Young Adult
Los Angeles Dragons
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Well, considering the dragons we know now are over 1000 years old, there probably were. But we had no idea. We had no reason to believe they existed at all, certainly not in 2022, and most definitely not at the Archibald Creative Learning Center.
By Amber Grace4 years ago in Fiction
Gerontology of Flight
There weren't always dragons in the valley. In fact, there didn’t use to be many things there. No one even visited there, thanks to the multitudes of mosquitos that bred in the shade of the trees where no sun reached inside. There weren’t even a lot of animals that called it home. I only knew of it as a hiding spot, away from my step-father that criticized my entire existence and neglected everything outside of his arms’ reach of his recliner. Then, one day, while I was walking snuggled inside my hooded sweatshirt cocoon and pretending to be invisible, the dragons appeared.
By Holly Blank4 years ago in Fiction
Scarlet on Black
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. They had, in fact, been mostly forgotten by the inhabitants of the hamlet nestled within. There had always been unwitnessed danger — previously missing sheep suddenly appearing once again, eviscerated — and perhaps folk unexpectedly succumbed to wanderlust more often here than in other places (or at least this was the reasoning behind sudden disappearances of heretofore reliable persons), but ‘dragons’ were never a viable alternative to more simple, mundane explanations. No, fanciful creatures of yore were better suited as a rod for unruly children refusing their night-rest — a threat, a consequence. But the signs were there, and perhaps if they’d been heeded, what happened that fateful day could have been prevented; perhaps those involved would still be alive; perhaps a girl, full of guileless youth, would have been spared a lifetime of nightmares.
By Andrew Mescheder4 years ago in Fiction
The Dragon Rei
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Before my ancestors settled here, it was just like any other place. Lush and beautiful, but not magical. Men fought and died to claim the land on which we make our home now. It didn’t matter, in the end, which men won those long ago battles.
By Samantha Rose4 years ago in Fiction
Stolen Prizes
“There weren’t always dragons in the Valley, you know,” Galin shouts as his sword slams down onto Yem’s. Yem puts all of his weight behind his own blade and pushes. The high-pitched metal-on-metal screech rings in both men’s ears. Galin’s sword slides off and he jumps back as Yem thrusts forward, bringing his weapon down in an arc over his head to strike. Galin barely manages to lift his sword to block the attack.
By Annalisa Vivona4 years ago in Fiction
A Kingdom of Embers and Nightmares
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Not until the Queen of Ikaria decided to become a conqueror and took over the lands that no human ruler had dared enter for a thousand years - Eldernell and the Wastes beyond them, also known as the Dragon Kingdom.
By Yordanka Yordanova4 years ago in Fiction
The Age of Alrynn
There weren’t always dragons in the valley. There weren’t always great chunks ripped out of the cliffs. The river didn’t always bend wildly into vast bathing pools in improbable gorges, and the pebbles weren’t always worn smooth. There weren’t always broken tips on the pines that thickly blanketed the slopes. The wind wasn’t always accompanied by shrill shrieks and deep grunts from cavernous chests of immense airborne beasts. The high plains on the surrounding mountain tops didn’t always wear bare patches where tongues of fire had scorched with such intensity that the earth itself lay barren.
By Ally Cameron4 years ago in Fiction
The Decision
“There weren’t always dragons in the valley.” They stood at the summit of the mountain, and stared out into the foggy expanse far below them. It felt so good, so right to stand next to him again. She was safe, even comfortable–despite the precipice below her.
By Jenna Goodwin 4 years ago in Fiction
