Path of The Dragon

Part 1: Chapter 1

Miles ahead, across lands both peaceful and lonely, there stood his destination: The Thundering Mountains. As the name not so much suggested as it directly stated, The Mountains, or more accurately, the summit was always swathed in a cloak of blackened clouds from which there tore down endless sheets of violent rain. From the great tip, The Mountains stretched out horizontally and from the rest of its great body there jutted out several other tips, tips which looked like the bladed teeth of some ancient, colossal beast that was trying to tear its way out of the very earth. An ominous sight it was, one which could strike fear into the most dauntless hearts, really, even the smallest of glances could send anyone running off in hopes of never having to lay their eyes upon those wicked peaks ever again.

But Kyro Longyou would not be frightened away.

He refused to be frightened away.

Two weeks now he had spent traveling to The Mountains; turning back now would be worse than even the most heinous of crimes.

After a few more moments spent gazing upon his goal, Kyro drew in a deep breath and then slowly let it out. Just then, a low, guttural hiss came from below and right after, he felt himself be jostled from side to side, as though the ground beneath him was shifting.

Upon steadying out, he looked down.

In truth, Kyro had not been standing, but rather, he had been sitting upon the back of his steed. While most people would prefer horseback for any kind of journey, especially long, dangerous ones, Kyro favored the company of Mi-Sun, a great, feathered lizard slightly larger than the average horse. Her body was like that of a Komodo dragon's, long and rippled with muscle and coating it were dozens of rough scales. Sometime during her youth they had once shimmered a vibrant emerald green, but time had taken their toll on them and they were now wrinkled and dull. Adorning her head was a crown of deep blue feathers and the tip of her long, sinuous tail bore them as well. Bent, torn and tattered they may be, but they still held some of the regality they once had. While many might consider Mi-Sun to not be the most impressive of steeds in terms of appearance, to Kyro, she was and would forever be the most beautiful of beasts, not just in Galane, but in the entirety of The Three Realms. Besides, despite her old age, she was now slow in the slightest and she would make her way across any terrain, no matter how unfamiliar or dangerous, moving along with a liquid grace that seemed near impossible for a creature of her age, size and build.

But Kyro always had faith in Mi-Sun, for she had never once failed nor faltered and Kyro knew she would continue to be just as reliable as she had always been.

Another low growl came from Mi-Sun and she then followed it up with a huff that had a sort of irritated tone to it. Kyro leaned forward, ran his hand through her feathers and then placed what he could of his long, slender fingers upon the top of her head. Here he kept them firmly and at a slow, gentle pace, he began rubbing with circular motions. To this, Mi-Sun gave another low growl and at once, Kyro could tell she had already been put into a more relaxed state. Kyro knew that with each passing day Mi-Sun was growing more and more annoyed with him, for he took very few breaks and those he did take were only when he needed to relieve himself or when night fell, but even then, the sun always find sleep far sooner than he ever did. Because of this, Kyro felt deeply sorry for Mi-Sun, as he knew that she wished to rest for far longer than what he was allowing. She wished to climb upon a rock, lay flat on her stomach and bask in the warmth of the sun. She wished for him to lift his weight from her back and allow her to roam free, to hunt and swallow up whatever poor creature had been unfortunate enough to be chosen as her next meal. Kyro's heart ached at these thoughts, at what he was restricting his loyal steed from doing. He wanted Mi-Sun to be happy, he really did, but he had to keep going and he could only stop when necessary and for only short period of time. He had to, for if he didn't, it would take far longer to reach The Thundering Mountains and he needed to get there as soon as possible. Perhaps when he did finally get there, then he could let her go as he didn't wish to have her scale such perilous heights. Yes, that's what he would do, he would make sure of it so then she could be free and do whatever she wished to.