Land of Shadows

(this is when I lived in Stony. I am still only 21, my hair is short, my teeth are straight, and my acne, CP, shunt, tube, and scars are all still long-gone, and Mike and I are still very good friends. Marc, Judas, Moloch, Curtis, and Dallas are all still human, but Marc has reunited with his father Satan, and has been given dangerous arcane powers, which he has passed to his friends)






One warm summer afternoon, while all alone at home, I was quietly sitting on the front step. I wore my old, weathered black steel-toed boots, my old gray camo pants, and a plain black t-shirt.

I decided to go for a walk, so I got up, and headed to the quarry. About half an hour later, my iPhone rang.

It was my dad. “Where are you, Charlie?” he asked in a worried voice.

“I’m just exploring the quarry, dad.” I replied. “Why? Is something wrong?”

“Don’t go back home, Charlie! Whatever you do, stay away from the house!! Marc and his friends have found a dangerous source of power locked within the landscape!! We don’t know just exactly what it is, but we now know that it undoubtedly has given them lethal powers!! I have to go now, but keep going away from the town!! Whatever Marc and his friends have found, is spreading, slowly yet unstoppably! You must stay away from the house because Marc will know to find you there!! Barb, Brandon, and I have found a safe place, but I fear that Marc may find you if you try to search for us!”

“Wait, dad, I can’t just leave you guys alone! We have to stick together!!”

“It’s too late for that, Charlie!! Just promise me you will stay safe, and keep on the move!!”

Click…

I looked at the phone, confused. But if what my father said was true, I knew that there was no hope of trying to rise against Marc now.

As I thought about this, I kept walking across the cliffs, before going down the gravel path into the forest. I kept thinking over and over about my father’s warning.

I headed deep into the forest, and after checking to make sure I was alone, sat back against a tree, and relaxed, after taking a good drink of water from a nearby spring.

’Why is this happening?’ I asked myself. ’What is it gonna take to finally DESTROY Marc and his friends, for good? There’s gotta be something that I’ve missed; a crucial weakness that any one of them has that I can use to finally destroy them and send them back where they came from, once and for all!!’

I gradually drifted off. ’What is the key…?’

I didn’t know how long I’d been out, for when I woke up, it was almost sunset.

I realized I had to keep moving if there was any chance of keeping ahead of Marc.

Getting up, I stretched, yawning, before filling a canteen I’d brought with me with water from the spring, and eating a granola bar I’d also brought.

I’d just finished eating when I caught movement on the horizon. Walking closer, I squinted, then my eyes widened!

’No…!’ I turned, and started running, not stopping, and not looking back.

It was run or die now. And I chose to run; that being the only viable option if I was to keep my freedom, and my life.

I didn’t know where I was headed, or how long I’d been running, for when I stopped again, I found myself on a cliff overlooking a narrow, fast-flowing river in a deep gorge, and the sheer drop made my blood run cold!

Suddenly I noticed a crack in the cliff a few feet to the left of where I was standing. As the afternoon sun shone, a flash of gold caught my eye!

Puzzled, I walked over, and leaned closer to get a better look, before my eyes widened.

’You have GOT to be kidding me…!’ The brilliant gold hilt of a sword caught my eye, appearing to be stuck in the crack!!

As my fingertips made contact with the gold hilt, a brilliant flash of fiery orange power suddenly flowed over it, before the sword began to tremble!!

I quickly stepped back as the rock around the fissure where the sword was stuck started cracking, then it exploded outward, as I was thrown back, hitting the ground!!

After the dust cleared, I slowly got back up, now noticing the sword lying on the ground. My eyes widened in astonishment as I instantly recognized Valermos, the Sword of Fire!!

Kneeling, I reached down to grip the hilt, before standing back up and lifting the sword before me, instantly feeling warmth surge through my hand, up my arm, and across my body!!

Then, the blade flashed into orange flame!! I smiled, reaching up to carefully touch it, and gasped when I found the fire was only pleasantly warm, and left no burns on my skin whatsoever!!

Lowering my hand, I focused; willing the fire to go out, as it instantly flared, and was gone, but the blade’s steel was cold!!!

Smoothly sliding the sword into my belt, I began following the river, staying a safe distance from the cliff edge. About a mile and a half on, the cliff ended, where the river dropped into a massive waterfall that plunged ten thousand feet down to a gigantic pool, that opened to another river which wound like a silver snake across the distant landscape!!

I sat back against a nearby tree, and relaxed, enjoying the view. I soon grew tired, and went about making a small camp, before gathering oak branches to build a lean-to, then made a fire, and had some supper, before I relaxed, laying back to watch the stars.

I soon fell asleep, but was abruptly woken only twenty minutes later by a distant snapping branch!

Slowly getting up, I smoothly drew my sword, before quickly placing the blade tip in the remaining coals of the fire, drawing the heat from the embers into the blade, as it glowed orange, but left the pit dark and stone-cold!!

I then lifted Valermos as I crept forward; all my senses on edge. I came out to a vast open expanse of grassy land just beyond my forested campsite, and looking carefully around, saw and heard no one.

I willed the blade to ignite, this time in high-temperature blue fire, and walked slowly forward.

Suddenly I heard a yell, and spun swiftly to easily block Marc’s sword Kilgorin, the Sword of Darkness!

He grinned menacingly, but I spun past him, and slashed him in the back, as he screamed; his shirt suddenly bursting into flames!!

Judas then tried grabbing me from behind, but I spun past his grip, and swung Valermos just as he thrust Molotoch, the Slayer Sword, toward me.

I easily dodged it, before slashing his left arm, as he screamed, dropping Molotoch, which I then kicked out of his reach, before whacking him with the flat edge of my sword’s blade, stunning Judas and making him collapse like an empty sack!

I also easily split the blade of Moloch’s sword Morthoseth, the Sword of Shadows, before kicking him right in the nuts, sending him slamming into a nearby tree, as he crumpled like a rag doll, holding his groin and moaning!!

I easily chopped and split the blades of both Curtis’s and Dallas’s combat knives, before a flying split kick sent them both sprawling like rag dolls into a tree on either side of me!!

Landing, I slowly stood up, turning just as Marc, now shirtless, ran at me with an enraged yell, swinging his sword, but hesitated upon hearing a sound like a distant, fast-approaching fighter jet behind him, before a blinding flash blasted him screaming off the ground!! I instinctively dropped, covering my head with both hands, as the force broke the branches off some of the trees, shook the ground around me, and whipped up a strong wind and dust!!!

It was several long seconds before I pried my eyes open, lifting my head, and gasped!! Marc and his friends were all lying unconscious close by, and the greenery around me was both flattened and singed!!

Suddenly I heard soft footsteps, and a soft purring growl behind me!

Slowly getting back up, I turned, and cried out, stumbling backward and falling again upon seeing a real, living, breathing, flesh-and-blood Night fury dragon staring right at me!!

I scrambled backward. “A…night fury…!!” I gasped, unable to believe my eyes.

It was a spitting image of Toothless from ‘How to train your dragon’, aside from its distinctive amber eyes, and its twin tail fins (one of Toothless’ fins was broken off after Hiccup had hit him with the bolas in the first movie, and he had green eyes)!!

Surprisingly, this night fury showed no aggression whatsoever toward me; its catlike ears perked up with curiosity as its gentle eyes regarded me!!

Suddenly I gasped, feeling warm blood flowing, and glanced down to see a horrible gash on my left leg!!

The night fury growled in alarm as it rushed to my side, using one wing to lower me gently to the ground just as I collapsed! He instantly starting to swiftly lap up the blood, and I was surprised to feel a soothing warmth suddenly spread from the wound outward through my body!!

Looking down, I gasped upon seeing the wound rapidly healing itself, vanishing in seconds!!!

Looking up at the dragon, I smiled weakly, as it smiled right back at me, before leaning down to nuzzle me!! I hugged him, as he purred.

Reaching out, I carefully lifted his chin to look into my eyes, and saw absolute warmth and trust in his as he looked into my own!!

“Thorin…!” I whispered. His batlike ears perked up, as he purred again, making me smile.

I suddenly looked up at the sky, now lit with soft pinks and reds from the sunset, then back down at Thorin, who purred once more.

Suddenly his eyes narrowed into slits, as I heard running footsteps!! I swiftly drew my sword again as the blade ignited, just as Marc and his friends once again burst from the bushes with their weapons!

“Get him!!” Marc yelled. Thorin roared, unleashing a brilliant bluish-white plasma blast that knocked them all backward onto the ground, then I spun and jumped off the cliff, before slashing the blade of my sword down onto the rock, sending a blazing blue line of flames racing toward them!!

As I fell, I swiftly sheathed Valermos, before the giant batlike shadow of Thorin appeared beneath me!!

I landed on his back, instantly crouching low, as the Night Fury picked up speed, racing across the horizon. Luckily, by now, Marc nor any of his friends could pick us out of the darkness, so we were safe.

I headed toward Winnipeg; the night helping to camouflage Thorin as I rode him. Arriving there, I had Thorin wait in the shadows of a store rooftop. Going in, I purchased a simple ‘GP’, or ‘general purpose’ riding saddle, some nonperishable food, water, a compass, binoculars, an Egyptian khopesh sword, an Indian chakram weapon just like the character Hodge’s from “Mortal Instruments: City of Bones”, twin uzis with two compacted ten thousand-round clips, and also a handheld GPS navigation system with a mounting belt!!

Utilizing my parkour skills, I swiftly scaled the store wall up to where Thorin was waiting.

I quickly saddled him, and stored my supplies in a large pack that I strapped to Thorin’s back, yet he found it okay to bear.

I tested my skills with the chakrams, finding I was still very proficient, even after many years (I had, many years earlier, found out about these weapons from the character Hodge in the movie “City of Bones”, and thought they would be a good weapon to become skilled with in case I ever needed to fight Marc)!

Satisfied, I strapped the uzis to my utility belt, loaded with the rounds alongside a reloading system exactly like Lara Croft’s from ‘Tomb Raider’, sheathed my khopesh at my right side on the belt, and stored the chakrams in my leather belt pouch, before strapping the belt for my GPS navigator to the top of Thorin’s saddle, so all I had to do was glance down, or push a button.

After checking the time, wind speed, and direction with the new handheld GPS after installing the belt and securing the device, I let Thorin take off from the rooftop, heading east and disappearing into the night.

Suddenly I heard shouts, as I glanced back to see Marc and his friends racing after us in a Jeep Rubicon!!

My face twisted in rage. ”I don’t know HOW they spotted us, but they WON’T catch us!!” I told myself firmly.

Suddenly a bright white light flared, but I had Thorin roll sharply to easily dodge the beam, and as he did so, I swiftly and skilfully grabbed one uzi, inserted the mag, cocked it, then twisted around as I aimed one-handed at them!!

“Yippie-kai-yay, motherf——ers!!” I shouted, doing my best impression of John McClane from 'Die Hard', before squeezing the trigger and unleashing a barrage of bullets at the Jeep!!

They all screamed as they swerved to dodge the bullets; the windshield coming close to shattering, then Judas suddenly whipped out an MP-5, and returned fire!!

“Dodge, Thorin!!” I shouted, as he obeyed, swiftly and skilfully flipping, swerving and spinning to evade every single bullet, but I easily held on!!

He then spun toward them, unleashing a plasma blast, sending them swerving and spinning out of control!!

I readied one of the chakrams, waiting until they had spun away from me, before launching the blade…

SLASH! Dallas screamed and barrelled forward in the front seat; Marc screaming as he saw a huge gash seared across the back of his friend’s skull; blood, brains, and cerebral fluids gushing from it!!

I effortlessly caught the blade, before splashing some water from my canteen on a rag and wiping it clean, then tossing the rag away!!

Checking the time on my watch, I found it was quarter to two in the morning now, yet neither Thorin nor I felt tired or exhausted; not while we worked together to evade Marc!

We continued heading east, soon having covered a distance of about twenty-five miles.

Landing in a field, I led Thorin to a grove of trees, and a nearby stream provided him with plenty of fish, crustaceans, and eels.

I was exhausted myself, so I stretched, had a drink, and after Thorin was done eating, went for a relaxing swim.

Afterward, Thorin used his plasma to help build me a fire so I could dry off, before we helped each other catch some fish and shrimp to cook and eat from the stream (but Thorin ate his whole and raw), then I lay back with Thorin to watch the stars.

As I relaxed, I recalled how Hiccup and Toothless had developed such a deep bond to one another, and as I pondered this, I therefore realized that I myself was just as lucky to have discovered and befriended the single rarest known dragon species on earth!!

”I honestly don’t know if Thorin is the last of his kind, but if he is, I will guard and protect him at all costs!!” I thought to myself. ”Our friendship is a treasure that should be, and WILL be, cherished!”

I then felt tears fall as I realized just how drastically my life had been changed, and I knew that it was permanent!!

I was on the run from my greatest enemies, and was forced to forsake the only family I’d ever known. I closed my eyes as tears rolled down my face, but Thorin gently licked them away, as I hugged him, crying into his shoulder.

Thorin wrapped one batlike wing around me, pulling me close to him in a tender embrace. His soft catlike purrs of comfort rolled through me as he rested his head on mine.

It was at that moment that I realized I was utterly alone, yet not alone. I was apart from my family because of my greatest enemy, yet a kind, gentle, and caring new friend had helped me fight them, and had also been by my side through this entire ordeal, never forsaking me.

“I’m glad you’re here for me, Thorin!” I said quietly, as his purrs rolled through me. Lifting my head from his, I reached down to gently lift his chin to look at me.

“Words can’t express how grateful I am for your presence in my life, Thorin!!” I said softly. “You have been a true and loyal friend, and I thank you!!”

The Night Fury smiled warmly, before leaning close and giving my cheek a gentle lick, before he once again wrapped his wings around me in a warm hug.

By now, the sun was rising, so after a quick breakfast, Thorin crouched so I could climb onto his back again, then he took off, catching a warm thermal and soaring high into the dawn sky.

After about an hour and a half’s travel, we landed once again and surveyed the landscape. By now, we were within the mountainous regions of Alberta, Canada.

We had landed at the foot of a small mountain, and decided to rest, but about an hour later, I was woken by a growl from Thorin.

I got up, drawing the uzis, locked and loaded, from my belt.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Night fury and his rider!”

I turned slowly to face them, now finding close to thirty other people that Marc and his friends had rounded up, no doubt thinking that they could challenge me, even when I had a Night Fury by my side.

“Persistent little dipshits, ain’t ya?” I smirked. Marc grinned as his friends raised their weapons.

But I was first. “Eat my lead, suckers!!”

I then squeezed the triggers of my uzis while running toward them, as they exchanged fire, but Thorin’s plasma blasts easily sublimed the bullets!!!

(Note: Sublimation is when a solid is heated to such extremes that it changes directly into a gas, without going through the liquid phase).

His tailfins also served as surprisingly powerful slashing weapons, and his wings and scales soon proved to be bulletproof as well!!!

I also relied on the khopesh for close-range combat, and the chakrams served as excellent long-range weapons, fatally wounding or killing several of them!!

Soon, Thorin and I had together killed almost twenty of them!!

Marc ordered the rest to stand back, as he and I stood facing each other, twenty feet apart; I with the chakrams, and Marc with Kilgorin.

“So, it has come to this end!” Marc sneered. “You and Thorin REALLY think you will defeat us, Charlie?”

The Night Fury snarled as his eyes blazed with rage.

Suddenly he roared, charging toward Marc, but suddenly Marc swung Kilgorin, as Thorin was slashed across the left forepaw!

He stopped, growling as he shook his leg, but then suddenly, Thorin closed his eyes, and opened them again; the wound on his paw instantly healing, but when the Night Fury looked up at me, my blood ran cold!!

His eyes had become thin reptilian slits, and he was growling with his maw agape; a near-insane gleam in his eyes!!

“No…!” I breathed, stunned!!

Marc grinned. “Kill him!”

Suddenly Thorin roared, charging at me, but I dodged, and took off running.

The Night Fury shot into the air, flying swiftly after me!

I ran until I came to a small hill, hiding behind it. I could hear Thorin’s monstrous roaring in the distance.

”Marc can’t hold Thorin forever!!” I thought to myself. ”His mind may be taken by the enemy, but his heart still holds purity! I will kill Marc and free my friend! I have to!”

I slowly got back up, and ran toward the trees, but heard a yell, and spun, whipping the chakram like a grenade!!

It spun swiftly through the air, and arced toward one soldier slashing his neck, before slicing another across the forehead, and arced back to me as they both collapsed dead to the ground!!

Catching the weapon, I swiftly thrust it down into my belt, before spinning as I whipped out my uzis, and blasted seven of them in a row as they ran at me!!

I then spun to land a swift double kick sending two of them flying back, then spun again and ran toward Marc. He tried shooting me, but I deflected the bullets with my weapons, before grabbing his left wrist, then spinning for a fast high side kick, flipping him and slamming him into the ground, before I flung one of my chakrams at him, but he dodged it, grinning like a madman.

“You lose, Charlie!” But I grinned.

“Not me, Marc!” I replied icily. “You!”

He ran at me, but I easily deflected his fist with my forearm, before landing a lightning-fast triple slug, followed by a fast double face slap, and a hard kick to the nuts, sending him stumbling back, right before he jerked and screamed when the chakram nailed him right in the spine!

I roared with laughter as Marc screamed like a possessed baby, before he trembled, then fell over dead!!

High above, Thorin roared as his eyes suddenly flashed blinding white, then he appeared to visibly weaken, and plunge toward the ground!!

Crashing down, the Night Fury slid, before coming to a stop a few feet from me.

“No…!!” I gasped, rushing to his side. “Thorin!!” I shook him, but he didn’t move.

Suddenly feeling a tear slide from one eye, I choked back a sob. “Thorin, please…!!” I hugged him, resting my head on his.

Suddenly a low humming filled the air. I opened my eyes and glanced down, gasping as I saw the gold hilt of my sword Valermos was glowing brightly!!

I reached down and drew the sword, as the blade glowed with fire once more!!

Smiling, I carefully brought it down to touch Thorin between his eyes, then suddenly, the symbol of the celtic triskel engraved itself in a glowing golden form on his scales, symbolizing the union of our bodies, minds, and our spirits.

I then began to hear the sound of his heart, which was just like Draco’s!!

Thump, th-thump, thump! Thump, th-thump, thump! Thump, th-thump, thump! Thump, th-thump, thump!!

Then the glow of the symbol faded, but the branding remained!!

Thorin growled softly, as his eyes opened once again, and looking up, he saw me smiling down at him, as his eyes softened, and he purred.

“Welcome back, my friend!!”

Thorin got back up slowly, glancing down at a puddle of water on the ground, smiling as he saw the triskel mark branded on his forehead.

He smiled at me, then we hugged each other again. Glancing back at Marc, his friends, and all their cronies’ dead bodies, we exchanged glances, and smiled at each other, before walking together across the field, before Thorin stopped, crouching so I could climb onto his back, then he once more spread his huge wings, and took off, soaring high toward the rising sun, leaving the "Land of Shadows", which is what I called this place that Marc had taken over, behind forever.

I knew that I was leaving behind the only life I had ever known, forever, but I understood that such things as fighting against the world's greatest threat and finally defeating it can't just let someone go back to a normal life.

But I smiled upon realizing that I, like Hiccup, had been destined for something greater than I could have ever imagined, and I would, for my family, choose to live a new life that was unlike anything I had ever known, yet more exciting than I could ever have thought my normal life could've been!!

Smiling, I leaned back in the saddle and closed my eyes while holding my arms wide open, feeling the breeze rush past me, as Thorin ascended until we flew just above the clouds; an endless sea of white smoke beneath us, and the sunlit blue sky above!! 

I now understood that our bond was the greatest gift that I could have ever received, and knew that even if I would never see my family and friends again, Thorin the Night Fury was the best and most loyal friend I had ever made, and because of him, I would never be alone.

        The End!