“Sorry I’m late…I had to convince my father I was going out on a hunt.” I said. Forbidden love…a dragon anthro and wolf anthro, I was the dragon of course. “That’s fine, this damn feud. I hate it.” Lissa, the wolf, said. “I agree.” I said. We were in love, and we talked. It was sad really, the two greatest races on earth constantly fought. Too make matters worse, Lissa was the daughter of General Mark Lawuc, the master general and highest ranking general in Arktexla, the land that the wolves inhabited. My family too was a high ranking in the military of Tainaru, the land that the dragons did.
We were in a cave, out in the open, who knows what could happen. Thick, green moss grew on the wall; a damp, earthy smell covered us. The rock around us glistened as the sun hit it. The colors were amazing, blue danced with green in a way that made the sun itself jealous. But that was soon over, as the sun no longer hit the spot.
We sat and talked for about three hours. The sun was low in the west sky, and we both knew we had to go. I was on the farthest south coast of Arktexla, the Lakly peninsula and, because I could fly, I lived in Wensen. Soon enough we said our good byes, gave each other a kiss and left. I spread my wings and flew over the salty, deep blue Ritchrock Sea. There were small islands that dotted the way over, and from this view I could see the great, snowcapped moutons that bordered Lakly, I could see the cold water. That was another thing that separated our kind, the landmasses themselves.
Arktexla, farther north than Tainaru, and much more hilly, and changing of elevation held huge moutons that stretched over 50,000 Feet in the air; huge pine forests grew in the small valleys. Over all, the land had almost no water, other than a few places where rivers cut the landscape. The cool climate, the cool sea, and the high peaks enhanced snowfall that during the winter could reach over ten feet in some storms.
That compared to the landscape of Tainaru, it was astounding that it could border so close to Arktexla. Tainaru was waterlogged, flat, warm, area. We were an area of islands; the biggest of witch was only about 400 miles across. Eventually though I made it home.
I landed on an old, dusty road. Dust and sand flew up from the earth. The sun had faded away, and bright auroras gave birth to glisten sheets of greenish blue. “Tyler! You’ll never guess what happened!” My sister, Landra, said, running up to me. “What?” I asked. “We got a prisoner that was just caught on the Lakly peninsula.” She said. My heart sank. “What!?” I yelled, running off the prison. I leaned my head forward and started to zoom down the road, until the prison was before me. I walked in, flashing a pass stating my name and rank in the army. Too my horror it was Lissa. “Tyler?” She asked. “Shut up dumb wolf!” A somewhat portly man said, hitting her. I slapped him upside his head, and told him to leave the room, and he did.
I ran up and hugged her. “Are you okay!?” I asked. “I’m fine...” She said. A single tear ran down her furry cheek. “Tyler! They got them! My family! They killed everyone but my dad!” She said, exploding into tears. I hugged her. “There gonna kill me next!” She called out. “No, they will not.” I said, pulling out a heavy chain from my pocket. “Put this on your neck, your going to look like my slave.” I said. She did what she was told.
I talked to the guard, and convinced him that she was my escaped slave, and we walked out. The guard pulled her tail when we were leaving. I slapped him upside the head. “Don’t you dare ever, ever do that again, or I will and I am not kidding, have you fired, and thrown into jail.” I said. I walked out of the jail and started towards the woods. “Tyler…where are we going?” Lissa asked. “You’ll see…” I said. We walked for a while, until we came across a small cave. “For now…we’ll have to stay here.” I said. “We’ll? You mean!?” She asked, with growing excitement in her voice. “Yep, I’m staying here with you…but first I have to go.” I said. She nodded, and I left. I sighed, telling my parents would be the hardest thing I’d ever do.
I walked home, quickly. When I entered my house my father stood in the door way, “Way to go champ! We heard what you did! You took that female wolf into the woods and slain her!” He said, patting me on the back. “Well…dad…” I said, before my mom said the same thing. They kept complementing me, as I tried to get a word in edge wise. “STOP IT!” I yelled. “I have to say something…” I said, “What is it, Champ?” My father asked me. “I…well…” I said. “What?” My mother asked. “I’m in love wi—“ I said, before my father cut in, “What’s her name, She another military kid, what’s her scale color!?” He asked. “Her name’s Lissa. She is another military kid, a grand general actually, and…well…she has…” I said, swallowing all the time it took to hide my secret. “She doesn’t have scales…” I said. My fathers face looked confused, “She has…fur…she’s my…wolffie.” I said.
When that left my mouth, my stomach clenched. My father looked at me with disgust; his claws went towards a knife sitting on the table. “Son…run...” My mother’s voice echoed in my head. I ran out the door, just missing the knife my father threw at me. I fell down when I left the house. I flipped over in time to see him grabbing the knife. I reached down in my pocket and pulled out my own knife. I stood up and said, “Dad, let me leave this place!” I yelled. “You’re no son of mine. Go. If I find you or that…that…piece of fur you will both die!” He said.
At that, I left, having only my sword. The hike was long and tiring, but if I knew my dad he’d be sending his best men after us. When I found the cave, it was empty. My heart sank into my stomach. “LISSA!!!” I yelled. I could hear a muffled sound coming from behind a few rocks. I walked into the cave. The moss covered walls of it kept the smell of mold fresh in the air.
There was movement from behind the rock. I pulled my sword out. With my sword ready to swing, I walked to the rock. There I found Lissa, tied and gagged. I quickly untied her, and un-gagged her. “OH MY GOODNESS! WHAT HAPPENED!?” I exclaimed. She started to gasp for air, “Humans.” She said. A stark silence fallowed. It seemed like hours that the silence lasted.
I broke the silence, “But…but there extinct.” I said. “I thought so too…but they are alive.” Lissa said. I helped her off the cold, earthy floor. “We need to get going. I believe we have a bounty on our heads.” I said. The look on her face told me everything, fear, shock, and everything in between shown on her red furred face. We both had just been shocked. Humans had, to my knowledge, been extinct for hundreds of years. Since at least the battle of The Tavern of McLenui, They were the first of many species to become extinct. Or at least that’s what I had been told.
For a few seconds we sat there, before it hit us that we had to go. It was sad for me, and it had to be hard on her. I was leaving my family…forever, and her family had left her forever. But it was no time to cry, there were people who wanted us both dead, but we were focused on living…together…for the rest of our lives.
We started off quickly. I knew from flying that there was a small village about three miles west of where we were. We walked for some time. Soon enough we had arrived at the small dragon town. “Oh crap! I forgot! This is dragon town. Well, we have to stay somewhere.” I thought. Again, the chains came in handy. Once again, I chained her up as we entered the small town. “Vamopalain” An old sign read.
“Tyler…I don’t want to do this. It doesn’t feel right…I have an odd feeling.” She said. If this had been another dragon, I would have brushed the statement off, but it was a wolf. The instinct of a wolf was one of the keenest; brushing it off would have been a foolish thing to do. Unfortunately, I had to do what I had to do. “Lissa, you know I love you, and I know your right, but we have to go in here. We have no supplies, other than that on our backs, and…we have no choice.” I said, with a tone of regret in my voice.
The town had huge rocks scattered around it, thought to be, by some, the work of Gods. I however, believed in only one God.
Lissa clearly understood what I was saying. The streets of the town were brick, and a draining system for run off from snow melt (both in the moutons and the valley we were in now), the heavy rains of summer and spring, and flooding from small creeks and rivers that crossed the area. Dragons and Tigers ran amuck around us. “Well look who it is! Tyler!” A, very, and unfortunate, voice called to me. I turned around, hoping, praying, that it was not who I thought it was.
“Flora!” I said. It was who I thought it was. “Haven’t seen you for a while, been a year or two!” She said. The tiger’s blue eyes shown bright agents the orangeish color of her fur. “Three.” I said. I loved Flora like a sister, but she was a walking disaster. “How have you been?” I asked. “Great! I’ve been just great! And who’s your friend?” She asked. “Well…Lissa, meet Flora.” I said. The too shared glances. “What? Is that a….?” She asked. “Yeah, she’s a wolf.” I said.
“I don’t like your choice in slaves, Tyler. You should have picked something strong…like…a…a…”She said, her mind wondering. That was another one of her habits. “Never mind” She said. She asked me to go to her house, and though I wanted to reject, it would not have been the right thing to do.
-Later-
We sat down at Flora’s table. The twenty-two year old tiger had been my friend since we had been born, and at one time we had even considered moving in with one another. But that never happened, for reasons that I’ll never tell. Lissa started eating. “Tyler…why is your slave eating before you?” “Well…she’s not my slave…she’s my friend…my…girl…” I said. “Aww, Tyler, who knew that you’d get such a cute wo…gi…uhh…” Flora said. “Wait…you…don’t care?” I asked her.
“’Coarse not! You’re my friend. But you can’t stay here. I’m coming with you.” Flora said. I felt very, very, very happy. Flora walked me into another room and hugged me, not wanting Lissa to see. We walked back into the room. Our eyes both popped open. The better half of the meal was gone, and Lissa was still gulping things down.
“Uhh…Lissa?” I said. “Oh! Sorry, I just feel…hunger.” “and your getting a little pudgy.” Flora said. Lissa sighed. “Tyler…I have something to tell you…” Lissa said. She explained that in her land there were fixed, strict breeding laws, that at the age of twenty-one, all wolves were entered into the program. She also explained that she was also entered into the program. “…And that’s how it happened.” Lissa said.
I sighed. Lissa was pregnant. That was that. It was unfortunate, but I could tell that she was telling the truth. “How much longer….until…” I and Flora asked. “Soon…I was going to tell you Tyler! I’m sorry!” She said braking down into a fleet of tears. I hugged her, whispering “Don’t worry…” into her ears. It was then that I could feel tears running down my face as well. We hugged for what seemed like forever.
That, however, had, like all good things, come to an, unfortunate, sudden end. A knock at the door and a voice that said “Spot inspection!” made our hearts jump. The door flew open with a breath of cold, refreshing air. The man was well armed, and had huge metal plates around him. Flora did something that stunned me, and Lissa. She took off her shirt, leaving only a bra on, and screamed. “Sorry Mama!” The person said slamming the door shut. She rushed us into a closet, got her shirt back on and opened the door.
“Sorry mama. Uhh…your clean.” He said, walking away. She came back to the closet door and let us out. “When the bloody hell did that start!?!?” I asked. “Now…actually, last week.” Flora said. “So…dose anyone know how to deliver a baby?” Lissa asked. Flora and I looked at another. “There is a hospital up the road. We could say you’re our slave.” Flora said. Lissa asked “Can you get me there….now!?”
We picked her up and run down to the hospital. It was more of a sprint. By the time we got to the hospital Flora and I were out of breath, and Lissa was…well…unconscious. “HEY! GET HER A ROOM!” I yelled. “Wolves get zero priority.” A nurse said. “LOOK YOU! YOU WILL GIVE HER A ROOM AND NUMBER ONE PRIORITY!” I said. The intimidation of my fangs and the whiteness of scales made her say yes. A stretcher came out and took her away.
-One week later-
It had been a week. Lissa had been in the Intensive care unit for the entire time, Over that time, Flora and I had caught up on things when sitting in Lissa privet room. Today, however, was different. It was the day that my pup (even if it was not technically ‘Mine’) was going to come into the world. Lissa had been in the pregnancy ward all day today. Soon enough the doctor came out. The look on his face said it all.
“…Sir, Mama…we need to speak with you…” His voice said. It sounded gloomy, full of death. “We have some very….very bad news.” My heart and stomach jumped. Tears started to run down my face. “SHES DEAD. GOD NO! SHES DEAD!” I thought. “The wolf…we tried everything we could…but…she didn’t make it.” At that moment tears began to run down my face. “And the pup?” Flora asked. “Well…without the mother she will die.” Another wave of sadness washed over me. “She’ll die in less than two days.”
The sound of his voice cried out in my head. Thoughts raced though my mind, Tears ran down my scaled face. Suddenly a thought that startled even to me, “I’ll have her still!” I cried out. I pulled out of my knife. The steel ripped into my clothing. Light slowly faded away. There she was. More astounding than ever, the golden gates that stood above her head made me know, I was home.
~END~
