Memoirs of a Dragon

The Others

The warmth she had felt in her dream lingered around her for some time. She didn’t want to wake up, she wanted to be held by her mother and fly by her side. Her mother was gone, and she would never be held by her or fly at her side, and her mother would never see her. A dream would never change that. With her eyes still closed, she stretched her neck up as high as it would go, breathed in the sweet morning air, and froze. With her eyes still closed, she smelled the air again. Her heart jumped at a familiar scent; it was one she had smelled all her life, but stronger. She was afraid to open her eyes, afraid that she might still be dreaming. She sensed that there were many Dragons and that they were close.

​Slowly, she opened her eyes; she found herself in a forest surrounded by trees and strange plants she had never seen before, and still the smell lingered as strong as ever. She hoisted herself to her feet all weariness drained from her as she looked around, but all she saw were strange trees, much taller than any tree she had seen before, with horizontal to slightly drooping branches. The leaves of the trees where small and narrow but innumerable dark emerald green above, and with two blue-white bands below. The branches came off the trees in a spiral. Their bark covered in soft reddish brown fur. The trees themselves stretched high into the sky, and spoke of many centuries of existence and of the many different animals that lived in and under their branches.

The sent was so strong that she felt sure they must be right behind her. She turned and scanning the horizon as far as her sharp eyes could see, but only found the cliff edge and the sun dancing on the sea below stretched endlessly to the west. Far in the distance she saw a pod of whales surfaced, and launch a fine mist of water into the air as they took a breath, but no Dragons. She turned around again and saw nothing but the trees and the plants that grew among them. She walked a little deeper into the forest, Maybe they are above me, sleeping in the branches? she thought. She looked up and scanned the branches…no Dragons, just twittering birds and the sunlight shining through the emerald foliage. She ducked under a fallen tree that was supported by four smaller trees. The smell was so strong now that she excitedly asked out loud, “Where are they?”

Suddenly, one of the four tree trunks lifted up and a huge emerald green head looked down at her and asked, “Where is who, dear?”

​Startled, she jumped back and realized with a start, that what she had taken for four thick tree trunks were actually the four legs of an immense Emerald Dragon! Unable to contain the joy that filled her heart, she leaped into the air. Once she contained her excitement, she glided slowly back down to Earth. With a soft thud, she landed next to the old Emerald Dragon. She had so much she wanted to ask her new companion that she didn’t know where to start. She heard laughter of young ones to her right and she turned her head toward the sound. There among the fern lay a hatchling being tickled gently by its mother. She couldn’t believe that she hadn’t seen them before, but now as she looked around, she could see that the forest was full of these emerald green and brown dragons. “This place is so wonderful,” she said, as tears began to well up in her eyes.

​“Yes, we have been blessed with a lush and beautiful sanctuary to raise our young in peace. I’m Apatina, Matriarch of this colony. You, forgive me, are a stranger here and I must know your intentions? You bear the white scales and fur of the great Snow Cap Dragons who have not been seen at the Council for many years, nor have any of your kind made contact with the other Dragon colonies, breaking one of the laws set down by the Seven Ancestors centuries ago at the dawn of our existence. If you come now seeking aid and shelter after years of isolation and betrayal, I am sorry, but I must send you on your way.” The old dragon’s voice was not angry as she said this, nor was it harsh, just calm and questioning.

​“Apatina,” she said, bowing low to the Emerald Matriarch, “please forgive my ignorance of the ancient customs. I was not raised by the great Snow Cap Dragons, but by the Snow Ikean, and only recently heard about the heartbreaking history of my race, and the existence of other Dragons. I am Topaziah, the last child of the great Snow Cap Dragons. I came in search of other dragons, and to learn what they may know, and to retell, to those who will listen, the tale, as it was told to me, of my kind’s tragic demise.”

​“It is a pleasure to meet you Topaziah, and I will present you to the Council. By the sound of it, your tale is one that should be heard and judged by all of the Immortal colonies and not just by me alone. Until then, I bid you welcome. As my honored guest, feel free to explore our forest. Because you were raised by the Ikean, I take it you have never Star Jumped before; therefore, your journey here must have been much longer and more dangerous than was necessary. I will provide you with fresh meat and I will have my youngest grandson take you to the Crystal River so that you may drink and bathe.”

​At the word bathe Topaziah suddenly became aware of the irritating itching of the sand in her fur, becoming self-conscious, she thought of how she must look after climbing, no battling, the sandy bluff and then sleeping on a bed of pine needles and bracken. “Thank you Apatina, your…” Topaziah began; she was going to say, (your kindness means the world to me,) but was interrupted by a highly excited youngling, that she guessed had not yet seen 2000 sunrises since emerging from its egg. Taking the moment of Apatina’s distraction to glance down at herself, Topaziah felt ashamed. She looked worse than she imagined! Her white fur was a muddy yellow brown with pine needles sticking out of it at odd angles and her scales were no longer luminous but grimy and dusty.

​“Great Grandma, Great Grandma. I saw a white Dragon fall into the ocean in the storm last night! We have to find it! I tried to tell Onyx, but he said that it must have been the lightning, and that there is no such thing as white Dragons, but I know what I saw, and it wasn’t lightening!” said the young Dragon so rapidly that she was quite out of breath, when she added, panting, “Oh Grandma Apa, we have to find it, we just have to!”

​“Topaziah, meet my great granddaughter Citrine.”

​The little Dragon turned around to face Topaziah, noticing her for the first time, and began to giggle giddily. She leaped in the air and flew a few circles around Topaziah’s snowy head. “I told Onyx you were real,” she said as she twirled up into the air and landed on Topaziah’s head laying down in-between her pearly horns. Still laughing, she said, “Just wait until he sees you.”

​ “Citrine, darling, go fetch your uncle Essence, and your brother Onyx. Tell them to meet me here.”

​Citrine slid down Topaziah’s snout, rubbed noses with her great grandmother, then swooped away to find her uncle and brother.

​With the young Citrine off on her grandmother’s quest, Topaziah turned back to Apatina. “Earlier you mentioned Star Jumping, I was wondering, what is it?”

​“Well, Star Jumping is flying straight up toward the stars, until the weight of this world no longer slows you down. There in the world above the world, you can fly faster and easier than you ever dreamed possible. There you can travel hundreds of miles in the same amount of time you can travel ten down here. It is an amazing feeling. At 500 years of age, a young Dragon learns to Star Jump. First they fly the long way with one of their parents to the Great Stone Circle. There, they rest for three days to recover their strength before Star Jumping home.

​“Ah, Essence!” Apatina rubbed noses with a handsome Dragon about half her size. His scales shone the same deep green of the trees around them, and his muscles rippled under the weight of his massive body. Though Essence was only half Apitina’s height, he was still taller than Topaziah. Topaziah’s head only came up to Essence’s shoulder.

​“Grandmother, you sent for me?”

​“Yes, I am calling a meeting with the Great Council at the Stone Circle. I want you to gather a hunting party to catch some elk as an offering for the feast. Also, I would like you to send someone with a deer, for our guest, to the Stone Table. Essence, this is Topaziah, she is one of the lost great Snow Cap Dragons.”

​“It is an honor to meet you; it has been many years since one of your kind has been among us.” Essence closed his eyes and bowed his head to Topaziah, as a sign of welcome and respect. Humbled, Topaziah bowed back. Essence rubbed noses with Apatina, and then leaped into the air. With a few flaps of his mighty wings, Essence was gone.

​Topaziah was in awe of how fast and agile Essence was for his size, and for the first time in her life she felt very small. She was accustomed to being taller than everyone around her, and now she found herself at the elbow of a mighty and powerful dragon, a Matriarch of this community. Topaziah felt she didn’t deserve Apatina’s kindness; she felt that she would feel more comfortable back home, never knowing or hearing about another Dragon as long as she lived. Yes, she felt small and insignificant here. Feeling that she had better speak before the lump in her throat got any bigger, Topaziah asked, “How many other Dragons live in this forest? I smell them, but I am still having a difficult time seeing them.”

​“There are over 1000 of us here. The fact that your keen eyes cannot see us is not surprising. We have adapted well to this environment, just as your white scales and fur help to hide you in the snow, our scales camouflage us. Even those creatures that grew up as frequent guests of these woods seldom see us. Why, just the other day as I lay napping, I had a two legged mortal take me for a small hill and ate a meal upon my back…”

​“I would have shaken the intruder off and left him wondering what had happened,” said a deep voice with a hint of laughter from behind them.

​“Yes, well I have many more years of experience than you,” continued Apatina, “and I know that if we alert our presence to the two legged, once they discovered our powers, they would never leave us alone. Remember the Dark Ages? We had to go into hiding until our existence was mere myth in the minds of the mortals.”

​“I don’t see why we don’t just eat the lot of them and be done with it,” said the new dragon, only half serious.

​“Well enough of that. I have more important things to do than to argue with you about the importance of the two legged; Onyx, this is Topaziah, she is one of the lost Snow Cap Dragons, I would like you to take her to Stone Table to bathe and rest before she flies with us to the Stone Circle.”

​Onyx was the same height as Topaziah, but his horns were thicker. He was not green like his uncle or Great Grandmother, but black as a raven, though his scales shone with a green iridescence in the sunlight. He bowed to Topaziah, but unlike Essence, Onyx did not shut his eyes, he left them open, staring intently, unblinkingly, at Topaziah. I always thought the Snow Cap Dragons were the color of, well, snow…hmmm… Onyx silently mused, but she is more yellowish tan rather than startling white…maybe she is part Amber Dragon…I wonder if she realizes that she has a twig wedged behind her horn? Wow! She is beautiful despite the twig; I wonder what brought her here?

​The way Onyx stared at her made Topaziah confused and uncomfortable; she wished he would stop staring at her. I must look ridiculous…I wonder why no one has said anything about it to me? They probably don’t want to be rude…but if that is the case why does that male, Onyx, keep staring at me? Topaziah thought, wanting to hide from his intent unblinking gaze, and yet, in the same instant, she wanted to be near him, to know all there was to know about this other being that was as black as she was white. Unsure whether to move forward or step away, she bowed back.

​“Shall we be off then?” asked Onyx, turning away and stretching his wings.

​“Onyx, you can show Topaziah around, if she so wishes, but please be back before the sun touches the sea. I want to reach the Stone Circle to prepare the feast before the rest of the Council arrives.”

​“Remember to have someone gather fruit and berries for Thistledown, Sanadue and the rest of the grass-eaters. I think we lost a little of their respect the last time, because we forgot about them at the last Council meeting.”

​“Thank you Onyx, but I already thought of that. I intend to send Peridoties and Peridot out after some as soon as they get back, because their paws are still small enough not to crush the berries as they are picked. Anyway, there is much to do before this evening. Topaziah, I will see you tonight. ” With a final bow to Topaziah, Apatina spread her wings and flew away.

​“Shall we?” invited Onyx, as he stretched his wings again. Topaziah went over next to him and extended her wings and they took off. After seeing how fast Essence and Apatina had flown, Topaziah felt certain that she would have to struggle to keep up with Onyx, but though he flew swiftly, she found that they kept the same pace, beat for beat. They flew steadily east, following the curves of a river, where red fish leaped up its waters in an unending race. “The Stone Table is just beyond that next turn. It is a circular cliff that the river forks around and rejoins to form a pool, this side of it. The pool is deep and clear, full of fish and reeds. It is the best place to bathe. This river’s water has the power to heal; I believe it came from centuries of the forest’s magical inhabitants drinking, fishing and bathing from its waters. If you ever are injured, this is the place to come.”

​When they landed, they found that a deer had already been left there for Topaziah. It had been three days since she had eaten, and then it had only been a mouthful of salty fish that had jumped out of the water in a silly attempt to fly. She was hungry and grateful to be eating something other than fish; she savored each mouthful with passion. She gave thanks to the deer’s spirit for the warm blood that soothed her parched throat. Knowing that the deer’s soul was bounding through the light beyond preparing to reenter this world, reborn to a new more powerful way of existing, Topaziah thought about the possibilities for the deer’s spirit. Maybe her spirit will come back as a mountain-lion strong and powerful. Or possibly one of the two legged mortals or maybe her soul will prove itself worthy of an Immortal life to roam this world at its leisure.

​As Onyx watched Topaziah, he felt a desire to protect and to worship her. In his eyes, she was royalty, and beautiful. He didn’t want to be far from her side. I want to know everything there is to know about Topaziah. She is so quiet I wish I could read her thoughts. What should I say to her to get her to talk to me? I want to be near her, more than that I want her to want to be near to me. Maybe, if I asked her to, she would stay here with me in this forest, and my family could become hers, he thought. Or if she wishes to continue her quest, whatever it is maybe she will let me join her. He began to smile at the thought, but the smile soon faded, as another thought entered his mind, Perhaps she’ll prefer to travel alone. What will I do then? Or what if once she gets to know me she finds that she can’t stand my company? I will understand and let her have her space, though it will be nearly impossible… I will let her go.

​Once Topaziah had finished eating, Onyx asked her, “Topaziah, what do you think of our forest?” He had wanted to ask, (How do you feel about me? Would you stay here with me forever?) But he buried these questions, after all, he had only just met her, and what would she think of him if he asked her those things after less than an hour in his company.

​“Well, it feels like home,” replied Topaziah. “I know I only landed here last night, but I feel this is where I am supposed to be, as if my journey were leading me here all along. This feeling of belonging I believe come from the fact that I finally found other Dragons.”

​Onyx’s heart was filled with overwhelming joy. He wanted to fly high up into the air, or dive deep into the water; it was an overpowering giddiness. Topaziah was confused she wanted to be closer to Onyx and yet she was afraid what if this mysterious Council would not allow her to stay with other Dragons? What if they told her she needed to return to the Snow Ikean’s mountain? She did not feel as though she could handle that… the Ikean were her family and she loved them dearly, but they had lied to her and she was not sure how she felt about them now she knew all that had done. Topaziah needed to clear her head and decided that she had better just take a bath in the pool and attempt to forget her qualms at least for a little while. She went to the cliff’s edge and opened her wings. She chanced a glance over at Onyx and she felt embarrassed again as she noticed him watching her. With that, eager to be free of the debris from the night before, she dove over the cliff edge and into the river. The cool water engulfed her, and the large red fish she had seen earlier, darted out of the way, startled, as her elegant body broke the stillness of the pool. She swam to the pool’s sandy bottom, and then launched herself upward. As her head broke the surface of the water, she closed her eyes and floated there just enjoying the waters embrace.

​While Topaziah swam, her scales and fur became more and more luminously bright. Wow! The old legends about the Snow Cap Dragons do not give an adequate description! Onyx thought as he watched her. Topaziah is more luminous than snow, she glistens like diamonds under the sun. I wonder what she would do if I joined her; although if I went down there, I would probably just end up gaping at her and inevitably frightening her away. Even though Onyx desperately wanted to join Topaziah, he felt that she in all probability wanted to be alone. So after watching her for a moment from the cliff edge, he lay down, closed his eyes and listened to the water lapping at its bank below.

​After a while, a different sound reached his ears. At first he didn’t recognize it. He listened and soon realized that it was the sound of laughter. He peered over the edge and saw a flash of green darting around the now iridescent, white form of Topaziah. Onyx swooped down and hovered above the water. “Citrine, leave Topaziah alone! She has had a long journey and does not need to be pestered by a hatchling…”he scolded.

​“Onyx, please do not scold her,” Topaziah interrupted. “I have been alone for months, and I missed the interaction. I enjoy the company and would rather not be alone.”

​Citrine smiled at Topaziah, then turned and stuck her forked tongue out at her older brother. Onyx felt put out by the presence of his sister. This was odd, because he normally enjoyed having his sister around, but now she seemed silly, an unwelcome nuisance. Feeling altogether annoyed that he hadn’t listened to his instincts and started swimming with Topaziah sooner; he flew up to the top of the Stone Table. There he paced back and forth, not sure what he should do. One part of him wanted to swim with Topaziah; the other didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of her. He didn’t want her to think he was immature or silly; in fact he wanted to impress her, but how… Onyx came to the conclusion that he was being silly and that he should go down and ask if he could join them; just as he came to this conclusion, a splash of cold water drenched his head from above.

​Citrine was hovering a foot above him laughing. “Race you to the bottom!” she said, and launched herself over the edge. Onyx dived off after his sister and had soon caught up with her. Laughing, they both plunged into the water. The three Dragons swam, splashed, and chased fish and each other for over an hour, until a clear voice could be heard high above them.

​“Citrine…Citrine its time for your lessons…Citrine….”

​“That’s Mom, Citrine, you had better go,” said Onyx. “Oh don’t look so miserable, you will probably see us again before we have to leave.” He rubbed noses with his sister and she flew off. Onyx hauled himself out of the water and onto the river’s rocky bank. There he shook the water from his scales, and looked back at Topaziah. She slipped out of the water and stood next to him. After shaking the water from her scales, she began to lick the water from the band of fur that covered the base of her neck, shoulders and chest.

​ “So now, what do you want to do? I could give you a tour of the forest, or we could just talk; or if you are tired, I could let you rest?” Onyx asked Topaziah, once she had stopped her grooming.

​Topaziah felt nervous again as they sat alone on the river bank, but this time it wasn’t Onyx that was making her stomach tie itself in knots, but the thought of all she didn’t know about the other Immortals she was about to meet. Their different customs and rules, and even the thought of being introduced to other Dragons frightened her. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” she inquired tentatively.

​“I am not as learned as some of the Elders, but I will try my best to answer any question you may have. What’s on your mind?”

​“Well, loads. I was raised by the Ikean on the third highest mountain in the world, Kangchenjunga. Translated, Kangchenjunga’s name means ‘The Five Treasures of Snows,’ because it contains five peaks. The treasures represent the five gifts from God, which the two legged, believe to be, gold, silver, gems, grain, and holy books.

​“Up there the Ikean and I lived undiscovered by the two legged mortals. Mountain climbing expeditions honored the beliefs of the Sikkimese. The Sikkimese hold the summit sacred; therefore, the two legged who climb Kangchenjunga stop short of the actual summit. Not that they would have seen us anyway, because the Ikean live in palaces built out of, and under the snow. Though it kept us safe, it limited my education to what the Ikean were willing and able to teach me.

​“Which brings me to my first question; Citrine was going to take her lessons, whom does she learn from?”

​“Growing up, we learn from all the members of the Colony, though the first ten years we learn faithfully from our immediate family: our mother, father and older brothers and sisters. Then we are placed in small groups based on the time of the year we hatched, (spring, summer, fall or winter.) We are taught by the Dragons in charge of those groups. On our 100th year we learn to squelp. After our 500th year we are assigned a young Dragon to mentor until we reach our 2000th year, and then we teach the next group of hatchlings. I will be teaching the fall group next year; it will be my first time as a teacher and it will grant me a higher ranking in the Colony.”

​“Well, maybe you can start sooner by teaching me about Squelping?”

​“You’ve never Squelped before?” Topaziah just shook her head. “Well Squelping, is the act of listening and learning from your environment. Some things that have been around a long time can talk unending for years. The Stone table, for instance, if you let it, would tell you about a time when the river was just a creek. It would continue to talk about every grain of sand the river took, how through the years the water cut away at it until the Stone Table towers above the swift river as it does today.

​“But it is more than just listening; Squelping literally takes you back in time to wherever the being chooses to take you. If you are not careful, you could be gone for years and no one would know where you were. If done right, the being will only take you for a few hours, then release you at the precise moment in time it took you, unless you need to hide, then it will keep you until it is safe for you to return.”

​Excited by the possibilities, Topaziah asked, “You said that Squelping takes you back in time. When you go back in time, can you change past events?”

​Onyx shook his head and said, “No. With Squelping you are just an observer, merely a witness to the past. Those creatures you come in contact with will be able to sense you watching them, but they will not be able to see, hear, or feel you. You will be like the wind there but unseen.”

​“Oh,” responded Topaziah unable to hide the disappointment in her voice. “Is there anyway of changing the past?”

​“Yes, but that kind of magic is too great, and drains your power leaving you physically and mentally weak. You can’t change one thing in the past without effecting something else, causing everything the world round to change. The kind of power you are suggesting is too dangerous and can cause your own destruction. That is why it was banned by the ancestors at the beginning of this world. Any creature who dares try to change the past, if caught, is stripped of their Immortality and changed into a mortal creature doomed to remember their life before, and to feel the agony of mortality, to feel their vessel age at the rate of the mortals, 100 years in a single year. I can’t imagine that kind of weight of the soul, to know that they will die long before their time, to know that their soul is doomed never to see the world beyond, but to roam this one forever unseen. What would possess you to want to ask such a question?”

​Topaziah let out a sigh and whisper her response, “My family…”

​Silence fell between the two Dragons as they continued their walk along the river. Then Topaziah asked another question that had been on her mind, “Onyx, what other creatures will there be at this Council?”