The stars winked and twinkled under the midnight sky, the blanket of evening bringing a long summer night to a whisper. They were scattered and dusted along the horizon, the light pollution from the city a mere glow arising from above the treetops. Out here the crickets sang and the bullfrogs croaked, the fireflies danced and the willow trees stretched for company in the warm breeze. Tonight there would be a meteor shower.
Even the lake appeared to be humming in excitement, it's shimmering glass-like surface rippling and scattering fish beneath the gentle waves. The moon's reflection danced to and fro, it's light cutting through the waves and sparkling out for all to see. There was no need for streetlights or anything of the sort - the ghost of the moon hung deep enough in the sky that it was almost as if it wasn't night at all.
the obsession of dragons
There once was older man who lived on 72 Whitafee Lane named Rion. A strange name, perhaps, but his father was head-over-heels in love with the stars and named his only son after the constellation Orion. He was kind, gentle, and also crazy. Or that's what everyone thought. For this man believed in dragons. That's right; fire-breathing, scaly, winged dragons.
His life looked normal enough to someone curious enough to take the time to reflect on it, however. He would putter around the village just as any other human, always stopping to buy a newspaper at the end of his street. His grocery list included items such as bread, milk and honey, and he always waved hello quite jovially to his neighbor, Tabitha.
But inside that quaint little red-bricked house, was the dwelling of a beast. Papers, jotted down diagrams, logistics, and mappings of the world lined counters, sat tacked onto every wall, and ran rampant with every gentle breeze that slipped through the crack of an open skylight. Textbooks, newspaper cut-outs and old volumes bound by worn-out leather and metal clasps were all crammed into bookshelves. This was where Rion was most at ease. He loved the crack of the pages as he gently flipped through an ancient publication of the Crooked-Nose Smoke Blaster found in northern Greenland, or the Pyre-Mouthed Scavenger, a breed that runs on the red sands of Australia.
The problem in Rion's merriment, however, was that he could never seem to actually see a dragon himself. Oh, he did his research, looking up at what times the Three-Horned Glider from Spain came out of it's cavern to eat fruit, or when one was most likely to spot an Azure Ocean Diver off the coast of Greece surfacing up for air. He often traveled around the world, many times far from his little English home, but it didn't seem to matter - for all Rion knew, he would never see a dragon. And that only made his obsession stronger.
On one warm evening, Rion was particularly blissful. The usual English drizzly had turned into a delightfully brilliant sunset, and as a result he had opened many of the usually-barred windows that lined the back of his house to let the cool night's air flow in. He was bent over a rare monk's diary, retrieved from Tibet, that provided a very detailed description of the short nosed, winged and soot-coloured Night Crawler. This particular species is said to hide in the mountains during the day, only to show itself at night.
Holding a magnifying glass up to the crinkled paper, Rion held his breath as he looked over the etchings done over a hundred years ago. There was no way dragons could have gone extinct. It was a question that kept coming back up, for every failed trip. But he couldn't make himself believe it. He couldn't face the fact that his entire life's work was a waste. The people who called him insane, what did they know? Rion knew dragons existed. He just knew. Sighing, he set the magnifying glass back down on his dark maple desk. Picking up the candle that burned dancing shadows onto the walls, he got up quietly and started to his bedroom for the night. A gust of night air suddenly burst through the opened window to his left. And at that moment, his candle blew out.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Rion wasn't sure if that was the beating of his heart, or if something was in his house. Backing up into the deep chair that accompanied his desk, he fumbled around in a clutter-filled drawer for a match. Giving up, he turned, and peered deep into the darkness. And that was when he saw the two eyes looking back.
the solution
Gulping, Rion took a step back, his spine flattened against the cool leather seat at his desk.
W-who, who are you? He demanded, his brow furrowing in confusion. I have come to rescue you, a cool voice replied. The voice was low, but not rough, silky almost, and it seemed to float out to Rion, curling it's delicate fingers around him. Rion however, wasn't wavering. What do you want from me? I want nothing from you, youngling, the voice replied, however, it has come to my attention that you want something from us.
I-I'm not sure what you mean...Rion gasped, his alarm going up notches for every second spent in the presence of this..thing. Ahh, but you do, the voice continued, still the epitome of patience. I must go now. Later tonight however, right before the meteor shower starts, come to the entrance of the woods right behind your house. I will be waiting.
And just like that, the eerie light of the pair of eyes disappeared into thin air, as if they had been a hallucination all along. Collapsing against the wood of his desk, Rion closed his eyes and tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. Finally locating a match, he relit his candle and slumped into his chair. Shaking, he didn't want to jump to conclusions. This could either be something good - or something really, really bad.
Either way, he knew he was going to the entrance to woods in two hours time. He had nothing to lose.--
Approximately two hours later, Rion was trudging through the fields that lead to the forest. Glancing up at the sky, he paused for a second to talk to his father. The stars were amazing tonight, and everything seemed to hold still for those few seconds. Even the crickets stopped their usual melodies to give him a few seconds to himself. Turning to the left, he looked into the darkness that shrouded the forest, and continued walking.
the meeting
Walking into the forest, Rion felt strangely at ease. After all, he had a vague idea of what could transpire. But he didn't want to get his hopes up. Keeping his head low, he walked carefully over the protruding roots that reached up with their gnarled fingers and tried to snag on his garments. A cool mist lined the ground, moistening the already dewy moss that coated the base of many of the huge oaks. Here, the moon barely filtered through the thick foliage. And yet Rion pressed on, wandering deeper into the wood.
Abruptly, the darkness opened up into a clearing. Peering up, the sky was clearly visible in the small meadow, the twinkling stars glittering on the horizon. It was at this point that Rion realized he was not alone, nor had he ever been alone. For there, across the tall grass, was a dragon.
He was huge, a massive beast with glittering charcoal scales and bright ominous eyes. Rion came to know them as the ones that talked to him earlier. His back was coated in tiny trails of what seemed to be a map of the night sky, and his underbelly was the hue of a newborn day. He was not bulky, but rather sleek and toned. Before Rion could examine him anymore however, the creature spoke to him.
Hello again, dear friend, the dragon started, his voice rumbling. I have brought you here because my time has come to pass. Dragons do not, as people think, live forever - rather, we pass along our bodies to younger souls, and the cycle continues. However, there are some monsters who thrust the life of a dragon onto unwilling souls. That will not be the case tonight. You have a choice. You may leave your life as a human, but there is a catch - you cannot ever return back. You must leave everything you know as comforting tonight, or you will never get the choice of becoming one of us again.
Rion was silent. He knew, before he had even said anything aloud, what his choice would be. Very well, the dragon declared into the silence. If this is your wish, then it will be done. Bowing his head, the dragon listened for half a second, and then raised his eyes to the stars. The meteor shower had begun.
the ending
Rion felt a blue flame lick his skin, the tingling coursing through his veins and plunging towards his heart. The world went black, the whisper of grass tickling his legs disappearing, as well as the many noises of the night. He felt a presence suddenly disappear, and he came to know that he was alone.
Standing where the dragon once was, Echarion felt entirely different and yet completely the same. He knew his named had changed - when his soul joined this new body, it also adopted what the dragon was called - Echarion, named after none other than the constellation Orion. He saw the meadow in a different way altogether now. Before he was oblivious to the tiny crickets clinging to blades of grass, or the bats swooping the the night sky. He could hone in on a single dew drop, and yet he didn't want to. All he wanted to do in that single moment was join the moon.
Lifting off the ground, he glided through the night sky, cutting through the atmosphere and circling the moon before finally resting in the shadows. Here he lay down, content. His mind was not that of a human's anymore, but his soul knew what had transpired. And for once in a very long time, it did not frantically search for answers.It simply was.
for reference
Name: Echarion (Pronounced: Eh-shar-ee-on)
Species: Krawk
Colour: Shadow
Gender: Male
Date Of Birth: Unknown, most likely hundreds of years however.
Petpet: Quasar the Black Barlow ( A Quasar is a quasistellar object, very far away and very bright. It gives off more energy than one hundred giant galaxies. )
Echarion is a very sleek, built-for-air sort of dragon. To fly, he does not have wings, rather, he "slithers" through the air, much like a snake. His markings mirrow those of the night sky to camoflage from humans, and his home lies in the crators of the moon. He has a very long tail, used to navigate through strong winds and to balance. While he is the king of the sky, he also is very agile and would be able to out-manoeuver anything or anyone that tried to get in his flight-path.
