Harmonylight
Songster
- Jun 24, 2021
- 5
- 834
- 128
(Ok, so harmonylight is elsewhere at the moment, but I texted her and asked if I could control her characters momentarily so that we could keep the story rolling in order to get it caught up with the rest of the rp. So, if I do something for her characters, that's why.)
(Oh! Also, I'm gonna edit the original post, but just a heads up, Alyssia is gonna have Apple stay back and not attack, you know, with her being blind and all. XD I totally forgot about Apple being blind when I first wrote it. lol)
Alyssia's heart leapt as Whitestar nodded firmly. They were good with it. She looked towards the others for nods. Bamboo gave the first nod of the three, the excitement in his eyes evident. Blackout was next and he stared out towards the caravan with a very determined look. Apple was the last one. Oh please accept, Apple. If you don't, then Bamboo probably won't and then the whole thing is gonna fall apart. Apple finally nodded her consent but nervously, as if she wasn't sure. Alyssia's heart jumped for joy. Yes! My plan is gonna work!
She turned her focus back towards the main caravan. She nodded back towards the others and told them to get into their positions. Before she left, she turned back one last time towards them. "By the way, when you hear me scream, "attack" that will be the code word for you to actually attack." Confident, she started running towards the caravan. Alright, Alyssia, this has to work, so you better play your part well. The caravan was a little farther than she had previously judged and she was tiring out. The sun beat on her and she could feel her mouth becoming parched again. Keep running, Alyssia. It'll just add to the act when you get there. And, remember, make it dramatic. She smiled, she'd been told that her eccentric personality made her dramatic at times and now she got to test it out.
The caravan got closer and she saw the hunter better. He was a young man and the two people he had been talking to were wearing fancier clothing, so she assumed that they were the wealthy people going to buy and sell dragons at the Scorpion Den. She sped up. This had to look convincing. She heard shouts as she neared the jeeps, they were shouting orders and pulling guns on her. She ran as hard as she could and started shouting things of her own.
"Help me! Help me, please!" she screamed as she ran by the jeeps and towards the limo. Several guards closed on her and blocked her path. She kept running as one of them grabbed her and restrained her. She tried squirming out of his grip, but she couldn't. The shouts were heard by the others and they came towards the commotion.
"What is this all about!" the man in the fancy clothes demanded. The woman standing beside him saw Alyssia and her face softened.
"It's just a terrified girl," she started over to Alyssia and ordered the guard to release her. "Young lady, what are you doing out here?"
Alyssia tried to create fake tears, but they weren't coming. Instead, she jumped to the woman and buried her face in her shoulder. "Help please!" she cried, trying to add more panic to her voice.
The man walked forward, skepticism in his eyes, "Sweetheart! She's a random stranger from the desert! You can't just trust her right off the bat!" He gestured for the guards to grab Alyssia again.
"No! No please! I've been out in the desert for days now! I don't know where to go!"
The woman looked at the man. "Please Jack! She's obviously afraid. Can't we bring her with us. I mean, look at her! She's all burned up and tattered."
Alyssia suppressed a smile. She'd forgotten that she looked a mess and was grateful that it added to her plan.
The one named Jack seemed to soften but shook his head and gestured once again to the guards to grab Alyssia.
She tried to fight back. "No! You don't understand! What happened to me was horrible! I'm burned and dying! I need a city! PLEASE!!" Squirming her way out of their grip, she decided to add some more dramatic nature to it. She fell and grabbed her head, pretending to be remembering horrible events. "NOO STAY AWAY!!" She screamed. "The memories...they're horrible!!!"
The woman rushed to her side and Jack grabbed her, "Jasmine, you can't help her."
"Yes I can!" she replied. More guards came to the scene, trying to restrain Alyssia, but also not knowing whether to help or restrain.
She heard another voice, one that was calm still, even amid the situation. "Have your men restrain her and then I'll keep her away from the rest of the caravan on my dragon, that way if she is dangerous, I'll be able to keep an eye on her." The voice was confident, but also had a soft touch, like he was used to this situation. She looked up to see a blonde haired hunter from the Scorpion Den. Using this moment, she screamed at the top of her lungs, "NOT THEM!!!! THE ATTACK! NOT THE ATTACK!!!" She hoped the dragons recognized the code word and had started to move in. She looked around and saw 5 or 6 guards all around her. They all restrained her and began taking her towards the front of the group towards the limo. She took a quick glance at the jeeps and noticed that there were only two men in one of them. Good, there are only eight of the guards then.
"Get her in the limo, she needs air conditioning and some water!" the woman named Jasmine ordered.
"Jasmine, she can't stay in there though," Jack reminded.
"Yes yes, I know," she said annoyed.
She kept squirming and holding her head. Finally, she felt the cool breeze of air conditioning in the limo. A thing of water was lifted to her lips and she drank long and deep, allowing herself to calm down. Adrenaline was still pumping from her performance and terror started to build up as she didn't hear anything. Not even one scream. Her heart began to sink and she feared that she hadn't screamed loud enough. I thought my plan was gonna work. Now these people are gonna take me back to that retched place and I won't be able to escape this time.
"Are you ok, sweety?" Jasmine asked. Her green eyes bearing into Alyssia's ocean blue ones.
She breathed in and out slowly, "Yes....yes ma'am. I think so... I-"
She stopped as she heard screams coming from outside the limo.
Whitestar watched from the sidelines as Alyssia sprinted out toward the caravan and the other two slipped away. Apple stayed where she was, her scales shifting to match the foliage but not turning completely invisible. A moment passed and soon, he could hear Alyssia crying and shrieking loudly. He listened hard, trying to make sure he could recognize the English word Alyssia had mentioned as the signal. He shifted slightly, unsure if she was screaming for the diversion, or if she was under attack. He could see several of the humans come out of the machines and try to grab her, and it seemed like there was a bit of debating among them and the more important-looking ones before they finally grasped ahold of her. Alyssia let out one more gut-wrenching scream, and Whitestar hesitated, although it sounded like it might be the signal. But then he saw the sand behind two of the machines shift unnaturally and the humans standing beside it were shoved to the ground. Wingbeats sounded nearby and Whitestar saw Blackout shoot out of the oasis shrubbery, aimed straight for the other Nightwing and his rider. Whitestar followed a moment later, running quickly out into the open and then spreading his wings. The desert sun sliced over his cold scales like a dim fire, burning into his muscles and making it uncomfortable to breathe. He flapped every now and then to pick up speed but kept low to the sand, switching back and forth between running and gliding, skipping off the ground. He rose up more just as he approached the closest transport and the two humans turned too slow to aim their weapons at him. He snatched them up in his front talons and beat his wings to rise back into the air, swooping above the limo in the center of the caravan. He flared his wings a little ways away, stopping sharply and letting go of the humans, sending them flying through the air. It probably wasn't enough to kill them, but hopefully, they wouldn't be a problem. He turned quickly back toward the caravan, soaring directly toward the largest machine. He could see Alyssia standing half inside of it, watching them, and he reach out a talon to grab her, hoping that he could get her away without hurting her. Loud banging sounds erupted from the last couple of humans remaining, and Whitestar veered sharply to the right with a hiss, feeling pain streak up his side and one of his hind legs. He swooped around again, his eyes locking on the last transport in front of the limo. He could hear the small explosions from their weapons coming from the ones in the back of the caravan, and he hoped that Bamboo was handling them fine. He pivoted sharply and dove toward them, waiting for the sting of the iron projectiles as he got closer. One stabbed his shoulder and another grazed his neck, but nothing enough to seriously injure him. Whitestar felt the ice building in his chest and then his throat, the cold sensation seeming to energize his parched scales. He opened his wings again and swooped low over the transport, forgetting his previous resolve not to kill any of the creatures. Ice engulfed the machine and the humans around it, small knife-like shards of ice growing instantly over them and their transport. Whitestar heard their last brief shrieks of fear before they were cut off abruptly by the solid frozen mass. Whitestar circled around again, icy mist swirling out from his nostrils and the sides of his snout. He cocked his head toward the caravan again, trying to find Alyssia among the chaos.
Alyssia acted surprised at the sudden screams erupting from everywhere. "What's happening!" She cried to Jasmine.
She began scooting Alyssia over and climbed into the limo with her. "We'll be fine."
"Get onto the floor and cover your heads!" came Jack's voice from outside of the limo. Immediately, Jasmine dropped to the rather spacious floor of the limo in between the chairs that were facing each other. She covered her head and Alyssia decided it was time to strike. She looked around the small space and saw a couple of bags sitting on the chairs. She reached up and gripped the bag hard. She looked back at Jasmine, helpless and not even knowing what was about to happen. Alyssia gripped the bag and stood up on her knees. Bringing the bag back, she was ready to call Jasmine's name and let her have it. She opened her mouth to get Jasmine's attention so she would lift her head, but nothing would come out. She just sat there with her mouth open and sounds of terror screamed around her. The thunder of bullets seemed dull, however, as Alyssia tried to get herself to do it.
Throwing a grenade at a dragon was one thing, but she had looked this person in the eyes and seen the kindness she had granted Alyssia. She couldn't do it. He loves her, she thought of Jack, I can't let him live without someone he loves dearly....like me. She dropped the bag, teeth clenched and her mind screaming at her that she would fail her mission if she didn't do this. No! There has to be another way. Her mind screamed one thing but her heart screamed another. What was she supposed to do? Finally, she lifted the bag again. She scooted closer to Jasmine and shut her eyes tight.
"Jasmine..." she squeaked.
She heard the muffled, "yes?" and then the unmuffled, "What is it, girl?"
Alyssia swung with all her might. Alyssia felt the collision all through her arm and her heart wrenched in pain. the cry of pain tore through the limo and Alyssia opened her eyes to see Jasmine holding her face. The pain and horror in her eyes at what this girl who she had saved had just done broke Alyssia's heart in two.
"I'm so sorry," she muttered. Then she closed her eyes and swung hard again. This time, Jasmine's head hit the metal bar under one of the seats and she lay there limp. Fear tore through her and her hand shot towards Jasmine's neck to make sure she was still alive. A reassuring pulse met her shaking hand and relief spread itself through her body. As long as I don't kill her.
She tore her eyes away from the woman and kicked open the door of the limo. She rolled outside and was met by a deafening roar of bullets and, well, roars. The guards around the limo looked at her and barked an order for her to get inside. She didn't move and the guard turned to forcibly put her into the limo, but his attention was diverted. She looked up to see a silvery dragon swooping through the sky. The beautiful scales shimmering in the desert heat. Whitestar's wings tucked and she saw his beautiful dive towards her. He's trying to grab me! she thought as Whitestar's talons opened towards her. She covered her ears in pain as she heard the bullets start ripping from the guard's guns. Whitestar! She looked up and saw him veer off of his original course to avoid the bullets.
With the guards preoccupied, she took her chance. She stood and began to take off around the other side of the limo. With the guards focused on the dragons in the sky, she made her way towards the nearest jeep. Avoiding the view of one of the guards, she snuck behind the jeep and opened the side door. She saw the guns in the back and her heart dropped again. I...I can't. She looked back at the battle raging outside and then back at the guns. She also eyed a bag of grenades beside the guns.
Screams sounded through the air and Alyssia spun her head towards the scream. Icicles shot up towards the sky and frost covered a large portion of the ground including two guards and a jeep. The yelps of the dragons made their way to he ears and they angered her. She wanted to do something and an idea sparked as the guard ran off towards the icy dragon. She smiled and made her way towards the front of the jeep. She reached around the wheel and felt the cold steel of the keys sitting in the port. The attack must've come too fast for them to have taken the keys out of the vehicle. she thought, pleased with herself.
She slid into the driver's seat and turned the key, the engine humming to life. Pressing the gas, she flew over the sand. She turned the jeep around and put the nearest jeep into her view. Two guards were near it and she floored the gas pedal, speeding towards them. The guards looked her way and saw the jeep coming. Fear engulfed their faces and they jumped to get out of the way. Chuckling slightly as she sped away from them, she heard the deafening sound of bullets again. But, they weren't far away this time. She heard one whiz past her head through the open windows of the jeep and her heart skipped a beat. Fear engulfed her and she didn't move the wheel. She was going straight. The perfect target.... She heard another bullet whiz by and she finally gained a little control of herself. She jerked the wheel to the left and threw sand into the air.
Alyssia's eyes went wide and it was almost as if it happened in slow motion. She saw the man with the gun, the bullet, and finally the pain came. It shot through her arm like nothing she'd ever felt. The bullet imbeded itself in her left forearm. She didn't even realized the gut-wrenching scream she let out as the bullet hit. She let go of the wheel and she spun more until she came to a complete stop. Though, she didn't register the spinning at all. Her head had already been spinning from the initial pain. She cried out again, but she choked up as tears came to her eyes. She held her arm and opened her eyes slightly to peer through watery eyes at her now bloody arm. She cradled it against her body as she tried to get ahold of the situation. The sounds all around her had dulled and she sat in the jeep, not even caring anymore about the screams and shots sounding all around her. All she could feel was the pain, and all she could hear was her heartbeat thumping in her ears. Is this what adventure is? Why did I ever want something like this!!! She tried to control her breathing and wrap her mind around everything while holding her hand over the wound in her arm, blood still spilling out of the wound.
"It's up to you guys..." she muttered, holding her arm closer to her.
(Oh I'm excited to WRITE Austin's reaction to that XD)
Alyssia clutched her arm still. There's a lot of blood, she thought, feeling slightly lightheaded. The pain continued to sear through her arm and she tried not to move it. There has to be a way out, Alyssia. She tried to think of anything to help her. She was hot, parched, and currently bleeding to death. Nothing came to mind. She was....empty. Out of ideas. There....has to be...something. There can't be nothing. Her crying was now a mix of pain and hopelessness. Is there really no hope for me? Is there really none? Her thoughts warred against each other until she heard wingbeats coming closer and closer and she heard something land beside the jeep. She closed her eyes again as she tried to shift in the seat in case it was the nightwing dragon. Not that she could do anything. Daggers seemed to stab up her arms as she moved her arm and she clutched it closer to her, immobilizing it. She shut her eyes, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. She heard the familiar voice, "Alyssia!". She tried to look up at him, her sea blue eyes sparkling from the tears and red rimmed from her sobbing.
Whitestar was the most welcoming thing she could have ever hoped for. His eyes that had seemed cold when she first saw them had a warmth to them now in this desert land and hope ignited within her once again. Oh thank goodness! She tried to open her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She watched him slip onto the roof of the jeep and moments later felt cold claws around her waist as she was lifted out of the jeep. She clenched her teeth hard, suppressing another yelp of pain. She clutched her arm tight and then opened her eyes again to see Whitestar take to the sky with her in his arms. Pressed up against his chest, she could feel the chill of his scales. It was like ice on her skin and it felt relieving after being in this desert for so long. She pressed her injury against the cold dragon to try and help the injury. A sharp breath came as the pain from the cold on the injury started, but she kept it on there.
Alyssia, you're forgetting something... she thought to herself. Panic started in her again. What! What am I forgetting! There can't be anything. The plan is already falling apart. Suddenly it came. The hunter! She needed the hunter. The last part of her plan: to capture the hunter and use him to help them break into the Scorpion Den. She cleared her thoughts and opened her mouth once again. Using the rest of her strength to translate, she forced the words out of her parched lips, "Whitestar, Scorpion Den hunter....we need. He help us. Don't let die." Her head started pounding and her vision was blurring. Her arm kept throbbing and she shut her eyes, completely leaving her wellbeing with the dragon cradling her.
(Blackout and Bamboo will be in the same part bc they're together, and Apple will be in her own part bc she's somewhere elseWhitestar glanced down at the little human just in time to see her head droop and her eyes start to flicker shut. He hissed a curse through his teeth, trying to fight back his panic. "I will take care of the hunter in a moment. But not before we get you back to Apple."
He was pretty sure she couldn't understand him. But he found it hard to care in the moment as he angled his wings toward the thick tree cover of the oasis. He dodged the trunk of a particularly large palm tree and then shielded himself and Alyssia with his wings from the garage of leaves, branches, and vines that whipped pasted them. The foliage opened again briefly and Whitestar quickly opened his wings again, the sudden change from the fall yanking hard at the membrane and making the pain flare even more into his injured wing. His back talons hit the sand, the momentum making his legs collapse and he fell forward, splashing sideways into the shallows of the large pool. He caught himself awkwardly on his uninjured wing and one talon, holding Alyssia carefully in the other to keep from dunking her into the water.
"Apple!" He called toward the thick foliage, pushing himself up and limping up the bank out of the pool. He carefully set Alyssia down on a patch of thick grass and turned to look in the direction that he had left the Rainwing, his heartbeat pounding in his ears as panic seeped through his veins.
"Apple!"

Blackout followed the others, a determined look on his normally passive face. In the past, when fighting for the Den, he had felt resigned to battle. But now, he felt as though nothing could keep him from doing what was required...
Maybe that's because for the first time in his life, he was fighting for the right side.
He took a deep breath. Time to prepare. He didn't love hurting others, but he was going to have to flip the switch in his head like he used to have to when fighting with the Den-army.
He closed his eyes, thinking in his head. Survival vs kindness. It was him or them.
He hated this mindset. He wanted peace. But realistically, he knew that wasn't an option now.
He glanced over at Bamboo, who was huddled waiting for the signal nearby. The Rainwing had a scared and yet excited look on his face.
Bamboo sighed inwardly. Time to fight, he supposed. His tail whipped back and forth from excitement, and he had to camouflage his scales and stomp on his tail. He was both thrilled and terrified. He hadn't really ever fought... but he wanted an adventure. This was the beginning of one...
Right?
He only hoped it wouldn't be the ending for anyone else.
Blackout gave the other dragon a nod and a wink. He wished he could reassure him, but all such words would be fake now.
He looked back and pricked up his ears as he heard Alyssia shrieking.
His eyes flitted towards Whitestar.
Bamboo heard the scream too. His scales tingled. It was an awful cry. He knew it was fake, a distraction. But it still gave him shivers.
Blackout jumped forwards, plowing into a nearby caravan as the signal hit his ears. He roared and turned, opening his mouth and emitting a pillar of fire that caused a series of small explosions near Bamboo.
A nearby Nightwing started towards him, and Blackout bit down on the skull of the dragon as it approached, yanking and hearing a pop. "Sorry about that." He muttered half-apologetically as he dropped the dispatched dragon. The human on it's back toppled off, and Blackout knocked him out with one quick swipe. Blackout had nearly no time to register that he knew the human before he was distracted.
Bamboo screeched in fear and excitement as the battle burst into action. He opened his wings and flapped once, hovering briefly and glanced around. He saw a stray human running nearby, not noticing that there was an almost invisible dragon. Bamboo dropped on top of the human, feeling him wriggle beneath him.
"Uh- uh WHAT DO I DO NOW?!" He yelped frantically, looking at Blackout who was now wiping out an entire group of humans again.
"Dude- I-" Blackout grunted, flipping a motorbike over and trapping a couple people beneath it. He ducked his head, a thrown projectile narrowly missing- "can't really talk-" He glanced towards Bamboo, who clearly hadn't done anything like this ever.
"Just fly up and drop him into an opened caravan!" He yelled annoyedly, barreling past the Rainwing and taking out several gun-wielding humans who were about to hit Bamboo.
Bamboo looked down at the barely moving person beneath his talons. "Sorry..." he muttered, and flew upwards, dropping him closely, but not into an open caravan; directly on top of two others.
He watched as they all tumbled to the sand. A grin broke out. "Hey look Blackout I did it!!!" He laughed.
No answer.
He turned around to see Blackout being backed up against a caravan... With dozens of weaponized humans threatening him every step of the way.
Blackout panted. He wasn't in a good position. He could easily get either badly hurt or possibly die right now. Whitestar and Alyssia weren't available, and last he knew, Bamboo was occupied with... well.... he wasn't sure but he knew the Rainwing had to be nearby.
Suddenly, the air behind the humans converging on him shimmered and a bright yellow face appeared.
It looked directly at him, grinned, and then disappeared- and panicked yells erupted as the humans began toppling to the ground.
Bamboo reappeared, prancing up to Blackout. He stepped on several humans, but didn't look down. If he convinced himself he was okay and that it was just a random stone beneath, he would be fine.
"Look at that! I saved you!" He chirped proudly, his tail whipping back and forth excitedly.
Blackout glanced past him. He wasn't sure if Bamboo knew that his tail was whamming into humans laying on the sand, but he wasn't about to tell him to stop.
"I'm sure I could've been ok..." Blackout shrugged. "It looked worse than it really was."
Bamboo giggled. "Nope! Saved you!" He grinned happily. "See, I'm useful!"
Blackout rolled his eyes, but allowed a smile. "Fine..." he said in a grudging tone, then winked at Bamboo.
Flapping wings above him distracted him and he looked up. Whitestar was rising up with... was that a bloody Alyssia... in tow?
Crap...
Bamboo looked on in concern as he took to the sky as well. As Whitestar yelled for Apple, Bamboo took off quicker and headed back to warn Apple.
Blackout deciphered what he could of what Alyssia had said to Whitestar, and understood surprisingly quick. They needed the hunter.
That was the one he had knocked out.
He wheeled around quickly, and picked up the human in his talons. When he glanced down at the person, he nearly dropped him in shock. It was the same one that had ridden him for years and tortured him...
Blackout almost chuckled as they began flying back to Apple. How the tables had turned... This was his lucky day.