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Dracowolf
A purple guardian with intense eyes, swirling with arcane energies, came up to Dereth. She was tailed by a Carmine Serthis; her familiar. "I have many tales of adventure," she said in a rich, throaty voice, "and have found many heroes amongst the beastclans. However, in my story, beastclan and dragon alike play both hero and villain."
The diminutive Serthis Akri was often mistaken for a child, despite the wisdom evident in her eyes and the age plain on her face. So it was that she was able to hide away when the children were taken to form their own society. She would seem one of the first to go in the petty rivalries and vies for power that sprung up, yet she had not survived this long, as small as she was, without reason.
Akri had two virtues that compensated for her lack of size and strength - her speed, allowing her to strike like the snakes she resembled, and a farseeing eye that even allowed her to view the future. Such it was she recognized the threat that would be visited on all of Sornieth by the Shade that continued to approach. The same visions that accosted a young guardian far away plagued her, and she feared for her kind.
She proved herself well in the fights that occured daily and nightly, matters of both honor and death. Serthis were well known to be vicious, but in this particular society those who killed outside of a fair fight would be brought down by the whole of the clan, if necessary. There was one peculiarity about Akri, however.
She would not kill an opponent.
The first time she bested an opponent and walked away, the young serthis sprang upon her before she had fully turned her back. She bested her clanmate again, and again, until she could no longer rise on her own - and then offered the her her hand.
She struck it away. "Coward," she spat.
"Am I?" Akri responded calmly, but her eyes were cold. "Is it cowardice to let live an enemy who still has the will and power to kill me?"
There was murmuring amongst the gathered onlookers.
"For your sake, I will not kill you.
You are not weak. Remember that, and learn from your mistakes."
And so it went. Akri became famous, for she could subdue an enemy with a couple of strikes, and yet every single opponent walked away from her fights. With fame came respect, and she gained a following. She also gained enemies.
A day came when a familiar face challenged her. With her age, she couldn't quite place it. The fighting style too was familiar, but changed, better.
With a twist and a blow from her tail, the opponent knocked Akri to the ground. She felt cold metal at her throat, and looked peacefully into the face of her death.
She was surprised when the young serthis removed the spear and offered her her hand.
"You spared me so long ago," she said. "To my knowledge, I am the first you ever fought, and I called you a coward. I did not understand, then."
Her eyes looked haunted, and that told Akri all she needed to know.
"You are not weak," Akri said to her, taking her hand, then murmured, "Nor are you a coward," in her ear.
"I had to prove my strength," she announced, "to myself more than anyone. If I could best you, I would know I had earned my place."
Then, to Akri alone, "Thank you."
"What is your name?" Akri asked her, smiling a fanged grin.
"Carmen," she responded. "And I know yours well already."
"Carmen," Akri said. "I need your help."
Back in Akri's hut, Carmen sipped at a cup of tea, a soothing blend of wildflowers that eased her aches and pains. Carmen explained the re-assimilation process, to Carmen's growing horror.
"It will be a red day," Akri said sorrowfully. "I could not show my generation the error of their ways. Perhaps it is not an error for them, but I had hoped the next generation could be more peaceful, more caring. I, too, have killed, and I know it is not an easy thing. If you keep your personhood, it never becomes easier."
"How did you know?" Carmen coughed. "How did you know that I have killed?"
"I can see it in your eyes, in your stance," Akri replied. "You killed out of anger, I suspect, and as you saw the life leave their eyes, you realized you had taken something you could never give back."
Carmen simply gaped at her, and Akri smiled a small, sad smile. "As I said, I, too, have killed."
"Then what must I do?" Carmen asked, her head hanging low.
"Find a dragon," Akri said, and Carmen gasped, but Akri wasn't finished. "Find a dragon and ask for their help."
"But dragons are vicious, bloodthirsty creatures!" Carmen exclaimed. "One would eat me as soon as look at me."
Akri raised an eyebrow. "Many say the same about us."
"That's - that's different," Carmen said. "Not all of us are like that. And we fight for survival."
Akri simply stared, until she looked away in shame.
"I know a dragon," she finally said. "A young guardian, with farseeing eyes like mine. A far greater threat than my generation of serthis approaches Sornieth, and we will need many allies to fight it."
"Shouldn't you be the one to ally with the dragon?" Carmen said weakly.
"I am not one of you," Akri replied. "The people respect me, but they do not trust me. Besides, it is you who has bested me in battle, a feat that has been obtained by no one else. They will listen to you. Now, I will tell you where you may find Duskstrider, the dragon."
It was a long a perilous journey across Sornieth, though many of the other beastclans avoided her. The reputation of her species preceded her. At long last she arrived at the Mirrorlight Promenade, where the the dragon's lair resided.
She was greeted by a tiny blue and orange dragon, a guard - greeted with a claw at her throat.
"What business do you have here,
serthis?" she growled - for the dragon was clearly female.
Carmen gulped, feeling the claw move along her throat as she did.
"I want to speak to Duskstrider," she announced, keeping the tremor in her heart from reaching her voice.
The fae drew back, looking her up and down. "You come alone, bearing no weapons. Strange."
The fae was still for a moment, then said, "I would normally not allow you to live, let alone come before our leader, but you seem ... different. However, should you try anything violent, know the wrath of our clan will come down on your head."
"Understood," Carmen said, and let the fae lead her into the lair.
In the center, a vast dragon awaited her - at least, vast to her eyes.
"Carmen," the dragon rumbled, but her voice was not unkind. "Welcome."
"Thank you," Carmen said, her voice finally starting to shake. "My - a member of my clan sent me to beg your help. The adults of my clan are coming to re-assimilate us with no small amount of violence, and further, a great threat that will affect us all is apparently approaching."
"I know this threat of which you speak, and I agree that it is important that we be allies. I also know that your plan to ally with my people has been found out, and in fear, the adults of your clan have drafted dragons of their own. They march on your clan now."
"No!" Carmen cried out. "They can't have, they - oh, no."
"Fly with us, and we will resolve this immediately," Duskstrider growled, and Carmen hesitated, before slithering over to the dragon and into her outstretched talons.
It was a quick journey back across the land, and they arrived to see the adults of their clan across a large battlefield. They were accompanied by two hundred dragons, led by a dark brown dragon with brilliant red wings. He looked as if he were made of blood.
"Take your people to safety," Duskstrider said, as she set Carmen down away from the battlefield.
"We cannot leave. This is a matter of honor," Carmen responded, though she was pale.
"You will have to kill if you remain," Duskstrider cautioned, and Carmen went paler still.
"If it is to protect my people," she stated, scared but resolute, "I will do what is necessary."
Duskstrider nodded in approval, "Then let us meet your people in battle," and took off.
She set Carmen down next to Akri, who wore a full set of armor and looked grim.
"We will win this," Carmen said, though she was unsure herself. Akri nodded, then charged.
The land was bathed in blood in mere instants. The scalding hot blood of dragons rained from the sky, where the warrior Kai - the guard she had met - took on twenty dragons at once. She furiously slashed and twirled, taking enemies before they knew she was there.
The serthis engaged their own, and their blood soon mixed with the dragons. It was a bitter fight, not to assimilate any longer but to kill. A black film seemed to dim Carmen's visions as she killed again and again. Then she heard a scream.
"Akri," she cherself screamed, as she turned just in time to see the red dragon throw Duskstrider to the ground with teeth at her throat, and pierce Akri throught the heart with one gargantuan claw. He smiled wickedly, his red eyes glinting in the grey light of the overcast day.
With a yell, Carmen charged the dragon, who was many times bigger even than Duskstrider. She didn't care. She picked up Akri's fallen spear, using the dragon's own scales to hop up to his throat, and slit it wide open.
She fell to the ground, and the weight of the dragon's head crashed down on her. She screamed as she felt bones break, and dizzily she thought,
I'll be seeing Akri soon.
Then she felt the weight lift, and then weightlessness as she rose into the sky.
She looked up to see purple scales.
"No," she moaned. "You have to - help them. My people -"
"-need you," Duskstrider finished. "You are their leader now. I will make sure you are safe, then return to battle."
"How-?" Carmen asked, then coughed. Her voice was weak, the cough racking her body with spasms of pain.
"A young serthis whose friend you killed, who swore vengeance. The same young serthis who was the first you ever spared, and the very same who in that moment remembered the look in your eye when you killed his friend, and swore a new oath that he would never kill. Akri told me, before she - she told me that he convinced a few to stay behind to take care of the wounded. I am taking you there now."
Carmen's head swam, and she realized it wasn't just from Duskstrider's explanation. She fell into swirling mists.
When she woke, the battle was over. With the death of their leader, the other dragons had lost something vital, and many fled. Many others surrendered, or kept fighting but with less spirit, so they were easily overcome.
It was soon after she woke up that a young male came into her room. "Carmen," he said, smiling a wide, genuine smile.
"You," she said weakly. "I am sorry for what I did to your friend. I regret it everyday. I-"
"Peace," he said. "I have already long forgiven you."
His smile faded. "I am Julio. Will you let me carry you out, so that your people may know you're alright?"
"My people?" Carmen said. "I- oh. Yes, I suppose."
He lifted her ever-so-gently off the bed where she rested, carrying her out to the assembled serthis and dragon alike. He set her down, still supporting her.
"My lady," cheered one serthis, and the cheer broke out, "Our lady!"
A silence fell over the clan as Duskstrider stepped up to her.
"Thank you for your heroism, Carmen," she intoned. "I offer the protection of my clan, as well as space within our lair for you to build and grow."
Cheers broke out again. Peace had been won.
"And here she stands with me now," Duskstrider finished. "We seek more allies to fight the coming Shade. When the time comes, we hope you will join us, to fight for Sornieth and its peoples."
