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Second Chances

By: Tai Wolf

Argo glided over the forest, the wind shuttering his large wings as he let the thermal currents at the high altitude do the work of keeping him aloft, the clear, moon lit sky giving his normally bright ruby scales the appearance of spilt blood. The Dragon hated patrol duty, but, due to a series of very unfortunate wagers, here he is again, for the 6th day straight, patrolling the thick vast pine forests that surrounded the domain of his kind for any unusual happenings, though what kind of happenings the dragon knew not. The world had become a dull place since the war with the humans ended in a cry for peace 700 years ago.Sure there was the occasional Forest Spider that ventured into populated lands or sometimes one of the ancient humans metal Demons would spring back to life from whatever forgotten place it lie dormant and wreak havoc wherever it would travel, but those occurrences happened less and less over the hundreds of years that stretched after that bloody war ended.

"Nothing happens around here anymore," Argo exclaimed as he broke his glide and flapped, hovering in place as closed his eyes, just wanting the night to end.

" Is that not a good thing though sire?" The question snapped the dragon out of his self-loathing, his claws retracting as he spins around coming snout to snout with his rear Guard.

"Gar, you...startled me. I... I cry your pardon, I was lost in thought" Argo winged back away from the white dragon a few feet, giving him space at he looked upon his guard shame evident on his face.

"Quite alright sire, I should have alerted you that I was close instead of just popping up, I have completed my sweep of the outer domain and wished to report back to you with haste. The muscular white dragon said with no sign of agitation in his voice.

"And? "Argo enquired impatiently, as he glanced down below them, swearing he saw something move out of the tree line.

"And... all is quiet on the outer perimeter," Gar said sarcastically with a snort his wings beating harder against a sudden gust of wind.

Argo thought as much, there had not been an incursion since the last day of the war hundreds and hundreds of years ago when one of his draconic ancestors flew out from his cave and breathed down a ball of elemental magic so powerful it ripped a hole in the earth hundreds of feet wide swallowing the last of the human host in a barrage of electricity and Energized mist. Even to this day, hundreds of years after, nothing grows near the gaping expanse and any human that ventures to close to it and lingers to long, loses their hair, develops Lesions and eventually Dies a slow painful death.

"Well... guess we shou... Argo stopped suddenly, the smell of fresh blood wafting up onto the thermal the two dragons hovered on. the sweet smell invading their nostrils as they both looked for its source. There! Gar said pointing to a large shadow just within the royal tree line, without another word the two dragons banked flying quickly towards the ground, towards the unknown beast, as they approached Argo tried to see through the early morning mist, the moon having gone behind thick clouds, blanketing the world in darkness, only small shafts of moonlight eliminated a few areas as the light broke through the cloud cover. Even with his Draconic vision he was only able to conclude that whatever it was, was bigger than the largest wild equine he knew of.

Without further hesitation Argo flew into the dark form slamming his thick muscular tail into it and sending it rolling several feet away from its kill. Argo dug into the ground with all four feet skidding to a halt as his rear guard landed behind the unknown assailant. Argo readied himself for an attack, his claws sharp and outstretched, wings tight to his back but no attack came.

"I CHASED THAT COW FOR MILES, ITS MINE!" a feeble voice screeched from the tackled mass.

"Cow?!?" Argo said bewildered as the clouds covering the moon parted, bathing the clearing in light, before him hunkered in a ball was a small Dragon his yellow scales dirty, his body emaciated to the point you could count every rib and vertebra even in the dim moonlight.

"YES, COW! what GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO TAKE MY KILL?!? DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG ITS BEEN SINCE..."The small Dragon got up cutting his tie raid short as he looked over at Avro, recognizing him as one of the royal house.

"O...I..you...you have it, it's yours I'm not hungry at all," the smaller dragon choked out his eyes watery and fearful "I...I am sorry I yell at you sire, p.please don't hurt me. " the dragon pleaded trying to drag himself further away from the larger male

"Well now...Argo...the Protector of cows! that has a nice ring to it don't you agree sire? " Gar Jested amusingly causing the ruby Dragon to drop his head in embarrassment.

"And, just what are you doing out hunting this late at night, you know everyone is supposed to be up at the village until sun up, and hunting game in the king's wood, that is a grave offence" gar said harshly, while sitting on his haunches.

"I..um...I don't live in the village Sir", the little yellow drake replied shamefully

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN you don't live in the village, all dragons live ..." Gar's face gleamed with understanding his voice growing haughty " A Sub Drake..."

Gar got up and moved around the yellow dragon sniffing at him here and there as the smaller shaking male grabbed and hugged his own tail for reassurance " aye, I can smell the impurities in you... it offends my senses!... I bet you like the rest of those fake dragons and cannot even breath simple FIRE!... so tell me BOY just what species did your fool parents mate with to create you hmmm?

The Smaller Drake shook harder, tears flowing from his ringed and starving eyes, " A noble house of g...griffin and a few other things in my lineage s...sir "

"Noble BAH!" Gar said pushing him down hard onto his back the frail hybrid covering his face for what he expected to be a hard thrashing.

"ENOUGH! "Argo said staring at gar, his claws slipping back into their covered sockets as he moves closer to the beaten Dragon.

But sire... he is forbidden to be in this clearing much LESS be hunting in our wood, the penalty is Death, his kind KNOW THIS and "

"The penalty is whatever I SAY it is Gar," Argo said calmly his gaze slowly moving to his guard, the look so stern and and Icy it could have frozen the large reptilian protector solid. "Go back to the Keep, I'll speak to you later"

Gar's stomach started to glow red as he looked at the Sub drake his jaws opening as fire spilled forth from his maw, bathing the helpless yellow dragon in a wreath of white flame for a moment before flying off, leaving the them both and dissapearing into the night.

"What's your name", Argo asked politely as he moved over to him his hand outstretched, knowing full well that even if the little dragon was less than half draconic what little blood he did have would prevent him from being burnt in the hot flames.

"Rakkar" he replied shaking all over, the smell of urine wafting lightly from the scales between the yellow dragons tightly bunched and closed legs, Gar's flamed having scared him to the point of madness.

" I... I await your judgment sire, I broke the pact...but I was just so hungry and I" "

"You don't have to explain to me, it's obvious your starving"Argo cut in, helping the smaller dragon up onto his hind quarters carefully.

" Come, eat your fill Rakkar, and when your done I will escort you safely back to your roost wherever that may be"

Rakkar limped silently toward the cow, laying in front of his kill and tearing at the flesh cautiously at first half expecting it to be a trick but then with much gusto, making short work of the small mammal.

"So where do you dwell then?" He asked curiously, never having much dealings with the hybrid races of the land, his masters always schooling him to avoid the un-pure as they were beneath him, less then scum, but he himself, never took to that belief.

"I have no dwelling sire," Rakkar replied shamefully looking down at the ground as he tries to roll his wing arms, testing them cautiously, pain emanating from one of his membranes.

Argo looked at Rakkar, his guilt for hurting the little Dragon boiling inside him, his thoughts and sensations of the recent events starting to materialize an idea

"Tell you what Rakkar, why don't you live with us in the Keep, you will be fed and tended to, and as payment, you can run errands and do other things for me, this way we both benefit, how does that sound?: He offered, a sly toothy smile crossing his maw that would terrify all but another of his kind.

"But..sire.. I'm not a pure-blood I cannot. I mean I'm not allowed...they will kill me the moment I step claw into the village ... the yellow dragon protested grabbing his tail once more and slinking back as if the very thought would cause him harm

"Are you turning down my offer?" Argo said a hint of agitation coloring his voice as he shifted his wings.

" Well n..no sire, I... just don't want...I mean. I'm not worthy stay in the Keep " he said fear evident in his demeanor and tone.

" Nonsense, the Keep itself is all but abandoned, just the King and Queen and a few other Nobles and Guardians, most everyone else lives in the caves burrowed into the walls of the mountains that surround the Keep we've plenty of room.

"What other choice do I have, if I deny him, I get to go back to starving and foraging for the slim pickings the outer forest offered, and I dare not risk hunting this land again or risk the full wraith of the many patrols that scour the area at night. And if I agree to go with him, I can eat all the food I want! and just have to do a few errands" He thought.

" I... I accept your most gracious offer Sire," he spouted a little quicker than he had anticipated.

"Splendid, then all is settled!" Argo said pleased, They both took to the air, Rakkar waiting respectfully for the Prince to take wing before he did the same Both dragons banking for the large mountain barley visible on the horizon.

They reached the grounds by sun up, Rakkar following hesitantly as they glided between two mountains landing in a small perfectly flat, square pad, both dragons claws clattering nosily as they step on fallen metal fencing that once stood around the perimeter of the landing millennia ago.

"What is this stuff!" Rakkar asked as he picks up his paw trying to shake off the thick hexagonal mesh tangled in his claws.

"Ah yes, careful where you step here, it is called fence...ing" The dragon struggling with the ancient human word, it was created by humans as a barrier to keep other humans out of this place. Argo explained as he hopped over a long length of fencing looking back and watching in amusement at the site of the yellow dragon thrashing his claw, finally freeing himself of the metal menace. "Come now, don't dally" he said walking into the large path

Rakkar bounded to catch up his nose bumping into the ruby dragons rear accidently in his haste, his nostrils taking in his scent the larger male smelling of fresh crushed pine needles causing the yellow dragon to shutter reflexively. Argo looked behind lifting his thick tail slightly to swat the careless dragon softly on the snout teasingly.

"S.. sorry Sire I was..."The dragon drifted off not finishing his sentence as his gaze fell on the path, to either side of them, built into the mountains on either side of the path, sat large metal buildings the thick human sized doors shut tightly but showing signs of rust and age, each door had odd white faded runes scrolled on them the meaning of which was lost to him. The Path connecting each building to the main road split and uneven, grass and small bushes having forced their way up out of the pavement here and there down the full length of the large passage. Rakkar fascinated, padded up to what appeared to be a large Square threshold cut directly into the mountain the opening large enough for three dragons to walk through abreast. An identical doorway present on the opposite side of the road both ways blocked by two thick solid metal door half's that met in the middle and sealed a faded by still very visible black tribal silhouette of an eagle, Painted over the middle of each door so that when the doors where closed, as they were currently the form was whole, its wings outstretched into an arch on either side of its turned head, its beak open as if screeching, the one exposed eye of its side profiled head Painted solid red.

"What is this place? Rakkar asked curiously, the eagle symbols on the door causing him to shudder uneasily, as he looked up, observing the thick black wires connected to pylons in the mountain side, there length running from both, holes in each side of the mountain and each building culminating into a large spider web like mass 20 feet above their head held up by thick metal pylons jutting out of the solid rock.

"No one knows really, we tried to get into the doors big enough for our kind to enter, but something is keeping them from opening and nothing we have tried thus far has worked. We allowed a band of human and Kobold explorers to investigate a few years back, we were able to get them access to a one of the sections by ripping off a damaged metal plate above the door to one of the human sized buildings and then lifting them up to it, but they never came out again. Now the humans seem to think its unholy ground and refuse go any further then the landing to trade with us. "

"The humans don't know? none of them? Rakkar asked thoughtfully as he examined the bright red glyphs over each of the massive doors. His wings folding tightly to his back.

"When we dragons were given this place by the humans as part of our peace pact, my ancestors asked them, or, so it is written in our history here, about this place, all they could tell us, is that even though humans obviously created it, it was eons ago well before we dragons even existed in the world. And we, as you know, have been around for thousands of years! They were able to tell us the name of this place however, Argo though a moment trying to stumble out the title as he remembered it. Well loosely translated, I'm told it is called Research base eight, but we just call it the village....

"But then how is that possible, if what you say is true, all this would have turned to dust by now!" Rakkar protested trying to wrap his head around the whole concept

"Ah! that is what I thought also, but look!" Argo said as he extended his razor sharp talons dragging them with enough force to chip off the rust collected on a nearby building, the dragons diamond strong claws did not leave so much as a scratch in the seemly feeble metal paneling.

" The human weapon smiths tell us that the metal is an alloy no longer used in the realm, its precise composition alludes them and defies all they understand about forging metal items, it never breaks down and is impervious to most everything we know of. Curiously enough it's this same material the metal demons are made from or rather a variant of it, or so we think, they at least can be defeated by flame and magic or even brute force, this stuff though"... Argo banged a fist against the shiny door the sound odd and muffled, like the metal was laced with something else. " not so much..."

Rakkar looked down the straight path, the buildings and wire webbing seemly endless as he stretched his wings his curiosity peeked. " why did we have to land sire, why not just fly? I know the mountains are to high to fly over safety but why not just glide down this passage?"

Argo turned on the smaller male suddenly, his expression grim " If you value your life ...do not attempt that, the prince said flatly "do you see those black vines all over the place connecting everything? they contain some sort of magic or energy, we don't understand, what we do know however is any living thing that comes in contact with them. falls back to earth dead and smoking. we learned two late what the glyphs in red next to where they meet were, a warning to keep clear of them...

Rakkar duct his head low the ground as if to ward off a falling wire, letting out a hard shiver as he nodded his understanding" so you can read the glyphs then?"

"Me? no, very few HUMANS can even read them, and even fewer Kobolds or Dragons, it's a dead language. There are a few in the Keep that can however if that is what you wish to enquire after. They have studied ancient texts and have knowledge passed down from generation to generation that allows them to understand if only partially what they say."

The two dragons continued on, walking for what seemed like hours, Rakkars belly rumbling loudly in protest once more as they came to the end of the long path, the two passing through a massive metal archway and into the open once more.

"Welcome Rakkar" Argo said warmly as he came to a stop

Rakkar gasped, and looked around, where the ground should be, a massive hole opening up not a few paces from where he stood, at least two miles wide and mile deep, a large path spiraled down around the inner wall of the radius terminating at the very bottom into A Dirt landing with what appeard to be mine cars strewed about , all along the path large hovels and caves alike where built into the walls the spiral road bustling with Kobolds, and Dragons as they went on with their early morning activities. The mountains that cradled the open pit were dotted with numerous large Dragon caves and at the far end of the valley carved into the far mountain wall stood a massive arch two dragons standing at attention in full gleaming Dragon plate. on either side of the massive threshold.

"We Fly for the keep, the arch just there on the other side of the village" Argo said pointing as the two walked over and stepped off the edge of the gaping maw into the air flapping over to the adorned archway.

"Are you sure about this sire? I mean... " Rakkar did not finish his thought, just letting the words melt into the air as they landed.

"Good Morning sire" both Dragons exclaimed almost in unison, bowing there heads low for a moment then Eyeing Rakkar suspiciously. Sire, is that...

"He is under my protection and hence forth you will treat him as you do any member of this Keep" Argo stated the power of his station evident in his tone leaving no room for discussion on that matter. Rakkar kept close to the prince, observing the contemptuous looks the sentries gave him as they both walked past ,Rakkar and Argo moving up the stairs and Dissapearing into the large keep.

**Hope you have enjoyed reading this, i will continue on with this series chapter by chapter, any constructive feedback is appreciated feel free to PM me with it ^..^ please note that i do not write often, so there are probably going to be obvious errors here and there... hopefully my work will improve as i progress though each chapter*