The Silver Blood and the Last Dragon

It was a warm and starry night in the forest. The moon and stars were shining over the space between the pine trees like a light bulb, bringing all of the vegetation into the spotlight, for all to see. Only a light breeze was swimming along the trees and vegetation, as everything else stood still.

This is how it was here, in Transylvania when the moon was shining high in the sky. The animals were barely moving or making a sound, even the predatory ones were sitting still this night. Everything seemed quiet and surreal, bringing an air of mystery and fright over it.

Then, suddenly, the sound of cracking branches and rustling of leaves was heard in the distance, disturbing this serene atmosphere and unsettling every living being in the forest.

Something was running extremely fast. Inhumanly fast. It was jumping more than 5 times a man could and moving faster than a leopard. However, no hard breathing was heard from this mysterious being, and no sweat seemed to fall off its forehead. It was barely covered in some makeshift black robe, which seemed to most likely have the purpose of hiding its skin, rather than providing warmth and protection to it.

This... abnormal creature seemed to be running from something, as it was carrying an object which seemed like a big chrysalis, in its arms, protecting it like a mother protects her newborn child. It seemed as if the creature was heading somewhere, with purpose. But what could he run towards, in that God-forsaken forest, where even the animals are scared to move at night? And why?

The Departure

The creature kept running, at god-like speed, through the forest. It was scouting different sides of the mountains, seemingly searching for something. When it reached close to one of the mountainsides, it looked up for a few seconds, scanning the sides of that mountain, and then started running towards another side. It seemed like the creature knew what it was looking for, but had no idea where it might be.

The creature then stopped, suddenly, and started climbing one of the greatest and oldest pine trees it could see, and stopped at its middle. It then placed the chrysalis-like pod on one of the pine branches, while removing its robe and using it to tie the pod to the tree.

Finally, the creature was visible to the forest. Its silver skin was shining in the moonlight, reflecting subtle rays of dark light into the surrounding area. It had silver platings all over its body, like armor made out of dragon scales. Its back and thorax had a few big plates of silvery armor, while its thin arms and legs were covered in smaller scales. Its whole body was covered in plates of armor. Even its mouth and nose had something like a plated mask covering them

The lifeless green eyes of the creature, which never blinked or seemed distressed, then focused on the pod. It almost seemed like there was some kind of love in its eyes, as it stood there, looking at the pod for a few seconds. Finally, the creature took its face mask down with its thin silver fingers and spoke to the pod:

- This is as far as I can bring you to keep you safe little thing. I couldn't find the place your father told me about with his dying breath. I hope that the creature your father told me about will be able to go the rest of the way and find you here. I may have lost our pursuers for a time, long enough to drop you safely, but I now need to take them as far away from you as possible, before they finally bring my doom.

This strange creature then took something like a black box, and tied it to the pod very well, as to make sure nothing will separate it from the pod. It then pulled out a bottle of what seemed to be perfume and splashed it all over the pod and the robe the creature used to tie it with, making sure it was well-drenched.

It then started running in the direction it initially came from, restoring the serene silence of the forest.

The first meeting

She was the last of her kind, alone and forgotten. Living in a secluded cave, going deep into the mountains, she lived a silent and slow life. When she got out of the cave, it was only to feed or to stretch her old bones and wings. She tried to remain unseen by the world, and it was mostly successful so far, except for a few humans who stumbled on her by mistake. And one who didn't.

It was luck, or destiny, that just 2 days after the pod was tied to that tree, the last known dragon got out of her cave.

Her "living quarters" was a huge opening inside of the cave, having a small waterfall and a bigger lake, from which the dragon would drink, and occasionally find a tiny snack for a bit of extra sustenance. She lived on a small opening in the wall, which she built herself, using her fire and claws and which, over hundreds of years, has been decorated with all kinds of trinkets. She had some sand, on which she lay, on the floor. Some logs around the corners of the cave and even animal skins and bones combined with the sand. She also had a sad part of her past, which she kept in the back of her living place - the shell of the last egg she laid, but which didn't give birth to her baby. Now, unable to lay any more eggs, she was sure to die alone and forgotten.

However, the weirdest assortment she had in her living cave was something that was out of the dragon world. It was a big picture of a man, encompassed in a sturdy metal frame, covered with what seems to be reinforced glass. This man was tall, thin, and had brown hair and eyes. In the picture, he was depicted holding his hand forward, seemingly wanting to give you a handshake.

The dragon looked at the eggshell, then looked at the painting, with sadness in her eyes, and then decided:

- I need to get some fresh air...

Slowly, she moved her old bones crawling out of her cave through a tiny opening, that was just big enough to fit her huge body. On the sides of that tiny cave, there could be clearly visible marks of her dragon scales scratching the cave walls. She crawled and crawled, in the darkness of the cave, which her dragon eyes were able to penetrate, until finally, she reached the exit of the cave.

When she reached the exit of the cave, she took a few minutes, as the light of the outside was blinding to her, even during night-time. The moonlight alone was enough to make her eyes feel like they were penetrated by a thousand needles. She hasn't let the darkness of the cave since a few weeks ago when she last fed.

She then began stretching her wings, feeling the warm summer breeze on her skin and beneath her wings. Compared to the coldness of the cave, even the night air in the mountains was much warmer.

She then began flipping her wings and then jumped with great strength forward, leaping into the air. She then went high up in the sky for a few seconds, covering the moon. Before coming down to fly above the pine tree tops. The sheer strength of her wings flipping through the air, made the pine tops move like they were about to break off.

When she finally came out of the trance she was in while stretching her wings, she began feeling a strange smell, that was unnatural to her environment, in which she had lived for over 1000 years. But even if the smell was unnatural to the environment, it was familiar. She then opened her big mouth and moved it around the air, as if it was tasting the smell of the forest. She felt where that strong, weird, but familiar smell came from and started moving in that direction. In a few seconds, it reached the place and began landing in the pine forest, where she could find enough space to fit.

She then kept smelling around and licking the air, as she moved toward the strange smell. As she was getting closer, she began to remember that smell, it was one of her favorites in the whole world. The smell of a particular human perfume, which she felt first just a few years ago. It smelled like a combination of mint, leather, and tobacco. It was the perfume of her only living human friend, the strange human on her cave's wall. She then began moving as fast as she could between the pine trees, making the tiniest ones fall, and continuing to smell around, making sure she is heading in the right direction. She then reached a big tree, the one in which the strange silver creature from before tied the pod. She then stretched her neck as much as she could, and grabbed that pod with her mouth, being careful not to harm it, ripping the robe it was tied with, in the process. The pod was big enough to keep her mouth open, so she had to be really careful while trying to place it down.

Once she lowered the pod down, something dropped from the pod. The black box that was tied earlier by the running creature, to the pod. The box was a bit bigger than the size of her smaller frontal claw. She then noticed that it had some sort of a button, which was not black, but green. She struggled a bit to hit that button, but finally, she was able to.

Just then, the box started "growing" some legs, like a spider, to calibrate itself, and then a hologram appeared in the air, scaring the dragon and making her move a few steps back, spreading her wings and scratching the trees around her. The hologram then started to speak, with a very familiar voice and face:

- Hi Nuriel. Did you miss me?

- You promised to visit me every year! Why didn't you...

The dragon was suddenly interrupted by the hologram, which continued to talk.

- You are now seeing me as something called a "hologram". I can only speak to you, but I cannot listen or respond to your questions. So please listen, I don't have much time.

The man in the hologram then looked down saddened and started explaining his situation to the dragon, while the dragon didn't make a sound.

- Inside the pod, which I hope reached you intact, is my daughter... she is only 2 years old. I had to send her to you since no one in the world knows about your existence. It's the only safe place I could think of for her, in such a short time. I need you to take care of her, help her grow up, and protect her.

The man then sighted, saddened at the thought of his little girl having to grow up alone, with a dragon. It then continued.

- I know I am asking a lot of you, and that it will be very difficult for you to do so, being... you know... a dragon. But I had no choice... I have to at least keep her safe, out of harm's way. You will not be alone in this endeavor. The pod in which my daughter currently sleeps has an advanced artificial intelligence incorporated, which will assist you with all the information you need regarding growing a human child. Remember, the thing I told you about? An object that thinks as a human does? Her name is Chris. I named her after that pod since is the chrysalis that will help my daughter grow, with your help. It will teach her all she needs to know, as she grows up, and will provide her with food and water for some of the way. However, those resources are limited, and you will have to provide for her when they are done.

A voice then interrupted the man in the hologram, speaking with urgency.

- Stefan, we need to go now, they are on their way here.

- Put my daughter in the pod and get ready to move, I will be done in a moment, said the man with haste, looking clearly panicked.

- I'm sorry I don't have more time to explain, but we are in danger. There are a few more things you need to know, so pay attention. The pod needs to have sun, at least one day a week, to work properly. So remember to leave it in the sun. I know this is dangerous for you, as you only go out at night. Secondly, remember that human children are sensitive to temperature. So find a way to keep my daughter warm. The pod will take care of it when she is inside, and she has clothes inside that she can use. The pod will take care of most of the things regarding my daughter, but you need to take care of the pod.

The man then sighted in a hurry and said with teary eyes:

- Her name is Clara, please protect her!

The man then closed the hologram.

The Dragon Mother

The dragon, Nuriel, was dumbfounded. She hasn't seen the man in over 5 years, and now he comes with this request? How was she supposed to take care of a human child? She stayed there dumbfounded for a few minutes, shocked that she would have to raise a human baby. She then decided to take the pod to the cave and then think about what she will do next. She carefully grabbed the pod with her big mouth and carried her back into the cave, placing it below the odd picture of her father.

She then remember what the hologram said about the chilled air of the cave, which is not suitable for a child to live in... and then decided that she should try to heat it a bit. She crawled back outside and went to a big pine tree. She then proceeded to spit fire at its roots, to weaken the tree. When the tree was weak enough, because of the scorching dragon flame, she then used her big foot claws and weight to make it drop to the ground. Then she grabbed her from the middle and began carrying it to the entrance of her cave. Flying with that big log was quite difficult, especially during take-off, when the big tree kept getting stuck in the other pine trees around, but she managed.

When she reached the cave, Nuriel discovered another problem in her way: getting the big log into the cave. Pushing the log was clearly out of the question, so she thought of another thing. Using her tail to pull it with her. Like a snake, she put her tail around the big log and started moving into the cave. After she managed to get the first log inside, she went out a few more times, to make sure she has some reserves for the daytime, when she didn't risk going out and getting discovered. Nuriel then broke a few logs and made a fire at the entrance of her dragon room, to make sure it was warm enough for the child. She then got ready to open the mysterious pod she received.

She placed her claw into the opening mechanism of the pod, and it started opening. Vapors of warmth emanated from the pod, from the difference in heat. Nuriel made the fire, but it was still chilly, compared to the inside of the pod. The pod contained a little girl, with light brown hair that was sleeping, with a little mask over her face, for breathing. A screen then opened up from the top of the pod and a pretty, red-headed female appeared on the screen. She then started talking with a warm voice:

- Hello! I am Chris. I'm here to assist in the care of the recipient of this pod and provide you with any information you will need in caring for her. I am able to synthesize food suitable for a child and purify water for the child's consumption, if you provide the raw materials needed. Do you have any questions, or should I wake Clara up? She has been under sedation for 36 hours, 43 minutes, and 39 seconds. She needs to wake up soon, to avoid any damage to her heart and other problems.

The dragon was again dumbfounded... a lifeless box that talked. In her long life, which didn't lack surprises, she hasn't dreamed of something looking like a polished rock, that talked. She then woke up for another shock and responded to the box.

- Alright you... weird... thing?... Wake the little girl up.

The box then started "growing" some very thin, metallic hands, which only had 3 think sharp-looking, silver fingers, and pulled the mask of the little girl's face. It then pulled a tube with a needle that was put in a little white add-on that looked similar to a cannula.

It took a few minutes, but the little girl then started waking up. Her beautiful light blue eyes slowly started opening. The first thing she saw was the big dragon head that was on top on her and some silver hands around her head, so it comes as no surprise that she started screaming loudly, her scared voice echoing through the big cave. The dragon then spoke:

- Calm down little girl, calm down, no one will hurt you, you are safe!

But she kept screaming, terrified.

Chris, the AI, then spoke:

- Clara, calm down, you are safe. You remember me, don't you? I used to sing to you and teach you about animals, and plants.

The little girl then looked at the screen and saw the familiar red-headed woman she used to spend a lot of time with, while her mother was busy and her father was away at work, as he mostly was. She then stopped screaming and uttered a badly spoken word:

- Boogey, Boogey! she said as she took another look at the dragon and hid her face again in the pod's pillow.

- Don't worry Clara, this is our new friend which whom we will play lots of fun games. Her name is Nuriel. She may look scary, but she is a very good um... person.

The little girl then said, with her voice breaking due to the terror she felt.

- But Uliel big... "scaly", she said, as she couldn't yet pronounce the "r" in "scary".

- Yes, she is a big dragon, isn't she? But she is kind and she was a friend of your father. Look there, said Chris, pointing her sharp fingers to the tableau of her father, she even has a picture of your father. They were good friends.

The little girl then said, apparently calming down a bit:

- Papa?

But was then interrupted by Uriel.

- What do you mean by "they were", box?

- We will speak about this later, I hope you can understand why.

The dragon then mimed a short "hrmmm" and dropped the subject.

Now that the little girl calmed down a bit, Chris said:

- Alright Clara. Let's get you down from here, and get you dressed in the clothes your father picked for you.

A compartment from the big pod then opened, revealing a pack of very well-compressed clothes, all in the color of the night. There were 2 types of clothes, coming in different sizes, as they were designed for a growing child. The first type was a full-body suit made out of a material that was pretty thin and looked like it would mold on the body and seemed to offer great protection from the elements. And then was another piece of full-body suit, that looked something like normal clothes, but it was still pretty molded to the body, and had a cape-like blanked on the back, possibly to act as an insulator. Of course, the first piece of the insulating, molding clothing was already on Clara, but the second, caped piece, wasn't yet.

The little girl got out of the big pod, helped by Chris, and then jumped a bit, because of the coldness of the stone she stepped on. Seeing that, the dragon placed her big tail near her, slowly.

- Here little thing. Sit on my tail, it is much warmer.

The little girl hesitantly did so, as the metal arms opened up the clothes pack and sorted thorough it, finding the suitable size for the little girl.

- Alrighty then, let's get you dressed, Clara.

The robot arms, swiftly dressed Clara up, starting with placing the bodysuit on her legs and then pulling it up. After the robot hands finished, Clara was warm and cozy, no longer feeling cold. The clothes and the fire that was still burning at the entrance of the dragon room were enough to make her feel cozy.

- How do you feel Clara? said Chris, the AI.

- "Walm", "walm", said the little girl, as she was hugging herself with her little hands.

- And what do you say to Nuriel for letting you stay on her tail? said Chris again.

- Thank you, Nuliel... said Clara, shyly.

- Well then Clara, do you wanna listen to some music? I have your favorite right here, said Chris while getting a pair of earpads from a small compartment.

- Yeeyy! yelled Clara enthusiastically.

As the little girl put on her earpads and listened to music, Chris then waved Nuriel with her robotic arms, that were coming out of the sides of the pod.

- Regarding your previous question... there is something you need to know. Try not to talk too loudly if you have any questions.

- Alright... Chris. So what happened to my friend?

- I don't know exactly what happened, as I had to be delivered to you. But I know what my creator... your friend, told me before I left. He told me that he and his familly are in great danger because of something he created. He said that people are after him and he will most likely not make it out alive. But if he wanted to make sure that his little girl was safe, no matter what. And that the most probable way in which she would be safe is for him to get the attention of the pursuers and send her away with someone... something else.

- But why send her to me? I am not suited to grow a human child. I mean, look at me! said Nuriel spreading her wings and scaring Clara a little bit, before putting them back down.

- I get what you are saying and I totally agree with you Nuriel, but you were the best option. You see, my creator made sure in the years since he met you that no one will find you here. He placed satellite surveillance on this zone to make sure no one would detect you, and deleted any evidence of your presence. That was his way of taking care of... his friend.

- So he... protected me all this time?

-Yes, he did, and he went through great trouble in doing so. Once he realized what he created and what will happen to him once people found out, he knew he had to take countermeasures to protect himself and especially his daughter. That's why he created this pod, and put me in charge of it, and his daughter. Chris then took a pause, as to think about something.

- The chances my creator has to make it out alive of the situation he is in are... one in a hundred.

- But what did he do, what's going on?

- You see, he was one of the greatest researchers in a field called artificial intelligence. That is... what I am - a piece of metal that can think and speak. But I am an earlier version... he developed a much more advanced being. A being capable of reaching my level of intelligence in one week, and surpassing all human intelligence combined in one year.

- Why would humans want to create metal beings? Can't they already create children? said Nuriel, glancing at Clara.

- I do not know the answer to that question. Maybe it's just the human will for more knowledge that drives them. However, that being was created... and it didn't have enough time to evolve. It was found out that your friend created it within the first month, and they then had to escape from the facility in which they worked. This pod in which Clara stayed, was delivered by the being that my creator brought to life. He created a body made of Titanium alloy, to be sturdy, and placed the being's intelligence on it. He used a neuromorphic 3-dimensional cube to store its consciousness and intelligence and tasked it with delivering this pod safely, to you. However, I have no way of knowing if that being will make it out alive any more than I can know about Clara's father. Only time will tell. If they are alive, they will eventually reach out to us.

- So it is up to us to take care of Clara... and hope that my friend and his... creation... will come to us...

The dragon paused and sighed.

- Yes, that is the case. My mission is to ensure Clara's survival at all costs. Even the cost of my well-being. And I fully intend to do so. But I need your help to do that, as my capabilities as part of this pod are limited. Will you help us?

- Yes, of course, I will. My friend protected me all these years... I will protect his daughter.

- Thank you, Nuriel. Let's keep Clara safe together.

Aftermath

The little girl, Clara grew up with the dragon, Nuriel, and her AI friend, Chris. They took care of her as if it was their daughter, and made sure she was safe. Of course, Clara pulled out some pranks and naughtiness along the way, as was expected from a child. But she ended up growing just fine.

Chris thought all she needed to know about the world, science, history, humans, and much more, that was stored inside the pod.

Clara was now 15 years old, and she loved playing with the dragon mother and her AI friend, but she couldn't keep from feeling lonely. She has learned so much about humans, and human society, and wanted to go out there and see it for herself.

However, both Chirs and Nuriel opposed this, until she grew bigger.

But just as she was getting ready to reach 16 years old, she met someone in the forest.

A tall man, with pale skin, wearing glasses. However, Clara noticed something was very weird about his eyes...

To be continued...