[Fireheart]: 318.Short Stories.Tal-Inri.Tal-Inri Part II.Tal-Inri Part III.Tal-Inri Part V.Tal-Inri Part VI.Tal-Inri Part VII

The dripping of water woke me the next morning. Storm was asleep, and considering he was serving as my pillow, I did not stir for fear of waking him. The cavern was deserted save for the two of us. I looked up at the holes in the cavern ceiling, and judging from the light decided it was early morning.
My thoughts wandered as I lay still. Questions ran through my mind such as how dragons got their food and what they ate normally (obviously some sort of meat), why the Black Ones had to be so evil, why I seemed to be crushing on my rescuer, who happened to not even be of my species (I reassured myself that it was dragon hormones, not human ones, that attracted me physically to Storm.) But I enjoyed his personality. He seemed capable of having fun while still keeping his wits about him, and I always admired a guy who could do that. 
      Other questions included when I would learn my Lesson that had been set by the Ageless Tree, how I would earn my markings, and I wondered how well I would get along with the other dragons. The elemental groups seemed far more scattered than they were in the unicorn herd. I wasn’t expected to spend most of my time with fire elementals; it seemed that I was actually expected to blend with the dragon community as a whole.
I found the dragons to be intriguing and beautiful creatures, and the variety of individuals was just as striking as it was with the unicorns.
My thoughts were interrupted as Storm stirred, then raised his head and yawned, opening his eyes sleepily. He turned to scrutinize me. How are you feeling? He asked, extending his forelegs and hind legs to stretch in the manner of a cat.
I moved experimentally and, feeling no pain, looked up at him happily. Much better. You were right. Dragons do heal quickly. I stood to prove this to him, and this time I didn’t do a face-plant. 
He stood beside me, and I was extremely aware of the fact that the level of my head atop my neck came to just under his chin. I actually felt short, but I didn’t divulge this fact.
We’re probably the first ones up. He mused. I guess this gives me a great opportunity to give you the grand tour.
I was eager to learn about the place where I was living. The massive cavern in which we were standing was the main cavern, he told me. We walked through several connecting tunnels off of which entrances to other caverns branched. Several of them were nurseries, which were deep, flat expanses pockmarked with rounded out pockets of dust. Here the female dragons would lay their eggs and tend them. 
A nursery dragon was always on duty in case an egg hatched unexpectedly, or any of the eggs began to look cold. Dragon eggs had to be kept at a very specific temperature, achieved when the mother dragon breathed on them.
We moved on to another cavern, in which I heard water splashing. I peeked in and saw a deep pool of water the size of a small lake inside the cavern. Out of one wall a waterfall of sorts was spilling into the huge pool, and a crack in the opposite wall let the water out. This was apparently the water source and bathing area for the entire community. The rest of the caverns were sleeping quarters, in which the walls were covered in ledges, where dragons built nests to sleep in. 
We quietly turned around and retraced our steps, but instead of heading back to the big cavern, we went to the surface. I discovered that we were in an amphitheatre of sorts, a gargantuan circular arena carved out of volcanic rock. The sides rose up around us, and they were fashioned to contain more than the amount of dragons present in the elemental community. 
Storm told me that we were standing in the area where the regular meetings of the republic were held. Once a year a representative from each race on Tal-Inri joined the dragon council to make decisions for the good of all races. The dragons met even more regularly, especially these days when the course of action against the Black Ones was repeatedly discussed.
We wandered up the ramp that was located on one side of the amphitheatre and left the formation, arriving in what resembled the Alaskan wilderness of sparse grasses and hardy wildflowers. The Crater loomed all around us, blocking out the daytime sun even though it was a mile or so away.
It’s funny how small we are. Storm thought to me. I mean, we’re the largest beings on Tal-Inri, yet there are still things bigger than us. The Volcano always reminds me just how insignificant I am in the grand scheme of things.
I nodded, not really knowing what to say. After a time, we turned and wandered back to the amphitheatre, where many others were beginning to rise for the day.
Later on, Storm brought me breakfast- a bloody, raw hunk of meat. I wasn’t sure what sort of animal it came from, but I knew that it must have been an Earth Beast and not a Tal-Inrian creature, so I felt moderately safe eating it. It was the only raw meat I ever consumed, and though the taste wasn’t terrible, I still thought like a human about such things.
Over the next couple of days, I did many of the things I had done with the unicorn herd; played with hatchlings and young dragons, socialized with the older ones, and learned laws and customs. I even had the opportunity to sit through a War and Defense Council session. I was surprised but not shocked to learn that Storm held a leading position on the War and Defense Council. As I had spent time with him, I had learned that the Black Ones had torn both his parents and his younger sister to shreds, and he wanted to annihilate the likes of them from the face of the planet.
I spent a good portion of my time gliding around in the air of the Volcano valley with him, talking. I told him almost as much about Earth as he told me about Tal-Inri. To my utter surprise, he wanted to know more about my life, especially my relationship with my mother. I told him how it wasn’t so great, that we were always fighting. He had difficulty understanding how a relationship with a mother could be so unstable, but he listened carefully.
One day while we were flying around, a shadow blocked out the sun. 
Storm said urgently, Fireheart, go get help!
I looked up, confused, and to my utter horror, saw a Black One diving at me out of the skies. I said faintly, I thought they’d never come into the valley…
Storm’s eyes flashed dangerously in the split second before the impact. I held my claws bared in front of me as the solid weight of the Black One struck me, it’s weight driving me down through they air. As we fell, I became a whirlwind of snapping teeth and slashing claws. The Black One’s acid saliva struck my scales, hissing. I heard its mocking thought voice in my head, lilting and poisonous: Little one… Your kind will never prevail against us… give in now and make things easy for yourself. I frantically blocked it out and focused on survival.
I twisted away from the jaws of death and looked frantically for Storm. I didn’t see him. Panic set in, but there was no time for that as the Black One attacked again. This time I let out a mighty roar that shook the valley and exhaled a gigantic flame at the great beast. It writhed away from me, snarling in agony. Though it had the advantage of size, I knew that my element was well equipped, and we were the fiercest fighters. 
As the Black One struck the ground, I landed near it, but out of striking distance. I looked off toward the Dragon’s Keep. I saw a multicolored cloud of confusion rising, and knew that my roar had been heard. But where was Storm?
The Black One suddenly sprang up, murder in its glowing white eyes. It hissed, A fire elemental. I should’ve known… but no matter. You’re inexperienced and will make a fine kill. Its bared teeth reminded me of a rabid dog, and I was sure I bore a similar expression.
We faced off, circling each other. The Black One suddenly lashed out with its tail, cutting me across the haunch. My muscle spasmed and then gave out, leaving me with the use of only one rear leg. The grin on the jaws of the creature was triumphant. I resolved that I would keep fighting until the end, which I sensed was very soon.
Suddenly, I heard Storm’s voice in my head. Don’t give up now, Fireheart. Just because things look bleak doesn’t mean that you’ve lost. And I refuse to lose someone else I love to these creatures. So I’m not going to give up.
There was a deep roar, and Storm dove straight out of the sky, landing atop the Black One and biting down on the back of its neck. It shook him off, hissing, and pounced on him.
The flurry of claws, teeth, and poison that followed was impossible for me to trace. I leapt in awkwardly, lacking the use of one hind leg, and began biting at the ankles and feet of the Black One and at anything else I could get my jaws on. I wasn’t able to use my fire breath for fear of injuring Storm; but something had to be done, and fast. He was almost as strong as the Black One- almost, but not quite.
However, I had disregarded Storm’s elemental powers. As he and I exhausted ourselves and slowly lost the battle, his anger had brought a storm brewing over the Volcano valley. Rain fell, the wind picked up, and thunder rumbled.
Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck the Black One in the head, and Storm snapped its neck in the instant it was stunned with one particularly mighty blow to its skull. As its carcass fell, limp, the hoard of dragons arrived.
We all looked grimly at the body of the first Black One who had dared invade the valley. This meant there would be more. This meant the war had begun. 
I turned to look for Storm, and gaped, because behind a great indigo female stood the Ageless Tree.
Storm came to stand beside me, gashed and bleeding, but proud. The circle of dragons around the Black One’s body excluded us as enraged dragons spoke eagerly of war. 
The storm that had been summoned did not disperse; rain continued to fall. I sought Storm’s eyes and realized that there were tears in them.
When the Ageless Tree appears, your lesson has been learned. Fireheart, do you know what your lesson was?
I didn’t want to think about it. I wanted to stay with Storm, and visit Flamedancer, and spend the rest of my days as a dragon. But I knew that my life would never be complete if I didn’t return home and make use of my lesson.
I do. I finally replied, slowly. You taught me, that just because things seem hopeless, and it’s difficult to go on, you have to try, no matter what. I think it means that I have to go home, and keep fighting to keep my grades up… and to start fighting for a better future with my mother. You’re fighting for a better future for Tal-Inri. So we’re the same like that… I trailed off as tears fell from my eyes.
Storm reared on his hind legs, and wrapped his forelegs and wings around me, in a dragon embrace. I love you, Fireheart. And I swear on my mothers and fathers souls that I will see you again someday. Love always finds a way. Also… this is for you. The entire Council agrees you’ve earned it.
He pulled back, and I felt a tingling in my right wing. I ducked my head to look at it and saw a mark outlined in gold, of a heart surrounded by fire. I smiled sadly, and thanked him.
I looked deep into Storm’s eyes one last time. Come visit me some time? I pleaded.
He replied, Someday, I certainly will. Your world sounds like it’s an interesting place. Anything to see you again.
He escorted my sorry, limping self to the trunk of the Ageless Tree. I raised my paw to the familiar pattern, and hesitated, turning back to him. Promise? I asked.
He pressed his muzzle to mine. Promise. He pushed my paw against the trunk, and everything was gone in a blinding flash of light.