Airandara

As he did at least once a month, Leon, the magical obelisk dragon—one of the first obelisks, created by Earthshaker Himself, brought the hatchlings to the cave where he was born, in the company of any other dragon who was willing to come. He settled down on the cave floor, right on the ground, and gestured them all to do the same. “Earthshaker was here, right where you sit, not so long ago. He came to warn of a danger from the depths of the planet, and to give us time to prepare, and he has sent me visions—and I don’t think I’m the only one.”

He stands up on his hind legs, spreading his forelimbs wide, and roars, “We must be ready to fight for all that we hold dear, and we must stay aware, so that we won’t miss the danger when it arrives and die ignominiously.”

Then Leon sits again, placing all four paws and his hindquarters on the dusty stone. “That is why I brought you here, to teach you how to meditate. The meditation serves two purposes. First, to allow us all to listen, at dawn and dusk and whenever we feel moved to do so in between, for any rumblings in the earth or other signs that the danger is upon us. Second, meditation improves focus for both martial and magical arts. The healers even tell me it is good for one’s health.” He rolls his eyes at this, but then shrugs, “It doesn’t matter why you do it, only that you do it, every single day until the danger has been vanquished.

Then he leads the meditation, followed by martial arts katas. He has recruited several of his children and others in the lair to help with the katas, both the general ones suitable for any dragon and the more specific ones for warriors or mages, and for dragons of different breeds. “We obelisk dragons have a specific call to this work, but the work is for all of Sornieth’s dragonkinds, every breed and every flight. He opens his green eyes wide. “You will note that Earthshaker did not create us all in his own flight. The call is for all dragons, because all the world is at risk.”

Afterward, he takes the time to go to each and every student to answer questions, give encouraging advice, and give an individual blessing, “What you do matters. Go out, spread the word, and whatever else you do, meditate at dawn and dusk in contact with the good Sornieth earth.”

(Lore copyright 2021 Deirdre M Murphy/WyldDandelyon)