Misadventures of a Dragon Scribe

"Flitt! You're distracting me!"

Arlen swiped at the air, as the tiny winged creature zipped and dodged, holding one of her precious paintbrushes just out of reach. Little Flitt was supposed to be her Muse. Like her father before her, and countless ancestors before him, Arlen had been given the (supposedly) humbling honor of being a Dragon Scribe. It was her duty to bring to life the wordless, shapeless language of the dragons by painting their messages for all to see. A hatchling chooses a Scribe on the day it turns one year old. When it does, they're bound to each other for life from that day forward.

Arlen was the youngest of five sisters and four brothers. That made her number ten. Each of them was an "accomplished" artist in one way or another, and there was a good deal of talk in the town as to which one of them the bright-eyed hatchling would choose to be his voice in the world. Surely it would be Kayla; her mastery of the human language would transform the dragon's speech into clear and beautiful poetry like the world had never seen. Though, some would argue that the twins, Daniel and Draco, would be a wiser choice. With the dragon inspiring the design of their wonderful machines, surely it would revolutionize the kingdom! If Hilda were chosen, she and the dragon could have crafted the most beautiful armor and weaponry to be bestowed upon the royal knights. That would surely have brought the kingdom's favor upon the little town. Then again, it would also have been amusing for the "Full House", as they'd been affectionately nicknamed, to have been given the honor. The group of five, Mira, Aura, Flayva, Oks, and Tak, could have been inspired to produce such clever plays! Alas, none of it was to be.

Instead, Arlen got him. The little brat who'd been nearly caught twice (and got away clean dozens of times more) gracing the walls of shops, and the sides of wagons with her unsolicited artistic talents. The town gave a collective groan.