Dragon Guide

Chapter 10: History

Fenghuang arrives before me and the whelps, she smiles gently and I quickly fall to my knees and bow into a deep kowtow. She is an immortal bird whose rare appearance is said to be an omen foretelling harmony at the ascent to the throne of a new emperor. She is not seen in the physical world unless there is some great change coming, so this is where she is for now, in the Spirit World. She comes to me and places her hand under my chin, raising my head so that she can look into my eyes.

"Child, your future seems to be filled with so much confusion and pain and I see a great betrayal to come. I cannot tell you more but I hurt for you", says Fenghuang. When she speaks her voice seems to ricochet off the trees around us and tremble like a cathedral bell, the sound is beautiful and causes tears to prick my eyes for reasons that I cannot explain. I look up timidly into her red glowing eyes, as I look more closely, I see a ring of a pulsing, radiant orange line on the edges of her iris where it meets the pupil. There in those eyes lies a danger among the beauty, giving rise to the idea that she is not as gentle as she looks, even though she gives off a motherly aura. Her soft white air reminds me of clouds and I want to touch it. I have the feeling that it must be very soft.

"We must go now, there is not much time and so much to do", says Aoyun. I had forgotten that he was there and so I quickly get to my feet, keeping my head slightly bowed in respect for Fenghuang. "Child, be yourself, I do not bite. Hold your head up high", says Fenghuang with a light chuckle as she turns her attention to the whelps now. She smiles sweetly at them and then snaps her finger in the air, the sound is crisp and it bounces off all the trees around. Suddenly, several puffs of smoke appear from the open air and crash into the ground. As the smoke makes an impact with the ground, it skirts out in a circle and the next second I find that there are now an additional ten persons present. Fenghuang sees my surprise and says to me, "They are my children, birds from the heavens. We will need to move quickly into the mountains way beyond these lands. I will take you all to Mount Tai, where we can find the help we need".

She turns and walks away, raising her arms above her head, as she does this her arms transform into flaming wings. Twirling her body and bending forward she lifts off from the ground as she creates a vortex and is gone! I watch as a single red feather floats in the air, gently landing at my feet. I pick it up and marvel at the quality, it is unlike anything I've ever seen. As I observe the feather I notice that the calamus seems to be a glowing, warm yellow and the downy barbs are a radiant red-orange, it fades into a yellow again as it moves up to the interlocking barbs and the tips have a tinge of the same red-orange hue. "Ehem, Rivia", someone clears their throat.

Startled, my head shoots up and I see Aoyun watching me intensely. "Are you ready Bǎobèi?" he asks. "Yes, please", I respond and step towards him. I look back to see the others each carrying one of the whelps and then spread soft white wings that stretch the length of their bodies. I watch as they throw what I think to be another phoenix feather in the air and a vortex appears in its wake. They all quickly pass through and the entrance closes closely behind the last one. I turn back to Aoyun questioningly. "They took them to Mount Tai ahead of us. We will go there now too. Come." He opens his arms up for me and I step into them as he closes me into his embrace.

We stand there embraced in each other's arms and I wait for him to carry us away but nothing happens. As I look up to see his face my lips accidentally brush against his lips. I don't know if it is because we were now alone in these woods but my nerves zing to life. I try to step out of his hold but he holds me even more tightly, taking a hand under my chin he raises my face to look at him directly. He leans down bringing his face even closer to mine and his eyes lock onto mine, waiting for my consent. I want him, it has been so long since I've been this close to him and if I am honest with myself, I am strongly drawn to him too. I close my eyes and a whimper escapes my lips, impatience taking hold of me. I just briefly hear him growl, a deep sexy sound, and his lips crash into mine. I am surprised by the intensity and I gasp, he quickly takes this opportunity to slip his tongue over my lips and into my mouth. I moan as he claims my mouth, he takes a hand to my hair and anchors my head in place as the other lifts my robe and slides up towards my core. I feel his fingers rub against the soft yielding area between my legs and my knees give in. He holds me up with just one hand that expertly explores my body. I gasp as his finger snakes past the barrier of my lace panties, giving and taking everything that we have to offer. My fingers tremble as I snake them around his neck lodging my hands in his hair. I pounce onto him and straddle his waist, giving him better access for his long fingers. Lost in passion I hear the rustling of leaves and I drop my legs back to the ground frantically and step away from him.

I take a shaky breath to calm my nerves. Looking around I catch the glimpse of a squirrel tail dashing up a tree trunk not far away. My senses return and I ask, " Why Mount Tai? I don't think we have enough time for that. I need to be back in my body as soon as possible, just in case the hunters catch the scent", worry drips from every word that I speak.

"The Phoenix is taking them there to learn their history, the history of dragons. For this group, there is a special one among them but it is too soon to tell which one. We intend to cultivate them all according to Fenghuang. She caught me by surprise when I came ahead of you earlier to gather my clothes." He says this as if trying to clear some confusion that was not voiced. Truthfully I was bothered by it but I didn't think I should have said anything. I ignore the implication and he opens his arms again and I step into them cautiously knowing that I need him to take me to the mountain too. I feel my body become as light as the air and suddenly the world around me becomes warped and the colors blend into a sickening blur around me.