\n A sickly cough echoed through the cave, rousing Carnoc from sleep.  He squinted for a moment and yawned, then opened his eyes and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the cave.  It was nighttime again, and the rest of the clan seemed to already be awake, clustered around one of the other alcoves.  He could hear it raining outside.

\n There was a low whoosh, and a yellow light grew from inside the cluster of dragons to fill the cave.  Carnoc groaned and stood, wondering what was wrong--fires were only lit inside the cave in emergencies.  He walked over to the cluster of dragons, raising his head in an attempt to see over them and find out what they were all gathering to see.

\n A small fire had been lit at the front of the alcove the rest of the clan was circled around.  Alon lay next to the fire, coughing wetly with each breath, smoke pouring from his nose and mouth.  The cloud broke every few seconds as he breathed in, only to gust out again even thicker than before.  He groaned and raised his head, dark eyes scanning the assembled dragons.

\n "I fear that my time with you is almost over..." Alon said, his voice hoarse; he coughed and spit a little fluid into the fire next to him, which burned more brightly for just a moment.  "I did not expect my condition to worsen so quickly, but nature has decided that to be the case...  Because it appears tonight will be my final night, I have a few announcements to make before I pass on."

\n The assembled dragons started whispering amongst themselves, troubled by Alon's statement.  Carnoc's tail started twitching, and it took conscious effort to settle it again; it had been twenty years since the position had last been passed on, and the clan had been unsettled for some time afterward.  What would happen when a new elder was appointed now, in the middle of a crisis?

\n But still he had to wonder how life would be different with a new elder.  Leadership would most likely fall to Nesleh, Lemnir or Vallen, but the rest of the dragons were just not old or experienced enough to rule.  Alon opened his mouth to speak again, and the rest of the clan immediately fell silent to listen.

\n "I have decided," Alon said, "to pass on leadership of this clan to Vallen."  He turned his head so he could see the other dragon.  "Do you accept this post?  It is a great responsibility to bear, especially in these difficult times."

\n Vallen raised his head and seemed to grow slightly as he answered, "I will serve this position to the best of my ability."

\n "That is good."  He coughed and made an odd, high, keening sound in reaction to some internal pain.  Carnoc flinched; the sound felt unhealthy in his ear.

\n Alon made the noise again, then laid his head back down on the cold stone floor.  "I would like to also remind all of you that the mating cycle is almost upon us, and it is time for you to travel west to the caves of the dragoness' clan.  I know that the trip will be dangerous and difficult, but it always has been such.  Vallen, do not shrink from your post because of the difficulties--it is not as hard as you think, as long as you're careful.  I am trusting you and Carnoc, as our clan's elder and warrior, to keep our kind from being exposed.  I do not believe it to be beyond your abilities; I wish you all the best of luck."

\n Vallen tilted his head.  "We will not fail you."

\n "I do not expect you to.  Now, I wish to speak privately with Nesleh, then Carnoc and Vallen.  The rest of you, go about your business."

\n The rest of the clan stood still for a moment, then murmured respects for Alon and Vallen before dispersing, talking quietly amongst themselves.  Krain lingered, but retreated into his own adjacent alcove when Alon nudged him away.

\n Nesleh settled down next to Alon and asked, "what is it?  Is there something you need help with?"

\n He clawed the ground weakly.  "No, it is not that...  How will I be remembered in the stories?  You're the legend-keeper; you know which dragons from the past ages are remembered, and which are forgotten.  Now, my life is at its end, and I fear...  How will I live on, if I am not remembered in the legends of our kind?  If my name and what I did during my life disappear from memory, my spirit will wither to nothingness, and I will truly be no more.  What assurance can I have that I will live on in legend?"

\n "I..." Nesleh paused, mouth open, unsure of what to say to comfort his dying elder.

\n He coughed, then growled.  "I knew it; there is no place in the legends for me.  All that can be said is that I was another clan leader, unfortunately brought down before his time by sickness.  And I will be forgotten, and my soul will be lost."

\n "Alon..." he paused again, but shook his head and went on this time.  "Sometimes that is the way things are.  Not all dragons can be remarkable, you know that.  If every dragon spent its life doing great, legendary deeds, what would distinguish those truly legendary?  Would every dragon know Vidac's name if any other dragon was capable of doing what he did?  You must accept that not all lives are so incredible.  But even so, your name will not be forgotten, for it will always be written on the wall of heritage, and in the hearts of those who care for you.  Your son?  Your friends?  They will never forget you, and they will see to it that your name is spoken again, passed down by your descendants and close friends to be known to all the new generations of dragons.  And because of that, you will be remembered, and your spirit will survive."

\n Alon waved one of his wings, dismissing the older dragon.  "Enough, I understand."

\n "What do you need, Alon?" Carnoc asked, stepping forward with Vallen.

\n "I need for Vallen to understand a few things about you, that's all."  Alon looked in Vallen's direction, coughing again.  "I'm sure you know what Carnoc is capable of and what his powers are, but do you understand the nature of his disposition?"

\n He shuffled his wings.  "What do you mean?"

\n "Carnoc, as a warrior, has a tendency to be...  To be violent, and easily provoked.  It's in his blood, the urge to fight against his and our enemies, and sometimes that urge can be very difficult for him to control.  Nesleh and I have been working with him to help him manage his instincts, but sometimes he is still weak enough to let his temper take over."

\n Carnoc growled under his breath.  Alon was talking to Vallen like he wasn't even there; it was disrespectful, almost insulting.  It made him feel like a hatchling, and he growled again, pawing at the ground and glaring at Alon with building anger.

\n "So, what do I need to do?" Vallen asked.

\n "You must learn to control him, and not just by teaching him, as his father and I have.  You have to be able to physically control him if he lets his temper get out of hand.  Nesleh knows how...  He can teach you.  Talk to him about it."

\n He couldn't hold his silence any longer.  "Alon, I'm right here, and I don't like the way you're talking about me."

\n Alon coughed, spouting flame and leaving scorch marks on the stone beneath him, and he paused to spit into the fire before speaking again.  "Yes...  Yes, you are, I know that, but you have to understand that there will be consequences if you fail to control yourself, and controlling yourself means obeying Vallen.  He will soon be the elder of this clan, and you must do what he says, for he will know best how to take care of you all.  I know that will be hard for you...  You've always wanted to strike first, and I can't blame you for that.  It's your right, your task, to suggest and attempt such things.  That's what makes you powerful, but it also makes you a danger to yourself and to the rest of us if you don't know when to hold your temper.  You have to know when to control your instincts."

\n He narrowed his eyes; he'd been given this lecture before.  "You say that like I chose to be this way.  I had no control over my blood, Alon, and neither did you.  Being born as a warrior was not something that I chose to do.  It just happened, and nobody had any control over it, so nobody should be telling me or making me stop being who I am.  You aren't my father, so stop acting like you are."

\n Alon snarled at him, head momentarily disappearing in a cloud of black smoke.  "I'm the elder of this clan, and that's more than good enough!  I've tried ever since we learned what you are to teach you to control yourself and your instincts, but you've made it clear that I'm simply not helping you.  Now, be silent unless you have something useful to say."

\n Carnoc reared onto his hind legs, spread his wings and roared at his elder at the top of his lungs.  He started to crouch for a lunge at his elder, but at the last moment twisted and leapt away instead, making for the ledge outside.  Once he was out in the open air, he spread his wings and flew off into the rain.

\n Krain burst out of his alcove and crouched at his father's side.  "Did he hurt you anywhere?"

\n Alon groaned and coughed weakly.  "No, he did not...  Do you think you could follow him and make sure he doesn't do anything foolish?  His temper's high right now, and there's no telling what he could do."

\n "But...  Shouldn't I stay with you, father?"

\n He looked away.  "No, I don't need you with me any longer.  Right now I need you to keep track of Carnoc.  You're his friend and you're the fastest flier we have; you should be able to catch up to him and calm him down, and I don't think anyone else can."

\n Krain nodded.  "I'll do my best."  He ran to the ledge outside, spread his wings and flew out into the rain, flying off in the direction he thought Carnoc had flown in.  Behind him, Alon started coughing again.

\n Carnoc snarled into the wet air around him.  Why would Alon have even wanted to speak to me, if he was just going to do that?  That stupid old dragon spent all of my life ridiculing me, he thought, and even when he knew it was almost time for him to die he called me over to him just to have one last chance to make me mad at him!

\n He growled, frustrated, then looked around; he hadn't paid attention to where he was flying, and in the darkness and rain he couldn't tell where he was.  He stilled his wings and glided down to a lower altitude, searching for any recognizable landmarks until he finally spotted a pond down below.

\n Carnoc pushed his wings back and dove down to the bank, aiming for a clear area next to a large boulder.  He could tell that his temper was raised, and he hoped that a nice, long drink from the pond would help to calm him down.  He landed on the bank, but held his wings open for a few moments, enjoying the feeling of the rain pounding against the taut surface, then he folded them, lowered his head and drank from the pond's cool, clear water.
\n  

\n Jim had quickly grown bored with the sitting and waiting, but after nearly eight hours Dave was still hunched over the clusters of instruments.  He didn't understand how Dave could manage to focus his attention on a single thing for so long, without sitting down on the chair or even on the ground.  Finally he laid down on top of the sleeping bag, hoping to get some rest, and checked his watch: it was almost eleven P.M.  He yawned and closed his eyes.

\n Dave stood up from his crouch and stretched, groaning, his movement attracting Jim's attention.  He opened his eyes, startled, but relaxed when he saw that it was just Dave stretching and slowly closed his eyes again, feeling drowsy with boredom.  "I think it's almost time to give in and use the chair," Dave said with a laugh.

\n It was just then that one of the monitors started flashing.

\n Dave was back at the instrument panels in an instant.  "We've got something; that's from the sensor I placed back on the slopes of the mountain.  We have... oh, two video recordings."

\n He pressed the play button.  A monitor showed first one, then another fuzzy shape pass over the sensor.

\n "Maybe that was something," Jim said.

\n "I hope so.  The rain made it hard to tell, but those things were definitely up in the air, and I doubt any birds would be flying that high at this time of night, especially in this weather."

\n "So it could be a couple of dragons?"

\n "Could be; I'm going to start recording exterior video..."  A flashing light overhead distracted him.  "That's the proximity alert."  He pressed a few buttons and another monitor activated, showing a view of the bank outside.  Dave pressed a button to activate the night vision, then rolled a small tracking ball around to reposition the camera angle, panning left, then up.

\n All that could be distinguished on the screen was something that looked like a shiny pebble.  Dave touched another button, and the camera zoomed out until a dragon's side came into focus, what had resembled a pebble blending into the pattern of its scales.

\n They both stood there in stunned silence, watching as the dragon folded its wings and lowered its head to drink from the pond.  "Oh, my God...  We've found one," Dave finally said.  "They're real.  It's all real.  Dragons exist."

\n Jim stared blankly at the monitor for a few seconds, then snapped back to the situation.  "Hurry, shoot before it flies away!"

\n He moved to another set of instruments.  A targeting system appeared on the main screen, which was blank for a moment before a higher view of the area around the boulder appeared onscreen.  He nudged a joystick until the crosshairs were centered on the dragon's middle and selected the dragon as the target, and there was a soft, high whistling noise as the weapon charged to the designated power level and prepared to fire.

\n The dragon snapped its head around to look directly into the camera, so quickly that Dave was sure it must have heard the rifle charging...  But he couldn't shoot yet; the rifle hadn't charged enough.  Then the dragon opened its mouth, roared, and crouched to leap towards them.

\n "...Dave?" Jim said uncertainly.

\n He squeezed the trigger on the joystick just as the dragon leapt towards the camera; the shot struck the dragon in midair and knocked it unconscious instantly, and it fell just short of reaching the blind.

\n Dave grinned and raised his hand.  "We did it.  We caught one."

\n Jim returned the smile and slapped Dave's upraised palm.  "Good shooting.  So, now what?"

\n He pointed to a backpack he had left by the door of the blind.  "Now we get to work.  But we're going to have to be quick about it; the rifle didn't have time to finish preparing the shot, so the dragon won't be out for very long."

\n
\n Krain circled slowly around the clan's mountain, growling angrily at himself: he had lost Carnoc in the rain and darkness.  One last circle, he thought, then I'm going back inside.  Damned rain.