Night was quickly descending on the jutting, steeped mountains. The
darkness fell as a cloak, enhanced by the glittering sprinkles of stars
that began to peek out in the high altitudes of the sky.
However, the caverns deep within the mountains were a complete contrast to the peaceful scene above.
A thundering roar echoed throughout the labyrinth of mazes, causing several of the smaller rocks in the walls to come crashing to the ground. Once more, a second roar issued throughout the caverns, followed by a deep bellow of, "This is an OUTRAGE!"
Within one of the largest of the caves, several figures sat curled at various angles in the room. The walls of the chamber glinted in their own mysterious light, reminiscent to the glow reflected by glass. The crystals shone of their own accord and reflected a thousand-fold the figures that rested throughout the room.
One of the smaller forms begin to hiss and tremble, its shoulders shaking in raucous laughter.
"Oh, funny is it?" Remarked the first voice. Its quality had shifted to that of a liquid oozing forth from its source, that of a large green dragon. Its large, roughly scaled body was curled in the center of the room. The crystal light shimmered and reflected over his forest green, serpentine form. Its snout was long, and dotted with various sharp horns as well as two glowing yellow eyes, slitted with dark red pupils. His broad shoulder muscles jerked and shifted as he fluidly stretched a hooked claw out over the floor before him. His plated wings rustled once, and settled once more against his back. With a flick of his spiked tail, he coiled it tightly around his tucked hind legs.
"It's not funny Mileer," chortled the laughing dragon. She was curled tightly before Mileer's green body. A smaller, slender dragon of the deepest crimson hue, her claws were flecked with various gold bits from her toils in the treasure chambers. Her snout was far more delicate and slender, as was her entire form to indicate her draconic femininity.
"What's funny is your reaction." She finished after a moment, a slow stream of black smoke beginning to rise from her nostrils.
Mileer snorted softly and swiveled his head away from the red dragon, "You never take anything seriously, Anarth."
Anarth's eyes narrowed in anger, her fist clenching to leave a trail of deep gouges in the crystal below her. "Just because I don't rise up in arms every time a dust mite moves-"
She was cut off by the fluid movement of the dragon next to her. A white tail curled itself around her snout before she had a chance to finish her phrase.
"Please," Chimed the white form, her voice echoing the sound of wind stirring a fresh winter's snow. "Attacking each other won't solve our problem."
Anarth sighed and shook her head free of her companion's tail, "You're right Sherath. My appologies." She shook her companion a baleful look which caused the white dragon to chuckle.
Sherath was significantly smaller compared to the other dragons in the room, but the beauty of her snow-white scales had prompted many bards' song. Being a white dragon, her skills in healing were unmatched among any and all creatures throughout the world. One drop of a white dragon's blood was told to be able to heal even the most gruesome of wounds. As such, Sherath was one of the last among her color, a precious rarity for both her skills and wisdom.
A deep rumble from one of the darker corners caused the group to simultaneously crane their necks toward the next speaker. The larger dragon shifted his sitting position, causing the light reflecting off his cobalt scales. His orange flecked eyes flickered, and he narrowed them while he spoke.
"Mileer called this meeting. Just let him present his case."
The blue dragon's voice emanated like midnight waves rushing against beach sands.
Mileer sniffed and nodded towards his friend, "Thank you Darst. Now, I've already explained to you that one of the human kingdoms has begun to infringe upon our territory. You all should remember when we gathered with their council to agree on terms of a treaty. One of the terms was that they would never come within fifty miles of our land." The green dragon shifted slightly, "On one of my recent over flights of the boundary lands, I noticed that they were beginning construction well outside of their territory and as such, are breaking the treaty."
The room went silent for a moment as each of the dragons took a moment to absorb the information.
"It's simple." Reverberating over the walls was a new, steely voice, followed by a loud snort. A large, arrow shaped head peeked its way over Sherath's shoulder. The onyx dragon's scales were the most visible through the brightened crystals that made up the floors and ceiling of the meeting chamber. His teeth glinted dangerously as his maw crooked upwards in a smirk, "We haven't gone on a good raid in decades."
"Oh, I agree with Nivok." Grinned Anarth, nodding over to the largest form among the dragons. Nivok's slitted pupils sparkled back down at the red dragon in response.
"You must be mad." Snorted Darst, the spikes on his tail screeching as he slid them along the smooth floor. "All that time in the treasure rooms has made you greatly insane, Anarth."
Mileer chuckled quietly at his friend's insult, then caught himself as he saw Sherath shake her head.
"No." Murmured the white dragon, "Attacking them would not be wise. You must think of the repercussions it would cause. The humans are crafty, and they know where we dwell. What stops them from launching a raid against us when we sleep."
Anarth's tail slammed harshly into the ground behind her as she lulled to one shoulder, "As if they could find their way through the caves, past the traps we've set."
"Besides, if we fear that type of attack, then we should have been fearing it all along. I wouldn't put it past the little destroyers to assume that if we haven't attacked them over breaking the treaty-that they have every right to come kill us for the rest of the territory." Added Nivok.
Sherath shook her head sadly, and Nivok's neck craned out to give hers a reassuring nuzzle. "Remember, they are the ones who killed your kind." He hissed softly.
Darst's snout broke into a great, toothy grin, "So! We attack them come midnight tomorrow night."
"Except Anarth." Smirked Mileer. His cocky look faded as Anarth's tail slapped him soundly across his snout.
"I do believe Mileer just volunteered me to lead." Grinned the red dragon.
"Wrong." Snorted Nivok, ignoring a muffled snort of indignation from Anarth, "We will proceed as we always have." The black dragon nodded to his friends and reared back on his hind legs. The other four dragons followed his example, their rainbow of colors sparkling along the crystal walls. Together, as one, they roared their pact.
However, the caverns deep within the mountains were a complete contrast to the peaceful scene above.
A thundering roar echoed throughout the labyrinth of mazes, causing several of the smaller rocks in the walls to come crashing to the ground. Once more, a second roar issued throughout the caverns, followed by a deep bellow of, "This is an OUTRAGE!"
Within one of the largest of the caves, several figures sat curled at various angles in the room. The walls of the chamber glinted in their own mysterious light, reminiscent to the glow reflected by glass. The crystals shone of their own accord and reflected a thousand-fold the figures that rested throughout the room.
One of the smaller forms begin to hiss and tremble, its shoulders shaking in raucous laughter.
"Oh, funny is it?" Remarked the first voice. Its quality had shifted to that of a liquid oozing forth from its source, that of a large green dragon. Its large, roughly scaled body was curled in the center of the room. The crystal light shimmered and reflected over his forest green, serpentine form. Its snout was long, and dotted with various sharp horns as well as two glowing yellow eyes, slitted with dark red pupils. His broad shoulder muscles jerked and shifted as he fluidly stretched a hooked claw out over the floor before him. His plated wings rustled once, and settled once more against his back. With a flick of his spiked tail, he coiled it tightly around his tucked hind legs.
"It's not funny Mileer," chortled the laughing dragon. She was curled tightly before Mileer's green body. A smaller, slender dragon of the deepest crimson hue, her claws were flecked with various gold bits from her toils in the treasure chambers. Her snout was far more delicate and slender, as was her entire form to indicate her draconic femininity.
"What's funny is your reaction." She finished after a moment, a slow stream of black smoke beginning to rise from her nostrils.
Mileer snorted softly and swiveled his head away from the red dragon, "You never take anything seriously, Anarth."
Anarth's eyes narrowed in anger, her fist clenching to leave a trail of deep gouges in the crystal below her. "Just because I don't rise up in arms every time a dust mite moves-"
She was cut off by the fluid movement of the dragon next to her. A white tail curled itself around her snout before she had a chance to finish her phrase.
"Please," Chimed the white form, her voice echoing the sound of wind stirring a fresh winter's snow. "Attacking each other won't solve our problem."
Anarth sighed and shook her head free of her companion's tail, "You're right Sherath. My appologies." She shook her companion a baleful look which caused the white dragon to chuckle.
Sherath was significantly smaller compared to the other dragons in the room, but the beauty of her snow-white scales had prompted many bards' song. Being a white dragon, her skills in healing were unmatched among any and all creatures throughout the world. One drop of a white dragon's blood was told to be able to heal even the most gruesome of wounds. As such, Sherath was one of the last among her color, a precious rarity for both her skills and wisdom.
A deep rumble from one of the darker corners caused the group to simultaneously crane their necks toward the next speaker. The larger dragon shifted his sitting position, causing the light reflecting off his cobalt scales. His orange flecked eyes flickered, and he narrowed them while he spoke.
"Mileer called this meeting. Just let him present his case."
The blue dragon's voice emanated like midnight waves rushing against beach sands.
Mileer sniffed and nodded towards his friend, "Thank you Darst. Now, I've already explained to you that one of the human kingdoms has begun to infringe upon our territory. You all should remember when we gathered with their council to agree on terms of a treaty. One of the terms was that they would never come within fifty miles of our land." The green dragon shifted slightly, "On one of my recent over flights of the boundary lands, I noticed that they were beginning construction well outside of their territory and as such, are breaking the treaty."
The room went silent for a moment as each of the dragons took a moment to absorb the information.
"It's simple." Reverberating over the walls was a new, steely voice, followed by a loud snort. A large, arrow shaped head peeked its way over Sherath's shoulder. The onyx dragon's scales were the most visible through the brightened crystals that made up the floors and ceiling of the meeting chamber. His teeth glinted dangerously as his maw crooked upwards in a smirk, "We haven't gone on a good raid in decades."
"Oh, I agree with Nivok." Grinned Anarth, nodding over to the largest form among the dragons. Nivok's slitted pupils sparkled back down at the red dragon in response.
"You must be mad." Snorted Darst, the spikes on his tail screeching as he slid them along the smooth floor. "All that time in the treasure rooms has made you greatly insane, Anarth."
Mileer chuckled quietly at his friend's insult, then caught himself as he saw Sherath shake her head.
"No." Murmured the white dragon, "Attacking them would not be wise. You must think of the repercussions it would cause. The humans are crafty, and they know where we dwell. What stops them from launching a raid against us when we sleep."
Anarth's tail slammed harshly into the ground behind her as she lulled to one shoulder, "As if they could find their way through the caves, past the traps we've set."
"Besides, if we fear that type of attack, then we should have been fearing it all along. I wouldn't put it past the little destroyers to assume that if we haven't attacked them over breaking the treaty-that they have every right to come kill us for the rest of the territory." Added Nivok.
Sherath shook her head sadly, and Nivok's neck craned out to give hers a reassuring nuzzle. "Remember, they are the ones who killed your kind." He hissed softly.
Darst's snout broke into a great, toothy grin, "So! We attack them come midnight tomorrow night."
"Except Anarth." Smirked Mileer. His cocky look faded as Anarth's tail slapped him soundly across his snout.
"I do believe Mileer just volunteered me to lead." Grinned the red dragon.
"Wrong." Snorted Nivok, ignoring a muffled snort of indignation from Anarth, "We will proceed as we always have." The black dragon nodded to his friends and reared back on his hind legs. The other four dragons followed his example, their rainbow of colors sparkling along the crystal walls. Together, as one, they roared their pact.