WITCH - The Queen

Bonus 7

Josef rushed through the bushes. The ground gave way under his feet, and everywhere, it smelled of moss. The little dragon squeaked with joy. His mother watched him from her bed of moss and leaves.

She was sad. Josef didn't know why.

They had everything they needed. A home and each other.

For the four-year-old dragon, this was enough.

A strange smell was in the air. Josef sniffed with interest. He had never smelled this smell before. Was this an animal? What kind? It wasn't a hare or a deer. Josef liked hares and deer. They tasted good and he enjoyed chasing after them and pressing his teeth into their flesh. That was true happiness for him.

His mom always told him to only hunt what he wanted to eat. He didn't understand that. They had argued about it many times. Why would he hunt only to eat? How boring!

But this smell...

'Josef? Come to me quickly!' His mother lovingly grabbed his little wings with her muzzle and pulled him towards her. Joseph hissed angrily.

'Mom! Leave it!'

'Vampires are coming. We have to hide.' She nudged him. 'Quick. We're turning into mice!'

'Mice are stupid!' Mice were small and did not taste good to him. However, Josef had never seen a vampire. Did they taste good? Was it fun to push his teeth into their flesh?

'Josef! Now!'

Sighing, he obeyed his mother and turned into a mouse. Then he followed her into a bush.

Three armed vampires stepped into the clearing shortly afterward and inspected his mother's bed.

"A dragon was lying here! Look at the leaves. The dragon can't be far!", said one of them. These vampires were pale and thin like branches. Josef thought that he wouldn't have much to chew when he ate a vampire. But it was more than a rabbit. A rewarding chase. His mother, on the other hand, watched the treat nervously.

"We're just supposed to find out where the dragons are right now!", replied a vampire with long hair and a bright voice. A woman?

The vampires argued a little, apparently one of the vampires wanted to hunt Josef and his mother, then they left. Hunting him and his mom? How silly! They are welcome to try that. Josef crawled out from under the bushes and turned back with a sigh.

He would have liked to be chased by them. Then he would have a reason to tear them apart without getting into trouble with his mom.

'Good. They're gone!' She transformed back. 'I'm very proud of you. You've easily turned into a mouse! Right on the first try. How about something new?'

Tear up vampires? 'And what?'

'Something that can be very useful!' His mother winked at him. 'Today we are turning into human beings.'

'Oh! To trick and eat them?' Or to tear them apart?

'No, sweety. We white dragons kill just to eat. From time to time it can also be a human being, yes. But that's not the point. The human form is very useful. There is a cave in the desert that can only be reached in the form of a human. Where all the eggshells are kept, like mine.'

'But not mine. Mine was stolen by vampires!' Josef snorted and looked at his front paws. White scales, but some slowly turned grey. Why did they get darker? 'Why isn't my eggshell in this cave?'

'Because I had to leave home', his mother replied, 'I laid your egg in this forest and hatched it here.'

'Why?' He had never asked his mother that. But now that his white scales were getting darker... His reflection in the streams changed. Some of his scales were now black. 'Because my scales are getting dark? Did they know? Or did you do something bad?'

'I didn't do anything bad.' Laughing, she pushed him under one of her white wings. 'I met your father, a black dragon. But the other white dragons didn't like that. So we both live here now.'

'A black dragon...' Josef hugged his mother and yawned. 'So I'm a black dragon?'

'White and black, yes! But our lesson is not over yet!'

Josef grumbled annoyed. Human form. For what? If he wasn't allowed to use it to have fun? And this egg cave was in the desert. Far away!

'So. When we move among people, it is sometimes better to pretend to be one of them. For various reasons. Watch me and do the same!'

Annoyed, Josef watched as his mother changed from a dragon to another figure. She looked similar to the vampires, but she was not so pale and had long red hair. "Now you!", she said.

Josef had never seen a human. But a vampire... Should he... But his mom had already scolded him today when he had hunted frogs in the stream and left their bodies lying on the banks of the water... He didn't want to get into more trouble. Therefore, he concentrated and took on a similar form. That of a boy.

"Wonderful, Josef!" His mother smiled and stroked his head with strange paws. She now held out such a paw to him. "This is a hand. Come. We go to the creek. You can admire yourself there, my little one."

Josef frowned and stumbled uncertainly after his mother. His legs and everything felt strange and walking was unfamiliar. He fell twice. Something felt very wrong.

When they arrived at the creek, he looked at his reflection. Orange hair, like his mother's. The body of a four-year-old boy. A strange figure.

"A handsome human boy!" His mother winked at him.

Josef shook his head. "That's wrong."

"What's wrong, honey? Don't you like the shape of a human?"

"No... Somehow, yes, but... Something is wrong. I don't know what. But something is not right."

"Oh, Josef!" She kissed his forehead. "You get used to it."

"Are we going to turn into vampires next?", he asked. "They looked similar."

"Hm... I've never turned into a vampire... And I don't know if that would be a good idea. Mingling with vampires... They expect to find dragons. They can recognize us. And smell us..."

"But only take the shape? For fun?", he asked. "Please?"

"All right. Next time. Let's go back."

(c: sasi)