Chapter 3
Trouble For All
We appeared in the forest I'd played in as a kid. I was so thrilled to see that wonderful place again. My daughter thought it was great that we were in a placed I'd been to as a kid. I talked about my many adventures for a few minutes. I walked them down the paths I'd run on as a kid. I showed them my secret hideouts and led them to Lake Fisher.
"This is where I was caught by the dragons. They swooped down under the water after me. My goodness, that seems like it happened just yesterday. Well, that's what time'll do to you. It will mess up your mind and make you believe things you used to doubt, or vice versa. Yep, that's what it'll do. Anyway, we'd best be finding someplace to hideout. I have a feeling those Clyuires won't give up easily."
Trinian agreed and decided to change to a wolf with me. I told Topaz to stay human and follow us. She did as she was told, and we soon started our journey through the woods.
After a while, I heard a gun shot. It was very close, and almost made me jump out of my skin. Topaz stiffened and asked me what it was. I told her that people used ‘guns' to kill animals. I also told her to stay very close to us, so that we wouldn't be shot.
We found ourselves walking onto a path at the same time as a hunter and his dogs. I stiffened and growled. Topaz stepped back behind us and stared at the hunter. Trinian growled louder than me and opened his mouth to bark. I whipped my head around to look at him and glared. He closed his mouth and looked back at the dogs. Topaz stood still as stone. The hunter stared close at the three of us, as if he was making up his mind what to do with us. I thought quickly and decided to use another means of communication besides speaking out loud to get Topaz talking.
[Topaz, it's Mom. Don't be afraid. I can hear your thoughts. Just direct your thought at me in a way that you would speak. Now, say exactly what I say to you, okay?] I told her.
[Alright. Hurry up, he's looking at us kind of strange] Topaz thought to me.
I bared at the dogs while telling Topaz what to say.
"Hey, Yonack, Toran, behave yourselves," commanded Topaz.
I shut my mouth and continued glaring at the two hunting dogs. By now, the other dogs were growling and looking for a fight. Trinian jumped in front of me and got ready to pounce on the dogs.
"Back, Toran! Get back here, now!" commanded Topaz.
Trinian lowered his head and backed up. He backed up beside Topaz and continued growling from there.
"Your dogs are getting in my way, mister," said Topaz.
The hunter, looking startled, said,"Yeah, sorry. Your dogs are kind of funny looking though. Look more like wolves. The teeth are too long for wolves though."
Topaz glared at the man and, putting her hands on her hips, said,"So what? They're my dogs and you got no business about ‘em. Get outta my way before we run you over. Besides, you said it yourself, my dogs have longer teeth. They could probably beat your dogs any day."
The hunter shrugged and whistled to his dogs. The dogs spun around to face him. He pointed to the right and said,"Get going, Missies!" The dogs turned right and ran off, searching for an animal's trail to follow. The hunter glanced at us one last time and ran off after his dogs.
I sighed and looked over at Trinian, saying,"Good job, Trinian."
He smiled and said,"Thanks, Mrs. Sariah."
Topaz looked down at me and asked,"Did I do alright, Mom?"
"Yeah, you were great, Topaz. Good job,"I answered.
Topaz smiled and nudged Trinian. He trotted to the front of our little line and started walking. I held my head high, it was a habit, and followed him down the trail. Topaz was very light on her feet, and she made hardly a noise behind us.
After a half hour of walking, I reached my neck as far as it would go and bit Trinian's tail. I had my teeth at such an angle so that they wouldn't hurt him. I braced myself and pulled him backwards. Trinian jumped and pulled his tail from my grasp. He turned around and gave me a strange look. I motioned with my head to a thicket to my right. Trinian looked at it and shrugged. I laughed a wolf laugh and pointed to the right of the thicket. There were a few trees that blocked a small clearing off from the main trail. Trinian nodded and waited for me to lead the way. I trotted toward the clearing, barely hearing Trinian and Topaz behind me.
"Ooooorrrrrooooowwwww!" howled Trinian.
I jumped and spun around. Trinian was nowhere to be seen. I quickly looked for Topaz and found her hiding behind a tree.
"Mom! We've got to help him!" whispered a very frightened Topaz.
I walked shakily to my daughter's side and said,"Alright. We'll help him, I promise. For right now, we'll have to find out what got him."
"I saw it, Mom," whispered Topaz.
I swung my head over in her direction again and asked,"You did? What was it?"
Topaz flattened herself up against the tree even more and said,"It was a dragon!"
I collapsed and buried my face in my paws. It was all coming true. I knew what was happening, but I didn't want to believe it.
"What is it, Mom? What's wrong? Do you miss Trinian too?"
I lifted my head from my wet paws and licked the salty tears from my nose.
"Honey, it's nothing. Nothing at all. I'll tell you about it later," I told her.
I wanted to be sure that what I thought was happening was true. I for sure didn't want to scare my little girl if I didn't need to. Thought I was deathly afraid of the truth, I pushed it from my mind and growled at the dirt.
"Come on. They went that way, Mom."
"You saw them go?" I asked, turning my face toward the East.
Topaz nodded and made a quick change to unicorn. She opened her wings and flew into the sky. My daughter circled the trees as she waited for me to change. I changed to unicorn and opened my wings to fly up after her.
"Look ooouuuurrrrr!!"
I spun around just fast enough to miss a dragon's clawed hand coming toward me. It missed. I jumped back and got ready to ram into it, but another dragon jumped me from behind. It grabbed my tail and pulled me to the ground. I scrambled to get up again, but the dragon held me down by my tail. The second dragon grabbed a Silver Bridle from his shoulder and slid it over my head. No matter which way I turned, I couldn't get away from the bridle. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Topaz flying away. I shook my head once before the bridle began to work. The dragons jumped back and watched as I stood up. I felt a little dizzy.
Silver Bridles make you obey. You can say whatever you want to the dragons, but the rest of you has to do as they say.
The dragons told me to follow them. I took a step forward, then a step backward. The dragons watched with evil grins on their scaly faces, clearly amused that I was trying to fight the Silver in the bridle. You see, it's the Silver in the Silver Bridles that makes the bridle work. I staggered, then reared. Using all the power I'd gained becoming the Dragon Slayer, I snapped every strap of that bridle in two. The dragons jumped and looked at me in amazement. I was amazed too, but I quickly recovered. Unfortunately, so did the dragons. The dragons rushed at me. I reared and tried to kick hem. One of the dragons grabbed a dagger from his belt, which was all that he was wearing for dragons don't need clothes, and held his hand up. The point of the dagger drove into the underside of my chest as I came down. I screamed in pain and collapsed on the ground. The dragons grabbed my pain stricken body and heaved me onto their shoulders. They took off with me on their shoulders. My daughter was gone. Trinian was captured. I was almost dead. The creatures from Zooloo were attacking. What else could go wrong?
"Move your right arm now!"
I felt cold stone beneath my body. The voice woke me, and I reacted immediately. I didn't even have time to open my eyes before I heard a loud ‘Clang!' beside me. I opened my eyes and turned my head right. The scene before me was confusing. Two young men seemed to be wrestling. They looked to be about eighteen or so. Each had a sword. The first was a red head. He was on his way to becoming muscular and buff. He looked to be a knight from the mail and armor that clung to his body. The other was scrawny and seemed to be a peasant. He looked starved and was dressed in ragged brown clothes. The peasant looking boy didn't even look close to matching the knight's strength, yet the thin, dirty young man was on top of the knight. The peasant or slave, whatever he was, was yanking at his sword while trying to keep his opponent under him. His sword was stuck in the dirt between six inch stones. His sword was right where my arm had been a moment earlier.
"Get off me you animal!" yelled the knight.
The peasant pulled his hand from the sword and punched the knight in the face.
"Hurry! Get away!" yelled the boy.
I scrambled away from the two struggling youngsters. It took me only a second to make up my mind. I hurried to the sword and grabbed the hilt. The two boys stared at me for a moment, wondering what I would do. I yanked with all my might, pulling the sword free, and tossed it to the ground a few feet in front of me.
"Get up and fight!" I told the slave.
He jumped off the knight and waited for him to get to his feet. The knight grabbed his sword, which was lying a few feet away, and ran at his opponent. I stepped back, hoping I wouldn't have to interfere.
I saw what was coming before the peasant boy did. Without thinking, I used my speed and strength to block the blow which would come to the weaker boy's legs. I appeared in front of the boy just in time to keep it from hitting him. Unfortunately, I didn't get so lucky. The knight couldn't stop in time, and he cut into my legs. I spun halfway around, gripping the peasant boy's shirt. He watched as I slid to the floor, both my legs bleeding profusely.
"Oh my..." began the knight.
"You dare you strike a lady," whispered the angry boy to the knight.
"I didn't mean it!" cried the knight.
"Junim, I'll kill you for sure! You'll never become a knight now!"
At that moment, I realized what the man named Junim was. He was a squire, someone who assists knights. They usually carry the Knight's swords and shields. Basically, squires are slaves.
I slid down to the floor and turned my head so that I could stare at the ceiling. I was too stunned to cry. Besides, I had been through so much as a teen, this wasn't anything drastic.
"Miss, are you alright?" asked the peasant.
The squire could only stare while at a loss for words.
I stared up at the dirty boy and tried to speak. The words caught in my throat as I noticed a shadow come over me. I stared at the shape of a large golden dragon gliding toward me.
"Who's done this?!" cried the dragon from fifty feet above us.
Both the boys whipped their heads up to look at the dragon.
The squire stood to his feet, and I saw a look of fear come over his face as he yelled up to the dragon,"Twas I, sir!"
The dragon glided down to the floor beside the three of us. He strutted up to us, looking fiercely down at the squire. I lifted my head from the floor and took a deep breath.
"Sir, it was not the squire's fault."
The dragon's head whipped around to look at me. He scanned my body, looking from my legs up to my head. He shifted his weight and cocked his head to the side.
"I got in his way, sir. It was not the squire's fault," I said.
My eyes closed, and I felt my head hit the stone floor.
To read the next chapter of this story, please Click Here
Or go Back to the previous page.
Back Home
