Dragongirl of Thorolk

By Mardrena

Wind whistled past the sheer cliffs of a deep, vast canyon. The branches of those few trees that won the struggle for life with roots clinging to the rock shifted idly in the breeze. A sinewy form rushed past, snapping the farthest-reaching branches off, and knocking some trees loose from the cliff face entirely. Feathered wings flapped madly and a thin whip-like tail lashed through the air. Scaly fibers fluttered along the blocky jaw and antler-like horns sloped over the back of the head. The dragon glanced over its shoulder nervously and beat its wings harder, panting frantically. "STOP! LEAVE ME ALONE! I'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG!" it bellowed desperately as it soared through the Great Chasm.

Its pleas did not deter those giving chase. The Fearless Four flew in a rough wedge formation with Yulie Yamano, known in Thorolk as the White Ryder, astride the nearly-adult Pegasi White Wind. The tigress Whisker perched on White Wind's rump with her claws hooked securely under the plates. Drega, current Dragongirl of Thorolk, gripped the saddle pommel with one hand and held one of the shining steel spears she'd taken as prizes from Deryrdikus' trove. Razzunshagigknoph's wings fluttered like the trails of a kite as she twined through the air. The twins Ru Ru Tiki, Ph'li and Ko'li rode red-trimmed Furhild and blue-trimmed Straygocasir respectively. Behind all four of them flew the great Chinese lung simply known as Dragon Master, his great shining coils undulating through the air.

They steadily gained and Razzie pulled up slightly. Drega hurled a spear at the fleeing dragon. The edge grazed the dragon's cheek enough to startle him. Drega raised her hand and turned her palm to her face. A silvery gauntlet that covered the back of her hand shimmered and the spear flickered and returned to her hand. She neatly stowed it in the bag she carried over her back.

White Wind's wings beat furiously as he pulled above the dragon and close to its head. Whisker kneaded her paws in anticipation and wriggled her hips before pouncing. Yulie had decided to let her claws remain sharp, and she made use of them as she caught the dragon's eyebrows and raked at the scaly eyelids. The dragon howled in rage and shook its head from side to side. Whisker couldn't maintain her grip and flew spinning into the air after a rough toss. Razzie swept to the side and caught Whisker around her midsection, carrying the tigress in her arms as they had to fall back slightly to regroup.

Yulie's face contorted in determination and anger as he remembered the briefing Dragon Master had given them when he arrived with the Twins.

"Your target today is Goretsoku. He is what is known as a piasa, an offshoot of my kind created when dragons traversed the Great Land Bridge in eons past. He began nobly enough, taking up stewardship of a small farming village in the Rurals up north. He would offer bits of wisdom in exchange for trinkets and baubles. But the problem with piasa is they are not as long-lived as most other breeds, and as such, are prone to dementia in old age.

"At first he began demanding live animal sacrifices…then…virgin girls…and once a piasa has tasted the flesh of Man…its hunger becomes insatiable."

"What!? How could the village people just go along with that!?" Yulie had shouted angrily.

"You have to keep in mind, Yulie, that the people in Thorolk are taught that if they respect dragons, that the dragons are honor-bound to protect and guide them. The people in the Rurals are not as well informed as to their rights, however, and it's all too easy for Dark Dragons to prey upon such ignorance. The only reason we found out was because one plucky young lass strongly objected to her father offering her so he could learn next year's crop-planting patterns…"*

"The Council of Dragons has spoken: Goretsoku must be put down!"

Yulie narrowed his eyes, scowling angrily at the cowardly piasa as it fled the Fearless Four. Neither he nor White Wind would stop until they claimed justice for the girls the murderous beast had devoured. Ph'li blinked when he thought he saw an orange light and glanced up at Yulie. The light seemed to come from some sort of marking on Yulie's forehead, but he couldn't quite make it out from his angle. He frowned in confusion before turning his gaze to the piasa.

Targeting reticules shifted and attempted to align, but the screen flashed red and beeped. "Straygocasir cannot get a target lock! It keeps moving too much!" Ko'li shouted.

"Rockets are a bad idea here! We are fast approaching the Narrows! I can go no further. I will follow from on high. Be careful!" Dragon Master roared and veered up sharply. The Twins watched the lung leave then glanced forward. Sure enough, the sheer walls of the Great Chasm seemed to close in on them and they lost sight of Goretsoku. The walls came dangerously close to the Pegasi's wingtips and they had to angle themselves to maintain speed.

Yulie shielded his head with a gauntleted arm and glanced up when he saw bits of stone raining downward. He caught a glimpse of the piasa's long tufted tail whisking through the Narrows. The Dark Dragon clung to the canyon wall and scrabbled desperately over the surface, his claws tearing loose chunks and slabs of stone and his tail thwacking against the sheer walls. Indeed, the canyon had become so tight, the piasa's back scraped the opposite wall. The Narrows seemed to wind on and on, but eventually the canyon opened back up and Goretsoku pushed himself away from the wall, taking flight once again. The Fearless Four approached the exit to the Narrows and Yulie wrapped Wind's rein cords around his left arm.

Goretsoku's tail thumped against the wall as he floundered into the air, and a large wedge-shaped bolder slipped loose ever so slightly. Bits of stone rained down into the canyon. Yulie held his right hand over Tiger Tooth's grip, ready to draw once he got close enough. He remembered Dragon Master's advice on the weak spots of dragons, and if he dove beneath Goretsoku, he could bring White Wind up and impale the piasa in the armpit. The wedge-shaped boulder slipped loose and brought smaller chunks down with it towards White Wind's path.

Drega noticed movement out the corner of her eye and her gaze snapped up sharply as she saw the boulders. "YULIE! LOOK OUT!" Yulie's gaze remained so focused on Goretsoku he didn't register her cry, but White Wind registered the impact as the large boulder struck him square in the forehead, between his nose and horn. Successive boulders struck him in his right wing. While it did not dent the metal any, it jolted him to the side enough that Yulie's back bashed into the cliff, knocking the wind out of him. The back of his head thumped the rock wall. Wind's eyes darkened abruptly and his wing thrusters sputtered and died. Yulie, his left arm still bound with the rein cord, saw everything turn black and he and White Wind plummeted.

"YULIE!" Drega shrieked in horror. Whisker, still in Razzie's arms, screamed in alarm.

"YULITAKIN!" the Twins shouted to no avail as the two fell into shadow.

Goretsoku grabbed ahold of the canyon wall and turned around, peering down into the abyss at the vanishing White Ryder and his steed. His face looked apprehensive at first, then his scaled lips peeled back in a toothy grin and he began giggling in delight, his entire body shaking. He tensed then lurched forward, extending his neck and opening his jaws wide. "-DIIIIIEEEEE! DIIIIEEEE! DIE WHITE RYDER!- Die, and trouble my kind no more! AAH HAH HAH HAA! AAAH HA HA HAAA!" Goretsoku cackled wickedly then threw back his head, bellowing in triumph and lashing his tail.

"Sage?" Sage Date, clad in traditional garb, glanced over his shoulder when he heard the voice and saw young Yulie Yamano standing at the entrance to the family dojo.

"Yulie? What are you doing here?" Sage asked, slightly annoyed by the sudden interruption.

"I…I guess I just wanted to say hi…You're the only one I know of who lives nearby…and the others…kind of…" Yulie trailed off and shrugged weakly. Sage could read his face and understand his heart: the boy had always considered the five Ronin Warriors as surrogate brothers, something he had never known as an only child, and now that the five of them had basically left for the four corners of the world… Sage's expression softened.

"You have to understand, Yulie, it's not easy for us to pick up the pieces of something that was never broken in the first place." Sage turned his attention back to a display on the wall. He unconsciously reached out to grasp an antique sword and briefly pulled it from its scabbard before re-sheathing it and placing it back in its hooks. "We're all just trying to get back into some sense of normalcy, or as much as we had before the Dynasty Wars." Sage explained.

"But, everythings alright now, right? I mean, you saved the world, didn't you?" Yulie argued.

"It's not that…it's…it's difficult to describe." Sage scowled abruptly. "You should go. I have a class starting soon, and I need to get ready," he stated and retrieved his protective gear.

"You could teach me!" Sage glanced at Yulie, startled. The boy ducked his head sheepishly. "I mean…my school, they have a competitive league, and I'm almost old enough to register. Could…could you teach me how?" Yulie pointed at Sage's practice equipment. Sage glanced down at his bokken and thumbed the crossguard. He chuckled softly.

"Sure…why not?"

His first lesson ended up being anything but fun and games. Yulie landed on his left shoulder roughly. Even though the floor mat absorbed the impact, being knocked over startled him.

"What are you doing? Get up! What, did you think this was some child's game? …Are you crying?! Yulie, this isn't a sport where people cheer you on. This is a reflection of ancient fighting arts nearly forgotten. If you're going to compete, you're going to have to focus and put your mind, skill, and spirit into this. Are you going to give up already?" Yulie pushed himself up on his left elbow, blinking tears from his eyes. He thought the faceguard would hide them, but Sage apparently noticed regardless. "Get up!" Yulie slowly pushed himself up onto his left palm. "I SAID GET UP!" Sage grabbed Yulie by his right arm and jerked him off the floor roughly.

Yulie jolted to his feet suddenly, his right arm extended as if someone had grabbed it. His left hung at his side limply. He tottered to the side when a sharp burning pain ran up his left shoulder and he clamped his right hand over his upper arm. He tried to move his fingers but they barely responded, and parts of his arm felt simultaneously numb and burning. He blinked several times, his eyes adjusting to the gloom and he glanced all around at his surroundings. Inky blackness extended forward and backward, and to either side sheer black stone walls. He tilted his head back and glanced up, seeing a thin distant line of sky far, far above. Yulie blinked and swayed on his feet again, feeling dizzy as his back and head ached. He regained focus and spotted White Wind sprawled on the ground a few feet away, wings spread and limp.

"W-W-Wind…" Yulie croaked and coughed. His mouth felt dry. How much time had passed? "Hey, Wind?" Yulie staggered over and knelt beside the unconscious Pegasi. He patted the head with his right hand. The white eyes flickered to life abruptly and White Wind lifted his head up and glanced from side to side. He pulled his legs up under him and rose to all fours jerkily. Yulie stood up and took a step back as the Pegasi reoriented himself. "You okay?" Wind blinked several times then shook his head.

"What do you mean? I'm standing right here." Wind burbled and grunted, sounding worried. "I get it...you got hit so hard it messed up your sensors. How long until you can repair yourself?" Wind's ears flicked back and he shook his head again. "You don't need scanners or anything. Look at me, look at me." Yulie cupped Wind's chin with his right hand. "Look at me. Use these, not this," Yulie first tapped Wind's eye lenses then Wind's forehead where the boulder had struck. "Use these, not this. Here, I'll try to guide you." Yulie clambered into the saddle and grabbed the rein cord with his right hand. "Don't be silly. We'll be fine. Just fly straight up."

Wind grunted his disapproval but spread his wings and began flapping, ascending without use of the wing thrusters. He swayed to the side slightly. "Whoa, careful! Watch it! Just-stay steady…you're doing it. Keep going…" Yulie encouraged. The Pegasi kept glancing from side to side as his wings came close to the walls. They had risen several feet above the canyon floor. "Stop being so nervous! You have to trust your senses-whoa, whoa!" Yulie yelped as Wind's left wingtip scraped into the wall and he lost balance. The joints creaked and he dropped towards the ground suddenly, barely catching himself before sagging onto the ground. Yulie dismounted and moved infront of Wind. "Your wings got hit too, didn't they?" Wind tried flapping his wings and Yulie noticed the right wing limb out of alignment.

"You might've damaged it on the way down…I think you did some sort of auto-landing when you got knocked out. I have no idea how far down we are, but it looks pretty far…No, it's okay. Don't beat yourself up. First rule of being lost is to stay right where you are, right?" Yulie patted Wind's nose gently. Wind burbled in gratitude and he nudged Yulie in the left shoulder absently. Yulie sucked air in through his teeth sharply and grimaced. Wind's ears perked up in alarm and he brought his nose close to Yulie's shoulder. "It's okay, I don't need a scan to know something's busted. I should probably keep it steady…" Yulie pulled the edges of his tunic up and shrugged it off of his body. The chainmail undershirt rattled delicately and he had to shrug that off as well. He winced from the heavy metal sliding over his injured shoulder as he shrugged it off and let it fall to the ground. "Don't eat it…" Yulie scolded as Wind tilted his head down.

Wind snorted indignantly and used his horn to pick the chainmail off the ground and sling it onto his back. Yulie used the heavy cloth shirt to make a clumsy sling for his left arm. He moved over to Wind's side and reached for the compartment that normally held a supply of Richtho leaves. The compartment hung open, and the bundle of leaves nowhere in sight. Scrape marks and bits of stone marred the lid. Yulie frowned in realization. "I guess it got knocked open when we fell…It's okay, if it were broken it'd probably hurt worse," Yulie smiled weakly. He glanced up at the sky far above.

"I wonder if the others know where to look…Hey…do your eyebeams still work?" Wind shrugged his head slightly. "It's okay, you don't have to get a target lock…here…I'll aim you…" Yulie placed his right hand under Wind's jaw and pushed his head up gently. "Try aiming straight up…aim for the sky. Look at the sky…" Yulie tried to align Wind's eyes with the distant thin ribbon of blue. "Okay…steady…steady….fire!" Wind fired his eyebeams and the bursts flew up through the canyon. Yulie watched the glow move along the canyon walls and the bursts speed up towards the sky. He hoped they didn't hit the canyon walls. "There…that should act like a flare and let Drega and the Twins know where we are…Good job, Wind," Yulie patted the Pegasi on his neck. "Here, I have something for you…" Yulie reached into his belt pouch.

Gold! Wind's ears perked up at the sight of the coin as Yulie offered it to him. He glanced at Yulie, who nodded at him reassuringly. Wind burbled in delight and closed his teeth around the coin, munching on it noisily. Yulie stroked his muzzle and smiled. Wind glanced at him again and moved his nose down towards the belt pouch.

"No, you just get one for now. We have to save the rest for later. There's no telling how long it'll take for the others to find us…" Yulie remembered his own hunger and searched White Wind's rump for his backpack. Thankfully it remained intact, though when he opened it, he noticed some of the wrapped snacks had gotten squished during the fall. He shrugged and pulled out two candy bars and his thermos and replaced the thermos after a quick drink and a snack. How much time had passed? He glanced up at the sky again, not seeing the sun at all. He also remembered time passed differently in Thorolk, so a watch from Earth wouldn't work.

"I guess we should get some rest and wait and see if someone comes." Yulie sat down, being careful to keep his left arm steady. Wind sat down behind him and Yulie leaned against his side. Wind angled his left wing like a tent to cover Yulie and the two closed their eyes for a nap. Wind slowly moved his nose to Yulie's belt pouch and lipped it. Yulie elbowed him away, scowling irritably. Wind relented and curled his head over his forelegs. Time enough passed that any remaining traces of sunlight vanished from the canyon walls and stars appeared overhead.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Yulie's eyes popped open when he heard a distant voice and he sprang to his feet, regretting that as he inadvertently jostled his left arm. He grimaced but bit back his pain and peered into the darkness ahead.

"I'm right here! Can you see me?" Yulie called, unable to see more than a few feet into the distance. White Wind's wing plates glowed, giving some illumination. Yulie could see a pinprick of light bobbing in the darkness, like the flame of a lantern. As the person approached, Yulie could make out the folds of a robe. Wind didn't seem particularly alarmed but his sensors remained offline. The newcomer revealed herself to be an elderly woman with graying black hair bound up in a braided gold ornament. Worn white robes draped around her shoulders and a hood hung down her back. Yulie spotted the rusty pommel of a sword poking out through the robes.

"Who is it, Grytha?" a deep rumbling voice rasped. Grytha? Why did that name ring a bell?

"It looks like a boy…a boy and a metal horse," the woman replied over her shoulder. Yulie and Wind could hear the thumps of heavy footsteps approaching, and something blacker than shadow shifted behind the woman. Wind's eyes widened and he lowered his wings, and Yulie's jaw dropped in horror. Grytha…he remembered the mural in Dragon Master's temple of Drega's predecessor, the legendary Dragongirl who fell in combat long before he was even born.

That meant…

"Is that so? What an unusual turn of events…" the voice rasped through lips covered with wide black scales. Scaly spines hung down from the lower jaw and sail-shaped ridges ran down the back all the way to the tip of the tail ending in a flanged club. Hook-like horns curved sideways from the head and pointed towards the dragon's muzzle. Yellow eyes regarded the White Ryder and his steed as the black dragon loomed up behind Grytha.

ARTHRAGOR!

Grytha had set up a campfire using cracked branches she'd salvaged from meager growth along the canyon walls. Wind had been gracious enough to light it with his eyebeams but now he sat on the ground next to Yulie. The two of them stared at the large black dragon, eyes wide in awe. Grytha glanced up from setting up a tripod and kettle and chuckled richly. "My goodness, boy. You're giving Arth the most terrified look imaginable! You don't have to worry about him. He doesn't have the appetite for little boys anymore…unless you want to be gummed to death." As she said this, Arthragor tilted his head back and opened his mouth wide. Yulie cringed at first but noticed how most-if not all- of the teeth looked yellow with age and worn to nubs. The dragon yawned then closed his mouth and smacked his lips. He currently lay on the ground behind Grytha, his great bulk sprawled leisurely over the canyon floor.

Yulie just then realized how frail the dragon looked. The mural from Dragon Master's temple depicted a fearsome onyx-clad beast with wicked sharp claws. The once-impenetrable armor looked greatly worn with scales splintered or missing entirely. Arthragor's claws, while still sharp, looked ridged with age and crusted with dirt. Skin hung loosely down the neck.

"It's just…I…I thought you two were…you know…dead…" Yulie stammered. Grytha glanced at him with green eyes.

"That so? Tell me…what do the legends record about my fall?"

"…that you two fought for seven days and seven nights…then fell into the canyon…"

"Well, Dragon Master certainly has a flair for the dramatic…It was actually more like six and a half," Grytha shrugged as she began boiling water and dipped cloth rags in to soak. Her initially jovial expression turned sad. "I'm guessing he immortalized the battle in one of his murals…murals do little to convey the heat of battle…"

"We were told to hunt Arth because he had committed an 'unforgivable' crime. I took my drake into battle, and Ryder came with me. We chased down Arth and we fought, and fought, and fought…my poor drake got herself crushed against the wall, and before we fell, I ran my sword into Arth's neck…" Arthragor shifted to the side slightly and Yulie could see a patch of broken scales that exposed the skin beneath. Grytha always seemed to refer to him as Arth.

"My drake had just enough in her to grab ahold of Arth and shred his wings, and he fell, taking me with him. And we fell. And fell. And fell… When I came to, my drake was dead, and Arth crippled and a broken ruin. I fared little better, but I still had enough strength to pick up my sword and stagger over to him. I was so close…it would've been so easy to just finish it and run my blade into his brains…

"And then, I realized how tired I was. I stood there for what seemed like hours looking into his eyes and how tired he looked. He wanted it to end just as bad…and I just couldn't do it. So I sat down next to him and we both just lay there. After a while we started tending to each other's wounds, and as we did so, we got to know each other.

"Most renegade dragons are classified as Dark Dragons because they break their covenant with Men, but some are often caught up in things beyond their control or desire. Arth used to guard a kingdom ruled by a greedy duke who plotted to marry into another kingdom. The duke tried to get him to go to war, and when Arth refused, the duke murdered his own daughter and hid her body in Arth's lair. With their 'proof', they notified the Council of Dragons and Arth was branded a Dark Dragon. To make matters worse, the duke set his guard upon Arth. He incinerated them of course, what else was he to do but defend himself? But the story spread far and wide how a black dragon had turned on his wards.

"As Dragongirl, I was sworn to mediate between Men and Dragons, and if all else failed, respond with lethal force. I didn't question my orders…I just wanted justice no matter the cost. But Arth and I have had a lot of time to question, and a lot of time to answer."

"And…you two have been down here all this time? I mean…Why not return to the surface and get his name cleared?" Yulie asked.

"What good would it have done? You have to bear in mind, no one falls into the Great Chasm and is heard from again. We spent so much time recovering I lost track of the days and nights, and eventually I just stopped caring. If I returned with Arth and not on my drake, I would have been branded a traitor before I even had a chance to sue the Council for pardon.

"It hasn't been so bad living down here. There is life in the floor of the Chasm, it's not as if we starve. Back the way I came I can show you a valley you wouldn't believe, where plants soak up what sunlight they can then share its warmth. I don't expect you to stay, but I will tell you this: there's a reason no one returns from the bottom. Something about being so deep into the land…it affects things. Besides Arth, no flying creatures ever go this deep."

"Wind was telling me how he had trouble flying. I thought it was because of the damage to his wings but…" Yulie glanced up at the canyon walls. "So…we're so far below the surface of the world...the planet's magnetic pull…is affecting Wind's internal navigation!"

"Something like that I suppose…here…" Grytha rose from the campfire and carried hot rags with her. She draped the rags on White Wind's horn-much to his irritation. "I take it you've never suffered a dislocated shoulder before?" Grytha asked as she placed one hand on Yulie's left shoulder and grabbed his left arm tightly.

"Nope…this is a new one for me," he chuckled. Without warning, Grytha rammed Yulie's left arm upwards. Yulie heard a crunch and felt a throbbing pain in his shoulder. He grimaced and nearly fell over but held his tongue and Grytha retrieved the rags and draped them over his shoulder. He'd taken off the sling and held the heavy cloth shirt and chain mail draped over his right shoulder. The hot rags eased the pain somewhat and Grytha walked back to the fire.

"That armor…how came you by it?" The voice startled Yulie until he realized Arthragor had spoken to him. The aging black dragon stared at him inquiringly.

"Um…Dragon Master gave it to me…sort of…he gave me his pearl."

"Hrmph..." Arthragor turned his head to the side and snorted loudly. "Just like that false-dragon to meddle in affairs not of his ken…" Yulie blinked. He remembered how Deryrdikus had called Dragon Master a 'false-dragon' too. Did it have to do with him being a lung and not having wings like most other dragons? Arthragor did not elaborate and nestled down to nap.

"I guess it's safe to say Ryder is dead, then…it's funny…I can't even remember his real name, it's been so long…Guessing you're the first new one since?" Grytha commented.

"Something like that…Dragon Master says there's been a lot of them over the years."

"Indeed there has. Typically, the Ryder mediates with villages and kingdoms on behalf of the Council and they cooperate with Dragongirls such as myself to deal with any crises."

"Are…you related to Drega?" Yulie asked out of curiousity. Grytha glanced at him.

"Who? Ah, you mean the current Dragongirl. No, of course not. We are recruited and trained from the various villages. There's no lineage of any sort, and believe me, I've looked. There's no record of who the first White Ryder really was any more than there are of the first Dragongirl. I did find one story; of a girl who spoke with God, snatched away from the fiery jaws of death at the last second and spirited away to this world to continue her service anew. It's an old tale not sung of anywhere. People will cheer us and thank us after a hard-fought battle, but ultimately, our deeds are relegated to moldy scrolls or gaudy murals."

Yulie remained quiet as he digested that. He could have very easily have died alone at the bottom of the canyon. He didn't set out to be a great hero when he first accepted the pearl, but he hadn't actually refused it either. It seemed silly to think of it as his destiny, and at the same time, he somewhat embraced his role. Arthragor opened one sleepy eye a crack and grunted softly when he thought he saw some sort of glow through the flames of the campfire. He squinted and thought it looked like some sort of mark on Yulie's forehead.

His head jerked up suddenly and he pulled himself up on his forelegs. Grytha noticed and turned around. "What is it, Arth?" The dragon peered into the shadows with his yellow eyes.

"Someone approaches…" he rumbled. Yulie looked over his shoulder and could hear the soft pats of footfalls. Wind's ears perked up and he whinnied a greeting as Whisker bounded up to Yulie and rose up on her hind paws, crooning in relief.

"Hey girl! Where'd you come from? Did you climb down the entire way?" Yulie asked in amazement and rubbed the tigress' ears.

"Whikker, don't run so far!" Yulie blinked when he heard another voice in the distance. Someone else emerged from the gloom: a young girl with black hair bound up in ponytail carrying a worn blue blanket in one hand. "There you are! You sniffed out Yulie, didn't you?"

"Uh…hi. Who are you?" Yulie asked, confused. The girl looked oddly familiar.

"Kayli Sanada. They told me you fell down here, so I came to find you."

"…Sanada? You…you wouldn't happen to be related to…"

"I'm Ryo and Tanya's sister, duh."

"…I…I didn't know they had a little sister…" Yulie blinked, thoroughly confused.

"Big Sis said the same thing, you know…" Kayli turned around abruptly and cupped her hands around her mouth. "TORESH! TORESH WE FOUND'EM!" Yulie didn't know what to think of the sudden call but he heard a clanking in the shadows. An orange and white face striped with black emerged from the gloom. Bright green eyes peered at Yulie mischievously.

"Magma?!" Yulie recoiled in surprise upon seeing the large Bengal tiger clad in what looked like armor. "That means…"

"Strange company you keep, YuliTakin…" Yulie glanced at the person sitting astride Magma. Ram Ram Tairu, Torehj dismounted neatly from what looked like a war saddle.

"Prince Torehj! Wait, how did-what the…" Yulie sputtered in disbelief. Torehj sniffed disdainfully and brushed a gloved hand through his dark brown hair.

"The sons of Aurorakhan were bereft of a solution. Your sponsor, Dragon Master, warned them not to fly into the dark to find you. They needed someone else to navigate the deep, so they used the beacon to contact me. This little one entreated me to bring her along, and I could not very well ignore the concerns of a young maiden…"

"I threatened to tattle, that's why," Kayli said matter of factly. "You've been gone a long time. Your parents are real worried!"

"Yeah…time passes different in this world. I can handle getting chewed out by my parents, don't worry. I'm more worried about how things went after I fell."

"I am told the battle goes ill; the dracorasaur continues to evade justice. They need you."

"Wind got banged up pretty bad. He says his wings are almost ready, but he still can't fly right. This canyon goes so deep it messes up his sensors."

"Then it is fortunate my steed needs none," Torehj smirked and patted Magma's head. The tiger grinned smugly and lashed his tail. Whisker sat off to the side and just then Yulie noticed the difference in sizes as Magma looked almost fully-grown, twice the size of Whisker. Magma glanced at his sister and raised one paw menacingly. Whisker flattened her ears and recoiled, hissing in warning as she remembered too well how her brother bullied her as cubs.

"Wow, what on earth have you been feeding him?! He's huge!" Yulie remarked.

"Norin taught me a recipe blending chorinae juice with red meat to increase his vigor. As you can see, he has benefited greatly," Torehj explained. Yulie blinked in surprise. Did Magma carry Kayli and Whisker as well as Torehj on the way down? He certainly looked big enough to.

Yulie remembered his hosts and turned around to face Grytha and Arthragor. "Grytha, I have to go. My friends need help fighting a piasa."

"One of them? No wonder you had so much trouble…they're slippery nuisances…liable to go berserk when cornered…What do you say Arth…feel like one last grand battle?" Grytha asked.

"There's still life yet in these wings…" Arthragor rose to all fours and raised his leathery black wings like sails, flapping them briefly. He turned sideways to avoid scraping them against the canyon wall. He held his arm out and Grytha clambered up along his shoulder and onto his back.

"Here, take this; for your arm," Torehj offered Yulie a fresh bundle of Richtho leaves. Yulie unwrapped one and plastered it over his shoulder.

"Come, boy. Your steed cannot yet fly…" Arthragor said to Yulie. Yulie glanced from Wind to Grytha, who nodded reassuringly. He carefully donned his chainmail shirt and heavy overshirt and walked over to Arthragor, cautiously making his way up the powerfully built limb. Arthragor reached over to White Wind, who ducked and shifted from side to side. Arthragor had to keep shifting his hand until Wind stopped moving then closed his fingers around Wind's chest, hooking his claws under the belly. Wind growled irritably, his wings hanging limp.

"What about you, Torehj, can you make it back up the cliff?" Yulie asked.

"I never said we climbed down in the first place," Torehj smirked and sprang into the saddle. Kayli hopped in behind him but Whisker ran over to Arthragor and scrambled up his hind leg, coming over to Yulie and nestling down behind him on the dragon's back. Magma steadied himself and kneaded his paws. Torehj pressed his heel against the stirrups and surprisingly enough, boosters fired from the heavy armor covering the bottoms of Magma's paws. The tiger seemed at ease as he rose into the air. "The Lady of Flames herself gave me this armor so that Magma could match any Pegasi in air combat," Torehj explained as Magma galloped upwards. Wind didn't know whether to feel offended or relieved at Torehj preferring Magma over him.

"We're going to have a lot of explaining to do when we reach the upper cliffs, but after the battle is done and over, assuming Dragon Master will vouch for our character to the Council, we should celebrate with drinks. What say you, lad?" Grytha asked as Arthragor tensed to take off.

"Um…I guess…My name's Yulie, by the way. Yulie Yamano."

"Well then, Yulie Yamano, White Ryder. How about we make another legend for ourselves," Grytha grinned and held onto Arthragor's spines tightly as the aging black dragon sat back on his haunches before springing up into the air mightily. Magma sped after them as they ascended towards the thin strip of sky above. White Wind grumbled irritably all the while.

Air whistled dully as Arthragor pumped his wings. Despite being battled-scarred and tattered along the very edges from such extreme age, Yulie could feel the shoulder muscles moving beneath him. Yulie hadn't realized how deep the Great Chasm actually ran as it seemed several minutes passed as they ascended. Arthragor had to occasionally grab onto the wall with his free paw and propel himself upward along the cliff. Yulie glanced over at Magma and saw Kayli held on tight to Torehj with her arms wrapped around his stomach.

Arthragor grunted and shook his head suddenly, pausing briefly. "What is it Arth?" Grytha asked. She yelped and had to press herself against the dragon's back as chunks of stone rained down from high above. Yulie hunkered down as well. Dawn stained the sky overhead and they could make out silhouettes crossing paths. The murderous piasa Goretsoku swooped through the air, evading Drega's hurled spears and using powerful bursts from his wings to throw missiles fired from Furhild and Straygocasir off course. Dragon Master himself attempted to close his coils around Goretsoku and crush him, but each time Goretsoku dove through neatly, the coils just barely missing his tail tip.

"Foolish false-dragon! Too big and too clumsy to be of any use in combat!" Arthragor grumbled. White Wind looked up and saw the fight and began squirming in the dragon's grip.

"He says he can fly again. Let go of him!" Yulie shouted. Arthragor loosened his grip and White Wind fell, flapping his wings a few times before firing the thrusters and sweeping up into the air skillfully. Yulie stood up in his seat and tensed, springing off of Arthragor's back and landing in the saddle as White Wind passed by. Whisker followed, skillfully landing behind Yulie on Wind's rump. Yulie looked from the battle above to Magma. "Torehj! Get Kayli out of here!" Yulie ordered. Torehj recognized his concern and nodded in agreement. Despite Kayli's complaints about wanting to see all the action, Magma carried them both to the side and above the cliff edges and onto the ground high above.

"You should stay back, boy. This is liable to get messy," Arthragor warned as he ascended. Grytha remained on his back and drew her rusty old sword, which still carried a sharp edge she maintained through the years.

Drega gasped when Goretsoku whirled on her, jaws wide to seize her and Razzie. She held out a spear to impale him in the roof of his mouth, but before the blow connected, Goretsoku jerked backwards and cried out, startled. His tail hung below him, stretched taut into the shadows of the Great Chasm. Yellow eyes appeared in the gloom and a mass blacker than shadow rose out of the depths. The black wings stretched wide and beat powerfully, eclipsing the wiry piasa. Ph'li and Ko'li reigned their steeds back in shock upon seeing the mighty black wyrm. Razzie backwinged to put distance between her and Goretsoku.

The piasa looked over his shoulder at the large black dragon grabbing the tip of his tail and holding it tight. "ARTHRAGOR!? I-I-IMPOSSIBLE!" Goretsoku spotted Grytha sitting on Arthragor's neck between wingbeats. "HOW COULD YOU SUBMIT YOURSELF TO HUMAAAANS!" Goretsoku howled as Arthragor pulled him down towards him.

"Here's how we did things back in my day, whelp…" Arthragor growled and seized Goretsoku by the neck just above the chest. His claws dug into the soft skin, crushing Goretsoku's throat and drawing blood from where the tips broke through the scales. The piasa screamed in agony, thrashing briefly before going limp. Goretsoku's eyes fluttered shut then snapped open suddenly as one last spurt of strength erupted. He lunged forward, jaws closing around Arthragor's neck where it connected to the shoulder, his teeth easily piercing the weakened scale armor. Arthragor roared and convulsed, his wings going rigid.

Yulie had been watching the battle at a distance from White Wind's back, but when he saw Goretsoku's last bite, his eyes widened and he reigned White Wind towards the mortally wounded dragons. "GRYTHA! GRYTHA!" Wind flew behind Arthragor and Yulie leaned out of the saddle, extending his right hand. "Grab my hand! I can catch you!" he shouted frantically.

Grytha looked over her shoulder and up at him. She had managed to thrust her sword into Goretsoku's eye, but not before the dragon's jaws had clamped down on Arthragor's neck, pinning her legs in his death throes. Blood oozed out from where the fangs had pierced her thigh. She smiled weakly then closed her eyes in resignation as Arthragor's wings went limp.

Time seemed to have frozen and Yulie could feel his face contorting, his mouth opening wide and the shriek tearing from his throat seconds later. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Arthragor plummeted backwards into the darkness of the Great Chasm, carrying Grytha on his back and dragging Goretsoku with him. "GRYTHA! GRYTHAAA!" White Wind dove down after them. A large green-scaled form intervened and blocked Wind's path.

"Yulie, you must not!" Dragon Master shouted. Yulie glanced from him to the falling dragons. "They're already dead! Let them go…this is as kind a death as could be had by them…" he argued, meaning Grytha and Arthragor. Yulie watched them fall until he could see them no more. He hunched over in the saddle, weeping profusely. White Wind beat his wings and soared up above the canyon edge, landing on the ground. Drega and the Twins followed behind and dismounted, but Yulie slipped out of the saddle and staggered away from them, reeling from the disaster. Whisker bounded towards him but Wind stretched out a wing, blocking her and urging her to stay back. Torehj remained silent and Kayli looked confused.

Yulie dropped to his knees and hunched over, his body wracked with sobs. He couldn't get the sequence of events out of his mind, and wondering over and over if he should have joined the attack despite Arthragor's wishes.

"I don't get it? Where's the Dragonlady and the dragon?" Kayli asked. Torehj did not respond and Drega clamped a hand over her mouth, trying to digest what she had seen. The Twins bowed their heads and muttered prayers in Thangien. Yulie kept crying until his throat felt raw and tight and his cheeks felt sticky with tears. He barely registered the clank of armor from behind him or the angry footsteps but he heard the voice between sobs as an armored hand grabbed him by the left arm and jerked him to his feet.

"It's not enough that you think it's okay to throw your own life away…you drag my sister along on one of your stupid adventures!? MY SISTER!?" Yulie heard Ryo's voice and vaguely saw his angry face behind the White Dragon armor visor, but he didn't respond.

"He didn't do anything wrong, Ryo!" Kayli objected and ran over, grabbing Ryo's arm.

"Stay out of this, Kayli! What do you have to say for yourself!?" Ryo demanded, grabbing the collar of Yulie's heavy cloth shirt.

"Raeo Flamerider, I ask that you stay your hand. YuliTakin has suffered a grievous loss this day," Torehj walked over and held up his hand, palm facing forward. Ryo glanced at him, surprised.

"Prince Torehj…" he muttered then glanced at Yulie's face again. Yulie didn't seem to want to look him in the eye, his gaze remaining distant and guilt-wracked. Ryo recognized that expression as one who had witnessed death. He relaxed his grip and stepped away from Yulie, letting the boy sink back onto his knees. "I'll take your word for it because you're here," Ryo said. Behind him, the Twins tried to tiptoe away. "But Ph'li and Ko'li still have to answer to Norin for taking Pegasi without permission again," Ryo stated sternly.

"Where do you two think you're going?" Rowen-wearing Eagle AnimArmor-snatched the Twins by their scruffs and lifted them off the ground. "Somebody's going to get their tail shaved," Rowen grumbled as he carried the Twins to Furhild and Straygocasir.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Ph'li bawled and clutched his tail tight. Torehj watched and smirked before glancing back at Ryo and nodding.

"Of course…" he stated calmly.

"Yulie…I'm so sorry…we should have been able to stop Goretsoku even without you…then none of this would have happened…" Drega knelt beside Yulie and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Those words rang in his ears over and over. He should have been able to stop Goretsoku! If only he hadn't been so blinded by justice and got knocked out in the first place. If only he'd fought the dragon himself instead of letting the decrepit Arthragor fight.

Why did their deaths weigh on him so much? He'd seen death before, sure enough. He remembered Anubis toppling into the water, his body utterly spent from his last noble act of freeing Kayura from Badamon's control. He remembered Runa, her body broken from such a high fall, thanking Ryo with her last breath. Both times he'd been too weak to act, unable to intervene because as a child he had no power. Now he had power, he had the strength, and it didn't make a difference. He remembered how Grytha had made her peace with Arthragor.

Yulie glanced at Drega, remembering what Grytha had said about previous Dragongirls. He hugged her suddenly, wrapping his arms around her shoulders tightly, dreading the thought of losing her too. Drega patted him on the shoulder and leaned away.

"Yulie, it's okay. We Dragongirls know our duty. You don't have to worry about me when my time comes," she said calmly. Yulie's eyes widened in shock.

"That's not what I meant- I-!" he sputtered. Drega shook her head and smiled at him, completely at ease. Before Yulie could say anything else, a shadow fell over them.

"Drega, come, we should take our leave of this place. I have a mural to amend, it seems. Farewell, White Ryder. Until next time," Dragon Master said and swooped off overhead. Drega patted Yulie on the cheeks once more and jogged over to Razzie, climbing into the saddle. Razzie sprang into the air after Dragon Master and Yulie watched them leave, bewildered.

"Alright, that's enough…let's get out of here. The portal will stay open until we're all through. Kayli, you're coming with me," Ryo picked up his little sister in his arms despite her pouting. Rowen stood behind Furhild and Straygocasir, keeping his eyes on the Twins as they clambered into the saddle. White Wind walked up behind Yulie and nudged him in the left shoulder. It didn't hurt anymore thanks to the Richtho leaf, but Grytha had reset it in the first place. White Wind ejected the rein cord from his chin and brushed it against Yulie's face. Yulie reached up for it shakily and staggered to his feet. He hauled himself up onto White Wind's back and sat hunched over weakly. Whisker scampered over and hopped onto Wind's rump, clutching onto Yulie's back and lashing her tail eagerly. Ryo took wing first and the others followed.

"RyoTakin…could I ask your permission to-" Ph'li came up behind Ryo and raised his finger.

"NO" Ryo said stiffly before Ph'li had a chance to finish his question. Kayli seemed confused about things and Ryo flapped the dragon wings, rushing ahead of Ph'li. Torehj and Magma flew just behind Ryo, and Ph'li caught a glimpse of a smirk on the prince's face. Ph'li scowled back in warning. It seemed Torehj had not given up all of his pride…

Why are you still upset? They died as heroes, Yulie heard White Wind speak to him using his own voice. Yulie bit his lip and shook his head, scowling in regret. We will make our deaths just as heroic, but it won't come for a very long time. Yulie had to chuckle at Wind's strange attempt to cheer him up, but it helped break him out of his gloom regardless. Yulie wiped his face and blinked against the rushing wind.

Later that day, after the travelers had returned to their world, Dragon Master crawled along his halls and peered into one of the side rooms at the progress being made on the new mural. Opposite the wall with the old mural of Grytha's first fight against Arthragor, the new mural depicted them battling the vicious piasa together; Grytha's sword drawn and gleaming in the light of dawn, and the redeemed Arthragor grappling with the villainous Goretsoku.

"You may enter," Anubis mumbled from his seat in his room when the door beeped, indicating a visitor standing outside in the hall. The door slid open and Anubis glanced up at the newcomer. "Yulie? You're back, I see. You've been quite busy, it seems, rushing headlong into battle," Anubis teased. Yulie walked into the room slowly and sat down in a nearby chair. He didn't say anything right away. Anubis frowned, sensing something weighing on Yulie's mind. He remained silent and went back to reading his book. Yulie actually wanted to ask him a lot of questions, namely to do with death and dying and battle, but his mind couldn't seem to pick which one to focus on. Anubis had indeed died and been returned to life through unknown means, so Yulie figured he would be able to help give perspective on what had happened. Yulie placed his hands on his knees and kept his eyes to the floor. He looked up abruptly.

"Anubis…is there such a thing as a dragon not being a real dragon?" he asked suddenly. Not the question he wanted to ask, but his mind seemed to want to blurt it out regardless. Anubis' brow wrinkled in a puzzled scowl and he set his book down.

"What do you mean? Like shape-changing?"

"I guess…it's something one of my enemies kept going on about…"

"I take it your 'enemy' thinks all dragons should hold princesses captive and hoard enormous piles of gold? That particular stereotype seems to have dug its roots into dragon folklore of all stripes. Well…there are several cases of humans being turned into dragons, in fact. In an ancient Germanic epic, the prince Fafnir murdered his father, and coveted his gold so much he turned into a dragon. Then again, Fafnir was a dwarf so he might not count…" Anubis muttered and scratched his chin. "There is the story of the Lindworm King, a rather obscure fairy tale of a prince born in the form of a dragon because his mother misinterpreted the words of a soothsayer.

"I can think of something a bit more local in a sense… in a small poor village, a son and his mother struggled to survive during a severe drought. Each day the son went to find food for the both of them, and one day he stumbled across a luminous pearl and brought it home. He showed it to his mother, who hid it away, but upon doing so, they discovered the pearl had the power to magically multiply any object it came in contact with. They used this power to become very wealthy and shared their wealth with the rest of the village.

"The other villagers grew suspicious of this sudden new fortune, however, and demanded to know their secret. The boy revealed the pearl, and two greedy villagers came to their house asking to see it. They pretended to gaze in wonder at the pearl and leaned closer and closer. The boy feared they might attempt to steal it for themselves, and rightfully so for when he placed the pearl into his mouth to protect it, the greedy villagers seized him and shook him so roughly he swallowed the pearl by accident. His body began to burn from within and he became consumed by a terrible thirst. He drank up all the water remaining in the village, and when that was not enough, he drank up the remains of the nearby river.

"Horns sprouted from his head and scales covered his skin and his body grew and grew as he transformed into a huge, majestic dragon. It began to rain, and the dragon rose into the air towards the sky. His mother grabbed the tip of his tail, begging him not to leave, but the dragon knew he no longer belonged in the world of men. He shook her off gently, his body carving a new river into the land and the rain filling it to the shore. He departed into the clouds, leaving behind this last gift for his mother and the village.

"Except for the two greedy men, whose lands remained forever after blighted and dry. Does that help answer your question?" Anubis asked gently, noticing the distant look in Yulie's eyes.

"Y-Y-Yeah…it does…t-thanks…" Yulie nodded shakily. Anubis didn't notice how Yulie's hand fumbled around in his pocket as the boy fingered the pearl Dragon Master had given him.

"What ever you do, don't swallow it!" The warning echoed in his thoughts as he clutched the pearl tightly. Realization just set in how very serious his life as the White Ryder had become.

"I should be getting home…Mom…Mom'll be worried about me…Thanks for talking with me," Yulie said and rose out of his seat and turned to leave. The door slid open and Michelle Lonely Coyote skipped to the side out of Yulie's way as he left the room. She watched him walk down the hall before entering the room, scratching her head in confusion.

"What was that all about? He looked like he'd just seen a ghost," she mused and glanced at her father. Anubis sat upright in his chair with his book next to his thigh. "Father?"

"I'm starting to wonder…if little Ryu might not technically be the first to Ignite…"

Author's Notes

There's a scene in Digimon where Cody says he has to leave for kendo practice. Uupamon asks "what's kendo", and Davis promptly thwacks him with a rolled up newspaper. Uupamon demands to know why he hit him, and Davis impishly replies back "you wanted to know what kendo was!" That was as much a grasp on the concept I had as very few anime I watched in my youth depicted Japanese culture. Unless you count that one "tea ceremony" episode of Sailor Moon…or the Pokemon one where Jesse and James think they're attending a tea party…

Suffice to say, it's a lot more complex than just "Japanese fencing". While there is a mention of Yulie becoming proficient at the tail end of Message, I always wondered why they never elaborated on these things in the actual show itself. I wanted to try to incorporate that into AoD. This chapter took longer than intended being completely new and written from scratch.

One of the things I like about Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern universe is that everything has a history to it. An obscure ballad from an earlier book gets expanded into a separate novel concerning a historical heroine. Hold Lords and Weyr Leaders have their own lineage. Characters of the present reconnect with their colonial roots. Originally the names Grytha and Arthragor were loosely mentioned, but I decided to flesh out the history of these worlds.

I also wanted to find a way to fit back in Torehj and Magma, as in the original AoD version, Magma had been mostly written out of appearances. With Torehj, he can participate in future battles. The backstory with Grytha and Arthragor is loosely based off of a short story where a knight pursues a black dragon seeking vengeance and when he finally tracks down the dragon, he finds its about to die from old age. The knight finds out that –what a tweest!- he's dead and has been hunting the dragon as a ghost. The dragon invites him to kill him, musing delivering the death blow might put the knight to rest. The knight refuses and the dragon ends up dying, taunting the knight with his last breath: "This swamp will be my grave. Where do your bones lie?" The knight is left with only his vengeance, cursed to haunt the world. Sucks to be you…

I actually wanted to release these three "bridge chapters" at once, but various events have kept me distracted. It's kind of difficult to write fiction about heroes battling evil empires when you see it actually unfolding. I plan to get started with the next step in Age of Defiance fairly soon, which should be familiar to anyone who's read my original works.

It should be Cataclysmic…