Lindwell's Hero (Part IIIV)

I awoke in the morning to the crash of a tree. I instantly jumped to my feet and reached for my sword, but it was missing. Why had I been dumb enough to drop it yesterday? I looked over to the source of the noise where I saw a ball of black and gray scales twisting and jerking violently. After a moment I noticed the golden scales amidst the black ones and could recognize Streak's claws digging into the gray scales. An instant later the gray dragon rose its head up, mouth open wide. Streak replied by baring his fangs. The two dragons snapped at one another.

As the two dragons tried to tear into one another I started to look. At last my eyes fell on a thin, pointed stone. Not a sword or even a knife to be sure, but it would have to suffice. Perhaps I would keep my goal of killing a dragon after all. I dashed over to get the rock, then charged towards the two dragons. They were both too distracted to see me coming, and by the time they noticed it was too late. I plunged the stone into the gray dragon's side, right between the scales. Its pupils shrunk as its shriek rang in my ears. Then a second later the dragon looked straight at me and opened its mouth. I could feel its hot dry breath, and I knew what was coming. Flinging my body to the side got me out of the way of its fire breath for the moment, but that was merely the beginning for the brute. My foot pushed against the ground so hard that I nearly fell over, but I caught myself with the other foot and took off.

The gray dragon was immediately behind me, roaring and blowing fire into the air as it charged toward. me. Meanwhile I headed straight for the lake, just praying that the beast was hydrophobic. From how close the growling was behind me though, it seemed I wouldn't get the opportunity to find out. Getting to the edge of the beach I could feel the heat of the dragon's breath on my neck, and I knew I couldn't make it. I shut my eyes and ran just a bit faster, my heart feeling as though it were about ready to burst inside my chest.

My feet hit the water before I knew it was there, and suddenly there was another roar behind me. I finally stopped knee-deep in the water to see what had happened where I found Streak with his jaw clamped down on the other dragon's back. The gray dragon threw him off and turned back to me, little realizing that it had only given Streak the chance to ram himself into its head. The gray dragon fell over, and Streak landed proudly in front of his victory. He then walked over to me and lowered himself down--apparently we had some more flying to do.

Lindwell's Hero (Part IIV)

The view from the sky was absolutely breathtaking, so much so that for the first time in three years I didn't find my mind returning to my parents or the mess they had left me in. Instead I was stunned by the view of rivers and lakes, silver and gold, lining the valley of dragons. All this only seemed to complement the view of dragons below, their scales shimmering in the late-afternoon sun. The scenery was lush and green, greener than anything I had ever seen before. It was as though this dragon was trying to show me just how pure and good dragons could be, and thus far it was working.

At length we started our descent. The valley had come to a close. Our trajectory would not put us anywhere in the valley of dragons. Instead the black dragon had chosen a densely forested spot just to the side of the valley, which was itself encircled by mountains. We came down at the only open spot amidst the mountains on the shore of a pearly-blue lake. The landing was surprisingly soft, and once the dragon's claws were resting on the sand it lowered itself to let me off. I swung my leg over before sliding off the dragon. Upon finding I was off its back the dragon then stretched out its wings and flew up.

"Oh, is that what you wanted to do?" I asked, suddenly irritated again. Now I had just been tricked by the dragons, abandoned with probably a week or more's journey to get back to Lindwell, assuming I could even make it there. Before I could take my grumbling much further though I heard a splash come from the middle of the lake. Looking over I saw the black dragon soaring just a short distance away, its mouth full of fish. The dragon came back over, its mouth half shut to form an awkward smile--like a crocodile, I thought.

The dragon landed beside me, emptying the contents of its mouth on the beach in front of me. I winced at the putrid sight--I was fine with sea food, but the thought of it coming out of a dragon's mouth was disgusting. Still, my choices were limited. I picked through the pile of fish and chose out the two that looked like they had had the least amount of contact with the dragon's mouth. Next I headed into the forest, looking for some dry branches to start a fire with. The sun was beginning to set and it was sure to be chilly.

It didn't take long to gather enough wood for what I needed--the forest was virtually untouched, so anything that fell on the ground was just left there. With a bit of coaxing the dragon even lit the fire for me, and after I got together a pile of leaves and promptly started falling asleep as the adrenaline left my body, the dragon close beside me. "We need to find a name for you, I guess," I said through a yawn, "I was thinking Streak, what do you think?"

I didn't notice the dragon's reaction--I was asleep almost as soon as the words left my mouth. All in all the day had turned out well. Little did I realize as I lay there in that forest that our presence there had not gone unnoticed.

Lindwell's Hero (Part VI)

My father had tried to fight the dragon off when it attacked. After what I had just seen though, I knew what I had to do. The sword hit the ground with a resonating ding.

The dragon took a step closer, breathing quickly through its large nostrils. It brought its snout right up to my face, then let out a snort of hot air. It then ducked its head to the ground and picked up my sword. Retreating a few steps it held the sword toward me. I reached out, took it, and placed it back in my sheath.

After looking me over for another moment, the scarlet dragon turned around and made a low grunt. The smaller dragon came immediately, though it watched its parent closely. It then lowered its head as the scarlet dragon motioned for me to get on its child's back. I was dumbfounded--didn't they know I had come here to kill a dragon today? The black dragon waited patiently as I thought through everything that had just happened and tried to decide what it meant. At last the red dragon gave me a nudge and so I got up on its child's back.

As soon as it felt my weight centered on its back the black dragon lunged forward and took to the air, leaving me to hold on as tightly as I dared to its long, snakelike body. Holding on I couldn't help but be amazed with how the dragon wound its way through the air effortlessly, seeming more like a branch in a swift river than something flying through the sky. It gently turned through the air, until at last we took a straight course, going north over the valley of dragons. This wasn't the direction I was planning on, but I was far too shocked to try to change our course. Besides, it seemed as if the dragon had somewhere in mind that it wanted to take me.

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.

Lindwell's Hero (Part IV)

I tried to run as fast as I could, but no matter how quickly I made each bound it seemed as if I wasn't getting anywhere. I looked to the right and left, just reminding me how visible I was. My lungs felt like they were about to burst and my knees felt ready to buckle.

I collapsed as soon as I reached the other end of the field, dragging myself under some brush as my heart pounded in my chest. Just seconds after getting covered another dragon flew over the mountain. I waited for it to look at me, to spot me in my shabby hiding spot, but it never did. I finally relaxed as it made it past the grove, my strength returning as my fear was momentarily abated.

I hadn't accomplished my goal yet either, and there were still plenty of chances to be seen. From my position it was hard to see a best route, so I just had to go from place to place, trying to leave as little distance as possible between hiding places.

I saw a number of dragons fly out while I was slowly making my way up the side of the mountain, but luckily none of them saw me. Whether I was really well covered or just lucky I didn't know, but I wasn't seen all the same. And just halfway up I found the perfect cover: a cave. Relieved to find somewhere I could finally be completely out of view, I headed into the cave.

I didn't have to venture very far into the cave before I realized that I had a serious problem if I wanted to attempt crossing the mountain through the cave: I had no light. I looked outside. There was a tree out there, but I was worried about how long it would burn. Still, I knew I had a better trying to start a fire, so I headed out and broke off some branches. After just a few minutes I had a fire going. Breaking off a greenish branch I stuck it in the fire, just waiting for it to light. Before long my makeshift torch was alight, allowing me to put out the main fire and proceed into the cave.

Inside I could hear the dripping of water, feel the cold wet air on my face. The jumping fire revealed many shadows in the dark. The air seemed to smother me as I went, forbidding as anything on this journey had been.

Pressing deeper into the cave revealed that I wasn't the only one who had attempted the cave. Charred bones and sometimes whole skeletons were scattered along my path, showing evidences of those who had also tried to do as I was. Many of them had brought swords or other weapons--curious things to have for those trying to get their own dragon to ride. Had they been trying to seek vengeance as I was?

After countless hours of practically feeling my way through the cave I came to a fork in the path. Exhausted and exasperated, I fell to the ground in despair--had I really come all this way just to die in the mountain? And as if to mock my desperate situation my torch, which had been barely holding fire to it, went out. I rolled to my side and curled up--what a fool I had been!

Through the darkness I heard a sound, though--my last hope. I could just make out the sound of rushing water down the path to the left. Pushing myself to my hands and knees I felt my way along the cold, rocky ground along the path, narrowly avoiding several drops before my hand finally felt the wetness of the river. I just had to follow it downstream and I'd surely be out soon.

Lindwell's Hero (Part III)

I bent over and picked up the sword, still unsure of what I would do. Next I reached for my father's sheath. Even with it on though, and with the sword inside, I still felt unsure. But I had already come this far, I said to myself, Deep down I must know what I want. And what would make any other time better?

I ate my stew hastily, just anxious to get on my way and leave any hesitations behind me. I knew I was probably making the dumbest decision of my life already, but I couldn't avoid the fact that it was probably also my greatest. If I ever wanted to become anything more than a peasant I could only do it by going and slaying a dragon. Wilhern the dragon slayer--what a great title! I looked back down at my father's sword in its hilt one more time to reinforce the idea before starting on my way to the dragon's roost.

There was no path to the mountains, of course. After all, dragons approached people--people didn't approach the dragons. There were stories about people who tried to hike through the mountain and were scorched and eaten by the dragons there. Only one man had ever made it to the roost before, and that was just what the legends said. Ronald Quickfoot was the town's first dragon rider, and the only one to go into the mountains and return. He had left Lindwell not long after going to the mountains, and in the centuries since that time the stories about him had all been changed until it became no more than a children's bedtime story, molded and changed to teach different lessons until it was no longer certain whether or not they really were just stories.

If those stories had any truth to them, and if Ronald Quickfoot really did exist, I would have to figure out what he did to get through the mountains. From the village they had always seemed impossibly tall--getting closer the task started seeming a bit less daunting. The real test would be in hiding from the dragons. The grove that stood between Lindwell and the mountains was starting to thin out, and as everyone knew, after the trees was sacred dragon territory.

I spat at the ground as the thought passed through my mind--those beasts were anything but sacred so far as I was concerned. I kept fingering the hilt of my father's sword, reminding myself what I was going to do. It had been meant for a dragon. When my parents were attacked my father had meant to use this sword to defend them--he wasn't fast enough, though.

Just as I reached the last tree in the grove I stopped dead in my tracks as a shadow passed right over where I stood. One look up and my blood seemed to freeze as droplets of sweat formed on my skin. Even as I started clawing up the tree I could hear the creature's wings flapping, getting closer and closer as it came in to land. I could only hope to get high enough in time.

I had made it over halfway up the tree by the time the dragon touched the ground. I immediately stopped all movement, only daring to gaze down at the beast. It was blood red with black pupils lined with gold, and as it moved its large clawed feet I could easily hear the underbrush giving way under it. The dragon walked on all fours as it sniffed at the ground with it's long, flat nose, and I knew it had to have been looking for me.

I clenched my sword's hilt as the dragon suddenly stopped all movement. It then jerked its head in the direction I had come from and stared at something in the trees. After waiting for a moment the beast took off blindingly fast, its long mouth already open to expose its sharp white fangs. The dragon then disappeared in the grove, reappearing just seconds later above the trees with a deer in its mouth. The animal was a bit big for the dragon to carry, but somehow it seemed to manage just fine, soaring back over the mountain.

I watched the dragon go, my heart still pounding as I tried to find the best way to go. The way ahead would take me through an open field; the nearest cover wouldn't be until the base of the mountain, and that was at least a mile away. I looked to my father's sword once again though and charged for the mountain, just hoping that I would be lucky.

Lindwell's Hero (Part II)

Arriving at my house, I couldn't help but groan--this shack of weathered wood was just another reminder of what the dragons had done to me. I clenched my fists as I felt the fire of despise growing in my chest. If I could, I would find a way to get my revenge on those stupid dragons, no matter what it took.

Opening the creaky wooden door and entering into my dark house I had to admit to myself that I would probably never get the chance to exact my revenge anyways, so I'd better just keep my mind on getting out of Lindwell. I could just run away, but where would I go? I was starting to understand that maybe it didn't matter. I lit a candle, it's small bit of light spreading through the entire house. There really wasn't much to it: a dirt floor, a pile of hay to sleep on, a few scraps of food, and some clothes heaped in the corner over my last few possessions. So what did I have to lose, really?

I plopped onto my bed and let my thoughts wander a bit, imagining what it would be like to finally be gone from this destitute little village. Friends? My friends had either joined the dragon riders or had forgotten about me after I had lost my parents. As for my family, I was an only child and my aunts and uncles were always traveling--they hadn't come to Lindwell in over five years.

At length I drifted off into sleep, too tired to even get myself up to eat. When I awoke the next morning the thought of food just barely won over my thoughts of leaving Lindwell. I grabbed some potatoes and other vegetables and headed out to start a fire. Over my fire pit hung my pot which I took to the village well for some water to cook my stew in. As I returned from the well I could see the sun starting to peak over the horizon in the east. I paused to consider what might be waiting for me there, when suddenly I felt a gust of air pass by me. Looking up I could see it: a dragon, holding something in its mouth.

I watched the dragon for several minutes as it flew, first going east then turning north to the mountains. And as I followed the dragon's path my mind started working: if I could get to the dragons' roost I could exact my revenge! But...that was a crazy idea--suicide, really. But as I started walking back to my little shack I really started to wonder, what did I have to lose?

Arriving at my house I poured the water in my pot and started dropping in the vegetables. After having put in what I wanted I went into my house. Staring at my pile of clothes and things I kept struggling with the thought of going to the mountains. I pulled on a shirt and pants and put on my brown leather shoes, each item reminding me in some way of my family. The wool shirt and leather shoes were once my fathers, and the pants were the first thing I ever bought after I had lost my parents. Even my yellowing woolen socks had been my mothers. And there was more than just clothes that they had left me. Kneeling down and digging through the pile of clothes I found my most treasured heirloom: my father's sword.