Page 13 of Scaled Hearts

It wasn’t an experience I was keen on repeating. Besides, he had probably passed on by now, I’m sure. He was older than I was when we arrived on the Island.

I shuffle forward a little, dragging myself into my favorite spot in the cave to rest. I get comfortable, circling around three times like a cat before I curl into a circle, tucking my tail close by. I think I’ll just go back to sleep for now. No point in being awake, right?

I close my eyes and rest my head on my paws once more when I hear the noise again. It definitely doesn’t sound like a dragon youngling though.

Oh. Maybe it’s an explorer! It’s been quite a long while since I encountered one of those. Rare as it is, sometimes the shipwrecked elves decide to climb the mountains when they survive. A grin spreads across my face and I decide to give whoever is coming a good spook. I have so little fun anymore. This is my only enjoyment.

I’m not really afraid of anything anymore. Being a dragon has killed my fear of much else. The only thing I truly fear is the vrakken and they can’t get here. The Hearthkeeper has protected us from their threat.

I know that I’m not afraid of anything but I’m certain whoever is on their way into my cave is going to very much be afraid of me. I heard the last explorer who ventured here babbling about how dragons were supposed to be a myth before I ate him. They don’t believe in us anymore. How odd.

Still. This should be fun. I’ll wait until they’re here, until the moment is right, then I’ll spring my trap. They won’t even know what hit them, before they’re face to face with the beast of legends.

It’s really such a shame that I have to kill them, but they can’t be allowed to leave the island. They can’t be allowed to speak of our existence.

It’s best that we remain a mystery, a legend to them. To protect ourselves, to protect our race. If the vrakken know we’re out there still, we could be targets once more.

Sometimes I allow the explorers to remain a part of my horde for a while. I treat them like pets, feed and tend to them a bit to keep them as entertainment for myself. I make them tell me stories and the ones with the best stories get to stick around a while.

Longest I’ve kept a pet for was about three months before I got bored and did away with him. I don’t want to get attached to them. They’re all utterly useless at the end of the day anyway.

I settle back down to wait for my prey to enter my lair.

6

Kelly

Ihead inland, marveling at the size of the island. It’s much larger than the stories make it seem—most of the tales talk about the volcano as if it is merely a landmark, but in reality, the volcano only takes up about a third of the island.

There’s so much green vegetation here, despite the heat. Or maybe because of it. There’s huge flowers the size of my head in all sorts of colors. I see red and orange ones, yellow, purple, even some that look like birds, with beaks! I spot trees that reach up towards the sky before curving to the side, some with fronds so large you could practically use them to thatch a roof.

I’m on a mission though, so I can’t stop to admire the scenery. I have to find the dragons here, get them to cure my sister. That’s all that matters.

The vegetation grows thicker the deeper I travel. With my trusty hunting knife, I hack away at the limbs and vines that block our path, carefully leading us in the direction of the base of the peak. It’s so hot and humid here that my knife feels slippery in my hands and I have to stop several times to wipe my palms on my thighs.

A loud cawing startles me and my head shoots up, looking to see a colorful bird bursting out of the trees, soaring into the air. This is the first bird I’ve seen since arriving on the island. It’s also strangely more quiet than I would have expected for a land teeming with such rich vegetation.

It makes me wonder.

I shake my head and push the hoqin forward, winding my way around the island to get closer to the base. I can’t even see the shore anymore from where I’m at. I hope I can find my way back once I’m done.

The path gets harder to traverse and I have to dismount to clear a path every few hundred feet. It makes the journey incredibly slow going. I’m determined not to give up. I promised myself I would explore every inch of the island to find the dragons.

Just as I’m about to start losing hope that I’m actually gaining any significant ground, I realize that I’ve hit the base, nearly nose-to-nose with a rocky outcropping. There’s a narrow, ashy path that seems suspiciously well-trod. It’s too narrow to ride the hoqin, so I have to dismount for good.

The hoqin, who I’ve come to think of as my heroic steed Solionus, whinnies, jerking back a bit. I tug on the reins but he’s stubborn about moving forward. I bite my lip before pressing onward.

Solionus whinnies again as we climb and I shush him, trying to concentrate. The ash covers loose rocks and I nearly slip twice just getting onto the path.

Though the path is decently well trodden, it’s still difficult to navigate. Solionus and I have to pick our way over fallen logs and destroyed trees.

As I turn the corner I find myself facing a steep incline to get to the next part of the path. Bracing myself against Solionus, we work our way up the hill. My foot slips out from under me and it’s all I can do to hang on as I start to fall over the side. The only thing that saves me is hanging on tightly to his reins.

I muster up the strength to climb back up over the edge, getting to my feet as I brush debris off of me. Solionus whinnies softly, as though he’s relieved to see me.

The next thing I know, I’m several hundred feet up, facing a rudimentary rope bridge that is the only thing connecting the path over a large chasm.

I swallow, holding my breath as I step onto the bridge with one foot, testing it. I need to make sure it will hold both our weight as we cross. It’s rickety and worn down by the elements, several planks are missing in random spots and the rope holding it on the other side looks a bit frayed.

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