The Story of the Dragon Keeper

Chapter 1

"Woo-hoo.." My voice dies down as I twist my lips and roll my eyes. I'm laying on my back, looking up at the wooden ceiling of the stables, celebrating my birthday with the only one who could possibly care- Vulcan. Vulcan is my fire dragon, so he is aptly named after the Roman God of Fire. I've had Vulcan since I was 5. I can still remember that day perfectly. With a smile, I replay the events in my mind.

I was walking home from school, my head down like always as I try not to pay attention to the kids running into their parents arms as they ask how their kids' day of school was. After looking both ways, I quickly cross the street and get a little ways away from the school.

Me, being the klutz I am, tripped on a ledge in the sidewalk and I quickly faceplant into the concrete. My eyes blur with tears faster than you'd think but I try to keep them in as I attempt to stand. My knee hurts to bend so I sit back onto the concrete to examine the wound. Since I was wearing a small white tennis skirt and my knees were exposed, I wasn't surprised to see some rocks lodged into my skin, causing some blood to spew.

Tears fall as I sit there and cover my face. After a while, I'm shocked to feel a comforting heat on my bad knee, a healing kind of heat. I open one eye and peak through my hand, only to see a dragon. My eyes widen and I moved so quickly, I must have frightened it because the dragon moved like the speed of light behind a bush. It only peeked over to see that I was still sat on the pavement, staring at it with the same wonder.

Slower this time, I move toward it- schooching on my butt of course. "Shh, it's alright. I'm sorry. Come here." It was like I was calling to its soul because soon enough, the dragon stepped courageously to me. After the approach, the dragon crawled into my lap and started to heal my knee again. I cooed to it softly with my five year old whisper, "Thank you," I said once it looked up at me happily, the job done. "What's your name?"

Not a move besides a wag of the tail came from the dragon as I looked at it. I saw it was a boy and thought that Vulcan was an apt name for him. I smiled and with my newly healed knee, I stood and started to walk home. Honestly, I expected the dragon to just walk off and we would never cross paths again.

I was wrong, because the very next day, Vulcan was at the same stop. He waited for everyday after school and walked with me until I told him to turn back, afraid my father would be upset by my newly found pet. It took about a month or so for me to let him walk me all the way home. Another month until he moved in as a part of the family.

Ever since that day, I've been a sort of Dragon Rescue. I let people adopt them or if they can't take care of them- I provide as a home that they can visit as frequently as they'd like. Some dragons though, I find hurt somewhere and I nurse them to help. Which reminds me!

Quickly, I shoot up. "I'll be back, Vulcan! I need to go check on Slushy." I left Vulcan's stable and walked into the newest one on the left. I was greeted by a sleeping Slushy. Slushy was this small icy blue-color with no ears, small arms and legs, a thin mouth, large nose, dark blue eyes and three icicles behind her head. She was designed to freeze land with her ice breath, generate ice, and also break apart into bits of ice and return to original form. I found her in the woods. I was walking around to let my father cool off when I stumbled over her whimper that I traced to a place behind a ledge. Somebody must have left her to fend for herself but she couldn't, so she seemed starved and bullied. I took her in, feeding and tending to her wounds.

"Hi there, little girl." Yes, she wasn't really a little girl. She was a little younger than Vulcan. Vulcan is guesstimated to be about 15 years old or so and she was maybe 12. "Doing any better today, Slush?" I heard a small whimper but she lifted her head. I know it's small but for her, it was a big step. Steadily, I made my way towards her and sat down beside her head. Automatically, she put her head on my lap. It was weird how easily these animals came to warm up to me. I pet down her neck and watched as she fell back asleep and carefully examined her.

I need to redress her wounds, if she will let me. Then a bath would be good for her. I was worried she won't make it, but she is a fighter and I had faith in her. "VERONICA, YOU BITCH! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

My father's calls for me wake Slushy quickly. She whimpers and I sooth her back to sleep as I stand, readying myself to face Daddy. I leave her stable and run to the entrance, which is right in front of a growling Vulcan's stable. I roll my eyes at him and try to calm him down before I race out, closing the doors behind me. "Hi, Daddy. Sorry, I was in the stables." I smiled sweetly and blinked my eyes innocently.

He stumbled to me, pointing out the hand with a half empty beer bottle in it. "You.. You need.. You need to stop hanging out with those.. things." Dad struggled but he made his way over to me where I grabbed him under the arm to help him find his way back home. "You're a freak! Only... freaks.. hang out with those.. creatures. That's why nobody wants to.. be your friend."

I ignored everything he said, knowing it was just drunken rambling and I tried to get it off of my mind. He stumbled and once we were halfway there, he took the arm around my shoulders and pushed down, causing me to fall. My head bounced on the hard dirt a little and I was left with a headache. "Bitch! Don't you handle me like that!" I spit the dirt out that had landed into my mouth, pushing myself up off the ground slowly as if nothing had happened. "You.. You fucktard! Get off the ground and help me into my chair!"

I solemnly nodded, "Yes, Daddy." Grabbing him gently this time, not wanting to handle him like last time, I got him to continue walking. Swaying, we made our way to the back door which I kicked in and half-carried Dad into his favorite chair. "There you go, Daddy. Is there anything else you would like?"

Nervously, I stared at my fingers and waited for the response I already knew. "Yes, your mother back." After a grumble, he turned onto his side and started to snore immediately. He said that to me every time that I asked if there was something I could do or get for him. I wish with all my might that I could do that for him, but it just wasn't possible. I walked out of the room, back to the stables in my own pace and stared at the ground.

The stables were my real home. The stables were made out of a dark wood and looked like regular horse stables- just bigger. Thankfully, the stables are hidden behind the tallest trees I've ever seen in the woods. Just behind the stables is a dome type of arena. There they can run and play and get exercise, even fly if they are a winged type. Then, attached to the other side of the dome is a brick nursery building. It has big double windows and is really a cute place which houses the baby dragons until they are old enough to not get picked on by the others. We used to have an infirmary, but Vulcan- when he was just a baby- burned it down and so only the chard remains. It's not like their own stables aren't good enough as an infirmary.

"Come on, guys! Recess time!" I shouted once I got to the stables and started to open the doors to let all of the dragons into the play dome which looked completely futuristic compared to the plain wooden stables where the dragons' beds were. I smiled as they all raced out like children. Within the hour, I forgot all about what my father said. I forgot about everything except the dragons.

~~~

Hey, you guys!

I usually don't leave noted but I just wanted you guys to know that I missed writing and I'm sorry for being the horrible person I am!! If you could just drop me a comment or anything just to let me know how it is- I would be so grateful that I would bow down and call you the monkey overlord. And that's just amazing!

Also, I didn't proof read because I really just don't give any fucks.. like none. And even if I did... I would probably not give them to you guys! :P

I have classes starting soon so it may be a little challenging to keep up with updating but I honestly don't think so.. I mean it's not like I have a life!

Thanks for reading,

Stay Beautiful!