4. Drage/Dragon
The sun had dawned on the rather gray and quiet day; Njalla awoke, slowly as a great pain filled her extremities and her skin itched. She could feel a cold rock pressing on her face, the sounds of birds and rustling of trees made her realize that she was no longer at the village.
Her eyes felt funny as if slanted and angled on her head differently. She attempted to reach up and gingerly massage her aching temples, she stopped when smooth leathery scales touched it. In surprise she brought her hands down to view them, sure enough feet almost like paws but tough with claws all colored obsidian and sleek as a black cat. She literally fell backwards it was true, she was a dragon! Njalla tried to stand but fell on her side, she looked over to see a long black tail with two wing like appendages attached for flying. Now she paused to take in her whole body, she was smooth and almost cat-like her body was streamlined with gorgeous onyx wings that fluttered gracefully, she could shuffle using her tale for balance. Then she ambled over to a near by stream to have a look at herself, a feline face stared back brilliant green eyes stared back at her just like her own but reptilian and mystic, she had pointed ears that could stand up strait when excited and down when threatened. Her whole body and life had changed, she was no longer a human woman but a also noticed she had definite scales and ridges that were aerodynamic, perfect for flying. After spending a few hours discovering her new self, and dealing with mixed emotions, it was time to explore. She had no idea where she had flown the dragon side of her last night had taken over and had used flight to put her to safety. She ambled back to where she had woken up, a small indent of where she had lain, in dark green grass with rocks spread out, a rocky-hillside not too high by dragon standard but enough to put her off. "I don't think I'll go just yet." She said to herself while attempting to sit up and not crunch her tail. Njalla also noticed that sometimes the dragon she was melded with sometimes gave input as if his spirit was still there and not anywhere else. "Well it's just you and me, my village my people are gone..." Njalla couldn't hold back, she let out a keening wail that would give any creature a run, her grief broke the silence of the small glen, a sadness that couldn't be measure by any means she had lost her people, her life her body and herself. The night came on quickly, she burrowed herself into the grass the chill set in but her thick scales prevented her from being cold, her anguish brought her a dreamless sleep from which she wouldn't awake for two days.
The almost hibernation state she found herself in was disturbed after two days by the call of another dragon, Njalla was jerked awake by the surprise screech that came from the fog surrounding her glen. Immediately on the defense she made herself appear like a rock to discourage it. The screech became closer and more of a ringing pitch, that shook her, at last she heard the rustle of wings and furrowing of grass that confirmed that landing occurred.
Njalla lifted her black smoothed bat like wing to gaze at this new dragon, a large green and brown mottled Bullrougher with yellow eyes greeted her. "Good flying." He spoke or did his mouth move? Wondered Njalla, no it was telepathic. "Hello to you sir, it is good flying." She responded, hoping he understood, realizing that her thoughts were probably in dragon tongue. "I have not sen a Njahl drage before or as the humans call ye a Night Fury." "Yes, I was captured by them and barely managed to get away." Njalla silently prayed to Odin that she was convincing. "I'm sorry that, bloody creatures, tasty too but little pricks they be. But never less I forget me manners when I be talking to a lady such as ye, I'm called Vaored, who be ye?" "Njalla." "Ah pretty name suits ye, parents picked a good that Ag ha." Vaored said thoughtfully as he have a her a toothy grin, before nuzzling some grass by his foot. Njalla nodded, perhaps his company would help, Thor knows she could use it as long as he didn't learn that she was truly human. "Ah but where's your reir where ye folredre be?"Vaored asked looking into her eyes as if scrutinizing her movements. "They are gone I have no folredre and my reir is gone." These words almost brought on another wail, but Njalla held back, Vaored could see it though and nudged her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Odin bless them." "Thank you Vaored." She said softly, he gave a toothy dragon grin again, he was a good sized dragon similar to a Gronkle in size sturdy and stocky. "Have ye eaten much Ag ha?" Vaored inquired, gently. "Regretfully I haven't eaten for three days." Njalla said, looking down embarrassed. "Ah, well lets find ye something, ye care for land or taste Ah ga?" Vaored asked his brows knitting in thought of where they could eat. Njalla pawed the ground, fish would be wonderful she thought to herself. "There is a stream here just over passed these rocks, and I have seen fish." She said, looking up at him. "Well then Ag ha, lets have a look and see what fish there be. Your a young one aren't ye? Having trouble and after those humans took ye, no wonder ye can't find things." Vaored said kindly, as they ambled over to the stream.
Fishing as a dragon took patience, Njalla tried as hard as she could without looking suspicious and managed to catch a couple to fill herself. Vaored had caught several and enjoyed throwing them up in the air, blowing a fireball and then swallowing the burnt fish whole. Njalla preferred to to chew and not roast, this was how she discovered that her teeth retracted themselves. She was about to take a bite when she felt a pop in her mouth and pressure, running her tongue along she realized that it was her teeth. The teeth retracted to avoid being damaged in flight and to allow the scream like fireballs without significant damage to her teeth. Vaored was patient and soon became her friend, she enjoyed his company immensely. He made up for the loss of family she had suffered. Vaored had a story of his own, he was no young dragon and had experienced many sides bore the scars of battles fought, won and lost, his scales though still shiny and health loosing their luster of youth.
But a deeper scar was there, one that wasn't revealed until one night when the breezes blew colder and the moon was full. "I was a young dragon like you once, Njalla. My folredre had a vast territory spanning to the Northern Sea, we weren't challenge for space or location by any drage. Until Rarror or the Red Death as the humans call him took over." "Who's Rarror?" Njalla asked as she tucked in her wings against the wind. "Rarror is a large drage, bigger than you or me, as tall as a mountain, only one like him is born every 100 years. They are as old as the seas and just as cruel, they believe they are to rule us, to the point of giving mahala, or the sight." Vaored said and then finished a half eaten fish. "What's mahala?" "A curse or an almost knowing, it controls the mind, making any drage come to the Rarror it can mean to bring food or instant death." Vaored said his red eyes boring into hers, Njalla shivered. "I ran into Rarror on an evening as a young drage, he tried to coerce me change my flight path and everything to mahala and I refused. Ye see these scars on me back?" Njalla nodded. "That was when I escaped from Rarror, he tried to catch me. He managed to damage me wing, but Ag ha, he got nothing a drage can hold his will and that brute can't do anything." Vaored finished before licking his wing favorably. Njalla was processing all of this, a drage as big as a mountain and a hellish creature to boot. "But Vaored, if mahala can be rejected then why don't the other drage do the same?" Njalla asked, Vaored stopped licking and began to mull it over moving his lips in thought. "Well Ag ha, I think some have, but he rules with fear and death, he eats those who defy him. And finds ways to mess with their hearts and minds." Vaored said as he tucked in his wings, and curled into the grass. "Ye won't seek him out will ye Ag ha?" Vaored asked looking up at her from his grassy bed. "I shall avoid him, thank you Vaored." Njalla said lying down on her feet with tail wrapped around. Vaored's guttural snores soon filled her. Still uneasy about The Red Death she was awake for awhile staring at the stars for comfort, before finally tucking into her wing and falling into a dreamless sleep.