Bishel Dragon from Bishen Realm. More information here.
A caustic blast of wind tore across the landscape, pummeling the cracked and dried ground and kicking up an even bigger cloud of sand and salt crystals. The growing tempest would be capable of tearing clothes and flesh at its peak. The open, violet sky and pale, barren flats stretched to the horizon in all directions, disturbed only by the massive clouds of the gathering salt storm. Only a fool would cross that scab on the planet's surface, even in the milder seasons. This was not a mild season.
But there was life. Buried far beneath the reach of the screaming wind and scorching blue-white sun, there was busy activity inside the tunnels and caverns of the Ferreus Caves. Hidden from the outside world, a community had grown there. Gehenian Seraphs and Satyrs, men, the occasional transplant, and, of course, the Bunny Dragons. Ferreus Caves was the only location in the known 'verse where Bunny Dragons made their home. Bunny Dragons were one of the largest known dragon species, and they thrived by bonding with others. This was what led a few fools to try the crossing of the Salt Flats each year at the worst possible time. Most never reached their destination, but now and then the Seraphs and Satyrs saw fit to rescue one of them. There was no one in the storm today, and the attention of the general public lay elsewhere.
"Now, remember, these are going to Lady Indyana at the Creature Refuge. No stops along the way. No excuses. And most of all, do not lose them!" The man glared down at the tiny Gehenian at his feet. The goat-legged, spade-tailed satyr glared right back up at him.
"Hey, that one wasn't my fault. There were extenuating circumstances. A pair of very nice ones, actually." He swished his tail back and forth and crossed his thick arms, a look of pleasant recollection coming to his face.
The man sighed and rubbed his temples. Why did he even bother? "Just get them there."
"Yeah, yeah... two eggs, one letter, et cetera, et cetera." A tiny clipboard appeared in a cloud of smoke, and the satyr tapped at it, checking off something as he looked first at one of the Bunny Dragon eggs, then the other. They towered over him at a gigantic two feet. He sighed loudly, then glanced up at the man. "Anything else?"
The man just stared down at him, a faint growl in his throat.
"All right, all right, I'm going... Kipfel's Claws, you need to take a day off." With a slow head shake and a giant puff of sulfur, the tiny satyr and his two charges were gone.
Samir sighed and looked up at the jagged ceiling. "Should have had a seraph do it..."
The mountains were timeless. They had stood guard over the Creature Refuge since before it officially came into being. They had watched time change the face of the land, been worn away by wind and water, and been reborn in turmoils of fire and earth. In these silent, towering faces of rock, a lone Bishel Dragon lay motionless, his head bowed in meditation. His gravel-like hide gave him the appearance of a decorated stone sculpture. He was dark and rough with lighter, more jagged bands of scales running down his underside and along his back. A set of sloping horns ran back from the thick mane of green that covered his head and neck. Similar tufts of grassy hair graced his four feet and tail. Only the sound of his breathing gave him away as a creature of flesh and blood. The young dragon had traveled in the mountains for over a week, fasting and listening for the voice of the rock. It was his time to find his magic. But so far, the mountains had only offered counsel and not the power he craved.
This time was so much like the others. The stone showed him a high, black peak, standing against the clear, blue sky. The mountain stood alone, did not care for the elements that destroyed and created it, and did not care for the creatures who trod upon it. On the slopes of the mountain, there was a cave. He floated into the cave, and inside, he found a glowing egg. It radiated power and promise. It could be molded, shaped by his will. The rock closed in behind him, sealing him in, isolating him from the world outside. Solitude. Silence. Then, blackness and nothing.
The shrape blinked liquid, black eyes and shook his head slowly, his grassy mane falling along his rather blunt muzzle. The day seemed too bright, even though he was in the mountain's shadow. A week, and he still had no idea what it all meant. The rocks had spoken to him since he was a wyrm, and he had always thought that finding his magic would be a simple task. But all the mountains were showing him didn't make sense. The one message he understood was that he needed to remain alone. Only then would he find his power. Like the great mountain that stood above all and cared for nothing, he must care for nothing and stand alone. That meant never going back to the Creature Refuge. Never going back to Raina Lynn.
He sighed and climbed to his feet, his four sharp, cloven hooves, shrouded in grassy fringes, digging in and scraping against the hard stony earth.
Bishel Dragon from Bishen Realm. More information here.
His mind turned to Raina Lynn, the caring Red Terran Machesri. She was waiting for him to return, waiting to start their adventures, but he was being drawn away. Could he just leave? The voice in the back of his head told him that he had already left. All he had to do now was not return. It would not be difficult. Raina Lynn was part of another world, and although he had grown to trust her and her human bond, he had always felt that he did not deserve to share their life. He had always been different, for the Machesri were not his Clan. His own Clan had sent him to spy on the Machesri's Bishen Realm, to spy on the humans they called their friends and allies. In the process, he had been separated from his people, and they had not managed to contact him. There was that to consider as well. If they did try to contact him, would it not be at Bishen Realm, in the Creature Refuge? What if they did not find him there?
The stone dragon shook his head again. There were too many arguments and scenarios for his taste. He would have to trust the rocks to guide him. Timeless and ever patient, they would not lead him astray. He swished his tail pensively, letting the tuft of thick, straw-like hair at the end sweep the ground. The day was still young, and there was time to travel farther up the mountainside. He shook out his mane, letting it fall to either side of the rocky ridge that ran along his spine. and started moving again.
There was a puff of smoke and the sharp scent of sulfur. The dragon jerked his head up, startled, and backed away, rearing momentarily onto his back hooves. Then he lowered his head in an aggressive posture and pawed the earth, sending gravel scattering. He did not like surprises.
Nevertheless, what he saw was indeed surprising. A tiny little man with furry legs, cloven hooves, and horns stood before him, holding a clipboard and glaring around at the mountain scenery. Behind him were two very large eggs, each brilliantly colored with gleaming edges of silver. Bishel Dragons were not large in general, and the eggs reached nearly to the stone shrape's shoulders as they lay on the ground. The little man swished a pointed tail and muttered.
"This isn't the Creature Refuge... Hendish blazes..." His gaze finally found the Bishel Dragon, and he glared at the larger creature. At three feet tall, the dragon loomed menacingly, but the satyr didn't so much as blink before demanding, "Hey, you! Dragon! You know where the Creature Refuge is from here?"
The Bishel Dragon blinked blankly for a moment, apparently still processing the image of a tiny satyr with a clipboard and two absolutely gigantic eggs. In reality, he was thinking that one of the eggs looked very familiar. It radiated power and possibility, and he knew where he had seen it before. That was his egg. He had to have it. His eyes took on a greedy glint. *Over those mountains.* He casually gestured with his nose to a large, impressive spread of dangerous peaks.
"Oh, great..." There was blatant sarcasm, and the satyr glared at the two large eggs, obviously tired of carting them about.
The Bishel shrape quickly put together the clues and innocently asked, *Are you delivering those eggs to Indyana?*
The satyr glanced up from his charges, narrowing his eyes. "Yes, to Lady Indyana at the Creature Refuge. Got a problem with that?"
The dragon altered his speech slightly, trying to match the tone the satyr was setting. *Well, they just look rather... heavy. And large. Whatever hatches from them must be... gigantic, to say the least. I am not certain Lady Indyana would want two of them.*
"Hey, the boss says to the Creature Refuge, then to the Creature Refuge."
*Perhaps... but Lady Indyana would certainly have to find another place for at least one, if not both of them. They couldn't possibly live in the Creature Refuge. It is large, but not that large. She might very well refuse the delivery, and then you would have to take them back to wherever it is you came from. And if not, no doubt, I would return to the Refuge only to have her send me back out with one of them, looking for a suitable home.*
"What's your point?"
*Well, you could save me a trip and yourself a lot of trouble... just leave one here.*
"Oh no, you don't! I'm not falling for that one. You're probably a poacher."
*... A dragon poacher who poaches dragons?* The dragon raised a brow ridge, giving the satyr an amused look.
The satyr frowned in return. "Well... still. I'm supposed to deliver them to Lady Indyana. What do I tell the boss man?"
*Popping from place to place like that must hold some risks. I'm sure things get lost all the time. Misplaced. Destiny steps in, and the next thing you know, they are gone.* The Bishel Dragon gave the satyr a calculating look.
The little man returned it, catching the drift. "Yeah, things can get lost. Some deity gets bored, makes a grab for an interesting trinket... it happens."
*How about this: I will find a good home for one of your eggs, and you can deliver one to Lady Indyana. As I said, it is probably better that way. It will save her the trouble. If there is only one, she is less likely to send it back...*
The satyr grinned. "I like the way you think. And if anyone asks..."
The dragon grinned back, showing sharp teeth in an expression that bordered on sinister. *Destiny.*
The satyr laughed, obviously pleased with the deal. "Hey, I'll even throw in a copy of the paperwork. You'll need all the help you can get... " In a puff of yellowish smoke, a large pile of paper appeared, bound into a rudimentary book.
The dragon looked at the cover, which simply proclaimed Manual. He glanced at the eggs, then nosed at the one that was mottled with blue, gray, and red.
Bunny Dragon from Ferreus Caves. More information here.
It was heavy, but he could probably move it, given enough incentive. *Pleasant doing business with you,* he said to the satyr.
"Hey, all the boss needs to know is that two eggs were delivered." The satyr shrugged and scratched out something on his clipboard. "Destiny."
Then, with a pop and a cloud of acrid smoke, he was gone, leaving the young Bishel Dragon alone with his new charge. He nosed at the booklet, flipping open to the first page, Bunny Dragon Information.
*Bunny Dragon...* he muttered. So it was another dragon species. He hadn't heard of this particular species before, but it was obviously massive. He glanced again at the egg, which seemed to call him on some deep level. It was his egg, his dragon inside it. And he was certain that dragon could be molded into something great.
*Egg, I am Dracstan. You may call me 'Master'. You have much to learn, but with my help, you will become powerful and strong.* He tilted his head slightly, expecting some sort of response. There was nothing except a vague sensation of expectation.
Dracstan frowned. Finally, he ducked his head and started reading the papers. Best to know what he was up against.
Second Bunny Dragon egg has been transported to the Creature Refuge.
Bishel Dragon from Bishen Realm and copyright © 2003-2004 Rachel "Indy" Gratis. Bunny Dragon from Ferreus Caves and copyright © 2005 Lindsay "Lilu" Buck. Backgrounds from the Absolute Background Textures Archive. Text and graphics copyright © 2007 Rachel "Indy" Gratis, all rights reserved, except where otherwise noted. Respect copyright, and do not take material from these pages.
Last Updated: March 27, 2007
Page Created: February 24, 2007