Misery

There weren't always dragons in the Valley.

A candle flickered, illuminating the dimly lit den.

"A hundred years ago, around BC utuv, there was a conflict between a wicked spirit, Komoru, who initiated a fight between nine mighty gods," they whispered. Snickering could be heard in the distance, and the wind made an ominous sound. " The fight lasted five years until the gods-" but another voice cut him off before he could finish. They screamed, "OH, SO IS THIS SUPPOSED TO TELL US TO BE HAPPY OR ELSE AN EVIL SPIRIT WILL RISE AND EAT US?" It was a male tiryra, a young tagarfi with a dark purple big mark on his left eye and a scarlet and blue fur coat. He also appeared to be active. " Hey! Novem, you talk so much! I really want to hear what Amluu was saying!" A female tiryra expressed herself. It was Novem's twin sister.

"We've heard it a billion times before." Exaggerated by a dark blue furred tiryra. "Actually, Atlas, this is our first time listening." A female tiryra with curled fur said. " Yeah, yeah," Atlas murmured as he rolled his eyes. The male creature turned on the lanterns as the two twins argued in the lair. The male remarked, "Stop bickering, it's early in the morning, it's time to go." As they all got up to go outdoors, the twelve tiryras that were spotted produced an odd sound. It was something they did every day in the morning. They all emerged from their den. They had departed early, so it was still a little dark. Even after the light came up, it was still dark. Obviously, because the sun is blocked by the massive trees.

They were on their way to the purple pond, which was close to their tree den. Everything remained silent until Atlas murmured to Shiru, his older sister. "What is the point of doing this every morning?" He asked. "I guess it's a routine, no point in complaining now; we've been doing this since we were able to walk," Shiru explained.

Atlas murmured, " EH..." He was tired of being with Shiru, so he walked up to the twins Novem and Malou. They were walking silently side by side. That is, until Atlas approached them.

"How are you guys doing?" Atlas inquired. "Save it, Atlas!" Malou grumbled angrily. "No one is interested in what you have to say," she stated. Then trotted off to Tsuki’s location. Novem shifted his gaze to Atlas. "SEE, this is what I have to deal with when it comes to Malou, but I have to remain by her at all times since she is my twin," he explained. "Because it's juju if I don't BAD LUCK," he said quietly. Novem hurriedly walked towards his twin, not glancing at Atlas. Atlas was still stunned by the unexpected information regarding the twins, so Novem went up to Malou softly.

"We've arrived," Amluu stated. The pond was lovely, and they were always surprised each time they visited. "Grab a tinkbluuz berry and throw it into the pond, then kneel," Amluu explained. This wasn't his first time, but tiryras forget things easily till they're grownups, so he explains everything every time.

The tiryras did as instructed, stepped in line, and took a tinkbluuz berry, one by one, all of them different colors and scents, and they smelt amazing, with a sweet perfume that could make even the most vicious monster quiet and drool. " Legends say in this biome, a purple sparkling pond was good luck, and if you fed it tinkbluuz berry and kneeled before it, offering your wishes and or prayers, it will provide you luck until moon fall, this is why we do this every day, and as long as no one screws up-" But a tiryra interrupted him before he could finish. Novem exclaimed, "OH, LOOK A FUZHI, I've never seen those before!" "HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WE'RE SUPPOSED TO DO THE RITUAL OR WE WON'T GET GOOD LUCK, AND YOU MESSED IT UP YOU ANNOYING IDIOT!" Malou exclaimed. She was enraged that her twin brother had screwed it up, and she truly believed it.

Everyone else was simply grumbling and irritated. Most of them were staring at Novem, who was staring at the purple pond with a spark in his eyes. "It's alright, we can try again tomorrow," Amluu sighed, "just make sure none of you guys leave after midnight." " Why?" Atlas was curious. " Because of Novem, we're going to die!" Arlou yelled. He was the twelfth and final tiryra. "No, we're not, it's just a myth!" Kashi yelled. She appeared terrified after Arlou mentioned death. "No one is going to die, so quit spreading lies," Amluu interjected. "Now that Novem has destroyed the ritual, we must leave; we can no longer stay," Amluu explained. The tiryras bolted away, whining, and terrified. As wind swept over his fur, Amluu whirled around to face the purple pond, his brows narrowed. After a few seconds, he went away, trailed by the tiryras.

"OK... well, now that we can't d-do the ceremony, we're not getting any good luck," Kashi explained. She shrieked as the wind blew in her ear. "PROTECT ME, SHIRU!" She screamed. Shiru's back, weeping. " YOU WIMP, GET OFFFF ME!" Shiru yelled and shook Kashi off her back. "You're a jerk!" I despise you!" Kashi screamed. " Shut up!" Shiru retorted. Amluu sighed in dissatisfaction. "What will we do now?" Nahla had inquired. She was the second youngest tiryra, with long, reddish-blue fur. Purple eyes. "We won't be able to go home for a few hours," Amluu explained. Nahla blinked a few times, puzzled, but she didn't question him.

"Is it just me, or is Amluu behaving strangely?" Tsuki learned from Atlas. Tsuki stated, "I don't know, and I don't care." Atlas drew his ears back, as if he sensed something horrible was about to happen. Malou was staring at Novem when he turned his head. Mei stated, "My head hurts." Amluu sighed and snatched him up on his back with his tail. Mala exclaimed, "HEY, I WANT TO GO ON TOO!" A tiryra with red and purple curled fur. "Does your head hurt or are you in any manner in pain?" Amluu inquired. "Well, no," Mala replied. "Then no," Amluu responded. "But you can carry me too, right?" Mala yelled. "No," Amluu stated emphatically. Mala growled, enraged that she couldn't join him on his back. " SO! In the meantime, where are we going?" Malou inquired. "We may locate another spot to remain until dusk, then we'll have to hurry back home," Amluu explained. "This is strange..." Atlas muttered something. Malou glared at Novem and stated, "I bet this is due of Novem." " What?! We'll be alright if we don't goof up this time," Novem added. Novem's words made her twitch, and she cringed. "You are truly irritating!" Malou yelled. " If I'm unpleasant, you must be as well!" Novem returned the shout. Malou grumbled angrily. Atlas sighed, his eyes rolling. " Try not to murder him..." Atlas mentioned. The creatures all walked on a large tree that led to the opposite side of their home.

"What is the point of coming here if we have to rush back home?" Atlas inquired. "Please shut it," Amluu remarked. They then went across the massive tree in silence. Their view was immediately obscured by fog. Nalou responded, "I don't think we should come over here." She had emerald eyes and was an all-red tiryra. Amluu stated, "We're fine." As they moved past the tree, fog began to form in their vision. "This is risky," Malou warned Novem. Novem snickered, "No, it's not you wimp." " Shut up." Malou sneered. Minutes passed before they arrived at their destination.

It appeared to be ruined and rotting. "Man, I'd rather die than stay here," Nahla stated. "Oh, you'd do that?" Malou said sarcastically. "What exactly are we doing here?" "Are you digging our graves?" Mei grumbled as he struggled to his feet. "No, because this is due to Novem, we'll have to find a magic book to protect ourselves, and once we do, no one leaves the den until sunset," Amluu stated. "So, after we find the book, don't leave," I say as many times as I can. Amluu declared. "You youth aren't smart enough to understand how critical this is," Amluu stated. "It's Novem, Amluu, he doesn't listen or likes to!" Novem was to blame, Malou alleged. " Hey! "Are you still upset about what occurred earlier?!" Novem yelled, interrogating Malou. "YES, you moron!" We're staying here until sundown because of you!" Malou yelled. Novem's eyes expanded, a troubled expression on his face. Malou swung her around the other direction. They all began wandering through the old den. There were so many things visible. Cobwebs, dust, and a whole lot more can be found in old books of many genres. " Alright! "Everyone looks for a book called 'mnu de trev dou,'" Amluu explained. "What exactly does that imply?" Nalou inquired. "It's none of your business," Amluu explained. "That doesn't answer my question!" Nalou pondered. They all began looking for the book. They had been looking for thirty minutes and had discovered nothing. They gazed in every direction, including outside. Arlou was fatigued and getting a headache from a stack of books. " AHH, I can't seem to find a book with the title mu de something!" Tsuki yelled.

"Just keep looking," Amluu advised. " OH! Look, I found it!" Novem yelled. They all rushed to him, relieved. " GREAT! WHERE DID YOU FINALLY FIND IT?" Tsuki inquired. “ I was sitting on it the whole time” Novem said. They were all irritated and cringed. " YOU'VE HAD IT THE WHOLE TIME AND HAVE NEVER TOLD ANYONE? "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" said Malou. "Uhm, don't you remember what I told you just now?" Novem had inquired. "But you weren't assisting!" Malou yelled. "I took a fifteen-minute break and when I was about to stand up, I realized I was sitting on something hard, so I glanced around and found the book," Novem explained. "Well, there's no point in disputing now," Amluu said. Malou continued to stare Novem down. Malou said, " Yeah... I think..."

"What are we going to do with the book now that we have it?" Nalou wondered. "Place a protection spell over us, so it can protect us" As Nalou stood on her hind legs, Amluu explained. Amluu narrowed his eyes as he blinked at her. " Let me tell you something... I'll merely do the magic; it won't take long. Do anything you want." Amluu sighed deeply. Picking up the book and going away in the dark.

"Would you like to play hide and seek with the killer?" Novem had inquired. "No" was the unanimous response.

Novem murmured, "Ugh, you guys are dull." Then he stepped out of the moldy den as the others laid down exhausted. Malou trailed following, unable to be separated from her twin brother. " Novem, what are your plans now?" Malou inquired. Novem murmured, "I want to see what's beyond the forest..." Malou squeaked a befuddled noise. "Like, we've lived here our whole lives... Novem said, "This area isn't exceptional; it's just a prison we live in; what we're witnessing isn't genuine; we're being played." " Malou... let's get out of here," Novem stated. Malou exclaimed, her mouth slightly wide in surprise. "How did you figure that out?" She inquired. She was skeptical. " Wake up! Our siblings are mostly died! You don't recall!" Novem yelled at the top of his lungs. Malou's pupils dilated, and her eyes expanded.

" …. Yes, that's correct... This wasn't always the case. This has all been a nightmare, and only a few of us have survived... Malou reflected, "We're all prisoners... all lowlifes." "We were sold... yep, we were," she reflected.

Unlike in her nightmare, there were no twelve tiryras. There were only ten of them, but they were terribly scratched and damaged. They were all bound from their mouths to their legs to their tails. It hurt because their limbs were being pulled. Malou was fast asleep, her jerking indicating that she was still having a nightmare. It was cold and she was curled up in a ball.

Novem, her twin, was awake and by her side, and he got up when he realized she was shivering. I'm getting close. Assuring she was comfortable. She felt warm and no longer shivered. Novem looked around and noticed that he was surrounded by practically all his siblings. He wished there were more of him, particularly females, so he could keep them warm. Novem said, "Don't worry, we'll be OK soon." In other cells, there were more creatures. They were all housed in one large cell. Novem was perplexed as to why the captors had left them together, given that they could have escaped. "Do they have that much confidence in themselves?" He considered his options. As he heard rain, his ears twitched. It poured. Outside the cell, he could hear footsteps. "This isn't a jail... this is hell... " I'm not sure how they catch other species, but if they don't, they seem to kidnap Youngs from their parents or guardians. They abandon their children as if they were trash, and they wear these collars around our necks to prevent us from exploiting our abilities in the future... Even if we take them off, we can't use them anymore." Novem considered his options.

He silently cried, knowing that this wouldn’t be the end of his suffering. “ Novem... why?” Malou whispered. “ Malou! Are you okay?!” Novem shouted. “ None of us are… “ A voice was heard. It was Atlas, Novem’s older brother. “ Atlas?! Are you okay... did you win?” Novem asked. Atlas shook his head, defeated. “ I refused to fight... so they punished me… if I did and won, I could’ve leave here and all of you guys behind” Atlas whispered. “ Why didn’t you could’ve won. You’re strong and you could’ve made It out of this hell, why?!” Novem asked. “ Family doesn’t leave their blood behind even if you hate them” Atlas said. Novem frowned. As Atlas was looking at him worried, they heard keys rattling the door was opening. They were opening their cell. “ What?” Atlas whispered.

“ Three captures came in the cell, with chains in their claws. “ Wake up!” One shouted. All the tiryras woke up, shocked. They saw the three captures. Nalou growled at them, she was scared. And so was the rest. Well, they were mostly in shock. They came in the cell and started putting the chains over their neck. After they did that, they pulled them in a line walking out of the cell. They walked up the stairs in silence. The rain was getting louder as they walked up more stairs.

They were all outside the dungeon. Thunder clouds were covering the whole place, making it look depressing. Novem noticed they were being led towards a beticle. “ We don’t have any use for you guys, you guys are being set loose” One of the capturers explained. All the tiryras eyes lit up in joy. They jumped in the beticle. “ I can’t believe this!” Tsuki exclaimed. They were all happy, released from hell. “ We should celebrate!” Atlas said. “ Wait, where are we going to go?” Novem questions. They all shrugged. Suddenly the beticle started. The tiryras slipped when the beticle moved. “ How are we supposed to know?” Tsuki asked. “ This is horrible driving” Atlas commented. The beticle swerved right having the tiryras slide right.

“Maybe back to our biome?” Nalou questioned. “ No… they probably wouldn’t do that… maybe they will just take us somewhere random” Atlas concluded. “ Yeah, you’re probably right” Tsuki sighed. “ No... I’m not, we are not sure” Atlas said. They all just stayed quiet, laying down.

It’s been a few hours since they had got into the beticle. Then it just stopped. “ We arrived!” One of the drivers shouted. The back door of the beticle opened. They dragged only four of the tiryras out though. It was Novem, Tsuki, Atlas and Kashi. “ H-huh! But what about our other siblings?” Kashi shouted in distress.

“ You guys don’t need to be together” The driver stated, closing the door of the beticle. He went back inside and drove off. “ Humanoids are the worst” Atlas whispered. “ This isn’t fair, first they took away our freedom, then our siblings, what’s next in their to-do list?” Tsuki said. “ This place sure is creepy” Kashi said. “ No... it’s not it’s just a biome with large mushrooms everywhere, we may be in the deepest part of it, we should see if we can find anyone” Atlas said. “ Yeah...” Kashi whispered.

“ Uhh, I guess a new chapter of our lives?” Novem said, questioning himself.

They all started waling deeper in the biome, realizing they went the wrong way. They scurried over to the other direction.