Katherina hid in her room. It was the
night of the full moon and her family was out on prowl. She was safe
in her room. Katherina waited until the pouding of paws had faded and
quickly dressed in the traveling clothing her Elfen friends had given
her. This consisted of a sturdy, leathery vest and pants, a cotton
shirt and elf-like brown leathery boots. She tied her hair back with
a string of leather and, bringing a sack of things she'd need,
slipped out. She ran as fast as she could out of the deep hole in the
ground where her sort lived, and sprinted towards the Silver Seas.
She rushed past more and more trees of the Western area of the Fairy
Forest, the area where her kind lurked. She ran until she
could no longer breath well. She spotted a sign glowing with magic
ahead. There were four arrows, one each to a road. Katherina read
one. It pointed to the road she'd just left.
'Western Wood' and
underneath that was a small rectangle of wood. 'Trolls, Mytas,
Lugari, Werewolves, Vampires, Dragpi(res), Sages, Giants, Vengence,
Driek, Fallen Angels, Dark Angels, Rike, Soyt, Dreim.'
AND
underneath that:
'BEWARE!' and that was attatched to
'DANGER!'
"Damn Rayon," Katherina muttered. She looked
to the rather nicer-looking arrow that said 'Northern Point' and
beneath that
'Fairies, Satyrs, Fauns, Angels, Pixies, Xonii,
Unicorns, Pegesi, Flyaa, Toka, Rumbien, Kanchi, Thalaasi, Nymphs,
Naiads, Munchkins, Lyons, Elves, Dwarves, Phoenixis, Akuri,
Danu'
Katherina rolled her eyes and wakled down the second path.
It was a much more welcoming place. She was getting extreemly annoyed
with all the joy. She tripped and went to yell, only to see a small
figure. She scrunched her face.
"Hullo, Rayon," she
said.
The Toka stared at her. He was very small and kinda
woody-looking with tough brown furry skin and gray hair. He
frowned.
"Katherina? Why are you here?"
"I'm
going to find some place I belong."
"Oh?And where's
that?" he asked.
"I don't know," replied the
Lugaru. "I'll know when I find it."
Rayon studied her
and then whistled and clicked in the tounge of the Elves. One
appeared. They spoke, and then the Elf left.
"He'll be back.
Give him a minute- ah- yes."
He thanked the Elf in Elfen and
it marched off. Before them stood a figure of unnatural drowned
beauty. It was indeed a Naiad. It had long, clear, blueish blonde
hair and blue eyes, draped in seaweed and somehting that Katherina
didn't recognize. She stared at Katherina.
"You want me to
read HER destiny?' she asked.
"Please, Aerielle."
The
Naiad beckoned them.
"Come with me."
Katherina had no
real choice, as Rayon dragged her along. They stopped at the shore of
a beautiful clear lake. Aerielle walked into it and then faced them.
She peered into the water before her.
"Miss Katherina, put
your hand in the water."
Katherina did so. A small pool of
water swirrled and then a paper-thin selection rose and Aerielle
peered at it.
"You are to meet the Queen of the Lands, for
she has a special mission for you," said Aerielle. "You are
expected to hunt for two items, niether of which I can name. You
will-"
But she was interrupted. A growl came from a part of
the trees. Katherina widthdrew her hand and Aerielle droped the
disk.
"Flee! now!" Rayon hissed. "Get out of the
wood!"
Katherina rushed from the spot and ran down the path.
She had run maybe a mile and a half before she couldn't run any
longer. She stopped and senced the wind and the sky.
"It's
getting late. I need to get out now."
Katherina had been
journying well so far. She was just running too much. She began
walking and though of Aerielle's words. That and she haden't been
attacked as she left the Western Wood. She ran out of the Forest
completely and burst into the night stars. She walked right into yet
another sign.
"ow," Kathelina muttered, sitting up. She
smiled.
"I want to visit the Queen so i need to go to the
center of the Marlyn Medows, and thaaaat's... West."
Kathelina
began walking where the arrow labled 'Dragon's Cry' was written in
all the tounges of Amnara. The night air was sweet. It was a very
silent night, as everyone was asleep, and barely anyone travled at
night. Sure, Kathelina was tired, but she had to be a good way from
the wood. She saw the castle and turned wolf. She sprinted up the
path and raced into the city. She hid in a lonely cardboard box that
was buried in a woodpile. She slept there. She slept a long time, and
was awaken by a rock bouncing off her nose. She sat up, her
gold-green eyes alert. She was hit in the side by yet another rock.
She yelped.
"Get out of here, Wolf! Nobody wants you here!"
she wimpered. She tried to get out but was ambushed. They beat her
with sticks and rocks.
"Hey, HEY!!" called a voice. The
crowd turned, then bowed. The well-known Dragon Prince Camadon walked
though a small path made.
"Forgive us, Sire," they said.
Kathelina looked up at him and her gaze landed on his, and she knew
she was safe.
"Nihwitha, there you are," he said. He was
a good actor. "Come on, silly."
Kathelina followed him,
limping slighly. Once they were well out of earshot, he knelt down
infront of her.
"Hey," he said gently. "What were
you doing back there?"
She just gazed at him.
He pet
her.
"Come on."
"Thank you," she
said.
"You're a talking wolf?" he asked, startled.
She
agreed. As she did, a small white, somewhat serpentine dragon landed
on his hand. It was about four inches long with a five-inch tail. it
stared up at him with ice-blue eyes.
"Isole, there you are.
Meet our new friend."
"I am Nihwitha," she said. "I
do like how that sounds. What's it mean?"
"It's Old
Fairy for 'Night Chaser'," said Camadon. "I'm Camadon, and
this is my companion, Isole."
The newly dubbed Nihwitha
smiled. Her fur was all the blackest black, except the back paws,
which were light brown and up halfway to her knees on the front; the
tip of her tail and around her eyes was silvery white. She walked
along side him and Isole perched on her head. They reached the
castle.
"I'm going in," said Nihwitha. "I
must."
"Good. me too," said Camadon, grinning. He
took Isole off her head. "Ladies first."
He let go of
the tiny dragon and followed him in. They all waited for Druu, the
Queen's sidepartner, to meet them like she always did. She walked
out.
"What are your names, title if you have one, origin, and
reason for your appearence?"
"I am Prince Camadon
Dargonaie of the Dragons, and I come from the Dragon's Cry in search
of my first job for my country," Camadon said, almost
robotically.
"I am Sir Isole, and I am here to keep Sir
Camadon out of trouble; I amf of the same origins."
"And
I am Nihwitha of the Fairy Forest; I come to seek my destiny."
"Mm,
very well," said Druu. "Follow me."
They walked
though several corridors and up many stairs. Finally, they reached
the throne room.
"Please wait."
"My Queen, I
Present to you Dragon Prince Camadon and Sir Isole, his Familiar, and
the Fairy Forest accompainent, Nihwitha the Talking Wolf."
All
of them bowed; Camadon bowing with his sword.
"Please rise,"
said the Queen.
Camadon rose his gaze to the Queen as he sheathed
his sword. Nihwitha stood stiff and Isole perched on her head.
"Your
destiny is currently tied," the Queen said. "I am going to
send you, Prince Camadon, and you, Wolf Nihwitha, on a special
journey. Sir Isole, you will stay behind; I have a special job for
you."
Nihwitha and Camadon stood firm.
"I want the
two of you to find and return the Stone of Tears and the Serum of
Dreams. I myself have not a clue where they dwell, but maybe my
subject do. Ask around. See to it that you do not fail. You are aloud
one nights' rest here, and you leave at high noon tomorrow.
Understood?"
They nodded.
"You are
dismissed."
"Follow me," said Druu.
"Stay,
Sir Isole," the queen called.
The last two followed Druu.
"As
you are only a beast, I am going to have you stay with Prince
Camadon," said Druu, as though she'd said something similar
millions of times. A door was opened to reveal a suite with silk and
velvet sheets and draped, marble floor, and a thick rug by the bed.
There was a large cushion on the ground, presumebly placed there for
Nihwitha. She curled up on it.
"You're bleeding," said
Camadon quietly.
"It's nothing," began Nihwitha, but
Camadon had already gotton a small rag, bandages and a small bowl of
water, and some kind of planty-smelling antiseptic.
He quietly
cleaned and bandaged the worse injuried, one of which was on her
front left paw and the other was on her side. She nuzzled him.
"Thank
you," she said again.
He pet her nose and smiled with a
kindness Nihwitha-or Kathelina- had never known. She stared at him,
her big eyes warm. He gave a small, light laugh and hugged her round
the neck. She was taken aback, but nuzzled his back. He released
her.
"Sorry," he said.
Nihwitha shook her head. "It's
alright," she said. "Usually, people are afraid of
me."
"Why? I don't think I've quite met any beast as
truly amazing as you," he said.
Nihwitha curled up.
"Yeah,
you might want to sleep," he said. "You had quite a
day."
She just watched him. She felt her skin patch red as he
began to change for bed. She looked away when he took his shirt off
and blushed harder. He walked over to the bed and she then glanced up
at him. He was shirtless and wearing a pair of light pants.
Just
when she though she couldn't blush harder.
Obviously, his years of
training and living with dragons had done him well. He was long and
lanky, but strong, and his ice-blue eyes and his fire-red hair made
him look paler than he really was.
Basiacally, he was a
hottiethough not in my opinion. He's a cutie, not a hottie..
(giggling madly Poor Kaitie)
She shook her head and curled up on
the cushion. He could never knew she was really a human girl. He'd
hate her.
The next morning, they started on the journey.
Nihwitha followed after Camadon and they walked towards the Cry. The
first day was very long. As they walked past the lush green grass
into a sorta flowery area, Camadon staggered.
"Camadon, what
is it?" Nihwitha stopped and turned as Camadon swayed on the
spot.
"I really don't know..." he muttered. "I'm
just suddenly so tired..."
"Come on, we've got to go
through this-"
"I've never been through here,"
Camadon muttered.
He attemted to follow her. They walked for
several minutes before Camadon fell to his knees.
"The
flowers..." he muttered. "They must be
enchanted..."
"What?"
"The flowers are
enchanted; they put humans to sleep until they get out," Camadon
continued, his voice getting quieter. Then, he simply fell
asleep.
"C-Camadon!" Nihwitha persisted, tugging at his
hair. She batted his face with her tail and then gave an annoyed
sigh.
"Men!" she said contemtiously. She gently took his
shirt colar in her teeth and tugged him along towards the outer edge
of the forest of flowers. She tugged again and again and then gave
up. She sighed and howled out for Rayon.
She sighed again and then
laid down by Camadon. A bit later, Rayon appeared.
"What,
Kathelina?"
Nihwitha nudged Camadon with her nose.
"Enchanted
sleep. I can't get him out of the flowers."
Rayon sighed and
picked up Camadon and pulled him out of the medow. Nihwitha followed.
When she got out, Rayon was gone. Camadon was still asleep; but he
was safe. She curled up next to him and fell asleep, too.
Camadon
had a very odd dream. He'd dreamt of a girl-a shadowy figure-playing
under a waterfall. She was laughing and playing; she haden't even
noticed him. And when she did, she just looked at him. All he could
see was her eyes; a bright golden-green. He took a step closer to her
and -
"Camadon? Are you alright?"
He sat up. The wolf
beside him was staring at him.
"Y-Yeah," he said,
standing up. "Just fine. Just a bit lightheaded."
They
approached the crest of a hill. In the distance, they could see the
much-closer mountain ranges. They were fire orange; ice-blue,
crystal-clear, onyx black, silver, lavender, green, brown and the
tones seemed so much softer though the morning mist and thick
fog.
"Wow," breathed Nihwitha.
"Beathtaking,
isn't it?" agreed Camadon, nodding.
Nihwitha gave a wolfish
smile.
"Race you down the hill, Dragon Boy!" she said,
shooting off.
"Hey!" Camadon yelled. "Not
fair!"
Nihwitha just gave a howl of laughter and tumbled off
the hill. Camadon then lay, sprawled, on the grass, dizzy.
"Heh
heh, it's all spinning."
Nihwitha stood up and then pounced
on him.
"I win!"
Camadon stared up at her.
"Hullo,
Nihwitha."
Nihwitha jumped off.
"Come on," she
said. "We've got to go."
Camadon didn't move. He was
still looking up at th big clouds.
"Camadon!" Nihwitha
was starting to get annoyed. "Cammy, come ON!"
"Don't
call me that."
"Okay, Cammy."
He sat up and
glared at her.
"Don't call me that."
She just walked
on. He took her tail.
"Have a little fun, Nihwitha; we've
been walking all flaming day."
Nihwitha turned and then
tackled him.
"Pinned ya again."
He grinned.
"Really
now?" he said. She jumped off. He touched her head.
"Tag,
you are IT!" he said, running off.
"HAY! YOU-!" she
didn't complete her thought as she raced after him. She touched his
side with her nose.
"YOU'RE it! Come get me!"
They
played until sunset. He gently tackled her to the ground and
smiled.
"Pinned ya."
She licked his cheek and
wolfishly smiled at his shock. She took the oppertunity to pin
him.
"I win."
"That wasn't fair."
"Was
too."
They walked for a while, debating on if the game was
fair.
"Was not."
"Was too."
"Was not."
"Was
too."
"Was too."
"Was not."
"I
WIN!" yelled Camadon as they came to a small waterfall and pond
in a small, wooded area.
"Let's stay here," said
Nihwitha, yawning. She lay, curled, on the bank of the small stream.
Camadon lay beside her.
"I vote we stay for a few days,"
he said. "It's nice here. Plus, we've been walking a
month."
Nihwitha nodded.
"Yeah."
She rolled
onto her back and looked up at the clear, starry sky. Her front paws
were kinda crossed over her chest and she watched the stars
twinkle.
"It's approaching the Blood Red Moon."
"Isn't
that when werewolves go-"
"Crazy? Yeah. They attack
everyone and everything," said Nihwitha softly.
She then
couled back up.
"Quit moving," Camadon muttered. "You're
warm."
She scooted against him and put her head on his
chest.
"And you're comfy."
She fell asleep; Camadon
lay awake, thinking. Who was that girl in his dream? She was so
pretty. He'd seen those eyes before... but where? He looked down at
the wolf, resting against him.
'She's so lonely. I can tell. It's
almost as though she just doesn't want to be different.'
He stoked
the fur on her head and lay there, gazing up at the glowing moon.
Nihwitha had also been the name of his "mother"; after his
birth mother had left him in the Cry, a kindly dragon had taken him
in. She said she'd found him, just two, wandering around in the Cry,
crying for his mother. Camadon wanted to know more about his past and
where his family was. He looked down at Nihwitha, sleeping soundly.
He did this frequently. He fell asleep soon after his last
thoughts.
Nihwitha woke very early and slipped away from
Camadon. He'd been exhaused earlier. She changed back to her human
form and, wearing just the green shirt and pants, swam in the little
pond, which was surprisingly deep. She also played under the
waterfall, which didn't hit at much force. Camadon stirred and peered
blearily though his eyes at the water. He blinked and she was gone.
He sat up. A very soggy Nihwitha walked out of the water and shook
her fur.
"I fell in," she said.
Camadon laughed- a
rich, caring laugh.
"You're soaked," he said. He ran his
hand along her back and brushed off some water, and slicked her fur
back.
"I noticed," she said.
Nihwitha and Camadon
stayed for a few days without problem. Nihwitha nearly forgot about
him but it was hard.
"Come on," Camadon said on
the third day. "Let's go."
Nihwitha padded after him,
her gold-green eyes looking at the ground. Soon, they came to the
foot of the Cry.
"Wow." said Nihwitha. A huge, black and
silver dragon swooped overhead and a smaller, green dragon clattered
to the ground.
"Camadon, Sire, Do you want a ride up the
side?" It asked. It's brown eyes were warm and kind, and the
silver spikes on the head and back weren't very threatening because
of them.
"Sure thing, Natzula," he said. "This is
my freind, Nihwitha."
Nihwitha bowed.
"Pleasure to
meet you," she said.
"So polite! But where's Isole?"
"He
had a seperate misson," said Camadon.
Natzula allowed them to
both get on (Camadon held on tightly to Nihwitha, so she wouldn't
fall). Natzula took off. Nihwitha looked at the mountain
ranged.
"Wow," she whispered. "it's
amazing!"
Camadon nodded.
"Yeah. It never gets
old."
They landed with a clatter in a gray, rocky
area.
"Welcome to the Darkened Grounds," Natzula said.
"I'm sorry, but I can't leave you elsewhere, but if I could, I
would.
"It's hard to trust dragons here," she added to
Nihwitha's confused look. "Trust only Camadon and those he
trusts."
"Okay."
"Thanks, Nat," said
Camadon, patting the dragon's big black snout.
He and Nihwitha
walked off.
"Come on, to the center to ask the King of the
Dragons where the colsest of the two artifacts are."
"Alright,"
said Nihwitha. They walked towards the opal glow. Wild arrays of
colors rose from the center.
"There's only two All-Element
dragons here," said Camadon. "Rakuku the leader and Duzier,
the Dragon Prince."
Nihwitha assumed that he was the human
prince, and Duzeir was the dragon prince.
Rakuku was a very large,
old looking dragon. He had a large, pointed black head that slowly
faded into a bright sky blue all the way to his long, large tail,
with warm, wise green eyes. He had gold talons, silvery-white horns
and gigantic ears, even for his size. He was currently curled up, his
eyes open, staring at them. Standing up beside him was a small
dragon, only about fifteen feet high, which was small compared to the
other, twnety to fifty foot dragons. He was dark red with thick,
tree-trunk like legs that were midnight blue that faded to dark
purple then to red, with a long, equally thick golden tail, silver
talons and spikes, peircing orange eyes, and a green nose. That must
have been Duzier. He glared at her, his orange eyes cold. Nihwitha
backed away a few paces. Camadon, bowing before the huge black
dragon, spoke a greeting in Elfen.
"Camadon... you've brought
an outsider," said Rakuku. His voice deep and wise.
"My
apologies, Sire," said Camadon, bowing deeply again. "This
is my companion, Nihwitha."
Nihwitha bowed as well.
"Really
now," snapped a very cold voice. Camadon and Rakuku turned to
face the small red dragon. It was giving Nihwitha a very nasty, very
cold look. "And what happened to -"
"Isole? Isole
had another misson from the Queen."
Duzier didn't look
satisfied, but didn't inquire farther. Rakuku turned his attention
back o Camadon and Nihwitha.
"My apologies, sir," said
Nihwitha softly. "For causing trouble..."
But Rakuku
shook his head, his eyes glinting warmly. "It's not a problem.
You are dismissed, Duzier."
"But-"
"Go. I
must talk to Nihwitha and Camadon... alone."
Without any
furter question, Duzier took off in a flurry of dust and small
pebbles.
"Now it is time I apologize for Duzier's behavior,"
said Rakuku shamefully. "He'll get better, I hope."
Camadon
smiled. Nihwitha coughed and choked back a laugh. Rakuku gave what
must have been a smile, but it was slightly intimidating with his
long, sharp teeth.
-------- End Chapter One---------
Jut... let
me know what you think, okay?
