Lightning flashes across the sky illuminating the top of the giant
fortress that is the only structure on the rough rocky island. Waves
crash against the rocky cliffs that nearly surround the fortress.
Thunder echoes through the air, and drowns out the sound of metal
clashing against metal.
On the top of the fortress, two men wearing leather and fur defend
themselves from soldiers dress in flowing red robes, and shiny silver
armor. Behind the two warriors, two young men stand looking out over
the fortress's guard walls. The high winds from the storm above them
blows their cloaks from their bodies like flags.
"We'll never make it!" The shorter one with long curly hair screams
over the sound of the wind and thunder.
"We don't have a choice, Blair!" Rafe turns to look at the two
warriors who are losing the battle to the guards.
"Go, get away from here!" The shorter of the two warriors shout to
the young men. "We'll follow!"
"I won't leave you, Jim!" Blair yells.
"You have to Blair. The wind is too strong for us!" The taller and
darker of the two warriors screams. Then falls when a sword manages
to catch him over the head.
"Simon!" The taller of the two young men screams.
Blair grabs him, "No Rafe!"
Jim looks at them, "Go!"
At that moment a young lad of perhaps seven years steps up onto the
roof, and laughs. The boy is wearing a crown of gold that is too big
for his head, "You are mine! Surrender!"
"Never!" Jim shouts.
"Take the shapeshifter!" The young Emperor orders his guards. Three
of the guards rush for Rafe and Blair upon their leaders commands.
Rafe pushes Blair off the Fortress then leaps to follow.
Flesh becomes feathers, and Blair's screams turn inot the cries of a
bird. Two falcons battle the fierce winds, tucking in their wings to
avoid injury as they fall and glide at the same time toward the
ground that their friends could not have landed upon because of their
size. The two falcons dissapear into the darkness.
On the fortress, the two warriors kneel, bloody and tired, guards
holding their arms behind thier backs as the Emperor walks over to
them. The young man smiles, "Take this one below," He gestures to
Simon, "and ready my sedan chair. It is time."
A few hours later, guards swarm around the form of a huge black
dragon placing a harness on the beast. A saddle of leather sits upon
the dragon's neck, while a canopied sedan chair sit upon the dragon's
back. A bridle with a thick bit made of cold steel that rests at the
corners of the dragon's mouth is buckled into place aroudn the
dragon's armored head and snout. A black cloth covers the beasts
eyes, and when the Emperor Tygrin steps toward the beast he quickly
removes the cloth. Familiar blue eyes look at the Emperor with anger
and hatred.
The Emperor laughs and with help from his guards climbs into the
sedan chair. A guard dressed in riding leathers carrying a whip made
of flame sits in the leather saddle and takes hold of the reins. The
chains holding the dragon down are released, and the beast raises its
head just as the rider flicks the whip along the dragon's shoulder
while Emperor Tygrin laughs maniacally. The fire whip seared along Jim's shoulder causing him to bellow in anguish. From below them in the depths of the dungeon comes Simon's answering roar. The rider pulls on the reins, making the bit bite into the corners of Jim's mouth. In anger and pain, Jim breathes fire, and the soldiers scatter to avoid the white-hot flames. The whip descends again in punishment for flaming without permission, and Jim cries out again. His clawed front leg scrapes the stone surface of the fortress leaving deep furrows that mar the surface. Spurs dig into his neck from where the rider sits, and the Emperors voice can be heard behind yelling for them to fly to take off. The whip descends again, and Jim weakly spreads his powerful wings and flaps strongly lifting his huge body from the fortress. The wind fills his wings, and lighting strikes above them highlighting his magnificent, bleeding form. The wind allows him to glide through the air rather than flap, and he rides over the fortress circling the huge castle seeing the small island the fortress stands on with its one dock where ships were moored fighting the pounding waves. He sees the dark forest like cliffs behind the fortress, where waves crash against the sides of the rocky cliffs washing away rock and dirt. The fire whip descends again searing his shoulder once more, and Jim breathes fire in pain. The fire hits the pounding sea water, and steam hisses from the sea's surface as the white hot fire boils the water instantly. Behind him the emperor laughs maniacally. The rider pulls on the reins turning Jim away from the fortress to fly over the water heading for the distant continent. Jim cries out in anguish once again, and hears the answering roar from Simon as he leaves the fortress and his friend behind. On the island hidden beneath the canopy of trees, and fleet gray feathered falcon flies through the trees, its sharp eyes scanning the surrounding terrain. Though the rain has slowed to a drizzle, and the wind only howls through the trees occasionally, the lightning strikes are the only sources of light as the falcon called Rafe searches for his friend. Then a flash of gray on green catches Rafe's eye and he quickly flies to the spot, his wings flapping continuously. Rafe lands next to the still form of the other gray and brown falcon where it has landed in the mossy ground beneath a giant oak. Rafe baits in anguish as he stands on his clawed feet near the form, a light rain misting over them both. Crouching down beside the still cold falcon, Rafe spread his wings over them both to protect against the cold rain as the first rays of the morning sun peek through the dark clouds. An hour later the cold rain stops and the clouds give way to bright sunshine that finds its way through the canopy. Rafe opens his eyes and looks around, then slowly the feathered form melts away to human skin, and Rafe crouches in the forest beneath the spreading oak, his nude, toned body highlighted by the sunrays through the canopy as he reaches out with steady human hands to pick up the still form of the gray and brown falcon, tears falling from his chocolate brown eyes. Standing up, he holds the falcon close to his muscular, warm chest, and strokes the feathers of the falcon's head with one finger. Beneath his fingers, the falcon begins to stir, feathers shuddering in the cold as the eyes open and the blue sapphire depths looks up into the face of Bryan Rafe. The falcon blinks and fluffs his feathers. Bryan chuckles, then sets the falcon down upon the mossy ground. Feathers become flesh as Blair changes from the little brown and gray falcon to his nude human form. When he is fully formed, Blair looks up at Rafe, tears shining in his blue eyes. Rafe reaches out and strokes Blair's cheek with his fingers, and Blair falls into Rafe's embrace, his cheek pressed against a warm chest as he cries. Rafe pats the thick curly hair beneath his hand as he whispers quietly into Blair's ear trying to calm and comfort his fellow shapeshifter. "We have to go back?" Blair says quietly into Rafe's chest. "We can't leave them in the Emperor's hands." "I know." Rafe says. "We can't let the Emperor use them to destroy our people....even if we have to...." Blair trailed off and pressed his face tighter against Rafe's body. "Shhh...I know. I know.." "Jim flew over us not more than an hour ago. I don't think Jim will destroy anyone, no matter what the Emperor does to him. From the way it sounded earlier, I think Simon's still in the fortress." Rafe explained. "If we can rescue Simon, he can help Jim." Blair said. "If we can get into the fortress." Rafe said. Blair smiled, "I am a thief, I can get in anywhere." Rafe lightly cuffs Blair's head, "Well little thief, it is time we use your skills for things other than thieving." "Who would have thought that I would sneak into the Fortress itself and not even try for the Crown Jewels. I will be thrown out of the guild for this." Blair laughed. "Come on," Rafe said lightly slapping Blair's shoulder, "We've got some eggs to rescue." Rafe turned and walked toward the foreboding shadow of the Fortress. In the depths of the Fortress, chained in a large chamber to the stone floor, Simon grumbled to himself. He was hungry and no one had fed him yet. Stretching out his hearing, Simon tried to listen for his hatch brother, but heard nothing but the movement of the servants and the guard through the fortress. Simon laid his great head on the stone floor. His mouth had been clamped shut with an iron band to keep him from breathing fire, and iron shackles around his neck, and legs bound him to the walls. A servant entered the room and Simon watched him with one brown eye. The man seemed nervous to be in the room with a dragon but did his duties by lighting the torches. He left quickly. Normally, Simon would have found that funny, but he mourned for his lover and his hatchbrother. His lover was gone, probably buffeted by the winds to be crushed against the walls of the Fortress, and his hatch brother taken away to kill some defenseless shapeshifters. Simon knew his hatchbrother would kill himself if he killed any of the shapeshifters who where of the same clan that their lovers where from. Simon threw back his head and roared a muffled roar due to the iron band, calling out to his hatchbrother again, hoping for an answer. At the base of the Fortress where the stone met solid rock ground stood Blair and Rafe. "How are we going to get in there?" Rafe asked Blair. Blair studied the Fortress. "We could try and fly to the top again." Blair said. "Yeah where there will be guards who will be suspicious by two falcons flying around." "No thank you an arrow in my breast is just not the way I want to start out the morning." Rafe continued sarcastically. Blair rolls his eyes, then walks along the base studying it. He smiles when he sees water leaking from a small sewer drain. He looks up at Rafe and smiles. "Oh no, please not another sewer!" Rafe cries. "We couldn't try a window, oh no, not us. We had to take that damn sewer into the castle. Then we spent two hours trying to loose a snake that though we'd make a good dinner." Rafe continued to whine as the two little brown and gray mice raced through the nasty water of the sewer drain. "And now here I am again. Inside yet another sewer which is probably full of snakes not to mention alligators. And I will never get this stink out of my fur. And eeeewwww...do you have nay idea what just floated past me?" "Oh quit whining, Rafe. Its perfectly safe. and yes I do know because it floated past me first." Blair said. The smaller of the gray and brown mice, Blair, stopped in front of pipe and looked back at the other mouse that was moving through the sewer water with the most disgusted look on his mousey face. Blair laughed in his mind. "What we don't do for those two eggs." Rafe said. "Oh for the last time, Rafe. They aren't eggs anymore." Blair shook his tiny mouse head, then darted up the pipe with Rafe behind him. They moved along the pipe, then leaped to another one that head up through the bowels of the Fortress. "They'll always be eggs to me." Rafe said. "You realize that makes you a cradle robber or is that nest robber.?" Blair said as he leaped to another pipe. Rafe spluttered, "I don't think so!" Rafe tried to nip at Blair's tail but the smaller mouse was too fast for him. The two mice raced through the maze of pipes and stopped when they reached a drain cover. Rafe's nose twitched as Blair peered through the drain cover. Sensing something, Rafe turned his little mousehead over his shoulder and his little black eyes widened. With one paw he tapped at Blair's shoulder. "Will you quit that, Rafe. I'm trying to see if the coast is clear." Blair said. "Bbbbbblair....sssssnake!" Rafe screamed. "What?" Blair turned in time to jump clear as Rafe leaped as well and the snake missed its target. Blair hung by his tiny foreclaws to a pipe, then scrambled with his back claws for purchase until he was on the pipe he had tried for. He looked around and spotted the snake going for Rafe who had missed his pipe and lay stunned on another one. Looking around, Blair cursed to realize that the space was too small for him to shapeshift to human form. Angrily, Blair leaped to another pipe heading for the black snake that was after Rafe. He reached the snakes tail, and bit it with his strong front teeth. The snake angrily whipped in his direction, but Blair was already leaping onto another pipe. Blair made his way to Rafe, who was just now getting up and becoming aware. He nosed the other mouse, then together they raced along the pipes away from the snake. The two mice reached the drain cover, and struggled their way through the small holes out into the open area of the Fortress. Fear kept them running toward the far wall. Then Blair hit nose first against a clear glass wall. Looking up he saw a young boy in page's uniform hovering over them with a glass bowl turned up over both of them. The boy was smiling at them. "Momma, Momma, look it what I caught!" The boy called for his momma. Blair and Rafe scratched at the glass with their tiny claws helplessly. An older woman with a worn face and plain brown clothes walked over to the child. "What have you got, Tommy?" The woman said smiling at her son. She looked down at the bowl the boy held at the two little mice that where scratching at the glass. "Oh dear, Tommy. How on earth did those get in here. The Fortress cats are usually better at keeping the place clean of rats and mice." "I saw them come up out of the drain. Can I keep'em, Momma, please. I promise not to let them go in the Fortress." The boy turned his big brown eyes on his momma. "Oh great. Emperor Tygrin will get a laugh out of this if he ever finds out." Rafe said to Blair as the boy Tommy placed a piece of wooden board beneath the glass bowl and picked them up, bowl and all to carry away from the hallway. "The two top outlaws of the Fourth Kingdom captured by a little boy with a glass bowl. I may die from laughing so hard, if it wasn't so pathetic." Rafe continued. We could always shapechange?" Blair suggested. "And bring every guard within screaming distance because I guarantee that woman will scream when she sees us change. Then she'll swoon upon seeing our perfect naked bodies." Rafe said. The boy continued happily down the hall his attention on the glass bowl with the mice. The suddenly the mice's world is tilted as Tommy is ran into from behind by another page who knocks them both to the ground. The glass bowl shatters upon impact with the stone floor, and the two mice quickly runs around shards of broken glass toward the shadows of a nearby tapestry. When they reach the tapestry they climb up its length between the wall and the woven cloth. They find a crack in the wall and huddle in its safe depths. "By all the Gods and Goddesses, we must be the two luckiest mice in the world!" Rafe shouts. Far from the rocky island where the Fortress stands, on the continent that was under the rule of Emperor Tygrin, people fled from their forest homes as flames rain down upon their homes. Above the land, a great black dragon hovered over them. A beast that had not been seen in centuries, not since the last ones had been killed by the Council of Wizards, was breathing fire upon their homes while the child Emperor, Tygrin laughed and yelled at them to run and to surrender. The rider snapped his fire whip against Jim's already burned shoulder, and the dragon breath yet another volley of white hot flames onto the village below. Below them, Griffin riders prepared themselves to fight against the terrible enemy. They mounted their griffins were not even half the size of the great black beast above them. The elven griffin riders held out gloved wrists and great birds of prey, eagles, hawks, and ospreys landed on their leather wrapped wrists. Shapeshifters who had worked side by side with the griffin riders before during other wars, ready to harrier the dragon and its riders while the griffin riders tried their arrows against the thick tough scaly hide of the dragon. The griffins spread their golden wings and launched themselves into the air, their riders holding tightly. The shapeshifters launched from wrists flew toward the dragon dodging flames as they went. The birds of prey flew around the dragon's face confusing Jim, while others dived at the rider, dodging the fire whip. The Emperor threw a tantrum, yelling at the shapeshifters. In frustration, Jim tried to bat at the birds with his foreclaw. When the first arrow embedded itself into his hide, Jim bellowed and managed to knock a few of the birds out of the sky. Angry, and hurting, Jim released fire again this time at the griffin riders. The griffins avoided the white flames, and more arrows were launched into the dragon's hide. Jim cried out. In his short life he had never been hurt by anyone before, and the pain increased as he stayed in the air. Confused and hurting, Jim struck out again with his foreclaws catching some of the birds, killing them instantly with his blow. More arrows hit him, and Jim screamed in anguish and the Emperor yelled while the rider struck Jim again and again with his whip yanking on the reins, the bit biting cruelly into his mouth. The griffin riders continued to fly around the bleeding great black dragon launching arrows into the thick tough hide, mourning the deaths of the shapeshifters that fell from the sky. Below them, other shapeshifters watched in horror as they helped to evacuate the villages. Their anger could be felt through out the village by any who had even rudimentary empathy. At the Fortress, Rafe and Blair scurried along the wall avoiding humans as they went. Their noses led them to the great chamber where Simon lay chained to the stone floor. The two mice scurried to a large claw and climbed it until they were at a height to Simon's large head. One brown eye opened to look at the two brown and gray mice, and recognition flooded his face. The two mice climbed off of Simon's claws then shapeshifted slowly to human form. Rafe went immediately to Simon's head and held his lover close. "My poor Simon, we shall release you from this horrible thing." Blair looked about the room and found what he needed. With piece of metal, Blair expertly picked the locks on the chains that held Simon. The last to be removed was the iron band that held Simon's mouth closed. Free at last, Simon shapeshifted to human form. Rafe took the time to admire his lover's tall nude body, before the three of them rushed out of the room and headed for the nearest stairs. They knew they needed to reach the roof so that Simon could take off and find his hatch brother. They raced up the stairs, Simon using his great strength to fling guards out of his way determined to reach the roof so that he could find his hatch brother. Ignoring his own wounds and burn, Simon led the way up the stairs until they reached the roof of the Fortress. Guards tried to stop them, but once the roof was obtained, Simon shifted to his true form, and blasted the guards with his fire. Bigger than even Jim in dragon form, Simon opened his wings wide while Rafe and Blair mounted the black dragon's back, then Simon launched himself into the air, and turned his head to breath fire upon the Fortress roof burning all those who were foolish enough to stay on the roof. Then Simon flapped his wings and increased his speed as he headed for the continent. Griffin riders, all that were left after Jim had managed to burn some of them, circled the dragon and continued to rain their arrows onto the beast. Two arrows had managed to hit the rider, but the man continued to stay alive and awake, using the fire whip to beat Jim into submission. Behind the rider sitting in the sedan chair, sulked the Emperor who every now and then shouted at the rider to make Jim obey. When an arrow embedded itself into Jim's right eye, the great dragon bellowed in pain, and finally folded his wings to drop like a stone to the unforgiving ground. Jim landed on his back, crushing the child emperor and his rider beneath his considerable weight. At that moment, Simon appeared in the sky, and saw his hatch brother fall. An angry roar erupted, and Simon dropped his wings to dive for a landing. The griffin riders saw the new dragon and sent there griffins to intercept their bows ready with arrows. On Simon's back, Blair watched his lover fall, and he screamed, his voice drowned out by Simon's own roar. Shapeshifting to falcon form, Blair flew toward the griffin riders who were heading for Simon. With a quick mind to mind conversation, Blair managed to convince the riders that Simon was no danger. The huge black dragon landed beside his bleeding, broken brother, and nudged the body with his snout. One blue eye opened and saw Simon. The abused mouth grinned for a few seconds, then the blue eye rolled into the back of the dragon's head, and the body went limp as Jim lost consciousness. Rafe placed his hands on the great dragon's body and sent healing energies into it. But he wounds were massive, and he did not think his strength alone could heal the magnificent dragon. Then Blair' healing energies and strength were added to his own, and then another shape shifter joined the healing circle, then another. And another. Until all the shapeshifters surrounded the huge broken, bleeding body of one of the last of the dragons, and together they healed its body. The Council sat in the hall, their wise and aged faces looking out toward the citizenry that had gathered. Seated in the chair of judgment where the two outlaws, Rafe and Blair. Thieves, they had stolen from everyone at one point in their lives. Living outside the law, they turned their back on their clan many a times. They had also disobeyed a Council edict when they had stolen the two golden dragon eggs from the castle. When the eggs had hatched, the Council had ordered the deaths of the baby dragons that had been born. Instead of obeying the order, Rafe and Blair had taken the dragons and hidden themselves in the mountains to raise the dragons and to eventually fall in love with them. Now, Rafe and Blair stood before the Council for judgment, and punishment. The child Emperor was dead, and the only Heir was a distant cousin who did not share the child emperor's evil traits. Hopefully, the Empire would recover from the harsh rule of the child emperor, but until then, it would take every race working together to rebuild that which had been destroyed. Joel, the Chief Councilor, looked at the two miscreants that sat before them. "Rafe and Blair, you stand before this Council because you disobeyed a Council edict. Explain yourself." "We could not kill the baby dragons as you had ordered. They were only babies, not responsible for the acts of their ancestors." Blair said. "And yet this village stands in ruins because of the act of one of your dragons." Joel said. "No this village stands in ruins because the act of a crazed child emperor who used the dragon against his will to commit these unspeakable acts." "So you say." Joel said. "We have heard your arguments. This court is adjourned while the Council deliberates on its decision." Joel said. The people filed out of the building out into the ruined streets of the village. Blair and Rafe immediately walked over to the plain where Jim and Simon waited. Jim was still resting, his great body laying full length upon the grass. Beside him, Simon sat on his haunches watching over his hatch brother. The two of them wore thick metal collars with a long chain that attached to a boulder that was bigger than even Simon in dragon form. The collars had been decided by the Council until they were sure that the dragons would cause no harm to the village. After all, in their mind Jim was a killer. He had killed five griffin riders, and ten shapeshifters. Blair worried about what the Council would do to Jim. The healing had closed the wounds made by the arrows and the had healed the burns made by the fire whip. His beautiful black-scaled hide was marred forever by the burn marks, and his right eye was gone. Blair reached out and touched his hand to his lover's snout, and smiled when Jim' s one good eye opened to look at him. "Has the Council decided our fate?" Simon asked. "They are discussing it now. I fear for both of you." Blair said. "Fear not for us, Blair. I do not. Instead I fear what they Council's
punishment for you and Rafe will be for not having slaughtered us in
the first place." Simon said. Rafe looked at Simon in shock, "How did you know about that?" Simon smiled, "A dragon's ears are better than yours, Rafe. I heard you mention it sometime ago to Blair when you thought Jim and I to be far away. Sometimes, I think it would have been better if you had done so. Then Jim would not have been used to hurt so many people." "Don't say things like that, Simon. I will always be grateful that Blair and I did not kill you when you were newly hatched. Otherwise I might never had found my heart." Rafe touched Simon's neck, and the great dragon leaned into the touch and practically purred while tears drops fell from the corner of his eyes. They were interrupted by one of the griffin riders. "The Council has reconvened." The man said. Rafe and Blair followed the griffin rider back to the hall. When the Council was seated, Blair and Rafe rose to their feet when Joel made a motion with his hand. "Bryan Rafe, and Blair Sandburg, for your crimes against the community I hereby order you to community service to help rebuild the town until it is done. As for the dragons, they too shall remain behind, and use their great strength to help rebuild what one helped destroy. When the town is rebuilt, you will have the option of remaining here, or leaving as you wish, but the dragons will be exiled from our land to the Isle of Avalon where they will remain for the rest of their natural lives. Should they return to our land, they will be felled from the skies. Is this understood." Rafe and Blair released the breathes they had been holding. Exile was infinitely better than death sentences. The last two dragons would be at home on Avalon, and when the town was finished, Rafe and Blair would be leaving with their lovers to start their lives over again. Together. As it should be. The End