Eternal bond

Ameria

A couple of days had gone by from when the dragon had hatched. Normally he would have already been in Nartheim by now. However, his sprained ankle had significantly hampered his ability to traverse the whispering forest. It annoyed him that his ankle forced him to travel at a slow pace and as such he worried about whether his family were worrying about him. The dragon though appeared to be lapping up the experience and had come to squawking at anything new that they passed. This tended to be quite annoying since it was perched on his shoulder beside his ear, causing him to grimace often. The whispering forest had acquired its name because in parts an audible whispering sound was apparent. Many claimed that it was merely the wind rushing past the trees that created this odd phenomena. Several times he suffered through the dragon's loud squawk when this phenomena was created. The whispering nature meant that many of the villagers actively avoided the forest. That and the proximity to the shadow land's border.

In just the past two days the dragon had grown from fitting snugly in his hand to being the size of his forearm. Soon his shoulder wouldn't be able to carry the weight of the dragon. In the evenings when Athan managed to produce a roaring campfire, the dragon would gaze intently into its depth. It was as if it was transfixed by the site of the flame, perhaps because it reminded it of the flame in its belly. Most mornings when Athan would wake up, he would either find the dragon lying on his chest or curled up tight besides him. In all honesty he found it a comforting experience, especially in the cold forest.

Traveling with the dragon over the past few days had built a bond of companionship between the two. Athan's knowledge about the dragon seemed to grow as they traveled with each other. It soon became apparent that the dragon enjoyed licking his ear and neck whilst they walked through the forest. He also believed that the dragon was female, as some of the markings on her stomach appeared similar to markings from books that he possessed as a child. Consequently, he named the dragon Ameria, as he felt that it fit her playful attitude.

He was loathed to part with the dragon and he found himself actively trying to increase the length of the trip, in order to spend more time with Ameria. Despite his best efforts he couldn't prolong his arrival forever, as he still had a responsibility towards his family. Ameria didn't seem perturbed by any of this nor the faint sounds emanating from the village, which was odd considering her behavior further back in the Whispering Forest. The dragon peacefully ambled beside him in the forest, nibbling any strange or new thing that they happened to come across. The exponential growth of the dragon had made it awkward to balance her and he constantly felt like he was about to topple, from the additional weight.

When they camped for the final night, the young dragon enjoyed playing around the campfire, before finally retiring into Athan's arms. Just as if it were a toddler and Athan its parent. Athan couldn't help but stare at Ameria, as she gently snored. His eyes were drawn to how her stomach rose and fell, creating a unique rhythm with the whispering of the forest. Soon he to fell asleep, all the while cradling the slumbering dragon.

By noon they had reached the outskirts of the forest, the dragon stared intently through the windows that dotted the couple of wooden building. She appeared to be amazed at how different houses were, from the natural landscape of the forest. It was, as if she could feel the magic that resided in these homes. For the elves and humans had long ago discovered that magic allowed them to manipulate reality. Pipes that could take fluids against the tide of gravity, to messages that could be communicated instantaneously over great distances. All of these had been the combination of magic and science.

Every young-ling was taught the manipulation of magic from a young age, it was the foundation of the education system. Athan wasn't particularly gifted at the manipulation of magic, he thought it was partly due to going to a rural school, as they were notorious for being underfunded. Although, Athan was competent at using hunting magic, as he found that years had honed his ability to control the direction of arrows, as they zoomed through the air. It amazed him that in a world were the fabric of reality could be manipulated so easily, that some had to hunt in order to eat. Even though, shops existed at the end of streets, with the ability to feed everyone.

He dismissed these thoughts quickly, as despite how unfair he perceived his situation, it would not be productive to brood on it. The dragon though still appeared to be awed by the new world she had been brought to. This gave him a chuckle, as he could see that if he had lived in the woods all his life, then a town would look very foreign to him. Finally the dragon turned its head to look at him and opened its wings once more. By now he was astute at picking up the dragon's cues and proceeded to bend down and pick up the dragon, so that he could hold her.

He shook his head and said "You'r a cheeky little one, aren't you."

Ameria proceeded to squawk whilst pointing a slightly offended glare at Athan. He couldn't help but laugh at how childlike the dragon was. He proceeded to cradle the dragon, who took full advantage of this opportunity and snuggled its head against him, whilst wrapping its tail around his arm.

Once night descended, he figured he was safe to transport Ameria. It was unlikely he would encounter anyone from town at nighttime, especially if he walked around the perimeter. Yet, apprehension bore into him, as he wondered how the rest of the town would respond if they knew he was transporting a dragon. Greater yet he feared his family's response, as he had been gone for a whole week, not to mention he was arriving with a dragon. Soft light drifted out from the few houses around the perimeter, partially illuminating the paddocks and the creatures that lived inside them.

The dragon's companion stopped at the building with the thatched eaves. Like all the properties that the dragon had seen from its nice comfy bed, it was spotless. Parts of the infrastructure definitely appeared to have deteriorated, yet it wasn't aesthetically flawed. The dragon looked from Athan to the building, as if making the connection that this was his egg. It proceeded to snort, at how unfair this was, that his egg was bigger than hers. Athan was now quite in-tune with the dragons snorts and couldn't help but be amused by the dragons protest of inequality.

He waited at the front door, not daring to move his hands closer to the knob. Even looking at it, made him anxious, for he feared his parent's reaction once they discovered the dragon. Thoughts kept racing through his mind, principally him soaring through the clouds battling egels, all whilst Ameria snorted happily. It was definitely an odd notion, yet the second part made him smile. He knew he would be giving up any chance of being with her, as his parents would surely make him give her up. Even if he kept her, how would he keep a dragon hidden indefinitely, he doubted his ability to keep a dragon hidden from the whole of the Angarandian government. If he was able to achieve such a feat, he pondered the life she would have tucked away in the whispering forest, trying to avoid detection. Instantly he knew he had to return her to the government and by extension confront his parents. He had to do it for Ameria's sake.

Slowly his hand crept up to the handle and gently pushed the door open.