Legend of the Great Dragon (9 page)

“Follow the wind,”
a peaceful, small, voice said to her.

 

Ichi didn't take long to settle back into the cabin again. He did a little necessary cleaning. His mother had always hated spiders, so those were the first to go. They never bothered him much, but he understood the need to have them out of the house. Then he dusted, cleaned out the sink and bathroom, and got to work sorting through all of their belongings. There was a lot more stuff than he had originally thought.

Everything went into three different piles: keep, toss, “
don't know yet”
. All of the piles eventually got so large he changed his process to three different rooms. Most of the things went in the
“don't know yet”
pile. There were a number of childhood mementos: stuffed animals his mother had sewn for him by hand, or the action figures his father had gone out of his way to purchase. Ichi had ticket stubs from movies and plays he'd been able to see in town, photographs of some of the places he'd been to with his family, and favorite books he'd accumulated over the years.

His mother had kept a journal and there were several of those lying around. A few he selected at random and the rest he placed in the toss pile. As much as he wanted to keep all of them forever, he knew he couldn't. There could have been evidence of the dragons' secrets written on those pages. The insight on his mother's life would be hard to let go of. He'd at least try to read them all before he destroyed them.

There were a number of surprises hidden in the house as well. His parents had a lot more photographs than he originally thought. So much history saturated the house. He didn't know if it would be possible for him to ever empty the place of so much knowledge and memories.
It sucks that I have to in the first place.

With a heavy heart, he sat down on the floor of the “toss room” and hugged his knees to his chest. “Maybe I don't have to get rid of everything,” he wondered out loud.

I only need to get rid of the things that would give away the truth.
He picked up a plush octopus doll his mother had made for him out of blue socks. As silly as it was, he had a hard time with the idea of “killing” the only friends he'd ever had.

He held the toy close. “You wouldn't be mad if I gave you to another kid, would you, Rupie? Because I can't take you all with me even if I wanted to.” Along with family memories, he had to pack practically as well. Clothes, food, and other supplies needed to
be
a priority. For every keepsake he brought with, he could very well be leaving behind something that might save his life in the future.

Then again, if I stay closer to the cities from now on, will I need all of my nature survival gear? More specifically, if I go back to Oceina City?
Mikko might not be there by the time he returned, but he wouldn't mind spending more time with the Lady Oceina either. She reminded him a lot of his mother in so many ways. They'd be the same age, and they both doted on him endlessly, almost to a fault.
Maybe I can finally live like a normal person. I've never seen what that's like. Being a part of society could make for an interesting experience.

Ichi picked up the stack of journals that were in the toss pile and carried them over to the den, all while keeping Rupie under his right arm. He placed them on the coffee table and then went into the kitchen to get himself a snack. Food was limited, but he remembered there being something edible in the cupboards before he left. He'd made sure to check all the canned items. Certain foods seemed to stay good forever. There were several soups available to choose from, some jerky, dried fruit, and nuts. Not exactly the gourmet food he'd been enjoying earlier in the week, but it would get the job done until he could either hunt or go shopping.

Cracking open a can of soup, he found himself humming as he got to cooking on the stove. He used to embrace the quiet and love how relaxed it made everything around him. Now all he noticed was what a void he had in his life.

“I'm not gonna be able to do this anymore,” he said, if only to hear a voice instead of the eerie creaking of the house displaying its age. He'd had his small taste of real life, and now he wanted more of it. Seeing the rest of the world was still one of his priorities, but he no longer wanted to do it on his own. People in general overwhelmed him, but Mikko made him feel comfortable and safe.

Whatever it was about her, he couldn't get her out of his head. Leaving her was hard to do. All he wanted was to stay behind and get to know her on an even deeper level. She wasn't interested in Teo, so Ichi's mind was at ease, at least. The pressure to not waste any time with courting her was no longer so strong. He could relax and do it right without any bells or whistles, not to mention jealousy and attention-mongering.
Mikko was the first person he actively sought company with. The Lady Oceina was almost the second, but he had to be careful with her. She would cling to him like a mother smothering her child. He missed being around both of his parents and she could easily fill that hole in his heart.

Sighing, he stirred the pot and checked the temperature of his soup. “She's not a replacement. I can't believe I almost thought I could use her as one. She'll never be mom. Not like a visit would hurt, Rupie, but I actually considered going back to the city for a moment just so I could be pampered like a baby. Something tells me if I did that, I'd never be able to leave again. Of course, maybe I could talk her into letting me ship some things over there or…” He glanced over at his stuffed octopus friend. “I can't take advantage of her and her kindness. I don't suppose you know what it's like to feel as if you're destined for more?” He laughed. “Of course you don't, you're a toy, but that's kind of how I feel and if I go back to Oceina City, I'll be hiding from that purpose. It's the easy way out. Dad always said the easy way is the boring way.”

He finished stirring the soup and put it into a bowl to cool. “Maybe I'll go to Terran so I can see her again.” He chewed on his lower lip, smiling softly. “She's got to be the most beautiful creature on the planet. We fit together almost perfectly, and we just met. Something about her makes her easy to talk to and be around. She brings out my funny side and I don't feel like some kind of crazy outcast from society. I don't know if I believe in love at first sight, but the second she opened her mouth was when I think I felt it, love, I mean.”

Going to Terran didn't sit well with him either, however. His instincts told him to stay at home. Every time he felt queasy in his stomach and tingles down his arms it meant something big was going to happen. The sensation had never failed him before. He only wished he had an inkling of what it was so he could prepare.

The soup was ready to eat. Ichi took the bowl into the living room, lit a fire in the fireplace, and picked one of his mother's journals to begin reading.

“Day eight of the year 2200.” He paused to smile.
I was alive for this one.

 

 

“So where are we going?” Teo asked. His jaw was slack for a moment and he shook his head. “I'll never get over the sight of you in your dragon form, Mikko. It's really something else.” He slung his backpack over his shoulder and gripped onto her deep purple scales so he could hoist himself onto her back.

She winced a little at his tight hold. He was a lot stronger than he looked, and she hated when her scales were pulled on.

“I don't look that amazing, do I?”
she asked, using the natural dragon tongue to speak.

Mikko knew her dragon form was unique. No other dragon which had ever lived had purple scales. What made her form even stranger, however, was that she didn't have the body type which her genetics suggested she should. Logically speaking, it would make sense for her body to be long and snake-like, similar to the Oceina, or small and fast like the Inero. Her body was large and long, but she had long legs to go with her long body, and large graceful wings. In a lot of ways, she thought she was most similar to the Aero dragon in terms of body type. In coloration she had a mix of both of her parents' magic inside of her. Fire and water were both elements she could control.

With a chuckle Teo got settled onto her back. “You're a giant, purple dragon. It's incredible. When the sun hits your scales in a certain way, you literally start to sparkle like you're some kind of a gem. There aren't any other dragons like you out there. Besides, you're huge! Which is saying a lot, given how many Terran dragons we see. You rival even the biggest of them.”

“Are you calling me fat?”
she teased.

“Ha, now try not to fly too fast. There aren't exactly seatbelts built into your skin, and I don't have a parachute.”

“I would never let you fall. You know that right?”

“I do, yeah. Still, it would make me feel more comfortable if you didn't try to zip around on a joy ride.”

“Noted. Relax Teo. We've done this before.”

He sighed and his grip on her scales lessened some. “Something feels different. Maybe it's because I know we're going on a mission that'll probably be dangerous.” He paused. “You never did tell me where we're going.”

Mikko stretched out her wings and slowly started to lift herself off of the ground. She flew with a mixture of magic and natural mechanics. The ability to fly using magic was something she got from the Oceina blood on her father's side. It made for an easier flight because she wasn't using as much of her muscle power like the Aero and Terran did.

“We're following the wind,”
she said.

“What? Are you crazy? You don't even know where we're going?”

“No, I don't. That seems to be the best idea to me.”

Teo snorted. “Not going to Inero and seeing the destruction first hand? What if the mystery man is still there?”

She closed her eyes, trying to get a feel for which direction the wind was in fact blowing in.
“I don't think he's there anymore. There's nothing we can do for anyone that's over there. What's done is done. We need to figure out where he's going next before more people are hurt. Besides, I don't know how to fight him yet. I hardly know anything!”

“We're doomed.” Teo groaned.

“Your optimism isn't helping!”

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “This whole thing is freaking me out as much as it is you. I can't believe you're taking everything so calmly. My guts would be spewed out by now.”

Mikko scowled at the image.
“Ew.”

Mindful to not to go too fast, she lifted herself to a comfortable flying altitude. She made sure to stay out of the airspace for the human craft which were possibly in the air with her, and she was also mindful of Teo's comfort. If she went above the clouds, he might have a panic attack or pass out from the thin air. The fact that he wasn't shaking while holding on to her was a small miracle. Hopefully she could keep him calm for the entire flight.

The wind, which way is the wind blowing?
Mikko had to trust that she was being led by some kind of divine power and not making things up in her head. It didn't feel like something she was imagining, so that helped with the strength of her faith. Teo talked her up a lot in regards to how strongly she believed in all things supernatural and religious, but Mikko had her moments of doubt just like everyone else. It took her a long time for her to come to terms with a God she couldn't see or touch, loving her, but who also allowed for all of the terrible things to happen to her in her life. It took her a long time to realize that it wasn't He who was responsible for those bad things.

She trusted the voice that told her to follow the wind. There was peace with that decision and a slight glee as well when she thought about how it might bring her closer to Ichi once again. A gust of wind picked up from under her wings and she felt it push her toward the north east — Aero territory.
Strange
. For a moment, she didn't trust her instincts in the slightest. Then another nudge came. She spread her wings wide so she could ride the stream of air blowing past her. If following the wind was what she was supposed to do, then she would do it.

Several hours later, the scenery around her began to change. Earlier,
she had seen
all of the small fishing villages of Oceina along the coast, the farmlands as she flew over the mainland, and a few other cities the deeper into the nation she went. The Aero mountains had always been in the distance, looming over the land. Now they were far closer and she had to take a moment to admire their beauty.

“Teo, are you awake?”
she asked.

“Hmm?” he replied. She felt him shift on her back. “Wow!”

She smiled, or tried to in the way that only dragons could. It wasn't so much something they did with their mouths, but rather with their eyes. The irises twinkled and the eyes themselves widened a little.

“Wow” was an understatement for what she saw. The mountains were right in front of her. While there was a mountain range in Terran surrounding most of the nation, it wasn't quite the same. The peaks of the range were not as high, were not snow capped, and rolled more like large hills. Sometimes they plateaued as well toward the south. The Aero Mountain Range was much different. Instead of smooth, sturdy, straight cliffs, there were sharp jagged edges angling upward. Snow covered a great deal of the peaks, but she also saw rich forests, small waterfalls where the snow was melting, and what seemed like a wall of rock before her. There was no end in sight to the range, and she could barely see the top on most of the mountains. Pools of clear water could be found at the base.

Mikko pressed onward, not wanting to linger for too long in one spot. Her muscles were tired and it would be time for a rest soon. She needed to find a nice, private, clearing where she could relax for a while. Preferably one that was closer to civilization so she and Teo could check into a hotel of some kind. They had packed enough money to get by for around a month. Their trip could take a bit longer than that, but she figured they could always stop back at home too.

Angling downward a little, she flew closer to trees, wanting to be able to see any kind of spot that looked ideal for landing. Nothing was standing out to her. A lot of towns were scattered about the Aero land. Just when she thought she saw something, she noticed a cluster of buildings too. She would try deeper into the range.

Turning slight north, she made her way through the valleys in-between the mountain peaks. The further north she went, the harder it was to fly around all of the rock. Sometimes she'd encounter a dead-end, or an unexpected protrusion she had to dodge. Then she noticed something fly by her head at an alarming speed.

“What was that?” Teo asked.

“I'm not sure.”

Another object rushed by her in a whirl and she gasped when she saw it was an arrow, a large one, that could contend with a grappling hook. She tilted her body sharply. Teo's hands dug into the soft skin between her scales painfully as he fought to hold on. Because of him, she eased up slightly, and as she did so, one of the massive arrows clipped her right wing. Letting out a howl she drifted over the trees.
Who keeps shooting at me?
She hadn't realized she'd asked the question aloud until Teo gave his timid reply.

“Hunters.”

Of course.
The Aero army wouldn't attack on sight, and a large purple dragon would make any hunter proud to put on display. Another arrow bored its way through her already wounded wing, deeper, ripping through one of her stronger muscles. She screamed, and spiraled downward to the trees. More arrows were launched at her, several grazed her skin. Flying was painful and she needed to land. A wave of dizziness washed over her and she began to plummet into the forest.

“Mikko, stay with me!” Teo shouted over the whirling wind and the cracking of branches as she tried desperately to stay above the treetops.

The effort was futile. If she couldn't save herself, she would at least protect Teo. She brought her wings up around him to create a shield from all of the debris as she obliterated every tree in her path. As she hurtled toward the ground below her, she angled her body to at least not plow into the earth face first. Branches stabbed her underbelly. She'd never felt such pain before in her life. It numbed the impact between her body and the forest floor significantly.

She groaned, tears immediately beginning to flood from her eyes.
“T-teo?”
If he walked away from the whole thing, then she could at least feel more peace if she had to die.

“I… I'm okay,” he said. Grabbing a hold of her wing with one of his hands, he shifted it so he could get off of her back. The wing must have been broken because sharp, searing, pain coursed through the entirety of the limb. She must have screamed again, because when she opened her eyes, Teo stood in front of her holding his ears.

The crunch of leaves and twigs could be heard from not far off. Teo faced the sound, fists clenched and ready to fight. She didn't have the strength to explain to him he should run and hide. He would argue with her about it and that would exhaust her further. Mikko caught a familiar scent and relaxed, more tears falling at the sound of Ichi's voice.

“You need to transform,” he said. “Both of you. They're coming.”

Teo's body relaxed some. “How do you know?”

“A hunter never loses his prize. Hurry up and change. Mikko, if you have any hope of surviving, then you need to do it now,” Ichi pleaded. He walked up to her and touched her snout. “I know it hurts, but bite through it. You're safe now.”

Mikko wanted to answer but saved her strength to concentrate on changing back to her human form. The quickest way to heal her wounds would be to transform. That was one of the first things any dragon learned about the process. Injuries taken as a dragon could be significantly healed by turning human again and vice versa. It had something to do with the way magic was dispersed through the body, and magic was one of the most powerful healing methods on the planet. Being of the Oceina gave her a boost in that department, because water magic was known for its basic healing spells.

First she focused her concentration on becoming smaller. She kept an image of herself as a human in her mind's eye, not letting go or breaking her focus of that picture at any cost. Usually, transforming between shapes was as easy as riding a bike. It took less than a minute to do, and didn't require much, if any, thought.

While she was injured was another story. Her head hurt, her wings hurt, her entire body hurt. Tree branches were stuck inside of her skin like splinters, and there was a lot of blood. She couldn't see it all, but she could certainly smell it, and the scent alone made her nauseous. Mikko did not like blood. She wasn't sure what would happen with the trees inside of her, but she still had to try.

Shifting was brutal. Every muscle in her body burned like fire as she slowly shrunk in size.
I must keep going. I will make it through this.
The smaller she became, the easier it was. Cold air caused her to shiver and when she looked down, she saw hands and human skin. Branches and other debris surrounded her, and only a few small cuts and bruises remained of her injuries. She offered up a small prayer of gratitude to God for getting her through the whole thing.

A shout caught her attention. Mikko tried to lift her head to see what was going on, but another dizzy spell hit her at full force, causing her to fall down. She closed her eyes to try and relieve the sensation, and found it difficult to open them again. It wasn't long until she passed out.