A Boy and His Dragonwolf

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym could hardly keep still as Claire measured his wings, checked the muscle, and went through the rest of the appointment. He had a clean bill of health, of course, and soon enough the three of them were in the vehicle on their way up to the national park. When they got out, he whimpered and whined, pulling against the leash and almost tugging Tyler over a few times. Up until they finally reached the open space. He leapt and bound so much that it was tough to take the leash off.

But then it did come off and he looked back at the humans, spreading his wings slowly. With a howl he flapped them down and leapt into the air, taking flight towards the sky. He made many happy sounds and did some maneuvers, like barrel rolls and flips, just enjoying having all this open space to finally fly in.

 

[Quiet One]

While Nym soared and did his tricks Tyler laughed underneath him, watching and holding Claire with an arm around her shoulder. He smirked and kissed her. "Do a barrel-roll!"

"That's called an aileron roll, actually," Claire corrected with a smirk.

Tyler grinned at her. "You watch those YouTube videos that ruin video games, don't you?"

She chuckled and kissed his cheek. "Maybe. You do, too?"

As Nym rolled and dived he would see something over the trees; a large stationary blur flapping its wings in the distance. A scent wafted from its wings to Nym and he would recognize it: the female from before. Once she knew she had his attention, she dropped and landed on top of a tree. She gave a low howl to call him over, and once he came to her she jumped down from the tree again to their clearing, where they met before.

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym stopped flying and stayed in position for a while as he smelled the familiar scent of the female that had been courting with him before. He gave a wave of his tail and a yip before flying down to the top of the tree. Then the female lept down and he followed, gliding himself into the clearing. once he landed he spread his wings wide and approached, pressing the tip of his muzzle to hers in greeting.

 

[Quiet One]

The female purred and nuzzled Nym back, circling around him and whipping her tail around. She rubbed her nose into his side, getting deeper acquainted with his scent. She allowed him to do the same, making her tail rub across his nose. Her tail raised slightly as she got in front of him, then she leaped off again, prompting him to follow. She would stop short, so he would bump and rub against him.

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym murred happily as he had nuzzled his nose into the female's side, sniffing deep her scent and waving his tail as he memorized it once again. His tail raised too as they got closer until she lept away again. It wasn't even a choice for Nym, the male easily pouncing after her - and bumped right up against her. he made a soft song of sounds as she rubbed against him and he rubbed against her at the same time, and even licked her side gently as his tail waved quickly and his wings spread up and wide.

 

[Quiet One]

The female sang back, letting out little whines in a lyrical tune in response to Nym's song. She waved her raised tail and began to crouch down in front, raising her hind legs. She yipped and shook the dirt, making it shift and float, even sparkle, before drifting to the ground again.

But then there was rustling in the trees and they heard the two humans. "Nym? Where'd you go, buddy? Nym?!" It was Tyler, and he started to sound worried. The female stood up and spread her wings, turning just as Tyler and Claire stepped out around a tree. They stared at her. She howled, flapped her wings, and flew off.

"What the fuck?!" Tyler shouted.

"I-I guess we shouldn't be surprised there's...more than one," Claire offered softly. "That one was...quite a bit bigger. And it looked like she was still growing."

"She?"

"Of course. We just interrupted a mating ritual," she said. They looked down at Nym. "I think she's his mate."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

When the female had crouched down, Nym had backed off a little to watch her small display of magic, waving his tail at the same rhythm she did. He let out a bark when she did so, and had been just about to crouch down and return the favor before the two humans came into the clearing. Nym glanced back at them and then the female, just as she took off. He rose his muzzle and howled to the sky as a farewell to her, before bounding once more over to the humans.

As they talked, all he did was twine around their legs and rub up against them, murring very happily. It was how he had been before when he and his female had their first interaction. He was being so affectionate, and he was feeling quite happy. He'd finished the second ritual with his mate.

 

[Quiet One]

Over the coming months, Tyler worked on coming to terms with Nym having a mate. At first he was just confused. How - and for that matter, when - did this even happen? What came next was oddly...parental. Tyler had raised the little dragon-wolf all the way back when he was a little pup who slept in a picnic basket. But over the next couple months he'd grown to be bigger than Tyler, his shoulders halfway up the man's waist. His wings were nearly thirty feet long, probably more. He didn't just lay on the couch; some nights he WAS the couch. All said, it felt like the wolf was grown up now, and Tyler wondered if he needed him anymore. Or if he'd one day just get up and leave. The idea of him having a mate just reminded him that this was probably inevitable.

He woke up to Nym licking his face, an alarm clock he no longer needed. Partway through last month he'd lost his job. Downsizing, or something. The boss had tried to offer him a chance to stay on board if he agreed to let them use Nym as a mascot. It wasn't the first request they'd gotten for that sort of thing - Gatorade and Pepsi kept calling them for a while - but it was the first time someone who knew him asked it to his face. He'd taken it as an insult, and quit. Thus, Tyler had the whole day to spend with Nym and search for new jobs.

"Hey, buddy," he said groggily to his companion. "Want some breakfast?"

He got up to see Claire was already gone to the university, and immediately turned on the stove. As he got things together he pulled a chicken leg from the fridge from last night and fed it to him. He was getting so big, he needed an appetizer before breakfast.

"So, I've been thinking about this furry friend of yours," he said. He looked down at Nym. "You really like her, don't you?" He smirked and shook his head. "You were my pup not too long ago. I can't believe how much I could miss something like that. Anyway, I wanna meet her. If she's half as smart as you are then she can understand me, too. How about it? A little meet the parents action."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym ate on the chicken wing happily, carefully eating around the bone and leaving it so that he wouldn't end up choking on shards or the bone itself. After it was done he sat next to Tyler and waved his tail, cocking his head a little as he watched the human cooks and speak. At the end of the question he gave a yip and waited for food to be finished, at which point he would eat up by Tyler's side. And then, as he normally did, he would go to the front door and paw at it to be let outside.

However, this time he didn't go outside until Tyler walked out first. Then once the door was closed, he went around the yard and did his business, before dashing and ramming into Tyler's legs, making him fall over onto Nym's back. The dragonwolf huffed in success and rose his wings, howling before taking to the air and leaving the house far behind.

They would fly for miles and minutes before the male would begin to decend from the sky, and as he did so Tyler would be able to see an old, mossy temple-like ruin as they got ever farther down towards the ground. Nym was following an instinctual call, a song that Tyler would begin to hear once they landed. Nym looked back at the human and nodded, waiting for the human to follow before going inside to the main chamber.

Inside that main chamber would be the female, Nym's mate, and another human. Although on closer examination she didn't seem exactly human. There was an otherworldy grace about her, her eyes were golden, and her ears were pointed. As Nym ran up to his mate and murred, rubbing into her and showing off his wings once more, the 'elf' bowed her head. "I've been expecting you Tyler. Guardian to Nymastin, son of Gurasho and Jurinal."

 

[Quiet One]

Tyler put his hands on his hips and surveyed the yard in the opposite direction of Nym. He really did like the quiet house Claire had opened up to them. And his love for Claire and Nym only made it better. Plenty of space, fairly isolated, and of course roomy and warm. Then he felt something bump against his back. Before he could turn and chuckle at Nym's playfulness he was pushed and rolled over onto the dragon-wolf's back.

"Uh, Nym? What are you doing?" He looked at his buddy's wings as they stretched out. At his howl, he instinctively wrapped his arms around his neck. "Nym?!" Then suddenly they were shot up into the air. "NYM!"

Tyler held tightly to the dragon-wolf's neck as they reached high into the air. Eventually he opened his eyes and looked out at the clouds around them and the world below. Slowly, he pulled away from him and got into a seated position. He still held tightly, but as they soared he got more comfortable.

"Nym...this is awesome," he said as they soared. His hands went to scratch his neck as they flew. He kept daring to crane his neck over and stare down under them. It wasn't long before he failed to recognize anything below them. "Um, Nym? Where are we going?"

He heard then a strange noise in the wind. It sounded like singing, but there were no words. At least, not any words he recognized. Gradually he became aware that they were gliding into a smooth descent. He drew in a deep breath as he saw they were in the Colorado Rockies, and they were gliding towards a shorter mountain surrounded by many greater neighbors. This mountain was low enough to have some grass and a few small trees, but more noticeably there was a mossy temple built into its side. It had a ceiling and a floor, but other than a few pillars on the outward side there seemed to be no walls. With a last flap Nym set them down inside and Tyler awkwardly climbed off. He didn't get much time to take in the place when they were inside it, and Nym bounded over to the white and blue dragon-wolf he'd seen before.

As she nuzzled into Nym and rested her chin on his head, Tyler regarded the woman in front of him. Or - elf woman? She had a proud grace to go with the pointed ears, making her look even more like an elf. Her gold eyes were a bit unsettling, but not quite so much as her knowing his name.

"How do you know my name?" he asked. He looked to Nym nuzzling the blue and white wolf. "And his? Nymastin? His name's Nym. Who are you?" He looked up at the ceiling of the temple, then around. "What is this place? Okay, wait. Too many questions." He held up his arms and took a deep breath. "Sorry. Should be used to weird shit by now. Let's boil it down to one simple question; what's going on?"

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym let out a soft, rumbling murr and rubbed up beneath the female, ending up with her head resting upon her neck as his tail wagged and he looked over at her adoringly. He wanted to introduce her to Tyler but they were busy, so the male took his time to enjoy the cuddling with his mate.

The golden-eyed, platinum blonde female chuckled a little at Tyler's reaction and waited for him to be able to calm down a bit more, which he inevitably did. It was only the second time in recent history that someone from this world had been chosen as a guardian, but it wasn't unheard of. The other one had ended up quite like this at the start like this, so she had been specially prepared.

"First, you may call me Mahara. Guardian to Nemune, the female who chose your.. 'Nym'." she began to explain, figuring that even though he finished with only one question, he would appreciate an answer to them all. "What's going on is that Nymastin must have finally heard the ancestral call of his homeland. Which is not to say that with you is not home, it is simply not the place where he comes from."

"This place is the gateway between worlds." she explained next, smiling with a shine in her golden eyes. "We've been watching you from here ever since you found Nymastin as a youngling. And we will be leading you through here now, as to be chosen by a 'dragonwolf' is to be chosen as a guardian knight for our lands." she smiled and held out her hand. "We may go whenever you're ready. But do not worry, you will be able to return. At times."

 

[Quiet One]

Nemune nudged Nym's shoulder with her muzzle and began to lead him towards the temple's back wall, which remained resolutely a wall while the humans talked. She nipped him playfully and circled around, laying down as she waited for them to finish. As they did that, Tyler listened to Mahara's...explanation. It answered all his questions, but at the same time raised so many others.

"So this place is some sort of stop between dimensions or something? Like the Wardrobe in Narnia, or going into the Matrix?" he asked. He stepped a little further into the temple and looked up. Overhead there was a mural of some kind, depicting trees and running dragon-wolves, along with simple pictures of pointy-eared warriors with swords and bows. "This all sounds cool, and I want to be with Nym, but I'm no knight. There are no knights anymore. Kind of went out of fashion after we invented guns." He crossed his arms and looked at the dragon-wolves. "I do want more answers, though. Tell you what, I'll go with you. But I'm not putting on shiny armor and carrying around a sword, got it?"

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Mahara chuckled a little at Tyler's words and reaction. Much like she'd been told the other human had, before she came to realize her own magic and become one of the greatest knights in the realm. "We shall see, Tyler. You may very well come to a different conclusion after your time with us." she said with a smile, and then turned to the back wall which the dragonwolves laid on and snuggled. Nym looked up at the elf and wove his tail as she opened her arms and spoke: "Odael si kari." she said, her eyes glowing a little with magic.

A circular mural on the back wall began to spin and fade into a luminescent white, becoming something that looked like a portal. She looked at the dragonwolves, Nym cocking his head and making a few trills and chirps in interest before walking in, assuming that his human and mate would follow him inside. Mahara looked back at Tyler and smiled, gesturing him in. "Come." she asid, waiting for him to walk through before she followed.

Once Tyler walked into the golden rays of the sun, he would be in what looked like a copy of the temple, except much better maintained and looking like it had more wings. As Mahara came through, a trio of females in white dresses came over, unlike the white-blue armor that Mahara wore (which was styled to look like Nemune's fur). They looked over Tyler and Nym, fussing over them while the male opened his wings and preened in front of the elves and his mate.

"Por o thol cos?" "Air'm ei tali!"Sor air cos? Ci'm varaes teri" The three females said questioningly, the third smiling as she looked Tyler over, the second examining Nym as the first just stood back. They all chattered away before Mahara wove her hand.

"Mai, mai! Ci'm eilaedia olaesaelaer." she said in exasperation, which got replies of "O'vi bai thel." and "Tysti, shi'jh taer cos jharaes" from the first and second females. The three bowed and then walked away, leaving Mahara alone with Tyler and the dragonwolves. Tyler would hear some singing coming from outside, and after a moment Tyler would feel his hand in another's.


"Come, let me show you our home." she said, leading Tyler out of the temple, at which point he could overlook the entire of the city, built into the side of a mountain valley, waterfalls streaming down and fully-sized dragonwolves flying around, some with people on their backs. Mahara gave Tyler a while to take it all in before she spoke. "Alright.. I will answer any and all questions you may have, but we do have an appointment to keep."

Translations

Open the gate

Did you find him?
He's a male!
This is him? He's rather cute.
Shoo, shoo! He's already rather overwhelmed.
You're no fun.
Come, we'll meet him later.

 

[Quiet One]

Tyler reflexively stepped back when the door turned to light. He watched Nym trill and jump in without hesitation, followed by the bigger Nemune. He looked at the elf-woman again, then followed her through the gate. When the light settled he looked at the new scene in silent shock. They were on some sort of massive mountain, not too different from the one the temple was in, but several times bigger. His head twisted up and around to discover they were in a temple like the one on the other side, but without the moss or faded paint. To his left and right he saw paths leading to other important-looking buildings and hallways. He gasped and started walking out towards the end of the temple when the three women in white came up and began fussing over him and Nym. He stepped around carefully as they surrounded him. Nym seemed to be enjoying the attention, so he didn't feel alarmed by it. Though, he did wish he knew what they were saying.

Eventually, Mahara said something to get them to leave, which allowed Tyler to take in the rest of the scenery. The temple appeared to be the crowning point of a massive city built into the mountain. It wasn't very thick - maybe four or five houses deep - but it seemed to cover nearly the whole mountain, with convex rooftops and stone roads/walkways. Several waterfalls broke up the design, making paths straight down to the lake beneath the mountains. Around these waterfalls were little built-in ponds or wells, constantly supplied with fresh water. When Tyler got further out, he could see that there were walkways leading to nothing, presumably launch points for the dragon-wolves. And beyond that, he saw the neighboring mountains possessed cities like the one he was on, with bridges connecting them together.

But it was what lay beyond the city that surprised him even more. Firstly, the sky demanded his attention. Elves of varying ages were gliding on these sheet-kites without a care in the world from one place to another. Dragon-wolves flew by too, on occasion, some with riders, some without. Most were about the size of Nemune or bigger. Most of the convex roofs had flat platforms fastened to them, and Tyler saw on some dragon-wolves resting on them, some of the younger, more playful ones, jumping from one to another whilst chasing each other.

Below, however, took Tyler's breath away even more. Laying almost in a bowl of mountains was a vast forest, one seemingly without end. There were plains in several places, but most everything was rivers and trees. On one plain he thought he saw an oddly shaped hill. He was confused until the hill raised its head and yawned - a rumbling sound that made him think of a blue whale with a megaphone - before lowering again for a nap. A giant dragon-wolf! And not one, but three. Off in the distance he could see another walking about casually, while even further on he caught sight of one laying with its head raised in a lake, presumably washing or cooling itself down.

He turned to Mahara and nodded. There was no getting around this. "Okay. I'll try to start slow. Small things first. Who were those women? What, were they nuns or something? Second - " He pointed out at the giant dragon-wolves. "Do they all get that big? If not, then what the hell are those? Third - how does no one know about this? Seriously, how did you keep this whole thing a secret?"

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Mahara stood by and watched as Tyler seemed to be taking in every bit of the scenery that had been presented to him. He seemed quite enamored and even excited by it all, making the woman smile a bit more and just allow him to do so. She waited until he finally turned to her and asked some questions, at which point she beckoned for him to walk with her. They still had an appointment to keep, and so she began walking through the city towards a central building using a bridge from the temple.

"Those women are called Saesti Sharaes. They are.. similar, to nuns of your world, I suppose. However they don't take vows of chastity. They keep to the temple, assisting the knights who live and are stationed there, and at times they take special missions. Otherwise they are a citizen like any other, and might be seen in the markets or elsewhere."

At that point, Nym had taken to the sky and buzzed the bridge near Tyler, letting out an excited howl as he dove and flew in the open sky, though all the while staying nearby. Mahara chuckled a little and spoke again. "He really is attached to you. Good. In any case, no, the Pandrylyr Soral - Dragonwolf Titans, you would call them - are a rarity. We believe that there is one born in every ten generations, and always in the wild - never choosing a knight." she explained, about them, before chuckling at his final question.

"We needn't keep it a secret. Very few of your world want to believe something like other worlds can exist, even less would seek us out." She nodded a little. "Indeed, you are only the second in recent history to be chosen by a Pandrylyr and thus enter this realm." she looked back and smiled a little more. "You're no longer on Terra, Tyler. You're now where our ancestors named Shylyr Vasadori - Wondrous Paradise. And such it is, our paradise full of wonders.." then her face fell slightly and she looked forwards, saying quietly "Not that we don't have our own share of problems."

 

[Quiet One]

Tyler turned at Mahara's explanation of the nuns. He was considerably less freaked out now, but raised an eyebrow at her addendum. "Um...why did you have to point out they didn't take chastity vows? I mean, not all nun-like groups in the normal world have vows like that. I think. Anyway, is it like a religious thing? Do people revere dragon-wolves as gods or something?"

As Nym flew overhead, he reached out and brushed a fingertip against his wing as he flew by, smiling at the eager dragon-wolf. Nemune landed on the bridge in front of them, letting out a trill to lure Nym to her before jumping up above the ledge on the other end of the bridge. "Pandryer Soral? Sorry. Other languages were never a strong suit of mine. So there's only a few of those things out there?" He looked at the titans again. "Seem peaceful enough, at least. Kind of like big, lazy versions of Nym."

Tyler found her explanation for no one from his world knowing about this world...lacking. Millions of people wanted to go to other planets, and millions more were fans of stuff like Harry Potter and other such fantasy worlds. This place would be a haven for so many. Tyler just concluded that they were very good at hiding and left it at that. "So...what now? You said I had to be to some kind of appointment or something? What, are they going to assess me as a knight or something? I told you, I'm not going to be much of one."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

"They aren't, gods, per se.. but we do revere them. They are creatures of power, of kindness and loyalty. Some do think they are the favoured creatures of our gods, so it would be prudent to call them part of our religion. As for the vows of chastity... I simply thought it would be a good thing for you to know." she shrugged, and then chuckled at his other comments. "That's what she thought too." was her final words as they came to the central spire. "This is where our leaders meet and gather, named Shori-Kyr. They must vet you to become a citizen here." she looked back at him. "Knighthood or not, this is necessary. You've bonded with Nym.. and that is rare even in this world."

With that she opened the door into the central chamber, which was a circular room of white-gold stone, with a quintet of people standing opposite the door they came in. Four of them had masks of various make and long flowing robes. The last was another human, with the face of a warrior. She stood by a dragonwolf of greysnow and green stripes, thus was her armor fashioned. On her back was a glaive as well as arrows and a bow, on her hip a sword. Her eyes were cool as she looked over Tyler, a small smirk just barely visible on her lips.

"Caer eil Kaerol 1​, Mahara. Tyler. Nymastin eil Nemune." said the other four in Unison, Nym having followed Tyler inside. As much as he wanted to simply lay down and snuggle with his mate, he had to stay nearby Tyler. The young male was sure that the other would end up needing him soon. Then one with a mask like a wolf stepped forwards and bowed his head. "Tyler, I assume Mahara has told you some about why you are expected here?" he asked, nodding his head. "Your pandrylyr, Nymastin or 'Nym' has bonded with you."

"This means that you have the potential and the ability to become a knight of our realm, a Taelesol. And so we ask that, in the time that you spend here, you at least train and learn what it means to be one. We are always in need of more defenders." he said with a slight dark tone in his voice. "You will be given a place here to live, and two trainers who will be there to assist with whatever you need. Mahara you have already met, the other is Judy Alle, the other human who recently was chosen." he said, gesturing to the human to his side.

"Before we go any farther, my friend, vaeri saer ti 2​, do you have any questions?" he asked with honesty and an earnest voice.

Translations

1​Heath and Greetings,

(Taelesol - Literally Centurion)

2​Please tell me

 

[Quiet One]

"So long as I'm not held against my will or being drafted, I'm game to do things your way," Tyler replied. Though, with the weapons and armor she was carrying, he doubted he'd be able to say no even if he could. He looked down at Nym and scratched his head, partly for the dragon-wolf's benefit, but also to comfort himself by having his loyal friend by his side. Speaking of friends, he was suddenly wondering about Claire...

But those concerns were pushed aside as he was immediately swept into a council chamber. It didn't matter that he'd never been here before. It was a council chamber. All council chambers in the history of everywhere forever looked something like this ornate room, and the four seated in robes with weird masks were obviously the guys in charge. The masks were a little weird, but the woman had him running the gambit from confusion to concerned, and finally to frightened. She was human - an oddly uplifting thing, offset immediately by her grey and green armor. Like Mahara's, it was segmented in plates, with one over her chest, ones across her shoulders, and carrying on strapped onto her legs and forearms. It looked to be made of very thin metal, and Tyler suspected the bulk of the protection laid in the leather underneath the plates.

She had the air of someone who commanded respect everywhere she went, but her smile at him told him that she had stood where he had not too long ago. That was somewhat comforting.

He turned to the councilors once they spoke, recognizing his and Nym's names and correctly assuming they were greeting them. He nodded further at their introduction, as well as what was expected of him. He looked down at Nym, then back up at the speaker, and stepped forward.

"Um...okay. I'll agree to some training and stuff. Who knows? Something might click." He put his hands on his hips, going for commanding but probably just showing off how thin his arms were. "But I have to ask: why do you need so many knights? This place looks pretty peaceful. You got Mahara here and...I guess what I have to call 'my people' armed to the teeth. For what?"

A howl sounded from somewhere outside. Nemune's ears turned in the back of her head and she looked up, growling. Judy stood up and slid her bow down her arm and nocked an arrow.

"What's that?" he asked.

"The reason for us taelesol," Judy told him. "You're in a fantasy world. Did you think everything would be nice?"

Suddenly a monstrous black lump broke through the ceiling and dropped down in front of them, followed by four more. They were like dragon-wolf/human hybrids. They were all black fur, stood on two canine legs with wolf's heads. Their feathered wings were ruffled and unkempt, with spikes coming out on the wings' elbows. They snarled as they drew crude wrought-iron weapons.

Judy loosed two arrows, piercing one's neck. It hurt the monster, but didn't seem to do anything beyond enrage it. The wolf man leapt at her, bounding up a wall and flapping its wings once to glide it down. She held up her bow to block the sword strike, and did so again and again. As it bore down on her bow she pulled the drawstring back, loosing another arrow into the creature's eye.

Tyler meanwhile was backing away from all this as one of them spotted him. He had his back to the doors when Nym came to his rescue, charging into the creature and pressing it against the wall. It swung its sword into Nym, but missed and the dragon-wolf sunk his teeth into the thing's arm. It howled in pain and dropped the weapon. Tyler seized his chance and grabbed it, stabbing into the anthro's chest and pushing it away from Nym.

Another jumped down and slammed its full weight on Tyler's chest. He got the wind knocked out of him, and couldn't even cry out in pain as he began to see spots. Then Nym jumped onto the wolf creature's back and started tearing at its wing. The monster snarled and flapped its wings, throwing Nym to the ground with a whine. It then kicked him in the stomach and raised its sword to stab him.

"NO!" Tyler jerked his foot forward and kicked it between the legs. It grunted and doubled over - Tyler guessed that meant it was a "he" - and turned on him. But then two swinging white blades cut into its side. Tyler looked to see huge gashes in the monster's torso, rapidly covering themselves over with frost. Then the snowy blades swung again and after a swipe from each the wolf man was cut in half, both sections sporting a nasty freezer burn.

Standing over him was Mahara, holding two broadswords both with frost-covered edges. He panted and looked over to see a foggy patch in the room slowly clearing. One of those things came stumbling out with many arrows in its chest and a wing missing. Off to the side, he could see Judy's dragon-wolf tearing at it on the floor. Then a blade pierced through the monster's chest, and it suddenly began to swell. Then Judy pushed through it from the chest down through the crotch, around in a circle, and right through the head, cutting the invader in half with a bloody circle in the air that smeared the ground.

"You alright?" Judy asked him.

He didn't answer right away, instead he rolled over, grunting in pain from what he was sure were bruised ribs, and crawled over to Nym. Nemune whined and laid down beside him, draping a wing partly over like a blanket. He pet his little buddy's ears. He'd saved him. They'd both saved each other.

"He's hurt, but should recover by morning," Mahara said. "I can show you your lodgings and allow you both to rest up - "

"What were those things?" he interrupted. "You didn't say anything about fucking monsters! Nym, it's okay buddy..." he pet him and grunted onto his hands and knees. "Can you get up? Come on." He looked at Nemune. "Help me." She nudged him, and with mostly her nose managed to turn him so he could get up. Thankfully, like they said, he wasn't too hurt. If anything, Tyler had probably come off worse.

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

"Those were the Pasandrylyr. The enemy." Mahara said softly, helping Tyler along and out of the council chambers as Nym leaned on Nemune and slowly walked his way along behind the two. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you, but there was no time. You fought well, though. Brave for your first fight. You and Nymastin both." She said happily, trying to cheer Tyler up a little as they walked out back onto the bridge that they had been on before. Out in the distance he could see a number of the creatures being chased off by other taelesol, as well as people coming back out after what was probably them taking shelter from the battle.

"Most of our people can fight, but we rely on the taelesol in truth, as the power given by such a bond is greater than any one of us Aer can ever achieve on our own. And that's why we need you." She explained seriously as they limped slowly back to the temple, where the oldest of the three who had greeted him not too long ago came in and looked at the two of them in concern.

"Ayrie, saji Tyler shas sai cor vys eil kaer cos sharaelaes ci baer."1​ Mahara ordered the Saesti Sharae who looked at Tyler and nodded softly. "Follow Ayrie and don't worry. I will come by soon with Judy.. we just need to make sure that the threat is over." she explained, mounting Nemune and running out of the temple, Nym looking back at them and whimpering for a little before leaning on Tyler.

"I'm sorry that this had to happen on your first day, ol taraes." said the young maiden softly as she led him along a hall, to a door. "In here is you and your compainion's room." she said. "And please, if you need anything don't hesitate to ask. Either now, or if you need anything later, just say 'Talol Ayrie' and I'll be here to get you whatever you need." she said with a smile, waiting to be dismissed or asked for something.

The room itself had one large bed for the rider, and one for the dragonwolf. As well it had everything that one would ever need in a bedroom, including an empty journal and pen with inkwell.

Translations

Pasandrylyr - DarkDragonwolf
Aer = the 'elven' race
Ol taraes = Young master
Talol = Calling

1​Take Tyler back to his room and get him whatever he needs.

 

[Quiet One]

Tyler looked up at Mahara, returning a dead stare. "That doesn't really help. Thank you, though. You know...for saving my life." He didn't bother to ask about the weird ice trick she used on her swords, but that was the least of his concerns right now. At the moment, he was more concerned with finding a way out of here.

When Ayrie came up and nodded to him, he felt better, like she truly respected him. He bet that would have dwindled if she saw how he fought today. At her question for help he looked at Nym as he curled up on his big doggy bed and nodded. "Actually, something to eat, please? Whatever dragon-wolves like to eat here, and maybe an apple for me."

As she nodded and left to fetch what he asked he sat on the bed and took out his phone. No surprise; no signal. He held his phone up to Nym. "I don't suppose you can bark this into working condition? Wish I could call Claire. She's probably worried about us. Too bad there's no way she'll believe all this insanity."