Stormy Night
#4 of Dragon Hunter Saga
I walk out to the hallway to look out the door of the building, which still amazed me that the glass was intact after all the turmoil of the years. It was now raining outside, due to the death of the Drake. Something most of the survivors don't realize is that Dragon's affect the weather surrounding them if they are of a specific type, like Frost Drakes. The range they 'affect' differ greatly based on the individual Dragon. Generally has to do with the power levels of the parent's. We had been walking through snow for a week, but the storm had blown up over the course of the last day. It started small then got to blizzard strength as we got closer to the building here.
I knew we were inland a little, but not so far inland that coastal weather wouldn't affect us. So I wondered if perhaps this was what is commonly referred to as a Nor'Easter. I sigh knowing that due to the weather we would be stuck in the building a few days till the rains passed, I wasn't sure how long it would be around. For all I know it could end sometime tomorrow, however I knew we'd be sticking around another day at least.
I hear footsteps approaching me from the room everyone was in, and I speak without turning around. "Headman, sorry I haven't learned your name as yet. Looks like we'll be enjoying your hospitality at least another day depending on how long the rains last. We will allow anyone who does not wish to remain with you to come with us, also. Provided you can give your word and keep it I will tell your guard to untie your hands."
I was watching the remains of the Drake disintegrate in the storm, the group's best butchers had rushed out, due to me warning; and took some claws and teeth from the Drake before it started breaking down. I had learned that something chemically happened within Dragon bodies, that once the heart stopped beating they just disintegrated down to just bones. Oddly teeth and claws didn't remain, it was as if it was meant to keep people wondering about what the dead creature was. Interestingly though the bones could be used for building materials and tended to be stronger than metal.
A voice came from the room, "he does keep his word when he gives it." It was "Johnny's mom", who walked out toward me, still watching the rain and the drake. I'd keep watching till only the bones were left, I owed the 'person' that much especially since I knew her father. I ask the woman a question eyes not leaving the Drake, "can you please tell me your name? Calling you 'Johnny's mom' is going to get old fast." The older woman walked up next to me and looks out the door as well, "it's Harriet. I thank you for ending that -thing-, even if it is intelligent. It was eating people, that's not right." I nod in agreement, and hear the Headman shuffling his feet.
"I give you my word that no harm will come to anyone while you are here and I will even give my word that I will not harm any supplies you need from us when you leave." The Headman spoke in a determined voice and I wave and and the Headman's guard unties the rope around the man's hands but doesn't walk away. The Headman walks closer and I could see Shadow move in my peripheral vision. "Shadow, let him come closer he gave his word and I will make an attempt to believe the man; for now." The headman stood on my other side looking at the Drake a tear rolling down his cheek.
"You killed her, why? She was a Great Power that we needed to please. She wasn't crazy." He sat there crying watching the Drake's body vanish leaving only the bones, the three of us watched for about a half an hour till all that was left was bone. I then turn to the Headman, "she was crazy and you helped her insanity. Did you not hear what I said to everyone? Eating of intelligent creature's flesh can cause insanity in Dragon's, it probably does so in humans as well; but I don't wish to test that theory." The Headman doesn't respond and hangs his head, I shakes my head at him; "now. When we do leave the only supplies we will take is anything we need to replace that we used while staying here and the portion that belongs to the people from your group that come with us. I would also like to point out, that includes the portion for the loved ones these people lost as well." The Headman's head shot up at that statement, "but it's our food you don't have the right." Jake comes out and responds, "Yes we do. What you did is a crime, against humans and Dragons. I never understood why Gwen said she wouldn't just go hunt Dragon's just to hunt them, but now that I know they are thinking creatures. I understand fully, so your punishment for your crimes is to lose what you have gained through your crime. Those supplies belong to the families of those you sent to their deaths and if no family yet lives you lose it entirely." Jake nods to me then and walks back into the room near the door in case he feels he needs to interject something that requires someone of rank. The Headman lowers his head again and he wanders off into the room himself.
I turn to Harriet, "I imagine you have something on your mind Ma'am?" Harriet smiles at the deference given, "yes actually. I want to come with your group, there is nothing left here for me now. Also, those twins need a really family. I know you are going to train them and Shadow has decided he needs to guard them like he does you, yes I noticed. He pays more attention to those two children than the rest of them, they need to have someone to show them what it's like to be human and not just a killing machine." She claps her hand over her mouth at her last words looking embarrassed and then hugs me as an apology. "I'm sorry, I know you aren't a killing machine; but watching what you did to that thing." Harriet trailed off and I pat her shoulder to reassure her, "it's alright. When 'hunting' I have to be cold and calculated, like with killing the egg and the youngster inside it. The first time I came across a nest of eggs I had not heeded my internal warnings to kill the clutch. That had been of one of the Solar Dragon's, I thought what harm could a bunch of eggs do. After I went back to the camp we had for the night the eggs had hatched and the four 'babies' slaughtered what remained of the village the nest had been near. So instead of killing the four before they hatched I let twenty people get incinerated then I had to fight four overly powerful animals. I call them animals for a reason, one that I will tell tomorrow night. Have you personally seen someone burn to death from Dragon flame? From accounts I have read of witch burning during the middle ages I think I'd rather attend a witch burning."
Harriet hugs me again this time tightly, "I'm sorry you had to go through that. You were a teenager then weren't you? That is something you shouldn't have had to deal with." I pat Harriet's back, "I know. If my brother had survived the first burning he would have been doing all the killing. He did like games where you killed things and was very good at it too, he always bagged his full limit during deer season. The winter before he had flown to Alaska and hunted Kodiak bear, he was the hunter the military wanted." Harriet nods pulling back to look me in the eye, "that tells me sweety that you really are the better hunter for the people. You care, would your brother have stood there to watch that thing pass?" I shook my head, "no. Also he would have killed her father as soon as her father had stated he wanted to die. Probably would have killed him as soon as he had seen him. However, there would have been twenty more people alive; as he would have just destroyed those eggs without a second thought."
Harriet tilts her head, "are you sure? You never know how people turn out in a situation until you see them in it. Example, your Headman was angry that you never told him the Dragons were intelligent. Yet after seeing what she did and your explanation after he has accepted your judgment of the situation and even helped out in administering justice to our Headman." I nod my head and look back out at the rain falling on the bones of the dead Drake. "It's a pity she ate humans, I would have liked to have told her about her father. He was a great being, you'll find out over time as I tell everyone about him. He thought we might be able to come to some kind of understanding, and I have a plan for it. However, first everyone in our group needs to know what I know from Granite. Second, we need the right place to build what will become a city."
Harriet shrugs obviously not yet ready to get along with Dragons, I can't blame her really. I think she's the last of her family alive, we need to make sure she feels welcome it seems she is very emotionally wounded. Harriet walks back into the room and finds the twins and cuddles them close to her as if they might break. This might be good for all three of them actually, those children ; whatever they had lived through made them regress to a younger mentality. I just hope she can get them to talk regularly, we'll need them if my plan will work in the end. I nod to Shadow who was sitting next to one of the food hunters near the door on the first round of watch for the night. I knew he would at least get some sleep at some point, I then go into the room and look about for my bed roll which was oddly put at the back of the rest of the people as if they wanted to protect me from the world. Maybe Jake had heard what Harriet had said and was feeling guilty for relying so much on me. I crawl in and fall into a not so quiet slumber my dreams invaded by the Dragon's I have killed.