Something terrible must have happened, Talwen thought as she flew to the cave. She’d been coasting out over the ocean, enjoying the overcast evening when she spotted the first eruption on the mountainside. She turned immediately, and flew as quickly as she could back to her cave.

I swear, if that oaf is just playing around with his rocks again, I will burn him alive.

As she neared the cave, she saw the second explosion at the front entrance and swooped to that side of the mountain. She felt the ground shudder as Enzo let loose a more powerful explosion beneath her. Finally, she dropped down onto the plateau below and snaked her head into the cave. What she saw elicited painful memories.

Ruined eggs. Fragments scattered across the cave. The disgusting humans gathering up scales and shards and packing them into sacks. Her last egg before them, doomed to the fate of its siblings.

Talwen let loose a roar filled with the anguish of a wounded mother. YOU WILL NOT KILL MY LAST CHILD. The pathetic humans all stopped in their fight. She saw Enzo against the back wall, about to die. In the pause created by her entrance, the boy stabbed his attacker in the chest and killed him.

===========================================

When the dragon let loose its horrific roar, Clive lost composure and screamed. As the closest person to the beast, he absorbed the brunt of her intense disdain. Already nearly unconscious, the force of the blast robbed him of his remaining strength.

At least Darren is safe, he thought as he lost consciousness.

The rest of the cave, a flurry of activity moments before, had frozen still. The only movement came from the flickering of the flames. Everyone watched as the red dragon snaked her head into the cave.

Enzo took the momentary pause to stab the nearest attacker in the chest. His dying shriek of pain and surprise brought the rest of the men to their senses. They turned as one and faced the dragon, ignoring the now dead man and the kid at the back of the cave.

Thank God she finally showed up. We have got to-

He was cut off, as Talwen let loose another roar. One of the raiders had attempted to grab the egg and make a run for it.

HUMANS! FILTHY HUMANS! BURN, ALL OF YOU!

===========================================

Good tool. Now all of you shall BURN.

She roared again, this time declaring her intent to end them all. Her fury enveloped her, and Talwen built an enormous pool of mana. Larger than when she fought the Glas dragons at their old home. Larger than when she fought the Böser wolves in their caves. She exhaled and watched as the cave filled with fire and death.

===========================================

The dragon reared her head back and inhaled. Enzo felt the crest on his hand burn. Instinctively, he knew what was coming next. He watched as Talwen built an immense pool of mana in her belly. The attackers tried to close the gap and stab her with their spears and swords but it was wasted effort.

Talwen let loose the mana and breathed white hot flames that filled the cave. The man on the ground was ash in seconds. The rocks nearest her assault began to deform, and steam filled the air as trapped moisture escaped through the now-weakened stone.

Enzo stood at the back of the cave, enraptured. So much power, it's unthinkable. Tobias said it was only a matter of time before the dragons ruled again. This is why. I can’t imagine what he’s seen.

The flames quickly built and filled the room. Initially, Enzo felt safe. Surely, Talwen wouldn’t kill him as well. His intrigue quickly turned to horror, however, as the dragon quickly filled the entirety of the cave with flames.

As the wall of mana and heat raced towards him, Enzo reacted the only way he could think of. He quickly inhaled, and pushed out his own pool of mana. As he exhaled, white flames erupted from his mouth. The feeling was intense, both terrifying and euphoric. The emblem on his hand burned bright beneath his gloves.

===========================================

Something surprised Talwen as she breathed the white hot flames. Someone was fighting back. No, not fighting back, but refusing to burn. This was unacceptable. She dug deep within herself and mined the emotions she’d kept buried for weeks. The pain of losing her children. The agony of losing her mate. The frustration at being trapped at the ends of the world, hiding her shame. A wave of heat and pressure erupted from her and the pressure fighting her seemed to diminish.

===========================================

His flames were no match for Talwen’s, but their force was enough to project a small bubble around him. In combination with the flames of the bonfire, Enzo was able to sustain the pressure that kept him alive.

As the crew of attackers screamed and burned around him, Enzo heard a new sound. A sharp crack. He glanced at the walls, expecting to see a cave-in, but found nothing of the sort. The distraction broke his focus and he lost control of his fire. His dragonbreath died out, and Talwen’s quickly consumed the rest of the room.

Enzo felt his skin and his clothes burn. He heard his own scream join those of the men around him. He tried to push the oppressive heat back, but failed. He dropped to the ground. The fires around the egg had dissipated as well, and were quickly replaced by Talwen’s fire. In the moments between his fire and Talwen’s, Enzo saw the egg crack further.

Two cracks, then three, then a dozen raced across the surface of the egg. As Enzo lost consciousness, the last sight he saw was the head of a baby dragon poking from the shell.

===========================================

A new sound flashed through the cave. A crack. Not the cave, no, she’d never select a hiding spot that could collapse upon her. What then? Talwen looked at the egg. Cracks sprawled across its surface.

How could this be?

Her weak human collapsed to the floor and the pressure fighting against her vanished. In its place, sat a new life. Talwen ended her onslaught immediately. The humans were long since ash anyway. The baby dragon - HER baby - had hatched! She didn’t know how or why, and she did not care. She barked another roar, a joyous celebration, and bounded to the newborn.

Carefully, she peeled away the remainder of the shell. Great gray eyes like her father but shining scales like me. I will protect you from the world, my child. Talwen cradled the newborn for a moment, before leaping from the cave and into the air. She flew northeast, to the home of her clan, calling out joyously the entire way.

MY CHILD IS BORN! MY DAUGHTER LIVES THIS DAY!