Zartiyil’s P.O.V.
I smiled and let the wind run thru my teeth. It felt weird and was probably quite strange to look at but for some reason I love! Just the feel of the wind makes me happy to be up here. Zoruta, which I now assume is my new mother, flies at an even pace and glides at times when the wind currents are right.
“Um, Mama?” I asked out loud trying with all my might for it come out strong. Instead more like a question under my breath. Either way I’m sure she heard me. For she almost paused in mid-flight and her eyes darted back to me.
“Yes Princess? Is something wrong?” She asked with a low grumble I noticed came when all the dragons spoke. But hers sounded like low wind-chimes and relaxed me.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked trying to slowly inch myself up her long neck to a better seating position.
“To my nest. Since my brother has given me the honor of raising you. You shall become part of my brood. For my first child had hatched early this morn when I went to lead an attack.” She explained to me, sounding wise with instinct. I never really had seen this with a lot of humans. They all learned from others. But somehow I knew that Zoruta had instinct not observation.
“Your first child? Does that mean I can see a baby dragon?” Oh a baby dragon! My heart trembled with delight. If they were this wonderful as adults; I’m sure as babies they will be adorable.
“Yes, his name is Zralor. It is custom for babies to have a letter or combination in their name to relate to their families. This is why my brother named you Zartiyil. It starts with the letter Z. As does my name, my mother’s, and my son’s. Can you see the pattern?” She asked me while she turned her attention back to flying.
We flew in silence for quite some time. It wasn’t a pleasant silence. Nor was it a weird silence. But almost sweet with a gentle question mark at the end. Is this how it supposed to feel to have a mother like her?
“We are approaching my nest! So hold on Princess! I am going to dive. On a tall mountain I could make out a rocky ledge with a circle of rocks on it. It was filled with straw. (That’s probably when they attacked they took the hay barrels) There was a tiny spot of gold running circles in the nest. Must be Zralor.
Suddenly I felt my body shift as my new dragon-mother took a sudden change in directions and began a sharp dive. Her wings tucked in along with her arms and legs. She must look like a golden arrow piercing the sky. Right before she reached the nest she did a barrel roll to stop the wind pressure. I gripped tightly to not let myself be flung off while mid-spin.
I could a loud thump as I knew that she had landed just outside the ring of rocks that made her nest. I slowly slid off as she entered the nest. I could see the golden blur clearly now. It was a baby dragon. The wings looked kind of like wet paper and the head looked a little too big for its body. But it was the cutest thing I had ever seen. He danced around my dragon-mother happily and nipped at her talons playfully. This resulted in a chuckle from his mother.
Suddenly Zralor’s attention was direction to me. He jumped over and got what looked like hunting or fighting position. He made low growling noises. But after a few times they squeaked and broke from the intimidation. I wanted to smile as Zralor got frustrated with his vocals.
“Zralor!” He suddenly stopped glaring at my and looking lovingly into the eyes of his mother. “Do not treat you sister and future Queen with such disrespect apologize now.” Zoruta ordered with a slight stamp of one of her feet.
Zralor made his way over to me looking defeated. He probably thought what all the others thought. That I was an enemy because I was human. But I could tell he was a momma’s boy. So to him mother must always be right.
“I’m sorry your highness.” He lowered his head slightly, still looking defeated. But he just looked so cute! Before thinking I pounced on him and pulled him into a big hug.
“You’re just too cute to ever be mad at!” I could tell he was probably shocked. Just like his mother was at my sudden behavior. But I can help it! I wanted to give Zralor a hug ever since I saw how cute he was! I heard Zralor start to laughed and give me a hug in return.
Zralor I could see was about five times my own size. But he must look tiny compared to the adults. I felt Zralor’s breath making my hair all mess up. All I did was giggle.
“Mama! I like my new sister now! So I won’t try and eat her now! Okay?” His voice called back to mother. I heard her burst into laughter.
“I got you Zralor…” but Zoruta’s voice trailed off again in a series of laughs. Well at least now I know he won’t try and eat me when I fall asleep.
“Tag!” He suddenly yells and begins to run away. Very clumsy, I might add. So it seems that dragons know what Tag is. Maybe they invented it in the first place! Who knows! I get up and chase after my new brother with my new mother watching.
It seemed like the whole day passed while I was playing Tag with Zralor. We spent the whole day playing! I wouldn’t mind doing this for the rest of my life.
“Bed time children! The sun has already set, so get your hides over here.” My mother hollered from the nest.
“Race you!” I yelled at Zralor and begin to run. Zralor, of course, beat me. We settled under the wing of our mother. I snuggle into my new mother’s chest and I could hear the constant thump of her heart.
Yep, I wouldn’t mind doing this for the rest of my life!
Ten Years Later
“Come on Zralor! I know you can fly faster than this! I bet ever grandma could outfly you right now!” I hollered to my brother as the wind ran through my teeth.
“What! Oh you want to see fast sister dear! I’ll show you fast.” Zralor hollered back to me as he picked up his beat and moved even faster with the air currents pushing against him.
“Now this is what I’m talking about! Show me all the power you got brother!” I screamed out loud above the roar of the wind.
Ten years I’ve spent on top the back of my brother, Zralor. For ten years now I have been the Princess of all dragons. And I’m well on my way to becoming a Dragon Warrior! But practiced rounds with my brother help me prepare for when I am teamed up with my own Dragon. The one that was meant for me to ride.
I would have officially been pared with my brother as a riding duo. But I could only be paired with a mate less dragon. That law was made so Dragon Warriors wouldn’t have to constantly tear their dragon away from their mate.
Secretly, I don’t see how any dragoness would take him as a mate. Ha! That was only my inner sister talking. I know Zralor has grown to be quite handsome. My mom told me he looks like his father in every way, shape, and form. Except for the color of his scales. He shares my mom’s golden scales.
He first knew he was going to have a mate when he went to have his bones read by the Bone-Reader of the realm. She foretold the cracks in the bones and told him he was to find a mate and have many seasons of eggs. All he did was groan and complain about it for a year.
“So are you going to miss these little sessions once you finally find your mate? And have many, many, many eggs with her!” I teased him with a sly smirk on my face.
“Not funny Zarti! You know that I don’t want to find my mate just yet! I have so many years of freedom left! I don’t want it wasted by finding my stupid mate!” He complained to me and took a sudden lurch to the left to throw me off balance as punishment.
“I know that once you find you mate, you’ll be singing a different tune. And I, as the ever so faithful sister I am, will be there to mock you about it!” I taunted him taking a tighter hold on the ropes.
My uncle, King Zantor, had given me a few things once I truly started riding. He gave me my new clothes which I was never seen without. They were long red pants that puffed out and whipped around in the wind. I also wore a red tube top, as humans had named it. But they got rid of the idea since they thought it was indecent. I think it is quite comfortable. Since my body was now built like the humans’ anymore.
Over the years I sculpted my heart, body, and mind to be in tuned with my dragon brethren. My chest was almost flat, like I’d heard of in few humans. But not quite flat due to that I was a female. The scarf my mom gave me for my tenth year of life was wrapped around my neck and also flowing behind me.
How I flew was with these reins attached to a gold colored harness. It was colored this way to blend in with my brother’s scales until I could find my own dragon. Then it will change to the color of his or her scales.
I perked my ear up and listened. “Behemoth below!” A Behemoth was like a mutated form of the humans’ so called cow. Which I could faintly remember. I can’t really remember anything before my life when I came here. But the Behemoth was much bigger and filled the dragon’s all six stomachs.
Zralor took a dive and sunk his talons into the heart of the beast. The behemoth died instantly on impact, as the attack was supposed to do. Zralor sunk all four sets of talons in it and began to fly back home.
“Great ear Zarti! Mom will sure be relieved that she won’t have to go hunting tonight for dinner.” Zralor told me, his voice dripping with glee. By flying along the wind currents we were able to safely fly back to the nest where our mom was now pacing. As we landed and I jumped off Zralor’s head and landed gracefully on the ground mom’s head snapped towards us.
“Zartiyil! Zralor! Where have you been?! I have been worried sick; you were supposed to be home ages ago!” She roared at us. Zralor dropped the Behemoth and began to twiddle his talons. Since he was such a momma’s boy I guess it was up to me to explain.
“Sorry mom. I wanted to get in extra fly time and then I made Zralor go and get the Behemoth. I figured we’d save you some energy and get dinner for you.” I explained walking over and removing the harness from my brother’s head. Mom gave us a look but sighed in defeat.
“I’ll believe that story…for now. Come on let’s eat dinner before it gets to tough.” Mom nuzzled me with her head and I smiled lovingly at the attention. As a family, we went over and began to devour the carcass of the Behemoth. At times like this, I remind myself of what my Uncle had told me what Dragon Riders where. And what I would become to. A human in body, but a dragon in heart and mind forever.