July 12th
Just got back from visiting an underwater city in Telmak! It's called Maashva and is dragon for "fish circle". Maa = fish; shva = circle/loop/ring. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure the city was designed in a perfect circle…
You have to hold your breath for a bit to get down there. Luckily, Mabel and I were on the back of Duncan the water dragon so the trip down only took about a minute and a half or so. But once you pass through the big arch lined with pearls at the entrance, it's almost like being on land. You can swim or just walk and you can even talk and breathe perfectly fine. Bill said that dragon magic is unique and lets you do all kinds of crazy stuff like that. The whole city is surrounded by a weird magic dome. You can pass through it, but it only takes effect if you pass through the arch.
The city is all shades of blue with some green and glowing pink pearls. The buildings are all dome and/or tube shaped with really intricately carved designs all over them. In the center of the city is a big building that looks like a giant fish. I think it's like the equivalent of a townhall or something. There are all kinds of fish, some I know but others I think are unique to Telmak. Instead of trees or flowers, they have all kinds of beautiful corals and sea plants. The only actual flowers they have are the Sirensong Amaranths.
Sirensong Amaranth –
Aqua/teal-colored petals with light blue dots and pistils. The flower glows light blue. The petals are somewhat rubbery in texture. Reminds me of petting that dolphin at the aquarium.
Grows on the end of leafy stalks that highly resemble seaweed or kelp. Deep green color.
Stalks were as long as 4 feet!
Flower emits a faint humming sound, almost like it's singing to you.
It seems to do perfectly fine detached from its stalk and out of the water. In fact, all the Amaranths we've collected so far are perfectly fine and show no signs of wilting or drying. I guess it's true that they're undying. Dionysus said that they can be destroyed, but they're not quite as delicate as a regular flower since Amaranths are made of magic. They don't need water or sunlight, just magic.
When we got to Maashva, it was almost completely abandoned. It turns out that shadows have been returning and causing trouble as Ragnarok's return grows nearer. I've learned that smaller, weaker shadows travel in large groups or packs, while the bigger, stronger ones will usually wander off on their own. Shadows are physical embodiments of negativity and dark magic and they feed off of negative emotions. By wreaking havoc and hurting or killing others, they make more negativity and grow stronger. As they grow stronger, they get bigger, and some of them can even manage to steal and use elemental magic.
The shadow tormenting Maashva was a giant shark that almost acted like a submarine because inside of it, it carried around a bunch of smaller fishy shadows. They were like really ugly piranhas. Like, if piranhas and anglerfish crossbred into mutants. The big one even had glowing red beam eyes! Freaking weird.
In the townhall, we found a water dragon they called Alpha. His real name is Xaxyl. In dragon culture, the leader of a city, town, village, etc. is known as the alpha. Kind of like a mayor. The alpha usually has a second in command called a beta. Everyone else is referred to as omegas. The alpha's job is to protect and guide the omegas of their territory. The beta helps and can either act as a messenger when the alpha cannot leave the territory, or can look after the territory in the alpha's place. They also take over as alpha if something were to happen to the alpha. Have I written about this already? It just fascinates me.
Side note: Apparently the world that Bill came from had a similar social structure but only had one alpha and one beta for the whole dimension.
Anyways, it's not uncommon for dragons to just refer to the alpha as "Alpha" or "the alpha" instead of their actual name.
So, we all helped Alpha out with that shadow problem he was having. While everyone else distracted the shark, Bill and Amy slipped inside of its mouth. Bill blew it up from the inside-out with magic fire. It was pretty cool honestly.
I'd like to go visit Maashva again sometime. You know, when it's not under attack. Really, I'd like to spend a year or two just exploring Telmak. Maybe longer. I've been thinking that I want to be an explorer of sorts when I finish school. Well, I want to go to college first, but then I want to set out and explore crazy places like Telmak! I'm going to need more journals…
…
"What's the next flower we should go for?" Dipper asked.
Ghost, Flora, Dionysus, and Crusade were all circled together and discussing something quietly near the sheep fence. They turned to the boy as he and his sister approached.
"You got one just yesterday and you're already asking for more?" Crusade mocked surprise. "Someone's getting greedy. Tsk-tsk."
"Hey, you guys are the ones who said Ragnarok could break through any day now."
"The Golden Amaranth…" Flora said. "Grows only in this world…however…"
The twins exchanged confused looks. "What?"
She looked worried. "Well…we do not know…where."
"Since Valor's death," Ghost explained, "Golden Amaranths no longer bloom."
"I thought those flowers couldn't die?" Mabel tilted her head.
"They don't," Crusade said, "unless they're destroyed. And it takes a lot to destroy them." He shrugged and stretched out in the grass, almost covering the humans with his wing.
"Amaranths are offshoots of the tether trees…" Flora told them. "Every year…the guardian…the one attached to that tree…uses their magic to revitalize it. It gives it a sort of…boost. If this does not occur…the Amaranths won't bloom. They will hide away…in slumber."
"Two Amaranths are exceptions to this," Ghost added. "The Blood and the Crystal."
"Yeah, hey," Mabel prodded her brother. "Remember? The Blood Amaranths didn't show up until Dawnbringer made them."
"And the Crystals are slow to go into hibernation," Ghost nodded. "There are not as many now, but there are a few in secret places still blooming."
"Yeah," Crusade yawned. "Except, you know, the Crystal Amaranth only grows in Necronire, so."
Ghost eyed him. "Even so, we may soon be able to locate a Golden Amaranth. It has been decided."
"What has?" Dipper asked.
"Gaia and Ouroboros…" Flora smiled. "Have determined a new official guardian…for Avas…this world."
"Really?" The siblings looked excited. "Who?"
The dragons exchanged glances, Flora and Crusade grinning. "Never mind that now," Ghost snorted. "Crusade and I will go to look for a Sky Amaranth. The last time we went there were…complications." He turned and vanished.
"Later losers!" Crusade winked and, with a powerful flap of his wings, took to the air just above the trees.
"I must assist...with preparations." Flora lowered her head to nuzzle the twins. "The guardian will take his place tomorrow…at sunrise. I will come to retrieve you…if you wish to see."
"Heck yeah we do!" Mabel said, not realizing that it meant she would have to wake up very early.
…
"What should we do in the meantime?" Dipper had just finished telling everyone else about their earlier conversation with the dragons.
Teeth tilted his head, not entirely sure of what the boy was talking about during his explanation. Stan and Ford exchanged looks.
Amy tilted her head. She was leaning back against a pile of fresh hay with Bill close by. "Well, Ghost mentioned that it wouldn't be the best idea for everyone to be out at the same time right now."
"But there are three dragons left!" Mabel said. "And that's not even counting you!"
"I wouldn't count myself," Amy muttered. "Besides, Teeth is an eater not a fighter, Dionysus technically isn't a dragon, and Bill still has problems with his magic. Though, he won't admit it."
Bill huffed but did not retort.
"Can't we just stay here today?" Teeth whined. "I'm hungry."
"Ooh!" Mabel jumped up suddenly. "Let's have a slumber party! Here! In the barn!"
"I'm leaving." Bill got up and walked away.
"A what?" Teeth frowned. "What is that?"
"It's fun!" She ran off. "I'll go get everything and bring it here!"
Amy stared blankly as she ran out. "It's only two in the evening."
After dinner, Mabel had excitedly taken off out the front door. She had spent that whole afternoon bringing things into the old barn with the help of Dionysus. Amy and Dipper exchanged looks before going out to the barn themselves.
In the barn they found an old television placed at the back with microphones and some kind of console attached to it. Almost every blanket and pillow from the house was there as well, and a big carnival style popcorn machine overflowing in the corner where Teeth was gorging himself.
"Hey," Amy said. "That's the popcorn machine from my storage room upstairs. How did you get that here?"
"And how are you using this stuff in the barn?" Dipper added.
"I got Dionysus to help me," Mabel smiled as Dionysus, disguised as a ginger cat, poked his head from around the TV. "He helped me get this stuff down here, and then he used his powers to make it work."
"So what now?" Teeth asked through a mouthful of popcorn.
"Fun!" Mabel threw her arms up. She went over to the TV and picked up a microphone. "We can do karaoke."
"Karaoke?" Amy made a face.
"Or we can talk about boys," Mabel wiggled her eyebrows.
"Karaoke," Dipper said, "pick karaoke."
"Yeah, let's do karaoke," Amy agreed.
"So, you take this," Mabel showed Teeth one of the microphones. "And you sing the words that pop up on the screen as they appear. That's karaoke!"
"Ehh…" the monster dragon still seemed confused.
"Watch. We'll show you!" She gave one of the microphones to Amy.
"We?"
"Two is better than one," Mabel said before the song 'Wannabe' started, catching Amy off guard. She quickly joined Mabel, smirking at the girl's insane enthusiasm.
Teeth grinned, his confusion turning into amusement. "That was funny," he said after the song ended.
"Want to try?" Mabel held her microphone to him.
.
"Jazz hands!" Mabel shook her hands after the song finished.
"What?" Teeth said. "You didn't say anything about that."
"I improvised. Hey!" She thrust her microphone at Stan as he and Ford walked into the barn. "You should totally sing, too!"
He stared, narrow-eyed, at her for a long moment before taking the microphone. "What the heck?"
"Yes! This one!"
Near the end of the song, Teeth and the twins joined in parts as well while Amy and cat Dionysus laughed at Bud, who was howling excitedly.
After a few hours of fun and games, and a hilarious game of tag between Mabel and Dionysus, they all settled down in blankets and pillows to sleep. With a flick of his tail, Dionysus magically turned the TV off and the barn light clicked off.
Amy laid there on her side in the darkness, facing the wall and taking in the scent of hay. She couldn't get herself to fall asleep for some reason and she was trying to figure out why. It's not like sleeping on a pile of hay was new or uncomfortable to her, but something felt off. It must have been about thirty or more minutes that she was laying there wide awake before she saw the pale moonlight peek in and cast itself onto the wall. Someone had opened the barn doors just a little. Then, they closed and the barn's interior was dark again. She turned over to look just as Bill settled down beside her, sitting cross-legged.
"Oh," he said quietly. "You're still awake."
She turned onto her back now. "I can't sleep. Not sure why."
"Maybe because you're trying to sleep on a barn floor…" he muttered.
"Maybe," she huffed with amusement. "Or it might be that I'm too used to you being there. I feel a little better now that you're here, actually."
"That so? Huh… That's the opposite of what people usually feel when I show up."
"What did you come in here for anyway?"
"Oh, that… Well…" He scratched his head. "I like to watch you sleep."
She had to stop herself from laughing so that she would not wake anyone up. "That's so weird!" she said quietly. "But what else can I expect? If you're not doing that then you're invading my dreams out of boredom, so."
He shrugged.
She gestured lazily with her hand and he laid down on his side beside her. After watching her close her eyes, and a few minutes of hesitation, he lightly placed his hand on her stomach. She opened her eyes halfway but said nothing. Instead, she placed her hand on top of his and turned her head to press it into his neck as he moved closer.
…
Flora stepped lightly into the barn and looked around. It was early morning, still dark, but she was more than used to seeing in the dark. She smiled softly upon seeing all of them sleeping. Only Bill was awake, sitting near Amy and watching Flora. The dragoness gently nudged the others awake.
"Ugh," Mabel grunted. "Just five more minutes."
"Come now…" Flora said gently. "If you wish to see…the new guardian take his place… We must go…to the halfway point of the mountain."
"Urrg, I'm awake." She rubbed her eyes and sat up.
Outside, Ford was waiting wide-awake. "Great Uncle Ford?" Dipper said. "You're coming, too?"
"Of course!" he said. "I can't miss an opportunity like this!"
Flora led the way with Amy and Bill on her back while Teeth followed with Ford, Stan, and the twins on his back; Dionysus had transformed himself into a mountain goat to climb. At the halfway point they found Crusade, and nearby was Zephyr and some other dragons they had not met before.
"Wow." Dipper slid down from Teeth's back. "They're all here to watch?"
"Of course," Crusade grinned. "If it weren't for the current shadow problem, there'd be a lot more onlookers. The other guardians would be here too, but, well you know the deal with that."
"But after this…" Flora said. "Gaia and Ouroboros will be able to move freely again."
"It's them!" Mabel tugged her brother's arm.
They looked over to see Icarus and Cupid approaching. "Calm yourselves," Icarus said. "After my brother separated all of us, we met up with Father, er, Ouroboros and he…informed me of my mistakes. Cupid also talked with me." He snorted and looked away. "I suppose I must apologize." He bowed lowly.
Cupid smiled and bowed dramatically like a performer. "Greetings! I do hope you can find it in yourselves to forgive my elder brother. He can be quite rash. We have not been formally introduced." He placed a hand on his chest. "I am Cupid. This is Icarus. We are the offspring of Ouroboros."
They were a bit dumbfounded but introduced themselves as well.
"Dawnbringer!" Mabel said excitedly.
The huge hawk-like phoenix landed gracefully beside them. "Greetings! From your lack of calling, I assume you have not needed my help yet."
"Actually, we could've used your help a few times," Mabel said.
"Wait," Dipper scratched his head. "You were serious when you told us to call you? How do we call you?"
She threw her wings up suddenly, almost hitting Crusade who yelped in response. "Call my name to the heavens, and I shall come if I am able!"
"That's it?"
She folded her wings. "Yes."
"It's starting!" a dragon hissed excitedly from somewhere.
They all turned to watch the sun begin to rise, its warm light creeping across the land. The light crawled up the mountain and passed over them, bathing them all in a warm orange glow. They followed it and awed as a massive tree appeared at the very top of the mountain with a solid white dragon hovering above it.
"Is that Ghost?" Ford shielded his eyes as he looked up.
"Yes," Flora smiled.
Ghost took a breath and spread his wings. The moment the light touched the tree, a magical golden aura burst from him and enveloped the tree. Ribbons of light streamed around it as white flowers burst into bloom amongst the leaves.
As white petals danced around them, all of the present dragons and Dawnbringer bowed deeply. Suddenly, a large white vortex opened in the sky.
Ghost flew down and landed beside Amy and the others. Everyone watched as a long serpentine body shot out from the vortex followed by Gaia who fluttered and landed lightly before them. The pearly-white feathered serpent craned in the air and stopped in front of the halfway point ledge, floating in the air with his body spiraling behind him. Both bowed and Ghost returned the gesture. Amy was amazed at how much bigger they were compared to Ghost.
"At last," Gaia raised her spiked head proudly, white petals dancing around her. "A new guardian has taken his place in Avas." The watching dragons cheered and roared.
Ouroboros turned to look down at the humans, his long red mane of frilly feathers ruffled by the wind. His appearance and expression were intimidating, but he gave off a serene aura. "Grayal'kain. Greetings."
"You're Ouroboros?" Dipper asked timidly before a smile overtook his face. "You're incredible!"
He grunted. "Yes. And now that my sibling and I no longer have to hold this world together, I shall join the fight against Ragnarok when the time comes."
"Really? That makes things so much easier!"
"Do not be mistaken," Ouroboros stopped him. "Our magic is powerful, yes, but we are greatly weakened after years of holding multiple worlds together. You mustn't put your hopes in me alone."
"And I am a passive creature," Gaia added. "I could not fight even if I wished to. The laws of magic bind us in this way." She took notice of the humans' worried expressions. "Do not look so downtrodden. You are ever so carefully amassing an army on your side."
"What do you mean?"
"Many are too fearful to fight against Ragnarok and his followers," Ouroboros replied. "And rightly so. However, by assisting noble creatures, you have gained many allies who will be willing to fight by your side when you need them. Dawnbringer, Duncan, and Xaxyl are only a few of those allies."
"You have us as well." They looked over at a smiling Cupid. "All murder attempts aside." Icarus grunted agreement.
"Now," Ouroboros looked at Gaia, "there is the matter of Necronire's new guardian. That is, if we are able to defeat Ragnarok."
"That's right," Dipper mused aloud. "If Ragnarok is destroyed, his world will fall apart and you'd be back in the situation you were in before. But it took you this long to find a guardian for this world… Who would be capable of being a guardian for a world made for chaos?"
"We always knew who Avas' new guardian would be after Valor," Ouroboros said a bit indignantly, as if offended. "You ramble too much, boy."
"It took this long for Ghost to develop the power to maintain this world as a guardian," Gaia calmly explained in place of her brother. "It is no easy matter to maintain the balance of a world. Even so, only recently did we actually propose the matter to Ghost himself." She glanced over the humans. "About four years ago I proposed an idea for Necronire's guardian, but we were reluctant. However, there still is no one else fit for the task other than that person. Even still we are unsure, but it seems that they may be a good choice after all, if not the only choice."
"Who?" Mabel asked. "Is it Crusade?"
The black dragon jumped slightly then shook his head. "Oh no. No, no, no. No thanks."
"It is not," Ouroboros growled. Rather than be offended, Crusade sighed with relief.
"We shall not speak anymore of the matter," Gaia told them. "When the decision has been made final, then we will confront them. Until then, there are matters to be attended to. Shadows have been running amok in Telmak. I fear that soon they will come to bother Avas as well."
"Anything we can help with?" Amy asked instinctually.
"Perhaps," Gaia looked back at the rising sun. "For now, I must return to my tether. I may be a passive being, but so long as I am there the shadows cannot go near that tree. Come, Zephyr, Flora." She flapped her butterfly-like wings and lifted herself from the ledge. Behind her opened another white vortex that she faded into.
Flora said her farewells to everyone before leaping from the ledge and into the vortex. After her, Zephyr flew through it as well and the vortex shut and disappeared behind him.
"We will be off as well," Ouroboros nodded to his two sons. "There are always new souls to guide in Sava and spirits to refresh."
"Are you like the grim reaper?" Mabel asked.
"I do not collect the souls," he replied. "I only help and protect them. What you call the 'grim reaper', we call harvesters. Each dimension has a different harvester. The harvester of this world is Anubis."
"Wait, really?" Dipper said.
"What about the Nightmare Realm?" Ford asked. "Er, Necronire, I mean."
Ouroboros snorted. "His name is Xolotl. Dark twin of the Axolotl and god of chaos and monsters."
"Axolotl?" Stan looked confused.
"Can we meet them?" Mabel asked excitedly.
"For you to meet one of them would mean that your life is over," he told her. "And unless they are born there, the living are not allowed in Sava."
Cupid leaned over her and tapped her shoulder lightly. "Remember child, the Enchiridion can see and show all." Mabel smiled at him.
…
Later in the afternoon…
"You guys didn't have any luck getting a Sky Amaranth?" Amy asked.
Crusade and Ghost shook their heads. "The Great Cliffs are the only known location that those grow," Crusade said. "So, we flew up there but there was this crazy cold wind, worse than a blizzard! We couldn't even reach any of the islands before our wings started freezing over!"
"There has never been ice or snow on the Great Cliffs," Ghost added. "It is much too warm that close to Starpelt."
"Shadows can use elements, right?" Amy thought aloud. "Maybe a shadow is causing it."
"That'd be one big shadow," Crusade said.
"Shadows are the likely cause," Ghost nodded, "but with so many tears in space showing up, it could be a number of things."
"Whatever it is," Amy said. "We need one of those flowers. If we can stop what's causing it too, then we will." She reached her hand out to pet it as one of the sheep behind the fence came over. "I don't suppose wool wing covers would be enough."
Crusade snickered at the thought of his brother wearing a sweater.
"No," Ghost eyed his brother. "This is clearly a magic-based problem. We need a magic-based solution."
"Fire, preferably." Crusade nodded. "Like, super intense, can't be extinguished fire."
Ghost's eyes widened a bit. "Yes…like a phoenix." The three exchanged glances.
…
Dipper and Mabel were in their room skimming through the Enchiridion when the window was suddenly shattered loudly by a large black head smashing through it. "Hey guys!" Crusade's entrance had horrified the siblings who screamed and fell on the floor gasping for air.
"What is wrong with you!?" Dipper shouted.
"Never mind that now," the dragon shook his head. "It's time you guys called in that favor you're owed."
"Favor? What are you talking about?"
The dragon was about to say more but was interrupted by Amy yelling from outside. "Did you just break my window!?"
"Whoops," he shot a toothy grin at the twins before withdrawing his head from the shattered window. "Gotta go!"
…
"You want us to call Dawnbringer and ask her to get the flower?" Dipper clarified with Ghost. Behind them, Amy was shouting at Crusade who kept his head lowered and laughed nervously.
The white dragon nodded, ignoring what was going on behind him. "However, despite her great power I do not think it wise for Dawn to go alone. We do not know for sure what is causing that sheer cold at the Great Cliffs. Unfortunately, none of us would be able to go as well. I even tried to slip in through the Spirit Realm but it affected me there, too."
"Maybe Dawnbringer will be able to tell who could go?" Mabel suggested.
"Maybe," Dipper tapped his chin. "To call her, she said to shout to the heavens. That can't seriously work…can it?"
"Let's see." Mabel ran a few feet away and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Dawnbringer! We need your help! Ahhhhh!"
There was silence. Amy had stopped scolding Crusade and was now looking at Mabel oddly. Just when someone went to speak, a large burst of fire exploded in the sky with a crack like fireworks. From the explosion, a massive red bird shot out with a thunderous screech then landed hard on the ground before them, causing the humans to stumble. "I am here!" Dawnbringer's bold voice boomed.
"It worked!" Mabel threw her hands up.
She folded her wings, taking on a calmer look. "Greetings! For what purpose have you called?"
"Um," Dipper stood up straight. "We need a Sky Amaranth, but the Great Cliffs are surrounded by cold wind that freezes dragon wings."
"Is that so?" The phoenix thought for a moment. "I see. Very well! I shall go to the Great Cliffs and purge this cold!"
"You should not go alone," Ghost spoke up.
"Then who shall accompany me?"
He looked away. "I…was hoping you could figure that out."
"Still learning how to tell others what to do, yes?" She laughed and threw her wings up. "Fret not, white dragon! I love telling others what to do." Her last statement was accompanied by a disturbing grin. "Hm, let's see." She glanced around. "The curious two small humans may come; my flames will keep them safe."
"Safe?" Dipper echoed.
"Small?" Mabel tilted her head.
"And…that one!" She pointed a wingtip at Bill who was standing nearby.
"What?!" he growled.
"Yes," she nodded. "I can use that one."
"Use me? Who do you think you are, lady!?"
"Silence, heathen!" He winced at her thunderous voice, more surprised than frightened.
"Why him?" Ghost asked with a hint curiosity. "Wouldn't it freeze his wings as well?"
"Not at first," she said. "He is not as susceptible with that hard carapace he has. There should be enough time."
"Don't be such a jerk." Crusade roughly nudged Bill, almost knocking him over. "Maybe if you're a good boy, you'll get a kiss."
"Get away from me!" Bill snapped.
"I wasn't talking about me! Unless you want to, hehe."
"Crusade," Ghost called. "Stop being a pervert."
"Whaaat?" The black and white dragon mocked surprise. "Pssh."
"Come." Dawnbringer lowered herself to allow the twins onto her shoulders. "Let us be off."
"I'm coming," Bill walked over, "but only because I want to get away from him."
Crusade grinned and waved.
…
Dawnbringer steadied herself in the air, flapping her wings rhythmically to stay in place as she stopped. Behind her, the yellow dragon hovered as well. "What now?" he grunted.
She pointed her curved beak upward. "The Great Cliffs are in sight." Ahead, in the sky, they could make out the many islands that formed the cliffs. Surrounding them would normally be clouds, but now they were engulfed in a hurricane of ice and snow. "Children," Dawnbringer said. "I will now cover myself with flames. Do not fear, my fire will keep you warm but it shall not harm you." She glanced at Bill. "You would do well to keep up."
He clicked his tongue in annoyance and watched her take off. "Stupid bird."
With a screech, the phoenix's body was enveloped with blazing red fire. As they got closer to the islands, they could hear the howling wind growing louder. The sound was almost deafening as they entered the storm and even with their flames, the cold stung harshly.
"What's causing this?" Dipper shouted over the noise.
"I think we are about to find out," Dawnbringer called back. The winds shifted and buffeted the two flying creatures, almost blowing out Dawnbringer's flames. From behind one of the islands, a massive whale-like creature flew out, bellowing loudly.
"Watch out!" Dipper shouted.
They were narrowly able to avoid being hit by the creature as it flew past them. The force from its huge body pulled and flipped them in the air and the twins had to grip tightly to Dawnbringer's feathers so they would not fall.
"What is that!?" Mabel shouted.
"A spirit," the phoenix said after she righted herself. "Aquarius. Sibling to Telmak and Starpelt and bringer of rain."
"Hey," Bill said. "That's Amy's friend."
"What's wrong with it?" Mabel asked.
The spirit cried out again and twisted in the air, revealing a large misty, purple creature clinging to its side. The creature had two large round eyes with no pupils and several long limbs stretched from its body to pierce the spirit's flesh.
"A shadow!" Dipper said.
"It's hurting it!" Mabel said.
Bill flapped his wings and pushed through the storm to reach the creatures. He spat out a blast of blue fire that hit the shadow in the eye. The shadow roared angrily and lashed one of its limbs at the dragon. Bill dodged, but the force from the wind made him lose balance and fall.
"Fool!" Dawnbringer dived and used her wind force to right him.
The shadow roared and the storm thickened. Ice was beginning to form along Bill's wings. He roared back and darted at the shadow, clamping his jaws on one of its eyes. The shadow screeched as its eye burst with black mist and it released its grip from the spirit.
"Why is he so stubborn?" Dawnbringer growled.
"He has anger issues," Mabel told her.
The storm began to subside as Bill ripped the rest of the eye away then snapped at the other. The shadow roared, lashing its limbs wildly in a desperate attempt to knock the dragon off, and they began to fall.
"Hold on!" Dawnbringer flew towards them and clutched her talons around one of the limbs, forcing the shadow to stretch out.
"It's coming back!" Mabel screamed.
Bill and Dawnbringer looked to see the spirit flying towards them at great speed. They quickly let go of the shadow and darted out of the way. With an angry roar, the spirit slammed into the shadow, causing the shadow's body to disperse and disappear.
"Why must you act so recklessly?" Dawnbringer said as they landed on one of the smaller islands.
"It worked, didn't it?" Bill retorted.
It was true; the storm was gone and the skies were clear again, but she wasn't going to admit it. They all looked over as the spirit bellowed its appreciation and flew off amongst the islands.
"Look," Mabel slid down from the bird's back. "They're frozen…"
There were hundreds of light blue, white spotted flowers growing from the rocks, all covered with a layer of ice. "Ah," Dawnbringer stepped forward. "Leave it to me." Dawnbringer spread her broad wings and a wave of heat flashed from her body. All of the ice and snow around them melted quickly, including the ice on Bill's wings. As the flowers defrosted, they began to glow a whiteish color around their light blue petals and wavered happily in the breeze.
"Do you think that big sky whale will be okay?" Mabel asked as her brother carefully picked one of the Amaranths.
"It will be fine," Dawnbringer assured her. "Spirits heal as soon as the problem is removed. That shadow on the other hand, I would not say the same." She glanced around to make sure everything seemed normal again before lowering herself for the humans. "Come."
…
"A shadow like that was attacking Aquarius?" Crusade tilted his head. Once they had arrived back at Amy's house Bill had reverted to his human form and wandered off somewhere while Dipper and Mabel told the others about what had happened. Ghost and Flora were not around, but Crusade had been lounging in the sun with Teeth and Dionysus.
"Is it weird for them to attack spirits?" Dipper asked.
Crusade shrugged. "Well, not really. Shadows attack anything and everything. It's just odd that one would go after Aquarius."
"That big flying whale?"
"Yeah, there's only one spirit like that one." He stretched and yawned loudly. "Ah well. Good news is that you took care of it and got that flower to boot. Guess you're not as useless as you look."
"Hey!"
"Then again," he ignored them, "Dawnbringer and Bill did all the work. Wonder why Dawn even bothered bringing you two?"
"We're the ones who called her," Mabel said.
"Still."
To be continued…
Yes, Crusade, in dragon form, absolutely smashed his whole head through the twins' window instead of using the door. He now has to help Amy fix it.
Also, Xolotl (pronounced show-lot-uhl) is actually a real-life mythical deity from Aztec culture. It's where the animal axolotl gets its name and part of why those little cuties have such big history in that ancient culture. In mythology, Xolotl is the twin brother of Quetzalcoatl (the main deity). While his brother is the sun, light, creation, and humanity, Xolotl is god of twilight/darkness, twins, lord of monsters, misfortune, and chaos. He's known as the evil twin but if you read the stories, he's not really "evil" per say. Anyways, in mythology, Xolotl is twin brother of Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl is known as the rainbow/feathered serpent. I actually based Ouroboros off of Quetzalcoatl, so that's part of why, instead, I made Xolotl the brother of the Axolotl in this story. The other part is that Xolotl has a big connection to axolotls. Look it up to learn more!
The harvesters, such as Xolotl and Anubis are only mentioned in this story, as is the Axolotl. In the sequel to this story, however, the harvesters and the Axolotl himself will actually make appearances.