literature

The Awakening Ch.1 - Turning Tides

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The cavern reverberated with the ominous clamor of lonely water drops.  In the darkness, all was dead and silent.  The ancient air that infested the earthen den hung stale and stagnant, untouched and lost for an age untold with only the rank stench of decaying years to fill a hollow existence.  What lonely life that thrived in the forgotten stone world either crawled, slinked, or swam lethargically and blindly to its respective, repetitive course.

No light illuminated the earthen walls; all was pitch as the darkest veil of night.  Yet such deprivation held no sway to the cavern's denizens; for to the light, they all were blind.  Feeling and sensing the world around them, they skittered, slithered, crawled and wadded through the darkness, each the master of their dark world.

In silent predatory anticipation, a young serpent lay coiled at a stalagmite's base, eagerly awaiting an unfortunate and unwary soul to venture within his range and fall prey to his deadly strike.  Though young, his form was far from feeble.  His sleek and pale hide was riddled with numerous wounds and marks symbolic of his tumultuous struggle for life in a merciless world.  His unyielding defensive demeanor was steeled and concise, honed relentlessly from countless encounters with his fellow denizens.  Time and the harsh consequences of youthful foolishness had long taught him the virtues of patience, and it was an element that he retained dutifully.  His sightless eyes, dead as stones, perched unflinching in the darkness, following only the soft movement of his head as it bobbed slowly in small arcs.  A small scarlet tongue darted quickly from between his maw, tasting the air a moment before vanishing once more into its protective hideout.

The air buzzed with a foreign activity.

Prey.

The young serpent coiled tighter as the intruder drew closer.  Instinct calmed his nerves and held him motionless in the dark.

From within a tight crevice in the adjacent wall, a large rodent poked its head out to survey the surroundings.  Timidly, it ventured further into the den, pausing only to consider a sudden noise or to investigate a potential meal.

The serpent remained patiently observant and motionless as the forager drew closer.
Oblivious to the hunter's presence, the rodent scuttled closer; nose to the ground as it sniffed its way through the darkness.

The scarlet tongue flickered again.  
Not yet.

The rodent reached the stalagmite's base, sniffing furiously and poking its head into any small crevice it could to coax any potential food out.

Closer.

The rodent hobbled around the stone formation.

The young serpent tensed.  
Nearly…Nearly…

There was a slight squeak as a small nose poked intrudingly around the formation's base.  For a brief moment the soft pink point swept over the rocky ground; then suddenly it froze.  The hesitation was brief as the rodent came to realize its fatal mistake, but that was all the time the young predator needed.  Before the large scavenger could even turn tail to bolt, the serpent opened his jaws wide, baring his deadly fangs, and lunged with all his might.

The rodent shrieked in surprise as the serpent's jaws clamped firmly around its neck.  Then, with a mighty burst of energy, it began trying to shake the predator loose, thrashing and flailing in wild twists and convulsions.

The serpent clung tight as the struggling rodent tossed him wildly about, trying to get him in range of its sharp teeth.

The brawl rolled and scuttled across the cavern floor, mindlessly bouncing between large boulders and through small crevices until it came to reach the cavity's center where the combatants continued their furious struggle.

The rodent snarled and hissed its rage as it tried to rake the serpent's sleek form with its formidable claws, but the serpent quickly wrapped his body around the rodent's abdomen and began to constrict.

Panicked, the rodent threw itself into a chaotic, thrashing roll.  The two forces bounced across the floor, knocking loose pebbles and small rocks wildly in every direction.  The serpent coiled tighter and reaffirmed its grip on the flailing prey's nape.

With a mighty leap, the rodent slammed into a small rubble of gravel, attempting to crush the serpent under its weight.  But the small pile gave out with a terrible raucous and clattered across the uneven surface.  In the darkness, a small spark of light shot from the disturbed debris and skittered to a stop along the earthen walls.  Oblivious, the quarreling duo fought on into the darkness.

The spark hovered momentarily, winking and waning softly in the darkness, then slowly began to grow.  Veins of scarlet energy began to snake their way through the depths of the violet crystal, splitting, then collecting into a purple orb at its center.  It pulsed once, then twice, and with a sudden flare, began to rattle of its own accord along the wall.

The crystal bumped delicately against a small marble-like obstruction where it continued to jitter and bounce softly.  Then, as quickly as it had sprung into life, the crystal settled and fell still, though the energy within continued to pulse steadily.

Suddenly, from the darkness there sounded a low rumble, cold and terrible, as if the earth itself were shifting its elements.  The note carried its steady beat for a fleeting second before manifesting to a more resounding essence.   The air shifted as a massive shadow rose from the abyssal emptiness, and a pair of crimson eyes tore through the black canvas, peering stoic and horrid through the darkened cavern.



The rodent lay stiff and unmoving in the serpent's iron coil, its eyes dead and shallow, its body cold and lifeless.  The young serpent still retained his hold around the prey's abdomen and kept his jaws locked tightly around the critter's neck.  The struggle had exhausted him, but he had proved himself the victor.  As energy returned once more to his muscles, he detached himself from his meal and let the creature's corpse rest momentarily upon the stone floor.

Turning so as to devour his meal whole, the serpent inched slowly forward, weary and exhausted, but determined to fill his stomach before another creature felt it just to steal his reward.  He could feel the presence of the scavengers as they watched from the shadows, just waiting for their chance at a free meal; it wasn't a favor he was willing to offer.  However, just as the hinged jaws opened to consume the rodent, there was a sudden
whump as a massive rustic hued paw came crashing down on top of the lifeless corpse.  The serpent hissed in shock and immediately coiled into a defensive display.  He bared his fangs at the intruder and spat his hissing fury up at the crimson eyes that starred menacingly back down and the violet crystal that pulsed beneath them.

For a split second, the cavern settled into a terrible silence, then a ground shattering roar ripped through the air, shaking the young serpent to his core.  His body locked in fright and he found himself powerless to react as a massive void of serrated teeth coalesced from the darkness before him.  In an instant, his rage turned to alarm as he felt the raw malevolence of the intruder's presence.  In a fit of panic and instinct, the serpent bolted for the nearest crevice he could sense, coaxing every last ounce of energy his body had to add speed to his flight.

But his desperate act was short lived, for with a mighty
smack, another rustic paw fell from the darkness and came crashing down on top of the fleeing predator.  The serpent wiggled and squirmed franticly, hissing his terror into the darkness and attempting to free himself of the crushing weight that pinned him to the ground.

A sudden growl swept through the cavern and the serpent fell still with fright.  He could feel the horrid presence of the dark entity hovering menacingly above him, cold and terrible as a winter storm.  Then it descended; slowly, as if to relish the horror of its victim, it reached down to eliminate the serpent from the cruel world that had been his kingdom.  The young serpent could feel the dreaded heat of the gaping chasm that would be his end growing closer and closer.  His mind was unclouded with feelings of hunger or exhaustion.  Only fear remained to traitorously lock his body motionless as he slipped from the threshold of nonbeing.

With a mighty snap, the jaws closed and the serpent was no more.  In the shadows, the stupefied onlookers receded quickly to the safety of their homes, peering out from crevices and from under rocks to observe the eerie threat of the new power.

From its woven twine lace, the crystal pulsed brightly against the darkness, casting eerie light upon its bearer.  Above, like two bloody rifts torn from the night, the crimson eyes hovered cold and terrible, a dormant nightmare once more awakened.   The entity stood motionless, seeming to sway slightly as it took in the abyssal void that it now occupied.  Then, once more, with a powerful reverberating essence, a terrible roar rent the forgotten world asunder.




The soft golden hue of the morning sun cascaded delicately over the distant watery horizon, refracting softly over the unfathomable expanses of the great ocean and painting the calm waters a deep golden orange.  The cloud-crowded sky swam with a merry assortment of reds, oranges and yellows.  A soft ocean breeze whispered along the tranquil shores of a fair sized island, tussling the crests of the breaking surf and rustling the languid leaves of palm trees in a jolly dance.  D'Island stood tall and proud against the mighty oceanic waters, its iconic mountain peaks a faded black outline against the morning backdrop.

The cool air of the night slowly began to warm itself in the sunlight.  From above the ocean surface, gulls wailed their eager anticipation as they stalked the shallow depths for a scrumptious breakfast; along the rocky shores, various reptiles lay basking in the warm sunlight, warming their coldblooded bodies in preparation for the day; a small troop of casfishrimp tumbled clumsily upon the shore, gasping in indignation and scurrying to and fro whenever a particularly tumultuous wave rushed up to sweep them off of their spindly legs.

The calls of hundreds of tropical birds filled the forests that lay at the border of the beach front.  Occasionally, the feathered denizens could be seen skirting the jungle canopies or twisting and weaving through the bramble of branches that marked their home, but for the most part, they remained out of view.
Perched comfortably on a particularly thin branch of an old bralin tree, a yellow-breasted sparrow chirped his merriment into the rising dawn.  The warm morning light washed over his light brown back, catching the glistening shine of his newly preened feathers in a brilliant display of their magnificent colors.

The forest continued to thrum with the bustling activity of the other inhabitants as they mindlessly went about their own ways.  The young sparrow cocked his head once in each direction as he listened for a hopeful response.  He was about to give another call when there suddenly came an identical chirp.  Interested, the sparrow tried again with the same note and awaited a response.  Through the chaotic jungle noises, it came.

Instinct flooded the young bird and he leapt into the air with a quick snap of his wings.  He weaved around the knotted tree trunks and side-perched a small vine.  He chirped again, and the response sounded once more.
Again he took to the air and aimed for a stout branch nearby.  As soon as he set down, he let loose a third call.  This time, the response was sharp and clear.  The sparrow cocked his head and scanned the tree tops, but the responder was nowhere to be seen.  He chirped again, and once more it was returned to him.  This time he managed to pinpoint its source; but to his confusion, it wasn't another sparrow that he found.

Clinging low and tight on top of a thick branch of an adjacent tree was a most intriguing creature.  Its hide was a very light fern-green and it sported two stout sky-blue horns.  Nestled proudly on the brow of its crown was a light purple three-point crest.  Two bright blue eyes gazed in merry wonder back at the young sparrow, who, in confusion, chirped inquisitively.  Instantly, the creature lifted its head and emitted the exact same note.  The young bird cocked his head, and the creature imitated the action, the form of a genuine smile etched on its snout.

The sparrow fell to instinct and tensed in preparation for flight.  In the blink of an eye, he was air born and twisting once more through the tangle of trees.  A branch raced up before him and he slowed to perch.  As he set down, he looked back and blinked in curiosity as the same creature perched once more on the adjacent branch, stowing a pair of dark purple wings into their resting position.  The young bird squawked and the creature imitated the call.  Irritated, the sparrow again jumped into the air and wheeled his way through the trees.

The young dragon watched the small bird go.  He enjoyed the race, though his intentions lay far from the cruel; there was little that could compare to the exhilarating feeling of weaving in and out of the jungle trees, and the sparrow's quick wit and agility offered a sensible test of one's skills.  Pure joy and merriment flooded the young dragon's hollow bones as he shot off of the branch, weaving quickly and with great agility through the mess of vines, branches, and leaves, every turn lifting his spirits and daring him faster.

Ahead, the quick witted young sparrow swerved, dipped, and raced with ever greater urgency, his wings working extra hard to add even more speed to his eluding flight.  The forest blurred as the wind screamed past his small ear slits, but still he coaxed his wings more speed as he slipped through the dense jungle woods.  Behind, he could feel the young dragon steadily gaining distance on him.  How could something so big be outmaneuvering him?  The matter quickly became irrelevant as the dense jungle light flared suddenly in intensity and the lush greenery thinned.  Before the young bird knew it, he had breached the jungle border and was soaring through the wide sandy openness of the beachfront.

From behind, the young dragon took note of the thinning shrubbery and his smile grew broader.  Ducking under a mess of vines, he sprung off of a low hanging branch, breaking through the tree line and shooting into the warm morning air.  The sunlight flooded warm and wonderful over his outstretched wings while the sandy thermals rolled beneath them, tickling his nerves and lifting him high in flight.  The young dragon felt his heart leap as he closed his eyes, reveling in the wonderful feeling.   All around him he could feel the sweet energies of life carried delicately upon the winds.  It was a paradise parallel to no other.  Everything was perf…

"AAAAYYYYEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"  A sudden shriek rent the morning and the young dragon snapped to reality in an instant, his eyes springing wide open as he suddenly felt another presence from behind.

There was little time to react.  Before the young dragon could so much as turn to identify the assailant, the intruder plowed into the full of his back, sending them both crashing into the sandy shore.  With a grunt and a dull thud, the young dragon came to rest prone with his snout buried in the sand while the other entity sat triumphantly on his back.

"Good morning, Skye!" the young black dragoness giggled.

"Hello, Auros."  The green dragon mumbled through the sand.

"Not terrorizing the wildlife again, are you?"  The dragoness teased as she leapt aside, allowing the sand-covered dragon to regain his composure.

"Oh, I dunno…", Skye sneered as he rose once more to his feet, weighing the sting of his comeback.  He sized the young dragoness up, from her sleek and agile form to her long and deadly raptor-like rear talons. "…you don't look all that terrified to me."

He couldn't help but beam as the insult took effect.  Auros's smug smile melted instantly and her expression grew grim while her wings ruffled in irritation.  "Humph!  If only your reflexes where as quick as your mouth, pouncing you might have been sport."

"Oh, that reminds me…" Skye shot the dragoness a devious smirk before giving himself a violent shake, sending the sand that clung to his hide spraying in every direction.

"Oh, hey!  Watch it!"  Auros roared as she ducked behind her wing to avoid the shower. "Skye, you twit!  I just got done grooming!"

"Oh, come now, Miss Spotless!" the young dragon teased as he scratched the remaining sand from between his chest plates. "What is there to living if you don't get dirty every now and then?"

Auros glared daggers at the green dragon who continued to grin in smug victory.  She desperately fought the urge to retaliate, but knew better.  Skye's game was one that preyed upon irritation and countered with quick wits.  Few could match the young dragon's arsenal of witty comebacks, and none had yet to match his concise deliveries.

Skye continued to beam.  He loved it whenever an argument was so quick to turn in his favor, for it usually meant that no harm would ever come of it.  However, he was still wary of his opponent's level of irritation.  He knew that it would not be wise to push the dragoness too far too soon, for if there was one being who you did not want have agianst you, it was Auros.

Much to his surprise, however, the dragoness did not retaliate, but slowly lowered her head in submission.  Skye's eyebrows jumped.

"Oh, alright, airhead, I guess that is fair enough."  The dragoness growled and rolled her eyes.  "I didn't come track you down to play battle of the insults."

Skye cocked his head inquisitively, "Oh?"

Behind her submissive guise, Auros was smiling.  She knew that she was at the disadvantage whenever she was in direct competition with the young dragon, but she also knew that he had one exploitable weakness that could prove his downfall.  Skye had a short attention span, and once his attention was drawn away from the matter at hand, he became vulnerable to her attack. Auros would have the final word, and it would be a powerful blow; all it would take was a little distraction.

"Truth be told, someone was rather eager to see you and I figured I would lend a paw."  The dragoness ruffled her wings slightly.

Curious, Skye looked around, but saw no one besides the young dragoness. "Funny, I figured you were alo…"

The young dragon was cutoff midsentence by a small rustle.  Then, from between Auros's dark brown horns appeared a pointed white head that sported three black eyes.

Gasp?  The small creature wheezed.

Skye cocked his head. "Steve?"

GASP!  In a flash, the small casfishrimp leapt from the dragoness's head and clawed its way through the sand to curl up around Skye's forepaw where it gave a contented sigh and nuzzled the dragon's forelimb with its head.

"Ha!" Skye exclaimed, bringing his snout down to give the small creature an affectionate nudge.  "You little devil, you.  I was wondering where you had gone off to.  I was beginning to worry!"

The casfishrimp gurgled happily and reached out with its spindly paws to tickle the young dragon's snout.

Auros smiled to herself.  The distraction was working.  Now it was time to set the trap.

"Ahem," she interjected as the unlikely duo grew more and more oblivious to reality in the other's company "I was going to head up to the falls.  I heard that the others were meeting there later this morning, and I figured it might be a bit of fun." She looked expectantly at the young dragon, but he appeared not to have heard her at all.  Irritated by Skye's oblivious stature, Auros gave a small chuff and ruffled her wings, cuffing the green dragon upside the head and startling him back to reality.  "I was hoping you might be able to attend as well, Skye."

"Huh?  Attend what?"  The young dragon asked, shaking his head in confusion.

"The others are gathering up at the falls.  Not too sure what it is all about, but it did sound like a good time."  Auros locked her eyes squarely with Skye's as she said this, as if to punctuate the meaning of the request.  "What do you think?"

The young dragon seemed taken aback. "Oh, uhh…" He quickly shot a glance towards the jungle, then down at Steve, who lay curled comfortably on his paw. "…well, I had hoped to kinda work my way towards the…"

"Navari Forest?," the dragoness cut in, a little annoyed by the dragon's poor excuse "Yes I am aware of your little routine."

"Routine?!"  Skye snorted.  "Since when have I ever been subject to…"

"Wake up in the morning on the bluffs to watch the sunrise.  Then you take the short flight here to chase the birds around..."

"Well, I…"

"Take a run along the beach until you arrive at the cove where you usually meet up with Steve…"

Gasp…

"There you either wade the waters or laze on the rocks, basking in the sunlight until the sun wanes, where upon you take a recreational flight around the crags to show off…"

"Uhh, display…"

"…your 'stuff'."

"Hey, you never complained bef…"

"Come sunset, you 'work your way' to the Navari Forest to chase fireflies…"

"Hehe, yeah…"

"…and watch the stars."  Auros cast a smug smile at the green dragon who seemed rather overcome by the substantial evidence of his predictability.  "I dunno about you, but that sounds like a routine to me."

Skye gaped speechlessly at the dragoness as he tried to formulate a reasonable retaliation.  "Umm…I only...uhh…" he cocked his head inquisitively "…how do you know all this?"

Auros's smile grew wider. "Observation."

Skye was dumbstruck. "Oh…well, I…hmm…"

The dragoness could barely contain her smug satisfaction.  The trap had worked perfectly and now it was time to snap it shut.

"Well, tell you what.  Why don't you ponder that on the way?" Auros gave a curt turn and spread her wings wide.  With a powerful down stroke, she was air born and wheeling away towards the mountains.

"Yeah, I'll just…err, wait, what?!"  Skye fumbled and looked up after the receding form of the dragoness. "Wait!  Auros, I wasn't…oh…"  The young dragon shook his head and looked down at the small casfishrimp curled up on his paw. "…that just wasn't fair."

Steve looked up into the young dragon's deep blue eyes inquisitively.  Gasp?

"Hehe, well, there isn't much for it; either we go, or face the guilt."  Skye considered his choices momentarily, then crouched low and spread his wings.  "Well, I guess it's about time I stepped back into the social loop."

The small casfishrimp gave an excited gurgle and quickly climbed up onto the dragon's back, nestling down between his wing joints.  Gasp!

"Hold tight!"  In the blink of an eye, Skye was shooting up into the morning air.  He took a moment to revel in the warm thermal drafts, before turning to follow after the black dragoness.  He felt his heart race and his blood surge with renewed adrenaline.  Invigorated, he pumped his wings harder gaining more and more speed.

"So, I guess we have to do something about this 'routine' business."  The green dragon smirked over his shoulder to Steve who was coiled low and tight to avoid the wind chill.

Gasp?  The casfishrimp's eyes swam with curiosity.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll think of something!"  Skye tossed his head forward and, with a sudden inundation of high spirits, sailed on into the rising dawn.
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Next ==>
Previous ==> :dummy:...haha, you funny! :XD:

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Prologue/Chapter 1 of The Awakening!

First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHRIMPY!!! :iconfourth-star: You have given us four years of imagination, laughter and smiles! Now it is time that we give some of it back!!! So have a FANFIC!!!! :iconnewdummyplz: MUAHAHAHAAAA!!!

Its the whole gang! DA D'GANG!! Like you have never seen them before! A new adventure unfolds as an ancient entity stirs beneath D'Island. What is in store for our favorite heroes? Friendships will be tested, battle shall be joined, and laundry shall be stolen!

Tremble ye mortals and fear the coming dawn for those who bear witness to....

....THE AWAKENING!!!.....MUAHAHahahahaha :icondragoninsane:

All D'gang characters © :iconfourth-star: and :iconskipskid:

All story and residual characters © :iconkrypson:

Enjoy! :D
© 2012 - 2024 Krypson
Comments21
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Torkos-Arcflame's avatar
Looks like somebody beat me to it... Ah well, can't be the first to everything, and I must say this story is of the topmost quality. Definitely the best I've seen on DA for quite a while.