The mountains shone a
flaming crimson as the sun rose over the towering peaks. It bathed the Moon
Talon village in bright ruby and golden copper rays, driving the mist curling
around the houses back to the shadows. The bright green fields surrounding the
village blushed golden emerald as the sun’s light swept over the swaying
grasses. A roaring river cascaded down from the tree covered mountains
behind the village. It twisted and turned like a writhing serpent on its course
down through the fields and out to the far off sea. Willows bowed over the
gushing water, their long vines whipped up by the raging current.
Zoltar gliding over the
village’s mud houses, his scales shining like black crystal. The wind brushed
his wing tips and whistled in his ears. He took a deep breath of the sweet,
early morning air. Pleasure tingled across his obsidian scales like electric
sparks as he scanned the ground below with his eagle eyes.
The tall mud houses were
tinted crimson with the sun’s yellow beams. Lush green bushes sprouted from the
roofs of the houses.
Blossoming peach trees stood in clumps next to the houses, their bright, pink
flowers carpeting the winding roads and gardens.
'All this will be gone
if I fail this mission and the Shadow Talons will go to war with the Moon Talons,' Zoltar thought, worry gnawing
at his stomach. Images of fire and burning villages flashed before
his eyes as the ghostly screams of dragons echoed in his ears. 'No. Never
again will the Shadow Talons go to war with an innocent tribe. After what they
did the Wisp Talons deserve to have their land taken. I must succeed in this
quest. There is no other option.'
Zoltar could see the
sparkling, blue ocean in the distance, its frothing waves catching the
sun’s golden light as they curled. The thick forest in front of him shone
emerald, its leaves dancing in the wind. Birds warbled and chirped from the
waving branches and small, silver, winged lizards glided from tree to tree. The
waves lapped at the golden beach’s sand bordering the forest as
Zoltar flew past. Small fish darted in the shallows, their bright, violet
shapes shooting through the water like torpedoes.
Zoltar breathed in the
salty air happily as he soared out over the sea. His shadow danced on the water
below him as he sped along. The sun’s yellow beams warmed his back and white
sea spray cooled his belly. Dolphins leapt from the sea, the crystal clear
water streaming down their silver bodies. Zoltar eyed them hungrily. One
dolphin would make a nice meal for a dragon, but they looked so happy leaping
in and out of his shadow that he decided to leave them be.
Far off in the
distance he could see mist swirling around tall pillars of seaweed covered
rock, their peaks far above the clouds and a dragon's maximum flying height.
“The Misty Maze,”
Zoltar murmured anxiously. Once, many years ago, the maze had been a
clear, lush ecosystem and had supported a thriving sea side community. No one
knew why the maze had suddenly misted up. Now it was dark and forbidden
country. Mysterious creatures lurked in its vapors and many who ventured into
the maze never returned.
He didn’t know whether to
be nervous or excited. On the one hand he felt scared for he knew what was
waiting for him in those columns of stone and on the other hand for some unknown reason he felt excited. Beyond the maze was an island of danger; an unknown land full
of new and mysterious creatures.
Zoltar’s heart pounded in
his chest as he approached the Misty Maze. A strange wind was blowing,
battering his wings, trying to hurl him into the ocean as he entered.
It was strangely quiet in
the maze, apart from the crashing of the waves against the pillars. No fish
sprang from the sea and no birds called from the rocks. Zoltar shivered. He had
the feeling he was being watched and the way the mist snaked in and around the
columns made it impossible to see more than a dragon’s length ahead. The mist
seemed to curl over and into his scales, making them clammy and cold. He
barely stopped himself from flinching as a large knobbly pillar came into view.
The clumps of seaweed and mussels clinging to the rocks seemed to melt into the
mist. Their shapes twisted and warped in the fog. As he flew through the
towering rocks an eerie, wailing howl suddenly filled the air, seeming to
bounce off the pillars and splashing water.
Zoltar stopped and hovered,
trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from, but the call seemed to be
bouncing from pillar to water and back again, making it impossible to hear
where it was coming from.
Suddenly there was a splash
from below Zoltar. He swiftly looked down, but all he could see were the
ripples. He flew a little lower, peering into the murky, black water. He
flinched as the large, dark shadow of a slender sea creature passed underneath
him. Its tail made small eddies in the water as it passed by.
Suddenly it
lunged out of the water towards him, its sharp, white teeth shining wickedly. Zoltar swerved violently, his wings tips brushing the water as he tried to
gain height. For one heart stopping moment he lost balance and dropped toward the creatures out stretched jaws, but moments later he was able to regain control. The creature landed back into the water, showering him in sea
spray.
Zoltar sped through the
maze, narrowly avoiding pillars and clusters of oysters. He could hear the
creature bounding through the water towards him, its tail sweeping through the
water, creating massive waves that smacked against the pillars. He picked up
the pace, dipping and diving, veering and swerving through the mist. He
had to reach the end of the maze before that thing caught him.
At last the beach
appeared in front of him. He catapulted onto the sand, unable to scale the sudden slope in time. He lay there gasping for air.
Zoltar looked back at the murky water and heaved a heave sigh of relief. The
unknown creature had gone.
Suddenly there was a splash
as a big creamy reptile sprang onto the beach. The creature stood there, its
snake like eyes staring unblinking at him, sending a chill down Zoltar’s
spikes. It looked similar to a large velociraptor with an elongated alligator’s
snout and was about the size of a large male elk. As he scanned its long razor
sharp spin along the length of its back, he realized it was a Shang Fu, another
dragon killer, but not as deadly as the Exltron. The most notable feature on
the creature was the scorpion like barb on the end of its tail. It looked just
like the poisons stinger on the end of his tail, Zoltar realized. A cold sense
of dread wrapped around his chest cutting off his breath.
Zoltar could see that it
was a lot faster than him and would be on top of him before he could get into
the air. His instinct was telling him to flee, but he knew that he would have a
better chance standing his ground and fighting. He was alone and had no one to rely on. It was either fight or die.
Zoltar gave a low
threatening growl and glared at the Shang Fu, hoping to intimidate it at least a little. Surely he'd be able to defeat on
little Shang Fu half his size.
The Shang Fu scowled back as though it had
just read his mind, its glittering yellow eyes alive with menace. Taking a step
back from him it raised its ugly head and howled a long, bone chilling
howl.
Almost instantly two more
Shang Fu leapt out of the lapping waves. The first Shang Fu growled and snapped
at the newcomers and they cowered under their leaders gaze. He hissed at
them and jerked his head towards Zoltar as though showing them their prey.
'Uh oh,' Zoltar thought, watching the
circling Shang Fu, their teeth sparkling in the dim sunlight. He was about to
flee when Scorpus’s voice spoke inside his head, 'Come on, they’re smaller than those Howler Dragons you fought. Fight them!'
Zoltar exhaled a cloud of
black smoke. A small spark of confidence burned inside him like a fire, growing
bigger with every breath. If he could defeat over ten Howler Dragons single handedly, surly he could take on these pipsqueaks. He lashed his poisonous tail and with a roar
of fury he charged towards the snarling Shang Fu, his head down.
The Shang Fu’s eyes widened
with surprise as Zoltar teared towards them. They scurried to get out of the
way of his sharp, violet horns, tripping over each other in the
process. He thwacked one with his tail, sending the yelping lizard flying
back into the ocean. He batted another out the way with his wing, hurling it
across the sand.
Zoltar suddenly felt a
sharp sting as a wieght landed on his back. There was another shoot of pain through his spikes as
he twisted his head round to look at what was on his back. The leading
Shang Fu was hooked into his hide and was clawing his way
up Zoltar's back, digging his razor sharp claws between his scales.
Fear clenched Zoltar’s
heart as the Shang Fu raised its tail. With one lightning fast movement
he brought it down towards Zoltar's spine. Zoltar shut his eyes,
waiting for the blow.
Points: 481
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