The Dragon Child

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley.

However, there weren’t always dragons either.

Like all great fantasy sagas, this one starts at the beginning.

***

Eshu was a god of tricks who could understand every language ever created by simply looking at a word it hailed from. Using his divine gift, Eshu uttered mischief and confusion over the terrestrial and celestial elements that governed the three realms - Heaven, Land, and Sea.

Eshu revelled his mark as a Corrupt; one seduced by discord and depravity. Whatever he declared, the realm around him yielded. Heroes were no match for the darkness and despair that quickly took reign and humanity surrendered to malevolence.

The Blessed State of Three and daemons sought shelter in the Valley - the sacred bridge between realms.

Jörmungandr, the mighty water god, snapped her ferocious aquamarine tail from the Sea-Entrance, east of the Valley. Her force sent shock waves so feral that it disrupted the terrestrial and celestial elements, causing thunderous rain. Jörmungandr’s dangerous reptilian eyes narrowed, and her wide scaly mouth full of fang and seaweed stretched into a green, satisfied smile.

Sun-Wukong, having watched the Blessed Jörmungandr begin her protection sequence, laughed heartedly, and slapped glorious grassy hands into the dirt surrounding the Land-Entrance, west of the Valley. The ground cracked and splintered in all directions towards the horizon. Sun-Wukong observed Jörmungandr’s thunderous rain quench the ground’s thirst. Finally, he raised his elegant warrior body and smoothed the fur away from his dewy eyes as flora birthed through fractures and encapsulated the Valley in a thriving eco-system.

Sith, with her eyes closed and arms stretched, stood at the Heaven-Entrance, north of the Valley. Her vibrant midnight hair, soaked from the thunderous rain twinkled like a starry sky. Her skin, vibrating from the crashing ground and flora, radiated as pale as the moon as her long, shimmering hands twitched from the absorption of radical terrestrial and celestial elements that were being pushed and pulled by the other two Blessed. Sith allowed the elements to consume her.

Tease her.

Caress her.

When Sith was pleased with what she had accumulated, she clicked her fingers. An eternal halo that crossed at the point Sith stood, bright and awesome, circled the entire Valley and created elemental balance. The daemons that had long took refuge within the centre regions since entering sung in thankful harmony. Not even Eshu could break through the Blessed State of Three protection sequences that poured into every crevice – they were safe at last.

***

Kitsune sat in the snow and watched their behind grow another profound, fluffy tail. They exhaled a deep, punishing sigh as they watched it glow distinctly more golden than the other four fiery reds. Their mother told them shortly after they were born that each tail was a gift of strength and resilience from the Blessed Sith. However, Kitsune didn’t feel strength or resilience, only boredom.

“A century for each tail huh? Kit, you really are getting old.”

Nexia, who had been sitting on a piece of driftwood braiding another mermaid’s hair in neat swirls near the bank of the icy river chuckled innocently. Kitsune frowned, not for her poor attempt at wisecrack, but for the fact that they, a legendary fox celebrated for their sharp observation and cunning reaction had no idea how long Nexia and this stranger had been gawking at them.

I really am getting old, they thought.

“Oh, don’t make that face,” Nexia’s smile pulled into a sulk.

She turned away from Kitsune and gazed thoughtfully at the snowdrift that coasted across the water. With a sudden snap of her fin, startling the other mermaid back into the depths below, Nexia slipped off her perch and swam towards Kitsune as they elongated their body into a relaxed stretch. Kitsune watched the sky darken as Nexia climbed onto the land and considered their predicament. They thought that three-hundred years in the Valley would have taught them graceful embracement, but they couldn’t help but miss the humans of the Land realm.

At least Nexia was a consolation.

Kitsune loved when Nexia transformed into a land-dweller. Her tall, deep brown legs were strong and held her alluring round behind well. Her rich cherry hair that twisted and turned in delightful kinks and coils rested perfectly against her body, while her equally cherry eyes demanded Kitsune to satisfy her hunger.

Kitsune settled and took form in an instantaneous blinding light that forced Nexia to shield. Long blonde hair in all the right places, big white hands and feet grappled the snow beneath them, and blue eyes so striking it could skip the beat of any heart: god, daemon, or human. Nexia composed herself, her face softening as Kitsune released from their position and stood high and worthy for their daemon mate. For a moment, she was entranced by Kitsune’s vulnerable hoshi no tama, a brilliant fiery gemstone embedded in their torso.

“A masculine influence tonight?” Nexia said with a wicked grin as her eyes followed Kitsune’s body to the region between their legs.

Nexia, who was born in the Valley and had not lived as long as them fondly remembered the Book of Humanity Kitsune gifted her on her 300th birthday. Drawing herself back to the present, she walked steadily towards Kitsune - careful not to reveal the sharp dagger discoloured from blood that she concealed behind her back.