Chronicles of Carnezia (Book 2): Wilderness

Chapter 9: Solemn Scares

Chapter 9: Solemn Scares

            As I passed a small flower shop, I thought about why I hadn’t been able to call Doran anything but by his name. He was my father, really, and when we had both figured it out there was little in the way of making up for the past twenty one years. We both just got on with being friends and I figured that if I made him pay for leaving my mum then I’d just be a bit of a cow. He had never known I was even on the way and there was no blaming him for that.

            Taking a deep breath, I leant against the nearest wall and dropped my head down. It was one of those warm northern days and it was quite humid; the ground was a little wet so I guessed the clouds that I had missed must have let their rain pour down here. I couldn’t just stand here by myself although I have wanted to be alone for a long time now. There had always been small patches in my life where I didn’t really want to be around anyone, sometimes it went as bad as avoiding my friends.

            Turning around, I really headed home this time. Frain was still nowhere to be heard or seen. In fact, for a place where nearly all the dragons in this world lived, there was very little sign of them over the actual city. Things were strange for me, as I was more or less still a bit of an outsider but I was more accustomed to things than when I first moved here. It wasn’t really a move but there weren’t any words I could find to say what had happened when I first discovered this world.

            I approached my house and saw Doran was just leaving. Walking briskly over, I tapped him on the shoulder. ‘Hello,’ was all I said when he looked around at me.

            ‘Hello. Have you just got back?’ he asked, smiling to one side as I nodded. ‘Good then you’ll be glad to know that I was just going to see Kane.’

            ‘Why? What has he done now?’ I asked, deciding to walk with him.

            ‘Oh, nothing. I thought maybe I should make sure he is being taken care of. How is Ky?’ He question threw me off my wits a bit.

            ‘He’s fine,’ I replied and my physical response was an unwilled smile and a blush. ‘Ahem,’ I coughed. ‘I think if I hadn’t insisted, he would have come back with me.’

            Doran chuckled as we stepped to the side to avoid bumping into a couple of dragons and their Tamers. ‘And did you tell him what I am to you?’ I shook my head. ‘Haha, don’t mind me.’ And we both fell silent as we made our way to the Eduram.

            When the building appeared as we entered the square, I let him go on his way inside just as Frain hopped down from the roof. I hadn’t spotted him and he gave me quite a fright; I clutched at my chest as my heart drummed away heavily.

            ‘Frain, never do that again,’ I warned him with a very harsh tone to my voice.

            He hung his head low. ‘Sorry.’

            My heart had settled down now and I walked over to him. He looked a little solemn with his head still close to the ground but I ran my fingers over the top of his head where his horns were starting to grow. I’d only just noticed that there were small bony growths either side of where my hand was now. ‘It’s fine but just remember that I don’t like surprises much,’ I quickly explained. ‘Is there something you wanted?’

            He blinked, which I heard that his scaly lids clicked together, and then lifted his head the slightest bit. ‘Yes, there is. First, I have been thinking why you’ve never wanted to fly with me?’

            I was shocked. ‘What? Frain, I have wanted to fly with you for some time now but I thought you wouldn’t be able to carry me.’

            He snorted and shot his head up, pushing my hand away. ‘Carly, I have been able to carry a whole deer over at least ten miles. I am sure you weigh a lot less than one of them.’

            As he told me, I felt very small and pretty stupid. It had never clicked in my head about that; I had seen myself that he can carry two small-ish deer but it hadn’t occurred to me that it also meant he could easily carry me. ‘Since you can carry me now, I’m guessing you had an idea when you wanted to see how we get on?’

            He smiled toothily; at least it resembled a smile with the glint in his eyes but if I just looked at his mouth, it looked like he was snarling. ‘Yes. Would you like to try now?’

            Considering I had only ever flown on Hydra and with Doran to hold onto so I didn’t fall off, there was a niggling in the back of my mind saying a very loud NO. Lately, though I had wanted so much to fly alone on my own dragon. It did appear that there were only a few Tamers who flew on their dragons and I had not been to see my reptilian acquaintances for a while. ‘And how am I meant to hold on?’ I asked, trying to push the opportunity off for a bit.

            There was a shimmer in his stare, a new shine to them as though he had thought over that problem too. ‘The leather straps that Doran made.’

            ‘For the eggs?’ He nodded. I let out a huff. ‘It might work but that’s hardly anything to keep me in place.’

   ‘I am sure we will manage.’ My features became sceptical. ‘Will you try if I promise not to fly fast?’

   I laughed thinking of what slow would be to a dragon. ‘Alright, but let’s not try here.’ And so, we walked to the open spaces of the fields.