by Adams, A. D.
Dawra wondered what Terra meant when he said he would be with her. She suspected that they talked without really talking, but she wasn’t sure how, and this seemed to confirm what she felt. Perhaps she would ask Fienna in the morning she thought to herself as she fell asleep.
The next morning Dawra, Fienna, and Terra flew off to the old one’s cave. Dawra led Fienna down the coast and then turned inland, and they flew over the coastal cliffs until they reached a high mountain just insight of the ocean. They flew halfway up the mountain and into a great opening, landing just inside. The cave was huge. In its walls were smaller caves about the size of their home. On the walls just below the caves were pictures. Fienna and Terra had never seen such a place.
They moved along one wall until they came to a picture of what appeared to be the coast. Above the coastline were sets of swirling lines.
“Now, Fienna this is the coast,” Dawra pointed to a deep line cut into the rock face.
“This is where we are now,” and she pointed to a hole next to the heavy line.
“These lines are the winds. There are four sets of winds; each in its own layer. The lowest layer moves up the coast. The next moves down the coast. The next two blow toward the land and out to sea. These two are very dangerous and should never be used,” Dawra was pointing to various lines on the wall as she explained.
“We will first fly up the coast from here to where the dragon gathering is held and then return.”
“When can we start?” Fienna said in an excited voice.
“After we eat. You will need your strength. It won’t be easy.”
“Can I look at the walls before we leave?” said Terra.
“These are the only important pictures,” Dawra said in a serious voice.
“Mother, please let us look around.”
“All right, just for a few minutes.”
Terra and Fienna saw many pictures on the walls of dragons killing great beasts and eating them. Dragons fighting each other, and then they came to a strange picture. It was of a human mounted on a flying dragon. The next picture showed the dragon and human standing next to each other. The picture after that showed two humans standing next to each other, and the dragon was gone. The last two pictures showed two dragons next to each other, and the humans were gone and finally back to a dragon and a human. Fienna called her mother over, and Dawra looked at the pictures.
“They mean nothing. Let’s go hunting,” she said.
“Yes, mother.”
Dawra did not know what the pictures meant, but she knew the old ones understood many things, but how did they know about Terra and Fienna flying together. No human had ever lived with a dragon before.
It concerned her, but she hid her thoughts from Fienna and, of course, Terra.
As they flew back up the coast, they spotted a group of running beasts and quickly had their meal in their talons. They settled on a wide ledge to eat. Terra sat with his legs dangling off the side of the cliff oblivious to his height above the water. His thoughts were of the pictures and what they meant. He could not even conceive of an explanation. Fienna finished her meal and thought to him.
“Forget the pictures. I’m going to fly faster than I ever had. You must keep thinking to me, so I can share it with you.”
“I will Fienna. I will, don’t worry. I’ll always share in you and you in me.”
Fienna and Dawra dropped Terra off at the cave and took off for the mountain they had just left. Dawra told Fienna to land in the mouth of the huge cave, and they would start their flight from there.
The two landed, and Dawra said, “Fienna how do you talk to Terra without talking?”
“He hears my thoughts, and I hear his.”
“You don’t have to talk out loud at all then?”
“No.”
“Does he hear you talking now?”
“Yes.”
“So everything you hear or he hears, you both hear?”
“Yes.”
“Can he feel what you feel, and can you feel what he feels?”
“Of course,” Fienna said in a matter of fact manner.
“I see. Well, it is time to take off. Follow me closely; we will not be able to talk when we enter the winds. Do you understand?”
“Yes, mother,” Fienna said in an annoyed voice.
They took off, and Terra felt Fienna flying, and he saw Dawra in front through Fienna’s eyes.
“Are you there Terra?” Fienna thought.
“You know I’m always with you. Do what your mother said and be careful.”
It was easy for Fienna to enter the winds; she simply flew up into them and was carried away. As Fienna entered them, Terra could feel the sensation of tremendous speed. Fienna simply let the winds carry her body. She did not really have to fly. The wind was cold, but it didn’t bother Fienna. Her thick skin and scales did protect her. After what seemed to be a very short time, Dawra indicated with her tail that they needed to leave the winds. Fienna wanted to continue on, but Terra told her to follow her mother. Fienna had to bank her wings to exit the winds, and it was hard to do. But she was strong and did manage to force her great body out of the winds. The two of them flew to a great bowl-shaped area and landed on one of the high sides of the bowl.
“This is where you will be presented to all the other dragons,”
Dawra said.
Fienna knew of the ceremony. Her mother had talked to her about it several times.
“When will it be Mother?”
“At the end of this season. It’s time for us to return; let’s go. Follow me very carefully; it’s harder to return. You must fly into the winds we were in then turn around and fly up into the next layer. When we leave, the return winds fly straight down through the winds that brought us here without turning,” Dawra warned her daughter.
They took off and entered the winds they had just left, but instead of just being carried by them Dawra turned her body with great effort into the winds. This forced her up into the return winds. Fienna followed suit. Fienna had to use all of her skills and strength to turn her body.
When she had finally completed the turn, she was immediately forced up, and she felt her body pass through a serious of bumps and again she was being carried by the winds. She saw her mother banking her wings to slow herself so Fienna could catch up. As Fienna joined her mother, they flew together back the direction they had come. When it was time to leave, Dawra again used her tail to indicate down. She then banked her wings and flew straight down with considerable speed. She flew right through the lower level of winds. Fienna followed her mother and found the descent a little easier as she became used to maneuvering in the winds.
When they returned to the cave, Fienna immediately went to Terra, and he climbed onto her back and hugged her great neck.
“Wasn’t it exciting? One sun-rising I’ll take you,” Fienna thought to Terra.
“Yes, it was exciting, and I’ll go with you whenever you say.”
That sunset as Fienna and Terra slept Dawra thought of the strange way they could feel each other’s bodies. She had never heard of such a thing. There was something special about Terra and Fienna, much more then a simple attraction. They were in fact joined in a powerful bond. Dawra would talk to Lowlack about it tomorrow maybe he would know something.
The next morning Dawra told Fienna they would practice the same flight every full moon rising until she could do it on her own. Then she said her and Terra could go and do whatever they did during the sun-rising. Lowlack arrived right after they left. Dawra told Lowlack of the pictures and how Fienna and Terra “talked to each other.”
“I have seen the pictures you talk of. They do match Fienna and Terra. I knew that from the beginning,” Lowlack said in an unemotional manner.
“Why didn’t you tell me about them?” Dawra said in an angry voice.
“Because, it wouldn’t have changed anything, and we don’t know what the pictures mean.”
“Well, what about the way the
y can think to each other. What do you think about that?”
“I believe whatever those pictures mean they do have something to do with it. It is obvious that those two are devoted to each other, and nothing will separate them. The way they talk and can feel each other’s bodies and thoughts just proves how powerful the bond is. Neither of us is capable of knowing what will happen. The best we can do is prepare them for life in the ways we know. I think you have done that very well. I won’t worry about them. Fienna is going to be the largest dragon alive, and Terra has powers far beyond our understanding.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“How did Fienna do with the winds?”
“Better than I did at her age. She is a powerful flier.”
Chapter 34 - A Visit to a Friends Home
(True Friendship is a Rare Thing Indeed.)
348 set of seasons since the coming of the Averons
Fienna and Terra flew to the cove where it was Terra’s turn to learn.
Seana did not seem to know that Fienna could understand what she said. Fienna listened and learned, but she did stay back away from the three. Seana seemed to be frightened of her, but she didn’t know why.
She had never threatened her. This sun-rising was different. Seana, Setilan and her father the king came walking out of the water. Terra got up from his normal position, lying against Fienna’s side, and walked up to the three. The King talked first.
“Terra, Seana tells me you’re doing extremely well with your studies. We thought you might wish to come visit us in my palace and see my library.”
Fienna immediately lifted her head from the sand in obvious concern.
The King seeing this said, “Oh, of course, the beautiful Fienna is also invited.”
“We would like to, but we can’t breathe water. I found that out.”
“We have a way of creating a box around you that will let you breathe air. We developed it many sets of seasons ago when the land nymphs would visit my realm.”
“Are you sure that both of us can come?”
“Oh yes, we brought great groups down when we did it before. My people have been practicing, and it will be completely safe. We would like you to visit at the next sunrise.”
“Fienna, would you like to visit them?” Terra thought to her.
“I suppose as long as we are not separated.”
“We will come, but Fienna wishes us together at all times.”
The king with an amazed look on his face said, “Of course, you will never be separated, but how did you know what she wanted?”
“We share everything including our minds.”
All three of the sea nymphs were surprised at this statement.
“Well, I will leave you to your studies. Please meet us here at sunrise.”
The next morning Fienna and Terra were at the cove at sunrise.
Dawra paid little attention to when they left and returned since Fienna was now hunting for herself, and she also took care of Terra’s food needs. As they sat on the beach, they could see in the distance a large object floating towards them. As it came closer, it began to look like a large rock that could be seen through. They were both surprised at this.
As the rock approached, they could see that is was being pulled by thirty to forty sea nymphs. When it was close to shore, Seana walked out of the sea and up to the two of them. At the same time, one side of the see-through rock slowly dropped and lay on the beach.
“This is what you will visit us in. It will keep air in and water out. I will be with you inside,” Seana said in a rather happy voice.
Fienna looked at the whole thing with an eye of suspicion. Terra laughed to himself. She looked so much like her mother the time Lowlack had started the fire in the cave.
“Come please, we need to get started,” Seana said with an air of authority.
She walked up the side of the rock that just opened and into the hole inside the rock. Terra then walked up with Fienna right behind hem.
The hole in the rock was quite large, and Fienna was able to lie down and curled her tail around Terra. Seana noted the possessive way Fienna held Terra with her tail. Slowly, the side of the rock rose back into place, and the sea nymphs started to pull the rock out to sea. They were pulled until the shore looked small on the horizon. Then the Sea nymphs started to attach large rocks to the side, and they started to go under the water. Slowly, the sky disappeared, and the water surrounded the great clear rock. Fienna at first was disturbed by this and then calmed down as Terra soothed her with reassurance. As they descended, lights started to appear below them. They could see many small structures. They looked like huge brown eggs half buried in the sand with holes in their tops. Seana called them buildings. The eggs were arranged around a large central building that she called a palace.
It was made of the same thing that the rock they were in was made of.
There were three large pointed structures that were connected by clear walls creating a central area where an egg shaped building, ten times larger than any of the others, sat. This building was not brown but was many colors like the sky looked after a heavy rain. The top of this building had a large hole in it surrounded by sparkling lights and a group of armed sea nymphs.
The rock they were in was slowly moved over the hole in the great building and lowered into a great cave with many hanging lights. They finally came to rest on the floor in the center of the cave. Many sea nymphs crowded around the rock to see Terra and Fienna. After a while, the king approached with Setilan, and the other’s moved away from the rock. The king began to speak, and they could hear him.
“Welcome to my home. I hope your journey was pleasant.”
“Yes, it was fine,” said Terra
“Do you like my home?”
“Yes, it is very beautiful.”
“Thank you. Now you’ll be moved to the library, which is through that archway,” the King said this as he pointed to a great hole in one wall.
The rock was pushed into another great cave where the walls were filled with books. There were so many that Terra could hardly imagine this much writing. Setilan was now next to the rock, and her father was above them. Setilan started to say. “This is where all the knowledge of the sea nymphs is held. Each book is unique, and each covers many different subjects.”
Suddenly, Terra heard a cracking noise, and everyone in the cave turned toward the rock. Water started to flood the interior of the rock, and everyone outside the rock was swimming around trying to see what was happening. The water quickly was up to Terra’s waist. Fienna lifted him to her back with her tail. Then Terra’s whole body started to glow orange; the light instantly spread to Fienna and surrounded them both. It then began to form a shield that the water was not penetrating.
As the chamber filled, Terra and Fienna were dry within a skintight shield of translucent orange. The rock split virtually in half, and Fienna stepped out with Terra on her back and Seana swimming next to them.
They could breathe without trouble. Everything happened so fast that Fienna could not even think about how they could be breathing.
“Terra how are we able to breathe,” Fienna thought excitedly as she realized what had happened.
“I don’t know, but we are all right,” Terra thought back.
Terra and Fienna stood in front of a crowd of amazed sea nymphs.
Even Setilan could not believe what had happened. Terra spoke to the king.
“I think we should return to the surface. I don’t know what is happening or how long it will last.”
“Of course, please follow me I will lead you out.”
“Fienna spread your wings and just fly like you would normally. I think it will work.”
“Yes, all right.”
Fienna did as Terra requested, and she was able to fly just like in the air. Her great wingspan and powerful motions created strong currents in the water and tossed the sea nymphs around. They had to stay well away from her as she flew through the water. Th
e sight of the two flying through the water was beyond belief to the sea nymphs. They followed them through the library’s entrance and then the hole in the top of the building. More and more of them followed as they saw the wondrous sight. Fienna followed the king until they reached the surface. There she simply flew straight out of the water and into the air. A huge gathering of sea nymphs came to the water’s surface and watched as the great dragon flew to the shore. She landed in the cove, and Terra dismounted.
“Are you all right Fienna?”
“Yes, are you?”
“I’m just a little tired.”
Fienna lay down in the sand, and Terra leaned up against her. As she thought about what happened, her anger grew, and Terra made no attempt to stem it. Smoke began to rise from her nostrils as her anger built. In a few moments, the water in the cove was full of sea nymphs, and King Sedoc with Setilan walked up on shore.
“I’m sorry for what happened,” said the king.
Fienna raised her great head with the smoke floating above her and angrily said in perfect sea nymph language, “You could have hurt us both. If you do that again, I will.” Terra broke her off by saying.
“My Fienna is angry, but she will calm down. I do suggest you not anger her again; she is very dangerous when she’s like this.”
Thin streams of smoke were filling the air as Terra finished.
“Fienna, it is all right. You know Setilan would never hurt us.”
Fienna slowly settled her head back to the sand, and the smoke diminished. The king seemed relieved.
“I suggest that you leave us now; we are both tired.”
“Yes, of course. Do you wish Seana to come tomorrow for your lesson?” Setilan asked.
Terra thought for a moment and decided it might be better to let Fienna calm down before they started the lessons again.
“Next moon rising I think would be better.”
“Very well. Seana and I will be here.”
The king and Setilan went back into the water, and slowly the sea nymphs left the cove. They were finally alone.
“Fienna, will you tell your mother about this?”