Dragon Clan, page 1
part #2 of The Cloud Lands Beginnings Series
Dragon Clan
Hannah Steenbock
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgments
Map
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Epilogue
By the Author
More books by Hannah Steenbock
The Cloud Lands Saga
The Cloud Lands Beginnings
Short stories
German Books
About the Author
Dear Reader
Dragon Clan
Copyright © 2020 F. Möbius,
All rights reserved.
Cover: Christian Bentulan, Covers by Christian
This is a book of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogue are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Published by
Bühsteppe Verlag
Frauke Möbius
Westring 270, 24116 Kiel
Germany
Visit the author at:
www.facebook.com/hannahsteenbock
www.twitter.com/FirleF
www.hannah-steenbock.de
Acknowledgments
Dear Reader,
this story took me by surprise, to be honest.
I was writing another story last year, with dragons and characters that I loved. And then I got bogged down. The story didn’t go anywhere, and I had to put it aside for a while. I will get back to it, since I love the characters.
But while that was still simmering, another dragon crept into my mind: Shermin.
She reached that age where people want to become independent. (Yes, my dragons are people.) So she strikes out on her own, determined to find freedom.
In the end, she finds so much more.
Have fun!
Chapter 1
Shermin spread her wings and rode the current, delighting in her strength. Yes, she was a dragon, and she was finally free.
The winds carried her up and through the pass between two tall mountains. She had no idea what was lying beyond them, and she almost didn’t care.
What mattered was that she had gotten away. Nobody would ever rule over her again, not Shellay, not anyone else. She didn’t even care that the red dragon was her mother, in a way.
The winds eased after carrying her through the pass, and she flew on with lazy wing beats, steering towards the next mountain range.
She had been crossing range after range, ever since meeting the first mountains the day before last. Food wasn’t hard to find, nobody seemed to have hunted here in a while. She even saw smoke once in a while, a clear sign that humans lived in some of the more hospitable valleys, but she stayed clear of them.
Humans were puny. Useless.
She really didn’t know why Shellay insisted on dealing with them. Those weak creatures had nothing that dragons couldn’t do. On the other hand, she also didn’t enjoy hurting them, as Shellay seemed to do.
No, she wanted to be on her own, living on her own terms. And this continent was big enough to do that.
First, she decided, she would explore. Maybe this huge mountain rage offered a perfect cave, if she could find it. Maybe she would eventually seek a mate and have draclets of her own. But that was far in the future.
She flew further west, away from Shellay, away from her humans, and away from those other dragons that didn’t have the spine to strike out on their own.
Suddenly, she saw another winged shape, down south.
Curiosity piqued, she turned that way, interested in meeting a dragon who hadn’t been raised under Shellay’s cruel reign.
In addition, she reached out with her mind, trying to sense what kind of dragon she was dealing with. He answered her, with interest and the same curiosity she felt.
Shermin flew faster. This dragon was not what she had expected. In fact, she had been expecting this area to be devoid of dragons. Hadn’t Shellay always said that her Clan was the only one?
There had been rumors of another Clan, where humans and dragons lived together. She hadn’t believed them. Shellay would have eliminated them, no matter what.
The other dragon had turned and was heading towards her, still sending friendly thoughts.
Shermin couldn’t wait to meet him. How much would he know? Where did he sleep? What could he teach her about this region?
All those questions filled her mind as she raced south.
What’s your name, she sent when she could see him clearly.
First tell me yours, he answered.
Shermin liked his mind-voice, it was friendly and deep, just as a male should be. It was just her luck to find a dragon like that here in those mountains. I’m Shermin.
And I’m Drashgen.
I’m happy to meet you, she said, discovering that he was wearing a dark green that fit the mountains very well.
As am I, he answered. There are few dragons around here.
That’s why I’m here. There are too many where I came from.
Now he was close, and she admired the sheen of his scales and his strong wings.
Too many dragons! I can’t believe that.
Too many for my liking.
He laughed. Now that I can understand. Are you striking out on your own?
Indeed.
Shermin felt great satisfaction in the fact that he seemed to admire her.
Come with me, he said, sending over more of that admiration. I have a nice cave that’s perfect for two of us.
She preened a little. Is that all?
He laughed again. Spoken like a true queen. No, that is not all. I also have a nice lake to swim in, and a forest full of deer to hunt.
That does sound enticing. Shermin actually thought it sounded like a paradise. Show me.
Gladly. Follow me.
He set a fast pace, and Shermin grinned to herself. She was more than up to that, and she decided to show off a little.
When another updraft caught her, she soared high above him, then dropped down suddenly, veering aside only at the last moment.
Drashgen hadn’t even flinched, and her opinion of him rose a little higher. Yes, he was quite an interesting dragon.
He turned his head to look at her, and seemed to grin a little, as well. Nice flying, Shermin.
A jolt went through her when she heard him say her name. His deep voice seemed to reach right into her heart, and made it miss a beat.
How was that even possible?
Those silly humans had love songs, and she had always thought them stupid and useless. But now she was experiencing something right out of those songs, and it felt both exciting and scary.
Thank you, Drashgen, she answered, putting some feeling into her voice.
His green got more intense, and she knew she had touched him, as well.
It took several more hours to reach the cave that Drashgen called his. It was located high above another one of those valleys. At the high end of it, a glacier had trapped water behind it, creating a sizable lake. The water must be icy-cold, Shermin thought, which would make it wonderful to swim in in the summer.
Further down, trees grew, in little clumps and groves. Those were ideal hiding spots for all kinds of prey, and she could understand how hunting in this valley would be fun.
You do have a nice place, Shermin admitted.
Thank you. I’m glad you decided to visit it.
And once again, her heart skipped a beat.
Even the cave was perfect. It had a wide ledge to land on, and the opening was narrow enough to keep out icy winds. She slipped in after him, and felt at home immediately.
That is a very nice cave, Shermin said, looking around. It had two alcoves. One contained a bit of a nest while the second held the remains of a deer or two.
Thank you. Drashgen waved her to the part with the deer. Go, eat. I can get more anytime.
She sighed, happily.
When darkness fell, she settled in the part with the nest, curled close to Drashgen. In her wildest dreams, she hadn’t imagined this.
Chapter 2
Shermin’s bliss continued for three more days. Drashgen’s green scales glowed more and more, and she found herself reacting to his change.
On the third day, it became too much.
She dashed out of the cave, quite aware that he was following her closely. And as much as she tried to lose him, he was fast enough to chase her up into the clouds.
She tried to escape him, hiding among c
He kept up with every one of her tricks.
She flew as high as she dared, where the air became thin and unwilling to carry her. Even so, she stayed up in the freezing region, where the sky started turning dark.
And still he followed her.
She dove down again, and he dove with her.
She dashed around mountains, and once again went for height, hiding behind a cloud, knowing he would find her anyway. And gradually, the game of chasing became fun and something else, something she hadn’t felt before.
Something intense.
Then, he caught her.
Drashgen held her close and he did something that both hurt and was immensely exciting. She felt pain in a region that had never felt anything before. A moment later, wild passion engulfed her, burning in her mind and her body, as he filled that unfamiliar, starving, delighted part of her.
They were falling out of the sky, as he made love to her, dropping fast.
At the last moment, he disengaged, spread his wings and broke their fall.
Fly, my love, he whispered.
And she did, filled in ways she hadn’t imagined, in way she had never, ever been told about.
Had Shellay deliberately withheld that information?
Shermin was certain of that. Of course, thinking was hard while her body was still thrumming with pleasure and joy. She followed Drashgen down to his cave, slipped in after him and curled up on the nest, feeling exhausted.
He curled up next to her, extending one wing over her, protectively and a little possessively.
If you want to, you can be my queen, he whispered.
Shermin wasn’t sure that’s what she wanted, but she snuggled closer anyway.
The next morning, Drashgen was still glowing dark green, and he nudged her when she woke up.
Would you like to fly with me again? he asked, a little wistfully.
Shermin checked her body. It ached a little, but deep inside, there was a spark of fire, a new kind of passion that pulled at her.
Yes, she said, to her own surprise. Catch me if you can.
She dashed out of the cave, and instead of reaching for the sky, she led him on a dance around the mountains, slipping through ravines, curving around outcrops, skimming treetops.
He followed her gleefully, sending her waves of delight and desire.
She flew and flew, until finally, she got a little tired. And that was when he caught her again, this time just above a lush mountain meadow.
This time, he took her on the ground, where she writhed with him, wing hitting wing, tearing up clumps of dirt, both fighting him and clinging to him, until he filled her place again and quenched that passion of hers. Both ended up lying on the ground panting and gasping, happy and exhausted.
No, this was not at all what she had expected when she left Shellay’s lair.
She was making herself a queen in her own right, finding her mate, and yes… eventually, there would be eggs. Suddenly, she knew what that second annex would be for.
With a deep breath, she unwrapped herself from Drashgen's body, pulling back a little, finding herself again.
I like flying with you, she said, trying not to grin like a fool.
I noticed. He did grin. And you are so much more than I expected. My queen.
Another wave of emotion ran through her, but it wasn’t the passion she had experience earlier. Was this love? Could this be love?
The love the humans sang about?
Maybe it was.
I think it is love, Drashgen said quietly. My mother told me stories when I was little. This feels like what she was talking about. It’s rare among dragons, I hear.
I only know the word from the humans.
The humans? What humans?
The ones that lived with us.
Drashgen blinked. You lived with humans?
Yes. They were our servants. And our riders.
He stared at her in disbelief. They rode you?
Not me, personally, no. I never would let them. But Shellay made others carry them.
I… I don’t know what to say. Drashgen blinked several times. I mean… I leave them alone. They are clearly intelligent and shouldn't be hunted. But… living with them?
Shellay thinks they’ll help her conquer this continent.
Drashgen laughed. Really? How ridiculous.
I think so, too. But Shellay says that they can do interesting things with their hands.
Well… Drashgen cocked his head, looking thoughtful. They do build things. Which no animal does. Not even we build a lot of things. Maybe they can be useful.
Maybe. But I don’t like them. They are so soft and helpless.
They certainly are tiny and fragile, yes. Drashgen still looked thoughtful.
Weak, puny humans. Shermin hissed. I will never carry one.
You shouldn’t. You’re a queen. He nudged her lovingly. My queen.
Shermin took a deep breath, feeling happy and proud. Yes, Drashgen really understood her, and was a worthy mate. Together, they would build a nice, strong, dragon Clan.
Let’s go home, she said, noticing that clouds were moving in.
Go ahead, my queen, Drashgen said. I’ll bring a couple of deer for our feast.
Feast?
Our mating feast. He grinned again, his eyes filled with love.
I like that. Shermin rose into the air with a mighty leap. Drashgen followed her immediately, his wingtip brushing her side.
While she flew back to their cave – yes, it was their cave now – she watched him peel off and dive into the valley with the many trees, knowing he would quickly capture a few deer.
She had just curled up on their nest, when a mental scream reached her mind.
Chapter 3
Shermin jumped up from the nest, raced out of the cave and almost dropped from the ledge before becoming airborne.
She already knew that Drashgen was in a fight before she reached him. She could sense both his fury and his fear. And a moment later, she could sense his pain.
With a roar of deep anger, she dove down into the valley where he had been hunting, with no regard of her own safety.
Drashgen was already on the ground, with one dragon tearing at his left wing, while the other was devouring the deer her mate had caught.
Her roar got even louder as she dropped on the dragon savaging her mate – no, this must be an outlaw, a firebeast, as Shellay called them. She dug her talons into its side, bit its neck as hard as she could and felt it jerk in pain beneath her. Just as she thought she had killed it, she felt the talons of the other firebeast dig into her own back.
She threw herself to one side, fouling one of her wings, trying to dislodge the beast that clung to her.
Drashgen moaned in pain, unable to support her in her fight. At least he managed to buck off the dying firebeast from his back.
Shermin struggled, thrashed around, hooked her talons into her attacker’s body, fighting every way she could think of. But those talons bit deep, and the pain was more than anything she had ever felt. She screamed and roared, lashed out with her tail and writhed around until she got lucky and managed to snag her attacker’s wing.
Now it squealed and lost its grip on her.
Shermin used the last chance she would ever get, lashed out with one hind foot, and slashed its wing.
That enraged it even more, and it grabbed her with all its might.
Shermin roared out her pain and rage, jerked around and grabbed the beast’s neck in a throttling hold.
Slowly, slowly, its movements got slower, and eventually, it went limp.
When it finally died, Shermin had just enough strength left to shake it off and crawl over to Drashgen.
Her mate was barely alive. She wasn’t in a much better shape. They both needed help, and she knew none of them had any way of getting it.
Eat the deer… my love, she said. We will heal together.
His snort was eloquent. I want our draclets to live, my queen. And for that, you must live.
She lifted her head to look around. There was nothing to be seen. Trees, a dead deer and two dead firebeasts.
We can eat them, she said. I don’t want you to die.
We can. He sounded immensely tired. Let’s live as long as we can.
She crawled closer to him, for the warmth and the love he still sent.
