What have I done?

This…thing I found lurking around outside the my cave, just on the border of the neighbouring woods, was of no familiar species. It had little to no hair, a skin than looked smoother than stone, but white as milk. It must be some sort of bald mammoth, I thought, but quickly shook the guess after failing to find any signs of tusks. A strange find indeed. And a noisy one too. The…thing screamed and cried and laughed, all within a mere minute if that were possible. I wouldn’t blame its mother for leaving it out, the way it was continuing to carry on.

I called out for anyone nearby, hoping whoever was around would take this strange creature away from me, for my ear’s sake and my wings. The tiny menace began to pull on my tools of flight, tugging at them as though they were pieces of bark on a tree. It didn’t cause any pain, but still that doesn’t mean I was fond of what it was doing. I shouted “Hello!”, loud enough that it disturbed the wind of the nearby trees, and even stopped the small creature from speaking any further. It simply stared at me then, awed by the power of my voice. I smiled at the creature, thinking of how it had no clue as to the real power I possessed. Then again, who knew what strange strengths this…small being may have.

The next few minutes passed peacefully, although I wished that someone had revealed themselves and took the hairless thing away from me. It’s not that hated the tiny animal, its just that it made me uncomfortable, like I should be making sure it wasn’t about to get itself killed. What to do with you, I thought to myself. It was beginning to get dark, and I knew I would have to get back to my father’s soon. Just leave it, I tried to convince myself, leave it, it’ll find itself home.

Instead I lifted the energetic creature onto my back, fitting it firmly between two of my broad spikes where it wouldn’t slip out or cut itself. It must’ve truly enjoyed itself there, as its cheers of joy began to really pierce my lobes, despite them being so large and impenetrable. I knew father would know what best to do with this…thing, he may even know what the hell it was. My wager was that it was some mutated lizard that lost its tail and was born with smooth skin. However, thinking about it now, it seemed ridiculous to come up with such a theory. To save myself the hassle of saying ‘thing’, or ‘creature’, I began to call the small animal, Derek, a name that I believe to perfectly describe its nature. ‘Derek’, short for ‘The wreck’.

Once Derek was fitted tightly and show no sign of being able to escape, I took off and began flapping my wings up and around, causing the small head of hair on Derek to blow away like loose leaves. Anyone else in the animal kingdom would’ve retreated at such a sensation, but for some reason, Derek was ecstatic. His cheeks became rosy and eyes opened like the morning. What a strange thing you are, Derek. Before making course for father’s, I did a quick survey around the area, hoping to find Derek’s home. I found nothing that seemed remotely inhabitable for him. No caves, no large enough ponds, or trees, high enough to keep him from predators. There was a small open field, turned black from fire and dressed with ashes, revealing some small shelter made of wood. A far less than ideal place for such a small creature, at least that’s what I originally thought.

After another sweep around the area, I quickly moved on and began to head towards father’s. Where I was based in the caves of the surface, he had settled himself into the highest of mountains, and sometimes the coldest. Fortunately it was spring time and he was inhabiting a mountain so perfect, it allowed him to be the first to witness the sun rise. I was amazed Derek hadn’t fallen asleep or begun crying again. Throughout the entire trip he remained as cheerful as ever, screaming happily as though his life depended on it. In a way it did. Had he started to scream with sadness, I would’ve possibly tried to invert myself and jerk my back before something fell. Or I’d had landed and deserted the wild animal, I’ll let you decide. Within the next hour, Derek and I landed and made way to the entrance of my father’s home. I generously let Derek stay on my back, not trusting how he’ll walk so high up from the world, and plus I didn’t mind, his weight was little to nothing.

Father heard my thunderous steps approach from half a mile away, stripping all hope I had for a surprise. That was one of the disadvantages of being a dragon, our movements were so bloody loud that anyone within ten miles could hear us. He stayed between a large enough opening of the mountain, watching me move towards him. I don’t believe he had a clear view of Derek on my back just yet, as he seemed gladdened to see me approaching. I expected he’d be shocked to find such a peculiar animal with me, but that he’d understand that I couldn’t just leave it be.

I greeted my father with a bow, as our kind always did. Handshakes never appeared to comply with our oddly shaped limbs. We exchanged the regular small talk, ‘How have you been?, ‘Nice weather we’re having’, ‘Your tail’s looking fit’, just the usual flying reptilian exchanges. Then Derek began to make noises again, just loud enough to make my father’s face twist with curiosity. He asked if I heard it, and I said yes. I turned my head around and adjusted my body to reveal Derek to father. The poor thing must’ve begun to feel uncomfortable as he was trying to pull and push his way out between my spikes. Guess the ride’s over.

Out of nowhere, Father flapped his wings forward, pushing himself away from me and Derek. He screeched out before telling me to get away from it. I didn’t understand what he meant, so I stood my ground, spinning my head around for whatever invisible threat my father was referring to. I asked him what it was he was talking about, he said the human. I stared at him blankly, unable to understand what he just said. Hooman, houmin, human?, I pondered on the word. It sounded so strange yet familiar, like when hearing a lullaby that used to be sung to me when I was only a full five-feet long.

I had no idea that what I had been caring across hundreds of miles was a ‘human’. The name meant nothing to me, but it was good to finally put a label onto Derek’s kind. Human, human. Sounds like a type of flower. Father asked me what I was doing with such a thing, placing it on my back and carrying it to his home. I said I brought it here, hoping he could tell me what it was. That’s when father lashed out. Without the power of his flame, his words burned in the air, scorching my ears a thousand times worse than Derek ever did. He called Derek, the small human still struggling on my back, a murder, a killer of species. I had to look back around to see Derek, make sure that my eyes hadn’t deceived me. But they were true, Derek was just a tiny animal, loud yes and a bit barbaric, but he was…innocent. The most he could kill was an ant or insect that was unfortunate to be beneath his feet. What was father talking about?

I objected, saying that Derek is nothing but a small creature, unable to commit any murders or killings, especially for us dragons. Father eyed me down, and then Derek. He said that Derek and his people are the reason we must hide, that they are the reason so few of us are left. But how could that be? We grow to be fifty-feet long, we touch the skies with our wings and bathe in lakes of fire. We are invincible, only able to die from age, mostly after a good couple of centuries, or from confronting another dragon. Any other way of dying or being killed was ludicrous. How come such a minuscule creature hold such a strength? Father had to be confused. He said that they grow, both in size and intelligence. ‘Mankind’, as he described it, were able to multiply in such drastic numbers, they are able to build such large enough forces to threaten us. I still didn’t believe him at this point. How could I? Two hours ago this human was playing with my wing. How could Derek and more just like him ever possibly defeat a dragon, let alone many? I told father he was wrong, that he had to be mistaken. He told me to let the human off my back, so that he could deal with him. I stayed as still as the very mountain my father and I stood on. There was no reason why I should be defending Derek, a creature I didn’t understand nor have any relation to, but it felt wrong to let my father ‘deal’ with him. Father could tell I wasn’t going to give in, so he drew a breath and began to fire from inside his body. All dragons are fireproof, impenetrable to another’s breath no matter. My father’s only aim was that some of his drawer inferno would blow pass me and hit Derek. Of course, I moved quick enough to make sure Derek wouldn’t be touched. Father asked me what I was doing, I said nothing. It was clear that father had lost it, he was in fact three hundred years older than most dragons nowadays.

I quickly leaped off the mountain side, still with Derek on my back, I hoped. From there my only goal was to escape, fly back to where I found Derek. Perhaps then his family would show. Father didn’t pursue, like I said he was far older than most dragons, his wings had retired long ago, giving me an easy means of leave. I wondered what Derek was thinking during all of this, if he was aware of what exactly was occurring or if he’d remember it like it were a fractured dream. I never did find out, but I like to imagine he remembered only being flown through the clouds whilst on my back.

We arrived back outside my cave, exactly where I had found Derek and he found me. It was odd though, I swear I nearly lost the child twice from how small he was and how dark the night had grown. Luckily the child was still noisy as ever, and energetic, if that were possible. Imagine what he would be like all grown up. Suddenly, there was a glow coming from the woods, along with shuffles made from the bushland. Something was approaching, no, somethings, and small ones at that. Across the land came a group of creatures, each of them holding a branch of light. They looked so strange yet so…familiar. I looked back to Derek, now on the surface of the world, walking in endless circles. The texture of his skin and hair was identical to the creatures approaching. Although some looked to be sagging, their colour appearing more brown than white and their hair a mixture of colours. Not to mention it was far longer than Derek’s and growing on top of their faces. So this is your family, Derek.

It took the group some time to finally see me and Derek, although they mustn’t of seen a dragon before as they were in total awe and complete shock. I said to them that I brought back one of their kind and that I apologise for any inconvenience. They simply just stood with their mouths open and flames burning brightly. Did they not hear me? I asked myself, Perhaps I should speak louder. So I did. This time they all screamed and cried in an orchestrated panic. One of them even dropped their flamed sticks, causing it to light the grass around them. It all happened in a flash. The humans ran away, frightened by something I knew not why, fire began to spread along the ground and trees. With all the growing light, I was surprised to find that Derek was no where to be seen.

I yelled and screamed throughout the woods, calling for Derek. Besides the cries of his fellow kind, there was nothing. I didn’t know what to do. The small human could be anywhere by now, either burned by the growing fire or lost in the entangling woods. Searching through it would prove pointless, only making me get stuck between trees or cause them to fall, which could cause Derek’s death. So instead, I just sat there, watching the fire die around me, watching for any sign of Derek or of his search party. Soon after, I fell asleep with the hopes that all would turn out well in the morning. How wrong I was.

Dragons are the hardest of sleepers. We are made to withstand the rumblings of earthquakes, the sound of an avalanche and the chills of a typhoon. This is why it was such a surprise that I woke to an army of humans around me, all holding shiny sticks and standing with large wooden contraptions around them. If a human hadn’t ever seen the look of fear on a dragon, now was the best chance they’d have. My first instinct was to fly away, avoid any possible harm that may come my way. But I remained and waited for something to happen. I didn’t wish to be proven right by my father, I only hoped the humans around me were here to ask for Derek.

Just as I raised my head from my wing, I could see him lurking in the back, carefully placed on the shoulders of a grown human. Thank the gods, he’s alive!, I thought to myself. How he survived the night and found what I assume to be his father, I’ll never know. But something was different now. The creature’s face, once cheerful and red as roses, was cross, twisted with anger, perfectly resembling the people around him. What did I do?, I wanted to say out loud, How have I wronged you all?

Even if I did voice my questions, I feel that all I’d hear in response would be cries and panic. But I didn’t even have to speak for that to happen. I moved so slightly, just to stretch my neck out before the first boulder flew towards me. I didn’t even see where it came from, but I knew if it hit me I’d be in trouble. Then another came, with yells from the humans following. Next came a series of pointy objects, each of them attached to tiny sticks. My first thought was that they wanted to floss my teeth, but I soon realised they intended to harm me. I looked back to Derek, fixing my eyes on his. They no longer belonged to the boy I met yesterday, the one who cheered and screamed as I launched him into the sky. He wasn’t even crying now, he just held the same darkened look along with his company.

I exhaled, hating what it was I had to do, especially in front of Derek. I span my body around, extending my wings out before flapping them repeatedly so that I could stay airborne. The humans kept launching their tiny sticks at me, along with their rocks, but none made their mark, they either failed to reach my new found height or travelled in the completely opposite direction. I said this is my home, to the group of armed humans, this is my home and no one else’s. And then I drew a breath and began to spit fire at the humans beneath me.