A New Dawn - Chapter 4 (Home Coming)
#4 of Malakye's Story - Part 2 (A New Dawn)
A New Dawn is the sequel to my story 'A Place to Belong'. I hope you enjoy this part as much as the last (if not even more! :-)) and those of you who are late to the party, I recommend that you read the first part. Or don't, it's up to you.
The Encyclopedia I have written detailing places, races and various parts of history will come in handy if you come across a word or phrase with a * at the end of it. This symbol * depicts that there is an entry in the Encyclopedia so you can have a more indepth knowledge on the subject at a moments notice.
This story will have mature and adult rated chapters along the way, if you find yourself unable to find missing chapters please check that your age-rating (or your SFW settings) are set appropriatly so you can view them before notifying me. This happens a lot more than you'd think!
This time round I do not have a proof reader so please let me know via note if there are any glaring (or small) mistakes so that I can fix them. And as always, constructive cristisim is welcome!*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Eventually we made it to a large hall with large metal doors and a stair case, apparently this was the main hall and entrance, the door we had entered by was the back door. He lead me up the stairs to a room filled with comfortable furniture, couches and chairs, I felt myself relax in this room, a large fire burned in the fireplace at the far end of the room, all the couches and chairs facing it. It was the first room I had seen that was not adorned with expensive tapestries and weapons, instead soft looking fabric hung from the walls giving it a comfortable feeling.
"This is the family room." Kaldor explained. "This area of the house is meant for the Anaris family and close friends."
"It's nice." I admitted, this was more like a home than the rest of place.
"My mother hated all the weapons mounted on the walls, so she made sure they weren't put up in the family areas." He explained before leading me to another wooden door on the other side of the room, the door lead to a long tunnel, lit with the usual torches mounted on the walls, but I couldn't make out the end of the tunnel, it seemed to go on forever, wooden doors appearing on either side at regular intervals.
We walked for a couple of minutes before stopping in front of one of the wooden doors, I noticed that every door had a distinguishing mark or symbol different to all the others, this one had the symbol of an anvil. Kaldor pushed open the door, I had no idea what he was going to show me, the symbol made me think of weapons but that just made me more surprised by what I saw. I followed Kaldor into the room, a roaring fire burned brightly giving light to the otherwise dark room, revealing the most luxurious bed I'd ever seen. Clad in thick, green sheets, with pillows and mattress, a four poster bed and a large wooden chest were the only things in the room.
"This will be your room, should you ever want to stay."*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
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CHAPTER 4
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My eyes fluttered open, someone was standing above me, I peered at the silhouette cast by the fire burning brightly behind them. Their scent was familiar but I couldn't recognise it, they stood there with confidence.
"Hey there big boy." They cooed, I instantly recognised the voice.
"Travis?" Once I uttered his name he moved to the end of the bed so the light from the fire revealed his face. Sure enough it was Travis, the cheetah I'd slept with back in Rengilar*. "What are you doing here?"
"I had to have another kiss, just like the one you gave me before you left."
He wore nothing more than a simple black robe which stopped halfway up his thighs, showing off his shapely legs. He turned so his back was to me and began to slowly slip his robe off his shoulders till it came down just above his tail, revealing his bare back as he looked over his shoulder at me with a glint in his eye. I felt my breath hitch in my throat, I began to get hard, he was so pretty; masculine and feminine all at the same time. His figure lithe and sexy, his fur soft to the touch, his golden fur glowing in the firelight.
"Do you want to kiss me Malakye?" He asked in tone that was almost a groan of pleasure, making my cock twitch.
"Yes..." I groaned in a hushed whisper, he smiled and let his robe fall to the floor.
He began to crawl his way up the bed, placing his paws between my legs as made his way up to me, he trailed his nose up my stomach as he inhaled my scent until he was face to face with me; our muzzles less than an inch apart. I opened my maw in anticipation of the kiss, looking in to his eyes I saw the same want in them that I felt right now, he was so beautiful. I leant forward and locked our muzzles in a passion filled kiss, our tongues in a frenzy as we tasted each other, it felt so good, my erection was rubbing against the bedsheets, sending waves of pleasure up my body. I don't know how long the kiss lasted, but it ended only because we both needed to breath, our panting was the only sound in the room other than the crackling from the fire.
"This is what I wanted..." Travis mutter in a breathless whisper. "Now you can die!" He growled.
I was startled by the sudden change, his eyes glowed a bright blood red, those same eyes that have haunted me for weeks now. He shoved me back against the bed and slashed my chest with his razor sharp claws, slicing into my flesh and leaving a set of bloody claw marks. I looked up at Travis in absolute fear, those eyes, those hellish eyes! What the hell were they!? He raised his paw again and in one swift swipe brought them across my throat.
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"AARRGGH!" I sat bolt upright, my breathing heavy and covered in a cold sweat, clutching my throat; nothing there. I checked my chest where Travis had scratched me, nothing there either. The room was dark, the only light I could see where the dying embers of the fire. "It was just a dream..." I reassured myself. Of course it was just a dream, what would Travis be doing here in Zangar*? I lay back down and stared up into the darkness, my breathing eventually returning to normal, I rubbed my muzzle in frustration. I looked up as I heard the wooden door to my room open, the light from a torch filled the room as a dragon walked in.
"Master Malakye?" Jovani's calm voice pierced the silence. "Is everything all right?"
"Yes... sorry, did I wake you?"
"No, no. I was already awake. It's early, but perhaps you would like some breakfast?" I lay there for a few moments, there was little chance I was getting any more sleep just now. I pushed aside the blanket and got up to follow Jovani. We walked through the long corridors in silence, but I could tell he was wanting to talk, perhaps it was his professional courtesy that was stopping him.
"How long have you worked for my father?"
"I don't work for your father, I serve him, just like I would the rest of the Anaris household."
"Serve? Is that different from working?"
"In a sense, work is when you complete a task for payment, serving implies that you don't expect payment." Jovani explained with a smile.
"So you're a slave?"
"I suppose to some it would appear as such, but it is really quite far from that. I serve because it is my duty, all my needs are taken care of by the house and so I attend to the houses needs in return. My family have been caretakers of the Anaris family for countless generations, even going as far back to Bac'tou himself."
"Bac'tou?"
"My apologies, Bac'tou was a K'tan, a powerful warrior from back during the days of the War of the Gods. And he was one of the most powerful K'tan, his power said to rival if not exceed the powers of the Guardian Deities* themselves, he had three sons; Anaris, Valelor, and Killik, the three founding members of the three Houses of Zangar*."
"And your family has served them all this time?"
"Oh yes, you could call it a blood debt. My two sisters serve the House of Valelor*."
"What about the House of Killik*?" My question brought a solemn silence to the moment.
"They were wiped out during the last war with the wolves, the battle where Zangar fell. Grand Master Galford was the only member of the house to survive. The rest of his clan were either killed or fled Zangar all together. He was old and died a few short years later, leaving Master Kaldor to become the leader of the village."
"I'm sorry..." I apologised, that war had been started because I was born, my birth seemed to be soaked in the blood of many.
"You have nothing to apologise for. Now lets get Harold to make you something." Jovani smiled and I noticed the smell of food on the air, freshly baked bread, various herbs and spices.
The kitchen was large and vast, it was just how I remembered it from the night before, when Kaldor gave me the tour. Two large fires burned in the alcoves on the far side of the room, the fires made the room almost uncomfortably hot, several small cauldrons hung from a metal rod above one of the fires using the heat of the fire to cook the contents within them. In the centre of the room were a series of long wooden counter tops surrounding one in the centre where a single yellow scaled dragon was busy slicing vegetables. I found the amount of food staggering, meat, vegetables, bread, herbs and spices... enough food to feed several families.
As we approached the yellow scaled dragon looked up from his work and gave me a beaming smile, he was the first resident of Zangar* that I'd seen that wasn't a Zangarian Dragon*. He had two curved horns that curled in on themselves, and a small horn growing from his snout, unlike the Zangarians* he didn't have any wings. His muzzle was wider than that of a Zangarian as well. I had to assume that this was Harold.
"Harold, the Young Master would like some breakfast." Jovani said and Harold's eyes seemed to shimmer in excitement and he hoped off something, almost disappearing from sight. His head only just came above the counter tops, I watched in surprise as he walked round and stood in front of me, his head just coming up to my chest. I looked closer at the counter tops and saw that at their base they had a two foot step built in on one side, obviously built specifically for Harold.
"Hi." I waved and he waved back, I waited for him to speak but it soon became apparent that he wasn't going to.
"Harold doesn't talk much, very rarely in fact, but you can generally tell what he means from his facial expressions." Jovani explained. I nodded in understanding and turned my attention back to Harold. His expression was one of expectancy, he was apparently waiting for me to tell him what I wanted to eat.
"Uh... why don't you surprise me?" I said, not sure what I actually wanted to eat. Harold's eyes shone with excitement, he nodded and scuttled off to prepare my meal. He zipped from one counter to another, gathering various ingredients, totally focused on the task as if it was the most important thing in the world.
"You've probably just made his day." Jovani commented with a smile as we watched the happy little dragon zip around the room. "Harold loves to cook, he'll probably end up making something very special for you."
"He doesn't have too..."
"I know, he probably knows it as well, but that's just who he is." Jovani motioned for me to sit on a stool at the one counter top that was clear of any food.
"He seems a little..." I commented, not entirely sure how finish my statement, but Jovani seemed to understand.
"Yes, I know. He was always a special lad, he was brought here with his parents, they agreed to serve Master Kaldor's father, your Grandfather, Parthax Anaris. Harold's parents passed away about ten winters ago leaving him in the houses care, the cook at the time found that Harold had a gift for cooking and taught him everything she knew. She doted on him like he was her own son, when she passed away Harold took her place as the house cook."
I looked over at Harold who was now busy throwing ingredients into a pot that hung in front of the fire, stirring the contents with a long wooden spoon. He looked so happy, I was honestly envious of him, I couldn't remember a time I had something I loved doing as he did cooking. He had an air of innocence about him, like this was his entire world and that was all that mattered.
"If you'll excuse me young Master, I have my duties to attend to. Harold will see to all your needs, but if you require my assistance, please don't hesitate to ask." Jovani bowed his head before making his way out of the room.
After Jovani left I sat there watching Harold work, preparing my meal. The yellow dragon was almost entertaining to watch as he ran about the kitchen, his enthusiasm for cooking endearing. By the time it was ready my maw was watering and stomach growling from the delicious scent of the food, he spooned a few ladles into a wooden bowl and presented it to me along with a few freshly baked rolls. I picked up a roll and ripped it in half, it was still warm, and the scent of the freshly baked bread was like heaven. I dipped it into the thick stew that Harold had served me and took a large bite, it was one of the most delicious things I had ever tasted. I looked at Harold who stood their expectantly, his eyes showing a slight nervousness.
"It tastes fantastic!" I said after swallowing the mawful of food. Harold practically jumped he was that happy before running off and returning to what ever he had been preparing before I arrived. I took a bite of the roll itself, it was just as delicious as the stew, Harold was an amazing cook. I continued to happily devour my breakfast, when I was about half way done Kaldor arrived.
"Mmmm, smells good!" He said as he leant over my shoulder and inhaled deeply the scent of my breakfast. "Can I have some?" He asked looking over at Harold who excitedly jumped down from the counter top and hurried to ladle a bowl of the stew for my father, quickly returning to hand him his stew and a bowl filled with more rolls. Kaldor thanked him and sat opposite me. Dunking a roll whole into the stew before throwing the whole thing into his maw and chewed on it happily, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the flavours. "Now that's good stew!" He grinned picking up another roll. "Help yourself to rolls, Harold always makes too many!" He chuckled. "I once told him that they were the best thing I'd ever tasted and since then he makes sure that I never run out of them. I'm surprised I'm not fat off his cooking yet!"
"He is a good cook." I admitted. I still wasn't entirely comfortable around Kaldor, I just didn't know what to say to him, our time together always had long silences.
"I was thinking." Kaldor spoke between bites of his food. "That if your going to be staying here for a while, maybe you'd like to train with some other dragons, make some new friends..." His tone told me was a little worried about offending me, potentially suggesting that my current friends weren't good enough, but I could tell that wasn't what he was suggesting. The idea had some merit, I'll admit, other than Cody, Eric and the others I've never really had friends, especially other dragons.
"I'd like that, but I'll have to pass it by Aceh first." My comment earned a curious look from Kaldor so I continued to explain. "Aceh agreed to teach me to fight, I'd feel bad about learning from someone else without his permission." The explanation seemed to ease Kaldor's curiosity.
"Then how about after breakfast, we go see your Master and ask him?"
I agreed to his suggestion and couldn't help but smile, more at the prospect of seeing everyone again, I'm sure they were probably a little curious about what had happened during my night here.
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After breakfast Kaldor lead me back through the winding tunnels back to where Eric and the others were staying. It took longer than before since everyone seemed to want to speak to my father, I got a lot of curious looks but mostly tried to keep a low profile, I hated being the centre of attention. When I was young, being the centre of attention usually meant I was in trouble when some wolf took particular offence to my presence, usually taking the opportunity to try and teach me a lesson. We eventually made it through the crowds and found that Eric and the others weren't there.
"Perhaps they've gone to get some breakfast, there are a few places nearby." Kaldor explained.
He led us to three different places around the marketplace, there was no signs of my friends anywhere, the whole time we were in the market place Kaldor was met with praise and thanks; many dragons just wanting to shake his paw and speak to him. I was met with similar attentions, it seemed that news of the arrival of Kaldor's lost son had spread throughout the settlement like wildfire. We eventually managed to escape the crowds and were back where we had started, the caves which had been allocated to us to stay in when we had arrived in the village.
"There's one more place just over there." Kaldor said pointing at a curtained off entrance. It was considerably closer than any of the other places he had taken me.
"Why didn't we check that one first since it was so close?" I asked with slight annoyance.
"Well... Darcy..."
"Darcy? Who's Darcy?" I asked.
"She's the dragoness that runs the place, she fancies me."
"And? It seems like most females here would spread their legs for you if you so much as joked about wanting them." I said bluntly, from what I'd seen my statement was mostly true, just as much for the males as well.
"She's kind of... intense." Now this was a new side to my father, he actually seemed nervous. The towering mass of muscle that was Kaldor was nervous about a female. That meant that he liked her or that she was a real handful.
"Well if it's the last place to check we'd better go in." I began to walk for the curtain and heard my father let out a heavy sigh before his heavy footsteps began to follow me. As I approached the entrance I began to get the waft of food, if I hadn't eaten such a hearty breakfast I probably my stomach would probably be rumbling right about now.
I pushed aside the curtain and the smell of cooked food intensified, the curtain acting like a cork to keep all the tantalising smells in. The cave was decently sized, big enough to fit a dozen tables for folks to sit at and still have enough elbow space. There was a few dragons in eating but no sign of Aceh and the others.
"Kaldy darling!" I heard a feminine voice bellow before I was shoved aside. I looked and saw a short plump dragoness hanging from my fathers arm. "You really know how to make a girl wait! It's been ages since you've come to see me!"
"Hi Darcy..." I saw my father look at me pleadingly as he was dragged to the far end of the cave towards the kitchen. I chuckled and heard some familiar laughs behind me, I turned to find everyone sitting in the corner of the room eating. The alcove they were sitting in had been out of sight from the entrance.
"Hi Malakye!" Cody grinned, his tail wagging happily behind him.
"Hi guys!" I waved.
"Was that your father being dragged off?" Jason chuckled.
"Yeah, it was." I laughed.
"Well he's got good taste in females, that Darcy is a helluva good cook, nice rack as well!" Jason groped the air in emphasis, earning himself an elbow from Michael. "Don't worry hun, I still prefer your cock to her breasts!" Jason said in an attempt to sate his partner, Michael only sighed and shook his head in despair.
"I hope you enjoyed your time last night?" Eric asked. I nodded and took a seat at the table across from them.
"Kaldor... he's a nice guy, gave me a nice room and everything."
"That's nice." Eric smiled before taking a sip from his mug.
"So how long are we staying here?" I asked.
"In such a hurry to leave?" Eric asked.
"No... just wondering."
"I'm not sure how long we'll stay here. With a possible war flaring up around us, it might be best to stay put and ride out the worst of it."
"That could take years." Michael commented, I hadn't thought that the war could last that long.
"Yes, but the last one only lasted nine months, plus this is the safest place to be since none of the wolves even know that there are still dragons here." Eric countered.
"Well it seems we'll be staying here for a while." I observed.
"Are you happy about that?" Eric asked, I instantly recognised that glint in his eye that told me he already knew how I felt, he just wanted me to say it.
"Well... I'm not complaining." I smirked earning a smirk back from him.
"OH DARLING!!" I heard Darcy screech, I turned to see what the commotion was about but before I knew it a pair of powerful arms wrapped themselves round my neck, shoving my face deep into an ample pair of breasts. "You've had such a hard life! But don't worry, Darcy's here for you!"
I flailed my limbs in an attempt to free myself but the busty dragoness had a firm hold, I couldn't pull free. I couldn't breath and I was becoming desperate for air, I began slapping her on the arms to try and signal her to release me, she was still rambling on about something, but I had no time to pay attention to what she was saying.
"Oh honey! Sorry!" She apologise as she finally released her hold of me. I slumped back against the table and took in deep breaths, savouring the feeling of being able to breath once again.
I looked past Darcy who was still fussing over me, but thankfully no longer suffocating me, at my father who stood there chuckling silently to himself. He shot me an apologetic look and I knew that he had been the one to set this demoness on me. I turned to see everyone else silently chuckling, or not so silently in Jason's case, even Aceh had a smile on his muzzle.
"Now if you ever need anything, I want you to come see me!" Darcy insisted, waving her talon in my face to emphasise that she was serious. "I mean look at you, barely any flesh on you! Boys your age should eat heartily to ensure you develop into strapping males and attract females."
"Thanks... I guess."
"I'll get you some of my famous broth!" She declared, before I could object she had already dashed past Kaldor back towards the kitchen area.
"Sorry." Kaldor apologised once she was out of earshot.
"Sorry?! She nearly killed me!"
"Well there are worse ways to go!" Jason joked. "Most males your age would gladly die just to get a chance to stuff their face into that rack of hers!"
"Ha-ha! Very funny!" I growled.
"Didn't you come here to ask something?" Kaldor asked, an obvious attempt to chance the subject but he was right. I turned to Aceh.
"Would it be okay if I joined the warrior training here?" Aceh didn't seem surprised or upset about my request, his stoic expression didn't falter in the slightest and he stared at me for a long moment before nodding his head.
"You do warrior training and then train with me after." My jaw dropped, he wanted me to do both, his training was intense enough, but with who knows what training added on top I didn't know if I'd manage. But it was my choice, and I didn't want to give up Aceh's lessons, he had been nice enough to agree to train me in the first place.
"Okay, that's fine." I replied, but wasn't able to say any more before Darcy returned holding a wooden bowl of broth in her paw. She presented it to me and I warily took it. I looked down at the bowl, it smelled delicious but I was still full from breakfast, but I couldn't refuse it either; that would be rude. "Thanks." I forced a smile and lifted the bowl to my maw and downed it in one go, the hot liquid really did taste nice, my stomach felt like it was ready to explode.
"He is a cute one, he doesn't look anything like you though Kaldy, must take after his mother." Darcy said while examining me closely.
"Just as well!" My father chuckled.
"Now, now Kaldy darling, you're still the best looking dragon!" She fluttered her eyes at my father and he forced a smile, but I didn't miss the cringe. "Well the mother must have been quite the looker if she was half as good looking as he is!"
"That's true." My father smiled, this time it wasn't forced, he was smiling as he remembered my mother. He must have truly loved her if he still smiled like that after all these years. "We'd best be heading if you want to make it in time for training."
"Now?" I asked, I wasn't sure if I'd cope, my stomach was so full.
"No time like the present!" He was obviously wanting to get away from Darcy for a while, the dragoness was nice but just that little bit too nice, she was already beginning to grate on my nerves.
"Can we come?" Cody asked with a wag of his fluffy tail.
"Of course."
"YAY!" Cody cheered hopping to his foot-paws.
"Make sure to come visit me! I'll make sure you're kept well fed!" Darcy insisted, giving me another hug, but now that I was standing there was no risk of suffocating since she only came up to the top of my chest. I smiled and followed everyone else out.