Story Ideas

Outline. Dragons, and Mankind have been at war for as long as anyone can remember. Or, at least, that’s what everyone says. No one has seen a dragon in decades. But after a population increase in both species, it’s going to start all over again, unless something is done. The old dragon, H’Lowen, sees the future, and decides to follow the only path that leads to peace. If only the two main characters, H’Lorne – Dragon, and Joshua – Man can get along long enough to make this happen.

Follow up:

***Present Day…. (Note: This is near the end of the story, or at least this story, opening an opportunity to continue the story later.)

Present Day…

Damned dragons! If I step into one more pile of dragon… “Joshua!?!, Joshua!!”, Kaye called out. “What!?!”, Joshua answered, not really wanting to know what his wife wanted. Joshua headed off towards the rookery to find out what she was yelling about. This is not what Joshua had in mind when he accepted his dying friends request. A request that would change his life, and the world, forever. Kaye was standing at the entrance of the rookery, hands on her hips, and a look on her face that told Joshua that he should have been somewhere else. “um.. Yes, my love.” Joshua asked, with a mixture of worry, and sarcasm…….

One year earlier…..

H’Lowen, High Elder of Dragon, woke from another fitful night of visions. This is not right. It can’t be. I must make a decision, and soon. H’Lowen did not speak of his visions to the others. His visions were stronger than ever before. Almost to the point of urgency. The chaos from his visions sent a shutter through his entire body, and still H’Lowen kept it do himself. H’Lowen knew that this was just one of many possible futures. He would have to consciously seek out a way to guide fate towards another path. A path that would allow Dragon, and Man to live together. H’Lowen closed his eyes again, silently praying an ancient and powerful prayer. One that would cause him to become weak, and helpless for several days. Whenever an Elder dragon wished to change the course of fate, he needed the help of the Ancestors. Those who had passed into the abyss of the dead could be consulted if need be. The only problem was, that in order to speak with the dead, you also had to be dead. Only the Elders knew this prayer, and with good reason. H’Lowen thought of all those before him who had attempted this prayer, and all those before him who never made it back. The temptations of the dead were known to cause many an Elder to not come back. Deeper and deeper H’Lowen’s consciousness slipped into darkness. I must remember to return. I must remember why I’m here. I must remember to return…..

******was searching for the one soul that would combine the two worlds of dragon, and man into one. H’Lowen could not allow dragon kind to be hunted into extinction, nor would he allow man to be exterminated. This must not happen. The dreams H’Lowen received from the Ancients showed many terrible futures, but only one acceptable path. The visions showed nothing but destruction, death, and misery. The future was coming, and H’Lowen knew that it must be dealt with. As a youth, H’Lowen remembered the times that man, and dragon had battled. But mankind was limited, and the dragon mighty. The Elders of that time finally ended the war between the two species by forbidding dragons from having any interaction with man. The Elders did not want to be responsible for eliminating an entire species, so made the decision to just leave the humans to their own land, and be done with them. But with both dragon, and mans growing populations, H’Lowen had to find a solution. There must be another way. After weeks of meditation, and prayer to the Ancients, he finally had a vision that did not show the impending war between the two species. Only one path that would allow the two sentient beings on this world to co-exist. Only one path showed the future in such a way that H’Lowen instantly knew that this was the only way. The only future that did not mean the death of either race. And that future showed such wonders that H’Lowen knew the entire universe would eventually belong to both of them, equally. That future was the path that H’Lowen must make happen for both of their sakes. The only thing H’Lowen needed was just one man. One simple human man.
But, as to the man needed to be the catalyst for such a future……..

Joshua woke early this morning. He had no other choice. The children clambered into his small sleeping room, with various sized fishing canes in hand, all screaming and yelling, and….”Wha!?…Uh, yeah. Fishing”, he remembered. He had forgotten all about promising the boys a fishing trip this early, if they woke him up before the sunrise. Not once did he suspect that they would actually be able to get up that early. They were up late last night listening to the Word Smith spin tales of dragon and fairy. “J, it’s time to go fishing!”, “J, we’re here, like you wanted….”, Yeah, yeah. “Oh…Well….That’s a good bunch of lads….” Joshua grabbed his tunic, and reached for his boots, and after a brief stop at the outhouse, found himself on a small beach of Goose Lake, just half an hours walk from the village. Five boys ranging from three to ten years old, all eager to spend time with the Fifth Day Father, listening, and watching, and (hopefully) learning.
Joshua had the title of Fifth Day Father thrust on him as a result of his predecessor moving away to be wifed. Joshua suspected that the other village Fathers appointed him the ‘honor’ of Fifth Day Father for one purpose. They thought it would make Joshua more responsible, and therefore, attract a wife. It’s not that he wasn’t responsible, just that he avoided responsibility. The First Day Father was not happy with him for not being married at his age, and the Second Day Father would always point out the attributes of the available women in the village, and on, and on it went. Joshua thought about getting wifed, but then realized what that meant. Being wifed was very difficult, as far as he was concerned. He has seen for himself what happens when you are wifed. You are no longer to think for yourself. You lose the ability to react to the seasons, or lunar cycles, or anything for that matter. You trade your skills for arguments, attitudes, and total enslavement. Oh sure, the other Fathers did wish him to wifed, but only to share in their misery.
Being a Fifth Day Father was not as bad as he thought it would be. He really did enjoy spending time with the lads. They were so excited to learn new things, reminding Joshua of his own learning experiences. He would constantly see the look of wonder on the boys’ faces, and remember his own awe at such an early age.
Every village had this system of teaching the young. One for the boys and one for the girls. Each of the eight days of the week were given that days Mother, or Father. Each of whom had special talents that would be taught on those days. Fifth Day Fathers were to teach the boys about providing for the family, and village, just as the Fifth Day Mothers were to teach the young ladies how to preserve foods, and assist the men folk in their preparation of the hunt. Well, at least that was how the system started. Just being male or female did not make you better at one thing or the other. Some of the women that Joshua had met during the Gatherings were really quite good at hunting. They proved to be physically strong, and confident. Joshua thought about those kinds of women, and was actually thankful that there were none living here in his village, or, he was afraid, that he would be wifed.
An annual Gathering held at the end of each summer would ensure communications between the villages. Each village was required, by law, to send at least the First Day Father, and First Day Mother. Of course, this was rarely the case.
The lake was perfect this morning. The sun rising with an explosion of orange, and red streaks across cool morning sky. The boys were watching carefully as Joshua explained the proper way to tie a hook beetle to the line without harming it, or yourself. Something every good fisherman had to learn. If you pierced it, you would not be able to get rid of the purple stains for a week, and if you didn’t tie it just right to your line, it would not be able to hook the fish properly. Hook beetles had a habit of hooking their legs back when attacked, and if done properly, you would be able to use the same beetle more than once. In the early part of summer it was always a good idea to learn both methods of fishing. The hook beetle method, which required knowledge and skill, and the hook method. Either way, you should be able to provide for yourself, and for others. Mornings like this made Josh very happy he allowed himself to be one of the Day Fathers.

H’Lorne sat on the rock crevice watching the humans. He could easily see the one adult and several small children on the lake shore. H’Lorne could not believe that this was the mighty human he had been sent to find. Not very impressive, as humans go. But then, humans were not very impressive. H’Lorne was sure that this new idea of working with humans was not going to work, but as Master H’Lowen wished, H’Lorne would see to it. H’Lorne had seen some humans in his day, and from time to time, had even been interested in their odd little lives. Purely a curiosity. Maybe we could use them as pets, or slaves, or….ugh, forget it. The stench alone would quell any ideas of making humans useful, or civilized. How could H’Lowen possibly be serious about these creatures? Oh well, as Master H’Lowen wishes me to do this.... H’Lorne sat still and just enjoy the early morning sun on his scales. He allowed himself this moment of peace. A small voice in the back of his mind began to demand attention. H’Lorne tried to ignore the thought. He had doubts. The voice was insistent.

Josh was really getting caught up in this mornings lessons. The kids were happy, laughing, and trying to follow his instructions to the best of their abilities. He wondered if he would ever have any children of his own, and if this is what it would be like. Not realizing it, Joshua had let his guard down. Just for a moment, but that was all it ever took. He never let his guard down, knowing full well the consequences. Every story he ever heard of hunters loosing their lives, was only when they let their guards down. Only when they felt at ease. Joshua caught himself, and immediately felt danger. The boys! His first thought was to get the boys back to safety. Before Joshua could recognize the danger, and do anything about it, something hit him from behind. Something big. Something...... Joshua was hit hard enough to lose consciousness.

Stupid humans, H’Lorne thought as he snatched the man from the ground. ‘Not an impressive creature.’ H’Lorne had no difficulties capturing this human,

***Jump Forward in the story……….Joshua had come to discover that H’Lorne could somehow focus his voice to be heard by Joshua from a great distance away, and hear him in return. Something that the two of them discovered by accident. They were learning about each other, and from each other. Joshua and H’Lorne have made progress in their friendship. H’Lorne was concerned for Joshua’s wellbeing at this point, since Joshua had no mate. H’Lorne missed his mate, and knew that that was what Joshua needed. They had discussed this kind of thing, and this is where Joshua and H’Lorne meet up with Kaye.
**** The sword: Must be activated by dragon blood. The warrior who wielded this sword was said to possess great power.

The formation of rocks precarious at best, and Joshua knew he had to reach the top to retrieve this damned sword. How a piece of metal was supposed to help save the dragons, Joshua did not know. H’Lorne could not just fly up and grab the thing, since the jagged rocks would surely collapse and fall into Hell’s Gate and be lost forever. This was something that only a man could do. Carefully climb up, reach into the opening and grab the stupid sword. That’s all, right? Well….. sort of. H’Lorne circled above, trying to keep an eye on his friend, and a little concerned the Joshua might fall into Hell’s Gate.
Joshua made it to the top, and collapsed on to the crevice just in front of the sword. Exhaustion set in, and Joshua was in pain. The scraps and bruised he suffered were not helping his resolve at all. His clothing was in shreds, and blood mixed with sweat made his eyes sting. “Joshua…” H’Lorne called out from above, “You are almost there Joshua.” Trying to encourage his friend. H’Lorne was proud of Joshua for such talking on such a challenge, and making it to the top without falling to his death. Joshua looked up at H’Lorne in the distant sky, and smiled. He couldn’t focus on H’Lorne from this distance, but he knew that the dragon could clearly see him.
Joshua made it to his feet, and looked into the small cave at the sword. It was beautiful. It looked like someone had just polished it, and very carefully placed back into the cave. It had no scabbard, and looked freshly sharpened. It was not overly adorned with ornaments, and actually looked usable. Joshua was drawn to it, and for a brief moment, forgot about the soreness, and pain he felt from the climb up. The prize was his for the taking. “Joshua”, H’Lorne was saying, “get the stupid sword and come down. Let’s end this day and be gone from here.” Joshua was reminded that he still had to climb down from these rocks, and continue on to find the gemstones. He reached into the cave, and grabbed the sword. It was stuck. Figures. Joshua tugged a little. “Joshua?” H’Lorne asked, “Be careful Joshua, there could be a tra…” Too late. Joshua was tired, and tired of this situation, and in his frustration, grabbed the sword in both hands, and pulled.
H’Lorne watched from up above as the small mountain of loose rock and shale began to collapse. Stupid Human, he thought to himself, “JOSHUA!!” He roared out, and without thinking, began a power dive straight for his friend. The rocks began to collapse into the great chasm of Hell’s Gate. NO! Joshua must not die. H’Lorne tucked in his wings, and roared out to let Joshua know that help was coming. Joshua did not hear the dragons call above the roar of the collapsing rocks. This is it, my friend. Joshua thought to himself, and with that, began to laugh. His thoughts were of the boys back home, and the adventures that they had had in the small valley, and the ladies that were almost wifed to him. Joshua was NOT going to die in bad spirits. He raised his arms, held the sword above his head, and continued to laugh in defiance of death. H’Lorne had his inner eyelids closed, and although he was a little confused by the human’s laughter, he used it as a guide. If Joshua had not been laughing, there would have been no way to find him in the mix of all this falling debris. H’Lorne ignored the pain of the sharp rocks as he dove through them. Armored scales or not, this was going to be a bloody, and painful rescue. The irony was not lost too Joshua as he slid into Hell’s Gate. “Goodbye my friend.” He yelled out to H’Lorne, “I really am going to hell, ha ha ha….OUCH!”
OUCH! Though H’Lorne, as he clamped down on Joshua with his mouth. Stupid human! Why did he have to hold that damned sword straight up like that!?! Joshua felt like he was hit by a dragon at full speed. Well….He was. H’Lorne struggled against the laws of physics, fighting to recover from his dive to save the both of them, and of course, deal with the stench of having a human in his mouth, and to make it worse, there was a damn sword stuck in his upper jaw. H’Lorne had to fight the impulse to spray his friend with colorful metaphors, and outright curses. H’Lorne couldn’t just drive deeper into Hell’s Gate and pull up. The downdrafts, and cooler air would suck them deeper into the void, and that would end the quest entirely. Joshua realized he was in H’Lornes maw, and let out a yell of triumph, “I have cheated you again death!”. H’Lorne fought the urge the clamp down on the stupid human. You cheated death!?! I’m still trying to save us from death, you idiot! H’Lorne though, and wished he could say. The point of no return was getting a little to close as H’Lorne gave one final, and powerful thrust upwards with his battered, and bloody wings. H’Lorne could feel the bones in his tired wings bend almost to the point of breaking. His descent stopped, and feeling like it was possible to make it out alive, he pushed against the air again. The progress was slow, but with great determination, H’Lorne found himself lifting above the chasm, and gliding towards a clearing in the nearby woods. Joshua just held on, a deep fear of heights preventing him from moving.
With a thud, the two landed in the clearing. Unfortunately, the struggle was not over yet. H’Lorne let out a small moan, and Joshua realized that the sword was stuck into H’Lorne’s upper jaw. At the same time, Joshua became painfully aware of the large tooth stuck in his leg. Joshua realized that this was what held him in place. Well...that, and the sword. Joshua knew, that sometimes in battle, a man would not know that he was wounded because of the adrenaline, and excitement. This was the first time he experienced this for himself, and was amazed at how much it did not hurt. Until just now. This is painful, thought Joshua. “Hang on H’Lorne,” he said, “This is going to hurt the both of us.” With a whole lot of yelling, moaning, and thrashing about, Joshua managed to remove himself from H’Lorne’s dagger like tooth, and pulling out the sword from H’Lorne’s upper jaw. The woods echoed as the two struggled with this painful task. Once the two of them were freed from each other, H’Lorne ,unceremoniously, spit Joshua out of his mouth, and lifted into the air with a roar of triumph, pain, and relief. ”I must rest Joshua, and so should you.” H’Lorne spoke to Joshua as he lifted into the air. “Ok” was Joshua’s only response, as he lay face down in the cool, soft, dew covored grass. H’Lorne had noticed that someone else was in the nearby woods when he landed, but was not worried. A human female. He was tired, torn, beaten, and bruised. The human female was not a threat to Joshua, and H’Lorne was in no mood to make introductions to another damned human. H’Lorne watched the human female approach Joshua, and felt she would offer assistance to him. With a roar of relief, H’Lorne flew off towards the cliffs.

Kaye saw the deer cautiously approaching. She had been hunting this area for two seasons now, and was thankful that the other hunters were afraid to come here. They were a little too superstitious, and spent too much time listening to the Word Smith. He would always frighten the young, and faint of heart with stories of Hell’s Gate, and dragon folk. She was a skilled hunter and knew exactly what to do. She was well hidden, and downwind of her prey. Her heart raced as the buck approached. He was magnificent. She almost hated to take such a majestic creature as this, but knew she had too. As one of the village hunters, she was very skilled, and although not wifed to any man, she still had the pride of being a second day mother. A title she held with honor. The forest was quiet, and her quarry was almost within range. She waited for just the right moment, and drew her bow. Just a few more seconds more, she thought, and I will be giving thanks to the forest for providing for my village. She knew that this creature was going to be a prize to show those men back at the village. This will show them what a woman can do….. Just a she was about to loose her arrow, the forest king looked up into the sky. He froze for just a second, and let out a snort, stomped the ground with a front hoof, and bolted away. Kaye’s heart sank. He was right there! So close. So very close. Watching her quarry escape, she tried to review the events of what had just taken place. What was the buck looking at? Why did he bolt like that? Kaye looked up into the sky trying to see if there was anything that could have startled her prey. Through the trees she caught a glimpse of something large, and at that same moment, she heard a roar that she had never heard before. She quickly headed for the clearing to try and get a better look at the sky. As she approached the clearing, she froze in fear. A dragon was trying to eat a warrior. She could not believe that dragons really did exist. She had always believed that there were no more dragons, and was not really sure that they ever existed at all. She watched as the warrior battled for his life in the jaws of a dragon. She readied her arrow, and waited for the opportunity to release, but could not chance hitting the man. She listened to the roaring, and yelling, and all the noise that they were making. He was cursing the dragon, and the dragon seemed to be yelling back at the man. For the first time in Kaye’s life, she did not know what to do. If she shot at the dragon, what would it do? Something had to be done. Would the man be killed? She steadied her bow again, and was trying to decide on the best shot, when the dragon spit the man out of its mouth.