Expanded Horizons: Beyond the Blue

Taking Flight: Chapter One

Ulan proudly and gingerly handled his certificate of graduation in his claws as he looked for a good spot to hang it on his wall. He placed all his big accomplishments on the wall, but this was his greatest achievement, and it deserved a solid center spot amongst the rest. He finally finished school; albeit a bit late; an achievement even his parents weren't sure he could claim.

"Mom and dad were so proud," Ulan said quietly to himself, hugging his diploma.

He heard two knocks on the door and turned around to see his parents lumber in. Humans and elves seemed to think dragons had a natural majesty to them, but Ulan always chuckled when his chubby father and tiny mom try to fit through a door at the same time. He found their smiles incredibly endearing, unlike the smaller races who always saw teeth first.

"Looking for good spot, son?" Ulan's father asked.

"Dah, I want to make it the centerpiece," Ulan replied, flashing a toothy grin. "I finally did it! I'm at least as good as all the other kids!"

"You're even greater, love," Ulan's mother said. "They could never do it how you did."

Ulan bounced in his spot and turned back to his wall. He gently took down his certificate for excellent athleticism and placed it on the bed for resetting later and put up his graduation diploma. Finishing primary school opened a lot of doors, if he wanted, and not all kids managed to do it, especially ones like him. Most of his teachers had tried to give up on him, but he never quit.

"I did it," Ulan said giddily to himself. His parents both chuckled and left the room.

"Come on downstairs when you're ready to work for the day," Ulan's father said. "We still have lots to do!"

"Dah, father!"

Ulan spent a little more time reorganizing his wall and appreciating his hard work before heading down the stairs to the storefront to get to work. The store seemed extra busy today, as some recent uptick in the mines' production in the nearby mountains gave Schattensbergh a major economic boom. People had money to spend, and they could come to Ulan's family's store to do all the home décor upgrades they had always wanted.

Ulan threw on his uniform, a simple chest cover with the store logo and dragon trousers, and got to work. He manned the shelves and helped customers find what they were looking for. The people of the town came to know their store pretty well, in part thanks to Ulan's friendliness and exemplary patience with even difficult customers.

Ulan set a ceramic pot on the lower shelf, carefully arranging it so that it looked nice with the other decorative items next to it as customers walked by. The humans and elves who mostly formed their customers always wondered at the things they sold. Ulan proudly told them all that his mom made them every time, and sometimes he would get to help.

A customer tapped on his shoulder and he slowly turned his head around to avoid knocking into anything.

"Hello!" he greeted cheerfully. "How may I assist you today?"

"You seem like a dragon of taste," the human man said poshly. "I need a nice, plush rug to go before a fireplace, something warm and welcoming."

"Oh, I have just the thing!"

Ulan led the customer to the textiles section and showed him their softer rugs. Quite the salesman, Ulan pitched the more expensive rugs with ease, playing to the man's clear, recent increase in budget. The man was sold in a matter of minutes, purchasing a slightly smaller but incredibly fine chinchilla rug that ran him almost a dozen silver pieces.

Ulan's day went about that well for the remainder of his time working, just slightly better than a typical day for him. He always enjoyed showing customers his family's wares, as they were always impressed and always liked talking to him. His favorite customers were always the older ladies who came in.

"Hello!" Ulan said as a customer walked by. "Do you need help today?"

"No, thank you," the customer said curtly.

"Okay, I will be here if you do!"

Ulan turned around and walked around to find any customers who did need assistance, totally missing the abrupt rudeness of his last interaction. The customer seemed flustered for a moment, then went about his business, clearly unaware of Ulan's reputation. Ulan next found a group of ladies ogling a number of fine glassware items.

"Hello!" he greeted.

"Ulan!" one of the ladies replied. It was one of the old ladies who always came by for something new and less expensive to add to her home. "Always good to see you."

"I'm always glad to see my friend!" Ulan said with a big smile, getting a giggle from the ladies. "What kind of things are you in the mood to look at today?"

"I want something that's bright and cheery, like you!" the lady replied, causing Ulan to blush a little under his scales. "The future is bright, so I want something like that today."

"The glass is a good start," Ulan said. "These are smooth, but we have items that have many flat faces, good for reflecting light in many directions. In light, they are very bright indeed!"

"Ooooh, that sounds lovely. Let's see them."

Ulan brought the ladies to the flat-faced glassware items and sold several, happy to see his friends happy with their new items as they headed off. Ulan kept it up all day, hitting a new personal record for sales, completing his day with a high the likes of which he had never felt before. His accomplishments and work that day brought him to new heights, and he was ready for the life ahead of him and whatever new things it may bring.

He went to bed that night with warmth in his heart and high expectations for his future accomplishments, knowing that no one could stop him if he just kept working hard and refused to quit.