"I did it!" he screamed. "I did it! They are mine and there's nothing Msia or any of the fools in Panthera can do now to stop me!!"
Grinning pleased with his success, Mulu started in to collect his reward. Dragon power would now be his. He would be the most powerful Dragon was ever hatched. As he reached down to collect his first egg, there was a great rumble that ran through the mountain. Mulu took a few steps back as he tried to keep steady on his feet and ride out the tremor.
Suddenly he heard a great roar that seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. As Mulu backed up, a billowing wind came flooring into the chamber all around him. With one last tremor, Mulu fell to his knees and the chambers shaking calmed down to a few weak shudders. Thinking this was his chance, Mulu scrambled to his feet and started again for the eggs.
[HOLD INTRUDER!] Said a booming voice from nowhere. [YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE. THIS IS A SACRED PLACE WHERE ONLY DRAGONS MAY WALK. TURN AND LEAVE NOW AND WE WILL TAKE NO OFFENSE.]
"I am Mulu Amin," He said pounding his chest. "Warlord and master of the great Hyenen nation and soon, all of Aspana. I claim these eggs as my own. The fruit of my long search. Step away and let me collect my reward."
Suddenly the rumbling started again as the voice began to laugh.
[HAVE A CARE DEMON. YOU ARE POWERFUL, BUT AS I SAID. THIS IS A PLACE OF DRAGONS. YOU HOLD NO POWER HERE. WE WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO STEAL ANY OF OUR EGGS.]
"And what will you do Worm?" Mulu laughed. "There are no Dragons in Aspana. The time of Dragons was long ago. Aspana has not been the home to a Dragon in a thousand years. You do not scare me. I will take what I want and there is nothing you can do about it!"
As Mulu looked around, there was a beautiful fist sized ruby sitting a few feet away from him with two topaz, a garnet, three sapphires and giant pearl. He took a step forward and reached down to grab the gem and suddenly there was a ear shattering roar. Mulu turned quick and standing across from him in the chamber entrance was Msia dressed in handsome ruby red leathers and Akani and a stranger.
"Your wrong Mulu." He said. "There are still Dragons here in Aspana, Would you like to meet one?"
Msia took a big deep breathe and blew out a great plumb of flame that engulfed his whole body setting him on fire. As the heat grew to volcanic heat, Mulu stepped back and tried to shield himself from the flames. As the heat and flames dowsed, there standing in front of Mulu was a huge red Dragon. It roared as it started toward the Hyenen.
As Inferno started toward him, Mulu moved bake and gave Msia a curious smile.
"There has been many changes since you escaped from my pit." Mulu said. "You found the Star of Hakima I see. I've done a little improving too. Watch what I can do."
Holding out his arms, Mulu started to spin around and around. Thick black smoke started seeping out from him until he was nothing but a great cloud of smoke. Then in a flash of eerie blue light, Mulu exploded and the cloud started to break apart.
"Behold Dragon!" Mulu said as his Demon form stepped out of the cloud. "You are about to take your last breath."
With that said, Mulu launched himself at Inferno with his claws ready to kill. Inferno roared again as Mulu attacked. He spread his wings and dived at Mulu. Flames surrounded him as he attacked.
[NO!!] The voice screamed. [THERE WILL BE NO COMBAT IN THIS SACRED PLACE!! BEGONE HYENEN FILTH!!!]
A bolt of lightning came flying out from the back of the cave, and like a flaming arrow struck Mulu in his chest. Mulu screamed and threw up his arms and started to shake. He stood there frozen in place for a few seconds, then disappeared in a great explosion of smoke. Inferno pulled himself up out of his dive and did a quick circle around the room. Not knowing what had happened to his enemy, he came back to land a few yards out from Akani and Aggar.
"Where is he?" Msia asked. "Where did Mulu go?"
[HE HAS BEEN SENT BACK TO HIS HYENEN CITY.] The voice said. [I COULD NOT ALLOW YOU TO DO BATTLE HERE. THE EGGS WOULD BE DESTROYED. I MUST PROTECT THE EGGS HERE.]
"Who are you?" Akani asked. "And why have you been calling me?"
[IT IS NOT ME THAT HAS BEEN CALLING YOU AKANI.] The voice said. [I AM DREAD, THE FEAR DRAGON, I HAVE BEEN PLACED HERE IN THE DRAGON SPIRIT TO PROTECT THE LAST OF ASPANA'S DRAGON EGGS.]
"Myumbo Dread." Msia bowed. "I thought my sire Terra was the last of the Dragons here?"
[HE WAS.] Dread said. [HE WAS THE LAST OF THE LIVING DRAGONS. I AM JUST A SPIRIT PUT HERE TO PROTECT THE EGGS UNTIL THE NEXT GENERATION IS BORN. THAT GENERATION WILL START WITH YOU INFERNO AND YOU AKANI.]
"Me?" Akani looked from Aggar to Msia feeling unworthy. "I am not Dragon. I am not worthy."
[YOU HAVE STOOD WITH MSIA ALMOST FROM THE MOMENT YOU MET HIM. YOU HAVE FOUGHT BY HIS SIDE AND FOUGHT TO PROTECT HIM. YOU HAVE A DRAGONS HEART, MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT THAT. IF YOU WERE NOT WORTHY, PITCH WOULD NOT BE CALLING YOU.]
"Pitch?" Akani looked to Msia and scratched his head. "I don't understand."
"Pitch is the Dragonet that's calling you." Msia explained. "The voice you keep hearing."
[I am Pitch.] He heard in his head. [If you agree, soon we will be Pitch. I will share my existence with you. There is no reason to fear.]
"Once Pitch hatches and merges with you." Msia said as he moved to Akani's side. "You will understand everything."
Akani was confused by all this talk of him becoming a dragon. Though Msia was now a dragon, he still didn't understand how it is that dragons weren't monsters. The story's told of dragons in his youth still haunted his memories. He remembered the stories about villages being eaten and the field that were burned. We're the elders wrong? Was that not a true history?
[Some was true.] Pitch said. [Some was just made to scare you. I will tell you everything once we are joined.]
"Is this what you want Sire?" Akani looked at Msia fright in his eyes.
"This cannot be my decision." Msia said. "This has to be your choice. But it will make you stronger and give you the ability to help save Aspana."
"Then I will do it." Akani said. "If it can help to stop my people from being Mulu's dog soldiers, I will do it. What must I do?"
[THERE IS A GREEN VERDITE STONE THERE AT YOUR FEET.] Dread sent. [PICK IT UP.]
Akani stepped forward and looked down at a beautiful fist sized verdite. He picked it up and held it and looked deeply in the flashing sparks of reflected light.
"What happens now?" He asked.
[We merge!!]
In a flash of light the verdite cracked into two pieces in his hand and the Dragonet jumped into Akani's heart. His ears started to buzz and scream as the dragon started to merge with him. He fell to his knee as his body began to grow and change. Wings sprouted from his back and started to vibrate and throw off a sound that was almost hypnotic to anyone near that could hear it. His arms and legs stretched as they became scaly with long sharp talons. A tail grew from his rear with a long fin that stuck out like a fan. Pitch through back his head and roared his first challenge out to the world announcing the birth of a new Dragon.
[WE ARE PITCH! THE DRAGON OF SOUND!!]
Pitch was a dark green slender dragon with great broad wings and a massive tail with two small horns placed just over his eyes. As his wings moved, they made a curious sound quite pleasant to hear. He told them that it was a part of the song he sang of the joy of being joined. As he moved out to join them. he shifted back to Akani dressed in forest green leathers.
"I understand now." He said with a smile. "Its all so clear. Myumbo my king and friend Aggar."
"Welcome Pitch." Aggar reached out to clasp his arm in friendship. "Now Aspana has two Dragons."
"But what about Aggar?" Msia asked. "Surely he had great honor. He brought my egg to me. Shouldn't he be a Dragon too?"
[AGGAR HAS A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE FUTURE OF KEANNA.] Dread told them. [HE WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN. BUT FOR NOW IT IS UP TO YOU TO HELP BREAK ASPANA FROM ITS FUTURE OF BONDAGE. THERE ARE MANY THINGS TO BE DONE AND VERY LITTLE TIME. MULU MUST BE STOPPED AND THERE IS ANOTHER WHO THREATENS ALL DRAGONS.]
When Mulu opened his eyes and sat, he looked around and realized he was back in the jungle right outside of Mancoro's walls. There were no Dragons and he didn't have any eggs. He knew he had just been in the Dragon cave about to do battle with Msia in a Dragon form. But he couldn't remember anything about where that cave had been. Somehow either Msia or the owner of that voice had the power to send him back here to Mancoro. Mulu stood up with mad burning eyes. He was very angry. No one had ever had power enough to do something like that to him before and he swore no one ever will again. As he walked out to the front gates of his city, two Hyenen warriors came running out to meet him. They bowed and reached out to take his arm and to help him into the city.
"DO NOT TOUCH ME!!" He screamed as he sent a bolt of energy out to consume both warriors. They died screaming in a burning pyre of hate and flames as Mulu walked on into the city. As he passed two quivering guards, he called out an order.
"Have that cleaned up immediately."
From the city gates, Mulu walked on through the city ignoring everyone around him. At the front of his place, one of his Demondogs hurried out to greet his master. Mulu looked at him with pure hate in his eyes. The Demondog cringed with pain as the hate started eating him alive. Mulu kicked the dead body out of the way as he entered his manor.
"Basara!" He called out as he made his way to his private study. "Attend your master. We have people to kill."
It took only a minute for Basara to answer the call. He ran in and through himself down at the feet of Mulu's throne.
"We await your orders" The demondog said with his horned head down. "How may I serve you today?"
"I want all my ships ready to launch." Mulu said. "Today we start out to conquer Aspana and the rest of the world. Gather my armor and my weapons. We launch at dawn."
"Yes master." Basara said. "My lord. A message came for you while you were out. It is from the Gorilla, Igoro Baba."
"What does he want?"
"He said he still holds Asatn." Basara said. "He awaits your orders."
"Does he?" Mulu smiled. Here was another chance at the Tigerens and the Panthrens. He would have to make it count. "Get my armor. I will deal with the Gorilla myself.
Bowing, Basara got up and hurried out to carry out his masters orders. Mulu waited a few minutes then rose from his throne and walked down to a huge mirror set in the east wall of his throne room. As hyenen slaves came in carrying his armor, Mulu spread his legs and held out his arms so he could be dressed. Bronze greaves were placed on his legs and strapped in place as chainmail pants were put in place and strapped down. A leather kilt with leopard skin sides were wrapped around Mulu's waist as a chainmail shirt was fitted over his head fitted to him comfortably. Bronze gauntlets were fitted on his arms then he was handed a Hyenen robe to put around his shoulders. Now Mulu was ready. All he needed was his head piece and weapons. As the head piece was placed on his head, Mulu turned and looked at his reflection in the mirror.
"Yes." He said. "But I don't need this helmet. Take it off,"
Dressed and ready for war, Mulu grabbed his staff with the blue wildebeest skull and Tigaren canines and started for the door.
"Have my first ships ready to launch at dawn." Mulu raised his staff over his head. "I will return by then."
Circling the staff over his head he disappeared. He had a Tigaren to find and a whole world to crush under his thumb.
After a eight hour trek through the forest, Astan called a stop to their journey. He set two of Goren's warriors to be on watch while everyone else got something to eat and a good rest. Beno for the moment was in much better shape then when they arrived at Starspeak. With the help of Astan's healing ability, he no longer had to be carried. But that was only temporary. Beno's wounds had been really severe and beyond Astan's ability to completely heal. Goren had suggested they find Omeron Zucia, an old friend of his grandsire.
"Do you know where we we find him?" Astan asked as he chewed on a piece of dried meat Goren had passed around.
"Grandfather always said I could find him deep in the forest out beyond the Ayss. He never said where. Just that if my need was great, he would come find me."
"Then maybe we should stay put." Astan said. "So he can find us."
Goren agreed. So that set up a small camp for the day.
While Astan and Goren were setting up camp, Palas dreamed he was high in the sky absorbing energy from the sun. He dived and turned doing flips as he soared through the clouds. It felt good being up in the heavens after all the time he spent locked away in Igoro's dungeon. But his mine was still set deep in turmoil. His Aerie had been destroyed and all of his brood mates were dead. The Gorilla had destroyed everything that mattered to Palas. All he had left was his great need for revenge which burned like the sun in his heart. As he sailed through the daytime sky a strange feeling of peace started to seep in with the suns energy. Was it the sun that eased his mind and heart?
[No.] A voice said in his head. [I feel the trouble that burns deep within you. But vengeance will not clear away the pain. Your Aerie now fly's here in the heart of the underworld in a divine place made just for them. Do not weep, for one day you will join them, but not today. If all goes right, I have a very special future for you and your friends. So get some rest my noble warrior, the days to come will be very hard. I am counting on all of you to help bring peace to Aspana.]
As Palas opened his eyes, he looked up to see a rainbow spreading out across the sky. Was a dream he had just had? Or had he really just heard from Tyree? Only time will tell. He curled up and went back to sleep with peaceful dreams.
As the sun slipped down behind the Ayss Mountains, Shumo lead Quynn into the city of Domina. All around them the city's citizen came out from their homes to get a peek at the Human. Quynn watched as the pointed and snickered to each other. Being so deep in the jungle, most of them had never seen aq human before. They marveled at how close the similarity was between their two species, From the gate, Shumo lead him down the main concourse of the city then took a left to the market place to head toward Domina's slave market. As they approached Quynn saw many different species of Aspana locked and chained in the slave yard. There were two Rhinon warriors chained next to a trio of proud Pachyderms. In the next caged area there was five Sealens diving in and out of a small pit filled with muddy water. Further down he saw two very thin Tigarens laying in the sun in their Tiger form. From where Quynn walked, he could tell they were dehydrated and hungry. He also saw Jackels and Hyenens huddled in a cages looking like they were plotting a escape attempt. Giraffes, Antolopes, Babbons, Gorillas thers there that he couldn't identify. The smell here of all the slaves was overwhelming. Something had to be done about this. Quynn knew he couldn't leave while Aspana was so deep in the hands of a society ruled by slavery.
Once at the slave market. Quynn was lead into two story building and placed in a chair in a small office wre he was told to sit and wait. After a few minutes, Shumo came in and told the guards to leave. As the two guards left, Shumo came around the desk and sat down.
"Why are you here Human?"
"I came to buy a slave." Quynn said. "Just as I told you in the forest."
"A slave?" Shumo said as he narrowed his eyes. "Really? What kind of slave are you in the market for? A strong Rhinon or maybe a female cheetah for pleasure? How about a group of Orangutans, they make great builders. Or maybe you have fields that need working, we have Chyimps that are good at field work. What exactly are you in need of?"
Quynn stopped and thought about what his answer would be. He couldn't tell the truth. That would alert him and Igoro to what was to come. He had to find a convincing answer that wouldn't arouse suspicion.
"Your not here to buy a slave." Shumo said quietly. "Your here for something else."
"Why would you think that?"
"Your not much of a liar, are you Prince Quynn." Shumo said as he sat forward to stare deeply in Quynn's eyes. "You don't have the eyes for it. Your here for something else. Do you want to tell me what it is, or should I guess?"
"I have no idea what you mean." Quynn said with a shocked look. "I have traveled long and hard to get here."
"All by yourself? Shumo said. "With no guards or any kind or protection. Our forest is very dangerous for a lone Human to travel. We have spiders that can kill you with one bite, not to mention that you would have to travel through the Hyenen territory to get here. I think you came here with others that are waiting in the forest, I'm just not sure why.But I can guess. You came here looking for Prince Astan, am I correct?"
Now Quynn had a trapped look on his face. He looked from Shumo to the door to judge if it was possible to overcome the Gorilla quickly and get away.
"Don't worry." Shumo as he nodded his head. "No one else knows your secret. Just me, and I want that bastard Igoro dead too."
"With Astan gone." Quynn said. "There's only one reason for me to be here."
"The slave. You want us to free the slaves."
"Yes." Quynn nodded. "Domina is not a poor kingdom, you don't need to relay on the sale of slaves to survive. Free them and show the world the real honor of the Gorillas."
"As long as Igoro Baba is master here, there will be slaves. If you can give us peace and take Igoro down, then we will free all the slave. I give you my word on this."
"We will hold you to that promise." Quynn stood up and pushed his chair away. "We will return with Igoro's head. Myumbo Shumo."
"Not so fast." Shumo got up out of his chair. "It won't be so easy to get out of Domina. Everyone saw you enter. Igoro will be told you were here. He probably already knows and is coming back to see the Human that came knocking on his city's gates. How am I to explain how it is that you are not here in the dungeons?
"Tell him..." Quynn thought for a minute. "Tell him the truth. Tell
him I came here looking for Astan. Tell him you put me in the dungeons but I was
so powerful, your dungeons couldn't hold me."
"You want me to lie?" Shumo said in
disbelief. "I can't lie to Igoro. He will see right through it and have me
put to death.""You won't be lying. "Quynn said as he stepped back away from Shumo and started to shift. [Tell him we will be looking for him. Aspana will have justice for all his crimes. Tell him that he and Mulu will pay for what they have done to Aspana.]
With a final roar, Quynn blew out a gout of flame that blew out the wall behind him.
In three steps he leaped into the night sky and was gone leaving Shumo standing there with his mouth open in disbelief.
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