Ongz (story)

Once upon a time, in a land, far, far away. Beyond the stars, past the sun, is a planet without light, forever shrouded in darkness.
This is the planet Arke, where the Petteis live. Petteis are dragon-like creatures, except having developed a thick fur to adapt to the icy weather. When Petteis are around the age of ten, their wings begin to mature, from their infant sprouts to the size of elephants. They eat mainly meat, ripping apart the meat and organs with sharp fangs and claws. Only when there is nothing else to eat, and the forest that usually thrives with strange little creatures is empty, they will eat vegetation. But never before has this happened, yet.
This story is about a special Pettei, called Ongz. However, right at the moment, Ongz does not know the major role he will play in the future.
Ongz is slightly smaller than all of the other Pettei children. Still, slightly small is an exaggeration. In fact, Ongz was three times as small as the other Petteis his age, about as tall enough to reach their shoulders.
And most of all, he had the biggest dragon-ears in history. They resembled a baby elephant’s, just with points at the ends. Ongz was teased most of his life, from the day of his birth and when those Dumbo ears showed, to now, two days until he turns ten years old, while still looking as if he was five.
No one threw birthday parties for him. No one except himself. His mom had passed away when he was three, and had no other siblings, and once he was born, his father left and joined the army, dying a year later. He had no friends, except nature, and so he decided to have his own little party, down in his secret place hidden in the woods, with all of him forest friends and a little cherry pie to eat.

On the day of his birthday, no one sang the “Happy Birthday Song” or said “Happy tenth, Ongz”. No happy words, just the occasional “Nice ears, Dumbo” or “Are you finally going to grow up, Squirt?” Nothing to make him happy.
When Ongz reached the clearing of his secret hideout, which was more of a small field in the forest, no one came to greet him. No one. Not Bob the chipmunk, Daisy the squirrel, Tweety the gold finch, or Joe the turtle. The field was empty. Ongz looked around, set the cherry pie on a stump, and waited.
He waited there for quite a while, humming to himself, swaying back and forth, lost in thought. Some time later, the silence was interrupted by a dozen creatures bursting through the foliage, stampeding towards Ongz.
“Ongz! Ongz!” yelled a chubby chipmunk as he tripped over a tree root. “Help! Help! The Brinks are upon us! And they won’t show any mercy, you mark my words on it! Oh, and happy – ooof!” Bob was bowled over by a giant club, thrown from the underbrush. The rest of the creatures scattered, yet still ran towards the birthday boy.
The Brinks are the name for the fiercest, most savage troop of the whole planet (which, in fact, is mostly the size of Australia). The Brinks are mostly made up of experienced fighters, and are the worst bunch to be in a fight with. And if it meant that they had ventured this deep into the wood, into the heart of it, food was running scarce, very scarce, and the Petteis were desperate. There was only one thing to do. Run.
“Follow me!” Ongz roared, which sounded more like a high-pitched squeal. “I know a place that no one will find us.”
Ongz ran. He ran like he had never run before. The creatures followed him, panic shown in their eyes. Ongz could feel their eyes like daggers in his hide, desperate for a way out of this mess. Ongz knew a way, but it was dangerous, and unlikely that anyone would survive. But if it meant saving the last of the forest’s inhabitants, Ongz would do it.
They crashed through the east side of the woods, making for a rocky outcrop. When the creatures realized their destination, they all stopped in their tracks. Even brave Robert the hare.
Towering ahead of them was a mountain of rocks, piled up to the sky. All of them secretly knew of the hidden chamber inside, but none had ever gone in before. Or, at least, none that had ever come out.
None of the other Petteis knew about this lair, except for Ongz, who was told by his forest friends. Ongz knew that the entrance was hidden, and their chances of finding it were slim, but it was their only hope. So Ongz kept running, and eventually, when the war cries were sounded, the creatures followed.
When Ongz reached the rocky mountain, he began to make haste and crawl around the ledges, looking for an opening of some sort. Some sort of secret passageway. But there was none.
After an hour of searching, and the pursuing troop had picked up their trail, he then realized how hopeless this situation was. He slid down the wall and sat with his head in his hands. He cried. Nothing would help them. The creatures would be killed, waiting down below for me to save them. He would be executed for helping them. His life is over.
A teardrop rolled down the ledge, into the darkness. A thunderclap shocked the mountain. Ongz shook, the force vibrating every inch of his body. A flash of lightning illuminated the sky, and when Ongz looked through his fingers, he saw it.
The door. It was right below him, disguised in a grayish material. He slid down the slope toward it. He tried the knob. The door opened, and Ongz gave a cry of glee. Leaving the door open, he called to his friends, “I fooound iiiiitt!!!” His voice echoed around the valley, so everyone could hear. The creatures scrambled up the slope toward him, hope filling their hearts. They would make it. They were sure of it.
But the Brinks heard him too. They were enraged. They saw their food running away from them, towards safety. And so they flew after them, the fastest way, and faster than the creatures below.
Ongz saw the dilemma. He knew what he had to do. He had to stop the Brinks from reaching the forest’s inhabitants. But the question was, how?
The solution came to Ongz then, and however desperate he knew it sounded, he had to try. And so he did.
Ongz took a few steps backward, grabbed a few rocks, and ran toward the ledge, the momentum building. And, when he was right at the edge, when all of the little creatures down below were watching him come to his death, he jumped.
Bob couldn’t look. He knew that Ongz would drop like a stone and never wake up again. He tried to hold the flowing tears back, but he couldn’t. He scrambled up the slope, sobs breaking his ragged breath, tears streaming down his face.
A doe beside him gasped. He looked up, and stopped in his tracks. Little Ongz, the runt of all runts, was flying.
He had somehow sprouted wings instantly, and was now soaring through the sky, launching a volley of rocks at the Brinks. And to add to the effect, he used his flame to burn them, making them sizzle and scorch whatever Pettei they came in contact with.
Ongz was mad. His species were trying to wipe out all they had. This anger added to his power. Soon the Brinks were falling back, and the creatures were at the door.
Ongz threw one last rock at the pursuers, and flew back to the door. The creatures were already huddled inside, shivering from excitement and fear.
The small Pettei shut the door behind him, and bolted the door. “Don’t worry,” he said reassuringly. “They won’t follow. The door is hidden, and we can block it later.”
The forest animals took his advice, and followed him down the winding tunnel. It led out into an opening, which was filled with various creatures of all sorts.
“Papa!” shouted a little baby skunk. She ran to her father’s embrace. So did the rest of the creatures. They had found their families at last. Ongz smiled. This is where they belonged. And so did him.