Flemitta smiled up at the sun a she stepped out of her mother's hut. It was a beautiful day and she was thinking of picking berries, but something in the back of her mind told her something was going to happen that she probably wouldn't like.
She decided to go pick berries anyway and grabbed her basket off the hard-packed ground beside the entrance of the hut. She slowly made her way down the path into the surrounding forest and to a berry bush. She set her basket down and started picking.
After a few moments of quiet picking a shadow fell over her, she turned quickly to see what it was that was behind her. It was Feric, a young hunter, the strongest and fastest of his generation. Flemitta smiled sweetly at him, she hoped someday he'd choose her as his wife. He smiled back and went on his way.
Flemitta sighed, she was thirteen now and had to start narrowing her options of her future husband, she already knew who she wanted. She wanted Feric, like all the other girls of the tribe but in her mind she guessed she had a chance to get him because of who's daughter she was and because she was pretty. She really hoped he'd at least consider her for a wife, she of course wasn't allowed to interfere with his choice by treating him any differently than she treated any other likely husbands.
When she filled her basket she picked it up and carried it back down the forest path and into the clearing that her village was built in. She walked into her mother's hut and set the basket down right inside the door.
Her mother looked up from her weaving and smiled, "Hello Flemitta," she said.
"Hello Mother, I picked some berries, if you want I'll make some jelly or pie..."
"I think some jelly," her mother replied, "But that can wait until tomorrow, right now you can beat the dirt out of the rugs." Flemitta nodded and dragged the first rug outside then wrestled it onto the horizontal pole used for just that purpose and drying newly died cloth on.
Flemitta felt privileged to be who she was and to live where she was living, her village was the best on this side of the Marcrean Sea and was well known for it's cloth and rugs. Most of the cloth was used for clothes. Her village's clothes were intricately died cloth wrapped around the wearer's body and folded so it stayed, if one tugged in the right place it would all come undone rather quickly. She took a handy stick and smacked the rug hard, making a large cloud of dust. She coughed a bit but continued after a moment.
As she worked a shadow crossed over her village, the trees bent in a large blast of wind and she looked up shading her eyes from the sun. There was a large golden dragon flying low. All the hunters ran out of the woods and aimed their bows to the unprotected underside of the dragon. They had to move fast, for the dragon was going fast too.
Fifteen out of the twenty arrows shot reached their mark, the others fell short. The dragon roared in outrage and pain, it swerved and landed in the forest. It snarled and started picking the arrows out of its stomach, it almost seemed to be cursing under its breath. Flemitta felt sorry for it because it had to die. Dragons were just too dangerous to have living.
The hunters ran though the forest, swiftly and quietly then surrounded the dragon. The dragon snarled at them, Flemitta could just barely understand it.
"You dumb humans, I'm not after your village. Leave me alone," the dragon said. The hunters were surprised for a moment but didn't waver for a second they let loose their second batch of arrows, this time all of them found their mark.
The dragon screeched, it was the most horrible sound Flemitta had ever heard. She covered her ears but could still hear the screech echoing in her mind. The dragon swung it's tail around and knocked down a few trees, some of the slower and older hunters were unable to get away fast enough. They were either killed instantly or badly hurt.
More arrows embedded themselves in the dragon's skin and it let loose another mind splitting screech. Again it swung it's tail, adding in a few claw strikes, making more trees fall on the hunters, they were forced to run or be killed.
They ran in all directions, but another arrow arched out of the brushes to hit the dragon. She suddenly knew who's arrow it was, it was Feric's. She dropped the stick and ran towards the woods, towards Feric, towards the angry dragon...
She didn't know what she was doing, nor what she'd do once she got to where she was going. Her dress got caught on a thorn, Flemitta didn't even bother stopping, she just continued to run leaving her dress behind.
She heard people yelling behind her but didn't care, she had to get to Feric. She could see the dragon though the trees, it was glaring down at the defiant figure of Feric. She jumped over a fallen tree and in front of Feric just as the dragon was about the squish him.
"Stop!" she screamed at the dragon. It lifted it's paw and peered at her then looked away.
"My lord girl, go put some clothes on!" the dragon said a bit miffed. Flemitta blushed brightly but didn't move from her place.
"Go away and never come back here," she told the dragon.
"Sorry, I can't. I have a job that requires that I visit every planet. I was just in the middle of my survey when those dopes with the arrows decided to pi-"
"Go away!" Flemitta interrupted the dragon.
"Flemitta, hurry, get away from here, I shall kill this beast," Feric said quietly.
"I don't want you to kill it, it screeches horribly," Flemitta said, angry at Feric for not pulling back when he had been told to. He glared at her.
The dragon ignored them and started picking arrows out of it's hide wincing noticeably every time one came loose. Feric pushed Flemitta aside and shot another arrow. This time the arrow went directly into the dragon's eye. It screeched again and Feric suddenly became mush under the dragon's paw. Flemitta gasped and cried out. The dragon glared at her with his remaining eye.
"Shut up girl, or you'll end up like him," the dragon said shaking it's head, it looked so pitiful trying desperately to get the arrow out of its eye without making the wound worse. After a moment it put its head on the ground near her. She thought maybe it had died but she doubted that.
"Help me..." it rumbled quietly.
"No! You killed Feric!" Flemitta said and backed away, she didn't get far before she tripped over a branch.
"He died because he tried to kill me, if you help me you'll be rewarded," the dragon said.
"What would you reward me with? A painful death?"
"No, all you'll have to do is tell me what you want and you'll have it." Blood was flowing out of the dragon's closed eye.
"I want Feric back!" she screamed, tears running out of her own eyes, she hated to see a creature with a mind in pain like that but she was afraid to help it.
"That I can't do, his soul has already passed on, I apologize for killing him but people do things they regret later, that is the way of it. Think of something else."
Flemitta wasn't sure if the dragon was talking about himself, Feric, or all people when it was talking about regret. "I want you to go away and never come back."
"That I can't do either. I can't omit one place just because you wanted me to. Please! Think of something and help me..." the dragon's voice was pleading and Flemitta just knew she had to help it.
She racked her brain trying to think of what she wanted but she didn't know. "I don't know..." She stepped up to the closed bleeding eye and the dragon forced it open. Flemitta cringed at the sight but stepped closer and found the arrow by sliding her hands across the bloody and wet eye.
The dragon forced itself not to blink and eventually she found the end of the arrow, it had been pushed further into the eye when the dragon had closed its eye. She grasped the end and pulled, she could just barely see the dragon raise its paw to knock her away but instead it dug it's claws into the ground.
Suddenly the arrow came loose and Flemitta fell back. The dragon closed its eye and rumbled in pain, suddenly the dragon wasn't there, but instead a man with back hair. He was laying on his stomach but he sat up quickly and pulled the rest of the arrows out of his body, she caught glimpses of his face every now and then, it was covered with blood and the blood was coming from his left eye.
He pulled the last arrow out and collapsed into a heap on the ground, moaning in pain. After a few moments he stood, pressing his hands to the wounds. Flemitta saw that he was very tall and well muscled, he was probably a very good hunter. He wiped the blood off his face then looked at her- with two whole gold eyes though he still looked in pain.
"Thank you," he said, his voice seemed airy, human, and eternal, all at the same time. He stepped up to her and placed his hand just below her neck, suddenly a western style dress covered her body. It was tight around her torso and had loose sleeves and the skirt was ankle length. It was also made out of the softest lightest fabric she'd ever felt, its color was gold and that went beautifully with her dark red hair.
She gasped, and after a moment of gaping at the dress she turned her attention to the man, "What are you really?"
"I am Avlon, Emelet of Air," he replied then walked over to the mess that was Feric.
Flemitta forced herself not to look at the mess and realized why the dragon had said it couldn't just leave one place alone, she suddenly started crying.
Avlon had been doing something to Feric, or what was left of him, but when Flemitta started crying he turned and glared at her. "Stop that! Your girlish tricks aren't going to get anything extra out of me."
"I'm- not c-cryin-crying over th-that..." she said between sniffles. "You killed most of the best hunters!"
Avlon stared at her, then after a moment filled with sniffles and sobs he spoke, "That is the most stupid thing I've ever heard a girl cry over. Find something else to cry over and maybe I'll feel slightly sympathetic." He turned back to what he'd been doing to Feric's body. Flemitta continued to cry not noticing that slowly Feric's body was being put back together.
Eventually she quit crying and looked over at Avlon, then saw Feric sitting up. "Feric!" she dashed up to him and fell to her knees beside him.
Feric turned his head slowly and looked at her. "I told you to run away..." he mumbled.
"Feric is your name, right?" Avlon asked.
Feric turned and looked at Avlon, "Yes," he said dully.
Avlon scratched his chin. "I brought you back but your recent death was a warning. You will not try to kill any more dragons. Is that clear?"
Feric nodded, "Yes, it is clear." Flemitta noticed there was something wrong, his eyes were dull and lifeless, his movements were slow and stiff.
"What's wrong with him?" she asked Avlon.
"He's still getting used to the idea that he's alive again," he said coldly. "You still haven't told me what you want..." he pointed out.
"You brought Feric back, that's what I wanted," Flemitta said.
"I told you I wouldn't do it for you. I did because it wasn't his time to die. Think of something else," after a moment Avlon handed Flemitta a golden feather, "When you think of it go somewhere private and drop the feather and call my name. I'll come if I can and you can tell me what you want."
With that he stepped away from them, turned into a dragon then launched himself into the air, he circled a few times then seeming to find what he was looking for he started back on his previous course. Flemitta looked at Feric, some sort of light seemed to come on behind his eyes.
"We'd best get back to the village," he mumbled then stood stiffly, he slowly started walking- the wrong way.
Flemitta caught up to him and turned him around, he didn't even notice. She took a breath and decided she'd break a rule or two and take advantage of his slightly glazed state, "Feric, who are you considering to be your wife?"
He looked at her, "I like your dress..."
"Who are you considering?" she repeated.
He blinked at her, "I kinda like Sicarria... But maybe I should pick Monita."
"What about me?"
"Who are you?" he asked stupidly.
Flemitta squashed her dismay at the question, "I'm Flemitta."
"Flemitta is pretty but I like Sicarria more." That shattered her hopes completely. He wanted Sicarria, the prettiest and best weaver in the whole village. She looked at the ground, her shoulders stooped, and her feet dragging. She didn't really want to go back to the village now. There was nothing there for her, she stopped and stared at the ground.
Feric kept on walking, not even noticing she'd stopped. She looked up slightly at the bush beside her, on the bush was the dress she'd lost on her way. She reached over and picked it up, she was about to put it on but remembered that she had another dress on. Instead she put it around her shoulders and forced herself to go back to the village.
*****
Flemitta looked up at the sky, it was a beautiful day but she was past just going out and picking berries. It had been four years since Avlon's visit and Feric's departure and come back. Flemitta's mother had known there was something wrong with her when she came back but could only guess that it was all the dead that had been brought back that had caused her daughter to suddenly go quiet.
She stifled a sigh and went back to weaving, she had that feeling that something was going to happen that she wouldn't like again. She didn't want to know what it would be this time. It was nearing sunset so she quickly finished what she was weaving then took it off the loom and hung it up.
The feeling that something was going to happen kept getting stronger as the night moved in. Flemitta glanced around getting edgy. She was sure she didn't want to be around when the bad thing happened. Instead of going to her mother's hut she wandered into the woods.
Just inside the woods she found a tall tree and climbed into it quickly and quietly. No one heard or saw her. In the fading light she pulled the golden feather out of the braid she always had it in, just in case she thought of something she wanted while she was in the woods.
She contemplated it as the last light of day disappeared. At that moment there was a loud bang and shouts, and then people ran out of the woods, none near Flemitta's tree. Her people ran out of their huts and started fighting with the attackers but they had no chance.
The attackers had guns her people only had bows and arrows. Flemitta forced herself to stay in her tree, she couldn't help them any, she'd just get killed. She looked at the feather in her hand, she took a breath and dropped the feather, "Avlon," she called.
There was a golden flash, "What?" his voice replied from below rudely, he was standing there looking a little rumpled.
"Avlon, up here..." Flemitta waved so he'd notice her.
He looked up at her and frowned, "Oh, you want me to get you out of the tree. Why'd you get up there if you knew you'd get stuck?"
"I'm not stuck. I want you to help my people, I think another village is attacking mine..." Flemitta hoped he would agree.
He sighed. "I suppose I can see if I can help," he grumbled and walked out of the woods. Flemitta wished she could see all of what was going on. She climbed higher into the tree and peered though the branches.
She saw Avlon step into the clearing and assess the scene before him. "Enough!" he shouted, all movement in the clearing stopped. He slowly walked into the middle of the clearing, she could tell he was saying something but she couldn't tell what because she was too far away.
Slowly the attackers withdrew into the woods, a few passed under her tree. "-I hate this, every time I start having fun I get interrupted," said one attacker.
"Same here," agreed another attacker, and then they were out of hearing range.
Flemitta silently climbed out of the tree, taking her time, letting the attackers get farther away. She ran the rest of the way and was just in time to see Avlon standing up from a body sprawled on the ground.
"Oh, thank yo-"
"Save your breath, they're all dead," Avlon said bluntly.
"What do you mean?" she stopped in her tracks.
"Exactly what I said, are you dense? They're all dead, this was the work of the Tnemelelives, they're very thorough in their evil. The people of Witterspun all had poison on their weapons, from the first wound your people got they were doomed." Avlon sighed, "Really, something should be done about those Tnemelelives. They get rather annoying at times."
Suddenly one of the small fires that were around the village burst higher and a man stepped out of the flames. He would have looked good except there was just something about him that made Flemitta scared of him.
"Funny, that's exactly the same thing we say about you. Give me the girl," the man said, his voice was rough and crackly like a forest fire or some fire disaster. His hair was dark red and his eyes were also red.
"What if I said no?" Avlon said and grabbed Flemitta's wrist, pulling her behind him.
The horrible man snapped his fingers, suddenly a flood formed in one place behind Avlon, then it formed into a woman. She had ratty green and blue hair and blue eyes that were horrible to look at directly. She also would have been beautiful if she hadn't been so evil.
She woman hissed like a water snake and crept closer. "I'm not impressed," Avlon commented but Flemitta could tell he was trembling slightly.
The man snapped his fingers again and another woman grew out of the ground. She had straight brown hair that was cut so it curled around her chin and green eyes, she also would have been beautiful except for the evil she represented.
Avlon forced a small laugh and started backing Flemitta and himself toward their only exit.
The fireman snapped his fingers again and a cloud of noxious fumes congregated in one place, then formed into another man. The man was blond with dark gold eyes, he snarled at Avlon and Flemitta felt Avlon's fingers tighten on her wrist. It was rather painful but she didn't say anything, she just hid behind him though the Tnemelelives were all around them.
Suddenly she wasn't on the ground anymore. She was hanging by her wrist from the claws of a golden dragon who was flying though the air. She screamed as she looked down at the ground far below.
"Oh shut up," Avlon said irritated. He tossed her into the air and got a better hold on her. "Danged if I'm gonna give them anything, even if it is a pesky girl," he muttered. Suddenly he gave a mighty sweep of his wings, going faster then time. The ground and sky disappeared and the blackest black Flemitta had ever seen surrounded them. It was so black that she wanted to hold her breath but forced herself to breath.
After about who knows how long he slowed down and fell back into time, circling a few times he landed lightly in front of a neat two story house. "Welcome to my humble abode. Don't get too comfortable, you may have to relocate soon." He let her go and she fell to the ground in an undignified heap, he changed into his human form and bounced up the steps to the porch and opened the door, he glanced back at Flemitta.
She took a breath and stood, dusting herself off she walked up the steps and past Avlon into the house. She'd never been in a real house before, she'd heard of houses but this seemed totally different.
She stepped into the front hall and Avlon closed the front door behind him then led the way into the rest of the house. He stomped though one room after another then up the stairs, she quietly followed wondering what some of the things he had in his house were and what the rooms were called.
He led her down a hall then opened a door, "This will be your room," he said shortly then stomped further down the hall to another room and closed the door loudly behind him.
She went into her room and looked around, there was a bed- something she'd never slept on before, a dresser- which in her village she'd never had a use for, and a desk- something else she'd never had a use for. She stepped over to the bed and sat on the edge, it was soft and comfortable.
In her mind she went though the last few moments she had been in her village, she'd run up to Avlon and he'd told her everyone in her village was dead, then the Tnemelelives came. Slowly it sank into her mind, she was an orphan now, her whole village was dead, nothing left of it...
She curled up on the bed and started crying, she couldn't help it. Avlon appeared in her room suddenly, "What are you crying about now?"
"I have nothing left... You said yourself my whole village is dead..." she wiped her nose on the back of her hand.
He looked at her for a long moment then spoke, "That seems like something worth crying over, I'm sorry."
She glared at him suddenly, "You sarcastic butthead! Leave me alone!" she grabbed the pillow off the bed and threw it at him. He seemed startled but left her alone.
