She, who breathes fire

Chapter 1

What do I spy below? Do I see what I think I see? A littleton, in the valley below. What would one so young be doing alone here? This barren and dry place is no place for the Man-kind. Yet, after all those years in a catatonic state, hibernation, whatever you want to call it, my vision is still as sharp as ever.

Yes, a littleton, very young, and alone. At least, it looks to be alone. Maybe it’s a trap, so many years ago the battle between the Man-kind and ours may have had traps that looked how this situation looks. An easy, defenseless target with the enemy lying in wait.

Oh, but that was so long ago. These are not the days of war between Man-kind and the great dragon race. Maybe it is a sacrifice to the great Dragon-kind. Once upon time, silly and ignorant men sacrificed their own to whatever god might need pleasing. The Dragon-kind were once gods to the Man-kind, then alliances, then enemies.

The decent to the littleton is barely heard, as it nears the child in its steep descent the only sound is an increasing whistle due to ragged edges in the wings from scars of battles past. In the shadow of Tama is a the littleton, wrapped in a brightly colored shawl. Bright shawls are rare, someone loved this littleton. Tema’s sense of smell says this a girl. The feminine nature is unmistakable. Maybe one or two seaons in life, maybe.

Tema’s claws are sharp and deadly, they were made to grasp their prey, their enemies, and never lose grip. They were meant to destroy when they must. However, Tema knows how delicate the Man-kind littletons are, and Tema carefully pulls the bright blanket aside.

Tema is stunned, even the Dragon-kind can see and understand the beauty of this littleton who has yet to acknowledge Tema. The first thing Tema sees is the long, brown, curly hair. The brown has red tones and for a moment Tema sees fire emanating from littleton’s head. Her eyes, her eyes big and brown with the longest curled eyelashes, staring back and unwavering. Tema would have sworn when she first looked down at this child that the child saw nothing or paid no attention to what was happening.

Now, making direct eye contact for the first time, Tema saw the litttleton looking at her, looking into her. One of littleton’s hand holding her cheek and the other with her thumb in her mouth. Suckling on her own thumb and appearing to know something no one else could know. However, this was merely a littleton, no knowledge has accumulated yet in this young mind. Still. Still, there is an aura about this one that is undeniable.

Littleton is fair skinned, not of the sun people who live near these lands. From another land, where the air is not as hot, where the sun does not seem to linger well beyond its invite. Chubby, in a healthy way. So many littletons seem to be far too little, underfed, and under cared for, but this one seems well fed. More than that, is that aura of confidence eminating from this one? That cannot be, yet, there is something about this one that makes Tema smile. Tema rarely, if ever smiles these days.

How have you arrived littleton? Who wanted me to find you? I do not sense your kind nearby. You would not survive too long in this warmth and season. Maybe you were too much a burden for your tribe, or maybe you were left here for me? If such, then your tribe knows much. Let us go littleton, I have those who will be eager to make your acquaintance.

As Tema ascends, she speaks. “do not fear littleton, I will not drop you. I will never drop you if you must know. You now belong to me and my tribe. They will care for you as will I”. So much has changed since the time the Man-Kind ruled the world. It is time for Man-kind to find itself again. With the help of the Dragon-kind, they will once more find their way.

Chapter 2

Dragons have existed long before the Man-kind existed. In fact, dragons were here long before dinosaurs, and living besides early creatures of the Permian period. While many might believe dragons are related to ancient animals that once roamed this world, the truth is different. Dragons evolved like any other creature on earth but is the only survivor of its lineage.

There are many who do not believe that dragons ever existed, although you see dragons in all ancient accounts of humanity. The ancient ones knew dragons were real and had as much impact on humanity as the Man-kind itself. Dragons are part of folklore and thought of as imaginary tales. However, the truth is much different.

Once, the Man-kind readily acknowledged the truth of dragons. Dragons are part of megaliths throughout the world, one would surmise that these representations were based on real elements of the world. However, in the 20th century dragons were relegated to mythology and folklore. During medieval times, dragons were revered, feared, and the reality of these great beings dominating the heavens were all too real.

The great war between the Man-kind and dragons was pure manipulation by a dark heart and a darker mind born of Maerlyn. Maerlyn, has been an influencer of the Man-kind throughout history and in many iterations. He has been known as Mearlin, Merlin, and other variations and is well known by the elders. While he is often a man, his true origin is neither male nor female. He often appears as a male to use masculinity as an advantage for his own devious goals. He has appeared as female, as well as other creatures that has spawned stories of myth in many kingdoms. He was one of very few men who was capable of making the great ascent and sacrifice to become a sorcerer.

Maerlyn believed that men would be unable to maintain humility, accountability, and fairness, he seemed to always direct men into situations that most benefited himself. Fear, hatred, greed, jealousy, those were tools that Maerlyn understood in depths that so few do. Maerlyn would eventually meet a heinous ending to his life, but it would take the great sorceresses to accomplish this nearly impossible feat.

Sorceresses, witches, enchantresses were not destructive, but were nurturers. The narrative changed, likely misdirection that Maerlyn carefully crafted and spread like a fast-moving disease. These women of power used the forces of good, the white light, the beings who are beyond their realm to help their people, their tribes, their families, and their communities.

It was Maerlyn who began the first attacks on dragons. He used the guise that dragons were dangerous to the Man-kind. The oldest of tricks to create division and fear. He sowed thoughts into the minds of the kings and queens that dragons caused illness and destruction. He skillfully tended to and grew the belief that dragons needed to kill children to gain power.

The motivation of darkness has no limits. Maerlyn sought to use an accumulation of dragon bodies as the power to be derived from harvesting parts of dragons to enhance his own power as well as those he carefully selected. As Maerlyn gained power, he attracted the dark souls of the Man-kind to further his power, inflame the war of the Man-kind and dragons to enrich his harvest.

Dragons were desperate to defend their own, in return they responded by killing many men. The wrath of dragons had never been truly felt by men. Their wrath had been felt by only a few creatures of this realm. Dragons live long lives, have lived through many reins of animals, some that men could only imagine. Only many years later would men have an inkling of the creatures that roamed earth.

The Dragon-kind set out to eliminate the Man-kind who they understood were the greatest threat to them during any period of their existence. However, one of the oldest and wisest dragons made a decision that would alter the fate of the dragon race. His name was Mudar.

Mudar gave the orders to begin killing the littletons who were masculine. The attack was brutal, cold, swift, and devastating. He crossed the line. He knew in the depths of his wisdom the return of this horrible energy could mean the end of kind. Mudar knew it was a mistake nearly immediately after the attack began. But it was too late, the damage was done. The cries of the littletons would never be undone.

As Mudar knew deep within the hundreds of years of his knowledge, this action would lead the Dragon-kind on paths of destruction and dread. This dread galvanized the sorceresses, witches, and all women with the power of the ancient ones. Mudar had underestimated the will of these women, the will to protect the littletons with fury, with pain, with love.

The sorceress Nubia lead the uprising against the dragons. Dragons were shredded, torn from the inside out, and piled in the lands of Mudar. So many, that Mudar understood that any more killing of his kind would threaten their existence. Mudar, in shame, in fear, in humbleness came to the greatest sorceress of all with the hope of a deal. Mudar would ask for a truce with Nubia. Nubia agreed, but only with a deal that would cool the flames of revenge. Should Mudar sacrifice himself, then, and only then could their be a truce.

Chapter 3

Giselle and Ty turn their attention to the brightest, bluest sky they both have seen in their young lives. It appears that Tema has a littleton! Is it so? It has been many years since Tema brought Tyler to make it an official tribe.

Giselle claimed to be five seasons old when she first encountered Tema. Two seasons later, Tema would bring Ty into was once a building on a grand scale when the Man-kind were at their peak. Giselle now twelve, so she says, and Ty at least nine but maybe ten seasons were growing into their preteen bodies. Their minds, oh their wonderful minds were far older than the seasons they now owned.

“Tem! What do bring to us?” Giselle looking at her with anticipation that she tries to suppress.

“Tema, I felt you getting close. But, what I feel more is something bright. She is the one who breathes fire.”

Ty is always the one to let her powers be known openly. Giselle is always matter of fact and reserved. However, anyone would be foolish to underestimate the power of that one. When she looks at Tema, she does not need Tema to speak to know what is on her mind. Tema understands the power of Giselle, even at the young age of five seasons she could move objects of great weight with minimal effort. Tema thought to herself, that Giselle herself, in a different body, built the great megaliths of the ancient world.

Ty is powerful, but in a nurturing way. She loves, she nourishes, she fills people and animals alike with love. Still, she could be most dangerous if necessary. Should anyone or anything pose a threat to her tribe, she would shred them. Literally. A contrast of the soul that Tema could not quite figure out.

“Well, look at my apprentice dragons.” Tema always teased they were dragons in Man-kind bodies. “I found this littleton. I believe she was left for me to find.”

Ty crosses her arms and looks into littleton’s eyes, studies her beautiful brown curly hair, her nose that slightly twitches when their stares connect. She bends down and kisses littleton on her forehead, “You are Princess Gianna. I know who you are. You are the girl who breathes fire. The princess who restores faith and hope. Gianna, you are to be protected at all costs.”

Giselle looks at Tema and they know to trust the words that have just been delivered to them with the force of a dragon’s tail whip.

“Princess G, yes, that sounds right. That name feels right”, now Giselle touches Princess G’s plump little hand.

Tema knows from the moment she lifted Princess G, that she now has the most powerful trio of sorceresses that walk this realm. Their destinies have now aligned. As they must.

Somewhere far away. In lands that Neanderthals once roamed. In caves that hold early Man-kind drawings. Seemingly inhospitable in these times. A boy named Marlin points at a descendant of a squirrel. The boy is young, he giggles at the furry tail this little animal boasts. The squirrel like creature looks at the little boy and falls dead in its tracks. The little boy giggles again.