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His claws echoed on the stone as he walked towards the large entrance window that sat on top of the tower. His golden eyes could see the sun starting to rise on the other side of the mountains; the sky was filled with pinks, oranges and just a dash of purple far to the west were the sun hadn't touch yet. He paused soaking in his last sunrise, the only movement he made was his tail, swishing back and forth. Today he would make the journey to the sacred caves that his kind went to when it was their time to pass, their bodies making the transition from scale and blood to gem and stone. The gems always matched the colors of the scales. His would look like black diamonds with touches of gold and red.
After walking through the entrance window, he flared out his dark membrane wings, he moved his head around scanning the outside of his home one last time. He caught sight of the royal garden that was below. He chuckled remembering his first exploration of that garden.
He had been a slave the first couple of decades of his life, something exotic that looked pretty in a cage. His slave master had stolen some subjects of Lady Sylvia of Himmel. Sending her guards to find the missing people ended up leading her to him.
After her guards saved the missing people and freed others, they had found him and brought him to Lady Sylvia not knowing what to do with a child of the Xiather race. The race was made from dragons that had breed with humans, thousands of years ago when the magic of dragons was fading. In desperation they had found a way to save their race. He remembered his first day here in the palace.
He was terrified in the palace. Too many new people and sounds, he had run out a window that had been opened leading him to the garden. He stopped, amazed at all the colors and smells, the large trees that he could climb. Lady Sylvia had found him there trying to climb such a tree. She had stood there patiently, finally laughing in delight when he had finally figured out how to use his tail and wings to help balance himself on the higher branches.
Her laughter surprised him, and he dropped from the tree. Terrified that he was in trouble, he tucked his wings close to his body, his tail wrapping around.
"No need to be frightened little one, no one will hurt you here," Lady Sylvia said gently as she sat on the ground, her dress pooling around her. "You can go back to climbing if it pleases you. This is my private garden. No one will bother you here."
He turned slowly back to the tree to see if her words were true. When she did nothing but watch him as he climbed, he began to relax. He jumped from branch to branch, laughing as he began to play for the first time in his life. Lady Sylvia laughed with him. At one point she got to her feet and walked underneath the large tree. She looked at him, a smile spread across her face.
"Little one," she called to him, "what is your name?"
Moving so that he was only a foot above her head, he replied, "The slave master called me Rin."
Lady Sylvia tilted her head, a finger gently touching her chin. "Do you like it?"
"Well it is the only thing that has ever been mine," Rin replied, hanging upside down.
"Sounds like you should keep it then," she said, a small smile on her face. Rin slowly crawled down, curling his tail around his feet he looked up at Lady Sylvia.
"Are you my new mistress?"
"No little one. I am going to take care of you. There is a big difference and I happy to show you that difference" She stated gently as she held out her arms. Rin had slowly walked into Lady Sylvia's arms and never quite left.
Now looking at the garden Rin couldn't help but smile as he remembered the woman who had become a mother to him, tears started to sting his eyes. There was still a hole in his heart that had appeared after her death. Before the tears could start going, Rin spread his wings out further, straightened his tail with the fins starting to spread out and leaped from his tower.
Catching the wind, he steered himself northwest. He planned on reaching the caves after nightfall. He loved flying through the night. There was a peacefulness that he was only able to find at that time. It was harder for him to be seen at night and after so many years of being displayed he was happy to find that peacefulness, to have the time to himself. He could learn new things and explore. Rin remembered the first time he had discovered this.
While he had a been a slave, he had never been allowed to figure out how to fly, he had always been chained to the ground. Once Lady Sylvia had found out a few weeks after he had arrived, she began trying to help him figure out how to fly. It hadn't taken long for him to figure out the basic mechanics, but he still lacked much. One night he had been roaming the palace, restless and bored. Looking out a second story window he saw an owl flying by, hunting. He jumped onto the window ceil and quietly opened the window. Watching the owl swoop across the garden, Rin spread his wings and flew out. Flying towards the owl, Rin tracked it through garden. His little wings silently flapping every few feet. The owl flew out the garden and Rin followed.
Rin watched as the owl starting to shift its wings and tail and lifted itself higher. Mimicking the motions with his own wings and tail Rin felt himself rise. He grinned with pleasure as he learned how to do this. The owl and Rin flew over the quiet city and headed out. Flying over the tall grass that surround the city, Rin watched as the owl suddenly dived down and caught a mouse. Sweeping back up towards the sky, the owl didn't seem to notice Rin gliding above. The owl headed off towards the forest, that was some ways off in the distance. Rin didn't follow but kept flying over the grasslands.
He noticed many animals that were still out, but none seem to notice Rin as he moved closer to the ground. He laughed as he enjoyed the feeling of the wind in his face, startling some of the animals nearby. Having learned from the owl how, Rin shifted his wings and his tail fins and began to rise. Higher and higher he soared. The stars above enchanted him. He briefly wondered if he would be able to reach them. Shaking off the thought, he decided to practice diving. Down he plummeted, only to flare is wings back out and rise again, just like the owl.
Hours soared by as he practiced and played. Chasing some of the animals that hid in the tall grass. Finally worn out and too tired to head back to the palace, he found an outcrop of rocks that had holes in them big enough for him to fit in. Curling himself into a hole, his tail wrapped around him, his wings folding against his body, he fell asleep with a smile on his face.
He woke up hours later to some of the guards calling for him. He had sheepishly crawled out of his hole and went to them. They had quickly taken him back home.
Now, as Rin caught a strong draft the lifted him even higher from the ground, he chuckled to himself. Lady Sylvia had, through clenched teeth, told him that she understood his desire to explore and practice his new-found ability, but she didn't appreciate him sneaking off in the middle of the night. It seemed to have given her a heart attack. The guards had spent the lecture, covering their mouths as they tried not to laugh.
Soaring high above the world for the rest of the day, he mused over such memories. It had always amazed him how patient she had been with him. She had handled him with such grace and kindness. She had broken every barrier and had shown him what love and family meant. He couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face. Because of her, he had been able to find more of his kind and teach them that not all humans were the same, that there had been a reason that the Dragons that had created their race, had mixed them with humans, that it hadn't been just for survival.
Soon as night began to give away to dawn, Rin could see the caves. Enjoying the feel of the wind and the sight of the last stars he slowly headed towards the cave. Landing at the mouth of the cave though the exhaustion finally hit him. He was so tired. A thousand years was a lot of years to live. As he entered, he passed by many different colored gems. Following the paths that ran through the whole cave system, Rin found a small secluded alcove. It seemed many of his kind were too big for the little alcove, but it was just right for him.
Curling himself in with his tail wrapping around and ending by his head, he tucked his wings in close to his body. His thoughts drifted once again to Lady Sylvia who had meant everything to him. He remembered the day that he had been told by her captain that she was dying.
Rin was a Xiather in his prime at that point, strong and powerful. He had just come back from seeing his clan when Captain Cyrus, head of Lady Sylvia's Guard, told him. He had raced to her room, bursting in without a second thought. She laid calmly in her bed, her long silver hair laying loose around her. Her smile was small and tired, he noticed as he slowly made his way towards her. Gently he climbed onto her bed, his wings spreading out to cover her.
"Welcome home, little one" Lady Sylvia said slowly, touching his face "I was afraid I wasn't going to get to see you."
Tears started to swell in Rin's golden eyes. "As if I would let you miss me," he said as he nuzzled her hand.
"Rin, I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too, Mother," he whispered back.
"Promise me you will have a full life and keep loving."
"I promise," Rin choked out. Tears falling from his eyes as he kissed her gently on her forehead. Rin closed his eyes as he felt her take her last deep breath. The cry that he had let out and quickly turned into a roar of defiance. The walls shook with the intensity of his roar. Everyone except the captain had left him, as his wings and tail thrashed about. His tears landed on her face. Minutes passed before his screams stopped. He crumbled around her, his wings feeling the heat leave her body.
Rin burrowed his head into the mattress, tears streaming into the blankets that surrounded her. He felt a large, warm hand descend onto his shoulder. Looking up, Rin saw Captain Cyrus standing above him, tears also streaming down his face. He bent down slowly, as if he was going to break, and hugged Rin. They had sat there for some time, mourning the woman that they both had loved dearly.
Shifting back to the present, Rin shook his head to clear away the terrible memory. He had kept his promise. He had taken care of his kin, had helped protect the kingdom that Lady Sylvia had loved so deeply. He had had adventures, more pain, more pleasures. He regretted very little of his long life. Placing his head back down onto his arms he took a deep breath.
"What a wonderful life," he murmured. Taking his own last deep breath, he started to feel the change. His blood becoming stone, his scales becoming gems. Letting out his last breath, he closed his eyes and found peace in the dark.