Lindwell's Hero (Part V)

Coming back to the light was like returning to a good friend that had been gone for a very long time. The sun was well into the west though, so I wouldn't have much light left. But looking out from the cave entrance showed me I did not have far to go--over some rocky terrain and just a few moment's walk away.

I crawled just a bit closer, up to the first rock outcropping where I could peer through and see the dragons. There was a fair number of them there--I counted ten in the nearest group, but there were several more as I looked farther. Moving closer and closer, the scene began to reveal itself further. There was an entire valley amidst the mountains, and the whole place was dotted with dragons. The whole spectacle was incredible--unimaginable to the quiet town of Lindwell. There were so many dragons, there could have easily been one for everyone in town...if the dragons wanted it to be so.

My heart burned with rage as I thought of the dragons selfishness, their utter disregard for life. But then I saw the scarlet dragon I had seen earlier in the trees, holding the flesh of some creature it had caught to the reach of a smaller dragon, black with a few golden scales spattered in as if made by the embers of a fire that had gotten too close. The beast had velvet purple eyes, looking lovingly at the larger dragon. For a moment the jaws of the scarlet dragon were no longer poised to tear and kill but to tend and nurture. This other dragon, three quarters the size of its parent, saw nothing dangerous or fearful about the other. Was this how the dragon riders felt about their dragons?

I shook my head. No, that was wrong: dragons were nothing but savage beasts. They had stolen my parents from me, thereby proving their malice. Yet still there seemed to be something...wrong. The evil beasts I had expected to find weren't there. I at last heaved a heavy sigh and turned back to the cave.

I didn't make it back. Just feet away I heard a thud behind me and I knew I had been spotted. I twisted around and saw the scarlet dragon staring me in the eyes. I looked into its eyes, looking for a sign of hate. Instead I saw a mother, doing what it could to defend its child. I looked to my sword, wondering what to do. My hands trembling, I reached for my sword and unsheathed it--I knew what I had to do.