Chapter 1: Fulkar

      Fulkar landed with a heavy thud, dust rising into the air, making him snort. The land was dry and dusty, but there had to be some water here. Small, yellowish grass sprouted out of the dirt every few feet. Grass needed water. So did a Drakon. It was because of this, and only because of this, that Fulkar had landed in this part of the desert.
     He had been flying for nearly two days and had seen only sand and large black rocks. He was desperate for water. The scales on his back were dry and beginning to crack.; their deep blues and greens turning paler.
    He dug his boulder-size paw at the ground; his talons making deep furrows. The ground moved easily, but no water appeared. He dug again and again until his whole paw disappeared into the ground. What felt like an hour passed and suddenly, he felt damp soil between his toes. He dug almost frantically and in just moments the hole was muddy. When the mud settled a bit, he quickly lapped up the water before the sand could swallow it again, his tongue shooting out repetitively like a forked, blue flame.
   His eyes closed, and the liquid hit his throat and then his belly. When the water was gone, he dug deeper, drawing more and more water from the soil. Soon his great thirst was gone and his scales were starting to darken. His nose was tilted up, pulling the time and the weather from scents on the wind. He was relaxed. His bat-like ears flat against his head, their tips covered with sky-blue hair that moved in the breeze.
   His eyes, which were the color of the coldest ice in the north, showed only through slits as a purr began to rumble from his trunk-sized throat. He knew he needed to fly on, but his wings, which were a filmy blue and stretched just short of a hundred yards when fully extended, were sore and aching. So, he curled  his thick tail around his legs and fell asleep.

(I know it's a chapter a day, but just to get started I'm going ahead with chapter two. I'll do that whenever the entry is going to be rather short.)

Chapter 2: Ardan

   There was a great racket coming from the the western village border. A boy with dark, curly hair and sad eyes stuck his head out from a tent flap and stared as villagers hurried to the west, whispering or calling between one another. He couldn't understand what they were saying, but still he turned back inside, calling to his mother to come and see.
   He re-emerged from the tent wearing only a thin pair of shorts. his body was dark and muscular, and he was very tall for one so young. His eyes were kind and now lit with excitement. His full mouth broadened into an excited grin. His feet were bare, but the hot sand did not burn them. The tent flap moved behind him and a small animal, barely discernible against the sand, ran toward the boy, a rough barking sound coming from it. It jumped up against him, only reaching his knee, and the boy rubbed its overly furry body lovingly and called for his mother again.
   "Ardan, I'm coming. Whatever it is, it will wait." said his mother. She had just stepped from the tent and was wearing a loose-fitting, sleeveless dress. She too was tan and muscular, but her dark hair hung in ringlets that were tied back at the base of her head. She was no taller than her son, but her hands were rough and slightly blistered by work.
   "Everyone is going, Arta," he replied impatiently "Everyone!" he stamped his foot on the ground. "It must be something big!" She dismissed him with a wave of her hand and a sigh, allowing the boy and his pet to run ahead without her. He ran past tents and fires and people who were still milling around their doorways cautiously, but he didn't slow. The little puff ball beside him was surprisingly nimble and quick to be so weighted down with fur. After many minutes he reached the border of the village where the grass grew more sparsely, and the sand was hotter. There, most of the village had gathered and were speaking together wildly.
    Ardan slid to a stop and searched the crowd quickly, picking out a shorter, thicker boy with a mass of of straight, slightly lighter hair. He shot toward him, coming up behind him and caused him to jump, as he spoke his name.
    "Taur!" exclaimed Ardan giggling as the boy's feet left the ground. He whirled around quickly, eyes wide.
    "Ardan! You shouldn't... I mean... you mustn't sneak... don't do that!" Ardan laughed and clasped Taur's shoulder.
    "You shouldn't be so jumpy. What's going on?"
    "They found a giant creature in the desert. It has scales and great claws, but it was asleep, so they tied it down in the sand."
    "What is it? What kind of creature?" Ardan was now breathless, but not from his run. Taur scowled at him.
    "I wouldn't have called it a creature if I knew."
    "They left it there? In the desert?"
    "Yes. They couldn't very well drag it back. It's as large as half the village. Besides they said it looked terribly dangerous. It wouldn't be safe to bring it here. They said it isn't far, just half a moon west and then over the big dunes. They say it dug a hole." Taur was very pleased with the knowledge he possessed. He drew himself up to his full height and puffed out his chest, daring Ardan to challenge his information.
    "A hole? What do you mean it dug a hole? What for?"
    "Don't know, but it was lying beside it." Taur lowered his voice suddenly. "They say it has wings."
    "Wings!" Ardan exclaimed. Luckily everyone around them was involved in their own conversations so no one noticed his outburst. Taur grabbed onto him anyway, dragging him to the backside of the nearest tent.
    "Shhh! Rockhead! They're not telling everyone. I overheard them tell my father when they came to get him at our tent."
    "So, it can fly?"
    "I guess so. No one's really asked it."
    "Taur! Taur we have to go see it! You heard them talking. Are they moving it? Guarding it? You know we can find it, you just said where it is..." Taur cut him off by stomping his foot.
    "No, no, no! I won't do it. I won't go. It's a terrible, dangerous creature. You won't get me to help you this time. It could kill us!"
    "You said they netted it! It won't be able to get to us. Taur, when will we ever be able to see anything like this ever again? When?!"
    "I don't know! Ardan, my mother would kill me! So would yours..." but Taur's resolve was faltering as he began to give in to his curiosity.
    "It'll be worth it! Now, tell me everything!"