Scales of the Mournes

There weren't always dragons in the Valley.

At least that was what the stories led us to believe. Tales told to children before they went to bed. Extravagant stories told around a smouldering campfire at night.

Myths and stories, nothing more, but every story comes from some realm of reality.

We have all heard the stories told of demonic scale like creatures, reigning fire and causing devastation in their midst. Throughout history, depictions have been made of these large flying beasts, all with one thing in common. It is always accompanied by the name, Dragon.

The origins pull back from ancient writings, cave drawings, and bards songs, Goanna was said to be the first dragon. A gigantic shadow was said to be seen on cold evenings across the valley of the Mournes, and rumors have it that the old ruins of Ashford Castle were caused by the great flames of Goanna.

Chapter 1: Hills of Green

Fintan was making his way through the vast open valley of the Mournes, with his feet kicking up dirt from the grass with every step. His short curly dark hair beaded down droplets of sweat as the sun caught his line of sight causing him to stop for a second.

“At this rate, I will never make it through the trials if I can't keep up this pace.” Fintan murmured to himself as he caught his breath.

With nightfall approaching, he made his way back towards camp, when he heard a voice from the hilltops behind him. A young girl was shouting at him, but he couldn’t quite make out what she was saying. He recognised her crimson hair, it was like watching flames light up in front of him as the wind rustled passed.

They both made their way to the camp just as the sun was disappearing behind the hills in the distance, followed by a colder chill in the air.

Fintan always felt more comfortable out in the valleys, where everything was much more peaceful and quiet, a place he felt relaxed, felt himself.

As he made his way closer to the camp the light from the large fire surrounded by what looked like a wild pack of animals, in what in turn was just a wild hoard of unwashed wild men, with meat spitting across the air, grunts, and moans and roars. That feeling of not quite feeling comfortable was growing within Fintan.

“Over here boy!” a loud grunt came from his side.

“To think you could call yourself a man, in the coming moons, ha! With all that practice though maybe you will prove me wrong… Barach” the man continued in a low voice.

He trailed slowly past the loud screaming and heckling around the campfire making his way towards his tent, squeezing past and sitting down at the back, it was quiet here, fewer people to question him and the others would easily find him, he got comfort in that.

Maybe the old man was right, he thought to himself, maybe he was not cut out to make it through the trails, another knock on the disappointment scales out of his favor.

An hour or so passed, and as the camp grew colder and quieter, he could make out footsteps behind him. Fintan pushed his back closer up against the tent, as he listened to the incoming footsteps as they grew louder.

“Another tough day? I could have guessed I would have found you here.” The young girl said as she sat beside him.

“You know you have nothing to worry about, you will do fine in the trials, just do me a favor and stop thinking about it and get some rest, okay Barach” She winked whilst she gave him a light smack on his back.

Fintan gave her a short smile and made his way to bed.

Another moon had passed and it was the day of the trials, a day Fintan had been dreading, it was finally here, no more practice, no more excuses, it was here.

He could hear the sounds of a bell ringing through the camp, as he stretched and made his way out of the tent with his things, a shoulder pushed him to one side, throwing him off balance and down into the mud.

“With balance like that, you shouldn’t even be attempting the trials, Barach!” a boy sniggered, followed by a group of several other boys from the camp.

A group of about 10 or so boys had lined up at the start of the trial, in a small clearing just before the entrance to the woods. When a voice perched through and drew silence among them.

“What stands in front of you is a challenge like no other, and one that will bring you forward in becoming a man, the path ahead covers much ground and it will be dangerous, but those of you that make it, will come back changed, better and stronger.” An old man said.

“The path should take no more than two to three days, make it to the end with your eggs in tack, and you will be welcomed back into the tribe as men, no longer boys. Now go forward, and may the gods be with you.”

Fintan made his way forward with his egg clenched firmly in the palm of his hand, being pushed from side to side until all he was left in the midst of the other boys moving ahead through the woodland path.

A day had almost passed and the light from the sun had faded and only the cool light from the moon could be seen piercing through the treeline in front of him, he hadn't seen anyone for what seemed like hours now and could feel the cold air surrounding him.

He had never liked these woods, and not just from the tales that had been told at night around the fire, it was the feeling, an unnerving feeling coursing through his body, unlike anything he had ever felt before.

As he made his way along the path, he heard a rustling in the trees in front of him, then a sudden sharp snap of a branch, he stopped looking around, but could not make out anything passed a few feet to each side. He continued to make his way forward, at what now felt like a trailing pace, when he heard another large snap, this team even closer.

He stopped, his breath short and rapid, as he cleaned his egg to one side when he heard it.

A group of howls echoed from what felt like it came from all around him.

He started to run now, through the trees, moving faster and faster, not daring to look back. When he suddenly made out a dark figure standing there in the path in front of him.

“This is as far as you are going, Barach.” The voice said.

When out of nowhere he lost his balance as he felt a large force against him from his side, he fell to his side, off the track, and down the dirt bank, his egg hurtling out of his hands flying off and into the darkness, when he suddenly felt a thud against his head and everything went black.

Fintans' eyes twitched as the piercing light brought him back to life, in a panic, he reached out his hand, then in a panic, was looking around for the egg, nothing.

Scavenger through nearby leaves, he felt something.

It looked like an egg, but larger, much larger than anything he had seen before.