Vali And The Dragon

Chapter 4

(A/n: raptors have no point in the story, but they look cool. Sorry for not writing for FOREVER, I'll try to get better at this kinda thing...)

The sky broke open, rain pouring down in sheets, hard enough to punch small holes in several thatched roofs in a nearby village. Shadows moved in and out of view, crooning and chirping at the sleeping young half-elf. A scruffy, gold, white and grey dog, bony and scar-covered, growled at them, making them vanish for the time being. *Dog looks like a Boltund but more fluffy in my head...

A blonde mare, with a cinnamon-coloured blanket on her back, had laid down nearby. Vali woke up, and sighed, knowing that he would never be able to go back home. He got up, and seemed to calm down at the sight of Fenni, patting her back and removing the now shredded and fire-singed blanket. Dried blood ran in streaks down his arm, leading to a scabbed over gash, large splinters of wood sticking out at odd angles from the wound, from when he burst through the wall.

Vali gritted his teeth before pulling the large pieces of wood from his arm first, before working on removing the smaller ones next. While he did this his mind wandered, first to survival tactics, to first aid, and finally, the prophecy that he had been given. He mumbled it to himself to try to commit it to memory. Perhaps it may be of some help one day.

"Vali Bryiant, child of Heaven and Earth, of most ancient magik, you shall marry a monster, shunned by destiny and those most holy, a beast of scales and flesh, of magik most deep and oceans spray, not of fay, nor mortal bold, but a creature who's blood runs cold, Slayer of the Dragon shall be your title, thy fight shall cut through blood most vital, One shall live while the other dies- "

He shuddered and, soaked to the skin, quickly and efficiently wrapped his arm in the blanket, wondering about what it meant. He would slay the dragon, that much was clear, but "marrying a monster" and " Child of Heaven and Earth" were the phrases that confused him. Not to mention the fact that it seemed to cut itself off at the end was, at best, an accident, and at worse, A horrible omen of things to come.

He slowly stood, staggered over to a random house at the edge of the village, knocked on the door, and passed out just as the door opened. He heard a dry, soft, rustling noise.

Vali woke up to a cold washcloth on his head and a water cup on the counter next to him. The person that did this was now shuffling around the kitchen.

Vali slowly clambered off the hammock, falling like a cat to the ground. The person in the kitchen slowly shuffled, no, slithered out. The person in question was a Naga, Naga commonly lived in Wiathane, but some left for other places, or simply became adventurers. They were half-snake, half-human, but were often quite reclusive or aggressive.

The Naga smiled at Vali, smiling warmly. "Greetings! I see you've woken up." He extended a clawed hand. "My name is Reaan Sivai. It's nice to meet you." Vali nodded, mind racing. 'Naga. Eat me? Seems friendly enough... Might be a trick...' Vali took the hand, and in reply said " My name is Vali Bryant. It's good to meet you as well." Reaan grinned, showing a large amount of very sharp teeth.

Reaan looked at Vali's arm and frowned. He picked Vali up, and set him on a chair before slithering off, returning with bandages and other stuff, cleaning the wound and wrapping it in the bandages. While he was doing this he asked a few questions, He then picked up an old-looking sword with a curved blade and slid it into it's scabbard.

He then started moving about the small single-floor home, picking up items and putting them in an old looking backpack. Vali watched with mild interest, before asking Reaan, "Hey, what are you doing?" Reaan looked up with an apathetic look. He replied in an excited voice that didn't match his expression, "I'm coming with you of course! You'll need someone who's better prepared, as well as a medic!" Vali tried to argue but Reaan won the argument, and grabbed Vali's uninjured arm, taking him out to a shed, in which both Dog and Fenni, who has a worn, but still nice saddle and bridle on.

Vali pet Fenni's nose and led her out of the shed and then swung himself up into the saddle. Reaan chuckled to himself and pulled the twin of the sword he had, already in it's scabbard out of a junk pile. Vali laughed, saying, "heh, How many old swords d'you have?" Reaan laughed. "Yeah, yeah... Yuk it up elf boy, but you're the one that didn't bring any first-aid stuff." The duo headed to the village center, teasing each other jokingly.

Vali noticed something strange. Most of the people walking around them gave Reaan a very wide berth, even hiding in alleyways instead of passing by him. He asked Reaan about that and he said "Oh... most people aren't friendly to strangers around here... Or me." After saying this, Reaan's demeanor changed. He was much more quiet, less jokey and he kept his arms tucked to his chest.

Vali stopped short of the village center and picked up a few more supplies. He smiles and chats with a few of the vendors. Most vendors seemed apathetic or simply were rude to Reaan. Vali ended up buying most foodstuffs at a local farmers market and got in touch with a few old friends and asked them to keep an eye out for a few animals that might still have survived.

After they stocked up on gear and everything, Reaan headed back to his house to lock stuff up and grab some armor. He grabbed a few key items and headed out to Vali, who was waiting on the road to the next village. Vali had bought a cart, and had a few blankets set in the back. He looked up and grinned at Reaan. "Heya snake-boy, climb in!" He hopped down and helped Reaan into the cart, and they set off for the next village, laughing and joking.

A/n: Hi! I'm super sorry about not updating! I'll try to update better!