Fantasy

The Skyborn
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. Or so Rylan had always been told. Before the days of The Great Rain, the largest airborne predator was the gold-tailed eagle. With a wingspan of almost five metres, they could dive from the highest mountain peak and pluck a newborn calf as it was feeding from its mother.
By Ben4 years ago in Fiction
The Day It Rained Memories
It only happens once every ten years. People all over the city gather in the square and turn their heads to watch the rain because the raindrops that fall from the sky on this particular night are unique; they contain memories. I quickly finish getting ready, anticipation writhing through my stomach, and wrap a long emerald scarf around my neck to protect against the winter chill. I have never witnessed a remembrance rain, as the people in my city call it. The last time it happened, I was seven years old and locked inside, unable to sneak out to watch it happen. Stepping outside and locking my apartment behind me, I check my watch. The rain will start in ten minutes; I should hurry if I want to make it to the square on time.
By Ariel Niforatos4 years ago in Fiction
The Dawn of the Elysian Age
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. In the year 12042 HE, when men ruled Earth and science was the prevalent world religion, dragons were considered myth. However, a science practitioner at the University of Chile, Joao Botelho, who had been manipulating bird DNA to match known dinosaur DNA for decades, was able to successfully hatch what was believed at the time to be the mythological Tyrannosaurus Rex. Botelho published his findings and was met with both praise and skepticism. Because Chile had been less affected by the rising oceans in the early years of the Great Ice Melt, Botelho and his team had been able to continue their research despite the planetary changes. As the creature grew, it became clear that what paleontologists had previously believed were tiny arms on the extinct T-Rex were actually enormous wings. Within months, the creature, Pequeño Vivo, was too large to remain in the basement laboratory and was moved to the nearly empty Chilean National Zoo. There, the team set up containment measures and continued to provide care and access to knowledge to the stunning specimen. She quickly evolved and was soon able to understand language and communicate with humans using a digital device. At less than a year of age, Delphyne revealed her name and demanded the humans respect her autonomy. Scared that his creation may become uncontrollable, Botelho’s team reached out to the community of science practitioners and scholars from across the globe. Men swarmed and restrictions were suggested.
By Bridget Flaherty4 years ago in Fiction
Drakōn (δράκων)
Of the Before ’There weren’t always dragons in the valley, Basit. Stop playing with that bionic cat and don’t interrupt or talk over me. Kids these days have this strange habit. You must have everything and all at once. Don't you know, if you get things too quickly, you live to regret them. My story is of one of those regrets.
By Annabella4 years ago in Fiction
The World Beyond the Wall. Runner-Up in The Fantasy Prologue.
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley, wrote Shadow, his quill scratching across the parchment in the candlelight. Lost Tom remembered those days before, when the sedges stretched high toward the sun. When he would tumble through them, laughing and singing with the other village children, the sheepdogs bounding in their wake. Those summer afternoons when the blueberries grew fat in the alpine meadows, and he would crush them with a potato-masher, adding sugar and spices brought by the traders. When he would preserve the mixture in labelled jars, and lick the earthy sweet juice from his fingers.
By Bryn T.4 years ago in Fiction
Spell of the Serpent
"There weren’t always dragons in the Valley…” What had begun as a pleasant conversation quickly escalated into dangerous territory. In a mixed city scorched by the Devil’s inferno, colloquial terms don’t always translate one to one. So, what Evan’s grandmother and her overworked paper fan actually said was that 'there were not always bruja in the San Fernando Valley'. Witches.
By Bree 4 years ago in Fiction
Napus Interuptus
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. In the last couple of years barely a handful, of any of the seven species combined, had been spotted so when Alvera was shaken from her afternoon nap by the loud thump above her head she at first didn’t even consider it could be a firedrake.
By Nick Rowley4 years ago in Fiction
Druid of the Ash Wood
Part Two of Ersoa's Awakening “There weren’t always dragons in the Valley,” Hollae whispered. “Where are they coming from?” Max panicked, rustling in the desiccated leaves at the feet of the elderly dryad, trying to find cover behind her knotted trunks.
By Sam Eliza Green4 years ago in Fiction
Mavens Blood
There weren’t always dragons in this valley. Incidentally, there wasnt always a little girl called Maven either. Maven was a magical creature with an elvish face and a heart of gold. Maven was a fairytale of a child, she was always good and funny and smart and cute. There was one drawback, however, if Maven pricked her finger, a dragon became from the spilled drop of blood.
By Melissa Eaves4 years ago in Fiction
The Man in The Valley
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. Everything used to be so different. I think about the Valley often. Sometimes when I’m lucky, I get to wear the special goggles and see all the greenery of before. There was something so peaceful about it there, I imagine. Maybe it was the blue of the sky and the way it reflected on the fast moving water. The way that the green colored mountains split and allowed you to stand in the middle to take in all of its beauty. Or how even if you close your eyes, your senses are still filled with the different sounds of the animals nearby.
By Leidy Gonzalez4 years ago in Fiction
The Reckoning
There weren’t always dragons in the valley. At least not before The Reckoning. The infamous night when an elite occupying force swept over the land of Nova, taking over the vibrant city of Fry. Men were dispatched, women were taken as wives and children were forced to perform manual labor. The little girls were put to work as maids and house servants, but the little boys, they were different. They had the genetic disposition to be fighters. To be tactical. To be trained. The city of Fry, once a bustling trade stop along the crystal river now lay under ash and smoke from the great invasion which would forever be known as The Reckoning. Now, under commands from barbaric warriors, walked a boy. His arms full of lumber, his face covered in soot. A tear trickled down his cheek, revealing a streak of the boyish complexion hidden beneath the grime. He labored with each step, willing his feet to keep moving so he wouldn’t be trampled. Little did he know that he would be the key to the salvation, or eradication of his people. His name was Jex.
By Kyle Maddox4 years ago in Fiction
Please, Don't Slay the Dragons
There weren't always dragons in the valley. Once, there was worse - much worse. Dragons are visible. You can hear them and feel their heat. They are vulnerable. If you are brave enough, If you are pure enough, if you are bold enough, dragons can be slain.
By Ernie Lee4 years ago in Fiction