Chapter 1

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. There weren’t always prisons beneath the sea, or humans living in colonies on the outer edges of space, or animals that had made a conscious, articulated and vocal choice to live side by side with humankind.

The ascension had made that all possible but it wasn’t for some. There were those that thought it was an abomination, unnatural and a clear sign of the end times. But for most it was an awakening, an era of great and powerful movement forward, of innovation and strength, a time when it no longer mattered if you had scales, fins, fur or all or none of those things, belief in the impossible and travelling with the momentum of your dreams was all that counted.

Eve was one of the first to embrace the change. She had been pivotal in the the peace talks between humans and the dragon kin and in the development of communication between animals and humans. She had grown up as an outsider, and although her separation from those who looked like her had never been an enforcement, people had always feared her because she was happy in her own world and fierce in her peaceful convictions. She thrived in her solitary existence and it was her dreams that brought about the eventual ability of humans, dragons and other beings, even those not of their time and plane of reality, to communicate and coexist. Some revered her as a queen but others had named her ‘Doom Bringer.’ She didn’t care. Her own achievements never impressed her because she was just living, following her heart and only wanted others to do the same.

“Hey Doom Bringer”, Sampson, Eve’s best friend affectionately called out. She managed to simultaneously roll her eyes and glance over at him full of love. “It’s time”. “Yeah I know”, she replied, pulling on her overcoat and grabbing her worn but trusty backpack. “I can get you a new one of those you know?” Sampson said. She gave him another look that was filled with a thousand words and a tome of emotion, and he knew that she would never part with it, or any of the piles of things she had collected (he would say hoarded) over the years. “Are we walking?” Sampson asked. “You are” she replied with a curt smile as she gently climbed onto his soft back.

The night was dewy and warm and beautiful. Stars were everywhere and the chorus of frogs and crickets always made them both feel so at home. They loved what they did, and they loved being in each other’s company. The silence between them was peaceful and never awkward, and as he padded his way softly into the undergrowth towards the Valley, Sampson couldn’t help but purr a little, he was so content. The scent of the honeysuckle and other nighttime flowers filled the air and Eve thought, “this is heaven”. It was a long walk, and the atmosphere of tranquillity enveloped her so she couldn’t resist but to wrap her arms around his shoulders and bury her head in his soft mane and quickly fell asleep. He smiled. He felt proud that she felt so safe with him, there weren’t many entities that she felt that way about.

…………..

In her slumber, Eve was slowly roused by that feeling you have when you’re in a deep sleep and you become acutely aware that something isn’t right, that perhaps you’ve missed your alarm and are late to some important event because you’ve been too busy in the astral realm of dreams. She woke up with a start. She was cold. It was pitch black. “Sampson?” She whispered tentatively. There was an echo. Was she in a cave? She couldn’t tell. She couldn’t even see her hand in front of her face it was so dark. The crickets and the frogs had stopped but she couldn’t tell if that was because dawn had broken or if…if they ceased to exist. Was she still alive? She put her hand to her heart and sure enough there was a pulse, but it started to quicken as the confusion started to envelop her…