Clouds of Anger

England: Dark Ages

Drocyon growled as he flew over the dreary English countryside, to the horror of the toiling peasants below. This was typical, just typical that given his circumstances, he would have to live here, of all places. Why had he not chosen to migrate, like the rest of his kin, to the warmer climates of the southern lands. Why had he considered it such a great idea to live here.

The skies were as grey as they always were on this dismal place, and the landscape bore the same bleached look. He had been in the air since the beginning of the day had arrived, and the entire flight this had been all he could see. He cursed his elders of the clan as he sped on over the land. To be fair, they had tried to caution him about this place. But Drocyon was young, he had only seen 34 summers, and was not renowned for his foresight. So here he was, whilst all of the others had gone south, he had gone north, to this grey, dull dump of an island, unworthy of a pigeon, let alone a dragon.

This place land would have been bearable, if the native humans were friendly. But if the rumours passed by his elders had been true, then he was in for a hard time. Humans were generally aggressive, with their weapons and their wars over trivial beliefs and misunderstandings, bloodshed seemed to come as naturally to them as breathing. In this "Brittania" however, they were especially hostile towards dragons. In fact, some of them had made a hobby out of murdering his kin and kind. "Dragonslayers" they were called, blood thirsty warriors eager to wear the scaly hides of dragons as their primal trophies.

Drocyon was determined to avoid these humans as much as he could, after all, he was attached to his maroon hide, but they knew this land better than him, and he would need their assistance in finding a cave… that is, if they were feeling compliant. If not, then as a dragon, he would be forced to intimidate a location out of them, which could backfire, and end up getting him killed.

So then, if this land was dull and the people were deadly, why did Drocyon choose this place to live? After wracking his mind, he came up with two possible answers: either it had been out of his inbuilt desire to defy both the odds and his elders, proving he was as self-reliant as he was proud, or it had been out of sheer stupidity, a bad decision made by a complete fool of a dragon. Looking down on the ground below, to the fortified settlement he was gradually approaching, with sharp wooden spikes along its perimeter fence, and the assortment of shields, pikes and severed heads decorating it, he was seriously starting to doubt the former.

He landed in front of the opening he assumed was the forts main entrance, to be confronted by a poor imitation of a guard, with an untidy appearance, a shagged umkempt beard and a filthy tunic bearing the symbol of the kingdom: two gryphons reared upon a blue shield. He stepped towards Drocyon, a dragon twice the size of him, pike out in a display of preemptive attack.

"What brings ye to thy kingdom, vile beast?" The guard called out in a gruff voice.

Drocyon groaned inwardly. Such morons did not deserve the honour of hearing his voice. Instead, he used his mind to call out to this guard, with enough command to put the thing in its place. "Send your Lord out here, now!"

He had meant to be intimidating, and the guard had been taken aback, but it had fallen short of the mark. The guard scoffed, using one hand to cover his ear and the other to jab the pike at Drocyon. "The only way ye eyes shall gaze upon thy Lord's presence is from thine Lords wall- after thy takes ye head."

So this kind of intimidation would not work on him, so Drocyon attempted another tactic. "And suppose we see how well "Thy Lord" 's wooden kingdom fares against thy breath of flame?" He threw his head up into the air and exhumed a blaze of fire to illustrate his point.

The guard, to Drocyon's gratitude, got the picture. After stammering a hasty "Y-ee-ess!", he sprinted off inside the perimeter walls. He returned mere moments later, accompanied by four men in some type of suit made out of plated silvery metal, brandishing weapons of all types, from heavy looking club-like objects to long sharp handled blades.

"How pathetic." Drocyon thought to himself. "As if they believe they would stand a chance. One huff and they would smoulder in their suits."

A fifth man, an aging overweight fellow wearing regal clothes and a thin golden crown on a perspiring bald head, stepped into view. He shambled forward, using a jewelled golden sceptre as a humble walking stick. He paused when his grey eyes fell upon the dragon in front of him, before they  darted nervously to his entourage of metal men "We-e have little of value here, dragon." He cried out in anguish, "Your ho-oard would grow little with our hard-e-earned wealth."

Hoard? What in this grey land was his old fool blathering about? "Your gold is not of my concern. I merely wish to find a cave in these lands."

The king's eyebrows raised, before he burst out in cackles of laughter, holding onto his sceptre for support. "Then you have come here to die, dragon, for another of your wretched kind lives in these parts, in the only cave beffiting its foul form, and it has proven impossible to slay."

Drocyon's anger silently turned to dismay, although he was careful not to give any outward signs as such. Another dragon?  This place was just getting better- now was a battle not only likely, but with this contender for food and territory, it was nigh on guaranteed! This meant defeat, hard unrelenting defeat. His elders had been right to warn him from this land, and now he have to admit it.

He was about to say his farewell and begin his trek south, when he saw a darkness growing on the horizon. Not the indifferent dark of a coming night, but the terrifying nightmare of an approaching storm. Drocyon was skilled in the air, as were most of his kin, but even he wasn't brave enough to fly through lightning and thunder. He needed shelter- he needed to find a cave. Quickly, he snapped his attention back to the feeble lord and mustered all his might into his voice "Where is the cave- tell me or burn."

The lord jumped at the booming sound of the dragon's voice, and dived behind one of the metal- men. "E-east of here. T-t-two miles e-east!"

Drocyon gravely nodded and turned to depart, glad he had now set the native humans clear on who wielded the power. Before he took off, he used his mind to send a few parting words to the king, so only he could hear "We mean each other no harm- see that it stays that way."

The idiotic guard stepped forward as Drocyon launched his body into the air with a thrust of his hind legs,  shaking his pike at the dragon as it soared off away into the cloudy sky "Begone from here, beast, and tell the Devil who sent ye!"



The sky was growing darker and more ominous by the second as Drocyon flew east, hoping he would arrive at the cave before the storm and trying to decide how to deal with its current resident. At first, he would try intimidating it, which sometimes worked depending on the opponent. If not, it would come to a battle, one he simply could not tell if he would win. Such uncertainties troubled him, he liked to be in control of his situation, not the other way round.

He kept on flying, mindful of the winds now starting to build up at this altitude, searching desperately for this cave. He would not last long out in the open during a storm, he needed shelter, and fast. His tension gave way to terror as all of a sudden the land vanished, leaving a chalk white cliff and the seething waters of the Brittanic Sea. The old lord had lied to him, probably to distract him long enough to obtain one of these dragonslayers. Now he was going to fly back and torch all of the stinking vermin....

But wait. As Drocyon glided back to shore, he spied a depression in its ivory surface. He descended for a closer look, and saw to his relief that was the cave he had needed.  With no plan in place, he tucked in his wings and dived down into the cave entrance, just as the first of thunder was heard and the first drops of rain started to fall.

The cave was large, but cramped. Drocyon had just enough room to flick the water off his tail and wings . And yet, surprisingly enough, it was empty, save for a nest of rats squeaking away in a corner, and a lump of yellowish resinous material stuck to a stalactite on the cave roof. No dragon in sight, let alone one impossible to slay. Silently praying the storm would claim it and save him a fight, he settled in before the cave entrance, resting his weary wings to his haunches, and lowering onto his belly as he watched the gathering storm outside.

It started with the occasional fork of lightning and the light sprinkle of a shower, but within an hour, the storm intensified into its full might. The sky was alive with the loud claps of thunder and streaks of vivid lightning, as sheets of rain pelted down to the waters below in a never ending torrent. The wind howled, rebounding off the walls of the cave and into his ears like the chilling wail of a banshee.

This was unbearable, Drocyon could not stand the din for much longer, and he kept hoping again and again, that it would reach its crescendo and disappate. However, as he eyed the spectacle outside his shelter, he caught a glimpse of something bright in the air above the sea.  At first, he believed it had been a mere effect of the storm, but as a fork of lightning lit the sky ablaze in a magnificent flash, he saw it again, a brief silouhette of wings against the clouds. The other dragon had survived, and now it had returned.

Drocyon was cornered, with nowhere to go. He backed into the cave corner, scaring the rats. He heard a THUMP as it landed at the cave entrance, and a ruffled sound as the dark form shook its wings dry. Drocyon observed the surroundings to gauge his limited options. The cave was too cramped for an all-out onslaught with this dragon, and judging by its size it could not be intimidated, but perhaps a sneak attack would suffice. Cautiously, he stepped out of the shadows, claws flexed in anticipation, ready to pounce, to main... to kill...
A small gout of flame erupted from the mysterious dragon, causing Drocyon to jump back, roaring with surprise. The flame struck against the roof of the cave, and lit the fabric in the resin, illuminating the room like a makeshift candle and revealing the dragon in a clear light.

And it was... beautiful! Drocyon could not pick out what it was whether it was the pale blue scales with the faint green shimmer that made this dragon so stunning, or the smooth supple form of its body, or the subtle yet omniscient blue sapphires it had for eyes. Somehow, he surmised, it was the combination of these details put together that made this dragon such a display of beauty that took his breath away at the first sight.

First, it regarded Drocyon with a silent glare, a look that could have melted rock. Drocyon noticed he was motionless, and was about to attack on the initiative, before suddenly the corners of its mouth curled inward and its muzzle stretched out in a warm smile. "Why hello there!" it said, with the gentle voice of a female.

If Drocyon was surprised at her appearance, he was astounded at its friendly behaviour. Here, in front of her, was an intruder to her private domain, her territory, and she was treating it like a dear nest-brother! Recovering his composure, he addressed this strange dragon as much authority as he could, which wasn't much. "I- er- herby claim cave as my home."

"Well that is good to hear, there's plenty of it to share." She replied cheerfully "Say, have you met my pets?" She gestured to the rats nest, where the furry vermin scurried about.

"You keep these things as pets?" Drocyon asked incredulously, raising an eyeridge in disbelief.

"Well, they were the previous owners of this cave." She told him "I figured they would make for a decent snack if the hunt would not satisfy. But after a while, it dawned on me- perhaps it would be rude to kill the creatures who allowed me to stay here."

Drocyon shook his head "They are rats, they wouldn't have complained when you moved in."

"They could have." She replied with a wink and a chuckle "But they would not have lasted long if they did."

Drocyon stared at the dragon with a stunned silence. This kind of behaviour was absurd for a dragon, it was absurd for anything for that matter. He wondered if she had gone mad as a result of her isolation here. So with the same politeness one would give to any mad dragon, Drocyon nodded with mock understanding "So keeping rats as attendants, very clever, very... unique."

"They make for nice company." She said, eyeing the rats sniffing around their nest, "Unlike those poor humans out there."
"Those dirty things in that wooden castle?" Drocyon looked up and sighed with frustration. "I would not mind burning them to the ground! They were so rude and hostile!"

"Only because we were hostile to them, for a time." The dragon explained, "They see us as monsters, we see them... as rats. So the cycle of blood goes on and on, with no victor, only more fallen."

Drocyon regretted his words about the humans, looking at the rats in their nest, only looking after each other as best they knew how. Strange as this dragon was, in this case, she was right. Perhaps the killings and slayings being a result of past killings and slayings, going on and on with more and more bloodshed on both sides.... what was the point?

The dragon sat at the cave entrance, with her back haunches to Drocyon, as if she didn't think he would attack her, simply gazing up at the raging maelstrom of the storm "My my, the clouds are angry this night."

Drocyon chuckled at this ridiculous remark as he walked up beside her. Having flown through plenty of clouds during his journey here, to discover they were little more than dampness and vapour, he doubted the clouds were capable of feeling anything, let alone anger. For an instant, he actually considered seizing the opportunity to attack her, but dismissed it just as quickly. After all, she had been so nice. And thinking back to her rats, it would be rude to kill someone who had offered her home to him so openly. Instead, he sat down where he had previously observed the storm, a couple of feet away from her. "So pray tell- why are the clouds so angry?"

"Because they are like cattle, you see." She said, waving a paw up towards the clouds as she spoke. "They idly float about up there in the sky, minding their own business and dropping rain as they wish. But then more of them arrive, and they crowd together and clump up. Now they don't like being so squashed, so confined, so get angry, and they throw tantrums as you and I did as hatchlings, throwing their rain, roaring at the others and spewing forth bolts of lightning as they try to make room for themselves."

Drocyon was enthralled by this description. Such an imagination for a dragon was so rare, in fact it was unheard of. Most other dragons only cared about the weather, their prey and their mate. None of them had ever put enough thought into the world they lived in to try and explain the natural occurances that happened within it. He was sure if he asked, she would have her enlightened knowledge of why the grass was green, and why the sun left the sky every night. They looked into the sky for a while, sheltered from the rain and lit by their solitary candle, simply watching the storm.

"So." The dragon asked, breaking the silence. "Would you, by any chance have a name?"

"Yes its- um- Drocyon." He replied meekly, cursing his inability to mantain composure.

"Nice to meet you Drocyon, you can call me Aurora." She replied, gently rubbing her head against his scaly neck in a welcome gesture. "And now my biggest question- what brings you to these parts?"

"I was..." he couldn't even finish his sentence, realising the idiocy of it all "I came here here looking for a home, while my kin migrated south."

"Why did you not go with them?"

"Because I though there might be something here... something different." He looked away in embarrassment. "How wrong I was."

Aurora smiled and leant in close "You were not wrong, Drocyon, only late. This land has some awe-inspiring places, hidden treasures the likes of which you have never laid eyes upon, all you need to do is be here at the right time, the right season."

"But everything in this land is so beleaguering." He interjected with a sigh of melancholy "Its all woods and fields... and dragonslayers."

Amazingly, Aurora scoffed at this last comment "Dragonslayers? Those egg-tooths couldn't slay a chicken, much less one of us... They do make for entertainment though." She swung her paw in the air in a mock swipe as she imitated some gruff human, not unlike the guard he had encountered earlier "Forsooth! I come to slay you, creature, to mount your scaly wings on thine house, and use thine skull as a hand-puppet!" Drocyon chuckled, which dissolved into peals of laughter.

"So you do have a sense of humour!" Aurora cheered, grinning. "Now how about a sense of adventure? What do you say, Drocyon? Would you care to stay here with me, and see what this land has to truly offer?"

He thought for a moment. The sensible decision would be to politely decline, and try to head south and rejoin his kin and elders. But this Aurora seemed so... interesting! Her enthusiasm was more than exhilarating, it was infectious, sweeping him up in its wake like the choppy oceans underneath them. So, putting his trust in her rather than his head, he smiled back at her as he replied "Nothing would please me more."

Aurora turned her eyes away from the storm, and their eyes met each other. For a moment, one single glorious instant in an eternity, Drocyon was lost in the indescribable warmth of her blue eyes. Something connected the pair, something intangible, and yet in that moment unbreakable, and deep down Drocyon knew that it was something that keep them together, and that he would never feel lonely again, as long he had her company, her smile, her... spirit.

A huge roar of thunder shattered the moment, and Aurora snapped her head back up, "There! See, now one of the clouds is going away, leaving some room for the others. So, very soon..." She paused as the storm gave one last flash of lightning and an accompanying rumble of thunder before the rain stopped and the storm was finally over. "...and now the clouds are tranquil again."

"If they were ever angry to begin with" Drocyon commented.

Aurora responded to this with a quick nudge to his right side "We can not know for sure, but we can dream. Sometimes, that is all you need to do."

They settled down to a comfortable silence, they gazed upon the heavens, the only sounds over the lapping waters of the ocean are their steady breathing as they enjoyed the company of each other. The airborne wanderer and the free spirit, watching the huge lumbering clouds gradually give way to the starry night sky.