The Dragon's Claws

Chapter Six- Master tells us some stories

"Do you have any idea as to what this is?" My master asked, calmly holding up the pure black box that contained the glowing bow.

"Should I, sir?" I ask, tilting my head to the side.

"Let me ask you a different question then." he said, turning around to go back into his house that we had arrived at a few hours ago. It was small, as houses go, only claiming a singular bedroom and a living room, but the view was ineffable. From the top of the cliff which the house sat, one could see for leagues over the forest, feel the sun rise and set every day, hear the birds singing at all hours, and smell the relaxing scent of the great pines which made up the majority of the elvish home. "Do you recall the legend of the Dragon's Claws?"

I shook my head, trying to remember the story, but Fafnir nodded in affirmative. "Was that not the story of the Great One's treasures, given by each race to ever exist?"

"That it was," my master laughed, "glad to see one of you care to listen in history lessons."

"I listen!" I exclaimed, "I just don't remember them that well." I trailed off sheepishly.

"Then let us jog your memory." he started, "The Dragon's Claws are treasures said to be given to the Great One from each race eons before dragons were their own species. Each race of power gave him something. From the Grand Wizard he received a staff, capable of destroying an entire country with a flick. From The Potion Master, he received a brew which granted true immortality. From the Orc King, a ring allowing the wearer immunity to poison and assassination. And from The Old One, he was given a bow of colors. Each treasure had one of his claws in them; the staff was topped with one, the brew made with one, the ring bearing it polished as its jewel, and the bow carved from one. Now, the bow was favored by him, much to the annoyance of the others. The bow was not counted by him as one treasure, but many. It had the ability to alter powers, depending on the situation, and with the power; it's glow. It would glow as red as new embers when it was being used to set towns ablaze, giving the dragons the ability to breathe fire. It would turn blue as a winter moon when the user needed to escape, allowing the user to vanish instantly, giving access to skills of evading to the future dragons. When it glowed bright yellow, it brought the ability to control the weather, creating storms as the user wished. And when it glowed gold, as it only ever did once, it held the unimaginable power to craft and mold life out of nothing wherever the arrows hit. With that power, the Great One shot a quiver of arrows, and from those arrows sprouted the twelve breeds of dragons we know today, each with the knowledge of one or multiple powers the bow granted, although none of them seemed to have inherited the power of creation."

"But, I thought the dragons taught themselves magic after being hunted to near extinction." I exclaimed.

"The bow granted the knowledge of the powers, but only a fight for survival could unlock that knowledge." he calmly replied. "Had it not been for the dragon hunts of ages past, the dragons would have never unlocked their true potential."

"If you know all this, why doesn't the rest of our race, or any of the other races for that matter, know? It's a well-known legend, is it not?"

"That's just it, Alex. It's a legend. People write it off as myth and bedtime stories."

"How did you come to believe it then, sir?"

"I didn't. Not for the longest time at least. I heard the legend when I was young, and I fancied myself finding the myths, but I never really dedicated any time to it. That was, until I stumbled across a most peculiar ring with the most beautiful gem I had ever seen. I wrote it off as a lost treasure of a rich merchant who dropped it on the way by, but that very night there was an attempt on my life. I was checked into the Bearded Goat which, as you know, is not the most hospitable lodging on this side of Eldara." I nodded, remembering my last time staying there. I ended up having to fight off a group of drunken soldiers from stealing my coin. "As I slept, a thief who had happened to see my newly acquired ring decided to sneak in and slit my throat. I survived because the second the knife was to hit me, a blazing shield erupted from the stone in the ring, instantly destroying the would-be killer. That was the moment I started to believe the legend of The Dragon's Claws. Since then, the staff has also been found by the dragons, and you seem to have found the bow."

"What about the brew? Does it still exist, or was it drunk?" Fafnir asked with a tilt of his head.

"Ah, the potion." my master replied with a grin, "Both the dragons and the elves have it already. It is its own legend; the Potion of Eternity."

"Oh! I actually remember that one!" I shouted, proud of myself. "It goes something like: While both races were young, the greatest spellweavers came together and transferred the brew directly into the races, forever extending their lifespan...but I thought the humans came up with that to explain why we live so long."

"They did, but not without elfin kind whispering in their ears." he replied with a laugh.

A/N: Thank you guys so much for continuing to read this book, you have no idea how much it means to me :P I just finished chapter 7, so that will be up in a few days while I work on 8. NS, NL is on hold until further notice(sorry, I'm just having a really hard time getting back into it) sooo...yeah, there's that. Love y'all and, as always, stay happy and FURRY ON!!!