Guardian Dragons (10 page)

‘I want you to meet my friend,’
Leon spoke, looking a little unsure as to how he should go about
asking for this strange favour of his huphin friend.

She is one of the daughters of our Head Mage and she is
also a Changeling,
Leon
finished in Mindtalk, somehow feeling the need not to disclose this
to the world. He awaited a response from Gadon who just smiled in
his awkward huphin way.

Her name is Heather,
Leon continued,
and
she has never had the opportunity to try her ability of performing
her Changeling skills. When she found out that I had a huphin
friend, she asked if she could swim with the
dolphins.

‘But why Leon, my human friend,’
Gadon spoke in the human tongue, ‘would you need me for this?
Cannot she just simply jump into the water?’ Gadon was a little
baffled.

‘N,no Gadon,’ Leon stuttered. ‘You
see, once she jumps into the water her form will change to that of
which she first images in her mind. She doesn’t wish to change into
a dolphin but into a huphin. She can’t enter the deep waters
without changing into a sea creature and she’s a bit too high and
mighty to change into just any little fish. I think she sees
huphins as ... the rulers of the ocean.’

‘Of this we are my friend Leon, we
are indeed the most intelligent and advanced beings of the ocean,
do you doubt this?’

Gadon looked at his friend with a
confused expression written in his features.

No, Gadon,
Leon
returned to Mindtalk, hoping to evade Heather.
I don’t doubt it. I know huphins rule the oceans
but Heather is, in my view, being a bit particular who she images
into and she insisted that it must be an intelligent being such as
your race.

‘You’re not handling this very
well are you Leon?’ Heather interrupted. ‘I would like to speak
with you myself Gadon, as Leon here just pomps around without a
clue of how to explain my request in a manner that befits a leader
such as yourself.’ Gadon turned his head to Heather realising that
this female of the humans evidently wanted to be heard. She
reminded him very much of his own races equivalent gender and he
patiently awaited her explanation.

‘You see Gadon, my father will not
allow me to practice my skills, so to speak. I feel however that it
is time that I saw what I’m made of and it is my skill after all,
and not his. I‘ve heard that huphins are beautiful swimmers of the
oceans, so, naturally you’re my first choice. I want to swim as you
do, and I want to play with the dolphins, because as I watch them
I‘m longing to experience the huge oceans and frolic in the waves.
I grow weary of the lands, they’re shrinking me.’

‘I am not familiar with
ssshhrink-in-g. What is this Heather of the humans?’

‘I need more space. I know I
haven’t seen all of the lands yet but when I look at the waters I
think it’s time I was in them, don’t you agree? I mean, what harm
can it do for a girl to have a quick swim? None I tell you, none
whatsoever. Leon here thinks I won’t be able to control my
Changeling skills but how are we ever to know if we never try?’
Heather was determined that Gadon would bend to her will, as Leon
had.

‘It is not for me to decide this thing for you,’ Gadon was
conscious of becoming involved in family matters; he was after all
a father himself and knew all too well of the impudent cheekiness
of a daughter. ‘Fathers, in their wisdom, are always concerned
about the welfare of their children and so make such boundaries. It
is for
you to know your
father’s rules and decide where your boundaries lay,’ he advised.
‘The oceans are indeed a huge and wonderful place to be and I for
one would never wish to leave the waters, as you wish to leave your
land.

But, on this I agree, let us try
this Changeling thing. I have heard of this skill. It would be my
honour to assist in such an experiment with my new friend Heather.
Come, take your first step into the water and I will guide you and
let us see what events take place.’ Gadon was as curious as Heather
to seek the outcome of this game.

Leon looked to Heather with a wary
gleam in his eye and a squint to his brow. ‘Heather, you can’t stay
out there for long. We don’t know if your Change is instant or what
will happen,’ he pleaded.

‘Yes, I can and yes I will,’
Heather answered haughtily. ‘I’ll stay as long as it takes, young
Leon.’

He accepted she was clearly going
to go through with this and that all he could do was to stand by
and pick up the pieces, should any disasters occur.

Chapter 15
Dolphins

D
ayloon, showed itself
during the moonwake, was halfway down the skies, indicating that
the moonwake was half way over. Leon thought to himself that at
least there was still half of the moonwake to go before anyone
would miss them.

He watched anxiously as Heather
tipped her toe into the swirling waters by the shore. Squealing
with amusement as the water tickled her ankles, she was delighted
at the warmth of it. Gadon had now waded back into the sea and
slowly circled near her.

‘Oh Leon, why don’t you come in as
well? It truly is a wonderful sensation when the water washes
around your skin. I wonder when I’ll Change?’ she giggled,
carefully stepping from the shallow to the deeper depths of
water.

‘No. Wait, no!’ Heather suddenly
screamed. ‘I can’t do this. I’ve just remembered
something.’

Sensing her sudden panic, Frizzle
barked loudly, fretting that his mistress needed him.

‘What is it Heather?’ Leon shouted
as he hurried to her.

Standing motionless at the waters’
edge, she tried to explain her dilemma. ‘My clothes, what will
happen when I Change?’

‘Is that all?’ Leon could not
believe his ears. ‘Is that it? You worry about how pretty you’ll
look at a time like this?’ waving his arms exasperated that she
could be so concerned at such trivialities.

‘No, Leon. You don’t understand. I
don’t know if I should take off my clothes before I Change. I don’t
even know what a huphin wears.’

Calm yourselves my human friends,
Gadon Mindtalked to them both.

‘
Yes, Gadon,’ Heather
retorted. ‘But I must be able to visualise what a huphin wears or I
will be naked.’

Frizzle, totally unnoticed by all
around, had barked himself to a silent woof in his excited and
confused state. Realising all was well he gave one last yap and
settled himself crouching down on all four paws, ready to pounce if
everyone started to shout at each other again.

‘All right Heather,’ Leon tried to
think of a solution. ‘Gadon is wearing dark green
pants.’

‘That’s no good to me.’

‘What!’ Leon yelled. ‘There’s just
no pleasing you in this matter.’ Gadon, can you come back here so
she can see your pants.

‘Leon, it is not Gadon’s pants I
wish to see. I need an idea of the female clothing.’

‘
Heather is right. Our
women do not wear these, er, pants as you call them. If she visions
only what I wear she will indeed be naked on her
top.’

Leon burst into a fit of laughter
at the absurdity of the situation.

‘What is so amusing, young Prince
Leon?’ she was in no mood for humour.

‘You can be any creature in the
whole of Aarabassa and yet you are so bashful about your own shape.
And, stop calling me Young Prince Leon, I find it very
patronising.

‘Ha,’ the argument was building in
its intensity. ‘What shall I call you, a pig perhaps?’

‘There’s no need for that, I
merely wished to point out that no one cares what you’re
wearing.’

‘Well, I care and for your
information, my maid Gloria would care also. She spends a long time
arranging my wardrobe and my hair and she “cares”.’

Frizzle once again began his
barking, he didn’t like to miss out on all the banter.

‘Right that’s it,’ Leon bellowed.
‘We will do this thing another time. I’m calling this whole thing
off.’

‘No, I refuse to leave the water.
You can’t make me. Gadon, Gadon are you there? Can you hear
me?’

I think the whole of the ocean can
hear you. Now both of you stop your lovers quarrel and let us deal
with this very small problem. ‘Lovers quarrel!’ Leon was shocked at
his friend’s statement.

‘Who could ever love such a
selfish spoilt girl?’

‘I am not a spoilt girl and this is not a little problem.
Gadon,
please describe to me
what your women wear.’

Gadon remained in the waters where he was safe from
the
fighting duo. I understand
your dilemma Heather. Our clothing is twined tightly together from
a dark green seaweed that grows on the ocean bed. Our females weave
a costume that covers their body only. It has no sleeves and does
not cover their legs. They cover their womanly
form.’

‘Right, that was all I needed. Now
I can imagine this costume and I will at least cover my own womanly
bits.’

‘Woman, ha that’s a laugh. Don’t
you think you should grow up first?’ Leon could not resist the
temptation in retaliation to his own frustrations.

‘I’m leaving you now,’ she snapped
back at him, sticking her nose in the air. ‘Maybe you’ll do some
growing up yourself while I’m gone.’ She turned and paddled further
into the warm caressing seas.

‘Gadon!’ she shouted. Unable to see him she
Mindtalked,
it’s getting a
little deep here, are you there to help me?

I would not leave your side for a
million pearls my human friend. I think you must start to focus
your mind on my image, if this is to be your chosen
Change.

Gadon swam up to catch Heather
in his arms as the water under her became too deep for
her feet to tread land at the bottom. He sensed Heather’s
excitement at the idea of this game but was also aware that his
friend Leon did not share this enthusiasm.

He called to Leon’s mind,
do not feel so much worry for your friend Heather, I will
not let harm come to her. I will treat her life as delicately as I
would my own daughters. She must try this thing for herself.
Wait.... I feel something is about to happen.

Gadon, tell me, what is it? Tell
me quickly, I have to know what’s happening. Please, my friend, I
can’t help but feel it’s bad?

He doesn’t need to Leon
. Thankfully Heather’s voice Mindtalked him.
I can tell you myself. I just simply
imagined a huphin female and now I am one. I have a sort of grassy
costume to wear. There was no pain, no blackness, nothing. It’s
amazing. I love it. I’m swimming in the deep depths and feel no
fear. Gadon is beside me and is happy for me. You should be
too.

Leon looked out over the surface of
the green waves but could see no sign of his friends. Frizzle
whimpered, wondering how his mistress had so quickly escaped him.
Why couldn’t he smell her scent anymore, she was always somewhere
nearby?

‘Don’t fret Frizzle,’ Leon patted
him reassuringly. ‘We’re both to wait this thing out, you and me.
Let’s hope she doesn’t stay in the oceans too long. She might not
be able to Change back.’ Leon mumbled in an attempt to reassure
himself, as well as the dog, but his gut feelings were not good. He
wished this moonwake over with and the next one to bring something
really boring with it. He’d had enough excitement for
now.

Dayloon had dropped further,
drawing nearer to the horizon. His stomach ached but he was not
sure if this was worry or hunger. Frizzle had found a shaded spot
and quickly fell into a blissful dream of chasing a fast fat
squirrel up a tall tree.

Leon paddled ankle deep in the frothy parts of the water,
kicking at the rippling surf and longing for Heather’s quick
return. He trusted Gadon with her life but that did not ease his
gut-worry. With the Mindtalk link severed, all he could do was find
some patience from somewhere. Leaving the water’s edge, he joined
Frizzle in the cooler shade of the cliff. Frizzle pricked his ears
up and looked to the top of the cliff, whining. For a moment
he
thought he had glimpsed a
shape up there but realised he was squinting at the brightness of
the sky so must have imagined it. Lying beside the dog, he too went
into the world of dreams, anything, to stop his
worrying.

Amazed that she could breathe so
easily under water, Heather looked at her hands as she swam and
noticed the webs between her fingers. Gadon swam in front of her
following a school of dolphins, he turned his head to give her
reassurance and she was shocked to realise that, just like Gadon,
she would have no hair. Rubbing her webbed hand over her head, she
felt a strange sensation as not only did she lack hair but also her
skin no longer felt soft. Her skin was hard and slippery to touch.
This would take some getting used to, not having her female human
assets of golden curling locks and soft peachy skin. She felt
happy; this confirmed that she truly was the Changeling. All her
life people had told her that this was her born gift but it had to
be kept a secret, known only by a few, and she could never try it
out to see if it really worked. Now, she knew it did and it was her
unique skill. Her father would be so pleased, she was
sure.