Return to Gurepu

From young, Bordeux knew she was different from
the other hatchlings in the Clan. While the others could play and laugh their childhood away, Bordeux was constantly seeing visions of death. Not just any death, but death of her Clanmates. For example, she knew that old scavenging Skydancer would die of a viper bite, and her warrior sister would one day be defeated in the Coliseum and be too wounded to live.

And those visions haunted her.

Is there a way to stop these visions? The young Bordeux thought every day. However, as much as she wanted to stop seeing the visions, she did not dare voice them out, for fear that she would be branded a Shade hatchling and cast out. Thus, throughout her childhood, she quietly suffered the visions and did not utter a single word.

-- -- --

After she grew into a powerful teenage Imperial and opened her eyes to the world beyond her home Clan, he thought of ways to stop the visions. Since the visions were of death, if she prevented the death of those dragons, she would stop having those visions, would he not?

She began seeing a lot of visions of her sister, Star’s death, and was determined to save her sister from the death in the Coliseum. She tagged along the team as they fought in the Arena. Apart from her sister, the other two dragons were a tall Ridgeback, Dash, the best warrior in the Clan; and Raisha, a young dragon training to be a warrior along with them.

As an Undying Featherback appeared to challenge them, Dash hurriedly commanded, “Raisha! Go to the back with Bordeux. Stay with her no matter what. Stay out of this battle. Bosses are too dangerous for you!” As he spoke, Star got into a battle ready position.

Bordeux and Raisha huddled in the shadows and watched two of the best warriors tackle the Featherback. She watched Star’s motions carefully, in case this was the battle where she had the vision of her getting really wounded in.

She saw the attack before Star did. As the Featherback threw Dash off its head, it was disoriented, and charged blindly. Star was focused on trying to get to Dash, and did not see the Featherback charging into her path.

No!

Bordeux leaped out of the bush and rushed forward, and pushed Star forward and out of the charging beast’s path. The two siblings sprawled on the ground, and Bordeux was about to flash a smile of victory when a bone-chilling scream echoed throughout the Arena.

She felt her blood turn to ice, and turning around, she saw Raisha lying limply on the ground, blood pouring from a gash in her side. She could see that Raisha was barely breathing. The Undying Featherback had had enough of fighting and was already gone.

Bordeux remembered what Dash had told Raisha. Stay with her no matter what. He felt his knees buckle beneath him. She followed me out of hiding. I thought I had gotten Star out of the way but Raisha was still there!

Dash and Star did not question what happened, but it was clear they thought she was in some way responsible for the death of the young warrior.

-- -- --

This is how it works, isn’t it? Bordeux asked herself, looking up at the stars that no longer seemed so bright anymore. I defy fate and save a dragon, and another dragon dies in their place. A dragon who does not deserve to die, instead dies in their place.

Bordeux sighed. I cannot let anymore dragons die when they aren’t supposed to! She gritted her teeth. No matter what, I’ll deal with the visions if I have to do so for eternity! I cannot let anymore dragons die when they aren’t supposed to!

-- -- --

She could see how dragons died.

He could see when dragons died.

The two of them, together.

- - - - -

“Haru!” Bordeux’s voice came towards him through the foliage of the jungle. “It came again.” The female slipped into the clearing her mate was in, her eyes wide.

“What is it?” Haru asked, not as worried as his mate because he had been in this situation many times before, just like Bordeux. But this time she seemed a little more worried and scared than usual.

“You’re going to die,” she gasped, clutching his arm. “I saw a forest. Identical to this one. And there was a horde of BeastClans that attacked. Its leader slashed your throat and you fell from the air. I couldn’t save you in that vision.”

4.31pm. 7th October.

“I had a vision, too,” he answered. “In three hours, today. You’re going to die. This means we are probably going to die today, together.”

Bordeux was shaking her head. “No. I don’t want to die.” Her eyes now brimmed with tears, and she looked up fearfully at him. “Do you think...We can somehow alter the events such that we won’t die?”

- - - - -

Bordeux stood as still as possible, watching the dragon decoy’s leaf wings flutter in the faint breeze. Above her, somewhere high up in the canopy, Haru was lying in ambush, waiting to launch an all-out aerial attack from above the moment the BeastClans headed towards the decoy dragon. And here, Bordeux was going to use her magic to shield the both of them, and also launch magical attacks whenever she could. This way, the Beasts would not kill them.

“ARGHH!”

The war cry of the Harpy echoed throughout the forest and she hurriedly chanted a shielding spell. An invisible dome of magic covered and camouflaged her against enemies that used scent or heat to detect dragons. The next moment, the Harpy flock dove down into the clearing, sharp spears aimed at the decoy.

Bordeux used her magic to move the decoy a little, and even made it fight back. She had to distract the Harpies while Haru set up an attack above. These magic took a little strain on her mental energy, and just as she thought she could not hold on anymore, there was a whistle and several ice bolts shot down at the Harpies. Within seconds, they were eliminated.

With a satisfied smile, Bordeux stopped her spells and flew out just as Haru swooped down from above. They high-fived each other and smiled at each other.

“Good job,” Haru murmured, hugging her tightly. “We did it!”

- - - - -

She could see how dragons died.

He could see when dragons died.

The two of them, together.

A pair that cheated death.

@Starwindrider