Fireheart

Chapter 3: Problems and Pranks

Luna looked down at the sleeping girl before her. For the past few days, Luna and her unicorn friends had been taking care of this stranger, in the small cave that served as her camp site.

Though Luna was unsure of it, Starchaser insisted that the girl was a dragon, or at least, half dragon; and he was rarely wrong about such things.

She was sick with fever and infection. And, although Luna was able to cure the sickness and ease the pain of her wounds; there was nothing that she or the unicorns could do, to drive away the constant nightmares that plagued the poor girl.

Huntsgirl hadn't woken yet, but from the cries she made as the dreams assaulted her, Luna tried to make out what was going on in her mind. She kept crying out for someone called Jake, and trying to warn someone else of a great danger. From what Luna and the unicorns could make out, something terrible had happened to Jake, and Huntsgirl had to warn someone about it...

Rose was flying over the nighttime city. The dragon was close behind her... She flapped her wings frantically, desperate to put some distance between them... but again he caught up with her. Rose flapped harder, her wings straining, the dragon's hot breath on the back of her neck... Soon he would catch her, and then, it would all be over... She dove, trying to shake him off, twisting and turning, rolling and looping. She looked back. He wasn't there... Suddenly, pain tore across her chest as his talons slashed it, streaking upward in front of her! She felt herself falling... She was on the griffin's back once more, as he tried to dodge the black dragon's attacks. Suddenly the dragon broke off his attacks, spiraling upward until he was out of sight...

Rose felt an ice cold dread seeping through her. She knew what was coming, knew there was nothing she could do to prevent it... The dragon dove... down, down, faster then lightning, he struck! Rose felt herself torn from griffin's back, falling helpless toward the river below... She looked up, staring into his cold, yellow eyes, his cruel laughter ringing in her ears as she fell...

Only one thing could save her now. In a last desperate effort she cried out,

"Dragon Up!"

Luna jumped back as white fire raced over the girl before her. When the flames had vanished, a white dragon lay where the girl had been. A cry of pain came from the dragon's throat, and she fell back against the pallet, gasping for breath.

Luna looked down at her with amazement, "She really is a dragon!"

Told you so. said Lightning. Moonbeam glared at her son, but said nothing.

Luna bent closer to the dragon. "You're the one who helped me, aren't you?" she whispered.

The dragon's eyes opened. They were deep, ocean blue eyes, but dull with sickness and clouded by pain. Those eyes were fixed on Luna. And try as she might, the young elf couldn't look away from them...

Suddenly, the dragon lunged, seizing the elf by the wrist! Luna jerked back, but dragon didn't release her. Starchaser came forward, his horn lowered, but Luna held up her other hand to stop him. The unicorn stopped, but stayed where he was.

Luna looked back at Huntsgirl. Her eyes were wide and frighted, pleading. Then she spoke, "Please... you have to help me... find Lao Shi! You have to warn him!"

"What?" asked Luna, "What do you mean? Who's Lao Shi?"

"You have to warn him... Jake... tell him, what happened to Jake..."

"I don't understand." said Luna, "What are you talking about? Who's Jake, and what happened?"

Rose clutched the girl's arm tighter, sinking her claws in, she could feel the darkness pulling at her mind again... She had to make this elf understand the danger before it was too late...

Luna gasped in pain, as the dragon's claws bit into her arm, but she didn't try to remove them. Huntsgirl seemed on the verge of panic and was clearly desperate to tell her something.

"Jake..." she was gasping now, eyes wide with panic. "American Dragon... Jake Long... warn Lao Shi! Jake... The Dark Dragon..."

"What?! But the Dark Dragon's dead!" cried Luna

"No!" gasped Huntsgirl, "He still lives! Jake... He's possessed Jake! You have to warn his Dragon Master, Lao Shi! Find Lao Shi... Warn him... The Dark Dragon... Jake..."

Rose felt herself fading... Her eyes glazed over, and she released the young elf, slumping back against the pallet, as darkness claimed her again...

Luna stared down at Huntsgirl, as she returned to human form.

Do you think she's dead? Asked Lightning. He crept forward to poke the girl with his horn, but Moonbeam gripped his mane in her teeth and held him back.

Starchaser looked down at Huntsgirl. She's alive, but unconscious. Then he looked at the claw marks on Luna's arm. Those will need tending to. He said.

"I know." said Luna, getting her first aid kit; "But, what did she mean? What was all that?"

It has something to do with the American Dragon. Said Moonbeam, letting go of her son. The American Dragon, and the Dark Dragon...

Yes. Said Starchaser, It would seem that this "Jake" is the American Dragon. If that is so, then we are all in grave danger.

"Then what do we do?" asked Luna, as she bandaged the scratches on her wrist. "Huntsgirl wanted us to warn that Dragon Master, Lao Shi."

Then we should do so. Said Starchaser.

But how? Asked Lightning, We don't know where to find him.

"Then we'll have to wait until Huntsgirl wakes up." said Luna...

Meanwhile, back at Lao Shi's shop...

"Things have gotten kinda dull around here, don't ya think?" asked 89.

"You got that right." said 88.

Ever since the news of Jake and Rose's deaths, things had gone from bad to worse. After the families had given up the search, they had all tried to move on with their lives. But it just wasn't the same. They were all depressed, and the shop seemed more empty then usual. Right now, Spud and Trixie were cleaning up the back room, where Lao Shi was studying some ancient scrolls, Fu Dog was listening to "Who Let the Dogs Out" (by the Baha Men) on his MP3 player, and 88 and 89 were sitting in the main part of the shop, trying to relieve their boredom by throwing cards into a hat.

"Hey! I just thought of something!" said 89.

"You? Thinkin'?!" asked 88.

89 glared at him, then continued, "You know how this place has been all "gloom-n-doom" lately?"

"Yeah..." said 88 "what about it?"

89 smiled slyly and said, "What do you say we lighten the mood a little?" He winked at his shorter friend.

"Yeah..."said 88 catching on. "What'd ya have in mind?"

89 pulled his friend closer. "Remember the good old days back at the Huntsclan Academy? Dragon Slaying 101, Watchin' some poor sucker get thrown to the kraken for failing a test... playing pranks on the other warriors...?" He winked at this last part.

88 chuckled evilly, "Oh I remember all right. There was that time we stuck itching powder in the shampoo bottles, then there was that frog we let loose in the girls dorm..."

"Yeah..." said 89 with a dreamy look in his eyes, "And then all the girls chased us up the flag pole, and then we got thrown to the kraken again. Good times..."

88 grinned at him, "So who'd ya wanna get first?"

"Well," said 89, "how about... Spud and Trixie."

"Yeah, I like the sound of that." said 88, "So what're we gonna hit 'em with?"

"I've got just the thing..."

An hour or so later...

"Heh heh, this'll get 'em good." said 89 as he and 88 hid behind a nearby bookshelf. They were watching the door to back room, over which, they'd just balanced a bucket of tar and feathers... Then, they heard footsteps coming toward them...

"What are you two up to?"

88 looked behind them and saw Spud, Trixie and Fu Dog standing there. "Oh hey guys," he said, then he did a double take and looked at them with wide eyes...

"Wait a minute!" said 89, "if you guys are here, then who- ?"

Just then, they heard a crash and a piercing yelp! The five of them looked around the bookshelf to see Lao Shi standing there. The old man was carrying a broom, and was covered head to foot in tar and feathers, but the look on his face wasn't the least bit funny...

"Uh-oh." said Fu.

"Oooooh, you two sure done it this time."said Trixie.

"You know,"said Spud, looking at the young hunters, "I don't know about you guys, but personally, I'd be running for my life and screaming in terror right about now."

The two hunters looked at each other, then at Lao Shi. The old man was shaking with rage, glaring at them with daggers in his eyes.

"You know, I think he might have a point there." said 89.

Lao Shi tightened his grip on the broom handle, taking a step towards them.

"Dra- dra- Angry Dragon!!!"

"Aaaaahhhhh!!! Momma! Momma! Momma!"

Fu Dog pulled a camcorder out of his wrinkles and started filming. What he got was an angry old Chinese man covered in feathers, chasing two terrified boys who weren't much taller then he was, and trying to whack them over the head with a broom! Spud and Trixie were forced to cover their ears, as the shop was now filled with the sound of Lao Shi screeching in Chinese, punctuated with the occasional yelp of pain as his broom found it's mark.


I'm really sorry that this took so long to post, but I had a huge case of writer's block! Anyway, let me know what you think of it and I'll try to have the next chapter out soon. :) In ADJL Podcast news: We now have all characters cast for the podcast except for Chang, and the understudies (backup actors). So it should be safe to say that we should have the first episode of Dragonfire out in about 2 or 3 weeks. Sorry to keep you waiting, but please try to wait just a little bit longer... Thank You.