Chapter 6—MEETING NESSIE
Lyra Luhr had found out the hard way that she was next to Loch Ness. With its monster not that far from where she was standing. The creature was hovering over a dead body of a village woman, with parts of her body missing.
Her body began to tremble from what she had seen. Lyra had experienced a lot of things during her time in crowd control. But she had never seen something like this before. Sure, she had seen people become drunk or high from their intake of substances. But nothing in her life had prepared her for war or seeing someone die before her.
As she heard the Vikings starting to charge towards the lake’s shore. Lyra had started reciting Psalm 23. One of few things that would calm her in situations that become unbearable.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie in green pastures; he leadeth me besides still waters.”
The waters were not still by any means, for the monster had turned its head towards Lyra once again. Its eyes were fixed upon her. Making her feel like a ridiculously small creature and trying to fight back the feeling of anxiety.
“He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me into the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
Lyra had started stepping back and away from Nessie, for she did not want to be next on his menu. “My God,” gasped out the woman from another time. “Help me,” whispered Lyra.
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
Her eyes began to close on their own as she called out in a prayer, “Oh God, up in Heaven. Prepare that table with my ancestors as well.”
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Then, a voice seemed to punch through the fog that Lyra seemed to surround her mind in, allowing her brain to escape from the shock that she had found herself in. Her eyes popped open as she heard, “LYRA!” She glanced towards the sound that the voice was coming from and saw Varg Drake from a distance with villagers coming her way. “RUN!”
Lyra had thought about running long before her reciting David before he had faced Goliath. But she knew that she just could not stand there and wait for the horror to come, either. With her mind at a focus, she glanced around, running towards the water would not be a good idea. The monster would be able to take her out, faster than it would upon the land.
She then glanced towards the land area and saw that it would not help either. For there was a steep incline, to where it would be hard for her to get away. Besides the short sandy beach that she was on; the shoreline was nothing but rock. Lyra saw that she was trapped, and she had nowhere to go.
Varg Drake had noticed what Lyra Luhr had seen. She was boxed in, and there was no way for Lyra to get away from the great creature. Which caused him to look at the massive being on the beach line. Seeing that it had a long neck, which was attached to a big body and a long tail that followed it. He could tell that the creature had dark gray scales and dark shiny green eyes. The eyes alone were driving Varg crazy. For the eyes alone told him that the monster wanted to take Lyra away from him. Varg was making his way down the hillside, towards the loch.
The creature was much faster than he had ever thought. For it had slingshot its neck, to where it was able to grab Lyra from the back of her dress that she was wearing. Picking her up off the ground, to where she was dangling above the ground.
With a short scream of surprise, not just from the long neck monster, who had picked her up. But hearing her dress be ripped in a couple of places. Around the lines of her shoulder blades would have been if Nessie had not picked her up from that area. As soon as she was able to; she glanced towards the shoreline. Where the other Viking were making and saw that all of them had stopped moving, watching.
Lyra noticed Varg watching her. With a huff of annoyance, she yelled out, “WELL! DO SOMETHING!” When she saw that he was not moving, she called out again, “YOU ARE A WOLF-DRAGON!”
What Lyra yelled out caused Varg to remember that he could transform into his other self. As he stood some hundred feet from where Lyra was dangling over the land, Varg closed his eyes, growing out his claws, hairs, and teeth. He was becoming his namesake and not just to fly in the nightly flight but to protect and defend those that he had cared for.
Once the transformations were made, Varg opened his eyes and flapped his wings, making his way up into the air and flying towards the danger that was before him.
It took Varg a couple of seconds to find where the fiend had Lyra hanging over the water. They were far away from the shore, and he could see that she was panicking, trying to get out of the hold that the beast has her in.
A dark-colored werewolf looking dragon took off into the air. Making his way towards the long neck lake monster, who had his woman within its mouth. He used the wind as his guide and strength, as he was going to need it, more than anything.
Varg flew over and placed himself below Lyra. Where he started clawing at the neck. Hoping that the creature would release its hold on the woman, and he would be able to catch her when it does.
The monster started swinging its neck; from side to side. Trying to get away from Varg’s sharp nails, who was trying to get out of the flying being’s claws. It roared out in pain, but still had a hold of Lyra within its teeth. As the movement of the beast’s neck. As it is trying to get away from Varg. Causing the loch creature to loosen its teeth from Lyra’s clothes. Which triggered her to become airborne above the water below her.
Lyra closed her eyes and hoped that she would not drown from the ordeal that she was finding herself in. After a long moment had passed by, she slammed into by something that felt big and muscular. This caused her to open her eyes and saw that she was in Varg Drake’s arms. His wings were flapping, causing the two to climb higher above the water. Making their way away from the long-necked creature that had Lyra.
She then turned her head, to where she was able to glance between Varg’s shoulder blades of the moving wings. Where she saw Nessie was following them towards land.
Varg had heard the splashes and knew that the creature was chasing them. He yelled out in wolf; for his men to hear him. Then he used his feet and used them to point towards the long-necked creature.
Lyra turned away from the creature that was trying to gain speed to chase after them. She did not want to know when it happens, to where her eyes fell to where the gathering warriors upon the ground. Each one of them had their bows and arrows, loading them. Along with lighting each one of them with flames at their tips.
A man upon the earth shouted out, “FIRE.” Causing each of the warriors to loosen their arrows and launched every one of them. Into the rough leather of the water creature. Where most of the arrows had latched themselves within the dark gray hide. Making Nessie cry out in pain.
Lyra almost felt sorry for the thing. The woman, within the Wolf-Dragon’s arms, had laced her arms around his collarbone area. As she watched the water creature, screaming out in agony. It swam away from shore and away from people, diving under the depths below. A small part of Lyra hoped that it would be alright and that she would never have to see the creature again.
Once the two had reached land. Varg landed within the village, next to where Thor had overseen the torment. Lyra had found herself upon the grass-covered ground, beneath her feet once more. But upon shaky legs.
Varg had led go of her; so, he could turn back to his human self, not realizing that there was any trouble. Just as Lyra was about to wobble and tipping over. Her arms were moving, trying to keep her feet steady. Thor wrapped his arm around her, keeping her from falling.
She closed her eyes, feeling safe within the man’s arms, a man who she has been calling father. A man, who has taken her from her own time to a time that was unknown to her. What little she knew about the time. Was from the vague information that historians believed had happened; at one point.
As she was trying to find air within her lungs again. She found herself wrapping her arms around the Great Norse God. Breathing in his scent of leather, metal, and pine. For the first time in all her life. She finally felt a father/daughter feeling that she had always wanted. A living dream comes true.
Once, Varg had turned back into his human form again. He turned around, he growled at what he had seen but knew that the man was the woman’s father. He took a deep breath and asked, “What happened?”
Thor gave the moral a glare worthy to give to a senseless fool. “She had almost fallen. I was simply here to make sure that she doesn’t hurt herself.”
Varg made his way towards her and picked her up into his arms. Moving away from the God of Thunder and made his way towards the Great Hall. While the rest of the village people, were following them. They were either following their leader to the long hut or towards their own homes. Just as the sun was making its way over the western mountains.
Varg Drake had walked into the Great Hall. The day was fast becoming night. When he placed Lyra down and into the chair that she had sat before the who is a nightmare had started that day. Once she was safely in her seat. Varg went over to his own seat and sat down, as he glanced over to see her and see if she was doing alright. Just as a few women were making the evening meal.
Thor had placed himself; once again, between the two chairs. As the men within the hall, talked about what had occurred. Causing the whole place to be drowned out by the sound of many voices. The Thunder God glanced towards Varg and saw the fear and worry that he had for Lyra. He knew then that he needed to tell the leader about the young woman that he was about to marry.
With a great big sigh, Thor said, “Varg, there is something that you need to know about Lyra.”
This brought the said woman out of her lost mindfulness. She glanced over to her father, as she listened in to the conversation that was about to have.
The young warrior who was sitting next to the standing God said, “That would be nice.”
“Lyra’s name is Lyra Grace Luhr.”
“Lur?” asked Varg. “Like a horn?”
Thor smiled ever so slightly. “The same.” The man who was stronger than most men went on to say. “Lyra means song. You know what Luhr means, but it also means a fishing lure.”
Varg gave the god a questioning glance. “You mean my wife-to-be is known as the song of a graceful horn?” Then he glanced over towards Lyra with a smirk upon his face along with a husky voice. “It fits her.”
Lyra turned her head away from the two men, hiding the blush that was making its way into her cheeks and hoping that they had cooled down enough before turning back towards the two talking men with a shy glance towards Varg. She saw the warmth within his eyes. It was the type of warmth that she could find herself lost within. It was when she knew that he met every word that he had said about her name. In all of her life, she never once had thought of herself as ‘the song of a graceful horn’ before.
No, she only had thought of herself as the song of a horn, which a horn could sing its soul for all to hear. Lyra remembered a man, who played many winds of many kinds, Kenny G. He was a great instrumentalist.
Lyra, with a shy smile upon her lips, sighed out, “Thanks.”
Thor chuckled whole-heartedly. “I have worked ahead of me when it comes to the two of you.” With a big sigh, he thought about how his own father would kill him soon. “But as a real Viking, can you make a poem for such a lady like Lyra here?”
Varg glared darkly towards Thor before giving Lyra a smile as he came up with a poem.
“A song from a graceful horn Comes over the rolling sea, to my ear.
I shall sing and dance As I return to your warm embrace.
I will fight with my faithful axe Who will stop me, as I make my way to you?
You, my sweet song You are my guiding light, as I fight through the darkness to you.
Will you be with me, as we face the world together As husband and wife?”
Lyra glanced away. Trying to fight the tears that were making their way from her eyes, as well as the blush upon her face; once again. She could not come up with anything else to say, not after a poem like that. It was both meaning and joyful to hear something like that. With all the things that had happened. She could not believe how things have worked the way that they had, but she was happy; nonetheless.