Chenoa’s Spellbinder Notes (Day 7)

Species (according to Ursa):

7)               Dragons

-      The most noble, wise, and regal of Luoja’s creatures (Ursa is making me write this…)

-      Dragons are part of the Quintet (she still won’t tell me what that is)

o   Means they were born/created before the “New Gods”

o   Means that they are immortal, unless killed

§  ? – aren’t most things “immortal” unless killed?

§  ? – does that mean they don’t age?

§  ? – how old is Ursa?  (I asked and told me it was rude to ask a lady that question)

-      Dragons are knowledge seekers

o   They spend their lives reading, studying, and gathering information

o   All knowledge gathered by a dragon is somehow shared with all other dragons through their magic connection to their king (Ursa says it isn’t magic but I can’t think of what else to call it)

-      Dragon King Solon

o   One of the oldest dragons

o   Blessed by the Great Goddess

o   Guardian of all dragon knowledge and powers

o   Grants dragons one “gift” (special ability) at their Alter Age(like a coming of age gift)

o   Don’t know why but I feel like he is very lonely

-      Alter Age

o   Alter Age is when dragons officially become an adult (about five hundred years old…..eek)

o   Can ask for any special ability from Solon

-      Dragons and Humans

o   Dragons and humans have always had complicated relationship

o   Both are fascinated by the other, but are also afraid of each other

o   Dragons have been known to marry humans

§  Didn’t get how, but Ursa says that one power dragons have is to shift into human form

·       All dragons can but most don’t

§   However, if dragon chooses to marry a human, they can never go back to their other form

·       Meant to discourage dragons from taking cross-species marriage lightly

§  Dragon-human offspring are called Dragonriders

-      Dragons and other creatures

o   Dragons get along with most creatures but are superior to them (again ursa’s words)

o   Dragons naturally and instinctively do not like any other Quintet (wish she would just tell me what that is already)

o   Dragons can produce with other creatures just like humans

o   Apparently dragons have very few limitations and flaws (Ursa was very smug when she said this)

o   Weaknesses:

§  vanity and pride (my own conclusion)

§  dragon claws and teeth

·       apparently old dragon hunters would make knives and swords from them

§  the gods (luckily they are all gone, according to Ursa)

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Immense and powerful, the dragon flapped its massive wings, which could cover a football field.  The wings were a dark, leathery metallic purple, rippling with muscles. Five long bones ran from the forearm of each wing. A large claw the size of Chenoa’s body jutted out and up from the end of each forearm. The beast itself was the size of Chenoa’s house.  The body was the length, including its long, thrashing tail, of two football fields and as tall as it was long. Its scales seem to be made of titanium and gleamed in the moonlight.  Every scale reflected a dark metallic purple with electric blue glowing in the gaps between scales.  As it flew above them, Chenoa saw four imperious legs led to deadly claws that glared onyx black. 

Swaying around angrily, a long neck led to a skull the size of a Suburban.  The skull had huge fans of leather skin and bone flaring out from it like a frilled lizard.  The two fans on the back of the dragon’s head flared out and back, connecting at the top of the neck to form a spiny fan running down its back to the end of its tail.  With each roar, the creature released, the fans danced and waved.

As if to make the creature even more terrifying, two six feet long horns started on the sides of its face, above its eyes, growing up and back, forming a small wave before ending in sharp points.  Swallowing hard, Chenoa could not look away from the creature’s eyes, which bright, swirling colors as if galaxies were trapped in its face. 

Roaring, the dragon seemed to focus on Chenoa and Tristan, who stared in numb disbelief.  Diving, the dragon snatched Tristan off Chenoa as if he were a leaf.  Chenoa screamed and jumped to her feet, running after the dragon, which had lifted Tristan into the air, clutched in its front right claw. The electric man suddenly appeared behind Chenoa, wrapping his arms around her from behind to restrain her.

“Let me go!” Chenoa cried, struggling to free herself. 

While she didn’t understand what was going on, Chenoa knew Tristan was in danger.  The electric man held tight, seemingly unmovable.  No matter how hard Chenoa struggled she could not free herself or move the man.  It was as if he were sunken into the ground.  There was a flash of bright silver-white light and the dragon roared again.  Rising high in the air, the dragon shook its massive head as Tristan appeared on the ground.  Enraged, the dragon dived again at him, but this time he held up a hand and the white light seemed to shoot out of it, meeting the dragon in a terrible clash.

“Tristan!” Chenoa screamed.  “Tristan!”

Distracted, Tristan turned and saw Chenoa being held by the electric man.  This moment cost him greatly as the dragon took it to attack him, slamming Tristan into the ground, pinning his arms to his side as the dragon’s enormous front foot trapped him.

“No!” Chenoa shrieked in terror.

Suddenly the electric man spun and seemed to bend Chenoa and him together in a fluid backward motion as something heavy swung above their head.  Blinking, Chenoa saw her father’s face, contorted in anger and fear, swinging a heavy bat at the electric man.  Throwing Chenoa to the ground, the electric man ducked, dodged, and weaved as Papa Bear continued to swing at him.

“Leave my daughter alone!” Papa Bear roared in rage.

Taking another swing at the man, Papa Bear felt his breath catch in his chest as the electric man didn’t dodge this time but rather caught the bat in one hand.  The electric man didn’t even flinch.  Grunting, Papa Bear tried to pull the bat free, but could not.  The electric man’s eyes shone bright as neon as he wrenched the bat out of Papa Bear’s hands.

“Enough!” the electric man said.

Suddenly his wings sprung from his back and he lifted into the air. The air current knocked Papa Bear to the ground and Chenoa scampered to her father to make sure he was okay.  The dragon ceased its roaring, though it continued to hold Tristan to the ground.  Everyone was staring at the electric man.

“This is enough,” the man repeated.

His tattoos and eyes dimmed ever so slightly as he calmed down. Smashing the bat over his knee, he shattered it and let the pieces trickle to the ground.  Too stunned to speak, Papa Bear held Chenoa to his chest as if that could protect her. 

“Chenoa, it is time to stop this,” the man sighed, lowering to the ground. 

“How do you know my name?” Chenoa stammered, hugging her father tight.

“I know a great deal of things. I am Ventus Cordis.”

Chenoa thought the named sounded familiar as if she had heard it before in a dream. 

“You may call me Cor.”

“Cor, who are you?  What is that?”

With a shaking hand, Chenoa pointed to the dragon, who appeared to sneer at her.

“I am a Ventus, a wind.  That is Ursa, your guardian.”

“My guardian.  If she is my guardian, why is she attacking Tristan?”

“She was protecting you from him.”

“He wasn’t hurting me.”

“Not everyone hurts you physically to help themselves.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Tristan is a Nonelement.”

“He told me.”

“That means he feeds off people, especially young girls.  If Ursa and I had not intervened, Tristan would have lost control and seduced you, therefore feeding off you.”

“What?”

“Nonelements feed off of love and hate, baby girl,” Papa Bear sighed, his eyes now on Tristan, who was pinned to the ground.  “I am assuming that he kissed you.”

Turning bright pink, Chenoa didn’t look at her father.  Talking about her first kiss with her dad was a total nightmare. She would have rather faced the dragon single-handedly. Closing his eyes, Papa Bear groaned.

“Tristan, you promised you wouldn’t do that!” Papa Bear yelled to Tristan, who turned his face away from them.

“Why shouldn’t he?” Chenoa snapped defensively.

“You need a reason?  One, you are fifteen and he’s much older than that. Two, you are my daughter and he is my friend.  Three, he is a Nonelement, so by kissing you he is feeding off you, which could have led to him taking you away until he had fed all he can off you.”

“Tristan wouldn’t do that to me!”

“I would, Chenoa,” Tristan admitted in humiliation.  “Never on purpose, but I can’t always control my nature.  I am sorry.  I would never mean to hurt you.”

Stammering Chenoa wanted to say something to correct him, but she could think of nothing.  How could Tristan feed off her?  How did her father know about all this?  And who the hell was Cor?

“I still don’t get who you are,” she finally growled to Cor.

Cor tucked his wings close to his back and bowed.

“I am Cor, the heart of the winds, mistress.  I am here to serve and guide you in your training.”

“I don’t understand,” Chenoa said. 

“I will explain everything, Chenoa, but you need to relax and take a few deep breaths,” Cor smiled kindly. 

“I will if, uh, Ursula…”

“Ursa…”

“If Ursa releases Tristan.”

“As you wish, mistress.”

Without a word, the dragon lifted her massive claw up just enough for Tristan to disappear.  He appeared next to Chenoa and Papa Bear.  Shaking himself off, Tristan didn’t appear to be hurt in any way. 

“Well, that was fun,” he sneered, dusting off his clothes. 

He still glowed a gently silver-white. 

“I’d love to stay but my time in this world is up as it is.”

In a blink he gave Chenoa a quick kiss on the cheek and disappeared into thin air.