Chapter II
Daelach awoke suddenly with a sharp pain. A pain so sharp that she could hardly concentrate on anything else. In fact, she wished she could die, if only the pain would stop. She tried to leap up, only to find that she was being held down. She opened one eye and became aware of sparks flying over her face. From where? she thought. And then she realized where they came from. Someone was sawing at her eye. And just as she thought it, the pain became unbearable and she blacked out.
"Daelach?"
She could hear a voice drifting in her range of hearing, but it was small, and she was so tired.
"Daelach?" the voice was louder and clearer this time.
"Daelach! Don't be dead! Please, I know you can't be! Come on!" The voice sounded even louder and very worried. Besides, there was a cold nose rubbing in her fur, and it was tickly.
Daelach awoke with a groan, this time without the blinding pain. Her right eye was throbbing, but she could handle it.
"You're ALIVE!!!!" Thunder was yelling in a very excited voice.
"Of... of course I am... stop yelling...it hurts my head..." Daelach croaked. She wearily stood up and yawned for about a minute straight. But when she opened her eyes, something was different. Half of her vision was bright red.
"What the heck happened to my eye?" she asked in horror.
"Weeeeeellll...you kinda don't have one anymore..." Thunder grimaced. "Those 'scientists'...removed...it, so now you're a cyborg."
"No..." Daelach gasped. Cyborgs were horrific creatures told of in legend. Half organic, half machine, created to murder ruthlessly. They were without emotion, kindness, or pity.
"I am, too." Thunder said sadly. "Look at my ears and nose." They were made of gleaming silver metal.
"At least they haven't finshed removing our feelings yet. But why are they doing this to us?" Daelach asked.
"War," said a voice grimly, coming from a tawny and black lump coming from the corner of the room.
But before Daelach could respond, she heard a deafening roar from outside the cold, metal room.
"GET YARR FILTHY CLAWS OFFA ME, YOU COWARDS! I DARE YOU TO STAND AND FIGHT ME LIKE REAL WARRIORS! BUT WHAT WOULD YE KNOW OF THAT? ALL YOU SORRY LOT KNOW IS TORTURING HELPLESS CREATURESMGFGMMRRGURR..."
A door slid open and a huge bundle was tossed into the cell. Then the door closed as swiftly as it had opened.
"MRGRRLRMLLRRMRMRMRMR!" The bundle seemed to be trying to speak. Daelach swiftly found a shape that looked vaguely like a head and ripped off the cloth canvas covering it.
"UNHAND ME AND I'LL SHOW YOU..." The creature noticed Daelach. "Oh. 'Ello, mate."
"Umm... hi?" Daelach ventured. "Who are you?"
"Ah'm Maelstrom Stormseeker. I 'ail from the northlands, from the icy land of Khelek."
"I'm Thunder." Thunder piped up. "And me and my sister Daelach"-here he gestured to her-"hail from the...erm... foresty... lands of Rucaria."
"Pray tell," said the spotty lump in the corner, which then stood up and revealed itself to be a cheetah with robotic feet,"but what are you?"
"I," Maelstrom said proudly, "am a frost dragon of the clan Kaailar." She drooped. "or at least I was before those...those imbeciles that call themselves scientists changed every cell in me body. When I get back at them...they'll regret that they'd ever been born." She smoldered with hate for a moment, then brightened up considerably and asked, "So who are you then?" to the cheetah.
"You're ALIVE!!!!" Thunder was yelling in a very excited voice.
"Of... of course I am... stop yelling...it hurts my head..." Daelach croaked. She wearily stood up and yawned for about a minute straight. But when she opened her eyes, something was different. Half of her vision was bright red.
"What the heck happened to my eye?" she asked in horror.
"Weeeeeellll...you kinda don't have one anymore..." Thunder grimaced. "Those 'scientists'...removed...it, so now you're a cyborg."
"No..." Daelach gasped. Cyborgs were horrific creatures told of in legend. Half organic, half machine, created to murder ruthlessly. They were without emotion, kindness, or pity.
"I am, too." Thunder said sadly. "Look at my ears and nose." They were made of gleaming silver metal.
"At least they haven't finshed removing our feelings yet. But why are they doing this to us?" Daelach asked.
"War," said a voice grimly, coming from a tawny and black lump coming from the corner of the room.
But before Daelach could respond, she heard a deafening roar from outside the cold, metal room.
"GET YARR FILTHY CLAWS OFFA ME, YOU COWARDS! I DARE YOU TO STAND AND FIGHT ME LIKE REAL WARRIORS! BUT WHAT WOULD YE KNOW OF THAT? ALL YOU SORRY LOT KNOW IS TORTURING HELPLESS CREATURESMGFGMMRRGURR..."
A door slid open and a huge bundle was tossed into the cell. Then the door closed as swiftly as it had opened.
"MRGRRLRMLLRRMRMRMRMR!" The bundle seemed to be trying to speak. Daelach swiftly found a shape that looked vaguely like a head and ripped off the cloth canvas covering it.
"UNHAND ME AND I'LL SHOW YOU..." The creature noticed Daelach. "Oh. 'Ello, mate."
"Umm... hi?" Daelach ventured. "Who are you?"
"Ah'm Maelstrom Stormseeker. I 'ail from the northlands, from the icy land of Khelek."
"I'm Thunder." Thunder piped up. "And me and my sister Daelach"-here he gestured to her-"hail from the...erm... foresty... lands of Rucaria."
"Pray tell," said the spotty lump in the corner, which then stood up and revealed itself to be a cheetah with robotic feet,"but what are you?"
"I," Maelstrom said proudly, "am a frost dragon of the clan Kaailar." She drooped. "or at least I was before those...those imbeciles that call themselves scientists changed every cell in me body. When I get back at them...they'll regret that they'd ever been born." She smoldered with hate for a moment, then brightened up considerably and asked, "So who are you then?" to the cheetah.