A Dragon's Story

There weren’t always dragons in the valley, but after the bombs fell during WWIII, it caused the earth to spill away, freeing a dragon and her nest, that were frozen for many millennia.

Her eyes snapped open, and without hesitation, she burst through the earth and burrowed her way to freedom, free to fly the starry night sky once again. It wasn’t the land she knew, but a new and unfamiliar land. A land that appeared to have been damaged by a great disaster.

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Ian was taking a late midnight walk in the Phoenix Valley. Although it was a hot night, there was a nice breeze that made the heat tolerable, when suddenly he saw something fly across the sky from the corner of his eye. When he stopped to look to see what it was, there was nothing there. Shrugging his shoulders, he returned to his walk. Then, he heard what sounded like flapping wings – very large wings, and when he stopped to look again, he could not believe what he saw, a dragon. Ian shook his head and closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, yep, it was a dragon. A living breathing dragon, one of myths, was now directly above him.

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As the dragon flew across the sky getting a feel for this new land, that was so different from the land she knew. This land had tall buildings and little boxes rolling across the land. But when she spotted a human male, there was something about him that fascinated her. She felt drawn to this human male, and the only time this happened before, was if the human possessed magic, so she moved closer to get a better look at this human. When the human looked at her, she roared and spewed fire, letting him know she was not one to be reckoned with.

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Ian could not believe what he was seeing – a dragon. A living breathing dragon, and when the dragon shot fire, he hit the ground so hard he was sure the gravel penetrated his shirt and embedded them into his skin beneath.

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The dragon, after giving the human her warning, saw the human drop to the ground. Sensing no threat, she decided to land directly in front of the human male. For a long moment, she stood observing the male, trying to get a sense if he was good or evil. After a few moments, she smiled, he was a very good human, with a long-living soul, one that possesses great power, something he seems to be unaware of. She determined he was a human she can trust.

“You, human male, stand and look at me.”

When the dragon landed directly in front of Ian, he was sure he was going to be the dragon’s dinner. But when she – yes, she. He wasn’t sure how he knew the dragon was a she, but he did, and when she spoke to him, he was shocked. How can a dragon…animal speak to him, he thought?

“Human male, rise and speak,” the dragon said again.

Slowly and carefully, Ian rose off the ground, and when he did, he found himself standing directly in front of the dragon. He had to tilt his head far back in order to look at the dragon’s face. “You can talk. How is that possible?” he asked.

The dragon laughed. “Silly human, all dragons can talk. How do you not know this?”

Ian raised his eyebrows. “How would I know. You are the first dragon I have seen. You are…were believed to be a myth.”

This shocked the dragon. Myth’s, how can this be, she thought. Then said aloud, “Myth’s…how…can this be. There are…were many of my kind.” Baffled by what she learned, she whispered, “Myth’s…how…how,” looking directly at Ian, “can this be. There are…were many of my kind.”

“Maybe during the time you lived, but now they don’t exist and were…you became to be known as myths. A tale that’s been told, without proof they existed.

“Well human, as you can see, I exist,” she said with irritation, as she looked around at her surroundings and then back to the man. “what do you call yourself human?

Ian smiled, “My name is Ian. What is yours?”

The dragon returned the smile, but barred her teeth, then said, “You will not be able to pronounce my name, but you may choose a name for me.”

Ian looked at the dragon’s teeth, believing she was trying to intimidate him, but it did not, so he returned the smile. Ian placed his hand on his chin as he thought of a name befitting a dragon, and when it hit him, he put his head back and snapped his fingers, “How about Darca?”

“Hum, I think that is a fine name. Ian, will you help me learn the way of this new land and the people who live on it?”

Ian smiled, “I would love to, but I don’t think we should remain in the open. I don’t know what people will do when they see you…a dragon. They could panic…fear what you may do to them and try to shoot you.

“Yes, I believe you are right.”

Darca thought of where they could go, should she take him to her nest. Can she truly trust this human? She moved her head closer to Ian, so she could look directly in his eyes, which made Ian uncomfortable, but he did not move. As Darca looked directly into Ian’s eyes, deep to penetrate his soul, and what she found was enough to satisfy her.

Darca nodded her head, “We shall go to my nest where we will be safe.”

Ian tensed, her nest, he thought. “Nest,” he said slowly as he swallowed the lump in his throat. “How will I get there? And how will I know once I am there you won’t eat me?”

Darca threw back her head and laughed. “Human, if I wanted to eat you, I would not fly you back to my nest. I will fly us there.”

“Oh, well that’s good. On…your…back,” he asked.

“Yes, on my back.”

Darca laid down and magically produced a saddle on her back.

Ian was shocked and said, “Magic. You can do magic,” with fascination.

“Yes. Now climb up my wing to my back. Once you are seated in the saddle, I will take you to my nest. Ian, where I take you, you must keep secret. You must never tell anyone. If you do, I will have no choice but to destroy you.”

Ian nodded with understanding, then walked up Darca’s wing and settled himself in the saddle she provided, and without further words, Darca stood and began flapping her wings until she was off the ground, and gradually made her way into the sky. Once she reached the desired altitude above the clouds, she soared through the night sky towards her nest.

Ian could not believe a thirty-year-old man was flying on the back of a dragon feeling as giddy as a schoolboy.