Stormy Weather: The Book of Monsoon

The Story of How I Came to Be

     Salt Mirage got lost one day, on a patrol along the coast. She was young, a dragonet of about five years, and a new recruit. She swam a very long ways, trying to find a current that would take her back, and instead going in the opposite direction. She unknowingly made her way to the Rainforest Kingdom. Tired, hungry, too young to hunt for herself but still training in the army, she ended up stranded on the coast of the Rainforest Kingdom. A RainWing, Cobalt Storm, found her, in her desperate state. He immediately brought her back to the Rainforest Kingdom to feed her and look after her until she was well enough to return. He didn't even think about using his 'lazy ol' RainWing' act. Over the three or four days he cared for her, they became friends. Close friends.

     When Mirage was healthy enough to swim back to the Kingdom of the Sea, she and Cobalt reluctantly agreed that she should leave. They had become such good friends, and the other RainWings were kind to her. But Mirage felt she still had a duty to her Kingdom, and asked Cobalt to escort her back to fly with her back to the side of Pyrrhia, where she could find where she left off and go home.

     The adventure they had to take to get there was an interesting one, but a story for another time. It took maybe four days for them to find their way to the coastline, barely avoiding the conflict of the other dragon tribes and the dangers of the Scavenger Dens. The young dragonets ended up being closer than any friends they'd had before. Both were terribly sad to leave each other, but they agreed to still meet every new first moon, on the shore where she had to leave him.

     They carried on like that for many years. Over time, their friendship developed into something much more. They fell in love, and were even closer then. Their friendship had hardened into something unbreakable. Cobalt had no doubt that Mirage was the only dragon he could ever be with. Mirage felt the same.

    The war was still going on. Because RainWings weren't in the war and were generally shunned, Mirage and Cobalt felt ashamed and only met in secret. When Mirage was of age, Cobalt asked her to marry him, in secret. Elope, in a way. In the entire time that the two met, nobody knew, not even Cobalt or Mirage's best friends. It wasn't long before Mirage had her first egg. They were expecting a clutch, but instead got a very large twin egg. My parents were ecstatic. Not even the fear of the war could stop them from being excited about us. My brother and I, that is.

     Pretty soon, though, reality set in. My mom had two choices; reveal the deep secret she'd kept for years and likely be shamed for what she'd done, or move to the Rainforest. Disappear. Well, my dad didn't think either of those were options. He couldn't bear the thought of her being away from the sea. He, being an out-of-the-box thinker, came up with a better plan. He decided that he would build a sort of den for the two of them, and me and my brother, of course. A house. On the stretch of land that curled into the Kingdom of the Sea, the part that still had trees and rainforest on it, he would build a half-underwater, half-on land house. Two stories. One for the makeshift hatchery, 'the safest place in all Pyrrhia,' so my father said, and one for him and Mirage to sleep on. That way, Mirage could slip into the water whenever she felt like it, and check on her egg as much as she needed to for the year it took to hatch.

     My father left the Rainforest Kingdom to live with her in their den. His family and friends were understanding. Since the RainWings were in no war, they saw no reason why two dragons in love shouldn't be with each other. Mirage wished her tribe was the same. Life for her was tricky. After she laid her egg, even though Cobalt promised he would keep it safe, and even warm, if he had to, she still felt like she needed to be there. Her frequent trips made her family and friends suspicious. In the end, the only choice she had was to disappear. "Blood is thicker than water." She says to this day that it was surprising how true the statement was to her. She left without warning, heart broken for the kingdom she was forced to leave behind. Through all that, she swore that she would not come back until the war ended, until her family could live in peace.

     About ten months after the house was finished, and nine after my mother left, my brother and I hatched. We were identical, the only difference being he had short horns, and I had extraordinarily long horns. Mother and father both thought that it was because we shared an egg, and I ended up with an 'unfair,' or so my brother says, amount of ivory rack.

     We lived like that for another six years. When the war was ended, and peace once again settled, Mother returned to ask her family for forgiveness. Before she could even speak, as soon as she was in sight, they clobbered her with embraces, tears, and rejoicing. She soon found out that her eldest brother had been killed in the war, and she had a new sister. My little aunt, Mist Breaker. She's an annoying little brat, but still like a sister to me. Although my mother's abandonment was technically considered treason, her family never told. She didn't tell them right away about her new family. Instead, she blindfolded them and brought them to meet us.

     There was a great amount of disbelief, confusion, a sense of betrayal for some, and a little bit of sadness over lost years, and understanding of the hardships my parents had to suffer. However much grief and betrayal my new family felt, there was much more happiness over the return of their long-lost daughter, sister, and friend, along with the new family she brought to them. It took a little while, but the kind, generous, and humble nature of my father soon won them over, and they accepted him into the family. Even if he was a different species.

     Through all the troubles they went through to be with each other, their love grew stronger, like a coal being pressured into a diamond. In the end, it turned out alright. Their family grew, and they lived happily ever after... and still do.