Dragon Song 7
Prologue:
"I remember a crash"
"BOOM!"
A child's memory of a car crash flashed through the young human's mind. It was like those movies where everything is in slow motion and everything is in the air before they come crashing down. The young human remembers looking from where he sat in the car, the backseat. He could see the car was tossing and turning while he tried to hold on in his seat. Darkness soon consumed the child as he fell into the world of unconsciousness.
"Then I remember somehow being on the ground. Looking up at an empty spot, I felt a sort of hollow and depressed feeling. As if my world had come to an end."
The view of the young boy's pans from the ground to the dirt road that was once used by cars. It looks as if there had been a landslide. More than what were parts of the dirt road has vanished but traces of red metal and glass could be seen in the soil that was the only trace of a car was here.
The only question is, where did it go?
The old boy, in question, was the only human that was in the area, which was kind of odd since he was only a child. He looked to be about six year old. He wore typical blue jeans with a green shirt and a jacket over it. Chestnut brown hair adorn his head. His face was obvious consumed by the still baby fat and his eyes were brown on the inside and green around the iris. Hazel they were but his eye were not filled in joy. No, he looked to be in shock about something.
The small child was sitting on the ground. He looked as if someone who had been pushed out of the way resulting in him facing the edge of the cliff. Maybe it something to do with what was once on the edge. Perhaps he was the only one who may have survived something horrific that had to do with said edge. But sadly the boy kept quiet, for something terrible must have happen for him to be silent.
Behind the boy, the thick woods began to howl with voices of monster. Screeches of birds and the most frightening howl filled the air. But with all those sounds they fell to deaf ears to the young boy who lost everything over that dreadful cliff.
"Then I got up and wondered off somewhere….
It was dark in those large, thick woods that I had entered into. I was still in shock at what had happened. I could not remember what but it seemed my face was wet with tears.
As if someone dear to me had died in front of my very eyes."
The young boy was cold. With only the clothes on his back and his short brown hair that went down to his chin as the child went farther into the forest.
It was the only place the boy could think to go. For the roads were muddy and darkness was about to set on the land. The cool air shot through his body as he began to shiver but all the boy could feel was emptiness. He should be afraid of being on his own, but no. He just felt lost and alone.
"The only thing that woke me up from my dreamlike state was the sound of the forest's demons.
Wolves, coyotes, and bears.
All the different sounds surrounded me as fear made its way into me."
It felt as if the noises were getting louder to the boy. He turned his head left and right as he tried to figure out where the sounds were coming from. But it just seemed that all the menacing creatures of the forest were all around him. As if where ever the boy would go he could not escape from their prying gaze.
That's when the little lost boy saw them. Red and yellow eyes that peered through the darkness and into the boy's soul. As if all the monsters were coming out to play and the young child was their favorite toy that they could rip apart.
That's when fear made his way into the boy's mind. Fear of being eaten and killed by those forest monsters. Words appeared in the child's brain of what he should do. He should run, but what if they catch him. Stay and fight did come to his head, but what was such a young child to do against these alpha beasts. The boy would be torn to pieces in a matter of second.
Inside, the boy hoped it would be quick.
"That's when it all stopped…..
And she appeared."
All the sounds of the forest hushed into silence. Quietness filled the air as out in the shadows of the trees, was a dark, lush green and wood brown dragon. The traditional, medieval looking dragon seemed to be female, for her face was elegant as a young French woman. Her eyes held kindness and yet some curious as to why such a young human would be in such a place as her forest. Her green and grown scales matched her surrounding, which meant she must have been some sort of earth dragon. She did have the traditional horns of a dragon but they were not just ivory bone but were held onto by green vines. She was tall has well. Reaching up close to the midsection of the tallest tree. The female dragon looked as if she was personally made by Mother Nature herself by the way she looked.
The boy was terrified. Never had he seen such a large, ferocious creature in all his life. The fear of being eaten had come back to him. He wanted to step back and run away, but where would he go?
The dragon, on the other hand, was curious of the boy, for she did not know why this human was out here. Let alone a child so young. The female dragon remembered hearing some sort of landslide and had come to check it out. It soon popped into her head of what transpired.
Another catastrophe had occurred for this small human had lost his family to the tragedy that was plague the land. Humans had, of course, come seeking glory and profit for in their eyes trees can make them money. But by digging up the land can cause some great damage such as erosion and landslides. And it looked like this boy's family had to pay the price for another man's greed.
The female came closer to the boy. She saw him shake with terror and knew he was afraid. Like all humans who came to this forest, they all had feared the great dragon's power. But the earth dragon did not want this child to be afraid of her, for she wanted to help this small child. She just had to show the boy that she wasn't a threat. That she was not here to harm the small child. Thus, the female dragon tipped her head to the boy, showing the child that she means no mischief for she did not bear her fangs or have her eyes open in a piercing glare.
Watching the female dragon lower her head, the boy could see that her horns were covered in ivy leaves. He had never seen such a sight before. The scared boy put one of his hands forward as he shakenly placed his hand, lightly, on the dragon's head. He wanted to touch one of its leaves. They were so magical and majestic with their dark and light green colors. A few times he would redraw his hand in fear for what if the dragon bit his hand. But by the fifth reach, the boy saw the dragon meant no impairment. Thus, the young human child was able to place a hand on those beautiful green scales that adorn the female dragon's face.
The little boy felt the rough scaly skin of the dragon. But he felt something else as well. It was not heat from the dragon's body. Or the bumpy scales that littered the female's body. It was something that made him not afraid anymore.Somethingthat made him not want to be afraid anymore. The safety the boy once felt with another, not so long ago.
"Mara was her name.
She was a Mother Dragon.
My savior.
My Mother"
She protected and loved me as if I were her own birth child.
But that day, I did not just gain a mother. I also gained two new brothers.
Core and Leaf.
Core was more of an Alpha with his sharp red and black scales that shone. He loved to dominate, to prove he was powerful and in charge. He prized to prove how strong he is and adored pushing Leaf around. He also had a short temper. Black hot smoke would come from his nose as he puffed up in anger. He would break things and try to fight me for he saw me as a challenge.
That's how he got into trouble a lot.
Mother always had to discipline him into not hurting others without a reason.
But Core was not all bad. Inside he did care for his family. But the hot-tempered dragon had a weird way of showing it.
Leaf was more of kind and gentle. I could get lost in the world of sleep on his light green fur. He is always kind to me and follows me around as we go off on many adventures. He blends in with the forest like mother. The smell of pine and oak would always fill my nose when I smelled his fur.
He's always a push over when it came to Core, and Leaf would always let Core have his way. But there are days when even kind and gentle Leaf can be very deadly.
The boy was curled up on Mara's side. Her tail was used like a blanket as little Leaf is curled up next to them. Core is trying to show independence by sleeping farther away but is still close by his family.
Mara watched her boys sleep. The sound of humming could be heard throughout the cave they harbored in. It sounded as if Mara was singing a lullaby to her children.
"As season came and went, I got older. I was still a small boy but my brothers have grown quite large.
Not all as big as an adult dragon, but they did reach close to Mother's neck.
We were close and happy and it made me believe that nothing can harm our little family.
But good times can turn bad in a blink of an eye."
Both Leaf and the eight year old, who was now called Cy, were taking a walk through the forest. The boy had grew up a little. His brown hair is longer with a few tangled knots that made them look similar to dreadlockes. His shirt was gone from being too small and shredded. His pants sported some holes and were shredded and shorten to his knees. He looked more like a savage boy than someone who once was part of civilization.
Cy was lying on Leaf's back in a dream like state as he ran his finger through Leaf's plush fur. It felt nice and was very comfortable as if her were laying on a pillow of white fluffy clouds. The smell of the forest reached the young boy's nose as he became lost in the world of dreams.
It was just a little walk they were taking. Like every day, Leaf would stroll through the forest with his human brother on his back. Maybe they would see that deer family again. Or find some berries to munch on.
They kept moving through the tree as if not a care in the world. Or to the danger they may come by.
"BOOM!"
The sound of gunshot alerted both boys as Leaf halted and Cy sat up. Looking in the direction of which the sound had come from, there was an open patch of land with two men, with guns, conversing as the younger of the two began to reload.
The two men were very different. One being young and still in his mid-thirties. Dressed more neatly than the other and not looking happy to be on this little outing. The other was much older and rougher around the edges. He looked to be enjoying the little endeavor as he pointed his gun at things as if he weren't afraid to shoot. The men looked at each other as they began to talk. Once the one had finished loading, the two men began to walk. Not caring that they were holding loaded weapons.
Cy and Leaf watched the two strange men. For no human, but Cy, ever stepped this far into their little forest island. Passer byers, yes, in their strange looking vehicles would pass through the dirt roads on the outer rim but none would come this deep.
The men looked to be heading back somewhere before the sound of a twig snapping caught the men's attention.
The older one raised his gun, with an angry look, and shouted for whomever to come out. "Show yourself!"
The gunner was pointing the loaded weapon in all different directions. The gun only stopped when it landed on Cy, who was hugging a tree and staring at the men with wide eyes.
The older man could not see him clearly, but knew someone was there. Thinking it was someone else, the man's voice got louder and angrier as he kept the gun pointed at the boy.
But the younger man could see better than the other. For he told him "Put your gun away, it's just a child."
But the man did not listen. He kept ranting and pointing the gun at the boy. Swearing he would shoot if he doesn't identify himself.
Now Cy still new some words of the human tongue. Core did not like it but his mother and Leaf were all right with the boy speaking it now and then.
But right now, no words came to mind. Only fear of what that metal object would do to him.
Before anything, the gun was fired. The younger man tried to stop the gunner from actually shooting the kid and told Cy to run away.
As the men fought, a ferocious growl came from the deep, dark woods. Two large green eyes appeared through the darkness as the growls became louder to frighten the men.
"It's the devil!" The older gunner shot a few rounds at the creature but it seemed to not be hitting it.
The younger man stumbled backwards while the elder gunner was left with no ammo. They both watched in horror as out of the woods came a large dark green and wood brown dragon with a vicious face.
Mara roared at the frighten men as she tried to scare them off. Like all humans they would run away with fear at the terrifying beast.
The young man stumbled backwards and fell. The other looked to his fallen comrade. But he wasn't looking at the young man, he was looking at the loaded gun in his lap.
The gunner ripped it out of the youth's grasp and pointed it at the beast. Similar to all the hunts the gunner had been on, the man pointed the weapon at the most vulnerable part of the dragon. Its chest.
A blast sounded as the bullet launched itself at Mara. Dark red blood seeped out of the hole the bullet made in her chest. The female dragon fell to the ground with a big thud.
It seemed like the air had gone still and all the sounds hushed at that moment.
Cy let out a cry as he rushed to his adopted mother's side.
The gunner's face rose with glee as he claimed to have killed the beast. He pointed the gun again but this time at the boy. Claiming, "Now I'll kill the devil's child."
With the last of her strength, Mara did the one thing she could to protect her child. One swipe of her tail sent the gunner flying.
The shooter flew right into some rocks as his body flopped to the ground after. His figure laid dead as the gun was broken in half.
The female dragon's tail flopped to the ground as the last of her strength waned.
The younger man watched in horror at what transpired. He did not know if he should move or stay perfectly still. He did not want to end up like his other comrade.
His question was answered when out of the woods appeared another dragon.
It seemed to have similar features to the one on the ground, but smaller. It looked up at the other dragon as if it were crying tears.
Looking back at the young man, rage began to fill the gentle dragon as he wanted nothing but to rip him to pieces.
The female dragon gave a couple of chorts.
That's when the younger dragon looked as if it were about to charge at him. Fearing for his life, the young man got to his feet and ran. He cleared out of the area in no time flat. Leaving the hurt family in peace.
Leaf snorted as he watched the man run away from him. He had complied with his mother's wishes in not harming the human. He gave a mighty and powerful roar as he watched the human scurry away.
Once gone, Leaf turned his attention back to his dying mother and crying brother. Sorrow and hurt filled him. He muffled a few sorrow chorts as he tried to ease his mother up to her feet.
But she could not. All her life was leaving her.
"She looked at us. I didn't know if it was because she was leaving us or she was dying.
All I knew was I didn't want her to go."
Mara's head slowly fell to the ground. Her eyelids began to fall as the eyes became dull.
Mara's life was no more.
Both boys let out a cry of heartbreak. Leaf let out a loud cry that alerted their brother Core.
The black and red dragon was out hunting for some food. Something Core thought he could do on his own. When he heard his mother's roar did he come rushing to them. But only to arrive too late and see his brothers crying over their mother's dead body.
Rage filled the Alpha dragon. For sorrow had no room as he took off into the sky.
Cy and Leaf could only watch their brother leave.
No one seemed to notice the vegetation growing around Mara's dead body.
"Fire consumed the earth that night. No one could stop my brother's rage.
The humans were driven out of our forest.
The flood happened too. The heavy river rushed through the valley as it cut off the side of land from one side of our forest island. The bridge the humans built was also destroyed.
No one could reach our forest island because the other side was filled with landslide and too dangerous to climb or walk on.
We were at peace. Safe from the other side. Safe from the human world.
No one could touch us. Harm our family.
Until years later."
It had been ten years later since the fatal incident that rattled the small region. Legends and myths transpired as no one seemed to know the truth of the fateful incident.
Up in the sky, flying over the large forest region, was a lone pilot flying her plane.