The Great Losing: The Mad Dragon King (The World of Shestafa )

by Karine Green

  Mack bowed his head a bit, wide eyed. "Um, what if we have to poop?"

  "Go in the woods like other dragons. But if you do, just know we won't be finding any game to eat in the morning. Everything, deer, bear, elk, snow lions; you name it, and it runs away from dragon poop, even tiger-bears."

  "Stop talking about poop!" Misty stomped her foot.

  "Yes, I am sorry I brought it up. Let's get some rest, and then head out in the morning. We'll stop by Blue Valley and leave her. The visit might jog some of your memories since your parent's home was located there. Then after a few days we'll head out to the White Witch's castle," Méi said, circling to trample the leaves in the cave. She flopped down and closed her eyes.

  Mack ran quickly to just beyond the tree line, "Don't peek!"

  "I am not cleaning that up," Misty called after him, entering the cave.

  A few minutes later Mack came out of the woods, scratched at the ground, and returned to the cave. He lay down, but paused. He decided to see if turning in circles made it better. He turned in three circles. It seemed like a good number, and then lay down. He sighed; the rock floor was still hard and uncomfortable.

  Misty smiled. "You have diamond claws, just scratch up the rock a bit. Air Dragons like to do that."

  He lifted his neck up to stare at her. "Diamond is harder than the limestone." He scratched and pawed at the rock. It crumbled easily, and felt good on his claws. He jumped up enthusiastically, and scratched away at the floor of the cave with all four paws.

  After a few minutes...

  "Mack!" Méi said, lifting her head. "The rocks are as soft as you can make them."

  "Sorry, it just felt so good," he said, and then he turned in circles and lay down. This time, it was more comfortable.

  Méi stared a moment, looking like she was feeling sorry for him. "I think it is not a blessing to have Forgottenness bestowed upon you. You can't even remember how to scratch and trample a bed appropriately. A human had to tell you." She shuddered, "The White Witch had intended to do the same with me that she did with you. I have a sudden new appreciation for raising myself in the woods, instead of going to the other realm. You know nothing of the dangers for dragons here. If it weren't for your dumb luck of appearing close to me, and not the hunters, you would be dead. The Forgottenness blessing would have killed you."

  "I seem to be getting along," he huffed. He knew he would be starving, and almost certainly would have run out to greet the hunters without Méi. Still he found her intolerance of humans to be annoying; they weren't all the same. just as he was sure that some dragons weren't all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips either.

  Misty smiled and curled up to rest on Mack's side by his front legs. "Can I lay here? Please. It seems safer and warmer."

  Méi laughed, "The reality is she doesn't want us leaving her on this high flat-top hill. There is no way she could get down by herself."

  Both Mack and Misty frowned at her.

  "It's true, and if she is going to give up everything including her beloved father, she is going to have her dragon, by slapping a saddle on your back. You'll see," she said, laying her head back down.

  "Let's just go to sleep and sort it out later,” Mack said, feeling very tired.

  Misty nodded and tucked her small backpack between her legs, and then scooted closer to him. "Can I lay here?" She pointed to his front paw.

  "Sure," he said, relaxing. He didn't want to sleep but he was so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open. He had a million questions. He lay awake for as long as he could, watching both Méi and Misty sleep. Misty looked peaceful sleeping with her head on his paw. He had never had a girlfriend, or even a friend that was a girl. He was pretty much a loner. He wondered if the Forgottenness thing Méi was talking about caused the girls to forget him. If that was the case, then he had a whole new bone to pick with the White Witch.

  Misty shifted, and shivered in her sleep. He didn't have a blanket, but he did have wings. He smiled and pulled his wing down to cover Misty up, hoping she would warm up a bit.

  When he finally fell asleep, he dreamed he was at the zoo with Fran and Ed. The animals were strange. He had no idea what sort of animals they were. Fran kept telling him he would remember what they were soon, and that he would not have to be insane for much longer.

  Arlen’s Pond

  I am Wayne Arlen. Arlen clinched his eyes shut tight, wishing Nancy would come and free him from this place. He would listen to whatever lecture she gave him. I am Wayne Arlen.

  I am thirsty Wayne Arlen. He heaved a sigh, and water was dumped on him. He snorted and coughed, shaking his head as a memory came to mind.

  His mother showed him his room. She had seemed like such a big dragon while he rode atop her horns. He clung to them, even wrapping his tail around one of her horns to hold on tighter.

  “Mom, I am afraid to have my own room.” He had begged her, but she wouldn’t allow him to sleep in her room anymore.

  “Arlen, you’ll be fine. We have a nice cold resting pond for you. It’ll be all your own space.” She had patted his back with her tail as she entered his room.

  He smiled. I was torn between loving and hating it.

  A teeny little creek had been fashioned by the staff, it flowed around his room. It began and drained back into a small circular pond in the corner of the room. His new toys were placed around the room so he could practice his dragon magic and roar as he played with them.

  Vain or not, she spoiled me.

  He heard the crack of a whip down the hall, followed by the howl of some poor Stone Dragon.

  I am Way….I am not Wayne. I am Arlen, Son of the South Dragon’s Ridge Water Dragon Minister, Lougonita. And, she never forgot who I was. Where is my real mother? She must be dead, there is no way she would have left me. Not willingly

  The Dragon Capitol

  In the morning, Mack was awoke to Méi dropping a rabbit on his head.

  "Wakey! Thank goodness you buried that poo last night. I was afraid I would find nothing to eat. Here is one for your pet." She held up another rabbit. She quickly skinned and cleaned it with her razor-sharp claws, roasted it with her breath, and tossed it to Misty.

  "Thank you," she said, smiling, then taking a bite. "Mmmmm. It's been a long time since I had meat. Father can't afford it that often, and the hunting tax is too high if you catch something. The Seculars take most of his income to pay for mother's incarceration." She took another bite.

  "Thanks, would you mind...?" Mack asked, holding up the rabbit for her to cook it.

  "Yes, I do. You are not a human. You were only hidden amongst them. You are a dragon. Now eat like one." She bit her rabbit in half.

  They ate in silence for a moment. Méi kept staring at him eating.

  “Alright, it’s good,” he said, finally admitting that the meat was tasty.

  She smiled and nodded her approval of him eating it like a dragon. “It isn’t so bad to be a dragon, you know,” she said, with a gentleness in her voice she had not used with him yet.

  He nodded, smiling, “I think I am getting used to it, a little bit.” He slowed down. He took a second to notice how his tail felt when he wagged it back and forth one time. He didn't want to look like a pup, but wagging it felt good.

  He also noticed that Misty was slowing down.

  "Are you done? Can I have that?" Mack pointed at Misty's rabbit. She had eaten a lot, for a human, but was obviously getting full.

  She smiled and handed it over. "Here you go."

  Méi sighed, apparently resigned to the fact that a human would be traveling with them. "Sharing food with a human is a bad sign."

  Misty smiled, licking her fingers. "That depends on the perspective."

  'You know, you shouldn't share the same food with that thing." Méi frowned. "Or cover it with your wings. The humans start hanging around you if you do that."

  He ate the rest of Misty's rabbit in one bite. "That was bad!" he said, making a face, and coughing.

  "It was cook
ed," Méi sighed. "You really are a dragon. I am not making it up." She picked up his tail and flipped it at him like that would explain things. "If it makes you gassy later, just fly behind me."

  Misty frowned, "I am not sure that Forgottenness is a blessing," she said, changing the subject. “Anything, but talking about poop.”

  "That, we can agree on!" Méi said, marching over to the tree line and pulling at a vine. She finally resorted to slicing it with her claw.

  "What are you doing? I thought you said dragons were strict carnivores?" he asked. "I am not eating that."

  "We have to tie your pet to your back. Unless you really don't want a pet and are eager to watch her spiral to her death from dizzying heights?" Méi said, smiling at Misty who frowned and made a rude gesture.

  "Nice, and you claim to be Spiritual Block?"

  "I was raised in a Secular village," she said, pulling a dragon bridle out of her bag. "This is all that was left of my mother's and Apis' gear."

  "A bridle. That was Apis'," Méi said, quickly running over to Misty, and sniffing the bridle. “It still smells like my uncle.” Tears formed in her eyes, but she quickly regained control of herself.

  "What are you going to do with that?" Mack asked. Something about wearing a bridle seemed degrading. He was a free American teenager yesterday morning. The idea of being bridled like a horse was beyond offensive.

  "Don't worry, I was just going to use it as a tie down. Bridles and saddles must be given and accepted in trust. We hardly know each other," she said, motioning for him to bend down.

  "Put it on. Safety is more important. I will see you safely to Blue Valley, and then return your bridle. Is that ok? Doesn't violate any rules?" He glanced over at Méi, who frowned.

  "It does not violate any rules, but it is unusual for a dragon to allow anyone except the trusted rider to properly bridle or saddle them. Bridling or saddling a strange dragon is the number one reason that humans get bit or eaten by dragons. And, from this moment on the Forgottenness Blessing will be known as a curse," Méi said, still frowning.

  Misty smiled, "That! I can agree on."

  "Forgottenness or not, no dragon ever allowed itself to be bridled by anyone except the rider." Méi curled her lip up.

  Misty put the bridle around his horns, neck, and shoulders and looped the reins back as she climbed onto his back hooking her legs under his wings. Mack was still an adolescent dragon, so the bridle needed a lot of adjusting.

  "Ready?" Méi asked impatiently. “I have to say, it’s impressive that you gave extra care to making sure the bridle was correct and comfortable for Mack.”

  Mack smiled. "Well, this is better than Misty choking me around the neck."

  "Let's go," Misty said, gripping the bridle reins.

  Méi pushed off and they all flew south for what seemed to be a long time. There were hills, and then an enormous lake about the size of Lake Superior. Mack couldn’t see the other side for quite some time. They flew low over some plains. Méi had too much fun chasing a giraffe like creature. Mack had to laugh at Méi, but Misty wasn't amused. She carried on for several minutes about juvenile behavior, and that the hunt was a sacred sacrifice for one species to survive at the expense of the other. He stifled a sigh, she was definitely a spiritual person.

  As they pulled up from the plains, Mack looked around. "Man, this is isolated."

  Misty leaned forward. "Not many people lived here before. Notice the twisted-up trees...like someone was twisting a weed out of the ground instead of pulling it straight up. The few villages that have tried to settle here, are turned back by the terrible rash of tornadoes that plague this region. They would need the help of an Air Dragon if any village is going to survive here. A Water Dragon wouldn't hurt either."

  They stopped for lunch, by a deserted shallow lake. Misty found a berry bush. She tied the bridle-reins back while Méi tried to show Mack how to hunt a rabbit. He finally got one on his own, but that was only after he blew it against a tree, knocking it unconscious.

  "I think I like this hurricane breath," he said, hippity hopping over to the rabbit. “And you have huge rabbits in this place.”

  “They are called Rouker rabbits.” Misty said, before crossing her chest and bowing her head toward the kill.

  Méi rolled her eyes, "You dance like a human. Mack, you have four legs. Dance like this." She danced and turned using all four legs in sync. “Don’t worry, I am sure you’ll get more and more comfortable.”

  Mack ate the rabbit in almost one bite, smiled, then tried to follow her steps.

  She giggled at him. "Well, we'll have to work on the dragon dancing."

  He nodded, and then swam around in the lake for a minute. The water never came over his back. He also caught two bass, or, at least, he thought they might be bass.

  "Méi, there is fish," he called to her.

  "No way! That is water. I am a Fire Dragon. I am not getting in there." She shook her head, planting her rear-end firmly on the shore.

  He smiled and brought her two more fish. She smiled and ate them.

  They took off again, with Misty gripping the reins. Mack could feel her looking around at everything as her body weight shifted a teeny amount with each turn of her neck. They flew over a swampy area, and some grassland. They went high over the last of the Secular villages before heading into the Southern Spiritual Block.

  Méi nodded toward the village. "I think that is Yellow Hollow. It should be the last of the Secular villages before entering the outer boarders of Blue Valley."

  He nodded, then it occurred to him: why hadn't Méi sought refuge in Blue Valley? Was that a bad sign, or did she hate humans so much that she wouldn't even accept help from ones who were decent? He would have to find out later.

  The climate was becoming warmer. Then the grasslands became hilly again. The valleys became subtropical with high snowcapped mountains towering over them. They flew over a destroyed, burned out village that looked abandoned from this height. It was early evening when Mack spotted a rather large village with four enormous barn-like buildings; one north, one south, one east, and one west.

  A giant set of waterfalls cascaded with two tiered lakes setting the background for the village. Mack wished he had his tablet so he could have taken a photo of it.

  "The Guardian Homes!" Misty pointed. "We're here, in Blue Valley. They will be very happy to see you."

  "What are guardians?" Mack asked.

  Misty leaned up to talk into his ear, "They protect the village from each direction. Each village has one set of each of the Elemental Dragons to be village ministers. A palatial, dragon barn home was part of their pay."

  "Just one set of each?" he asked, confused at first, then angry. He was sick of being confused.

  Misty giggled, "No silly, others live in the village. There is only one set of noble dragons per village, but Blue Valley is the capitol, so the Royals also lived here. It is believed they are all gone now. I hope they still have a dragon trainer."

  "Looking to saddle Mack?" Méi asked, flying in close. "He's a Royal you know. It won't be as simple as you think."

  "I am not royal," Mack said, frowning. "If I decide I want or don't want a rider then, that is what it will be."

  Méi smirked little flames, "But you're not a royal, huh." Apparently, she decided not to argue with him because she changed the subject. "I have not been this far South since my parents died. I was born in the northernmost Spiritual Block- Valley of the Dragons. My parents had been the Fire Guardians for our village. My uncle was also a Minister of the Fire Dragons, but he was assigned to Blue Valley. We visited him often. Blue Valley. It's the capital of everything human or dragon. It is located directly in the center of the continent. So, it’s easy to get here from everywhere."

  "Why is it called Blue Valley," Mack asked, thinking it was a very lush green place. "Seems like it should be Green Valley with all these fat trees and leaves." There were fields of food in every direction.

  "Blue Valley had mor
e Air Dragons than any other place, although only one is assigned to the Guardian home. It also housed the Dragon Queen and her consort, who were also Air Dragons. I wonder if you have family left?" Méi shifted her wings to fly directly under them.

  Misty shook her head. "I doubt it. The White Witch would not have been able to take him if his parents were still alive. Dragon mothers will eat the kindest of humans for even looking like they might think about touching their pups. And, that is only if the White Witch could have somehow got past the father. Dragon fathers use dragon's breath and fangs first; mothers will, at least, try to size you up before dispatching you."

  "Hey! I know this place!" Mack said, smiling as a memory came rushing in. "I think I remember learning how to fish at the big lake to the south of that mountain range over there."

  "It's your home! You were hatched here." Méi said, smiling. “I am happy you finally seem to remember something. As the Southern Secular Block capitol, Blue Valley housed not only the Dragon Ministers but also the Human Wizard and Witch Council. And, with that lake so close to the Mountain Dragon's home...they are known to be the best fishers next to Water Dragons. It is no wonder you can fish like a pro. There were many here who it came naturally to."

  Mack looked down on the village. He had doodled and sketched pictures of it when he was bored at school. The high-pitched roofs had rails that ran along the top for the dragons to perch on. His paws would close around them perfectly to allow him to sit up there and bask in the warm breeze. Not one dragon was on them right now. They were a stark, empty, reminder that the dragons were gone from this place.

  The houses appeared Polynesian, but definitely had their own flare. The upstairs windows were larger than the lower windows so the dragons could live in the same house as their riders. Although from the looks of it now, humans lived on both levels. There were no signs of any other dragons. He sighed, as sadness filled him.

  Maybe Méi has a good reason for hating the humans.

  The Red Wizard