Disclaimer: I don't own Lunar Dragon Song, but the names are mine.
On a planet similar to ours, the gods dwell. They wander about, doing as they please, whether it's sunbathing or challenging even a solitary rock to a fight. This world is pure, without the disturbance of manmade poisons. The forests grow unwavering, the scrublands covering the lush ground with flowing reeds. Rolling oceans lap at the feet of mighty volcanic mountains, topped with cackling dolphins splashing among the salty froth capped the waves. The inhabitants live together with nature, without disturbance.
It is this world that the legends are found. Deep within a volcanic cave reside the four Guardians of the elements. Worshipped on earth, the guardians are revered as mighty warriors who smite evil from both worlds, as heroes. Little do they know that the guardians have more in common with humanity when anyone knows…
Icicles and stalactites dapple the ceiling of the cave, scarred with glowing red lines of magma. Puddles of water dot the path as the tunnel slopes downward to a humungous chasm. Voices, or rather growls and roars reverberate off the walls.
"Baka! I told you, no more freezing the magma chambers! How will the mountain explode now?" a snarl echoed from a tunnel leading to a glowing entity of red-hot magma pools. A large red dragon charges out of the tunnel, pursuing a smaller white dragon. Her yellow eyes burn with fury, due to having her relaxation cut short. The white dragon swoops around the cavern, pulling faces at its larger comrade. Considerably smaller then the others, it hovers in the air, blowing freezing air at the red dragon. "Get back here, you tiger striped runt!"
"Come on, it was just a prank, no harm dome! It'll melt by morning, so relax! Yeouch!!!" a blossom of flame scorched the white's whip like tail, causing it to take off down the white tunnel across the way. With a snarl, the red thundered back down the passage of magma, cursing the white dragon under her breath. She turns in to the chamber to find an entity blocking her path; the black dragon.
"Move it. I don't want a lecture."
"Scorching was uncalled for, and you know that."
"Then tell that #$& to-"
"Just because you are angry doesn't mean you can use such language. It's rude for a lady to swear." The black dragon growled smugly, his beetle black eyes glinting with amusement. The red, looking ready to send him off with a scorched posterior, shoved past him; smoke furling from flared nostrils, a vein throbbing above her left eye ridge. Shrugging, the black dragon made his way back to the main cavern. A blue mist issued from the southernmost cave, drawing the black dragon toward it. He followed the path to a smaller cavern, dappled with giant lakes. The surface of the water became uneven as the black dragon approached the edge of the protruding gap of land. The blue serpentine dragon rose from the depths, droplets rolling down its aqua colored scales. His sea green eyes focused on the visitor, squinting slightly.
"I heard what happened. You all made enough noise that I can't sleep."
"My apologies, but 'Windy' was at it again." The black dragon said.
"I don't know what makes more noise, that pain or the ruckus that ensues-"the blue dragon turned away, coughing harshly. Small beads of sweat covered his eye ridges. "After."
"That cough sounds nasty. How long has it plagued you?"
"Not long, so don't worry about me. Must be a bug going around." The blue dragon dipped his head apologetically. "As for Windy, give her something to do. She's got to be bored to be causing all this trouble." He slipped back under the surface without another word. The black dragon left the cave, his mind muddled.
'Put Windy to work? That cough must be messing with his head. She always makes a mess out of anything.' He thought, shaking his head dejectedly.
Back under the water, the blue dragon emerged in his private underwater cavern. He curled up on the ledge, coughing.
"I won't let them worry about me, its only a cough. I'll be over –coughs- it in no time… I hope." The blue dragon drank from the lake, laying his head down. Luckily, his coughing wasn't heard above water.
"A job?! What kind of job?" the white dragon asked, hovering over the black dragon, the light of the cave glinting off her scales.
"You're to go and survey the land for any portals to the human world. IF you find one, inform me immediately. Do NOT go to the human world." The white dragon pouted, her lower jaw jutting out awkwardly. Without another word, she took off up the tunnel and out into the sun.
The black dragon proceeded to his own chambers, a chasm full of rock formations covered in plant life. His element was the earth, and everything that grew from it. He stretched out on the vine covered ground, sinking into a deep sleep.
"BLACKIE!!!!!!" the earth dragon woke with a start; banging his head on a jutting chunk of rock. Swearing innumerably, he staggered up to the main room. The red dragon had pinned Windy to the wall, claws around the white dragon's slender serpentine neck.
"What is it now? And don't call me Blackie." the black dragon asked, glaring at the struggling white reptile.
"I found… portal… four of em… came back… to… tell you…" the crushing grip of the red dragon's right claw was cutting off her air supply. Anxious to hear more of what she saw, the black dragon approached the furious red dragon.
"Let her go, you're killing her. Look, she can't breathe. You should be over this by now…" he consorted, trying to calm his fiery comrade. The red dragon turned to him, her eyes ablaze with fury.
"That will be that last prank, because I have the last laugh! Prepare to suffer, runt!" a stream of water whisked past the black dragon's head, splashing onto her radiating scales. Turning, he saw the blue dragon skidding into the room.
"Flara, enough! You've had your fun, let her go!" the water serpent shouted. The red dragon ignored him, until she was struck in the underbelly with a spear of water. It didn't cause damage, instead stunning Flara. She sank to the ground, blinking; her claws released the white dragon who slid down the wall to lie in a heap. The water serpent sighed, and started to cough again.
"Windy… can you move?" the white dragon barely nodded, trying hard to move. Her body had gone numb, the blood flow slowly restoring movement to her limbs. The black dragon nodded, and then turned to Flara.
"How dare you try to kill windy. I thought you were friends. Why try to end her life?" he asked.
"Lost temper… couldn't control…I'm sorry…" she whispered, looking up at her comrade.
"It's alright, just don't do it again." The black dragon nodded then turned. The blue dragon lay on the stone, gasping for breath. "Are you-" the serpent looked up, his frantic eyes telling something.
Nodding, the black dragon sat on his hind legs, performing a spell. A large amount of herbs appeared, only to be swallowed by the blue dragon. He waited, and spoke in a ragged tone.
"Thank you. Must be the dust around here." He rasped. The others gave him a skeptical look, but blew it off. The blue dragon made his way back in to the water, gulping down massive amounts.
"I didn't think it would get that bad above water. What's wrong with me?" he wondered aloud.
Two days had gone by without a single sign of the blue dragon. From what the others understood, he appeared to be either: catching a bug, or very ill. He wouldn't even come to the surface now, leaving messages in the water of the main cavern. On the third day the rain came. It became the first sign of trouble, as it was the color of blood. Windy had come in from scouting when the others noticed.
"Windy! A battle?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You're bleeding!"
"Not me, the sky is bleeding! Look outside!" the white dragon retorted, licking her hide dry. The earth dragon returned moments later, his eyes cloudy with thought.
"Well?" Flara asked a slight tone of worry in her voice.
"Something's wrong. The only times the rain is red is trouble or war in the human world." He growled.
All three made their way down to the blue dragon's lake filled abyss, but the water was red.
"Blue dragon, what's going on? The rain is red!" Windy called loudly. A dark shadow appeared under the water, slowly rising to the surface. The blue dragon appeared partially, the top of his head bobbing above the water. Something was very wrong.
Alarmed, the three other guardians dragged the blue dragon out of the water, laying him out on the soaked lake rock. The blue dragon lay unconscious, the gills on the sides of his neck flapping weakly for air.
"#&, he can't breathe. This is no ordinary cough." Flara said, examining , of his neck flapping weakly dragon out of the water, laying him out on the soaked lakerock. 111111111111111111111111her comrade. She bit the inside of her mouth, waiting. Three minutes…five minutes… ten minutes… the blue dragon stirred, groaning something unintelligible about tuna fish.
"If you've got the energy to daydream, you look better." Flara announced.
"I can't hide it any longer… but I have no idea what it is or why…" the serpent gasped, trying to swallow the funny tasting liquid in his mouth.
"If you're contagious, there's a problem. We'll have to change forms." The black dragon said matter-of-factly.
"If it helps me breathe again…" all four dragons glowed with a bright silver light, slowly shrinking to about five feet tall apiece. Four humans now stood in the blue dragon's lair, gathered around in a circle. The blue haired young man stood shakily with the help of his black haired friend. The redhead and albino girls had hidden behind stalagmites, blushing furiously and giggling silently. Only the boys hadn't noticed that all four of them were naked. At least they all had knee length hair.
It didn't take long to locate decent clothing for them all, since changing forms wasn't uncommon. Flara had managed to consort the blue haired guardian to lie down and rest. It worried her how hot his skin felt to her hand as she supported his head and neck, allowing him to drink the water from the lake.
"All right, out with it. When did you start coughing like this, and why?" she asked, wringing the rag into a wooden washtub. The blue haired boy looked at her, eyes dull.
"About two months ago. As to why… I don't-"
"Don't lie. Tell the truth, so I can't help you. Is it… no, you haven't, have you?"
"No, I haven't… I felt fine, so… it was unneeded…." He chuckled slightly, coughing into the blankets.
"We can't ignore the ritual, and you know it. How for overdue are you?"
"five…years…" the coughing grew worse; Flara tried to comfort him by pounding his back. She shook her head dejectedly.
"Baka, we have to get you to the ritual lake-" The boy shook his head, drinking the cup of water.
"No, it's just a cold; I'll –cough- get over it -cough- eventually" he rolled over on his side, coughing harshly into his hands. It subsided momentarily, but the impact had left him too weak to remain conscious. Flara got to her feet slowly, thinking hard. She chose to consort in the black dragon's knowledge.
"Five years overdue, it's not surprising that he's so ill these days. If we do not take part in the ceremony, our bodies deteriorate from the inside out. If it's gotten this bad, his condition is worse then I thought." The black haired boy stared up at the ceiling of the green foxhole, absentmindedly twirling thin ropelike vines around his fingers, weaving what looked like a scarf.
"What can we do, Shady?" Flara asked, biting her lip in apprehension. The boy's black eyes glared at her over his shoulder.
"Its Shade, not 'shady'. Jeez, you and Windy come up with the craziest nicknames. I don't know what to do about him. Don't forget, he's more powerful then you or I. Windy can't compare to him either."
"I know, but if he doesn't take part in the Ritual of Renewal, he'll die for sure." Flara gripped Shade's arm, hard. "Please, convince him! I'm not strong enough!" Shade sighed, relieving his arm from the fire dragon's death grip.
"I don't know what I'll accomplish, but I'll give it a try." Dusting off the thin gray yukata he wore, Shade sauntered down the tunnel to visit the water guardian.
The blue dragon's human form lay still on the lake stone, still covered partially by the blanket. His body was dripping with sweat as he lay, gasping for breath. Shade knelt, listening to his comrade's breathing. Ragged, barely there; it was worse then Shade had imagined. The boy hadn't noticed him yet, still weakened from the last coughing fit. Shade made up his mind then and there. Carefully, he lifted the blue haired boy off the stone, holding him like a child.
Flara watched the black dragon stride back up to the main grotto, proceeding down the fifth tunnel, deep into the mountain.
Shade thought he had been walking for hours until he noticed a soft blue glow just ahead. A door; engraved into the stone, stood there, as plain as daylight in the semi darkness. He looked down at the blue dragon's light form, only to find him staring up into his eyes.
"Let me down…" Shade did as he was told, supporting his friend by the shoulder. The water guardian's dull eyes flitted around the door, examining it for a lock. "Stand back, this might get messy." He shot streams of water from his palms into the pipes on the door. A rushing sound was heard as three planks on the door changed direction, opening up.
"Amazing…" Shade whispered in awe, taking a step forward, only to be held back.
"Only I may pass beyond this point. Go back, I'll return soon. Do not wait for me unless five days have passed. Now go." The blue haired boy staggered into the light, the heavy doors slamming behind him.
"See you soon, Azuré."
Azuré sighed deeply after the doors closed. If any of the others got hurt, he would never forgive himself. A sound caught his attention, flitting around the ceiling.
"Come out and show yourselves; cowards!" he shouted. Four winged creatures landed around him, surrounding the area.
"Ah, you're the valiant type I see. Your meat will taste all the sweeter. Get him!" the demons attacked, only to be thrown aside. Azuré had transformed back to his normal form, a huge aqua colored Chinese dragon with finlike spikes spreading down his spine.
Five days had gone by without any sign of Azuré; it worried the others that he hadn't made it to the ritual location in time. Shade constantly paced around, several feet of vine weaving trailing behind him like a tail. Flara seemed more on edge then usual, as if she was listening for a cry for help, or a roar, or something. Even Windy seemed odd, she didn't play one trick or bug her comrades even once. The only thing she was interested in was the old trunk full of human clothing. The others knew full well that she loved clothes, but had no clue as to why she always CROSSDRESSED while in human form.
"I can't take it anymore! Azuré said five days, right? We have to find him, I'm afraid something's happened." Flara finally said. Shade and Windy both agreed. They marched down the channel to the door. Shade stopped, causing the others to crash into him; resulting in a three person dog pile.
"Ow, what'd ya stop for, ya knucklehead?!"
"My ribs… oof, get off…"
"We can't open the door."
"WHY NOT?!"
"Only one with the power of water can open it."
"What are you talking about? It's ajar, dingdong!" Shade looked up at the door. Indeed the girls were right, it was open several inches. All three burst into the water ritual chamber with a bang, the door slamming behind them.
Flara gasped. The floor was almost completely covered by a humongous lake. Waterfalls and streams lined the walls, cascading freely into the lake. A statue of a sea serpent stood in the middle of the body of water, plumes of liquid spurting from its mouth. Lush grasses coated the water's edge, dotted with critters here and there. The ceiling seemed to go straight to the heavens, sparkling innocently.
"Its beautiful… why didn't Azuré tell us what was down here?" Windy asked, awestruck at the magnificent sight. Shade didn't know what to say, this place; it was paradise underground. However, even the view didn't mask the scent of blood.
"This way."
"Why-"
"I smell blood, and it's fairly fresh." The three guardians circled the lake until they came upon a ravaged portion of land. A pit full of blood, feathers, hair, discarded limbs, bones; this place was a graveyard. Windy went pale, stepping back. Shade leapt into the shallow indentation of the earth, searching among the corpses. There was one corpse clutching a fistful of bloodstained blue hair, another with a pale blue horn clutched in a claw. Even Flara stepped away; the smell was sickening, even to a dragon. Shade took a portion of hair from the bunch, examining it closely.
"Its Azuré's, he doesn't clip split ends. There must have been intruders in the chamber." He looked around, drawing a deep breath. The faint scent of blood… tainted with poison…so much of it… there!
"Head south, the smell is strongest the direction." Shade called, climbing out of the pit, seething with anger. Windy led the way, her slim human composition allowing her great speeds, Shade and Flara jogging to keep up with her energy. She stopped suddenly at the edge of a ravine, gazing down into it. A purplish mist obscured the descent; the plants stopped growing at the edge. Windy's eyes changed then to huge hawk's eyes, staring deep into the canyon, scanning for any trace of life. She stepped back after a moment, coughing.
"Nothing, but the smell…its strong here." She reported; a grayish tinge shadowing her face. Shade reacted instantly, catching her as she collapsed. The mist bothered him, Flara too.
"Its poison, but why have a poisonous ravine in a paradise?" he wondered aloud.
"To keep intruders from proceeding further." A wolf sized, charcoal gray wyvern appeared across the chasm, its yellow eyes scanning them suspiciously. "Who are you, and why are you here?" it asked, the fur on its shoulders rising.
"We are Azuré's comrades; we're here to find him." Shade spoke.
"He is not here. You are in forbidden territory, leave now." The wyvern growled. Flara's eyebrows were in danger of vanishing into her fiery hair.
"He is here, I can smell his blood. Let us go to him, we mean Azuré no harm." Shade called.
"If you speak the truth, prove it. How do I or any of us know that you're not the intruders in disguise?" the wyvern snarled, several other forest creatures approaching the edge. Shade sighed, his eyes closed. Without warning, the vines trailing form his arms snapped across the canyon, latching onto the tree; melding into the ground. He had created a living bridge. The forest animals scooted away from the edge, apprehensive of his power.
"Impressive work, but no demon can cross the canyon without perishing from the poison, for falling to his death. Cross the bridge in one piece." The wyvern said, stepping away as well. Shade cursed under his breath. He knew that he and Flara would make it, but Windy had inhaled some of the poison. If she took in more… Shaking the doubts out of his mind, Shade nodded to Flara, gathering Windy's limp form in his arms. Flara crossed first, her arms stretched out to each side, eyes facing straight ahead. She leapt lightly off the tightrope bridge, waving to the others. Shade drew a deep breath, closed his eyes, stepping onto the bridge. Clutching Windy to his chest, he walked across the ravine. Unfortunately, he breathed out halfway across, looking down. Flara screamed. Shade ignored the height, now racing across. The vine snapped just as he stepped off, disintegrating into the poison. Handing Windy over to Flara, he knelt, coughing. There was quite a bit of poison in his system, but unheeded Shade from stopping.
"Hm, you are guardians, it is true. Forgive me for my rudeness, but we were attacked recently, and want to keep this place peaceful. Follow me." The wyvern said. Shade nodded, getting shakily to his feet. Flara followed him, carrying Windy on her back.
"We're here." Shade lifted his head off something soft, looking around. The group had stopped outside a cave. He looked down to see that he was riding the wyvern.
"What happened? Whoa…" he slipped off, vision blurring badly. The wyvern glared at him.
"The poison nearly killed you. It's a hallucinogen, creating illusions and confusing your mind. You walked off a cliff, and hit your head. You've been out for several hours. Your girlfriends nearly skinned me alive when I said that you were a goner." The wyvern shivered, pointing to the cave. "They're in there. Go on." Shade thanked the dragon relative, walking down the dark passage. Two things knocked him flat to the ground, dazing him.
"Shade! You're alive! Thank Ra!" Flara's voice echoed above him.
"I'm glad to see you too. Where's Azuré?" he asked, massaging his sore ribs and skull. Flara nodded over her shoulder. He got to his feet, staggering over to the other side of the cave. Windy knelt next to the wall, mopping something with a cloth. Azuré lay on the ground beside her, a trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth, his temple, and left eye. The amount of bruising frightened Shade, dark blood staining the cloth wrapped around Azuré's lifeless form. Windy's eyes were swollen red, her cheeks stained with countless tears.
"Shade… I can't… he's…" she turned, flinging herself into the surprised earth guardian's arms, sobbing. Biting his lip, Shade embraced the wind guardian, stroking her thick wavy white hair.
"I know… its ok. We'll figure out something, somehow." He whispered, tasting blood from his bitten lip. He looked to Flara. "What's his condition?"
"…Bad. Really bad. I'm unsure if I can heal this much wounding on my own. On top of that…" she held up a bloody cloth. "Azuré's nearly out of time." Shade cursed out loud.
"We can't just let him go, disaster strikes if a guardian dies. Their element will vanish from every world. Nothing will survive…" he trailed off. They were quiet, then…
"I'll take him. He had go to the lake, right? I can get him there." Windy finally spoke up.
"What about the poison?" Flara asked. Windy looked to her, a mischievous grin on her face.
"I'm the wind, remember? I'll fly above it. No sweat. I can do it, trust me." She looked to the others. Shade looked at Flara, then Azuré's lifeless form, and back to Windy's determined expression. He nodded.
"All right. Just be careful. Who knows if those demons are still on the loose? Azuré's life rests solely in your hands now." The fire and earth guardians created a basket for Windy to carry her precious cargo, while Windy wrapped the water guardian in warm furs. He didn't stir, even with the movements. Windy transformed, lifting the basket, and taking off into the sunrise.
The white dragon spiraled down from the clouds, set on reaching her goal. Until…
"MEAT!!!" A bat demon attacked from below, trying to reach her underbelly. Turning on a point, the dragon tore out its throat in midair, flying onwards without a second thought; swallowing the chunk of bloody meat in her mouth. A screech of fury caused her to look behind her. The demon, still spilling blood, was in pursuit, eyes furious. It was determined to bring her down, regardless of its own life. Windy spun away, catching a passing thermal towards the lake. A white hot pain tore at her wing; the demon had latched on, trying to get a latch on her neck. Furious, she folded her wings, achieving ultrasonic speed while diving straight toward the lake. She looked down at Azuré; he wasn't there. The bat's claws had severed the basket handles, sending the comatose guardian plummeting toward the mountains. Panic coursed through Windy's mind as she tried to throw off the huge demon.
'AZURÉ!!!!!' spears of ice skewered the bat demon alive on every point of its vitals. Blood flew through the air as it fell to its death. Windy streamlined her body, increasing her speed. She caught up to the falling basket easily, spreading out her winds at full length.
SNAP
Pain streaked throughout her body as the bones easily broke into pieces. Fighting drastically to remain conscious, Windy caught the basket in her claws, locks of blue hair wrapping around her wrists. Both hit the lakeshore at tremendous speed, carried to the bottom of the lake by the ensuing tidal waves.