49. A Dragon’s Last Breath. A Single Clue to Solve the Crime.
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(Continued from our last post…)
Pierre Jr stood anxiously in the guest den while his mother settled the younger boys onto makeshift bedding. The adrenaline from the night has him bouncing on his toes and pacing the room in deep thought. His brother’s sniffles echoed in the empty space. Smoke from the house fire still enveloped their scales. Rose finally turned to him, reading his thoughts before he said a word.
“I’m going back out to search for Father. Someone has to stay here with the boys,” Pierre Jr said. His voice was kind but rushed.
HIs mother stepped toward him. “Son, no. I don’t want you out there alone. We still don’t know how the fire started. Your father can take care of himself. We all need to sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll go together.”
He looked down and shook his head disapprovingly. “Mom, I love you. I do. But I HAVE to do this. I’ll be fine, I promise.” He placed his claws on her shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug. His wings curled around her before he finally stepped back. “I’ll come home as soon as I find him.”
His mom reached for him again, but he was already at the entrance of the den.
Scalesville slept under a blanket of darkness. Pierre had never wandered the town at this hour. The empty streets made him feel like he was trespassing. The fear he felt was overshadowed by the urgency to find his father. He kept focus on his search.
He circled the charred remains of their home again. The woods behind the estate swallowed most of the moonlight. Pierre swept through the trees, listening for anything beyond russeling leaves in the wind. He scanned every shadow until a faint, rainbow shimmer caught his eye and then he heard soft sobs.
A large boulder was two tails lengths ahead and in front of him. He walked towards it slow and cautious. The glow spilled around one edge like a dim lantern. Pierre leaned forward, stretching his neck to see around it.
“Father?”
Pierre Sr was curled on the ground, barely recognizable. His body sagged like a wet drape, scales hanging as if the bones within him had crumbled. His black iridescent scales glowed in uneven pulses and small pieces were shedding off him. Their breed did not molt. Ever. And until lately, his scales were a dulled black.
Pierre Jr has seen his father’s scales glow before but it was always in the sunlight and always a sign of strength. This was abnormal.
Pierre stepped closer. “Dad, what happened? Are you hurt?”
His father looked up with his eyes without lifting his head. “I’m sorry, son. I failed you. I don’t even know what I’ve become.”
“Dad, stop. You’re not a failure. You’re the greatest dragon I’ve ever known” Pierre said quickly. “Tell me what happened with the fire.”
“I don’t know,” Pierre Sr whispered. “I don’t remember falling asleep. I just woke up surrounded by flames. The heat couldn’t burn me but everything was collapsing, so I flew up through a hole in the roof. Once I got outside, I landed in a tree. It was already night. I could barely see two dragons running into the forest. Both wearing black cloaks. I couldn’t make out anything specifics about them except a sliver of blue tail slipping out from one cloak.”
Pierre rubbed his face. “Dad, that could be anyone. Half the dragons in town have some shade of blue scales.”
“I know,” his father murmured. His breathing had become shallow. “I just… needed to tell you that I believe someone did this on purpose.”
“They’re all safe,” Pierre said trying to change his father’s attention to something less stressful. “Mom and the boys. They’re in the guest den, worried sick about you.” He crouched beside him. “I don’t care about the house. We’re going to figure out who did this to us. I don’t care about money. I just want you home. I want the dad you used to be.”
“I love you, son. And I’m proud of the dragon you’re becoming.” He father said as he seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness.
Pierre edged himself under his father’s wing. The wing draped over him like a blanket, but it was shockingly cold. Black dragons never ran cold. They thrived on heat, with fire immunity. He didn’t understand what was happening.
“Be honest, honorable, and do what is right, even when it is difficult., son.” his father muttered. “Now let’s rest. We’ll leave in the morning.”
Pierre stayed curled against him, listening to his father’s uneven breaths. Exhaustion finally pulled him under and he fell into a deep sleep.
The forest stayed quiet and cool through the night. At some point, the faint glow of his father’s scales dimmed. Pierre slept through the moment his father’s last breath was taken.
To be continued… New dragon story installments each Friday. Subscribe below to follow the dragons. Read the beginning of it all at Blog 1: New Adventure Awaits.
