west: out west lay many things to the two dart like shapes appearing to float in the air. out west were the forest and the flatlands of this known existence. to some it also was a place of human inhabitants who, being the angry barbarians as they were, these airy creatures tended to leave them alone. formerly ignored: after the creatures were forced to turn their heads to the sky and become twisted of mind body and heart, given new purpose, markings and duty. west was also where the giant ball of firelight descended in the evenings, blinding the two dark slits in the sky from seeing the figure silently shadowing their flight, the sun blinding the westbound duo flying into it from him. he was efficiently camouflaged and he would only reveal himself to these two of his kind when he was ready, one would pay dearly for interfering. as for the other...when he found out what in the name of his god protector what she was doing flying alongside one she had sworn to eradicate, he would know the reason for his need to pursue them. "it just doesn't make any sense...what is she doing with her? i remember all the times that creature she became obsessive over will perish and all along she endeavoured to bring about an end to the likes of us. why? after all that they have done." he knew the duo heading west of course; one the last free dragon to be free of the overall path to truth, the only one to not know what it felt like to have the sky's delightful delicious power flowing inside of you; Nona, the other was none other than nightflight loaw shar versel who was flying alongside her. to the flyer in question it was like the sea making friends with the desert: they didn't mix. "how is this possible? i just don't understand it." with those confusing thoughts in mind the night fury known in full title as Abydos loaw persvek wer whedab, one of the very first furys to be converted after his leader, took off faster after the other night furys, wondering what this was all about.
the battle was finally won! "well, kind of" thought young night fury obuekhov wer evakyl arytiss, watching the fleeing backs of sktiiva loaw ranak branarr and the supreme leader of the root of this evil: loaw okar kahuakhaun. they had won the battle, her and her odd choice of companions, a young dark toned skinned female viking girl. between her and the girl childs exceptional skills with a blade had done significant damage to a force equally matched but greater power than they. they had escaped to live another day of course, they always did and obuekhov had no doubt she would meet them again soon. now she must tend to the wounded boy who the dragon had surmised must belong with this girl. but her thoughts were straying to earlier and what it must have been like for her to have nearly been killed by kahuakhaun. "silverwingthefury" she corrected herself. that's what his name had been before being corrupted by the sky and what they called their god protector. she snapped to attention again as she saw the human eying her wearily, and obuekhov arytiss knew to not make any sudden movements just concentrated on breathing steadily and give the human less of a threatening appearance. she wasnt about to end this human like the others, maybe she might have once long ago when the transfiguration process had been fresher and the pain blotting out rationality. "i wont so much as move toward her. i don't need another dead fury, although i could slay this flesh and blood with some difficulty." Ixora Jackson, the 'hammer of justice' for her part was confused by this whole ordeal: one moment she was telling blueflame that she was done with his silly antics and than she's no sooner doing that than storming back through the foliage, mouthing curses about his stupidity about wandering this forest alone where something could hurt him. as it turned out several something elses had indeed located him. sktitiiva branarr had nearly killed him if it weren't for the timely appearance of a night fury of muddy brown scales to rush out of the treeline and push her off him. it had been a tough battle, Ixora took the hint somehow and realised this creature was on her side and fought ranak branarr while obuekhov faced kahuakhaun. loaw okar had seen this battle as a draw and yanked a hissing, struggling, defiant branarr after her to fight another day.
"no i say we finish them off now because you are quite tactless in fights. look how well nightflight versel handled you: practically kneeled down and licked her paws for forgiveness. disgusting! need i say more?" she became very pleased to see for the first time her leader flush with tapered irritation, a hit at last. "stick around any longer and there wont be much left of us. learn to choose your battles; and you live. stay? i wont stop you, it's not my concern when evakyl arytiss guts you, and she takes your place by my side. in some aspects she has potential you lack. and you are after all...a veteran fighter aren't you? silenced many a resisting free fury without any incident at all hm?" he let out a thin smile as she scowled back. she paced faster ahead of loaw okar to not have to see that infuriating smugness he always aired. "everyone knows that isn't true. i fought my share, i fought my way to a high position in the ranks of the god protectors approval. and yet you seem to think that i would be beaten by someone such as her? no one can match my savagery. no one! we follow your rule! the trouble is your confession to letting versel go." she heard silence, an unusual trait for loaw okars usually prideful nature. "she was...a worthy opponent who was mine to tease. when i wanted to finish what i began; i would do so." even sktitiiva knew a lie when she saw one, rather primitive as she was at cunning ideas. she raised her frills/ear plates and laughed uproaringlysly. "we both know that is not what happened. you let. her. go. we know that! deep down you know that too. if you're not carefull" branarr said in a very unusual moment of complete seriousness with a hint of warning "someone like versel could be the end of you from within our followers. given how cunning and tactful she is, looking at the stars has not diminished that sly gleam in her eyes or the way her body flows as she fights battles for you. she may have seen the truth but there's that possibility she will foster unrest with your direction you take our followers toward. watch your back, you may find a claw in it someday, kahuakhaun." she lifted off on ragged wings without waiting for a reply from her leader. she need not have bothered, for once expressing his slight worry that she might be right, he had no reply to give.
back in the clearing Ixora eyed the brown creature steadily: waiting to see whether the night fury that had saved her would now want her for itself and make a move. in Ixoras experience someone only saved your hide if they wanted a thing in return. so she waited...and wait...and wait...the fury just breathed steadily through her nasal passages, eying the human equally mirroring her skepticism, making no attempt to shift postures. she stared at Ixora with soft watchful kind eyes, Ixora returning the skeptical look. when the creature still didn't move she threw up her hands in frustration and tossed her axe head to the grass. "fine! what? what is it about me? speak or moan or whatever you do! just stop staring at me like that! it's creeping me out." a voice did answer her but it wasnt obuekhov. "it wants to hep you. see? these creatures are harmless once they are calmed. i think it means that it wants you to grasp this ones not opposing is ixxy" all heads whipped around in surprise to see the voice had come from a battered and bruised blueflame trying to rise to hs feet but falling back with a pained sigh. seeing this the brown colored dragon padded over and began licking the boys bloody wounds, much to blueflames disgusted surprise. "ugh stop. you're getting me all wet. stop. stop it. please." he himself stopped when he noticed through the spit that the four claw gash on his left arm near the elbow was beginning to quickly knit together as if never having received the wound. he looked on in surprise as Ixora glanced away with a muffled "ugh" as his pain ebbed away. "nert furt...drool? it must have healing properties i didn't know. you beasts are amazing!"he reached out a tentative hand to rub the dragon's head gratefully. he turned back to see Ixora facing away from him looking at the sky and now suddenly his healer night fury had also arched her ear plates to the sky as well. "whats going on?" then he saw the answer coming toward them or rather two answers.
they had discussed this over before they flew westward: find obuekhov arytiss and the others if they were still alive and join up forces to complete the picture. "now remember, i need you to be careful with them, they are fragile. they might hurt you." nonas companion was unlike what she used to be, former fighter and renowned fighter for the god protector. she had done many many things of unspeakable nature that Nona didn't even want to delve into; the past was past and now it was time to move on from it and bury it. but if anything, the sky blue fury next to her was like an entirely different night fury from what she had been; jittery, nervous, a total warbling wreck. she held her claws close to her chest and begged an end to this. "i remember i remember." former loaw shar versel said softly. "nightflight. my name is nightflight." Nona heard the dragon next to her mutter bravely to herself. they descended from the clouds and blinked against the blinding ball of fires decent in the heavens, tingeing all around an amber tint. Nona pointed out the shapes of a large lizard and two humans in a clearing, almost just where she last recalled obuekhov had been seen heading off to. they angled down to land in the clearing of beings. after introducing themselves with unintelligible growls and coos to the humans, it was the boy slowly groaning with recognition as he sat up, leaning against the tree, that he sighed. "i know that one. i remember you." the elegant shapely Dragon fluttered her wings shamefully at the humans weary accusing tone. "yes, you knew me then as nightflight versel; yes im responsible for all of this. i know i am responsible for all these commitments of violence i have done and the unwilling night furys i killed. but i have risen anew...and if you could hear me...then im...sorry for what i did to you and the girl. i was...not myself then." she clearly was uncomfortable. "i ask for our forgiveness in that matter that is all. i could never repay the things i did, there is no need to ask more of you." she turned her back abruptly and took to her wings away north.
obuekhov was about to call her back when she was stopped by a look from Nona telling her that would not be wise. "there will be time for that later. let her go for now she will let us find her and help when she wants our comfort, not before. i managed to free her from the spell the sky had on her: the trance is broken now." her companion took in all those lacerations, the scratches across her face and ger blacked pelt of white. "almost at the cost of your own life? you should have let me help but you wouldn't let me! what did she do to you out there?"making sure Ixora was tending to the male teenager two-legged Nona padded closer and faced the former converted dragon. "listen, there wasnt one there was two attackers they planned this i wasnt cautious enough nightflight planned a trap for me, said she and the huge behemoth next to her were tracking me down to distract me. she revealed that i wasnt to become a follower she wanted to kill me after all. i hadn't suspected this turn of events. my only choice was let her think she had me in her claws so that's what i ended up having to do. maybe not the best scenario but i ended up alive and better yet nightflight is on our side. we don't have to worry about her anymore. what about you? what happened to you?" arytiss simply nodded toward the human duo off to the side battered looking an exhausted. "this happened. look at what war with our own kind has done to ourselves, furthermore the humans are getting caught up on our own blood lust of the stars will. it all has to stop. if what ou say has really come true and it isn't some clever trick of that dragoness than silverwingthefury has just lost his most powerful tool over his followers. it would be a blow to him if he fund out." she flattened her ear plates. "he escaped: silverwing. he along with one of the worst of the furys i used to know, loaw ranak branarr, were about to kill that human and i and the human you see over there fought them and like the coward he is he took branarr with him and slipped away."
the flesh and bloods were rising to their feet shakily, readying themselves for whatever came next. as it tuned out Nona had thought that all through after they had flown west into the setting sun, nightflight and her, she would collect her newest freed ally and set off after kahuakhaun, leader of the entire movement. "don't you see? if he falls it will be like a toppling effect for all the rest to lose heart and be easier to be snapped out of the god protectors influence. that feeling in their bodies will be gone, though i havent felt it. what is it like? nightflight has felt it; you have felt it." obuekhov shook her head sadly "i do not wish to reflect on it, if you don't mind. its painful enough already thinking about it and its something felt in me yes but its uncomfortable to bring the topic you would like to know what it felt but do not wish to venture there any longer. what i was...i wont dwell on my past. we have bigger menaces such as what to do with the humans and what about the larger problems of silverwingthefury?" meanwhile while the two dragons debated Ixora and blueflame were trying to head back the way south without attracting too much notice of the night furys. they had almost succeeded in avoiding attention when Nona heard movement and whipped her head in their direction first with alertness then curiosity once she registered them. blueflame could clearly read the intention written all over the almost magical beasts muzzle 'where are you heading off to so soon?' the two hesitated. "i don't think they want us leaving, their expressions look quizzical though not hostile. ixxy you think we should stay?" she sighed. "look, john, you can certainly stick around to play with your apparent harmless friends but im heading back to the village. i only came back ot lf an urge that you had a falling out with trouble. must you go looking for it?" blueflame turned to the two night furys standing looking at them silently. "i sense these are friends. hey who knows they might help us convince the rest of your bloodthirsty town that they might fish with is and double your catch." Ixora muttered something and grabbed her axe and left they way she came. blueflame turned back to the dragons watching him still and offered a goofy smile. "well i guess it's just us then eh? what do you want to do?"
as it turned out that answer wasnt long in coming, at least to the shadowy form that had followed the shape and pelt patterned night fury flying northwest by her self, all alone. "nightflight versel, whatever are you doing out here, so far away from home?" said the cautious owner of the voice. abydos loaw persevek wer whedab wondered what she was doing, after seeing her land in the clearing with two other dragons and surprisingly filthy two legged. "what are you up to?" then she had flown off to her present course, and though he was far enough away to not be detected while still being able to track her flight, he couldn't understand nor hear what she was saying aloud. alone...why? usually she took percautions of being seen that was her dudadvantage: her color of hide she was born with was easilly distinguishable. but he knew where she was going and he was sure loaw okar would be puzzled by it.
sure enough he and ranak branar were a little ways to nightflights approaching position. he and skitiiva were perched on the rocky outcrop, it was the dawn of twilight hour, the time soon when the moon would be strongest. the time when he would rally the masses of converted night furys streaming in from different parts of the land to listen to what he was about to say. all he needed was that one dragoness of his followers to arrive soon, kahuakhaun wasnt known for his patience in the least. "someone find her and bring her to me!" he shouted into the night furys streaming in to land on the stony tundra before his pillar. "looking for me, silverwingthefury? i thought you preferred to have had better sentries than these two you call loyal followers. they let me right in. why?" the voice was silky, a bit trembly if one listened closely enough, but filled with a heated undercurrent of challenge. kahuakhaun swiveled on his haunches and saw beautiful elegant nightflight struggling to hold two more heavily built night fuys by their necks in eatch paw before tossing them to the ground in a winged heap on the ground. his posture of instinctive killing eased when he saw it was only her. "why if it isn't loaw shar vesel. have trouble with killing the two humans after freeing yourself from that tree obuekhov told me you were pinned under?" his nature of good self confidence faded slightly as nightflight flew leisurely closer to hover in front of him and branarr, who curled her lower jaw like she smelled something nasty. "no, not that name, not anymore...you see ive been...altered. changed for the better." loaw okar stiffened then, his orbs going slit in an instant as it suddenly awakened that slight fear in him again that...just maybe..."what are you saying?" he growled thinly, for once becoming uneasy again like he had long long ago. "im saying its over. simple, really...the sky no longer controls my body or actions. and im also saying" said nightflight, flexing her claws and ruffling her wings an arrogantly, padding close to branarr and kahuakhaun. "you are no longer my leader. my name is nightflight."