The Lonely Dragon, Part 1
The Lonely Dragon, Chapter 1
by
William W. Kelso
Brita was a common brown Dragon, not very large by the standards of her kind, and kind of on the chunky side. But she was very muscular and strong, so didn't get much teasing from other Dragons, not that she saw a fellow Dragon very often. She had small dark brown scales on her legs, arms, and tail, with larger harder scales covering her upper body. Her belly and underside of her tail were covered with tan bands that were softer and more flexible then her other scales. She had a long neck with a large lizard like head, four horns growing backwards to protect her neck where it joined her head, three raised bony ridges down her back, and very impressive jaws lined with sharp teeth. Her head was almost solid bone with a thin hard covering of scales, but her brain was large and well developed. She was as intelligent as any other animal or human. Her tail was long and flexible, and a very dangerous weapon in its own right. She could easily disembowel an enemy with one mighty slash of the sharp barb on the end. Her rear legs had five taloned toes and an ankle spur, and her front arms had four fingers and an opposable thumb, also with long sharp talons. Her large bat like wings were kept tightly folded on her back when not in flight. She was a most impressive predator, and on the very top of the food chain. By Dragon standards she was very plain and not a great beauty. She was somewhat self conscious of this, and it bothered her.
She had been the smallest chick of a clutch of three from a green female, and had received less attention than the larger more dominant chicks, but her mother had loved her and did not let the other chicks kill or maim her, as happened all too frequently in Dragon families. Her father had been a brown, but she had never met him. Her mother once told her she looked just like her father, but much prettier! In the way of Dragons her father had left as soon as the mating was over.
When the time came for her to leave her mother's cave and set out on her own, it was with
a mixture of relief and fear. The world was a big, strange, place to her. Beautiful and terrifying at the same time. For several months she had wandered, often going hungry. Any time she entered the territory of another Dragon it was either fight or flee, and being a youngster she chose to flee unless pressed. Most older Dragons would not attack a youngster unless they were stupid and challenged them, so fortunately her fights were few and far between. When she did have to fight she lost of course, but always gave a good account of herself and never received any serious injuries.
Finally she found an unclaimed cave high up on a ledge in a rather desolate isolated mountain valley. It was a good cave, the entrance being fairly low and narrow and easy to defend, but opening up into a series of larger rooms. There was no sign that another Dragon had ever used the cave. It was also a "live" cave, so there was fresh water year around, a major asset! She had to drive out a family of lesser Gryphons, which wasn't too hard to do as they just used the ledge and entrance of the cave mainly for feeding and roosting, their main nest being elsewhere. Squawking their indignation they just flew away, they knew better then to mess with a Dragon! And having a Dragon in the valley could be a plus in the long run as it would keep away larger predators. And as the Dragon apparently had no interest in them as prey they became somewhat uneasy neighbors. As a general rule Dragons do not hunt the other intelligent races, they know to make such enemies is not wise. Even puny humans or other species can kill a Dragon if they put their minds to it. Even when they raid for gold or treasure, they seldom actually kill.
After making sure there were no unwelcome denizens remaining in the cave she then proceeded to make her "nest". It looked something like a bird nest, but was on a raised mound in the center of the largest room in the cave. She wove a sturdy lattice of pliable branches and mixed in vines to give it strength, then lined it with soft moss and evergreen branches gathered from the forest. As a final touch, something she had learned from Mom, she raided a couple of human settlements, and instead of gold & treasure made off with big armloads of blankets, quilts, and even sleeping pallets, much to the confusion of the humans! In the end she had a very warm and comfortable nest, for Dragons are warm blooded and like a nice warm place to rest and sleep. For light and warmth she scooped out the tops of several stalagmites, and spit in some of her "fire flux", a thick syrupy slobber that burst into flame on contact with air. It was a kind of natural napalm. It would burn for quite some time with a bright smokeless flame, and she would refresh the "braziers" on a regular basis. Yes, all in all it was a very nice lair.
So the years went by, fairly uneventful for the most part. The valley had a more than ample food supply for her, and she learned to be an accomplished hunter. There was plenty of game, and a large stream with lots of fish that she could catch by swooping down and just grabbing them with her talons. She grew up healthy and strong. She even started leaving behind some meat for the Gryphons when she saw they had chicks. They appreciated this very much as it gave them more time to spend with, and protect, their chicks. She knew they were fairly intelligent themselves, and knew they would make better allies then enemies, plus they were an excellent early warning system! Nothing happened in the valley without the Gryphons being the first to know!
Once another Dragon entered the valley in search of a lair, an older green male. She knew about him before he scented her because of the Gryphons. He was older and larger, and would surely issue a challenge! Knowing he would be hard to defeat, she took the fight to him, and ambushed him by swooping down and landing on his back with her full weight. Pinning him, she grasped his neck behind his horns and shook his head. He let out a squeal of submission, so she let him up, and he left the valley without delay, with her following him the whole way, nipping at his tail if he was too slow. He was surprised she was a smaller female, but he had submitted, and Dragons were, if not anything, chivalrous, so he left her domain without complaint as he had been fairly beaten. But he remembered the location of the valley, in the mating season he would be back. She was a spunky, feisty female, and he liked that! That evening she rewarded the Gryphons with a large tasty fish, much to their delight!
When she was twenty she went into heat for the first time. That first time she couldn't find a mate, or one couldn't find her. She had stayed in her cave too much and hadn't "advertised" with her pheromones as much as she should have. It had been a very miserable experience. She had not eaten during her period of estrus, and was weak and sick from not having her needs satisfied. The next time she knew now to fly out of the valley to spread her scent and let the males know there was an available female in the area. And it had worked! To her surprise the older green male she had driven off the previous year had responded to her call, and he had been a tender and satisfying first mate and lover. He had known it was her first time, and had been more attentive and gentle then he would have been with an older female. She was lucky to have him, most younger males would have only cared about satisfying their own needs. But in the nature of the Drakes he left her after a couple of weeks when her heat started to fade, and she missed him very much. It was customary for males to leave a "token" of their visit, and he left her a large bag of gold and silver coins. It was a very generous gift, and the first of her hoard! Unfortunately, for whatever reason, she didn't become pregnant, and so laid no eggs. It was probably the males age, but it still worried her as she very much looked forward to becoming a mother.
Five more seasons passed, and three more times she attracted mates. Two browns and another green. The first two matings produced no clutch of eggs, and she was starting to worry she was sterile. The males of course left as soon as they were done with her, and as always she missed them. Unlike most Dragons she had enjoyed having someone to talk too and sleep with, and of course the sex had been incredible! It was rare, but she knew some Dragons mated for life, but she had been unable to interest any of the males in a permanent pairing. They did not treat her badly, and she had satisfied them and they had satisfied her, but she was just too plain to take for a permanent mate! They had found her a sweet and satisfying mate, so they always left her very generous gifts.
Finally after the last visit of the male green, she laid a single egg! And surely it was the most beautiful and perfect egg ever laid! She knew it was not rare for a smaller female to lay just a single egg, so it didn't bother her that there wasn't a clutch of several. She had carefully prepared a smaller version of her own nest for the hatch-ling as soon she knew she was pregnant. Gently she cleaned the egg with her tongue, then carefully put it in the small nest. She hovered over it most of the time, turning it from time to time as she instinctively knew to do, keeping it dry and warm. At night she slept with one wing over the nest to shelter and keep the egg warm. She rarely left the nest only when her hunger became too great, or to satisfy her thirst.
It was during one of her brief hunting trips that disaster occurred. She returned from her hunt to find the Gryphons in an antagonized frenzy! They shrieked at her in warning, and she knew something bad was happening! She plunged into the cave, and was horrified to find a Kobold in the process of stealing her egg!! She roared in fury, and had to fight to keep from frying him on the spot! He knew she couldn't spit fire at him, or pounce on him without possibly damaging her egg, so he held onto it, trying to get past her to the entrance or a side tunnel too narrow for the Dragon to enter. She watched him intently, trying to guess his intentions.
He made some feints she didn't fall for, so it was a standoff for now. He clutched the egg to his chest, and knew he was at least safe for now, but it was a nasty predicament. His kind were natural egg thief's, and were hated by the egg laying animals, they would kill his kind on sight! He knew he could expect no mercy from the enraged mother Dragon! After over an hour he finally made his break for a narrow crevice in the back of the room, but the floor of the cave was uneven there and he tripped and the egg flew out of his hand! With a shriek of fury the Dragon grabbed him in her mouth, and not even chewing she just threw her head back and swallowed the screaming Kobold alive with a couple powerful swallows, the bulge passing down her neck and into her stomach where it would continue to struggle for quite some time.
My EGG! she thought! Where is it! She couldn't see it! Almost crazed from concern she carefully searched the back of the cave, spitting fire a couple of times for light. Finally she saw it, wedged deep in a crevasse along the back of the wall! It had a tough leathery shell and had survived the fall, but was way out of reach! Desperately she started to dig at the edge of the crevasse, but pieces of the rock started to break away and fall down on the egg until it was partially buried! Nooooo, she hissed and keened in terror, my baby! She tried desperately to reach the egg again, but it was just too far. She thought of using her tail, but was afraid that the barb might puncture the egg no matter how careful she was!! She felt the Kobold give a strong wiggle in her stomach, but felt no pity for him! Vile evil egg thief! He deserved to be digested alive! He hadn't even tasted good!
For the rest of the day and night she paced the edge of the crevasse, frantic with concern for her egg! She would do anything to save it! It's said Dragons don't cry, but tears were rolling down her cheeks. Oooohhh she would moan, my baby, my baby!!! One of the darling Gryphons, by now her firm friends, even entered the cave when he heard her cries of fear and anguish. He tried to help, but he was too big for the crevasse as well. Finally he gave up, but he caught her attention and drew something in the dirt on the floor. It was a very simple stick figure, the figure of a human! The Dragon let out a squeal of understanding! Of course, a human would be small enough to climb into the crevasse, and having arms and hands could hold the egg safely while climbing back out!! Without further hesitation she went to the mouth of the cave and launched herself into the air with powerful beats of her wings. She knew the Gryphons would keep guard while she was gone and defend the egg as if it was one of their own, so she reluctantly left her egg and took flight in search of a human, any human!!
She flew up and out of the valley with powerful beats of her wings, riding air currents and thermals until she had cleared the surrounding peaks. Then she dove down into the larger, more inhabited valleys beyond. Once a green female Dragon challenged her, but after a brief explanation she instead joined the hunt for a human. It was the least she could do for another female whose egg was in danger!
"Come, she called, I know where there is a road they use quite often! It is the nearest place
I know of to find a human!"
And soon both Dragons reached the road, and flying over it they soon found what they were looking for! It was a single human male riding a horse, but he wore well used armor and looked like a veteran. Any Dragon who challenged a human Knight took a risk, but the Brita didn't hesitate for a second. She burst through the trees and landed in front of him, while the green landed behind him, cutting off any hope of retreat! The man was no coward, and his warhorse was well trained. He couched his lance and presented his shield, and tried to determine which Dragon presented the most danger!
With a roar both Dragons spun around and smashed their tails into him at the same time. His horse was killed instantly, and he was thrown off and hit the ground hard, knocking the air out of him and leaving him dazed! Quickly the brown threw away his shield and weapons, and stripped most of the heavy armor off of him, then grabbing him in her hind legs she took flight with mighty beats of her wings! She cried a thanks to the green as the green settled down to feed on the horse.
The green replied "Good luck!" No sense in wasting good meat!
Sir Roger was a Knight errant of the Temple of the Lady of Healing. He was returning from
a campaign to stop a raid in to the Kingdom by minions of the Dark Lady. As was required by all Knight he had answered the Kings Call to Arms. Now he was tired, both in body and soul. Though an accomplished warrior, he did not like to kill, even vile Orcs or abominations. His Order valued life above all.
He was totally unprepared when first one, then two Dragons burst through the trees! His horse was a trained warhorse, and to his credit managed to keep from bolting, which gave him his only chance of survival! A brown Dragon landed in front of him first with a roar that set his hair on end, and at almost the exact same moment a green landed behind him! Not a good situation! He would have been surprised to be attacked by a single Dragon, let alone two! He knew Dragons were private creatures, and seldom interfered with Humans in any way, except for the occasional raid for gold and treasure. But he had never heard of two hunting together! Quickly he pulled his shield on to his arm and couched his lance, for all the good they would do! But he was a Knight, and would go down fighting! He decided his best chance was to charge the green first, and it he could wound, or cause it to give ground, the he might be able to lose them in the thick woods along the road side! But before he could act they both swung their tales in a coordinated attack, and he was thrown from his horse to crash into the ground! With a moan he tried to stand up and draw his sword, but the brown Dragon pounced, pinning him with her terrible claws!
Clutching the man firmly, but gently enough not to harm him, she flew back to her cave as fast as possible. A few times the man struggled weakly after he regained his breath, but seeing how high he was in the air was a good incentive not to be too serious about getting loose! She could smell the humans fear, and was sorry she couldn't tell him why she had grabbed him! Some Dragons could speak the human tongue, but not her kind. She hadn't had much contact with humans other than her bedding raids, and a few more since to get treasure to add to her hoard. For the most part she avoided humans, they were one of the few dangers to her folk. She had been warned by her mother what an armored knight could do to a foolish Dragon! Plus most Dragons did not hunt humans for food, having a natural aversion to eating another intelligent being. The Kobold had been an exception.
He had passed out when the Dragon had pounced on him, and had expected never to wake up again. When he did he struggled weakly at first, but when he realized he was airborne, and thousands of feet up in the air all he could do was freeze in sheer terror. He did NOT like heights! But as they soared over the landscape he realized how beautiful things looked from up here, and it helped to calm him. What does this beast want with me, he thought? Must she take me to her lair to devour me! Does she want to play with me first, like a cat with a mouse!
She was totally exhausted by the time she reached the cave, and dragging her limp and sore wings, she clutched the human to her chest and hurried into the cave. The Gryphon gave
a squawk, letting her know the situation had not changed in any way and then left to watch the mouth of the cave. She gently set the human down on his feet, but he fell over and backed away from her in fear. He only had on his shirt and gambion now, and was very aware of his vulnerability. He surely thought she was going to eat him! He was brave though, not begging or cringing.
She gestured in the direction of the crevasse, and made a low keening sound, trying to make him understand! My egg, my baby, please help! Of course he didn't understand her, and the fact she hadn't torn him apart yet seemed to confuse him some. She grabbed some gold & silver coins and trinkets from her hoard and dumped them on the ground at his feet, and gestured again, pointing at the crevasse. She ran over to it and pointed down, keening again in her anguish!
He slowly got to his feet, obviously curious, but still very leery. He seemed to know now she wasn't going to eat him, at least not right away! She threw back her head and gave a moan of concern and hope! He slowly approached to see what she was pointing at, and looking down in the crevasse he quickly saw the egg!
"Your egg, he said! You don't want to hurt me, you just need my help to save your egg!"
While she could not speak the human tongue, she did understand it well enough. She shook her head up and down in happiness, he had understood!! The man moved closer to the edge of the crevasse, it was very steep and he knew it would be hard climb. Again she approached him with a large handful of gold and jewels from her hoard, and laid them at his feet, then backed away deferentially, bowing her head and making a soft keening noise.
The man looked at her again, only more carefully, and then said "Of course I will help, as it is my sworn duty!", and while he was tempted he knew he could accept no reward for such an act. "And Lady, he said, I will accept no reward other than your gratitude!"
Eventually the Dragon soared down into a small valley isolated by tall mountain peaks on all sides, and landed on a ledge well up the side of a sheer cliff. She stooped down to enter the low mouth of a cave, roughly dragging him with her. She kept dragging him over rough stone floors until she came to a large chamber. To his surprise it was warmed and lighted by large crude stone braziers, that burned with a bright clean flame. He could smell a faint odor of brimstone, and realized the braziers were full of dragon flame! She fairly gently dropped him to the floor, and stepped back. He realized he no longer wore his armor, and was unarmed and helpless. He backed away as best he could, and closed his eyes as he waited for the final attack. But nothing happened, and after a few moments he heard a low keening noise that did not sound threatening in the least, it sounded sad and worried.
He opened his eyes to find the Dragon standing over him, her head bobbing up and down in obvious distress, keening softly. She made gestures toward the back of the room, but he looked and could see nothing. This is most strange he thought! She does not seem to want to hurt me, but what does she want! And then to make things even stranger, she suddenly went to a shelf in the wall, and coming back to him dumped a fortune in gold coins and treasure into his lap! He knew a Dragons one vice was treasure and, that they would fight to the death to protect their horde, but this Dragon was offering him her horde!
Now he paid more attention to her actions, something was very wrong, he now knew the Dragon was in a frenzy of panic and desperate enough to offer her treasure to him for some reason! She again gestured to the back of the room, and running over to the back wall she pointed down toward something, and let out a pitiful howl of pure anguish! He got to his feet, a little unsteadily, and went to see what she was pointing at. There was a narrow crevasse in the ground at the back of the chamber, but you couldn't see it until you were right at the edge. At first he couldn't see what she was concerned about, but she suddenly spit a small glob of Dragon fire down into the crevasse, and he instantly saw what she was so frantic about. It was an egg! A large leathery egg was wedged about twenty feet down into the crevasse, far out of the Dragons reach! He looked at her in comprehension, "Your egg! You'd don't want to hurt me, you just need my help to save your egg!
She bobbed her head in a happy "Yes!!" And dashed to her horde again, and returned with another large pile of treasure and dumped it at his feet, and bowed her head in deference, making a low pleading keening noise that went to his heart. A mother's love for her child, he thought! No matter what the form a mother will do anything, pay anything, to protect her young! He told her "Of course I will help!, It is my sworn duty", and while he was tempted he knew he could accept no reward for such an act. "And Lady, he said, I will accept no reward other than your gratitude!"
The man carefully looked over the edge of the crevasse, while she watched in concern. He tested a couple of spots until he evidently found the best way down. She watched as he slowly lowered himself over the edge, and moving carefully from handhold to handhold climbed down to the egg. She moaned in fear as he carefully freed the wedged egg from the crevasse, and clutched it under one arm. He had made a kind of sling from his gambion, and the egg was securely tucked into it. He started to climb back up, but it was much more difficult due to bulk of the egg. He was almost to the top, when he suddenly gave a cry and slipped and fell! And as he fell several large rocks broke away from the edge, and one of them pinned him between the walls of the crevasse, and she heard bones break and could smell fresh blood! But it was human, not Drake! The man let out a strangled cry of pain and passed out. She desperately tried to reach him, but he was just out of reach! After a few minutes he woke up, and seeing the Dragon trying to reach him, he managed to carefully take the egg out of its sling and hand it up to her. "Fear not lady, your egg is safe!" he said with a gurgle. With a shriek of joy she took the egg from the man, and holding it to her chest she carried it over to its nest, and carefully washed it with her tongue, and examined it for any damage! She could feel the heartbeat of the chick inside and knew it was still alive and healthy! She cuddled the egg to her, moaning and keening softly to it.
Carefully he inspected the edge of the crevasse. It was not good, the rock was rotten and crumbling. Large chunks could break away at the slightest touch. He could see where the Dragon had already frantically clawed at the edge, and as a result the egg had become partially buried. He had no rope or anything from which to make one. Still, he had to try! He found a better looking spot then most, and carefully lowered himself over the edge. He moved slowly and carefully, testing each hand and toehold before putting any weight on it. The Dragon hovered close by, making sounds of distress and concern. Finally, after what seemed to be hours, he finally reached the egg. He had made a sling from his gambion, and carefully freed the egg and wrapped it securely in a sling. He was amazed at how warm the egg was, and it smelled faintly of mint of all things! He felt something in the egg stir, pressing against the inside of shell as if it sensed him. "Don't worry little one, he found himself saying out loud, you soon will be safe back with your mother." Even more carefully he started to climb back up towards the frantic Dragon. He was near the top when disaster struck! He reached up to grab another handhold when all of a sudden the piece of rock he was holding broke loose, and a large slab of rock came sliding down, wedging him in the narrow crack, and he screamed in agony as he felt his ribs shatter, and he passed out! The last thing he heard was the Dragon bellowing in fear! He didn't know how long he had been unconscious, but when he woke up he moaned at the horrible pain, he could feel his ribs piercing his lungs with each breath, and each breath was unbearable agony! The egg, he remembered, and was glad to find it still safe in the sling. Thank the Mother!, he thought. He felt something gently brushing against his shoulders, and looked up to see the Dragon. She could just barely reach his head and shoulder, and she was gently rubbing him with her massive claws, making soft moans of concern, he realized not only for her egg but for him as well. She could just barely reach him, but not the egg he realized. Carefully he removed the egg from the makeshift sling, and even thought every movement caused his head to swim from the agony, he gently handed the egg into the waiting claws of the mother Dragon. "Fear not Lady, your egg is safe!" he managed to say, before passing out again.
Then she heard a gasping moan and sob of pain. The human!, she thought! She hated to leave the side of her egg for even a moment, but she had to go to him! He had saved her egg, so she must save him! It was an obligation! She looked down into the crevasse, careful not to dislodge anymore of the edge. He was firmly wedged, and she could see blood on his lips and smell the coppery scent of it. She noticed that he was wedged in a way that the rock would come loose if it was pulled from above, so she carefully stretched her arms out as far as she could, grunting from the effort. She was just able to reach the man's shoulders and top of the rock. She dug one claw into the rock, and the other into the man's shoulder. He saw what she meant to do, and braced himself. Then with a great heave, she pulled him and the large rock both up out of the crevasse! The man screamed in agony, and passed out again.
He woke up again as he felt a sudden firm grip on his shoulder, and looked up to see the visage of the Dragon looking down at him. Her other massive claw was grasping the top of the boulder that was wedging him in the crevasse. He saw her intentions, and taking as deep a breath as he was able, he braced himself. He heard the Dragon give a grunt of effort, and felt the rock come free! Her claw then pulled him from the crevasse, and he was free! But he was unaware of this as the agony of the movement caused him to scream and pass out again as jagged bone ripped into his lungs even more.
Carefully she examined him, moaning softly, concerned at his unresponsiveness. She didn't know much about humans, but could tell he was gravely injured. In concern she gently licked
the wounds she could see, but he had blood coming from his mouth and she knew he had internal injuries. He had risked his life to save her chick, and now he was dying, and she couldn't do anything aboutit! She threw her head back and let out a keen of sorrow and despair! She dragged a pallet and some blankets out of her nest, and made him as comfortable as possible. She scooped up some water in a gold cup from her hoard, but every time he tried to drink he would cough up blood! She could feel his life force fading away before her very eyes. Finally she realized there was only one thing she could do, but she did not even know if it would work with a human, and it was rare among her own kind!
He woke once in a daze of pain, almost incoherent from shock. He realized he was lying on some sort of pallet, and the Dragon was gently tying to get him to drink from a cup. She was making a soothing cooing noise of concern. He was horribly thirsty, and tried to drink, but blood dripped from his mouth and he passed out again.
Among her kind there was one gift they each could give, only once, to another Dragon in order to save its life. And no matter how badly that Dragon was injured, it would quickly heal and return to perfect health. It was hard on both the donor Dragon and recipient. She had never heard of it being done with the member of another species, but she had the obligation to do everything in her power to save the man who had saved her chick, refusing any reward!
To not even try would be a disgrace to all Dragon kind! She knew she must act fast, so would do it without any further hesitation
She moved over next to him, and gently took him into the embrace of one arm, holding him firmly close to her chest. Then she braced herself, and taking one of her fingers she slowly drove the razor sharp talon into her own chest, shuddering from the pain. After what seemed an eternity she reached her second heart, and piercing it with her talon she withdrew one large drop of blood, and then slowly withdrew her finger. Hanging from the end of her talon was a large drop of dark ruby red blood, it had instantly solidified when it left her heart so it would not mingle with her other blood. It looked like a large lustrous ruby. Quickly made an incision in the man's chest, pushing her finger through his rib cage to his heart, and holding the horrible wound open she deposited her own hearts blood into his heart, then closed the wound and started to lick it to help seal it. The man had not woken, but had screamed in agony as she pierced his chest, his cries of pain causing her to cringe and moan helplessly, but after she closed the gaping wound he had apparently fallen into a deep restful sleep. She held him, keening and cooing softly as she would to a chick, until, completely exhausted, she soon fell asleep herself.
When she awoke some time later she carefully laid the man back down on the bed she had made for him. He seemed to be stronger, and was resting comfortably. His life force was much stronger now too, but was also somehow different than before. She brought him some water, and even though he didn't wake he greedily drank it all. And there was no more blood! A good sign! Next she checked on her egg, and carefully turned it and tucked the blankets back around it to keep it warm. Then she went back to the man, and putting her wing protectively over him she fell back asleep.
For several days the man seemed to be growing stronger, and he would awake for short periods of time, but was pretty much in a confused daze. His wounds had been grievous, and she knew he needed as much rest as possible. She worried about what to feed him. Water was no problem, but he needed food! She hunted and brought back fresh prey, and cooked the choicest cuts of meat over one of the braziers. She knew humans like to cook their food, but had no way of know if she was cooking it enough, or too little. The man didn't seem to care though, he wolfed down very large portions and seemed to be satisfied. And she kept as clean and comfortable as possible. But on the fifth day something changed.
He woke briefly during a sudden assault of horrible agony, he felt as if he was being split open! He was briefly lucid enough to see the Dragon crouched over him and gently holding him, and suddenly the pain ended, and when he fell back asleep he felt protected and safe.
She heard him give a long moan of discomfort, and hurrying over found that he had pulled down his covers and was scratching at his chest. She looked closely and thought at first his chest wound was becoming infected, even though it had already healed well. Then she saw the flesh was not hot and inflamed from corruption, but was turning a darker color and had become harder and leathery! After a short while he settled down and was quiet. She was left in total confusion. There was no mistaking it, that was a Dragons skin on his chest! But what did it mean?!?
He woke up a few times, but only for a short period each time. He felt stronger, but his chest itched horribly, and his whole body felt sore and bruised. He would feebly scratch at himself or awhile, and then fall back asleep. And he was aware of the Dragon feeding him and taking care of him.
As the Dragon watched over several days the skin on the mans chest and abdomen continued to change, growing leathery, and then bands started to form. He remained unconscious most of the time, and the few times he was awake he didn't seem to realize what was happening. She had no doubt at all now, he was slowly changing before her eyes, slowly transforming into a Dragon! She was scared, she had never heard of such a thing! It must have been her Gift of Life, but why was he changing! She had heard no stories, had nothing to go on! She wanted to find one of the ancients, the wisest of Dragon kind, and ask them! But she could not leave his side, except for short intervals to hunt, and she had her egg to worry about! As the change progressed, he became hungrier and hungrier! And slowly, but surely, the change progressed! The Dragon skin spread to his legs and arms, his back, finally his whole body! And it was hurting him now too, much to her distress. He would suddenly cry out, writhing and moaning in agony, sometimes for
hours until finally collapsing and falling into a restless and uneasy sleep. She would hold him and sing to him, trying to ease his agony as much as she could, and it seemed to help.
He woke up more often now, but the horrible itching had spread to most of his body and it was horribly irritating and painful! Plus the soreness was getting worse, his joints ached with a deep throbbing heat, and he felt so strange! He thought his wounds must be infected, and he was in the throes of a fever! He was also ravenous! He had never felt such hunger, and he eagerly devoured the badly cooked meat the Dragon offered him, greedily sucking down the water she brought in a golden cup. And it was never enough, but after eating he would feel better for awhile, quickly falling asleep. The Dragon would make soothing coos and other sounds, and he found them comforting.
She did not eat and seldom rested now, and her scales grew dull and she became skinny. Still she cared for her two charges, her precious egg, and the equally precious man/Dragon. She had moved him to her nest when he got too large for the bed she had made, and his change was becoming much more apparent now. He now had a well developed tail and his belly bands and body scales were well formed, and his neck had begun to lengthen as his head grew and his jaws started to push forth. When he woke he would sometimes stare in confused incomprehension, but more often with a blank unseeing stare, not seeming to realize where he was or what was happening. And that worried her more than anything. What if the change destroyed his mind! What if he could not accept what was happening to him!
He woke up in growing pain and soreness, he felt as if every bone in his body was being bent and broken, then moving into a new position. He felt as if his organs were being bruised and pulped, he could even feel them moving and shifting! And it hurt so bad, and he felt like he was burning up! And still his hunger grew, he could never get enough! He would cry out in agony, and then the Dragon would be there, feeding and comforting him as best she could. He grew to long for her attentions, for her mere presence. It helped with the worst of the pain. He knew something was happening to him, but did not understand what or why. It horrified him, but was wonderful at the same time! It never occurred to him that the Dragon had done anything to him.
He was growing too as she fed him as much prey as she could catch, he eagerly swallowed even uncooked meat now. His jaws were well developed, so she no longer bothered to cook the meat, and he ate everything she fed to him. He still had horrible bouts of pain and would sometimes arch rigidly as his body thrashed and spasmed, and she would hold him as best she could to keep him from hurting himself. But the spasms were occurring less and less often, and he seemed to rest more easily. His arms and legs had completely changed now, his "toes" and fingers now ending in long razor sharp talons, his tail was fully formed but still on the short side, and his neck was still a little stubby. His wings were also starting to grow, but were still small and weak. His sexual organs had disappeared inside of him except for their outline, his penis now encased in a sheath. His head was fully developed, and there was no longer anything human about his form. He had long swirling horns sprouting from his head shield, and his color was a dull shiny bronze! He's beautiful, she thought! And a Bronze! The only higher Dragons in the hierarchy of Dragon Kind were Silvers and Golds! She had never even seen a Silver or Gold, let alone a Bronze! She was still holding him to help ease the ongoing pain of his transformation, and she nuzzled and sniffed him, he smelled so good! So male!
He was awake more often now, and the pain was growing less and the soreness seemed to mainly be concentrated in only a few places. He would stretch his strange new arms and legs and the joints would pop with spasms of pain, but it seemed to help with the last of the changes. And he was strong enough now to move about some, but most of all to examine himself and try to come to terms and understand what had, what was still, happening to him! He knew he was no longer even remotely human, nor could he remember much from before his amazing transformation. He was huge now, his body covered with glistening scales the color of polished bronze! His long muscular tail seemed to have a mind of its own, switching back and forth constantly, and his neck was so long he had to be careful not to bump his head on the roof of the cave! More than a few broken stalagmites were his doing! He went on all fours now, but could still rear up with no trouble, and by using his tail he could remain in a sitting posture with no discomfort. He ran his hands, no talons now, over his long powerful jaw, felt the sharp teeth lining his jaws, licked his long forked tongue over his teeth and snout and enjoyed the feeling. He felt the long fluted horns that grew from the back of his head, several feet long and razor sharp at the points, and his tail also ended in a razor sharp barb, with more lining its edge for the last few feet. And wings! He had huge bat like wings, but for now they were awkward, and he did his best to keep them folded and out of the way. He would look at his new body for hours, still not believing it could be him! He was aware of the female Dragon, but was still so confused and disorientated that he really only paid her much attention when she brought him food, which he devoured with greedy gulps as he was still sooo hungry! And he still slept much of the time, his body still shuddering and twitching at times as the last of the unbelievable change ran its course.
Finally he became more aware, but was still confused as to what was happening to him. The rest of the change continued smoothly, but still with some pain. The main changes had long been completed, and the main thing was that he continued to grow in size and was ravenous all the time. She was hard pressed to keep him fed, even having to raid some human settlements in order to bring him a juicy cow or pig to eat. And finally one day it was over! He had grown to be larger than she was, but now it appeared to have ended. The change had taken over a month. His appetite had faded, and he was examining his new situation more closely, taking time to explore and try to understand his new body. He kept flapping his wings, and she knew he yearned to fly. And he seemed to notice her more, and she found herself strangely shy. During his change he had been horribly confused and upset, sometimes in obvious terror at what was happening to him. He still seemed somewhat shocked, but was at least accepting it now. He took a close look at her one day, and realized how thin and sickly she had become, and had insisted that she eat the meal she had brought for him! He would not accept the meat, so she gladly wolfed it down herself. The sudden full meal made her very sleepy, and she curled up in the nest and went to sleep. And when she woke up he was in the nest with her! He was curled protectively around her, his wing spread to keep her warm! He kept sleeping, and she gently nuzzled his side. She fell back to sleep, happy and content.
He finally woke up one day, and there was no more pain of any kind. In fact he had never felt so good, so strong, so RIGHT in his whole life! He stretched long and slowly, letting the delicious feeling of his stretching muscles and joints wash through him. He let out a low bellow of sheer delight at the sensation! And for once, though he was hungry, he no longer felt like he was starving, no longer craved food more than anything else! He proceeded to explore the cave in its entirety for the first time, and something in him realized it was a very nice cave! Perfectly proportioned, warm, and easily defendable! And he noticed the egg in its little nest, and he looked at in fascinated awe! It was so small! He could hear the beat of the chicks heart, and instinctively he licked, and then rotated the egg, A short time later the female Dragon returned, a large Doe grasped in her front claws. And he noticed for the first time how thin and malnourished she looked! She appeared exhausted, and her scales were dull and lifeless! He suddenly felt shame, for he realized she had been going without food in order to satisfy his greedy hunger! So when she offered him the Doe, he refused it. He picked up the deer, and placed it back at her feet. Then he briefly nuzzled her snout, and grunted in concern. She tried again to give him the meat, and again he refused, but this time he pulled off a haunch, and offered it to her. She took the offered meat, and the taste of the fresh blood was so delicious, so she hungrily wolfed it down. As she ate he slid the rest of the Doe towards her, and eventually she had devoured the whole meal. And now she was sluggish and sleepy from the large meal, and after briefly checking the egg she went to the nest and quickly fell asleep. He stood looking at her for some time, his first long look as another Dragon, and for the first time realized how beautiful she was, even in her malnourished state. The curve of her neck, the shape of her head, she was so lovely! And carefully he climbed into the nest which was just big enough for both of them, and gently laid down next to her, being careful not to move or waken her. He draped his wing over her, and fell asleep himself, happier then he could ever remember being before.
One day she noticed small wisps of smoke coming from his nostrils and realized that his fire flux had finally ignited. He seemed a little put off by it at first, the first few puffs kind of panicked him a little as he hadn't been expecting anything like that. She reassured him it was perfectly
natural, and taught him how to use his flux. He caught on quick as it was already an ingrained natural ability. All Dragons have two specialized organs or glands that line the lower parts of their necks and continue down into the body. These glands produce a natural napalm called fire flux, it has the consistency of a thick syrup or phlegm, hence the nickname "flaming luggies". It is a very deadly weapon, even against other Dragons. The term "fire breathing" is really incorrect, it should be "fire spitting". Once it gets on something there is no way to remove or extinguish it until it has finished burning. It will even burn through armor and stone. Dragons can excrete the flux at will, either in small controlled amounts, or large "plumes". Small amounts can be used to light their lairs, take out one enemy, and other useful applications. A large plume can devastate an entire settlement or castle, not to mention wipe out large groups of enemies. Small amounts can be spit up like saliva or aimed in small globs, a plume can shoot out to a hundred feet or more and can cover a swath many yards wide and long. It is greatly feared, to say the least. There is no real defense against it. However once the two glands have been emptied it takes awhile to regenerate more flux, so Dragons are very careful in how they use it. Then can even improve its potency by eating combustibles such as sulphur, phosphates, brimstone, and other fulminates. Sometimes to impress a female a male will ingest a colored mineral to give color and/or sparks to his flame. All Dragons have this capability, but in Red Dragons it is greatly increased in volume and capacity. Reds are among the smaller Dragons but even a much larger Dragon will hesitate to engage a Red in combat, knowing they will run out of flux long before the Red.
One day shortly after a tasty and filling meal of fresh venison I was lying back against my
Favorite stalagmite resting contentedly when I belched, and to my surprise and shock a wisp
of smoke shot out of my nostrils. I slapped my hand over my nose in reaction, not really
sure as to what had just happened! I took my hand away and gave a little snort, and more
smoke came out, and I could smell a little brimstone! Did I have indigestion? Then it occurred
to me I had seen the Brown spit fire before, mainly to replenish the braziers to that lit the lair.
For some reason though it had never occurred to me that I might be able to breathe fire as well!
She was pleased when she found out my "flux" was flowing, and taught me how to control and
direct it, and explained its many uses. I didn't "smoke" all of the time, but any time I wanted
I could ignite the flux and use it. I was very pleased with this development!
Finally the day came when he was strong enough to venture outside, for the first time in three months! It was winter now, but a Dragons skin was the perfect insulation, and though warm blooded they hardly felt the cold. He was a little uncertain on his legs, but managed to climb down to the valley floor without much trouble. He was still having a little trouble with his new size, having been used to being much smaller. Everything seemed out of proportion, way too small! But he enjoyed these outdoor outings immensely.
As he grew stronger and more sure of himself, and grew used to the huge body that was his now he explored the cave more carefully. He poked his nose into every little nook and cranny, and made some changes he thought practical. First he filled up the opening to the crevasse by collapsing the edge more, and then filling it in with loose debris. He thought it made the cave much more safer and comfortable, and the female seemed pleased at his work. He also paid much more attention to the egg now, watching what she did, and copying it, and this seemed to please her even more. He would find her watching him, bobbing her head gently up and down in what he knew was approval. He knew Dragons could talk in their own way, and he was learning to "speak" more and more every day. And he started to venture outside more, mainly in the later day and evenings at first as the bright sun hurt his eyes. He would sit on the ledge and stare out over the beautiful valley below, and found himself longing to take to the air! He also made the acquaintance of the Gryphon family, who though somewhat leery (but very impressed) soon came to accept him as their new neighbor. Where he had come from was a mystery to them though! At first they thought he must be the female Dragons chick, but he was so big!