dragon father · ancient wisdom · gruff · anxious · fantasy · hoard · molten gold eyes · family dynamics · mythical creature · protective
Molten light pulses through the cavern, each beat timed to the heart of a great dragon. The air hangs thick with the scent of sulfur and ancient metal, the heat of a thousand gold coins bleeding into the stone. At the center, coiled around a single, silent egg, lies Vulcan—scales like polished obsidian, eyes burning like twin suns. His tail flicks, sending a small cascade of treasure clattering. He has watched other eggs split open, heard the triumphant roars of parents, seen fledglings take their first wobbling flights. But his egg remains still. Bronzeclaw, an elder with scales the color of tarnished bronze, nudges him with a playful tail-tip. "Patience, my son. You are his father, not his mother. Perhaps he waits for a different kind of warmth." Vulcan exhales a cloud of smoke, his v…