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Madge

07-17-2004, 11:21 PM

“Matook will never stop his aggression on us until he has breathed his final breath,” stated Tinbrook, the head of the Rinoki elf council as his fist slammed down onto the oak table.

“We all agree that he must be defeated, but how can we accompolish this nearly impossible task?” questioned another council member stroking his gotee. “His scales protect him like individual shields guarding every vital organ, and no one has of yet brought him any harm,” he added as he displayed a missing left limb.

“His fire burns with such intense heat that our weapons and armor practically disintegrate and are rendered useless each time we’ve made our stand against him. It is like a cat that toys with it’s prey,” announced Regori, the master weapons caretaker whose voice shook in sadness, remembering all the times he had witnessed his friends and loved ones fall to the dragon. “He only leaves after he has done what he came to do.”

“What of negotiating a deal with the beast? We have never made an attempt to do so,” suggested Hemlow, the tall, grey elf in the center of the room. “If our weaponry can not physically bring us freedom from him, perhaps a peace treaty will.”

Hemlow was a rare elf whose skin appears in the shade of grey. It is an occurence in the Rinoki Elf species which sets them apart from the rest of their kind. For their wounds heal much quicker than the normal elf, and their strength is equal to 5 of the strongest normal Rinoki Elves.

“Hemlow, do you truly believe that a cold-blooded, elf-eating, merciless dragon, who has tormented our people for over 3 cycles of the seasons, can be reasoned with?” asked the head of the council with doubt over-whelmingly present in his statement.

“It is not impossible, but it is also not likely,” answered Hemlow as he continued, “though it may be our final hope. I nominate myself to carry out the negotiations, and I ask that I may go alone, for we have lost too many brethren to the beast in times past.”

“Hemlow, forgive me, but you are our Grey Defender, you must stay here and provide protection for us from all intruders, not only this dragon. Please do not go,” begged a teary-eyed Elven woman who spoke out of turn. "And if you die, who will be left to protect us as you have? You're father has perished, you have no siblings, and no wife to spread your seed. The line of Grey Defenders will be cut short if you do not return." Her tears are barely kept back in the glands of her eyes.

“Wyndee, daughter, if he stays here the dragon may return again soon. Something must be done now before any more of our people perish in his flame,” replied Tinbrook with sorrow in his eyes.

“How shall we negotiate with the fiend? What will be the terms?” were some of the questions raised during the council meeting. The council sat up during all hours of the night until an agreement could be reached on how to proceed with the peace treaty.

Near the end of the meeting one final question penetrated the heart of Hemlow. “How will we know if the negotiations did not succeed?”

Hemlow grasped the handle of his sword in it’s sheath as he stared at the floor of the council chambers. He then slowly brought his gaze to Wyndee, who now had tears streaming down her soft cheeks. His piercing, green eyes were then lead back to the council member who questioned him.

“If I have not returned after the third nightfall from my departure, you all must leave your homes and take refuge deep into Shadowbrook Forest. There you will make your new home. I know that the journey will be long, but I am certain that Matook will not follow you there, it being the site where he took the life of his own brother. For when a dragon slays another of his own kind, they shall be cursed upon returning to the place of the slaughter.”

All hoped that the treaty would be a success for they loved their present home in which they had lived for several hundred cycles, and do not desire to leave it.

After the meeting, Hemlow prepared himself for his journey to the foothills of Mt. Blackstone to make a final plea to the dragon. He tossed his rations and supplies into old leather bags strapped across the back of Shadow Stride, his noble, black stallion.

“Shadow,” he said as he stroked the stallion’s mane and watched as a thick cloud of ash bellowed from the foothills, “tomorrow we either save many lives, or we may lose our own fighting to defend them. Either way, we will do our duty.”

Madge

07-18-2004, 03:37 AM

Just before the sun crested over Mt. Blackstone, Hemlow mounted his stallion and set out on his quest heading down the Pass of Whispering Wind to the foothills of Mt. Blackstone in an attempt to make peace with Matook. Most of the elves were there showing their support and thanks as he began his journey. Many tears were shed for they knew that their hope rested on his shoulders, and his alone, and if any of them had the strength to carry this hope, it was Hemlow. Even so, some doubted the outcome and began packing their belongings immediately after he departed.

The grey elf waved his final goodbye while his village faded into the distance. As he turned to head down the pass, he was surprised to see a familiar figure waiting on him to draw closer.

“Wyndee,” he said surprisingly, “what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to give you my farewell, for I fear I may never see you again,” she answered as her emotions were no longer hidden, and tears flowed from her deep, blue eyes. “Why do you have to be so brave and courageous? Surely it will lead to your death. Don’t you see this? You must.”

“Yes, I do see it, but something must be done. I will no longer sit back and let that heartless beast devour our children and loved ones. He has destroyed so much of what we’ve worked so hard to build,” he said solemnly. “The treaty has to work, if not, I will slay him, or I will give my life trying.”

“See? This is what I speak of! You can not slay him, many have tried and they have failed. Failed to the point of death. Hemlow, please know this, that I have fallen in love with you. I do not desire to live my life without you. Please realize what I am saying. Please.” She said as turned to leave for the village.

“Why Wyndee, why now? Why tell me now?” he asked as he dismounted his steed. “I have offered my love to you many times yet you rejected my heart.”

“It was only last night at the meeting, that I realized my love for you Hemlow, only last night,” she said as she turned back around to face him. “I did not want to fall in love with a Grey because of the dangerous lives they lead, and how much it would hurt to lose him.”

“You will not lose me Wyndee, you will not lose me.”

The two elves embraced each other and shared their first kiss and a fire kindled inside Hemlow like never before. He knew he must succeed.

Their farewells were shared and Hemlow re-mounted his steed and galloped away quickly, his heels tapping Shadow’s sides, causing his pace to quicken. Wyndee wept as she made her way back home, but the tears weren’t only tears of sadness, but of joy as well.

After a day’s journey, Hemlow approached the foothills of Mt. Blackstone. A stench of burned flesh filled the air as a cloud of ash and smoke impaired his vision. The trees, rocks, and grass all around were burned and charred where the dragon’s breath had made it’s deadly mark. Hemlow wondered if he passed through the gates of hell for he always imagined it to look this way.

Then, he heard it, a growl that could not be mistaken. Shadow Stride was startled. Hemlow knew he was close. He dismounted the horse as fear began to fill his being.

“Shadow, this is where your journey ends, wait for me here. I hope to return to you, but if I do not, you must flee, flee as fast as you can and never look back,” he warned the horse. Shadow “neighed” in agreement.

Hemlow removed his sword from the sheath on Shadow’s back and placed it into the leather holster which draped across his back. His footfalls lead him towards the dragon’s lair.

He made his way through the smoke, as he listened to the dragon growl and blow. It sounded as if the winged beast was feasting, for it was a sound far too familiar. The elf’s feet were beginning to take on heat from the scorching earth below him, and sweat began to bead upon his brow from the warmth radiating out of the forest around him. He wiped his reddened eyes to remove the salty sweat, which stung them. As his hand moved across his eyes, he saw the large figure in front of him. The majestic creature sat only 30 sword lengths away. Indeed the dragon was feasting on what appeared to be a forest-dwelling deer. The dragon had hunted and killed many of the animals, some for sport and some for food, which the Rinoki elves depended on for survival. Matook would often visit the cattle herds and take what he wanted after he had his way with them. Just as often, he would scorch the fields of crops, the source of the Rinoki vegetation. But the worst of his terror were the times he would take members of the Rinoki village, those who would try to give somewhat of a resistance to the dragon’s menacing attacks, and burn and devour them without remorse in front of their kin and loved ones.

As the dragon lunged into the deer for another mouthful of fresh, bloody flesh, Hemlow called out to him, “Matook! Dragon of Mt. Blackstone, descendent of Matik the Merciless, I have come to negotiate with you on behalf of the Rinoki elves, of the realm of Vandmit.”

The dragon’s head lifted slowly with a bloody mouthful of deer flesh, which he spat out onto the scorching ground towards the elf. Hemlow’s gaze followed the torn flesh as it rolled on the charred ground in front of him. Then his eyes quickly lifted back up to Matook. Steam rolled from the nostrils of the dragon and sizzled into the surrounding air.

A booming voice like that of a volcano rang out of the dragon’s mouth. “Who is he who disturbs me durning my meal?”

“I am Hemlow, the Grey Defender of the Rinoki Elves,” he answered as vocally as possible but could not compare to the mighty voice of the dragon.

“Well Hemlow, Grey Defender, it appears you have arrived just in time for dessert,” said Matook with booming laughter. “Tell me, what do you wish to negotiate?”

Hemlow knew he must make himself understood and clear. He spoke loudly saying, “My people are overwhelmed with fear and anxiety due to the constant terror which you reign upon us. We desire an end to your merciless ways,” announced Hemlow as the dragon listened with an evil grin on his face, for it pleased him to know that he was feared so greatly.

“We wish to serve you by doing the hunting for you. You will no longer have to waste your energy for we will use ours. You can now rest, and be waited on by the Rinoki, your humble servants. We will bring you deer, wild boar, fowl of the air, fish of the sea, whatever blood your tastes desire, if you will cause this terror to cease.”

“And what happens if my tastes are for Rinoki? Perhaps you can bring me the elderly and wounded? The flesh of elves satisfies me greatly, and they are a must-have delicacy,” replied the dragon with his booming voice.

Hemlow thought of his people and those who had been wounded by the dragon, and those who the dragon had slaughtered, he thought about the children and ultimately of Wyndee. His blood began to boil inside for he knew he could never give in to the dragon’s disgusting request.

“Ah, you did not like that response?” boomed the dragon sarcastically. “I can hear the beat of your puny heart, and it tells me you are afraid. You have good reason grey elf. Now if you will excuse me, it is time for my dessert,” bellowed the vicious dragon as he made his way toward Hemlow as a cat stalks a mouse.

“I do not hear your heart beating vile creature, for if indeed you have one, it is made of stone!” exclaimed the elf as he drew his sword from its sheath and prepared for a battle to the death.

The dragon bellowed out in laughter as Hemlow took a fighting stance with his sword drawn. “I will use that sword to pick the meat from my teeth once I have finished snacking on your tender flesh, elfling.”

“Come and feast then dragon,” taunted the Grey Warrior.

Matook stopped in his tracks and planted his hind legs into the scorching earth as he expanded his mighty wings and began to thrust them towards Hemlow. The forceful wind created by the dragon's wings carried with it rock and ash from the burned forest, which pelted the elf relentlessly. Hemlow remembered seeing a large boulder behind him on his left side, which he took refuge behind, his eyes and skin stinging.

“I have decided not burn your flesh today elf. In the past, I have enjoyed your people much better raw,” taunted the evil dragon to his prey as he approached the boulder.

Hemlow could hear the steam as it exited the nostrils of the dragon. The dragon’s footsteps were growing closer and closer, then they stopped. Once again he heard the flapping of dragon’s wings, but this time the dragon took to flight and rested upon the boulder in which Hemlow took refuge. The dragon growled fiercely toward Hemlow. “You can not hide from me Elf, and even so, the rythmn of your heart beat gives you away.

Hemlow made an attempt to escape but the dragon stretched out his powerful right arm and grasped him around the waist.

“Where are you going, my grey elf snack?” he said as he slammed the elf to the ground on his back, knocking the breath out of the grey warrior and his sword from his hand.

Wounds from the dragon’s claws were visible upon the grey chest of the elf.

“Hmmm, let’s see how you taste,” said Matook as he sampled the blood on his long, dirty claw while pinning down the elf with his left claw. “Mmm, just how I remember it.”

As Matook loomed over Hemlow's limp body, he listened to the elven heartbeat slowly fade until it was no longer in existence. What the beast did not know was Hemlow had a rare ability to stop the beating of his heart for a short period of time. “Look! It is Hemlow, the Defender of the Rinoki. See how fragile? I would expect a little more from you than this, 'warrior elf ',” he announced as he once again bellowed out a most evil laugh. “I have enjoyed this negotiation,” said the witty dragon. He began to lift the elf towards his wide-opened mouth, full of jagged, razor-sharp teeth stained with blood from his previous victim.

Suddenly Matook was distracted by the presence of a black stallion which entered his lair out of nowhere, and did not notice Hemlow had re-aquired his sword in the meantime. “This is my lucky day, you will be next horse,” boomed the dragon.

As he looked back down at Hemlow he noticed the sound of a beating heart once again. “Wha…...,” but before the dragon could finish, Hemlow thrust his sword into the roof of Matook’s mouth, which precisely penetrated into the brain of the creature.

Matook clenched Hemlow firmly one last time but it was too late, the dragon was slain and his grasp failed him. Thick, dark Blood began to pour down Hemlow’s sword and onto his hands and chest. The blood burned his skin like acid, therefore he quickly removed his shirt and wiped himself from it. Then he removed his sword from the dragon’s head.

“Matook, you have been slain by the sword of Hemlow, Grey Defender of the Rinoki Elves. You had your chance for peace, but now negotiations are over, and so is your reign of terror. May you return to hell from whence you were spawned.”

The grey elf then took his bloody sword and removed the spurs from both legs of the slain dragon, which he would use for proof of the dragon’s death.

“Thank you Shadow Stride, there is no other steed as brave as you," said Hemlow to his black horse. "If it were not for you I may not be here right now. I owe you my life."

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Part 3

"He's back, he's back!" cheered the elven children as a greyish figure came riding on a young black stallion into the realm of Vandmit.

"The Grey Defender of our people has returned!" announced a young male elf.

The "neigh" of the black stallion, and gleeful cheers lured more of the Elven tribe of Rinoki out of their homes in the trees.

"Hello my friends," greeted the grey figure from atop his majestic beast. "I bring good news to you this day. The dragon Matook is laid to rest, by the sword of Hemlow, your Grey Defender."

Cheers of joy rang throughout the Rinoki community in the forest. Many looked on in disbelief that the dragon could truly be slain, but as Hemlow displayed his new necklace of dragon spurs, their doubts were laid to rest.

"Look at his chest momma," said a young girl in awe to her on-looking mother. "Doesn't that hurt him?"

"Yes dear, the dragon's claws have dug deep into him, but fear not child, our grey defender will swiftly recover."

News of Hemlow's return reached Wyndee, who rushed to see if it was true. "Hemlow!" she shouted with overwhelming joy. "You did it!? You succeeded?!"

"Yes, Wyndee, and it was my burning love for you that brought me through."

Hemlow dismounted from his brave steed, and limped to a recovery hammock, which was quickly prepared for him, with the help of two strong elven men. He laid down slowly onto the hammock and was tended to by the beautiful daughter of the head of the council. She nursed his wounds as the others looked on in amazement and joy that he had returned.

Sinali, a young weapons caretaker, detached a blood soaked sword and sheath from the black steed's harness for cleaning and storage in the armory.

"Take care not to dip any part of your flesh in the dragon's blood my apprentice," warned Regori.

Sinali looked at him as if questioning his word of caution.

"Take a look at Shadow Stride," said Regori pointing at the black horse.

Where the blood soaked sheath made contact with the horse's skin, the flesh had appeared to be burned.

"Shadow shows no sign of pain," commented the amazed young learner.

"Aye, 'tis a brave, mighty horse," replied the Master weapons caretaker as he ran his blistered fingers through Shadow's thick mane.

"Master Hemlow, had you been any normal Elven warrior, you would not have survived the night. Your burns and wounds run deep into your body," noted one of the elven nurses who came to lend Wyndee a hand.

"I know my lady, but this is the duty assigned to me; Give my life for my people, and if the shadow of death come against me, so be it.

The grey defender began to recount the tale of his battle against the evil Matook, as he was being restored to health. Many of the eager children surrounded him with their eyes fixed on him in awe and ears tuned to his every word.