Brand New Day

Pernas awoke early, still in dragon form. He wasn't letting his guard down after the incident the other day.

He stretched and walked down the stairs, into the big entrance hall. He looked at the portrait he'd made of his father, anxious for his arrival.

In any case, he was rather hungry (he was too tired to eat the day before). Perhaps he'd go visit the Flock today. He'd also take along his two guests. It'd show them more of the island, and he'd get plenty to eat.

The clopping of hooves reach him as it echoed down the halls in a great trembling noise. In the lead led the calf. Only a few days old though he held his large head high. Now he had rolled in something and was currently purple and a very terrible brown color. A spot of green covered his white ear that he had flicked forward.

Behind him was the cows. Many of them and of mixed herds. The skinny Dwellers from yesterday stood only a few lines back and there was even one or two of the Flock.

"Hey, shiny butt I have some cows behind me now," They were hushed. In a sort of awe at the strange cow that spoke so bold yet wore colors so ridiculous, "We want our own herd." A rower of approval rose up but quickly died away. They were afraid of him. Though some of them would never admit it.

He gaze was intense despite his gangly appearance. Though it died as he caught site of Vi who had woken at the noise and had come down the hall. She stared in wonder at the large amount of cows. Her dress was rumpled with sleep and her eyes still held the cobwebs of dreams.

She was silent as was usual and stood aside simply watching. When Captain Carbonbuckle's gaze returned to Pernas it was intense once more. Full of intent for what he felt he must do.

"Hmm?" Pernas hummed, craning his neck, and seeing the gaggle of cows. "Oh..." he said, turning around. "So that's what you were up to yesterday." he said. He saw Vi out of the corner of his eye. "Good morning, Vi." he said. "You're just in time to see politics here."

"Now, then." he said, turning to the cows and sitting down. "Let's talk about this." he looked over the herd. "You've got enough with you to start one, I see. But tell, me." he said, fixing his gaze right in the Captain's eyes. "Why have you decided to do this? And why should I grant you this?"

He was curious about it. The Captain had some reason for it, even if it was just to stroke his ego or his eccentricity. But perhaps there was some other motive. That little speech he gave the other day couldn't have just been out of boredom, and the young cow's determination indicated something. He had a reason. A big reason.

"Many cows have called me crazy. Insane for my actions and my experiments but I've read through some of your books as a Dweller and have seen others that have been pursecuted as I have. Shunted for my irragularity and quest for knowledge. Though mine as been about the great 'Lord Dragon' as the birds so fondly call you," Vi moved and he paused for her as she settled down on the floor to listen.


"You are a tyrant even if the Flock doesn't believe it. Though as you can see some of them do. They were born in the wrong herd and it's not there fault. It's yours. You eat us willy nilly. Ever think that it effects us?" The cow clopped his hoof and because there was no other noise it was a little dramatic or at least as dramatic as the little cow could be.

"So I say that you should 'grant' us our new herd because if you have any moral being you will," His gaze shifted to Vi who looked a little horrified. She looked up at Pernas expecting him to do something for the cows.

Perfect set up at least for Captain Carbonbuckle.

Pernas sat still. Nothing that Captain Carbonbuckle said surprised him. So it's all out of some sense of rebellion, he thought. He looked over at Vi. Then he nodded.

"Very well." he said. "You can have your herd if you like, and it will be recognized as such. However..." Pernas said, standing up, looming over the little calf. "Your condition won't change. The ex-Dwellers, should you choose to move into worthier pastures, will be better off for not choosing to stay in the caves, but aside from that, I'm not going to show you any special treatment for your speech." he said. "I have to eat, and you should be grateful for the accommodations that are in place. You have little cause to fear death in your state. The people in the books you read? Things were different for them." he sat back down.

"Well, take your herd wherever you like. But nothing changes. I will still come to feed."

Glaring up at Pernas he flicked his different colored ears back, "I'll protect my cows against insanity." With that and a flick of his tail he turned about and led the other cows away.

"We're going to hear from him again aren't we?" Vi said quietly as they left. she crossed her arms to hide the goosebumps the chill of the floor brought her.

"Probably." Pernas said, looking at her and shifting back into human form. "Violet... you don't think I'm a tyrant, do you?" he asked. "I mean, I try to be nice to them as I can." he said, leaning against the wall.

"Lord Dragon?" a voice asked. It was a female cow. "I have just given birth to twins... and they both seem to be new ones?"

"Both new?" Pernas asked. "But that's not possible. There are still others waiting to be born... unless..." he thought. "Ralph, but... two?"

"Could you please step forward?" the mother cow asked. The two calves stepped forward, into the hallway. One of them was a bit awkward, looking around nervously. The second one walked slower, his eyes fixed on Pernas.

"Oh, god..." the awkward one said. "What... what's going on?"

"Ralph." Pernas said, getting up. The calf's eyes shot up at him. "Thank goodness you're alright." he said, walking over to the calf and kneeling down in front of him.

"What happened?" Ralph the calf asked.

"You fell off the cliff." Pernas said. Ralph was silent.

"What about the other one?" the mother asked. Pernas turned to look at him, narrowing his eyes. "He's lying." he said. The other calf said, taking a step back. "He's an Auroch."

Vi got to her feet and was about to approach Pernas when the female spoke. She turned and watched the two calves. Poor Ralph. The other one she wasn't sure what to think about him.

"Auroch? Is that another of the herds?" It must have been born in to the wrong one. It did appear that Pernas was mixing up the kinds just by eating them all the time.

Though when she looked at him she didn't find a trace of a tyrant. Just a man or dragon as he was concerned about the welfare of Ralph. She wondered if he was desensitized to death just as much as the cows were.

In a way it was inevitable. No way really around it when you couldn't really die. She looked back at the little Auroch wondering if he would have to stay in the wrong herd or have to be moved with out a mother. A sudden thought of who had given birth to Captain Carbonbuckle came up but she didn't dwell on it long.

"Yes." Pernas said, turning to her. "They're another herd, one that doesn't like me as much as some of the others. I go there when I feel like hunting prey rather than having it lie down in front of me. Many of them have certain prideful tendencies..." the Auroch calf backed up. "Often, they don't like admitting that they were able to get killed. So they pretend they haven't. And when you get put into a new body, it's easy to hide something like that. But it's just his mannerisms that give it away to me. He's not curious and confused like most new calves, and he holds himself high. He also reacted to me when I wasn't in dragon form." he said. He smiled. "You pick up on these sorts of things."

"The herd was..." the calf said softly. "Alot of them were killed."

"That would explain it." said Pernas, walking over to the calf and squatting down in front of him. "Well, we'll just have to get you and your friends together so you can piece the herd back together, good as new."

"What's going to happen to me?" Ralph asked.

"Happen?" Pernas asked, standing up. "Well, I can't say. It's highly likely that nothing at all will happen." he said, scratching his head. "This is most irregular."

"Ya think?" Ralph said glumly. Pernas chortled weakly at the remark.

"Well, I suppose you'll just have to get used to being a cow for the time being." Pernas said. "Maybe when father gets here he can think of something. He might be able to change you back to a human."

Vi had an odd feeling that this was a bit of the thing that The Captain was talking about but she chose not to voice her opinion. Pernas was trying to help the calf not bind him to the new one.

"When will he be here?" Vi questioned. Feeling bad about the sailor. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and was now a cow because of it. She hoped that Pernas's father would be able to change him back in to a human.

Well, she hoped that if she got killed that Eonoe would be able to change her back in to her self. Though she knew she wouldn't really mind being a bird for the rest of her life. Soaring through the skys like Pernas could.

Pip landed on her shoulder as if called by her thoughts. He was calmer now, "A lot of cows have been killed by the storm and that one." Pip reported importantly.

"Yes." Pernas said. "If herds have been scattered like the Aurochs, we'll have to help them put them back together. Assuming they want it, of course." he said, looking at the young Auroch calf.

"We'll gather again and do as we've been doing." he said, swallowing his pride.

"As for father, well..." Pernas said, scratching his head. "I don't know. He said he'd be coming 'soon.' But there's no way of knowing how soon that is."

Alar flew in. "The Aurochs, the Dwellers, and the Central Herd have taken considerable losses. The Guardians and the Flock don't seem to have many deaths."

"Thank you, you two. You may all go now." He said to the birds and the cows, before turning back to Vi.

"Well, things should hopefully get back to normal soon." he said, smiling. "You haven't seen much of the island. Would you like to see more of it?"

Pip nodded quickly and flew off. Vi was left wondering what was normal? This island certainly wasn't. Though she smiled at Pernas.

"No I haven't seen all of the island though I would love to," Pausing as she looked up at him, "Will we be flying or walking?"

She wouldn't mind either as he was interesting in both.

"We'll fly. It's a very big island." Pernas said. "Come, follow me. I'll show you a map." he said, leading her upstairs. to a room with a large map plastered on the wall. "We are right here." he said, pointing to a small dot in the lower left-hand corner. "Well, there are alot of locales. There's the mountains, here." he said, indicating one area. "Forests," he said, indicating another. "Lakes, different sections of the garden, other herds and flocks of birds." indicating each. "Or if you don't want to see more of the surface, there's also other things in the caves further down."

"Can we see some of the other herds?" Vi asked him pointing to the map to one section of the heard that she had only heard briefly mentioned. She was wondering about the different herds and where exactly The Captain had gone.

There seemed no place left for a new herd except perhaps if he gathered enough to take over another herds territory. Though she wasn't all to sure if that would work them being cows and all.

With Captain Carbonbuckle anything was possible though. Her violet gaze turned to Pernas to see if he agreed with her on where they would go.

"Certainly." he said. "I could take you to visit the Flock. They're very friendly. Besides, I'm hungry." he said, chuckling, as he shifted into his dragon form, making his way down the stairs. "Good thing all the rooms and hallways here are able to accommodate my form. That's why they're all so big." he explained. "Come, climb on." he said. Ironic he said that, as he really just picked her up in his claws and placed her on his back. "Comfortable?" he asked, exiting the cave and stretching his wings. "Xon?" he said, asking the grazing calf. "If Vi's father asks where we are, tell him we'll be back later in the afternoon."

And with that, he beat his wings, flying up into the air. He flew slowly, so as to make sure Vi didn't fall off. He flew at a high altitude, though, reasoning that if she did fall, he'd have more time to catch her than at a lower (but still fatal) altitude. Up in the air, like on the mountain, it was easier to see how expansive the land around them was. Faintly visible on the horizon was what appeared to be a giant... thing, that seemed almost more like a tower than a mountain.

"Xon used to be with the Flock." he said. "Though he left after a few lifetimes. Thing is..." he laughed slightly. "They treat me like a god. And Xon isn't so against me as, say, Captain Carbonbuckle or the Aurochs, and he doesn't complain or struggle when I kill him, but it's not as though he cheerfully asks me to dine on him. It's actually almost creepy sometimes... I've asked them to tone it down before."

"Yes," Vi answered to being comfortable. Knees locking tight as they took off. They were at a dizzing height but Vi liked it. Looking down at the massiveness at the island.

"Why do they worship you?" Vi asked quietly, "Does seem a little creepy..." After all he killed these cows. Perhaps Xon didn't mind as much any more but worshiping seemed a bit far.

Her gaze was off on to other things though. The mountain in the distance and the grass land and large forest down bellow. It was a truly beautiful island.

Full of life and abundance even if that life was a bit recycled. She wondered what happened if all the birds were alive and a bird had an egg. Would it become a new bird or become one of the birds that was going to die soon? It seemed like not a very important question but at the least it was interesting.

"Why?" Pernas asked. "Well, I'm not completely sure. I remember when this place was young and I came to look around. They were captivated. Just stared at me. Scarred, not knowing whether to run from me or approach me for a closer look. It was awe. And that kind of awe can produce varying reactions. For example, you saw that Carbonbuckle resent my actions. Some, however, see me as a power higher than themselves, and a tangible one at that. Perhaps they thought that their lives would be more comfortable if they were subservient, or that they'd be more content if they accepted what was around them." he mused. "I'd never really understood, and, well... I'd feel kind of embarassed to ask. Maybe you can ask." he chuckled.

They landed near a small lake that had a number of cows surrounding it. Seemed like a sort of watering hole, with part of Pernas' garden a short distance away. "Well, here we are." he said.

"Lord Dragon!" a rather fat dark brown bull said, approaching him and bowing, in that cow way. "We didn't know you were coming."

"I thought I'd visit." Pernas said. "Vi, this is Belan. He's the leader of this herd."

"Well," Belan said. "I organize certain things and started this group, if that's what you mean. I remain subservient to you, though, Lord Dragon. And who is this?"

"This is Violet." Pernas said. "She's a surprise visitor who arrived a few days ago."

"Is she a dragon, too?" a small, white calf asked, walking up to the side.

Vi nodded silently as they made it to the watering hole. She slid off of Pernas' back and landed lightly on her feet as she was introduced. Smiling at them she greeted them back with a quiet hello.

Staring around she took in again the beauty of the place. The section of the garden was of fruit trees but they were in bloom. Though the storm seemed to have not even touched any of them.

She briefly wondered why before turning back to the cows, "Why exactly are you subservient?" Even she was a little surprised by her outspokenness but Pernas seemed to make her brave.

The wind was gentle here. Playing across the crystal clear water. The cows seemed a little out of place because it was so beautiful here. The trees were birch with slender branches that stretched up to catch the sun.

She remember from one of her classes learning that a stand of birch trees were often one tree and not many clustered together. It was a little hard to imagine here with the sheer volume of them.

The cows seemed to be fidgeting. As if excited that Pernas was here to visit them though some looked as if they wanted to make sure everything was perfect for him.

Looking up at Pernas she wondered what cow he would eat though only briefly.

Some of the cows seemed a little unsettled by that question. Some of them muttered to each other. Some of them seemed like they were thinking, like they knew the answer, but just didn't know how to put it into words.

Pernas glanced at her, sitting down. "Well, let's see if there's an answer." he said quietly. He was genuinely curious about the matter, but never felt like asking himself. He felt it would've been a bit silly.

Belan, however, did not seem terribly unsettled by the question. "We have a great deal of cause to be thankful." he said, with a warm smile. "We live comfortable lives with everything we need. We have food, water, sunshine, the company of others, and whatever else we can come up with. In return, we give ourselves to the more powerful being who gives it to us."

The herd seemed more or less satisfied with this conclusion. Some returned to their normal affairs of talking with one another, grazing, drinking, bathing, or sleeping. Most remain looking at the dragon and the girl. They seemed very curious about her.

Pernas thought a little about Belan's answer. Hmm. I guess that kinda makes sense. he thought. "Well, in any case, I'm hungry." he said, standing up.

Vi had a few more questions but thought that it might be better to instead ask someone like Captain Carbonbuckle. He seemed to have the other side of the spectrum in that question.

"Sure, should I look away again?" She asked him quietly. Looking around at the others. They had seemed uncomfortable with her question. Perhaps they questioned that them selves though his answer did make some kind of sense.

Pernas could easily be seen as a monster but she knew both sides now so it wasn't easy for her. Walking forward she moved in among the cows gazing around and she could see traits through out them.

They seemed a lot more at peace with there lives then the others but was it really right to be blinded? Even so what if they weren't blinded. Sitting down she stared out across the water. Noting that she could see where fish swam. Some huge and some small but all only shadows for they were camouflaged well.

"Look away?" Belan asked.

"Where she's from, death is different. People don't come back." Pernas said.

"Oh dear..." Belan said. "That... that would make things a little different. But it's not like that here."

"Still, killing isn't pretty, even if you do come back." Pernas said.

"In any case, I am at your service." The bull said, sitting down on the ground.

"Well, that's good to hear." Pernas said. "Let's go into the garden with anyone else who's willing. I'm rather hungry, and I can prepare the meal where Vi won't be upset." The dragon said, walking off into the garden.

A small white calf approached Vi. "Are you a dragon, too?" it asked timidly.

Vi remembered the calf before or at least one like it asking about that as well, "No, I'm not. I wish I was but to do that i would have to be die and be born here as a dragon. Though I'm sure there isn't any female dragons here."

She paused, "Just call me Vi and what is your name?" The calf was cute. As the calfs often were. Even The Captain was a cute calf though he was covered in all thoughs colors.

"Do you know Captain Carbonbuckle?" She asked suddenly. She wondered if everyone knew about the crazy cow or just some of the herds.

"Nice to meet you, Vi. My name's Lura." The calf said. When she mentioned Captain Carbonbuckle, she lowered her head. "Him? I met him, once. He called me a pussy..."

Vi stiffled a laugh. That was definatly something that The Captain would say. She reached out and patted the calf in comfort, "Does everyone know him or just a few?"

How far could the cows reach get? He probably got around the island by the amount of cows that had followed him.

"Well, most of us know who he is, and what he does." Lura said. "He likes to be seen. But he doesn't come here much. He was here a few days ago, persuading some others to join him in a new herd."

The calf sat down, drinking the water. "He doesn't like Lord Dragon. And he convinced a few others not to like him, too."