The Calling of the Guardian

The great dragon raised his head and sniffed the air, his eyes scanning the forest around him. Though the lands were quiet, something was different. He could sense a presence approaching from very direction, as if coalescing all around him. He walked outside the stone ring and paused, recognizing her at last.

“Greetings, Mother.” He spoke in an ancient tongue.

She walked towards him out of the mist, her emerald gown trailing behind her. Flowers sprang up where her feet touched the earth. “Well met, watcher. It pleases me to speak to you at last.”

“Your presence is unexpected,” he told her. “I am not used to entertaining such esteemed company.”

She bowed her head slightly and smiled. “Long have you stood there within the Wakening Lands, defending your ring against those who come here to do harm. Though you were sent in the service of Veeshan, you have been of great benefit to me as well. For that, Wuoshi, you have my thanks.”

“This forest is my home, “ he told her. “I care little for the politics and machinations of the Claws or the Ring. That, as much as any reason, is why I accepted this duty. It is here that I belong, amongst the trees and vines, protecting them from the lesser races.

She nodded. “For many ages, the empires of Norrath battled for control of the world and have held one another in check. But as of late, some have set aside their struggles against each other and have unified in an effort to acquire greater power. They began by challenging dragonkind in their lairs and now even dare to enter the sacred planes themselves. They steal our treasures and turn against those they once worshiped. This blasphemy cannot be allowed to continue.”

He nodded. ”The Claws have been unable to drive them out of our temples. I suspected you and the others would devise some course of action.”

“We have,” she answered. “I thought that is this day should ever some, I would be able to call upon my elves to serve me. Instead, my children have entered my plane and pillaged the eternal forest they once held sacred. Now they worship only their own greed. So it is you, Wuoshi, to whom I turn in this grim hour to safeguard my legacy.”

The dragon paused for a moment, considering his words. “What legacy do you mean?”

Her brow furrowed, “The times ahead will be dark ones filled with uncertainty and strife. The presence of the gods must be absent from these lands as the mortals face challenges unlike any they have known. They must learn to depend upon us once again and to give us the obeisance we deserve.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, then relaxed again. “What is it you ask of me, Mother of All?”

“In this forest grows a sacred Bloom that is touched by my plane. The gods have agreed that all gateways accessible to the mortals must be sealed, and Rallos Zek wishes to see my Bloom destroyed. But this I cannot allow, for it holds within it powers far greater than mere teleportation. I want you to take the Bloom of Growth far away from here, deep within the mountains of Butcherblock to wait for a sign of my return.”

“What shall this sign be?” he asked.

“When the mountains open and water flows down to touch the Bloom again, life will spring forth and my forests shall be reborn. The little ones who had but a minor part to play before shall become a people truly worthy of my grace. But through the dark times of turmoil, I need you to keep the Bloom safely hidden away. No mortal, dragon, or god can know of our pact, In return, the Bloom will keep you strong, and as the waters that touch it bring forth new life in the Faydark, so shall they cause the power of my plane to flow through you for as long as you stand guard over this blessed flower.”

The dragon kept his head low and his eyes turned away from her as she spoke. He composed himself before he looked at her. “I humbly accept this duty, Mother. I will take the Bloom from this land and hide it away where I shall await your sign.”

She smiled. “Then make haste, Guardian of Growth. When the time comes and the young ones arise, they will honor you for what you have done and will tend the forests until I return. But now there is much that I must do, and time is short. Have faith through the difficult times to come. Farewell.”

She turned and walked away, vanishing a little at a time almost as if she were merging with the very trees around her. He waited until the forest grew still again, then he chuckled.

“I must remember to thank the elves for failing their god so miserably,” he told himself, “for now the power of Growth is mine.”

He turned his eyes to the northwest, toward the tower that held his prize. The dragon spread his wings and propelled himself into the air, savoring the scent of this forest one last time.

It smelled sweet, like flowers and possibilities.