[OLD] Cursed

Chapter 3

     Tap. Tap, tap. Caroline's claws clicked uselessly against the sealed opening. Monah? She called. Monah? A voice called back, softer. Monah! She chirped. Monah! The voice replied. Caroline growled and the voice growled back. She silently crept around, feeling around with her paws. She stayed alert in case the voice revealed itself. And I will be ready for it...

     She was in a tunnel. A long, narrow, walkway that she couldn't see the end of. She remembered the spark of light that had encouraged her into the tunnel, like a little piece of the Silver Sun. I saw light. In the dark. It chased the shadows away. She sniffed the air, only smelling the old, mossy scent that clung to the tunnel walls. I know I saw it. But that's impossible. Unless... unless it's magic. That's it. It has to be that.

     A soft, eerie glow lit the tunnel with brightness. She stared ahead at the delicate green light shining from the end of the tunnel. She took a step forward, then another. Her curiosity was overwhelming her suspicion. Caroline crept towards the glow, extending her paw. She hesitantly reached out, as if to touch the light.

     It was an odd light. Not like the flaming Sun that floated in the sky. It didn't give off the same warmth. At the same time, it wasn't cold like the snow either. It just flickered, and Caroline worried that the light would give away, leaving her alone in the darkness. Like the way Monah left me...

     The mysterious green light was perched on top of her paw. She held out her other paw and cupped the light carefully, as if it would break at the slightest jerk. She pulled it back into the darkness of the tunnel, but it retreated before it could connect. She took a deep breath and stepped into the light. A strange, glowing green plant was placed in the center of the room on a wooden object with four legs. She hissed at the four legged creature but it didn't respond. She nudged it with her paw but it still didn't attack. It didn't even seem to be living.

     Rows of wooden creatures were lined up against the side of the cave. All of them held rectangular, colorful objects between the gaps of their teeth. She curiously tugged one out and jumped back with a hiss as it landed on the ground in front of her. The thin white things in between the flat green piece of hard fabric had black scribbles on them, as if they meant something. She sniffed the white things and nibbled on the edge. It was tasteless and had an odd texture, so she stopped biting it. She reached out with a paw and flipped the white thing to see what was on the other side.

     There was a drawing, but not like any of her dirt ones. Underneath the drawing was a black scribble. The drawing showed the white thingy, which she found very strange. Why does the white thingy have a drawing of another white thingy on it? She looked farther down, seeing a familiar scribble. Aha! So the black scribbles are different languages! Human, I think. I mean, who else would have scribbles like this? She stared hard at the translation underneath the human scribble, trying to remember Monah's lessons. P-pa-paper. Paper! That's what these white thingy's are! She traced the human scribble on the ground with a talon then moved on to the next piece of paper. Pa-para-parallel. She tilted her head at the two lines that were perfectly side by side. They never connect? Strange.

     She flipped through the rest of the pages and traced her finger over the last word. Wrong. She tilted her head. What a curious little scribble this is. Very curious. She put the object that held the paper back into the wooden creature's mouth and took a step back.

     She brushed something jutting out of the wall with her paw and gave it a sniff. It smelled similar to the metal stick, probably made of the same material. It had no edges, and she had never seen it before. It was the same shade as the maple leaves that sometimes fell on the ground, making a carpet of leaves. But carpets don't exist. She reminded herself. Humans are just a myth. She placed one finger on the maple leaf colored object and pushed.

     There was a soft, rumbling sound as the walls shook and trembled. Two wooden monsters parted, and the wall behind them cracked open, revealing another tunnel.

     Once again, her curiosity urged her towards the tunnel entrance. She crept up the tunnel with one paw against the wall so she would have something to hold on to. A silver light filled the tunnel and she took in a deep breath of fresh air. The tunnel led back above the ground, and she lifted her face towards the sky. The sky was scattered with what she knew as the River of Stars. She recalled one of her favorite stories told by Monah.

     Many centuries ago, everything was darkness. The first dragons, the night dragons, roamed the earth. They were content in the darkness. They could hide from their enemies and be hidden from their prey. That's how it was back then. Every dragon for themselves. Kill or be killed. The only thing in every dragon's mind was to survive.

     Then came one night dragon. He is who we know as Shootingstar. He looked the same as the rest. Powerful black wings, a long ebony colored tail, vicious teeth that could even make the earth tremble in fear. But on the inside, he was different. Shootingstar hated the dark. Every day, every night, he would gaze at the starless sky, imagining an invisible force chasing the shadows away.

     So he waited. Days grew to weeks. Weeks grew to months. Months grew to years. He realized that no one was going to change anything. The only dragon that could change anything was himself. For years, Shootingstar pondered about whether to go or not. The king of the night dragons had strictly forbidden anyone to try. It was the only way for night dragons to thrive. But Shootingstar decided to ignore the orders.

     One day, when no one was looking, he spread his wings and took off into the night sky. He flew higher and higher, leaving the world behind him. Suddenly, there was a wisp of smoke and the king of the night dragons appeared. He complimented Shootingstar for taking such a risk, but told him that because of the risk he had taken, he would have to pay the price. Death.

     Shootingstar tried to reach the top of the sky in one, final effort to bring the dragons light. The king let out a burst of flame, scorching Shootingstar's wings. As he fell, his scales turned silver, scattering across the sky. The fire that had burned his wings gathered together and started to blaze, forming the Sun. A few scales drifted towards the Sun and melted, coming together. This formed the Silver Sun. The stars that hadn't gathered marked the trail of where he had fell, now known as the River of Stars.

     And Shootingstar? As his scales melted and he hit the ground, he gazed up at the stars that he had created. The light shone down on the earth brightly, illuminating the world of darkness. He saw the light chase the shadows away as he departed from this world. And that was the end of Shootingstar.

     Caroline spread her useless wings, as if imagining herself flying up there one day. "Thank you Shootingstar." She whispered.