Enoki's Adventure Journal-The Novel Part 2 [Day 8 Added]

[Enoki]

{UNDER CONSTRUCTION} This new novel contains amazing tales and riveting plot twists. It will make you addicted to The Adventures in Yugure. Read at your own risk!

Day 6

      The sun slowly faded out of my eyes so that I could get a clear visual of my surroundings. The sky, oh how marvelous! Colors so vibrantly odd but enjoyable. Reds, purples, oranges, they all were absorbed into my optics as I stared at the heavens. The silhouette that I had seen turned to a dark green, much darker than my emerald scales and forest green pelt. I could tell immediately that the dragon was a female. An easy way to tell a dragon's gender is its body shape. Females are more slender and sleek with a bit of a pleasingly arched back. Their poise is always more graceful then the males bulky, rough body that is mostly in a haunchy position.
      "Welcome to the Second Realm, I am Vashti. Please, come meet our Lord," she curtsied to us. She was quite lovely. Her orange eyes resembled the colors of ripe pumpkins and spices speckled about, creating a red tinge that was only shown in the light of the sun. Her osteoderms (the spikes on her back, neck, and forehead) were a shiny Phthalo green, a dark shade of green. Her chest plates were perfectly symmetrical and had no blemishes to their pale green luster.
      I return her curtsy with a bow, "I am Enoki, and this is Lady Hawk. We will happily follow you to meet your Lord," I nod. Hawk seems somewhat concerned with this remark and I look at her, "What?" Is all I say as we follow on foot to keep our conversation away from earshot.
      "This is not always a good thing to do," she snaps at me in a quiet tone. "What if it is the evil ones she speaks of?" Her face turned as she spat. This bugged me terribly. How could one be so judgmental of a clan she hardly knew anything about?
      I also spat, "Just because one is from Kurai, does not mean they are evil!" My voice was a bit higher than I should have allowed, but I could tell that it was still not audible to the she-dragon. Lady Hawk's expression changed into one of confusion. Her eyes looked at me as if I had just spoken in gibberish.
      "I did not mean Kurai, Enoki. I meant the Mist," was all she could say before our guide landed in front of us.
      The female folded her wings up tightly and lowered her head in a submissive state. "Please excuse me as I fly ahead to get the Mistress of the Lord. She is to greet you and escort you into the Kurai campsite," my stomach went to the floor as she mentioned my father's clan's name. So it was Kurai that would be greeting us. That meant my father was nearby. Hawk and I both nodded and allowed her to take off to find Lady Kurai.
      As soon as Vashti was out of sight, I blurted out, "You don't despise Kurai?" Her face was completely straight for a minute, then, she could not hold it in any longer. A loud laughter emanated from her smaller frame.
      Her white pelt fell to the floor, "Oh of course not! Those superstitious Tsumerions have no clue who is an enemy and who is a friend. The League of Mist is the ones they should be afraid of. They were recently found guilty of being Kurai extremists. They wished to take over all of the Second Realm and govern it how they see fit. And they say it is all in the name of Kurai, which is just a flat out lie. They worship the late Lord Reikokuna like a god; which he wasn't even close to being God. His evilness began the war between the two clans, Hikari and Kurai and it ended with both his death and the kind Lord Heiwa of Hikari." Her history lesson made me feel much better about all of this, but I was still afraid to know if my father had any part in this League of Mist.
      I nodded, showing that I was listening to all that she had to say, but something worried me, "Where are they now?" I shuffled my claws, not knowing where to put them.
      "Banished," she replied, "to the realms beyond this one and the next." She implied the First Realm.
      Our conversation was cut short, of course, by the arrival of the Lady of Kurai. Her dark blue colors gave her the look of a midnight sky in the Fourth Realm, where most non-mythical creatures lived. Her beauty was indeed hard to match. I could tell why she was the Lord's mate. She had to be one of the most beautiful dragons I had ever seen, considering the fact I had really only seen two, this was easy to say. "Greetings, travelers of the other realms, and welcome! I am Lady Fayyim, and I am to escort you into our wonderful village," nodding gracefully at us as she spoke. She definitely had the grace to be a Lady.
      I introduced ourselves to our hostess and we flew this time to the Kurai camp. Hawk did not approve of this, but she could not say no. She rode on my back as we soared over the campsite of Kurai. There were swarms of dark scaled dragons running about, arranging themselves in rows like a neatly formed percussion band. It was amazing how well they formed a straight line. 'They must be trained for that,'  his mind racked as he slowly descended to the floor.
      The campsite was almost like a bowl. Basically, a small-scale valley. If you fly high enough, you can make out the shape of a moon. The greeting was more like a ceremony, each of the dragons let out a roar simultaneously. Lady Fayyim landed right next to a red-hued dragon. His face was a bit scarred, as if he had gotten into a fight. "Greetings! Welcome to our humble clan," his voice roared like thunder. "I am Lord Tohopka, the new improved Lord of Kurai. You must be from the First Realm. I can tell by your knapsack and baubles." Lord Tohopka rumbled a laugh, "And you must be of the Third Realm, you felines with your thick, white pelts," He mused to himself.
      'Well, that sounded a bit. . . racist,'  My mind told itself as my cranium turned to Lady Hawk to see if she had the same reaction. She did, although hers was a bit more profound than mine. I could tell she had no worries of angering our host. Even if it was his own rudeness that caused it, I would never act upon it.
      We were then escorted to a pile of food after the long welcoming ceremony. Lord Tohopka seemed a bit rowdy and prideful, but I just brushed it off. Hawk, however, did not. Her scowl could be seen by everyone at the. . . "dinner table." Their manners are in definite means of construction. Our hosts allowed us first pick at the pile. I meagerly walked over to the pile, that was at least as tall as me, and began skimming it for something I was familiar with. There were many young dinosaur predators in the mix along with a few of the raptor species we saw earlier that eve- day I mean.

      When the Third Realm is on the night shift the Second Realm is having a bright sunny day. I know this will greatly confuse me as we travel, because I am already drowsy of being up far too long. With the changes in time, I am starting to wonder if days are shorter in some realms. Could we have time shifts in the realms? As if, one gets older far quicker in one realm than the next? Ooh, this would make a great hypothesis. I should tell Blacktalon of my possible discovery when I return home. . . whenever that may be.

      I manage to find an elk thigh that I happily grab with my hands and pull from the pile. Of course, knowing me, food began to tumble from the pile to the ground. Embarrassed, I look around for Hawk. She is already over at her seat again with a raptor breast, which she later explains is just like a simple chicken's. A dragon roars something I do not understand and is then followed by others, and then the Lord himself rumbles, "Faal Lot Odrahgol do Kip!!"
      I blush and quickly scoot away from the pile. "I'm terribly sorry, I didn't me-"
      "Nonsense, my boy! It is tradition! The pile is meant to be disturbed, this is a great feast!" His booming voice would bang in my eardrums and I knew that I would have a hard time hearing for the rest of the week. "Faal Lot Odrahgol do Kip means 'The Great Avalanche of Food' in dragon tongue. It is what we say when food falls," his thundering voice died down for the moment and I actually thought he may speak at a normal level, but I was then corrected. "Is that all you will be eating my boy?! Quite a small amount for one of dragon blood!" He eyed me and I looked blankly back.
      "How did you know I was part dragon?" I said curiously. Anyone who had first met me in the First Realm would always glance at me with a startling facial expression. No one would have known if I had just been born defected or if I did happen to be one of the first Gryphon hybrids if my mother hadn't confessed her love for my father and that they had been married many months before my hatching.
      He let out another booming laughter, "We can sense it! It is in our nature to find our brothers and sisters."
      I was quite shocked to hear this and got excited. "Really?!"
     "No." The Lord smirked and then let out another chuckle followed by a chorus of dragons. "It's your scales, boy. Dragon scales, harder than any substance known to the realms." I felt stupid. Of course, it was a dead giveaway. The only reason no one in the First Realm could figure it out is because most of them stay in the realm and never leave.
      Lord Tohopka then nodded to the crowd and boasted, "Let the feast begin!" The barn red dragon pounded his tail, commencing the meal to start. The Lord and Lady went immediately to the pile and picked the largest tyrannosaurus legs out and flew them back to their seats. After they bit into their choice meal, the hordes of dragons charged at the pile. It was everyone for themselves as dragons bickered and fought for meat. I now knew why they let their guests go first; we would have starved. The manners of this clan were despicable and I could hardly contain myself. 'How could my mother fall in love with a dragon from this place?'  I questioned my mother's intent as I watched these barbarians devour their food-bones and all.
      The pile had been barely there for ten minutes and now all that was left were a few scrawny raptors. "Let the Dukaan Gein come out and enjoy the feast!" Tohopka pounded his tail again. This time, a dragon, around the size of a large ox came forward. His forest green scales matched my fur as he sauntered in. The frame of the dragon was quite frail and weak, as if he hadn't had much to eat. Although he seemed a bit fragile, I would never assume anything with these dragons.
      The Dukaan Gein, as he was called, reached out and grabbed one of the white scaled raptors. Our eyes met for a moment, his looked sad, and he turned away and hobbled out of the circle of dragons. He had a limp in his stride and that is when I noticed a long gash across his left hind leg that seemed to have never properly healed. The rest of the raptor meat that was left over was thrown to the adolescents of the clan. Since they had not come of age yet to be considered apart of the clan, they would sit on the sidelines. A prize like this was meant to be fought over, which they did, with ferocity.
      Hawk and I followed a young, golden dragon to a medium sized cave, which were to be our sleeping quarters. The dragon was female, and had shadowy hands and feet that I found quite extraordinary. Her golden colors faded to a dark goldenrod hue. Her scales did have a lovely pattern to them. They all faded at the ends to this dark yellow coloring, especially at the tail tip. She introduced herself as Arylide.
      The sky turned colors again as the day turned to night. We could finally get some sleep. I turned to Hawk, who looked at me with an irritated glare, most likely because of our hosts behavior, and then wandered off to the other side of the den. I made us some nice nests out of mammoth-eared leaves that I created with my pollen and then said goodnight to my friend.

      This was an incredibly long "day" for me so I think I will just stop here for now.

Until what tomorrow brings,
Enoki

Day 7 {A bit of violence in this chapter, reader's discretion is advised.}

      As you can tell, it has been a week from my departure. I have encountered far too many species to relay on this small papyrus paper. We are about halfway across the Second Realm and we are in a hurry. Things are in dire shape as of now, and I am only writing to you because if we do not reach our destination in time, it may be up to you to finish our task.

      We woke up, Hawk and I, to a wonderful basket of treats. Raptor legs roasted by dragon fire, Nightburst berries-which are not poisonous although their name does sound quite close to their toxic relatives, elk bacon, and steamed tyrannosaurus eyes-a Kurai Clan delicacy-were all arranged neatly in a straw woven basket. I glanced over the basket's entirety and winced at the sight of the eyeballs stuck on skewers. We would definitely not be eating those.
      Our golden stewardess, Arylide, met us at our den's entrance. For being such a great help to us, I rewarded her with the steamed delicacy. I did not have to insist the slightest bit as she took her prize and ate it then and there, probably not to inflict envious stares from her fellow peers on her. Arylide thanked me multiple times as we headed down to the breakfast "table." The "table" was, yet again, the floor.
      "Welcome, everyone, to our breakfast. Please, take a seat and wait for our meal to begin." Lord Tohopka smiled as he waved a hand at his subjects. The meal was delivered to each of us by two smaller dragons. A blue-scaled male brought me my meal, which was roasted boar with a side helping of grilled fruit. We awaited the signal to begin eating. After everyone was served the Lord took his first bite and then the rest of us began to eat. The meat was delicious and super sweet.
      I was enjoying my meal when I remembered that I had not seen where Hawk had sat. My muzzle lifted and looked around. No white pelted saber was to be found in the midst of the dragons. "Have you seen my friend, the white saber at the meal?" I ask the dragon next to me. The midnight purple dragon just huffed and continued her meal. 'Perhaps she is just behind one of the bigger dragons,' I say to myself as I finish up my strawberries.
      The meal was about done. The leader of Kurai opened his mouth to say something but he was then distracted by a loud boom. A moment later deep cries emanated from the South side of camp. What looked like a swarm of insects oozing from a nest formed into something much more scary. Dragons, Wolfwyres, Shadones, and Kirins stampeded the camp grounds, yelling loudly in their own languages.

      Allow me to define a few species. Some of you readers may know that Kirins are a bit like dragons but have a more horse-like appearance, depending on what type you encounter. Wolfwyres and Shadones are exotic and are only seen in Yugure. Wolfwyres are a bit like werewolves, but more defined. They are a species wolf with magical properties much like the werewolves. Their forelegs are actually forearms that can grab and tear limbs apart. Although they have a body that could possibly resemble some sort of bipedal creature, they remain on all fours. Shadones are shadow birds. The size of a small Gryphon with great capabilities. Once they "turn" on their shadowy fog, they can dive into any structure and be as their description implies. When they do "shadow jump" into the floor or wall, it is almost impossible to get them out. They are great at defense and stealth, which makes them challenging foes in battle.

      I glance around at the scene that is unraveling before me. Hawk. I must find her. My great wings snap out and push me out of the way of an oncoming Wolfwyre. Its snarling jaws miss me by about a few centimeters. The drool, however, did not. Searing pain follows me as my tail sizzles with acid. Oh, did I forget to mention that their slobber is highly acidic and is quite painful when it comes into contact with your flesh? Well, the pain was nearly unbearable as I flew. My flight pattern was a bit sloppy due to my main rudder being out of order. Something just took over my body as I dove to a den, far off from where I was headed. My body slides in, making a rut. "Took you long enough," a sarcastic voice flows into my ears. I get to my feet recognizing the familiar vocals to be Lady Hawk's.
      "Who did this to you?" I ask a bit frantic, trying to untie my friend from a stalagmite near the back of the cave. It is obvious this realm needs help desperately. This was a well thought and well planned attack. The ropes were fashioned from a plant I had yet to discover, "Intriguing," I mumble as I stroke the fibers of the strand I had just cut.
      Hawk snorted, "Could you play mad scientist later? We have work to do." One arm free, she began to help snip away at the mass of ropes and vines. "I caught glimpse of a dragon speaking with a Wolfwyre about the Mist," her voice cracked as she continued, "It was about their signal that would start the attack. Once the Wolfwyre spotted me, it was all over with." He lifted her other arm out of the entangling mess and showed me her foreleg. It was oozing pus and looked raw. I could spot two puncture wounds that looked identical to the bite of a Wolfwyre's front canines. "I passed out immediately-probably from shock and pain," she slid down and hopped to the floor as I snipped the last of the rope. "Now what do we do?" Her white face turned to me for advice.
      I peered out the den to see a massacre developing. The Kurai Clan was indeed not ready for this attack. "Whatever we can," I say to her as I took to the skies to help our hosts fight off the mob. "You stay here, you are in no condition to fight. Oh, I almost forgot." I land back in the den to sprinkle some of my pollen on the floor. My brain tells it to make Allovius, a hybrid of an aloe plant that Blacktalon had created. I snap off a leaf and squeeze the gel on Hawk's arm as well as my tail. The pain immediately disappears and a blanket of new tissues slide over the wounds.
      With my tail feeling much better, my flight makes a turn for the better. The Allovius reminds me of my unused talent. My hands begin glowing with the golden powder. I shake it off, scattering it on the battle grounds. The neurotransmitting part takes place as I command Hookthorn vines. Immediately a horde of them shoot out of the dirt. "Alright, time to get in sync with my new arms," I muse to myself. I have never done something this big with my pollen before. A gang of the Mist surrounds one of the young novices of the clan, my target, and begins to close in. My brain selects the cluster of vines closest to them and creeps in.

      Hookthorn vines are about eight inches in diameter and have thorns that could cut a finger clean off if angled correctly. They are prominent in the more tropical realms from which our traders emerge from. The Janguru Caravan meets us every mid-summer to haggle over our handcrafted items. I tend to trade most with the Utahraptin, Suna. The term raptin instead of raptor implies that these are intelligent counterparts of their prehistoric ancestors. Raptins are much like the rest of the dinosaurs with the exception of language. Suna's clan lives in a desert-tropical realm with many exotic plants as well as these Hookthorn vines. We tend to trade baubles for plant seeds in which I place in my garden.

     Snap! The whip-like sounds echo through the battle grounds as my vines wrap around the murderous scandals. I can hear their cries of pain and I must look away as I make the vines toss them aside from the girl dragon. My head turns around just in time to see the young fiery green female zoom away on her wings. I feel a bit proud of myself for saving the dragon but am then brought back to the reality of the many dying Kurai dragons. My vines swing into full motion as their thorns entangle many a beast. Most of the Wolfwyres have either fled or died. Since they cannot fly to escape the thorny ropes, they are out of their element.
      I have yet to engage a Shadone, or see one for that matter. Most must be hiding in the shadows of my vines, awaiting someone to accidentally step into their shadowy snares. I lower most of my vines back into the ground. Gasping, I still see the form of my vines encased in the ground. Their shadows still lie there, proving my hypothesis correct. Knowing their traps have been exposed, the Shadones emerge from the ground and flow upward. I dive towards one with claws extended, but something holds me back. My mind won't let me. This is my first battle and I am not the fighting type. The gang was easy to destroy knowing that an innocent life would perish if I did not act immediately, but here there is a chance that this creature may not harm one soul or someone would kill the shadow beast for me.
      The Shadone looks at me with its piercing blue stare. I feel like I am going to go limp. Shadow feathers charge at me with intimidating speeds. Its claws extend and I act upon it. Misty shadows disappear and a less intimidating form emerges. A magnificent creature it was, without all its hideous shadow. The sleek grey-dappled feathery body laid on one of the thorns. It had been pierced by a long one through its chest.
      The League of Mist's fleet seems a bit unorganized now as the cowards are revealed as they escape through the entrance of the camp. With numbers dwindling down, their commander, a sun yellow dragon, directs the company to retreat. What is left is heaping piles of dead organic matter. I scan the grounds from above to see if there were any survivors needing assistance. I find one of the adolescent dragons from the feast lying dead near what appears to be his wounded father. The dark blue brute laid its head on his son, weeping. "Enoki!" Hawk flags me down. She stands near the Lord of Kurai, who seems terribly wounded.
      He breathes heavily, rumbling words I cannot make out. "We have to take him to the Hikari Clan, they are great herbalists. They can save him," she explains to me when I land. Gashes are made visible on the sides of abdomen.
      Lady Fayyim emerges and throws herself down at her Lord's side. "My Lord, you must. .  you." Her eyes droop as she passes out. Her wounds did not seem fatal, but I applied Allovius gel on her's and her Lord's wounds. The remaining Kurai dragon had gathered around as I applied the cooling gel to Tohopka's gashes.
      Three similar dragons, all well built, approach us. "We will help you escort our Lord to the Hikari Clan," the one says to us. "I am Orenji, and these are my brothers: Sango and Ninjin." Another one introduces themselves. They all appear to be a dark apricot coloring. Also an interesting feature I noticed is that they all have features of an Eastern dragon, but still had a more traditional dragon body.
      Hawk and I agree to this assistance. The saber hopped up on my back for the long ride ahead. Each of the brothers help me lift Lord Tohopka in the sky. Our journey there would take us seven hours to complete with no rests. We feared the worst as we traveled. If the League of Mist wanted to send out a second attack, now would be the time. We were weak and in a bad position to fight. High above water, we would have nowhere to place Tohopka down and the Lord was in no shape to swim. Luckily for us, I felt that the Mist had a good enough bruise to stay out of our way for now.
      
      The seven hours passed by slowly, but our spirits were lifted when we saw the bright, shining Light Crystals light up our path. Brightly colored scales emerged from their mountain sized fort to aid in our descent. The Hikari camp was much taller than the Kurai Clan's. The shape of it was a star, too obvious to deny. I was very grateful when the Hikarians pitched in to carry Tohopka down into camp. The Orange Twins, as I had come to nickname them, got to rest our arms the rest of the flight down. My shoulders were cramping and my arms numb so badly that I could not feel the soreness of them until long after we had landed.

      We arrived at the center of the camp and sat next to our wounded patient. Immediately, a lovely white dragon lofted herself on a perch in front of us. Her scales had a luminescent look to them as they shimmered a lavender hue. Her spikes as well as her feathery wing tips were also that same shade of purple. "Get him to the infirmary," she ordered the three dragons that had alighted on the stand below her. Her voice was kind yet firm. "Now, tell me what happened." Her aqua eyes looked deeply into mine and I recapped the whole story. . .

To continue another day,
Enoki

Day 8

      We awoke the next day exhausted, me for the most part. I had been up half the night explaining everything. Hawk did also share her part of story; what she had seen, heard, and found out about the traitors in Kurai. Once she had finished telling her part of the story, she was permitted to leave. She, of course, wanted to stay with me, but I refused. She needed her rest just as badly as everyone else.

      I began my part of the tale from the very beginning. Who I was, what I was doing, how I got here-the works. The white and lavender dragon listened inventively to every detail; her aqua eyes never left me. I stammered a bit, here and there, on the more. . . vulgar parts of the story. Like the Shadone and my vines; it was a gruesome sight.
       I felt like I was becoming hypnotized by this she-dragon. Her lovely white and lavender scales were very bright. She had no name to me, for she had not introduced herself. I would assume, though, that she was one of high ranking, if not the leader of Hikari. "So, the Shadones, Wolfwyres, and the Mist are working together now?" Her voice sounded like a swell of wind. She had three bodyguards, so it seemed. It was the same three that took Lord Tohopka to the infirmary. They had armor on, as well as helmets, so it was quite hard to identify any of them.
      I shifted uncomfortably in my podium. I felt like I was on trial. "It appears that way m'Lady. Although, I am still in the dark as of  what the Mist's motives are. Why the Second Realm? And why do they go against their clan?" I hoped I had called her by the right title. If not, it was a nice compliment for her. The dragons in the courtroom, which was basically an open corner of their star-shaped campsite, nodded in agreement and sympathy. Apparently, we had been through a great deal more than I had thought.
      A large, lemon yellow dragon stepped forward from his perch. His wings' phalanges were tipped with hooked spikes at the end. Two long and twisting horns curved downward on his forehead, almost like a goat's, "The Mist are a no-good, evil, naariv, veistul, kaarn malur do draaf," the rumbling language of the dragons took over and I lost all of what he said afterwards. The brute's mace-like tail thumped on the ledge he sat on. The rest of the dragons on his ledge followed in suit, banging their tails in frustration.
      The white dragon snapped her feathery lavender wings open and shoved a gust of wind in their direction, "Quiet! Order, please." Her demands were met immediately by the rowdy dragons. Nodding in approval, she continued. "We are now aware of the situation. Our troops will send some supplies over to Lady Fayyim and her remaining subjects. Lord Tohopka will have to remain here, to rest and heal from his wounds. Our medical staff will be working with him non-stop until he is well enough to go home," her head dipped out of respect. "We must mourn the losses of Kurai tonight. Their loss is now our loss. Meeting adjourned." Her lengthy body slid down off her ledge.
      "But Lady Asha, we must attack now! They are weak and their forces have been scattered, we must act now." The lemon dragon turned his head to see the salmon colored dragon next to him speak. The salmon hued dragon had a large head. Seven long, straight horns adorned the top of it like a crown. Smaller spikes went along his jawline in a symmetrical pattern.
      Lady Asha, as her name is to be, returned to her perch and looked at the enthusiastic male. "The time is not now to attack," she stated simply. "We are outnumbered if we attack now and even if their league is scattered, they would still have the opportunity to overpower us. Our chances of beating them is slim, and we have yet to find their fortress. I will not risk the lives of more dragons to this petty League of Mist until I know we can defeat them." With this, Asha let out a huff of air through her nostrils, a sign of dominance, and gracefully leapt from where she stood.

      Today we awoke at the sound of a harmonious howling sung by a female dragon, I could tell by the pitch of its voice that it was female. I arose to see what was the matter, but apparently that is the tune that all the Hikari dragons wake up to. The lot of them poured out of their dens and swooped down to a long stone structure. It was just high enough for me to rest my elbows on it. Hawk and I rubbed our faces, trying to wake ourselves up. I could tell who was at our meeting last night and who was not; each of the members of the meeting had the same expression as I did-exhaustion. All but Lady Asha, who seemed to be quite the morning person.
      Dragons in uniform glided down to the table and presented each of us our meal. After everyone was served, they too sat down at the table with their share of breakfast. The food was served on what seemed like a dragon made plate; it was fashioned out of granite, I presume, and had etching marks that looked like a sharp spade of a dragon's tail had cut into it. The meal was mangoes, pineapple which was disappointingly not roasted, coconut, and grilled salmon.
      Not a word was spoken at the long table. A few scowls from the fishy-colored dragon, which I heard his name was Gerahgol, could be seen from where I sat. I could tell that Gerahgol did not approve of what Asha had said the night before. After the meal I heard a conversation coming from the citrus hued dragon, "Come now Gerahgol, cheer up. We will get them eventually."
      "We could get them now, Ahzur! They are weak and dispersed. Now is the time." The brute growled at his friend. Ahzur frowned. Huffing, he walked away. The tension could be felt by everyone. It seemed that we were all on the same page for at least that.
      I wondered how Lord Tohopka was duing with his injuries. A royal purple dragon stood nearby so I asked for the directions to the infirmary. She directed me to a large cave on the westward side of the star-shaped camp. It was a bit of a flight up the side of the cliff, but I managed to make it in five minutes tops. There were many smaller dragons bustling about the large den. The structure was about twenty five feet by twenty eight feet and the walls were much taller than I.
     Tohopka was surrounded by four dragons at a time. All were much smaller than the average sized dragon. I later realized the reason they were smaller was because they were all of the same breed. This small breed, called Atumei Siigonis, was just the perfect size for the job of healers. They could pack quite a few of themselves in the infirmary at once. This helped with productivity since there were many hands to put to work. These dragon worked really fast and knew what they were doing. I could identify a couple of the herbs that they were using, which made me feel good about myself.
      A yellow-green dragon whizzed to my side. "I'm sorry, but visiting Tohopka at this point in time is not well for his health. You may visit him later this week," his voice sounded high toned and a bit squeaky.
      "Later this week? How bad is he?" I asked astounded at the time frame I would have to wait to speak with him.
      "I'm a 'fraid he is not in the best condition." He then whispered, "He might not make it." I let out a quiet gasp. This was horrible news for the Kurai Clan. If their Lord was to die, all their hope would be lost.
      I nodded slowly, letting him know I understood the dire conditions and would keep this to myself. If this got out, I am not sure how the dragons of Hikari would take it.
      My wings glided me down to the exit of the camp to meet up with Hawk. She was speaking with Lady Asha and I caught a few words, ". . . the Tsume pack is doing well. However, I am not sure if they will accept these terms. I am well aware that the Kurai Clan is not what the Tsume pack had assumed them to be, but they might not listen to me."
      "Yes, I know, Lady Hawk. But you are the ambassador of the Third Realm and you represent the Tsume pack, even though you are not apart of their culture. You must try to convince them to send troops to help protect the Kurai Clan. I have sent as many dragons as I can spare to guard the Kurai's camp, but I am not sure if they will be enough to stop another attack. We could use all the help we can get," Lady Asha looked concerned as she spoke.
      It was then when I had actually landed. They stopped their conversation and looked to me, "Hello." Both said aloud as I approached them. "We were just talking about my next assignment," Lady Hawk said to me. She placed a paw on my scaly, green hand. "I must go now. I have work to do in the Third Realm," I frowned at hearing this and, she too, looked sad. "It is our duty to help each and every realm of Yugure. We are all in this together. I will miss you Enoki, but don't worry, I shall see you later in your travels." I bid her a big farewell and she began at a fast paced lope toward the winding exit of the Hikari's canyon-like fortress.
      I began to feel a bit empty inside. She had only been my companion for about a week, but it felt like forever. I was again alone in my travels. Lady Asha then looked at me and said something that would change the path of my life forever, "You do not know how important you are to the realms. You may just be a student of science now, but you shall be a great warrior when the time arrives. I have a task for you. You must travel to the Spires to meet with an old friend of mine. He will help you in your quest."
      My facial expression went from sad to surprised. I did not expect to be given such a mission as that. Energy bubbled inside of me, "But I have not ever traveled so far! I am not prepared. I always study the species I will encounter before I embark on a journey. The Spires is the farthest realm in Yugure. I will have to travel about every realm to get there. There is so much to know about these realms, it would take years before I would be ready to begin! So many poisonous plants out there, what if I eat one by accident! Or worse, what if I run into a dangerous creature without the right repellent," my babbling continued until Lady Asha interrupted.
      "You are young and full of questions, but they will all be answered. As for dangers, I am sure you will know what to do when it is time. You have a great and miraculous power within you. I felt it as soon as you arrived. There are many creatures out there, yes. But you have the ability to make good from what you see. Now you mustn't waste a moment. On the island of Never-ending Twilight, there is the Great Tree of Twilight. On the eastern side of the tree, a hole lies to take you to the Ancient Catacombs. You must find your way through the catacombs to the tropical realm of the Volcanic Isles. Find Sendaar, the Pyroraptin. He knows the way to the Spires. Now take this," a bag of sorts was filled to the rim with supplies. I spotted Baviid Ink inside the sack which comes from the caravans of the Volcanic Isles. A very expensive jewel for any writer; a jewel which I never had the pleasure to use.
      I took the bag of items and placed it carefully inside my knapsack. I began to take-off when I heard her say, "Enoki, be careful." I turned my head around to see her face and then nodded in agreement.
      The night sky had begun to set in around seven o'clock-about an hour after I had left. I knew I only had a few more miles until I would reach the island, but it would have to wait until tomorrow. It was getting dark very quickly, and if I did not set up camp now, it would be too dark to even land.
      I found a nice slim Acacia tree which I had very few difficulties setting up my tent. I had just finished hoisting up the sheet on the wire frame when it went pitch black. The stars began to come out which gave me moments to spare as I snuggled inside my temporary home. A sigh loosed itself out of my mouth as I saw the empty spot where Lady Hawk would have laid, talking to me for hours after we would have settled in.
      Pushing those lonely thoughts aside, I made myself get some rest, hoping that tomorrow would be a less saddening day.

Alone again,
Enoki


I'm sorry to say m'dears, but I have filled up my journal! Please continue reading my tales in this new journal here:
http://www.feral-heart.com/index.php?option=com_jfusion&Itemid=2&jfile=index.php&topic=51612.new#new

[Enoki]

~A new day has been added, Day 7! This one is a good one with a bit of action. Things are going to start to get interesting.~

[Enoki]

Day 8 has been added floofs! Sorry it took so long to finish. I've been a bit busier than usual. Hope you enjoy!

[Enoki]

Welp, I have filled up another thread. Onto another.