Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Legacy of the Winds ❯ book 1 chapter 4 ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter 4

 

The camp was in its usual flutter of activity before a storm. Things were being packed up. Animals had to be sheltered. Everything had to be doubly secured. When they reached camp the students and their master joined in the preparations.

 

Everything was ready. The storm would hit in a few minutes. Malcolm closed the opening to the chieftain's tent, and then sat down with the fabled Fury. The man was about 9ft tall. He was all muscle, and he could easily beat anyone in the whole tribe, or in the neighboring tribe. He was the High Chief, the main leader of the Santus, and all the western tribes. At least in name. In actuality, he led two tribes out of 15. The other 13 worked in the mines for The Dark Wind. Only these two tribes had escaped. But they were the largest. And the leader of the second tribe was the famed Jegan Rico. The one who had been second in command to Micross, the West Wind.

 

“Your lessons are going well, I trust?” Fury had no name but the Fury, or the High chief. He looked at Malcolm with a questioning glance.

 

“Yes Chieftain. They go well. I bested my teacher today.”

 

Fury smiled. “Old Maka? I am sure he was pleased.” He turned as his wife and daughter came into the dining place, bearing food. They arranged the table, then all sat. Fury tasted the food, and said with another smile, “It is good, my wife. Your cooking is excellent as ever.”

 

Malcolm set a piece of wild bison meat on his plate, then dug in.

 

Dinner was uneventful, for the most part. There was light banter, and there was also Malcolm smiling at The Chieftain's pretty daughter, Melodi. She smiled back. They had been friends since before they could talk, growing up together in the chieftain's home.

 

He recalled those times happily. He had no parents, but had been taken in and raised by first Jegan Rico, then after about two years, Fury and his wife Melosa. But his best friend, the one who had helped him through all those difficult times, had been Melodi.

 

After dinner, the Chieftain took him aside. “Well Malcolm, it seems that you are becoming quite the warrior. So I have a test for you. I'm going to send you with one of the hunting Parties tomorrow. You join a few of the other boys as a guard. Do you feel up to the task?”

 

“Yes Chieftain,” he said with a smile. “I thank you for the opportunity to prove myself.”

 

* * *

 

The Dawn broke clear across the desert, one shedding light upon a beautiful after storm desert landscape full of blooming life, but the hunting party, amateur guards in tow, was long gone. They paid little head to the blossoming life around them, but remained cautious, as their prey, the wild bison of the desert, could easily be near. Or more likely, the predators, such as the Giant desert vultures, or a sand trapper, or a party of Imperial guardsmen on patrol. But what they feared most were the Raptors, great reptiles with scything claws and giant bone blades out the back that could cut through even rock. A small hunting party might be able to handle one, but the odds of there being only one were next to none. The only thing in the desert that didn't fear the scattered raptor packs were the Sand Dragons, the kings of the desert, great beasts that would appear out of the ground at any moment, scaled hides gleaming in the sun, impervious to all. Dangerous deadly creatures that traveled in pods of 4 or 5, and ate just about anything, though they rarely bothered with humans alone.

 

Malcolm had point with the lead hunter, and kept both eyes and ears open for sight or sound of prey or predator. The four guards should be able to handle anything short of a Blade Raptor, as they had come to be called, and the hunters were certainly capable of defending themselves. But their job was hunting, thus why four men were specifically appointed as guards to the company.

 

Suddenly Malcolm held up his hands. He had felt something in the earth, a slight shift. Or course a slight shift like that on solid, hard packed earth, at least when you could feel it, was never a good thing. He bent down, and laid his ear to the earth. He had always had a special attunement to the earth, and as ever it yielded up its secrets. A sand trapper was buried just a few feet ahead of them. If they had kept going, they would have surely been caught. But sand trappers, or more specifically their insectoid bodies, made very good eating.

 

“It's a sand trapper, ahead, and about 1 foot down. Want to try and catch it, or do we just stick to the bison?” Malcolm looked at the lead hunter.

 

He shook his head, “Go around. We aren't equipped for it.”

 

Malcolm nodded. He signaled the rest, and they moved around the sand trap. They hadn't gone but another 100 yards when the ground started to shake. At first they thought it was the thundering hooves of the bison herds, but then Malcolm realized that the shaking was coming from beneath the earth, which meant one thing. Sand Dragons, the true kings of the desert plains.

 

“Run!” Malcolm jumped up, grabbed a hunter that stumbled and literally carrying him, ran. The ground behind him exploded, hurtling both Malcolm and the hunter into the backs of the rest of the group. They were knocked down, and it may have saved their lives, because another lizard exploded from the ground they were about to run onto. This one was Jet Black, and its scales shimmered like stars. It landed, and then the eye on the side of its head facing the small group, looked directly at Malcolm. He looked back startled, curious, but unafraid. That lasted for a minute, then the Jet dragon roared, and charged off, the rest of the dragons following.

 

One of the hunters spoke up. “Come on. We need to move. There weren't supposed to be any Sand Dragons around here at this time of year, and they will doubtless end up near camp. All that livestock. They are sure to go for it. We need to warn them.” No one argued. There wasn't any need. They all knew he spoke the truth. The question was if they could get there in time.

 

They set off at a run. Soon they were forced to a walk. The camp was another few miles distant. That meant about an hour before they got there. That could already be too late.

 

When they got back to camp, panting, sweating and disheveled, things were normal. The dragons had not yet come near the easy prey that was the tribe's livestock, and the camp had no clue they were in danger. Malcolm and the rest reported to the Chieftain what had occurred.

 

“Rest now. I'll put men on watch. We'll begin moving the livestock at once. Set up a second camp, yes, that should do. No sand dragon shall harm my people.”

 

All of them replied, “Thank you wise Fury.”

 

* * *

Malcolm didn't rest well. Instead he got up and helped pack up. Once things were ready, everyone gathered together and the camp moved off.

 

They had been moving for some time. Things were quiet in the desert scrub. Then Malcolm, traveling near the rear, turned to look back. And he saw a dark glinting speck. Then he noticed the dust cloud. And so did the rearguard. They shouted a warning which was quickly carried to Fury. He strode back. They all knew it was the sand dragons. Pursuing. So Fury told them to go. A select few volunteer warriors would go with him and ward off the Sand Dragons as long as possible while the camp got away. Malcolm was one of five volunteers selected. Fury chose him for the determination in his eyes, and because something inside him told him Malcolm needed to be one of those who went. He couldn't explain it. So he didn't try.

 

They marched off in the opposite direction to the tribe, heading straight for the cloud. About 15 minutes later the dragons became distinctly clear, thundering in their direction. The mean spread out, Fury in the middle, Malcolm to his right, One of the Tribes most experienced warriors to His right, the other two on the left of Fury.

 

The Sand Dragons were getting closer at a very fast speed for their species, or for any other. The Black one was in the lead. It stopped when it saw the men, or rather, Malcolm. The other's halted as it looked at him, and he at it. They stared into each other's souls, and finally something clicked. Malcolm stepped forward as a slope of earth rose out of the ground and led to the head of the large black dragon. It remained motionless, starring into Malcolm as he walked up to its head. Then he just stood there, looking at it.

While this was happening, the Chieftain and the others didn't know what was happening, or what to do about it. They were afraid to move, afraid to break this spell. In Chieftain Fury's heart stirred something, a feeling of awe and respect of which he did not know the source. Then something clicked for him too. And It was even more astonishing than what he was seeing. A thought of impossibility had crossed his mind, and yet, it made perfect sense. Absolutely perfect sense. He looked again at Malcolm, just standing there on a giant piece of jutting earth, next to the head of the largest and most ferocious creature in the west. The West Wind! Malcolm has succeeded his Father! He, Fury, was looking at the new West Wind.

 

Malcolm was thinking no thoughts like that. He was lost in joining of souls occurring between himself and the great creature before him, the Jet Black Dragon of the Sands. Jetstone, that was the name. Yes, that is your name, isn't it?

 

Indeed. My name is Jetstone, just as you are Malcolm of the Fury tribe. Do you understand what is happening? I have never spoken to any of your race before.

 

Malcolm didn't. he said as much. I have no more clue than you. I have never spoken with my mind. This is even more of a first for me than you. I am honored to meet you Jetstone. Images sped through Malcolm's mind of battles fought, won, enemies defeated, mates of the past, friends who had died.

 

We are hunted. Hunted by those of your race who serve the false king. The Dark Wind has commanded our extinction or enslavement. I have come with my tribe to make peace with the desert tribes, whom you call Santu. It has been told among our kind of peace long ago when we were united together to fight a great evil, which sought to destroy life. It is said among the eldest of us, and in our ancient memories, that this was the birth of those who are known as the Winds.