Do Not Disturb

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Warrl
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Joined: Sat Jul 20, 2013 10:44 pm

Do Not Disturb

Post by Warrl »

Hey, mind if I try to bring some sign of life to this place? A totally non-Wapsi story that I wrote elsewhere. I think you'll enjoy it...

The original inspiration is a misread book title...
Last edited by Warrl on Wed Mar 22, 2023 7:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Warrl
Posts: 1723
Joined: Sat Jul 20, 2013 10:44 pm

Do Not Disturb

Post by Warrl »

The army of Westria lined the ridge to the north of the narrow valley. Knights in plate armor astride their horses, light cavalry and infantry in chain, archers in leather, and wizards in robes eyed the Nomi forces similarly arrayed to their south. This day might define the balance of power among the kingdoms on the great island of Everness for the next several generations.

A plume of road-dust appeared over the lower, eastern end of the valley, slowly moving toward them. The commanders on both sides paused, wondering who would be so foolish as to take that road on this day.

Two sets of hooves pounded up the valley, one approaching the Westrain leaders, the other the Nomi. Hurried conversations, and the newly-arrived soldiers were handed staves with white banners attached. They - and only those two - then went down into the valley, meeting at the stream which approximated its centerline.

Conversing briefly, they returned to their own commanders. Orders were given. The mounted soldiers dismounted, and most of the troops on both sides withdrew down the far sides of their respective ridges, leaving only guard details keeping an eye on each other.

The wagon continued up the valley, drawn by a pair of wyverns. The young woman driving it smiled as the subtle changes in the appearance of the ridges revealed to her that the armies were withdrawing. Many good men will live at least one more day, because I am here. And perhaps...

Grantorex soared over the mountain, and glanced down the valley to the east. She could just make out a plume of road dust in the distance. After a brief return to her cavern she flew toward it. On her way she noted the two armies' supply caravans, and the cattle that were both draft animals and stocks of meat for the soldiers - they could spare a few on each side. Brief detours had her sweeping over each army in turn, notifying them of the presence of one they would not wish to annoy.

Moments later she could make out the two wyverns. Good. This wagon was almost certainly the one she awaited. A closer approach confirmed it, and the young human made gestures she knew to be friendly greetings.

She plucked an animal from one of the armies with one huge forepaw, and likewise from the other army with the other. Then she chose to settle on the valley floor, next to the stream, almost exactly between where the two armies' commanders had been earlier. It would save her visitor two days' travel each direction - those poor non-flying creatures are so slow! And also disrupt the armies' intentions which, left unchecked, would render the valley unfit for deer or cattle - her food supply - for several years.

The stream ran red with blood. From the two cattle she had taken. She managed with some difficulty to hang one of them from a tree, close to the ground, and then ate the other.

Shortly before sunset the wyvern-drawn wagon reached where she lay.

"Minka," Grantorex rumbled, "how fare your hoard and your clutch?"

"My hoard does well enough, thank you. But I have not taken a mate, so have no clutch as yet."

"Ah, well, even for a human you are yet young. Here is the design I was thinking of." She rolled out the animal-hide she had retrieved from her cavern.

Minka was experienced at interpreting dragon artwork. Grantorex's finest claw-tip was thicker than Minka's thumb, so certain inadequacies were expected. The young woman took another hide from inside her wagon, along with brushes and paints, and quickly painted an outline strongly resembling Grantorex's work but in much finer detail.

After some discussion and a few small additions, the two females agreed on the design. Minka then turned to the dead cow. Skinning it, she cut off several choice segments for her own use over the next few days, and fed a fourth part of the remainder to the wyverns.

The next morning she got out her needles, drills, and pigments, and began copying the design from the animal hide to Grantorex's scales, between her wings.

The process took fifteen days. As the seasons were turning, the two armies had to return home so the men could harvest the crops; peace would return for at least a few months. They did lose a few more cattle before leaving, though.

A bag of jewels were transferred from Grantorex's hoard to Minka's. The former flew back to her mountain. Minka took down the animal hides hanging on the sides of her wagon and replaced them with the two versions of what she had just done for Grantorex. Then she turned her wagon back down the valley and toward the road to her next client.

She traveled in perfect safety of course. Nobody - neither armies nor highwaymen - would dare trouble the girl who did dragon tattoos.
Last edited by Warrl on Tue Nov 14, 2023 11:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Just Old Al
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Re: Do Not Disturb

Post by Just Old Al »

Warrl wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 7:10 pm She traveled in perfect safety of course. Nobody - neither armies nor highwaymen - would dare trouble the girl who did dragon tattoos.
Oh, that's bad......

Great story! Bravo!
"The Empire was founded on cups of tea, mate, and if you think I am going to war without one you are sadly mistaken."
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Atomic
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Re: Do Not Disturb

Post by Atomic »

Applause, applause!

And a salute to the variation on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo!
Don't let other peoples limitations become your constraints!

My Deviant Art scribbles
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Dave
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Re: Do Not Disturb

Post by Dave »

Oh, very nice! I do enjoy a well-crafted story which has a shaggy dog lurking within.

Hmmm... I wonder... since scales are congruent to hairs, is there such a thing as a shaggy dragon, that there might be shaggy-dragon stories? If so, are there shaggy-dragon groomers, what are the going prices for such a service, and what's the survival rate? Might we see Our Heroes undertaking a dangerous quest for the fabled Curry-Comb of S̵̞͑̿ḿ̶̺̻à̸̩ͅû̶̖̩g̷̨̤̿?
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