The weeks of training passed like sunlight over the hillside, battles with all manner of prey already merging into shadow along the halls of memory. I rested by the shrine of the city, the day warm upon my flanks as I contemplated my progress and considered my destiny. From Chiconis to Dralk, to the human cities to great Tazoon itself, I had wandered much of the free world in search of learning. Those first days of almost frightful desperation seemed somehow amusing to me. Now… unconsiciously, I flexed a claw and watched with satisfaction the deep gouge that appeared in […]

The journey to the trainers was relatively uneventful, rolling hills of green marked by dirt paths and the chiming of the crystals — all combining to make my trip through Chiconis peaceful and enjoyable. I followed the line of hatchlings up the hill and over the suspended bridge to the lairs of the elders who guide our learning, skittering to a stop, my nose unceremoniously plowing a trough at the feet of Sandiva. The giggles of the other hatchlings raising my scales slightly, but the warm chuckle of the mistress soothing the sting of their ridicule, “Greetings, Beryl… have you […]

The ambient light inside the temple came as much from the multicolored glass panels along the walls as the soft candlelight that flickered at intermittent points. Sibilant mutterings guided the un-named from the entrance into the alter room, the massive, sunken area appearing through graceful arches as they moved down the long, flat stairs. From beneath the marble upon which they walked, soft amber light rose, dappling the room, meeting prismatic beams that drifted downward through the stained glass of the ceiling. Small gasps of awe echoed through the chamber as hatchlings craned their heads up in unison, following the […]

Waking comes slowly, rolling over me in soft waves of sensation that tease me into consciousness… blissful heat, a scent that means safety, a hint of fecund greenery not far from where I lay… and a gentle nudging that lifts me until my eyes pop open to find her soft amber eyes gazing at me from above, “Time to get up, sleepy head…,” the rumbling voice chuckles as she settles me to my haunches and moves slightly away. She is a marvel of shimmering green, my mother. Wings neatly folded over lithe shoulders, she sits with a curious and amused […]

I feel cold. The sense of warmth leeching from me is frightening… shifting, I discover the nature of confinement and for the first time, discontent. Craning my head about, I nestle into the lingering, wet warmth of myself and attempt to sleep… impossible… the fleeing heat reveals a stickiness that annoys even as it spikes my sense of fear… I twitch, aware of my own form for the first time… feeling somehow cramped, somehow deprived. As my mind registers myself, the reality of form and structure, my eyes open… slowly… to nothingness, blackness, and instinctively I realize there is something […]