Xylon

The rays of the morning sun streamed through the canopy of the Telora forest, bathing the forest floor in dappled beams of light. Through the speckled patches of light, a lone toddler made his way through the underbrush, babbling happily and oblivious to any impending danger. His laughter reverberated throughout the forest causing several animals to retreat into the comfort and safety of their dens. One creature, however, stirred from his morning respite; a trace of curiosity flickering within him.

~*~

At the sound of an unfamiliar noise resonating off the walls of his cave, Xylon gingerly lifted his head. He looked around and blinked his eyes discordantly before releasing a yawn that rattled the ground beneath him.

Meandering to the edge of his cave he peered out, his head parting the curtain of moss and ivy like a living waterfall. The dappled rays of sunlight glistened off his emerald green scales, dispersing the rays of light into the shadowed depths of the forest.

Xylon strained his ears in search of the sound that had awoken him. For a few moments, an eerie silence hung in the air before he heard the faint shuffling of limbs. The short tufts of twigs and leaves protruding from Xylon's ears rustled as his ears twitched in response to the noise. A bubbling—what Xylon remembered to be called "laugh"—erupted and echoed throughout the still woodland. Xylon chuckled; the rough sound like that of stones tumbling down a mountainside in stark contrast to the bubbling laughter that had awoken him.

Xylon strode out of his cave, his body spiraling behind him in an undulating, green mass and his scales rippling beneath the morning light, making his body appear to be made out of liquid emerald. Casting a fleeting glance at the waves of light dancing across his scales, he turned and dipped his limbs into the nearby mud puddle, slathering the substance over his scales to dull their bright sheen. The puddle had grown larger from years of excavation when the circumstances - such as hunger or boredom - forced him from his cave during the daylight hours and he could not count on other means to conceal himself.

He took a moment to stretch his coiled muscle and unfurled his wings, a loud "whoosh" ringing through the air like the sails of a ship loosed in a strong gale. The freedom of the open air around him was a welcome relief as his cave was smaller than he would've liked. Unfortunately, he could only gouge out so much of it for fear of a collapse lest he reached the underside of the slope above him. There were far bigger and grander caves along the sea and mountainside, but he couldn’t bear to leave the forest that served as his home for so long.

Continuing onward, he eventually peered around a large oak tree and discovered the source of the laughter: a small boy. The child sat beneath the swaying branches of a willow tree, his plump limbs and small fingers grasping in vain at the dangling branches surrounding him. The wind rustled, and the drooping leaves brushed against the child's face, causing his light giggle to fill the air. The child's brown eyes twinkled as he lurched to a stand and clumsily chased the fleeting branches.

Xylon watched the spectacle with great amusement before an idea came to mind. He pursed his lips softly and blew toward the child. A single vine sprang out from Xylon's mouth and lightly rapped the child on the rear before disappearing back down Xylon’s throat. Disoriented, the child attempted to spin toward the direction of the vine, but lost his balance and quickly collapsed in a cloud of dirt. He laughed and searched through the haze of dirt for the source of the vine. When he turned to see Xylon, he struggled to stand and cast a wide, incredulous gaze at Xylon.

Shocked to see the child was not afraid of him, Xylon stared at him. The word "toddler" raced through his mind and he twisted his lips in an effort to utter it. "Rodd-rer," he rumbled at the child and then stepped back with eager anticipation. The ground rumbled slightly at Xylon's utterance and the child stumbled and fell to his butt again. A moment of shock flooded through the toddler's features before he closed his eyes and laughed while clumsily clapping his hands. The corners of Xylon's mouth twitched up in a semblance of a smile, and he shifted his stance, feeling pleased with his feat.

His satisfaction was short-lived as realization sunk into him the longer he peered at the child. On the rare occasion he had seen humans travel through the forest, they were usually in large groups. There weren't many women among them, but when there were, their children clung to them as if fearing for their lives. The smaller ones even clung to their mother’s breast in a vain attempt to gain comfort and safety. No child was ever left to fend for themselves like this one appeared to be. Xylon furrowed his leathery brows and stared at the child, who matched his gaze with glistening brown eyes.

Raising his head, Xylon began to survey the area but paused when the smell of smoke wafted through his nose. He took a step forward and turned toward it in hopes that it was from a nearby fire. A faint trail of smoke ascended beyond the tree line in the distance and his face fell; the smoke was much further away than he had hoped.

Turning back towards the child, he took a moment before he lowered his head to meet the child's gaze. The child rocked slightly and pulled himself to his feet taking a few uncertain steps toward Xylon before lurching toward him. Xylon stepped back in alarm as the child grasped his head between his small hands.

The child bobbed side-to-side, struggling to see over Xylon's flaring nostrils. A smile escaped Xylon's lips, but his breath caught as the child glanced down at the row of razor-sharp teeth that extended from Xylon's snout to the corners of his mouth

Preparing for the worst, Xylon was startled when the child poked his teeth, laughing as his finger came into contact with the slick, pearly surface. Withdrawing his finger, a thick trail of slime followed in its wake. To Xylon's dismay, the child peered at the viscous liquig before clapping his hands. The slime squirted out from around his fingers, but, unperturbed, the child brought his hands back to Xylon’s face.

Xylon grimaced at the slick sensation sliding across his face but begrudgingly allowed the child to continue. The child stared at him for a moment before he rested his face against Xylon’s mouth and closed his eyes. Xylon waited a moment before he realized: the child was hugging him. Xylon's enormous green and brown striated eyes widened as he glanced back down at the child for a few moments before closing his eyes and letting out a content rumble, lightly blowing leaves out of his nostrils. The child giggled softly before turning to face him.

Withdrawing from the embrace, Xylon faced the child and blew another vine out of his mouth, rapping the child lightly on the arm. The child pulled his arm to his chest and turned around, laughing. Xylon continued a similar routine of blowing vines, leaves, and other forest debris at the toddler, herding him in the direction of the smoke. It took nearly the rest of the day to shepherd the child back to the smoke and Xylon could only hope that it was the right decision and that he had not put the child at any further risk.

Ascending the crest of a hill, a quaint cottage stood within the tree line. A white fence with a rounded, wooden gate encircled the front of the cottage with a variety of plants and herbs growing along the sides of the stone path. A large barn twice the size of the house stood in the backyard next to a large, flourishing garden. Light plumes of smoke rose from the chimney, and he could see candles flickering on the windowsills.

Xylon's fleeting sense of victory diminished, as the foreign feeling of fear and trepidation crept through him. Inhaling a trembling breath, he lightly blew a vine at the door and slowly padded backward, continuing to knead his feet beneath him. He heard hushed whispers tinged with anger and distress grow louder as they approached the door before it whipped open to reveal a small human woman, her blonde braid settling on the side of her shoulder.

~*~

Aelia's bright blue eyes widened as they trailed up the length of the beast at her door. After meeting the dragon's gaze for a fleeting moment, her eyes traveled down to the child at his feet as it made a sound. Her eyes widened before swiftly flickering back to the dragon as she clenched her teeth.

"Kyan!" Aelia yelled over her shoulder, attempting to mask the slight tremble in her voice. She swallowed the hard knot forming in her throat and maintained her steely gaze on the dragon. The soft pitter-patter of footsteps echoed down the corridor and Kyan appeared alongside her, casting a fleeting glance at the scene in front of him, before turning toward Aelia. "Corrag! See, I told you I didn't lose him!" Kyan tugged at the hem of her skirt, bouncing, as he pointed eagerly toward his younger brother.

Slowly tearing her gaze from the dragon, she glanced down at him, a flicker of anger flashing across her features. "Hadn't lost him? Oh, so I suppose you knew where he was all along then and just wanted to give me a heart attack?" "No, mum. I just-" Kyan trailed off and looked at the dragon before whispering, "I was afraid of the monsters, so I didn't go looking for him." Aelia looked back up at the dragon, "Of course not. I suppose you didn't think that they would come to us instead," she said as she crept forward to retrieve Corrag from beneath the belly of the beast.

As she neared the dragon, she never tore her gaze from it, watching for any sign of movement or malintent. Its wide, reptilian eyes followed her every move as she picked up Corrag and began to retreat backward, but stopped when Corrag stirred. He turned towards the dragon and groaned indignantly, making a grabbing gesture with his hands as if dismayed by the loss of contact. The dragon shifted and inhaled. Before Aelia could react to her growing panic, a soft jet of leaves erupted from the dragon's nose and rained down lightly over Corrag's head.

A soft gasp escaped her lips as she watched the leaves fall around Corrag like drifting snowflakes. Her gaze flickered between them as she tried to make sense of their curious exchange. Before she could, the dragon lowered its head and strode forward. Aelia tensed, panic creeping up inside her and attempted to retreat but Kyan had unintentionally blocked her. He made a hasty attempt to step aside, but the dragon had already closed the distance.

The dragon raised his head to Corrag. Aelia inhaled sharply as she watched the exchange with growing horror. The dragon hesitated for a moment and then pressed his forehead to Corrag's. The pair lingered for a moment and Corrag let out a content sigh before the dragon withdrew once more.

Aelia let out a long, shaky breath and continued looking between them before her attention landed on the dragon. She spoke slowly as she said, "Thank you for-for bringing my child back to me." The air was still; no one dared to breathe or move. The ground groaned in protest beneath the dragon as it stepped forward and bowed its head in acknowledgment, gazing at Corrag for several moments before turning to depart.

~*~

"Wait!" Despite his mother's warning and extended hand, Kyan pushed past her and advanced toward the dragon. The dragon came to a halt and turned to face Kyan. With the back of his trembling hand, Kyan pushed aside the strands of brown hair falling into his face before jerking towards the dragon with an outstretched arm. The dragon swiftly backed away and peered at him. Disheartened, Kyan began to lower his hand when the dragon stepped forward and leaned into his touch.

Kyan gasped and ran his fingers over the rough armor-like hide that blanketed the dragon. He stood motionless for a time, then nodded and turned to face his mother. "Mother, I think we can trust him.”. He turned to face the dragon as a soft, growing rumble emanated from it. Starting from deep within its belly, the noise crept up its throat, growing louder as it rose. Kyan's heart began to race, and he stepped back, shielding himself with his arms and preparing to be engulfed in a scorching shower of coals and flames.

~*~

"You...can" Xylon forced the jagged phrase from his lips and walked forward. He cast a sidelong glance at Kyan, who had begun to calm down, before advancing on Corrag, who was fumbling in his mother’s grasp. Noticing Xylon’s approach, his mother set Corrag down and he stumbled towards Xylon as fast as his legs would let him, careening into another hug. Without hesitation, Xylon reciprocated, before forcing more human words past his lips, "You....are home now. Be.....safe," he grunted, the taste of the extended phrase feeling strange on his lips.

~*~

The dragon motioned to leave again, but Aelia stepped forward and held up her hand yelling "Wait!" Aelia stopped, dumbfounded at her outburst, before continuing. "Will you...stay?" She asked hesitantly.

The dragon paused a minute, raising the thick, hooded skin above his eyes. Shortly after, he nodded in their direction before glancing around. He rumbled, "Where?" Aelia muttered an obscenity to herself and hastily glanced around, attempting to formulate a plan after her ill-considered remark. Her eyes lit up as they fell on the barn. "You can stay in the barn! We don't use it that much, and even when we do grow food, it's nothing more than we can eat ourselves so we don't have to store anything there," she prattled.

She thought for a moment and then continued "What, though, will you eat? What will we feed you?" She began to speak frantically, but the dragon interrupted her. "I can feed myself," he grunted. She nodded, averting her gaze.

Raising her head, she looked at him and warily asked, "Are you... called something?" The dragon made a low, rumbling sound in his throat that appeared to be a "yes" before continuing. "Xylon," he uttered with enormous pride and a practiced tone that didn’t betray his ignorance and inexperience.

Aelia nodded and brought her hand to her chest, "Aelia." She brought Kyan closer and put her hands on his shoulders. "Kyan," she stated. Grabbing Corrag by the waist, she heaved him into her arms, and looked down at him.

Before she could present his name, Xylon, the dragon, muttered it. "Corrag," he said in his gravelly voice, a hint of fondness in it. She closed her mouth and nodded, setting Corrag down again once more.

Aelia watched, incredulous, as Corrag snuggled closer to Xylon. Xylon kept one large eye on Aelia, and she smiled nervously, shifting her weight before looking down at Kyan. "You can go too," she said, gesturing with her head towards Xylon. She glanced up at Xylon, her eyes suddenly wide, "He can go to you as well, right?" Xylon agreed, bowing his head. "Yes," he hissed out. "And you can too if you'd like." Startled, she cocked her head and placed a hand on her chest, questioning him. Before he could answer, she regained her composure and nodded curtly before approaching him.

Her sons already enamored with Xylon, Aelia took a tentative step forward and brushed her finger along his rough, scaly hide. It was covered in mud, and, perturbed, Aelia took it upon herself to clean it. Xylon turned to her, the long black slits of his eyes widening. "Stop," he rumbled. "No one can see me," he hissed. Though she understood, she continued brushing the mud from him. "There's no need for that. No one will see you. Everyone fears coming here because of the monsters." She gazed up at him with a rueful grin. "I suppose there is some credence to that fear now." Xylon snorted.

She sighed, slightly amused, and continued. "It's not like that. The townsfolk believe that this forest is dangerous and home to ravenous, man-eating monsters. They will not venture here." Xylon snorted leaves out of his nose and retorted, "If everyone is terrified of the forest and the beasts and monsters," he spat, "then why do you live here?"

Aelia looked down as she continued scrubbing the now glistening scales, her hand slowing. The answer was straightforward, yet the memories made it feel like thick tendrils of ice were snaking their way around her heart, intent on squeezing every last joy out of her.

Her husband had built everything for them. They wanted a life free of the stifling fears and superstitions of the village, and the very place they were afraid of seemed a prudent place to do so. They were far enough away from the village for comfort, and still but an afternoon stroll away. She took great pleasure in the winding journey through the gently sloping foothills and down into the valley.

Prior to his return from the sea, her husband had been a calm, hardworking, and decent man. After his first voyage, he returned with a peculiar, manic zeal that appeared to overtake him more as time went on. He kept the source of his new, absurd infatuation a secret, but chased it for years into the great, rolling waves of the distant sea. One day he left and never returned. Whether he found what he was seeking, got lost at sea, or took another lover, she did not know. She only knew it had been years since she had seen him, and that she only had her home and children to remember him by.

Regaining herself, she smiled sadly and looked up at Xylon, her eyes shining slightly. "It's a pleasant escape. I'm astonished that we've only now met." Snorting, Xylon retorted, "I am very careful." She grinned. "Well, you don't have to be any longer. The villagers will not see you, and you deserve to have these wonderful scales gleam and sparkle in all their splendor." With a smile, she found a rag and continued to polish the scales until she could see her distorted reflection within them.

~~8 years later~~

The wind billowed through Corrag's hair. His curly brown locks—slightly tamed with age—fell in loose waves past his shoulders. He stretched his arms out wide as Xylon steadied out beneath him. The veil of bursting clouds around him blinded him slightly, and he shook away the condensation still clinging to his face. Beneath them, he could make out the hazy silhouette of the nearby village, Gaelani. He hoped that nobody would notice them in the approaching dusk or, if they did, that they would be mistaken for a trick of the light or a passing meteor. Corrag lurched forward slightly and grabbed onto Xylon's neck as he banked left, soaring for home.

He landed with a large "thump" outside the now padded area beside the barn. After taking off and landing in the area for many years, they created a small clearing. Even the trees above dare not cover the opening in the canopy, for if they did, Xylon would simply fly through them anyway. Sometimes, Xylon loosed a tree or two when he alighted too close to them. He never intended to, but whenever he did, he always appeared distraught as if he crushed a helpless, innocent person ruthlessly beneath his wings.

He shook the thoughts from his head and slid down Xylon's side to the ground, the earth settling in a dry cloud around him. Dusting off his pants, he bounded towards the house, leaving Xylon to drink from the long pig trough they had stationed outside the barn.

He entered the house and was welcomed by the warm aroma of stew and bread. His mother turned to him and smiled. Corrag continued toward the table as his mother served dinner. Kyan sat beside him, and they ate hurriedly, the only sound in the house their vicious and ill-mannered slobbering. His mother shook her head and ate her stew with grace.

"I've had word from the village," she stated between sips. "About dragons." The boys stopped mid-bite, and Corrag's spoon fell from his grip. He struggled to pick it up and wiped the residual stew on the edge of his pants. "What? Dragons? Where? How?" "Have they seen-" Corrag paused before cautiously continuing, "me flying?"

His mother placed her spoon firmly on the table beside her bowl and abruptly stood, grasping the edge of the table. The table shook with the sudden movement, and the vase of flowers in the middle of the table wobbled. "I told you, not in the daytime!" "It wasn't daytime!" Corrag exclaimed. "It was sunset! The sun was going down anyway, I thought no one would see us!" His mother exhaled roughly before sitting down and picking up her spoon again. "No matter. That's not what it was, anyway." She sipped the stew, letting the suspense linger. "It's your father."

Perplexed, Corrag looked at his mother. "My father's a dragon?" She let out an exasperated sigh and put her hand on her forehead as she leaned against the table before continuing. "No. I got word of him and what he was searching for." Corrag and Kyan leaned forward. Corrag could hear a shuffle outside the window, as Xylon's head slithered through the open window, being cautious to avoid the candles strewn around the room,

"It appears that your father discovered a land of dragons some years ago." "And he didn't tell us!" Burst Corrag as he leaped up from his seat. His mother glared at him. "Let me finish." Corrag plopped back down in his seat and crossed his arms. "He thought he discovered a land with vast, untold riches and spent years attempting to find and return to the island again but was unsuccessful. It wasn't until recently that some other sailors discovered the ship's wreckage on a pile of rocks."

Corrag sank deeper into his chair, the sealed news of his father's fate descending upon him. His mother continued with a trembling voice, "When they went to investigate, they discovered that it was the island your father had discovered. How the rocks managed to surround the island in so short a time, I do not know."

"I know," muttered Xylon from the window. They all turned to face him. "How?" Kyan asked. Rolling his enormous eyes, Xylon blew a torrent of leaves from his mouth and looked at them expectantly. "So what?" Corrag piped up and he and Kyan turned to finish their stew. Heaving a long sigh, Xylon opened his mouth wider and blew two vines out of his mouth, knocking Kyan and Corrag's spoons from them.

"So," he continued, "if I can blow leaves and vines, maybe other dragons can do other things." Corrag paused and stared at him, mulling over the idea in his mind before turning toward his mother. She shrugged. "It's possible, I suppose." Satisfied with the remark, Corrag settled back into his chair.

"Anyway. They tried to penetrate the rocks, but they could not. They did, however, discover something." "What?" Both the boys piped up, wide-eyed, and stared at their mother wide-eyed. "A large, brilliant scale." "A scale?" Corrag repeated, disappointed. "So what a scale? It could've been from a fish!" Xylon snarled, drawing their attention to him once again. "Do fish's scales glow brilliantly, have rough edges, and are the size of a human's head?" He said in a mocking tone. Corrag shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe?" Xylon shook his head and continued. "No, they don't."

Xylon snorted again and extracted himself from the window. The family abandoned their meal and followed him outside. "Where are you going?" inquired Corrag. Xylon looked at him, a hint of sadness gleaming in his hooded gaze. "If a land of dragons exists, I must find it." Corrag's shoulders fell. "What? No! You have a home, it's here!" Corrag pointed angrily at the space beneath and glowered at Xylon. Xylon pattered toward him and nudged him with his nose. "It is, but I need to know whether there are any others. It is...lonely without more of my kind here. And, perhaps, I can find my parents, or siblings, or even a mate." Corrag wrinkled his nose at the last mention before continuing. "But you can't go, you're my dragon!" He said, his eyes brimming with tears. He sniffled and wiped them away.

~*~

Xylon swiveled his tail around them, allowing the leaves on the edge of his tail to brush gently along Corrag's face. Corrag sniffled and released a bitter laugh. Xylon drew the family close to him, and leaned his head in, hugging them. "I am the family's dragon," he declared. He let the words linger in the air for several moments, before reluctantly releasing them. "But I must find my blood, if they exist." Corrag nodded sadly and averted his gaze. Aelia came forward and placed a gentle hand on each of her boys' shoulders. "We may not like it," she said, looking between the boys before turning to gaze up at Xylon, "but we understand."

Nodding, Xylon trudged over to the clearing and looked back at the family. His family. With mournful expressions and tears streaming down their cheeks, they waved at him, their tears twinkling in the pale moonlight. To Xylon, it reminded him of the distinct glint of distant dragon scales, gleaming beneath the blazing sun. He only wished that is what they were.

He collected himself before smiling sadly at the family one last time. He took a deep breath and unleashed a booming roar laced with the overwhelming sadness he felt for leaving them and the distant spark of hope that flickered to life within his chest, before taking off into the sky.