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Eukara Vox -> Issue 44 - Dragons? and Nightmares: Search for Talvan (Eukara) (7/7/2009 13:59:16)
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Dragons? and Nightmares: Search for Talvan
by Eukara
The ocean below looked calm, but Chrysa knew better. Yes, from the height in which Namaran flew, everything looked peaceful, but in reality, the ocean swells were 15 feet tall and there was a battle of currents going on below the surface. Chrysa, on the other hand, looked exactly as what was going on inside. She was fearful, hurting and miserable.
She reflected on the conversation she had with Talvan's mother, fretting even more. I had no idea that exploring the mythical creatures would cause so much trouble. All I wanted to do was see them for myself and make sure that others got their stories straight. She held onto Diren as Namaran flew effortlessly through the low-lying clouds.
"So, you really think that Talvan is in the Amazon Delta somewhere, Chrysa?" Diren yelled in front of her.
"Based on the information that Dnari gave us, I researched and that is the only place that seemed to match the details," she called back. "Figuring out which little island she is on will be the challenge."
Diren nodded, as he saw the map before they left their little town. Namaran, can you see the shoreline of Brazil yet?
Yes, Diren, I can. But it is still some time before we get there. Namaran's voice echoed in Diren's head. He could tell the dragon was very concerned for both Talvan and Chrysa, though he wasn't sure anymore who his dragon was most concerned for.
Diren squeezed Chrysa hand reassuringly. "Namaran says it won't be long now."
I did not!
Chrysa laid her head on Diren's shoulder and sighed. Just a little longer, Talvan. Just a little longer.
* * * *
This is so humiliating. Talvan growled, though it wouldn't have scared a pixie out of a tree hollow. To think, I have to be carried like a kitten across the ocean. Thank goodness we are going to land in a few minutes. For once, I hope there isn't a welcoming party.
The Amphithere glided towards the shore, Talvan hanging from his mouth. To be honest, had Brethen known he would have to carry Talvan by the nape of the neck all the way across the ocean, he would have flown off and not turned around. There was nothing like the taste of dirty dragonhide and whatever vile concoction the dragonet had used prior at bath time. He knew humans cleaned with soaps that smelled like fruits but tasted like week-old dirty shed dragonskin. But the small dragon had no ability whatsoever of staying still and maintaining enough balance to remain on his back.
Brethen scanned the shoreline, the pristine white sands glaring in the sunlight was a stark contrast to the dark green forest that grew just beyond that. Seems like as good a place as any. He dove down, aiming for the shallows of the clear blue water, to pad his landing and ultimately keeping Talvan from complaining.
He slithered to a stop on the warm sands and gently deposited Talvan away from the water. She shook her legs a bit, trying to get them under her after the swaying journey from the opposite coast. She looked around and then at Brethen.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"We," Brethen answers, "are on the continent of Africa, the Cote d'Ivoire to be exact. I can't go any further though, as this is not my realm."
"But..." Talvan sputtered, "what about me? And what do you mean this is not your realm? You are a type of dragon, your realm is everywhere."
Brethen's eyes narrowed. "I am an Amphithere and I prefer to remain with that distinction. You are a dragon. Your wings, four legs and knack for self-assurance makes you the world's perfect dragon." Brethen began to slither back to the water. "Humans may classify us all as dragons, but we really aren't alike enough to share the title."
Brethen's jeweled wings sparkled in the African sun as he pumped them upon take-off. Talvan slumped onto the ground and hung her head as Brethen slowly disappeared. Once he disappeared, she looked at the edge of the forest. It was dark and suddenly Talvan had the feeling that she didn't want to be in there. Slowly, she plodded along the shore, trying not to cry.
* * * *
Namaran circled the little islands that sat amidst the swirling brown waters of the Amazon Delta. Some were closer to the river's mouth and the water darker, while others were dotted where the silted river water mixed with cleaner ocean water. They would have to risk getting closer, and being sighted by the people below, in order to find the island Talvan had been made prisoner on.
"Namaran won't go down unless he is given the go ahead to use his magic to conceal. Are you okay with this?" Diren calls back.
"Sure. I don't think we need to send the world into a strange panic. Conspiracies about dragons already abound here." She yelled back. Suddenly, she felt the odd sensation of draconic magic envelope them and held onto Diren tighter. This wasn't something she was used to yet, as Talvan's magical abilities were not any where near blossoming in the future. The bending air around them, signifying a hiding spell, made her stomach sick.
Every island looked the same to her as Namaran swept the delta much closer to the tree tops of the little forests located on each one. But they were dense and neither she nor Diren could see anything. And her heart failed, as the bond between her and Talvan still hadn't surfaced.
After thirty minutes of running the same search pattern over and over, Namaran dove. The dive was so sudden and forceful, that Chrysa fell out of the saddle when her belt snapped. She tumbled through the air, trying to right her body so that she could employ her wings. Now very visible, Chrysa spread her wings and fought the fall, knowing full well that there was at least one fishing boat out on the water below her.
Pumping her wings hard, her fall slowed until she hovered about 100 meters above the fisherman. Chrysa heard the rush of wing near her and took the opportunity to smile and wave at the men before promptly disappearing from their view. Patting Namaran's clawed foot gently wrapped about her waist, she smirked, knowing full well some strange story will appear in the latest gossip magazines regarding a red-haired angel over Brazil.
As they began to ready to land, Chrysa saw an approaching creature flying towards them. Fear gripped her heart, thinking that the Ruk had come for them, but the longer she looked at it, the more she was convinced that this wasn't a Ruk. She wanted to say dragon, but there was something wrong with that picture too. She just couldn't pinpoint what the oddity was.
Namaran set down on an island that had sufficient space for his large bulk to rest in the sand. He placed Chrysa on her feet and then laid down. Diren slid off the dragon's hide and landed hard on the sand, nearly stumbling forward and losing his balance. As he caught himself, a large splash was heard around the corner from the island. Both Diren and Chrysa looked up and saw something draconic slithering towards them as it rode the surface of the water.
"Greetings, strangers. Let me guess. You are in need of a blue dragon that cannot ride my back to save her life."
* * * *
The sun beat down on Talvan, eventually forcing her to move closer to the trees. Lucky for her, the shadows stretched towards the shoreline, providing her with shade without the need to enter the forest. She walked along for a while, sulking about her misfortune.
"When I get back, I am going to make sure that the baker knows exactly what happened last week when the dough exploded. I am sure Chrysa would be horrified if I did that. Serves her right, losing me like this. I wonder if she is even trying to find me." Tears fell down Talvan's cheeks, and she sniffed quite loudly. "I bet she moved on... I can't feel her anymore. Just wait until I get my paws on her."
So upset was Talvan, that she completely missed the landing of a boat on the shore ahead of her. A family of fishermen pulled the boat up onto the sand and tied it to a tree. As they turned back, one of the younger members screamed out.
"Look! Mama, a dragon! Look look look look look look!"
Talvan's head snapped up and she looked at the family in horror. Chrysa had always told her to stay out of sight, that the world was in no condition to handle the presence of any creature considered mythical. Yet, in Talvan's depression, she had neglected her vigilance. Now she was caught between a family and a dark forest.
Several heads turned at the child's insistence and all at once, they dropped their equipment and began to run after her. Talvan panicked, as this was something she didn't know how to handle. She couldn't talk to them, she couldn't indicate in any way that she would like to be left alone. So she did the only thing she could think of at that moment - she ran into the forest.
The family stopped abruptly, eyes wide as they watched the dragon disappear into the forest. Each one bowed their heads and crossed themselves in a warding of evil. All but the child turned around, and his face was one of profound sadness.
Talvan ran for a long time, not paying attention to where she was going. The only thing on her mind was disappearing from view. As Talvan slowed down, she began to look around at her surroundings. The floor of the forest was semi-empty and dark, yet there were sounds all around her. She walked what felt like eternity through this loud, dark world, attempting to find the edge again so that she could walk on the sands once humans were gone.
Legs tired, back sore and on the verge of crying again, Talvan sat down and looked up into the canopy. The trees were tall and the light that pierced through the canopy looked more like stars. Talvan flopped down on the ground and sighed loudly.
I wonder if Chrysa is having dinner with Diren. I bet she is. Oooh, if only he knew about the florist incident, he would have second thoughts... Something above her moved and she raised her head to look around. The sway of leaves in the breeze above seemed very loud, causing Talvan to realize that was the only noise that could be heard. The bird calls, the howling of monkeys, the sounds of singing insects... all silent.
She stood, nervous. Everyone knew what it meant when a forest went silent - a predator was near.
* * * *
Chrysa just stared at the creature in front of her. He, she assumed, was absolutely beautiful. His wings shone as if the very rainbows from history had been applied to his wings. He was just as graceful on the water as he had been while flying. Yet, she had no idea what this was.
"I take it from the look on your face you have no idea what I am?" the creature said.
Diren looked at her and smirked. "And here you are without your book." Namaran swung around and looked at Diren, his eyes darkening. "Hey big guy, just playing. Sheesh, you don't have to get so defensive. Whose dragon are you anyway?"
Namaran huffed a cloud of vapor and laid his head on his forelegs, looking at Chrysa. She patted his nose and smiled at Diren. "No, I really don't know what you are. You look like a dragon, but then again you don't. I don't believe I have come across anything like you before."
The Amphithere raised up slightly and bowed his head. "I am Brethen, an Amphithere. Humans lump us together with dragons, but we really aren't. We are no more dragons than the Wyverns that live in Africa. And yes, I said Africa. The people in Europe may claim that they know Wyverns, but 'sightings' of Wyverns in Africa have predated Europe by centuries."
Chrysa looked at Brethen in surprise. She had assumed anything that looked reptilian, flew and was predatory in nature was a dragon. "Well, I will make sure that I make that correction in my book when I get home." She walked up to the Amphithere and bowed. "Now, you mentioned a blue dragon that cannot stay atop your back?"
"If you seek a young dragon named Talvan, then you are not far behind her. She tried to describe to me her home, which it seems she never paid enough attention in order to actually know the name of your village, and it sounded like she was from across the ocean in Africa." Brethen slithered closer and curled up in the sand between Chrysa and Namaran. "I just got back from taking her there. She should be on the far eastern shore of Cote d'Ivoire in Western Africa."
Brenthen took a deep breath and sighed. "I am fairly tired now and still must bring home dinner for my mate, who awaits the arrival of our hatchlings."
Nodding, Chrysa turned to Namaran. She laid a hand gently on his side. "So, big guy, are you up for another trip across the ocean?" Namaran nuzzled her and looked at Diren.
"I assume that is a yes." Diren laughed and hopped up on Namaran's proffered leg. Chrysa spread her wings and flew up to his back and settled on the saddle.
The Amphithere's head shot up when he saw her do that. "How is that possible? You are but a human!"
Chrysa sighed. "It is a long story involving a pixie, a fruit tree and Talvan."
* * * *
The howls and snarls surrounded her. No matter where she looked, though, she saw nothing. If she ran to the right, the vicious sounds would be before her. If she tried to back up, she swore something would prick her back, forcing her to move forward again. It was one thing to be surrounded, completely another to be surrounded by invisible horrors.
Talvan spun once more, trying to find a place in the forest where the sounds were least. There, that way must have fewer, as I can hear little noise from that direction. Talvan took off, running as fast as she could, for a lighter part of the forest floor. Just as she was about to reach it, a ghastly creature suddenly fell from above and hung right in front of her. She skidded to a halt and stared into its lifeless black eyes.
As she took a step back, the creature grinned, showing two perfect rows of sharp, metallic looking teeth. Talvan tried to muster an attack, concentrating hard on her target, yet the ice attack that she spat was no more than a crystalline cloud of frost. The creature spread its arms out to the side, with a membrane connecting the arm to the body, indicating the creature either could fly or glide.
Screaming, it dropped from the tree it was hanging from and stood, towering over Talvan. She looked at its feet, startled to see that they were more hook-like than foot-like. It leaned forward with renewed focus and screamed louder, flexing its arms. Several others dropped from surrounding trees and closed in on the little dragon.
Panicked, Talvan reared back and leapt at the creature in front of her, trying to bowl it over and get clear. But in her state, she ended up stepping on one of her wings and tripping. As a result, Talvan violently rolled towards the creature that blocked her way. In its confusion, it didn't move and she hit it like a bowling ball hits a pin. Talvan's progress was halted by a tree, head on the ground and tail in the air.
She scrambled to her feet and took off through the trees, running as hard as her feet could carry her. She could hear the creatures behind her, some air bound, some running, but all with one goal in mind: her.
"Come back!" one hissed.
Another called after her, "Our master demands you come with us."
"Yes..."
Though tired, Talvan pushed herself to run harder. She knew that if she stopped, that she may never see Chrysa again. She zigzagged through the trees, taking a hard turn every now and again to throw them off. Dashing through a grouping of tall ferns, she slammed into another body and was knocked backwards. As she righted herself, a small dragon-like creature shook itself off.
"Come with me. Now!" it yelled.
Without hesitating, Talvan took off after the dragon-like creature. But this creature was fast and frequently had to stop to let Talvan catch up. Soon enough, the ground became lighter and Talvan knew the forest edge was near.
Suddenly they burst out of the forest and into the brilliant sunlight of the shore. Horrible screams of anger and disappointment sounded from the forest. The trees shook and animals scurried and flew in all directions to avoid the horde of monsters that pursued them.
"I don't know why you were being hunted by the Asanbosam, but you are lucky I found you," the creature said, setting down on the sand.
Panting, Talvan nodded and held up a forearm to indicate she was going to speak. "Asanbosam? What are those? And what kind of dragon are you?"
"An Asanbosam is a vampiric type of forest dweller here in western Africa. Their teeth are made of iron and they stalk their prey and attack from the trees. Their hooked feet help them hang in the canopy where they can't be detected well." The creature rolled his eyes as he added, "I am not a dragon. I am a Wyvern. Why do the humans of this world insist on classifying us as dragons?"
Talvan snorted. "Because you look like one?"
"I do not! Dragons have four legs, a pair of wings, a stout body and..." The Wyvern seemed to withhold a bit of information. "I have two wings, two legs and a thinner body. All Wyverns do."
"Hmmm, okay, I will give you that." She looked at the Wyvern. "My name is Talvan, and Brethen the Amphithere from across the ocean says my home should be close, but this doesn't look like my home."
The Wyvern shook his head. "No, there are none of your kind here in Africa. You are no where near your home, Talvan." He frowns and started to hover, preparing to fly. "I am Niske and I am to take you to our rook."
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