You trudge through the thick steam, feeling a bit more at ease with your surroundings. Dragons don't seem to be nearly as frightening as you have been told, yet a small part of your mind asks if you will feel the same if you meet a larger dragon. And approximately thirty-two seconds after that thought runs through your brain, a giant bronze-gold head thrusts itself out of the saffron clouds, nearly knocking you back on your bum. You gasp; this is an adult dragon!
Stuttering from pure nerves, you back up and manage to run into a rather hard, damp stone wall. Two fiery eyes peer at you from a head as large as you are. You gulp nervously; this dragon is huge! Then, miraculously, the dragon begins to laugh! You back up hurriedly in case she begins to flame from amusement.
'Well Rikale, it seems you were right. These humans are very entertaining creatures to let into our dwellings! It's a wonder so many dragons despise humans, or ridicule them.' You begin to feel a bit annoyed with this dragon's attitude toward humans. Then you remember her size.
Rikale flies up and scratches the dragon on her eyelid. The great eye closes in pleasure. 'Yes,' agrees Rikale, 'having humans in the caverns should open the minds of many of the elders. It also could open the minds of other humans. Who knows; maybe exposure will allow you to live in the outside world again.'
'So.' The dragon's attention returns to you. 'You are...?' Feeling a bit more at ease, once you see the humourous glint in the dragon's eyes, you state your name. The golden head nods at you. 'I am Ysanth, a Xir dragon. Have you heard of my kind?' At a shake of your head, she nods again. 'We are not that common. Basically, we are related to Pernese dragons, yet we,' Ysanth looks a bit smug, 'are born live, not from eggs. Plus, Xir dragons come in many different colours, unlike those unoriginal Pernese dragons. You would think the queens could show a bit of imagination, but...'
'That's enough, Ysanth. We've heard this time and time again.' Kalika interrupts the huge dragon.
'Oh, alright. It was a pleasure meeting you,' Ysanth says with a slight nod of her head towards you.
You can find your own Xir dragon at The Silver Unicorn
As a note, Pern and its dragons are copyrighted by Anne McCaffrey
