Dragon’s Challenge

It had rained everyday for about two weeks.  Until the sun had come out three days ago and today there wasn’t a cloud to be seen for miles.  A perfect day to begin this year’s challenge.

The crowd had been gathering long before the sun came up.  It was light enough to see without torches, but still had that early morning dimness.  Anash stood up on the ledge looking down at this year’s challengers.  He envied them.  Since he was now the Dragon Keeper, he was no longer eligible to compete since he was now one of the judges.  He remembered back to the first year that he had entered.  He had made it all the way to the final six and had then been beaten by Tournig.  Anash went on to win the challenge eight times after that year.  Today Avris was the favored contestant and he was not allowed to step aside as judge.  He was uncomfortable with this.  He wanted her to win, but he wanted to be fair.

There were one hundred entrants this year.  Ninety nine males and one female.  He looked down at his wife Avris standing there with all the other challengers.  She wore her Dragon Dancer uniform.  She was one beautiful woman in that skirt of dragon skins that barely hung down to her knees.  Then also were her boots and gloves of dragon skins and that tight vest that she wore under her dragon scales.  For the first few events no one was wearing their scales or carrying a sword and Avris’s buxom breasts were catching everyone’s eyes.

Anash knew she could handle the Dragon’s challenge except for one thing and this reason did not deter her.  They had just learned that she was pregnant with their fourth child.  This worried him, but he knew Avris well enough not to push this issue with her.  She had made up her mind and getting her to change her mind ever since that incident with Migus last year, just didn’t happen.

Anash stood up on a ledge with his other wife Monorra and all his children.  Monorra stood next to her husband with envy in her eyes for her sister.  She wanted to be down there with her, but her belly was way too swollen with her second child.  Any day now she would give birth.

Eight year old Gaebrah held her fathers hand as she tried to see her mother down below.  Standing before them was six year old Gaedon and three year old Beranick.  Andileeda was over beside old Pineaphelus, in his chair with his wife behind him, using her bright seven year old blue eyes to talk him out of some candy.  Vorent and his daughter were also there.

Pineaphelus held up a coin and motioned Anash over to him.  With Gaebrah at his side, Anash came over. 

Pineaphelus spoke in a raspy voice, “Most bets are being placed on Tychus to win this year.  It is said he is as daring as ye have been in the challenge.”  There was a touch of mischievousness in his voice.

“That is what I’ve been hearing, but I believe Tournig will show him a thing or two.”

Pineaphelus harrumphed at that remark from Anash.  Then Vorent said, “I can’t say who will be this year’s winner, but I would put my money on Tychus, Tournig and Avris making the final six.”

“Yes, Yes!  That I must agree with,” Pineaphelus smiled at this suggestion and then waved another man over to him. 

“Wager?”

Pineaphelus pulled six gold coins from his purse, “Six says that Tychus, Tournig and Avris make the final six.”  Then he pulled out two more gold coins, “Two says it will be Tychus and Avris to fight the final round!”

The man wrote down the wager and took the coins, “I will return with the odds before the second event.” 

The man walked away as Pineaphelus put his hand back in the bag again and come out with a hand full of candy, “Now how did these get here. I’m too old to be eating candy.”  Suddenly he was surrounded by Anash’s children hungrily grabbing candy from a smiling Pineaphelus’s hand.  Anash then gave the gray haired man a dismayed look.  It was obvious that the old man was pleased with himself.

On the ledge above the commanders sat two more dragons.  Gynyorra, the most colorful dragon known and his mate Senashea.  Most dragons were only two or three colors, but he was mostly green with some sky blue, red, silver and brown mixed in.

They all looked down at the first even below them.  It was a simple event, more of a tradition than a competition.  In all their years Vorent and Pineaphelus had never heard of anyone being eliminated from the challenge for not completing the first event.  It was nothing more than a fifty foot tall wall with ropes hanging down on one side.  On the other side was a big pool of water.  It was tradition that the first challenger to make it to the top of the wall was to let out a loud whooping shout before diving into the water.  It was like that shout was what really got things going.  Many people also waited to see who that would be before placing their bets.  Invariably the one who did the shout always made it to the final six.

There at the far end of the line of challengers stood a beautiful lean muscular red and black dragon with green eyes, black claws and bright red horns.  He rose up and everyone hushed.  Garthlac looked around to see that everything was ready.  He then looked down at the challengers, “Let your hearts be ready!  Let your souls fly!  Let your bodies be agile!  Without this the Dragon’s Challenge you cannot defy!”  His head raised straight up and he bellowed a burst of flame into the sky.  This set off the challengers and they ran to their ropes and began climbing.

It was immediately obvious that Avris and Tychus were heading up their ropes the fastest with Tournig close behind.  To most people it appeared that Avris and Tychus were on the top of the wall at the same time with an ease that made this even look so simple.  But the keen eyes of Pineaphelus could tell that Avris was the first on the wall by barely half a second.

Tychus and Avris were no more than fifteen feet apart when they stood tall and yelled for all to hear.  Before they could finish their whooping calls, the crowd joined them with their own cheers.  Then in unison Avris and Tychus dived into the water below.  Gaebrah yelled with her mother and her sister Andileeda squealed and jumped with delight as they watched Avris dive.  The challenge had begun.

At the second event the judges and their families had moved to a platform in front of an overhanging cliff.  Beside the platform was a thick rope with a white ribbon tied on it.  At the point of the ribbon, the rope was parallel and only about four feet of the ground.  As the rope went toward the cliff, it curved upward and was attached to a pole that lay across another platform.  There were some men up there to made sure that they rope stayed secure during this event.    At the base of the cliff was a thick mud bog.  In this even the challengers ran along a ledge and at the end of that ledge they jumped and attempted to catch the rope.  They were then to climb down the rope and if they fell or dropped before they reached the white ribbon, then they would end up in the mud bog and thus be eliminated from the Dragon’s Challenge.

A young dark blue dragon with a green and black stripped belly sat at the edge of the mud bog.  He was there to pull anyone that fell into the bog out of it.

The challengers were lined up on the ledge.  At the head of the line was Tychus with Avris and Tournig standing behind him.  Tychus was waiting to be announced.  He would then run the rest of the ledge to make his jump.  The challengers were only being given a thirty foot run to make this jump.  Tychus was stretching his arms and fingers getting them loosened up so he could get a good grip on the rope.  Avris leaned against the cliff acting like she was indifferent to what was going on and Tournig was behind her enjoying how the two were acting.

Then from above came the voice of the speaker, “The first to jump will be Tychus, Commander of the 4th wing.”  He began to sprint along the ledge.  People started yelling and hollering as he ran along.  When he jumped it was obvious from below that he would easily reach the rope.  He flew out so gracefully and then caught the rope in the crook of his arm.  Quickly he had his legs wrapped around the rope and he began to shimmy down.  As the roped turned and leveled off with the ground, he had to work a little harder, but for him this was a breeze.  He was past the ribbon and on the ground rather quickly.  The crowd roared. 

A man on the platform then swung a blue flag and the crowd settled down.  When all was quiet, the voice from above was heard again, “The second to jump will be Avris the Dragon Dancer, Queen of Dragons.”  The crowd literally boomed as Avris began to sprint along the ledge.  Her leap into the air was just as graceful and she caught the rope easily.  She quickly got her legs around the rope and started down.

Suddenly Gaebrah began tugging on her father’s sleeve.  He leaned down to find out what she wanted, but before she could speak he heard Pineaphelus exclaim, “Oh my.  What a view!”  Anash quickly looked up at the tall gaunt man sitting there and saw his eyes wide and jaw open.  He turned to see what had caught his attention.  It seemed that the rest of the platform also noticed and became rather quiet.

Avris came down the rope easily.  Her skirt of dragon skins hung straight toward the ground, revealing nothing underneath covering her naked behind.  Anash looked around and it was obvious that most of the people had seen or were seeing her delicacies.  The others were trying to push their way to see what had caused the sudden silence.  He stood back up and assumed the dignity of his office as if nothing had occurred.  What could he do?  Not much he knew, since she was the adopted daughter of the High Father Dragon Gynyorra.  She was adored by many as the Queen of Dragons.

Once Avris made it past the white ribbon, she dropped to the ground and then rand up onto the platform.  She quickly took hold of Anash for a hug.  Even though he hugged her back, she could tell that something was wrong.  She looked directly into his eyes, “Something wrong?”

In a quiet tone he answered her as she went over to hug her sister, “All here have seen more than expected.”  She eyed him knowingly from hugging her sister and daughter and then glanced at Pineaphelus, who winked back at her mischievously.  Then as she let for the next event she hit Anash on the shoulder.  Leaving the platform she wore a very proud mischievous smile.

As she walked away Tournig was announced.  He made the jump with ease, but the next two never even touched the rope and cause the crowd to laugh with a great roar as they plunged into the mud.  Once the second event was over, twenty-two challengers had been eliminated.

The third event was more out in the open.  There was a lot more room for the crowd.  Many had heard how Avris was dressed and were pushing about to stand near the platform hoping for the right angle to view her.  The crowd was in two parts.  Half on one side and half on the other.  At one end stood a forty foot pole.  The top of which was flat and only one foot wide.  On one side of the pole was a “U” shaped hook with a rope laying in it.  Between that pole and the one before the judges platform was another mud bog.  The next pole was only twenty-five feet tall and the top of it was only one and half feet wide and slightly rounded.

Each challenger was to climb the first pole, take the rope and swing across to the second pole.  Once there they were to let go of the rope and stand on that pole while the judges silently counted to ten.  If they did not fall of, then a flag was waved from the platform.  The challenger then jumped to a four foot wide mesh net that was only three feet away.  They then through and down the mesh net to the platform.  The event was finished once the challenger made it there.  There was a tale that someone actually fell into the mud bog from the net before they climbed through hole, but that happened so long ago that no one here but Gynyorra has seen that.

On the platform Pineaphelus was having Anash and Vorent move his chair about.  Each time they set him down; he would look up and down at the two poles before him and then ask them to move him again.  Each move was barely more than six inches.  Once he was satisfied, he thanked them and then leaned back and relaxed.

Tychus was the first and he practically did it perfectly to the cheers and ahhhhs of the crowd.  When he reached the platform he found himself looking directly into Anash’s eyes.  He faked a big smile, nodded and then turned to the crowd and raised his hands.  The cheering doubled. 

Avris now stood at the bottom of the first pole looking up without moving for a moment.  The crowd began to quieten.

Pineaphelus spoke to his wife, “She know how to play the people.”  Satollo squeezed his hand and nodded in agreement.

Slowly she climbed the pole.  She was graceful, but not as fast as Tychus.  Once on top she stood up to get her balance and suddenly did a jiggle and had to stick her right leg out to balance herself.  Anash felt like hiding his face.  He knew she did that on purpose.  It was obvious that the crowd on that side could easily see under her skirt.  She got her balance back and stood there a moment before she reached or the rope.  She tested her grip and tugged on the rope a bit before sailing across to the other pole.  Her skirt flew back revealing her naked bottom.  There were plenty of gasps, hoots and hollers amongst the wild cheering.  Her feet alighted upon the second pole so perfectly; it was almost like she knew how to fly.

She got her balance and let go of the rope, then stood there waiting for the flag to be waved.  As soon as it was waved, she jumped to the net, climbed through and down to the platform with ease.  She was in Anash’s arms hugging him faster than anyone could react.

“Enjoying thyself I can see,” he said as he hugged and kissed her.  She bit his lip mischievously as they parted from their kiss.  Her eyes told him that she was having the time of her life as she turned to the crowd and jumped a few times waving her arms to a crowd that just went wild.

Tournig thought the crowd would never settle down after that.  Arkis was standing behind him as he was waiting to be announced, “I thine ye might get a few good screams out of the ladies if ye drop yer pants off as ye swing across.”  That got several challengers laughing and Tournig just shook his head at the young man, but still could not help but smile.  Tournig gave Arkis a good shove, and then walked on out not waiting for the crowd to quieten down.

Tournig, Arkis and Korlio were prime examples of how well trained the Dragon’s liked their soldiers to be.  It was no wonder that Anash was considering them as members of his elite Dragon Guard.  Anash did wonder if he could get Arkis to give up his Roman armor for the scale armor of the Honor of Dragon.

Once the third event was over twenty-nine more were eliminated and had to be pulled out of the muck.

The next was just a simple race.  It was about five miles long and the challengers were required to wear their armor and carry their swords.  Along the way were two stone fences to cross, two wooden fences, they crossed the same creek twice and just before the final three hundred yard dash was a gully with a mud bog.  There were our long poles laid across it and secured in place.  Anyone that fell down to both knees or down to where their hip, back or shoulder touched the ground was eliminated.  Also anyone that fell into the mud crossing the gully would be eliminated. 

Pushing and shoving was allowed until they passed the point where Garthlac was positioned just fifty yards before that last gully.  Anyone caught pushing or shoving after that was removed from the challenge.

It was the next morning when the remaining forty-nine challengers stood all tightly lined up ready to begin.  There was already some shoving going on. 

Avris was standing tall at the very center of the starting line.  Tournig, Tychus, Arkis and Korlio were there with her.  They appeared to be the most serious ones at the line.  Only the first fifteen to cross the finish line would go on to the next event.

Pineaphelus got Anash’s attention and pointed to a spot in the line halfway to the left of Avris, “Largon is still in the Challenge.  He is a very fast runner.”

“How do you know Largon?”  Anash had met him years ago when Largon was a boy.

“He is my nephew’s oldest son,” the old man said with pride.

Garthlac flew in and landed in the field in front of the challenger.  He flapped his wings wide and then took off again.  This was the signal or the race to begin. 

Avris, Tychus, Korlio and Largon were the fastest starters.  All the others were bunched up and within the first twenty feet; fourteen challengers either were tripped or shoved to the ground thus eliminating them from the challenge.

Tychus had been running just a few feet behind Avris for about one-hundred yards, then suddenly he put on a burst of speed and as he came up beside her he swung his left arm down and struck her belly hard as he passed her.

Avris immediately bent over clutching her stomach and began to stumble.  Korlio saw what happened, came up beside her and helped her keep from going to the ground.  The grimace on her face scared him, but she didn’t say a word.  Once she was running without a problem, she patted him on the back and they ran side by side until they came to the first stone fence.

By the time that the remaining runners crossed the stone fence, four more had been eliminated.

Once over the fence Korlio and Avris increased their pace.  They were determined to catch up with Tychus before he passed the point where Garthlac waited.  They soon could see that Largon was running just a few paces behind Tychus.  It looked like he was determined to knock him down.

Tychus was the first to cross the wood fence.  He barely touched it with his left hand as he flew over.  Next was Largon, he didn’t touch the fence at all.  Soon after that they crossed the creek and then the path marked for the race turned left and they were then running slightly uphill.  Tychus was better at taking the hill than Largon. 

Once Avris and Korlio crossed the creek and began going uphill, Avris started leaving Korlio behind. 

On the platform overlooking the finish line Anash was down on one knee talking with his oldest daughter when a messenger came up and whispered in Monorra’s ear.  Pineaphelus noticed her face become worried as she listened.  She then motioned the messenger to leave without a single word.  Suddenly Anash looked up at her and their eyes connected.  He had that look as if he heard every word the messenger told her about Avris getting hit hard in the belly.  She had hoped to hide this from Anash.  Monorra knew that what happened was not against the rules of the race, so she just gave her husband a little nod which he understood and nothing more was said.

Just as Avris caught up with Largon, she saw Tychus go around the turn where the race path turned to cross the creek again.  Avris pushed even harder to catch up.  The young black and yellow she dragon sitting there was calling out encouragements for Avris.  That helped and she pushed even harder.  When she passed the young dragon she reached out a paw and Avris and Largon slapped it as they ran by.  Dellaria giggled and called out more encouragements as Avris headed towards the creek.

For the rest of the race, most everyone slapped Dellaria’s palm for good luck.

It was now a straight even run to the creek.  It was wide shallow and fast moving where they were to cross next.  It was also extra slippery.  In the rules you could fall down and not be eliminated while in the creek, but it if you fell and were washed off the ten foot high waterfall, then you were out of the challenge.

Avris could see that Tychus had just reached the creek.  He had stopped and was slowly making his way   Avris knew she would be to the creek before he was halfway across.  She got a devious idea in her head and didn’t slow down as she came up to the creek.  She pushed harder.  She worked toward her full speed and upon the last possible dry spot to step on, she took a leap toward Tychus and let out a howl.

Tychus turned just in time to see her flying right at him.  Her knees slammed into her feet and made him flip over.  He made a big splash and he had to quickly grab a slimy rock to keep the water from sending over the edge.  As he worked himself back up he heard Largon hollering with delight over what he just saw.  Tychus’s anger flared. 

Avris hit the rocks in the creek hard and slid.  The fast water took her and her head was over the edge before she could stop herself.  It was then a struggle to get back up.  She moved away from the edge and before she was up she slipped and found her legs over the edge.  This was even worse.  Then a rock under her belly fell away and she slipped a little more.  She was having trouble keeping her head above the water now.

More of my Writing:

*  Dancer
*  How Fast can a Dragon Fly
*  Manhood