The Dragon Keeper(On Hiatus)

Chapter 4

"Where are we going?" Sage asked as Conan led them deeper into the forest located within "The Sanctuary." As they walked further into the forest, it seemed to change. The small pines grew taller and denser, almost as if they didn't want this area to be found. The light from the sun was no longer brightly filtering through the leaves, rather the path was now hidden beneath the shadows of the trees. Sage wanted to turn back by this point, but Conan continued to press onwards. This area clearly didn't want any visitors and Sage thought they ought to honor the forest's wishes. As they reached the forest's center, the trees started to spread out again, revealing a cozy clearing covered in dappled sunlight.

Sage felt the clearing didn't belong in such a dark forest. Or maybe, he wondered, the forest was there to protect the clearing. It really was a beautiful clearing, covered with bright green grass and colorful flowers. As Sage wandered around it, he found strange circles of objects. Some were made of branches or stones, but a few were made of carefully woven flowers, or stolen blankets, or... gold coins? It was then that Sage realized just what these were. Nests. And not just any nest. No. These were dragon nests. Sage was sure of it, but no matter how much he wanted to run away and hide under his bed, this was his job now. He couldn't very well just run off, not with Conan mentoring him. He took a deep breath and waited for Conan to explain why they were at a dragon nesting ground.

"Well?" Conan watched as Sage took in his surroundings. He didn't feel the need to explain what this area was to Sage. Clearly, the boy had already figured that out for himself. The look on Sage's face, that fear in his eyes, was enough to tell Conan that much. He could tell Sage was trying to fight that fear as the apprentice took a shaky breath. "There's no need to worry, Sage. No dragons are here right now. It will be some hours before they return."

Sage stiffened. He should've known Gideon would have told his mentor about his fear, but he still felt uneasy at this. Though Conan didn't seem at all bothered at this, Sage still felt guilty. Conan was probably expecting some kid who loved dragons, not one who was scared of them. As far as dragon keeper apprentices went, Sage was sure he was exactly what every mentor dreaded. After all, what kind of dragon keeper wanted an apprentice who was terrified of their job?

"So why are we here?" Sage finally mustered the courage to ask.

"I'll show you!" Conan smiled. He led the apprentice over to one of the nests and carefully moved some of the brush aside, revealing three cream-colored eggs. They were larger than any egg Sage had seen before, large enough to fit at least 40 chicken eggs. Scattered around the eggs were colorful bits of... well, Sage wasn't sure what they were, but they were very shiny. He picked up a yellow piece and turned it over in his hand, admiring the way it glinted in the light. "A dragon scale. The nest is full of them."

Immediately, Sage dropped the scale and stumbled back out of the nest. Conan held back a laugh. Having an apprentice like this was unusual for him. He already knew the boy had been through much, he didn't want to add to his troubles.

"Relax, Sage. Dragons often shed their scales. I promise, nothing bad will come from just touching them. Now come on and help me collect them." Conan set down a burlap sack and started to fill it with scales in the bag. Sage got down on his knees and started collecting the scales. He had so many questions. Why were they collecting the scales? Did all dragon keepers do this? Did losing scales hurt the dragons? Did they grow back? Why weren't there any dragons left guarding the eggs? His mind was racing with questions, but he didn't want to bother Conan, so instead he opted to work in silence. Sage couldn't work as fast as Conan since he could only use one hand, but he still managed to make good progress. Conan left his apprentice to finish up the nest they had already started and moved on to one of the nests made of coins. A treasure hoard! Sage finally realized. It was common knowledge that some dragons liked collecting treasure such as jewels and coins. Whatever this dragon was, Sage noticed, liked collecting more than just valuables. Scattered around the treasure hoard was typical tableware. Iron forks and spoons protruded from the pile while shiny plates were piled at the bottom. Sage found it funny that a fearsome dragon would resort to stealing basic cutlery.