by Janice Jackson
The golden sun of morning turned the ice covered peaks of the Fyre Storm Mountains into shimmering treasure for the eyes, as if the Dragon gold was daring hunters to climb up and help themselves. Legends of the dragon gold were well known to the humans of the valley below. A fortune in gold and jewels was to be had if the hunter was brave enough and sly enough to gather up the golden coins and glittering jewels that comprised a dragon's bed. Now of course that hunter had to make it back down the mountain to the safety of the valley before the dragon discovered some of his bedding was missing. Dragons were very jealous of their treasures for those treasures not only made a comfortable place to sleep upon, the gold soothed the dragons muscles after flying and jewels cleaned any mites and nits from the dragon scales.
The sun rising higher in the morning sky sending glittering lights to any person who might be using one of the far-seers Karl Strange had invented for the valley residence to buy and use for hunting or keeping an eye on their livestock. Peter Gustav had a viewer and was using the thing to gaze at the glittering lights reflecting off the Fyre Storm Mountains. Flashes of gold glittered at the rays of the sun touched a nest, rainbows of color reflected off stray jewels that had fallen out of the dragon nests.
Peter's heart beat faster as he saw the objects of his desire. There was enough up there to allow him to live in luxury for the rest of his life without having to do any work. He packed a day-pack and left his squalid little hut and headed toward the mountains. He told no one where he was going for fear he might have to share his rewards. Greed overwhelmed Peter's common sense, not that there were many people around who might have said he had any sense at all.
In his covetous desire to steal the gold he forgot that the far-seers made things looked upon seem closer than they truly were in real life. So it was that Peter was forced to take shelter in a shallow cave about five miles from the Fyre Storm Mountains. Sleep was eluding Peter Gustav as he tossed upon the ground under his pathetically thin blanket, every rock and branch root digging into his bony back and ribs. He was fortunate to have found a cave with a slender crack in the cave floor that allowed heated steam to flood the cave, Peter thanked his gods for such a luxury, his mind still consumed with the greedy dreams of untold riches. Peter finally fell asleep just as the moon rose in its silvery glory, he slept so soundly that he did not even know that a small earthquake had occurred. Peter was once more fortunate in the fact that poisonous steam had not escaped from the crack in the floor taking his life nor had the rocks from which the cave had been created had not collapsed upon his sleeping form.
Peter awoke as the first rays of the sun strayed across the cave opening, grabbing a moldy piece of cheese and dried journey bread for his breakfast. With his grumbling stomach sated he pulled on his pack and started once again on his journey. The sun would be on the lower path of its daily travels across the sky when Peter finally reached the lower foothills of the mountains. He made a poor camp site there and ate his second meal of the day, more moldy cheese and journey bread. He swore that after he got his just rewards on the mountain side he would never eat such beggar fare again. His body nearly worn out from the second day's journey, Peter Gustav fell asleep thinking of hearty red wines and rich foods such as those he had tasted at the Black Dragon Inn when Karl Strange invited all the people living in the area for a winter festival.
Peter woke before the sun had even made a bright glow in the horizon, he had to look hard to be certain that he did not lose his footing in the darkness, a sprained ankle would not allow him to escape any dragon who might see him make off with a bag of loot. Dead would not make him rich enough to make all his friend envious of his glory and bravery at dealing with the dragon lords of the Fyre Storm Mountains. He imagined himself as a real hero, a man to whom all women would give themselves just for the honor of bearing his children, men would gladly call him friend just to be near his noble companionship. Peter was so engulfed in his thoughts of riches and glory that he stumbled on some stray stones falling in his path.
"Oh, by the dragon gods themselves!" Peter Gustav half prayed allowed as he pick up one of the stones, a red stone that sparkled when he held it up to the newly rising sun. It was a ruby the sized of he fist, he put it in his day-pack and before he started again on his climb, another stone fell at his feet. A blue stone and then a green one, one that was clear and then one of the rare yellow ones. He greedily added each stone to his pack, thinking that a dragon must have dislodged them from its nest as it turned over in its sleep. More stones rolled down the hill, some getting stuck in narrow seams of stone, making Peter move fast gathering up his booty and keeping him from looking upward.
Up at the top of a narrow ridge that comprised a foothill rise if the mountains lay a dark blue dragon, she watched as the man below her moved faster to pick up the stones she pushed with a long sharp claw. It became a game to see how much the man would gather before he looked up to see where the stones were coming from, he never did. The game was getting boring and her stomach was growling with hunger. She moved closer to the edge of her nesting area and allowed the morning winds to allow her to soar on the morning thermal without even beating her massive wings. Her claws extended as she neared the mountain side, only her shadow, as her body crossed the sunlit rock fall, gave away her attack.
Peter Gustav's last thought was that life was not fair, he could have been great if he had been allowed to steal the jewels and gold from a dragon's nest. "Not fair!" Peter screamed as her talons pierced his already thin body. The dragon reached her talon into the Peter's narrow chest cavity and withdrew a tiny, pale green crystal that had part of Peter's life force. The crystal had already lost it's shining glitter, for Peter had rarely, if ever, added to its powers. The stone was worthless to the dragon, she could not draw any power from it, so she merely tossed it toward the back of her cave.
The blood flowed into the female's young mouth, it was sweet but not enough to sate her growing belly. She was pregnant and nearly ready to lay her first clutch of eggs. She used the warming air to float down to the foothills and feasted on twelve shaggy bison beasts that roamed freely on the lush grasses. Quickly sleep began to overtake the young dragon after her feast. She flew up to her nest and began a long nap that would last until the sun rose again.
In the Talos Valley few remarked on Peter Gustav's absence, in time his poor hut fell down and another was built there. So it was with all those who refused to work hard and build honest friendships in the world. Some things are worth remembering and some are not worthy, like people. How is your life-stone doing?
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