FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

One of the Skyriders, mounted on top of a black dragon, took a single glance at the two surviving scouts before he sped away from them. Loud concussive blasts filled their ears as the fight went on in locations beyond their range of sight. Both of them knew the Skyriders were winning when the loud crackles of gunfire kept growing softer and softer until they seemed to stop altogether.

The two scouts sighed when the threat of danger evaporated into thin air. They were about to sit down when the shiny, obsidian colored dragon reappeared and quickly closed in on their location. Fear choked the two men when they saw the white dragon bone bow in the Rider's hands, along with an arrow knocked and ready for use.

His eyes narrowed while he gave the two a brief combat inspection and saw them clad in familiar armor. The intimidating presence the bow carried lessened when the string relaxed and the arrow was slid back into the quiver to join its buddies. A massive shadow covered the two in its presence before the dragon landed with a thunderous bang that shook the ground.

The dragon with its massive, shiny, and beautiful form slowly stepped toward them; its long, oversized claws dug in the ground and left scars in the earth beneath its feet with each step, even though it was made of hardened soil and rock. When it got within a few Lengths of Maller, he noticed for the first time that the face was surprisingly human in appearance and reflected great intelligence.

For Maller, it seemed impossible to pull his attention away from the jewel-like eyes of the dragon. They seemed to stare directly into his soul before they blinked rapidly and the slit pupils just underneath the two long horns sticking out of its forehead narrowed on him. Conroy's gaze, however, constantly went up, down, and side-to-side as he admired the beautiful creature.

The dragon's forked tongue came out of nowhere and brushed against Maller's cheek. He couldn't help but laugh like crazy when the dragon licked his face, seeming to know just where it would tickle and focusing on those spots. The Rider simply chuckled and gave his mount affectionate scratching on the back of its neck.

Maller and Conroy felt the purr-like sounds rumbling from the dragon's chest, brought on by the scratches of its Rider. Apparently, dragons behaved much like pets only much larger and far more intelligent. The dragon then seemed to wink at Maller then turned its head and did the same to Conroy; only it licked its lips and narrowed its slit pupils at him as well.

The dragon didn't let Conroy out of his sight, and even took a few steps toward him. It pressed its scaled nose to his cheek and sniffed him several times before it seemed to smile. Both were clearly impressed by its razor-sharp, needle-like teeth for the brief glimpse they got of them. Only at this point did the Rider call off his dragon. His dragon obeyed, but never took its eyes off Conroy.

"I think it is time we introduced ourselves. This is Fafnir; he is my dragon who has been with me for many Turns. I am Fenrir, one of the Skyriders. And you are...?" The Skyrider now known as Fenrir asked them.

"I am named Maller and he is Conroy." Maller answered in the same way.

The dragon named Fafnir licked his eye and then said, "A pleasure."

"How is it you two were the only ones to survive escape the battle?" Fenrir asked the Maldoran Captain.

"We fought and led them. But I guess it must be due to the fact that we were the only ones who remained calm and focused the entire time while the rest of our men lowered their defenses every time they attacked." Maller said with a shrug.

Fenrir nodded and said, "Do you two need a lift?" shocking them by instantly and suddenly changing the subject.

"Yes, I've been walking all day. I don't know if I can keep it up for much longer." Conroy said and sat down right where he had been standing.

"Where are you two headed?" Fenrir asked as Fafnir lowered himself and practically lay down.

Maller stared at Fafnir, as if not knowing what he was doing or why. Conroy, however, showed no nervousness and quickly gripped the first of the spikes located along Fafnir's spine, which he used to lift and position himself onto the dragon's back. Without warning, Fafnir leapt off the ground and went speeding into the air.

Conroy, not expecting the flight to begin so soon, nearly lost his equilibrium and came close to falling off as the dragon made its ascent. He remained on the dragon's back only because of his quick reflexes and knowing when and where to clutch the spikes while he pulled himself up into a seated position on the dragon's stiff, smooth, and yet comfortable saddle.

Maller got a bit worried when Fafnir suddenly sped away and vanished. He was then nearly shocked to death when the dragon suddenly appeared behind him and grabbed him with his long toes. His first instinct was to squirm and try to get away but that quickly subsided when he felt how tight Fafnir had him, and how high above the ground he was.

"Stop squirming! I will not let ya fall!" Fafnir said while he loosened his grip on him a little and moved him farther away from his sharp claws.

"Are you sure?" Maller said, feeling not the least bit reassured.

"No." Fafnir said and, even though Maller couldn't see it, grinned, bearing his needle-like teeth.

Maller let out a faint whimper and began fidgeting back and forth again. Then, a deep rumbling came from Fafnir; the dragon was laughing at him! He instantly felt his eyes roll in the realization that he was being made a joke of by the dragon. Fenrir seemed not to know about the joke made of his passenger and this only seemed to irritate Maller even more.

"Maller? Is something wrong?" Fenrir asked him.

"Your dragon is making a mockery of me!" Maller said, making no effort to hide the annoyance in his voice.

Then it was Fenrir who rolled his eyes before he said, "Fafnir, did we talk about not making fun of our guests, or not?"

"Oh, come now! How could I not? Look how he squirms!" Fafnir said with a smug slurring of words in what was certainly an amused and pleased being.

"Fafnir!" Fenrir said, somewhat angrily yet also with conviction and firmness.

"Sorry." Fafnir said, but was still unable to hide his grin.

Fenrir rolled his eyes again and gently scratched his dragon's neck. "You will have to forgive him. He gets bored easily from long Passes in flight and seeks out new ways to amuse himself."

Maller grunted to show how little humor he found in it. Conroy, however, seemed to find the hidden humor in the dragon's surprisingly human personality and snickered.

"He reminds me of someone I used to know." Conroy commented and focused on scratching a part of Fafnir's body that seemed covered by the accumulation of dried, dead scales.

"Oooohhhh!" Fafnir said as Conroy felt the dragon's skin twitch under his fingers; knowing he hit the right spot.

"That feels good!" Fafnir said, craning his head a bit.

"There is so much of him that I barely have all of him memorized before he sheds again!" Fenrir said with a chuckle as he gave his dragon yet another affectionate scratching.

The dragon's wings pumped up and down in an almost soundless beat despite the wind being pushed out with the power of a mighty storm. His wings kept going constantly and at the same speed until they straightened and took them into a glide before resuming the flapping. The difference in the wind was immense, and went from a mighty gale to a gentle breeze.

Maller nearly had his back broken when Fafnir suddenly tightened his paw around him. Fenrir heard a crack followed by a low growl then feared his guest had already broken it only to see him struggling and gasping for air as his dragon's foot continued to tighten around him. Fenrir spoke soft, slow words to his dragon as he moved his fingers along his neck.

"Fafnir? What is wrong?" Fenrir said and hummed in a low tune to calm him down.

"Murderers!" Fafnir said and angrily belched out a small torrent of flames.

"What's wrong with him now?" Maller asked, look up at the Rider.

"Oh..." Conroy said as he stared down over Fafnir's side with a wide look on his face.

"Conroy? What is it? What do you see?" Maller asked and looked up at his companion, who only pointed down before his face shrank into a blank, yet surprised expression.

Maller looked down and his face contorted with the same surprised expression that was also full of sorrow and rage. Below him, lay a massive fire in the middle of a mountain of stone and rubble of what used to be the city of Morwynia. Bodies lay scattered everywhere among the ruins and most were missing weapons and even armor.

"Oh my..." Maller said, at a loss for words at the horrifying sights he saw and unable to think of a curse appropriate for it.

"It is terrible, is it not?" Fenrir said emotionlessly.

Maller simply nodded absently as he saw the full extent of the damage done to the great city of Morwynia: not only had a majority of its people been killed without the means to defend themselves, but half a circle of heavily armed knights lay in front of the keep. Behind them, a crowd of unarmed citizens got close to the secret exit before they were massacred by unknown weapons recognizable only by the lack of arrows.

In all the history of Maldora, never before had anyone been so ruthlessly slaughtered. Combat was always met on both sides with drawn weapons and didn't begin unless both sides met with adequate conditions, which included the possession of the means to defend themselves, as well as the fighters being alert and after the noncombatants vacated the battlefield.

"This is brutal!" Maller observed as a tear fell from his eyes.

"It gets worse." Fenrir said.

"How could it possibly be worse?" Maller asked, dumbfounded.

"It is like this...only with half the realm. Half the Forts in Maldora have been razed and demolished." Fenrir informed.

"That's impossible! If one Fort were to fall, we'd know. How could half the realm be destroyed and none know of it?" Conroy inquired.

"It happened too quickly for anyone to spread the message." Fenrir began, and drew the undivided attention of his entire audience upon himself.

"It did?" Maller asked, his curiosity piqued and left him hungering to know more.

"It all began with Morwynia. They came out of nowhere, and we were completely unprepared. We sent our Captains out to meet with the enemy commanders to learn of their intentions...none that we sent ever returned." Fenrir said, his eyes reflecting the painful memories the entire time.

"Don't they have any sense of honor?" Conroy asked, astounded and a bit intimidated.

"It would appear not." Fenrir said, and a long, uncomfortable silence followed.

"After we never saw our Captains again," Fenrir resumed, "the next thing we knew, we were attacked. There were so many that we were unable to fight back. Our ranks immediately collapsed with almost no casualties on their side. Many tried to escape, only to be shot in the back. The last of our men to fight came from the keep. They held out as long as they could, to give those who still lived a chance to escape...but it was all in vain. They killed the last of our soldiers, and then proceeded to kill those who were unarmed and attempting to escape. After that, they set off some kind of fiery device and reduced the city to rubble; setting it to burn. I was there along with the rest of the Morwynian Skyriders. Many of us fought long and hard, only to join them in the afterlife." Fenrir finished as tears fell from his eyes as well as the eyes of his dragon.

"How many Riders made it out alive?" Conroy asked and gave Fenrir comforting pats on the back.

"Less than a dozen; myself included." Fenrir said; eyes clenching shut in an attempt to prevent more tears from escaping.

"Then how did so many come to our aid when we were fighting?" Maller asked.

"Those were the combined forces of all the Skyriders from the fallen Forts. We gathered as many as we could, and set out to destroy them wherever they were. You were lucky we found them when we did. You could not have survived much longer without us." Fenrir told them.

Maller nodded several times then said, "We never really stood a chance. The only reason we held out as long as we did was because of Sevlow and his Shifters. They fought as long as they could so we could escape. But I don't think any of them survived."

Fenrir nodded, then moved his head back and forth repeatedly and said "A terrible loss. I am sorry."

Fafnir suddenly dove then quickly ascended higher and higher until it was impossible for Maller or Conroy to verify the damage done to the land of Maldora. Then, they came within sight of Drakewa, known to most Maldorans simply as The Dragonlands, still visible despite their altitude. They saw, much to their own relief and surprise, that dragons still roamed the area and patrolled the skies.

Bright colors, like glittering jewels were all that was visible of the dragons from so high up. On occasion, glimpses of sanguine were seen from what they knew was the blood of those foolish enough to try to and invade a place owned and maintained by fire breathing dragons. Streams of flame were sent up into the sky on occasion from what both of them knew was a dragon's fire breath.

Fenrir told Fafnir to fly even higher with a nudge on the side, for the sight of wild dragons was known to awaken the feral side of a Skyrider's dragon. His dragon's gaze locked onto the miles high mountains that seemed to touch the clouds. Since they were so high above the mountains, they easily saw why it was called "The Dragon's Teeth", for each peak was like a single fang among an entire set of teeth.

"Fools!" Maller said out of nowhere after a long silence.

"Who?" Conroy asked.

"Those fools that attacked us tried to take over The Dragonlands! Tell me, do you remember what happened the last time anyone was foolish enough to attack the dragons in their own homeland?" Maller informed then inquired.

"Yes," Fenrir said, taking control of the conversation, "the last people at odds against the dragons were nearly wiped out. It was us; during The Great War more than three hundred Turns ago. We barely survived, and as part of the peace treaty, the Skyriders were formed. Since then, the dragons and our own race have been on much better terms."

"Indeed we have." Maller agreed.

Conroy, having not participated in any of the conversation, simply stared down. His eyes followed the majestic dots that were the dragons roaming about their homeland. He saw an area where the soil was charred and blackened from what was most likely an area incinerated from a dragon's fire breath. Fields of green, looking much like grassy plains, still bordered the insides of the mountains in the dragon's homeland.

Smoke rose from areas that had no visible flames, leading him to believe the rumor that dragons knew how to control what they burned rather than doing nothing when the infernos became too large. More jets of flame rose skyward, reminding Conroy that it was mating season for a majority of the dragons. While there wasn't technically an established breeding season, for dragons came into season at different times, there was a time where a majority became receptive at the same time and this was the closest thing to a mating season that there was.

During courtship, many dragons, usually more than a half dozen at a time, pursued and competed for a single receptive female. Rather than physically fight, they used glorious displays of power. Ear splitting roars, massive tongues of flames, and flight races were commonplace at these times, and Conroy thought he saw one of each.

His eyes seemed to reflect some ancient memory brought on by the spectacular sight of the 'dragon games' as they were called. The steady beat of Fafnir's powerful wings composed the only noise any of them could pick up in the sudden, uneasy silence. Nobody spoke for an extended period of time, likely because they were too busy taking in the sights.

The clouds gradually became darker and darker. They soon discovered it was from the smoke of the ruined Forts combining with the clouds, creating polluted smog. Fafnir was forced to fly either above the clouds or below them, more often the former than the latter. If any rain came as a result of the destruction, which it most likely would, it would be a dirty, corrosive wetness instead of the nourishing, gentle rain they were used to.

"There is a storm brewing." Fafnir said, as they approached a near continuous river of grey clouds.

"No doubt caused by the smoke." Fenrir added with a nod, getting no reply from either of his two passengers.

Soon, Fenrir realized that the reason he hadn't heard from either of them in so long was because both were asleep. Conroy leaned forward so much that he practically rested his head on Fafnir's back, and Maller's arms and legs swung limply from his paw. It seemed both were far too tired to even get into a comfortable position, because Fenrir knew he would have great difficulty finding sleep in either of their positions.

Fenrir removed his cloak and tied it around Conroy's neck, providing him with a crude, yet effective blanket for the surprisingly cold Maldoran nights. Fafnir's foot provided Maller with plenty of warmth and comfort, so he needed no blanket for the night.

"It would appear that our guests have succumbed to their tiredness." Fenrir said, suddenly finding himself tired as well.

"So it would seem." Fafnir agreed as his head slowly lowered; quite possibly tired as well.

"Do you mind if I-" Fenrir began but Fafnir interrupted, knowing his companion very well since bonding to his spirit those many Turns ago, and said "No. Go ahead. I will stay awake, just for you."

"You always know what I need!" Fenrir said, not as much in surprise as in appreciation.

"Goodnight, sleep well, and try not to think of things we could not change too much." Fafnir said.

Fenrir nodded slowly then kissed the back of his dragon's neck and gently leaned forward, clutching his dragon to him. Fafnir gently flicked his tongue up to Fenrir's cheek, returning the affection that his Rider gave to him before Fenrir joined the passengers and sank into sleep. Despite a dragon's speed, the tiredness from traveling so long, as well as being caught in the storm clouds made the dragon take all night to get them to their destination. Fafnir's indefatigable strength carried them all throughout the Fell.