Gale Forcewing's Fancy - A Story in Three Parts

Gale Forcewing’s Fancy
A Story in Three Parts by Me

PART 1 - 8/16/2013

A greyish blue dragon named Silverwing flew, skimming above the clouds, his indeed silver wings spread wide, gliding on the wind. His silver eyes gleamed with the joy of flight. His mouth spread wide in a grin of delight, and as he flew he let out a loud whoop.
There could be no doubt – the one thing Silverwing loved the most was flight.
Silverwing flew for a long while, sometimes flapping his wings to catch the next wave, of sorts, but most of the time just gliding. He soared above the pointed crags of Arbaria’s longest mountain range, then drew his feet up and swooped down so low his belly just brushed the long tips of the grass in the field beyond.
Dragons weren’t usually supposed to cross the mountains that bordered their vast territory; however, Silverwing was one of the few dragons who could be trusted to come right back after he’d gone over the border. Now, he didn’t fancy breaking that trust, so after a few moments more he pulled up, banked and turned around. With a few flaps of his strong wings he was over the border and gliding once more.
Half an hour later, Silverwing spotted his cave down below. It was set in the side of a steep, nearly vertical cliff, about halfway up its face. The pale blue dragon flew down and settled on the rocky ledge that served as a landing place, folding his wings. Then he went into his cave and curled up on the floor for a midday nap.
An hour later, Silverwing awoke to the faint beating of wings from outside. He got up, went to the entrance of his cave and stood there, watching Gale Forcewing fly in.
It wasn’t hard to recognize her – and it wasn’t just because of her brilliant maroon scales, or her great, golden horns. It was her wings – and that, not just because of their shining violet membranes; it was their sheer size. Gale’s wings were at least twice as large as a normal dragon’s! While this would have looked decidedly odd on any other dragon, Gale was truly regal in her elegance and beauty.
And she was strong – her wings alone could beat hard enough to stir up a wind with a force of an F5 hurricane! Regular, everyday flying was a breeze (no pun intended) for her.
Silverwing watched in silence as Gale drew nearer and nearer. When she was about a foot away, she paused, hovering there with her great wings keeping her aloft easily. She tilted her head back and shot a burst of flame straight up fifty feet into the sky!
Silverwing tried to keep his jaw from dropping. The customary greeting among dragons was always like that, but never had he heard of any other dragon who could make the flame reach that high! He did his best to sound casual as he spoke the traditional words: “Gale Forcewing, what brings you to my cave uninvited?”
Gale dipped her head in acknowledgement of his words. “I come to talk. To tell the truth, I was getting a bit lonely in my cave alone, and I went flying as a way to pass the time. I spotted your cave and decided to drop by for a friendly visit. Will you receive and welcome me, Silverwing?”
Silverwing stepped farther into the light. “I shall – and gladly. You may enter.” He stood aside for the great dragoness to pass; as she did so, unable to stop himself, he added, “By the way, your flame-greeting was awesome!”
Gale smiled. “Thank you.”
Once the two dragons were settled in the cave, Silverwing asked, “So, Gale Forcewing, is there anything specific you would like to talk about?”
“Not really,” the maroon dragon replied. “And please – just call me Gale. So how are you on this fine day?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” Silverwing answered. He didn’t add it, but he thought, And I’ve gotten even more fine since you came by. He had the same problem as his fellow dragon – sometimes, with no one else to talk to, the cave felt very empty. “And you?”
“Same as you.” Gale smiled again. “It seems we’re always fine.”
Silverwing nodded in agreement. “About an hour ago, I flew over the border and skimmed over the grass beyond for a few minutes. It’s a lovely feeling!”
Gale sighed wistfully. “I’ve never felt it. I wish we had grass here.”
Then Silverwing had an idea. “Do you want to feel it?”
Gale Forcewing glanced at him sideways. Her answer was purposefully indirect. “What are you getting at, Silverwing?”
The blue dragon grinned. “I said, do you want to feel the grass sliding softly over your belly, almost like a cloud, but a thousand times better? Do you want to see what’s beyond the border yourself, instead of just gazing at it from afar?” His silver eyes glinted as he continued. “Do you want to become one of the dragons who – like me – are trusted enough to cross the border, even if it’s only for a few minutes at a time?”
Gale was staring off into space, her violet eyes fixed on the cave wall, but not seeing it. In her mind’s eye, she saw the vast expanse of rolling green grass stretching as far as the eye could see. At length, she turned her head, gazing directly at Silverwing, who suddenly lost any ability to say anything at all.
Gale Forcewing smiled. “I would love to, Silverwing.”
With that, the two dragons emerged from the cave, spread their wings and took off, flying straight ahead towards the faraway mountains.

PART 2 - 8/19/2013 - 8/21/2013

Two dragons flew, soaring high with wings outstretched. One was greyish blue with silver wings and large silver horns; the other was deep maroon with huge violet wings and great yellow horns. If you had seen them flying together, you might have thought them an odd pair – after all, Gale Forcewing rarely flew with another dragon. But if you knew that Silverwing was taking Gale somewhere she had always wanted to be, somewhere she couldn’t get to without him, then you would understand.
“So,” Gale said, raising her voice to be heard over the wind, “just how far away is this border? I haven’t ever flown that far. We’ve been flying for a long time now, and those mountains still look a world away.”
“Oh, not too much longer,” Silverwing answered truthfully. “Only about an hour, if we keep up this pace.”
They kept it up for only twenty minutes before Silverwing confessed that he had to land, had to rest his wings. He wasn’t used to flying at the speed Gale was used to. Fortunately, the maroon dragoness understood completely, and landed gracefully alongside him, elegantly folding her powerful wings.
The two dragons drank from a nearby spring, and then Silverwing lay down. “So how are you liking this trip so far?” he yawned.
“It’s very interesting,” Gale replied, smiling. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in this territory before! I like the change of scenery.”
Indeed, the terrain where they rested was vastly different from the region where most of the dragons’ caves were located. There, it was more of a grassless meadow, smooth and with few hills. Here, there were many hills, and the ground was rather bumpy and practically covered in rocks.
“I like this place, too.” Silverwing yawned again. “A bit challenging on foot, I suppose, but since we have wings, it’s no trouble for us…” He closed his eyes.
Gale settled down beside him, her wings rustling slightly as she lay down. “No trouble at all,” she agreed softly, though it was obvious that her companion was asleep, before her own eyes dropped closed and her breathing eased. Then all was silent, except for the even breathing of the two dragons and the soft sighing of the breeze.
Silverwing was the first to awaken half an hour later. The first thing he thought was that he was hungry. He looked around for anything that would serve as food, but there was none.
Gale Forcewing opened her eyes soon after. “I’m starving,” she remarked, her eyes roving the landscape around them for any sign of food. When she found that there was none, she heaved a sigh. “I suppose we’ll have to go looking for something to eat before continuing on to the border.”
Silverwing nodded. “You don’t have to go,” he began, but Gale interrupted him.
“I will,” she stated firmly. “My wing strength will be an asset, and we’ll end up getting to the border faster.”
Silverwing could tell that Gale’s heart was set on getting to the other side of the mountains. He smiled. “You’re right. But,” he added, “shouldn’t we save our wing strength for the final push to the border?”
Gale blinked. “Oh. I didn’t think of that. You are also right.” She rose elegantly to her feet, and Silverwing couldn’t help but realize then how truly graceful she was. “Let us begin. The sooner we get started, the sooner we get going.”
They hunted on foot for the next fifteen minutes before Gale Forcewing finally happened on a lone, wandering stag. She swiftly killed it and, having no other choice, flew with it back to where Silverwing stood, taking a drink. The two dragons shared the deer mostly in silence, though Gale couldn’t help but ask how Silverwing made it all the way to the border without having to stop to eat beforehand.
“I always go flying after lunch,” the greyish blue dragon replied. “Most days I don’t fly this far, but when I do go to the border, I make sure to eat an especially hearty meal. Game is scarce in this part of the land. The sooner we get out of it, the better.”
Gale nodded but said nothing, being tangled up in chewing a particularly tough piece of meat. When she had finally swallowed it, she remarked, “Now that’s a wise idea.”
A few minutes later, they finished off the stag, and both Silverwing and Gale took a long drink from the spring, knowing full well that there might not be another one for many dragon-miles. Then they were off again, flying towards the border.

PART 3 - 8/22/2013

Gale Forcewing caught her breath in awe. “Those mountains are so tall!”
Silverwing nodded. “I know, right?” He lifted higher and higher in the air, with the maroon dragoness following close behind. Together, they flew over the border of the dragon territory of Arbaria.
Gale gasped. Before her was a vast meadow of grass! Green, soft, gently swaying grass, stretching as far as the eye could see!! It was beautiful, and as she stared at it in open wonder, she felt a lump rise in her throat. Her eyes were wet and gleaming as she breathed, “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before!”
Silverwing smiled, and flew all the way down to the meadow. Hardly able to contain her excitement, Gale followed, and soon the two of them were skimming over the grass, just as Silverwing had promised.
“It’s so soft!” Gale exclaimed, eyes shining as the tips of the grass brushed over her belly. “I’ve never felt anything like it!”
Silverwing, still grinning, swooped up suddenly and did a loop-de-loop. Laughing, Gale followed suit, and though hers wasn’t as perfect as his, it was still: “Pretty good for a beginner!” Silverwing commented.
“Thank you,” Gale answered, still laughing. “Oh, this is wonderful! I daresay this is the best day of my life!”
The two dragons landed, and as soon as her wings were folded, Gale immediately lay down on her side, sighing in blissful joy as the soft grass welcomed her great form.
Silverwing lay down as well. “Can you think of any words for this?” he asked.
“To tell you the truth, I can’t,” Gale Forcewing replied happily. “All I can say is that it’s the best feeling I’ve ever felt in my entire life – and I’ve lived for centuries!”
“I felt the same way when my father took me over the border a century ago.” Silverwing smiled. “He was a wonderful father – always kind to us. Very prominent in society, too. He was a member of the old Queen’s council…won a lot of arguments. Nowadays there is no council.”
“…Us?” Gale inquired. “You mean, you and your mother?”
Silverwing shook his head. “Me, my mother and my sister.”
“Your sister?!” the dragoness cried, surprised.
“Yes. Her name is Rose. She’s a very pale pink, and her wings and her eyes are deep magenta. She’s very pretty – which is probably why she’s found her mate already.” On an impulse, he added, “But she isn’t prettier than you are.”
He couldn’t tell if Gale was blushing or not, but he hoped she was.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “That was a very kind thing to say.”
“You’re very welcome,” Silverwing replied. Then, after a short period of silence: “We should probably get going soon; otherwise the dragon guards on the other side of the border might get suspicious.”
Gale Forcewing sighed. “Back over the border…back into our grassless world.”
He could hear the wistful tone in her voice, and said sympathetically, “They don’t allow the same dragons back over the border until a full twenty-four hours have passed. But tomorrow…we might come here again.”
The two dragons sat up, flexing their wings. Gale looked directly at him again, once more rendering Silverwing speechless. “I would love that,” she told him quietly. “I would love that very much.”

THE END!