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The Awakening of Dragons

Chapter Thirteen

Written by Arian Mabe (Amethyst Mare)

Commissioned by NomexGlove

A sense of trepidation hung in the air as the dragons swooped down, making no pretence as to their majesty and might, displaying themselves exactly as they were. Unlike the first time they had come out to the ranger station, they did not appear quiet and demure, merely landing and leaving it at that. No, they had an impromptu aerial display to put on, every dragon there imagining that they were performing for their children, the unhatched youngsters, for it was the only way that they could have possibly lifted their wings in any true semblance of light and life.

They needed to be themselves – no more hiding who they were just to think that they would not scare off people. If they kept doing that, that would be the end of them. Maybe humanity would really think that they were nothing more than animals, beasts, if they hid their true selves, if they did not go out there and show them everything they could do.

An aerial display came from the heart, however, and their wings trembled with passion as they spread them blissfully, letting everyone see them in their true glory, exactly as they were. Brent and Arya shot twin flames across the sky, crossing in an “X" before them, dissipating a moment before the dragons flew through the space that the fire had occupied a moment before. They were not fireproof, but somewhat resistant to flame: it could hurt them if they were not careful, though depended quite on the intensity of it too.

Exhilaration claimed Arya's heart as she twisted in a vertical spiral, a move that she might have made when emerging from the lake to dry her scales, wings flared, the moment of all eyes on her. Her green scales glistened in the sunshine, groomed after she could not sleep the night before, the moment everything that it needed to be. Brent was there on one side of her and so was Darius, the drake and the dragoness supporting her through the spiral and the loop that she flipped into. Where she might have dropped, they flipped upside-down with her and used the buffeting force of their wings, shaping the air to their will, lifting her up and up to the point where the dragoness thought that it was impossible to fall.

Sandra and Alex flew in regal formation, side by side, Anniyah and Jenson bringing up the rear, as if they were aircraft doing a flyover, showing off the might of a force. Yet all they were, simply as they were in themselves, was majesty, quiet power, the might of a world that not even humanity understood, though, together, Sandra hoped that they may all understand just a little bit more.

Still, Santino, Sebastian and Alan led the more impressive act, sweeping down low with Seb and Alan flanking the purple dragoness. The colour of their scales, without following their names as closely as they would in time, was the easiest way for the humans there to tell them apart, and Santino flew long and low to the ground, so close that the treetops tickled her belly. It took a lot of strength to do what she wanted and she braced herself as she let her life breath flow, breathing out, letting it trail behind her in green and teal tendrils. Alan and Sebastian helped, though their abilities were not yet as strong, merely a demonstration of what they possessed, a supporting act to the dragoness who had come so far in such a short span of time.

Flowers bloomed and great trees sprung up, branches unfurling as if they had been bound too tightly for too long. From birch to willow and oak and pine, there was no plant that Santino could think of that she did not conjure, imprinting her memory of them into the make-up of her breath, what she incited and encouraged the ground to grow, bigger than her, higher than her, always greater than her. The land was something that humanity had forgotten to give back to, after the earth had done so very much for them, and she led a trail of flowers spring in her wake. A thick swathe like the densest of wildflower meadows bore testament to her skill and ability, parting her jaws as she sucked in a much-needed breath, breaking from the flow.

It may have been difficult to see, but Julie drew herself up in mid-air, flapping her wings backwards to hover, a difficult movement at the best of times. That was not what would impress the crowds, though they did not spare a glance for the officials, not those on the staging, as she showed off what she had been working on, however quietly. She had never been one to take centre stage, but her heart pulled for her friends, her kin, those that had supported her through so much while her life took a turn that she had never been expecting.

She focused on the air before her, letting out a roar that went on and on, loud enough to force people to cover their ears, though she could shape the air as she willed, not just with her wings. It was more delicate when it came from her breath, the air condensing and flowing as if she was creating a current itself, winding it around and around into the long, serpentine shape of a slender dragon. There were few discernible features to it, mimicking something of the long body of an Eastern dragon in mythology (who knew, those were probably real too, she would do well to not discount it), it was still a dragon shaped from air itself that she could direct, however lightly, at will.

Julie could not hold it for long, however, hoping that it would be impressive enough, the strain of holding the air into a shape for so long taking strength from her, sagging in mid-air. Yet she had her sister dragons to guide her back to the ground, Tilsa swooping in to make sure that she was okay, helping her land, however shaky her legs were. She was still not the strongest of fliers, though that would all come in time, especially as Julie helped the others raise their hatchlings, everyone acting in their best interest.

Sandra, Alex, Brent, Arya, Jenson, Anniyah, Santino, Alan, Tilsa, Usuakusu, the original dragonesses, two with new names that better suited them. And then there were Darius, Julie and Sebastian, dragons who had transformed with a passion for the land, for the world around them, who may not have found their true calling in their new lives yet and still would defend the hatchlings of the coven whole-heartedly. There was no other option in their mind as they all lined up, supporting one another, no sing dragon standing alone. They would never again find themselves alone until their days on the earth were over.

The officials held up a loudspeaker, though the garbled announcement was lost in the cheers of the crowd, even as they tried to maintain order. Stretching out his neck, Darius strained to hear, digging up the earth, his chest tight with worry.

“Save them!"

“Not animals!"

“The dragons mean no harm!"

“No experiments!"

He closed his jaws, fire rising in the back of his throat, worry curling it there, though he would not let it free, not now that their show was done. It was the start of everything as the Head of Dragon Relations scowled openly, though that could have meant that he was slipping up, that the moment was almost the dragons'.

“Everyone!" Darius bellowed, snaking his head back and forth, trying to make his voice go further. “Listen to us! You will have seen the videos, the recordings, some of what we have to say – and we have so much more!"

He paused, looking expectantly at the others, and Tilsa was ready to take his place.

“Our hatchlings are not animals and are to be granted the same rights as any of us," she said, her voice crystal clear, though the loudspeaker cut over her, the handheld version crackling and not what they needed, as much as they struggled for control. “That is, human rights, the equivalent of, in absolute full. There is to be nothing less, no loophole, for all we wish for is to live in peace and to help the world, everyone that needs us. There is no ulterior motive and we have shown you a sliver of ourselves – let us show you more."

Sandra's sides rumbled, eyes glistening, emotion shining through. The crowd leapt and cheered, the air full of sound, coming from all directions at once. It could have been sensory overload, though even the dragons with how isolated they had been for so long could not hold back from it. They had to embrace it, for they could seek quiet later, when they had had their say.

“And I…" Sandra said, her voice low and gravelly. “Myself and my wife, my previous husband… We had a daughter. She was taken from us too soon and we have now been given a second chance, a clutch of eggs, each. We will care for them with our dear, dear daughter's memory in mind and I hope a bit of her spirit is with us every single day. This clutch, our eggs, our hatchlings… They are dearer to us than anyone can imagine, but I hope we can impart a little of that to you today. Thank you, thank you so much for coming."

The crowd screamed, though the officials, not even those who were supposed to be guarding and controlling them, had the means to quiet them – not that they were doing anything wrong, but the means of crowd control in cities and the like could have been brought out. That was all for the better as their speech and their support of the dragons were not to be quashed. They felt it, all of them, how it washed over them, a force unlike any other, something that had them spreading their wings as if the very feeling of love and solidarity could lift them into the sky. It was strange, setting their scales on edge in a good way, tingling all over, even Darius blinking in wonder as he exhaled a soft cloud of nearly white smoke.

“Right, now, now, we must get back on schedule, ah, now that the dragons have returned," the Head of Dragon Relations said, the microphone working, adjusting his tie, no longer wearing his flat military-style official cap. “After the abrupt departure, yesterday, on the part of the dragons, we have gathered here to continue questioning…"

“No – no, we have not!"

Usuakusu, formerly Kelvin, snarled, holding her head tall and proud, a glint in her eye as if she knew exactly where she was meant to be and was there.

“Our children are not animals! We are here to protect them, to love them, to care for them. I am sure that many of you are parents, or that you have younger brothers and siblings – how would you feel if someone said this about them?"

The screams of the crowd were all the answers that she needed, though all that the dragons had to say was infused with passion. It was not scripted, however powerful it was, and their words came through choked-up throats, emotion threatening to spill over. The clamour of noise pushed and pulled at Usuakusu as she swayed lightly, though Tilsa was there, as she always was, supporting her as her sister, another mother who knew exactly what she was going through.

“The dragons are our friends!"

“It's not their fault!"

There was more, much more, coming from the crowd, though it was increasingly difficult to pick out any one word sometimes, much less a sentence. What they could tell was that there was no one screaming that they were wrong, that they were stupid, all the non-sensical things that they had hoped so very much would not come to be shown.

Catching sight of some of their new friends, the humans who had come to see them, Brent's father, Trish, even Jenson's ex-wife who had turned up at some point, everyone who had supported them, Usuakusu lifted her head again. They had all come. They should lean into those that cared for them, lifted them, supported them, forgetting the rest.

“You have seen us here and you will see what we can do, all the good we can bring to the world," she cried. “But do not let us, as dragons, be what lets you allow our children to live with fair rights! Let your humanity, your care, your compassion, your sense of morality – let that guide you! I know you believe us – convince them! Don't let them get away with it!"

The ire of the crowd turned on the officials, though they were better protected there. There were too many in the audience to stop them from taking photos and recording, having gotten devices in, perhaps due to the sheer number of them there, everything spiralling out of control. The Head of Dragon Relations' frown deepened as he called for order over the microphone, but not even with their speakers turned up as loud as possible did they make a dent in the one-sided blast of the crowd.

“My friends!" Arya faced the crowd, needing no microphone to raise her voice loud and clear, sides vibrating as she sent her voice out and out and out. “I implore you! You have seen us, but only a fraction of us! Let us show you more, let us show you who we are! We're not animals – and neither are our children! Would you want your children to be treated as animals, caged, hunted, worse? Who knows what would fall to them if this was allowed to pass without due challenge!"

Muttering stirred beneath the cries, anger swirling, the crowd angrier and thicker than they had been the prior day. Somehow, there seemed to be even more of them too, though none of the dragons could honestly say how they had gotten through. That was something to be asked later, but the mood of the crowd was angry, fury seething, roiling, feeding one another. They did not want a mob, but, in a way, what they needed to do was to incite that sense of injustice, to rile them up to the point that they applied what was happening to the dragons to themselves too.

For they were one and the same, when it came to life and love and intelligence, things that humans cherished. They valued the sapience of creatures, themselves at the head of the pecking order, but dragons and humans would now have to share that perch, for there was room for them both in caring for the world, acting as kind stewards of the earth.

The recordings and photos and depictions of them must have been spread far and wide as someone stepped up onto the stage, whispering with a cupped hand, though that merely might have been to ensure that it was hard, into the ear of the Head of Dragon relations. He was not so well-schooled in public relations to keep the twitch of his eye from his face, hand tightening into a fist that he shoved deep into his pocket.

He snapped up straight and tried again, but it was all as good as pushing back against a wall, for the roar of the crowd was overpowering, only just about held back by the barriers. They may have been reinformed into metal fencing panels of some kind, six feet high, but they rattled and shook as fingers slipped between the bars, demanding justice, fighting for retribution.

“We must ask that you remain calm and quiet…"

At least, that was what the Head of Dragon Relations tried to say, though he was shouted over, forced back by the pure wave of noise slamming into him. His lips parted and the microphone squealed, though there was nothing for him to get out.

Tilsa turned to him, lifting a wing for a touch less noise, though she got it whereas the officials did not. It was all Arya and Darius could do not to smirk, sitting so close that their tails touched.

“Sir, I think the crowd has spoken. And I'm told," she nodded towards Trish, who was near her with her phone in hand, “that there is a rather large audience only that would like to have their say too."

She did not pose anything as a threat, not in the slightest, but he should have known when he was beaten, when the tide had turned against what they had wanted. Everything was too tenuous in the moment, his teeth obviously gritted, the set of his jaw hard and unyielding, firmly clenched into a hard line. Perhaps only the dragons noticed it, for others were too busy filming, the media even managing to stream some, though the dragons and those that supported them could only suppose that there was an intermittent nature to it. There was a better signal down at the ranger station, and perhaps a connection within the lodge itself, but there was not enough for everything to be fluid and seamless.

Like what had happened to the dragons as the officials all clustered at the back of the stage, still on show, though eyes were only half on them. The other half were on the dragons, cheering for them, chanting what they were, their names, hands held high, shouting support. It may have been lost in the mass of cries, yet the sound thrummed through them like a dragon's purring croons, resonating deeply, filling them with love and warmth.

“They love you!" Trish shouted, clinging to Arya's leg for balance. “Everything online – everyone wants to meet you! They want your children to be safe! They're all with you, so many people!"

She couldn't say more, not that was heard, but the gist of it was understood, that their reach had spread far, far beyond their little circle of dragons, their humans, the people that knew and loved them. Perhaps it had helped some that other dragon colonies had been uncovered before them, that they were a little more prepared for more dragons – and with all that there was in the world, no one wanted to fear dragons. No… No, that was not what anyone wanted, not even the officials, though the dragons would see to it that any use they had in the world was honestly and truly for the benefit of all.

Of course, they were not such fools to think that everyone in the whole world would be with them, but they needed that support, that protection, however grudgingly it was given, just to keep those on their side, the law. They still abided by it, even though they were dragons, looking to be the best citizens they could, in their own way. Yet if they were to abide by the laws of the land and the world, it was only fair that they and their young were given the fair treatment and respect they deserved.

It was a lot harder to turn an agreement, after all, that their children would not be given any rights into an agreement that they would be given rights. One way worked more easily for them, though they would never, not in a million lifetimes, want their children to be devoid of any rights. For they had as much right to the earth and the world as their parents and humanity did, those that wanted the best of them, taking them forward into a new age and light of being.

“What are they talking about?" Alex hissed, for once impatient as she craned her neck to see, more used to being the one leading, in charge, though she had deferred to others with greater experience more often lately. “I wish I knew… They can't drag this out forever."

Arya clenched her jaw.

“Yes, you're right, they've got to end this soon. If not, the crowd will be through that barrier and we'll be the ones trying to hold them back. I don't want to hurt someone accidentally!"

The thought of a wing flung out or a tail swung without thinking clawed at her mind and she shook her head. No… No, she couldn't do that, staring at the officials with a long, hard stare, though wishing too that she could pick up the Head of Dragon Relations and leave him on a very high mountaintop. Not hurt, of course, just somewhere where he could not cause any more harm to anyone.

The sullen look when he returned to the microphone, his deputy holding their hands up, calling for order that was not gained until Sebastian let out a roar, pulling up onto her hind legs to stomp both front feet down into the ground. The resounded tremor had some people staggering, yet it was the most effective way to gain silence, attention, in as calm a way as possible with so much going on.

All eyes landed on the Head of Dragon Relations, his lips turned down, eyes hard, a sour look on his face. It spoke volumes even as the dragons huddled together, quivering with anticipation.

“Thank you for your attention," he said, his voice more brittle than before. “There will be no further questions today, due to the unprecedented disruption. To conclude, we have one announcement."

Santino leaned into Sebastian, suddenly faint, needing the support.

“For now… The dragons and their children, they will not be given full human rights, for now," he forced out through gritted teeth, speaking through the clamour of the crowd, the roars and stomps of the dragons. “But they shall be able to live here. As policy dictates, a law must go through the chambers to be passed for means of protection, but emergency measures force my hand in declaring, until this is confirmed, that the exploitation of the dragons and their…children, is illegal from this moment on."

Arya sucked in a breath, her eyes wide.

“And?"

She pressed him, though the official looked at her as if the mere sight of the dragoness left a distinctly foul taste in the back of his mouth. That, however, was the least of their concerns, as long as they and their children were safe and well, protected as they all needed to be. Nothing else mattered, not as Arya's heart drummed, blood roaring between her ears, the pressure of her pulse on her eardrums deafening.

Please, oh, please…

_ _

She didn't know who she was begging, but she had to, had to hear him, had to listen, had to be poised for the verdict that would change their lives.

“This includes but is not limited to the death, injury, use, theft, or any harm otherwise of the dragons," he said, tone dropping into a drone as if he was already bored by the announcement that he had clearly been forced to give. “Anyone who circumvents this in any way will face the full wrath of the law."

The crowd murmured, rising in triumph, though he tried to talk over it, his voice rising, lips twisting uncomfortably. But the hearts of the dragons were already soaring, looking at each other, jaws parted, flickers of victorious fire snapping in the backs of their throats. Were they going to be okay? At least for the moment?

It was enough, would have to be enough, even if things were not yet settled…

“This will be reviewed in one month's time, the date to be confirmed with the dragons in question. From there, we shall fulfil our line of questioning, with further queries, and look at what use may be had. The dragons may not approach towns and cities, though those allowed by the dragons may visit them. They have rights, as we do, people inside there."

The dragons could have corrected him on his rather clunky, unconventional use of language – however he wanted to look at them, they were very much dragons and not people like he was used to anymore – but the triumph of the moment had them throwing their heads back. Cries rose to the sky, along with jets of flames, Julie clumsily shaping a “wind serpent" that twisted back and forth above them until it was disintegrated in a blast of flame. It was short-lived, however, though not as much as their wide-jawed grinning cries, shouts of joy passed between them all as they exulted.

All for them, them and their hatchlings, the life that they would have in the world, for they did everything for them. It was their world and they could not live in one where they would be treated as lesser beings and all the trauma that would entail, the dragons resolute in fighting every step of the way to show those in humanity that thought otherwise that they were there for good, nothing more and nothing less. They were not there to be used but they were there to bring life and health and sustainability back to the world, to lead it into a new stage of being, thriving, and no longer simply surviving.

It would be a long road to go, of course, and the answer was one that only set back the date when they would, again, have to stand up for those that could not, though tensions had begun and would likely continue. There was only a restriction on harm and injury, however that was chosen to be put into place, that could come to them, nothing actually about their rights: that was just lip service, for they could not be sure, not even then, that they were seen as anything more than animals, or if their children would face what had been proposed to them already, that their rights would not be extended to them. It left them open to concern that they would lose their human rights too, a fight bigger than what the dragons could ever have anticipated on their hands.

Together, however, they would fight it and they would meet every challenge head on, the ringing of the crowd in their ears, the people with them. With so many people cheering support for them, however, how could the dragons not feel as if they had won everything all at once already? They parted their jaws in grin after grin, sharing their joy with their friends, their family, attention softening back to their nesting ground.

In time, they would hatch, sooner than they all would think. But there was so much more for the dragons in the world that the battle of words that they had fought and, when they were able to truly spread their wings and show their offspring the world before them, they would see just how far they could go.

They were who they were. They were dragons. Nothing was ever going to change that. Not the surly officials, not the scowling guards, not those that thought that they were merely there to cause a commotion, that they were disrupting the order of things. In a way, but a gentle, softening way, they would bring order to things, though life as humanity and dragons knew it would never be the same again.

Together, they would work it out. Tensions would be there and there would be discussions to be had, but they would face it all with the poise and grace that dragons embodied.

Always, together.