Scales

Chapter Twenty-nine

With Lily still asleep on my back, I gently shook the water off my wings and dragged myself to the back of the cave. My body was so cold and sore I could barely walk. In the dark, I spotted the flashlight, grabbed it, and flicked it on, flooding the cave with light. The bed and the storage container full of fish became a hundred times more visible, and my bed could be seen more easily.

I gently tapped the girl's hand with the dull side of one of my fingertip claws. "Wake up, sweetie."

Lily stirred slightly, before opening her eyes. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere safe," I replied with an exhausted moan, lying flat on the cave floor so she could get off.

I positioned the flashlight so it would shine across the whole cave, but wouldn't point directly at her. Now that we were out of the rain, I hoped Lily would be more relaxed. But with the cave lit, the light shone across me, illuminating my large bluish-black figure.

"Dragon!" she exclaimed in an adorable voice. "You're a..."

"Yes, I am a dragon," I interrupted. "A helpful, friendly one, but a lonely one though."

"You're so big, but so gentle."

"Thank you."

I then helped Lily to take off her raincoat, and hung it on a thin pointy end of rock that was protruding through the cave wall high up. She started to feel cold due to the drafts of air, so I brushed the dirt off my blanket and piled it around her. As she got warm, I noticed her backpack.

"What do you have inside of there?" I inquired.

Lily rubbed her head. "Thanks so much for rescuing me. Where's Mommy?"

I sadly shook my head. "I have no idea. But once the storm is over we'll go out together and find her."

Lily's lips trembled slightly and she looked up at me with pitiful eyes. "Promise?"

"I promise, Lily," I replied, putting a supportive hand around her. "Back to the bag – what's inside?"

"Just a few of my camping items. A few snacks, a small pan, and some of my mom's cooking spices, along with a towel."

My face lit up with a grin. It couldn't have been more perfect. Upon arrival, food and water was a cause for concern, but now those worries had been put to rest. With her permission, I unzipped the soggy pink backpack and pulled out the towel, which amazingly, was still partly dry.

"Take off your garments and dry off," I instructed, handing it to her. "Don't worry, I won't look."

I turned the other way and covered my eyes with the palms of my hands, almost like a whimpering dog. Meanwhile, Lily stepped out of the nest-like bed and stripped down, before rubbing herself dry with the towel. After redressing, she made a little "click" sound.

"All done!"

I uncovered my eyes and turned back to face her. "Feeling better?"

"A lot better. I still feel cold, but not as cold as before."

"Good. Now let's get some sleep."

I curled up on my leafy bed and draped the blanket over me, before inviting her in.

"What's your name, big dragon?" Lily asked as she snuggled up next to my head.

"Maverick," I replied, placing a comforting scaly arm beside her body and wrapping a corner of the blanket around her. Tired but relieved and safe, we both slipped away into an exhausted sleep.

Amazingly, Lily was the first one up the following morning.

"Good morning, Maverick!" she said, rubbing the smooth scales on my neck.