Gotcha!

(Page One)

©2003, Kelly "J'Karrah" Dugery

          "When I find that little scamp I'm going to roast his tail," Rankith thought to himself as he searched the thick vegetation of the valley below.  "I have more important matters to attend than tracking down troublesome hatchlings!"

          Then heaving a great sigh, he reminded himself that it was precisely because of those "important matters" he had been asked by the Elders to join the search himself.  Goblin raiders had been making more frequent forays and pushing further into the Dragonlands than ever before.  And as Leader of the Clan Guard it was his task to discover why and stop it.   There had always been periodic raids by the neighboring goblin tribes, but the number and intensity of incursions over the past few seasons had reached alarming levels.  Now was definitely not the time for an adventurous youngster to be wandering off.

          Rankith beat his great wings hard to gain altitude as he completed his survey of the narrow valley.  Even among the scouts there was no other Dragon among the Clans who knew all of the secret places in the vast expanse of the Dragonlands as he did.  No other Dragon had his memory for terrain nor his ability to tell instantly if something...anything... about a given area had been disturbed however slightly.  Only Aerith came close and she was searching elsewhere.

          As he caught a new thermal to ride to the next valley over, he found himself again having to suppress a surge of irritation over the hatchlings antics.  Though long out of the nesting grounds himself, he still remembered what it was like... testing one's evolving abilities and skills, the urge to explore beyond the next hill (an urge that was almost instinct among the population of the Clans).  He remembered well the scolding he had received from his father for doing just as this child had done and flown off for an adventure of his own.

          But times had changed drastically since then and goblins were not the almost constant threat to an unwary Dragon-child as they were today.  And that, Rankith admitted to himself with a deep, rumbling growl that none but the winds could hear, was the real source of his irritation.  Why had the goblins become so increasingly bold?  What could possibly be driving them to risk open war with the Clans?  What could they possibly hope to gain except their own utter destruction?  They had not yet mustered the courage to attack a fully grown Dragon, but a child would be easy prey.  And just thinking about the fate that would await a captured child was enough to make Rankith's blood boil with the desire to bring flaming death to any goblin he might encounter.  He pumped his wings harder and picked up speed...

          One thing was certain, Rankith thought, he was definitely going to  speak to the Elders and LoreKeepers about this young one.  Although barely old enough to fly any significant distance, the child had an astonishing ability to shield his mind and "hide," even from his parents (which was  why Rankith himself had been brought in on the search).   A Dragon child with such an ability would make an excellent addition to the Clan Guard when properly trained.

          Rankith banked left and turned into a new valley even more narrow than the last.  Many of the other adults doubted the youngster had the wing stamina to reach such a remote valley.  Even among the older Dragon children only the most daring would make the attempt to reach it.  Surely it was too far a journey for one so small,  but Rankith knew better.  He had not been any older than this rascal when he first discovered this little valley so many seasons ago.    Adult Dragons rarely paid the little valley much attention since it was so far away, held little of interest,  and was too narrow to effectively hunt in.  But for the younglings it was a different matter entirely.  For them it was the the thrill of the journey... the excitement of flying so far from the safety of mother and father....  not destination itself that made it an attractive prospect.          

           Rankith smiled to himself as he remembered his own childhood adventure among the tall grasses and thick brush of the valley below.  He remembered the warm breezes sweetened with the fragrance of wild flowers and the cool, sweet waters of the narrow stream that flowed through the little valley.  He had caught his first rabbit here and had eagerly flown home to show his father what a great hunter he was.  Jolinar had confessed much later that he hadn't known whether to scold his son for flying so far from home or praise him for his accomplishment.  It was the knowledge of what his mate's reaction would be if Jolinar had done the latter that caused Rankith to be confined to the lair for a week!

          "By the Winds! I will not allow our children to be denied such adventures of their own because of those filthy goblins!" Rankith vowed to himself.   "If it's the last thing I do, I will see an end to these cursed raids."