Death and Howls Part Seventeen: The second part of the key!

Standing outside a temple made of twisted trees, Felina and Luna hovering a few feet back. Mor and Torg clung to their medicine bags, both of them ready to bring me from the brink of death. Death tended to almost happen to me quite a bit. Phantom leaned on my shoulder, his blade bouncing off of his leg. Sensing a dark energy swirling in the center of the temple, clicking noises spoke of endless traps. Felina’s necklace floated up, our next leg of this mission set to begin. Crossing into the threshold, rock grinding had me looking up slowly. Shit! A boulder hovered on the edge of a ledge, a loud go burst from Luna’s lips. Shoving herself into a crevice, dirt stained her ivory blouse. Felina clung to her rough wool pant legs, the boys shoving me into a random tunnel. The boulder thundered past us, air swirling around our feet. Cursing at the same time, the floor gave out from underneath us. Using wind to slow down our fall, soft orange sand caught us. The grains slipped through my fingers, a gruff huh escaping my lips. Phantom shook my shoulder, a milky eyed dragon growled in the corner. Several cuts covered his body, raw fury swelling within me at Mortimus stabbing him. Plucking my scythe from its case, a warm breeze had my leather coat swaying. Phantom took my side, his water swirling around with my lightning. 

“Can you heal that poor creature while we cut him down enough for him to go home?” I requested calmly, the two of them shooting me a thumbs up. “ Charging at the shocked Mortimus, his blade spun over his head. Slamming the tip into the ground, the rock began to weaken. Sand hissed into the swelling crack, Mor and Torg going down with the ancient dragon. Pushing off of our side, the stench of decay spun around him. Presenting the second part of the key, a steady stream of curse words flooded from my lips. Luna and Felina sprinted behind him, the two of them leaping into the new canyon. 

“What the hell are you going to do with a single piece of the key?” I asked in disbelief, his brow cocking as he threatened to break it. “I can break it and my brother won’t be free! How about that?” Tilting his head back, shock rounded his eyes as a wave of emerald water crashed over him. The key glittered as it floated into the new canyon, an eager Felina shouting yes. Shifting my attention to Mortimus, several corpses twitched towards us. Way to play the dead army card, pure annoyance joining in my healthy fear. 

“Let me take them down. Keep Mortimus away from our family.” Phantom ordered sternly, his wave lowering me inches from him. Swinging his blade, sparks danced with lightning. Aiming his knee for my stomach, the handle of my scythe smashed into his knee. Shattering to pieces, a loud fuck burst from his lips. Tripling my speed, several cuts landed on him. Knowing that he would heal in seconds, the best thing to do was to get him away from everyone else. Sprinting away from him, the bones in his knees clicked back into place. Dodging all kinds of traps, his footfalls echoed behind me. Skidding into a ceremony space, a statue tree god stared down at me. The bastard stumbled in, our chests huffing to the same rhythm. The stone doors on either side slammed shut, a cloud of muddy smoke whisking him away. How did his getaway spells keep changing? The statue peeled itself off the wall of branches, a lump forming in my throat. Raising its arm over its pristine face, the sheer force of the wooden blade sent me flying through the air. Smashing into a tree, a couple of organs burst. Sliding down with inky blood dripping from the corner of my lips, my god towered behind me. Struggling to my feet, fury burned in his eyes.  Shrinking down to my height, the wooden god began to argue with him. The words blurred into one, my anxiety building. 

“Shut up!” I shouted in pure frustration, both eyes shifting towards me. His hair softened into a mane of autumn colored leaves, his cold eyes growing darker. Sauntering up to me, his finger poked my chest with his massive curved blade made of giant branches and vines. A maple leaf robe floated over his head, my hand raising stopping the god guardian from attacking him. 

“What's your fucking problem?” I inquired venomously, his gaze growing icier. “If you care enough about your damn trees and plants, you would freaking listen to me!” Raising his blade over his head, the sheer strength of his block sent him smashing into the furthest wall. Roaring thunderously, trees shot out of the dirt floor. Dodging each tree, this idiot was getting on my last nerves. 

“If you aren’t careful, he can kill you.” The God of Death warned me, my eyes rolling. “I am serious. Even if you kill him, you have to put him somewhere. I am sure you don’t mind me but that isn’t something you want to put on a k-” Sensing him above me, a swing cut him down. A glowing orange ball bounced into my palms, the temple beginning to tremble. 

“I should have known better than to do that.” I grumbled under my breath, the doors opening. Leaping over the crumbling floor, the canyon came into view. Pushing off the ground, my guardian shrank into his spot in my soul. Using my scythe to slow my descent, shocked expressions met mine. The ball rolled out of my palm, the orange ball hitting Mor’s feet. Plucking it off the dirt floor, he dropped it down his throat. Shouting out no, his mouth opened up. Branches curled around his body, his dark magic rotting them upon impact. Floating into the air, a bright light blinded me. Covering my eyes, the rumbling slowed to a stop. The light died down, a tired Mor shot me a thumbs up. 

“Now I can grow any herbs that I want.” He bragged with a big old grin, bewilderment twisting our features. “Look, my healing abilities will only get better from here on out with his powers. He is in chains in my black magic for the time being. We can talk later tonight.” One single problem presented itself, the canyon had collapsed in upon itself. Sucking in a deep breath, the injured organs came back to bite me in the ass. Torg tossed me a milky vial, a couple of gulps weaving tissues of the busted organs back together. The dragon stirred awake, his teal scales glistening in the flame of the torches. Milky eyes met mine, his silver claw tapping the top of my head.

“Where do you live, Darwin?” He purred thunderously, a strained huh escaping my lips. “All the dragons talk about you. I used to live on that island.” Tears welled up in my eyes, the fond memories of those visits warmed my heart. Hugging his claw, something told me that he wanted to go home. Dragons belonged with their herd back home, Felina pinning her ears back at me struggling with my emotions. 

“Would you like to go home?” I inquired warmly, his smile revealing yellowed fangs. “How did you land here?” Pointing down a tunnel, a familiar scent had me smiling softly to myself. Every footfall felt heavy, the island of the dragons coming into view.  A destroyed bridge prevented the poor guy from going home, Mor appeared next to me. Pressing his palm on the dirt, black branches cracked into place. Tapping the heel of my boot, golden stones groaned into place. A solid bridge brought pride to our eyes, our fists bumping. Making our way back to the dragon, his joints popped as he rose to his feet. Every footfall shook the cave, his features brightened at the bridge to the other side. The magic was faltering on Mor’s side, the dragon picking up on it. Running across, the bridge gave out with two feet to go. Felina grabbed onto what was left of the bridge, our horror melting into joy at the repaired structure lifting our new friend out of the water. Jumping onto the other side, the bridge crumbled to nothing the second Felina picked up her hand. Fighting the urge to dive into the water, a wall of trees cut off the dimensional connection. Shaking off my anxiety and depression, we had to get back home. Felina picked up on my downtrodden expression, she leapt onto my back. Resting her chin on my shoulder, her ears flicked a couple of times. 

“You aren’t going to leave me, right?” She choked out shyly, claws extending from her fingertips. Digging them into my side, her feelings matched my initial fears with Lottie. The others caught up to us, blood pooling around her claws. Glancing back at her with a loving smile, the poor girl was my daughter through and through. 

“How could I leave my daughter? I love you more than you would ever know, Felina.” I assured her honesty, her goddess fuming within her. “I plan on living in this dimension if Luna permits it.” Rushing up to my side, her hand ruffled her hair.

“Don’t think that we would ever leave you, kiddo! You are my daughter and always will be.” She comforted her, the part of the key glistening in her palm. Tucking it into her pocket, her arms snaked around my waist. Mor shoved his way to the front, his guardian guiding us through a series of twisting tunnels. A long sigh drew from my lips upon the first rays of moonlight hitting my face. Mor lingered by the entrance, his guardian god throwing a fucking fit. Not permitting him to move, a clearing of my throat had him resigning to his fate. Like it or not, my winning strike placed him into his current body. 

“God so help me if you fuck with my friend. I will rip you out of him and place you in a fucking tree in a sacred style of a jail cell. Let’s see what you can do then.” I threatened the bastard darkly, Mor’s eyes averting to the darker dirt. “I believe that you won’t like that second option. Death does trump all in the end.” Allowing him to move, a silent thank you tumbled his lips. Felina’s god shrank back with his, her goddess understanding her rank. Felina picked up on the power dynamic, her body flipping into her arms. Tucking my scythe underneath my arm, my free arm clutched her close to my chest. Her hair tickled my neck, her arms draping around my neck. Snuggling into my shoulder, a fuzzy feeling washed over me. Kissing the top of her head, loud purrs echoed in my ears. Purrs became snores, Phantom and the others catching up. Mor and Torg leaned on Phantom’s shoulder, our dragons coming into view. 

“How about we camp out tonight? Mor, did you bring a couple of pieces of sacred wood?” I inquired quietly enough to not wake up Felina, his hands plucking several pieces out of my bag. “Let’s get some rest and head back tomorrow to bring this back.” Settling upon an empty circle with a ring of rocks, Luna traded the piece of the key for Felina. Propping herself against a tree, Felina buried herself into the nape of her neck. Blasting the trees with blades of wind, wood shards floated into the circle of rocks. Golden flames floated over my palm, a blast of energy had a fire crackling to life. Mor dropped the sacred wood into the fire, a golden dome swelling to a hundred mile radius. Glowing brighter before fading into invisibility,Torg pulled out a couple of pieces of meat. Offering to cook dinner with Phantom, their urges to relax were seconds from falling on deaf ears. Remembering that I had the key, a toss into the air sent it clunking into my freshly purified scythe case. Dropping my scythe into it, my god promised to protect it. Luna scooted towards the fire, the heat stealing the edge of the cold. Plopping down next to her, the pressure of her head on my shoulders relaxed my fraying nerves. Basking in the moment, branches cracking had Phantom drawing his weapon with me. Two blonde female elves came out of the bushes, their violet eyes shimmering with tears. Jumping to my feet, no one hurt my friends or family. Sensing a small layer of deception about them, Phantom hit them with a wave of water. Gasping in shock, Phantom’s advantage of a few  inches on them did not help the second a violet metal ribbon nicked his cheek. Grinning ear to ear, the glow of the fire casting shadows on their violet metal armor. Confusion bore on our faces, her twin sister nowhere to be seen. Sensing someone above me, sparks danced in the air upon a violent clash with sleek violet metal claws. Knocking her into the air, Mor and Torg’s paleness spoke volumes. 

“Don’t steal our betrothed!” She screamed wildly, my lips pressing together several times in order to comprehend what the fuck was going on. Catching her claw, a slam into the dirt had her groaning while curling into a ball. Rolling her over with the heel of my boot, her claws dug into the dirt in hungry protest. Phantom pinned the other twin to the tree, both of us looking beyond annoyed. 

“So, we are betrothed and have been running away? I thought you experienced a huge tragedy or something along those lines.” I pointed out sarcastically, the boys laughing nervously. “Do you like them or are you both scared of commitment?” Torg poked at the meat awkwardly, his lips pursing. 

“Kind of! The one with the claws is named Tilith Darkmark, my betrothed.” He admitted with a twitching smirk, his Mor shaking his head in his direction. “They were princesses in an opposing kingdom. Unfortunately, they are the last of those people. She has been a pain in my ass since we were babies. Phantom has Taura against the tree, her ribbons showing off her elegance. There’s that.”  Releasing the female elves, Phantom and I donned wicked grins as they smashed into their fiancees. Matching inky black tattoos of ribbons appeared on both Taura and Mor’s neck while Tilith were given matching tattoos of claw marks. Giving in, secret smiles hid beneath their initial panic. Phantom went back to dinner, our eyes communicating a couple of jokes. Hell, the single boys were single no more. Chuckling to myself, this adventure just got evermore exciting. Dinner was ready, all of us gathering around the fire with plates. The twins snuggled with each other, Phantom taking our plates. Fresh meat and vegetables steamed into the air, Luna waking up Felina. Ripping off enough meat for me to suffice my hunger, Felina accepted my plate with a loud thank you. Pleasant conversations erupted around me, the noise stealing away the darkness. Feeling a bit lonely, Felina finished up her last bite. Crawling onto my lap, her head snuggled into my shoulder. Slumber stole her away, Luna laying her head on my shoulder. Happy to have my family next to me, Tilith’s question threw me off. Torg struggled to keep his composure while Mor settled into the love Taura was showering him with. 

“How long have you been with your wolfy lady?” She asked politely, her claws shining next to her. “You have a hell of a fighting style. Do you think you could train me?” Touched by her request, I didn’t see why not. Waiting patiently for my answer, a confident yes had her fist pumping.

"We have been together since we were tiny. I became her mate around five and I haven't regretted it since." I returned with a proud smile, her features brightening further. "We can start when we get back to the capital. Do you know how to fly dragons? Not to worry! If you don't, your fiancees can teach you. Date nights, right?" Squeezing their arms, this was rather bemusing to me. Happy to have more team members on my side, this quest just got that much easier.