The Ender Princess: Awakened -ON HOLD-

Waves of Change

I sat on the log watching the sunrise, trying to decode my dream. It was the same as the night before, but there were no fish. It's as if something- or someone- scared them off. The waves still seemed to ripple off of the trees as the sun ascended from its resting place.

The dragon still lay asleep in my lap. He just gets bigger and bigger by the hour. He's maybe four times the size he was when he hatched. I'm pretty sure he's too big to carry now. I've been trying to think of names for him. Darky and Blue come to mind, but they don't seem to fit his personality.

"Up already?" Hydrinn sat next to me and peered through the trees. "So," she sighed. "What next?" she asked with a stretch.

I shrugged. "Wherever the wind takes us." I mumbled to myself.

The dragon squirmed in my lap. His blue eyes filled with curiosity. His mind thirsting for more.

"Good morning." I cooed. His head tilted and his frills flexed. He echoed after me in a more reptilian way.

"Wow. That almost sounded human." joked Hydrinn. "No, seriously. He's gettin' pretty close."

I hoisted him off of my lap and onto the ground as I stood up. His small black wings spread out as he stretched his body and walked over to me. His throat clicked and growled as he watched me walk over to Pitch. The dragon looked up at the black horse as I stroked his mane.

"Brrrrack!" he growled.

I looked back at Hydrinn whose face reflected mine.

"Did he say," she glanced from me to the dragon. "Black?"

"Brrrrrack!" he repeated with a jump.

Sure enough. He's trying to speak! How interesting. I knelt down in front of him and put my hand on my jeans.

"Brooo!" his reptilian voice sounded strange.

"Blue." I whispered to myself.

"Okay. This is starting to get creepy." Hydrinn walked behind a tree to change her clothes. "Not only do we have a dragon, we have a talking dragon." she said with sarcasm.

I stroked his scaly head. "I don't think it's weird. It's actually pretty cool." I stated.

"C-coooo..." his coo trailed off into a series of clicks and whistles he used to communicate with Pitch.

I grabbed a slice of bread out of the saddlebag along with a small piece of chicken which I threw to the little beast. His jaw clamped onto the piece of meat as it fell to the ground. I don't know if he's just mimicking us or actually trying to speak.

"Seriously, Sid. Where are we going?" Hydrinn asked as she put her hair up in a ponytail. "I mean, we just can't stay here." she pointed out.

She's right. I mean, guards would eventually find us if we stay in one spot. We can't be tracked as easily if we travel.

"I guess we could make our way around the lake. Maybe we'll find a town or village or something." I breathed as I changed into my everyday clothes. "I mean, towns won't be too far from a large body of water such as this. It makes for great trade along with just water supply."

Hydrinn nodded in agreement. "Alright. Let's get going."

I walked along the bank of the lake with the dragon at my feet as Hydrinn rode Pitch ahead of me. I'd much rather stretch my legs than stay cramped on a horse. Plus the dragon wanted to play in the water.

The sun reflected off of the rippling water. Large fluffy clouds drifted across the sky with large gusts of wind to accompany them. It's like most summer days. I imagined home. The cats sitting on the window sills. Mom and Hydrinn sitting in the garden. And me playing with the dog.

I wish I could go back to that, but I can't go back with a dragon. Dad would be furious and end up taking matters into his own hands.

"Wwwake!" the dragon piped as he jumped into the small waves.

"Lake." I corrected.

"Wwrrrake?"

"Lake."

"Wake!" he protested. "Wake."

I rolled my eyes. He's learning. I can't blame him for mispronunciation. Anyways, it's adorable.

He must really like that word, because he won't stop saying it! Every time I say something he says 'Wake'. Every time something comes into view he says 'Wake'. I'm not sure if he's onto something or if he just likes the sound of it.

Hydrinn's way ahead of us right now so it feels good to have some distance. I don't have to worry about her complaining about something or asking me dumb questions. I can't quite tell if she wants to spend time with me or if she's just nervous about being so far away from home.

I big gust of wind blew across the water. The trees roared in the gale. The dragon looked at the forest behind him and his frills started to flex. He turned back towards the lake and stretched out his wings; flapping them up and down and bobbing his head with them. Another gust of wind started across the water, spraying mist at my face. This time he jumped with his wings out, but quickly folded them back in as the waves started to come in.

I could see the water ripple as the wind whipped at the waves. Another large gust flew across the water. The little beast put his head down with his rear end up. He wriggled his tail and flexed his wings. The gust finally hit land and he jumped up. His body was parallel to the ground and his wings were turned back slightly as he glided.

My eyes widened as I saw his small reptilian form hovering over the sand. The wind left and he stepped back onto the ground.

"Wake!" he chuffed.

I smiled. I guess since there's no one to teach him to fly, he has to learn on his own. His instinct will guide him, I guess. It makes me sad, though. He doesn't have any family to protect him or teach him the essential things that he needs to know to go throughout life. I dwelled on that thought for a moment.

He does have a family. He has me and Hydrinn! Sure, we may not be dragons or know anything much about them, but we still are his guardians. He'll learn things on his own time. And who knows, we may end up teaching him valuable things that he may need to use in the future. I smiled. It's nice to know that I have added one more member to the family. One odd, intelligent, reptillian member to the family.