Chapter Three: Man With a Black Cape
A year had passed. After that horrible night of realization, Melekinope, known as Dark Storm to the humans due to the time of his birth, slowly grew into and accepted his new life in the world of humans. Being a black chocobo on a farm of yellow ones, and who had never seen one such as him, was difficult. At first, they ridiculed him for his differance, calling him a `dirty bird' or `the chocobo reaper', the worse of the two since it impied that his mother died because of him.
One Wing had been responsable for the namecalling that had easily spread like wildfire throughout the ranch. His one and true friend through it all though was the old retired racer, Plain Dasher. Without Plain Dasher, he knew by now he would have gone mad.
Melekinope, over the year, had become quite the sprinter, thanks to the coaching of his friend, Plain Dasher. She taught him all she knew about balancing the rider, weaving back and forth to cut off the other riders when in the lead. Most importantly though, she taught him, it wasn't necessarily the speed of the chocobo, it was his stamina, that won a race. Without it, even the fastest runner in the races wouldn't make it to the end. Although you, Melekinope, seemed to be gifted with both great speed and stamina! Plain Dasher praised him after an exceptionally long afternoon running through the pastured feilds.
The year continued to pass by slowly, nothing changing, nothing new ever happening. He soon forgot much about his mother and the horrible night and day that passed afterwards. He forgot about his gift, the Chocobo Healing spell, since no one, even Farmer Joe and his daughter Aria, brought it up.
Among the humans, Aria had also become his only friend. Many of the farm hands at the ranch refused to work with or even handle Meleinope. They were afraid that he was some black, evil omen that would someday bring chaos to the ranch. But Farmer Joe tried his hardest to get them to understand he was just a differant colored chocobo. None of them believed him. So, instead, it had become Aria's duty to care for him and raise him into the perfect chocobo he was on the day that everything changed.
Gentle spring rains had finally ceased during the early morning, but still the ground and grasses were wet, almost making the greens burst with a sweet taste that every chocobo dreamed of. Melekinope grazed with Plain Dasher in the southeast corner of the pasture, talking about old races she had run while One Wing and the others stood towards the opposite end, their taunting paused long enough so that they could graze on the sweet grasses.
Everything was perfect in the warm spring day, until a slightly familiar scent forced Melekinope to raise his beak into the air.
...And he was the most lumbering bird I have ever seen in a race!... Melekinope? What is it? Plain Dasher paused her story, bringing her head up to look in the distance at what Melekinope was staring at.
I smell something. Something familiar.
Oye, I'm sorry about that! I tell you, an old girl like me just can't digest these greens like she used to.
Anyother time, he would have laughed with her about her flatuence, but the smell had grown closer. And more familiar. Plain Dasher, I smell... I smell... Death.
AIIIE, Death? Oh goodness, I just hope it isn't mine! she chuckled, stoping when she realized he wasn't laughing along. Oye, you're serious then?
Melekinope bobbed his head, watching as a small, dark figure emerged on the horizen.
Death, huh? He looks rather human. Why would he reak of Death?
I don't know. Melekinope answered tersely. But I will never forget the stench. It's the smell of fresh Death.
Plain Dasher finally remembered, warking in apology. Oye, you would know, that's right..
Slowly, they watched as the man came ever so slowly their way, his features and smell about him growing stronger by the minute. By now, the other chocobos had caught his scent and were too looking towards his direction. Visitors to the ranch were few and far between, and most everyone who came was a familiar person, another chocobo breader or farmer, so the scent of chocobos was all over them. But this man, everyone agreed silently, was horribly differant.
Joe came out of the barn with a wheelbarrow full of dung, quickly setting it on the ground at the sight of all his chocobos staring off in the distance. "Now, what in the name..." Holding his hand to his eyes and squinting, the humans poor vision finally caught sight of the stanger that the chocobo's had already been watching for the past half hour. "Oye there, stranger! What are you doing all alone on the plains alone like that? There's monsters aplenty out here, ya know! It's not the city, ya know!"
The man contiuned to approach, but didn't respond at all, not even a curious glance at the farmer or the chocobos.
"'Ello? Stranger?" Joe called out again, slowly moving towards the stranger clad in black.
Before he could even come close to the man, the stranger pulled from his back a long, thin, wicked looking sword, pointing towards the Farmer even before he knew what was happening. "Don't interfere, Old Man."
The insult obviously hit hard with Joe, but he quickly choked it down, forcing a smile to his lips instead. "Well, now, I was just curious as to what you were doing out here all alone, stranger." Joe held his hand out, still a good 30 paces away from the black clad man. "The name is Joe."
The starnger stared at his hand for a moment, standing still. His hair was long and silver, flowing around him in the slight breeze as if he had a headfull of snakes. He wore black for the most part with small, silver knobs and linings here and there. The cape he wore was also black, flowing behind him with his hair in some sort of bedeviled dance. The sorwd moved slightly, catching a ray of sun which glinted into Melekinope's eye's. He knew this man was evil, and he didn't need the smell of death that poured off of him to come to that conclusion either.
"Is that the entrence to the Mythril Caves?" the man ignored, pointing his long sword in the direction of the mountain range in the distance.
"Yep, lots of bad happenings there lately. Dunno what it is, but as long as it stays on that side of the swamp, I'll be happy."
"Swamp?"
"Yep, swamp. There's a nasty family of giant water snakes that live in there too. Only one way to cross it, and that's by fast chocobos!"
The man frowned. "I don't need chocobos."
"Beg yer pardoin, mister, but you're signing your own death warrent if you go without one."
The stranger resheathed his sword, grinning evily. "Chocobos are weak and stupid. I can cross the swamp on my own." With that, he began to strode towards the swamp alone.
"Suit yerself, mister!" Joe called after him. "I don't want to be hearing about it though! I'll not be taking any responsability for your foolish actions!!"
Weak?! Stupid?! AIIEE, if I were only next to him, I'd kick him so hard. Plain Dasher seethed, pawing at the ground with one clawed foot.
Melekinope shook his head, glancing at Joe. I'm glad he didn't want one of us. I'd be afraid of what would happen. Looking back towards the black clad stranger, he said, Anyway, what was that about the water snake family? I never heard about them, let alone the swamp.
Oye, they're nothing. I've had to cross the swamp twice in my like. Easy as eating. As long as you keep running and don't go off in a straight line, you can make it to the otherside way beforfe the snake even thinks he has a chance of catching up with you.
Melekinope nodded. Okay. And what about the Mythril Mines? I've never heard of those before.
The Mythril Mines run under the mountain. It's a passage to the other side. Plain Dasher began to preen under her wing nonchalantly. Other than that, I don't know what's so special about them myself.
And what's on the other side of the mountain? he asked dreamily.
Plain Dasher looked up, staing past the mountain range with him. A whole `nother world.
A year had passed. After that horrible night of realization, Melekinope, known as Dark Storm to the humans due to the time of his birth, slowly grew into and accepted his new life in the world of humans. Being a black chocobo on a farm of yellow ones, and who had never seen one such as him, was difficult. At first, they ridiculed him for his differance, calling him a `dirty bird' or `the chocobo reaper', the worse of the two since it impied that his mother died because of him.
One Wing had been responsable for the namecalling that had easily spread like wildfire throughout the ranch. His one and true friend through it all though was the old retired racer, Plain Dasher. Without Plain Dasher, he knew by now he would have gone mad.
Melekinope, over the year, had become quite the sprinter, thanks to the coaching of his friend, Plain Dasher. She taught him all she knew about balancing the rider, weaving back and forth to cut off the other riders when in the lead. Most importantly though, she taught him, it wasn't necessarily the speed of the chocobo, it was his stamina, that won a race. Without it, even the fastest runner in the races wouldn't make it to the end. Although you, Melekinope, seemed to be gifted with both great speed and stamina! Plain Dasher praised him after an exceptionally long afternoon running through the pastured feilds.
The year continued to pass by slowly, nothing changing, nothing new ever happening. He soon forgot much about his mother and the horrible night and day that passed afterwards. He forgot about his gift, the Chocobo Healing spell, since no one, even Farmer Joe and his daughter Aria, brought it up.
Among the humans, Aria had also become his only friend. Many of the farm hands at the ranch refused to work with or even handle Meleinope. They were afraid that he was some black, evil omen that would someday bring chaos to the ranch. But Farmer Joe tried his hardest to get them to understand he was just a differant colored chocobo. None of them believed him. So, instead, it had become Aria's duty to care for him and raise him into the perfect chocobo he was on the day that everything changed.
Gentle spring rains had finally ceased during the early morning, but still the ground and grasses were wet, almost making the greens burst with a sweet taste that every chocobo dreamed of. Melekinope grazed with Plain Dasher in the southeast corner of the pasture, talking about old races she had run while One Wing and the others stood towards the opposite end, their taunting paused long enough so that they could graze on the sweet grasses.
Everything was perfect in the warm spring day, until a slightly familiar scent forced Melekinope to raise his beak into the air.
...And he was the most lumbering bird I have ever seen in a race!... Melekinope? What is it? Plain Dasher paused her story, bringing her head up to look in the distance at what Melekinope was staring at.
I smell something. Something familiar.
Oye, I'm sorry about that! I tell you, an old girl like me just can't digest these greens like she used to.
Anyother time, he would have laughed with her about her flatuence, but the smell had grown closer. And more familiar. Plain Dasher, I smell... I smell... Death.
AIIIE, Death? Oh goodness, I just hope it isn't mine! she chuckled, stoping when she realized he wasn't laughing along. Oye, you're serious then?
Melekinope bobbed his head, watching as a small, dark figure emerged on the horizen.
Death, huh? He looks rather human. Why would he reak of Death?
I don't know. Melekinope answered tersely. But I will never forget the stench. It's the smell of fresh Death.
Plain Dasher finally remembered, warking in apology. Oye, you would know, that's right..
Slowly, they watched as the man came ever so slowly their way, his features and smell about him growing stronger by the minute. By now, the other chocobos had caught his scent and were too looking towards his direction. Visitors to the ranch were few and far between, and most everyone who came was a familiar person, another chocobo breader or farmer, so the scent of chocobos was all over them. But this man, everyone agreed silently, was horribly differant.
Joe came out of the barn with a wheelbarrow full of dung, quickly setting it on the ground at the sight of all his chocobos staring off in the distance. "Now, what in the name..." Holding his hand to his eyes and squinting, the humans poor vision finally caught sight of the stanger that the chocobo's had already been watching for the past half hour. "Oye there, stranger! What are you doing all alone on the plains alone like that? There's monsters aplenty out here, ya know! It's not the city, ya know!"
The man contiuned to approach, but didn't respond at all, not even a curious glance at the farmer or the chocobos.
"'Ello? Stranger?" Joe called out again, slowly moving towards the stranger clad in black.
Before he could even come close to the man, the stranger pulled from his back a long, thin, wicked looking sword, pointing towards the Farmer even before he knew what was happening. "Don't interfere, Old Man."
The insult obviously hit hard with Joe, but he quickly choked it down, forcing a smile to his lips instead. "Well, now, I was just curious as to what you were doing out here all alone, stranger." Joe held his hand out, still a good 30 paces away from the black clad man. "The name is Joe."
The starnger stared at his hand for a moment, standing still. His hair was long and silver, flowing around him in the slight breeze as if he had a headfull of snakes. He wore black for the most part with small, silver knobs and linings here and there. The cape he wore was also black, flowing behind him with his hair in some sort of bedeviled dance. The sorwd moved slightly, catching a ray of sun which glinted into Melekinope's eye's. He knew this man was evil, and he didn't need the smell of death that poured off of him to come to that conclusion either.
"Is that the entrence to the Mythril Caves?" the man ignored, pointing his long sword in the direction of the mountain range in the distance.
"Yep, lots of bad happenings there lately. Dunno what it is, but as long as it stays on that side of the swamp, I'll be happy."
"Swamp?"
"Yep, swamp. There's a nasty family of giant water snakes that live in there too. Only one way to cross it, and that's by fast chocobos!"
The man frowned. "I don't need chocobos."
"Beg yer pardoin, mister, but you're signing your own death warrent if you go without one."
The stranger resheathed his sword, grinning evily. "Chocobos are weak and stupid. I can cross the swamp on my own." With that, he began to strode towards the swamp alone.
"Suit yerself, mister!" Joe called after him. "I don't want to be hearing about it though! I'll not be taking any responsability for your foolish actions!!"
Weak?! Stupid?! AIIEE, if I were only next to him, I'd kick him so hard. Plain Dasher seethed, pawing at the ground with one clawed foot.
Melekinope shook his head, glancing at Joe. I'm glad he didn't want one of us. I'd be afraid of what would happen. Looking back towards the black clad stranger, he said, Anyway, what was that about the water snake family? I never heard about them, let alone the swamp.
Oye, they're nothing. I've had to cross the swamp twice in my like. Easy as eating. As long as you keep running and don't go off in a straight line, you can make it to the otherside way beforfe the snake even thinks he has a chance of catching up with you.
Melekinope nodded. Okay. And what about the Mythril Mines? I've never heard of those before.
The Mythril Mines run under the mountain. It's a passage to the other side. Plain Dasher began to preen under her wing nonchalantly. Other than that, I don't know what's so special about them myself.
And what's on the other side of the mountain? he asked dreamily.
Plain Dasher looked up, staing past the mountain range with him. A whole `nother world.