The Lost Dragon

(There seems to be some ancient magic alive somewhere in 'The Valley', an area teeming with wildlife and expansive woodlands and water on the outskirts of the small town of North Arbor. An object has been found that will completely change the life of a teenager as he will find the source of this magic and help one in need of claiming the honor and prestige they formerly had.)

The Lost Dragon

PROLOGUE

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

Young Mitch Connor stopped eating his cereal for a moment wondering if he just heard his Uncle Brian correctly. He had been staying the week with him so he could go hiking and fishing in the area known as 'The Valley.'

"Weren't always what Uncle?"

Uncle Brian looked up with a bewildered look on his face. "Uhm. Uh, don't mind me. I'm still half asleep." He wipes his brow then says "Got your fly rod and creel ready? Dinna want to take the jog down to our spot and find you forgot yer gear lad." Uncle Brian had come from Ireland, so his accent was thick, but not as bad as when he first came over seven years ago.

"C'mon Uncle. I clearly heard you say 'dragons.'"

Brian Conner came over to the table and sits down with his toast and jam, hunches over and says "Keep yer voice down lad. Yer mum already thinks I'm not the full shilling." He lowers his voice and almost whispers "Aye lad, I did. I was told the same story by an old culchie in the pub. He had been drinking and I thought he was totally potted when he gave me this. . . " He reached into his pocket and withdrew what looked like a recurved knife, but Mitch looked at it more closely and saw that it looked more like a claw. "Now the old sod gave me this and said this came from a dragon, and it could be the key to something that was worth something special. I thought I was seeing things and tha' I was completely ossified, but when I awoke the next morn in my bed still gripping this I knew he had been telling the truth." He shakes his head. "Sometimes I still think I was twelve sheets to the wind when he gave it to me and was trying to jack my money from me pocket. But he just gave it to me and then he just disappeared."

"May I have it?

Uncle Brian raises an eyebrow. "And what will ye bloody well do with it?"

"I think it's cool. Maybe use it as a pendant or something."

"But ye do know the legend of the dragons right?"

Mitch tilts his head. "Legend? What legend?"

"Well, that old farmer told me that if you steal something from a dragon, they will find you and eat you. However, " he grins as his eyes twinkle a bit, "If ye find something that belongs to a dragon and you return it to him you will get a great reward."

"That makes no sense. Why would a dragon give someone a reward for returning a claw? Don't they grow back anyway?"

"Because me boyo, if a dragon loses a part of themselves, they lose some of their magic and if they never recover it. . . .well, they can never use pure dragon magic again. And no, dragons do not regrow body parts. They aren't lizards ye know. They are bonafide warm blooded animals."

"Poppycock. You believe that fable uncle?"

"Aye lad. I do." He stands back up, tossing the last morsel of toast and jam into his mouth. "I didn't believe in the banshees either until I heard them one dark moonlit night in glen, then saw them floating at the top of the hill. I ran my arse off and never looked back." He looks at Mitch looking serious. "That legend was told to me and I dinna believe it either. But that night made me believe. So yeah. I believe in dragons laddie." He tosses the claw to Mitch.

"Thank you uncle!" He immediately turns it in his hand almost mesmerized as the colors seem to slowly undulate across the length of it.

"The old man gave it to me because he told me he wasn't long for this world and he wanted to be sure someone was strong enough to find the dragon this belongs to. So yeah, I give it to you so it can be your task." Brian thinks to himself that even though it is a legend, it just might instill some sort of responsibility in him if he had something to protect.

"And how am I supposed to find a dragon? That's quite funny uncle." Mitch chuckles. "I'll figure out what to do with this. Who knows. I might just find the dragon one day. But I won't be holding my breath."

"You ne'er know lad. Life sometimes has a way of surprising you." He slips his fishing hat on his head and snatches his pack and creel from the corner. "Lets get a crack on me boyo. The fish aren't gonna just appear in our boxes now will they?"