DragonTribes #1: RiverTribe

Chapter One: Storyteller Nai

Alicia sat with her friends in a circle around a small fire, everyone's legs crossed beneath them. Some of the guppies -- the RiverTribe's word for children -- wiggled excitedly, while others sat quietly, sleep slowly entering their minds.

Story time was Alicia's favorite. It was a time for her to learn about anything she wanted from the Storyteller. She was especially obsessed with dragons, partially because her father worked with the Rivertribe's dragons.

Alicia looked up to the two moons. They were both perfectly round, silver in color. One was slightly smaller than the other. Her attention was suddenly grabbed by the sound of a light thud on the ground.

A frail woman aproached them, using a cane made of dragon bone to help her walk; the small thud was that of the cane hitting the ground. She wore the hide of a deer around her and had a necklace with a single purple-blue dragon scale on it.

This was Storyteller Nai; she was the wisest and most anticipated Storyteller among the children. She also happened to be the oldest member of the tribe, and while she surely looked old, Nai had the heart of a child. She loved being active and talking with everyone who greeted her. Like Alicia, her favorite time was story time, nothing was better than helping the children expand their knowledge.

Nai sat in the only empty spot among the guppies' circle, a wooden chair. She slowly sat down, brushed off her clothes, then laid her cane across her lap. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse, but her joy could not be contained. "How are all my little guppies tonight?" She inquired with a smile.

Some nodded and some answered "good." Alicia smiled excitedly.

Nai leaned in, and all the children leaned in with her, some giggling. The children who had nearly fallen asleep were now wide awake. Nai whispered, "And what story do we want to hear about today?"

Nate, an arrogant, but exuberant learner, opened his mouth before anyone could think, shouting, "The first River chieftain!" If the children had not already been awoken, Nate's roar of excitement surely would have woken them.

Nai smiled wide, rubbing her left ear. She scanned the group for objections.

Alicia quietly disagreed with Nate, whispering, "I want to hear about The Great Dragon."

Nai raised her silver eyebrow at Alicia. "You must speak up, darling; I can't hear you at this age."

"She wants you to tell us about The Great Dragon." Another said louder.

Nai leaned back in her chair, thinking. After a brief moment, she spoke, "Which guppies want to hear about The First River Chieftan?"

Nate immediately bounced up and held a hand in the air. He looked at the other guppies, but no one else had matched his exuberance, only one other guppy had raised their hand. Defeated, Nate plopped back down on the ground. He crossed his arms, upset no one agreed with him.

Nai chuckled, then cleared her throat. "The story of The Great Dragon it is."

Alicia wiggled trying to contain her excitement. The Great Dragon was mentioned frequently in the tribe, but only her name. All Alicia knew about The Great Dragon was that she was the very first dragon.

Nai leaned in closer to the guppies again, peaking their interest. The fire gave her face an orange glow, and her complexion a darker definition. She began, whispering, "Long ago, before the Tribes, even before the world. A dragon, one which had all the powers of the tribes and more, flew in vast nothingness. She was called The Great Dragon."

Nai then spoke, breaking from his whisper, "The Great Dragon first created the sun with her light powers, as she wanted to see herself in light. After creating the sun, she realized how bland the sky was, and so she created the stars with her night powers."