Chapter 5 - A dragon god's wrath

Chapter 5: A Dragon God's Wrath


        
        It was getting very dark when they reached the next town. It wasn't big like the last town. No paved roads or brick buildings. Just small tents made of animal hide and bone and small farms growing vegetables to support the village. It was all centered around a giant tree. The tree's roots spread around the village. The people had not disturbed any of the roots to live there; rather they had built around it. Naku found it odd that these people would care so much about one simple tree so much.

        "We shouldn't stop here." Flip said with urgency in his voice. Arkin looked over at the little dragon and saw that he was trembling slightly. Sadness and fear were in Flip's crystal blue eyes as he looked apon the village.

        "Flip darling, whats wrong?" Arkin asked, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

        "I...am not welcome here."

        "Not welcome?" Naku said , confused at how a village wouldn't welcome such a sweet boy like Flip.

        " I'm sure it will be fine if we just pass through." Arkin said.

        "I don't know if its such a good idea to risk it."

        Arkin held the poor dragon tightly. "Oh poor Flip darling, here, come give me a kiss and everything will be all better."

        Naku growled. "This is not the time to be trying to trick him Arkin!"

        Arkin whimpered and grabbed at his stomach. "Oh I can't help it, I'm just so hungry!" He exclaimed then whimpered a few more times.

        Flip looked at Arkin. "I'm sorry you're hungry but I don't think we will find anyone you can eat here anyways. This is the town I was born in and I would stop you from eating the people that I know, which is most of them. "

        Naku looked over the town again. No wonder Flip respected nature so much, being born in a place like that.

        "Still, I might be able to find a thief or two, you never know! " Arkin said with anxious hope in his voice.

        Flip giggled. As he did, he caught an odd scent in the air. Sniffing at the wind twice, he figured out what it was. "There is a werewolf somewhere."

        Naku looked around. "What! A werewolf?! Where?"

        Arkin glanced over at Naku. "I can smell it's soul, I think its somewhere close. "

        Flip started running to the village hurriedly following the scent.

        "Flip, wait!"

        Arkin and Naku followed. He stopped nearly at the edge of town and sniffed at the air again. His shoulders dropped, with what looked like it could have been dissapointment. "Its gone."

        Naku blinked. "How strange. What kind of werewolf can run so fast?"

        Flip answered, "Maybe It was a scent that was carried on the wind. This is a dissapointment. I was hoping I could see a real werewolf on this journey."

        Arkin tilted his head. "Why would you want to see a beast like that, Flip darling? Such rabid things they are."

        Flip looked at Arkin, glaring slightly. "Thats just the kind of thing people say about your race too."

        Arkin was stunned and fell silent. Naku walked up to Flip. "Well, no sense in going back now, we're already practicly in the village."

        "Right. Lets get going."

        As the three walked into town, Naku leading and Arkin following behind, Many of the people stopped what they were doing and stared. They weren't like the people in the town where Flip lived now. These people seemed to hate the travelers. Flip did his best to tuck his ears under his long black hair and hide his face. No one recognized him. For awhile anyways.

        Arkin looked around at all the people like a dog looks at the food on a high table. He whispered to Flip, "Please, can't I just pick one off, surely there is someone you hate here."

        Flip shook his head. "The ones I didn't like aren't here."

        Arkin grumbled and sunk his head down low so as not to see any of the people and started breathing from his mouth because the scent of so many fresh souls was too unbarable.

        "So you must have family here, right Flip?" Naku said in a low voice.

        Flip sighed. "My parents died when I was two...and my big sisters moved away leaving me alone after that. No one is here for me now."

        Naku now understood. Though a peaceful race, kalimnians were very supersticious. An orphan separated from all his family, by force or free will, was terrible bad luck. They treated them almost like a disease. He suspected that the other towns didn't know, and that was why he was allowed to travel and live in peace everywhere else.

        The had gotten next to the great tree when suddenly a voice called out, "Flip...Flip, is that you?"

        Flip trembled at his name, slowly turning around. The girl who had called out was standing some ways away from him. She had bright short blonde hair. Her black eyes gleamed with a intense yet blured emotion that the travelers couldn't figure out. Her clothes were elegant and a pale blue that made her white skin stand out even more.

        Flip's eyes grew wider than normal as he looked apon the lady. "Natami."

        She softly glided toward him. Flip stood stiff as she approched. Naku wasn't sure if his expression was of shock, fear, or both. Natami got right next to Flip. She was taller than him by a long shot, so Flip had to look upward. There was a long moment of intense silence, then suddenly, she raised he hand and slapped the little dragon to the ground.

        Naku jumped back in conusion "Eh?! What the?"

        "Why you little wench!" Arkin yelled. "How dare you slap him!"

        "Its alright, Arkin. Just stay out of it." Flip said holding onto his bleeding cheek. He stood back up and looked at her in the eyes yet again. "Go ahead. Get it out of your system."

        Natami glared and slapped him on the other side, but lighter this time. Flip only stumbled slightly.

        Naku paniced flapping his arms rapidly. "hey, hey, hey! Stop hitting the poor thing!"

        "Stay out of it, Naku!" Flip glared at him as if Naku was the one slapping him. Naku was still confused but stopped the yelling.

        The lady slapped him a couple of more times, and slowly her angry eyes filled with tears. She colapsed to her knees and embraced the dragon she had been slapping seconds before and wept. Flip just stood there like he hadn't been hurt and stroked her hair comfortingly. Arkin and Naku said nothing and just stood back out of the way.

        "Why! Why did you leave me behind!" She managed to say in between sobs. Flip didn't answer her. He just kept stroking her hair silently. After a bit, Arkin finaly stepped towards them. "Um, excuse me, I wouldn't mind a bit of an explanation."

        The girl looked at him, wiping a tear away and smiling slightly. "Oh I'm sorry. You must think me a horrible person right now, but I'm really not. I was just angry."

        "Angry?! Rampaging is more like it you nearly gave Flip a concussion!" Naku yelled.

        "Well he deserved it...for the most part." She got up and brushed her hair back. It looked as if she hadn't been crying at all.

        "Deserved it?!?" Naku was dumbstruck, and the fact Flip wasn't angry he just got slapped around was even more confusing.
        

        The girl looked at Flip smiling happily. "So you got mom to forgive you? How lovely! You must stay at my place for tonight...." Natami waited a few seconds. When Flip didn't say anything she figured out he hadn't gotten forgiveness. "Flip, how could you come through here without forgiveness, thats dishonorable!"

        Arkin noticed that the other villages were gathering around staring at Flip and whispering to one another. Flip saw them too."Natami, I need to go before I stir up more trouble."

        Natami shrugged. "Okay, okay, but you aren't leaving me this time! Just let me get my things really quick!"

        "Ack, Natami, you can't-"

        Natami had already ran to get her stuff.

        "Oh man, we gotta get out of here!" Flip franticaly started running. Naku and Arkin followed, struggling to keep up.

        As soon as they were a few feet away from the outskirts of town, Flip stopped and clasped his knees panting. Naku came up next to him. "So, um, whats the story here pray-tell?"

        Flip stopped his panting and stood upright. "When I shamed the village, The leader thought it best for me to leave. Natami wanted to come with me. It just so happens that she is the leader's daughter. I didn't think it would be such a good idea to take her with me and get the leader even more angry and come after me with pitchforks."

        "My mother would not use pitchforks! ... She would use sticks!" Natami yelled. She was right behind Arkin. He jumped and spun around, but tripped over his own feet and fell gracelessly on the ground with a thump.

        Flip twitched in fear and slowly turned to her. "Hello Natami! We were just ah-"

        "Waiting here because you didn't want to be seen? Right, we will take that so I don't have to hurt you for nearly running off on me again." Natami's glare was cold and intense.

        Arkin, who had been dusting himself off, came up to Natami and sniffed her. "Is she traveling with us or not?"

        "I guess she is, so no, you can't eat her."

        "E-eat me?!"

        Arkin huffed. "Too bad. Her smell was pretty decent. Not a bad meal."

        "What?!?" Natami stepped away from Arkin. "Flip, what is with this guy?!?"

        "Um, I could explain, but its kinda long. Stop scaring her Arkin, we don't need another panicy person."

        Naku chimed in, "Yeah!...Wait, are you calling me panicy?"

        Flip continued. "Well, I guess there is no stopping you from coming now."

        "Hey, you didn't answer me, were you calling me panicy?"

        "So lets just get away before anyone goes and reports me being here to your mom."

        "Flip! I'm talking to you! Take back what you said about me being panicy!"

        "Does anyone else hear that panicy voice?"
        
        "I am not panicy!!!"

        Arkin smiled. "No, I can't hear anything. You must be hearing things, Flip darling."

        "Pay attention to me damnit!"

        Flip giggled. "Oh well, lets be on our way then!" He started skipping off.

        Arkin watched the little dragon as he skipped and then turned to Natami. "Was Flip always that...feminine?"

        Natami rolled her eyes and said, "you have no idea," as she followed Flip.


*************************

        Naku was still trying to get someone to pay attention to him until they had stopped to rest. Arkin built a fire and made Flip sit next to it. Flip had been shivering before they had stopped and Arkin was worried that he would catch a cold or some kind of illness. Before Arkin could sit next to him, Natami pushed him aside, positioning herself next to the dragonboy. She went on telling him about everything that had happened in her life untill finally, Flip had fallen asleep because he was so exhausted by the journey (and by her babbaling of unappreciated nonesense). Naku was on the other side of the fire away from the three companions. He sat and watched them in silence all the time thinking of how he was going to lose the others and get Flip safely to Captain Shima. It wasn't so bad when it was just Arkin. He could sneak up on Arkin(shoeless next time) and kill him easily, but he had never killed an innocent girl before. Natami had done nothing wrong. She had just decided to journey with the wrong dragon at the wrong time. This wasn't the only problem bothering him though. He was having doubts. He was going back to what Chaosin had said to him before. That it wasn't by his will that the dragon god remain dormant. Was it possible that the LuCana wished to stay in his shell? Naku shook his head to banish these thoughts. No one in their right mind would want to be dormant like that; always being shoved from one body to the next, nightmares about your true self which you can't understand, emotions and attachments to certain things you know nothing about, and a feeling of complete aloneness and that you are always missing something that you need.

        By the time Naku stopped thinking about all the problems he had with getting Flip into Hexian military hands, Natami had started talking to Arkin.

        "So where are we going? Somewhere far off?"

        Arking didn't look at her as he spoke. he just stared at the fire, like he was imagining he was somewhere else. "We're taking Naku to his people."

        Natami turned to Naku. "Where are your people, Mr. Naku?"

        Naku blinked a few times. "Not sure. They are on a pilgrimage. I don't know how far they have gotten."

        Arkin looked up at the hexian and said, "I'm still curious as to why a godless nation of the north would have a group on a pilgrimage."

        Naku smiled nervously. What was he going to say to cover that up? He thought quickly and sighed. "I soppose I can tell you the truth. We are outcasts from the North. We were banished for worshiping the lord. We are looking for a place to call home. I didn't now anything about the people down here, I thought you might think we were trying to steal your land from you so I had to lie."

        Arkin wasn't convinced, but he kept his mouth shut.

        Flip stirred for a brief second. His face was scrunched up like he was having a bad dream.

        Natami sighed as she looked apon him. "He's having one of his nightmares again. He used to have them all the time when he lived with us."

        "What about?" Naku found himself asking.

        "I'm not really sure. He could never really recall them himself. He would call out 'The blood, no, the blood' but he stopped saying that after about the fifth time."

        "Poor Flip darling..."

        Naku scratched his head. He thought maybe it was repressed memories of the last minutes he was truly alive. Which meant it was a violent end, and if so, it couldn't be that he wanted to be put asleep! This gave comfort to Naku in the fact that the Hexians were going to awaken him. Something was still bugging him though, not about that though. He decided to ask. "Natami, why was Flip dishonored? I know he was orphened but that can't be the only reason..."

        Natami took a deep breath. "He scarred the great tree."

        "You mean that big tree in the village?"

        "Yes. You probably didn't see it, but on one side there is a giant hole."

        Arkin stood up. "How could such a small boy hurt a tree that badly?"

        Natami shrugged. "Not really sure, but the day he got that tail of his he was getting bullied by some of the kids. I tried to stop them, but I was thrown to the ground. They broke my leg too. When my face was in the dirt I heard him scream and something push me down even father. And when I got up... " She looked over at Flip. "They were on the ground too, scorched by demon's fire, and the tree was too. Flip was just laying on one of the roots, he was passed out and he had that brand new tail."

        Naku's eyes were brilliantly lit up. The dragon god inside Flip was already starting to wake up! This was good news. Now he knew that it was intense emotion that was needed to call him forth from his shell, like the intense emotions that stirred in him before he was put under the spell of sleep.

        "Maybe we should get some re-" Akrin was cut short by a rustle in the bushes that caught his attention. He looked in the direction of the sound just in time to see a black cat crawling out from the shadows.

        Natami saw it too. "Aww, its a kitty how cute!"

        Arkin glared at the cat and hissed slightly. "Thats no cat."

        The cat's bright green eyes grew wider and he flashed a demonic smirk.

        Naku stood up and backed away. "Wh-what is it?!"

        Arkin growled. "He's a demon."

        Naku had forgotten that this was one of the few planets that had the species that were known as demons. It was in fact, the only underdeveloped planet to have them. Most demons were on pirate battleships. They were most annoying to the hexians.

        The wid demon cat chuckled. "What a smart Cilata you are."

        Natami stepped away from Arkin. "Your a Cilata?!"

        "We have bigger problems right now than what Arkin is Natami!" Naku said harshly.

        Flip sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Whats going on?"

        Natami grabbed Flip's hand and pulled him up. "We have a problem."

        The demon stepped foward. As he did he started to grow larger. Suddenly his bones cracked and bent, making him and upright humanoid. there was a quick flash of red and when it was gone the demon looked kalimnian but for his green eyes, pointed ears, fangs, and black cat tail. His hair was long, dirty blonde, and mostly braided in small tight braids. His skin was a light peachy color and his clothes were as black as his fur when he was a cat.

        The demon grinned and stepped up another time and smirked yet again, fangs baring this time. "I'll be taking the dragon now."

        Arkin turned into his true form and glared at the demon intensly. "You'll have to get through me."

        "With pleasure." The demon's evil voice echoed in the hollow trees surrounding the clearing.

        Naku looked looked at Flip and Natami. "You two stay back, we will handle this."        

        The demon was the first to attack. Arkin lunged to meet him head on, but it was a trick. Just as they were about to meet, the cat demon ducked down, dodging Arkin's punch, and hit him square in the gut. As Arkin buckled from the pain, the demon wrapped his cat tail around Arkin's leg, whipped him up in the air and sent him sailing into a tree. Arkin landed with a giant crash that sounded like the tree had split into, but it held up. Flip and Natami just stood there terrified. Naku was amazed at how quickly Arkin had went down. This was one tough demon.

        Arkin didn't get up from the tree. The demon flipped the one braid that had moved onto his face back to its original position and continued foward. Naku stepped in front of him.

        "You too?" The demon asked boredly. "This is getting old very fast."

        Flip wasn't even paying attention to the demon anymore. He was too worried about Arkin. "Arkin is hurt, I have to help him."

        "Oh no you don't, you stay right here Flip!" Natami said angrily.

        Naku was inching and kicking at the demon rapidly but somehow he dodged all the attacks.It was like the demon was just playing with him.

        "Getting tired yet hexian? "

        Naku was stunned. How did that demon know of his race? At that moment the demon gave Naku a sharp upper cut to the jaw. Naku fell back, but didn't stay down for that long.

        "Hm, it seems hexians are pretty strong."

        Natami was so in tune to what was going on with Naku and the demon she let go of Flip's hand. Flip took the moment and ran to Arkin.

        "Flip!" Natami yelled.

        The demon looked over after hearing her call him and saw that Flip was now in the open, he smirked and preceeded to walk toward him. Naku saw this and immediatly jumped on his back. "Oh no you don't!"

        "Ugh, you are really getting on my nerves boy!" The demon said as he grabbed Naku by the head and swund him down face first over his shoulders and into the ground. Naku was knocked out cold and fell limp on the ground. The demon then started walking toward Flip, stepping on Naku along the way.

        "Come on Arkin, please wake up please!" Flip said in a panic stricken voice. Arkin was in pretty bad shape. He had large splinters of the tree tearing through his body, and a great gash on his head. The demon was now just a little ways away from him. Natami was screaming for him to run, but somehow Flip's ears didn't pick it up. His eyes were tearing up. He shut them very tightly like he was trying not to cry, but then something odd happened. When he opened his eyes again, there were not tears, but his pupils had turned pure white and black stripes appeared on his cheeks.

        Flip turned sharply to look at the demon. He stopped in his tracks and looked at the dragon in shock and fear, just as Flip had looked apon Natami in the village.

        "T-Tir," was all that escaped from the demon's lips.

        Flip, or at least, the body that Flip had once occupied, stood up, still blank faced. For a moment, he just stood there. Then, in a brief flash, his blank stare turned into an evil glare and he let out a dragoning scream. the wave of sound blew the demon back and he fell to the ground. Flip went to his blank stare, started slowly walking toward the demon.

        "Tir, stop, I was trying to- no, stop," The scared demon couldn't get out a full sentence. Tir, as he was calling him, still walking toward him, picked up one of the sharp shards of the tree that had flew from the tree. "No Tir, stop you don't know what your doing!"

        The dragon got to the demon, looked down at him, and without the slightest bit of sympathy of concern, lifted the wooden shard to plung it into the demon's heart.

        The demon timidly braced himself for what was coming, but just before the dragon struck him, he heard a small voice saying, "ugh, F-flip darling w-where are you?!"

        Flip's eyes turned back to normal, but the black stripes stayed, and he looked over at the tree. Arkin was trying to sit up, but his eyes were closed because the blood from the gash was running over them so it wasn't wise to open them at the time. Flip dropped the shard. As he turned to run to Arkin, the demon got up, grabbed him, and started running. Flip screamed. Natami was still petrified. Arkin heard Flip's scream of fear and rolled himself out of the tree trying to crawl toward the sound. He couldn't lose his friend like this, he had to do something, but he didn't get far in his condition. He colapsed just a little ways from the tree.

        Natami finally unfroze and ran to Naku. He was coming to. She kneeled next to him and used the water in her flask to wake him up fully.

        Naku shot up and looked around. "Flip! where is he?!"

        Natami was almost crying. "That monster took him."

        "What! And you didn't try to stop him!" Naku stood up and ran over to Arkin. He pushed the wounded Cilata over on his back. Arkin coughed up some blood.

        Naku shook his head. "What a pitiful state you're in."

        Arkin smiled. "I bet you love the sight, huh Naku. Me dying? Its what you wanted." He coughed a few more times. "It doesn't really matter though. I've lost the one person who cared about me. After knowing what it is to be wanted, I would rather die than be without it."

        Naku huffed. " Good, we both agree you should die. Which way did he go?" Natami pointed west. "I'm going to find Flip. Natami I suggest you go home. If you can't act when your friend is in trouble how can you act when your in danger yourself?"

        Natami was crying by now. She was so ashamed of herself. Arkin found the strength to crawl to a nearby tree and prop himself up. She looked at him. A Cilata was able to fight for Flip, but she couldn't. She was heartbroken. Natami then decided that she would find Flip and help save him this time. She got up and grabbed her pack, as well as Arkin's since he wouldn't need it anymore. She started following Naku's path. Its was a good thing she was a good tracker. As she passed him, Arkin coughed again. She stopped and looked at him.

        Arkin heard her stop. "You will find him for me won't you?"

        Natami huffed just as Naku had at the Cilata. "Not for you, I'm going to find him because hes my friend."

        "I see...You are just like Naku. I do hope you save him though."

        "...We will" and with that she walked off, leaving Arkin to die alone in the forest.

        

                
        

        

        
        

        
        

        

        
        

        
        

        
        

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