Andaran Dragons

Back in the old times the dragons were burning up many places with their flames, but not because they enjoyed it, but because their flame was the only ointment for chasing the darkness away from places they didn't belong to. The dragons were humans too, humans that could change. Their sole purpose was to protect humanity. 

Once a huge war broke out between the forces of darkness and humanity. The pure human kind did know very little about what is happening. They just saw people turning into zombie like creatures, who didn't think or feel, just destroyed everything in their way. In order to stop the destruction and save what possibly could be saved, all dragons fighting for the survival of the human race had to fight this battle with all their powers and energy they had. 

The destruction was huge and the burning brought a huge calamity. The human race dropped in numbers - and not even realizing why, whilst the dragons - despite winning the war, lost their power of changing back to holy protector selves after taking up their human forms again, following the great battle. 

Many of the human changelings had to flee and pay the price, no matter what their good deeds were. They had to flee for their life and to protect their families. They all scattered around the world, and continued with what they were meant to in their human forms, to cultivate lands and farm. 

Because the forces of the darkness didn't give up, they continued deceiving people. They found out who the changelings were and also that they were weak in their power, so the hunting began for them over and over again. They didn't want to rest until the last one was destroyed. As fleeing all the time wasn't an option for the changelings, nor did they have the will and the power either to fight, these people learnt to survive by hibernating. They have built underground tunnels and caves under their farms where they could hide once someone came for them. In these lands many were attacked and chased away, but they still hoped, hoped that the humans' foolishness and hatred will ease, time will heal the wounds and it will bury the past's pains. 

Sleeping for long, sometimes even centuries, took it's toll the wrong way, the memory of the techniques of changing ever back to a dragon started slowly but surely to fade away too. They were forcing themselves once awoke and tried to practice, but all in vain. 

One day on a farm, at a changeling family with a toddler, the man finished the works on the field and was headed towards their house. His child ran towards him when they realised there is a dragon at the edge of the forest wounded. He got scared for a minute as he didn't see a real dragon himself for ages, but as need dictated he ran towards him to save his life. They took him in their barn and cared for him there. After the dragon healed up he left without a word, at least that was what they thought when his place in the barn was left empty.  

Shortly after this event took place, one day suddenly many people appeared in the distance. The changeling seeing them knew is time to hide, he ran towards his child and ordered his wife to go down the tunnel through the kitchen in the house and he will shortly follow. The humans were coming armoured, screaming and chanting from the distance that the dragon is there and it needs to die... He was so scared, and saw the dark shadows also coming behind some of the strangers. He was thinking whether he should fight, but he still remembered the painful battle, and also knew that his human power will be only enough to get himself lynched. He took his way to the house to go in hiding as well with his family. When rushing though the dragon appeared from the forest and whizzed above him towards the crowd. His mighty presence was beautiful to watch and gave the feeling of longing again for the freedom that came with flying. 

When the crowd realised that the dragon is going towards them, some started to throw stones at him and everything they had at hand, but without effect. People accompanied by the dark shadows were just screaming without thinking and giving the order to the humans to kill the dragon. The pure humans however got scared very fast and whoever could, they started to run for their life. When not many remained around the shadowed people, the dragon took a huge breath and destroyed them with his flame. After which he turned around and flew back to the farmer. Upon landing on the porch, he changed back to human. He was an old wise man, smiling at the changeling. 

The farmer looked at him and asked who he was, to which he just smiled and said with high prideness: " I am a dragon too, just like you, but I am one of the eldest, I am an Andaran! And probably the last that can still transform"  

In the meantime the wife came out from the house and put the toddler on the ground, who, without thinking started to giggle, ran towards the stone fence, climbed up and whilst spreading his arms he jumped off. The blood froze in everyone's vein. The father could avoid the damage of the fall by telepathic transportation into the babies head and making an energy bubble around him. The only technique he could still use. But the energy bubble still came late, because he could feel the child landing on the ground and banging himself, but also the happiness and joy of trying it. Luckily he didn't get hurt, after the collision he jumped up and ran towards him with a huge smile on his face.  

Because of the joy felt by his son and then seeing him stand up and running, the father eased up. At the same time though he got sad too because the truth hit his heart. He realized in that moment that he probably never will be able to change back into a dragon, and his beautiful little son will never experience the actual joy of flying either, despite having the blood of two dragons running through his veins. 

The old man looked at him and said: "Don't be afraid, you are not the only one with the problem:))". As the farmer looked at him confused, he continued: "I know you and your wife are dragons, as I mentioned I am one myself. We lived through hell of a times. It has been very very hard, and I am so happy I found you. When I got hurt just before you found me, I thought I am taking my last breath, but then you came and helped me, so I swore I will protect you and your family whilst I am living. I saw the men coming and I knew it will be trouble again, but don't you worry, for now they are gone and your family can be at peace. It was me who changed so they won't be chasing you anymore, hopefully". 

The farmer looked at him with glazing eyes and he put the question: "How do you do it? How can you still change?". To which the old man laughed funnily and said "It isn't as easy anymore as in the old times". He showed them towards the house and indicated to go in and he will tell. Whilst walking he started to tell the story, of him being an old and noble dragon and when the huge battle took place he got lost, he lost his friends he was fighting with and thought everything else too, aka the whole dragon generation. 

One day he woke up on a field not knowing how the battle ended, nor remembering where he should be heading to or what should he be looking for, and he was also struggling to change back. At the beginning he started to look for other dragons, but because he couldn't find any he gave up hope and focused his attention on practicing the techniques of changing. At his first success for days he couldn't do anything again, and he didn't understand why, but as more time passed by and the more he practiced more the better he saw the differences and issues as well. 

Once they were all in the kitchen standing next to the cooker, the old man smiled at them and explained further. "You know the war sucked my energy too, but did not only do that, it changed us fully. Whilst practicing for many years, I have got to learn, that me and my dragon - who should be also me, right? - we materialize separately. Before we all felt it, we didn't need to explain to ourselves anything, we just changed. Puff and we were dragons. Now? I have to sometimes fight a proper battle with my "partner" to merge with me." And he started to laugh as this would be the funniest thing ever invented. The farmer and his wife still couldn't fully comprehend what he was talking about so he said that he will give them a demonstration. 

He took two steppes back from his actual spot and told the farmer couple to look at his right and tell him what they see. When they looked, in the air suddenly sparks started to appear, they became one and started to grow. These beautiful sparks were filled with the colour of the rainbow and as they got higher, suddenly the nose of a golden dragon appeared, then his long beautiful jawline, then his beard, his torso, his feet and with a final sparkle his long tail followed as well. He was flying in the air with grace and his beautiful golden colour shone through the air. When the dragon materialized from the thin air, they looked at the old man and suddenly they got shocked. He was sitting and hovering in the air, smiling with a huge grin on his face, he was fully golden as well and had a long long moustache. They couldn't get a word out of their mouths because they have first of all never seen themselves a golden dragon, specially not such a beautiful being, and secondly because the old man was like a different person and he was just smiling and they didn't know where to put the whole thing. He then continued his story: 

" As you can see this is what we are, he and me we are one, yet we are two, he can't merge with me if I don't want it, and I can't merge with him if he doesn't want it or allow it. I still haven't fully figured out what happened on that battlefield when the great war took place, but for certain it changed us all to our cores. We both are old, rusty and stubborn, but throughout the past centuries we learnt to collaborate, as one doesn't exist without the other. When we prepare to fight and I need my dragon form, I call for him with open heart, he appears and he already knows why and then we merge. I take up his form and his powers, but we control one another with trust and honesty. You can't just take over the control without reciprocal permission. The changing is also way faster than what you have just witnessed, we just slowed down to show you the show - and he startled to giggle again -, but in reality it happens very very fast. I think for you all as well, to be able to change into a dragon again, first you need to call for your dragon and then you need to learn to earn your mutual trust and respect, whilst also learning to control your human emotions. Back then we could be both rational and emotional without crossing the lines, but now? Now either he is moody or me, and sometimes boy we struggle to get to the same level" ...