Tiny Human

It was the perfect day to start a war. Perhaps it was the brilliant blue sky begging for arrows and dragon flames to fly through it, or maybe the stars had aligned behind that very same curtain of dazzling blue. Most likely, the humans were bored and needed something to do. Whatever the reason, Aries was pissed. It was also the perfect day to go ice gliding, and she had packed a picnic of deliciously greasy fish to enjoy on the edge of a glacier. But the humans had come with their flaming arrows and magical powers, and Cedrick the dragon king had rallied all able-bodied dragons to fight.

Fighting would have been a highly acceptable alternative to ice gliding. But Aries knew only too well that she would never be allowed to fight. Still, she limped over to the cluster of dragons receiving their fighting orders from Bastil, the kingdom’s toughest warrior.

“…And one more thing.” Bastil paused for dramatic effect, something he had learned in rehearsals for the annual village Christmas play.

“Some of you may not return today. It is the price we must pay for the lives of those coming behind us.” The dragons cheered, but the eager anticipation that had been obvious in previous battles had dimmed over the years with the expanding abilities and weapons of the humans.

“To the valley!” Bastil roared, his voice echoing throughout the canyon. “Hey, you!” Aries averted her eyes, hiding her useless leg with her wings.

“Aries”. Bastil’s voice was softer. “You’re too young.”

“Lacen is going, and I’m two whole years older than him,” she protested. “I’m not little anymore. I’m a grown-up.”

Bastil sighed. “You have to stay. You aren’t able to fight…”

“Fine.” Aries turned and flew away, purposely flapping her crystal white wings in his face.

“Aries…”

“I can’t hear you,” she yelled, soaring toward the trees outside the village. As the friendly leaves of the forest enveloped her completely, she turned toward the battlefield. “Can’t fight, my ass,” she muttered. “I’ll show him.”

The trees ahead of her opened up, and suddenly she was flying in the midst of hundreds of dragons. A flaming arrow whizzed past her face, so close the smell of burning tar made her gag. Jostled left and right, she suddenly found herself flying alongside her brother, Taos. She spun away, but it was too late.

“Aries! What the hell?” His voice was nearly lost in the screams of dragons and humans. “Go home!”

“You can’t make me.” She laughed at the anger on his face. “Watch out!”

Taos ducked beneath a spear headed for his head, and Aries dove away, straight toward a rock outcropping where a group of humans were loading an odd-shaped package into a cannon.

“Who-eee!” she squealed, scattering them with a burst of flames. Swooping in closer, she realized her attack had ignited the fuse. She dropped below the rock shelf seconds before the cannon muzzle exploded with hundreds of mini balls that shot into the mass of dragons, sending many to the ground, their screams echoing horribly in the valley.

Aries screamed with them as she saw Taos spinning, falling to the ground, his wings ripped and torn.

“Taos!” She sped to his side, breaking his fall right before they hit the rocky earth of the valley floor.

“Oh Taos, I’m so sor…”

“What were you thinking?!” Despite his breathless heaving, Taos still managed to yell. “You probably killed…just…just go home.”

“No! I’m not leaving you here!” Aries tasted the saltiness of tears on her lips and choked back a sob. “I’ll get help…”

“Aries.” His voice was icy cold. “Leave. Now.” He coughed up blood. “And don’t come back.”

Swallowing hard, she pushed off from the ground and flew away blindly. The jarring sounds blended into one and then faded away before she realized that she was still flying. A sharp pain in her side reminded her of the arrow that had cut her as she’d flown away. Through her blurred vision, she saw a small clearing in the thick woods ahead. She landed carefully, the pain in her side growing sharper as she dug her claws into warm, comforting earth. Slumping to the ground, she let the hot tears slide down her rough face.

“Dragon!” The thin, high voice interrupted her pity party. Spinning around, Aries saw a small human, merely more than a baby, walking toward her with wide eyes and uncertain steps. She jumped back, watching the child. Black hair curled around chubby cheeks and adorable wide eyes.

“What’s your name?” she asked cautiously, because there was nothing else to say.

The little boy smiled, revealing brilliant white teeth. “Dragon!” he repeated.

“Okay, be that way. I’ll just call you human.”

She pulled some young green leaves from their stems and pressed them against her bleeding side.

“Mommy?” The kid started to whimper.

“Sorry, don’t know who she is. Don’t really care, either,” she added, glaring at the child.

The human started crying. Aries sighed, then looked back at him.

“Know any magic, little one?”

The kid stopped crying, staring blankly at her.

“Magic?” Aries waved her wings. “Woo-woo stuff? No?”

The little human plopped down on the grass, a frown scrunching his face.

“Well, I’m not going back. Unless…” she added thoughtfully, looking at the child.

“If I captured a human, maybe they won’t think I’m so useless,” she whispered under her breath.

The kid held out his hand, and a tiny cluster of sparkling stars appeared in his palm.

“Cool.” Aries peered closer. “What does it do?”

The tiny stars died one by one, until there were none left.

“Come on kid, we have to go somewhere.” She finished tending to her cut. “Hop aboard.”

The child’s attempts to get on her back were unsuccessful.

“No, no, we aren’t walking. I don’t walk well,” she said.

The kid grabbed her hand and tugged her down a faint trail through the forest.

“Okay, well, I guess we’re walking,” she sighed.

The crisp air and smell of the flagrant snowflowers dotting the path helped Aries forget about the battle and Taos and the others for a little while. Ignoring the pain in her bad leg, she motioned toward it, explaining her reluctance to walk, hoping the child would agree to fly.

“Everyone says it’s my own fault, that I deserved it. Thing is, I was being stupid,” she said. “Tired of being a baby. So, I did the logical thing and ran away from home.”

Aries stopped. The kid wasn’t beside her anymore. Spinning around frantically, she saw him sitting in the middle of the path, picking tiny white snowflowers that littered the forest floor.

“Human!” Aries rolled her eyes and dragged herself back down the path. “You have to stay with me, okay?”

The kid didn’t respond. Aries was still ten feet from him when she saw that they weren’t alone.

“Well, hello! What have we here?” A large dragon stepped gracefully onto the path, his brilliant red wings folded neatly over his rugged frame.

“Hi Petry,” Aries said, keeping her tone light as he stepped toward the child.

“Very interesting,” he purred. “What could a girl like you possibly be doing with a human? Oh wait, let me guess. Useless little dragon, aren’t you? Glory reward, is it?”

Heat rose up Aries’s neck. “No…I…He needs to find his family.”

“Hmmmm.” Petry slunk around the toddler, his tail making deep tracks in the dirt. “Tell me you haven’t thought about it.”

“I’m sorry, but we have to go,” Aries said, moving toward the human. Petry neatly blocked her way.

“Oh no no no.” He laughed. “I’ll take him off your hands. You go on back and get in some more trouble.”

“That’s your job,” she retorted. “I wasn’t the one kicked out of the village.”

“Oh, is that how it’s gonna be?” Petry’s eyes glowed a faint red.

Aries stepped around him but was knocked off her feet by a powerful blow. Petry stood over her, ready to strike again.

“I heard you love those dragon traps that humans make,” he grinned menacingly and kicked her mangled leg. A cry of pain escaped her lips and red dots floated in front of her eyes.

“Not as much as you like being an asshole,” she bit out through gritted teeth, rolling between his legs as he made another swipe. Petry roared, shooting out flames that barely missed her. Ducking to avoid them, she tripped and fell right in front of the tiny human. He giggled, pointing at Petry.

“Hop on!” she hissed, motioning to her back.

“Not so fast.” Petry grabbed her and hurled her against a tree, then grabbed the baby.

“No!” Aries dragged herself up and jumped onto Petry’s back, holding on for dear life as he swung around in circles. He then started off on a dead run through the trees, scraping Aries against them while carrying the human in his clawed hand. She clung to the scales on his back, her claws scrabbling for hold as he wove though the trees. He suddenly skidded to a stop and she flew through the air over his head, landing on her good leg.

“Couldn’t take the speed?” he taunted as she turned to face him.

“Didn’t want to be touching you any longer than I had to.”

“Cute.” He set the human down and moved toward Aries, circling her. She dodged his next blow and made a dive for the baby, but his second strike caught her on the head and sent her thudding to the ground.

“Nice try,” he sneered.

Rage boiled up, propelling Aries off the ground and onto Petry, beating him with her wings and breathing fire into his face. Roaring, he threw her to the ground and stepped on her chest.

“Look at us,” He hissed. “The village outcasts. One dead human should be good for the both of us.”

“Never,” she gasped, his foot crushing the breath from her body.

“Have it your way then.” Petry lifted her high, his long talons clutching her throat, then flung her at a tree. Everything went dark. Petry picked up the child and trotted away whistling.

Aries slowly sat up, the forest above her swimming in and out of focus. Icy fingers of fear gripped her heart, sending a chill through her veins. Petry was nowhere to be seen, but neither was the child.

“I have to stop him.” She scrambled to her feet, the quick movement nearly taking her out again. Leaning against the tree to catch her breath, Aries saw the line of disturbed leaves and forest debris leading away from where they had fought. Knowing she couldn’t track them fast enough, she lifted off and flew just above the trees toward the village. The sky was turning a faint pink when she saw the first flashes of light from the battlefield. The roars and screams were still ringing through the valley as she came still closer. When the village came into view, Aries headed straight for the clearing in the middle of the caves. A gathering of dragons was there, those left behind the battle caring for the wounded dragons. Aries’ throat tightened, knowing that she was responsible for some.

“Aries! Where have you been?” Cecrilia, the town’s healer called out as she landed.

“Petry!” Aries gulped. “Have you seen Petry?”

Cecrilia froze.

“No, I-I haven’t.”

Aries flew off, followed by Cecrilia’s calls. She scanned the battlefield, her stomach roiling at the damage done. A commotion in the middle of the valley drew her eye. There was a dragon flying low, holding something. She flew closer. It was a red dragon.

Petry.

Mustering all her strength, she flew toward Petry, her wings beating desperately against the smoky air. She reached him without his noticing and swooped beneath him, snatching the baby from his talons. The momentum from her dive took her to the ground, where she made a rocky landing and rolled over, protecting the child with her wings.

Petry landed right beside her, his face twisted with fury. Grabbing her leg, he dragged her through a mass of rocks and small brush, then pinned her against a boulder.

“You must be stupid,” he seethed, prying the human from her grasp and setting it on the ground beside them.

“I am.”

In the brief second his surprise brought her, Aries slipped from his grasp and lifted from the ground, her wings flapping violently. He grabbed her tail and pulled, spinning her around, where he met her in the air. Before she could get away, they crashed to the ground together, where he once again pinned her down. The little human was toddling away, right into the thick of battle. Time slowed as Aries watched a human pull back his bow and release, the arrow flying straight toward the child. Petry’s clawed hands were crushing her neck. She scrabbled for purchase on the ground, then with incredible effort pushed away from Petry and threw herself at the child. She pushed him out of the way as a searing pain raced through her body, dropping it to the ground.

The battle around her blurred and blended with the roaring in her ears. Blood dripped out of her mouth, mixing with the tears burning her eyes. The vague outline of Petry above her was forcefully pushed aside, and she cleared the haze from her eyes enough to see a wounded Taos attacking him.

“Aries!” he yelled. “Hang on!”

She was trying, but the darkness kept pushing in on her. Then a little hand touched her cheek.

“Sick?”

“Yeah, tiny human.” Aries tried to smile. “Sick.”

A warmth spread from the tiny hand, a comforting warmth that enveloped her like a blanket. Aries felt strength seep back in and looked down to find her wound was closing.

“You…You’re a healer,” she gasped.

The little human waved his hand in the air, tiny stars shimmering in his palm for a second. Looking up, Aries realized that those around them were staring, and had lowered their weapons.

“We need to stop this,” Aries breathed, then louder, “Stop! Stop fighting!” Her voice was lost in the sound of a fierce battle. Heart fluttering, she picked up the tiny human and took off his dirty white jacket.

“Sorry little guy, we need this.”

Aries flew up, wings beating in sync with her fluttering heart. Taos and Petry were still fighting beneath her in a flurry of claws and wings and tails. Flying to the middle of the valley, she waved the tiny white shirt in the air. The battle raged on.

“Cedrick. I need to find Cedrick.” Aries scanned the battlefield below, then realized with horror that she had left the child completely unprotected on the battlefield. Diving back down, she found him sitting in a small crevice shrouded by small trees.

“Sorry I left you, little human,” she said. “We need to get you out of here.” From behind, there came the heavy beat of the dragonhead drum, and King Cedrick marched toward them.

“Your majesty, we have to stop this…” King Cedrick held up his hand and turned to the child.

“Did he just heal you?”

“Yes, but…”

Cedrick turned to face the human army. The dragonhead drum brought a certain stillness to the battle.

“Humans! I request an audience with your king!”

“Ah, are you ready to surrender yet?” King Davian had appeared from nowhere.

Blood pouring down his face, King Cedrick moved slowly toward the little group in the middle of the blood-strewn battlefield. With every arrow and wand in the valley pointed at his heart, he stopped in front of the human king and bowed his head.

“From here on out, let it be known that the dragons will no longer kill or harm humans.”

With a smile that sent a chill straight to the heart of all dragons, the human king spoke.

“We make no such decree.”

“Please, sir, I…I,” Aries’ mouth went dry and the words she wanted to say left her mind as Davian turned toward her.

“This…this isn’t how it’s supposed to be,” Aries said desperately. “In all our old legends, dragons and humans worked together. We can live together in peace. If…”

“Do you hear yourself, young lady?” Bastil walked toward her, his eyes narrowed. “There will never be peace between us. That is what fate has decreed.”

“But what if Fate is wrong? I mean…”

Davian turned away. “Resume fire!” he ordered.

The sound of the battle returned full force as dragons and humans clashed once more.

Desperate, Aries stretched out her hand toward the little human, and he clasped it in his own. A shockwave of energy threw her to the ground. Confused, she stared up at a shimmering wall emanating from their clasped hands. It spread out around them, stopping the arrows and magic beams of the humans and the fireballs of the dragons. Aries stood up, spreading her wings, and the wall spread further. Arrows stopped inches from her chest, held back by an invisible hand. Aries felt her hold slipping, and the wall quivered, the arrows inching closer to her heart. Then Taos stepped up, bloodied and bruised. Smiling ever so slightly, he grabbed her hand. A shot of energy strengthened her, and the wall spread even further. A woman ran from the human side and embraced the child, tears streaking her decorative face paint, then grasped his tiny hand. Aries stiffened as Petry stumbled toward them out of the smoke, weak and hurt.

King Cedrick stepped up beside Taos, gripping his hand. The wall shot out farther, holding the armies back. Petry held out his hand to the king, who shook his head.

“You are not part of us anymore.” He yelled above the noise.

“I never was. Let me help.” The king stared him down, then slowly gripped his hand. Aries felt the power resonate throughout her body. More dragons and more humans joined the line, keeping it strong.

From the smoke, the human king Davian appeared once more.

Stepping toward them, he placed his hand against the shimmering curtain. His lips curved briefly into a smile before he dropped his hand. Sweat and tears mingled on Aries’ cheeks as she struggled to hold the wall. Tiny surges of power swept through her as humans and dragons alike joined hands and claws, keeping her upright.

Davian stopped in front of King Cedrick and bowed, holding out his wand.

“We’re stronger together,” he said, before dropping the wand in front of Cedrick and walking toward Aries. For an instant, he laid his hand on her shoulder, and she felt an incredible surge of power. Looking straight into his eyes, she searched their murky depths, feeling her own burn under his piercing stare.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her wings trembling with effort.

He smiled.

“Until next time.” Twisting his cloak, he disappeared in a whirl of darkness and smoke.

Silence pierced the valley so loud it hurt her ears.

The humans and dragons not in the wall slowly retreated, leaving the valley to those still holding the shimmering line. Slowly, Aries let her fingers slip away from the human’s. The wall shattered and she collapsed in the dirt.

Taos rushed over and lifted her, his arms gentle for once.

“I’m sorry, so sorry,” he whispered.

Aries laughed, giddy with relief. “I’m the one who should be sorry. You saved my ass back there.”

“You saved all of ours”, he said, motioning to the dragons and humans mingling in the valley. “And trust me,” he added playfully, “this is one ass you can’t live without.”

“Debatable,” Aries smirked.

She turned toward the human child and knelt in front of him.

“I don’t know how to say thank you,” she said softly, taking his hand once more.

“Fly,” he said, pointing to the sky. She glanced at the child’s mother, who smiled and nodded. He climbed onto Aries’s back and they rose into a sky painted with pink and red colors, dipping, spinning, flying free.

“Whatcha think?” she asked, as they watched the sun slip past the horizon.

“Love,” he lisped, flinging his chubby arms around her rough neck.

Aries smiled, the brilliant sunset blurred by a sheen of tears. It was the perfect day to end a war.