Chapter 4       “That is as far as I can remember. I must have past out and then you found me.” For a moment  they sat in silence, letting the words of my tale echo through the stone room. “Interesting,” The wolf, said. The others remained quiet as he continued. “This boy who helped you had light colored hair?” He asked. I studied him for a second before answering.   “Yes. Light blonde. Long. It was slightly wavy; why?” I said slowly.   “At least it wasn’t red.” The wolf commented darkly. With that strange comment he stood abruptly and left.   “Was it something I said?” I asked. I looked at the others.   Narris who had been quiet enough for me to forget she was there spoke, “Faylin is an odd creature, Lara. I suppose it comes from being a wolf so you can hardly blame him.” She added teasingly. Her voice was sharp and often she clacked her beak.   Ditri looked down at her disapprovingly. “He is stranger than some, Narris friend.” He said. I couldn’t quite make out what that meant but Narris and Durant both nodded.   “Umm…” I said slowly.   Ditri nodded his green and blue head. “Durant, Narris; I believe I have a few things that need to be explained to our new friend.” He turned to me. “Lara, Come with me.”   ********************************************************************************************   Let me be the first to say that it is very unnerving to follow a dragon over ten times as big as my father’s horse, into the depths of his cave. But that is exactly what I found myself doing.                          Ditri led me down deeper into the labyrinth. Often all that I could see of him was the tip of his tail and the deadly blue spade that hung from it. We twisted and turned through the passageways and kept going down, down… I do not usually picture myself as being Closter phobic but the continuous journey heading deeper and deeper into the earth made me wish desperately for sunlight and open spaces.                         He led me into a vast chamber full of flickering torches that lined the walls and illuminated the room. Piles upon piles of silver trinkets, colorful shields and sharp swords lay about the cavern. There were suits of armor and mounds of semi precious stones along with emeralds, diamonds, rubies and sapphires.   I stared in awe as the dragon stopped and turned. He lifted one foreleg and gestured around the chamber.   “Welcome.”   As I looked around the room I began to notice something odd. Not a single gold coin or coin was in sight.   Ditri seemed to read my thoughts. “I stopped collecting gold years ago. It’s too cold, too hard, too heavy and too normal. And it gets stolen too many times. Besides Silver, in my opinion is far more elegant and beautiful. Every dragon that has ever lived has collected gold in their horde. Nonetheless I never really took a fancy to it.”   He picked up a lone amethyst off the floor and very carefully placed it on top of a pile of the purple stones.   “It’s very, um…” I tried hard to find a word that would sufficiently describe the scene in front of me.” Magnificent.” I finished in almost a whisper. Ditri’s face was the picture of pride.   I smiled at him and he smiled back. Returning my gaze to the treasure I found I was tired of all the surprises lately. But then again, I reasoned. You just met a dragon and lived to talk about it- and to it.   “However,” The dragon interrupted my musings. “This is not what I wanted to show you.” He took me to a smaller room where he almost had to crouch to fit.    Thick stone slabs hung out of the walls to create a sort of shelving that lined one side of the room. On these shelves were a variety of objects. There was a bolt of dark blue cloth, a large crystal like dish and a small black dagger. Along with a lantern and some bottles of strangely colored substances. In one corner there was a large black shield. On It was a silver design of a dragon in flight, fire bursting from its mouth. Between the flapping wings rode a small figure, dressed in armor and holding out a long, slender sword.   At the opposite corner was a shallow pool with clear blue water. It rippled now and then as if a spring breeze had blown across it, but there was no wind. On a wall behind it were two hooks in the wall. It seemed to have had something lying across it at one point, something that was very obviously missing now.   “What is this place?” I asked.   “A very private place,” Ditri answered with a smile.” Unless I am with you, you must never enter here.” His words were dark and it seemed to me that someone had already done this. I nodded and he gestured with a foreclaw to the pool of water.   “This is one of the most magical belongings in any dragons cave. It is called a memory pool. It is much like a diary only it can also record dreams that I may not remember. I believe there is an old song that mentions pools such as this.” The dragon took a breath and began to sing. His voice was eerie and beautiful, strong and clear. “Every memory and every nightmare Flowing in these waters, crystal clear All of my dreams are here Whether cold or warm or light or drear In remembering they are always near All my hopes and wishes, here Flowing in these waters, crystal clear-”  He smiled as the last strange note faded.” The rest escapes me. But that song refers to pools like this one.”   “How do they work?” I asked. I leaned closer to the water and studied it as he replied.   “Magic.”   I looked up to see that his smile had broadened. “Magic?’ I asked.   “Yes, the world is full of magic. All the way from here in Karamin to the great Ice burgs that lie in the northern oceans, Farentol rings with The Makers magic. Without it, where would I be?” I smiled when he said this. Dragons were creatures that, in myths were extremely magical. And here I was with a dragon and I only half believed in magic. Perhaps this was because the best magic I had ever seen was the card trick Father had managed to do once. My smile faded again, thinking of Father and home made be feel that hole in my stomach that had been there after mother died. It grew larger every time Father went away and now was larger still. Would I ever see my father again?   Ditri must have noticed my unhappy expression. “Do you not believe in magic my friend?” I shook my head.   “It’s not that, I was thinking of …” I hesitated, trying to find a word that captured my feelings.” Home.”   “Ah.” He simply said. He scooted over to me and gently wrapped his scaly limbs around me. It was the first time he had ever touched me. At first I shuddered, thinking that his fore arms would be hard and cold. I shouldn’t have worried. His arms were almost hot to the touch and his scales strangely soft.   “Thank you.” I said after a moment and moved out of his embrace. He reminded me of my father when he hugged me and that thought was comforting though I did not know why.   “I took you here to tell you a story and to show you something. Story first.” The dragon curled up around the pool facing me.   “It was three years ago that this tale takes place. It goes to explain in some small part why our friend, the wolf behaves as he does. You must not judge Faylin to harshly. A human did a…large evil in that has effected Faylin ever since. “ **********************************************************************************************             One summer morning Ditri awoke to the sound of crying. A wailing howl that could only be made by a badger.                             His friend, an old badger named Durant came lumbering in as fast as his stubby legs could carry him. He was on all fours and a basket with something wrapped up a small bundle of dirty cloths.      “Durant?” The dragon asked from where he lay.” What is wrong?” The badger often carried on about this or that and so far Ditri was not worried.   The badger’s dark brown eyes were lined with fear, worry and a deep sadness.   Suddenly Ditri rose as he spotted the empty bed on the other side of the cave. The bed that was supposed to have a human boy sleeping in it. An unexplained fear coursed through his blood. “Where is Kellen?” He demanded. Durant only shook his head in a speechless terror before words started tumbling brokenly from his mouth.   “The boy! All of them dead… And this one just barely, barely…O dear.” He shook his head again wildly as if knowing that his speech made no sense. He gently laid the bundle onto the floor. One of the rags fell away to reveal the dark matted fur of a wolf pup.   “What happened?” Ditri asked. His voice was only just under a roar of outrage. He was the lord of this forest. He was supposed to keep its creatures safe. Especially the young and weak.   “Dead, all of them dead.” Durant repeated. “And maybe this one as well.”   Ditri uncovered the rest of the small dog and almost gasped. The one side of its face was covered in blood and one of its paws was so mangled it was hardly recognized. The dragon was so close that his warm breath ruffled the pup’s fur.   “This is one of Aren’s litter.” He said as he recognized it.” Where are Aren and Rana?” As he asked he knew. ‘Dead, all of them dead.’ Durant’s words repeated in his mind.” We can still save this one if we hurry.” He told the badger as Durant started to reply. “Go fetch some Teeth Bane, Oak leaves and roots and a bit of meat.” He ordered. Ditri rarely took advantage of his position but when he demanded something no one refused. The badger hurried away.   The dragon left the wolf pup to get water and when he came back Durant was also there. The badger placed plants, leaves, roots and bark on the floor. “Here lord Ditri.” He mumbled. He placed the ingredients in the water and let it sit. The dragon nodded to his friend and scooped the small wolf pup up.   The pup whimpered feebly. It was the first sign of life he had shown since Durant had brought him in. Ditri smiled. He carefully began to apply the salve they had made onto the pups numerous wounds. The worst was over his eye, a long, jagged mark that ran from his left ear to the base of his tiny jaw. Ditri feared that if the pup lived he would lose sight in that eye.   The pup opened his other eye and looked at both of them. “Father.” He murmured in a small voice. His eye closed and Ditri felt the small, even breathing of his sleep.  Ditri set him down in his own bed. He was loath to place him anywhere near where Kellen had been, for he somehow knew that the human boy was very much responsible for this.   Ditri looked at his friend and tried to push down the anger that rose. He forced a smile this time. “I do believe this one will make it, Durant. He is a fighter.”   *********************************************************************************************   Ditri sat curled around the young dog in order to keep him warm.                           “Tell me you’re story.” He said quietly to Durant. The pup was out of danger for now but he needed sleep to heal. Durant looked up at the dragon from where he lay in the darkness of the cave.                            “I was out hunting with my brothers and an otter friend.” He began. “We were down at the river, near to the spot where Aren had his den. We were hunting for snakes in the water – One of my otter friends told me they were delicious. When suddenly we heard the most frightful yelling and howling. We all rushed after the sounds and towards the wolf den and saw the unimaginable. Kellen was there. He took off running at the sound of our steps and one of my brothers, Shantel raced after him. We got into the den in the river bank and found Aren the Fighter and his mate Rana and all six of their cubs, slain in their den.” He paused and shudder at the memory.                           “Needless to say we were overcome with anger and raced on after Kellen and Shantel. We were about twenty yards away from the river when we found my brothers body. He was also slain by that accursed boy.” The badger spat out the last word with contempt.” We went back to burry the family inside their cave and saw one pup move. Could it be that one had survived? We asked ourselves. I then took the pup to you as fast as I could and left my brothers to the work of burying the wolves. I assume that once they were finished they took Shantel’s body to our home in Glendonsette.” He finished.                           “Go to you’re family, friend. I will look after the pup.” Ditri told Durant. The badger nodded and turned to leave. “Oh and Durant,” Ditri called to him. The badger looked back. “What do you think of naming the pup Faylin?” He asked.                         Durant looked confused. “Faylin?”                         “It means ‘Warrior.’” Ditri said. The badger nodded again slowly.                         “Faylin.” He repeated. Then he left.                          After he had gone Ditri looked down at the small pup. Now that he had been cleaned his fluffy, dark grey coat shone in the moons pale light. “You are truly a fighter small one.” The dragon whispered to him. Gently he got up so as not to disturb the newly named wolfs sleep.                         He left his cave and sat out in the midnight’s coolness. His bitter rage again flared up. This time he did not shove it away. “Kellen,” He said into the night. “For this you will pay.”