Scales

Chapter Twenty-seven

​​One of the traits that I liked about Jack was how helpful and caring he was. Even if he had deadlines, Jack would always negotiate and try his best to ensure the satisfaction of those whom he loved and trusted.

"What is it, Mav? Is there something troubling you?"

A tear fell from my eye, hitting the floor like a dropped pushpin. "Y-y-yes, there is. I...I had this dream, and it was such a nutcase that it felt real."

"What did you see? Can you give a few descriptive details?"

"I don't know, man. It's too scary to even remember. One thing I encountered in the dream though, was a woman. She was crying in despair and sorrow. I tried to talk in the hopes of helping her, but she just ranted about how she lost her son and that her life is ruined. And...she called me a savage beast who could have been the one that took her son. She also shoved my comforting hand away and ran off."

That scared Jack – I could tell by the fluttering breath in his voice. "Did she—"

I cut him off. "She mentioned that her son's name was...Toby."

For a second I thought I heard a car's brakes screech loudly, but knew at the same time that I was nowhere near a road. And no forest-dwelling animal makes that kind of sound. I pressed the phone to my ear and listened carefully, despite the static. Three spine-raising minutes later, Jack finally responded, his voice twitchy.

"Where are you?"

"In a cave, somewhere southwest of Lake Tahoe."

"Are you at ground level or...?"

"My home is situated about..." I paused. I couldn't even recall any type of metric or imperial measurements since I had become a dragon. But my friends knew of my size, so I used that as a reference. "About a wingspan above the forest below. Steep rocky gradient, though not necessarily a cliff. The entrance overlooks the forest itself. I'm not sure about the actual elevation."

"Can you recall which direction you went from the road I left you on?"

I shook my head. "I climbed up to the very top of the valley and took off, only to get into a fight."

"A fight?"

"With a goshawk."

"Ha!"

"Yeah. He chased me way out of that area...north, I think. Anyways it's good to hear from you again."

"You too, Toby. I hope someday we can all be family again. Say...how about for the summer we give your mother the surprise of her life? I'll talk with my parents, Cody and Melanie later this week. If they can all agree, then I'll bring your mother along, and together we'll go to Lake Tahoe, where you can meet us."

"Really?!" I said excitedly, almost jumping in astonishment. "You think you can do it?"

"It was I who started the events leading up to this disintegration. It is only right that I attempt to bring us all back together again. I'll call back in a few days, maybe with Melanie on the line too."

"Please do. I really want to talk with her sometime. I miss you all already. Bye Jack."

"Bye Toby. Keep up your efforts and sharpen those survival skills. I'm proud of you."

I hung up and put the satellite phone back in its dock, before storing it in the little "electronics hut" I'd made, behind the radio.

Just before bedtime, I decided to try to reach Rusty Ratchet. I plugged in the radio and tuned into his frequency, which I'd come to know by heart now. Strangely though, there was no voice – just endless static. Not the "bad signal" type static, but just normal, smooth static.