If Orion did ever really walk the earth, then Caeron was his twin. In direct descent from the Xannast lord who knocked off the whole dynasty of the Southern Empire (not a son of the gods of beer and war, as some began to believe), Caeron was fated by blood to be a violent man. And he made fate look like more than a mere trite saying, he made fate into doom. Caeron was forever a man of blood.

He lived his formative years in the most dangerous, most chancy career known to the Red World: dragon hunting. He learned the trade, it is said, from his father, who had been tracking small game for many years. In his old age this man had begun to track dragons, learning every trick he could and coming up with some of his own.

Normally dragon hunters do not share secrets (ordinarily they kill each other when they meet to reduce competition on the same trails). However, this man being so old, none of the younger hunters saw him as competition, and he became a legend of their community, the Aged One. In their own cults, which not all of them truly follow but most make a cultural deference to, meeting the Aged One was like speaking with a sage, and to pass him their secrets was the greatest good deed one could ever do. He never made a kill, but it was his greatest hope that his son would...

His son made several small kills early in his career. He made his first before turning twenty, just in time to tell his father the story on his death-bed. The passing of his father, which was actually attended by many dragon hunters who held their peace in respect for the Aged One, hardened Caeron's heart. He became the least honest, most violent, most destructive hunter unknown to society, because few could ever identify him.

But he also turned out to be one of the best hopes for mankind ever to tread the Red World...

***to be continued***

Wow. This is cool, I really like it.

Let us step back a bit. The Aged One, who was really only early fifties at the latest when he died, did not die a natural death. It is said rightly that he never made a kill, but he did meet one dragon, mostly yellow with black for his trimming scales.

This dragon was unlike the vast majority of dragons, it was one of the few crafty ones left. It could stand upright with ease, walk upright, and even speak. The Aged One had chanced upon it without even having a trail, but had missed when he fired his spear.

The beast was delighted to meet at last a man that was not a dragon hunter, but not for purposes of conversation. It played with the old man, tossing him about and beating him with with his tail. It mocked his aim and cursed him as the lowest of men for his weakness, saying, "Men are all liars, and all love blood, but at least most are strong enough to take what they want. You want blood and cannot have."

After toying with him a while it flew off, leaving him battered and bruised in the wilderness. He crawled part of the way back to the city, but fell unable to return all the way. There he was found by a dragon hunter who had been tracking that yellow one, and rather than continue on his hunt he gave up the quest and took the Aged One back to the city.

It was there that the dragon hunters, and Caeron, all assembled, to honor the passing of their hero, guide, and friend. And thus the Aged One passed away.

With his last breath the men all broke their fast of violence, and said to one another, "This man did not deserve to die, and not in this way. Let us take vengeance on the dragons, all their kind, and most especially on that one of the yellow scales." They swore on their right hands, all of them, to seek that dragon and slay him, even at the cost of their lives.

Caeron and the others, numbering nearly twenty, all set out to trace it. They swarmed over the hills, spread over miles in a band of search, signaling by mirrors and by smoke signals. Summer passed and winter came, but still in the frozen earth they all kept on. When winter had passed another of their number lay dead of the cold, for they had not sought shelter by day or night in their search.

As leaves appeared again on the trees at last a trail was found, and they turned southward and to the setting of the sun. Months more they searched on, until at last they found the villain itself.

They caught it at the base of a cliff, for its home was within a cave at its base. They surrounded it, sending a few of the hunters to the top of the cliff with their heaviest and most deadly spears, while keeping their longest and most accurate with the majority at the base. They had guessed at tactics, for never before had many hunters surrounded one beast with no intention of killing one another.

They attacked the beast, and when it found itself surrounded it fought all the more. Then sighting Caeron, it spoke, "You will not be like your father, little weakling, for men loved him and he returned their love overflowing. But you are weaker still, and shall hate those that love thee." But even as he spoke one of the heavy spears fell through his body, and as he recoiled in pain Caeron stabbed his spear into the throat. The dragon turned its head to kill him, but before the fatal breath blew out the bravest of them leapt upon his back and hacked his head with a long knife, as a barrage of other spears flew into his flesh. The beast died.

Normally the killer of a dragon takes the skull as a trophy, but this time there were many killers. They agreed the skull should go to the brave one, and the others would take the meat and bones as they saw fit, but Caeron spoke, "The skull may be yours, but give me the teeth and nothing more." The other grumbled that he should be so demanding, but conceded to him the teeth, into which he bored holes and drew a cord through them, making a crown of dragon's teeth.

This little offense would have passed, the stealing of the teeth, but dragon's curses are seldom idle, even if they are made by the lowly. As the men explored the cave they found gems and gold in abundance, ancient weapons, and many treasures. Even if the dragon was divided aright, over these they quarreled, and blood fell in the cave. When their senses returned, Caeron cursed them all saying, "You have defiled my father's death bed again, that you shed one another's blood after a kill in his name! No more shall I be with you, for indeed, all men are liars." With that, he went into the wild, taking his crown.

Little was heard of him until years later, when the Red World was about to need him most...

***to be continued***

This is fascinating, Reiyen! Keep it coming!

Dragon Hunters?!?!?

[Yes, dragon hunters. I know that Airi must find the concept terribly revolting, and indeed, it's a tragedy, but it's true. Dragons menaced mankind for so long that some men could never forget the offenses. Others, of course, like Caeron, just get a sick pleasure out of killing them, and are in for the adventure.]

Poor mistreated dragons! So misunderstood!!!

*Chuckles* I don't think they're quite like your dragons, Airi.

Well no, but still!

As a side note, I have recently watched some dragon movies, and find that often times dragons are portrayed as evil, which I suppose was a bit shocking to me since I have always been pro dragon.

*Laughs* Pro-dragon... I like that. Yeah, I'm very fond of dragons too, but I've read/heard books where they're evil enough that I don't mind it either way.

I am pro-dragon as well, personally. They just make a rather poor debut in human history, is all. Ultimately, the evil of the world cannot be rolled back until the two chief agents of good, men and dragons, join together in common cause. Consider this post, written by a dragon.

Right, I understand. Just giving you a hard time. It works for your story well, I think.

These stories are amazing! Great job Reiyen.

Yeah, I'm pro-dragon too, but some dragons are just...not pro-human, I guess.

That's a good way to put it.