Son of the Mountain Dragon

Hariric had seen so many things in his time alive. He’d seen little, green, fresh sprouts turn into mighty trees that survived forest fires and floods. Entire mountaintops had vanished from erosion or sprouted up from mighty earthquakes. There had been years so dry that even Hariric, who despised the rain and cold it brought with it, found himself praying to feel just a drop of it on his face. Sometimes, if Hariric sat still long enough, he could watch the moss and vines that had managed to grow on his scales continue to spread out further. However, nature hadn’t been the one that had changed the most in the centuries Hariric had dwelled on earth.

Humans had gone from wood structures to structures of stone, from being terrified of wolves to living side-by-side with them. Their tools became stronger, more formidable. When Hariric had first seen a human, he’d scoffed at it. They seemed so pitiful, without speed, claws, sharp teeth, or even warm fur. Hariric had been so appalled by the sight of the human that he’d stomped on it, as one would a bug, and left without a second thought. Honestly, he’d thought that it’d be better off dead. If one truly thought about it, how Hariric had killed the human was a far more merciful death than cold weather, wolves, or even an aggressive deer would’ve given it.

Then he witnessed the intelligence of humans. And just how destructive that intelligence could make them.

Their hands may not have been adorned with claws, but it allowed them to be nimble and clever. Humans were able to make tools that Hariric had never even thought about. To make up for their lack of speed, they created flying claws out of sticks and stones that could even manage to shoot a bird out of the sky. Covered with the skins of the creatures they caught, humans protected their furless skin from wind, rain, and snow. Most amazing of all to Hariric was when humans figured out how to create fire without breathing it or waiting for lightning to strike a dry tree. He was so impressed that Hariric decided that he, out of respect, would leave the humans alone to live in peace.

But they did not give him peace.

When the deer and bears Hariric needed to sustain himself at his massive size began to disappear, when trees began to fall before their roots were withered and leaves unable to grow, was when Hariric realized that humans were destroying his mountain. They’d cut away so many of the trees that he could see where his forest ended and the stumps began and they’d killed so many animals that sometimes they’d just take their heads and leave the rest to waste away in the middle of the forest.

Hariric hated humans.

Especially at this moment, he thought, as he yanked out a sword from between the scales of his paw. It was no more than a thorn to Hariric, but annoying nonetheless. He limped away from the battlegrounds, leaving dozens dead on the frozen ground. As it was winter, Hariric was less than happy to be awoken from his hibernation to more of his trees being chopped down. Couldn’t they ever have enough?

He had hardly more than turned his back to the dead when he heard soft sniffling behind a tree. Hariric paused, lowering his long, moss-covered neck down towards the ground to listen better. Another sniff; a salty smell pierced through the scent of blood that filled Hariric’s nose. Twisting his neck around, Hariric spotted a small human hiding behind a boulder, crying. Typically, Hariric would’ve left, but this human looked so much smaller than any other one he’d seen. Slowly, he approached the crying human, the sobs becoming quiet as he noticed the massive dragon’s approach.

Hariric expected him to get to his feet, scream, and run back to wherever he lived, but he didn’t. The little human sniffed once more, tears no longer falling down his face, curiosity replacing the fear that had previously been in his eyes. His eyes…Hariric stared at them. They were shimmering green, just like his own, sparkling and slightly tinted red from his tears.

Out of all his many years of life, Hariric had never had hatchlings. He’d never seen another dragon that looked similar to himself, so he never got the opportunity to. Not that it’d ever been a priority to Hariric. His life was spent hunting for food and defending his rightful territory, so hatchlings weren’t ever on his mind for too long.

Although he hadn’t thought of it much before, Hariric had been thinking about heirs recently. He was very, very old. The fight today was just a reminder of that fact as his bones now ached and the wound on his foot, which would’ve normally stopped bleeding already, was still slowly dripping with thick, dark green blood.

Hariric breathed hot air onto the child, whose expression twisted into something Hariric didn’t recognize. At first, he thought that the child was finally going to scream or cry once more. Instead, a new sound came out of the little human. Laughter. Hariric knew what laughter was, hearing it from a distance, but never before had he heard it so close nor did he know it was a sign of joy. A wide smile replaced the despair on the little human’s face as he reached out to Hariric, who backed up slightly out of reach of the small hands.

“You’re brave, I’ll give you that,” Hariric muttered.

Unable to touch the dragon’s nose, the child pouted, fat tears slipping down his face once more. Hariric sighed, lowering himself down even further so that the little human could finally touch the smooth scales of Hariric’s snout. He expected it just to be a single touch, or at most a pat, but instead, the little human hugged his snout tightly, not letting go even as Hariric flinched away. The movement carried the child into the air, who giggled and kicked his feet.

Despite himself, Hariric felt a grin creeping onto his face. “Well, little one, I guess I can’t leave you out here in the cold.”

Hariric named the child Abhiratra and loved him more than Hariric thought was ever possible for him to love something. He wasn’t nearly as big as a hatchling would be at birth and he’d never get as big as Hariric, but Hariric knew that his intelligence would end up being enough. Humans could be destructive, yes, but they were taught to be. Maybe, just maybe, Abhiratra could be different from others if Hariric raised him.

“Everything we need to live comes from the earth,” he told Abhiratra a few years later as they ate a deer he’d caught. “We need to be grateful for it, especially since we never know when it could be gone.”

“If we don’t have the plants, we don’t have any of the other creatures who live here, including ourselves,” Hariric said as Abhiratra gathered sticks for a fire. “Try to only use what’s already dead or dying.”

“We need to protect this forest,” was one of Hariric’s final lessons. “It’s essential to the life on this mountain and around it. It’s my life’s legacy.”

Hariric wasn’t only teaching Abhiratra. They would also gaze at the stars together, Abhiratra naming shapes he saw within them. Often, Abhiratra would ask Hariric to tell him stories from his life. He had a seemingly endless supply, one of the obvious consequences of living for centuries. Abhiratra’s favorite story was of how Hariric found him, as he couldn’t quite remember it from being so young. Most importantly, they fought together, Hariric telling Abhiratra that the people living around the mountain were his enemy.

As even more time passed, Abhiratra grew tall and strong, covered in bear furs and long braided hair that nearly touched the ground. Now, his and Hariric’s roles were beginning to reverse. There were weeks when Hariric felt as though he couldn’t stand without being consumed by pain, so it would be up to Abhiratra to find food for him. Sometimes Hariric’s fire wouldn’t build up enough and would come out as a puff of smoke, so Abhiratra had to learn how to make a fire without Hariric’s flame. What Hariric felt worst about was when Abhiratra had to go defend their territory alone against an unknown amount of trespassers. He always returned, though, sometimes with deep cuts and even a broken bone at one point, but he was always happy to be back in his and Hariric’s cave.

Their peace was interrupted two decades after Hariric had found Abhiratra in the forest. A fire had erupted on the far side of the mountain, not one made by lightning or another dragon, and it was spreading quickly. Hariric had smelled smoke and managed to stand up, stretching out his neck until he could see where it was coming from.

“Curse them,” Hariric snarled, causing Abhiratra to look up at him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“The group of humans that we thought had left have now set the forest on fire.” Hariric spread his wings as he spoke. “I’ll take care of them swiftly.”

He flapped his wings, each powerful beat nearly bending the nearby trees over. It was an impressive display, one that Abhiratra had to quickly retreat from to not be blown away.

But Hariric didn’t move an inch.

“Hm?” he grumbled, glancing at each wing as he flexed them. “Why can’t I move?”

“It’s been ages since you’ve flown. Maybe you no longer have the strength to fly?” Abhiratra suggested.

Hariric let out a roar of frustration, swinging around and pacing. “This can’t be! I can’t let them destroy my forest! I can’t be weak now!”

With one more growl and a huff, Hariric collapsed to the ground beside where Abhiratra was sheltered behind a rock. He gazed in the direction of the swirling smoke and sighed. Maybe he had to be done. Perhaps there was nothing more he could do now. He was simply too old.

“Hariric?” Abhiratra called up to him. “I can ward them off. And I’ll find a way to put out the fire.”

With a shake of his head, Hariric lowered himself so that he could gaze straight into Abhiratra’s eyes. “Listen to me, Abhiratra. You are strong and brilliant, but this is a bigger task than you can handle. Just let me gather my strength and I will be on my way, even if I cannot fly.”

“I am strong enough,” Abhiratra protested. “Let me go. I can do it.”

It was then that Hariric realized, with a bit of surprise, that Abhiratra was a man. No longer a child. Those twenty years had felt like nothing to a being who’d lived for several centuries more than that, but, in reality, if Abhiratra had been a dragon hatchling, he would’ve left five years ago. Hariric’s sharp glare softened into something affectionate as he reluctantly nodded.

“Okay. I can’t push you around anyone,” he chuckled, “Go ahead, Abhiratra. I expect you back as soon as possible.”

As Hariric watched Abhiratra disappear into the forest, his heart ached. He couldn’t bring himself to stand, exhausted even from his attempt to fly. Promising himself that he’d join Abhiratra as soon as he could, Hariric allowed himself to sleep.

As he dozed, Hariric was tormented by a dream where Abhiratra caught fire and died before he could reach him. This startled Hariric awake and he quickly realized that he’d been asleep for several days. Not an unusual occurrence as of late, but incredibly unlucky considering the circumstances. Hariric swiftly got to his feet, taking off into the forest in the direction of the fire. He tried to take off, but he still couldn’t get himself off the ground. So, instead, Hariric ran as fast as he could.

Despite his desperation to save Abhiratra, Hairic’s stamina was not what it used to be and he collapsed halfway to his objective, completely spent. He hissed in anger, forcing himself to get back on his feet, and limping forward to his destination. Eventually, his legs gave out once more and, this time, Hariric couldn’t even try to get up.

He was stuck there for nearly a week and, during that time, Hariric noticed that the fire began to get smaller and smaller until it completely disappeared. Hariric relaxed. Perhaps he had been too protective of Abhiratra. He’d managed to get the job done. So Hairic, once his strength returned, turned around and went back to his cave. There, he waited for Abhiratra’s return.

Abhiratra never came back.

For weeks, Hariric waited, telling himself that Abhiratra was most likely just lost, this being his first time coming back alone. As more time passed, however, it became clear that Abhiratra wasn’t coming back. So Hariric left his cave and began to search for Abhiratra, walking slowly so that he would not miss him and so that he could conserve his energy. The last thing Hariric wanted to happen was for him to collapse and be out of commission for days again. Especially since there was a good chance that Abhiratra was in some sort of trouble and possibly needed help.

Weeks turning into months. Months into years. Not a single trace of Abhiratra came across Hariric’s path as he lumbered across the mountains back and forth, depriving himself of food and water. He was exhausted, joints aching from cold winters he spent out of hibernation, and skin stretched across his bones. Even the vines and moss on his back were dying, seemingly dependent on Hariric’s health in order to stay alive.

Just like them, Hariric was dying. He didn’t know when his time would come; it could be days, weeks, even years more. He found himself no longer caring what humans did to his forest or even himself. All Hariric wanted was to see Abhiratra, his son, one more time. Even if it was just a pile of his bones, Hariric would fall and die beside them. Abhiratra was the only thing Hariric truly loved all of his life and would continue to be the only thing he loved in death.

At last, Hariric fell to the ground much in the way an old tree falls. The crash resounded through the mountains, echoing. He shut his eyes, so tired, hungry, and brokenhearted. All he wanted was to see Abhiratra one more time…

Perhaps Abhiratra had died alone, angry that Hariric had never come to fight by his side. Maybe he died in the fire, burning to ashes. That could explain why Hariric never found him. If only…If only…

A sniff. Hariric’s eyes opened and he studied the area. Had he imagined the noise? It sounded so familiar. Perhaps he was daydreaming as he was dying. Just as Hariric was about to shut his eyes again, there was another sniff, followed by choked-back sobs. With a groan, Hariric lifted his head in the direction of the noise.

There was a child. A child with brilliant green eyes, big round cheeks covered in fat tears, and so small that it’d hardly be bigger than one of Hariric’s claws.

“Abhiratra?” he whispered, getting a strange sense of deja vu.

The child did not look his way, just whipping its head around mindlessly, terror in its eyes. Hariric studied the little human more. No, it wasn’t Abhiratra. But it looked so much like him. Why?

“Elmore!” a familiar voice called, causing Hariric’s ears to perk up. “Elmore, are you alright?”

A man ran over to the child and Hariric’s eyes widened. It was Abhiratra. His Abhiratra. He looked visibly older, with hair grey and a face covered in lines, but his eyes were the same and he still was wearing his bear fur cloak. For the first time, Hariric’s eyes filled with tears. Abhiratra was alive and he had children.

He was truly grown up.

Hariric watched as Abhiratra comforted the child, Elmore, with a gentle hand and sweet voice. Soon, the child’s tears were wiped away and he disappeared out of Hariric’s view. It was then that Abhiratra met Hariric’s gaze, his soft smile disappearing. His eyes became so sad that Hariric’s heart grew heavy for him. Slowly, Abhiratra walked to Hariric, reaching out and touching his snout just like he did the day they’d met.

“Hello,” Abhiratra whispered. “My son said he saw something big and scary fall, so I figured it was you.”

Hariric let out a weak laugh, but then he had to ask, “Where have you been?”

Abhiratra looked guilty. “I thought…I’d been gone so long…”

“I don’t hate you,” Hariric interrupted quickly. “Not at all. I never could.”

Letting out a breath, Abhiratra sat down in front of Hariric. “I was taken prisoner after I attacked the people who started the fire. Turns out that they never meant to start it in the first place. One of their campfires grew out of control. They managed to put it out themselves once I stopped getting in their way. Once they grew to trust me and let me out…it’d been so long. I thought that you’d either died or wouldn’t want me to return. But now that I see I was wrong, I’m so sorry, Hariric. I should’ve come back, just to check.”

“It’s alright, Abhiratra. You’re grown up, and all hatchlings eventually have to leave the nest. Many never return once they’ve left. It was my selfish desires that made me want to keep around for just a little longer.” Hariric’s eyes closed again. He was too tired to keep them open and continue talking.

“And it was selfish of me to never come back.” Abhiratra’s voice quivered. “I guess that makes us even.”

“Hmm. I suppose it does.” A smile crossed Hariric’s face. “I’m so happy that you have grown up strong, intelligent, and with your brood. I’m proud of who you are, Abhiratra.”

There was a pause. Abhiratra waited for Hariric to speak again, but then he felt something similar to a warm breeze blow across his face. The knot in Abhiratra’s throat grew larger as he came to realize that it was Hariric’s last breath. Abhiratra rose to his feet, tightly hugging the face of the dragon who’d raised him.

“Thank you. Thank you, Hariric.” Abhiratra had to pause, taking some deep breaths. Tears fell down his face as he watched Hariric’s skin turn to stone and dirt, the plants on his back getting some of their green leaves back. It was only moments later that Hariric became nearly unrecognizable from the rest of the mountain peaks.

“I love you…Father.”