Who Dwells Within
Story I've been toying with for a long time now. Finally decided to stop being lazy about getting it up here.
Comments always welcome and hope you enjoy.
Prologue
"Its an adventure. Boys your age love adventure." "No guy's my age love technology and electricity. Not to mention indoor plumbing" Jase said as he rolled his eyes at his parents. "Come now, Sport. Think of this as a great opportunity to both learn and walk in the foot steps of God." his father responded. Jase simply turned on his heels and walked out of the living room and a resounding thud could be heard from the down the hall as he locked himself in his room.
That had been one month ago as Jase starred at his reflection in the small airplane window. A dark haired teenager with hazel eyes stared back at him before he slid the cover closed. Nothing to see out there but an endless expanse of blue sky with a few wispy clouds and an ocean of green trees bellow.
Here he was stuck on a plane with his parents seated behind him on his way to the middle of nowhere. A random spot in the jungle of South America where his parents were supposed to do missionary work. Supposedly some tribe in the denser jungle was visited frequently by missionaries, like his parents. The organization that had contacted his parents had said that every time a group came in they would make reasonable progress with the village. However, as soon as they left the tribe would convert back to their old ways. This tribe apparently worshiped a beast that dwells in the jungle. They said that he visits them often and they pay tribute to this deity so that he will watch over them. Even with as many missionary trips that have gone through this village, no matter how long they stay, no outsider has ever seen this alleged god of theirs. Most outsiders believe these simple minded people probably see random large patches of awkwardly growing foliage and choose to call it a sighting or some nonsense.
Truth be told, he hadn't been paying much attention at the time it had been explained to his parents. After all, this wasn't the first time his parents were contacted about things like this. His parents being professional missionaries after all. They traveled all over the world. Usually when they left he would be left with his grandparents while his mom and dad went off on their trips, but now that his grandparents were getting older. His parents believed taking care of a sixteen-year-old would be too much. Instead they elected take him with them this time. He had tried to protest but they wouldn't have it. They said it would be a good learning experience for him and would look good on a college or job resume now that he was getting old enough to work. So now, here he was starring aimlessly at the seat in front of him, hoping this year long nightmare would hopefully end.
He awoke slowly, barely raising his head as he yawned. As he began to rejoin consciousness he was able to discern what had awoken him. He could hear it faintly at first but it grew steadily louder and he knew instantly what it was, a plane. He groaned and covered his face knowing what that meant. They had come again it would seem. People from the outside world of his little home here in the wilderness. They had begun coming more and more often in recent years. And each time they would stay a little longer than before. They would come and try to change the humans he watched over. They would tell them he didn't exist and they should abandon their ways for those of the outsiders. After all, the outsiders had done so well for themselves. They destroyed all they touched and burned the forests around them.
Now they had even begun to do the same to his home as well, as they were never satisfied and always sought more then they deserved. With each passing year the forest that was his domain grew smaller and smaller as their 'cities' grew larger and larger. He shook his head looking back to the sky and through the canopy he saw the plane fly over on its way to the village. He rolled over and closed his eyes, deciding to worry about this problem later. First he had more pressing matters to deal with, like the pleasant dream he was having before being so rudely interrupted.
Chapter 1
Jase stepped off the plane into a world of green. The thick dense forest surrounded the little strip of a clearing that acted as the plane's runway and landing strip. His parents quickly disembarked after him with a buzz of enthusiasm as they went to the small compartment that housed their luggage. After a brief exchange, and a promise to return in two months to check on them and bring some fresh supplies, the pilot climbed back aboard the plane. The plane slowly turned to taxi before taking off, and leaving them stranded amongst the wilderness. "So what are we supposed to do now?" Jase asked, turning to is parents as he could already feel the stifling humidity causing him to sweat. "Well a guide should be coming from the village after hearing the plane but it may take a short bit. It's not that close so we will have quit the long walk ahead of us." his dad informed him as his parents turned to each other and began discussing their plans for once they arrived at the village.
With that Jase turned on his heels and started walking toward the edge of the forest needing some alone time after the long plane ride. "Where are you going?" Jase's mother called after him as she looked up from some papers they had been given about the area. Rolling his eyes he called back, "I'm goin' to the bathroom," as he waved back at her. 'Not that there is such a thing out here,' he thought to himself as he continued his way to the tree line. "Stay where you can see the clearing dear so you don't get lost. And try not to touch anything. This isn't like the park back home," she called after him as she returned to going over the information with his dad.
As if he needed such a reminder that this was nothing like back home. Coming from a town in Texas, he was no stranger to a fair bit of heat, but this was completely different. The air being thick with humidity making it difficult to breathe, and the clothes sticking to his skin, the difference between the clearing and the jungle alone was intense. Within minutes his hair was plastered to his forehead as perspiration beaded his face. It would definitely take some getting used to this climate after the dry western desert area he was used to.
After walking through the thick underbrush a short distance, he turned back just being able to see the breach in the trees heralding the clearing, and feeling comfortable enough to undo his breaches and relieve himself of those seven sodas he'd had on the flight. With a satisfying sigh he looked around at his surroundings. He stared up in awe at the area around him, feeling out of place as if from another world. Here everything was so bright and full of life. The birds that flew over head were of every color and wove their way through the trees with graceful ease. Now that he was actually in the forest instead of looking down on it from above he found, while the primary color was still green, it varied to every shade imaginable and there wasn't just green. From reds to blues and yellows with everything in between, the colors swirled around him, and not just on the animals but the plants as well. Flowers and ferns and all manner of plants he had never even dreamed of sprouted all around, each fighting for a place on the dense overgrown forest floor, fighting for the chance to bask in the rays of the sun that filtered down from the upper canopy. He stood in awe and rapture at the beauty that surrounded him as he lost himself in this new world.
"You know there are some spiders out here so large that if you continue to let it hang out like that, they will jump up and bite it right off before you ever even see them." A voice said from behind him as it laughed. Having been so caught up in his surroundings, he never even heard anyone approaching and quickly whirled around to see a boy standing behind him. Quickly realizing what the boy had said he turned bright and quickly covered himself while redoing his pants in a haste. The boy before him looked about his age with dark skin and wearing what appeared to be an actual pair of shorts. All be it a pair of overly short and crude shorts tho they were shorts none the less. He was lean with black hair and a dark complexion. He wore no shirt but had a small cord wrapped across his chest that secured a large knife to his back. Jase, still blushing and wishing to move on and forget this moment of exposure, stretched his hand out in offering to shake the others hand in greeting, "My name's Jase," he said by way of introduction.
The other boy looked down at his hand and just laughed as he shook his head and smiled at Jase. "Don't think I'll be shaking that hand till after you've cleaned it, considering what you were just doing," he said smirking at Jase, "but the name's Rayshnaw." Seeing Jase's blank expression and smiling, "You can just call me Ra for short."
Quickly retracting his hand and blushing even worse as he gave Ra a half smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Um, you won't tell anyone, will you?" Jase asked nervously. This time it was Ra turn to look confused before suddenly realizing what he was being asked and laughed again. "Worry not my new friend Jase. I will tell no one, though your embarrassment is unneeded. Now we should return. Your parents are waiting and I promised I would return with you quickly. After all, we have a ways to go and it would be wise to get there soon." Even as he spoke he turned and began to make his way back through the trees to the clearing leaving Jase to follow behind him.
As they left the jungle behind them and reemerged into the clearing Jase saw his parents speaking with a group of men he could only surmise as more men from the tribe they were sent to. Upon their approach his mother looked up and waved. As he came to stand beside them his father quickly introduced the primary man whom they were talking with as the head of the village they were to be staying with. The tall man before him seemed imposing as he stood much taller then Jase, even taller than his father and he was 6'2". The tall man wore a tunic draped over his shoulders while he still wore shorts like those of Rayshnaw. Unlike Ra both he and the others each held a spear in addition to the large blade rapped to their backs. As his father introduced him, the leader gave Jace a quick once over and a slight nod he clearly dismissed him from his mind as if he were nothing more than another piece of luggage his parent had brought with them. Feeling rather belittled as the adults went back to their conversation Jase turned back to Ra only to find that he had disappeared only to be spotted having returned to the others that had come with the tribe. With a simple sigh he turned from the group and went back to his belongings to sit in the grass and wait for his parent's discussion to end.
After some time the adults finished the conversation and the group from the village assisted with the gathering of the supplies before they began the trek through the dense trees. Jase carrying his own meager belongings as his parents had insisted he would not need much. He followed at the back of the pack as his parents traveled at front speaking with the leader and he had no desire to be in the way. The next in line were the men of the tribe as they would not stay far from their leader. Protection detail he imagined. Rayshnaw walked with the other men as they joked and laughed, clearly he was no stranger to these men. Feeling ignored and alone, Jase took his time to look out at his surroundings and gaze at the amazing sights before him. He didn't even realize he was steadily falling farther and farther behind even as he stopped to see a small squirrel like critter skitter across a branch. He smiled up at it just in time to see a giant spider burst forth from the leaves and disappear with its prey back in its cover.
Jase blanched at what he had just seen, suddenly looking around to see things did not seem so beautiful in this place. He also took notice that he couldn't see the group any longer. He cursed himself as he frantically looked around for signs of the way they went, feeling suddenly very much alone. Looking around frantically for the path they had taken but it all looked the same. Looking up he couldn't even see the sun to tell the direction he was heading in. With a growing weight forming in his stomach he looked about and set off in the direction he hoped they were headed in. As his fear increased so did is heartbeat which only quickened his pace. Before he knew it he was rushing through the trees as fast as his legs could take him. Crashing through the underbrush he lost his bearings becoming disoriented. Not being used to the climate and its intense humidity he suddenly found himself stumbling and feeling exhausted. Suddenly his feet where no longer beneath him as he rolled down a steep embankment and feeling a sharp pain as his head struck a root sticking out from the side of the embankment before finally coming to the bottom of a ravine laying still and unconscious.
The large form of a beast glared down at Jase, who had disturbed his drink and now lay up to his waste in the creature's drinking water.
Slowly, one large eye opened to gaze out upon the world before shutting again as the bright light of day shown through the canopy right into said eye. With a grunt the mighty beast covered his face to shielding it from the light as he grumbled under his breath and slowly began to rise. Taking care to ensure each limb was planted firmly on solid footing he began to rise up and slowly arched his back as he stretched out his sore and stiff muscles. With a mighty yawn his sharp teeth could be easily seen by any who might be gazing his way though none dared. There were no creatures to be found in his vicinity for fear of becoming the sleeping beast's breakfast upon his awakening. He was by no means cruel nor did he hunt for sport or kill more than he could eat. Just a simple matter that he like any other creature upon the land or in the deep needed food to survive and to any who dared to see his long and sharp teeth it would be clearly evident this beast ate meat.
Gently scratching beneath his chin with razor sharp clawed paws he gazed out upon his surroundings. The bright light that broke through the great canopy above shone down in brilliant rays of cascading light that illuminated all that dwelled beneath the great trees. The vibrant life of his domain could be seen as far as his keen sight could see, from the beautiful flora to the birds far above that took shelter in the branches above. He took in a great breath and could taste the fresh clean air with all the many scents of the forest that filled it from the gentle and sweet caress of the flowers to the scent of clean and pure water that flowed in the brook not far from his dwelling. He could even smell the coming rain in the air which from the smell of it, was still quite a ways off. Its crisp scent was still clear and distinct to his trained nose. He loved his home. He could stand here and admire its beauty for hours as he often did. He would take his time to relish in the sheer joys of life and all that it offered to him. He probably would have if the serene tranquility wasn't loudly interrupted by a faint but distinct growling sound emanating from within him. He gazed back down at his own stomach and glared daggers upon it for its traitorous disruption of his morning. With a heavy sigh he yielded and proceeded to step forth to go out and great the day.
Moving with silent grace he stalked through the trees with amazing speed and agility despite his formidable size. Bobbing and weaving through the trees he made no noise as he was known to be a silent killer. Those selected as his prey would feel no pain nor fear in the final moments. He would be upon them before they ever heard him coming and even then he was quick to puncture their skulls swiftly with razor sharp claws to ensure a quick and painless death no matter how thick the skull. Such was the ending of the creature who unsuspecting just lost its life this day. The large and fat animal lay dead at his feet, a large creature with a round body and rubbery skin, its head boxish and a long nose that hung from its face. As was his custom, he had been merciful and ensured it felt no pain in its passing. He surveyed the area to ensure it had no younglings that would be left abandoned to starve and suffer and upon finding none and feeling satisfied he sat to eat his meal.
Upon his completion of his meal and with a satisfied stomach he went for a leisurely stroll through the trees visiting his favorite sites and those whom he looked after. He walked to his favorite river where the animals gathered to splash and bathe. He looked down upon them from a high rise well above their site and downwind so as not to startle them. He watched over them and protected them. They were his wards for they lived in his domain and as such remain his responsibility. Sure he ate some of them but no more then necessary to survive just like those bellow do each day. Everything must eat after all. No he protected them from the greater evil. One that lurked out beyond the edges of his domain. The place where the humans dwelled with their machines and their cities paved over and devoid of life, always taking and never giving. They disgusted him. The foul creatures with each passing day they whittled a little more of his forest away to be taken and destroyed and then used against him as instruments of man's destruction. He growled low in his throat at the very idea and swiftly turned to stalk back into the trees to leave his charges to play.
He would wage his war on man tonight when the great sun had set and darkness prevailed. Such had been his way for years. To strike back as often as he could in the hopes to at least slow man's progress and continued destruction. He knew deep down that he could never defeat them all. All he could do was prolong the inevitable and buy what time he could for the place that he loved. His home and all that dwelled within. Not that all humans were evil. There were his people of course like those who stayed faithful to him and helped him protect the forest that also called it home. They were few in number but their hearts were strong and so they too were under his charge. Though as each day passed more and more of the outsiders came. They came to bare their lies to his people and try to bend them to their ways of destruction. At first his people, his children, had fought against this invasion though soon it became clear it would only cause them to come in greater numbers. Soon they chose to remained passive. They allowed a few to come into their home and stay for a time and let the outsiders think they were listening and as each departed they turned away from the nonsense the outsiders spoke. Unfortunately the outsiders were not fools and always came back, always hoping to convert his children to their ways of destruction. Even that morning he had heard the signs of more still coming to the village that was his children's home. Now he would not be able to go to them and that weighed heavily upon his heart. While he took comfort in seeing the animals of the forest run and play and live their lives they could offer him little more then to serve as sustenance or him to eat. Their minds were those of simple beasts and so they ran from him as was to be expected. But his children were different. With minds capable of thought and reason they offered him something he longed for more than anything else, companionship.
Without even realizing it he found his feet steadily heading in the direction of the village. He quickly halted and looked down in shame. He knew he could not go there with the outsiders present. They would scream and try to do all in their power to see to his destruction and then who would be left to protect this land? He changed his course and went to the stream that ran along the border of his den. It served as his place to drink and fed into the much larger river that passed by the village. Tragically the one where he would usually go to bathe. He would now have to trek some way down river to ensure he found a suitable place to bathe and remain unseen by the eyes of the outsiders. With a heavy sigh he reached his simple stream and bent down to drink, taking great mouthfuls of water to wash away any remains of his morning meal, when suddenly he caught whiff of a strange scent. It was one he clearly did not know and he lifted his nose high to the wind and took in a deep breath to learn more of the strange scent. Suddenly there was a loud crash from the other side of the bank and something came rolling down the hill only to land unmoving at his feet as it lay half way into his stream. He glared down at the source of the strange scent now seeing it for what it was. An outsider had dared to trespass at his very home no less and now sullied the very water from which he drinks. The nerve of such a thing. As he leaned down to glare at the creature and took in the sight before him. Clearly no more than just a boy, with skin fare and hair the color of dirt, or perhaps just covered in it. As he leaned down to better examine the small thing further another sound came from the far bank. Poised to fight for fear of more outsiders come to claim the boy and take his home he bared his fangs as the rustling drew ever closer. If these outsiders thought they could waltz right into his den and take what was his they had another thing coming. They would learn the true meaning of what it meant to rouse the great fury of one as old as the trees themselves. He who was born to stalk the forest and guard its borders and bred to bring death to all that opposed him.
They would come to their doom and learn just what it meant to face the wrath of a Dragon...