Dragon Quest: Part Three

by Dragonsfang

Pernith lay curled in a hollow that had served as his bed for the morning, wings lying limply at his sides. His eyes looked out onto the land blankly, while tears formed at their corners and ran down his face to splash onto the ground.

There is no reason to go on, he thought. If she no longer loves me, then why bring her the Last Dragon? The best thing to do is just lie here until I waste away.

A snuffling near Pernith's hollow roused the silver Tatsu from his thoughts. A small creature with bat-like wings, a long bladed tail, and sharp talons was investigating the hollow, shoving around the leaves with its snout. Its opalescent eyes whirled pink in surprise as the Tatsu emerged from the hollow.

"Who are you?" Pernith asked sullenly.

The creature ruffled its large wings at the question. Without answering, it turned and raced away on all fours, long tail balancing it as it ran. It disappeared into the brush.

Devoid of thinking, Pernith launched himself into the air and followed the creature into the forest. He could only catch glimpses of the creature's bronze hide as it fleeted through the trees; but try as he must, he could not catch up with the strange creature.

The Tatsu suddenly flared his wings and dropped to the ground in surprise. Towering above him were a pair of great golden gates carved with serpents wrapping around the bars. Crouched on great stone slabs on each side of the gates were a pair of giant golden griffins.

One of the griffins noticed the silver Tatsu, and it alerted the other by stretching out its feathery wings. The other griffin looked down and uttered a chirp of surprise, which it quickly turned into a growl.

What do you want, NeoPet? it demanded, flaring its giant golden-bronze wings.

"I came to see the Last Dragon," Pernith stammered uncertainly.

The second griffin crowed in laughter. What makes a tiny NeoPet like you think you can see the Last Dragon? She hasn't seen anyone in the last hundred years, and nor likely to again!

Pernith growled and opened his wings. "Just why can't I? I intend her no harm!"

Ha! The first griffin snorted. Do you know how many people have said that, and tried to destroy her? There has been so many of them that I have lost count long ago; sad really. Not everyone accepts a Dragon living here, especially since they think Dragons are vicious, fire-breathing beasts with a lust for human flesh.

Aye, the second griffin agreed. Not many can accept Dragons anymore. Years ago, when I was just a hatchling, Dragons were welcome in this world. Now, people hate them. He shook his head ruefully. That is why we cannot let you in, young Neopet. We have been betrayed once too often.

Pernith nodded just as sadly. "In the books my old owner used to read, Dragons lived in harmony with humans and were friends and lifelong companions. But, those are just fantasy novels, figments of an imagination of what wishes to be."

"I say let him in." The small bronze creature emerged from the brush, head low to the ground. "I believe that what he says is true."

The two golden griffins looked at each other. As you wish, Airianth, Princess of Dragons. The Golden Gateway began to slowly open, and stopped just to allow enough room for Pernith and the young bronze Dragon. Once inside, the gates clanged shut with a bang that startled Pernith into flight.

"It is all right, NeoPet. They always make a production of shutting it like that," Airianth said. "Who are you, and why do you want to see my mother anyway?"

Pernith backwinged into a landing and looked at the young Dragon. She was only about ten feet long with wheeling opalescent eyes, silver talons, large bat-like wings, a long tail, and slender muzzle filled with sharp silver teeth. Blades ran in a line down her neck, stopped at her wing shoulders, then continued down her back to the end of her tail where they formed a hard tip that could split into four separate blades. Her soft hide was deep bronze, while her wings flashed golden in the sun.

"I am Pernith, former silver Tatsu of the Nirelka household. I have come to ask your mother a favour, but now I am not so sure," Pernith said.

"Why are you not sure anymore?" Airianth asked, eyes began to wheel with the yellow of worry.

"My owner told me the Last Dragon lived here, and I came to show her that Dragons still existed, for she had stopped believing. Then, I realized she told me that to get rid of me. Now I don't know what to do," the Tatsu said. Airianth was silent for a moment. "Did she love you before this?" she asked at last.

"Yes. She always took me to the Mystery Island, and Training School. She bought me the best toys, food, grooming supplies, and she even gave me my own pet. What could have changed her?"

"Maybe she did not change."

"What are you talking about?"

"It sounds like your owner loves you very much. I do not think it was of her intention to send you upon this journey just to get rid of you, Pernith. It was your choice to come, because you love and trust your owner more than any Neopet could," Airianth murmured.

"What if you're wrong?" Pernith asked.

"I do not know. I just tell you what I know," the Dragon answered.

A gust of wind startled the two creatures; looking up, they saw a great Dragon backwinging into a landing front of them. It looked of a bigger version of Airianth, except that its hide was golden in color, and ridges ran down its neck instead of blades.

"Who is the NeoPet, Airianth?" the Golden Dragon asked, lowering her wedge-shaped head to get a better look at Pernith.

"This is Pernith, mother. He has come to ask a favour of you," the Bronze Dragon answered.

The Last Dragon narrowed her opalescent eyes at the Tatsu. "What is it you ask of, Pernith?"

"I have come to ask you to-" Pernith began, but never finished, for the ground next to him exploded. The silver Tatsu was thrown backward tail over talon into the air, flew back twenty feet and smashed into the ground. Standing the spot of the explosion area was a shadowed Gelert and a strange demon. It looked like a giant werewolf, only it had dark red wings that flared from its back like Airianth's. Its crimson eyes alighted with fire as it saw Airianth and her mother.

"So there are two Dragons left. Now I have the pleasure of destroying them both," it said.

"What are you talking about, Razorwing? You said that we would destroy them together!" the shadowed Gelert cried. "I lied," Razorwing said. Fire streamed from its muzzle and smashed into the Gelert; it screamed as it disappeared. "Pathetic creatures, really. Always too trusting with creatures, especially humans," the demon said, turning back to the Dragons. "Now to take care of you two."