Amecha's Story
The story of Amecha and Noelani's parents. Part 1
Lightning lit the canyon with light, piercing even the darkest of areas below. The blighted ground below was covered in ash and bodies of the fallen. Screams and cries echoed out through the canyon, carrying to even the farthest reaches. The violent wind storm had stirred up the dirt and ash, refusing to let it fall to the ground. The battle had long been raging.
Amaela reared back on her hind legs, and using her tail and wings to balance herself, directed a burst of ice to the nearest zombie. It in turn froze solid, before exploding into a seemingly infinate number of pieces. The ground below it laid littered with the remains of both the armies of the Withered Aegis and the Gifted. The once beautiful landscape was now strewn with blighted death, turning the living land into a burial site.
Amaela shook the earth around her as she landed, briefly stunning the approaching hoards. Her ivory white scales glowed vibrantly with every flash of light, giving off the faintest hint of a blue sheen. Her silky white wings flapped back and forth as she attacked and retreated. The bright color of her scales showed even through the dark night.
Along side her stood her mate, Karovar. He stood much taller than she, with scales of the darkest blue. He was not easily seen in the chaotic mess of battle, though she needn't see him to know he was there. The connection they had made at their bonding ceremony many years ago attatched their spirits, creating one shared entity between them. The need for verbal words was not required.
Amaela rocked back briefly before lunging forward, sinking her teeth into the shoulder of another zombie. The waves were growing stronger now, with less organization to them. The soldiers of the Aegis were attacking in varying stages. The loss of sight plagued the gifted in their battle, as the clouds created by the winds, along with the darkness made visual identification nearly impossible.
"Taima, how are you holding up?" Amaela asked as she turned to the small Saris healer standing in between her and Karovar. The brief pause of the battle allowed them a few moments to regain their composure.
"I... I'm doing alright," her voice cracked as she spoke, obviously shaken by the events. She was still so very young, barely half way through her training.
A skeleton broke through the darkness, swinging its sword toward the small Saris. Karovar quickly turned to intercept the attack, taking the damage intended for the young biped. Taima fell and landed on her back, letting out a slight cry before realizing that she hadn't been hit.
"Quick, Taima, get back!" Karovar shouted as he finished off the skeleton. His jaw bled slightly from the wounding of the sword, though he did not hesitate to regain his stance and prepare for the next attack.
Taima shook violently in fear as she slid herself back a bit before standing up, panting slightly. She could hardly believe that a dragon would take an attack intended for her. If she had been hit, she'd have surely fallen. The attacking army of the Withered Aegis was well beyond her season, though she knew she had a duty to fight. Standing behind Amaela, she began to heal the two dragons, following it by the only gifts she had available to her.
Rearing back, Amaela flapped her wings wildly, hitting the approaching wave of undead with an invisible wall. They were increasing, attacking in groups now. The odds were clearly stacked against them, but still they refused to back down.
"It's nearly done!" came a voice from behind them, barely audible over the cries of battle. "The surrounding towns are almost completely evacuated, the citizens are in a safe area!"
The two dragons finished the last of the wave off before Amaela turned to identify the voice. "Is it!? That's great news to hear Abal! Now you, you get yourself to safety, now! And take Taima with you!"
"No! I will not go!" Taima shouted at the top of her lungs, gathering strength and confidence now from deep within her. Her voice was strong. "You need help to fight them, you can not do it alone!"
Karovar twisted his neck, lowering it to Taima's level, baring his teeth just inches from her nose. She shook slightly, but refused to back down.
"Taima, listen, we are enormously grateful for what you have done here," Karovar started off. "We are in your debt. We would never have lasted this long if it were not for you. However, this battle was lost from the beginning, all we can really do is buy time for the others to retreat to safety. We will not survive. Do not let that be your fate!"
"But I could..."
"No, Taima! You go now!" Amaela responded, allowing Karovar just enough time to turn around and engulf an oncoming skeleton. "Taima, you have been wonderful to us here, though it is you that I want to do us this one favor."
Taima paused, tilting her head slightly to the side, she gave a questioning look, "Fa... favor? Me? Anything!"
Amaela felt encouragement from Karovar radiating to her through the cold storm. "We have a clutch of eggs hidden burried in the snow on the shore north of Magahra. They are our young ones. Watch over them for us, will you?"
Taima stood shocked at what she heard, "No! You should raise them yourselves! They need you!"
Amaela looked through the dark cloud of ash and dirt, clearly seeing the bodies of the fallen Gifted. There were few left living, overcome by the overpowering armies. The bodies of the Gifted gave off a faint red glow through the darkness. She knew that there was not much time left before they too fell.
The connection had grown stonger between her and her mate now, the love he projected to her, she reflected back to him. Both of them knew their time was short.
"We're not meant to survive this battle, young Taima. Please, do this for us?"
Taima shook her head slightly as tears streamed down her cheeks and fell to the ground. Her voice had started to crack again, though not in fear this time, but in love. She herself knew what was to become of the dragon pair, though she still found difficulty in accepting such a thing.
"Yes... I will."
Abal grabbed Taima's arm and pulled her alongside him, "You've done all you can do here! We need to go!"
Taima forced herself to put on a brave front and gave the pair one last glance, mouthing the words 'I will' once more.
Amaela twisted her neck around to face the young Saris, the guardian of her precious hatchlings. Several tears fell from her eyes as she lowered her head in thanks to her trusted ally. Taima quickly disappeared behind the blanket of smoke and ash.
"We can not hold them off much longer, love!" Amaela shouted as she threw her claw into the undead in front of her, adding as much force as she possibly could into the attack.
"We have to give them more time!"
Through the darkness came a sudden wall of undead, separating the two of them. The link was still strong as Amaela stood up and threw everything she had at the mob surrounding her. She felt every attack against her scales, every slash of a warriors blade against the already raw flesh of her neck. The feelings were amplified through the connection she shared with her mate, knowing the wounds he was enduring.
All at once, the connection fell silent. The absence of her mate now hit her like the recoiling of a rubber band. Her heart broke in two at that moment. She dared not verify the loss of her mate, as she knew the site of his lifeless body would only cause her more pain.
With the last bit of effort her beaten body had to give, she fought out in vengeance against the mob. She threw every bit of vengeful anger against her foes before they managed to throw her to her side, pinning a wing underneath her body, breaking it instantly. She struggled to roll herself upright, managing to engulf the mob with flame. The heat was amplified by her rage.
Somehow, one had managed to survive the angry fire. Laughing wickedly as he raised his sword above his head, he plunged through her shoulder and into her heart.
