A long time ago in a land far, far away affliction was slowly enveloping the Kingdom of Sarcosa. Half of the population lost their lives, while the others were uprooted when famine and disease threatened their existence. The king, on his deathbed proclaimed, “Save yourselves and your families. Leave the contaminated kingdom, now! Begin a new life.” The people reluctantly left the boundaries of their once protected land for unsettled territory. With their few possessions in tow, their future was uncertain. Eventually, they began settling along the mountainous countryside in small villages where water was plentiful and food was sufficient. For many years, thereafter, the former citizens of Sarcosa lived in peace as they slowly rebuilt their modest lives.


One day, it all changed. Rumors began to spread throughout the small villages, and the poor, helpless villagers found themselves threatened once again. This time, however, it was not illness and famine but evil, greedy savages who were said to be traveling the countryside looking for trouble. “We are far outnumbered by the barbarians in size and strength! How will we ever defend our families?” one desperate villager lamented. “We are a peaceful village with no weapons for defense. All we can do is pray,” said another. The barbarians were, indeed, too much for the vulnerable villagers as they proceeded to raid, pillage, and murder men, women, and children taking all their meager belongings and setting their homes on fire.


In one unsuspecting village, a young boy lived with his mother and father and baby sister in the tiny impoverished village they called Valaria. Their small hut was filled with love. They were warm and happy and comforted knowing they were together and surrounded by similar caring families who all worked together to help one another in times of need. The boy’s mother was a storyteller. At night the family loved to listen to her tell exciting stories filled with adventure and valuable lessons. Once the boy was old enough, to venture outside the village, his father spend much time teaching him necessary survival skills. He also stressed upon the boy the importance of taking care of the family. The boy took great pride in helping his father hunt and gather food for the family. News of the traveling savages had not yet reach the village of Valaria.


Early one morning, the people of Valaria were caught off guard when the barbarians approached their peaceful village. The brutal savages, showing no mercy, moved from hut to hut, ransacking, and devastating the unsuspecting, small community. The boy’s defenseless family huddled together in hopes they would somehow overlook their small hut and spare their lives, though, they all knew this was likely their last moments on earth. The boy closed his eyes tight as his beloved mother began to scream and his father desperately shouted, “Please spare my family!” The screams of pain and torture mixed with the laughter of the cold-blooded barbarians were so powerful the boy didn’t feel the blunt object strike his head.


It was some time later when the boy came to. With smoke filling his lungs, he coughed as he struggled to catch his breath. He was horrified to find his bloodied family by his side all murdered at the hands of the brutal savages. His baby sister was still cradled in his mothers arms. “No! No! Please! No!” the boy sobbed in disbelief. Sadness and shock overcame him as he lay alongside the almost unrecognizable bodies of his lifeless family hoping he would wake up from the horrible nightmare.


It seemed like an eternity, but once it became apparent the barbarians had moved on, the frightened boy, suffocating from the smoke from the burning huts, covered his mouth with a blanket and was forced to leave his family behind. He began searching desperately for anyone who might still be alive amidst the smoldering rubble. All of the early morning cries for help had been silenced. There were no signs of life. With tears streaming down his face, he slipped out of the village with a blanket and barely the clothes on his back. He knew surrounding villages were not safe as it was only a matter of time before the savages got to them, if they hadn’t already. His only choice was to head farther up the mountain. The lonely, boy, out of breath, climbed higher and higher until he couldn’t take another step or breath. As darkness grew nearer, he searched the mountainside desperately looking for warmth and shelter. He spotted a cave in the distance and proceeded toward it, collecting branches, twigs, and loose stones along the way. He crawled into the cave, built a small fire, and immediately fell asleep. Little did he know, he was not alone.


With light streaming though the cave, the boy awoke to find himself weak and weary. He lay for hours with heavy eyes reliving the horror of the previous day over and over again in his mind. The images of his slain family was unbearable. Filled with overwhelming sadness, he wished he had died along with his family. Suddenly, overcome with an erie feeling, the boy was brought back to his present surroundings. He raised his head and saw something moving deeper in the cave. The boy froze, not believing his eyes. He could just make out the faint image of a large sort of monster with a long neck. The monster let out a weak moan, and slowly moved toward the boy, lowering his head until the two were eye to eye. The monster proceeded to lay a few feet away from the boy almost as if he shared the boy’s sadness and lack of energy. That’s when the the boy noticed the monsters injured wing and realized the monster was actually a dragon. Not knowing whether to run or to remain still, the boy couldn’t hold back his curiosity. Holding his breath, he reached out to touch the cold scaly skin. The monster flinched, then blinked slowly as if he was comforted by the boy’s touch. The boy’s fear slowly subsided, and it became apparent that the monster needed the boy as much as the boy needed him.


Time passed as the boy and the dragon grew closer. The boy lovingly nursed the dragon back to health, carefully tending to his wounded wing. With vines and the one blanket he carried with him when he left the village, the boy built a sling for the dragon’s broken wing to help it heal quicker. He cared for the dragon as he once did his own family, building fires and gathering enough food to satisfy their hunger. The boy liked his role of nurturer as it gave him a reason to wake up every morning and live each day. The two kept each other entertained as the boy retold many of the stories his mother had told him in the past. The dragon always listened intently hanging onto every word the boy said. The boy gradually discovered his new companion eased his own pain and began to fill some of the void the boy felt from the loss of his family. The dragon, who liked not having to work for his food, and certainly didn’t want to go back to his life of chasing small rodents, became lazy and very dependent on the boy for his meals. He looked forward every day to the boy showing up with a bag full of berries, and he quickly became addicted to the juicy, delicious treats. Unfortunately, as food became more and more scarce in the frigid climate, the dragon often took advantage of the young boy by eating the boy’s small portion of berries while he slept. The dragon simply couldn’t help himself, and the frail boy never seemed to mind for he was kindhearted and wanted to take care of the needy dragon.


With the winter months approaching, the few remaining berries began to disappear under a blanket of snow. The boy grew worried and set out in search of food one blustery day. The dragon watched as the boy disappeared in the distance and came to the realization that soon there simply wouldn’t be enough food to feed the two of them until spring. He panicked, and for the first time in a very long time, the dragon wandered away from the cave in the opposite direction of the boy in search of berries. It wasn’t long before the dragon came across a moose lethargically passing by with two barrels strapped on his back. The dragon spotted what he believed to be berry juice dripping from one of the barrels. “Where did you find the berries?” the dragon asked the moose.


“There is one large bush halfway down the mountain. It is loaded with ripe berries.” The moose replied sluggishly. A devilish grin arose on the dragon’s face and without hesitation, he headed down the mountain. The hungry dragon never considered telling the boy where he was going, because he didn’t want to share the berries with the boy, for that would mean less for him to enjoy. All he could think about was getting to the bush before the boy found out about it. Following the moose’s tracks and the infrequent trail of berry juice, it wasn’t long before the dragon stumbled on a very large bush halfway down the mountain. Just as the moose described, it was loaded with ripe, juicy berries. The dragon binged on the berries and fell asleep under the bush.


Late in the afternoon, as the sky grew darker and snow began to fall, the boy returned to the cave to find the dragon gone. It wasn’t like the dragon to wander off, so the boy worried that the dragon might be in trouble and may need his help. The boy set out in search of his friend. Cold and hungry, he was determined to find the dragon before he allowed himself one of the three rationed berries he brought along. He wanted to save the rest for the dragon, because he thought the dragon was sure to be hungry and would need strength to make it back to the cave. As night began to fall, the boy grew weaker and cried out for his friend whom he greatly feared could be dead by now. Unable to find shelter, the boy curled up in the snow and fell asleep praying that his friend would be safe.


Early the next morning the full bellied dragon happily made his way back up the mountain to the cave, because he knew his friend would be worried. Along the way, he noticed something unusual half buried in the snow. As he got closer, he realized it was the boy! The dragon hurriedly rushed to the boy and tried desperately to warm his frozen little body. The dragon’s cold, damp skin was unable to warm the boy, and he didn’t know how to build a fire because the boy always did it for him. It was at that moment that the dragon realized how selfish he had been, and his heart burned. The boy had saved the dragons life and taken care of the dragon without regard to his own needs. The dragon in turn took advantage of the fragile boy. The dragon was so overwhelmed with sadness and remorse that he let out an earth shattering cry. With that cry, flames shot out of his mouth from his burning heart.


Unfortunately, the fire emerged from the dragon’s mouth too late to warm the boy back to life. It was also way too much for the distraught dragon, for the fire was so intense the dragon went up in flames and turned to ashes. Even though the journey ended for the boy and the dragon on the mountain that day, their message lived on. Forever after, all dragons breathed fire as a reminder that true friendships should never be taken for granted.
The End