Before the capture of Danzi and Lu Yu, dragons lived freely with their Dragon Keepers, travelling between The Winter Haven in the south, and The Summer Haven in the north.
They earned their living and peace with the local populace by bringing rain where there was drought, spreading news from the Empire, and helping the villagers wherever they needed a hand or a talon.
Dragons and Dragon Keepers long shrugged their cloaks of imperial laws and abided by their own principles. They chose to not involve themselves in matters of war – or women.
This story takes place at the fall of the Qin dynasty in The Summer Haven – 68 years before the last Dragon Keeper would accompany the likes of Danzi and his son, Kai.
68 years before Huan Ping was the Imperial Dragon Keeper.
Many folk oft dreamed of flying on dragonback. For Yu Anh it was just part of his daily routine.
In the heart of the dragon haven, the young man sat upon the black dragon's back, gazing up at the sky, eyes fixed on the great beasts that soared above him. They were on top of a mountain overlooking a valley, surrounded by dragons of all shapes and sizes. They were his friends, his protectors, and his companions.
Anh's heart pounded with excitement. He could hear the other dragon's roars echoing through the mountains. He gazed down at his dragon – Hei Lei, The Black Thunder - a magnificent creature with polished black scales and bright yellow eyes. Hei Lei was waiting for him to make the call.
Let's go. Anh said to Hei Lei in his min d. The young man felt the dragon's muscles ripple beneath him as it stretched its wings and launched into the sky.
Let's go! Hei Lei chimed as they soared through the sky. As they flew over The Summer Haven – Long Gao Yuan, it was called in the local tongue – Anh marvelled at the sight. It was a place of peace and one he had come to call home in the short time he had been here. To the east, was the entrance to a cave, its dark mouth gaping open like a portal to another world. The cave was where the dragons slept.
To the west, there was an adjoining, wooden courtyard and hut, nestled in a grove of trees. This was the home of the human caretakers – the Dragon Keepers - who tended to the dragons' needs, providing them with food, shelter, and care. The Haven's only companions were the mountains and a nearby lake, Dragon Lake.
Hei Lei soared through the air, his wings beating rhythmically as they twisted and turned through the sky and barrel rolled. It was one of their favourite tricks, along with loops and corkscrews. They had been practising a new trick recently, however, and today they were going to show it to the leaders of the Haven: Lao Longzi, the Dragon Keeper's leader, and Long Danzi, the leader of the dragons.
From high in the sky, Hei Lei spotted Danzi and Lao on a nearby slope. Perfect! He said.
Anh bit his lip to hold back his grin. He was looking forward to Lao's reaction. You know the drill.
They descended on the slope and landed in the small clearing where Lao and Danzi were reconvening. They were joined by Bai Xue, the white dragon, and her keeper, Minh Huyn, the blind elder.
Anh slid off Hei Lei's back and bid him off with a wink. "Morning gentlemen!" He chirped as Hei Lei disappeared down the slope. Bai Xue grumbled. "Er," Anh fumbled. And lady. He said to her in dragonspeech. She switched to making a tinkling noise as thanks.
Lao and Danzi were pouring over a scroll and a handful of yarrow sticks. They were reading the contents out loud to Minh Huyn and barely noticed Anh and Hei Lei's entrance.
"Hellooo?" Anh said walking up to them. "What are you reading?" He asked looking at the scroll.
Minh Huyn smiled, his white eyes glazing in no particular direction. "They are reading the I Ching, Master Yu."
"The what now?" Anh said picking up one of the sticks. Lao snatched the stick from his hand.
"The I Ching." Lao sneered. "Don't touch the sticks!"
"Why not?" Anh asked.
"We're using them for divination."
"And?" Anh asked with a grin. He knew very well what the I Ching was. He had to fiddle with the sticks and have his fortune read to him when the prospect of him becoming a Dragon Keeper was first presumed. He simply wanted to annoy Lao and Danzi enough to make them look towards the slope edge.
"What's it matter to you?" Lao said.
Anh circled around Danzi, who was much more practiced at keeping a level head – certainly more than Lao and Hei Lei, at the best of times. Lao went on studying the sticks. Anh peered over his shoulder. There were four lines of unbroken sticks, followed by one line unbroken, and another broken. "That one is Shih – it means The Army." Anh concluded.
Minh Huyn grinned. "Oooh, very good!"
Lao was bothered by this point. "What do you want Anh?"
"I just came to say hello!" Anh smirked.
He's up to something. Danzi said, finally.
"I'm not!" Anh said holding his hands up in protest. "Honest."
"Then do us a favour and leave us alone." Lao huffed.
Anh bit his lip. This wasn't working out according to plan. He could sense Hei Lei was nearby and ready to perform their trick. It was time for the back-up plan, though Anh knew for sure this would really upset Lao!
He walked towards to ledge where he let out a small cry. When he saw the elders were not minding him, he picked up the act by holding one hand over his stomach and the other swaying about. "Oh!" He groaned weakly. "Oh, what is happening!"
"What now?" Lao said with a roll of his eyes. When he caught on to Anh he gasped. "What's wrong?"
The boy didn't respond, but instead let out a louder groan. Lao and Danzi exchanged worried glances and sprang into action. Lao fetched the water flask beside Danzi and dashed towards Anh.
"Where am I?" Anh whispered bewilderly swaying about. At that moment just before Lao could reach him, Anh slipped over the edge of the slope.
"Anh!" Lao cried.
As he fell, he could hear Lao swearing and frantically calling out orders. Then Anh began and Hei Lei began to laugh manically as the black dragon swooped under and caught Anh midair. The fall had only been 15 metres, but they had been practicing up to 100 metres before feeling ready to show off. He soared skyhigh above the older dragons and their keepers.
Are you - ! Anh heard Danzi grumble.
Anh waved as they flew off. "Liked that?" He yelled out to the party.
A stupid prank. He heard Danzi say clear in his mind.
Not a prank – a trick! Figure it out! Hei Lei responded as they flew off into their routine morning flight near Dragon Lake. Anh looked back at Lao standing on the slope with his flask in hand. He looked as if he had sucked on a sour lemon as he glared at them. There had always been sourness between he and Lao, as there had been Hei Lei and Danzi. The others suspected it was the age difference, but there were others much older than Lao and Danzi at the Haven, and Anh got along fine with them.
They practiced barrel rolls and corkscrews meanwhile recounting to the look on Lao and Danzi's faces. They thought of it as hilarious, each time retelling it, exaggerating how flustered they really had been. As they steadied out into a glide, Anh clung tightly to the dragon's horns feeling the wind rush past him as they soared near the vast Dragon Lake below.
Suddenly, Hei Lei's keen eyes caught sight of a fish swimming lazily in the crystal-clear water below by the lakes edge. With a roar of excitement, he dived down towards the lake, his massive wings beating furiously. Anh held on for dear life as the dragon swooped to the water's surface, his powerful claws extended towards the unsuspecting fish. But just as he was about to snatch his prey, the fish darted out of reach, causing them to crash and slide unspectacularly into the muddy bank.
The dragon let out a startled cry, and shook his head to clear the spots of water that had blown into his eyes. Anh comforted him by stoking the side his neck. It's okay, it's okay. Anh whispered to the dragon. Unlike some dragons, Hei Lei was not a natural swimmer, and despised going under.
Hei Lei wasn't about to give up, however Hei Lei moved to the edge of the bank and waited patiently for his fish to come back. When he spotted the fish, he took a deep breath and began to unleash a powerful blast of hot air into the water, heating the small area.
Anh watched in amazement as the water began to bubble and boil. The fish panicked, darting around frantically. The dragon was relentless, and continued boiling the water until the fish was finally cooked to perfection.
Scrumptious! Hei Lei said with a triumphant roar as he snatched up the cooked fish in his jaw. There's one for you too. Hei Lei said picking out another fish.
Anh grimaced at the fish. It wasn't as cooked as the one Hei Lei was planning to eat. He found some sticks and built a small fire to cook the fish atop. Anh leaned over the wood as it began to catch flame and placed the fish on top.
That was an interesting fishing technique. He mused, turning to Hei Lei.
Saves catching them raw and wriggling and then still having to cook them over a fire. Hei Lei said licking his talons.
Anh nodded. I can see your argument. But to be honest with you, I find the smell of boiled fish horrible. I'll take cooked any day.
Do you want to know a smell I don't particularly favour? Hei Lei said sniffing the air.
Anh sniffed about too. There was an odd smell nearby. What?
Hair.
Anh looked down at the fire. His hair was singing at the ends near the fish. He'd leaned over to far! "Ahh!" He cried before jumping into the lake.
Humans. Hei Lei muttered, before helping himself to Anh's cooked fish.
Though it pained him, the singing of his hair indicated that it was time for a change. Anh wiped the bronze blade he had used to cut peppers before. Grabbing clumps of his hair, he hacked at the locks.
Yu Bong, who was sitting adjacent to Anh enjoying his congee looked at him in horror. "What are you doing!" He asked, a small clump of his breakfast falling from his mouth and onto the table.
"What does it look like?" Anh said. "I'm cutting my hair."
"But do you have to do it here?" Bong said drawing his congee close to his chest and covering it.
Anh shrugged. It was spur of the moment – he could have waited until he was outside, but the thought of freaking his cousin out was far more tempting. Anh was sure to grab a thick lock and examine it close to his face before blowing it across the table.
"Ugh!" Bong recoiled.
Anh was laughing like a mad man when another joined them. He didn't need to turn to see who had entered the room – he knew. It was a bothered Lao Longzi.
Lao Longzi didn't glance at either the boy or Bong as he stormed towards the pantry. "I suppose you thought that was very clever, Anh."
"What'd you do this time?" Bong frowned.
Anh shrugged. "Hei Lei and I learned a new trick."
"That trick," Lao Longzi simmered as he stared into the pantry. "very near gave me a heart attack."
"Wouldn't be the first." Anh muttered under his breath.
Lao Longzi slammed the pantry door and glared at them. Were it not for Anh's trick, then poking fun at his age – well past the age most men reach, though you couldn't tell looking at him – would do it. "And what if Hei Lei had not of caught you?"
Anh rolled his eyes. "He did though. That's why we train."
"And had he not, then we'd be another keeper short. We lost Long Yi last Winter. We can't risk losing another keeper." He said as another entered the room – Huan Gao Zi. "Gao – what'd you make of Anh and Hei Lei's little trick today?"
Gao Zi, despite being almost a century Anh's senior, was his closest friend and confidant at the Dragon Haven. He was a far cry from his younger brother, Lao. As he took a seat next to Bong, he winked at Anh and gave him a thumbs up. "Great trick!"
Anh smiled – he knew Gao would approve. Lao groaned before reopening the pantry again and spending the next eternity looking inside.
"Did anyone ever tell you two about Danzi's old keeper, Huan Bingwen?" Gao asked. He leaned across the table. "He was a notorious trickster himself. I believe he and Danzi once scared off an army of men by pretending they were immortals condemning the attack on a city."
"Allegedly!" Lao grumbled. He hated being compared to Danzi's former keepers, and Gao very well knew it.
Gao smiled. "Allegedly. Well, despite it being his third or fourth time riding Danzi, he had grown to be such a rider, he could straddle him standing up."
"No!" Anh said wide eyed.
"Poppycock!" Bong said sliding a hand over his bald head. "It took me years to stand on Jiang's back."
"Poppycock indeed. Danzi would never involve himself with a war." Lao said closing the pantry and banging his head on the door. "Right! Which one of you ate the last of the eggs?"
Bong pursed his lips together and sank into his seat.
Lao tutted turning to Anh. "Looks like we are out of pepper too?"
Anh's ears went red. He was notorious for spicing each meal with a generous handful – or two.
"Bet there isn't even a decent wine left in the cellar to make up for the lack of food either?" He said scowling at his older brother. Gao Zi and the elder, Minh Huyn, were big drinkers.
Gao pointed to the window eager to change the topic. "Oh look – a sparrow."
Bong looked gullible as always. Anh chuckled – Lao huffed, sauntering out of the kitchen. Gao stifled a laugh and untensed his shoulders. "Well, he's certainly in a mood today."
"When is he never in a mood?" Anh said collecting up the hairs he had cut from the table.
Gao Zi frowned, noticing the hair in Anh's palms. "You cut your hair again?" Anh shrugged. "You know you shouldn't do that. Hair is a gift from your parents."
Bong pursed his lips together and fiddled with his spoon. Anh didn't say anything as he collected his hair. He didn't have much to say when it came to his parents. If anything, only Gao Zi ever had something to say.
"Alright, I can see you don't want to talk about it." Gao Zi said rising. "I'd sure love to see this new trick of yours and Hei Lei's, though."
Anh jumped to the opportunity. Gao Zi was the Dragon Keeper of Lu Yu, who had taken an interest recently in training. It was a surprise change of character for Lu Yu for she'd previously shown little interest in training, but she insisted recently on learning. They spent the better part of the afternoon training, to the point where Gao Zi and Lu Yu could barrel roll midair. The dragons had little need to fear anything, but they still trained to stay fit and in case of emergency. It was Anh and Hei Lei's favorite past time, and they both relished in Lu Yu and Gao Zi joining them of late
The party was famished by late afternoon. Anh found himself rummaging through the pantry. There was some rice and pickled meats, but no pepper. It wouldn't be enough to make a decent snack for him, nor Hei Lei.
What do you have? Hei Lei chimed from outside the hut. He was craving smoked meat, which they had run out of.
I can offer you pickled beef cheek? Anh said withdrawing a jar. Hei Lei dry retched. Well, suit yourself then!
There are swallows perching near the mountain peak. Hei Lei chimed. Let's catch one.
Anh relented. A roasted meal would make a nice change from the pickle. He and Hei Lei spent the next hour searching for swallows before Hei Lei caught two nesting. Anh built a small fire atop the plateau and soon enough they filled their stomachs.
These ones are nice and juicy! Hei Lei tinkled.
Anh tilted his head halfheartedly. They're good. But they could use some pepper.
Hei Lei huffed. You need to lay off the peppers, Yu Anh. They're not good for your skin.
Anh ignored the remark and looked off at the sunset. Despite the lack of pepper in recent weeks, it had been a wonderful summer in the Haven. As the sun slowly descended behind the towering mountains of Long Gao Yuan, he and Hei Lei sat by side by side, admiring the view. The sky was ablaze with hues of orange, pink, and purple. It looked almost unreal. The Winter Haven in the South was beautiful, but Anh favoured the views from The Summer Haven more.
He was lost in thought comparing the views between both Havens when it occurred to him! He turned to his scaly companion and smiled. I came to the Haven in midsummer! Can you believe it's been three years since we met? He asked, his voice filled with fondness.
Hei Lei, with his glossy black scales and piercing yellow eyes, let out a low rumble in agreement. Time certainly flies. He said, his voice deep and melodious. Do you miss home?
Anh shook his head. I wouldn't trade this life for my old one.
Hei Lei chuckled. You speak as if you've lived five decades.
Anh smiled. Sometimes it feels like I've aged five decades with the others. He was the youngest at the Haven at just fourteen. His cousin Bong was closest in age, but even Bong was 30 years his senior. The closest dragons to Anh's age was Lian and Tun. Lian was 300. Tun nearly 500.
Tun and his mate, Sha, however, had laid three eggs. Very soon there would be three new dragonlings in the Haven. Though they matured fast, Anh was looking forward to having friends close to his age in the Haven.
They sat in silence for a few moments, watching as the sun continued to dip lower and lower, casting long shadows across the landscape. He couldn't help but think back on all the adventures he and Hei Lei had shared over the past three years. They had explored hidden caves, fought with a phoenix (That was a stalemate – Hei Lei was the only one who didn't get along with phoenix's at the haven!), and even helped bring rain to a dry valley in the Southern Wei Kingdom. Though Hei Lei was hesitant initially to take on another Dragon Keeper, their bond had grown fast, and Anh couldn't imagine his life without his scaly companion by his side.
As the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the mountains, the young man turned to the dragon once again. Here's to another three years of friendship, he said, holding out his half eaten, skewered swallow. For Anh, there was nowhere else he'd rather be than with his faithful dragon friend.
The dragon smiled, his sharp teeth glinting in the fading light, who gently nudged the skewer before wolfing down the bird entirely. To many more. He said, his eyes shining with affection.
But the seeds of times of change are oft planted during peace and content.