The Bronze Dragonfly
The girl tore through the forest, her heart thumping wildly and her breath coming in searing sobs.
Suddenly she tripped over a concealed log and she went sprawling head first into the muddy forest floor.
She tried to get up, but her legs were shaking violently, and she fell back down again.
She let out a small whimper of desperation and pulled herself into the shadow of the log where she curled up, crying.
Seconds later, a bright light flared just beyond the horizon.
The girl screamed as a fiery, mushroom shaped cloud erupted moments later, billowing into the sky, it's blooded glow illuminating the world.
***
It's been a whole two years since then, and I still don't know what happened after that. I just remember hearing the blast, and then I passed out, I think, and I woke up sometime later and there was debris falling and- A scurrying sound reaches my ears.
I become aware that I'm on the ground and that there are rocks and pieces of glass cutting into my back and legs.
Slowly I open my eyes. The distant hazy sky comes into focus. The scurrying grows louder.
I sit up with a groan and spot a small nearby rat mutant digging in some indistinguishable garbage.
I hiss at it and it runs off with a panicked squeak.
I notice that I'm at the bottom of what seems to be the remains of an old basement.
I don't remember falling in, but then again, these days have a lot of blank periods where I don't know what's been happening.
I hit my head a lot. Not on purpose, though.
I look around and spot my satchel where it had fallen nearby.
I seize it and root through its contents, but when I find my water bottle I'm disappointed to discover that it's empty.
I sigh and heave myself to my feet, my legs trembling a little with the effort. I can't remember when I last ate real food.
I'm always alone. Most people were killed in the Blast and those who survived were poisoned by the radiation shortly afterward, or were not strong enough to survive the harsh new, desert climate. The only people I've seen so far have either wanted to kill me, or were so lost in their own delirious mutterings that they didn't see me.
I climb up the ruined concrete wall easily with my satchel in one hand.
My heart skips as it always does when I see the wasteland: a blank sprawling desert where only crumpled buildings remain, and the only water is found deep inside the cracked earth.
I resume my trek across the Wasteland, satchel in hand. I don't know where I'm going.
I dream of finding a place outside the wasteland, where there are trees and people. A place where I do not have to be the one to bury the countless lost souls.
***
Days pass after the basement incident. All the time I think it would have been better to have stayed there.
I just walk. Sometimes I stumble over rocks or small ridges in the Wasteland, but mostly it's just flat, and my feet drag along.
The sun beats down on me.
I think about water. I think about water all the time.
I am very dimly aware of the sweat pouring down my face and staining my clothes. I am very dimly aware of my satchel bumping against my legs as I walk. I am very dimly aware of falling to my knees.
I hear a voice.
Mother?
The ground rushes up to meet me.
? Caris! ?
I sprawl on the searing ground, my scarred, burned face upturned to the blazing sun.
? Caris! We received word from your Uncle, they're going to drop the bomb-
? What!? How did he find out!? What are we going to do!? ?
? Run, Caris! ?
? W-what about you and Papa? ?
? We're too slow we wouldn't make it, you are the only one who has a chance. ?
? I can't leave you! ?
? Caris! Take your father's speeder and get as far away as you can from here- ?
? No! ?
? Caris! ?
? I- I love you, Mom. ?
? I love you too? ?
? I- ?
? Caris! Go! GO!!?
? Mom? I'm scared. ?
? I know, Darling. But you are strong. ?
Darkness. It's the first thing I see.
My head feels clear for the first time in a long time.
I'm wearing clean clothes, and my skin is soft and not coated in grime like usual.
There's a man's voice, deep and soft.
? You are strong. ?
I don't say anything.
All I can see of the man is his dark silhouette.
? Not many can survive the Wasteland. ?
I still say nothing.
? You can join us. Or we'll just send you on your way with some water. Your choice, kid. ?
The man leaves, and soon I drift into the first peaceful sleep I've had in a long time.
Sometime later I am awoken by a gentle shake.
There's a girl this time. She looks like she's my age and she has clear brown eyes and dark hair. She's smiling.
I sit up a little and look around, ignoring the girl. I'm still in the same room I think, but this time it's brightly lit by natural sunlight.
? Where am I? ? I ask, my voice a little hoarse.
The girl smiles. ? You're at the camp of The Bronze Dragonfly. ?
The girl laughs and helps me to my feet.
I have negative two faith that ? The Bronze Dragonfly ? will ever reach their destination.
I roll my eyes while the girl's not looking. ? Anyway what's your name? ?
? You got some food around here? ?
Raen frowns at me a little but leads me out of the room. We emerge into a bright corridor of crumbling red stone. We go down the corridor and enter a similar room. At the back of the room is a tidy line of plastic packages.
Raen slits one open with a small dagger and hands me a piece of dried meat from inside.
? So what is your name, Wanderer? ?
? ?.. I don't have a name. ?
? Yes you do! ?
? No. ?
? Fine then, I'll call you?.. Arha. ?
? Arha?. I like it. ?
Raen waits until I finish eating, then she grabs my hand and says ? Come on! I'll introduce you to everyone else! ?
She leads me around more rooms and hallways until we arrive at a circular room where all of the others are grouped.
She shouts ? Hey guys! Ahra finally woke up! ?
Silence falls among the group and they turn and look at me. After many months on my own I feel quite wary, but they did save my life after all.
Suddenly a man speaks, and I recognize the voice of the man who spoke to me last night. ? So? Have you thought of my offer, Wanderer? ?
A lump rises in my throat, but I swallow and say in a small voice ? Yes. ?
? Well? ?
? I shall join you. ?
The man smiles and says ? Good choice, child. But if you stay with us you have to give something in return. ?
I nod uncertainly and I can feel Raen's eyes on the back of my head.
? You must be our pathfinder. Since you appeared to have survived so long in these harsh conditions, we think you can help us find our way safely to Solaris. ?
For the first time since the bomb, I laugh. I hold out my hand. ? It's a deal. ?
***
It's about a year after I joined The Bronze Dragonfly. I'm thirteen now.
We haven't found Solaris yet, but I can feel it in my bones?.. We're close?.
Raen and I, we're best friends, naturally, we go everywhere together, hunting, scouting, all sorts of things.
The Bronze Dragonfly have been real good to me, they're my new family. I'd follow them anywhere. Well technically they're following me, but whatever.
***
Raen wakes me early one morning. She tells me we're going gathering.
I laugh and tell her that there's nothing left to gather, but I get dressed anyways, and we head out of camp together.
The Wasteland is bathed in a pinkish grey light, and the tip of the sun peeks over the distant ridge of the barren mountains.
Suddenly something hits me from behind and I fall to the ground with a shriek of pain and surprise.
I hear Raen's panicked shout ? Ahra!! ?
Raen turns and I can tell by her expression that she's just noticed my wound too.
I know she's lying because I can feel the darkness gathering at the edges of my mind already.
? Raen. ? I say, and I am surprised to find my own voice so feeble.
She looks up, tears spilling from her eyes.
? Thank you for taking me in. It was the best year of my whole life and-
I hope you find what you're looking for. ?
I grasp Raen's hand more tightly and whisper ? Thank you for saving me. ?
The darkness obscures Raen. The darkness obscures everything.
But in the distance I think I can hear my parents voices.
? You were so strong, Darling. ?
Caris did it. She led us here.
And I'm always watching out for lost Wanderers, so that I can give them a chance?.
Aksana Hogmagouch was not your Russian lady. She was six feet four inches tall, and she fought bears in the forest for fun. Everyone in Shlisselburg, her hometown, was absolutely terrified of her. Including me. Although I am a friend of hers, she still gives me the creeps. Once you get to know her, though, she is a real softy on the inside. As we progress through this story, you will get to peer through the window into her soul. Although Askana had a handful of close friends, she was mainly all on her own, not that she cared. Askana's usual morning routine looked a little like this.
Wake up before the crack of dawn, and refill the birdfeeder she kept outside her window. Next, drink three egg whites and munch on a stalk of celery. Go to the bathroom and examine chin whiskers. Then, pet Kitti (Askana's cat), while lifting 30-pound weights. Take a shower outside in -10 degrees and sit down for a dainty cup of tea (yes, dainty) Askana lived in a small cottage which is surrounded by thick forest. Her cottage was Askana's pride and joy. Her great-grandfather had built it with his bare hands, and pure muscle, as well. Although the snug cottage only had four rooms, a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and living room, it was made for huge people like Askana and her ancestors. 13-foot-tall ceilings and custom-made furniture were only a couple of features in Askana's strange house
Anyways, I am sure you will want to get along with our tale, and how Askana warped our lives today. You see, back then, bears had two heads and eight legs. They were the most feared animals in Russia, even topping the 20-foot-tall moose. Russian Bears had a terrifying habit of catching tourists wandering through the thick woods, and, well, folding them inside out. I know it sounds gory to you now, but back then, 25% of people had that horrible fate. Now you can see why they were the most feared animals (more like monsters) in all of Russia. If you are wondering, yes, all bears back then looked like that, but Russia had the most aggressive.
As you can tell, these terrifying ancient Russian bears play a huge part in Askana's life. Only she was a proper match for these creatures in all the world. Askana was the most feared, but she was also the most honored. Whenever she was making her daily rounds in the forest and saw a poor person getting flipped inside out, Askana helped save them. Although the victim may get injured in the process of the bear-wrestling match, anything was better than getting turned inside out. Askana was rarely hurt while beating up the bear, because, well, nobody really knows why. She just does not get hurt I have even been a witness to one of these brawls and have seen Askana take several blows. She always gets back up. Always. Until one time.
I and Askana were walking through a sparkling white forest after a raging snowstorm. when we heard a vicious roar and a bloodcurdling scream. We both exchanged bored but alarmed glances and started running in the direction of the commotion. There was an ancient bear towering over a poor child and her terrified grandmother. Unfortunately, when I say the bear was ?ancient? that is not a good thing. Nowadays, things get weaker as they get older, but back then was not the case. As living things continued to age, they got stronger and stronger, and three hours before they die, living things have superstrength qualities, so watch out. But now living things get weaker as they get older, as you may have noticed.
At the time, we had no idea that the bear was in its superstrength stage right before death, so Askana dived into the fight without a moment's hesitation. You can tell when a thing is in that stage by the dilated pupils, increased heart rate, and a bluish tint to their skin, fur, or whatever is on the outside of their body. For obvious reasons, we had no time to check for those signals. It was a gory fight. The old lady and the child escaped with minor injuries (meaning a couple of broken ribs and some cuts worth stitches), but Askana was not so lucky. I know the fight could be heard all over the valley, but that was the least of our problems right now.
All of a sudden, with an alarming pace, Askana zipped around the bear and slashed at its back with her nails. The creature roared in agony and whipped around to face Askana, only to find that she had run away again. That is strange, I thought, Askana has never been able to do that before. She was fighting stronger than ever, and you could never even tell her knees had been quivering only moments before. She rammed the bear's skull with tree trunks and even shattered one head. Its loose skin flopped onto the monster's shoulder, not having a skull in it anymore. Two eyes fell to the ground with a sickening plop and added to the redness of the snow. Askana was winning.
This scene was how Askana changed my life, your life, your mom and dad's life, and every life in the whole world. Askana let out a thundering battle cry and went ahead and ripped the bloody and just barely alive bear in half. Yes, you read that right. In half. She altered the whole existence of the bear. Instead of having eight limbs and two heads, it looked more like the typical grizzly you know today. From then on, bears adapted to become less fearful, so that they could avoid the mighty Askana.
One mystery has not been solved. How had Askana pick herself up after such a brutal fight? Let me tell you, my friend. Little did I know that Askana had been entering the stage of superhuman powers before death.
Once one has entered that stage, there is no denying death. The best doctor in all of Russia could not have saved Askana. After the ripping of the bear, I saw Askana fall weakly to the bloodied ground. It was almost in slow motion. I ran over to her, seeming to not get there fast enough. I crouched over her and glanced at her wounds. She was losing too much blood. It was hopeless. I leaned over to her mangled face, wiping the blood out of her eyes so she could see me with her last dying breath. She tries to press on her wounds to stop the bleeding, but I touch her hand, stopping her. It is useless.
?Let go. We will be alright without you.? I said grimly.
?No. I cannot leave you,? Askana's eyes rolled back and she shuddered, pulling herself back together. ?I??must????.protect?.?
Her voice died out with the light in her beautiful eyes. Askana was dead. I hunched over her mangled body and held my hand to her cheek. Then the horrible feeling of grief came clawing into my darkened soul.
?No. NO. NOOOOO!? I screamed into the quiet woods and heard my echoing voice reply a solemn song. Suddenly, I saw a shadow behind me. I whipped around, expecting to face another bear, but instead, I saw Askana. She was pale blue and had a glowing sensation around her.
?I will never be gone until you forget me.? She blew me a sad kiss and flew up into the branches, disappearing. From then on, I speak to her every morning, for I know she can hear me. I had two beautiful children and grandchildren, and I tell tales of her every day. She will not be forgotten, not even when I die, which will be soon. I am 87 years old.
Shlisselburg put up a grand statue of Askana in the town square, made of pure gold that never loses its shine. The locals tell stories of her, but the tale has evolved over time. I am the only one who knows what really happened that sorrowful night. Here we have not had a bear attack in three decades. Legend says she is still wandering this forest tracking down any last bears and ripping them in half. She has traveled near you, for I assume that your bears do not have two heads and eight legs.
Now that you know this tale, spread it to your friends and family, for then the spirit of Askana will continue to live on and protect the helpless.
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