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Dawn of the Dragon	By : RotSeele Category: +S through Z > World of Warcraft Views: 3875 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft. I do not make any money from this story.

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Twenty-Eight
Karidormi flew higher through the spines covering the Blade's Edge Mountains, seeking a safe path for herself through the treacherous stone spears. She'd been soaring this way and that since investigating the high cliff where someone had supposedly been watching Everglade and its surrounding area. Kari had found nothing to really substantiate the claims, but as she stood there in her elven form rather than her dragon one, she became increasingly aware of eyes upon her. No matter where she looked, though, she couldn't find the source of her uneasy feeling, not could she locate any sign of there actually being someone watching her.
So she'd taken flight, hoping that maybe her presence would be enough to draw out her watcher, even if her scales shone a different color. The only other dragons that existed here in Blade's Edge were the netherdrakes, and they had skin more so than scales. Karidormi kept circling the area, scanning the spires for any sign of life or any sign of recent activity. Those two things would tell her if her flying over this area was worth it, or if she should move on to a different area.
Her thoughts eventually turned to the situation facing her if she failed. Already, Wrathion was feeling the effects of whatever Khargol's pets had done to him. Him getting lost in the timeway boded ill for everyone, not just Wrathion himself. And if he was lost, then so would every hope Azeroth still had. Plus, without contact from anyone back home, she had no idea what the situation was with Go’el. She didn't know if her spell was still in effect; she didn't know if he'd been fully corrupted; she didn't know if her enemies had launched an attack on the Alliance and Horde with Go’el at the head of a vast army of dark shamans and corrupted elementals, never mind backed by an army of Garrosh loyalists. She didn't know any of these things. She didn't know what she'd be leading her friends back into when they returned to Azeroth with, or without, a suitable candidate for the mantle of Earth Warder.
Karidormi was so caught up in her thoughts that she almost missed the giant shadow pass over her. She pretended to be oblivious, still circling among the spires, but she began to subtlety maneuver herself into a combat-ready position in case her opponent decided to make himself known with a vicious attack. Too fresh in her mind was the golem-dragon she'd faced in Hellfire Peninsula. It had taken every bit of her skill and power to defeat it, and even then, she'd been wounded pretty seriously.
She didn't want to press the attack first. After all, the shadow could've very well belonged to a cloud or an adventurer's flying mount. Doubt was her constant companion though; she hadn't seen a cloud since entering the Blade's Edge Mountains, nor had she seen much of adventurers in this place.
The first salvo came fast and without warning.
Karidormi dodged right as the glob of molten earth soared past her shoulder. It splattered against the mountainside, hot enough to melt the stone and leave it a boiling mass of molten mush. Karidormi folded her right wing and dropped sharply toward the spires below, snapping her wing out to right herself and come back around to face her foe.
It was a black dragon.
Almost full grown, he had the large horns and the frill that signified he'd left drake-hood behind years ago but hadn't yet grown into his full height. He certainly had a good mastery of his skills, judging by the way he flew after her, matching her move for move. He wasn't risking another breath attack, which worked to Kari's advantage. He would try to force her to the ground where he would have the advantage of his flight. As long as they were in the air, she would have the tactical advantage. She had fought against other dragons all her life - at least in play - so she had a good grasp of how to handle herself against him.
She turned toward him, a move that startled him. He'd expected her to run, not turn to face him. Karidormi drew in a deep breath, filling her lungs with air, only to expel it in a challenging roar. He responded with a roar of his own, deeper and longer.
Then they collided.
Karidormi grappled with the black dragon, digging her front talons into his shoulders to keep him from grabbing her with his, and brought her hind legs up between them so he couldn't kick at her. That left their only weapons their teeth and mace-like tails, which the young male realized only after Karidormi had sunk her fangs into the frill protecting his throat. He howled and shook her off, using his wings to buffet her as he fought to get away from her. She let him go, roared again, and chased after him, harrying him like a flock of sparrows harried a hawk that wandered too close to their nests. He fought back - she didn't expect anything less - and saw the moment he realized that she actually might be better than he thought she was. He folded his wings and dove toward the ground. Karidormi didn't give him too much of a head start; she folded her wings against her side and dove after him.
She caught him by the left wing just as he made to land. Her talons tore into the muscle of his wing joint, nearly shredding the tender webbing of the wing membrane. He howled, his voice echoing throughout the canyon they were in. She held tightly, even flaring her own wings to try and slow their fall. They collided with the ground, a heap of black and bronze. Kari disentangled herself from the young black dragon, kicking away from him as she got back to her feet. She saw him roll, clamber to his own feet, his wings flared for balance. His crimson eyes were wide with bewilderment as he stared at her.
"Who are you?"
His voice was deep, just on the cusp of adulthood but not quite yet out of drake-hood. He lowered his head to put him beneath her, a smart move on his part, because it told Karidormi that he was done fighting for the moment. He was curious now, but even still, if he perceived her as a threat again, he wouldn't hesitate to attack. For the moment, he was trying to get information from her, before he decided in favor of another action.
Karidormi raised her head so she could look him right in the eye. "My name is Karidormi. Who are you?"
He raised his head, his wings folding down against his sides. "Sadirion."
When he didn't say more than that, Karidormi folded her wings and settled herself on the hard ground, neither making like she was going to flee or attack. "Sadirion, I'm from Azeroth. I've come looking for you."
He was flaring his wings and baring his teeth before Karidormi realized he was preparing to attack her and rip her throat out. "Why?" He snarled. "So Deathwing can have his way with us, too? That vile worm destroyed my entire family! He brought us here and abandoned us!"
Karidormi hissed. "Look at my scales! Do you really believe I follow Deathwing?"
His tail twitched.
Shaking her head, Kari pressed on. "Deathwing is dead. He's been dead for a year. He was killed by the Aspects, a group of adventurers, and Go’el, who took up the Earth Warder's mantle in Deathwing's stead. I'm here on Go’el’s behalf, and the behalf of Azeroth."
"Why should I believe you?" Sadirion growled. "Many people have come claiming to be on one side or another, and then they betray us."
"Sadirion, I've no reason to lie to you. Go’el is dying. He's being corrupted by the elements who once listened to him. There was a war, and during it, we witnessed the birth of shaman who twisted the elements to obey them like slaves. I'm here to find someone to take up the mantle of Earth Warder to save him."
Sadirion bared his teeth. "I think you're lying."
Now Karidormi snarled, her voice rumbling through the canyon. "I'm not lying! Finding you is the whole reason I've even come this far!"
"You found me. Now leave!" He spread his wings and shot into the air.
Growling, Karidormi shot after him.
He was fast for his size, but Karidormi had lived a good deal of her life chasing dragons his size, smaller, and larger than him. She didn't know the terrain like he did, but she could keep up with him, even in the sharpest of turns. He didn't know what to make of her, considering she hadn't responded the way she should've to his threats. She bared her teeth and closed the distance between them, quickly gaining ground even though they spiraled through stone spires twice as large as they. Any wrong move or sudden gust of wind could put them in a deadly situation.
Karidormi swung past Sadirion, her mace of a tail slamming into his hip as she passed. He spat a glob of molten earth at her, and it passed so close it seared some of her bronze scales. She twisted and turned back, sending her own breath weapon at him. The sand hit him in the face, clogging his nostrils and eyes. Sadirion expelled a huge breath, sending the sand flying in molten globs, but Karidormi had already swung herself below him and was coming up too fast to avoid. Her horned head hit him square in the dragon's solar plexus, sending him skyward with the rough exhalation of breath. His wings snapped closed as he went up, and Sadirion began to tumble head over tail toward the sharp spires below.
Karidormi turned herself to chase after him, extending her front talons to grab Sadirion by the shoulders. She flared her wings and slowed their descent, flapping twice as hard to try and keep them both from crashing into the mountainside. He had enough sense to not fight her, but the moment his claws touched solid ground, Sadirion rounded on her, sinking his teeth into the muscle at her neck and pulling her down to the ground. Even on her back, Karidormi fought him, her claws going for his throat and his eyes. Sadirion released her and leaped back, unleashing a roar that made the mountains shake. Karidormi answered him with a ground-shaking roar of her own.
A thunderous roar put both of theirs to shame.
She came out of the sun, a full-grown black dragon nearly the size of an Aspect. Her wingspan threw the entire canyon into shadow. Her claws were sharp and terrible. Great horns adorned her head, turned forward where she could gore her foes if she chose. Burning crimson eyes focused on the two dragons below. Lips pulled back to reveal sharp teeth and even at the distance they were, both Karidormi and Sadirion could hear the sinuous rumble that was no doubt a growl.
Karidormi watched Sadirion cower and knew that this dragon coming toward them was his leader.
Then the huge black dragon landed, hind claws first. Her muscles rippled as they absorbed the impact, then rolled forward until she was standing fully on all four paws. Her wings folded against her sides and her tail lashed side to side, as though she were a particularly angry mother cat about to pounce on her kitten. Karidormi couldn't help instinct when she laid eyes upon that huge black dragon; her body shrank low, submitting. The dragon was big, bigger than her! If anything, she could rival Alexstrasza in height and girth.
How could a dragon this big hide for so long in the Blade's Edge? Karidormi wondered.
Then the black dragon looked toward Karidormi, studying her, sizing her up. Apparently deciding Kari wasn't worth the effort of yelling at - at the moment, anyway - the dragon turned her gaze on Sadirion, who looked for all the world a kicked puppy. Then the huge dragon's lips parted and: "What the hell do you think you're doing, Sadi? Are you trying to bring the orcs running?"
Had dragons been capable of flushing from embarrassment, then Sadirion's face would've darkened one too many shades. "No, but-"
"But what?" The female's voice was sharp and commanding. It was rough, not musical like Alexstrasza's or Ysera's, but it wasn't horrible to listen to. It was the voice of a black dragon, a child of the earth. While it didn't sound like honey and wildflowers, it had a cadence, a musical tone of its own. "You thought flying around and playing with the bronze wouldn't catch anyone's attention?"
Sadirion flicked a glance at Kari, and she had a sneaking suspicion he was expecting her to help him out. Then he looked back at his leader. "Athena, she-"
"She, what?" Athena growled.
"She's from Azeroth!" Sadi blurted. "She says she came here looking for us! And then Tyra vanished, and I don't know where she's at! She could be captured or dead and it could be her fault!"
Kari gaped at him. "It's not my fault!"
"You brought attention to us!"
"I did not!" Karidormi yelled.
Before Sadi could retort, Athena lifted one large claw and brought it down on his head, like she was smacking him. "Enough! Both of you! You're dragons, not hatchlings! Now, Sadi." Athena pinned him with a crimson glower. "You were saying? About Tyrannia?"
Sadirion fidgeted. Kari thought that was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen - a dragon fidgeting. "Tyra went to the forest around Everglade. To see if she could free more of us. Irritanion went with her, but left her there by herself so he could bring the hatchlings they'd freed so far back home. When he went back, she was gone. He tracked her, and found her being carried... there."
Athena's eyes narrowed slightly. "And Irri?"
"He came and got me as soon as he realized where they were taking her and another kid. I told him to stay home. I'd find you, and we'd go get Tyra back. Then I ran into her." Sadi pointed at Kari with a sharp claw.
Now Athena swung her head toward Karidormi. "A bronze." She murmured. "How very interesting. I expect to hear your story at some point, but I'm afraid my little sister comes first."
"I'm going with you." Kari said, already spreading her wings. She had a sinking feeling the other kid was Wrathion. "That kid with her is my friend."
Athena studied her for a moment, then said, "No. I want you to stay with Sadirion. Where I'm going is hazardous to a dragon's health. It's better you stay as far away as possible."
Karidormi gaped for a moment, then shook herself. There were too many thoughts bubbling up inside her, too many questions that needed answers. It seemed, though, those answers wouldn't come right away. Finally, she nodded. "I have some friends in Everglade. I'd like to return there and apprise them of the situation."
Athena looked at Sadirion. "Go with her."
"What? But what about-"
"Irri can look after them for a few hours alone. I want you to stay with the bronze and her friends. They'll have questions, which I'm leaving you to answer." Athena spread her huge, membranous wings, filling the canyon with shadow. "I'll go get our wayward drake."
Karidormi made a rough sound deep in her throat. Athena chuckled. "And the kid. What's his name?"
"Wrathion. His name is Wrathion."
Something passed through Athena's eyes as she absorbed the name. No doubt she'd understood the significance of Wrathion's name, and what he must be. Then the black dragon pushed off the ground and went higher with a great downward push of her wings. "Go." She said. "I'll bring them both to Everglade."
With that, Athena turned and flew off, vanishing into the distance. Karidormi jumped slightly when Sadirion moved up next to her. She looked at the young black dragon and tilted her head. "She's, um..."
Sadirion's lips lifted in a draconic smile. "She's Athena." Then he spread his wings and launched skyward, quickly fading into the sky. Karidormi wasted no time; she quickly rose into the air after him, winging in the direction of Everglade.
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Dawn of the Dragon