Legend of the Reptites
by Starstorm

Only one of them who were taken had any sort of importance: Kino of Ioka Village. Second-in-command of Chieftaness Ayla, who ruled the village. I could have sent my people to burn Ioka, but they would have resisted, and I might not have taken Kino. Laruba was easier, and my scouts had told me that Ayla was searching for Laruba. Kino would not be far behind.

I have nothing against Kino, or any of the apes really. But I need bait. I need Ayla to come to me, for a final showdown. The fate of our races were on our shoulders, and my own. Only one could survive, and human and Reptite could not live in peace.

Regrettable, actually, but it was inevitable. Our conflict was foretold, and even I, the great Azala, Lord of the Reptites, understood that for all of my power and brilliance, nature would only abide one. One must die, so the other may live. That was the law of nature.

Who am I to argue with the law?

I thought about my opponent. Ayla was easily the brightest one in her village: one does not lead if one is a dullard. Not for long anyway. She did not speak well, along with the other apes, but she was truly a worthy opponent. Intelligence-wise, she was pathetic compared to me. Even she knew that. But she made up for it in courage, will, charisma, cunning, and tenacity.

I have only met two humans who could think on my level: Crono and Lucca, I believe they were named. I remember when I had met them. I had taken a strange device from Kino, and it was nothing like I could ever expect. It looked, to me, the result of a brilliant mind, one more advanced than my own. I could not imagine the apes ever creating this!

Shortly afterwards Ayla, Crono and Lucca came to reclaim what was Lucca called a "Gate Key". I demanded answers, naturally, and did not like what I heard. Could these two have actually built a device they could use to travel through time?!? It was unnerving enough to talk to Lucca, who spoke as well as I could. But this was too much. I ordered Nizbel to attack.

What I witnessed shocked me. Crono and Lucca could command nature itself! Who were these people?!?! The most disturbing thing was Crono's ability to summon and control lightning, for dinosaurs and we Reptites could not stand it well at all. Nizbel was defeated, and I handed over the Gate Key and ran, truly fearing for my life for the first time I could remember.

Once I returned to the Tyrano Lair, I had time to think. and the more I thought, the closer I came to a dreadful conclusion. I sent scouts to spy on Crono and Lucca, as they left Ioka. They told me that they had gone to the Mystic Mountains, where they literally jumped off of a cliff, holding the Gate Key aloft. They Gate Key shone, and an eerie, black hole appeared under them, where they fell into and vanished. An inspection of their minds confirmed this, as I say it all thought their eyes as I read their memories.

Could it be possible that they came from a future where the apes ruled? Would the future of my people end in a short time? Were we the ones destined to die? Or could the future be changed? I could only hope I had enough time to save my people.

I looked into the sky, where the Red Star hung, but not for long. I had a vision, a vision of the Red Star falling. When the Red Star fell, it would rain fire and dust. Afterwards, a terrible Ice Age would begin. An Ice Age where only one species would witness. And it would fall soon. I knew I must act, the final battle for control over the future was now.

So that is why I attacked Laruba Village. I knew I must bring Ayla here. I knew we would fight, with only one victor.

"Azala, the apes are here!"

One of the guards, watching the skies, reported that three Dactyls had landed, and three humans were entering the Tyrano Lair. Now was the time, all I could do was wait. I did not wait long.

Soon, Ayla arrived with Crono, an a very beautiful woman (for a human) named Marle. We exchanged words, and I led them to Black Tyrano, a weapon of my own creation. This machine was my final work, and my sole edge in this fight. With a few words, the battle began.

They quickly realized that they could not harm Black Tyrano while I commanded it, so they shortly focused all of their efforts upon me. For my part, I focused all of my power on them. Every psychic power, every weapon I had, anything I could use against them. But as soon as one fell, Crono would call on his inner strength to restore life to them.

Eventually, I could take no more, and I fainted from the many wounds I had suffered. It couldn't end like this! But I could only hope that Black Tyrano would defeat them.

And I watched, almost as if it was a dream, as Black Tyrano surrendered its defense to strike mighty blows with its flame breath. But even that was not sufficient, and as I watched Crono bury his blade in Black Tyrano's throat for the final time, I knew that the apes would rule.


Finally, I lay alone, dying. This was my end. This was the end of the Reptite race. We had lost. Ayla looked at me thoughtfully.

"Me win, you lose."

"Simple, as always, but it is true. Look into the skies, apes. Soon the Red Star will fall, and storms of fire and dust will ravage the land. Soon, all will settle, but a horrible Ice Age will begin. You may wish you had fell with us!"

Ayla nodded. "Ayla no give up! Only give up when dead! Ayla and Ioka survive!"

I smiled bitterly. "I know, you have proved that many times over. Humans will survive, but what of their future? What will you make of the future that we, the Reptites, have lost?"

Ayla still held her thoughtful look, and Crono and Marle stayed silent. Finally, Kino came on their Dactyls.

"Go now, Ayla. The humans cannot hope to survive without you."

Crono and Marle boarded the Dactyls, and so did Ayla. But she did not stay on for long. Soon she was by my side.

"Azala, come."

"No Ayla, I will not. I am dying, and my people have no future anymore. The heavens and nature chose you to rule, now you must go."

Ayla looked at me, tears forming in her eyes. She was crying, and for a moment I could not understand why. Then I realized she was mourning: for herself, and all the lives she had taken, and the lives of the others who fell in our conflict. For the Reptites, who would only be a memory when the sun rose again. She mourned for me, her foe, for what she had to do to me and my people, just to survive.

For her, her victory, the human's victory, was truly bittersweet.

"Ayla, please, grant me one final wish."

"What is wish, Azala?"

"Let it be known that we, the Reptites, fought to the bitter end. That we had tired as hard as we could, fought as valiantly as we could, to survive. Please, remember us as a noble people who only fought for our future, and that in the end, we had no hatred for the victors, even in defeat. Now, go Ayla, before the Red Star takes you with me."

Ayla jumped on the Dactyl with Kino and looked at me, nodding. Her tears were flowing more freely now, along with her companions. "Ayla promise Azala. Ayla never forget. Humans never forget." With that, they fled for their lives.

I laid there, the last of my life draining from me. I had one consolation: I would depart this world before the Red Star destroyed everything I held dear. I used my final moments to think about what could have happened. Could human and Reptite live in peace? Was it possible, that as intelligent, rational creatures, we could have lived in harmony? It was too late now though. But I was grateful for one thing. The humans would not forget us, even though we tried our hardest to destroy them.

Everything became black slowly, and the last thing I heard was the Red Star entering our atmosphere. Then everything went dark, and silent.

------------------------

"So, children, that is the legend of the Reptites."

A young girl waved her hand in the air, she was barely older than twelve.

"Yes, Lucca?"

"Were the Reptites real?"

The teacher shrugged. "We don't know, Lucca. That story has survived, but we do not have any evidence that the Reptites existed. No fossils, no writings, nothing. So scientifically, they do not exist. It is possible though that they could have."

Lucca nodded and returned to her studies, blissfully unaware of her role in the fate of the human and Reptite races, so many years in her future...