Quest for the Dragon's Gem

Chapter One: The Dragon Girl

High up in the Mountains of the Dragons, where the mountains are halfway covered in the mist with steep cliffs and the sun shone down on the mountains, revealing dragons either perching on the mountain cliffs or flying between the mountains with scales shining like polished jewels. These scarce mountains belongs to the descendants of the Great Dragon, it's a place where hardly any human goes up to.
But there's only one human who lives amongst the dragons, many people had spoken in rumors about the girl who lives under the protection of the dragons and makes hardly any contact with other humans at all. But nobody knows her true name, only the human girl and the dragons knows her true name. Though, there is only one object that has the magical abilities of dragons and that's the Dragon's Gem. This magical gem is powerful and mysterious, no human had tried to take the Dragon's Gem before. It only works if the Dragon's Gem is given as a gift by a dragon to the human. But by force, it can lead into terrible consequences.
But maybe, it's about time the story is to be told...

Ten Years Later:—
The in the depths of one of the biggest mountains were filled with slumbering dragons, even as the sun had rise and the colors of magenta and gold had painted across the morning sky. A beautiful blue dragon with pearls draped over her scales had stepped out of the shadows of her cave and roared, awakening her loyal subjects.
"Come on Andra!" rumbled a pretty dark blue and golden dragonet with bright amber eyes. "The adults are about to head out for the hunt!"
"Hold onto your scales Damini!" Andra said from the shadow of the queen dragon's cave. "I'm coming." She paused before she stated, "You do know they won't leave for the next ten minutes, right?"
Andra's statement made Damini flushed with slight embarrassment and gave a playful glare to her human sister. But as Andra came out of the cave, it was quickly revealed that she's not a dragon. She's actually a human girl living amongst dragons.
When the sun had rise into the light blue morning sky, a pair of dark blue eyes had caught the sunlight and sparkled like the sea. The sunrise shone on the slender figure's long, wavy golden hair. While her skin is both fair and lightly tanned from her of time in the sun. Her dark blue cloak gently rolled behind her, like the sea itself. Though, underneath her cloak was a light blue tunic that goes halfway down her forearms, a creamy horn attached to her black belt and dangling over her brown pants. She wears light brown wristbands with decorative roping and brown boots.
"Okay, let's go," said Andra as she climbed onto Damini's outstretched talon and settled onto her back.
Andra held onto Damini's back as they flew up towards where the adult dragons were at. The two of them are both known to be bonded sisters of different races, mainly because they're both the same age and managed to get along better than with their siblings and cousins most of the times. But to Andra, every dragon has a special place in her heart. Andra and Storm both love adventures, they care for their family, and are willing to protect those in need.
They had landed onto one of the cliffs of a mammoth cave open to air on one side, looking out over a mossy, boulder-strewn slope, towering cliffs, and faraway peaks. There was a low wall of rocks built across the bottom of the floor opening — useless against dragons, of course, but perfect for any practice hunting and to keep dangerous hunters out. A fast-flowing river swept along the wall opposite the opening, disappearing through an archway and becoming a waterfall. But overhead of the cave was a massive sky-hole that revealed the gentle blue of the morning sky.
Andra saw the white scales of Mama Dragon, whose name is Sapphira, on the highest cliff and was watching overhead. Sapphira cracked a proud smile when she saw both Andra and Damini being the first ones to be in the feeding center. Papa Dragon, with the name Fleet and has sky-blue scales, chuckled quietly as they landed nearby. A pair of flashes of purple-gold scales and deep green-gold scales belongs to Aunt Aventurine and Uncle Jasper. There's also two dragons, one with pale yellow scales flicked in beige who is Aunt Arantza and the other with red-golden scales who is Uncle Haka. It wasn't long till the rest of the teen dragons and the hatchlings had came along too.
Andra saw Altair's bright reddish-blue scales with Adler's darker reddish-blue scales as they flew in. Rain's dark blue scales flashed in as Cliff's dark red scales came flying behind him. Aurora's bright amber and golden scales gleamed in the sun as she flew in with Luna, whose deep sapphire blue and vibrant purple scales gleamed more quietly than their older sister. Andra saw Rai's electric blue and gold scales with Liam's green and golden scales behind him. Behind the two older cousins were the flash of amber scales from Amber and the gleaming purple scales of Twilight. Lastly, came the hatchlings from Aunt Arantza and Uncle Haka, who have yet to learn how to fly: there's the dark blue and golden scales from Saber, the golden and beige scales of Peregrine, the bright blue and green scales of Jewel, the bright and dark red scales belongs to Ruby, and the coppery-orange scales of Paloma.
"We're all here Mama," said Andra as she looked up Pearl.
"Good," Sapphira said in a deep and elegant voice. "Me and the adults will be out hunting for a few weeks and I want everyone here to be on their best behavior." Sapphira's gaze soon flashed firmly on both Rai and Liam, the Double Disaster (aka pranksters/troublemakers). "I want to hear good behavior about everyone, till we come back. Understand?"
A chorus of voices had either said "Yes Mama" or "Yes Auntie" from the dragonets, Andra caught Sapphira's gaze and nodded understandingly. Andra had always managed to behave herself whenever the adults had left on extended hunting trips whenever winter had comes around.
That's when all of the adult dragons had flew off through the sky-hole and most of the teen dragons took the hatchlings towards Grandmother Rena and Grandfather Fie.
"I'm going to my room to work on my bow," Andra said to Damini.
"I'll come with you." The two of them both headed back towards their caves in the mountain.
Damini's sleeping cave has a few stalactites hanging over the doorway like jagged teeth. They ducked inside and some fire-lit glass globes strung across the ceiling in here: one emerald green, one sapphire blue, one fiery red-gold, and one yellow. Two more globes, unlit, rested on ledges on either side of the door, and another on the far side of the cave. There are also two blue alit globes in front of Andra's cave.
The doorway made up one wall, and Damini's sleeping spot had been arranged alonged the other wall: it's a bare rock ledge with a bit of moss on it. There were also five mahogany scroll racks arranged the cave, about the height of Damini's foreleg. The scroll racks were filled with Damini's favorite things — history, adventure stories, ancient legends and myths, and encyclopedias of all the other dragons outside of their kingdom.
"I'll be in my cave," said Andra to Damini. "Let me if something happening."
Damini nodded as Andra entered her cave. The ceiling of the cave glittered with different color crystal formations — white, purple, blue, and green. There's a comfortable bed with feather pillows and a white cotton sheets. The cave was divided into sections by white silk curtains. Against one wall stood a large loom and a harp. Against the other wall was a table with a large collection of books, scrolls, bowls, knives, mortars, pestles, strainers, and other utensils. There was a unlit fireplace built in the center of the cave. Perched on a bird hook and a little away from her bed is Destiny, a lovely female peregrine falcon that Andra had rescued a few years back. Destiny was eating a rabbit she had hunted down earlier. 
Andra grabbed the wooden bow she has been working on and her her carving knife. She started carving off the wooden shavings carefully till her bow is in a graceful shape of speed and agility. As she was placing her bow and knife against on the table, Damini called Andra from outside.
Andra came outside and looked up at Damini in confusion. It was too early for the hunting party to return just yet. Though, she can see that Damini seemed pretty excited about something. Not to mention, Grandmother Rena is standing at the entrance of the cave. The elder dragon has black scales with hints of dark sapphire blue and startling ice-blue eyes. She has blueish-white wings that were dotted with scattered jet-black scales. Her sharp, curved claws and the spines along her back are also bluish-white.
"Hello Grandma Rena," said Andra with a smile. "I'm ready to hear your story now."
"That's lovely sweetie," Rena said in her soothing voice. "Come along now, the others are waiting for you."
Grandmother Rena had led Andra and Damini towards the den. Fires flickered around the edges of the great central cave. Echoing space yawned overhead, dripping with stalactites, like huge teeth. The cave dome was big enough for more than ten full-grown dragons to fit across with their wings extended. The underground river flowed along one wall.
"So, which story are you going to tell Grandmother Rena?" asked Damini curiously.
The central cave had led them to the twisting stone tunnels that led off in four directions: one to the hunting/battle area, one to the adults' caves, one to the study, one to the library, one to the den, and one is the emergency exist to the outside world. The last was blocked with a boulder too big any of the hatchlings to move, so the younger dragons won't try to escape.
Andra followed her dragon family down the tunnel to the den room. Even she had spent some times in the cave, Andra gets nervous whenever she scanned up the cave walls. They go up so high that makes her feel so small. Andra shakes off her fear and remembered that she and Storm will be allowed to join the hunting parties next week. Andra can't wait to see the countryside from Damini's back and understand the feeling of flying in the sky.
Altair was pacing impatiently around the den, organizing their siblings and cousins for Grandmother Rena's story. Andra and Damini both sat down together by each other's side, a little away from the ledge that Grandmother Rena usually tells her stories from by the fireplace. A breath of air drifted down from the hole in the roof, far overhead — one of the windows to the outside of the caves. At night, the room felt colder and more hollow without the fire.
A huge map of Camelot was hung on the wall between the torches. Damini and Adler both loved staring at the map, trying to figure out what's it's like to be outside and outside of the lands of Camelot. Adler was pretty sure they were somewhere in the Mountains of the Great Dragon. Many of their relatives preferred to live high amongst the caves, unlike the half-bred relatives of wyverns who lives in the so-called "Dragon Territory."
"Okay, is everyone here Altair?" Grandmother Rena sounded amused at Altair's fussing and stressing.
"Yes, grandmother. Except..." Altair had spun around to look at Grandmother Rena and seemed a little surprised to see Andra and Damini watching him with matching smug and amused expressions. "Nevermind. Lets here your story Grandmother." Then he froze and smacked himself with his left wing. "I forgotten that Grandfather Cethin had fell asleep again, Grandmother Rena."
As if on cue, Grandfather Cethin's snoring was heard in the den, which made the hatchlings jumped and inched closer to their older siblings or cousins in surprise. Andra and Damini both caught each other's eyes and they both rolled their eyes. Grandmother Rena rolled her blue eyes with an annoyed sigh and flew up to the other ledge above the fireplace where Grandfather Cethin was sleeping at again. Andra knew he was once a great dragon warrior in the past, but she honestly swear that a cannon can't wake him up unless it whacks him upside the head.
"Cethin!" snapped Grandmother Rena crossly and whacked him over the head with her tail. "Wake up!"
"Ow!" Cethin yelped and rubbed his head before giving a wary look to Grandmother Rena and spoke more quietly, "Unnecessary!"
Andra and the others tried to keep straight faces at Grandfather Cethin's unfortunate punishment. But it was pretty humorous once you get used to it. Besides, Grandmother Rena is equally strong as Grandfather Cethin and can remind him who's the boss around the mountains when Mama Sapphira and Papa Fleet is out hunting with their aunts and uncles.
Grandfather Cethin is a bit larger than Grandmother Rena, but he's still quick and wry in his movements despite his elder age. He has midnight-black scales with glints of deep blue and green in them. The silver scales on the underside of his black wings glittered a spray of scattered silver scales underneath that catch the firelight like trapped stars. There are also a silver scale on the outside corner of each of his dark blue eyes. Though, there are some old battle scars that laced his scales from his past battles with the swordsmen before King Arthur of Camelot had pulled Excalibur from the stone. He likes to tell them stories about his past battles and how first met Grandmother Rena (if she doesn't whack him upside the head again).
"Now that we're all awake." Grandmother Rena gave Grandfather Cethin a look. "Gather around my children and it's about time you hear the story of the Dragon's Gem."
Everybody gasped in shock and excitement. They heard many rumors about the Dragon's Gem, but they weren't sure about the true story of the Dragon's Gem.
"Oh please," scoffed Grandfather Cethin swatting a talon at that. "That's just an old myth."
Grandmother Rena spun around and gave her mate a sharp look that clearly means "watch it or you'll be doing the chores."
"The Dragon's Gem was made by both Kilgharrah and Aithusa over a hundred years ago," said Grandmother Rena as if the silent warning towards Grandfather Cethin hadn't happened at all. "Kilgharrah was one of the first dragons who can foretell the future and recite prophecies. While Aithusa was one of the first dragons who had carried the gift of healing and can summon light from darkest of nights. But one day, a powerful god named Dagda had came down to earth and had noticed the ongoing conflict between human and dragon. So, with the aid of the Golden Dragon and the White Dragon, they had both made the Dragon's Gem. The Dragon's Gem had saved us from extinction, it was given to a worthy man who had rescued a pair of dragons and had became the first Dragonlord to stop the conflicts between human and dragon." Grandmother Rena looked at Andra, her ice-blue eyes seemed to be set aflame from the reflection of fire and seemed more older than Andra has first realized, it had sent a unsettled shiver down Andra's back. "The Dragon's Gem had brought forth great power that can be matched by a dragon and can help humans understand Dragon Language. But with power comes great risk: terrible men from all over the land had came from all over the land to get their greedy hands on the Dragon's Gem. The Dragonlord had caught wind of this and escaped through our mountain, our ancestors had defended him from the greedy invaders. But, in the end, he sacrificed himself after he had hid the Dragon's Gem from the incoming invaders. Our ancestors had buried him where he had taken his final stand. Even though the first Dragonlord had passed on, generations of his children had lived on within the Dragonlord's magic running through their veins. Nobody knows what has become of the Dragon's Gem, only the descendant of the Dragonlord can track down the Dragon's Gem and becomes the new worthy wielder of the Dragon's Gem."
Everybody started marveling the story and thanked Grandmother Rena for telling the story. Andra caught Grandmother Rena's eye curiously, she gave Andra a small smile and winked her mysteriously. Something in Andra's instincts told her that she's going to come back to the legendary Dragon's Gem.