Dragonsoul

Chapter 5

The eyes of the dragon staring at her in wonder were beauty in themselves. They were brown with blue, red, and green color spiraling through them with a few sparkling little stars adorning them. The swirling depth of the dragon's eyes made an immediate connection with the warmth of Leonie's earthy brown ones. Two souls seeing each other for what they truly were. It was a thing so rare that it was believed to be but a mere tale.

As the dragon came out of its crackling shell in the light of day, its true beauty shined with the power of a shooting star making the sun seem but a mere recollection of what light truly was.

Leonie was in awe. She could not remember how the breath of life should flow through her body caught as she was by the beauty of it all. The magic of birth, the graceful figure of the creature born, it was all too much for her senses to absorb. It was a struggle to comprehend that the creature before her, the charming little dragon, would grow up to become the most powerful being in the land.

There was something. A strong emotion. A strong recognition, that Leonie couldn't fully comprehend. However, she knew at that moment that she had found what she had been looking for. She found a special bond between two living beings that a rare few are fortunate enough to encounter and even that only after a long and arduous journey. A life long connection simmered on the surface of their souls although they had just seen their physical selves for the first time.

The small little guy started sniffing in Leonie's proximity as if wondering what the small creature sitting next to him truly was and why it was so fragile and sad. The sadness emanating from the little girl was almost too much to bear for the one whose heart hadn't been broken yet.

A huge bright green tear rolled down from the dragon's cheek before Leonie had the time to realize what was happening. It plopped down on the ground painting it green, making a striking contrast with the brown dirt beneath the dragons clawed feet. Only when the tear rolled off his scaly cheek did Leonie realize her mistake.

Stunned as she was, she forgot all that her father had ever taught her about the newly born dragons. It was not commonly known, but the young dragons did not possess the ability to communicate in the way of other beings. Instead, they expressed themselves by sharing their emotions and receiving the emotions of others in return. That was how they connected with the world, and she was suddenly aware of what the poor dragon might be experiencing by trying to connect with her shattered heart.

"I am so sorry, you poor little thing. I didn't mean for you to have such a rude awakening." Leonie said.

As she said that she did her best to refocus her emotions on all the pleasant memories, on the good times her family had, on the joy they shared until the poor baby dragon had the time to learn how to control the strange power it knew not that it possessed.

She tried to think about the time they were playing with the goats and the baby goat ran into the house. Recollecting how she had to chase it around the house and under the bed. They were all laughing, especially her father who found her scrambling under the bed and coming out covered in cobwebs the most humorous thing ever.

Still, that didn't seem to help her put her sorrow away. Just thinking about her father brought her an immense amount of pain since she knew that those were the moments they would never get to have again. With time, she would forget the sound of her father's laughter, the gentleness of his touch, and the courage of his words.

He will die once again in her memories. She would be the one to deal with the deathly blow because her unsteady memories would erase the most precious moments she had with her father. Isn't forgetting a murder of its own? It was an inevitability, the tide of time always erases what was for what is yet to come.

From the shuddering of the scared little dragon next to her, Leonie realized that she was not making it any easier for him because the memories she chose were not helping. The pain she caused to the dragon was mirrored in her own heart since it was so pure and full of compassion.

With as much haste as her brain could muster she started focusing on her mother. She focused with all her might on the warm touch of her hand soothing Leonie when she was sick or sad. Her good memories with her mother started resurfacing from the sea of sadness Leonie was drowning in just moments before.

As clear as day she could remember her mother tucking her in for the night, telling her stories of hunters and dragons, princes, and princesses. Knowing her daughter so well, she always made the princesses strong and independent while still beautiful and gentle at times.

It warmed Leonie's heart to remember the wonderful smells that spread through the cabin as her mother prepared her favorite meals with a smile on her face and a song on her lips. Her mother's singing voice was one that stunned people with its beauty and gentleness. It could calm even the most troublesome seas.

Leonie let her mind drift off to all the times when her mother's comforting embrace kept the fear at bay in all those nights that she awoke screaming as if surrounded by things that were never truly there. As if being able to see through the veil of what was or would be.

One memory after another, all the good times started passing through her mind in the same way nature changes its seasons. Her little brother's laughter and playfulness came to mind and how happy she was when she first saw his cute, little baby hands and those beautiful eyes staring at her in wonder. It was one of the most precious moments of her life, being told that she was a big sister.

It made her so proud to be a big sister of someone as amazing as Nald. She could see all those wonderful images of his first laughter, of his first steps, in her mind's eyes. All those precious, cherished moments managed to put the sorrow deeper down in her heart. She was finally able to put those positive emotions at the forefront of her heart where the baby dragon could feel only them.

Finally, the confused dragon started feeling better and the joy of life was obvious burning brightly in his magnificent eyes. He slowly approached Leonie sniffing slowly at her outstretched hand.

The next thing Leonie knew the dragon's clawed front leg was gently touching her hand. It was as if the world stopped spinning at that very moment. Everything blurred out except for the young dragon in front of her.

There was prickling energy emanating from its clawed limb into Leonie's hand. Although it was almost too much to bear, Leonie didn't break the contact. Instead, she embraced the energy emanating from the dragon, allowing it to enter her hand and spread from her fingertips through her hand to her very heart.

A string of electrifying energy stretched from her heart to the one of the beautiful Green Scaled Dragon and although it had more power in it than Leonie had ever felt it was also a comfort. It felt to her as if her own heart was expanding to allow for more love, more emotions to enter it.

Although any living creature under the sun would have been terrified, Leonie wasn't scared. She was elated. It was obvious to her, the way it wouldn't have been to many others, that she had managed to do what rare few humans had done. She had bonded her heart and soul with a Green Scaled Dragon. It was her gesture that saved his life, but she felt like she had done what had to be done.

She knew she did the right thing and that was the only thing she cared about. It didn't even occur to her that her gestures were brave. That they showed pureness of her heart. For little Leonie, it was something that had to be, something that was necessary and pleasant to do. Saving lives was always a priority to her.

Bond having been forged, Leonie couldn't help but wonder what she would do next. She knew what had to be done, but wasn't sure if she was ready for it. So she just sat there enjoying the view of sun glistening off the dragon's scales making it seem as if it was not green but the color of the rainbow.

"Alright, I guess it's time for the two of us to go home," Leonie said as she got up from the dew adorned ground.