Dragon Riders

Chapter 1: Awakening

Serafina POV:

A flash of light blinded me as I got my first glimpse of Octinia through the hole I had made in the shell. I clawed at my dark cell again; more light broke through the darkness. One last rake of my claws shattered the container and I stood carefully around the shards of egg at my feet. Each shard was dotted with multi-sized, multicolored spots. A green canopy draped between the trees shielded me from the heat of the midday. I quickly examined my surroundings. Moss clung to trunks, climbing up the sides and wrapping around the waists of the hardwoods. Like fairies fluttering, bits of light danced upon the ground. The deep green leaves hinted that it was mid-spring. Toadstools sprung forth from the earth, like red umbrellas dotted with white. Ah Beliu, I crooned in my mind.

Beliu, land of the Dragons, the Northernmost region of Octinia, one of eight. Shielded from unworthy eyes by deep, dark forests, a paradise laid. Rolling hills and waving grass alongside enchanted forests and sparkling lakes. Rivers and streams winding through provided enrichment through water and fish. Then there was Fov, completely covered in forest. The elves and other magical creatures like the Amaroks lived there, along with other typical forest fauna. Few ventured in, even fewer returned. The forest was embedded with magic and the elves could be quite mischievous.

Next was Tura, the center and capital region of Octinia. Nearly all city, it was mainly inhabited by humans. A large castle jutted up into the sky. Its towers could be seen from miles around. No one dared to venture to the very southern parts of Tura or beyond, because This laid in the Southernmost area of Octinia. This was the smallest region of Octinia, a volcanic wasteland where Phoenixes thrived. I shuddered just thinking of those monstrous beings. Their hearts were black holes where all joy and kindness got sucked in and destroyed. Perhaps my prejudice was a tad bit over-exaggerated, but it was all I knew.

Unlike humans, we Dragons know everything about the world the moment we hatch. No babbling or learning necessary. No sir! The only thing we have to figure out is how to fly, but that's instinct. My mother and father would meet me when I was older. "Little one," a voice called. I retreated from my thoughts and saw a pink dragon before me. Her rosy scales told me she was a Nurturer Dragon. There were many of them tiptoeing between the strategically placed eggs. They weren't as big as most dragons, a mere ten feet tall with a wingspan of twenty.

"Yes," I replied. I gasped in surprise at the silkiness of my tone.

"Good," she commented, almost to herself. "Vocal chords functioning. Follow me."

I carefully stepped out of the minefield of broken shell shards I had created and followed her out of the Mefina, where the eggs were kept until they hatched. I looked back as we entered the forest and saw no other eggs had hatched recently. Each identical egg, about 3 feet tall, stood intact. As we walked, I admired the beauty of the flora. Only in the Middle Lands, I thought. The Middle Lands were Beliu, Tura, and Fov. Dis, although in the middle, was not classified as such because of its hideous aesthetics. The Middle Lands and Dis only made up a third of Octinia.

To the west of the Middle Lands laid Mik, a nearly inhabitable desert. Rain only fell a few days a year there, and tremendous sandstorms reeked havoc across the wide stretch of land. Mik was the largest region, but the least inhabited. The very Western sliver of land in Octinia was Del. Del had many species of flora and fauna and some humans resided there as well. This beach region was like reaching paradise after the barren desert. The elusive Encantado called Del home. These shape-shifters hid amongst the humans, but took their Dolphin forms at night.

To the East of the Middle Lands laid Lyo. Lyo was plains stretched out as far as the eye could see. No trees grew there, but rabbits and rodents were common along with birds of prey that consumed them. The very east of Octinia cut off the Kingdom from the rest of the world. Sci was a Mountain barrier that shielded us from enemies beyond. It curved down below Lyo and even touched the edge of Dis and curved above and touched the top of Beliu. I was so entranced by my mind that I collided into my leader's leg. I collapsed backwards onto my tail.

"Careful!" She warned. "We have arrived!" I stood and fluttered my wings to knock of the dust and saw that we were no longer alone. Dozens of newborn dragons emerged from the forest, coming from other Mefinas. I suddenly realized that we were in the Valley of the Newborns. Atop a podium stood the Dragon Keeper. I made my way to the side of my Nurturer.

"Ma'am," I called up, "What are you called?"

"I am called Juniper," she answered. Juniper, I pondered, I wonder what the Dragon Keeper will call me. I examined the old man carefully. Draped in robes of gold imbedded with precious jewels, he stood tall for a human. Raised by dragons, he was never named, just known as the Dragon Keeper. He took the newborns, granted them names, and tested them to determine their type.

We curved our way through the line until we finally reached his post. He looked down upon me, his face wrinkled further in concentration. His long, white beard bobbed as he nodded, clearly communicating with the Idea Dragon. His spectacles covered his piercing gray eyes. At long last he rasped,

"Serafina"

Serafina, my mind repeated slowly. I liked the sound of that. He beckoned me towards a small crowd of perhaps ten newborns. Then he began to step down from his post. All the newborns stood in uniform color, cream scales coated our skin. You could hardly tell the lot of us apart, aside from our eyes. My eyes were a piercing yellow, I've been told. But none of us were focusing on each other, we all were wondering what type of Dragon we would be
The Dragon type selection would determine what magic we could perform. The most common types were the elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water. The elements could control, create, and utilize their specific element. Then were specialties like Storm, Nature, and Space. Storm Dragons could control and create storms to their advantage as well as utilize dangerous forces like lightning and hurricanes. Nature Dragons coexisted with Nature. They had a healing touch to flora and fauna. They communicated with the environment to sense disturbances in the natural world. Sometimes, a skilled Nature Dragon could even control water. Space Dragons had insight into the cosmos and could venture into space to explore without the use of Oxygen. They could transport wherever they liked and bend time and space to create portals.

Then there were Nurturer Dragons that aided a newborn through early life. Once the newborn was fully grown, the Nurturer retreated to the Mefina once more to aid another newborn. There were also Council Dragons who aided the King Dragon in executive discussions. There were always ten at a given time. Finally, there were the one of a kind dragons like, King, Queen, Idea, and Creator Dragons. These types only have one existing at a time. The King Dragon was the ruler of Beliu. He governed justly and made important decisions about war and peace as well as interactions with the humans. The Queen Dragon had to marry the King Dragon and acted as a guide to his decision making. The Creator Dragon can communicate with God and creates new beings as needed. The Idea Dragon implants new ideas into the minds of all living things. The Dragon Keeper is always its rider and has a direct line of thought with him. The current Idea Dragon was Zane.

The Dragon Keeper finally reached the forest floor and herded the young dragons away from their Nurturers.

"Juniper!" I shouted.

"Don't worry Serafina," she reassured me. "I'll be waiting for you on the other side!"

The other side? The Dragon Keeper dug into his robes as he lead us behind his cliff and pulled out a silver key imbedded with sapphires. A key, I pondered, but for what door? He put his hand up and we all halted at his command. He then jabbed the key into the air. I could feel my face morph into a state of confusion. I'm sure my face was a mirror of those around me. He turned the key sharply and pulled it back again. He then reached into the air and pulled on nothing, yet a passageway appeared. We all stared in awe at the hidden tunnel he had summoned from thin air.