2016 Pickford Community Library's Young Writers Workshop Anthology of Short Stories and Poetry
Page 3
Tourmaline noticed Onyx looking at her, but Onyx didn't know of this insight. Just to fool Onyx, she faded into the background. She smirked to herself as she saw Onyx's surprised response.
Onyx had other plans. He guessed it was a long way to Tourmaline's nest, and he knew that Tourmaline might play some games with him, so he played a game with her. Onyx soared up through the canopy, expecting Tourmaline to follow. Tourmaline was surprised by Onyx's actions, but then saw his game and followed. Onyx could hear Tourmaline burst through the leaves but could not see her as she flew over his head and looked down at him, smiling. She un-camouflaged. "It's just down here, follow me." Tourmaline dived back through the canopy, Onyx followed.
Dangling from one of the tree's branches was a large nest, similar to that of a Baya Weaver bird, except it was much, much bigger. Tourmaline swooped into the entrance hole, and Onyx landed at the entrance, clinging to the woven leaves. Onyx peeked his head in to see Tourmaline walking around. He then walked into the nest. He thought he was only to stay until he got on his feet, but little did he know, he would be staying there for many years…
***
Onyx was curled up asleep in the corner of the nest, Tourmaline on the other side, but he woke up to the light of the moon. His natural, nocturnal, instincts told him to go for a midnight flight among the stars, for he was a StarJumper. He walked out to the edge of the nest and took off, not caring where Tourmaline was. Onyx flew along the canopy until he found a place to land and stargaze. He sat there for a long time and thought...Who would've imagined I'd end up here? Onyx sighed to himself. Living with an Invisible Weaver dragon in the Amazonian rainforest. He chuckled. "At least I found another dragon."
"I'm not the only dragon in this forest, you know." Onyx could hear Tourmaline's voice behind him. He turned around in shock to see Tourmaline materializing from the background.
She sat down beside Onyx and sighed. "There are plenty more dragons in this forest, plenty more that you could live with. You don't have to stay with me if you don't want to. I'm probably much too childish for you." Tourmaline said, looking up at the stars.
"No! I want to stay!" Onyx turned to her, blushing. "But, one question: are there more Invisible Weavers out there?"
"Yes, many, but I ran away. Too many rules, and humans were slaughtering them as though they were sheep." Tourmaline sighed.
"Oh, sorry." Onyx said.
"You're fine," Tourmaline replied before closing her eyes. "These stars must be old friends for you, they kept you company, led the way..."
"Sort of, but you are nocturnal too. Don't you look at them?" Onyx asked.
"Yes, but I don't look to them for friendship…at least, not the stars themselves. I want to explore them. I want to travel to the different galaxies, find the planets, and see if there are other dragons, maybe even someone like me."
"Can you do that? Wait...no dragon is capable."
"Exactly. They are out there, but I'm still here."
Onyx moved closer to Tourmaline and wrapped his wings around her. She began to do something Onyx had never seen a dragon do; she began to cry. "What are you doing? I thought only humans could cry."
"Yes, I have been alone, so I have been experiencing what was thought to be human things without any prejudice," Tourmaline said.
"That's kinda cool. I used to live with humans,” Onyx smiled.
"Really? What are they like?" Tourmaline asked.
"Well," Onyx began....
The two dragons spent the whole night talking, and they spent the next morning sleeping in, but with smiles on their faces, tears in their eyes, and love in their hearts.
***
Ever since that night, Tourmaline and Onyx became best friends. They always had each other's backs, and they needed to. Onyx soon came to realize that the Amazon was a very strange and dangerous place, more strange and more dangerous than the humans ever knew. Tourmaline knew exactly what to do in every situation. They also spent many a night talking, and Onyx observed as Tourmaline displayed human things like crying and singing.
***
Onyx sat and smiled at Tourmaline as she sang to him. Her voice was sultry, smooth, and her tone soothing and low. Her eyes were closed, but Onyx could still see the expression in her face, and he could imagine her eyes, like stars. Both dragons were involved in the music, so involved that they were vulnerable to the outside world. It was too risky to be vulnerable.
A large, male Invisible Weaver materialized behind them, screeched, and aimed his opened mouth and sharp fangs toward Onyx`s neck. Onyx ducked and rolled out of the way. Tourmaline camouflaged herself, giving herself time to get into a battle stance before the other dragon saw her. She then jumped in front of Onyx defensively, un-camouflaged, and breathed fire at the opponent to try to ward it off. The dragon hissed then pounced on Tourmaline, sinking its claws into her side.
"Tourmaline!" Onyx shouted in concern.
"I`m..." Tourmaline grunted, "…fine!" she shouted the end of her sentence as she threw the Invisible Weaver off her body and pinned it down.
Onyx blushed as she did this. He admired her strength and bravery.
"Don't sit there! There`s another dragon behind you!" Tourmaline commanded just before a second Weaver pounced on Onyx from behind.
"Alright, food for the taking..." The Weaver that was on Onyx said, smirking. It wrapped its claws around the struggling Onyx and began to fly away with him. It had a tight hold on Onyx, keeping his limbs to his side.
"Tourmaline!" Onyx shouted.
Tourmaline looked up at Onyx and the dragon, leaped off the other dragon, and flew toward her friend. She jumped on the Weaver, knocking Onyx out of its claws, freeing Onyx to latch onto the dragon as well. Tourmaline sunk her teeth into the dragon's neck, its cries of agony ringing in their ears. Tourmaline’s diamondlike eyes turned into blazing rubies, and Onyx saw the fire. It lit a fire in him, too, causing him to sink his claws into the dragon's vitals.
When the two landed back where they had started, the dead dragon in claws, the other Invisible Weaver began to attack, only to get a quick cut to the lungs by Tourmaline. The dragon fell to the ground. Tourmaline stood on top of the second Weaver and pressed on the wound with her foot, causing blood to spew out on her once beautiful, pristine feathers.
Onyx stood with slight fear in his eyes, not knowing what Tourmaline and her ruthlessness were going to be like after she ran out of things to play with. "Tourmaline? I think it`s dead..." Onyx said quietly, his voice going up an octave in fear.
Tourmaline turned to Onyx. She lowered her head. "I`m sorry...I just...you're afraid of me now, aren't you?"
Onyx stuttered. "What? No! I`m just wondering why you get so angry at these guys." Onyx said, trying hard to lie.
"Look, it's rough out here. Being hidden from the world comes at a price. It`s life and death, everyone's killing everyone, very few alliances. I don't like it, I don't like having to kill my own kind every night, it's like I'm killing myself. I also didn`t want to scare you, turn you away, I didn`t want you to see me fight. I was embarrassed, and anxious, and angry all at once," Tourmaline explained, getting off the second dragon.
"Oh, I didn't mind, I think it's kinda cool." Onyx rubbed the back of his neck with his paw and chuckled nervously.
The two dragons could hear a loud roar in the distance. Tourmaline lifted her head up in alarm. "Come with me. Now," Tourmaline commanded before swooping off the canopy.
"Wait, wait a minute, what was that? Can't you fight it off?" Onyx asked, flying behind her.
"Not tonight." Tourmaline snapped. "And keep your voice down."
Onyx lay awake that night, the unknown creature`s loud roars causing him to shudder. He watched Tourmaline`s body twist and turn in the corner of the nest, wondering what horrible secret she was keeping from him.
***
Tourmaline`s eyes flickered open as the morning sun shone in her face. She sat up and looked around. "Onyx? ONYX!
" she called for him.
"Up here!" Onyx called from outside.
Tourmaline climbed outside of the nest, hooked her claws to the woven leaves of the outside nest, and climbed up to see Onyx peeling a banana from a nearby tree.
"Breakfast is served. I couldn't find any birds; that monster must`ve scared them away for a few days, but I think these will do." Onyx smiled warmly.
Tourmaline scoffed. "Bananas? Dragons are meant to eat meat! How undignified." Tourmaline turned her nose up at Onyx.
Onyx frowned slightly. Tourmaline turned her nose back down to Onyx. She climbed up the nearby banana tree, swiped a banana, and hung in front of Onyx by her tail.
"Thank you," Tourmaline whispered just before taking a bite of her banana.
"But I thought this was undignified?"
"There is no right or wrong around me, Onyx. I mean, I cry and sing in front of you right?" Tourmaline smiled.
Onyx smiled back at her. "Right."
"You don't have to do that for me, just like I don't have to eat this, but that`s what friends are for, right?" Tourmaline asked.
"Right," Onyx agreed.
"But.... I do know that there is a tapir herd not too far from here that would taste pretty good with these." Tourmaline said.
"Let`s do it." Onyx grinned.
Tourmaline and Onyx flew a few miles from the nest to a clearing by a part of the local tributary. They could see the little blackish brown specks—the herd of tapirs.
"Follow me, we gotta be careful so we don`t scare them," Onyx said. Tourmaline was no longer by his side. "Tourmaline?"
"Donkeys to that! You just gotta be quick! Are StarJumpers really that boring?" Tourmaline shouted while flying over the terrified tapirs. "Let`s see, gotta go for a fat one. Knowing Onyx, he'll catch one of the scrawny, sick ones." She said to herself.
Onyx put a paw on his forehead. "Ugh, I swear, I can`t keep track of this woman," he muttered under his breath as he dived down after Tourmaline.
Tourmaline captured the largest tapir of the group in her talons and swooped away with it, the tapir squealing in distress as it tried to get free. Tourmaline decided to fly overhead to wait for Onyx and watch him hunt. "I know you can go faster!" Tourmaline shouted from above as she snapped the neck of her catch nonchalantly.
"Yeah, okay, Coach!" Onyx yelled back sarcastically as he sped up and snatched a random tapir off the ground and flew back up to Tourmaline.
"Make sure to snap its neck; we gotta make sure it's dead." Tourmaline advised.
"Yes, yes, I know what I'm doing." Onyx sighed, snapping his tapir`s neck.
"Now, breakfast is served." Tourmaline smiled.
***
"What was that thing that was roaring a few nights ago?" Onyx asked a sleepy Tourmaline.
"Just another dragon, much larger and way more controlling. I`ve tried to fight it, but this happened." Tourmaline lifted her wing to reveal a deep, bloody gash down her side. It was like three red abysses cutting through her scales, and the feathers and scales around the cuts were drained of their color, just a drab gray.
"Wow," Onyx whispered.
Tourmaline put her wing down and blushed with insecurity. "Yeah, but if you avoid it, you should be fine."
"You just needed a good partner to help you! What do you say, maybe find it and give it a gash as bad as yours?" Onyx encouraged Tourmaline.
"Normally I would say yes, but if something happened to you because of me, I would never forgive myself.” Tourmaline sighed.
"Hey, Tourmaline?"
"Yes?"
"What am I to you?" Onyx asked, staring deep into Tourmaline`s eyes. They were as intricate as a galaxy with one central, black star as the pupil.
"Ugh, sentimental stuff. You know that`s not safe around here," Tourmaline said in a scolding fashion, and it seemed as though she was telling herself that, the way she lowered her head like she was ashamed.
Onyx tilted his head as he observed. "Well?" Onyx lifted Tourmaline`s head.
"You know how I said I wanted to meet someone like me? Someone of the heavens, someone who sees me cry and hears me sing and doesn't get weirded out, someone who gives me a home, a sense of purpose. I have been a wandering soul for 40 years. I left as an adolescent, and I have been lost since then. I look at you, Onyx, and I don`t need the stars to guide me anymore. I look at you, and I`m not lost anymore." Tourmaline sighed, the burden of tears hanging in her eyes.
Onyx looked at her, astonished.
Tourmaline shook the tears out of her eyes and turned away from Onyx. "It`s stupid," she muttered.
Onyx drooped his ears. He couldn't stand to see Tourmaline hold back tears like that, hold back feelings. It was like she still had something to hide, like she still didn`t want Onyx to see her weakness, even after a few months of living with her. "Tourmaline, why do you try to hide things from me?"
"Look, Onyx. You are my best friend, and I feel...like it`s more, but I try to suppress it because I care about you! I'm afraid, Onyx. I haven't been sleeping, not because of the dragons, but humans, Onyx. Human tribes are coming here, and they are after us. They are after me! This is a war, Onyx, a constant fight for survival, and you are lucky I took this chance, because there are no relationships in a war. You could get hurt, and it would be my fault." Tourmaline raised her voice.
It was silent in the nest.
"Tourmaline, I…care about you too. And that's why I need to show you that you can keep your guard down for a little while. I want to spend every little while with you, and I want to fight with you in the tough times. I know humans; I can help you. We can recreate ourselves, together, fight together, live as one front, but embodied in two dragons. If I get hurt, I want it to be for something I believe in, and I believe in you." Onyx said.
Tourmaline`s feathers turned deep, blood red with infusions of pink.
Onyx opened his wings to reveal the midnight blue insides. He also flashed the feathers on the end of his tail and danced around the nest.
"What are you doing?" Tourmaline asked.
"Do you want to recreate our souls entwined?" Onyx asked, curling his tail under Tourmaline`s cheek.
Tourmaline smiled and stood up. Onyx and Tourmaline got into position, they both faced each other, one on each side of the nest. They bowed to each other and then flared out their wings.
Tourmaline's feathers turned an assortment of blues, purples, and blacks.
They leaped toward each other and wrapped their tails as they passed, attaching them. Tourmaline pulled her tail from Onyx and the two tails flickered about, displaying both dragons' beautiful tail feathers. Tourmaline changed from dark, cool colors to vibrant, flashing warm colors as the dance went along.
After leaping and flying around the nest for a few minutes, Onyx and Tourmaline came together in the middle of the room, wrapped their tails, and nuzzled each other.
That night, Tourmaline was having another nightmare, secretly questioning her choice to mate with Onyx in her head. Onyx noticed her groans and grunts and walked over to the curled body of Tourmaline. He curled his body around hers and put his wing over her protectively.
***
3 months later...
"Aaah, yes, a Weaver and a Jumper. Good meat, enough for the village." A human warrior said, pointing his spear toward Onyx and Tourmaline.
Onyx and Tourmaline had heard this tribe talk before, they knew their language, and they knew they were in trouble. The two dragons were surrounded by warriors from the local Amazonian tribe, and they were hunted down almost daily; however, they were always clever enough to escape. The warriors were all dressed pretty much the same—in dragon skin outfits, which were black with hints of turquoise. Their spears were long with dragon teeth as the spearheads. A few feathers from Invisible Weavers dangled just below the spearhead.
"Take it easy, Tour. You don't want anything to happen to it," Onyx said, gesturing to Tourmaline’s pregnant belly.
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br /> Tourmaline grunted in agreement.
The Warriors attacked, but it was easy for the dragons to get a few off their backs. Tourmaline sprayed fire at the first half, and anyone who got close was either whacked with one of the dragon's tails or pounced on.
After a few minutes of fighting, both dragons were wounded, and only one warrior remained: the leader, who had bloody claw marks on his face, arms, and a few on the abdomen.
"Let's finish him, Tour," Onyx said eagerly to Tourmaline. Onyx could hear Tourmaline cry in agony behind him. Onyx looked over his shoulder. "Tourmaline?"
She was going into labor.
"Tourmaline, Tourmaline, you gotta get out of here...." Onyx warned Tourmaline. The warrior closed in on the two dragons.
"I kinda can't move right now." Tourmaline muttered before a loud grunt in pain.
"Okay, okay. Then I'll save you. You always save me, so I'm going to save you." Onyx said, slightly panicked.
Onyx stood in front of Tourmaline, fire in his eyes, growling at the warrior. The warrior jumped at Onyx, scraping the dragon’s neck with his spear. Onyx turned his head away and growled in pain, then he looked back just as the warrior grabbed Onyx by the jaws, holding his mouth shut and pulling him down. The warrior held Onyx tightly and began to tie him up. Onyx wanted to cry for Tourmaline, but he knew she couldn't help him, and he couldn't call for her anyway.
Tourmaline looked over at Onyx and stared into his fearful eyes. Her diamond eyes blazed into rubies as she stood up, shaking from the pain. She walked toward the warrior and Onyx, occasionally stopping and grunting in pain, but she kept on.
Onyx saw Tourmaline inching closer to him and the warrior. "No! Tourmaline, don't! Save yourself! Save the child!" He tried to shout, tears in his eyes.
"No. Let me do this for you!" Tourmaline shouted.
The warrior aimed his spear, pointing it down at Onyx's head. He raised the spear, and just before it fell on Onyx, Tourmaline jumped and took the spear to her back, straight into her lungs.
Onyx could hear Tourmaline's last, sharp gasp for breath as she fell next to him.