by Paul Cude
Silverbonce, meanwhile, only had one intention... to get the ball. Surging forward, he surprised Dunedin's Rex as he swept past at speed. Currently, Flamer had possession of the ball and seemed to be teasing Bronti with it. The look on his face was priceless as Silverbonce approached. It was practically the last thing he expected. Drawing up short of Flamer, the old mouth guard held out his wings in anticipation of getting the ball. Flamer, momentarily confused as to why Silverbonce was this far up the pitch, hesitated. And that's all it took for Dunedin's Terry to zoom up from beneath him and pinch the ball from right out between his wings. Clumsily, Flamer tumbled off to one side, dazed and confused. Cursing under his breath, Silverbonce took off after the ball.
A groggy Steel managed to feebly roll onto his side, back on the ledge deep within his own half. Through slightly blurred vision, he could just make out Silverbonce hurrying after the ball. Closing his eyes, silently he wished the old mouth guard good luck.
THWACK! Terry slapped the ball down the line with his tail, executing a perfect pass to Rex, who in turn shot up towards the ceiling, all the time twisting and turning. Again, Silverbonce cursed. It was one thing being a mouth guard (normally his experience more than made up for his lack of youth and fitness) but it was something else altogether to go chasing after dragons who were half his age. Once the Warriors got the ball, he was sure he could get it, but as he lagged well behind play, heading back towards his own half, he wasn't nearly so certain. Considering letting the Dinosaurs score, knowing that even then there was no guarantee he'd get the ball from the restart, all he really knew as he pumped his wings in frustration, was that things were not going well.
Wondering just where the rest of the team were, Cheese and Barf hurriedly chased back.
'Silverbonce is supposed to be guarding the mouth,' thought Barf, 'and yet there's a great big gaping chasm there. And come to think of it, where in the name of all that's hot is Steel? I haven't seen him since the start of the game.' Roaring flame spat out of Barf's mouth, flicking back down both sides of his jaw as he pursued the Dinosaurs player with the ball, determined to redouble his efforts and stop them getting a shot off.
Having expended a massive amount of energy in putting himself between the ball and the Warriors' mouth, Cheese hovered to a halt, wondering if the rest of the team would use the valuable seconds he'd bought them... wisely.
Rex had little choice but to pass the ball, with Barf hounding him mercilessly and Cheese blocking him out front. The pass, much to the relief of the Warriors, had to go back, because the rest of the Dinosaurs hadn't managed to keep up with him on the break. Simultaneously, Cheese and Barf both let out sighs of relief, tiny dribbles of orange flame snaking from their nostrils. Meanwhile, Silverbonce would have let out a similar sigh at the sight of the back pass and the slowdown of play, had he had any breath left. Flying at breakneck speed, well... for him anyway, he closed in on Bronti, who currently had hold of the ball. Instinctively, Bronti pummelled the ball with his tail to Tri who'd stormed up to support the rest of his team. Just before it reached his outstretched arms though, up popped Flamer from absolutely nowhere, looking fully recovered from his collision with Terry. Tri lunged forward, trying with all his might to tackle Flamer, but the young dragon was too quick, zipping upwards and executing a perfect one hundred and eighty degree flip, before pouring on as much speed as he dare, heading towards the lava. Silverbonce looked on exasperated. Desperation welled up inside him as the feeling he had got stronger and stronger, more out of control, almost as if on a timer. With every second that passed, the situation seemed more and more urgent.
All three friends had no idea which way to look. First this way, then that way, the game becoming something of a blur and they, like the rest of the spectators, still had absolutely no idea why Silverbonce was hovering in the middle of the arena instead of guarding his mouth.
Shooting across the bubbling lava, whipping up the roiling magma in his wake, Flamer dodged in and out of steaming pockets of erupting flame as Rex tore towards him from above. Quite quickly it became obvious that because the lava had slowed him down, a challenge from Rex was unavoidable. Searching frantically for one of his teammates, Flamer was lucky that Barf had continued his great work ethic and was now flying parallel to him, some twenty or so yards off to his right, about a yard or so above the bubbling magma. With Rex closing fast, Flamer did the only thing he really could. In one silky smooth move, he flipped the ball up in the air, let his momentum carry it down the length of his tail and once there, braked sharply for all he was worth, transferring all the force in the move to power his tail, and BANG! Off sped the ball in the direction of Barf, a fraction of a second before Rex slammed into him. Accompanied by the sound of breaking bones and tearing ligaments, both dragons careered off in different directions, both splashing unceremoniously into the searing orange lake.
Silverbonce, meanwhile, tried to breathe first through his nose, then through his mouth.
'At this point,' he thought, 'I'd try breathing through my bottom if I thought it would help me keep up with the action.' Now that play had been reversed and the Warriors had possession, he wasn't far off the ball, but was still struggling to keep up.
'If only they'd keep still for just a few seconds,' he mused, flapping his burning wings as hard as he could.
Picking up the ball with the end of his tail, Barf casually flicked it up into his hands, feeling a tickle of heat from the lava on his bulging belly as he did so. With the laminium from the ball boosting his senses, he reached out telepathically to his teammates, only to find a muzzy kind of static blocking him. Pulling up sharply, hovering just above the molten magma, so close he could feel the tip of his tail being splattered with tiny droplets, without any opponents nearby, he tried to take in the overall picture of the game. Two dragon medics were currently winging their way towards Rex and Flamer, both of whom were still face down in the scorching lava. Cheese seemed to be catching his breath, right in front of his own mouth. Tri and Terry were zipping across the cavern on an intercept course, while Bronti and Raptor were holding their positions between him and the Dinosaurs' mouth. Strangely, Silverbonce was the closest Warrior to him, something he found odd, but didn't have time to dwell on. Weaving across and then up, hugging the rocks that jutted out of the side of the arena, it suddenly occurred to him that there was no sign of Steel, which in turn made his heart pump furiously.
'Come back,' thought Silverbonce, anxiously trying to project what he was feeling in Barf's direction. It must have worked to some extent as Barf glanced over his shoulder at the old mouth guard, giving him a quizzical look, almost colliding with a particularly vicious section of wall for his trouble. Drawing to a halt and projecting a picture of Barf giving the ball to him, Silverbonce used up every last ounce of his willpower. Surprised by the image inside his mind that had all but overwhelmed him, Barf hovered to a halt halfway up the wall. Turning and looking back in the old dragon's direction, he was more than a little puzzled when Silverbonce motioned for him to come back, but knew better than to question his teammate's cunning and experience. After all, the wily old mouth guard had singlehandedly saved the team on countless occasions. Assuming this was just another one of those highly unusual and highly successful ruses, Barf used his mighty talons to push off from the rocky incline, heading swiftly towards his popular teammate.
Tri and Terry filled their team's telepathic connection with a sense of puzzlement as they cut through the air at speed towards the lone Warrior with the ball, when unexpectedly he headed back towards the centre of the arena, and the crazy mouth guard who'd long since abandoned his position. Adjusting their trajectories, both sped off accordingly.
A cheer went up from the fans across the stadium as Rex and Flamer emerged from the concealed entrance that the medic dragons used, both patched up and looking more than a little worse for wear.
Just then a snaking smile flitted across Silverbonce's prehistoric jaw, with Barf having nearly reached him wit
h the ball.
'Things,' he thought, 'are looking up.'
Barf approached at speed, fully aware that Tri and Terry were almost upon him, a fact he was pretty sure his teammate was oblivious to. Holding still, arms outstretched ready to receive the ball, the old mouth guard was about to have all his questions answered. Getting within two yards, Barf threw the ball straight at the old mouth guard and then ducked around his teammate, flying head on into the onrushing Tri and Terry. The sound of bones shattering and tendons snapping reverberated around the arena as the crowd turned deathly silent.
Catching the ball, a force the strength of the wildest storm the planet had ever seen ripped through him, that nagging feeling that he'd had for some time now engulfing him totally. Every nerve ending detonated in pain and huge explosions erupted behind his eyes as he tumbled uncontrollably, heading directly for the lava, hands glued to the ball.
Barf and Terry spiralled frenziedly around in the air, high above the molten magma, a long tear across the centre of Barf's right wing, the last third of Terry's tail crumpled and broken, the pair locked together in what looked like some bizarre kind of dance. Both were clearly going to play no part in the rest of the match. Bounding out of their secluded entrance with a burst of speed, both medic dragons headed towards the two injured players.
Despite overwhelming pain, Silverbonce had managed to arrest his fall somewhat. Currently he was trying to make sense of what he was feeling. Images flashed through his mind, none that he recognised, but all filling him with a sense of terrible dread. Feeling in immediate danger, he had no idea why. What he needed was time... time to figure out exactly what was going on, which he was convinced would come to him... unfortunately not as quickly as one of his opponents.
Tri had taken a glancing blow when the crazy Barf had deliberately flown straight into him and Terry moments before. Cursing himself for not seeing the unconventional attack coming he was, however, proud that he'd managed at the last split second to dive off to one side, limiting the damage somewhat. All of this ran through his mind as he watched the medic dragons halt the descent of Barf and Terry, albeit through dark spots that had started to appear in the centre of his vision. Darkness was also starting to form around the edges of his sight, making him realise, along with the searing pain and the fact that he could hardly pull in a single breath, that he'd broken some ribs. (He'd sustained that particular injury before and recognised the familiar sensations.) Also he was reasonably sure that he'd broken the toe phalanges on his left foot, knowing that the next time he had to land would be interesting to say the least, but all this was secondary in his mind. Angry, mad even, he was determined to make up for being suckered into the momentary lapse of judgement that had been the collision. Right at this very moment he had his sights set on retrieving possession of the ball, regardless of his failing vision, breathing problems and the piercing pain. Determined, he tore down towards Silverbonce from directly above, the old dragon not having the faintest idea he was there. In moments he'd have the ball back for his side. This very thought pleased him no end, even though he knew he'd struggle to last the rest of the match.
Floating above the spitting molten magma, Silverbonce gripped the ball for all he was worth, frantically trying to unravel what the danger was; he had to know and wouldn't let another disaster take innocent dragon lives. Abruptly his experienced sense of spatial awareness kicked into overdrive. A little rush of air on the back of his neck was his first clue. Craning his head to look up, he got hit full on in the face by the onrushing Tri. SMASH! The old mouth guard's fighting instinct sprang to the fore, enabling him to double his grip on the ball, in spite of the pain he found himself in. Instinctively he brought his tail round, catching his opponent fully across the belly. Unbelievably, Tri was still in the mix, having a grip on the ball, determined to regain possession for his side and make up for his earlier error. Both dragons twisted, turned, tumbled and spun, all the while holding onto the ball. With every moment that passed, the sensation of danger increased.
In a moment of inspiration it came to him. Silverbonce knew what was going to happen. It was a BOMB! And it was about to explode.
Images ravaged the old mouth guard's mind: death, destruction, violence and savagery. Fear coursed through him as he toppled head over heels, all the time trying to pry the ball away from Tri. Spinning out of control, he searched for a solution. None presented itself. Energy sapped, he sobbed as the brilliant orange lake of molten magma rushed up at him, sorry he couldn't prevent the impending disaster that was about to visit itself upon one tiny part of dragonkind. About to let go, a wicked breeze tickled his whole body. With all the energy he had left, he leant back and looked up. A familiar face smiled down at him, albeit something of a blur due to the speed he was travelling. Reluctantly, Silverbonce relinquished his grip on the ball. The doom laden images disappeared. One thought above all others sprang to the forefront of his mind:
'If anyone can save us, he can.'
An impact almost as loud as an explosion streaked across the arena as Steel shot through the two of them from above (quite literally in the case of Tri) and, carrying the ball, plunged head first into the steaming orange mass of superheated, bubbling lava. He hit so hard that the backwash of molten magma covered the wily old mouth guard and Tri from head to tail. Silverbonce caught Tri's broken body as it plummeted towards the surface, the Dunedin dragon barely conscious after Steel's assault. Glancing over at the medics' entrance, the old mouth guard could see no sign of either dragon, so, knowing that the match was well and truly over, he decided to take Tri to them. On doing so, he reached out with his mind, searching for Steel, but any remaining inkling of him had disappeared beyond all recognition.
On fire in more ways than one, he knew what he was holding. Able to envisage the inside, visualise the foreign body inhabiting the ball, take in the red digital lines that formed the numbers, flickering and changing... counting down... he knew that time had all but run out; of course he'd done this before, but under quite different circumstances. Then the lava was of a much stranger consistency, and had been much harder to navigate through. Here and now, it was much... thinner, easier to glide through, but hotter, much, much hotter. Also, last time he hadn't been holding a bomb about to go off, just a normal, everyday laminium ball.
'Oh, how I hope this is going to work,' he thought, as he continued straight down at a colossal rate of knots. His scales were burnt; some even dropping off, with the roiling molten liquid squeezing its way past those that remained, destroying the lining between them and his delicate skin. Epic, was the only way to describe the pain, but still he carried on, the numbers in his mind all the time counting down. Aware of how many dragons were up there in the arena, he knew he had to get as far down as possible. He had to. Everything depended on it.
Way up above, Silverbonce had managed to get Tri into the hands of one of the medics, the Dunedin Dragon mumbling his thanks to the old mouth guard as he was dragged into the depths of the medical bay. Players from both teams swooped down to surround the Warriors' mouth guard. It had been minutes since Steel had disappeared beneath the lava, with the crowd becoming restless, the players on both sides confused, and the referee helpless. With the players swarming around him for some answers, the crowd's restlessness turned to boos.
Needing everybody's attention, the old mouth guard knew there was only one way to get it done. It was something he'd been taught a long time ago by his then best friend. Searching frantically for the memory, astonishingly he found it, and began waving and weaving his wings in the most intricate of patterns. The booing subsided, with everyone mesmerised by Silverbonce's actions. Only a little chatter flitted around the stadium now, but it was too much.
"SILENCE!" commanded Silverbonce, putting more than a little magic behind his words. Instantly, the crowd quietened.
"Listen to me... NOW! We need to evacuate the arena... at once!"
"But why?" demanded the referee.
"We don't have time
for this now," exclaimed the old mouth guard.
"We're in danger. Every dragon here. I don't know how or why, but there's a BOMB implanted within the ball. And so for everyone's safety, we need to clear the area... RIGHT NOW!"
Nobody needed telling twice. One of the dragon medics listening from just inside the medical bay punched the alarm. A shrill blaring like an air raid siren sounded inside and outside the arena. Dragons of all shapes and sizes started to flee in every direction. Some went on foot in their human form, using their magic to boost their speed, but most took to the skies, flying towards the nearest exit.
* * *
Out of time, his last breath was fighting to escape; only the fear of his own death and that of the dragons above prevented him from opening his mouth. Every single part of him burned in excruciating pain. Having closed his eyelids as soon as he'd hit the molten magma, he was now starting to see bright light ahead of him, and knew that his skin had nearly been burnt away. It was time, he thought to himself, feeling lonely and desperate in what seemed like a world away from the laminium ball arena. Gathering all his reserves of energy, he shifted his weight to one side, drew back the arm of the hand carrying the ball, and with all his might threw it further on its way. Instantly he turned and headed in the direction that he thought of as up, putting everything he had into finding as much speed as possible. In reality he had no idea if he was right or wrong, having been under the lava for what seemed like an eternity, and if he'd been off by even a little when he'd dived beneath the scorching liquid, then he'd now be heading in the wrong direction. Kicking what was left of his tail, and pumping the bones in his wings furiously, determined to get as far away from the blast as possible, his thoughts turned to his teammates and the fans, hoping above all else that they'd made their way to safety.