The Calling

The red dragon descends deeper and deeper into the underground caverns. The dragon seemed to know how to navigate the maze of tunnels through the underground passageways, but he still carried an aura of concern and watchfulness. He travels for some time, going farther and farther underground through narrow corridors, with occasional large and spacious open caverns, sometimes cave like, at other times, refined by the touch of intelligence. Blue flames from devices mounted to the rock walls guided his way. Eventually, the red dragon took a side tunnel, stopping at a large door with a blue glow creeping around the unsealed edges. The red dragon took a deep breath, nervously swallowed, and entered the room.

As he entered, he muttered a strange language with rolling pronunciations, mixed with guttural growls, hisses, and clicks. From a dark corner of the room, the red dragon could see a figure sitting in the dark. The creature raised its unusually long clawed hand and spoke in the strange language, responding to the red dragon.

The creature appeared to be a larger dragon, winged with thick, leathery wings. Its claws were overgrown spikes protruding from its feet. It lowered its arm and spoke in the strange language, “My patience wanes. Tell me the reason for this summoning”. The voice slurred with a raspy wheeze to its breathing.

The red dragon swallowed, working up the courage to exercise his given authority. “The Great One is not pleased. There have been sightings, people are talking. Stories are spreading throughout the land, and The Great One gave very specific instructions to end any potential sightings.”

“I assure you; my work remains buried far, far away,” the white dragon said with a growl.

“You were ordered to cleanse the Valley, yet stories continue to build. Locals talk of creature sightings, curiosity will undermine compliance. The Great One senses much activity in the Valley.”

“Yes, I’ve sensed it too. It is nothing. Nothing compares to the power which we shall yield—”

“Yet activity persists! And sightings continue, more will ask questions, more will seek answers, and The Great One has not declared the time for reckoning.”

The white dragon lowered his head, staring at the red dragon. “The Great One does not understand how ready we are, what powers I am capable of. I assure you, we are ready.”

“That is not a decision you have the authority to make. Your job was to cleanse this valley of anything from the old world. Nothing to remain, and is it cleansed?”

“There IS no threat from the pathetic creatures in the valley!” The white dragon raised his slurred voice.

“IS IT CLEANSED!?” the red dragon shouted back. The smaller red dragon acted surprisingly aggressive towards the much larger, more horrifying white dragon.

The white dragon sat in silence, staring back with a lifeless expression.

The red dragon continued his focused, authoritative stare. “That’s what I thought. I serve The Great One, and The Great One demands the valley be cleansed. We are only a few and grow smaller every year. We have no room for error. This time, our plans will come to fruition. If we follow The Great One, nothing will stand in our way.”

The white dragon purred its raspy breath, breathing heavier and faster paced.

The red dragon continued to belittle the white dragon. “Furthermore, The Great One is not pleased with your success. You fail to report your progress. We have seen no evidence of the work you talk so highly of. The Great One only senses you working, yet he senses nothing great.”The red dragon spoke harshly as the white dragon sat motionless, taking the verbal onslaught. Now slightly more confident about his role in the situation, the red dragon continued. “You must learn your place in the plan, you must comply, and learn to respect the wisdom, authority and power of The Great One otherwise…” The red dragon spoke too emotionally, realizing he had no way to back up his next claim. He paused and stuttered over his words, insinuating a non-specific, but otherwise rigid, punishment.

The white, wrinkled skinned arm of the dragon in the shadows reached out into the dim blue light. The white dragon spoke strange rolling words as its overgrown claws slowly oscillated up and down. Immediately the red dragon winced in pain, and began writhing on the floor, screeching, and stretching, rolling around, hitting himself into the wall, clawing at his own scales as if infested by a hoard of biting insects covering his body.

With his hand in the air, the white dragon emerged from the shadows. It seemed to lack scales, with loose white and pink skin, folding over, or stretching, depending on its underlying anatomy. It lifted its large round head with far set eyes, somewhat glazed over like a sea creature. Its overgrown teeth protruded out of its mouth, giving the dragon an emotionless grin. He pulled his body forward, eyes staring completely emotionless at the writhing red dragon. It cocked its head once or twice as it watched the red dragon roll in pain. After watching the red dragon suffer awhile, it released the spell. The red dragon collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily, recovering from the pain. The white dragon lowered his head close to the red dragon and spoke.

“Tell me, has The Great One sensed anything else?” the white dragon waited a few moments, staring at the recovering red dragon. “If not, he soon will.” The white dragon turned away, walking to the hole of an exit. “I will take a second cleanse of the valley, to show my compliance, to show loyalty. I will do as The Great One asks. But he will soon understand.”

The white dragon slowly faded back into the darkness.