Witka's Dragon

“There weren't always dragons in the Valley.” Witka, the tiniest scout of her colony, thought to herself maybe that should be the opening of her report. After all, there were tales of one seeing them while scouting for food and enemies but most in the colony did not believe in their presence. Just another creature of myth and legend to scare young ones with. A strong opening was needed for them to believe her report. Maybe a better opening would come to her in her march home. From her birth on, she barely was allowed to stay and be raised with the rest of the scouts in her clan, she did not want to be demoted or worse kicked out of her colony because of a report. But this was also a very crucial report and must be believed and acted upon. Perhaps a closer look was needed to gather enough critical details.

Many had thought there was a mix up in the placement of her egg and she should have been born into the future nanny clan. But natural armor could be seen on her tiny frame and when the elders ruled her transfer it took a rare overruling from the Queen Mother for her fate to be decided. Thus the scout clan is where she remained, in hopes that good meals and training would increase her size. However, to everyone's dismay, but mainly Witkas’, a larger stature never came. Witka, bound to not disappoint the Queen Mother, was determined to show size was not everything that made a good scout. She set out to cultivate all of the foundational aspects of scoutdom, with great success. And while moments like creeping up on a horde of Dragons that Fly had never entered into her imagination, she was suddenly thankful for a tiny frame. “After all, ChickPA would never have been able to get this close without the sun reflecting off her huge shoulders and showing off her location,” thought Witka.

While being born and reared into the scout brood, Witka’s training included all knowledge of creatures one could encounter while out on the trail. This included the very limited knowledge her colony possessed of the Dragons that Fly. Her clan seemed to be the only one that half way believed in the legends. It was typically generations between sightings and usually only in times of extremes. Extreme drought or extreme rain might bring them out, but just to happen on a dragon, there was nothing in her training that ever said that a scout would simply happen upon a dragon. If anything it was the opposite a Dragon would happen upon you. What training there was, included how to listen for their distant sound, “With two sets of wings a distant sound indeed!” thought Witka.

One made a very distant sound but as Witka crested a small rise and beheld the swarm of Dragons that Fly, many made a very overwhelming distant sound. As the sound began to vibrate her being and seemed to overtake her senses Witka suddenly felt vulnerable and worse she felt Seen. Not daring to move her head she darted her eyes to each dragon in turn, none showed signs they had seen her, none moving toward her. They all seemed to be dancing about in some fashion with one another and for a moment Witka was hypnotized by the beautiful mix of their iridescent colors against the dark colors of the waters below.

Witka made herself shut her eyes fast and think. What did the elder say during her training, the one who had seen one before, not to move because they could sense the slightest movement, alright so frozen is best. What was the rest, oh yes Dragons that Fly are the deadliest predator the Creator has made in our world. Deadlier than the Giants even. That was the hardest to believe that anything could be deadlier than the Giants was a common conversation between her and her sister scouts. After all, how many thousands did the Giants kill or displace making the new water the Dragons now have seemed to have made their home.

What was the rest, oh yes and if you are spotted get underground fast because they would catch you before you can even think of where to go. Alright so where to go? She remembered a tiny cave just a little ways back down the rise, “There is the where to my go,” thought Witka as she opened her eyes to begin her creep to the cave.

However, the cave would remain empty. Witka with her eyes closed tight and lost in her thoughts, had not realized she had indeed been Seen. The two huge eyes of the closest Dragon, a beautiful iridescent blue swirled with green, were almost touching her when she opened her eyes. His jaws seemed unable to stay still as he watched her like they could already taste her and were enjoying its meal. With her perceived death at hand, the tiniest scout of the colony mustered all her courage and decided to speak to her future consumer.

With a slight bow Witka managed to say, “Good Day Beautiful Dragon that Flys. Welcome to our Valley.”

“Why on earth did I welcome it?” Witka internally scolded herself, but holding her ground or at least her tears she managed to look the Dragon in the eyes.

For the slightest of seconds the Dragon hovered back, never before had prey spoken let alone been friendly. Amongst Dragons they had often believed that lesser beings could not speak at all and were simply put here as a delicious food from the Creator. No other would believe this unless he took this tiny thing home and showed them its neat trick.

“Good Day tiny creature. Your valley is beautiful, especially with this new water. We are happy to call it home and happier still to learn that it's well supplied. Come I must show the others your neat trick, before...” The dragon hovered over Witka as he spoke and grabbed her with his pads.

“Before what?” Witka managed to ask in what she hoped was not a squeak.

“Well before I eat you of course, my dear sweet tasty little Ant.”

Witka with dreadful curiosity watched the ground rush away from beneath her six feet; she prayed to the Creator for a means of escape as the DragonFly rushed her into the midst of his swarm.