Adner
After The Battle Fifth Dark-Cycle
I flew to the Fire Dragons before I went to my kin. Near the pool, I located the insects the dragons said came out of the lava. They were small, and their backsides glowed. According to the dragons in the battle, these little bugs shot fire at the enemy, and the sky-lings shot thin ice shards. They said when the four-winged insect-like dragons with enormous eyes flew into the battle they felt renewed in their energy. The new dragons had done what they could, just as the little Water Dragons. Some had not made it back, for their tiny bodies were among the dead.
As I approached my kin, my attention drifted to the small cave that was revealed when our tree fell. I traveled there and found the inside of the cave narrow. A tunnel led off to the left. My kin sheltered there until we left for the new ecosphere. I did not venture into the tunnel. I sensed no necessity, for what lay beyond was not meant for us.
The females and the males who did not go into battle stood vigilant that dark-cycle. We waited for the bloodthirst to take the males who survived. The cycle grew long, and some dared to hope. Females set their spears aside. A few slipped into light slumber.
Then the first shriek broke the silence. The horrifying howls carried all the way to the Water Dragons’ lake and the colony’s village. As always, the bloody work was left to our females, and we were grateful we lost so few. By the grace of Nature, the twins were spared the corruption once again.
Once released from the hold of the bloodthirst, we wrapped the bodies in honor shrouds. These few had fought knowing that even survival might mean death, and they deserved the respect of all dragons.
