The Last Dragon Rider

It was on the day my father was dying that he told me about the time when Dragons ruled the world. Through struggling breath, he painted a world centuries ago, when the Earth was nothing but ash and fire, the result of a cataclysmic event that wiped most of life on the planet. From this destruction came the Dragons.

These fearsome beasts thought of nothing but fire and death. They took over the skies, taking claim on the barren wasteland, and ruling the remaining life through fear.

It was only when mankind started to leave their caves that the Dragons rule was brought into question. Slowly humankind started to take over the land, building homes, farming the land, slowly encroaching on Dragon territory. It was only when a loan human entered the realm of Dragons, that things really changed.

No one could fully explain what had happened, but that night a connection had been made between one of the elder Dragons and this human. The first documented discovery of a Dragon Rider. From this, other riders were discovered, making connections with other dragons, establishing a form of peace between the two species.

Soon enough the council of Dragons came to the decision that peace needed to be established. Laws were enforced on younger dragons, less willing to work with humans. Soon enough, the two forces came together in unity.

Centuries of peace followed, with Humans and Dragons working together. They rebuilt the world, creating a more prosperous land that flourished and grew from the ashes.

*

As with most peaceful times, it had to come to an end. A small faction of Dragons grew frustrated, viewing the pact with humans as a way of being controlled, limiting their own power. For humans, there were some who thought Dragons were too powerful to remain alive.

The civil war that commenced could’ve been easily won for the Dragons. It almost was. They scorched the Earth with their fire, reducing most of the human population to ash. There only downfall was a hidden colony of humans who had long prepared for such a war. When the Dragons discovered them, they were no match for the weapons which had been crafted. Soon enough Dragons fell from the skies, thick arrows piercing their thick skin, killing them on impact.

When the war came to an end, the Earth had been ravaged, barely salvageable by the surviving humans. But they had indeed won. The few remaining Dragons took to hiding, living out the rest of their days in caves, watching time pass them by.

There had been talks of a resurgence amongst the remaining Dragons, plotting a time when they could take back their world. But age put a stop to that. Most Dragons had become too large to take flight, their wings no longer strong enough to lift their enormous bodies. Others had lost all faith, refusing to contemplate another war, preferring to live out their remaining days in peace.

My mother and father were part of the latter. They had hidden away off the coast of England. Their determination to avoid conflict was spurred on by my arrival. War was no place for a newly born dragon. Instead, we hid away, watching time pass from the comfort of our cave.

Before my parents passed, they taught me how to fend for myself. They told me what times were the best to hunt. What farm animals I could take without causing too much of a disruption to farmers. Anything to make sure I could survive without humans noticing me. With my father’s last breath, he whispered the last of his wisdom, that all was not lost, that peace between humans and dragons could be found again.

*

When I awoke, I could hear violent waves crashing against rock, rain lashing down, thunder rumbling in the distance. The storm I had slept through was finally coming to an end.

Still groggy from sleep, I slowly open my eyes. It takes a moment for my aging sight to adjust to the dark cave that had long been my home. My joints creak as I stand up, echoing off the walls.

For a moment, I take in the soothing sounds of the passing storm. That’s when I hear it. Just off in the distance is a cry. At first, I think it must be someone yelling from the hill above me. That’s when it comes again, cutting through the crash of waves, the clear sound of something crying out.

I uncurl myself more, stretching my limbs as I make my way towards the mouth of the cave. From the opening I could look out across the choppy sea, taking in the beautiful scenery; dark clouds moving away across the horizon, rain still falling hard against the still dangerous waves. There is the hope of sun, with light trying to peak through the clouds over a nearby hill.

My ears strained over the rain and waves, listening out for another cry. Just as a spray of water hit my face, I heard it. I turned towards the nearby beach, squinting through the rain to make out what was crying.

Sat on the beach was a small child. From so far away I couldn’t make out the exact age, but I knew that the child wasn’t very old. Despite my reservations towards the human race, I wasn’t going to ignore the cries of an innocent child.

I step off the ledge, my large wings spreading out behind me as I took flight. The waves splashed against my under belly as I quickly soared towards the beach. With the rain only coming down in a slight mist my eyesight wasn’t too hindered. Soon enough I was landing carefully on the sand in front of the child.

Beady eyes stared up at me. Lids covered in tears, snot trickling down a small nose. The small child stopped crying, if anything, it was too distracted by my sudden appearance. It took a moment, its head tilted to the right, trying to decipher exactly what I was.

I lowered my head, wanting to come across as non-threatening as possible. This didn’t seem too difficult, as the child continued to stare at me, seemingly unphased by my appearance.

I blew warm air gently through my nostrils, warming the child slightly. I looked past it towards the town, wondering where it’s parents might be. Not just for the safety of the child, but to ensure that I’m well out of view should they appear. I have spent far too many years hidden away for someone to stumble across me now.

A thud against my tail brings my attention away from the town, and the small child. I look to where the waves are crashing up against me. There, rocking gently amongst the waves, was a body. One wave rolled the body onto its front, revealing a woman. It looked like the child’s mother.

Saddened, and not wanting to upset the child, I carefully moved my tail, resting it in front of the body, out of the child’s sight. I tried to ignore the discomfort I felt as the body continued to be pushed up against my tail by the waves.

I once again looked towards the town, wondering if there was any sign of another parent. The lack of lights in the town suggested that no one else was awake. How long would it be before someone came to find the child. Too long for the child to be left on its own, especially in this weather.

Looking down, I watched as the child attempted to stand up. It was clearly only just old enough to walk, wobbling slightly as it got onto both feet. I wanted to back away at this point, not wanting to encourage the child to come any closer. Yet my plans failed as the child proceeded to make its way towards me.

The child came towards me, hands outstretched. At first it looked like it was just trying to keep it’s balance. It was only as it got closer that I realised it was reaching out towards me. The bemused looked which had been plastered on it’s face had now been replaced with one of joy. The smile grew into a grin of joy as it tottered towards me, eventually falling slightly against my nose.

I couldn’t help but feel a sense of happiness as the child proceeded to laugh, taking in the contours of my rough skin. Patting my nose happily.

Not wanting to encourage this anymore, I made to back up, moving away from the child ever so slightly. This action was enough to change the child’s mood entirely. From the moment my nose was out of reach it started to wail, once again tears and snot started to stream down it’s face.

In a mild panic, not wanting to alarm anyone from the nearby town, I moved closer again, resting my warm nose against it’s wet face. The child soon stopped crying again, sniffling as it regained some composure.

The child kept itself upright by keeping one hand on my face. Then slowly moved it’ way around me. It would stop and look out at the sea, something capturing it’s attention, then it would simply continue on it’s way around me.

I wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but I watched as the child made it’s way towards my tail. Soon enough it had taken a liking to my tail, at first patting it while laughing. Then, it gave a big yawn, leaning against my tail, before falling asleep up against me.

I watched for a moment, taking in the innocence of the scene before me. Then I looked towards the dead body behind my tail, a few feet from the child. Sadness filled my heart, knowing what this child had lost.

While watching the child, I noticed that it felt rather cold against my scales. The child noticeably shivering from the cold. I wrapped my tail tighter around the child, shielding it from the wind. But I needed a more permanent solution to prevent it from getting too cold.

I looked again towards the town. There was a thought that I could drop it off there, but there was no assurance that someone would find it in time. Then there was the worry of being spotted myself. I could make up a fire on the beach, but then what if the tide came in? Or what if no one ever came looking for the child.

I sighed, unsure what to do. Then I looked at the entrance to my cave. I could take the child there, it would be sheltered from this awful weather, and I could make a fire to keep it warm. I’d just have to keep an eye out for anyone in search of the child.

My mind was made up. I scooped the child as carefully as I could with one talon. Being careful not to wake it up. Then, with one bat of my wings, we both rushed into the air.

I landed as carefully as possible in the cave. I place the sleeping child gently towards the back, far enough away from the entrance to avoid any cold breezes. Thankfully I still had the pile of wood from my most recent fire in the middle of the cave. I gently blew embers from my mouth, an orange glow quickly filling the cave.

Content that the child would now remain warm, I made my way back to the entrance of the cave. I looked out across the sea, compiling my thoughts as to what to do with this child. It was in this moment that I thought about what my father had once said.

“A dragon rider is a rare thing. You cannot force it, and you should not wait for one. You will know when you have found yours”.

I looked back to the sleeping child. Is this what my father was talking about all those years ago?