DRAGONRAPTOR
Season 1: Vision Quest
Episode 2
The Night Marchers
Chapter One: Stormlight (part 2)
The shining nova of clashing elemental forces burned brightly in his sleep.
Thrown against the rocks and glasslike sand, Kyeran’s body choked up water that had
broken upon the skeleton shoals. His usually brilliant azure and silver cloud-patterned feathers soaked up blood and swamp water that he had lay in for some unknown amount of time.
As he stretched, Kyeran quietly screeched in pain as his leg muscles cramped and he had to wait several agonizing minutes for it to subside. When it did, Kyeran stood up and flapped his hobby-like wings to shake off the mud. He blinked the sludge out of his eyes and began slowly looking around. Instinct warned him to be cautious about exploring right after being injured and knocked out in a battle against another apex predator.
The sky was shrouded in mist, and the cold sense of morning sea air dulled any scent trails that he might have been able to follow. The sand gave little way to his light weight, but retained noticeable footprints that he could backtrack along if necessary. Four toes; two in front, one in back, like those of a giant falcon. And then one – one raised above all the others in a mounted killing pose. The mark of his lethal lineage.
Kyeran watched the waves crash with fear, as if the ocean was angry at him. He let out a high-pitched shriek in defiance, and it echoed along the forest’s edge. When no answer came, Kyeran suddenly realized he was all alone.
“Kaminariko?” He called out. Silence.
“Akhikaji!” Silence.
“Keitaluah?”
“Yuka?! Susanoo-sama!”
Kyeran’s head ached as he wondered if it was leading him. He tried to recall the last moments before he had lost consciousness.
The Unktehila! He remembered. The chaos of the battle suddenly came rushing through Kyeran’s mind. Flashing before his eyes, the crossing breath weapons played out . . . until the great nebulae ended in darkness.
There was nothing on the beach that moved. The trees were unfamiliar, and the air was frighteningly silent. The night sky had faded, and the shimmering rings of Kiryu were now a faint current of sparkles hidden by clouds. The strewn carcasses of fish, ammonites, sea jellies, and various remnants of the recent storm that would have otherwise been welcome pickings now seemed pointless, but they alone confirmed that he was not wandering the spirit world.
Silently, Kyeran disappeared into the dense jungles.
Chapter Two: Red Lagoon
The sun and sky were reflected in the small tidepools that reached far inland. Then the reflection was broken. A human hand plunged into the water and picked up a large eel that had been tossed ashore. The boy examined the dead fish for a second then packed it into his moa-feather sack.
He wore a shaman’s robe tied with a large diamond-patterned shawl. His dark hair was highlighted by flame-colored strands and twin beaded tails that hung down his shoulders. He was tall for fourteen but lightly built. Kiryu humans had long ago adapted a small, agile shape to evade the planet’s apex predators.
“Amekeaha!” A younger girl called out to him as she waved. She had seaweed-green hair that curled in long waves in which she wore a water-lily tiara.
“Kaisoki!” He echoed back.
“I thought you’d be out here,” Kaisoki said as she ran up the dunes. “You disappeared for a while, you know.”
“I sensed an enormous source of elemental power coming from the clouds and ocean. Last night, I finally came out here for a look.”
“Alone? Amekeaha – if it was a legendary predator. . .”
“The energy was violent, as from contrasting sources that seemed determined to eliminate each other. Legendary apex predators engaged in conflict like that would never notice one puny human among them.”
“If I’m going to become the next village shaman, I need to learn to draw energy and strength from the elemental auras of the great predators.”
“What about you?” He turned to ask, “You’re out here alone.”
Kaisoki shook her head. “My mother’s fishing with Kainoe nearby. He’s just starting to learn to catch some big ones.”
“You know, we probably shouldn’t be out here anyway. Several of our warriors have gone missing these past months.”
“The raids?”
“No, raiders aren’t much of a threat to Nahelan warriors.” Kaisoki became lost in thought for a moment, then snapped herself back to the present.
“Hey, Amekeaha, as long as we’re just walking together, you wanna come see my secret hideout?”
“A secret place for you? You sure you want to show me?”
“It’s a small lagoon. I just hope the storm didn’t destroy it. Wait here.”
Amekeaha waited. A large conical object on the beach caught his sight. He stepped over to pick it up and instantly recognized it as tooth-shaped – huge, over ten inches long and very thick, built for crunching bone like twigs.
“AMEKEAHA!” Kaisoki screamed.
He ran towards her voice, brushing away overhanging vines and scraping his feet on sharp rocks. Up a fern-covered slope, he could smell the mix of rotting flesh mixed with calm waters.
Kaisoki stood next to a gargantuan sea dragon, its fleshy skull smashed on the rocks and serpentine body emerging from the waves like reef islands. The head was crimson and body black, with blue, green, and brown patterns after the neck. The great predator was dead, its maw split open into a gape that could swallow a boulder. The normally green lagoon was now bright red.
“Is this . . . an Unktehila?” Kaisoki asked.
“It is,” Amekeaha said. “It’s been slaughtered.” Amekeaha scraped off a scale from its neck and added it to his pouch. He waded in to knee-high water to examine the enormous slash wounds and singes covering its hide.
“This is the most powerful dragon species in the world. What could have possibly done this?”
“Pouakai?” Kaisoki guessed, hoping he didn’t have a more frightening answer.
“Unlikely, against one this size. The great eagle fights dragons sometimes, but this . . .” then he stopped, noticing something unexpected.
“Listen,” Amekeaha said.
Kaisoki went silent. Amekeaha closed his eyes to focus.
“I hear nothing unusual,” Kaisoki said. “Birds, insects, it’s not that quiet.”
“Only . . . no wyverns.” Amekeaha opened his eyes. “Nothing coming to scavenge.”
He and Kaisoki watched and waited for them to appear. “That’s the part I don’t like.”
“We should go back, then.”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
Chapter Three: The Night Marchers
Kyeran raised his head at the sound of footsteps.
Amekeaha and Kaisoki followed the leaf litter path through the jungle to a river. The current slowed near the sea, and the flooded banks were beginning to recede.
The silhouettes of huge fish clouded the river depths. Many kinds were spread out on the soil, washed up by the storm, too dismembered for scavengers. Others had become stranded in surge-pools trying to escape from the seabirds and ichthyosaurs.
A five-year-old boy was wading in the river shallows. He had short indigo hair and a necklace made of long blue beads around an ammonite shell pendant. His blue vest and clothing contrasted with Kaisoki’s green watergrass dress.
“Kainoe!” Kaisoki called to him.
“Kaisoki!” he called back, lifting a large fish out of the water.
The fish struggled, and its mouth slipped over his hands and arms.
Kaisoki tried to hold back giggles.
Kainoe flopped around in the shallows, fighting to keep out of the deep water.
Kaisoki and Amekeaha splashed over to help. They pulled on the tail base, and Kainoe was slowly released from the fish’s gape.
“These big fish will try and eat you if you don’t chop them up first, Kainoe.” Kaisoki teased. Kaisoki dragged the fish up the riverbank and impaled it with her kris dagger as Amekeaha played with Kainoe in the water.
A woman walked over with a woven leaf basket on her head.
“Amekeaha, it’s good to see you.” She said.
“Yoki Lorelei,” Amekeaha bowed.
“Hi, mother.” Kaisoki said. “Kainoe almost got eaten.”
“Lucky you two came by then.”
“It’s getting late. Kaisoki, would you help me carry the catch home?”
Kaisoki said nothing but strapped Kainoe’s big fish to a second basket and lifted it above her head.
“Kainoe, let’s go.”
“Amekeaha, you’re welcome to join us.” Lorelei invited.
“Thank you. I need to speak to Kanname first.”
Kaisoki turned around to whisper, “You think the killer might still be around here?”
“Something’s scaring the wyverns.”
“Killer? What killer?” Lorelei asked curiously.
“A legendary apex predator.”
“There are many apex predators in our world. As long as they’re not coming after us at the moment, there’s no reason to worry.”
“Kaisoki, don’t take too long,” Lorelei said as she and Kainoe headed to the village.
“It was probably a Quetzalcoatl. They invade Pouakai territory on occasion.”
“Probably.”
“Okay, well I’ll see you some other time then, Amekeaha.”
“Yeah. I’ll try and see you later.”
Amekeaha followed the river towards his home, a small hut atop a hill overlooking the small hamlet village where he and Kaisoki lived. A few other humans were around, scavenging the bounty of the storm and the clash of predators’ elemental attacks, although they had only briefly glimpsed its climactic nebula. Their clothes were made of various plants and bird feathers.
Amekeaha entered his hut. A narrow hall separated three living spaces – one gathering area overlooking the hillside, a series of small individual quarters in the middle, and the hearth, where the cooking and shamanism took place.
Amekeaha headed for the hearth, where around a stone firepit countless bones, feathers, and plants hung from the walls. At the back were stairs to his grandmother’s private room, and beside that several shelves for food and spell preparation.
He emptied his moa-feather sack of the eel he had found, along with a lobster, small crabs, and fish he had collected into a cool water jar. The dragon scale fell into the jar with them, and Amekeaha reached in for it. He sat on the floor as a villager would come and wait for the shaman’s counsel. He examined the Unktehila scale in his hand, scratched and blackened like charcoal. A bit of its original color remained – blood red, with hints of green and blue.
“What did you find?” The shaman-woman asked as she came down.
“Seafood.” Amekeaha answered as he got up.
“You look frightened.”
“I also found something far more troubling.”
“Yes?”
They both sat down, across from each other.
“Kaisoki and I were exploring when we came across an Unktehila.”
“Unktehila?”
“Dead.”
“Dead?”
“What’s stranger than that is, normally, wyverns would be flocking and fighting over such a spoil. There were none. In fact, it’s been usually quiet since the elemental storm.”
“So I’ve noticed,” Kanname said. “Very few creatures could bring down a dragon of the Unktehila’s ferocity. Another powerful dragon – Seiryu, Quetzalcoatl, or Huanglong, perhaps. I suppose a Fenghuang phoenix might be able to, but the chances of that encounter . . .”
“What about a war between several apex predators?” Amekeaha guessed. “The immense elemental energy I felt seemed far too powerful to come from any one predator. It was like a star had exploded.”
“That might explain the spirits’ restlessness. A clash between the guardians themselves could certainly upset both the spirit and natural world. Then strange things begin to happen.”
“You mean the night marchers.”
“They once were a rare encounter. Now we hear them every night, drumming and whispering as if to warn the living.”
“Warn us of what?”
“Amekeaha . . . our warriors disappearing, some to end up dead, the raids on the pounamu mines, the slaughter of the Unktehila . . . what if these are no mere coincidences?”
“Well, I suppose the Unktehila could have been preying on us, but, how can the raids possibly be connected to a predators’ war?”
“I don’t know.” Kanname sighed. “There is another event of curiosity taking place tonight. Chief Ahote is meeting with the crown prince of Alitya in the village pā tonight.”
“Alitya?”
Kanname nodded. “I want you to go there, discreetly, and find out what you can about this alliance. I will go and see this Unktehila for myself.”
Amekeaha emerged from his house. The huts of Nahela were made of earth and leaves patched together, lay upon stilts and platforms of fallen trees. The wood trimmings were carved in various designs and colored yellow.
He could see a few moa birds in the distance. These giant flightless grazers and low browsers were the largest common herbivores in Nahela, and the favored prey of the mighty Pouakai eagles that defended the forests.
High in the clouds, a massive wingspan soared. Kyeran recognized the shape – Pouakai. The way it flew suggested that the eagle was roosting for the night. Kyeran had been wandering slowly inland all day, frequently stopping to rest from his battle wounds. He wasn’t interested in fighting the Pouakai now, so he continued to move in the direction away from its nest. Dusk would soon be approaching, and the eagles would be asleep, giving him free movement in their territory until morning.
Chapter Four: Nest of Furballs
Kainoe and several other young children were chasing each other around the village.
“I got you Kainoe!” A small girl cried as she tripped him with her feet.
Kainoe jumped to his feet and pursued as she ran.
“I got you Keiko!” Kainoe surprised her as she slid down the riverbank. They tumbled into the stream like diving penguins, and rolled around in the water. They stayed under the surface for some time, then crawled up onto a small sandbar covered in flowers.
Kainoe looked up towards the trails. Kiwi birds began to emerge out of hiding, and several atthis kept watch over the riverbends.
“Amekeaha!” Kainoe called. As the young shaman approached, a large wild turkey crossed his footsteps. Kainoe crouched down to prepared a surprise attack, then manipulated a stream of water to splash Amekeaha in the face.
Amekeaha smirked. He waved his arms to send a surge of deep river water towering above Kainoe and Keiko, and then let it crash upon them like a waterfall.
Kaisoki laughed. She was preparing Kainoe’s caught fish in the shade of a hala tree. “Kainoe, next time challenge someone your own size.”
Keiko rejoined the other children at play. Kainoe shook the water out of his hair and face as he climbed up the riverside to join them. A wild turkey walked by Kainoe as he approached his family’s hut, catching up with Kaisoki and Amekeaha.
Yoki Lorelei was hanging up the cooked fish from a rack on long sticks, spread over a series of y-shaped poles next to their house. Amekeaha joined Kaisoki as Kainoe helped skewer the last of the fish.
“Are we taking these into the big village tonight?” Kainoe asked.
“I am,” Kaisoki answered. “We need to be sure there’s enough food for the warriors’ council when they gather.”
“Oh, can I go too?” Kainoe asked. “I want to see the warriors!”
“Kainoe, this isn’t a ceremonial gathering.” Kaisoki explained. “This is a serious negotiation between the leaders of two kingdoms. There’s nothing for you to take part in, and I can’t be distracted by looking after you.”
“I’m going there as well. Kanname asked me to keep an eye on the meeting.”
“She asked you to investigate?” Lorelei questioned. “That’s strange, you’re father’s already attending that council.”
“Most of the warriors are,” Kaisoki said. “I think there’s some talk going on of the pounamu raids, so, in case there’ll be conflict, Ahote wants a large force alongside him.”
“Conflict with Alitya?” Amekeaha wondered.
“No, probably not Alitya. We’re not sure where the raiders are coming from, but Altiya’s too preoccupied with repelling Seigoku to attack us.”
“Seigoku?” Kainoe joined in.
“The azure dragon empire, to the northeast.”
“Why don’t I go with Amekeaha then?” Kaisoki suggested. “We can watch out for each other, and it’ll look less suspicious if we look like we’re both helping.”
“That’s true,” Lorelei agreed. “Kainoe, come inside. Kaisoki, watch out for kappa and crocotta – bring a weapon.”
“I’ve got a kris, and Amekeaha his shaman powers.”
Kaisoki quickly wrapped three baskets of food together.
“Amekeaha, I’ve got these. If we’re attacked, you should remain unburdened to defend us quickly.”
“If you’re sure . . .” Amekeaha followed Kaisoki along a darkening path through the Nahelan jungles. They soon left the boundary of their little coastal hamlet and entered the realm where only the great predators reigned.
The forest canopy rustled gently as Kyeran ascended, overlooking the feet-worn paths meandering through the woods. In the distance, ziggurats trimmed in vibrant colors stood at the center of a large village within an ancient crater. Looking out over the canopy, these were the first human structures Kyeran had ever seen. To him, they looked like small mountains, carved as no geological process could sculpt.
Kyeran watched the sunset reveal out the tiny flickering lights around the village, bringing new colors and shadows. In the dim light, Kyeran had the greatest advantage of sight and stealth. He glided above the crater walls and perched atop a large tree overlooking the humans’ walls and structures.
Kyeran watched the humans for a long time. The tallest of them just passed half his length, or perhaps five feet at most. Their movements were random, characteristic of prey animals.
The large size of the gathering resembled massive herds to him, and they seemed to be concentrated in several distinctive dwelling places. Kyeran quickly assessed the general role of this new species in nature: Furballs, medium-size, herding patterns, prey, far slower than me, live in big nests . . .
Furballs this size build nests? Such large communities were usually seen in much smaller animals. Strange. Very interesting.
‘Furball’ was the archosaurs’ catch-all term for mammals of all sizes and shapes. Kyeran had seen mammals from time to time, but they were typically very small, hiding in trees and burrows from even the smallest dragons and dinosaurs he shared the world with.
Kyeran's raptorial eyes focused on the two furballs, and high on his tree-perch, the winged velociraptor listened to Amekeaha and Kaisoki speak as they walked quietly through the undergrowth that gradually rose in elevation. Steep walls of soil and rock soon lined the trail, and a few small, scattered bones littered the floor. In such numbers, Kyeran recognized this mark as the territory of another predator, and he slowed his pace slightly to keep an eye out. The Pouakai eagles might be asleep, but that didn’t exclude the possibility of a large dragon in the area as well. The young humans didn’t seem bothered at all. Perhaps this was a common sight to them – and prey animals often don’t worry unless they know they’re being hunted.
Chapter Five: Nahela, Jungle Empire
The empire of Nahela was centered around a single large village in the jungle highlands. The ziggurats which glowed in rainbow colors in a Kiryuan sunset were its palaces and altars. Faintly from his perch, Kyeran could make out the smears of blood like a waterfall down the steps.
There were no corpses yet this night, but even a bird of prey, whose sense of smell was almost nil, could taste the trails of food gathered in a massive marketplace in the maze-patterned streets.
Kyeran had lost interest in pursuing Kaisoki and Amekeaha at the sight of the giant furball colony. From fifty feet up, Kyeran turned his head towards each of the movements and sounds of humans below, working, eating, and conversing without any suspicion of his presence.
A golden carriage trimmed in red approached, drawn by two Alityan ornithomimusaurs. The birds were slightly smaller than ostriches with reddish hair-like feathers down their backs. Along their sides was a solid black stripe against dark brown racing stripes above a white underbelly.
A small crowd gathered around the carriage, blocking Kaisoki’s view. Amekeaha stood in between warriors clothed in light armor and moa feathers, trying to keep a subtle profile. The carriage stopped a few meters before the warriors’ council.
A woman in crystal-green robes and armor stepped quickly out of the ivory curtains, followed by a young girl in casual fire-hue clothes. Sheathed along her back was a curved falchion sword.
The woman had jade-green eyes and medium-length indigo hair. She looked to be slightly younger than middle-age, and hiding some aura of amusement in the journey. She carried a spear in her hand and a jian sword in her belt.
“I am Akhitara Malachite, Knight of Alitya.” She spoke. “The prince was delayed in his journey, so I came ahead to begin.”
“You came ahead? That doesn’t sound like a loyal comrade.”
“Pyrite insisted.” The knight assured him. “I am vastly more familiar with the . . . unnatural events surrounding such disappearances you speak of.”
The little girl hid a smirk.
“We shall gather at the hangi camp just outside the village. Your prince won’t be able to overlook it, but we should have some space from the crowd.”
“That sounds nice.” Malachite turned to her daughter. “Ashaya, I’m afraid this may take a while. Why don’t you stay here, keep yourself entertained until we return?”
“You don’t want me to come?”
“I don’t know what to expect this time, and it’ll probably be mostly talk anyway. Although I must warn you – whatever you do tonight, don’t leave the village!”
Ashaya couldn’t tell whether her mother’s warning was genuine or not. She waited until the warriors walked out of sight and then wandered among the streets.
Chief Ahote led Malachite to a circle of sitting stones around a large pit in the ground, with baskets of foods heated by stones warmed by a large fire. Ahote sat at the head, surrounded by warriors dressed in moaskins, feather-cloaks, and clan markings.
“Amakulae,” Ahote addressed one of his warriors, “be on the lookout for the knight-prince.”
Amakulae bowed in acceptance of his task.
Amekeaha watched his father walk off to guard the camp form high in a tree lookout.
“Akhitara Malachite,” Ahote introduced, “this is my daughter, Mina. She is the priestess of Tane Mahuta, and the great eagle that protects the forest.”
Mina was a small girl, slightly older than Ashaya, with golden-brown hair highlighted in white strands tied in braids. She bowed slowly to the Alityan knight, and Malachite bowed back.
“The legendary eagle Mahuta rules wisely,” Malachite said. “Nahela seems well protected from the turmoil of our kingdom.”
“You said you were familiar with the unnatural,” Ahote questioned. “How?”
“My friends and I have been involved in numerous adventures leading into the dark and mysterious. We have also had several encounters with the dark reapers.”
“Did you say reapers?” Ahote stopped.
“They are more real than most think.”
“I had hoped to not hear that name. What do you know of them?”
“Too much for a short conversation, and many more rumors. We should begin with your situation in itself.”
“Very well.”
Kaisoki strung up the fish from her baskets and was paid for their catch. She began to wander the streets and sights. The village was hidden from above by a patched forest, and it was easy to get lost among the trees and grass-roofed wooden huts and houses that all looked very much alike.
Suddenly, a pink-haired girl in blue clothes came up to her, calling her name at the top of her lungs.
“Kasumi!” Kaisoki called her.
“Hey, Kaisoki! Did you see the knight who came from Alitya?”
“A small glimpse.” Was that what she came to talk about?
“She looked awesome, so I asked what her title and name was – guess!”
Kaisoki shrugged.
Delinquent Malackie!”
“Huh? Delinquent? What sort of knight has a title like that?”
Ashaya was within earshot, although she found it hard to focus on any one conversation. She wasn’t particularly here to eavesdrop, but it was hard not to. Nahela was largely very different from her home in Alitya, and in some ways very similar. She sat down with a bowl of saimin soup, along with several fried weta and a small malasada donut. She had just crunched down on a huge weta when she overheard Kaisoki and giggled, spitting up bug legs from her mouth.
“As a talisman, pounamu heals and stabilizes the body and chakra. It is a powerful defense against ailments of both natural and dark forces. You mentioned reapers, and say you have fought them. Are you familiar with the ghosts called night marchers?”
“No. I’m afraid the only spectres I’ve encountered in quite some time are zombies or youma.” Malachite answered.
“Well, the night marchers are warrior spirits bound to walk the land of their descendants. Sightings of them began to increase around the time the pounamu raids began. We found the culprits were not human, but zombies.”
A knight in gold and silver armor and a red cape appeared. He had brass hair and a red Huanglong dragon engraved on his armor cloth.
“Alya Pyrite.” Ahote recognized. “You are well late to this council.”
“My apologies, great Chief Ahote. My riding bird was stolen, as well as the carriage with my father’s offering.”
“Stolen? From you?”
“The thief crept up behind me and knocked my head with a rock.”
“Actually, it was the hilt of a sword.”
“Do not interrupt. I should have been more vigilant, but regrettably I must renegotiate different terms now. I shamefully have even lost my ancestral . . .”
Pyrite sat beside Malachite and noticed the golden weapon in her hand. “Spear!”
Malachite pouted as she teasingly surrendered Pyrite’s golden spear back to him.
“You cut that out!” He rebuked her.
Malachite raised her eyebrows playfully.
“Are you behind the carriage theft and everything else as well?”
“Oh come on, Pyrite, you needn’t worry. The carriage and birds are fine, I just couldn’t help myself .”
“If we can return to the matter . . .” Ahote interrupted.
“For a time our warriors were quite capable of repelling the pounamu raids. We did find scattered human remains and reapers. We dispatch them, then they return. Then we received the message from Pyrite saying that similar attacks had been plaguing your kingdom, as well as Byakko’s realm.”
“That would leave only Seigoku unaffected.”
“Seigoku has more warriors that the three other empires combined. They may simply be able to wipe out the reapers more easily.”
"Perhaps, it is possible.”
Kyeran lept across rooftops and awnings, keeping his presence unnoticed by the congregating furballs beneath him. He closely watched the running birds wander the paths, being led by the furballs and even pulling and carrying various things for them or even letting themselves be ridden.
Prey animals of different species often joined together in groups, that was true, but one almost never rode another, the only exceptions being very small scavengers or insectivores that fed from much larger creatures. The humans and birds below did not fit into that category.
He finally decided to move in for a closer look. He jumped down into an uninhabited corner and watched the birds move. They seemed very obedient to the furballs, very strange. Kyeran then noticed the massive display of intact fish carcasses piled up next to him. He snatched several large river fish in his jaws and leapt on to find a new perch.
He then eyed a large bowl of raspberry shaped and sized sweets, colored across the spectrum. Sugar mostly came from fruits, which Kyeran ate on occasion when water was scarce. He shoved his short snout into the bowl, making a kompeito crater and crunched down on a quite a mouthful.
The sugar rush was more intense that any food he had tasted before. Kyeran pulled back as the colored dust stuck to his tongue and throat, and found that he strangely liked it.
Small birds cooed in the distance, sounding like a soft bur, bur. Kyeran quickly grabbed a smaller mouthful of kompeito and flew off to investigate.
“Alright, Mina, what’s this about?” A young Nahelan eagle knight walked through the crowd. He was slightly older than Amekeaha, dressed in a golden-auburn moaskin and eagle tattoos. Strung over his back was a koa club-sword, with edges carved into thick teeth.
“We have to find Kaisoki and Amekeaha.” Mina said. “Anyway, so long as you’re protecting me, why not have a little fun?”
"Hey Jaiet!” Kasumi called. “Hi Mina!”
“Kasumi, what are you doing with Kaisoki?”
“What, are best friends suddenly not allowed to hang out?”
“We thought you’d be with Amekeaha.” Jaiet said.
“Amekeaha? Why would you assume that?” Kasioki blushed.
“Everyone knows you like him.” A small voice said behind Jaiet and Mina. Following them was a young boy with a string of small koa weapons.
“Kainoe!” Kaisoki gasped. “What are you doing here?”
“Relax, big sis, he was following Mina and I along the road.” Jaiet explained. “He’s restless, he wanted an adventure, and we couldn’t make him go home.”
“Then he should’ve just stayed with Yohko.”
Jaiet’s smile suddenly turned serious.
“Jaiet, what’s wrong?”
“We found some very strange footprints in the forest. They looked like bird tracks with huge talons, but the size didn’t match up with any species in these lands.”
Kaisoki’s breath stopped for a moment. Her friends noticed, and turned to her. “Amekeaha and I found a dead Unktehila on the beach.”
“Unktehila?” Mina gasped. “Something slew an Unktehila?”
“And has kept all of the wyverns in hiding.”
Chapter Six: The Gathering Darkness
A stack of cards lay spread on the ground. Each one had a design of a supernatural or legendary creature, and in a circle sat Ashaya and several other players. At the head of the gathering was a small hut in the crowd, and a young man reading clues:
“A mound of mass graves rise the gathering bones of those who died in agony, and born is a monster skeleton . . .”
“Gashadokuro!” Ashaya called as she claimed the card.
“A yelp in the night, and a face of pure fright . . .”
Crocotta! Another player claimed.
The west wind carries the black bird of . . .”
“Zephyr Tengu!” Ashaya added to her collection.
I love obake karuta, she squealed to herself. The idea of the game was to decipher which creature the clues described, and then to grab its card, and, at the end, to have more cards than the other players.
“That’s it for the night.” It was finally called.
Ashaya had nearly won. As a consolation prize, she was given the zephyr tengu and a small bag of dumplings. She strapped the food to her cloth belt and stared into the night. The giant blue planet had reached its zenith, and was now the brightest object after Kiryu’s rings. The moons of the Kiryuan system were hidden by the Nahelan forest canopy.
What to do now? Ashaya wondered.
Why aren’t Mom and the Nahelan Knights back yet? She said they were only going to speak for a while, or, negotiate or something . . . they wouldn’t leave me behind if there was a battle, would they?
I wonder if people around here know more . . .
Ashaya resumed her wanderings. She entered the trading ring within the city, and passed several huts where Nahelans were talking and trading with each other. One trader had a row of giant moa eggs. Ashaya stared at them longingly – one day, she would need her own riding bird. Moa were slower than others but often dominated the herds they travelled in.
She also liked the decorations on Nahelan clothing – especially those with fire insignia. Suddenly, she bumped an older girl who was travelling with a group of friends. The older boy in the group had the look of a fellow knight.
“You know where the warriors went?” she asked him.
He looked at her curiously. “They’re pursuing the raiders in the pounamu mines.”
“They went?”
“A while ago. Who are you?” He faced her head-on. Ashaya stepped back. “I recognize almost everyone in Quahtli village, I’ve never seen you before.”
“I’m not from here. I’m Alityan.”
“You came with the Alityan party?” Mina asked. “Are you the Alityan princess?”
“No, I’m just a warrior. I was wondering why they left me behind.”
“Who knows? A lot of weird things have been going on in the forest. If they’ve got a bigger plan, I don’t know it yet.”
“Oh . . . okay.”
“Hey, you can hang out with us,” the green-haired girl said. “I’m Kaisoki, and this is my little brother Kainoe. You never said who you were.”
“Akhitara Ashaya.”
“Akhitara?”
“Jaiet, You recognize her name?” Mina asked.
“The Akhitara family is a knight clan.” Jaiet said. “I’d love to test you in combat,” he challenged.
Surprised and excited at the sudden proposition, Ashaya reached for her falchion. Jaiet reached for his koa mace. Then Ashaya recalled that she wanted to find out what the knights had disappeared for.
“This’ll have to wait,” she said. “I’m sorry.” Ashaya moved on without another word.
“What’s with her?” Kasumi asked.
Nearby, several humans in dark cloaks spoke together in whispers.
“Janus is almost ready to deliver the pounamu to the Dark Lord.” The head concluded. “After they’ve taken the bait, we’ll escape while Zangua holds off any survivors.”
“Atama, How do we plan on stalling them tonight?”
“Reapers.”
There was the keyword. Ashaya listened closer.
“Zangua?” She confronted them. “Where is Zangua?”
One of the gang members approached her quickly.
“Why don’t you mind your own business?”
“Why don’t you stop talking and start spilling guts?”
Atama turned and picked Ashaya up by her neck and hung her to a pole with his dagger by her back.
“Say that again.” He said.
“If you want to pick a fight, you should start fighting real warriors instead of bullying everything that moves. You and your precious ‘Dark Lord’ ”
“Warriors like you?” One of them said, stealing her falchion from her back. “Were you listening in on us?”
Ashaya said nothing. She tried to take back for her weapon, but Atama pinned her arms around the pole.
“Hey!” “What did you hear?”
“Let us make an example of her.”
“Too many people around.” Atama said.
“Then take her into the woods and we’ll all have a go at her.”
“No, release her.” A young woman said. Hiding in the shadows, she had watched the event unfold. Now she stepped out, revealing a black and white assassin’s dress trimmed in red and violet.
“Why?”
Atama was responded to with a hook-sword under his throat. “I said release her.”
“What is this, Elyssia? Why suddenly so soft?”
“Eli?” Ashaya wondered.
“This is not what we are supposed to be doing. You want to risk exposing Janus’ mission just to flaunt your strength?”
“With all you just said, do you know what would happen if she talks?” Atama responded as he unsheathed and stole Ashaya’s sword. “Take her away.”
Elyssia cackled. A plume of violet smoke was conjured around her. The miasma formed the shape of giant lightning-struck skull, that charged at the gang and, opening its massive maw, swallowed them in a noxious cloud. In the midst of a screaming crowd in chaos, Elyssia grabbed Ashaya and threw her to the ground.
“You should know better than that!” She yelled, trapping Ashaya’s neck in her twin hook swords. “Don’t ever show your face around me again!”
Elyssia and the gang then disappeared.
Kaisoki searched in panic. “Kainoe!” She called. “Kainoe! Where are you?”
A tall figure watched the forest grow still over a deep ravine. His face was covered by a hood, save for a few strands of long, silver hair hanging over his eyes. A dark green cloak hid most of his form, while a single mortuary sword hung from his belt.
A slight movement in the trees altered him to the advancement of a young warrior approaching from behind. She carried twin hook swords held across her back, and for the moment her face was concealed by a black scarf.
“Elyssia.”
“Lord Kuritiasin,” she addressed him.
“You’re careless, Elyssia.” He said. “Sending a spectre to attack in the open.”
“Some girls are a little too brazen for their own good.”
Kritias smiled. “That’s no reason to risk exposing us so recklessly. The Akhitara are not the only reaper-hunters out there, I thought you knew well.”
“Forgive me.”
“What’s the situation?”
“The horde is led by Lord Janus. He’s kept himself well hidden and the bait has been taken. I have heard that the night is strangely void of predators.”
“Then we will proceed unchallenged.” Kritias concluded. “Go. Stick to the plan.”
A small band of warriors formed a scout party through the Nahelan jungles. Chief Ahote led the party, with the Alityan knights and his choice warriors followed in a scattered military formation.
“Who has passed through this region, as strangers in these lands?” Malachite asked.
“A mercenary group led by Zangua had an outpost not far away,” Amakulae said. “We drove them away, but it was hardly a victory.”
“Zangua?”
“You know of him?”
“We’ve fought him before.” Pyrite answered. “He’s hired by many different factions, all for the purpose of invoking terror into their enemies.”
“Who did he attack?”
“No-one specifically. He stood guard and killed whoever approached. We had to unite warriors from all over the four waters to drive him out.”
“That’s . . . strange,” Malachite said. “It’s not like him to be so stagnant.”
“Where are the raids coming from?
“Pounamu mines.” Ahote said. “We are following the trail to Malila, a small fishing and mining village just above the floodplain of the River Quetzalcoatl. The caverns are across the streams.”
“I think it’s about time,” Critias decided.
“Kainoe!” Kaisoki cried out.
Chapter Seven: Terror-Bird
“Kaisoki!” Kainoe called out.
The tiny boy ran through the trails and crowds, struggling not to fall down and cry. The last thing he remembered was the clatter of terrified shrieks and people running from a summoned spectre. He had nearly been trampled, and lost his grip on his friends. It was becoming clear that he’d gone in the wrong direction to reunite with them.
Surrounding him on all sides were voices, across the entire spectrum of fear and anger. Children huddled against their parents and siblings, and the people as a herd broke apart and collided.
“Did you see that spirit she conjured?”
“That’s not so unusual, Lady Kanname conjures spirits.”
“Not like that.”
“Hey, you!”
“One of our junglefowl is missing.”
“You were watching them, so either the witch stole it, or it was you!”
A fight broke out. Kainoe’s heart pounded, and he felt like running. The adults were being way too violent – what if they became angry at him? Kainoe panicked, searching furiously for either Kaisoki or Amekeaha.
A soft cooing sound came from the sky. Kainoe followed the noise, looking for any sign of comfort.
Kyeran appeared on a rooftop with the junglefowl in his mouth and began stripping away the feathers.
He heard a faint whimpering sound coming from a small back alley. Leaving his easy catch on the rooftop, he wandered over to the crying’s source.
Kyeran looked down.
Kainoe looked up.
Curious predatory eyes shined down upon the widened pale eyes of a young human who knew he was prey.
Kyeran jumped down to the alley where Kainoe fell to his knees. This sudden movement to humans lasted several long seconds from Kyeran’s hawk-eyed perspective, resembling an animal that just surrendered to its fate.
Kainoe froze in terror. The raptor-bird towered above him, with a fixated stare. There was no way to escape. Nothing to do but stay absolutely still and try not to provoke a predatory response.
Only he couldn’t stay still. He was trembling, and wanted to scream. And if he did, the raptor would silence him.
Kyeran watched the tiny movements of this small furball with anticipation. He was no longer hungry, he just wanted to play with the little human and make him do something.
Kyeran hissed softly.
Kainoe made no noise at all.
Kyeran curled his talons into a ball and rolled them towards the boy, gently nudging him enough to turn him on his side.
Still nothing.
Inside, Kainoe was shaking, hoping the bird would soon finish with him. He felt the piercing of four raptorial talons clench around his body, and a tough bite to his right shoulder told him that the predator was now on top of him.
Kainoe remained cold.
That does it, Kyeran decided. He grabbed Kainoe with his fangs down the left shoulder and tossed the boy around in his jaws. Squeak! Shake! I know you can! Kyeran played.
After a few amusing seconds that seemed like an hour to Kainoe, Kyeran threw him down, still waiting for a new response. In the background noise of the forest, the raptor suddenly noticed a faint thumping sound.
Finally, something new.
Kyeran focused on the sound. Kainoe heard it like a distant drumming. Then a terrible scream filled the air, and Kyeran sharply turned towards the chaos. He jumped into the air and disappeared in a flash of azure wings.
Kainoe cried as blood rushed down his back.
A boy in long robes and braided air eventually appeared close to them. He had come from the direction of the deep jungle, and looked weary.
“Sh-amankeaha!” Kainoe called to him.
Amekeaha looked in their direction. Kainoe called again, and they approached.
“What are you doing with Kainoe?” He asked the girl.
“Who are you?”
“Amekeaha.”
“You know Kainoe . . . Kaisoki?”
“He’s my friend . . . what is he doing here alone? Who are you?”
“My name’s Ashaya. I met Kaisoki earlier, and I guess he got lost. Something attacked him, though, I’ve no idea what.”
Ashaya handed the small boy over. Amekeaha knelt down beside Kainoe and ran his fingers over the open wounds.
“Well, they’re not deep,” Amekeaha concluded. “Kainoe, what did this? A youma? A ghoul?”
“Terror-Bird!” Kainoe answered.
“Terror-Bird?” Amekeaha looked shocked. “Terror-birds don’t attack so lightly.”
Ashaya was just as surprised. “There shouldn’t be any terror-birds active at night. I thought the Pouakai was dominant here.”
“Was it a Ulama?”
“Ulama?”
“The ghost-owl.” Amekeaha explained. “It’s a rare terror-bird, but they’ve been seen on particularly dark nights before.”
“Was not a Ulama,” Kainoe assured. “A big blue raptor with huge talons and a head like a dragon.”
“A blue one . . . the Ankhinya?”
“Ankhinya is a snow phoenix, they don’t have dragonlike heads. Are you sure of what you saw, Kainoe?” Ashaya wondered.
“I watched him and he watched me. I know what he looked like.”
“We’re too low in elevation for him to have seen an Ankhinya. They only nest on the highest mountain peaks.”
“Well, it is possible that an apex predators’ war is upon us.” Amekeaha said. “Maybe some of them are shifting their territories . . .”
“Ashaya!” Mina suddenly caught up with them.
“You met my friends already?”
Ashaya nodded.
“Oh, Amekeaha . . . Kaisoki! Amekeaha and Kainoe are back!”
The winds dying, Mina’s cry travelled far. Kaisoki, Jaiet, and Kasumi soon came running to their side.
“Kainoe!” Kasumi cried. “You’re alive! I’m so glad.”
Chapter Eight: Newfound Friends
Elyssia watched from a cliff head as Pyrite, Malachite, and the Nahelan Knights approached the pounamu mines above the river. The raging rapids that had swelled from the recent storm had receded from the floodplain, leaving dark riparian bands of debris on both sides. Once they crossed those bands, there would be no escape from combat.
She retreated from the precipice and walked to where a band of skeleton warriors were loading nephrite rocks into a wagon caravan. They were led by a figure in a two-faced mask and black ghost-like cloak.
“Who goes?” He whispered.
Elyssia revealed her tattoo – a skull with a scythe in its mouth. “Elyssia the lightning-struck,” she said.
“You return to us, then. Tell me, have the warriors taken the bait?”
“The team consists of the Alityan Knights Sparkling Pyrite and Delinquent Malachite, and they’ve allied with several Nahelan knights.”
“Malackie is here? What about her little girl?”
“You want her to die as well?”
“Yes.” Janus said, considering the mission. “We’ll summon the horde from the forest. We’ll surround them. I will engage Pyrite and Malachite myself. You keep the Nahelans distracted.”
“Have you seen Kasumi?” Kaisoki asked.
“She went home,” Mina said.
“Ashaya, thank you for rescuing Kainoe.”
“Hey, where do you intend to go tonight?” Amekeaha asked. “I don’t think the warriors are coming back very soon.”
“Maybe I should go look for them . . .” Ashaya wondered.
“If they’ve been gone this long, they’re nowhere nearby.” Jaiet said. “Unless you can track them in the pitch-black of the jungle, there’s no way you’ll find them now.”
Ashaya lowered her head.
“Ashaya . . . you need somewhere to stay?” Kaisoki asked. “You should come back with us. At least until tomorrow.”
“Not so fast, Kaisoki!” Jaiet interrupted. “If you intend to add this Alityan knight to our group, she has to pass a rite of passage first.”
“What rite, Jaiet?” Amekeaha asked.
“A challenge against one of us in a battle of skill.” Jaiet then turned and faced Ashaya directly. “You still owe me a match.”
The young Nahelans led Ashaya to a small training circle deep in the jungle. The boundary was marked by mesa-shaped stones with ancient rune carvings.
“Choose a weapon.”
Ashaya unsheathed her falchion from its sheath over her back. Jaiet grabbed a koa sword with sharp obsidian edges.
“Amekeaha, you’re the referee for this match. Eagle knight against Phoenix knight. Ashaya, since I was the challenger, you choose the terms of victory.”
“First one to make the other cough blood wins.” She decided. Ashaya removed her long cloak and assumed a fighting stance. Jaiet circled her for a moment, then came at her with a powerful strike to her sword arm. Ashaya’s falchion caught his sword by the tiny space between its obsidian teeth and deflected the blow. She spun and slashed at his ribs, but was defelcted by the swords’ crossing along his back.
Jaiet and Ashaya slashed at each other again in huge swirling arcs. Ashaya’s lighter sword withstood a barrage of crackings from Jaiet’s impacts, and shards of its obsidian teeth sparked between them.
Jaiet and Ashaya slashed at each other again in huge swirling arcs. Ashaya’s lighter sword withstood a barrage of crackings from Jaiet’s impacts, and shards of its obsidian teeth sparked between them.
The faint reach of ringshine through the trees was reflected by Kyeran’s eyes, turning them a bright diamond-like silver. High above the humans, with silent wingbeats, Kyeran ascended, drawn out of the shadows by the duel. He relaxed along the branch as Jaiet and Ashaya exchanged blows again. Back and forth the blows were exchanged, and Kyeran’s eyes and head twitched to every movement. It was like watching two tiny raptor chicks wrestle. They both dealt damage, but remained unaware of their bodies’ real potential in combat. Instead of talons, they relied on sculpted weapons – and the slashes were far less precise.
The swords crossed again, and Ashaya’s blade carved a tiny valley in Jaiet’s stone sword. With a powerful twist, she flung the two swords to the ground and upper-ucut kicked Jaiet in the chin when he tried to advance and recover them.
He recoiled, then came again. Jaiet and Ashaya now exchanged foot and fist blows, both attempting to push their opponent to the mud and leaves beneath them.
Jaiet grabbed Ashaya’s arms and flipped her backwards, slamming her on a sharp rock-edge. A wide gash opened up across her stomach.
Jaiet walked over to where their blades lay and reclaimed them, then tossed Ashaya’s falchion back to her.
Ashaya lifted her self up, shaking and bleeding, with her blade as support. She was given a moment to recover, and the two warriors charged again.
Kainoe tugged on Amekeaha’s robe. “Do something?” He begged.
Amekeaha rose, ready to intervene but held back. The fight wasn’t over yet. Jaiet swung at Ashaya’s skull, and she dodged and resonded with a kick to his torso and slashing whirlwind to back it up. Jaiet parried the of her strikes, but was gashed across the shoulder by her fourth.
Ashaya kicked Jaiet’s calf in a spin, knocking him to the ground. She raised her sword, and Jaiet blocked with his.
Jaiet then kicked Ashaya. She tumbled away, scraped against the forest floor and her stomach wounds pouring even more. Blood finally dripped from inside and out her mouth.
Beaten and sliced apart himself, Jaiet stood over Ashaya.
“Lay down and taste your defeat, Alityan Knight!”
Ashaya pushed herself up to stand on her hands, then twirled in a jump to her feet, releasing a fireball on Jaiet’s back.
Jaiet paused, then shot lightning at her.
These furballs can use elemental attacks? Kyeran wondered. That’s rare for prey animals.
Ashaya and Jaiet unleashed elemental waves from their outstretched hands, and the explosion of fire and electricity charred them both. They attacked again, then were suddenly stopped by an invisible force repelling them both.
Amekeaha stood between the rivals, his own hands conjuring a telekinetic field around and against them.
“That’s enough,” he said softly. “You two are going to tear each other apart.”
“That’s the idea,” Jaiet said.
“We can’t stop without a declared winner,” Ashaya agreed.
“Call it a draw, then – for now. If you intend to reunite with the Alityan knights, you’ll need some strength in the morning.”
Ashaya reluctantly sheathed her weapon. “We’re not finished yet,” she told Jaiet.
Jaiet turned with Mina to head towards the Quahtli Village. “Amekeaha,” he said, “next time no unnecessary interventions.”
Ashaya reclaimed her long robe and wrapped its belt around her wounds.
“So, did I pass?”
“Pass what?” Amekeaha asked.
“Jaiet’s rite. He said I could join your group if I passed the challenge. I didn’t ask for you to end it like that.”
“We usually don’t challenge newcomers so quickly. You sure had him on the run, though.”
Kaisoki lifted Kainoe onto her back. “You two can still come with both of us tonight,” Kaisoki offered. “Kainoe’s falling asleep, I could use the company.”
The small humans moving slowly now, Kyeran watched them disappear into the jungle. He was growing tired himself, and returned to the forest floor to find a water source before nesting.
These furballs, he thought, very strange. They herd, and then scatter, build huge nests and then leave them, and they use elemental techniques. Sapphiroth and his pack had long assumed that prey animals didn’t have such abilities, as they put far less energy into learning than predators – and manipulating the elements was an advanced art.
I’ll investigate later, Kyeran decided. I’ve got to find out what happened to my friends after the Unktehila battle.
He came to a steep ravine with a shallow, fast-moving stream. He quickly scanned for challengers. Although he found none, the forest grew eerily quiet and Kyeran shuddered for a moment, feeling that something was watching him. He lifted his head higher and just barely noticed a tiny movement behind a tree. In the far distance, he thought he could also make out a few small creatures crawling along the slopes.
Kyeran let out a faint hiss as a warning to whatever was moving. Keeping his eyes focused on the slightest rustle of foliage, he stepped into the stream to drink. He risked a few gulps of cool water, then raised his neck again.
In front of him, directly opposed to his eyes on the other side, were the large, hollow-looking eyes of a strange crawling creature. It had a skeletal build, with very little between its bones and its skin, and hunched over a heavy torso and strong shoulder over very long legs and arms ending is tiny feet and hands. The skulls were egg-shaped with a flat face and forward eyespots – almost fitting the strange bipedal furballs of this land.
The creature stepped fearlessly, in small hops that hid a dormant speed towards Kyeran and opened its maw. Its fangs were jagged, and covered in flesh and blood – even more than a raptors’ who had just gorged themselves. Kyeran tilted his head back and to the sides, curiously examining this thing.
It snapped its jaws and tried to rake at Kyeran’s throat. The young raptor jumped back. Is this for real? He clicked. Was that a threat – or a real attack? I should obviously be able to outmatch this thing. Why is it coming at me?
Kyeran was determined to put this thing to the test if it tried that again.
The next attack came swiftly. The creature thrust itself at Kyeran, reaching with long hand claws at his eyes. Kyeran grabbed it with heron-like speed by its middle and shook it, crushing its ribcage with his fangs.
He dropped it into the stream, and it merely rolled and struck again. Kyeran lept over its attack – and suddenly found himself surrounded by glowing red eyes. The winged velociraptor let out a bloodcurdling screech of war and stood his ground.
Chapter Nine: The Dark Reapers
Kyeran’s scream was heard throughout the Pouakai forest.
“What was that?” The two-faced leader of the skeletons gasped. “Elyssia, send another horde of reapers to find out. I don’t want any interlopers.”
“Stay where you are, Elyssia!” Kritias interrupted.
“Lord Janus.”
“Orion Kuritiasin . . .” Janus addressed. “I was wondering if we’d meet again.”
“Why Nahela, my old friend?” Kritias asked.
“I thought that would be obvious. I had to get you away from Alitya to speak with you.”
“What, and leave me out of the fun?”
Janus turned his head to Pyrite and Malachite advancing on the caravan.
“So you didn’t leave them behind. Delinquent Malackie . . . sticking your nose again into what doesn’t concern you?”
“It’s what I do.”
Ahote stepped forth to engage Janus.
“You will call off your army of reapers now.” Ahote declared, “And you will deal with us. My lands are not open to brigands.”
“Your lands, Chief?” Janus laughed. “I assumed that all the lands belong to the great predators. It is they rule the day and the night . . . though they give so little back to those beneath them. Perhaps you would be ready for a new master.”
“Where is the Dark Lord?” Kritias demanded to know.
“Why should I tell you that? We’re done here. Nahela has provided all the resources we need to expand our reach. We’re leaving now.”
“Your raiders have taken some of my finest warriors,” Ahote said. “There will be no escape for you.”
Eagle knights surrounded Janus. Amakulae drew his sword, standing opposite of Alya Pyrite who wielded his golden spear.
“Elyssia . . . you know what to do.” Janus whispered.
Elyssia twirled her hook swords and slashed, her blades only to be caught by Kritias’ mortuary blade.
“You did well.” Kritias whispered to her. Then he struck Elyssia with a swift blow that knocked her out against a tree.
Janus drew his sword. It was a long, curved mortuary saber with two parallel blades extending from the hilt that cut through the air like twin fangs. His first strike slashed Kritias’ side, sending him rolling downhill.
“You’re next, Malackie . . . and you have no weapon.”
A flash of green electricity erupted through Malachite’s arm as she drew and deflected Janus’ opening blows with her jian.
“Tricked.” She grinned. “You should know me better than that.”
Amakulae swiped with his sword. Janus stepped sideways to avoid the blow, then shot a fireball at Ahote.
Ahote scattered the flames with a vortex of wind.
Kritias regained his position. The other eagle knights stood back as Pyrite, Malachite, Amakulae, and Kuritiasin charged Janus on all four sides, swiping at his throat. A sudden implosion of fire threw them all back, and in the center no longer stood a mere human.
Janus’ two faced mask had fused with his face, and the two halves diverged into two monstrous heads with conical jagged teeth. The rest of him resembled a giant humanoid oni demon, covered in dark green skin shielded in red and black armor. A huge tail sprouted, and spikes and cloth over his armor created the illusion of wings on his back. Janus roared, sending a shockwave through Kiryu’s spirit world. The air around him grew colder.
“What is that?” Alya Pyrite asked.
“That is a monster released from his soul,” Malachite explained. “A creature long dormant now awakened by his dark strength . . . his kami form.”
Ahote turned to an eagle knight. “Warn the villages. This is not going to end well.”
The dense undergrowth of Quauhtli lands was still and quiet. A cold breeze stirred the jungle’s plants and animals, though none came out of hiding.
Jaiet and Mina had long outpaced Ashaya, Amekeaha, and Kaisoki. The three now walked close together, watching and listening. Their low-light vision could barely make out the paths between the jungle’s massive trees, random thickets, and deep ravines. Vines that could trip or strangle them were invisible, as were many possible places where tiny venomous animals could hide. Although what was truly creepy was the untraceable shrilling cry of an unknown carnivore. It sounded avian, though not of any familiar bird to any of them.
Haunted by the one nightmarish sound, Kaisoki wanted to talk to drown out her fears. “Amekeaha, why didn’t you come back to us after the warriors’ council?” she aksed.
“What?” Ashaya gasped. “You got to be there?”
“Espionage,” Amekeaha explained. “I wasn’t invited.”
“I wish I could do espionage. Everyone says I’m too jumpy and aggressive for covert missions.”
“I wonder why . . .” Amekeaha teased. “I figured out some things, though. First of all, the raids on the pounamu mines weren’t so much raids as invasions. There is a purpose apart from stealing. I heard the mercenary Zangua attempted to set up a base on Nahelan land. The warriors who went missing actually went to engage him in battle - well, many of them.”
“What?” Kaisoki nearly shouted. “Why would Ahote say nothing? I thought they were coming back soon – did they fall in battle?” Tears suddenly filled her eyes.
“Kakoa . . .” Amekeaha realized. “Kaisoki . . .”
“What’s wrong?” Ashaya asked. Kaisoki said nothing for a long time, and their pace slowed. “My father was with that group that disappeared in that campaign.”
Ashaya’s eyes widened.
“If they chased out Zangua, why did they have to leave on another quest already? And . . .” Kaisoki turned to Ashaya, “Why did Ahote invite your family here? Two Alityan knights isn’t exactly adding much protection if we’re being attacked.”
“It must have something to do my family. We have a lot of enemies, for a long time. Some may easily overlap with yours.”
“You sure said that lightly.” Kaisoki challenged with a suspicious tone, “What’s going on, Ashaya?”
“I don’t know myself!” She defended. “You think I wanted to be left behind tonight? I was told to stay . . . and I don’t fight commands unless I have to. I know what Zangua is, and one day I’ll be strong enough to destroy him. If your father is gone, I . . . I don’t know what to say. I didn’t even know Zangua was here at all!”
“What were you told, other than to stay put tonight?” Amekeaha asked. “Think back before you joined us. Anything may help.”
“Only that we were coming to Nahela to meet an old friend. Mom’s been friendly with Chief Ahote for years, and considering everyone else they know . . . it could’ve meant anything. I’m creeped out myself now, I usually get more than that to go on.”
Ashaya spoke to Kaisoki softly. “Gomenasai, Kaisoki-chan. Please, let me help if I can . . .”
“Wait . . .” Amekeaha interrupted. “Listen . . .”
The unknown predator’s screeching had stopped, replaced by a new approaching sound. Drumming.
Accompanied by an advancing fog, in near total darkness, a row of tiny lights appeared in the distance. As they came closer, Amekeaha began to make out an ancient chanting in their ghostly voices. One row was revealed to be two, then three – of human spirits in native armor and shields.
“Night Marchers . . .” Amekeaha spoke.
“What are night marchers?” Ashaya wondered.
“The spirits of our ancestors and fallen warriors. If you have a relative marching with them, you’re safe. If you encounter them and none recognize you, they drag you to your death. . .” Amekeaha then grabbed Ashaya and dragged her to the ground. “Ashaya, lay down! Play dead, or try and look like an animal. If they catch you, you’re a goner.”
“I never hide from spirits!” Ashaya stood.
“You can’t fight these. Only a legendary predator is powerful enough to negate their powers.”
“Ashaya, get down!” Kaisoki demanded. “I want to see them up close.”
The night marchers came – their faces and colors in life veiled by a misty aura. Reluctantly, Ashaya crouched down and hid her face with her long blue hair. Covered in bloody cloth, hands dug into the soft leaves, she did appear as a wounded animal.
The ghosts silently marched along the path, in alternating male and female lines. Amekeaha recognized one or two among them, and almost reached out to a lone woman among them – until his gaze caught Kaisoki’s trembling.
A man in deep blue and golden armor looked down at her, and the sleeping Kainoe. He gently spoke to them, although his words were deathly obscure and quiet.
“Father . . .”
Kakoa’s ghost? Amekeaha approached the dead warrior. He knelt down next to Kaisoki and concentrated on the voice. He slowed down his breathing and heartbeat, trying to open a path around himself to the spirit world.
Ashaya wanted to look up. She risked a peak at the ghosts, and Kakoa turned to her with a wide stare. Then, Amekeaha broke through and merged their existence into his consciousness.
“Kakoa, hear me!” He communed. “I am the new shaman of the Quauhtli lands. My name is Amekeaha, and you and I met in life. I am here, with your children Kaisoki and Kainoe. I am sure they wish to know about you . . . about what transpired in your death and if you are at peace.”
A few long moments later, Kakoa communed back. “Amekeaha . . . I know you. You are Kaisoki’s best friend. I fell in battle like many before and after me, but I fell fighting a threat that you now face. This forest is now haunted by tormented souls and walking dead, and we are powerless against them. You must run now, and protect your friends. They come in swarms.”
“Merge with me then,” Amekeaha suggested. “Lend me your strength to protect your family . . . my friends. Together, I could wield and fuse our powers as one.”
“You have no weapon for me to channel my strength into, and I never had your elemental powers. Combined, our minds would be in opposition, and I dare not control your body in such a way. Yet there is a great guardian in this forest tonight, and he fights the same fight. Flee, and you may survive the night, but do not stay here – you will soon be surrounded. Run! The rest of us will not touch you now.”
Amekeaha awoke from his transcending with a gasping breath. He felt adrenaline rush through him, and a sudden chill down his spine.
“Kaisoki, Ashaya, we have to move now!” He said. “Would you like me to carry Kainoe? You look tired.”
“I’ll be alright,” Kaisoki said wearily. “Amekeaha, was he . . .”
“Yes.”
Kaisoki nodded.
“What is it?” Ashaya asked.
“We’re about to be cornered.” Amekeaha quickly went through a number of escape routes in his mind. “I say we go up the slope,” he concluded. “We’ll get the high ground, and move faster downhill when close to the village.”
“I like the high ground,” Ashaya agreed.
The trio climbed up the steep jungle hills on all fours, going as fast as they could, using vines to pull themselves from tree to tree. Fifty feet up, they noticed tiny creatures beginning to scale the rise towards them.
Ashaya pulled Kainoe from Kaisoki’s back so she could grasp the fragile hilltop. Beneath their feet, fragments of the precipice broke off under their weight and fell upon their pursuers. Yet the plateau they had climbed had barely more space than a common hut. Their village was cast in shadows and hidden by forest – only a tiny rise of fire smoke hinted at its location, still far away.
The hill was surrounded by creatures, some very pale and almost glowing while others too dark to determine their outlines.
Amekeaha conjured electricity from his hands, while Kaisoki set Kainoe down and guarded him with conjured streams of water.
The first creatures caught up to them – reanimated human skeletons awakened from underground. Amekeaha blasted them with lightning, striking the entire first wave at once. Several were blown to pieces, while a few were badly charred but joined the second wave and advanced.
Skeletons were joined by ghouls. These were the pale ones, with enormous upper body strength and fast jumping legs. Ashaya scorched one with her fire manipulation, and Kaisoki pushed a small team over the cliff with a powerful stream of water.
Above them suddenly appeared a demon face in the middle of a spinning wagon wheel on fire. A stream of flames blew from its mouth. Kaisoki dodged and Ashaya absorbed the flames with a fire shield of her own.
One ghoul took advantage of the distraction and grabbed Kainoe in its mouth. Kaisoki slashed at it with her kris, barely scratching it. The monster lept above her and ran down the hillside.
“Kainoe!”
With intense speed, Ashaya lept after the ghoul and tackled it in midair. They both fell and rolled down the steep gradient, slashed apart by rocks and thorns. Ashaya’s eyes turned a bloodthirsty red. Kainoe rolled away, bruised and terrified in his awakeneing. He watched as Ashaya’s teeth seemed to sharpen ever so slightly. The ghoul gnashed at her, then lost its head as her falchion was drawn and hacked in the blink of an eye.
Chapter Ten: Sky Torrent (part 1)
Kaisoki and Amekeaha slid downhill to join Ashaya in combat. The ghouls and skeletons pursued with increasing speed. Amekeaha summoned a wall of fire to block their assault, but the monsters immolated themselves and closed in on them.
"Ashaya, Kaisoki, this way!" Amekeaha pointed. There was one escape route left. Kaisoki grabbed Kainoe's hand and they ran. Through the blackness Amekeaha lit the way with a small flame, and then slammed head-on into a barrier. He fell, but holding his fire up to the wall could see nothing at all.
The top of the invisible barrier seemed to slightly undulate, and a pair of eyes with no mouth in between looked down upon them. Kaisoki ran towards the wall, and she too was tripped, unable to cross.
"Nurikabe . . . the demon wall," Amekeaha had heard of this creature before. Another spirit had trapped them into the outmatched war.
Signaled by firelight, several fireballs with long, sea jelly’s tentacles floated in the air towards the trio. Smaller lights then joined them – tiny will o’ wisp spirits.
Kainoe reached to touch one of the wisps. The spirit receded from his hand, and suddenly all of the wisps circled him, Kaisoki, and Amekeaha furiously. The group was bombared by fireblasts from the ghost-jellies. Ashaya and Amekeaha defended Kaisoki and Kainoe with blasts of their own.
Ghouls of the land and water arose, hungrily snapping at the children. Their positions lit by the wisps, they were completely exposed and cornered. Kaisoki sent waves crashing from the surrounding streams in miniature tsunami against the horde, to little effect.
Kainoe could barely make out one creature from another. He grabbed a few stones and conjured ice around them, throwing them like tiny comets at his attackers. A group of skeletons – some human, some animal, grabbed his limbs and began ripping at his flesh. He screamed out, and Kaisoki swiped at the undead with her kris. They dropped Kainoe, as out of the darkness a huge conglomerate of skeletons merged to become a single monster.
“Gashadokuro!” Ashaya identified.
The giant skeleton raked at Kaisoki’s throat, catching her whole body in the process and threw her against a pile of rocks and thorns. She wailed as her leg was carved open, and the bones in her ankle cracked. She grabbed her leg, intensifying the pain and screams. Amekeaha rushed over to her side, leaving Kainoe with Ashaya.
Amekeaha was soon covered in Kaisoki’s blood as it ran from her legs. She cringed, holding onto him as she cried in agony. They were swarmed by skeletons on all sides, losing pieces of flesh each second. All Amekeaha could do was shield Kaisoki with his own body. If he got up, she’d be carried away.
Kainoe swiftly crawled over to Kaisoki and tried to comfort her. He was out of breath, and the terror-bird’s eyes merged in his mind with these new monsters. He was too scared to make a noise. Amekeaha reached over to Kainoe, and felt a large gap in the tree roots they lay against.
“There’s a hole here . . .” he discovered. “Kaisoki, get in with Kainoe. Ashaya and I will protect you.”
“What about you? You’ll be killed.”
“I’ll try not to be.”
Kaisoki held onto Kainoe and pulled them both into the tree cave with her arms.
“Amekeaha, watch out!” A giant ghoul suddenly lept over them, then was vertically sliced in two. Ashaya stood over the two halves of its scorched head, and her falchion was now blazing in a sheath of magenta flames.
“We have to take over the battle now,” she told him. Ashaya’s own wounds were spilling out. She stumbled in her own attacks now, as more and more undead monsters had their feast on them. Amekeaha’s shaman powers were spent as his body collapsed, and soon they could stand no longer.
Ashaya and Amekeaha were pinned to the ground by mud zombies, and the giant gashadokuro skeleton towered above them. The horde held their assault for a massive final feeding frenzy.
Meeting its hollow crimson eyes, Ashaya met the gashadokuro’s gaze. Its maw would easily crush her and Amekeaha as soon as it snapped down. Ashaya stared, submitting to her fate. She sheathed her weapon and knelt down on her knees. Amekeaha stepped in front of her, but she pushed him aside. In the reapers’ victorious moment, Ashaya and Amekeaha sat side by side, drenched in mud and their own fluids. Then the horde charged, leaping for their meal.
A flash of blue feathers and talons echoed a high-pitched screech as Kyeran’s talons snatched and shattered the gashadokuro zombie from the air. The azure velociraptor rose high above the battle and slashed at his catch until several pieces of rotting flesh rained down upon the horde. He threw the monster’s skeleton against a large tree and then landed in the center of the battle.
Kyeran stared down the endless horde of reapers. The undead surrounded the dying humans and pacing raptor, slowly inching forward in all directions. The bird of prey, powerful as he was, was weakening from his wounds. All they would have to do is wait for him to tire, and they could wait forever.
Kyeran hated waiting in battle. “Come for me, snacks!” He challenged. “And learn the meaning of the name Terror-Bird!”
That triggered the horde to charge. A tsunami of lifeless maws and raking hands raced down the slope to tear at their feathered quarry.
Kyeran raised his head high and the feathers of his neck and mane expanded into a threatening frill. A huge sphere of whirling energy was conjured in front of his fangs. Kyeran fired his breath weapon.
“Diamond Dust – SKY TORRENT!”
The icy cyclone ripped through the undead army, crystalline shards tearing apart flesh and bone. Kyeran roared louder and the blast intensified, a second shockwave carrying a stormcloud’s electric charge that cackled as it shattered its victims.
Kyeran screamed in triumph among the broken bones. “I AM THE APEX PREDATOR HERE!”
The winged velociraptor ascended into the night sky. Although their vision was clouded in blood, Ashaya and Amekeaha saw his iridescent feathered mane sparkle in many colors and shine against his azure wings.
Kyeran flew off into the unknown.
Amekeaha stared, in awe of the mysterious terror-bird. Beside him, Ashaya clawed through the mud.
“Thirsty – so thirsty.”
“Hey – what are you doing?” Amekeaha asked.
Barely lifting her head, Ashaya flopped towards a pool where her own blood had spilled into the reapers’ sliced-up corpses. Blind and exhausted beyond sleep, she began to drink.
“Ashaya, no – that’s not water!” Amekeaha tried to hold her back, but she was lost to him.
“Ashaya!”
Characters, Ages, and Pronounciations
Kyeran, “Ki-yeran” 14 - 16, Winged Velociraptor
Amekeaha, “A-may-kay-ha” 14, Shaman apprentice
Kaisoki, “Kai-so-key” 13, fisher and weaver-girl
Kainoe, “Kai-no-ay” 5, Kaisoki’s younger brother
Lorelei, “Lore-lie” Kaisoki and Kainoe’s mother, fisherwoman
Kanname, “Kan-na-may” Quauhtli Shamaness
Keiko, “Kay-ko” Nahelan child
Ahote, “Aho-tay" Nahelan Chief, Eagle Knight of Nahela
Malachite, 32, “Mal-a-kite” Alityan Knight
Ashaya, 12, “Ah-shaya" apprentice Phoenix Knight
Alya Pyrite, Alityan Knight, crown prince of Alitya
Amakulae, Amekeaha’s father, Eagle Knight
Jaiet, "Jay-et", 15, Eagle Knight
Mina, Nahelan princess
Kasumi, 13, Kaisoki and Mina's friend
Atama, dark reaper gang leader
Elyssia, 19, assassin
Orion Kuritiasin, 34, (nickname Kritias) marauder - Orion is his family name (surname)
Zangua, infamous mercenary warrior, (mentioned only)
Janus, reaper lord
Kakoa, Whale Knight, Kaisoki and Kainoe's father (deceased)
Pouakai, “Pow-a-kai” Legendary Eagle
Quetzalcoatl, “Ketzal-Kotal” Legendary plumed Serpent-Dragon
SPECIES GUIDE TO EPISODE 2: THE NIGHT MARCHERS
Winged Velociraptor: Kyeran is the only member of his species to appear in this episode. Feathered completely from head to tail to ankle, only the taloned feet are bare scales. Legs support a second, smaller pair of wings useful for soaring and maneuverability.
Kiryu Humans: Appearing as little different from Earth humans, only smaller and lighter – rarely reaching five feet tall. Quicker and more agile than Earth humans, with adept night vision, built for fast movements and escaping Kiryu’s fierce predators. Long head hair on both genders, almost no facial hair even on mature adult males. Skin universally amber-colored, similar (though not identical) to native people of India.
To put this in perspective, a tall Kiryu human would be about 3/4 the size of a small, slender adult Earth human. Kiryu humans would max out at about 50% larger than the ‘pygmy’ humans Homo floresiensis. At this scale, Kyeran, slightly bigger than a golden eagle, would often appear larger than an adult Kiryu human. That’s my best guess, anyway.
Moa: Huge flightless birds that, on Earth, evolved in New Zealand and fulfilled the dominant grazer role, as mammals originally went extinct on the islands. Their only native predator was the Harpagornis Eagle.
Hala Tree (Pandanus tectorius): A tree growing 13-46 feet high with wide-spreading branches native to Indonesia. Its roots begin above ground and firmly anchor the tree in flood-vulnerable regions. Leaves are long with sawlike margins and its fruit is large, made up of a series of wedge-shaped phalanges.
Pouakai Eagle (Harpagornis pouakai): A legendary eagle of the forests. This species is based on the real Harpagornis Eagle that lived in New Zealand and was the moa’s only true predator until the arrival of humans. “Pouakai” was its legendary name given by the Maori ancestors. A full-grown Pouakai is larger than Kyeran, but smaller than an average adult of Kyeran’s species.
Fenghuang Phoenix (Pyropteryhacos fenghuang): A legendary firebird that lives in the Alityan plains (mentioned only).
Dragons (Seiryu, Huanglong, Quetzalcoatl): Large, serpentine Oriental-type dragon species known to rival the Unktehila in power. So far, mentioned only, and there are more dragon species.
Atthis: Species name for the common kingfisher, a sparrow-sized riverside fishing bird.
Junglefowl: pheasantlike, close relatives and ancestors of domestic chickens. Males are colorful, females camouflaged.
Wanyudo: Unnamed in the story, this is a spirit appearing as a tormented human face (usually that of an old man) in the center of a flaming or ghostly wheel. It is said to drag those who come close to their death. Its powers were negated by Ashaya's elemental barrier.
Kurage no Hinotama: spirit sea jellies (astral jellyfish) that float as fireballs
Glossary
Nahela – Southernmost of the human kingdoms, the setting of this episode. Nahela was inspired by a mish-mash of Polynesian civilizations, most prominently Maori, Hawaiian, and also some Native American (North, Central, and South) influences.
Pounamu: Maori word for Jade (stone)
Kris: A long, wavy-bladed dagger indigenous to Malaysia and Indonesia. A common Nahelan weapon.
Pā: The word can refer to any Māori village or settlement, but in traditional use it referred to fortified villages.
Jian: a Chinese long, double-edged straight sword
Falchion: a one-handed single-edged sword with a blade that widens further from the base. Similar to a wide scimitar, it is a sword used for slashing, not stabbing. Likely Persian in origin. Ashaya's falchion is slightly curved with a wing-shaped hilt.
Night Marchers: Inspired and based on the Hawaiian legend, these are the ghosts of native warriors and ancestors.
Saimin (soup): a dish of soft wheat egg-noodles served in dashi (broth made from straining boiled kelp) and green onions - a common Nahelan soup similar to some Alityan noodles.
Koa Weapons: Nahelan weapons made of wood from the Acacia koa tree, and often enhanced with blades and teeth made of rocks, minerals, shells, teeth, or claws. The word "Koa" itself means "brave" or "warrior"
Obake Karuta: a popular Japanese card game where players compete to collect the most cards from a common pile with the cards portraying legendary creatures. One player reads clues aloud to the group and the first to match the clues with the creature card wins that card. Obake karuta was an inspiration for many popular "monster" trading card games.
Gomenasai: "I'm sorry" (heartfelt) in Japanese
Nurikabe: A ghostly dark wall (often invisible) that traps people at night
Kami Form: a monstrous shape-shifted form, unique to each who releases it. In English translations of Japanese films and legends, "kami" is often translated as "god" or "demon" (Princess Mononoke uses both), but really isn't equivalent to either western conception of gods and demons. Kami are more like corporeal manifestations of spirits, often tied to nature or alternate worlds.
Questions and Answers in Episode 2: THE Night MARCHERS
I'm going to leave the mystery-seeking to the readers this time. Although some immediate questions are answered, this episode is mostly one long question arc introducing Kiryu's human world.
Question Chapters: Stormlight (part 2), Red Lagoon, The Night Marchers, Nest of Furballs, Nahela - Jungle Empire
Transitional Chapter: The Gathering Darkness, Terror-Bird
Answer Chapters: Newfound Friends, The Dark Reapers, Sky Torrent (part 1)
"The Night Marchers", the second episode of the DRAGONRAPTOR story, was inspired by the Hawaiian legend of the same name. Ghost stories and tales of the supernatural world are a powerful and important link to ancient Hawaiian culture. The night marchers are ghosts, apparitions of warriors and native ancestors who guard very specific locations on the islands, appearing for various reasons. It is a common tale that those who encounter a relative among them is spared, while anyone not so fortunate suffers a grim fate, various in nature but often death upon them or their friends and companions.
* That it is said a legendary predator (such as Kyeran) would be capable of negating their powers will be important later on in the story
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