Coward Ryan - Chapter 4

“Ah! The clothes!” Strago exclaimed. He’d completely forgotten about them. “I must have dropped them on my way here. We’ll have to go back and pick them up.”1

They turned down the tunnel but, as before, neither of them could keep up with the other. The only consolation was that they kept finding items of clothing scattered all throughout the tunnel so they had to stop to pick them up anyway. 2

“Why was that water so icy?” Ryan asked, the first time Strago had stopped. “That cavern was so warm, it doesn’t make sense.”3

“Hmm, how to explain it,” Strago pondered, handing Ryan a t-shirt held delicately between two of his claws. Ryan held it up only to find that it was patterned with flowers and so he was secretly rather glad to see it was several sizes too big for him. 4

“Do you know about the hot springs on your world?” Strago said. “You get them on every continent all over the earth, even beneath the oceans and in the lands where everything is frozen into ice.” He picked up another item of clothing and passed it back to Ryan without looking at it. “The pool in this volcano is like that, but the opposite. I suppose you would call it a cold spring. The water elementals have a lot to do with it, of course.”5

Ryan paused in mid-stride. “Wait. Did you say a volcano?” He clutched the growing pile of clothes to his chest and looked around him uneasily. He’d learnt all about Pompeii – the city buried under sixty feet of ash when the nearby volcano had erupted – at school just the other week. “We’re in a volcano? What if it explodes?”6

“No need to worry about that,” Strago said with such finality that Ryan couldn’t help but believe him. It was a good thing too because Strago declined to say any more about the matter.7

They continued on down the tunnel and the next time Strago stopped and Ryan managed to catch up to him, he asked, “What are water elementals?”8

Strago harrumphed. “Silly little sprites. You’ve probably heard stories about them. Humans have an inane tendency of bringing things to life that have no meaning. The four elements? Earth, water, air and fire? Living things?” He swung his head around at Ryan. “Rubbish! The creatures are called what they are because they resemble the places they live in. Not because they are those elements.” He tossed several more items of clothing in Ryan’s direction. “Can you imagine if the elements were living creatures? We’d be breathing them in or drinking them or standing on them – or expelling them. What a ludicrous thought!”9

The dragon fairly stalked off down the tunnel, flinging clothes at Ryan as they went, and by the time they came out into yet another cavern Ryan had heard a whole lot more about the ridiculous notions of humans than he’d ever thought possible.10

He also had a whole pile of clothes in his arms that he didn’t know what to do with. There must be more here even than what Mum has in her wardrobe! he thought in astonishment but when he started to sort through them they were nowhere near as good quality as what his mum would wear. In fact, they looked like they’d all been grabbed at random from an old, second hand op shop. And they smelt rather musty. 11

Ryan wrinkled his nose in distaste and dumped the clothes on the floor. He may not have cared much for clothes back in his own world but this was just ridiculous. 12

“None of these are in my size,” Ryan said. “And half of them are girls’ clothes. What am I supposed to do with this?” He waved a pair of suspenders then picked up a tiny pair of long johns. “Baby clothes too? Where did you get these from?”13

Strago bristled. Like he knew about human clothes! For a moment – and what with his recent gripe still fresh in his mind – he felt he could understand Cat’s dislike of humans if just a little. But that was childish, really, and he calmed himself down. “It’s not easy conjuring things from the human world, boy. I took what I could most easily get my claws into.”14

No wonder there are so many! Ryan thought, looking at the size of Strago’s claws. Well, at least I have a broad range to choose from! 15

But of course, this didn’t help much given the choice available to him. In the end, he picked up the least embarrassing things he could find and dressed himself as best he could. But he still ended up feeling like he was wearing a baggy old woman’s dress, despite the fact he was actually wearing trousers. He had to use the suspenders after all just to keep the pants up. And the sleeves kept flopping down annoyingly just where his elbows were. And the pant legs threatened to trip him up every time he moved. And he had no shoes. 16

He sighed. At least there isn’t anyone from school here to see me, he thought miserably but then he looked up to find even Strago staring at him with a very odd expression on his face. 17

“You don’t need to look at me like that!” Ryan exclaimed, highly embarrassed. “I know how ridiculous I must look!” 18

Strago blinked. “Hmm?” he said absentmindedly. “More light would help,” he murmured to himself, not even noticing that Ryan’s face was bright red.19

He’s not even paying attention, Ryan realised as the dragon’s eyes flicked from side to side. His eyes weren’t focused on Ryan at all but rather seemed to be focused on something just in front him and around him. Ryan’s embarrassment slowly subsided and gave way to curiosity instead. “What are you doing?” he asked. 20

Strago started then looked at Ryan properly and shook his head. “Trying to decipher this disturbance that’s on you. There’s something truly puzzling about it and I don’t like it at all.”21

Ryan fell silent at this. He’d forgotten all about the real reason he was here – or perhaps he’d chosen to forget about it. It wasn’t a very good feeling to know you were a disruptive disturbance to – not just one person or even a class full of students – but to a whole other world of creatures. 22

It was about a thousand times worse than when he’d been called a nuisance by his favourite teacher. He’d been thoroughly told off – more so than the kids who were told off all the time – and he’d felt thoroughly ashamed afterwards. Especially when he’d been sent to the headmaster’s office as well.23

“And I’m not even doing anything this time!” he burst out. “Not that I know of anyway,” he added in a rush, then he looked up at Strago uncertainly. “Am I?”24

Strago sat and pondered for a moment before answering. “Hmm. No, I don’t believe you’re the source of it. It just happens to be on you, unfortunately.” Or perhaps not so unfortunately, as it turns out, Strago thought to himself.25

“But what is it? What does it do?”26

“That’s what I need to find out. I believe you’d best understand it as a spell or a curse. The strange thing is that, somehow, it’s been disrupting this world. And once I find out how and for what purpose, I should be able to trace it back to the creature who placed it on you. Only then will I be able to do something about it.”27

“Oh,” Ryan said. In a way he felt relieved that it wasn’t really anything to do with him but even so he felt a little guilty about it, as if it really were his fault. “How is it disrupting this world?”28

“Well if I knew that–” Strago started but before he could say anything else, a great screeching racket echoed down the tunnel they were standing in. Even Strago froze at the noise but soon the cacophony became vague, word-like sounds and in the next blink of Ryan’s eyes Strago had shot off down the tunnel in the direction the noise was coming from.29

Ryan groaned and tottered off after him at a sprinting run. I’ll soon be a pro at this! he thought. I’ll be able to try out for the race track at school when I go back... 30

He faltered a little at this thought. It hadn’t occurred to him up till now to wonder when he might be able to return home. He didn’t even know how he’d gotten here except that he’d come through some forest somewhere... and he didn’t even know where that was. Strago certainly hadn’t mentioned it at all.31

Suddenly Ryan felt homesick. To put it out of his mind, he picked up his speed and focused on sprinting after Strago as fast as he could. Since this was rather difficult given his lack of shoes and baggy clothing – which felt like they were going to slip off him with every running jolt – this took the feeling out of his mind quite nicely.32

As he went, the cacophony of noise got louder and clearer at an alarming rate. “Strago! Strago! Oh Strago, where are you?” it went, amidst a multitude of piercing shrieks and squawks and different bird calls that put Ryan in mind of the time he’d been in a zoo’s aviary.33

By the time he reached the cavern’s entrance, not only was he winded and aching from running, he felt rather deafened too. He bent over gasping and puffing beside Strago’s tail and looked up just in time to see a large bird shaped creature hurtling and plunging towards the ledge they were standing on. 34

Ryan’s eyes widened. She was huge – bigger even than Strago – and how she was going to fit into the cavern, Ryan had no idea. Her wings flapped frantically in her efforts to stop, sending huge gusts of air blasting about the cavern and whistling down the tunnel. 35

For one horrified moment, Ryan thought the creature was going to crash right into them but at the very last possible second she dropped to the ground and skidded and tumbled and slid to a clumsy halt just metres away from them.36

Ryan clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle a giggle. He could see now that she was a massive eagle but despite that – or perhaps because of it – she looked incredibly absurd lying where she’d fallen, her neck stretched out in front of her and her oversized wings askew on either side.37

“Strago! Thank goodness!” the creature squawked. She flopped upright and then – Ryan’s mouth dropped open – the creature transformed. She shrunk to about a fifth of the size, her wings disappeared into small nubs on her back and two great webbed feet grew out from under her. She looked almost like a cross between a goose, a turkey and a platypus. It was such a contrast from the elegant shape of the eagle that Ryan’s fear of this new, strange creature was quashed by such an overwhelming fit of giggles that he had to stuff his fist into his mouth to stop himself from laughing.38

Strago’s expression was nothing but serious. He moved forwards into the extra space the creature had left from her transformation. “What’s the matter, Narie? What’s happened?” he rumbled.39

“Oh Strago! It’s terrible!” she wailed. “Terrible terrible terrible! I couldn’t believe it when I heard. I thought I should come here and tell you but then I thought what if it was wrong? I couldn’t give you false information so I thought I’d go see Zebo but he didn’t have time to see me and then I didn’t know what to do! So I went straight back and he showed me and there was certainly no mistaking it. I mean who could ever see one and not know what it was?” 40

She waddled restlessly around the cavern. Backwards and forwards went her words and backwards and forwards went her feet until Ryan had long since lost the thread of what she was talking about and could no longer look at her, he was getting so dizzy.41

“In the end Zebo told me to come straight here and tell you instead so I changed into my largest shape so I could get here as soon as I could. Oh, Strago, what are we going to do? What are you going to do? It’s a disaster! An absolute disaster!” 42

“Calm down, Narie! What’s happened? What did you hear?”43

“The disturbance, Strago! What we’ve all been feeling these past days! It’s been found! And it’s – it’s – ”44

“On a human?” Strago finished mildly.45

Narie stopped in her tracks and twisted her neck around to face him. “You already knew?”46

“Of course. I’m the one who found him,” Strago said and he nodded his head at Ryan. 47

Narie twisted her neck even further and seemed to see Ryan for the first time. She gave a squawk of fright and jumped backwards. Her wings came out for balance before she fell over then they disappeared again into the nubs on her shoulders. “A – a – a human!” she shrieked.48

“It’s all right, Narie!” Strago said. He sounded exasperated. “He can’t hurt you. He’s just a child.”49

Ryan thought this was a bit much but he didn’t say so. Instead, he stepped forward and said politely, “Hi. I’m Ryan.”50

Narie scrambled backwards away from him as best she could on her webbed feet. “Keep it away from me!” she said with her eyes closed. Ryan had the distinct impression that if she’d had hands she would have put them over her ears as well.51

Strago sighed. “Was that all you had to tell me, Narie?”52

Narie opened one eye and tried to peer at Ryan without seeming to. She didn’t seem to have heard what Strago had just said. “Larks! A human! A real human! Here! We’re all doomed!” She shook her head from side to side in agitation and her whole body shook with her. 53

Ryan tried yet again not to laugh. She really was an absurd creature.54

Strago closed his eyes momentarily. He felt like curling up in the centre of his volcano and going to sleep for a long long time. At least until this whole mess was over and done with. But he knew he couldn’t do that. “Narie!” he boomed. “We’re not doomed. Now calm down! He’s not going to harm anyone.”55

Amazingly, the effect of Strago’s words was instantaneous. Narie’s movements stilled. Her beak closed and her wings turned back into nubs on her shoulders but if Ryan had expected her words to come out more normally, he was sorely disappointed. 56

Narie cocked her head to one side and glanced at Ryan out of the corner of one eye. “Why isn’t it black like the other one? Can humans change colour? I didn’t know humans could change colour.” 57

Strago’s head shot up at that but he chose his next words very carefully. “Narie, where have you seen a human before?”58

“Ooh, uh, let’s see... The first time was...” She looked up at the sky in thought. “Oh! I know! I was in the desert oasis and–”59

Strago sighed. “Narie, that happened half a moon ago. Well before anyone discovered the disturbance, and well before anyone knew it was on a human. Come on, Narie. Tell me the truth, now. This is very important.”60

Narie shrank back at his tone. “Oh alright! I – er – I was in the field by the lake,” she said a little guiltily. “I didn’t eat any of the lettuces, I swear I didn’t! Oh er, maybe I had a bit of a nibble... You know how I adore those lettuces, Strago. And they looked so delicious and crisp.” She looked at Strago anxiously as if afraid she was going to be told off but Strago had too many other things on his mind to take much notice.61

“That’s leagues away on the other side of the range,” Strago muttered. He was starting to get a horrible feeling about this. “Narie, were you there this morning? At about the time of the Gathering?” 62

“Oh Strago! You know I’m not good with time!” Narie wailed, her head waving backwards and forwards. “I know, I’ll track back. Like you taught me.” She put her head down and waddled around the cavern. “Let’s see... before I flew here, I flew to see Ze... No, no, that’s not right. I saw... I was at...” 63

Ryan could see she really was trying incredibly hard to remember but he could also see that Strago was getting more and more irritated with each passing moment until – 64

“Narie!” Strago snapped. 65

Narie jumped. “Aah! Ask Cat!” she shrieked. “Don’t ask me! It was him who showed me!”66

Strago jerked his head back in surprise. “Cat? That pesky griffite?”67

“Yes! Yes! That’s the one! Larks, how he launched himself at that human. Goodness it was funny though. Not that I blame him, minds you.” She tipped her head to one side and looked at Ryan again.68

“Hmm,” Strago pondered. Deciphering Narie’s words was always a chore at the best of times. She was a muddled up creature. Given what she’d just said, it could have only been Ryan and Strago she had seen and all the other answers she’d given him could have been details from completely different, non-human related events. Just like the desert oasis. But on the other hand... “Who else was with this human, Narie?” he asked carefully.69

“Oh it was what’s-her-name. And what’s-his-head. The ones I don’t like. You know, those pompous horse-bird, bird-horse beasts.”70

“Do you mean Malta and Fiane?” Strago’s brow furrowed. “They did go out to the human world, too,” he recalled. He was silent for a long moment then he shook his head. “Another human,” he muttered. “What does this mean?” And there’s Cat, too, he thought darkly.71

Ryan looked from Narie to Strago then back again, and jumped. “Ah!” he yelped. Narie was right up close to him and staring at him rather disconcertingly. “What’s the matter?”72

“I’m waiting for you to change colour,” she said, and she continued to stare at him intently.73

Ryan shook his head. “People can’t change colour,” he said, a little nervously. “We're just different. Like animals. You know?”74

Narie frowned. Her head wobbled from side to side and her eyes crossed as if in thought. But before she could say anything, Strago suddenly strode forward purposely. “Narie, come with me. We’re going to find this other human.” He twisted his head around to Ryan. “You go back to the ante-chamber. Don’t come out here again while I’m gone.” And with that, he pushed past Narie and took off into the sky.75

Narie squawked, startled at this sudden change of events, and waddled as fast as she could to the edge of the cavern’s opening. “Strago! Wait for me!” she wailed. She cast one last uncertain glance at Ryan, then the nubs on her shoulders became wings once again and she plunged off the ledge out of sight. 76

A second later, the giant eagle Ryan had first seen swooped up past the cavern’s opening.77

~~~78

To be continued...79

Start: Chapter 180

Previous: Chapter 3 (Part B continued)81

Next: Chapter 582