Ailo's Choice

Ailo always wondered how it would end. It was a thought that clouded his whole sense of being.

With a powerful slash from his sword staff, Ailo forcefully cut through the thick brush. Ailo was a powerful dragon. Thick red scales that paled towards his underbelly, accented with bright blue designs towards the scales and horns along his spine and wings. Physically, he emanated focus and determination, carving a path through the ungodly jungle of the island. But deep within his mind, confusion had overgrown rationale.

Ailo served for years as a brilliant commander and leader in the great dragon army. He led his fellow dragons on many conquests and victories for the greater good of all dragon kind. But in recent battles, the upper hand was shifting to the humans. Dragon kind was facing an unfortunate truth. They were going to lose this war.

An even more challenging thought was the war Ailo’s mind was waging on his character. Motivated by heroism and the desire to bring peace to dragon kind, he was driven to be a valiant warrior, known for his ability to endure the extremes always aligned with the orders from the Great One. Nothing seemed to change during the victories and losses. There was always a new battle to fight, a new belief to defend, but for what purpose? Was there even a reason to celebrate a victory when all it meant was survival for another fight? Would the fighting ever end? Ailo felt death would be the only peace he would find in this life. He could only bottle up his anger for so long.

“You're going the wrong way!” his fellow dragon called out.

“No, I'm not!” Ailo said. He swung his sword staff wildly at the vines and vegetation in his way.

“Ailo! Listen to me! This is the wrong direction!” Uhkku was Ailo’s lone companion, navigating through the thick jungle. The other dragon, a serpentine dragon, long and thin with grey and sandy brown scales accented with bright orange markings, was darting glances in complete circles as he ran along with a slither, trying to keep close to Ailo.

“NO! This is how we get off the island. There is no other way!” Ailo said, lowering his head and horns. Ailo cut through the brush as quickly as possible.

“But you're headed directly into potential Vaakkri territory!” Uhkku said.

Ailo stopped in his tracks, teeth gritting, a growl in his breath. Ailo whipped around sternly, approaching Uhkku, “THE Vaakkri do not even exist! They never have, they never will!” he said. Ailo turned to focus his anger on the brush and vines ahead.

“AILO! How can you say that? You saw what those humans did to us!” Uhkku said.

“They out maneuvered us. Their strategy was better than ours. We must accept our fate and report back.” Ailo whacked violently at the innocent brush, trees, and vines that lay in his path.

“Stop, stop, STOP!” Uhkku called out. “You were there! You saw it! Their hundreds destroyed our thousands! Thousands of dragon warriors! Our mission was an annihilation order! The island should not have a single human left. Our orders were simple: destroy the settlement, end the rumors of the Vaakkri for good. But it didn’t happen that way, did it?” Uhkku held a moment. “You know and I know, they armed us for annihilation. Even poor strategy wouldn’t end in failure like this. Isn’t that enough proof that the Vaakkri exists? Isn’t that our responsibility to report back to the Great One?”

Ailo turned with commanding steps, pushing his lowered face into Uhkku, pressing the dragon up against some trees. “The VAAKKRI DO NOT EXIST! Did you see them? Did you see any magic? It’s not possible! Dragon magic, fuses with dragon being, dragon blood, flesh, and bone. Human magic fuses with humankind. The idea of the Vaakkri mixing magic is impossible. No human has ever wielded dragon magic! They simply outmaneuvered us. We should have created a better plan. We failed at our ability to execute! It's that simple we failed. I failed. I will report back as they have commanded me to, and I will take the judgment.”

Ailo let go of Uhkku, stepped back to catch his breath from the anger of his words.

As much as Ailo tried to maintain a commanding façade, the truth of his emotion was surfacing. “I, I.. failed my fellow dragons. I… have nothing to report back, no proof, nothing to show the Vaakkri exist or had a hand in our defeat. I have failed, and I’m prepared to accept those consequences.”

The two dragons stood still in a silent pause. Chirping of bugs and birds echoed from the thick forest.

“What’s wrong with you?” Uhkku asked. “You used to fight like there was no tomorrow. You lived with such passion? Even in the face of defeat, the Ailo I know would burn this island down whether it was to destroy the Vaakkri, or vengeance for the defeat. But tromping through the jungle, into the enemy’s territory without a plan, without strategy? It’s like you are giving up.”

Ailo held for a moment. He knew for a good part of the day; he only focused on the anger of the loss, the fear of what might come next, the frustration that he was even there. It was true. He didn’t know where he was going. He thought if he acted like he did, Uhkku wouldn’t question it. But his comrade was catching on to the emotions he thought he was burying so well. The anger was clouding his mind and his judgement. Now that his comrade was noticing this, it meant a certain destiny was in store. He always wondered how it would end, but now he might find out sooner than later. Mustering the energy for the façade and tapping into a different unspoken anger, Ailo tried to at least keep character until they got off the island.

“Nothing is wrong with me. I am your ranking leader, and you need to fall in line or¬—”

“Or what? What are you going to do? As far as we know, we are the only Dragons left on this island. And I don’t think you have any fight left in you. You're scared, and that is far more treacherous than insubordination.” Uhkku said.

Ailo gritted his teeth with deep, guttural growls. “What did you say?”

“I SAID –”

Uhkku had only a blink of a moment before a blur of winged fury tackled him to the ground, throwing wild punches and clawed kicks. Uhkku fought back, writhing and twisting to avoid the blows of his comrade, landing several bites. But Ailo was the more powerful warrior. Ailo had Uhkku pinned to the ground, lifting his sword staff posed to end the conflict.

“WHAT DID YOU SAY!” Ailo shouted at his comrade.

Uhkku could sparsely get a breath out, much less a word.

Ailo was shaking with anger, drool dripping from his frothing mouth. His wing arm shook. He simply had to bring his weapon down and end all the doubt his comrade was so perceptively discovering. But he couldn’t. For the same reason, his companion doubted him. Ailo lowered his weapon and let go of Uhkku.

Uhkku coughed and gasped as he tried to regain his breath. Ailo sat down on the ground in defeat.

“There has been enough death today. I cannot stand to lose another warrior, especially one such as you.” Ailo said.

Ailo revealed a small nugget of his emotions. Another sign he could not hold it in much longer. The thought of more death plagued the mind of Ailo, wearing his will to obey orders. It seemed wherever he went, whatever they assigned him to do, it all ended in death and destruction. All the death blurred. Ailo hurt for the death of his fellow dragons. He despised the death of the humans, even when it meant preservation of his own life and his own army. There seemed to be no purpose amongst all the death.

Uhkku spat up several blood clots as he clawed back to his feet, standing over Ailo. In any normal situation, an act like this would escalate into a power duel where only the strongest would survive. But Uhkku knew Ailo was the stronger warrior. He needed Ailo’s help to get off the island. Uhkku, catching his breath, tried to respond, suppressing his anger when a strange noise cried out in the woods.

“What was that?” Ailo said.

“I’m not sure. I heard it too.” Uhkku said.

Standing to attention, they both listened.

“There it is again.”

“It sounds like a child.”

Ailo and Uhkku exchanged glances, knowing the dangers of being this close to humans. Ailo instinctively took the lead, motioning for them to move forward. The two crept through the thick forest with wings tucked in close. Uhkku consistently poking his head up above the foliage to listen. They drew closer and closer. The sound resembled that of….

“A human child!”

In the grass of an opening in the forest sat a young girl, only three or four years of age. Her eyes were red, dirt accumulating around her dried tears, her voice sounding horse. She would cry, then shout out words in its foreign human tongue.

“What is a human child doing out here… and all alone?” Ailo said in a whisper. Ailo motioned to his comrade, and they moved to get a closer look. The child continued to sit, crying every so often, then shouting out words in the strange language.

“What… and why?” Ailo thought in a whisper.

“Does it matter?” Uhkku said. “Child or not, these humans have caused enough destruction to the world of dragons.” Uhkku focused his eyes on the poor lone toddler, pulling out his sword to avoid any unnecessary noise.

“Stop! Think before you act, fool! This must be a trap. It’s the only explanation.” Ailo glanced through the upper trees and the surrounding cliffs.

“If so, then let us meet our fate like warriors brother! We fight. No surrender. What if that child is part of the Vaakkri? A simple killing of a Vaakkri is more important than our loss, even if ending in death. Draw you sword, we attack together.” Uhkku spoke with a sense of excitement.

“No, it’s a trap, I’m telling you.” Ailo reached out and grabbed the arm of Uhkku.

“Trap or not, we face the challenge like warriors. We fight!” Uhkku pulled free from Ailo’s grip.

“NO!” Ailo Said. He was now breathing heavily, growing more agitated.

Uhkku stared back at Ailo, frustrated. “These humans just destroyed our armies. They brutally slaughtered our friends. Your friends. Dragons we’ve known for ages. I will end the child's life, with or without you.” Uhkku rose on all fours, crouching to pounce.

Ailo’s heart rate increased, requiring heavy breathing to manage the panic and anxiety. Could he bear witness to more death? The death of a child? The very thought of it made him sick. He couldn’t take any more, regardless of what the consequences may be. Ailo’s rapid breathing turned into a growl. He drew his sword staff.

“There, that’s the Ailo I know, we attack—”

“NO! My sword is for you.” Holding the sword staff in his arm and wing arm, he pointed the blade toward Uhkku. “The killing must end. Everywhere we go, we bring death. Death death death! It’s all we ever do in this world. The fighting, the death, it must end. It’s going to end today. Leave the child alone.”

Uhkku froze, shocked by his comrade’s confession. “Huh. I could tell something was going on with you. But a human sympathizer, I wouldn’t have guessed that. Your words no longer carry any weight with me. You no longer follow the Great One’s guidance.” Uhkku stared down at his companion through his narrowing eyes. “I will deal with the child first, then by duty, I will deal with you. Your time was coming to an end. I never thought it would be like this.”

Uhkku burst out of the brush in full force, using his wings for extra elevation in the first few gallops and with a drawn sword he rushed for the crying child. Ailo knew Uhkku was the faster dragon in a dead sprint. Ailo took two quick leaps to clear the brush and hurled his sword staff towards Uhkku.

Fth fth fth fth THUNK! aaaauuuueeeeeaaauughghssssss!

Pinned to the ground, pierced by the sword staff, Uhkku writhed in pain. Acting instinctively, Ailo leaped with a few bursts of winged flight landing near Uhkku. He retrieved his sword staff and swung for a death blow.

Uhkku slumped to the ground.

Ailo began shaking. What did he just do? He stared at the lifeless Uhkku. Ailo closed his eyes, hoping to be caught in the middle of an ambush and would soon feel the sting of spears and arrows which he would welcome. Though caught in confusion, he would at least die a warrior.

“Dragon, dragon, please help! My mother, my mother, is gone. I need your help!”

A shock of chill pierced the spine of Ailo, as his stomach dropped. He leaped back several yards to take a defensive stance.

The child spoke Drekki.

The child looked a little confused and shocked by the dead Uhkku. She walked towards Ailo again, rattling off more in the dragon tongue, “please dragon, please, help, my mother. I can’t find her. I heard her scream, please, please help!” All in perfect Drekki. The child continued to approach as Ailo backed away, clambering backwards over rocks and the uneven terrain. Ailo’s breathing and heart rate sped up beyond anything he has experienced before. It hurt his chest. The pain exuded up his neck and into his jaw. Never has he felt that kind of confusion and fear. A child that speaks Drekki must mean only one thing.

The Vaakkri are real.

It seemed impossible that a race of humans could mix dragon and human magic without destroying their very being, but if the stories were true, their form of magic contained power greater than anything previously know.

Ailo was trying to stay away from the child, stepping backwards and sideways as the child approached him, asking for help. Blinded by shock, his mind returned to a functioning state. Drowning out the incessant talking of the child, he surveyed his surroundings, looked for cues of others, an ambush, or a sense of magic. Ailo used what magic he knew to sense other magical beings. But there was none. Nothing. No movement. All he could feel was the child.

The child? Ailo thought to himself. More evidence of the Vaakkri.

“Please, please, dragon, I can’t find my mother! Please help! Please help!” The child spoke all in perfect Drekki. She didn't fear dragons, which was not like any human Ailo has ever encountered.

Ailo turned his attention to the child. “Child, child, calm down. Why are you alone?” Ailo asked. Piecing together the rapid fire of sentence fragments from the child, it seemed the child was walking through the woods with her mother when she heard her scream, and then couldn’t find her. The child kept leaning into Ailo, trying to grab his hand or embrace the dragon. Ailo had only been this close to a human in battle. Never in his wildest imagination did he believe he would ever be a solace to a human, especially a child. The child did not seem to fear the dragon in the least. She must have been around other dragons. It was such odd behavior, Ailo wasn’t sure how to react. He did the only thing he thought appropriate.

“Wait here child, I’ll look for you mother. Look up at the sky. You can watch. I won’t leave. I’ll look,” Ailo said. Locating the child’s mother may mean his eventual death, but it may also give him the lead on escape if he can spot her first, before she sees him.

The child appeared to understand perfectly, nodding her head. Ailo knew the risks of flight. The enemy would spot him in an instance once above the tree line. But his mind was so twisted by the unusual set of events any perceptions of logic had already appeared to be destroyed, so why not ignore any sense of rationale? Ailo leaped up and took flight. He began circling around just above the trees. The terrain was wildly variegated, and the vegetation was thick, making the chances of seeing anything near impossible. His chances of being seen and captured continued to increase with every second he was in flight.

But then a glint of sun.

Ailo dove low and landed alongside a lower cliff. Creeping on all fours using his wings as legs to help crawl through the brush, he saw what caught the sun. Luckily, it wasn’t a weapon. It was a metal arm band on a motionless arm, lying at the bottom of a rocky cliff, partially buried in some rubble. It was a woman. She wasn’t moving. Ailo crept closer. Still no movement. Moving ever so slightly, he crept closer and closer until he was a short measure away from the body. No breathing, a puddle of blood soaking into the dirt and gravel. Ailo looked around, assessing the event. It appeared to be a simple misfortune. Erosion of a rock wall, the wrong place at the wrong time. With all the strength and power and destructions the humans brought upon dragon kind, fate was an unseen foe that was impossible to defend against.

Ailo backed up, convinced the woman was dead, and turned to fly back up to the child when the thought occurred to him to sense her magical signature. Ailo was a warrior. Magic was never his strength, but he knew enough about the basics. He turned to the woman, held out his hand, and focused.

“YOOoooowww!” Ailo pulled back his hand, trying to rub the pain out. The shock of energy almost made his hand feel numb, radiating up his arm. What form of magic—

“The Vaakkri.” Ailo thought to himself. Whoever this woman was, she was a powerful sorceress. The magical signature was unrecognizable. There were no known words or experiences Ailo could compare it to. It was raw power. Power like nothing he has ever felt before. She must be part of the Vaakkri. And if the Vaakkri were real, all dragon kind were at risk.

Ailo’s mind raced. What to do? This had to be reported back to the Great One. All dragons must know the Vaakkri are real, that their powers are an extensive threat. But this woman, whoever she was, was dead. Her magical signature wouldn’t last the night. Even if he could use flight to leave the island, she would be a corpse by the time Ailo could return to his homeland.

The child. The child?

Ailo flew up the rocky slope and back to the grassy opening in the forest where the child was waiting. Still wiping tears from her face. She ran up to Ailo. “Did you find her? Did you find my mother?”

Ailo was a dragon of honor. Despite the raging war, he felt he should not lie to the child. But he had to know first. Did the child contain the same magic? “Child, I think I know where your mother went. I need some help with magic. Could you help me? Did your mother know magic?” The child nodded her head.

“That’s great, did she teach you magic?” Ailo Asked.

The child nodded with a slight hint of excitement.

“I know some magic too. Maybe we can use our magic to help find your mother. Let me show you what I can do.” Ailo pointed to a pile of sticks, held out his hand, focused, and the sticks levitated. The child cracked a slight smile through the crusted tears on her face. She looked at the sticks, called out the dragon magic words flawlessly, and the sticks levitated.

Ailo’s mind was in shock at what he was witnessing. But he had to know more. “Okay, not bad. How about something heavier?” Ailo looked around, found some large loose rocks. Reached out, cast the spell, and the large rocks levitated. “Can you lift something heavier than that?” Ailo said with a slight smile. The child smiled back. Without hesitation, the child reached out one hand, levitated the same rocks, then reached out her other hand, and lifted more rocks with a laugh.

“Nice work. Let’s try something a little larger.” Ailo was engaging in a common game where young wizards and sorcerers would compete to see who could lift the heaviest objects. A beginner could easily levitate smaller objects, but levitating large objects required immense focus, physical strength, and deep-seated magical powers. The competition was a teaching tool to motivate young wizards to focus their power and energy.

Ailo reached out with both of his arms outstretched. Sizing up a large boulder, he twisted his hands, moving them back and forth with extreme focus and the boulder lifted out of the ground. Ailo Held the boulder there for a few seconds then let it drop with a large thud. The young girl laughed, feeling the thunderous shockwaves the boulder made as it hit the ground. She stood up and outstretched her hands and levitated the same boulder, then moving her other hand, she began spinning the boulder. She spun it faster and faster and then, with a swing of her arms, she sent the boulder flying into the thick forest, bouncing with a tremendous reverberating thud, rolling into the depths of a nearby valley. The girl laughed. Ailo stood in awe. Such a feat would be impressive for any student studying the magical arts, but usually train for years to control.

Ailo thought about pushing her abilities. Ailo motioned towards a tall, dead tree. He reached out his hands and focused, chanting the magical words to himself. He began moving his hands back and forth in a rocking and swaying motion, exerting immense physical ability. The large tree slowly moved left and right with cracks and crackles. The more Ailo focused, the more the tree moved back and forth until it came crashing down to the ground, snapping branches and other nearby smaller trees. Ailo Let out a gasp for breath. The stronger the magic, the more energy it takes. It took every bit of power and focus that he had to topple that tree.

The child was more than familiar with how to play the game. She looked around and without waiting for Ailo’s admonition; selected a tree and focused. It was a live tree, a beginner’s mistake. A dead tree has little to no life-force to overcome, whereas a live tree has a significant life-force to bypass, only done by extensive training. But the child began muttering the magical words in perfect Drekki. The tree did not sway. The ground rumbled, the tree shook, but the child could not make the tree sway back and forth. Though impressed by the child’s abilities to use dragon magic, Ailo was a little disappointed. He was hoping for more if the child was part of the Vaakkri. But the child remained focused and kept muttering the words. Then Ailo realized she wasn't saying the same words he was.

Suddenly dust kicked up, rocks rolled out from the base of the tree. The shaking and vibrating. increased more and more. The tree still would not sway, but the noise coming from the ground increased louder and louder. In a burst of energy, the tree broke free from the ground and lifted straight into the air, roots pulled from its anchor in the solid ground. The child continued to lift the tree until the entire tree and roots were completely free.

Ailo was in awe.

The sheer power it would take to lift a tree in that manner was beyond anything he could ever imagine. Ailo Looked at the child. Looking for Ailo’s approval, the child released her focused and let the tree come crashing down to the ground.

“I win.” The child said.

“Yes, you most definitely won!” Ailo’s My mind was churning with what he was witnessing. Whatever was allowing them to use dragon magic was giving them power beyond anything he has ever witnessed. If the Vaakkri continue on this path, they will have a force the Dragons cannot fight against. It could be the end of all dragon kind.

Or could this be the beginning?

A power like this, in the hands of the dragons, would turn the tides. Humans were dominating every battle, but with this power, they could compete. This could be the dawn of a new power for the dragons. The Great One talked of a greater power, the destiny of dragons to embrace something greater. Maybe this was meant to be? Maybe the Gods of dragon were leading him this entire time? Through passaging doubt, frustration, anger, and the death of Uhkku, maybe it was all meant to be?

Ailo trembled, realizing the path that lead him to this decision. He tried to focus on his breathing, trying his best to act normal. This was a child of the Vaakkri. Alone and unprotected. She trusted dragons. It was against his honor to take advantage of the innocent. But he was staring and the potential end of a war. An end of death. An end of destruction. Ailo had a choice. An act of villainy against the humans would be one of the greatest acts of heroism for the dragons. Was it even possible? Getting off the island, navigating the marshland islands and several hostile human inhabited islands was a feat beyond compare in of itself. But crossing the dep waters? Finding a ship big enough and strong enough to make it back to the mainland? It was a challenge he didn’t look forward to, even with the help of Uhkku. How would he ever believe it was possible when carrying a human child?

Ailo felt a surge of energy run through the scales of his spine. His eyes narrowed with a slight smile breaking through his lips. Ailo had purpose.

– snap –

Ailo turned to a noise from the brush. His senses came rushing back to his mind. He surveyed the area; he listened.—crunch—He heard movement, this time from the other side of the trees.

Someone was coming, possibly surrounding him. Ailo could escape and let the rivers of destiny continue in their expected course. The humans would have their child back, and with greater chances of returning to his homeland, Ailo would report his findings. No one would ever know about the opportunity that sat before him. The war would continue its course and play out, as Ailo would imagine. Or a simple choice could change the entire fate of all human and dragon kind.

Once again, Ailo wondered how it would all end, a thought he realized he had very little control over. But he could control how it would all begin.