At first, you may think that I skipped a chapter, but in reality, I haven't, so bear with me.
Towards the Sky
By Ryoken
Kain stopped in his tracks. He felt that there was one of his sons who had remained. Most likely, it's Melchiah, he thought. He proceed to head towards that piece of the clans when the feeling came back, pulling him towards the opposite direction. Ever since he had been a fledgling, he had learned to trust his instincts and followed his senses to Rahab's door. He opened it and there he sat, reading a book called Monsters of Mythology.
"What are you doing?" He asked, slightly ticked. The vampire jumped out of his seat in fright, stood up, and bowed to his master.
"Reading, Father," he answered.
"About the dragon??"
"Yes..."
"I see. And your brothers?"
"They went to the citadel-"
"To discover things about this dragon, correct?" Rahab was surprised, but only a little.
"Yes, my lord."
"If I have not told you once, then I have told you and your brothers a thousand times!! Never go to the citadel unless on a raid!!!" He yelled. The vampire cowered slightly at his master's anger. Kain was about to say something more, but suddenly, Dumah slammed the door open and was about to say something when he saw Kain.
"Uh, hello, Father." His father's expression told him that he and his brothers had a LOT of explaining to do.
"Well????????" Kain said, taking a seat on his throne. His sons had gathered around the throne to tell him the story of what had happened. They all, except for Rahab, who hadn't been there, and Raziel, who was not present, spoke at the same time. "HOLD IT!!!!!" Kain yelled above their voices. "One. At. A. Time." Melchiah spoke first.
"TherewasthismaidenatthebarandRazieltriedtogetinformationfromherandthenshedisappearedaroundacornerandwhenwewenttolookforthem, they were gone!! Welookedineveryroombutwecouldntfindthem!!" He said, his arms flying up in exasperation. Kain looked at him oddly. He had never heard Melchiah talk so much or so fast before. Neither had his brothers.
"Hang on, Melchiah. Would someone like to take a slower approach to this story?" He asked. Dumah stepped forward. "From the beginning." He took a deep breath.
"Well, it all started after we had gotten news of the dragon from the spy. We decided to go to the citadel and try to find something else about it. We were very careful about how we went about it, Father. Come nightfall, we rode out to the citadel, having no trouble at all. When we returned from our eavesdropping, we made our way to the main tavern of the citadel and found Raziel speaking with a woman in a white cloak. Turel and I motioned for him to come with us and sit us down. He did, and told us that she knew that we were vampires. He went back over to her, spoke some more and then I approached her, saying that I needed to speak to him. I saw her eyes and they were pure silver, Father. When we turned around to see her again, she was gone, but I saw her round a corner in a hallway at the other side of the room. Raziel followed her, and we joked about what she was going to do. We waited for an hour and he had still not come out. So we decided to look for him. We looked in every room, and there was no sign of him. We thought that perhaps he had gone and come back here to speak with Rahab, but as you can see, he wasn't there." Kain listened to his son's every word. A maiden with silver eyes? Was it possible for a dragon to change it's shape into that of a human? He had seen many bizarre things in his long lifetime, but never something like this. Finally, he spoke.
"Then we search for him. Melchiah will stay here in case he shows up. The rest of us will find this maiden, and hopefully, she will lead us to Raziel. Take a few of your best vampire trackers, we'll need them to get his scent. I will take a few Razielim, and search his territory for him." Then, as he was leaving, the lieutenants following behind him, he said "Be lucky that he did disappear, my sons. I would have had you thrown into the abyss for your disobedience." And he transported himself to the Razielim clan.
Raziel awoke with hay in his face. Raising his body out of the haystack, he looked around him. He seemed to be near a farm, but one that was far from Nosgoth. He looked up to see the dragon hovering to the ground with a sleeping human in her front right claw. She landed and placed the human on the ground in front of him. Had the landscape been snowy, he would never have seen her. The color was that of fresh snow that had never been touched. Her wings were sleek and graceful, and she had a mane of long spiky hair. Along her back were sharp spines which went all the way down to her tail, which ended with no spikes at all. On the front of her were white armored plates that acted as the strongest of armor. Her ears camouflaged with the mane, but were longer. And her eyes were that of a pure, unchanged silver. A beautiful beast indeed. I presume that thou drinkest blood, do you not? She spoke in his mind with her old languaged tongue.
"Yes, I do," Raziel said as he jumped down from the haystack and began to drink the human's blood from his neck, just as he started to wake up. He began to remember the event from earlier. The fair-haired maiden who was this dragon, and what they had both had said...
"You're the dragon!?" He had almost screamed. She had hushed him quickly, not wanting anyone to hear.
"Yes, I am the dragon. I comest here to discover whomever it is that was killing my fellow dragons."
"You mean there is someone murdering dragons????"
"Yes, vampire. I don't know what could be strong enough to slay a creature of magic, but I plan to find out."
"How do you know they were murdered?"
"One day they vanished, and another day , we would find their corpse, their horns sawn off, had they horns, and bits and pieces of wings torn or slashed, obviously done to take pieces of them, and their blood drained. Claws were sometimes removed, or spines. As there were few of us to begin with, there are even more few of us now."
"And how do you know that that...thing...came to Nosgoth?" She had seemed to be getting restless, as she was now pacing the room.
"I could smell it. I couldn't before...it came after me," she had stopped where she was. "I could sense I was being watched, as I am one of the eldest of the dragons of my clan, and I knew what I had to do. So I took to the air, but I still felt that I was followed until I reached my homeland. From there, I could always sense when that murderous dog was near, but so far, I have not sensed him." Raziel had asked question after question, not really realizing that she was getting annoyed.
"Why did you attack the citadel?"
"I could have sworn that I sensed him in one of those homes, so I burned them. I might have got him, but I cannot be certain. Are you finished with your foolish questions now?" He had blushed, forgetting to control himself. He nodded. "Good." Then she had taken his hand, and with strength more powerful than his own, got him to stand up and she took him outside. He had argued to tell his brothers what she had told him, and argued about where they were headed. He was surprised when his brothers didn't see him, no matter how loud he had yelled at them. She had taken him outside of the citadel and into a nearby forest where she must have cast some sort of spell on him, for he had blacked out the minute they were out of sight.
Nothing. Not a trace, not even a hair of Raziel could be found in his own territory. Kain sighed and ordered the few Razielim that they would head out to the Sanctuary of the Clans to meet with the others immediately. Beginning to march, Kain wondered about this dragon. What would it want with Raziel? Surely she didn't plan to eat him, he was dead. Sort of. Ransom? He didn't think that to be a very likely story. He pushed the thoughts from his mind as the other clans came into view.
"Zephon, you will go to every wood and search every tree and cave that is to be found in them. Rahab, search every brook and river bank that you find. Dumah, go to the mountains. Dig in the snow if you must. Turel, go to the citadel and keep looking there. Razielim, you will come with me to the far corners of Nosgoth. I trust that you will all keep a watchful eye out for the dragon. One little breath would kill you all." And they headed off in their directions. Melchiah remained in the Sanctuary of the Clans, with not very much to do, except wait and hope for the best.
"We've found them!!! We've found them, Father Jothn!!" Cried the newly elected Commander of the hunters. Father Jothn rose out of his chair.
"You're joking!? Are they alive??" He asked. He didn't want to raise his hopes high, but he did anyway.
"Well, we're not sure. They are breathing, but they appear to be in a coma state."
"A coma state? Asleep you mean?" Curious.
"Yes sir! Strangely, there appear to not be any wounds to them."
"Bring me to the infirmary," he ordered. They went down twisting halls and doors and reached the hospital wing. All of the hunters were lying on cots, their families at their sides. Father Jothn placed the purple covered Bible that he carried around with him most of the time, down on the stand near the Commander's cot and knelt down. All of their armor had been removed. They appeared to be in a deep slumber. The priest did everything he could think of to try and make sense of this. Then it came to him "Witchcraft. Commander, we have a witch in our woods."
OOOoooooooo, a witch? Or the dragon's spells? Pretty kick-ass dragon, eh? And what's this about dragon murders??? What in heck could be powerful enough to slay a dragon in Nosgoth, and then take pieces of it??? Oooooo, mysterious.
Towards the Sky
By Ryoken
Kain stopped in his tracks. He felt that there was one of his sons who had remained. Most likely, it's Melchiah, he thought. He proceed to head towards that piece of the clans when the feeling came back, pulling him towards the opposite direction. Ever since he had been a fledgling, he had learned to trust his instincts and followed his senses to Rahab's door. He opened it and there he sat, reading a book called Monsters of Mythology.
"What are you doing?" He asked, slightly ticked. The vampire jumped out of his seat in fright, stood up, and bowed to his master.
"Reading, Father," he answered.
"About the dragon??"
"Yes..."
"I see. And your brothers?"
"They went to the citadel-"
"To discover things about this dragon, correct?" Rahab was surprised, but only a little.
"Yes, my lord."
"If I have not told you once, then I have told you and your brothers a thousand times!! Never go to the citadel unless on a raid!!!" He yelled. The vampire cowered slightly at his master's anger. Kain was about to say something more, but suddenly, Dumah slammed the door open and was about to say something when he saw Kain.
"Uh, hello, Father." His father's expression told him that he and his brothers had a LOT of explaining to do.
"Well????????" Kain said, taking a seat on his throne. His sons had gathered around the throne to tell him the story of what had happened. They all, except for Rahab, who hadn't been there, and Raziel, who was not present, spoke at the same time. "HOLD IT!!!!!" Kain yelled above their voices. "One. At. A. Time." Melchiah spoke first.
"TherewasthismaidenatthebarandRazieltriedtogetinformationfromherandthenshedisappearedaroundacornerandwhenwewenttolookforthem, they were gone!! Welookedineveryroombutwecouldntfindthem!!" He said, his arms flying up in exasperation. Kain looked at him oddly. He had never heard Melchiah talk so much or so fast before. Neither had his brothers.
"Hang on, Melchiah. Would someone like to take a slower approach to this story?" He asked. Dumah stepped forward. "From the beginning." He took a deep breath.
"Well, it all started after we had gotten news of the dragon from the spy. We decided to go to the citadel and try to find something else about it. We were very careful about how we went about it, Father. Come nightfall, we rode out to the citadel, having no trouble at all. When we returned from our eavesdropping, we made our way to the main tavern of the citadel and found Raziel speaking with a woman in a white cloak. Turel and I motioned for him to come with us and sit us down. He did, and told us that she knew that we were vampires. He went back over to her, spoke some more and then I approached her, saying that I needed to speak to him. I saw her eyes and they were pure silver, Father. When we turned around to see her again, she was gone, but I saw her round a corner in a hallway at the other side of the room. Raziel followed her, and we joked about what she was going to do. We waited for an hour and he had still not come out. So we decided to look for him. We looked in every room, and there was no sign of him. We thought that perhaps he had gone and come back here to speak with Rahab, but as you can see, he wasn't there." Kain listened to his son's every word. A maiden with silver eyes? Was it possible for a dragon to change it's shape into that of a human? He had seen many bizarre things in his long lifetime, but never something like this. Finally, he spoke.
"Then we search for him. Melchiah will stay here in case he shows up. The rest of us will find this maiden, and hopefully, she will lead us to Raziel. Take a few of your best vampire trackers, we'll need them to get his scent. I will take a few Razielim, and search his territory for him." Then, as he was leaving, the lieutenants following behind him, he said "Be lucky that he did disappear, my sons. I would have had you thrown into the abyss for your disobedience." And he transported himself to the Razielim clan.
Raziel awoke with hay in his face. Raising his body out of the haystack, he looked around him. He seemed to be near a farm, but one that was far from Nosgoth. He looked up to see the dragon hovering to the ground with a sleeping human in her front right claw. She landed and placed the human on the ground in front of him. Had the landscape been snowy, he would never have seen her. The color was that of fresh snow that had never been touched. Her wings were sleek and graceful, and she had a mane of long spiky hair. Along her back were sharp spines which went all the way down to her tail, which ended with no spikes at all. On the front of her were white armored plates that acted as the strongest of armor. Her ears camouflaged with the mane, but were longer. And her eyes were that of a pure, unchanged silver. A beautiful beast indeed. I presume that thou drinkest blood, do you not? She spoke in his mind with her old languaged tongue.
"Yes, I do," Raziel said as he jumped down from the haystack and began to drink the human's blood from his neck, just as he started to wake up. He began to remember the event from earlier. The fair-haired maiden who was this dragon, and what they had both had said...
"You're the dragon!?" He had almost screamed. She had hushed him quickly, not wanting anyone to hear.
"Yes, I am the dragon. I comest here to discover whomever it is that was killing my fellow dragons."
"You mean there is someone murdering dragons????"
"Yes, vampire. I don't know what could be strong enough to slay a creature of magic, but I plan to find out."
"How do you know they were murdered?"
"One day they vanished, and another day , we would find their corpse, their horns sawn off, had they horns, and bits and pieces of wings torn or slashed, obviously done to take pieces of them, and their blood drained. Claws were sometimes removed, or spines. As there were few of us to begin with, there are even more few of us now."
"And how do you know that that...thing...came to Nosgoth?" She had seemed to be getting restless, as she was now pacing the room.
"I could smell it. I couldn't before...it came after me," she had stopped where she was. "I could sense I was being watched, as I am one of the eldest of the dragons of my clan, and I knew what I had to do. So I took to the air, but I still felt that I was followed until I reached my homeland. From there, I could always sense when that murderous dog was near, but so far, I have not sensed him." Raziel had asked question after question, not really realizing that she was getting annoyed.
"Why did you attack the citadel?"
"I could have sworn that I sensed him in one of those homes, so I burned them. I might have got him, but I cannot be certain. Are you finished with your foolish questions now?" He had blushed, forgetting to control himself. He nodded. "Good." Then she had taken his hand, and with strength more powerful than his own, got him to stand up and she took him outside. He had argued to tell his brothers what she had told him, and argued about where they were headed. He was surprised when his brothers didn't see him, no matter how loud he had yelled at them. She had taken him outside of the citadel and into a nearby forest where she must have cast some sort of spell on him, for he had blacked out the minute they were out of sight.
Nothing. Not a trace, not even a hair of Raziel could be found in his own territory. Kain sighed and ordered the few Razielim that they would head out to the Sanctuary of the Clans to meet with the others immediately. Beginning to march, Kain wondered about this dragon. What would it want with Raziel? Surely she didn't plan to eat him, he was dead. Sort of. Ransom? He didn't think that to be a very likely story. He pushed the thoughts from his mind as the other clans came into view.
"Zephon, you will go to every wood and search every tree and cave that is to be found in them. Rahab, search every brook and river bank that you find. Dumah, go to the mountains. Dig in the snow if you must. Turel, go to the citadel and keep looking there. Razielim, you will come with me to the far corners of Nosgoth. I trust that you will all keep a watchful eye out for the dragon. One little breath would kill you all." And they headed off in their directions. Melchiah remained in the Sanctuary of the Clans, with not very much to do, except wait and hope for the best.
"We've found them!!! We've found them, Father Jothn!!" Cried the newly elected Commander of the hunters. Father Jothn rose out of his chair.
"You're joking!? Are they alive??" He asked. He didn't want to raise his hopes high, but he did anyway.
"Well, we're not sure. They are breathing, but they appear to be in a coma state."
"A coma state? Asleep you mean?" Curious.
"Yes sir! Strangely, there appear to not be any wounds to them."
"Bring me to the infirmary," he ordered. They went down twisting halls and doors and reached the hospital wing. All of the hunters were lying on cots, their families at their sides. Father Jothn placed the purple covered Bible that he carried around with him most of the time, down on the stand near the Commander's cot and knelt down. All of their armor had been removed. They appeared to be in a deep slumber. The priest did everything he could think of to try and make sense of this. Then it came to him "Witchcraft. Commander, we have a witch in our woods."
OOOoooooooo, a witch? Or the dragon's spells? Pretty kick-ass dragon, eh? And what's this about dragon murders??? What in heck could be powerful enough to slay a dragon in Nosgoth, and then take pieces of it??? Oooooo, mysterious.