In Silence May We Burn

Chapter One

"Momma! Why hasn't she hatched yet?" I could hear my brothers playing. My sister was quieter than them, and liked to ask Mother questions. I wriggled around a little to better hear Mother's answer. "She was layed late is all Miri dear." I tried to readjust myself but it had grown too cramped in my egg. "Doesn't she want to play though?" Miri continued to ask. "She will. When she is ready." Mother's voice was smooth and flowed like a river. A pur rumbled deep in my throat as I listened to her begin to sing a lullaby. She was watching my siblings play from the sounds of it. My brother Jaruk sniffed around my egg and startled me back into focus. I lurched to the side, leaving a small crack where my shoulders hit. "Look Momma!!!!" My other brother yelled. "She's hatching!" I could hear my family gather around my nest. I leaned forward for a moment, then slammed my shoulders against the shell. Hearing a loud crack, I did it again, only harder. I repeatedly​ did this, until with one hefty blow, the shell gave way and I fell out as it shattered. "Hooray! She finally ha-" Jaruk's voice was cut short as they all gasped in shock. I shook my head, and a price of shell fell to the floor. I snorted and looked around at the rest of my family. My mother was huge and beautiful. She had scales the most amazing shade of blue. Her eyes were golden and full of love. To her left were two of my brothers. One was larger than the other. The larger of the two was dark green with brown eyes, and the other was bright red. Jaruk was sitting close to me, he was darker red than the smaller brother and had light blue eyes. My sister was a pale yellow, with eyes a pale blue. But all of them were staring at me in shock. I looked down. I don't know why they are staring at me, there's nothing special about me. I looked at my mother in confusion. "Mo-Momma? What's wrong? Did I do something?" I asked, trying to stand on my wobbly legs. She shook her head, and reached over to my brothers and shook them out of their trance like state and they all stood up and edged themselves closer to me. "Why are your scales that color?" The green one asked.
"What do you mean? Aren't there other black dragons?" I asked, confused.
"Not that color, no. There are grey, and some have really really dark scales, but nobody has BLACK scales." Miri said, walking around me.
"Maybe I'm just dark?" I said.
"No, dear. You are the color of coal little one. You are a black dragon. The first black hatchling in 1100 years. You, my sweet, are a miracle." My mother smiled down at me. She picked me up and held me in her arms. She walked towards the entrance of our den. We reached the ledge and I looked out across the deep valley the clan called home. Our den was high in a cliff, overlooking the whole valley. As I watched the sun began to rise, brightening the sky to a pale pink, rather than the ink like indigo of night. The mountains were a rich, soothing green, topped with brilliant white peaks. From the rocky peaks it faded to soft grass, dotted with amazing flowers and bushes. Dens were dug out into the stone parts of the mountains and as the sun awoke, so did the other dragons. Adults spread their massive wings and dove out of their homes, gliding effortlessly through the chilly morning air. Younger dragons that couldn't fly as strongly ran through the grass, chasing bees and small mammals between rocks and down slopes. There was a big lake in the center of the valley, and in the middle was a small island with a tree in the center. I watched in amazement as my siblings ran down the slope from our den. "Mother? Can I go play too?" I asked, wriggling out of her arms. "If you think you can keep up." She smiled and unfolded her massive wings. I walked over to the ledge and watched my brothers role down the hill. I turned to look back at Mother, but as I did she gave one powerful flap of her wings and blew me over as she flew off the ledge. She glided elegantly across the valley to a few other females and perched upon a tall rocky ledge. Gulping down my fear, I stepped out into the grass. As my front paws touched it, I drew away. The dew was cold and wet. Reaching forward again, I began to walk out into the tall grass. I had long legs for my size, longer than my brothers, even though they were older. I was a lean dragon. Unfurling my wings, I gave them a hefty flap and jumped into the air. I didn't go very far, maybe a few feet before I crashed to the ground and rolled. Standing, I began to run down the steep hill. Gaining speed until my legs couldn't keep up, I raced through the grass. A branch caught my front paw and I tripped and rolled down. I slammed into something, knocking it over as I slid to a stop. "Hey! Hatchling! Watch where your going won't you!" I looked up to see a surprised looking dark blue dragon dusting himself off. He looked up and caught my eye. His eyes were beautiful. A light blue, like the sky. He stared at me a moment. "I, I'm sorry I yelled. You just need to be more careful. Is this your first time out?" He asked.
"Ye-yes?" I answered, looking down at my feet.
"Did you trip?" He asked.
"Yes but I'm fine..." I looked down to see my paw was bleeding. It stung a lot.
"You should wash that off. Come on." He said, turning away and beginning to walk down the hillside. I stood up and followed him. There were a lot of hatchlings playing in the grass. All sorts of colors and types. But none like me. We reached the edge of the lake and he took my paw and began to wash it off.
"It's not that bad. You'll be all better by tomorrow." He said, not meeting my eyes. "My name is Havoc by the way. What's yours?"
"Baris."
"That's a cool name. Where did your parents come up with that?" He asked.
"It was my grandfather's name. My father's father."
"Who's your father?"
"Silus. But he died awhile ago. I never met him. Mother says he was a red dragon with grey eyes. He was an important dragon. He even worked alongside the high king." Havoc frowned and looked at the water. "My father isn't one to be proud of." He said, flicking a pebble with one claw. We sat on the shore and watched the calm waves lap at the stones. For a few days we would meet at this spot at dawn and we began to explore the valley. It was all a hatching could hope for.