{"id":98,"date":"2011-06-22T18:16:23","date_gmt":"2011-06-23T02:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sadapaa.com\/?page_id=98"},"modified":"2011-06-25T01:52:07","modified_gmt":"2011-06-25T09:52:07","slug":"chapter-8","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sadapaa.com\/?page_id=98","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 8"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 8<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beaten, battered, and bruised, Fercius found a formidable spot to sleep by. Although he knew these wounds would heal in time, and that life itself was a gift after a battle like this, he couldn\u2019t help but fret over his wounds, keeping most of his self-pity to himself, the gauze on his front left leg was annoyingly itchy.<\/p>\n

Why. He thought. How does this affect me, why declare war? How is the death of one man so different from the death of another? Millions of peasants could die to fire without a country being even phased into combat, and now, to the death of a single individual \u2013 entire countries quake.<\/p>\n

Yes, he loved Darko, and would stay by his decisions regardless, but he was not one to share his affections. Fercius had as deep a respect for the army as he did for Darko, but he didn\u2019t think either should be risked for the death of a single person. Out of his vexed mind, he brought this question before the other dragons, who were wallowing in pain and self-pity as well. Perhaps a more shared pity, they enjoyed complaining amongst each other.<\/p>\n

The dragons were congregated in different areas throughout the settlement, the smaller dragons preferring to group up in smaller alleyways, where larger dragons would have difficulties harassing them. Some dragons grouped by race, a bunch of Terran dragons sitting near the town square, a bunch of the younger dragons crowded up next to an older Terran dragon that had a massive gash in his right side by his back, where his plating was weakest. The variation in size was immense in the Terran group, three or four smaller dragons capable of fitting under the wing of the older Terran.<\/p>\n

Ever since Darko had left to the officers\u2019 lounge for the night, Fercius had begun feeling lonelier, looking for familiar faces. He got up from the corner of the building where he wanted to sleep.<\/p>\n

Maybe I could find Lorna. Is that really a good idea\u2026<\/p>\n

Fercius sensed a presence behind him and turned his head around slightly to see the dragon out of the corner of his eye.<\/p>\n

\u201cNice flying with you today, Fercius.\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Turning around, Fercius recognized the dragon from their small squadron that had been dispatched into the woods, an Arabus dragon, wearing the colors of the desert.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour eye.\u201d Fercius said, seeing that his left eye was completely gauzed up.<\/p>\n

Not even the gauze could hide the massive scar that extended past his eye to his forehead, though.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeh, yeah.\u201d the dragon looked away, noticeably annoyed at the loss. \u201cI didn\u2019t choose to be here\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of us did.\u201d said another dragon, this dragon had a splint on his rear left leg, forcing him to walk with a limp, he had also been in the formation, he was a pale reddish brown color, possible a mix between a Vulcan and a Terran.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, we\u2019re here to defend our names!\u201d Lorna exclaimed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re here for revenge.\u201d muttered the scarred dragon.<\/p>\n

\u201cLand.\u201d suggested the third.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom what Darko\u2019s been saying, this was the last straw, apparently R and B have harassed us before.\u201d said Fercius.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell they killed our King, this is what happens.\u201d said the scarred dragon.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat, Scar, more of us have to suffer? More have to die to follow the death of one?\u201d asked the dragon with the limp.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm, if you call me Scar I\u2019m calling you Trifoot.\u201d replied Scar.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not.\u201d replied Trifoot, laughing slightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I still prefer to call myself Lorna. Besides, plenty of people know my name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I\u2019m sorry we lack the popularity you two have.\u201d Scar said sarcastically.<\/p>\n

Trifoot whispered something into Scar\u2019s ear, and they both laughed, looking at Fercy and Lorna with secretive eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat!\u201d Lorna asked, glancing at Fercy and then back at the two dragons.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid someone say something?\u201d Scar asked, his gauze making it slightly easier to look serious.<\/p>\n

Fercius laughed, Lorna finally deciding to smile as well. Once the laughing stopped, though, and the sound of the wounded began filling their ears, things became quiet again, the dragons simply looking at one another, sharing more than just a gaze.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got through this together.\u201d said Fercius.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed.\u201d Scar replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still don\u2019t like it.\u201d Trifoot muttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cNeither do I.\u201d Fercius added.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s what we\u2019re designed to do.\u201d Scar argued. \u201cLook at us, we don\u2019t need to wear any fancy armor, the shield is to protect the rider. Our skin is more than enough to take what these humans have to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The memory of their dead Vulcan wingman proved that they were wrong, but they all nodded anyways.<\/p>\n

It was very dark now, the sun long gone, the wounded whimpering and the dying dead. They had decided to sleep by a small farmhouse near the town square in the barn. He was here, he had survived, only now was he beginning to realize how lucky he really was, having overheard Darko regarding the casualty rate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were ready for us.\u201d Darko had said.<\/p>\n

They had lost 17 dragons and 42 soldiers to this attack, and had killed 19 dragons and more soldiers than they could count.<\/p>\n

Fercius got up, fatigued but restless.<\/p>\n

The dead could sleep all they want.<\/p>\n

He shook the hay off of his hide and walked out of the barn, it was raining lightly, and although Fercius had initially hated the rain, it seemed soothing this particular instant, the cold droplets trickling down his nose to his feet, running down his spine, crawling down his body to the wet mud below. The coolness made him forget about the pain in his leg. War wasn\u2019t friendly, he saw no honor, no heroes, only corpses. Hundreds of dead littering the alleyways, roads, and central plaza. They needed a convoy of carts to clean the city.<\/p>\n

Walking along the walls of the building, he could see the burn marks from the flame-strikes that had missed; chunks of the fa\u00e7ade missing. Sections of wall had even been burrowed through, with an abandoned battering ram sitting by the broken down rear entrance gate. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The battering ram was designed to be carried by half a dozen men, three on each side, with the wheels merely mitigating the friction of the ground below them but definitely not getting rid of it.<\/p>\n

Fercius wanted to be alone with his thoughts, alone with his feelings, looking towards the Apalene mountains, where somewhere off in the distance Rin\u2019Tsu was most likely sleeping, safe.<\/p>\n

That being his last thought, Fercius awoke the next morning underneath the battering room, using the intact axis for the rear wheels as a pseudo headrest. He hadn\u2019t even remembered lying down, but \u2013 ignoring the terrible stiffness of his back \u2013 felt well. His scars were now simply badges of his veterancy. His wings, comfortably folded around his body for warmth, refused to open at first. He waited patiently for the blood to start flowing through them again as he peeked his head out from under the ram.<\/p>\n

The wagons that had scurried along the corpses in the night had done their jobs well, if Fercius hadn\u2019t known better, he would have never thought hundreds of people had just died here. The marks along the walls were still prominent, but forgettable.<\/p>\n

The sun was high, and the ram\u2019s roof was hot, startling Fercy as he brushed his tail against it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hungry.\u201d he said to himself, walking into the castle. He could smell the food cooking for the soldiers, but dragons got their food a little differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cFercy!\u201d Lorna exclaimed, \u201cNew rules state we have to hunt in groups, you weren\u2019t thinking of leaving without me, were you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm? No, of course not.\u201d he didn\u2019t mind the attention.<\/p>\n

Lorna\u2019s interest in him made him curious. It wasn\u2019t often that other dragons wanted to be around him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the others?\u201d he asked inconspicuously.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2026 already left.\u201d Lorna replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight.\u201d Fercius grinned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you implying?\u201d Lorna snapped defensively.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing.\u201d Fercy flushed.<\/p>\n

Hunting wasn\u2019t something Fercy seriously enjoyed or despised. He never thought about the importance of the lives of the animals that he ate, and considered them to be nothing more than sustenance. Alka \u2013 these four legged furred creatures \u2013 were his preference, as they were not only easy to catch but very tasty. Hunting was something Fercy did on his own time \u2013 alone.<\/p>\n

But here was ever-interested Lorna, who had initially been the most irritating dragon Fercy had ever met.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think you\u2019d have survived the first day in the war, let alone our trek in the forest.\u201d<\/p>\n

He remembered the dying Vulcan in the woods.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I wish I hadn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed, \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI despise killing\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Lorna found that ironic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t killing?\u201d She asked, swallowing a crawler.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is nature, necessity, instinct.\u201d Fercius replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo is war.\u201d Lorna said calmly, staring bleakly ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s debatable. I consider it pointless.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDepends on your definition of pointless\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019re a wizard now?\u201d Fercy retorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, my last lancer was\u2026\u201d she replied, a pinch of sorrow in her voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d Fercius said, looking away guiltily.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was only trying to make conversation.\u201d Lorna said, disturbed and avoiding eye contact.<\/p>\n

Fercius opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it, seeing the look on Lorna\u2019s face – asking what the hell she wants now would be a rather unsound idea.<\/p>\n

He was lucky, because what followed was something he had never heard Lorna say before.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t been the best dragon I could have been.\u201d<\/p>\n

What an understatement. Fercy thought to himself, still looking beyond the fact that she was actually apologizing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like you to know that this war has really opened my eyes, and I don\u2019t want us to harbor any negative feelings towards each other due to our past.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dumbstruck, Fercius didn\u2019t quite know what to say, but saw an Alka, and therefore decided that the cowardly tactic of avoiding the subject was in order.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh! Alka!\u201d he exclaimed.<\/p>\n

\u201cKill it!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t killing.\u201d Fercy explained, \u201cWhat we did in the forest was killing, this war is killing. What we\u2019re doing now is\u2026 is\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFooding?\u201d Lorna asked.<\/p>\n

He laughed, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Alka was fooded, not killed\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery thoroughly fooded.\u201d<\/p>\n

They laughed, slightly more full and energetic.<\/p>\n

The feeling subsided, however, as Fercy felt a stinging sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu; of being back in that castle on the Appalene mountains; of fighting; of dodging.<\/p>\n

Dodging\u2026<\/p>\n

Fercius instantly veered to the right and spun around, a burst of flame igniting the tree below him, disappearing behind him as they picked up speed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that massive Terran dragon up there fooding too?\u201d Lorna asked nervously.<\/p>\n

\u201cFooding us!\u201d<\/p>\n

The dragon was bigger than Lorna and Fercy combined.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do we do?\u201d Lorna asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSubmit.\u201d The terran dragon replied. \u201cRunning will just make your flesh stringy and sour.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRunning is good.\u201d Fercy whispered to Lorna.<\/p>\n

\u201cRun where?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDown.\u201d he pointed, \u201cWe can shake him in the trees.\u201d<\/p>\n

They dived, and the Terran dragon sighed and dived after them. He had been higher than them, and was able to pick up speed quickly. The tree line was a mere 30 meters below them, but the dragon was right on them. Fercius could feel the air pushing him aside as the dragon swooped by him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made it.\u201d he said, landing on the soft forest ground.<\/p>\n

There was no response from Lorna. She wasn\u2019t there; the terran must have caught her.<\/p>\n

\u201cLorna!\u201d he cried, beating himself back up above the tree line.<\/p>\n

The dragon was gone\u2026<\/p>\n

Lorna was gone.<\/p>\n

Something cried out a few hundred meters away, just beyond the tree line behind a rock. Fercius began to dart towards the boulder, assuming her and the terran would be behind it, unaware of the fact that he has just passed the outskirts of the forest and was now in open ground.<\/p>\n

Well he became aware \u2013 but only after he felt the other dragon swooping up behind him, having hidden by the lip of the tree line just before the rock. Fercy was hit hard, crashing on the open grass, the dragon landing right in front of him, the impact of his feet touching the ground making slight tremors in the ground, matched only by the tremors in Fercy\u2019s veins as his heart raced. Lorna wasn\u2019t by the forest, which meant that she must have actually been by the rock, which also meant that she was too injured to move from there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you do!\u201d Fercy yelled, beating himself away from the dragon and getting ready to charge.<\/p>\n

The dragon simply stood on the grass and grinned, bracing himself for Fercius\u2019 charge.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonorable of you to fall for the bait\u2026 but foolish.\u201d the terran sneered, \u201cNow you\u2019re both doomed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2026\u201d Fercy said, charging, \u201cbut you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

He accelerated with all his might, hoping to strike with the same devastation he had struck the wall of his home once.<\/p>\n

He missed, the enemy dragon laughing and firing a burst of flame at Fercy, knocking him across the back and onto the floor. The burns devastated his backside, cascading across his wings and singing their tips. Every beat of his wings had a world of pain backing them, but he knew he had to stay mobile and in the air.<\/p>\n

Adrenaline was all that kept Fercius aware, and as the terran dragon charged him, he dodged, the effort from the dodge forcing Fercy to land and watch the terran dragon come about. The terran readied another flameburst, but Fercius just collapsed onto his side, too tired to get onto his feet again. The terran dragon decided against the burst and slowly made his way towards him, victorious and hungry.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow hold still, we all have to eat.\u201d the dragon whispered, kneeling down and slipping his jaws over Fercius\u2019 throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2026 why fellow dragons?\u201d Fercy whimpered, barely able to breathe from the pressure applied.<\/p>\n

\u201cDragons are tasty, and as a war target, I have no qualms about feeding on you and your mate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dragon clamped down hard on Fercius\u2019 throat, not giving him enough time to correct the terran\u2019s last statement.<\/p>\n

This was it, Fercius had thought it would be more painful, but there was barely any blood, the terran\u2019s fangs simply keeping him secure as the dragon\u2019s molars applied pressure. He could feel himself giving way, this was it, the terran prepared to finish Fercy as he jerked his head to the side, trying to snap his neck, it didn\u2019t work, and instead knocked Fercius into the ground and freed him from the dragon\u2019s grip. Desperate, Fercius took advantage of this and lunged at the terran\u2019s neck, biting down hard; making sure his fangs had their chance at digging in. He tasted blood and heard the terran\u2019s yelp of surprise and fear. It was over, there was a fountain of blood and Fercius began drinking it as he bit, the taste of it fueling his anger and fear and adrenaline and hate for what this terran had done to Lorna. By the time the taste went away, the dragon was lifeless, lying on his side on the ground, with Fercius still clamped down hard on his neck.<\/p>\n

With his thermal senses finally telling him the dragon was gone, he let go, the blood exhilarating Fercius, he had never felt this way before, roaring in triumph over his enemy.<\/p>\n

With his adrenaline fading, he slowly flew towards the rock.<\/p>\n

\u201cLorna.\u201d he asked, preparing himself as he neared the boulder.<\/p>\n

Please don\u2019t be dead, he thought to himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cFercius!\u201d she cried.<\/p>\n

And with that, he sprinted the rest of the way, landing by Lorna\u2019s side and sniffing her down. She reeked of blood, especially by her wings and foreleg. She was in no condition to move but her heat levels were holding.<\/p>\n

Lorna was looking at Fercius the same way though; flabbergasted by the amount of damage he took.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s blood all over you.\u201d she said, worried.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not all mine.\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The boulder was slanted in a way that gave shade from the sun, and provided shelter against the elements. This was good, as it didn\u2019t seem that either of them would be going anywhere fast.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 8 Beaten, battered, and bruised, Fercius found a formidable spot to sleep by. Although he knew these wounds would heal in time, and that life itself was a gift after a battle like this, he couldn\u2019t help but fret … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":9,"menu_order":8,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"bookfile.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-98","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P1FSDb-1A","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sadapaa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sadapaa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sadapaa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sadapaa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sadapaa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=98"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sadapaa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":235,"href":"https:\/\/www.sadapaa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98\/revisions\/235"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sadapaa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sadapaa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=98"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}