Upon Flights of Fantasy (an Upon Wings of Change story)

Chapter 2

The words baby dragon stand out to me and I decide to call myself a dragonet, since that's what most baby dragons are called, at least from books I've read.

I notice that all around me are other cages just like mine, except the majority have two small bowls, presumably for food and water, a sand bed, and a fancy lamp.

There's nothing, other than my egg shell, in my cage, so I guess that whatever scientists working here didn't get the necessary materials for my hatched form in time for me.

I take a look at how far down the floor is, and then at my wings. Are they purely for decoration or do they actually work? Only one way to find out.

I carefully edge over to the opening of my cage, peeking again at the floor and trying to measure the distance from me to it. I spread my wings and, taking a deep breath, jump.

I cry out, startled by how fast I'm already falling, though it sounds more like a chirp. I guess I don't speak English in this body. Back to the action, my wings aren't catching the air. Frantically I flap them to rise up, but that only makes me fall faster. How did that happen?

I'm only a few feet to the floor when my dragonet instincts finally kick in. I adjust my wings and find myself soaring parallel to the floor. I land gracefully and look back at my cage.

Except now that I'm on the ground and looking up, I realize that this lab is demolished. The roof has collapsed inwards, somehow not hitting my egg when I was in it. Most of the walls have fallen, and some of the supports holding other cages have fallen.

I make my way over to a broken cage on the floor and realize that it's the source of one of the shattering sounds I heard when I first woke up. By the rest of the quick conversation, I can guess the dragonets in the broken cages got out and unlocked everyone else's cages, including mine.

The thought makes my head jerk up. What if there are other eggs here that haven't hatched? The thought of the numbing cold makes me shiver, and as quickly as I can I force myself to fly up and look for more eggs.

My wings instantly begin to feel tired, since I haven't strengthened them yet, but I force myself to stay up in the air. I count six unhatched eggs, minus my broken eggshell.

I swoop down to the nearest one and put my ear to it, or rather my ear tuft. I don't hear any sound of breathing or movement. I realize the sudden cold must have gotten to this dragonet, and I sadly wish them well before gliding over to the next egg.

For the next four eggs the same thing repeats, and I'm left feeling empty and alone. Was I the only unhatched dragonet to survive?

I trudge over to the last and and once again put my ear tuft to it. But this time, unlike the rest, I hear a small heartbeat. This one isn't lost yet! I think, raising my ear tufts with joy.

Carefully, I knock on the egg. I feel stirring coming from inside, and I call, "You need to come out! Get out before the cold overtakes you!" But to my dismay a burst of click, tweets, and chirps escape from my mouth instead. Can I not talk normally?

A faint scratching sound comes from inside the egg, and I realize the dragonet must have woken up. I try to call out again, but only achieve a low whistling sound. Darn it.

Then I remember the voices in my head. Did they just push their voice out to me or something? I decide to try that. Taking a deep breath, I reach out (mentally) to the unhatched dragonet and whisper, "Can you hear me?"

I feel a jerk come form inside the egg, and I trill excitedly. "Just push out your voice to me," I continue, "if you do it right I'll be able to hear you, too."

I wait a few moments, and whisper again, "I know you can do it!"

To my surprise, a female dragonet's voice explodes in my head, "Help! It's gotten so cold in here!"

"Break through the wall," I call back. "You're in an egg. If you shatter the shell, you'll be warm again."

She hesitated, but soon I could faintly hear the sound of scraping and scratching.

"That's it, you've got it!" I say, mentally urging the dragonet to work harder.

The sounds intensify, and before long I hear a small crack.

"You're almost there!"  I cry, "Just a few more hits and you'll be out!"

"I'm not sure... if I can keep going..." The dragonet's voice sounded weak and exhausted.

"Once you make it out you can rest," I reassure her. "Right now you need to get out before it's too late."

A last flurry of scraps and scratches, and the egg breaks open, almost perfectly in half.

I face a beautiful scarlet dragon, and inhale in disbelief.

The dragonet looks up to me and back at themselves, a puzzled expression on her face.

"I think you're the one who helped me, so thank you," she says slowly, "but what in the world is happening?"

I make a face. "Let me explain what I know..."