Part II: Enter Zephyria, Original Fantasy Story (Chapter Five)

The sun sinks lower and lower on the horizon, and we glide alongside Disko over fields of gold. We've been flying for a few hours, the city of Grand Heights far in our wake. I look over at the riders on the other dragon, and smile. Rozzio is in front of Cassy, who is between the shape shifter and Stancileo. Her initial excitement of the ride has worn off, and she now leans back against Layo, sleeping. He holds her, keeping her from falling off, and contently gazes ahead. His dark ginger hair dances around his smoky green eyes, and his tunic flaps gently in the wind.

Cliff turns his great head to the side.

"We will stop at nightfall, and set up camp," the dragon notifies us. I look to the sky, admiring the gradient of blues.

The last rays of dusk seem to become weaker by the moment, and the sun eventually becomes hidden behind the distant hills. The two dragons glide lower, and we skim over the golden field of tall grasses. Cliff lands in a clearing where the grasses aren't as tall. The two shape shifters slide off of Cliff's golden back, followed by Dimitrio. I follow suit, and swing my leg over. The dragon shifts his weight, and I lose my balance. His scales are slick than I thought…

I close my eyes, waiting for the ground to hit me. To my surprise, I fall into a pair of arms. They grunt, and take a step back with the momentum. I open my eyes timidly, to find a pair of lavender ones staring back. Dimitrio's arms are wrapped around my waist, mine are flopped over his shoulders. He gently relaxes his grip. I feel my face grow hot with embarrassment, masking my light blush.

"Careful… are you all right?" he asks softly. I nod quickly, and turn my head as I hear a snicker. Bella has her hands clapped over her mouth, giggling, and Hoss is wiggling his eyebrows at me. I jump away from him, my face still beet-red. Dimitrio's steady gaze follows me as I walk past the two shape shifters

"Shut up!" I say through clenched teeth, a good-natured smile playing on my lips.

My face gradually resumes its natural paleness, and I busy myself by helping unpack the camp supplies. The tents are quickly set up, and we all sit around a small fire. I lay on my stomach next to Dimitrio, having finished my rations. Bella, who sits across the fire from me, stretches and gives a yawn.

"Well," she says, rising, "I'm turning in." She treads around the fire and starts for the tent behind me. The shape shifter pauses at my side.

"You and Cassy are in this tent with me," she jabs her thumb in the direction of the tent. I give a nod, and she disappears behind the tent flap. I look over at Cassy, who is sprawled asleep on my left. I gather her in my arms.

"Night, everyone," I say, heading for the tent. A chorus of 'G'nights' follow me as I duck into the tent. Gently, I set Cassy down on her mat and pull blankets over her. I crawl through the dark tent over to my own mat beside Bella's. A light flashes, bright at first, then receding to a low glow. My arm falls from where it was shielding my eyes, and I see Bella sitting with a small silver orb in her hand. It gives off a soft, silvery light, and I am able to find my way under my blankets. Sitting cross-legged, I face the shape shifter.

"Thanks. How does it do that?" I ask, curiously peering at it. She puts her hand over it, and the light grows brighter.

"Magic," she says, smiling. Bella dims it, then tosses the marble-sized sphere to me. I turn it over in my hands, studying it.

"How does it work?" I ask her. She pulls another one out of a pocket, and it illuminates.

"It's not hard. Just use your mind, focus your energy." She places her hand over hers, and it grows brighter. I mirror her, and close my eyes as I focus on making it brighter. Bella laughs and gives a small yell, and I can see the bright flash even through closed eyes.

"Sorry!" I whisper, and focus it down to a light dim.

"Whoa," she breathes, "You've got some natural magic in ya!" She gives my shoulder a light punch. "So," she continues as I practice shining and dimming the orb, "You and D-man seem pretty close." I look up, countering her crafty smile with a raised eyebrow.

"You musta done something special, cause he doesn't warm up to anyone!" she collapses into a giggling fit, and I smile as I roll my eyes.

"Well, I only saved his life," I inform her. She regains her composure, and regards me curiously.

"Oh?" Bella chimes, tail twitching in interest. I give her a quick account of the alley incident with Cayce, and upon demand, I show her the still-healing scar on my left hip.

"No one knows a lot about Dimitrio, except for Stancileo. But those two go way back. The only thing I know about D is that he had a pretty horrific childhood. But, you know, join the club." Bella gives her ear a scratch, and her bushy tail curls around her feet.

"What about you?" I ask, "I've never seen anything like you and your brother." She giggles.

"We're a special race! Shape shifters, people call us, 'The Gifted'!" With that, her form morphs into her small, squirrel-like counterpart. She darts around the tent, showing off feats of speed and agility. The shape shifter comes to rest on my shoulder.

"See!" she says, her voice higher-pitched, "There are different kinds of tribes, each with the ability to transform into a certain animal!" the creature springs from my shoulder, and transforms on her mat. The human Bella now sits before me.

"The animals my brother and I turn into are Kitas."

"What animals do other shape shifters transform into?" I ask. The smile slowly falls from her features.

"Now, besides Hoss, I don't think there are any others," she tells me. I set the glowing orb on my pillow and hug my knees to my chest.

"What do you mean?" I ask hesitantly. She gives a weak smile, her eyes becoming distant with memories.

"There used to be others, other tribes. The Hynae could turn into hyenas, the Tagos tribe into tigers, the Choten into cheetahs, Ratev into ravens…" she trails off. I watch her silently, and she continues.

"All of our tribes lived in harmony once, on the Isle of Deloria. I was very young…" she closes her eyes, and a look of bliss comes over her. "I was five when the fire storm came. It destroyed everything, everyone." Bella opens her eyes, and stares at her feet for a long time. Finally, she speaks up. "It was a miracle that my brother and I escaped. We sailed on a ship to mainland Zephyria. Ours was one of the few that actually made it. The ships weren't safe from the storm." Bella becomes silent, tightly hugging her own knees to her. I place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Bella," I say. She looks at me and gives me a small smile.

"It's okay. We're looking for survivors. Others might be out there, right? We haven't lost hope. We found Hoss a few years back, so who knows? There could be others." I smile, despite the sad feeling from her tale.

"Well," she says with a sigh, flopping down and burrowing in, "sleep time. Night, Roar." I kill the light from the orb and stow it in my bag.