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Two female figures darted across the darkened fields, followed closely by a large mob. Torches and pitchforks could be seen in the darkness of the mob, which is making enough noise to wake the local wildlife and send it rushing into denser forest. The females had been running for the better part of ten minutes, as had the mob. The girls were obviously of different species; one, tall and slender with a tail running her spine long and small horns that adorned her head alongside two animalistic ears, and the other was only short, probably due to her being a quadroped. She featured a long tail, medium horns paired with ears, and a pair of wings that jutted from her back. They had been run out of town for... Well, being Dragonkin. One was full dragon, as could be told by her large wings and reptillian body, and the other was half dragon, although their mother would never tell her what the other half was. I say their mother, because they had different fathers, related only through their mother. The pair dove into the forest, unaware of the near-vertical drop on the other side until they rolled loudly into the dense trees. The crowd drew close, prepared to run in before a bolt of lightning struck the ground, leaving a crater where a figure covered in pitch black armour stood. The figure drew a sword, held out a shield and charged. What happened to the villagers is unknown to all but the spirits.

Dragon of the Storms

One of the girls came to the next day, they had rolled down the hill into a small clearing. Birds happily chirped from the trees and a young fox kit sniffled at the humanoid's ear. The pair had landed just outside a den, and the Vixen was none too pleased to have a dragon land on her doorstep, but her kits were curious, as all children are, and were cautiously investigating this new intrusion to their domain. The dragon wearily rolled onto her side and gave the vixen a pained look.

"I am sorry, Mrs. fox." she said weakly. "We do not mean to intrude, and we do not wish to harm you."

The vixen tilted her head and the dragoness sighed.

"You can speak whatever language you do, I can understand any animal." She said. When she got nothing more than a cautious look, she sighed once more. "If you wish, I can apologise by getting some prey? I am capable of taking down creatures much larger than a rabbit, and you can keep what we do not eat?"

The vixen thought this over. "How big a prey do you speak?" she asked.

"Stag, m'lady." The dragoness replied. "And we shall not eat much."

Once again, the vixen considered the proposal. "As a dragon," she said, "you are capable of drying the meat too, are you not?"

"Yes, m'lady." Came the reply. "And my sister is capable of making a container that you can keep it in so as to keep the insects from it."

The vixen, never one to turn down a free meal, especially now with her kits to feed, nodded. The dragoness smiled happily.

"Thankyou, m'lady." She said. "I shall be back soon." And with that, she spread her wings and leapt off into the forest.

The mother vixen dawdled over and lay next to the still sleeping girl. She looked in her face quizzically, noticing her raspish breathing and pained expression. This worried her; draconic beings did not get injured severely from simply rolling down a hill, there had to be something wrong. One of her kits, sniffing around the dragonkin, wagged her tail and bounced excitedly.

"Mummy, mummy!" She chirped. "I smell food!"

This struck the vixen as wrong. The only 'smell' of food that her children knew so far was blood... The vixen stood up, and motioned to her kits.

"Help me roll her over." She instructed, her two-week old kits obeying their mother dutifully, if not as helpfully as they could. After a few moments, the humanoid was on her back and the fox could see the problem. She growled angrily at the toothed metal jaws stuck to the girl's stomach. A trap, probably set up by a local villager to catch her, not this innocent dragonkin. The swooshing sound of beating wings let her know that the other dragon had returned, and she quickly bolted over.

"What's wrong, m'lady?" The dragon asked.

"The other dragon!" The vixen yipped. "She has a jawed trap in her gut, she has not long to live!"

The black scaled dragoness dropped the large stag body to the ground and rushed over.

"Oh no!" She panicked. "Oh no oh no oh no!" She looked about her sister's person frantically. "Where is it? She always has it on her! Where'd she put it?!"

One of the kits came bounding over with a small jade pendant, a single ruby encrusted in the center. "Look what I've found, mummy!" He happily chirped.

The female dragon looked over at the kit. "There it is!" She said. "I'm sorry to take your prize off you, but can we have that back? It's very important."

The kit looked apprehensive, but handed it over to the much larger dragon. The young dragoness smiled.

"Thankyou." She said, before dipping the pendant into her sister's blood and smearing it all red. The ruby shone brightly and after a short while there was a rush of wind, like something big flew overhead, before a human walked out of a distant clearing.

She was tall, at least six foot eight, with long silver hair, pointed ears and bright yellow eyes that caught the light and glittered. She had an undeniable air of age, and she almost radiated an aura of wisdom. Her bright green robes trailed along behind her, never catching on any brambles or bushes despite how it flowed, and she knelt down next to the humanoid dragoness.

"You have summoned me, Keira?" She asked, her voice almost too pure to believe. "I see that your sister is in dire need of aid."

The black dragon stirred uncomfortably. "Yes, mother." She said. "I would not summon you without her consent otherwise."

"Indeed." The human said. "Well, is it too much to ask that you come and see me once in a while? I get so lonely in the roost."

Kiera sighed. "Mother," she began "there are other dragons there for you to socialise with."

The human carefully inspected the jawed trap before grabbing a passing kit and scratching him behind his ear. "I know." She said. "But I tire of talking endlessly with them, and they with me." She then redirected her attention to the kit, who was playfully swatting at her hand. "Hello little one." She said. "I require a single hair from your tail, is that alright?" The little kit nodded, still playfully writhing in her grip. She moved her hand to his tail, grabbed a white hair between her nails and pulled, plucking a single hair from the thousands. The kit yipped for a moment, and then she put him back on the ground. "Thank you kindly."

In one swift move, the human grasped the jawed trap and wrenched it from the sleeping girl's body, flinging it into the forest where it stuck to a nearby tree with a wooden chomp. Quickly she placed the hair onto the wounded area and mumbled a few words. The hair evaporated, as did the wound, and the girl inhaled deeply. She slowly opened her eyes, looked at the faces around her, and sighed.

"Hello, mother." She said dejectedly.

"Hello, Gaile." The human replied.

"I take it something has happened to cause you to be here?" Gaile asked, rolling onto her stomach and standing up.

The woman laughed haughtily. "Well, yes." She said. "I guess my youngest almost dying is something that I would like to intervene in."

Gaile rubbed her head. "The last thing I remember was being chased out of town and stumbling down the hill." She said.

"Mistress dragon?" The vixen asked, getting Kiera's attention. "I believe we had a deal?"

"Of course." Kiera said, dawdling up to the stag. "How could I forget, I apologise for my lack of haste, m'lady." She promptly started tearing chunks of flesh off with her claws and depositing them on clean spaces of the ground. "Gaile, if you could make us a large container for all this meat?" She said, addressing her sister. "I made a deal for our tresspassing on this vixen's turf."

"Such as this one?" The human woman asked, pulling a container from her dress. "It should suffice for a whole stag."

"Thank you, mother." Kiera replied, making a small firepit with her tail whilst she continued to shred the stag, still piling the meat up.

"So, why are you here in that... weak form?" Gaile asked.

"Please, Gaile, I've told you before, Humans are not weak. Just... misguided." The woman replied. "You know perfectly well that I'd never fit between these trees if I were still in my dragon form."

"I guess." Gaile replied.

"Don't 'I guess' me, young lady!" The dragon-woman snapped at her daughter. "And don't try sweet-talking me, either; I know I'm big and heavy. I'm a two hundred year old dragoness, I'm meant to be." She sighed, turning her face to the vixen with a light laugh. "Children." She said sarcastically. "They never learn."

Kiera started the fire, breathing flames onto a log to get it started, and then carefully placed the meat on the burning wood.

"The meat will not burn as long as I watch it." She said, turning a piece over with a clawed hand. "And it will remain clean so long as the charcoal does not touch the uncooked flesh."

"Well, at least one of my daughters is learning something." the woman said, turning to the fire. "And how about you, Gaile? Have you found what you seek yet?"

Gaile turned her head. "N-no, mother." She said. "Most towns have chased us out for being dragonkin. I do not understand how they can hate us so..." She sniffled as a single tear ran down her cheek.

Her mother wrapped an arm around her and wiped the tear from her face. "Do not cry young one." She said. "Humans fear what they do not understand, and dragons have tried to keep out of their developing world, always just beyond the horizon. We are mysterious monsters to them, and as such they fear us."

"The town on the other side of the grass fields seemed so welcoming, too." Gaile said sadly. "But as soon as we entered, it was as if they had pitchforks and torches hidden within their very clothing!"

"You mean the little town of Greenfields, just a few minutes from here?" Her mother asked.

"Yes, mother." Gaile replied. "Why?"

Her mother shuffled uncomfortably. "That town is gone." She said.

Now Gaile looked horrified. "What?!"

"Burned to the ground in a single night." Her mother said. "Only the sheep farms and the humans that own them remain." She stared into the flickering fires as Kiera pulled chunks of jerky-like meat from it. "It's as if an elemental Revenant unleashed the fury of titans upon the town."

"You mean that the Blackwings aren't responsible?" Gaile asked. Her mother slapped her across the face. Being an ancient dragon in human form, and having raised a fair few batches of unruly children in her life, she had developed a mighty swing. She waited for Gaile to extract herself from a nearby Blueberry bush before angrily replying.

"Don't be so foolish, child!" She snapped. "We are on strenuous terms with humans as it is; obliterating an entire town in a night... The elders would never sanction nor condone such an act!" She calmed down and pulled a small piece of metal from her dress. "Here, put this to your face, it'll stop any bruising." She said, handing it to her daughter. "No, the elders saw the fire from our roost and have asked, since I was summoned down into the world, that I report it to the local lords. You are welcome to accompany me if you wish."

Gaile stared at the flames, deep in thought. She didn't want to abandon the search for her father, who had been absent her whole life, but she was tired of traveling from town to town, being assaulted and spat on by people in the streets. She was sorry to her sister, who had to stick up for her on more occasions than she cared to admit, and she was sure that she wanted a break from it all as well. "Very well, mother." She said. "We shall accompany you back to the roost after you have completed your task." She said. "I'm not giving up the hunt for my father, but I'm sure that my sister would like a break from constantly protecting me."

"Very well." Her mother said. "Kiera, when you are finished, put the fire out and accompany us in the clearing to the west, we shall be waiting."

"Yes, mother!"

Their mother bowed to the vixen, waved goodbye to the kits and walked back the way she had come, her youngest daughter following close behind. They reached the larger clearing and their mother walked into the middle of the grassy area. Magic flowed around her and her form changed with a bright flash. Now she was a good deal taller, almost two storeys, and her wings, when stretched, were large enough to cross the entire clearing.

"It's not that I gain any weight." She sarcastically mused to her daughter. "It's that I gain the size. I mean, look at me! I'm big and fat!"

Her daughter giggled lightly. "You're a two hundred year old dragoness, you're meant to be big and heavy." She said, before climbing onto her mother's back. "Look at it this way, how many parents can give their daughters a ride home without a cart? You may be large, mother, but you stay beautiful to us no matter how you look."

Her mother sighed, making the trees move. "Suck up."

They waited in silence for a minute or two before Kiera showed up. She struggled onto her mother's back and they took flight, ascending above the tall treeline. They took a short dive before flying off towards a distant castle town. The sisters had not been to that particular town yet, but they knew it well. The castle town of Inly was the home of the ruling lord of the Smithy family, they had been in power since dragons had helped the current king rise to power. They were a kind family, and the town had many shelters to the poor that were funded by them, however even they couldn't control what their subjects believed, and a great fear of dragons was one of the most prolific beliefs. They dare not enter the town from the front gates, and by the time they reached the town they swooped around to the rear and landed in an empty castle courtyard. Their mother, back in her human guise, escourted them through the castle, and told them to wait outside while she talked to the current head of the Smithy family.

"So..." Kiera started haphazardly. "We're going back to the roost?"

Gaile sighed. "Yes, sister." She she replied. "We're going back. I feel I have burdoned you too much over the last month with my selfish search, and thus we are returning to the roost. Think of it as a holiday."

"Think nothing of it." Kiera said. "I enjoy being with you and seeing all the villages we go to, even if we only see some of them for the briefest of times." Something made her ear twitch, and she gained a more focused look. "There are people coming." She said sharply. "Many. And quickly."

A group of guards came barreling around the corner, most of them holding weapons of some sort. "There they are!" One said. "Kill the foul beasts!"

The door opened and the girls' mother stepped out, a crossbow bolt aimed at Gaile's head burying itself into the now opened door and barely missing the ancient dragoness. Another swung his sword at Kiera, but her mother caught it in her hand.

"Do you mind?" She said, angrily. "I'm trying to talk with your master in here!" The blade shattered in her hand as she tightened her grip around the metal. Another crossbow bolt buried itself into her thigh and she faltered. She steadied herslef, pulled out the bolt and snapped it like a twig. "That was quite rude." She said. "Honestly; I've not been down in the world of mortals for some time, but I never expected your behaviour to become so terrible."

"She's a witch!" One of the guards called out. The girls' mother chuckled.

"I'm no witch." She said. "However, if I were, you'd not be standing here, would you? No, you fight because you think you have a chance at some great fame by slaying my daughters. Young as they may be, they'd still manage to best your little regalia without my help, however there is no need for my fifty two year old dragoness and eighteen year old dragonkin daughters to fight you when their mother is available."

"M-monster!" A guard panicked.

"A monster, am I? Well, it takes a man to kill a monster, and I see naught but coward dogs." She pushed her hand into one of the guards' breastplate, which buckled despite the seemingly weak push and he flew back. "M'lord, your guards are quite insolent."

"Oh, aye." Lord Smithy replied from within the library. "I have heard what they are attempting, mistress Alima; and if they don't get back to their posts and leave my draconic guests be, they will find themselves cleaning out the privvies from within them."

The guards faltered.

"Now!" Came the roaring voice of Lord Smithy. The guards started practically falling over themselves trying to get back to their posts. Once the hall was nearly empty once more Alima sighed.

"Mankind truly is misguided." She said rhetorically.

"Aye, that we are, m'lady." Smithy said. "But some of us are getting better, little by little." He stepped out of the door and wrenched the bolt free of the wood. "Telling my people that dragons are nothing to fear is troublesome indeed." He said. "My guard shall give you and your kin no further trouble, I give you my word." He offered the bolt to Alima. "You may travel my town freely, however please obey our laws."

"We shan't be here long." Alima said, taking the bolt and tucking it into her green dress. "I wish only to pick up a few reagents and then we will be on our way."

"Oh?" Smithy probed. "Reagents of what nature?"

"Oh, you know, Salt, pepper, herbs and spices..."

"Those are condiments, mother; not reagents." Gaile pointed out.

Her mother stayed silent, but Smithy silently chuckled to himself. "We keep many of these things in the kitchens." He said. "I shall have a servant bring them to the courtyard you arrived in, expect them to be there shortly. Consider them thanks for bringing me the news about Greenfields, sad as it may be."

"Sad news is better than no news, m'lord." Alima said. "The council wants to stay on as friendly terms as possible, a conflict between Humans and Dragonkin is the last thing we want."

"What makes you think that we would assume dragons would be behind this tragedy?" Smithy asked.

"An entire town razed to the ground in a single night?" She mumbled back. "Sounds like something that humans believe us capable of." She sighed and shook her head. "No, there is a third party involved here, and a potent one indeed."

"I'll keep my scouts on the lookout for any more villages being attacked." Smithy said. "That is the best I can do for now."

Alima nodded slowly. Though he was a Lord, Smithy had little power outside the walls of his farming merchant city, and information rallied by scouts could take days to reach him. "We shall also be watching the land." She said. "And one of my brethren is being sent to inform King Newell. Have a nice day, m'lord." She bowed to Smithy, her daughters following suit, and walked away. Nearing the courtyard, Alima growled disapprovingly. "I can understand the humans not wanting to have us obliterate them, but why the council wants us to be on friendly terms with them is beyond me."

"Mother, mayhaps the elders believe that humans are useful in some way?" Kiera asked. Her mother shrugged and waited for the servant to appear.

"Possibly, but for what is outside my comprehesion. I've seen their little kingdoms build and fall in the space of a few decades, I've intervened in one of their wars, and always I wonder why we bother." She said. The servant cautiously walked over and handed her a box, which he opened to show her the contents.

"Everything you have asked for, mistress." he said. "And we included some of the rarer spices as a token of thanks from the lord to you."

"Thankyou." Alima said, closing the box and hiding it in her robes. "These will be most useful." She gave the servant another look-over before sighing. "You can be terrified now if you want, it makes no difference to me."

The servant shrugged. "Dragons may be terrifying creatures, but it is your power and strength that make you so." He said. "You are far more intelligent than humans and majestic in your own way, I fear you no more than I fear my grandmother."

Alima chuckled. "My grandmother was two thousand years old when she died, and she went kicking and screaming." She said. "The elderly can put up quite a resistance, and if it weren't for her, the Redwings would have won against our Blacks those two hundred years ago." She said. She stepped back to the middle of the courtyard and changed shape with a flash of light. "Now if you'll excuse us, we must be off." She rumbled as her daughters climbed onto her back. The servant bowed and backed out of the courtyard when she beat her wings and they rose into the air.

It was a short, yet pleasent flight back to the roost, and they flew over the cozy little village of Greywind, nestled at the foot of their mountain. The villagers, at least the elderly ones, knew that the dragons meant no harm. Sure, every so often a spare cow or sheep would go missing, but the dragons always made sure that the farmers were well compensated, and made more than sure that they would take only the animals that the farmers would probably not miss. Today was slightly different, a famous hero had strolled into town and aspied the returning family, and his mind started popping up new and dangerous ideas. Emboldened by his new thoughts of fame and wealth, he proceeded to the mountainside.

Alima landed gently in a large cave, carved out from volcanic eruptions milennia ago. It was high enough to remain cool during the summers, but winters could be harsh if it weren't for their fire-breathing, and each winter the mountain would light up as if it were erupting once more. This also served as a beacon to other dragons, marking a safe-haven or where their territory was strongest. Heroes were usually stupid enough to not notice the signs and would go blundering in blindly as all heroes do, but would often be deterred by a stern talking to and warnings that the king would be informed of their intrusion. The volcano, magically changed into a normal mountain for the dragons back when they first colonised, had dozens of chambers and diamond-lined walls, giving them a near-endless supply of wealth. Alima's daughters climbed off her back and they wandered deeper into the caverns, where only torches and magic lanterns lit the cool stone. The girls walked their once familiar route back to their blood's den, but Alima stopped them before they could be seperate from her.

"You two are to see the council." She said. "They will want to know what the last thing that happened to you was."

"Why would they want to know such a mundane thing?" Kiera asked.

"It might alluminate what may have happened." Gaile said, a little quicker on the update than her sister. "Come, Kiera, let's not keep the old fogeys waiting."

They rounded a corner and entered a large room. Six dragons, much larger than their mother, sat around the room, each facing the massive crystal formation in the center. This was the largest crystal formation in the entire den, and it was easily six storeys high. This chamber was right at the heart of the caves, and from here the Elders ruled. Kings and lords have control and maintian the rules over mankind, and on occasion dragons, but from here the Council controlled the rules that any dragon sharing their territory had to obey, sometimes on penalty of death.

A dragon from the Eastern realms came to visit once, roughly ten years in the past, and he had brought a few servants with a whole cache of herbs, spices and specially woven silks. He had opened a trading pact with the Council, allowing his fellow easteners safe passage to the King so that they could talk about trading between their people; but the Dragon, young and defiant, did not heed the golden rule of the Council: 'Humans are not to be harmed unless need is dire.' Despite this rule being constant in almost all lands, he had fed upon a pregnant widow. When the King was informed, he was understandably outraged, and the Council had to take action. The Eastern dragon was tricked into his human form and beheaded, his head brought to the king by the lead Elder himself. The king had asked why the Blackwings hadn't simply apologised by paying in thousands of precious gems, but the Elder's eye gleamed at this and he gave a fatherly look to the King.

"A law protecting life that be brake for gilt is not worth having."

"You pay for the law with blood?" The king had asked, to which the dragon shook his head.

"The fate that befell this dragon was by our laws, offering his head to you is part of said law. This is the symbol by which we signify that it shall not happen again." He had answered, and to date his words had not faltered.

Kiera and Gaile stood near the middle of the room and bowed in respect to the elders.

"You have need of us?" Gaile asked, to which the lead Elder, Wrenslen, nodded.

"Indeed, youngling." He said, his voice deep as oceans. "We must know what the last thing that happened to you last night. Your answer could mean the difference between peace with the humans and an all-out war."

Kiera shuffled her feet nervously; she was never very good around other, much larger dragons apart from her mother and father; and being in a room with the six largest dragons in the province scared her. This fear stemmed from almost being trampled to death while but a young drake, which only her mother had managed to save her from. She knew that she musn't cower, that'd raise intense questioning that she wasn't prepared to answer, but her body slowly fell in on itself under their intense gaze.

"We were being chased from the town for being Dragonkin." Gaile said, tyring to get this over as quickly as possible. "We tripped and fell down a steep incline into a forest, that was the last we saw of the villagers."

"You didn't notice any... strange events or sounds?" Wrenslen asked bluntly.

Gaile thought for a minute before replying. "There was a sound; like an explosion and a lightning strike all at once, but I do not remember there being any stormclouds overhead."

The dragons nodded. "We shall take time to digest this information." One of the females, Artica, rumbled. She was almost eight thousand years old, fifty younger than Wrenslen, and she was extremely good at observation. "Young Gaile, your sister cowers." She pointed out. "What is the meaning of this?"

Gaile stepped infront of her sister. "She does not mean offence, Elders." She said. "She is ill at ease around larger dragons except our parents after nearly being crushed by larger dragons when she was younger."

Wrenslen frowned disapprovingly, but Artica nodded. "I can understand her phobia." She rumbled. "We apologise for frightening her," she waved a massive, clawed paw, "you may go, younglings."

Gaile turned to her sister and gently ushed her out of the room, and eventually she started to relax.

"I am sorry, sister." She mumbled.

Gaile shook her head. "It is alright." She said. "You cannot help it." They wandered into their blood's cave and waited for their mother to notice they had arrived. Every dragon family has one of these caves, known as 'Blood Dens'. They are the unique homes of that dragon's lineage, and as many as twenty dragons of Wrenslen's size could live in each one. Their cave, however, was mostly empty aside from their mother, one of their aunts and her clutch of eggs. Their mother eventually welcomed them back home and let them sit by her side while she talked with her sister. every so often Gaile would add little bits to the conversation, but Kiera stayed quiet, nuzzling into her mother for what little comfort it would give her. Eventually Gaile stood up and walked back to the entrance.

"I'm just going to go get some air." She said as she walked out. She took the scenic route, past a few other dens. She hadn't been home in quite some time, and she liked the opportunity to see the dens in all of their glittery wonder. She liked gemstones, especially if they could be held in one hand, because they somehow managed to comfort her; sparkly patterns, beautiful colours, and a strange feeling of security. She had quite a collection in her blood's den, secreted away in a smaller offshooting cave that she had dug out when she was little that housed at least one of every type of precious volcanic stone. She walked past a part of cave where the wall held a particularly splendid ruby, and she made a mental note to get permission for the stone. She didn't know who owned that portion of cave, but the markings indicated it as Council owned, meaning that it was unavailable to claim as personal terrirtory. Idly she dawdled, looking at the beautiful stones embedded in the rock. Her toe stubbed on a rock painfully, and she picked it up. She slid a claw like nail around the stone and it split open, revealing an interesting tear-drop like pattern of almost blood red jasper. She heard a shuffling behind her and turned to find Elder Wrenslen looking down at her. She dropped the stone and blushed.

"I-I'm sorry, reverend Elder!" She blurted. "I-I didn't-"

"It is alright, Gaile." He slowly rumbled. "I know you had no intention of keeping it without asking." He shifted into his humanoid form and picked up the stones she had just dropped. He stood six feet nine, with robes of such a vibrant red that they glowed in the dark. Small pitch black Tourmaline crystals were woven into the fabric, giving him a glittery effect, and his hair was also a pitch black that seemed to defy physics and produce no shadows or shines. "And the answer is no, you may not keep both of them." He said, his voice now much quieter with his reduced size. He slid one half into a pocket of the robes he wore and handed her the other. "I do remember the young hatchling obsessed with pretty stones." He said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I take it you have something to ask me?"

She nodded and led him to the ruby encrusted into the wall. It was about the size of her palm and perfectly smooth. She pointed to it, leading him to look at it critically.

"Not a bad stone." He said. "It's pretty small, compared to the jewels we collect from deeper in, anyway; and the red is marvellously deep." He continued to examine the gem from all different angles, and then the wall and roof before turning back to her. "Yes, I believe you may have it." He said. "Though they're currency, we've no need for a gem of such small size, and it is not in a position vital enough to be holding up the ceiling, so..." He put his hand to the ruby and literally ripped it from the wall. He roughly brushed stone from the gem before handing it to her. "I trust you remember where we cleaned your gemstones, yes?"

"Yes, Elder." She said.

"And I believe you have a question that cannot be answered with pretty stones." He said calmly, looking her in her eyes.

She shuffled her feet nervously at this. "I... wanted to ask you what you thought might have happened to the little village that was destroyed?" She probed.

"I have an inkling." He said. "But I do not wish to raise any implications as of yet. Now, I believe you have a ruby to clean, off you go."

She moved to walk past him, but he stopped her; a deep growling came from him, but he didn't bare his teeth.

"Stay with me, child." He said gruffly. "I hear an intruder to our den."

She meeped to herself as he led her to the entrance to the caves, where a human male stood in the entrance. He was tall, roughly six foot five, with rippling muscles and a strong face. He had unsheathed a sword, and peered into the near darkness blindly and stupidly. The Elder signalled her to stay where she was and he walked out of the darkness.

"What brings you here, sir?" He asked.

The man, clearly some sort of self-proclaimed hero, gave him a curious look. "There be dragon here." He said. "I am here to slay the foul beast! Step aside, cleric, else 'tis my blade ye shall taste!"

"Tis no way to speak with elders." Wrenslen said calmly. "The dragons here are protected by the King, ye shall find no honor in slaying them." The hero sheathed his sword and gave Wrenslen a disappointed look. Thinking that he was convinced, Gaile stepped out from behind the corner, where the hero could see her. Quick as a flash, he pulled out a crossbow and fired at her, and she screamed as the bolt swum through the air. Meters before it hit her, however, it arced in another direction and snapped upon the stone floor. The hero was puzzled, but not dissuaded; and his crossbow fell to the floor in a clatter as he swung a throwing knife her way. Again, it arced away from her and hit the stone, but this time a hard breath of air swirled through the cave. Dust and gravel whooshed into the air infront of her, spiralling and condensing until the wind faded and a figure wearng pitch black armour stood in front of her. His breaths sounded hollow, reverberating within his helmet, and he drew a long black sword; gemstones glittered along the blade and hilt, and it curved in places that would make it tear flesh from anyone stuck with such a weapon.

"Attacking a defenseless female from a distance when ye have been told she is protected by the king of this land..." He rumbled, his voice like tombstones grinding against one another. "Only a 'Hero' could be so simple. Ye shall not harm this girl so long as I stand."

Gaile looked up at the knight, marvelled at his shining armour and iron will. "I... Thank you for protecting me, Revenant of the Titans." She said.

"Do not thank me, I do only what I must for my kin."

"Revenant! Step aside so that I may collect the bounty on that dragon's head!" The hero yelled.

"He shall not step aside." Wrenslen said. "You could never convince a father to give up their child for all the bounty in the world; not that there is one on her head, anyway." He glared the human in his face. "You are to leave our caves, else I shall have things to talk to the King about."

The hero gave him a furious glare. "Why do you protect these monsters?!"

Wrenslen leaned in, allowing his eyes to revert back to their draconic look. "Because," he rumbled, his voice deeper and by far more menacing, "we are monsters. Get out and never bother us again." The hero grimaced and drew his sword. He swung awkwardly, striking the Elder and knocking him down. Gaile screamed, and the Revenant before her leapt into action, slamming his sword into the stone floor and kicking the hero in his gut. The hero, a man who had been kicked in the stomach so often that he rarely actually kept breakfast down, was barely winded by the Revenant, and he swung his sword up into what looked like a soft piece of armour that proved to be tough as stone. The sword bounced off, giving off a light glow to indicate its magical properties, and was grabbed by the Revenant, who snapped the hardened steel like it were but a twig. The hero found himself being lifted from the ground in a grip that could crush stone and was forced to stare into the Revenant's glowing eyes.

"Ye dare to challenge the Might of the Titans?" He rumbled. "Consider thineself lucky that ye sword be all I break. Never bother this Roost again else stone shall meet flesh." He dropped the hero, who scrabbled away from him at high speed, fleeing back down the mountain only to be caught by the King's guard as he ascended for a meeting with the Elders. The Revenant turned to Wrenslen, lifting him off the ground with ease. "Ye are unharmed, old friend?"

"Indeed I am." Wrenslen said. "The King shall be here soon."

"To discuss the village that was destroyed, I take it?"

"Indeed."

The Revenant seemed thoughtful. "I suppose I shall have to explain the events that tanspired."

"Indeed you shall." Came the King's voice from the entrance. He looked the revenant over critically. "What is your name, Revenant?"

"I am known as Corbell the Thunderer, m'lord." He rumbled. "I control stone and storm."

"Are you the one who destroyed the town of Greenfields?"

"No, m'lord."

This threw the king off balance, and he was unsure what to say next; however his gaze fell upon Gaile, who was feebly hiding behind Wrenslen. "An interesting humanshape." He said. "I trust your magic is unpracticed, m'lady Dragon?" She shook her head, her face flushed red.

"Gaile is how she looks, M'lord." Wrenslen said. "She is the resultant offspring of allowing an unfertilised dragon egg to be magically given life by a Revenant." He wrapped an arm around her and jostled her a little. "Incidentally, Gaile, I would like to introduce you to your father, Corbell the Thunderer."

Gaile's jaw dropped, but her father was unphased by the revelation. The glowing eyes within his helmet turned to her.

"It was an experiment." He said calmly. "I was not supposed to become attatched to you as I have. You have, despite the Titan's best wishes, become a daughter to me, and I am here now to bestow you with your first piece of Revenant equipment before I must return to the elemental realm."

"Before you go;" the king started, "what happened to Greenfields?"

Corbell turned back to the king, barely remembering that he was there. "The villiage of Greenfields was home to a small cult of unholy worship." He rumbled. "My daughter and her sister were being run out of town for being Dragonkin. Though this was not enough for me to intervene, the demonic rituals being performed within the town were. A powerful demon was summoned right in the middle of the village, and the buildings were obliterated before I could get there. Though the humans fought valiantly, there was nothing they could do, and the demon massacred them before I could act." He seemed to stare into the distance. "It was a slaughter."

The King nodded his head. "I guess that fits." He mumbled.

Gaile carefully sneaked past the royals and out onto the mountainside, where she promptly turned and headed up. She walked for only a short while, eventually coming to a small stream that connected to a well-sized pond higher up. It was in this stream that she would clean her gems, her draconic strength and sharp claws making quick work of any dirt or stone stuck to her crystals. She pulled the large ruby from a pocket in her meager clothes and began to wash it in the water. She was humming melodiously under her breath, enjoying what she was doing. It'd been so long since she had gotten a new gemstone, she'd almost forgotten what it was like to clean one. She heard a twig snap behind her, and the sound of a blade being pulled from its scabbard. She turned just in time to see the hero from before bearing down on her. He grabbed her shoulder, pulled the blade back-

And she screamed like a banshee.

In a flash, earth and stone from all around her erupted, smashing into the Hero and throwing him across the little clearing near the stream. Corbell the Thunderer stepped out from the heavy forest and up to the Hero, now laying on his back.

"Not only a fool, but also a coward." His voice echoed angrily. "Did my previous warning go unheeded, despite broken sword and wounded pride? Is a dragonkin's head really worth so much to thee that ye would waste thine life so foolishly?" He shook his head. "I would slay thee and bring thine's head to the king, explain my actions and be let free; but a good hero is hard to come by, and peasents need a protector around to slay rampaging wolves and violent monsters. The Naga of the Southern Acre are in need of a hero, one of their own has become dangerous. I reccommend thee to go there and help them with their problem. It would be most beneficial, as they are a long lived species that do not forget those who do them favours, and they are likely to replace the magic sword ye have lost."

"Naga are evil, disgusting creatures!" The hero spat.

"The Naga protect the Southern Acre province from dangerous wild animals in exchange of fabrics and, on occassion, a human or two for information on the world outside their forest home. They are no more evil or disgusting than an old woman or young child. Now, when Demonists are appearing everywhere one turns, is not a time for mortals and demi-mortals to bicker and argue amongst one another; all your strength shall be needed to fight the coming battles against the darkness that looms."

Corbell grabbed the Hero by the scruff of his chainmail hauberk, lifting him from the ground with no apparent physical effort. "Dragons, of all creatures of the land, were deemed strong enough to create one who could fight that war; that is where Gaile comes from! I was not supposed to grow attatched to her, so as to alleviate some burdon of that from her soul!" He sighed and let the Hero go, allowing him to stand on his own. "I advise thee, most strongly, to go to the Naga, or the Centaur, or even the Harpies if you must, and gain their trust. They can provide thee with a new sword, better armour, even more potent weaponary; but none of that can compare to what the Dragons could do for ye. If ye can gain the trust of but one of these species, I shall speak with Wrenslen of the Blackwing and see what he can do for ye. Until that time, ye had better stay away, else thou shalt breathe no more."

"And why me, of all the humans in the land?" The hero snapped, pulling his chainmail back into a more comfortable position.

"Other Heroes are being rallied as we speak." Corbell rumbled. "Mikhalov of the Dustwinder Hills is being led to the Desert Satyrs. Susanne, hero of Greatwater City, has been directed to the Behemoths of the Cleft. Numerous others are being sent to the demi-mortal races; I have been sent to direct thee."

The Hero seemed to think on this for a minute before his slow mind came to a question. "And who is being directed to the Dragons of the province?" He asked stupidly.

"If ye mean the Blackwings of whom you tried to slay this day, none have been sent. None of the heroes have been seen worthy of being given such a task yet. Ye shall all get your chance together if ye work together to bring the mortal races into an agreed alliance."

The Hero nodded with a sigh. "I don't have a choice, do I?" He asked rhetorically. "Fine, I shall do as ye have asked."

Grumbling, the Hero dawdled out of the clearing, leaving Gaile and her father by the edge of the little stream.

"Gaile." Corbell started after a minute had passed in which only the sounds of the forest and river dulled the silence, "ye have listened to what has been said this day, yes?" She nodded her answer. "You, and your sister, are important in this coming war. Leaders, almost. Ye are the tie that links Dragons to the Elemental plane, and thine sister is thine greatest protector. Treat her well, she shall grow to be both powerful and beautiful, a leader of the Blackwings." Corbell sighed. "The first Revenant artifact that ye are to recieve be a shield. Hand me the Ruby."

She did as she was told, and Corbell held it out at arms length. He released it, the gemstone floating in midair between them before he took a step back and lifted his large and dangerous sword with one hand.

The gemstone slowly began to glow, a bright red light that felt warm on her skin and soothing to her shocked nerves. Eventually Corbell lowered his sword, and plucked the gem from the air.

"Take it." He rumbled. "The stone itself is but a knickknack, a beautiful jewel to mirror the owner. Energies within will flow from the crystal into your very being, granting you your first piece of Revenant armour."

With a slightly quivering hand, she took the stone from her father. The glow seemed to rapidly recede into her body, flowing up her arm and into her chest, where she felt as if she had been renewed.

"Concentrate on holding a shield." Corbell said. "Regardless of the material it is constructed from, it shall be light as a feather, yet stronger than iron."

She closed her eyes and let the thought of defence enter her head. Around her she hear stone and gravel move, dirt upheave from the ground and the sound of all of these materials spiral towards her. Her free hand clasped around a handlehold, and she opened her eyes.

The shield was almost as large as she was tall, brilliant gemstones of all colours glittering around its edge. A pulsing red glow seemed to emenate from the entire shield, and it was, indeed, much lighter than it looked. She turned her disbelieving eyes to her father.

"F-father... I..."

"I understand thine reluctance, Gaile." He echoed. "However, innocence is not a luxury that can be afforded any longer. Times have changed, and action must be taken to preserve the world, lest it fall back into strife. Stay with your Draconic kin, I shall return to ye when ye have found the next conduit to transfer Revenant power. I shall save what I can, and see if armour is possible. Until then, ye must remain safe. Wrenslen will most likely craft thee a weapon when ye are ready."

"Thank you, father." Gaile mumbled.

Corbell moved forward and pulled her into a surprisingly soft embrace. "I shall be watching thee, my daughter. Never far from ye." He said. "Ye have made me proud already, putting up with my absence for so long, and I know that thee will go on to do great things." And with that, the elements he was crafted from fell to the ground, leaving a small pile of gravel and dust.

Gaile stared at it distantly and gave a sigh. "Always I have searched for you, for all these years, and yet you were where you were supposed to be all along.

"With me."