The Highlands of Norllythra

The Highlands of Norllythra

by

Kenny McKenzie

(age 17)

Dawn. I open my eyes and look around. A faint light shines through my cave entrance. The sun must be rising. I raise my massive scaly head and shake to get rid of the dew drops that collected overnight. My wing tips brush the rock above me as I stand and turn to the back of the cave. Reaching out, I grab the remains of a mountain goat left over from the night before and swallow it in one bite.

My hunger satisfied, I step out of my cave onto a large rock ledge and stretch, spreading my wings wide and yawning. The clouds thicken over the mountains, obscuring the sun and blanketing everything in a dense fog. I walk to the edge of the cliff and a powerful pump of my wings shoots me into the air. I flap hard as I head straight up and soon break the cloud cover, soaring into the sunlight. Warmth from the sun’s rays flows around me and I close my eyes as I level off my flight, drinking in the beautiful freedom. I re-open my eyes and look around. I can see the peaks of some of the tallest mountains poking up through the clouds like rocks in an ocean of white.

Suddenly I hear something-- a distant roar, followed by faint wingbeats, no more than twenty miles away. My lips curl around my teeth in a snarl. My territory extends for two hundred miles from my cave, and no one enters without my permission.  If this interloper thought he could get away with such an offense, he was gravely mistaken. I tuck my wings to my body and dive, the wind whistling past me. I penetrate the cloud cover, speed through it, and level out. Below me lies the base of the mountains, the trees gradually thickening into a forest.

I soar along, scanning everywhere, looking for whomever would dare to enter my land. The clouds have thinned letting in stray patches of sunlight, and suddenly I see the gleam of scales far below me. I continue flying as I assess the trespasser. He appears to be from the Lowland realm, as no Highlander, or anyone else for that matter, would ever have such a shiny hide. Yet there he is, scales gleaming golden red. He appears to be slightly smaller than me, not as bulky, with long horns on his head. I see his tail, the end split in two, each end covered in spikes. Now there is now doubt that he is from the Lowlands. He is a Lesser Fire Drake, which only resides in that region. Eternally greedy, they horde more than they need, always attempting to take more territory. That explains why he is here. He wants my land for his own, though why he would choose the Highland mountains is beyond me. Lesser Drakes have trouble flying in the thinner air, and my territory is some of the highest elevated around. Thin air aside, he clearly intends to move in, and smoke curls from my mouth as my throat glows in anger.

With a roar, I fold my wings and rocket toward him. The glow in my throat intensifies and suddenly I open my mouth and spew a jet of flame straight at his wings. He reacts quicker than I would’ve thought, seeing as he only had a few seconds, and flies up over me before twisting around and snapping at my neck. I swing my tail and hit him in the back leg, knocking his aim off. I swipe at his under belly, our most vulnerable part, with my fore leg. He rolls at the last second and my razor sharp claws skid over his scales. He flies past me and then gains altitude before turning and diving, spewing red hot flame of his own. I duck under the flame and fly straight towards him, at the last second flipping upside down and grabbing him with my claws. He flaps furiously and shrieks in fury as we begin to tumble to the ground. I grab one of his wings to stop his attempts at escape and hold him under me; if we hit the ground he goes first, and he knows it. Admitting defeat, he goes limp. He being so lightweight compared to me, I am able to carry him to the edge of my territory before I drop him. I watch as he tumbles and barely recovers before flying away, albeit slowly. I give a loud roar of triumph and head back to my mountain. 

The clouds have fully dissipated, and sunlight bathes the mountain range. In the distance below me, I see a large fat mountain goat, and I lick my lips in anticipation as I dive down out of the sky.

(Assignment for Lesson#17 - Point of View)

If you are between the ages of 13 -18,

(or know someone who likes to write stories)

I would like to post your story here.

Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!