Adventures of Paku the Dragon: The Shroud of Shadows

Chapter 3

With Patch by his side, Paku continues to fly south, towards the coast. He wonders if he would ever see his parents again, or any of his friends in the village. Would they be alright?

"Where are we heading?" asks Patch.

"To a place where I can find clues. There was once a mighty dragon keep built near the shores of the world's end. I am hoping that it may have answers for us." Paku explains.

"I hope there is a fish buffet there. I'm starving!" Patch jokes.

"Not funny. Anyway, let's get moving."

They travel further south, flying over the vast ocean. They pass over islands and seas, seeing many ships and pirates. A few times, pirates try to attack them, but they manage to escape the foes easily.

After a long flight, the pair reach a beach, with palm trees and a nice breeze. "We have to be close. Lets rest here for the night." Paku says.

"You can say that again." Patch responds as he lies out in the sand, the puma stretching his legs.

Paku begins to look around the area, and see if he can find anything that may tell him the location of the ancient keep. He finds a few strange markings, but he is unsure what they mean.

"Hey, look at this." Paku says, pointing to the marks. "Looks like a map."

"Maybe it will lead us to the keep." Patch says before he falls asleep on the beach.

Paku rolls his eyes as he begins to try and decipher the marks. There was a thick jungle in the front, and Paku knew that through it was the way he needed to go.

"Why does this feel familiar?" he thinks to himself.

Suddenly, he hears a loud roar. "Ah!" Paku says as he flies into the air. He sees a massive black dragon appear from the forest, landing on the beach.

"Who are you to trespass on the sacred isle?" asks the adult dragon with a fiery voice.

"I'm Paku. A dragon like you. I am seeking refuge. There are people trying to kill me." Paku tells the she-dragon.

The black dragon looks over Paku with golden eyes. "You're awful small." she says. "You are of the last generation."

"What do you mean?" Paku asks.

"Your kind was born thirteen years ago. The last known brood of dragons. You are the only ones left alive."

"How is that possible?"

The dragon sighs. "Long ago, on the night of your birth, the forces of evil men attacked our strongholds. Knowing that if another batch of dragons were born, they would grow to be strong enough to challenge them. So, they burnt down the keep. Killed the dragons. The few of us left remain on the run, hiding from the encroachers. We thought hope was lost, but now I see there is still a bit of it left."

"Meaning?" Paku asks.

"There is still a chance young dragons like you exist, to thrust the world from darkness. I am Lady Naria. One of the last surviving dragons. I am also the keeper of the ancient keep."

"Okay, why are you telling me all this?" Paku says, the information giving him a bit of a headache.

"Because young dragon. You have the potential to become the hero the world needs. Our breed is near extinction, after all."

"And you're saying I should come with you?" Paku asks.

"If you wish. It is up to you."

"Thank you." Paku says.

"Come then."

Before leaving, Paku goes to wake Patch up.

"What do you want" Patch grumbles sleepily.

"We're going into the keep now. Unless of course, you wish to become crab food." Paku says jokingly.

Patch springs up, stretching and yawning. "Alright alright, I get it."

Paku and Patch then follow Lady Naria through the jungle towards the keep. The path is narrow, and made of stone. It is dark, and Paku can barely see past his own nose.

As they walk, they hear distant roars. "What was that?"

"Probably the buccaneers. They've been stowing stolen treasure on this island since the dragons demise." Naria says with a bit of anger in her tone.

"I don't like the sound of it. Let's just stick to the path and not have anymore chance encounters." says Patch.

"You're right. I wouldn't want to meet a pirate." Paku adds.

"They're a vile bunch, but nothing you won't be able to handle." Lady Naria says confidently.

The two continue on their way, until they reach a large wooden door.

"So this must be the entrance." Patch notes. "I expected something more, extragavent."

"Shhh Patch." Paku says as Lady Naria opens the giant gate, and the three of them enter into a dimly lit room of sorts, with crumbling walls and vines growing around the place.

"This is where we will rest tonight. If you need anything, please let me know." says Lady Naria as she leaves.

"Wow, this is creepy." says Patch.

"It wasn't always like this. I can tell you that." Paku says. He yawns, being sleepy from his journey, as crickets can be heard chirping outside as night has fallen.

Before long, Paku and Patch have fallen asleep, wondering what the next day of their journey will bring.