A Story of Blood and Fire

Days turned into weeks and weeks to months as her wing continued to heal.  She had been confined to her stuffy castle long enough. It was time to fly. She had done all she could for her wing with her limited medical knowledge. She hoped her time and care had paid off. She was getting hungry - so tremendously hungry. Her larders were almost exhausted and a Dragon’s stomach could not be filled with plants and roots. She needed meat. She had been putting off the inevitable for weeks now. She knew she must attempt to fly but she seconded-guessed herself every time she would climb to her tower to take flight.  

 

“Not this time. You must fly,” she commanded herself. “Fly.”

 

She stepped out of the small, human-sized doorway onto the expansive stone roof of her castle’s highest tower. It was windy tonight. The moon was full and the color of spiced carrots - a harvest moon. From her tower, she felt as though she could reach out and grab it. She studied the moon; its craters and shadows stood out dark against the orange light reflected from the sun. She stared at the glowing orb for a while longer - putting off her flight. Eventually, she took a depth breath and shook her head. It had been so long since she had shifted. After her injury, she shut herself indoors. She only left in human form to go to the market for ink and parchment. 

 

During her reclusiveness, she had done a fair amount of writing. She wanted to tell her tale. Dragon’s lives are much longer than humans' but eventually, she would die - she wanted her story to carry on free from human bias. Although the reflection that stared back at her from silver tankards and pools of water was that of a young woman, she was very old. Her Dragon form showed her years. Her scales, once the vibrant red of spilled blood, were now a deep crimson with dark spots resembling rust. Scars etched their way across her scales - runic inscriptions of battles past. Her great feathered mane was once colorful and bright. But now grey crept through each feather, stamping out its light. Her antler-like horns once branched like the limbs of a mighty oak. Now, one was nothing but a broken stump poking through the earth while the other was brittle and dull, a lifeless tree in a winter snow. Her power was waning. 

 

Aside from needing to feed she must ensure the safety of her power. Her true power does not reside within the walls of her castle nor the walls of her heart. She had taken her true power from within herself long ago. She ripped it from its resting place inside her heart and buried it deep within the earth. No creature could truly harm her without first destroying her power. Hunger should not weaken her so - something was wrong. 

 

Another deep breath - she shifted. Her heightened senses were almost too much to handle. It had been so long. She inhaled yet another deep breath to steady herself and spread her wings wide. She felt the wind under her wings, it was freeing. Her massive legs flexed as she leapt into the night…

 

Author’s Note: In this story, I am working on setting the Dragon and the sisters on a collision course. There will be a “Worlds Collide Pt. II” and “Worlds Collide Pt. III.” Then I will lead the story into a climax and wrap it up with a good ending (there might be a nice cliffhanger at the end, I haven’t decided yet). In part I of “Worlds Collide,” I wanted to get back to my Dragon. I wanted to show more aspects of her as a complex character rather than a giant lizard that likes to kill stuff. I used some illustrations of dragon’s wings as a way to connect the reader to her injury. I also added a wind sound effect to place the reader firmly in the scene. I am really attached to her character. I am sad that I only have a few more stories left in the semester. As a writer, I like to spend time with my characters and I think this Dragon is very special. I will be holding onto her after this class is over. I may even keep adding stories to the website for fun. As for aspects of the stories mentioned in the previous story, the part about her power being hidden elsewhere appears in both the “Celtic Dragon Myth” and “The Dragon and the Prince.” I really hope you all are enjoying coming along with me on this adventure!