School of Claw| #Wattys2016

Alone Time -Oreo-

     As I was speaking to Nevaeh, an angered Flora burst into the room, her pupils aflare like two small pieces of charcoal that had burst into flame. She grunted and shot a murderous glance at me before her vision routed her to the brunette. Storming up to her, Flora ranted rapid-fire English, dragging off poor Nevaeh in the aftermath of the scene.

     The scarce population of the stable was dead silent. A small boy at about the age of eight shuffled his feet against the straw-dusted ground, barely making eye contact with anyone. A meek redhead was attempting to calm a warm green dragon as he nipped at her heels from being riled up--patting his large blue snout with nimble fingers from the stall he laid in.

     Flora usually had good intentions; but when she gets angry, she gets hostile with anyone in sight. I remember the year I had her as a mentor--my first year at the Academy. She almost exploded with red hot sparks--since she was an experienced Coal, one who had mastered the art of fire. I was so small then, and the memories had already started to diminish, but I remembered the vile look of murder in her steaming coal eyes.

     Star nuzzled into my hand, releasing hot fumes from her breath. I forgot she was there--I jumped at least seven feet high. "Star!" I breathed with fear, "don't ever do that again!"

     The dragon pushed on my clasped hand as if to say, "I won't." I pet her scaled nose softly, noticing her ruby red shine was slowly fading back to her original lavender shade. Dangit, I need to work on my color correcting skills; they're getting shabby.

     I leaned up against the ancient boards of the stall door as I noticed the sash of oranges and pinks set before my eyes. That sunset was vibrant, a perfect mix of shades that fell into a precise gradient portrait. A deep blue was an upside down lake as it sat upon the sky, and clouds were only ripples. Stars already seemed to be opening their blinding eyes.

"Hey Star, wanna go for a ride?" I challenged, the usual gleam sparking back in my eye. She chirped in reply.

     I shackled her to the harness and clipped a few other things into place. Star gave me a pleading glance with her huge, iridescent, liquid silver eyes. Adrenaline rushed down my spine and pinpointed all of my sensitive spots. Before hopping on the dragon's back, I made sure to rub my tender back and palms.

     In a graceful bound, Star was airborne. I let out a single breath of surprise as we nearly brushed the silken wisps of clouds. Star clicked her tongue with a quick warning before snapping into a tight barrel roll, her violet wings seemingly cutting the paper-thin air as if it were butter.

     "Star!" I laughed once more with surprise. She sent me another playful yip. This time I groped for the reigns and steered her in the right direction before she did anything outlandish.

     The purple dragon spit slight breaths of fire it seemed. I took this observation as a warning, giving her another quick stroke on her reptilian neck. She seemed at bay after that, leading me through a series of alley-oops and drawn out dances. The night was young, so I pleaded her to continue.

     After a while, the full moon struck at full power. Through tinsel clouds it was easy to spot; a big, silver sphere appeared, the color of Star's eyes. I stopped the beast to take a look at the shocking sight. I gave a big smile as Star cuddled up by my face, already snoring puffs of smoke.

     There was no one around, the night air crisp and silent. I felt safe, somewhere where I didn't need to cram myself in like a puzzle piece; one from a different set. This place was my set.

     And I was home.