The Old Dragon of the Mountain’s Christmas

Prologue-1

Prologue

Several centuries before:

Christoff ignored the other young boys and girls in the village as he hurried through it. Several of them stopped, pointed, and laughed at him. He was almost half their size, even though he was the same age. He had been born early and never quite caught up with the others.

“Lemar, wait!” Christoff called out to his older brother.

Lemar grimaced as he glanced over his shoulder at Christoff. “Go home!” he ordered.

“But, father told me to help you bring home the items he needs to fix the irrigation system,” Christoff said.

Lemar stopped and angrily turned on his heel to face Christoff. Christoff was used to his older brother being angry at him. It still bothered him, but he tried not to show it. If he did, Lemar would only be meaner to him.

“Go home, Christoff,” Lemar replied cruelly. “I don’t want to be seen with you.”

“But,” Christoff started to argue.

He swallowed when Lemar shoved him backwards hard enough to make him fall down. Looking up at his older brother, he tried not to show him how much it hurt. In the background, he heard more snickering and name calling from the other younglings in the village.

“I said go home,” Lemar snapped. “You are making a laughing stock out of yourself. I don’t want the others thinking I am like you – weak, unfit to be a warrior.”

“I’m not weak,” Christoff protested. “I help around the farm while you chase the females.”

Christoff winced when he saw the rage flash through Lemar’s eyes. His dragon and symbiot sensed that his brother was about to lose control again. Christoff released his dragon when he saw his brother shifting. His symbiot formed a thin layer of armor around him. It, like him and his dragon, was smaller and weaker than most of the other young boys.

He rolled to his feet seconds before Lemar struck out at him. The blow hurt as it caught him across the chest, knocking the wind out of him. He knew there would be no way to defeat his brother. The only thing he could do was try to protect himself as much as possible from the beating he was about to receive.

Lemar! Father told me to come help. Please, do not be angry, he murmured as he tried to calm his brother when he struck him again, this time across his left arm.

You never listen! You are weak and useless, Christoff! You shouldn’t even be alive, Lemar growled as he struck Christoff again with his tail, leaving a long line of welts across Christoff’s back.

I do listen, Christoff defended. I listen to mother and father. They don’t think I am weak and useless.

Christoff winced as Lemar swung out with his tail and caught him across the jaw. The force of the blow spun him around. A hoarse cry escaped him when Lemar grabbed one of his deformed wings with his sharp teeth and bit down.

His dragon reacted, wrapping his tail around Lemar’s left ankle and pulling on it at the same time as he threw himself backwards to ease the pain. The combination knocked both dragons off their feet. Christoff immediately rolled when he felt Lemar release his wing in an effort to protect his back. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he struggled to break free and shakily stood up.

He twisted in fear when Lemar grabbed his leg and kicked out at his brother. A howl of pain escaped him when Lemar sank his sharp claws into his calf. Christoff felt a wave of panic when his leg buckled under him, causing him to fall to the ground again.

Lemar took advantage of his weakness to roll on top of him. The sharp claws that had been in his calf a moment ago, now dug into his throat, cutting off his air supply. He struggled weakly to push Lemar off, but it was no use. His brother outweighed him by almost three to one.

Christoff felt certain that Lemar wasn’t going to stop this time. His older brother was embarrassed by him, he knew that, but he never expected him to take his frustration and embarrassment so far as to kill him. Struggling to draw in a breath of air, he gazed up at hatred burning in Lemar’s eyes.

No, this time his brother would not stop, Christoff thought in resignation as black spots began to darken his vision. Perhaps, Lemar was right. Perhaps, it would have been better if he had died as an infant.

“Lemar, stop!” one of the elder warriors ordered. “Release your brother now.”

Christoff didn’t think Lemar would have followed the elder’s command if it wasn’t for the fact the man’s symbiot was snarling at him. Lemar glared down at him one last time before he released him and jerked away, shifting back to his two-legged form as he stepped back from Christoff’s limp form.

“He shouldn’t be alive,” Lemar growled angrily, waving his hand. “He’s weak, pathetic! He cannot protect our village and he’ll never be good enough to find a mate.”

“I know, but it is not your place to kill him,” the elder stated. “It is your father’s place.”

Christoff shifted and rolled until he was sitting up. He wiped at the tears on his cheeks in frustration. He knew Lemar hated him even more when he cried.

“I help father,” Christoff defended, rubbing his nose against his arm. “I work hard.”

The elder turned to look down at Christoff in disgust. “You will never be fit to be a warrior, youngling. You think you help your parents, but they give you chores not even fit for a female.”

Christoff wiped at his face again as more tears escaped when the crowd of villagers chuckled and nodded their heads in agreement. He rose unsteadily to his feet. Clenching his fists at his side, he lifted his head. His father and mother knew that he was not weak. Every day they told him how much he was a gift to them. He worked hard out in the fields beside them while Lemar came to the village to wrestle with the other boys and flirt with the females. He was growing stronger each day. Yes, his wings may never let him fly, but he could still turn into a dragon and fight. His father was teaching him how to and one day, he would beat Lemar and show his older brother that he could defend the village if necessary.

“That is not true,” Christoff whispered, staring at the Elder with his head held high. “The bread you eat comes from our fields. I work beside my father and mother to plant, care for, and harvest it. I am not weak!”

The male’s eyes narrowed in warning. “Watch your tone with me, boy, or I will finish what your brother started,” the elder snarled. “Get what you came for and return home. I will talk with your father about the disruptions that happened today.”

Christoff wanted to protest, but both his dragon and his symbiot pressed on him to remain quiet. Turning clumsily on his heel, he ignored the laughter as he made his way to the iron shop. He would get the parts his father needed and return home. He knew that Lemar would not be back until after dark.

“You should have killed him, Lemar,” one of the young girls said just loud enough for him to hear. “You are so strong. I can’t believe you have a brother like Christoff.”

Christoff ignored the wave of pain at the hurtful words. He would show everyone that he was strong and when he did, the Goddess would look down on him and make him, his dragon, and his symbiot whole.