A/N: To Hatake; you were an amazing writer and made me think much more critically about what I wrote, about certain things and made me better for it. Requiescat in pace Hatake-sama.
Chapter Three
"Want a fruit Storm?" the purple plum was offered.
"Sure." taking it, Storm took a bite out of it before making a face. "It's a bit overripe you know."
With a sigh Tara got up, heading to the back of the cave and looked through their meager stores. "There's not much else today you know. We haven't exactly visited the farmer yet so we are rather low on food."
Storm snorted as she rose also, going to the cave entrance. "This really does suck you know. Why are we hiding in a cave? Why don't we just go to a town and stay there? That's what Xeno keeps telling us to do."
"I told you already, it's not safe in the towns." she clearly remembered the men's reactions when they saw that she had wings. "Man, I kinda wish that Arisa was here; she'd knock some sense into you."
"Who the hell are you talking about? You keep referring to this Arisa person for the longest time and I have no clue who she is."
Tara sighed rubbing the bridge of her nose; ever since Storm had hit her head against that rock, she seemed to have lost some of her memories; mostly a good portion of the ones before they found themselves here in this strange land. "Never mind, you don't know her; she…ah…visits the farmer we get our food from time to time. She's a really nice person." Tara turned away, feeling a stabbing sense of guilt. 'Just tell her that Arisa is her mother Tara; it's not that hard is it?'
"Jeez, you make it seem so secretive and whatnot." Storm shrugged. "How about we go and see him now? We are a bit overdue for a visit aren't we?"
"Fine. Let's take the scenic way today please? I need to get rid of the stress."
"Stress? Are you feeling all right?" Strom peered into her face as she strapped her sword on. "Do you want to stay while I go? I'll run fast and be back before you know it; Xeno won't hold me up unless we're both there. Maybe this time I can annoy him for some strawberries…" Storm licked her lips at the thought.
Tara shook her head with a slow smile; even if Storm had lost a significant portion of her memory, she was still the same old Storm. "No, I could use the air to clear my head. But you could stop with your incessant questions for once. Even I need a break once in awhile you know."
Storm didn't say anything as they walked out of the cave and through the cool forest. "But wouldn't you have questions if you woke up in a cave with someone who said they were and are your friend but you couldn't remember anything about them? In the middle of the forest no less?"
"True I suppose. But could you ease up on the questions today? I mean we already established that I don't have all the answers. I don't even have answers for myself."
"All right. "Storm jumped over a large arching tree root. "Have you been getting enough sleep lately? You always seem to be up minding the fire."
"Don't worry, I've been getting enough sleep." Tara said brushing it aside like it was nothing. "I just have a lot on my mind lately." she found herself thankful that at least that particular sentence wasn't a lie. 'That and the fire keeps me company even in the dark of my mind…'
"Did you want to talk about it?"
She paused momentarily; it all seemed from fragmentary and chaotic but it was probably just her own fears about the place and Storm's condition left plenty delegated to her. "No, it's all right, I'll be fine in a few days Now what's wrong?" she demanded almost crossly seeing Storm's hand grip her sword hilt reflexively.
"Listen…don't you hear that noise. It sounds like a dragon…"
"Which we won't be heading to at all; we need food and Xeno's cottage is eastwards. Come on." she took Storm's hand and started off. "Besides, Xeno warned us against going near them."
"But listen to this one. It's not like the usual roars we hear." Storm tugged back on her hand. "I want to see what's causing it."
"Are you mad?! You'll be roasted to a crisp and I'm not losing my best friend like that. Off to Xeno's."
"Look, I just want to see that the dragon is all right; that's all. Once I see, we'll take off and bother Xeno. For strawberries…strawberries Tara…."
"Oh fine." Tara said with a disgusted sigh. "Just to see and then we're gone!"
Storm smiled at her. "Thanks Tara."
"Don't' thank me. I'm sure that dragon will be thankful once it has two rotisserie humans before it soon enough."
Storm didn't say anything as she led the way through the forest, the undergrowth becoming thicker and more difficult to navigate through.
"Are you sure this is the only way?" Tara asked with a disgruntled mutter as a thorn bit into her arm for the fifteenth time.
Storm looked back at her before she put a finger to her lips for silence. She motioned for Tara to come closer. The roar of the dragon echoed around them, this time obviously close. Tara peered around carefully to see a clearing just through the screening leaves, a dragon crouched low to the ground, watching something with obvious dislike as it lumbered around in a strange circle. Moving slightly, she saw a dark haired man with a drawn sword circling slowly.
"What do you think is happening?" Storm asked in a whisper.
"I don't know. Maybe the dragon ate some of his cows?" she hissed back. "But look at the dragon; it's beautiful."
The scales glinted a deep bluish green from the winking sunlight, like the colour of seawater. Eyes that were a cool and pale aqueous colour shifted from their focus to them before darting back. Suddenly the lumbering mass charged forward with amazing speed, causing a barely discernable curse to reach their ears; apparently the man fighting the dragon hadn't expected that.
"And this is where we go." she hissed at Storm. With a sigh of exasperation when Storm didn't answer, obviously transfixed by the scene before her, she tugged on a lock of Storm's hair. "Now; before we end up on the dinner menu."
"Yeah. I did promise that, didn't I?"
Tara watched as Storm rose and started to head back through the thick brush. Sticking close behind her, she walked in the path made; she didn't really want to deal with those exasperating thorns again. Soon enough, they found themselves walking down the familiar path to Xeno's house.
"Finally we can get some food. Didn't he promise us something?" Tara asked as she looked at Storm.
"Yeah, he said he'd give us a pint because we found that plant he needed so much." Storm sighed. "A pint of homebrew, that's what he promised us…and he drinks strong shit."
"Have you noticed?" Tara said with a repressed laugh. "The shed in the back reeks like gym feet. Bad analogy, never mind."
"All right. At least I'm not the only one who noticed that funky smell. By the way, what exactly are gym feet?"
Tara groaned inwardly. "I'll tell you later. I'm getting rather hungry now."
They knocked on the door and found themselves invited to sit at the table for conversation while Xeno gave them tankards of homebrew. Tara looked at it apprehensively as the fumes wafted off of it before she took a little swallow. She looked at the clay vessel in surprise before looking up at Xeno.
"Surprised that it didn't burn your throat off?" he asked in his worn gruff voice.
"Yeah. It's pretty good!" she exclaimed, rather pleased to escape unscathed.
"Says..you..." Storm wheezed as she squeezed her eyes shut, head bent as tears ran down the sides of her cheeks.
"Would you like some water Storm?" Xeno asked as he half rose. "You know, there was a reason why I told you not to drink it all in one shot."
Storm stuck out her grasping hand as she waited for the water to come. Once the cup reached her fingers she drank down half of it quickly, relieved sighs escaping from her throat. Tara snickered but looked around innocently as Storm shot her a look.
"So Xeno, how are things going with you?" she said demurely as she raised her tankard. "Still have your cows?"
"Cows? They're fine, thanks for asking, as is everything else. Do you want to hear the latest news?"
"What?" Tara asked with an avid gleam in her eye; it was rather tough being out there in the forest and she found that she looked forward to visiting Xeno.
"Prince Van is finally going through the rites to become King."
"But...you said that he was already King Xeno." Storm said with a bit of confusion on her face.
"All he needs is the title and everything is set in Fanalia. The only reason why they let him go now is because they don't want the same thing happening again."
Tara paused for a minute. "You never told us that story."
Xeno paused as he searched his memory. "No I didn't; you girls should know it if you plan on going to the city to live eventually." he gave them a rather pointed look. "They only let him go now because they felt he was ready to handle the task of killing a dragon and coming back. That's what the guy who has the market stall next to me said. "
Tara huffed a bit. "I suppose having the last of a monarchy die by way of a dragon stepping on him doesn't do much good, does it?"
"No. Once Prince Van slays the dragon, he has a big ceremony, everything is in its proper place and no one can contest that he isn't the rightful king of Fanalia."
"Touching." Storm said as she rose, her eyes still watering. "I need to get some air. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Tara and Xeno watched as Storm walked outside, cradling the cup of water, mumbling about the potency of alcohol and the potential conspiracy of two people she knew. With a slight laugh, Tara turned to face Xeno, raising the tankard once again.
"She's your friend." Xeno said, cutting off Tara's words. "You honestly don't look so good. Is the cave floor that hard that you're not getting enough sleep? I've told you time and time again that you can stay here if you like. It's not safe for you girls to be out there in the forest like that."
She shook her head. "I'm fine...it's just a bit of stress, that's all. Once I can relax fully, the insomnia will disappear. You really worry about us that much, huh?"
"All right. And yes I do; you two remind me so much of them..." Xeno said slowly as if he didn't quite accept it. "I remember one year there was a bad drought and I owed people money. You don't want to know the many sleepless nights I spent up and awake. So many things were chasing me down; like the-"
Xeno's words were cut short by the loud shattering roar that was immediately followed by the rising cries of birds. Giving each other puzzled looks, they walked to the door, coming upon an empty yard, the cup of water lying discarded on the ground. With a muttered curse, Tara started towards the trees, seeing the spot where Storm had just passed.
"You can't go! That was a dragon, you could be killed!" Xeno yelled after her as she headed towards the repeated sound.
"Tell that to Storm; I'll be right back. And I'll be fine!!" she managed before she melted into the greenery.
She ran like the wind, ignoring branches and the other things that whipped and scored her. Completely disregarding the thorns, she finally burst into the clearing to see it covered in a puddle of green blood, Storm on her knees beside the barely heaving dragon, stroking its muzzle sadly.
"I didn't think it was blood before," Storm's words were soft and barely heard. "It was so green. But I could taste it…its dragon's blood…so green."
Tara gave her a skeptical look as her eyes flickered to the squishy liquid beneath her feet. Bending down, she touched her fingertip to it and brought it to her mouth, rolling it around on her tongue. The distinct coppery taste was there as well as something else a bit subtle underlying it, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. She walked over slowly, seating herself beside Storm. The pale eyes blinked once more accepting what the two humans had done before its very eyes. And Tara saw something else in them, overwhelming in its full scope. She understood everything as the dragon's aqueous eyes locked onto hers, boring deep and hard. This silent language speaks with no volume; the language was far more primal and not easily conveyed in English.
Finally the eyes closed as the dragon took its final breath and went completely still and body going slack. Storm bowed her head and as she let her hand fall still on the muzzle. Tara placed an arm around Storm's shoulder.
"Come on; we can't do anymore here. We have something else to do now."
"What?" Storm pulled back sharply, almost slipping in blood. "How could you-"
"I don't know but when the dragon looked at me…"she held out her hands helplessly. "I just can't describe it to you Storm."
"Well," Storm let her body relax. "It's nice to know that 'm not losing my mind here for the moment."
"You mean you-" Tara started.
"Yes. I'm going now Tara."
"All right, I'll come with you." Tara said rising also. "Shall we head down to the coast as per se instructions?"
The dank wet drip echoed around them constantly as Tara and Storm crept their way into the cave, maneuvering around stalactites and stalagmites, some of them forming impressive columns.
"How far do you think this is going to be?" Tara asked as they delicately stepped through the shallow puddles.
"I have no idea really. It took us three whole days of solid travel to get here now; not that Xeno was pleased with coming here. He really does worry about us too much." Storm said as she clambered over a stalactite that blocked her ay completely. 'Not much farther I hope though.'
Silence returned further to the cave as they made their way further and further in, the sound of dripping water increasing steadily. Almost abruptly, the tunnel they had been following opened up into a massive chamber, a lake on the other side of it with light streaming down from minute holes in the ceiling. On the opposite side of the lake were two dragons, their massive delicate wings stretched into the air casting a gentle blue as light passed through the membranes. Awestruck, Tara and Storm stood there, not too sure what to do.
Storm watched as Tara took a hesitant step forward, her foot coming down on a crumbly piece of dirt with a crunch. The dragons' head snapped up immediately as the sound reverberated throughout the silent cavern. They regarded Tara and Storm warily, unsure of how to react to this.
"They need to sense that we won't harm them." Storm said. "Approach them very slowly."
Watching as Tara took another hesitant step forward Storm followed behind her keeping a close eye on the lizards before them. She held Tara still as she jumped slightly seeing the dragons shift themselves so they faced them directly.
"It's all right. Just be careful with your actions." she whispered into Tara's ear.
Tara shot her a nervous look before she moved her feet again. It seemed like forever until they were a few feet away, hesitant to go on.
"Do you think this is where we lose our heads because they get bitten off? Or do we get roasted?" Tara asked in an anxious voice.
A low snarl came from the closest dragon making Tara stiffen and face it rather meekly. The other dragon curled up as if watching the show with a faint trace of fascination with heavy lidded eyes.
"I don't think it liked that." Storm said in a slightly amused voice. "Perhaps you should apologize; you may have hurt its feelings."
Storm could have laughed at the look on Tara's face yet she remained silent before she walked forward with a clear purpose; she walked right up to the dragon that seemed to be dozing. The clear azure eyes flew open and locked onto hers with clarity. Storm didn't flinch, her hand reaching out to slowly touch the scaled muzzle. 'Those teeth could bite my hand off at any given moment…' She never broke contact with the dragon's eyes, her hand remaining where it was.
"Storm..." Tara's voice sounded harsh with strained worry.
"That wasn't so bad was it?" she asked looking back at Tara with a smile and seated herself in front of the resting head, her hand still on the muzzle.
The dragon gave a slight huff before closing its eyes completely with a serene expression. Storm scratched the skin gently as she looked at Tara who was standing before the other dragon unsure of what to do. The dragon walked forward a bit before sending a fearsome roar up to the rocky roof. Tara flinched back a bit before squaring her shoulders and taking a few determined steps forward. The dragon roared again, trying to rattle Tara. The dragon behind Storm opened one eye to cast a baleful glare at the noisemaker before closing it again. Suddenly Tara's face cracked with a grin.
"You have an attitude don't you?" she said with a laugh.
The dragon roared again, this time sounding unsure of itself.
"Blowhard." Tara laughed out with a smile. "You aren't really like that at all, are you?"
The dragon gave a weak sort of growl before it flopped down to the ground as if giving up in resignation; it seemed that once rattled this human wouldn't rattle again easily. Tara walked up to it and sat down a few centimeters away from its forelegs, looking up at it with a smile. Then she leaned back against it and closed her eyes. Storm snickered seeing clear surprise in the dragon's eyes but stopped once it turned to glare at her.
"Do you think this could work out Storm? I do rather like this one..." she said patting the scaly limb.
The dragon made a sound and buried its head between its forelegs while the other one gazed down at Storm. She didn't say anything for a few minutes simply watching those eyes with their acquiescent and amused expression.
"I think it's going to work out just fine."
Here's a bit of a preview for the fourth chapter. The dragons are named Glide and Cork.
Tara didn't say anything as she saw the town coming back up into full view. The houses looked peaceful enough but there by the water's edge were more flames, chasing each other around the sky. Coming up, Tara saw Storm fighting off the few machines that taunted her and made close passes. Anger blazing fully now, she charged right into the fray, Cork breathing fire and clearing an aerial path.
"Get the hell out of here Tara! It's a trap!!" Storm yelled at her.
"What?!" she looked around suddenly as more machines seemed to materialize out of thin air, hammering home the foolishness of her hasty rush in. "Storm? Storm?!"
She looked around as her dragon slashed at one suit that dared to come too close and left it to tumble to the sea. Storm had vanished again and- Suddenly a sharp bump came from below, knocking her and Cork up higher than the suits. She craned to the side to see Storm look at her before she took off again, back towards the mountains. Most of the machines followed after her and it wasn't before long that Storm was pitched from Glide's back in a complicated and twisting maneuver.
"Storm!" Tara dug her heels into Cork's thick hide, making him start down into a dead fall to catch up.
Then a suit materialized in front of her, making Cork back draft sharply. Tara held on but her grip wasn't enough for the first time. She found herself meeting air and then the water as it rushed up to greet her like a ton of bricks.
