Page 3
Rilla
paused in her packing at his words. She gave a shrug. "I just... I
don't..." she paused and sat there on her knees, feet crossed at the balls
of her feet, hands in her lap, shoulders hunched, and her head bowed.
"Maybe we should... or maybe I should stop at Kzar and talk with the
Healers." She sat there a bit longer. "I just don't know." She
finally resumed packing.
Zenoz looked at her , kneeling by the woman and gently pressed his lips on her forehead ''We'll stop there ... You just surprised me there , we never stopped at just that and then you simply turn away like nothing went on '' he said with a small shake of his head , his wings opening ready for flight ''How about I fly you there then come back for you when the night falls ?'' .
The dragon watched her waiting for her answer , moving his hand across his right wing where a scar still decorated the leathery side of it , a sudden feeling of impending doom washing over him , something bad was gonna happen and soon .
Rilla paused briefly as she was placing the last item in the pack. His words upsetting her. Continuing the movement, she was silent as she closed the pack up. She sat back and hunched in on herself. Her voice was hesitant, as if she really didn't want to do his suggestion. "I... suppose so...." she finally moved, crawling into his lap and holding onto him tight. Already out of sorts, the thought of being separated from him once more, unsettled her extremely.
Zenoz nodded taking opening his wings , flying up in the air to get to the dwarven city , eyes sometimes wandering on her , he could feel the fact that something was wrong , in her heart and thoughts , something causing her distress and making that feeling return to him , a feeling he hadn't felt since his enslaved days when dragons were sliced up or killed in tests , days of nightmares for him.
Her soon reached the city , landing right in front of the colossal gates , gently releasing Rilla from his arms ''Well here we are ...'' he said , his tone soft yet tinged with worry as he waited for her to let go off him and walk in the city.
Rilla let him go once they landed. She looked up at him, her eyes once more full of tears. The Dwarves at the gates shifted, recognizing both, they were uncertain what to do. "I don't..." She sighed. "I hope to see you tonight then." She turned away from him once again, like last time. This time though, she walked through the gates and headed to the city on her own., now knowing the way. The Dwarves looked confused and puzzled between the two.
Zenoz looked between the two before breathing out some flames on the ground ''Keep your eyes low dwarven '' he hissed before walking down the slope that lead to the gate , his eyes moving up to the sky , watching the sun that grew brighter everyday , the days of chilling passed and the spring would soon bring its motherly embrace over the lands , rejuvenating the lives that fell .
He walked down the slope , too mentally tired to open his wings , too hunted by questions and memories , a scent reaching his nostrils , one of fire and sweat , of suffering and , a scent he never thought he'd feel before , dark dragons . His mind screaming like a rabid beast at his limbs he opened his wings and flew , faster than he ever thought he could , slicing the air like a steel javelin to find the source and soon he found it .
Zenoz saw her , the scales covered in symbols , a dark-gray armor covering a big part of her body leaving only her head and wrists to see , the purple slit eyes watching him with the same curiosity that he held within himself ''What ... Who are you ? '' he asked in a low tone , the female revealing some kind of chain weapon that she held wrapped on her armor , eyes becoming startled ''Winged one ... Father of drakes '' she whispered then threw the weapon at him , Zenoz just fast enough to dodge and rise back up to see the female gone , this event simply pouring more questions into him.
Rilla walked into the Dwarven city. Many looked on is surprise, but something about her demeanor kept them from approaching or hailing her. Joyous exclamations, greetings, and whatnot frozen before they could be uttered. Instead eyes followed her as she made her way to the house of the Healer she'd grown close to in her stay. Well, close as one mostly dead could anyway. She stepped inside and sat by the hearth, staring into the flames, like so many times before.
The Dwarf went on as if it was normal for Rilla to be there in her home, as if the girl had never been got the past two days. After some time in silence, she finally spoke. "Wha's ailin' ye, Child?"
At first Rilla shrugged. After a bit more silence and patience on the part of the Dwarf, everything came spilling out. Her long separation from the Dragon, the loss of the child she carried, Zenoz's insistence of no children between them, the proposed move. When she finally wound down, silence descended again between them.
After some time the Dwarf spoke. "Ye mourn the loss o' yer child, Lass. Tis natural. Ye'll be fine in time as the grief passes." The woman sighed and shook her head. The Dragon's lack of wanting a child, while understandable to an extent, wasn't going to help the girl heal quickly. Especially if he was totally against trying to find a way that might work for them.
Zenoz hissed starting to search through the woods , body tense and alert of the other dragon , hot air escaping the same nostrils that were searching for her scent only to find it all over the place , the chain weapon suddenly wrapping around his neck and pulling him down , giving him the chance to pull her by it , the dragoness falling into vision .
He jumped in a split second wrapping his jaws around her neck as he tore through the armor covering her chest , his eyes then moving to watch her in an almost frozen motion , claws trapping her wrists against the floor before he heard a whimper leave her lips , the image suddenly shifting of Rilla standing under him , the wide eyes and startled look on her face freezing him for just a second before he shook them off ''Where did you come from ? I thought I killed everyone '' he asked as she shifted back yet the silence remaining his only answer.
She was one of the wingless , shapeless dragons , she couldn't turn into a full fledged one like he could but her scent was still fully dragon and it was invading his senses , the dragon lowering his lips to her breasts , her soft cleans scales leaving place for two perky nipples , her skin darker than a human's yet when his mouth was lowered on them it felt like having his love in front of him , teasing them as her whimpers grew louder yet stopping then .
'What are you doing , humans are meant to have one mate , if you do this she will hate you' his thoughts rang as he got off the dragoness , just resisting not to jump her when he felt that particular scent leaving her lower area , the dragon opening his wings and leaving the forest , getting to the gates just as the sun faded to darkness , waiting for Rilla while hiding the regret from his actions , at that moment his dragon side made decisions and it was to mate with that female dragon.
Rilla had given a soft sigh at the Dwarf's words and nodded. Before she could say anything the woman asked her a question. "Didcha get the pouch I ga'e ta Flen?" Rilla blinked for a moment, then nodded. "Ah good. Then he tis safe an' ye got wha' ye were supposed ta." She nodded and bustled about once more.
Rilla watched her for several moments then asked a question of her own. "I am unfamiliar with the contents. What is it?"
"Dragon's Blood." Rilla's mouth dropped, and the Dwarf was quick to say something before the girl could. "Tis a plant, Child. Nae real Dragon's blood." The Dwarf looked amused as Rilla's mouth snapped shut.
Rilla had left her friend's house and was just merging through the gates as Zenoz landed. She looked up and a strange look passed her face briefly, like she really hadn't expected him to return. She walked up to him and she started to smile at him and give him a hug, but something about his stance threw her. She cocked her head for a moment and studied him. Already feeling enough out of sorts, though now she knew why, she just stood there waiting for him to move.
Zenoz lowered his head for a second before sighing , extending a hand to brush on her cheek ''I love , I love you more than anything in this world or another '' he whispered , shaking off the thoughts of before , his more human side coming out and without a second thought wrapping his arms around her waist , kissing her lips , but this time it wasn't to get in bed it , it was full off affection then pulled back ''Also I found something interesting in the forest , I'll tell you when we get home ''
Rilla didn't move at first, or react at first. When he pulled her into him and kissed her, her arms came around him and hugged him tight. "I love you as well, Zen. More than anything." She smiled up a him curiously at his last words, but just nodded. "Ok. I'm read to go whenever you are."
Silent, the Dwarves had watched the display curiously between the two.
Zenoz laughed gently at her , placing a kiss on her forehead as his wings opened , holding her against his chest ''So how was your visit in Kzar?'' he asked as he took a slow almost lazy flight over the trees , looking around the area with a small grin .
Rilla shifted a bit in his arms, she laid her head against his chest and watched the scenery go by. "The visit was nice. Quiet and peaceful, no demands. But then Tzex's place always was for me. A refuge away from myself even." She lapsed into silence and relaxed more against him. Finally starting to get comfortable with the whole flying thing.
Her mind mused over his sudden change in attitude. She wondered what he had to share, but waited patiently until they arrived at home. She watched the scenery go by and reflected on Tzex's words, and more importantly, what she hadn't said. Rilla gave a soft, sad sigh as her thoughts once more turned to children. Or more, to the fact that there would be none for her. She shifted slightly against him and pushed the thoughts away. No use dwelling on it, she loved him as she said.
Their flight soon ended as his feet touched the ground of the cave , eyes still showing that affection for her before they turned , a bit of regret still showing ''I found another dragon , someone from the camp I guess , she was wingless other than that she was similar to me '' he muttered deciding to share what he saw .
''I thought I burned down them all , when I destroyed the camps I took with me the lives of any dragon , any turned dragon that was held there ... She called me father of drakes , drakes ?'' he said in a low tone , rolling the word on his tongue then turning towards Rilla , remembering how similar was that female to her .
Rilla stepped back from Zenoz as he spoke. As his words sank into her heart and soul, her healing and repairing heart was too fragile for the implications. A strange demeanor, the Dragon had never seen in her before settled about her like a comfortable cloak. Had Flen still been here, he could have told the Dragon exactly what was happening to her, having seen it before.
"I see." Her voice was flat, devoid of expression of any kind. She walked away from him, picking up the pack left by Flen, she moved it out of the way against the wall. She returned and settled by the fire. On autopilot, she started feeding wood into the dying fire.
''Really , that's all you have to say ? I need a bit of help here , if she's alive who knows what that means , maybe they put the camps back up , who knows how many of those creatures have been created '' he said with a tinge of worry , still wondering what was with those scenes , the strongest idea coming to him being the child part .
''But maybe there is something good to it ... You can't carry my child because humans would be killed at birth , but maybe there's some way to convince one to do it '' he stared wondering , looking at her ''But only if that's your wish love ''
Rilla's voice was low and still without any inflection. "If that is what you wish. Perhaps you are right and this is for the good. You need a proper mate, not some sacrifice you were supposed to have eaten after all." She stared quietly into the flames a moment. "Go hunt for her. I will be fine here."
Zenoz shook his head at her , a growl leaving his lips as he tried calming himself down ''I have a mate , you are my mate , but I just can't risk losing you '' he said keeping his tone low yet revealing a bit of his anger ''Why can't you get it through your thick skull , I love you , I don't need another dragon , I don't care my animal part wants a dragon mate my heart only has place for you'' the dragon said , his voice breaking for a second before he stepped back , his back hitting the wall and letting him slide down , pain raining on the inside of his head , his dragon side howling trying to bring its insane head out.
She finally reacted to his words, flinching as if he'd just attacked her physically, she curled in on herself. Her voice was just loud enough for him to hear. "You risk loosing me every time I leave this cave. You risk the possibility every time we mate. There's a chance I will be gone after I fall asleep." She started rocking lightly. "Life is a risk. But you choose to deny us Life and possible happiness."
''Do you really wish to risk your body that way ? '' he asked simply putting a hand over her shoulder before kissing the side of her neck ''I don't want to deny you happiness , do you wish to bear my child Rilla ? '' Zenoz asked her again , simply standing by her while calming himself down .
''You can't judge me for worrying , I told you what happened to the others , your body will be harmed by its birth and even growth '' The dragon muttered breathing a bit of hot air in front of him , sitting near the fire to stare at it ''We still have to find her , in case there were some that escaped I might learn more about what exactly am I ... Or if its a camp I need to free ''
Rilla sighed sadly. "Of course I would take the risk. We are mated so you say. And what's the point of mating if not to also have children." She gave a shrug and stilled at his touch. "I don't judge you for worrying, but the way you speak of can't be the only way." She shrugged again.
"Go. Find her. I'll stay at Kzar as you search. I'll be safer there than here without you. You need to do this for whatever reasons. I understand all too well." She grew quiet once more.
Zenoz felt his world crash when she told his of her feeling , his eyes growing cold for a second before he wrapped his arms around her ''Then lets mate , I'm going to give you a child my love '' he hissed in her ear , his claws tearing through her undergarments , leaving her lower side naked before placing his half erect cock at her entrance ''I will fall to your wishes , I will give you what you want , a fruit to our love ''
Rilla jerked and gasped out in shocked surprise. Never had he been so with her, even when he first brought her here. She couldn't react at first, then something inside her twisted and snapped. She shoved against him hard. "NO! Go find your damn Dragon. You have made it quite clear you don't want a child from me." Her eyes were narrowed and right now, there was no feeling for him in them.
Zenoz stepped back for a second his body tensing and his claws extended , a hiss leaving the back of his throat almost like a raptor ready to lunge and then nothing , his eyes widened at what he was about to do before he stepped back before opening his wings taking off towards the sky , his blood still boiling with rage finding it within himself to hate her when a strong scent of blood and smoke got to his nostrils , the area around the mountain holding Kzar in flames , thousands of armored creatures walking through the gates fighting off the warriors , the sent of dragon still filling the air but spiced with a scent so long forgotten , the scent of black magic the same one who twisted him 'Drakes ..' he thought lowering towards the city , firing searing breath over the drakes while before he found a particular dwarven , a gash in his shoulder as he tried fighting back on of the drakes only for Zenoz to pick him off ''Flen right ? tell your people to retreat , hide somewhere , they are too many to fight '' he yelled over the sounds of war around them.
The Dwarf looked up surprised as he was addressed by one of those creatures. Recognizing this one though, he gave a nod at his wisdom and hustled off to rally everyone. Soon Dwarves could be seen disappearing off from the battle.
Rilla stood rooted to the spot as she watched him nearly actually attack her, and for a long time after. Suddenly shaking herself, she moved quickly, and dug in the pack. Finding new clothing, better suited for the environment, she stripped off and tossed what was left of her outfit to the cave floor. Dressing quickly, she then shouldered the pack and rushed out of the cave. Slipping and sliding down the path, it was a miracle once more that she didn't fall off the edge.
Eventually reaching the tree line with nothing worse then a few scrapes and bruises, Rilla quickly climbed a tree, and darted off before getting her bearings completely. Bouncing and jumping, zigging and zagging in a randomness that was confusing, she finally settled down several hours later, exhausted from everything and heart sick. She rested for a while, and then took off again in no particular direction, pretty secure now that her erratic travels had lost any kind of pursuit that may or may not have been following.
Zenoz flew over their ranks , avoiding the spears thrown towards him as he used his fire to keep them off the retreating dwarven , his eyes searching for that certain dragoness only to be brutally stopped by the impact with a dark scaly tail , for a second the drakes stopping as the female looked at him , baring a tail that none of her brethren did have , her eyes being the only thing he saw before flying out towards the exit of the city , a spear lodging into his chest as he saw the light of day and then darkness.
Rilla nearly fell out of the tree she was traversing as a sudden sharp pain bloomed in her chest. Barely, she managed to catch herself by finger tips from a rather deadly fall, traveling pretty high to avoid being spotted. Managing to scrabble her way back up on the branch, she sat there for long moments holding her chest and breathing hard. "Zen..." The whispering of his name made tears suddenly form and fall. She didn't know why she associated the pain in her chest with him, or the sudden feeling of dread and sense of death, but she sat there for such a long time crying, that dark fell and dawn was swiftly approaching.
Finally wiping away the last of the tears, she rose and decided to move on. She still had a ways to go to Kzar. Deep down, she once more mourned a loss, truly believing him dead. And regretting that she hadn't let him go ahead and try to put a baby in her belly after all. Now she'd lost everything. Long after dawn came and went, she still traveled, not realizing in her distraction that she'd made a wrong turn somewhere until the forest around her started to have a familiar feel to it. Uncertain, she descended to the forest floor. Dropping lightly from a branch, she didn't notice the person behind her until a hand grabbed her from behind by the hair.
"Well, well. Look who we have here. Rilla's coming home. So the Dragon didn't eat you after all." A low chuckle came from that hated person who's voice she'd recognized. He whipped her around and pressed her up against the tree with his body. "So, did you kill him? Nah, you haven't the strength for that, must have snuck out. Think we'll harbor you when he discovers you're missing and comes to the village?"
Rilla glared at Darik with hate filled eyes, suddenly she kneed him. Missing her actual target, she did get him good in the thigh though, enough to loosen his hold in pain and surprise. She struggled to break free the rest of the way and run, but he recovered quickly and wrestled her to the ground. He growled at her and balled up a fist and cold cocked her across the jaw, knocking her out. He rose up and stared down at the unconscious woman with a burning hate. Suddenly his eyes turned sly. He dropped back down and yanked her pants off. Finally, he would get a chance at what she'd denied him. He reached between her legs and rubbed on her sex briefly before getting his pants down and shoving his cock hard into her, wanting it to hurt when he broke that membrane inside her. He was a bit shocked and froze for a moment when he didn't find it.
His eyes narrowed to slits and he reared back his hand and slapped her, hard. His rage rose as her limp form just rolled around under him. With his rage, his cock hardened more. Darik ripped her top off and then he started to pump with such a force, Rilla's body scooted along the forest floor. He started to hit and bite her, leaving bruises and deep marks that would scar later. Finally he gave one last hard thrust, and dropped his seed deep inside her.
Rilla woke at that point, hurting in more places then she could count and wondered if she'd fallen out of a tree at first. Then she opened her eyes to see Darik's pleasure filled face above her. Horrified she swung, landing a lucky punch, she caught him in the throat. The man choked and fell over, sliding out of her. Rilla scrambled out from under him, and ran off, mostly naked, just the bit of clothing left between her and her pack. Adrenaline, fear, and disgust, lending her the strength to ignore the pain and flee.
The deep darkness was joined by a throbbing pain in his chest , hands locked together by some sort of steel and the same clipping his wings , the slit eyes opening to find the purple pair he was hunting for , the dragoness placing a hand over his chest where the scales were missing revealing the red bloody skin ''What are you doing ? How are there so many ?'' he hissed at the female only to be stopped by a shake of her head .
''Father of drakes , you are as impressive as expected , stopping my children from exterminating the dwarfs , helping them escape ...'' she hissed now the fear in her voice lost replaced by a deep sadness , disappointment even while her claws moved onto his scales ''Why are you betraying us ? We escaped your wrath and grew , wasn't that what you wished ?''
Zenoz found himself lost at her words , not remembering any of the sort his eyes moving on towards her tail slithering behind ''You aren't like them , you weren't born in the camps , you were modified '' he hissed in realization noticing the woman turning around walking out of his dungeon , her back now revealed by the cloths covering most of her body , two deep scars where her wings used to be .
A drip of water attracting his attention as he took in the surrounding , hard blackened bricks surrounding him , bars holding his cell closed 'A castle of sorts , Shadowfang castle ? They killed the lycans and took their home ' he thought laying his head down 'What the hell is going on? '
Rilla soon took to the trees once more. Going as high as she could, she traveled until she found a spot that she could safely curl up and rest. Great Mother! She hurt all over. She eventually fell asleep for a period, only waking when she felt very cold. Shivering, she moved and stifled a yelp. She'd stiffened in her sleep and now moved gingerly. After much effort and frequent pauses she finally shrugged out of the pack and was able to dig for more clothing. She hadn't noticed, the bit of clothing from the last outfit flutter to the ground. Moving with care, she got herself dressed, and then rooted for something else. Finding the pouch she wanted, she pulled some of the leaves out and started chewing them. Though nasty in taste, she chewed and swallowed anyway. The leaves would help numb the pain.
It was still dark and she decided to wait for sunrise before moving on. She had no idea where she was again. The sun would give her direction and from there she could try to make her way to Kzar. She tilted her head back, resting it against the strong tree she hid in. Her gaze drifted over the few twinkling stars she saw up above. As her mind drifted, so too did her thoughts. She reflected back on everything since she met Zenoz. Snips and bits here and there of their time together. She saw so many things she could have done differently, and sighed, not realizing tears were falling once more. So little actual time together, moments forever lost, and no chance of having more, never mind she thought him dead. The way they'd parted forever sealing them off from each other.
Her mind turned to more recent happenings and she shook slightly. Of all the blasted people she could have encountered when she'd discovered herself in areas she'd grown up in, Darik. The sick bastard. He had been alright when they were growing up, and she had even counted him as a friend. But somewhere, something had changed him. Making him the twisted, cruel person he now was. She gave a sigh. She had no idea if she'd killed him or not. The throat was a weak point on people. But she couldn't really bring herself to care. She had a pretty good idea what she'd woke too, after all she'd felt his seed oozing from her as she'd fled. Suddenly she leaned over and vomited. Her guts churning at the thought of what he'd been doing. She was in a way, thankful she'd been unconscious through it all. Settling back upright and wiping her mouth, she eventually drifted off once more.
Waking again just after the sun had rose, she noted the direction, and headed in the direction she thought Kzar was in. She moved slowly, having stiffened more. She made her way lower after she nearly missed a branch. She was too far up to survive a fall, especially with her current condition. She finally decided it would be best to just travel the forest floor. As she traveled, her body not getting the rest she needed, started to become sick and fevered. She started to wander and stagger here and there. Unmindful of where she was, or even where she was going. She never realized she was back among the trees in the mountain range that held the cave she had shared with Zenoz and called home. An unconscious level of her mind taking her to the place she thought of as safe.
A net descended over her slow moving form, travel becoming difficult now as her injuries took their toll. The slight weight of the net finally bringing her down to the ground. Blearily she looked up to see a man and her eyes widened in fear and terror as her mind twisted the person into Darik. She started screaming and babbling, exhausted though, she soon passed out, this latest fear too much. Another Centaur approached the first, both looked down at their captive.
"Sick."
"Mhm. We should take her to the Dwarves."
"The Dwarves still recover from that attack they had. They won't have the resources or time to take in a stray. Especially one as sick as this one is."
"Still. Word should be gotten to them. Our Shamans won't be able to help her."
The other sighed as his companion had a good point. Leaning down, he removed the netting from the Human. The other picked her up and carried her like a child as they turned and went back to their home.
'One hundred and forty five' Zenoz kept counting in his mind , his body starved and hurt by the chains , the dragoness always present while her troops marched over the lands , their number and simple racial prowess bringing down most enemies , his slit eyes starting to shift each day as he kept himself from giving in ''Why are you keeping me here ?'' he asked the female , her eyes springing a bit of curiosity .
''To remember yourself my lord , to awaken the dragon inside that would lead my children '' she whispered leaning in to trace his body , ribs a bit visible after the first week without any sort of sustain ''Our children , we are the only ones left , the only way for a bit of the purity to survive , for even a ounce of the former dragons to spring forward '' she played across his scar , the hole where the spear broke now closed into a dark red scar , the lack of food or sunlight hindering his healing process .
''You are insane , the dragons are dead ... You are leading an army of abomination into a madman’s plan , they can't fight everyone '' he growled only to be stopped by her finger on his lips , surprised by the sudden action he lowered his gaze shaking his head for a second ''No ... I'm not doing it '' Zenoz muttered against his stomachs and really entire body's protest , leaving the female to walk out once more .
The days passed. Rilla drifted in and out of consciousness as her body healed itself. At several points in lucidity, she thought she heard Tzex's and Flen's voices, but she always quickly sunk back into unconsciousness. The Dwarves had to abandon Kzar as the Dragon creatures marched over the lands. The mountain caves found many refugees flooding in. Races that normally fought and killed each other on sight, now living side by side as a common enemy swept through destroying everything. The Mountains turned into a warren of connecting tunnels and escape routes. The Dwarves that came being masters at such things.
Rilla finally woke to find Flen dozing in an upright position next to her and Tzex sleeping next to her. She looked around her surroundings just moving her eyes at first, not wanting to wake either. She noted that she wasn't in one of the houses of Kzar, but more like a small nook in a cave. She blinked and frowned as questions ran through her head. Shifting ever so slightly, she tried to extract herself from the furs piled over her and Tzex, trying not to disturb either friends. Both wake though, as if on some deep level they sensed the patient was awake.
Tzex immediately pushed her back down and looked her over, throwing the covers off, her eyes roaming over Rilla's naked form. "Good. E'erythin' healed proper. Ye ga'e us a scare the'e, Child."
Flen snorted and growled. "I e'er git me hands on tha' Dragon. I'll beat hi' fer wha' he done to ye, Lass."
Rilla blinked in confusion at both Dwarves/ Then her face changed. Hardened, becoming devoid of all expression once more, only worse than it had in her stay in Kzar. She shook her head. "Wasn't Zen. He's dead." She rose and sat up. Her stomach growled loudly, making Tzex chuckle.
"A good sign. Ye be hungry." She bustled off and went to find food.
Flen stared at Rilla for long moments. "If nae yer Dragon, then who?" His own voice was as full of emotion as hers was not. Fury and rage were barely compressed. He had sat by helpless as she healed, and had come up with many and varied, very painful, ways ton kill the Dragon who he'd thought had done the Lass injustice. He saw no reason to change the ideas now that he found that it wasn't the Dragon after all.
Rilla seemed to harden and become even more devoid at his words. "He's not my Dragon. He never was. I was his sacrifice. Demanded of my village."
Flen blinked a few times at her words. He was saved a need to find a reply to those words by Tzex coming back in. She shoved the bowl at Rilla with a snort. "Matters nae, Child. Ye two belonged taget'er, still do." Rilla just shook her head as she'd already had a bite in her mouth that she was busy chewing. "Dunae gimme tha', Child. Ha'e ye seen 'is body?" At Rilla's slow shake of her head, Tzex gave a sharp nod. "Then, ye kno' nae ifn 'e be dead. Until ye see a body, dunae assume."
Rilla finally swallowed and sighed. "Still doesn't matter. He made his choice. It wasn't me in the end." She dropped her gaze and went back to eating. The Dwarves exchanged confused looks, but Tzex just shook her head with a warning glance. For now they would leave it be, let the girl finish healing, and then time would reveal what they wanted to know.
With each day the dragon grew weaker , his resolve starting to crack before a platter was put in front of him , different remains gathered and cooked into a delicious smelling dish that was held near the exit to his cell , his mind already losing its power , an animalistic hiss leaving the back of his neck as the dragoness put her hand on his face ''You are finally awake , father of all drakes , king of all these lands ...'' she whispered as his shackles came undone , the dragon moving on its weakened legs before leaping onto the food , ripping through it .
Zenoz was finally lost , after leaving his Rilla and the days kept starving and broken into that cell brought out the animal , trapping him in the familiar darkness again , the food almost tasteless as it was swallowed by the dragon , its body now skin and bone strong enough to get him on his feet and turn towards the dragoness , leaning in only to have her hand stop him ''Come to your queen , lets have our vengeance over this world that let it all happen '' she guided him out of the cell , down the castle's hallways where the armored drakes sat at guard , emotionless eyes following the two to the queens chamber .
The hours after went as a blur for him , from the second the queen dropped over her covers and wrapped her scaled body against his , her chest pressed against his own as he kept thrusting inside her , orgasm after orgasm filling her up , pending the female with no mercy until his own muscles stopped from the effort and from the effects starvation had on his body , leaving the two on the bed , a small smile on the dragoness's lips ''Thank you my king , this offspring and their own will bring back our glory in a world made for them '' she whispered to the sleeping dragon before falling into the darkness herself .
Days turned into weeks, and Rilla started to feel ill once more. Now aware of what the reasons were, she was horrified. Where she'd been more than willing to take the chance and give Zenoz a baby, she wasn't willing with this one. She went to Tzex for something to help her rid herself of the unwanted pregnancy, but the Dwarf refused. Rilla sunk deeper into herself, withdrawing for everything and everyone. Tzex and Flen tried to keep her occupied but the girl became a recluse. Hiding in their cubby, and when fed up with the well meaning efforts of the others, disappearing down the tunnels. Not caring how safe they were.
''Today is the day we bring down the dwarves and the last of their resistance , you will be lead by your king in this battle , drakes rise your arms * The queen yelled over the thousands of soldiers , her belly already swollen with Zenoz's offspring as the dragon walked by her , an full armor caging his body , the golden over the obsidian black scales , his muscles now tense and bulging after being released training with his queen , shaping his body into a machine of war rather than the mellow , arrogant if a bit foolish dragon that he was , his body and mind becoming stronger , his nerves hard as steel and mercy long gone .
''Now march to war my children , march to war '' she yelled ,a tone full of bliss before he moved his hand over her belly , leaning in to kiss her lips before his wings sprung open , taking flight and leaving his queen at the castle , the troops marching right behind him as two hours passed .
The second the hours passed a hug ball of flame filled the entrances of the tunnels , the armored dragon flying right in ripping through the unsuspecting inhabitants , their blood and guts spraying over his armor before the drakes started charging in , fighting with the remaining forces of that land , the element of surprise giving them an edge over the overwhelming numbers and the different creatures fighting back , the morale behind them also making them merciless knowing their king was fighting beside them.
Rilla was in the throws of birth when the attack came. Tzex trying to help her, as the woman lay there, writhing and struggling to get the unwanted child from her body. Flen trying to help as best he could, though not much more than a back support for the struggling girl. She was weak, body, mind, spirit. Lost in memories for too long, and not all that aware anymore of the world around her. Rare moments when she was, she just didn't care. Though, in those rare moments, she frantically taught Tzex any and all Healing she knew.
The tunnels suddenly shook, as Rilla gave one last scream and pushed the baby out. Tzex and Flen stunned, but too busy with the girl and newborn to do much. Having hear some commotion just before the shaking. The girl lay back exhausted from her ordeal, fading in and out. She heard the baby cry, and distantly heard Tzex say it was a girl child. Her eyes fluttered open for a brief moment. "Zenri." Then closed once more. The Dwarves looked at each other. Both knew that among Rilla's people, children were given combinations of parts of their parents' names. Zenoz was clearly not the father of the child, it being fully human, and normal in size. But Rilla had used a part of his name for the child.
Tzex moved to clean the baby as Flen turned his attention back to the limp girl he still held. He frowned looking down at her. Gently he prodded her. "Tzex..." His voice was low and held a note that made Tzex look at him sharply. She looked to the girl and sucked in a breath. Finishing swaddling the newborn infant in a clean cloth, she moved to Rilla. She was gone. She lived long enough to birth the child she hadn't wanted, but in the end named in memory of the one she'd loved in life. Tears fell as she looked to Flen, her gaze confirming his fears.
More commotion outside, had both Dwarves snapping around and looking up. "Come, Healer. We must git outta he'e. I kno' nae wha' goes on, but tha' child needs to live. Even as her Mother has nae." Tzex nodded and grabbed a few things of Rilla's and both Dwarves darted out of the cubby and down the tunnel. They headed in the direction of tunnels marked unstable and unusable. Both mourned silently for the body they had been unable to do much for but cover.
The battle soon turned into massacre as the dragons gained upper hand , Zenoz himself leaving behind only mangled and disemboweled corpses , heading down the tunnels to finish off the remaining survivors that would have hid only to have a scent reach his nostrils , somewhere down the hallways where there sat that sweet scent , , stepping past the corpses to find the one of his love , the cover not hiding her scent , he shape of her body that hunted his dreams , taking the cover off her face just to kiss her forehead once as the information sunk into his mind , head turning to meet his own troops , the drakes looking victorious as they came in thousands and would have left so.
Zenoz looked at her body a single time before the pupils of his eyes shrunk into slits , a roar leaving his throat as he charged head on at his own army , the world turned red as the drakes tried fighting against their king , the armor protecting his body from their weapons while his strength overwhelming theirs and in a matter of hours leaving the dark dragon standing tall , his scales painted in red as his claws tore the armor off him , the temples filled with both drakes and other creatures , the only being leaving them alive being two dwarfs , a human child and a black dragon , his wings carrying him over the forests with his Rilla in arms , bringing her in the sole place they could call home .
'How the fate is weaved to kill the happiness in ones life ' his thoughts rang as he carried her body , placing her on the furs where they made love time ago 'How it breaks the love from ones heart then turns it into dust' he closed his eyes , the pain that over took his chest defeating any spear or blade in its intensity 'How it pushes your soul into its own hell ' he opened his jaws for a jet of blue flames to cover her , leaving only ashes to be blown by the wind ''Goodbye Rilla ... May afterlife give you the love I couldn't '' he whispered tears dripping down his face over the carbonized furs , his knees hitting the rock as the dragon lost the last part of his soul and his heart .
The two Dwarves had managed to escape the carnage of the tunnels and made their way south. Settling in another Dwarven town, together they raised the Human infant they had brought with them.
"I dunnae wanna be a 'Ealer! I wanna be a fi'ter like Flen!"
Tzex sighed in exasperation. "Yer Mot'er twas a Healer, and so ye shall be too." She watched the young child cross her arms and get a stubborn angle to her head that she was all too familiar with. A tear slipped out as she looked upon the spitting image of her long dead friend.
A hand clasped the youngster's shoulder and squeezed, causing her to relax. She tilted her head only slightly to look up at him. At 8 years of age, she was already almost as tall as the two Dwarves. "Why nae be both, Zenri? Ye ca' kill the enemies an' heal yer friends."
The child completely relaxed under his hand and grew thoughtful, clearly turning the suggestion over in her mind. She shot a glance at Tzex, who looked like she was about to make an argument, but snapped her mouth shut at Flen's look. With a sigh she gave a nod of acceptance. "But, keep in min' Child, ye'll nae be neglectin' one fer ta o'er."
Zenri grinned and nodded. "Deal."
A clocked figure passed through the town , a long brown hood covering his muscled mass that the war formed , flashes of his departing passing in front of his eyes 'The dragoness looking at his form , a cold regretful look in her eyes as the queen found that her king didn't and wasn't able to love her the same way he did for Rilla , for a human , yet being stopped by his son , the small yet already strong hatchling looking up to his father with tears welling in those big purple eyes that almost stopped him , yet the dragon simply put a hand on his son's ears 'I told you the story a thousand times , I'm searching for my path' ' the words stopping the child that finally understood.
And now the former king of drakes , the shadowfang of the higher grounds stood in the dwarven town sniffing the air , he checked the cave for their bodies , two of the dwarven that could tell him what happened to Rilla . the image still hunting him .
Now 18 Turning of the Seasons old, Zenri had turned into a beautiful young maid. A constant reminder of her mother, Rilla, to the two Dwarves that had raised her. She had learned to look the other way when tears formed in their eyes, or their voices had gotten husky. She knew the story of her mother, and wasn't sure how she felt about it if truth be told. On the one hand, to love so deeply as to be all consuming and destroying you, was a bit scary, but so romantic too. At the same time, she was deeply hurt and saddened that her mother never wanted her, since she wasn't the child of the one she loved so much. There had been many times in her growing up that she wished she had been. Maybe things would have turned out differently.
She didn't know who her father was, Rilla had taken that knowledge with her into Death. But she knew he had beaten her mother, and apparently raped her, since when she was found by Centaurs, she was fevered and nearly unconscious. Then as time passed, Rilla had come up pregnant. All the Dwarves could say was that she had her father's eyes, because they weren't Rilla's in colouring or shape. With the stories of Zenoz, coupled with the fact that her mother's last action had been to name Zenri with a combination herself and Zenoz instead of the man who was her actual father. In a way, Zenoz became the only father she knew. And who could say, maybe in the end, Rilla's twisted mind had really thought Zenri was the offspring of a mating between them.
The past 10 years had shaped her, learning to fight like Flen, and Heal like her mother, she became an intriguing combination. Stubborn to a fault, she wouldn't back down in a fight, not knowing the word 'retreat' much to her instructors' dismay and delight. Yet she kept a cool head and didn't get worked up in any situation, a good trait in a Healer and a Warrior. She approached things with a calm manner, never yelling, but getting a tone about her that caught people’s attentions and usually made them scurry away to a safe distance if they knew her. She was deadly with both an axe and a bow, but had the most soothing touch when she tended to those hurt. A fascinating mix, she was confident in herself and her abilities, and she carried herself in that manner.
As the cloaked stranger walked into the town, a tall girl walked amongst a handful of Dwarves. She wore a tunic and trousers of supple leather and forest boots. They were coloured to blend in with the forest and make her near impossible to spot. A pair of axes hung off her hips, a bow and quiver were slung over a shoulder, and a small pack was strapped to her back. The group was approaching the stranger, clearly on their way out as he was coming in. "Zenri, yer nae gonna Walk da Trees agai' are ye?"
A melodious laugh came from the young woman. "Aw Hech, why? Ye af'ai' I be slipin' pass ye an' findin' da kill afore ye?"
"Nae, moren like ye be fallin' agai' an' we be ha'en ta bring ye back ta Flen and Tzex." The young Dwarf she was talking to shivered as the others either gave nervous laughs or sidelong glances at the girl.
"Pfft. Tzex an' Flen, kno' tain't yer doin'. An' ifn dey nae be wan'in' me ta Walk da Trees, den dey shoul'na ne'er told me me mot'er did it." Just as they passed by, the girl looked up at the stranger, clearly an amused expression on her face that changed to a polite smile in his direction as they passed. The eyes were wrong, the Dwarven accent wrong, the weapons out of place, but everything else was Her. Soon the group passed through the gates and headed in the direction of the forest, still laughing and joking for the moment.
Zenoz saw the female , for a second his slit eyes widening , almost wanting to be her but his mind knew she wasn't , a shake of his head Rilla hiccupped at his kiss. She started to smile at his words, but then her eyes narrowed as they continued. She jerked back from him. "Seriously?! I pour out my heart to you. Tell you how miserable I was without you. How much I love you. And in response one of your options is to slap me?" His mind back on track , searching for the two dwarves before he finally found Flen , catching the dwarf from behind ''I see your race never ages little man '' his voice hissed similar to a snake more than a dragon , the hood still keeping his body and face hidden.
Flen jerked around at the voice and narrowed his eyes at the cloaked person. "Dragon?" He peered into the hood, and got a glimpse of Zenoz's face. He settled back on his heels a strange look on his face. His face turns dark and he growls. "Damn ye! She migh' still be ali'e if twe'rnae fer ye. Ho' coul' ye aban'on Her, again? She loved ye mo'en life i'self. Ye allo'd da Lass be raped an' near die again 'cuz o' yer selfishness." He suddenly deflated and stepped back. A look of pure grief on his face, his voice soft when next he spoke. "She di' die in da end. Ha'in' the child she carried. Los' in her memories, lon'in' fer ye. Namin' the child fer ye, thou' twasnae yers."
The Dwarf stood there for a long time, head bowed, lost in his grief and memories of the woman he'd befriended and had to come to care for. Then his thoughts turned to the daughter she brought into the world and he raised his head to look at the Dragon. A hard look in his eyes. "Dunnae t'ink ta hurt Zenri as ye hurt her mot'er. So he'p me Dragon, if ye do..." It was more than clear the Dwarf was fiercely protective of the daughter of his dead friend. Perhaps trying to make up for not being able to protect Rilla when she was alive.
Zenoz's eyes hardened when he heard his words , the assumption finally answered before he smiled bitterly gripping the dwarf by his throat ''Don't think I didn't want to save her , that I haven't mourned my love , but what's done is done '' he hissed before giving his throat a squeeze then pushed him off into the wall.
''Also you can't really threaten me dwarf , I've killed a hundred of you in the last battle over the high plains and one more on my claws is nothing , I'll see what's the girl received from her mother '' he told him snapping his tail from under the robe then hiding it back to walk our in search for her ''Also ..'' he stopped for a second ''I saw her smile , you wouldn't want it to fade away '' his last words as he walked out .
The Dwarf struggled for breath as Zenoz grabbed him. His hands wrapped around the wrist of the hand that held him. The words heard, and slowly sinking in. Flen stumbled back as he was shoved into the wall. A hand rubbing his bruised throat. "Dragon..." His voice hoarse and low, it was ignored as the beast walked out. The threats not scaring the Dwarf in the least. But the insinuations about Zenri terrifying him. He knew the girl thought of Zenoz as her father at times, and he feared what would happen once the girl met the truth. The Dragon wasn't as Flen remembered anymore.
The small hunting party spread out and grew serious as they entered the woods. Zenri quickly headed up a tree and got ahead of the group. Designated scout this trip, it was easier to sneak up on prey from above then at their level. She quickly left the group behind. Her skill in the trees as good as her mother's had been. She'd only fallen last time due to startling a nesting bird she hadn't noticed. It had flown up in her face quite literally, causing her to loose her balance and tumble to the ground. Fortunately she hadn't been very high at the time and only suffered minor breaks and bruises.
Zenoz followed the hunting party , his nose following the scent he sensed around the female 'Zenri huh?' he thought jumping around the trees , slit eyes finding her form before detecting a bear nearby , making sure it was in her vision before leaping at it , dodging a swipe before opening its belly with a claw simply moving his other claw to tear its head off , the cloak falling over his cloak revealing his face , a scar dragged over his chin from a drake spear , hissing lightly as the blood dripped down his arms , head turning to meet the female .
Zenri had spotted the bear and paused. Pondering the pros and cons of the party hunting it, she was about to move on. Bear was good, but it didn't feed many, and was a terror to bring down, even for their group. Suddenly, out of no where, the cloaked form they had passed earlier in town jumped and attacked the bear. She gasped in shock and stared as he took the bear out, taking its head off. The hood on the cloak falling in the exchange, she looked upon a face that was both alien and yet vaguely familiar. She met his gaze, a wealth of emotions and questions in her eyes.
She stared to move towards him, but cut the motion off. Taking a stance on the branch she stood on, her head tilted in a familiar angle and her arms crossed her chest. Her eyes lost the many emotions and questions, narrowing slightly, and turning appraising as she looked him over. "Who are you? And what do you want here?" Zenri's tone suggested that she wasn't in fear of him, and that she would brook no nonsense from him either. Except for the crossed arms, her stance was easy and relaxed, showing she could make a move in any direction or way she chose without even needing to think about it.
''I go by the name Zenoz , former king of the drakes and a close friend to your late mother '' he said grinning a bit at the shock on her face , looking up to her as his tail slithered out , wrapping around the head of the bear , lifting it up before moving his hand over the head before crushing it under the palm of his hand , brains and bone splattering as , the shards hitting the ground .
Zenri's eyes widened as he revealed his name. Zenoz. The one her mother had loved more than anything. Even her. Then her eyes narrowed in that familiar dangerous way. This was the creature her mother had loved so dearly? But, by his words, she was nothing more than a close friend to him in his eyes. Many hopes and dreams shattered in that moment in the young girl as she stood there looking at the only person she had thought of as her father.
Unimpressed with his display of brute strength, she started to turn away. "As ye said, me mot'er be dead. No' ifn ye excuse me, I nee' ta be ge'in' back ta business." Part of her was screaming at her that she was turning away a golden opportunity to finally know this one, but another part of her, the part that had shattered was too hurt to continue the meeting. The conflicting sides warred within her as she started to leave, making her come to a halt and close her eyes briefly, trying to sort things and get her head straight before returning to the hunt. She needed a clear head or someone could get seriously hurt or killed.
The dragon jumped by her , his wings making him glide and letting his claws silently grab the branch ''You have your mothers body , and I can feel it your temperament ... and you have his eyes '' he muttered the last words in a dark tone , lightly growling at the name ''The man who tainted my dear Rilla , his claws raking the tree branch in a fit of anger , his emotions bottled for so long that it almost came undone , after killing his army and burning her body he rose the armies of the drakes , blocking the high plains from anyone but him and his servants .
''Yet you have that thick , dwarven accent that your mother couldn't learn in her brief time in Kzar '' he added trying to lighten the situation even for a bit , trying to kill the pain that grew around his heart at the memory of her .
The weight of Zenoz on the branch with her made it shake slightly, causing her eyes to pop open. She shifted slightly, maintaining her balance as it settled down. His words brought her up short and she studied him once more. She could see his pain at the memory of her mother and swallowed at the raw emotions coming from him. His final words before raking the branch she stood upon hit like a blow to her gut. She shifted her stance once more to maintain her balance as she crossed her arms over her chest again. Looking way, Zenri's shoulders hunched slightly and she blinked furious to keep tears from falling.
Her voice was thick with emotion when she spoke. "Aye, I be da embodimen' o' tha' taint. Dunnae t'ink I nae be remin'ed o' it e'ery momen' o' e'ery day." The tears she was trying to hold back so hard started to silently slip down her face. "Hate' an' unwan'e' afore I be born. Ye' par'ially name' in yer memory as 'er las' act." She closed her eyes again and bowed her head at the weight of her own pain and hurt that she'd tried to keep buried, but he'd managed to claw to the surface with his very presence.
Zenoz watched her emotions change , his hand tracing her cheek before wiping her tears off ''Your mother didn't hate you , she wasn't capable to truly hate her own daughter ... If she saw in what have you grown she'd be proud of what you've become '' he whispered wrapping an arm around her waist , for a second seeing her mother in her , she had beautiful features , the same curvy body yet her own stronger , muscles easy to feel under his fingers .
''I'm sorry I couldn’t protect her , so many things happened so fast that I couldn't stop it ... ' he whispered in her ear , tracing her side with his gentle scales .
Zenri heard his words, and felt his touch, but it didn't sink in. When he wrapped his arm around her waist, she actually relaxed against him. For a brief moment, she accepted the comfort she'd been longing for all these years from someone who was more a parent than the two Dwarves who'd only raised her in memory of her mother. After several heartbeats, she stiffened against him, she started to push away with her shoulder as she scrubbed her face with her other hand. She didn't completely leave the circle of his arm, but there was distance between their bodies. "She di' hate me. All 'cuz me father twe'enae ye." She gave a heavy sigh and looked distantly into the forest, her expression both sad and haunted.
Zenoz sighed tracing her belly with his hand , his eyes tired moving onto her skin as he clawed onto the branch ''I couldn't give her a child and that would have killed her ... and in the end I lost her to childbirth ... cruel irony huh ?'' he said with a hiss and a bitter chuckle , leaning in to grip her arms ''in a way its good I'm not your father , you are human not a dragon abomination like me ''.
Zenri sighed and shook her head. "Nay, ye di'nae lose 'er ta chil'birt'. Ye los' 'er ta g'ief." She chewed her bottom lip briefly then sighed. "'Ad ye be'n der, she woul'a lived." She turned and looked him in the eye at his last words. "Is i'? Do ye tru'y be'ieve dat? 'Cuz ifn ye do, t'en ye ne'er un'ers'ood 'er." She looked down at the grip he had on her arms. She made no move to try to break free. She knew too well he was stronger than her. Looking back up at him she spoke once more. "She lo'ed ye, an' nae price was too high fer 'er whe' it came ta ye. I kno'd, she di'nae wanna live nae mo'e wit' out ye."
Zenoz growled at her words , his grip tightening on her ''Shut up ... I know what I lost , what made me lose her ... I was captured while pushing the drakes out of Kzar '' his arms tracing the soft skin , remembering how it was with Rilla , the same texture , the same medicine and herbs scent combines with a new one of dirt and iron .
''Judge me all you please but you can’t say I didn't understand , that I didn't care '' his voice then came out cold looking down at her , his eyes slowly growing hungry , the memory whirling into his mind at this , the daughter of his former love , so close to be her yet not truly her .
Zenri winced as his grip tightened on her. She looked away from her, her jaw tight as she gritted it. Not so much for the pain he was causing her physically, but the emotional and mental pain. She stared in the distance, once more trying to rain in her emotions, listening to his words. Her voice came out tight and low. "At leas' ye kne'd 'Er. Like Flen and Tzex." She finally looked down at his grip once more, still missing the look in his eyes. Her voice now was rather bland. "Yer 'urtin' me." His grip had become painful enough to finally break through the haze of raw feelings she had swirling inside her.
Zenoz sighed at her words , gently letting go off her arms , moving his lips to her neck for a second , gently biting the skin before completely letting go , backing away from Zenri ''I'm sorry ... Trying to hold myself ... You look so much like your mother '' he whispered sighing moving to press his back against the tree , the same look in his eyes , he was in agony but also left needing .
Zenoz sighed at her words , gently letting go off her arms , moving his lips to her neck for a second , gently biting the skin before completely letting go , backing away from Zenri ''I'm sorry ... Trying to hold myself ... You look so much like your mother '' he whispered sighing moving to press his back against the tree , the same look in his eyes , he was in agony but also left needing .
Zenri, alternated rubbing her arms where he'd gripped them, bringing circulation back to the areas. She noted the faint bruising already starting in the shape of his hands there. She jerked around as he lightly bit her and looked at him oddly. His words made her face go blank, though her eyes snapped. "Well, I ain' 'Er. An' I ne'er will be. I willnae le' mesel' be so consume' by anot'er ta loo'e mesel'." She looked away again, her voice softening slightly. "Ta ha'e a chil' jes 'cuz tis nae fat'er'd by da on' ye wan'."
Zenri looked down and noted the hunting party coming into view. She crouched down and went quiet and still, only her eyes moving as she watched them. It wasn't long before they were below the two up in the tree. Her head ever so slowly moved as they passed by, keeping her eyes upon them. Though a couple looked up scanning the trees, they missed Zenoz against the tree, and her still form, clothed in garb designed to help her blend in with the forest.
The dragon simply nodded , even then surprised by her thick accent before his eyes wandered towards the hunting party below , a small chuckle finding its way out of his throat as his tail slithered on the branch , moving up and wrapping around Zenri's leg , rising up on her thigh , the newly blackened scales running against her skin as Zenoz let a bit of his grief go away , trying to humour himself if only by just messing with her ''No you aren't sweet Zenri , your soul is different , and so is your mind '' he whispered just low enough to be heard by her but just loud so a faint whisper bounced off the trees around the party.
Zenri suddenly held her breath as Zenoz snaked his tail up her leg under her pants. She still didn't move, not wanting to alert the hunting party. His words though, echoed faintly around the trees and party, making them pause and look about. Her eyes cut to him with a clear annoyance. With the party halted and looking about for the source of the echo, she suddenly sprung. Going to another branch, his tail slithering along her skin as she moved until it was free of her pant leg and she was moving on, quickly.
Hech was the first to finally spot her leaping from one branch to another. He didn't even think to back track her. "Zenri. Who be ta'kin' ta ye?"
Zenri crouched down on the branch above them, hands hung loosely between her knees. She just gave a shrug, not answering as she looked in the direction the party had been headed. "Fine anyt'in' yet?"
Hech gave her an odd stare, knowing Zenri well enough, having grown up together, he knew there was something she wasn't wanting to tell them. "Nay. Not'in' yet. Ye?"
"A dea' bear, ba' yon'er." She shrugged again.
Zenoz chuckled at her leaping away , his eyes following her graceful movement , the slits showing a bit of delight before he glanced at the hunting party questioning if he was the predator or the prey , removing the cloak from himself , his body becoming more dragon-like keeping it size as he slithered around the trees , small leaf moving sound around the party .
Zenri's lips pressed together as she heard movement in the trees. She looked over her shoulder towards where she'd left Zenoz and found him not there. Some of the party had spread out to search for the dead bear. Exclamations were made when it was found on its state of death and pulverized head. Now the Dwarves looked nervously about as the whisper of leaves on a windless day. Zenri made a quick decision. Dropping lightly to the forest floor, she moved towards the bear. "Le's d'ess i', an' some can ta'e i' back. Da res' o' us ca' con'inue hun'in' fer more fer da village." Though nervous as to if the predator that killed the bear was still about, the Dwarves were quick to take up Zenri's suggestion. After all it wasn't every day that a fresh kill landed at your feet.
Working together with the obvious ease of a group that had done this together far too often, the Dwarves and the girl shortly had it field dressed and three of the Dwarves were ready to head back with the meat. The four remaining Dwarves and the girl saw them off, then the five members left of the hunting party set out in search of more game. The Dwarves cast glances Zenri's way now and again as they hunted. She was far more quiet than was normal, plus she walked with them, an abnormality since she traveled the trees so well. The girl herself, while still mindful of their purpose here, was thoughtful, and her eyes would periodically scan the trees. Her mind playing over again the chance meeting with the creature she used to so desperately wish was her father.
Zenoz chuckled using the trees as hiding place while his dark scales hid him in the shadows , slithering on the ground around the party noticing a deer eating some grass nearby , a sharp toothed grin growing on his face before he leaped , grapping the poor creature and locking eyes with it , his pupils turning into sharp slits that terrified through the soul of the poor animal , its body frozen in shock as he stepped back , keeping eye contact and leaving the animal in plain sight as his body shifted on the dirt , into the shadows of a tree , leaving a small present for the hunters , well more like a bait.
The small hunting party spread out a bit, and it wasn't long before the trill of a red crested tree knocker could be heard from the left. Those to the right soon drifted in the direction of the signal. As they approached the Dwarf they all saw a deer standing frozen. Exchanging glances at the odd behavior, the hunters were uncertain with the strangeness.
Zenri looked about suspiciously, having a good idea as to what was causing the strangeness, but withdrew her bow off her back all the same. If He wanted to help them hunt, who was she to argue. With a swift motion, she knocked and released an arrow, taking the deer just behind the front leg, and straight to the heart. The creature dropped, already dead.
Zenoz darted back through the trees , fast motions through the leaves before he silently grabbed one of the hunters , pulling him in the bushes and holding him around the mouth until he fell unconscious , lifting him over his shoulder and slithering back against the dirt , keeping away from the party .
The kill was clean, and the Dwarves turned to grin at Zenri. But it was quickly found that one of their number was missing. The Dwarves started to look about in confusion for their friend, while Zenri looked to the ground, trying to see if she could find where he might have gotten off too. Searching the ground closely, she soon found tracks. Tracing them sort of, her finger just hovering above the marks, she knew they weren't Human or Dwarven. Nor were they Centaur. She looked up and scanned the area, eyes narrowed and lips pressed tight. What was Zenoz up to?
The second one came as swift , tail wrapping around his neck and pulling him up into the trees , his world turned to dark by a hand wrapped around his windpipe , the second hunter put to sleep and dragged into a cave under a tree , the scent of dragon fire keeping every creature off the entrance where the two were put together , three hunters remaining and one of them being Zenri , his tongue draping over his lips at the though , as the war waged on he found a hidden delight in hunting .
As their numbers dwindled, the remaining Dwarves grew fearful. Zenri on the other hand, had that soothing calm descend upon her that happened when she went to battle. Things seem to slow down around her while she appeared to speed up. "Back ta back, Lads." The Dwarves were quick to follow her suggestion. The three met and positioned themselves into a kind of triangle, standing with their backs to Zenri's and hers to theirs. Three pairs of eyes looked around, trying to find the one stealing their friends. To add another twist to the stance, they started moving in sync in a circular motion. Never loosing touch with each other, just rotating so fresh eyes looked upon the section of scenery.
Zenri's thoughts darted around in her head as she held her bow and an arrow at the ready, but not drawn just yet. She knew it was Zenoz, but she was confused that he had turned on them. The story of how the Dwarves had first encountered him. How brutal and vicious he had been when She had briefly lived in Kzar. Zenri was starting to wonder if their encounter had done something to him, since she looked so much like Her.
Zenoz slid across the branches , stalking the three before he dropped down , his tail wrapped around the tree as his clawed hands grabbed the two dwarfs , their heads making a sickening sound as he put them to sleep before pulling them up into the trees , the dragon taking no chances by staying against her with the weight on his shoulders , he wanted them alone , the thrill of the hunt boiling into his veins like liquid metal , the thirst for fight soon reawakened in the lost dragon , he thought it died with his love but now it was burning again .
Zenri felt first, her last two friends snatched, and then heard the sickening sound of their skulls meeting. She winced for a second, knowing the thickness of a Dwarf’s skull, and just how much force was needed to even knock one unconscious, never mind kill. She whirled around as he was pulling himself back up with his catch. Her eyes blazed with the betrayal she felt towards him. She had knocked the arrow as she turned, and let it loose. It zipped right by his face, along his cheek bone, and close enough to kiss it. As he disappeared, she screamed after him. “Why ye bas’erd?” Not getting a response from him, her eyes narrowed in that dangerous manner she shared with her mother. She knew he’d need time to deposit his catch somewhere, and suddenly she sprinted off, dropping her bow. As she ran, she also shed the quiver, and the pack she’d carried was left at a small entrance to a large, thick bramble. By the scuff marks around it, she’d dove into the entrance barely wider than herself.
Zenri knew this particular bramble patch well. It was immense and came close to the falls. Having played here as kids with her friends, some of which Zenoz had just taken, she knew how to travel about it. She made her way towards the falls. The going was tight, she’d grown a lot since the last time she played here, back before her training had started. A particularly sharp thorn at one point gouged her left cheek pretty deep, and she hissed in pain, but otherwise didn’t react to it. Occasionally she would have to pause and search her memory at a junction or two, but soon she was near where she wanted to be. Soon she was peering out through the brambles, not foolish enough to just dart out without looking first. She should have been able to elude him, but that didn’t mean Fate wasn’t fickle and cut him a break. She studied the path she was planning to take, and the destination. Then her eyes gauged the swiftness of the water. While the overflow was deafening as it spilled, the water wasn’t churning too bad. Not like during the Spring floods. Next her eyes scanned the skies. The bramble having come out of the forest a good bow shot back.
Zenoz grinned as he left the two in the cave , his mind still going back to that arrow 'She's a good shot , as expected trained well ' he though amused , this time not thinking of the female as Rilla's daughter but as another predator , dangerous , swift , deadly . His eyes then moved to the dwarfs , moving near each one of them to search for anything that would clue him in their hunting abilities , as always dwarven were short , bulky and made for working the iron and creating inventions that would aid their steel plated cities yet there always stood the hunters and warriors , few races matching an angry dwarf in battle . But she wasn't a dwarf , she was fully human and that changed his way of viewing this hunt .
The dragon then left the cave ,taking a few sniffs of the air until a scent of blood was caught by his senses , it was faint so that didn't mean any bloody injuries or anything similar , his eyes searching his surroundings as he followed the scent , stopping the second shuffling caught his attention , ears detecting her and making the dragon stick to the ground , waiting for any opportunity to strike
Some sixth sense made Zenri pause. There was no sign of him, yet something felt off. She looked to the river. It was only three steps to the river, she could make that easily. But something told her not too. She looked at the rest of the area more closely and noted an area of the brambles that hung over the water. It would be risky to enter there, but it would give her the cover she was feeling she needed. Quietly, she backed up and re-navigated her way to that section.
Getting to the right area, she paused to study it. There were no easy paths to the water through it. Finally she gave a shrug. What were a few more scratches, she was already covered in them anyway. She wormed her way to the water, small tears in her clothing now as she didn't bother with unsnagging herself this close. She shoved through at the last foot, serious scratching the right side of her neck. Splashing into the water, she fought the current, trying to hit her mark. Almost she missed it, but caught a hold in a scrabbled last ditch effort. She pulled herself up on the large piece of rock that hung out over the falls. She crouched and pulled her axes out, starting to spin them in loose circular motions to either side of her as she scanned back towards the bank, her eyes narrow.
She paid no attention to the various aches and stings to her body. Though she was fully Human, she had been trained like a Dwarf. Her instructors cut her no slack for being something other than. Toughened, she'd learned to ignore many hurts and pains. It was also part of the reason she never gave up. Always having been made to feel like she didn't measure up, she worked hard to prove otherwise.
''Intriguing stance little Zenri , the water around you keeping me from any surprise attacks , those hatchets out whirling ready to spell my doom ... Beautiful , gets my blood boiling , come on sweet human give me a nice ending to this hunt '' he hissed , jumping down and slithering into the water , his tail following and speeding through the water as he half circled the rock , his body seemingly denying the flow , the water slipping off his scales while his eyes burned through her , a breath of fire rising the steam up , trapping her into the thick steam that was rising up .
Zenri was confused by his words. Was her near complete resemblance to Her upsetting him so badly to want to hunt her? To destroy the reminder of Her? Had their encounter unhinged him? On the upside, at least he'd called her by her own name, too many times had Flen or Tzex called her by that other name. But if he wasn't so unhinged as to forget who she was, why then had he decided to hunt her and her friends?
She watched him as he entered the water and moved towards her as if it was just a still pool. Thinking it a neat trick, and wishing she could learn it, especially when he didn't fall over the drop. When the steam rose up and engulfed her, she snapped her eyes shut automatically. Now relying on another sense developed by the Dwarven training, she eerily seemed to follow his movements, relaxed enough to be able to go any direction, depending on his actions. Her axes never stopped moving, instead staying at the same slow circling, conserving energy, but allowing the use of momentum if needed.
Zenoz hissed underwater , his tail breaking out of the water behind Zenri while he crawled up in front of her , using the sound to make it seem he was coming from her back , claws out to grab her wrists and pull her underwater , his tactics setting in , everything he learned being added over his instincts , war and his journey after he left home got him to fight and learn from many , he'd shed blood and even then he didn't feel so excited about hunting one .
Zenri wasn't relying fully on her physical sense. The Dwarves trained in a blind fighting style. One never knew when some event in a battle would cost you the ability to see. She moved like lightning. Rising up onto the balls of her feet, she shifted towards his tail and smacked it hard with the flat of the head hard. She still wasn't sure as to his motives and didn't yet want to actually hurt him. Her other axe spun faster and she pivoted after hitting his tail to swipe in the direction that he actually faced. She dropped back to her crouch, axes spinning lightly again. Not once had she opened her eyes.
Zenoz hissed at the axe lowering his head before wrapping around the rock , this time slithering around the rock before jumping , decided he'd risk his hide by wrapping himself around her , the tail going round her legs , while he wandered his claws to catch the entirety of her body , reckless leaving most of his chest to her axes .
Zenri, tried dodging the tail as it came at her, but still managed to get caught. A hiss of disgust coming from her as she had basically dodged right into its path. She managed to get blows to his claws, still with the flat sides of the axes, before the tail caused her to loose her balance. She started to fall backwards over the edge of the falls. Not a sound came from her as she tried to compensate and get enough distance outward, knowing there were jagged rocks below she had to miss, or take a chance of impaling herself on. Tangled in th3 tail as she was though, she just couldn't quite manage it.
Zenoz grinned at the sudden advantage , twisting his tail enough to hold her before gripping her shoulders and flying off , throwing the girl back on solid ground before landing himself , a grin on his face as his tail slithered behind ''Nice trick little Zenri , dwarfs taught you everything they know , but their way of fighting is too rigid , with all that focus its way too rigid to counter me '' he grinned walking up to her .
Zenri was shocked to find herself flying, then sailing through the air to land with a jarring thud and an explosion of air from her lungs on impact. She labored to get her breath back as he spoke and walked towards her. How she'd managed to not lose her axes in all that, she had no idea. When he got close enough, she suddenly jerked and came up on her feet facing him. as her feet hit the ground she turned into a whirl wind of motion. She darted towards him and smacked both sides of his face with the flats of her axes. Spinning to the left, she next snapped a slap to his shoulder. She then danced back out of the reach of his limbs and crouched down again, axes twirling slowly once more. Her eyes meeting his as she waited for his next move. There was nothing she could do about the Dragon Fire if he wanted to char her to a crisp, but she had a feeling he wasn't going to go that route. At least not just yet.
Zenoz laughed , an actual laugh with no mockery or hidden emotions , his lips curled into a grin that had longed to come out since her death , slit eyes focusing on her ''Thank you for this , since the war I haven't found anything that could take my mind of this grief , nothing that could make my blood run and boil like a hunt '' he said this time charging head on , the impact of her hits simply sliding off the thick scales when he came closing it , smacking the axes away from her grip in a gesture of dominance while keeping the grin on his face , even thou years have hardened and poisoned it , there still was a glimmer of that dragon that knew nothing and was easily confused or excited by people , that showing even after disarming her , eyeing the human while waiting her reaction .
Zenri was stunned at how quickly he could move. She felt her axes fly off to the side as he charged and disarmed her. She fell back with his charge flat on her back and was left staring up at him. His words raising a mix of emotions within her, she was momentarily at a loss to make a move. She hadn't been trained for this sort of thing.
Zenoz moved pinning her wrists down , his eyes shining with the same amusement as before , his tail slithering between her legs , using its mass to spread them open , scales running over the skin revealed by the tears in her pants, the tip unconsciously running over her crotch ''You seem lost , think dwarves would teach you how to fight a drake , maybe even a dragon from Flen's experience '' he grinned locking eyes with her .
Her jaw dropped slightly at his actions. The sudden reactions of her body to his pinning her down, the feel of his tail along parts of her skin, and then touching her in a place no one had yet to touch was a bit overwhelming to say the least. Her breathing hitched slightly and she swallowed hard. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed to mere slits as she brought a knee up and hit him where a male was usually most vulnerable. Zenri wasn't sure if the tactic would work on Zenoz, or if he'd even react like a humanoid, but it was worth a shot.
The dragon looked rather surprised when her knee slammed into his lower area , moving fight over to hit his shaft as his testicles were protected by a thick layer of muscle and then the scales that deflected most of the shock , the hit more so running over his member through the shaft and causing him to let out a pleased sound , feeling the erection leaving its hiding place , claws still pinning her against the ground while his eyes looked curious at her ''I guess that would have hurt most males , but to be certain I'm not your usual male , abominations aren't bound to those weaknesses , its quite an advantage if you look at it '' he hissed amused , his tail pushing a bit harder onto her crotch.
Figures. Zenri hated the ploy didn't work, in fact at the feel of his tail becoming more instant on her lower region, it had the complete opposite affect. She hissed at him, and struggled in his grip. "I be nae 'Er!" She didn't scream, but she did try to kick and bite her way free, finally realizing she wasn't getting free, she abruptly stilled under him and turned her head away, tears in her eyes falling at long last from the wild ride of emotions within her. "I wish I di'nae e'en loo' li'e 'Er." Spoken softly, barely a whisper. She blinked furiously trying to stop the tears, unable to scrub them away.
The dragon saw her tears and stiffened for just a second , leaning in to gently lick them off before pulling back , distancing a bit of her body , the tail retreating of her crotch , the dragon thinking and still prodding the idea of taking her on the spot , his member out and throbbing just in her vision ''I know that , also that dwarven tone and accent gives it off ... But you are still a beautiful female and that makes the idea of tearing your clothes and mating with you all that appealing '' he hissed amused.
Her eyes closed briefly as he licked her face. His word made them fly open and jerked her head around. Zenri stared at him with eyes wide and jaw working as if she was trying to say something but couldn't get the words out. Her eyes darted briefly to his hard member then back to him. She finally squeaked out words. "Ye cannae be ser'us?!"
As she stared up at him, a realization hit to her. Though she'd grown up with stories about him and her mother, he hadn't even known she'd existed, until to day. So she thought. She had grown up wishing he had been her father, thinking of him as such most time because he was all she knew of a male figure in conjunction with her mother. Zenoz though, would not see such a connection with her. All he saw was her mother's daughter. The revelation was plain on her face and left her at a complete loss on what to do or say.
''Sweet divinity . you have the same way of thinking '' He chuckled at her realizing , thick cock twitching and growing a bit in size , the thick member hanging right above her crotch , moving his hips down to press the wood like hardness against her , as years passed he started growing towards his adult age , thus causing some parts like his wings and scales to change , through them being his member ''The only thing I see right now is a human huntress that found herself craved by my body '' he whispered , lips catching the skin on her neck , starting to suck and nibble at it while his tail wrapped around her thigh.
That damned comparison. Always was she being stood up to Her, and always left feeling like she didn't measure up. Her eyes narrowed at him, and she was about to retort when she felt something against her sex again, and it didn't feel like his tail this time. Her eyes dropped to look down the length of her body and saw that it definitely wasn't his tail. His words shot her eyes back to him, quick as an arrow released. Her expression held a mix of dumbfounded shock and disbelief.
She flinched under his lips, and his tail made her shift. Course her movements would rub her against his dick. The three sensations made her heart pound and her breath to catch. She stared up at the sky, mind working furiously. She had no idea how to combat this kind of battle. It wasn't helping that her body seemed to have joined the enemy as she felt small shocks and shivers go through her from his various touches.
Zenoz hissed amused before his tail moved over her pants , the tip grabbing the edge of her pants before starting to pull them off , enough for her underwear to be visible while the tail slipped over , running against her slit as it moved around her panties , slipping over the place that no one touched before , his lips moving up and down on her neck , leaving small red spots , since he needed to keep her hands pinned he used his tail to play with her .
Zenri's eyes widened as she felt her pants suddenly tugged down. A low growl suddenly coming from her, she started to struggle again, determined to get away. Then his tail slipped under the second layer she wore below her pants and rubbed her, and her struggles changed slightly. Body betraying her again, her hips pushed against his tail. Her head even tilted the slightest bit, giving him better access to her neck. Her breathing sped up at what he was doing to her. Her body shivering at every touch, every movement.
Zenoz grinned when he felt her body react , his tail moving over her slit before slowly having the tip push between their folds , starting to move and jerk inside her , the tip just playing above the barrier that showed her virginity , the dragon having his teeth gently sink in her throat , playing and pulling at the skin , licking the teeth marks .
A war was going on in Zenri's mind. On the one hand the creature above her was the very same one her mother had loved beyond life, and he had loved her, if his words were to be believed. Yet, here he was quite literally getting into her pants. Her, who reminded him so much of her mother, except the eyes and the Dwarven accent. That rankled more than anything, but her body wouldn't stop reacting to his attentions. And that's where the war was coming from.
It felt good what he was doing, and her body made that quite clear as her hips started to move with his tail inside her. Her head tilted even more, stretching her neck for more of his bites and licks. Soft moans were passing her lips and vibrating her throat. Her nipples had grown hard and her body wouldn't stop shivering at the very feel of him against her skin and inside her. She didn't want this to happen, yet she did.
Confused and uncertain, she tried to struggle against his hold on her wrists again. Her actions just helping him fuel the fires suddenly raging inside her from what he was doing.
Zenoz felt her shift , the means simply fuelling his need as he accelerated the moves of his tail , the tip almost tearing through her barrier yet keeping itself from doing yet , the dragon lowering his head from her neck and towards her chest , gripping the hunting gear with his teeth and then with a sharp twist of his head making a tear , freeing her breasts ''It took me a good while to understand what was so attractive at these , maybe because they have so many uses '' he chuckled , lowering his mouth to the left breast , licking the nipple as his long tongue wrapped around the breast , massaging it with the muscle.
Zenri's hips jerked wildly under Zenoz, his tail causing this reaction. She heard her tunic rip and struggled more. "N-n-nae." A denial, an attempt to stop him until his mouth lowered onto the orb and a convulsion went through her, nearly causing his tail to break the barrier inside her sex. The denial changing to a panting moan of pleasure that surprised her.
The dragon bit into her nipple then started sucking hard onto the flesh , calming the pain he might have caused before moving to her other breast , his tail slipping out of Zenri to be replaced by the tip of his cock , hard and throbbing as the head was rubbing against her hot and moist sex , pressing it over her clit remembering the effect it had on human females .
Zenri yelped as he bit so hard. His sucking didn't sooth the pain exactly, more it intensified the pleasure coursing through her. Turning his attention to the other breast had her groaning in anticipation. A slight whimper escaped her as his tail left her pussy. The pressure of his cock suddenly rubbing her cunt had her gasping, until it started on that sensitive button just above her sex. Panting, all fight gone from her now, her hips thrust up, helping him rub and excite her more. Her pussy started spasming lightly from the friction, a tension building in her she didn't understand.
The dragon growled , feeling her close to her limit just from his teasing , a small grin on is face as he bit onto her nipple , thrusting straight into her spasming pussy and through the barrier that held her purity ,tail wrapping around his dick and moving the tip onto her clit , adding more pressure on it knowing she finally gave in , the dragon having learned enough in 18 years about women and how to please one .
Zenri hissed from the combined pain of his bite and his cock entering her. Dwarf toughened, she didn't react to the pain. It quickly passed anyway with his tail tip suddenly teasing that sensitive spot above her cunt. Her body automatically took over as the mating began in earnest. She pressed into him, head tilting back slightly, eyes closing as the tension that had started within her grew in intensity, nipples hardening into small pebbles, low moans coming from her. Her pussy grew wetter and started tightening around his member.
Zenoz grinned as she started pressing into him , her moans fuelling each of his thrusts , speed growing with each one while he pulled his lips off her breasts , taking a moment to see her trapped in pleasure and moaning with each move he made , leaning to trace her body with his tongue , moving down from her neck , running over her abused nipples and then over her abdomen .
The tension suddenly snapped within her. Her body jerked, arching into him, then shuddered under. Her pussy tightened down in her release, fluid issuing forth to soak her and him. Her cries of pleasure, while not loud, weren't quiet either. She just didn't scream for all to hear and then some.
The dragon didn't pull out of her , he didn't even stop when he felt her first release , his hips still rocking while the tail moved under his member , simply tracing her lower lips with its tip , the tongue back in his mouth as he looked down at her ''You were against it so much and now look at you , moaning out loud , what would your friends say if they saw this ? '' he asked in a husky voice , licking his lips.
Like jumping into the freezing waters of Winter Melt Off, his words hit her. Suddenly her body stilled, and her eyes snapped open to glare up at him. Though his movements still caused her pussy to spasm, pulse, and throb, the rest of her no longer reacted to his touch. She "Dey be t'inkin' ye bea rapin' me." The words harsh, meant to wound, and she didn't stop there. "Jes' as She ha' been." Her eyes filled with disgust and loathing. Not for him, but for herself, for her body betraying her, and even worse, for her enjoying what he was doing to her.
Zenri's head turned away from Zenoz. She stared not seeing anything, her thoughts now turned inward. She attacked herself for being so weak, she was Dwarf trained after all. All the things she had ignored, over come, the pain she was capable of taking without much thought. So easily defeated, squirming and carrying on under him. Just as She had, Zenri was sure. She quite literally choked on that last thought. As much as she hated to be reminded of how much like Her she was, and how hard she tried to be her own person, in the end, it seemed she really was no different. The poison starting to sink into her heart and soul at that point.
''True , but in her case she couldn't have fought , you could yet in the end you gave in '' he hissed simply moving his legs so he'd lift her hips off the ground , tail wrapping around her waist as her shoulders were the only touching the ground , the dragon driving his cock deeper inside her , using the angle to his advantage to slam into her .
Zenri did not respond to him, to his words. Only thing to even show she heard him was the compressing of her lips into a thin line. Let the beast believe what he wanted. She hadn't given up, she had fought. He was stronger, faster, and her body had betrayed her. As he lifted her hips she lay limp under him, letting him finish. She would escape the first chance she got.
The dragon didn't even let himself finish , pulling out of her then pushing the female down , a small grin on his face ''Thanks , I really needed this '' he said shifting around as his wings opened ''Your friends are in a cave not too far , follow the trail of burnt grass and ashes and you'll find it '' he said with a shake of his head , his wings finally opening , snapping and getting ready to fly , walking away from Zenri ''Also send Flen my regards and tell him that things really changed back home , he should come sometimes and see the city '' .
Zenri lay there for some time after he left. Finally she picked herself up and went over to the stream. first thing she did was strip down and get in the water. taking sand she scrubbed herself from head to toe for a very long time, turning her skin red from the abrasion of the sand. Still feeling unclean, but not able to do anything else about it, she dressed, turning her torn tunic backwards. She then retrieved her axes. Skirting the bramble bush, she eventually found her pack and quiver and bow. Then she went and located the missing Dwarves.
By the time she'd located them, Hetch and Martev were awake and looking to their friends. They looked up, tense and ready for battle when Zenri showed up. They relaxed when they saw it was her, but quickly changed to concern at her disheveled state. She brushed off their concerns for her abruptly and shortly, an unusual manner for her. The three got the rest of the Dwarves awake and started to head back to town, the deer forgotten. They encountered the return of those who had taken the bear meat in, and soon arrived back to town much quicker with their help.
Zenri left them at that point with concerned and worried looks following her. She went to the home of Tzex and Flen. Both were shocked at her appearance and tried to ask her what had happened, but she cut both off. Delivering Zenoz's message to Flen, she spun on her heel and left, leaving the two Dwarves asking more questions that she just ignored. She stalked back out of town, not looking at anyone or responding to them or Flen who was trying to chase after her. Her longer strides soon left it all behind as she disappeared back into the forest.
Soon she came back to the falls and hopped out to that rock that hung over. She squatted and stared off into space. Her thoughts stabbing and biting. Warrior trained, she had failed. She had fought and lost due to his superior strength and her own body turning against her. Sick in heart and soul, she hated herself. Forever now would there be doubt and fear to her abilities. Warrior proud, she could not live like that, or she may as well just be a Healer, like Her. Her thoughts then turned to how she always reminded those who knew her mother, and how she always felt as if they never thought she measured up to the greatness that was Her. Or would bring pain to those with their memories.
Zenri started taking everything off that was her Warrior self. Laying the bow, quiver and axes on the rock behind her, the pack last and sitting on top. Abruptly she stood and jumped off the rock. She knew she hadn't enough distance to avoid the rocks below.
Zenoz found himself starting at the falls when she came back , his eyes wide as his thoughts sprang free , the release that the hunt brought to him actually overcoming the sexual need , he didn't even bother to finish having taken enough to test this woman and see what she really had from her mother , the jump actually confirming everything.
He opened his wings tearing through the air before he grabbed her mid-fall , her weight not even noticed by the dragon as anger flared through his eyes , holding her tight so if she struggled she wouldn't break free ''What are you doing pitiful human , I thought you were a warrior , I was waiting for you to come and hunt me for what I did , to take my scales and get your pride back ... But you just give up ... Ugh the same way your mother tried a while ago , and I thought you stronger '' he hissed at her as he simply flew over the rock , his tail wrapping around her axes , taking them as he kept on flying .
For some reason, Zenri wasn't all that surprised when Zenoz grabbed her. She gave a disgusted sigh as he swopped back up and grabbed her axes, leaving the rest behind. His words sparked that anger he seemed to flare up in her. Though held tight, she wiggled enough to reach the small knife she always carried in the small of her back. Holding it just below her sternum she spoke to him in a cold voice. "Pu' me dow' beas'. Ye ha'e a way o' ruinin' females. Firs' Her, no' me. I will nae bring more inta da worl' fer ye ta tormen' and des'roy." She had no qualms of striking her own heart. "Ye may t'ink ye kno'd me, bu' ye kno'd not'ing. Ye ne'er tried. Jes' used me as ye used Her. All 'cuz I be loo'in' li'e Her."
The dragon actually laughed at her words , shifting her in his claws before unwrapping his arms off her , the claws forming on his legs into their dragonic form , gripping her ankle while dangling her above the ground ''That's the reason I first caught interest , but I know you aren't her Zenri , and don't you ever say I used her you bitch , you have no idea how much I loved that woman, but dragons are long lived beings , we need to cope with out suffering and defy it '' he hissed at her while still flying over the lands , eyes shifting ''Kill yourself if you wanna bring that over yourself , cause the same suffering your mother did , harm Flen and drag him with you in hell if that's what makes it right '' he yelled when he saw the knife , not showing any lack of truth in his words , leaving that decision to her .
As uncharacteristic as it was for Zenri, a rage built in her from his words. She screamed back at him. "Ifn ye lo'ed 'Er so blas'ed much, den whe'e we'e ye?! Why did ye aban'on 'Er?! Why did ye le' 'Er die?!" All the pain and hurt of her life bubbled up and broke. Sobs mixed with her screams as she bulled on. "Ye t'ink Flen danae li'e in 'Ell e'ery day?! E'ery 'ime 'e loo's a' me and morns da frien' 'e los'?! A'ain beas' ye kno'd not'in'." The Warrior in her surged forth and she twisted her body inn his grasp, flipping the knife and throwing it with surprising force. Her aim was true and by luck found a soft spot in the joint of his shoulder wing. Though small, it still sunk in, doing some damage.
The dragon hissed losing his equilibrium , the stab managing to cut straight through muscle , rendering his left wing useless and causing him to lose control over his flight , moving her just in time to absorb the fall with his body , keeping Zenri away from most harm , then pushing her away with his left hand , body hurting from the impact and all the way his body was dragged over the dirt and stone , his eyes burning with rage ''Want an answer to that ? Without killing both of us in mid flight here's your answer , I tried to ... I almost harmed her and then got captured , for the whole period she was pregnant with you I was in a cell ,starved and brainwashed by another dragon ... I cherish her memory but even I have to pass on , grief is a poison Zenri '' he muttered chuckling .
''I know what I did , and I really hope you hate me for it ... But turn that hate into strength not a way to end your sorrows , or did you not learn anything from the dwarves ? ... Here I'll give you the chance for redemption '' he hissed , throwing the axes by her feet , then moving shakily on his feet , scales missing from the impact and blood dripping form the open wound on his shoulder . the fall having torn the knife from his flesh .
Zenri looked at Zenoz in disgust. "No' 'oo wan's ta die?" She looked his form up and down, scorn plain on her face. Gathering her axes, she turned away from him and started to walk off. Pausing after a few feet, she looked at him over her shoulder. "Ye ne'er kno'd 'Er eit'er. Or ye'd kno'd da on'y 'arm ye di' 'Er was nae bein' der. Per'aps tis ye 'oo nee's ta ta'k ta Flen." She then continued walking away.
Done. She was done with him. He wasn't the creature she had been led to believe all her life. Though Flen and Tzex made no bones that her mother had died from her love for him, and loss. They had always also defended him, or made excuses. The reality was, he was no different in the end than the man who'd spawned her upon her mother. Oh, a part of her understood, and maybe sympathized slightly, with what he'd revealed had happened to him, but another part of her honestly believed that if he had loved Rilla so much, nothing would have made him stay away from her.
She started trotting as she heard the water close. They had traveled a distance, but she still knew where she was. Finally, after some time, she was hopping back across the rocks. Kneeling next to her left behind gear, she unstrung her bow and placed the string in a waterproof pouch. She pulled out of the pack a cap that fit snuggly over the open top of the quiver. Strapping both it and her unstrung bow on her back, she then threw the pack on. Stepping back to the end of the rock. Taking a running start, she pushed off the rock, spread eagle in the air for a moment, she then knifed her body, pulling her arms up over her head and dove, knowing she'd more than clear the rocks below this time.
The poison from the pain and hurt, had drained from her, but in its place a cold emptiness took its place. The last of her childhood left behind with the Dragon, it was time to move on. As he said, she was a Warrior, and a Warrior she would truly become. She hit the water cleanly, and arched her back enough to shallow the long dive enough to not hit bottom. Swimming underwater with the flow, she worked her way to the surface further down from the Falls. Eventually she surfaced long enough to grab a breath and dive again. She'd always swam better underwater than on top of it, so made good time to the tress that hung down over the water a ways down. Exiting the water, she took to the trees and disappeared into the forest.
The dragon shook his head before letting out a flame breath onto the land , scorching through ''Stupid child ... Maybe she's right eh Rilla ? But when I was there it was the same for her ... Only pain , each time she could only see that child , that damned spawn '' he shook as his scales started breaking off , under them new , obsidian black scales shining underneath as he was ending his growth cycle , finally becoming fully matured dragon , yet for him it mattered not , there he stood looking at the ground and calling to her spirit , near the well of souls was where he took flight to with Zenri , content on bringing her in from of her mother , but now he was yelling for the woman he loved , his calls breaking through the flows of the well , into the lands of the dead .
Rilla heard his call. She traveled quickly and was soon before him. A hazy shimmering form that looked on him with so much love. "Zenoz, what did you expect? She saw you as the father she never had. The father I wished you had been. You broke all those wishes and dreams." She moved closer and laid a ghostly hand upon his face. "We had our time, short and conflicted as it was. If you wish to be in her life, then love her for her, not because she was my child or because she reminds you of me. She very much is her own person. Nothing like me, though there are similarities." She smiled at him. "I will always love you, Zen. But our time was short anyway. Eventually I would have died and left you to wander the world and try to find love again. Please, remember me, but do not loose yourself in the memory. You have so much to live for and love. Especially if you insist on loving Humans." She caressed his face. "She is lost now. Only you can bring her back to herself, or one of your children if you cannot. The choice is yours my heart, my love." With that she faded away.
Zenri made her way south-ish. She soon made a name for herself as a Warrior. Cold and calculating, she rarely lost a battle. Dwarf training coming into play more often than not. And Humans not knowing such training were in awe of her. Her coldness though kept any from approaching her and trying to get to know her. She refused to train any in her style of fighting. Rather she would prefer to keep the advantage. Her opponents always defeated before she even stepped on the field of battle. Demoralized just knowing she was there.
It was a lonely life, used to the closeness of Dwarven Community as she had been, but one Zenri now preferred. Though in quiet moments, her thoughts would turn to home, and to the Dragon that ruined all that for her. Occasionally, her thoughts would turn to the Dragon himself and how before the end, he'd made her body feel. Usually after such thoughts, if there was a battle, she was even more brutal and deadly. Taking her frustrations out on the enemy.
The dragon sighed the moment she faded away , a far look in his eyes when he started in the place her form was , his body tensing ''I'll find her , my love , even if it kills me , and if it does I'll be joining you in the well of souls'' Zenoz muttered as his wings took him to the skies , following Zenri’s path in the hopes of finding her .
As expected the dragon couldn't catch the dwarf trained woman , yet he still chased after the rumors of her battles , the ones of her prowess in fighting , reaching only at the sight of blood already shed and bodies disemboweled , finishing the job in case they were left more as a sign of his coming , a threat sent to the now warrior , the this day he reached the same town as her , his cloak hiding most of his body while his tail slithered over the ground , slapping the ground when he caught sight of her , watching in wait for her fight , knowing it was the reason of her coming .
Zenri didn't fight everywhere she went, in fact, she hadn't fought in a few days. She had heard of a war brewing to the west. She was on her way to see which side she was to join. When Zenoz finally spotted her, she was on her way out of town, still traveling west. People cast her looks and got out of her way. She paid none of it any attention, she never did. Indifferent to the feelings of others, she even rarely used her healing ability, and that was only on herself. She had changed a lot since the Dragon had last seen her.
No longer did she wear the simple hunter's garb he'd last seen her in. What clothing she did wear was of hardened leather, but mostly it was bits and pieces of metal armour. Her left arm was covered from shoulder to fingertips in metal. Her right had a shoulder guard and bracer. Her right hip was covered in a piece that went to her knee and wrapped around her groin in the front and around her lower back, meeting just above her left hip. Her axes still hung off her hips, and her bow and quiver slung across her back, pack settled between her shoulder blades. She still moved with that hunter's grace she had, but the laughing, carefree girl he had first seen was gone. Her expression was cold, calculating, hard, and unfriendly.
She moved away from him, towards the other way out. Quick to exit the town, much to the relief of the residents within who knew her, by reputation mostly. After getting out of sight of the town, she disappeared into the woods off the road. She still Walked the Trees. It had been interesting to adjust her ability with the metal armour, but she had achieved it. And her ability to just appear out of no where added to the reputation she had developed.
The dragon kept up with her , his body sneakingly moving behind her , his eyes simply following Zenri as he crawled through the trees , slithering on the ground , noting every difference , everything that changed , even her stance , he saw discipline , he saw warrior instincts , but he also saw that emptiness , that loneliness that seemed to float like a cloud around her , easily visible if you passed the fear that shrouded her in the eyes of everyone .
Zenoz stopped the second she did , thinking over how to approach the woman , not knowing if he could take her by surprise like the last time , finally putting dot to dot the way she was heading , his drakes already took over that half of the continent , turning Kzar into the capital ,everything being guarded and checked by them under the command of his former queen , the other half was still ravaged by wars , and he thought that her fighting spirit would bring her on the battleground .
Zenri had felt it as soon as she took to the trees, something, or -one, followed her. She didn't stop and look back as most would do. No she continued on but as she swung and hopped from tree to tree, branch to branch, she moved in ways that gave her the ability to look around. But she could not spot anything or one. Impressed anything could track her through the trees as it was, she continued traveling, letting her senses and instincts tell her where in relation the thing was to her. Never close, it seemed to be content for now to just follow. She finally came to a stop a couple of hours before sunset, at the edge of the forest line in this area. Studying the area, and the sky, she decides the rocky formations that began a few yards into the break might provide good shelter for the night, especially since it looked as if it might rain soon.
She followed the tree edging until she had but a short dash to the rocks. Dropping to the ground, she trotted quickly across and disappeared into the rocks. Following trails that only a Dwarf, or one raised by them since birth, could find, she soon found her way deeper into the formations. She started hunting for something to provide shelter. She located an opening just barely bigger than herself as she noted a few drops splattering the rocks around her. Taking a short torch from her pack, she lit it quickly and poked it inside. It went back as far as her light showed, and disappeared into dark. With a slight shrug, she crawled in. A tunnel three as long as her, then it opened up into a kind of cave. Twice her body length long, and just a length high, she carefully rose up and looked it over. It would do. Finding a nitch, she set the end of the torch in it. She then grabbed a thin spool of wire out of her pack and the nippers that went with it and disappeared back down the tunnel. Stopping half way, she started working to make an elaborate trap that would snare anything bigger than a mouse. Her mind drifted back to how she'd gotten the wire...
"Zenri?" She turned in surprise at the unfamiliar heavy Dwarven accented voice that had said her name. "I t'ought as much. Ye be Zenri, Flen's lass." She looked over a Dwarf that was beaming from ear to ear at his discovery. She arched a brow at him, he wasn't familiar to her in the least. The Dwarf cleared his throat and then continued. "I be Mezit. I be Flen's third cousin, t'ice remo'ed, on me mot'er's sis'er's cousin's son's side." Having grown up with Dwarves, Zenri completely understood and followed the lineage line easily, and gave him a nod. The Dwarf cleared his throat again. "'Ord has i' dat' Flen be worrie' abou' ye." He looked her over, noting all the pieced together armour the girl wore, and gave a snort. "Come. I ha'e be'er s'uff den dat. A mir'cle ye still be ali'e ifn dat be wha' ye relyin' on."
Zenri had blinked in surprise. Most people wouldn't talk to her in the first place, but being a Dwarf, Mezit took her attitude and unfriendliness in stride, and ignored it in the taciturn ways of the Dwarves. He had turned away and was walking off, and Zenri found herself following. They arrived at his room in the tavern and he went rooting through some bags and trunks before he came up wit her current get up. The metal pieces sewn into the hardened leather making both the top and pants all one piece each. The metal was Adamantium, if she wasn't mistaken. A difficult enough metal to work with and usually only used to make weapons with because of it. Mithreal being reserved more for armour, being slightly easier to work.
She stripped down, not the least worried about modesty, again, Dwarf upbringing, and tried them on. The whole outfit felt like it was made for her and she actually smiled at the Dwarf in appreciation. He tossed some boots her way, and she quickly put those on as well, also a perfect fit. "I... t'ank ye, Mezit. Dey be perfec'."
The Dwarf waved her thanks off and grinned at her. "Somet'in' tol' me ta bring em along. Gla' I be lis'enin' fer a change." Zenri chuckled, something she hadn't done in a long time. She looked around the room of scattered items from his digging and noted several spools of wire in the mess. Going over to one, she picked it up and examined it. Adamantium too, she marveled that this was so thin, and supple enough to wrap around a spool. She looked to Mezit and he chuckled. "Me Clan has finally wor'ed da secre's of Adaman'ium. Take i' and 'ere, ye'll be nee'in these ta cu' it." He handed her nippers also made of Adamantium and another spool of the wire. "'As all kin's o' uses, dat wire does." He gave her a wink and a grin as she took the items and stowed them in her pack.
She looked at him after and spoke bluntly. "I be ha'in' not'in' ta be repayin' ye."
He waved her words off. "Ye be Flen's lass. Anyt'in' I can be helpin' ye on yer journey wit'."
Zenri rocked back. It had been too long since she was in the company of Dwarves, and she had forgotten their way of helping each other out. They tended to make their profits on the other races, not each other. She gave a soft sigh and nodded. "Ifn ye be comin' across Flen, jest tell 'im I be fine."
Mezit looked at her shrewdly. "No ye ain't Lass, but Dwarves kno'd when ta let go so da young can fin' der place in de worl'. Come. Le's drink and help ye remember wha' it is ta be a Dwarf." He gave her a wink, and drug her out of the room and back downstairs. Being Dwarf raised, Zenri had their capacity for strong drink and lots of it. And they ended up being the only ones left by the time the tavern closed for the night, stumbling back to their respective rooms and passing out.
A faint smile was on Zenri's face as the memory faded with her completion of the trap. She wiggled back out of the tunnel and set herself a place off to the side of the entrance to sleep. Grabbing some dried meat from her pack, she snuffed out the torch and settled into the dark. She quickly ate the meat and then curled up to sleep. Her Warrior instincts monitoring everything as she slept lightly.
Zenoz kept stalking and crawling out of her , the moment she went in the rocky formation actually making him base his hunt only on instincts , the sense of smell being the only one keeping him after Zenri as she managed to cut him off a few times , stopping the moment he felt her stop , slapping his tail a few times onto the rocks , the sound hitting off the walls just to show him where the cave was , his large ears getting most off the vibrations , telling him there was a stop into the road.
He moved around , looking a second back on how their taking over of Kzar went on , after the great escape of the dwarves , some managed to stay alive in the city and actually fight back with traps and different weapons just made in hidden forges and behind the drakes backs , teaching him to always watching his back against one of the little men , and Zenri was no different , he moved along the walls , claws used to grip through the rock until the wire came into vision , his eyes dancing over it as he moved his scales to switch the way it went , tightening the hold off the wire to have it react easier , moving the trap to fall on Zenri in case she'd fall into it as the dragon awaited at the exit of the cave.
Zenri rose as the sun started to peak over the horizon. She lay there quietly and listened first. Hearing nothing out of place, she used her other senses and didn't feel the presence of anything in the cave with her. Her eyes finally popped open, but were useless in the pitch black. She gave a thin smile at the realization and slowly sat up. She gathered her things and had a bit of a stretch. It was uncomfortable sleeping in armour, but the only time she afforded herself the luxury of sleeping without was if she knew she was someplace secure. And a cave in the wilderness did not meet that criteria.
She slowly headed out of the tunnel, careful to make no noise, plus she had to disarm the trap, since while it would keep others out, it also kept her in. As she approached it, there was by some fluke of nature, enough sunlight to come streaming down the tunnel. Faintly she spotted the trap and stopped. Reaching out to disarm it, she suddenly froze and looked more closely. Adamantium was the toughest metal the Dwarves had found thus far. Only thing it couldn't seem to penetrate was itself and mitral. She had designed her trap where it would cut someone when they encountered it. No doubt letting out a shocked cry at the very least. Slowly she brought her hand back and worked an axe free. Also a gift from Mezit, along with a pouch full of arrow heads, all made of Adamantium as well.
She grabbed the axe by the handle and poked the wires. Suddenly the whole thing snapped around the axe head, just missing her hand. Eyes narrowed in fury, she started to ever so slowly crawl backwards. Someone had been in the tunnel, and they had tampered with her trap. If she hadn't been aware, and blundered into it, it would have taken her head off. Remembering the follower from the day before, she made her way back into the cave. Taking up a position opposite where she'd slept, she worked the wires off her axe. Apparently, that follower had decided the easiest way to take her out was to alter her own trap. A bit stupid since it was her own, but she gave points for the attempt, even though it was a cowardly thing to do. Instead of facing her in battle as was proper.
Once done untangling the axe, she put the wire away and pulled out her other axe. Crouched down, axes loosely held on her knees, it now became a waiting game. She only had a half a skin of water, and about two days of food, but she had gone hungry and thirsty before. Balancing an axe carefully, she reached down and groped around until she found a small piece of rock. Rubbing it along her belly for a moment, she then popped it into her mouth. Working it under her tongue, she settled back in to wait. The rock would keep moisture in her mouth and she'd be less likely to drink much water, thus stretching what she had. Now it was time to see who had the better patience, her or her adversary.
Zenoz looked at her , kneeling by the woman and gently pressed his lips on her forehead ''We'll stop there ... You just surprised me there , we never stopped at just that and then you simply turn away like nothing went on '' he said with a small shake of his head , his wings opening ready for flight ''How about I fly you there then come back for you when the night falls ?'' .
The dragon watched her waiting for her answer , moving his hand across his right wing where a scar still decorated the leathery side of it , a sudden feeling of impending doom washing over him , something bad was gonna happen and soon .
Rilla paused briefly as she was placing the last item in the pack. His words upsetting her. Continuing the movement, she was silent as she closed the pack up. She sat back and hunched in on herself. Her voice was hesitant, as if she really didn't want to do his suggestion. "I... suppose so...." she finally moved, crawling into his lap and holding onto him tight. Already out of sorts, the thought of being separated from him once more, unsettled her extremely.
Zenoz nodded taking opening his wings , flying up in the air to get to the dwarven city , eyes sometimes wandering on her , he could feel the fact that something was wrong , in her heart and thoughts , something causing her distress and making that feeling return to him , a feeling he hadn't felt since his enslaved days when dragons were sliced up or killed in tests , days of nightmares for him.
Her soon reached the city , landing right in front of the colossal gates , gently releasing Rilla from his arms ''Well here we are ...'' he said , his tone soft yet tinged with worry as he waited for her to let go off him and walk in the city.
Rilla let him go once they landed. She looked up at him, her eyes once more full of tears. The Dwarves at the gates shifted, recognizing both, they were uncertain what to do. "I don't..." She sighed. "I hope to see you tonight then." She turned away from him once again, like last time. This time though, she walked through the gates and headed to the city on her own., now knowing the way. The Dwarves looked confused and puzzled between the two.
Zenoz looked between the two before breathing out some flames on the ground ''Keep your eyes low dwarven '' he hissed before walking down the slope that lead to the gate , his eyes moving up to the sky , watching the sun that grew brighter everyday , the days of chilling passed and the spring would soon bring its motherly embrace over the lands , rejuvenating the lives that fell .
He walked down the slope , too mentally tired to open his wings , too hunted by questions and memories , a scent reaching his nostrils , one of fire and sweat , of suffering and , a scent he never thought he'd feel before , dark dragons . His mind screaming like a rabid beast at his limbs he opened his wings and flew , faster than he ever thought he could , slicing the air like a steel javelin to find the source and soon he found it .
Zenoz saw her , the scales covered in symbols , a dark-gray armor covering a big part of her body leaving only her head and wrists to see , the purple slit eyes watching him with the same curiosity that he held within himself ''What ... Who are you ? '' he asked in a low tone , the female revealing some kind of chain weapon that she held wrapped on her armor , eyes becoming startled ''Winged one ... Father of drakes '' she whispered then threw the weapon at him , Zenoz just fast enough to dodge and rise back up to see the female gone , this event simply pouring more questions into him.
Rilla walked into the Dwarven city. Many looked on is surprise, but something about her demeanor kept them from approaching or hailing her. Joyous exclamations, greetings, and whatnot frozen before they could be uttered. Instead eyes followed her as she made her way to the house of the Healer she'd grown close to in her stay. Well, close as one mostly dead could anyway. She stepped inside and sat by the hearth, staring into the flames, like so many times before.
The Dwarf went on as if it was normal for Rilla to be there in her home, as if the girl had never been got the past two days. After some time in silence, she finally spoke. "Wha's ailin' ye, Child?"
At first Rilla shrugged. After a bit more silence and patience on the part of the Dwarf, everything came spilling out. Her long separation from the Dragon, the loss of the child she carried, Zenoz's insistence of no children between them, the proposed move. When she finally wound down, silence descended again between them.
After some time the Dwarf spoke. "Ye mourn the loss o' yer child, Lass. Tis natural. Ye'll be fine in time as the grief passes." The woman sighed and shook her head. The Dragon's lack of wanting a child, while understandable to an extent, wasn't going to help the girl heal quickly. Especially if he was totally against trying to find a way that might work for them.
Zenoz hissed starting to search through the woods , body tense and alert of the other dragon , hot air escaping the same nostrils that were searching for her scent only to find it all over the place , the chain weapon suddenly wrapping around his neck and pulling him down , giving him the chance to pull her by it , the dragoness falling into vision .
He jumped in a split second wrapping his jaws around her neck as he tore through the armor covering her chest , his eyes then moving to watch her in an almost frozen motion , claws trapping her wrists against the floor before he heard a whimper leave her lips , the image suddenly shifting of Rilla standing under him , the wide eyes and startled look on her face freezing him for just a second before he shook them off ''Where did you come from ? I thought I killed everyone '' he asked as she shifted back yet the silence remaining his only answer.
She was one of the wingless , shapeless dragons , she couldn't turn into a full fledged one like he could but her scent was still fully dragon and it was invading his senses , the dragon lowering his lips to her breasts , her soft cleans scales leaving place for two perky nipples , her skin darker than a human's yet when his mouth was lowered on them it felt like having his love in front of him , teasing them as her whimpers grew louder yet stopping then .
'What are you doing , humans are meant to have one mate , if you do this she will hate you' his thoughts rang as he got off the dragoness , just resisting not to jump her when he felt that particular scent leaving her lower area , the dragon opening his wings and leaving the forest , getting to the gates just as the sun faded to darkness , waiting for Rilla while hiding the regret from his actions , at that moment his dragon side made decisions and it was to mate with that female dragon.
Rilla had given a soft sigh at the Dwarf's words and nodded. Before she could say anything the woman asked her a question. "Didcha get the pouch I ga'e ta Flen?" Rilla blinked for a moment, then nodded. "Ah good. Then he tis safe an' ye got wha' ye were supposed ta." She nodded and bustled about once more.
Rilla watched her for several moments then asked a question of her own. "I am unfamiliar with the contents. What is it?"
"Dragon's Blood." Rilla's mouth dropped, and the Dwarf was quick to say something before the girl could. "Tis a plant, Child. Nae real Dragon's blood." The Dwarf looked amused as Rilla's mouth snapped shut.
Rilla had left her friend's house and was just merging through the gates as Zenoz landed. She looked up and a strange look passed her face briefly, like she really hadn't expected him to return. She walked up to him and she started to smile at him and give him a hug, but something about his stance threw her. She cocked her head for a moment and studied him. Already feeling enough out of sorts, though now she knew why, she just stood there waiting for him to move.
Zenoz lowered his head for a second before sighing , extending a hand to brush on her cheek ''I love , I love you more than anything in this world or another '' he whispered , shaking off the thoughts of before , his more human side coming out and without a second thought wrapping his arms around her waist , kissing her lips , but this time it wasn't to get in bed it , it was full off affection then pulled back ''Also I found something interesting in the forest , I'll tell you when we get home ''
Rilla didn't move at first, or react at first. When he pulled her into him and kissed her, her arms came around him and hugged him tight. "I love you as well, Zen. More than anything." She smiled up a him curiously at his last words, but just nodded. "Ok. I'm read to go whenever you are."
Silent, the Dwarves had watched the display curiously between the two.
Zenoz laughed gently at her , placing a kiss on her forehead as his wings opened , holding her against his chest ''So how was your visit in Kzar?'' he asked as he took a slow almost lazy flight over the trees , looking around the area with a small grin .
Rilla shifted a bit in his arms, she laid her head against his chest and watched the scenery go by. "The visit was nice. Quiet and peaceful, no demands. But then Tzex's place always was for me. A refuge away from myself even." She lapsed into silence and relaxed more against him. Finally starting to get comfortable with the whole flying thing.
Her mind mused over his sudden change in attitude. She wondered what he had to share, but waited patiently until they arrived at home. She watched the scenery go by and reflected on Tzex's words, and more importantly, what she hadn't said. Rilla gave a soft, sad sigh as her thoughts once more turned to children. Or more, to the fact that there would be none for her. She shifted slightly against him and pushed the thoughts away. No use dwelling on it, she loved him as she said.
Their flight soon ended as his feet touched the ground of the cave , eyes still showing that affection for her before they turned , a bit of regret still showing ''I found another dragon , someone from the camp I guess , she was wingless other than that she was similar to me '' he muttered deciding to share what he saw .
''I thought I burned down them all , when I destroyed the camps I took with me the lives of any dragon , any turned dragon that was held there ... She called me father of drakes , drakes ?'' he said in a low tone , rolling the word on his tongue then turning towards Rilla , remembering how similar was that female to her .
Rilla stepped back from Zenoz as he spoke. As his words sank into her heart and soul, her healing and repairing heart was too fragile for the implications. A strange demeanor, the Dragon had never seen in her before settled about her like a comfortable cloak. Had Flen still been here, he could have told the Dragon exactly what was happening to her, having seen it before.
"I see." Her voice was flat, devoid of expression of any kind. She walked away from him, picking up the pack left by Flen, she moved it out of the way against the wall. She returned and settled by the fire. On autopilot, she started feeding wood into the dying fire.
''Really , that's all you have to say ? I need a bit of help here , if she's alive who knows what that means , maybe they put the camps back up , who knows how many of those creatures have been created '' he said with a tinge of worry , still wondering what was with those scenes , the strongest idea coming to him being the child part .
''But maybe there is something good to it ... You can't carry my child because humans would be killed at birth , but maybe there's some way to convince one to do it '' he stared wondering , looking at her ''But only if that's your wish love ''
Rilla's voice was low and still without any inflection. "If that is what you wish. Perhaps you are right and this is for the good. You need a proper mate, not some sacrifice you were supposed to have eaten after all." She stared quietly into the flames a moment. "Go hunt for her. I will be fine here."
Zenoz shook his head at her , a growl leaving his lips as he tried calming himself down ''I have a mate , you are my mate , but I just can't risk losing you '' he said keeping his tone low yet revealing a bit of his anger ''Why can't you get it through your thick skull , I love you , I don't need another dragon , I don't care my animal part wants a dragon mate my heart only has place for you'' the dragon said , his voice breaking for a second before he stepped back , his back hitting the wall and letting him slide down , pain raining on the inside of his head , his dragon side howling trying to bring its insane head out.
She finally reacted to his words, flinching as if he'd just attacked her physically, she curled in on herself. Her voice was just loud enough for him to hear. "You risk loosing me every time I leave this cave. You risk the possibility every time we mate. There's a chance I will be gone after I fall asleep." She started rocking lightly. "Life is a risk. But you choose to deny us Life and possible happiness."
''Do you really wish to risk your body that way ? '' he asked simply putting a hand over her shoulder before kissing the side of her neck ''I don't want to deny you happiness , do you wish to bear my child Rilla ? '' Zenoz asked her again , simply standing by her while calming himself down .
''You can't judge me for worrying , I told you what happened to the others , your body will be harmed by its birth and even growth '' The dragon muttered breathing a bit of hot air in front of him , sitting near the fire to stare at it ''We still have to find her , in case there were some that escaped I might learn more about what exactly am I ... Or if its a camp I need to free ''
Rilla sighed sadly. "Of course I would take the risk. We are mated so you say. And what's the point of mating if not to also have children." She gave a shrug and stilled at his touch. "I don't judge you for worrying, but the way you speak of can't be the only way." She shrugged again.
"Go. Find her. I'll stay at Kzar as you search. I'll be safer there than here without you. You need to do this for whatever reasons. I understand all too well." She grew quiet once more.
Zenoz felt his world crash when she told his of her feeling , his eyes growing cold for a second before he wrapped his arms around her ''Then lets mate , I'm going to give you a child my love '' he hissed in her ear , his claws tearing through her undergarments , leaving her lower side naked before placing his half erect cock at her entrance ''I will fall to your wishes , I will give you what you want , a fruit to our love ''
Rilla jerked and gasped out in shocked surprise. Never had he been so with her, even when he first brought her here. She couldn't react at first, then something inside her twisted and snapped. She shoved against him hard. "NO! Go find your damn Dragon. You have made it quite clear you don't want a child from me." Her eyes were narrowed and right now, there was no feeling for him in them.
Zenoz stepped back for a second his body tensing and his claws extended , a hiss leaving the back of his throat almost like a raptor ready to lunge and then nothing , his eyes widened at what he was about to do before he stepped back before opening his wings taking off towards the sky , his blood still boiling with rage finding it within himself to hate her when a strong scent of blood and smoke got to his nostrils , the area around the mountain holding Kzar in flames , thousands of armored creatures walking through the gates fighting off the warriors , the sent of dragon still filling the air but spiced with a scent so long forgotten , the scent of black magic the same one who twisted him 'Drakes ..' he thought lowering towards the city , firing searing breath over the drakes while before he found a particular dwarven , a gash in his shoulder as he tried fighting back on of the drakes only for Zenoz to pick him off ''Flen right ? tell your people to retreat , hide somewhere , they are too many to fight '' he yelled over the sounds of war around them.
The Dwarf looked up surprised as he was addressed by one of those creatures. Recognizing this one though, he gave a nod at his wisdom and hustled off to rally everyone. Soon Dwarves could be seen disappearing off from the battle.
Rilla stood rooted to the spot as she watched him nearly actually attack her, and for a long time after. Suddenly shaking herself, she moved quickly, and dug in the pack. Finding new clothing, better suited for the environment, she stripped off and tossed what was left of her outfit to the cave floor. Dressing quickly, she then shouldered the pack and rushed out of the cave. Slipping and sliding down the path, it was a miracle once more that she didn't fall off the edge.
Eventually reaching the tree line with nothing worse then a few scrapes and bruises, Rilla quickly climbed a tree, and darted off before getting her bearings completely. Bouncing and jumping, zigging and zagging in a randomness that was confusing, she finally settled down several hours later, exhausted from everything and heart sick. She rested for a while, and then took off again in no particular direction, pretty secure now that her erratic travels had lost any kind of pursuit that may or may not have been following.
Zenoz flew over their ranks , avoiding the spears thrown towards him as he used his fire to keep them off the retreating dwarven , his eyes searching for that certain dragoness only to be brutally stopped by the impact with a dark scaly tail , for a second the drakes stopping as the female looked at him , baring a tail that none of her brethren did have , her eyes being the only thing he saw before flying out towards the exit of the city , a spear lodging into his chest as he saw the light of day and then darkness.
Rilla nearly fell out of the tree she was traversing as a sudden sharp pain bloomed in her chest. Barely, she managed to catch herself by finger tips from a rather deadly fall, traveling pretty high to avoid being spotted. Managing to scrabble her way back up on the branch, she sat there for long moments holding her chest and breathing hard. "Zen..." The whispering of his name made tears suddenly form and fall. She didn't know why she associated the pain in her chest with him, or the sudden feeling of dread and sense of death, but she sat there for such a long time crying, that dark fell and dawn was swiftly approaching.
Finally wiping away the last of the tears, she rose and decided to move on. She still had a ways to go to Kzar. Deep down, she once more mourned a loss, truly believing him dead. And regretting that she hadn't let him go ahead and try to put a baby in her belly after all. Now she'd lost everything. Long after dawn came and went, she still traveled, not realizing in her distraction that she'd made a wrong turn somewhere until the forest around her started to have a familiar feel to it. Uncertain, she descended to the forest floor. Dropping lightly from a branch, she didn't notice the person behind her until a hand grabbed her from behind by the hair.
"Well, well. Look who we have here. Rilla's coming home. So the Dragon didn't eat you after all." A low chuckle came from that hated person who's voice she'd recognized. He whipped her around and pressed her up against the tree with his body. "So, did you kill him? Nah, you haven't the strength for that, must have snuck out. Think we'll harbor you when he discovers you're missing and comes to the village?"
Rilla glared at Darik with hate filled eyes, suddenly she kneed him. Missing her actual target, she did get him good in the thigh though, enough to loosen his hold in pain and surprise. She struggled to break free the rest of the way and run, but he recovered quickly and wrestled her to the ground. He growled at her and balled up a fist and cold cocked her across the jaw, knocking her out. He rose up and stared down at the unconscious woman with a burning hate. Suddenly his eyes turned sly. He dropped back down and yanked her pants off. Finally, he would get a chance at what she'd denied him. He reached between her legs and rubbed on her sex briefly before getting his pants down and shoving his cock hard into her, wanting it to hurt when he broke that membrane inside her. He was a bit shocked and froze for a moment when he didn't find it.
His eyes narrowed to slits and he reared back his hand and slapped her, hard. His rage rose as her limp form just rolled around under him. With his rage, his cock hardened more. Darik ripped her top off and then he started to pump with such a force, Rilla's body scooted along the forest floor. He started to hit and bite her, leaving bruises and deep marks that would scar later. Finally he gave one last hard thrust, and dropped his seed deep inside her.
Rilla woke at that point, hurting in more places then she could count and wondered if she'd fallen out of a tree at first. Then she opened her eyes to see Darik's pleasure filled face above her. Horrified she swung, landing a lucky punch, she caught him in the throat. The man choked and fell over, sliding out of her. Rilla scrambled out from under him, and ran off, mostly naked, just the bit of clothing left between her and her pack. Adrenaline, fear, and disgust, lending her the strength to ignore the pain and flee.
The deep darkness was joined by a throbbing pain in his chest , hands locked together by some sort of steel and the same clipping his wings , the slit eyes opening to find the purple pair he was hunting for , the dragoness placing a hand over his chest where the scales were missing revealing the red bloody skin ''What are you doing ? How are there so many ?'' he hissed at the female only to be stopped by a shake of her head .
''Father of drakes , you are as impressive as expected , stopping my children from exterminating the dwarfs , helping them escape ...'' she hissed now the fear in her voice lost replaced by a deep sadness , disappointment even while her claws moved onto his scales ''Why are you betraying us ? We escaped your wrath and grew , wasn't that what you wished ?''
Zenoz found himself lost at her words , not remembering any of the sort his eyes moving on towards her tail slithering behind ''You aren't like them , you weren't born in the camps , you were modified '' he hissed in realization noticing the woman turning around walking out of his dungeon , her back now revealed by the cloths covering most of her body , two deep scars where her wings used to be .
A drip of water attracting his attention as he took in the surrounding , hard blackened bricks surrounding him , bars holding his cell closed 'A castle of sorts , Shadowfang castle ? They killed the lycans and took their home ' he thought laying his head down 'What the hell is going on? '
Rilla soon took to the trees once more. Going as high as she could, she traveled until she found a spot that she could safely curl up and rest. Great Mother! She hurt all over. She eventually fell asleep for a period, only waking when she felt very cold. Shivering, she moved and stifled a yelp. She'd stiffened in her sleep and now moved gingerly. After much effort and frequent pauses she finally shrugged out of the pack and was able to dig for more clothing. She hadn't noticed, the bit of clothing from the last outfit flutter to the ground. Moving with care, she got herself dressed, and then rooted for something else. Finding the pouch she wanted, she pulled some of the leaves out and started chewing them. Though nasty in taste, she chewed and swallowed anyway. The leaves would help numb the pain.
It was still dark and she decided to wait for sunrise before moving on. She had no idea where she was again. The sun would give her direction and from there she could try to make her way to Kzar. She tilted her head back, resting it against the strong tree she hid in. Her gaze drifted over the few twinkling stars she saw up above. As her mind drifted, so too did her thoughts. She reflected back on everything since she met Zenoz. Snips and bits here and there of their time together. She saw so many things she could have done differently, and sighed, not realizing tears were falling once more. So little actual time together, moments forever lost, and no chance of having more, never mind she thought him dead. The way they'd parted forever sealing them off from each other.
Her mind turned to more recent happenings and she shook slightly. Of all the blasted people she could have encountered when she'd discovered herself in areas she'd grown up in, Darik. The sick bastard. He had been alright when they were growing up, and she had even counted him as a friend. But somewhere, something had changed him. Making him the twisted, cruel person he now was. She gave a sigh. She had no idea if she'd killed him or not. The throat was a weak point on people. But she couldn't really bring herself to care. She had a pretty good idea what she'd woke too, after all she'd felt his seed oozing from her as she'd fled. Suddenly she leaned over and vomited. Her guts churning at the thought of what he'd been doing. She was in a way, thankful she'd been unconscious through it all. Settling back upright and wiping her mouth, she eventually drifted off once more.
Waking again just after the sun had rose, she noted the direction, and headed in the direction she thought Kzar was in. She moved slowly, having stiffened more. She made her way lower after she nearly missed a branch. She was too far up to survive a fall, especially with her current condition. She finally decided it would be best to just travel the forest floor. As she traveled, her body not getting the rest she needed, started to become sick and fevered. She started to wander and stagger here and there. Unmindful of where she was, or even where she was going. She never realized she was back among the trees in the mountain range that held the cave she had shared with Zenoz and called home. An unconscious level of her mind taking her to the place she thought of as safe.
A net descended over her slow moving form, travel becoming difficult now as her injuries took their toll. The slight weight of the net finally bringing her down to the ground. Blearily she looked up to see a man and her eyes widened in fear and terror as her mind twisted the person into Darik. She started screaming and babbling, exhausted though, she soon passed out, this latest fear too much. Another Centaur approached the first, both looked down at their captive.
"Sick."
"Mhm. We should take her to the Dwarves."
"The Dwarves still recover from that attack they had. They won't have the resources or time to take in a stray. Especially one as sick as this one is."
"Still. Word should be gotten to them. Our Shamans won't be able to help her."
The other sighed as his companion had a good point. Leaning down, he removed the netting from the Human. The other picked her up and carried her like a child as they turned and went back to their home.
'One hundred and forty five' Zenoz kept counting in his mind , his body starved and hurt by the chains , the dragoness always present while her troops marched over the lands , their number and simple racial prowess bringing down most enemies , his slit eyes starting to shift each day as he kept himself from giving in ''Why are you keeping me here ?'' he asked the female , her eyes springing a bit of curiosity .
''To remember yourself my lord , to awaken the dragon inside that would lead my children '' she whispered leaning in to trace his body , ribs a bit visible after the first week without any sort of sustain ''Our children , we are the only ones left , the only way for a bit of the purity to survive , for even a ounce of the former dragons to spring forward '' she played across his scar , the hole where the spear broke now closed into a dark red scar , the lack of food or sunlight hindering his healing process .
''You are insane , the dragons are dead ... You are leading an army of abomination into a madman’s plan , they can't fight everyone '' he growled only to be stopped by her finger on his lips , surprised by the sudden action he lowered his gaze shaking his head for a second ''No ... I'm not doing it '' Zenoz muttered against his stomachs and really entire body's protest , leaving the female to walk out once more .
The days passed. Rilla drifted in and out of consciousness as her body healed itself. At several points in lucidity, she thought she heard Tzex's and Flen's voices, but she always quickly sunk back into unconsciousness. The Dwarves had to abandon Kzar as the Dragon creatures marched over the lands. The mountain caves found many refugees flooding in. Races that normally fought and killed each other on sight, now living side by side as a common enemy swept through destroying everything. The Mountains turned into a warren of connecting tunnels and escape routes. The Dwarves that came being masters at such things.
Rilla finally woke to find Flen dozing in an upright position next to her and Tzex sleeping next to her. She looked around her surroundings just moving her eyes at first, not wanting to wake either. She noted that she wasn't in one of the houses of Kzar, but more like a small nook in a cave. She blinked and frowned as questions ran through her head. Shifting ever so slightly, she tried to extract herself from the furs piled over her and Tzex, trying not to disturb either friends. Both wake though, as if on some deep level they sensed the patient was awake.
Tzex immediately pushed her back down and looked her over, throwing the covers off, her eyes roaming over Rilla's naked form. "Good. E'erythin' healed proper. Ye ga'e us a scare the'e, Child."
Flen snorted and growled. "I e'er git me hands on tha' Dragon. I'll beat hi' fer wha' he done to ye, Lass."
Rilla blinked in confusion at both Dwarves/ Then her face changed. Hardened, becoming devoid of all expression once more, only worse than it had in her stay in Kzar. She shook her head. "Wasn't Zen. He's dead." She rose and sat up. Her stomach growled loudly, making Tzex chuckle.
"A good sign. Ye be hungry." She bustled off and went to find food.
Flen stared at Rilla for long moments. "If nae yer Dragon, then who?" His own voice was as full of emotion as hers was not. Fury and rage were barely compressed. He had sat by helpless as she healed, and had come up with many and varied, very painful, ways ton kill the Dragon who he'd thought had done the Lass injustice. He saw no reason to change the ideas now that he found that it wasn't the Dragon after all.
Rilla seemed to harden and become even more devoid at his words. "He's not my Dragon. He never was. I was his sacrifice. Demanded of my village."
Flen blinked a few times at her words. He was saved a need to find a reply to those words by Tzex coming back in. She shoved the bowl at Rilla with a snort. "Matters nae, Child. Ye two belonged taget'er, still do." Rilla just shook her head as she'd already had a bite in her mouth that she was busy chewing. "Dunae gimme tha', Child. Ha'e ye seen 'is body?" At Rilla's slow shake of her head, Tzex gave a sharp nod. "Then, ye kno' nae ifn 'e be dead. Until ye see a body, dunae assume."
Rilla finally swallowed and sighed. "Still doesn't matter. He made his choice. It wasn't me in the end." She dropped her gaze and went back to eating. The Dwarves exchanged confused looks, but Tzex just shook her head with a warning glance. For now they would leave it be, let the girl finish healing, and then time would reveal what they wanted to know.
With each day the dragon grew weaker , his resolve starting to crack before a platter was put in front of him , different remains gathered and cooked into a delicious smelling dish that was held near the exit to his cell , his mind already losing its power , an animalistic hiss leaving the back of his neck as the dragoness put her hand on his face ''You are finally awake , father of all drakes , king of all these lands ...'' she whispered as his shackles came undone , the dragon moving on its weakened legs before leaping onto the food , ripping through it .
Zenoz was finally lost , after leaving his Rilla and the days kept starving and broken into that cell brought out the animal , trapping him in the familiar darkness again , the food almost tasteless as it was swallowed by the dragon , its body now skin and bone strong enough to get him on his feet and turn towards the dragoness , leaning in only to have her hand stop him ''Come to your queen , lets have our vengeance over this world that let it all happen '' she guided him out of the cell , down the castle's hallways where the armored drakes sat at guard , emotionless eyes following the two to the queens chamber .
The hours after went as a blur for him , from the second the queen dropped over her covers and wrapped her scaled body against his , her chest pressed against his own as he kept thrusting inside her , orgasm after orgasm filling her up , pending the female with no mercy until his own muscles stopped from the effort and from the effects starvation had on his body , leaving the two on the bed , a small smile on the dragoness's lips ''Thank you my king , this offspring and their own will bring back our glory in a world made for them '' she whispered to the sleeping dragon before falling into the darkness herself .
Days turned into weeks, and Rilla started to feel ill once more. Now aware of what the reasons were, she was horrified. Where she'd been more than willing to take the chance and give Zenoz a baby, she wasn't willing with this one. She went to Tzex for something to help her rid herself of the unwanted pregnancy, but the Dwarf refused. Rilla sunk deeper into herself, withdrawing for everything and everyone. Tzex and Flen tried to keep her occupied but the girl became a recluse. Hiding in their cubby, and when fed up with the well meaning efforts of the others, disappearing down the tunnels. Not caring how safe they were.
''Today is the day we bring down the dwarves and the last of their resistance , you will be lead by your king in this battle , drakes rise your arms * The queen yelled over the thousands of soldiers , her belly already swollen with Zenoz's offspring as the dragon walked by her , an full armor caging his body , the golden over the obsidian black scales , his muscles now tense and bulging after being released training with his queen , shaping his body into a machine of war rather than the mellow , arrogant if a bit foolish dragon that he was , his body and mind becoming stronger , his nerves hard as steel and mercy long gone .
''Now march to war my children , march to war '' she yelled ,a tone full of bliss before he moved his hand over her belly , leaning in to kiss her lips before his wings sprung open , taking flight and leaving his queen at the castle , the troops marching right behind him as two hours passed .
The second the hours passed a hug ball of flame filled the entrances of the tunnels , the armored dragon flying right in ripping through the unsuspecting inhabitants , their blood and guts spraying over his armor before the drakes started charging in , fighting with the remaining forces of that land , the element of surprise giving them an edge over the overwhelming numbers and the different creatures fighting back , the morale behind them also making them merciless knowing their king was fighting beside them.
Rilla was in the throws of birth when the attack came. Tzex trying to help her, as the woman lay there, writhing and struggling to get the unwanted child from her body. Flen trying to help as best he could, though not much more than a back support for the struggling girl. She was weak, body, mind, spirit. Lost in memories for too long, and not all that aware anymore of the world around her. Rare moments when she was, she just didn't care. Though, in those rare moments, she frantically taught Tzex any and all Healing she knew.
The tunnels suddenly shook, as Rilla gave one last scream and pushed the baby out. Tzex and Flen stunned, but too busy with the girl and newborn to do much. Having hear some commotion just before the shaking. The girl lay back exhausted from her ordeal, fading in and out. She heard the baby cry, and distantly heard Tzex say it was a girl child. Her eyes fluttered open for a brief moment. "Zenri." Then closed once more. The Dwarves looked at each other. Both knew that among Rilla's people, children were given combinations of parts of their parents' names. Zenoz was clearly not the father of the child, it being fully human, and normal in size. But Rilla had used a part of his name for the child.
Tzex moved to clean the baby as Flen turned his attention back to the limp girl he still held. He frowned looking down at her. Gently he prodded her. "Tzex..." His voice was low and held a note that made Tzex look at him sharply. She looked to the girl and sucked in a breath. Finishing swaddling the newborn infant in a clean cloth, she moved to Rilla. She was gone. She lived long enough to birth the child she hadn't wanted, but in the end named in memory of the one she'd loved in life. Tears fell as she looked to Flen, her gaze confirming his fears.
More commotion outside, had both Dwarves snapping around and looking up. "Come, Healer. We must git outta he'e. I kno' nae wha' goes on, but tha' child needs to live. Even as her Mother has nae." Tzex nodded and grabbed a few things of Rilla's and both Dwarves darted out of the cubby and down the tunnel. They headed in the direction of tunnels marked unstable and unusable. Both mourned silently for the body they had been unable to do much for but cover.
The battle soon turned into massacre as the dragons gained upper hand , Zenoz himself leaving behind only mangled and disemboweled corpses , heading down the tunnels to finish off the remaining survivors that would have hid only to have a scent reach his nostrils , somewhere down the hallways where there sat that sweet scent , , stepping past the corpses to find the one of his love , the cover not hiding her scent , he shape of her body that hunted his dreams , taking the cover off her face just to kiss her forehead once as the information sunk into his mind , head turning to meet his own troops , the drakes looking victorious as they came in thousands and would have left so.
Zenoz looked at her body a single time before the pupils of his eyes shrunk into slits , a roar leaving his throat as he charged head on at his own army , the world turned red as the drakes tried fighting against their king , the armor protecting his body from their weapons while his strength overwhelming theirs and in a matter of hours leaving the dark dragon standing tall , his scales painted in red as his claws tore the armor off him , the temples filled with both drakes and other creatures , the only being leaving them alive being two dwarfs , a human child and a black dragon , his wings carrying him over the forests with his Rilla in arms , bringing her in the sole place they could call home .
'How the fate is weaved to kill the happiness in ones life ' his thoughts rang as he carried her body , placing her on the furs where they made love time ago 'How it breaks the love from ones heart then turns it into dust' he closed his eyes , the pain that over took his chest defeating any spear or blade in its intensity 'How it pushes your soul into its own hell ' he opened his jaws for a jet of blue flames to cover her , leaving only ashes to be blown by the wind ''Goodbye Rilla ... May afterlife give you the love I couldn't '' he whispered tears dripping down his face over the carbonized furs , his knees hitting the rock as the dragon lost the last part of his soul and his heart .
The two Dwarves had managed to escape the carnage of the tunnels and made their way south. Settling in another Dwarven town, together they raised the Human infant they had brought with them.
"I dunnae wanna be a 'Ealer! I wanna be a fi'ter like Flen!"
Tzex sighed in exasperation. "Yer Mot'er twas a Healer, and so ye shall be too." She watched the young child cross her arms and get a stubborn angle to her head that she was all too familiar with. A tear slipped out as she looked upon the spitting image of her long dead friend.
A hand clasped the youngster's shoulder and squeezed, causing her to relax. She tilted her head only slightly to look up at him. At 8 years of age, she was already almost as tall as the two Dwarves. "Why nae be both, Zenri? Ye ca' kill the enemies an' heal yer friends."
The child completely relaxed under his hand and grew thoughtful, clearly turning the suggestion over in her mind. She shot a glance at Tzex, who looked like she was about to make an argument, but snapped her mouth shut at Flen's look. With a sigh she gave a nod of acceptance. "But, keep in min' Child, ye'll nae be neglectin' one fer ta o'er."
Zenri grinned and nodded. "Deal."
A clocked figure passed through the town , a long brown hood covering his muscled mass that the war formed , flashes of his departing passing in front of his eyes 'The dragoness looking at his form , a cold regretful look in her eyes as the queen found that her king didn't and wasn't able to love her the same way he did for Rilla , for a human , yet being stopped by his son , the small yet already strong hatchling looking up to his father with tears welling in those big purple eyes that almost stopped him , yet the dragon simply put a hand on his son's ears 'I told you the story a thousand times , I'm searching for my path' ' the words stopping the child that finally understood.
And now the former king of drakes , the shadowfang of the higher grounds stood in the dwarven town sniffing the air , he checked the cave for their bodies , two of the dwarven that could tell him what happened to Rilla . the image still hunting him .
Now 18 Turning of the Seasons old, Zenri had turned into a beautiful young maid. A constant reminder of her mother, Rilla, to the two Dwarves that had raised her. She had learned to look the other way when tears formed in their eyes, or their voices had gotten husky. She knew the story of her mother, and wasn't sure how she felt about it if truth be told. On the one hand, to love so deeply as to be all consuming and destroying you, was a bit scary, but so romantic too. At the same time, she was deeply hurt and saddened that her mother never wanted her, since she wasn't the child of the one she loved so much. There had been many times in her growing up that she wished she had been. Maybe things would have turned out differently.
She didn't know who her father was, Rilla had taken that knowledge with her into Death. But she knew he had beaten her mother, and apparently raped her, since when she was found by Centaurs, she was fevered and nearly unconscious. Then as time passed, Rilla had come up pregnant. All the Dwarves could say was that she had her father's eyes, because they weren't Rilla's in colouring or shape. With the stories of Zenoz, coupled with the fact that her mother's last action had been to name Zenri with a combination herself and Zenoz instead of the man who was her actual father. In a way, Zenoz became the only father she knew. And who could say, maybe in the end, Rilla's twisted mind had really thought Zenri was the offspring of a mating between them.
The past 10 years had shaped her, learning to fight like Flen, and Heal like her mother, she became an intriguing combination. Stubborn to a fault, she wouldn't back down in a fight, not knowing the word 'retreat' much to her instructors' dismay and delight. Yet she kept a cool head and didn't get worked up in any situation, a good trait in a Healer and a Warrior. She approached things with a calm manner, never yelling, but getting a tone about her that caught people’s attentions and usually made them scurry away to a safe distance if they knew her. She was deadly with both an axe and a bow, but had the most soothing touch when she tended to those hurt. A fascinating mix, she was confident in herself and her abilities, and she carried herself in that manner.
As the cloaked stranger walked into the town, a tall girl walked amongst a handful of Dwarves. She wore a tunic and trousers of supple leather and forest boots. They were coloured to blend in with the forest and make her near impossible to spot. A pair of axes hung off her hips, a bow and quiver were slung over a shoulder, and a small pack was strapped to her back. The group was approaching the stranger, clearly on their way out as he was coming in. "Zenri, yer nae gonna Walk da Trees agai' are ye?"
A melodious laugh came from the young woman. "Aw Hech, why? Ye af'ai' I be slipin' pass ye an' findin' da kill afore ye?"
"Nae, moren like ye be fallin' agai' an' we be ha'en ta bring ye back ta Flen and Tzex." The young Dwarf she was talking to shivered as the others either gave nervous laughs or sidelong glances at the girl.
"Pfft. Tzex an' Flen, kno' tain't yer doin'. An' ifn dey nae be wan'in' me ta Walk da Trees, den dey shoul'na ne'er told me me mot'er did it." Just as they passed by, the girl looked up at the stranger, clearly an amused expression on her face that changed to a polite smile in his direction as they passed. The eyes were wrong, the Dwarven accent wrong, the weapons out of place, but everything else was Her. Soon the group passed through the gates and headed in the direction of the forest, still laughing and joking for the moment.
Zenoz saw the female , for a second his slit eyes widening , almost wanting to be her but his mind knew she wasn't , a shake of his head Rilla hiccupped at his kiss. She started to smile at his words, but then her eyes narrowed as they continued. She jerked back from him. "Seriously?! I pour out my heart to you. Tell you how miserable I was without you. How much I love you. And in response one of your options is to slap me?" His mind back on track , searching for the two dwarves before he finally found Flen , catching the dwarf from behind ''I see your race never ages little man '' his voice hissed similar to a snake more than a dragon , the hood still keeping his body and face hidden.
Flen jerked around at the voice and narrowed his eyes at the cloaked person. "Dragon?" He peered into the hood, and got a glimpse of Zenoz's face. He settled back on his heels a strange look on his face. His face turns dark and he growls. "Damn ye! She migh' still be ali'e if twe'rnae fer ye. Ho' coul' ye aban'on Her, again? She loved ye mo'en life i'self. Ye allo'd da Lass be raped an' near die again 'cuz o' yer selfishness." He suddenly deflated and stepped back. A look of pure grief on his face, his voice soft when next he spoke. "She di' die in da end. Ha'in' the child she carried. Los' in her memories, lon'in' fer ye. Namin' the child fer ye, thou' twasnae yers."
The Dwarf stood there for a long time, head bowed, lost in his grief and memories of the woman he'd befriended and had to come to care for. Then his thoughts turned to the daughter she brought into the world and he raised his head to look at the Dragon. A hard look in his eyes. "Dunnae t'ink ta hurt Zenri as ye hurt her mot'er. So he'p me Dragon, if ye do..." It was more than clear the Dwarf was fiercely protective of the daughter of his dead friend. Perhaps trying to make up for not being able to protect Rilla when she was alive.
Zenoz's eyes hardened when he heard his words , the assumption finally answered before he smiled bitterly gripping the dwarf by his throat ''Don't think I didn't want to save her , that I haven't mourned my love , but what's done is done '' he hissed before giving his throat a squeeze then pushed him off into the wall.
''Also you can't really threaten me dwarf , I've killed a hundred of you in the last battle over the high plains and one more on my claws is nothing , I'll see what's the girl received from her mother '' he told him snapping his tail from under the robe then hiding it back to walk our in search for her ''Also ..'' he stopped for a second ''I saw her smile , you wouldn't want it to fade away '' his last words as he walked out .
The Dwarf struggled for breath as Zenoz grabbed him. His hands wrapped around the wrist of the hand that held him. The words heard, and slowly sinking in. Flen stumbled back as he was shoved into the wall. A hand rubbing his bruised throat. "Dragon..." His voice hoarse and low, it was ignored as the beast walked out. The threats not scaring the Dwarf in the least. But the insinuations about Zenri terrifying him. He knew the girl thought of Zenoz as her father at times, and he feared what would happen once the girl met the truth. The Dragon wasn't as Flen remembered anymore.
The small hunting party spread out and grew serious as they entered the woods. Zenri quickly headed up a tree and got ahead of the group. Designated scout this trip, it was easier to sneak up on prey from above then at their level. She quickly left the group behind. Her skill in the trees as good as her mother's had been. She'd only fallen last time due to startling a nesting bird she hadn't noticed. It had flown up in her face quite literally, causing her to loose her balance and tumble to the ground. Fortunately she hadn't been very high at the time and only suffered minor breaks and bruises.
Zenoz followed the hunting party , his nose following the scent he sensed around the female 'Zenri huh?' he thought jumping around the trees , slit eyes finding her form before detecting a bear nearby , making sure it was in her vision before leaping at it , dodging a swipe before opening its belly with a claw simply moving his other claw to tear its head off , the cloak falling over his cloak revealing his face , a scar dragged over his chin from a drake spear , hissing lightly as the blood dripped down his arms , head turning to meet the female .
Zenri had spotted the bear and paused. Pondering the pros and cons of the party hunting it, she was about to move on. Bear was good, but it didn't feed many, and was a terror to bring down, even for their group. Suddenly, out of no where, the cloaked form they had passed earlier in town jumped and attacked the bear. She gasped in shock and stared as he took the bear out, taking its head off. The hood on the cloak falling in the exchange, she looked upon a face that was both alien and yet vaguely familiar. She met his gaze, a wealth of emotions and questions in her eyes.
She stared to move towards him, but cut the motion off. Taking a stance on the branch she stood on, her head tilted in a familiar angle and her arms crossed her chest. Her eyes lost the many emotions and questions, narrowing slightly, and turning appraising as she looked him over. "Who are you? And what do you want here?" Zenri's tone suggested that she wasn't in fear of him, and that she would brook no nonsense from him either. Except for the crossed arms, her stance was easy and relaxed, showing she could make a move in any direction or way she chose without even needing to think about it.
''I go by the name Zenoz , former king of the drakes and a close friend to your late mother '' he said grinning a bit at the shock on her face , looking up to her as his tail slithered out , wrapping around the head of the bear , lifting it up before moving his hand over the head before crushing it under the palm of his hand , brains and bone splattering as , the shards hitting the ground .
Zenri's eyes widened as he revealed his name. Zenoz. The one her mother had loved more than anything. Even her. Then her eyes narrowed in that familiar dangerous way. This was the creature her mother had loved so dearly? But, by his words, she was nothing more than a close friend to him in his eyes. Many hopes and dreams shattered in that moment in the young girl as she stood there looking at the only person she had thought of as her father.
Unimpressed with his display of brute strength, she started to turn away. "As ye said, me mot'er be dead. No' ifn ye excuse me, I nee' ta be ge'in' back ta business." Part of her was screaming at her that she was turning away a golden opportunity to finally know this one, but another part of her, the part that had shattered was too hurt to continue the meeting. The conflicting sides warred within her as she started to leave, making her come to a halt and close her eyes briefly, trying to sort things and get her head straight before returning to the hunt. She needed a clear head or someone could get seriously hurt or killed.
The dragon jumped by her , his wings making him glide and letting his claws silently grab the branch ''You have your mothers body , and I can feel it your temperament ... and you have his eyes '' he muttered the last words in a dark tone , lightly growling at the name ''The man who tainted my dear Rilla , his claws raking the tree branch in a fit of anger , his emotions bottled for so long that it almost came undone , after killing his army and burning her body he rose the armies of the drakes , blocking the high plains from anyone but him and his servants .
''Yet you have that thick , dwarven accent that your mother couldn't learn in her brief time in Kzar '' he added trying to lighten the situation even for a bit , trying to kill the pain that grew around his heart at the memory of her .
The weight of Zenoz on the branch with her made it shake slightly, causing her eyes to pop open. She shifted slightly, maintaining her balance as it settled down. His words brought her up short and she studied him once more. She could see his pain at the memory of her mother and swallowed at the raw emotions coming from him. His final words before raking the branch she stood upon hit like a blow to her gut. She shifted her stance once more to maintain her balance as she crossed her arms over her chest again. Looking way, Zenri's shoulders hunched slightly and she blinked furious to keep tears from falling.
Her voice was thick with emotion when she spoke. "Aye, I be da embodimen' o' tha' taint. Dunnae t'ink I nae be remin'ed o' it e'ery momen' o' e'ery day." The tears she was trying to hold back so hard started to silently slip down her face. "Hate' an' unwan'e' afore I be born. Ye' par'ially name' in yer memory as 'er las' act." She closed her eyes again and bowed her head at the weight of her own pain and hurt that she'd tried to keep buried, but he'd managed to claw to the surface with his very presence.
Zenoz watched her emotions change , his hand tracing her cheek before wiping her tears off ''Your mother didn't hate you , she wasn't capable to truly hate her own daughter ... If she saw in what have you grown she'd be proud of what you've become '' he whispered wrapping an arm around her waist , for a second seeing her mother in her , she had beautiful features , the same curvy body yet her own stronger , muscles easy to feel under his fingers .
''I'm sorry I couldn’t protect her , so many things happened so fast that I couldn't stop it ... ' he whispered in her ear , tracing her side with his gentle scales .
Zenri heard his words, and felt his touch, but it didn't sink in. When he wrapped his arm around her waist, she actually relaxed against him. For a brief moment, she accepted the comfort she'd been longing for all these years from someone who was more a parent than the two Dwarves who'd only raised her in memory of her mother. After several heartbeats, she stiffened against him, she started to push away with her shoulder as she scrubbed her face with her other hand. She didn't completely leave the circle of his arm, but there was distance between their bodies. "She di' hate me. All 'cuz me father twe'enae ye." She gave a heavy sigh and looked distantly into the forest, her expression both sad and haunted.
Zenoz sighed tracing her belly with his hand , his eyes tired moving onto her skin as he clawed onto the branch ''I couldn't give her a child and that would have killed her ... and in the end I lost her to childbirth ... cruel irony huh ?'' he said with a hiss and a bitter chuckle , leaning in to grip her arms ''in a way its good I'm not your father , you are human not a dragon abomination like me ''.
Zenri sighed and shook her head. "Nay, ye di'nae lose 'er ta chil'birt'. Ye los' 'er ta g'ief." She chewed her bottom lip briefly then sighed. "'Ad ye be'n der, she woul'a lived." She turned and looked him in the eye at his last words. "Is i'? Do ye tru'y be'ieve dat? 'Cuz ifn ye do, t'en ye ne'er un'ers'ood 'er." She looked down at the grip he had on her arms. She made no move to try to break free. She knew too well he was stronger than her. Looking back up at him she spoke once more. "She lo'ed ye, an' nae price was too high fer 'er whe' it came ta ye. I kno'd, she di'nae wanna live nae mo'e wit' out ye."
Zenoz growled at her words , his grip tightening on her ''Shut up ... I know what I lost , what made me lose her ... I was captured while pushing the drakes out of Kzar '' his arms tracing the soft skin , remembering how it was with Rilla , the same texture , the same medicine and herbs scent combines with a new one of dirt and iron .
''Judge me all you please but you can’t say I didn't understand , that I didn't care '' his voice then came out cold looking down at her , his eyes slowly growing hungry , the memory whirling into his mind at this , the daughter of his former love , so close to be her yet not truly her .
Zenri winced as his grip tightened on her. She looked away from her, her jaw tight as she gritted it. Not so much for the pain he was causing her physically, but the emotional and mental pain. She stared in the distance, once more trying to rain in her emotions, listening to his words. Her voice came out tight and low. "At leas' ye kne'd 'Er. Like Flen and Tzex." She finally looked down at his grip once more, still missing the look in his eyes. Her voice now was rather bland. "Yer 'urtin' me." His grip had become painful enough to finally break through the haze of raw feelings she had swirling inside her.
Zenoz sighed at her words , gently letting go off her arms , moving his lips to her neck for a second , gently biting the skin before completely letting go , backing away from Zenri ''I'm sorry ... Trying to hold myself ... You look so much like your mother '' he whispered sighing moving to press his back against the tree , the same look in his eyes , he was in agony but also left needing .
Zenoz sighed at her words , gently letting go off her arms , moving his lips to her neck for a second , gently biting the skin before completely letting go , backing away from Zenri ''I'm sorry ... Trying to hold myself ... You look so much like your mother '' he whispered sighing moving to press his back against the tree , the same look in his eyes , he was in agony but also left needing .
Zenri, alternated rubbing her arms where he'd gripped them, bringing circulation back to the areas. She noted the faint bruising already starting in the shape of his hands there. She jerked around as he lightly bit her and looked at him oddly. His words made her face go blank, though her eyes snapped. "Well, I ain' 'Er. An' I ne'er will be. I willnae le' mesel' be so consume' by anot'er ta loo'e mesel'." She looked away again, her voice softening slightly. "Ta ha'e a chil' jes 'cuz tis nae fat'er'd by da on' ye wan'."
Zenri looked down and noted the hunting party coming into view. She crouched down and went quiet and still, only her eyes moving as she watched them. It wasn't long before they were below the two up in the tree. Her head ever so slowly moved as they passed by, keeping her eyes upon them. Though a couple looked up scanning the trees, they missed Zenoz against the tree, and her still form, clothed in garb designed to help her blend in with the forest.
The dragon simply nodded , even then surprised by her thick accent before his eyes wandered towards the hunting party below , a small chuckle finding its way out of his throat as his tail slithered on the branch , moving up and wrapping around Zenri's leg , rising up on her thigh , the newly blackened scales running against her skin as Zenoz let a bit of his grief go away , trying to humour himself if only by just messing with her ''No you aren't sweet Zenri , your soul is different , and so is your mind '' he whispered just low enough to be heard by her but just loud so a faint whisper bounced off the trees around the party.
Zenri suddenly held her breath as Zenoz snaked his tail up her leg under her pants. She still didn't move, not wanting to alert the hunting party. His words though, echoed faintly around the trees and party, making them pause and look about. Her eyes cut to him with a clear annoyance. With the party halted and looking about for the source of the echo, she suddenly sprung. Going to another branch, his tail slithering along her skin as she moved until it was free of her pant leg and she was moving on, quickly.
Hech was the first to finally spot her leaping from one branch to another. He didn't even think to back track her. "Zenri. Who be ta'kin' ta ye?"
Zenri crouched down on the branch above them, hands hung loosely between her knees. She just gave a shrug, not answering as she looked in the direction the party had been headed. "Fine anyt'in' yet?"
Hech gave her an odd stare, knowing Zenri well enough, having grown up together, he knew there was something she wasn't wanting to tell them. "Nay. Not'in' yet. Ye?"
"A dea' bear, ba' yon'er." She shrugged again.
Zenoz chuckled at her leaping away , his eyes following her graceful movement , the slits showing a bit of delight before he glanced at the hunting party questioning if he was the predator or the prey , removing the cloak from himself , his body becoming more dragon-like keeping it size as he slithered around the trees , small leaf moving sound around the party .
Zenri's lips pressed together as she heard movement in the trees. She looked over her shoulder towards where she'd left Zenoz and found him not there. Some of the party had spread out to search for the dead bear. Exclamations were made when it was found on its state of death and pulverized head. Now the Dwarves looked nervously about as the whisper of leaves on a windless day. Zenri made a quick decision. Dropping lightly to the forest floor, she moved towards the bear. "Le's d'ess i', an' some can ta'e i' back. Da res' o' us ca' con'inue hun'in' fer more fer da village." Though nervous as to if the predator that killed the bear was still about, the Dwarves were quick to take up Zenri's suggestion. After all it wasn't every day that a fresh kill landed at your feet.
Working together with the obvious ease of a group that had done this together far too often, the Dwarves and the girl shortly had it field dressed and three of the Dwarves were ready to head back with the meat. The four remaining Dwarves and the girl saw them off, then the five members left of the hunting party set out in search of more game. The Dwarves cast glances Zenri's way now and again as they hunted. She was far more quiet than was normal, plus she walked with them, an abnormality since she traveled the trees so well. The girl herself, while still mindful of their purpose here, was thoughtful, and her eyes would periodically scan the trees. Her mind playing over again the chance meeting with the creature she used to so desperately wish was her father.
Zenoz chuckled using the trees as hiding place while his dark scales hid him in the shadows , slithering on the ground around the party noticing a deer eating some grass nearby , a sharp toothed grin growing on his face before he leaped , grapping the poor creature and locking eyes with it , his pupils turning into sharp slits that terrified through the soul of the poor animal , its body frozen in shock as he stepped back , keeping eye contact and leaving the animal in plain sight as his body shifted on the dirt , into the shadows of a tree , leaving a small present for the hunters , well more like a bait.
The small hunting party spread out a bit, and it wasn't long before the trill of a red crested tree knocker could be heard from the left. Those to the right soon drifted in the direction of the signal. As they approached the Dwarf they all saw a deer standing frozen. Exchanging glances at the odd behavior, the hunters were uncertain with the strangeness.
Zenri looked about suspiciously, having a good idea as to what was causing the strangeness, but withdrew her bow off her back all the same. If He wanted to help them hunt, who was she to argue. With a swift motion, she knocked and released an arrow, taking the deer just behind the front leg, and straight to the heart. The creature dropped, already dead.
Zenoz darted back through the trees , fast motions through the leaves before he silently grabbed one of the hunters , pulling him in the bushes and holding him around the mouth until he fell unconscious , lifting him over his shoulder and slithering back against the dirt , keeping away from the party .
The kill was clean, and the Dwarves turned to grin at Zenri. But it was quickly found that one of their number was missing. The Dwarves started to look about in confusion for their friend, while Zenri looked to the ground, trying to see if she could find where he might have gotten off too. Searching the ground closely, she soon found tracks. Tracing them sort of, her finger just hovering above the marks, she knew they weren't Human or Dwarven. Nor were they Centaur. She looked up and scanned the area, eyes narrowed and lips pressed tight. What was Zenoz up to?
The second one came as swift , tail wrapping around his neck and pulling him up into the trees , his world turned to dark by a hand wrapped around his windpipe , the second hunter put to sleep and dragged into a cave under a tree , the scent of dragon fire keeping every creature off the entrance where the two were put together , three hunters remaining and one of them being Zenri , his tongue draping over his lips at the though , as the war waged on he found a hidden delight in hunting .
As their numbers dwindled, the remaining Dwarves grew fearful. Zenri on the other hand, had that soothing calm descend upon her that happened when she went to battle. Things seem to slow down around her while she appeared to speed up. "Back ta back, Lads." The Dwarves were quick to follow her suggestion. The three met and positioned themselves into a kind of triangle, standing with their backs to Zenri's and hers to theirs. Three pairs of eyes looked around, trying to find the one stealing their friends. To add another twist to the stance, they started moving in sync in a circular motion. Never loosing touch with each other, just rotating so fresh eyes looked upon the section of scenery.
Zenri's thoughts darted around in her head as she held her bow and an arrow at the ready, but not drawn just yet. She knew it was Zenoz, but she was confused that he had turned on them. The story of how the Dwarves had first encountered him. How brutal and vicious he had been when She had briefly lived in Kzar. Zenri was starting to wonder if their encounter had done something to him, since she looked so much like Her.
Zenoz slid across the branches , stalking the three before he dropped down , his tail wrapped around the tree as his clawed hands grabbed the two dwarfs , their heads making a sickening sound as he put them to sleep before pulling them up into the trees , the dragon taking no chances by staying against her with the weight on his shoulders , he wanted them alone , the thrill of the hunt boiling into his veins like liquid metal , the thirst for fight soon reawakened in the lost dragon , he thought it died with his love but now it was burning again .
Zenri felt first, her last two friends snatched, and then heard the sickening sound of their skulls meeting. She winced for a second, knowing the thickness of a Dwarf’s skull, and just how much force was needed to even knock one unconscious, never mind kill. She whirled around as he was pulling himself back up with his catch. Her eyes blazed with the betrayal she felt towards him. She had knocked the arrow as she turned, and let it loose. It zipped right by his face, along his cheek bone, and close enough to kiss it. As he disappeared, she screamed after him. “Why ye bas’erd?” Not getting a response from him, her eyes narrowed in that dangerous manner she shared with her mother. She knew he’d need time to deposit his catch somewhere, and suddenly she sprinted off, dropping her bow. As she ran, she also shed the quiver, and the pack she’d carried was left at a small entrance to a large, thick bramble. By the scuff marks around it, she’d dove into the entrance barely wider than herself.
Zenri knew this particular bramble patch well. It was immense and came close to the falls. Having played here as kids with her friends, some of which Zenoz had just taken, she knew how to travel about it. She made her way towards the falls. The going was tight, she’d grown a lot since the last time she played here, back before her training had started. A particularly sharp thorn at one point gouged her left cheek pretty deep, and she hissed in pain, but otherwise didn’t react to it. Occasionally she would have to pause and search her memory at a junction or two, but soon she was near where she wanted to be. Soon she was peering out through the brambles, not foolish enough to just dart out without looking first. She should have been able to elude him, but that didn’t mean Fate wasn’t fickle and cut him a break. She studied the path she was planning to take, and the destination. Then her eyes gauged the swiftness of the water. While the overflow was deafening as it spilled, the water wasn’t churning too bad. Not like during the Spring floods. Next her eyes scanned the skies. The bramble having come out of the forest a good bow shot back.
Zenoz grinned as he left the two in the cave , his mind still going back to that arrow 'She's a good shot , as expected trained well ' he though amused , this time not thinking of the female as Rilla's daughter but as another predator , dangerous , swift , deadly . His eyes then moved to the dwarfs , moving near each one of them to search for anything that would clue him in their hunting abilities , as always dwarven were short , bulky and made for working the iron and creating inventions that would aid their steel plated cities yet there always stood the hunters and warriors , few races matching an angry dwarf in battle . But she wasn't a dwarf , she was fully human and that changed his way of viewing this hunt .
The dragon then left the cave ,taking a few sniffs of the air until a scent of blood was caught by his senses , it was faint so that didn't mean any bloody injuries or anything similar , his eyes searching his surroundings as he followed the scent , stopping the second shuffling caught his attention , ears detecting her and making the dragon stick to the ground , waiting for any opportunity to strike
Some sixth sense made Zenri pause. There was no sign of him, yet something felt off. She looked to the river. It was only three steps to the river, she could make that easily. But something told her not too. She looked at the rest of the area more closely and noted an area of the brambles that hung over the water. It would be risky to enter there, but it would give her the cover she was feeling she needed. Quietly, she backed up and re-navigated her way to that section.
Getting to the right area, she paused to study it. There were no easy paths to the water through it. Finally she gave a shrug. What were a few more scratches, she was already covered in them anyway. She wormed her way to the water, small tears in her clothing now as she didn't bother with unsnagging herself this close. She shoved through at the last foot, serious scratching the right side of her neck. Splashing into the water, she fought the current, trying to hit her mark. Almost she missed it, but caught a hold in a scrabbled last ditch effort. She pulled herself up on the large piece of rock that hung out over the falls. She crouched and pulled her axes out, starting to spin them in loose circular motions to either side of her as she scanned back towards the bank, her eyes narrow.
She paid no attention to the various aches and stings to her body. Though she was fully Human, she had been trained like a Dwarf. Her instructors cut her no slack for being something other than. Toughened, she'd learned to ignore many hurts and pains. It was also part of the reason she never gave up. Always having been made to feel like she didn't measure up, she worked hard to prove otherwise.
''Intriguing stance little Zenri , the water around you keeping me from any surprise attacks , those hatchets out whirling ready to spell my doom ... Beautiful , gets my blood boiling , come on sweet human give me a nice ending to this hunt '' he hissed , jumping down and slithering into the water , his tail following and speeding through the water as he half circled the rock , his body seemingly denying the flow , the water slipping off his scales while his eyes burned through her , a breath of fire rising the steam up , trapping her into the thick steam that was rising up .
Zenri was confused by his words. Was her near complete resemblance to Her upsetting him so badly to want to hunt her? To destroy the reminder of Her? Had their encounter unhinged him? On the upside, at least he'd called her by her own name, too many times had Flen or Tzex called her by that other name. But if he wasn't so unhinged as to forget who she was, why then had he decided to hunt her and her friends?
She watched him as he entered the water and moved towards her as if it was just a still pool. Thinking it a neat trick, and wishing she could learn it, especially when he didn't fall over the drop. When the steam rose up and engulfed her, she snapped her eyes shut automatically. Now relying on another sense developed by the Dwarven training, she eerily seemed to follow his movements, relaxed enough to be able to go any direction, depending on his actions. Her axes never stopped moving, instead staying at the same slow circling, conserving energy, but allowing the use of momentum if needed.
Zenoz hissed underwater , his tail breaking out of the water behind Zenri while he crawled up in front of her , using the sound to make it seem he was coming from her back , claws out to grab her wrists and pull her underwater , his tactics setting in , everything he learned being added over his instincts , war and his journey after he left home got him to fight and learn from many , he'd shed blood and even then he didn't feel so excited about hunting one .
Zenri wasn't relying fully on her physical sense. The Dwarves trained in a blind fighting style. One never knew when some event in a battle would cost you the ability to see. She moved like lightning. Rising up onto the balls of her feet, she shifted towards his tail and smacked it hard with the flat of the head hard. She still wasn't sure as to his motives and didn't yet want to actually hurt him. Her other axe spun faster and she pivoted after hitting his tail to swipe in the direction that he actually faced. She dropped back to her crouch, axes spinning lightly again. Not once had she opened her eyes.
Zenoz hissed at the axe lowering his head before wrapping around the rock , this time slithering around the rock before jumping , decided he'd risk his hide by wrapping himself around her , the tail going round her legs , while he wandered his claws to catch the entirety of her body , reckless leaving most of his chest to her axes .
Zenri, tried dodging the tail as it came at her, but still managed to get caught. A hiss of disgust coming from her as she had basically dodged right into its path. She managed to get blows to his claws, still with the flat sides of the axes, before the tail caused her to loose her balance. She started to fall backwards over the edge of the falls. Not a sound came from her as she tried to compensate and get enough distance outward, knowing there were jagged rocks below she had to miss, or take a chance of impaling herself on. Tangled in th3 tail as she was though, she just couldn't quite manage it.
Zenoz grinned at the sudden advantage , twisting his tail enough to hold her before gripping her shoulders and flying off , throwing the girl back on solid ground before landing himself , a grin on his face as his tail slithered behind ''Nice trick little Zenri , dwarfs taught you everything they know , but their way of fighting is too rigid , with all that focus its way too rigid to counter me '' he grinned walking up to her .
Zenri was shocked to find herself flying, then sailing through the air to land with a jarring thud and an explosion of air from her lungs on impact. She labored to get her breath back as he spoke and walked towards her. How she'd managed to not lose her axes in all that, she had no idea. When he got close enough, she suddenly jerked and came up on her feet facing him. as her feet hit the ground she turned into a whirl wind of motion. She darted towards him and smacked both sides of his face with the flats of her axes. Spinning to the left, she next snapped a slap to his shoulder. She then danced back out of the reach of his limbs and crouched down again, axes twirling slowly once more. Her eyes meeting his as she waited for his next move. There was nothing she could do about the Dragon Fire if he wanted to char her to a crisp, but she had a feeling he wasn't going to go that route. At least not just yet.
Zenoz laughed , an actual laugh with no mockery or hidden emotions , his lips curled into a grin that had longed to come out since her death , slit eyes focusing on her ''Thank you for this , since the war I haven't found anything that could take my mind of this grief , nothing that could make my blood run and boil like a hunt '' he said this time charging head on , the impact of her hits simply sliding off the thick scales when he came closing it , smacking the axes away from her grip in a gesture of dominance while keeping the grin on his face , even thou years have hardened and poisoned it , there still was a glimmer of that dragon that knew nothing and was easily confused or excited by people , that showing even after disarming her , eyeing the human while waiting her reaction .
Zenri was stunned at how quickly he could move. She felt her axes fly off to the side as he charged and disarmed her. She fell back with his charge flat on her back and was left staring up at him. His words raising a mix of emotions within her, she was momentarily at a loss to make a move. She hadn't been trained for this sort of thing.
Zenoz moved pinning her wrists down , his eyes shining with the same amusement as before , his tail slithering between her legs , using its mass to spread them open , scales running over the skin revealed by the tears in her pants, the tip unconsciously running over her crotch ''You seem lost , think dwarves would teach you how to fight a drake , maybe even a dragon from Flen's experience '' he grinned locking eyes with her .
Her jaw dropped slightly at his actions. The sudden reactions of her body to his pinning her down, the feel of his tail along parts of her skin, and then touching her in a place no one had yet to touch was a bit overwhelming to say the least. Her breathing hitched slightly and she swallowed hard. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed to mere slits as she brought a knee up and hit him where a male was usually most vulnerable. Zenri wasn't sure if the tactic would work on Zenoz, or if he'd even react like a humanoid, but it was worth a shot.
The dragon looked rather surprised when her knee slammed into his lower area , moving fight over to hit his shaft as his testicles were protected by a thick layer of muscle and then the scales that deflected most of the shock , the hit more so running over his member through the shaft and causing him to let out a pleased sound , feeling the erection leaving its hiding place , claws still pinning her against the ground while his eyes looked curious at her ''I guess that would have hurt most males , but to be certain I'm not your usual male , abominations aren't bound to those weaknesses , its quite an advantage if you look at it '' he hissed amused , his tail pushing a bit harder onto her crotch.
Figures. Zenri hated the ploy didn't work, in fact at the feel of his tail becoming more instant on her lower region, it had the complete opposite affect. She hissed at him, and struggled in his grip. "I be nae 'Er!" She didn't scream, but she did try to kick and bite her way free, finally realizing she wasn't getting free, she abruptly stilled under him and turned her head away, tears in her eyes falling at long last from the wild ride of emotions within her. "I wish I di'nae e'en loo' li'e 'Er." Spoken softly, barely a whisper. She blinked furiously trying to stop the tears, unable to scrub them away.
The dragon saw her tears and stiffened for just a second , leaning in to gently lick them off before pulling back , distancing a bit of her body , the tail retreating of her crotch , the dragon thinking and still prodding the idea of taking her on the spot , his member out and throbbing just in her vision ''I know that , also that dwarven tone and accent gives it off ... But you are still a beautiful female and that makes the idea of tearing your clothes and mating with you all that appealing '' he hissed amused.
Her eyes closed briefly as he licked her face. His word made them fly open and jerked her head around. Zenri stared at him with eyes wide and jaw working as if she was trying to say something but couldn't get the words out. Her eyes darted briefly to his hard member then back to him. She finally squeaked out words. "Ye cannae be ser'us?!"
As she stared up at him, a realization hit to her. Though she'd grown up with stories about him and her mother, he hadn't even known she'd existed, until to day. So she thought. She had grown up wishing he had been her father, thinking of him as such most time because he was all she knew of a male figure in conjunction with her mother. Zenoz though, would not see such a connection with her. All he saw was her mother's daughter. The revelation was plain on her face and left her at a complete loss on what to do or say.
''Sweet divinity . you have the same way of thinking '' He chuckled at her realizing , thick cock twitching and growing a bit in size , the thick member hanging right above her crotch , moving his hips down to press the wood like hardness against her , as years passed he started growing towards his adult age , thus causing some parts like his wings and scales to change , through them being his member ''The only thing I see right now is a human huntress that found herself craved by my body '' he whispered , lips catching the skin on her neck , starting to suck and nibble at it while his tail wrapped around her thigh.
That damned comparison. Always was she being stood up to Her, and always left feeling like she didn't measure up. Her eyes narrowed at him, and she was about to retort when she felt something against her sex again, and it didn't feel like his tail this time. Her eyes dropped to look down the length of her body and saw that it definitely wasn't his tail. His words shot her eyes back to him, quick as an arrow released. Her expression held a mix of dumbfounded shock and disbelief.
She flinched under his lips, and his tail made her shift. Course her movements would rub her against his dick. The three sensations made her heart pound and her breath to catch. She stared up at the sky, mind working furiously. She had no idea how to combat this kind of battle. It wasn't helping that her body seemed to have joined the enemy as she felt small shocks and shivers go through her from his various touches.
Zenoz hissed amused before his tail moved over her pants , the tip grabbing the edge of her pants before starting to pull them off , enough for her underwear to be visible while the tail slipped over , running against her slit as it moved around her panties , slipping over the place that no one touched before , his lips moving up and down on her neck , leaving small red spots , since he needed to keep her hands pinned he used his tail to play with her .
Zenri's eyes widened as she felt her pants suddenly tugged down. A low growl suddenly coming from her, she started to struggle again, determined to get away. Then his tail slipped under the second layer she wore below her pants and rubbed her, and her struggles changed slightly. Body betraying her again, her hips pushed against his tail. Her head even tilted the slightest bit, giving him better access to her neck. Her breathing sped up at what he was doing to her. Her body shivering at every touch, every movement.
Zenoz grinned when he felt her body react , his tail moving over her slit before slowly having the tip push between their folds , starting to move and jerk inside her , the tip just playing above the barrier that showed her virginity , the dragon having his teeth gently sink in her throat , playing and pulling at the skin , licking the teeth marks .
A war was going on in Zenri's mind. On the one hand the creature above her was the very same one her mother had loved beyond life, and he had loved her, if his words were to be believed. Yet, here he was quite literally getting into her pants. Her, who reminded him so much of her mother, except the eyes and the Dwarven accent. That rankled more than anything, but her body wouldn't stop reacting to his attentions. And that's where the war was coming from.
It felt good what he was doing, and her body made that quite clear as her hips started to move with his tail inside her. Her head tilted even more, stretching her neck for more of his bites and licks. Soft moans were passing her lips and vibrating her throat. Her nipples had grown hard and her body wouldn't stop shivering at the very feel of him against her skin and inside her. She didn't want this to happen, yet she did.
Confused and uncertain, she tried to struggle against his hold on her wrists again. Her actions just helping him fuel the fires suddenly raging inside her from what he was doing.
Zenoz felt her shift , the means simply fuelling his need as he accelerated the moves of his tail , the tip almost tearing through her barrier yet keeping itself from doing yet , the dragon lowering his head from her neck and towards her chest , gripping the hunting gear with his teeth and then with a sharp twist of his head making a tear , freeing her breasts ''It took me a good while to understand what was so attractive at these , maybe because they have so many uses '' he chuckled , lowering his mouth to the left breast , licking the nipple as his long tongue wrapped around the breast , massaging it with the muscle.
Zenri's hips jerked wildly under Zenoz, his tail causing this reaction. She heard her tunic rip and struggled more. "N-n-nae." A denial, an attempt to stop him until his mouth lowered onto the orb and a convulsion went through her, nearly causing his tail to break the barrier inside her sex. The denial changing to a panting moan of pleasure that surprised her.
The dragon bit into her nipple then started sucking hard onto the flesh , calming the pain he might have caused before moving to her other breast , his tail slipping out of Zenri to be replaced by the tip of his cock , hard and throbbing as the head was rubbing against her hot and moist sex , pressing it over her clit remembering the effect it had on human females .
Zenri yelped as he bit so hard. His sucking didn't sooth the pain exactly, more it intensified the pleasure coursing through her. Turning his attention to the other breast had her groaning in anticipation. A slight whimper escaped her as his tail left her pussy. The pressure of his cock suddenly rubbing her cunt had her gasping, until it started on that sensitive button just above her sex. Panting, all fight gone from her now, her hips thrust up, helping him rub and excite her more. Her pussy started spasming lightly from the friction, a tension building in her she didn't understand.
The dragon growled , feeling her close to her limit just from his teasing , a small grin on is face as he bit onto her nipple , thrusting straight into her spasming pussy and through the barrier that held her purity ,tail wrapping around his dick and moving the tip onto her clit , adding more pressure on it knowing she finally gave in , the dragon having learned enough in 18 years about women and how to please one .
Zenri hissed from the combined pain of his bite and his cock entering her. Dwarf toughened, she didn't react to the pain. It quickly passed anyway with his tail tip suddenly teasing that sensitive spot above her cunt. Her body automatically took over as the mating began in earnest. She pressed into him, head tilting back slightly, eyes closing as the tension that had started within her grew in intensity, nipples hardening into small pebbles, low moans coming from her. Her pussy grew wetter and started tightening around his member.
Zenoz grinned as she started pressing into him , her moans fuelling each of his thrusts , speed growing with each one while he pulled his lips off her breasts , taking a moment to see her trapped in pleasure and moaning with each move he made , leaning to trace her body with his tongue , moving down from her neck , running over her abused nipples and then over her abdomen .
The tension suddenly snapped within her. Her body jerked, arching into him, then shuddered under. Her pussy tightened down in her release, fluid issuing forth to soak her and him. Her cries of pleasure, while not loud, weren't quiet either. She just didn't scream for all to hear and then some.
The dragon didn't pull out of her , he didn't even stop when he felt her first release , his hips still rocking while the tail moved under his member , simply tracing her lower lips with its tip , the tongue back in his mouth as he looked down at her ''You were against it so much and now look at you , moaning out loud , what would your friends say if they saw this ? '' he asked in a husky voice , licking his lips.
Like jumping into the freezing waters of Winter Melt Off, his words hit her. Suddenly her body stilled, and her eyes snapped open to glare up at him. Though his movements still caused her pussy to spasm, pulse, and throb, the rest of her no longer reacted to his touch. She "Dey be t'inkin' ye bea rapin' me." The words harsh, meant to wound, and she didn't stop there. "Jes' as She ha' been." Her eyes filled with disgust and loathing. Not for him, but for herself, for her body betraying her, and even worse, for her enjoying what he was doing to her.
Zenri's head turned away from Zenoz. She stared not seeing anything, her thoughts now turned inward. She attacked herself for being so weak, she was Dwarf trained after all. All the things she had ignored, over come, the pain she was capable of taking without much thought. So easily defeated, squirming and carrying on under him. Just as She had, Zenri was sure. She quite literally choked on that last thought. As much as she hated to be reminded of how much like Her she was, and how hard she tried to be her own person, in the end, it seemed she really was no different. The poison starting to sink into her heart and soul at that point.
''True , but in her case she couldn't have fought , you could yet in the end you gave in '' he hissed simply moving his legs so he'd lift her hips off the ground , tail wrapping around her waist as her shoulders were the only touching the ground , the dragon driving his cock deeper inside her , using the angle to his advantage to slam into her .
Zenri did not respond to him, to his words. Only thing to even show she heard him was the compressing of her lips into a thin line. Let the beast believe what he wanted. She hadn't given up, she had fought. He was stronger, faster, and her body had betrayed her. As he lifted her hips she lay limp under him, letting him finish. She would escape the first chance she got.
The dragon didn't even let himself finish , pulling out of her then pushing the female down , a small grin on his face ''Thanks , I really needed this '' he said shifting around as his wings opened ''Your friends are in a cave not too far , follow the trail of burnt grass and ashes and you'll find it '' he said with a shake of his head , his wings finally opening , snapping and getting ready to fly , walking away from Zenri ''Also send Flen my regards and tell him that things really changed back home , he should come sometimes and see the city '' .
Zenri lay there for some time after he left. Finally she picked herself up and went over to the stream. first thing she did was strip down and get in the water. taking sand she scrubbed herself from head to toe for a very long time, turning her skin red from the abrasion of the sand. Still feeling unclean, but not able to do anything else about it, she dressed, turning her torn tunic backwards. She then retrieved her axes. Skirting the bramble bush, she eventually found her pack and quiver and bow. Then she went and located the missing Dwarves.
By the time she'd located them, Hetch and Martev were awake and looking to their friends. They looked up, tense and ready for battle when Zenri showed up. They relaxed when they saw it was her, but quickly changed to concern at her disheveled state. She brushed off their concerns for her abruptly and shortly, an unusual manner for her. The three got the rest of the Dwarves awake and started to head back to town, the deer forgotten. They encountered the return of those who had taken the bear meat in, and soon arrived back to town much quicker with their help.
Zenri left them at that point with concerned and worried looks following her. She went to the home of Tzex and Flen. Both were shocked at her appearance and tried to ask her what had happened, but she cut both off. Delivering Zenoz's message to Flen, she spun on her heel and left, leaving the two Dwarves asking more questions that she just ignored. She stalked back out of town, not looking at anyone or responding to them or Flen who was trying to chase after her. Her longer strides soon left it all behind as she disappeared back into the forest.
Soon she came back to the falls and hopped out to that rock that hung over. She squatted and stared off into space. Her thoughts stabbing and biting. Warrior trained, she had failed. She had fought and lost due to his superior strength and her own body turning against her. Sick in heart and soul, she hated herself. Forever now would there be doubt and fear to her abilities. Warrior proud, she could not live like that, or she may as well just be a Healer, like Her. Her thoughts then turned to how she always reminded those who knew her mother, and how she always felt as if they never thought she measured up to the greatness that was Her. Or would bring pain to those with their memories.
Zenri started taking everything off that was her Warrior self. Laying the bow, quiver and axes on the rock behind her, the pack last and sitting on top. Abruptly she stood and jumped off the rock. She knew she hadn't enough distance to avoid the rocks below.
Zenoz found himself starting at the falls when she came back , his eyes wide as his thoughts sprang free , the release that the hunt brought to him actually overcoming the sexual need , he didn't even bother to finish having taken enough to test this woman and see what she really had from her mother , the jump actually confirming everything.
He opened his wings tearing through the air before he grabbed her mid-fall , her weight not even noticed by the dragon as anger flared through his eyes , holding her tight so if she struggled she wouldn't break free ''What are you doing pitiful human , I thought you were a warrior , I was waiting for you to come and hunt me for what I did , to take my scales and get your pride back ... But you just give up ... Ugh the same way your mother tried a while ago , and I thought you stronger '' he hissed at her as he simply flew over the rock , his tail wrapping around her axes , taking them as he kept on flying .
For some reason, Zenri wasn't all that surprised when Zenoz grabbed her. She gave a disgusted sigh as he swopped back up and grabbed her axes, leaving the rest behind. His words sparked that anger he seemed to flare up in her. Though held tight, she wiggled enough to reach the small knife she always carried in the small of her back. Holding it just below her sternum she spoke to him in a cold voice. "Pu' me dow' beas'. Ye ha'e a way o' ruinin' females. Firs' Her, no' me. I will nae bring more inta da worl' fer ye ta tormen' and des'roy." She had no qualms of striking her own heart. "Ye may t'ink ye kno'd me, bu' ye kno'd not'ing. Ye ne'er tried. Jes' used me as ye used Her. All 'cuz I be loo'in' li'e Her."
The dragon actually laughed at her words , shifting her in his claws before unwrapping his arms off her , the claws forming on his legs into their dragonic form , gripping her ankle while dangling her above the ground ''That's the reason I first caught interest , but I know you aren't her Zenri , and don't you ever say I used her you bitch , you have no idea how much I loved that woman, but dragons are long lived beings , we need to cope with out suffering and defy it '' he hissed at her while still flying over the lands , eyes shifting ''Kill yourself if you wanna bring that over yourself , cause the same suffering your mother did , harm Flen and drag him with you in hell if that's what makes it right '' he yelled when he saw the knife , not showing any lack of truth in his words , leaving that decision to her .
As uncharacteristic as it was for Zenri, a rage built in her from his words. She screamed back at him. "Ifn ye lo'ed 'Er so blas'ed much, den whe'e we'e ye?! Why did ye aban'on 'Er?! Why did ye le' 'Er die?!" All the pain and hurt of her life bubbled up and broke. Sobs mixed with her screams as she bulled on. "Ye t'ink Flen danae li'e in 'Ell e'ery day?! E'ery 'ime 'e loo's a' me and morns da frien' 'e los'?! A'ain beas' ye kno'd not'in'." The Warrior in her surged forth and she twisted her body inn his grasp, flipping the knife and throwing it with surprising force. Her aim was true and by luck found a soft spot in the joint of his shoulder wing. Though small, it still sunk in, doing some damage.
The dragon hissed losing his equilibrium , the stab managing to cut straight through muscle , rendering his left wing useless and causing him to lose control over his flight , moving her just in time to absorb the fall with his body , keeping Zenri away from most harm , then pushing her away with his left hand , body hurting from the impact and all the way his body was dragged over the dirt and stone , his eyes burning with rage ''Want an answer to that ? Without killing both of us in mid flight here's your answer , I tried to ... I almost harmed her and then got captured , for the whole period she was pregnant with you I was in a cell ,starved and brainwashed by another dragon ... I cherish her memory but even I have to pass on , grief is a poison Zenri '' he muttered chuckling .
''I know what I did , and I really hope you hate me for it ... But turn that hate into strength not a way to end your sorrows , or did you not learn anything from the dwarves ? ... Here I'll give you the chance for redemption '' he hissed , throwing the axes by her feet , then moving shakily on his feet , scales missing from the impact and blood dripping form the open wound on his shoulder . the fall having torn the knife from his flesh .
Zenri looked at Zenoz in disgust. "No' 'oo wan's ta die?" She looked his form up and down, scorn plain on her face. Gathering her axes, she turned away from him and started to walk off. Pausing after a few feet, she looked at him over her shoulder. "Ye ne'er kno'd 'Er eit'er. Or ye'd kno'd da on'y 'arm ye di' 'Er was nae bein' der. Per'aps tis ye 'oo nee's ta ta'k ta Flen." She then continued walking away.
Done. She was done with him. He wasn't the creature she had been led to believe all her life. Though Flen and Tzex made no bones that her mother had died from her love for him, and loss. They had always also defended him, or made excuses. The reality was, he was no different in the end than the man who'd spawned her upon her mother. Oh, a part of her understood, and maybe sympathized slightly, with what he'd revealed had happened to him, but another part of her honestly believed that if he had loved Rilla so much, nothing would have made him stay away from her.
She started trotting as she heard the water close. They had traveled a distance, but she still knew where she was. Finally, after some time, she was hopping back across the rocks. Kneeling next to her left behind gear, she unstrung her bow and placed the string in a waterproof pouch. She pulled out of the pack a cap that fit snuggly over the open top of the quiver. Strapping both it and her unstrung bow on her back, she then threw the pack on. Stepping back to the end of the rock. Taking a running start, she pushed off the rock, spread eagle in the air for a moment, she then knifed her body, pulling her arms up over her head and dove, knowing she'd more than clear the rocks below this time.
The poison from the pain and hurt, had drained from her, but in its place a cold emptiness took its place. The last of her childhood left behind with the Dragon, it was time to move on. As he said, she was a Warrior, and a Warrior she would truly become. She hit the water cleanly, and arched her back enough to shallow the long dive enough to not hit bottom. Swimming underwater with the flow, she worked her way to the surface further down from the Falls. Eventually she surfaced long enough to grab a breath and dive again. She'd always swam better underwater than on top of it, so made good time to the tress that hung down over the water a ways down. Exiting the water, she took to the trees and disappeared into the forest.
The dragon shook his head before letting out a flame breath onto the land , scorching through ''Stupid child ... Maybe she's right eh Rilla ? But when I was there it was the same for her ... Only pain , each time she could only see that child , that damned spawn '' he shook as his scales started breaking off , under them new , obsidian black scales shining underneath as he was ending his growth cycle , finally becoming fully matured dragon , yet for him it mattered not , there he stood looking at the ground and calling to her spirit , near the well of souls was where he took flight to with Zenri , content on bringing her in from of her mother , but now he was yelling for the woman he loved , his calls breaking through the flows of the well , into the lands of the dead .
Rilla heard his call. She traveled quickly and was soon before him. A hazy shimmering form that looked on him with so much love. "Zenoz, what did you expect? She saw you as the father she never had. The father I wished you had been. You broke all those wishes and dreams." She moved closer and laid a ghostly hand upon his face. "We had our time, short and conflicted as it was. If you wish to be in her life, then love her for her, not because she was my child or because she reminds you of me. She very much is her own person. Nothing like me, though there are similarities." She smiled at him. "I will always love you, Zen. But our time was short anyway. Eventually I would have died and left you to wander the world and try to find love again. Please, remember me, but do not loose yourself in the memory. You have so much to live for and love. Especially if you insist on loving Humans." She caressed his face. "She is lost now. Only you can bring her back to herself, or one of your children if you cannot. The choice is yours my heart, my love." With that she faded away.
Zenri made her way south-ish. She soon made a name for herself as a Warrior. Cold and calculating, she rarely lost a battle. Dwarf training coming into play more often than not. And Humans not knowing such training were in awe of her. Her coldness though kept any from approaching her and trying to get to know her. She refused to train any in her style of fighting. Rather she would prefer to keep the advantage. Her opponents always defeated before she even stepped on the field of battle. Demoralized just knowing she was there.
It was a lonely life, used to the closeness of Dwarven Community as she had been, but one Zenri now preferred. Though in quiet moments, her thoughts would turn to home, and to the Dragon that ruined all that for her. Occasionally, her thoughts would turn to the Dragon himself and how before the end, he'd made her body feel. Usually after such thoughts, if there was a battle, she was even more brutal and deadly. Taking her frustrations out on the enemy.
The dragon sighed the moment she faded away , a far look in his eyes when he started in the place her form was , his body tensing ''I'll find her , my love , even if it kills me , and if it does I'll be joining you in the well of souls'' Zenoz muttered as his wings took him to the skies , following Zenri’s path in the hopes of finding her .
As expected the dragon couldn't catch the dwarf trained woman , yet he still chased after the rumors of her battles , the ones of her prowess in fighting , reaching only at the sight of blood already shed and bodies disemboweled , finishing the job in case they were left more as a sign of his coming , a threat sent to the now warrior , the this day he reached the same town as her , his cloak hiding most of his body while his tail slithered over the ground , slapping the ground when he caught sight of her , watching in wait for her fight , knowing it was the reason of her coming .
Zenri didn't fight everywhere she went, in fact, she hadn't fought in a few days. She had heard of a war brewing to the west. She was on her way to see which side she was to join. When Zenoz finally spotted her, she was on her way out of town, still traveling west. People cast her looks and got out of her way. She paid none of it any attention, she never did. Indifferent to the feelings of others, she even rarely used her healing ability, and that was only on herself. She had changed a lot since the Dragon had last seen her.
No longer did she wear the simple hunter's garb he'd last seen her in. What clothing she did wear was of hardened leather, but mostly it was bits and pieces of metal armour. Her left arm was covered from shoulder to fingertips in metal. Her right had a shoulder guard and bracer. Her right hip was covered in a piece that went to her knee and wrapped around her groin in the front and around her lower back, meeting just above her left hip. Her axes still hung off her hips, and her bow and quiver slung across her back, pack settled between her shoulder blades. She still moved with that hunter's grace she had, but the laughing, carefree girl he had first seen was gone. Her expression was cold, calculating, hard, and unfriendly.
She moved away from him, towards the other way out. Quick to exit the town, much to the relief of the residents within who knew her, by reputation mostly. After getting out of sight of the town, she disappeared into the woods off the road. She still Walked the Trees. It had been interesting to adjust her ability with the metal armour, but she had achieved it. And her ability to just appear out of no where added to the reputation she had developed.
The dragon kept up with her , his body sneakingly moving behind her , his eyes simply following Zenri as he crawled through the trees , slithering on the ground , noting every difference , everything that changed , even her stance , he saw discipline , he saw warrior instincts , but he also saw that emptiness , that loneliness that seemed to float like a cloud around her , easily visible if you passed the fear that shrouded her in the eyes of everyone .
Zenoz stopped the second she did , thinking over how to approach the woman , not knowing if he could take her by surprise like the last time , finally putting dot to dot the way she was heading , his drakes already took over that half of the continent , turning Kzar into the capital ,everything being guarded and checked by them under the command of his former queen , the other half was still ravaged by wars , and he thought that her fighting spirit would bring her on the battleground .
Zenri had felt it as soon as she took to the trees, something, or -one, followed her. She didn't stop and look back as most would do. No she continued on but as she swung and hopped from tree to tree, branch to branch, she moved in ways that gave her the ability to look around. But she could not spot anything or one. Impressed anything could track her through the trees as it was, she continued traveling, letting her senses and instincts tell her where in relation the thing was to her. Never close, it seemed to be content for now to just follow. She finally came to a stop a couple of hours before sunset, at the edge of the forest line in this area. Studying the area, and the sky, she decides the rocky formations that began a few yards into the break might provide good shelter for the night, especially since it looked as if it might rain soon.
She followed the tree edging until she had but a short dash to the rocks. Dropping to the ground, she trotted quickly across and disappeared into the rocks. Following trails that only a Dwarf, or one raised by them since birth, could find, she soon found her way deeper into the formations. She started hunting for something to provide shelter. She located an opening just barely bigger than herself as she noted a few drops splattering the rocks around her. Taking a short torch from her pack, she lit it quickly and poked it inside. It went back as far as her light showed, and disappeared into dark. With a slight shrug, she crawled in. A tunnel three as long as her, then it opened up into a kind of cave. Twice her body length long, and just a length high, she carefully rose up and looked it over. It would do. Finding a nitch, she set the end of the torch in it. She then grabbed a thin spool of wire out of her pack and the nippers that went with it and disappeared back down the tunnel. Stopping half way, she started working to make an elaborate trap that would snare anything bigger than a mouse. Her mind drifted back to how she'd gotten the wire...
"Zenri?" She turned in surprise at the unfamiliar heavy Dwarven accented voice that had said her name. "I t'ought as much. Ye be Zenri, Flen's lass." She looked over a Dwarf that was beaming from ear to ear at his discovery. She arched a brow at him, he wasn't familiar to her in the least. The Dwarf cleared his throat and then continued. "I be Mezit. I be Flen's third cousin, t'ice remo'ed, on me mot'er's sis'er's cousin's son's side." Having grown up with Dwarves, Zenri completely understood and followed the lineage line easily, and gave him a nod. The Dwarf cleared his throat again. "'Ord has i' dat' Flen be worrie' abou' ye." He looked her over, noting all the pieced together armour the girl wore, and gave a snort. "Come. I ha'e be'er s'uff den dat. A mir'cle ye still be ali'e ifn dat be wha' ye relyin' on."
Zenri had blinked in surprise. Most people wouldn't talk to her in the first place, but being a Dwarf, Mezit took her attitude and unfriendliness in stride, and ignored it in the taciturn ways of the Dwarves. He had turned away and was walking off, and Zenri found herself following. They arrived at his room in the tavern and he went rooting through some bags and trunks before he came up wit her current get up. The metal pieces sewn into the hardened leather making both the top and pants all one piece each. The metal was Adamantium, if she wasn't mistaken. A difficult enough metal to work with and usually only used to make weapons with because of it. Mithreal being reserved more for armour, being slightly easier to work.
She stripped down, not the least worried about modesty, again, Dwarf upbringing, and tried them on. The whole outfit felt like it was made for her and she actually smiled at the Dwarf in appreciation. He tossed some boots her way, and she quickly put those on as well, also a perfect fit. "I... t'ank ye, Mezit. Dey be perfec'."
The Dwarf waved her thanks off and grinned at her. "Somet'in' tol' me ta bring em along. Gla' I be lis'enin' fer a change." Zenri chuckled, something she hadn't done in a long time. She looked around the room of scattered items from his digging and noted several spools of wire in the mess. Going over to one, she picked it up and examined it. Adamantium too, she marveled that this was so thin, and supple enough to wrap around a spool. She looked to Mezit and he chuckled. "Me Clan has finally wor'ed da secre's of Adaman'ium. Take i' and 'ere, ye'll be nee'in these ta cu' it." He handed her nippers also made of Adamantium and another spool of the wire. "'As all kin's o' uses, dat wire does." He gave her a wink and a grin as she took the items and stowed them in her pack.
She looked at him after and spoke bluntly. "I be ha'in' not'in' ta be repayin' ye."
He waved her words off. "Ye be Flen's lass. Anyt'in' I can be helpin' ye on yer journey wit'."
Zenri rocked back. It had been too long since she was in the company of Dwarves, and she had forgotten their way of helping each other out. They tended to make their profits on the other races, not each other. She gave a soft sigh and nodded. "Ifn ye be comin' across Flen, jest tell 'im I be fine."
Mezit looked at her shrewdly. "No ye ain't Lass, but Dwarves kno'd when ta let go so da young can fin' der place in de worl'. Come. Le's drink and help ye remember wha' it is ta be a Dwarf." He gave her a wink, and drug her out of the room and back downstairs. Being Dwarf raised, Zenri had their capacity for strong drink and lots of it. And they ended up being the only ones left by the time the tavern closed for the night, stumbling back to their respective rooms and passing out.
A faint smile was on Zenri's face as the memory faded with her completion of the trap. She wiggled back out of the tunnel and set herself a place off to the side of the entrance to sleep. Grabbing some dried meat from her pack, she snuffed out the torch and settled into the dark. She quickly ate the meat and then curled up to sleep. Her Warrior instincts monitoring everything as she slept lightly.
Zenoz kept stalking and crawling out of her , the moment she went in the rocky formation actually making him base his hunt only on instincts , the sense of smell being the only one keeping him after Zenri as she managed to cut him off a few times , stopping the moment he felt her stop , slapping his tail a few times onto the rocks , the sound hitting off the walls just to show him where the cave was , his large ears getting most off the vibrations , telling him there was a stop into the road.
He moved around , looking a second back on how their taking over of Kzar went on , after the great escape of the dwarves , some managed to stay alive in the city and actually fight back with traps and different weapons just made in hidden forges and behind the drakes backs , teaching him to always watching his back against one of the little men , and Zenri was no different , he moved along the walls , claws used to grip through the rock until the wire came into vision , his eyes dancing over it as he moved his scales to switch the way it went , tightening the hold off the wire to have it react easier , moving the trap to fall on Zenri in case she'd fall into it as the dragon awaited at the exit of the cave.
Zenri rose as the sun started to peak over the horizon. She lay there quietly and listened first. Hearing nothing out of place, she used her other senses and didn't feel the presence of anything in the cave with her. Her eyes finally popped open, but were useless in the pitch black. She gave a thin smile at the realization and slowly sat up. She gathered her things and had a bit of a stretch. It was uncomfortable sleeping in armour, but the only time she afforded herself the luxury of sleeping without was if she knew she was someplace secure. And a cave in the wilderness did not meet that criteria.
She slowly headed out of the tunnel, careful to make no noise, plus she had to disarm the trap, since while it would keep others out, it also kept her in. As she approached it, there was by some fluke of nature, enough sunlight to come streaming down the tunnel. Faintly she spotted the trap and stopped. Reaching out to disarm it, she suddenly froze and looked more closely. Adamantium was the toughest metal the Dwarves had found thus far. Only thing it couldn't seem to penetrate was itself and mitral. She had designed her trap where it would cut someone when they encountered it. No doubt letting out a shocked cry at the very least. Slowly she brought her hand back and worked an axe free. Also a gift from Mezit, along with a pouch full of arrow heads, all made of Adamantium as well.
She grabbed the axe by the handle and poked the wires. Suddenly the whole thing snapped around the axe head, just missing her hand. Eyes narrowed in fury, she started to ever so slowly crawl backwards. Someone had been in the tunnel, and they had tampered with her trap. If she hadn't been aware, and blundered into it, it would have taken her head off. Remembering the follower from the day before, she made her way back into the cave. Taking up a position opposite where she'd slept, she worked the wires off her axe. Apparently, that follower had decided the easiest way to take her out was to alter her own trap. A bit stupid since it was her own, but she gave points for the attempt, even though it was a cowardly thing to do. Instead of facing her in battle as was proper.
Once done untangling the axe, she put the wire away and pulled out her other axe. Crouched down, axes loosely held on her knees, it now became a waiting game. She only had a half a skin of water, and about two days of food, but she had gone hungry and thirsty before. Balancing an axe carefully, she reached down and groped around until she found a small piece of rock. Rubbing it along her belly for a moment, she then popped it into her mouth. Working it under her tongue, she settled back in to wait. The rock would keep moisture in her mouth and she'd be less likely to drink much water, thus stretching what she had. Now it was time to see who had the better patience, her or her adversary.