(Disclaimer: Don't own anything except the following story)
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Return of the Dragon Slayer.
Chapter Eight.
"Jesus Christ…" muttered Sam as the roars continued to echo round the realm; it was frightening and exhilarating at the same time. Any disbelief he had in the existence of dragons was dispelled when he heard the roars, they couldn't come from anything but. He looked at Finn "Where are they?"
"Hidden" she smiled "Okay, lets get going" she turned the horse round and headed towards three horsemen who were waiting not far off "Tom, Zach, Darius…" she smiled "better get moving"
"After a welcome like that, you better believe it" said a tall blonde man who smiled warmly at them "Hi Caleb"
Caleb waved "Hi Zach. We're gonna see the dragons!"
He smiled at the boy "They've been waiting" he glanced at Dean, nodded and turned his horse.
They moved slowly along grass track, keeping close to the tree-line. Zach was in the lead, Dean and Finn behind him, Sam and Caleb behind them. Darius stayed at Sam and Caleb's side, Tom at the rear and Wolf keeping pace close to Caleb. All had their swords ready and conversation was kept to a strict minimum, even the horses seemed to know to be wary.
Sam stared in awe at his surroundings. Everywhere he looked, something else grabbed his attention, then it was stolen by another unbelievable sight. He longed to get off the horse and inspect it all more closely. The blue grass was almost iridescent and the purple flowers that filled it seemed to follow their progress. There was so much here that defied explanation; the silver-bark of the trees, their deep green-veined red leaves; the pale-blue shrubs that littered the landscape, some holding golden berries, others white; and the sky…the swirling pink and orange patters that made you want to never look away. He looked around trying to spot the sun and found it; it didn't hurt to look at, not like the sun in his world…the soft golden glow it gave off seemed to filter down slowly, gently touching all underneath it and showering a blanket of warmth over them. Sam grinned, he was in love.
Dean sat behind Finn, his hand resting on her hip as he looked around, his smile growing wider at everything he saw. The familiar blue fields, the silver and red trees and the pink and orange sky that were a constant in his dreams; he felt the caress of the gentle breeze against his face and the sweet smells it carried. He was back. He knew this was where he was meant to be, the roars that had signalled his return had run through him like electricity. Every muscle, every nerve, every part of him had come alive when they'd trumpeted their calls through the sky.
Finn wasn't enjoying being back home as much as she thought she would. Yes, she loved her home, every part of it but what was happening here …this wasn't the home she loved. It was being torn apart and if….no, when they went to war it would be torn apart further. She felt Dean shift behind her, she turned and saw him wince "You alright?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah, fine" he rolled his left shoulder to ease the slight discomfort he felt "How far are we going?" he asked just as quietly.
"Shouldn't take longer than two hours before we're at camp"
"You know I don't really do the whole 'camping' thing. Sitting round fires toasting marshmallows on sticks, singing 'Kum-bi-ya', group hugs and the like…" he grinned.
She laughed softly "We'll keep the group hugs to a minimum and we'll just use the sticks to poke you in the arse"
"Hey, I'm the Dragon Slayer, lady…show some respect" he grinned "Don't make me throw you in the dungeons" he grinned again, he couldn't help himself, being back here lifted his soul.
She rolled her eyes and laughed again "Good lord…I've created a monster"
"Wenches! I want wenches!" he cocked his head "There are wenches here, right?"
"Dean, you call any women here 'wenches', you'll be wearing your balls as earrings" she laughed "Although…" she shook her head, trying to hide a smile "forget it"
"No. no, you finish that….oh…" he grinned "yeah, you keep that to yourself" he cocked his head again, then smiled and turned "Caleb"
"What?" the boy asked, frowning at Dean.
Dean pointed to a line of mountains in the distance "Watch. You too, Sam" he turned back and whispered in Finn's ear "Has Caleb seen a dragon?" she shook her head "Well we're about to get a fly-by, hold on" he put his arm around Finn's waist "Hold up" he called to Zach "Steady the horses"
They pulled the horses to a stop and watched as, over the mountains, a black form shot towards the sky. They watched as it reached dizzying heights before free-falling towards the earth. It was about fifty feet from the ground when it issued a roar and its wings snapped open. It pulled up gracefully and headed in their direction, its wings moving in slow motion, at odds with its speed; it was rocketing towards them. Dean kicked at Picasso's flanks, urging the horse to the front of the line. The dragon roared again as it bore down on them.
Dean held up his hand "Easy…re-sheathe your swords and stand your ground!"
They returned their swords to their scabbards and stared in awe as the dragon hurtled towards them; it was easily sixty-feet in length, its wing-span about the same; its two-horned head was the size of a small car. It held its taloned-feet tight against its body as it raced forward, its tail held straight behind it; it was beautifully streamlined.
Finn felt Dean's arm tighten around her and he whispered again "Just stay still" she could hear the smile in his voice…but that was easy for him to say, she was sitting in front of him and the dragon was fifty feet from them and closing fast.
The dragon roared again and the sound washed over them like a wave. Finn could see the golden, serpentine eyes of the dragon, the eyes that were focussed, unblinking, on Dean. As it got to ten feet from her it turned on its side and rose slightly, soaring past, its blood-red wings blocking the sun as it exposed its belly to them; the iridescent blue and green scales so close, you could reach out a hand and touch them. The dragon shot along the line of riders issuing another roar as it took to the skies again.
"Just stay where you are!" said Dean and they watched as the dragon circled back and flew past again, this time from behind them; the wind created by its wings, ruffling their hair and the manes and tails of the horses. It took to the skies again, looking back once, its eyes focussed on Dean as it issued a final roar. They watched in wonderment as it dipped one of its wings before disappearing behind the mountains.
Finn turned to Dean, a smile splitting her face "That was fucking awesome! I about shat myself but…fucking awesome!"
Dean laughed at her delight "And she wasn't fully grown either"
"Get out!"
He shook his head, his smile as wide as hers "She's a juvenile" he grinned "they get bigger…much bigger" he turned back to the others; Zach was staring open mouthed "You alright, dude?" he asked.
Zach looked at Dean "I think I soiled myself" he grinned.
Dean laughed and looked back at Sam "Sammy?"
Sam shook his head, his eyes still trained on the distant mountain; he pulled his gaze back to his brothers and gave him a goofy grin "We're moving here"
Dean smiled at his brother, he knew he'd love Larten Vola, had known the first time he'd visited the place. "Caleb?"
Caleb grinned at Dean "I SEE A DRAGON!" he clapped and laughed loudly, bouncing up and down in the saddle "I THINK I PEED IN MY PANTS!"
"I did pee in my pants" said a dark haired man next to Sam.
"Seriously, Darius?" asked Finn as she laughed.
He put a hand to his crotch and grinned "I'm gonna go with …sweat" he turned "Tom? Tom? You alright?"
Tom finally looked at Darius "That…it…I…we…fuck me…" he grinned widely.
"Well I think its unanimous" said Finn "that seriously rocked!"
Dean smiled "And I hate to spoil the party but the word 'sitting' and 'duck' keep flashing through my head" and he kicked at Picasso's flanks "Lead on, Zach"
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They rode for just over an hour, before the landscape started to change. The trees started to become denser the closer they got to the mountains and the grass had changed from bright blue to a deep rust colour. The wind had picked up and there was a chill about it now as they were cast in shadow, the mountain they were heading towards now blocking most of the sunlight
Finn turned to Dean "Not far now…the Loch Forest is just around that bend" Dean nodded, he and Finn were now travelling in an easy semi-silence, an unspoken truce "I'll take the lead once we're in, you keep your sword at the ready though. Zach'll drop back and guard Caleb"
"We're safe in here though, isn't that what Amos said?"
Finn nodded "But the outskirts of Loch Forest are where we're most vulnerable, so we're going to ride in quickly" she looked up "Zach?" he nodded and dropped back, the three men forming a protective guard around Caleb and Sam. She looked back and smiled at Caleb "You want to go for another gallop, kiddo?"
He grinned "Yes! I like to ride!"
She ignored Dean's whispered 'me too' "You hold onto Bull" he nodded and grabbed the horse's mane. She urged Picasso into a trot and they made the bend, Finn's eyes quickly scanning the forest.
"You gotta be shitting me? We're going in there?" asked Sam incredulously.
Finn laughed softly, Loch Forest was anything but. Its trees were completely black; black trunks and black branches. There were no leaves on them and even though they lacked foliage, their branches were so large and long, they intertwined with the tree next to it, creating a dark canopy that allowed little light through. They were unable to see the ground through the swirling mist that covered the forest floor, the mist that seemed to reach out of the forest in places before being dragged back to its rightful place.
"It looks like something out of ' The Brothers Grim'" he looked at Finn "Are you sure we have to go in there?"
She nodded "You'll be fine, Sam. Just …stay with Zach, Darius and Tom…and if you see a 'gingerbread house'…do not get off your horse" she grinned.
"You're freakin' hilarious, Finn" said Sam as he stared in trepidation at the forest "Great. The deep, dark forest, nothing good can come of this…" he muttered.
"Stop your whining, Hansel" grinned Dean "there's a pack of M&M's in my bag if you want to leave a trail to find your way out again"
Sam looked at Caleb "Your Mom and Dad think they're comedians"
Caleb giggled "S'Alright Uncle Sam, the witches only take people whose names start with 'S'…oh…" he grinned "You're in trouble"
Sam ruffled the boys hair and whispered "Smart ass" and Caleb giggled.
"Alright, Caleb you hold on and lie down like I showed you" he held tight to Bull's mane and lowered himself against the horse "That's my boy" he grinned at her "Okay, keep your ears and eyes open, if we encounter anything, Zach, Darius, Tom, take Sam and Caleb straight to camp, do NOT stop. Dean and I'll handle it" they nodded. "Okay. Hold on, Dean" she kicked at Picasso's flanks "HA!" and the horse leapt forward, racing at full speed towards Loch Forest and into the darkness.
Dean held tight to Finn as they galloped towards the woods, his eyes scanning for any movement that seemed out of place within the trees. "Keep low!" Finn yelled as they raced into the treeline. The temperature dropped dramatically as soon as they were inside, as did their vision. It was dark in here. They wove their way through the trees, ducking under low hanging branches and leaping over fallen logs that only the horse could see, The only sound, those of the horses hooves thundering through the forest, it didn't echo though, the forest seemed to swallow the sounds, claiming them as its own. Dean couldn't see any signs of life here but…he sensed that this place was alive, that every movement, every sound, each intrusion was being recorded by the forest itself.
They kept a steady pace for twenty minutes before the trees started to thin out a little and Finn slowly bought them back to a trot. She turned to Dean "You alright?"
He grinned "I'm having a blast"
She laughed and shifted round further to look at the others "You alright, Caleb?"
He sat up, grinning from ear to ear "I having fun!"
She laughed "Good for you. Sam?"
He pointed to a scratch on his cheek "I forgot to duck" he grinned "This horse is awesome" he patted Bull's neck and the horse snorted and nodded. Sam grinned "He agrees"
"Don't get too attached to him, Sam. That's Dean's horse" said Finn and Bull snorted again.
"Bull's mine?" asked Dean.
"Yeah, Caleb said Bull belonged to you"
Dean grinned "My own horse, swords, shield, dragons…I'm in a freakin' fairy-tale"
Finn laughed and slowed them down to a walk "We'll be there in about ten minutes. Darius, ride ahead and let them know we're coming" and he rode off to their right.
Dean looked at his surroundings, the trees weren't the dull-black of burnt wood he initially thought; each was a different shade of black and the bark was like velvet, some of the trees had a silvery-sheen to them while others were so rich in colour they seemed to pulse with life. It wasn't at all oppressive like he thought it would be, it held a beauty all of its own. "It's beautiful here"
Finn turned her head and nodded "Not many people think it is"
"Why not?"
"Because the woods are cursed. It's a long story" she smiled "Might tell you around the campfire as we're toasting marshmallows"
Sam rode up next to them "My ass hurts" he smiled when he noticed that even though Dean didn't need to, he still had his arm around Finn's waist.
"We're almost there, Sam" she pointed and he could see the beginnings of a clearing "Take a deep breath"
He did and he was hit by the smell of something cooking that made his mouth water "Oh, man, I'm starved"
"Me too, Mamma"
"Come on then" she urged Picasso into a trot and within minutes they were in the clearing.
"Fuck me…" said Dean. When Finn had said the were going to a camp, he'd assumed it was gonna be a couple of tents surrounding a small fire, he wasn't at all prepared for what he saw. This wasn't a camp it was a garrison.
There were more tents than he could count, small fires littered the clearing…which was more of an open field than anything else. There was a large coral filled with horses, makeshift tables with food laid out on it and a large marquee off to the left; and there were hundreds of Ancients either sword training, fixing food, tending to the horses, fixing barricades.
He watched as they all stopped what they were doing and looked at the new arrivals "Camp, my ass" he whispered in Finn's ear.
Finn turned and smiled into Dean's grinning face "Welcome to the Rebel Army, Dean"
To be continued…