Generations: Broken Prophesy Story

Chapter 12

Chaser was growing tired.  His wings burned with fatigue as he had been airborne since morning.  Now with the sun making its final stand before seeking its nightly refuge, he was becoming desperate.  Nyota had a fair headstart, and he knew she could be very fast when pushed.  He found her scent on the first island he came across, but she had taken a roll through some very unpleasant smelling weeds before taking flight again.  Undeterred, he followed the scent of stinkweed to the next island.  Her trail took her through a number of nasty brambles and thorns that dug into his chipped and broken scales.  The next island took him to a series of brackish pools, the one after that held springs of water that smelled of rotten chicken eggs.

He was beginning to dread what next torture she would find for him, but just before the last rays of sunlight were extinguished he spotted her, crouching next to a freshwater spring.  The small river fed pool reminded him of home.  High gray walls, short green grasses, even a small cave nearby.  With silent wings he lands a short distance from her.  Making sure she has room to move or flee if she chose, Chaser clears his throat.  “I’m sorry…”

Nyota startles, then turning, she takes a moment to acknowledge his presence.  In those silent moments, Chaser can see the edges of her eyes were tinged pink and swollen.  “You’ve been crying?”  He asks, and immediately cringes at his tactlessness.

“What do you want!”  She snaps, “I think you made it clear you didn’t want me.”

Without fully realizing it, he moved to stand next to her, “I’m sorry.  I do want you.  Deep down I’ve always dreamt of having something even half as nice as what my parents share.”  Bumping her forehead with his own, he chuckles, “Maybe I am as simple-minded as you thought when we met.”

Drawing back, Nyota looks him in the eye, “What was that, your sister called you?  ‘Muttonhead’?”

This brings a genuine belly laugh from him, “Yes.  She was comparing me to a herd animal we helped our Viking family raise and protect.  Some can be very clever, but the general consensus is that they are not very intelligent animals.”  

Bending down to drink from the clear pool at his feet, Nyota asks, “So…  Would you like to mate now?”  Chaser snorts, twin streams of water spray from his nostrils.

“What?!”  He sputters, trying to catch his breath.  “Are you serious?!”

Nyota laughs at his reaction, “No of course not.  You stink.”  She says teasingly, before using her tail to knock him into the pool.”

Sinking, stunned and confused, Chaser kicks off from the bottom of the natural water-filled basin.  Breaching the surface, he watches as Nyota laughs.  The sound alone is like music, but the first hints of true joy on her face warms his heart.  Filling his maw with the clear water, he sends a stream at her with an accuracy that would have made Volcus and Ember proud.

“Gah…  That’s not fair!”  She grumbles.

“It was your idea to give me all this ammunition to work with.”  He teases, before sending a wave to splash her soundly with a flap of his wings.

Her amethyst eyes narrow in mock outrage.  “Fine!  If you want to play, you will need to catch me.”  Turning away, she slowly walks to the far end of the lagoon, leaving Chaser to scramble after her.  When he gets within a dozen paces, she launches herself into the sky to circle over him.

Shaking his head he jumps into flight behind her.  With the chase on, he follows her over the small island.  Around tall trees, and under stone archways.  While the chase is challenging, he recognises she isn’t flying her hardest.  “Oh, don’t you dare look back.”  She calls out with a grin on her face, “Just keep your eyes on me.”