The Dragon Healer of Tone (World of Tone)

by Adams, A. D.

  “Fienna, upon the sunrise we must go to the dragon gathering,”

  Dawra said with pride in her voice.

  “It’s time? We will be ready in the morning,” Fienna said to her mother with excitement.

  “Terra can’t come. He cannot fly through the winds.”

  “I took Terra on a flight two full moons ago. He was fine.”

  “You did what! He could have died, and so could you.”

  “I’m sorry mother, but I could not leave him behind any longer.”

  “How did he stay warm?”

  “He took it from me.”

  Dawra thought for a moment a bit taken back by the news of Terra flying the winds with Fienna.

  “Very well, he can come, but you must hide him in one of the great crevices in the walls of the meeting place. I don’t want any trouble with the other dragons.”

  “Then we should leave early before anyone else comes.”

  “We will,” Dawra said a little annoyed with the reckless action of the two of them.

  Terra was sitting on the edge of the pool bathing his legs.

  “Don’t you have anything to say about this Terra?” Dawra said as she moved her head near him.

  “Fienna can talk for me, but I do wish to go.”

  The next morning the three prepared to go. Terra had no more clothes around him than he normally did.

  “Are you sure you will be warm enough?” Dawra said.

  “Yes, I will be fine.”

  “Very well.”

  They flew into the winds at first light. Dawra followed them to make sure they would be well. As she watched Terra hug Fienna’s neck and as they entered the winds, his small body began to glow that orange color that he turned when he healed. When they finally reached the gathering place and left the winds, Terra sat back up and appeared to be perfectly fine. They circled the area and found a small cave in the side of one wall. It was not large enough for a dragon, but it would suit Terra. Dawra flew to the cave, flooded it with flame, and then landed next to Fienna.

  “Why did you do that mother?”

  “I just wanted to make sure there were no dangerous creatures in the cave that could harm Terra.”

  “So you do like him.”

  “Of course, my Fienna. He has done a great deal for us, and I think he will do even more. Terra, you should go into the cave as soon as it is cool enough. I don’t want any dragons seeing you.”

  “Yes all right.” Terra said.

  As soon as the cave was cool, Fienna took Terra in her hands and flew to the cave. There she hovered while she placed him on the lip of the cave. She then flew back to her mother.

  “I’m hungry and so should you be. We will go hunting. Can you tell Terra we will be back in a short time?”

  “He already knows, and he said he will be fine.”

  “He knows what I’m saying to you.” Dawra said with surprise in her voice. She knew they communicated without talking, but she didn’t know he could hear what Fienna heard.

  “Yes, he knows, always.” Fienna said without concern.

  They flew off and quickly found a heard of runner beasts. They both had their fill and returned.

  Terra had made himself comfortable in the small cave. The rocks were warm from Dawra’s fire, and he had found a nice spot to watch the whole bowl shaped area from. He would be able to see everything. As high sun approached, dragons of various sizes and colors began to arrive. Terra saw Lowlack, then his friend Tepic and his mother arrive, and they were now talking to Fienna and Dawra. Tepic would also be flying his introduction flight this sun-rising. As more and more dragons arrived, the young ones were sent to gather at the opposite end of the bowl area from Terra’s little cave. There it could be seen that Fienna was by far the biggest of all the other dragons. She was at least a dragon’s head taller and larger than any of the others. Suddenly, in the middle of the bowl on a small peak of rock, a very old dragon bugled, and all the other dragons quieted down. There were more dragons than Terra could count. They were perched on every peak of rock. The old one in the center now waved his hand, and the first of the young ones took off and flew around the bowl. The fifth one to take off was Fienna, and when she flew over the other dragons, a murmur of amazement could be heard. Her grace and power were incredible compared to the others, and Terra’s pride in her was beyond description. Fienna felt this, and it made her fly with a grace beyond wonder. As more and more of the young ones took off and circled the bowl, Fienna was one of the first to land on the peak above Terra. Terra could see a disturbance at a far peak. At first, it seemed to be nothing more than movement, and then great flames erupted. The flames shot into the air, and a young female dragon flying near the flames bolted back to avoid a spout of fire. This threw her into the dragon behind her, and they collided. A third then hit the two, and the three huge bodies seemed to be hanging in the air in a tangled mess. All three fell to the bowl’s floor. Many dragons instantly flew to the site; the three mothers being first. Terra could see little from his cave, so he looked through Fienna’s eyes. The sight was terrible. The three were injured badly with broken bones and torn wings.

  Tepic had been behind them and avoided the disaster just barely. He flew to where Fienna had landed.

  “I think they may die; too bad Terra is not here.”

  Fienna looked down at the cave below her as he finished his statement.

  Tepic looked down and saw a small figure. “He’s here? Down there?” Tepic said in surprise.

  “Yes, but I don’t want anyone to know. They might hurt him.”

  “I won’t say anything, but he could heal them.”

  After a while, the crowd of dragons broke up and a scene of devastation showed itself. All three were so badly injured that it was likely that they would not fly again. Terra neither thought nor said anything to Fienna, feeling her worry that he would be discovered and harmed in some way. Dawra half hopped half walked in the dragon’s unusual movement on the ground to the old one in charge.

  “Stino, I am Dawra; I may have someone that could help these three.”

  “Who could help them? They will never fly again.”

  “It’s a human, and his name is Terra. “

  ”Didn’t you mention him before during a previous gathering?”

  “Yes.”

  “How would you get him here? He could not be brought through the winds.”

  “I have my ways.”

  “If he can help, bring him. I don’t want to be known as the dragon that let this happen.”

  “I need to know that he will be safe.”

  “As the one in charge of this gathering, I personally guarantee his safety.”

  “Very well, I will get him.”

  Dawra flew to Fienna. “Fienna they need Terra to heal the dragons.

  If he does not, they will quite likely die. Stino, the old one, has guaranteed his safety.”

  “I don’t know. It might weaken him too much to do that much healing. Give me a moment to discuss it with him.”

  Fienna thought to him, “Terra, do you think you could help them without getting too weak?”

  “Yes, I think I can, but I made a promise to you. I want you to make the decision.”

  Fienna moved from side to side by shifting her weight. She wanted to help, but Terra was so important to her.

  “Terra, we will help, but if you get at all weak, we will stop.”

  “If that’s your decision.”

  “Mother, we will help; I’ll get Terra.”

  Fienna flew down to the cave opening, and Terra walked to the edge where she lifted him and held him close to her great body. She then flew to the three injured dragons. Stino ordered the dragons gathered around to part, and Fienna landed. Suddenly, there was a disturbance behind them; before Terra had a chance to even move toward the injured, the two young male dragons that had caused the accident had been brought to the gathering leader. He was demanding an explanation. The two seemed to care little for w
hat they had caused. They said they were arguing about which of them would mate with Fienna when they started a firefight. With that Terra turned with a look in his eyes that Fienna had never seen before.

  He walked in front of the Stino and said,” neither of you will ever touch my Fienna.”

  One of the two spoke; “we will simply kill you. You’re not even a meal to us.”

  One word came from Terra’s powerful lungs with the force of a sounder, “NO!”

  The force of the word hit to two males so hard that they were knocked back ten dragon lengths. There they lay in a broken heap. That single word echoed through the bowl of the extinct volcano like a thunderbolt. No dragon there would ever forget its power, the power of a single human. Terra said nothing else, but instead turned and walked back to the injured dragons. There he went to the first touching the injury. All the dragons were amazed as the bones came together, the muscle healed before their eyes, and the skin covered the injured area leaving no mark. It only took him a short time to heal all three.

  Then Terra walked back to the two males. They lay unmoving. One had a broken neck and was unable to move, the other a broken tail.

  Terra slowly walked to the one with the broken neck and said, “Will you ever come near my Fienna or myself again?”

  He whispered in a pain-ridden voice, “No.”

  Terra walked to the break and placed his hands on the area. Within a few moments, the dragon was able to move. He got up slowly and bowed to the little human. I owe you my life. I will never be able to pay you for that gift. He then spread his wings and took off. The other dragon was able to move with the greatest of pain. Terra asked him the same question. He answered no as the other dragon but with a growling hatred in his voice. Terra healed him, and he stood.

  “I will keep my promise to you, but I owe you nothing, he said as he took off in a quick flap of his wings. He had obviously tried to knock Terra down with the wind of his take off. But Terra stood motionless as if part of the ground he stood on. His name was apt after all. Then Terra walked back to Fienna, and she held out her hands. He stood on her palms, and she raised him to where his head was just below hers.

  He looked at the assembled dragons and sang the words, “I am your friend, and I will help any dragon that comes to me, but anyone who tries to hurt my Fienna will pay a price.” The words penetrated every part of the volcanic bowl with the power of a thunderclap. With that statement, he climbed onto Fienna’s back, and they flew off.

  Chapter 41 - After

  (A Time of Careful Thought.)

  350 set of seasons since the coming of the Averons

  Terra neither thought nor said anything during their flight home.

  When they landed in the cave, he dismounted. Fienna could see water droplets coming from his eyes.

  “Talk to me. Please,” Fienna thought to him.

  “I hurt another creature. I, I feel so bad that I did that. I can’t get it out of my mind.”

  “They deserved it. I would not have healed them. Don’t be so sad.”

  “But, I could have easily killed them. All I could think of was protecting you.”

  “I am going to be the biggest dragon ever born, and I could not have taken those two on,” Fienna paused for a moment then added, “To think a little human like you could do what you did with no effort at all. I am so lucky to have you Terra. I promise you I will always protect you. I know you would give your life for me. You already proved that once.”

  “I love you, and I can’t bare the thought of any dragon touching you.”

  “None will. I am yours whether we can mate or not.”

  Fienna held out her hands, and Terra stepped onto them. She raised him to her great mouth, and Terra kissed her. Their bodies seemed to become one in a pleasure that neither had ever felt.

  A short time after Fienna and Terra had left; Dawra also flew out of the great bowl. She was confused. Terra had more power than she ever imagined. He could have easily killed those two males. She flew home, but she could not bring herself to go to the cave until she had time to think. She went to her favorite spot, a cliff that overlooked the sea. She settled on her favorite perch and stared out to sea. She wondered what to do, how to deal with a power like Terra. She sat thinking as the sun started to slowly set when she saw a lone figure flying towards her along the coast. As the dragon approached, she recognized Lowlack.

  He swung a large arc and spiraled slowly down finally settling next to her.

  He sat there for a long time saying nothing. Finally, he spoke.

  “They called a dragon council after you left.”

  “They haven’t called a council for hundreds of seasons,” Dawra said with surprise in her voice.

  “There has never been a human who could do what Terra did before.

  Do you realize how much power it took to nearly kill two full-grown males, and it was as nothing to him.”

  “Yes, I know. What do you think I’ve been trying to deal with?” she said with a bit of confusion.

  “There was a great argument in the council. Some wanted to kill Terra, but it was pointed out that might be impossible. Some wanted to ban Terra and Fienna from dragon society, yet others wanted Terra to be part of our society. The argument raged for hours. Every dragon Terra has healed was with him, including the three he healed this sun-rising. Finally, Stino pointed out that if Terra were not one of them, he would be their enemy. He would be an enemy of such power that he could possibly destroy them all. That seemed to turn the tide, and the final vote was to make Terra a dragon. He is now considered one of us.”

  “That’s nice, but what do I do. I have to go to the cave soon. What do I say? They are connected in a way I don’t understand. He is more powerful than any creature I have ever seen. As far as I can tell, there is no force on Tone that could separate them. How do I deal with this?”

  Dawra said almost overcome with emotion, a state a dragon was rarely in.

  “Calm down. Just ignore what happened and treat them the same as you always have. You know he will always protect her and her him.

  Just ignore what happened. I will tell them of the dragon council’s decision in the morning although I don’t think it will mean much to them.”

  After a while, Dawra did calm down with Lowlack’s help. They both flew back to the cave. There they found Fienna lying asleep by Terra who was sleeping next to her. She had curled her tail around his small body. He looked so small, virtually helpless compared to Fienna’s powerful body. Lowlack and Dawra now knew different though; of the two, he was the most powerful.

  The next morning Dawra was awake before the two had even stirred. She had already hunted and had a small piece of meat cut off for Terra. When the two awoke, Terra walked over to Dawra.

  “I wish to say that I’m sorry for what happened. I feel terrible that I hurt two dragons. I don’t know why I did it, but I promise you it will not happen again. If you wish, I will leave, and you will never have to see me again,” Terra said with such sincerity that it surprised Dawra and Fienna.

  Dawra had not expected Terra to feel so bad. A dragon would have been proud of defeating two others that were larger than he but not this little human. He was actually sad about what had happened. Dawra felt so sorry for him that she did something she had never dreamed of doing before. She gently wrapped her tail around his body and said, “Don’t be foolish; nothing has changed. We are still a family. I have a piece of meat for you. Go ahead and burn it. Fienna, there’s half a running beast in the corner for you.” With that Dawra uncurled her tail so Terra could move.

  By the time they were both done eating and Terra had bathed in his small pool, Lowlack had shown up.

  “I need to talk to the both of you,” Lowlack said in a serious voice.

  “About what?” Fienna said with a curious look on her face.

  “After you left, the dragon council decided to make Terra a dragon.

  He now has the full rights of a dragon and the responsibi
lities. He must be presented to all the dragons at the next gathering. It was agreed that he would fly on your back Fienna for his flight.”

  Fienna beamed with pride and excitement, but Terra had a worried look on his face.

  “Were they not angry because I injured those two males?” Terra said with concern.

  “Terra, most dragons would have left them for dead after what they did. You healed them. Don’t worry. All the dragons on Tone know you and know you will help them if they have need. They also have a healthy fear of you and dragons respect that.”

  This seemed to help calm Terra’s concerns.

  “Will there be any trouble when I come to the next gathering?”

  “No. There will be many dragons watching for any troublemakers, and they will be dealt with. It’s nothing for you to be worried about.”

  “Very well, I will be proud and grateful to become a dragon,” Terra said in the most elegant voice he could muster.

  “One final thing the dragon gathering is known to no other beings.

  You must always keep it a secret.”

  “I shall,” Terra said.

  Chapter 42 - Finding a New Home

  (The First New Home must be perfect.)

  350 set of seasons since the coming of the Averons

  Although Fienna was still growing, she had been presented at the gathering, and it was time to start preparing her own cave. Dawra had started to look for a cave that would suit Fienna and Terra. She never imagined that they had found their own place. Dawra had been flying the coast for full moon risings looking for the perfect cave. She loved her daughter, she had even grown to love Terra, and she wanted them to have the best possible home. She had found four possible caves, all close to her. She wanted to be close to her daughter unlike other dragons that virtually forgot their children once they left. She would talk to Fienna that sunset about the caves she found.