//------------------------------// // The Legacy Begins // Story: Legacy // by Devious Dazzle //------------------------------// Tom was the more conservative type of person. He found solace in the smaller things in life, he didn't need fancy trinkets or tinkering toys to be happy. A simple weekend getaway was far more than enough, dark brown eyes absorbed the lovely scenery around him in content silence. Fresh dew covered the vibrant green grass around him in a way that nearly seemed to sparkle. The sycamore trees towered around him as intimidating guardians of the forest, the echo of creatures creating a melody of beauty from miles away. His large hand gently smoothed out his short red hair. He wore a simple flannel shirt enough to keep warm on such a chilly Saturday morning, some decent beige slacks and of course a strong pair of hiking boots. His camp was nothing special, just a normal small blue tent accompanied by a few necessities. The normal stuff such as a lantern, a sleeping bag, and food. The only new part of this particular trip was the location, he usually camped at local parks or recreational facilities places of familiarity. But not this weekend, he decided to try his luck at a stretch of woodlands many chose not to even step foot in. 'The Dragon Fang Woods.’, a massive mist-covered landscape that crawled in mystery and danger. Dozens of people claimed to have seen horrifying scaled creatures deep within its confines. Even a few went as far to say it's haunted by restless souls of the dead, but to Tom, all he had found was tranquility and a good night's rest. With a large yawn, he decided it was time to enjoy a bit of relaxation. His eyes happily trailed to a brand new fishing pole he bought especially for this weekend. “I feel lucky today!” He grinned with untold excitement as he bolted over to grab it. Never noticing off in the distance a figure composed of thick mist watched his every move with fiery yellow eyes, it moved much like the wind flowing from tree to tree in silence. Most feared these woods and stayed on alert, but this odd human was vastly different, he could see the beauty around him clearly. Slithering close to the ground the creature decided to follow the male close, perhaps it had finally found someone worthy of the gift. Tom sat near the edge of a calm Riverbend as he enjoyed the loud rush of water cascade downstream. His eyes watched the pole closely for any sudden movements, the sun sparkled across the surface of the water beautifully. “This is just perfect.” He stretched his legs becoming fully relaxed. A tug of the line and he grinned with newfound joy. Clutching the pole in his hands he let the catch struggle against the current, adding pressure to the line he enjoyed the fight that played out amongst the calm waves. Over a few moments, Tom got zealous. He yanked a bit too rough as the line snapped and his catch swam off into the far distance. “Eagerness can be admirable if the time is right.” The eerie voice of something spectral echoed from behind his ear. Tom could feel a shiver of fright trace down his spine. A cold sweat trailed across his forehead as palms turned clammy and wet. “Who goes there!?” He spun around to absolute silence the thick blanket of mist hiding the world away in a vast void. “Why is the mist so thick?” He swallowed the lump in his throat, the sound of his pole falling from his grasp echoed into the emptiness. Tom stood to his feet everything around him blocked out by this enchanted haze. The sky soon blotted out by this excessive shroud, the landscape cast into darkness as everything turned ice cold. “Where are you!?” He screamed out in a panic his hand extended out to touch the flowing waves of mist around him. To his horror, this eerie vortex was completely solid. The mist accumulated before him like a vortex taking the shape of a horrifying creature of destruction, a massive dragon of darkness and the unknown. “I am the almighty spirit of, Dragon Fang!” the monster roared with eyes that burned like coals. “This can't be real!?” Tom screamed out in sheer fright making a dash towards the right, an explosion of mist easily pushed him down to the ground with a crash. “Reality is ever-changing, destiny is a path into the unknown!” The mist took a more solid form of a massive grey dragon, his wings spread out proudly casting the poor human into the shadows. “Please, don't kill me! ~ I didn't mean to trespass on your land!” Tom shivered in uncertainty this creature, unlike anything he had ever seen. The dragon chuckled out heartily towards such allegations of this frightened young human. “Worry not, I don't seek blood nor revenge.” The dragon smirked as his head lowered near the shivering male. “Then what?” Tom lifted to his feet unsure of this creature's intentions for him. “I seek a pure heart to entrust with my legacy.” It whispered on the wind with a voice of long-held pain. “Your legacy?” Tom asked confused as he took a careful step forward, placing a gentle hand on the warm muzzle of this mysterious creature. “Yes, I once ruled a land ravaged by war.” He sighed, lost in the memory of haunting pain. “The icy grasp of hate engulfed the farthest reaches of my land, in a desperate attempt to find a world of peace.” The dragon shook his head with despair. “I hastily performed a ritual to open a portal here, transferring my legacy to this unknown land.” His voice paused as the human listened intently offering a caring gaze to the emotionally hurt creature. “Alas before my subjects could follow, the magic withered trapping me here alone and transforming my sanctuary into my tomb!” The dragon pulled away in dire pain. “You've been trapped here alone?” Tom frowned sadly his heart ached for this poor lonely dragon. “For nearly a thousand years.” His eyes locked on Tom's, the dark red glow shifted to a softer orange hue. “Are you?” Tom narrowed his eyes to the creature's spectral form. “Not of the living? ~ I fear this world has taken a toll on my body, but my spirit can't rest till my legacy has been ensured.” The dragon kneeled to the human as if humbled. “You're not?” Tom took a step back in a panic. “I can see into the souls of all living creatures, you dear human have a purity I've waited so many years to find.” The dragon's voice boomed out loudly across the land in a dull sense of hope. ”I'm not special by any means!” Tom sighed knowing he couldn't take on such a burden. “You're strong-willed, a pure heart, and an eager soul. ~ Everything my legacy needs to flourish and thrive, every quality I sadly lack.” Tom lifted his gaze in a solemn manner. The dragon parted the mist around them both in one mighty flap of his wings. ”I'd never force a burden upon any creature, you may leave if it is what you desire.” Tom listened with a simple nod of understanding. “Magic is quickly fading from this decaying world, all I pray is that one day I'll find a strong enough spirit to entrust my greatest gift.” The spirit began to fade back into the woodlands leaving only a whisper behind. “I accept your legacy.” Tom held out his hand towards the receding mist in worry, knowing if he allowed such a creature to fade away he'd never forgive himself. “Are you certain? ~ As with all things, it will require sacrifice.” The voice of the creature spoke from deep within the thick overgrown forest. “Yes, I'm sure.” Tom felt a gust of mist encase him from all sides, the world quickly spun out of control as he lifted off the ground spirited away towards the far-reaching mountains in the distance. His equipment left behind as the forest simply grew out over each item, hiding away any trace that anyone was there at all. Tom himself carried upon the wind, cocooned in a sphere of glowing white light as the world below him dwindled ever smaller. In an explosion of wet mist, he was released. Tom collapsed to the stone ground of a high mountain peak, his lungs burned for oxygen from the frantic trip through the clouds. This peak absolutely enchanting with dark green grass that danced in the wind, the clouds above so close he could nearly touch them. A pure stream of freshwater trickled out from the massive mountain walls elegantly, Tom slowly crawled on all fours to take a deep drink. The taste beyond anything he could describe, flowers of every color in full bloom across the peak, in a scene straight out of a dream. Trees overflowed with various fruits and the scent of brimstone wafted out from deep within a nearby area. This place was never meant to be seen by human eyes, the large stream of mist slowly slithered off into the hidden mouth of a massive cave. Tom knew he must follow, his heart told him that the legacy was near. With each step, he came closer to his new duty for the spirit dragon, an odd maternal feeling building deep within his very frame. Vanishing into the inky darkness he emerged into a room nearly engulfed with lava-like heat, everything cast in a dark red glow of flames. Tom lifted a hand over his mouth in awe, hundreds of multicolored eggs were safely nestled away near a stream of boiling lava. Placed in massive craters that only the strength of a male dragon could create, each egg laid still and unmoving from years of stasis, lacking a certain element to hatch. “This is your legacy?” Tom walked near a large volcanic rock, taking a seat upon it feeling no burn at all to his flesh. Granted the immunity to heat and other new internal defenses to ensure he lived a long healthy life going forward. “Indeed I was able to claim this mountain, calm the ferocity of nature, and protect my legacy with all my heart!” The dragon spoke in a proud booming voice. “Yet you couldn't hatch them.” Tom could feel the reason he was chosen sink in, his heart picked up pace and his breathing became slower. “No, I could offer the strength of a father.” He replied swiftly. “But eggs need the love of a mother.” Tom could feel the words drop from his lips and echo throughout the lonely cave. The Dragon Spirit nodded with an unblinking gaze. Tom took a deep breath to calm his nerves. “This land, these eggs will all belong to you.” His words washed over the young man who gently picked up an egg, holding it close to his heart. “What of you?” Tom questioned with a raised brow. “The last of my energy has been spent.” He let out a weakened groan. “To grant this legacy?” Tom lifted up bright red eyes as the pupils stretched longer more feminine in shape. “The future belongs to the dreams of the living, not in the mistakes of the past.” Cool soft mist caressed across the young man gently, the presence of a tired old soul lifted from the mountainside. The changes were taking hold deep within his mortal body. He watched in awe as his hands began to thin out, soon slender and delicate. Nails pushed outward longer than he'd ever let them grow to encase his fingers as a whole. With a delicate gasp, he clutched the egg in two feminine claws, gently he returned the slumbering child back to the nest of stone. His muscles were deteriorating over his whole body. He let out a groan of pain each limb stretched ever longer in place, granting the young man a tall thin silhouette. His feet ripped through both shoes with razor-sharp claws, arches lifted in place with elegance. Tom's voice rang out in a feminine moan of the fairer sex, legs gained much-needed definition around the calves and thighs, both thickened out firm yet toned. His pants became too tight around newly widened hips, a pressure built on his backbone that ripped the fabric to shreds across the floor. A beautiful long blue tail uncurled out into the open with a sharp scaled spear on the tip. She could feel herself shift across the gender spectrum in a painful morphing of her insides and physical attributes. The blessing of womanhood formed perfectly between her legs, waist constricted inward to take an hourglass shape. Her shirt ripped off her body as powerful slender wings sprouted elegantly from her upper back. Shoulders popped as they narrowed while her chest pushed forward into a feminine barrel shape out front. Tom could feel her face strain in pain as a large wave of flames erupted out from her open mouth. She fell to all fours growling outward from the pressure pulsing throughout her skull. “Arggh!” She blew out another stream of fresh fire across the cave. Two long white horns grew forward from the sides of her head, curving low as many Dragoness would grow upon maturity. Her eyes shifted to a lovely shape, gaining more detail as they grew larger to become far more expressive and bright. Hair fell out in large clumps to the ground bursting into flames, elegant blue spikes taking their place atop her head. With an exhale of air she felt the bones of her face protrude forward, a tiny narrowed muzzle pushed out into the open granting new senses beyond that of a human. With a thud she collapsed to the warm stone floor, eyes shifted shut in pain as her body began the final step of maturity. Gaining extra padding around the hips and rump, her muscles becoming stronger but still feminine to a fault. Blue scales that sparkled in the darkness spread over every inch of her body. A Dragoness would soon awaken to a new world of responsibility, ready to ensure her future children would grow strong and powerful. Perhaps in time even bring back magic to this darkened world or even open the portal back home. No matter what the future held, she'd be proud of her hatchlings forever. They were her legacy.