Dragonsoul

Chapter 12

Leonie went inside the forest wall and right through it into a huge meadow that no natural laws should have allowed to occupy the same space. Still, anything was impossible where magic was involved, and Leonie knew that better than anyone else.

Before she had the chance to recover from the uncomfortable sensation that followed the passage from one place to another, Rim came through the wall utterly confused. His usually large eyes became even bigger because of the wonder of it all.

It was obvious that the young dragon was afraid of the sudden sensation, which was similar to the one of falling, that came with passing through two different realities. His tail kept twitching, and his eyes flew around, scanning for danger. The instincts of a dragon were at the forefront of his mind, and gone was the playful little dragon that she had seen moments before.

Leonie started petting his head, trying to send all the soothing emotions she could muster. It was a challenge, but she thought she did a good job of showing the place in a more positive light. Since she was unsure if Rim could understand what she was saying completely, she thought starting with reassuring emotions was the most important step.

"It's okay. We are safe. Toras is going to help us. We are okay." Leonie said.

As she said that, she kept sending all the positive emotions that she could gather in her small body, and it seemed to appease the dragon. He relaxed, his tail stopped twitching, and his eyes focused on Leonie, trusting her implicitly.

It was overwhelming for a little girl to have someone trust her completely, to rely on her help. In a way, she felt like Rim's mother, as if it was her job to teach him all he needed to know, but more importantly protect him from the rest of the world. It was an immense responsibility, and Leonie was unsure if she was worthy of the task.

Still, it was not in the blood of a Hunter to give up, even if by the chance of nature, she was born as a girl. In her heart, she knew that she was special, that there was a path Destiny had chosen for her. She was determined to find out what it was and fulfill it to the best of her abilities.

"I am going to make a strange sound, now. Don't be scared, it's just to make our presence known to the Mage." Leonie said.

While saying that she tried to send the feelings of comfort and joy to the little guy. She was hoping that the fact that she was in a good state, emotionally, at that moment would help Rim do the same and not get too frightened.

That was when Leonie finally started howling like a wolf, the call of a Hunter, that everyone in her village and surrounding areas would easily recognize. It was a powerful sound that represented the strength and courage of the Hunters, as well as their partly wild nature since they spent a lot of their time in the wilderness.

As soon as she let out the sound, something started happening around them, a transformation, a revelation. Instead of a meadow filled with various plants and flowers, they were able to see a small wooden cottage that was in the center of it all.

At first, everything was fuzzy. It reminded Leonie of looking through the fog, but as the last remnants of the howling echoed through the meadow, the house became a solid, clearly-visible structure. It was a cozy little place, and one could feel the magic emanating from its every pore.

Soon enough, a figure emerged from the front door, and Leonie recognized Toras in all his magical glory. He was never the one to shy away from using his magic. So she was not surprised to note that there was a teacup floating close by him, waiting for him to take a sip.

"Oh, Leonie, I did not expect that the wind would bring you here so soon. Your mother did mention you might be coming, but I haven't expected you for many moons yet to come...Oh, I see." Toras said as he noted the dragon standing next to her.

"Well, I must say with all my magic and wisdom, I did not see this coming. It is utterly unexpected. I wonder how it happened...Oh, I do apologize. Where are my manners? Come in, come in, we have a lot to discuss." He said.

Leonie and Rim started towards the door, but the dragon could not fit through the door frame. However, with one wave of Toras' hand, the door widened, and the house shifted as if it was adjusting to the presence of a dragon.

"Welcome, to my humble abode," Toras said as he led them in.

Rim was suspicious of the new surroundings, but the moment a fireplace came into his field of vision, everything else ceased to exist. The playful game of the crackling fire became the dragon's only focus. He was so lost in the colorful flames that Leonie had a feeling he was in his own world of warmth and comfort.

"Did you cast a spell upon my dragon?" Leonie asked the Mage suspiciously.

"No, my dear, I would never dare do so." He replied.

The sweet sound of honesty colored his voice, and Leonie knew that he was telling the truth. She could not explain how she knew that, without a shadow of a doubt, but she was aware that it had something to do with the emotions that underlined a speech of a person.

It was similar to listening to the sounds of the forest and being able to distinguish all the different voices with clarity and certainty. An uncanny ability to feel more than there was on the surface, was very helpful, but at the same time terrifying for a little girl who was just learning what life truly was.

The school of life had only just started, and already she had learned a few valuable lessons. Life wasn't fair. It was a constant struggle, the best a person could do was keep going and strive to be the best person one could be. Life was also beautiful, in all its diversity, but also cruel as the survival of the fittest was its prerogative. Far too many lessons had she learned, in a short amount of time, which made her head and heart reel from being overstimulated.

Still, she struggled through the confusion, and glimpses of pain that managed to break through the wall she put between herself and all the things she could not face. However, she was more worried about her dragon friend than she was about herself.

"Then what is wrong with him? Why does he have that spellbound expression on his face?" Leonie asked.

"It is the fire, my dear. After all, your friend is a dragon. Fire is part of who the dragons are. It is part of their being. He remembers what it feels like, to be one with it. I started the fire to see if he was close to getting his firepower, and you are just in time. He will soon start using his fire, and I need to prepare you for that." Toras said.

"I don't understand. How do you know that?" Leonie said, massaging her head in which pain blossomed like flowers in spring.

"I can see it in the way he looks at the fire. You said he was entranced, and he is. He is spellbound by the element that is closest to him, by fire. You see, we are all born closer to one element than the others. When it comes to dragons, it is just more obvious. Their element is fire, and it will always be. However, for humans and other beings, the element is not necessarily the same." Toras said.

The wise Mage could see that the girl's mind was clouded by confusion and pain. It became obvious to him, that she had been trying to control something that defied control, her emotions. That meant further explanations would have to wait, no matter how close the dragon was to spit out fire. The girl's mental state was far more important to be able to help the dragon.

"You know what? You look tired. Why don't you drink the healing tea that I have in that teapot, and take a rest while your dragon is focused on the fire. After all, it might take him a while to get back to his old self." Toras said.

It would not have been her first time to rest in the Mage's house, she had done so on many occasions in the past when she had followed her father on short, less dangerous hunting trips, but it somehow felt wrong to do so at that moment. Leonie felt as if she were showing weakness, and she never wanted to seem weak, not now when she had a baby dragon to take care of.

"It will be good for both you and the dragon," Toras said.

"Very well," Leonie agreed.

She quickly sipped her tea, and soon enough, her cup was empty. Then, she lay down on the comfortable sofa she got to know so well.

Dreams she expected were one's of her father being alive, of the precious time they spent together, but those were not the dreams that graced her with their presence.