The Descent of Dragons Part I - III

A chronicle into the early years of the most feared drake in Middle-Earth. His fall from light into greed and gold and ruin.

The Descent of Dragons

By Owen J Kato

 

Part I - A Heart of Gold

On a beach of silver sand in a hole, there lived a young dragon. Not a particularity big dragon but dragons do not need to be big to have fierce hearts. His mother named him Smaughyn and he was a polite and careful dragon. He would stay home and play in the sun and silver sand while his mother often toured the ocean side towns of northern Middle-Earth aiding in the lighting of fires and lamps and torches. She also took some part in in the building of large forts, castles, strongholds and homes. Smaughyns mother always told him to use his strength and power for the common good of Middle-Earth. Every night before the sun set on the golden sea she would recite a song to Smaughyn as he drifting into dragon dreams.

"Go to sleep Little Wing." she would oft say.

"No mom one more story." Smaughyn would ask for he always knew the last story she would tell, which wasn't so much a story at all but a song. The Song of Free Hearts.  

All hearts are born free

Dragon’s hearts fierce yet need not have to be

Men’s cruel but glance again, for there is a light too see

Dwarves driven, yet only by the token promise, a material fee

Elves majestic, concerned only with themselves, a luminescent legacy

But in eternities end oh little one, all hearts truly are born free

And a dragons heart fierce as fire, yet in the end they need not be

Before the song would come to an end Smaughyn would be asleep dreaming of wisps and wizards in far off lands.

A few days before his 10th Dragonday his mother let him explore the expanse of the ocean. As large as a growing drake was he still was small compares to the vast blue of the sparkling sea. Smaughyn flew hard and strong, his wings a gentle breeze that would warm passersbyers as he smiled at them with his golden eyes glimmering. He even took up his mothers mantle and aided in the setting up of a mast and sail abroad a great galleon. He smiled as he flew off into the deep blue.

Smaughyn was a agile fast drake but he had realized he had flown too far and his wings were getting strained and sore. He desperately looked for land and out of the corner of his golden eye he saw a large mass of black rocks. He spun down exhausted and landed to a gasp.

"Dragon what are you doing on my land?" said a voice.

"I am nearly resting my gentle wings good sir." said Smaughyn.

"Welcome to the Ocean Fort." said the voice. Smaughyn looked over a saw a man, but not a man a fish, no a man, a Manfish.

"Are you a man or a fish?" asked Smaughyn

"That's like asking if you are a dragon or a soul?" said the manfish.

"I am both!" asserted Smaughyn.

"Well then I am both." said the fishman as he smiled, Smaughyn smiled back politely.

The Fishman was actually a Merman off the coast of the Sparkling Sea. Smaughyn would often fly out to sea and meet the Merman named Tymat on their small island of black rocks. Tymat taught Smaughyn to swim and Smaughyn taught Tymat to fly, rather fly on top of him(Smaughyn). The two played together as years faded away.

One day Smaughyn flew out to the black rocks but the black rocks of their Ocean Fort were nowhere to be seen, instead a vast green occupied what was once dark and black. Tymat had used water magic to turn the dark rocks to green. The boring black rocks were replaced with vast tall trees they would climb and hide in. It proved hard for the Merman to climb the trees but he knew Smaughyn enjoyed the trees as he would rub up against them to cure dragon scale itch.

Smaughyn always lost track of time and was regularity late for supper and on one day when he arrived at his mothers cave he had forgotten it was his 13th Dragonsday. His mom patiently waiting for him and we Smaughyn arrived she gave him a jewel of pure blue. Smaughyns now large golden eyes lit up in the reflection of the blue stone. She also gave Smaughyn a wooden man that he was gifted to take care of, a lesson to show Smaughyn compassion and care for humans as they were smaller and more fragile than him.

"Thanks mom." said Smaughyn as he took up the both of them in his claws.

"Don't mention it Little Wing." she said back with a warm smile.

"May I go back to the Ocean Fort now to play with Tymat?"

"As long as you are back here before the sun sets on the sea Little Wing."

"Thanks mom." as he smiled and took up the wooden man ever so carefully under his gentle wings.

"Oh son, you have a heart of gold." she said as he flew off into wind and sky.

He soared in speed and stealth across an ocean blue to a island green and fancily dropped down to a waiting Tymat.

"Hi Smaughyn." said Tymat.

"Hi."

"Whatcha got there?" asked Tymat as he approached the young drake.

"Oh these."

"Is it treasure? Golds of shimmer and Gems of light?" said Tymat.

"No, it is just a blue stone and a wooden man." informed Smaughyn proudly, as he pay no mind to things like treasure and gold.

"Can I see?" further asked Tymat.

Smaughyn was always taught to share the things given to him, for what was given to him, he should give to others. So he handed over his precious blue stone and wooden man.

Tymat admired the stone, his eyes flashing at its brilliance. A creepy glare overtook him and Smaughyn noticed but said nothing.

"May I..." Tymat started.

"May I borrow them?" he finished.

Smaughyn not knowing what to say at Tymats abrupt request stood there puzzled. He hadn't played with them yet himself for he had just got them gifted to him, but he didn't want to be mean to his only friend he'd made. He crouched there unsure about giving up his newly acquired Dragonsday presents.

"Ummmm" droned on Smaughyn.

"Come on you can trust me. Tomorrow I will let you borrow my mighty trident! Believe in my good nature for I am half man, half fish and your friend dragon of the skies! And nothing to you but a mere Merman and nothing to your magnificence but a man of the deep sea. You are sky and fire I am all but gentle water and nothing more. You are simply stupendous oh drake of the Silver Sands, of the wind and sky, of might and all that is right."

"Okay you may borrow my gifts, they are only things after all man of the sea, son of the Binding Trident." answered Smaughyn. "But be careful my mother told me to be gentle to the stone as if it were her own heart and to take care in the wooden man as if he were a real one."

"I will, I promise." and off swam Tymat leaving Smaughyn puzzling empty handed or rather clawed. Smaughyn brushed off the eerie feeling that enter his mind and flew to the top of the sky, till the sky got dark and he got afraid. His mother told him to fly no higher because that would cross the laws of fantasy and sci-fiction and he didn't not want to do such things.

He ducked down and flew quick and strong like a bullet over the ocean back to his before the sun set on the horizon like he'd always promised. Smaughyn always kept his promises and the honor of a just and kind dragon even being so young.

The next day Smaughyn awoke past sunrise, like he always had. His mother called him Lazy Wing and rushed him out of the house on his first formal work day. He was told he was allowed to accompany her on the Lighting of the Beacons of Gondor. So the two drakes flew across rivers long, forests thick and mountains tall towards the city of white stone.

The Gondorians cheered at the two drakes exuding might and grace while soaring into town. Smaughyn was nothing but a large smile, golden eyes aglow with good nature as he formally got to light the first beacon. It took him a while under the pressure of the crowd and it was his best fire blast yet, bigger and hotter than he ever had achieved. His mother clapped her wings in cheer as did the mopey and tired Steward of Gondor, the Neumurnorian King and the rest of the white city.

Smaughyn watched a second beacon off in the distance take flame and his wings took flight as he started at the direction of the smoke and flame. After reaching it he saw a third and cut the skies in that direction, on and on he flew flying after fire and flame until he was lost in a land called Rohan.

He asked a young wood elf in white directions back to his Silver sand beach and once he arrived his mother was waiting for him.

"Do not venture to far off Little Wing, you are too young to be alone and far away."

All Smaughyn did was nod, he knew he had been wrong but he was far too curious for a young dragon and the world was a vast mystery to him. A mystery he wanted to solve.

The next day he soared across the Sparkling Sea. He kept his altitude low to the ocean as the spray showered him in salt and water. He arrived at the green Ocean Fort and he waited and waited and waited.

He started to climb trees and laugh to himself while awaiting Tymats arrival but Tymat never came. Smaughyn started to worry, feel alone and then a tiny suspicion grew within him. It started as a gentle question in the recesses of his mind of minds then grew a little larger as he waited alone. The longer he waited the more the trees seemed a little less green, the ocean a little less blue and his golden heart a little less warm.

Smaughyn looked to the sun running away from him on the horizon. He let out a large sad sigh and took to shredding the sky. Up and up he flew with a burning rage. His mind a storm of anger, but he did not jump to conclusions for a dragons heart is fierce yet it needs not have to be. He let out the steam and went back to his mother. He took no mention of Tymat and his Dragonsday gifts as he lay his head down to sleep, but what is not sound can be thoughts of wind and fury as a violent tornado that billowed and blew in his mind the entire night.

Smaughyn left early for the Ocean Fort and waited all day for Tymat to no avail. Smaughyn saw fish streaming past, and men in their boats but no Fishman. Rage left his body in the form of flame and fury.

 

Part II - A Mouth of Flame

 

Smaughyn remembered not what he had done, but instead felt it in the dancing of flame and crackling of smoldering ember.

His golden eyes filled with fire as he took flight in astonishment of what he had done. He had turned the Ocean Fort into nothing more than a burning lighthouse. A fortress of fire.

He left it to ruin as he swooped across the sea before the sun disappeared.

“Smaughyn are you okay?” asked his mother as he was quiet eating his fish.

“I did something, he took my wooden man, my blue stone.”

“Who son, who?”

“My friend, he took it and left.” Smaughyn said with malice.

“I’m sure he will come back.”

“He’s a liar and a thief.”

“No Little Wing, this is not the way.” She said sincerely.

“Noooo, heeeeeee’sssssssss a buuurrrrggggglllllaaaaarrrrrr!” roared Smaughyn.

“Now now Smaughyn, leave those words for truer folk to the name, your friend simply may have had orders to attend to.”

“No.” as Smaughyn left and moped back to his dragons den to lay his wyrm head to rest.

The next day Smughyn was in better spirits for he had forgotten what he had done the day prior, he rose after the sun and flew out to his Ocean Fort and saw nothing but charred rock and the Fishman sitting in despair.

“What has happened to our place of play? What sorrowed beast came and did such a thing, such a terrible action against us.” Said Tymat.

Smaughyn did not speak, he flew down and sat next to his friend and gave him a glare.

“Do you have my Dragonsday gifts?”

“I do have them, but I…” Tymat handed Smaughyn the wooden man, he was a little wet but besides that in good form.

“But you…?” invoked Smaughyn.

“I lost the stone.”

“You are a liar and a thief and aaaaaa burglarrrr.” Darkly announced Smaughyn is as mighty a voice he could muster.

“It was an accident. I still have it.”

“But you lost it?”

“But I lost it in my possession somewhere in my father’s fortress, so I still have it.”

“You do not have it then. Show it to me.” ordered the young drake.

“I don’t have it, because I lost it.” timidly said Tymat.

“So you don’t have it Merman.” Said a voice with rising anger.

“I guess I don’t have with me.” Shrugged Tymat not considering its worth.

“You are folly, you are false.” As Smaughyn pointed at Tymat. Tymat shot his head down.

“I must also confess to an accident of sorts…” said Smaughyn sinisterly.

“What?” inquired Tymat. Smaughyn gestured around with his large dragons head.

“NO!” yelled Tymat realizing what Smaughyn had done with his gift of fire.

“I burnt your forest, I set it aflame and if I ever see you treading waves I will turn the blue sea red with fire and flame as you bathe in it.”

Tymat started to open his mouth, then defeated swam off down, down into the deep blue as the dragon sliced the sky towards mainland Middle-Earth leaving his friend and the Ocean Fort forever.

 

Part III - The Wings of Love

For 5 years Smaughyn held his fury. He flew to mountains to reign flame down upon forests when the anger become too hot inside him. He carried the precious wooden man under his wings where ever he flew. The sun was fading behind a tall mountain and he knew it was supper time as he darted spirally downwards towards the Silver Sandy beach and his mother.

“Smaughyn where do you go so late?” she would ask.

“Why do we help the humans, when all they do is cheat and lie to each other?” Smaughyn asked.

“Because we have to show them the light.” She said warmly.

“They should fear us.”

“No Little Wing, they should respect us and us them. Fear is one of the furthest things from respect on the map of life dear wild drake.” As she draped her wing over him. “Tomorrow we will light the beacons once more?”

“I… I want to see new things.” said Smaughyn.  

“But it is a tradition of our family Little Wing.”

“Stop calling me Little Wing, my wings are expansive now.”

“I see, as well as your mouth. Quite expansive indeed.” She japed.

“Tomorrow let me explore.”

“No, you come with me or…”

“Or what?” said Smaughyn sinisterly.

“Or, or…”

“All hearts are born free mother.” Informed Smaughyn with a smirk.

His mother said nothing but slowly walked away with a crack in her dragon heart. And just as Tymat had lost the blue stone which lacklustre care, Smaughyn had lost his mothers heart.

The sun rose again but only one dragon to tend to the light of it. She left without her son. Smaughyn awoke with a guilty feeling in his scales and took to the sky, soaring fast and low along the mountain tops, through smoke and cloud and mists until he collided with something silver which swooped around him in the mist. He darted his eyes in this direction and towards that, but could see nothing but mist.

“Sky shredder, it pays to watch where one flies, especially in such astonishing velocities.”

“Who are you?”

“That is the wrong question Sky Shredder.” As the voice echoed around him in the mist.

“Where are you?” said Smaughyn with some fear in his voice.

“I am everywhere.” said the voice darkly coming in all directions.

“I..I have to fly.” Said Smaughyn as he cut the sky downward towards the green forest of the mountainside he could make out. He swooped fast using the mountain wind in his favor. But the voice remained.

“No one can shred sky as quick as me. Soar with all your might and all your talent but it will not avail you.” Said the sinister voice.

“I am soaring as fast as my wings can, as fast as I have taught myself, across oceans wide, valleys deep and canyons narrow.” said Smaughyn who could no longer hide the fear within him.

“Well you still haven’t paid tribute to where you are flying Sky Shredder.” The voice said as it faded upwards. Smaugyn looked where he was aiming and it was straight into a large family of trees. His scales crashed against tree trunks slicing them to firewood. His breath lay part of the mountainside forest to flame. He started to panic and stamp out the flame his scales protecting him but he could not contain the spreading flames.

A breath of cold air passed him as his flames were extinguished and a sheet of ice remained in their stead. He felt the wind of wings above him and he now knew the proper question to ask. “What are you?”

“A dragon of the sky of course, just like you.” said a much more cheerful voice that had laugher as light as the afternoon air.

The white dragon landed in front of him, same in size, but the scales and spines at its tips were black, its body was luminescent white. It was more slender than Smaughyn but about the same in length. He looked on in curiosity or was it admiration.

“Sky Shredder, did the flame steal your tongue?” said the white dragon as it approached.

“Na-No, I haven’t see you before.”

“Of course not Dragon of the flame, for I am a dragon of the high north, a dragon of ice and snow.” As the female drake smiled. Smaughyn’s golden eyes shimmered as he looked on towards the shiny reflective supple ivory scales of the female drake.

“What’s your name Sky Shredder?” she asked.

“Smaughyn of the Silver Shores. Yours?”

“Tylia of the White Peaks of the High North, Guardian of Ice and all things nice.” formally announced the white drake. “But you can call me Tylie”

“Tylie?”

“Yes Tylie.”

“That name does not ring fierce.”

“A Dragons heart fierce, yet it not need have to be...” Sang Tylie with a smile of icy breathe.

“You… you put out my fire.”

“Yes we can’t have the forests burn all at once now can we Sky Shredder?”

“No.”

A cold silence fell as they sat in the frozen forest observing each other’s scales and magnificence.

“So, where were you shredding to?” broke Tylie.

“My mother’s traditional lighting of the beacons, they do it every year to test the beacons and the beaconmen.”

“Best be on your way Fire Starter. It's not honorable to leave a lady waiting.” As she motioned with her wings.

“Will I see you again?” asked Smaughyn.

“Soar to where the skies fall white, where your breath can be seen not as flame but as gentle warmth and you just might.”

“I will then Ice Forger.”

Smaughyn then flapped into Gondor but saw his mother not. She was nowhere to be seen. And as he arrived he was met with arrow and stone. He flew up high enough to avoid the assault.

“Where is my mother? What have you done?” he asked in a roar.

But they only replied back with catapult and boulder.

To be continued...

 Stay tuned or rather keep eyes peeled for Part IIII- The Teeth of Fear.

Thank you for lending me your eyes and time. Thank you to J. R. R. Tolkien for providing the Protagonist and the world around him and the world I have spent many days if not months in.

Author's Note

The main protagonist is in fact a character based off a J. R. R. Tolkien character but all other characters aside are creations of my own invention. This was just a dare and a joke but I spent all day writing it less time much less editing. I apologize in advance for that.

Reviews

[Pajci]

You know what I think? I think...that if you continued this story and gave it a nice major plot/problem you could very well have yourself a children's chapter book. This I think would be liked by preteens. It also has potential. The way you write is very simple, but it works and is fun.

Some lines that I really liked were:

"The longer he waited the more the trees seemed a little less green, the ocean a little less blue and his golden heart a little less warm."

"Tymat started to open his mouth, then defeated swam off down, down into the deep blue as the dragon sliced the sky towards mainland Middle-Earth leaving his friend and the Ocean Fort forever."

"“I see, as well as your mouth. Quite expansive indeed.” She japed."

"His mother said nothing but slowly walked away with a crack in her dragon heart. And just as Tymat had lost the blue stone which lacklustre care, Smaughyn had lost his mothers heart."

There were some grammar and punctuation related errors, as you had mentioned, but overall there weren't too much.

Also, this line here:

"“Noooo, heeeeeee’sssssssss a buuurrrrggggglllllaaaaarrrrrr!” roared Smaughyn."

I feel that even without the extra e's and s's and u's etc. would be fine by itself, haha.

And did you really write this in a day, as a DARE?
Even if it was a dare, a lot of work, I can say was put into it. And you should be proud at how good it actually is.

You could though, to engage the reader more, put more details in. Such as giving more background knowledge about Tymat. And put Tylie in more! I want to know more about her!

Soo, in a sentence:
Your work has potential and I look forward to "Part IIII - The Teeth of Fear" :)

[Owen J Kato]

Thanks! I love your review.
And yes I thought on it aday prior, wrote it in say 2-3 hours, posted it. I started writing thinking to myself it'll be a quick 1000 words but that is not how it works for me. Yeah you got the tone dead one, I tried to keep with the spirit of the Hobbit. Kids, tales, poems, songs, lore, quick basic description.

Oh and yes there will be more Tylie, I just can't introduce a character like that and not deliver more. I'll have it in a couple days as I am working on a Novel sized original manuscript. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! For the wonderful review!

[Pajci]

Yay! I'm looking forward to it then! Send me a Read Request whenever you finish!

[Lentron]

Hello, Owen J Kato!
A great little story that I have high expectations in! Now, before I throw my review out there, take note I’m not a professional in the slightest, but I’ll try to point out anything I can to help out. I’m mostly looking for grammar/spelling issues, cognitive writing, and the other basics. I will, however, end up throwing out suggestions here and there. Feel free to ignore those if you want, I just like to ramble.

Part I

“…towns of northern Middle-Earth aiding in the lighting of fires and lamps and torches.” You used and twice here, and this may or may not be a grammatical error (easily fixed with just placing commas) but ultimately this can be disregarded, and often is in most writing styles.

“As large as a growing drake was he still was small compares to the vast blue of the sparkling sea.” “Compares” might need to be replaced with “compared.”

“He even took up his mothers mantle and aided…” as well as “…one day when he arrived at his mothers cave…” I believe the “mother” in these sentences should have possession, and as such use an apostrophe.

“Smaughyn was a agile fast drake but he had…” the indefinite article here is incorrect and should be “an.”

“Smaughyn looked over a saw a man, but not a man a fish, no a man, a Manfish.” The first “a” I think was supposed “and” and the “no” was probably supposed to be “not.”

“…Smaughyn taught Tymat to fly, rather fly on top of him(Smaughyn).” After your comma, there should be some form of a conjunction(“or” works great here), but again, I don’t think this is completely required, based on the writing style.

“Smaughyn always lost track of time and was regularity late for supper…” here, “regularity” probably needs to be “regularly.”

"Thanks mom.", "Don't mention it Little Wing.", and "Whatcha got there?" Seem to me as… not appropriate? To elaborate, I just don’t see the dialogue between to dragons to be… modernized. This part is just me nagging, but I thought I’d throw it out there for consideration. The rest of the dialogue is great, it’s just those two that stuck out to me.

“…he didn't not want to do such things.” I’m unsure if this part was intentional or not, but it is a double negative.

I didn’t notice any errors in part II and III. Anyhow, now that I’m done with pointing out flaws, I’d like to say the story is incredible. This short story already has a lot of morals that are worth learning, and couple this with your interesting writing style, I think it is looking absolutely amazing. I enjoy the constant bouts of alliteration and descriptive outbursts. I encourage you to continue using them, and hope your creativity only grows from here. Another compliment I’d like to throw out there is the personality you created for the main character. I mean, he has the young childish qualities all over him. The curiosity, the sudden exasperation and rebellion, the quick conclusions, and the fright he gets when something goes wrong. He certainly isn’t a flat character by any means, and I approve of it!

To conclude, sorry if my little corrections seems like a lot of nagging, but we all make them (I’m sure I’ve made plenty in this review) and it isn’t anything to get flustered over. I just thought you’d like to know about them and correct them. I’ve taken enough of your time, and I’ll just wrap it up by saying good luck in your writing and thanks for the great read!

[Owen J Kato]

Thank you, graciously thank you for taking your time and lending me your eyes. I know my lack of editing must upset many people. But I wrote this in less than a day and posted it just to prove a dare from a girl. I did think about the tale of Smaug the day prior to collect some thoughts. But I do apologize for the grammar and the "Don't mention it Little Wing." I know! Great eyes you have there, it does feel wrong, read wrong and sound wrong. The three "ands" I do, do. I learned it from Hemingway and Rothfuss. "Name of the Wind" have you read it? I believe that suffers a lot of "Don't mention it Little Wing." in it. The dialogue flips out of fantasy and common day tongue agree/disagree?

Thank you for the word "incredible." but I do not feel I have earned it. But thank you, your words are of much worth here.