November 2016 Project: Pontus Dragon
Memory of the Pontus Dragon (see also Sea Dragon)
as dictated by Arethusa Atticus, Emissary of Nethunus
In my time with walkers, I have learned that what they call fire is very different from my memories. Nethunus gifted us with fire to light our homes and aid with hunting for food. Through us, he generously shared it with walkers. In their darkest times, the flames of Nethunus continue to shine.
I never conceived that a fire existed that consumes everything it covers.
My favorite memory of fire belongs to my father's father. He was traveling with the pod to gather fish. He had not yet been called to serve, so he hunted for his own food as well as food for my relatives. I remember that we happened upon a school of fish and tried to push them close together. They were not thinking of us, but were swimming quickly to escape. Through my father's father's eyes, I saw nothing chasing them. He gathered the others to investigate further.
Some time later we smelled the sweetness that only comes from fire, the fire that I know. Sensing ahead, we could make out the unfamiliar shape of a great creature. It was the size of a small whale, its head triangular in shape. There were two great eyes facing forward, a small mouth, and gills to either side of its neck. It had wide fins that spread three lengths and a span[thirty-five feet] with a coiling body. It had not sensed us, yet.
My father's father remembers that this great beast soon spewed fire over a coral reef, filling the sea with a great light. Fish hiding amongst the anemones and the crevasses darted out, each one shining brightly. Disoriented by the light, the fish could not see the sharks swimming towards them. Copying our techniques, the sharks swirled around the fish drawing them into a tighter and tighter formation. The light from the fish shimmered throughout the water in mesmerizing patterns. As they drew close to each other, a ball of light shone from the center, brighter than the fullest moon.
At exactly the right time, sharks dove through the light, feasting on the hapless fish. They closed their eyes as they swam through, thus immune to the blinding light around them as they ate.
We had the numbers to match the sharks, but the addition of the great beast was more than enough to give us pause. Upon returning to the city, a great circle was formed to share memories. As the thoughts swirled together, an ancient herald (an emissary that returned home after his time with the walkers) shared a memory of the Draco Pontus.
The Draco Pontus swam with Nethunus, but it did not have the form it wears now. Was it a brother? Nethunus would not say. All that was shared was that there came a great conflict. While they fought, Nethunus transformed his foe into the Draco Pontus. From that day to this, the Draco Pontus consorts with our mortal enemies.
Questions rushed in. Is there only one? Is this the same ancient creature that swam with our ocean-father eons ago?
At that time, my father's father's city did not know the answers. Since that time, I have my own memories to share. At the right time, I will share them.
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