Time of the Goddess

The first person Misha can remember isn't her mother, or her father, or anyone else she knew in her day-to-day life. No, like anyone else she knows, her first memories, most likely her first thoughts, were of the Goddess. The dragon watched over the world, completely omnipotent and almighty, yet somehow always personal. Misha lived in Twi Village, a more remote part of Larule deep in the woods, and yet she'd been able to speak to Laron nearly five times in her life. Just being around the deity gave one a sense of her sheer power, as well as of her kindness. Sure, she sometimes seemed bored by her subjects, but she loved them! She had to. Misha had to believe that, because she had no one else to love her.

Misha's parents disappeared sometime in her early childhood, and from then on she'd been raised by the community. They weren't terrible to her, but none of them seemed to really love or care for the little redheaded girl with the ashen skin and the thorny personality. Sometimes, bullies even told her that her parents had been anti-Laron, and the goddess had justly punished them for this. Misha knew it was a lie, it had to be, but sometimes doubt crept into her heart, and she couldn't help fearing if the goddess she loved so much did in fact make her an orphan.

On this particular day, Misha was deep in the woods, searching for a fungus the village elder told her to fetch. The elder wasn't too bad, though he never had much tolerance for her more mischievous actions. Case in point, while Misha did have an eye out for the blue spotted mushroom, her real hope while in the forest was to find adventure. An weapon, lost since ancient times; a trapped damsel in need of rescue; a monster who needed a thrashing, whatever it was Misha wanted it, so long as it showed everyone that she was worth something. "Hey, it's Pepper!" The shout came from behind Misha, and she turned around to see that two boys had snuck up on her from behind. Mahgo and Dodo weren't exactly well liked either, but both young men were able to earn more acceptance from their peers by punching down, insulting and bullying Misha whenever they could. 'Pepper' was their favorite insult, because she was short and spicy and they could 'eat her up'.

All three were the same age, and while the teasing had been understandable when they had been children, as young adults it was becoming worse, more vicious. Dodo's bulbous form and beady eyes made Misha's skin crawl, which only got worse when he said, "I don't think anyone would really miss her if she never came back, Mahgo."

Misha froze in place and the grin on Mahgo's skeletal face stretched wider. The thin man cackled, adding, "You're right, you're right! 1, 2, 3, it's time to pluck this Pepper, see?" Then they began approaching Misha, an ancient, large tree to her back.

One on one, she was confident she could have taken either bully. But in this situation? Misha knew her best shot was running. "You'll never get away with this, you morons! The Great Laron will punish you for your evil!" She tried darting around them, but Mahgo was faster and soon he held both her arms in a vicegrip, restraining her as he sniffed her hair.

Dodo laughed slowly at her claim. "You're dragon-hating scum, Pepper. Laron ate your parents, and when we're done with you, she'll eat the scraps."

Whatever the fiend was going to do next, Misha never learned, because a blue blur slammed into the large man, sending him sprawling, shocking Mahgo enough for Misha to break free and run to her rescuer's side. It was Tanz, a tall, gangly boy whose serious face was set in determination. The bullies, now split up from each other, looked from their opponents to each other, then turn and ran. "Cowards," Tanz spat, then turned to look at Misha. "Are you okay?" he asked her, his face largely blank.

Rather than answering verbally, Misha quickly swept her leg at his fit, knocking him to the floor, then began walking away, deeper into the forest. "I'm fine, and thanks for the save, but don't think you're getting any kind of reward." Inside, Misha was fuming. Where did Tanz seem to think he had any right to rescue her? He barely talked to anyone, but the solitary weirdo also had this weird attraction to her, and she couldn't stand it. Owing anything to him...Misha wouldn't tolerate that. Misha had barely walked for more than a few minutes when a powerful, but not incredibly loud, voice came to her from the sky.

"Kneel, Misha." At the voice of Laron, her goddess, the goddess of the entire world, Misha did exactly as she was told, not even taking the chance to lift her eyes high enough to gaze upon the splendid beauty of the person she loved the most in the whole world. "I appreciate your devotion to me, as well as the way you comport yourself around fools." Misha took in the compliment silently, not daring to speak unless requested first. "Would you like to know whether those men were speaking the truth? Would you like to know what happened to those that brought you into this world?" In the few times Misha had been graced with meeting her deity, the topic had never come up, and without thinking Misha nodded feverishly. "They were correct. Your parents spoke out to other against me, trying to turn Larule against me, and for that crime I devoured them, as I do all traitors. What do you think of this truth?"

At first, Misha was stunned by what she heard, but as soon as her brain recovered the words began tumbling out of her mouth. "They are responsible for their own deaths, My Goddess. Anyone who dares to turn against you deserves a thousand deaths more agonizing than that which you deign to grant them." Misha meant every word, so enraptured was she by the goddess.

Her words pleased Laron's ego. "That was exactly what I wanted to hear. I'm appeared before you, over the years, and kept my eye on you, Misha. That is because, despite your treasonous parents, I could see you were the most loyal, the most truehearted, of all my people. That is why, I shall do for you what I have done for no other." Misha continued to listen, her ears tuned to every blessed word. "I was not always a goddess, nor even a dragon. Once, I too was a mortal, before I found my divine purpose and ascended. I have loved watching over all you, my beautiful children, for these last few eons. But eternity is difficult, when I have no one to share it with, and I have been looking for one...to become my assistant. My heir. My daughter."

Then, before Misha could even really begin to comprehend what she had heard, she felt something change, but as her face was still planted towards the grass of the forest, she could not really tell what it was, the sensation defied description. But then the grass seemed further and further away, and she heard Laron say, "You may see what you have become." With that permission granted, Misha looked down and saw that she had become a dragon, one at least half the size as Laron herself, with gray scales, a fiery orange mane of hair, and large breasts barely contained in the green robe that had transformed with her, to match her size. Then, she felt it internally, and truly became aware of the power she had been given. She was a goddess as well now, though not nearly quite as powerful as Laron. "Now that you have ascended, choose a new name, as I once did."

At that moment, as it was requested of her, the young woman turned dragon, turned goddess, realized who she was. The fools who had mocked her even provided the inspiration. "I am now Pemisha, and I shall continue to live in servitude of you, O Laron," Pemisha spoke, her head bowed.

But then a claw tilted her head up, so she was looking into the dazzlingly beautiful eyes of her goddess. "You are more than a servant, my child. You are now my daughter, and will be second in power only to me. As your first task, I ask you to make Larule known of it's new goddess, and to smite those you feel are unworthy." Images of all the **** she had suffered over the years, of those who had watched as it happened, flashed through Pemisha's mind. "I will admit to you now, the taste of mortals is quite...addictive. Enjoy yourself, daughter." With that, Laron flew away, leaving her new daughter to plot her ****, her draconic stomach growling as her mind planned on how to sate it.