As I ran to safety with Kirin, I heard what sounded like
Dorono's voice on the wing. "We cannot go any farther. I cannot leave Dorono.
I may never have said to him, but he means the world to me. I care for him with
all of my heart. He is the only real family I have ever known. Wintroq may be
my brother, but I have known him for only a few weeks, while Dorono has been
with me since I hatched his egg. If anything was to happen to him, I would not
be able to take it."
"He can't mean enough to you to make you sacrifice
yourself…" Kirin started, but was stopped when he caught the glint of the sunlight
sparkling off of my tears for Dorono.
"You do not understand," I said. "The only reason
that I did not just collapse, and give up life when I lost Tarnox, was because
of Dorono. The reason that I was not destroyed in that arena, and managed to
escape with nothing more then a badly torn ear was because of Dorono. The only
reason I never give up is because of Dorono. He would not leave me, so I cannot
leave him." And I started to run back to where they had captured Dorono.
"Zarrel Charmain!!! Don't!!!" Kirin yelled to
me, but I was so blinded by my tears for betraying Dorono, that I could not
head him. As I ran, a Kau and a Wocky ran at me weapons held out, but with one
swift stroke of my dagger, they were in the snow, and I was once again running
for Dorono.
"Shoot!" Kirin said to himself as he watched
me disappear off into the snow. "I might as well go after her." And he started
to run after me, but he was nowhere near as fast as I was in my race to save
Dorono. Kirin stopped to look at the fallen Kau and Wocky for only a split second,
before he started running off for me once again.
He slowed to a walk as he reached the spot where
Jown had held the rest of our party captive. I was on my knees with my back
to him, the tears streaming down my face. "Kirin…" I whispered softly, and he
walked up to me.
He looked at what I was staring at, at remnants
of the net that Dorono had been in. The net was sliced open by a weapon, and
small green feathers were tangled up in the net. I stood up, and looked at him
with my icy watery eyes. I fell into his arms, and started to sob again, and
Kirin said, "I am sorry, Zarrel Charmain."
"I was too slow!" I wept, "Why did I leave him,
I should have rescued Dorono."
"It is not your fault Zarrel Charmin," Kirin
said, "It is mine, for not letting you when you had the chance. I am the one
who went green. I am the one who made us run."
I looked up at him, the tears forming clean
lines across my face as the tracked through the dirt, "It doesn't matter whose
fault it was. What matters is that we save Dorono." And I reached behind my
cape, and pulled out the long green feather of Dorono's that I had kept. I held
it up to my face, and smelt the sweet smell of Dorono's wings merged with the
smell of my tears, and then I placed the feather back behind me. "For luck,"
I whispered, and then after collecting our stuff from inside the cave, I started
to follow the footprints left by Jown and his troops with Kirin closely following.
***
After accepting to join him, Jown lifted his sword above Dorono's head, but
instead of bringing it down upon Dorono, he brought it down upon the net, releasing
Dorono. "You are now officially one of my troops young Eyrie. You choose well
to leave behind that Zafara, for she does not care about you, only about herself,
and… and Kirin."
Dorono growled upon hearing Kirin's name. "I
will find Kirin. I swear upon all the faeries that I will find him and destroy
him, for taking Zarrel Charmin from me, and Zarrel Charmin for betraying me."
Jown laughed at Dorono. "You are strong young
Eyrie. Much stronger then Kirin ever was. I shall take you, and train you as
an apprentice. We will do well together, you and me. Once you are trained, we
will leave High Reaches, and take over the underlands, and rule all."
Dorono looked at Jown, not in disbelief for
his proposal, but in eagerness. "I will be the strongest warrior ever alongside
you Jown. I take up your offer. I will be your apprentice."
"Excellent, young Eyrie. You are already stronger
then Zarrel Charmin, so to become the strongest warrior ever, will only be a
difficult task for you."
"My name is Dorono, not young Eyrie." And then
he growled looking out across the snowy plains. "I will make her pay for her
betrayal. She will wish that she had never left me." And then Dorono started
off through the snow next to Jown with all of his troops following.
***
Kirin and I continued to track after Dorono until sundown. I would have kept
on going, but Kirin stopped me. "Even if you found them, after walking all day,
you would be too tired to do anything to help."
Once again, Kirin's logic stopped me in my tracks.
"You are right," I said, and I put out my sleeping mat, and lay down. I was
so worried for Dorono, that I felt as if I could not sleep, but overall, I fell
asleep from shear exhaustion.
I woke up with to the smell of breakfast. I
looked into the sky at the sun, and judging by its height, it had risen a few
hours earlier. "Kirin!" I yelled, "Why did you not wake me up with the rising
of the sun!?!"
"I figured that you needed the sleep," he said
without turning his head from his food. "Hurry up and eat, so we can be on our
way."
I leapt up, and quickly folded my sleeping mat,
and placed it into my pack. Then I wolfed down my food, and after slinging my
pack up over my shoulder, I pulled Kirin up. "Come on, let's go." And we once
more set off after Dorono going at a brisk walk.
Around noon it started to snow once again, and
the snow covered up the tracks left by Jown and his troops. "NO!!!" I screamed
up into the sky, and then I slumped down to my knees scooping up a handful of
snow, and watching as it melt in my hands. "No. Now how will we find Dorono?"
I put a hand over my face, giving up hope, when
Kirin walked up behind me, and laid a reassuring hand on my shoulder, "I know
where they are going," he quietly said.
"You do!!!" I said bounding up out of the snow
like a young puppy at play. "Can you lead me there???" I asked.
"Yes," Kirin said.
"Then Dorono is not lost." I jumped into the
air laughing, and clicking my boots together. I embraced Kirin, "Thank you Kirin."
Then I let go, and with a smile said, "Lead the way."
We walked for hours in the snow, and I was just
starting to wonder if Kirin really knew where he was going, when we came upon
summit overlooking a small settlement. Most of the settlement was just tents,
but the thing that caught my eye was a gigantic fort, made completely of logs,
which were rare up in High Reaches, so whoever made the fort must have had to
make hundreds of trips down to the forest, and back up the mountain in order
to gather enough logs to make the giant structure.
I looked to Kirin, who was sneering at the fort.
"That fort is Jown's headquarters," Kirin said looking up at it. "The day I
escaped, I swore that as long as I lived that I would never look upon that fort
again, but here I am."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" I said, "I
bet Dorono is in there, and we have to save him." And I started to run towards
the settlement, but Kirin forcefully grabbed my shoulder.
"I have come this far to keep you safe, and
I am not just about to let you go get yourself destroyed by running off to Jown's
H.Q. in the daylight. It will not do Dorono any good if you get yourself impaled
by an arrow when one of Jown's archers sees you."
I had to agree with Kirin on that matter, but
I could not stand around while Dorono was held captive. "Then we leave tonight."
"No," Kirin said, "Tomorrow night."
"I do not have to listen to you anymore Kirin!
I will not stand around while Dorono could be in pain, so I leave tonight with
or without you!" I spat in his face
"For all you know, Dorono might not even be
in there yet! So if we wait, our chances of saving him are better!" Kirin said
jerking some sense into me. "Of all creatures," Kirin said more softly this
time, "I would think that you would want our chances to be best to save Dorono."
And all I could do was nod.
***
"Dorono, this isn't like you!" Wintroq screamed as he saw Dorono kick Herupah
for tripping.
Dorono stormed up to Wintroq, "Your right Wintroq.
This isn't like the Dorono you knew." Then Dorono shoved Wintroq into the snow,
the ropes around Wintroq's choking him until he got back up. "That Dorono is
gone." Then Dorono stood up tall whipping his tail back and forth, "Now I am
stronger then ever."
"Zarrel Charmain would grieve if she saw you
like this." But before Wintroq could say anymore, Dorono Swung his paw, his
sharp claws raking across wintroq's belly cutting him.
"Never mention the name of that betrayer in
my presence."
"She is not the betrayer, but you are. Look
at what you have become!"
"Silence!!!" Dorono screamed, and then he walked
back up to Jown. "Sorry master, but I think that it is impossible to get Wintroq
to join your ranks. He is too attached to the traitor Zarrel Charmain."
"Don't worry Dorono. He will join in time once
he has had enough suffering. It just takes time."
As the sun fell below the horizon, filling the
summit with a golden light, Dorono lay down in the snow. The wind blew his main,
and rattles the furs on his tail. Then as the first stars came out he looked
up at them. As they sparkled, he thought of the sparkle in his ex-partners eyes.
Then he looked down at the icy snow, which reminded him of his ex-partners eyes.
Why must everything remind him of Zarrel Charmain? Deep down inside him, a voice
screamed that it was because he missed her, but he ignored the voice. The reason
must be because he was tired. He would not go back to the very same creature
that had betrayed him. He would stay and train with Jown, and become as powerful
as the world itself!
The next day, Jown and Dorono's party reached
Jown's H.Q. just as it started to snow, around noon. Jown crept up to Dorono.
"Today Dorono, your training starts."
"I will learn well master." And Dorono followed
Jown into the heart of the fort.
"Never give in to any feelings Dorono, even
be prepared to destroy your own mother if necessary to become stronger. All
that should matter is you, and your master. A true conquer has no personal feelings,
for if they did they would be weak. You must remember these lessons if you want
to be able to defeat Zarrel Charmain," Jown said, as he trained Dorono in both
the arts of sword fighting, and in paw to paw combat. "Whom do you fight for?"
Jown yelled.
"My master and myself!" Dorono replied in a
vibrant tone.
"What do you fight for?"
"For the glory of winning!"
"Why do you fight?"
"To conquer other lands and become master of
all!"
"You are strong Dorono. I am surprised that
I did not find you earlier."
The training continued throughout the day, and
Dorono fell asleep feeling that he could defeat the world blindfolded.
All caring thoughts of me were stolen from Dorono,
and replaced with thoughts of hatred, and villainy the next day, as Jown brainwashed
Dorono some more. Dorono was dismissed from training in the afternoon to try
and convert Wintroq to Jown's side once more. Dorono Sharpened his claws, and
then he walked off towards the dungeons.
"You slime! Have you forgotten everything that
my sister had ever done for you!" Wintroq yelled at Dorono, for yelling was
all that he could do with his arms chained up above his head.
"Your sister has done nothing for me, but use
me for her own purposes!" Dorono yelled back. "So I ask you once more. Do you
come to Jown's side, and to glory?"
"If what you have become is glory, then let me rot!" Wintroq yelled.
"That can be arranged," Dorono spat, and
as he walked out he kicked one of the black Uni twins, Decorah he thought. "With
all that Zarrel Charmain said about you, I expected you two to be more then
what you are. You are as helpless as kittens, so there isn't even a need to
chain you, but even so, the great Jown does not take any unnecessary risks."
And Dorono walked back out to report to Jown.
"Did the warrior change his mind on the matter?"
Jown asked Dorono while sharpening his claws.
"No, he says that he would rather rot down there
then join you Jown, the greatest power in the world," Dorono said bowing before
Jown.
"Take off his rations. Perhaps a few days without
food will change his mind on this particular matter," Jown said, an evil snicker
lifting from his lips.
"I shall go inform the kitchens manager right
away. Perhaps then after that we can continue my training?" Dorono said.
"You have grown strong Dorono. Very strong."
***
While waiting for the coming of night so that we could rescue Dorono, Kirin
and I disguised ourselves as merchants so that we could travel around the settlement
without worries.
As we walked along, a pottery maker stopped
us, "I have not seen you around before. Do you live here?"
I looked at the pottery maker, and then I quickly
came up with a lie that could help in my quest for Dorono. "We are merchants
from the far away deserts of Kakalonar. We have heard of the great Jown, and
would wish to join his settlement. We would like to know more of what Jown is
like, for word is scarce, but powerful out in the dessert," I said in a mystic
voice.
The pottery maker looked at me cocking his head,
but when he decided that I must have been telling the truth, a smirk lit up
across his face. "So word of the great Jown has reached as far as the desserts.
He will be pleased to hear that. The great Jown has been planning an attack
on the underlands, and for this attack, he is recruiting as many able bodied
soldiers as possible. If you can fight with a blade worth two pence, his greatness
will welcome you into the ranks of his army. I heard that his latest recruits
consists of a warrior, a black Uni, and a very strong green Eyrie."
"Thanks for the information pottery maker. We
will be on our way now." And we started to walk back to the summit overlooking
the settlement, but the pottery maker went after us.
"The great Jown's fort is that way, not the
route that you are taking."
"I know," I said, "We are headed back for our
homeland in the dessert to tell our people of Jown's greatness. The word must
be spread, and once we have a considerable number of followers, we shall return
here." And with that we walked off, leaving behind the pottery maker, towards
the summit to await the coming darkness. Then I could save Dorono!
To be continued... | 
