Windcatcher: Book I of the Stone War Chronicles

by A. J. Norfield

  Misinterpreting Raylan’s stare, somewhat, Galirras looked at him.

  “Do you want some? You can have a leg, if you want.”

  Raylan chuckled.

  “No, thanks. It’s all yours. That was an excellent kill, so enjoy it. I’ll eat something back at the camp.”

  Walking back to the camp, Raylan felt the adrenaline of the hunt, and Galirras’ excitement still rushed through him. As they arrived, Peadar offered Raylan a bowl of meat soup, but he had some trouble finding his appetite again. He wondered if it was due to the excitement or the sloppy eating.

  Galirras continued exploring during the breaks. He even started to walk with the group while they were traveling, which probably was a good thing, since the dragon was rapidly increasing in weight and was becoming too big to ride on a horse’s back. The horses, which had now been around Galirras for a number of weeks, were adjusting surprisingly quickly. As they were not on his menu at the moment, the horses seemed to tolerate the small dragon quite well……at least for now.

  The exercise benefited Galirras. Raylan saw Galirras’ shoulder and leg muscles increase, but it worried him that Galirras rarely used his wings. The bands around his wing—to keep it stationary—had been taken off more than seven days ago, but his wings remained tucked tightly against his flank. Raylan thought it was partly because they would get in the way of his walking.

  As he grew stronger, Galirras ventured away from the group to seek new challenges. At one point, during one of their hunts, Raylan found Galirras twenty feet above ground, climbing a tree with his sharp talons. He was on his way to a bird’s nest to devour the eggs in it.

  At the end of the twenty-third day after hatching, Kevhin came up, riding next to Raylan for a bit. They had not seen any patrols for the last four days, so Raylan hoped they had outmaneuvered their pursuers for the time being.

  “The trees keep getting bigger ever since we crossed the mountain chain; but man, these are something else. Look at the size of them, they’re huge!”

  Raylan had not paid much attention to their surroundings. He had been keeping track of Galirras’ movements. When he looked up, in reaction to Kevhin’s voice, it was the first time he truly noticed the size of the trees in this forest.

  “I wonder how old they are,” continued Kevhin. “They must be at least a thousand years old.”

  “Amazing,” mumbled Raylan, in awe. “When did they get so big?”

  “Ha, you’ve been daydreaming, man. The forest has been widening for the last two days already. The tree’s roots have been taking more room as they get taller. Look at that one over there. I bet if we all hold hands, we wouldn’t even reach halfway around it!”

  Raylan saw what Kevhin meant. The trees grew further away from each other, providing plenty of space for their horses to pass through the forest, even with all the large roots running across the forest floor. Some roots were higher than Raylan, sitting on his horse. It looked like he was riding along a brown wall, until the root dropped into the ground, at the end. The ground was covered with moss and needles, almost completely dampening the sound of their horses’ hooves. The needled leaves seemed to be three or four times the size of the needles up north. Stones broke through the surface, every now and then, looking like islands in a green and brown sea.

  “They look like giants in comparison to the trees at home. Even the ancient forests of Lash don’t have trees this big,” said Raylan.

  Rohan joined them.

  “And these go almost straight up. Look at how far up they go before the first branches. The trees in Lash grow in almost every direction, their branches and roots are like squirming snakes. Hey, remember our training missions there, Kev?” said the archer.

  “How much fun we had moving around in those trees?” added Rohan, with a sparkle in his eyes.

  And although Kevhin acted as if he had not heard the hinting tone in Rohan’s voice, the playful remark was not entirely lost on Raylan. He often wondered what the bond between them was. Rohan never appeared unnecessarily far from Kevhin and vice versa.

  Lately, he noticed more gestures of affection, similar to the ones he increasingly saw between his brother and Xi’Lao. Small things, like a hand lingering a little longer than usual on a shoulder. He wondered if anyone else noticed, but he did not think anyone else paid enough attention to such small details. Since his link with Galirras, he spotted such small things, more and more. Something about the connection with the dragon gave him a deeper appreciation of all things, and an eye that was even keener than before.

  Raylan knew both archers met during their army training. They were probably put together because both had exceptional archery skill. But, he did not know how serious they were.

  “Why would it matter?” said Galirras, who had been following Raylan’s thoughts.

  Raylan shrugged, and then answered to himself.

  “It wouldn’t…to me, at least. I mean, I don’t mind at all…on the contrary, I’d be happy for them, if they enjoyed each other’s company to that extent, especially being so far from home. However, having relationships within the army is not tolerated. There are no official sanctions for same gender preference; but any relationship, discovered within the same platoon, is broken up. Usually, by reassigning one partner, to prevent conflicts of priorities. So, while I don’t mind at all, I don’t know if they’d want other people to know.”

  “Why is that? It is not as if they are hurting anyone…right?” Galirras said.

  “No, not at all, and I don’t always agree with that rule. Unfortunately, same gender lovers are heavily frowned upon by some. You often hear about such people being ridiculed, beaten up, or worse. They’re ignorant and small-minded people that do those things. I mean, who gave them the right to judge how others should feel?” thought Raylan, forcefully.

  Shocked at his careless remark, he looked over at Kevhin to explain what he was talking about; but the words stuck in his throat, and it dawned on him what had just happened.

  “Hold on…Galirras, did you just read my thoughts?” Raylan thought, in his own head.

  “No, I just listened to them. Why?” responded Galirras, with curiosity, in the same manner.

  “And…did I just reply to you without actually speaking?” Raylan thought the unspoken words.

  “Yes, why do you sound so surprised? You did it before, in the well,” said the little dragon.

  “The well? I thought that was just a dream. Xi’Lao mentioned this telepathy thing earlier, but I thought it only meant that I could hear your voice, not the other way around. It might have been hurtful and, at the very least, inconsiderate of me to speak like that next to Kevhin and Rohan.”

  “Well, no one can hear you, except me. So, no worries there,” said Galirras, cheerfully.

  “Can you hear anyone else?”

  “No, why would I? You’re the only one that is mine.”

  “So, since when are you able to hear my thoughts? Can you hear me all the time?” Raylan inquired further, wanting to get all the details right.

  “Only when I’m close, otherwise you become too soft to hear. And, only if I choose to listen, of course. Why? Did…did I do something bad?”

  The thought of doing something that Raylan would not approve of made the dragon’s voice a little shaky.

  Hearing the reaction, Raylan quickly adjusted his tone.

  “No…no, little one, not precisely. It’s just that I’m not used to sharing all my thoughts so openly. Most people would like to keep their thoughts their own, I guess. Sometimes, people think over multiple things before deciding on what to say or do. I would not want you to misinterpret anything.”

  “Oh, but I do not judge,” said Galirras quickly. His voice was a mixture of hurt and disappointment now. “But if you want, I can stop. I mean, I will stop listening.”

  Instantly, Raylan felt bad for coming on so strong. It seemed to be completely natural for Galirras to communicate in such a way. And he always enjoyed talking to Galirras.
At least now, their conversations will not draw the looks of his comrades when it seemed like he was having a one-sided conversation.

  “No, sorry, it’s okay. I just overreacted a bit. Just promise me that you’ll ask me when you don’t fully understand something. Aaaand, I might need some time to get used to having another perso…I mean, a dragon in my head,” he added, with a chuckle, while he winked at Galirras, walking to his left.

  Instantly, he felt a warm feeling stream through him, filling him with a content and happy sensation.

  That night, they made camp in the shelter of one of the giant trees, where its roots shielded the light of the campfire and acted as a barrier against any cold wind.

  Gavin and Xi’Lao retreated together, while Richard took first watch. The rest of their group sat around the campfire, enjoying the warmth, when Kevhin continued the conversation about the trees.

  “Seems like these trees are all reaching for the stars. The branches look like a giant ceiling, so thick I can’t see any clouds or sky at all.”

  “In a way, they remind me of the roof of Shid’el’s High Cathedral,” spoke Peadar. “I used to spend hours looking up at the paintings on the ceiling there.”

  “What is a cathedral?” asked Galirras, while looking upward.

  “It’s a really big house of god. This one is in the main capital of our homeland, and it’s huge,” thought Raylan.

  Galirras looked at him.

  “What is a god?”

  Raylan could not help but smile at the dragon’s continued curiosity.

  “Many people believe this world, and all that’s happening, is the work of an all-powerful entity. But, there are different ways to believe. Some people think it’s just one being, others say there are many of them.”

  “And this god…lives in the cathedral?”

  “Not at all. They say god is everywhere. God isn’t actually a physical being. People go to the cathedral to talk to god, but it is more like talking in their heads…maybe a little like you and I do.”

  Galirras thought about this.

  “So, this god talks back in their heads…? Perhaps…it is a dragon!” he exclaimed. “If it is, can we go look for him?”

  Raylan let out a laugh. When the rest looked at him, wondering what he was laughing about, he explained how Galirras wanted to meet a god as he thought it might be a dragon.

  “I don’t know if gods actually exist,” he continued, out loud, to Galirras. “It’s hard to prove their existence. Not many people seem to get a direct answer when they talk to god. The ones that claim they do, often seem not fully right in the head. But who knows, maybe they speak the truth. But—”

  “I’ve seen plenty of things in my life that would suggest no gods are in this world, son. And if they are, they’re heartless bastards, at best. I say give me a beer above a god, any time,” rumbled Harwin, as he spit in the fire out of discontent.

  “Actually, for my people, everything has a god. A tree, a rock…the tiniest of grasshoppers,” said Xi’Lao. “We believe the life energy flows through everything. All things are connected but represented by their own god.”

  “And you have other forms as well,” said Raylan. “During my travels, I’ve met a few men from the southern Water Clans, who believe in a single ocean goddess that provides them with all they need. And Ca’lek here often mentions his forefather’s greatest hunters are referred to as gods, right?”

  “True, our stories are filled with those that outgrew their flesh shells and led the tribe with unseen hands,” said Ca’lek.

  “I do not get it. If god is everywhere, and people talk to god in their heads, why does god need such a big building as Peadar describes?”

  Raylan went over this point, from multiple sides, after which he finally thought, “That’s indeed something to think about. Perhaps people, who believe in the same thing, like to come together and share that belief.”

  Galirras went over this in his head.

  “Do you believe in god, Raylan?”

  It was an innocent question, but the topic somehow seemed to be linked, in his head, with his mother’s death. Strangely enough, he did not really feel the emptiness he usually felt when thinking about his mother. Instead, the pleasant warmth of his link with Galirras was present.

  “No, not really. I’ve always been more of an ‘I believe it when I see it’ kind of person. I don’t know when that started, perhaps around the time my mother died. We were a loyal, church-going family, until my mother passed away. Gavin always got very upset about the subject of god after her passing, so eventually we stopped going. I don’t know if he still believes, and blames god, or that he lost his belief because of things. For me, it matters little; gods may or may not exist, but I care little for them.”

  The dragon grew silent, in a different way, after that. It seemed he was deciding if he should ask his next question. After a while, he did.

  “Will I ever know my mother? And, are there any other dragons?”

  Raylan wondered when the little dragon would ask such a thing. He tried to come up with a suitable answer, in preparation, but never really succeeded.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t know about your mother. In our kingdom, dragons are just a myth, as if they never really existed in the first place. Xi’Lao says dragons vanished from this world a long time ago. She said no-one thought they’d ever be back. But now, you’re here…so I would say that makes anything possible.”

  This seemed to cheer Galirras up, a little. He returned to the initial topic, trying to wrap his brain around the concept.

  “So gods might, or might not, exist but some people say that god exists. How do you know if someone is telling the truth? I mean, if someone told me they had seen dragons, how would I know they speak the truth?”

  Raylan had no real answer for that.

  “I think you go with your gut feeling.”

  “What has my stomach got to do with any of this?” said Galirras, confused.

  “It’s a figure of speech, it means you feel in your core…your wisdom, if you believe someone is telling the truth or not. Besides, there is nothing wrong with believing in something, it only becomes a problem if that belief actively becomes an obstacle for someone. If someone believes he’ll live forever by only eating bird eggs, no one will bother him. But if someone starts forcing other people to only eat eggs because of that belief, it will become a problem. Belief should never be forced onto someone, it has to be free choice.”

  Raylan gave it some more thought.

  “Sometimes, if you’d really want something to be real, it is not so much ‘belief’ but ‘hope’. There is a difference. Either way, belief can be a powerful thing, even if that belief is based on a false truth. For example, the people who spread belief in a god, usually enjoy a certain level of power. They’re the same people who run gatherings at a cathedral, or similar smaller houses of god, like churches. Some people think these church leaders will do anything to keep that power, including making people believe in some higher being that does not exist…”

  Galirras had not met many people yet, but he wondered why anyone would want to make you believe something that was not true. It felt wrong, somehow. After staying quiet for a while, he decided to let the topic rest, for a bit. Instead, he looked up toward the branched roof again.

  “Can we climb up and have a look around?” he asked.

  Raylan put his hand on the dragon’s snout and spoke aloud.

  “I’d love to, but I don’t think we’ll be able to. We don’t have any good climbing gear with us, and we don’t have your talons to help us climb.”

  “What’d he say?” said Kevhin, who overheard him.

  “He asked if we could climb up into the trees. But, unless we grow claws like him, I reckon we won’t get up there…” Looking upward, he added, “That said, the view must be intense!”

  “Totally!” agreed Kevhin with a grin.

  Later that night, when most of them were already asleep, Raylan put h
is hand on Galirras’ neck. The dragon slept calmly. It seemed the restless nights were behind him, for now, apart from the occasional dream hunt. In those dreams Galirras clattered his jaws from excitement, like a cat ready to catch a bird. Raylan rolled up next to him, enjoying the warmth of the fire on one side and the natural high temperature of the dragon on the other. Trying to fall asleep, his mind went over the conversation of that evening.

  Perhaps, in the old days, dragons were seen as gods. Who knows, he might even be right.

  He closed his eyes and smiled. As he fell asleep, he heard them again. For the first time in days…the sound of wolves. The howls, echoing through the night’s sky, seemed awfully close.

  Galirras burst into a full-on sprint. The small deer he spotted, unfamiliar with a dragon as a hunter, took a split second before recognizing the danger, then dashed away from him. It was all the time he needed. As he ran past one of the large tree roots, he pushed off and he leapt through the air. Shooting out with his claw, he slashed the deer’s hind leg from under it. The animal came crashing down, tumbled by the speed. As it slid to a stop, it only had a split second to let out a high cry before Galirras sunk his teeth into its neck and put the animal out of its suffering.

  “My biggest one yet!” he said with pride.

  “Well done. That jump was very powerful. It almost looked like you were flying,” complimented Raylan, who came running up.

  “Well that would even be easier, I think. They would not hear me approach, if I could fly and glide through the air….” he said with a small gloom in his eyes. “But, this is good enough. It’s exciting to hunt on foot.”

  Raylan gave up asking him to use his wings. Galirras did not want to put in the effort anymore, it seemed. In the meantime, he learned to stay behind Galirras while he hunted. The dragon quickly learned to walk stealthier than him. By staying too close, Raylan would only scare away potential prey. And with a kill in sight, Galirras still got so excited he sometimes forgot Raylan was there and knocked him over during a pursuit.

  As Galirras tore into the soft belly of the deer, Raylan knelt beside him. He had gotten used to seeing him eat, although he still found it sloppy. Then again, some of the guys in their squad ate in a similar way. The dragon was growing fast. Standing next to him, Galirras already came well above shoulder height with his head. His body filled out with muscles. Stretched out from head to tail the dragon was easily the size of one and a half men.