Night of the Dragons & Dance of the Leviathan

Night Of the Dragons

In a small cottage deep in the woods, a grandmother sat in front of the fire with her grandson. It was the night of the dragons, and the small child was afraid of what may happen. Every full moon, a flock of dragons flew over their small house.

“Don’t be afraid, child.” The grandmother soothed. “They will not hurt you.” The boy looked up at her. The old woman nodded. "Do you know the story?" She asked. The boy, not knowing the story, shook his head. "Well, then you will have to learn." Said the old woman, and she started her tale.

"Years ago," she began. “There Was An Old wizard in these lands. He ruled them, and the one thing he loved more than anything in the world was his daughter. He let her study wizardry with him. He wanted the best for her, and would not allow her to see anyone below her status. Unfortunately, though, the young girl fell in with a stable boy. The stable boy was handsome enough, but he was simply under her rank. The Wizard's daughter, a tall, beautiful young girl, was to marry a prince. Neither of them wanted that.

The girl ran away with the stable boy before her father was able to catch her leaving.

Unfortunately for the girl, her father was a wizard. He knew exactly where they were after they had left in the night. The night they left, it was a full moon. They used the moon to guide them on their way. The wizard followed them though, with vengeful thoughts. Vengeful thoughts indeed. In the woods, the girl's father found them. He claimed she had been unfaithful to him. She begged for his forgiveness, but it was too late. The girl's father killed the stable boy with a spell. The girl yelled at her father, but he did not stop.

To save the boy, she put her hand on him. The girl used what little magic she knew from watching her father. She turned the boy into a dragon, giving him an immortal soul. 

Her father was outraged and tried to take his daughter’s own life. By touching the boy during the spell though, she was also transformed. The two dragons stood together, facing the cruel wizard.

Knowing he had been beaten, the wizard ran. The two lovers did not chase him, but they did return. Every full moon, the anniversary of the transformation, the two dragons and their three children sour the land. They look for the wizard, circling the entire earth. If they ever find them, my boy, revenge will be sweet.” The grandmother finished. 

“You see? they don’t want you.” She told him.

“I want to help them find the evil wizard!” The boy exclaimed.

“That you shall,” agreed the grandmother. “That you shall.”

Dance of the Leviathan

Once upon a time, long ago, there was a wooded forest buried deep in the meadows of the unknown. A young Jixy girl played in the stream. She was about 15 years of age and on her own. She lived in a small house all her own, though she was still young, and took care of herself. The thing was, she felt alone in the world. This was of course true. Most Jixy were by this age. For some reason though, this style of life had never appealed to the girl. This is why she went always at night to the lagoon, where her only friend danced for her. The Leviathan did not know anything about the girl, but she considered them friends. The leviathan swam in the same spot each night, moving its long body, looking for small fish to eat. In this way, he appeared to the girl to be dancing. She watched him dance every night until midnight, and then went back to her small house to sleep. She didn’t know the leviathan's habits after that, but soon, she would. She decided she would stay longer tonight, and spend more time with her friend. 

The Girl went to the lagoon as usual and watched the leviathan dance for her. Until midnight, she sat there, cheering for her friend. The girl became tired, but she was determined not to go home or fall asleep. After midnight, the girl watched closer. The leviathan then did something the girl did not expect. He left. She had assumed he was nocturnal, but not that he was only here for half the night. She also expected him to head deep into the lagoon, but he stuck by the shore. She got up and ran after him, determined not to lose sight of him. The leviathan was headed to the other side of the island she stayed on. This was in the middle of the lagoon, and she had never been to the other side of her island. She followed the leviathan, running alongside its long, fluent body. The girl was tiring though, and she wouldn’t be able to keep it up for much longer. Suddenly, the leviathan stopped. After catching her breath, the Jixy girl looked around, wondering where she could be. It was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. crickets chirped and frogs croaked. Glowing blue algae made the water seemed misty and beautiful. Fireflies provided light and shone through the purple and blue leaves. The whole place appeared mystic and magical. The only thing that looked normal was a young Jixy boy, about her age, sitting on a bench near the water. The boy was holding a lantern filled with fireflies and had brown hair with green eyes. He held up his lantern and got a look at her. “What are you doing out here so late?” She asked him.

“Watching my only friend,” The boy replied. “He comes here to dance for me every night after midnight. What about you?”

“Same as you,” The girl replied.

“Well,” The boy said. “No use in waiting. Come sit.”

She sat next to him, and watched the leviathan dance for them. The boy put his arm around her, and she leaned on him. The girl wished she could freeze this moment forever. That’s what she had been missing her whole life. Companionship.

The girl kissed the boy on his cheek.

“You missed,” He told her.

“What?” She asked him. The boy laughed and took her hand. They spent the rest of the night like that, intertwined. When she kissed him a second time, she didn’t miss. That’s how they spent the night, back and forth, listening to the leviathan splash and dance behind them.