Dragon Rider (ON HOLD)

Chapter 6: A Familiar Face From the Past

              I quickly fed the hatch-lings but didn’t stay to play, (I was wasting time) after they finished I put up the bowls and tucked them in immediately and turned off the light and locked them in.  I raced to T-S put her saddle on her and tucked into my harness.  I grabbed an extra harness and saddle just in case I was crazy enough to do what they’d be needed for.  I opened the dome and off we headed to the same spot to start looking for it.

               “God!  T-S, I can’t believe I’m actually looking for a dragon that could kill me in an instant if it wanted to.  I’m so stupid.”  I was so frustrated with myself I actually thought about turning back and going home.  Then I heard it, the same noise as the one from last night.  Apparently I wasn’t the only one either because T-S turned her head to look at me.  “Go.” I said.  She looked back to where the sound had come from and then back to me. Her face looked as if she was asking if I was sure.  “I’m sure, now go.” I said in a soft voice.

                T-S leaned forward and shot down into the area the noise came from.  We landed and immediately started searching.  I looked around in every direction and saw nothing, and then I looked up and saw a smidgen of blue in the tops of one of the trees.  I climbed up the nearest tree and looked to my right.  There it was sitting about five trees away.  It seemed to be staring at me but then I realized that its eyes were closed.  I climbed down looking at that tree so I didn’t forget then walked over to the closest tree to the dragons head.  The Fire Heart was sleeping on top of maybe five no six trees that were clustered together.  I climbed up the tree and sat there for a while.  I had called T-S over and she was sitting right below me.  I was very cautious not to fall out of the tree and not to wake up the sleeping giant.  This might have been the largest dragon I’ve ever seen in my entire life.  After a while I got bored so very carefully I stretched out my hand and placed it gently on the Fire Hearts’ forehead.  I waited for a moment to see if my hand had woken up the dragon.

            I looked around and I wasn’t on the top of the trees with the dragon anymore.  I was in my birth story.  I wasn’t a ghost though like I usually am when Jason tells it but I was on the hay stack.  I looked over and saw the Fire Heart not asleep like in the story but awake.  Its head was turned away from me but it was moving.  Its head was moving up and down.  It was eating something maybe a deer or an antelope.  I looked at myself and I wasn’t an infant as in the story but I was my self; grown up and everything.  I looked the same from what I saw; I was even wearing the same clothing.  I got up and walked around the Fire Heart to see its face.  I stepped on a twig and it jerked its head around and looked at where I was.  I looked in its eyes and saw a walking little child.  Then, as I was staring at the dragon I heard a strange and familiar voice.

            “Hello daughter.  You’ve woken up early.” It sounded like a male's voice, but it was more gentle than most. It sounded peaceful and full of love. But where was it coming from?!

            “Who are you?  Where are you?  Show yourself!”

            “I am your father and darling I’m right in front of you.” The voice said smugly.

            “The only thing in front of me is the Fire Heart.  And the dragon cannot possibly be my father.”

            “I am the dragon and I am your father.”  As I stared at the dragon, the air changed.  It started to glow around the dragon.  Then as if by magic the dragon transformed into a man.  He was tall, tan, and beautiful.

            “Your eyes they are just like mine.”

            “Grey with specs of blue, yes.”