“Thy omens are not good to night, sire, ” a marten hissed in a high pitched voice to the Chief of the band. He was a short yet strongly built stoat that looked as if he’d take no nonsense. As if trying to prove this once again he snarled at the hooded seer.
“What do you know, old one?” he growled back at the marten, “Word is that the Warrior of Redwall is in Southwards rekindling friendships. She’ll arrive back to find her home no longer her own. We strike tonight while there are no warriors to protect that dusty rose jewel.”
“Who says that Redwall’s not protected,” a voice called out in a singsong way from the trees about the vermin party.
“Knows nothing at all,” another voice called out to the fear of the band near the road. The chieftain tried vainly to keep his band of killers and thieves under control and locate the voices.
“We—are that is,” another voice continued.
“The Protectors of Redwall!” the seer growled throwing off her hood to reveal that she was an oddly rust colored pine marten with slate gray eyes, and still quite young. There was no time for the vermin to think as they were set upon by arrows and woodlanders alike. The pine marten was quick to go after the stoat with fang and then one of her main tools of war, a sai; she had two but only needed one for the job. Lunging at the stoat she took a bite out of him leaving teeth marks in his neck. She quickly followed up the move with a slice from the middle prong of her sai leaving what could be considered a “B” on the beast’s neck.
“If I don’t get you now, Ranskin, some other beast will once they see that mark,” she grinned in an evil manner.
“You’re not supposed to be on this side of the Path,” the stoat replied angrily yet in total fear of the marten, “If you’re who you clam to be with this mark you’re supposed to be at Salamandastron at least!”
“Funny how things change, matey,” she replied with a grim face.
“Then you are her, Ranko Bloodfang!” the stoat shrieked before trying to attack the marten who’s speed was unmatched in battle, except by friends from her homeland.
“The one and only,” Ranko growled before flipping the other beast. Neither recognized the carnage that was going on around them. The vermin band was quickly running off and or being killed by Redwall’s current defense force. A deadly dance was being played out between the duo in which Ranko was slowly winning.
“Why do you fight on their side you’re vermin, like I,” Ranskin hissed trying vainly to keep out of the marten’s reach.
“Would you prefer I turn to that which was first for me?” Ranko replied in her deadly voice, her slate eyes beginning to move about crazily, “I could you know? It’s not too hard to return to the evil I was seasons ago before the sudden change. But then you wouldn’t like to see that Ranko. She was pure evil, in the end she killed any and everybeast she came across until one finally assassinated her. I felt it that day, young though I was. I became whole once again because of it. Let me show you how it feels to be in half like you did to my mate!”
With an angry yell, Ranko was upon the stoat who now showed his true colors in his squeal. All sound seceded as Ranko suddenly became something close to the mad beast she’d talked of. Those who now looked upon her found that she had what badgers knew as the Blood Wrath. Unlike the badgers though she would not remember what she did until the next day when she looked at the scraps that were left of the body of the stoat once known as Ranskin. The Bloodfang line was once again appeased.
“Ranko? Yo, Ran! Time’s a waistin’!”
Slate gray eyes opened and then quickly were squinted closed as a new throng of pain entered the pine marten’s head. Ranko could barely remember drinking down a number of shots of sake the night before but could not remember a thing after that. She knew that the reason for the drinking was because of the loss of her mate a moon ago.
Ranko finally sat up in the ten that had been pitched just a short march from Redwall. The pain oddly brought some memories of the fact that they had battled the night before.
“Did we get them all, Ranma?” she asked the bright red shrew who knelt just inside the flaps of the tent. The shrew tilted her head at her friend, her small ears twitching in excitement.
“Few got away,” Ranma replied, “especially with you going Blood Wrath on everybeast after you ripped Ranskin to shreds. I’m surprised you’re up with how drunk you’d gotten yourself after the battle. Our scouts have found signs that the old Seer is still about though. A Spara head here, snakes entrails there, she’s conjuring up something.”
“As she was the night I convinced Ranskin that he was listening to the wrong seer,” Ranko replied slowly opening her eyes, “She’d known that I was from the other side the moment she clasped eyes on me. I was just lucky that Ranskin wasn’t that bright.”
“Hai, that one really was crazy,” the older beast replied.
“I’ve got to find her though,” Ranko replied as she drank a dipper of water and dowsed her head with the leftovers, “She’s trouble in her own right; the power behind the thrown so to speak. I’ll go after her myself.”
“You should rest a while, my friend,” Ranma replied, “If not for your Arawen Silvertongue then for the chibi he’s left you to bare on your own.”
“He had no choose in that matter,” Ranko growled, “They killed him in his sleep when he wasn’t well. Cowards they were, I finally killed off all but one of his murders.” Here the pine marten licked the tip of one of her sais.
“Ranko,” Ranma started but the marten brushed her off.
“Do like Lady Russarowan told us, keep an eye on Redwall,” Ranko told her friend. It wasn’t a command, neither could command the other; they were both young generals in their own right.
“You come back safely then,” Ranma told her friend after a long staring contest, “I don’t want to loose another one of my eldest friends.” Ranko smiled, her sharp white teeth gleaming in the tent. Though caught with a hangover the marten made quick work of gathering her things before giving kissing the shrew’s forehead. Their friendship was deep, so deep that most considered them sisters even they themselves believed this to be true; their families’ had always been friends for seasons long before their great grandsires and great granddames were a glimmer in their great grandsires’ and granddames’ eyes.
“Don’t worry, sis,” Ranko smiled, “I may be half a season your junior but I know how to take care of myself. With our luck I’ll find myself on another mission along the way. I’ll make sure to let you hear of it though.”
Ranma smiled at her best friend as she watched the marten go. Some how she knew that this would be one of the last times she’d see Ranko like this. A sad smile crossed her face and an unconscious tear rolled down her cheek. Good luck my friend. May your seasons be long and the fates protect you.
Ranko followed the scent of the seer for a half a moon. She’s quicker than she looks, The last living Bloodfang growled in her mind. She wasn’t exactly sure what species the Seer was, it didn’t smell like anything she’d tracked before. Her mate might have had a better chance identifying the beast but then he was dead. Ranko snarled low in her throat at the thought of her late mate. She herself was still early on in her pregnancy so that it did not show but she still cautioned herself.
Ranko’s eyes shifted quickly about the area yet caught most every detail. There were no paw prints to track but the Seer’s sent and the fresh brakeage of twigs near by told her she was getting closer. Her rust colored ears twitched as she sensed somebeast. Swiftly taking cover she watched as a few young beast dressed in odd costumes approached; hideous things if the marten would say so.
The beasts were painted in blacks and reds, with bits of orange highlighting paws and claws. The costumes they wore covered their features with both grotesque and ugly yet cheerful faces. One looked to have a wound that showed a large area of a skull while a eye hung from the “cords” which connected to one’s eye and the socket from which it feel. The one with the ugly yet cheerful face looked like a clown yet fangs unlike anybeast Ranko had seen stuck out of its mouth the tips being crimson in color. The marten leaned forward from her perch to get a better look at the odd beasts, gross looking yet oddly fascinating.
A paw was suddenly across Ranko’s muzzle and she was pulled backwards into the darker shadows of the tree she hid in. On the ground, the beast with the hanging eye gripped the seemingly fake thing and pointed the eye towards the treetops. The pupil contracted.
The face of the Seer was suddenly in front of Ranko, her oily green eyes telling the tracker to stay still while the paw to her own muzzle told the warrior to be quiet. Ranko wanted to snarl but didn’t. Something in her told her the Seer was trying to save both their skins.
On the ground the two beasts grunted at one another before continuing on their slow course. As Ranko felt the tension wane from the odd beast’s body she immediately her sais out and at the other beast’s neck.
“Tell me why I should let your louse-ridden hide live,” Ranko growled in a soft yet dark voice.
“Thy senses are weak, Ranko last of the Bloodfangs,” the seer whispered, “But I know of something much more dangerous then the dead stoat Ranskin’s hoard, I or thou that alights these forests for the first time in countless season.” Ranko wavered slightly, Worse than the hoard that they’d just demolished the nearly fourteen days back?
“Aye, Mistress of the bloodied fangs,” the Seer replied to Ranko’s thoughts making the pine marten uneasy, “Thou just saw two of them. They are strong beasts usually long dead to this world… those two however were from the Hoard you slaughtered those few nights passed.”
“I did not slaughter anybeast,” Ranko snarled. In her anger she bit the seer as she’d done to many a beast before, “I ask you again, give me a reason I should not send you to your death.”
“Because the fate of this world of Redwall lies in your paws, marten,” the seer replied shaking off his hood. Yes the seer was a male, rare but not unheard of in Mossflower. The marten was truly startled upon what the seer looked like. He had the ears of a mouse, the face of wild cat, the stripings of a badger, yet the colorings of a desert mongoose. “Oh, let’s not forgot the wings of a bat now, warrior,” the creature creened, “After all, I am from six different animals, my tail is of a lizard!” Ranko looked on in shock as a scaly green tail caressed the left side of her body.
“What are you?”
“I am, what I am,” the creature replied, “I take no side, I am both woodlander and vermin, I choose when I should act on what sense. Thou art like me in this way,” here the beast smiled showing off white fangs in a grin, “My actions now steer me towards justice and safety of Mossflower Country. Thy friends and all of this country are in danger of this group. They are small now but the night nears that they will all gather and break a great darkness upon the land as it was during the days long before Urgatt Trunn or his brother Verdauga Greeneyes set paw on the shores West of here.”
“How would you know this, old one?” Ranko growled though her right eyebrow twitched as her senses could tell the seer was somehow telling the truth.
“Thou hast the blood of seer doest thee not?” the seer replied, “Thou knew of thy dam’s death before it was told to thee.” Ranko’s anger peeked upon something that wasn’t common knowledge to any but a few beast. With a swipe of her sai she completed the Bloodfang B before finding the strength to control her temper again.
“You know too much for your own good, seer,” she snapped.
“I am called, Mirai,” the creature replied seemingly a bit annoyed at always being called “seer,” yet his wild cat features looking positively evil as he spoke.
“Future?” Ranko asked translating the word that she knew was from her homeland of Turasake, “Why would you be called Future.”
“Think, marten from the island of Turasake,” Mirai sneered, “I’m a seer; it fits me well!” Ranko’s sai was suddenly at the seer’s throat while her free paw silenced the oddly made beast. Five gory looking beast walked by this time. Not one spoke but most limped while there was one who had no right arm and another had no top to its head. On of the beast sniffed the air and both beasts in the tree shuttered, that one had no eyes, only blackness.
“You feel the evil from them,” Mirai whispered after the pack of undead were gone again, “If you focus you’ll see what I talk of.”
Ranko was surprised when she found herself closing her eyes and meditating to see if this Mirai was telling the truth. However the three-pronged “dagger” stayed pressed against the other beast’s throat. Normally seeing into the future for Ranko was a thing that she had no control of when it happened… yet this time it was different.
Ranko felt her body jolt into the vision and felt as if she were flying, banking and turning with a practiced grace that she never felt during an intense combat; the odd thing is that it felt like she was sitting on something while being in flight, as if one again being a chibi astride the head horse of her home island. What ever it was, the picture was blurred to her, telling the 27 season old pine marten that what ever it was, it was not important to know at this point in time, it was merely her means of getting to what she was to be shown. Ranko felt herself and her ride bank left and recognized the scene bellow to be Mossflower.
Her vision for a few moments blacked out but was brought back to the vision to see that she was passing herself and Mirai were hiding; their images were barely seen but it was meant to be a marker for her to go by. Ranko flew down the path and then veered off to the left, a few minutes more and she came upon a clearing. What she found there struck a cord of fear into her.
Something that resembled a mangled old gray squirrel hovered over a sort of elongated caldron. He spoke words but nothing was heard. Another none important factor in this plot, Ranko thought; oddly she felt it repeated in her head. Ranko had no time to think about this as the elderly looking beast threw up his hands there for letting the skin of a dead beast roll of his back.
The former squirrel turned around, an evil look to him that sent chills down the Turasaken breed warrior’s spin. Ranko quickly identified the beast’s true form to be that of a monitor lizard. The lizard was greatly scarred, and symbols of his ritual covered his naked body.
“I did not need to see that!” Ranko sighed as the evil looking thing turned to face her, again her mind seemed to give out it’s own words of agreement. From behind the monitor lizard a mass of zombie beasts was forming . With some still unheard words obviously shouted the dead beasts surged forward and in a familiar direction to Ranko.
“Redwall!” Ranko shouted and immediately everything went back once more. Just as before her vision returned, this time she was hovering above Redwall. The ghoulish creatures were at the walls and slowly but surely, the undead were climbing atop one another to reach the top of the outer wall. Weapons were now apparent in the dead vermins’ paws.
Ranko watched helplessly as the beast entered the Abbey. Flashes of pictures of death entered her head, including her own. Between each picture of death the monitor lizard was shown. Death of the Abbess. The monitor lizard. Death of the Foremole. The monitor lizard. Death of the Skipper. The monitor lizard. Death of the Badgermum. The monitor lizard. Death of Ranma Saberfist, Ranko’s best friend. The monitor lizard. The death of the seer, Mirai. The monitor lizard. Her own death. The monitor lizard!
Ranko felt a snarl well up in her as well as her mind. It was clear now, the monitor was the key; he would cause the destruction of the beautiful legend that had sprouted in Mossflower Woods long seasons before, her ancestor, the original Ranko Bloodfang walked the earth.
“HE’S THE KEY!” she shouted finally in her vision and felt herself jostled backwards, lately seeing a small paw sized black shield outlined in gold with a golden fiery bird upon it.
“Careful with that, Bloodfang!” Mirai yelped as Ranko felt for a moment like she was falling. The marten quickly regained her balance. She glared at the seer next to her and glowered at him as her thoughts collected.
“I can see the future, I’ve never been able to change it!” Ranko growled, “I only now know that the fate of Redwall is finally sealed and I can’t do a think to stop it.”
“Baka,” Mirai replied cockily while still finding himself at the tip of on of Ranko’s sais, “The future has yet to be written, this is one thing that could happen. There are many realities, last of the Bloodfangs, that is the fate of what ever worlds do not go to combat it.” Ranko watched the oily green eyes of the creature before her and found something there that told her that he spoke the truth.
“Then there’s still time,” Ranko hissed. Suddenly Mirai yelped in pain and Ranko was away. In one quick motion she’d used her sai to slice the B she’d made on the beast down the middle. She called over her shoulder as she, as gracefully as a squirrel in her prime, leapt from tree to tree in the direction her vision had shown her, “That slash gives you another chance at life, friend. Screw it up and, well trust me you won’t live long.”
“That’s if you’re able to stop this!” Mirai’s voice called back to her. Ranko smiled with the pride a number of Turasaken’s had. She’d do it, no doubt about that. She may not be the Guardian-Warrior of Turasake like her friend Ranma but she did know how to kill off a beast. With a grim smile she continued onward towards her destination.
The monitor lizard hissed, his tongue tasting the air above the cauldron, which boiled pink and then green. His golden eyes whirled wildly as the brew turned a bright orange, which seemed to glow.
“It’sssssssss time!” he announced in a smoky voice to the undead creatures who were starting to surround him. He then raised his claws above his head and started to chant in a type of gibberish. The undead were the first to feel themselves being bared down on. The lizard threw off his squirrel skin cloak when he finally realized that something was up. “What isssssss it?”
“I won’t let you kill off this world!” Ranko roared as she barreled into the clearing, “I will not let you do this as long as I live!”
The lizard was quicker than he looked as he dodged Ranko and the fight began. None of the undead beast helped but that didn’t mean they weren’t used as weapons. Ranko had her sais out in a futile attempt at a head on attack. The lizard oddly pulled at one of the zombies and started using an arm and a long tooth from one of the beast.
Ranko was surprised at how hard it was to fight this “evil” being. In a power struggle the two suddenly knocked one another back away from each other, Ranko close enough to the cauldron that the fire singed the fur on the back of her neck and shortened her long single pig-tail, the monitor lizard was thrown towards his hoard of undead beasts.
“You love your home sssssssssso much,” the lizard started and then raised his claws above his head once again yet this time spoke clearly, “May the curssssssssse of long life be on you, you’ll sssssssssssee your friendssssssssssss die when aging at 1/4 speed. Any that come from you will have the sssssssssssame, and be with you for nine moons inssssssssstead of three.”
“Like that will work!” Ranko growled and kicked the cauldron over just as a dark orange light enveloped herself, more intense upon her belly.
“NO!” the lizard screeched. All around the undead started to move, yet it was back in the direction they’d come; some even dropped to the ground where they stood, unmoving, “I musssssssssst make another batch!” The monitor lizard was so distracted by the fact that his brew had been ruined that he didn’t notice Ranko coming at him in a body tackle.
“You will do no such think, vermin!” the pine marten growled and in one fluent motion slit the monitor lizard’s throat in a mad rage with one of her sais. None shall hurt Redwall while I live! With her other sai, she made the last killing blow to be sure the lizard would not some how live if she were to leave him with his open throat by stabbing him in the heart; she’d had a friend who’d lived after their throat had been slit, she couldn’t talk anymore but she’d lived.
Ranko breathed heavily as she looked at her kill and those bodies that still remained on the grounds. Her head turned lowly to the still glowing coals of the fire. I’ll make triple sure she growled and was quick to find kindling and dry logs to make the fire come back, and stronger than ever.
Within a half hour she had the fire roaring, larger than the original and was starting to carry bodies to the bonfire. It took her a time but she managed to gather them all shortly before dawn. It was as she brought the last body to the bonfire that the thing that would change her life appeared. Posed to throw a short beast that resembled a rat onto the fire a sphere of fire slightly larger than a badger erupted before her. Ranko watched it wide eyed, not even noticing that she’d dropped the rat into the fire already, as the ball of fire burned and soon it was obvious that there was something in the middle of it.
Just as she’d figured this out the fireball disintegrated and the central object dropped to the ground. It was much darker now and Ranko tried to get her eyes adjusted to the change in lighting. She blinked and looked to the other side of the fire. An object lay on the ground, which she couldn’t identify from where she stood. Licking her lips the marten walked over to the mystery item and picked it up. It took up her whole paw and as she turned it over she went wide-eyed.
It was the paw-sized shield she’d seen just as her vision ended. It was the same black field with the same gold trim and golden bird. Her inner chibi told her this wasn’t the first time she’d a shield like this. She’d seen one before her vision. Moonlight and Darknight both have one of these, Ranko thought to herself, But what had she called it?… The pine marten thought for a time and then her slate gray eyes opened wide as she whispered four words.
“It’s a Phoenix Gate!” Ranko whispered. Suddenly the Gate flared and the sphere of fire enveloped the warrior pine marten. “But I didn’t say the incantation!” was all that was heard from Ranko before she disappeared from the scene in Mossflower. Two cloaked figures were the only witnesses to the event.
“It’s sad to see her go, you know Moonlight” the taller figure commented letting his hood fall away from his face to show he was a totally black male mouse.
“She had to, Darknight,” the shorter figure sighed flipping off her hood to show that she was a white female mouse, “This world doesn’t have her mate and our friend, Arawen, anymore. The Gates know what her fate is… I think she should be happy with it too.” The black mouse nodded without another word. Both bowed their heads for a minute then brought them up at the same time.
“Seasons and fates be with you and treat you well, Ranko Bloodfang, last of the Turasaken Bloodfang line,” the both stated in solemn unison.
Else where, in an area that looked like a floating parking lot two dragons, an orange and a brown, glided towards the floating island like thing that levitated on the abandoned lot. So this is the Healing Den, R’tif? the orange asked of her rider. R’tif nodded. He’d never been to the Healing Den but had been told of the oddity clutch while at Ryslen Weyr for the meeting of the soon to be established Seiryuu Weyr. The fact that Baeris was planning what she called a Halloween Frenzy had perked his orange Golonith’s interest especially when they stated that oranges would be well appreciated.
The orange herself had never had a flight even though she’d been bonded to R’tif for the past thirteen turns. For a time R’tif had thought her to be sterile but with in the past month the orange had changed her attitude greatly. His long time and closest friend Cristroga, otherwise known as Cris, and her brown Tusath had decided to accompany them to the Healing Den. “It’ll be a new adventure!” the female brown rider smiled brightly in reply, a fixed smirk on her features just like her father always had.
“If it weren’t for the lights,” Cristroga’s voice suddenly cut into R’tif’s thoughts, “I’d think the place was abandoned!” That might not be too far off… I think we’ll pick up a passenger, Cris. “What?” Cris replied confused as something flashed above and slightly ahead of the pair of dragons.
Ranko felt calm as the Phoenix Gate carried her on a ride that she knew would effect her light greatly. The Gate rarely took a beast unless it had a reason. Funny thinking that a inanimate object could think of a reason to do this to anybeast, the pine marten thought, her black tipped tail swished back and forth as she started to feel like perhaps the trip was about to end. Soon through the flames, Ranko could see something resembling a mountain of sorts surrounded in darkness.
“What in the name of the Fur and the Fang?…” Ranko started as the fire sphere disappeared. Oddly her feet did not feel solid ground beneath them. “HELLS TEETH!” the marten screeched as she fell rapidly towards the solid and unmoving ground bellow.
“I got’cha!” a voice called out and with a bone jarring thud, Ranko felt herself stop moving downwards yet started to move horizontally. The soft beating of wings caused the marten to open her eyes, she hadn’t known that she’d closed them. She looked about to find herself held in some beasts claws, and sharp ones at that!
“What in the name?…” she started but was cut off by the females voice again.
“He’s a dragon, ma’am,” the voice greeted Ranko’s rust colored ears, “His name is Tusath, I’m his rider Cristroga. You can call me Cris.” Dragons but dragon’s aren’t, Ranko thought in disbelief as she looked out of the claws only to see a large orange dragon flying beside the large brown who’d caught her.
“Real,” Ranko whispered. The orange dragon suddenly winged lower than the brown and slightly under him.
“How did you get up there anyway?… and what were those two balls of flame?” the rider of the orange asked.
Ranko started to answer the first question when the second hit her. Two balls of flame? Ranko searched herself Where’s the Gate? Where’s the Gate? If that was the little shield thing, I saw if fall faster than you and burst into a ball of flames. Does that help you any? Ranko suddenly heard inside her head. She looked about for the source of the voice but only found the dragon who carried her. You are correct, young miss. You’ve never seen dragons before in your life have you? No. Ranko replied both to the dragon and in anger of her loosing the Gate. Then again, Moonlight had said the gate would sometimes leave a beast in a place when it knew that it didn’t have to be with the beast anymore. That means I’ll have to stay here.
“Looks like you feel into our mists for a reason… huh what did you say your name was,” the brown rider broke the silence of flight after a while, leaning slightly so she could see her passenger only to looked shocked at what she found.
“I didn’t give my name, Cristroga,” Ranko replied with a bit of a snip in her voice, “I am Ranko Bloodfang, last of the Turasaken Bloodfang line…” Ranko’s tail twitched irritably as she eyed her rescuer’s rider. The female was dressed in leathers so it was impossible to tell what species she was.
“Huh, well, Ranko, my friend,” Cris continued, “My Tusath seems to see think you have the makings of a dragonrider.”
“A what?” Ranko asked with a start. As strange as the word sounded it cause her heart to race in unknown excitement.
“You’re from Turasake Hold, you should know what a dragonrider is even if you are a furry looking human,” Cris replied tilting her leather clad head to the side.
“What is this ‘Hold’ thing you speak of? I’m from an Island far East of Redwall Abbey!” Ranko replied thoroughly confused. The rider nodded her head slowly and Ranko could practically feel that Cris was conversing with Tusath.
“Dragonriders are what I and R’tif over there are,” Cris replied hesitantly, “We’ll explain more to you when we land.” Ranko sighed, the warrior side of her hated waiting at times, especially for things she knew nothing about.
Now young one, we’re going to between it into the Healing Den. It will only last for a few seconds so don’t worry. I will keep my mind with yours as well as Cris’ so do not fear. I’m not afraid! Why should I be… By the fates! Ranko started to reply to Tusath but then suddenly everything went black and icy cold, and she could feel nothing, not even the dragon claws she knew she sat in! Ranko’s breaths became ones of fear as she gulped down the urge to scream. Do not worry, I am here
“WHAT IN THE NAME OF DARK FOREST GATE WAS THAT?!?!” Ranko snarled the moment they once again appeared in the world the Phoenix Gate had left her in. Ranko didn’t get a reply until they were safely on the cool floor of the “cavern” they’d appeared in.
“That was what is known to us Perneses as Betweening,” Cris replied as she struggled with her thick hided leather helmet. Ranko’s jaw nearly dropped to the ground, before her stood something that seemed to have shaved off all her fur except for her head fur.
“By the way, what are you?” Cris asked without too much tension.
“What do you mean what am I, I’m a pine marten!” Ranko hissed back, “What type of beast has only fur on their head and not their whole body.”
“We have hair, or fur as you call it more than just on our heads.” R’tif replied and Ranko staggered back as he was also furless save his headfur. The orange rider yelped as an unseen “bug bit” him. Cris sighed and shook her head.
“Ranko, we’re what you’d call humans,” Cris replied, “We’re born hairless.”
“So that’s a wig then?” Ranko asked pointing at Cris’ head. R’tif broke into riots of laughter. Cris finally looked annoyed, it was quite a hard thing to get her to be.
“This is hair,” Cris replied in a shaking voice her hands clenching and unclenching and her held back anger.
“Hello,” a voice greeted from behind Ranko. The pine marten turned and practically fell over as another human approached this one taller and darker in color. Are there no proper beasts here?!?! a voice in the back of her mind seemed to tell her no and that she’d have to live with.
“You must be Baeris,” R’tif quickly took charge and diverting Cris’ rage Ranko now felt the woman with dark hair watching her closely though she also paid attention to the two dragonriders behind her.
“That I am,” she replied, “ I take it by your dragons that you’ve heard of the Halloween Frenzy flight?” The two riders nodded, “And who is this that you’ve brought with you?”
“Ranko Bloodfang,” Ranko replied bowing deeply realizing this human held some importance… even if she didn’t like the fact that the woman was looking her over for some reason.
“She fell right into Tusath’s claws, quite literally,” Cris’ continued, “And he says, well, she’s right for the Healing Den.” Ranko had been admiring the dragons at this time when she heard Cris.
“What do you mean by that?” Ranko asked.
“Let me ask you Miss, Ranko Bloodfang was it?” Baeris asked and Ranko nodded, old feelings of being a chibi surging through her, “What would you think of being bonded for life to a dragon?”
“A dragon? Like these two monsters?” she pointed at the bronze sized brown and the gold sized orange. Golonith gave a soft growl and Ranko smirked. She liked the orange some how.
“I’d watch your words around the dragons, some don’t take too well to being described like that,” Baeris warned though Ranko could see that the woman was amused in her eyes.
“Very much so, of course you’ll have to go through lessons to learn about them,” the dark skinned woman replied.
“My mate’s dead and I have nothing better to do while I wait for my cub to be born,” she replied with a shrugged her nerves turning steel like as she mentioned her deceased mate. Baeris nodded and lead the pine marten away.
It was about two months later and Ranko looked at herself in a mirror. I don’t understand this, I should be rounding out now… I still look like I’m within my first few weeks! Ranko whimpered. Had she lost her cub so early in the pregnancy?
Her thoughts lingered back to just before she’d arrived at the Healing Den. She once again wondered how Ranma Saberfist, her best friend, was doing and if that combination beast seer Mirai was doing as she’d said, not doing anything evil. Suddenly her mind turned back to the monitor lizard… he’d said something about again at 1/4 speed and birthing taking three times as long, didn’t he?
“I hope he’s burning in Dark Forest!” Ranko growled as she realized what happened to her… then again as she understood humans aged at the speed she now would age, and gave birth in the same amount of time… maybe it wasn’t such a curse… I still hope he rots in Dark Forest, she growled. The last line of the Bloodfang shrugged it off as her stomach growled loudly.
“Hungry, ne?” Ranko smiled patting her belly softly, “Well let’s see what they’re cookin’ up.” Ranko started down the through the caverns. She’d lived in the Healing Den long enough now that she rarely got lost anymore, and the smell of food helped as well.
The hallways were decorated for this holiday that was called Halloween. A few times she’d been told that she had a nice costume… she’d set those ones straight and packing. Ranko looked above as she noticed the newly strung lights above her. She was awed by controlled electricity, that would prove to be her first mishap of the day.
CRASH
“Hell’s fang!” Ranko yelped as she tipped over a basket and crashed into the floor. Reflexively Ranko held out her paws catching what ever she upset in the basket that had flown through the air. Ranko blinked as she found herself holding and egg about the size of her paws. Ranko blinked at it again, “What in the world?”
To her slight horror the egg split down the middle slowly but surely. Ranko looked about as hunger gripped her stomach. With a seemingly pop the shell shattered leaving a silvery being in her paws. Ranko gawked as a small, dragon like head looked at her. It’s multifaceted eyes blinked blues and green then turned gold and red as Ranko could feel he little creatures hunger. Without thinking Ranko reached out finding that for some odd reason the basket had dry meat near it. Swiftly she started to stuff the miniature dragon.
“What in the name of the fates are you?” Ranko smiled ever so softly as the hatchling’s hunger abated.
“It’s called a fire lizard,” someone sighed as they walked by. Ranko couldn’t ask another thing as the person disappeared through a wall. Candidate, the rust colored marten immediately thought. She then looked down at the so-called fire lizard, R’tif and Cris had mentioned the beasts at time. Not as smart as dragons as she remembered, and they weren’t born knowing their names.
“Guess this means your mine, ne?” she asked the dozing flit. She could feel the happiness from the small creature and knew that was probably the most she’d get as an answer from him. Something told her it was a him. “Hmm, Sirkin… I think that’s what I’ll call you, buddy… well now that your gut’s filled let’s to the same for mine.”
“HELP ME!!!” a voice suddenly yelled coupled by heavy running feet reached Ranko’s sharp ears. With in moments the victim was wheeling past Ranko and the pine marten had out her sais. The assailant stopped in mid stride upon seeing Ranko.
“Yes, may I help you?” she asked baring her fangs. The young man was wide eyed and shook his head rapidly before skidding off down another hallway.
“Thanks for the save, friend,” Ranko suddenly found herself shaking paws/hands with the young man she’s so to speak rescued.
“Uh, yeah,” she replied and decided to try to make friends, “Name’s Ranko Bloodfang, and you are?”
“Izair,” he smiled gamely.
“You seem to be a pretty strong person…. Er beast, I’m Aziza,” the young man’s voice suddenly turned female and s/he shook her paw once again this time with a strong grip.
“Would you mind if I escorted you to breakfast? Oh forgive me, ma’am, my name is Riazi,” his voice change once again to be cocky as he leaned over to kiss her paw. Ranko blinked, What in the name of the claw and fang? Yet instead of voicing her thoughts she smiled politely.
“Thank you, uh Riazi?” Ranko replied and he nodded, “That would be very kind of you, after all I’m with child and all.” Once again the young man’s demeanor change to the first.
“Oh, you’ll be having a baby?” he smiled as he carefully lead her down the hall, “You must be early on in your pregnancy, it doesn’t show you know?”
“Hai, I know that very well, sir,” she replied not sure how to address the young man. It was then that somebody called for Aziza.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have to see what that windbag wants this time,” Aziza smiled and walked off. Ranko was confused once again. What was with that human. Absently Ranko found a seat in the dinning caverns across from something that looked a bit fish like and green. He smiled at her happily as she sat down.
Multiple personalities! Of course! Ranko chuckled softly and spoke aloud to herself, “Weird.” Suddenly the creature before her started crying.
“Nah-nah-nani?!?!” Ranko dropped the utensils she’d just picked up and Sirkin hissed at being woken up, “What’d I do? What happened? Why is this happening to me?!?!”
