The Dragon Healer of Tone (World of Tone) (7 page)

“I will not need that; Terra healed my wing. I never felt anything like it.”

“I thought about suggesting that, but I thought you might object,”

Lowlack smiled.

He tossed the mud out the cave opening.

“I will be right back. I am going to wash this mud off,” Lowlack said as he launched himself into the sky from the cave’s entrance.

Dawra pondered the great power Terra possessed. She now realized she owed him even more than before. She began to wonder about this small human and the power he seemed to have. She had never been around magic. Few dragons had. She could not quite understand what he did or how.

Chapter 15 - Burning Meat

(A sun-rising of Smoke and Anger.)

338 set of seasons since the coming of the Averons

As time passed, the unusual group of three dragons and a human child slowly became a family. Fienna’s attachment to Terra grew stronger by the sun-rising. Their communications became more powerful, if that was possible. They both knew what the other thought as if they were one mind. Terra was fed the seed rocks and various plants over the full moon risings, but this didn’t seem to satisfy his appetite. He really wanted meat. Dawra gave Terra bits of raw meat, but he would not eat it. He tried, but he just could not chew it. Fienna slowly convinced her mother to let Terra try to burn the meat. At last she agreed to allow him to try.

Lowlack had watched the humans burn their meat over fires for many full moon risings. He now was convinced he could do it. He brought sticks to the cave. Lowlack then explained to Terra how to pile them up.

He then flew off, killed a small running beast, and brought it back to the cave. With his sharp talons, Lowlack sliced off a small piece of meat. He then had Terra push the meat onto a stick and place it over the pile of wood.

Dawra watched this process with a great deal of skepticism, but she allowed Lowlack to continue. When the whole thing was ready, Lowlack hit the wood with a small stream of fire, and it ignited. As the wood started to burn, smoke began to fill the cave. Within minutes, no one could see a thing through the smoke. Dawra stood in the rear of the cave and beat her great wings. The great power of Dawra’s wings drove the smoke from the cave and blew out the fire. Once the smoke had cleared, Dawra could see Fienna jealously protecting Terra with her wings and Lowlack standing with his head down in shame. Terra was coughing under Fienna’s wings. The dragons had no trouble breathing the smoke, but their eyes were swollen from the flying dust.

Dawra was furious, “What were you thinking? This is a disaster.

Look at the mess. The walls are all smoke-colored, and it smells terrible in here.”

“I am sorry, Dawra. I did not think about the smoke. The humans do this outside, and the smoke is not a problem.”

After several sun-risings had passed, Dawra’s anger subsided to an acceptable level. Lowlack left after the meat burning incident and had not returned until now. He was carrying some seed rocks for Terra and with a bowed head hopped to Dawra.

“Dawra, I am sorry about the other sun-rising.”

Dawra, in a somewhat less angry mood, said, “I just don’t want anything like that to happen again.”

“It will not. I promise. I came up with a way to cook the meat outside the cave.”

“How?” Dawra asked with suspicion.

“One of the boulders on the edge of the cave entrance is loose. We could knock it out and build the fire there. The smoke would be outside the cave.”

“We’ll, I don’t know. I’ll think about it,” Dawra sounded doubtful.

In a few sun-risings, after her daughter’s relentless nagging, Dawra agreed to Lowlack’s plan with some limitations. This time Lowlack would be able to ignite only a single piece of wood, and they would watch where the smoke went. If the smoke stayed out of the cave, she would allow a little larger fire with a small piece of meat.

Lowlack pushed on the man-sized boulder with his enormous forearms until he worked it completely loose. Then with one powerful push the boulder tumbled over the edge. It dropped down the steep cliff hitting the rocks at its base and then bounced into the sea disappearing in a large splash of water. A bowl-shaped impression remained on the left edge of the cave opening. Terra could stand and reach into the bowl-shape without leaving the cave. Lowlack took one piece of wood and ignited it with his fire. The smoke traveled up along the cliff’s side never entering the cave.

After seeing that the smoke stayed out side of the cave, Dawra allowed Lowlack to build a larger fire, and Terra was able to burn his meat to his heart’s content. He burned it for a long time, and then he allowed it to cool before eating it.

The fire also served a second unintended purpose. It created light after the sun went down, and though dragons could see in the darkness, it was easier for Dawra to find the cave with the fire burning.

Chapter 16 - Clothes and Other Needs

(Children Always Seem to Need Something.)

338 set of seasons since the coming of the Averons

Taking care of Terra was no small job. He needed so many things.

After only a short time, Dawra discovered the little human needed clothing. She found that what she thought was skin was actually a covering made and worn by the humans. This seemed odd to her until she saw Terra without it. He was so small and frail looking compared to a dragon. She realized that without the covering he would freeze from the cold. Fienna told her mother that Terra was cold at sunset and he wanted what he called a blanket. She said that it was a large piece of the covering similar to what he wore. He would spread it over himself at sunset. The trouble was what to do? It was obvious that Dawra could not make such things. So, only one choice remained; steal them from the humans.

“Lowlack, Terra needs some of these coverings. Do you think you could get some?” Dawra said as she showed him the ragged pieces of cloth.

“I have seen this type of thing. The women dip the coverings in water then hang them on vines.”

“Do you think you can get some?”

“I think it will be quite easy. They leave them hanging on the vines all sun-rising.”

Lowlack took off and returned with five vines full of clothes. Terra sorted through them and found ones that fit and found several of the blanket things he wanted.

It became apparent that the little Terra needed to be cleaned. He had begun to smell. Dawra was not quite sure what to do. She asked Terra what his mother did. He said that his mother bathed him in a pool of water. Dragons would often dive into the ocean to refresh themselves, and Dawra always gave Fienna a licking bath once a sun-rising, but Terra was too small to lick. The cave had the trickling stream from which they all drank, but it was not large enough to bathe the small human in. Dawra considered the problem. She asked Lowlack to watch over the young ones while she went hunting. She flew over the coast as she had done thousands of times, but this time she noticed something.

The lake she sometimes fished in was fed by a river. It was as if someone had scooped out the ground in front of the river, and the water filled the hole. With that, Dawra formed a plan. She went back to the cave and simply used her talons to carve out a bowl shape in the path of the water. She did this near the front of the cave. The bowl immediately filled with muddy water, which by the next sun-rising had turned clear. It was about one-man length in diameter but shallow enough for Terra. He immersed himself and his clothes in the pool every afternoon. Dawra hoped she would not have to do anything else for Terra. She now had a fire on one corner of the cave’s opening and a small pool on the other side. It was as if the cave was more a home for him than her and Fienna.

Chapter 17 - The Time of Growing

(Childhood a Time of Innocence and Joy.)

338 set of seasons since the coming of the Averons

As the full moon risings passed, Dawra came to like Terra. He was truly gentle and kind. Fienna was growing fast and started flapping her wings as all young dragons did. She often stepped up onto one of the rock terraces, begin to flap, and then jumped down. She mainly created dust clouds. Terra watched and clapped when she landed well.

It was time to take Fienna to the grassy fields above the cliffs, so she could run and experiment with her wings. Her mother carried her in her arms. Fienna was excited about going out of the cave, but she wanted to take Terra along. It was decided that Lowlack would carry Terra.

Dawra liked the thought of Lowlack coming along as he could help watch for the dangerous beasts in the woods bordering the fields. Such beasts would never attack a full-grown dragon, but they would attack a dragonette.

The group’s first outing started well. Lowlack gently picked up Terra and took off from the cave’s entrance. Fienna, in Dawra’s strong arms, followed. They landed on a beautiful grassy field. Fienna immediately ran and tried to glide. Terra ran behind her laughing and grabbing at her tail. The two played for several hours before returning to the cave. That sunset the two slept soundly for they were very tired from the sun-rising’s activities. As always Fienna curled up holding Terra in her arms.

As time passed, the trips became a daily pastime. Lowlack and Dawra would often sun themselves on the edge of the field while the children played. One sun-rising while the children played the two adults lazily sunned themselves.

“Do you notice anything when they play in the grass?” Lowlack said.

“No.”

“Well, listen. Fienna makes noise when she moves through the grass, but Terra makes no noise at all. In fact, he seems to move without disturbing anything; the world almost seems to move with him.”

Dawra listened.

“You’re right! He does not make any noise. Perhaps all humans are like that.”

“No, they are clumsy creatures. You can hear them coming for hundreds of dragon lengths.”

Dawra laid back and wondered about the limits of his power.

Fienna saw a path in the woods and started toward it, and Terra followed.

“Fienna, we should not leave the field.”

“I’m tired of playing there. I want to see what is in the woods.”

“Your mother told us not to go in there.”

“I know, but it’ll be fun. Come on.”

“Very well, but not too far.”

They started down the path, and the trees seemed to get more and more dense. Finally, the path ended. When they turned around to go back to the field, the path was gone. It was as if the forest swallowed it.

As always they thought to each other.

“Fienna, what happened to the path?”

“I don’t know. It was right here.”

Suddenly, they heard a noise, a low growl and twigs being broken.

Terra pulled on Fienna’s arm, and she followed. He seemed to know were he was going. Fienna then could feel his mind. Terra could see the field in his mind with her mother frantically looking for them. Then Fienna through his mind saw a large creature. It hid in a purl bush and seemed to be waiting for them. As they approached, Terra stretched out his hand. Fienna felt the hunger and the savage cunning of the beast.

Then it began to lose its desire to kill them. The closer they got to it, the gentler it seemed to become. Finally, it showed itself. It was twice the size of Fienna and covered with hair. It had a large snout full of teeth.

It snuggled up against Terra, which made Fienna angry.

“Fienna, it is all right. I belong only to you.”

“I know. How did you calm that thing?”

“I do not know.”

She sensed that he really didn’t know. Terra told the beast to lead them back to the field. Slowly, it moved in front of them and started off.

As they walked, they heard noises in the forest, but each time something approached them, the low and powerful growls of the beast kept them safe.

They soon heard the calls of Fienna’s mother. The creature led them to the edge of the field, but when it saw Dawra, it went no farther.

Dawra saw the beast and then the children. She flew to them as they ran to her. She watched the beast fade back into the forest.

“Where have you been? You scared me. You could have been lost forever.”

“I’m sorry, Mama; it was me. Terra did not want to go. I wanted to explore.”

“That beast; it led you here?”

“Yes, Terra told it to, and it did what he said.”

“That was a Great Tarmany. They’re more dangerous than you can imagine. It will even attack a full-grown dragon. But, you say Terra told it to bring you here, and it did.”

“Yes, Mama.”

“I’m very angry with you. We’re going to the cave and for punishment we won’t come to the fields again for five sun-risings.”

“Yes, Mama.”

“Terra, come.”

That sunset Dawra talked to Terra.

“Terra, how did you control that beast?”

“I don’t know. They just do what I say.”