Drakan (The Chronicles of Eli) [#Wattys2015]

Chapter 20

        After closing the door behind him, Eli found himself face to face with the beast. The thumping in his throat consumed the sound in his ears. Eli stood frozen. He kept the beast in his sights as the walking Eldis clouded his peripheral. In a few steps Eldis came into full view, stroking the length of the beast legs. Instantly the beast lowered itself to the ground and allowed Eldis to continue his petting till he reached his neck.

            “Dea- conan buachaill. Fan anseo agus garda an teach”

Eli still couldn’t fathom the fact that someone could actually tame the huge beast. After realizing his mouth had been open, he sealed his lips and hobbled in the pair’s direction. As he got closer, Eli could clearly see the relationship between man and beast. The strong bond that radiated from them both reminded him of Alex. He stopped short from the pair and dabbled in the memory of the first time they met. That memory transitioned to one that they shared in the woods, the day after he slipped away from Liam and Abigail. The snapping of a twig brought Eli back. He blinked hard before his eyes revealed Eldis waving, as he walked away from his companion. A smile played on Elis lips.

            “How did it happen?” Eli asked, motioning towards the beast.

            “Long story” Eldis replied, as he walked past Eli, without looking back.

Eli clenched his teeth and fell in line behind Eldis. The cool air found bare skin and began latching to his bones. A slight shiver caused his aching muscles to cramp. He wrapped his arm around his ribcage, silently groaned, and continued his attempt to keep up with Eldis.

            “Well it couldn’t be too long of a story.” Eli scoffed. “You said you just got here not too long ago.”

            “I don’t want to talk about it”

            “Is it a bad story? Did you kidnap his family and threaten to kill him?”

Eli almost walked right into Eldis. He stood still, his chin in his chest. Before Eli could speak, Eldis sighed and scratched the back of his head.

            “Actually I saved him. His family had just been slaughtered, by those vampires you surround yourself with, when I found him, curled in the corner of a cave.” Eldis turned to face Eli. The end of his lip curled before he continued. “In Terra, me and Stephanie had a Great Dane named Conan. He died due to a tumor, just six months before his fifth year.” Eldis chuckled, then turned and pursued his destination.

Eli wanted nothing more than to ask where they were headed but the story that was being told captivated his attention.

            “He was about 30 inches when I found him. So naturally when I brought him to Stephanie we thought he was somewhere between eighteen months to a year old. But, as time progressed, and as he got bigger, we came to realize that he was still only a pup.”

Eldis stepped over a log and Eli followed in suit. The two passed a variety of trees and bushes as Eldis talked. The cool suffocating chill was ignored momentarily. Eli heard the usual right noises, of crickets and hooting, surrounding him. There was a familiar salty scent that snuck into Elis nostrils. He looked around but the scenery triggered no memory.

            “He reminded Stephanie so much of our old dog that we decided to call him Conan.” Eldis paused and his pace slowed. He looked to his left for a second, but, headed to his right instead. “Before we we’re forced to leave Drakan, I made him go into hiding.” Eldis scoffed and shook his head slightly. “Stubborn bastard didn’t wanna listen. He thought he could fit through the portal with us. Could you imagine? Someone of his size, fitting through that portal.” Laughter emitted past his lips as more of the crystalline substance clogged Elis nostrils.