by Nimaine » Sat Sep 03, 2011 10:29 am
"W-wings of d-darkness, k-k-claws of steel, n-never trust what's real," the human sang in a trembling voice. "Snake’s tongue and snake’s tail, Horse’s body strong and hail, Dragon’s head, Eyes of red, Fear none, But the sun..." and then it broke off. "Yes, yes, go on," the creature of the song said impatiently. "What's the rest of it?" The human shook fearfully, "That's all, sir..." The creature shook its head. "No, I'm sure there's more. You've just forgotten it. Like me." He sighed, and put the human down, before flapping away on his dark wings. The glint of the sun was in the east, and soon he would have to go into hiding again. But there had been more to that song, and he knew it. That was frustrating.
But even if he couldn't remember the rhymes of the nursery song, he could vaguely remember the gist of the words. Something about guardians of castle and nursey, tall and faithful... The creature hummed the tune. He liked the song, it reminded him of who he was. Once, he had been a castle guard, or even a bodyguard to little princes and princesses. Safe around children, danger around enemies, the creature was both monster and protector. But now, with most of the castles destroyed, and most of the royal lines ended, humans were forgetting why the monster had ever been tolerated. How it might be dangerous around adults but would never harm a child, any child, royal or not. The protector/monster was turning into a pure monster of nightmare.