251 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
251 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
Newsgroups: alt.fan.dragons
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From: sauron@shell.portal.com (Ronald Allan Stanions)
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Subject: Story: Companion
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Date: Wed, 9 Feb 1994 13:45:57 GMT
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Lines: 242
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Ok, I hope this one gets out there. I have no clue what the distribution
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is going to end up being here, since none of the posts I've put have reached
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any of the other 'well connected' machines I call, but apparently my posts
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ARE making it out into net-land somewhere!
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Here's my first trial post, and probably out of the stories I've written,
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the one I spent the most time on. I wrote this one about six or eight
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years ago, and re-tuned it a little for general distribution. Hope you
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all like it!
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Companion
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by Ron Stanions
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sauron@dweyr.wisdom.bubble.org
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A flash, or was it? He peered hard into the sky, above the distant
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mountain range. No, it must have been his imagination. He walked on,
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headed towards that very mountain, where a pass between the mountain
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would allow him to cross through to the valley on the other side,
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where he would once again be with his tribe. He marched on, his sword
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clinking lightly in it's sheath at his side. It would be dark before
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long, and he could make it to the mountain before then if he pressed
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on. There he would find shelter, to protect him from the many
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creatures that plagued these areas at night.
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He was a warrior, trained well in the arts of combat, but, so
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unlike his people, he hunted alone, spending more and more of his days
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away from the confines of his tribe. He knew their feelings, he
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sensed their anger at his ways, and he waited for the day that they
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must surely declare him an outcast, for he never followed the rituals
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of his people, and oft-times studied things they would deem
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sacriligeous to their gods. The gods seemed to favor him though, for
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they never failed him when he called upon their vast powers. Indeed,
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they seemed to approve of his unruly ways.
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There! Another flash! This time there was no mistaking it,
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something was happening over the mountain, or was it beyond? In his
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own village perhaps? He increased his pace to a mild jog. The
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mountain was about another hour away if he kept this pace, and he knew
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better than to tax his strength out here on the open plain. He kept
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this pace easily, not tiring himself, until he reached the base of the
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mountains. It was almost full dark now, and he needed to find a place
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to sleep and be sheltered from the creatures that hunted in the night.
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There was no sense in pressing onward through the mountain now. It
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would take another half day's journey to make it through to the other
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side.
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At the entrance to the pass, the mountain rose sharply on both
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sides, offering no gentle slopes to climb to get off the travelled
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path and rest for the night. The walls were not so steep as to be
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unclimbable, but still required a good deal of effort and time.
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He climbed the rocky walls with the ease of someone who had done
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this sort of thing many times, until he was a distance of about fifty
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feet above the ground. After a few minutes of searching, he found a
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small dugout that would suit him nicely for the night. The rock face
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beneath him was not so steep here, but would still be more than enough
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to prevent any animals from climbing up to attack him, and above him
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the rock face became much steeper, making it that much more difficult
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for anything to approach from above. He had little need to worry
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about bandits here, this path was used very rarely, and almost
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exclusively by his own people.
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His position offered him a view in the general direction where he
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thought he had seen the flashes, but no further flashes appeared in
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the night sky, so he settled down to a cold meal, not wishing to try
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to light a fire which might attract attention from unwanted visitors.
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Besides, he thought with mild mirth, it was too far back down to the
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bottom to look for wood. After eating, he wrapped his supplies and
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settled in for a few hours sleep, planning to be on the move again
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well before sunup.
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Hardly more than a few minutes had passed before he heard a trickle
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of rocks skitter down the slope not very far away. He listened for a
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long time for sounds of motion, but there was only silence.
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He pondered the idea of this being an avalanche area, but quickly
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put that thought out of his mind. A few stray rocks now and then,
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that's all. But... strange, it almost seemed too quiet. Occasionally
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he heard a bird whistle far in the distance. No sounds emanated from
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any point nearby. He remained motionless, listening, straining his
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eyes to peer through the darkness.
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Suddenly, a much larger rush of rocks plummeted down the hillside,
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directly over the hollow where he lay, causing him to press himself up
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against the back to stay out of the stream of dirt and rocks that
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careened on down the mountain right in front of him. When they
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subsided, he picked up his gear, and secured his sword and equipment
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to his back, making sure all was well braced against noise. Then,
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cautiously, he moved out of the hollow and began to climb even higher,
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slowly, silently, towards the source of this disturbance.
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The going was slow, and he climbed for what seemed like hours,
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until he reached what appeared to be a large outcropping of rock, but
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as he moved closer, his eyes exposed the huge form of a dragon, lying
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on the ground. He stopped in his tracks, staring hard at the
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creature, not daring to move lest it spotted him. His mind whirring
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with thoughts. He suddenly cought the odor of the sragon, which
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contrary to his beliefs, was not at all pungent or distasteful. There
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was another smell mingled with the dragon's though, one he was all too
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well familiar with, the smell of blood.
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He inched closer to the creature, stopping and dropping flat to the
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ground as it moved in a spasmodic twitch, sending another shower of
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rocks down the hillside. Well, that explains that! He thought to
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himself. He moved until he was barely ten feet from the dragon, and
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he could now see the wounds that scored it's body. Yes, this would
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explain the flashes he had seen, as he noticed the scorch marks on the
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dragon's wings. Apparently, this dragon and another had gotten into a
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disagreement over something, and this one lost.
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It became obvious the dragon was unconscious, or it would have
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noticed his approach long before now. A gentle breeze was blowing his
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scent straight at the dragon. Stupid, he thought. I should know
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better. Keeping an eye out for signs of movement, he made his way
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cautiously up to the dragon and began probing the wounds, gaining
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confidence as he worked, and he felt sure the dragon had been harmed
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too severely, and would not live on it's own without attention.
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His first impulse was to try to help it, but then common sense
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began to work it's way into his thoughts. "Leave it alone", he
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muttered under his breath. "Leave now, and you just might live. This
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isn't any ordinary woodland creature. Your own tribe would be aghast
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at the thought of what your contemplating." And that last thought was
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enough to ensure his actions. He cared not at all what his tribe thought
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of what he did.
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With his brows drawn down in determination, he began to unpack his
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things, gathering his medicinal herbs and spell components. He built
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a fire on a small patch of level ground, for up here, close to the
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top, there was some forestation. He settled down to a long night of
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mixing potions and weaving spells, working himself raw, and harder
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than he had ever worked before. By morning, he had patched up most of
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the wounds, and he could do no more without rest. He lay down against
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the dragon's hide, to rest a short time, for the dragon's hide was
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warm against the chill of the night.
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He awoke later that day, surprized at how long he slept, and angry
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at himself for doing so. There was much work yet to do, and he must
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be on his way before the dragon awoke, else he may prove to be the
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first meal this creature would enjoy! He spent most of that day
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finishing the task of binding and cleansing the dragon's wounds,
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periodically checking the dragon's eyes and breathing rhythm to be
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sure it was not ready to awaken.
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In due course, night approached, and still he didn't leave. Some
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time ago he felt sure that the dragon's constitution would carry him
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through from this point, and that he need not stay around any longer.
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He knew he was taking a great risk staying here. When the creature
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awoke, it would probably not be strong enough to move much, much less
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attack and devour him, but it was foolish to take chances. He had
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done all that was necessary, and yet still he stayed, checking and
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rechecking the bandages.
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Again, he awoke to the sun overhead, further cursing himself
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out for a fool. He didn't remember at what time he fell asleep, but
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guessed he had been sleeping for quite a few hours. It was nearly
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noon. He hadn't realized he had worn himself out so much. Now more than
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ever it was time to leave. He hastily collected his belongings and
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put them back in his pack, and was about to go back for one final quick
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look at the bandages on the dragon, when he noticed the dragon was staring
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straight at him.
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Too shocked to move, he just stood there, staring back into those
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swirling orbs, rivited by their hypnotic effect. He felt an odd
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sensation, and realized the dragon was somehow probing his mind. Odd,
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he thought, he felt no fear of the great beast, and he sensed no
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malice coming from it either. It didn't take him long to realise the
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dragon must be feeding this feeling into him.
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Suddenly, the dragon's voice entered into his mind. It was a deep,
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commanding voice, yet it held the qualities of intelligence and
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thoughtfulness. *Why have you healed me?* asked the voice. It echoed
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through his mind, much like the sound of talking in a deep cavern.
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His mind began to reply to the dragon, even though he had made no
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conscious effort to do so, and he knew he could not restrain his
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thoughts even if he had wanted to. *It has always been my nature to
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help the injured creatures I encounter, and when I discovered you
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wounded here, I could do aught else but to try to heal you, even
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though I knew that I was risking my life, to save yours.*
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The dragon continued to hold his gaze on him, giving off no hint of
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emotion. He did not know how long the contact lasted, or what thoughts
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the dragon had taken from his mind, but he was suddenly aware that the
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dragon was no longer looking at him. He shook his head sharply to
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clear it. The dragon was staring up into the sky, apparently lost in
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thought. He knew now, that the dragon would not harm him, so he
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picked up his gear and fitted it about himself, preparing to leave.
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When he was done, he moved in front of the dragon. "I am leaving
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now, you should heal quickly from this point on, without my aid." He
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did not know why he bothered to tell this to the dragon, but he felt
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he could not simply leave without some last word. He stared at the
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dragon, hoping for a reply, but the dragon continued to look upwards,
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scanning the horizon and ignoring him. At length, he turned away, and
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began to move towards the edge and climb back down, when the dragon
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suddenly turned to look at him.
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"Where will you go?" It asked aloud with the same deep voice he
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heard in his mind, the sudden loudness of the voice startled him, and
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he turned back towards the dragon, somewhat startled by the question.
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"To my village." He replied simply. The dragon looked at him for a
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moment longer and then turned away once more to scan the horizon.
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With a shrug, the warrior turned and prepared once more to descend,
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when again, the dragon spoke.
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"Stay." It said, without turning to face him. It was not a
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command, but a request. He detected a note of longing in the dragon's
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voice. A longing that told of ages of loneliness. He turned towards
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the dragon once more, and moved closer.
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"Why?" he asked. "I mean, why would you want the company of someone
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like me?"
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The dragon still stared away into the sky. "I have known many
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things in my life. I have fought many battles, and I have known much
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pain. I have seen many lands, and crossed many continents", the
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dragon said, a note of wistfullness in it's voice. A moment of
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silence passed,and then suddenly, the dragon turned it's head towards
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him. "But I have never known friendship. You are the first who has
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ever shown me compassion. The first who has ever given me any aid. I
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owe you my very life." it said to him. Then, the dragon released a
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heavy sigh. "I would like to call you friend." It said with what
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seemed to be great difficulty.
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He looked up towards the dragon, barely believing what he had just
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heard. Dragon's were not known for their friendliness! Yet, here he
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was, standing face-to-face with a dragon. He stood quietly, looking
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deep into the dragon's eyes, and, sensing a growing bond he felt with
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this creature, he began to smile. He was sure now, that he would
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never finish that journey back to his tribe.
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--
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Ron Stanions -- sysop: > >\-/< < sauron@dweyr.wisdom.bubble.org
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The Dragon's Weyr BBS /\ < \ / > /\ stanionr@iia.org
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201-992-0834 300-9600bd < \__/\_/\__/ > DragonSoft Development
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