It's no worries. I think we're all eager and excited to see what you've got for us! Better to let the story flow to you than to force it out in a choppy mess. I can't wait to see what you write!
Whew, I nearly forgot about this, I've been so busy. Work's been even busier than ever and has kept me away from writing to much despair. I do have story plans and ideas I'd love to roll out, I just need to get time back to do them. Fear not! The stories and epic tales of our heroic doggo's will continue! Hopefully I can have one before the end of the month, time willing. I'll keep posted as best I can either way.
After a near four month unexpected break from stories. I have returned! As full and shaky as my work schedule has become, it's been darn near impossible to get any stories out, let alone inspiration for them! But alas, I digress. I have found both inspiration and time to whip up another one real fast and hopefully a few more to come. A new doggo has joined the family! @ggkhs is the newest honorary member to my stories. So, without further digression, enjoy! Spoiler: The End of a Legacy He looked out across the courtyard, his gaze seemingly in a far off land. How long had it been? How many years? Decades? Perhaps even centuries. What was time anymore? He had lived his lives. It was time. When did he begin to age? It had been so long now, he doesn’t even remember. “Elder Kaymax, sir. You have a visitor.” The attendant said quietly, bringing the Eldest doggo back from the depths of his own thoughts. The old doggo turned briefly to the attendant, “Send them in.” He turned his frail head back and looked out over the courtyard once more. A young pup entered the room. The elder saw him in the window’s reflection. “What do you see?” The pup starred at the Elder confused, “Sir?” “What is it that you see, pup. Look.” The young pup started to move forward. “No. Not in front of you, what do you see within. What do you see beyond. Look out along the horizon of eternity. Can you see it? The very fabric of life. Can you see how it flows and stretches. Do you see the seams, ripped asunder? The quilt-work of patches as the eons pass, repairing the damages as they come. A thread alone is fragile, and easily snapped. But, a thread sewn together to form a blanket is far stronger than any one thread could be. Do you see it pup? We are but the threads of the canvas of life. Sewn together to create the universe and beyond.” The pup gazed at the Elder Doggo further confused. “I do not see it. I’m not sure where to look.” The Elder turned his gaze to the pup. “You are but a young doggo. You have not the wisdom nor the eyes of an Elder. However, you have honesty. You choose not to indulge and old doggo and his mindless rambles. You speak the truth, in your own eyes. This is why I have chosen you to carry on the title of doggo’s long past. Master GG.” “I am honored to be bestowed such a title Elder Kaymax, sir.” The pup gleamed with excitement as Elder Kay looked down on him. The elder looked at the pup for a long time. “I entrust in you, the future of the doggo family. I hope that one day you can take up the mantle of Elder Doggo. The Elder before you. Was a good friend of mine. There was a time when he was destined to become a great force for good. He was to bring us into the future. He was corrupted by the forces of darkness. He was lost long ago. Now that he has passed, his legacy remains as being one of the best doggos to be Elder. In the eyes of the rest of doggo kind and all souls who inhabit this world, that legend will remain. Only few of us remain that know the truth. You now know the truth. I pray you not learn the darkest parts of our family. Some truths are better left unearthed. Should you choose to seek out answers, do so with the knowledge that you will not see this family nor the world the same anymore.” “Why do you tell me this?” The pup asked “The doggo family is shrinking. I fear it won’t be long before we are all gone. To add to this, you are a person who’s curiosity knows no bounds. You seek knowledge. It is only a matter of time before your desires lead you down that path. Come with me young Master GG.” The two walked out of the Elder’s study, down the hall and out of the manor. “You see this, all this around you. It looks so different to me now. I’ve live for so many years now. As my time here draws to a close, I start to see the world in a different light. We all do, I suppose.” The walked to the gate, opening it as they stepped through and made their way down the busy city street. “At the end of one’s life, you find yourself wishing you had a little longer to take it all in. It does not matter how long you live. I have been alive for longer than any doggo before me and yet, I still feel this longing to stay, even for one more day. Look at the colors, they seem a little brighter today don’t they? The smell of the air, just a little sweeter. The feel of the wind against your nose, just a little more warm. It’s a beautiful world. If only I had time for one more day….” The doggo trembled as he walked gingerly beside the pup. Master GG looked up at the Kaymax. “Why don’t you stay longer? What is stopping you?” The Elder Doggo smiled, “My story is at its end. It’s final chapter. The last page. There are no more words to write. My tale has come to its conclusion. I will see the sun set one last time, and that will be the end.” “I do not understand. How have you lived so long, why must you go now? How do you know? What’s going to happen? Where will you go?” The pup questioned relentlessly, his curious eyes looking upon the elder, as so many generations had before. Elder Kay laughed softly to himself. “Long ago, I was gifted with what was known as the Nine Lives. Long before your time, the catto’s and us were allies. They gave me long life and allowed me to remain to help shape the future of the doggos. Unknown to us, the darkness had spread and corrupted far more than we realized. I was powerless and watched as it choked our family and tainted it’s name. And now, my ninth life is at its end. One day, you too will arrive to the conclusion that your life is at its end. Soon, I shall join the rest of the great doggos who came before me.” He sat down on a bench as he breathed heavily. Catching his breath. “Are you okay Elder Kay?” Master GG help the Elder down as he too sat down beside the doggo. “I’m fine, I need to rest a minute.” The Elder leaned back in the bench, his eyes closed as his breathing slowed. “Elder? Are you still there? Elder?” The pup began to shake the Elder as he remained unresponsive. “Elder Kaymax!” “Wha-what? I was just taking a nap. Did you need something pup?” The doggo’s eyes fluttered open as he looked over the the frantic pup. “N-nothing Elder Kay, sir. I thought you were gone….” The pup slumped down in his chair. “Master GG, let us get back to the doggo manor.” He looked up at the sun, it slowly began to drop, the sun would go down soon. The two rose as Master GG helped the Elder to his feet. They slowly made there way back to the castle as the Elder pup took in everything. His last day in this city. As they made there way back to the manor house, the sun slowly began to drop behind the tallest buildings. An orange-pink glow reached across the sky. The Elder watched as it stretched and flowed, setting the clouds ablaze. “It’s almost time for me to go. Quickly, let us return.” The two hurried back to the gate, across the courtyard, and into the manor. As they walked through the quiet halls, Master GG looked upon the paintings of Elder’s before. The Elder continued to the study, “So many, yet so few. Come now, we’re here.” The two entered the Elder’s study, a fire already burning in the mantle, a cup of tea waiting by the Elder’s chair. The sun almost completely gone now. “Have a seat, pup.” The pup sat down, a cup of tea beside his own seat. The Elder slowly made his way around and into his chair, sinking slightly into it as he settled. He gingerly grabbed his tea and sipped it quietly as the fire crackled. “This tastes better than I remember. I’ll miss it. And that fire.” He sat quietly as he stared into the fire. “It won’t be long now, before I’m back with them once more.” “Back with who Elder Kay?” Master GG inquired curiously. Elder Kay set down his tea. “My fellow doggo’s, my family. DerEchte the friendly gangster. The young Attendant Willow who one day became a great Elder. The loyal horse Mayo and her caregiver. The catto’s who gave me back my life. The Eldest Doggo before me. So many friends, gone through time.” He slowly closed his eyes. “It is my time. I am the only one left now. It is time to go my friends.” He spoke quietly to himself as Master GG watched quietly. The pup set his tea down. “Is there anything I can do Elder?” The Elder sat quiet. His breathing slowing to nothing as he heaved slightly before relaxing into his chair. “Elder?” The elder spoke softly once more, unmoving, “Be strong, be wise. Follow. Your. Destiny…..” He drifted away, as he took his last breath. The fire crackled quietly, as the two sat. “Good bye Elder Kaymax.” The doggo slowly burst into red, purple, and blue dust disappearing into the air, leaving the chair empty. The fire popped and hissed as the tea cooled beside the Elder’s empty chair. He is back with the greats that came before him. Another patch in the great quilted canvas…..
Wowee has it been a while since I've posted last I completely lost track of time didn't I? Nevermind all that, I've finally got a brand new story hot off the press for y'all! It's slightly longer than usual but I doubt that's a problem. I've been trying to keep up with stories but with the end of the school year, things have gotten significantly busier at work. However, I managed to find some time to finish out this story that arguably was supposed to have been finished a month ago. But here it is, at long last! Enjoy! Spoiler: The End and Beginning “It has been two decades since he left us. I did not know him well, but I’m told he was the best of us. The world has mourned centuries ago and moved on, and yet, I find myself still coming back here for answers. He was always as wise in death as he was in life.” Master GG stood before Elder Kaymax’s gravestone. Snow pelted the ground around him as he stared into the cold stone. He felt a presence watching him, as he turned back, peering through the falling snow, into the night, there was nothing. He shook the thought away, pulling his trench coat closer. The attendant called to him from the car. “Sir, it is getting late, perhaps we should return to the manor?” Master GG took one last look at the stone, before turning away and heading back for the car. “Let’s go home.” The attendant opened the door for the doggo before closing it again after he was seated inside. They drove back to the manor house as the snow covered the windshield more and more. GG glanced out the window into the darkness. For a split second he could have sworn he saw something. In the next second, it was gone, just as quickly as it had appeared. “The stress must be getting to me…” He said to himself, shaking the thoughts away again. The next morning GG sat in the study, going over the latest reports from the vegetable attacks. Fire crackled softly in the fireplace as he read over the numbers. Why have they increased their attacks. He thought to himself. Perhaps they know of the project…. No no, they couldn’t, not unless…. No. A doggo came into the room quietly. He sat down in the chair adjacent to GG. He remained quiet, watching the fire. Master GG looked up from his readings, “Ah Master Gamin, good of you to come. I was just thinking on the project. I’ve grown some worrying concerns over these casualty reports. I fear the vegetables have grown aware of our plans. What’s more, I fear we have a spy.” Amped shifted uneasily in his chair. “It is very possible. We recently removed several key members of the project. There were some, concerns. Rest assured, they were not made keenly aware of the real project they were working on. However, I do suspect they had some ideas.” “How soon before it will be ready?” “At best estimates, thirty more years. This is a massive undertaking. Elder Willow knew this had to be done, all those years ago. We have to take this slow and make sure we get it right. This is our last chance to remove the vegetables for good. We can’t waste that chance.” “Our defense lines are breaking down one by one. At this rate, we won’t last much longer. I’ve attempted to make contact with the cattos but they’ve blocked any communication, if they’re even alive still at all. We’ll have to find something soon. Anything to slow or halt their advance till the weapon is ready.” GG rubbed his face slowly, “I’m not sure what we can do, we’re running out of op-” He looked to where Master Gamin was to see an empty chair. The fire was silent, as he looked to it he saw it still and unmoving. He stood up, looking around. “What’s going on.” He turned around, the feeling of being watched welling up inside him. Whispers surrounded him as he looked frantically around. The whispers grew louder but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. “GG…. Master GG…..” The voices grew louder and louder, “Master GG, are you alright? GG?” Suddenly, he was thrown back into reality, Master Gamin calling his name over and over. He turned back to see Amped halfway out of his chair. “You started to scare me GG. What got into you? Did you hear a word I said the last five minutes?” GG slowly sat back down, visibly shaken from the experience. “Sorry, If you could go back over it for me.” His hands trembled as if he’d seen a ghost. Master Gamin looked GG over. “Are you sure you’re alright?” “I’m not sure, I keep seeing things, I think. I feel as though I were being watched but by nothing. Perhaps the stress of these vegetables is getting to me. Perhaps something else. I don’t quite know.” I shook his head slowly. “Something is going on, that much is certain. I’m probably losing my mind for all I know.” The room suddenly vanished. Amped Gamin was gone. The fireplace. The walls, floor, and ceiling. All that remained was GG and his chair. He looked around, too shocked to stand. Everything was blank and white. Flashes of vibrant colours would streak here and there as if no where to go and nowhere to be. “It is, and it was. It will be and could be. The future, the past, the present. What is it, but a fragment of a thread of a picture.” A voice spoke from the void around GG. It hummed through the air. Hanging like an echo that never goes away. GG stood slowly, looking about his surroundings. “What is this place? Why am I here and not in the doggo manor anymore? What is going on? Is this another illusion to play tricks on me?” The voice spoke again, surrounding GG. “Your time is not yet come. Your fate lies elsewhere. You are not destined to walk this path. You are different.” The voice formed into a creature, or more so, a silhouette of one. It’s form shifted and changed. A doggo emerged from it. Elder Kaymax. “Hello Master GG.” GG’s eyes widened as he looked upon the Elder. “Elder, Kaymax?” The doggo smiled slightly. “If that is what you choose to believe, then yes. I am as much the last elder doggo as was Kaymax. To you.” He motioned to GG, “Come, you have much to understand and see.” GG followed the figure, suddenly he and the figure were thrust forward. They came to rest in an oddly familiar area but yet, vastly different. The form of Kaymax spoke, “In the year 1973, the weapon you, doggos, as you are known, had built was completed. The following year, you unleashed it across the globe.” GG look around himself at what was once his home, the city he lived in, the remains of the doggo manor. All rubble and destruction. The trees were wilted and dead. The ground, brown and scorched. Not a soul in sight. The figure continued. “Your weapon did exactly what it was intended to. It decimated the entire vegetable population. You won the war. No trace of the vegetables remained. There was, however, a side effect to your weapon that none of you foresaw.” The two walked through the barren streets, GG ran his fingers along the rusted fence that surrounded the doggo manor. “Nearly all life on the planet was eliminated along side of the vegetables. There is nothing left.” GG paused and looked past the ruined city, to the horizon. “Why have you brought me here, to show me this… My own future.” GG looked upon the figure who had now taken the form of another famous doggo, Elder Willow. “Your fate is not here, not in this time and place. You have purpose elsewhere. For that, we have brought you here to show you the future. A future, you can no more change than you can prevent. It is inevitable. Elder Willow foresaw this by our hand. Fate, as you call it, is such a fickle thing. So easy to bend, so fragile.” “You caused this all. You gave Elder Willow a vision of his own future. You forced this to happen. Why would you do this. Why would you destroy all of this?” GG shook his head, “How do I even fit into this whole story?” “You see, you’re the key.” The figure laughed softly, now dawning the look of an old man, a cobbler. “You will see, when the time is right. The blood will be on your hands.” “Who are you?” GG backed away slowly. “We have been here since the beginning. We walked this earth long before your kind. We created you! We created all of this! And one day, when our work was done, we ascended. We took on a higher form of existence. The one you see before you, he was the last of our mortal kind. He betrayed his own and used his energy to create a monstrosity. But now, it’s all meaningless. It’s over at last. The world can start anew, untouched by the foolishness of those before.” “What will become of me.” GG spoke softly, watching the world crumble and fade away. “Master GG, your story is just beginning.” The figure vanished, the world spun rapidly around GG. “What’s happening?” Images flashed before him, as fast as they came, they vanished again. Places, people, times, coming and going like lightning. “Now go, fulfill your story Master GG.” GG blacked out as the voice filled his head. Then silence, for a long time. A voice, softly spoke, repeating something over and over, so quiet, barely audible. Slowly, it grew louder and louder, “Hey, you alright kid? Hey, kid. Wake up” GG shook awake, looking up as the sunlight blinded him briefly. As is eyes adjusted, he looked upon a middle aged doggo kneeling beside him, looking him over. “Hey, you’re awake. Wasn’t sure if you were alright kid. You took a nasty fall back there, may have a concussion. Come on.” The doggo reached out a hand. GG looked at it oddly. “Well go on, I ain’t gonna hurtcha kid. I’m here to help. I’m not called the friendly gangster for nothing ya know.” GG reached up and grabbed the odd doggo’s arm as he lifted GG up to his feet. “W-who are you? Where am I? What year is it?” The doggo put GG’s arm over his shoulders and helped keep him stable as they started walking, “Woah, woah woah, slow down kid. Take it easy, let me get you back to a friend’s place, he’ll be able to help you. The name’s DerEchte by the way, nice to meet you.”
Totally understandable. Work's been a mess for me so it's slowed me down substantially. I do look forward to seeing more stories from you in the future though!
Once upon a midnight dreary, I pondered. It's almost been a year since the start of the Story Time thread. What better way to celebrate but with another story! And so it was, I created another story. A bitter sweet conclusion to this set of stories I've had the joy of writing. As they say, all good things must come to an end. With that, the forgone conclusion to The Doggo Chronicles. It has truly been a blast to spend this past year here, writing this exciting stories for the MyM Community. While it's with a heavy heart that I close out this story, it has opened doors to future stories. So don't go anywhere just yet! There is more in the wings, waiting to be released!(as soon as I get it written!) I'm grateful to those who have stuck with me throughout the year and enjoyed the stories I've put out for you all. You guys keep me going with them. Here's to another year of fun stories and maybe more community members! Never know. Spoiler: The Conclusion “Have the people been informed?” “Yes, sir, they have.” “And so it begins.” The doggo looked out the window so many before him had. He sighed strongly to himself, watching the shuffling crowds of people in the streets. “Tell me,” Master Amped Gamin said, “What are your plans when the war is over? When the vegetables are gone once and for all?” He turned to face the young attendant, looking him over. “I’m not sure, I haven’t given it much thought. I suppose I may take a trip across the plains, maybe try to find the legendary cattos.” He shifted his feet nervously. “This will end the war right? Once the weapon is launched, it’ll be over?” Master Amped remained silent for a few moments, letting the questions hang in the air. “That is the plan. In a few days, the war will be permanently over and we’ll be free. There is no doubt in my mind that this will work.” He moved around from behind the desk, making his way towards the attendant, “Walk with me, I want to show you something.” The two made their way out of the room and down the large hallway to the Hall of Doggos. Master Gamin outstretched his arms, “This, this is why I know the plan will work.” The attendant looked around puzzled, “What is this?” “This is the Hall of Doggos,” The two began walking down the hall, gazing at the portraits on the walls. “These are all the Elders and highest Masters who came before me. Many of them helped create and work on this project. The war with the vegetables has stretched centuries, going all the way back to the time of Elder Kaymax.” The attendant looked over the most recent painting, “What happened to this doggo?” Master Gamin came over to the attendant, “Ah yes, Master GG. He was the doggo after me and rose through the ranks faster than most doggos ever had! Although, it was during a time where there was much strife in amongst the doggo’s as well as the looming attacks from the vegetables. Alas, he was lost some years ago now. No one knows what happened to him. It’s believed that this war got to him, or even the vegetables themselves. He went mad, his mind was lost far beyond anything our doctors could fix. He vanished one night and never returned. It’s a shame, he was a good doggo.” “Do you think he’ll ever come back?” The attendant asked curiously. “No, no. He’s long gone now, presumably dead by now. And if not, his mind was already lost, there wouldn’t be much left but an empty shell of a doggo.” The doggo turned away hesitantly, “Come along, I believe it’s just about dinner time. I don’t know about you, but I am famished.” Three days later…. “Sir, we’re prepared. Your word and we’ll launch the weapon.” Master Gamin looked to the council, whom sat quietly. The head of the council nodded subtly to him. Master Gamin turned back to the doggo, “Very good, launch the weapon.” The doggo left the council room as the council members turned to look out the window. The room grew ominously quiet for several minutes before the sound of rockets firing rang out through the manor. The blare of the rockets slowly faded back to ear piercing silence. After what seemed like an eternity, a blinding flash of white and yellow light filled the room, brighter than the surface of the sun. The council members shielded their eyes as the light quickly faded away. They stood slowly and moved to the window to look out as a massive cloud began to spread through the atmosphere. “What have we done….” “It’s over, it’s really over.” “We play god and have created armageddon.” The council members mumbled to one another and themselves as they watched in disbelief. The war was over, the vegetables were gone, but at what cost. Master Gamin stepped out of the room to collect his thoughts. Are we even doggos anymore, have we become monsters? How much has gone into this very day, this very moment? “Master Gamin, sir? Are you alright?” The attendant from earlier looked over the doggo concerned. “I heard you mumbling to yourself, you look ill.” “I’m fine, I’ve just helped wipe out the entire population of the vegetables. All of them are gone. Just like that!” He snapped his fingers, eyes wild with terrifying thoughts. “All of them are gone! It’s all over!” “We have won?” “Yes! After all these centuries, the war is over.” The two made their way to the front of the manor and out onto the courtyard. The streets were silent as the council room. Many people’s eyes were glued to the sky as the cloud of mist covered the horizon and beyond, blanketing the planet. Master Gamin smiled as he watched, “I think it’s about time you had a long vacation, whaddaya say?” He stood, waiting for a response from the attendant. None came. “You’re ready for that vacation right? To find the long lost cattos?” Master Gamin looked down to the attendant. The attendant was sprawled across the ground. “He-Hey! You what’s wrong?!” Master Gamin dropped to the ground beside the attendant, grabbing him and pulling him up, looking the young doggo over. “What’s wrong?” The doggo tried to speak but nothing came out, he looked up at Master Gamin, fear in his eyes. His face grew sickly pale as he struggled before his body went limp as he fell back to the ground, he burst to dust right before Amped’s own eyes. He looked down at his empty hands, where the attendant once was. He stood, slowly. His hands trembled. Sirens began to ring out across the city. “What have we done….” He rushed back inside to the council room. The council members looked at him, confused by what was happening. The doggo panicked, “The weapon! It’s attacking us too! The attendant! I, I took him outside and he… he’s…..” He crumpled to the floor, looking at his hands. “He’s gone! We doomed everything!” The head of the council looked to the others, “How much time do we have left?” “I don’t know. Hours, days, weeks. We need to get to the team and get some answers. We’ve made a grave mistake.” Three more days pass….. Master Gamin looked out the window, for the last time. “When we said it was over, we underestimated how much was really over didn’t we? We’ve lost everything. How many have we lost? Nevermind, I don’t want to know.” The head of the council stood quietly, watching the doggo. “You didn’t know, none of us knew. We-” “How could we not of known! How many decades, how many centuries did we work on this project!? We should of known. How could we not of…” “You know don’t you. They already told you.” “Yes, they did.” Master Gamin spoke quietly. “The last of the doggo’s and this is how I go. Watching the world end, standing where all those before me stood. And now, now it’s all over. You should go, join the rest of your fox clan while you can.” “They say I’ve still got some time, maybe a week or more, I’ll be fine. I’ll see them soon enough.” “So be it. How much is left?” “City or-” “In the world…” “Just over a quarter that we know of. Only a few haven’t shown the symptoms, the rest…” “This is the end…” “Yes, it is.” “Good bye my old friend.” “Long live the doggos” The head of the council quietly put his hat on his head and walked out of the room. Master Gamin stood quietly, watching the world before him. “At the end, there is nothing left. Everything dies.” He brought his hand up to his face and gazed at it. “Everything dies…” He watched the sun set for the last time, as he struggled to stand. His body burst into dust as the sun began to disappear beyond the horizon… At last, it was over…. The End The Doggo Chronicles: A Doggo Story.
amazing how its been a whole year, dw, i should post mine this week An intresting end to this story. Will you be writing more on a different subject or? I don't wanna be alone in this thread.
Not to worry, there will be plenty more where that came from, however I won't spoil anything just yet. I'll keep cranking out stories, whatever the may be, till my creative juices run dry! I'd like to keep with the same general subject, but who knows, I may go out a little and do some other things as well. We'll see for sure! On an additional side note, I look forward to seeing your story and more in the future too!
Bah, don't worry about it. I don't mind at all I enjoy writing as is. It gives me an escape from the day to day life. I totally get that things get busy and time gets short for putting out stories, I myself have run into those issues too. No need to feel bad about leaving me posting on my own, I'm just glad people are still here and enjoying the content being put out
I to enjoy writing but just haven't been able to write anything [doublepost=1560337139,1560297172][/doublepost]IT'S HERE, its time, its totaly hasnt been like 5 months lol (needs a better name though) Spoiler: [15] Winged bar The orange sun rays pierced over the horizon. it was low, yet the desert heat was still hot amidst the air. There had been no sign of rain for the past couple of weeks, this was shown by the cracks in the dirt underfoot. There was a small town hidden in between the tall desert peaks. The town appears to be mostly shadowed by these peaks, the only time the town gets direct sunlight is midday when the sun is at its highest. This small town was barely a dot on the map let alone a place you would think about stopping. Yet here I am, walking through the middle of the empty streets wondering where everyone has got to. I see a large sign to my left, possibly a notice board of some kind, as I glace over a single poster catches my eye. It was a wanted poster for an unknown shadowy figure. At first, I thought nothing of it, but dam was I wrong. I carried on my slow walk through the town, my throat was parched and dry from the heat, and my feathers were dry meaning I couldn’t easily move. Feathers may be good for keeping the warmth in during cold nights or when flying high in the sky, but in the desert heat, it was killing me. It seems I had chosen the wrong feather type for this journey. But this did not matter, I have faced worse things in my past, it would take more than a little heat to knock me down. A glass shattering nearby interrupted my thought process. That was when I noticed the local saloon nearby. it was an old building, much like the rest of the town the building looked like something stolen from one of those old western movies. The windows were so dusty and caked in dirt that nothing could be seen through them. I peered at the saloon sign, I then promptly decided that a nice fresh drink will quench my parched throat. As I walked closer towards the batwing doors1 I could hear the hustle and bustle from the inside. I pushed open the doors and instantly I could feel everyone’s eyes focused on me. From the back a humanoid stood up, as the dim light shined on this figure I could see a small pair of ears on top of their head and a rather large bushy tail. As they stepped more into the light I saw that they were a tanuki. Quite rare in these parts, it is said they can hover slightly by moving their tails, I have not witnessed this myself though. The tanuki spoke up "Everyone to arms, it seems our enemy has come knocking on our front door." At that moment everyone in the room stood up and pointed their weapons at me. Now I could see some of the people who stood out the most. To the far left of the room I saw what looked to be a group of humanoid wolves. Behind them on their table looked to be a piece of parchment with lots of red arrows and vegetables, it looked to be a battleplan of some kind. To the right of them was a small group of people arguing over a model hill on a rather large table, to the edge of the hill there seemed to be a small tree. This group was too intent on arguing over who owned the hill, rather than pay attention to me. Sitting with the tanuki was an odd creature with a tail, that had a paint brush on the end. This creature seemed to be in the middle of a painting when I walked through the door. On the table there was what looked to be a sentient tomato who was watching the creature that was painting. These were the only people that immediately stood out to me, the others were holding their drinks in one hand and their weapon of choice in the other. I speak up "Woah now, what have I done to deserve this hostility?" Immediately the Tanuki spoke up "This isn't the one people." As soon as he said that everyone in the bar got back to what they were doing. The tanuki called over to me "Hey, feather-head come over here and take a seat, here I’ll even get you a drink, what would you want?" I answered him "Just some water please." As the tanuki ordered a drink I took a seat around the table. The table was cluttered with paints everywhere for the strange creature’s art project. Before I could take a closer look at the easel, the tomato introduced himself. "Hi there, sorry about that little miscommunication. I'm Tomato Trainwreck but you can call me Sammy if you think that’s easier." The other creature dipped the end of its tail in water to get rid of any paint and dried it off. "Hello, I’m Oregano and I was just in the middle of painting something when you walked in, who are you?" "I am Brandon the avian from Birbholm it seems my feathers were not designed for such heat. If you don’t mind what creature are you, I don’t think I have seen you before?" I asked. "Ah, good question I am a Smeargle and because of that I can use my paintbrush like tail to paint things. I usually end up painting many things for my friends and they enjoy it." She smiled and continued to paint het picture. At that moment the tanuki came back with my glass of water. "I see everyone has introduced themselves and as have you" He sat down and passed the glass of water towards me, as I started drinking the tanuki introduced himself and explained what was going on. "First of all, my name is Dan. There is a perfectly valid reason for our hostility there have been tales going around this here town, that something skulks around in the shadows left by the tall desert peaks. Now normally this would be just thrown away as hearsay, made up. We all did until our horses started disappearing. We know very little about this creature other than he happened to look very similar to you, hence the hostility. We have put up wanted posters, I’m honestly surprised you did not see any of them." As I finished my water I realised something. "If what you say is true, then this enemy might be an avian and if that is true then it is my problem to deal with this misaligned individual." Dan stopped me "But why does it have to be you to stop him, let us help!" I waved my wing in the air to stop him "No, I cannot let you help. You seem like nice people and I cannot let you get in the middle of a mess that could be a problem between Avians. plus, I don’t want you to get hurt." Dan tried to interrupt but before he could, I asked a single question. "Do you know what direction he is from here?" My question left him stunned and all he could do was point out a single direction on a nearby map. "His last known location was near here." His finger hovered over an area called "The Walls of Shadow" With that information, I walked out of the bar heading in the direction of "The Walls of Shadow." The heat was less intense as earlier as the sun was setting beneath the tall peaks of the desert. This however caused there to be more long shadows streaking across the ravine I had found myself in. The further I walked I walked towards my destination I thought more about my adversary I was about meet and how I had to protect those in the bar whether they want my help or not. As I entered the "The Walls of Shadow" I could see why it was named so, the walls themselves were covered in overlapping shadows from the other peaks. Every movement was reflected onto the walls around me, it was disorientating not knowing if something was my shadow or not. I heard a howl in the distance however, due to the geography of the rocks around me it sounded like the howl was from everywhere at once, this howl made my feathers stand on end. When suddenly I saw my target on the far end of the area I was in. From what I could see in the shadow covered area, they were covered in brown feathers caked in dust and dirt from the desert. As I went into an attack stance silently flapping my wings to gain Hight, I flew quickly but silently towards my target. A few meters before hitting I extended my talons to quickly grab my target and subdue him as quickly as possible. Just before I hit my target my eyes widened as I realised my target was not in front of me at all and this was just a well casted shadow on the wall. I hit the wall with such force that it dazed me slightly, my talons scraping on the rockface. I immediately recoiled from my missed attack and was now just having slightly off the ground. But before I could come to my senses I was tackled from the side and knocked to the floor. The beast was now on top of me snarling, as it went to swing for me I managed to utter a single word "Begone" with these words the beast was knocked away a few meters from me, giving me enough time to stand up. I could now get a clear view of what exactly I was fighting. The beast had the appearance of a humanoid owl but with dark red eyes. It stood at roughly 6 foot, which made it taller than me. it's beak and talons looked like they were razor sharp and could cut through flesh like it was nothing. As the beast charged at me I manged to deftly dodge the attack but not without the beast taking a few of my feathers and causing a scratch down my arm beforehand. The beast tilted its head sideways, Often a sign of confusion in Avians. It looked down at its talons and sniffed the blood that had been left they’re by my wound, this enraged the beast and he prepared to charge again. I noticed that it was not choosing to attack me from the air, another common owl type attack, I deduced that for some reason that this owl may have been feathered but could not fly. This new information did not help much as with my wing wound I could not fly either. As the beast charged again I tried to formulate a plan to avoid those deadly talons, just before the beast tried to strike I dodged under its attack and struck at its leg to topple the beast. This worked perfectly however, the beast was up again almost immediately. This time he was too close to charge, so he swung his right arm to try and hit me I grabbed his swinging arm and stepped in close to strike his chest. I did not notice the left arm as it hit me square in my own chest sending me flying backwards and hitting my head on a rock. The beast let out a howl that sounded much like a laugh. Owls don’t laugh like that I thought. "no, it can't be" I muttered. That was when I noticed the dark mist emanating from the beast, this was no owl. It was a human forced to take owl form. A wereowl. This was not helpful as there was nothing I could do as the beast approached me slowly, my vison was blurry, and my consciousness was fading quickly. Suddenly out of the corner of my eye a green splodge of paint hit the wereowl straight in the face, staggering him for a moment. I looked up to see Dan, Oregano and Sammy stood there. Before I could say anything, Dan spoke up "Well we couldn’t just let you fight this beast by yourself now could we. This gave the wereowl enough time to prepare a charge against my friends. I tried to speak up "no, don't you cannot fight this evil magic!" But they could not hear me. I couldn’t make much out during the fight apart from the paint attacks from oregano that slowed the wereowl down. Dan was using his tanuki tail to swipe at the owl from a distance and knock him over. I could not see Sammy anywhere though. That was until oregano finished drawing something and a large toy train appeared heading straight for the wereowl, with tomato at the helm. The train hit the wereowl with full force but the wereowl was not phased and knocked it out of the way, making it dissolve back into green paint. Dan managed to get Sammy out of there, but Oregano was too close and about to be struck down by the wereowl. I shouted "No!" and as I did, my eyes glowed a bright blue, time itself seemed to slow and I was no longer nearly unconscious. ---Second wind--- I got up and rushed towards Oregano everything else was moving slowly but it was already slowly speeding up. Sprinting, I managed to pull Oregano away from the wereowl's talons just as the time slow wore off. The wereowl looked confused looking down at where Oregano once was. The wereowl did managed to cut Oregano's tail and it was now bleeding. The wereowl, getting desperate broke into a full run and tried to charge me down. I raised my hand and a blue hue radiated from it, I spoke "Cease your charging, creature. I know what you are, and I name you a wereowl!" The blue light got brighter as I said the last few words "now to fix what has been done. PURIFY!" With those words a blueish light filled The Walls of Shadow. The blue light faded from the area as well s from my eyes. A plume of black smoke came from where the wereowl used to be and what was left was an unconscious human laying on the floor, surrounded by feathers. I turned back to see my friends stunned and in silence. Dan asked, "What was that?" "That is why I don’t let anyone get involved in avian business, they get hurt" On the way back to the bar, we tended to each other’s wounds and talked about our victory. once we got back we had a rest and I suggested to Oregano to not use her tail for at least a week until it had healed properly. "It seems I must go; the winds call to me." I spoke to my friends. "But you only just got back." Stated Dan. "I have other matters to attend to, thank you for everything. Friends." I paused and thought hard. Then spoke up "If you are ever in need of my help use this." I plucked a hidden golden feather from myself. "You will know when the time comes, until then keep this close to you." As I left I could see my friends looking at me, I smiled back at them as they waved a sad goodbye. Chances are this won’t be the last time we meet. As I walked into the sun rise I could only think one thing. "It seems a great evil is back, and there is only one who could conjure up such foul magic. Brother." Writers notes: 1 Yes that is what saloon doors are called, I looked it up 2. Relations to characters is intended 3. sorry it took like, 5 months to finish this, thank you for keeping me going all those that helped. 4. Thanks to the MYM Story Time thread for sparking my writing passion, without you none of this would have been written and for sure I would not have posted it on the internet. 5. Longest story yet Woop 2700 words Thanks for everything, also yes im still thinking of [14] i got distracted by this one EDIT: Darn double post, does this count as a new notification or not?
Just a quick heads up, I haven't forgotten about the thread, but I have been swamped with work due to many circumstances beyond my control. Additionally, given the time of the year, school will be back in session very shortly meaning I'll be working overtime making sure that all goes smoothly. I haven't had a minute to even brainstorm the next story sadly, but I hope to have one if not this month, next month when things cool back down and school settles in. I'm looking forward to getting back on the writing train and am hopeful to see more work from others here!
