"Drevass, if the First Father was alone, how were the rest of the dragons created? You need to have two parents in order to have children, after all."

"Things change, and if you keep reading you'll see the story of how. That's one thing you ought to learn now if you haven't already. The only thing that you can count on is change. Nothing has to stay the same. The Creator sang a single dragon, and now we have a whole race of dragons. Many other things that used to be are no longer so. There are even races that were made in the beginning that no longer exist." He paused for a moment. "Have you ever heard of a thing called a greyling?"

"No, I haven't. What is it?"

"Greylings were tiny creatures. No one is sure if they were made in the creation of the animals or in the final creation. They might have been intelligent, they might not. But there were never very many of them and they built no lasting civilization. They lived in a single river valley and when the river dried up a very long time ago they didn't leave. Perhaps they couldn't. Perhaps they just chose not to. But they all died there, every last one of them.

"Now perhaps that is what they were destined to do, perhaps not, but the fact remains that something which the Creator sang in the beginning is no longer upon the earth."

Now as the Bright Ones each began to make all of the many creatures that should inhabit the Earth, First Father looked upon the things that they made and was sad. For behold, each new being was made with a mate, yea they all were made two by two, that their races might multiply upon the Earth. And the Creator beheld First Father's sadness and he asked "Wherefore is this sorrow? And why art thou sad? Seest thou not the many wonders around you?" And First Father answered him saying, "I do indeed see many wonders, but behold, I would have a companion, that I might speak and say 'look, there is a great wonder.' For it is not good to be alone."

But the Creator spake to him and admonished him, saying, "From the beginning I sang that thy life should be thus, for thou art given a task and a calling, that thou shouldst be a guardian over this, my tree, which also has a purpose since the beginning of all things."

And First Father answered him thus: "Sing then to me this song that has defined my destiny." And the Creator sang with a voice like no other voice that has ever been. But First Father lifted up his voice, and lo, it was not like the voice of the Creator, nevertheless, it was a voice most sweet and pure. And he sang a harmony and a counterpoint, to the song of the Creator. And it was a most beautiful thing, for there had never before in all of creation been a duet.

And the Creator marveled saying, "I see a new thing, which I have not seen before, that a song which is not the song from the beginning could have such merit." And First Father said unto the Creator, "Thou hast seen that a song which is not thy song can yet be a good song. Change therefore thy song that I might not be alone." And the Creator had compassion on him, and sang again. And the song he sang was as the counterpoint that First Father had sung. And as he sang, lo, a second egg was created. And it hatched, and out of it came another Dragon. And behold, her scales were black as night.

And the Creator looked upon them and said, "Thou hast changed my song, it is not fit that thou shouldst remain thyself unchanged. And he sang again. And when his song was done, First Father was no more white as the great tree, but of all colors. And his scales were as opal, being bright with shards of every color that has ever been seen. And his mate also was changed, and her scales likewise were of all colors, yet she remained dark, while First Father was light. And First Father was no more a guardian of the tree, but he and his mate went forth into the world, which had begun to be filled with all manner of beings.

"You see what I mean about change?"

"Yes, I see. But I don't understand how the Creator could change his mind just because of something he created in the first place."

"Serali, I don't think the humans, even the ones that worship the Creator, teach this much, but the prime attribute of the Creator is love. He loves every one of his creations. If we want something that will make us happy and won't do us any harm that we can't bear, he'll give it to us."

"Don't you mean 'won't do us any harm at all?'"

"I meant just what I said. The Creator didn't make life so that it would be easy. Yes he wants us to have joy. But don't you often enjoy something better when you know what it's like not to have it? You probably appreciate flying more than I ever can because you know what it's like to dream of flying and be earthbound. Would you really rather have been born a dragon, or don't you think the life you lived then makes you that much happier now?"

"I think I understand. I've never really thought about this kind of thing before."