Of Men and Dragons: The last Knight

~Chapter 20~

Cold were the skies above the dragon clan as winter got closer by the day. It seemed that soon snow would fall from the sky and coat the land in a white blanket. Winter would arrive sooner than usual, which could either be very good or very bad, depending on how many supplies the forces of Albia had and how many Ulric had.

It was something that kept Cyrvanyx' mind busy as he was on his way to the home of his mother. He tried to ignore all the worries he had that considered his family by thinking of other things, like the war, or also Ary. Even though he arrived almost a week ago he did not take any time to meet his family, which was mainly thanks to his father who he never really liked. So He did not visit them until Arylaryl told him to do so. After thinking about it for a while he decided that she was right, so he began to fly towards his parent's home.

Outside of the vale, in the more northern mountains was the cave his mother and father lived in. The two of them owned its surrounding lands, although it was not much. The lack of territory to claim was the main reason many young dragons left the safety of the clan in order to claim their own lands and win renown. His parents though, or at least his mother, did not care about those things anymore and worried more about the future of their sons.

Worries got hold of him when he saw the cave in the distance. He really just hoped that his father was not there. Inside a rather large mountain, almost at the top, was the entrance to their cave. It was totally impossible to get there without the ability to fly, making it the perfect place to live for a dragon. Underneath him a narrow river meandered through the grass and woodland at the foot of the mountain. The highlands were slowly dwindling that far north of Albia. He was not sure if the ground he was flying over was even still seen as Albia or if that was already part of the kingdom north of them.

Cyrvanyx let out roar to announce his arrival. He did not have to wait long before an answer came that was clearly his mother welcoming him. A smile crept on his snout as he heard her calling out to him. It was a sound that awoke many good memories in his mind. He beat his wings more swiftly in order to reach his beloved mother faster. Hearing her call out meant that his father was not there.

He slowed down as he neared the cave. He softly landed in front of the entrance very close to the edge since the plateau in front of the cave was not very big. He folded his wings, the frills on the back of his neck slightly rising as he stepped into the cave filled with excitement. Finally he could walk past an entrance without having to worry that his wings could scrape the wall, like he had to inside the order.

Once inside he was filled with an almost nostalgic like feeling, recognizing everything from the way the cave looked to the trophies his brothers and his parents gathered. Having spent so much time at the order he forgot how big this cave actually was. Just the dome shaped main chamber was already as big as the order's main hall. The other chambers, some of which were too small for them to enter, only added to the enormous size.

The main chamber was where most of the treasure and valuables were displayed so that any visitor would see their wealth right when they enter the cave. Trophies from various successful hunts were all on full display on shelves that hang on the wall, reaching from antlers to fur and even a helmet or two from dragon slayers that dared to enter the highlands of Albia. The shelves were not the only thing that humans built for the dragons inside the cave. Red curtains that were fixed to the ceiling, hiding the other two chambers of the cave behind them.

There were many trophies he recognized, like the skulls of the first animals he and his brothers had successfully hunted on their own. The treasure though he mostly did not even remember. Chests filled with gold and silver stood piled up in the of the chamber, next to bookshelves that were lined up at the walls, stuffed with books they could not even read. Some barrels stood in another corner and more chests alongside them, filled with silk and human clothes this time.