Story Time!!! ~~ Losing Myde

I wrote this when in a very tearful mood. Things will change a bit detail wise when i write the finished version, but the basic idea will remain the same for this scene.

So please enjoy and use plenty of tissues.

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It was quiet where I was, seating myself among the maps and scrolls, making notes with the ink from berries. Colors splashed across yellowing paper as though I were painting. He would laugh at me if he saw it, the intent expression I always had when I concentrated, which often caused my tongue to dry out.

This would lead to so much complaining back then, but now, I had less care about minor discomforts as I recalled places I had physically been and were they correlated on the map. Those were in a bright red. The places Sapphrin had been were in blue, and the battles were all in purple.

These things were all in my immediate focus, but something else caught my ears instead, jolting me out of my thoughts. Fingers dropped the quill and reached for my sword instead, familiar leather wrapped steel offered small comfort while I tore out of the small cabin and into the open air where I saw him.

The flying black mass was wavering dangerously, and when close enough to the ground, wings gave up and the beast landed with a resounding crash. Admittedly, I had small sympathy considering who it was.

"What are you doing here, Onyx? Did you finally come to kill me?" my voice was bitter even though it was evident that the dragon was worse for wear. Dark puckering gashes oozed fluids that were dangerous to lose, "Not that you would do a very good job."

The dragon did not respond in the way that he normally would have, instead he acted much as a child with bad news about to fess up to his parents about what a bad boy he had been, "Myde is dead."

Everything froze, my throat became like a narrow straw, grasping for air as I tried to fight for control. Shock would not overcome me and make me useless. I would not dare allow that, but my mind was having an entirely different idea about that. It would not comprehend anything other than the word, "How?"

Guilt obviously racked the poor wounded creature before me, bowing his head down to ME as he spoke to the ground. This was completely out of character for him, and I didn't want to try to figure out why as he gave his answer. I did not want to comprehend that the one person I loved was gone forever.

"While he was taking care of your sister, he had been found. I was scouting for Sapphrin,  I did not think I would have found him at all, at least not like that." This voice was low as he continued to me, making my blood grow cold at every word, "Sapphrin had been claiming that he had kidnapped your sister, I had done what I thought was right at that time."

Every muscle in my body wanted to rush forward, to gouge the eyes out of the pathetic creature and tear apart his bones piece by piece until he was no longer recognizable. Yet, my brain wanted to hear this train wreck to the finish.

A cough as the dragon continued, only daring to look up at my once before immediately dropping his gaze, "I chased him, for a human he moved quickly, and I cornered him at the cliffs. It was there that he told me that Lady Talith had gotten the plague. That you had told him to protect her and try to discover a way to heal her. I had thought he was lying and I attacked him." Eyes slipped down further as breathing became labored.

"Was that when he died?" the words felt alien to me, even though they were thoughtlessly said.

Onyx shook his head at me, "No. I had demanded to be taken to Lady Talith. Though injured, for some reason that human had no capacity for ill will. He took me to her and when I saw he had spoken truth, I vowed to leave and never to tell anyone what I saw."

The rest did not need to be spoken, but I had to affirm my thoughts on it, "You were followed, weren't you? You led them right to her. You led them right to Myde!" My voice rose as anger was starting to chip away at the fraying calm I was clutching onto.

I did not want reality to be like this, to take away the ability to keep promises I made.

"I had, and when I thought I could have protected them, I had failed. Despite my efforts to protect the human and Lady Talith, I was over powered, the human killed, and Talith taken back to Sapphrin."

Words chipped away my wall and I had half a mind to use my sword as fingers clutched onto it, "You let them take her! You let them kill Myde!" Vision became blurry as I screamed at the mass, "He was not just a human, he was Myde! My Myde! How dare you! HOW DARE YOU!" my lips stretched back in agony as teeth sharpened and I took steps towards the beast.

"How dare you live while he is dead! Was it too much to ask for you to lay your life down for him? Did you not feel the need to risk your life for that human because he was just as you think of him, another human?!" It frustrated me even more that he simply remained submissive, not retorting or arguing at all. I could not discern if it was merely acceptance of his actions or the silence was in fact his way of refusing to accept it.

Denial started to fill my head and I kept myself from tearing his wings off completely, "Where is he, where is Myde." This caused surprise from the dragon.

"You do not know where he was hiding out? I would think you wou-"

"No!" I snapped harshly, "I explicitly told him to never tell me where he was because the information could have been intercepted and comprimised his safety. The least I expected was that you were working for Sapphrin and magically promised him that he would be safe!"

I continued with a harsh sound, "You were working for her, you still probably are! How am I to know that you didn't just go and kill him yourself and you are now a decoy to lead the rest of them here to kill me as well?!" Oh how my back itched crazilly to just fly and search. To affirm the truth for myself instead of relying on the words of an enemy.

"Now, where did you say he is?" I demanded again, claws digging into leather, starting to break into it as I clutched the weapon tightly. A moment of silence before I was warned of possible ambush and then given the location.

Ice was in my blood now, and I barked my next sentence, "You are coming with me, and if the words you tell me are true, and he is in fact dead, I will kill you myself for allowing it to come to pass at all."

The black dragon did not argue. Instead, he watched as I took the form that was between the two races, scales touching the rougher and hidden patches of skin. wings spreading from my back, nails elongating, and the sword was hurriedly attached to my hip before I launched from the ground, my sprouted tail aiding me in a straight flight.

Paitence failed me, as I glared back down to see if the black dragon was following. Slowly, he took off, but with silent resolve, he followed me. The back of my mind voiced concern that perhaps he really had tried his hardest, but the rest of me vehemently wanted to refuse such foolish thoughts.

The enemy always proclaimed to be my enemy, to be on her side and despise humans just as she. Always insulting the one I cared for with sharp words for him and the rest of his race. Nothing but hatred ever came from this being.

We flew, and it had not taken long, aside from when I would peer back to see the labored flight of the bleeding dragon. He would die soon anyway, put out of his misery when I would discover the truth. Not that he deserved a quick death, in all honesty my heart seemed set on something slower, a very slow death involving the plucking of each individual scale.

The world came down, and we landed, the place was a familiar one to me in appearance. Water would be near by which was both a smart and incredibly dumb thing to do, but Myde was not a military strategist.

"Myde!" I would yell out, desperation filled my voice before I realized I could smell something metallic, so I screamed out once more, "Myde! Talith! Where are you?!" Sounds were made after the black dragon's crash landing and hopes started to warm me slightly.

It was possible this was all some terrible waking dream, that Onyx was lying and that I would find them safe and in one piece, merely taken hostage to lure me here to my death.

I could accept that, to be lured. If it meant they were alive, I would have begged for that situation. Yet no, from behind a mass of sparse leaves, something moved and a heavy form dropped down from a branch, bouncing in a sickening way as I heard the cracking of a bone and the rigor set of the thing that started sweeping back and forth on a make-shift noose that was around a neck.

A statement was made before me, and I could see the maker, one whose skin was like tar, shining and ever moving, porous warts threatening to pop at the slightest pressure. Stomach flipped as I drew out my sword and took it back, throwing it as hard as I could to cut the rope.

This failed, only nicking it as it lamely caught in a knot and was rejected by the fabric as nothing more than a nuisance. Eyes stayed on the creature, as I tried my hardest not to take in the details of the lacerated and broken body. To ignore the bloodied golden hair that stuck out in messed and frayed directions was near impossible and I fount my throat closing again as I tried to cry out at the creature who only laughed at my thoughtless attempt with the sword.

Laughter made me cold, it made me forget the small shame at trying a stunt so stupid. My vision became unclear once more and I shot forward, wings pushing me before I snarled and dug my claws into the nearest branch and snapped it off with ease. The next motion was the one that caused the squeltching sound as I thrust branch into body, followed by slamming it into the trunk repeatedly.

Never so badly did I want to tear it limb by limb, and nearly I did, except for the small voice of violent reason that said if I did so, my death would prevent me from exacting the punishment on Onyx. The tar creature would have to die in the way I chose, smashing it into the ground before taking in a deep breath and exhaling a final blow.

One of flames full of rage, black fire, as it engulfed the creature and turned it green. A high pitched squeal hit the air as popping noises followed the boiling and soon it would keep being on fire with the branch, eating away at the moisture unnaturally and burning there. The smell burned my nose.

"Pity, I thought anger would have made you kill yourself while killing him." A regal voice spoke, one belonging to something so high and mighty it could only have belonged to a dragon. The particular one slinked out of the water, sporting the color of a muddy sort of green. It camouflaged well and the creatjure wore it like he was gold.

Eyes flicked over as I restrained my feelings of wanting to thrash him terribly, a coldness seeped into my voice, "If I did that then I would not have been able to kill you and the other." my hand rose and pointed back at Onyx without fail, but it still trembled.

A laugh as the towering beast came towards me, leaning his maw down towards my face, "Little one, you act as though you can destroy me with that little tooth pick of yours. See now the failure of your ways. I will make sure your passing is slow and torturous just as the human's was."

Snarls and voices broke into almost a screech, "YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO EVER TOUCH HIM!" Bones shifted painlessly, body elongated, neck started to soar out from its place and the perception of what was low and high to me changed. Clothes tore from my body in the change as I brought my mouth down to snap at his neck.

His head came up and smashed into my jaw, causing it to smash shut as my balance was throw off to the side and I collided into a tree. Little time passed as the dragon dove, pinning me down as he dug claws into my breast bone and back feet into my abdomen.

Pain pricked at me, but rage kept me from feeling the full effects and instead I thrashed around, fighting the weight on my neck to snap at his other hand and at his face when it came anywhere near close to biting though something vital.

Loss was not an option, I refused to let this idiot take me down. Thoughts raced through my head and I uttered a spell, which I botched terribly, as instead of burning him, it flashed light into his face. The distraction served well and I flung him off and into the pond, splashing up water in all directions.

Rolling, I slipped as I shoved off to take him apart, keeping my claws out, I dug down and sprung into the water, sloshing in as he was already getting up and turning to meet me. It was in the air we clashed, it was in the air that I moved forward to grip not his throat, but the thin avian-like bone structure that protected his head. My maw would clamp down onto bone and bite down as hard as I could, subsequently having my claws follow suit with the act of digging into every weak point they could find.

It was in the water my enemy tried to drown me, as with biting, I did not have the ability to adequately hold my breath. My main concern was to bite though and rip that disgusting heart out and every organ I could claw out and spread across the earth and destroy so that no part may have been allowed to be used for anything what so ever.

As we splashed down, my nostrils took in the liquid, causing a burn as it made its way into my lungs to choke me. Gagging reflex tried to force my mouth to relinquish its hold, but I refused and instead I bit down harder, feeling the fracturing under my teeth. More force was applied as my vision grew dark, and the thrashing would worsen, trying to pry me loose from him like a stubborn leech.

Weakness started to wear on me as I felt the need for oxygen rise, but I was not done yet. Finally, I heard the sound I wanted the bone to make and I yanked head back and away, using my front hands to push the rest of his body opposite.

What resulted was the very messy business of death, crimson mixed with the blurring back, flesh tore under my teeth and muscle snapped and strained against the yanking as more bone snapped and came up with it like a fence, the curved bone showing brightly as I released it and drove onward, locking teeth into the thumping panicky heart and tearing into it without seeing. Textures of sweet iron mingled in my mouth with the pond water as the muscle stretched to its limit and tore away and I spit that away too.

This went over and over, the enemy was still twitching, my movements becoming sluggish as I still was water logged and soon I started to feel cold once more. Adrenalin was short lived, and black crimson enveloped me.

It seemed that it should have remained that way, but something dragged me out with some trouble, but they did it anyway, drawing me onto the ground while letting out labored breaths.

Anger lingered, but in less copious amounts. There was an ambush. Myde was dead. Onyx had been telling the truth, but I also swore to kill him if all were true. Why, this one time, did I refuse to follow through on a threat to someone who I hated.

Snarls mixed with hacking filled my throat as I forced water out and air in, shaking my head to loosen any trapped liquid and clear my vision. It was weak, but I managed words anyway, "Where is Myde..."

"Over by the tree. I took him down, I did not know that they planned to do that to him." he admitted in a quiet words before adding, "I assumed all of the dragons had left with Talith instead of just the two."

Reluctance in acknowledgement, but I spoke anyway, "You did warn me of ambush..." Then, I let my form melt away into one that was human, giving less of a damn that I now lacked clothes. Modesty was the least of my concerns, and my hair hid enough as it was.

Silently, I dragged myself up and stumbled over to the body, vision being less than helpful. When I would start to stray, the bleeding hand of Onyx would assist. I would snarl and shove it away, determined to do this on my own.

Yet, he was persistent, and eventually I found the body. It was turned face up, and at that moment I wished it had not.

The tar creature had taken care in the method of killing, stabbing in a place that was not immediately lethal, but letting him bleed out while he poisoned parts of the skin and then cut them away. Skin along the neck, chest, and face was missing, but I knew it was still him.

This was still my Myde. The weight drowned me, and I gripped his hair tightly as I pressed my face to his and forced my throat to open up enough to at least speak, tears streaming down my face.

"I will stop them, Myde, I promise. I won't let anyone else die like this if I can help it." Voice choked as I could feel my nose burning and lump form thickly in my throat again. A wavering breath as I continued, "I love you, and I always have. To the stars, Myde. Wait for me there, I will be there soon, just finish your song for me."

The tears would stop as the lump in my throat grew from trying to stop them. Lifting my head up I looked over to the black dragon who was politely looking the other way, but as I bore my gaze into him, he looked back to me.

"If you want to even begin to gain my forgiveness, you will do one thing for me, High Mage.  As I irrefutably cannot cast a single spell without failure, you must use what strength you can, I do not care how much, and you will build him something proper. I will not have this man die without proper remembrance."

The black dragon would bow his head, then stand up shakily and near the water and started to murmur as the slain body was swallowed up by the water and the earth, vanishing from existence. The earth then moved as he continued to intone the words to life, ground served as a base, stones following in a specific pattern and then the stone and earth intertwined with roots of the plants, essentially sewing the tomb together.

I watched in silence and as he quieted, he looked to me with exhausted patience, allowing me to scoop the man up and carry him. In silence I looked to his marred face before placing him into the shallow encasement. Silence before I leaned down and breathed softly into the box and said a very old prayer.

It was one I vaguely remembered my mother reciting when someone lost a loved one. Through the vagueness, I pulled out the words as if they were a new song of yesterday.

[i]In the darkness,
shine brightest.
In the silence,
yell loudest.

With hatred,
share love.
With the sky,
be one with the stars.

Do not falter,
your soul will journey.
Peace will find you,
and you will find peace.[/i]

The body would remain still and I could feel the wind carry, the sound of it crossing the smoothed magicked stones caused a rippling effect of sound, almost like a living song. A final song for the bard, who laid and would soon be covered by earth, stone, and root, protected by Kaidia.

"To the stars..." I managed finally before standing straight and looking to the black dragon. An incredible amount of hate still filled me, wanting to scream blames at the dragon who gave the gift of a last song without question.

Instead, I locked my muscled into tension, not allowing them to falter, "Let's go. I have maps to finish and you obviously need food before you starve. Can you make it back."

Silence before he bowed down his bead before her, causing her to frown, "If that is what my Lady wishes, then I will do it. I, High Mage Onyx, swear loyalty to Lady Itisha until my very last breath."