Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne. My writing is purely for the enjoyment of my readers and myself.
Legends of Gaea: Chapter 4
Van closed his eyes and felt the fresh fall breeze blow against his face. He felt a soft, gentle hand grasp his own.
" Hitomi." He whispered and opened his eyes to see her beautiful face gazing up at him. "Hitomi." He smiled, raising a hand to brush aside wayward strands of blond bangs from her eyes.
She smiled softly and embraced him. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin upon the crown of her head. Van closed his eyes and sighed contentedly, lacing his fingers in her soft hair. She sighed softly and he gently pulled back her head to gaze into her green eyes. She blushed and smiled up at him.
Van lowered his face to hers and gently nuzzled her temple."Mmm…Hitomi…" He murmured.
She turned her head towards his and he felt her eyelashes flutter closed as he kissed her temple, and then her eyelid, gently working his way down to the corner of her mouth. There he paused to listen to her breathing. Her breaths puffed softly against his cheek and Van felt a thrill unlike any he ever knew before. And his heart skipped a beat when he felt her lips brush against his.
He shivered and a soft smile crossed his face as she did it again. " Hitom—" Van began but was cut off when she captured his bottom lip within hers. He shuddered and felt his whole body tingle in response to her touch. He did his best to steady himself as he felt her hands move to caress his shoulder blades and he gasped with pleasure. It took all his strength to remain upright and not fall into the soft grass below him. Oh how he wished he could let his joy and pleasure overwhelm him into oblivion.
Van felt her release his lips and nuzzle his neck, eliciting a moan from him and he shuddered with renewed pleasure. " Hitomi…" He murmured, completely lost in her touch. " My wonderful Hitomi…"
" Van?" A distant voice called. " Van, its time."
Van felt someone grasp his shoulder and shake him. It most definitely was not Hitomi's touch and his eyes flew open.
Mizook down at him. " You ready?" He asked.
Van rolled over onto his side and slowly raised himself up on one elbow. Wearily he rubbed at his sleepy eyes and yawned.
" Had a good dream?" Mizook asked as he knelt beside him. Van sighed and nodded.
" I thought so." Mizook continued. " You had the biggest smile on your face…"
Van blushed and quickly rose to his feet, instantly regretting it when the world suddenly spun around him.
" Whoa there!" Mizook warned, laying a paw on each of his shoulders to steady the swaying king. " You shouldn't stand up so quickly when you just wake up." He scolded.
Van held his head in one hand for a moment, steadying breath. " I'm okay, Mizook. Thank you."
Mizook nodded and released him. " Come on, Van. Everyone is ready to head up the mountain."
Van followed him to the center of their make-shift camp. After the scare everyone had in the meadow it was a welcomed relief to finally enter the safety of the mountain base where the trees and large boulders provided natural shelter from the dragons overhead.
The clear mountain water rushed down the mountainside in lavish cascades that shimmered where ever the sunlight hit it. The deep green of nearby plant life added vitality to the natural beauty of the fountains. The air was crisp, clean, and invigorating. Everything was alive.
Folken paused to admire the breathtaking scene.
"Incredible isn't it?" Zire murmured beside him. Folken nodded and sighed as the cool mountain breezes brushed past the water falls to hit his face. If he were alone he would have sprouted his wings and taken to flight.
Van glanced behind him to see Folken staring at the falls with a peaceful expression. The group had been hiking up the mountain side for an hour now and everyone was enjoying the view.
Up ahead several wolf-men were refilling their canteens with fresh, mountain water. Van took his out, deciding that it wasn't a bad idea. The remainder of the group caught up and paused to do the same.
" How much farther, Boaz?" Neftoo-Mish asked an elderly wolf-man who was the only member of their group who knew exactly where the dragon skins could be found. Boaz pointed ahead and motioned for him to follow.
" We are nearly there." He said with a voice that cracked from years of use. " We just need to travel up a little further and through a tunnel that will bring us right behind the waterfalls on the other side."
" That is great news!" Neftoo-Mish exclaimed. " At this rate, we should be back at camp in time for dinner!" Boaz nodded and shuffled on while Neftoo-Mish rounded everyone up and pointed them in the next direction.
Van rushed ahead of the group to walk beside Boaz.
" Hello." Boaz smiled to him.
" Hello." Van replied.
They walked in silence for a few moments before Van spoke again. " I want to thank you for leading us in this part of our journey."
Boaz stopped and turned to him. " There is nothing to thank me for, son. I will help anyone who loves Fanelia."
Van smiled and followed him as he turned and continued to walking. Farther back Mizook fell into step beside Folken.
" Hello." He smiled when Folken glanced down at him. Folken gave him a small smile in return.
" Hello." He replied.
" Are you enjoying the view?" Mizook asked him.
Folken nodded. " Yes. Very much so." Zire noticed Mizook was walking beside Folken and made his way to them, knowing Mizook had something in mind he wants to ask.
" You don't get out much do you?" Mizook asked after a moment.
Folken glanced down at him again and sighed. " No."
Mizook nodded. " That's why you look so pale."
Folken raised an eyebrow at him.
" I mean, not that being pale is bad or anything…" Mizook babbled suddenly concerned with whether or not he just insulted the king's personal slave. " You know, I think that those purple markings on your face are really neat." He continued.
Folken chuckled and continued on his way with Mizook babbling on and on about how he admired him.
After a few minutes Zire finally reached Mizook's side and listened to the conversation quietly.
" But I just have one question." Mizook stated, ducking a tree root.
Folken raised his eyebrows and grinned. " Oh really?"
" Yeah."
" What is your question?" Folken asked with amusement.
" Do you like being a slave?"
Folken blinked at him with confusion. " A slave?"
Mizook nodded and Zire rolled his eyes, ready to tell Mizook he should go pester someone else.
" Who's slave?" Folken asked with interest.
" The king's of course." Mizook stated, giving Folken an incredulous stare.
Folken bit his lip and looked ahead at Van for a moment. " Umm…"
" That's okay. You don't have to answer." Mizook smiled and waved Folken's reaction aside. " I'll talk to you later." And he suddenly noticed Zire walking beside him with a stern glare.
Folken shook his head in amusement.
" How can you handle that little nutter?" Zire asked while they continued on their hike.
Folken smiled. " I've had lots of practice with… difficult individuals."
" I'd say so." Zire agreed before tipping forward his water canteen for a small sip.
At length the group reached a narrow expanse with a mountain wall on one side and a good fifty-foot drop on the other. They stretched out so that only one person at a time could pass. On the other end of the narrow stretch they stooped down to enter a tunnel in the rocks.
Within the tunnel it was as dark as night and several torches were lit to light the way. A bit further down the tunnel it began to expand until the ceiling couldn't be seen at all. Everyone stayed close together and watched their step, lest someone fell down a deep crack, never to be seen or heard from again.
Boaz shook Neftoo-Mish's arm and pointed straight ahead to the end of the tunnel where the sunlight flooded in. And as they drew nearer the sound of water thundering grew stronger. One by one they exited the tunnel and were blasted with cool, fresh air as they emerged behind three roaring waterfalls.
As they descended down the mountainside they would occasionally feel water droplets from the falls. Although the droplets were refreshing everyone had to be careful not to slip on the mosses that grew all over the mountain rocks.
When they finally reached firm ground they paused to look around. Only a few feet below them were several dragons bathing in the cool mountain water.
Boaz motioned for them to follow him. He led them through thick brush and under the roots of massive trees, zigzagging through the forest until they reached a small meadow with a lake that rested on one end against yet another mountainside.
" From here are two paths we could take." He explained. " Each one will most certainly bring us to what we seek."
Neftoo-Mish nodded and looked at Van. " Should we split up then?" He asked.
Van nodded. " It will be faster if we do."
" Right then, lets get going." Zire piped up as he divided everyone into two large groups with a wave of his arm.
" Everyone on this side goes left, and everyone on this side goes right. We meet back here as soon as we can." With everyone in agreement they all headed their separate ways.
" What should we look for?" Mizook asked as he trotted beside his group leader.
" We are searching for an area that has been used as a nesting ground." Neftoo-Mish replied. " And keep your voice down or we might end up with some nasty visitors. The dragons tend to be vicious when intruders lurk too close to their nests."
Up ahead, Folken motioned for Neftoo-Mish to come look at something. He walked up to him and looked at what Folken was pointing to.
" Well that was easy." He murmured while everyone else walked up to them and stared at the large nest a few feet below. They carefully made their way over to the large crater-like hole dug by the dragons who nested there. And in the center of the hole was a large pile of leaves, sticks, grasses, and skins.
But when they reached the bottom they discovered several eggs still resting inside. They hadn't noticed them since the debris in the nest had hid them from view.
" Uh-oh." Neftoo-Mish breathed.
Folken frowned and looked around. " Where are the parents?"
" That's what I'm wondering." Neftoo-Mish replied as the rest of the group climbed down into the nest.
" Let's make this fast." Folken suggested as he grabbed a sac from Mizook and began carefully packing in the dragon skin. Everyone else followed suit and before long the entire group was climbing back out of the nest and heading for the assigned meeting place. But as they started back the dragons arrived. Everyone looked up as two large shadows covered them.
" Oh great." Mizook muttered as the animals flew to their nest. One of the dragons immediately looked up.
" Quick! Hide!" Someone whispered and everyone scattered. All eyes watched as one dragon climbed out of the nest and began to waddle in their direction. Its large snout sniffed the air. They could hear the its agitated breathing and occasional growl.
He knows we're here! Folken realized as the dragon stepped up to Mizook who was quivering like a leaf.
" Oh no!" Neftoo-Mish gasped as the dragon stepped right above Mizook who was whimpering. Mizook squatted down and prepared to run but Neftoo-Mish motioned for him to stay down.
The dragon scratched the ground with its claws and squatted. Folken, Neftoo, and everyone else watched with wide eyes as the dragon relieved itself right on Mizook who disappeared under a pile of warm, fresh dung.
The animal snortted, shook itself, flapped its wings, and waddled back to its nest.
When everyone was certain it had left they emerged from their hiding places and scrambled over to the stinky pile.
" Oh no! Mizook is going die in a massive pile of—" Neftoo-Mish was interrupted by a muffled cry for help.
Folken and a few others grabbed fallen tree branches nearby and began digging out their fallen comrade.
" Over here!" He shouted as he grabbed a hold of Mizook's feet with his mechanical hand and yanked the unfortunate wolf-man free.
" Whew! Phew! Ugh! Agh!" Mizook sputtered in total disgust.
" SHhhh!" Everyone shushed him as they hurried off, dragging Mizook with them. He hugged the sack he was carrying closer to himself, thankful he hadn't let go of when he was yanked out.
When they finally believed they were out of ear shot they turned to check if everyone was alright.
" Oh yeah! Sure! No problem, just that I'm gonna stink for the rest of the week!" Mizook yelled, throwing his arms up into the air and dropping the sack on the ground in a sudden fit of anger. Everyone burst into laughter, some laughing so hard they had to hold their stomachs.
" It's NOT FUNNY!" Mizook cried, which only succeeded in making everyone laugh even harder. Angered he stomped the ground, shaking his paws with fury. " STOP LAUGH—"
Suddenly the ground beneath him gave way. Everyone gasped.
" Mizook?!" Neftoo-Mish cried out as he rushed forward with Folken and the others close on his heels.
But before they could reach the broken ground they suddenly found themselves falling. Everyone cried out as they fell into a massive hole, vanishing into the darkness below.
Silence blanketed everyone for several minutes until one lonely voice whimpered in the darkness. Mizook crawled over to his fallen comrades and randomly shook someone's leg.
" Ouch!" Neftoo-Mish barked, jerking into a sitting position.
" Your not dead!" Mizook exclaimed with unleashed joy and glomped his friend.
" Ah! Mizook get a hold of yourself!"
" Sorry."
Neftoo-Mish looked around and hurried to help his friends. He quickly began counting heads and realized that Folken was missing. " Where…"
Mizook scanned the area and suddenly saw something shining a few feet away. " Folken?" He asked uncertainly and trotted over. As he approached he could make out a mechanical arm. " Folken!" He cried out, kneeling beside his friend. " Hey! Wake up!" And he shook Folken roughly a few times.
After a few moments Folken's eyes fluttered open. " Wha…"
" Are you okay?" Mizook asked with concern.
Folken blinked and looked at the shadowed figure above him. " Mizook?" He asked with confusion.
Mizook laughed and yanked Folken up into a sitting position, giving him a tight hug. Folken got a good whiff of dung up his nostrils and he scrunched his nose. " Yes. You're definitely Mizook." He confirmed.
Meanwhile, the second group made their way back to the designated meeting spot without incident. Everyone was pleased with the amount of dragon skin they had collected.
" That was easier than I thought." Van said to Zire.
" Well, lets just hope that our friends have had as much luck as us."
Van nodded as they marched into the meadow again.
" Where are they?" Someone asked from behind.
Boaz walked to the front. " We better wait for them here. And while we're waiting we can settle down and drink some water to keep hydrated." And he turned towards the lake on the other side of the meadow. Van and the others followed, hefting their sacks behind them.
" I hope they're okay." Van murmured as he touched his pendant.
" Now what do we do?" Mizook complained as everyone looked up and goggled at how far they fell.
" I can't believe we fell that far and no one has been injured." Neftoo-Mish stated in awe.
Folken looked around and spotted a tunnel just a few feet away. " Why don't we try finding an exit through there?" He suggested, pointing to the tunnel.
Everyone looked at him and then at the tunnel.
" Looks good to me." Someone said at length.
" Okay, but let's gather any sacks we can find before continuing on our way." Neftoo-Mish commanded as they gathered their wits and entered the tunnel. Only two torches were lit.
" I wonder where this thing will lead us?" Neftoo-Mish wondered as he led the way with Folken by his side.
" My guess is that the dragons have created these underground passages for hybernation when the winter months arrive." Folken hypothesized.
" Hm." Neftoo-Mish considered his theory. " If that's true then we won't find a way out. The dragons have probably buried the entrances. They wouldn't want any animals lurking inside."
Folken nodded and glanced over his shoulder to see how the others were doing. His gaze fell upon Mizook and he slowed down talk to him. " Are you alright?" He asked gently.
Mizook looked up in surprise and nodded. Then he looked down at his feet and murmured, " We're not going to find a way out of here are we?"
Folken smiled encouragingly and gently rested his hand on Mizook's shoulder. " Yes we will. Don't worry yourself anymore." But Folken wondered himself if his hope was not in vain.
