When the vision resumed, Darin was greeted by the an usual sight. It was early in the Fall and the dragons were busy harvesting the giant berries. They flew from tree to tree, branch to branch, each seeking out the brightest and ripest of the fruits. It was a surprise, the first time he saw a dragon devouring the fruit around the seed. When the hungry dragon did not shimmer or change, it became clear that berries were a food source. I thought dragons only ate meat, Darin pondered.

“Shadow.” Ember’s voice called, causing his vision to swing to the right. She looked a little smaller again, except near the waist, where her form was more rounded. She sat beside him on the branch, holding a pair of berries. Darin sensed warmth when their eyes met and felt the cringe, when she cocked her head at him. A moment later Shadow looked down and opened the top of the sash-like net he wore. A curious design, Darin noted. It appeared to be a woven tube of small branches, knotted together with some strips of untreated hide. The craftsmanship left a lot to be desired, but it still held many fruit.

“No more love, it will not take another.” Shadow cautioned, when she grabbed another from the tree. She eyed the space at the top of the bag, then shot him a doubtful look.

“There is still room.” Ember argued, her free claw pointing at the top. She was practical in her own way, when she wasn’t the one carrying their spoils. Ember reached for the bag, but he put his claw across the top.

“It will break.” He cautioned. Her glare caused Darin to mentally cringe.

“But it-”

“Again? Do you want it to break, again? We lost many berries and a fair bit of time, last time.” Shadow reminded her. She didn’t agree, nor did she argue, instead she turned her head away.

“Shall we go then?” Ember asked a few moments later. Not the type to admit a mistake? Not waiting for an answer, she held her lone berry to her chest and launched from the branch. With a soft laugh, Shadow swung his wings wide and left the branch. Darin could feel the effort he took to make the launch as smooth as possible. In the first few moments the bag shifted, causing a wave of fear.

“Easy. Easy now…” Shadow whispered, as his claws steadied the bag with care. The entire flight back felt heavy and slow, as if he were flying in mud. His wings were being pushed, but not yet strained. Ember’s impatience did nothing to lighten his mood, as she made lazy loops around him.

“Finally!” She cried out in excitement as they neared the cave mouth. It had been a long flight for her, but far longer for Shadow who did the hauling. “It took so long to get-” Her words stopped, leaving her with her beak hanging open. The glare her mate was sending her, caused her to rethink the situation. Neither spoke another word, until they reached the nesting chamber.

“Thank the Mother, we made it.” He said, gliding in for a smooth landing. His breathing had been heavy for the last several minutes. Darin felt the relief of his ancestor as they landed, as well as the ache of his wings. The swaying mass and slow chafing of the bag, did nothing to help matters.

“Darling?” Ember asked, as she landed beside him.

“Yes, my heart?”

“The nest, is up there.” She pointed up into the shadowy section, a good 50 feet up the slanted rock face.

“So why don’t you fly the berries up, one by one dear?” He suggested, causing her to blink. All the while, he kept working his wings in slow motion, trying to soothe the joints.

“But-” She began to argue, then snapped her beak shut with a click. She glanced at her lone berry, her belly and then the load he’d just flown back. “Fine then, fair is fair. Be a dear and wait here then.” She said in her sweetest tone. A moment later she flew into the air. Shadow let out a breath, one that Darin hadn’t realized he was holding. A short while later she made a soft landing, and held out her claws to him. He opened the bag and gave her the topmost fruit. While they unloaded a few other dragons flew in, carrying a single fruits as they flew to their own nests. A fourth entered, with three berries nested in a crude hide sack. Using their bag was a strain, but it seemed efficient.

“Do you need a rest?” She asked, once they finished. It was likely tempting, but Shadow shook his head.

“Not during harvest season, my love.” He replied. She leaned in and rubbed her beak against his, red against smoky gray. Their colors are darker, more vibrant, have the evolved again? Darin wondered. They gathered three more loads that day, before a storm struck. The cold, heavy rains and strong gusts of wind sent most of berries plummeting to the ground. Despite the ill fortune, the two tired dragons slept that night beside the glorious mound of fruit. One that enshrined their few eggs.

As the two slept, the vision began to blur. Darin expected this, but not what it brought.

* * * * *

When the memory returned, Darin- No Shadow, sat on a branch in late winter. Years must have passed since the last memory, his body had changed a good deal. Under the moon light, his beak shined like steel despite a nasty scar. Shadow was tense, almost terrified, but it took Darin a moment to realize why. He kept looking about the forest for prey, but his eyes kept returning to the moons. My god, what happened? Darin wished he could ask. Where three moons once hung like gems in the night sky, now there were only two. The third one was not missing, it was in ruins. While most of the debris headed towards the horizon, it was clear that not all of it would become a ring. Gravity was taking it toll, and a great deal of debris was going to come down on the world. Where, when and how where the only questions that remained.

A herd beast wandered into Shadow’s sight, he prepared to hunt it but his claws refused to let go. Looking down at his own claws, Shadow sighed. Even the tree branch beneath his feet, it felt as if it was tense. “You wish to talk?” Shadow asked. He started to move towards the trunk, and found it easy to move again. When he reached the trunk, he patted it and then pressed the top of his beak against it. A wave of emotions, struck like a hammer. (Confusion. Loss. Wrongness. Fear.)

“You sense it, but you know not what it is?” Shadow asked it. The emotions were less painful this time, but still strong. (Confusion. Agreement. Fear.)

“I know not why, but one of the moons has died. It shattered in the sky, my kin, we fear as well.” Shadow explained. The trees were more magical than Darin had realized, they had an intelligence of their own. (Sorrow. Loss. Fear. Family. Fear.)

“Many of your seeds, we keep with our own young. We will watch over them. The Mother will guide us as always.” Shadow did not voice his own fears, the deep and obvious fear that something would destroy their cave. (Joy. Fear. Hope.) After that the tree fell silent, so Shadow returned to his feeble attempts to hunt. An hour later he was able to pull his eyes off the sky long enough to find prey. It was some type of mole, not the best tasting, but it was still fresh meat. With a sigh of disgust, he flew his prey back to the cave and brought it straight to Ember at their nest. A fresh egg lay amongst the others, vibrant and bright, with only a few traces of blood.

“Welcome back my love, I see I can’t get rid of you for too long.” She greeted him. Ember must have been tired, she didn’t even grumble that he’d brought back mole. “Thank you for hunting for me, even at such a dreadful time.”

“All I managed to catch tonight, was a mole.” He said as an apology. She gave him a soft look, but he still seemed haunted. As she ate, he moved beside her and laid a wing across her for comfort. “Even the forest. Even the trees, they fear what happens in they sky. Are the other gods at war?” He dared to ask. She didn’t have an answer.

* * * * *

Cries of panic in the distance woke Shadow. His fears clawed at him, and his stomach was in knots. Ember stayed with their eggs while he flew towards the cries, ready to defend his home. When he reach the mouth of the cave, one look at the sky and his emotions surged in awe and terror. Bright streaks of light and flame crossed the sky. Many fell faster and became larger as they neared his home. One of the first landed in the far distance, and for a brief moment there was silence. Then the earth shook, tossing fallen branches and dragons about as easily as a breeze moves a leaf.

“Mother!” Cried out dozens of his kin, pleading to their goddess in desperation. One glance at the sky told him that their world was ending. Untold thousands of burning lights fell from the sky, each bringing with it destruction on a scale undreamed of. Ignoring the others, Shadow took of like a bolt of lightning. He dodged or knocked aside all who stood between him and Ember. He had almost reached their nest when the earth shook and a voice roared through all the caves at once.

“Go Far Into The Cave!” The voice commanded, from every wall and floor. Deep, rich and beyond reproach…it was the voice of the Mother. Sounds like a great battle echoed through the caves, but the stone shook very little. When he reached the nest, he landed at her side and pressed close. Ember looked at him, pleading for an answer to her silent question.

“The world is being horribly mauled. As if the very stars are falling from the sky, and crushing the world below.” He told her, unable to keep the fear from his voice. She shuddered, then brushed his beak with hers. Looking to the eggs, she gathered her strength.

“Then we must sing to our children.” She declared, her tone full of resolve. “Sing them into the deepest sleep, the strongest shells, not to wake until the world has healed and the Mother calls them back.”

“They will never meet us…” Shadow said in sorrow. His expression soon changed. “But, they will always remember us.” He promised. Ember’s eyes lit up in sudden understanding. She nodded, the two raised their voices, and the vision faded away into mist…

- - - - -

Author’s note: Thus ends the tale of his origins. Of what once was, and what since was lost. A longer chapter, a little hard to write and a bit sad. I hope you’ve enjoyed, think you as always for the encouragement and support.