The Lost Dragons of Meirwood Valley

There weren't always dragons in the valley, yet the smoke filled air drew the attention of an elvin scout named Oisín. It was commonly believed that dragons had been hunted to extinction. However, whispers from a few who survived the Great Battle of Ethera, swore they saw a couple escaped flying west towards the Cieronia Islands never to have been seen again. Hoping the source of the smoke came from a lightning strike in the sacred valley, where he and his hunting party followed a herd of Caretyne deer, he chose to go and check it out. Oisín climbed up the ridgeline and was not prepared for what he saw; a blackened landscape scorched by flames with no signs of life below. The once verdant green forest hiding the remenants of the town from the seige, now is a wasteland dotted with black twisted sticks where trees once stood. Embers still emit a red glow as a light breeze occasionally stirs the white ashes illuminating the descruction thoughout the valley. It is clear, dragons are definitely back in the Valley of Meirwood.

"Seriously Oisín?! You do not make it easy to keep up," exclaimed Erin, a friend of Oisín and one of the best skilled hunters in his clan. She stopped abruptly seeing the same vast wasteland. "Whoa! This is..."

"... Not what I was expecting."

"We must go back and tell the others. Do you think this is the work of a dragon? If this is from a dragon, our clan - scratch that, all of the elven clans on Ethera are not prepared to take on a dragon. Wait? What if there is more than one?"

"What if our village is next? There's no reason for a dragon to come back. Even this area, no one has been living there."

"Do you suppose it could be fire flies? Maybe a pheonix did this?"

"Not with this much distruction. But I agree. We need to get back and report this to the others now," agreed Oisín motioning Erin to go back in the direction of where they came from.

Down the mountain they ran jumping over fallen logs and boulders half exposed in the ground while dashing between tall trees until they made it to the bottom of the hillside. They both take a leap off of a large log and stuck a three point landing onto the woodland trail covered with brown fallen leaves and mud. Following the path, the two sprinted all the way to where they left the hunting party. They followed the tracks left by those who were hunting via horse back a ways which lead them to a small clearing where several hunters hovered over a freshly killed Cartyne stag. They approached the clan just as they doing a ritual of thanksgiving where the first drops of blood are given to the earth while the leader gave thanks to their deity, and then lastly, the removal of the sacred antlers.

Impatient yet doing their best to try and be respectful, once the anterlers were removed, Oisín spoke up, "Erin and I have urgent news!"

Looking up from the stag, Ayden, the hunting party leader and prince said, "What news do you have?"

"The smoke. I followed it to find the source, thinking it was a forest fire yet not sure where it started or if it was out, but I think it is much worse," shared Oisín. Ayden nodded for him to continue as the other twelve hunters were having a joyous celebration, yet now were concerned wanting to know more about this turn of events. "In scouting the area, I found my way up the mountain to the ridgeline and saw..."

"Blackness! I mean the whole valley, trees and everything charred from fire. And now that I think about it, there was a distint odor, not just smoke but..." revealed Erin who interupted Oisíns telling of their experience.

"Yes. Like a sweet tar. Based on what we saw, I think they are back. Dragons," stated Oisín with Erin nodding.

"That is nonsense. Dragons have been long gone. They simply do not exisit anymore. We have heard the tales from our elders. We even celebtrate commemorating the win of the battle every year. There has to be another explaination," Ayden brushed the notion aside then got back to attending the kill so it could be transported to the village.

"But the sweet tar? I have never smelled anything like it. The tar we use to light our torches has a rotten smell to it. This is not that. I even have a witness (pointing to Erin). That aroma can only be dragon's breath, Ayden," Oisín confidently surmised.

"And I still stand my ground, dragons are extinct! Did you see a dragon?!"

"No, but... what if they aren't. Whose to say that this isn't an isolated incident. Our village is not far from here. Wylendell, are nearest elvin city is the same distance but to the south. The complete distruction of the valley cannot be random. My gut says it is not a one time incident and we need to alert others. Even if it isn't a dragon, something out there has the ability to destory thousands of acres of forest and we could be next," exclaimed Oisín. The hunters concern grew as they mumbled amongst each other.

"That is something I can agree on. If this is not an isolated event and there is something out there that could potentially harm our village, we do need to know what is causing it," agreed Ayden.

"May I make a suggestion," asked Oisín. Ayden nodded for him to continue. "Allow me to have several hunters stay with me to continue to scout out the area. See if there are any signs that can tell us more. Maybe any charred remains we find could give us some answers. At least until tomorrow. Meanwhile the rest could take the kill back home and perhaps report this information to Alabryn, our eldest of the clan who fought in the Great Battle. If anyone can help us determine if we may be facing another dragon, he would," suggested Oisín.

"That is a fair suggestion. Oisín, take four hunters with you to gather more information, then come back to the village to tell us what you find. Erin, since you saw this, you and the rest will come with me back home. We need to meet with Alabryn and my father, our king. Everyone agreed and went their seperate ways as directed. Deep down, as Oisin lead his party to the same ridgeline, he didn't have a good feeling about it all. He felt uneasy remembering what he witnessed in the valley as well as being nervous about what he and the others may find in their search for answers. Then there's the why. Why was Ayden resistent to the idea that dragons could be back and a real threat is out there where no one maybe safe?