Habatapa: Genesis

Chapter Three: Sheba Hatshepsut and Madame Dragoness

By an ebony flame

Sun. Bright. Too Bright. Skin Cancer. One of these days I am going to get rid of the Sun. Gaah! Janaz thought as she felt something scratchy and wet drag across her dirty face. She jumped up and rubbed her raw cheek. She had started to follow the dragoness three weeks ago. She lost sight of it within the first day, but could pursue the beast by the trees. The dragoness was incredibly large and fast, so bent trees acted as arrows that pointed Janaz in the right direction. However, three weeks without a bath took its toll, and Janaz was covered in dirt. She assumed she smelled also, because one day she awoke in a pile of spore. Luckily, she had lost her sense of smell. Maybe it even scared away predators.

"Meow," the owner of the wet, scratchy thing said. It was a cat, and a beautiful one at that. It was gray, with a long black stripe that went from its forehead to the tip of its tail, which was ringed. Its face was dominated by huge green eyes, and topped with large, pointy ears and its body was decorated with various spots and stripes that ran to the floor. Its paws and chest were covered with pure white fur. "Meow!" the cat proclaimed, with a look that said, "I rule you, fool."

"I like you," Janaz said.

"Meow," was the cat's reply.

"Do you want to follow me?"

"Meow."

"Do you have a name?"

"Meow."

"Can I name you?"

"Meow."

"Your name is now Sheba. Sheba Hatshepsut."

"Meow."

"I like it too," Janaz smiled. "Now what?"

"Meow!"

"Right. We must trail the dragon," Janaz nodded as she stood up and stretched her long, lean arms. "Luckily, there's a path now."

And so Janaz and Sheba walked in the direction of the dragoness.

Lisoni stood alongside the King watching the dragoness become situated in a cave at the foot of the Sutshe Mountains. "I hope this works out well," she said. Dragoness Tahila seemed to move very quickly. Human time passed so quickly.

"Yes. It was absolutely genius of you to make her into a dragoness."

"Thank you. I figured that if people saw her, they would stay away. Maybe they would begin to worship her. That would be a great introduction of the gods to the humans."

"Brilliant. I must say it's nice to have a smart goddess around. Instead of one that complains all day."

"Do you speak of Tahila?"

"I'm sure you know the answer to that question."

"It's not wise to speak ill of you maker. It's a Peccadillo you know."

"True, but sometimes a little sin is a good thing, don't you think?"

During that conversation, three weeks had passed and Janaz found herself in front of a cave. She could tell that a dragon lived there, for there were burnt remains of cattle littered everywhere. There was a deafening roar, which reminded Janaz of her own sneeze, and a brief flash of red light.

"Maybe we should leave her alone, eh Sheba?"

"Meow," which is translated into, Get in there before I kill you, stupid coward.

Janaz sighed and did breathing techniques. In through the nose, out through the mouth, she thought to herself. "Let's go, Sheba."

"Me-ow," Sheba replied. That means, No way in bloody Malajho. Malajho was a delta, at the northern tip of Habatapa. It was very hot, very humid, and disagreeable at the least. It was not a very desirable place to go.

"You can't let me go in there!" Janaz exclaimed. She was met with a cold stare. "I'm going to learn how to do that you know." Another one. That could actually become quite useful when I take over Habatapa, she thought. Then she walked into the cave. She didn't have to walk far to find herself in a wonderfully furnished cave. "Hello?"

A tall, light purple dragoness walked in from another room that lay deep in the cave. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Janaz brought herself up to an extended height, "I'm interested in your…well…everything. So I think I'm the one who should be asking, 'Who are you and what are you doing here?'"

"Why should I tell you," Tahila said in a booming voice. She settled herself in a chair that was carved out of a large tree. It was her makeshift throne. It was nothing permanent, of course, just something to keep her sustained until she somehow gained control over the humans.

"Because I am queen of Habatapa."

This caught Tahila's attention, "Really?"

"No. But I can be, with your help. I can be the Supreme Ruler, and you can be…very important."

"I'm already important."

"Is that so?"

"Seeing as how I made everything you see, I'd think so."

They both stopped to assess the possibilities.

"We can rule," Janaz said, now extremely happy that she had lucked upon finding a river to bathe in earlier that day.

"As Goddess and Queen."

"It shall be perfect."

And so the two ambitious sat down to set down their plans for domination. Little did they know, that Darkela was watching from her lair in the sky, and was forming a plan of her own.

Next Chapter:

Tahila and Janaz eagerly plan the future, with the help of Sheba of course. But how will Darkela break the Perfect Union? And what's up with that crazy blond girl and that blue thing?!

New characters include:

Swany Blue, and Little Man