[OLD] Cursed

Chapter 15

    A thin, wisp of smoke came out from the corners of the drawings as she observed them. Caroline circled the drawings curiously. The drawings began to glow, and she took a step back. What's happening?

'We are what the ones before you have left behind. Now, it is your turn.'

     Did the drawings just talk? The ones before me? It's my turn? She approached the drawings, carefully, as she would with a deadly creature from the night. She traced her paw over her favorite, Mother Earth.

     It was the creation of the earth, when she had spread her wings and wrapped them around the useless material. She did that because she didn't see useless material. She saw possibility. And her beliefs led to this.

     Young dragon, a soft voice purred. It is time for you to leave your mark in history.

     There was a pause. Mother Earth? Caroline called out in her mind.

     Yes. I am Mother Earth, creator of this world. Decide now, young dragon. Leave your mark in history.

     Caroline took a hesitate step forward, brushing some soot off of the ground from the previous night's fire. She smoothed it over the wall, then stepped back. To an ordinary creature, it would look like a smear of black soot. But to her, it was the night sky.

     She ran outside, onto the shore, past the lake. The mountains parted, revealing a valley, filled with blossoms. The ran over to a patch of white ones and plucked a few petals before racing back. She ground them up into little bits with her paws, crushing them to powder.

     She took a small amount, placing a speck on the drawing. Then another. Then another. The white specks decorated the wall like the Silver Sun did the to the sky. She took the rest of the powder and compressed it together, then pushed it against the wall.

     Caroline took a few paces back, gazing at her drawing. It was a lonely night sky, stars adorning the wall and framing the Silver Sun, in the far upper hand corner. Below danced the shadows. Shadows of trees, shadows of dragons, shadows of mountains. The light from the Silver Sun was an arrow piercing the darkness, a soft, eerie glow in the night.

     Well done young child. Mother Earth whispered. Now it is time.

     The glow was soft at first, but it got brighter, and brighter. Caroline, instead of backing away from the dangerous light in the center of the room, stayed put, curious and awed. The light faded, and in its place was a girl. A human girl.

     From the outside, she looked young. But it was her eyes that told her that she had generations of wisdom and knowledge. She was wrapped in earth, but it was a fine soil, a rich brown. Her hair looked soft and green from the thin, long vines that it was made of, and her eyes, those knowingful eyes, were a calming shade of green. Her skin was made of the earth itself, as was the rest of her.

     In her left hand, she held a book, it's fine fabric decorated with green and brown spirals. The symbol of earth and knowledge.

     In her right hand, she held a stick. But not just any stick. The edges were perfect cut, and it was smooth, not rough. The bark was a perfect shade of brown, like the rich soil in the valley where the blossoms grew. It was similar to the one she made her dirt drawings with, and she immediately understood what it meant. It wasn't just a stick. It was a tool. The symbol of creation.

     Caroline looked back up at Mother Earth's glowing green eyes, confused. "You are not a dragon." Mother Earth smiled, almost sadly. "Indeed young child, I am not." "But... the legends." Mother Earth shook her head and sighed. "Caroline." Mother Earth saying her name sent a tingle up her spine. "The one who does not know who she really is. The one who has been lied to all her life." "I know who I am." Caroline growled. "I am a moon dragon and a snow dragon hybrid. I can read and write in human. I can paint and draw. I broke all of ancient laws, because I want to know about the world outside mine. I am a dragon." Her words sounded hopeful. Even she knew that. She didn't know who she was anymore.

     Mother Earth's eyes widened in sympathy. "Dear child, you don't know, do you?" She shook her head, and then straightened, eyes hardening. "Listen to me child. You cannot go back on the third dawn, do you hear me? You cannot, or your fate will be destroyed."

     "Destroyed? Why?" Mother Earth just looked away. "I must go." "No! Tell me! What's the third dawn?" But Mother Earth was already sinking into the ground like a pebble did in the water. "Beware young child. Keep my warning in mind."

     Mother Earth disappeared completely, leaving Caroline alone, in the center of the Drawing Room. Her green eyes were still visible in her mind, wise and filled with warning of danger. The third dawn? What is the third dawn? A thought dawned on her. It said the same thing in the scroll of the ancient law. 'On the third dawn, all will return and stay in their world, and the barrier will be destroyed.' She stood there, deep in thought. What is this 'third dawn'? There's obviously been more than three dawns in all of time. Why is it dangerous? And how will the barrier be destroyed?

     She thought some more, then some more, but no answer came to her. She swept the remaining soot into her hands and drew a shape like and upside down 'V'. Then she drew a vertical line, straight and thick. Then on the other side, a wavy horizontal line. She rubbed her hand in the dust that was lining the floor then smacked her paw in the center of the vertical line, leaving a paw print. Caroline then stepped back to look at her work.

     It wasn't just some random drawing. No, it had meaning to it. The upside down 'V' was a mountain, representing her home. The wavy line was the waves on the sea, from what she imagined. The line in between was the barrier, the wall, her curse that kept her from seeing the world other than the one she lived in. And her paw print... her paw print stood for herself. She had broke the law, crossing between the worlds. And she was proud of it.