DOUBTS
The Sky Dragon opened an eye torpidly and at once heaved a mighty sigh when it spotted the object that interrupted its slumber. The ground beneath its mass quivered slightly and the great rush of air that effused from its nostrils swept through the palm trees, violently displacing the fronds that had previously swayed lightly in the gentle breeze. With a tired, guttural growl, it slowly raised itself onto its haunches and looked down at the tiny figure standing a few feet from its paws.
"You know, it's customary for me to devour those that dare to rouse me from my rest," the Sky Dragon remarked callously. It lowered its head to face the individual and its amber eyes narrowed to a couple of slits. "What, pray tell, warrants a risk such as the one you take?"
The garishly clothed young woman in white makeup boldly stepped up to the Dragonian and plopped down on the lush carpet of grass. She leaned on her elbows and dangled her slender legs in the air, exhibiting an audacious impression of familiarity with the reptilian behemoth that loomed in front of her.
"J'ai un petit question pour vous, Monsieur le Dragon de l'Air," she said confidently, unperturbed by the malicious, toothy grin the creature was displaying. "It won't take long, I promise." She smiled daintily and cocked her head to one side.
The Sky Dragon groaned wearily and sank to a prone, accessible position, its arms folded together and resting on the ground. "Out with it then. I haven't got all day."
The girl pursed her lips and furrowed her brow in thought. "I wanted to know why we're doing what we've set out to do." She paused briefly to contemplate further. "To the humans, I mean."
"For a variety of reasons, child," the dragon replied resignedly. "Too many, in fact to go through all of them with you in one sitting. Is that all?"
"Non, non! Mais non! That is not an answer!"
"Correction. That is not the answer you were expecting, but it is an answer nonetheless, satisfactory or otherwise," the Sky Dragon said exasperatingly as it rose in preparation to leave. "Considering I'm wasting valuable nap time, it's the best I can do under the present set of circumstances. Ask me later when I'm refreshed."
As it set out to the opposite end of the island it turned back and, upon seeing the disappointed frown on the young woman's face, it breathed another heavy groan, returned to its previous resting place and settled into a more comfortable arrangement.
The girl beamed and twisted herself into a cross-legged stance, the tiny bells on her festive bonnet jingling merrily as she contorted her lithe frame. Large, vivacious eyes batted at the dragon playfully and dainty lips curled up in a mischievous smile.
"Eh, bien! I knew I could count on you, Monsieur le Dragon de l'Air! Merci beaucoup!" she chortled gaily.
The Sky Dragon flashed a semblance of a sleepy grin and yawned with a squeak that was unbefitting to a creature of its gargantuan proportions. It ran a long, rough tongue across its lips and gently rested its head over its arms. The ochre orbs within the almond shaped sockets focused on its subject for a brief moment. The dragon arched a scaly eyebrow and smirked.
"You have doubts, young one," it said knowingly. The creature flicked its ears and stretched its wings languorously, soaking in the afternoon sun that bathed the island in golden splendor.
"Oui, I have some reservations," the girl replied quietly, her eyes fixed upon the blades of grass at her feet. She absentmindedly reached out and plucked a few strands, rolling the green sheaths between her fingers. "The whole matter is—strange to me. Is what we're doing wrong? Do we have the right to destroy another race? We are all the same on the inside, non?"
"Perhaps, Harle," the Sky Dragon said hesitantly, "but you must also remember that humanity has enslaved us and others for countless eons. Their greed and incessant hunger for resources has driven other inhabitants of the planet into hiding while their settlements spread across our lands like a foul plague." The Dragonian shook its heavy head in despair. "Equality is but a word that the Sons of Man use to placate their quarry before vanquishing them."
"But surely there are those who can change?" Harle exclaimed anxiously. "People who can live alongside us and share in the bounty of the planet?" Her eyes searched the creature's countenance for an answer; hoping, yearning for the reply she so desperately wished for.
"A transitory fantasy not worth taking into account," the Sky Dragon snorted contemptuously. "Many have tried to bring the Humans and the other races together, but in the end the ambitions and avarice of Man has always triumphed over the idealistic preconceptions of dreamers.
"You are still young and inexperienced, child. You have not witnessed firsthand the duplicity and vulpine cunning humanity is capable of when there are rich prizes to be had. The demi-humans of Marbule have learned what it is like to be in the way of 'progress.' They suffer for the misfortune of being on land that has been deemed of value."
The dragon god softened his tone and looked at Harle affably. "But your feelings for this individual must be great indeed for you to begin questioning your destiny. Am I not correct?"
Harle looked up at her kin with mournful eyes and sniffed softly, a single teardrop marking a wet trail down her cheek. "Oui, oui. Mon coeur est cassé en deux. He is all I desire and I would give anything to spend eternity at his side. Mais, alors everything that we have worked for, everything that we have strived so hard to bring to pass will be for naught."
The Sky Dragon watched in silence and with a heavy heart as his companion sobbed quietly, her head held low to hide the rivulets of tears that stained her face.
"It is terrible indeed to have to choose between the longings of your heart and the duty for which you have been summoned," the dragon said quietly. "Tell me, does he harbor the same affections for you?"
Harle shook her head forlornly. "Malheureusement, his devotion belongs to another."
"Then why do you weep for him, young one? Why do tears flow from your eyes and your heart ache for he who shares not your care and fidelity?"
"He may not be mine to hold," she began, "but I would sooner stand by and see him happy with his Chosen than to watch him perish."
The Dragonian sighed deeply following a brief interlude. "The Great Struggle approaches and we stand on the threshold of the most perilous of times. Our position is uncertain, child. If we fail in our undertaking we will surely be destroyed. But he will be safe and shall continue to live unencumbered by the forces currently at work, for they will have long dissipated by then. Should we succeed, however, he will succumb with the rest of humanity." The Sky Dragon paused. "There is no other way. It must be played out to a conclusion."
Harle slowly rose to her feet and gingerly brushed blades of dead grass from her clothes. "It is a great misfortune, Monsieur le Dragon de l'Air," she remarked sadly. "A tragic game of cards where both hands dealt to me are losing ones. Whatever happens, I will still be lonely—without him."
"Then dream of him, young one," the Sky Dragon said compassionately, "Take with you your fondest memories and relive them as you slumber under the moon and the stars, be it in this world or the next. He will never leave your side if he lives on within you."
Harle smiled weakly as she dried her tears. She walked up to the Sky Dragon's prone head and gently placed a kiss on its nose.
"Merci, Monsieur le Dragon et au revoir," she whispered softly. "Regardless of what happens to us, I will remember and wait for him lovingly in what dreams may come."