Dragon Child

The Truth Comes Out

Sara was watching Rhzvanzin out of the corner of her eye as she marched along beside him. She noticed that he was occassionally looking off into the forest obiviously longing to return to it. Then suddenly Rhzvanzin's ears perked up and he sniffed the air.

Sara couldn't see Rhzvanzin's face but could tell something was up and was about to ask what he heard when she heard the beating of massive wings. The entire camp froze at the sound as the largest dragon Sara had ever imagened flew low overhead. Its scales where blood red and it seemed to be half the size of her village, she knew that they didn't stand a chance against it.

The dragon landed on the trail before them and hissed, "Rhzvanzin!" in a monsterous and thundering voice.

Rhzvanzin hissed something back but Sara couldn't understand what he said as he shed the matress he was carrying and leapt over the camp. Rhzvanzin ran towards the dragon on all fours and it moved to meet him. Sara paled as she realized that he was about to try and face that monster alone. While he might be more than a match for any human, Rhzvanzin didn't stand a chance against a dragon of that size.

"Rhzvanzin! NO!!!" Sara cried trying to push her way to the front.

"Men!!!" the knight shouted, "Follow Rhzvanzin's lead and make ready!"

All of the bow men unslung their bows and drew an arrow and the swordsmen drew their blades and readied their blades. The knight began to strap on plate armor and drew a lance. Rhzvanzin and the dragon where only a dozen yards away from each other as the knight shouted, "FIRE!!!"

Arrows soared through the air towards the dragon and while some bounced off its scales, some penitrated. The dragon hissed in pain and Rhzvanzin stopped cold only a few feet away from the dragon.

"CHARGE!!!" the knight roared and the swordsmen charged sweeping sara along with them.

The dragon took to the air and fled and the camp cheered as the knight said, "We've wounded it, next time we will kill it!"

Rhzvanzin hadn't moved since the dragon had been hit and Sara looked on worriedly until she noticed that his skin was becoming red. She remembered what had happened the last time she had seen that happened and began to back paddle away from him.

The last time Sara had seen Rhzvanzin's skin change colors it had only become tinted red, now his entire body was blood red. Rhzvanzin turned to face the camp his eyes glowing with rage and his teeth barred as he roared out in the strange language he spoke. While no one could understand what he had said the meaning was clear, "YOU WILL ALL DIE FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!!!"

Rhzvanzin let loose a roar like the one at the collusiem but it had increased in volume and it dripped with raw rage and pain. As Rhzvanzin roared the skin on his chest and back burst and large blood red scales burst forth dripping with blood. The silver bracers that Rhzvanzin had been wearing ever since the fight in the valley seemed to melt and flow down around Rhzvanzi's hands and fingernails before hardening into claws. The air around Rhzvanzin began to shimmer as if from an extream heat and he gave off and beastil growl.

Rhzvanzin inhaled deeply and his chest swelled enormously before he roared again this time the roar being acompanied by a wall of fire that swept across the camp reducing swordsmen and bowmen alike to ash. Sara saw the wall of fire racing towards her and cringed knowing there was no escape.

Henry, Josh and James all leapt in front of Sara their shields raise forming a protective barrier between her and the flames. The three grunted as the force of the flames struck their shields and Sara found her voice and shouted over flames, "James!? Josh!? Henry!? What are you doing!?! Save yourselves!"

"No can do Captain!" Josh said smiling, "It's our job to make sure you come out of this alive and well."

"We all knew we were swordfloder from day one," James grunted, "At least this way we die a flashy death!"

"We're not moving captain!" Henry said, "So shut up and stay put!"

Josh's and James's shields suddenly gave way and the two were enveloped by fire and only Henry and his blackening shield remained between Sara and the fire. The flames suddenly went out and Sara saw that three quarters of the army had been destroyed and that Rhzvanzin didn't appear to be finished with them yet. He rocketed forward and cleaved right through two swordsmen and bit off another's head.

The archer fire arrows wildly at him but he dashed into the woods and suddenly dropped from overhead branches and slaughter a dozen more before leaping back into the trees. The surriviving members of the army, minus Sara and Henry, gathered around back to back scanning for any signs of Rhzvanzin.

Rhzvanzin suddenly came tearing out of the trees spinning as he had done when he had been fighting Sara's men. He shreaded several bowmen and swordsmen before landing on all fours and lunging for the knight. The knight thrust with his lance and Rhzvanzin twisted in midair dodging the lance but moving away from the knight.

Rhzvanzin began tearing around the knight as a red blur and the knight was unable to keep track of where Rhzvanzin was until and suddenly tore open the back of his armor. The knight slammed his shield into Rhzvanzin who was knocked clear of him and began to pace around the knight like a preditor.

"You can't beat me!" the knight shouted as he traded his lance for his sword, "I am the grandson of the great Saint George! It is my destiny to kill dragons! I cannot die!"

"George die," Rhzvanzin hissed, "My clan do it, and I kill you."

Rhzvanzin drated forward and one set of metal claws dug into the knight's shield and his other set clashed against the knight's sword. Rhzvanzin inhaled deeply and the knight's upper body was enveloped by fire that was absorbed by the knight's armor and began to slow roast the knight.

Rhzvanzin roared again as the knight fell beforedarting into the woods again. The few remaining soildiers scattered afraid to get close together again after what had happened last time. After thirty seconds of silence Sara snapped out of her shock and got Henry's attention.

"Henry we need to follow him," Sara said standing up.

"I'm not going after that monster!" Henry said, "Sorry Captain but I'm drawing the line at following demonic humans!"

"He's not demonic!" Sara snapped angrily, "He's draconic!"

"Is there a diffrence?"

"To him there seems to be," Sara said, "And that's more than enough for me, I'm going after him."

Sara unhooked her sword and other weapons and tossed them on the ground before running into the woods after Rhzvanzin. Sara stopped when she heard Rhzvanzin's voice, he seemed to be speaking in the hissing language he had spoken when she had first found him. Sara realized that he had been speaking the language of dragons and that the one that had landed before him hadn't been an enemy of his but someone dear to him. He hadn't joined the knight to try and kill dragons, he was trying to find his way home.

Sara edged closer as quietly as she could and peaked into a rocky clearing where the dragon was laying on a rocky mound and Rhzvanzin sat nearby looking for all the world like a sad dog as he continued talking to the dragon. She really wished she knew what he was saying.

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"Mother I'm really sorry," Rhzvanzin said sadly to Sivarria, "I had thought that those humans were strange dragons such as myself. I had never given a moments thought that they might be humans even though there were so many signs that they were. I'm so sorry mother will you please forgive me?"

"I should be the one asking for your fogivness Rhzvanzin," Sivarria sighed, "In all these years I have been raising you I never told you what you really were. I should have told you years ago that your not really a dragon, you're a human."

"Mother what are you saying!?!" Rhzvanzin demanded surprised, "I can't be a human! I don't look like them, I don't smell like them and I've even started to grow scales! I can't be a human!"

"I'm sorry my child," Sivarria said wrapping her wings around Rhzvanzin and nuzzling him softly, "But I'm afraid that you truly are a human. I found you in the woods after your mother abandoned you from fear of me. I adopted you to fill the hole in my heart from losing my children and took you home and lied to the entire clan about you so that you could stay."

"But my scales!" Rhzvanzin said weakly on the verge of crying, "Humans don't have scales!"

"Those aren't your scales my dear," Sivarria said softly, "Remember you sleep on my old ones and in the morning some stick to your skin for a little bit? When you were a baby you would spend days lieing on my scales and some must have grown into your skin and become covered by it until this point. Those scales came from me, not you, I'm sorry but you are a human."

"No I can't be a human!" Rhzvanzin sobbed wrapping his arms around Sivarria's face.

"I'm so sorry my dear," Sivarria said softly stroking Rhzvanzin with her wings, "I meant to tell you years ago but I could never get up the courage."

Rhzvanzin heard something behind him and turned to see Sara watching him from the trees.

"What do you want?" Rhzvanzin asked sadly still wrapped in Sivarria's wings.

"Rhzvanzin I..." Sara started

Sara was about to speak when someone shouted, "Rhzvanzin!"

Rhzvanzin looked out into the woods and saw Zahanort and Drazealite dragging a struggling Mira behind them.

"Rhzvanzin!" Drazealite called out pinning Mira to the ground with his claws, "should I kill her?"

"Why would you want to?" Rhzvanzin asked sadly.

"Because when we saw you attack those humans she tried to run calling you a monster!" Drazealite said, "She's obviously a human!"

"You mean like I am?" Rhzvanzin said sadly tears running down his face.

"WHAT!?!" Zahanort and Drazealite shouted as one before Drazealite said, "Your not a human! You've got scales! You can breathe fire! You're to strong to be a human! Who told you this pile of lies!?!"

"I did," Sivarria said softly nuzzling the crying Rhzvanzin, "I finally told him the truth about when I found him, he is truily human."

"No he can't be!" Drazealite shouted angrily, "Humans are cruel and evil creatures that kill everything! Rhzvanzin isn't a human!"

Zahanort said nothing but simply looked saddly from Rhzvanzin to Mira and back again tear sliding down his face.

"What are you crying about Zahanort," Rhzvanzin asked saddly, "I'm the one who just found out that I'm a monster."

"Because of the clan laws Rhzvanzin," Zahanort sobbed, "All humans are to be killed on sight. But I really don't want to see you or Mira dead."

"He's not a damned human!" Drazealite shouted angrily whirling on his friend, "While that law dictats that Mira must die Rhzvanzin isn't a human and is coming home with us!"

"Oh but he is a human," Albervork said from above as the Boulder Fall clan landed on the top of the hill, "And I will see that the clan laws are carried out."

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Sara watched as two dragons emerged from the bushes carrying a very scared looking girl. The dragons and Rhzvanzin seemed to converse and both Rhzvanzin and one of the dragons seemed to be crying while another was getting very angry.

When she heard another dragon and saw close to a hundred dragons land on the hill top she almost fell down as she scarmbled into the woods to hide. The largest of the dragons seemed to be smiling about something and from the look in its eyes it wasn't something good. Sara stumbled across te girl the dragons had been dragging and grabbed hold of her. The girl started saying something in the language of dragons and Sara asked, "What are you saying?"

"You actually speak English? Oh thank god!" the girl said collapsing into Sara's arms, "Those dragons have been holding me hostage for days and when the man went nuts they turned on me and were talking of killing me!"

"You can speak their language, what are they saying?" Sara demanded.

"They just found out the guy with scales is human and none of them are taking it to well and the big dragon plans on being the execusioner." the girl said cowering in the bushes, "I personally don't favor their odds."

Albervork swept down towards Rhzvanzin with his claws spread wide as he shouted, "THIS IS FOR MY CLAN HUMAN!!!"

Rhzvanzin blew a jet of fire at Albervorks claws and he flinched away shouting, "Insolent cur!"

Albervork smashed another of his claws down on Rhzvanzin who caught it and was pressed down into the ground. Rhzvanzin's strenght prevented him from being crushed but he was still pinned in a kneeling position as his bones creaked under the strain of Albervork's multi-ton body.

"Impressive boy," Albervork said smiling, "But it's not good enough."

Albervork lifted his claws off Rhzvanzin and swung his tail into him knocking Rhzvanzin flying into a tree which promptly shattered as Rhzvanzin slumped to the ground. Zahanort and Drazealite charge Albervork hissing angrily and Albervork batted them aside with his tail sneering, "Pitiful hatchlings!"

Albervork looked up hearing a loud hiss and saw Sivarria plow into him raking her claws across his chest and sinking her teeth into his neck. Albervork roared in pain and smashed Sivarria with one of his wings knocking her to the ground. Sivarria rolled down the hill a ways but rolled to her feet pacing Albervork cautiously as he watched her carefully as well.

"You weak little trator!" Albervork sneered glaring down at Sivarria, "You bring a human into our clan and then after admitting it before the entire clan attack me! I'll crush you!"

Sivarria ignored Albervork looking for a weakness as she watched the much larger and stronger carefully. Albervork had more battle experiance than she did but he was stupid and tended to give into bloodlust. Still it would be a close fight if she won and she would still probably have to face Zasvron if she was to be able to change the clan laws so that Rhzvanzin could stay. She really didn't think she could do it but she would still try if it meant saving her son.

Albervork lunged at Sivarria who tried to leap to the side only to be struck by another wing bash. Albervork advanced on the dazed Sivarria seeing his victory assured when he suddenly something absurdly close to his eye. It was Rhzvanzin his silver claws back.

Rhzvanzin roared as he plunged his claws into albervork's eye and shouted, "Don't hurt my mother!"

Albervork roared in pain and thrashed feeling Rhzvanzin fall onto one of his wings and start tearing at it. Albervork turned and bit down on Rhzvanzin catching him around the middle and whipping him around as he tossed him into a rock which shattered and Rhzvanzin lay on the ground hardly moving. Albervork felt something land on his back and begin to claw at his spine, Sivarria had come around and begun her attack anew.

Alber vork blew a massive wave of fire at Sivarria who leapt skywards to avoid it and felt Albervork's horns plung into her gut as he leapt skywards himself. Albervork withdrew his horns and bite Sivarria's tail using it to slam her into the ground before tossing her down the hill. Albervork moved towards Sivarria slowly starting to feel weak and dizzy from blood loss as glared down at Sivarria.

"You've been far more trouble than you're worth," Albervork growled, "and that human you've brought us has caused nothing but trouble. Now he and every other human will die and you won't be around to see it!"

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Sara watched the fight and saw that it looked like the bigger dragon was about to win and that Rhzvanzin was in no conditon to save the smaller dragon this time. She could see that the larger dragon didn't seem to have the support of all the dragons on the hill and that if he went down the fight would be over. But Sara had left all of her weapons behind to help show Rhzvanzin she meant no harm.

"If only I had my bow I might be able help them!" Sara cursed.

"Will my bow work?" Henry asked appearing from the trees and handing his bow and a few arrows to Sara.

"Henry what are you-" Sara started.

"You were taking a while," Henry said, "I decided to see if you where ok."

Sara nodded and took the bow and loaded an arrow as she ran out into the field and carefully aimed her arrow at the dragon's eye. Albervork raised one of his claws about to slice open Sivarria's neck when he suddenly felt something sharp bury itself in his eye. Albervork roared and tried to grab whatever was attacking his eye but he couldn't seem to get at it with his oversized claws.

Ablervork felt something slam into him and cursed, that damned bitch Sivarria wouldn't give up and die.

Ablervork bit at where he had felt the hit but bit nothing but air and he felt Sivarria's claws rake across his face cutting clear to the bone. Albervork slashed with his claws and swung his tail wildly but hit nothing but rocks and the occasional tree. Albervork felt something heavy land on his back and was about to try and bite at it when he suddenly lost all feeling in the lower half of his body and collapsed.

Albervork managed to prop himself up on his two remaining good legs but he knew he was a sitting duck and began to strike out wildly hoping to hit something or at least stave off death. Albervork felt jaws close around his neck and gurggled at his throat was torn out and he finally collapsed knowing full and well he was beaten. Even though he was now blind he saw a huge robed figure carrying a scyth approaching him and began to mutter the death chant of his clan as the scyth crashed down on him.