Dragon Fire: Beginnings

Prologue

There weren’t always dragons in the valley, and where her ancestors had come from, Zal didn’t know. It mattered little to her. She was a dragon, the most noble and majestic of Mother’s children. Her hide was tougher than the mountain and more beautiful than the wild flowers, why should she care about her origins. She would often marvel at her scintillating blue on light blue scales, so closely matching the color of the endless sky. Her kind was the oldest in all of Altara and pride and vanity ran deep in their hearts. And why not? They were the apex predators, masters of all and prey to none.

Air buffeted Zal’s wings as she sailed through an updraft of warmer air, surveying the valley below. It had been an age since she had been to the Great Rock at the heart of the valley, but even so, she could still remember the way. After all, a dragon never forgets, and her sense of direction was infallible. Her gaze took in all of Altara around her. Surrounded by water on all sides, the valley of Altara encircled by 3 mountains whose peaks were capped in white and whose shoulders marched around the valley, connecting to each other, creating a protecting barrier from the great waters beyond. The mountains gave way to hills as you went further toward the center of the bowl and the hills gave way to forrest. At their very center of the forrest was the Great Rock, and on a clear day a dragon’s keen sight could make out all three mountain peaks from anywhere on Altara.

Zal stuck out her tongue and tasted the air. It was a fine day to have wind under her wings. She glanced up at Father’s great eye. It was almost directly over her right as it took it’s slow march toward the deep waters at the end of the world. Mother’s eye was not out yet, which made her slightly sad. Ever since she had been a hatchling, Zal had felt more kindred toward Mother. The blue complection of Mother’s eye and the soft blue light her gaze cast over all her creation reminded her so much of her own raiment. Mother was also more unpredictable, often chasing Father down and sometimes passing him on his way to the deep waters. Mother would often close her eye and let the land and all her children sleep in her dark embrace.

Her nest mate, Zon, had taken more of a liking to Father. His hide was much more like the Father, arrayed in red and yellow hues. He was similar in temperament, full of fire and strength. Zal often thought about their pairing. They were the first colored dragons born in living memory. It was expected of them to mate. There had been much excitement when they had hatched in the same cycle. All dragons alive today were of brown, green, or gray subdued hues. They camouflaged mostly with the forest or the mountain. It was told that when the world was still a hatchling, the ancestors of the dragons had aided Mother in freeing Father from the great waters that had trapped him and quenched his flame. As a token of thanks for their part, Father had given adorned the dragons in vibrant colors making them the most beautiful of the Mothers children. Mother had then brought the land up from the depths of the great waters so that her children could have a place to rest and hunt.

Zal was now gliding over the great forest, heading to the very heart of Altara. She could just make out the wide clearing ahead of her. The trees below her were ancient and mighty and their broad boughs could support the weight of a full grown dragon. She spotted a flying creature below her, soaring from one tree to the next. The sight stirred a longing in her to soar down and hunt. The flying prey that lived in the ancient forest were some of the best hunting in Altara. She would not stop, however, as she, and all other dragons had been summoned to the Great Rock, and it was a call that could not be ignored.

Dragons were an ancient and fierce race and often did not gather in large numbers. Since dragons would fly and hunt for thousands of cycles longer than any other living thing on Altara, and had no natural predators, there was little reason to ever meet in large numbers. This had led their kind to be more solitary in nature. Indeed, it was known that dragons would spar with tooth and claw if left together too long.

As Zal glided into the glade she marveled at the giant smooth stones that circled the perimeter of the glade. Every time she saw the stones she would wander at what creature could have made such a thing, The stones were black, so black that they almost matched the great darkness of Mother’s bosom. The surface however was smooth and reflective. It had the look and feel of sand that had been breathed upon by fire for a long time till it turned into clear rock. But it wasn’t clear rock, it was black rock. And the shape, what could have made such an odd shape out of something so immense and strong? Each rock was shaped like the mouth of cave, but without the hard angles. The sizes of each were funny as well. Some were very small and others so large that two dragons could have walked through abreast. They were singularly unnatural.

As was their ritual, she landed outside the circle of stones and, picking a decently sized stone, she entered the clearing. It was strictly forbidden to fly or hunt over the circle of stones, and was one of the few rules her unruly species would follow. This was a hallowed site, the most sacred to their race. No blood had ever been shed in the glade, either dragon or any other kind.

With a quick glance around, Zal saw that she had been the first to arrive. No matter. Likely she was the closest to the glade when the call was sent. All the dragons on Altara would have received the same call. They met like this so rarely that Zal could not remember the last time they had a gathering of dragons, or a Thunder as it was called. The last Thunder she had attended was to stop a nasty blood feud that was decimating two of their groups. A clutch of the mountain dragons were at war with a clutch of forest dragons. She couldn’t remember what started the feud, I am not sure she ever found out, or if any of them knew at the time either. Zal hoped it was something more interesting this time, but they hardly met for any other reason. If anything, she was excited catch up with some of her kin she hadn’t seen since the last Thunder. In particular there was a water dragon she had met last time but failed to connect with since. Water dragons were adept hunters of the kind of prey that live in the great waters encircling the land. They made their nests on the outer facing sides of Altara’s encircling mountains, espying their dinner from the heights. They taught their young to hunt underwater as much as from the air.

She plotted along toward the center, periodically stopping to taste the air. There was something electric about the scent and her anticipation continued to build. As she neared the center she turned her focus to the giant stone in the middle. Much like all of the other stones, this one had the same shape and was a much larger than any of the stones on the perimeter. Unlike the other stones however, this one was solid all of the way through, less like the entrance to a cave and more like a smooth mountain. It also lacked any sort of angles, and was made of the same shiny black stone. It slightly resembled a large tree stump, and many of the dragons thought it might be the remnant of an ancient tree that had burned down. Zal didn’t believe this though. First off it was larger around than any tree she had ever seen. A tree this large at its base would have been taller than any other trees in Altara. And trees were not made of stone, and the giant object in front of her was, without question, made of stone. Whatever had left these here had taken the secrets their purpose and making with them, and Zal was certain that not she, nor anyone else, would ever fully puzzle out the riddle.

Having reached as close to the center of the glade as she thought necessary, she cast about for a spot to rest in Fathers light and groom herself. Grooming herself was something she enjoyed immensely. She wanted to make sure her scales were perfect for when the others arrived. She lay down and snaked her long neck about swinging her head over her body, looking for any scale that was marred by grime. She was very pleased that she had to look pretty hard to find one at all, and the only one she could find was located right behind one of her for legs. As she set to work on it she cast her thoughts to her nest-mate. Zon had such a fire in him for all things new. He would often seek out caves and probe their depths, certain that he would find some exciting new prey to stalk or secret to solve. The Great Stone fascinated him to no end. He was also unable rest. He frequently flew out over the great waters, testing to see how far he could go. He seemed to be searching for something, but what, she never knew. He would try to convince her to go with him, telling her that there had to be other mountains beyond the great waters. He didn’t believe that Altara was all there was and the great waters marched on until they met up with the great mansions of Father and Mother.

Zal expressed joy at the thought of Zon and stopped grooming to critique her work. The once grimy scale was now as shiny and reflective as all the surrounding ones. She put one of her large yellow eyes up close and blinked both lids, a gave a satisfied rumble, but stopped when she saw Father’s eye reflecting off the Great Stone. She soured. That stone had stood there for countless cycles and never groomed itself, and yet it was shinier and more reflective than her well groomed scales. With a snort of disgust she turned away and decided she wouldn’t think any more about her scales or the impossibly shiny stones in this ancient place.

She did not have to try very hard to divert her attention, as the sound of rhythmic flapping heralded the arrival of another dragon. A large brownish-orange dragon flew out from the surrounding trees and landed rather roughly just outside the circle of stones. Zal couldn’t be sure at this distance, but if she had to guess by the size and landing, Tal had just arrived. She let out a soft rumble and projected amusement at the thought of the aged dragon. Tal was one of the oldest of her kin and her favorite of the elder dragons. She loved the way he had given up subtlety in his old age. He was often snapping his fangs at hatchlings that got too close, or he was known to suddenly bath his fellow dragons in fire if he didn’t like their company. Most of the younger dragons thought he was growing wild and would soon be as dumb as the ground vipers, but Zal knew better. When it was his time, she knew he would take to the great bosom of Mother and be put under her long rest before he went wild. What others saw as wild was him deciding to live his remaining cycles without giving first bite to any other dragon. She admired him for this and had often remarked to herself that this is what she wanted to be like when her horns had grown as long.

Tal had entered through a large stone and made his way to the center of the glade and flopped down hard on a warm patch of mossy ground. Excited to taste his scent, Zal quickly made her way over to Tal, and gave off the impression of greeting. She was acknowledged with a gruff rumbled from his throat, which was as wide around as her body at the flanks. He was a very imposing dragon and bore the marks of his age. He had long forgotten his desire to groom himself and seemed to have done the bare minimum to keep his scales healthy. Not one of them reflected much of Fathers light and there were a couple missing on his back, evidence of past encounters with younger bachelor dragons that sought to challenge his position as patriarch of his clutch.

She picked a spot next to him and stretched out in the warmth of Fathers eye. A menacing puff of sparks emanated from his scarred snout in a display of aggravation. This sign would have been intimidating to any other dragon, but not her. She knew him too well. He was all snarl and no fang. It wasn’t that the old dragon liked her, so much as she bothered him the least. He seemed to have a huge dislike for her nest-mate Zon, and he wasn’t the only one. Zon was just too driven by his own fire, and dragons were not known for their curiosity. It didn’t matter to her, she liked Zon and Tal both, and as far as the latter, he was simply long in the tooth, and Zal was fond of him for it.

Many dragons began to arrive from all directions. Just like Zal, they landed outside of the encircling stones and made their way through the nearest that would support their size. It wasn’t long before the stream of newcomers was a flood, that slowed to a stream, and eventually ebbed into a trickle. The sight of so many of her kindred swelled Zal’s chest kindling her fire. They may have long memories when it came to offenses, but her race still shared familial love. There were of course the obvious clutches that shared much animosity toward each other, but they seemed to be taking opposing sides of the glade and for the most part were ignoring one another. At one time, she had heard a snap and saw a flash of claw and flapping of wings. She thought perhaps a fight had broken out, only to snort in amusement as she saw what had caused the commotion. Tal, the old dragon, had fallen asleep and was apparently reliving some glory hunt of his youth. The ancient dragon had almost snapped the tail of a rather frightened looking hatchling, who had flapped its wings madly to get away from the tall fangs. For the whole exchange Zal hadn’t even woken up, and before long all the surrounding mingling had resumed.

Greetings and new meetings continued well into the last rays of Fathers great eye. It wasn’t until the darkness of Mother’s bosom began to envelope them, making it hard even for their nocturnal site to make each other out, that a quiet began to settle over the congregation. When the din had died down she tasted the air. There was an increasing sense of expectancy and she caught a few hatchlings shuffling around for a better view. Heavy footfalls came from at least 3 of the oldest dragons. She couldn’t see them, but knew what was coming next. She envied the young who were attending their first Thunder.

Suddenly a great blaze erupted before the gathered mass as fire roared from three gaping maws, circling up the stone plinth in the middle, spiraling around and exploding up into the sky at the top. Zal looked out at the sea of glistening eyes, orange fire shining back at her from each pair. The deafening roar lasted for an eternity. This was the most crucial part of the ceremony, if the flame was not maintained hot enough and for long enough the transformation wouldn’t occur. It required tremendous fire control which was accomplished over many cycles of practice. The Thunder couldn’t truly begin until this was accomplished.

Zal watched closely as the black stone beneath the inferno began to glow orange, then turned from orange to yellow and finally to white. Once it was brighter than the fire that engulfed it, the dragons shut their jaws stopping the torrent. She watched as the white hot glow began to spread out from the base of the stone monument. It spread in an organized pattern over the glade they had gathered on, much like a giant glowing spider web. The lines led off into the distance snaking back to the entrance stones. As the lines of light made it to each stone, they crawled up the stones in an intricate pattern that was both familiar and alien. The stone in middle had begun to cool and take back is black glossy sheen, but not all of it. Intricate lines in the stone stayed the white hot color. They were of the same pattern as what was appearing on the entrance stones.

Whatever all of this meant, none of the dragons knew. Her race was the oldest on Altara and had the longest memory of all of Mother’s children, but the secrets of the glade had been lost to time.

Now that the rites had been observed and all attention was drawn to the center, it was time for the meeting caller to come forth and present their purpose. The assembled crowd waited patiently for the dragon or dragons to make themselves known by approaching the middle and addressing those in attendance. As the pregnant pause became uncomfortably long, the restlessness of the gathered began to grow.

Suddenly out of the darkness a bright light shone from one of the larger entrance stones. It bathed the glade and it’s occupants in a bright clear light. All necks craned for a better view of the entrance stone. Zal was amazed to see that one of the entrance stones had changed. The archway of the stone was the same black with glowing lines, but instead of seeing the dark forest through the opening, she saw a clear blue sky, littered with white fluffy clouds. Amazed by the sight, few of the closest dragons were cautiously approaching. However right before they had reached the stone, a green blur shot through the arch and landed hard against the ground, bowling over many dragons who had moved closer for a better view.

Zal blew a jet of shock from her nose when she recognized the mound of green scales that had skid to a stop not far from her. It was Zon. She covered the distance to him and was by his side before she noticed anything wrong. His tongue was rolled out on the ground and he was panting heavily. His eyes were open and looking wildly around. He didn’t seem to have the energy even to lift his head. What chilled her fire though wasn’t the look in his eyes, but rather the rest of him. His flanks were burned so badly that she was able to see his ribs in places. That was impossible though, as dragons can’t be harmed by Fathers fire. As she took in the sight of him from tip to tail she jumped back in shock. Most of his tail was missing and a bloody stump was all that was left.

All the dragons around were in so much shock that they didn’t notice Tal until the older dragon had bent his neck over Zon’s burnt flank and tasted the air above it. He jerked suddenly in a whole body spasm, and then bared his fangs in a viscous snarl. Imploring calls from the dragons gathered around broke out as everyone wanted to know what the ancient dragon had sensed. He only had time to send out a single, urgent impression: Fly! Then chaos erupted.

A fork of green lightning lit up the night as it struck Tal in his side and he was blasted off his haunches. Creatures began to pour into the glad from that sky beyond the stone that Zon had crashed through shooting lighting into the crowd as they emerged from the archway. Dragons roared and ran into each other trying to put distance between them and the new comers. Green bolts flashed through the air striking dragons all over the glad. The ones that took to the air were quickly brought down by that evil lightning. Others were poked through by long sticks that the creatures carried in their front claws, that shouldn’t have penetrated a dragons armored scales.

As all of this was happening around Zal, she remain rooted to the spot, her eyes fixed on her hatch mate. She could see his eyes, they would focus, and then unfocus. He finally seemed to focus on her and she tasted recognition in the air. She stepped closer to him and brought her snout down and touched his. A weak rumble came from his throat and he give off the impression of joy which quickly turned to pain. He was hurting and she knew he would soon be in mothers vast embrace. As his breath became labored and slow, he gave her one final impression. It was deep and strong. Please forgive me. He then grew still and moved no more.

Pain, deep pain that seemed to tear open her heart enveloped her. The pain would not stop. It built in her like a raging river. She channeled it into her belly and stoked her fire untill it was so hot that her flanks were glowing. She took big long pulls of air through her nose, stoking the fire even more, and when she could no longer contain the raging inferno, she straightened her neck and lifted her head into the sky releasing a jet of flame into Mothers sky. When she had cut off the flame, she looked around. Many of her kind were dead and all those living were engaged in battles with the invaders wielding their sticks and lightning.

Her eyes fixed on a group of the invaders heading her direction. Her display of fire must have drawn some attention. Good, she thought. Let them come. Rage filled her vision. She emanated anger and hate. She didn’t know if these creatures could understand her, but she gave off the impression of death anyways. She would kill them. She would tear each of them with tooth and claw. They would be left to burn under Father’s great eye. When she had closed on them and they were within distance, she took in a deep breath of the night air, letting it mix with her internal fire, and opening her maw, she bathed them in the white hot fire of her righteous fury. She kept the flame for longer than needed, trying to pour out her grief and shock at what was happening. When she finally shut her jaws, she began slowly walking forward. She stopped suddenly. Something was wrong. Instead of the smell of her prey burning and the screams of her vanquished, she saw the same group of them standing where they had been, unharmed. The one in the lead which was a claw taller than the others had one of his front arms out, talons open wide as the raging flames seemed to be getting sucked into them, disappearing. She couldn’t believe it. Then before she could attack again, the creature mad a most peculiar noise that made her scales stand up. It was like a rumbling that a dragon would make but much higher in pitch and quicker. In that sound, Zal heard the doom of her race.

She was close enough now to make out what manner of being had killed her nest-mate. It was smaller than a dragon and had only two legs on the ground with it’s arms hung by its side. She didn’t know how it maintained upright as she couldn’t make out any tail. In place of scales it seemed to drape itself in large leaves of many colors. It gripped a long stick in its front claws, which hung down by its side. The end of the stick was glowing with the same color as that terrible green lightning.

Something deep inside her tickled with familiarity. It wasn’t her memories that were calling to her with recognition, but the deep memories of her race. She knew that at some point in the far past, dragons had interacted with these invaders.

Without warning, the creature reached its arm out, claws open wide. Time slowed down for Zal as she watched a bright fork of lighting leap from the invader’s open palm, traverse the distance between them, and strike her square in the chest. The force of the impact threw her backwards tail over snout. She flew a few body lengths and slammed hard on top of her nest-mate’s lifeless corpse. Searing pain ripped through her and she roared in anguish. As she laid there numbness began to creep over her body. Her eye lids became heavy and every breath was labored. Her eyes started to close and the realization come upon her, this was her end. She could just make out her adversary standing over. Looking up at it, she was shocked to see eyes. They were smaller than a dragons, but showed the same cunning and guile. They were white with a round black center and around the center, a glowing green ring, the same glowing as the lightning and the end of the stick it held. The creature was making sounds at her, but Zal wasn’t able to hear much. Her focus was fading and the last thing she saw was the sight of Mother’s great blue eye rising over the glow of those green evil eyes.