It was 1653, dragons were now considered fairy tales as piracy began to rise in the new world. Inside the hold of a pirate ship was dark emerald egg. The pirates on board stole it from a merchant ship thinking it was a valuable stone. It started to crack and shake, in seconds there was a young male hatchling rummaging through a barrel of salted pork. The barrel he was in began to be rolled, his squeaks of protest going unheard. He got out of the barrel and skittered under a nearby table in the kitchen, and soon caught the smell of bloody meat "hurry up ye sod, the captain wants his dinner now" was heard as the dragon slipped into a pre arranged meal on a silver platter, his scaly tail slipping unnoticed under the cover as he began to devour the raw sheep leg. Soon light returned to the dragon as someone opened the cover and he saw a richly dressed old man with light gray hair as well as a young man looking at him in horror. The captain drew a pistol and shot the man, almost instantly someone banged on the door, "captain, are you alright?" someone yelled. "I'm fine, get back to work" he yelled back before saying "well, look at you, and here I thought I was the only one this ship" as he reached forward to scratch the hatchling. The young dragon nipped at the strange appendage, its fangs slicing open a finger in the process. "Feisty one aren't you? But soon you will learn to respect your elders, until then we can't let the crew see you as you are" as he said this as he stopped the bleeding with a napkin and reached into an old chest, pulling out a glass vial and forced its contents down the dragons throat. "There, in a few weeks you will be old enough to change, until then I'll have to keep you secret."
Several months went by and the hatchling was now an adolescent, he was in the guise of a six foot tall teenage boy about eighteen with shoulder length black hair and a well muscled body. "'ello there Alan, practic'n with yer pistol I see. The captain would like ta see yer in his quarters" said a sailor and Alan jogged to the door an knocked. "Enter" was heard and he opened the door. "Well, I think it's about time you get your own ship, and as my only heir, I leave you this chest before you depart" said captain blood, gesturing to the old strongbox as he tossed over a key. "What's in it" "the reason dragons didn't get wiped out five hundred years ago, the potion that allows you to look like a human when ya want to. Now, I need you to map out an area to the west, there is a part of the sea that ships disappear into and I think it's the gateway to the old world. Now son, remember not to trust a human, they can be treacherous fear-killers. They don't understand what we are and if the found out most wouldn't hesitate to kill us. Make me proud and I'll get you a better ship."
Weeks passed and I was sailing on my fairly large battle sloop , The Dragon's Freedom, when a crewman came up, "captain, a messenger gull just came in, those damn Brits finally caught your father. They executed him three days ago." He said as he handed me an envelope. I went into my quarters and sat down on the chest to read it, sadness engulfing me. I lost those close to me before, pirates often died and it was common, but this was different. The letter read, 'Alan, if your reading this then I've passed on and you are the last dragon alive. Do not mourn me, I lived a good thousand years. My last wish is that you go to the home world and live with others of your kind. Be strong, live life to its fullest, and remain loyal to your crew. I picked them out myself, and each one of the three hundred men on your ship would gladly die for you. P.S. the humans onboard know what you are and still wished to follow you' I took some time to gather my thoughts before leaving my room. I stood at the helm and said "men, soon we sail for the Bermuda triangle! To a place the British can't get us and we will be truly free! To the land of my ancestor's, to a land of strange creatures, to a new future! I know I am no jack blood, hell, I'm just his adopted son, but I will strive to be as good a leader as he was, Giles, break out the rum" I said and a thunderous roar followed as several kegs were brought up and I waited for everyone to fill a mug before raising min and saying "to The demon of the sea! May he forever plunder in the afterlife!" and downing my drink as they roared in approval.
Several months passed and we were soon heading toward the triangle. We lost only twelve men while plundering and got fifteen ships because of my new tactic, where I would fly above the ship and strike fear into our victim's hearts before the ship attacked. I went for my usual 'swim' later that night, leaving my clothes on the deck as the ship waited outside the Bermuda triangle. I swam about a mile before starting the change, my skin tightening and forming scales. I groaned in slight pain as the scars on either side of my spine opened to release my wings and my bones shifted, breaking and reforming as they grew stronger. I remembered a talk I had with my father as the transformation finished. 'but how does it work?" I said, my young voice begging for answers and he laughed lightly "it manipulates our genes, gives our cells two sets of DNA. It gives us the choice of what set is to be dominant."' I dove under the surface before rocketing up into the air and spreading my wings. I roared a challenge into the night before looking for the telltale shadow of prey beneath the water as my stomach rumbled, emptied of food to power the change. I finally found what I was looking for and dived into the water, jaws snapping onto a medium sized great white. I immediately took off again before the blood attracted more sharks, my victim's thrashing stopping as blood loss and suffocation finished it off. I dug in to my meal, relishing the taste of fresh meat after the salted pork and biscuits I had to stomach over the last few days. I flew back to the sip and landed in the water next to it toss me a rope I said in their heads as I finished changing and in no time my naked form was standing on deck putting on clothes. I headed back toward my quarters as someone said "night cap'n".
I woke early the next day and told the gun master I wanted to inspect the cannons this morning before going below deck and making sure the cannons were tied down before checking the powder stores and making sure the barrels of what farther called 'hell powder' which was the same as gunpowder but far more powerful as well as water proof due to salt-peter made from dragon urine were securely chained down. As I moved to the armory and prepared rifles for battle Giles came in and said "there your are, what, you think were goin' into a fight?" as he watched me work. "I don't know, but its been ten thousand years since the last dragon arrived from the homeland, and they were fleeing from a war. I'm just preparing for the worst." I said as I loaded and primed the last rifle before closing the water tight cabinet. "Anyways, cap'n the compass is acting weird and couple of the men was wondering, can you use magic?" I laughed before saying "I can only breathe fire, which is the only way a dragon can willingly use magic. We were at war with creatures that could looked sort of human when we left, and they could control theirs." Suddenly the wind picked up and the seas became rough as I stumbled onto deck. "What's happening?" I yelled over the wind. "Maelstrom!!" someone yelled back in fear and I looked to see a giant whirlpool stretching from horizon to horizon. I watched in terror as we began to sail downward at a hundred and twenty degree angle toward the jagged rocks of the seabed. Seconds before we crashed, a white light flashed and I was momentarily blinded. Next thing I knew we were going up the sides of a smaller whirlpool. "Are we dead?" asked someone in a stunned voice "I don't think so" another replied as I felt something click inside my head. I said "this place, it feels so… so right" as the crew began to sing and dance with joy at still being alive. I looked around and spotted an island and pointed saying "make way for land, tonight we rest and re supply. And break out a few kegs of rum when we get there, I feel like celebrating" with a grin at the thought of red meat.
We landed ashore and camp was almost set up as search parties went looking for food and water. I got off the ship and found a place out of the way where I could change and take off for a hunt without disturbing the crew as they prepared for the celebration. I stripped and changed, welcoming the feeling of my scales replacing pitiful human flesh. I roared my freedom to the heavens and took off. the jungle was thick on the island and I growled in frustration as I tried to find a suitable meal. I flew for over an hour before finding something, a pack of wild boars. I calculated on the best route through the trees before diving down and grabbing one fore each paw as I bit down on a fifth. When I got back I gave two to the crew and feasted on my meal before telling Giles to bring out my father's plans for the turret. It was fairly simple, just a twenty foot wooden tower that had four long nines built into it. the main purpose of the turret was to increase the ships attack range, but it would prove an invaluable asset if we met hostile dragons.
It had been seven months and we had a hidden fort on the island where we made gunpowder, hell powder, and anything else we needed. The empire's presence near the mainland had tripled and we were among the most wanted, next to a human who rode a blued dragon. Surprisingly after I slaughtered whole fleets I was still wanted alive. "Captain, we have three imperial ships to the east, should we engage?" said my third officer. "Yes, we need more information so get some prisoners" I said as I dove into the water and changed. I hovered next to the side of the ship and said get me a nine pounder and load it with a hell ball I said and soon I was flying toward the enemy, my ship not far behind. As I drew near I announced my presence and in no time the usual arrows were flying at me and I burned them in mid-air. I aimed the cannon at the largest ship and blew a jet of flame into the primer, causing an earsplitting roar as the cannonball shot at its target. About ten seconds later the hell balls fuse ran out and an explosion tore the ship in half while I returned the cannon to the shop and grabbed a grape shot cannon. I was about to pepper the second ship with lead when I noticed a red dragon withy a human on its back in the distance and saved my shot in case they were hostile. "Surrender and you will be slaves, fight and death is assured" boomed a voice from the human and I replied a life of servitude is no life for a pirate. By the way, you have disgraced your ancestors by letting a human ride on your back I finished, directing the last bit to the dragon. Suddenly they flew straight at me and I was frozen in mid air as the other dragon made to pin my wings to my back coward, using magic in an even fight as I pointed the cannon at my opponent and fired. The lead balls tore through his side and turned his right wing into a blood covered mockery of Swiss cheese and I was set free as they fled, my opponents wing slowly healing. I turned to see we captured an enemy ship twice the size of our sloop and I returned to the deck after changing and inspected our catch. It was big enough to be a galleon! "Giles, have this ship fitted with the spare fifty pound cannons when we get back." "How many do you want?" he asked and I told him "it looks like it could handle eighty." I told him.
The next night I was relaxing in the courtyard in dragon form with a barrel of the mead we started making next to me. "Captain, about our plan's for recruitment…" I cut Giles off don't talk about plan's, were being watched I said and Giles looked at me with worry. "How long? By what?" I looked at him and said I caught their scents about an hour ago; it's a human and a dragon. "The one from the other day?" no, the other one was male. She isn't the same one. "What if she's hostile? You should have warned us!" Don't forget your place Giles. I didn't warn you because she's watching me. Any strange behavior would have alerted them. Take ten men and prepare some cannons on the south wall, and be discreet. I don't want the crew running around like headless chickens. "Yes captain." I waited another fifteen minutes before the signal was ready and I told them only to fire if the attacked first. So, you going to watch us all night or introduce yourselves? I said, making sure everyone on the island could hear me. And don't try attacking or you will be killed by my cannons.