Chapter 1 - The Dragon

“So tell me Luna, have you ever wondered what its like to fly?” He asked with a menacing smile.
What? How does he know my name? Who is he? Where am I?
“I can smell your fear… Are you scared of ME?”
“I don’t know… I don’t…” Darkness surrounded them, her heart beat faster and faster and he acted as if he could hear it.
The moon was uncovered from the clouds, and in the light that shone down on them, the man that had been here was replaced by a shimmery, green dragon.
She shrieked began running.
The dragon growled ferociously and raised his head to the sky, then let out a long breath of fire.
The moon was once again covered by clouds and the dragon became man again.
“Wait! Young lady, wait!” He shouted.
But she kept running faster and faster. She tripped and looked up. There, before her, was the man.
“I can smell you, and I’m faster than you, much faster!” He snapped.
“What do you want?” She cried.
“I want that rock ‘round your neck! Peridot is very scarce, and I need it to stay dragon forever. The life of a human is much too hard on me.”
“I won’t give it to you!” She yelled.
She picked up a large stick that lie close to her and hit him hard in the gut, and then when she stood firmly, she bashed him in the head.
She ran fast towards her village, back home to Master Orfeo. He would get rid of the young dragon that pursued her so persistently.
Master Orfeo was a dragon himself, a dragon of Amethyst. He did have an amethyst stone that he wore constantly, but he was very wise and could control his rare power.
She could see the village approaching quickly in the distance.
“Orfeo!” She yelled out as loud as she could. “Orfeo!”
“Orfeo?” The young man heard her say. “But… that’s not possible… He died.”
I’d better get out of here now! He thought as he turned around and began hopping through the trees in the opposite direction the girl, was.
Why was SHE calling his name? It doesn’t make sense…

“What is it my child?” Orfeo took Luna in his arms and tried calming her.
“The green dragon showed himself to me and tried taking my necklace… I’m very sorry; I should have listened to you and not gone out this late! I’m sorry! Now he knows where I live, please forgive me!” She cried.
“It will be alright child! As long as you stay close to me, then he will never come near here. Eikki will not come near me.”
“Is that the beasts’ name?”
“He is no beast, no more than I... But he does not understand how to control his powers. He only wants strength, but he does not understand how powerful dragon are. He cannot get the peridot you carry, for it is the last of its kind.”
“What if you carry it Master?” She asked.
“That would be unwise. You are the one who found it, and you are the rightful owner. Eikki can only be the rightful owner if he wants it for good use. But no one knows whether or not he is trustworthy.”
“Yes Master… I’m going to bed now, I am very tired.”
Luna lay in bed looking out the window. The moon appeared from behind the raging storm clouds, and from the woods, she heard a loud, distressed scream.
I do feel sad for Eikki… He is all alone…

“Mother! Father!” Luna’s small voice cried out.
Fire raged in her home village, her parents lay dead with many others.
But there was a shape coming through the fire and smoke. It scooped her up in its arms and carried her away.
Luna sat up, drenched in sweat.
“It was just a dream,” She whispered. She lay down and fell back asleep after a while.

Master Orfeo was outside in the early morning. He had been growing a rare plant lately, or at least trying to. But from the looks of it, nothing was going too well.
“Luna, maybe they need more water… Or more sun… Perhaps less sun… What do you think?”
He was puzzled, but tried covering it up with logical answers that in all actuality, did not work.
“Shall I go fetch water?” She asked, tying her apron around her waste.
“Yes, go on. Then we shall go visit Hilda. She has trades to offer, so look your best.”

Luna walked cautiously along the short river to the pool of water it stopped at.
She kneeled down and filled one bucket, and just as she was about to fill the other one, she heard a loud thud behind her. She twirled around and saw Eikki.
“Luna, give me that rock!”
“You’ll never leave me alone, will you?”
“Not until I get what I want!”
“Well, you’ll NEVER get what you want from me!” She yelled.
“You think you’re so perfect, don’t you? You think life is easy because you’re under Orfeo’s care… Living in the forest, being an orphan on the run, is not easy! You’re life isn’t real… It’s FAKE!” He charged at her and knocked her to the ground.
She tried reaching for her knife, but failed. He held her arms firmly to the ground.
“You will die in my arms one day!” He snarled.
Then he got up and ran off.
Pull yourself together! Just don’t tell Orfeo of this…
She let the tears fall for a minute and the wiped her face.
I will NEVER let Eikki have this Peridot! NEVER!

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