Worlds Apart, Part 2
As she flew back toward the clearing where her father waited with the man, Dirk, that was the name he had used. She tried to think of a way to hide from her father how much she really knew of the legend, and of the role her species would play in it. She thought also of this Dirk, and wondered why she was attracted to him the way she was. "I wonder what he thinks of me? Does he...could he, ever see me as I see him?" She knew that in touching his mind she had taken part of him with her, and that it was the root of her feelings toward him, however try as she might she couldn't suppress the desire she now felt.
He felt her presence long before he saw her. Turning his eyes skyward he searched for her among the clouds. Brakus, seeing this, placed his hand upon Dirks shoulder and smiled, "You can feel her cant you?" he asked, "She feels you as well, you know, the two of you are connected now, a bond that cannot be severed, even in death." Pulling his eyes from their search, he slowly met the gaze of the old one, "But how is that possible?" "I haven't even spoken to her." Brakus just smiled and motioned for him to follow, "It has been a gift for as long as we have been here in this world, we have the ability to touch another's mind." Sitting down on a nearby rock he added, "I call it a gift, because your people gave it to mine." "Before we allied ourselves with your people, we were nothing more than animals, living purely by our instincts. We had no sense of right or wrong, we just did what came naturally to us and didn't see the scope of what was taking place in this world. That all changed soon enough, the darkness came over the land, my species were being slaughtered, then a man came, one who could speak to us with his mind. This man's name was Darian Black, and he was what your people called a Mage. He told us of the evil that was coming, and of the role we were to play if we wanted to live. Apparently the darkness feared us for our strength, and for the threat we posed them." "We agreed to gather our entire species on one night, and in one place. It was magnificent. Thousands of Dragons all gathered here, in the mountains, it was then that this Mage, this mortal man, did what only gods could do, he changed us forever. In return for our help in fighting the darkness, he granted us intelligence beyond that of any animal, and powers beyond that of any man, save one. We ceased to be animals on that fateful night, and evolved to become what we are today." With a sigh of sadness and what could be regret, he continued, "Hundreds of us were killed during the time that the war lasted, our numbers dwindled, whole families were killed, generations were lost." Looking toward the nearby mountains, he was quiet for a time. "I was bonded back then, her name was Skyla, and she was my whole world, she alone gave me the reason to fight this darkness that plagued our land. Within a cycle of our bonding, she bore me a daughter." With that he paused and looked into Dirk's eyes, "On the night Arial was born, we were preparing for what was going to be the most decisive battle of the conflict. I tried to stay with her and protect her in her weakened state, but she would have none of it, she chided me on my overprotective nature and urged me onward into battle." Looking back at my mate and newborn daughter I thought to myself, "My life is now complete." "The battle was glorious, we were driving the darkness from the land, we were winning! I never thought twice about my mate and newborn daughter. I thought only of ending the lives of those who had threatened the land which I had been charged to protect." Pausing a moment, he went on, "Upon returning from the battle, I could feel her mind, only something was wrong, she was in pain. As I reached the spot where she had waited for me, I could see bodies scattered upon the ground, there were more than one hundred dead, and twice as many wounded. She lay in a pool of blood, hers and theirs, she was still alive, but just barely." "Raising her head she just smiled and told me not to worry, our Arial was safe. 'You are her world now.' She told me, 'Teach her well, for she is a part of me that will be with you long after I am gone.' Grief stricken, I tried to tell her how sorry I was, she looked at me and said, 'You have to be strong, for our daughters sake, she needs you now, more so than you need me. I die as I have lived, happy.' With that she closed her eyes and lay still." "We had won the battle, but I had lost a part of me that day, one which could never be replaced. The darkness was on the verge of defeat, it was then that Darian came to us and gave us the sacred tomes, charging us with their safety until needed again. Although we had seemingly defeated the darkness, it held one last surprise for us, on the very day the darkness left this land, its remaining power was turned against your people, banishing them to another realm, the realm from which you came." The words struck a cord within Dirk's chest, he couldn't believe what he was hearing, "In my land we have always had stories and legends of your kind, but they were only tales, told to entertain. Are you saying that my people were here, in this world, before they were in mine?" This was all too confusing, it wasn't possible for this to be true, mankind had been living on earth for thousands of years, back before recorded time. Surely someone somewhere would have noticed the arrival of an entire people, people who brought with them tales of world in which the creatures of myth were, in fact, real. Since no one has ever come up with an explanation for the myths and legends that have been told throughout time. If this were true, than it would explain much about ancient folklore. "If what you say about these people being sent to my world so long ago is true, then why was I able to return, and they weren't?" Sitting beside Brakus on the rock, he continued, "Why should I believe that I'm the one that they spoke of? I'm just an ordinary guy, not some mystical warrior come to save you. Hell, the only reason I'm here at all is by pure chance." Again Brakus just smiled at him and shook his head, "You are here because it was your destiny to be here at this point in time. You see, after the death of my mate, and the darkness left our land, I imprisoned myself within these mountains, refusing to leave their safety." Looking suddenly ashamed, he quickly added, "I hid from my responsibilities, but I will hide no more." "You, Dirk Summers, are not only the hope of this realm, but my hope as well, and for that I will be ever grateful." With this said he embraced Dirk warmly, and what he hadn't said in so many words, he said now with his actions. "It is growing late, you must eat and then rest, tomorrow shall be a trying day for you." Walking away from him Brakus again shimmered and returned to his original form. "I do not want my daughter to see me in this form as of yet," he grinned, "otherwise I will be up all night trying to explain myself to her. She is much like her mother in that way." Arial returned shortly thereafter with a small deerlike creature that she had caught, after a quiet meal she led Dirk deeper into the forest, as they walked, he watched her with great interest, he was fascinated by her, whenever she moved it was with a grace that defied reason. Catching his stare she smiled inwardly, "He seems to be as interested in me as I am in him," she thought, "but do I dare speak to him? If father were to find out my secret, he would no doubt be angry with me." Walking in silence they soon came upon the ruins of what was once a great castle. She motioned for him to follow and proceeded into the ruins, leading him to what seemed to Dirk to be an old stable, she pointed to the corner, in which was several old animal skins. As he gathered the skins she lay down on the ground and curled into a ball, moments later her breathing became steady and deep. Looking at the sleeping dragon Dirk felt a pang of regret, "If only you could talk to me, what would you say? For that matter what would I say?" he arranged the skins on the ground about ten feet from where she lay and settled in for the night. He lay there staring at the beautiful creature before him for what seemed an eternity, when sleep finally took him, his last conscious thought was of what he wished he could say. She awoke sometime during the night, her dreams were fitful and she was restless. Looking to where Dirk lay some ten feet away from her, she smiled, he seemed so peaceful lying there asleep, almost as if he had always been here. Noting the chill in the air she rose from her makeshift bed and moved closer to him. He was shivering, and murmuring in his sleep, the cool mountain nights being colder than he was probably used to. Moving carefully so not to disturb his slumber, she curled herself around him enfolding him in her wing. Still smiling at the closeness she felt towards him, she was soon asleep. This time her sleep was undisturbed. Again the dreams came unbidden to his mind, the creatures he knew now to be from the darkness that was coming, were there once again. In his dream he was running and trying to hide, but it was to no avail, there was no hiding from what was to be his destiny. Try as he might to escape these twisted beings he couldn't. They tore at his flesh and screamed for his blood. In the dream he was dressed as some strange knight, armed with only a sword and shield. He had no idea how to use these weapons, they were from another time, one in which he didn't belong. Losing all hope for survival, he lowered his defenses and waited for the end to come. He would die in his sleep, this he knew. As they moved in for the kill a shadow loomed over him, it was Arial. By tooth and claw the creatures were driven back, leaving him alive to fight another day. Holding her close to him, he felt safe and warm at long last.
** Chapter 4 He woke to the sounds of deep rhythmic breathing, and a feeling of warmth, which bathed his entire body. With eyes still closed he thought to himself "It was a dream, I must still be in my bed." With mixed feelings he opened his eyes, "It wasn't a dream after all." He smiled, he wasn't quite sure why, but he was glad that he wasn't dreaming all of this. Looking up he found that Arial had joined him sometime during the night, draping a wing over him as one would drape an arm over a sleeping lover. Fearing he might wake her and disturb the peaceful feelings he was experiencing, he lay still, soaking up the warmth of her body, and enjoying the closeness that he now felt.**
A short time later she awoke. Looking up from where she lay her head, she smiled. Smiling as well Dirk nestled in closer to her and sighed. "Good morning to you my friend. It seems that I owe you my life, how I wish you could speak my language, its hard to thank you properly without saying the words." She leaned in closer to him and rubbed his chest with her snout, all the time wanting so badly to tell him that she CAN understand, and that her feelings toward him are more than that of just friendship. She held her head against him for as long as she dared, gazing into his deep green eyes. The feelings that she was experiencing were like nothing she had ever felt toward anything, and they caused a shiver down her spine. Feeling her shudder, Dirk, for the first time met her stare. Her eyes were the deepest of blue's, as beautiful as she was. Finding himself lost there would not be hard to do. It was she who broke the contact, nuzzling him gently she stood and stretched. Once again she motioned for him to follow as she led the way to the forest.
** As they made their way through the forest his thoughts turned to the words that Brakus had told him, he couldn't help but wonder just what he meant by a "trying day." Chuckling inwardly, he couldn't help but wonder how it could be more trying than yesterday. Entering the clearing once again, they found themselves alone. Looking up at Arial he wondered what she was thinking, "Any ideas as to what were supposed to do?" the look on her face was one of amusement, she motioned toward the nearby cliffs and started walking. Following close behind her he took in the scenery as he walked. The mountains seemed to surround the forest, protecting it from the elements. He noted that for all appearances the valley he was in was well hidden from anyone that didn't realize it was there, the perfect spot to take refuge if the shit hit the fan...and from the sound of it, that would be happening all too soon.**
Upon reaching the base of the cliffs Arial took to the air and started upwards, Dirk just stared in amazement as she gracefully spiraled upwards. Searching for a path to follow, he stumbled upon what seemed to be an old tool shed, decayed and falling down from age yet still mostly intact. Directly behind the shed was a large forge. Kneeling down, he started to sift through the debris, after removing some pieces of what was once the walls, he found a large bundle of rags. Moving them to one side proved to be more difficult than expected, the seemed to be caught up upon something further into the structure. Stepping back he studied the whole mess trying to decide the best way to proceed, he opted to just remove one of the side walls, in hopes of getting a better picture of what was in there.
After several good tugs at it, the side broke free, revealing what looked like a large pole. "All this work and it's a stick." He grumbled, "Oh well, might as well finish what I started." Crawling into the hole he had made, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left thigh, reaching down he noted that he seemed to be stuck on something metallic...and quite sharp.
The object hadn't penetrated very far into his skin, easing himself backwards it easily slid out. Checking the damage to his leg he found that the wound wasn't deep, and wouldn't require any serious attention. "Well at least my tetanus shots are up to date." He mused, "Since I highly doubt they have a hospital around the corner." Carefully he removed the piece of cloth that was covering the object and grabbing it below the point, slid it free of the pile. "Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed, and dropped it like it was red hot. Impaled upon what could only be described as some sort of long spear, was a skull.
Lifting the spear, he noted that the skull, or what was left of it, wasn't from any animal that he had ever seen. The jaw was elongated and full of small but wickedly sharp teeth, and the eye sockets were twice as large as that of any human. However the skull's most unusual feature had to be the ridge that ran from front to back along the top, giving it an almost reptilian appearance. Deciding that Brakus might be able to identify the creature from which the skull came, he slid it down the shaft. Wrapping it in the old cloth he placed it in his pack. Crouching down, he hefted the spear, it was light for its size and seemed to be made of a non-corrosive material. Turning it in his hands he found it to be quite well balanced, despite its unusual length. The shaft was not made of wood, as he had thought, but of a strange type of metal, which appeared wooden due to the small grooves carved into the surface. "Most likely put there to provide grip for throwing." He decided. It measured about ten feet in length and expanded into a broad three-foot long point at the business end. Taking a moment to inspect the blade, he noticed that it was covered with intricate designs, and what seemed to be writing.
The writing was not unlike the hieroglyphics he had seen in the history books. Along with the glyphs, were drawings of strange creatures engaged in battle with what looked to him like men, one of which, was holding what could only be the weapon that he now held in his hands. From what he could make out, this person was turning the tide of the battle in favor of the men. In the drawing the men seemed to rally behind him, while the bodies piled up in front of him. As for the writing, well that would have to wait until he found someone who could translate it for him. After a thorough search of the shed turned up nothing more of use to him, he decided to start upwards toward the summit
Using the shaft of the spear to steady himself, he started up the narrow path. Squinting into the sun, he thought he could make out the shapes of distant birds, flying high in the sky. He once again found himself smiling, for the first time in years, he seemed to have found a sense of purpose, a meaning to his life. That was a feeling he had long since forgotten. Looking back on his life as he walked, he realized just how many times he had the chance to do something meaningful, and blew it. It wasn't that he couldn't do it, just that he simply didn't want the hassles that came with it. For him life was an endless supply of boring highway that he passed in the dark. Now he not only had purpose, but a reason as well, that reason was Arial.
Ever since he woke up to find her sleeping beside him, the dream and the feelings it brought to him plagued his mind. He tried to convince himself that the feelings he was having were due to what she had done for him in his dream, but a not-so-small part of him knew that to be untrue. Now realizing that she wasn't human and that they could never be was frustrating to say the least, but the feelings wouldn't go. Yet the moment they had shared when she awoke stirred feelings in him he hadn't thought himself capable of ever again, not since the day Pam had left him so many years ago.
At that time in his life he was a homicide detective in LA. It was a tough job and he had seen his share of atrocities, almost daily at that. They had met through a friend in the department, hit it off on the first date and gotten married about a year later. At first life was great, they had a nice apartment, a couple of nice cars and all was right with the world. However as time passed he found himself taking her for granted, he would spend longer hours at work and when he was home he brought his work with him. He was spending more time with his work and less time with the woman he loved. She tried telling him how she felt, but he took it as typical womanly bitching and didn't even try to change. What he didn't realize until it was too late was that she only wanted to be loved, as do we all. She needed to feel special. Though at the time he couldn't understand why the words weren't enough to satisfy her, he soon would. One morning after almost five years of marriage, she smiled at him as he got ready for work, not thinking anything of it he smiled back and finished dressing, she looked him in the eye and said only three words, "I love you." He just looked up and said, "love you too hon." And went about his morning ritual. As she left the room, he thought there was something strange about the whole thing, but shrugged it off as tiredness on her part. When she had bought it he never knew, his inattentiveness had taken their toll, she went into the bedroom and clutching their wedding picture, put the gun to her head and killed herself.
He had never completely recovered from that day, blaming himself for what had happened. Often he looked back at what he should have done and just cried. Promising himself that he would never fall in love again, he quit his job, and moved to the country. He had always had an affinity towards animals so it just seemed natural to buy a small horse ranch and live off his pension for a while, doing odd jobs when money got tight. Staying to himself for the most part, he tried to forget, but he knew he never would. Nor would he forgive himself for letting the best part of himself slip through his fingers. Crying to himself at night he sought solace in the only thing that made him happy anymore, his animals. When he bought the ranch the owner sold him two horses, both of them beautiful Arabian mares, saving what he could he bought an Arab stallion a few months later, breeding them to supplement his income.
Then just when things seemed to be going well, he accidentally shot and killed one. In his mind that was the second loved one he had killed. After that he sold his remaining horses and opened the ranch to boarders. It wasn't a bad living, he didn't charge much to board there and the people appreciated the chance to own a horse without paying an arm and a leg to keep it. Often he would sit at night, under the full moon and a million stars and dream of what could have been. At times he would talk to Pam, telling her he was sorry, wishing he could have made a difference, but she never answered. And now here he was, unsure of himself and lost, in a strange land, with only a dragon as his guide.
It wasn't until he stumbled on some loose rock did he wake from his daze. Judging by the sun he had been climbing for almost three hours, and was nowhere near finished. "Guess that answers my question as to what Brakus meant." he groaned, "Time for a break." Sitting down on the least pointy of the rocks in the area, he pulled out his canteen and smokes. After taking a long drink, he lit up, and moving to the ground, lay there watching the sky. Listening to the sounds of nature had always come naturally to him, but the sounds here, in this place were different. Instead of the usual sounds of birds and such, there was next to none at all. But all the same, he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. That's when he heard it, rolling onto his side he craned his neck towards a rustling in the nearby bushes. Whatever was making the noise didn't appear to be going anywhere, but just seemed to be waiting. Moving as quietly as he could he crawled to within a few feet of the bush, and waited.
At first he didn't see anything at all, the undergrowth was thick, and didn't allow for much sunlight to penetrate. It wasn't until he pulled out his flashlight that he saw them, two bright, red eyes, staring back at him, through the vegetation. Pushing himself backwards, he scrambled to his feet. Whatever it was, it wasn't small. As he moved, so too did the creature. Moments later, a snout poked its way out from within the bushes, the nose twitching ever so slightly. Judging by the size of the nose, it had to be at least as large as a good size dog. Looking back to where he had left the spear, he decided that it would be upon him long before he would have a chance to use it. That left him only one option. He drew the gun.