The Fall of Dragon Haven - A Dragonkeeper Fanfiction

Hei Lei

As rain beat down upon the thatched rooftops of the muddy, foreign village, a low rumble sounded in the sky. The villagers looked up in confusion and wonder as the group of magnificent beasts emerged from the thick fog, their wings beating powerfully as they soared overhead. It was a cluster of dragons, minded by two humans.

The sky was dark and ominous as Danzi, Lu Yu and Tun descended upon the rural village. Hei Lei stayed sky bound for a while longer, however. He had been here once before with his last Dragon Keeper, Yu Feng. Over ten years had passed, but Hei Lei had not forgotten the horror from that visit. He dreaded returning. But dragons had a sense of knowing when another Dragon Keeper had come of age and now they returned to the fishing village in the foreign lands of Hmong to see if the prospects were true.

Their arrival was announced by the thundering of their wings and a deafening roar. Unlike humans from The Empire, these villagers were unaccustomed to dragons. They trembled with fear, peering out from behind their doors and windows, too scared to approach the creatures. It made the ordeal even more uncomfortable.

Hei Lei landed in a muddy field. The others snorted and growled as they looked around, assessing the villagers and their strange homes.

Lao Longzi dismounted Danzi and almost slipped in the mud as he landed. He turned to Hei Lei. Lead us.

Hei Lei hesitated. Coming here had brought back memories he'd rather forget. Yu Feng had committed an unforgivable crime here when they visited. So unforgivable, he was banished from the Dragon Havens, and Hei Lei severed the bond between them. He hadn't seen Yu Feng in over a decade and prayed he never would again.

Yu Feng wasn't here though. His son, born out of Yu Feng's hate towards a young woman, was.

As the rain continued to pour, the dragons looked to Hei Lei to guide them. Especially Tun, who was nearing 400 years old, whom the new Dragon Keeper would likely take to. Taking a deep breath, Hei Lei led the cluster through village until he recognised the topsy turvy house that sat on a hill.

That one. He said.

Lao Longzi and Gao Zi exchanged glances and nodded. They went to the house, the dragons trailing slowly behind. The house was made of thatched wood and sat on stilts. The area was prone to flooding from the Mekong River. When Hei Lei and Yu Feng had come here last, the town was partially underwater. This was how the villagers lived. Half the year walking on dried land, half the year traveling by boats.

The two men climbed the ladder and were met with a young woman. Hei Lei shivered seeing her and turned away. He could feel her eyes on him. Hei Lei was no coward, but in that moment he couldn't bring himself to look at her. As the two men attempted to converse with the woman through hand gestures and nods, Hei Lei crouched under the house and took shelter from the rain.

He thought he was alone under the damp house, but a trickle of dust gave it away. He looked up and found a pair of brown eyes peering curiously down at him. Hei Lei froze. He knew those eyes, but they had not belonged to this child. The child opened the hatch to stare at him, but Hei Lei dashed out before he could get a proper look.

Outside, the two Dragon Keepers were arguing with the woman. Hei Lei watched as fingers were pointed at him, shouts made. He was ready to fly off when the woman went back inside and dragged the boy out by his arm.

Hei Lei, Tun. Lao beckoned. Come.

The woman brought the boy to the dragons. She had a sour look on her face – Hei Lei understood why. But the boy looked on curiously at the dragons. He was the splitting image of Yu Feng in his youth. Small, skinny, a penchant for short hair. What differed was his plumper lips and tanned skin which were liken to his mothers.