Metamorphosis Ch. 01

This is my first contribution to Lit and I hope that you enjoy it. I have more chapters ready, so if this is received well, I'll post more soon. Thanks for reading and I'd love to receive feedback of any sort, good or bad. Thanks!

Xayna

*

Once every millennium, a phenomenon occurs that can't be explained by science or reason. Those who have dedicated their lives to finding the cause of this mystery have died unhappy and unfulfilled. Neither through magic nor science can this event be predicted or created, despite the multitudes that have tried. Slowly, it falls into the realm of myths and legends, children's stories to be repeated at bedtime where their wild imaginations carry it into their dreams. Eventually, fantasy becomes reality and no one is prepared.

*

I laid down on the floor of the dull, gray colored cave where my parents and I lived. It was one of the larger caves in the mountain and gave the three of us plenty of room to maneuver, even though my parents were both over thirty-five feet long.

I moved my limbs and extended my wings, stretching my aching muscles. Terrik-elda, my mentor, had worked me hard today, drilling me with facts about the Great War while sparring with me. Every time I got a question wrong, he would hit me in the head with his tail. No matter how hard I tried, I could never really sneak in a blow; he blocked me with ease. It was like he could anticipate my every move.

I made a rumbling noise in frustration. I remembered much about the Great War even if I couldn't answer all of his questions. It was fought between two groups of dragons that disagreed on how the construct, or dragon society, should be run. One group thought that only males should be allowed to be Elders, the leaders of the construct, and the other thought that females were as important as males. At first, the leaders of both groups engaged in heated discussions. As time wore on, the discussions became violent and more people began taking sides. Most of the older dragons were against women as Elders. The system had worked for many millennia; why change it now? The younger dragons, however, believed that everyone should be able to speak their minds. Female dragons were just as important as male dragons, the radicals said. Everyone was equal.

They fought for a century, nearly killing off the entire race. Finally, Nargoth, the leader of the radicals, asked for peace between the two groups. The radicals would leave and find their own land to live off of and the ones who didn't want to change could stay where they were at and live like they always had. A compromise was struck and the radicals moved to the mountains where I lived now.

Eventually, new radical groups arose to fight against new issues but, having learned from the Great War, they argued their points and when the perceived problems wouldn't change, they would form new settlements. There were five constructs in existence. Each construct had their own laws and ways of governing their people, but each construct acknowledged and lived with their differences in opinions. If young ones needed to find mates, they would travel to the other constructs and meet the other dragons their age in hopes of finding someone to spend the rest of their lives with. Sometimes, dragons had trouble adapting to the different laws set forth by the different constructs, but most mates were able to accept their new construct without much trouble.

As I was mulling over my day, my best friend, Taldon, flew into the cave. I tucked my wings in, rolled onto my back, and spread out again. I laid my head on the floor, relaxing my muscles as best I could.

"What are you doing?" Taldon asked through our Link. Dragons' range of vocal noises was too limited to use a spoken language, so we had been given the gift of Links by Doag the Creator, the spirit who created dragons. Dragons could speak to each other through our thoughts by forming Links between one person or multiple people. Each individual learned at a young age to guard their thoughts so that they didn't spew what they were thinking into the minds of all of the other dragons who were in range to hear. They also learned to form Links with individuals so they didn't have to be heard by everyone who was near them.

"I am resting," I replied tiredly. "Terrik-elda was terrible today. He worked my mind and my body at the same time. I am physically and mentally exhausted."

Taldon sent amusement through our Link. Normally, it was considered rude to send emotions or feelings through Links, but with close friends or family it was acceptable. I snorted.

"You think it's funny, but you wait. Terrah-elda will do the same to you." Terrah-elda was Taldon's mentor and she made him work just as hard as Terrik-elda made me work. "What did you do today?"

"Terrah-elda took me hunting," he said proudly. "She educated me on several different ways to kill and had me practice on multiple animals. We gave the excess meat to Kaleel-elda and Nella-elda because they are weak and unable to hunt. She said I did very well." I lifted my head and saw Taldon standing beside me, his head held high.

Taldon was an attractive male. His scales were dark blue, although they hadn't gained the shiny quality that signaled adolescence or adulthood. He was built for flying; his body was narrow and lean, but he was well muscled and strong. His eyes and the barb at the end of his tail were several shades lighter than his scales.

"We should go to the lake," he suggested. "You could cool off and I could splash around for a bit."

I agreed and he sped off, leaving me to follow behind him. I slowly stood on all four feet and made my way out of the cave. "I'm not going to move that quickly," I told him. "I'm tired and sore. You may go as fast as you please, but I'm going to go at a leisurely pace and arrive in my own time."

He decided that the best solution to this problem was to fly in circles around me. He kept up a constant stream of chatter about the animals he killed and the way in which he killed them. He told me that for his first time, he was very quick. The animals didn't have to suffer long, which was good because to our people, making the beasts suffer before we killed them was shameful and defied Ranna the Huntress, the patron spirit of hunting and killing. She commanded us to be swift in our killing and we took that very seriously. Those who disobeyed found themselves ostracized by their construct or worse, visited by Ranna herself, who was never pleasant to deal with.

When we arrived at the lake, Taldon dived into an area far from land and caused a great splash. I studied my reflection in the still water, peering intently into my own eyes. They were bright green, a shade or two lighter than my scales. I was long and lean, much like Taldon, except with more feminine curves and sharper features. The barb at the end of my tail was the same color as my eyes and my wings matched my scales. I was about twenty-feet long, which was small for a dragon. I was only seventeen years old, though. I still had much time to grow.

I dipped my nose into the water, obscuring my reflection. I lowered myself into a shallow area, slowly moving around so I could lay my head on a large, flat rock protruding from the water. Taldon came up for air right beside me, splashing water over my face and into my eyes. I glared at him and blew a steady stream of smoke from my nose. I growled at him warningly and closed my eyes again.

"Aw, Xayna, come on. Have a little fun! Don't you want to swim at least a little bit?" I opened one eye and looked at him with as serious of a face as I could muster.

"No."

He nudged my head with his nose and dived back underwater, swimming to the other side of the lake. I heard him emerge from the water and when I opened my eyes, I saw him flying straight up in the air, obviously intending to dive back down and create a huge splash. I rolled my eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to relax my aching muscles.

Taldon did, in fact, dive back into the water. Waves washed over me, almost submerging my head several times. Instead of glaring at him like I wanted to, I laid without moving or reacting. My friend came swimming up to me, saying, "Xayna! Did you see that? Wasn't that cool? The water went really far into the air."

Taldon flopped down beside me, causing the water around me to ripple. "Okay, okay." He laid his head next to mine. "You're tired. I get it. So, what are you thinking about?"

I took a large breath in and exhaled slowly, a steady stream of air leaving my nostrils. "Not a lot, to be honest. My eighteenth birthday is four months away. I know my parents are planning something spectacular, but I'm not sure what yet. I know eighteen is when we move from childhood to adolescence, but I don't see why it's such a big deal. I mean, I'm still a very, very young dragon."

"It's mostly just a tradition," Taldon explained. "It started back when the Changelings were abundant. You remember Changelings, right? The dragons that turn into humans? From what Terrah-elda says, they always Changed for the first time on their eighteenth birthday. Since then, we've celebrated our eighteenth birthdays in hopes that we will have another Changeling."

I pondered what he told me. "I wonder why Terrik-elda hasn't explained this to me, yet, what with my birthday coming up."

"Maybe he didn't think it's important," he suggested. "I mean, it's not like you're going to be a Changeling or anything. We haven't had one in over a millennia."

"Yeah, you're right. Tomorrow I think I'm learning more about magic, but I'm not sure. Terrik-elda has been hinting at it for several weeks now so I'm really excited to know what he's going to tell me."

"Just don't get your hopes up too much," Taldon warned. "I don't want you to get disappointed if the information is less interesting than you were expecting."

"You're such a downer," I complained. "Can't you let me be excited for a while?"

"I can," he said seriously, "but it's the duty of a good friend to keep their friends from getting disappointed or hurt."

"I suppose," I conceded. "Let's go back. I'm sure my parents are expecting me by now."

*

"What did you learn today?" my mother asked, lying down in front of me. We were back in our home cave and I had taken some time to take a short nap. When Mother came home, I woke up and walked around the cavern, stretching my tense muscles. Mother rested her golden head on her front feet and blinked slowly at me. "I met Terrik after your mentoring this afternoon and he said you weren't very focused."

I growled in annoyance and sat on my haunches. "Yeah, it's hard to be focused when you're being pelted with questions about the Great War while sparring with someone who is infinitely better than you," I grumbled. "I knew the answers, but it was hard to think of two things at once."

"You must concentrate," Mother replied sternly. "I know that it is difficult for you, but this is good practice. When you try to become a full-fledged member of the construct, you must spar verbally as well as physically. You will be taunted and barraged with questions while being tested on your ability to fly and fight. Terrik is preparing you in the best way possible."

I groaned unhappily. "Yes, I know."

"What do you know about the Great War?" my mother inquired. She and Father were constantly asking me to repeat my lessons, so her question didn't come as a surprise. She blinked her amber colored eyes expectantly.

I listed off the facts that my mentor had drilled into my head repeatedly. When I was finished, I sat quietly, thinking over what I had just rattled off.

Mother surprised me by asking, "What is your opinion of the events that transpired?" Usually, my parents were happy that I had learned the information; they weren't normally concerned with my thoughts or opinions. I had to contemplate the information for a moment before I could reply.

"I believe that the old ones were wrong to think that females didn't have a place within the Elders. Sometimes, females have insights that males do not and our opinions are highly valuable. I also think that Nargoth could have come to the compromise without going to war, but maybe that was necessary. The war taught us that we must be civil and that large-scale fighting against each other is not the way to solve our disputes."

Mother sent pride through our Link. "I'm glad you can see that. I'm pleased with your answer."

Just then, Father flew in through the mouth of our cavern. He beat his dark brown wings twice before floating gracefully to the floor. He had a broad body and was well muscled for labor, although his mind was especially sharp and astute, even for a dragon.

"I talked to the Elders," he announced. I had forgotten that the Elders had called my father to talk to him about his and my mother's work as ambassadors to his home construct in the Dutta Mountains. My parents had been given time off of their duties to raise me, but since I was reaching adolescence, the Elders had been contemplating sending my parents to maintain peaceful ties and to bring back news.

"What did they say, darling?" my mother inquired.

"They want us to leave shortly after Xayna turns eighteen. Apparently, there have been births there as well and the Elders want us to congratulate them and see whether they would be suitable mates for Xayna or Taldon. Of course, Xayna and Taldon may find that they suit each other perfectly," my father goaded. He and Mother were constantly teasing me good naturedly about mating with Taldon, knowing full well that Taldon and I were only going to be close friends. "However, if that is not the case, we must give them more options to choose from."

I rolled my eyes. "I think it's a wonderful idea. Taldon is not my mate," I said pointedly. "So I would like to meet others. I realize that it could mean decades of courtship in another construct, but I do not want to live my entire life alone." I attempted to keep my voice light and not serious, but my parents could see through my attempt easily. They knew that I feared living a life of solitude.

"You will not die alone," Father reassured me, walking over to where I was sitting. He pressed the side of his face against mine and hummed deep in his throat. "I promise that your mother and I will do our best to help find you a suitable companion."

I closed my eyes and relished the moment. My father pulled away and I looked into his dark brown eyes. "Thank you," I said sincerely. "I appreciate that with all of my heart."

"Yes," my mother agreed. "We will do all that we can to ensure your happiness."

After a long pause in conversation in which Father walked over to where Mother was laying and laid down beside her, I decided to break the silence.

"What are we doing this evening?" I asked, looking back and forth between my parents.

"We thought we'd take you to socialize," Mother replied, her eyes twinkling. "There is going to be a ceremony honoring Telesia. Do you remember who she is?"

"Yes. She is the patron spirit of magic and music. If there is a ceremony, that means lots of voices participating in the music. If the music is strong, then there will be much magic in the air." I paused, sending my nervousness through our Link. "Are you sure I'm ready for that? I mean, what if I get carried away?"

"That's the point," my father informed me. "You're supposed to get carried away in the music. It is to remind us to feel joy and happiness and to thank Telesia for the magic that she allows us to use. Your mother and I will be right next to you and if we think you're in danger of becoming too influenced, then we will take you home. However, we think this will be good for you."

"I'll go," I said uncertainly. "But I want you to keep a very close eye on me."

I felt my parents' amusement and was comforted by it. If they're amused at my concern, I thought. Then that must mean that they think there is nothing to fear. I relaxed slightly, but didn't let my guard down completely. I was still very young and new to the world; the effects that the ceremony would have on the older dragons would be intensified several times over on me.

"When does it begin?"

"The sun is getting low in the sky," Mother replied. "We should leave now so that we can find good places to stand."

My father agreed and we left immediately.

*

The cavern where the ceremony was to be held was large and only partially natural. Our construct had to have a place where all of us could gather together for important meetings and ceremonies, so when our numbers grew to be too large to house in the cavern, our strongest and most able-bodied melted the stone and dug through the dirt to create enough space for us all. It took great skill and strength to keep the cavern from collapsing in on itself.

My parents and I were among the first to arrive as the sun had just set and the ceremony wouldn't start until the moon was high in the sky. We positioned ourselves nearly halfway between the entrance and where the choir would stand. We talked amicably as our neighbors and friends entered, passing us to stand in circles around the center of the cave.

"Do you know if Taldon and his parents are coming?" I asked my parents after a long visual search through the cavern to find my friend and his family.

My parents exchanged a look and what appeared to be a short conversation before my mother answered. "He and his parents aren't coming tonight. They thought it would be best to go over what Terrah has been teaching him." I understood what my parents weren't saying; Taldon's parents didn't think he was ready to be near such strong magic. I knew that Taldon would be angry when he found out that I was at the ceremony tonight, but I hoped his anger wouldn't be directed at me.

Suddenly, most of our construct entered the cavern at once. I was jostled by the dragons coming in and when I finally was allowed to stop, I found I was in the closest ring to where the choir was now assembling. I tried to back out and move around to get to my parents, but I was stuck. I was unable to open my wings enough to fly above the assembled crowd and when I reached out with my mind to establish a Link with my parents, I couldn't find them.

I panicked. I stuttered to the people around me, trying to tell them that I needed to get out, but they wouldn't listen. One male even said, "You're here now. You might as well stay and enjoy the show."

I stood, dumbstruck. I had been so nervous and now I had no way out. I lowered my head until my nose hit the floor and sent a silent prayer to Talesia. Please, I pleaded. Please let me stay sane during this ceremony.

Slowly, a low hum entered the cavern. The choir was humming notes with their vocal chords as well as humming through our Links. A calm serenity filled the chamber and I felt my worries being washed away. The humming intensified and got louder, the sounds echoing off the walls and bouncing back into our ears.

Gradually, I became more and more comfortable. This isn't so bad, I thought. This is really quite nice. I let my guard down, bit by bit, until I was completely relaxed and immersed in the music. Almost without my noticing, the mood changed from calmly pleasant to excited and hyper. The air buzzed with sound and emotion. I became unaware of my surroundings as I closed my eyes and listened to the music being created by my people.

My body vibrated all the way to my bones and I felt myself become lighter than air. I added my voice to the symphony and my head spun with elation. Pressure built in the pit of my stomach until I thought I would explode. The voices got louder and the feelings in my body intensified until I thought I would die. Suddenly, I felt myself burst with the most intense pleasure I had ever felt. My whole body sang with the wonder of it. I voiced my ecstasy by letting out the loudest sound I could possibly make: a roar that could shake the walls. I felt a torrent of fire explode from my mouth, searing the air around me.