The Dragonling Read online

  “Sleep well?” he asked.

  The dragon thrummed and licked him on the cheek.

  “Will you cut that out?” said Darek. “You’re supposed to be tough, remember?”

  Darek made himself a breakfast of bread and barliberry jam while Zantor foraged in the woods, obviously remembering all the places Darek had shown him the night before.

  “Pretty smart, aren’t you?” said Darek when the dragon came back. Zantor looked healthier already. His scales, which had been dull and greenish, were now turning a shiny peacock blue.

  That day and the next two passed much like the first, except that Zantor grew stronger each day and was able to move more quickly. By the fourth day they were getting close to the Valley of the Dragons. Darek had never been there, but he had heard it described so many times around the campfire that he knew just what to look for.

  “Won’t be long now,” he told Zantor. “You’ll be home by afternoon.” Zantor thrummed happily, and Darek wondered again if he somehow understood. Darek suddenly grew sad at the thought of leaving the dragonling behind. “That’s what you came here for,” he scolded himself angrily. “He’s only a dragon, after all.” But still, Darek worried. What would the other dragons think of Zantor, with his strange and gentle ways? Would they accept him, or treat him as an outcast? Or worse, would they kill him?

  Darek and Zantor came upon the twin stones that marked the entrance to the valley, and Darek realized that they must proceed carefully. He tied Dorlass to a tree, then crept up to the top of a ridge to look out over the valley. Zantor scrambled up beside him.

  “Get down, stupid,” said Darek, throwing an arm around Zantor’s neck and pulling him down.

  “Rrronk, rrronk,” said Zantor, struggling to get free.

  “Shhhush!” said Darek. Then he pointed down into the valley. “Look!”

  Darek’s heart pounded. For all his brave talk, he was unprepared for the size and number of creatures moving about below. Some of them lazed in the sun. Others waded in the river. Smaller ones butted heads together and tumbled like children in the dirt. There were caves cut into the mountains all around the valley, and occasionally a dragon would appear at the mouth of one and glide down on great wings to the valley floor. They were mostly Yellow Crested dragons, with a few Green Horned. Darek saw no Great Blues at all.

  Zantor was staring at the scene excitedly.

  “Is this your home?” Darek asked him. “Where are your kind?”

  Zantor turned his head and looked toward the mountain on the right, high up at the very largest caves. There was a sudden movement in the shadows, and then a female Great Blue stepped full into the sun. Darek knew it was a female from the markings on her scales. She stood poised for a moment on the edge, then lifted off and soared out almost over their heads.

  “Thrummmm, thrummmm, thrummmm,” said Zantor.

  “Shhush!” whispered Darek, clamping a hand over the dragonling’s mouth. Darek stared up in awe at the Great Blue. She was the most magnificent creature he had ever seen. The sun glinted on her deep blue scales, making them sparkle like the sea. Her wings stretched out silver and shimmering against the pale blue sky. For all her great size, she was sleek in the air, and when she landed gracefully on the valley floor, she stood head and shoulders above the rest, like a queen.

  Darek let go of Zantor’s mouth. Zantor thrummed again, happily staring down at the Great Blue. Darek smiled and nodded.

  “Yes,” he said. “I think she would make you a fine mother.”

  6

  GETTING THE GREAT BLUE TO adopt Zantor would be tricky. Zantor was not yet strong enough to fly down into the valley himself, and Darek wasn’t about to walk him down. The best chance, he decided, would be to get the dragonling up to the Great Blue’s cave while she was away. If she came home and found him in her nest, she might be more likely to accept him as her own.

  Knowing what to do and doing it, however, were two different matters. The cave was high up on the mountainside. Climbing would be difficult, and worse, they would be in plain sight of the dragons. Darek decided that they’d make the climb at night, and then hide in the bushes near the mouth of the cave until the Great Blue went out in the morning.

  Darek ate a large supper of cheese and milk and bread, and then topped it off with a generous helping of berries that he and Zantor had found. When the sun went down, Zantor started scuffling around, nose to the ground. He pushed a couple sticks together and started to blow on them.

  “No, Zantor,” said Darek. “No campfire tonight.” He picked up the sticks and tossed them into the woods. Far back down the mountain pass, a bright flicker in the darkness caught his eye.

  A campfire. Darek took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was a search party, he was sure. His father and Clep and the others had come after him. He’d been so busy thinking ahead that he’d never thought back about the trail he was leaving. He guessed them to be about a day’s journey behind him. He still had a chance to make his plan work, but there would be no second chances.

  Darek sat down and looked at Zantor.

  “I don’t know if you understand me at all,” he said, “but what I have to say is very important. You and I are going up there.” He pointed to himself, then to Zantor, then to the cave. “We’re going now. Tonight. Do you understand?”

  Zantor stared where Darek pointed. “Rrronk,” he said.

  “It is going to be rrronk,” said Darek, “but we can make it. Just follow me, and be quiet.” Darek put his hand around Zantor’s mouth and held it shut to show him what quiet meant, then he moved off into the darkness. The dragonling followed.

  Climbing was hard and slow. Zantor seemed better at it than Darek. He was lighter, for one thing, and his claws were good at finding niches to hold on to. Darek’s hands grew sore and numb from the night chill. Several times he found himself wondering again why he was risking his life for a dragon.

  Suddenly there was a piercing shriek. From a cave across the valley two dragons appeared. They roared and charged at each other. Their fiery breath lit up the night. Darek flattened himself against the rock, hoping the noise wouldn’t awaken the Great Blue. Zantor whimpered. The two dragons, both Yellows, went on screeching for a while, then quieted down and went back into the same cave. Darek chuckled. “Perhaps they are husband and wife,” he whispered to Zantor. “I’ve heard arguments like that back in the village.”

  Darek and Zantor edged onward. They had almost reached the cave when Darek felt himself slipping. He grabbed hold of a small bush and kicked out, madly trying to find safe footing. There was none. Darek’s heart sank. His hands were so sore and tired he could hardly hang on. So this was how it was going to end? His father and Clep would find him dead at the bottom of the cliffs. What a fool he’d been.

  Suddenly something tugged at the back of his neck, and Darek felt himself rising. He was dragged up and up until he was on firm ground again. Zantor landed beside him, breathing heavily.

  “You?” said Darek. “You lifted me up, with those little wings?” Zantor seemed too tired to answer. He just laid his head in Darek’s lap. Darek stroked it gently.

  “Maybe you are growing into your name,” he whispered.

  7

  DAREK AND ZANTOR SPENT THE rest of the night in the bushes outside the Great Blue’s cave. At the stroke of dawn, before it was even fully light, the Great Blue appeared. The whole valley quickly came to life. With great squawks and chatterings, dragons appeared at the mouth of every cave and crisscrossed down through the air. The Great Blue lifted off.

  Darek sucked in his breath. “Well,” he said, “I guess this is it.” He edged his way out of the bushes and into the cave, motioning to Zantor to follow. The cave was pitch-black inside, and Darek couldn’t see a thing, but instantly the air was filled with a chorus of rrronks. Dragonlings! Zantor rushed past Darek back into the gloom, and the rrronks turned to excited thrummings.

  Darek’s eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, and at last
he could make out Zantor and two other slightly larger dragonlings tumbling merrily over one another. Darek smiled. He wished he could give Zantor a farewell hug, but he knew the smartest thing to do was to leave, fast. Just as he turned to go, a huge shadow darkened the mouth of the cave.

  “Grrrawk! Grrrawk!” shrieked the Great Blue as she touched down on the outer ledge. Darek’s blood turned to ice. She must have heard her babies cry and come back to check on them. If only he’d waited until she was out of earshot! Her great bulk filled the entrance. Darek whirled, looking for another passageway. There was none. These were not ordinary caves, he realized, just holes in the mountains hollowed out by the dragons’ sharp claws.

  “Grrrawk! Grrrawk!” the dragon screeched again. She glared at him, her green eyes glowing in the dark. Darek swung his bow off his shoulder and reached back for an arrow. With a trembling hand he fitted it to the string. There was only one unprotected spot, he knew, high up on the neck, just under the chin. She would lift her head just before battle. He would have one chance.

  The dragon reared back. Flames shot from her mouth and lit up the cave. Darek took aim and—

  Whomp! Darek took a hard blow to the back. He fell forward, the wind knocked out of him. He twisted in the dirt, gulping and sucking for air. When at last he could breathe again, he rolled over. Zantor stood behind him.

  “Traitor!” Darek hissed, knowing even as he said it how foolish it sounded. Wouldn’t he have done the same thing in Zantor’s place? The Great Blue reared back and roared again, and Darek put his head down and waited for the end.

  But instead of flames, or teeth, or claws, he felt only a small pressure. Zantor had lain down on top of him.

  The Great Blue stopped roaring and started pacing back and forth, as if trying to decide how to deal with this strange turn of events. Her own dragonlings came over to her and made small mewing sounds. She picked them up and dropped them gently into her pouch. Then she came over and touched noses with Zantor. He whimpered and made little mewing noises too. She licked him tenderly, and he began to thrum. She picked him up and put him into her pouch as well.

  Darek was glad, at least, that the dragon had accepted Zantor. Now it was his turn. With one claw the dragon ripped off Darek’s quiver and tossed it over near his bow. In a mighty burst of flame the weapons disappeared. Darek cringed. With the same claw the dragon rolled him over. She sniffed him up and down and stared a long time into his eyes, then, to Darek’s amazement, she hooked her claw through his shirt, picked him up, and dropped him into her pouch with the others.

  Zantor nestled up against him. “Thrrumm, thrrumm, thrum,” he said. Darek let out a sigh of relief.

  “I don’t know what you told her,” he said, “but thanks.”

  Darek was glad to be alive, but not at all sure what to expect next. He poked his head up. The Great Blue had turned and shuffled back out to the edge of the rock ledge. She plucked one of her dragonlings from the pouch and set him down before her.

  “Grok,” she said. The dragonling wobbled for a moment on the edge, then fluttered out into the air. The dragon lifted out the second dragonling.

  “Oh no.” Darek groaned. “We would arrive just in time for flying lessons.”

  After the second dragonling was airborne, the Great Blue lifted out Zantor. Zantor stood timidly on the edge, his wings sagging. “Rrronk?” he said.

  The mother dragon nudged him gently but firmly, and off he went. Darek closed his eyes, then opened one. Zantor flapped and fluttered for a moment, then straightened out and glided beautifully.

  The next thing he knew, Darek found himself standing on the ledge. The drop to the valley below made his head swim and his knees feel like jelly. The Great Blue bent close and eyed him up and down. Then she turned him around and eyed him up and down again. Finally she snorted, picked him up, and put him back in her pouch.

  The Great Blue lifted off and soared out over the valley. The wind whipped through Darek’s hair and took his breath away. The ground raced by below him. He was flying! Suddenly Darek didn’t even care if the dragons killed him in the end. The thrill of this moment made it all worthwhile.

  The dragon made a surprisingly gentle landing. Zantor came running over, thrumming loudly, and jumped into the pouch with Darek. “Shush,” said Darek, ducking down as far as he could. He was not sure the other dragons would accept him as readily as the Great Blue had.

  All the dragons had moved into the forest— hunting, Darek imagined. The Great Blue and her two dragonlings followed. Darek peeked out. To his amazement, the dragons were not hunting at all. They were feeding on fruits and nuts and leaves, just like Zantor.

  8

  DAREK LAY BACK WITH HIS head resting on Zantor’s round belly. The Great Blue and the dragonlings were sleeping. All the dragons, it seemed, returned to their caves for naps at midday. Darek was drowsy too, after his long night, but he was too excited to sleep. His mind was running in leaps and bounds. If the Zorians could befriend these dragons as he had, what a great help they could be to one another. Darek had noticed that food was not plentiful in the valley. Maybe that was why there were so few dragons left. The Zorians were great farmers. They could grow food for the dragons, and in return the dragons could help the Zorians in many ways. They could light fires. They could help plow the fields with their great claws. And then, there was the flying! Even a small dragon could probably carry four Zorians in its pouch at once. Journeys of several days could be made in hours! Darek could hardly wait to tell everyone of his discovery. He would probably become famous, maybe even go down in history . . . .

  Darek finally fell asleep, dreaming of a bright new future for dragons and Zorians alike.

  • • •

  “Grrrawk!” Darek woke with a start. The Great Blue had jumped up and rushed, roaring, to the mouth of the cave. Darek scrambled to his feet. He edged along the side of the cave and peeked out. There on a ledge just below the cave were his father, Clep, and the full Zorian hunting party.

  The Great Blue roared again, head up, flames shooting out. Dragons began to emerge from the other caves. The Zorians formed a battle circle, shields and weapons pointing out. Darek’s father, Clep, and several other men aimed up at the Great Blue.

  “Father, no!” Darek shrieked. He ran out beneath the Great Blue’s legs and waved his arms.

  “Darek!” yelled his father. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine,” Darek shouted. He looked up at the Great Blue. “Wait, please!” he yelled to her. “Let me talk to them.”

  The Blue reared and tossed her head from side to side. Darek turned back to the hunters. “Lower your weapons,” he shouted. “You’re making her nervous.”

  No one made any move to obey.

  “Move aside, son,” Darek’s father called firmly.

  “You don’t understand,” Darek insisted. “They’re peaceful. They only fight to defend themselves. They’re not the same as the dragons in the old days. They don’t even eat flesh!”

  Darek’s words seemed to bounce off his father’s stony face. “Get out of the way, son!” he repeated.

  Darek turned to Clep. “Clep, you’ve got to make him listen,” he begged.

  Clep lowered his bow slightly and glanced uneasily at his father. “Maybe he’s telling the truth,” Darek heard him say. “Maybe we should listen.”

  “He is a child!” Darek’s father yelled. “What does he know of dragons? Raise your bow!”

  Clep raised his bow again, but when he looked up at Darek, he seemed torn.

  “Please!” Darek shouted again. “I do speak the truth.” No one but Clep paid him any heed. Even Yoran’s father, Bodak, turned a deaf ear to his pleas.

  “Grrrawk! Grrrawk!” The Great Blue reared back. Flames shot out of her mouth.

  “For the last time,” Darek’s father yelled, “get out of the way!”

  Darek stood trembling before his father’s icy stare. All his life he had wanted nothing more than to make his father prou
d. Now he stood defying him. Why? Zantor bumped Darek’s arm and whimpered. Darek looked down into the dragonling’s gentle face and knew why. If killing without cause was what it took to be a man, he wanted no part of it.

  The Great Blue roared and lifted her head. Darek saw his father narrow his eyes and train his bow on the dragon. “Ready!” he yelled. “Aim!”

  Darek put his arms around Zantor and closed his eyes.

  9

  “STOP!”

  The scream that split the air was piercing enough to be heard above the dragons.

  Darek opened his eyes and stared. There, on the ridge beside the twin rocks, stood his mother. Zilah, Yoran’s mother, was with her, and so were most of the other village women.

  “Mother!” Darek called out.

  Darek’s father roared. “Are you mad, woman? Get back, or the dragons will tear you to pieces!”

  Darek watched, amazed, as his mother and the other women ignored his father’s warning and began the dangerous climb toward the cave. The dragons, too, seemed stunned. Even the Great Blue stopped her roaring and thrashing and stood watching.

  Darek glanced anxiously at the dragons as his mother and the others struggled for footings. Should the dragons decide to attack, they would be easy pickings.

  “Get back, I tell you!” Darek’s father repeated, but the women came on. At last Darek’s mother reached the mouth of the cave, and Darek rushed into her arms. She hugged him tight, then looked uneasily up at the Great Blue.

  “She won’t hurt us,” Darek said. “She’s only protecting her babies.”

  Darek’s mother nodded. She held up her hands. “I have no weapons,” she told the Great Blue. Then she folded her arms around Darek again. “I am a mother, like you.”

  The Great Blue seemed to understand. She nudged Zantor back into the shadows.

  “Take the boy and get out of there,” Darek’s father yelled, “while you’ve still got the chance!”