The repetitive thump of hammers hitting nails came to fill the ears of the Bloodclaws. The time had come for the trebuchets, armor, and weapons to be forged. Men and women worked side by side assembling upon the castle grounds. The steam from red steel dipped into water filling the field with fog. Never had there been such a mass production of weaponry, there had been no need. Zacura, Canavis, and Maerick were the first to be fitted with their armor. It was certain that the grand Drake would fight in his birth form. Though he was known for his swordsmanship in his humanoid state, he was unbeaten in draconic combat. Sir Archwald Grimty oversaw the process. He and Maerick remained at each other's throats throughout the fitting. The Drake going on about how no armor was needed for him. He was born with enough armor, any more would simply weigh him down. Zacura, however, gave no arguments; she knew she would come to appreciate it later on.
Canavis followed suit, his tall and muscular frame eerily still as his measurements were taken. "Alpha, might we share words while we stand?" "Of course. What is it you wish to speak about?" Maerick blew flame onto Archwald in the distance, his frustration clearly at its peak. The smoke that followed came to blow past Zacura who growled and scolded him. "It is by Hexonia's tongue that this armor comes to sit upon us. The man is only doing his job. Will you please calm yourself and allow him to complete his work?" She looked over the luster of her own pauldrons, a sense of pride filling her. The smoke had come to leave the presence of ash upon them. Such angered her, and soon, her tone soured.
"I swear, if you ruin my steel before I am ever able to see it into battle I will see you twenty scales less a dragon." Maerick gave her a bow of his head snarling at Grimty one final time. "As you were saying, Canavis." The large hound gave a slight chuckle before continuing, "I merely wished to inquire about your plans for the future. You are of the age of bearing pups. You stand without a mate and without an offspring to carry on your power. As much as I would enjoy seeing you live for all eternity, you will not. It would be a shame and a step backward for our race if you never produced young. With your power, your talents to end with you would be a sin. Do you have no interest in life with a mate?"
"I did once. But in this world today, would it be wise to bring a pup into the realm of the living? Into a land decaying and consumed by hatred and greed, I would be damning my young from the start. I have far too much to overcome at this point in my life. Bearing young is not in the near future I can assure you of that." The young Wex Youghfrat began to tighten the hinges of her chest plate. Zacura came to wobble at his sharp tugs and presses. She dug her claws into the ground and continued.
"Besides I have no one in mind that I see worthy of me, less long worthy of procreating with. When one becomes a mother, her life ends and becomes fully dedicated to that of her young. I am to be the rumored savior of a planet I know little about. I have no time to carry such pups, nor nurse them. If ever the day comes that I am to give birth, I wish to have something to teach my offspring. How can I teach them who they are or what they Are meant to be when I lack such knowledge about myself ? I may be at the proper stage of sexual maturity, yet in my eyes, I am but a lost pup myself."
Canavis dropped his head. He had watched Zacura grow from a young hound into a leader. Honestly, he had always pictured himself with her. "You know your father would have wanted you to bare him another generation. He was so proud when you born. I will never forget the pure joy that danced within his eyes. If anyone can bring this planet back into balance, it is you. One day you will have to settle down and enjoy living for yourself. Give your pups something you never had, a family with both their mother and father present. Think about it, Zacura. If you truly are this Keeper of the Elements who will take your place. When your eyes close for the final time and the crown of savior must be passed on who will stand in your absence? Have you ever thought of these things?"
"No, I have not! When have I had the time? I have gone from a leader to a savior overnight. Pairing with another and planning a family are not thoughts that cross my mind." His tail tucked at the rise in her voice. Apparently, he had come to irritate her, even though that had not been his intention. "I only want what is best for you, Zacura. You know that. The day will come when you are ready, I only pray I am in your thoughts when that day comes."
Maerick had come to wander past them overhearing their conversation. He growled low, a hiss soon following. "Oh, it will not be you she thinks of lowborn." He thought to himself. He came to stand directly over Zacura looking down at her with those golden flame eyes. She looked up to him and bared her teeth. "My apologies for getting your armor all dirty. I just do not understand how they expect a human to understand the biology of a dragon. That armor will only limit my mobility. I was born with natural defenses, I do not need human materials to protect me." Canavis eyed the giant dragon. He had never been a fan of him from the beginning. As time progressed, he found other reasons to validate his dislike for the flying lizard.
"And what if your scales prove ineffective to the weapons those who inhabit Morgaideign may have? What will you do then? Accept your fate and die at the hands of yet another humanoid creature? I thought dragons were supposed to be wise?" "Hmm, and I believed that a Beta of a clan would never have the chance with the Alpha, yet here you stand with hope. It would seem to me that you are far from wise. You do not even understand the culture of your own people. As if the Keeper would ever wish to have the likes of you impregnate her. You are old and battle worn, not to mention, you are the most unattractive of all the Bloodclaws I have come to meet." "Is that what you think, serpent? I have been the most loyal to her since birth!" He growled. Zacura stepped from under Maerick, her ears lying flat upon her head.
"Mind your tongue, Canavis. We need not fight amongst ourselves. Maerick, you as well." "As you see fit, Alpha." Canavis dropped his head low in respect before trotting off. "Must you be so rude to him?" "I am but a mirror reflecting the actions of others back onto them. He confronted me first, what was I supposed to do, cower before him?" Zacura chuckled and was sent on after her armor was removed. "No. From what I hear, dragons do not cower. But mutual respect would be appreciated. We could all be dead tomorrow. Would you wish to spend your last day fighting with someone you claim to care nothing of ?" "No. I would want to spend it alone with you." Maerick thought to himself. "No, I would hope to be upon a tall and forgotten mountain watching a sunset. That is what I would wish for upon my final day of living. But I hope that day does not come for some time. Come, I need to show you something."
Maerick made his way to the open gates of the Tunzsna garden. The two passed several groups of workers and many maidens frolicking around. Despite the days ahead, most still found the time to smile and be merry. They came to stand back upon the soils of the Rise, yet now they faced south. Until that time Zacura had not come to notice the hidden beauty behind the Talon's castle. The lands were rich with deep green grass that blew in the wind. The sky was a striking blue, birthing holes bearing the sun's rays across the lands. There were three primary paths, each leading in three different directions. The first, the Laiko, lead southeast to the Mountains of Kaemra. Off in the distance, their lightly coated snow peaks could be admired. The second of the trails, the Aiseha, lead southwest to the village of Kaeiliounya. It was home to the ancient burial grounds of the Talon family. It was not a place often visited, but when it was, it was for a great purpose. And finally the path straight ahead and dead south was the holy Marlbotrea. It was the path to the elder wyrms of Hexonia's family. A trail only traveled by those worthy. For some reason, Zacura felt drawn to it and took a few steps forward.
A change of climate had come, the cold seasons were approaching. With them came the clarity of Pulariz, the protected gate leading to the ancients. It set held within the arms of a mountain all its own. Its height danced with the clouds above in a figure of golden art formed in crescent moons. Within the two crescents came to sit the Platform of Transcendence, the gateway to the Privultearem Castle of the hidden ancestors. Even from so far away, Zacura could feel its strength. The pulse it created outward into the world around it.
"What is that?" she asked utterly astonished. "That is the pathway to Halotia so to speak. Only gods and the Talons go there. Want a closer look?" The hound turned to look into the eyes of the dragon that she had come to admire. "I would...but did you not just say that only gods and those of Talon blood go there?" "I meant further than what you can see. Come on, I will not utter a word of our little adventure if you do not." "Go with him. It will do you well to look upon the world so high above it. Let it embrace you and see your skills put to the test." Manuke had come to gracefully walk to greet them. It had been several days since she had seen him last. "You think so, Manuke? It is beautiful, but there is no way I could scale that mountain today. I have far too many things to do here. It would take me no less than a month to climb something that high."
Maerick began to laugh as he looked upward towards the gate. "You know there are bonuses to flying, right? I could easily carry you when you began to tire." "Or she could travel on the wind. A Keeper is born with the ability to wield the wind at birth. It is the time she allows her blessing to be put into action,"the white wolf spoke. "And how would I go about such a thing? Tell it what to do?" She was being sarcastic, of course, but as always Manuke took her seriously. "No, it is much like how a dragon or a bird learns to fly. You allow yourself to fall and nature will take over. Let yourself fall, Zacura. If all fails, Maerick will be there to catch you. He is your guardian. Place your trust in him and let go. Do not overthink it, just let it happen. I'll say you went for a run to stretch your legs if you are missed."
"Come, Zacura, it's time you relax and take a moment of enjoyment into your day for once," the Drake spoke setting off south. "Do you really think I am ready, Manuke?" She asked fearfully. "You were born ready, Zacura. The only thing holding you back from your full potential is yourself. You must believe in who you are and what you shall become. If you do not, you will never be able to take my place, and we are running out of time. Now go, Maerick is getting a lead on you." She came to nuzzle the old wolf, a sense of hope knocking upon the doors of her heart. In the short time, she and Manuke had come to converse Maerick had traveled about two miles out. The wind had come to carry him his wings shadowing the ground as he flew. Zacura charged into a full run. It took a while for her to catch up, her breath heaving once she did.
"Hey, wait up!" The entrance to the mountain was twenty miles away. And within several long moments, they came too near its gates. She was beginning to tire, and against Manuke's wise word, she began to doubt. She came to a stop heaving for breath, Maerick landing nearby.
"Have you had enough, my Keeper?" "For today, yes, I have," she spoke panting." "Well, that is too bad. We didn't come all this way not to see what exactly lies up there now have we?"
She snarled at him and sat back on her haunches. "I cannot make another step, less long scale a mountain." A single talon came to softly slide from her head to the base of her tail. "Do not worry, I shall carry you as I have many times before." He scooped her up in his grasp and began to lift from the ground. To Zacura the takeoff was rough, the repetitive up and down motions making her sick. At last, her stomach came to adapt, but when she looked down, her head began to swim. She had never once been that high, and they weren't even halfway there. Everything below them seemed so small. From her current position, she could stare upon the glass-like castle.
"How does your kind live like this?" She yelled upward. "It is all we have ever known. One day you will come to know it too." Minutes turned into hours before the dragon, and his hound came to set foot upon the marble landings. They had traveled so high even the birds flew below them. "My word...this is...so wondrous," Zacura spoke once she had found proper footing. Her paws came to slip a while at the slick ground below them. Maerick watched chuckling. He had seen her act in such an unsteady manner before, but then again she had been only a pup. "It is indeed, one day soon you will claim a throne that stands this high if not higher. So I think you are well rested, am I correct?" "I suppose so. Why do you..." Her words were replaced with roars of sheer terror as Maerick pushed her from the highest point in all of Crystal Springs. Her body was whipped and beaten as she tossed and turned falling at a rapid rate. Maerick came to fall with her remaining eye to eye.
"Take hold of your gift, or you will die!" He bellowed. Panic filled her breast as she steadily fell. Manuke watched below in the shadows. "Come on, Zacura. You can do it...believe." He spoke softly watching as the two fell. "Why would you do this?! Catch me!" She begged. Her words turned to deaf ears as Maerick began to pull away from her. She could feel the harsh wind slithering through her thick fur, and at that moment, she realized it was up to her. It had always been up to her; she stood alone now as she had her entire life. Within that moment, her powers began to surge, her body adapting to the elements around her. The ground began to tremble and crack casting new formations that rushed towards their commander. Without knowing it, Zacura had come to awaken the power to wield not only air but soil as well. The jagged formation came rushing toward her as her body became level. Her eyes blazed with the illuminating glow of pearl blue. For several long moments, her mind had disconnected from her body. Upon its return, she saw through a red vision. Her elemental gifts now activated by the rage taking over her form.
Just before her, falling mass stood; that shadow she had come to see not long ago. Her voice came forth in a calm tone, the language of her people overtaking her speech. "Vai'exo humaita." A deafening sound came to pierce the ears of both Maerick and Manuke. It thundered over the land in a galloping wave as the air currents came to break. The wind flew across the ground making trees bend to its will. Her body was suspended in silence, and suddenly she was completely still. The formations came to a halt as she lunged forth her claws digging deeply into the rock and soil. With a final jump, she came to find footing upon a small landing just to her left. A roar as forceful as a strike of lighting came to fill the land. She had come to claim her power, and as her eyes came to calm, as she realized what she had done.
The copper Drake came to cling to the edge of the formation, his ears still ringing. "Zacura! You did it! You wielded the elements!" She turned to look at him, her body language providing a show of irritation. "Please do not hate me. I had no choice, you were not progressing fast enough. But look at what you have accomplished." She turned from him and took a seat to rest; she felt tired, uneasy. "Let's go back, I do not think I can stay up here much longer. I feel faint, my head is swimming." He saw her into his clutches once more and traveled them both back towards the grounds of the castle.
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