Wild Rider (Dragon Castaway Book 1) [Complete] {2018 Wattys Longlist}

Chapter 3

"What a colossal waste" Jake thought sadly, glancing down at the massive egg he now carried in his arms. "I'd ask why someone stuck a spear in that dragon, but I have sneaking suspicion I'm literally holding the answer". The thought made him shudder. He'd hunted plenty of game but they were mostly common and he had mostly eaten or stored the meat afterwards.

Maybe it was just the Comanche blood talking to but something struck him as utterly disturbing about what had happened. Killing such an intelligent creature to steal its offspring had to be wrong on several levels. Still all he had to go on with that theory was the egg and his own speculation, but all the uncertainty surrounding the death only made him wonder if the true reason was even worse.

Giving the fallen dragon one last glance Jake bowed his head in respect to the great creature before exiting the cavern and heading back towards his camp. "I hope the fire hasn't died, it would be a real pain in the ass to have to make another one."

As his camp came into view he was relieved to see that while his fire had dimmed it had still not gone out just yet. Carefully placing the egg on the ground near the fire Jake moved over to his stack of wood and began to add more to the flame, gradually building it to the point where it could effectively block out the cool night air.

"Here, this should keep you warm, or at least warmer than I'm am" he chuckled, wrapping the egg in his emergency blanket before turning his attention back to the deer carcass.

Moving the head and neck Jake could see that most of the blood had drained during his little adventure in the mountain and was ready for skinning. Moving carefully, he slipped his knife into the deer and positioned it between the meet and the hide working his way through the carcass. After what seemed like ages Jake cut through the last of the flesh smiling widely as the hide came away intact. "Nice, I was worried there for a second but it looks like I'll be able to make some winter clothing in case I'm here long enough for the seasons to change"

A loud cracking noise erupted behind him abruptly snapped him out of his revelry. Spinning on his heel he looked around frantically before he his gaze settled on the now shaking blanket. Running over he threw the cover off the egg and watched in amazement as it began to shake violently.

"Oh crap, coming already! Don't I even get a honeymoon period!?" Jake's mind raced as he watched cracks form on the surface of the shell.

This was karma, it had to be, for all those times he told his father that he never wanted to be responsible for children. He could picture his father laughing at him from somewhere beyond the grave. The thought didn't give him much humor right now as the cracks became larger and larger.

Finally, the egg burst open and Jake stared in awe as not one, but two dragons, one black and one silver emerged. Each was about four feet long and both were emitting soft chirping cries that he guessed were typical of newborns. As he regained his senses Jake moved slowly towards the newborns his arms open in what he hoped seemed like a friendly gesture. "Hey little guys, your mom asked me to take care of you"

Both dragons looked up at him but didn't back away as he approached. Holding out his hand Jake smiled as the pair sniffed his hand before emitting more chirps. Suddenly the tattoos on his arms briefly shined before quickly fading away.

Looking down at his arms Jake shook his head in puzzlement however as he looked back at the chirping he did a double take in complete confusion. Somehow, he could now feel their emotions and knew, without even knowing how he knew, that they were both incredibly happy and hungry.

Snorting with laughter Jake gestured to his freshly skinned kill. "So, both of you are hungry? Well then you're in luck little ones, are both of you partial to meat?" He didn't even need the emotional link to know the answer, their excited chirps alone were more than enough to tell him that they were more than ok with deer meat.

Smiling, he walked over to his kill and carved off a portion for himself before setting the rest of the carcass in front of the twin dragons. No sooner has had he set the carcass down than the two of them pounced.

Sitting in front of the fire Jake began to roast his own portion of deer as he watched the twins devour the remainder down to the bones. He ate gratefully, watching as his new companions finished their meal and shared their deep contentment with him over their strange new bond. It was a very gratifying feeling and not just from his new psychic powers.

"Damn, they went through that like it was nothing, how much can they eat?" he wondered as the pair crawled over and curled up next to him. Jake took a closer look at the twins, a quick glance told him that the black dragon was a male and the silver a female.

"So, what do I call the two of you?" Jake said trying to project warmth down the bond. He was unsure of how exactly it worked but he had deduced that it was an emotionally driven form of communication. While they couldn't talk in a traditional sense they could project emotions and come to a form of understanding.

Both dragons glanced up at him and he could feel their expectation as he pondered what to call them. As he stared into the golden eyes of the black scaled male he made his decision. "I think I will call you Ragnarok because I have the distinct impression that you and I are going to shake this earth together".

Jake could feel a rush of approval from the black dragon as he shifted his gaze into the bright blue eyes of his silver female and saw a deep, protective ferocity that left him in no doubt. "You, I will call Valkyrie because I can see that from here on that you will always be my greatest defender"

The silver female crooned her own approval as he covered the three of them with his blanket. Within minutes the twin dragons were asleep, but Jake remained awake and stared into the fire the events of the day finally sinking in.

"Well shit, if you asked me about my plans last week, this definitely would not have come into the conversation." He thought placing his hand on the top of Valkyrie's head, stroking her gently. She crooned in pleasure wrapping her tail around his leg. "Don't worry" he whispered in her ear "we'll always protect each other against the world, no matter what happens in the future". Watching the fire die Jake laid his head down, ruefully wondering just how far they would have to go to keep that vow.