Scales

Chapter Thirty

​​We all began the journey back to the campground. Lily's parents suggested walking back on foot with them, but she insisted on riding me.

"Are you sure she won't fall off?" the father asked me seriously.

"Promise," I replied. Lily gripped the rope across my shoulders, and I took off into the sky as everyone watched in awe. I glanced back at them, a beacon of pride glowing in my heart. With just one brave action, I had won the trust of Lily's parents.

As the search party began their long trek back to the campsite, I lowered the altitude until Lily and I were just above the trees, so we'd be able to see the search party from above and follow them closely.

"It must be pretty intimidating for them to have your big black underside darkening the ground below," Lily teased, before requesting something I thought she'd never ask of me.

"How about a good joke for the campers? Let's get there first and surprise them. If you can beat the search party..."

My eyes bulged with astonishment. Was she really asking me to go fast? And to give those at the campground the fright of their lives?

"If you insist!" I replied smugly, cruising over the forest until the search party was just behind my tail. Then I rose a little and flapped my wings hard, rapidly picking up speed. Lily squealed (I couldn't tell if it was from fright or excitement), and I felt a hard tug on the rope. The world flew past us faster than my brain could pick out a row of trees.

"That's pretty fast enough!" Lily shouted, and I just made out her voice from the rushing air. I slowed down just enough for both of us to hear each other and sped towards the small lake on the horizon. Beside the lake lay the campground. Reducing my speed to a smooth glide, I looked down and observed the action going on the ground below.

One or two campers had spotted us, but the vast majority were still busy entertaining themselves with music, reading, or discussing amongst themselves as they packed up, most likely for a hike. Maybe it was because we were high up in the sky, but the fact that they were so oblivious to our presence almost made me laugh.

Lily held on tight as I dropped at high speed downwards above the trees, approaching the camp from the north. I glided over the water in plain sight of everyone, letting out a small puff of flame to intensify my approach. As we'd both hoped, the reactions were absolutely priceless.

"What the heck?" one yelped, jumping back.

"Is that Lily?" another asked in shock.

Several others backed up, and I caught sight of one woman fainting as I touched down on the grassy field that lay just beyond the lake's southern shoreline.

"Stay back!" Lily ordered, before dismounting from me and hopping down onto the ground, as if I was a horse. "It's okay guys, it's okay. He's a friend. I'm sure he's more scared than you are."

"Who is he?" one of the campers asked.

"I'm Maverick. I actually live in this forest, just down south. I've been so secretive and elusive that you guys haven't seen me yet," I said with a raised eyebrow and a little smirk.

"It – you – talks!" the same individual exclaimed with a gasp. "You're a talking, fire breathing dragon!"

I nodded with a smile, introducing myself to about five other campers – Sam, Alfred, Skye, Frank, and Robert, who shared their thoughts and gave some offerings.

"You're pretty intimidating," Sam said.

"Can I..." Skye began, but I already knew what she wanted. I walked up right next to her and let her caress my neck and head. She even kissed me on top of my nose like a dog.

With Lily leading the way, we walked through the campground, and I revealed a surprising secret.

"I once chatted with a trucker, Rusty Ratchet, over the radio, when I felt lonely one afternoon. I thought about what would be a good handle, and whipped up the name "Black Night Fury"."

"How ironic!" Frank exclaimed. "You sorta look like one."

"You have a radio?!" Robert said, astounded that a dragon like me would be able to have a radio and converse with people.

"Given to me by friends," I replied in a rather sluggish voice. "There's a lot more behind it all, but I'd rather not tell you."

"Hey, now I know who you are!" Alfred announced. "You're that unidentified black flying object that was reported being seen over Lake Tahoe!"

I nodded, but my mind was shifting into overdrive and worry. It felt okay revealing my presence to these friendly campers, but I'd be dead meat for the government's alien research team if they came to know of my location. No doubt they already knew what I looked like, which would be enough for them to track me down to some degree. I tried to hide my growing internal fear as the search party finally turned up.

The other campers were glad to have them back, too. Lily's parents, John and Taylor, also formally introduced themselves. Many of the other campers were also shocked by my presence but soon relaxed upon realizing how friendly I was.

As everybody settled down for the evening, a few other children with their families also spotted me and came running over, their eyes wide and their hearts bubbling with joy at the sight of a mighty black dragon wandering around their campsites. With John acting as a supervisor, I let the kids shake hands with me and clamber on my back. I really wanted to take them for a ride but Taylor and the other parents firmly said no. Besides, the sky was getting dark already.

I kindly lit up the campfire for Lily and her family, along with anyone else who had trouble lighting theirs. We roasted sausages over the fire, and Lily played a game of catch-the-sausage-slice with me.

"You'll choke!" Taylor gasped as I reared up on my hind legs to catch a thick slice of juicy grilled sausage Lily threw to me.

"I'm still a wild animal, even if I can speak," I reminded her, snapping up the meat.

After the roasting session, John handed me a clear plastic container with a handle. My jaw dropped as I noticed its contents. Inside lay three bottles of fruit juice, and two smaller containers – with a large hamburger inside. Atop them was a wrapped-up plastic plate of two pizza slices, complete with a couple napkins.

"F-for me?!" I stuttered.

"Yes, for you," John replied, giving me a long overdue hug. "Thank you, for saving my daughter."

I gently rubbed his back with my palm, taking care to avoid scratching him with my claws. "And thank you for enlightening me with the joy of being able to talk and socialize again."