Mibby

As a child Mibby saw a dead dragon in the Great Grove of trees that was the closest part of the Wildlands. His sister asked him if he would like to see a Dragon. Now dragons had past into quasi-legend status. A few claimed to have seen them in the wildlands forest but not evidence has been produced for nearly sixty years. He was timid anyway. Its beautiful but creepy in those deep deep woods. And if its really a dragon it would probably try to eat him. Young life known to be a taste treat to dragons. But his sister said it was dead so it couldn't hurt him. So they went on a long hike. His sister was a few years older and catching the tail end of the "Elvin Summer", a time of counter-cultural rebellion and lifestyle inspired by the culture of the Elvin people. She spent a lot of time looking for and occasionally finding artifacts. Once she found a few bottles of Elvin nectar. Its a blend of many kinds of fruits, some of which no longer grow anywhere on the known map. Mashed and mixed together with honey and jarred. These bottles taste fresh for up to three hundred years. The elves buried thousands of bottles across the borders of the wild lands for emergencies. She once poured a small amount of one of the bottles into Mibbie's cup. The taste was so vibrant. It tasted of a long ago wise culture. It tasted sharp and tangy and sweet and so good. But she never gave him anymore saying that was more then deserved. Not being born into the time of the Elvin summer. He was considered the next phase. The Changlings his ten year radius age group was called. They went to a wider part in the trees. Mibby could tell she and probably others, hunters maybe have gone threw this path often. The grass all stomped now and a path worn by human and animal foot took them into the wondrous woods. Big thick trees with massive leaves. Frogs hoping about. Many colored mushroom on the dimly lit grasses covered in twigs. She went over a small hill rise and at the bottom of it, was a great beast laying sprawled out and covered by thousands and thousands of bugs. The whole thing a stinking writhing mass. He could make out green/golden scales. The sharp black claws. The long spiraling horns. A cloud of flies and other winged insects darkened the whole area. His sister planned on returning after the bugs have cleaned it more and collect the head or at least the horns. But somebody else beat her to it, or a scavenger creature dragged the whole carcass away.

As a child Mibbie used to dig in the beach of the Lake of Cards often when his family went there for a day in nature. He used to find old Elvin pottery in very rough shape. So thin and brittle soft the pieces would break apart in his hands every time he dried to get a vase or urn out. Clay fired to last hundreds of years now returning to sand.

Regaining Awareness

• It was after the war of Southfield verses the tribes of the Wildlands. Mibbie lived in Arloban the region next to Southfield was waging a revolt against it's dictator Lord Sabermeyar.

• Mibbie slowly became aware. He didn't so much wake up as he gradually became aware. Like coming out of a long unfocused tunnel of lost memories. It took over forty minutes for his mind to break enough out of the soft unclear fuzz for him to realize that he was laying in his bed. So numb be couldn't feel much. He seemed to be under the heavy influence of some powerful drug. But he couldn't remember having taken any drugs or even of drinking. In fact he didn't know what time it was, what day it was. He didn't know how long he had been comatose. It seemed like it was muffled and very far away when he heard a slurred voice beside him. Like there was a time lag and sound had to smear past a wall of molasses to come threw. He turned to the blur chattering in bed beside him and his eyes slowly focused. It was his gay friend Tog Stripe. Tog was smoking a cigarette even though he was forbidden in his house. Mibbie was straight but friends with Tog for years. Just friends. Tog was sitting up and smoking and chattering like a happy spring bird. A romantic lisp is his drug filtered voice. What the fuck?

• Stripe bantering away like they are lovers. Had they been during Mibbie's long period of unawareness. He has the since some time has passed since his last clear memory. His brain still feels heavy and sluggish. A distant feeling of itchyness coming over his face like a far away remote sensation. He tried to focus on Stripe as he grinned a love filled grin and twittered on but he could not follow the word train. His brain too unclear to focus but fear was getting stronger. A feeling of dread. Of total loss of control. He wanted to ask Tog something about this but he could not understand how to talk. How does he move this throat muscles? Togs was in barefoot and shirtless in a pair of blue jeans. Mibbie mostly under the blanket. Too numb to be able to feel if he was clothed or naked. Togs happy talk went on and on. He dumped the spent cigarette in a empty beer can and he lit up another. Mibbie couldn't smell the smoke. The burning itch in his cheek was getting stronger. Getting very annoying.