Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Rising ❯ Chapter Thirteen ( Chapter 13 )

In which our heroes meet some interesting personalities and have a glimpse to the wild side

 

A blot of green here. A smear of blue there. A dab of grey at the top.

 

Benedict leaned back in his small chair and squinted from his canvas to the gorgeous view of the rolling moors of Shade. It was a cloudy day, promising a drizzle later in the evening, but the gnome found the misty afternoon with just a touch of chill to be perfect painting weather to capture the moors in all their feral beauty. He scrunched his rather large nose in thought, dabbed his brush in the blob of gray paint and swiped it over his canvas again.

 

His big ears wiggled slightly, catching the hum of magic at work and he paused to crane his head around and find the glittering door way that opened. Out stepped a familiar face, followed soon by seven unfamiliar young folk, followed by two drow he also knew. The gnome grinned warmly, “Well, I was wondering when you were going to get here, Wyldon's daughter.”

 

Alianna blinked from straightening her native garb of leathers and plant fiber linen to look around. When she found the old gnome, she smiled and moved to hug the small humanoid. “Painting again, you old prune? What this time?” she said, looking at the canvas.

 

“The moors are at their peak in weather like this.”

 

Her grin was feral and fierce as she straightened and breathed deeply. “I totally agree,” she said before looking back down. “Oh, you must meet our students.”

 

As each of the teens was named, they bowed their head respectfully and clasped the wizened hand of the gnome, who stood on his chair to greet them. He gave Kaiba a shrewd eye over and grinned, “I think we can expect powerful things from this one.” The young man paused, for once a bit thrown off, and ducked his head.

 

Benedict pulled a coin from Mokuba's ear when the boy went to shake his hand. “A trickster, eh?” the gnome said, placing the gold circle in the boy's palm, “Be sure to think before you trick.”

 

He patted Bakura's hand warmly and said, “White mages are most welcome here. Terran has her scars and hurts and your kind do good in mending them.” Joey and Tristan bowed in the manner of their order as Drizzt had instructed them, touching their fingertips to their temples before loosely clasping their hands in front of them and bowing from the waist. “Ah, mind-peekers. Haven't seen your kind in quite awhile. Remember that an enemy with a weak mind is not a foe at all,” the gnome said. They stared blankly before stepping aside so Tea could be introduced.

 

Upon seeing the Amazon, the gnome burst into laughter, explaining that it was amusing that a lone Amazon would have so many male friends. Tea thought about that for a minute before grinning also, “I'm unique, I suppose.”

 

“And unique is an excellent gift to have, rest assured. Use it well.”

 

She nodded and Yugi stepped up to take the offered hand.

 

Benedict's face faded into somber respect as he shook the young man's hand. “And so we finally meet, Dragon's son,” he said. “I knew your mother, although I don't suppose it was very well. I was, for a time, the hired painter of your father and I did a portrait of her. It was one of my best works, if I do say so myself.” He eyed Yugi as shrewdly as he had eyed Kaiba. “She was a good woman and a fine friend.”

 

“Thank you,” Yugi replied quietly.

 

Abruptly releasing the young man's hand, the gnome swept his hand out towards the moors and the broad expanse of land that rolled around them. “So, new comers to the beauty of Terran, what do you think of our magnificent home?”

 

The three elves grinned with the same pride that sparkled in the artist's eyes as he encompassed the landscape.

 

The teens finally looked around, taking in this new world.

 

The moors were emerald green with moss and lichen, the rocks that made the craggy shore sweeping the crashing sea into white foam. When they looked behind them, the moors turned to rolling hills and in the distance, purple and gray mountain peaks made up a chain that stretched to the horizon. The sky was clouded, the distant rumble of thunder telling of the approaching storm. Misty fog clung in lazy tendrils to the ground and floated through the air as it was disturbed by gulls and other sea birds.

 

The air, when they breathed, was scented with the smell of wet growing things and the tang of the salty ocean air. It also smelled noticeably clean as it went into their lungs, a surge of revitalizing freshness as they realized why their teachers complained of the stench of their cities and air. The crisp chill in the wind nipped at their noses and fingertips—just cool enough to be refreshing.

 

Something in them seemed to settle, almost like a happy, content sigh. Yugi felt a warmth in his blood, creeping slowly through his veins. The wind sang as it soared over the hills, almost like an overjoyed friend being reunited with long lost loved ones. Even the small part of him that denied everything was silent for the moment.

 

The gnome, watching their expressions with their teachers, shared a chuckle with the elves. “Terran always calls her own,” Drizzt murmured, grinning. “Always,” Benedict agreed, packing up his paints and chair into a case. “Now come, let's get these new comers to the forest that shelters us before that Shade storm hits us in the open.”

 

The walk over the moors was short in distance but took some time due to the treacherous footing the inexperienced hikers encountered. The elves and gnome nimbly navigated the crests and crags of the land easily, leaving them to bring up the rear. Kaiba, finally having enough of being tripped and scraped, found a flat stone and stared at it for a moment. With a small crack, it escaped from the wet soil and floated up by him. “Come on, Mokuba,” he said, stepping on and helping his brother up. Then he looked at Bakura and raised an eyebrow in question. Bakura looked at the rock, to his feet, and then carefully picked his way over to climb up. “Thank you,” he said. Kaiba only nodded curtly and the rock began to glide up to the last of the hill crests, passing the other four.

 

Joey scowled as Kaiba sent him a smug look before turning to look at Yugi. “Hey, Yug, ya think you could conjure somethin' like that up and make it a bit easier on us?” he asked. Yugi, lips pressed in a thin, irate line, shook his head.

 

“There's no more rocks like that, Joey,” Tea said as she hauled herself up a large, round boulder, biceps swelling with the motion.

 

“No,” Yugi said, voice a bit tight, “I just can't do it.” His three friends paused and stared at him as he clambered past them.

 

Tristan was the first to shake it off, “Hey, Joey, why don't we just levitate? Drizzt said we probably could if we focused enough.”

 

“Yeah, good point. Want us to levitate you, Tea?”

 

“No thanks. You two can kill yourselves with untried tricks but not me.”

 

They shrugged, “Suit yourself,” and closed their eyes and steadied their breathing. It was a minute or so before they shakily lifted from the ground and floated waveringly to the top.

 

Yugi and Tea were the last to arrive, reaching the crest a few minutes after Tristan and Joey touched down. Kaiba, catching Yugi's eye, tossed him a smug smirk and turned to follow the two drow as they took up the lead towards the forest that was about a mile away. Yugi glared back, fists clenching, and waited till everyone moved past him to fall in at the back in front of Benedict and Alianna.

 

The gnome frowned and looked at Alianna. “He won't accept the dragon demon half, and it's blocking him from everything put simpler spells and practical magic,” she replied quietly in Gnome. The frown deepened but he didn't reply.

 

It hadn't been more then a few minutes of walking when they heard the howls echoing from the trees. Haunting, harmonious howls that rang through the air as they rose from the throats of their owners. The teens saw Alianna stop and smile, tilting her head back and cupping her hands to her mouth. Then they stared in open mouthed astonishment as a howl rose from her throat and joined the symphony. Not an imitation howl or even a human sounding one—a real howl that, if they hadn't been standing by her looking at her, they would have thought to belong to a wolf.

 

Benedict chuckled, “Come now, youngsters. Did you really think your green-eyed teacher to be only an elf?”

 

Drizzt grinned wickedly at Yugi, “You understand now why she doesn't really like cooked meat?”

 

“I'm beginning to,” Yugi replied, glancing at Alianna again. Then his eyes widened as the elf suddenly pivoted and shot towards him, hand slapping him on the shoulder as she shot past. “Last one to the tree line is an orc!” she called, tagging Joey and Tristan as she shot past them, then Mokuba, who laughed and tore after her. The three older boys looked stunned for a second before they took off as well.

 

Drizzt looked at Jade and Benedict, “Shall we?”

 

“You two go ahead,” the stately female replied. The two males grinned and took off after the others.

 

Alianna hit the trees first, followed by Tristan, Mokuba, then Yugi and Joey. Yugi frowned to himself as the dark elf and gnome caught up to them. Somehow, he knew that he should have at least been able to match Alianna stride for stride.

 

The remaining four walked into the tree line and they continued, Alianna climbing the trees easily and jumping from branch to branch or using them as monkey bars and swinging herself across distances with an agility that would have rivaled the best human acrobat.

 

“Where, exactly, are we going?” Tea asked.

 

“The den,” Drizzt replied.

 

“The what?”

 

The drow was going to answer and had opened his mouth to do so when he was bowled over by a flash of rust red and a streak of silver and tawny. “Shit!” Thump! There was a chorus of happy whines and growls as two of the largest wolves any of the humans had ever seen proceeded to wash Drizzt's face with kisses, fluffy tails wagging joyously. “Ugh! Yes…hello…I'm glad to see you two as well….get off!” the drow grumbled, attempting to fend the large canines off.

 

Both wolves were easily five feet at the shoulder with powerful, sleek muscle rippling under their pelts.

 

“Alianna!” Drizzt snapped, patting the snouts away. The green eyed woman only laughed.

 

“Hai! Russet! Short Snout!” came a male's voice, roughly accented with something equivalent to a Scot's brogue. “Come off it, ye two!”

 

The two wolves snuffled Drizzt's face once more before stepping away from him and allowing him to sit up, wiping his face on his cloak while muttering colorful profanities in some throaty dialect. The two canines trotted to greet Alianna and Jade as the owner of the rough voice stepped into view.

 

He was Drizzt's height, with roughly cut auburn hair that was kept from his face by a leather band at his hairline. His body ran along lines that was much more muscular than an elf but much to slender to be human, and the teens could make out pale scars on his neck and running under the collar of his leather jerkin and green linen tunic. The hand gripping his long bow was also dotted with small lines and dots of scars. However, his most significant testimony to his warrior status was his face. It was genial yet a bit battle hardened, with good natured, faint laugh lines around his mouth and…eye.

 

The male had only one eye, a rich, earthy brown encircled by faint green at the edge of the iris. However, his left eye and brow was covered by an eye patch made of leather that went from the top of his cheek bone to just above his brow line.

 

Upon seeing who the two wolves had fly-tackled, he broke into a broad grin that made the lines crinkle and helped Drizzt to his feet. “About time ye came back to us, ye ass,” he greeted, embracing the dark elf and slapping him on the back. Drizzt grinned and returned the friendly greeting before stepping back so Jade could come forward and kiss the newcomer on either cheek. “Hunting again, Skot?” she asked.

 

“A bit.”

 

“Skot!” Alianna exclaimed happily, finally extracting herself from the two wolves to hug the new elf tightly. He laughed and spun her around once in a brotherly sort of manner before setting her down. “And here's m'girl! Ye've been behavin', then?” he asked. Her smile held a faint wicked gleam, “Only as much as I ever do.”

 

“Ah, and we can't be expectin' anything less from ye, lass.” His one good eye flickered to the young people then and for a moment they saw a flash of wolfish gold in the brown and green depths. “So ye must be the ones she's been teachin',” he said, eyes looking over them with clear scrutiny. “Well, ye have some o' the best teacher's to be puttin' knowledge in yer heads. Let's go, then. The Pack is waitin'. Russet. Short Snout.”

 

The two wolves yipped before standing and trotting back into the trees with the warrior following. “A little odd for an elf,” Kaiba commented quietly to Jade, who grinned. “Tha's because we're considered savages by our cousins, Master Wizard,” Skot said over his shoulder, making the brown headed youth start slightly in surprise. “Jade, ye should warn the lad.”

 

The drow woman chuckled and looked at her three apprentices, “Oh, yes. And by the way, this tribe is more in tune with their wild side. You know, keener hearing, eye sight, that sort of thing.” They stared at her incredulously as she laughed lightly and sauntered on ahead to loop her arm through the battle scarred male's.

 

Joey looked at Alianna and raised an eyebrow, “Could ya elaborate on that? Seein' as you're from the same tribe and all.”

 

“We're part wolf,” Alianna replied simply.

 

“Oh…”

 

“That…doesn't sound right…”

 

“How's that work, anyway?”

 

“Long story,” Benedict said with a chuckle, “Although the abridged version is this; the first of their tribe were wilder than the others of the elven race, so they stayed to the forests and mountains with the beasts. Some had discovered the ability to change their shape into that of a wolf, but the magic was raw and new to them, so they began to forget who they were and lived among the wolves, taking mates and having cubs. When the cubs were born, they had the blood of both the tribe and the wild wolves. Those children were the first of the Wolf Folk, and ever since, the blood has run true because their goddess has granted them that boon.”

 

There was silence.

 

“That still doesn't really sound all that normal…” Joey said, with all the other teens, even Kaiba, nodding in agreement.

 

“Welcome to Terran,” Drizzt said, clapping him on the shoulder.

 

Tea squeaked as the rusty red wolf dropped back to pace beside her and eye her curiously. “Ah…” the girl started, not sure whether the wolf was male or female. “Russet is a female,” Skot said, glancing back at her with a grin, “And ye can pet her, if ye'd like. She's friendlier to new comers then most.”

 

Tea eyed the wolf apprehensively before tentatively reaching out and scratching the large ears, which twitched as they took in all the sounds of the forest. The female wolf leaned into Tea's side for a moment before licking her hand. The girl relaxed, smiled, and continued to walk, hand now resting on the wolf's shoulder. “And Short Snout is a male,” Alianna said, as the silver and tawny wolf trotted beside her contentedly, pausing to sniff at spots on their route before rushing to catch up with her again. He looked up at her, ears alert at his name and his tail wagged briefly. She grinned and ruffled his ears, earning a happy growl. “He's one of my favorites, and he's a huge pig.”

 

Short Snout flipped his tail and pranced over to Russet, sniffing her snout in greeting. She nipped at his neck ruff playfully and danced about in a small circle. Then she stopped and cocked her head as Kaiba passed.

 

She looked at Skot and back at Kaiba. Kaiba ignored her.

 

She looked to Alianna then back at Kaiba before giving a small woof and stalking after him.

 

After a minute of this behavior, she whined in obvious confusion before bounding over to Yugi and repeating the process. When this failed, she moved to Tristan and then back to Tea. Upon finding that none of these teens responded with more than a confused look or scratch to her ears, she whined in confusion again before looking at Short Snout in apparent dismay. He looked at Drizzt in a demanding sort of way. Drizzt frowned slightly as his eyes locked with the wolf's before they slid to Alianna.

 

“Hey, Ali, they don't understand why the youngsters can't talk to them.”

 

“Talk to them?” came a multi-voiced chorus.

 

Alianna frowned, “I suppose the magic that integrated into them didn't affect that particular bit of them, although I'm a bit surprised about Yugi, Seto, and Bakura.” She looked them over before touching Skot's arm. He raised his one visible eyebrow in question, “Aye?”

 

The next few moments, they didn't understand a word she said as she spoke several rapid sentences in a dialect they didn't know.

 

“Aye, I can do tha'. I'll get Skywise to help me, although if ye or one o' the dark ones could ask his lordship in advance, it'll be a wee bit easier.”

 

“Not a problem,” Jade said.

 

The teens, knowing their mentors well enough to know they'd get a riddle of an answer at best, decided to not ask since they'd find out sooner or later.

 

“Are we almost there?” Mokuba asked, catching up with Jade and gently tugging at her belt. She looked down and grinned, “Only one way to find out.” The drow woman stopped walking and threw back her head, an eerie, lingering howl rising from her throat. Russet and Short Snout perked up and cocked their heads to one side in expectation.

 

The howl died away and there was nothing for several seconds. Then a chorus rose in answer, many different voices howling in reply, a haunting harmony that blended seamlessly together and yet were distinctively different. “Just ahead, Mokie,” Jade said after listening.

 

Benedict chuckled again and looked up to the teens, “You do like animals, right?”

 

They stared at him, mouths slightly agape. Alianna and Skot turned their heads to look back at them and grinned, sharp canines gleaming in the sunlight that filtered through the forest canopy.

 

Their eyes had turned from their normal shade to a shifting golden amber. “See you at the den,” they said in chorus before taking off into an easy sprint with a wild, air piercing war cry. Drizzt and Jade grinned as well before breaking into a run after their two friends, leaving the teens with the gnomish artist, who smiled and shook his head. “Ah, how the two drow have adapted and adopted to their foster-tribe,” he said.

 

The teens, a bit weirded out by the color change of Alianna and Skot's eyes, shivered. “What do you mean?” Bakura asked in his soft voice. “I mean that Drizzt and Jade are Wolf Folk, though they were not born to it,” Benedict replied.

 

Kaiba raised a curious eyebrow. The gnome shook his head, “Do not ask how it is done or how it works. It is part of the very magic that made this world and lies in its heart. I only understand it to the extent of that I know the two drow are Wolf Folk, now.”

 

“And what about you?” Tristan asked curiously.

 

“Me?” the gnome said with some surprise, “No, I am no wolf or anything of the like. I am a gnome, plain and simple. The tribe folk are my friends and I am theirs, but my spirit is not of the Pack.”

 

“Meaning…?” Bakura said, prompting a bit more of an explanation, which Benedict replied to with a calm, content smile.

 

“I belong to Terran,” Benedict replied simply, “And Terran belongs to me.”

 

“What?” Kaiba said a bit blankly.

 

Benedict chuckled and patted a tree that he passed fondly, “In time, you will understand.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

I just have to put in a random comment: I heart Benedict! I don't know where he came from or why he popped into my head, but I love the little guy! Yea, gnomes!

 

Oh, and while I'm here, just a bit of a disclaimer like thing: For any of you who have read the Elf Quest comic series (if you haven't, you should look into it, it's really good), yes, I did have my inspiration from there. The whole wolf-blooded elf thing appealed to me, so I took some of the idea and played with it. I don't claim credit for it or anything like that—don't sue me! I'm broke!

 

And just one more thing—sorry, I know this chapter is probably a bit boring as well, but once again, it's kinda filler while I get things running in Terran.