FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

He was in a large room, which acted like the gym or playground area. It was dirty, the floor was cracked, and the ceiling looked like it could give at any moment...but then again, what didn't? He'd called the place home for two years now, and he trusted Terrador's word that it wouldn't suddenly cave.

Torches lined the walls, giving it an eerie feel. Despite his playful expression and mirth in his eyes, he kept a very cautionary eye on any shadows. Although it had been a year since the last intrusion of the Necrolites, he didn't dare give in to comfort. Especially given the young dragon before him lying on his back, ball in maw.

The dragon looked no older than six cycles, and had his orange-red scales. However, she had a bit of a golden underbelly, and spiraled horns like her mother. Her green eyes shone like emeralds, and her tail, which ended in a spike that faintly resembled a heart, wagged furiously. Viberian's gaze grew sober when he looked at her neck; there, a golden necklace in the shape of a heart hung.

The sorrow he felt quickly vanished when she sprang to her claws, shaking off some dirt. Unlike her mother, this young dragon didn't seem to mind the dirt and grime. In fact, she sometimes seemed to relish it. His mate didn't complain, but he could definitely feel her unease.

"Would ya stop throwing the ball so gosh darn hard?" The tiny voice of Viberian's daughter squeaked. "Hard to catch when it's going a gajillon miles an hour!"

"I don't think gajillon is a word, Gravia..."

"It is now!"

Viberian rolled his eyes with a smiling shake of his head, assisting her in standing up. Maybe she was right; maybe it was a bit too fast. He couldn't tell anymore...the shock of the body he had seen today sent him off the rails. Sure he hid it very well, but all he could see was Cynder's desecrated body, the touch of her cooling scales, the scent of decay from the wound...it washed over him at once.

All he could do now was make his daughter feel as comfortable as he could before Malefor comes back. It was inevitable now. If those two couldn't stop him, what chance did he have? He was half tempted to grab Gravia and run, but he couldn't just abandon Terrador and everyone...could he? No, he'd be run down and killed before he could.

"Dad?" Gravia looked up at him with worry. Viberian couldn't help but let a smile tug at his muzzle when he looked into her eyes. Neither he nor his mate had those eyes...no, they were the eyes of Viberian's own father. Looking at them just brought a flood of good memories...maybe his father was still alive.

"Hey, sorry about gazing off there." Viberian dipped his head lower to nuzzle her. "Just a long day out there."

"Did you beat up some zombies?" Gravia asked expectantly.

He laughed. "A few."

"Good!" She beamed at him. "Do you wanna take a nap?"

"I should be asking you that question." Viberian peered at her with one eye. "I heard you up past your bed time last night..."

She froze. "No I wasn't!"

"Mhm..." He pressed her gently.

"I wasn't!"

"Uh huh, then who's little claws did I hear skittering around last night?"

Gravia saw that she had no possible way of defending herself. So what did she do? Why, make up excuses! "I was thirsty!"

Viberian highly doubted that, but he decided to let it slide. It may very well be the truth. He didn't have the energy to properly punish right this second; besides, if she stayed up all night and was tired all day, then that was her fault. She'd be punishing herself.

Heavy clawsteps from behind alerted him to Terrador's presence. There was no possible way he could mistake those steps. Cricking his neck, Viberian stood tall at the approaching green-scaled guardian. Although Terrador was smiling, the shadows under his eyes and lines that creased his face showed the true toll this place had. Still, he couldn't help but wonder the big grin.

"Did I miss something?" Viberian greeted with humor.

"Not just yet." Terrador shook his head. His claw was firmly closed around an object.

"Then...what brings you here?" The fiery dragon tilted his head to the side.

"He obviously wants to play, dad..." Gravia chipped from his side.

Both adults chuckled at the comment. "No, not today Gravia." Terrador answered. "I have important news for your father, though. You may stay, though, if you like."

"Okie." Gravia laid on her stomach, bouncing the ball between her claws.

"What's going on?" Viberian whispered to Terrador. "Did she wake up or something?"

Terrador shook his massive head. "No, not yet. Volteer has a plan, though, and we'll need your help."

"Of course." Viberian gave him a military nod. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you...to accept this." Terrador extended his claw, opened it to reveal...

"You're kidding me, right?" Viberian's jaw dropped.

There, clutched in his claw, was a shimmering fire-orange sphere. It illuminated both of them, and some of the surrounding area in a warm glow. Churning fire, looking much like a hurricane, made up the inside. Untapped potential covered every inch, and he knew exactly what this was; this right here would make him a Fire Guardian. By absorbing it, he would have his own abilities boosted, as well as new abilities. From what he heard, though, he would have to learn those on his own.

"It was unanimous." Terrador explained. "Do you accept?"

Viberian hesitated, looking at his daughter. Fire from the orb flickered in her wide eyes, which were stuck on him. Giving her a tiny smile, he placed a claw on the stone. Ready to absorb it, he took it from Terrador and shut his eyes, ready for it to take him over.

Nothing happened.

Cracking open an eye, he saw Terrador staring with amusement. "It doesn't work like that." He laughed loudly.

"Right...I knew that..." Viberian replied sheepishly.

"You were right about the concentrating part, but you need to be in the sanctum for it to work." Terrador told him. "You know where it is."

"Why does it need to be there, out of curiosity?" Viberian gestured Gravia to follow him. She skittered along quietly, allowing the two dragons to talk.

"It's been blessed by us to be our 'home', if you want to call it that." Terrador informed, walking alongside Viberian. "Whenever Guardians make a base, temple, or wherever...it is customary to cast a little spell that binds a bit of your essence to it. You'll understand soon enough."

Viberian nodded understandingly, bending low to catch Gravia, who had tripped over a rock. She really was tired. Placing her on his back, he continued his walk with Terrador. He seemed to sense his next question, and answered it before it could be asked.

"Yes, your daughter is allowed in, but cannot this time." He said somberly. "You know why; I'd recommend leaving her with someone."

Viberian let out a sigh. It was true. "Do you want to go see your friend...umm...what was his name again..." Viberian struggled to remember the name of the young dragon that had come in the other week. His family was new, and he hadn't seen them around too often. Their son was nice, though.

When he didn't get an answer, Viberian knew exactly what had happened. He gestured to her, and Terrador nodded silently.

"Meet you there." He said as Viberian took a turn to the left, towards the sleeping quarters.

It was circular in shape, with makeshift doors and crude walls separating the dorms. It was barely enough to sleep in, but then again, not many were in them for any other reason. Always work to be done, and those who had hatchlings were usually scrambled after them when they decided to be adventurous. Viberian knew that from personal experience.

His dorm had a drawing of himself and Gravia on the metal slate that acted as a door. Gravia had done it in her spare time, and both of them were smiling. A noticeable lack of her mother could be seen; even at a young age, she understood. He didn't lie to himself; he was impressed at how mature she could be at times.

Viberian gently put the metal to the side, walking inside. It was nice and cool here, but also very small. There was barely enough room for him to move around in. Spotting a small bed of hay with a torn blanket, he placed Gravia in and tucked her in. She didn't seem to mind. Giving her a gentle nuzzle as if to say good night, Viberian closed the door and made his way to the Guardian Room.

--

"Ah, you made it!" Volteer's face was the first thing that greeted Viberian. He nearly leapt back in shock, yellow tail blade ready to strike. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Cyril slowly place his muzzle in a claw.

"Yeah, Gravia will be out for a few hours." Viberian said slowly, trying to calm himself down.

"Good, good, because after this, I have a task for you." Volteer told him as Viberian pushed past the swift-talking dragon. Holding out the sphere, he stepped over to the pools of vision. He had never seen one personally, and he stopped for a moment to properly look at himself.

It had been at least a solid two weeks since he saw a reflection. His face was haggard, and the golden spikes that grew under his chin haven't been trimmed in forever. His shoulder spikes looked rusty and pale, much like the rest of his body, and his face fell more when he noted the scar on his neck. It looked like a bite, and the scales around it were fractured.

Shaking his head, he closed his eyes and concentrated. An unknown feeling swept over him like a powerful gust, and he felt fire surge through his system like blood. Suddenly, the floor didn't feel so cold. The moisture in the air didn't cling to him as much. His stance grew much more confident as fiery energy overcame him.

Opening his eyes a bit, he saw that his eyes glowed like a dancing fire. Slowly, they reverted back their original color, but it was still breathtaking. His scales were back to their normal color, and the shine in his golden horns and shoulders were back. He still looked like hell, but at least he was healthier. Spreading his wings, he was taken aback to note that fiery symbols appeared on them, shining brightly in the dim lights. Much like his eyes, they slowly faded, becoming nearly invisible.

The claw that grasped the sphere now held nothing. The energy had been transferred entirely to him. He felt absolutely incredible! Like he could take on double the amount of Necrolites and walk away without a scratch! He quickly calmed himself before he did anything rash, though.

"Huh...was I that dramatic when I was his age?" Cyril asked Terrador, who nodded. "Ah well."

"As a Guardian, you have a higher resistance to illness and an even greater resistance to fire." Volteer explained to him, growing serious. "That does not make you immune, though. Fire can still kill you, and you are vulnerable to the Necrolite Bite. Tread carefully."

"I think if I was vulnerable, I would have turned ages ago..." Viberian indicated to the bite.

"That does not mean you are immune; it may have been a low dose." Volteer continued to stretch the point.

"I think he understands." Cyril of all dragons came to his rescue.

"Ahem, very well." Volteer cleared his throat, walking over to a shaded part of the room. There, Viberian could see an icy figure...no, it was impossible. Terrador couldn't have possibly...

"This, is your first duty." Volteer gestured to the frozen Cynder. She looked like she was simply sleeping, minus the hole in her gut. "I need you to accompany myself and Terrador to the old library to look up a book to bring her back to life."

"We're gonna what now?" Viberian had to ask. Was this a sick joke?

"Volteer believes there is a ritual to bring her back to life." Cyril explained. "I personally have my doubts, but Terrador pointed out that our options are slim. We haven't much of a choice; she knows why this event is happening, and if she desires death after this, then it is our solom duty to carry that request."

Viberian didn't like it one bit. "So we are going to be no better than Mali over there?" Viberian asked sourly.

"Desperate times." Terrador answered bluntly. It was true, no matter how anyone looked at it.

"I'll help, but I don't condone this." Viberian grudgingly decided. "On the condition that we burn the book after the goal is complete. The dead should stay dead, no matter how much we want them back..." Viberian trailed off for a moment.

"None of us relish this task, Viberian." Volteer placed a comforting claw on his shoulder. "Once this war with Malefor is over again, I will personally assist you in burning it."

Viberian stared hard into the purple eyes of the Electric guardian. He found no deciete or secrets. He spoke the truth. The settled it for him. Glancing at the other Guardians, he planted his claws on the ground firmly, adjusting to the new role.

"So...what are we waiting for?"