The blue dragon ignored the interruption. “Who are you?” he repeated.
“Sorry,” Zookie said. “I’m Zookie and this is Lena.”
Lena skipped up next to Zookie and said, “Hello,” with a little wave.
“Who are you?” Zookie asked.
With another excited squeak, Lena ran through the pack of baby dragons, unable to contain herself. She tried to grab them up for hugs. They flew out of her reach when she approached. Some of them giggled and Zookie realized the little dragons were thoroughly enjoying the impromptu game of tag.
“I’m Ziph.” The little blue dragon said. “These little monsters are my annoying brothers and sisters.”
Zookie looked around the clearing. The number of little dragons was nearly double the number of siblings he had. “Are you dwarf dragons or kids?” Zookie asked turning back to Ziph.
“Dwarf dragons?” Ziph exclaimed. “I may be just a kid but I ought to blow fire on you!” He huffed, a bit of smoke shot out the side of his mouth.
“You can blow fire?” he asked, staring at the tiny dragon.
“I’m younger than you, so no, I can’t blow fire, yet. Duh.” He stuck out is forked tongue as he drew out the last word. “Hey Tisia, don’t ride the human.”
A small dragon looked up from his perch on Lena’s back, who was on her hands and knees, bucking like a horse. The dragon stuck out her tongue at Ziph and continued riding Lena.
“Are you part of my hive? Why don’t you guy’s live at Dragon Cave Mountain with it so close and all?”
“I do, duh.” That tongue again. “I’m just out exploring. I’m going to explore the entire world when I’m older.” He puffed up.
A rounded dragon waddled by, releasing a bit of gas, and not from his mouth.
“I’m also watching these things.” Ziph glared at his siblings.
“You’re pretty far from the mountain,” Zookie said.
Before the younger dragon could reply, LT, Tim, and Woody crashed through the bushes. The smaller dragons scrambled to hide behind Ziph’s back.
“They’re with you?” he asked Zookie.
Zookie’s first instinct was to deny it, but he knew it was obvious. “I think my dad would understand.” Zookie paused, then continued. “Considering he’s the leader.”
“Who’s your new pipsqueak friends?” LT asked, puffing and out of breath. “Oh, and next time you take off like that, I’ll eat your tail.”
“Wait!” Ziph cut in. “You’re Zookie?” His jaw dropped. “The whole nest has been looking for you.”
“I said my name is Zookie.” He paused. “My dad has the whole nest looking for me?”
“Yeah, everybody. It’s crazy. Full-scale search and rescue.” He stepped forward butting one of his baby brothers out of the way. “Don’t seem like much to be worrying so much about,” he said, eyeing Zookie. He scrunched up his snout at Tim.
“Dad really has the whole nest out looking for me?”
“I hear he’s flaming mad,” Ziph said. “I haven’t seen him, of course, but that’s what I hear. I’m just a lowly dragon, but my da works in the Mount Guard. Your da sent out nearly the entire Guard to find you.” The little dragon’s eyes lit up as an idea hit him. “Hey, since you’re going home do you think my da will get to come home too?”
“I don’t know what you’re…” he trailed off, realization hitting him. This little dragon’s dad was one of the members of the hive out looking for him. How long had he been gone away from all his hatchlings? “Come on, let’s go.”
The little dragon turned to follow. He roared at his siblings to keep up. They entered the woods surrounding the mountain.
“I can’t believe I’m going to Dragon Cave Mountain!” Lena squealed. As they walked, she crept up behind one of the small dragons and jumped on its back. The dragon ran off with her on its back. Lena bounced and giggled on the dragon’s back, whooping as they disappeared into the undergrowth.
His gloomy mood broken, Zookie laughed, then looked at LT. “What are you going to do after all this?” They circled past a huge tree with big, gnarly roots that stuck out of the ground.
LT didn’t answer. He was too busy admiring how his stripes looked as he walked. The sun hit his fur as it filtered through the tree canopy overhead. Tim stumbled on the tree root, nearly falling on the tiger.
“Watch it, Stinky, or I’ll bite your toes off.” The tiger glared at the ogre’s bare feet. “On second thought, never mind.”
“LT, did you even hear me?” Zookie said hopping on top of a root. “What are you going to do after this?” he asked, jumping forward and scaring one of the small dragons.
“Eat one of these things if they keep running around like this.” He growled as the small dragon Zookie scared ran by. LT had to move his paw out of the way or the dragon would have run right into him.
“I mean after we get to the mountain and all this,” Zookie said, jumping over another root. He landed on a loose rock, slipped, and crashed to the ground.
LT glanced at the dragon and rolled his eyes. “Well aren’t you full of grace?” They walked a few moments before he answered. “I don’t know. Probably find a village to stalk, eat a few people, you know tiger stuff.”
“Oh. I wonder what will happen when I get to the mountain,” Zookie said staring into the trees, then stumbled over a root.
“What’s wrong with you?” Ziph asked, stepping up to walk beside the two. “You’re falling all over the place.
“I’m thinking,” Zookie said. “I wonder what my dad will think of me,” he said again staring into the trees.
“You’re not going to run off again, are you?” LT asked “Because if you are, you’re on your own. No way am I going with you again. You attract trouble.”
“No. I might try to be an adventurer though,” Zookie said. He decided he regretted bringing the topic up, so he changed it. “Hey, Ziph, what are you doing so far from the mountain?”
Ziph shrugged his wings. “It’s only a few hours walk. I had to bring the little annoyances all the way out here because they were bothering Mom.” He eyed the sun sinking in the sky. “I didn’t realize how late it was getting.”
One of the smaller dragons stopped, hunched over, and stared at a spot in the woods. He flicked his tail once and dove into the bushes.
“Maz!” Ziph called out. “Great, now I have to go after him. My mom always does a headcount. She will know if one is missing.”
Before Ziph could go after his brother, Maz reappeared with something hanging from his mouth. It wiggled and struggled to get loose.
“What is that?” LT asked, wrinkling his nose.
The thing was vaguely human-shaped with two arms and legs. It was only about a foot long though and had rough green skin. It had a round hunchback that glowed with a slow pulsing orange light and a protruding mouth with a row of sharp teeth. It tried to bite Maz, but its tiny teeth couldn’t penetrate the dragon’s thick hide.
“I don’t know,” Zookie said, sniffing the thing. He jumped back when it snapped its jaws at him. “It’s kinda creepy.”
A large shadow passed along the ground drawing Tim’s gaze upward toward the source. He grunted and pointed to the sky. “Uh.”
Lena followed his finger up and her eyes widened into the size of small plates. She put a hand over her mouth in shock.
More shadows slid across the ground until the sun was completely blocked out.
Chapter 22
LT followed the other’s gazes toward the sky and his jaw dropped. Things flew overhead. Dozens of them. Hundreds. They were huge, at least as big as Tim, and human-shaped. Their skin was a gray so dark it almost swallowed the sunlight when it hit them. They soared on massive wings almost twice as long as they were tall. They all carried weapons of some sort in clawed hands. Axes, hammers, clubs, spears, all manner of weapons. All wicked and nasty looking.
And they were heading straight for Dragon Cave Mountain.
“Oh!” Zookie said, “
we need to go now!” He charged toward the mountain.
“Zookie, wait!” LT yelled. When the dragon didn’t slow, he growled. “Stay here,” he said to Ziph and his siblings. “Stay out of sight.”
He ran after Zookie, Tim following behind, carrying Lena and Woody with him.
Zookie ran fast. Too fast for LT. The tiger tried to keep up, but the little dragon ran at a speed he couldn’t match. He glanced at the sky where the things still flew overhead. There were so many of them.
“Zookie, wait up,” He called again.
At first, LT thought Zookie would ignore him but instead, he skidded to a stop. LT didn’t know much about dragons, but his lizard-like face looked twisted with worry and fear.
“What?” Zookie snapped.
LT ran up to the little dragon. “What are you doing?” he huffed.
“I’m going to the mountain,” Zookie said, turning to start running again.
“But those things are heading that way,” he called out. “We need to hide! It doesn’t look like they’re going there for a party!”
As the dragon disappeared into the forest. Tim stepped past the Tiger. LT grumbled, but still followed the path Zookie took.
LT knew he was fast, but he had trouble keeping up. The little dragon moved like a river running downhill along a course defined by years of flowing water. He dipped below low-hanging branches, dove over large roots sticking from the ground and poured on more speed when the way was clear. LT wondered briefly why Zookie didn’t just fly, but he figured he knew why. He was just as fast on the ground as he would be in the air, being new to flying and all. Plus, he’d be exposing himself to the creatures overhead.
Still, the dense forest and constant up and down of the hills at the foot of the dragon’s mountain slowed them. The sun sank below the distant mountains and a full moon followed behind it, providing the forest with enough illumination that they didn’t have to slow.
LT’s legs ached and his lungs burned. It had been a long time since he’d ran like that. He was used to short bursts of speed to catch his prey. His large head drooped and he had to concentrate on not tripping over his own paws. One in front of the other, front and back. That was all it took to keep going.
He was so absorbed in not going down in a heap of striped fur that he didn’t notice the others stop in front of him. He barged right into the back of Tim’s leg. The cyclops barely moved.
Panting, LT pushed himself to his paws and tried to ask why they had stopped. He had no breath to spare to get the words out.
The reason became obvious, though. They stood at the top of a hill. Dragon Cave Mountain stood tall in front of them, just beyond a valley of trees. The mountain looked ominous somehow bathed in the moon’s pale light.
More worrying was the creatures that circled it. Their dark shapes seemed to swallow the moon’s light, leaving them barely visible against the night sky. Occasionally, a flash of light would streak from one of the creatures and strike the mountain, lighting up the sky for a brief moment.
“We have to get inside,” Zookie said, finally.
“Those things…have the place covered,” LT said between gasps for air. “We’ll…never get past…them.”
The dragon glanced at him. His eyes looked wild and dangerous. “You think there’s a front door like a human hovel?”
LT glanced at Lena on Tim’s back. If the girl was offended by the insult, she didn’t show it. “Well, I don’t…know anything about dragons, do I?” he growled. The effect was dampened by his heavy breathing.
“There’s a tunnel near here,” Zookie said. “Only a dragon with magic and the right passphrase can access it.”
“And you have…that, right?”
“Of course,” Zookie said. The dragon rumbled low at the creatures circling the mountain.
“Let’s go, then.” Lena’s voice was reserved for a change. Even she knew the gravity of the situation.
Zookie nodded and turned just as an arc of lightning burst blasted the ground beside them. LT yipped and jumped back, temporarily blinded.
The dragon seemed unfazed, though. Zookie roared and shot into the air, slamming into the creature overhead that had caused the lightning. The two tumbled in the air out of sight beyond the trees.
The wood elf, standing on Tim’s shoulder poked him in the head and pointed up at more creatures swarming toward them. Tim plucked the elf off his shoulder and tossed him high into the air. He landed on the back of one of the things. He climbed over the stony creature like an ant on a bread crust, jabbing at different joints with his spear, trying to find a weakness in the things stone hide.
Tim lifted Lena off his other shoulder and set her on the ground. He shrugged at her with a dull-eyed expression then ran to a tall tree. He scrambled up it deftly, turned and jumped on a passing creature.
Zookie reappeared. He had a small cut on his long neck but seemed no worse for wear. He dove and scooped up Lena in his claws. He hovered in the air a moment. “The entrance is over there,” he said to LT with a jerk of his head. “Hurry.”
He was gone before LT could reply. Eying the swarming creatures overhead, the tiger slipped into the trees, hoping his amazing camouflage worked as well as he boasted.
Through gaps in the limbs, LT watched as more and more creatures poured into the area, darkening the sky with their large bodies. Cracks of lightning flashed out, striking the mountainside, but still, no dragons came out to meet the attack.
In moments, LT came upon Zookie standing with Lena beside a large, black boulder.
“This is the way.” Without waiting for a response, Zookie turned towards the large rock. He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out, hissing as he did. The breath came out as a purple haze licking against the boulder.
The large, black spot shimmered a moment and dissolved to reveal a rocky passageway behind it.
“Cool,” Lena breathed. She then turned and looked around. “Where are the others? Tim and Woody?”
“I don’t know,” Zookie said, “but there’s no time to wait. Come on.”
He turned toward the tunnel.
“But—” Lena started.
Just then, Tim, bruised from fighting, bust through the opening, causing the three to jump. He carried the wood elf whose hair stood on end under his floppy hat like a bristling cat’s fur.
The group dove into the tunnel entrance.
Chapter 23
Zookie turned to speak the words to close the entrance to the tunnel. Before he could, however, one of the large creatures crashed into the cave, barreling through them. It hesitated a moment like it was surprised it made it through the rock before it turned and ran down the tunnel.
“Stop it,” LT said. “It’s in the mountain!”
Zookie roared and leapt on top of the thing, flattening it to the ground. Zookie growled, pressing his paws down on its back.
Tim appeared at their side. He lifted a large, barefoot and brought it down on the creature’s head. The head ground into dust. After a moment the rest of the body broke down into a cluster of rock under Zookie.
“We need to find my dad,” Zookie said, his doubleheart pounding in his chest. “He’ll be able to rally the rest of the dragons to fight back.”
“What are these things?” LT asked, batting at the dust.
“Gargoyles, I think,” Lena said. “I remember stories about them.”
Woody stood, staring out into the dark night. He said something in elvish. It sounded urgent.
“Right,” Zookie said. He hissed the words to close the opening.
“Will that keep them out?” LT asked once the rock had faded to a black spot on the cave wall. “And what in the world is a gargoyle?”
“Creatures made of stone—statues that are brought to life by dark magics,” Lena said breathlessly. “They have only one thought—do the bidding of the one that created them.”
“Who created them?” LT asked. “Who would want to?”
Lena shrugged.
&nb
sp; “It doesn’t matter who or why,” Zookie said. “All that matters is that they did and they’re attacking my home.”
There was a loud thump just outside the entrance and dust rained on them from the ceiling.
“They’re trying to get in,” Lena said.
“Come on, we need to find my dad.” Zookie turned to go further into the tunnel.
Grunts and roars echoed through the tunnels. They bounced off walls and rolled down the halls toward them, freezing everybody in their tracks.
“Are those dragons?” Lena asked.
Zookie shook his head. The noise was deeper than dragon roars. It was a low, bone-rattling sound like a rock slide. “Let’s go,” he said. They charged into the tunnel, then squished through a smaller tunnel.
“That little dragon is going to get us killed,” LT muttered, though not quiet enough for Zookie to not hear him. Louder he asked, “Shouldn’t we stop to think about this?”
“No time,” Zookie growled.
They followed the dragon deeper into the tunnel, Tim nearly bending in half to fit. The wood elf darted in and out between his feet.
“Do you know where this goes?” Lena called up to Zookie.
“It should lead to the main cave hive,” Zookie said. “Look for claw marks on the floor.”
“Should?” LT asked, but Zookie ignored him.
At first, they used Woody’s hat to light the way, but they soon started passing glowing stones embedded in the wall that provided some light. They weren’t quite enough to see the floor clearly, though. Zookie missed a large shape slumped on the floor. It was Tim who saw it with his one large eye. He grabbed Zookie by the tail to drag him to a stop.
“Un.” He pointed at the shape that was almost invisible in the shadows between the lighting stones.
“It’s a dragon. A guard, I think,” Zookie said, then slid forward. “Hello?”
“Is he…” Lena let the question drop before she finished it.
LT crept forward toward the larger dragon laying on the cold floor. His emerald scales seemed to gather up all the light and swallow it whole, leaving him in darkness. The tiger’s nose twitched as he smelled at the form on the floor.
Dragon Cave Mountain Page 9
