is Not As It Seems

I grabbed Lightning's reins and pulled her towards Violeta, who had one giant paw laid flat on the ground, talons pointing upwards. The mare snorted uneasily, but followed me into the center of the dragon's palm, and Violeta gently closed her talons around us, then lifted off the ground, the rest of her little flock following close behind. It took us a long while to reach the castle, even with Violeta at her top speed. When she brought us down in the courtyard, I could see my mother, screaming at the sky.

Violeta opened her paw, and I leaped out, running to my mother. She was sobbing and wailing, tears streaming freely like a river down her cheeks. "Mother! Mother, what's wrong?" I cried as I got near enough, and she opened her eyes to stare at me, her eyes red with tears. "Thunder," she sobbed, voice cracking. "Something's wrong."

I felt like a stone dropped to the bottom of my stomach. Thunder was my mother's dragon, Violeta's mother, and had over a century of experience behind her. If something had gone wrong, it was serious.

My father threw open the door to the tower, and it smacked against the stone with a loud clack. He searched around the courtyard wildly for a moment before he saw us. He hurried over, gathering my mother in his arms. "Shh," he murmured. "Meghan, you have to find out what's wrong. Take the other dragons."

I nodded, automatically snapping my head around at the loud, concussive thud that echoed in the air. It was Aborsen, my father's dragon and Violeta's father, a giant behemoth over five hundred feet long, with gleaming, pure, pitch-black scales. He landed in the courtyard; as huge as even Aborsen was, there was more than enough room for several other dragons near his size to also be accommodated. The horses were thrown into a frenzy to be so close to him, and I thought I heard a few human screams of terror as well.

He swung his huge head around, chocolate brown eyes worried, and a warm blast of breath flew from his nostrils; he wrapped the tip of his tail around my parents, and locked eyes with Violeta. "Go, young one," he said to her, his voice reverberating within my head, shaking my sight.

Violeta nodded, and picked me up carefully, holding me in her talons, and threw herself into the air, followed by the rest of the dragons, all of them quiet and serious now.

♠*♠*♠

Violeta was flinging herself through the air, heedless of the speed. Tears were whipping from my eyes in streams when we finally came over the Silver Forest. We did a careful circling, widening it every circuit until we were towards the edge, where the trees were smaller and farther apart.

Violeta let out a horrid, screaming wail, and my own mouth dropped. Thunder was lying on her side, trapped under a bouquet of trees, her beautiful sunset orange scales slathered in mud and slashes. We landed, the other dragons plucking the trees off of her as carefully and quickly as they could. She was breathing heavily, eyes shut tight, though she looked at us when we landed.

An inarticulate cry escaped from my mouth, and I set my hands gently on her neck, sending a wave of healing energy into the great dragon. Violeta helped, supplying me with a great deal of strength, and we soon got Thunder onto her feet, and into the air, admittedly shaky. When we landed in the courtyard of the castle, all the healing and strength we'd poured into Violeta's mother had faded to almost nothing, and she sank back onto her side with a groan.

Aborsen made a low moaning noise, and curled himself around his mate. The other dragons arranged themselves comfortably, within eyesight of Thunder.

My mother hurled herself towards her dragon, still blubbering, and my father came to me. "Whatever the hell happened to Thunder, I want you to find out. Tomorrow, you're going to examine the forest. And don't you dare sneak out tonight," he said in a deadly quiet tone, and strode away to the dragons.

I rubbed a hand tiredly over my face, and turned to the tower, stumbling wearily towards it as I watched the sun sink behind the castle walls.

Gods, why can't I do anything right?

Creatures · Post by **LightningDragon** » June 15th, 2012, 4:54:50 pm

Chapter Five; Regret

Scalar stared at herself in the small oval mirror set in her vanity stand. Long, strawberry-blonde hair. A spattering of freckles across the face. A small, upturned nose. Large, emerald green eyes. She knew she was pretty, and she had no shortage of suitors, but she didn't want to settle down, she didn't want to start a family. She sighed, looking down at the dark wood of her vanity stand.

Delicate hands rested on a small letter opener, and a wild thought popped into Scalar's mind. She closed her hands around the dagger, swept her hair over her shoulder, and sawed it off well above her shoulders. She stood and slipped off her graceful, flowing pale blue dress, and instead pulled on a pair of dark black tights and a forest green shirt. With her small build, you'd almost think she was a young man.

Scalar packed a small leather sack with another few pairs of tights and shirts, then snuck through her parent's small house to the kitchen, stuffing a few loaves of bread and apples into it before she slipped out the door and closed it quietly behind her.

The paved streets near her house were almost entirely empty, and Scalar walked unmolested and unrecognized up to a small tent near the Lord's house. She knew a few of the other men who were standing around, signing up for the Army. She wrote Scalar in a neat hand, and hesitated only a second over a last name; she settled on "Regret."

Creatures · Post by **LightningDragon** » June 20th, 2012, 7:07:47 pm

Chapter Six; This Means War

I lay awake most of the night, staring at my ceiling. Every time I'd doze off, I replayed my mother's wailing, the horrific shock of finding Thunder wounded, my father's anger. I jerked awake several times, short of breath and wide-eyed.

I felt a slight weight shift my bed, and a warm face pressed itself into my hand, purring. I sighed and ran my hand along the cat's back. The cat-I thought it was one of the males, named Shadow-curled up against my side, his purr thrumming through my body.

The next time I opened my eyes, I realized I'd slept a bit. Pale sunlight was just starting to seep through the balcony and windows, and I sat up, watching my room flood with golden light. I swung myself out of my bed, sighing as I stretched, rubbing my tired eyes. It was going to be a long day.

Fully dressed, I exited the tower. Violeta crouched there, waiting for me, with three dragons behind her - a small red male with a yellow underbelly and green eyes named Crymson, a blue male with poison-yellow markings and red eyes named Vile, and a green female with yellow eyes and a creamy underbelly named Emerald.

"Honor guard?" I asked with a smirk, and Emerald shook her huge horned head.

"We're not an honor guard. We're here to keep you from making stupid choices."

I rolled my eyes. "Show some respect! I am still your princess."

Emerald snorted and shook her head. "Maybe so, but you definitely make stupid choices."

I shook my head and turned to Violeta. "Well, love, we need your harness, no?"

Violeta laid one paw out, and I stepped into it, holding onto a talon in her cupped paw as she lifted into the air. I heard rustles as wings spread out and contacted the air behind us. Violeta carefully landed on her ledge, and let me out. I entered her cave, and quickly found what I was looking for - it was almost like a normal saddle, but with an extra long girth and a leather band to wrap around the broad barrel of Violeta's chest, as well as being much deeper than a normal saddle.

I dragged it out, and Violeta helped me where she could, letting me know if a strap was too loose or she couldn't move right.

Job done, she crouched. I ran up her forleg and swung myself into the saddle, laughing as I landed perfectly. Violeta straightened to her full height, and leaped from her ledge. She soared over the castle, and I heard a call from Emerald as she and the other three lifted into the air behind her.

♠*♠*♠

Violeta settled to the ground near the edge of the site of Thunder's attack. I slid out of the saddle as soon as she crouched, and walked over, inspecting the fallen trees and ground around them. "It almost look like claw marks," I called back to the dragons, who were making their own inspection.

"That's weird," Vile muttered. "There are no other dragons who live here, and those are the only claws big enough to make these marks."

I shrugged, starting to feel a bit uneasy. Turning my attention back to the ground, I noticed something shining under a small branch. Gently pushing the branch out of the way, I found myself staring at a perfectly round crystal, a dark green clean enough for my own stupefied expression to stare back at me.

I plucked it up and held it carefully in my hands, examining it. It didn't have one scratch, as one would expect from something that could've possibly been dropped my an attacker, and was then outside, exposed to the elements and animals for hours.

That's when I opened my mind to it, trying to see what lay within.

With a scream, I sprang upright, still clutching the crystal. "We have to tell mama and daddy! Now!"

Creatures · Post by **LightningDragon** » June 22nd, 2012, 4:36:29 pm

Chapter Seven; Cowards

My father held one side of the crystal, face grim, jaw tensed. Across from him stood my mother, paler than usual, tears in her eyes.

I heard a low noise come from my father, and jumped as he smashed his fist down on the table. His hair fell forward, hiding his face, but I could tell he was still tense, practically trembling.

"Meghan," he said, low. "Would you mind sending the message out to the Lords that we are to have an immediate, emergency meeting?"

I hurried out of the throne room at the bottom of the tower, and was nearly bowled over by a huge mass of shaggy black fur. I pushed the young Mystic hound down, a slight smile trembling on my lips. "Down, Fang," I muttered, and jogged to the stables, where at this time, a few of the Royal Guard were caring for particular mounts. They glanced up curiously asI entered, and a few bowed.

I shook my head, panting from my run. "No need to be all respectful, now. Father wants a message to be sent to all the villages that the Lords are to assemble immediately for an emergency meeting."

One of the younger Royal Guards, a man by the name of Himyar, stepped forward. "I'll volunteer to take a message to Arvys and Lord Barford," he said properly, placing his left hand over his heart and kneeling.

I bit back a smile. I'd seen my mother do this before, and I was finally getting my own chance. I hoped I wouldn't screw up. "Rise, Himyar, Royal Guard, and carry out your duty quickly and efficiently."

He nodded, entering the tack room for the saddle and bridle he'd need.

Now that Himyar, a popular Guard, had volunteered, I had no shortage of others willing the long trips. I left the stable with a slight smile, and entered the main courtyard, where the smile slid off. Thunder lay in the courtyard, breathing heavily and eyes slitted nearly closed.

I dropped my eyes to the ground. Maybe...just maybe if Violeta and I had been here, she wouldn't be hurt. We could've gone flying with her...

Don't blame yourself, love, came Violeta's voice in my mind.

I shook myself. All right, I murmured back to her.

I went to Thunder, and the great dragon lifted her head slightly to look at me.

Welcome, soul of my daughter, she said in a proper greeting.

I gently placed a hand on her nose, and the dragon sighed.

Don't blame yourself. It is truely not your fault.

I blinked back tears. To see you here, injured, too weak to talk aloud, to see my mother in shambles right when Mystic Land needs you both...

Thunder snorted. And if you and Violeta had been with me? I have a feeling my attackers would not have hesitated even then. And then where would we be?

I automatically swiveled around as I heard the sound of a great weight settling onto the cobbled stones behind me. Aborsen, black scales glittering, bent his head down and nudged me, nearly knocking me off my feet. Then, he gently curled himself around his mate, twining black and sunset orange tails.

"Your father will forgive you," I heard the great voice say, the deep bass rumbling inside my head. "He is headstrong, and angry he's not as young as he once was."

I nodded, and glanced up as I heard more wingbeats. Violeta landed with the rest of the dragons, arraying themselves around the great elders.

Violeta wrapped her tail around me. "It's up to us to defend Mystic Land," she said quietly.

I knitted my eybrows together. "What do you mean?"

Aborsen snorted, the wind staggering me. "For such a bright young girl, you certainly can be dense! Do you not see? We will be going to war - maybe not now, or in ten, fifteen years, but sooner or later, all peace ends. Your mother and father cannot fight - it's up to them to keep the land under control, tally expenses, things like that. You are going to be a general, the one to decide how the army moves, when, where to attack. You're our ace in the hole - no one would ever expect one so young to be so important."

I swallowed, hard. In the private depths of my mind, a thought raced through: And if I fail?

MagiStream

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