by Sarah Hite
I’m sorry Father. I can’t help it. It… it’s not like I want this!
Mordag looked down at her and sighed. He knew it was not her fault. I know, this isn’t your fault. You should not be here, you and your mother should have stayed home until I sent for you.
Caegain made me come. He said it was for my protection, for our protection. She looked down, her rising emotions changing with every sentence, first anger, then confusion, and finally fear. Why did he bring me here?
He sat down next to her. Shh. It will be alright. Let me finish up here, and then we will leave. He looked up to where a young male had just appeared.
Sir, all of the dragons are gone. He glanced down at the female by his elder’s side. Sir, we can’t find anything to eat. There is no food here.
Kuyvu looked up at him; there was fear in her eyes, fear and worry. It’ll be alright. We’ll find something. He hugged her with one giant wing and turned back to the young male. Keep looking. When you find anything, give it to her.
Yes, Sir.
Shaelynn sat in her little circle of beach, and looked up at the female around her. She heard the conversation, and knew something must be wrong with her. She counted up her symptoms, changing emotions, the need to defend children, a need to eat; she had seen these before and knew what was wrong with her. If dralics were anything like dragons, she would be back to her normal self in a year or so. She decided that she may be able to make a deal with them. If they ate the same thing dragons did, then they could find plenty of deer on the northern side of the island. Why do you care what happens to me?
Kuyvu tensed. What?
Why do you care about me? I’ll only get you in trouble.
Kuyvu adjusted her position to look down at Shaelynn. Why would you get me in trouble?
Because I’m a dragon, you are a dralic. Dralics and dragons don’t get along. Eventually someone will think badly of you because you want to protect me. I am not worth the lives of those you carry with you.
What? She was completely taken back by the child’s statement, and did not reply further.
I know our races don’t get along, but if you let me go, I’ll tell you where to find food. I know you’re hungry.
She stood up, catching her father’s attention. Kuyvu, where are you going?
I’m thirsty, I’m going to go down to the river. In truth, she was not really thirsty, but instead wanted a quiet place to think.
All right, but be careful. She nodded and nudged Shaelynn closer to him. The child was simply laying there. She sounded strong, but her physical condition was far from it. Shaelynn had worn herself out the day before and barely had the strength to stand. She did not know where she had found the energy to chase the dralics earlier, but now was paying for that as well. She knew that the dralics would not hurt her, but she also knew that they did not know how to care for her. She needed to find Seoung, to be taken back to a shaman, but she needed to get away from them first, and being invisible was out of the question right now. She watched Kuyvu disappear into the trees from her place next to the dralic leader, and she hoped Seoung had a plan. She knew that in order to join him, she would need her strength, so she settled down for a nap.
Kuyvu slowly wound her way through the trees. She stopped at the river and took a drink, but studied the area around her. She sat down by the streambed and stared into the water. How could she know? No one knew, except for her family and Caegain. She had not even told her mate, so how could the child know?
She stared at her reflection, wishing she had stayed home. Home. Her father had always told her that home was where family was. As long as she, her family, and her mate were together, they were home, but if this were true, why did Caegain send their warriors to invade the dragons? The last time their two races met, the dragons had shone true power and strength, giving birth to the legend of the Whitewood bloodline. The Last Whitewood and all her descendants, would have the strength to fight the larger race. She suddenly realized that the child she had decided to protect, may not be strong of body, but her heart and soul showed that Whitewood power, and she realized that the child must be a descendant of Whitewood.
Seoung watched her from the trees. He was still invisible and would have to show himself soon. He watched her slowly stand and pace back and forth along the water’s edge. He looked around, trying to think of how to execute his plan. He saw her stop, and tense up for a moment before mumbling about food, and he realized that she had not eaten in a long time. As this realization struck him, he began to understand why they were really here. They had not come to defeat the dragon race for fun, sport, or cruelty, but out of necessity. These dralics were refugees themselves and were just looking for a new home. He knew what he had to do and left to get it done.
Roughly an hour later he returned to the river, she was still there, but now there was another dralic with her. Again, he saw the young male from the lake. They were talking quietly and he seemed worried about her. He said something Seoung could not hear, and embraced the female. He nuzzled the side of her face and walked away. Seoung had caught a deer, alive, and had forced it into a small, nearby canyon. Now, he forced the deer to bellow to attract the female’s attention.
It worked. She turned toward the sound and slowly walked that direction. She looked into the ravine and her entire demeanor changed. He had underestimated how hungry she was as her instincts took control and she launched herself at the deer. It saw her and ran toward the opening of a small cave in one wall of the chasm. The deer made it to the safety of the cave, but she followed it in, barely fitting through the entrance. She was sufficiently distracted by her food and did not foresee what was about to happen.
Seoung leapt to the top of the opening, where a precariously stacked pile of boulders sat. He knocked them over, starting a rockslide above the opening, trapping the young female inside. He did the same thing several more times, so the other dralics would not be able to tell where the cave had been. Then he waited. He knew her father would answer her call.
When Mordag entered the canyon, he had three other dralics with him. Two were the younger ones he had seen earlier, and the third was Caegain. He recognized this brute; it was he who had tried to kill Kyeon, as well as the attack on Alamine’s clan. Kuyvu! Where are you?
Her response was weak, and full of fear. Father! I… I don’t know. There was a cave… I think it’s buried.
Are you hurt?
No, no I don’t think so.
It’s going to be alright. We’re going to get you out of there. Can you tell me where the cave was?
She described it the best she could, but in her hunger she had not gotten a good look. Her description did not aid them, as the rockslides the prince had caused changed the landscape. He climbed to the top of the ravine and prepared himself. Taking a breath, he spoke to them, deep within their minds. If you want her back, you will make me a deal.
The dralics looked around, they still could not see him, and he did not want them to, not yet. Why should we? Who are you to decide what we do? Caegain asked.
I am the one who holds your females. I could tell you where they are, and how to find her, but I will not unless you give me what I want, Seoung replied. He slowly revealed himself and leapt down a level.
The dralics were shocked to see him. Caegain growled, but the other three just looked confused. What…what do you want? Mordag stammered.
“I want, you to release every single dragon you hold prisoner. I want them freed, and I want it done now,” he demanded firmly.
What prisoners? I do not know what you’re talking about, Mordag declared, confused. He was more concerned about his daughter’s safety than anything else.
“The prisoners you took here, at the clan of South Beach, and everywhere else on this island. If you don’t want your child to starve and suffocate inside that cave, you will tell me the truth.” Seoung was surprised by his tone. He was acting very unlike himself.
He speaks falsely Sir. We have no prisoners, Ca
egain declared.
Seoung glared down at the dralic. “Do not think I will not let them die. I know who you are, Caegain. You attacked a small clan of Pebbline dragons, destroyed it. You strangled a young shaman, and almost broke his neck. That boy, happens to be the son of a personal friend of mine. Worse than all of that, you tried to kill our king! If the prince hadn’t stopped you, we would have lost out leader. Without our king, there would have been no one left to keep our warriors under control. They would have torn you apart.” Seoung had not realized how upset he had been over his brother’s injury. Now, his anger surprised him.
Caegain growled, more angry at being discovered than at being accused. You did what!? Mordag asked, growing angry with his lieutenant. How many times have I warned you? How many time have you disobeyed? Now you have doomed Kuyvu to die! He turned to the youths behind him. Find out if this is true. They nodded and ran off.
He turned back to Seoung. How do I know you will keep your word, dragon?
Because, you have something I want, something that means as much to me as your daughter means to you. His reply confused Mordag even more.
A few minutes later one of the young males returned. Sir, I discovered more than one hundred dragons being held in the lower caverns of that mountain. He was joined by the youth from the beach a moment later. Father, it’s true. All of what he says is true.
Mordag looked from the boy to Seoung and said, Release them. Make sure every one of them is freed and leaves.
Yes, Sir. The two youths nodded and left to see it done.
It did not take long for Seoung to see the dragons leave. One of them hovered in place and watched as the others flew away. They seemed to be giving directions. Seoung called to them. Flier! This is Prince Seoung Mangjul. Brother to Kyeon Mangjul, King of Dragons’ Keep. Your people are in the Middle Kingdom, as is your queen. They are waiting for you. The dragon acknowledged him and spread the word; he watched as they changed direction and flew northward.
Mordag stared at Seoung. The prince had allowed him to hear his words. Now he knew this dragon was royalty, and he knew he must make his deal. Alright, I have done as you asked, now release the females, Mordag said, showing respect. The youths returned to the canyon as he asked.
Seoung told him where to find the three females taken during the lake fight, and watched as the two boys, again left. Still, after having the dragons released, he did not move.
My daughter, where is she? Mordag asked.
Seoung looked down at him. He had tried to reach Shaelynn, but she did not answer, and he knew that she had not been in the group to leave. “I will release your daughter, when you release the other dragon. I know you still have one.”
What other dragon? I have released every prisoner they took, the dralic declared.
“Do not lie to me!” Seoung growled.
Mordag was taken aback, he did not understand what dragon he was talking about. Father, what’s going on out there? Kuyvu. She sounded scared.
It will be alright, Kuyvu. I will find you, but I fear I will have to deal with this first. He quickly told her about the dragon and his demands. I will get you as soon as I can.
Kuyvu did not answer him right away. Father, the dragon he wants, could they be the little black one? Mordag closed his eyes. She was right, the child was the only other dragon there, it had to be her. Father? Now her voice seemed strained, and he knew she must be running out of air. Father, the child, I think she’s of Whitewood descent.
Morag looked up at Seoung, now understanding. The child was related to him, and he was not leaving without her. They were both of Whitewood descent and he knew that this male could likely kill him. What does the child mean to you?
Seoung growled, and did not get a chance to answer. It does not matter if that thing is important to him or not. They are both dragons, and should both die.
The prince glared at Caegain and growled, mantling his wings. “If you want the little female, you will hand her over.”
If you want it, come and get it, if it’s not already dead, Caegain challenged, raising his own wings.
Seoung growled again. “If you killed her… He did not finish the threat, but lowered his head aggressively.
Caegain followed suite. He growled and said challengingly, That thing, has brought us nothing but bad luck. We had to stop its poison. If you want to save its life, you will have to get past me.
Seoung roared his response to that challenge, and leapt off the ridge, aiming for the dralic’s chest. Caegain jumped out of the way, leaving Seoung to spread his wings to keep from crashing into the ground. When the prince was a few feet from the dirt, the dralic swatted at him, looking to bring him down. Seoung dodged the blow, but was not fast enough. He rolled to a stop, and leapt to his feet. Growling, he locked his neck and shot an inferno of fire at the dralic. Caegain howled as the flames burned through his wing membrane, and scorching his side.
He dropped to the ground and rolled away from the blaze, causing tremors to rain more rocks on the cave where Kuyvu was trapped. She called out to Mordag for help, before the cave collapsed on top of her. Mordag tied to stop them, but Caegain would not listen. He growled and struck out at Seoung with his tail. Seoung sprang up and jumped over the whip like appendage. He landed on the other side and lashed out, digging his claws into Caegain’s left hind thigh. He dug harder as the dralic howled again and turned around. He roared threateningly and back-handed Seoung, catching him in the shoulder and throwing him through the trees.
He landed on the beach, attracting the rest of the dralics. Caegain dove from the trees, and pounced at him. He rolled over, barely avoiding Caegain’s claws. The other dralics growled and turned to join the fight, but listened to Mordag when he told them to leave the dragon be, and tried to reign in the warrior in front of him. Seoung dove to the side again as Caegain lashed out with the other paw. He clipped Seoung in the shoulder and the dragon squealed from the pain, but he did not go down. He dropped to the ground to avoid being hit again, and rolled under the larger creature’s leg, landing underneath the dralic. He struck out with all four feet, opening great gashes in the dralic’s belly.
Caegain roared with both pain and anger and jumped back away from Seoung. The prince climbed back to his feet. He turned to face the dralic and roared another challenge. Caegain surged forward with a roar of his own. He jumped and attempted to tackle the prince, but Seoung was prepared for it. He locked his neck and released another bout of fire. Caegain’s enormous size prevented him from avoiding the attack. The flames hit him head on, and the dralic howled painfully, however, he did not stop. He hit Seoung in a head on collision, bringing the dragon to the ground. He growled, furiously, pinning the prince to the earth. One of his claws dug into the side of Seoung’s face, the other on that paw, dug into his neck.
Seoung growled, and struggled against the larger being, but was unable to get out from beneath him. He laid there, trying not to be crushed by the giant paw. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Caegain released him. He locked his own neck in preparation for another attack. Seoung knew what he was going to do, and knew he would never get out of the way in time. All he could do was prepare himself for the acid.
“Seoung!” The cry was loud and took them all by surprise. Shaelynn stood on the edge of the beach; she could barely stand. Her cry proved to Mordag, that this dragon really was here for her. He also knew that he was his best chance of saving Kuyvu. Enough! He lashed out at Caegain, bringing him down. He pinned the big dralic to the ground and roared a challenge of his own. I need him alive. If you don’t leave right now, you won’t leave at all. He released his hold on Caegain, and turned back to the dragon. Shaelynn was already there.
“Seoung! Uncle, wake up. Wake up!” She was at his side, forefeet on his shoulder, trying to shake him. “Wake up.” He could hear the despair in her voice, and came to realize that what she had said about her family was true: they would do anything to keep her safe. He watched as she slowly climbed down and
curled up by his side, and was surprised to find that he was actually relieved when Seoung spoke.
He was not very loud, but it was enough to tell them he was alive. Shh, it’s alright Shae. I’m here. I made your… your father a promise. He rolled his eyes toward the dralic leader. It was hard for him to speak, but even harder for him to breath. One of Caegain’s blows had cracked several of his ribs. A deal…is… a deal. The place I was standing… marks the entrance to the cave. Mordag, before you leave… you should know, all of this could … have been avoided.
He struggled to sit up, and once he could look at the dralic eye to eye, he continued. If all you wanted … was a place to live, all you needed to do was ask. There…is a place… ac…across the sea to the east…It’s un…inhabited…by men or dragons. He groaned as his breath caught and pain spread through his chest.
He blinked in an attempt to clear the blood from his eyes and when he looked up again, Mordag was standing in front of him. He leaned down and grabbed Seoung by the wings, but for just a moment. He adjusted his hold on the dragon so his paw was behind Seoung’s shoulder, and pulled him to his feet. After he found his balance, the dralic looked at him and asked, Where?
He told Mordag where to find the mountainous territory to the east. He also told him the boundaries of the land. If they went north to the grasslands, they would be in human territory, and man would protect their own. Mordag understood and would leave as soon as the females had recovered. It did not take long for the three older females to join them. The oldest landed on the beach with a little trouble. Mordag met her there and the two embraced. A few minutes later, after Mordag had sent the boys back to the ravine, Kuyvu joined them. She was covered with dirt and was not happy.
Seoung and Shaelynn watched as the family was reunited. Shanti and Kuyvu both said they were alright and wanted to leave the islands. Shanti also told her mate that the dragons had not been cruel to them, and had made sure they had food and water. Kuyvu was still hungry, but decided to wait until they made it to the mountains. As they were leaving, and Mordag led his people off the island, Seoung called to him and said, Maybe…one day…our two races will be allies…not enemies. Mordag paused just long enough to nod a final farewell, and agreed that it was possible.