Chapter 1: The Lost Dragons

The sun was beginning to disappear behind a spruce-covered island as a dark shape raced through the woods. The first flecks of snow were already hitting the ground by the time the young dragon finally caught sight of the familiar rock outcropping that hid his family's nest from prying eyes. He scrambled up the large rocks leading to the hidden entrance and leaped inside. Breathing heavily, he shook the snow free from the tips of his ears and looked up to find a disappointed Mother staring down at him.

Uh oh, this can't be good. He knew there was little he could say that would help his position. She had left him detailed instructions to stay in the cave while she looked for food. He sighed and stared at the ground as she bounded down from her nesting spot. Mother, I'm sorry, I-

She interrupted him. I don't want to hear it! Why did you leave the safety of our nest? You know the human world is at war with us. Every human is a threat to us, especially you! If they found you... They kill without cause and attack without reason! The beasts would love nothing more than to find you, a defenseless hatchling out in the wild. The beasts would turn you into a boot if ever they found you!

The small Fury shifted on his feet uncomfortably. He didn't really want to be a boot. I know Mother, I didn't mean to stay out so late, I was exploring in the forest, I just thought if-

Late? She huffed a short steam of smoke from her nostrils. You weren't supposed to be out at all! I told you to STAY in the nest! I was so worried. What if you had gotten lost, or a human had found you? She paced around the cave. When I got back from, from hunting, and couldn't find you... I was about to leave to go out looking for YOU! What if one of the humans had found you? I couldn't bear to lose you, your Father, he... he's been away too long, you must listen to me. You don't know the world like I do...

Yes, Mother, I... He sniffed slightly and looked up into her shining dark green eyes. I didn't mean to worry you. I won't leave by myself ever again. I promise you.

She looked back at him and blinked, her anger seeming to melt away as quickly as it came. I only want what's best for you... Please, don't leave the nest without me ever again. She moved closer and wrapped a wing around him.

Moon thought she was being a little overdramatic. It's not like he had stayed out all night. Suddenly, he was surprised to hear a sort of whimpering noise coming from deep within her throat. Was she, crying? He had never heard another dragon cry before, discluding himself, but this was different. Mother shouldn't be crying. He felt her large wing shaking against his own. Mother sniffed and inhaled deeply before speaking again.

If- When your Father returns, maybe things will be different, but of all the irresponsible... She was raising her voice again. But... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. But until then, please, let's stay here, safe and warm. The skies are bringing a storm that will last for days... But know this, nothing will ever happen to you, not if I have anything to say about it.

Moon nodded, feeling a little weird. This sure is an extra long hug... She must have been really worried.

She suddenly moved away from him. I got some fish for us, even some pike, your favorite. But first, let's see if you can create another one of those beautiful fires your Father taught you to make.

Curled up on his flat obsidian rock with his head resting on his forelegs, Moon sighed and thought back to his most recent conversation with Mother. "If..." Had she said that? Did she think Father wouldn't ever return? Father would come back, any day now... He had to, it's Father! He was the biggest, strongest, most clever dragon out there. No way could he... No, it's not possible. He would return, just like he always did. He looked over to where Mother was sleeping. She had her wings wound over her head and still, she seemed to be shivering. It wasn't even that cold out, plus, Moon had just made a fire for them. He didn't understand.

Shuffling his wings, he tried not to think about what Mother had almost said. He poked an especially brilliant looking ember with a claw. It collapsed in on itself and disappeared into the ashes. After he made the fire and they ate the fish Mother had found, she had fallen asleep across from him. He was glad she didn't insist on staying up to make sure he didn't burn the cave down. Again.

This was usually around the time Father would tell a story. He missed those. Mother sometimes told a few good ones, but Moon preferred to hear Father's words. He was so good at telling stories. He thought back to one of the ancestral stories Father had often told him, especially after Moon didn't do so well on a flying lesson and was looking for some extra encouragement.

"We are Night Furies. Dragons said to be one with the night, armored with scales darker than the deepest shade of black. Respected by all, we are the swiftest and mightiest dragons ever to fly across the green-blue earth. We are the..."

Moon struggled to remember his Father's words. He gazed into the fire he had (rather proudly) made by himself, using some smaller timbers from the woodpile. He always adored the grand stories Father used to tell during storytime. He told tales of ancient golden dragons that breathed brilliant blue fire, with numbers in the thousands spread all over the mainland and surrounding isles. They had been peaceful beings that roamed free to explore the ends of the earth.

Of course, this was long before dragons ever started to have problems with humans; long before the ruthless two-legs tried to take to take all of the mainlands for themselves; before the Furies took their rightful place with the strongest ancient dragons in the war to defend their homeland. Their eldest leader, with a long-forgotten name, had thought she alone could prevent the war with words instead of bloodshed. So she pulled their forces back and instead went alone to the humans and tried to reason with them. It was said that she crossed the border into their land, but never came back.

After this, the rest of the war had not gone well for them. Not a day after the leader of dragons disappeared past the human's border, the humans attacked. Despite the immense strength and size of the dragons, the humans won with their machines of death and destruction and seemingly infinite numbers. Father said most of the ancient dragons died during the war, and those that survived were slowly hunted to extinction. Now, with so few Furies left, it would be foolish to be anything but the most cautious in regard to humans.

Of course, this all happened hundreds of years before Moon was even born. He had been told time and time again how heartless and vicious humans were, but he still found it hard to believe. He hadn't even seen a human, or another dragon, besides Mother and Father. It couldn't be that bad, out in the world... Could it?

He looked back into the glowing logs. This was the third flame he had managed to conjure up from within himself. It felt super weird to breathe fire, he was afraid he would burn right up from the inside out if he wasn't careful. Father said that would never happen. Mother said most adolescent Furies couldn't sustain a flame until they were at least 5 years old. Moon had been happy to hear that, as he was only 3 as of this winter. He was proud, but later suspected she may have been exaggerating the age a little bit, perhaps to make him feel better about his lack of ability to fly.

Perhaps that was why she never wanted him to leave the nest alone. Maybe, if he could just learn to use his oversized wings properly, she might allow him to explore whenever he wanted. He had seen Father take off to go hunting many times, flying seemed so complicated, but Mother would be able to help him. She always seemed to be good at everything and flying was no exception. He decided he would talk with her tomorrow about taking him out for another flying lesson, then, once she saw how well he could fly, she would let him leave and explore the island whenever he wanted!

After making sure the fire wasn't in danger of spreading to the large pile of wood on the far side of the cave, Moon left his slab of rock and moved over to his Mother's much larger sleeping place to curl up against her warm side before drifting off to sleep.

Adurna woke with a start from her restless sleep. She was dreaming again, but not of pleasant things. She pricked her sensory ears up, looking around and sighed when she realized her son was lying right next to her.

She didn't know how to tell Moon what she had found on the beach that morning. She was distraught as she flew as quickly as she could back to the nest, and terrified when she found the cave without her Moon in it. He was missing for only a few minutes, but they felt like days to her. When he had returned, the words seemed to spill out of her mouth without thought. But she couldn't bring herself to tell him; she just couldn't.

Looking down at him, she smiled. Moon looked so much like his father. It showed in his deep green eyes, they always seemed to gleam with the same intelligence and playfulness as Argetir's once did. She thought back to the beach.

Adurna was flying over the north side of the island collecting fish in the tide pools, and that was when she found him. A blurry black shape, lying in a crumpled heap halfway up the shore of a shallow inlet. At first, she thought it was her imagination, but when she got closer she realized it was a dragon. Her dragon. The pain of the realization made her drift down and land some meters away from him. She dropped the fish and approached him, letting loose a low mournful cry. He was lying on the sand with his eyes closed, the low tides nipping at his long wings, trying to pull him back into the murky depths of the ocean.

She sniffed at his head, but she knew he had clearly passed on. Laying her head on his neck, she lay on the beach with him for a long while, too stunned to move. It was the thought of Moon alone in their nest that made her get up, but she couldn't leave before laying her mate to rest. She slowly stumbled away from Argetir and walked up the beach, past the tide pools, before finding a shallow spot in the dirt beneath a large willow tree.

The time it took to dig seemed to drift by so quickly, she hardly noticed how much time she ended up spending making her mate's final resting place. But she couldn't just leave him there on the beach, not for nature's creatures to deal with, no. This was something she had to do. She tore a large pine branch off a nearby tree and brought it to the beach. She turned her beloved unto the needles and used her powerful jaws to grab the branch and carefully pull him up to the willow tree.

She sat next time him, words unspoken, but all the while thinking of the memories they had made together. She remembered when she first saw him, and when he saw her. His mischievous, albeit goofy smile, his playful attitude towards life. When he tried to impress her and woo her. He didn't need to, but it made her smile. She supposed that was all he wanted.

The snow was beginning to fall around the tree, drifting down and clinging to the tips of the grass. She thought back to when Moon had hatched, how Argetir had loved him and spoke to her about him. Moon was too young, he didn't deserve this, Argetir didn't deserve this. She moaned and choked out a whisper. Goodbye my love, you will not be forgotten.