Parrothead in Paradise

by PastCat

Chapter 19

Before long, we stood not far from the rim of Hale Ma’uma’u crater. Any remnants of the National Parks headquarters and Volcano House were long gone. Instead there was just a vast caldera. Adam and I glanced at each other. Now what? Pohaku and Kukala walked to the crater’s edge. They called out in their language. It echoed across the vastness below us. I wondered how anything could respond. Suddenly the ground beneath my feet began to tremble. I fell into Adam and we both tumbled to the ground as the earthquake rumbled beneath us. Only Pohaku remained standing with Kukala sitting between his ears. The former looked impassive; the latter looked nervous.

Before long, the cause of the earthquake emerged. I found myself staring up at a dragon the color of obsidian, with red and orange spikes along its back and eyes that glowed like the embers in a bed of coals. It had no wings, but otherwise looked like the classic dragon of European legend. Its long snout was ringed with enough teeth to give a shark a run for its money. I nearly wet myself with fear.

The dragon sized us up one by one. She recognized the locals and gave them a nod. Pohaku gave a bow in return and Kukala waved. “Welcome, young ones. I see you have brought me visitors. What importance do they bear to bring you the risk of breaking taboo? You know why I do not entertain visitors.” The dragon said.

“Mo’iwahine Pele, I do not bring just any visitors here. These two have flown a long way in order to correct a great wrong that was done to you and yours. When long ago, the heart of your domain was stolen from you, you vowed that none could return unless they bore tribute or the item that was lost to you. These visitors have found this item and wish to see it returned.” Hooves of Stone said.

Adam nudged me and I shakily got to my feet. The dragoness -- Mo’iwahine Pele -- watched with interest as I made my way slowly to the rim of the crater. I reached into my saddlebag and pulled out… the Harry Potter book. Adam facehoofed as I scrambled to pull the Makana Stone out of the other side while simultaneously trying to put the book back. After some fumbling, I held the large amulet out to the dragon.

“Ah! I see you tell the truth, Pohaku of the Northern Coast. Tell me, visitor with the head of a bird, where did you find this and how did you know to bring it to me?” the dragon said.

“Gracious Mo’iwahine,” I began, “When my friends and I Returned on O’ahu, my friend and I were visited in dreams by a pony with bat wings. He promised to teach us how to fly as long as we used this gift to see that something he once stole was returned to the volcano from whence it came. He believed that it attracted the attention of enemies from the sea that invaded his home and killed his comrades. When we Returned, there was no one living in what was once a great city and we feared that if the stone remained on our island, we would be the next victims of invaders both ruthless and heartless.” The dragoness nodded and held out a clawed hand. I placed the amulet in the center. Mo’iwahine Pele closed it in her fist and held the fist against her chest. I could have sworn I saw tears in her eyes.

“He was right, but also wrong.” The dragon said in a softer voice than I expected. “He told you to destroy the amulet by throwing it into the volcano, yes?” I nodded reluctantly. The dragon continued. “I thought as much. Destroying the Makana Stone would not have eliminated the threat. The magic it contains is the magic of the ever-burning flame. It was given to the first dragon here as a gift from her distant kin to control the great flows. It cannot be destroyed in such a way. By returning it to me, you have restored my ability to direct the lava flows away from the villages and to parts of the sea that are a threat. I can now rebuild the lava plains that protect the villages from the sea and its monsters as well as create new safe harbors for any sea vessels that seek shelter here. The Makana stone is everything the outsiders aren’t: Warmth, Earth, and Life. More than that, it is hope for the people of Hawai’i and encourages them to keep a light burning amid a dark sea.”

The dragoness held up the gem so its red stone caught the light of the setting sun before placing it in the center of a golden collar-like necklace. As soon as the Makana Stone was placed, the reason for her lack of wings became apparent. Stones from the crater floor rose up into a pair of wings with lava acting as webbing from the tips to her shoulders. She sighed in contentment and murmured, “I am whole again.”

The dragoness folded her new wings and turned to Pohaku and Kukala. “You were brave to guide these visitors here, young ones. I ask only that you guide them safely home. Bring them to the sailors on the coast and tell the captain of the North Star that he is to put himself at their disposal, thus repaying his debt to me.” Our guides both bowed to her.

Pele then turned to us. “Young visitors, I know you are cautious about names. This is wise when one does not know whom to trust. Will you entrust me with the ones you were granted at birth? I like to remember those who aid me.” Adam and I looked at one another, then beckoned the dragoness closer. She leaned toward us and we each murmured our names into her ear. She smiled and nodded. “Smooth seas and clear skies to you both. Oh, and if you find the one whose Harry Potter book you carry, please introduce me. It has been a long time since I got to enjoy the company of a fellow Potterhead.” She grinned. I wondered what Emmy would think of this. She’d be either thrilled… or petrified at the thought of meeting a real dragon.

Adam and I attempted Pohaku’s bow of thanks (not too well if our guide's snort meant anything) before following him and Kukala along a different path leading west. I looked back a couple times to see the dragon staring after us. Eventually she was lost to the steam and smoke of the caldera.

“So, uh, what’s her story?” Adam asked once we were out of earshot. “By the way she talked, she wasn’t born here.”

“You noticed?” Pohaku raised an eyebrow. At Adam’s nod, he continued. “I don’t know all the details, Makani, but I do know that you are right. She appeared out of nowhere as a young dragon a couple centuries ago. She was taken under the wing of the old Mo’iwahine of the island and taught its secrets. When the time came for her to take up her elder’s mantle, the old one went into a deep sleep beneath Mauna Loa. She slumbers there still, perhaps alongside her own mentor in the mountain’s heart.”

“Her own mentor? There has been more than one dragon here?” I asked in surprise.

Pohaku nodded. “It was well before my time that the first dragon appeared here, but we have tales of three great Protectors before the Mo’iwahine you met. It is said that the first one was here since the Beginning and was given the Makana Stone not long after. It was stolen from Mo’iwahine Pele not long after she took over from her predecessor.”

“Wow.” Adam said. I nodded. Although we still weren’t completely sure how long it had been since humans had disappeared, that suggested it had been… a long time. I recalled the guidebook saying dragons could live a millennia or more. Assuming a thousand years per dragon and that a dragon had been here since the beginning… you can do the math, even if Mo’iwahine Pele was only a few centuries old. We’d be lucky to reach half her present age. It made my desire to bring our friends back here even stronger.

Adam must have felt the same way, because he picked up the pace too. Pohaku kept up with us easily as we followed a trail leading northeast, towards whatever remained of Hilo. We ended up camping out that night not far from the old Thurston lava tube. As dusk fell, we could still see a faint orange glow from the direction we came from. Evidently Pele was not wasting any time in reclaiming her territory. I wondered if she would ever make the spectacular fire fountains Kilauea was famous for.