Dragon Child

The Clan Lords' Plot

“Mother,” Rhzvanzin asked when he woke up, “what are humans?”

Sivarria started and hesitated before answering, “Humans are a predators that walks on two legs and while, as a rule of thumb, a single human is no threat. A large group of humans could threaten an entire clan. However humans tend to be stupid, foolish, and too busy fighting amongst themselves to be able to gather in a group large enough to threaten us.”

“So they are intelligent?” Rhzvanzin asked cocking his head.

“In the broadest sense of the word yes." Sivarria said, "They have a barbaric society and do random things of little or no value to themselves. The constantly kill each other metal that looks pretty but has no real practical use. The refuse to give food to those among who will not give them some of this metal they value so highly. The tear apart the forest around them to make their lairs or just to make a large path for themselves to use for no particular reason. They see themselves as perfection and will attack or destroy anything that will not bow to them. What will bow to them they enslave.”

“They certainly do sound like the monsters the story made them out to be.” Rhzvanzin shuddered hoping he never encounter a human.

“What story?” Sivarria asked wondering what some dragon might have told Rhzvanzin.

“An elder last night an elder told us the story of The Horrible Killer, Saint George.” Rhzvanzin said, "It gave me nightmares."

“Ah, the story of the most fearsome human ever born. I am surprised that anyone had the gull to tell that story to anyone.” Sivarria said chuckling a bit, "I'm not surprised you got nightmares from it."

“Why would someone be afraid to tell it?” Rhzvanzin asked.

“There is a legend that Saint George’s ghost still walks the earth searching for dragons to kill." Sivarria said, "In the legend if anyone tells his story his ghost will know that a dragon is their and come to kill him.”

“Oh” Rhzvanzin said in a small voice.

“Do not worry little one,” Sivarria said pulling Rhzvanzin close to her with her wing, “it is but a legend there is no truth behind it. Now if you excuse me I need to go get ready for the hunt. Why don’t you go play with your friends?”

Rhzvanzin perked up and went running out to where he and his friends usually gathered to play.

“One of these days you will have to tell him what he is,” a voice said in the back of her head.

“But not today,” Sivarria muttered to herself.

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Rhzvanzin had just started playing a game scorch and burn with Drazealite and Zahanort. It was a game where you had to hit rocks thrown by one dragon with your fire, but since Rhzvanzin had yet to develop the ability to breathe fire, they let him throw rocks at the other rocks.

Just as soon as Zahanort started throwing the rocks clan-lords, Albervork and Zasvron, came over and interrupted the game.

“Hello younglings,” Zasvron said as she arrived, “We just came to ask Rhzvanzin something.”

Rhzvanzin stood stock still while both Zahanort and Drazealite gapped at the two clan-lords. A clan-lord asking for a youngling was unheard of in just about every dragon clan they knew of. Unless that youngling was in serious trouble.

Rhzvanzin gulped before bowing his head and stammering, “Y-yes c-c-clan-l-lords?”

“We where wondering if you would like to join us on today’s hunt Rhzvanzin,” Albervork said with a toothy smile.

Rhzvanzin was shocked enough to fall down onto his rump with shock and simply blinked trying to take it all in. He, a mere youngling, had been invited by BOTH clan-lords to join a hunt at an age many winters younger than any other previous youngling. He just could not believe the honor they where granting him.

“Why just him!?!” Drazealite demanded suddenly, “What about Zahanort and me! We’re just as old as Rhzvanzin!”

Albervork looked like he was going to shout something at the youngling who would dare to question him, but Zasvron silenced him with a raised wing before she kindly said, “While it true you are fast youngling, your prey escapes you to easily as for your other friend, he is just not that good at sneaking up on prey. With Rhzvanzin, he can approach silently and almost always catches his prey; he has proven to be an exceptional hunter.”

“So how will I follow you two to the hunting fields if I can’t fly?” Rhzvanzin asked, thinking about how his disfigurement prevented him from joining his fellows in the air.

“We will carry you to the hunting fields.” Zasvron said with a smile, “Hop onto my head youngling.”

Rhzvanzin did not hesitate; he quickly jumped up to the top of the clan-lord’s head with a powerful leap. As soon as he was their the two clan-lords took wing and Rhzvanzin felt a thrill run through him, from where he sat it seemed almost like he was flying. Feeling the wind running through the soft scales that grew from his head and the wind whipping around his joints and muscles, he could almost imagine himself flying. Rhzvanzin knew that this was the happiest day of his life.

The two clan-lords flew in a strange confusing path over the forest that seemed to have no particular rhyme or reason to it. Soon Rhzvanzin knew that he was hopelessly lost and would not be able to find his way back to the clan hold without the two clan-lords to lead him. Eventually the two clan-lords finally landed in a par of the forest that seemed thinner than the rest of it.

“Now then youngling,” Zasvron said softly, “You will hunt in that direction while I hunt in that direction. Albervork will hunt the final direction, do you understand?"

“Yes O mighty clan-mistress, “Rhzvanzin said bowing his head before he turned and rushed in the direction that had been assigned to him.”

“Let’s go find a good place to watch Albervork,” Zasvron said with a wicked smile.

Albervork returned the smile as they both took wing.

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Rhzvanzin crept through the forest looking for a suitable target to attack. He had seen plenty of birds and rabbits while he searched, but they where far too small to deal with. Rhzvanzin was out to prove himself worthy of going on the hunt at such a young age and birds or rabbits just would not do.

Then Rhzvanzin came across a large clearing and saw a strange sight. Before where dozens of leafless trees shaped like boxes with hundreds of dragons that looked somewhat like Rhzvanzin, and all of them appeared to be about his age. Most wondrous about all of it was that they walked on two legs and had lots of prey animals with them. While Rhzvanzin did not like stealing from fellow dragons, he was sure they would not mind him taking an animal or two.

Then Rhzvanzin saw something that made his mouth water, horses and lots of them all gathered together. For the Boulder Fall clan horses where a rare and much sought after delicacy, bringing even one back would prove himself worthy of the honor the clan-lords had given him. Rhzvanzin picked out a few likely targets and set off to make the kill.

Rhzvanzin hopped onto the top of one of the strange trees and ran along it hopping to another when he reached the end of one. Rhzvanzin waited until the horses he had picked out had wandered close enough to attack. The wind shifted and the horses picked up Rhzvanzin’s scent and screamed yanking against something that had wrapped itself around the horse’s mouth. Rhzvanzin smiled at his luck, his prey couldn't escape him

Rhzvanzin leapt from the tree and quickly tore out the throat of one horse and disemboweled another before leaping back to avoid the thrashing hooves. Soon both of the horses died and Rhzvanzin moved forward to grab the corpses, then he noticed the strange dragons had moved to surround him.

At first Rhzvanzin was confused as to why they had done this, then he realized that they where after his kills. They where ready to fight him for his kills, a game that he had occasionally taken part in when he was younger and was constantly hungry. Rhzvanzin was all to ready to fight for these kills as well and stood over them before shouting his challenge.

“Come on then!” Rhzvanzin shouted to the strange dragons, “Try and take them from me!”

The strange dragons drew back from Rhzvanzin with fear on their faces obviously not expecting him to except their challenge. Soon one advanced hiding behind a piece of bark and said something Rhzvanzin did not even vaguely understand. Nevertheless, he took it as meaning this dragon had accepted his challenge.

Rhzvanzin shot towards the strange dragon and leapt up above it to attack it with all of his claws at once. The strange dragon slowly shrank behind its piece of bark, Rhzvanzin easily smashed through the bark and jumped off the strange dragon’s chest knocking it to the ground. In the air Rhzvanzin saw another strange dragon heading for his kills, Rhzvanzin quickly righted himself and kicking aside the dragon’s piece of bark and slashed at its face knowing it would only deter the strange dragon.

When Rhzvanzin landed, he saw the strange dragons were moving towards him at a slow trot, Rhzvanzin had no intention of waiting for them to get close. He picked up several stones, threw them at the advancing line smiling as several pieces of bark shattered to splinters, and heard a few moans as the rocks struck true.

Rhzvanzin leapt as high into the air as he could looking down at tops of the strange trees he saw below him and started spinning himself foreclaws in front of him. This was a new attack he had wanted to try for a while, but it required his targets to bunch together, something dragons rarely did when being attacked. However, these strange dragons quickly obliged Rhzvanzin.

Spinning at an incredible rate, Rhzvanzin scattered bark and limbs as his claws tore into the strange dragons. Rotating his wrist Rhzvanzin racked his hind claws across the gut of another strange dragon. Leaping onto another strange dragon, Rhzvanzin bit into its face causing it to make a strange noise. He quickly jumped off and slammed the underside of his hind claw into the face of another strange dragon to propel himself over it to sink all of his foreclaws into the strange dragon behind it.

When Rhzvanzin landed on the ground next to his kills, he felt four sharp thuds hit his back, they did not hurt that much so he figured they where just some sharp stones. He turned and saw four of the strange dragons with particularly white flesh, the retreated a few steps when Rhzvanzin charged them. He knocked two off their feet as he rammed their legs and quickly swerved to jump onto the backs of the other two, driving them to the ground. Rhzvanzin wondered why these strange dragons seemed so weak; he hardly had to put forth any effort to knock them down.

Rhzvanzin felt something hit him hard across the back of the head dazing him, it seemed at least one of these strange dragons had a tail. Rhzvanzin felt the tail hit him across the head again, knocking him to the ground. Rhzvanzin tossed a handful of rocks over his back as hard as he could; he heard several strange noises behind him and managed to get back onto all fours before he felt several sharp object plunged themselves into his back. Rhzvanzin spun himself around in a circle knocking several of the strange dragons flying as he did so. Then he felt the tail slam into his head again and Rhzvanzin hovered at the edge of unconsciousness. Another smack from the tale finally knocked him out.

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On a hillock, a mile away Albervork and Zasvron crowed in delight seeing the humans finally bring Rhzvanzin down. They had gotten worried when they saw how easily Rhzvanzin had been tearing through his fellow humans. Nevertheless, after one human had gotten luck and hit him in the back of the head with a hammer the odds had shifted against Rhzvanzin. The humans finally managed to bring the boy down and the show was over for the two clan lords.

“Now let’s get out of here and tell the clan what the humans have done to him,” Zasvron said turning away from the village.

“No I want to see what they do with the body.” Albervork said smiling.

“They will bury him like they do every body they make,” Zasvron shrugged, “Now I would get out of here before they see us and come after us as well.”

Albervork grunted and turned to follow the dragoness home to the clan hold still smiling knowing that Rhzvanzin was finally dead.