Revenge of the Myth

Juneberry

Juneberry

Active Member
In the grasslands just outside a small town, shrill screams could be heard for a couple of hours. A girl was tied to a stake in the fields, tiring her voice in hopes someone would take mercy on her and save her from this cruel fate. It had all started earlier that day, when her father died of a heart attack. Having lost her mother not that long earlier, someone in town started the rumor that quickly escalated into 'the only daughter must be a witch'. Chinza knew who likely had started the rumor, and she cursed his name every so often in her screams for help. He'd been eyeing her father's general store for ages, knowing it was profitable in a town such as their's, much more than most other stores would be, at the very least.

With a deep breath, she let out a deep sigh from her pained chest, being nearly crushed by the rope used to tie her up above the ground. "It's not like anyone can hear me out here... Well, maybe the birds can, but... I guess I have to face it, I'm stuck here." Her face was red from crying, her white hair blowing in a wind that was passing by her. The last defense her neck had against the cold was no longer there to warm her. It was almost poetry to go with her demise: she was weaker than she'd believed herself to be. She was going to die, either from being eaten alive or being chilled to her bones.

With one last loud scream, she cursed the sky for taking her only supports away from her, from letting the man that wanted their business win, and for letting her die so helplessly. She tried carelessly to break through the ropes, thrashing against the stake. It helped only to dig the stake a tad deeper into the soil, if it did anything at all. The wind grew stronger, causing her teeth to chatter. "It seemed so nice this morning, as nice as a trial can get... If only it would stay that way until my end..."
 
Erbrow soared effortlessly through the skies. The wind caressed his wings as they held him aloft, and the sunlight glinted on his impossibly red scales. Normally, he did not come this close to the local village - not from fear, mind you! He just didn't want to be bothered with the drama - but he was bored, and village grown cows were really tasty! He spiraled lazily through the late evening sky as he drew closer to the village. Ah-ha! Cow! Three cows wandering in the wilderness. They must have wandered free of the village to find greener grass.

The dragon hissed softly then dove down. His talons gleemed as he bore down on the cows. His wings folded back against his body and the wind rushed around his head. He could almost taste it!

"Moo!" One of the cows lumbered off into the trees, the other cows following. None of them had seen him, but something seemed to have caught their attention. They disappeared under the protective branches of the trees. Erbrow's wings snapped out with a thunderous WHOOMP! as he brought himself up short. He hit the ground harder than he intended, and his claws caught only dirt. His jaws opened in a fearsome hiss as he cursed the easily distracted nature of cows. He picked himself up and shook off the dirt clods and grass. Ugh! So close! Still, they hadn't seemed spooked. Maybe he could catch them another way. He turned and followed them into the trees. He kept his head lowered and wings flattened as he slunk along, his belly almost scraping the ground. What was that?

The three cows had spotted a person. People meant food! They wandered over to the girl with interest and looked her over. No food buckets. So they investigated her clothing. One got bored and started eating the grass while one shoved its nose into her side and the other tried to eat her hair. If cows were smart, they might have wondered why she was tied up, but they were cows who were used to being tied up and people being dominate. So all they thought was, "Moo!"

Erbrow hung back in the shadows and watched, his eyes narrowed.
 
The arrival of cows was not something Chinza thought even possible. She'd never been through the woods, so had no idea there were cattle farms on the other side. 'Eureka,' she thought. 'Cattle means a rancher. Maybe they won't have heard the foul rumors about mama and papa and will help me down!'

Sadly, no other humans came within range of her sight, but the cows grew close enough to touch- and one cow was quite literally touching her already, nuzzling up and sniffing her clothing. Another cow decided her hair looked like a tasty, strange-colored grass and began to chew on it, pulling her head to the side somewhat with great force. "Ouch! That hurts!" Chinza cried, but then remembered she was meant to be hurt by this entire situation. The town wanted her dead. As one of the cows pushed against her side, she began to giggle. "That tickles!"

Part of her wondered if she should ask the cows to free her by chewing the ropes, but she knew better than to think a cow would understand such a complex request. "Well, at least I'm not lonely anymore..." She mumbled. "Cows are better company than no company. As long as they're here, my death won't be as painful, maybe."
 
The cows snorted as they searched the strange human standing in the woods. Well, this human didn't seem to have any food on it, and it wasn't scratching itches or swatting flies or even trying to milk them. They grew bored and started milling around aimlessly as they ate the grass. Suddenly, three heads snapped up and they stared back the way they'd come. Something was there! With moos of alarm, they turned and bounded off, shoving each other aside as they escaped the clearing and ran for the woods once more. Soon nothing was left but some prints and the sounds of frantic bellowing as they crashed through the woods.

In the shadows, Erbrow huffed in annoyance. He'd just been considering charging in and eating at least one of those cows. The wind had shifted, blowing his scent to them, and every creature in the world knew to fear the scent of a dragon! Every creature that was even semi-intelligent, that is, which explained why humans tended to try to fight rather than run. Oh well. Dinner was gone. Time to turn his attention to something else.

Erbrow's eyes gleamed in the low light as he watched the human. Why was this human girl tied to a stake? It was a girl, wasn't it? Girls tended to wear far more fabric than their male counterparts, and she had plenty wrapped around her legs. She must have done something very, very bad to be left out here with at night. He wasn't the only predator out here. He grunted quietly as he considered this strange creature and moved forward just enough to let the dying light catch his nose. He smelled the blood from her arms where the rope had cut into her arms.
 
The cows seemed as disappointed in her as she was with the town. "I'm sorry, young bovine... Fate has decided the last of the Alyxya is doomed to die." She groaned, feeling the rough ropes cut her skin, the warm blood oozing lightly past them, painting her skin red. "If I were to be eaten, I'd wish to be able to feed you... But I will someday soon. Once I'm eaten or become one with the earth, either as dung or as soil, I will feed you the greenest grass you can dream of."

Did cows even dream, she wondered. But then, out of nowhere, they fled back towards the woods with bated breath. Had her solemnity sent them flying away? She looked around desperately, seeing a slightly large shadow that she could swear wasn't the trees. It wasn't the right size for a vulture or hawk, but she was sure it had wings if it was so high in the trees of this particular woods.

Desperate, she called out, "Is someone there? Anyone? Please help me! I'm being put to death over another's lie!"
 
Erbrow inwardly smirked. She thought he was a human? Furthermore, she thought he would help her? Such a silly child! But, then again, if she was telling the truth and she was being punished for someone else's wrong... nah, humans always lied. Even the decent ones. It was in their nature. Usually. He supposed a few did try to fight the urge, but...

He realized he was losing track of the proper focus. Hmm, this should be fun. He stepped forward, watching her face as he walked into the light, head lowered to get through the trees, then rose up to his full height, an impressive 16 feet in the air! Plus a little more when you added in his glorious frill and horns. He bared his teeth at her and let a low, rumbling growl emanate and flow through the air, a growl so deep and low it could be felt more than heard. His white teeth gleamed.
 
Chinza could feel her blood drain from her face as intimidation set in. A large dragon had just shown itself to her, growling low. How was she meant to stay calm when her death was so suddenly determined? She'd felt she had a chance to be saved at least a little before- but now, the cows running away made sense. They'd left her to be the sole meal for the massive beast. As she paled, some tears began to run down her face.

But suddenly, she remembered the stories her mother would tell her about dragons. Dragons were extremely intelligent, and were said to understand human language. Would it be alright to tell it her story before it ate her?

"Did you know, mister dragon? Humans are quite cruel. They'll claim anyone's a witch if there's something to gain from it... So with mother dead and dad dying, they decided I must be a witch due to what's really just bad luck. Father passed away earlier today from a chance heart attack... It's just bad luck, yet they decided I'm a witch. Do you think I'll taste better because I have magic that I don't?"
 
Humans have magic? Ha! This little hatchling an actual witch? Don't make him laugh! He might set something on fire acidentally. Again. As far as he could tell, no living human had ever had even the barest spark of magic. Other beings and races had magic of varying kinds to varying degrees, but not humans. It was his theory that that was why humans were so obsessed with magic. It was only natural to want what you could not have. Maybe he should eat her to help her escape from these petty minds who would kill her by a lie rather than honorably in a fight to get what they wanted.

However... watching her sticky face leaking fluids... he could not help feeling a niggle of sympathy. He knew what it meant to be alone in the world. Dragons were solitary hunters by nature - they had to be considering how big they were and how much land they could cover and how much food they'd have to eat - but they were not completely anti-social. He had been along for a very long time now.

Erbrow's eyes narrowed as he studied the creature before him. Oh, he supposed he could eat her. He never had actually eaten human before, though he'd never tell her that. Then again, he was lonely and, more importantly, bored. This was a chance to stir things up a bit! He reached out with a foreclaw and nudged the stake. It wasn't too deeply buried. He nudged it again, taking care not to sccratch the human, then gave it a thwack that sent it rocking, taking the human with it. Now that he had the stake loosened, he gripped it carefully in his claws and pulled it up out of the ground. It flopped over to the side, taking the human down, and showered the imediate surroundings with dirt. Then he started poking the ropes. How to get her free of these things...
 
Chinza was surprised that she wasn't already dead from talking too much. She was sure that the dragon would have eaten her while she was blubbering about her cause of being left for dead. When the great beast began to try to remove the stake from the ground, her eyes widened. Was it trying to prepare her for a meal that was digestible, since most creatures couldn't eat wood? She couldn't help pondering what the dragon would do once it freed the stake from the ground.

Then, suddenly, she could feel the ground beneath her on one side. If it weren't for the ropes cutting into her flesh and keeping her chest tight as she tried to breathe, she was practically free. Then she began to wonder... What if she were freed? What would she do? She wanted to find a way to ruin the man that had lied to make her pay for a death she couldn't cause, nor would she have wanted to. Part of her wanted to kill him, but another part thought revenge was better served after the anger boiled over some more. Plus, she had no proof about her conspiracy theory that he had caused her father's heart attack. She sighed softly.

"No matter what way I take my revenge, it won't bring father back... How can I make that man suffer? If I die now, he'll win. No, even if I don't, he's already won what he wanted... If only I could steal it away..."

She stopped talking as she remembered her current predicament and why revenge even came to mind. She glanced up towards the towering creature that seemed to be struggling to decide what to do with her- or, her other thought, how to cut the ropes. Rope probably wasn't edible anyway, either- so whether the dragon planned to let her live or not, the ropes had to be rid of, didn't they? "You can use your claws or teeth to cut through it if it's in your way. It's already cutting into my legs and arms a bit, so it won't hurt anymore than it already does if you cut a little more than necessary."
 
And now the human hatchling was telling him what to do. Maybe he should eat her. It was a shame he had a thing against eating things that could talk back. Erbrow hooked a claw into the ropes at the back of the stake and wormed his claw under them. He lifted the stake up on one claw and shook the whole thing hard. Oh, their might have been an easier way to do this, but this was more fun. The ropes shredded in seconds, and the human dropped, the stake falling after her. Erbrow winced as the stake clunked into her back, just missing her head. Oops. He hadn't meant to do that. Oh well. He tossed the wood aside and shook the rope off his claws before snatching up the human. Good thing humans tended to move slow after they fell down.

The dragon's claws encircled the tiny human body and lifted her into the air. Awkwardly, he hobbled on three legs through the trees to the larger field he'd arrived in. Once there, he shook himself, adjusted his hold on the human, then crouched low, his wings spreading wide. He preferred taking off from a cliff, but he could manage. His powerful back legs gathered every bit of strength he hand then released him into the air. His wings clapped down in a thunder of wind. The ground fell away under him as his wings powered him up into the air as the sun's light began to fade away.
 
She groaned as the stake hit her back at a surprising speed, but soon was aghast from feeling the ground slip away from her. She could feel the dragon's claws clenching her tightly, though surprisingly not as tightly as the ropes she'd been tied with. Once they were high in the air, she thought she'd be able to catch her breath- but instead, they started moving through trees, and then through the air some more. Chinza squealed in a way, not accustomed to flying in any way. The speed of the air blowing her long hair felt like it was trying to punch her in the face.

"Where are we going? I can't even tell!" Chinza cried out. Would the dragon even be able to answer her? But she needed to know- what was her fate now? Now that she was freed of her ropes and stake, yet held hostage in a way by a dragon. She squirmed every so often in his strong claws, not trying to break free, but trying to get herself in a comfortable position. "Your claws are really strong... Maybe too strong..."
 
Erbrow glanced down at his claw in irritation. That squealing was getting on his nerves! She wanted his claws loosened, fine! He leveled out high in the sky, the trees nothing more than faint green blurs far below them. Then he let go.

The human fell, turning a little in the air as the drafts caught her arms. Erbrow watched, chuckling to himself. That should keep her from complaining about his grip! He waited.... and waited... then dove after her. The wind whistled across his scales as he folded his wings tight to his body. She was no more than a couple of feet from the treetops when he snatched her from the air and arched upwards once more. He curled the claws of both front paws around her and tucked them up against his chest. He chuckled, a low rumbling noise in his chest. Silly little humans. So easily broken!

The sun was low in the sky. He flapped his wings harder as he regained his height and caught a rip stream for the mountains. There wasn't any more time for fooling around. He let his wings carry him high and far away from the village. It would take a human days to walk all the way to these mountains from this female's village, and no humans lived anywhere near here. It was the perfect place for a dragon to live. He angled toward the second tallest mountain and glided in low. A small platuae covered in sparse grass lead to a cave in the top of the mountain. The sides dropped away sheer on all sides, impossible to climb without any kind of equipment.

Erbrow slowed down then dropped the girl into the thickest patch of grass before landing on all four feet. He shook out his front claws then padded away, leaving her in the grass. He walked up to his cave and used a single claw to roll away the heavy stone blocking all but the top couple of inches of the hole before disappearing inside. He needed a minute alone.

Meanwhile, a small herd of about five she-goats and a single billy came galloping up to the human. Three sheep standing off to the side didn't even raise their heads from their grazing. The billy goat maa-ed challengingly and danced around the girl.
 
She wanted to apologize as she was falling down- she got the message pretty clearly, and reminded herself that it's not a good idea to challenge or make requests of dragons. But right then and there, as the dragon caught her once more during her free fall and slight gliding in the air, a big smile took over her features. "That was kind of fun, though scary," She chimed.

Once left alone in the grassiest patch near a cave, Chinza looked around warily. Where there were sheep and billies, there were normally people- but she was certain there were no villages in walking distance based on what she saw from high above. Who was tending to the well groomed sheep and the playful billy goat challenging her?

She felt herself double over with a fit of giggles. Oh, how glorious a day it'd been! First she was tied up against her will, then had cows tickling her while trying to find food upon her small form, and now a dragon had just flown her to a place that may just lead to her salvation- if she could get the goats on her side and not trying to push her around. "Sorry mister goat, but I'm not going anywhere right now." She spat. As it maa-ed, she held a hand out cautiously just above the goat. It took interest in her hand, rubbing up against it curiously. She smiled and began to pet it with the same hand, smiling. "I think this means I win, doesn't it?"
 
The she-goats nuzzled close, looking for pets and food. The billy goat tried to guard his new friend/toy, but there were more of them than there was of him. He gave up circling the new person and started waging war on a flower instead.

Meanwhile, in his cave, Erbrow had no idea what the human was up to. He made his way into the cave, which started out as a tunnel leading deeper into the mountain. The first wide cave was as big as a ballroom and clearly meant for the animals. There were little make-shift stalls along one wall with lots of bedding and even a small shed that held an assortment of grains. The main area was left most bare and seemed to be an area for the animals to mill about and enjoy themselves when they could not go out. A gate blocked the tunnel leading farther in and down. He moved it aside with one claw and went down. Below the animal cave, a second smaller cave with a firepit on one side indicated a living space. Three smaller caves led off in different directions as well as another tunnel. Erbrow ignored the closer two caves, going directly to a large, hollowed-out area. This was his nest. It looked almost like a literal nest, the stone carved into a bowl and filled with anything soft. He curled up in the center of the nest and stilled. He could feel the sun slip down behind the mountains. There was still some ebbing light, but the day was gone.

Human.

It had been a long time, but he thought he remembered how to do this. Focus and concentration.

Human.


The first time hurt. It always did when he didn't use this particular skill in a while, like a muscle that had forgotten it was supposed to be useful.

Human.

His body shuddered violently then twisted in on itself. There was a strange moment where the world seemed to fold into eye-watering shapes then snapped back into focus. Where the dragon had been, a human man lay panting for breath, his bones aching. Ow. He moved cautiously, testing out his legs. It took him a second, but he quickly remembered how these bipedal creatures moved and walked confidently toward the cave exit. Then he paused and turned back. Right. A few seconds later, he returned wearing pants but nothing else.

The wind had picked up when the sun disappeared. Erbrow strode toward the cave exit and stopped in the mouth of the entrance. Long, brilliant red hair fluttered around his body as the wind played with strands of it, winding it down to his waist. Smooth, powerful muscles rippled under skin marked with perhaps a hundred angular lines carved deep into his body. Glittering golden eyes watched the human girl as she played with his pets. He was just another human. Oh, even he knew he was a strange human, but that worked for him. He stood watching and waiting for her to notice him.
 
While wondering what had happened to her savior, Chinza had become preoccupied with the doelings trying to steal her away from her new billy-goat friend- who quickly let them, taking frustration out on an innocent flower instead. The visual made her laugh a bit, almost as much as the tickling feeling of nuzzling heads and licking tongues trying to get a grasp of who she was, or maybe even what she was.

"You should be careful where you lick," Chinza cooed softly. "You might taste blood. Blood doesn't taste so good to you guys, now does it?"

It helped that her best friend had been a farm boy who lived on the edge of the village before her unusual departure. She was used to animals, especially domestic ones. She was better with some of them than her friend was, which she remembered pissing him off, because one of said animals was always attacking him if he was in its line of sight. Chinza laughed a little longer, until tears started to form in her eyes. One of the young goats decided the salty water looked tasty and started licking it from her eyes. "Stop that, you're tickling me even more now!"

She fell on her back as the doelings decided to knock her over, one of them sitting on her stomach, making her gasp in pain. The tightness of the ropes had done a number on her body. She winced, looking upward towards the cavern to see a human had come out where the dragon had gone in. "Who is that...? A friend of the dragon's, maybe? Do you know, kids?"
 
The goats caught sight of Erbrow and raced toward him, crying cheerfully all the way. Erbrow stepped out farther onto the plateau and let the goats surround him. The billy goat charged and pretended to head-butt him, veering off course at the last minute. Erbrow barely reacted, letting the goats crowd him. The sheep noticed and started sidling toward him as if they were not particularly interested, but they picked up speed.

Erbrow moved slowly, partially hampered by the wooly bodies, and stopped a few steps from the fallen human. "Why are you lying on the ground?" he asked. His voice came out silken and smooth but with just a touch of underlying growl as he watched her.
 
As the doelings trampled her slightly while rushing to the mysterious man's side, Chinza could only wonder who he was. Was he being raised by the dragon? Was he the dragon himself? She wasn't certain she should ask such questions. At least, not yet. First, she had to answer his- because maybe his reaction would give her a hint.

"The grass is really comfy- that, and my ribs kind of hurt right now, so getting up is on the painful side. I'm no masochist." She laughed timidly, having caught the growl in his voice. Yep, she was certain he was related to, if not actually, the dragon. "My name is Chinza Alyxya. Can you tell me your name?"
 
Erbrow's eyes narrowed. Cinza Alyxya? What kind of a name was that? It wasn't nearly as noble a name as "Erbrow," but no matter. Humans did the best they could for such an inferior species. It was curious to note, how ever, that this particular specimen of said inferior species was taking all this far better than he'd expected. He was expecting tears, screams, escape attempts, not playing in the grass with his goats. This little thing had a strong heart. He grudgingly admitted to himself, he liked that.

A sheep pushing into him reminded him he had not yet answered her question. "You may call me Erbrow," he replied, head held high in pride. Now that was a good name! "It grows dark. The animals need tending." He turned and strode away toward the cave. He walked in first, and all the goats and sheep trailed after without protest. He put a hand to his stone "door" and turned back to wait expectantly.
 
In her mind, she couldn't help but ponder his name. Never had she heard a name that sounded so close to a body part- erbrow? Did it have something to do with eyebrows? No, it couldn't be that simple. Her mother had always told her not to jump for a seemingly easy answer- and she'd also learned from experience that some things are best not to ask, as you can get the answer without doing so over time. So, she said not a word, until the man was at the cave's enterance.

Chinza was blushing slightly as she gave an enamored smile towards the way the animals flocked to follow him into the cavern. It took her a moment to get out of her daze to realize he was still holding it open... and there were no animals there anymore. Suddenly, it clicked. "Wait, does he mean... me?" Rolling over on the grass and pushing herself off all fours onto her legs, she found it hard to walk the first few steps. It was probably just the shock, she told herself. Cautiously, she walked and then ran towards the cavern as fast as she could. She gave a low, respectful curtsy towards the man with a verbal word of thanks before following the goats and sheep inside.

"It's so roomy in here! Is this what a dragon's home is like?"
 
Erbrow raised an eyebrow at her. No, this was what a squirrel's home was like, what did she expect him to say to such a silly question? "Yes," he said condescendingly. "Dragons are large, therefore... they need room." He turned his back on her and rolled the stone back over the mouth of the cave with a little more effort than the dragon had shown, but with less effort than most normal humans would have needed to use. That done, he turned to his impatient pets and walked to the shed where he kept their grain. His long, red hair flowed down his back, flicking slightly as he moved, each motion fluid and effortless.

The sheep moved to one stall, the goats to another, and they waited with impatient noises by their makeshift troughs. Erbrow ignored the human for a few minutes as he opened the shed and pulled out half a bag of grain. It didn't match the other bags laying under it, and one corner looked suspiciously singed. He poured out the grain for his pets and gave each one a pat before putting away the grain.

"Come along," he said to the human. "I assume you must be hungry." He looked back, noticing the female's stiff movements then asked a question of his own. "Is this how quick most humans can move?" he asked scathingly. He opened the gate and tapped the top with one finger as he waited. The gate was dragon-sized, but it was so perfectly balanced, he could move it with one finger.
 
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