Boldheart: A Young Kougra Prince by meratocat |  |
Dreamoth opened up his blue eyes, and stared up at the
dark confines of the tent. He wanted to just close his eyes, and rest out his
weariness from the event with Lajonah, but then the wake up horn sounded again-a
long drawn out note. He let out a low growl, that horn would be one of the things
he would destroy if he ever revealed himself as a dragon to the thieves, and
then he smiled, envisioning the thing snapped in two with his jumping upon it.
It was true as Mythouny always said; he did not have enough patience.
At the third time of hearing the horn, Dreamoth
jumped quickly out of bed. He regretted that move, for almost at once, a searing
pain went through his wing, and upon feeling the bumpy, yet healing stitches,
he felt a small sticky substance trickling down. 'The bleeding is light, at
least.' Dreamoth thought as he tied on the horrible golden headband after wiping
his hand off upon the dirt.
Just as the dragon scrambled out the door, one
of the younger thieves, a desert Kougra ran up to him, slipping in the dirt,
making his headband fall off. "Yuciau! Good thing your up!" he called, but just
then he seamed to notice that his headband had fallen off. His whiskers got
a slightly pinkish tint, and he bowed before Dreamoth. "Sorry, I did not mean
to throw Lancoth's symbol into the dirt, it won't happen again, please don't
do anything, it was an accident." And then he looked up at Dreamoth, who just
smiled, and handed him back the horrible golden band.
This Kougra was newly joined to the ranks of
Lancoth, from where the dragon did not know, but one thing was sure about the
young Kougra He had a good heart, even though he was joined up with the thieves.
He was the only one of the whole band that Dreamoth could look upon without
feeling full of vexation, for the evil within.
"No worries young Kougra," Dreamoth said,
picking up the headband from the ground, and then handing it back to the Kougra
after dusting it off.
"Thanks," the Kougra said. Already showing
that he at least had some manners that the other thieves did not.
Just then a spark of curiosity came up into
Dreamoth's mind. "Now what is your name?" He asked. "I have seen you a few times,
but failed to learn of your name."
The Kougra looked up with a dreary face. "My
name is hath, Eaorth," he said in a solemn voice. Then suddenly his face
put on a look of dread. "I forgot!" and then he was pulling on Dreamoth's sleeve.
"Yes, I was sent to see if you were up, and to tell you that Lancoth plans a
speech on his next move. We must get there soon, for he had most likely already
started!"
"Lead on," Dreamoth said, escaping the
grip of the young Eaorth, and then tightening up his sword sheath around his
waist he ran after the Kougra
Droak ran up to Dreamoth as he saw him coming.
"Good, you're here," he said, and then with a dark look towards the Kougra,
he continued. "So Eaorth actually did something right. Well Yuciau, I was begging
to think that you were going to miss Lancoth's speech, which would be quite
bad for your reputation, but you're here, so that doesn't matter. Now make haste,
he is about to start!"
Dreamoth let out a sigh, and then began to follow
Droak with Eaorth in the back. They had just reached a large crowd of pets when
they heard Lancoth's voice boom out. "He is starting," Droak said never
turning his gaze from Lancoth. "My place is up there. Listen well Yuciau, for
this shall not be repeated!"
"The time has come!" Lancoth boomed out. "The
time has come when we shall rule all! (At this, Dreamoth really had to keep
together to not just jump out and scream out his true feelings to the thief,
whilst listening to the other pets cheer out their guts) We have found out much
from the one who once held fear in his paws. From Boldheart about the great
dragon." At the mention of Boldheart, the thieves all booed, and screamed idle
threats and curses, but then were quieted with a motion of Lancoth's hand. "And
soon we shall be able to harness the dragon's powers to our own will. Now is
the time to strike, whilst she be weak!"
"Ai! But how do you know that she is weak?"
an ambiguous voice called out from the vast audience.
"Yah!" another called. "And how will you find
the dragon's den? I have heard no tell of its location!"
"Ah, but I have answers to both of those foolish
questions," Lancoth said, far to engrossed with his speech to care that
he had been defied. "To these answers, I turn to Droak."
The large black Lupe stalked up, snickering
as he went. "As some of you already know, about three months ago, I left upon
a mission with a score of our best behind me, yet I came back with only four
of my fellows. You may have wondered as too why we never had any tell to as
what happened, but that was because what we found we were to keep silent… silent
until today. We had found the great red dragon's lair. Dark and dreary it is,
smelling of things past, which never should have crossed this earth. However,
on our way out the menace of a creature caught us. She had burning red eyes,
which were hell's fire itself, and deadly spikes rippled down her spine. She
had four large clawed hands which could crush all the bones in a pets body like
I can snap a twig." And here he snapped a small stick to show his point. " Deadly
claws, sharp as deaths sword tip came from her hands, each one with the power
to strike us dead with one swift swipe. The tail too was monstrous-a whipping
malice with a spear tipped end, and her face; the most horrible of all. Large
golden horns sprout from her head, and her ears pointed like a blade. Her gaping
jaws filled with row upon row of teeth, each sharper then a newly forged blade.
Her scales are the colour of blood, new from the wound. She is a demon of a
creature, and we can use her power against her! Even though she caught the rest
of our group, three others and I escaped. Ready to tell this news to Lancoth."
He smiled, showing off his teeth, while looking at the worried faces of his
counterparts, but then his gaze stiffened upon the one called Yuciau. He had
not even shown an inch of fear. He truly was a warrior.
Truly, Dreamoth had not shown any fear towards
this speech, but it was because it had no meaning to him. Maybe one of evil
saw Mythouny as that, but anyone with a good heart would see the great red dragon
as a beautiful creature, grand in all aspects. Anger also wielded up inside
of Dreamoth at the hearing of his mistress called a demon. Alas! She was not
evil at all, and never wished to kill anything, so the whole story of her was
folly. Folly from a liar's mouth. Dreamoth's stream of thought was however interrupted
by a sudden outburst from the crowd, and when he looked up by Droak, he saw
why. There was a large red Eyrie, one of the ones who had set off after Lajonah.
"Here with me sits Kascott. One who has been
caught by the dragon yet escaped her sorcery." Kascott looked as one half asleep,
and with a gasp; Dreamoth realised that he had had his memory erased by Mythouny,
yet by his looks, he was gaining it back. The great red dragon's powers were
truly failing.
Kascott seemed to wake from his dream for a
second, and started to blabber senselessly. "Claws, claws and teeth, and a floor
littered with metal! Blood, bloody scales, and ones white as snow. All gone…
Aisha with… DRAGON!!!" He screamed really loud. His voice stretching into a
screech. He jumped into the crowd, and started to rush for Dreamoth, still screeching
the word dragon.
Perhaps he just choose Dreamoth for being a
Draik, or perhaps from overcoming the spell he had been able to see Dreamoth
as who he really was, the Eyrie ran right for the disguised dragon. As Kascott
neared, Dreamoth pulled out his blade, but he did not have to strike, for just
inches from his feet, Kascott fell to the ground, locked away in a dream once
more, and Dreamoth replaced his blade wile wiping the sweat from his brow.
***
"What was that about?" Eaorth said walking up to Dreamoth later in the day
after all had been dismissed. "He ran at you like the dragon was after him herself."
"I don't know, but perhaps she was?" Dreamoth
said with a grin. "She seamed to be in his dream all right."
Eaorth's eyes slit halfway. "It is just that
if I were you, I'd be careful. I have been listening to the rumours of the others,
and apparently, many don't trust you, but fear to do anything, for you are on
the good side of Droak."
"I have no worries…" Dreamoth said, but then
he stopped, for he could hear voices speaking.
"Yes master. We shall soon have the dragon's
powers in our command. Then we can go in upon the city of Lazcorz, and take
the king Eaom and his son, the prince, down."
Dreamoth looked at the distressed face of Eaorth
before closing in upon the voices, the young Kougra could do no harm, besides,
listening to this conversation may prove very useful, so he continues to creep
up. As he got closer, he realised that is was not one of Lancoth's men talking
to him, but Lancoth himself! But who was he calling master? Right next to him,
Eaorth appeared just as surprised at this turn of events. How could Lancoth
have a master?
Dreamoth and Eaorth soon got close enough to
get a glimpse of the speakers, and what they beheld was frightful. There inside
the confines of a tent stood Lancoth, the desert Tuskaninny thief speaking to
a dark creature. Hooded in black, so that none of his face shown clearly, if
a face it truly was. It was withered and a bluish white colour, like the colour
of cold flames, and it bespoke of death, though Dreamoth still could sense some
life within the creature. Then the thing spoke, and its voice was that of a
monster.
"You shall not fail me Lancoth! You shall kill
the king, and take the kingdom ere the year passes." It hissed to him. "For
if you do, your fate shall be horrendous."
"Do not worry master. I shall conquer the dragon,
and if I do fail, I shall take the price of failure."
"You do not yet know the full extent of failure,
do you?" and with that the creature threw back its hood, though only for a split
second, revealing its twisted features. Lancoth fell to his knees, a deep fear
settling over him, and Dreamoth starred with saddened eyes, but Eaorth, Eaorth
fell back into the sand, dropping his sword with a clang, but was silenced by
Dreamoth's hand before he could scream, though he still let out a muffled sound.
The fell creature let out a hiss-long and drawn
out. He then started to sniff the air, and let our almost a shriek. "What is
it master?" Lancoth said, not noticing as Dreamoth picked up Eaorth's sword
from the ground.
"It is the smell of ancient magic. One that
I have only sensed once before… in a dragon's den."
"That can't be right!" Lancoth said. "There
are no dragons here."
"But you do not know that. One could be watching
us even as we speak." And her turned his gaze towards where Dreamoth stood holding
the Kougra out of sight, and then slowly started to walk forwards, always sniffing.
Dreamoth broke into a run, blind, and with only
one thing on his mind. To escape the creature that bespoke of death and ill
omen. He did not quit running until he was a sure distance away from where he
had heard Lancoth speak. Then he truly did wish that his wing had not been hewn
of its use. All he wanted at that moment was to escape, escape back to Mythouny,
though he knew that to be impossible. "There will be a day," he said to
himself. "That I shall report back to my mistress the great red dragon,"
Dreamoth said to himself, but was answered by Eaorth.
"So it is true, as I suspected. You are linked
to the dragon."
Dreamoth pulled out his sword, dropping the
Kougra to the ground. He had forgotten about him in his haste. Dreamoth lifted
his sword high above the Kougra's head, "I am sorry, but I cannot let you live
knowing that." And he prepared to throw down his blade.
"You have no reason to kill an ally." Dreamoth
looked down at the young Kougra, and a change seemed to spread across the cat's
features. For one thing he looked less young and careless, but proud and strong.
"Who are you?" Dreamoth asked slowly.
"My name is Krantalo," the Kougra said
in a different voice. "I am the prince of the city of Lazcorz, and the king
is my father. I have come here to find out what malice Lancoth plans for my
people, and to stop him if possible, but seeing that fell creature swept all
hope from me, but then I saw you. Now it is your turn. Now who are you really
Yuciau?"
Dreamoth looked down upon the prince Krantalo,
and then smiled. He spoke truth, it was written in his face. "My name is Dreamoth,"
he said with a smile, "I am Mythouny's loyal servant, a dragon myself. White
of scale, and small of size, I am still a match to be reckoned with."
Krantalo smiled deeply, "So it be true that
dragons are good of heart, like all tales of my people state. It is good to
meet one in the flesh, or scale I may say. Even if you are not in your true
form, for you are not." Krantalo reached forward, and took his blade back from
Dreamoth. "Dragonsbane it is called, and of no better name could it get,"
he said, fingering his blade. "Does yours have a name?"
"Alas, no. I have not given a name to my blade,
as not is the custom of us dragons."
"Then let me give it a name," Krantalo
said. "I shall name it Dralting, which in the ancient tongue of kings it means
spirit."
"It seams that I have truly found an ally,"
Dreamoth said, and then whispered, "Dralting…"
The End |
