The Icedragon - 2

Night fell softly over the mountains as Dragon and Wolf kept vigil by the wounded ice dragon. The child slept exhausted against Dragon's warm flank. The blue dragon's breathing grew increasingly laboured.

"Tell me about Brother," the ice dragon suddenly requested.

Dragon startled. "How do you know Brother?"

A smile played across his snout. "We ice dragons... we know many things. Your Brother is not like us. He's... different." A coughing fit shook his body.

Wolf pricked up his ears. "What do you mean?"

But the ice dragon turned his gaze to the sleeping child. "She is important. More than you realise." With a final effort, he produced something from beneath his wing - a glimmering shard of ice shaped like a flower. "Take this... to..."

His words faded into the night wind. When the child awoke to an extremely cold gust, the ice dragon had already transformed into a beautiful ice sculpture.

"Where's the blue dragon?" she asked, her eyes wide with incomprehension.

Wolf answered for Dragon. "He's gone, but something beautiful has come in his place, little human."

She carefully picked up the ice flower. Strangely, it didn't melt in her hands. "He said I should go home. To the village beyond the mountains, but I don't know if that's my home for sure."

Dragon looked at the approaching dawn. "Then we'll take you there, but only at dusk - the hunters are still about." She felt Wolf's gaze upon her. "Brother would have wanted it," she added.

As they prepared to leave, the child asked: "Who is Brother?"
A gust of wind rose up, as if bidding a final farewell. The ice flower glimmered as if trying to answer.

"He's Dragon's brother," Wolf growled. "It's high time we find him..."

_{18.7.25
Original version: Dutch
The picture is created by me
#story #dragon #icedragon #tale #steemexclusive}