Taya examined the arrow wound to Zenith’s wing. The arrow had black and white feathers on the far end and a barbed tip on the front. She carefully cut the feathers off the back of the arrow so as to cause Zenith as little pain as possible. Once the feathers were removed she nudged Zenith awake and slowly began to pull the arrow through his wing. Zenith writhed in pain.
“Just a little further,” Taya said soothingly, and a calmness flowed over the dragon. She gave one final tug and the arrow gave way. Taya tore the sleeves and bottom part of the white night gown she was wearing from the night previous so that it fit above her knees and exposed her arms. She fashioned a belt from several vines which she wove together. She used the material that she had torn from her night gown to bandage Zenith’s wing. It wasn’t very secure, but it would have to do. Taya gathered some firewood together as she did not know how long they would be stuck in the jungle.
Morning rolled into afternoon; the sun was high and beat down upon the two. Taya provided shade for her injured friend and told him to rest. Though Zenith believed he would be able to help, Taya knew it was best for him to continue to lie down and regain energy. Without knowing the surroundings, Taya decided to stay close and only gather resources in the nearest area. Walking a little into bush Taya heard rustling, not that of any animal, something more dangerous. She wanted to get a closer look without being detected by this wanderer, so Taya found a tree she thought she could manage her way up. She reached high enough that the branches in full bloom provided enough cover for her to keep a close eye on the stranger unseen.
Taya noted the strange behaviour of these people, behaviour similar to her own. They scouted out an area, stayed quiet and low to the earth, and seemed always on their toes. Unlike herself, they did this in a more fluid manner, relaxed, like it was in their blood to trust they could take on any danger. A noise emitted from behind her, human. Taya carefully positioned herself on the other side of the tree in an effort to observe what was happening behind her. She could not see them, and did not understand how they moved so quickly without so much as a twig snapping. She began to wonder if they knew she was hiding. Through the bushes she spotted one, a young woman, with a similar complexion to Taya’s. She had long dark hair and what appeared to be a bow with golden designs running over it, and it was pointed at Zenith. In one quick motion Taya slid down the side of the tree she was crouched on. She landed on a lower branch and leapt to the ground between Zenith and this warrior. She held her bone knife in front of her, crouched like a wild cat defending itself.
“What do you want?” Taya hissed, shifting from side to side, eyeing the danger. The woman held herself in the same manner, drawing upon her bow. The two were locked in intense eye contact, which neither of them broke while exchanging words.
“Just getting a closer look at that dragon.” The woman took a step towards Taya, clearly not affected by her threatening stance, “Stand down.”
“That dragon belongs to me and I will not stand down.” Taya also very fearlessly took step forward to stand her ground. As she did, she became a threat, and instantly a voiced boomed from behind her. Taya turned, locking eyes with the third party, a very well built man pulling a weapon on her.
“Be wise, there are two of us, one of you and an injured dragon.” The man’s voice cut straight through Taya. She had dropped her guard on the woman she had first encountered in an effort to locate the man’s voice, and in a split second the woman with the golden bow rushed Taya and in one smooth motion had both of Taya’s arms locked behind her back. Taya felt herself lose consciousness as an arm reached over her shoulders and around her neck. The world became blurry and she gasped for air. Taya saw the sun grow dark and she fell into the warriors’ arms.
Taya’s waking was sudden. She gasped for breath as her last conscious thoughts came to mind. She was in a hut on a soft bed made of leaves and branches. The hut was small and enclosed, probably meant for one person. Taya could tell by the ornamental weapons hanging from the slightly slanted walls that the hut belonged to someone of importance. It was fairly worn down; the straw matt on the floor had seen better days. She guessed at whom the hut belonged to, perhaps an elder or leader of some tribe or an official; Taya really did not know. Suddenly a wave of anxiety came over her, as she realized that Zenith was not with her. Just as she began get up out of the bed, the woman with the golden bow walked through the strings of hanging beads which made up the doorway.
“You’re up!” she said, “I’m glad to see you are alright.”
“Where am I? And where is my dragon?!” Taya exclaimed with fear filling her voice.
“My name is J’vonte’,” she stuck her hand out towards Taya to offer her help getting up. Taya rejected the offer and got up by herself, standing face to face with J’vonte’.
“I’ll take you to your dragon,” J’vonte’ conceded. She pushed the beaded curtain to one side and gestured Taya to exit the hut. Still lacking in trust the two left the hut and travelled through the small village.
“Who are these people?” Taya’s eyes widened as she looked all around her on their way to find Zenith. J’vonte’ explained that her people were a native tribe to Danenya. The tribe had become the only one to populate Danenya for over 100 years. After a great war, J’vonte’s tribe, Yelya, had shown their strength and skill and carefully wiped out every other surrounding tribe. Despite the fact the tribe only held about 400 Yelyains, each were equipped with great fighting skill and a creature to aid them. Taya observed as both men and women sparred out in the open fields.
“They train out in the open as well as in the jungle. With countless hours of training you become a true warrior.” J’vonte’ said.
“Your entire people are warriors?” Taya asked incredulously.
“Some more than others. Of course we need farmers, and those who work the land to help sustain us, but every person is trained to some extent,” replied J’vonte’.
“And you have completed all of your training?”
“Yes, I began when I was very young. My father is the chief of our tribe. I will take you to him after I show you to your dragon.”
“Thank you,” Taya replied. She began to wonder if this place was a safe place for her and Zenith. Surely there was much she could learn, if they were willing to accept her.
They arrived at a large fenced-in area. The fence did not look as if it would keep any beast in, as it was just made out of wood. There Zenith was, off to the side of all the other beasts with a proper bandage around his wing.
“His wing was infected, but one of our best alchemists managed to find a remedy. He should be able to fly in a few weeks.” J’vonte’ said.
“You helped him. Why?” questioned Taya.
“We care for those who care for us. Every Yelyain has a companion, a dog, a mountain lion, but very few people ever befriend a dragon. Consider yourself special,” J’vonte’ said flatly. They continued to walk around the fenced-in area until they were on the other side.
“My father prefers solitude,” J’vonte’ told Taya.
“No wonder, the beasts are so loud!” thought Taya. They walked further into the jungle. J’vonte’ pointed out good and bad plants along the way, as survival skills were always appreciated by Taya. They reached a large pool, which had a waterfall pouring into the far side. A hut rested against the rock cliff which made the waterfall. An older man stood with his eyes closed on top of the cliff just to the right of the enormous waterfall. His hair was a mixture of grey and white, and his silver beard flowed down onto his chest.
“You will refer to him as Sir and you not speak until spoken to,” J’vonte’ warned. Taya nodded apprehensively. As the two got closer the man slowly opened his eyes and almost effortlessly worked his way down the side of the cliff. It was clear that this man had been training his whole life, and despite his age was still very capable of holding his own. Taya slowly began to understand the type of strength that came with the Yelyains, and desired to obtain such insight.
“Welcome to Danenya.” The master spoke with a voice as smooth as silk and very kindly gestured them to walk with him. Down close to the water he addressed his daughter and indicated that this was where she was to depart, and with that he and Taya were alone.
“We cherish honour, strength, and intellect here,” he told Taya, “We fight for survival and we live for each other.” These word struck Taya strongly; she knew what it was like to be a part of a team that lived strictly for each other. The more he spoke the more Taya showed interest into the Yelyain way of life.
“I am accustomed to having to learn to survive and I am willing to continue to learn, to be close to care, and to call someone my family. I belong here, Sir.” Taya looked straight into the man’s eyes, hoping he would be willing to offer her a position among the tribe.
“Very well, Taya, but there are conditions.” He looked back at Taya with a gentleness in his eyes, as if he was trying to let her know she didn’t have to be tense to show strength. He proceeded to list the conditions; they were simple enough that Taya and Zenith would be able to stay. The first condition was to respect the Yelyain ways and participate in all practices and training. Taya wanted to learn proper ways to hunt, build and fight so she agreed with a nod as the man continued. The next conditions were about being assigned duties and developing strong, healthy relations with everyone and everything around her. This was difficult for Taya to accept because everybody she had ever been around had betrayed her besides Zenith. However, she was willing to try for she had no idea what Zoeloft might do. After all was discussed, she was dismissed and sent back up to meet with J’vonte’. As Taya began to walk away she heard the man’s warm voice call out to her. She turned back.
“Remember this, Taya.” He reached down and picked up a handful of sand in his palm. He held her gaze, “Each grain of sand should not go unnoticed.” The sand slipped through his fingers. With that strange last piece of advice, the man turned and began to walk away.
Taya and J’vonte’ took the path back to the main part of the village. J’vonte’ stopped in an open area which revealed a fairly large river. She whistled, and her whistle had a quality that Taya had never heard before and was unable to explain. A few moments passed and all at once there was a noise that split through the air like a giant eagle. Sure enough, the most majestic griffin Taya had ever seen landed just in front of J’vonte’.
“Her name is Ennadia,” J’vonte’ said. “She has been my friend for many years.” Ennadia bowed her head to her friend and in quick movement J’vonte’ mounted her. The great creature reared up on her back two legs proudly. J’vonte’ whispered in the griffins year and Ennadia lowered her body to allow Taya to climb onto her back. Taya could hardly believe it. Ennadia rose out over the river and the two young women flew out towards the distant land of Danenya.
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