We trudged up the mountain in silence. I felt so frustrated with my sister. The people of the world were so much easier to get along with. THe air grew thinner and thinner and soon it was getting difficult to breathe . It took great lungfuls of air for us to be able to function before we reached the very tip of the mountain. We could hear the whispers of the gods themselves as we crested to the highest peak in the world.

With a booming voice Boneshaker spoke for us both, “Oh Gods! What is our purpose in this realm! We have saved it from disaster and have rested once more! Answer my all!” Her tone was full of demanding and did not give any sense of humility.

“Gather your strength, our children. We have sent more of you upon this world. If you truly desire to serve as you are made to do you will find these wayward children and guide them. Do this and you shall be rewarded. Fail and you shall be punished.”

There was a dark gleam of something in Boneshaker’s eyes that I did not appreciate at the mention of more dragons in the world. Some greed is deep and burning inside her. “Where might we find these others?”

”Search, they are spread far and wide. Find them where their strengths lie. Help them gather their names and make sure they are worthy to serve next to you.”

I huffed in the thin air and addressed my sister. “Have you worked on your sense of magic? I think that would be the best way for us to find those of us that have come to this world.”

Boneshaker shook her head mightily, “I will find them my own way. You do what you think is best.” She turned her head to the sky, “Your will be done.” She turned and started down the mountain and I trudged after her. We walked down the mountain quicker than it took to get up to the top. The descent was easy as we hopped from rocky surface to rocky surface.

“I thought you were against the gods wishes, you just said that you think they put us here as a joke?” I asked as innocently as possible. I felt her mood had shifted far too great at the mention of there being more dragons. Though maybe it was just a hope to have something of a budding friendship.

I was ignored as she moved down the mountain. I debated bombarding her with questions but I felt that her patience was worn thin. So I kept my mind to myself and as soon as the air was thick enough we took to the air.

Boneshaker commanded me soon after, “You and Crafter seemed to have come into being amongst the people. I’ll leave it to you to check with all the communities around the lands for any of our new siblings. I’ll prowl the wilds for anyone that might be like me. Born amongst a new collection of their own. We will return here a year from now with those we find.”

She veered off towards the west and I watched her fading into the distance. I thought of all the ways I wanted to spend with others that would live as long as we did. Maybe they would be more accepting of my offers of friendship. I would go to the budding civilizations of the world and see if any of our brothers and sisters were amongst them. I knew that my own wouldn’t have any new dragons. So I would have to find the others in the realm.

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I had longed to visit the elves of the land and hoped that they had forgiven dragons now that Crafter was locked away. Maybe a generation had passed and the stories passed faded with time. I knew that without my constant corrections the tales I had spread throughout the people would have changed drastically.

The elves last lived near the seas if I recall correctly but that was centuries ago before the Slumber had taken hold. So I went to the edge of the lands and started the long journey across the thousands of leagues of beaches. Made of both stones and sands. I kept my eyes open for signs of life. Abandoned campfires, trails of smoke leading into the sky. The day passed as I traveled northward. The air was cooling and the clouds were getting thicker and wetter. Soon a drizzle of rain pattered against my wings and started to weigh down on my body. The warm updrafts were no longer there to catch into my wings making flying more and more difficult.

I trailed in a great circle descending into the forests by the beach I was above. I shrunk myself slowly so that I would not destroy the trees upon my landing and I landed in a small clearing and folded my wings down and against my body. I walked under the thick boughs and branches and started to curl up for the night to wait out the rain. Amongst the people that I had lived the last lifetimes worth with the rain was celebrated for it wet the earth, gathered in their crude containers to further enhance their lives.

I curled trying to keep warm and longed for a fire. I promised myself quietly that I would learn how to craft a flame like the men and women of the village I lived in. Maybe I would have to spend some time learning the ways of the people. I had mostly spent the last few decades telling stories and being somewhat worshiped. As I slowly fell asleep I was disturbed at the sound of something approaching. I pulled my head up and looked around for what had brought me from my rest.

A half dozen elves descended upon me from the trees above. Great thick ropes woven from vines were expertly lashed around me. Spears were pressed against my hardened scales uselessly. I stood as they fought to keep me as still as possible and the vines snapped as I stretched myself free. The elves stepped back shaken by the lack of success as I stood to full height, towering above them. Several of them threw spears that bounced uselessly off me.

I pulled from my inherit ability to speak and understand everyone that I came across. I found their language had progressed far past the grunts and gestures that the realms of men used. “Ease your soul, elves. I come in peace, why have you attacked me so?”

Speaking to them shook them even more than before and several of them trembled in response. One brave soul stepped forth. “A scaled one has returned and the last time one of you were here we lost almost all of our people. Why should we not approach with caution and wariness?”

I nodded in understanding. It was true that Crafter had done quite a lot of damage to the elves when they had been driven mad by the rage of Klaxu. It brought sorrow to me that the people of the elves still had quite the distrust of the dragons. But it was well earned I might say.

“I assume that means no other dragons have come since the last you saw of one? Any that were as peaceful as I?”

Most of them shook their head and brandished the spears once more. “You are not peaceful beings anymore. There is a darkness in all of you that can not be trusted any longer. We will capture any of you that comes to us. We shall never trust a scaled one again.”

Knowing I had wasted my time with the elves I vowed to myself that I would find some way to be amongst them and heal their distrust of dragons from the inside. Some form of subterfuge to improve the relations with each other.

“Then I shall leave you when the rains have stopped. Let me rest now and I will bother you no further.” I filled my voice with authority so that they would listen to me well and without hesitation. I felt their minds resist the laced magic valiantly but the spears eventually tipped down as they backed away.

I curled up under the tree once more and kept my ears peaked for the sounds of them returning to capture me once more. Hopefully my display of strength was enough to dissuade them of any more foolishness. I found some sense of gratefulness that it was I that was seeing them and not Boneshaker. I fear that would have led to another slaughter of their kind.

Rest took me and by the time I awoke the rain had ceased and I took to the air spreading my wings and making my way with difficulty to the skies. The air was still too cool for their to be any updrafts of warm air to help me soar into the skies. Now that the day was clearer I could see the hidden huts amongst the forests near the ocean and wondered with awe how their culture might have changed with their distrust of dragons. The people that I had lived with seemed so much more accepting in comparison and it was strange in some ways to me that I could not describe so easily.

I would seek more of the men in the world. Maybe next I would visit the people born by Klaxu.