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The Awakening of Dragons

Chapter Six

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Written by Arian Mabe (Amethyst Mare)

Commissioned by NomexGlove

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“Are you doing well, Darius?”

Isla-Rae smiled, glancing back at the silver dragon as they flew, though it was a lazy kind of flight, the kind of flying that was undertaken purely for pleasure rather than any purpose. He’d gotten a lot better over the last month or so, but had been the quickest to take to flying, only out sped by Brent, even if she had learned to fly a long, long time back, so long ago that it felt, even to her, as if it had been a lifetime ago. Thankfully for them, they did not have to hunt that day, comfortably full still yet not weighed down by their last meal. Darius did not spend too much time with Isla-Rae, but even he had to admit, as he tried to cope with the changes in his life, that she was an easy dragon to be around, light in heart and mind – or so he could see. It was a good counter to his way of being, overthinking everything, often delving far more deeply into his mind than was strictly needed.

Darius, however, had to practice flying, drawing a lot of curiosity from others as they were a male dragon. They called him a “drake”, but it was just a word, he guessed, like how one could be referred to as a “man”. He didn’t mind it too much, liking the little sense of identity it gave him. It was better than disassociating, staring blankly at whatever was in front of him for hours on end, trying to understand, failing to understand, losing a bit of himself.

What was lost could be gained, however… That was what Isla-Rae told him. Her kindness, even then, was appreciated and Darius could not help but warm to her, however slowly it came, days and weeks passing softly together.

He cursed lowly, dipping a little, struggling with the height of his flight. He could not lose his altitude too much, not when there was less updraft to lift his wings. He could glide for hours on the right air current, not understanding that they wound their way across the mountainous landscape like currents in the ocean, the shift and pull of the air more alive than he had ever given it credit for. The winds were apt to change, particularly at higher altitudes, and they tried to avoid flying too close to the ground most of the time.

Isla-Rae, however, had other things on her mind, drawing conversation out of the larger drake slowly and sweetly, embracing him as if he was one of her sisters. Yet one thing that she could not ignore, of course, was the fact that he was a drake. It was not intrinsic to motherhood, of course, but her curiosity had been roused in a way that could not simply be laid to rest. Truth be told, she didn’t think that it needed to be either, enjoying the moment and only the moment, exactly as it was.

They talked about their lives before, their families, what they had planned, what they tried to plan, however small those things could be. Darius wanted to fly to the highest peak – and higher still. Isla-Rae longed to see her young growing, nurturing and caring for them. It was, in a way, a childhood that she would never have, being born as a human and not a dragon, though

“I’ve seen you spending a lot of time with Arya,” she said, a glint in her eye. “I think she enjoys your company too.”

Darius’ jaw dropped as if he was about to say something, though he stuttered and stumbled and fumbled over his words. True, he had been trying to pull on his fire with her, like dragging something out from deep within his gut, but it had not come in more than a sputtering gasp and flutter of flame. Yet her determination and the gleam in her eyes had had him wanting to try again, though Darius had not quite acknowledged the fluttering inside him, which was behind it.

“I, uh…don’t know what you mean… I mean, nothing’s been said about me talking to her, as it?”

Isla-Rae grinned, though didn’t let him see her smile. He might not have been so open with her, though it had taken a while to simply see some words slipping and then pouring from the usually reserved dragon, if he thought she was laughing at him. But she didn’t want to laugh at him, merely enjoying the comfortable familiarity growing between them. It was like caring for him, but in a closer way, showing him the way as a dragon and even teaching. Brent may have been a better choice to show Darius how to fly efficiently and to improve his stamina, but Isla-Rae had offered. It spoke volumes, to her, that Darius took her up on the offer.

“Nothing, of course not,” she assured him smoothly, “but I think she’d like to spend more time with you too. She’s been quieter of late… I worry about her. I think she’s struggling. You had your mother and your father here and to visit, but Arya’s father hasn’t come. She said that there was something there, something about the study path she’d chosen before. It sounds like it was hard for her, before too.”

Darius chewed over that, but his thoughts slipped between Arya and Isla-Rae too easily, musing, contemplating. In companionable quiet, they flew together, Isla-Rae showing him without speaking where the thermals clung to the cliffs, allowing them to rest their wings for a bit. They could not fly for too long, however, not with Darius’ inexperience, and they perched on a small clifftop, an outcrop of rock that jutted out from the face of the mountain in a small plateau. It would have barely been large enough for four dragons, though would have been sizeable to a human.

There, they talked. And talked. There was time enough while Darius laid out his wings, relaxing, slipping his gaze away, though his thoughts were between two dragonesses and his heart, to say the least of it, was confused.

But one thing that he held close that Isla-Rae passed onto him was that he didn’t have to make any decisions immediately. They would have a life as dragons, of course, but that didn’t mean everything had to be fixed straight away. That was a human construct. Where there was no emergency, there was no rush.

Darius smiled. He liked the sound of that.

He liked the sound of that rather a lot, in fact.

*

It was Kelvin and Isla-Rae that surprised the dragons one morning, however, when the light was crisp and the air sharp, though Santino fretted over her plants, despite reassurances that she could replenish her garden anytime needed.

“Before we patrol the edges, and meet up with those waiting for us today,” Isla-Rae said, lifting her head, making sure her voice was nice and clear, “I have something to say. Actually, both Kelvin and I have something to say. Don’t you too, dear? Are you sure?”

Kelvin nodded, a smile on her muzzle, more at peace than any of them had seen for quite some time. Isla-Rae took a deep breath, her new dragon family there, her human family waiting for them – or at least her dragon family – on the edge of the zone of magic.

“We’ve decided that we want to take on new names, to embrace being a dragon, completely and truly,” she began. “It feels right, though I don’t think it may be right for everyone. I don’t want anyone to feel forced to copy us or anything, but I’m sure some might like to take things forward too, with new names.”

Sandra smiled gently, nodding to encourage her, though Isla-Rae did not need any encouragement, the solidity of the ground under her claws and Kelvin resolute at her side all that she needed.

“I will now be Tilsa,” Isla-Rae, now Tilsa, said, the moment clear with the lightness of her voice rendering them spellbound. “I like my old name…but it is not me anymore. When my family and my friends come here, I’d like to introduce myself to them as my new self, the blend of the old and the new.”

A Sumerian name, or one that came from a combination of words – not grammatically or technically correct, but what needed to be, for a dragon? She had been interested in that kind of thing, ancient languages, though it had been a passing hobby where some words had stuck with her. Kelvin had liked the idea too and Tilsa was glad that she could pass a little more on to her sister. She smiled, nudging Kelvin even as her family congratulated her, Darius tucked in close to Arya.

“And I will be Usuakusu,” the dragon, formerly known as Kelvin, said with a smile. “I think it’s time for me to choose too. Tilsa suggested this one for me… I think it has “dragon” in the name?”

They were congratulated, coming together, Tilsa smiling and standing softly tall and proud, somehow the centre of it all. Her stature had no hand nor any claw in bringing humans and dragons together and, in a way, she hoped she could do more of that, going forward as their world changed to show humanity that there was so much more that they could all do together.

Her hope led the way for all of them.

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