Dragon Diaries --- Khellendros (III)
By Jessica Pace
A loud yawn was given, jaws opening wide and letting his thick purplish tongue roll forth from his mouth. Upon licking his chapped scaly lips, Khellendros opened his eyes and glanced about. He was still in that rock chamber, form sprawled out upon the ground flat to his belly. His chin hurt and upon lifting his head, he found out why. Khellendros had been using his book as a pillow and despite having scales, it left an imprint on his face that made him itch. He spent a moment scratching the irritated scaled flesh before peering down at the book.
With the sun having rose, light was shed into the cave through the small crevice and allowed for some reading. That's just what Khellendros did, flipping the herbology book open. He was surprised to find that in the book were markers, papers stuffed between pages and notes taken right in the book itself from previous owners. So many different styles of handwriting were in the book that it was easy to see there were plenty of owners before him. Page after page was flipped through and glanced at for useful tidbits or interesting information. Although he was exploring the book, his mind was elsewhere. Khellendros couldn't hunt well and had no wealth. Whereas he was able to discovery this little home with Garnet's assistance, he didn't know what to do about the other two trials ahead.
The book was semi-interesting and gave him a few ideas. So, first he exited his cavern and went out collecting dry leaves, clumps of dead grass, and soft long blades of grass from the meadow beyond the thorn bush barrier. These were piled in his cave off to the right near the wall, creating a rather soft bed for future sleeping.
"Well Khellendros.. Sound's like you should eat," the small blue dragon spoke to himself to simply hear a voice as his belly grumbling broke the silence. "Yep yep yep... Hungry is what you are. But what to eat?..."
Then he got the idea of what his meal should be. Fish, the very fish he wanted to catch last night before having found his shelter. Once more out of the cave he waddled, this time for his little pond where the frogs were ribbiting and dragonflies buzzed. As the water's edge he peered down at his reflection, giving a grin before waddling into the ice cold pond. The chill had his teeth chattering, eyes widened. If he was sleepy before, he sure was wide awake now. The fish swimming under the surface tickled his belly and limbs, making him fidget in place. With so many fish, he assumed the job of catching a few would be easy. Khellendros made a grab and missed his target. The next move was a pounce at a trout. Over an hour was wasted, no fish caught and Khellendros exhausting himself, and still being hungry.
"This is no good... There's gotta be a better way," Khellendros dragged himself to shore, heading back to the cave in hopes of just flopping down for a rest. "Think Khellendros, think!" No thoughts came.
With an exasperated sigh, he flopped down on his makeshift bed. What could he do? Khellendros was hungry and lacked supplies and ability. Yet, his golden eyes were soon locked upon his one possession, that book from Garnet. Maybe he could find some edible plants, he hoped. That book was again opened and he went exploring its pages, even pulling out the papers folded between the pages. What he found was knowledge. That book had notes in it not only about plants, but ways to use them and the papers had notes on crafting things, such as rope.
Khellendros set that big book upon his head and soon enough was waddling out of the cave with strong purpose. He first explored what plants were in the area, finding out that his thorn bush barrier had berries that were not only edible, but tasty too. He used a large leaf as a plate and picked a bunch, carrying them with him over to a workspace that was basically a clear area of ground he could use. Before trying to make anything, supplies were needed. Khellendros went straight to work in exploring, taking note of plants around while he searched out what he could use and started to pile them up at his workspace, eating berries between trips.
Once he had what he needed, Khellendros sat himself down and propped the book up with a rock, using another to keep him at the pages he needed. First off, he made rope by twining vines and stems together. Long blades of grass braided helped with smaller rope, which would then reinforce other projects. When he was satisfied with the net and tested the strength by feeling around, he set it into the pond water and anchored it with rocks on a few edges before trying two corners off to trees. The net would help with catching fish and while he waited, and some branches were pulled down to help stretch the net and hold it in place against the small current.
While he waited for fish to be netted, Khellendros again consulted the book for more ideas on crafting tools out of items in his environment.  The basket was the next helpful item to be crafted. Time was flying by as Khellendros gathered more twigs and vines. Soon enough he was following along in that book, weaving baskets of different sizes and quality of craftsmanship. With each weave completed, his basket grew stronger. By the time he was done crafting his new items, the sun above was waning and he had finished three baskets. With only a few hours to spare, Khellendros gathered some berries in one basket before searching for other fruits in the area.
He had found some, but the strange violet melons were up high in a tree and Khellendros could not climb. As night was approaching, he decided to set a trap. Khellendros used a basket propped with a stick and some food tied to a rope from said stick in hopes of catching a small animal. On his way back to his cave the small dragon collected dry sticks and certain gray rocks that were then used to help build a fire upon his return. With a fire started, Khellendros could then see his book fine and took to reading while the light outside continued to fade.
"Oh!" Khellendros had found something helpful. "It's still kinda light out there... I bet I could do it and it would be ready in the morning," he was eyeing some of the rocks on the floor of his cave. With one basket to spare, he set to gathering them up inside and carried it out on his back. In a waddle he went along, collecting the hard shells of strange fruits eaten by other creatures. More rocks were collected too. Eventually he came across his target. Large reddish trees grew to the south of his water hole and his book said they contained sap that could be used for multiple projects. Having read the sap takes a long time to gather and the gathering procedures, Khellendros took to attempting the process.
One large rock with a flattened side was used to pound thin elongated rocks into the trunk where holes had been bored by birds that enjoyed the sap. He set the rock into the tree and hammered it a bit more to have it leaning down towards the earth. After doing such one of those bowl-like fruit shells was then placed under the rock to collect the sap that would seep out. Khellendros did this a total of eight times to eight trees. By the time he was done, the little dragon was panting and rather exhausted. The remaining rocks were emptied to the ground but the shells were kept. He turned then and headed back for his cave, squinting at the ground to follow his own tracks back the way he had come.
"Ugh," Khellendros lurched. "What is that stench?!" There was a putrid scent in the air that could only be described as rancid meat and curdled milk with rotten eggs. A hand went over his snout to cover his nostrils while his cheeks puffed up. As terrible as it was however, the dragon had to investigate. What he came across was a large carnivorous plant. It's 2ft bulb was violet with white feather-like appendages sprouting along the inside where small mammals and birds had fallen victim to its promise of food for scavengers. The leaves were just as colorful, plum in coloring with black spots and red veins creeping over the surface. "Wonder if they would be of any use..." Khellendros found himself using a larger green leaf to cover a hand as he started to pluck some of the strange leaves, using this method due to being paranoid of touching anything poisonous.
When Khellendros was done, the dragon returned to his cave. There the leaves were set aside in that basket with the rocks and he again turned to his book. With a small bit of found coal, Khellendros started to make his own notes and lists. As he worked into the night his exhaustion began to eat away at him. Eventually the young dragon drifting to sleep upon his book, coal in hand having trailed a line across his page. He dreamed of treasure, or rather, the treasure he would pick to call his own and collect eventually since for now he had no clue as to what was of value to him.

It was early when he awoke. The sky was a blur of blue and violet with hues of magenta swirled into the clouds as the sun's light was barely peeking over the treetops. Khellendros found that the silence of the forest left him in a tranquil state for sleeping as compared to the chaotic noise of man he had grown used to when living among them. The dew-coated grass was crisp and crunched beneath his feet as he walked along the forest. Birds chirped and although there was a slight chill in the wind, the small rays of the sun kept his scaled form warmed.
Khellendros found himself enchanted by the nature around him. In the distance he could see deer grazing and occasionally his approach spooked chipmunks and squirrels to take off to their homes, sending a flurry of leaves and debris scattering in their wake. This was wonderful to Khellendros. He continued to walk along as those red trees came into sight in the distance. As he neared them however, Khellendros became a bit alerted. The birds had stopped chirping. There were no small mammals scattering about. It was silent and only now did that chilly breeze in the air send shivers down his spine.
This was his second day off on his own in this new world and only now was he feeling truly alone and frightened. He waddled over to one of the trees and upon seeing the shell filled with sap, switched it with one of the empty ones he had brought along with him in his basket. Khellendros moved on the next tree, only for a sneeze to sound off behind him.
"Bless ya," Khellendros spoke nonchalantly out of habit. After all, that was the polite thing to do since a sneeze made the heart skip a beat. However after saying this, Khellendros gave a few blinks and lifted his head. He was alone last he knew and he didn't sneeze, therefor slowly he turned his head to glance over his shoulder. "Uh... Hel-oh...."
Oh was right. Those golden eyes would come to rest upon a massive beast towering over him at 8ft in height. The creature was known as a Dire Wolfen. It resembled a wolf, only was upright like a man and bone armor sprouted from its umber fur and coated its forearms and feet, ending in elongated claws that could only be compared to blades used by butchers. Its teeth did not align, sticking out every which way along its muzzle and poking through holes that had long since healed after the original piercing. The sound of joints cracking broke the silence as it flexed its claws, hollow eye sockets burning deep into Khellendros's own gaze.
The small dragon took but a single step back and the snapping of a twig set the attack into motion. The Dire Wolfen lunged, claws extending forth as a rasped roar wet let loose. Khellendros gave out his reply in the form of a high pitched scream as he turned about and took off running as best as he could. It was difficult with that basket on his back, its handle hooked by one of his wings and his leg brace weighing him down. Having enough sense to know a straight path would get him caught but not enough sense to shake the basket free, Khellendros found himself weaving between the closely grouped trees. The hound followed, crunching those sap collection shells under its feet and thrusting the thin trunks of the trees aside while pushing its way through.
With the Dire Wolfen entangled for but a few moments, Khellendros took off in a waddled run back the way he had come. Terror filled those golden eyes of his as his survival was on the line.  His panting and the exhaustion of his form served once more as a reminder to lose weight. Unfortunately Khellendros's speed was no match for that of the predator behind him. A loud tormented cry rang forth from the dragon as the flimsy basket upon his back was destroyed, providing protection against the initial impact of the blow but it held no safety from the claws that easily ripped into the tender young scales of his back.
Bright crimson blood flowed in steady streams from the wounds inflicted by the slash, coating the claws of the beast. The hit itself had sent Khellendros to the ground, skidding across the earth in a circle and scraping his belly and knee while his leg brace acted as an anchor to slowing his momentum. Pain shot through his small body as he forced himself to all fours once more, terror-filled eyes darting about in panic for any area of safety while the hound was busy licking its claws.
Upon seeing Khellendros struggling to stand, the Dire Wolfen gave out a howl of the hunt and sure enough was stomping its way after the dragon. Khellendros's eyes went wide and quickly he went scrambling for the cover of some thorn bushes in the distance. The beating of his heart filled his ears, blocking out all other sounds besides the panicked echo of his rapid breathing. His hands and feet hit the ground, grasping at the earth for balance before pushing off in the same fluid motion to carry him further. Despite he was running as quickly as his body would allow, the world seemed to pass him in slow motion as if the moment would last for all eternity.
From the shadow in front of him he could see that the beast was gaining distance with each step. Something else caught his attention for there was a massive stone in his path resting just before the pile of twining thorny vines. Khellendros curved his path slightly, to be right in front of the stone and thus the beast did the same. With quick calculation on his part, Khellendros did something insane. It was risky. It was dangerous. He skid to a stop, the metal of his brace digging into the earth and leaving his leg sprawled as he spun in a circle.
At seeing the prey stop, the Dire Wolfen lunged for the dragon. Once the predator was in the air, Khellendros too leapt up. He aimed his body for the stone. He made it half way, his foot scraping its claws against the rock as he tried to force his chubby belly over the obstacle. A solid thud followed by a pained yelp and heavy vibration of the stone sent Khellendros over the rock and into the bush as the predator fell prey to the trick. The hound had lunged and crashed directly into the stone. Khellendros scrambled backwards as a howl arose and the shadow stalked the ground before the bush. It dug its muzzle in, only to jerk it out with a yelp and take thorns with it.
Khellendros wandered the length of the bush, filling it with the scent of his blood before moving out the opposite side of the hound. With the beast fixated by the scent, the dragon then sneaked off for home. When he made it, the sun was high and bright marking noon. However as hurt and frightened as he was, Khellendros only gathered a few herbs and patched up his back according to what his book told him. The rest of the day he stayed inside his cave, hiding and studying, too frightened to venture forth.

It was the third day and Khellendros was starting to feel the pressure. The question of a treasure to be acquired was on his mind. He had no interest in gold or gems, not that he could get his hands on any anyway. Yesterday he studied and took notes. Today those notes would be put to use. After again applying the salve he made to his back, Khellendros started to use the items he had gathered and what he could find around the general area of his home.
Those odd leaves that he had picked were in fact not poisonous and upon finding this out, he found out what he could use them for. They were left to dry in the sun and then set aflame upon a flat stone where they would burn until all that was left would be ashes. After being attacked, Khellendros realized that survival didn't mean simply escaping to live, but would include the quality of his life. This realization was come to after he had felt guilty for studying and wasting the second day. Thus his attitude changed and with it so did his tactic. From sap and nectar, liquids were made. He hollowed out plant stalks with rocks for straws and made powders for offensive use, should the need arise again. More salve was made and after hours of these preparations, he dared to wander to his pond and collect the fish that were netted as well as the rabbit caught by his small animal trap. Unlike many dragons, Khellendros had a liking for cooked food that was developed from his life among man so the rabbit was skinned and cooked. Contrary to the enjoyment of cooked meat, Khellendros liked his fish raw.
While his meal was cooking Khellendros reset his trap and the net and collected the sap of a nearby tree that would aid him greatly in times to come. The food was set to cool and Khellendros occupied himself with a new project. Some of the sap he gathered was rolled into a small ball and set on the end of the straw he made. It took a few attempts but after finding the right pressure to blow into the straw, the sap blew into a bubble at the end. Once it was the right size Khellendros carefully sprinkled some of the ashes over it. The ashes that stuck then absorbed into the milky sap and turned it an amber color as it became absorbed, solidifying the bubble. An hour was spent making thirty of these orbs while he ate and vines were twined about them for carrying and hanging.
Khellendros grew very inventive thanks to his book and found he lost track of time easily while working on such projects. There were also ideas that popped into his mind that the book did not direct. One of these ideas he carried out well. An amber orb was taken with him outside and he brought with him a stick. There was an ant mound off to the right of the pond and over to it he went. The orb was set over the main exit and with that stick, Khellendros repeatedly stabbed into the hill and aggravated the ants. They came marching out, pincers twitching as they hissed while flicking their stingers around at the air.
They marched right into that orb and became trapped. Once there was a good amount, Khellendros knocked the orb over upright and quickly set a leaf over the top, tying it right over the hole with the rope. He was strung a few times and ended up jerking about and thrusting his hands into the water as a few ants crept in between his scales. The pain was like having a wound cauterized, but the sacrifice was worth it to Khellendros. That orb was stored away for later use and there were enough scraps of meat in there to keep the ants fed.
"This will do... This will do nicely," Khellendros spoke to himself in a proud tone as he glanced over his cave and the objects he had made. There were even a few bolas, made of rope braided together and tied about three rocks. "Flowers.. I need more powders.. But that means...." His gaze wandered to the exit of his cave with a frown. It meant going out there, away from his territory. "Tomorrow Khellendros.. Tomorrow.." He gave himself an affirming nod and went to study before bed. However the fire was being used to dry plants and make ashes so the stones around it dimmed the light. Thus he couldn't read. Upon looking over the rest of his cave Khellendros frowned in dislike due to the lack of light.
With a grumble, he figured that if he couldn't read then some fresh air would do him good. So outside he went to gaze at the stars. The grass was soft and cool and upon laying down on his side it eased the pain of his wounded back where the scales were starting to heal. Hues of violet and blue swirled in the darkness with stars glistening in their wake like a cosmic masterpiece. It was the canvas of the Heavens, painted by the Great Wyrm, Gaia herself. Khellendros was sure that the draconic goddess designed the sky, thinking over the stories he had heard so long ago.
He was staring at the stars when one... moved. It was then that he noticed the tickle upon his snout, gaze going cross-eyed at the moving star. Only it wasn't a star, but a firefly. Khellendros took a look around as it flew off him and noticed that the whole pond area was swarming with the blinking yellow lights, most gathering at the pile of fruit peels he was keeping as a compost pile. A wide grin spread over Khellendros's face and he pushed himself up, waddling quickly into his cave.
Moments later he returned out with a bunch of his sap orbs and started scooping in what little compost and peels there were, dividing it up between the orbs. Fireflies flocked around and followed him into the cave as he took those orbs with him and left no compose on the ground. The orbs were then hung up from ledges around his cave with a large branch and the fireflies flew about the ceiling from orb to orb, many picking one to stay in and eating there. His cave thus was lit with amber light and filled with the scent of fruits. Although that scent would not be so sweet in the coming days. For now it worked and Khellendros laid himself down in his hay pile, again studying until he fell asleep.

He slept well but his dreams were disturbing. Questions of treasure and survival haunted him and he thrashed about, recalling the chase from the Dire Wolfen. Such beasts were terrible, said to be spawn of demon and wolf and with the viscous predatory taint of both combined. When he awoke that morning Khellendros had plans right from the start. It was the fourth day and he had other things to do other than worrying about treasure.
He required that sap from the red trees south of the pond. Khellendros also needed flowers and recalled a meadow on the way Garnet had brought him. The little dragon armed himself with some rope should it be needed to entangle the beast if they crossed paths. A basket was set upon his back and held via his wings and then he was heading for the meadow.
The trip was short to him as Khellendros had his mind elsewhere and kept alert of his surroundings. The meadow was vast, an open area full of all sorts of flowers in full bloom that filled the air with tantalizing scents. In awe Khellendros started to pick flowers, filling his basket. Wanting to start his own little garden, the dragon also made sure to dig some up and gather the roots for those that would be planted instead of used, although he would also keep some seeds too and any bulbs he found.
As he was filling his basket and going through the flowers, Khellendros came across something astounding. There was a massive curved horn easily twice his size just laying there entangled with vines and moss, hollowed out from years of decomposition and creatures that ate marrow. It was a gray coloration with brown stripes and multiple scratches from decades of use in battle. His golden eyes wandered about for the rest of the dragon's remains but there were none. Amazed at the find, Khellendros started tugging the vines free of the earth, keeping them entwined about the horn. He used his rope to tie up the horn and tangle it with the vines for better hold.
Khellendros was not very strong, but with the horn being hollowed, it wasn't too hard to tug it free of the earth's grasp by pulling the ropes. Once it was freed Khellendros used the rope to distribute his own weight to different parts of the horn, crisscrossing it over his chest and wings in multiple X's. When he was satisfied, the dragon started walking, straining against the rope and tugging the horn along while the basket sat inside the horn. It took hours but he managed to take the horn home with him.
It was set at the pond's shore and promptly after doing so, Khellendros reluctantly took a nap on the horn, form still tangled in the ropes. He dreamed of the dragon that had owned such a thing and the possibilities of its demise. His sleep was broken with the sharp caw of a crow flying overhead and when Khellendros opened his eyes he was shocked to see the sky had darkened a bit and daylight was fading. It would be dark in a few hours so he got free of the ropes and went into his cave to prepare for gathering the sap he needed.
Rope was used as a belt around his waist and wings, lining his sides as well. Strung about this rope were multiple orbs filled with saps and powders and even those ants he had been collecting. Those he made sure were sealed tightly and he had neglected to feed them for a day. Two baskets were stacked upon his back between his wings and like so, the small dragon ventured forth from his cave and out into the dangerous world beyond his thorn bush. He would be ready should anything come in his way this time.
Along the way every noise spooked him. Any movement had him turning about in a full circle to scan the area and his eyes remained wide in a constant paranoid alert. Khellendros was frightened and this truly was a trial of survival. Nature was not to be admired this evening and no odd looking plants would distract him by sight nor scent. He continued along south of the pond and the red trees were again in the distance. Upon seeing them, his paranoia grew as the sky continued to darken with the coming night. It was in this time that Khellendros realized his second day was not truly wasted, for it was that day he had learned a lesson and also gained the knowledge to do all he had done thus far.
Confident, Khellendros continued along to his sap collection shells. The ones not smashed from nights prior were overflowing and very carefully he started to set them into his top basket and put empty orbs on the ground in their place. He was unaware of the hollowed eyes watching him trespass into this territory, but a haunted feeling was soon creeping over him.
Sticks and twigs broke under padded feet as the Dire Wolfen made its stalking approach, claws click-clacking against one another as a steady growl echoed forth with labored breathing that meant hunger. Khellendros pretended to ignore this, gathering up the last shell before removing the basket and setting it down, leaving the other upon his back still. Thinking that the dragon was oblivious, the hound crept over and bared its teeth as its claws were brought up in anticipation of a strike. As the hound took a deep breath to release a roar, Khellendros spun into action. An orb filled with juices from bulbs and vegetables known for their spiced hot taste was flung forth into the jaws of the inhaling monster. It gagged and bit down, crunching the sap orb to pieces and causing the burning liquid the flow into its mouth and down its throat.
At first the Dire Wolfen choked and coughed, but soon enough was howling out in pain and swiping down at Khellendros. The small dragon quickly flung forth another orb at the hound's face and upon contact it burst open, expelling a gray powder everywhere and blurring the hound's vision. Khellendros too ended up in contact with the powder and blinked his eyes a bit, just in time to see the massive paw swiping at him. The little dragon went flying and it wasn't by using his wings. The blow hit him hard and even harder was the landing as he hit branch after branch while falling down the length of a trunk, orbs shattering as he went. He ended up dangling on a branch about 9ft off the ground, which was quite the height to him.
He was above the hound, which was sneezing and snorting while rubbing at its face and swiping wildly at the air. The small dragon decided this was the chance to show that pup who was chance to show that pup exactly what he was made of. An orb full of honey and sap was flung and hit the Dire Wolfen square in the chest. Another was flung, missing the head but getting the beast's back causing the mixture to burst forth as the orb shattered. The mixture soaked it, being sticky and caking into the fur much to the beast's dismay. Knowing the direction of the hits, it turned and went charging at the tree it had flung Khellendros into.
The young dragon waited, an orb held in his grip as he paced himself. There was one shot and one shot only so he let the hound get close. Just before the tree was rammed, Khellendros flung the orb down at the beast's back with all his might. The tree shook and the trunk splintered on impact. Khellendros's branch cracked and fell, sending him plummeting to the ground. He hit hard and his back was throbbing with pain, a wing being fractured from the fall and landing upon it, crushed by his own weight.
The hound was soon standing over him with an angered sneer, sap strands dangling from its chest as it brought its paws up, claws gleaming in the dim light of the darkened sky. Khellendros's eyes went wide. Horror took over as his jaw went agape at the thought of him having missed his shot. This was it. He was out of ammo. He shut his eyes and looked away to brace for impact as he saw the claws come down at him.
It was then that a loud roar split the night, echoing forth in all its raspy agony. When he was not struck, Khellendros peeked back at the hound. Those ants from that orb were crawling all over it, stuck in the sap and thus stinging and biting to get free. Wildly the Dire Wolfen clawed apart its own body. It staggered about and kicked Khellendros in the side, causing the little dragon to slam his head into the tree's base. Khellendros just laid there after the blow to his head, warm crimson blood trailing down his snout.
Pain wracked his form and he felt as if he just couldn't move. Slowly his eyes opened and immediately a bright golden light blinded him. His eyes watered from the brightness and he was squinting as multiple thoughts ran through his mind. Was this it? Did he die? Was this that light?... With such on his mind, he forced himself to crawl towards the light as he shut his eyes...
The crawl seemed long and continued on until his snout bumped into something. He squinted his gaze open and the light was still there, not so bright but still golden. Once he opened his eyes all the way it had a defining shape. It was a mushroom! Squinting again, he took a look around. Blue, violet and golden hues were glowing all over the area.
They were all mushrooms. In awe he started to dig them up at the roots and put them in his baskets, despite the one was rather busted up and the other was holding sap in fruit shells. Those baskets were stacked and set upon his back, held in place by his good wing. He was sore and tired but Khellendros was full of pride after seeing how he could ward off such a massive predator. Like so he wandered home.

The fifth day arrived and Khellendros was ready for whatever it would dish out. He slept in until awaking at noon and first off set his wing and applied salve to his wounds, which was no easy task to do on his own. After that he sent the afternoon gathering his fish from the nets and stringing them up for his collection. He now had two days to prepare for the Council's arrival and it terrified him that he was yet to find a treasure and he had only just started gathering food for the feast. He went through setting up more small traps, collecting the prey from what he had previously set.
Unable to climb trees, Khellendros found a way around gathering fruit in such a manner. He set up a net under the tree and with his bola, was able to harvest what he wanted. By flinging it up into the tree at the branches and fruit, he was able to knock the fruit free. Of course a few bolas ended up wrapping around the branches at first but after practice, Khellendros got the technique down. Doing so he moved from tree to tree gathering what he could dragging the net back to his cave to unload and then do it again.
Hours were spent doing this, alternating between fishing at different water holes he came across while traveling and gathering fruit. Khellendros was wandering towards a tree dragging his net when something alerted him. The forest was far too quiet again and he caught the scent of blood in the air. It was then that he saw that Dire Wolfen hunched over, snarling and tearing something apart as blood stained the earth.
An inward gasp alerted the hound to Khellendros's presence. They locked gazes for but a moment before it happened... The beast's ears lowered and it bowed its head, dragging its mangy torn up self away from its prey. Khellendros was surprised, watching the predator submit to his mere presence and wander off quickly with its tail between its legs. Khellendros timidly approached what had been killed and was surprised to see what it was.
Laying upon the ground was a rather large grizzly bear, dwarfing the blue dragon. It wasn't breathing and after a few pokes and some more investigation, Khellendros deemed it safe to wander right up close without being on guard. Figuring it would be a shame to let that meat go to waste, he came up with an idea. With a sharp flat stone Khellendros first took his time to carefully skin the bear. Once the fur was collected he then carried it along home where it was hung on a ledge in his cave to dry.
Back to the bear he returned and the next trip was spent gutting it and carrying the entrails back and after that he spent trip after trip carrying hunks of meat. Once all of the bear was gone, he even gathered up the bones and took them too. However since this was his last trip, a branch was tailed to his tail so as it swayed, his prints were erased from the earth and the blood was covered by the dirt. He also had a larger leaf holding a bit of powder that would sprinkle onto the ground when this was done and get worked into the soil. The powder was a big help because it would mask his scent and the scent of the bear. This meant that no beast would be tracking him or the bear down to his home.
Khellendros gathered more fruit and continued to fish throughout the day, checking his traps now and then. He kept his eyes open for anything of true value while he was out and about, knowing he still had the task of starting his treasure collection.

The day came and went rather quickly and upon waking, Khellendros knew that he had a huge task ahead of him. First he went about and gathered the fish from his nets and animals from his traps. What fruit and plants he could find were taken as well. He spent all day cooking, seasoning and spicing the meats and fish with what plants he found that were good for such, letting fruit juices soak on for a more tangy flavor. The more seasoned the meat, the less the dragons would eat because the meal as a whole would be fulfilling. This also meant that what food he had gathered would last longer for the feast.
As he cooked, the thought of a treasure was still on his mind. It haunted him because he found nothing of actual worth in the forest. Even if he had, it still had to be of value to him and Khellendros didn't really take interest in jewels or possessions of value. For hours upon hours he cooked, occasionally wandering out again to check his traps and get more fish and fruit.
It didn't take long before he was done. Doubting many dragons liked cooked food as much as he did, Khellendros was planning on making this a real treat for the Council. He was aiming to impress and thus his work effort just kept growing. Coming up with an ingenious way to use leftovers from the cooking, Khellendros took the fatty scraps and juices of the fruit and meat, draining them into large orbs he had crafted then cut in half to make bowls. Thus he now had a sort of stew and drink to go with the meal.
The sun was soon high in the sky and after one more round of collection duties, he felt barricading his home was a need. Khellendros warded off the area with burning plants that masked scent along with powders. The small dragon was in the middle of gathering up stones in the area when a massive roar overhead startled him.
"Khell-en-drooos!" In a sing-song melody Garnet was gliding above the treetops, calling out for the friend he had left nearly a week ago.
"Garnet!" Khellendros gave a shout of joy, calling out for his friend repeatedly while darting about, arms waving to try and grab the attention of the large green dragon high above the trees. Only it wasn't enough. Despite all his shouting and waving, Garnet couldn't hear or see Khellendros at that height and through the sheltering trees. Short on breath, the little dragon had to stop and pant for a bit. As his gaze darted about, Khellendros caught sight of that horn he had dragged back. In his free time it had been cleaned hollow of gunk and decay, now left just sitting there held up between two large rock piles. A grin crossed Khellendros's features and he went straight for the horn.
As Garnet flew overhead once more in circling the area, Khellendros took in a deep breath and a loud bellowed sound rang forth from the horn as he blew a roar into it.
"GAH!" Caught off guard, Garnet's wings flapped off beat and he tripped himself in the air currents, sending his form spiraling down. The trees pelted him with their branches and a solid thud with a minor quake of the earth announced his not so graceful landing.
"Garnet?" The blue dragon gave a yelp and quickly clambered his way under his hedge wall of thorns, heading off for the crash site of his friend. "Are you alright? I-I didn't mean to.."
"Oy laddy! Whut was dat?! Bah.. Nevah yeh mind. 'Bout time Ah found yeh. Well lid'al blue drag'n must be gettin' yeh t'da Council. Took meh bit o' time t'find yeh so yeh best be da one t'be leadin' dem har," spoken as he brushed himself free of branches and dirt. Soon enough Garnet was up on his feet. "Dey said Ah'm har t'be yer guide back t'lead dem har. Since Ah'm who found yeh, Ah get t'be har fer yer trial laddy. Sees it as a real honor Ah do. But uh 'nuff 'bout dat laddy. Ah can nae be talkin' 'bout yer trail wit yeh so let us be off boyo!"
"Really? That's great!" Khellendros was beaming, "Lead the way!" He went right to Garnet's side, hopping in place and ready to follow, despite the lack of a treasure was still weighing heavily on his mind. He longed to voice his concerns and had so much to ask, but Garnet said he couldn't.
As the two walked, Garnet took note of the confident change in his young friend and could only smile. Khellendros kept up better than Garnet had remembered and the two walked down the path they had come from about a week ago, now in silence with anticipation of the journey ahead.