The sounds of the sea echoed through the paved streets of Meribia, muffling the chattering voices of Meribian citizens as they went about their daily lives. The large buildings faced the ocean, an obvious sign of the residents' love of the sea. Some of the buildings had roofs of red as others had green, blue, or silver.
Everyone was busy; the merchants attempted to sell their wares as men and women bought various items or visited the bar. Even the children were busy as they played games in the street, getting in the way of everyone who tried to pass by and not caring.
A cloaked figure slowly walked through the busy streets of Meribia, looking around slowly while tightly holding the cloak close.
The Meribia was in fact the Meribia of the past; such a fact was immediately apparent when the Governor's mansion appeared on the horizon, greeting all in-coming boats.
Such a feat would have been nigh impossible, save for one fact. Aika had used the power of the Star Dragon to send the figure to the past. The Star Dragon had minimal control over time and space, which seemed a very powerful ability. However, the Star Dragon rarely used it due to one simple matter; it was totally unpredictable. The spell seriously drained the user in its free form and was completely out of control, the caster often running the risk of teleporting themselves or their subject anywhere in time and space or even out of the timeline all together. The ability to create an item to focus the power, and thus eliminate the risks of time travel, had died out ages ago with the Blue Star. Therefore, the spell was too risky to use without very good reason.
Zophar hadn't dared to take such a chance, as even he couldn't survive being torn apart by the stream of time.
The figure counted himself lucky that he even arrived at all. The fact that Aika cared little about the figure's safety was obvious; if the figure died in the time stream, Aika would just resurrect him and try again.
The figure sighed and quickened the pace. He had all ready wasted enough time reflecting; the target of Aika's interest must be found, regardless of the figure's personal feelings.
But how could the figure find someone who was supposedly dead?
The figure grunted and listened to the gossip of the Meribians, listening for anything of interest. Unfortunately, most of the conversation involved the current fishing news or about the market trade. The figure sighed.
Further down the street, a tall man quickly strode towards the tavern. The man wore a dusty, tan colored cape on his shoulders and a rather absurd looking red beret perched jauntily on his head. His green eyes twinkled with merriment through his bushy, dark brown beard.
"Oi! Laike!" One sailor drew back and waved at the man as he passed. "Off to get more ale, eh?"
"Heh, that's the only thing you can't get in a forest!" Laike responded, laughing, before he continued on his way.
The figure and Laike passed each other, neither noticing the other. However, Laike accidentally brushed the figure's cloak as they passed, causing the figure to draw back in alarm as the cloak was disheveled. Laike quickly noticed the figure and turned towards him, grinning sheepishly.
"Oh, sorry, I..." Laike blinked and trailed off as his eyes widened. The figure grunted and fixed the hood, quickly hiding a few slivers of rich silvery white hair beneath the hood. Laike stared in shock as the figure turned to glower at him.
"Be more careful, won't you?" the figure grunted, condescendingly. Laike simply stared with disbelieving eyes, completely frozen in place. The figure seemed mildly disturbed by how Laike was staring and stepped back a bit. The figure hesitated, and then drew up tall and turned to leave.
"Continue on, then," the figure snorted, quickly walking away from Laike. However, the figure couldn't help but glance back; there was something about Laike that was vaguely familiar.
"..." Laike shook his head, rubbing his eyes slowly, before watching the figure's retreating form. "...No... that couldn't have been him..." he muttered, turning to head back towards the pub. He paused, and then glanced back hesitantly. "...Could it?"
The figure quickly turned the corner, the hood drawing back due to the fierceness of his movements to give Laike another flash of silvery white hair before disappearing all together.
Laike stood in silence before he turned on his heels and headed for the dock, forgetting about the pub all together. "I need to get to the bottom of this... and the only one who can tell me... is in Burg."
As Laike headed for the docks, lost in his thoughts, the figure quickly reappeared from behind the buildings. The figure regarded Laike, and then quickly followed after him. There was something about Laike that the figure couldn't place...
Something important.
The sound of wolves howling echoed in the woods around Taben's Peak. The howls were scattered and few, but given how wolves never lived in the forest to begin with, the sound frightened the children as they huddled in their beds.
Nall adjusted his bedclothes as he stalked out on to the balcony of the top floor, very ruffled and irritable. "Damn wolves."
The wolves continued to howl, steadily growing louder.
Ruby snored softly, sprawled out on Nall's bed as she dreamt of fish. She wasn't bothered by the sounds, obviously lost in her dreams.
"Grrrr..." Nall shook a fist. "SHUT UP!"
The howling ceased for a moment before starting right back up again. Nall blinked, then sighed and massaged his forehead. It had been a long day and the wolves weren't helping.
Nall frowned and crossed his arms. He hadn't expected to see Yuki and Nightstar; he had never met them face-to-face before. He knew of them through Uncle Ditsu and Uncle Rippuku, the blue and black dragons, but never actually met them for various reasons.
Nall simply never went to visit the blue dragon because Ditsu was extremely quirky, to put it mildly. He had a habit of doing strange things and playing pranks on people. Nall had found out after the entire events with Alex that Ditsu had purposely messed up the Wind Cave in Lyton centuries ago. He thought it would be funny hearing everyone screech like broken bagpipes. He pitied Yuki for being exposed to Ditsu but had a feeling that Yuki had quirks of her own that enabled her to get along with her bizarre uncle.
Nall's reason for not visiting the black dragon Rippuku was much more serious. Ruby thought that Nightstar had simply been having a temper tantrum but Nall knew all too well. Black dragons, quite simply, were unstable mentally. He had learned about it through books or Ditsu, as the blue dragon had a habit of visiting him every few years when he ran out of pranks to play on neighboring villages. As a result, Nall knew all about black dragon rampages.
Nall shivered at the thought.
Black dragons had a habit of going on rampages if they were upset or unsettled by anything, including their tempers. They were simply too strong and as a result were victims to such violent mood swings that even his late father Quark treaded lightly when he had to deal with a black dragon. Yuki's mother Sapphire had died during a black dragon rampage, though Nall secretly hoped that Rippuku had gone on his rampage because of her death rather than killing her himself during it. The thought of a dragon killing another dragon frightened him.
Nall knew that Nightstar had stolen his armor shortly after the black dragon had left. Ruby wanted to go after them and demand it but Nall decided that the best choice would be to let the black dragon calm down first before approaching him. The armors and sword were important but not so much as to risk a black dragon rampage.
Nall grunted and rubbed the back of his head. On that note, he idly wondered why Rippuku had surrendered his aura to Nightstar to make him the Black Dragon. The idea of there being two black dragons, or even two blue dragons, wasn't so new to Nall. He, himself, had existed during the late Quark's reign as tetrarch. Two dragons of any color could exist at the same time, though only one of them would be The Dragon of their color. The title of the Black Dragon simply meant that the right to give out the Black Dragon Armor belonged to him exclusively and that he was the current representative for his color. When Ghaleon had stolen their auras for Zophar, he had stolen their very essence itself and not just their powers. The title could be passed along willingly, but it was generally transferred when the current one died. Simply put, it was better for an experienced dragon to have the title and the armor. Experience was much more important than youth. Experience was especially important when it came to the black dragons, as an experienced black dragon was more likely to control their temper and less likely to rampage unless something very serious happened. Rippuku had been the Black Dragon for a long time, which meant he had a lot of experience. Why had he surrendered his aura to Nightstar, who was obviously less experienced and less able to control his temper?
Nall decided to check up on Rippuku at first light, just to make sure he was still alive. He didn't sense a dragon's death, but he was still young. Perhaps he just wasn't experienced enough to sense it.
With that decided, Nall, turned on his heels to go back to bed.
Suddenly, a pair of red eyes glowed from the darkness as a deep grow issued behind him, or rather, on the ledge above him. Nall whirled towards the growl, pulling a sword from his pocket dimension. He mentally cursed Nightstar for stealing the Sword of Althena, forcing Nall to use an ordinary sword. He vowed to make Nightstar give back the equipment when he had the chance.
Standing directly over Nall was a massive gray wolf with a white underbelly and maw, covered with intricate line tattoo designs of red and black. The wolf curled up its lips to expose its sharp teeth, growling. The wolf looked to be the size of the horse, so the expression was quite intimidating.
"...A monster... I've got to get stronger defenses for this place..." Nall hissed, tensing. The wolf growled in response, a second growl soon following. Nall's eyes darted between the wolf and the origin of the second growl. "Great... two of them..."
"'Monster'? I should feel insulted!" a woman's voice laughed.
"Who's there!?" Nall barked. Slowly, Ookami slipped in to view near the wolf standing overhead, giggling cutely as she tapped her whip against her leg.
"Hi!"
"...Who are you?" Nall stared.
"Oh, just your local dragon collector..." Ookami drawled, flipping her hair back. "You see, I already have a Star Dragon and a Blue Dragon... now I want a White!"
Nall tensed, glowering. He realized she must have meant Ditsu; Yuki was with Nightstar. "What have you done to them!?"
"... Stop fooling around, Ookami, and nab him!" Karu suddenly growled, standing next to a second wolf who was a mirror image of the first.
"...Whatever, Karu," Ookami snorted, then looked at Nall. "Oh? Just... this!" Ookami snapped back her whip before lashing at Nall with it. Nall yowled and leapt back, his shirt getting torn from the whipping.
"Hey! This was my favorite bed shirt!" Nall growled, then pointed his sword at the two. "Oh, now you're going to get it!"
Ookami giggled. "Kinky, isn't it?"
"..." Karu scowled, his expression stern. "...Can't you ever be serious?"
"Nope!" Ookami laughed. Nall lunged at Ookami, slashing at her with a cry. Ookami leapt back, grinning, and whipped at Nall in the face. Nall quickly dodged out of the way, the whip briefly going through his short hair as it came too close for comfort, and crouched a distance away.
"We don't have time for this!" Karu grumbled. "What if someone wakes up?!"
"Whatever, Karu!" Ookami snapped, then pouted. "Dang it, you moved!"
"Did you expect me to let you hit me?" Nall retorted, lunging at Ookami once more.
"That would have made things easier..." Ookami admitted, leaping back once more while snapping her whip at Nall. Nall jumped out of the way and continued to lunge at Ookami, who blinked and sprung up on the ledge above the balcony. "Eeek, he's fast!"
"... Right..." Karu sighed, drawing a bladed boomerang. "...Two on one."
The two nodded, one grinning while the other scowled, and lunged at Nall at the same time. Nall drew back, trying to use his sword to block the attacks.
Karu grunted as his boomerang hit the sword, glaring at Nall. He lept back, kicking at Nall's leg as Ookami leapt behind him and did the same. Nall yelped as he fell to the ground, fumbling to regain his footing as Ookami hopped back. Karu, however, quickly used his boomerang as a dagger, slicing at Nall's side. Nall barely rolled out of the way in time, his shirt ripping completely.
Ookami landed near one of the large wolves, both of which watched silently, and blinked. "...Ooo, fuzzy."
Karu stopped short. "...O-Ookami, where are you looking!?"
"What?" Ookami asked, 'innocently'.
"He's not even the right species!"
"Whatever, I can look."
Nall blushed, bewildered. "I'm taken!" he protested, scrambling to his feet with his sword ready.
"Eh, that red dragon?" Ookami quirked an eyebrow. "Don't worry, fuzzy-kins. We'll grab her next."
"It's be so much easier if you'd just let us, you know." Karu pointed out, though he was obviously ignored.
"No, you won't!" Nall roared, charging at Ookami.
"Oh?" Ookami whipped at Nall, causing him to leap aside. "And who's going to stop us!?"
"I am!" Nall snarled.
"Hah!" Ookami snapped her whip, tauntingly. "How are you going to help her when you're caught yourself!?"
"I won't get caught!" Nall retorted.
"Haven't you noticed!?" Ookami laughed. "You're practically caught allready!"
"All I see is a pervy girl who's into dominatrix!" Nall barked, lunging at Ookami.
"Dominatrix? Me?" Ookami feigned offense, and then flipped over Nall to land behind him. "You're such a dirty boy to even think that, tee hee!"
"Hey, lady! I'm not the one who ripped my shirt off with a whip!" Nall snarled.
"Excuses, excuses!" Ookami snorted. "Can I help it that whips rip and tear? Tee hee!"
"..." Nall sweatdropped.
"..." Karu sulked with his arms crossed, standing by the two wolves as he watched, feeling mildly ignored. "Just don't blab out any important information, Ookami."
"Oh, don't worry. I won't tell him about Aika." "... Ookami!"
"What?"
"What did I just say!?"
"Oh, whatever. I wasn't even talking to him."
"Aika...?" Nall blinked, caught off guard. "Who is... Aika?"
Ookami took that moment to lunge at Nall and flip over him before kicking him in the back of the legs, roughly. Nall yowled as he fell down to the ground once more. This time, however, Ookami lunged forward to press her heel against Nall's throat. Nall gurked and tried to get Ookami off his throat with one hand, fumbling for his sword where it fell with his other hand.
Karu walked over and grabbed the sword, twirling it slightly before tossing it away. "Now that you're finished playing, Ookami..."
"Whatever," Ookami muttered, fiddling in to her robes for a white gem very similar to the one she used against the Star Dragon. "Hah! Time for the dragon to say goodnight!"
Nall growled as best he could with his throat constricted, struggling slightly and considering his options. Changing to baby dragon form would do no good as that would just get his throat crushed more easily while changing to his adult form would smash appart the peak with the children and Ruby inside.
Ookami smirked down at Nall, holding the gem towards Nall. The gem sparked violently as it grew closer. Nall thrashed about, attempting to claw and even bite Ookami.
Ookami simply smirked even more and leaned forward to press the gem to Nall's face. The gem exploded with light, burning his skin violently. Nall screamed in agony, struggling even more as he felt the gem tear at his skin.
Ookami continued to smirk before suddenly freezing, her eyes widening as sobs and sniffles filled the air. A group of children attracted by the sounds of fighting and screams stare out of the doorway at Ookami and Nall, snuffling and shaking fearfully.
Nall noticed the children through pain skewed eyes and tried to tell them to hide, but was too breathless from pain to do so as black spots dotted his vision. Ookami, however, simply stared at the children like a deer in headlights. Karu tensed as the wolves stood up, glancing from the children to Ookami.
One of the children snuffled before bursting out sobbing.
"N-Nall! W-what are you doing to N-Nall!?" the child wailed. "S-Stop it!"
Ookami stared at the children, then drew back as if she herself was burned, yanking the gem away from Nall's skin. Nall wasted no time scrambling away and coughing for air, holding his throat. The children ran and clung to Nall, hiccupping and sobbing hysterically.
"...Ookami." Karu looked at his sister, approaching her slowly.
"...Let's go..." Ookami whispered shakily, hugging herself.
"..." Karu looked at Ookami, then regarded Nall and the children.
"Get... get behind me..." Nall rasped to the children, coughing and crouching as he got ready to fight barehanded if need be.
"... ..." Karu paused, then nodded slowly and backed away. "All right, Ookami."
Ookami looked very disturbed by the crying children as she shivered then turned and leapt on to the back of one of the wolves. Karu followed suit, sitting on the other wolf's back like a bareback rider. The wolves sniffed the air, then leapt off the balcony and bounded down the tower.
Nall remained tense as he kept a sharp gaze at the two and their wolves. Once they were out of sight, he slumped a bit and rubbed his throat. The children continued to cling to Nall, snuffling and demanding to know if he was all right.
"...I'm okay..." Nall coughed, glancing at the direction his attackers went. "...I'm okay..."
"W-who were dose people?" one child asked. Nall narrowed his eyes, rubbing his cheek where he was burned.
"...Bad people... very bad."