I Became Part of the Dragon's Hoard

Bery felt full off of the crab. She rubbed her tummy, and Valerie scooped her up into her arms. The fresh painting was left to dry in Valerie's space. Bery tentatively called it 'A Crab Before the Dragon Storm'.

Either way, the kitten was once again held in a princess carry. They flew over more calm waves, and the distant islands grew nearer.

Valerie pointed towards one of those nearby. "Look over there kitten."

Bery tilted her head towards whatever the dragoness was trying to show her, and she found a large wooden boat broken on the shore of the island. A gaping hole was in its side, and the waves gently lapped against it.

The kitten's ears wiggled. "A ship? I have never properly seen one before."

Valerie smiled. "Well, today, you will receive a full on tour."

The dragoness landed the both of them on the shore, and they walked over to the wooden frame. Something had ripped through the hull of the ship, yet it seemed to be a more recent crash. There were no animals or vegetation growing from it.

Bery walked under the large hole, and she found several levels above her head. The ship's interior reminded her of the inside of inns. There were different floors with rooms for doing different things. One of the floors was simply a long hallway with nets and broken pieces of canon lying about.

The two of them climbed up a surprisingly intact stairwell and reached the floor with canons. The ghostly ship was completely empty of passengers, and it felt strange for Bery to see the ruins of their lives. There were barrels lying about, and when she lifted a lid, the repugnant smell of rotting fish assaulted her nose.

Valerie pulled the kitten away from the barrel and erased it with her magic. "Don't open any of these barrels, silly kitten. I imagine this ship had been drifting for a while before it crashed here. All of the things on board are bound to be ruined."

Bery wrinkled her nose and tried to wash away the smell with the scent of her lover. "What do you think happened to them?"

"Considering that there is no evidence of them now, I guess they were probably eaten."

Bery's eyes widened. "Eaten?"

Valerie chuckled. "It's not uncommon for sailors to get eaten. It could have been harpies or sirens."

"Harpies and sirens? I haven't heard of them."

"I don't know their actual names, but this is what they are called in the common tongue. They often feast on sailors. It would explain why there are no remains of them as well."

Bery tilted her head. "Why would they do something so troublesome? Wouldn't it be easier for them to eat fish or something?"

Valerie shrugged. "Harpies are flying creatures. They live in these archipelagos and feed on an array of things. Maybe they simply like the taste of humans? As for the sirens, they have a magic propensity to charm their pray."

Bery shivered from the prospect. "It sounds vicious."

Valerie nodded and pulled the kitten up the next flight of stairs. They finally reached the deck of the place, and the large broken pieces of mast lay half erect. Pieces of the sail still flapped a bit on the wind.

Half of the logo remained visible, yet Bery couldn't say what it was. It looked like a piece of a blue fish tail, but other than that, she knew nothing.

The kitten walked towards the wheel and started turning it with her hands. She imagined herself as a sailor on a ship, going on a fishing trip. She breathed in the ocean winds and grinned, her little kitten heart propelled on wards by delusions of sailor grandeur.

Valerie chuckled. "Ahoy, matey."

Bery smiled. "Do sailors actually talk like that? I've read books about them, but I suspect the real thing is different."

Valerie shrugged. "I have not talked to many water fairers. There was one that I was familiar with but only vaguely. Kind of a small guy that likes to make himself appear bigger. As you know, some people are into hoarding strange things."

Bery rolled her eyes. "I certainly know of at least one person like that." The kitten looked around the ship's deck a little more and ultimately didn't find anything else of interest. "Perhaps, we should look around this island next and see if we can find any clues about this."

Valerie grinned. "I like the way you think, my kitten. I would love to play detective with you."

"Hey! This is not playing. This is genuine. Imagine if we find some harpies here or something else."

Valerie nodded. "Though, I would prefer that we didn't find harpies. They are not very smart nor agreeable. They are even more bird brained than actual birds."

The two of them left the ship behind them, walking along the beach and further inland. Bery glanced back towards the ship occasionally, breathing a prayer towards Kanai that the sailors were able to rest. It was a harsh world sometimes, but the dead deserved proper respect.

Bery noticed that this island was much larger in scope than the last. For one, she could not see the other side, and the trees gradually became more dense. There were large rock formations jutting out of the ground as jagged cliffs, and birds flapped their wings overhead, cawing at the creatures below them.

The kitten felt a strange unease at the atmosphere of the place. The silence of the ground below was abnormal. If she was back home, she could picture all of the sounds of animals or even monsters, yet here, those sounds dissipated. The only thing was the sound of wind brushing up against the trees and the birds over head.

Valerie frowned as they walked. "I know what kind of place this is. It's like an illusion. It gives the feeling of abundance, but in reality it's…"

She started channeling flames into her finger tips, but something stopped her.

Bery looked on in disbelief as a tree got up out of the ground and turned towards them. It stood on branches as legs, and a piece of it opened up to them. It's voice played on the wind with a deep barky timbre.

"This place is not for you, red calamity."

Valerie crossed her arms and grinned. "Oh yeah, and who is going to stop me from going in? You're not going to are you? I know what this place is for. You exist to prey on weaklings."

Bery tilted her head, finding herself confused by this whole interaction. "I don't understand. Why is this tree talking to us?"

"Dryadilis," Valerie said, as if that was supposed to clear everything up. She looked back at the talking tree and pointed with disdain. "What kind of creatures are you housing in there? Are you protecting them?"

The tree slumped down, placing itself back within the ground. It clutched two pieces of its own fruit within its branches and placed them upon its bark as if they were eyes. The creature's mouth opened yet again.

"We protect those that others would like to destroy, since all life has value."

"It's weird you can say that when those you protect have sought to eat the water elves as well."

The tree shrugged its branches, and it grabbed another piece of fruit reaching it towards Bery. "We have a covenant, but we do not treat life as unequal."

Bery looked at the strange blue fruit in front of her. It was round like an apple, but it was blue, and little droplets of water fell from its surface. She looked between Valerie and the fruit multiple times.

The dragoness sighed. "You are free to eat it. Dryads will not poison their own fruit, lest they kill the birds that feast on them."

Bery nodded and gripped the fruit hesitantly with her fingers. Though, it felt odd to be attempting to eat something that the creature also seemed to be using as eyes.

"Do not worry," the dryad said in a slow voice. "My senses are fundamentally different from yours. If you take this fruit, you do not harm me in any way."

Bery took the fruit from its branches and bit into it hesitantly. She tasted both sour and sweet, yet it was profoundly different from other fruits she had. The flesh was more crunchy than those, and she found herself enjoying the texture more than the flavor. Still, this interaction confused the kitten, and she looked towards Valerie for answers.

"This place must be an off shoot of Dryadilis. Though, they seem to be harboring most disagreeable creatures, and that's why the air is tainted with a feeling of desolation and miasma."

The tree groaned. "Do not call them disagreeable creatures."

"Silence tree, I will call them as I please. To me, harpies are some of the more detestable creatures. Is that all you have in there? Can I presume this island is the work of Myriam?"

The tree nodded its branches. "Lady Myriam is deeper inside. She has been made known of your presence and wishes to visit with you."