Dragon Child: The Journey Begins

Chapter 25

*cough* *cough* *cough*

Yep, that definitely wasn't the brightest idea I've ever had.  I feel that it was a deliberate attempt on my life! Darn lightening.

And what happened to my precious crystal! Don't tell me, it's truly broken now! I don't think I could handle that!  Ah! I feel the tears beginning....

I slowly opened my clenched fist to look. What a relief! I was so scared! It looks like that unexpected explosion didn't damage my precious crystal after all!

Although, now that I'm thinking about it, I feel like there's something important I'm forgetting about. I couldn't help but to tap my chin as I thought about what it could be. Hmmm, what's more important than the well being of my crystal?

*cough* *cough*

Eh? What was that?

*cough* *cough* *cough*

There it is again. What is that? ......AH! I remember now! My little baby! My Umbra! I was attempting to rescue her when this unexpected event happened!

Ah, don't judge me! Yes, I forgot about my baby. But I'll have you know that I've only been a Papa for half an hour now. It's quite easy to forget, really. Ahem.

Anyway, I should check that she's okay.  Well, it's pretty hard to tell where she is at the moment, though.  It's extremely smoky in here, plus she's black and fits right in with the shadows. I guess that I will just have to go towards the *cough* *cough* coughing noi.. *cough* *cough* ...se.

Okay, that's not gonna work. It's hard to hear the coughing over my own coughing. Although, I wouldn't think that it would be too terribly hard to find her. Before the explosion, she was right in front of me.

That's it, I'll just reach out and see if she's still there. And so I did. I stretched my hands out as if I was a blind person, which technically, at the moment, I am. 

I'm sweeping them side to side as I slowly walk forward. Whoops! Tripped a bit there. Okay, now I'm slowly moving forward while shuffling my feet. Don't want to face plant, after all. That would be a bit embarrassing, not to mention undignified for the mighty dragon that I am.

What? I can't always be calling myself as a mighty dragon's child, now can I? I'm a Papa now. I have a certain image to uphold. I must be the mighty dragon now....even if I'm not quite a true dragon, but let's not talk about that.

Ahem, anyway, I shuffled along looking for my princess.  I'm pretty sure that I was getting close as the other coughing noise was getting louder.  Does that mean she escaped? I mean, I had to walk a fair distance so far and still haven't really found her. 

Maybe if I call out to her. She was sleeping before, but surely that explosion woke her up. Although, that might not be the case. You may not know this, but dragons sleep, like, a lot.  Three fourths of their day can be taken up with sleeping. They use the other fourth to hunt, eat, do certain things that every creature must do after eating, dig their den, observe their treasure room, and learn.

So it's highly likely that she might still be sleeping. Now I, on the other hand, would have no problem with waking up through that noise.  That's why I will never make a great dragon....*sigh*

I'm getting off track again! Now where was I? Or rather, where was Umbra?

"Umbra? My little shadow? Where are you, princess?" I called out in my best 'papa' voice.

"Papa! I got woke up!" Ah! My baby is crying! And she's right at my feet!

It's a good thing she called out when she did. I almost stepped on her!  I'm sure that wouldn't have left a good impression of me to her.