Chapter 3 - Mount Fliff part 1

On exactly two days time, Luna and Eikki started out for Mount Fliff.
They buried Orfeo and Luna grabbed her precious belongings.
“Luna?” Eikki asked from behind.
“What?”
“Are you… Angry with me… Because I killed Orfeo?”
“Yes… Well, actually I’m angry with the dragon that takes over your body. I just hope you’ll gain control over it when I’m with you,” She replied.
“Are you scared around me?”
“If I answered would it make me vulnerable to you?”
“Not if the answer is no.”
“Well then, the answer is no,” Luna joked.
“I’m serious Luna,” He said impatiently.
“No, I’m not,” She plainly said.
He was satisfied.


They walked on, all day without stopping.
Eikki didn’t once ask Luna if she needed help, or even look back to see if she was struggling.
I’m fine, she kept thinking. Just keep going. You’re fine.
But as Eikki pressed on into the night, she collapsed. She struggled to her feet but couldn’t stand. Eikki pulled her up and held her by the arm.
“We’ll just camp here tonight… Go lean on a tree while I set up the fire,” He said.
Luna limped over to a large tree and after she got comfortable, fell deep asleep.
Eikki quickly set up the fire and laid out her palette.
I can tell this will be a long and troublesome trip.
He sighed.
After the fire had been burning bright and long, he decided it might be best to try and sleep. Luna crawled on her palette, shivering from the cold, crisp night air.
“Next time, let’s travel at night and sleep during the day,” She suggested.
“The night is more dangerous,” Eikki said. “And you can’t run.” He covered himself in a hooded cloak as the moon shone brightly down on them.
“But either way, we face the night.”
“Yes, BUT, animals don’t come near a fire.”
“You could turn into a dragon and then carry me off if we were in any danger… Or just fight the animal or whatever it might be,” She said.
“I’d rather not… Now, enough talk, go to sleep.” He said. “There will be no stops tomorrow.”
Luna pulled her knees to her chest and slowly began warming up. She fell asleep watching the flames lick at the wind and consume the wood pile.
Eikki slept sitting up, but not for long.
A noise behind him startled him awake and the uncovered half his face. Scales immediately covered his face and he breathed fire onto the wood to make the flames bigger.
“Eikki,” A woman’s voice came from behind him.
He turned swiftly and the hood fell.
He growled and turned back when he saw it was Nyx.
“Eikki, if you take this girl and the peridot to Mount Fliff… Then we will never see each other again. You will be banished to the wilderness with Palladin… Do you understand the consequences?” She spoke softly and calmly.
“Yes, I understand.”
“I will not be at Fliff when you arrive. But Zlatan will be. If you choose not to have the peridot embedded in your heart, then I will come back.” Then she left.
Eikki growled and watched Luna peacefully sleep.
Why can’t I control the dragon? This question always came up; it burned a hole in his heart.
Why am I like this? Why can’t I be normal?
Rage got the better of him and he stood up, letting the cloak fall.
He transformed into the beast and growled loudly. Luna woke and sat up.
He put his face in hers. He came closer and closer, she cringed at every inch. He came so close she was as far back as she could be on her elbows.
“Eikki stop!” She screamed.
He growled and then flew off.
“I’m not safe her,” She whispered. “What was I thinking?”

The woods were thick and dark. But she didn’t care. All she could think about was getting home. She limped on, hoping Eikki wouldn’t be back until morning, and then she would be long gone.
There is another village, five miles from mine… If I can walk the extra miles, I’ll be safe.
She came to an open area of ground next to the river.
Good, I’m the right track.
She was in the middle of the open area when Eikki landed in front of her. He growled loudly and walked up to her.
She winced as he growled in her face and a tear rolled down her cheek.
“Please, don’t hurt me,” She said.
“You are scared of me, aren’t you?” He smiled. His voice was much deeper and raspier.
“Just let me go!”
“No!” He grabbed her arm and started dragging her back to camp.
His wings disappeared and he stood on two legs. His body was covered in scales and his ears were large and pointy. His fangs were long and sharp.
“Let me go! You’re hurting me!” She tried pulling away but he turned and growled in her face.
When he turned back around, she kicked him and he slapped her face.
She fell and he stood over her.
“You try my patience… And my sword is quite fond of you… I would be careful from now on.”
He just thinks I'm scared of
him! S
“You only treat me like this because you THINK I’m scared of you… Well, you’re wrong!” She kicked his keg and he fell.
She tried standing up, but he pulled her shirt.
He crawled over her and held down her hands.
“Get off!” She kicked her legs but he was too strong in this position.
Then, he kissed her.
WHAT???! She stopped kicked and her body went limp.
What? I…. Can’t… I can’t move…. What’s happening?!
Then, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
He picked her up and carried her to camp. Nyx was there.
“What have you done?” She asked when she saw Luna hanging limp in his arms.
“I’ve only poisoned her,” He said and laid her on her palette.
“She doesn’t deserve to be dragged around by you!”
“No! I will not let her go! She found this peridot, and she might be able to find more!”
“Eikki, you know all the peridot is gone. YOU are the last peridot dragon……. Do you keep her for another reason?”
“What other reason would I keep HER for?”
“It was just a thought… Eikki, do NOT kill her.” Nyx flew away.
He curled up under a tree and fell asleep.

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