The Day of the Dragon

The light had barely begun to sneak over the steep barren mountains to the east when the dragon's slumber was disturbed by a screeching cry. He let out an exasperated puff, a cloud of wispy smoke twining away from his nostrils. Dawn was far too early to be rising, the air still frigid with little indication that any other forms of life had begun their day. The dragon rolled over, seeing no reason not to go back to sleep for a few hours. His eyes fluttered closed.

“Waahhh!”

He ground his teeth in annoyance and tucked his head beneath his wing.

“Waahhh!”

This time the sound was closer, bouncing off the walls of the canyon he was resting in. Situated high up on a stone ledge, he peered over the side and scanned the ground for any sign of the wretched creature. The moon was bright and a stiff breeze caused the shadows of trees and shrubs to dance around the ravine. Another wail rang out as he spied the small being tucked away beneath a small grove of conifers. If it weren’t for his keen eyes and the irritating shrieking, he may have never noticed it. He lifted his nose to take a whiff, only to curl his upper lip and bare his fangs in disgust.

The creature was human.

While many dragons find contentment with a companion, he had no interest. Spring was upon them. The skies were clear with birds flitting around, providing great fun and excitement when he took up a chase. The flora was blooming with a variety of flowers and herbs, giving off sweet fragrances and spicy aromas. He liked to sprawl in a field and bask in the sun while listening to the insects dart back and forth between the blossoms. By the afternoon, his stomach would begin to rumble so he would soar high above the pines searching for a mammal to snatch in his large jaws. He would often find small deer by the lake once the light began to fade and after he ate them whole he would dive into the water, scattering the schools of fish. Then he would fly back up to his ledge and drift to a peaceful sleep. He was free to do whatever he pleased.

And he would like to keep it that way.

“Waahhh!”

The dragon spiraled over the edge and began a steep dive toward the human. At the last moment, he spread out his wings catching the air beneath and came to a thundering stop right in front of the creature. The ground shook with the impact, the sound echoing up the walls. He bent his head down and bared his teeth, ready to gobble him up in one mouthful when he suddenly stopped, his jaws inches away from the beast. Underneath his natural and rank smell was something familiar to the dragon, familiar enough that it made him pause. What it was, he had no idea.

He leaned back away from the human and cocked his head to the side, his eyes roving over him. The human was small, so small in fact that he couldn’t believe it was the cause of so much howling. He couldn't be more than a few years out of the womb, certainly not old enough to be on his own. The child had paused in its lamentations, staring right back at the dragon without any fear showing on his face. The rims of his eyes were damp from tears but had widened in curiosity. His brown curly hair was splattered with dirt and leaves, and his barren arms were in similar condition. His shirt and bottoms were ripped and torn, the color barely discernible. There was nothing on his feet as he went from a sitting position to all fours, and began to crawl toward the dragon. The dragon gobbled him up in one mouthful.

Or at least tried to.

Every time he began to close his jaws around the little human, he was met with invisible resistance. He tried again and could not get his mouth to close. He moved slowly, pretending to yawn and close his mouth around the child. Again, he was stopped by some unseeable force. He ground his jaw in irritation, leaning down to leer at the child now near his feet.

The dragon brought his head down to show an impressive display of sharp fangs, warning the child to go no further. As if he didn’t even exist, the child continued his exploration of the dragon, completely unperturbed by the beast in front of him. He reached out and placed a hand on top of the dragon's front leg, moving it back and forth mesmerized by the shimmer of his scales. It was understandable he would be in awe. The dragon was a deep emerald shade, the high gloss always seeming to emit a soft glow.

Admitting defeat, he lay on his side and contemplated the little creature now exploring the membrane of his wings. Something about his movements puzzled the dragon. He seemed to have been mistaken earlier about the actions of the little brute. He was meditative rather than awe-struck, at the different aspects of the dragon's small and lithe body. The human lifted each wing, spreading his hand over the spiny bones as if searching for discrepancies. Once satisfied, he crawled over to his forelegs, peering at each claw, occasionally tapping it or running his palm over the tip, as if he was checking its sharpness. Now the dragon could admit he’d been rather lazy about grinding his talons against the stone, but he did not believe he deserved this much dissatisfaction from such a measly little being.

Complete with his investigation, the little brute climbed off of the dragon and started crawling toward the large river nestled at the bottom of the gorge. He began climbing over the large boulders nestled along the bank, precariously reaching from rock to rock as he climbed higher and higher. The dragon let out a low cautionary growl, warning him to go no further. At this point, he had reached the tallest point, coming to a stop at the edge with his feet dangling over the side above the water. He turned around to wave at the dragon when he suddenly lost his balance and fell into the rushing, icy waters below.

The dragon immediately jumped into the air with panic and adrenaline coursing through him as he frantically searched the rapids below. He spied the little human, about two hundred feet downstream, desperately slapping the water around him trying to stay afloat. He dove down, skimming the water with his belly, as he snatched the little brute in his claws and soared back towards the ledge where he was resting earlier.

He laid the child down and began to examine him. His skin was blue, his hair splattered against his face and his eyes closed. If the dragon didn’t know any better, he would almost think he was sleeping. He moved him out of the shade of the tree and into the middle of the rock shelf, where the morning sun could help warm his freezing skin. He flipped the boy over and began smacking his back with his tail, hoping to expel some of the water trapped inside of him. The human lurched and began violently coughing, water spewing from his mouth. The dragon slumped back in relief, thankful the boy had survived.

That is until he started to laugh.

The dragon looked down to see the little brute giggling. It wasn’t very long before it turned into full-blown hysterics. He laid on his back, his round little belly shaking as peals of laughter escaped his mouth. The dragon was appalled. The bastard had nearly died yet he could hardly contain himself. There was nothing humorous about this. The dragon roared, opened his maw, and let loose a torrent of blistering blue and green flame.

The child quickly skirted back, terror plastered across his face. The dragon snapped his jaw closed, steam curling out from his nostrils and spewing from the cracks in his teeth. Satisfied he had abated the little brute, he plopped back down ready to doze the rest of the morning, seeing as he had been so rudely interrupted before. His eyes were almost closed when he saw the smirk spreading across the small human's face.

Then he teetered backward off of the ledge.

The dragon hesitated. Does he really want to save this child? He has been nothing but a nuisance and headache all morning. Maybe he should let him drown.

Five seconds passed

Ten.

In twenty seconds, he was halfway down the ravine.

At thirty seconds, the little brute was in his claws once more.

By the time they had reached a minute, the child had finished coughing and once again had expelled all of the water from his lungs.

And he was in a complete rage.

The little brute stomped around the ledge, screaming and pulling his hair. He no longer crawled, but rather angrily danced around the outcropping. The dragon remembered why he hates children; they are completely irrational little beasts. His two dunks in the river seemed to have washed him clean and he was safe and warm up on the ledge in the mid-morning sun. He should be the picture of perfect contentment right now but for some he chose to throw a tantrum instead.

The dragon was seething. What was wrong with this thing? The dragon had saved his life, twice. No matter how he tried to help him, the little brute constantly searched for danger, as if its presence comforted him. No more. Gone was his responsibility for this exasperating creature. He could wither and die for all he cared for. If he fell into the canyon and was whisked away by the turbulent river below, he would wish him well on his journey.

With the chill of the morning finally eradicated by the still-rising sun, the dragon decided to leap into the sky to soar through the canyon like he did most mornings. By the time he gets back, the child should have fallen over the edge, or if he’s lucky, get eaten by something else.

He spread his wings and leaped out over the edge, only to plummet down the ravine. A heavy weight was pulling him down from behind. He looked over his shoulder and saw the boy had latched onto his tail, with his arms and legs wrapped around in a tight embrace. The dragon maneuvered into a corkscrew, attempting to fling the child from his tail. But he was bigger and stronger than he thought, and the extra weight was making them approach the ground way too quickly. He flung his wings out, trying to slow the fall, only to realize he wasn’t strong enough to keep them both in the air. He switched into recovery mode, angling himself to take the brunt of it and have the child land on top. The ground came rushing to greet them and was met with a resounding bang and a loud snap!

Thankfully, they had narrowly avoided the river where they would have most likely drowned, landing on a group of rocks just along its banks instead. Yet, none of this registered to the dragon as excruciating pain radiated from somewhere on his back. He craned his neck and his eyes widened in horror. His left wing was a mangled mess. The thin membrane was punctured, the main bone forming the wing shape protruding out of the hole. The dragon tried and tried to move his wing into a better position, but every time he was met with agonizing pain.

He looked up the walls to the thin slit of sky showing through the very top. The sun now hung directly overhead.

He knew he wasn’t leaving this canyon again. With his wing broken, there was no way he could hunt for food, or fly over the river to take a long drink. He wouldn’t be able to smell the flowers blooming or chase the birds through the trees. The deer would walk by him brazenly, mocking his defeat, as he would be too weak to even attempt to snatch them into his jaws. There is nothing left for him. His life will end in the next few hours, though his body will probably last a few agonizing days. The sun won’t be overhead long. The shadows will begin to grow and the cold will sink onto him, enveloping him in a blanket of sweet acceptance. That is what has happened. He has accepted his fate. He leaned his head back around and rested it in between his front legs. He closed his eyes.

Tap tap.

It was at this moment he remembered the reason he was stuck at the bottom of this god-forsaken canyon.

Tap tap.

The brute was aggressively tapping him right between his eyes. He opened them only to see him in perfect condition. Of course, he came out of the fall completely unscathed. That was it, he had had enough this time. In one swift motion, he opened his jaws and brought them down in one large snap. He was surprised to find nothing in his mouth. He looked around searching for the boy. He found him a few feet away in the opposite direction. How could he move so fast? He craned his neck, trying desperately to grab him, for he was truly going to kill him this time, but he was just out of reach. He lifted his head and roared, half in anger the other half in agony. He wished he had never met this stupid creature.

He looked up at the brute and was surprised to find his hands raised out in front of him, in a surrendering manner. He was holding some long sticks and twine from who knows where and kept gesturing toward his crippled wing. The dragon growled and bared his fangs, threatening him with the idea of seeing them from the inside his mouth if he took another step closer. The brute gave a dismissive shrug and stalked off into the forest just past the bank. The dragon was in too much misery to bother with him anymore, already understanding his fate. He was happy to see the creature go. However, it seemed that the brute had other plans.

The dragon had gone still again and closed his eyes in quiet meditation, trying to find some peace in possibly the last night of his life. Except the bastard was being anything but quiet. He heard the cracking of twigs as he ripped branches from the trees and the crunch of the dirt and leaves on the ground as he brought them back to where the dragon lay. The dragon ignored him, treating him as a nonentity. He didn’t stir when he began smacking large rocks together, or when he began striking two stones against each other. Not even when he smelt the burning pine and felt the warmth of the flame against his side. Soon the sound of sizzling meat reached his ears.

Now, that piqued his interest.

He opened one large eye to see what the kid was doing. It seems he had found a use for the twigs and twine he held earlier, for on the ground beside him was a bow. Next to it lay a large elk, an arrow piercing it right behind the shoulder. The boy was stoking the fire, and two rabbits he also must have caught were turning on the spit, he had found the source of the noise.

The dragon was perplexed, the fur of the rabbits was cut away and the human was sprinkling little herbs over the top. The dragon took a small whiff, pleasantly surprised. It smelled incredible, why had he never thought to do this? He normally ate in one large gulp, enjoying the crunch of bones and fur as it slid down his throat. He never thought to enjoy his food.

His mouth started watering, his stomach began rumbling. The brute finally turned to look at him, smirking. The rumbling must have been louder than he thought. He let out an indignant huff and put his head to the side. He wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. The creature walked over and plopped on the ground next to him, nibbling on the leg of a rabbit. He leaned over and held a piece in offering. The dragon let out a snort in defiance. He was not interested.

The pain in his wing had subsided to a dull ache, he tried to move it when pain shot down its length. If he stayed perfectly still, it was almost tolerable. The brute tapped him again, pointing to some more twine and branches, then gesturing to his wing. The dragon still wasn’t interested. The boy stood up and walked towards the elk.

He picked the carcass up and began skinning it. When did the brute get so big? He easily hoisted the large deer up, spearing it through the middle and putting it over the fire. He then began sprinkling the same herbs and spices from before. The dragon could barely think, its aroma so intoxicating. His stomach grumbled again.

This time when the boy offered him some food, he didn’t deny it. He realized he hadn’t eaten all day because he’d been stuck dealing with this brute. He didn’t know why he felt compelled to help him, yet, here he was.

The boy brought him the meat and laid it in front of him. He reached out to snag a piece, but it was just out of reach. He puffed in irritation. He strained his neck trying to reach the hind leg of the deer, his wing searing with pain and he was forced to give up. He stopped and looked at the boy.

The boy was again holding the branches and twine indicating to his wing, he lifted it in offering and then looked at the carcass. He was bargaining with him, if he let him fix the wing he could have the meat.

The dragon groaned in irritation. Did he really expect him to help? He wanted nothing to do with the boy. It was his fault he was in this mess. If he had never tried to stop the incessant screeching that had echoed early this morning, he wouldn’t be here. If he hadn’t saved the kid from drowning, he wouldn’t be here. If he had pushed him off of the ledge when he was angry at his antics, he wouldn’t be here. It was entirely his fault. He should be responsible for fixing it. Maybe that was what was needed; the brute needed to fix the problem he created. And the dragon was awfully hungry. He sighed in resignation, signaling the boy to come closer.

The boy grabbed a small chunk of rabbit and tossed it in the air to him, which he caught and gobbled down greedily. He eyed the deer waiting for him to offer it as well. The boy did no such thing, instead waking over to his injured wing. He took it gingerly between his hands, examining the injury. He walked back towards the fire and picked up a large log. He brought it to the dragon's mouth, urging him to take it between his teeth. The dragon took it between his jaws and bit down hard, his teeth puncturing the wood. The boy then walked back to the wing and grabbed it between his hands. In one swift motion, he shoved the bone back inside the wing. The dragon roared around the log as the boy quickly braced the wing with a branch, wrapping it in twine. He then smothered some paste on the wound that he must have made earlier, and the dragon began to feel instant relief.

The boy then brought over a hind leg for the dragon. He dropped the log on the ground and greedily began munching on the leg of the deer. The meat was delicious. He had done an excellent job of adding spices and herbs and it was perfectly tender. He looked at the boy and was surprised to see he was no longer there. The person before him was a man. He was tall and broad-shouldered, muscles flexing beneath his skin as he hauled more logs onto the fire. He stoked the flames as if he had done this before, and maybe he had. The dragon did not recognize the brute in front of him.

This was no longer the brute he had been dealing with all morning. The dragon was in a state of indifference. Toddler or man he no longer cared. If he could lay here for the rest of his life he wouldn’t mind. His wing was just a dull ache, his last meal a decadent deer. The mid-afternoon sun was kissing the edge of the canyon wall and a nice breeze was drifting through the trees. The afternoon might turn out alright after all.

If only the brute was on the same page.

A wall of water came crashing down on his head, quickly followed by rough bristles scrubbing up and down. He opened an eye to find the man scouring his head with a bouquet of springy pine needles. At this point the dragon was indifferent, he was fed and ready to nap. Let the man do as he pleases.

He started at the dragon’s head, washing the grime and dirt off of his scales till you could see your reflection in them. He worked his way down his neck, his front legs, spine, back legs, and tail. He was appalled at how soiled he was. There was no way he had become this dirty from an afternoon at the bottom of the canyon. Maybe he wasn’t as beautiful as he thought.

Once he finished with the scales, he moved on to his claws. He picked each up in his hand and began filling each toenail with a long thin stone. He sharpened each tip, rubbing his finger over the edge checking its sharpness, repeating the process till he was satisfied.

He came back to the front of the dragon and opened his mouth. The dragon really could care less about what the man was doing. He had given up so what harm could he cause? He let him prop his mouth open with a large stone for the dragon was too indifferent to keep it open for him. Then he took a smaller pine brush and began brushing his teeth, taking care to get all of the old food residue out from between his canines.

Once he was done, he walked back toward his broken wing. He grabbed a hold of the edge and began to extend it out, examining the wounds peppered throughout. He gingerly examined the brace he had put over the protruding bone. Seemingly satisfied, he begins to lift the wing over his head.

The dragon was a little confused, what was he trying to accomplish?

The man was struggling, straining to lift the wing over his head. The dragon tried to help but was finding it difficult, the wing much heavier than he remembered. The man looked towards him and smiled, nodding for him to continue.

He tried again, this time determined to lift it. He ground his teeth, shaking with the effort when finally he was able to have it fully raised. He held it for a few seconds before it collapsed.

The man clapped in excitement, clearly pleased with the progress. He grabbed another piece of the deer and brought it over for the dragon to munch on.

Well, this didn’t seem like such a bad arrangement to the dragon.

For the rest of the evening, the man and dragon worked together. They developed a pattern, starting with his wing, then moving on to his legs and tail. Together, they worked every muscle, occasionally taking breaks to snack on some of the tasty meat, until he was finally able to stand again.

Once he was able to stand, they continued working until the dragon could open his wings and glide through the canyon once more.

This time the man rode on his back, the dragon much stronger than he was this morning when the boy had latched onto his tail. They soared through the pine trees of the forest and skimmed along the top of the river on the canyon's bottom.

The light was approaching the edge of the horizon, so the dragon and the man flew up to the ledge where they were residing this morning. The man gingerly slid down from his back, his back a little more hunched and his legs not as sturdy. His hair had turned white and almost glowed with a silvery sheen in the light of dusk.

The old man plopped down on the ledge, feet dangling over the edge, and patted the spot next to him. The dragon wandered to his side and plopped down, resting his head on his front feet.

The old man gave a contented sigh, content with the outcome of the day. The pair sat in silence as the last of the light disappeared until there was only a soft glow of the moon.

The old man stood up and pointed toward the mouth of the canyon. The dragon had never looked over there before. His life has always been inside the canyon. With the light of day gone, a yellow dome of light lingered near the horizon. The canyon walls sloped down into nonexistence and the river fed into a deep blue lake far across the valley floor. He could feel the warmth of the light radiating out from the oasis. The sun that showed periodically over the canyon was pale in comparison. This light appeared strong and welcoming.

The dragon was in shock. Never before had he seen something so beautiful. The longer the dragon looked, the more he saw.

There were trees of every size, every color of the rainbow. Their roots drew patterns on the forest floor and their leaves were bright flashes in the breeze. Species of birds he had never seen before soared over the lake, swooping down to catch large fish in their talons. Deer larger than any he had previously eaten nibbled the grass on the edge of the water. They roamed carefree and happy.

The most surprising part was at the far edge of the lake were creatures the dragon could barely make out. He scrunched his eyes up, trying to discern what animal lay in the large meadow. The dragon's eyes adjusted, and he sucked in a breath, eyes going wide.

It was other dragons.

Dragons of every shape and size. Some with wings, some without. Some had scales as blue as the morning sky or as green as the river moss. Some were the size of small bushes while others were so large they looked like small mountains.

The dragon could not believe it. This whole time he had thought he was alone. He turned to look at the old man, wondering if he was as excited as him.

The old man was nowhere to be found.

The dragon frantically looked around the ledge. The old man had disappeared. He whipped his head around and looked toward the edge, afraid his worst suspicion was true. He rushed to the rim and peered down into the canyon.

At the very bottom stood the old man, leaning heavily on a tall walking stick. He smiled up at the dragon and pointed toward the dome of light, towards his salvation.

The dragon looked at it in yearning. Unsure of whether or not he wanted to leave the old man, he looked down once more.

The old man was nowhere to be found.

The dragon stood up, stretching his wings to either side. He took his final leap off the edge spiraling down until he leveled out, flying towards the light, towards his future.

He never looked back.