Dragon's Tail

The time was near. Usually time meant nothing to dragons. After all, the past was once the future of the present. In the same way, the future will one day be the present, then later, the past. And the present is the future of the past, and the past of the future.

And numbers telling time? They were just that. Numbers. Their only value is that of which we give.

But she knew it. No... not knew, felt. She felt it deep in her rumbling, anchient bones. Three thousand six hundred fifty days. Then it would happen. Silently scolding herself for using numbers to tell about such an important date, she slipped back into her sleepless hibernation.

The next year the dragon woke up again. She unfurled her blue, sparkling wings and yawned, her back creaking like a stretching cat. Suddenly, she was aware that her surrondings were, different.

The air no longer smelled of crisp green leaves, rich earth, growing grass, discarded pine needles, and fresh stream water. It smelled odd, indescribable, really.

There was this thick, choking feel to the air, and a metal like sour smell, like oil.

And the noise! Honks like dying geese, wails like a banashee, and a deep rumbling growl, like a wild animal.

Nine years, she reminded herself. Just nine. She turned to the cave wall and scratched a tally mark. Nine years. She curled up, laying her head on her scaly paws and fell asleep.

She woke up four years later, dismayed at what her cozy, warm, wet cave had become. Dust had settled on her over the years, making builders think she was just a rock. Around her, they had built a dark, smelly, goop filled sewer.

She stood up, wincing as her joints moved for the first time in four years. She reassured herself. Just five. Another four ticks.(She had found a shard of the wall of the cave She impatiently settled into another period of restless sleep.

In two years her sludge crusted eyes creaked open. She slowly blinked, clearing the crud from her emerald eyes.

She had significantly dulled since the days of her youth, her once sparkling blue scales were now coated in dust and lacked any luster. Her beautiful wings, once so mighty a couple beats could throw birds off course by miles, now took effort to raise in the air.

And her senses, well, they weren't what they used to be. She wouldn't have to put up with this for too much longer.

Just three years until the Refresh just three years until Magyk was restored to the world. Those two words echoed in her mind as she ticked off two more marks and fell into a deep sleep.

Seven hundred twenty nine days passed, and the world passed by too, around the anchient beast.

Skyscrapers were built, buildings fell, wars were started, wars were lost. Peope were born, and others died. Two years can be eventful or uneventful, depending on who you ask.

All the while, she slept. On the seven hundred thirtieth day, she slightly woke up. She knew that one more year had to pass, so she had no purpose to get up. And the only movement she made was to make another mark on the stone.

One year later, the dragon woke up for good. For a second she panicked when she couldn't find her stone, but then she remembered what day it was.

She stood up, though the same age as she had been, she looked far, far, younger. For the first time in a decade, the dragon spoke aloud. Her eyes sparkled as her voice rumbled through the sewer.

"It is time."

***

Across the world, in the Amazon Rainforest, nine dragons woke.

Each one was different in age, color, size, and shape. The only similarity, was, at the moment, each one's eyes were pulsing light.

They turned to each other, and in hushed voices whispered "It it time."

They all crept to the front of the cave, exposing their majestic wings to the sun for the first time in decades, and they took flight, swooping across the sky towards Mount Vesuvius.

***

As the dragon BlueFyre swooped across the sky, leaving her sewer home, he saw nine other dragons flying toward her.

"My sisters!" she cried

She embraced the others (RedFyre, YellowFyre, PurpleFyre, PinkFyre, GreenFyre, OrangeFyre, TealFyre, GoldFyre, SliverFyre) in a circle of flapping wings.

"The rebirth!" GoldFyre remided them. The others flapped impatiently.

"Hurry! Hurry!" they all cried. A millenia they had waited for this day, the last decade had been the most daunting.

"I shall go first!" cried RedFyre.

Before anyone else could protest, hse dove into the volcano, screeching joyfully all the way. A crowd of humans had gathered below, including several newscrews.

Humans hadn't made contact with dragons for millions of years, and few people still thought they existed.

Suddenly, a gasp erupted from the crowd, as they watched spell bound as the rickety, dull, dragon that RedFyre used to be had changed into a majestic sleek, glimmering dragon.

One by one, the other dragons dove in. But BlueFyre hung behind.

She flew to the ground landing right next to a little girl. She knelt, touching her head to the ground. "Come child. Sit on my back."

The little girl carefully climbed on with difficulty (Dragon scales look less slippery than they are)

"Listen child." BlueFyre rumbled "My sisters and I are leaving this world. It's polluted, yes. It's dirty, yes. But the real reason? No one believes in magic. The dragons are returning to our homeland, where the people still believe in magic. But magic will return to this world. It will. Only when the magic returns, will we return. No sooner no later. The only humans who have a chance of bringing magic back are children. So remember that child. You are not unimportant, or unheard. The contrary, you will bring magic back. Now leave child. There's no time to delay."

With that Blue Fyre dove into the volcano. When she emerged, she was as young as she was at the beginning of time. Her scales and horn glowed, her wings pounded the air. With that BlueFyre, RedFyre, YellowFyre, GreenFyre, PinkFyre, PurpleFyre, TealFyre, OrangeFyre, GoldFyre, and SilverFyre flew into the air.

What happened next, no one agreed on. Some said they simply vanished. Others said that aliens abducted them. Still others said it was merely hallucinations. Only the little girl saw the truth. The dragons had flown through a little hole in time, back to where magic lives, and wonder never dies.

THE END

(Until magic returns)