Shimian's Dragon

Silence fell upon the forest. The trees were in a deep sleep, and the wind was still. Thick fog rolled across the plentiful grass. Amid the trees in a dark cavern lay a single egg, which gave off a red glow as if fire were swirling beneath its smooth surface. The perfectly shaped object alone dared to defy the silence. The moon was high in the sky, but the wolves would not howl. On that night, an unspoken warning spread through the mystical, secretive forest. At precisely midnight a new life entered the world. The egg gently rocked, then shook, and cracked open. Through the pieces of shell peered two curious and wise eyes. The darkness hid the newborn’s body, but the old cave resounded with a rustling of wings. The creature screeched as if to tell the world it had arrived. If that moonlight had shone into the cave, it would have revealed the glorious dragon that came to life. This most beautiful of all creatures, it was no bigger than a small dog, but it stood with dignity and grace. Its eyes saw through the darkness. Its red, scaly skin seemed to be embedded with rubies.

This creature had been long forgotten. Not even the forest remembered its power. No one knew how long the egg had sat on the rocky floor or if the dragon’s mother still lived. Any traveler stumbling upon it would not have dared to touch the crimson stone, leaving it to lie in the darkness. However, it was not a stone. It was a dragon’s egg, and the creature’s time had come.