novelraw Chapter 151: Dragon Valley
Chapter 151: Dragon Valley
Twilight gradually deepened into night. The light from the twin moons bathed the valley, draping the jagged cliffs in a silver veil, while the pungent scent of wyvern blood lingered in the air.
Garoth slowly retracted his claws from Tasha's neck. The scar-faced wyvern landed on the ground, followed by the entire flock lowering their bodies in submission, wings pressed against the earth as they emitted obedient whimpers.
"From this day forth, you shall patrol the skies above this valley," Garoth's voice echoed through the canyon. "Tear apart any intruders."
With these wyverns and a few Kora Giant Eagles under his command, Garoth no longer needed to personally oversee aerial surveillance. After all, these were creatures with draconic bloodlines.
Bipedal wyverns were formidable predators, second only to true dragons. Though they submitted quickly before Garoth's might, to most intelligent creatures, wyverns represented terrifying hunters. Their claws could rend steel, wings shatter stone, and venomous tail spikes carried lethal poison - true monsters by any measure.
The female wyvern leader raised her head first, letting out a sharp cry. "As you command, the bipedal wyverns shall tear all your enemies apart," she declared.
The other wyverns followed suit, lifting their heads to emit deep, rumbling roars that intertwined beneath the night sky.
Meanwhile, two other draconic figures descended from above. Samantha the red dragon's scales shimmered like burning flames in the moonlight, while Sorog the iron dragon's metallic body reflected cold, hard gleams. Their arrival caused momentary unrest among the wyvern flock, most instinctively shrinking their necks - the unavoidable reverence lesser draconic creatures showed toward true dragons.
Only Tasha remained defiant. While submitting to Garoth, the wyvern leader displayed stubborn pride before the red and iron dragons, holding her head high and meeting their gazes directly without hesitation. As she had proclaimed to Garoth - she respected power, not bloodlines.
Though red and iron dragons were superior species, their juvenile status meant little to the battle-hardened wyvern leader. Garoth was the exception, his overwhelming strength having conquered the wild wyvern chieftain."Oh, dear brother," Samantha lifted her chin, eyes narrowing. "Among your new subordinates, there seems to be one lacking proper respect for true dragons." Her gaze burned into Tasha like hot iron. "Inferior creature! Who gave you permission to look upon me?"
The wyvern leader spread her massive wings, growling ferociously. "You have no right to bark before me. Count yourself lucky you're not facing me alone."
A red dragon's temper could never tolerate such provocation from a lesser species. With a thunderous crash, Samantha shattered the ground beneath her feet as she launched forward like a molten cannonball, wings accelerating her charge.
Caught off guard, the wyvern leader was sent flying by the "dragon ram." Though smaller in size and lower in life level, the red dragon's innate physical power made her charge unstoppable.
Flapping her wings midair, the wyvern leader stabilized herself, baring fangs in a furious roar as she prepared to counterattack while Samantha charged again.
"Enough." Garoth's timely intervention froze both combatants. In truth, the juvenile red dragon stood little chance against the battle-hardened wyvern leader. At life level 10 - matching Garoth himself and two levels above Samantha - Tasha was no ordinary wyvern. Her exceptionally muscular build marked her as an anomaly among typically lean wyverns.
The brief clash had allowed Samantha to vent her displeasure while the wyvern paid for her arrogance. Now was time for restraint. Garoth's calm voice doused the impending battle like ice water, snapping even the enraged red dragon out of her fury.
Tasha immediately retracted her aggressive posture, the fire in her eyes replaced by obedience. The newly subdued wyvern leader lowered her head deeply, demonstrating submission to the red iron dragon - respect for power and obedience to the arbitrator.
"You should be grateful to be Garoth's subordinate," Samantha spat flames between her words. "Or I'd have snapped your neck already."
The wyvern leader remained silent, refusing further provocation. Over two centuries of survival had granted her uncommon wisdom - she knew when to yield. Surprisingly, the juvenile red dragon's charge had contained unexpected power, forcing Tasha to reconsider. True dragons grew stronger far faster than her kind - soon Samantha would surpass her completely.
After consideration, for her flock's future, the wyvern leader suppressed her pride. Drawing a deep breath, she bowed to the red dragon. "I apologize for my offense. Please forgive me."
Samantha blinked in surprise, then raised her head like a triumphant swan. "Foolish creature, I can't be bothered with lesser species." Despite her words, undisguised pleasure radiated from her expression. Conquering a proud, powerful being brought far greater satisfaction than intimidating weaklings. Her earlier displeasure vanished instantly, even viewing the wyvern leader more favorably now.
"Tasha, census your flock - numbers, age groups, then report to me," Garoth commanded.
The wyvern leader nodded, then turned westward and emitted a piercing shriek. From cliffside caves emerged juvenile wyverns, landing nervously below. During the earlier battle against the giant wolf knights, only adults and adolescents had fought while the young remained sheltered.
Counting Tasha, this flock contained ten mature wyverns, with over forty others - a substantial group and unexpected boon to acquire.
While the wyverns conducted their census, iron dragon Sorog surveyed the valley before approaching. "This marks our new beginning. I propose naming our territory."
Garoth nodded. "Agreed. Any suggestions?" He addressed all three dragons.
Faerie dragon Vira instantly fluttered forward. "Enchanted Vale!" She twirled gracefully, scattering glowing dust through the night. "How beautiful! Just hearing it lifts the spirits!"
Samantha scoffed. "Weak name, utterly lacking in menace."
The faerie dragon pouted. "It's lovely! Sounds like somewhere beautiful and fun."
Ignoring Vira, the red dragon snorted twin plumes of sparks. "The Ashen Dominion suits our majesty! A name to make enemies tremble!" Typical red dragon naming preference.
Garoth turned to Sorog. The iron dragon pondered briefly. "Forged from steel and frost, our domain should bear a name of strength - I propose the Ironreach." Sounded like a smithy. Not ideal.
Finally, Garoth asked the wyvern leader. "Tasha, what was this place originally called?"
The wyvern turned. "Our kind named it Broken Talon Ridge." Her tail pointed eastward. "For generations, young wyverns proved courage here - diving earthward in contests to see who could pull up latest. Many broke talons in the attempt."
Hence Broken Talon Ridge. Simple naming logic.
Surveying his arguing companions and the valley's expanse - jagged ridges like dragon spines, twin moons reflected in icy lakes, beasts hidden in darkness, wyvern nests dotting cliffs - Garoth made his decision.
"This shall become dragonkind's territory. In time, more of our kind may gather here." His voice resonated through the valley, draconic might silencing all debate as he rendered final judgment. "Henceforth, it shall be called - Dragon Valley."