The Sisters of Yin and Yang

Chapter 4: The Caged May Hope

Seara groans. Her whole body aches but her wrists hurt the most. Slowly she blinks away the darkness her vision coming in clouded. Dull light streams through the treetops. She blinks again Black pine, deciduous trees... the forest of ghosts! All the events of lastnight come rushing back. 

Seara shakes her head straining her neck towards the trees. She jumps up to find her legs bound by chains tripping her. She falls onto her side pain crawling up her legs. A cage with dark bars surrounds them. Aquira lays unconscious across from her, on the opposite side of the cage. Seara reaches her muzzle across and just manages to nudge her. Aquira opens her eyes wincing against the sudden light. Her bones ache, her head hurts. 

"Seara?" 

"Shhh we've been captured!" Seara whispers urgently. 

The two of them glance at bars peering out into the trees. The day seemed light and cheerful, birds singing, by day it seemed nothing was amiss the light granted it a mask each dawn. This forest hid sercrits few know of.

"We failed." Is all Aquira manages to say. 

Seara pulls against her chains and peers out the bars of their cage. "Its not a total failure," Seara can see several other cages all of witch are empty. "Pyro managed to get the ice dragons to escape and they made it past the border before I set off my spell. That and we are still alive aren't we?" 

"Yeah, your right, but for how long? do you think they mean to kill us?" 

"I cant say." 

Aquira gets to her paws. They were the only two souls in the vicinity. No death dragons. Where are they? The thought of waiting was too much.

"COME OUT AND FACE US LIKE ADULTS YOU MELTING SLUDGE!" Aquira roars. 

Seara quickly places a paw over her muzzle. "SHHH! Do you want them to hurt you?" She hisses. She scans the trees praying Aquira's voice wouldn't attract attention. Seara spots movement and backs up trying to appear more innocent. A drake appears parts of his body covered in a bitonical mix to secure wounds still fresh from battle. 

"I see you two are finally awake," The drake growls. "You two are going to die, but the when and how is your decision? Understood? You can cooperate or be difficult, thats your choice but if you decide to be difficult just think about me and what I told you before." He turns to leave but Aquira quickly steps forward. 

"What do you want with us?"

A savage grin breaks out over his face. "Only whats rightfully ours," he reaches through the bars tipping Aquira's chin to the sun. "After a few... chats I think you'll agree."

 Aquira leans in close, and spits in his face. The dragon makes a face and wipes her saliva off. Seara couldn't resist a small laugh. 

"You will pay for your insolence later." he growls. 

Seara wasn't about to admit it but those words turn knots in her stomach. He walks away without another word. Seara sits on her haunches. "I would tell you how foolish that was if we werent locked up in the face of death."

 Aquira rolls her eyes. "How would you know?"

 "Well Im not sure but from what I can tell, I think they mean to haze us." 

"Haze us?" 

"Bring on pain for any act of resistance then bring some kind of relief for letting them in or agreeing even with the smallest thing they say. Keep us up all hours of the day until we can no longer tell the difference between imagination and reality, good and bad, right and wrong, that kind of thing."

 "How did you ever learn about that?" 

Seara looks away. "Its complicated."

 "Of course." 

Seara lies on her chest and curls her tail halfway around her body. Aquira pads the ground making it softer and then lays down. 

"Im sorry." Aquira says so quietly Seara almost misses it.

"For what?"

 "You know... maybe if I didn't try to find you we wouldnt be here and-"

 "-And half your tribe would be dead."

 They silent for a moment the only sound is the singing of the birds. Finally Seara looks up. "For what its worth, ill be your friend. No matter what happens lets try to escape, together." 

"And warn the tribes." 

Seara nods accepting. "And unite the tribes."

Aquira smiles liking the idea of a quest. "Lets get some sleep while we can, if your right about the hazing. Goodnight." 

"Good idea. Night Aquira." Seara murmurs. 

Seara flicks her ears hearing the bushes rustle. She sniffs the air. Just another death dragon, but she looks anyway. A white drake with black paws steps out in-between one of the rows of cages. His eyes were blue instead of grey like most of the other death dragons. He smiles noding at them before trotting over to join his tribe. Odd... Aquira hisses at him as he passes. Seara rubs at her wrists then closes her eyes and meditates focusing on moving her chi around her body. Its not long before her concentration breaks and she tumbles into a dreamless sleep.

The first cool breath of nightfall drifts past the girls scales but thats not what wakes them. The sound of voices and drums sound just past the trees like some kind of ritual being preformed. Footsteps approach. This dragon is grey with the side of his face ripped away making his teeth visible even when his mouth is closed. He takes out a key and unlocks the cage. 

"Ware are you taking us?" Seara croaks. 

The drake looks at her and opens his mouth revealing the fleshy stump of a shredded tongue. mute. The dragon walks inside and unhooks their chains from the wall and tugs them forward towards the tribe. As soon as he turns around Aquira strikes him with all her force on the back of the head. He dosent even twitch, just keeps moving forward like a zombi. The two captives exchange a look but decide not to try anything else. They are led into the middle of the nest in front of a bonfire. Without it or the death dragons' black and white night vision the forest is virtually pitch black under the canopy.

 Obskurn perches on a stone ledge in front of the fire. Dragons roar and screech as soon as they step into vue, each work lost in the caos of sound. The black dragon spreads his wings and the whole tribe goes silent. 

"Tonight we hold in our paws the fate of the Tribes! The setting of the sun marks a new era, one where all dragons shall be equal and united! Down with the elements!" He roars. The tribe roars with him. He rears up on his back legs and they fall silent once again.

"Tonight the sisters of prophecy shall face the first step of becoming one of us!"