The Origins of Anusa

Chapter 4: Anusa

Norbert woke in the morning, but fell back to sleep until about noon. Norbert woke the others and groggily they got on Norbert. Norbert took them down the mountain to a vast valley with a large shimmering lake in the center like it was made of liquid gems. Norbert landed a bit away from the sunning rocks where large dragons laid, one was a dark green, another a rich red, and the largest was a dusty gray.

"Who are you?" the dusty gray growled looking down at Norbert with disgust.

"I am Norbert, you sound very familiar," Norbert murmured to herself, shifting her body to block the humans.

"Norbert," the red one broke in, "quite a peculiar name is it not, Ipota?"

"Yes, yes, like a human name," the gray one muttered, but Norbert was able to hear them with her amazing hearing.

"It is a human name, Ipota. I came back to help my friends. One is just a wisp of a human. If she does not swim in the Crystal Lake soon," Norbert explained hurriedly forgetting to keep the dragons on her side. Most dragons hated the humans for abusing them in the past for their abilities.

"Swim in the lake?!" Ipota chuckled. "There is no more magic in this valley. The magic was taken away when I foolishly took Gretto's girl out of this place. Now there is no magic. Also, I, foolhardy, gave the story of the dragons to that pesky wizard friend of mine."

"Gre...Gretto's girl? Wait....you are second in command?" Norbert blurted.

"Have not been called that in a many years. How do you know about it?" Ipota inquired gazing down at Norbert. She could feel the hard gaze of his on her scales.

"I am Gretto's girl. That is how I know," Norbert answered eagerly shifting her tail excitedly along the ground. "That means I am to rule the dragons."

"On whose words, your's?" Ipota chuckled to the others. "You are too young to be the chosen. By any means she was a darker blue."

Norbert shifted uncomfortably, she did not remember she was a darker color when she was younger, but that did not stop her, "I change shades if I come in contact with sunlight and darkness. The longer I am in darkness the darker I get."

"Sure, like that can happen," Ipota chuckled, but the green one stood up and looked at Norbert. Ipota looked back at Norbert who had in some spots turned a slightly, darker blue from the pasty, pale blue she was from sleeping in the direct sunlight. "Ho.."

"She does not lie, Ipota, dear. Listen before shutting down others ideas. We shall listen to her in the cave of tales," the green one interrupted Ipota's next sentence. "Come, Norbert. I am Azimu," the green one took flight and circled around the others.

Ipota and the red one followed Norbert as she clumsily took flight for the second time in the last 24 hours. Azimu flew to a cave in the side of the tallest mountain. As they landed on the edge, Norbert felt the presence of multiple dragons nearby. In the semi-circle ring of levels, there were numerous dragons lying in wait to hear of the daily tales brought by dragons who have traveled far and wide.

Azimu walked to the small little stage and cleared her throat, "Subjects, there is a dragon claiming to be Anusa, the chosen one!" There was a collective gasp around the group of dragons before Azimu continued. "She is here to tell her tale to stake her claim. If you think she is Anusa at the end of the story you are to wait until all the shock of her story has settled before deciding on her future."