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The Island Guardian

The three waited for Jamie to finish his announcement before he and the rest of the crew came out. Most of them were carrying camping equipment, which they used to set up a camp in the warmer area beyond the ice. Some of the passengers chose to get off the ship, though there were not much.

Only the Holdens wanted to meet the reptilians with Jamie. The couple already met a lot of different new races beyond the known humans and werewolves, so they were as ready as Ulster to meet the indigenous reptilian people of the island. Like Jamie, they were a little confused when Adeline talked with the chirping people as if they could communicate properly.

The sun started to set when the five reached the village, during which Jamie and the Holdens were in awe of the civilization hidden within the thick jungle of the island. They were soon directed to the old reptilian by Ulster, telling them that it was important if they wanted to feel welcome.

There was a light tap, and the three newcomers experienced the same thing as the three werewolves earlier: the chirps and trills turned into coherent Tragorian. It was as if they were native speakers all along.

The old reptilian again greeted them, and Jamie, after being surprised by the situation, gained his composure and said, "Greetings. I am Jamie Hines, captain of the Blackjack. I presume you are the leader of this village."

"That, I am," said the old reptilian. "I understand that not everyone on your ship is willing to trust us. That is expected. However, I have a feeling they will change their minds if they are given the gift I gave you."

"I appreciate your concern, village elder, but I'm afraid there are..."

"Who says I am going to personally give each of them a gift?" He then revealed a totem, one that Hans recognized was made in the image of a dragon. "This totem is the same one I have in my hut. It is one of the creations of the raptor carvers. They have some spares, so I will give this as a gift. This totem contains the same gift that I gave you, but with an area of effect. Put it in your ship, and your people and mine will be able to communicate."

Jamie received the totem and thanked the village leader.

"You know, as a gesture of friendship...do you want to join us for a dinner?" asked Jamie.

"Will you extend this invitation some of the others? They are eager to talk with you. The children have never seen talking mammalians before."

Being called 'mammalians' felt a little strange for Jamie, but it was expected. The three young werewolves did call them reptilians, after all.

Jamie asked some of the scouts to escort him back to the ship while Hans, Adeline, and the Holdens stayed to talk with the reptilian people, now wanting to know more of life in the main continent. Seeing how the werewolves talked with the reptilians made Hans let out a smile on his lupine face. Ulster noticed this and said, "Something amuses you, Hans?"

"No," said Hans as he shook his head. "It's just...seeing how we met new people like this made me feel optimistic already. Even if our trip is cut short, I already have a ton of stories to tell."

"And I got a lot of papers to write if this is it." Ulster, however, sighed. "Well. Can't have everything now, can we? Might as well start the early drafts with the materials I already had."

Hans could sense that Ulster was not satisfied. He really was looking forward to go beyond the island and to the unknown seas. The black-furred werewolf, however, was already glad that reaching the island yielded a very beneficial new relationship with the reptilians. In fact, he was already glad that there were more than just wolves and men.

Even then, he understood if Ulster was disappointed. The ship was intended to go beyond the island, not the island itself. Still, for a while, he could feel accomplished and proud.

Proud that the first people to discover a new indigenous people were in fact werewolves.

***

As per Jamie's invitation, the old reptilian and some of the villagers feasted that night near the beach where the_Blackjack_, with most of its lights on, was visible. Hans met and befriended one of the scouts, who was also the first reptilian that tried to communicate with them. Aside from telling his name (Keeshar), he also told us that they called themselves 'Raptors'. It was a name directly translated by the gift. The indigenous name was hard to pronounce for Hans due to Raptorian speech involving chirps and trills that sounded like birds.

Hans did notice that despite of being mostly reptilian in appearance, they had several avian attributes, with the most obvious being their feathers and talon-like hands and feet. That, and the fact that they chirped and trilled made their name more justified. Keeshar, or Kee for short, knew a lot of the village's history, for he learned a lot from the previous, and current, leader of the village.

"The shaman gave us a lot of wisdom and knowledge, especially when we go hunting. He also teaches us the history on how we have a guardian," said Kee.

"So, the dragon is not indigenous of this island?" asked Ulster, who sat nearby.

"She never is," said Kee. "A dinosaur capable of flight like her is impossible. In fact, I can't even say she is a dinosaur at all. Unfortunately, the shaman has not teach us more about the guardian, only telling us that there will be a time when she will leave us, which is why we cannot depend on her. She is her own self, and so it is her choice, not ours."

"She? The dragon is female?" asked Hans.

"Yes, she is," said the shaman. He already finished his dinner with Jamie and was on the way back to the village with his escorts, one of which was Kee. The raptor escort simply nodded to the shaman in a silent confirmation and stood up, followed by Ulster and Hans.

"It's nice talking to you, Hans, Ulster," said Kee with a toothy, reptilian smile. "You are always welcome in the village."

"If you need to know more about us," said the shaman. "Meet me tomorrow morning. I can tell you are already interested in the guardian. Have a good night, Lycans."

That invitation sounded so specific, yet Hans knew the shaman was aware of the predicament they were in. Seeing that the Raptors were willing to help gave Hans a chance that they might pull their original mission off, though it still depended on whether anyone else on the crew wanted to continue after encountering such an obstacle early in the journey.

Hans kept these thoughts to himself as he rested for the night. He made sure to return to his human form every time he went to bed. While it did not affect anything (he did go to sleep still in his werewolf or feral form), it became a habit owing to the humans in his village being wary of his bestial forms. As he expected, when he returned to the village the next morning alongside Adeline and Ulster, the scouts initially thought they were other passengers who decided to meet the Raptors. Kee, being one of the first scouts to meet them, remembered Adeline and Hans' human form, and quickly realized that the black-haired and the red-haired humans were in fact the same werewolves as last night.

Instead of surprised, he was simply amused. "That is one interesting trick you got there," he remarked. "Though I prefer your wolf form. It's more natural for me."

That comment was so unusual, considering that it was the reverse in Tragoria. Hans could simply smile from that suggestion.

The Raptors were doing what they did before: a village with children playing, the adults preparing for a hunt or farming, and some other adults and children cleaning up the altars for their Raptor and dragon guardians. Hans wondered if he could ask about the Raptor guardian, but first, he had something more interesting he should ask the shaman.

With Kee, they were invited into the shaman's hut. The hut was simple and similar in design to the others in the village in which it was also made out of straws and looked very flammable, especially during a particularly dry season. The shaman's hut was made different by being further decorated with red dry powder that acted like paint over the straws. It was also bigger and sat closer to the hill. There was a well-treated pathway leading towards the hill and, eventually, the mountain. The lack of thick vegetation made it possible for the three werewolves to see the giant, slow-moving lizards in the distance, called dinosaurs by the Raptors.

The shaman himself was a Raptor that, due to having reptilian appearance, looked similar with the other Raptors on the island, only distinguishable from gender due to his more colorful scale color and a healthy feather plume on his head. His age, however, came from his voice and the paler color of his green-yellow scales. Unlike other Raptors with similar scale colors, his looked like when a house needed a fresh paint: it was faded, and parts of his scales were flaky.

"Ah," he said as he saw us. "You're here."

"It will be rude of us not to come when invited," said Adeline.

The shaman invited them to sit with him on the floor. It was covered in straws.

"So, what do you want to know about the guardian, hmm?"

"Why do you assume we're going to ask about the dragon?" asked Ulster.

"Because you have a reason to, Ulster Baldwin. You have asked a lot about us the previous day, and I am sure you are not satisfied yet. However, you have a more pressing matter, and that is to free the ship and continue your journey beyond this island."

"Wait. How...?"

"You are not the first to attempt the crossing, young wolves. We may have not met these adventurers, but in my lifetime, I have seen a dozen or so ships to go past our island into the unknown seas. Unfortunately, those were the last time we have ever seen them. Fortunately for you, that ship of yours is far more durable. I can already tell from seeing it the previous night."

The three werewolves looked at each other before Hans said, "So...about the guardian. What are we supposed to do?"

"What else but to talk to her?"

"Talk to her?" repeated Adeline. "But, shaman, is that even possible? I can understand talking to you and your people, but the dragon is, pardon me, different. She is clearly a beast. Intelligent as she is, I doubt we can even talk to her."

"Why don't you try calling her down from her nest? Let me get you something you might need."

The shaman returned to his hut. Before long, he came out carrying a white, curved object that looked like a horn. However, Hans wasn't sure if it was a horn, or a tusk for that matter. However, considering that there were dinosaurs on that island and Hans did spot one with a conical nose horn, he assumed it was from one of them.

"Use this," said the shaman. "She will heed your call."

Ulster took the horn and said, "I assume you have done this before."

"I did." The Raptor then pointed towards a pathway leading into the jungle beside his hut. "Follow this jungle path, and you will end up on a beach by the other side of this mountain. Do not stray from it. You don't know the jungle like us. Also, be wary of beasts. The other side of the mountain is where all the beasts roam free. Try not to provoke them."

Hans and the others nodded, knowing that they were going deeper into uncharted lands that was clearly different from a Tragorian forest Hans was used to. In fact, the moment he got into the jungle, he knew he would not be able to find his way through the thick foliage and his sharp nose could not help him. In the forest, a werewolf would be the apex predator, owing to their human-level intellect and their bestial ferocity strong enough to fight a bear to a standstill.

Yet Hans was aware that the jungle was not his backyard anymore. He wasn't a risk-taker, and he wasn't a fool, either. The shaman knew what he was talking about and he could trust the Raptor, so he silently nodded to acknowledge his warnings, and set off with Ulster and Adeline through the jungle. Before they did, Hans chose to turn to his werewolf form in case they needed to get away.

Even so, as they walked through the forest pathway, they found that there wasn't anything to be worried about. Following the shaman's advice, the three stayed on the path. There was an urge to start exploring, but each of them kept reminding themselves that it was not the reason why they went into the jungle. Still, the craving was still there. Adeline and Hans each decided that they might explore if they had the time with some Raptor escorts. Keeshar seemed to be happy to come with them if asked.

"Maybe we can ask Kee to join us if he is willing," said Adeline during the stroll.

"Maybe," said Ulster. "But I don't think he will simply leave his village behind. Remember, we are the first explorers they met. I am actually surprised they don't even look at us with suspicions."

"Are you suspicious at them, Ulster?" asked Hans.

"I don't. Well, maybe at first when we could not understand their bird-like communication. Not that it really matters now. I suppose they do anticipate someone to come from the mainland to devise such helpful ritual."

And so, the three kept talking about the Raptors, what Ulster could tell, and how their cultures work as they kept following the stone path. There were several urges to stray off the path and go explore the jungle, especially for Hans owing to his taste of adventure. However, the conversation distracted him pretty well, and before they knew it, they got out of the forest and into a different place, with different trees that were sparse, and the white sand beach that opened to a blue and beautiful ocean.

The ocean, with no body of land, unlike the beach on the other side, was the unknown seas they wanted to explore. It seemed so different and so...untouched. Several Raptors were seen repairing wooden-carved boats and quickly noticed the three walking out of the forest. Their reactions was of surprise and curiosity. They clearly did not hear the news of their arrival. However, all those were soon replaced with a welcoming gesture when the three explained why they were there.

Hans was mesmerized by the open sea. It felt so different from the sea he just traveled from in which it looked warmer and...cleaner, somehow. The lack of land made the scenery stretched to the horizon where the sky and sea met. This realization somehow unnerved him a little, knowing that there could be a chance that the continent of Ternor and the Raptor island were the only land mass they would ever find out there. It was true that Jamie expected this disappointment. They could just return home bearing no results. It would still an achievement on its own. In fact, they already achieved one by contacting the Raptors.

As Ulster talked with the fisher Raptors, Adeline noticed Hans staring at the open sea, maws opened as if mesmerized. The red-furred werewolf wanted to remind Hans that they were there for a reason, so she approached him and said, "Hans. I think you ought to call the dragon here."

Hans instantly snapped out of his stare and said, "O-oh, right. Sorry about that."

"I understand the beauty of the sea. It is beyond comparison," said Adeline. "But we have time for that later."

Hans nodded. They still had a job to do besides admiring the view. Hans took the horn slung over his shoulder and looked at it. Part of him was scared of what it would do. He was further scared by the possibility of the dragon coming. However, he shook it all off and simply blew into the horn. It let out a weird, almost uncanny noise that send shivers down Hans' spine.

"That...is not how I expect it to sound," said Hans.

He had no time to wonder when he heard a loud roar. It was the same roar that greeted them as the _Blackjack_reached the shores of the island. It was accompanied by a strong gust of wind that forced Hans and the others, including the Raptors, to shield their eyes from the sand. He could only hear a loud thump, along with the ground shaking.

The growl sounded so close to him, amplifying his fear further. But he knew he must open his eyes. So, he did. He quickly found himself facing a beast so mighty and terrible that instilled further fear, yet also awe, into Hans. The memory of this encounter would be etched in all three of their memories forever.

The dragon heeded the call, and it came to them.