Frost matted Samuel’s fur as he climbed higher up the mountain, each icy breath stabbing at his lungs. By now he was days into the climb, and had fallen behind his partners. His body ached for rest, but his pride wouldn’t allow it, not after the boasts he had made during training. Unable to face the thought of finishing last, he was forcing himself to ignore every aching muscle in his body and drive on, powered by nothing but competitive spirit. This was making him reckless, and up in the mountains that was a very dangerous thing to be. One little slip, one misplaced hand…

He lost his grip. Was suddenly falling.

And came to a jolting stop as Maria, a fellow climber, quickly grabbed onto the safety line. Samuel hung for a moment, suspended by the rope and staring down into oblivion, before a steam of nervous, relieved laughter erupted from his snow-flecked vulpine muzzle. Slowly but surely, as Maria gained a surer foothold above, Samuel was winched back to the comfort of the mountain’s side, which he hugged like a newborn infant. He looked to Maria, who came to stand by him with her eyebrows raised. A bashful grin crept onto his face.

“Thanks.”

“Still think you’re the best climber out here?” she asked.

“Would you believe that I’m lulling you into a false sense of security?”

Maria rolled her eyes and, having checked both of their safety gear, continued the climb. Samuel looked around.

“Where’s the old goat?”

“Same place as I’d be if you weren’t incompetent. Ahead.”

Samuel nodded to himself. “Of course.”

It was ten minutes before they even caught another sight of Ofey, their team leader. He had, as always, pushed on upwards, full of that stoic Russian determination that so defined him. Samuel often wondered why the goat had ever volunteered to lead climbing expeditions. Ofey was by no means cruel, and was certainly a great climber, but he seemed to view his team as baggage that was best left behind. He never liked to rely on them for support, and certainly didn’t seem to value their companionship. Samuel had long ago ceased trying to ask about the goat’s mysterious past, which, if Maria was to be believed, involved serving as a mercenary to no less than three different nations. Any inquiries led to the same impassive glare, half shrug and grunt, followed by a series of guttural Russian curses if he was in a talkative mood.

Now something was different. When a sudden breeze dispersed the mountain fog between them, they saw that Ofey had stopped climbing and was completely still. Samuel and Maria exchanged a glance. The goat was staring across the peaks, but at what they couldn’t tell. He rarely paused long enough for them to eat, never mind to take in the scenery, and there was something worrying in the way he just stood there, face completely set on the distance.

Fortunately the mountain path leading up to him seemed relatively stable, and Samuel made his way tentatively to his companion’s side.

“Ofey,” he called out gently as he approached. He got no response, so tried again: “Are you alright, comrade?”

“Kpacota,” the old goat whispered, eyes glossed over with more than the cold. “Kpacota.”

Samuel frowned and clasped a firm, brotherly hand on Ofey’s shoulder. The young fox was about to reply, reminding his leader that he didn’t understand Russian, when Maria caught up and hushed him.

“Listen,” she said. The three fell silent, straining to hear over the incessant din of the mountain wind. For a time Samuel heard nothing, but then, so faint that it might have been imagined: an echo. An echo of a sound created many miles away, travelling across the mountain range in complete defiance of the harsh terrain and the persistent breezes. A great, soulful, joyous sound.

It was a song.

The three stood listening for what could have easily been a minute or a month, and a serene calm washed over them all, banishing their ache and their cold. Down Ofey’s cheek, passing over matted fur and a network of scars and old battle wounds, a single tear fell, and as it did so the ancient goat’s lip trembled.

“Beautiful,” he breathed.

Far above the climbers, and far above the peaks of the tallest mountains, the singer was hidden by a vast swathe of cloud. Their graceful melody was weaving masterfully between tones and pitches, dropping and gaining at the perfect moments with an intuition that could come only from a lifetime of song, and just as it slowed to a natural calm a fresh note burst forth and was held longer and with more power than most would think possible. The pitch of the song rose higher, higher, higher, until finally the colossal creature it came from breached the cloud like the most elegant of diving whales.

Indeed, at a glance one would be forgiven for thinking that it was a type of whale emerging from the clouds miles into the air, assuming that any living being had the honor of witnessing the event.

First came its enormous smooth skull covered in skin of pure, jet black, complete with discreet nose-slits and blazing red eyes of slow, rotating power, behind which there lay mysteries of incalculable depths. After this, like the mast of a great flagship, came a dorsal fin that pierced the sky, followed by another, and another, decreasing in size until the seventh and smallest stood at the base of the creature’s long and slender neck. Then emerged the wings, and it became clear that this creature – the creature who sang so beautifully – was a dragon. His wings were bat-like in appearance, stretching far out into the sky with the powerful beats that were required to keep a beast of such weight, hundreds of tons, in the air. Where the wings met the dragon’s shoulder blades they became wrapped in visibly protruding muscles, which managed to make the flight seem at once an incredible feat of strength and utterly effortless. The same beautiful black skin covered these wings, and it had an almost liquid property to it that was entirely separate from the thin coat of cloud-vapor - it reflected the sun’s rays like wet, living ice.

His body was slim, with the build of a feline predator, and though currently in flight he would be supported on the ground by four huge legs that ended in wolf-like paws with claws of black diamond. Finally, a lengthy tail whipped along behind him, slicing through the air like a knife as it drifted from side to side. With this last feature the dragon spanned over a thousand feet in length, and nearly that again in wingspan. Such was his size that if he flew under the sun those below him would be thrown into shadow, and his voice was easily a match for his incredible appearance.

This dragon’s name was Cortez, and his life was about to change forever.

Gracefully gliding over a bed of clouds, Cortez skimmed the top of the snow-white vapors with idly dancing claws, trying to craft shapes from the resulting wisps before they faded into nothing. It was an art form that he had developed over many years of travel, amusing him for long flights when he wasn’t focused on his singing, but sometimes it was more tempting to throw subtlety to the wind and dive right into the clouds themselves.

And that was what he did just now. Banking sharply, the great dragon bellowed out a joyous cry as he rolled through the air carried by nothing but his own momentum. He brought his bat-like wings close around him, stretched out his neck, and dived into the deep sea of clouds below. Stream-lined, elegant, he submerged himself completely and closed his vibrant eyes, enjoying the vapors running along his jet-black skin. A rumble of pleasure vibrated in the base of his throat, building in intensity until it reached his mouth and erupted in a glorious note of song that rippled through the clouds. His eyes shot open, and all he could see was white.

Pure white.

White in every direction. Daryn smiled as he calmly took in his surroundings. The field in which he lay was overflowing with a beautiful kind of flower that Daryn had never seen before, and he was rather enjoying their company. They were soft, both in form and function, and very slightly springy, so that as he had gently lain down on them it had felt like climbing into a large, plush bed. The petals of the things were the whitest that he had ever seen, so much so that were his own feathers not kept so conspicuously clean the contrast may almost have made Daryn appear to be gray. The flowers also let off a very slight but very appealing aroma, and whenever the gentle afternoon breeze blew in his direction Daryn was washed anew with the pleasant scent.

These flowers covered most of the ground that Daryn could see, except for a serene, sparkling lake that lay something under a thousand feet away, and further out than that some trees in mid-blossom, showing soft pinks, whites and purples. Above him, perfectly white clouds roamed across a flawless blue sky like floating pearls or cotton balls.

Daryn sighed happily, a wide smile on his beak. He stretched himself out on his blanket of flowers, and rested his head on his scaled forearms, his wings splayed out from his shoulder blades and soaking up the sun. His gray eyes lidded while his gray beak glinted in the afternoon light, mimicking the surface of the lake beyond. He was so comfortable as he lay there that, without intending to, he slowly dozed off into a deep slumber.

The dream that came to him was as vivid to him as the idyllic scene in which he slept. He could feel (he thought) the air rushing past him, sending waves through his feathers and whistling through his ears. The land was far below him, forests and rivers mere specks, mountains small enough to be plucked up in a fist. Every now and again a wisp of cloud flew past. However he got here, this was the highest Daryn had ever flown, and he had never felt better. A lightness of spirit surged through him, and he found he was whooping for joy.

Cortez was flying lower and lower until he could spot a nice lake to quench his thirst. Opening his mouth like a net and letting the vapor and moisture fly in had been enough for a while, but now Cortez needed a real drink. He broke out from beneath another cloud and instantly his sharp eyes noticed a sparkle. Below him, the sun’s reflection was glittering on the surface of a lake that lay in the middle of a white field. Cortez descended, and after a moment his enormous black wings shot out with a mighty crack. He slowed down to a gentle glide, and stretched out his feet to prepare for a soft landing. As he neared the ground, his shadow rose up to meet him, darkening all it fell on. White turned to black as the colossal dragon eclipsed the field’s sun.

Darkness fell. Daryn’s dream-flight had entered a terrible storm as the clouds around him turned black. A thunder-like rumbling sounded all around him, and soon rain was lashing harshly against his face. He shielded his eyes, closed them, and entered complete darkness.

And that was what Daryn saw as he woke up with a jolt. Expecting to see the blue sky and pearly clouds, Daryn saw above him only a shimmering blackness. And it was moving. Daryn was stunned; more-so when the thing, whatever it was, landed, and the force of the collision threw him several feet into the air. He was trying to make sense of this when his focus was drawn to a new kind of movement, and what seemed to be a new object. The thing was rising, stopped, then falling. Falling towards him. He realized with a horrible jolting in his heart that the object heading towards him was an enormous foot, and he lay right where it was going to land.

There was the briefest moment in which Daryn could have escaped. Had he stood at that very first point and ran away full pelt, he may just have avoided the tons of crushing weight about to bear down on him. But the sight had stunned his senses, and by the time he thought to react it was too late. The foot was coming down, and from then it was over in a matter of seconds. Yet since Daryn’s quick, avian mind and sharp eyesight took in every detail, it seemed to him that the ordeal lasted much longer.

The first thing he noticed was the foot’s wolf-like appearance, a digitigrade structure with four enormous toes. Each toe was tipped with a claw of black diamond that looked strong enough to tear through solid stone, and despite the foot seeming to be covered in a jet black mercury-like substance in place of scales or fur, the enormous thing had smooth mammalian pads the color of dust along its underside. It was these pads that were bearing down on Daryn at an alarming speed, growing larger every moment.

In an act of futility, Daryn threw up his arms, but as soon as they came into contact with the descending foot they were forced back to his side. When the center of the foot, a great, round pad easily a dozen times his size, slammed into his chest, he was instantly winded and unable to make even the slightest sound. The pressure it placed upon him was inconceivably immense. The foot carried such weight that it should have crushed Daryn immediately, but both paw pad and ground gave way so slightly that he was granted the briefest extra moment of life. To Daryn, this brief moment felt like an eternity.

The thick sole of the pad, strangely smooth, accepted his form and walled in around him, trapping Daryn’s limbs and forcing him to be immobile as, along with the rest of the colossal foot, he was driven deep into the ground. Despite its smoothness it was coarse, like supple granite, and as it pushed him deeper down the ground beneath him became more compact, offering greater resistance. It seemed almost to push back, until Daryn’s bewildered senses lost awareness of which side was really forcing down on him, simply aching desperately for a release from this awful weight.

Finally his body gave way, and the last thing Daryn saw as he was smothered in darkness was the tall, white flowers of the field being crushed down beside him.

Then… nothing.

A shiver ran down Cortez’s spine, travelling from the base of his skull to the tip of his tail some thousand feet away. He immediately recognized it as a dirty feeling, as if he had gained some form of uncleanliness deep inside that could not be simply washed or willed away. It was a feeling, as a sensitive, benevolent creature, that he was not in the least bit used to, but he feared had felt it once before: Long ago he had, in his travels, had the terrible misfortune of witnessing the final moments of another living being. He had been pleased to provide comfort to the poor thing – no one should have to die alone – but when the brief moment of death finally came, it had affected him profoundly. And the feeling he had just experienced exactly mimicked the one he had felt those many years ago.

He knew with a horrible certainty that somewhere, somehow, a life had ended.

He scanned his surroundings, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The field was still empty of all but those endless white flowers, waving in a gentle breeze, the lake was still undisturbed and inviting, and the trees were still standing tall and proud, displaying their blooms like badges of honor pinned to many chests. Yet it didn’t take long for the noxious scent of death to reach Cortez’s nostrils, and he shifted uneasily. He snapped around, fearing what he might see, and as he did so his gaze was drawn to a deep indent in the otherwise flawless field – a perfect mirror-image of his own great foot; pads, claws and all. It was colored with the churned brown of the earth, the crushed white of the field’s flowers, and in the center: a third color. The color of…

Another shiver ran down Cortez’s spine as it dawned on the compassionate beast what he had done. Because of his careless step, he was responsible for ending the life of another innocent creature. He stood for a moment paralyzed with horror, tears forming in his eyes, as for once in his life he was lost for words.

Finally he came to his senses, and he leant close to the crushed body of the creature, singing softly:

“I am so sorry, my unknown friend. My carelessness has cost you your life, and I promise nothing in this world could pain me more. If only I had known you in life, I might know how to make what little amends I could…”

Then, the benevolent dragon paused, idly playing with the last note as he gazed up to the still-clear sky. The world was carrying on as though this poor creature’s tragic death had never occurred.

And that gave him an idea.

He turned excitedly back to the body of his accidental victim and sung once again.

“But perhaps I can make amends. I have never attempted such a thing before, but if I channel all of my energy you might yet live. I can promise you nothing, friend, except that I will try until I have exhausted every possibility.”

He rose then to his tallest height as his eyes began swirl red with immense power. For this to work - to have any hope of resurrecting the innocent creature - Cortez would have to use all of his ability, and tap into every reserve of his energy. His eyes glowed bright, brighter, as bright as the sun. The very ground at his feet rumbled and shook. Ripples across the nearby lake turned to waves, and distant trees began to buckle as if hit by a shockwave.

And at the center of Cortez’s deep footprint… Daryn began to glow. At first he was lit by the bright glare of the dragon’s eyes, but then the light spread through him, all over him, and soon it was emanating from within him.

Cortez didn’t stop there. He bellowed a mighty shout to the skies above as electricity began to crackle and course along his body. It pulsed from his mighty eyes along his entire length, up to the ends of his wings and the tip of his tail, and a moment later is shot from him like lightning to the body of Daryn below. And there it stayed, a solid, tangible connection between the two beings, whipping through the air as the literally world-shaking power coursed from one to the other.

Then, without warning, it stopped. Cortez fell silent, the great eyes closed, and the light was at once extinguished. The world returned to as it had been. The sun shone, the birds sang, and the flowers waved in a gentle breeze. The dragon let out a long, slow breath; exhausted. After a moment he opened his eyes once more, and gently lowered his head to peer apprehensively at the body below. It seemed once again whole, and his heart leapt in his chest as he took in for the first time the peaceful gyrfalcon with snow-white feathers and a sharp, shining beak. A calm, kind-looking creature, no doubt caught in the middle of relaxing in the warm field. He looked, lying there, as if he were nothing more than asleep, with not even a scratch on him to suggest his ordeal only minutes before.

That part of the plan had worked at least, Cortez noted with relief. Now for the more important part…

Gently, and with infinite care, Cortez lowered an enormous claw and nudged the small bird, desperately hoping to wake him. At first there was no reaction, and so Cortez tried again, making sure not to harm the innocent creature. This time Daryn stirred. His eyes flickered and then opened, and he came face to face with the dragon for the first time. Without breaking eye contact, Daryn patted his body as if checking it were still there. The dragon laughed with joy.

“I am so happy to see you moving my little friend! For a while I was very worried. Please tell me, are you alright?”

Daryn nodded slowly. He certainly felt alright. Brilliant even. Never better. It was as if he had a new source of vitality within him. Perhaps that went some way towards explaining how he could be so composed when confronted with an enormous talking dragon; how he could look into those blazing red eyes, those teeth like ivory needles, and not be afraid.

Or perhaps it was something about the dragon himself. Something calming, something… kind.

“Excuse me,” said Daryn as politely as if the great creature were simply a stranger in the street whom he half recognized “Who are you?”

The dragon laughed and smiled down at Daryn.

“Of course, I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Cortez”.

Cortez extended a single claw towards Daryn, who took it in hand and shook it.

“I’m Daryn,” replied the bird. Then he paused. Something had been bugging him, but he hadn’t been able to put his finger on it until now. Hesitantly, he said “I’m sorry Mr Cortez, but… was I just…” He trailed off, realizing what a strange question it would be, but the dragon understood, and solemnly bowed his head.

“Yes, I am afraid you were, and it was completely my fault. I can assure you it was an accident, but that doesn’t excuse my carelessness. Please accept my apologies.”

Daryn had stood and was making to dust himself off, before realizing that his feathers were practically glowing, they were so immaculately clean. He looked around himself and saw that he stood in the center of a giant crater in the shape of a… foot. As if that weren’t strange enough, the very dragon who had crushed him - crushed he thought with disbelief – was now asking his forgiveness. It was all quite surreal, but Daryn still felt very privileged. He waved Cortez’s concerns away.

“Of course, of course,” Daryn gestured to his fixed body “I think you’ve more than made up for it!”

Cortez smiled, but clearly didn’t agree.

“I’m pleased to hear that,” he sang “But there must be something else I can do for you? After what happened I really feel I owe you more. Anything within my power, name it and I will do my best to provide.”

“Well…” Daryn paused. He felt the weight of the offer and what it clearly meant to the dragon. He certainly had an answer ready, but now it came to say it, it seemed so childish. He shook his head. “No, no, nothing I can think of at the moment.”

Cortez cocked his head slightly, curious. “You were going to say something? Please, Daryn, don’t be afraid. Whatever you want, you can ask for it.”

Daryn took a deep breath, and stole a glance along Cortez’s mighty wings.

“I was wondering if I might be able to… ride on your back. While you fly.”

A moment of silence passed, and then Cortez’s eyes lit up, and a booming laugh echoed from his chest. Immediately Daryn regretted saying it, and he shyly rubbed his beak.

“No, you’re right,” he said, sheepishly “It’s a stupid idea.”

Cortez stopped, shocked, and looked Daryn in the eyes. “Stupid? Not at all! I was expecting you to ask for so much more! Your request is so modest, after what I did. That’s why I found it funny.”

He knelt on his front legs and lowered a wing, grinning.

“Hop on.”

Daryn couldn’t believe his luck. His beak opened into a wide grin, and he clambered up Cortez’s side, his own wings spreading out as counterweights ensuring his balance. When he reached the top he seated himself behind a fin at the base of Cortez’s neck, which, despite being the smallest that the dragon had, still required Daryn to reach as far as his arms could go before he got any kind of grip. When he was secure, he yelled out to the dragon, who nodded.

The beast’s enormous wings began to rise, and Daryn felt a mighty tremor as Cortez started to walk, then trot, then run, his four feet pounding into the ground and his wings still held vertical, piercing the sky. They were approaching the edge of the forest at some speed and looked set to collide right into the trees, which would perhaps prove little match for Cortez, but were a worry to Daryn even from his advantaged position, and so he tightened his grip on the fin, but at the last second Cortez’s wings slammed down with an almost deafening crack and the two soared straight upwards to the clouds. The ride became much smoother once they were airborne, as Cortez glided whenever he had the chance, and when he did have to beat his wings he did it gently so that Daryn wouldn’t be tossed up and down.

However, he didn’t want to disappoint his newfound friend, and flew as high and fast as he thought his passenger dared go. He flew through dreamlike, wispy clouds as far below them lakes sparkled in the lowering sun that was casting a warm, orange haze over the scene. He weaved up and down, and even tilted slightly as the wind rushed past to add excitement to the ride.

After a while of this, and just after they had burst through a field of cloud into a pure blue clearing in the sky, Cortez turned slightly and called out behind him; “Are you having fun back there, Daryn?”

But Daryn didn’t answer. With the wind buffeting his face and the earth miles below, he was too busy whooping for joy. HH