THERE BE DRAGONS!
Chapter 2: Should We or Shouldn't We?
The red dragon was beginning to get a headache. For the past four hours the dragons of his community argued about whether it was time to reveal themselves or not. The more fearful of the lot were the loudest dissenters and it was really teeing him off.
Finally fed up he let out a huge roar that shook their hidden citadel. The room went instantly silent. Looks of annoyance, anger, fear, and astonishment were directed his way.
"Look! I am the most familiar with how this city reacts to the unusual and I say, the kats living here can and will accept us more readily than anywhere else and furthermore, their acceptance will help other countries learn to accept us as well," he insisted.
"And just what makes you think they will do that? All these fool Kats have seen is a rampaging dragon brought from the past by that creature the Pastmaster. That is all they will think we are," one of the elder dragons snarled belligerently.
"That's because the scientists at our ancient city hasn't published anything new about their findings for more than a decade. People forget, so many don't even remember the ancient city had been found in the first place. Then there's the fact this city's scientists have only just learned that the dragons the Pastmaster brought here were actually real and informed the public of that fact," he explained.
"So what? What difference does that make on whether Kats will accept us or not," another voice rang out.
"I firmly believe when both sets of scientists get together and publish their findings, people around the world will remember again that a dragon society had existed in ancient times with a whole city found in the Tymurr Federation then add the recent findings that the dragons the Pastmaster brought here were indeed real, they will finally believe dragons did and perhaps do still exist. This will refresh the Kats flagging memories. Remember, they aren't a long lived species and, unless important information is kept active they simply forget it in the day to day needs of living," Adair said reasonably.
"The problem we have to solve now is the obvious confusion that will occur once that information comes out and that is reconciling information about the real evidence of an advanced society against the utterly animalistic behavior of the Pastmaster's dragons. To try and clear that up, I propose we trust our secret with one scientist and have them bring together the two parties and show them a real, intelligent dragon that could answer all their questions. They in turn would publish their papers with the proof which would reach the public. With this learned backing, we would succeed in letting Kats know we live among them and are definitely not animals," the red dragon suggested persuasively.
"Oh...right...like that will truly work! Scientists are notoriously clannish and not all will believe despite the evidence. How will one scientist succeed in getting them to even listen to them?" Another dragon scoffed derisively.
"If they are a highly respected and experienced at dealing with the weird kind of scientist, they will. We are fortunate to have such a person available. This person and another in a more military position have had to remain open minded because of all the strange things they are forced to acknowledge exist due to the many incredible accidents and deliberate aberrations that the city's enemies keep throwing at them and these two often had to provide solutions for getting rid of the problems," the red dragon countered back.
"Who would they be?" One of the elders asked sourly.
"Dr. Abi Sinian, curator of the Megakat Natural History Museum is one." Silence met that information. The red dragon continued, "I know her well and she would be the perfect one to know the truth and the most honest scientist I know. The other is Dr. Konway, Director of the Enforcer Biotech Labs. He was the one who had to come up with a way to reverse Dr. Viper's swamp creatures back to the harmless animals they once were. Both would take the information we give them and see that it got into the correct paws and be disseminated quickly, though I would strongly suggest Dr. Sinian as the best choice for this task."
There were still grumbles of unhappiness. The red dragon sighed and played his last card.
"There's one more thing to remember. Kat kind is now a very technological society. Their planes, choppers, and modern security devices will eventually uncover our existence. It's only a matter of time. It's better if we come forward in our own time rather than be forcibly exposed by them," he added grimly.
Fear flashed around the room. Many of them did indeed know that hiding might become impossible very soon at the rate Katkind was progressing and none wanted to think about that. But the more level headed of them had thoughtful looks on their faces.
It was they who began another round of deliberations, this time emphasizing the danger if they delayed revealing themselves any longer. Pros and cons were weighed but by the end of another two hours, there was only one response they could come to though there were still those that refused to believe it was necessary. The most elder of them all called for a vote after asking one important question first.
"Are you volunteering to be revealed, Adair?"
"Yes, I am. I feel strongly that our time has finally arrived and I trust Dr. Sinian explicitly with our secret," the red dragon, named Adair, declared firmly.
The elder dragon glanced over at his peers, all over a couple of centuries old, and gave them a questioningly look. A few appeared to be considering the offer while a couple more were plainly dead set against it.
Sighing, he turned his attention to the more younger adults, a hundred or so years old (those under a hundred were hatchlings and not allowed to vote), noting their enthusiasm for the idea with only a few fearful and unwilling to go along with it.
Being the oldest (over 800), the others were more willing to follow his lead though there was no true leader. They once had a monarchy but that fell out of favor when they went underground. In its place, they had decided to use the more democratic system of majority rule to decide important matters that way all could feel their opinions counted.
"I think it's time to cast a vote to see how many feel Adair's plan, to inform the public through the auspices of the scientific community about our existence and abide by the results, should now be allowed to proceed. All those in agreement...," he called out.
A forest of clawed fists were raised in the air. His mate, who was younger by over three hundred years, counted for him as his eyes were failing.
"One hundred twenty-four!" His mate called out.
"All those opposed...," the elder barked.
Minutes later his mate crowed (for he had voted yes), "fifty seven opposed, the ayes have it."
The room filled with rumbles of relief as well as unhappiness. The elder allowed them to vent for several minutes before signaling his mate to bring the room to order once more. The blue dragon roared and belched flame toward the ceiling.
The crowd silenced and turned their attention to the elder again.
"The plan has been approved. So those who are unhappy...accept it and move on!" He declared firmly then turned to Adair. "Go tell this scientist you trust so well and may the Gods of Wind and Fire protect you and grant you success in your endeavor to free us from fear and the onus of hiding who we truly are."
"I will do all I can to make this work, Trimaris," Adair promised solemnly then made his way out of the chamber.
Walking through the citadel he soon arrived at a long hall that inclined upward and ended at a heavy door. The hall was kept dark deliberately so that light from within could not be seen outside when the door was opened. His dragon eyes could see where he was going easily as he reached the door and opened it. Outside no one could tell a door was there since it had been cleverly disguised to look like the mountain side.
Peering out with the door opened only a small ways, he checked for any flying craft nearby and saw none. Stepping out, he let the door silently close behind him then took wing, flying home under a moonless sky lit only by starlight. Their meetings were always held in the dead of night but this meeting had run a long time and dawn was not far off.
Those leaving after him waited fifteen minutes and each other so that none flew out in a group except for those caring for hatchlings, the danger was far too great. Soon the only ones remaining in the chamber were a few elders who lived at the citadel and no longer took Kat form. They stayed and enjoyed the warmth of the chamber which eased old bones. The eldest of them all cuddled with his mate and ruminated on the decision made tonight. He hoped they were going in the right direction...but he also felt there was no longer any choice.
Their citadel was hidden in the high mountains north of Megakat City, buried deep enough to put them close to the volcanic rivers that ran beneath it. The hot lava kept their citadel warm and toasty. Their home had been patiently and meticulously carved from the solid rock over many years making a warren of living and working spaces as well as storage areas. Artisans among them painted huge frescoes depicting the lives they had lived before being forced to retreat into hiding all throughout the huge citadel but the most beautiful had been done in the central chamber.
There were laboratories where their scientists worked on interesting inventions and researched things to enhance or make better their lives. Located near the top of the mountain and where sunlight had been allowed to filter in through small holes then using mirrors they drew that sunlight down to shine on a huge area designated as their combination hydroponic garden and live food pens that fed the community. They even had a medical center that handled their needs. Power was obtained by harnessing the winds, sun and lava flows to provide light and energy. Kat kind would be shocked and surprised at just how modern and advanced Dragon kind were.
The chamber was where they held their meetings as well as socialized at was located at the very heart of the mountain. It had been carved in the form of a circle and had seating of stone that went halfway up the walls of the room. They were wide enough to allow the dragons to sit or lay and above them were the spectacular frescoes. There were over six doors leading in and out of the place.
In center of the floor in the chamber a huge circular pool some ten feet wide and made of royal blue tiles had been built. Water for it was circulated up from a deep artesian well which passed through a lava tube that warmed it before bubbling up through the mouth of a beautifully carved statue in the center of the pool done in clear Agracite of a dragon in flight. The water would cascade down providing a soothing back drop to the meeting place. Many of the community could be found here at any time of day enjoying the mineralized water then move to the stone seats to dry and preen.
Similar citadels existed around the world where dragon kind lived or hid when necessary. A small handful of each community lived within the citadels year round while others lived among Katkind and had homes of their own.
Besides their citadels, dragon kind further ensured their safety by never revealing who they were as Kats to each other. This was so none of them could betray each other in a fit of anger, jealousy, fear, or insanity. Though Katkind had heard rumors of their existence from the accidental incidents of bad behavior, the dragon at fault was quickly dealt with before anyone could investigate the truth of the matter.
This method had succeeded in keeping them safe over the centuries, however, nowadays, it was more of a detriment because it also kept them from finding each other when in need and especially those who had hidden themselves from their own race besides Katkind. These hidden ones made it impossible for the dragon council to know exactly how many of their brethren were living in a particular city or country.
These dragons sought no company but their own families because depredations by Kat Hunters had killed and terrorized them in the past leaving them with fear and mistrust of Kat kind and other dragons outside their family unit. So traumatized were these hidden as they were called, they raised their offspring to trust no one outside the family and especially to other dragons. They went so far as to forbid their hatchlings to ever alter to their dragon form at all.
So these offspring had no idea there were communities of dragons existing nor a citadel hideaway where they could seek shelter, were ignorant of the number of dragons in their own area that they could seek advice or help from, nor that there were councils that held jurisdiction over them and made decisions that affected them all.
This fact was true of one particular dragon holding an important position in Megakat City. His family had been wiped out a few at a time until there were none but him left. This had taught more than anything else to obey the lessons of his father and grandfather and never took his dragon form his whole life. He had only been seventy years old when he was orphaned. Despite the grave risks of being so very young in dragon years and alone, he managed to learn how to live in Kat society without any guidance for the next twenty years.
So when the recent fervor by the public for all things dragon began to permeate the news, the hatchling was understandably uneasy. He'd seen this kind of interest over his lifetime but it had waned like many other things that had caught the interest of a society, that is, until the discovery the dragons the Pastmaster had brought from the past were proven to be very real. This inflamed the public's interest to a fever pitch, especially after the museum mounted the one intact dragon of the Pastmaster's and put it on exhibit. Now the word dragon was on the lips of nearly every Kat out there making him feel unaccountably tense and afraid.
Even though there was no way anyone could tell he was a dragon, he was still nervous around all the hoopla. He did everything he could to avoid the fervor surrounding the subject and just did the job he'd been doing for the past twenty years and enjoyed very much while trying to keep a low profile.
Tonight those fears had reared their ugly head and had ruined his sleep. He stood on the balcony of his apartment and stared out into the night. He'd been stewing for more than an hour and even though he was tired, he couldn't get his mind to shut up and let him sleep.
He was about to turn and go back inside with the thought of making himself some warm milk when he caught sight of something flying through the night sky. It could only be seen as a huge form against the starlit sky but its shape sent shock waves through him. It was the unmistakable form of a dragon. He stared at it in horror and fascination as it soared on the night winds turning south of the city then dipping out of sight behind some buildings. He stood there for minutes after, breathing hard.
The sight of another dragon did funny things to his insides...his heart was in his throat and was beating frantically and he felt shaky and sad...a deep bitter longing for the sky, denied him all his life beat at him. Never to have felt the wind under his wings and to feel the freedom to float on the thermal currents as this dragon did with ease sent his heart clenching with envy and anguish. He thought he'd beaten that intense longing for the sky out of his system but obviously not as the ache was still firmly there. Loneliness and a deep desire for his own kind sang through him as he violently turned away and stumbled blindly to his bedroom to fall on his bed and cry for what he'd lost in his life.
Jake Clawson sighed as he floated down, landing in the salvage yard lightly, his clawed feet making little sound as he hit the ground. Folding his wings, he walked toward the door of the garage, allowing his Kat form to replace his dragon persona without much conscious thought...the change so much a part of him...like breathing.
He disengaged the security system then unlocked the door, pulling it open quietly. Stepping inside, he relocked the door and reset the security system then headed silently upstairs to the apartment he shared with his Kat partner.
Stepping into his bedroom, he shut the door quietly behind him then stripped off his clothes and stretched the kinks out of his body. Later this morning would be busy in the garage which would make it difficult to slip away to go to the museum to see Dr. Sinian. He would have to use the need to get a part for an old Buick waiting for repair as his way to leave without attracting his partner's curiosity.
Yawning, he slipped into bed and tried to fall sleep but his mind was far too busy. His thoughts focused a moment on what he would tell Dr. Sinian then moved onto his partner.
Chance was a real treasure and the best friend he'd ever had during this lifetime. He'd had many friends in his long life but of all of them none were like Chance Furlong. Being his partner and a SWAT Kat had been the most exciting time he could ever remember. So what would happen to his friendship if Chance learned his best friend wasn't a Kat?
That worry had plagued him for quite a while. When dragons became the topic of the newspapers and TV, he had asked Chance what he thought about it all.
"Aw, what's there to think about, buddy?" His friend had said at the time. "They are just big beasties that caused us no end of trouble."
"But, Chance...scientists have discovered that perhaps dragons were once more prevalent and even had built a city long ago. Animals couldn't have done that."
"Well no, but those were ancient dragons. The ones you and I have dealt with were definitely not intelligent and very nasty."
"Yeah, I agree with you there but what if they were damaged by the Pastmaster and were now insane. And what if dragon kind were forced to hide themselves because they were afraid of us? If they lived among us, would you still be afraid of them and try to kill them?"
Chance blinked in surprise and stared at his friend. "That's reaching even for you, Jake but...okay...for the sake of argument...say dragons were hiding among us...I'd have to meet one to come to any kind of decision about them," he said thoughtfully and honestly.
"Well, I'm glad you're open to the idea and not just close minded, buddy."
The tabby just shrugged his shoulders. "I've never taken someone at face value, Jake...at least I try not to."
That was the end of their conversation but it left Jake feeling a little better that his friend wouldn't just turn on him if he found out but it still made him nervous about telling him anyway. However, he knew he would have to very soon or Chance would feel betrayed that his best friend didn't trust him enough to have told him such a secret in the first place. He didn't want to lose the tabby's friendship...it was far too important to him.
Sighing in frustration, he beat his pillow a bit then turned on his side. He forced himself to breath deep and slow until his mind finally drifted and sleep pulled him down.