by Julia Suzuki
Yoshiko watched as the steam from it swirled in patterns like ghosts in the air.
‘Come,’ said Guya, without bothering to explain himself. ‘This way.’
Guya set off ahead and Yoshiko had to work to keep up. As he rounded the corner the old dragon was already vanishing around another curve of the large mountain.
Yoshiko chased behind, not looking where he was going in his haste to keep up, and as he hurried round the corner where Guya had disappeared, he smacked bodily into the bulk of the other dragon.
‘Look,’ Guya said slowly, ‘where you are going!’ Then with an elegant sweep of his talons he gestured out before him as if making an introduction.
Yoshiko looked out in awe at the Great Waters before him. From this part of Dragor the waters glinted as if they were filled with gold as the sun’s intensity penetrated through the mist of smoke that rose from the Fire Which Must Never Go Out. The sweep of the liquid seemed endless. He whistled appreciatively and for the first time Guya chuckled.
‘There may be greatness ahead for Dragor,’ he said, ‘if a dragon can master his gifts.’
‘From this angle it makes the water appear so magical,’ breathed Yoshiko.
‘The Great Waters are stunning from many different points. Here you are looking at them in a different way. Very few dragons stop to look. Their lives are so busy it is as if they become blind and never truly open their eyes.’
Guya lifted up his cup of sorrel juice.
‘Many dragons have forgotten the proper way to make sorrel juice,’ he said as the fragrances spread. ‘Always in a rush, looking for a shortcut in so many aspects of life,’ he said. ‘The old ways are the best.’ As if to prove this he took a long gulp with a happy sigh and eyed the younger dragon.
Yoshiko relaxed in the sun’s warmth as he took in the beautiful view over the waters. A slow steady heat seemed to build in his feet and it began to rise through him steadily.
Yoshiko concentrated harder and the luxurious feeling passed all over, rippling from his forehead to the claws of his feet.
Then he looked down at his body.
His red colour was being washed over with a dark blue; he was turning the same shade as Guya from head to toe. Yoshiko gasped in horror.
Guya looked at him and simply nodded. ‘It is just as I thought.’ Then he rose to his feet as if no more would be said on the subject, and began to walk back to the entrance of his cave.
Yoshiko scrambled after him.
‘Wait!’ he cried, as Guya rounded the curve in the mountain. ‘I need your help!’
Guya stopped and turned. ‘So your scales keep changing colour, little dragon!’
‘Yes,’ said Yoshiko. ‘And I would do anything to discover why the colour change happens and stop it!’
‘Likely you will never be able to change what you are,’ said Guya with a grunt.
Yoshiko’s face fell and his green eyes peered right into Guya’s. ‘Please, Guya,’ he begged. ‘The Herb Doctors down in the valley couldn’t help me; you are a Saiga dragon like them but you are supposed to be extra wise. Surely you can help me?’
Guya paused for a moment, his face softening for the first time. ‘Yoshiko, consider that these dragons pick on you because there is something about you that they want to take away. As for your colour change, well, there may be a solution!’
Yoshiko felt a sudden flush of relief.
But Guya’s face had lost some of its warmth again. He turned away from Yoshiko, and began walking back into his cave.
‘It won’t be easy, in fact I doubt you are up to it at all,’ he said, disappearing into the cave entrance.
Yoshiko shuffled into the cave straight after him but to his surprise Guya was standing upright in the entrance to prevent him from entering further.
Yoshiko tried to keep his voice steady.
‘I need answers!’ he said.
Guya rested a wing on the younger dragon’s shoulder. ‘I sense many things about you, Yoshiko, but right now you are too weak in your mind and body to do what is needed to find your answers…’
Suddenly, Yoshiko felt a twinge under his wing and reached under one of his scales. Heat from the stone the Ageless Ones had given him was burning in his side.
‘Guya, have you ever seen something like this before?’ he asked, holding out the stone.
Guya took the jewel in his claws and brought it closely to his eyes as if inspecting it under a microscope. He straightened up quickly.
‘Oh my! The Dancing Opal!’ he exclaimed. ‘Legend has it that there is just one of these exact stones. It is a callstone!’
‘A callstone?’ enquired Yoshiko.
‘It is a translucent opal and inside it are genies said to help enhance the powers of the twin dragons,’ answered Guya. ‘I had a vision that one day they would speak again – to foretell some great future event and give the callstone to a dragon, so they can summon their great magic when needed.’
Yoshiko’s eyes grew wide as he looked closely at the stone again and could indeed see the tiny genie-like creatures that he thought were just pretty sparkles.
‘Where did you get the stone?’ Guya asked.
‘I was given it at the marketplace,’ replied Yoshiko.
Guya was silent for a moment and then went on as though there’d been no sight or mention of the stone.
‘Come back here early tomorrow and I shall give you a set of tasks to complete. But I warn you they are more difficult than you can ever imagine.’ With that, he gave a wide flick of his tail, and vanished into the back of his cave.
9
The Three Tasks
The next morning Yoshiko got up before the sun rose to fly out to Guya’s cave. ‘Where are you going?’ asked Ketu sleepily, eyeing his son pushing down a bowl of peat porridge as fast as he could.
‘Off to do some practice,’ said Yoshiko. ‘I heard some from school do early training so they have a better chance of being Guard Dragons.’
‘I remembered doing something similar at your age,’ Ketu replied smiling. ‘Don’t give yourself scale-ache, Yoshiko,’ he said, presuming he was off to the Fire Pit.
Having finished his breakfast, Yoshiko stretched his wings and launched off into the dark morning.
He had never been out of the cave this early, and the air of Dragor’s dawn was refreshing as it rushed over his wings. Already some of the Alana dragons were at fishing spots on the edge of the Great Waters, eager to bring in the best catch of the day.
Yoshiko wheeled in the sky, taking in the various scenes as he headed for Cattlewick Cave.
He landed to find that Guya was already waiting outside for him.
‘Good morning, Yoshiko. I have your three tasks to give to you.’
‘I am ready for them,’ Yoshiko replied, trying to sound braver than he felt.
To his surprise Guya started laughing. ‘They cannot be completed in a morning, little dragon,’ he said. ‘In fact there is a big chance that you will never achieve them!’
He beckoned with his gnarled claw.
‘Follow me,’ he said. ‘I will show you the first.’
Obediently, Yoshiko trotted after Guya to the right side of the cave.
Guya pointed to a large pot. It rested on the ground directly beneath the outer rock face.
‘This is a very special pot!’ Guya announced.
In front of Yoshiko was an enormous red clay vessel. It was almost as big as he was.
‘Into this pot comes rain straight from the sky, it pours in through a hole in the rock,’ explained Guya. ‘It is special water, very pure to make exceptional sorrel juice.’
Yoshiko eyed the big pot with concern.
‘Your first task,’ said Guya, ‘is to lift that pot. But that time will be long from now,’ he added, his gaze dropping.
‘Let me try!’ said Yoshiko.
Guya shrugged. ‘Then try.’
Yoshiko approached the pot curiously. The red clay was nothing he had ever seen before, the
outer coating was as if it had formed its own scales.
Yoshiko bent down and flinging his arms around the pot, he made a loud heaving sound as he tried to stand. But the vessel didn’t even wobble.
He tried again, this time using every ounce of strength in his body, and a bead of sweat rolled down his face.
Again the pot didn’t move a bit.
Yoshiko looked up to see that Guya was grinning.
‘As I said, you are not strong enough, little dragon,’ he said. ‘That is called a Goadah Pot. I imagine you have never seen one before.’
‘No, I haven’t,’ Yoshiko replied. ‘Although I have heard of them. Kiara told me a story when I was younger called “The Magic Goadah Pot”.’
Guya nodded. ‘Yes, a very popular tale. Now, as you see, the pots actually do exist in real life too, although their magical powers are doubted by many,’ he said. ‘There are only a few of these pots in Dragor; each one is unique and very precious, and as you witnessed they are even heavier than they look,’ he added. ‘This one was made just after the Battle of Surion. You are clearly far from ready to lift this pot. Maybe in three winters you will, little one.’
Yoshiko was outraged. ‘I’ll have been laughed out of Fire School by that time.’
Guya shrugged. ‘If you want to spend your days feeling sorry for yourself it could be ten winters.’
‘What are the other tasks?’ Yoshiko asked impatiently.
Guya smiled. ‘The other tasks are equally difficult.’
He extended a talon to count off on three claws. ‘First, the little dragon must be strong enough to lift the Goadah Pot. Second, the little dragon must have the wing strength to fly around Dragor seven times.’
‘Seven times?’
Guya nodded and Yoshiko felt his heart sink. Only the fittest Guard Dragon could do so much flying.
‘What is the third task?’ he asked, the dejection sounding in his voice.
‘For the third task, you must stand in a fire pit of my making for the time it takes a cauldron of sorrel juice to boil.’
Yoshiko was horror-struck. It sounded impossible. He had no idea how he could ever be strong enough to lift the pot, let alone fly around Dragor seven times, but he felt a burning need to prove Guya wrong.
‘I told you it would be difficult! If I were you I would just not bother trying these tasks! They are great challenges, clearly too great for you,’ said Guya, but there was a certain sparkle in his eye as he said it.
‘I shall complete your tasks,’ said Yoshiko firmly. ‘And I’ll be back sooner than you think!’
With that he spread his wings to head for Fire School. ‘Oh, and one more thing, Guya,’ Yoshiko added. ‘Perhaps when I return you will be so kind as to stop calling me a little dragon!’
As Yoshiko flew off Guya chuckled to himself.
10
Training with Romao
Yoshiko was pondering about his first challenge, how he could become strong enough to lift Guya’s pot, and an idea came to him unexpectedly.
Ketu and Kiara were reminiscing about Yoshiko’s birth and were discussing their former Guard Dragon Romao who had just that week been awarded a promotion.
‘I always knew that dragon, Romao, would go far,’ said Ketu to Kiara. ‘When I saw him over ten years ago in that spear-throwing contest I knew that I must select him to be our cave guard during Yoshiko’s nesting period. In fact there and then I would have bet fifty glass stones that he would have made it to a senior guard like he just has.’
Yoshiko had only met his former Guard Dragon a few times, but he knew that Romao looked upon him like a little brother, having been there to protect him at the family cave during his hatching.
‘Do you think Romao would train me?’ Yoshiko asked Ketu suddenly.
‘You want personal training from one of the best Guard Dragons in Dragor! I expect you’ll be outdoing me at fire and flying soon.’ He looked delighted at his son’s request.
Kiara, as usual, responded with concern. ‘It is because of those Alana dragons picking on you, isn’t it?’ she declared. ‘Yoshiko, I do not want you training so you can start fights. We must deal with it another way.’
Ketu turned the warmth of his smile on her. ‘Kiara, my dear, please do not assume the worst. Romao will train him only so he can improve his skills, and it will be a benefit if he can protect himself should the need arise. I’ll have a message sent to Romao straight away.’ Ketu put a big spoon of Kiara’s homemade sticky mash into his mouth. ‘My son,’ he continued, ‘training with the Guard Dragons. What a proud elder I am.’
* * *
The next day Romao was waiting to meet Yoshiko after Fire School and Igorr and his friends saw him.
‘Need a Guard to escort you home?’ mocked Igorr, as Yoshiko headed towards Romao.
Romao, hearing the taunts, began to wander towards Yoshiko and Igorr backed away.
Yoshiko tried to force a smile as Romao approached and patted him with a friendly wing.
‘Ketu tells me you want to train with me?’ said Romao.
Yoshiko nodded. ‘I want to get strong, fly far, and become heat resistant …’ he paused as he looked at his plump body and then continued, ‘I need to be able to lift really heavy things like big pots. I know right now it is hard to believe.’
Romao smiled warmly as he looked at Yoshiko’s overhanging belly.
‘Ambition is great, Yoshiko, and indeed I am the right person to help you, but we must take it one step at a time. Have you yet managed any of the flight paths at the Trail Mountains?’
Yoshiko shook his head. ‘I stay away from the Alana territory.’
‘Well, we’ll start first with training your wings in preparation,’ said Romao. ‘Lifting clay discs, and fan-beating the flames. That should be enough to give you the strongest wings of any dragon your age in Dragor!’ he added encouragingly.
‘Follow me,’ he said, and took to the skies, heading towards the Guard Dragons’ training grounds. He then picked up some speed and took Yoshiko for a faster flight, circling all of the Alana Mountains.
Romao spotted several Guard Dragons who were prowling around the Trail Mountains, and started to descend. He landed, shortly followed by Yoshiko, who was out of breath and panting.
Romao looked at his little chest moving in and out.
‘The secret to becoming a Guard Dragon is practise, practise, practise,’ he said, as they watched the guards swoop at high speeds over their heads. ‘See that dragon there?’ He pointed to a blue Talana dragon, whose scales rippled with the muscle underneath. ‘He was really clumsy in the air when he started,’ said Romao. ‘Now he is one of Dragor’s best. Every day he trains around the Trail Mountains.’
Several of the passes had been adapted by a team of Guard Dragons and were the pride and joy of their Captain Ayo. He had instructed the trails to be full of flight obstacles and targets so as to help improve the flying skills of any trainees.
Yoshiko looked in awe at some dragons flying into the entrances at breakneck speeds. A Guard Dragon then came swooping down behind them from one of the exits and shot across the Great Waters. Then with absolute precision the dragon smashed a row of clay pots floating on the surface.
As the fragments sank out of sight another dragon at the edge of the Great Waters began turning a pulley system. It ferried another set of pots out into position, waiting for the next dragon.
‘You won’t be ready for the Trail Mountains until you are very fit,’ said Romao. ‘One wrong turn and that could be the end of it.’
‘Have you ever hit a mountain?’ asked Yoshiko.
Romao shook his head. ‘No, but I was injured badly when I caught a turn wrong,’ he said, unfurling his large wing and showing Yoshiko an ugly raised scar. ‘Every year there are one or two dragons who fly the trails too early and hurt themselves. The hardest trail has lava pits along the way that throw smoke and ash up, plus there are jets of scalding water from the rocks that shoot sky high. Go through either o
f those at the wrong point and it could be fatal.’ Romao’s tone was serious.
‘Come,’ he continued. ‘Let’s fly over the simple adventure course. All you have to do is swing in and out changing sides in order to avoid the trees. You cannot hurt yourself even if you hit the branches as the leaves are soft and cushioning. We will train here every day until you absolutely perfect it, then you can move on.’
They turned and flew at a gentle speed that allowed Yoshiko to fly beside Romao, swinging in and out of the small forest. He sailed through the course with ease.
‘Great, let’s go see how the Alanas train – the most talented in the air of all the clans,’ said Romao.
They approached the Great Waters, Romao cried out against the shrill of the wind, ‘Now … Look down! See the Alanas are all practising their skills. Watch how they are doing fancy turns before they dive deeply into the water. They are making their bodies and wings as straight as they can. They are challenging themselves to build up a perfect score. Every year at Red Seventh Moon these dragons gather for the Great Races. All the Guard Dragons will be taking part and competing for the main award. I am already training hard for the next one. It’s going to be so much fun!’
‘Do you really think I could ever make a Guard?’ Yoshiko asked hopefully.
Romao turned to him and examined his current form in the skies.
‘Most dragons never use all their talent. They don’t ever develop the right attitude. Won’t listen. Won’t learn,’ he said. ‘They fly only to get around Dragor. If you are willing to train hard there is almost no end to what you can achieve. Wing exercises,’ Romao continued, ‘are the first essential for improving flight.’ He stretched out his large wings and hovered as he pushed them up and down quickly.
‘First we train for strength in the wing,’ he said.
‘Then we train for accuracy. Then one day you will be ready for the Trail Mountains.’
They landed next in the far west of Dragor at the Clay Hills and Romao led Yoshiko into the Guard Dragons’ training cave. Loud grunts and the sight of many large dragons greeted them. ‘The Guards need to have very strong wings,’ Romao said. He hefted up a huge thick disc to show it to Yoshiko. ‘See this! One day you will be able to lift one of these with a wing.’