The sun was on my back warming me to my core. I stood leaning against a tree
overlooking the wooden cross that marked Tarnox's resting spot. I had finally
let go of my dear friend Tarnox who had stayed with me through thick, and through
thin. "I shall miss you my dear friend," I said, for I really was going to miss
him.
The sun was slowly sinking in the horizon making the beautiful reds, pinks
and blues in the sky when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see Corinth
walking up to me, "I thought that I could find you here Zarrel Charmain," he
said. "I come here to give you your invitation from princess Laiondite. She
says that you are welcome to live in the castle, for you did save us all."
"Tell her that I would not go even if I had wanted to. I am the assassin who
destroyed their prince. No matter what is said, others would always look down
upon me," I said continuing to look at Tarnox's resting place. "Besides once
you have been an assassin you can't quit. I would never be able to leave the
forests and open areas for life in a castle. It just is not the life for me.
I shall continue to live life as I always have, as an assassin."
"Okay," Corinth said, "But before I go I must tell you. Remember Bakel,
the Pteri with the broken wing. Well his wing has mended, and he is now the
royal messenger for Laiondite who now is next in line towards the thrown. And
Zarrel Charmain, I have been made commander of the Laxcornian army. I bid you
farewell." Then Corinth started walking off into the forest.
"Wait!" I yelled, and he turned around, "Tell Laiondite that there is an unofficial
peace treaty between myself and Laxcorna."
"I won't forget to tell her." And then Corinth disappeared into the trees.
***
After Decorah and Herupah flew off with me we headed towards their home. "You
have paid me back far more then I ever could have asked. If you ever need a
favour just ask me," I told them as they walked behind the waterfall.
Then right before going into the cave Decorah looked at me, and said, "The
time will come someday when we ask of your help, but for now you still need
our help. You have to let go of your friend, for he never will come back. Zarrel
Charmain it is time to move on."
Then Herupah said from inside the cave, "Stay at your friends resting spot
until the mornings light shines upon an object of great worth."
"That thing is the key to finding new friendship." Then Herupah and Decorah
disappeared into the depths of their cave.
The rain had cleared up by morning and the sun shown bright in the sky. I
stood on a hill that gave a clear view of the sunrise. The clouds were pink
and blue, and the sky was all sliver and gold. The sunrise looked as if it were
the first sunrise that Neopia had ever witnessed.
I looked into the morning sun, and I knew that that was the spot to bury Tarnox.
I set to work, and had finished by the afternoon, and then I waited. I would
stay at that spot until morning the next day, because if there was one thing
I had learned it was that the black Uni twins had powers to see things, and
I trusted them. So here I am sitting at the foot of Tarnox's grave just as the
last rays of sun disappear behind me and the first stars come out.
As it got darker I lay on my back, and looked at all the millions of stars
twinkling in the sky. I wondered what was on each one, and how many that there
were in all; it was something that I used to do with Tarnox on cold winter nights.
So I sat there, and thought myself to sleep.
The chill of the morning air woke me up. I lay shivering in the cold grass
wet from the morning' dew. Then I remembered what Herupah and Decorah had told
me. I bolted straight up, and was glad to find that the sun had not risen yet.
I sat there watching as the clouds passed overhead for about twenty minutes,
but to me it seemed like an eternity waiting out there on the grass.
A flash of yellow, and the sun showed its tip peeking over the horizon. It
went farther and farther up into the sky, and I started to think that nothing
at all was going to happen, and that Herupah and Decorah were wrong. But then
the sun rose just a little more, and showed all of itself. Just then I saw a
flash of light from underneath a pine tree at the bottom of the hill.
I rushed down the hill excited to what I might find under the tree. I reached
the tree, and at first I saw nothing, but I would not give up that easily. I
started to dig in the pine needles that had collected under the tree.
I was digging deeper and deeper into the ground when I suddenly felt something
hard, but warm under my fingers. The surface of the object was bumpy like a
rock, but as smooth as the feathers on Tarnox's head. I slowly and carefully
pulled the object from its resting spot. The thing was a lot heavier then I
expected that it would, so I took even longer pulling it out. I almost had the
object out, and I could see its silvery surface glitter in the sunlight. I tugged
one more time, and the thing popped out. I stared at it sitting on the ground
in front of me. Ovule shaped, warm to the touch and silvery all over; it was
an egg.
I moved over to its side, and put my ear up to it. I could defiantly hear
something moving around inside. Even so, I had to keep the egg warm if I wanted
it to hatch. I had to travel back to my home, and the egg would get cold if
I held it in the cold air the entire time, so I thought up a way to keep the
egg warm. I tried to put the egg inside my pack, but the egg was too big to
fit, so I took some fabric from my pack, and wrapped it around the egg then
I held the egg next to my dagger where my body heat would keep the egg warm.
I then started the journey homeward.
As I walked towards home it started to get windy, and then as the sun went
down it started to get cold. I myself could stand the cold no problem, but I
was not too sure about the egg. I did not know how much an egg could take, so
I wrapped both arms around the egg, and then I walked the last few miles towards
home.
I reached home when the moon was directly above my head, and the night was
colder then ever. I unrolled my sleeping mat, and crawled into it putting the
egg next to me for warmth. I just had to keep that egg warm.
I opened my eyes to the warmth of the sun, and to a dawn breeze that ruffled
my hair, so with a yawn I got out of my sleeping mat, and held the egg next
to me. It felt unusually warm that fine morning, and it seamed as if something
was moving inside. I knew that that day would be the day, the day that the egg
hatched.
As the afternoon set in it got warmer and warmer until it seamed as if an
egg would cook its self if I threw it on the ground. It was at that time that
I knew that something was up with the egg. The egg was slightly wiggling on
the ground, and I could hear a light sound from inside it.
Then it happened; I saw the first cracks in the egg. At first it was one crack,
then two, then three, and soon there was too many to count. I sat next to the
egg waiting for my first glimpse of what might be inside. Even though the sun
was scorching my fur I was ready to wait any amount of time to see that egg
hatch.
After about one hour of waiting with the sweat from the hot afternoon sun
was dripping down my forehead, I heard a small peeping start to emerge from
the egg. Then a few of the cracked pieces fell from the egg revealing a small
orange beak. I could not wait any longer, so I pealed the eggshell from the
creature's head getting my first real look at the creature.
It looked at me with its large eyes. It had two feathery clumps on its head,
which made ears, and a fuzzy green mane below its neck. It squawked, and looked
up into the sky making its egg fall back with the top falling off. Its four
green paws, which were held up against its body, stretched up into the air now
freed from the egg, and its tail uncurled, the fuzzy end tickling my nose. Then
it rolled over on to its feet, and stretched two green-feathered wings out.
It was a male green Eyrie.
The Eyrie cooked his head at me, "Mother?" he said in a small voice.
"Not really," I said to him, "You can just call me Zarrel Charmain, but
if you really want to call me mother you…" but I never got to finish that sentence
for the Eyrie jumped on me.
"Mother Zar… Mother Zarrel Charmain!" And then the Eyrie wrapped his paws
around me, hugging me making me smile. It was the first real smile that I had
had since Tarnox, and it was all because of a little Eyrie
"You need a name little guy," I said tickling his belly. "How about… Dorono,"
I said remembering the name that I had used for Tarnox while infiltrating the
castle.
"Dorono, Dorono, Dorono!" the young Eyrie called out. "I like that name mother
Zarrel Charmain!" I watched him dance around on the grass, and smiled. Decorah
and Herupah were right. I did find an object that was of great worth, and Dorono
was my key to new friendship. I owed Decorah and Herupah more then I ever could
ever give in one lifetime.
I sat in the grass looking at the sunset with Dorono. Like the sun this would
not be the end of my adventures, for just because the sun sets does not mean
that it would not come back the next day. Using my wits and my blade I will
live life as an assassin should. Even though I lost Tarnox, I have gained Dorono,
and with him I will work. Even if I wanted to I could not go and live in the
castle with Corinth and Laiondite, for the blood of an assassin runs in my veins.
I must continue on this way because I am Zarrel Charmain. Because I am the Zafara
Assassin. I am known as the red ghost to my victims, and the best in the job
to my employers. Master of disguise, my job always will be to target and destroy
whomever I am assigned to.
The End | 
