Draikan: The World of Dragons

- 13 -

- Chapter Thirteen -

It wasn't too long of a walk to get to Tiana. The walk was about ten minutes when we finally spotted her. She was in a similar outfit she had on last night; a two piece attire. This time the color was dark green, enabling her to blend into her surroundings a bit.

Ruby and I spotted her gazing up in front of a large tree. She seemed to be rolling some type of string onto a wooden stick. She had a soft smile to her face. An expression I hadn't seen on her the night before.

Ruby and I walked closer and as we did so, I looked up. I wanted to know what she was looking at. Up on the tree, after following the thin string, I saw it. The thing was massive. And, surprisingly, not as ugly as I first thought.

The creature may not be as huge as the dragons, but it came near close to it in my eyes. Because never have I ever seen a creature so large. The thing looked like a worm, yet it wasn't. It had a black underbelly with a few yellow dots running down. It's legs looked like spider legs; sharp looking and thin. The color on top was dark green, however, whenever the sun would cast light onto it, it would glimmer like neon green.

The head, on the other hand, was smaller compared to the body. It had two large eyes on either side and the mouth in the middle. It somewhat looked like the head of a moth, minus the hair. This thing was smooth all around.

Giving the creature another once over, I see the the string was coming out from a tiny hole from the underbelly. Was that silk or cotton? Obviously this creature produces the thread Tiana needs for her clothes.

Tiana turned to us. She didn't acknowledge me when she said, "What can I do for you Ruby?"

Ruby rolled her eyes and pointed at me. "She needs a pair of shoes. As well as three more outfits."

Tiana looked down and saw my naked feet covered in scratches and blisters. A look of annoyed disgust came and quickly passed her face. How humiliating. Even she thought my feet are hideous right now. I can't help it lady, Libelle is at fault for throwing my stuff away.

Tiana finished wrapping up the string by cutting it and tying it securely. She picked up a basket filled with other balls of thread. It's kinda like how yarn is packaged back on earth. Minus the variety of color. I wonder how Tiana dyes the thread.

Tiana gives the basket to Ruby, who takes it silently. She then proceeds to give her farewells to the creature above her. The worm had crawled down and is now licking Tina's outstretched arm with its thin tongue. It makes a sound before crawling away, disappearing somewhere above us.

Was that thing her pet? Ew. I prefer the typical cat or dog. But I doubt there are any here.

Tiana turns around and speaks directly to me this time. "I'll make you a pair of flat sandals first. I should be done by tomorrow night. The outfits will take longer."

I smiled at her. "Thank you. You don't know how grateful I am to finally use shoes again."

Tiana nodded and cracked a ghost of a smile. Then, the three of us began to walk back towards the mountain.

Ruby was up front guiding us as she carried the basket. Tiana was in the middle, walking a bit slower due to her pregnancy. I was behind her, ready to help her in case she tripped or fall.

But before we were completely out of the area, I turned back around. I wanted to see if I could spot the worm again.

I squinted and searched around in the trees. Looking up, and the sun not casting much light, made it seem a lot more scarier. Everything is twice as big, so the leaves basically covered everything along with the branches. However, instead of spotting the worm. I distinctly saw something else.

I can't really describe it since it's using the leaves to hide. But I know I saw something move. It's small. And it was definitely watching all of us.

I quickly turned around and ran closer to Tiana. She may not like me because I'm a complete outsider, but she's kind enough to not mention my nervousness as she walked beside me. She looked over her shoulder and rubbed her tummy protectively.

She looked back at me. "You're easily scared."She stated. I only nodded and picked up the pace a bit. She silently took the message and picked up her pace as well.

"It's good to follow your instincts. But to become one of us, you'll need to adapt and become more courageous. It's the way of the dragons."

"Are we nod allowed to be afraid?"

She chuckled a bit. "Everyone knows fear and it's okay to feel it. But we dragons take strength seriously in both mentally and physically. So my point is: that don't ever let fear immobilize you for it'll be your greatest weakness."

I think I understood. Being afraid isn't looked down upon. Instead, allowing this said fear to consume you is one's downfall. Fear can prevent people from moving forward, physically or mentally.

Thanks to our conversation, I didn't worry about my anxiousness about that mysterious creature. And we also made it to the clearing a lot faster.

As we emerged from the forest, Tiana's husbands flocked to her side. They both wore, barely contained, angry expressions on their faces.

Ruby leaned down and mischievously said, "Tiana the rebel. She'll surely love her punishments... If you know what I mean." She winked as she guided me away from the three.

As we passed by, I manage to catch a bit of their conversation. Or should I say lecture?

"It's dangerous. Especially with those things roaming about."

I think it was the bald one who said it because he noticed me watching and listening in. He said something, which caused the other guy to immediately walk away with Tiana. The bald dude just stared at me with a warning look before he too left.

I wonder what all that was about. I looked back at the forest. It now looked more ominous after what I heard. If those men were worried for their pregnant wife, then whatever is out there is really dangerous.

Even though the idea made me anxious and the more fearful; another part of me kinda wondered what could be hiding out there. It kinda got my imagination running with all sort of possibilities.

Dragons exist here. So who's to say that an ancient godzilla doesn't?

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A/N

Posted: 6/24/19

There goes Kaida over thinking again and freaking herself out.

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