Dragons Made Real: Drake 03

A fossil Drake…found atop the mountainous slopes of one of the most historically important mountain ranges in religious history.  What if such a discovery were to be made, and what would be the consequences of the discovery?  Should the find be accurate, such a discovery would be phenomenal, suggesting that everything we thought we knew about the fossil record is all wrong…and that our belief that such a widespread cultural phenomenon such as dragons was just myth completely turned upside down.
Our Paleontologist ignores his arguing colleagues.  The National Museum of Cambridge had secured the rights to the find, but the Turkish government was sending armed forces in, threatening to drive out the British scientists.  Our Paleontologist has managed to evade the argument long enough due to his studies of the Drake skeleton.  He is confused further and further by the find, especially because of something he manages to find in the fossil jaw.
Faint traces of hydrogen found in the rock within the fossil organ suggested that this creature used hydrogen to lower its body weight.  That combined with the faint traces of skin outlining its legs also suggests that this creature used the hydrogen to help it glide.  However, something else managed to catch his eye; a false pallet in the back of the throat.  Pallets are interesting adaptations that were unique only to crocodilians and similar archosaurs, such as Rutiodon or other Phytosaurs; it specifically was used to allow crocodilians to take animals beneath the water with their large mouths and attempt to drown them without drowning themselves, as the pallet keeps water from entering the lungs.  The discovery of this pallet could mean that his assumptions that this creature is unique is wrong; that it truly was simply just one of the archosaurs like Postosuchus that was a descendant of a Phytosaur or another kind of crocodilian.  However, that didn't explain what he managed to find next…
When the fossil was taken out, some of the Turkish paleontologists messed around with the fossil before the UN officials arrived.  Though they were caught, they had already separated a few of the fossil pieces for study and for being moved, and as such some of the pieces were scattered.  In the back of the animal's jaw, our Paleontologist found that there were strange depressions indicating spots where teeth could go.  Faint traces of powdered mineral could be found, and he quickly identified them as one of the rarest mineral ores on the planet…platinum.
What would this creature be doing with platinum in its mouth?  More so, how did it get in there as a powder?  That couldn't happen unless it was a powder already…or, unless, it used a means to grind it down.
Quickly he began to look through the excess fossils that the Turkish paleontologists deemed unimportant to the find.  Finding what he was looking for, he brought a set of molars to the find and examined them, much to the surprise of both the Turkish and British paleontologists.  Sure enough, the molars could fit, and the surface where their enamel would have been was covered in platinum.  As our Paleontologist continued to look, he began to connect the hydrogen in the animal's gut with the platinum in its mouth, and began to think…
Platinum acts as a catalyst for igniting hydrogen.  When both are combined in the same area, they react violently with one another, and the gas combusts.  The concepts of different elements combusting with one another is something most chemists would understand, and biologists also know that many animals use similar processes depending on the adaptation involved.  So, as our Paleontologist begins to concur, unless the animal liked the taste of platinum, there was really only one reason why it would have the deposits in its mouth…to ignite the fire in its body.
An animal that breathes fire?  Although it sounds like science fiction and fantasy, it isn't as far-fetched as it would seem.  Many animals have very interesting adaptations that are unique and hard to explain, and that only seeing it could help a person believe it.  Few people would be able to imagine a frog or a chameleon, two completely different animals, being able to launch their tongues like a spear at insects unless they saw it for themselves.  Few would be able to believe that Anoles or Octopi could change color, with Octopi being able to accomplish it to the point that they become virtually invisible, if they had never seen the animal do it before.  There are even some animals, velvet worms, which shoot lasso-like slime to deter predators.  Such an act would be hard to believe to be real unless seen firsthand.
One animal in particular today has actually managed to use liquid fire as a defensive weapon.  An insect found in jungles, the Bombardier Beetle often has to deal with ants that try to hunt it.  As such, it has a unique trait that helps defend it from ants and other animals.  Many beetles use chemical weaponry that they can launch from their abdomens, stinkbugs and squirt beetles to name just a few.  However, the Bombardier takes chemical weaponry to a much higher level.  Pumping a highly combustible liquid chemical in its abdomen into a reaction chamber, it combines it through force of will with a catalyst liquid, with the burning chemicals having nowhere else to go but out with a temperature reaching almost boiling point.  Anything standing behind it when the chemicals are launched is instantly fried, and humans handling it have to be careful or else they risk having serious burns.  The good thing about this creature is that it's too small to present an ideal threat to humans…but what if an animal the size of a dinosaur had a similar adaptation?

Several years have passed since our Drake's first brush with death against the older male Drake, and he's now grown into a powerful young adult.  However, life has not been easy for him; on the contrary, it could not have gotten any more difficult.  A lack of food in the Great Divide has resulted in many Drakes expanding their current territories and protecting them with a vengeance, and as such he has yet to ever really find a home for himself.  Without a proper supply of food, he's been forced to etch out a living as best as he can, but over the past year his inquisitive and restless nature has increased tenfold.  With the knowledge that there is no way he can live in his birthplace, he has only one way to go…out.
In the Great Desert, the environment is very unforgiving.  One cannot expect to survive unless they have developed any of the two very important adaptations; a means to store large amounts of water, or flight.  Luckily for our Drake, his body has a combination of both; he can survive an entire week or more without water, and with his gliding abilities he does not have to worry about wasting precious energy running.  He can focus instead upon keeping himself cool and on conserving water, something that every animal in this wasteland needs.
It's been almost a month since our Drake has left his home.  By travelling only during the daybreak and twilight hours and a few hours before and after, he's kept himself cool while still retaining the routine of travel across the desert while there are still updrafts wafting from the desert.  Every week or so he's managed to be lucky enough to find a desert oasis from which he can quench his thirst, but this last week he has yet to see any water anywhere.  He's almost reached the edge of the desert, but if he doesn't reach it before nightfall…he could potentially die of thirst.
For the past several days now, the mountains to the east have been in his sight range.  The dunes have since been slackening in number, with scrubland and sagebrush now dotting the landscape.  Our Drake doesn't have much in the way of jumping points to glide upon anymore, so now he's been reduced to travelling at a brisk run.  His stamina has since replaced his need for speed that he had relied upon a lot in his youth, and as such the run has done little to tire him.
Luck is on his side.  He quickly finds a stream at the base of the mountain.  Quickly, he takes several big gulps to quench his thirst, careful not to drink too much too fast out of fear that he'd become sluggish.  Upon finishing, he rears back on his hind legs and extends his neck, taking a big gulp of air through his nose to smell his surroundings.
While Drakes do not have as good of a sense of smell as other animals, they still can be on par with mammals like dogs.  Although a vulture would probably sneeze at such tiny olfactory senses, they are more than enough for a Drake to get by, and right now our Drake can smell some very strong scents in the air.
He is on the border of the territory of a dominant male Drake.  The musky scent of a Drake combined with fire becomes strong enough to be smelt by any predator for miles.  Each Drake male has a unique musk used to mark his territory, a smell that can be identified by individual Drakes in the same way that we can identify individuals of our own kind by sight.  This Drake knows that he's on the brink of danger at this place, but something important also catches his scent.
High up on the mountain is a deposit of an important item that all Drakes need for their survival.  This important mineral, though rare, can be found throughout any Drake's territory, and is a very key element to their success.  The deposit is the same mineral that gives the Drake their ability to breathe fire…platinum.
Our Drake quickly climbs up the mountaintop.  Scaling the mountain is easy; after living on the Great Divide, any Drake worthy of his daily meat can climb a rocky surface with ease.  Our Drake makes his way carefully up the mountain, noting loose rocks and careful to keep his footing as he reaches the top.  There, he finds claw marks that contain faint traces of the musk he had smelt earlier, but the smell of platinum overwhelms the musk.  Our Drake quickly begins to claw some out.
As our Drake takes a bite, he knows to handle the platinum carefully.  It may help him in his ultimate weapon, but in particular it is a very dangerous catalyst that acts a lot like a double edged sword.  If he were to swallow even a single grain, it would ignite the hydrogen in his belly, and he would explode like a hydrogen blimp, what little left of him after the explosion being well cooked thoroughly.
Small grooves in his lower jaw act as storage sacks for his platinum supply.  Over time, as he breathes fire, he will steadily begin to loose platinum as it transforms into another element through the chemical reaction, the element peeling off as he feeds on future kills.  His store will ensure that he will have plenty more to grind up in the future, so he will not have to keep going back for more.
Upon completion of filling up his stores of platinum, our Drake quickly leaps off of the mountain's surface, gliding slowly back down and landing gracefully upon the ground.  Now that he's in a dominant male's territory, he has a chance to fight for it and take over.  It will be a daring act; over half of all young males his age are killed in territorial battles, and most of the time it is because they challenge an older male.  Our Drake knows that he will have to rely upon his cunning and ability to plan rather than use sheer brute force, and no matter what he has to act fast.
Our Drake quickly climbs back up a rocky outcrop and takes off, gliding over the rocky landscape like a silent, red wraith.  Steadily he follows the musky scent and makes his way deeper and deeper into the dominant male's territory.  He knows very well that he is in for the fight of his life.

In the middle of his territory, atop a small rocky mountain, the resident Drake lets loose a blazing message of fire, letting it loose skyward.  The message he is sending can be seen for miles, stating to males and females alike; stating that he is fit, healthy, and confident enough to waste his precious resource of fire on a display.  The huge blast also states his age and his fighting ability, and the mushroom cloud to follow tells our young Drake that this Drake is a powerful dominant male, in the prime of his life, and deadly enough that one false move and our Drake is little more than fried bacon.
The meaning of this display is not lost on our young Drake.  If he is has any chance of winning this battle, he must be at his very best; the stakes are higher now than they have ever been.  If he wins this territory, he is guaranteed a chance at a guaranteed supply of food and, of course, females.  With females, a Drake can leave his mark on the next generation, and if he ever wants to guarantee that he can have suitable offspring he has to have a territory to raise them in…and, more importantly, guarantee himself a permanent female mate.
If the conditions are right, most Drakes mate for life.  In the Great Divide, such a luxury is not possible; there is too much space between feeding grounds and too small of a population to guarantee success, as most of the Drakes hunt better off on their own rather than in groups.  However, out past the desert, Drakes are numerous in number and food is in much greater supply, guaranteeing that should he decide to have a suitable female, the pairing will last until either one of them dies.
As our Drake approaches downwind of the resident male's nest, he remains cautious.  Quietly he approaches a low valley that acts as the home of the resident male and his prodigy.  As our Drake pokes his nose over the rise, he finds that the mating pair isn't exactly alone.
Drakes compete often enough that the population of males is sometimes significantly lower than the females in an area.  It is not uncommon that a Drake will have more than one mate.  Right now, the resident has not just a mate, but a harem.  Three females have been residing within the resident's care for some time now.  They aren't in season yet, but a recent clutch of eggs indicates that all three are fit and that the conditions in this territory are very good.  It is rare that a territory is good enough for a male to have two extra females.
Our male, of course, is not interested in the females at the moment.  Since they have eggs, they could present a problem.  Of course, they were nothing compared to the mighty beast descending from the mountain above.
Our Drake sizes the enemy male up from his distance.  This Drake is a dominant male; a Drake in his prime of 29 years, at least 36 feet long and having a set of jaws big enough to break our Drake's arm in half.  The scars on his red-gray body indicate a Drake that has undergone many battles, and at the rate that most of them have healed indicates that this Drake has yet to have a challenger in many years now.  All of them have gone from the area.  This Drake had managed to take down any challenger one by one, and his reputation is well known by his kind.  They avoid him at all costs.  The dominant male is more than fit to take out our Drake and have him for breakfast.
Our Drake knows that he has gotten himself into a world of trouble.  Taking his time, he studies the dominant male, remaining out of sight and smell for as long as possible.  With the resident male having a profound lack of hydrogen due to his constant hour-long display, he is likely to be very heavy now that his body has a profound lack of their precious gas.  Our male sees this to his advantage.  As the resident begins to feed upon a nearby carcass that was the remains of their latest meal, our Drake decides that the time has come.
Steadying himself, he leaps over the edge of the cave.  As he opens his skin flaps, he reveals the vibrant red, yellow, and black coloration that bachelor males adopt once they reach adulthood.  The display is designed to intimidate rival males and attract females, though right now all that our Drake knows is that it will intimidate the residents.  He's counting on that now…
His display does not go unnoticed.  The moment he is in the air, the females let out a cry of warning.  Quickly they gather around their eggs and roar and hiss angrily, spreading their forelegs threateningly and shaking the barbs on their back like no tomorrow.  The noise attracts the resident male, who quickly roars loudly and rushes towards our young male.
The young Drake lands upon the ground on the other side of the valley.  His plan is working.  Right now he has to get the resident in enough of a frenzy to chase him, but he has to be cautious.  Getting the male to chase him is all that he wants, but if the females decide that their eggs are in danger he'll have to run for it.  There will be no turning back at this point, so he prepares to take off again.
Our male quickly leaps over a higher ledge and lands at his starting point.  The resident knows that his territory is under threat of this new rival male, and he's having none of it.  Our Drake's plan has worked so far, as now the large Drake has begun to climb up the side of the crater-like nest.  The fight is on.
Our Drake quickly finds himself running for his life.  The dominant male is much quicker than he appears, rushing forward and barreling through on all fours.  The young Drake quickly finds himself cornered near the stream as the monstrous resident chases after him.
Of course, this has been our Drake's plan all along.  Quickly, he disappears in the rocks.  The resident tries to find him by sniffing him out, but the young Drake is downwind.  The olfactory senses of the resident Drake won't work for him now.
Suddenly, an ambush!  Our Drake strikes out with his barbed tail, striking at the resident's face and inflicting deep, painful wounds across his skin.  However, the dominant male's combat experience suddenly comes into play, and our Drake suddenly finds himself knocked over on his side by a powerful kick to his hip.
Our Drake rushes aside, suddenly finding his flank burning as the resident Drake's fire inflicts serious damage on our Drake.  The young Drake quickly rolls in the stream, soothing the burns and ensuring that he won't continue to get any damage while fighting.  Quickly climbing up a rock, our Drake leaps into the air and glides right over the resident, flying over him before he lands on the opposite edge of the stream.
The resident continues to attack, but he has misjudged his opponent.  Even though he has food in his stomach, the dominant male does not have enough hydrogen in his system, and as our young male has a full payload in his hydrogen sacks.  A Drake's fire and gliding system is a binary system; both rely upon the same supply of hydrogen in order to work.  So long as the resident Drake continues to breathe fire, he'll run out very quickly, and he will be stuck on the ground.
Our Drake's plan has worked so far.  The resident is mad, and now that he can't breathe fire, all he can do is leap at our young Drake as he continues to glide over his head just past his reach.  Every time the Drake tries to leap, all our Drake does is move aside, keeping himself high over the enemy Drake.  Over time, the resident will tire, and will make a serious mistake.
As the fight continues, both Drakes begin to become exhausted.  Though they have the stamina for it, they cannot hold out for much longer.  Our Drake is still tired from his journey, and the resident Drake's ornate, hour-long displays have tuckered him out substantially.  Our Drake has to act fast, or he will become too tired to fight.  It's now, or never.
Finally, he sees an opening.  The young male spots the vulnerable underbelly of his opponent and decides to act.  Rushing forward, he attempts a bluff, slightly leaping into the air but not spreading his arms.  It is a very difficult gamble.  If our enemy Drake catches on quick enough, he won't leap in an attempt to catch the young male out of the air, and instead claw at his face while on the ground; an attack that may prove lethal.
The dominant male goes for the bluff, and falls for it…
With a mighty leap, the dominant male expectedly struck in the air where he assumed that the young Drake will fly above him.  But all he catches is air, and he sees only blank space.  The intruder isn't gliding.
Our Drake quickly aims upwards and lets loose a powerful blast of flame.  Fire burns across the vulnerable underbelly of the dominant male, baking through his body and incinerating his lungs.  But our Drake knows that he's not dead yet.  Before the dominant male falls, he braces himself and arches his back, extending his deadly barbs on his back.
The dominant male lands smack atop our young Drake.  The barbs pierced his body, rupturing his heart, stomach, and liver and effectively loading him with intense pain as the poison within them course through his bloodstream.  The Drake overlord was dead the moment the barbs pierced his skin.  Our Drake…has triumphed.
The young male steadies the heavy weight on his back and shrugs it off.  The dominant male's body falls to the ground, dead.  Our Drake lets loose a triumphant roar before letting loose another stream of flame, covering the body in a coat of flame.  It is often the end results of a battle between Drakes; if the loser dies, the victor effectively shows his dominance by cremating the remains.
The Drake looks up at the sound of mournful bellows to the east of his position.  The three females saw the entire thing.  They began to sing a song of mourning for their now dead mate.  Knowing that the new overlord would come for them next, the three Drake females carry the now-fatherless eggs in their mouths, and quickly climb away.
Our Drake has achieved perhaps the greatest victory of his life.  He has won a battle of wits and strength.  All of his life he has fought against overwhelming odds, and now he has come into play as the victor, not the surrendered.  More importantly, this victory was more one of wit than brawn.  He has proven that he can strategize and plan ahead, a trait originally believed to be unique to only one species in particular…
Our Drake seems to revel in his victory.  At long last, after fighting so many odds, he has triumphed…but how long will his triumph last in this ever-changing world?