FFIF Drabble Challenge: Dragons

[rita_skeeter]

So we've had...well, quite a number of weeks discussing dragons, and now it's time to transform those thoughts into drabbles!

Need some ideas to get you all started? You could write about the discovery of dragons, or a piece from the point of view of a dragon-keeper. Maybe you're feeling really adventurous and want to try the dragon's POV? A drabble about a Muggle finding a dragons? Dumbledore's thoughts on dragon's blood? A case of an escapee dragon? Maybe even the planning of the Triwizard Tournament concerning the First Task? It could be anything you like, so long as it connects somehow to dragons!

For this activity, there will be no participation points. Winners will get 15 points for first place, 10 points for second and 5 points for third. You may submit as many drabbles as you want, just edit your post if you feel the need to post another!

The competition opens immediately and closes on EXTENDED: Tuesday 8th April at midnight in your respective time zone.

Here are a few standards to keep in mind when writing your drabble:

A drabble is a short piece of writing, between 100-499 words in length.
This forum requires all drabbles to maintain the same standards as the main fanfiction site. Any drabbles posted with bad grammar, formatting, spelling, capitalisation or unsuitable content will be deleted. Points may also be deducted for badly presented drabbles.

Use this form when posting your drabble...

Author Name:
House: [you must enter this or you will not gain points]
Title:
Word count:
Warnings:

Good luck and have fun!

[Sainyn Swiftfoot]

Author Name: sainyn Swiftfoot
House: HUFFLEPUFF!!! *points to avvie and siggie*
Title: Ormus
Word count: 499 Wow! Exactly!
Warnings: A bit of piss

Ormus had a problem.

A teensy weensy problem.

Just a little one.

He was being held upside down by a fire-breathing monster twice the size of his wife’s shoe cupboard. And that mean big. Very big.

How did he get into this situation? That is a long story, which can be summed up in one word: he-was-camping-in-the-mountains-when-he-had-to-do-that-thing-that-starts-with-PE-and-ends-with-E-when-he-went-behind-a-few-trees-a-monster-grabbed-him-and-took-him-away. And yes, hyphenating it makes it a single word. So there!

Anyway, he was being hung upside down by a fire-breathing dragon. The worst thing about it? He needed to piss.

Ormus felt into his pocket for his ancient wand which had been passed on to him after various generations. You ask, since he is hanging upside down, why did his wand not fall out of his robes? Well, for various reasons, mainly being that it was essential to the plot of the story that the wand should not have fallen out. Well, back to the story. Ormus pulled the wand out heroically, and opened his mouth to utter the curse that would blast the dragon into smithereens, making him the wizard most talked about, the most famous person ever…

Until he remembered that he was a Squib. True, he had a wand, but all the same, he was a stupid, stupid Squib.

Now, you, the reader, needs to know that being the year 1200, many things that are absolutely essential for the continuation of the human species on Earth had not been invented, like firewhisky, telephones, and those little plastic things on the end of shoelaces (Or, for that matter, shoelaces. Or shoes!) At that time, Wizards had not devised a way to harness the magic properly, but just had managed to make a stick that you could direct your magic through. With many years of use, the wand started to imbue magic, and became unbalanced magic containers OF DOOM!

Basically, a wand as old as Ormus’ was like a grenade with the pin looser than old Grandma Jose’s underpants. Or like a wife who waits at home when you stumble back, drunk and groggy after a night with your mates.

So Ormus was in a fix. His wand was useless, he was about to get killed, and something was threatening to trickle out… He screamed in anger and frustration.

The monster reared its head and started to shake Ormus. He felt his brains rattling in his skull, his teeth chattering. His wand slipped from his hand….

The monster seemed to have enough of this game. It brought Ormus to mouth level, and walked forward, opening its mouth to swallow Ormus… time seemed to drag on… It lowered Ormus into its mout-

BOOM

Blood and flesh everywhere, the place full of smoke. Ormus lay on the ground, bruises on his head, fractures in his hand, and piss in his pants.

The next day, he was overheard describing to the Daily Prophet his fierce duel with a monster which he called the “dragon”, and how he overcame the beast with his prowess.

[butter_beer_drinker]

Author Name: Kristy
House: Gryffindor
Title: Searching for the Heartbeat
Word count: 498
Warnings: none

The bright orange glow of the sky sank low into the lake, steam rising from the water as the temperature dropped with the disappearance of the great fireball. The blanket of darkness, filled with tiny pinpricks of light, slid into place across the mountains and valleys. The night air was filled with the frogs overture and the accompanying chirps of the crickets.

Deep in the belly of a mountain large, yellow eyes winked open. His enormous mouth stretched wide and his tongued clicked against the roof of his mouth. He extended his forelegs out and lifted his hindquarters high, stretching out the kinks of sleeping on the ground. He stood and walked towards the steadily dripping water against the far wall.

The weight of his body made his feet sink lightly into the soft earth as he slipped into the deep pool of water. He emerged on the outside of the mountain and shook the water vigorously from his sleek body. Tiny forest animals raced into the cover of the trees as he looked around.

He unfurled his leathery wings and with a mighty downward stroke, lifted his gigantic body gracefully into the air. Little tornados of air swirled along the ground, sending dirt and leaves spiraling in every direction. He rose higher and higher until he appeared as a small speck in the vast sky.

On the ground, far below him, light gray eyes searched the heavens above. She had felt his heartbeat echoing her own, for over a fortnight. She knew he was searching for her too, his knightly keening was guiding her and she was close. Placing her muzzle high above her, she inhaled deeply the scents being carried along in the wind.

Her ears pricked and twitched and her scales tingled in anticipation. With great effort she rose into the sky. Her eyes focused on the shadow moving among the stars. His piercing roar echoed through the valley below and the tempos of her heartbeat changed. As one they dove towards the ground, the land trembling slightly with the impact of their landing.

They circled each other, then he lowered his head, brushing his face lightly against hers. His yellow eyes burned as he inspected the deep gouges along her flanks and he nipped gently at the thick chain weighing her down. A rumbled filled his chest and burst forth in a searing flame that scorched the innocent trees around them.

His anger was extracted on the ground below as his razor sharp claws dug into the ground and he shook his mighty head in frustration. She tried to calm him, wrapping her scaled tail around his body and placing her head against his. She pushed hard against his impatiens, staring into his eyes. He calmed and he curled his body around hers as they settled into the lush green grass. The next rising of the pale white orb would come soon enough, and they would begin the arduous search for their offspring, together.

Title: The Journeys End
Word count: 499
Warnings: none

A smattering of large black birds shot into the air, sending leaves gently floating to the ground. Ormus dropped his gaze from the birds flying among the thin clouds and back to his map. He brushed a small green leaf off the large parchment that was spread on a flat rock with small stones in the corners to hold it down. A series of thin lines created a grid pattern that overlay an outline of the mountains and surrounding forest.

He touched one of the squares in the grid with his wand and it was filled with a light gray color. Over three-fourths of the grid was filled in, so he knew he was getting closer. It had been almost five years since Ormus had first seen the large, flying lizard while hunting in the forest. Unable to get the sight out of his mind, and because of the laughter from his friends, he had set out on his journey. Flying high over the region, and marking it in increments, he had been able to complete his map in just under ten months.

Carefully re-rolling the parchment, he placed it deep into his rucksack, corked his oilskin water goblet, and set off towards the sun. Fourteen days later he stopped again and marked off another block of his grid. Only three sections were left on his map, instead of becoming frustrated, he pressed on, determined to prove what he had seen.

As the night crept across the sky, he sat down by his small fire and studied the last square. He had worked in a circular pattern and now he was at the center of his map. A large, ancient volcano lay a days walk ahead of him, and he knew it was the heart of the land. He had seen a large shadow moving across the ground most of the day, as if it were following him. He knew it was the creature he sought and had been buoyed by its presence.

The ground around him began to tremble and Ormus sat very still. The shock that had overwhelmed him the first time he saw it began to form again. He waited as the rumbling sent creatures scattering across the land. When it stopped he was afraid to move, afraid to breathe, afraid to not look.

Slowly, he turned and nearly swallowed hard, seeing what stood behind him. The majestic animal stood directly behind him; it’s orange eyes reflecting the small fire on the ground. It lowered its snout, keeping Ormus rooted in place.

The leathery skin creaked as it inhaled, little streams of dirt swirled upward as it inspected the man in front of him. When the animal was finished its ears flicked curiously and it watched Ormus. With a shaky hand he reached out and touched the dragons face. Time stood still then Ormus watched in awe as it turned and with a mighty thrust of its wings, rose into the sky.

His journey was complete.

[rita_skeeter]

Right! The results are in for this round's Drabble Challenge! Thank you to both of you for entering - I'm only sad to see such a small number of entrants. Anyway, to business!

First Place (15) - The Journeys End by butter_beer_drinker
A really nice little narrative with a lovely ending. Excellent!

Second Place (10) - Ormus by Sainyn Swiftfoot
What a different dsort of style of storytelling! A light, amusing drabble.

Third Place (5) - Searching For The Heartbeat by butter_beer_drinker
Beautifully described and an adventurous viewpoint.

Thank you again to you both, and please keep up the great participation! Points will be awarded shortly.