a tale of dragons part 6
#6 of A tale of dragons
Brian hasn't killed anyone for a while, has he? I think I'll remedy that in this chapter.
Note to all youse. Miralage is not Ryshkae's daughter. Brian just thinks that because his memories all fucked up. This is very important for later. You'll see.
BTW the Christmas song is entirely my intellectual property, so don't steal it please. It took me a while to figure out the lyrics, but you furries who like reindeer should like it. *laughs evilly*
For all you lot who read my other series, sorry for not posting anything new. I've mainly been writing this one. I promise I'll put up some more soon.
A tale of dragons part six
Brian walked.
He walked for days, eating whatever he could catch, trying to sound out his feelings for the little red dragonet that had turned his life upside down.
He had a vague idea of returning to Ryshkae's final resting place, as if seeing Miralage's mother's dead body would solve all his problems. Maybe he could the dead dragons spirit for guidance? That thought mad him laugh to himself.
He kept walking.
* * *
Kershahk was in deep trouble. He was standing in a roughly circular clearing, strewn with the bodies of enemies. His claws were bloodied, and so was most of his body, although his claws were covered in the blood of his enemies.
Surrounding him on all sides, were no less than twenty ninja.
Each one was standing, facing towards him, a hand reaching above their shoulders to the hilt of their swords, the other hovering over their daggers.
Kershahk stared around at them, hissing dangerously, feinting at the air with the huge, sickle-shaped claw on each of his feet.
One of the ninja leapt forwards, drawing both sword and dagger.
Kershahk ducked as the sword swished low over his head. He stepped forwards and to the side, the dagger missing his side by a smaller margin than the former strike by the sword.
Stepping forwards, Kershahk grabbed the ninja's head between his hands, and bit down hard on the back of the hapless enemies neck, shaking his head furiously. His powerful neck muscles helped him tear the back of the ninja's neck out.
Kershahk kicked shoulder charged the now very dead ninja gently, dropping him to the ground with a wet thud.
Three ninja charged him at once, drawing their swords.
Kershahk dropped and rolled, slashing across one of the ninja's ankles as he went.
The injured ninja dropped, blood spilling from his ankle.
Kershahk leapt atop him, his claws raking across his face and neck, creating a horrible, bloody mess where there had once been a man.
The other two ninja circled him warily.
The one on the right struck first. He executed a huge spinning sidekick, which Kershahk likened to a falling tree. Easy to dodge, but lethal if you're hit with it. Kershahk ducked, and stepped forwards, intending to tear out his neck.
But he hadn't counted on the other ninja, who he had completely forgotten about.
The ninja leapt forwards, slamming into Kershahk's side, knocking the usually well-balanced raptor to the ground.
The ninja raised his sword, an evil glint in his eyes as he prepared to deliver the killing blow.
* * *
Skel was singing a crude song. Again. He seemed to have a talent for taking lyrics and twisting them into something most people would be ashamed to hear. He was now on to the festive songs, and nearly everyone was starting to get tired of his voice. He was somehow even more talkative and loud when he wasn't covered in bandages.
Rssudolph the well-hung rrreindeerrr
Had a verrry ssshiny cock
And if you everrr sssaw it
You would want to have a sssuck
And everrry foggy Chrrrissstmasss Eve
Sssanta came to sssay
Rrrudolph with yourrr cock ssso brrright
Won't you fuck my wife tonight?
And all of the otherrr femalesss
Thought Rrrudolph wasss rrreally hot
And he had a fucking beaut Chrrrissstmasss
Licking and fucking the lot
On and on it went, until the occupants of the tent were just about ready to truss and gag him.
"Skel! Shut up!" Matimura roared, as Skel started up another song. Skel ignored him and sung louder.
When I awoke thisss morrrning
When all good thingsss arrre borrrn
A rrrobin perrrched upon my sssill
To grrreet the earrrly morrrn
He looked ssso sssmall and trrranquil
Ssso peaceful did he sssing
Rrreminded me of love and youth
And otherrr trrranquil thingsss
And asss I sssat therrre yawning
On the corrrnerrr of my bed
I ssslowly brrrought the window down
And sssmassshed hisss fucking head
"Ignore him. He gets like this every once in a while." Kylara murmured in his ear as she snuggled in closer to him.
Debri was staring at him as if she would like nothing more than to torture him into insanity.
Kerasaline was sitting in the corner, watching Matimura and Kylara with a sad look on her face. She occasionally turned to Skel to give him a very dirty look, which did nothing to curb his loud songs, but spent most of her time staring at the dragon and human.
Someone entered the tent, and Skel immediately shut up.
Matimura looked around, and saw Indeago standing in the entrance to the tent.
"I was told that there was a gryphon somewhere in the area disturbing the peace. Has anyone seen him?" Indeago asked the tent at large.
Skel began to back up as a talon, a finger, and two claws pointed at him accusingly.
"Ah, there he is." Indeago said. "Now Skel, you know that these people need there sleep, so if you don't quieten down, I'm going to have to cast a silence spell on you,"
Skel didn't look impressed. "I can brrreak a sssilence ssspell, Indeago." He said patronisingly.
"Or I could lock you in a room with Threalsyfe for a few hours..." He continued, letting the threat hang in the air.
Skel looked sufficiently cowed, so he left without another word. He gave Kylara and Matimura a single look. Matimura was lying on his side, with Kylara curled up to his chest, purring gently, snuggling into him. Indeago didn't say anything, but there was an odd look in his old eyes.
Kylara got up and left a few minutes later, for destinations unknown. Matimura sighed, sad at losing the warmth of her body. That was one thing that the dragons had over humans. They were warm. He shivered and snuggled under the blankets farther.
Kerasaline stared at him, as if debating walking over, but decided against it, dragging a blanket over herself with her beak and shivering strongly.
Matimura lifted the blanket, gasping at the cold and motioning for Kerasaline to come over.
She snuggled up under the blanket with him gratefully.
Matimura wondered what was going on with the weather. Back before the golden dragon, even the nights were warm, but now, it was nearly midday and cold.
Kerasaline watched him for a long time, unnoticed by Matimura, her eyes gleamed with the kind of hunger that a predator shows its prey.
* * *
Brian was walking, as he had been for hours, when he walked straight into the clearing containing the ninja and Kershahk.
Everyone in the clearing froze as Brian walked through the trees. They all stared at him like kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
Brian just kept walking, too wrapped up in his own thoughts to even notice all the men around him.
One of the ninja cleared his throat ostentatiously, and leapt at him, drawing his sword.
Brian reacted on instinct, whirling to the side and grabbing the ninja's wrist and upper arm, twisting and lifting, sending him bowling into the nearest ninja, who happened to be the one who was about to kill the raptor. The thrown ninja fell on his own sword, the blade cutting deep into is back, leaving a long, diagonal slash of red across the lower portion of it.
Brian drew his own sword, still completely on reflexes, and swiped one ninja's throat, blocking a blow to his legs all in the same movement, before he even realised where he was or what he was doing.
He parried another blow, thrusting lightly, the tip of his sword catching one of his opponents across the cheek and slitting open his face.
Brian stepped back from the ninja's, knowing that reflex cold only get him so far.
He leaned back, lowering his sword, relaxing, closing his eyes, letting go.
His eyes snapped open as the next ninja attacked.
The ninja leapt forwards, with a long, single-handed strike coming from over his left shoulder that would have slit Brian from shoulder to hip if it landed.
Brian smiled and stepped forwards, not a move most people would expect.
The ninja's right arm came down hard on Brian's shoulder. The impact jarred the sword from his grip. The sword tumbled over Brian's shoulder, embedding itself point-down in the ground right behind him.
Brian cocked his head as the ninja froze. Brian sheathed his sword and grabbed the ninja, spinning and dragging the hapless enemy over his shoulder, dropping him onto the hilt of his own sword.
The ninja landed on it with the end of the handle right in the centre of his back. He gasped weakly, his back bending horribly, the sword embedding itself halfway into the ground, before he flopped of it, landing face down with a thud and a groan.
Brian grabbed him, and rushed three ninja while holding his inanimate body.
The ninja raised their swords, trying to block him.
Brian dropped the body, rolling between them, grabbing two of them by the wrist of their sword-arms as he went.
He yanked hard, and watched as they both flipped onto their backs, gasping and flailing like fish out of water.
The other ninja tried a lightning fast, double-handed sideswipe. Brian ducked, and stepped forwards, putting all his force into a right-handed punch. The ninja's head snapped back in a spray of blood as his nose broke and he was lifted off his feet.
The two ninja had regained their feet, and rushed him, both slicing in a diagonal arc from either side. Brian grabbed both arms, and then twisted. They both looked stunned as their own swords impaled them.
Brian let them drop, and whirled as another came after him.
This one tried a quick thrust to his upper right shoulder.
Brian turned slightly, and the sword slid across his shoulder gently.
He grabbed the ninja's wrist, and twisted the sword.
The ninja winced and closed his eyes. He opened his eyes a second later, and whimpered as he saw the sword had missed cutting off penis by less than an inch.
He looked up at Brian, just in time for a vicious blow.
Brian was standing with his body tilted the right, his right hand holding the ninja's arm out to the side. He did a serpent strike. His left hand curled into a fist, and then lashed out, coving the few inches to the ninja's face like lightning. It his him backhanded, and then withdrew halfway, quivering in the air as the ninja slumped and fell to the ground.
Brian let go of the ninja's wrist as the one who had to have a sore back rose shakily to his feet and tugged his sword out of the ground. Brian admired his courage.
Brian pulled his own sheathe from the waistband of his pants, holding it right at the hilt with his left hand, his right resting on the handle.
He spun quickly, slicing twice, turning back towards the ninja and sheathing his sword, all in one fluid movement, his sword no more than a blur of silver.
A ninja had been standing behind him, inverted sword raised high, ready to plunge down between his shoulder blades.
The first strike cut his sword cleanly in half. Before the broken piece hit the ground, the second slice had cut his throat.
Brian stared at the ninja, who promptly dropped his sword and ran.