Draq

Chapter Five

When it was finally Draq’s turn to sleep, he yawned wearily. “Are you sure you’ll stay awake?” he asked Arlena nervously. It took a lot of faith on his part to put his trust in a human’s dim senses. If she was so much as looking in the wrong direction, she might not even notice a threat until it was directly upon them. Humans depend so much on their eyes, Draq thought with disdain.

Arlena nodded confidently. “Oh, believe me; I’ll be wide-awake knowing those things are out here!” she assured him. “And you’ll be the first to know it.”

Too tired to protest any longer, Draq tucked his head into an elbow and curled his tail more closely to his side, shielding himself and the girl at the same time. “If you say so . . .”

He was asleep the moment he closed his eyes.

While he slept, he dreamed.

He reveled in the feel of sunbeams dancing over his wings as he flew. They slid through the air with such grace that he felt he would never need to land, as surely he was meant only for the sky, and forever would he soar its lengths from horizon to horizon. He had never felt so free.

At last, however, Draq needed a respite. He was hungry.

He landed amidst the lush vegetation cresting the edge of the forest, pushing aside the dense foliage with his paws as he descended. He easily dropped in among the shrubs and small trees, and was immediately searching for recent signs of prey.

Before he had the chance to hunt, however, a strong draft from above alerted him to the presence of another dragon. He lifted his head. Coming upon him rapidly was a male with bright green scales, dotted with vivid brown patches. Draq knew the dragon; Vadrin.

Vadrin landed a little to Draq’s left. “Cousin!” he cried at once, skirting formalities and greetings alike. “There is trouble in the Cavern! Come quickly!” Without waiting for a response, he lifted skywards again.

Draq was in the sky beside him within moments, his powerful legs easily launching him into the cooling afternoon air. Uneasiness stirred in his mind; there could only be one reason for his cousin’s concern—and it was perhaps the worst issue that had every arisen in all the dragons’ peaceful existence.

The Cavern seemed bustling with activity; Draq didn’t often see so many dragons clustered in one place. Even as he watched, more dragons were landing outside the broad entrance and nudging their way inside. Apparently, this would be a mass confrontation. All the more reason to tread carefully, Draq cautioned himself.

He and Vadrin landed on the edge of the cliff from which the Cavern was carved. “Are you ready?” Vadrin asked hopefully.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Draq replied evasively. “Wish me luck.”

Vadrin bowed his head, low. “You have more than my luck,” he promised.

The words warmed Draq’s heart, but didn’t better prepare him for what he was about to face. “Well, there’s no reason to prolong the wait,” he said abruptly. He turned tail and trotted toward the gaping hole that was the Cavern’s grand entrance. Upon recognizing him, the crowd parted. Draq strode boldly into the main chamber.

The chamber was built like an arena. In the center was a large, sandy pit, and around the sides of this circle began the ledges. They extended far enough back for a full-grown dragon to stand upon comfortably, and each was higher than the last, so that the ones nearest the pit were almost ground-level, and the ones ringing the far walls were almost crushed against the ceiling.