by Katie Cherry
After another half hour or so, she stopped dead in her tracks, hearing rustling nearby. Swallowing, she crept toward it, heart in her throat. Peering around the trunk of a tree, she caught a glimmer of scales through the undergrowth. They were different than the Elder Dragons' scales and the tiny ones on her wings. While normally, they were a dark, hard color, these dragons' scales were lighter toward the edges, and gleamed like glass. The color was like amber, a gleaming gold-orange that stood out harshly among the deep green of the plants.
It took Myra a moment to realize that the scales belonged to more than one dragon. Three or four little dragons were wrestling just a few feet away from her, completely unaware of her presence. As much as she'd like to keep her distance, Myra knew she had to approach. She had no idea, though, how to talk to these dragons. They looked like babies, but what if the island dragons were just really small? She certainly wouldn't want to offend them by assuming they're babies when they're not.
Breathing deeply to try and keep calm, Myra stepped out from behind the tree, purposely making some noise to alert the dragons to her presence. It took a moment, but they eventually registered her and stopped playing, giving her their attention. Gulping, Myra began cautiously. "H-hi. I'm M-Myra. The... Elder Dragons sent me. I was hoping I could talk to... whoever your leader is?" She had no idea if they even had a leader, given their supposed search for a queen, but she had to say something.
The dragons tilted their heads at her curiously, like dogs, and Myra heaved a sigh. "Do you even understand me?"
"They do not," a voice answered her, causing Myra to turn, frantically looking for the source of the voice. It rang in her mind, telling her that it was a dragon who was speaking, though not one of the little ones before her. A larger dragon stood and turned to face Myra, her scales dropping their camouflage and taking on the same golden amber hue that the small dragons had. "They are still too young to understand much."
"O-oh," Myra stammered, taking a step or two back from the slowly approaching dragon, whose face is level with her own.
"Who are you, and how did you find us here, human?" the dragon asked, though she sounded more curious than angry, much to Myra's relief.
"Um, actually, I'm not really a human," Myra began, letting her wings out to show the dragon, who flinched in surprise before leaning closer, staring at the crimson wings in amazement. "I'm part human, but I am also part dragon. My name is Myra. I've come to... well, investigate your... a claim that new dragons have been discovered."
"We are not really that new," the dragon chuckled, lowering her wings flat against her back to show her being relaxed in Myra's presence. "It is just that we have now been discovered. We have been around for... decades? Nearly a hundred years, I believe."
"How?" Myra meant to ask something deeper, but only the one word left her mouth.
"We were born from the volcano," the dragon began, gesturing with her head for Myra to follow her as she led her away from the dragon babies, which had resumed playing as soon as the larger dragon had taken over talking with Myra. "It seems that magic was once prevalent in the world, but over time, it seeped back into the earth, perhaps from lack of use. Eventually, it grew concentrated enough that it erupted in the form of Makuahine, the volcano. She gave birth to the island, and to us."
"Wow... that's super cool," Myra murmured. "I became a dragon because I already had dragon blood in me. I just didn't know it."
"Blood of the Elder Dragons?" her guide questioned, craning her long neck to look back at Myra.
"Yes... the Elder who came here is my grandfather, actually. Kalseru."
The dragon's eyes seemed to gleam as she turned back from Myra, but all she said was, "Interesting."
"Um... yeah." After a few more moments of silence, Myra felt awkward so she pressed on. "After that, I had accepted the dragon part of me, but I guess I was still more human than dragon. I met the Elder Dragons, and they made me Dragonkin, so I'm much more like a dragon now. Stronger, faster, and with stronger magic and... stuff."
"I am glad you came to us, Myra," the dragon responded, looking back at her once more. "I think Kukane will be really interested to meet you."
"Kukane? Is that your leader?"
"In a way," the dragon replied, looking back toward the front. "I am Mala, by the way."
"Pleasure to meet you," Myra said, feeling herself gradually relaxing. Maybe this whole thing won't be so bad. Mala seems nice enough, at least. Of course, my mission wasn't to meet and learn about them. I'm supposed to stop them from leaving their hidden island and entering the world of humans. I'm sure that will be something entirely different.
"And you as well, Myra," Mala said, her voice sweet in Myra's mind like honey. "I am pleased that I was able to be the first to welcome you to Awahine."
"Thank you. And I look forward to meeting with... Kukane."
"Well, you do not have to wait much longer, we are almost there." Peering around Mala, Myra strained for a look at where they were headed. All around them, amber dragons ranging in size from about half the size of the Elder Dragons to newborn hatchlings milled about. As one, they noticed Myra's approach and froze, turning to stare at her as she walked up behind Mala. Myra was glad she kept her wings out, but still withered beneath the weight of their stares regardless. Anxiety pounded in her veins, and her newfound confidence seemed to drift away on the breeze. She'd never seen so many dragons, let alone all at once... and all staring at her.
"Kukane, an outsider dragon has arrived in Awahine," Mala called out. "You need to come and meet her."
A dragon just a little larger than Mala broke off from the crowd and approached, pinning Myra down with his emerald gaze. Stopping before her, he tilted his head, considering her, but didn't speak. Myra swallowed and waited, unwilling to be the first to say something. A smile seemed to lift the dragon's lips before his scales began to camouflage, like Mala's had. Only, they continued to change, the air around him wavering like a mirage until he turned into a human.
"What the-" Myra gasped, taking a step back from Kukane, who just grinned at her, his brilliant white smile lighting up his face. Shirtless, she noticed how insanely fit he was, as well as the perfect tan of his skin and messy brown hair. His eyes retained their emerald shine, and they remained locked on her face.
"Well, hello, there," he murmured, his voice even smoother than Mala's had been in Myra's mind. "And who might you be?"
"M-Myra," she stammered, floored by how handsome this dragon was. And, you know, the fact that the dragon had turned into a human. "H-how did you just turn into a person?!"
He smirked and took another couple of steps closer to her. She held her ground and looked up at him. He was a good four inches taller than her. "I am the only dragon on the island who also retains the magic of the Old Ones."
"But... how? We only just discovered your existence. You can't have Elder Dragon blood in you!"
"Blood, no, magic, yes," he explained, running a hand distractedly through his long hair. "It seems there are quite a few humans in the world with Elder blood in them. They suffer because of it. If they come to Hawai'i, especially onto the water between our two islands, they come close enough that I have been able to absorb their magic. They leave pure human, and all the more glad of it, as it takes away their pain. After a while of doing this, setting the humans free of the bonds the Old Ones left them with, I became more like them myself. I only recently discovered this form for myself. It is... interesting, though I cannot say I prefer it over the dragon body Makuahine gave me."
"Um... right. I get that. I definitely enjoy my dragon side."
"Of course you do," he replied, eyes glittering as he stared at her. Finally, he stepped back, and Myra felt like she could breathe again. "Anyway, you are welcome to stay on Awahine as long as you'd like, Myra. Mala will find you a place to stay." As he turned to walk away, Myra couldn't help but call after him, spinning from his abrupt dismissal.
"Wait!" He turned and raised an eyebrow at
her, waiting expectantly. "Where are you going?"
"I am going to converse with Makuahine and hope that she will impart to me some of her wisdom, for I feel there is information that I need, that I do not yet possess."
"What information?"
He smirked at her instead of replying before changing back into his dragon form and turning away from her again. "You may yet see, Myra, if you are who I think you are." He then took flight, leaving Myra surrounded by a large number of foreign amber dragons and a strange swirl of emotions in her chest.
Chapter Five
Myra spent the rest of the day wandering around the island and the city of amber dragons, who all seemed as curious about her as she was about them. Before long, though, they all got used to each other and they mostly stayed out of her hair. She was happy, however, that Mala decided to stay with her until Kukane returned.
"So... why do you guys want to enter the human world, anyway?" Myra asked, munching on a light dinner as she sat cross-legged across from Mala. "It's perfect here. I can't imagine wanting to leave."
"It is not so much that we wish to leave," Mala slowly replied, "but it is more because of our consideration of the outside world. Makuahine is the rebirth of the old world's magic. She wants to rejoin the world. She wants to aid it, and so do we. Kukane witnessed firsthand the pain that the humans live in thanks to their ignorance of what little magic does remain in the world. We want to ease the pain of the world."
"That's... very admirable of you," Myra murmured in reply, finishing her food with a heavy swallow and leaning back on her hands. She had no idea the dragons' motives were so pure... so understandable. If she didn't know what she knew about humans and their hunger for war and destroying anything they don't understand... she would be on the side of these island dragons. The humans had so much to gain from dragons and magic reentering the world.
Too bad they'd just destroy it.
"Mala... the humans... they aren't what you think," Myra began with a sigh. "There is a reason the Elder Dragons made the decision they had all those centuries ago. The humans are blood-thirsty and rather than accept new things, they would rather destroy it and continue on as they had before. I'm afraid if you did leave the island and approach the humans... you would only be killed. You and the rest of the island dragons. ...And from there, the Elder dragons and any dragon mutt they can find."
Mala's green eyes met Myra's and held steady. "I respect your view of things, even more so than I had Kalseru's, since you were a human yourself not so long ago... but I still believe the contrary. You accepted the dragons, did you not? You even decided to become one. You had no inclination to destroy the dragons."
"Well... no, but not everyone is like me," Myra argued. "I accepted the existence of dragons because I was in so much pain, I would accept any answer, any solution-"
"Would not the other humans as well?"
"-But the leaders of the humans are especially close-minded," Myra pressed, growling a little, hoping to drive her point home. "Individually, I believe the humans really would accept dragons. But the world leaders would not. They have armies, and they like to use them. They've done more for less."
"What if you were to go as a liaison for the dragons?" Mala suggested after a moment. "You can appear as a human, you know their ways... you know who the leaders are. You could talk to them. Individually, as you said."
Myra scoffed and sat forward, staring at Mala in amusement and disbelief. "Mala, no. I'm a nobody. There's no way I'd be able to get in and talk to the President of the United States, and I'm a citizen. The rest of the world is absolutely out of the question. I did not come here to represent dragonkind to any world leaders."
Mala only smirked in response, something in her eyes telling Myra she knew more than she was letting on. "You believe that now. But I have a feeling you will turn out to be the perfect representative of the dragons- of all dragons. Mutts, Dragonkin, the Old Ones, and we island dragons. Just keep my proposition in mind," she continued, heaving herself back to her feet and turning to leave. "Have a good night, Myra. I have enjoyed getting to know you today, and look forward to having you with us tomorrow as well."
Once she had disappeared from view, Myra was left alone for the first time since waking up that morning. She sagged tiredly, her shoulders slumping. Keeping her spirits up while surrounded by these strange dragons was immensely draining. Not to mention trying to understand them and acting like she belonged even though she definitely didn't.
Pulling her phone from her pocket, she quickly typed an update for Rhys, who had already texted her three times that day that she hadn't had time to respond to. He was anxious to hear how she was doing, and she could hardly blame him. She'd be panicking if he were the one out here, on an island of new dragons, all alone.
"I'm fine," she typed, a small smile lifting her lips as she thought of him. "Sorry I wasn't able to reply until now. The dragons are actually really cool. Their scales look like they're made of amber! None of them want to hurt me, promise. In fact, the only thing they seem to want from me is to be a liaison for them with the humans. Obviously, that's not happening, but tomorrow I think I'll have more opportunity to try and talk them out of leaving the island at all. So... wish me luck, I guess. They seem pretty stubborn."
His reply came only a few minutes later. "Thank goodness. I've been so worried about you. I wish I could be there with you. The dragons sound really cool. Maybe if we can get this all figured out, I can come and see them too. Good luck tomorrow. I know you can do it! <3"
"Thanks. I'm headed to bed now, but I'll text you every day, okay? Try not to worry too much."
"Easier said than done, but I'll try. Goodnight, Myra. I love you."
"I love you too."
*****
Myra woke the next day filled with trepidation. Kukane hadn't returned yet, which meant he must still be... conversing with the magical volcano. Or something. Maybe it was more like meditation. That would certainly make more sense. While yes, she had magic, and yes, she mostly believed the tale Mala had told her about the volcano and how they all came to be, talking to the volcano and it responding was something else entirely.
"Well, hopefully he comes back before too long," Myra muttered to herself, wrapping up her blanket once more and stuffing it back into the backpack. "I need to convince him, sooner rather than later, that they all need to abandon their hopes of joining the rest of the world. However noble the reasoning may be."
"Kalseru sent you here to do his dirty work for him, then?" Mala's voice entered Myra's mind soon after she finished mumbling to herself and she glanced up guiltily to the approaching dragon. “You sound just like him.”
"Uh... not... exactly. He just thought I might have a better chance showing you... our way of seeing things. Sharing what we've learned through our experience."
"Interesting you speak of 'we' when you are here alone, with your Old One fled back to his place of hiding," Mala mused, coming closer to Myra and opening her paw. Bananas, pineapples, and avocados tumbled from her grasp onto the ground. "I brought you breakfast. Kukane should be back soon, and I imagine he would like to speak with you again when he does."
"That would be great," Myra replied, reaching out for the fruit gratefully. Selecting a banana, she sat back and looked at Mala as she peeled the fruit and began to eat. "Does the volcano really talk to you?"
"In a way. Makuahine is a spring of magic that slowly seeps into the world. For now, it is contained to our island, keeping us strong and the island hidden. By going to the source, sitting at the edge of the volcano's mouth, we are exposed to more of that magic. The magic of the earth. And we can glean certain things that we would otherwise be blind to. A few even receive... a feeling about the future. Particularly, that we will join the humans in the world, and that our King and Queen will lead us. I am sure Kukane is hoping to glean more information about who our King and Queen will be."
"Still seems pretty weird to me, but I guess that makes more sens
e," Myra replied, finishing the banana and tossing the peel to the side, unsure of what else to do with it. "Hey, could you help me with this?" she asked, lifting a pineapple and gesturing toward Mala with it. The dragon swiftly reached out, one claw extended, and easily cut off the top of the fruit. "Thanks," Myra smiled, settling back down onto the ground. She began prying the chunks off, staring curiously at Mala as she did so, her mind buzzing. "If you're waiting for a King and Queen to be decided, why is Kukane your leader?"
Mala smiled. "He is the most likely candidate for King. We knew that one of the royals would have the magic of the Old Ones, as well as that from Makuahine. Kukane is the only dragon who fits that description."
"Oh... that makes sense, I guess. But you don't know who the Queen is going to be?"
"We do not. It is our hope that Kukane will learn of her qualifications while communing with Makuahine." As she finished speaking, the movement of wings above them stirred the air, throwing Myra's ponytail into her face. She pulled the hair away in time to see Kukane land in the clearing with them. He'd scarcely done so when he shimmered and turned into a human again, giving Myra a wide grin.
"Myra, how glad I am to see that you hadn't decided to leave Awahine just yet."
"Well, I was waiting for you," she replied, standing to face him, ignoring how her gut clenched in his presence. "We need to talk still."
"Of course, of course," he quickly nodded, putting a hand on her back, urging her to walk with him. Mala quickly said a brief farewell and flew off, leaving the two of them alone to walk through the woods of the island. "I'm happy to provide you with whatever you need, my dear."
"My dear? What a change of attitude from yesterday, when you left without answering my questions," Myra snorted. "Why the change of heart?"