Chronicles of Yugure: Plummeting into Uncharted Depths

Day Ten

I am in a heavy sleep. I wish it was real. My mother, Hawk, Asha, Blacktalon and his assistant, Shadequill, and I are all at a picnic blanket. Strangely enough, most of the food is exotic and I have never seen it before. There are many bright and colorful fruits and vegetables- some steamed, others grilled, most left as they are. A few roasted meats are also available to pick at; Kurian roast pork is one of the choice meats.

Of course, I fill my plate with Lady Asha's cheesy biscuits. My mother scolds me for too many pastries, but Hawk merely laughs. I smile at her. One thing, though, that bothers me is that there are other creatures sitting around the blanket. I have never met them before and they are as if they have been smudged out of my view; they are blurred in my vision. They seem nice enough, so I let them stay.

Picking up one of my biscuits, I inhale the scents. Mmm, smells of cheese and spices fill my lungs. I go to take a bite to see no one there when I look up. The whole party has disappeared and this disturbs me greatly. I get to my feet and look around. The whole place is desolated and gloomy. The once green grass was now black with ashes. Trees that were once tall and colorful, are now shady and leafless. I try to call out to someone, but my voice remains silent.

I try walking around, but my legs won't move. Shadows begin to encase my surroundings. A frame soars in the sky. It is a dragon, that is for sure. Fire bursts from its mouth and scorches the already blackened ground. The beast's wings flaps once and the fog clears up. I can now see the monster's figure; it is covered in armor. Blood-red and dark is the theme I can acquire from the dragon's armor. Its face is covered by a large helmet that is battle worn and dented.

I will never forget the laughter of this cruel fiend. It is enjoying the torment of a realm. The voice is sly and twisted, like a viper. Large wings grasp at the air as the hunkering beast comes at me. It dive bombs me a few times. I try to escape, but my frame will not carry me- I remain in that spot.

Finally, the dragon flies a few feet away and glares at me. Its eyes are like no other. Like a shadone's gaze set upon this malicious beast, the eyes beam a bright blue. "Nexxxxtttss," it hisses at me in a bone-trembling manner, pointing a fore-claw at me. In the other hand is an eggshell colored item, which it hurls at me. The item lands a few inches in front of my hands.

It is a gryphon skull.

"GYAAWRHF!" I cry aloud and fall out of my bed. A tear or two fall from my lacrimal glands, the organ that produces an organism's tears- this I had to learn during my fifth year in my studies. My body shakes with terror as I soon find that the whole thing was a dream and is no more. I try to release the tension in my arms, but they stay stiff.

Milah never comes to my room to check on me. 'Well, he isn't m'mum, after all,' I tell myself and go to the room which he calls the living room. I stroke my hand across the finely crafted furniture. My brain notes that the theme is definitely palm trees. Everything seems to be made out of some sort of palm tree. I continue to explore the house. Each room has its own signature flower that is adorned on all the walls, bed, and in vases set up on the tables. Milah is nowhere to be found.

I eventually give up on the search and head back to the living room. A piece of paper catches my eye and I draw closer to it:

"To my green friend, I will be out fishing until 9 o'clock a.m. Feel free to make yourself comfortable. There are fresh coconuts in the basket near the entryway in case you get hungry before I return.

~Milah"

I manage to find the coconuts and grab a ripe one from the pile. With one of my many cooking knives that can be found in my knapsack, I begin to slice away at the coconut. Well, it is more like hacking away, but in the end, the coconut was cut and the milk was poured from its inners into one of the cups I had on hand.