Aegis:
Chapter Five
[Rating: General
···
Length: Very Long
···
Genre: Mixed up, Serious]
[
Word count: (chapter: 2, 969) (total:22444
)]
[
Chapter One · Chapter
Two · Chapter
Three · Chapter
Four · Chapter
Five]
[
Chapter Six · Chapter
Seven · Chapter
Eight · Chapter
Nine]
Smiling to herself, she released it and watched the
snarglok sniff each other. Just before they disappeared
into the sugerplant, they turned and looked at her. Realizing
she had kick-started the snarglok colonization of the
plantation, she laughed and re-mounted the genghal, watching
the draf looking comically swoony and the bird rolling
it’s eyes. The genghal grunted happily and set off.
When they came to the edge of the plantation, Aegis felt
rather depressed. She could not take her friends with
her. The town was no place for wild animals. Dismounting
she walked down the dusty lane. She was aware she was
being followed and turned.
“you cant come home with me,” she whispered sadly to
them. The genghal pawed the ground and looked distraught.
The bird too curled up into a sad little ball. The draf,
however, looked rather happy. It fluttered down to the
road and began to dance again. Chuckling sadly, Aegis
watched it.
After a time, it stopped and waddled to Aegis and tugged
at the hem of her robe. Stumbling forward, she gasped.
The draf had drawn a picture! A crude stick figure of
a rockhound, then a line, then a snarglok. Below that
a draf, a bird and a genghal then three humans. Her mind
ran over the facts and it took the draf half an hour of
gesturing and dancing before it clicked into place. “You
want me to turn you into humans?” She asked at the now
exhausted draf. It nodded excitedly and fell over in a
puff of dust.
The bird and the genghal looked up and cheered…well,
squawked and grunted, but Aegis took that a cheering.
“Well, I could try…who first?” The bird fluttered behind
the genghal courteously. The genghal looked at the draf,
who now lay sprawled and panting on the road. Stepping
forward to Aegis, it tilted its head. “Okay then,”
Reaching out and gently laying her staff on the large
animal’s head, she chanted softly. The first noticeable
change was the genghal’s fur. It receded until it only
remained on its feet, hands and head. It’s skin paled
slightly to become a dark tan and it’s legs and back began
to shrink. Looking away from this disturbing spectacle,
the bird flew down to the draf and helped it to a sitting
position. The draf cawed appreciatively and stood. After
falling over several times, it managed to remain upright.
The soft thud of Aegis’s staff on the ground heralded
the transformation’s completion. Though there was no wind,
a large cloud of dust obscured any view of the ex-genghal.
As the dust receded, Aegis smiled. Tall and thick-set,
the girl looked about 10 years of age. Soft genghal fur
still edged her wrists and ankles, waving gently in the
breeze. Short thick hair burst forth from her head and
framed her soft, round face. Her eyes were a soft cow-brown
and looked around with interest. She tried to say something
but all that came out was a bizarre grunting noise. Aegis
removed her cloak and threw it over to her small figure
and it emerged, tightly wrapped in the soft vine like
cloth.
Supporting the wobbly draf, the bird hobbled to Aegis.
“Come on, you go first,” Aegis called to it and it shook
it’s head. “No?” It shook its head again. Realizing that
the bird wanted to stay a bird, she lay her staff on the
draf’s wingtip. Transformation complete, the draf fell
over again, surprised at its sudden height. Sitting up
in the dust, he looked around. He was about Aegis’ age
and very thin. His tough skin was a light tan and two
leathery wings, now much larger, protruded from his back.
His face was thin and pointed, his large eyes a startling
grey. Wiry muscled strained as he stood slowly and took
an exploratory step. His hair was a dark brown and extended
past his shoulders. Looking at Aegis, he gestured to the
tall girl who was now smelling a flower with delight.
Aegis looked around and, with sudden inspiration, gripped
her staff. A vine trailed across the ground and soon the
wobbly figure wore a fetching vine tunic and pants. Aegis
did the same to the genghal/ woman and retrieved her cloak.
“Umm… could you please – oh, this is useless! You need
names.” The draf curiously copied the sound. “Na-me,”
The woman toddled over to Aegis and handed her the flower.
Smiling and taking it, inspiration struck. “How about
Alia?” She asked the smiling girl. She curiously tilted
her head, a gesture that had not worn off from her genghal
days. “That’s the name of this flower,” Aegis informed
her. The girl smiled and nodded happily. The ex-draf’s
approving voice called from behind Aegis. “Al-llia”.
The ex-draf was now right behind aegis and was comparing
his hair to hers curiously. He reached out and took Alia’s
wrist and added that hair to the comparison. Puzzled,
it stared at the brown, green and soft blue and blinked.
Aegis smiled and reclaimed her hair. “My, you are a smart
thing. How about,” She paused to think “Cudra?” The ex-draf
looked a little nervous and shook his head timidly. He
bent down, fell over and sat up. Then, scratched a picture
in the dust. “Na-me.” He proudly proclaimed.
Aegis helped him up and looked at the dust. A small stick
figure draf looked back up at her. “Draf?” she mused.
He became most excited and began to dance. Steadying him
to avoid another fall, Aegis smiled. “Na-me?” he asked.
“Ok, you are officially called Draf.” Draf smiled, not
understanding every word but knowing that his ‘na-me’
was now Draf. “You na-me?” Alia asked over Aegis’s shoulder.
“Aegis.” After a time of striding toward her home, Aegis
was quite breathless. Alia and Draf, however, were full
of energy and were running about like children – well,
Alia was walking about and Draf running and falling over.
The bird sat in a dignified manner on Aegis’s shoulder
and cawed every time Draf fell over.
As the sky darkened, Aegis looked about for a shelter.
After miming and repeating the word shelter to Alia and
Draf, they too began to search. “Shel-ta” Alia called
and waited for her companions to get there. A small distance
from the road a large stone and a thick bush circled a
small area, enclosing it from the grass. Looking up at
the sky then back to the shelter, Draf scuttled off towards
a large tree.
Wondering what he was up to, the rest of the group watched
as Draf peeled a very large section of back of the tree.
After falling over twice trying to lift it, Aegis and
Alia joined him and together they manhandled it across
to the shelter. Heaving it upwards they settled over the
top of the rock and bush to form a roof.
Draf, looking proud, sat down in the cozy hole and grinned
up at them. Alia ambled over to a clump of flowers and
scattered them near the front then lowered herself next
to Draf, leaving a space between them for Aegis to sit.
When she had done so, bird on head, they all got as comfortable
as they could in the cramped space and slept. It was a
rather comical sight as Aegis and Draf’s wings stuck out
on strange angles, giving the appearance of one great
clumsy butterfly.
The next day Aegis woke refreshed but her back ached
terribly. He staff had poked her all night and she had
unfortunately discovered that birds could snore. They
had set off again when Draf saw her pained face and clumsily
mimed ‘what’s wrong?’ She mimed back ‘my back hurts’.
Alia, noticing the exchange, stepped up behind Aegis and,
gently pushing her hair over her shoulder, began to massage.
Surprised, Aegis spread her wings to reveal more back
and felt her muscles relaxing. Draf too looked shocked.
“Al-llia?” Alia smiled softly and continued until Aegis
felt no pain at all.
The closer they got to the town, the sooner Aegis wanted
to arrive. Her wings itched, if only she could fly. Surely
it would double their current speed. An idea sluggishly
formed in her mind. If Draf could still fly, they could
hold Alia between them. Catching Draf’s arm, she flapped
he wings. Puzzled, he stopped and, flapped his slowly.
Leaping a few feet off the ground, Aegis hovered for
a second and came back down. Alia looked amazed and clapped
her hands excitedly, a gesture Aegis had inadvertently
taught her. Draf, his hair across his face from the sudden
burst of wind, blinked and wobbled slightly. Grabbing
his shoulder to prevent his fall, Aegis freed his face
of hair and stepped back. “Th-unk yoo” he smiled and flapped
his wings again. This time he too hovered a few feet of
the ground and, looking surprised, landed clumsily on
his backside.
Alia giggled softly and twisted to look at her own back.
Seeing no wings, she frowned and looked back at Aegis’
beautiful feathery ones and Draf’s tan leathery pair.
Aegis led Draf to Alia and placed his hands around her
shoulders. Getting the idea, Draf gripped them gently
and flapped hard. The extra weight tugged him down but
he set his face and pulled harder. Alia looked very excited
and clapped her hands. Once she was off the ground, Aegis
took her ankles and Draf looked relieved. The bird settled
down on Alia’s stomach and, Aegis leading, they set off
at quite a pace.
It was a farmer that first saw the blob in the sky. Shielding
his eyes from the sun, he could make out two figures and
one with a large bump in its middle slung between them.
A loud clapping sound issued from the apparition. He could
see that the leading figure was Aegis yet she had wings,
large majestic graceful ones at that. A little girl with
a bird on her tummy was clapping and, holding her shoulders,
a strange man with leathery wings and a tan complexion
looked rather excited.
As they passed, Aegis bid him good day and the other
two both happily proclaimed called “Goo-d dae!” Although
realizing his hat had been blown off, the farmer stood
stock-still and cursed his recent expenditure at the local
tavern on cheap rum.
As they reached the first few streets, a few people looked
out of their windows and called excitedly. Draf and Alia
were having a great time; yelling ‘Goo-d dae’ to everyone
they saw. News spread faster than their flight and soon
the streets looked just as full as the leaving ceremony.
Even some leftover confetti found its way into the air,
fluttering down on curious Alia. The bird also looked
mildly happy but kept its dignified air. Draf, looking
around happily, caught some confetti on his tongue and
grimaced. He was hoping for some food as he hadn’t eaten
since he was human. Eventually they reached the central
stage and stepped up. Aegis noticed that the guardian
of time and people were absent, probably still completing
their trials.
Glad to rest his tired wings, Draf gently set Alia down
and the three stood, facing the swelling crowd. They were
all chattering excitedly, congratulating Aegis, asking
who her companions were and all manner of questions. Raising
her hands for quiet, Aegis stepped in front of her friends.
After the chattering had died down, she began to speak.
“Friends, I return after having completed my quest. Kadavern
is now a beautiful utopia of plants and animals and I
wish it to stay that way. Only in the greatest hardship
should you journey there, and even then show the utmost
care.” When she paused, a voice called, “Whom do you have
with you?” Draf and Alia who, until now, had been looking
around with interest smiled at the direction of the voice.
Aegis too smiled. “My companions are the most loyal creatures
as you could hope to meet.” She placed a hand on Alia’s
shoulder. “Alia was once a genghal. Draf was once a…Draf.
During the beginning of my voyage, they both assisted
me willingly. They both sacrificed their simple animal
lives to take human form and accompany me back to the
village.” At this point the crowd let out a collective
“Awww” and someone blew their nose.
After their initial speech, the village bard sang them
a welcome song and the chief expressed his “Extreme Joy”
at their return. The crowd slowly dispersed as the sun
began to fade. When there were only two or three people
left, still gawking at her wings, Aegis suddenly found
herself in a crushing embrace. After releasing her, her
mother smiled and verbally released all of her worry in
a payload of sound.
Finally happy she had informed Aegis of all she needed
to, she shook a perplexed Draf’s hand and smiled at Alia.
Alia smiled back and offered her a flower she had plucked
from underneath the stage. Accepting the flower, she bustled
the three to their hut.
Aegis, who was in no mood for sleep, gave her bed to
Draf. Looking excited, he jumped in and completely dislodged
the sheets. By the time he was comfortable, the bed was
a tangled mass of linen and limbs. When she peeped through
the door to see if he was all right, Aegis chuckled to
herself and quietly crept through the doorway. Gently
untangling the sheets was a hard job, but she managed
to return them to order without waking Draf. He smiled
in his sleep and turned over, wings flopping onto the
floor.
Alia had fallen asleep in front of the fire, curled up
on the rug like a cat. “Shouldn’t we make her more comfortable?”
Aegis’s mother asked quietly. “No. She is quite comfortable,”
Aegis replied, watching Alia’s peaceful breathing. After
the preliminary night, Aegis bought another bed and a
large cushion. Delighted at her now soft resting place,
Alia curled up happily and slept although it was still
early. Aegis and Draf shared a room and sometimes talked
in the darkness. Though Alia still knew little English,
Draf could speak almost fluently. His mind was as sharp
as his face, learning came easily.
“What happens now?” he asked one night, a month or so
after Aegis’s homecoming. “What do you mean?” She asked
sleepily, turning over to peer through the inky darkness
in his direction. “Well, if you are the Gaddian…” “Guardian.”
“Sorry, Guardian of nature, shouldn’t you be doing something
or going somewhere?” Aegis’s silence told him she didn’t
understand. “Since your trial and homecoming, nothing
has changed. You have gone back to your usual life, except
for your ability to fly, that is. Shouldn’t the guardians
be asked to…well, I don’t know.” He broke off, unsure
of what to say next. “Go on,” Aegis murmured, awake, but
barely. “Words seem to be inadequate to what I want to
saee.” “Say, Draf, say.” “Sorry, say. I have been thinking
for a while now. Shouldn’t you call up something…Oh, I
just can’t express it properly” “Mmmmmm…” Aegis was fast
sliding into sleep. Sighing softly, Draf curled up in
his mussed sheets and he too was soon dreaming. Though
she was tired when Draf had spoken to her, his word had
sunk in. She too had begun to think that surely something
should happen. She had passed her trial, come home and
returned to her everyday life. In the past, stories told
of the guardians being taken away on clouds or fiery chariots.
She, however, was still here. Had she done something wrong?
Was she not adequate after all?
It was the next morning she decided to do something about
her troubles. After a wholesome breakfast of bacon and
eggs, she set off for a walk. Draf and Alia followed closely
and Aegis smiled. Still they refused to leave her side.
When she went to the bakers, they too insisted on taking
some of her money and buying something. Wondering if they
would be a part of what she planned to do, she felt a
tug on her sleeve. Alia’s upturned face was smiling and
in her hand she held a little daffodil flower. Handing
her the flower, Alia toddled off to give one to Draf.
Reaching her destination, Aegis put the flower gently
in her pocket and lent heavily on her staff. Hoping the
right spell would come to her as it indeed had before,
she sat. Alia and Draf, oblivious to their friend’s solemn
mood, were playing tag behind her, laughing happily. Though
she had at times experimented with her newfound powers,
she found they were only effective when there was a need
for them and they didn’t work on tasks of a whim.
Concentrating hard, Aegis scrunched up her eyes. The
thought had become strong now. She must do something –
but what? The answer came in a rush. When she reopened
her eyes, they were a complete glowing green, eerily lighting
up her face. Her staff too glowed slightly and with a
jolt, the glow raced down her arms. With a soft cry, she
fell to the ground. Draf and Alia, hearing the sound,
stopped their game.
Aegis lay twitching on the grass, eyes now a blank white.
Draf and Alia stood, stunned, staring at their unconscious
friend. Aegis, however, was fully conscious in fact. More
awake then Draf or Alia had ever been.
Eyes still closed, Aegis felt she was in a chair. Slowly
opening them, the first thing she saw was herself. Not
the new, Guardian self, but the old one with black hair
and no wings. Gasping in surprise, she tried to move her
arms and found she couldn’t. Her neck too seemed to be
resistant to movement but by swivelling her eyes she could
make out her surroundings.
[
Chapter One · Chapter
Two · Chapter
Three · Chapter
Four · Chapter
Five]
[
Chapter Six · Chapter
Seven · Chapter
Eight · Chapter
Nine]
|
