Treasured by Dragons

The Last Dragons on Earth

The lake was a mirror of the blue sky, pooling in the crater of the cloud-wreathed mountain. Jinsol swished his tail and scattered the reflection into ripples.

His brother, Shiyoon, scrunched his snout, but didn't bother to complain nor even open his eyes. The water settled to glass smoothness and the two dragons continued floating, basking under the spring sunshine.

Breezes intensified into gusts and the peach trees around the lake stirred and then quavered. Two more of their brothers, Junsang and Chungho, arrived with the whirlwind; their long, serpentine bodies descended in a headlong spiral before they landed with splashes like crashing waves.

A chunky gold necklace was caught in Chungho's proud grin.

"And how many does that make it?" Jinsol arched his brow as he eyed his younger brother.

"A thousand? Ten thousand? However many, it's still not enough!" Chungho declared. He tried wearing the necklace as an anklet, but the chains ensnared his claws and he had to content himself with slipping it on his tail. "I still want more and more jewelry for my hoard."

Shiyoon cocked his head doubtfully. "I'm dubious of your indiscriminate collection. For my hoard of musical instruments, I only want the very finest--crafted by famed artisans or with the rarest techniques and materials. But I have no interest in mediocre instruments, so the size of my hoard should remain small."

"It would be impossible for me to do that for my hoard," Junsang mused. "I wouldn't know if a book is good unless I read it. And even the ones that aren't masterpieces could still be enjoyable as entertainment, or useful as a record of ages past."

Jinsol heaved a theatrical sigh. "It's hardly that complicated." He nodded at Shiyoon. "Collect what you want--" He turned to Chungho. "But have standards--" He looked lastly at Junsang. "And stick to them! As for me, I only collect the most beautiful things. If I find it impressively beautiful, then I must have it."

"I question some of your choices, elder brother," Shiyoon mumbled.

"But of course, my dear younger brother. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder." With a wink, Jinsol added, "That's why there's no accounting for your taste."

Shiyoon rolled his eyes before shutting them, his snout dispersing a floating blanket of peach blossoms as he drifted through them.

"And did you snatch that treasure from some yellow-bellied libertine?" Jinsol asked Chungho.

The latter shrugged. "I didn't steal it. Junsang and I disguised as humans and went to the market; I bought it there."

"Bought it?" Jinsol's indignant snort sprayed water from the surface of the lake. "Where is our majesty as dragons? All beasts bowed to us and humans trembled before us, we took what we wanted, when we wanted it. Now we resort to buying to fill our hoards?"

Eyes still shut, Shiyoon submerged his head lower in the water.

"It hasn't been long since we woke up," Junsang reasoned. "It's quieter now, but Shengxin's reach seems to have expanded..."

For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was the rustling of peach trees. As if he hadn't paused, Jinsol continued, "Soon, we'll be using our claws to till the soil, and sowing like fangless human farmers."

"That's a bit of an overestimation," Junsang quipped.

Taking flight, Jinsol shook the water off his pristine white scales, earning protests from the younger dragons. "It has been a while since I added to my collection of beauties, so I'll go take treasure the proper way."