Ermnzik: First To Fly (Chapter 3)

Tachaeil 1

I thought I heard a faint voice calling my name, I listened for a moment but shrugged it off when I heard no more, my thoughts drifted to the young dragon I had spoken to before, Salaei she said her name was, it sounded vaguely familiar but I couldn't understand why. 'I wonder what she is doing right now...' 2

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Zeil 3

Dragonling wakes and tries to climb up hallaw plant. Falls and tries to run away as Zeil pad over toward hers. Do not escape, hurts wing worse, makes bleed. Smell makes Zeil hungrier. Walks closer to dragonling, lick lips as I watching her panics. 4

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Salaei 5

I crawled under branches and slipped into a small pool of ice-water. I let myself sink down to the bottom and lay there, the cold water numbing my wings a little bit. I looked up to see if the Zelik would come after me, hoping that it hadn't seen me go into the pool, wondering if it would wait until I came up for air... 6

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Zeil 7

I watches Dragonling sink into ice-water. Dragonling' thinking amuse I. Dragonling think that ice-water stop Zeil. Zeil dive into ice-water and swim to dragonling, I slash at her with long toe claws, Zeil misses first time but next time slashes through her flesh, Ice-water fast fill with red of the blood. Pool fastly becomes the blood-water*, Zeil retreat fast but still feel blood-water starting to making scales raw, hopes dragonling will leave the pool before death so that Zeil will have fresh Dragonling to eat later. Claws at freezing ground at edge of pool and pulls self up, runs fast, fast as can from deadly blood-water. 8

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*Blood-Water- created when a badly bleeding Dragon submerges in ice water, becoming an acid like liquid that destroys all organic material that falls into the pool.
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Salaei 9

It hurt to move around, my shoulder hurt from where the Zelik had clawed me. I was confused about why the Zelik had fled. The I felt a burning sensation all over my body and in my eyes, forcing me to close them although my eyelids felt like sand parer against them, I pushed up, rapidly rising to the surface, but it felt so terribly slow. I clawed in desperation at the icy ground around the pool, crying out in distress. After a few moments I managed to pull myself out of the pool, my scales were raw and the holes in the membranes of my wings had grown larger, fortunately they weren't very big but they really hurt, I could feel my own hot blood dripping down my wings onto my back. I drug myself slowly away from the pool, heading in the direction of the Firaqua, hoping I'd get there soon, but knowing I was still pretty far away and knowing I had to get there before another Zelik could find me....10

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Zeil 12

Runned long time. Stars move two places in sky. Zeil look back, sees feet prints sizzling, claws burn as I runs. Zeil reaches cave after what feels like always and runs inside it, eyes fast adjusting to darkness of cave. I dives into Black-Water, feeling good as claws heal, warm feel spread through I. Zeil stay in black water long, enjoying feeling of *Dark Glow. 13

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*Cave of Black-Water- The place that all Zelik go when they have been injured, Black water has healing properties to Zelik, it has a putred smell and tend to make all other creatures that get in it feel sick.15

*Dark Glow- The feeling of the Zelik's body being healed, the outline of the Zelik seems to glow black and it sort of sucks color ourt of the air that is touching the zelik (hard to explain), which is where it gets its name from. 16

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Tachaeil 19

I flew around for a while after the storm had cleared. I was glad to feel the warmth of the stars on my wings once again, I flipped and twisted, flying in complex patterns that not even I understood the meaning of. 20

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Salaei 22

I slipped into the lake of Firaqua, my whole body ached as I waded farther in. I winced as a rough stone scraped against my belly and I drifted towards the middle of the lake slowly. After a little while I heard the distinct snapping of a twig, my head jerked towards the sound. The Zelik had come back for me. 23

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Zeil 25

I saw dragonling in big firewater. I walk to edge and dip claw in, planning to get to dragonling. Claw burns off of foot,, and I jumps back, cry out in hurting. Sees another Zelink run and jump far, landing in deep fire-water near the Dragonling. I hears screams of the Zelik as burned alive she became. Turns to ash and sinks to bottom. Steps back as I figures that black sand around fire-water is from dead Zelik. Zeil jumps back and runs into forest, finds scare as realizes claw stump no bleed. I stops a, examines claw stub . Was healed by fire water after burned away wht could mean it? Confusing I does it much. I runs to cave to tell of Zelik's death by fire-water. 26

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Tachaeil 28

I had watched as a Zelik ran towards a cave. It seemed to be in a hurry. I wondered about the significance of the cave, since I had seen lots of Zelik go inside it. I flew down for a closer look. I lighted on the cliff that was over the cave, then I dropped down and took a step towards the cave, folding my wings so that I could walk inside. I hadn't expected them to all be there, after all, the three stars had moved from one end of the sky to the other since I had seen the Zelik run inside. 29

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Salaei 31

I stared in shock, horror and slight fasination as the Zelik burst into flames before my eyes, reduced to ashes in a matter of seconds. I was confused and swam away from the place it had been as the inders slowly drifted towards the bottom, I climbed onto the bank and lay there bathing in the light of the three stars. I thought about it for some time, turning it over and over in my mind trying to figure out what had happened, and what it meant. It made me rethink what the firaqua really is.'It's also a refuge from the Zelik,' I thought to myself. 32

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Tachaeil 34

I slowly walked into the darkness, my eyes adjusting slowly. I saw thousands of glowing red eyes a few paces into the cave and felt a strange cold water at my feet that made me feel sick to my stomach. Then the Zelik attacked me. Claws digging into my flesh, tearing me apart, my mouth opened as I tried to cry out for help. I remembered that there was no dragon left to hear me and with that realization came pure terror. Then there was nothing. 35

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