Post by Lone Dancer on Sept 7, 2021 16:15:26 GMT
He inhaled, a deep sinking breath, preparing himself for the journey ahead. The forest loomed ahead, mist curling around the base; ever shifting in lazy movement. Clutching at a little straw doll, he stepped within the cool fog, the pale white mist enveloping him.
"Come on! It'll be fun!" She laughed, racing ahead in the forest, dashing between the trees as he stood back, watching. He smiled, and laughed himself, young claws scrabbling across the moss that carpeted the forest floor...
Memories flitted about within his mind, of a time oh so long ago. The same moss still decorated the ground, as soft as he remembered. A gentle breeze drifted by, carrying whispers of yet another memory.
"Hey, look what I've found!" She flitted around, before climbing up a large boulder. She triumphantly posed once at the top of her new stone 'throne'. He climbed up alongside her, laughing at her antics.
His claws traced the boulder, standing as upright as it did years before. He took a deep breath, the ghostly mist heavy on his lungs, yet there was slight comfort in that weight. He continued upon his trek, his resolve firm.
She danced among the tree branches with a grace he couldn't dare hope to mimic, swinging about with wild abandon, joyful. He merely watched from down below, claws idly pulling at the moss. As she jumped, her straw doll dropped out of her pouch. He caught it before it touched the forest floor.
The doll seemed so heavy in his claws, the simple dragon figure of no particular tribe the last thing he had of her beside his own memories. The forest began to thrum, a rhythmic beat that he felt more than heard. Crystalline bells and tinkling chime rang out in quiet haunted chorus. He didn't know if this was all in his head, or reality.
"Do you here that?" He asked, she stared back, head tilted, listening. Slowly she nodded.
"Yah, I do. It's nice, don't ya think?"
It was so incredibly loud, yet not. It was a sensation that was a mix of both mental and physical. The thrumming resonated within his chest, causing his whole body to tremble. He was getting closer. Just had to get through the tree.
As they continued own, they both found themselves at the base of a titan of a tree, towering far above them, piercing through the sky. At the base of the tree was a simple round wooden gate, that seemed more sturdy than any metal. A dragon with the appearance of all the tribes, yet none of them descended down from the tree trunk, settling himself in front them. For the life of him, he couldn't tell the color of his scales, for eyes seemed to always want to slide off the color aspect, yet saw the shape. Eyes of purple that flashed red and blue, stared at them.
Those same eyes and undecipherable colored dragon stared at him. Silence echoed out, all sound having ceased.
"You're the Gatekeeper." A statement, more than a question. The dragon merely nodded. The gate loomed over them both, and the tree it rested within loomed further.
"You let in my sister, but not me. Why?" His voice cracked a bit, at the end. The dragon continued to stare, before replying in a voice like that of a creaking tree branch.
"You were not ready. She was."
"15 years without my sister, because she went into that forsaken Gate. My family, my friends, thought I murdered her. I was outcasted, the only mercy received was them not taking my life!" His voice rose as he spoke. He fell quiet once more, his next words quieter than a whisper.
"Why?"
"You were not ready." Their voice remained even. He wanted to yell, to shout, yet all he could do was bitterly mutter out,
"How? How was I not ready? Am I ready now?"
"Yes."
"Then let me in!" He took a step forward, the dragon didn't react.
"You must wait. It is not time yet."
"Then when?" Sadness, resignation tinged his voice.
"Not much longer."
He sighed. Rubbing at his face, he felt so incredibly tired.
"I just want to see my sister again."
Silence. Then not.
"There is several Gates. I cannot open this one, until the open one is closed. Dire consequences will arise if I do." The dragon's tone turned dark at the end of their sentence.
He was going to say more, but another thrum echoed out, and impacted with his chest. The wooden Gate seemed to shimmer, entering a state where it was open and closed, at the exact same time. Just as he remembered.
He looked at the dragon, perhaps for affirmation. The dragon nodded. He took a deep breath, and braced himself.
And he stepped through.
"Come on! It'll be fun!" She laughed, racing ahead in the forest, dashing between the trees as he stood back, watching. He smiled, and laughed himself, young claws scrabbling across the moss that carpeted the forest floor...
Memories flitted about within his mind, of a time oh so long ago. The same moss still decorated the ground, as soft as he remembered. A gentle breeze drifted by, carrying whispers of yet another memory.
"Hey, look what I've found!" She flitted around, before climbing up a large boulder. She triumphantly posed once at the top of her new stone 'throne'. He climbed up alongside her, laughing at her antics.
His claws traced the boulder, standing as upright as it did years before. He took a deep breath, the ghostly mist heavy on his lungs, yet there was slight comfort in that weight. He continued upon his trek, his resolve firm.
She danced among the tree branches with a grace he couldn't dare hope to mimic, swinging about with wild abandon, joyful. He merely watched from down below, claws idly pulling at the moss. As she jumped, her straw doll dropped out of her pouch. He caught it before it touched the forest floor.
The doll seemed so heavy in his claws, the simple dragon figure of no particular tribe the last thing he had of her beside his own memories. The forest began to thrum, a rhythmic beat that he felt more than heard. Crystalline bells and tinkling chime rang out in quiet haunted chorus. He didn't know if this was all in his head, or reality.
"Do you here that?" He asked, she stared back, head tilted, listening. Slowly she nodded.
"Yah, I do. It's nice, don't ya think?"
It was so incredibly loud, yet not. It was a sensation that was a mix of both mental and physical. The thrumming resonated within his chest, causing his whole body to tremble. He was getting closer. Just had to get through the tree.
As they continued own, they both found themselves at the base of a titan of a tree, towering far above them, piercing through the sky. At the base of the tree was a simple round wooden gate, that seemed more sturdy than any metal. A dragon with the appearance of all the tribes, yet none of them descended down from the tree trunk, settling himself in front them. For the life of him, he couldn't tell the color of his scales, for eyes seemed to always want to slide off the color aspect, yet saw the shape. Eyes of purple that flashed red and blue, stared at them.
Those same eyes and undecipherable colored dragon stared at him. Silence echoed out, all sound having ceased.
"You're the Gatekeeper." A statement, more than a question. The dragon merely nodded. The gate loomed over them both, and the tree it rested within loomed further.
"You let in my sister, but not me. Why?" His voice cracked a bit, at the end. The dragon continued to stare, before replying in a voice like that of a creaking tree branch.
"You were not ready. She was."
"15 years without my sister, because she went into that forsaken Gate. My family, my friends, thought I murdered her. I was outcasted, the only mercy received was them not taking my life!" His voice rose as he spoke. He fell quiet once more, his next words quieter than a whisper.
"Why?"
"You were not ready." Their voice remained even. He wanted to yell, to shout, yet all he could do was bitterly mutter out,
"How? How was I not ready? Am I ready now?"
"Yes."
"Then let me in!" He took a step forward, the dragon didn't react.
"You must wait. It is not time yet."
"Then when?" Sadness, resignation tinged his voice.
"Not much longer."
He sighed. Rubbing at his face, he felt so incredibly tired.
"I just want to see my sister again."
Silence. Then not.
"There is several Gates. I cannot open this one, until the open one is closed. Dire consequences will arise if I do." The dragon's tone turned dark at the end of their sentence.
He was going to say more, but another thrum echoed out, and impacted with his chest. The wooden Gate seemed to shimmer, entering a state where it was open and closed, at the exact same time. Just as he remembered.
He looked at the dragon, perhaps for affirmation. The dragon nodded. He took a deep breath, and braced himself.
And he stepped through.