Elemental Awakening

Chapter Nine

Wendy contemplated what was to become. She felt distant (not that she wasn’t included) and she just needed some space. Wendy was home, and now she had a fierce need to protect it. Playing with the water and drawing it in around her like a cocoon gave her peace and it let her house mates know that she needed some quiet time. In this manner she wrote her diary, and sorted her thoughts out. Today though everything seemed to slip through her hands like strands of silk on the wind.

“We all need to find our way to cope with the devastation that happened last night.” Sui commented, not to anyone really, just to leave the idea there for the passer by. He sat down beside Wendy.

When Wendy replied her voice was muffled, like behind glass from within her protective circle. “I need something to scrub every thought he put there out of my skull.” When she shuddered she let go of her cocoon and it crashed down around her in a wave.

“Me too.” He sounded strained like linen pulled tight over a frame. Together they just sat and watched the water find its way back to the underground lake.

Every image that was scored into the elementals was replayed over and over again. Feelings of desperation and agony were the flavor as they watched friends and family from the waking and dreaming worlds being ripped to shreds. Acts of torture and annihilation were forced into their minds over and over again. The hell that Lochsear created for them was all too real.  He was an artist in his intricacies and he played their fear to live with them for all their years. The images that the beast crafted were only done by something that loved his work. This psychological attack was deeper than any mere mortal was capable of. He left doubt and denial where confidence once held keep.

…

Hino’s rider addressed the draglets and fresh riders. “We are doing something different. Our native riders have watched older brothers and sisters pace through the bonding process and not have any issues. The dragons, and senior riders know that none of you have been able to fully bond and let the dragons see through you. No one has ever understood why that is with the Cactus Paw tribe. So we are having to make adjustments on your training. We know that everyone has some experience with warrior trails and tracking and hunting in teams. This information is what we are attempting to simulate. Your dragons will be ready for their first launch in eight months for now they will have to learn to hunt and scout on the ground. Your dragons will carry you to the hunting grounds at night fall. At that point you will have to instruct your dragons how to work with you. You will hunt in pairs just as you have been taught by your families.” Star, Hino’s rider released the students and followed them down the hall.

Star held an internal conversation with her dragon. {Hino, how is this ever going to work?}

{The draglets know that there is something different from what they were expecting from their mother, but they don’t seem to mind.} Hino sighed. {I have a feeling that this is the direction that our clan is moving. I think that the dragons will not need to have a full bond anymore.}

{What do you mean? How are the dragons going to be able to gain knowledge without a full bond?} Star was perplexed.

{Slowly.} Hino stated flatly.

{The riders are going to have to tell their dragon everything?}

{Yes, and the riders won’t be able to communicate with other dragons. Only theirs.} Hino added.

Star shook her head. More issues to get around left her feeling overwhelmed. The only thing working in the favor of these riders is that they knew how to work in a team already, and they don’t know that they are missing out on something. She and the other teachers would have to get creative when it came to lessons. They will have to be bringing in a Cactus Paw warrior to help.

“Beth, who is the warrior leader at the Cactus Paw?” Star addressed Ghostwalker’s daughter, a girl of average height with hair cropped in a curly red bob.

Beth snapped to a tidy position of respect before answering “Our Bintain is Avensong, rider Star.”

“Thank you Beth.” Star released Beth to follow the rest of the students for their afternoon activities. {Hino we will have to get into contact with the Bintain. I will have Leaf arrange a meeting.}

{This may help us break the news to the younglings too. The Cactus Paw attack last night hasn’t been explained to them yet.} Hino thought about other issues such as anxiety and worry that may slow the education process for new riders. {The queens have been talking, and think that the families of the young ones may be housed in our valley expansion.}

{But, the valley hasn’t been finished yet. When the plague happened, it left the need for the expansion in limbo. The population was able to condense back to the Dragon Maw basin.} Star stated facts that all dragons and riders already knew indicating her anxiety.

{They know, but the Cactus Paw people are very hearty, and they will be able to finish the valley expansion themselves if they wish to relocate to the Dragon clan. This is something that we will have to discus at a tribe council with all parties in question.} Hino sighed.

 {Leaf, Can you have Set inquire with Avensong to come here for a few days to discuss how to train the young riders and draglets?} Star had a plan coming into focus, and a curriculum to create for these fresh riders. They were so new to the perch, but at the same time very willing to take instruction. She could see that most of them would be quick to learn. At the same time this was a huge experiment without any precedent. She also would need to bring both councils together for the meeting.

{Of course Star. I think that’s a wonderful idea} Leaf replied with his soft and floaty voice. He was a free spirit among dragons, really a joy to be around. His carefree and happy nature is the biggest reason to station him at the Cactus Paw. All the dragons knew they would need him. {Set just had a meeting with the clan leadership, they are happy with the news of being able to see their young ones.}

{I hope that even one draglet turns out like you} Hino commented always happy to hear Leaf.

{Oh thank you Hino.} Leaf inwardly beamed. {Tai-yueh-ta-ti}

{Tai-yueh-ta-ti} Star and Hino replied in unison breaking the conversation with the other dragon.

Star shuffled the students into the training arena and set about distributing tasks. She wanted half of the class to care for the draglets and the other half to move down to the hunting grounds for a familiarization of the area. She walked the first eighteen students down the tunnels and out of the dragon maw compound to her waiting dragon Hino, leaving her mate Fa in charge of the care lesson.

“Okay students.” Fa opened dialog sounding excited to be alive. His riding leathers were covering his soft cotton britches and shirt, he had on thick and sturdy boots, and his hair was shorn to the scalp with his goggles perched atop his head. “I will let you lot go for one quarter a shadow length, you need to be back here in full leathers, you will need them. Make sure that they are pulled tight, and your goggles fit snug. If not you will get water and soap in your eyes from scrubbing your draglets.” He motioned for the students to tend to their things.

Fa set up the training arena with buckets, scrub brushes, blocks of salt, lemon oil, and cactus soap. As he was setting up the last item the first students were coming back into the training arena. The second person in the door was Ahjune, she was the rider of Cheng, one of Leaf and Sabina’s draglets. She was a tall child and everything about her reminded him of sand. Her hair was sandy blond, her skin was sun kisses tan, and her eyes were an amber. She was even able to find clothing that would blend into the sands of the dessert. He remembered her telling one of the other teachers that she was from the Nomad Cactus Paw. The first back was Breeze “As you come in take a bucket and have a seat on the floor with your draglet.” One by one the rest of the students took their places.

“We have everyone now it is time to move our dragons to the hot springs.” Fa began walking out of the training arena leading seventeen fresh riders and peeling itchy draglets down to the volcano’s caldera. The crater stopped erupting in a time before man walked the abysmal plane, or so the dragons say, but it is still active, the flow has just been redirected to the ocean side of the mountain range. The winter snows and the spring rains fill the caldera with water that is warmed by the volcano’s heat vents. Rock slides and other debris created little islands and beaches in the caldera making it an ideal place to warm up after a long cold flight. Fa stopped at the pebble beach in the volcano and turned to the students. “Your dragons are growing fast, they will be able to fly by the time they are one year old, they will be full grown by the time they are five years old. Their skin is having a hard time keeping up with their growth. It is your job as a rider to care for your dragon. You will need to scrub all that extra itchy and flaky skin off of them. They will tell you how best to do it, afterward you will need to dispose of the salt and soap in the refuse heap. Then oil your dragon.” The students all nodded and followed their dragons to different areas around the caldera. Meteor, Fa’s dragon was watching from the rim of the caldera as he was instructing.

Fa looked up to Meteor as the dragon lifted in to the air over the hot spring casting his shadow over the center of the snow fed Hot Spring Lake. He then folded his wings and crashed into the clear blue waters diving to the bottom depths before using his wings to rocket himself back up and out of the water. {You know I can’t go with you when you dive to the bottom. So why must you teas me?} Fa chided.

{Not my fault that you are so frail.} Meteor laughed and shook his massive body spraying no less than six draglets and their riders in the process.

{Hey knock it off you!} Fa held his hands up in an attempt to shield himself from the dragon induced torrent. {If you keep that up I’m not scrubbing you. Besides I’m not that frail.} He trailed off grumbling, as he was getting the salt mixed into the soap mixture ready to scrub his dragon. Thank the stars that he only had to do this once a month now. He was so huge that it takes all day just to scrub the beast.

{I am not a beast. If you think that again I will take you to the bottom of the lake and watch your chest cave in as the pressure crushes you.} Meteor hollowly threatened. He knew it would be suicide to kill his rider. Fa merely slapped a handful of salt and soap on him and began to scrub with a cactus bristled brush. {Easy! Fine I won’t kill you, just go easy, that’s a tender spot.} Meteor begged as Fa was scrubbing the crease under a foreleg. He eased the pressure on the scrub brush and focused on the loose scales and dry places.

As the students were finishing up with their draglets they were released back to their dormitory to prepare for the second half of training, when they would trade places with the other half of the students. They were instructed to leave the buckets and cleaning supplies in the training room and to inform the other students to collect a bucket and to join Fa in the hot spring basin. He would need the time to continue scrubbing Meteor. After scrubbing and a quick solo flight on Meteor’s part to dry, Fa oiled the behemoth. Pouring more than five buckets of cactus oil and rubbing in into the dragon’s scales and wing membranes.

As the second half of his class filed in with their draglets he took a break in his ministrations to instruct the new riders. “Class let your draglets find a good spot for you, and gather round.” Fa paused to count heads noting that all the students arrived in good order. “You have your buckets and brushes, take soap and oil from the supply in the alcove behind me and pay attention to your draglets, they remember how to wash, and they just need you to help. You will probably be finished before me still.” He motioned for the students to disperse and attend their charges. Cracking his fingers and hands and briefly rolling his head around to stretch his neck he went back to his careful and deliberate care sharing conversation with his best friend. They both had confidence in the new draglets and the fresh riders. They came from a good and proud people that were hardy and knew the Abysmal Plain as well as they knew their own voices.

Fa was proud of his students, in the last month that they were in the dragon maw they taught the residents as much as they absorbed from the careful instruction of the teachers. With the conversation that Ashfoot had with Leaf the queen’s conversations and announcements were coming more frequently. A dragon was sent to receive Avensong the Bintain and Ashfoot from the Cactus paw for meetings and deliberations. He wanted to be the clan member to meet them at the perch doors. Fa finished applying the oil and transferred his class to his second in charge Sabina and her dragon Rabinnara as he readied. The students were familiar with Sabina an older woman that made no room for nonsense.

Fa had time to prepare, it would take all night for the dragon with two extra bodies to make it to the Dragon Maw. He desperately needed a bath of his own after spending all day washing and scrubbing Meteor. He filled his wash tub in the private chambers that he shared with Star. Wearily he sank into the warm soapy waters and began to let his muscles loosen and unwind. As the water began to cool he could hear Star come into the dwelling and make her way to the wash room.

Star peeked her head around the door frame. “Can I join you?” she coyly asked.

“Only if you are naked.” Fa splashed at her as she began to step to the large stone wash tub. He knew that they were only together because the dragons decided that that was how things needed to be, but he loved her.

Star raised one thick leg and dropped it into the water and let the last of the suds wrap around her calf. “How long have you been in here it’s already getting cold?”

“More than a minute.” He snatched her wrist and pulled her all the way into the tub, not wanting to wait to feel her silky skin slide across his soapy body. “I’m going to meet the Bintain tomorrow.” I took the afternoon to get the dragon oil off me.”

“I see that. You smell a site better.” Star reached for a washcloth and the soap bucket. “Now help me.” Fa took the cloth and scooped a handful of the sandy soap mixture and began to scrub his mate.

“You know I have been doing this all day. Scrubbing scaly hide is starting to get boring.” He teased her as his fingers passed across her ribs tickling her.

“You want to call me scaly again and you can go sleep with your pampered friend.”

(See she doesn’t call me a beast) Meteor had to slide his opinion in setting the couple into a fit of laughter.

“Well help me finish and rinse.” Star broke the respite wanting to get out of the now cool water.

“Yes my love.” Fa was comfortable knowing that she was starting to like the affection. He was happy even with the uncertainty of tomorrow and the rest of their lives looming in the next sunrise.

 She turned to him and kissed him fully. Breaking the kiss she whispered “Take me to bed.”

“In the morning I will have to meet the Bintain and Shaman from the Cactus Paw.” He replied as he stood and stepped out of the bath. Grabbing a towel and tossing one to Star, Fa dried himself. The dragon riders strode out of the room that sweated with condensation through the rest of the home passing the cozy kitchen that doubled as a living area, into the warm bedroom at the back of the home. They crawled into the large fluffy bed to find some comfort. Easily they fell into sleep.

…

In the early moments of the morning when the sky is the darkest the Dragon Clan began to wake in fits of nightmares. Almost in unison the tribe began to cry out in fear. A gripping fear that paralyzes the body and shortens the breath. Hearts raced and site narrowed in every single person in the Dragon clan. Finally Lochsear began to attack the place that he once called home.

The terrified cries called on the wind to Ashfoot as she was coming into the Dragon Maw on dragon back with Avensong. She knew that events would begin to move quicker. She regretted searching for the beast. Sometimes the unknown can be comforting. Hope rested in the unknown, but not tonight. It was dark and cold and full of utter desolation.

…

Of all the ways that he could weaken an adversary he found the most thorough. If he was any more capable he may have been able to leave them in question of what reality to believe. Fortunately for the elementals, he had to strike fast, and rough. Ashfoot tripped him into action ahead of his timeline. Now he would be pressed to readjust. He now knew a few things about the elementals. The most important of these facts was that they were still new, and had no idea how to approach him. If only he had had enough time to leave a corridor into their minds at will. He will have to attack again to leave that door open. For now, he will be satisfied with scouring the abysmal plane. “What will be the beast’s next step?” Lochsear chuckled in the dark surrounded by his swarm. His ever growing contingent. He was pleased in the knowledge that he did deal a devastating blow.

He whispered to his swarm his voice emitting a weird double melody, if a being with ears could call it a melody. It rasped and grated at the same time. “I can feel them, but I cannot enter.” The abomination huffed and continued. “They are scared. They feel so alone, and taste so delicious.” The ragged gash that was his mouth began to salivate. His swarm began to swirl in anticipation. Buzzing intensified feeding off of the abominations emotion. He was hungry, and he knew that his swarm was too.

The organic entity that became the amalgamation of a miasma of insects and Lochsear himself needed to destroy, to feed, to utterly consume. They became a shadow descending upon a village. The hearts beating in the chests of sleeping men, women, and children echoed to the Swarm. Inviting, and beaconing to the ravenous monster. The mass separated and divided amongst the dwellings and erased every living being one by one.

 Screams were not heard because as soon as a person would open their mouth to draw in air to provide propulsion to the cry for help or terror would immediately be filled with the individuals of the Swarm. Choking and cutting as the writhing and digging bodies dug into the soft tissues. Other insects tore chunks of flesh from arms, legs, and torsos as these insects bored their way back out of bodies much like a man digging himself free from a grave. Once all the juicy bits of meat and sustenance were torn from skeletons the bone weevil beetles would completely erase the fact that a soul ever existed.

Lochsear himself loomed in the doorway of one home and waited to be served by his contingent. The mass restrained one hopeless victim for his pleasure. Soulless eyes gazed down at the teenage girl that was uncontrollably weeping. The tunic that she had been sleeping in gone as well as her hair. Small scratches adorned her skin giving her an aroma that was in itself seductive. The life in her body calling to the emptiness in the monster’s own.

“Oh my tasty little thing, there is no reason to put on a brave face. I’m not going to stop until you can no longer scream.” Lochsear brought his mouth close to her face and let the putrid air wash over her with the scent of his last m******e still present. Horror washed over the girls face as the beast lifted her up digging claws into her arms. She began to kick and scream thrashing her head around in denial that this could possibly be happening. His tongue escaped his fanged teeth and ran across her breasts and neck. Chipped and ragged fangs sank into her shoulder. Blood poured around his dry lips as muscle and sinew came away from her with a sickening sound.

Mercifully the nameless girl lost consciousness and life as Lochsear continued to devour her flesh.