The Star Dragon

Prologue

Romanastra Drakon Pegasus, was a little girl who the whole village thought was cursed. It never mattered that she was the first born of the Clan chief. Or that her mother was from a different land. When she had been born the winter had been so hard many had perished, than the wise woman had come and looked at the child. "I see a dark shadow over the child, the shadow of a dragon.. Though touched by starlight, so to is she by a dragon's soul. Heed these words Braxten, Chief of the Sky clan. You will not be here to help your daughter when she needs you most, and the village will blame her for it. Before you leave for the gathering of Chiefs.. Speak with your wife and hold your child. And I will pray for you, you will be welcomed in the halls of the ancestors."

His wife Tala was a gentle woman with vibrant crimson hair. "I heard the old one say you will not come home... Does she mean not right away or not ever?" He smiled not able to tell her with their second child in her belly. "I think right away." She smiles in relief. "Come husband and lay and pet your second child a little before you say good bye to our eldest." When she had fallen asleep he rose, covered her and added logs to the fire to keep her warm. He entered the little ones room and his mother saw him, rising and the wooden rocking cradle stilled. "She sleeps so restlessly." He looks at his mother knowing he can not lie to her. "The old one came to see her earlier." The woman's blue-gray eyes widened. "What did she say?" "I will not return from where I am going. Astra is touched by the stars and holds the soul of a dragon.. And I will not be able to help her when she needs me most..."

He held his child until it was time for him to depart and when he left he strung an amulet around her neck, a black charm of a dragon in flight on a braided leather cord. He sailed for months until he got to the meeting place and met up with a long time friend. "Stoic!" The red-headed viking turned and looked at the huge black haired viking with green eyes. "Braxten! My brother, how fair you?" He smiled. "I have a daughter born just before the cusp of winter, the light of my world." He grinned. "Good good. I have a son!" Braxten laughed and they got mead and toasted to each other's children. "So will the Hooligan and Sky clans have a match in their future?" Braxten laughed. "That sounds a fine notion!" Stoic boomed. And together they quickly signed and sealed the offering. Braxten sent the beautiful dagger off with his companion back for home along with the documents so that it would reach there safely. They were talking about it when Drago burst in, and the world turned to flame. Braxten shoved Stoic out and a beam coming down caught him unawares.

~Five years later.~

Astra was running from the village kids again. They were throwing stones at her, she was only four, tomorrow would be her fifth birthday. She was blamed for anything that went wrong in the village, from a cow falling to a dragon attack. But as she walked she began to hear something. Then turning a huge tree she saw it, a dragon lying on its side its breathing heavy. "Oh no, people did this.." She hated when people and dragons fought, it made her cry she came closer the great golden eyes meeting hers. She touched its head lightly petting. "Poor pretty dragon I'm sorry." It seemed to understand but it looked at something. She followed its gaze and found a nest, only one egg hidden under branches remained untrampled. "There's one left!" The dragon seemed to cry for something and slowly with careful maneuvering, Astra got the egg out of the nest an moved it towards the big dragon. The dragon wrapped its tail around Astra and the egg keeping both warm. Astra fell asleep next to the dragon and curled around the egg. When she woke the next morning, the dragon didn't. She made a carry sack from her extra fur and a few sticks tied together, the egg was heavy and she had to go slow so the egg didn't fall.

But she thought about the big dragon how it had kept her warm all night and how the dragon had been kind to her, it was nice no matter what people said. She didn't have to do what they said, she was going to become strong enough they had to heed her. To be the great chief her father was. She pulled out the dagger her daddy had sent her and saw the dragon on the hilt, she would be as strong as that dragon. When the villagers saw her they didn't notice what she had brought back, she hissed at the kids who chased her into the forest and made her way to the large house at the other edge of town. After carefully making sure her egg was in the large caver/room that was hers she came back to talk to her mother. The woman sit in front of the fire most of the time now making clothes.

"You didn't come back last night." Astra huffed. "Its hard to come back mama when people throw rocks at you whenever they see you." The woman flinched softly. "I am sorry my daughter. Your father Braxten would never have allowed such behavior from his people. I only hope you can become someone who will lead them from darkness." Astra scoffed as she ate her stew and bread. "That requires they stop calling me 'Dragon's whelp' or 'Dragon's bastard' I have heard them mama. I am not as forgiving as Sunstar."

It hurt somewhere inside that as much as the village hated Astra they loved Sunstar. When Astra was finished eating she washed her dishes and headed out. She snuck into the place where the books for the dragon fighters were kept and read them, Astra never had to read anything a second time. She made her way into the cool rooms of the meat-house and took a couple barrels full of meat. Usually the stuff they threw out or what went to the village dogs. She also took a couple of barrels of real meat to make sure she could have food.

The villagers would give just enough to feed her mother and Sunstar or wait until she was not around to give them food. She had to start building her supplies early, and make sure they stayed that way. Her room/cave had a spring that was fed from the hot pools deep under ground so she could bathe all year round without getting cold. She had been a little greedy and build herself a large bed with a thick straw mattress covered by a deer hide pad. Then fur blankets for warmth. She had rolled the egg in a hollow near the bath and stropped off all her dirty clothes and tossed them in the soaking pool to wash after. Her long white hair now nearly touched her bottom when it was down like this. Her spectral blue eyes flecked with silver seemed to glow in the low light of the cave. She reached out and touched the egg. It began to glow and started to rock, it wiggled and rolled itself into the water with her. She felt something disturb the water as the egg sunk beyond her reach a shape breached the surface and she was suddenly staring into silver eyes. "Hello."

She reached out to the tiny dragon who squawked in indignity, then they were touching. Something beyond understanding, beyond comprehension passed between them. The tiny black form with the silver eyes churred. "Your name is Furei. Because we will light up the night together." The little dragon was pitch black with scales outlined in shining silver. It truly was a most stunning dragon. And that was the start of a whole new life for the most miserable little girl in Sky land.

~8 Years later~

They were sitting atop the highest peak the pair could climb to. Furei had muscled up really well and the dragon book had nothing on Night Furies. The black dragoness was large pitch black with silver lined scales and those silver eyes. Astra had made a saddle from careful designs so as not to hurt Furei or constrict her flying. She had her hands on the grip ready as they stood over looking the drop to the ocean so far below. "Furei, I believe in you. Let's light up the night." The dragon snorted as if chasing away doubt. Jumping up with her front legs Furei took them off the ledge, they fell for what felt like hours but was only moments then she opened her wings and flap. Came the first downbeat. Flap. The second stronger and more sure. Higher and higher they soared, spinning and whirling, laughing and diving, Astra heard it the cry of the Night fury. She laughed as she spotted dragons heading for her village and her and Furei as a team gently drove them off. Staking their claim.

As Furei landed and she dismounted some of the villagers had grabbed for spears but the wise woman raised her hand. "The Star Dragon has found a way to help us survive." Astra looked at the frightened people. "No more hunting dragons, instead we will live among them, fly with them become a Sky clan the like of which has never been before! No other children need fear going hungry!" And soon again life for the first female to become leader of a clan, changed for the better. And Sky clan rose higher and higher from that day.