CHAPTER 5
The sharp crack of bamboo filled the clearing, the tall cottonwoods spectating the fight that took place in the grassy field they protected. Sakari growled lightly and parries the next heavy attack, sending him sprawling on the ground. She pounced him and pressed the clothe tipped sword against neck. “Come on, Zerataph. I've told you a hundred times: You need to learn how to not telegraph your attacks.” 
The dragon hissed and slapped the bamboo Shinai away from his neck. “I'm trying. You're just not playing fair.” He wiggled out from underneath the wolfess. He was wearing a pair of gi pants with a tight fitting vest. His arms were thin and had little muscle tone to them, dark scales covering much of his body while silvery plates ran down from his neck down to his belly.
Sakari chuckled and stood up, reaching down to help him up. Her fur was a beautiful red-brown color, her lavender hair braided tightly. “Aww, don't be like that brother, I'm just trying to teach you how to fight.” She smiled and squeezed his arm lightly. “I can't help it if I’m always going to be stronger than you.” She smiled and bapped him lightly on the head with the Shinai. 
Zerataph growled again and slapped it away again. “Whatever. Let's just go home.” He pouted and began to walk, his long, thin tail whipping around behind him.
“Hey, don't be such a downer...” She followed after him, her pointed ears flattening against her head. “I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll get there someday, little brother.” She grabbed Zerataph and hugged him tightly.
The younger dragon blushed brightly and returned the hug. “Thanks, Sakari. I'll do whatever I can to do to get as strong as you.” he smiled, his eyes lighting up at his own words.
The wolfess couldn't help but chuckle and pulled away. “Good luck with that.” She said and pushed him backwards, making him stumble. “Race you home!” She called back.
“H-Hey! No-Not fair!” He roared and dashed forward after his sister. He quickly caught up with her and grabbed at her tail, yanking it back and making her yelp sharply. The pair climbed up the steep embankment that separated the forest from the village. As soon as they reached the top, they were greeted by their father.
“Good Evening, you two. Been trying to avoid your chores again?” The golden brown wolf eyed the two teens.
“N-No, Father. We were just training.” Zerataph said, lowering his pale eyes to avoid his father's stern brown eyes.
“I'm sorry, Father. It was my fault, I lost track of the time. I'll get right to it.” She spoke quickly.
“It's too late now. Tomorrow you'll get up before sunrise to do them. And as extra punishment, I'll take these” he grabbed the bamboo swords from the two. “You won't be getting these back for a week's time. Now come to dinner.” He turned around and walked back to their little house.
Sakari lowered her ears, wanting to argue further, but knew better so she held her tongue. She followed the older male wolf, her tail wiggling around behind her.
Zerataph grumbled and followed his sister into the house. The males sat down at the short table and let Sakari serve them. Zerataph was silent throughout dinner and was the first to bed that night. He never fell asleep, however. He heard his sister come into the room they had to share and quickly fall asleep. The dragon climbed out of bed carefully and made his way towards their father's room just on the opposite side of the sitting room. Poking his head in through the door and watched the blankets rise and fall with the wolf's breaths. Zerataph tip-toed into the room and began to look for the Shinai. As he stepped near his cabinet, the floor creaked. The dragon froze in place and listened to the wolf snore lightly. He breathed out softly before continuing to search, being more cautious. Opening the doors on the cabinet, Zerataph couldn't help but gasp. The wolf's forest green armor hung inside the cabinet on a bust, the helmet placed on the center of the shelf in front of the cuirass. He gently laid his paw on the leather helm when he heard the floor creak behind him.
“Lovely, isn't it?”
The deep voice caused Zerataph's heart jump into his chest.. He spun around to confront his father. “I-I just. I was...” He stuttered.
The wolf touched the dragon's head lightly and gave a smile. “I know. It's okay, Zerataph.” He whispered.
“F-Father...you never...I never knew you were in battle.” He said, looking back at the armour that hung in the cabinet.
“I never have been, It was MY father who wore it into battle. This armour was passed down from his, and his before that. And when you come of age, It'll be passed to you.” He said softly
“Should it not...go to Sakari. She's your own blood.”
“It's passed down from father to son. And, yes, while you're not my blood descendant, you are still my son.” The wolf whispered and held the dragon in a gentle hug. “Now  if you're done sneaking around, why don't you head back to bed. You have an early start tomorrow.”
Zerataph lowered his head and nodded as he was ushered back into his room. He lay down in his futon again, staring up at the ceiling. Turning to look at Sakari laying beside him and gave a soft sight. He closed his eyes and tried his best to fall asleep, finding it hard with everything on his mind. When Sakari woke him in the morning, he felt as if he hadn't been asleep more than a few moments.
They worked on their chores: Cleaning the house and tending to the small field of vegetables that grew out the back. By the time they were finished, the sun was directly above them. The two sat down in the shade of the house to catch their breath and to cool down.
“Hey Sakari, Can you teach me some more today?” Zerataph asked, drinking water from a gourd . 
“how can I? Dad took our Shinai, remember?” She knocked him on the head with her knuckles before taking the gourd from him to have a drink.
“Ow!” I know that. Just...maybe we can do unarmed... close quarters?” He rubbed the spot between his midnight blue horns.
“Why? You want your tail handed to you again?” Sakari chuckled and dropped the mostly finished off gourd into Zerataph's lap.
I'm not going to lose any more! I'm going to get strong.” He hissed and stood up, the water spilling onto the green grass. “Someday I'll beat you and you won't be able to do a thing!” Zerataph said sharply and stopped off.
Sakari watched him storm across the field before dropping out of sight. She heaved a sigh and shook her head, turning to go back into the house. As she ate lunch, she couldn't help but feel guilty about how Zerataph had stormed off. His last words echoed in her mind as she sat in silence.
The next several days crept by and Sakari had seen her brother over the time. Whenever they were in each others company, they spoke almost nothing to the other. Days turned into weeks as the end of the season quickly arrived and the whole village was busy getting ready for the Time of the Harvest festival they held every year. 
Sakari was busy cleaning their room, sweeping the dirt into a small pile. She reached down to lift their futons to clean underneath them. After putting hers on the side, she turned to Zerataph's and lifted the side and found a pile of books and scrolls. She picked them up and looked them over. Most of them were about exercises and training regiments, describing what exercise built what muscles. Picking up the smallest book and saw the dragon's messy handwriting describing all the training he was doing, along with any changes he was getting from them.
She continued to flip through the book until she came across a page that had very clean and clear writing: Long ago the land was ruled by the dragons that cave birth to the world.... The wolfess read the words out loud. She lowered her ears as she drew near the end of the passage. A loud thump from the common area caused her to jump and drop the book. Quickly she dropped the futon back into place, dragging hers back down and kicked up a cloud of dust. As the dragon opened the door, she turned to face him, a nervous smile on her muzzle. “H-Hey Zerataph. Where've you been? It's been weeks since any one's seen you.”
“Out. What does it matter to you?” He replied coldly. He dropped a back onto his futon and yanked his top off and tossed it down onto the bag. Sakari looked over his bare torso, seeing the benefits of all his training. His arms and chest had more tone than before. While nothing overly major, it was still impressive what he did in such a short amount of time.
She walked over to him, ears laying flat against her head. “I've...I've just been worried, alright. I haven't seen you in weeks. Even father is starting to wonder where you're always going to.”
“It doesn't matter where I've been or what I've been doing. It's none of your business. Just leave me alone!” He snapped and turned to leave, his tail whipping behind him and smacking the broom that was against the wall, snapping it in two.
Sakari made to follow him, but stopped herself. She felt something dark was lingering over him. Something unsettling. She looked down at the shirt and the strings of the bag hanging off the side of the bed. She looked up at the open door before kneeling down next to it and opened the bag. Inside was another set of books and scrolls along with several small gourds of water. She pulled out one of the older looking scrolls, unrolling it she saw that it was a map of Sippea'. There was a circle around their home village and a line that connected to another circle just a few kilometers south. The circle around the second dot was circled darkly, multiple lines showing how many times he marked the map. Next to it was scribbled words that Sakari couldn't make out at all.  She whined lightly and put it back into the bag before  walking out into the common area, finding her father cooking their supper. “Evening, father.” She said and stepped in next to him, grabbing a knife to assist the other wolf.
“Hi, Sakari. Is your brother still around?” He smiled as he chopped shallots and dropping them into the pot.
“No. I think he went out again....” She looked down into pot, seeing a meaty stew simmering. “Dad. Do you remember that legend you used to tell us? The one with the king and the dragons?”
“Yes, I do. It was always Zerataph's favorite.” He tilted the cutting board to add more vegetables to the broth. 
“Is... Is it true?” Sakari asked nervously 
The wolf blinked rabidly. “Well...It's just a legend. It might have a kernel of truth, but most of it would have been overly exaggerated. The feral dragons that used to walk the land and there may have been a king that used them in his armies before. The dragons are long gone now, so there's no way to tell if it is true.” He explained as he covered the stew to let it boil. “Why do you ask?”
“No-No reason. I just saw that Zerataph had it written down and..” She glanced over at her father. “It's nothing. I was just curious.” She smiled and flicked her tail around.
Once dinner was prepared, the two wolves sat down to eat, a bowl placed in between them for Zerataph. Her father was the first one up from the table, leaving Sakari to clean the pots and bowls. She lay down in bed and stared over at the dragon's futon and sighed softly, her tail wiggling violently under the covers. “What are you doing, brother.” The wolfess rolled over and tried her best to sleep.
The festival had arrived quickly and the village was beautifully decorated in red, orange and yellow lanterns. The center of town had tables that were filled  to over flowing with treats and delicacies of all kinds. Everyone mingled and bragged about the harvests they had this year. 
Sakari could hear the chatter faintly as she looked at her self in the polished shield. Tying her braid back, turned around slightly too look at herself again. The orange kimono was fitted perfectly to her form, but gave her a surprising amount of maneuverability. Gold patterns swirled and twisted around the right side and almost sparkled in the fading light. She smiled softly and walked out to the living room, seeing her father in his room. She turned to walk out the door when she heard his voice.
“Sakari. Wait one minute.” He could be heard rummaging around in his room for another minute before he walked out. He adorned his own red and orange garb, hanging on his shoulders loosely. “I have something for you. Your mother wanted me to give this to you when you came of age.” He smiled and handed her a long, clothe wrapped package.
“But, father. I'm not of age yet.” She smiled and looked at the item in her paws. 
“I know. But in a few months will be your eighteenth birthday. And...I think that you're ready for it as you'll ever be.” He returned the smile.
Sakari giggled and pulled the the strings that held the cloth around the item. Unfolding the fabric, she exposed a beautiful katana. The leather wrapped handle sat behind a golden wolf's head, emeralds placed in the eye sockets. She pulled the blade out of the red scabbard and gasped. The blade almost glowed in the evening night, and reflected her face perfectly. “O-oh gods...It's amazing.” She stuttered as she spoke. “This belonged...this was mother's?” She asked, fighting back tears as she looked down into her reflection.
“Yes, it was...” He smiled and looked at her holding the sword. “Sakari. You've grown into such a strong woman...you remind me so much of your mother. “ He said and placed his paws on hers.
Sakari smiled and lowered her ears, a light blush coming to her cheeks. “Thank you, Father.” She said in a whisper.
A sudden crack of thunder interrupted them and seconds after, the door slid open with a smack. “It's Zerataph!”A thick bodied hare shouted to be heard over the shouting and storm. “He just attacked some of the villagers!” 
“No. It couldn't be. You're sure it was Zerataph?” 
“Of course it was. He's the only dragon in the whole village!” The hare shouted. “He just attacked us and left through the south exit.”
The wolf followed the hare outside. “Sakari, Stay in side. I'll be back as soon as I can.” He said before shutting the door sharply.
Sakari stood petrified as she processed what had been said. Eventually she shook her head and to clear her thoughts before dashing do the door. It slid open with great difficulty, the howling wind threatening to rip the door out of her hands. As she stepped outside, the door slammed shut again, almost catching her tail. She watched as the villagers ran for their houses, mothers holding onto their cubs tightly as the wind threatened to blow them away.
Looking at the center of the village, she saw the tables and lanterns flying about in the strong wind, smashing against walls and ground. Lighting struck constantly all around the village but to the south, the worst of the storm seemed to be growing. She gripped the sword tightly and ran as fast as she could against the wind.
She ran through the rain and wind, her fur and clothes sticking to her body. Following the storm clouds, she continued south and soon came to a sandstone building. It stood alone in the sands that had formed just south of their village. Above her, she watched the clouds spiral slowly, lighting shooting across the bottom of the clouds, lighting up the deep purple skies.
Pushing the heavy wooden doors open, Sakari stepped into the antechamber, a chilling silence encompassed her. She opened the second door to enter the shrine, The dragon's wrapped around the stone pillar and watched her walk towards the alter where Zerataph stood.
They spoke loudly and over time the words became oddly muffled and slow. A final lighting bolt connected both Zerataph and Sakari for a brief second before sending her flying down the middle again while her sword buried itself in one of the stone pillars. The dragon loomed over her, laughing cruelly before kicking her muzzle sharply.
The sun had risen and the shine was filled with an eery calm. Her father ran into the building and found her laying motionless. He quickly but gently shook her, his golden tail waving behind him fearfully.
Sakari's lavender eyes opened and she began to cry uncontrollably. “Father! Mother! I'm sorry.” She screamed and trembled. The older wolf picked her up and ran out of the building; A final Cry of I'm sorry ringing in the empty halls.