The Yellow Mountain of the Dragons

"Do you know why the gold in our land is the best of all the lands?" Josélia asked slowly. 

She was heavily pregnant. Her three children seated at her feet were happily enjoying their evening meal of smoked deer, berries and mashed grain around the fireplace in their cabin. It was delicious. She was a good cook. 

The children nodded. They had heard this story many times before. Their mother did not hesitate to retell it. She loved to tell stories. 

" Long before the first humans arrived at the foot of this mountain, it is said that large and mighty yellow dragons dwelled in the caves of the hills that existed before it. 

For thousands of years, they roamed the lands, forests and the seas living of them. They stretched their large wings as they flew in the skies, their scales shining golden when hit by the sharp sun rays. The yellow dragons grew larger and mightier. They thrived and multiplied as they faced no threat. Some other thousands of years they would go into deep slumber deep in the caves. 

On one tormenting stormy night, Shatan the god of the underground was very angry with Unda the god of thunder for the noise he was causing from the skies. Shatan sent huge fires from the underground to threaten Unda. The fierce fires erupted from the earth flowing through the mouths of the dragon caves into the upper world. The flow lasted for many moons. 

This caused the caves to grow larger and larger forming the now yellow dragon mountains. The dragons who were in deep slumber on that fateful night were melted by Shatan's fierce underground fires. Their golden scales, blood and bones fused with the molten lava flowed down from the now large mountain and to the forests, rivers and lakes. 

That's how the first humans came to the yellow mountains as they followed the trail of this great wealth that was flowing to their lands. When they had exploited all that had flowed, they resulted in going deep into the mountain creating wide and deep caves as they mined the gold in them.

That's why our gold is the best and most valuable. And people of all the lands come here to trade their goods for it. Because it contains the scales and flesh of mighty yellow dragons and the shells of their eggs.

It is said that some dragons piled on the others were not melted. And they still lie in deep slumber covered by rocks of gold far down in the mountain. That's why it shakes sometimes when these dragons awaken and attempt to free themselves. 

And one day, when the humans dig them up, they will be released and the mighty yellow dragons will roam the skies once more.

Nobody knows what will happen then. But the dragons will be gods. And other gods will ride them." 

Khän, the youngest of Josélia's children loved to hear these dragon tales. He believed them to be true. His tail would throb as his mother told them. 

"Tame that thing or I will cut it off!" his father would yell angrily when this happened. 

The boy would flinch and his neck would drop. When the father wasn't looking, his brothers would comfort him. Khän was almost three and had not learnt to talk yet. His mother wondered if he ever would as the sounds he had been making so far had been intelligible grunts. His tail also came in the way of a steady walk.

Living below the yellow mountains had not all been just wealth and glory for its dwellers, especially in recent years when the miners had reached the current depth in the mines. 

When the mining activities would get too intense, particularly in the summers when the snow had fully melted and traders would come with goods from all the lands in exchange for dragon gold, the air would get foggy and would be hard to breathe. Even thick silk masks brought by the traders would be of little help. 

The people would often develop various illnesses, and sometimes, children born in the yellow mountain lands would come out looking grotesque. Almost animal-like. 

Josélia's first two children even though weak in the bone looked fine. Khän her third had scales all over his skin and had a visible dangling tail that emerged from his lower back. 

Josélia was now pregnant with her fourth and she prayed to Hawa the god of fertility that this time her child would be whole. 

She had been taking the concoctions from the village medicine woman made from plants, roots and leaves gathered from deep in the forest mixed with strange herbs from foreign lands brought by the traders. 

Many women who had taken them had birthed whole children. Josélia hoped that she would be blessed this time around. 

She had also consulted with the commune of priestesses. Their deep magic could predict the future the villagers believed, and they guided the people on the steps to take for great fortune and a good future. They took gold dust, hunted wildlife and foreign goods in exchange for their services. 

In Mountgoldia, newcomers were not allowed to stay and mine. Only to exchange their goods and to leave. The chiefs ensured this rule was strictly followed. Many traders didn't want to stay anyway. The air in their lands was better for their lungs. Plus scaling the steep mountain was a huge task. And it was very dark inside it. Only the strong and highly experienced were very successful at it. 

Josélia's new child would soon be arriving. 

"Take your lizard monkey child deep into the forest and leave him for the wolves. They will guide his tortured soul to Hawa and she will send it back in the spirit of your new child. And he will be whole again," the high priestess had announced to Josélia and her husband when they had gone to consult them. 

Her husband had agreed. Josélia would hear none of it! She cared deeply for Khän. She loved all her children even with their weaknesses and the misery it caused her. 

" José, all your sons will not live long. You know that," her husband would try to convince her. " Who will take care of you when you age? Who will take care of us…? We need to appease Hawa…"

Women with deformed children would be mocked and spoken about as they passed.

"They come from sinners…that's why their lines are cursed. Why are our children whole then?" some women would gossip. 

This caused such children to remain hidden in the cabins never being allowed to explore the world or play with the other children. Others were abandoned in the forests for the wild animals. 

One loud and stormy night as Josélia was in a long and painful labour surrounded by the priestesses as they sang and venerated the spirits, her husband had grabbed a sleeping Khän and together with three other men had gone into the direction of the forest to doom their children to their fates. 

On the same stormy night, the yellow mountains had rumbled. A deep hole had emerged at the top. At sunrise, many large rocks had rolled to the foot of the mountain. Thick yellow dust covered the cabins, grass, wild fruits, berries, lakes and leaves. 

Above the skies soared a mighty yellow dragon. 

" The dragons have risen! The dragons have risen!" screamed the high priestess. 

"Blessings! Blessings! Blessings!" the miners sang as they collected the rich rocks and swept the fine gold dust covering their land. "The old tales are true!" 

They were fearful of the dragon though. The tales had also told of their fierce fires. 

In her cabin, Josélia was holding a newborn baby girl in her arms. The child looked whole. Her cries were sharp and her eyes brown. Her two sons surrounded her bed. 

"Where is Khän?" she asked concerned. 

His bed had been empty when the boys had risen, they had answered. Their father was out collecting the stones and the gold dust that had come from the mountains. Josélia did not speak. She knew what had happened. Her sons who knew the ways of their land and suspected the worst shed tears. 

The dragon had roamed the forest all night. She tried to make sense of the world she had awoken to. It had changed drastically since the last time she had roamed the skies. The forests were thinner. And there were dwellings below the now large mountain that were emitting smoke. Were the land walkers living there? She wondered. And had she been the only one to have awoken yet? 

At sunrise as she hunted, she had been drawn by the scent of a creature in slumber in a clearing deep in the forest. The creature had been covered with dry leaves. She blew the leaves away. She had examined it. Carefully. It had a tiny tail and scales on its surface. Was this a hatchling that had awoken too? 

The dragon had sniffed it, grabbed it with its claws and then flew with it deep into the mountains where it nursed it bringing it burnt meat from the forest when it went hunting. 

Over the years, mining in the mountains had died. The dragon would spit fire on any human that approached it. Many suspected it was protecting dragon eggs. 

The humans down below resulted in waiting for the rocks to roll over as the dragon emerged from the caves. Some gold would also flow down below as the snow melted. 

In just a few years, the prosperity of the people of the yellow mountains had dwindled. Fewer and fewer traders came as less and less gold became available. Stories also went that the huge dragon would burn and devour those it found in the paths. This also scared traders away. 

Many dwellers of the settlement had moved to other lands. Some had become hunters and berry pickers. The fishermen in other settlements mocked the now misery of the dwellers of the yellow mountain. 

"They thought their golden era would last forever… The gods have had their will… Now they slave for us! " 

Meanwhile, with minimal mining activities, the air in the vast lands had become clearer. 

Josélia had refused to relocate even after her husband had insisted. 

For years especially in the winters, she had been visiting the forests with smoked deer and mashed grain in a wooden bowl leaving it in the clearing her husband had told her he left Khän as a way to appease his spirit. She felt responsible and guilty for his fate. She had assumed that he had been mauled by the wolves or mountain lions years ago. 

Sometimes she would find the food she had previously brought decaying in the bowl. Other times, it would be eaten. Was it her son taking it, or were the wild animals helping themselves?

The hunters however had been telling strange tales. 

They said that several times when it rained, in the mud deep in the forest, they had seen the small paws of a human next to the large paws of a dragon. 

One had insisted that while on top of a tree scouting for a hunt, he had seen a creature resembling a human but with a tail riding the dragon while it hunted in the forest. 

Josélia had heard these stories. She believed them. She hoped that these human prints were her son's. Khän had loved the tales of the dragons. Had his lost spirit attracted one? 

In many seasons, the dragon would not be seen soaring in the skies above the yellow mountains. Stories came that it would be seen from time to time in distant lands in the east or west and with what seemed like a human riding it. 

The miners would take this chance to rush to the mountain for gold. It was harder now that the paths no longer existed. They wouldn't go far deep and so were not very successful in their ventures. 

The stories of the sightings went on for years. Until one day, the priestesses approached Josélia. 

"Oh mother of the spirit that rides the dragon, the one that Hawa blessed with an upright child, we have been sent by the elders. We beseech you to summon the spirit of your son, the god Khän so that they may ask for passage into the mountains from the dragon to dig for gold. Listen to us. Weren't we the ones that helped you birth a child that was whole?" 

Josélia would not give them an answer. Behind her back, they had connived with her husband and had abandoned her child for the wolves deep in the forest. She wrestled with the thought though as she wanted to see her son again and confirm that he was still alive. 

So far, it had only been stories. And hope…

"You have to heed the call of the elders!" her husband had barked at her. " Think about the future of your other children… You didn't birth just one. And you are the one that refused to leave this land. " 

" If she doesn't oblige, we shall gather all the strong men, trap the dragon and its rider in the caves while they sleep and spear them to death!" the chief elder had warned Josélia's husband. "Then our land can prosper again. The dragon came as a blessing, but it has turned into a curse."

Josélia was alarmed. Even though empty, she believed the threats. She couldn't afford to risk it. She needed to summon her son if it was him at all. She needed to warn him and make sure he would be safe. This time around she would protect him. She swore of it. 

She had taken the time to think and had come up with a plan. 

In autumn, when the dragon had been recently spotted, and feigning a trip to the fishermen down in the lakes, Josélia had tied her daughter to her back, packed with roasted deer and mashed grain, she went deep into the forest. She vowed not to return until she had seen and spoken with Khän. 

She prayed to Laika the god of protection. And to Trea the god of the lost. 

Two days had passed. She had been taking refuge under tree trunks and in caves. Her child would cry under the moonlight and Josélia would pray even harder. 

So far, the gods had heard her prayers. 

On the third night, she had been abruptly awoken by a huge thud. She had felt as though the earth was shaking. Like a disturbing earthquake. She opened her eyes to two large piercing yellow eyes staring at her. She was frightened. She shivered even more in the cold. 

She tried to raise her neck as she studied the mighty creature in front of her. She curled. It was a mighty dragon. It had enormous claws that looked as sharp as a knife. Its large yellow scales the ones she could see looked as hard as a rock. They also seemed as though they were peeling. She shook. 

She got distracted by the turns of her daughter sleeping next to her. 

When she looked up again she saw a human boy walking towards her. He was tall. A long tail flung from side to side. She couldn't see clearly even though the moon was bright. She stood up. 

"Khän, is that you?" she managed some sounds. 

The boy had stood still for a moment and stared at her. He then rushed to her and buried himself in her arms. He grunted in his cries. Josélia even though crying and overwhelmed with emotion, tried to talk to him. She needed to act quickly.

The boy only grunted. 

Josélia understood that her son had never learnt to speak. Being isolated from humans had not been helpful to his already stunted growth. Nevertheless, after the boy had let her go and was completely enamoured holding the sleeping child that he had picked up, Josélia explained the situation to Khän who seemed to understand every word. She had also been gesturing most of the time. 

" I have a plan Khän. All the elders and the villagers want is gold. Let's arrange that you bring it to me down the mountain and I will give it to them. And you can be safe. You and your mighty yellow dragon." 

The huge beast snorted out loud. Josélia was alarmed. 

Khän grunted at it. He then looked at his mother and smiled. He then grunted a word that his mother understood to be "story". His tail had throbbed. He had always loved the stories his mother had told him about the dragons. He seemed to remember them. 

Josélia had other grand ambitions. 

If the plan worked, she would use her position to seize power. She had had enough! 

" Khän, I will go home when the sun rises. When it sets tomorrow," she gestured, " bring me a big chunk of gold down at the clearing in the river. Do not bring it to anyone else! Only me! You know those people are bad!" 

Khän had nodded. He had stayed longer rocking the sleeping child. He would touch his mother's belly which made her know that he remembered she had been pregnant when he had seen her last.

At sunrise, he bid his mother goodbye, mounted on his dragon and together they rose unto the sky. 

The sight awed Josélia. It was glorious!

Josélia had quickly returned and gathered her sons. They went to the river banks in the evening. She explained it to them on the way. Khän was already there with a handful of gold when they arrived. He had cried at the sight of his brothers who had been a little frightened by him and the huge dragon. 

"Touch him," Josélia had nudged them. "He and his dragon will not harm you. But be careful. Do not startle him." 

The plan had worked. 

Josélia and her sons met with Khän repeatedly explaining it to him each time. They also brought him bowls of food which he enjoyed. Back in the village, they had also been secretly sharing the gold he brought them with the women and young men of the land, especially those raising children with deformities. They were rallying for support. They warned them not to reveal it to the elders. 

In time, word spread about the sharing. Josélia's husband who had been kept aside all this time did not have answers for the elders when summoned. The people had been going to Josélia for advice. She was slowly gaining power. 

" What is she planning?" they asked themselves after spying on her, afraid to question her. "She controls a dragon rider!" 

In summer, when she had settled in her new position, Josélia arranged an audience with the elders. She gave them her demands. 

They listened. 

They had heard of the wealth that she possessed and were worried about the power she wielded over her dragon rider son. She had also in recent times been commanding power and respect over the people. She had been generous to them.

Josélia had also called for a large audience. When they had all gathered in the square she spoke. 

" My son is a god," she opened. 

The people nodded and stomped their feet. The priestesses in the audience were speechless. Where had this woman summoned the strength? they wondered. 

"He was born a god. A god of these lands. He is not just mine now, but ours. He belongs to all of us. Hawa had blessed my womb. She used me as an instrument. The god Khän rides the golden dragon. He has agreed to spare us his wrath. He wishes to share his wealth. The wealth he now guards together with his mighty dragon." 

Josélia had shown them the gold her sons standing beside her were carrying. Many of them had already benefited. The people shouted and stomped harder. 

" We will now worship the dragon. And shall not enter its territory lest we suffer its wrath. 

All children of the land whole or not shall not be mocked, cast away or abandoned in the forests. We shall use the wealth of the dragon to care for them. We will correct all the wrongs we brought onto them for they are innocent and did not choose their suffering. Their mothers didn't choose it either. 

Trade will come back to our lands and we shall be prosperous again. All lands will tell of our great story." 

The people jubilated. 

It could not be denied. Josélia had gained her power. She had also earned it. In time many had accepted her. They crowned her Paramount of Mountgoldia. 

The elders consulted her. They carried out her rulings. She was a just and merciful ruler. And she controlled wealth. Great wealth. Rulers of mighty kingdoms revered her.

A new era had begun in the land below the yellow mountain. One of strength and renewed prosperity. 

Khän the dragon rider and his mighty yellow dragon graced the skies. Down below, the people worshipped them. A god of the outcasts they called him.

His story, that of a dragon rider god with a tail on his back was told for thousands of years.