there's a secret in that dormant soul

[hunny.milk.tea]

this format is subject to change at any time, ty !

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the secret of the dragon statues
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howdy hey ! below you will find the directory through each chapter for the tryout i'm writing ! do not post on this thread, ty! this tryout is for the garden event hosted for wermz! wermz are a uma species designed by 0blivion that can be found here! that being said all writing done below is by myself, i hope you enjoy !

chapter 1
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chapter 2
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chapter 3
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chapter 4

penny
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bea

[hunny.milk.tea]

the sun's rays just started peaking past the horizon of eaden, signifying the rise of dawn in the desolate wasteland. not even the sandy dunes were awake at this time, drearily sifting sand sat still as the unknown planet that eaden rotated around came into view. the dormant landscape was quiet, or would be, if there was not the familiar scuttle of paws barreling across the sleepy mounds of sand. paw prints easily swept away with the faintest hint of a breeze, covering the tracks of a brave creature that dared to venture outside the ruined city outskirts and into the barren desert that lay waste to nothingness. a bright striking red coloration darted across the surf of tiny pebbles of sands, darting to a brush or jumble of ancient scrap and waiting a moment before repeating the process. to any on-looker, this was a strange sight to behold indeed, would make one question the sanity of said individual as they would streak across the openness only to rest for a sheer moment in the sanctuary of a 'rest-stop'. however, there were no on-lookers, and therefore the creature continued on their journey without fear of judgement. not that they would care mind you. or would they? another pause. the light from the sun was starting to heighten the heat of the desert floor, and the individual once more paused behind a rather large bush to catch a quick breath. a closer look at the creature and it was instantly determined they were a werm, however not a usual looking one. the strawberry red coloring of their pelt pretty much symbolized everything that this werm was, a strawberry. although whether they were born this way as a means of camouflage/defense out in the barren wastes was up for debate. the werm glanced skyward, up to where some distant twinkles of long faded stars were beaming back. for a moment all that could be heard was the lethargically slow morning breeze that would grace the werm with some refreshing air every now and again. but then, there was a soft buzzing that hit the air. slow at first, before building up to be somewhat faster, the sound magnifying and altering as the approach of another became apparent. the strawberry werm sat in wait, green shining orbs plastered to the oceanic blue in search of the owner of the noise. the buzzing turned into swishing and swooping, flapping and some slight muttering, until there! in the air was another, gliding in the morning air with a broad smile across their face. the vibrancy of the other's bright red coat drew the airborne creature down to the dust of the ground.

"bea! there ya're! now what in tarnation's are we doing out here, i got yer note 'bout the-" however, the winged werm was quickly cut short when the strawberry companion, bea, hushed her. the winged werm fell quiet, tucking in her feathers and bringing her two tails to coil around her legs gingerly, glancing around as if assuming she had been hushed cause the pair were being watched. however the desert appeared... well, deserted. there wasn't another soul out here besides them. bea rocked back and forth on her heels, looking to her winged friend as she then rummaged around in a patched up knap sack.

"listen, i know i know. it all sounds crazy, i didn't have much charcoal left when i was writing to you. it sounds crazy penny but... i had to tell someone! did you get to the part where i mentioned the rumors going around?" bea asked anxiously while still scrambling around in the knap sack, clearly looking for something rucked away. the winged werm, penny, drew closer to bea, her softened green eyes lighting up as she nodded slowly. it came to light that the two were in fact on the same page, despite the discrete location and somewhat shady context bea had provided to her.

"oh yea! talk of the 'town' as ya'll call it. somethin 'bout ancient textiles and mystic powers, hell, even talk 'bout some ancient creatures who were here long before eaden even came to be! 'parently some werm found a map or somethin' like that to a place that has more info... but, ain't that all they are bea? they're just rumors, even berry was tellin' me how wermlings love to cause havoc durin' the slower times..." however by this point penny had drawn to a close, seeing now that bea was holding something clutched in her paws. the feathered werm tilted her head in confusion, the buzz of some unknown insect hit the air as the sun grew hotter and drained downward upon them. bea glanced up at pen, her eyes glowing in excitement as she produced some prehistoric looking paper. bea gave a sharp inhale, unraveling the rolled up leathery material and revealing to the pair a map of sorts, hidden symbols and texts marked in some glistening ink scribbled all over. penny felt her feathers fluff up, her wings shooting outwards and almost knocking bea over as she gasped loudly.

"holy snake fangs, that ain't- it couldn' be- bea??" penny looked to her companion in sheer shock, rendered speechless as bea beamed wildly, clearly enjoying her friend's utter disbelief.

it isn't all just rumors pen! turns out some of them are true, legitimately true! I found this map in a back alleyway close to where ronnie was trying to pawn it off to some wermz. they weren't listening, so i sorta snuck by and snatched it-" this caused pen to do a double take, the feathered werm frowning slightly as bea quickly shook her head. "no don't worry! I left some trinkets and scrap in exchange, plus I'll bring it right back... after we figure out where the lost city is!" bea exclaimed. pen decided to set morals aside for a moment as she and bea both gazed at the unraveled roll of paper. the texts were made up of strange letters that the pair had never seen before, glistening with shiny purple-golden ink. the map displayed many strange landmarks that neither one of the wermz had seen while out scavenging, meaning this could be anywhere on this moon, maybe even further from eaden than either had ever traversed. surely it could be done though, in fact it had to be. they couldn't let up this loot now that they had it, and both of them knew it, pen turning to face bea again, her eyes dancing across the paper to try and see if she could figure out any of the locations.

"so ya pulled me out here to find this lost city? an this holds all the... the secrets?" pen questioned curiously. now it was bea's turn to be rendered speechless, opening and closing her maw multiple times before she sat quietly. truth be told she had no idea what any of this meant, if it would lead to anything or if it was just rumors as most said. but something in her, an ancient calling, pulled her to try and have faith. carefully she rolled the map back up, digging back into her knapsack to pull out a dusty leather journal. penny watched with interest as bea flicked through the thin paper pages of the note pad, clearly searching for a specific page. with a glancing peak, pen could see notes jotted down between each page, sketches of unknown monuments and symbols similar to those on the map could be made out. this had obviously been something on bea's mind for a while, and while a bit confused by it all, penny was overall impressed with her best friend. finally after a long, drawn-out silence, bea spoke again, brow furrowed as she stared down at the open pages of notes.

"i haven't cracked the code yet... but in short, yes. this could very well be the uncovering of secrets long sealed by some higher forces. i might even add... this is the beginning of the unknown" bea then turned quickly on her heels, her eyes pointed towards the sun as she estimated the time of dawn. with the map safely tucked away she then brought forth her journal to hand to penny, who took it with peaked interest. penny tucked her wings in close to her side, her tails whipping behind her as she looked over the notes, many scribbles scratched out as it was a guessing game.

"it looks like yer close to crackin' the code bea! you think it really is by the wastelands? that place is dangerous y'know... should we call fer backup or anythin' just in case y'know?" penny said, handing the journal back to bea who quickly stuffed it into the worn down knapsack. slinging the sack over her shoulder bea shook her head feverishly, jostling with the sack before it settled along her backside. the pair came close together as bea looked out over the horizon, catching a glimpse of the scrapes of ruined city. the journey would be a long one it seemed, but well worth it in the end.

"no, it's too risky to get anyone else involved, just think if berry heard about this! she would probably have our heads for even thinking of trying to go find the lost city for secrets. it has to be just us pen, so are you in?" bea stated, placing her paw out in the middle of the two. penny looked torn for a moment, her green eyes flashed with some contemplation as she rocked on her hind legs. finally she extended her paw out and brushed it to bea's, shaking gently as bea smiled back. penny gave her best toothy grin before pulling back.

"I'm always with ya bea, we're in this adventure together ya hear? now let's go find us some secrets!" the two grinned at each other before the griffin werm took to the sky, wings expanding as she caught the faint morning breeze of eaden. bea took a deep breath and closed her eyes, preparing herself for what laid ahead, knowing whatever it was, it might change their lives forever. little did she know, this was only the beginning of the unknown.

- end of chapter one -
- word count: 1,707 -

[hunny.milk.tea]

the scuttle of a desert beetle was heard over the vacancy of the moon's dreary surface. few creatures tend to dwell so far outside of the collection of wermz of eaden, and even fewer this far away from the city outskirts. the bright fiery orb in the sky sent down blazing rays of heat, hot enough to cause even a seasoned veteran to break a sweat. high above from the ground was a griffin werm, penny, coasting on the tail winds of the morning breeze. every pump of her powerful wings brought her further and further away from the safety of her home she had once known. away from her friends, from her partner, berry, from the sheltered community that had given her a place to stay. and yet... there was a certain tingle in the tips of her wings. a peculiar tickle in her core, something that made her want to flap faster in order to reach the secrets that lay ahead. the feathered gal cast a sideways glance down at the ground, seeing a bright red figure racing across the dunes of sand, avoiding jutting objects that protruded from the moon's surface. penny was definitely impressed with her rather quiet companion. not only had bea been following the rumors that the town had been buzzing about, but she had managed to track down some dusty map with eons old writing and text on it. and now here they were, the pair headed straight into the darkness of uncertainty, a whole lifetime of adventure just beyond their reach. penny ducked down and did a loop in the air, catching the wind once more as she unfurled her wings. she just couldn't help it! the mystery of it all... the lost city, the symbols with hidden meanings, and above all the possible knowledge to whatever secrets lurked in the shadows of their destination. as penny day dreamed high above, down below bea was sprinting along, her amble movements helped her easily glide over the dunes of sparse sand. she had to pause occasionally when a gust would kick up some of the lose moon's dust and send it her way, however there was no stopping her now. they had traveled for pretty much half the day, resting only occasionally for water and little bits of jerky snacks. uncertain of the trail, bea would also pull out the crumpled ancient map she had swiped so lovingly from ronnie. she was careful to study it, every single grove in the paper, signifying a path once long carved out now covered by the ashes of present day. however this didn't sway bea, it only made her more determined. as the midday sun beat down intently on the pair, bea once more called above with a shrill whistle for a stop. penny banked to the left, spiraling down to the ground until her paws lightly touched in the shade of a clump of dead brush mangled together. bea waited for her as penny fixed herself up, glancing over at her companion.

"nother water break i reckon? the ball of fire is gettin' mighty hot" penny commented as she strained her eyes looking upwards towards the sun. however bea shook her head, grabbing around her shoulder at the knapsack and once more pulling out the map. both wermz leaned in close to catch glimpses of the map. along the way bea had been marking down to the best of her calculations where she assumed they had been traveling. it was hard once outside the city outskirt limits to pin point where one could be. even harder that bea wasn't the best directional guide, she had focused on using the constellations familiar to eaden to travel and yet, they were doing this during the day. penny wiped her forehead of sweat, giving a soft pant as she angled herself to lean over bea's shoulder, studying the map. her wings sprung outwards in surprise when she noticed how close they were to what appeared to be the largest structure on the map, labeled '-unintelligible- city'. bea pulled back and allowed her eyes to dance across the surrounding area on the moon's surface, her brow furrowing.

"the map says we should be pretty close to the city, but I'm not seeing even the ruins of a single shack? I was tracking out longitude and latitude pretty frequently, i thought i had laid it our correctly before taking the trip. and yet... no city, not even ruins of one?" bea muttered in a defeated tone. penny craned her neck and glanced all around, now it being her turn to seem dejected as she couldn't catch even a peep of a building jutting from the sand dunes. however the griffin was not as easily put down by lack of evidence, and therefore she puffed her chest with a huff.

"well we ain't 'bout to give up hope now! cmon' I'll go 'head an' fly up to look 'round and yer gonna do some searchin' on the ground, 'right?" penny said, a thick southern accent being laced into her words. bea gave a soft smile, clutching the map and giving a nod, trying to force back the thoughts of doubt and have faith in her friend. so the two set to work, penny ascending back into the heat of midday and bea stuffing the map away before taking off across the land. penny watched from above, squinting her soft green eyes to try and spot any structure nearby. as she soared she felt a strange feeling overcome her, one that made her wing tips jittery. there was a light cry from below and penny snapped her head in the direction of it. her eyes widened in shock as a scream broke out, and the scene below her unfolded. it was bea! the vibrant red werm was scrambling frantically with the sand around her, and penny watched in utter fear as it all began to collapse and cascade around her. mounds and mounds of sand caved inward towards the ground, a massive opening yawning the stretch of the whole town of eaden coming above. penny quickly swooped down, the air whipping at her feathers as her two tails lashed behind her, anxiously trying to get to her friend.

"BEA! HOLD ON BEA I'M COMIN'!!" penny hollered down into the massive sand pit that continued to fall. the hole was now excessively wide, inside was pitch darkness that seemed to swallow up any light that dared to seep inward. penny didn't hesitate, launching herself into the newly formed pit trying to get to bea. penny's heart rang in her chest, blood rushing to her head as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the gaping opening that had shown itself to the moon's surface, almost as if rising from slumber. penny slowed herself down as she began to blink rapidly, coughing as the dust around her settled. it was too little too late however when she slammed down into a massive pile of the fallen sand, tumbling down the mound and tucking her wings in as she was sent flying. she gave a light scream as she crumpled into a sandy ball after reaching the end of the mound. penny shook off the sand as she opened her eyes with a groan, finally peering out into the extremely dim area. outlines of massive spiraling towers appeared, and when penny looked up she gasped to see that she was at least a hundred feet from the surface of the ground above. however penny shook her head, forcing herself upright as she winced in slight pain from the fall, calling out again. "BEA!? BEA WHERE ARE YOU?? BEA!?" penny called out fearfully. the sand was still trickling in, causing waves of dust to rise from the ancient tiled floor below penny's paws. there was a chilling sting to the air, and it hummed with some sort of energy that caused penny's feathers to stand up on end, as if she wasn't meant to be here. but then, off to her left, she heard some sifting of sand that was different than that of the falling mounds that caved inward. penny quickly whirled around, almost tripping over her own paws as she rushed to the pile of sand that had come from above. there, something or someone, was trying to dig themselves out. penny threw herself onto the pile, digging rapidly to try and free what she hoped to be her friend. with handful after handful removed, finally bea's head poked through, followed by coughing and sputtering of sand bits. penny gave a heavy breath of relief, helping dig her friend the rest of the way out. "oh bea! I was startin' to get beyond worried, like a horse that been drinkin' from a gator infested waterin' hole!" penny said, finally stepping back as bea crawled from the rest of the sand collection. the red werm brushed herself off vigorously, coughing up a whole storm as she batted away at the dust particles.

"o-oh hush pen! I'm just fine see? i just... didn't expect that is all... but... woah-" bea cut herself off as she finally took a look around, massive structures all inter connected through sky bridges and tunnels painted a jet black with crimson tint surrounded the pair. there was glowing blue luminescent lanterns that sat sleepily on each ridge and corner edge, giving the area some dim light to help set the mood of the place. penny too turned her attention to the city that expanded out in front of them, her wings clamping to her side as she gazed in sheer awe at the buildings.

"do... do you think that this is the lost city?" penny questioned, her voice barely above a whisper as bea's mouth still hung open in amazement. the architecture was something straight out of one of those ruined fantasy books bea managed to scrounge up. each building was so uniquely different and yet all complimented the next with matching coloration and décor.

"it has to be penny! the map lead us here, it has to be the lost city! we found it!! little had we known it would be buried deep underground and not sitting out in the open... we must be the first wermz ever to venture into this place" bea announced, her voice echoing through the chasm. the pair sat in wonder for a couple moments as they took in the lost city with their own eyes, both silent in respect to the mythical view that unfolded in front of them. after a bit of time, bea had noticed something about the buildings. there were engraving on some of the tiles that lined the walls, each one engraved with what appeared to be a dragon on it. bea racked her brain for more knowledge on the mythological species she had been told stories about by her papa. her eyes glistened with the dim blue lanterns, peering over at her companion who also seemed to be deep in thought. slowly, bea took a step forward, the smooth jet black tiles below sending a chill up her spine as she swallowed. she took another step, and then another, until she found herself just on the cusp of the edge of the city. the engravings held more detail than she had first noticed, each dragon aligned symmetrical to each other, facing first towards one another and then away. bea reached up her paw slowly and brushed her beans against the engraving, which in turn lit up a soft glowing blue, much like the luminescent lanterns. bea jumped back in surprise, snatching back her paw as suddenly the engravings eyes opened. a sharp electric blue stared back into bea's bright green, and she opened her mouth in shock. just a single touch brought to life the sleeping city, and soon all the engraving lit up, their eyes all opening to shine more light upon the city, revealing it in all its glory. bea stumbled backwards and penny went to catch her, gently helping her up as both were too stunned to speak. the city was fully lit now, and the details were multiplying by the second. there were banners and tapestries that hung, revealing more dragon images and stitching's. there were symbols on wooden hanging boards over ancient looking barbed doors, each symbol different with a hidden meaning. bea backed up to try and take it all in, her voice quivering as she spoke.

"t-the lost city of dragons..."

- end of chapter two -
- word count: 2,089 -

[hunny.milk.tea]

the pair had both been contemplating what the next phase of their plan should be, especially considering the now active and awake city in front of them. after bea had reached out and breathed life into the engraving the lost city had been buzzing with strange noises and sights. it was as if it had been awoken from a long slumber and must now pick up the slack for everything it had missed in the eons it had been asleep. penny was busy gawking at everything that lit up, the carvings of dragons that clung to the corners of building and railings, the tapestries that were enthralled with the winged beasts clearly having caught her eye. however bea was more intrigued with the possible secrets that were hidden in every nook and cranny that this place had tucked away. bea stepped towards what she thought to be the city's center, a large opening calling forth to her as she gazed onward. however she was quickly stopped by her companion who tugged her by the arm lightly.

"hold on now, how do we know this place ain't dangerous 'er nothin'? ya said yerself this was the lost city of dragons... so how do we know these dragons ain't gonna come out and enjoy us as snacks?" penny questioned nervously, glancing around as the buildings now seemed to be caving in on her, closing out the opportunity to escape at any moment. bea gingerly patted pen's paw and slowly pried it from her own arm, giving a light mumble. she adored penny deeply, as she was her best friend, yet sometimes she could only ask so much from her. bea supposed it was due to her independence that caused her to overlook how others may feel in certain situations such as the ones she often found herself in. if penny was nervous, maybe it was because she thought she wouldn't get back to berry, that she wouldn't be able to teach tea all her tricks, maybe she had the future in mind. bea tried her best to give a reassuring smile.

"oh pen, don't be ridiculous! my papa used to tell me stories about these creatures, the dragons. they have long since gone extinct by now, they were here hundreds of years ago. but do you know what that means?? that this place, this lost city... it is hundreds of years old penny! think of everything that could be hiding here, all the secrets, all the mysteries, heck, maybe even treasure! there are no dragons here to try and eat us pen, don't worry-"

"i wouldn't be too sure about that" a voice came from behind the pair of two wermz. penny just about jumped out of her feathers, fluffing up in shock as she whipped around, just about smacking bea over with her wing. bea herself felt the color drain from her face, anxious snapping back to see who the owner of the booming tone belonged to. that's when the pairs' eyes landed on ronnie! penny felt her feathers ruffle up still, trying to smooth them back down as she gave a sheepish smile to the resident of eaden. bea herself felt her chest tighten as ronnie waltzed down a sand mound, coming closer to the pair. quickly bea tried to explain herself, ronnie approaching with his white smiling mask boring down into her.

"r-ronnie! what a surprise to see you o-out here- i um, i don't suppose- well uh-" bea could barely get out a few scrambled words before ronnie barked a laugh to her, patting his knee with a thwack. penny jumped at the sound, trying to straighten herself out and act tough as she puffed out her chest. bravery had always been her strong suite, or so bea had thought, but perhaps it was more show than anything else.

"you don't suppose what little one? that I wouldn't notice if you snagged my map behind my back? oh ol' ronnie knows a thing or two about swiping things, and first things' first. never leave a trail to be found. but, you did help me out a little bit I guess. you helped uncover the lost city! so i guess i owe you that much. but will be needing my map back" ronnie finished and offered a grizzled hand(?) to bea. reluctantly the werm pulled her knapsack around to her front side, digging around until her paws gripped around the map she had so valiantly snuck away with, producing it from her back. ronnie made a curling motion with his hand, presently asking for the map back and hesitantly it was handed over. though the guy wore a mask, bea could swear he wore a somewhat smug little smirk under there, tapping the rolled up map into his back pocket with some light pats. "there we are, safe and sound back where it belongs! now, i wouldn't be too sure about the whole dragons being gone thing little one. you don't know what sorts of critters might be lurking around here. perhaps a wild jerma even- well maybe not. but say, i'll escort you both back to eaden if you gather up some things for me, a fair exchange for stealing my map i'd say!" ronnie exclaimed with glee. bea felt her ears droop at such a suggestion, and yet penny was eager to pounce at it. she nodded feverishly as she smoothed back her feathers, tails coiling around each other as she spoke up for the both of them.

"oh that would be perfect ronnie! we'll go grab some scrap 'er something from 'round here and then split, plus bea we can always come back at a later date right? maybe when we know fer certain all the dragons 'er gone yeah? 'er with more backup, 'er maybe with berry! actually- berry would hate comin' out this far, plus the sand would get in her fur. on second thought we might have to find better backup" penny rambled to herself. bea's heart jumped in her chest, thinking up of all the possibilities that floated around. they could always come back later, even without the map bea was hoping that the large hole in the ground would be familiar enough. she could keep track as they walked back what landmarks stood out, maybe even scribble down a new map in her journal. and maybe penny was right, if there are dragons they may need backup with them to work around the creatures. truth be told she actually did think penny was being smart, logistically speaking. so begrudgingly she nodded at a smug seeming ronnie, who rocked back and forth on his heels. he clasped his hands together as both wermz seemed to be in agreeance, much to pen's relief.

"alrighty, it is settled then! go on, do what you wermz do best, scavenge up some goodies will ya?" ronnie exclaimed. penny gave a vigorously enthusiastic nod before opening her wings and dashing off into the ancient city, leaving bea in the dust. the strawberry werm didn't seem to mind however, and carefully crept into the lost city's interior. the sights and architecture was even more astounding up close, bea's green eyes becoming a beacon in the dim lighting of the area. she crept her way down the alley way's between the spiraling buildings, ensuring to keep to herself and not disrupt the dormant area. however, her curiosity was getting the best of her, and soon she found herself face-to-face with a decision to make. to enter into a building or to continue to skirt around the outside area. her paws tingled in anticipation, and she found herself reaching for one of the cool, jet black metal knobs. slowly she clenched the knob, pulling toward herself, hearing the heavy door clank and click before swinging open on some rusty hinges. a plume of dust was sent rushing out and bea took a step back to let the ancient air settle, waving some particles away from her face. slowly and carefully the werm slunk forward, gripping the doorframe as she took a glance inside. it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but she gave a surprised gasp when she saw the room in front of her filled to the brim with tons and tons of... statues? it appeared someone had been in a rush when leaving, many of the statues knocked over or broken, each one had a unique design to it with different features. some looked hand-painted, bea's eyes lighting up with excitement as she slowly crept forward. some were gold, silver, bronze, some had strange markings, ancient textiles, like the ones she had seen on the map. bea felt her heart begin to hammer in her chest and her ears ring the closer she got to these statues. they all seemed to hum with some hidden power, a greater force that drew her closer and closer like a moth to a flame. her tail tingled with a strange sensation as she felt the room suddenly expand, the ceiling rising skyward, the floor cavind down, the walls sprouting wings and flying away. suddenly all that caught her attention and focus was a tiny little dragon statue in the middle, sitting up on what appeared to be a pedestal. it wasn't anything special, a soft pale blue that radiated some kind of mystic energy, lulling bea closer and closer as she was solely sucked in to the statue. it seemed to be whispering strange tongue to her, words she had never heard before, ushering her to just reach out and touch the smooth marble surface. bea extended a paw, her heart jumping into her throat as she held her breath. she was mere inches from the thing when she felt a cold hand grab her by the scruff of the neck and yank her backwards, her world collapsing back in around her as the room once more darkened.

- the end of chapter three -
- word count: 1,662 -

[hunny.milk.tea]

"what in eaden are you doing?!" ronnie exclaimed, a tremble in his voice as bea stumbled backward outside the doorway. the vivid red werm whipped around, eyes wide before she gave an exasperated gasp, gripping her chest as if she had just had a heart attack.

"jumping out of my fur with the way you keep sneaking up on me! what is your deal anyway?? didn't you tell us to go off an find stuff for you to scam some poor souls back in town" bea snapped a bit harshly. although ronnie wore a mask, bea swore that she could feel his face fall a bit and a familiar sting shot through her heart. maybe she was a bit brash with ronnie and she gave a light sigh, shaking her head. "sorry ronnie- i didn't mean it like that, you just frightened me is all." the words echoed through the doorway and bounced around the darkened room that she had just been pulled from. bea decided to keep it to herself the way she had felt when she had entered, the strange instinctive pull, the force that pushed her closer and closer to the statue in the center. ronnie seemed to straighten up and held up a hand.

no you're right. i've been dodgy with all the facts, but for good reasoning. listen here little one, this place, it's cool sure. but there is certainly danger that lurks around every corner, even if it comes in the form of that little statue there" ronnie pointed towards the smooth, marbled statue that sat in the middle of the room, it's glowing blue almost reminded bea of the bright side of the many moons that surrounded eaden. slowly bea pulled back from the door way as ronnie too stepped to the side to allow her room. she looked up at him, squinting in both distrust but utter curiosity. maybe ronnie wasn't just some trash goblin who scammed wermz with junk he found. however, now was not the time, as before the two could finish up their conversation there was a flurry of feathers and fuzz barreling down from the sky. penny gave a soft screech as she tried to hit the breaks, carrying what looked to be some put together sack that clanged and banged as the werm descended. bea's eyes nearly popped of of their sockets as she ducked just in the nic of time, the winged werm crashing into some cushy looking bushes that shriveled away form the unfamiliar touch. penny's head popped out from the bushes, feathers puffed up as bea looked up, ronnie already scrambling to go help out. maybe this was her chance, now that ronnie was distracted. his words of warning circulated in bea's mind as she quietly and quickly slipped back into the strange room, rushing over towards that smooth little dragon. almost hungrily, bea quickly snatched the statue from its pedestal. for a moment she hesitated, hovering with the dragon statue in her grasp, holding her breath to see if this altered the fabric of reality as she knew it. however, nothing happened, no reaction, no movement, no walls caving inward, no spikes coming down from the ceiling. a wave of relief and disappointment washed over bea's frame as she stuffed the statue in her knap sack, hiding it away as she then quickly dashed back out the doorway. she felt another wave or relief to see that ronnie was still struggling to get penny untangled from all the branches and leaves that had wrapped around her in her crash landing, bea hurriedly scuttled over to help the pair as penny was trying to explain herself.

"well ya see, i was collectin' all sorts of jumbles of knick knacks, this place is loaded with 'em! ronnie this whole sack 'ere, has loads of things you can use an' all that, uh- well but- i didn' think that it would all be so heavy!" ronnie gave a grunt as he finally pried the last of the thick branches from penny, who tumbled out of the bush and landed squarely on her read end. some stuff spilled from the 'sack', a strange round ball decorated with illuminating bright blue paint, some pages crumbled up with strange writing, more little trinkets and do-dads. ronnie helped penny scoop it all back into the linen sack, and grabbed it up over his shoulder, casing a downward glance at the two wermz that crowded his feet. he gave a gruff sigh, clearly displeased with the events that had unfolded, more so being protective over the little creatures even if most disliked him.

"alrighty you hooligans, that is enough exploring strange deep holes in the planet for one day. come on, we're going now" ronnie spoke, a certain sternness in his tone that made penny jump right on up, dusting herself off. bea however felt her ears tilt back, curiosity and ambition making her want to try and retaliate, maybe argue to stay a little longer, but by the way ronnie had already turned and started off meant there was not discussion to be had. penny bumped bea with her wing, trying to give a light smile to reassure her companion, however bea appeared defeated. dragging her feet forward, bea followed suite after ronnie, the guy striding ahead as penny rushed to catch up. the small humming and buzzing that called out to bea from her bag reminded her that this trip wasn't a total waste. and so the trio traveled back towards eaden, ronnie hoping that the wermz curiosity was squashed enough to not venture back to the lost city. however, once back in the city limits and the trio had parted ways, bea caught back up with penny, night closing in rapidly since the day had been spent traveling. penny, whose wings drooped upon seeing bea rush towards her, was exhuasted from the day as she didn't do much to hide her yawn. however bea brushed it off, clearly more excited to tell penny about what she had snagged from the lost city of dragons. pulling penny aside, bea pulled her knapsack up to her chest, looking like a giddy kid on halloween night with a bag filled to the brim with candy. penny tilted her head, and bea opened the flap of her knap sack. both of the gals craned their necks to see into the knapsack, and penny gave a shocked gasp, her wings springing out.

that ain't- is it? you took a dragon statue from the city!?" penny asked bewildered. bea quickly closed the flap, a smug grin cross her snout as she nodded, quickly moving into an alleyway as she began to explain what she had felt and what had happened to her back in the lost city of dragons. penny listened intently, clearly both intrigued and frightened by what her friend had experienced. once finished the two sat in silence, perhaps stunned by the events that had unfolded throughout the day. the sky had darkened with the calling of night, but before the two parted ways penny posed a question towards bea."well did anythin' else happen? did anythin' come alive or did ya notice the city change in any way?" curiosity was clearly on both wermz mind at the moment. however bea shook her head, still boggled by the fact of it all.

"no... which was the strange part, this statue... it holds some sort of energy in it, it must! the way it interacted with my mind and- i guess my whole soul... there has to be something right pen? at any rate, i'll have to study up this specimen and learn all i can about it, maybe i'll even take it on over to doc to see if he can figure anything out about it. maybe it is alive to some capacity? at any rate, one thing is for sure, we have to go back pen... we just have too, there is too much information there that could be important. to learning more about eaden, more about what happened... everything!" bea expanded her arms upwards, trying to give the effect of her statement. penny nodded, although bea could see the doubt in her tired friend's eyes. bea knew that penny was loyal, wherever bea would go, so would penny, but she also knew that penny might not see what she does. it didn't matter, bea wouldn't give up. for this was only the start of uncovering the secrets of the dragons...

* * * ~ back in the lost city ~ * * *

somewhere in the darkness of the dormant city there was a stirring. the building lay still and quiet, the spines that lined the rims and walls stood on guard. with the hole in the surface opened for the moon light to seep in, the lost city seemed to breathe life into itself. the illuminescent blue turned to a bright multi-colored design. there was a rumbling that was felt through every street and every corridor. tucked away deep down in the heart of the city sat a massive black dome. so jet black that it seemed to swallow up any light that dared to touch it, snuffing it out of existence forever. the outside of the massive black dome was smooth, however as the moon light dribbled into the city, casting its magic of changes, the dome's surface changed. it became uneven, almost like a magnetic field, bubbling and reaching towards the moonlight. when the light expanded over the dome's surface, everywhere it touched seemed to evaporate into a fine, black mist into the air. the bubbling ad rumbling noises grew louder, shaking the floor beneath it. the dome was slowly turned to nothing more than dust, and inside was a massive, lurking form. smoke pillared from the massive figure. two massive, bright ghostly white eyes shot open, before narrowing. throughout the city a spine-chilling roar was heard, the echoing of the sound caused the light design to follow the wave lengths. it seemed that the secrets of the dragons would not go uncovered for long.

- the end of chapter four -
total word count: 1,680