The World Before Ours

There weren’t always dragons in the valley.

Just normal creatures that roamed the earth.

My elders would often talk about the world before ours. One where humans laid waste to the land that in turn evolved to survive us. There were vast open seas, rivers, or lakes, sometimes man made. Vehicles that ran on gas or electricity and of course predators and prey alike that we often locked up in zoos. Skyscrapers that pierced the sky, submarines that traveled to the depths of the ocean and trains that traveled across miles. Most importantly A sun that didn’t cook us alive . Now the environment is less than forgiving and every day is just another day to survive the chaos.

The changes started with the sea. With each passing day the polar ice caps melted and all of the coastal cities were covered. Then as it got hotter, small lakes, then rivers and canals shriveled up. The sea branched out and became our main source of water. Pollinating insects disappeared from the land and any living things that needed constant water or shelter from the harsh sun became extinct or evolved to survive the new environment.

From what my elder tells us, humans escaped to the depths of the earth and now only the descendants of those who survived the sun remain. At night we are able to roam about under a brighter moon but not for long. Most wild mammals, reptiles and sea creatures that survived, have evolved to become apex predators. These animals evolved into what we now call modern day dragons, channeling their ancestors prior survival tactics as a means to hunt . From our limited knowledge of history, reptiles should’ve been the dragons to fear but we were wrong. Most reptile dragons were docile in nature and became guides for our people. Some living for hundreds of years as they thrived in the new world. They were large in stature but possessed no special abilities that would put us in danger.

It was the animals you’d least expect to survive the scorching of the sun that we feared the most. Eels evolved into dragons who spew electricity, wreaking havoc on our electrical systems. We were forced to live in a new stone age with limited communication with other people as a result. Mantis Shrimp evolved into dragons who expelled heat or fire. They were ruthless and the heat they released would decimate villages on impact. We learned in the very beginning to not settle in their territory. The Black Tailed Jack rabbit who would regulate its temperature with its ears, evolved into a wind chill dragon. They were quick and needed to be handled as quick or they would become a major deterrent to our survival. Often times devouring miles and miles of our plant life and freezing viable soil if they felt threatened in any way. Most birds seemed to evolve into true dragons. With their ability to regulate heat within their body, they could release cold air from their throat or just with touch. They became ice dragons who could pick their prey up and instantly freeze them for future consumption. They were crafty and very dangerous but essential to the ecosystem. They were rebuilding the polar ice caps not for us but for their own shelter.

The world was rebuilding itself with or without our input. We still didn’t even know what else was out there, just what we’ve encountered in our survival. We’re limited in our power due to the environment but we will continue to survive as our ancestors did. There’s even a chance that we too can evolve.

Victoria Wolliston