Fire and Storms was written for the WoW contest. The themes were hardship, torch, and reflection but I ended up forgetting to use them at the end.
Lila and Granite are two characters I made up for this story and have no correlation to any other OCs.
The dragoness tucked in her wings shielding herself from the whirling maelstrom around her. All she wanted was to be safe in her cave; warm, cozy, the small flickering fireplace sending flashes of oranges and yellows across the rocky walls, safe with Granite, and safe from the whirling storm she had plunged herself in.
Her first mistake was believing in others. Trust was a fickle thing, almost as fickle as firelight. One second it was there burning as bright as an inferno, the next second it was gone. Gone forever and ever. Not even the residue of the soft yellow and orange light remaining.
“Granite!” cried the dragoness into the storm, however it was a waste of energy. Similar to how no one lights a torch underwater, a tornado is not a place to be heard. Sound is snuffed out in a second, not even being heard a step away. Hesitating, she took a deep breath and took another step into the storm. By now she was soaked, her bones aching as she felt the residue of her last cold come back.
What would Granite think? the dragoness thought, she would be disappointed in me for not going further. Finished one part of her brain, she'd be disappointed in my cowardice.
However, the cowardly part of her brought back the conversation the two of them had the night before.
“Remember Lila, don’t go outside in the storm,” Granite’s usually laughing eyes were serious and stern, any sign of laughter gone.
“Why?” that word had escaped her mouth in a moment, it was a stupid question really, Lila had no intention of going into that humongous storm but something in her wanted to know why Granite was so serious.
“Because--” Granite glanced at Lila. Their eyes met-- Lila’s dark blue staring into Granite’s yellow-orange-- the colour Lila associated with peace and comfort. Granite sighed, "I've heard stories about that storm, it takes you into its grasp and never lets you go-- until you're dead,"
Lila shivered. "Well you better not go in there ei--" Lila's voice was cut off by a piercing shriek from outside. Outside in the storm.
The two dragonesses had jumped up in surprise. Granite in a couple of seconds was at the doorway.
“Where are you going?” Lila had asked-- it was another stupid question, she knew the answer as much as she knew Granite’s welcoming eyes. She should have asked “take me with you,” or “stay”, or "don't go" but she didn’t.
“I’m going to help that dragon out,” Granite’s voice was firm, resigned. Lila knew there was nothing she could do to change her mind.
The only words she could utter were “be safe”.
That was the last Lila saw of Granite.
With that memory, the cowardly side of her won, and Lila took refuge inside her cave once again. Granite could take care of herself. That belief was the once Lila held close to her heart as the rain pounded above her, its drops echoing inside the rocky crevices.
Please, whatever God is out there, please make sure Granite is safe.
Lila’s second mistake was cowardice. Bravery flickered on and off, some days it was on-- a burning inferno of courage coming with the ability to take on anything. Other days it was a small candle, barely keeping itself alive. The day of the maelstrom, the moment Lila had stepped outside-- that was her moment of bravery, her little candle had grown to a torch, its bright flames being able to drive away from the shadows of cowardice. However, in mere moments her torch had flickered out the winds and rains taking away all of its fuel.
Now all Lila had was a dark cave of glowing embers.
Lila was curled up in the cave, the fireplace having only the smallest of embers left. The storm had yet to settle down and her fear for Granite had increased to an unbearable amount.
A tear fell down Lila’s face, then another fell making a small plunk as it landed on the rocky floor. Lila’s usually rainbow scales had shifted to a dark purple and grey-- her own colour of shame and desolation. Another tear fell down.
“I’ll always be there for you Lila” Granite’s voice and words had always saved her from her fear and sadness.
Another tear landed on the floor.
“Don’t worry Lila, I’ll protect you!” Her smile had always brought colour into Lila’s monochrome world.
Two more tears fell.
“Get away from her!” even when she was in danger, even when she had nothing left to give to her, Granite had come, Granite saved Lila’s life more than once.
Four more tears landed in the small puddle forming beneath Lila’s head.
Granite had done everything for her, everything for the RainWing princess that no longer had a kingdom, everything for the broken dragoness.
By now Lila was sobbing, her tears drowning out the sound of the storm.
“Please whoever’s out there, please, please, please, save Granite,” she pleaded to no one. No one was there, no one ever was, the only one that was there was Granite. Granite and Lila, the two of them, forever together.
Not anymore, a small part of Lila’s brain whispered. You abandoned her to the storm, now it’s only going to be you and the ghosts of a time that once was.
Lila stood up. Her heart was bleeding slowly, each wound inflicted on it by herself. She forced herself to move forward, each clink of her talons taking her away from the puddle of regrets. Ever since she was a dragonet everything went wrong for her in life. Everything she ever hoped for was twisted in the worst way possible.
“SHE’S NOT GOING TO COME BACK!” Lila yelled into the storm, tears streaming down her face but the origin soon lost by the roaring water around her, “everyone who went into the storm died, I’m sure Granite will die the same,” Lila choked out.
Her heart ached but Lila still yelled the same thing over and over again, praying for her bad luck to continue, for everything she said to be proven wrong. Her form collapsed to the ground, all she wanted was for the days of before to come back, for everything to be normal again, for this storm to not plague the two of them.
All she wanted was for them to be happy.
Happiness-- what a terrible emotion, in one second it was there, blazing like a wildfire, the next it was gone, not even glowing embers remaining.
She prayed that fate and destiny would once again take her wish into a twisted curse, she prayed for her words to be wrong, for the world to not change its view of her.
Maybe it was because fate and destiny, their tails intertwined, saw the truth in her heart-- the bleeding truth that tried its best to not exist, that the next events happened.
Perhaps on the other talon, it was because fate and destiny had finally taken pity.
Regardless of the method, regardless of whose fault it was, the void in Lila’s heart-- the dragoness who could fill it, never returned.
Lila had waited, she had waited the longest she could wait. Patiently, she waited, curled up beside the fire, desolate, wishing for someone to come, wishing for Granite to come.
However, Granite did not come back home, she did not arrive back safely and twine her tail around Lila’s, she did not smile at Lila the way that it made all of Lila’s fears disappear.
Days past, weeks, maybe even months, and the storm still did not recede.
'"Princess,” Granite had greeted one night during their travels. Her usual happy-go-lucky demeanour had shifted into a mask of worry, frustration, and fear.
"What is it?” Lila had asked springing up from her reclined and relaxed position.
“We need to go.”
Lila normally would have asked thousands of questions, “why? Where? Do we need to go now?” but one look at Granite’s stern yellow-orange eyes made her shut up. Lila had only seen Granite this stern once before, the day she had informed her that they would be leaving the Rainforest kingdom for good.
Silent, Lila followed Granite into the woods, the only sound the quiet thumping of their talons against the couple rocks littering the forest floor and the thump-thump of their hearts beating in tune to each other.
After a couple long minutes or hours-- Lila wasn’t sure, of walking, Granite came to a halt.
“Lila,” Granite whispered, using the name she only said when they were most definitely alone, “we need to disappear.”
The dragoness bit back her instinctive “why?”, settling with a quick nod in response.
“Did you nod or shake your head? I really can’t see that well,”
Lila felt plumes of hot pink embarrassment rise to her scales, she should have taken note of the three new moons which let only starlight filter down to the forest floor.
“I nodded,” Lila finally choked out, squashing down the hot pink rising to her scales.
“Good, follow me,” Granite’s words were harsh and strict, the usual emotions Lila could find in her words unfindable. However, Lila still followed Granite-- even if Granite had told her “I’m going to kill you after we cross this creek,” Lila still would have followed the RainWing dragoness across.
Because other than Granite, Lila had nothing to live for.
Now her one light in life was gone.
The yellow and orange flames of the fireplace turned nauseating. The usual safety and comfort she found turned into fear and fragility. All Lila could think of was Granite’s eyes dead without life.
Her usual soft and warm oranges and yellows started being mixed by the eyes of the dead soldiers who gave up on hope and had their light slowly drain away from their eyes.
Was that how Lila’s eyes looked now? Devoid of any emotion, apathetic, dull, any resemblance of hope gone. Would that be Lila’s life? The same life those scarred by war and ruin faced one of fragility and despair.
Lila tried to shudder at her thoughts, she tried to care about the downward spiral she was heading into. She tried to but failed. Shame rising inside of her, Lila looked down towards her scales, hoping, hoping for something that showed she still cared.
All that she was met with was the cold hard stone she had camouflaged herself into.
Lila stood up with a jolt and ran towards the back of the cave. Arriving at the pool of freshwater that regularly dripped from the stalactites she gazed down at her reflection.
This was Lila’s third mistake and her last. As she gazed down into the pool of water that acted like a shimmering mirror, Lila saw the eyes of the dead soldiers reflected in her own.
Dull, apathetic, emotionless, hopeless, all those words ran through Lila’s head as she gazed at her form.
Two drops fell. The image broke into ripples.
Lila’s knees gave way and she collapsed to the ground. Barely mustering the energy, Lila crawled away from the stone-cold basin, her talons making claw marks on the cold granite floor.
A few torturously long minutes later, Lila arrived at the cave’s exit. The maelstrom still whirled, rain splattering Lila’s face even with her inside the safety of the cave. She slowly stood up, her mind having been made.
The clump of ashes lit up into an inferno, and Lila took a step forward into the storm.
The wind was battering at her as if yelling to her that there was still a chance of going back. Seemingly realizing that she would not listen to reason, the wind seemed to pick up. Lila ignored the wind and took another step forward. Then another, and another.
“Please forgive me Granite” Lila whispered into the storm, her mouth half-closed her body trying not to drown from the swirling rain that seemed to enter every crevice of her body.
The wind, seemingly realizing that its attempts to snuff out Lila’s inferno were only added to its fuel, stopped. The rain stopped whirling like a tornado and instead battered Lila with a flurry of needle-sharp raindrops on top of her.
Lila ignored the rain and the pain that came with it and kept on trudging forward.
Most of the time, Lila had self-preservation. She never would do anything dangerous, always staying on the side that will win. Now? Lila was doing the opposite of what her self preservation instincts were telling her to do.
Lila, for the first time in her life, was putting herself at risk. It may have been self-pity, the lack of emotions to care about herself, or maybe it was just because of Granite. Either way, the end result did not change.
Lila was about to die because of her own courage. It was frankly inconceivable but Lila had made up her mind.
Go big or go home, find Granite or die in the process-- the concept of going home was now gone from her mindset.
She took another step across the granite rocks, the surface slick with rain and sleet. If Lila could fly she would have, but the mere thought of raising her wings into the battering rains filled her soul with misery.
One step, then another, the occasional slip-- then her scrambling to save herself. She scoured the whole area, the rain blinding her radius of sight. Turning her head back, Lila could no longer see the safe comfort of the cave she called home. It had only been a few minutes, a couple of steps into the battering rain and Lila could no longer see her comfort and safety.
However, instead of cowering like she would have done on any other day, Lila squared up and continued to walk towards the unknown.
Ten excruciating steps later, a lone pebble caused Lila to lose her balance.
The rain on the granite rocks did not help Lila’s case, and as she felt herself fall over the edge of a cliff that Lila had barely recognized due to the rain, all she could think about was Granite.
Her body landed on the ground with a sickening thump. The usual diamond bones of dragons being unable to withstand the fall. At the last moment, Lila had thought to open her wings but it was too late.
Wings eagle-spread, Lila’s scales shifted into a dark grey her last moments being spent by trying to blend in, hoping that she would never be found again.
Her talons outstretched, Lila was finally reunited with the love of her life. With her last breath, Lila squeezed the cold hand of Granite and satisfied, she entered the cold yet warm abyss of death.
With a short splutter, as if not wanting to be snuffed out, Lila’s inferno faded back into a wet pile of ashes in the rain.
The storm moved on, the clouds parted, and the sunlight flickered down onto the two RainWing corpses, perhaps this last act was in mourning or as a sign of respect or perhaps it had decided to leave on that day-- either way, on that day the maelstrom that had haunted the mountain peaks for years finally dispersed.
Three years later grass and vegetation returned to the previous inhabitable mountains, with the grass came the animals and in turn the trees. Nature had returned to the mountain that was nicknamed “Mount Doom” and the two lovers became buried in the vegetation and roots that took root after the demonic storm had left. The only memory that is left in that mountain of the two lovers is the singular torch lit every full moon by the inhabitants of the surrounding area.
A torch to wish that they would find each other in the afterlife and be reunited once again.
Fin.