The Divide

"What are these? Anzin, Atren, Tunell?" Terrin asked. Zan cocked his head to one side much like a dog would.

"Humans do not know of our names?" Zan looked like he was surprised, his eyes blinked three times rapidly.

"What do you mean?"

"Every brood of dragon has a different ending that goes to the end of the name of a dragon, Zantoranzin. Zantor is my name, Anzin is my brood. For female you would just add an A to the end." He explained.

"Oh, So Atren..."

"Is the water broods." Zan explained. "When you speak of a general brood, humans say red, earth, water, air. Dragons say Anzin, Tunell, Atren, Zar, and Angi was the swamp dragon's brood." Zan said.

"I see, so it's kind of like a last name for humans. It tells people what family your

from." Terrin said,

"Yes, I suppose so." Zan looked ahead.

"Who is Lestrazar?" Terrin asked. Zan stopped walking and looked shocked at Terrin.

"How do you know that name?" He asked in a whisper, as if

someone else was around to hear him.

"You said it when you were explaining what had happened when the war started." Terrin said. Zan almost seemed to sigh.

"Lestrazar is the last remaining dragon of the green brood. He is as ancient dragon as there ever has been." Zan explained

"Couldn't he just mate with another dragon and rebuild the green dragons population?" Terrin asked.

"Dragons cannot mate with dragons of a different brood. And he is also the leader of what was the green brood. He is not allowed to mate with any other than his chosen and she is long

dead." Zan explained.

"Chosen?"

"Dragons mate for life," Zan said, "Unlike humans." He said jokingly.

Terrin stopped. "Was that a ..... Joke?" He said surprised.

"Oh gods it was, you're beginning to infect me with your human....ness....." Zan said. He jumped farther to the left away from Terrin, like he was avoiding an infectious disease. Terrin laughed and chased him. Zan

squawked and ran ahead of Terrin. He moved slower then the human but had much larger steps.

When they had both finally run out of breath they matched their pace again so they could talk.

"Are you mated?" Terrin asked him.

"No, I have not found my mate yet. But I will. I am confident in that."

Terrin walked quietly for a moment.

"I hope you do." Terrin said. Zan glanced at him but kept walking.

"Why don't humans mate for life?" Zan asked curious.

"Most do. I will." Terrin said proudly.

"You have not found a mate either?" Zan asked.

"No, it's a bit more complicated for me." Terrin sighed.

"And why is that?"

"I like men, not women." Terrin said. Zan glanced at him and stopped walking.

"I didn't realize that mattered to humans." He said.

"Don't all dragons mate with females?" Terrin questioned.

"No, we do not care about genders, usually if there is two males that are mated a female is chosen to lay an egg for the males.The same happens if two females mate, then a male is chosen. The hatchlings are raised only by the

care of the brood." Zan explained. "Males of my species do not raise the young, so it matters not who we mate with."

"Odd." Terrin said quietly. Zan stopped and leaned back onto his back legs. He spread his wings and flapped them a few times. Dirt fell off them and Zan yawned. Terrin looked at the rows of sharp teeth and down his throat where fire could spew at any moment. Terrin swallowed nervously. This whole time he had forgotten who, or what, he was in the presence of. He mentally scolded himself for letting his guard down, Zan was not his friend, dragons are enemies to humans. Zan returned to leaning on his wings and continued walking.

An hour after they had started walking they came to a part of the divide where the cliff cut into the swamp. Zan looked at the giant wall that blocked their path.

"Stay here." He said and walked up to the wall and dug the claws of his wings and legs in. He climbed the wall slowly and awkwardly when he was high enough to see over the trees he seemed to sigh before he pushed off the wall and fell back to the ground with a loud crash.

"It

cuts very deep into the swamp, it would not be wise for us to venture into it, nor would I be able to move easily in this form." Zan explained.

"Couldn't you just climb us to the top?" Terrin realized.

" No, not far off the ground the mud becomes loose and will fall under my weight." Zan said.

"Then what in gods name do we do?" Terrin said. Zan looked uncomfortable and sat down like an over-sized dog.

"I...I do not know. I have never had to walk this far before." Zan admitted. Terrin sighed and sat next to him. Silenced passed between the two for a long moment.

"What do you mean in this form?"

Terrin asked suddenly. Zan looked up from where he was staring at the ground.

"What?" He asked in Terrins head.

"You said you wouldn't be able to move easily in this form. What do you mean by this form?" Terrin repeated Zans words. Zan looked uncomfortable.

"Well, some dragons can shift into human form." He said reluctantly.

"What?! I have never heard of that!" Terrin jumped up from where he stood.

"It is not something we willingly tell humans." Zan sighed.

Terrin wanted to say something but he didn't know what. He sighed and sat again.

"We have to go through." He said a moment later.

"I would not be able to defend us in human form. We would be vulnerable." Zan said.

"It's better then sitting on our asses." Terrin stood and walked towards the swamp.

"I'm going with or without you. You can stay here and starve

or get your scaly butt into that swamp." Terrin turned and said. Zan stared at him a moment and tested to see if Terrin was bluffing. When Terrin didn't flinch Zans shoulder's seemed to sag.

"Alright." He stood and looked like he was concentrating on something. He began to shrink and lose his red scales and horns. The webbed part of his wings shrank until all that was left was the

boney, arm-like, structure that supported his wings. His arms shrunk and his knees reversed so they were facing the way a humans knees would. The scaly red skin began to soften and turn a lighter, tan, color. The rows of sharp white teeth evened out and flattened until he had a smaller, human, mouth.

When the transformation was finished Zan rolled his shoulders uncomfortably and seemed awkward in the smaller body. His hair was a deep black with unnatural red tips. His eyes were a golden brown and he wore leather armor that looked, oddly, much like his scales.

"Happy?" He spoke out loud for the first time and Terrin was shocked at his smooth melodic voice.

"Yes, now lets go." Terrin turned back to the swamp and stepped through the thick trees. They

walked in silence, Zan stumbling along the way.

"Humans are just....just....Stupid!" He yelled angrily after he fell for the fourth time. Terrin rolled his eyes and kept walking.

"Two legs, no wings, no tail, no scales, no fur, horrible eye sight, no claws, or reasonable teeth." He mumbled.

"Are you going to complain the whole way?" Terrin turned and asked him. Zan glared at him with the chocolate brown eyes.

"Yes." He growled. Terrin glared back and kept walking. Zan growled behind him once more. Zan stopped suddenly.

"Quiet, stop moving." He seemed to look around him and listen for something. Terrin did as he was told and stopped.

"What?" He asked. Zan shushed him. Terrin listened and didn't hear anything.

"I don't hear anything." He growled and kept walking.

"It's because humans have awful hearing as well. Now stop moving!" Zan yelled a whisper. Terrin kept walking.

"Terrin! Terrin stop moving!" Zan whispered loudly.

"No, you just don't want to walk anymore." Terrin said back. Zan shushed him again and motioned with his hands to hold still. Terrin kept walking. He heard something like rocks falling. He hesitated but didn't hear anything

else. Zan ran behind him and pulled his

arm back behind him just as the giant worm like creature burst not a foot in front of where he had been standing. Zan threw himself on top of Terrin and put his finger to his lips and turned his head slowly to look at the huge worm that stood from the ground. Terrins mouth hung open. Several trees lay on their sides, pushed out of the way by the large worm-like creature.

It 'stood' at least 20 feet in the air and seemed to just hang there for a moment. Its body was long like a worm's but covered in several plates. It's head seemed to have no eyes or any other face like features. Only a large mouth with no lips and only large teeth surrounding the O it's mouth made. The teeth were larger then Terrin himself and the beast seemed to drool green slime. It seemed to be waiting for something. It spun it's jaw anxiously. The jaw seemed to be one single bone that could spin several times in a circle before having to turn back. Its teeth could also move individually so it could 'bite' down on its, would be, prey.

Terrin let out a squeak of fear and Zan stood and ran, pulling Terrin by the arm behind him, moments before the beast turned it's body and slammed, teeth first, into the spot they had just been. It quickly 'ate' away at the dirt that they had been laying on, and seemed to dig through the earth itself and its long body followed. Terrin turned to watch as at least a hundred feet of worm followed the toothed head through the hole it had eaten through.

Zan ran and dragged Terrin behind him deeper into the swamps. Terrin could barely see the cliff off to the right. Zan seemed to follow it and made a sudden turn when the cliff stopped cutting into the swamp and turned back. Terrin could hear Zan's heavy breathing and tried to keep up with him. Zan grabbed Terrin and rolled them to the side moments before the large worm, again, lunged out of the ground teeth first. Zan didn't hesitate this time and got up and ran again towards the 'path' like spot between the divide and the swamp. He began changing as they ran. His fingers extended, creating the bones the would support his wings and webbing filled in between them Horns began sprouting from his eyebrows to curve backwards and small spiked lined his neck and down his back.

The armor he wore spread and became scales once again. Finally he grew larger as they neared the opening. Terrin could hear the worm underground behind them. Zan completed his change as they reached the small opening. He jumped into the gap between swamp and cliff and, with his back against the wall, turned. The worm creature exploded from the ground for the third time and lunged, teeth first, at Zan.

Zan drew in a breath quickly and let a torrent of flame spill into the worm's face. The bulk of the flame landed inside the worms open mouth and surrounding areas. The worm seemed to screech, which oddly sounded much like Zan, and tossed it's 'head' to try to avoid the flames. The fire began to slow and finally stopped and Zan inhaled a large breath again. The worm didn't give him a chance and quickly fell backwards and burrowed through another hole and left as fast as its plated body would carry it. When the tail of the creature disappeared

into the hole it had created

Zan relaxed and let out the breath.

"Good, I was totally bluffing the last part." Zan admitted. Terrin dropped to the ground and caught his breath. His hands shook and he was dizzy with adrenaline. Zan caught his own breath and laid down next to Terrin.

"Next time, do not ignore me when I tell you to stop." He said after several minutes.

"I'm sorry." Terrin apologized. Zan opened one eye and looked at him, when he was sure he was being truthful he nodded his acceptance and closed his eye again.

"What was that." Terrin asked. Zan opened both his eyes this timed and looked surprised.

"It was an earth dragon." Zan said surprised, like Terrin should have known.

"THAT was an earth dragon!?" Terrin sat up from where he leaned on the cliff.

"Yes."

"I read they were large but....but that was.... Gods what am I doing out here." He sighed.

"We should rest here for the night, She won't be coming back anytime soon." Zan smiled.

"She?" Terrin asked.

"Yes, you were walking into her nest." Zan laughed.

"Oops." Terrin blushed.

Terrin didn't

move to get wood for a fire, the adrenaline had left his body and he was now exhausted. Zan curled into a crescent shape and used his tail to push Terrin closer towards him. He spread his wings and covered Terrin.

Before Terrin noticed he let out a sigh when he was surrounded by the warm leathery wing. He blushed and looked up at Zan but the dragon was already asleep. Terrin sighed and leaned

into the red scales of the

dragon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zan woke and saw Terrin dragging a large deer behind him. Without moving he sent the thought to Terrin.

"How on earth did you catch that?" He asked. Terrin jumped and looked at the behemoth who had not moved but his eyes were now open.

"Sword, just as good as those claws you know." Terrin nodded at the single claw on each of his wings. Zan lifted his head.

"Move." He said. Terrin stepped aside of the carcass and watched as Zan let a pitifully weak burst of flame. It was barely enough to roast the deer. Terrin wrinkled his nose at the smell of burning fur.

"Wow, that was....pathetic." Terrin chuckled.

"How do you think dragons produce fire. We must consume enough of a certain rock to produce it. Despite many beliefs we are not magic. Just large,

intelligent, lizards. Who can turn into

humans...doesn't really help my argument." Zan smiled his reptilian smile. Terrin laughed.

"Where can you get more of this rock?" Terrin asked as he knelt next to the deer and cut off a small piece for him and left the rest for Zan.

"As far as I know the only place is the lava pits. But I will know it if I see it." He said and glanced at the deer.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Terrin asked. Zan seemed to sigh. He barely opened his mouth and let his long snake-like tongue trail out and wrap around the deer. He pulled the deer towards him until it was close enough to bite.

"Amazing, the laziest dragon in the world, its official." Terrin laughed. Zan looked up at him.

"This walking thing is much more difficult then you humans make it out to be." He sighed, but

didn't move.

"So what happens if you get back to the lava pits?" Terrin asked.

"I would be able to heal my wing, and be able to breathe fire again." He explained simply. Terrin thought for a moment.

"If I get you back to the lava pits, will you fly me home?" Terrin asked. Zan looked up.

"I thought you wanted to walk?" Zan said.

"I did, but this is taking to long, I know the lava pits are closer and it would be much much faster to fly." Terrin said. Zan nodded his large head slowly.

"That it is the truth. Yes, if you get me to the lava pits I will gladly take you back to your home,Terrin. Or at least as close as I can take you." He said.

"What do you mean as close as you can take me?" Terrin asked.

"I wouldn't be able to fly you all the way into the humans lands. I would be killed if I was seen." Zan said.

"No, you take me all the way to the castle or no deal." Terrin said firmly. Zan looked into his eyes.

"Very well." He nodded his large head.

"Good, now, which way is the fastest to the lava pits." Terrin asked. Zan looked thoughtful for a

moment.

"Through the swamp." He said. Terrin grimaced and looked at the large hole the earth dragon had disappeared through.

"Alright, the safest and fastest way." He corrected himself.

"There is no other way." Zan shook his head. Terrin sighed.

"How long will it take to get there?"

"A day, maybe two." Zan said after thinking.

"That's faster than the week it would take to get to the coast." Terrin said to himself.

"I can no longer protect us without my fire. We need to move quickly and quietly." Zan stood from where he had been lying.

"Ok." Terrin stood and walked towards the swamp. Something crunched under his foot. He looked down and saw it was a large plate that had fallen off of the earth

dragon. It had been scorched by Zan's

flame but other then that it was in one piece. He picked it up and ran his hands over it.

"Zan." The dragon looked down at him.

"Will you carry these? They would make fine armor." Terrin said. Zan nodded his head and watched Terrin spend a few moments picking up various pieces of scales and plates. Zan crouched down and Terrin climbed up the slope of his wing and put the items on his back. When they sat securely behind the spikes that lined the dragons back Zan stood again and Terrin jumped down to walk beside him.

"Why was an earth dragon in the swamps?" Terrin asked as they walked.

"Many earth dragons come to lay their eggs here. There are not many nesting areas in the deserts." Zan explained. The two walked slowly as Zan tried to weave through the dense trees and swampy waters. After only a few minutes he gave up and shifted into his human form, and tied the plates with vines to carry. They picked up their pace and covered much more ground.

"Why didn't it speak. I thought all dragons could speak. Tat's one of the things that separates your kind from wyverns."

"She could speak, she just chose not to. If you had a hatchling and someone came stomping near them wouldn't you attack first and ask questions later?" Zan

chuckled.

"I suppose I would." Terrin smiled at Zan and he couldn't tell if the dragon blushed or if the redness in his cheeks was just remnants of his normal form. Zan carried a handful of scales from the earth dragon and Terrin did as well. It slowed their pace but not by much. And Terrin was excited to make a new set of armor and weapons out of the thick plates.

They reached a part of the swamp where a large bog blocked any land paths. They starred at the deep murky water and thought a moment.

"We could go around." Terrin suggested.

"We don't know how far across it is, it could add a day or more to our journey." Zan countered. " We should go through it." He said.

"The gods themselves couldn't make me swim in that water. We don't know what lives in there." Terrin looked at Zan as if he had gone mad.

"Red dragons cannot swim. I should be able to walk across it, you may ride on my back." He said and puffed out his chest and raised his chin trying to seem tough. He was much smaller then Terrin and Terrin couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Zan glared at him and shoved the scales he was holding at Terrin. He changed back to his dragon form and lowered his head so Terrin could climb up. Terrin crawled up his face and used the arch of, what would be, his eyebrow to push himself up.

"Watch the eyes, damn you!" Zan growled.

"Quit your crying." Terrin said as he sat between Zan's horns. Zan raised his head and Terrin got dizzy at the height. Zan stepped forward into the bog and began wadding through the muddy green water.

"Ugh, this is disgusting." He groaned in Terrins head. Terrin couldn't help but

laugh at the large lizard, you could

clearly see the grimace in his face. The water grew deeper and deeper until it reached halfway up Zan's chest.

"My wings make it nearly impossible to move." Zan complained.

"You are the one who wanted to go through." Terrin pointed out. Zan held his head as high as he could above the water. The green swamp water looked thick with mud and Terrin couldn't imagine how many rotten logs and

trees lie at the bottom. After about an

hour wading through the swamp they caught sight of the shore.

"Finally." Zan rolled his large eyes. The water got shallower and shallower until Zan stood on the bank of the bog. His wings were covered with mud. Moss, twigs, and various other goo and swamp things.

"Ew." He said simply. He tried to shake the filth from his wings, tail, and feet but the goo stuck firmly to his jagged scales.