FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

INFO: This story is based on my dream. If you find it strange and confusing, it's because it was very strange and confusing. This short story could be much longer, but I decided to keep it in "original" form. It starts and ends just like my dream, leaving many questions without answers.

All names appearing in this story are random, because there were no names used in my dream. The characters showed below are not related with any real person on this and on other worlds. However, I want to keep the rights for Thunder character... he was so cute.

Now welcome to the strange world of my dreams.

***

• "Lets see if I have any emotions at all..." - whispered Jack, sitting on his bed and holding a long transparent crystal in his hand.

He was a typical seventeen year old boy with pale skin and a short dark hair. He lived on a small farm with his foster parents. The only real family member he knew was his uncle Jonathan, who visited him from time to time to share stories about the war. During his last visit, he gave Jack that strange crystal pendant that could show emotions of its owner and people around him.

• "Yes, there is still hope for me." - Jack smiled, observing a delicate green tint dancing inside the crystal. He already knew what all the colours were symbolizing.

  • "Green means love, happiness and joy..." - Jack repeated his Uncle's words and sighed - "Well yes, that is true, he is like a father for me, I don't know what I would do without him."

He lay down on his bed, keeping the crystal above his chest and hoping that his uncle will visit him soon. Jack always enjoyed his visits, not only because of his stories, but also because of his unique companion.

• "I wish I could fight with them, but I'm stuck on this farm..." - Jack thought, looking at his strange pendant - "I wonder if there is a colour showing boredom..."

Then he noticed a small red dot in the centre of the crystal. It grew fast and soon the red light filled entire talisman. Jack raised his head and looked around, feeling terrified. He knew what red colour meant: blood, wounds and physical suffering. It could also mean that someone nearby was thinking about violence or even trying to kill him.

The crystal quickly felt his fear, changing colour to yellow. It began pulsing with red and yellow light, illuminating his dark room. Jack stood up slowly, trying not to make any sound. His foster parents went to the town two days ago, so he was all alone at the farm. He reached for his dagger, feeling a cold shiver when he touched its grip.

His pendant changed again, pulsing with three colours now: red, yellow and blue. It made Jack even more confused, because blue always indicated sadness and sorrow.

• "Sad thief?" - he thought, hiding the crystal under his shirt - "That's something new..."

Suddenly a loud thump shook his small hut. Jack knew that sound since he was little, and that made him even more worried.

• "Thunder?" - he shouted and run to the exit, dropping his dagger - "Uncle!"

Jack opened the door and narrowed his eyes, seeing a person sitting on the stairs outside his home. He knew it was his uncle, but he looked very strange, almost transparent.

• "Jonathan?" - Jack asked and reached his hand to touch his uncle, but when he made a step forward, the figure before him disappeared into thin air - "No!"

He ran outside, feeling scared and confused. The crystal on his neck was glowing so strongly that he could see it though his shirt. It kept changing colours, showing now only blue and yellow.

• "Thunder... you did that?" - Jack looked at the brown dragon, standing nearby - "Where is your rider? Where is Jonathan?"

Jack knew his uncle's dragon since he could remember. Thunder was twice as large as a horse, but was much more intelligent. His body was covered by many hard brown scales and he had a light-blue belly. The spines on his back were long enough to let Jack climb up and scratch him between his wings. They played together every time Jonathan visited the farm. Jack was never afraid of Thunder, even if the dragon looked really scary. The spikes on the top and sides of his head were sharp, but he never harmed Jack, even when he was nudging him with his nose.

Thunder couldn't talk, however Jonathan always claimed that they could communicate in his thoughts, not only with words but also with images. That's why Jack suspected the dragon for creating his uncle's illusion... but why?

• "You're bleeding..." - Jack noticed a few scratches on his neck and forelegs, left by some other dragons. There were also two arrows stuck in his hind leg, but luckily not in his knee - "Is Jonathan also wounded? You want to take me to him?"

The dragon moved his head closer and whimpered loudly, looking into his eyes. A strong cold shiver travelled trough Jack's body and somehow he realized that something very bad happened. Then he finally noticed the energy collar on Thunder's neck. It was white.

The ring of green light around a dragon's neck was a physical manifestation of a special spell, used by the royal sorcerer to enslave feral dragons. It bound a dragon with a human, forcing him to obey the every command of his rider. The spell could be broken only by destroying control crystals, one for each dragon, and that was what Jonathan was fighting for.

The other way to free a dragon from the Empire's enslavement was to kill his rider. Then one of the rebels from Jonathan's group could make a new bond, taking a dragon on their side. For that short moment, when a dragon had no rider, his collar was not green but white.

• "Nooo!" - cried Jack and fell on his knees - "Please, not him... It can't be... he can't die..."

He felt like his entire world has collapsed. His uncle was the only human he cared about, as he never liked his foster parents. Now, when he realized that Jonathan was dead, he felt alone, so alone. It hurt, his heart hurt, more than he could ever imagine. Jack cried, scratching sand under his hands, while the crystal on his pendant glowed with a strong blue light.

Thunder whimpered again, gently nudging Jack with his nose to cheer him up, but he felt the same pain. He was one of the recaptured dragons, but he was not a slave. Jack's uncle always treated him as partner, letting him to do whatever he wanted between the battles. Their bond was much more than just a spell.

• "Oh Thunder..." - Jack sighed and embraced the Dragon's large snout, hugging it strongly - "I will miss him so much... and you..."

He was still crying, pressing his cheek to Thunder's soft scales and feeling his warm breath on his belly. He knew he could never see the dragon again. Thunder needed a new rider, or the spell would kill him.

• "Thank you... for everything..." - Jack whispered and looked into his large yellow eyes - "Now go... you must go... find someone... I'll be fine... one day."

Thunder whimpered gently, and something strange forced Jack to close his eyes. He saw images flashing in his mind, very blurred, but soon they got sharper. It was a battle, a massive air combat with more than twenty dragons. The images kept flashing, showing him dragons clawing each other, and dragon riders shooting at their enemies with bows and crossbows. He saw no movement, just a series of still images.

Then everything changed. Jack saw his uncle lying on the ground in a puddle of blood. His blood. He was moving, he was still alive, but the crossbow bolt in his chest gave him no chances.

• "Leave me..." - Jonathan whispered, breathing shallowly - "Leave... before they capture you..."

Jack heard Thunder's whimper and realized he was watching everything through his eyes. Then a white dragoness landed near them and a young woman jumped off her back.

• "Astrala, guard us!" - she shouted and the dragoness leapt in the air. The woman run to Jack's uncle - "Jonathan! No!"

  • "I'm sorry...." - he whispered and coughed blood - "Take care... of my son..."

• "He had a son?" - Jack thought, feeling surprised. His uncle never told him about it.

• "No, don't give up." - she fell on her knees, examining his wound - "Hold on, I will bring a healer..."

• "It's too late..." - Jonathan replied and coughed again - "Have we won?"

• "Yes, the enemy ran away. You did it." - the woman gently touched his forehead - "Three crystals destroyed: one dragon flew away, two joined our forces. We also captured three bonded dragons. It's a great victory."

• "Good... it was... worth it." - he smiled and looked at his dragon - "Thunder... old friend..."

The dragon whimpered with sorrow and moved closer, to let Jonathan touch his snout.

• "Yes I will miss you too." - Jack heard his uncle's voice, but his mouth was closed - "No, don't blame yourself, you couldn't save me this time... Oh come on, we knew that day will come, remember our talk... Yes, my friend, do as we planned... find my son, find Jack and accept him as your new rider... maybe not, but he will train.... no, not like me, he is even more stubborn."

  • "What?" - Jack held his breath, thinking that maybe he misheard that part - "No, it's not possible..."

He had no time to think about it, because Thunder kept showing him images. Jonathan tried to laugh, but he only managed to cough more blood. The dragon was whimpering all the time, knowing that he can't do anything to help his rider.

• "Tell Jack everything, tell him I love him... I know, Thunder, I love you too... I always did." - Jonathan's body twitched, as he drew his last breath - "Farewell, old friend, maybe we will meet again... somewhere..."

He closed his eyes and his hand fell on the ground, motionless. The woman began to cry loudly, but the dragon was not watching her. Thunder raised his head and roared as loudly as he could. The other dragons, circling above them, did the same.

• "No!" - Jack jumped away and fell on his knees again. He cried, even more than before, beating the ground with his fist - "Why him? He was so good..."

The news that Jonathan was his father still couldn't reach him. He was too sad, too disturbed to think about it. He just watched his tears, dripping on the dry sand below him. The dragon would have cried too, if he could. He was standing still, ignoring his wounds and keeping his head low above the ground. Thunder was mourning his friend in his own, dragon way, watching the images from their past in his mind.

• "All right..." - Jack sighed and stood up, approaching the dragon - "show me more."

He put his hand on Thunder's snout and closed his eyes. The image appeared in his head at once, showing Jonathan sitting near a camp-fire during night. He looked younger, much younger, so it was an old memory.

• "I appreciate your concern, my friend, but I can't tell him, at least not now." - Jonathan said without opening his mouth - "Yes, it hurts to lie, but how could I raise him alone?... yes, I know, but you can't help me with that."

He sighed and threw more wood to the fire.

• "He deserves a real family, with a real house and real hot food." - Jonathan continued - "And what can I offer him? Fighting? Running away in constant fear?... yes, but they will also love him... no, Thunder, he is only five years old, he will not understand... he is not like little dragons, he needs time to learn...

• "Oh sure!" - he shouted with anger and stood up - "And what if I die? Have you thought about it?"

He looked at the dragon for a moment and then took a deep breath.

• "No, I am sorry, I shouldn't shout at you." - Jonathan said in his mind and walked closer, to pet Thunder's snout - "I'm also thinking about that... really? You can do that?... all right, I'm ready."

  • "Hello Jack," - he said and waved his hand - "oh it feels so silly... If you are watching this, it means I'm already gone. I'm sorry son. You probably already know, but yes, I am your real father. I know how hard it is to watch me now, but I had to do that, I had to pretend your uncle to keep you safe. I hope one day you will forgive me. Before I.... before Thunder will explain you everything, I want you to do one thing. Thunder will need a new rider or he will die... No, I can't..."

He turned back and took a deep breath.

• "I'm fine, I'm fine..." - Jonathan said in his mind and then resumed normal talking - "I want you to touch his collar. I know you are afraid, but you will not feel anything. Just touch it, and he will explain you everything. Trust me, Jack, you have to do it."

The image have disappeared, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts. He opened his eyes and moved his hand back, looking at it.

• "I... I don't know..." - he whispered, feeling overloaded by informations.

He still couldn't accept that Jonathan died, he still couldn't believe that he was his real father, and he was unable to make a decision about bonding with a dragon. Thunder whimpered quietly and moved closer, pressing his nose to Jack's chest.

• "Do you really want to do that?" - Jack asked, looking into the dragon's sad eyes. Thunder answered him by bending his neck, moving his white collar closer. Jack looked at it and sighed - "All right, let's do it."

Jack hold his breath and slowly reached his hand toward the energy ring around the dragon's neck. He closed his eyes a second before touching the light, expecting to feel pain, but he felt nothing. When he opened his eyes, the collar was glowing with a bright green light. Jack was a dragon rider now.

THE END