Chapter Twenty-Three: If Only We Had Taller Been
Bash had been left behind again.
He and his friends had been playing hide-and-seek for the past hour, enjoying the rays of the sun. Bash enjoyed days like this. All dragons did, for sure, but on a day like this, he felt as if nothing could stand in his way. That anything was possible.
Then a transport balloon flew over the clouds. That was when his friends abandoned him to go explore it. Bash was the only one at their Dragon Temple without wings, and he was always left behind like this. Nobody counted him as being different, and for that he was thankful- but they also didn't understand that he couldn't do everything they could do.
And today, once again, Bash was left on the ground by himself.
At least the sky was pretty, he thought to himself. A nice, bright shade of blue. The clouds were white and puffy, seeming to pop out from the cerulean backdrop. It almost looked like you could reach out and touch them. What did clouds feel like when you touched them? Did they feel like cotton balls? Silk? Cream? Or maybe their fluffy appearance was deceiving, and they were hard like granite?
Bash climbed to the top of a large grey rock that overlooked the floating island that the Temple rested on. He reached out a paw, reaching out toward the puffy clouds, reaching as far as he could. But his claws only caught air. Just regular, bland air. It didn't feel different, like a cloud might feel. He stood on his haunches, reaching out with both paws. Still he could not reach far enough to touch the clouds. He tried reaching out, standing at the tips of his feet-
And he suddenly tumbled off the rock, falling back on the ground, limbs splayed out in all directions.
He looked back at the rock, back up toward the sky. The clouds still remained in the sky, but he remained stuck on the ground. Bash felt like crying. If only he were taller, then maybe he could have a slim chance of reaching the sky.
Then Bash remembered the way he had tumbled off the rock. He had curled up, tail-to-nose, as if in a wheel. Could he do that again? Bash backed up, as far as he could, and ran toward the rock at full speed. He curled up, spinning off the rock and into the air. The wind whipped past his scales, the air swirling all around. Bash rolled out, reaching a paw toward a cloud he was approaching.
But his speed hadn't been great enough, nor his reach close enough. He just grazed the white puff before he started falling. He plummeted down, past their island home, down to the pits of Skylands. His friends noticed, and they raced toward him, each one grabbing a limb and catching him. They carried him back to the island, each one grunting as they struggled to support Bash's immense weight, before plopping him back onto the grass.
"What did you think you were doing?" the eldest of the group, a yellow dragon named Joules, asked indignantly. "You could've gotten yourself killed!"
"Did you see that!" Bash cheered, his heart still filled with joy and adrenaline. "I flew! By the Ancients, I flew! I almost touched the clouds! Did you guys see that?"
"That's not flying!"
"Of course it's flying, Joules!" an orange dragoness named Kara argued, trying to be supportive. "Why, hasn't it ever occurred to you that all dragons have a different flight pattern?"
The group murmured to themselves.
"So Bash has figured out his flight pattern."
More murmuring came up, before they nodded in agreement.
"But a dragon can sustain his flight," Joules insisted. "That was hardly sustained."
"I'll work on it," Bash promised. "I'll keep practicing, and I'll keep getting stronger. You'll see. One day, I'll be as great a flier as the rest of you, and then we can all fly together!"
And Bash meant every word he had said.
Over the years, he practiced his flying technique. Every day, he would run up to the giant rock and shoot off, swirling into the air. Sometimes he missed the clouds, having to once again be saved by his friends. Other times he would sail over them completely, landing on the islands just above. It didn't matter to him. Each time, he got closer and closer to actually touching the clouds, reaching forth and feeling them.
And just the sheer feeling of flying filled him with joy. Bash was soaring through the air, cutting through the sky, off to join his friends. There was the feeling of freedom to be felt. In the air, nothing restricted him. He could do whatever he wanted, go wherever he wanted.
At least, he'd be able to once he got the hang of it.
Bash's friends thought he was insane. No dragon could fly like that, they said. Kara remained the most optimistic toward his venture, and soon became the only one who supported him in it. She'd come watch him practice, a smile on her face. That wasn't to say the rest of them didn't come watch. Oh they did- worried that Bash would plummet down the Skylands if they weren't there to save him.
"Why are you guys so doubtful?" Bash asked. "I'm improving. I'm flying better and better every day. Isn't that right, Kara?"
"It's still not a perfect flight, but you are getting better," Kara agreed. "Joules said that a dragon needs to sustain his flight. You're starting to do that."
"Please!" Joules objected. "You call that a sustained flight? He keeps going off course from his intended target. The only thing that's come from this is his rocky skin."
That was true. After years of rolling around on the ground, Bash had grown calluses on his scales. They had toughened up, becoming hard and firm. His horns and spikes had also grown out as a result of this. A change had come onto him after all these years of trying to touch the clouds.
"Listen Bash," Joules began, trying to be sensitive. "I understand that you want to fly with us. I know that you're trying. But maybe you're just...not meant to fly."
"That's crazy-talk," Bash insisted. "Of course I'm meant to fly. All dragons are meant to fly."
"Not all dragons have wings. And not all dragons with wings can fly. They're just not meant to. You're probably not meant to fly, either, Bash. You just have to accept that."
"You're the one who's been against my plan from day one! Why should I listen to you!?"
"I've only been against you because I don't want to see you hurt! All that can come from this is pain. You're safer on the ground. Please, for my sake, just quit while you're ahead."
Murmuring came up from the crowd. Bash looked on. Did it bother them that much when he tried to fly? Were they always scared for his life? Were they sick of watching him torment himself in this way?
"Alright, then," Bash sighed. "I won't do it anymore."
Another sunny day came. Everyone had decided to head outdoors and enjoy the heat. They were probably playing tag. They were probably playing hide-and-seek, too. Maybe they were even flying in the sky, looking out for balloons and ships.
Bash didn't care what everyone else was up to. He had shut himself inside the Temple, sulking. No more sunny days for him- nowhere in life did he have possibilities. A time would never come when he could do anything he wanted to do, or go anywhere he wanted to go. It just wasn't in the cards for him.
He didn't want to cry about it. But the tears flowed down nonetheless. Bash had spent his whole life reaching out to the sky, trying to touch the clouds. His reach had never been far enough. If only he were taller. But he'd grown up, and he still wasn't tall enough. He would never be tall enough.
Did everyone spend their whole lives reaching for faraway goals? Were they unable to reach? Were they too short to find their way? Could it be possible that everyone had a goal they wanted to reach, but never had the capability to do so? Where could you even find the resolve to complete that goal, then?
Bash stood up. He didn't want to quit. He didn't want to end his days knowing that he'd given up on his goals, knowing that he hadn't even tried. Strength was gained from experience and knowledge. Bash would head out there and try again. Maybe he'd never reach his goal, but he had to try- besides, if he gave up, then he would never know if he could do it.
He ran out of the Temple, excited to try again. Bash kept running out, his excitement slowly ebbing away as his path remained dark rather than sunny as he left. The sunlight usually streamed in through this way. Something was wrong.
Once Bash was outside, he emerged in a scene of chaos. Airships had surrounded the island that the Dragon Temple occupied. The ships carried large nets used to snatch up the dragons from the air. His friends tried to get away, but the ships were too fast for them. There was a strange insignia on the side of the flagship, five lines meeting each other in the form of an ancient sigil.
The Guardians had told them of that symbol. These airships were part of an even larger troll fleet- this armada didn't even make up a sixteenth of the full army. The trolls wanted all opposition toward them eliminated, and the dragons posed a great threat to them- it was necessary to capture all possible dragon forces.
They needed help. Bash was aware of this. But the Guardians were currently away from the Temple, gathering food. There was no way that they could make it back in time to stop this.
Two troll soldiers landed on the island, approaching Bash as quick as lightning. Bash watched as they searched their bags, trying to find a net.
"I thought you said that the Temple was empty," the first troll complained.
"I thought it was. All of the adolescents were out here when we arrived," the second troll insisted. "How was I supposed to know that they'd keep a flightless dragon in such a lofty Dragon Temple?"
Bash ran forward, swiping them with his large tail. The trolls fell to the ground, and he ran from them and toward the giant rock. He got into a circle, rolling forward and launching off the rock. Bash spun in the air, unfurling himself and steering toward an airship. His rock-hard scales penetrated through the hull, right where the prisoners were being kept. Several adult dragons were already here, as well as some of Bash's friends, with Kara among them.
"Is everyone okay?" Bash asked.
"Bash, that was incredible!" Kara gasped. "I didn't know you could do something like that!"
"You know me, Kara. I'm full of hidden potential."
Bash slammed his tail on their chains, breaking them- the trolls hadn't expected how strong the Earth dragon's scales would be. The dragons shook the chains off, flying toward the other airships to deal with them.
"That wasn't everyone," Bash quickly realized. "Where's Joules and the others?"
"I'm not sure," Kara admitted. "The trolls divided us when they captured us. I was one of the first, so I didn't see where the rest of our friends were taken. They could be spread out on every single ship in this fleet."
"Then I'm going after them. Kara, I need your help to line up this ship with the next one, and once I'm off, you sink it and get off as quickly as possible."
"I don't know if I can-"
"You have to try. We'll lose our friends if we don't do this."
Kara nodded, flying out of the hole. Bash faced the hole, watching for his current position to line up with his destination. The ship groaned, Bash realizing that Kara was receiving help from some of the adult dragons he had freed. The ship lined up with the next one, and Bash ran forward, curling up and leaping out. As he unfurled, he punched a hole into the next ship, making his way to releasing the dragons. The previous ship had its engines damaged by Kara and the others, sinking as the trolls evacuated.
Time and time again Bash did this. He leapt from one ship to the next, punching through and freeing the dragons. The adult dragons and his friends, once freed, helped to sink the fleet and send the trolls packing. Once the flagship was the only ship left in the air, Joules was the only one of Bash's friends unaccounted for. He had to be on that ship, with some kind of unknown mass of dragon prisoners.
"That ship has been designed to take damage from tough-built Millipede missiles and still keep on fighting," an adult dragon warned Bash. "I don't think you can simply punch through it like the rest of them."
Right, he had to be smart about this. Bash noticed that the flagship was directly beneath a tiny floating island. He could use that as a vantage point. Bash climbed out of the hole and on top of the ship he was on. Explaining his plan, the dragons angled the ship toward the tiny island. The angle met, Bash ran the length of the ship, curled up and launched off. A cloud floated by as he did this, and he punched straight through. It was wet and muggy inside, like a chilly autumn fog. Clouds were just made up of water?
Passing through the cloud, Bash unfurled and skidded onto the island, digging his claws in to catch himself. The flagship was directly underneath the island. If he did this right, he could punch a hole straight through the ship. Bash jumped up, curling and plummeting down toward the ship.
Wham! He punched through! Level after level, Bash fell with a strong kinetic force, creating holes on each floor of the flagship. He made it to the prisoners in this way, however, he punched a hole through the floor as well, making an opening toward the outside in this way. It was a wide hole, and Bash found himself slowly sliding out of it as he tried to hold on. Yellow paws grabbed onto his- Joules' paws!
"Hang on, Bash! I've got you!" Joules panted, struggling to hold Bash's weight. "Everything will be-"
"You're okay!" Bash cried. "I was worried about what they'd done to you!"
They stayed like this for several minutes, with Joules trying to hold on to Bash. Bash tried to swing himself up, but this only made things worse as it dragged down Joules as well. But at least Joules would be fine, Bash figured, since he was chained up just like the rest of them. Bash was going to fall, and the freed prisoners were too occupied with the previous troll ship to help!
Suddenly, strange blue metal hands grabbed onto their paws. Troll hands! Bash and Joules froze up, fearful for their lives. This let the troll hoist Bash up, taking the full weight away from Joules. The Earth dragon was quickly set back onto the ship, and he got a better look at this troll. The troll was a strange, ugly creature, with blue cybernetics replacing his limbs, and orange hair covering most of his body. He was grinning from ear to pointed ear, a maniacal look in his eyes.
"That was a great boom! you made!" the troll said.
"Now you just stay back," Bash warned him. "I know I'm stronger than you."
The troll pointed to the ground, motioning for Bash and Joules to look there. They did, noticing with great surprise that the chain on Joules's leg was breaking apart. The chain was faulty. The rest of the dragons were looking at their chains in the same manner- all of the chains were faulty!
"You're welcome!" the troll grinned. Alarms were soon blaring on the ship, ordering an evacuation. The troll motioned a finger to his mouth in a shh! sign, before a kind of blue magic enveloped him and caused him to vanish.
Bash and Joules looked at each other, flabbergasted. That's how Skylanders were said to teleport away. Was it possible that the troll had been a Skylander!?
"Erm, we should go," Bash decided.
"Yeah," Joules agreed. "Need help getting out?"
"That would be nice, please."
Joules grabbed Bash's front leg, motioning for the other prisoners to come by. They did, holding onto Bash and carrying him out of the ship. The dragons flew onto the island where the Dragon Temple was, where the rest of the prisoners were gathered. The flagship's engines were taken out by the remaining dragons, and it fell from the sky as the remaining marker of a devastated fleet.
Bash was released from the grip of the dragons as they touched the grass. Joules stood next to him, the rest of their friends gathering by. Bash collected himself and sat up straight. His gaze turned serious as he looked at Joules.
"Is everyone safe?" he asked.
They all nodded.
"Guess what, Joules? I actually touched a cloud! Punched right through it!"
"...I can imagine," Joules gasped.
"Did you know that clouds are mostly water? Well, I guess you did, since you've been flying for a long time."
"I did know that."
"Joules, I understand that you're worried for me. I know you see nothing but danger in my endeavor, and you want me to be safe. But I'm not giving up on this. I know I can fly. And if I have my friends supporting me, I know I'll make it."
Joules smiled, insisting, "And you made it, Bash. You actually flew."
Title for this chapter comes from the poem "If Only We Had Taller Been" by Ray Bradbury. I think it's about space travel or something similar.
