11
Upon their return they found that the townsfolk were indeed returning to the safety of the mountain. Their fellow Riders immediately noticed the change in Daniel and Kate. There was no doubt as to the leaders of this group. Queenie had headed straight for the hatching grounds and remained there.
In the days that followed there had been no more sightings. The dragons and riders were uneasy, itching for a fight. They covered the skies at night, looking for the slightest movement.
Daniel and Jeffery were at Jake’s side constantly; plans were being laid.
Unknown to the others, at first, Oreo stationed herself at the entrance to the hatching grounds. She had picked up on the energy and knew instinctively that this area was to be protected.
At the urging of Michael, and with Jake’s permission, Lady Jennie had taken the ‘twins’ on a special ride. It had lasted only an hour, but the results were what Michael had hoped. The ‘twins’ were enhanced by the flight; their size was doubled. They were more muscular, with retractable fangs that could rip thru a dragon’s hide easily. They were a formidable power to be reckoned with. Upon return from their flight, they followed Oreo to the hatching grounds and stood guard with her.
It was during this time Jake told Jeffrey that he must decide. This was the only time they would have to perform his ride. Jeffrey agreed to the ride, for the good of everyone. Jake called his Dragons to the top of the mountain and after Jeff mounted, they took off. They were gone almost two hours. There was a lot of knowledge to be shared among them all. When they returned, there was indeed a change. Jeff looked like a man in his 40’s. His hair was a thick salt and pepper color as was his beard. He had taken on a muscular form but not bulky. Intelligent eyes peered out in front of a brain that held a vast amount of knowledge. He silently thought to himself: Miss Susan will like the change.
Riders kept in touch with each other thru Jake. Steve had suggested a ring of explosives be placed around the camp in case the Insane Ones tried to use the mutant bears against the camp. It would prove to be a very good idea.
Sam had pulled everyone into the mess hall and informed of what was taking place. The hall would be used as their refuge, cots were placed everywhere. They all knew that once the battle was on, this was the one place all would be safe. Steve and Jerry trained the men below in the use of the weapons they had. The entire camp was secured; all was in readiness, now they waited.
Up above, Jeffrey called the riders and laid out his plan of attack. Using his great knowledge of History, he called upon the battle plans of the great Zulu warrior kings.
Just like a buffalo’s horns, he told them confidently; we pull them in, close behind them and blast them to hells. I doubt they will understand what is happening to them till it is too late. We can take them out quickly, Jake. But first we need bait to pull them in, an injured dragon perhaps, trying to fly home?
Very good, Jeffery! This is an excellent plan. Jake looked about the chamber at his dragons. Master Steve, Lady Elzbeth, do you both think you are up to being the bait for our trap?
We are honored my Liege, Lady Elzbeth answered, we shall be so weak and injured that they will come at us with drooling mouths. Steve grinned broadly at the thought of battle.
Collin rushed into the chamber his eyes wide. They are coming! They have taken to wing. The big one stays behind. Jake, these are a suicide band, cause as much destruction as possible, ‘die well’ he tells them.
Riders to your dragons! Jake boomed, be alert!
Daniel and Kate mounted Jake and they took to the skies. Dragons and riders, flying as one, went to the heights and hovered over the camp and surrounding area.
Down below Sam saw them take off and sounded the alarm. Everyone immediately sought the shelter of the large Hall. Boulders were rolled into place, and men were placed at the entrance with their weapons at the ready. An eerie silence filled the camp.
The big black bull had indeed made use of the mutant bears. The silence below was suddenly broken as several rounds of explosives went off and six of the ugly monsters burst into the camp snarling and growling. Then more came bursting thru the brush, destroying everything in their path. They sensed the people in the large Hall and attacked it with a vengeance. The men opened fire cutting them to bits one by one, but still they came. While they were kept busy with this battle, a very large monstrous grizzly started up the mountain to the hatching grounds. His gruesome task was to destroy all the eggs and anything else he found there. The Queen was to be destroyed if possible.
As it approached the landing and started forward it was not prepared for what faced it. The ‘twins’ barred the way to the chamber. Growling and snarling they were a fierce sight that would have frightened the bravest of men. They stood their ground with Oreo behind. The monstrous thing growled and reared up; the ‘twins’ attacked in unison, momentarily throwing it off guard. Ash got a hold on its throat ripping and tearing at it with his powerful fangs. The beast thrashed and twisted his powerful body, but Ash would not let go. Oreo leaped on its back clawing and slashing it to the bone. It put up a terrible fight biting and tearing at the ‘twins,’ but they would not let up or give it any reprieve. The three fierce defenders finally managed to overpower it and bring it down. But the price was a heavy one as Ash fell to the ground mortally wounded. Tabs, bleeding heavily from several deep wounds, held it down. The sight of Ash lying there motionless in a pool of blood threw Oreo into a rage. She pounced upon the thing tearing and slicing; her strength had increased in size to match that of her rage. She tore off its head and threw it over the side of the mountain and then stood there surveying the damage.
Oreo went to her friends’ side meowing piteously. She tried unsuccessfully to stem the flow of blood from Ash’s wounds. As he died both Oreo and Tabs let out their grief and a great howling went up that shook the entire mountain and echoed throughout the valley.
A spent Oreo went to the Queen howling out her grief. The Queen let loose a bolt of energy knocking her down. She howled again and shakily stood up, with renewed strength and vengeance in her heart. She shook herself off and turned and made her way from the hatching grounds. Slowly she made her way down the mountain. Gradually she began to pick up speed. One more slobbering, growling mutant bear tried to make it up the mountain; she destroyed it immediately in the same manner as the first. Dripping now with the blood of these foul creatures, she headed for the great Hall.
The men below were firing, killing them as fast as they could, but more kept emerging from the brush. Oreo saw them and her rage was renewed as she leapt off the lower landing and dived into the midst of them. She went into a killing frenzy; ripping paws, legs, throats, severing heads; her rage allowed her to destroy them all. There was nothing left but blood, and great swatches of fur. She stood over the last one, panting, and howled a deep mournful wail.
You have done very well my furry friend, Rah was speaking to her, calming her again. Breathe, calm yourself, now return to the Queen, protect and stay with her till we come for you. Oreo meowed and headed back up the mountain, purring loudly.
In the Hall, the men could scarcely believe what they had seen. The hair on their necks was still standing at the sound of the chilling wail they heard coming from Oreo. Sam was dumbfounded by the actions of the great cat. That she had saved their lives, there was no doubt. Now all that remained was the battle in the skies.
Rah had relayed to all briefly, what had taken place below. Sally felt pride in what Oreo had done, but sadness for Michael. The twins were his friends from the beginning; the loss of Ash would weigh heavy on his heart. But mourning must wait for they had a job to do. As they hovered above, they made out the outline of the dragons headed their way from the west. There were 35 of them.
Lady Elzbeth, I believe that you are injured, so sad my dear. Jake chuckled.
Lady Elzbeth dove below. She flapped a broken wing, trying to fly away from the approaching dragons. She would speed up and then slow, feigning difficulty in keeping up her speed. They spotted her and increased their speed immediately. She was weaving back and forth, looking over her shoulder. Steve made like he was urging her on, and at the sight of him on her back they increased their speed yet again. They were oblivious to their surroundings, unaware of the large dragons closing in on them. They were shooting flames at her, trying to get Steve. Just as they were almost upon her, she darted up at supersonic speed. Too late they saw their mistake. From all about them flames shot out, and many fell in the first barrage. Dragons darted in and out, flaming and burning. These ragged and tattered beasts were falling like flies, clearly out matched. Their flames could barely reach the dragons or their riders, and they were destroyed before they knew what hit them. The entire battle took less than thirty minutes.
After making sure that there were no surprises left in the air, Jake dispatched Rah to hunt down a scout that he knew would be there to observe and report back. Rah spotted her trying to hide behind a cloud. When she realized that Rah was on to her, she tried desperately to fly away. There was no contest; Rah dove on her claws extended and ripped her in two, throwing the halves into the air and flaming then to the ground. He made sure there was nothing but ash left. Rah reported to Jake that she was gone. He scanned the skies and advised it was safe for the moment. Sally was beaming with excitement over the chase and flaming.
Rah you are the best! She praised her mighty friend.
Of course I am! Rah chuckled, am I not a dragon of light?
Back at the camp, they carefully began to land two at a time on the mesa. Each rider and dragon checked themselves for any signs of injury. In the heat of battle, with adrenalin flowing, it is sometimes possible not to feel a hit. Jake was the last to land. He called the Riders and Dragons to the Riders Hall for a debriefing. They were all panting, sweating profusely.
“That was one hell of a fight!” Shouted Steve, voicing their feelings. “They were no match for us! Jake, you have trained us well, I bow to you.” Steve and the Riders behind him all bowed low to Jake.
Jake roared a loud ‘approval’ for his dragons and their riders.
I am pleased in all of you; you have done well this day. This was but a small battle in a very large war. Now, we must see to the people below. Collin and Jeff, please stay, we have much to go over.
The rest of the riders left the cave and started below. Michael rushed to the hatching grounds with Sally at his side. As he came up the side of the mountain, Tabs was lying across the path, his body was covered in dried blood from several open wounds. He whined as he saw Michael and wagged his broken tail. He was hurt badly, but he would survive his wounds. Michael found Ash lying nearby. He bent over his beloved friend and tears flowed freely. Oreo came forward and rubbed against him and he tried to push her away; it was then that Michael realized what these brave companions had done this day. Oreo was covered in blood, matted to her fur. She meowed pitifully at him and howled at Sally. Michael looked at Tabs and Ash, realization dawning on him as he saw they too were matted with blood. It was Queenie, thru Jake, who began to tell Michael what had occurred.
Be well pleased in your friends Michael. They fought a mighty mutant bear that had been sent to destroy my eggs. I was in the throes of delivery and could not help them. They, and they alone destroyed that monster. They saved my life and the lives of my future children. I shall ever be in their debt for the sacrifice they made this day. Ash gave his life so that my children may live. The fur ball, Oreo, went into a rage and killed the beast after her friends fell. She then descended and dispatched many more. She was very angry with them for what they had done to her friends. She saved those below. Your friend gave his life to protect me, Michael. They all deserve a mighty salute, and shall receive one.
Kate and Daniel descended the mountain quickly and went to the Hall. The camp was a mess; everything was strewn about and broken. They saw a large pile of fur and a lot of blood near the brush and much more at the cave opening.
“Oh Daniel, if anything happened to Sam, I just couldn’t…” Kate leaned against Daniel for support.
“Easy girl, you can do this. Come on, we’ll go see for ourselves.” He took her hand and they headed towards the Hall.
They called out, “Sam! Sam, are you all right?” There was no answer at first, and then they heard him.
“Daniel, Kate, we’re ok, no one was hurt. Is it safe to come out?” Daniel could hear the fear in his voice.
“Yes Sam, it’s safe,” Daniel assured him.
As the people emerged, they could see that there had been a terrible battle. Shell casings were strewn all about the entrance to the Hall. Sam ran over to Daniel and Kate.
“You are all a sight for sore eyes. It was touch and go for a while there, I tell you!” He was still shaking from the battle. “They must have rounded up all the mutant bears in the valley. They kept coming at us Daniel; I thought we were going to run out of ammo. Then that cat, that damned, beautiful cat came out of nowhere. God almighty Daniel, you wouldn’t believe what that cat did. She took on six of those things. Ripped them to shreds, there was fur flying everywhere. She was howling something awful; it tore right thru us. Hope to never see or hear anything like it again.”
Daniel looked at Kate, mystified at this news. “Are you sure it was Oreo?”
“Oh yes, it was that cat, only more!” Sam and several of the men agreed on that point. “Daniel, I tell you she was like a saber-toothed tiger, all fangs and claws.”
“It was her Daniel.” Michael and Sally had descended. “Ash is dead Kate, he died protecting the Queen.” There were tears in his eyes and Kate could see he was deeply saddened by the death of his friend.
“Oh Michael, I am so sorry,” she gently grabbed his arm and squeezed it.
“Queenie told me what happened. Oreo and the ‘twins’ kept a huge mutant bear from entering the hatching grounds. There was a hell of a battle up there. First Tabs fell wounded, and they continued the fight. But when Ash fell dying she said that Oreo went wild, she tore the head off the thing. She tried to help Ash, but he died. The Queen said she gave her strength and she ran off down the mountain like a fiend. She killed one more mutant bear on its way up; then she came below here and destroyed the rest of them. We owe her a great debt.”
Lady Jennie let out a loud mournful roar from above and the other dragons followed. Ash was my friend; they were both brave companions. I am deeply saddened at his death, my Michael.
Thru Jake the Queen spoke now. As tribute to his act of self-sacrifice, I invoke right of Queen to name the first of my children to hatch. It shall be ASH!
There was a mighty roar from all the dragons, and the earth shook. He will be remembered! They roared as one.
Michael was overcome with emotion at this honor to his brave friend. He stood there unashamed as tears streamed down his face.
Up above Jake kept pace with the goings on. My beautiful Queen; it is so noble of you to name the first dragon after our brave friend. He deserves the honor you give him. Lady Jennie, how fair you at this terrible sad news; you were closest to them both.
My heart goes out to Michael; his heart is greatly saddened by the death of his friend. I shall miss Ash also, as he was always by my side. The fur ball now guards the Queen alone. Fearsome tho she is; we must find her a new companion.
Jake, Queenie called to him in a soothing voice, our hatching grounds now hold twenty eggs. They are shall be ready soon my love for your next step. Is it not time to bring the young ones here?
Be patient my lovely, he purred to her, there is still much to attend to first.
Turning his attention to Jeff, he continued; now where were we? Ah yes, Master Jeffrey, we will need some strategic plans for the future. They will not fall for same trick again. Work on it for the next several days and let me know what you come up with.
Jake now called below to Daniel. Daniel, tomorrow morning I need you and Lady Kate, along with Steve and Lady Ashley to come to the Riders Hall. In the meantime, see that the riders get some rest. They have earned it this night.
Daniel and the other riders helped get the camp back in order. Sam cooked up a huge meal for everyone, and after all had eaten Daniel insisted that everyone get some rest. He sent them all home. He told Steve about the meeting in the morning with Jake. Then he and Kate went to their own cave and tried to rest themselves
Kate was very upset for Michael. Loosing Ash was something she had not prepared herself for, and it was heavy on her heart. She sought the comfort of Daniels arms, and she cried and mourned for that ‘silly’ dog. Daniel felt sorry for Michael also as he had really liked both dogs. Exhaustion soon
overtook them both and they fell asleep curled up next to each other.
Above, Jake sent healing to all the people in their dreams. The loss of Ash seemed to affect everyone in the camp.
In his cave with Miss Susan asleep by his side, Jeffery couldn’t sleep. He had been very upset over what had happened, he could see and feel the pain that they all felt over the death of Ash. His mind was racing with all kinds of thoughts.
Ash was only a dog, yes, but his death had affected everyone.
His thoughts began to come together cohesively; things began to get clearer; gradually he began to realize a great truth.
We are all God’s creatures. Ash had selflessly given his life to protect what he perceived to be most important. All life is valuable.
Jeffery began to take this line of thought further. After a time he became aware, and with crystal clarity his thoughts fell into place. Suddenly he grew very excited and wanted to speak to Jake. Quietly, so as not to disturb Miss Susan, he left his quarters and went above to speak to Jake.
As he stepped out on to the mesa, the sun rising over the mountaintops illuminated it. Jeffery saw before him a sight that no man had ever seen. He was humbled, and his heart was filled as silent tears ran down his face. There before him was Jake, in all his awesome majesty, kneeling as it were, head bent, his body perfectly outlined by the rays of the rising sun. He knew instinctively that he was praying! This huge mighty dragon was humbling himself before the Almighty, giving the Creator of us all His due. Jeffery felt that he had intruded on a very private spiritual thing and he quietly turned to leave.
You do not have to leave Master Jeffery. Jake had heard him come out onto the mesa. What troubles your heart and mind so?
Not troubled Jake, just in awe of something far greater than I ever imagined. I see now Jake.
Tears were streaming down his face as he bowed before Jake.
My friend...no, rise. Jake could see and feel his raw emotions.
Jeff brought himself under control and continued, I see Jake, and I understand. It is most overwhelming to this poor arrogant man. Jeffery stepped forward and placed his hand on Jake’s neck; your wisdom, my friend, your guidance, and your great capacity for patience with us all... it truly humbles me. I beg your forgiveness for having ever doubted you in my heart.
A strong bond was formed that night between the two of them. Jeffery told Jake about his thoughts, and the design and purpose he thought was in place. Jake chuckled and told him that he was correct, but this was information that was best not shared. Man must always choose for himself. Jeffery understood all too clearly. From then on, there was a deep connection between Jake and Jeffery, a connection that filled Jeffery’s heart with hope for the future of mankind.
Far away in the forests of a Michigan town, the students and teachers in the Osborne School for the Gifted were all given very special dreams. They were being prepared for the move to their new home. When they awoke, they all knew without a doubt that they would be sent for within days. They had all seen it in their dreams. Riders would appear from the west.