Dragon Dreams

Chapter 5: Finding a New Normal (1/2)

The morning sun was streaming in through my windows, lighting up our little family gathering. The topic of breakfast had just been raised, and I couldn't take my mind off my ravenous hunger. In the back of my brain, a slight urge to go hunting for my meal surfaced. Thoughts of stalking a deer or pouncing on a rabbit sprung up momentarily before I shoved them aside. "Some draconic instincts must have come with the transformation," I thought. I was a predator after all. I would have to watch carefully for more urges of this kind in the future. No doubt I would discover new things like this about myself little by little.

"I'll go down and start making breakfast," Dad said. "Josh, we'll leave you alone to get ready. Hopefully, you can still fit in your shower, and feel free to use ours if you can't."

Mom and Dad left the room with their arms around one another. That left Alex standing quietly by herself. She was looking down at her hands, which were folded and hanging in front of her. I sat motionless on my bed, unable to see her face through a curtain of hair. My sister and I used to be incredibly close. I was told we were inseparable when I was younger. Lately, we found ourselves with less and less in common, and I feared that my new appearance would divide us even more. She exhaled slowly and looked up at me, revealing a solitary tear rolling down her cheek. The back of her hand quickly wiped it away.

"You may not look like him," she said, coming over and embracing me, "but you'll always be my little brother."

"And you'll always," I was choking up as I said the words, "be my big sister." My emotions were finally spilling over. A low, hollow sound came from my throat; it was the sound of a crying dragon. I hugged my sister close to me as tears streamed down my muzzle. I wasn't sad, though, not at all. Instead, I felt human again. For a moment, all my fears melted away. The love and support of my family gave me the courage to handle anything.

"Okay, big guy," Alex said, wheezing, "maybe let me breathe a little?"

"Oh, sorry," I said, relaxing my hold on her. I was probably a little stronger than I realized. Right on cue, the loudest rumble yet came from my impatient stomach. Alex and I shared a little chuckle as I wiped the tears away with my paws.

She quickly rose up on tiptoes and kissed the end of my snout. "See you at breakfast," she said as she swiftly exited the room.

"This is the closest I've felt to Alex in years," I thought to myself. "Maybe this change will actually bring our family together."

Alone once more, I decided to get myself ready for the day. First, I closed my curtains just to be safe. There was no need for any of our neighbors to see anything and get suspicious. Then I went to take a shower. It was a real struggle to move around in there with my new limbs. I ended up having to wrap my tail around in front of me and duck my head down low to stay under the stream. I didn't have anything to shampoo so I just soaped up a cloth and used it to scrub my scales and wings. The shower made me feel so much better. My wing membranes were quite sensitive and the stream of water gave them a fantastic massage.

When I stepped back out of the steam-filled bathroom, I made another small discovery. As a dragon, my sense of smell was amazing. The intoxicating scent of bacon was hitting me full force. Instinctively, I flicked my forked tongue out to taste the air for more information. Along with the bacon, I could sense fried eggs and buttered toast, even orange juice. All of it was waiting for me in the kitchen. I nearly fell on my face again as I rushed to put my shorts back on and raced downstairs.

My parents had thought things through and closed all of the blinds and drapes on the first floor. So I walked around with no worries of being seen from outside.

"Hey, Josh," Dad said, looking up from a frying pan full of sizzling bacon. "I hope you still enjoy the same breakfast foods as a dragon. I didn't take you quite literally when you said a dozen eggs, but I made you six to start with a bunch of bacon and toast on the side." He pointed to my place at the table with two full plates of food and a tall glass of orange juice.

"Thanks, Dad," I said, smiling broadly at the thought of a good breakfast. "Yeah, I still feel like I will enjoy the same food as before. It smells amazing at least." Mom and Alex were already waiting for me at the table so I sat down, wanting nothing more than to tip a full plate of bacon into my maw. I restrained myself, though, and waited for Dad to leave the stove and join us. Then we all dug in.

The half-dozen eggs and roughly half-pound of bacon did satisfy me quite well. Adding a few slices of toast and a couple glasses of juice, it was enough to quiet my hunger for a while. Using a knife and fork again took some practice. Transferring the food from the fork into my mouth was a bit tricky since I didn't have lips to neatly wrap around the utensil. Instead, I had to scrape the bites of food off with my teeth. Drinking from a cup was also very different, as I soon found out. Pretty much the only way I could drink was to tip the liquid straight into my open mouth and swallow. Even with the changes, it was all manageable for me. I just provided a little extra entertainment (and extra mess) for my family as I figured it all out.

If you are enjoying this story, please consider leaving a vote or comment to tell me your thoughts! I really appreciate any and all feedback. Thank you for reading!