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Description
Chapter Two

Saria had initially fainted when that huge mouth came down and swallowed her but now she woke to blackness and wet. Was she inside the creature's belly? Was she to be slowly dissolved away? She felt around, hardly able to believe that she was still able to breathe, though, it wasn't pleasant, and found that there were large pillars inside the great stomach in which she was trapped. Perhaps the beast swallowed a castle or at least part of one, she thought as she explored the blackness with her hands. She came to the conclusion that this must be the dragon and though the idea of one that still existed thrilled her, she wished it hadn't eaten her before she had gotten a good look at it.

The smell inside of the thing was awful but then it ate sheep raw, what was one to expect? There was a sudden and powerful rocking, a bright reddish orange light and then Saria found herself rolling and hitting a hard, stone-like surface. She covered her head, waiting for whatever fate awaited her but when nothing happened, she opened her eyes and lifted her head. She was alive and outside though, covered in some kind of saliva that stretched and clung to her like some foul clear syrup. The beast, massive and green in color, stared at her as if it were confused to what to do next.

She was confused as well and so they stared at one another for a very long time, or so it seemed. Saria feared if she moved that it would attack so she remained perfectly still. The clear, foul smelling liquid covering her began to dry and crack, it was horrible yet still not as horrible as suffering whatever fate Thanis had planned for her. She realized during her staring that what she had thought were pillars were teeth, she had been in the dragon's mouth the entire time apparently. Why hadn't it swallowed her?

Saria recalled that in the stories the hidden ones could be talked to and so if there was any truth to those stories she might be able to reason with it. "Um, hello...?" She said gently. The beast, dragon she assumed, was as big as half the castle, bigger than she thought. Its body was thick and muscular with huge wings folded on its back. Rather than firm horns though, it had spines on its head that looked like they might go ridged if scared or threatened. The tail too had these spines. It was a varied green color and the scales were perfectly aligned and shiny.

It regarded her curiously, its head cocking slightly as she spoke. "Do you... understand me?" Saria asked, wary of what it might be thinking to do. Its head bobbed thoughtfully and then the wings stretched out. It wasn't until now that Saria realized they were in some kind of canyon, noticing the rising walls above on either side when the wing tips brushed them. The dragon curled its wings and tail around its body suddenly and began to twist them, becoming smaller each time until the creature shrunk down nearly to Saria's size. When they spread out again they turned to dust and there was a man there where the dragon had been. His skin a pale whitish green, his hair the color of the dragon's spines and his odd clothing or armor was like the dragon's scales.

Saria knew that the hidden people could shape shift and she could only assume he meant no harm or… perhaps he planned to eat her in a different body. It was impossible to say. "I cannot vocalize your language unless in this form." He said suddenly. His voice was deep but not terribly so, calm and a bit strange as if he wasn't used to using it. Saria was fighting to find words but her mind was racing with a million questions and a lifetime of restrained excitement. The stories she loved so much were becoming real right before her eyes. She wondered if perhaps she fell from the edge and died and this was some kind of afterlife. She was certainly not on Vanagarm anymore for there were no Canyons like this one there. She was on the ground, free from the floating kingdom.

"I'm sorry for grabbing you as I did but you see, I feared I might hurt you had I used my..." He began but stopped and then looked at his now human hands as if surprised that they appeared different. "Oh... no, it was fine!" Saria said quickly. "You... saved me." She added and pushed some of the stiff, dry hair from her face. "Did I?" He asked. He looked as confused and flustered as she did. Though, perhaps she was the first human he had ever seen? "Would you like some water to…?" He gestured to her state.

Saria took a few seconds to let that sink in. Those words were like music to her ears. She couldn’t fathom the idea of spending another second as she was. Saria looked around but it appeared they were in a deserted canyon, if there was a place to get water it eluded her. "Yes, I suppose that would be best." She said. He approached her slowly, as if giving her time to make sure he was not going to hurt her and then beckoned her to follow him as he walked passed her.

Saria followed but stayed a few paces away so she could study him. He was extremely tall, taller than any man she had seen. His body was very thin but muscular. The scales of his armor looked smooth and soft to the touch. "My name is Saria... What is your name?" She asked as he took them down the beautifully painted canyon floor. The Earth here seemed to capture and radiate the burning colors of the waning sun. "I am KY, the only Ky." He said. "Only Ky?" Saria asked, confused. "There are no more Ky... I am the only one." He said. Sarah was still a bit confused at what he was saying but gathered he meant he was the only one of his kind here.

He took them around a corner and the canyon opened to a perfectly clear and blue spring. The contrast of the vivid blue water and orange walls of rock made for an alien scene for her. She had only seen the green fields and mountains of her home, after all. "This is beautiful, Ky." She said, marveling at the sight. "Yes." Ky said and knelt by the water’s edge. "The minerals will clean the wounds on your body." He said and helped her down toward the edge of the water.

"How did you know I was hurt?" She asked, surprised. "I tasted blood.” He said and began to walk away. Saria looked around, wary to undress but it seemed they were alone. “Where are you going?” She asked. “I will make a fire. It is cold in the desert at night.” He said and then vanished around one of the Canyon wall they passed previously.

Saria would never feel safe bathing in the presence of a man, let alone a perfect stranger but he was a dragon and that seemed to make it alright. He was just an animal. At any rate, she wasn’t about to remain like she was, covered in drying dragon saliva. Removing her clothes was a task, the cuts and gouges on her back were sore and still bleeding but the scrapes on her legs were what stung when the water touched them. She hissed at the pain but after a moment of resting in the water, the pain went from a hard throbbing to a mild annoyance.

The setting was relaxing and the water was warm. She gathered it must have been a hot spring. She had heard tales of them and for the most part she was very glad they existed. She drifted in and out of consciousness, the events of the day had been traumatic at best and her body and mind wanted to shut down and sleep. The sound of crackling woke her from one dazed sleep and she saw Ky laying in his massive old form near a fire he had built some twenty feet from the water. He seemed to be staring off into space and pondering something quite deeply. She watched him curiously as he mused.

It wasn’t long before she drifted off again. Her dreams were filled with nightmares of Thanis and his chasing of her to the edge of the abyss but in the dream there was no Ky and she fell. She stirred only because she heard the rustling of feet and clothes suddenly. It was Ky, though he was in his human form again and hanging her clothes up on the branches of a long dead tree near the fire.

"I cleaned your clothes while you slept, they are not yet dry. The fire will keep you warm until then." He said without even looking to see if she was awake. She looked around and while she slept the sun had gone down completely. The stars were out and save for the fire they were the only light in the dark deserted canyon. "You... can't mean for me to sit naked there until then?" She asked, moving to the water's edge. The pool was not gradual, the bank dropped down into smoothed rock ledges, much like a bath, so she was well covered by the water while touching the edge of the orange colored stone.

Description
Chapter Two

Saria had initially fainted when that huge mouth came down and swallowed her but now she woke to blackness and wet. Was she inside the creature's belly? Was she to be slowly dissolved away? She felt around, hardly able to believe that she was still able to breathe, though, it wasn't pleasant, and found that there were large pillars inside the great stomach in which she was trapped. Perhaps the beast swallowed a castle or at least part of one, she thought as she explored the blackness with her hands. She came to the conclusion that this must be the dragon and though the idea of one that still existed thrilled her, she wished it hadn't eaten her before she had gotten a good look at it.

The smell inside of the thing was awful but then it ate sheep raw, what was one to expect? There was a sudden and powerful rocking, a bright reddish orange light and then Saria found herself rolling and hitting a hard, stone-like surface. She covered her head, waiting for whatever fate awaited her but when nothing happened, she opened her eyes and lifted her head. She was alive and outside though, covered in some kind of saliva that stretched and clung to her like some foul clear syrup. The beast, massive and green in color, stared at her as if it were confused to what to do next.

She was confused as well and so they stared at one another for a very long time, or so it seemed. Saria feared if she moved that it would attack so she remained perfectly still. The clear, foul smelling liquid covering her began to dry and crack, it was horrible yet still not as horrible as suffering whatever fate Thanis had planned for her. She realized during her staring that what she had thought were pillars were teeth, she had been in the dragon's mouth the entire time apparently. Why hadn't it swallowed her?

Saria recalled that in the stories the hidden ones could be talked to and so if there was any truth to those stories she might be able to reason with it. "Um, hello...?" She said gently. The beast, dragon she assumed, was as big as half the castle, bigger than she thought. Its body was thick and muscular with huge wings folded on its back. Rather than firm horns though, it had spines on its head that looked like they might go ridged if scared or threatened. The tail too had these spines. It was a varied green color and the scales were perfectly aligned and shiny.

It regarded her curiously, its head cocking slightly as she spoke. "Do you... understand me?" Saria asked, wary of what it might be thinking to do. Its head bobbed thoughtfully and then the wings stretched out. It wasn't until now that Saria realized they were in some kind of canyon, noticing the rising walls above on either side when the wing tips brushed them. The dragon curled its wings and tail around its body suddenly and began to twist them, becoming smaller each time until the creature shrunk down nearly to Saria's size. When they spread out again they turned to dust and there was a man there where the dragon had been. His skin a pale whitish green, his hair the color of the dragon's spines and his odd clothing or armor was like the dragon's scales.

Saria knew that the hidden people could shape shift and she could only assume he meant no harm or… perhaps he planned to eat her in a different body. It was impossible to say. "I cannot vocalize your language unless in this form." He said suddenly. His voice was deep but not terribly so, calm and a bit strange as if he wasn't used to using it. Saria was fighting to find words but her mind was racing with a million questions and a lifetime of restrained excitement. The stories she loved so much were becoming real right before her eyes. She wondered if perhaps she fell from the edge and died and this was some kind of afterlife. She was certainly not on Vanagarm anymore for there were no Canyons like this one there. She was on the ground, free from the floating kingdom.

"I'm sorry for grabbing you as I did but you see, I feared I might hurt you had I used my..." He began but stopped and then looked at his now human hands as if surprised that they appeared different. "Oh... no, it was fine!" Saria said quickly. "You... saved me." She added and pushed some of the stiff, dry hair from her face. "Did I?" He asked. He looked as confused and flustered as she did. Though, perhaps she was the first human he had ever seen? "Would you like some water to…?" He gestured to her state.

Saria took a few seconds to let that sink in. Those words were like music to her ears. She couldn’t fathom the idea of spending another second as she was. Saria looked around but it appeared they were in a deserted canyon, if there was a place to get water it eluded her. "Yes, I suppose that would be best." She said. He approached her slowly, as if giving her time to make sure he was not going to hurt her and then beckoned her to follow him as he walked passed her.

Saria followed but stayed a few paces away so she could study him. He was extremely tall, taller than any man she had seen. His body was very thin but muscular. The scales of his armor looked smooth and soft to the touch. "My name is Saria... What is your name?" She asked as he took them down the beautifully painted canyon floor. The Earth here seemed to capture and radiate the burning colors of the waning sun. "I am KY, the only Ky." He said. "Only Ky?" Saria asked, confused. "There are no more Ky... I am the only one." He said. Sarah was still a bit confused at what he was saying but gathered he meant he was the only one of his kind here.

He took them around a corner and the canyon opened to a perfectly clear and blue spring. The contrast of the vivid blue water and orange walls of rock made for an alien scene for her. She had only seen the green fields and mountains of her home, after all. "This is beautiful, Ky." She said, marveling at the sight. "Yes." Ky said and knelt by the water’s edge. "The minerals will clean the wounds on your body." He said and helped her down toward the edge of the water.

"How did you know I was hurt?" She asked, surprised. "I tasted blood.” He said and began to walk away. Saria looked around, wary to undress but it seemed they were alone. “Where are you going?” She asked. “I will make a fire. It is cold in the desert at night.” He said and then vanished around one of the Canyon wall they passed previously.

Saria would never feel safe bathing in the presence of a man, let alone a perfect stranger but he was a dragon and that seemed to make it alright. He was just an animal. At any rate, she wasn’t about to remain like she was, covered in drying dragon saliva. Removing her clothes was a task, the cuts and gouges on her back were sore and still bleeding but the scrapes on her legs were what stung when the water touched them. She hissed at the pain but after a moment of resting in the water, the pain went from a hard throbbing to a mild annoyance.

The setting was relaxing and the water was warm. She gathered it must have been a hot spring. She had heard tales of them and for the most part she was very glad they existed. She drifted in and out of consciousness, the events of the day had been traumatic at best and her body and mind wanted to shut down and sleep. The sound of crackling woke her from one dazed sleep and she saw Ky laying in his massive old form near a fire he had built some twenty feet from the water. He seemed to be staring off into space and pondering something quite deeply. She watched him curiously as he mused.

It wasn’t long before she drifted off again. Her dreams were filled with nightmares of Thanis and his chasing of her to the edge of the abyss but in the dream there was no Ky and she fell. She stirred only because she heard the rustling of feet and clothes suddenly. It was Ky, though he was in his human form again and hanging her clothes up on the branches of a long dead tree near the fire.

"I cleaned your clothes while you slept, they are not yet dry. The fire will keep you warm until then." He said without even looking to see if she was awake. She looked around and while she slept the sun had gone down completely. The stars were out and save for the fire they were the only light in the dark deserted canyon. "You... can't mean for me to sit naked there until then?" She asked, moving to the water's edge. The pool was not gradual, the bank dropped down into smoothed rock ledges, much like a bath, so she was well covered by the water while touching the edge of the orange colored stone.