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The Awakening of Dragons

Chapter Eleven

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Written by Arian Mabe (Amethyst Mare)

Commissioned by NomexGlove

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It had been strongly suggested to them that they walk down to the ranger station, the wooden built building with a solid roof slanted to the side, allowing rainwater to drain easily. There had been more rain lately, more so than should have been, edging into spring, though they did not know yet that the influence of the dragons was what made it rainier and wetter earlier in the year, the bright sunshine between heavy showers allowing the vegetation to grow thicker and more luscious.

The land would still go through the cycle of the seasons, of course, but not quite in the way that they understood it before, the harsh land becoming more fruitful, year after year. As long as the dragons were present, of course, though only the meeting, that day and for as long as discussions and negotiations continued, would tell far more than their speculations.

There was a crowd at the ranger station, sweeping in all colours, kept back behind red and white striped barriers, whereas the officials that they were to speak with were up on a stage-like podium. If they had thought that the dragons would fit up there too they would be sorely mistaken as the dragons swooped down from the sky, one by one, the sunshine shining through the translucent membranes of their wings as if they were precious jewels dropping, one after the other, from the sky.

They weren't trying to put on a show, not at all, but they knew what they were there for, the severity of the situation, though they held onto the hope, considering that they had been human themselves, that there would be the chance for building bridges and educating. They could all live together, of course, but humanity had a strict place for everyone in the world. Arya in particular wasn't so confident that there was any way for them to fit into such sweet, little bottles.

The crowd gasped, though the officials in what looked like some kind of military outfit stood tall, their shoulders braced, as the dragons landed on the empty side of the ranger station. People pushed and clamoured at the barriers, yet there were enough there, armed, to hold them back, Tilsa keeping an eye on them, a stirring of unease in the pit of her stomach. Not for the first time, she was glad that no one but the dragons knew the location of the nesting mounds. She wasn't so sure of how things were to go, but the presence of guns would have set the hairs on the back of her neck up before, let alone with so much at stake.

Usuakusu shivered, stepping in close to Jenson, though she didn't need the protection, being a mid-sized dragon. In the shadow of the comforting, older dragon, however, she felt a little stronger, a little more able to hold her own, though she would forever be glad of the comforting loom of her sisters, everyone there, everyone supporting her. And Darius too, though it would take a while even for Usuakusu to get used to the fact that there was a male dragon in their midst too.

Whereas it appeared that the everyday spectators had been deprived of electronics, there were some media there, a presence of cameras and a couple of drones hovering at a distance that still made Darius' back push up, as if he wanted to snap them out of the air himself. It was only Tilsa on one side and Arya on the other that kept him firm, swallowing his growls. He'd been well-schooled in how to behave. That didn't mean that it was easy to keep down the smouldering protectiveness, the need to put those that he cared about behind him, so that he could feel as if they were at least a little more shielded from any potential harm.

Yet they were more than capable of defending themselves, even if there was no need for their interactions that day to come to it, Sandra and Anniyah stepping forward with their lips softly covered, muzzles as relaxed as they could make them. In royal blue and burnt umber, the dragonesses struck a powerful scene even with their wings softly folded in against their backs.

“Thank you for meeting us here today," Sandra said, lifting a wing in hello. “It's lovely to see so many faces again like yours! We are the dragons that transformed after our caving expedition and have been out here for quite some time."

Reporters called and microphones were thrust forward, though the maintained perimeter around the dragons was kept, so it was not as if they could be waved in anyone's face. The clamour of noise sullied the air and Usuakusu made a face, the blue and white dragon fighting the urge to huddle down. She hadn't realised how quiet it was in the mountains, their territory, not as her breath caught and the drum, drum, drumming on her eardrums intensified.

“Right, yes…"

The officials appeared keen to get started, testing the sound system, the microphones set up, one for each on the stage. With a backdrop of nature and the mountains behind them, they appeared more like they were opening a new part of the park rather than holding a meeting between dragons and humans. They tested the microphone, speaking into it, though it was nonsense words, pleasantries that the dragons had long done away with between each other.

No names were given. That did not escape the dragons' notice. But they seemed keen to use their names.

“We are here today to welcome the following to the world as dragons, citizens that have undergone a massive change!" He spoke loud and clearly, the man clean-shaven though it seemed that he had short, blonde hair under his cap with a peak. “That would be…"

He reeled off all their names, the dragons listening intently. The crowd seemed less interested, busy gawking and shouting, but the cameras recorded everything. Sandra wondered if it was being streamed live anywhere, though doubted it. No doubt they would have wanted to moderate the information they disseminated to the masses through that means, though they'd wanted an audience of civilians too. Why?

“One moment."

Tilsa cut in smoothly once their names were read, a smile on her lips.

“There are two names to amend on this list," Tilsa said, her wing lifted to ensure all eyes were on her, kind of like raising her hand for calm attention. “I no longer go by Isla-Rae, but Tilsa. Kelvin no longer goes by that either, but Usuakusu. I trust this will be rectified?"

She eyed the official levelly, though they should not have been as taken aback by their name changes as they were. It was normal enough for humans to change their surnames and even their given first names. But they did seem to have some issues with that also.

“Uh… Yes, of course. Understood."

An older man stepped forward, grey in his short, trimmed beard, devoid of a hat, though the official uniform was still in the same drab shade of green that left them looking like one unit, professional.

“It is wonderful to see that you are all alive and well and thriving with the changes that have been put upon you." The microphone made his voice boom and echo further than was natural, the microphone crackling as an undercurrent. “As you are aware, you are the third group of dragons to be uncovered as simultaneous events happened around the globe. We believe you to be the last of the groups, the covens of dragons."

The dragons murmured, though the questions of the media and the shouts of the crowd, some holding up phones that they had hidden to get past officials up to record. Those were swiftly, however, removed from their position with a quick grab, no need for violence to acquire them when surprise and swiftness were better tools for the guards to use.

“Now… I trust you understand that we have questions for you and we shall ask the same of you as we have the others, along with any follow-up queries that may arise. Do you understand?"

“Yes, yes, of course," Alex said, though she bristled a bit – it was as if they were being spoken down to, something that she very much had not missed in her time as a dragon, away from other people. “But perhaps starting with these questions may give us a better line to go from?"

Privately, Alex thought that they didn't know what they were doing, even if they said that they had spoken with two covens of dragons already. She swore that the dragons themselves had more questions brimming over on the tips of their tongues than the humans ever could, mentally separating herself from humanity without even realising what she was doing. But how could she not when there was so much to be said, so much to be done, tension strung out?

Even if the dragons had not realised the gravity of everything, their impact on humanity was far greater than the thread of allowing dragons into their society.

Thankfully, the official stood tall, a shift in his weight making him appear even more imposing than he had been before.

“Quite. I am the official Head of Dragon Relations," he said, though that was all the introduction they would get, his name still deliberately omitted. “Our questions are as follows. To the media, please turn in all recordings at the cumulation of this meeting. You are bound by contract, as I might remind you."

That spoke of conflict elsewhere, though there was nothing the dragons could do about that, not at that time. Tilsa lifted her head, the unofficial “spokesdragon" of their little, but growing, group.

“How did you transform into dragons?"

It was an obvious question to start with and one that had them still fumbling, as every one of their transformations had been different. After talking over one another for a few moments, Sandra managed to adequately sum up what had happened.

“I transformed first in the main cavern and the others helped me get out as I grew and changed," she explained. “Brent too began changing down in the caverns, but everyone else transformed in the open air, mostly one after the other, which was easier with the space, I think. It was only partway through the transformations, as a group, that we realised that the men amongst us had become dragonesses too, though there were a few suspicions as we went along."

The crowd shouted and Sandra laughed, in a way reminded of her daughter's eagerness to be heard, how she sometimes could be so desperate to know something that she would have pushed her way right to the front of a crowd. She had been a journalist for a time, but the ache of the life that her daughter could have had and the life that had been lost to her would forever rest in Sandra's heart. Even if it was not as heavy as it had been before her change.

Another question followed, sticking to it all as strictly as the Head of Dragon Relations had said.

“When did you transform into dragons?"

Tilsa tilted her head.

“On the day of our expedition. We don't have calendars here, didn't bring anything like that with us, so we can't give you the exact date. The date we went missing though should show that."

The Head of Dragon Relations pressed his lips into a tight line and Tilsa could have snorted, if she had not held herself as controlled as she was. They really were following a line of questions, asking things that they must have already had the answers to. It seemed silly, to her, but she'd never liked things like that.

“How many new dragons transformed after the expedition?"

“Three," Tilsa answered more easily. “Julie, the first, but it was too late to stop the news spreading to the rest of our families and friends after that, through the emergency contacts list Sandra left at home, for the expedition. “Then Sebastian and, about the same time, we're not quite sure when, Darius too. After that, we managed to stop everyone and make sure everyone knew to keep out of the region of the caverns, even above ground."

The Head of Dragon Relations moved on, too quickly, to the next question, even as journalists tried to interrupt, tried to redirect things in a less rigid format.

“Have any dragons breathed fire yet? How long, for what duration, what intensity?"

Darius blinked.

“You can't expect us to know all that," he said dryly. “But, yes, we can breathe fire."

He left out about the life breath ability, though it was one that, clearly, could only be used for good. There was only so much that people needed to know and it could be said that Darius, and perhaps Jenson too, were least well appropriated with the darker sides of human beings. It would have been too plain to say that the colour of their skin had led to that, though being dragons gave them the power and confidence, a certainty in themselves, that they had not had before. Still, they retained who they were, who they had been, even as they grew.

Not knowing about any more abilities, merely asking to have the answers recorded, they moved on, though the rest of the humans seemed to want to know everything about them. The eyes of even the media shone, grateful to be in on something so big, asking about how they'd grown, how high they could fly, what they could do, how deep in the caves they'd gone, even about how they had adjusted to becoming dragonesses where they had not begun life as female. It was refreshing, in a way, to have so much of an urge for knowledge pushed upon them, an interest in them, purely for who they were, the experiences they had gone through. It gave them, as a whole, the sense that they could do good, the good that they wanted to do, that there was more to humans now than the stuffy official.

“For how many minutes can you stay airborne? What is the diet of a dragon?"

“Um…" No one knew the answer to that one, not the first bit, at least, though Julie tried, joining in. “You… Hm… We all fly differently, I'm not very strong yet. I guess I can only fly for fifteen minutes, maybe? We don't have clocks here either."

“And we eat an omnivorous diet," Jenson added. “We are greatly looking forward to having more vegetables and fruit now that the warmer seasons are coming! I believe Alan has already planted seeds that she intends to cultivate and Santino is assisting there too."

The official nodded, his expression bland and blank, as if everything was not as expected, but boringly so, plain and nothingness. Alan shuffled her weight, tail twitching in agitation.

“They could look interested in the answers," she hissed to Brent. “They're just asking questions like they're not interested in any of the answers at all!"

Brent nudged her to be quiet, though agreed with a nod of her head. It was strange…and felt like there was something more to come. What if they were just asking questions until they found the information that gave them something that they were after?

“What are your intentions now that you are dragons?"

Arya scoffed.

“Are you trying to see how many times you can say “dragons"?" She challenged loudly. “We know we are dragons. I think, by now, so do you. You can ask your questions without making a point of it."

The Head of Dragon Relations eyed her, his eyes as hard as steel. Yet Arya was not to be so easily made to back down.

“The appearance of dragons in the world affects us all…"

He paused expectantly, not knowing her name, yet he waited and waited, with his eyebrows raised, demonstrating the power differential between them. All, of course, until Arya grunted and acquiesced to his unspoken desire. She didn't like how easily he seemed able to bend her to his desires.

“Arya, my name is Arya."

“Arya. It affects us all. Therefore, we must follow the script and regiment as directed."

Arya glowered, though Jenson answered the original question, lifting her voice to be heard.

“We have no ill intentions as dragons, I can assure you, as I am sure that is the thing first and foremost on everyone's mind. Truth me when I say that all of this has come as just as much of a sock to us as it has been to you – we never imagined that anything like this could happen. But it appears that we are here for a greater purpose, though it feels overbearing just to say that… But it's true. We've dug into the caverns, researched the paintings, the carvings, the clay tablets, the leftovers from a previous dragon civilisation long gone by, led and the great majority uncovered by Alan here."

She nodded to the other dragoness who sheepishly nodded, embarrassed to be put on the spot. The Head of Dragon Relations glanced up at her directly when she mentioned artefacts in the caves, but otherwise kept his expression bland and unreadable. He had his orders, after all, and his questions to follow. Still, Jenson was keen to be heard, taking that flutter of heightened interest to be more than what it was.

“We intend to do what good we can in the world, wherever we are needed. We do not know quite yet the exactness of what we are to do, but we are confident that we will be able to bring something positive, new life, healing to the land. Look at how vibrant it is here!" She spread out her wing for emphasis, the crowd's fuss falling quieter, at least for a little moment. “This is us, our presence, in part… We can bring healing to lands, make the world healthier. And we don't even know what will come when our eggs hatch too!"

Her excitement, however, had gotten away from her as the official paused, thrown off his line of questioning and veering from routine with fresh information at hand. That was why he was the Head of Dragon Relations, after all, someone with the canny and skills enough to take things on the fly, even then.

“Let me hear that again," he said. “Did you mention eggs?"

Jenson shuffled her feet, a little embarrassed, though her wife was quick to join in and explain.

“Yes, we have all laid a clutch," she explained. “That is, the dragons that were the first to transform. Those that joined us and transformed before we were able to stop more from coming close, Julie, Sebastian, Darius, they have not laid a clutch. Darius also became a male dragon, the only one of us, so far, to be male."

“Ah, I see… Then those that were uncovered, while pregnant, have not progressed to the stage that you are currently at. Where are the eggs laid?"

Tilsa shook her head.

“In our territory. We will not allow more information than that."

A mother's protectiveness battled with the inherent need for diplomacy, tensions strung-out between them, crackling in the air. She could have answered him plainly, but she didn't like how the conversation had turned after asking about her eggs. Their eggs. All their eggs.

“As Head of Dragon Relations, I must insist that the co-ordinates are provided, otherwise we will not be able to provide adequate protection to the beasts after they are hatched," he said, as if he was speaking about zoo animals, creatures that did not have sapient minds. “We do not know how second-generation dragons will behave and yours will the first to hatch. They may not be as civilised as you, as the ones that still have their humanity."

“Our humanity?" Arya snapped, head raised, her antler-like horns giving her an extra bit of height. “We are not human. We are dragons. And our young will be dragons too!"

Tension crackled in the air, the crowd drawing back a little as if the dragons exuded a palatable force in the air, something that pushed and pulled anxiously at them. The Head of Dragon Relations eyed Arya levelly, taking in all the dragons at once. Darius bristled.

Quickly…something had turned.

“Of course, we are extending the ability to maintain your rights, as humans," he said, emphasising the word, “to you. We understand that it was no one's desire to be transformed and we trust that you will fully cooperate with us in all ways. But your offspring will not possess a shred of humanity, it has already been determined. They will not be granted human rights, but animal rights."

And those counted for little, wherever in the world one was, in some parts of the world someone who abused or harmed an animal was not even given jail time, but a fine, a slap on the wrist. Tilsa drew her head back, a ringing in her ears growing stronger and stronger, blasting through, as if it had suddenly become the backdrop to a conflict that she had not realised was even there.

“No…"

The Head of Dragon Relations looked at her.

“Please repeat that."

There was no softness in his tone, no lightness, no pleasantry that could have taken the edge off, the ring of the crowd pulsing. But was there an undercurrent of anger in them too, or was that only what Tilsa sensed in her restless, shifting dragon family?

No rights? Tilsa kept her eyes level, despite the pounding of her heart. Was he even authorised to decide that? The dragons stared, jaws clenched, tails stiff with emotion that they would not allow to show, which was a little easier to do, considering that they no longer bore human facial expressions so plainly.

“I said that our young will not be treated as mere beasts. We are more than that – we are not humans but we are equal. We do not intend to glean special treatment from anyone, but our needs are fair and simple. Our young will be granted human rights, for I will not see them treated as anything lesser."

Her words were hard and her eyes unyielding, hiding the low growl rumbling in her chest, though Tilsa had to keep control over herself. There was nothing like an outburst that would see the humans thinking that they were in fact beasts, but that did not stop the raking in her chest, how hidden teeth snarled in her lungs, making every breath harder to drag in than the last. Her heart pounded, aching furiously, guts churning. But everything she did was for the dragons, her young, the young of the flight of dragons, her coven. As much as she reeled, she could not back down, even if a lack of rights for their children was hardly something that any of them, even then, could have possibly anticipated.

“That simply will not be done… Miss…Isla-Rae."

“Tilsa. It is Tilsa."

She would not have minded an error being made in her name, but her blood was up, heat roaring through her, as if she was about to unleash her fiery breath too, what she could draw up from her core of being. He was not to harm her children! The dragons rumbled around her, growling, standing, wings flapping, flaring out as if they were trying to, however unconsciously, try to make themselves look larger and more intimidating. It was neither something that they needed to do nor wanted to do, the humans drawing back, sensing unrest.

The Head of Dragon Relations, however, appeared unfazed by what was going on, eyeing them up distastefully.

“Be reasonable, this could hardly be unexpected to you – and your eggs will be a valuable resource in understanding what dragons can do for humanity, you see, and…"

But he never got the chance to continue as dragon roars filled the air, warning them off, warning them back, overcome with protective, motherly instinct. It rang through them, snarling and seething for precedence, though they meant no harm and did not mean any attack, only to send those that threatened their young back with belting, bellowing roars. Their sides trembled with their motherly protectiveness, wings flapping, even Darius, Julie and Sebastian joining with growls and snaps and snarls.

Things were too tense to be resolved, all should have known that, yet even the officials tried to speak over them, clinging to their hats, leaning into the blasting wind of their breath. Their lips moved but if any sound came out there was no one there to hear it, not with the dragons taking precedence, overcome with fear for what would come of their children if they did not act now. No one could say, quite honestly, whether the Head of Dragon Relations could make such decisions, but it was fair to assume that he had what power had been granted to him as a new role in government. It was not something that they could brush off or take lightly, simmering and snarling with evident discontent.

But someone had to act.

“Perhaps we should reconvene two days from now," Alan suggested, taking a moment, flapping her wings to lift above the clamour of dragons and humans. “Clearly, this is unprecedented and we all need to consider what has been discussed!"

Perhaps it would have been uncouth of them in human terms to beat such a hasty retreat, but anger and fear and concern twisted amongst the dragons as they launched themselves into the air, the matriarchs helping the weakest flyers higher and higher, using the air shaped by their wings to buoy them up. It was not an easy flight, not as snatches of conversation were hurled between them, worry building, the urge to get back to their nesting mounds, to curl around them and croon to their unhatched young, overwhelming.

Sometimes, as a mother, a dragon could not resist the lure of such an urge. And that was just why humanity, or at least that corner of humanity, had underestimated them.

Sandra exchanged a look with the others, eyes grazing everyone's in turn, one after the other. They met her glance with steadfastness, even those new dragons who had joined them resolute in their conviction.

They would work together with humanity. But they had humanity to convince of that first of all.

That could be more difficult than anticipated.