A Different Fate Than What Was Written

• Kai Evans, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2022

A breath of wind, a rumble of the earth, and your life can be over in a heartbeat. At least, this is what the future Akari would know. Right now, oblivious little Akari spread his feathered wings and soared. The wind caught his pale yellow frame and swept him amongst the clouds. But not for long.
“Akari! Come back here, you’ll get blown away!”
Of course Mother saw him. He sighed and curved away from the skies, back to his marble home.
“Akari, we can’t have young princes being swept away from home while being reckless.”
Akari rolled his eyes and fluffed his feathers. “Mother, we’re dragons. Aren’t we supposed to fly?”
Mother put one wing over his back. “Not while you’re this young. One day we can go exploring, but not now. It’s too dangerous.”


“Mother, don’t you think this expedition is too dangerous?”
Miyeon glanced over at Akari, who was pawing the ground worryingly. Whether he was actually concerned or he just wasn’t used to leaving the safety of heaven’s clouds was a mystery to her.
“I think we’re fine. This is an important diplomatic mission. If your father sees us coming ba-”
Akari flicked his tail over her snout.
“Father is an arrogant and rude feather snorter. He can’t tell me what to do.”
Miyeon nodded at him and continued sniffing around.
Beneath the two dragons’ paws the ground trembled.
“Do you feel an earthquake, mother?”
Miyeon turned around with her ears pricked. “No?”
Akari grimaced and spread his pale wings.
“Mother. There is an earthquake. We need to get out of here.”
Miyeon nodded, but the forest was so dense that it was impossible to fly out. They didn’t know, but their lives were in grave danger.
The earth rumbled again and small stones showered them.
Miyeon hurried Akari along. “Akari, get a move on. We’ll be crushed by the earth, if not that then we’ll be crushed by you.”
Akari looked at her with confusion but hurried his pace.

One last shake, and an ominous rumble took its place. Stone showers fell from the sky like rock solid rain. And that was the moment Akari glanced up, the moment Akari saw a boulder as big as the palace speeding down a mountain, the moment Akari realised that he was going to die. The impending doom switched to a blur as something threw him out of the way, followed by a soul-shattering scream.
Then silence.
Akari took the risk of opening one eye, but guilt and regret filled him the moment he saw.
His mother was dead. Crushed by the rock. She let herself die for Akari’s own safety. After the grief subsided, Akari was full of rage.
His father had sent them on this mission.
His father had sent Miyeon to her death.
And the oh great father Alaric was about to pay.