FlounderAway: Old Scents

“Where… Where are we?” Virkoal asked glancing around her surroundings. Noticing the forest trees swaying to one side underneath the brighten sun above them. Silence answered her question and she growled at the others with her eyes narrowed towards them as she huffed and shook her head; she stepped to Xenao’s line and stopped while Shinron Tzico and Leonar pipped their voices and split their mouths speaking to one another. “Why are we here, Shinron? Is there something that you had wanted to know?” Tzico asked suddenly, glancing his attention towards Shinron who nodded. Listening to the forest wind blowing past their scales, Shinron answered back “I had heard that the first dragon that Neriax had met was here.” “You mean…” Tzico trailed, a bit shocked and Shinron smiled faintly. “Yeah her.” “Then… Where is she then? She better not be hiding in some cavern.” Virkaol interrupted glaring her attention to the conversation of Tzico and Shinron. Both turned their eyes over to her before gazing to one another in silence, a smile emerged from their faces as they stared at her.

“What?” She asked, tilting her head to one side. “You alone should do this. Seek her out. Its rumored she is by the cavern at top of some mountain.” and Virkoal nodded suddenly, frowning as she wondered why she had to go alone for this. Nevertheless, she went along with it and spread her wings outward. Taking flight to the blue skies above the forest grounds and hanged around there while she glanced around. Even to the grounds. With the winds blowing lightly against her scales and the forest trees reacting in kind, she advances forward through the air inches away from her starting point as she went Northward. The forest extended farther than her eyes could reach; it was like a sea of trees. There were other sounds that entered into her ear; some of which were recognizable to her ear like regular land birds and such. But there were those that were unfamiliar to her. Virkoal would explore more about them except she had a job to do. So advancing further north she raises her head upward and spotted a cavern by the top of the mountain. A brown sign emerged onto her vision standing adjacent to the entrance of the cavern also.

Reading, ‘Neriax’s cave’. Virkaol smiled brightly and flapped her wings faster and rapidly while inching towards the destination. When she closed in onto it, she landed onto solid ground and slapped her feet together before folding her wings. As she looked around, she started towards the cavern and frowned but pushed forward to it. Entering in regardless. Her visions were concealed and narrowed as light fled away from her sights and dark embraced her with welcoming arms. The warmth that she felt from the sun was gone when she also headed into the cold freezing like temperatures inside the cavern. Inside, the cavern was short. She could see the end with her eyes alone. A fireplace was erected from the ground and someone was there also. Splitting her mouth, she voiced her call and introduced herself. For at first there was no answerback and silence fell overtop of her. Virkoal growled and voiced again. A bit louder so whoever was there could hear her. 

Something stood up amongst the fireplace and the head was turned. Eyes made contact with her as she shivered and remained still; glaring at her in return without hesitation and the falling silence that came with it. Seconds later, there were footsteps. It was heavy and made the cavern vibrated vividly as Virkoal gasped in response. Her eyes opened wide while she tried to steady herself through the vibrating grounds her feet were upon. She remained still, although it was hard as her eyes slowly raised up from the ground. Virkoal realized that she was staring directly at the dragon resulting her to gulp nervously while holding a claw upward and waved faintly and quickly. Her heart pounded against her chest waiting for the other’s answer.

There was a pause of silence between them. Neither responded as mouths remained closed for the time being. With the silence falling upon them, Virkoal gulped and stepped back. Turning her head slightly so her eyes were staring at the entrance behind her and flapped her silvery wings a bit. She had wanted to leave. But she had wondered if the other had realized that. As she remained still, her lips parted. But her voice was stutter and frequently pausing each time. She tried to calm down after closing her mouth then spoke again; a bit more confident and more worry and anxious as her mouth had started to clatter. A burst of laughter echoed, as a result, causing confusion for Virkoal while she tilted her head to one side staring. She had wondered how she had made her laugh.

“I’d recognized that stuttering voice anywhere. You must be Neriax’s descendant right?” the dragon responded, cheerfully and happily. It went on to explaining excessively how she was waiting all this time for another to come by to the forest that- Virkoal had interrupted her with a voice of her own as she had started, “Er… Excuse me but. Who are you and how do you know my father?” “Me?” She responded with a grin, her wings spread from her back as her eyes stared at Virkoal. “I am Ajiro. The dragoness of the sea. The first of the many dragons that met up with your father that day.” She giggled uncontrollably while she explained in simple words. “Around that time, I was still trying to control the flood that was nearby. I think the dam had broken off or went on vacation somewhere. Regardless… What is your name then?” “Virkoal,” Virkoal replied, giving no hesitation as she added. “You met him during a flood?” “I was… rescuing him from the flood.” Ajiro started, her eyes rolled shaking her head before grabbing Virkoal’s arm and pulled her to the entrance of the cavern.

They emerged out and into the sunlight that hammered upon their scales. As a gust of wind blew against them, Ajiro stretched her arms upward and yawned closing her eyes while her wings were folded behind her. “That was a long time I had been standing in one spot waiting for my grand appearance.” “Your ‘grand appearance’?” Asked Virkoal and Ajiro grinned nodding, her tail swayed before staring out onto the horizon. “Yes. My grand appearance. The day that finally, I would show up again and hopefully drive the series into the same path as your father had taken.” “Wait. What do you mean by that?” Virkoal asked, a bit disturbed. Ajiro shook her head and laughed swatting her claw against Virkoal’s shoulder. “Do not worry about it. I was just making some statements. Anyway…” She turned to her and crossed her arms asking, “What do you want to know?”

“Know what?” Virkoal asked again, clueless as to what she was talking about. Ajiro groaned and bend her upper body raising her eyeballs towards the top of her eyes. “About the ruined kingdom and where everyone was heading, dumb dumb.” “I was told to head north from where I was hatched,” Virkoal claimed. “North?” Ajiro asked, raising her eye at her. “Towards the arctic circle? It is freezing there you know. Not that many dragons can survive up there. I do believe that-” “Not the arctic circle.” Virkoal growled. Her claws clenched. “I meant Northward towards some island. Neriax told me that the other dragons are there.” “But why? There was nothing there except for seawaters and other stuff.” Ajiro complained getting an answer nod from Virkoal.

“Also…” Ajiro grinned, a brighten smile from a crazy dragoness can only mean one thing and interpreting that to her knowledge, Virkoal groaned as she wondered what she was going to say. “What?” “You need to rest. All that stress from flying and searching for the Northern island had gotten a toll on you. Would you like to rest in the cavern? I was about to head to bed anywhere.” “Why do… Why do you need to sleep?” Virkoal scuff, her head tilted back in surprise while she glared at her. “It is only morning. Should you not get some breakfast for yourself?” “Ate.” Ajiro chimed. “Ate? What?” Virkoal asked, pressing the matter while she groaned fearing what would come out of her mouth.

“Water. They are rich in vitamins you know.”