Chapter Four: Aura's Tale
***
My name is Aura. It means 'golden'. My father named me that because of my coloring.
This is my story. It actually starts long before I was born, as do many stories like this. It starts several millennia ago, when dragons ruled the Earth. Yeah, dragons did rule the Earth, just like they told you, but those others don't know the whole story.
See, by nature we dragons are a benevolent race. Beneficial at best, apathetic to the problems of mankind at our worst. One dragon king was very kind. He ruled over humans and the other dragons fairly. Everyone lived in peace and harmony. He was my ancestor, my great-grandfather in fact.
One day, an army of dragons attacked his palace! In the coup d'état he was killed, and his throne and title were stolen by an evil dragon who named himself the Dragon Lord. The Dragon Lord was evil. The Dragon Lord is evil. He did not, and still does not believe that the humans deserved any kindness or mercy. During his reign, the bonds between dragons and humans were broken.
Only one member of the royal family survived, the late king's adolescent son. He was taken in and hidden away by a group of mystics. The Shinobi had faithfully served the old king, and refused to bow down before the Dragon Lord. They escaped to the mountains and began to plan.
After many years, many decades, of planning and fighting, the Shinobi managed to banish the Dragon Lord and his army inside a magick mirror.
Unfortunately, humans had now come to fear and hate dragons because of the Dragon Lord. Dragons could no longer live beside their human friends. They retreated to the astral realms, only conversing with humans who sought the dragon's wisdom for good.
The Shinobi stood guard over the mirror as humanity progressed, to make sure the evil dragons would not escape.
Now, in present day, the Dragon Lord has escaped. The Shinobi tradition had dwindled to two. Master Shaman Chung I was destroyed by the Dragon Lord during the escape. Mei Pieh Chi, his adopted daughter and apprentice, has survived, but is not strong enough to destroy or rebanish the Dragon Lord.
The original royal dragon line has continued as well. I am the latest. Great-granddaughter of the murdered dragon king, and true heir to the throne. As the next in line, it is my duty to reclaim the throne from the Dragon Lord. The world has been in chaos too long. It's time to bring it back into balance. To welcome a new age of dragons.
It's been tough going, let me tell you. I totally blew that fight at the museum. I'm still trying to figure out how that idiot human snuck up on me. I felt a prick on my shoulder and pulled out a dart. I turned and lunged at him. My claws dug into his shoulder but he managed to hit me with two more darts.
The next thing I know, I'm looking up at the Dragon Lord himself! I got away, but I never should have let myself get captured in the first place. Now he knows I'm here and I've lost the element of surprise.
I don’t think the sedative has totally worn off yet. The only reason I was able to get away was the blood rush. I'm running on fumes now. The sun's coming up, so I better go inside. I've always been nocturnal. I don't really need to hide, though, because I can make myself look human, but I don't really like the feeling of being human. Don't get me wrong, humans are okay… well, they have potential… I just don't want to be one! I like my scales and armor just fine.
I've translated all of the Shinobi's writings. She didn't have much on the Dragon Lord that I didn't already know, and a lot of it was wrong. Her journals were interesting though. I know reading someone's personal diary is rude, but I don't live by those odd human customs. I need information. The latest stuff is the most interesting.
She writes a lot about the ones she lives with. They are a colorful bunch, aren't they? Their surrogate father, the rat, Splinter, seems to be a wise sensei. No one in that family gives him the respect he deserves.
Leonardo, according to Venus, has taken up the 'big brother' role. He acts the most disciplined but really isn't as mature as he seems. He has honed his ninja skills to near perfection but seems to be lacking something in other areas. She writes a lot about him. Mostly starting with 'what if' and 'if only'.
Donatello is the scientific mind. Venus says he doesn't believe in magick, or rather, doesn't understand its importance. But he seems nice enough from her descriptions.
Michaelangelo is the fun one. Believe it or not, Venus actually enjoys his sense of humor, as long as it's not about her. He calls her 'babe' and 'hottie' and she gets upset. There are worse things to be called, believe me, I think I've been called them all! Venus thinks he has potential if he ever grows up.
Ah, Raphael. Aside from Leonardo, Venus writes about him the most. About how reckless he is, how he argues with Leonardo, and teases her about her magick. I always had a soft spot for motorcycle riders. There's that wild spirit that makes those rebel types so appealing. Girls like Venus just don't understand why they like guys like that.
And then there's Venus herself. She's optimistic. She's naïve. She's still an apprentice, even though she has no teacher. She thinks highly of herself and can't really understand the others very well. She doesn't really understand her 'brothers' and refuses to see things from their point of view.
They all have their strengths I can use and weaknesses I can use against them. If only they could be of more help.
So that's it. Thank you for your time.
***