• Erthrisan Chronicles:

    Adventures in Erthrisa

    Chapter 1:
    Welcomes and Forest Adventures


    Great dragons….Fighting humans….Blood, death, a blinding flash, and then no more. Fenrier woke with a start.
    He craned his neck as he looked about the cave, as though searching for the scene he had just witnessed. He looked down to see the fine scratches in the stone’s surface that he had made with his small, one inch claws. He shook his head, and slowly walked towards the cave entrance, still a little weary from the dream.
    As he came to the cave entrance, the smell of rain permeated his nostrils. He liked that smell, but not the rain itself, for it didn’t help him learn to fly any better. He took another step forward, and felt his foot hit a puddle. He took a step back, and looked into the clear pool of water.
    What he saw was another dimension, in which there was another dragon just like him looking into the exact same puddle. Inside the puddle sat a red dragon, with blood red eyes, and small pointed teeth like tiny sharpened daggers. White spines ran down his small body, which along the way met two sets of wine red wings. They followed each other down his back all the way to the tip of his tail. Fenrier took in his features for a moment, before joyfully splashing in the puddle, distorting his dimensional brother in the water.
    He stopped and cocked his head back to the cave as he heard the familiar sounds, which were the syllables of his name being called. He turned back towards the cave as he heard it again, with a bit more intensity.
    “Fenrier, come quickly!”
    Unsure as to what the hurry was, Fenrier started to amble back towards the cave, when his name was called again. This time, he could feel the urgency, even if he couldn’t tell what it was about. He began to trot into the cave, and he ran until he collided with his sire’s foot. The great dragon twisted its neck about to look at the tiny dragon, before nudging him towards an egg, which seemed to have gained a great many cracks since Fenrier had last seen it. He approached the egg and sat, head slightly to the side, like a puppy confused by a new sound. He jumped slightly and bristled with delight as the egg shuddered, and another crack appeared in the surface. Fenrier, galvanized by the egg’s movement, attempted to jump on it, only to be caught in mid-air by his siress’s tail. He looked at her as he hung from her tail, and she shook her head.
    “No little one. Watch the egg, do not jump on it, for it will bring you more delight than a momentary game,” she told him.
    He stared at her with blank eyes, as though her every word bounced off his skull, but when she set him down, he sat and watched the egg contently.
    He jumped as it gave another shudder and fell on its side, causing a great crack to run up its side. Fenrier got closer and began to sniff the egg, when a tiny hole appeared in the side of the shell. Fenrier got closer, and stuck his tiny nose into the hole and sniffed. There was certainly something in there; that much he could be certain of, but he just couldn’t tell. The scent was unfamiliar, like nothing he ever smelled before, but it did have trace amounts of his siress’s scent inside and out. Curiosity satisfied, he pulled his muzzle out of the egg, and not a moment to soon. As his nose vacated the little egg, a horn burst through another area, right where Fenrier’s left shoulder had just been a second before. He made a little squeaking growl as the horn went back inside, and came out again about five inches to the right. The three holes in the egg, connected by three cracks, gave way to a giant hole formed by a hunk of egg shell that fell to the ground. A few fluids spilled from the egg, and were followed by a tiny form, no longer than his tail.
    This was a brand new development for Fenrier, and he ran forward to see what this new, unfamiliar scent was all about. He slowed as he approached, every instinct he had telling him to not be too rambunctious. He stopped short, and stuck his head out as far as his neck would allow, and sniffed the tiny creature. The creature blindly lifted its head towards the snuffling sound and also began to sniff. Fenrier withdrew slightly, and then as the little creature let out a sad cry, he came closer, and the creature squeaked with happiness. It is unknown how long they sat sniffing and examining each other, before Fenrier stopped to look at his siress with big, round glittering eyes that made him beam with excitement. She chuckled a bit in her great throat, and her voice rumbled in his mind as she spoke to him.
    “See, Fenrier…Say ores, say hello, to your new-hatched sister.”
    Fenrier was unaware of what sister meant, but he looked back at the little dragon with happiness etched into his tiny face. He walked back to his squeaky sister, who rejoiced when he came near again. He watched, as her eyes slowly opened, and even his parents let out a sigh at the beauty of this little dragoness.
    Her eyes were big and sparkled with the light of day that was now flooding the cave. Bright and silvery they were, like silver plates. As the rest of the egg’s goop slid from her body to the ground, she expanded her wings to let the sun’s warmth wash over them. They were about twice the size of her body, which was white as snow, scales glistening in the morning’s rays. She had no spines, like her brother, except for the one on the back of her head. Instead, she had a single horn, fully developed already, and seemed to flow with her very life force. She yawned slightly to reveal a set of tiny, razor sharp teeth that greatly resembled her tiny claws on her paws. She attempted to walk towards Fenrier, and stumbled, falling on to her chin as her back legs went to rest hovering over her, her tail sitting on her nose. She looked at it for a moment before attempting to bite it, and then fell back down on to the cave floor.
    Fenrier, having watched all this, loved this tiny creature even more. It loved to play like he did, and he couldn’t have asked for a better playmate. He attempted to begin wrestling with the little creature when his sire’s tail came between them.
    “Now, now, Fenrier. She is not quite ready for rough play,” his sire’s voice boomed, “Give her a little time, and then I will let you two play to your hearts content.”
    He slowly lifted his tail, and Fenrier approached the little creature, which he could now register as his little sister, someone related to him that was almost as old as he was. He licked her nose, and she attempted to bite his tongue. He chuckled for the first time in his life, and from the deep, came a tiny voice that was his own, emitting from his own mind.
    “Welcome to the world, my Sister.”
    It was silent for only the stars know how long, then his sire and siress lowered their heads to the hatchlings’ level, and in unison said:
    “Welcome to the world, our little Tiamat.”

    * * *

    As the days passed on by, the bond between the two hatchlings grew, greater and greater, until it was unmatched through out the mountains slopes. They were almost never separated from each other, but for the few times that one had to go away for a moment, but would always come back soon on swift and excited wings.
    They went everywhere, discovering the many things around their mountain. The only thing that they had mutually agreed on not going was the deep forest below the mountain. It was filled with mysterious and unknown things, stemming from the fact that they had never been inside it before. They had watched their sire and siress submerge beneath the trees almost everyday for food, but they didn’t want to go inside themselves.
    However, one day, Tiamat saw a gleaming object near the ground in a clearing of the forest. Against all her other instincts, she went into a dive towards the sea of trees that was the forest. Fenrier called out to her.
    “Wait! Tiamat!” She didn’t turn at the sound of her name, but plunged beneath the trees’ lines.
    “Wait!” Fenrier repeated, but she had already gone beyond his sight, and sighing, took a dive towards the woods as well.
    “I’m coming, Tiamat!” he said though he knew she most likely wasn’t paying attention yet. As he dived, he had to flare his wings and avoid a flock of birds that burst through the forest walls. The result led him to land no where near his sister, and letting out a stream of curses that a young dragon can muster with his vocabulary, he landed among the thorns and thickets. The small branches scraped harmlessly on his tough scales as he ambled about searching high and low for his lost sister.
    Now there was a story about this old forest, about how when people got lost here, the forest helped them stay lost. There was an old magic about it that caused those who came in to see things, and lose their way by making them crash through the forest blindly, looking for something that isn’t there.
    It is because of this magic, that when Fenrier saw a glint of bright white, he started off in the opposite direction that his sister was in, calling out her name in growing vain.

    * * *

    Tiamat looked around for the shiny object that had shot her down from the sky. She sniffed and scratched at the brambles near the clearing and dug a little in the dirt. She sighed and looked around. However, the forest wasn’t the same as when she arrived.
    Everything was dark, as though light didn’t dare enter beyond the tree line. She looked up and saw that a roof had formed around the top of the clearing. She was nonplussed by this little bit, for she knew she had came in through an opening in the trees, and now it was closed off from the sky above.
    She shuddered as the darkness attempted to close in on her eyes and blind her. But as it got closer her eyes gave off a glow of absorbed sunlight, and the forest became visible once more. She found that she was not alone in this forest. She turned to and fro, but everywhere she looked, she saw a pair of glowing eyes staring out through the trees. She knew that most wouldn’t mess with a dragon, but she was also a fairly young dragon, with no knowledge of what was in this captivating forest. Quietly she called out.
    “F-Fenrier? Y-you there?”
    A sea of sound crashed onto her like a wave on a cliff side. Crickets, howling, chirping and miscellaneous other sounds met her ears, and she whimpered.
    “F-Fenrier?” she called out again in a quivering thought, for even in her mind her words were trembling, “I-I want to go home now!”
    The wave of sound met her again, and she blindly charged into the forest, every instinct in her body telling her to find a way out of this mad place.

    * * *

    Fenrier wandered idly through the forest, calling out Tiamat’s name as he walked about the thickets and brambles blindly in the darkness. He had been here for quite some time, and his absorbed light was beginning to fade from his eyes. He started as a twig snapped behind him, and it echoed in the empty place. Most dragons would have snorted it off, and continued on, but this dragon was fairly young still, and quite hadn’t gotten over strange sounds in dark places. He spun around to peer into the darkness with increasingly struggling eyes. Even with his slightly luminous eyes, he couldn’t see anything, not even a dark shape or blob. Uneasy, he turned back around and continued to follow his straight line path through the dark and foreboding forest.
    He eventually came upon a small clearing in the woods, and relieved to be out of the thickets and thorns, Fenrier proceeded forward on wary legs. As he reached the clearing, he saw that the clearing, though void of trees, was completely sealed off from the sky above, with great, thick branches that would require a full-grown dragon’s strength to break through. He looked about the large clearing, for it seemed to have grown as he got closer. He looked about as he wandered towards the center of the clearing. It seemed to grow brighter as he got closer to it.

    * * *

    Tiamat crashed blindly through the forest, voice forgotten as she cried out to her brother with little squeaks and growls and other miscellaneous noises. She ran until she came to a sudden halt, which took the form of a thick tree. Knocked on her rump, she sorely rubbed her head for a while, and then looked up at the obstacle which stood in her way.
    It was a very old looking tree. Great roots stuck out from the ground, and its trunk was gnarled and full of tiny little scratches from the years and years of tiny animals climbing up and down its length. It was very round, and must have had a diameter of at least twenty feet. Tiamat, with all the terror she had a moment ago, couldn’t help but stare at the old tree, in its entire splendor. It gave off an aura that calmed Tiamat, and she sat contently and started to hum, for she could feel song coming from the tree. Then from deep within she felt the tree’s consciousness. It seemed to speak to her, and she emptied her thoughts and listened intently, as though ready to listen to the tree speak. She jumped as just that happened. She looked about for a moment than concentrated on the tree’s voice that permeated the air around her.
    “I am The Old Tree. I was the first in this forest, and I am guardian over it. This forest has been here for longer than even the Katsine have existed, before the birds, before the grass, before these mountains even. It is from me that all knowledge stems, for I am no keeper of secrets. I give to all the history of the world, and now you have managed to come upon my roots, fair little hatchling. Would thou sit and listen to what The Old Tree wishes to tell thee?”
    Though her vocabulary was very small, she could understand every word that the tree had said. She responded quietly.
    “I will.”

    * * *

    Fenrier made his way quickly towards the center of the clearing, for a small beam of light had appeared in the middle of this strange clearing that seemed to grow the further in Fenrier walked. He sped to a trot, trying to get closer to the light, which in turn seemed to grow further and further away. Finally Fenrier stopped and rested panting. He looked up as he saw that he had made no visible progress on getting to the small light. He knew he was moving, for when he looked back, the forest wall was far away. He sat and puzzled it over, for all his instincts told him he should have made it there by now. He closed his eyes, and when he did, he seemed to hear a whispering sound. His eyes snapped open and he looked to see where the whisper had come from. But the moment he did, it stopped and he couldn’t hear it any more. He looked about suspiciously at the trees all around him, then closed his eyes once more. Again the whisper spoke up above the silence, and once again, Fenrier’s eyes snapped open and he looked about. He knew for sure now that someone or something was out there. He imagined he was playing a game, and closed his eyes again, and the tell tale whispering picked up again. This time he kept his eyes closed. He focused on the whispering, for if he did, then he would get further in the little game that had begun.
    It was an odd sound, like a snake hissing, but also like the rustling of tree leaves. As he listened, he could make out words. Though he didn’t understand them, he kept on focusing.
    “Come. Come to us and play, little dragon.”
    “We won’t hurt you.”
    “Come now, and we can have some fun…”
    He could make out the words ‘come’ and ‘dragon’ and ‘play’, and that was enough to have him open his eyes and look around, searching for the source of the voices that wanted to have fun with him. Now that his eyes were open he expected the words to stop, but they continued. He looked in the direction of the light, for the voices came from there. As he galloped to the center, he was not aware that the glow from before had gone, and that he was running to the center light in total darkness. The voices persisted, calling to him.
    “Come and play, little dragon…”
    “You’re almost there…”
    “We can have fun…”
    “So many games we can play with you…”
    Fenrier was foaming at the mouth as his breaths became more ragged, but he continued on as fast as his legs could carry him. He only tried harder when he saw that the light ahead grew brighter and larger.
    “Yessss dear, closer, closer…”
    “You’re almost there. We can have fun…”
    “Clossser and clossser, it comes…”
    “Fun time…”
    Fenrier drew closer and closer to the light, which he could now see shapes and forms inside of, but were still veiled in shadow. Closer and closer he came, and the whispering continued.
    “Come, my precioussss dragon…”

    * * *

    The Old Tree spoke for what seemed like eons to little Tiamat, though she listened without comment or question. The tree spoke of the creation of Erthrisa, how it was once a barren wasteland, and the oceans were a place of turmoil and chaos. Hurricanes and typhoons whipped the water about, and sometimes carried their fury to the shores. Tornados, thunder and lightning, and storms of sand rocked the very foundations of this young, chaotic world. Then something happened, something that changed the world forever, and pushed it on its way to becoming habitable. Of this, even the old tree, in all its wisdom, knew not about. All it could tell the content little dragon was that from that point on, the little tree could feel itself begin to grow and sprout to become a sapling, and from there, the forest began, with the old tree as its seed.
    It told her of how the Katsine made their appearance in Yasta, first as small felines that crawled about on all fours and communicated through growls and yowls and purrs. They had existed first in the forest, content among the many trees. But one day, they began to leave. They left for the plains and the marshes and the sea. Not all did, though, and many of the Katsine ancestors still thrived in the forest to this day, the same now as they were so long ago.
    The Katsine had to adapt to the new conditions where ever they went. Thus created the human like forms, which allowed them to not only hunt with tooth and claw, but rock and stick and greater cunning. They kept their heritage through their feline features, such as their sensitive whiskers, feline face and ears, and some of the males still grew manes. They trailed a medium length tail behind them, and kept all their senses. The Katsine had made many changes, for better or for worse was still to be decided…
    Tiamat leaned closer to the old tree as it spoke of the arrival of dragons on Erthrisa. The Old Tree spoke of the odd mist that covered the world, not long before the arrival of the first dragon. After that many more joined it on this world, and the mist finally departed to reveal to this world a new brand of creatures.
    The Old Tree spoke of the features of the first dragons. They were not unlike they were today, for as far as the old tree could tell, there was not much the dragons had to improve on, for they seemed to have been made ready elsewhere, already gone through the design and construction of nature many times, and finally came to rest on their current form. He spoke of their leathery wings that blocked the sun and could be seen through to the very blood vessels inside. The dragons were not like the Katsine in more than just the appearance. They did not all resemble each other, or show similarities as other species did. They were like trees, the old tree told her. Not all trees are the same, but they are still trees. Some dragons had spines that went down in a neat row, or spread out all across their back. Some had fins, some had nothing at all, and some even had rocks or something of the sort growing from their back. Some had horns, some had spikes, some had clubbed tails, and some had plain end tails, and some even had a fin tail. They were unique not only in their features, but in their color as well. Not many dragons ever found that their color was exactly the same as another’s. There could be more than one green dragon, but it was never the same green as other dragons. One would be forest green, another of emerald, and some of slime colored even.
    The Old Tree paused in its telling. Tiamat sat patiently as it searched for its next subject. Then she felt its voice once more.
    “Then not very far behind came the humans, as far as I know, though I believe that they came before the dragons in a land that was unknown to myself,” it droned, “However I witnessed their arrival to this land of Yasta. They walked like the Katsine, though they seemed a little more violent than the Katsine. They wished to find and conquer, to gain land to call their own. And they did, after many a century of fighting the Katsine and amongst themselves.” It paused in speaking, then rumbled, “Of anymore, I do not know of humans, but they be as queer as dragons. They are, however, not evil, but greedy and power hungry. Dragons, while ferocious, were not evil either. Katsine are not evil at all, just a race of creatures that are content amongst each other.”
    The Old Tree’s voice seemed to become darker as it spoke its next sentence.
    “However, my little hatchling, not all creatures have good in their hearts…”

    * * *

    Fenrier was gasping for breath now, as he ran closer and closer. His legs were sore and wanted to buckle and give way, but his determination to play games was more than his body’s plea for rest. The whispers were a little louder now as he drew closer.
    “Yessss little dragon…”
    “Closer and closer the little hatchling comesss…”
    “Fun time is near…heh heh heh...”
    “Almossst there little dragon…”
    Fenrier almost collapsed as one of his paws entered the now league wide beam of light, that seemed to filter from nowhere. He still could not make out the shapes’ appearances, but he thought this was because they must be at the very center of the light. Finally his legs gave way, and he tripped over his own paws, biting his tongue as he hit the forest floor, which was illuminated by light. Tasting the familiar taste of warm blood, Fenrier spit and swallowed and continued to crawl on his belly towards the now towering figures. Now he could hear a clear definition to each of their voices as they spoke again.
    “Here comesss the little dragon, it doesss…” said one of the figures in a shrill voice.
    “Yessss, it is almost here….” another hissed.
    “It isss oh so close now, isn’t it?” the last one clicked.
    Fenrier crawled further and further, leaving a long brown trail in the grass behind him, where his scales had cut away the delicate fringes. Fenrier stopped and rested for a moment. When he looked up again, he could see the black shapes were so close now; he could almost reach out and touch them. He did try to reach out and touch them, but they were not as close as he thought they were. He dropped his head to the grass, and was greeted by the thought of just laying there and falling asleep. He began to nod off, when he heard the hissing voice speak up.
    “Looksss like we’re going to win this game…”
    “Yesss the little dragon didn’t make it far enough…”
    “We win, we win, poor little dragon…”
    “We’re coming to get you, my preciousss…” they all said at once.
    Fenrier looked up just long enough before he fell back to the ground to see the shapes shift, and begin to come closer, and then Fenrier fell asleep and knew no more.

    * * *

    Tiamat finally broke her steady silence. Inquisitively she asked, “What kind of creatures are those?”
    The Old Tree was silent for a while, then spoke to her in its deep, booming voice.
    “They are creatures who live in this very forest, dear hatchling. They are dark creatures, and they do away with lost travelers, who wander into their neck of the woods. They take mostly the young and unknowing as their victims, enticing them with thoughts of games, of fun and happiness.” Tiamat heard the old tree’s roots groan as it seemed to sigh at the thought of such things, and continuing on it said, “I am not so omniscient to be able to know all that goes on in my forest, so I do not know what they do to their victims. I just know that whenever they are active, they are far away. And when they are active, I can feel deep in my roots, the blood of one newly slain, a death caused by their little game.” The very ground shook as The Old Tree’s rage filtered into the soft, but tough, soil beneath it. Once its leaves stopped shivering, The Old Tree started again.
    “I wish I could stop them, for when blood seeps into our roots, it taints us and makes us whither. If only there was some way they could be destroyed, liberated forever from our forest. I--” It stopped speaking suddenly, then its leaves began to shudder again.
    “No… No, no, no, noooo,” Its roots shook the soil once more, “They are active! They are getting ready to play again! I know where they are, but I can’t stop their game!”
    The Old Tree quivered and swayed, and its roots shook in the ground. As young as she was, Tiamat could not quite understand why the old tree was so upset, and thus asked a simple question that many a young one would:
    “What’s wrong?”
    The Old Tree stopped quivering, and after a momentary silence, asked her a question in turn.
    “Did you come here with anyone else?”
    Tiamat thought for a moment, then looked up at the old tree’s gnarled surface.
    “I remember I flew down into the forest through a hole in the trees. I think he came in after me to see where I was,” she sat in thought for a moment, then added, “So yes, I think my brother is in this forest with me.”
    The Old Tree quivered violently, so that its leaves began to fall. It spoke to her again with urgency.
    “Oh, my dear hatchling! Your brother is in grave danger! The dark creatures are bad, and their game is bad, and they are playing the bad game with your brother! Do you understand?”
    Once more she thought. Then as she sat, something clicked into place, and the cogs of her mind went into double time speed.
    “Then that means my brother is in trouble?!” Her thoughts were filled with panic, and she began to make frantic squeaking noises again, “W-we have to help him!”
    The Old Tree sighed and said, “Fear not little one, I will call for help. You will find my message can be carried across the forest quite quickly for a tree.”

    * * *

    Fenrier lay silently on the soft ground. He slept, but his dreams were troubled and haunted by the dark figures, and he could hear them whispering again.
    “Yesss we have won…”
    “We win the game…”
    “He is our prizzze…heh heh heh…”
    Fenrier could hear one of them licking its lips, and clicking in anticipation. He struggled to wake, but his dreams kept a tight grip on him. He thrashed about on the ground, tail whipping, eyes rolling under their lids, wings flapping franticly. The dark creatures hesitated, eyeing the feverish dragon with slight worry. They had never had one so vicious looking. It was so young, yet its claws made out to make one think of great gashes on the bark of a tree. It’s flailing wings and tail seemed like they could break bone and flesh if they made contact when on such a rampage. Eventually Fenrier’s energy ran out, and he lay there panting in his sleep, his paws occasionally twitching. After several long minutes, they thought it safe and proceeded forward, inch by inch, chanting over and over again, “We win the game…we win the game…”
    Their victory wasn’t to be completed yet, for as they came closer, the little red dragon seemed to grow further away. The hissing one stopped for a moment in a puzzled stupor. It hissed to one of the others, “Why isss it moving away from usss?”
    The clicking one responded, “I’m not sure…It wasn’t that far away before wasss it?”
    “No it wasn’t, not at all,” replied the third.
    They shrugged, and continued forward, a little faster now, trying to keep up with the little dragon that seemed to be sliding away from them without effort. One of them hissed angrily and got down on all fours and began to chase him at full speed. But the faster it went, the further the little dragon was when it looked again. After much chasing and the loss of much energy, they finally stopped and looked at the little dragon lying so close, and yet so far away. They puzzled in silence, staring ruefully at the little red speck that lay on the ground. After much thought, the clicking one laughed, which was a sound not meant to be heard by anything of this world but themselves. It looked to the others and said, “It isss the forest.”
    The other two looked at it with surprised realization. Of course it was the forest. The forest was known to do these sorts of things, though it usually only affected the weak minded.
    “Then why are we being affected?” one of them asked aloud.
    “Perhaps the old tree is angry with ussss…It most certainly wouldn’t be the first time would it?” said the clicking one grinning, “And it wantsss to punish us…”
    One of them slammed its hand, or fist, or whatever it was, on the soft grass.
    “Punish usss? Ha! That old tree can’t even move, let alone stop us from our game. We just have to outsmart it, and then we can have our blood.”
    “Yesss let us combine together inside, and break this enchantment that is cast upon usss.”
    They sat and closed their eyes, if you could call them that, and began to chant something undecipherable, and their energy could be seen around their bodies. When their eyes opened again, they were one and the forest’s enchantment over them was done. They could see the little dragon was still asleep right in front of them.
    The hissing one reached out, and touched the hatchlings scales. Fenrier shuddered in his sleep. It grinned at their triumph.
    “Yesss the enchantment is gone…our prize is here now brothersss…”
    They looked upon Fenrier’s limp body with a feverish greed.
    “Spill itsss blood…let it seep into the ground…devour it…” they chanted on and on. However, once more, their victory could not take place, and this time it was permanent. Through the forest roof burst two full grown dragons, followed by a small white one. Flames burst from their maws and the creatures fled in fear. Tiamat landed next to Fenrier as the dark creatures fled in to the forest, and she watched with satisfaction as the trees closed off their entrance, and a terrible screech came from the forest depths. She leaned her neck in closer to his face, until her eyes were level with his and only an inch away.
    Fenrier’s eyes slowly opened, to see great pearly white eyes peering back at him. At the same time he heard a voice.
    “Fenrier?”
    This caused him to jump and squeak in alarm, and he jumped to his feet, then his legs buckled again as the blood rushed back into them. He slowly got back to his feet, and looked around. He looked at her inquisitively.
    “What happened?” he asked her.
    She giggled (which sounded like a bunch of squeaks all bunched together), and said, “Well…Ah, never mind, it’s too hard to explain right now, but we will later, ok?”
    He looked at her suspiciously, then said, “Okay then.”
    He looked up at the two large dragons, and recognized them as his sire and siress. He glanced back at Tiamat, then asked, “What happened?”
    They shared an amused glance, and said, “All will be revealed soon enough, little one. For now you need rest. You’ve had a very, very long day.”
    And with one last look around, Fenrier rose off the ground with all the others and they made their way back to the mountains. As they left, though, Tiamat stopped and turned around, and, as she circled high above, said, “Thank you, kind old tree. I will remember the favor.”
    And with that, she flew off to catch up with the others, off to their mountain home.