Encounter

Things were a bit terse for a time, but as the weeks, months, and even years passed after the incident with the imps, it was soon all-but forgotten by both Andras and myself. However, there was a consequence to my actions, as we eventually discovered.

Flying back to our den after a brief hunt, Andras abruptly called out, “Hey, what is that at the base of the mountain?”

I followed his gaze, and it took me a moment to find the object of his inquiry, some sort of structure built against the slope. It had certainly not been there before. We exchanged a glance before dropping down upon it to investigate.

“Looks like some sort of shrine,” Andras grumbled, tilting his head to get a better look at the tiny, wooden construction.

I did the same, noting the hack marks in the wooden logs, the minimal sanding. “Rough handiwork. But then, whoever built it was probably in a rush to have it complete before we came back. The question is, then…who built it? And why?”

We both stared at the shrine, neither able to give a proper answer. Nothing ever wandered too close to the mountain, the monsters of the forest well aware that two dragons nested there. Besides, it was clearly something beyond the means of normal monsters, which could only mean…

“Humans,” Andras growled, finishing my thought, “But it makes no sense. If they knew we were here, they would have sent dragonslayers, not built an altar. Besides, humans rarely venture out this far past the Edge of the World, not even to explore, much less to worship us.”

“So, what do we do?” I wondered, heart fluttering at the mention of humans and dragonslayers.

A low rumble emanated from Andras, a sign I had come to recognize meant that he was deep in thought. After a while, he said, “We watch, and wait. Eventually, we will get our answers.”

And wait, we did.

There were very few creatures that could outlast a dragon in a contest of patience, and it was not long before we discovered the truth of the situation. Andras and I took turns for weeks, sitting perched upon the edge of the crater, looking down over the shrine with a studious gaze. Then, one day, a small group of creatures appeared. I immediately recognized them as imps, bringing with them baskets full of flowers, polished stones, and meat, which they placed upon the altar before leaving.

Upon seeing this, Andras and I exchanged a look before the old drake broke out into raucous laughter, rolling around on the ground like a fool for the first time I had seen in the nearly one hundred years I had known him. When he finally caught his breath and noticed the bewildered expression on my face, he explained, “Well, I never could have seen it coming, but it looks like those imps started to worship you as their god for saving them from me!” He began to laugh again loudly at the thought, while I shook my head in disbelief.

It seemed that Andras had it right though, as, like clockwork, the imps continued to come and leave offerings. I thought for a while about how to handle the situation, largely ignoring Andras’ jibes and jokes; for some reason, the situation came to be his favorite source of entertainment. In the end, I settled on indifference. I would not encourage or discourage their behavior. If they wanted to worship me, so be it. Plus, I begrudgingly had to admit, the salted meats they brought were quite tasty, and I soon began to look forward to their visits.

Meanwhile, Andras and I continued to scout further out in our excursions, and it was pretty much inevitable that one day, we stumbled upon something entirely new, the very thing Andras had feared for so long. We found people.

It was a group of three, one obviously a warrior but the others clearly not. Whatever their purpose and whoever they were, Andras did not seem to care, growling as he swooped out of the air and fell upon them. I recognized the move from our hunts; he was going for the kill! It took me a second to spur myself into action, and I managed to tackle him aside just before his wicked talons impaled their leader.

Again, it was like my body moved on its own, the strange feelings that I had felt with the imps resurfacing, even stronger this time, urging me to protect these people. I did not understand why, but I knew that I could not resist it.

Andras bounced and rolled across the ground, while the group huddled together, the warrior shakily drawing his sword and facing us. “Do not stand in my way, Leolyn!” Andras snarled, “They are humans, the killers of our kind! We cannot afford to show them mercy!”

I cautiously eyed the group, who were watching us with a mix of expressions. It seemed one of them had soiled himself upon being nearly obliterated by Andras, and amongst them, only the warrior seemed willing to put up a fight, and even he looked too scared out of his wits to be able. I replied thoughtfully, trying to give voice to the emotions swirling around in my stomach, “Teacher, I know that once, dragons and humans lived in harmony. I do not know what might have happened to change that, but I do know that killing only begets more killing. If a day where humans and dragons can find reconciliation is to ever come around, then at some point, there must be those willing to break that cycle. Perhaps it’s time. Look at them, Andras! They are no threat to us.”

His large, green eyes swiveled to look at the group properly, pupils dilating as he focused. After a few moments, he argued, “Perhaps. But what of when they go back to their cities? When they tell their stories? Even if they do not call upon the dragonslayers themselves, they will learn of this. And they will come for us.”

“And if we kill them? They must have families, friends. People who care about them, who know they’re out here. When these three don’t return, don’t you think they’ll come looking? And at that point, they would be coming for vengeance.”

“Enough,” Andras growled, glowering at me. “I let you have your way with the imps because it did not matter, but in this you are out of your depth. Stand aside, or I will move you myself!” Flames danced across his jaws, smoke pouring from his nostrils. I knew that there was no point in trying to deliberate with him any further. He was already enraged to the point of being unreasonable, a surprising departure from his normally stoic demeanor.

I took a moment to consider the situation. He had a point, but…there was something in my gut telling me not to harm these humans. I locked eyes with the group’s warrior, still pointing his sword at us. I could see the slight quiver of the blade as his body shook, the sweat on his brow, the fear in his eyes. But there was something else there, too, a look I recognized as determination. He was absolutely terrified, but he had made up his mind that he would protect his friends, no matter the cost. His bravery inspired me to make my own decision.

“Run!” I told him, and lunged towards Andras. If the stubborn old drake would not back down, I would have to force him.

His eyes went wide with surprise as I crashed into him once more, throwing him backwards, deeper into the forest. I had no time to see if the group had taken my advice, barely managing to draw out the mana in time to meet the other dragon’s sudden gout of flame with my own. The two breath attacks met, flames crackling and dancing around each other for an instant, before exploding with a mighty thunderclap that blew the leaves off of the surrounding trees.

I could see nothing through the resulting heat haze that made the air shimmer, until Andras burst through it, knocking me to the ground and crunching down upon my neck with sharp teeth. He was not fighting to kill, but neither was he holding back, and my scales fractured under the pressure. I twisted, raking a taloned claw across his chest, gray scales chipping and flaking off into the air as the bladelike appendage sliced easily through, three thin lines of blood appearing in the wake.

It appeared that neither of us had realized how much stronger I had become. He gasped in pain, his bite briefly loosening, and I writhed free, coiling my lithe body around his torso, dragging him to the ground and pinning him down with all four of my limbs. I arched my neck to look down into his eye, lightning crackling across my horns and flames wreathing my maw as I growled, “Enough of this! You wanted a fight, and you got it. Now, accept your defeat.”

He struggled in vain for a few moments more before snorting and giving up. I held him pinned only slightly longer before letting go and backing off to allow him to stand. He turned his back to me, saying over his shoulder, “Very well. I concede, but that does not mean that I agree. Let us hope that, for both of our sakes, your mercy is reciprocated.”

Then, he was gone, launching into the air and streaking away somewhere out of sight at a speed I could not hope to match. I looked around, but other than the trees we had toppled and scorched in the course of our fight, there was no sign of the humans, or what had become of them.

Now that they were gone, and Andras had given up on killing them, I should have felt relieved. Instead, the feeling in my gut had turned into something else entirely, something I vaguely recognized as anxiety. Logically, I had to admit that, maybe, he had been right. Was allowing them to flee really the best idea? As I looked into the distance, the direction in which Andras had fled, I murmured to myself, “I hope so as well, teacher.”