Wings
Wings
The battle raged on, humans everywhere with swords and shields attacking his friends and family. “I have to do something,” Kumori thought. He looked back and remembered his wings, hanging just above his spine. “I will fight. To the death, if needed.” He then burst into the battle, slashing his claws left and right, dodging arrows from the filthy humans. He flew into the air and blew a plume of fire toward several of them. More just filled in their place from behind. “When will this end?” Thought Kumori as he looked to see how they were holding up. Many of his brethren were lying limply in the dirt. One of the dead looked familiar so he headed over to see who had fallen. Kumori let out a cry of anguish as he realized his mother was the fallen he had recognized. The humans had killed his mother, and were killing many others. Kumori bent over his mother and sobbed loudly, screaming to the sky.
“Kumori, honey. What’s wrong? Bad dream?” Hikaru questioned, worried.
“What? Oh, mom! You’re alive!” Kumori exclaimed as he got up quickly and rushed to his mother.
“Of course I am. Why would I not be?” She replied lovingly as she held him close.
“I don’t know, I just had a bad dream I guess.”
“No need to worry, Kumori. I’m here for you, always.” At this, Kumori smiled gently and pulled away.
“Mom? When am I getting my wings?” He asked ruefully as he looked over his shoulder at the place on his back where his wings would grow.
“I’ve told you before, honey. No one knows when Amaterasu will give you your wings. When she deems you ready,” She smiled sweetly, “Shouldn’t be too long now, honey.” Kumori looked a bit disappointed. He wished he could just decide when he got them, and not wait for the Sun Goddess to give them to him. Most of his friends already had their wings. Many of them got them on hunting missions, but Kumori had been on plenty of those and not gotten anything. He allowed himself a silent prayer for wings. He prayed for them once when he woke and once in the evening, just before he went to sleep.
Kumori then walked out of his den into the clearing in the center of the dragons’ camp, planning on waking his friends to play when he overheard a conversation between a couple older dragons.
“I heard the humans were preparing for battle again.”
“Of course! When are they not preparing for another attack? We must prepare also! We have to be ready for another attack if there’s to be one.”
“Yes, yes. I believe you’re right. I’ll ask Yoroi to work on more armor for the clan, for we will presumably need it.”
Kumori was frightened at this news. His dream might just be coming true. He raced to his father, the leader of the clan, to find out right away what was going on. “Father! Are the humans planning on attacking again? Will we be okay? Can we stop it? Can I fight?” He questioned vigorously.
“Son, son. Calm down, everything will be okay. Yes, they are planning to attack. I doubt we
can stop it, at this point. No, you cannot fight, Kumori. You do not have your wings. You know the rules, now run along.”
“But father, I want to fight. I could be of use. I could at least help heal the wounded.”
“No, Kumori. There are no exceptions. Now go.” He boomed. Kumori left slowly with his tail down. Slowly enough to hear a conversation his father was having with another dragon.
“What are we going to do about him? He hasn’t even grown his wings yet, and he’s my first born. I’m supposed to be proud of him, and one day he is to take my place. He cannot do that without wings, it’s inconceivable. What if Amaterasu never deems him worthy of them?”
“I do not know, Masato. I do think that it will be soon, however. It can’t be too long from now. I don’t think Amaterasu would be as cruel as to not give your first born son wings.”
“I hope you’re right, Naoko. “ Masoto sighed.
Kumori felt like he had disappointed his father, and felt horrible for it. He went out to hunt alone, hoping he could catch prey by himself, which would be quite a feat for a wingless dragon. Maybe then I’ll be worthy of my birth right Kumori thought with disgust toward Amaterasu. How could Amaterasu be so cruel to me? I am the first born, after all. Kumori left the clearing toward the forest to catch food for the clan. While he was searching, he remembered what his teacher had taught him as a hatchling. That the humans have had a long-lasting hatred for dragons, no one knew why. Dragons had never done anything to harm the humans, but they continued, attack after attack, trying to decimate the species. Some even tried to enslave them, and needless to say, none were successful. The dragons fought now to protect their homeland, their young, and their own lives. They had no choice. Every hatchling learned defense as young as possible in case of a surprise invasion.
Kumori then found an open clearing to search for prey, and sure enough, around the edges of the clearing was a single buffalo. The buffalo was just about his size, and just about as powerful. He felt a quiver of excitement as he looked back and saw his bare back. This will get me wings, I’m sure of it. He thought with a little smile. He rushed forward, letting a spark of fire escape from his lips. He closed in on the buffalo as it turned to see what the commotion was about. Kumori lunged at the buffalo, claws thrashing and finally connecting with the soft flesh of the buffalo’s underside. The young mammal cried out and tried to run but Kumori was faster, he chased it down and finally, killed it. Kumori let out a howl of joy and looked over his shoulder for beautiful wings. “What? How could I not have gotten them?” He whispered despairingly at his barren back. He ruffled his scales and turned away, to grab the buffalo and sulk back to camp with it when he heard a faint clank of metal. What is that? He asked himself. He fell back a few steps into the darkness of the forest to see what was making the peculiar noise. The longer he sat there, the better he could hear. Humans were shouting orders to each other, and the clank of metal was the sound that their armor made when they stepped. My dream is coming true. He despaired; he then sprinted as fast as he could back to his camp to alert his father.
“Father! I need to speak with Masoto. Right now!” He exclaimed, trying to catch his breath. He heard the murmurings of dragons as he walked by.
“What’s the fuss about now? There’s always something wrong.” One of them gossiped to another, but Kumori didn’t care. They were all going to die if they didn’t prepare for an attack immediately. He rushed into the royal den and stopped in front of his father. “The humans are coming, father. They’re on their way. I was hunting and I heard them. They were in armor, preparing for battle. They’re going to attack.” He rushed out, stumbling over his words.
The camp was bustling with activity, Yoroi working extra hard to make armor for all of the winged dragons in the clan. Kumori’s friends were all getting suited up themselves while Kumori was being pushed to the side. He was told to stay in his den, but he wouldn’t listen. I have to get out there. I have to help. He thought silently moving through the shadows around the outskirts of the clearing. But how? He asked himself. He had no idea how he could help, so he just went to his den and pretended to sleep.
The humans were shouting orders loudly to each other. It looked as if they had leaders. Some were armored better than others, and those well armored looked stronger. The dragon scout headed back to camp to tell of this news. He got there to see a bustle of activity, more than he had expected. Some dragons wore old armor they had kept from the last battle, and some had new armor made by Yoroi. The scout headed to Yoroi before reporting to the leader. “We’re going to need many more sets of armor for the clan”
“I know, I know.” Yoroi grunted. He looked exhausted; he had been working his tail off since he heard of the human’s planned attack. He had made many more armor sets than thought possible for one dragon, because his apprentice had fallen ill and passed away not too long ago, leaving Yoroi to make everything by himself. “Leave now, I’m busy” He scolded.
“As you wish.” The scout replied with a bow. He left Yoroi’s smithy and headed toward the royal den to report back. Just as he reached the den he heard a cry of surprise from one of the dragons near the entrance of the clearing. The scout spun around and saw that there was a hole the size of an arrow punctured through its wing. He rushed to help, but others had crowded around her.
“What’s going on?” Masoto boomed at the entrance to his den.
“The humans have shot one of our brethren. They are here.”
“Then let us fight!”
With that exclamation, the dragons let out a roar so loud it shook the trees. They all gathered their armor and jumped into battle.
Kumori heard the commotion and had to fight to keep himself in his den. Just a bit longer. He thought, Then they can’t stop me. He stood at the edge of the den and watched as the humans rushed into his home. He watched as they fought his friends and family, bringing destruction with them. He counted slowly to twenty before rushing out onto the battlefield in his father’s old armor. It fit perfectly except for the slits on the back where his wings were supposed to go. He jumped ferociously at a human, slashing it aside with a clawed talon.
Masoto frowned as he watched his mate fight in battle. He had tried to convince her to watch Kumori instead of fight, but she refused. She had always been stubborn. That might be what he loved about her most. She never gave in, no matter the cost. He also loved Kumori, but he was frightened. He was afraid that Kumori was being punished for his father’s mistakes when he was younger. He didn’t want Kumori to feel bad, but he couldn’t help but be a tad disappointed in him at the failure to appease Amaterasu. Most dragons had their wings by Kumori’s age.
Kumori had killed several humans, but also had lost a claw in the process. He was dripping blood from his left talon, and was a bit worried about it. It didn’t matter, however, as long as less of his brethren died. He lunged at a human attacking one of his friends, and got a silent nod as thanks. There was a sea of humans fighting against about a hundred dragons. This looked like the end of his species. It would be impossible for one hundred dragons to defeat thousands of humans.
Kumori then looked over and saw his mother doing badly against several humans. One was an archer and was beginning to aim at her chest, right at her heart. The only true way to kill a dragon was a poisoned arrow through the heart. Humans were the ones to find this out. Kumori rushed to his mother’s rescue. He jumped at the archer, blocking his mother. The archer fired and hit home. It had hit Kumori right in the heart. Kumori fell backward in surprise as his mother cried out and caught him.
Masoto looked across the battlefield, and set off. He jumped around his clan as he raked his claws at the humans, blowing blasts of fire toward problem spots among them. He heard a sharp cry. He recognized the cry as his mate’s and looked for her. He found her holding a young dragon and at a closer look, he noticed that it was Kumori that was falling limp in her arms. He rushed over to them, flying across the clearing that was now smeared with blood, both human and dragon.
“Kumori. No! Kumori! Hang in there, everything will be okay.” Hikaru sobbed.
“Mother… I’ll be okay” Kumori managed to sputter out, “I’ll be in the hands of Amaterasu. He never gave up on me, mother.”
Hikaru cried as she held her eldest son and watched him slowly fall limp in her arms. He had stopped breathing by the time Masoto had gotten to them. “Son!” Masoto cried, “Wake up this instant! This is no time for games!” Masoto then realized that Kumori wasn’t fooling around, and was truly dead. He covered his son’s body with his wings and mourned over his body for a few seconds before getting up to fight. He left in a fit of anger, throwing fire at every human that came near him. “You will pay for my son’s death!” He boomed and flew into the air, grabbing humans and dropping them from high cliffs to meet their death when they hit the dry ground.
Kumori could feel his mother sobbing around him, but he couldn’t seem to care. He knew that he should, but he could barely remember her. All he could feel was the slow burning in his heart; he knew he was dying. “Amaterasu, please. Help my clan to win this fight. Don’t let them all die.” He spoke gently, as if he were trying not to wake someone. He squinted as he saw a faint light, beaconing him forward. “Amaterasu? Is that you?” He questioned.
“Yes, my son. It is me.” The light responded
“Am I dead?”
“Yes. You are, but not for long, Kumori.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I am giving you a second chance at life. You won’t die this way.”The Sun Goddess walked slowly over to where Kumori was standing. The Dog Goddess licked the wound on Kumori’s heart, healing it instantly.
Kumori slowly opened his eyes and felt a sharp pain on his back. He screamed loudly for his mother. His mother opened her eyes and looked at him in wonder, backing away and smiling gently. Kumori wondered why she was smiling at his pain, but not for long. All he could think of was the raging pain rippling through his body. He thought he was dying again; he couldn’t breathe or see anything.
The pain stopped abruptly, leaving him to catch his breath. His mother was crying, but she didn’t look sad. Kumori turned away, looking at the continuing battle, then finally looking down at where he had been shot with the arrow. There was a puffy scar, but no gaping wound as it had been before. He smiled gently and looked up at the sun, silently thanking the Sun Goddess before looking over his shoulder to see his mother.
He had finally grown wings. The pain he had experienced was him growing his wings. He laughed loudly and burst into the air, flapping his wings hard. He was in the sky, coasting gently on an updraft. He swooped down to his mother with a cry of joy and stopped in front of her. “I have wings!” He exclaimed.
“I knew you would get them soon, honey. It was just a matter of time.” She rushed over and hugged him, “I’m just glad you’re alive.”
Kumori then remembered the battle around them, he had forgotten about the humans. He quickly made a plan and rushed through the battlefield, telling his plan to every dragon fighting at the time. He got a chorus of “Alright, young Kumori.” or “Tell me when.” from the clan. He even informed his father of his big plan. His father had agreed and even added a few things to it, to Kumori’s delight.
Every dragon in Masoto’s clan knew what they had to do to finish the battle they were in; they all moved to their coordinated positions in the clearing. Two elder dragons from each side of the clearing, and the rest of the dragons spread out between them. Kumori was in the center, between his mother and father. All of the dragons waited for Kumori’s command while fending off the massive army of humans.
Finally, Kumori shouts, “For the Sun Goddess!”
A hundred dragons outstretched their wings and roared, causing the mountains to shake with the sheer force of it. Soon after, every dragon let out a pillar of fire into the air, blackening out the sun for a few moments. This was enough to scare even the bravest of soldiers. The vast majority of the humans retreated, leaving only a few left with the courage to die in battle.
After the dragons had attended the funeral pyre for their dead brethren, many congratulated Kumori for earning his wings, and thanked him for saving many lives. Soon after the battle, Kumori began to have dreams of Amaterasu. In these dreams Amaterasu told Kumori where the prey were moving, how the humans were faring, and of special herbs to cure illness within the clan. Kumori became quite a legend within his clan, saving many lives before becoming a leader. He soon became the best leader the clan had ever had.
Pronunciation / translation of names
Amaterasu (ah-mah-ter-ah-su) / Sun Goddess
Kumori (ku-mo-ri) / cloud
Hikaru (he-cah-rue) / loving; gentle
Masoto (mah-so-toe) / justice
Naoko (nah-oh-koe) / truth
Yoroi (yo-ro-e) / armor
“Kumori, honey. What’s wrong? Bad dream?” Hikaru questioned, worried.
“What? Oh, mom! You’re alive!” Kumori exclaimed as he got up quickly and rushed to his mother.
“Of course I am. Why would I not be?” She replied lovingly as she held him close.
“I don’t know, I just had a bad dream I guess.”
“No need to worry, Kumori. I’m here for you, always.” At this, Kumori smiled gently and pulled away.
“Mom? When am I getting my wings?” He asked ruefully as he looked over his shoulder at the place on his back where his wings would grow.
“I’ve told you before, honey. No one knows when Amaterasu will give you your wings. When she deems you ready,” She smiled sweetly, “Shouldn’t be too long now, honey.” Kumori looked a bit disappointed. He wished he could just decide when he got them, and not wait for the Sun Goddess to give them to him. Most of his friends already had their wings. Many of them got them on hunting missions, but Kumori had been on plenty of those and not gotten anything. He allowed himself a silent prayer for wings. He prayed for them once when he woke and once in the evening, just before he went to sleep.
Kumori then walked out of his den into the clearing in the center of the dragons’ camp, planning on waking his friends to play when he overheard a conversation between a couple older dragons.
“I heard the humans were preparing for battle again.”
“Of course! When are they not preparing for another attack? We must prepare also! We have to be ready for another attack if there’s to be one.”
“Yes, yes. I believe you’re right. I’ll ask Yoroi to work on more armor for the clan, for we will presumably need it.”
Kumori was frightened at this news. His dream might just be coming true. He raced to his father, the leader of the clan, to find out right away what was going on. “Father! Are the humans planning on attacking again? Will we be okay? Can we stop it? Can I fight?” He questioned vigorously.
“Son, son. Calm down, everything will be okay. Yes, they are planning to attack. I doubt we
can stop it, at this point. No, you cannot fight, Kumori. You do not have your wings. You know the rules, now run along.”
“But father, I want to fight. I could be of use. I could at least help heal the wounded.”
“No, Kumori. There are no exceptions. Now go.” He boomed. Kumori left slowly with his tail down. Slowly enough to hear a conversation his father was having with another dragon.
“What are we going to do about him? He hasn’t even grown his wings yet, and he’s my first born. I’m supposed to be proud of him, and one day he is to take my place. He cannot do that without wings, it’s inconceivable. What if Amaterasu never deems him worthy of them?”
“I do not know, Masato. I do think that it will be soon, however. It can’t be too long from now. I don’t think Amaterasu would be as cruel as to not give your first born son wings.”
“I hope you’re right, Naoko. “ Masoto sighed.
Kumori felt like he had disappointed his father, and felt horrible for it. He went out to hunt alone, hoping he could catch prey by himself, which would be quite a feat for a wingless dragon. Maybe then I’ll be worthy of my birth right Kumori thought with disgust toward Amaterasu. How could Amaterasu be so cruel to me? I am the first born, after all. Kumori left the clearing toward the forest to catch food for the clan. While he was searching, he remembered what his teacher had taught him as a hatchling. That the humans have had a long-lasting hatred for dragons, no one knew why. Dragons had never done anything to harm the humans, but they continued, attack after attack, trying to decimate the species. Some even tried to enslave them, and needless to say, none were successful. The dragons fought now to protect their homeland, their young, and their own lives. They had no choice. Every hatchling learned defense as young as possible in case of a surprise invasion.
Kumori then found an open clearing to search for prey, and sure enough, around the edges of the clearing was a single buffalo. The buffalo was just about his size, and just about as powerful. He felt a quiver of excitement as he looked back and saw his bare back. This will get me wings, I’m sure of it. He thought with a little smile. He rushed forward, letting a spark of fire escape from his lips. He closed in on the buffalo as it turned to see what the commotion was about. Kumori lunged at the buffalo, claws thrashing and finally connecting with the soft flesh of the buffalo’s underside. The young mammal cried out and tried to run but Kumori was faster, he chased it down and finally, killed it. Kumori let out a howl of joy and looked over his shoulder for beautiful wings. “What? How could I not have gotten them?” He whispered despairingly at his barren back. He ruffled his scales and turned away, to grab the buffalo and sulk back to camp with it when he heard a faint clank of metal. What is that? He asked himself. He fell back a few steps into the darkness of the forest to see what was making the peculiar noise. The longer he sat there, the better he could hear. Humans were shouting orders to each other, and the clank of metal was the sound that their armor made when they stepped. My dream is coming true. He despaired; he then sprinted as fast as he could back to his camp to alert his father.
“Father! I need to speak with Masoto. Right now!” He exclaimed, trying to catch his breath. He heard the murmurings of dragons as he walked by.
“What’s the fuss about now? There’s always something wrong.” One of them gossiped to another, but Kumori didn’t care. They were all going to die if they didn’t prepare for an attack immediately. He rushed into the royal den and stopped in front of his father. “The humans are coming, father. They’re on their way. I was hunting and I heard them. They were in armor, preparing for battle. They’re going to attack.” He rushed out, stumbling over his words.
The camp was bustling with activity, Yoroi working extra hard to make armor for all of the winged dragons in the clan. Kumori’s friends were all getting suited up themselves while Kumori was being pushed to the side. He was told to stay in his den, but he wouldn’t listen. I have to get out there. I have to help. He thought silently moving through the shadows around the outskirts of the clearing. But how? He asked himself. He had no idea how he could help, so he just went to his den and pretended to sleep.
The humans were shouting orders loudly to each other. It looked as if they had leaders. Some were armored better than others, and those well armored looked stronger. The dragon scout headed back to camp to tell of this news. He got there to see a bustle of activity, more than he had expected. Some dragons wore old armor they had kept from the last battle, and some had new armor made by Yoroi. The scout headed to Yoroi before reporting to the leader. “We’re going to need many more sets of armor for the clan”
“I know, I know.” Yoroi grunted. He looked exhausted; he had been working his tail off since he heard of the human’s planned attack. He had made many more armor sets than thought possible for one dragon, because his apprentice had fallen ill and passed away not too long ago, leaving Yoroi to make everything by himself. “Leave now, I’m busy” He scolded.
“As you wish.” The scout replied with a bow. He left Yoroi’s smithy and headed toward the royal den to report back. Just as he reached the den he heard a cry of surprise from one of the dragons near the entrance of the clearing. The scout spun around and saw that there was a hole the size of an arrow punctured through its wing. He rushed to help, but others had crowded around her.
“What’s going on?” Masoto boomed at the entrance to his den.
“The humans have shot one of our brethren. They are here.”
“Then let us fight!”
With that exclamation, the dragons let out a roar so loud it shook the trees. They all gathered their armor and jumped into battle.
Kumori heard the commotion and had to fight to keep himself in his den. Just a bit longer. He thought, Then they can’t stop me. He stood at the edge of the den and watched as the humans rushed into his home. He watched as they fought his friends and family, bringing destruction with them. He counted slowly to twenty before rushing out onto the battlefield in his father’s old armor. It fit perfectly except for the slits on the back where his wings were supposed to go. He jumped ferociously at a human, slashing it aside with a clawed talon.
Masoto frowned as he watched his mate fight in battle. He had tried to convince her to watch Kumori instead of fight, but she refused. She had always been stubborn. That might be what he loved about her most. She never gave in, no matter the cost. He also loved Kumori, but he was frightened. He was afraid that Kumori was being punished for his father’s mistakes when he was younger. He didn’t want Kumori to feel bad, but he couldn’t help but be a tad disappointed in him at the failure to appease Amaterasu. Most dragons had their wings by Kumori’s age.
Kumori had killed several humans, but also had lost a claw in the process. He was dripping blood from his left talon, and was a bit worried about it. It didn’t matter, however, as long as less of his brethren died. He lunged at a human attacking one of his friends, and got a silent nod as thanks. There was a sea of humans fighting against about a hundred dragons. This looked like the end of his species. It would be impossible for one hundred dragons to defeat thousands of humans.
Kumori then looked over and saw his mother doing badly against several humans. One was an archer and was beginning to aim at her chest, right at her heart. The only true way to kill a dragon was a poisoned arrow through the heart. Humans were the ones to find this out. Kumori rushed to his mother’s rescue. He jumped at the archer, blocking his mother. The archer fired and hit home. It had hit Kumori right in the heart. Kumori fell backward in surprise as his mother cried out and caught him.
Masoto looked across the battlefield, and set off. He jumped around his clan as he raked his claws at the humans, blowing blasts of fire toward problem spots among them. He heard a sharp cry. He recognized the cry as his mate’s and looked for her. He found her holding a young dragon and at a closer look, he noticed that it was Kumori that was falling limp in her arms. He rushed over to them, flying across the clearing that was now smeared with blood, both human and dragon.
“Kumori. No! Kumori! Hang in there, everything will be okay.” Hikaru sobbed.
“Mother… I’ll be okay” Kumori managed to sputter out, “I’ll be in the hands of Amaterasu. He never gave up on me, mother.”
Hikaru cried as she held her eldest son and watched him slowly fall limp in her arms. He had stopped breathing by the time Masoto had gotten to them. “Son!” Masoto cried, “Wake up this instant! This is no time for games!” Masoto then realized that Kumori wasn’t fooling around, and was truly dead. He covered his son’s body with his wings and mourned over his body for a few seconds before getting up to fight. He left in a fit of anger, throwing fire at every human that came near him. “You will pay for my son’s death!” He boomed and flew into the air, grabbing humans and dropping them from high cliffs to meet their death when they hit the dry ground.
Kumori could feel his mother sobbing around him, but he couldn’t seem to care. He knew that he should, but he could barely remember her. All he could feel was the slow burning in his heart; he knew he was dying. “Amaterasu, please. Help my clan to win this fight. Don’t let them all die.” He spoke gently, as if he were trying not to wake someone. He squinted as he saw a faint light, beaconing him forward. “Amaterasu? Is that you?” He questioned.
“Yes, my son. It is me.” The light responded
“Am I dead?”
“Yes. You are, but not for long, Kumori.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I am giving you a second chance at life. You won’t die this way.”The Sun Goddess walked slowly over to where Kumori was standing. The Dog Goddess licked the wound on Kumori’s heart, healing it instantly.
Kumori slowly opened his eyes and felt a sharp pain on his back. He screamed loudly for his mother. His mother opened her eyes and looked at him in wonder, backing away and smiling gently. Kumori wondered why she was smiling at his pain, but not for long. All he could think of was the raging pain rippling through his body. He thought he was dying again; he couldn’t breathe or see anything.
The pain stopped abruptly, leaving him to catch his breath. His mother was crying, but she didn’t look sad. Kumori turned away, looking at the continuing battle, then finally looking down at where he had been shot with the arrow. There was a puffy scar, but no gaping wound as it had been before. He smiled gently and looked up at the sun, silently thanking the Sun Goddess before looking over his shoulder to see his mother.
He had finally grown wings. The pain he had experienced was him growing his wings. He laughed loudly and burst into the air, flapping his wings hard. He was in the sky, coasting gently on an updraft. He swooped down to his mother with a cry of joy and stopped in front of her. “I have wings!” He exclaimed.
“I knew you would get them soon, honey. It was just a matter of time.” She rushed over and hugged him, “I’m just glad you’re alive.”
Kumori then remembered the battle around them, he had forgotten about the humans. He quickly made a plan and rushed through the battlefield, telling his plan to every dragon fighting at the time. He got a chorus of “Alright, young Kumori.” or “Tell me when.” from the clan. He even informed his father of his big plan. His father had agreed and even added a few things to it, to Kumori’s delight.
Every dragon in Masoto’s clan knew what they had to do to finish the battle they were in; they all moved to their coordinated positions in the clearing. Two elder dragons from each side of the clearing, and the rest of the dragons spread out between them. Kumori was in the center, between his mother and father. All of the dragons waited for Kumori’s command while fending off the massive army of humans.
Finally, Kumori shouts, “For the Sun Goddess!”
A hundred dragons outstretched their wings and roared, causing the mountains to shake with the sheer force of it. Soon after, every dragon let out a pillar of fire into the air, blackening out the sun for a few moments. This was enough to scare even the bravest of soldiers. The vast majority of the humans retreated, leaving only a few left with the courage to die in battle.
After the dragons had attended the funeral pyre for their dead brethren, many congratulated Kumori for earning his wings, and thanked him for saving many lives. Soon after the battle, Kumori began to have dreams of Amaterasu. In these dreams Amaterasu told Kumori where the prey were moving, how the humans were faring, and of special herbs to cure illness within the clan. Kumori became quite a legend within his clan, saving many lives before becoming a leader. He soon became the best leader the clan had ever had.
Pronunciation / translation of names
Amaterasu (ah-mah-ter-ah-su) / Sun Goddess
Kumori (ku-mo-ri) / cloud
Hikaru (he-cah-rue) / loving; gentle
Masoto (mah-so-toe) / justice
Naoko (nah-oh-koe) / truth
Yoroi (yo-ro-e) / armor