[Black Dragon]

Dah dum dee dah!! I finally forced myself to finish this darn thing!! Here's another short chap...don't worry, I'm almost there! *Note: I dunno WHAT I was thinking when I wrote the beginin' to this chap*

Chapter 5

The Mudika camp was relatively large and amazing. Small wooden huts lined the outside, but as you drew nearer to its interior, huge stone buildings of amazing construction appeared. In the very center of the camp was the largest and strongest building that was their palace for their queen and place of worship. I couldn’t help but marvel at the superior design of the town. Thunder stopped at a hut with smoke billowing out of its roof. He knocked and soon a tall, scraggly little Mudokon appeared in the doorway. He wore a large dark blue mask that looked sort of like a bird. “Ah, Thunder, come in come in. Oh, you brought friends? Ah, please, come in!” he said in a rather jolly voice. Thunder sat down at one side of the hut, against the wall. Inside, fragrances of all kinds came wafting to greet us, and numerous things, such as teeth, cones, and feathers hung from different places. “Shaman Pete, this is the Black Dragon and…uh, sorry, don’t know your name…” Thunder started, “Snek, and don’t you fo’get it, boy!” Snek said, sticking his nose in the air. I had to stifle my laughter. Shaman Pete? What kinda stupid, whacko Mud name was that? We explained our whole story to Thunder and the shaman over some scrab steaks, and both of them softened to hear our hardships. “ I can’t believe you are still loyal to them, after what they’ve done to you, not to mention all of Oddworld,” Thunder muttered between bites. “I’d love to turn against them, but I can’t, something’s holding me back…instinct I think.” I said drearily. Both of them shook their heads. After a few moments’ silence, the shaman spoke up. “Why don’t you show Black Dragon around the camp? Maybe her perspective of us may change a bit,” he said, back in his cheerful tone. “Yeah, I can show you all the cool spots, come on!” Thunder cried, grabbing me by the arm, a gesture I didn’t find too endearing. We walked around for a bit, admiring all of the ancient structures, and even I had to admit that by the time we reached our halfway point my view of Mudokons had improved drastically. We stopped at a large statue of a strange creature that looked half bird, half Mudokon. “Hey, if you look up here, you can see a bird’s nest, it’s really neat!” Thunder said, running up to the statue and standing on his hind legs to look on the statue’s shoulder. I walked up to the statue, but I couldn’t see. “Here, you just have to stand on your hind legs, that’s all,” Thunder said. “I…I can’t do that…” I muttered sheepishly. “Then I’ll teach you,” he replied. After about a half an hour of falling, stumbling, and Snek giggling uncontrollably, I finally had mastered how to stand and walk on my hind legs. I did finally see that nest, and it was amazing to me since I had never seen one before. The sun was beginning to set and Thunder and I were walking back towards the Shaman’s hut. We were passing the palace when a group of injured Muds stumbled on by and into the palace with a large crowd behind them, chattering furiously. “Oh no,” Thunder muttered, “Not again…”

{And then here's Chap 6. This is as far as I will get until I come back from vacation...this is a VERY important chap}

Chapter 6

When we got back to the hut, Thunder explained what everyone was so worried about. “A monster has invaded our harvesting forest. We try to go into the forest, but it chases us out or kills us.” “Tch,” I muttered, “Why don’t you go after it, Thunder? You’re a dragon, you should be more than a match for it.” Thunder’s face turned sad and he put his head down. “I’m not a real dragon,” he muttered. “What…what do you mean? I’m not either!” I cried. Shaman Pete shifted in his chair and looked at Thunder, nodding. Suddenly, Thunder went up in a flash of light, and where he had been standing there was now nothing more than a Mudokon, however his skin was pale blue and his features were different. “I’m really just a type Mudokon called a ‘Moon Child’ who transforms into a moon guardian. Thunder is my guardian form,” he explained. I gaped and replied, “You’re kidding.” “We kid you not, great one, and I also have more information to surprise you: you are a true dragon.” Shaman Pete piped up. I shook my head, how could this be true? “No, no, I was created in a laboratory!” I shouted. “Calm yourself, let me explain,” Shaman Pete began,

“You have been told by both Glukkons and Vykkers alike that you were created by them, but this, in fact, is a lie. What really happened was quite amazing actually. The Mudika tribe found your egg inside a rock that fell from the sky from another world. How you survived was a mystery, until we figured out that the embryo inside was a legendary creature called a dragon, which we had heard about from another tribe. However, the Magog heard about you through word of mouth and raided us, stealing the egg. They came up with the story that you were created by combining the DNA of various creatures to create a dragon-like animal. We had Hilos here transform into his guardian form when we heard you were close to our forest. Just as we expected, your dragon instincts rebelled against the evil forces of the Cartel.”

“That’s basically it,” Shaman Pete finished. “I can imagine you are confused, which I do not blame you for. Here, “ he said, handing me a piece of parchment with a map on it, “There is another of your kind out there who is highly educated in the ways of the dragon, plus she lived on Earth for awhile. Go to her with your questions.” I looked at the map. It was about a day’s journey by foot, but if I flew I could still make it by midnight. Snek climbed onto my shoulder and looked at the map. He was still stunned at the fact that his best friend was a true dragon: one of the most powerful creatures known. “Alright, I’ll depart now,” I said finally.