Announcer voice: Today, on Way of the Dragon: Jinlong finds Lloyd! But he is being held by snakes. What will Jinlong do?
Jinlong voice: Chapter 9: Raging Dragon
The desert was really sort of terrible. It was like a beach, but stretching on endlessly, without any water, and with searing heat. So, really, its sandiness was all the desert had in common with a beach.
Trudging along, Jinlong's chicken-esque claws made strange prints in the sand as she dragged them along. She'd shifted into a dragon long ago to conserve water and cover more ground, but she no longer had the energy to fly.
"Help!" A sudden scream caught Jin's attention and kicked adrenaline into her system. "Help us!"
Leaping off the ground and commanding herself to stay airborne, the white-and-gold dragon shot through the air, the hot wind whipping through her mane, stinging her eyes.
She found the source of the screams quickly: two old women and three young girls, all carrying jugs, were surrounded by what appeared to be thieves.
Jinlong landed, curling her body around the circle of humans as much as she could(she was still quite small for a dragon), her jaws open so her gleaming fangs were visible.
All the humans froze, their eyes locked on the dragon. Jin hissed, an ancient and deadly sound, moving closer to one of the thieves.
He fled, sprinting in the other direction as fast as possible in the thick sand. After a moment and another hissing growl from Jinlong, the rest of the thieves followed.
Slowly, the Gold Dragon turned to the women and girls, who were shaking and terrified. Then, she shifted to a human, her golden hair and freckles glistening in the sun.
"Are you all alright?" She asked.
"You- you're a dragon," One of the girl's breathed. "And a girl."
Jin smiled broadly, revealing her fangs, but said nothing.
"Wow," The smallest of the girls, no older than 7, gasped. "I wish my teeth were like that. Then no one would try an' steal our water."
"Are you a demon?" One of the older ladies asked, her voice guarded.
"Of course not!" Jin stepped back, offended. "I am a dragon!"
"You look rather young for a dragon," Another old woman said. "How old are you? 100? 150?"
"No! I'm 14!"
The elders still looked skeptical, while the younger girls stared at Jinlong, giggling, grinning.
"Do you have a village?" Jin asked. "I've been walking for days and could really use some shade."
The women stiffened and the girls quieted. "Of course. Follow us."
The dragon winced. "You don't have to, I was just-"
"No, no, come along. Follow us."
oOo
After trudging behind the women and girls(who clearly still believed Jin to be a demon) for nearly an hour, they finally came upon a massive rock, almost mountainous, with tunnels and caves all through it, and a cluster of dug-outs and huts surrounding it.
"Welcome to the village of Gobi," One of the old women said. "We must bring our water to the storage rooms, but we will be back soon."
"Alright," Jin nodded absently, plopping herself down in the shade of a hut as the women and girls scurried off.
Looking around, she saw that everyone in Gobi was dressed like the ladies she'd met, even the men. They all wore loose, threadbare tunics and pants, colored in faded reds and oranges and browns. Their skin was darker than Jin's, and everyone's hair was black and cut short.
She sighed, leaning her head against the hut and closing her eyes. It was so hot...after a moment, the dragon-girl pulled out a water bottle from her sack and downed it, before someone's conversation caught her ears.
"Blasted snakes," A man was saying. "They're riling up the bandits and making them even more desperate."
"They're creepy, too," A much younger voice piped up. "And so tall."
They must be talking about the Serpentine!
Standing up, Jinlong walked over to the group of villagers.
"Excuse me," She said. "But could you tell me where these snakes were last seen?"
"Out by the Desert Temple," A man said. "East. But I don't recommend going- those snake folk are dangerous. I hear they've even got a little boy as a hostage."
"Thank you, sir!" Jin hastily bowed and scampered off, ignoring the man's cries. She shifted into a dragon, flying east as fast as she could.
I'm coming, Lloyd. I'm coming!
The hot desert air stung her eyes as she flew. Her adrenaline was ebbing, leaving weariness and heat exhaustion in its wake.
No, come on, she told herself. Don't get all tired now!
But her pep-talk was in vain and Jin soon found herself slowly drooping from the air, her claws dragging against the scalding sand.
Up, pull up…
The sun blazed down on her. It never got this hot on Huan.
She slowly sank into the sand, a memory flashing through her head.
"Sanshe! I said I'm sorry!"
"Little pest," The sand-snake hissed, his sand-colored hair blowing over his livid face. "I should teach you a lesson!"
Shifting into a dragon, Sanshe tossed the young Jinlong onto the beach a few feet away, before rearing up and diving into the sand, disappearing from view.
Spitting sand from her mouth, Jinlong felt something coil around her ankles, then yank her down into the warm, loose sand.
She tried to scream, but sand just rushed into her open mouth. She thrashed, desperate, trying to claw her way back to the surface. Out of instinct, Jin shifted into a dragon, which finally pushed her head above the sand.
Needless to say, Jinlong never messed with Sanshe again.
Opening her eyes, Jin saw that she'd stopped entirely and was laying in the sand. So much sand…
In the distance, wavering and fuzzy with the mirage from the heat, a bright, arctic-blue shape appeared, followed by a taller, purple one. The hot, convection-oven wind brought their filthy green scent and Jin gritted her fangs. Serpentine.
She heaved herself up, vision spinning, when she caught a much more pleasant, familiar scent. Mud and faint strawberries. Lloyd.
Jinlong heard their slithery voices, coupled with the blood pounding through her head. She was barely aware as she rushed into a gallop.
She heard the snakes shout, watched as they readied weapons, but all that Jinlong could focus on was the wide-eyed boy in a cage.
Something whizzed by her head and the dragon stumbled, but quickly regained her speed. Lloyd was so close… so close!
Just as she reached the snake carrying the obviously-terrified boy, Jin felt a fiery pain slice across her back just as she locked eyes with Lloyd.
"Jin?" He whispered, eyes wide in awe and terror.
As she shifted into a human, grimacing from the pain across her back, she heard Lloyd gasp and suddenly her vision exploded white, then the light seemed to rush away at an impossible speed, leaving only darkness.
oOo
Fire blossomed in her chest, driving any air from her lungs.
"Look," A voice said. "She's shifting again. Why?"
"I do not know," Said another voice that Jin instantly placed as Yaolong the Herb Dragon. "It could be her body trying to save itself. Or it could be the lack of oxygen causing hallucinations."
These dreams didn't make sense. Lack of oxygen? And what was her body trying to save itself from? Nothing made sense.
Announcer voice: Next time, on Way of the Dragon: The ninja arrive! But will they be able to save their friends? Find out tomorrow!