Over the centuries, the Council of Dragons has been many things. Conquest for knights who’d been sent home scorched or burned to the bone. A wise deity of knowledge seekers, and even companions to men deemed to hold dragon’s breath. Now, atop a fog dense mountain, the remaining active members joined once again for a purpose of similar magnitude.

In the back corner, Mau curled in on himself like a shivering, silver, coil of rope, trying to inch away from the cold opening of the cave. Lying flat near by was Vacondrra, who huffed a hot plume of smoke from his nose, purring as he settled next to Mau. Opposite of them was Xanthiti, whoes black scales clattered together blending blue to match the stone walls of his home. After a long moment of watching the cave entrance, Xanthiti let out a long sigh.

“So it’s true about O’donva?”

“That he contracted Muttle Bugs and is in mid shed like the seven other council members?” Mau drawled, coiling closer to Vacondrra’s furnace like heat. “It seems so.”

“I’m starting to wonder if O’donva doesn’t like us that much,” Vacondrra mused, his black talons curling into a patch of snow that had accumulated on the hard stone floor. “Or that there is… possibly some other, more fitting explanation.”

“Preposterous! We are the oldest dragons,” Xanthiti shot back, his scales flipping to the red of a setting sun. “We have a bond forged in the mantle of this Earth.”

Mau snorted from his blue-white coil, his scales shimmering like water as a cloud opened a path for the sun. “Your dwindling attendance speaks other truths.”

A burst of laughter rumbled out of Vacondrra, only managing to turn Xanthiti’s exhausted expression into a scowl, his scales chittering in annoyance. With one glance at Mau, Vacondrra quickly cut himself off, sinking his head back down to the ground, looking more like a ruddy labrador.

“They’ve all caught Muttle Bugs, and we should thank them for not infecting us by rescheduling our meeting,” Xanthiti’s had an air of self seriousness, lifting his head a little higher. He had always been the one to take charge when things took a turn for the worse. There was always a way back. With a little time, and a little help from the two love birds, he would make the Council right again.

“Xan,” Mau sighed, pulling his attention back to the river dragon. “How did we get here?”

Xanthiti scrunched up his face, his eyes narrowing. “Existentially? Because you, as well as I, should know how we were birthed from our mother-”

“Physically.”

After a moment, Xanthiti managed, “I ah… I imagine you flew.”

Mau rolled his eyes heavenward, and Xantithi was beginning to suspect that he was missing something.

“We flew together from Norway, but not on our own wings and wind currents,” Mau continued, a hint of exasperation in his voice. “We flew in planes.” At the look of confusion on Xanthiti’s face he continued, “The steel birds of the humans.”

Revulsion poured over him like molten lava. “Why? In Mother Earth’s name, why would you?”

“I take it you didn’t see Mau’s instagram post then,” Vacordrra added, a little sullenly. Xanthiti frowned at the red Scandinavian dragon, his emotions always so fickle, before turning back to his companion.

Mau, stony as ever replied, “It is the age of humans. The world they live in is far more vibrant than the one we once ruled over. To deny that is to deny reality. In truth, Xan, we are the only members who came, not because we were so fortunate as to not catch the Muttle Bugs, but because we seek to bring you forward in time.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have bothered. He doesn’t follow your instagram posts, he hasn’t once joined our brunches, and I don’t think he likes us much.”

“I think that might be due in part to his lack of a social media presence.”

“Or an address!”

“That too.”

“I mean, how on Earth are we to get a message to you,” Vacordrra continued, now seeming to focus on Xanthiti. “You live in a cave off the Kyasha mountain. There are no postmen willing to visit and carrier pigeons won’t work with us anymore!”

“How am I to re-enter a world that is not mine?” Xanthiti huffed out a sigh, his scales turning from red to a sullen dusty blue. “How will I know I like it?”

The two dragons exchanged a look before Mau said, “It is either live alone, or change. We are wise beings, you will know the correct path.

“Really, you should try it Xan,” Vacordrra beamed. “We have always been othered by the people of our lands, now… we live with them. They see us as equal, and in this time I feel it is important to be seen in this way.”

Xanthiti turned away from him, scales shifting pink with embarrassment. He was lonely, but knowing all the other dragons had moved on left a pain that felt mortal. Never before had he a desire to shift to a human shape. There was power in his form. He breathed fire and commanded attention, but the world had moved on without him, and it seems that his life companions had too.

“We can’t make you change,” Mau said. He and Vacordrra had moved to the mouth of the cave, preparing to fly down the mountain. He envied the bond they carried, and wondered if he might find something like that out in the world, should he ever leave his mountain home.

“We just hope you will,” Vacordrra finished, then after a beat added, “And we would love to have you over. Mau has built a beautiful Bonsai garden that you would adore. And Norway is beautiful this time of year.

“Also, we miss you. All of us.”

With that, they bid a final farewell. Together they jumped into the fog, descending the mountain swift and as soundless as they arrived. For a long while, Xanthiti looked at the place where they once stood, wondering what it would be like to exist in the world after so many hundreds of years. He wondered what had changed. He was curious how the dragons of old presented now. Most of all, he wanted to know what brunch would be like.