The Rainbow Orchid

 It's funny, dear reader, I could have sworn that I had actually written about The Rainbow Orchid before, back in the earliest days of this blog, even. However, a quick search only yielded one result and that was this post. Still, better late than never, right?

I first discovered The Rainbow Orchid in the later years of the 00's, when its creator Garen Ewing serialized it, one strip at the time on his web-page. 

Seeing as how was and still am, a fan of classic European comics, such as Tintin and Blake & Mortimer, The Rainbow Orchid did not need much to charm me and I eventually ended up buying the three albums that make up the story directly from Ewing, as they came out. As a result, The Rainbow Orchid is the only comic I own that's signed by its creator.

The Rainbow Orchid begins in England, in the 1920's. It is here that we meet our hero, Julius Chancer, working as an assistant for historical researcher Sir Alfred Cathesby-Grey.They are approached by Lord Lawrence and his movie-star daughter, Lily. Lawrence, as it turns out, is in a bit of a pickle: He has foolishly made a bet with mysterious businessman Urkaz Grope, regarding a flower-competition and now, stands to lose everything. In order to beat Grope's super-rare black orchid, Lawrence needs an even rarer flower, namely the fabled Rainbow Orchid; mentioned by the Greek Philosopher thousands of years ago and last rumored to have been located in India by an acquaintance of Sir Alfred's. In order to save Lord Lawrence from dishonor and ruin, Julius and Lily sets of to find the Rainbow Orchid, accompanied by the latter's American agent, Nathaniel Crumpole. 

Meanwhile, Grope, having discovered their plans, sends a group of thugs, led by the devious Evelyn Crow to make sure that the Rainbow Orchid is never found...

The Rainbow Orchid is a truly first-rate adventure comic, containing everything that one could possibly want out of a comic in the genre: Danger, humor, excitement, lost civilizations, conspiracies, etc. Its cast of characters are engaging and play their roles well, with the heroes being likable and easy to root for (even if one of them have a tendency to fall into the 'bumbling sidekick' role). As far as I'm concerned though, the stand-out character of the comic is Evelyn Crow; resourceful, ruthless and resilient, she's a fantastic villain, definitely one of my favorites.

I must admit that I haven't really kept up with Garen Ewing's work post The Rainbow Orchid. I know that he has made at least one more comic starring Julius Chancer, but I haven't read it. Though this is mainly because its only been published in serialized form in a British children's comic-book. Be that as it may, even if I never read another thing from Ewing's pen (though hopefully, I will), The Rainbow Orchid will always have a place of honor in my library, as one of the finest example of its kind I can think of. 

 

Chapter 65

 "Excuse me. I wonder if you could help me."

The Female alligator who was manning the front-desk at the hospital looked up at the person who had just addressed her. Said person turned out to be a female poodle. The Poodle's fur was black, except for a white circle around her left eye and she was wearing a purple dress.

"Certainly" she said, "How can you be of assistance?"

"Well, you see, I just found out that a friend of mine had been in accident, while in the company of some of her other friends. They took her to a hospital, but they neglected to inform me which hospital it was. I've been visiting three hospitals already and she was not in any of them. Please, oh, please, tell me that this is the right one. If its not, I think I might cry."

To add emphasis to her words, the poodle's nose began to twitch slightly and she instinctively brought one of her paws up to the corner of her eye. She looked so despondent that the nurse c was moved to pity out of her.

"Please, don't cry" she said. "What is your friend's name and what species is she?"

"Her name is Risha, she's a lynx."

"In that case" the receptionist said, smiling, "I have good news for you: We do indeed have a patient who fits that description to a t."

"That's great" the rabbit said, excitedly, clasping her paws together. "Tell me, which room is she in?"

"Room 17. Oh, but I'm afraid visiting day is not until tomorrow. Of course, I can tell her that you stopped by."

"No, no, I'll come back tomorrow and surprise her."

"You do that. Have a good day."

"Thank you and the same to you."

The Poodle left the hospital and, as she stood on the sidewalk, pump her fist in the air. At last, she had found the right place. Now, all she had to do was finish the job and meet up with her client to get the rest of her money. Of course, she had to get inside first, but this should not prove difficult. This hospital must surely have a separate entrance, for the staff to use.

She peeked around the corner of the hospital-building: Bingo! There it was, at the end of a narrow alley. Suddenly, the door opened and a sturdy-looking  brown hare, carrying a sword in his belt appeared. Her heart pounding, the poodle ducked back, cursing the ram's sudden appearance. Had he seen her? 

Slowly, she once again took a peek and was relieved to see that the hare was busy emptying his bladder against the building, whistling loudly as he did, paying no attention to her. 

For a moment, the poodle considered dispatching of the hare. It would be easy to sneak up on him and slit his throat while he wasn't prepared. Than again, she had not paid to take care of him and it was against her principles to kill unless there was money involved. 

With cat-like thread, the poodle quickly snuck past the hare, she than carefully opened the door slightly and squeezed inside.

She came into a room in which various articles of clothing, among them several nurse's uniforms, were hanging on clothesline. Without hesitation, the poodle grabbed one of the uniforms and a few seconds later, she was walking the halls of the hospital, just one more nurse among several.

It did not take long for the poodle to locate room seventeen. She noticed, somewhat surprised, that a chair had been placed by the door. She touched the seat of the chair, it was warm. Whoever had been occupying it could not have gone far.

I had better hurry up, the poodle thought. Who knows when they might come back?

Wasting no time, she pushed the door open.

The First thing the poodle noticed, as she stepped into room 17, was that the curtains surrounding the hospital-bed were closed.Listening, she could hear the sound of someone snoring, coming from behind the curtain. 

Good, she thought. This will make my job even easier.

A chair stood in a corner and the poodle wasted no time in positioning it under the door-handle, blocking access to the room from the outside. Having done this, she took out a long dagger and with that in her paw, she crept up to the hospital-bed, pulled aside the curtains and promptly froze in shock:

There was her intended target, very much awake and seated on the bed, holding a short-sword, whose point the poodle found herself staring down at.

"I suggest you put that tooth-pick down" Risha said. She was smiling as she uttered those words, but the tone of her voice made it clear to the rabbit what would happen if she did not comply.

Realizing that she had no other choice, the rabbit, furious at herself for having been taken by surprise by someone she had thought would be easy prey, opened her paw and let the the dagger fall to the floor. Without taking her eyes of the rabbit, Risha bent down and picked it up.

"Aside from the doctor, I have two nurses attending to me" Risha said, explaining how she had managed to take the poodle by surprise. "I recognize their footsteps, so I knew you were not one of them. Besides, the nurses always announce themselves before entering a patient's room."

"Is that so? I'll be sure to remember that next time my profession takes me to one of these places."

"Bold of you to assume there will be a next time. By the way, one of my colleagues is supposed to be on guard outside, how did you get past him?"

"I did not. There was no-one there."

A frown passed over Risha's features, but did not take up residence and moved on as soon as it had arrived.

"I see" she said, nodding to herself. "Now, take off your clothes."

"What?"

"You heard me: Take them off."

To add emphasis to her words, Risha pricked the rabbit's throat with the tip of her own dagger. A scarlet drop appeared. Raging inwardly, the rabbit obeyed and was soon wearing nothing but a frown. Risha than ordered her to hand over the nurse's uniform, which she proceeded to go through meticulously in search of hidden weapons. In one of the sleeves, she found a garrot-wire, which she put aside, while shaking her head in a mock-disapproving way.

"So tell me" she said, "what's your name?"

The Poodle was so surprised by this question that it took a few seconds before it registered with her. 

"V-Vidia" she stuttered, stumbling on the words. 

"That's a pretty name. I'm Risha, but I have a feeling that you already knew that, am I right?"

"Yes, my client told me your name. Um, could I by any chance have my clothes back? Please?"

"Your clothes? You mean these? But these belong to the hospital and therefore are not your clothes, correct? Besides" she added, toying with the confiscated dagger, "I rather enjoy looking at you."

Vidia's eyes narrowed slightly, so the lynx was one of those people? Perhaps she could pull this job of after all.

"Well" she said, putting her arms behind her neck, so that her small bust stood out. "Perhaps you would like to do something more than look?"

"Sorry" Risha said, pointing the dagger at Vidia. "I'm afraid that I'm neither horny nor stupid enough to let you get closer to me than you already are."

Just then, there were a series of rapid knocks on the door, followed by an unmistakably masculine voice calling out:

"Hey! Why doesn't the door open? Answer me, Risha! What's going on in there?"

"Just a second!" Risha called back. "That would be my so-called body guard" she explained. "Let him in."

"Like this?" Vidia asked aghast, making a sweeping gesture indicating her exposed forms. 

"Like that" Risha said. "Come on, shake that tail" she urged, giving the canine-girl's backside a slap with her short-sword.

Rubbing the spot where the sword had struck, Vidia, muttering curse-words under her breath, went and removed the chair. The Door opened and the hare from the alley became visible. Evidently, he had not expected to be greeted by the sight of a nude woman when coming to check up on his female colleague, but he quickly found his bearings and stepped inside.

"My apologies" he said. "I was not aware you had company. Do you want me to leave so that you can...?"

"She's not a visitor" Risha cut him off. "She was sent her to kill me, but failed and where were you, exactly?"

"I...I had to take a piss. I rushed to the indoor-privies, but all the stalls were occupied, so I went outside into an alley. I rushed back here as quickly as I could, barely gave myself time to give my dick a good shake."

This was not true, after he had finished answering the call of nature, the hare decided to take advantage of being outside by indulging in his tobacco-habit. However, he saw no need to tell Risha that.

"Anyway", he continued, "thing turned out well, didn't they?"

"No thanks to you", the lynx replied acidly. "Take off your shirt and give it to the prisoner."

The Hare removed his shirt and handed it to Vidia, who put it on. It ended just above her knees.

"Now take her out of here."

"You want me to deliver her to the local authorities?"

"No, take her to where Kyros and the others are. Tell Kyros that I want him to keep her under guard. I have plans for her."

"Oh? What plans are those?" As he asked this question, the hare leered at Vidia while stroking his chin.

"Just get her out of here" Risha said, her tone of voice making it clear that she was really not in the mood. "Do you think you can manage that?"

"Yeah, yeah" the hare grumbled. "Uppity bitch" he muttered, sotto voce.

He turned to Vidia.

"Come on, you!" He ordered, giving the failed assassin a light push, which caused her to stumble. "Move it, and no funny business. Remember that I am armed and you are not."

Once she was alone, the calm confidence Risha had displayed until now vanished and her limbs began to tremble. What if, as she had pointed out, Vidia had arrived a bit earlier? If so, her story would probably have ended here. In her imagination, the lynx pictured the shock of the nurse that would have found her corpse, followed by her brother's sorrow when the horrible news was delivered to him. No! She did not want to think of something like that and what was the point in doing so, anyway, when things had turned out well?

Deciding that she needed to take her mind off of things, Risha put the short-sword away and reached for the thin volume that Leorin had given to her during his last visit and opened it.

*****

For many years, whenever Zevedo felt vexed by something, it had been his habit to shut himself in his basement, which served as a laboratory. Usually, playing around with the various mixtures he had on display there and breathing in the weird-smelling fumes, had a relaxing effect on him. However, this day (the day after the events narrated above), the effect was absent, much to Zevedo's frustration.

The Reason for this was, of course, the lack of news from Vidia. Had she finished the job? Or had something gone wrong? Zevedo was not usually one to question his judgement, but he was beginning to wonder if he had done the right thing hiring the poodle.

Just then, there was a knock on the basement-door and the next moment, a squat green-skinned figure appeared at the top of the stairs.

"My apologies for disturbing you, Mis.." the goblin began, in a shreeky voice, then corrected himself: "Master, but a boy just came by with this message. He said that a poodle had paid him to deliver it."

Zevedo's (or more precisely, Merees') heart began to beat faster.

"Give it here" he said eagerly. "Hurry!"

Knowing that keeping his master waiting was never a wise thing to do, the goblin negotiated the steps as quickly as his short legs could manage. Having done this, he held out the envelope to Zevedo who snatched it out of his hand.

Taking no further notice of his servant, Zevedo opened the envelope and took out the letter. It read as follows:

Target has been located and dealt with. Meet me by the cherry-trees in the park, at midnight, with the money. 

- V

PS: As per agreement, I have included, with the letter, proof that the deed has been done. 

Well, well, Zevedo thought. Let us take a look at this proof.

He reached into his envelope and fished out a few strands of hair. Zevedo recognized them immediately: They were hairs from a lynx's ear-tufts. 

At midnight by the cherry-trees, is it? I'll be there.

Zevedo held up the letter and exhaled, turning it into ash.

Chapter 64

 Sara and Leorin exchanged a quick look, before turning their attention back to Risha.

"Sis, are you saying that this person was the Princess' doppleganger?" Leorin asked, hoping that this would turn out to be the case. 

"The Dragon in the park knew Risha's name" Sara pointed out. "Kyros heard her say it."

"So?"

"Think about it, how would a doppleganger know what her name was?"

Leorin had to admit that his girlfriend had a point. 

"I wasn't making myself clear" Risha said. "That was Merees in the park."

"But you just said..." Leorin began to protest, only to be silenced by the look his sister gave him.

"I know what I said. Let me put it to you this way: The Person in the park was Merees. She looked like her and when she spoke, it was with Merees' voice, but at the same time, it wasn't really her, are you following me?"

"What are you saying, Sis? That Merees is possessed or something?" Leorin asked and though he tried to hide it, it was clear that he found this hard to believe

Risha noticed it and was just about to answer, when the doctor appeared in the doorway.

"I'm afraid that this is all the time I can allow you, at least for today" he said. "The Patience is in need of rest."

Leorin nodded to show that he understood.

"We'll come back" he said, giving his sister's paw a light squeeze. "Do you want us to bring you something?"

"Something to read would be nice."

Once she was alone, Risha leaned back against her pillow and stared up at the ceiling.

I suppose I can't blame my brother for being skeptical, she thought. Had I been told this same thing, I would most likely feel the same way. Still, I know that I'm right: Merees, my Merees would never do anything to hurt me. She wouldn't.

She. Wouldn't.

*****

The Clientele gathered in the shady tavern looked up from their tankards and stared at the person who had just stepped inside. 

Their surprise was understandable, this was not the type of establishment frequented by women, except for those belonging to a certain line of work and even then, they were usually accompanied by a man. This woman was alone and, judging from the way she dressed, not a member of the world's oldest profession. Furthermore and this was by far the most notable thing about her, she was a dragon.

The Dragon made her way confidently up to the bar, where the patrons, usually not known for gentlemanly behavior, made room for her. One of them tentatively reached out to touch the area below her tail, but thought better of it and withdrew his paw before it made contact.

"What's yer poison?" Asked the boar behind the bar, he seemed to be the only one unaffected by the stranger's presence.

"Absinthe" came the reply.

The Dragon got her drink and downed it in one gulp. She then put down the required amount of coins next to the empty.

"Anything else?" 

"As a matter of fact, there is. I have a problem that needs to be taken care of. I have heard that this is a place where you can find competent problem-solvers. If you catch my drift."

She put down another coin on the table.

The Bartender was not about to ask were the dragon had heard these things. Instead, he let the coin disappear into his pocket and pointed to a lone table at the other end of the room. Without a word, the dragon headed towards it.

Some time later, Zevedo left the tavern and began his walk back home. As he traversed the steets, he thought back on last night. He had to admit that the appearance of the lynx had taken him by a surprise. Last time he had seen her had been five years ago, at the slave-market where he had purchased the body he was now making use of. 

At the time, he had been completely unaware of the relationship between the lynx and the original owner of his new body. Though the words the lynx had screamed after him when he left the market with his purchase, should have given him a clue. He had never expected to see the lynx again, so he had not taken her threats seriously. As a matter of fact, they had sounded like music to his ears at the time, the impotent menaces of some female who would no doubt end up in a brothel somewhere. So, what circumstances could have lead to her ending up here, on a completely different continent and, judging by appearance, a free woman?

He would have killed her last night and he had almost succeeded, but had been prevented from doing so. From out of the darkness, a group of ruffians appeared, carrying weapons in their paws. No doubt it was Fuchul who had hired them in order to intimidate him.

 On the subject of Fuchul, apparently that well had run dry. Of course, it was bound to happen eventually, but it was a shame, nonetheless. 

Since he was still getting used to his new body, Zevedo had decided not to take the risk of partaking in combat against several foes at once. Fortunately, he had made it a habit to always carry some homemade flare-bombs on his person. By the time Fuchul's hired thugs had regained the use of their eyes, he had already disappeared into the night. 

It was not only outside interference that had saved the lynx's life. At first, Zevedo had rejoiced at the ease with which his new claws had pierced her fur, flesh and bone. However, his joy swiftly gave way to another sensation: One much less pleasant.

Although he was in full control of his new body, Zevedo knew that he was not alone in it. Its former owner was still there. Usually, her presence could barely be felt, but last night, he had sensed it grow stronger. It had only lasted for a brief moment, but it had been enough to cause Zevedo serious concern. 

Doubtlessly, the lynx's comrades had taken her to a hospital. Zevedo knew that he had to take her out, before she had the chance to recuperate from her wounds and go in search for him again. Of course, he could not do it by himself. For one thing, even if he was successful, there was a high possibility that killing the lynx with his own hands would cause  the former owner to awaken and regain control of her body. He could not allow such a catastrophe to happen, especially since he had already disposed of his old form.

A good thing then that he knew at least few waterholes in town where one could find people who was willing to do anything for the right prize. had only taken him a few minutes with the assassin he had met at the tavern to realize that this was the person for the job. He had paid half in advance and would pay the other half upon confirmation that the deed had been done. 

Afterwards, he would leave this town. There was nothing left for him here and besides, there was a whole world out there and now, he had many centuries ahead of him in which to see and eventually own it all.

Cancelled Comics

 When it comes to comics, I can think of few things that bum me out more than when a title that I like ends up being abandoned by its creator(s). I know that there are always reasons for why this happens, but that does not stop it from being disappointing.

For example, take one of the comics I've written about on this blog before: District 14 (original title: Cité 14) , by Pierre Gabus & Romuald Reutimann. Its been years since Season Two (in case you wonder, the volumes of District 14 are called 'seasons') came out and, aside from some artwork, there has not been a word of a Season Three. Yes, I am well aware that The Fantastic Voyage of Lady Rozenbuilt is sometimes listed as the third season, but as far as I'm concerned, it shouldn't be: Lady Rozenbuilt, while perfectly good, was a prequel/spin-off, focusing on the character of Captain Bigoodee and his past. It didn't advance the actual main story in any way. 

That said, although their title languishes in comic-book limbo and its disappointing that we will most likely never get another comic featuring Michael, Hector, Vanita and all the other inhabitants of the District, Gabus and Reutimann did resolve some of their plot-threads, so they did not leave their readers completely hanging.

A better (or worse, depending on how one looks at things) example is another French comic: La Guilde de la Mer (The Guild of the Sea), by Nancy Pena. Set in an archipelagic world of several kingdoms, all populated by various races anthropomorphic animals, the comic focuses on the titular guild whose merchants are the only ones allowed to travel between the various nations.

La Guilde de la Mer is a comic that has a lot going for it, its biggest strength, in my opinion, being its world-building. Pena's fictional world is a fascinating place and its clear that she has put a lot of thought in it. The Characters that populate this world, while not among the greatest I've encountered in comics, are nonetheless engaging enough for me to be invested in them. 

Unfortunately, La Guilde de la Mer was cancelled after only two 48 page volumes (the standard format for European comics), meaning that all the intriguing plot-points Nancy Pena set up, including one about the protagonist's mother becoming the leader of a gang of criminals, will never be resolved. Story-wise, La Guilde de la Mer is all set-up with no payoff and as such, I can not in good conscience recommend it to my readers, much as I would like to.

I honestly don't know why La Guilde de la Mer did not sell well enough. Its not as if the French are strangers to the concept of comics not featuring any human characters, nor was Nancy Pena a newcomer on the scene when she made it. Whatever the reason, it failed to find traction with the public and that is a shame.

Bone

 Way, way back in the 90's, when I was but a child, I remember that during a visit to the local library, I spotted a comic that I did not recognize. Its cover depicted a young girl, standing in a forest, surrounded by hairy red-eyed creatures, while carrying a white, cartoony-looking figure under her arm. Intrigued, I checked the comic out and thus, was introduced to Bone by Jeff Smith, in its Swedish translation.

There were two attempts to launch Bone over here, made by two separate publishers and neither of them seemed to have met with much success, because neither of them got farther than the third volume in the series (as a quick side-note, I should mention that the Swedish translation divided each of the original English-language volumes into two).  Sometime later, when my English skills had grown sufficiently, I bought two of the volumes that were never published over here: The Dragon-Slayer and Rock Jaw: Master of the Eastern Border. Then, I got into other comics and Bone fell to the side.

Until now, that is. For years I had been aware that all nine volumes of Bone (not counting prequels and spin-offs) had been published in one heavy tome, aptly titled Bone: One-Volume Edition and after having it sitting on my list of 'things that I'll get to, eventually' for a long time, I finally procured a copy. Meaning that, after left it on-hold since my teenage years, I have finally finished Bone. Was it worth it? Read on and find out.

For those of you unfamiliar with Bone, the titular characters are the three cousins, Fone Bone (sensible, altruistic, dependable), Smiley Bone (carefree, happy-go-lucky) and Phoncible P. Bone a.k.a. Phoney (selfish and greedy), all of whom looks like they have stepped out of some old-school cartoon or comic-strip. At the beginning of the comic, the cousins find themselves lost in the desert, having been chased out of their hometown Boneville (a place we never get to see, but which I always pictured being similiar to Duckburg), after Phoney's attempt at being elected mayor ended in disaster.  

Soon, the three of them end up in an unknown valley, populated by all sorts of creatures, including humans. It is here that we meet Thorn, a young girl who lives alone with his grand-mother, Rose, a tough-as-nails old lady whose main hobby is to race against cows. There's also the gruff tavern-keeper Lucius, in whose establishment, Phoney and Smiley soon find themselves washing dishes in order to pay off their debt, the unflappable red dragon, Ted the talking bug and many others. 

Characterization (at least early on, more on that a few paragraphs down) is one of Bone's chief strength. Pretty much all the characters the Bones encounter in the valley have distinct personalities and while not all of them are deep, nuanced characters, they are nonetheless very memorable

As for the artwork, it is lovely to look at. Smith has a real knack for visual storytelling and while Bone has a lot of dialogue (most of it really good), he knows when to let the images do the talking. 

I should point out that I read the comic in black & white. I know there's a colorized version of Bone, but I prefer it this way. in my opinion, Smith's art needs color about as much as Hugo Pratt's does.

Story-wise, Bone starts out fairly light-hearted and humorous, with Phoney and Smiley and their get-rich-quick schemes being the primary source for comedy, although far from the only one. 

It soon becomes clear though, that dark forces are at work in the valley and as the comic progresses, Bone takes a more serious turn. Although the comedic elements never disappear completely.

For all it does right, Bone is not without its weaknesses. Personally, I found the second half of the story to be less consistently engaging than what came before it, though it certainly not bad by any means. Smith introduces a whole slew of new characters and while there's nothing wrong with that, none of these newcomers leave much of an impression. I can think of other comics that have handled an expanding cast better.

I also found myself disappointed by the ending. I won't go into the reason why, because that would entail spoilers. I may do a follow-up post where I discuss it in more detail, but for now, I'll just say that I did not care for it.

Bone originally ended in 2004 (although Smith has returned to its world from time to time, most recently in 2016) and its creator has since worked on other comics. However, this is the one he will always be remembered for and for good reasons. While it may not be the unabashed masterpiece it sometimes held up to be (I certainly don't think its one of the ten best graphic novels ever as Time Magazine claimed) Bone is, at its best, a terrific comic; highly recommended and well worth checking out.

Chapter 63

 It was a chilly night, unusually so, considering the time of the year. It was not the kind of night fit for being outside, crouching behind a fountain in a park, with your fingers wrapped around the hilt of your short-sword. And yet, that was exactly what Risha was doing at the moment. 

Not that she was alone; spread out in the park, concealed by shadows or hiding in the trees were Kyros and the rest of her colleagues. Downwards from the lynx's position, on the gravel-path, which at daytime was trampled by hundreds of feet, stood Fuchul, the red panda who was the group's newest client.  

Fuchul was to meet someone here. Someone he, according to what little he had told the group, had had dealings with before, but did not trust completely. That was why they were all out here, lying in wait. Ready to strike at any sign of treachery. 

In the distance, the park-gate could be heard opening. It was followed by another sound, that of footsteps drawing closer. Soon another figure stepped into the moonlight, one whose appearance Fuchul had not expected, something made blatantly clear by the look of surprise on his face.

He was not the only one; from her hiding place, Risha stared at the newcomer as though she could not believe her eyes. 

Can't be, she thought and immediately afterwards: But it is."

"Who are you?" Fuchul asked. "Where's Zevedo?"

"Gone" the newcomer said, in the voice that Risha had heard in some of her more pleasant dreams. "You'll have to deal with me from now on."

"Is that so?" Fuchul replied. "Well,  let me tell you something, whoever you are: Two days ago, I recieved a message. Do you know what it said? 'They are all dead', that's what! So neither you nor anyone else have anything on me anymore."

He gave the newcomer a triumphant look, only to realize that her attention was focused on something, or someone, behind him.

What are they doing? He thought. They were only supposed to come out if I gave the signal. 

He turned around and saw the female member of the group he had hired stand there, fully visible, staring at the newcomer. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but judging from the smile on her face, they were tears of happiness.

"What do you think you are doing?" He asked sharply. Once again, however, he found himself completely ignored, as the  lynx ran past him and into the waiting arms of the newcomer.  Then, he watched, stunned, as the two women; the lynx and the dragon, both embraced. What happened next, however, was even more of a surprise: 

The Lynx's expression suddenly changed, her face became a mask of pain and confusion. Then, the dragon took a step back and the lynx began to fall forward, her paw clutching her chest.

Why? That was all Risha could think, as Merees sank her claws deep into her and pulled them out. 

Through a haze, she saw the love of her life look at her hand, which was stained with her blood and for a moment, she thought there was something strange about it. The Next moment, the pain became too much. She was dimly aware of someone catching her and heard the voice of Kyros, crying out for something to stop the bleeding with. 

Then, everything turned dark.

****

Dawn had at last arrived, when the capybara who had been one of the physicians on duty that night, stepped into the small waiting room. As soon as he did, he had the full attention of those who had been waiting there, for several hours.

Among those present was an adolescent black cat, who looked even more worried than the others. Having been informed that the young feline was the patient's brother, the doctor thought it no small wonder that he would be particularly anxious.

Sitting next to the cat was a female porcupine, about the same age as him, holding his paw in hers. The Others were a diverse group of people, the doctor recognized some of them as belonging to the travelling acting-troupe that was currently performing in one of the city's theaters. 

Well, no use in keeping them in suspense.

The Doctor cleared his throat and turned to Leorin, speaking to him directly:

"I have good news" he said. "Your sister is going to live."

The Feeling of relief that filled the room was almost physical. Sara hugged Leorin who responded in kind and turned to the doctor:

"May I see her?" He asked.

"You may,  but she won't be able to talk to you; she's sleeping."

"I don't care, I want to see her anyway" Leorin said and got off of his chair. 

Sara did the same thing.

"I'll come with you", she said.

"She's in the third room to the left" the doctor informed them. 

Once the two youths were gone, the doctor sat down, cleaned his glasses and, having done this, leaned forward, with his paws clasped together.

"Which one of you brought the patient in?" He asked.

"I did" Kyros replied. "Well, me and my crew."

"You had sprinkled some healing dust on the wound" the doctor said, the tone of his voice making it clear that this was not a question.

"Yes, fortunately, one of us had some available. Not the most potent stuff though, which is why we brought her here."

"Fortunately indeed. Its my professional opinion that, without it, the patient would have succumbed to her injuries before you had reached the hospital."

****

Leorin and Sara stood by the sick-bed and looked down at the sleeping figure in it. Were it not for the faint sound of her breathing and the rise and fall of her bandaged chest, Leorin, in spite of the doctor's assurance, would have thought that his sister had already departed from the land of the living.

"She looks so peaceful" Sara remarked. "Poor Risha" she sighed, shaking her head. "I can't believe this would happen to her."

"Me neither. Why would Merees do something like this? It doesn't make any sense."

He turned away from the bed, his paws shaking. For a moment, Leorin remembered Isso and how he had once claimed that dragons were incapable of truly loving someone. Maybe, just, maybe he had been right? 

The Thought had barely entered Leorin's mind before he felt ashamed at having even entertained such a notion and yet. what other explanation could there be for the Princess' behavior?

"Wasn't her..."

Despite recognizing the voice, it took a few seconds before Leorin's brain had fully registered who it belonged to. Turning around, he saw that Risha had opened her eyes and were looking at him and Sara. 

"It wasn't her" the lynx repeated, somewhat louder this time. "It wasn't Merees."

Some Former Favorites

 Harking back to my old post about changes in taste, here's a list of titles (mostly series) that I used to be really into, that does not hold quite sway over me that they used to. I should point out that I do not dislike any of the titles listed below. There are some I am indifferent towards, but that's not the same as active dislike. However, there was a point in my life when I would have considered them all among favorites within their respective mediums and that is no longer the case.

Adventure Time

The Americans

Archer

Babylon 5

Boardwalk Empire

Breaking Bad

The Curse of Monkey Island

Downton Abbey

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec (the comic, not the movie)

Full Throttle

Gravity Falls

Justified

Kaamelott

The Knick

Life on Mars (original)

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

Peaky Blinders

Rectify

Regular Show

Rick & Morty

Rome

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (still my favorite version of Scooby-Doo! though)

The Spectacular Spider-Man

Star vs. the Forces of Evil

Steven Universe

The Third Testament

True Detective

Young Justice

Zootopia