Epilogue

It was a fine day in the North Atlantic, but that did not mean in any way that the sea was calm. This fact was clear to see as the bow of the fifty two meter long fishing boat climbed yet another four meter wave before crashing down the other side again. The crew worked furiously to bring in the last catch of the day, their rough calloused hands hauling feverishly on the net ropes. Around the turn of the Twenty First Century, this entire ocean had been overfished by hundreds of huge commercial fishing fleets but in the last fifty years, the stocks of marine life had almost fully recovered; thus making it much easier to feed the large settlement of people on the Shetland Islands.

The high ground and sheltered inlets of the Shetlands had made survival a genuine prospect for all those who had fled there and its northern position meant most asteroids entered the atmosphere at quite a shallow angle. A direct hit would still be disastrous but thus far, the people had been very fortunate and only been forced to cope with the occasional atmospheric explosion or mild tsunami.

"It's getting very thick Skipper" first mate Mateo noted

"For the last time, shut up about the fog!"

The man in charge of the small vessel brought the bow a few more degrees to port, to line the boat up with the next wave. Each time he altered direction it caused more trouble for the men hauling on the net, but it did keep the boat from being swamped. With all the action going on around him, the last thing the captain needed was a skittish offsider.

"But the fishermen on the Shetlands insisted..."

"I DON'T CARE WHAT THOSE SUPERSTITIOUS SCOTTISH IDIOTS SAID, I'M TELLING YOU THERE IS NO DANGER HERE!"

"If you say so Skipper" Mateo backed off for the sake of his health.

When three Spanish families had arrived on the islands a few months ago they brought with them a wealth of seafaring experience and the fishing boat captains were all please with the way the newcomers had fit in with their current crews. Unfortunately for the English captain of this particular boat, his new man had taken some of the local inhabitants sea stories a little too literally.

"I'm sorry Mateo, shouldn't have shouted."

"Is your boat Skipper, so you get to do all the shouting" the first mate shrugged.

"We'll be heading back to port once this last catch is on board" the captain reassured his right hand man.

At the stern of the boat, the men gathered up the edges of the net as soon as is appeared over the transom. While the winch hooks were being attached, Mateo plotted the new course for home. Through the window he noticed that the bowsprit of the boat was barely visible thanks to the thickening mist. This worried Mateo because the Scotsmen had told him that during times like these, the fish stealers would come.

"What is it about those monster stories that has you so worked up?" the captain asked.

"It's two things Skipper" Mateo answered "Firstly when the men on the dock told me about the dangers of the fog, it did not sound like they were trying to scare me. Instead they talked as if they were giving good sage advice; like bend your knees when lifting, or don't light a match when filling the fuel tank."

"What was the second reason?"

"Some people I personally know have had the same experiences in fog banks off the coast of Spain in the winter time" Mateo admitted.

In a perfectly timed cliché, a distant roar echoed from somewhere deep in the clouds, giving no clue as to its direction or proximity. Both men looked to the obstructed sky as the small vessel twisted on the waves. The four men near the stern also stared into the fog as they slowly backed up towards the wheelhouse.

"What do you think you're doing" the captain barked "Get that catch into the hold; NOW!"

The men cautiously moved back to the net as it swung from the winch boom but when the first of them placed his hand on it, something large and dark red flashed by the mast. As is passed, the sound of its beating wings was followed by yet another, louder roar.

"W-what advice did the Scotsmen give you about what to do if... if err... if you..."

"They said drop everything, grab your rifle and lock you yourself below deck" Mateo answered "They also said if we were lucky, the beasts would only take the fish."

Feeling that discretion was definitely the better part of valour, the captain called his crew into the wheelhouse, where he unlocked the gun rack and handed each man a rifle or shotgun as they passed through and continued down the steps, into the hold. With everyone as safe as they could hope to be under the circumstances, Mateo pulled the half hatch shut and closed the louvered doors before locking them tight.

An oppressive silence hung in the air as each man sat in the dark and listened intently.

"What the hell was..." one of them whispered before being shushed by the others.

They heard the distant roar one more time before the bow of the boat suddenly pitched up, throwing the men back towards the steps. There could be no doubt about it; whatever the creature was, it had landed on the rear deck.

The small ship rocked and shuddered whenever the strange animal moved, but things became even more serious when they heard a second creature cry out. The first ones roar had sounded a like a cross between a crocodile and a tiger, but the new arrival sounded more like a giant bird of prey. The unfortunate men were tossed about as the two creatures fought over the net full of fish and the captain feared his boat could possibly be damaged to the point of sinking if the fight went on much longer. In less than a minute, the battle was over as second creature flew off with its prize, leaving the first to roar in frustration.

To everyones horror, the slighted creature sought compensation for its loss as it sniffed its way around the boat looking for something to take, and probably eat. All breathing ceased when they heard the sound of the wheelhouse door being broken down, closely followed by a purrish growl coming from just beyond the flimsy wooden hatch. Unable to control his curiosity, Mateo reached out and slowly twisted one of the door louvers in order to catch a glimpse of what was on the other side.

What he saw turned his skin white; it was big, red and it simmered like a tree trunk in the aftermath of a forest fire. Only the head was inside the wheelhouse as its body would not fit past the doorframe. As he stared helplessly through the slight crack, Mateo saw the beast retreat from the cabin when it found nothing to hold its interest. It did not fly away though, and the ship listed dangerously to starboard as the creature followed its nose up towards the bow.

All eyes turned towards the forward wall, which was actually one side of the fibreglass hold, brimming with the days catch. The huge fibreglass tub was built into the deck but the wooden hatch could not hope to stand against a creature of this size. Each man could hear the strange beast sniffing around to top hatch until with a mighty crash, the lid of the hold was completely torn off. The beast's claws also ripped a small hole in the deck about three inches across, allowing a shaft of light to come streaming into the men's hiding place. As their eyes became accustomed to the light, one of the deck hands saw the underside of the beast's neck and raised his shotgun to take aim.

"No!" Mateo grabbed the barrel and pushed it away.

The weapon discharged, sending a round of buckshot into the hull and catching the beast's full attention. It craned its neck around to bring one of its huge eyes in front of the hole, but as it blocked the light with its head, all it could see was a dark, black hole. Everyone below deck held their collective breaths as the creature watched and waited until at last, it lifted its head again before plunging its claws into the rim of the fish hold.

The noise was deafening as the beast started to beat its massive wings and a few seconds later, the entire fibreglass tub was ripped from the ship and carried away into the fog, leaving a hole two meters square in the forward deck.

"Why didn't you let me shoot it?" the furious deckhand barked.

"Couldn't you see how thick its hide was?" Mateo answered. "All you would have done was to make it angry, and who knows what it would have done then."

"Just look at damage those creatures did to my boat" the captain gasped.

"But what were they Skipper?" one of the other deck hands asked.

"Looked like some kind of leathery bird" he answered.

"More like a flying lizard" someone offered "Like one of them flying dinosaurs from millions of years ago."

"You may not have noticed, but this today and NOT millions of years ago" the captain grunted.

"You got a close look at it Mateo" the one with the shotgun said "What do you think it was?"

They whole group listened for an answer from their Spanish shipmate and although he did not want to answer, he knew they would not let up until he did.

"Based on what I saw in the wheelhouse..." he paused to gather some courage "...there is no doubt in my mind; ... it was a..."

"WHAT?" they all cried out.

"...a dragon."

And so I have to say goodbye again for a few months while I work on some other stories.

Big thanks to Stripesicles222, Appleye2, midnightsky0612, Draco38 and Vin (who I sometimes mistakenly call Vim) along with a few Guests, for reviewing this tale. Thank you all for sticking with it.

Marty :D