Authors: Carmella Jones
“Oh, yeah. Good point,” Syrenth replied, shaking his head a little. Mornings were never a good time for him. He could be a little dozy and clumsy, but he was extra so in the morning. So, he did as Rasenth advised and got into his old clothes, putting Rasenth’s clothes back neatly before turning to the older dragon.
“Okay, now I’m ready!” Syrenth chuckled, smiling away. He wasn’t afraid of hiding his a naive, klutzy ways in front of Rasenth. The man had already been soaked by a barrel of water from him, Syrenth figured he couldn’t do much worse than that.
“Good,” Rasenth said, and then went through the opening of the cave and turned into his fearsome dragon form to give Syrenth a ride. He just waited outside for Syrenth to come out and get on him. The wind was bitingly cold, but at least Syrenth wouldn’t have to deal with it for long.
With Rasenth ready to go, Syrenth ran out, so he didn’t have to stay in the wind too much, and climbed onto the large dragon. He nestled himself on the elder’s back and held on tight.
“I’m ready!” Syrenth shouted, just so Rasenth knew he could take off whenever he wanted to, but hopefully it would be soon. It was damn cold here.
Once Syrenth was safely on his back, Rasenth took flight, wasting no time in getting to the base of the mountain. He made sure to take Rasenth to the far side of the base, there no one in his tribe could see the two of them. Considering the suicide that would be, Rasenth would have liked to avoid that at all possible costs.
The moment they touched the ground, Syrenth jumped off, glad to be in slightly warmer lands now, and away from the awful wind. Now, it was just time to go home.
“Thanks for the lift, Rasenth,” Syrenth spoke softly “Do you want me to come back again to deliver more elk?” Syrenth was curious if Rasenth wanted this to be an ongoing thing, or a one time thing. Of course, Syrenth wouldn’t be able to sneak off every night, otherwise his father would get suspicious, but he could do it every now and again.
“Thank you for the food,” Rasenth replied. Giving Syrenth a lift was nothing in exchange for the favor that Syrenth had done for him. “As for the elk, just do what you can. I don’t want to importune you, but, a little food when you can sneak away successfully, and when your people can spare it would be very nice.”
“Alright, I’ll try and come back in a few days if I can with some more then,” Syrenth said, as that was the best he could probably do. He would have to keep a low profile with his dad for a few days, and just do what he was told before sneaking off back to the mountain.
“Father will be leaving for a few days when the full moon comes, so I’ll probably go up and see you then,” Syrenth suggested, mainly as that seemed like the most reasonable time, and he might be able to stay with the ice dragons a little longer. No one would really notice he was gone, they would just think he was playing in the woods or something. He liked to spend his time flying low in between the trees, challenging himself to go faster or through more dangerous obstacles. That was how he usually spent his free time, so the others may not notice if he was gone for a little while.
“Your generosity is appreciated,” Rasenth replied. “Take care not getting caught. I hope to see you soon,” he said, and then he returned to his caves. He would have to find Lyshara to go hunting for the rest of the clan, but he was not looking forward to whatever she would have to say about him having an Inferno stay the night.
Chapter 4
As Rasenth left, Syrenth returned to his dragon form and flew off back home, so he could get their as quickly as possible. When he did return to his home, he changed back into his human form, and tiptoed inside so he didn’t disturb his father, however, his father was still awake.
“Where have you been?” Tazour asked, a clear tone of disapproval lurking in his voice. “The sun has risen and you have only just come home? What have you been doing out there all night?”
“I was just in the forest, father. I found a fox and was just following it around. I didn’t realise I was out so late. I’m sorry,” Syrenth responded, just trying to play dumb here and see what he could get away with. He hated lying to his father, he never had to do it much before, but this was a good cause so he had to deceive the man.
“This is never to happen again, understand?” Tazour replied, shaking his head before getting up and walking over to his son. “You can sleep until midday if you must, but you better get started on your chores as soon as you get up. If this happens again, you won’t be leaving the village for another season. Am I understood?”
“Yes, father,” Syrenth spoke, almost as quiet as a whisper as he kept his head down and retreated towards his own bed.
“Good,” Tazour said, and then left to start his early rounds, making sure to get an update from his sentries to make sure everything was okay on their lands. Syrenth was just glad that he didn’t get into anymore trouble. He would try to be on his best behaviour until his father left, and then he could leave again. Leaving his homeland to see the ice dragons was the most fun he had experienced in awhile, so he was actually quite excited to see Rasenth again. He just hoped he could find a way to keep doing it.
While Syrenth smoothed things over with his father, Rasenth sought out Lyshara so that they could go hunting together. When he found her, she was helping the new mother tend to the little hatchlings. They required so much time and attention, but they were growing rather quickly. Hopefully they’d be strong additions to the clan, or else Rasenth wouldn’t just keep dead weight.
“Lyshara, we are going to go north to try and find a hunting ground,” Rasenth told her, and she quickly finished up what she was doing and followed Rasenth out without a comment. Usually Lyshara was loath to be quiet, even if her chattering was of no importance. The quiet from his second in command made Rasenth concerned, but he knew better than to open up the can of worms that would come from asking Lyshara what had gotten under her scales. He knew full well the reason she was upset was due to the fact that Syrenth spent the night last night, but he would try not to broach that topic with her. He wasn’t afraid of what she would say, but he didn’t want to bicker with her while they were going to endeavor to hunt for the clan. After all, they had an obligation to provide for their clan, and so they had to work as a team.
Rasenth didn’t get much further than the base of the mountains before Lyshara brought the whole thing up. “Why did that fire dragon stay in your chambers last night?” she asked, flying alongside him. She was a dragon of about two hundred years. Though she was still growing, she nearly fully developed. Her form wasn’t as fearsome as her alpha’s, as she was a very sleek and serpentine dragon. Just because she wasn’t covered in spikes of frost didn’t mean she wasn’t deadly, though. She could fly much faster than Rasenth, and she was much more maneuverable, though not nearly as strong. Regardless she was a valuable asset in hunting, and so he didn’t want or need any friction with her.
“Lyshara, he did us a favor, and he was tired. I’m rather disappointed in you for not rendering him more help, and for getting jealous of him,” Rasenth replied, growling slightly, trying to put this conversation to rest as soon as possible.
“Having him in our territory will just put us at danger. If Tazour learns about this--”
“Enough. Tazour may be strong, but he couldn’t challenge us on the mountains. We are safe in our icy fortress,” Rasenth replied.
“And when we have to leave to hunt?” Lyshara asked. Perhaps Tazour couldn’t strike directly at their heart, but he could starve them out.
“Then we will freeze their water supply at the source and let them relocate to an area with ready water. Dragons can survive longer without food than they can without water,” Rasenth replied. This was something that Lyshara hadn’t considered, and so it gave her some comfort. She was still afraid that this arrangement would lead to unnecessary fighting, but given the circumstances with the hatchlings, there was little that they could do to get around using whatever help they could get.
“I just hope that it doesn’t come to a war between our tribes,” Lyshara said.
“You and I both, but if it does, I can promise you that we will win,” Rasenth replied and ended their conversation with that.
Chapter 5
Over the days that past, Syrenth had been busy doing his chores, helping his father with the village, and just being a good son all around. Although he had been working hard, he thought a lot about the ice dragons, and the peril they had been going through, and it just made him more and more determined to help. He had been wanting to sneak out every night, but his father seemed to be watching him like a hawk, so he did no such thing. While under his father’s watchful eye, he was good, but his father would be leaving soon.
The sun was beginning to set, and it was the night of the full moon. Tazour had brought his newly carved ornament out of his wigwam and began strapping it with rope, as he would be bringing it with him on his journey. Syrenth had just returned from the river, with his barrel of water for the night. He was sad to see his father go, in some respects, but he was also excited to get the chance to go and see the ice dragons again. Or, more specifically, to go see Rasenth.
“I think mother would have loved this,” Syrenth spoke softly, smiling a little as he looked down at the beautifully carved sculpture of an inferno dragon. His mother. Hearing Syrenth’s words, Tazour actually managed to smile. He put a hand on his son’s shoulder and looked towards the carving as well.
“I think she would too,” Tazour replied, taking a moment just to enjoy the view before he turned into his dragon form to prepare for his leave. Syrenth helped strap the sculpture, food, and water, to his father’s back to keep it secure for his journey and stay in the southern valley.
“I’ll be back in a few days. Stay safe and please, Syrenth, don’t get into trouble,” Tazour asked, stretching his wings out and getting ready for flight.
“I’ll be good father. Have a safe journey,” Syrenth replied, and took a few steps back, waving his father off his the gigantic red dragon sprung from the ground and flew into the heavens. Syrenth waited until his father was out of view, then snuck away from the village. It was now time for his fun to begin. He quickly turned into his dragon form and flew to their hunting grounds to pick up two elks for the hungry ice dragons. He managed to find too rather bulky ones, and swiped them off their feet. They squealed when they were grabbed, but Syrenth ended their suffering quickly, and flew off to the Northern mountains.
The flight itself was difficult, like it was last time, but he managed it, and with the aid of the ice dragon sentries, he found the cave again and delivered the elks. Syrenth was cold, a little out of breath, and very tired. Once he was in the sanctity of the caves, he let the dead animals go, and just lay on the floor, trying to catch his breath a bit. That wind was certainly not up his ally.
Rasenth was eagerly waiting for Syrenth to arrive, so as soon as he landed, Rasenth went to his side. Like before, there was a nice fire burning for Syrenth, so he could be warm.
“A bit tired from the journey, are we?” Rasenth asked, going over to the Inferno dragon and taking the elk he left, tossing them to Lyshara, who was waiting at the entrance of the cave, to deliver to the mother and her hatchlings. Then he sat next to Syrenth, so he could talk a bit with the younger dragon.
“Yeah. That’s a tough wind around these mountains. My wings just can’t take it,” Syrenth replied, shaking the bits of snow and ice off his body and scooching a little closer to the fire. He simply wished to take in as much heat as he could while he could.
“It is rather tough, but you’ll get the hang of it sooner or later. If not, maybe I’ll just have to start helping you up to the caves, as well as back down,” Rasenth said, chuckling. Noticing that Syrenth was still looking cold, however, Rasenth got a few more logs and threw them onto the fire for him. He would have gotten closer to Syrenth to share some heat, but in his dragon form Rasenth would make Syrenth even colder.
“No, no. I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself,” Syrenth chuckled, and was content to snuggle up by the fire. He was beginning to feel a little warmer as his scales soaked up the heat from the fire. It was wonderful. Truly it was. He still felt tired, but he was happy to sit and chat with Rasenth.
“How long will I be allowed to stay?” Syrenth asked the elder dragon, as he needed to know if he was going to be kicked out straight away, or if he was allowed the liberty of sharing a bed again. He hoped it would be the latter, as he had no real desire to be forced into that storm.
“You can stay for as long as you wish, Sy. You’re my guest,” Rasenth replied. Lyshara would hate for Syrenth to stay another night, but it would be a dream for Rasenth, so he wouldn’t say no.
“Thank you, Rasenth. Maybe I can learn some more about the ice dragons while I’m here. May as well see it from the other side,” Syrenth suggested, as he wanted to learn more. They were an intriguing species, so why not take the chance? Maybe then, Syrenth could convince his father that they were worth trading with.
“I would be glad to teach you anything you want to know about my people. I know much about our history, particularly in this region of the world,” Rasenth replied. “I’ve primarily lived here for a thousand years, give or take some travels during my more ambitious youth.”
“Wow, that’s a long time. I’d be happy to learn whatever you are willing to teach then. I’m just over a hundred myself. Turned a hundred last spring,” Syrenth spoke, rather proudly, like a human male would at reaching the grand peak of twenty one. He was certainly full of youth, but eager to learn from an experienced and wise elder. Knowledge is wonderful after all.
“Why, you’re still quite young, then,” Rasenth chuckled, just to tease Syrenth for seeming so proud of his age. “A fledgling even. But perhaps I’ll start by telling you something that very few of your clan even remember. The clan I was a part of in my youth, around eight hundred years ago, actually used to occupy the fjord that your people now call home. Of course, my clan was getting too large with too many elders in it. Everyone began fighting for the position of the alpha in the clan, and we didn’t even worry about protecting ourselves. Needless to say, we were chased off by a powerful bunch of fire dragons, though fortunately we realized we were outmatched and left without much of a fight,” Rasenth said. “Though ice dragons are rather famous for fighting with each other, we don’t enter into battles that we can’t win.”
Syrenth listened to the story, as he had never quite heard one like it. There hadn’t been a civil war, or at least not one that Syrenth could remember, in their own herd. That was mainly due to Tazour, as few would ever challenge him, and those that did, tended to get beaten down. So, this was very interesting. It almost frightened him, to think Dragons of the same clan would harm and kill one another. What a waste it was.
“Was my dad part of the ones that chased you out?” Syrenth asked, curious to see if his father was involved, or even his grandfather Cyzing. It was a long time ago, so he wanted to see if his family had really caused all that to happen. Then again, it was probably a good thing in some respects, it probably caused the ice dragons to stop fighting among themselves, or that was what Syrenth guessed anyway.
“Yes, but he even younger than you during that time. Cyzing and a few others were the ones who led the assault. After that rather humiliating defeat, my tribesmen were all too embarrassed to even stay in the region besides me, and we split into five different clans and went our separate ways. For a while, I remained alone--a phenomenon that isn’t seen too often. However, I slowly began to amass a clan of my own, and we’ve stayed here for the protection of the mountains and lack of competition,” Rasenth replied. Ice capped mountains like these were brilliant hide aways for ice dragons such as himself. They were like fortresses, and the only dragons that could threaten their hold on the area were fellow ice dragons.
“Well, at least it stopped you guys from fighting each other,” Syrenth suggested, mainly because he wanted to play the middle ground. He couldn’t exactly rub in the achievements of his family, nor could he disgrace what they did. That seemed like the safest thing to say.
“That’s one way of looking at it. Clans of ice dragons tend to get very dangerous when they get too large. We are all alpha’s in our own mind, you see, and that tends to cause quite a few internal conflicts,” Rasenth replied. “You fire dragons seem to have a more agreeable and kindred spirit, though, which is rather fortunate for you.”
“It’s probably just because of the heat. Normally, it just keeps us relaxed and happy. Granted, it can rial up people’s temperature, but others rarely challenge my father. So, we don’t really have reason to fight,” Syrenth explained, as the heat certainly had it’s advantages. Everyone was rather relaxed, and enjoyed to spread their wings in the warmth of the sun. They could only be dangerous or unsettled during the winter, when it was cold, and not many hours of the day. However, they usually had little to fight about, so, they could get along most of the time.
“Perhaps what we’re missing is a bit of warmth in our lives?” Rasenth said, chuckling there a bit. “Then again, the warmer we are, the weaker powers tend to be. We definitely couldn’t fight then. Though the more I think of it, my people usually did fight a lot more in the winter--when we were at our strongest.”
“Then maybe the warmth would help? Dragons won’t fight as much if they are unsure of their power, and the power of others then,” Syrenth replied, as that seemed to be the case. Who would go into a fight when they were unsure of their own abilities, let alone their opponents? It would be suicide.
“Perhaps. Maybe I’ll have to keep you around for your warmth,” Rasenth joked, as Syrenth’s body heat was certainly very real in this icy realm, plus the fire. Even if Rasenth was challenged right now, he would be hesitant to engage in any fighting due to how warm it was. Warmth was an ice dragon’s worst enemy, though it could certainly stop them from fighting
“Well, you can keep me around as much as you want over the next few days,” Syrenth replied with a chuckle, as he was more than happy to stick around, so long as Rasenth would have him anyway. It was a nice change from the village.
“I’ll have to take you up on that offer,” Rasenth replied. “Now, if you’re ready, we could head off to bed? It’s getting rather late.”
“Sure, I wouldn’t mind snuggling up in a blanket,” Syrenth said, and turned into his human form so he could walk with Rasenth to his chamber. He felt no threat from the ice dragons, at least not yet, so he was content with being in his more vulnerable form for now.
Rasenth led Syrenth to his chambers and went through the same ritual as before, dressing behind the divan and letting Syrenth pick out something warm and get himself dressed, then he in bed and waited for his guest to join him.
Syrenth got changed into the warmest clothes he could find, and happily slipped into them. It was such a feeling of relief to be covered in this wonderful wool, especially seeing as these caves were so cold. Now that he was dressed properly, he crawled into bed and laid down on his back, staring up at the ceiling and just thinking to himself. He was really enjoying his little adventure.
With the night getting colder, Rasenth moved closer to Syrenth so that the boy could be warm, but he didn’t take it any further than that to avoid scaring the young boy.
Syrenth turned and smiled at the elder dragon as he moved closer. He’d never had the opportunity to be so close to the older dragon, and it was the first time he had been able to gaze at his features without obstruction or unnecessary chit chat. As they were so close, he was able to take in Rasenth’s scent, which filled his senses with the smells of lavender and camomile. It was intriguing, and very beautiful. It almost made Syrenth shiver.
There was a lot about Rasenth that the young dragon hadn’t even realised. How handsome he was. His chiseled features and smart appearance. His scent especially had really dazzled a few hormones in his body, and he couldn’t help but shimmy a little closer to the elder, taking in more of his warmth and more of his scent.
The apparent interest that Syrenth was showing in him didn’t go unnoticed by Rasenth, and he smiled, putting his arm around Syrenth when he inched closer and pulling him into his embrace. “Are you cold?” he asked, just to justify him being so forward with his newfound friend.
“A little, yeah,” Syrenth replied softly, and accepted Rasenth’s embrace. He nestled into the elder’s chest and wrapped his arms around Rasenth’s body, now fully able to take in his warmth and his scent. It was wonderful.
“I happen to know something that can warm you right up,” Rasenth replied, giving Syrenth a kiss on the forehead to hint at what that something was.
“Oh?” Syrenth began, looking up at Rasenth with his honey coloured eyes. Though, he didn’t need that answered after the kiss. He caught on rather quickly. It made him feel rather nervous, but excited at the same time. He’d never had a mate before. Tazour said he was far too young to engage in that sort of behaviour, but his father wasn’t here. In this cave, Syrenth could do whatever he wanted and no one in his clan would know.