A Dragons' Story
For a millennium, the two Legendary Dragons had roamed the skies of Elyria, unseen yet ever-present. Time had carved patterns into their scales—silvered streaks from centuries of storms, faint cracks from battles lost to memory, and scars that spoke of the weight of survival. They were no ordinary dragons. They were the progenitors of Elyria's dragonkind, the keepers of a line that had endured wars, elemental catastrophes, and the relentless passage of time.
For the last thousand years, the male and female dragons had never parted. Wherever one went, the other followed, a synchronized pair bound not only by instinct but by purpose. Each time they settled, it was not merely to rest—they were guardians, laying the foundation for generations yet unborn. In every hidden valley, every craggy cliff, every mist-shrouded cave, they laid two eggs: one male, one female. And not just any eggs—they could sense the essence within, discerning the gender, the elemental potential, the latent strength of each unborn dragon.
Unlike ordinary beasts, these dragons understood the vulnerability of life. They never abandoned their progeny, waiting until the eggs hatched before departing, often lingering for weeks, blending into the mist, their massive wings like shadows across the cliffs, their eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. It was from these eggs that all of Elyria's dragons were born—the fire-breathers, the sky hunters, the mountain wyrms—all descendants of these two ancient beings.
And yet, even in their vigilance, danger had never truly ceased.
The day they saw the intruders at the Waterdeep River—the small group of four humans whose aura thrummed with unnatural energy—they sensed an anomaly. The dragons' eggs, at that time, were not near the river. They were safe, nestled deep within Nightshade Valley, a treacherous landscape of jagged cliffs and molten fissures, protected by the Safeguard Aura the dragons themselves had forged. The aura was a shimmering barrier of pure elemental energy, attuned to the dragons' consciousness, designed to detect and repel intruders, to make the cave seem invisible to all but the most powerful seekers.
Yet, as the dragons unleashed torrents of flame and fury on the humans, their senses flickered. A disruption—subtle, almost imperceptible, yet undeniable. Someone had entered the valley. Someone had breached the Safeguard Aura.
The male dragon's wings beat with a force that shattered the mist. THOOM! THOOM! The shockwaves rippled across the forest, sending birds scattering and sending the smaller rivers into turmoil. His amber eyes glowed with sudden anger. ROAAARR!! (The eggs!)
The female dragon's scales shimmered like liquid gold as her wings unfurled, claws digging into the cliffside as she adjusted her stance. WHOOSH! ROAAARR!! ROAAARR!! (They are taken! Someone defied the ward!)
Without a second's hesitation, the pair took flight, cutting through clouds with talons extended and wings slicing the air. WHOOOOM! THRASH! The air itself seemed to bend around them as they accelerated toward Nightshade Valley, the wind shrieking past in response to their immense power.
From high above, the dragons could see the shimmer of the Safeguard Aura, now fractured, quivering like a wounded beast. The cave, once impervious, was open—its precious cargo missing.
A faint trail of swirling wind magic marked the path of the intruder. It was precise, almost clinical, as if the thief had anticipated the dragons' countermeasures. The air rippled unnaturally, carrying the faint scent of ozone and raw mana. The dragons' eyes narrowed, tracking the disturbance.
ROAAARR!! (Who dares?) the male growled, fire flickering along his jaws. Blue sparks danced across his claws as he flexed them mid-air. CRACKLE!
ROAR! (No ordinary human…) the female replied, her voice low, resonating with power that could shake mountains. WHOOSH! SWOOSH!
The dragons followed the wind trail relentlessly, clawing through the clouds, every beat of their wings punctuated by the sheer force of centuries of strength. The landscape below was a blur of green forests, jagged peaks, and rivers like silver threads.
Then, just as they neared the edge of the valley, the trail vanished. FWOOSH! The intruder had vanished from sight. A blink—and the eggs were gone, carried into thin air by some teleportation magic the dragons had not encountered before.
ROAR!! ROAAARR!! (They escaped… but they will pay!) the female roared, molten fire coiling in her throat. The roar split the sky, a sound so powerful it sent loose rocks tumbling from cliffs, sending small avalanches down into the valley.
The male dragon circled, talons extended, eyes scanning the horizon for any shimmer, any trace of mana that could indicate the intruder's next location. WHOOOSH! THRASH! ROAAARR!! (We must recover them!)
Nightshade Valley, a place untouched by man for centuries, had never seen such fury. Lava fissures hissed and erupted as the dragons flew over them, steam rising into the sky like smoke from a volcano. SSSSHHH! HSSS! THOOM! The valley itself seemed to tremble beneath the dragons' wrath, responding to their rage as if acknowledging the theft of its precious wards.
As they soared, the dragons communicated without words, a bond deeper than language. ROAR. ROAAARR!! (We must pursue… the intruder moves east!) the male thought, catching a glint of residual wind magic curling faintly against the horizon.
ROAR!! ROAAARR!! (We will find them—no matter how far!) the female replied, wings flaring as she adjusted altitude. WHOOSH! SWOOSH!
And then, in an instant, the wind shifted violently. FWOOSH! The intruder appeared briefly, just beyond the valley cliffs, moving at impossible speed, cloaked in shadows and light. Before the dragons could strike, the figure vanished again—teleportation magic, faster than any wingbeat, more precise than any claw.
ROAR!! ROAAARR!! (This is no ordinary thief! This is unlike anything we have faced in centuries!) the male growled.
ROAR! ROAAARR!! (We cannot allow the eggs to remain in mortal hands!) the female replied, her voice a low rumble vibrating through the mountains.
For a brief moment, the valley lay quiet beneath them, the heat from lava fissures mingling with the chill of the high winds, a silent battlefield awaiting the next strike. The dragons hovered, wings beating, senses straining, aware that the intruder was still out there, hiding, preparing the next move.
ROAR!! ROAAARR!!(We will reclaim what is ours!) the male declared, folding his wings, talons flexing, smoke curling from his nostrils.
ROAAARR!! ROAAARR!! (Prepare! We are coming!) the female coiled her serpentine body around a thermal updraft, eyes narrowing to slits as she watched the horizon. FWOOSH!
Far below, in Nightshade Valley, the cave remained empty, the Safeguard Aura flickering weakly. Whoever had taken the eggs had done so with precision, and the dragons knew: the true hunt had only just begun.
Above, the wind howled, carrying the echoes of the dragons' fury across Elyria. ROAAARR! THRASH! FWOOSH! And as the sky darkened with the shadows of wings, the two ancient guardians knew one truth beyond all else: the balance of dragonkind—and the safety of their legacy—hung by a thread.
And somewhere, hidden from sight, the mysterious intruder moved with deadly purpose, leaving only one certainty behind: the next encounter would be catastrophic…