Boldheart: Of a Dragon's Den by meratocat |  |
Lajonah ran through the vast stretches of desert, clutching
her side with pain, and hoping that the dragon's directions proved true. She
had run almost non-stop for two full days, and one night, and was not about
to quit on the second. She jumped at every shadow, and shrieked at every sound
of the night, for she knew that Lancoth would want her dead, and that fear bristled
up inside of her. Tears streamed down her face as she ran. Some were for the
burning of her sides, but most, most were for the deep sadness that she felt
down within her heart. She wondered what would become of Merato. She could not
imagine him being killed swiftly, or slowly by torture. She felt it then, she
loved Merato, ever since he had saved her from death's grasp that one night
many years ago, she had known it. She loved him.
Now though, she was leaving him behind. She
was running away from him, for him. She did not fully understand what had happened
out there upon that dune, but she knew one thing--a dragon had saved her. A
dragon in the form of a Gelert. He had told her who he was, and to go to the
great red dragons den. Lajonah had no idea what was to become of her, but whatever
it was, she hoped that it would save Merato.
As the full moon shown high above her head in
the night twilight, Lajonah let out a shiver. She could go no farther that night,
so exhausted, the golden furred Aisha slumped down in the sand, and lay prostrate,
until she fell asleep with exhaustion.
Lajonah awoke the next day with the sun full
in her face. She stood up, and looked behind her. She let out a gasp, for behind
her she could see followers, even though they were only small specks upon the
horizon. She had spent too much time asleep, for it was already past noon. Lajonah
then started to run once more for her life.
With Dreamoth's directions implanted within
her brain, Lajonah ran for a few hours, though to her, it seemed an eternity.
She was holding her side again, for she ran without break, and her sides were
burning. It was then that ahead of her, she caught her first glimpse of cliffs
in the distance. She was close to the dragon's den.
No matter how fast Lajonah seemed to run, the
pursuers only gained on her. A dark fear was spreading throughout her, but she
kept pressed on, for the great red dragon was Merato and hers last hope.
Soon, the cliffs shadow loomed over her, and
she could make out the waterfall coming from its heights. Lajonah smiled to
herself, but did not quit running, for she knew that just as clearly as she
could see her pursuers, they could see her, and they would keep moving with
a vengeance to get her. She kept running until she was at the foot of the cliffs.
Lajonah starred up the steep interface with
awe. How could she ever even hope to climb up like Dreamoth had planned? Then
something caught her eye, small holes were knocked into the cliff at different
points, creating hand and foot holds. So with a sigh, Lajonah walked up, and
put a hand into one of the holes, and then begun her climb, slowly. She could
not have been more then two-thirds of the way up by the time that her pursuers
reached the cliffs. Lajonah looked down at them, and as the wind blew in her
face she was glad that the breeze wasn't any stronger, or else it might fling
her off. Down below her were about ten of Lancoth's creatures. Three of them,
an ixi, and two Kaus wouldn't be able to climb up after her, Lajonah gladly
noted, but the other seven were a problem. Among those sever was a Shoyru, two
Unis, and a large red Eyrie, who could fly up to her in seconds. Also, of the
other three, two were Usuls, the best climbers in the land, and they surely
could catch her in no time. All looked lost, but Lajonah wasn't about to give
up.
She climbed much faster then, hoping that she
would reach the top, but it was not so. One of the Unis was in her face in seconds,
blocking her upwards climb, and down below her, the two Usuls were starting
the climb towards her. Tears streamed down Lajonah's face. She would never let
herself become subject to Lancoth's torture even again.
Lajonah gulped, and then with one last mighty
call of "For the great red dragon!" she hurled herself off of the cliff. The
Uni screeched in surprise at her actions, and the Usuls looked on with utter
fury as Lajonah fell, but not all stood there dumbfounded, the red Eyrie took
flight, determined to catch her to bring her to his master.
The wind blew through Lajonah's hair, and her
eyes became watery from the speed at which she fell. Suddenly, she felt a jerk,
and looked up to see a large red Eyrie holding her middle. "You will beg mercy
of Lancoth before you are destroyed!" he said as he started to fly off towards
the camp of his master, knowing that the others could find their own way.
Lajonah hit at his massive paws, but they didn't
give an inch. She was just about to give up all hope when suddenly a great shadow
covered them. The Eyrie screeched in rage, terror, and surprise all at the same
time as he saw what loomed above him. It had large bat wings like a dark faerie.
It had a long forked tail. Its body was riddled with scales, and spikes ran
down its back. It was the colour of red wine, of blood, and it came with a vengeance.
It was Mythouny, the great red dragon oh healing.
Mythouny, with one quick swipe of her hand,
had the Eyrie's tail in her grasp, and she begun to fly back to her cave where
she had already tied up the other thieves who had intruded upon her.
As she landed, she tossed the now cowering Eyrie
among the nine other thieves who were bound by magic to stay put. "You have
stumbled upon the red dragon of healing's den. I cannot let you remember what
has gone on here."
Mythouny raised her hand up into the air, and
began to utter some words in an ancient tongue, when Lajonah yelled out. "Dreamoth
sent me!" she yelled remembering the dragon's words to her.
With her concentration lost, Mythouny looked
upon Lajonah, and then she began to mutter the strange words once more. There
was a strange bluish flash, like a strobe light, and then when it had gone,
Lajonah was stuck blinking, but feeling no different. Suddenly, a large red
clawed hand shot over her head. "You better not be lying to me Aisha, for if
you are, your fate will be worse then that of those thieves." And she motioned
to the thieves who sat upon the floor, wide-eyed with a dumb look across their
faces.
Lajonah then broke up into telling her story
word for word to Mythouny, and made sure to elaborate on the part with Dreamoth.
"And that is how I got here," she finished, and as she sat there, she could
not help but stare at the razor sharp teeth that lined Mythouny's gums.
"You tell the truth," Mythouny said letting
go her grip, and then falling to the ground panting heavily. For the first time,
Lajonah saw Mythouny as a different being. She looked like a withered old creature,
weak, and panting upon the ground. And what Lajonah felt was not disgust, but
a deep sadness for the dragon, as any with a good heart would feel.
"What is it that you did to them?" Lajonah asked
looking at the thieves.
"I have erased their memories. It is much like
amnesia," Mythouny said as she slowly got back up. "All they need is one
push in the right direction." And she gave the red Eyrie a little shove. "And
they will continue on until someone stops them." Lajonah watched at the Shoyru
walked to the edge of the cliff and then off of it, gliding down to the ground
before continuing his non-stop march.
After disposing of the rest of the thieves,
Mythouny led Lajonah deep into the realms of her cave. "The world has changed
much since I was a dragonling. Much that once was is now forgotten, and that
which is remembered is little. Evil can now be found in every land, though it
used to be only found in a few places," she said with a sigh, but then a smile
grew on her face. "Though good still holds true. Here in the desert, you along
with others like Merato battle the evil, which has arisen. Far in the East,
in the foresty regions, Zarrel Charmain and Dorono, whom many consider to be
evil, save the land from great disaster. Also, in the South there is the…" but
Mythouny stopped with a laugh as she saw Lajonah's confused face. "Alas, I must
remember that information does not travel so far for you Neopets, for none of
you can fly like a dragon. No matter, all that we need to concentrate upon right
now would be the immediate danger of Lancoth, for I do believe that he plans
an attack upon me."
So with that the great red dragon Mythouny took
Lajonah into her protection, and the two planned upon what they could do to
resist against an attack.
The End |
