The Dragons Layer
It was a still, chill night. The stars were sharp in the sky, their shine diminished only by the brilliant glow of the single, silver moon. The mountains brooded over the forest like stoic watchmen, their hunched peaks silhouetting a cragged black void amongst the stars. The forest was silent save for the slight rustle of the pine needles and young leaves in a late mountain breeze, and the heavy breathing of the firedrake.
The creature was lying stretched on its side, its vast wings lying unfurled on the ground. She was surrounded by a thicket of tacit trees. Her swollen stomach rapidly rose and sank with rhythmic and forceful breaths. She was a lovely female firedrake. Her deep red scales glistened purple in the moonlight, and shimmered glossily with health and strength. Her wings were long and well-muscled.
…This female was in her prime, and she was about to give birth.
Her breathing became harsher, and she shifted a little as her bulging stomach visibly tightened. In a few moments, her stomach contracted again. Spasmodic shivers were tracing down her body now, keeping time with the contractions in her belly. They continued in frequency until they almost seemed to overlap, her entire body tensing. The dragon moaned quietly and took a single, deep breath. She strained for a moment, then, with a grunt, exhaled. There was a pause in her contractions and she lay still, regaining her breath. After a moment, she propped herself up on one foreleg, twisting her long neck to get a look at the little squirming newborn that wasn’t there a moment ago. She sniffed the newborn briefly, and proceeded to gently lick its face free of the sac that coated its nostrils and mouth. The dragon lay back down again.
…One down.
In a few moments another little draken was laying on the forest floor.
The mother shifted positions, moving onto her feet and crouching over her two drakens. She proceeded to cover both of them with big sweeps of her tongue, making sure that every scale and every crease was licked clean. She sniffed each one in turn, maternal pride evident in the low, gentle grunts that rumbled from her throat.
Two beautiful little babies. And they were hers.
The first one was a female, and she was a lovely soft red-brown, like the dark clay-filled earth that traced the banks of the river that gorged through the mountains which the firedrake called home. She was already an assertive little thing; of the two babies she unabashedly squealed the loudest.
The second one was a male. His scales were a brilliant red, brighter and deeper than any mountain wildflower. His stomach was a golden-yellow, tracing from underneath his chin to the tip of his tail. He wasn’t nearly as demanding as his sister, but he still squalled passionately for food.
The female grunted softly at the newborns, trying to quiet them. She couldn’t have their squalling attract predators; they were far too young to defend themselves in any way. She nudged them reassuringly with her muzzle before she decided to give them the food they were demanding. She took a step back from the babies, and, lowering her head, she heaved. A portion of half-digested meat from her last meal was regurgitated onto the forest floor. The queen nudged the food over to the drakens, still grunting coaxingly as she lay down to watch.
Each draken took a tentative sniff of the flesh before digging in. They tugged at the meat voraciously, often toppling themselves over in their uncoordinated efforts to dislodge bite-size morsels. However, they each were able to fill their tummies eventually, and, hunger sated, the two drakens hobbled unsurely on newborn legs to their mother, curling up against her stomach.
The female watched as the babies fell fast asleep against her, their stomachs distended to a huge size. Instinctively, she knew that they would be hungry again by the next afternoon; she had a busy spring ahead of her. She draped one wing over the slumbering drakens, and laid her head down to sleep as well.
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Jinx sat at the water’s edge, he came to notice the distinct characteristics. How every ripple comes from a source and are bound, where all the turtles and birds flock to for food, but one thing one must take note on is the scariest part.
As he peered into the bent mirror of the darkened past, sometimes he could see how their would used to look, feel, and sound. Its upside down, as it should be. He looked up as he heard the sound of beating wings and smiled at a small white dragon. “Hello Spirit.” he said as he stood up. “What news?” he asked as the small dragon landed on his shoulder.
“Jade has given birth to two offspring.” she said in a cooking voice. Jade smiled as he didn’t hesitate to take off towards Jade’s layer. As Jinx was the son of Jade as she taken him in many years ago when his parents had thrown him at her feet as they ran off. From that point on Jade had taken him up as one of her own.
Jinx was out of breath as soon as he made it to her nest. “Mother…” he said as he looked down at the two dragons and smiled. Kneeling down as he felt a warmth that overwhelmed him, new dragons in the world. Looking up and smiled, though his smile faded as he looked at her. “what is it?” he asked as he stood.
Jade stood there as she looked down at Jinx then down at her young. "there are others that have entered this forest... I found no reason to take their lives as they seem harmless enough." she said slowly before she looked back at Jinx. "Though I don't want to chance them harming my young." she stated. Jinx understood, to go investigate these intruders and see what they were up to and why they were here. He took up his spire as he gripped it in his hand. "I will go look for them and be back once I find out what they're up to." he said as he wanted this forest to stand as much as Jade. With Jade having her offspring new to this world she couldn't show herself in fear of being hunted down herself. So he'd go, as there was less to lose.
He walked long and fare before he found some tracks, bending down as he ran his fingers gently on them in thought. Looking up slowly as he looked around, they were fresh... He licked his lips as he continued forwards in search of the ones his mother saw earlier on during her hunt.
