The Changling

Ormr awoke to a disturbance within his forest. The scent of fresh human blood filled his nostrils and he stretched after his long slumber. Birds did not sing their usual morning songs. Vermin did not scuttle through the underbrush. The forest was still, too still for Ormr. He stood tall, the trees surrounding him stood taller, blocking much of the sunlight. His green scales shone in the morning light, turning the color of summer leaves. His eyes were a dark emerald green.

The dragon followed the scent of blood, stopping only as the sound of laughter filled the air. Ormr stood still, holding his breath. The laughter came again. A giggle came from the very direction he had been heading. It was a young voice. A very young voice. Slowly, he continued. He crept up to a clearing.

In the middle of this clearing sat an infant with pale skin, covered in blood of a deep red. It sat there giggling at a butterfly fluttering around its head. Ormr drew closer. As he entered the clearing he noticed the trail of blood behind the child. At the end of the trail lie a human women. A deep wound stretched across her back. There was no need to get any closer. Ormr could tell at a glance that she was dead. He assumed her to be the infant’s mother.

The smell of burning wood filled his nostrils. He had to stand on his hind legs to see the sky above the treetops. Black smoke billowed in the distance. The village outside the forest was burning. The dragon felt a slight tinge of curiosity, but quickly dismissed it. Turning his attention to the babe, he realized it had been watching him. He wondered what to do with it. Ormr doubted any of the villagers survived whatever attack occurred. He approached the infant, who, reaching toward him, started to giggle.

Ormr drew close and took in the infants scent. There was an underlying scent, but it was covered by the smell drying blood. The dragon shook his large head. This human was not his concern. Ormr turned to leave. As he was about to exit the clearing the infant began to cry. Out of fear of unwanted attention form whomever, or whatever, had attacked the village, Ormr returned to the infant. It stopped crying almost instantly.

The infant stands. It takes a couple of steps towards the dragon before falling. Amused, Ormr laughed. He then let out a long, deep breath. He couldn’t simply leave it here. The dragon scooped the infant into its right claw, being very careful not to harm, or to drop it. He spread his wings and took to the sky. Ormr headed for the closest settlement, the dwarves.

The flight was short. He sailed over the vast forest over which he ruled to Sky Mountain, whose peaks reached into the clouds above. Landing at the base of the mountain, he was quickly greeted by several dwarves.

An elderly dwarf with a long, braided beard came forward, “Great Orme, guardian of Liadel, What bring you to our great abode?”

“Utoc of the dwarves, I found this. And I had hoped you and your people would care for it.” Ormr set the infant down gently.

“A human!” Though only Utoc spoke, shock was present on the faces of each dwarf. “You must be joking, my friend! There has never been a human in our society. And I will be damned if I am the one to bring one in!” Ormr knew better that to argue with Utoc. He had known the dwarf for many years. Once he had made up his mind there was no changing it.

“Then what am I to do with it? The village from whence it came no longer exists. It has no one.”

Utoc sighed deeply, and spoke bluntly, “Then bring it to another human village! There’s a new settlement on the other side of the mountains. Take it there.”

The dragon looked up towards the peak that he could not see beyond the clouds. He gave a single nod. “Aye. A human village wound be best. Thank you my friend.” With that he once again scooped the child up and to off.

The journey was much longer, taking several hours to circle around the vast mountain range. Ormr had decided not to go over them out of fear for the infant. The mountains gave wave to rolling hills. Huts appeared in the distance. The dragon slowed his pace and he drew closer.

One of the villagers spotted the dragon and let out a cry of alarm. They scrambled around, trying to escape what they thought would be their death. When Ormr reached the village it was empty. Not even the animals had stayed.

He gently placed the infant on the ground in the middle of the huts. The infant looked up at the great beast and giggled. It was then that Ormr noticed the blood had now dried. Fearing that the villagers might not return if he stayed, Ormr turned and flew off, landing behind a nearby hill to hide and observe.

After several moments, the dragon believed the villagers weren’t coming back. Just as he was about to retrieve the infant, the first of the villagers returned. The others weren’t far behind. The kept their distance from the child, clearly weary of what the dragon had left them.

It took some time before a villager approached the infant. A woman slowly approached, causing the child to giggle. Even at this distance Ormr could see the woman relax, a little. The infant started to cry, reaching out for the woman. She quickly picked it up to comfort it. Almost immediately it stopped crying and snuggled into the woman. Knowing the danger didn’t exist, the rest of the villagers surrounded her to take a peek at the baby in her arms.

Satisfied that all seemed well, Ormr took flight and headed towards home. However, he didn’t make it very far. Screams filled the silence. He stopped midair. Shaking his head, “You have done your duty and returned the infant. You cannot save all humans. It is not your concern.” He continued his journey. Failing to ignore the cries, he turned around and headed back towards the village.

Ormr arrived quickly, but he was too late. The villagers were slaughtered, not a one left alive. At the center of the village he found the infant. It was covered in fresh blood, but not its own. The infant sat by the woman who had been holding it. When it saw the dragon, the infant giggled.