Grusa-kal's Burden

Chapter 1

"Greatest Elder," a swift dragon murmured as she dipped her head to Grusa-kal. "I bring news."

"Share it," he growled. Messengers normally waited to deliver their news to him until evening, when he had finished his work with magic and governing the clan.

"A major conflict between members of the clan and the scourge that is the humans has occurred. A nest of twelve eggs have been spilled, and three dragons lay dead. A human clan also lays in shambles."

The conjuring dragon looked up from the clay tablet he had been reading and narrowed his gaze. The swift dragon, though several times larger, shuffled her wings in discomfort.

"Have you any details of the incident? Names, occurrences, anything?"

"I was witness to much of it."

Grusa-kal swished his tail. He had better things to do with his time right now then entertain an attack the likes of which happened elsewhere. Other Elders could deal with this, as they have before. "Then tell me. And don't waste any time." His lips lifted in a faint snarl.

"Of course, Greatest Elder. Poieka daughter of Salajet had nested outside of the clan boundaries, as strength dragons often do. A party of human hunters caught her asleep and with their stick weapons they busted her eggs and killed the young within. As the last egg was killed, Poieka woke with a terrible fury. All but one human fled, abandoning the spoils of their hunt, and the one that did not run skillfully threw the stick weapon into her eye.

"Half-blinded and grief-stricken, Poieka attempted to crush the lone hunter, but it got away. A few other dragons and I had arrived just as she took off after the humans. Since I was the only swift dragon present, I alone chased after her, while the rest mourned for the young killed before they had hatched and requested for other swift dragons.

"I pleaded for Poieka to turn around to have her wound healed. She spiked me in the ribs and my left wing with her tail and warned me to leave her alone. My injuries weren't too bad, so I attempted to wrestle with her to keep her from unleashing her fury on the humans. At the very least I could slow her down enough for other dragons to come to my aid.

"I landed on top of her and tried to grab her neck with my mouth. Before I could, my foot slipped, and I crashed down onto her wing. She rolled before my weight could break it, and I fell off."

"Do not waste my time on frivolous details. You tried to stop her and failed. That is all I need to know. Continue." Grusa-kal said in a harsh voice. He needed to know how much time, if any, he must devote to this issue, and wasting it does nothing to help him.

"Of course. We grappled some more in the air. When we reached the ground, I spelled her in place. 'What foolishness is this Needao? Did you not see the bodies of my brood? Do you not see the weapon that attempted to kill me?' She spoke to me. I told her that killing them will not bring back her offspring.

"She used her magic to break the base of my tail, making me lose hold of her with my magic. Poieka escaped. Other dragons arrived soon after. A spirit dragon healed me, then we followed, hoping the rest could do more than I had.

"When we reached the human clan, we saw many of their structures had already been set ablaze. Some humans attempted to fight Poieka and the others, while many more fled out into the wilds. Poieka's magic appeared to Turn, and her wings failed her. By then she was not long for life anymore with how much blood she had lost and the extent of her many wounds. Two more dragons fell by the weapons of the humans. I thought those humans believed we were there to kill them, so I told the remaining dragons to gather the dead and flee. So, we did."

Grusa-kal stifled a roar. A few representatives from other clans have come to him with similar stories of conflict with the humans, begging him to find a solution. Normally he did not think too much of it; there were many Laku who were more dangerous to dragons than humans who wished for a fight. They are his priority, as it is for most of the conjuring dragons. Not humankind. And he did not outright believe any story that involved dragons dying at the paws of a species incapable of magic. Even with their tools, humans should not be capable of killing well trained dragons.

But now a conflict has occurred with his clan, the greatest clan in dragon kind, and that he cannot so easily dismiss lest he be challenged for his position or ousted for unfitness. And with dragons dead this must become more of a priority than the Dragon Foes and his research in useful spells.

"You may leave," he muttered to the messenger, who promptly trotted away.

A thought ran through his mind. Humans act more brazen than any hostile Laku. Their weapons could be a magic in and of itself, one not governed by the Law of Forbidden Spells. They may become formidable in time, but any dragon still possessing their wits should be able to defend them self. Such is a problem he had time to think upon and needed time to properly solve.

He returned to his tablet. The problem of the humans could wait until he finished this project.