Sea Dragons

"There weren't always dragons in the valley."

"I know dear sister, I know," said Meridith as she glanced at her little sister gazing intently at the Sea Dragons seeming to fly though the rift valley's ocean above their heads. They gracefully drifted with the current as they went easily from the East mountains toward the coast of the Australian land mass. It was hard to think of a time when they were not there.

But Meridith knew of the fight to bring them back, of the wars between the Mers and the Gods to bring them home and let them fly freely through the waters that they and the Mer both called home.

Jenacint was too young to remember, she only really knew the stories she had heard about the dragons, about the war and the part her sister had played in it. But now at almost one hundred and fifteen, she had grown to love their beauty and the freedom they represented.

"Jenacint, it is time for us to get going back home. Mother will be expecting us to catch some fresh salmon for dinner.

"Oh com'n Meri", Jenacint pouted as she kept looking up at the lessoning stream of sea dragons they had both been admiring. So many different colors and shapes. Looking nothing like they would when they were on land and fully matured. Right now, in this stage, most humans thought they were merely a type of sea horse. Jenacint was so glad she wasn't human.

"Fine, but when the last one is gone, you had better swim quickly to keep up because I am not getting yelled at just because you have no self discipline."

Smiling, Jenacint whispered quietly, "Okay sis." As she watched a small one tumble in the current and having a hard time keeping up. One of the larger dragons pulled the little one back to the right current and stayed with it as they flew through the waters.

Meridith knew from experience that when the small leafy sea dragons were ready to go to land, they would shed their skins and the new skins would have scales with spikes and wings where their appendages had been.

Then there were the rare ones. The ones that almost looked like small, beautiful birds. Some of them would grow several wings and fly to the Asian masses of land where the ancestors of past dragons would guide them. Some of them would have no wings yet still be able to fly. These dragons were of the air and the sea. They could also take human form like the Merfolk. They were powerful, noble and strong. From the start of human history they became a large part of the Chinese dynasty and culture.

The others would grow scales and spikes with few that grew wings. They lived down in deep caves where only the merfolk could swim and a few strange looking fish. They always stayed dragons of the seas and never went on land. They were the ones sailors told stories of since men sailed the seas. The ones that terrorized those who might do harm to other sea creatures. The ones that the Merfolk protected after they had matured.

Meridith felt a tug on her arm, she looked down to see Jenicint with a stern look that made her instantly giggle.

"Hey, I thought we had to get going. Were you oceandreaming again?"

"You are right little one. We do need to get going." And with that she gave her sister a playful pat on her tail and started out with Jenicint yelling for her to wait up.

That night, Meridith had dreams that she could not forget. Dreams of the war, of the dead and dying dragons and a great fear rose within her. She vowed when she woke up that the valley would never again be without her dragons.