Photo above by KittyCatzy
My eyes squinted open, and all the sunlight instantly covered my vision.
I sat up slowly, my covers were still wrapped around me. I squinted as I looked around at the bright room.
I looked out the window. The sun shone so brightly, and the sky looked so clear and beautiful. Such lovely weather.
I grabbed the curtains and pulled them closed, most of the light being suddenly blocked out. "This weather."
I mumbled as I kicked my covers off, and to the back of my bed.
"Couldn't have been like this yesterday?" I asked the weather as I swung my legs off the bed and my feet hit the floor.
"Your either too cold or too hot,
Too snowy or too sunny, too dark or
Too bright, choose something in between for everyone's sake." I continued to mumble drowsily and exhausted. I really wanted to rest more, but the sun woke me up, and besides, I wasn't the kind of person to sleep in very much. Not much village people get that chance, but when I got it, I didn't want to take it. I wanted to get things done, even if that meant just sitting up in a tall tree watching the village do their things.
I brushed my hair quickly then threw it over my shoulders.
Actually, I would end up sleeping in that tree, but at least I was outside breathing fresh air, and getting the warmth of the sun.
I opened my door after quickly getting ready, I stepped out and gently closed the door behind me.
We won't going hunting today, because we normally go every second day unless we caught too little food, then we'd go two days in a row, or too much, and so we'd skip a day or two.
I skipped outside the house. I could hear my parents talking about hunting or something in their room.
I skipped around the village.
The bright warm sunlight was so beautiful and refreshing and cozy after yesterday. I felt like it'd put me to sleep soon.
I skipped towards the Heart Oak tree.
Today was the perfect day to sit in the tree and relax with no one but my thoughts. The Heart Oak tree came into view and I ran towards it, only to be stopped by none other than my old friend. I put on my brakes and halted in front of him. He kept an unamused look on his face. I frowned as a warning but when his expression didn't change, I spoke.
"What do you want Leo?" I asked warningly.
"What's your problem?" He asked angrily, ignoring my question.
"My problem?" I repeated.
"Yes, your problem. Why in the world did you do that the other night.
You made me look like a fool.
I was suggesting something to your parents for your own good.
To be able to change you to be like all the other girls, instead of being..."
He trailed off at a loss for words.
"Me. Instead of being me." I said, finishing the sentence for him.
"I don't want to be all the other girls Leo! I want to be myself, and if you don't love me for who I am, how can I call you my friend?" I asked him, in a softened tone. I was upset. Leo used to be my best friend. He wasn't the best' best friend, but he stuck by me, as annoying as he's always been.
"Whatever." Leo huffed, lost for words and clearly hurt. Probably still had a couple of bruises after what I done. Guilt began to crawl up my chest and throat, when I remembered the face of my mother that day, full of tears. Then I decided, he deserved every bruise he had, plus more.
I spun on my heel, about to walk away, since Leo clearly didn't have anything to say, but of course, he stopped me.
"What happened to you on the hunt?
I heard a dragon took off with you? Or did I hear wrong?" He asked.
I looked over my shoulder at Leo's face. "You heard wrong." I said simply, before I turned and walked past him.
I walked past The Heart Oak tree that we stood a few metres in front of.
My plans of relaxing in the tree had flew out the window, and now I aimlessly walked out of the village.
I felt Leo's eyes on me for the first minute or two of walking, but soon the trees blocked his view of me, and sighed in relief.
I walked for about five or ten minutes, heading to Axel's house, but then I heard something.
It sounded... Snake like.
Like scales slithering quickly across the bark of a tree.
I looked up in the trees, but I couldn't see anything but a few birds nestled in the high branches.
But then I heard it again, but this time it sounded like scales against soil, right beside my feet.
I looked around my feet but saw nothing. But then I heard it again, and I saw the soil and leaves on the ground flying up quickly as if something were running across it, but there was nothing, nobody there.
I heard it climb up the tree now, and saw some of the bark on the tree breaking off and falling onto the ground. Then it all stopped.
No more sound or movement.
I was paused, holding my breath.
I peered closely at the tree, then I spotted it. There was a bit of dust that seemed to be floating in front of the tree. Whatever that was, it seemed to be able to camouflage. Maybe a lizard of some sort.
One, Two, Three!
I jumped at the tree my hands out so I could grab whatever that was.
But a second before I tripped and my face crashed into the tree, I heard the same sound as before, like something was moving hurriedly away.
I sat on my knees, with my head leaning against the tree as I sighed from the effort and pain of that useless attempt.
"What's the big hurry little queen?"
A males voice said from above me.
I quickly leaned back and looked up, my eyes meeting with the pupil-less white eyes of a dragon.
I yelped and jumped back, falling backwards onto the ground.
I could see it properly now, it was a long green snakelike dragon, with completely white eyes, wrapped around the tree. It had frills on the sides of its face and obviously, wings.
It wasn't a very large dragon at all.
I had never seen such a small dragon in my life. It was the size of an average snake perhaps.
I looked around for the source of the voice, but found nothing, nobody.
"Over here!" The males voice called, and that's when it clicked in my mind.
I stood up slowly and carefully.
"Y-you can... Talk?" I asked quietly, my voice barely audible.
"Why yes I can. I'm rather like a parrot, I can easily adapt to other languages." The dragon said.
I had a mix of emotions running through my body, fear, excitement and disbelief were the main things I felt. "W-what are you doing here?" I asked. In my mind, I was sure this was a dream, but it somehow felt so real. "Spying. Do that all the time." It said calmly.
"You... Spy on me?" I huffed.
"Yes, is there something wrong with that?" He asked daringly. If he were a human, I would've began an argument, but he wasn't, he was a dragon.
"So, what's your name?" He asked.
I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you always spied on me? Shouldn't that be one of the first things you found out?" I asked, forcing myself to sound calm and argumentative as I usually do.
"Well, I am aware of your name, but it is human manners to ask that isn't it? That's normally what you say when you meet someone? What's your name, how are you, where do you live... You know, that kind of stuff.
Or am I getting confused with apes? You are more similar than you might think, you know?" The dragon spoke.
"Um, well, yes, normally." I replied nervously.
The dragon stared at me expectedly.
"Oh right! I'm Lian." I said quickly.
"Right, I'm Zane." he replied.
"That's a human name?" I asked in surprise.
"Believe it or not, a lot of animals share the same names." Zane said.
"Oh.." I said slowly, then walked slowly towards him.
"Are there other dragons like you?" I asked. I mostly wanted to know, so I know if I'm being spied on by others.
"No... I think I'm the only one.." Zane said quietly. "Not even a mother or father?" I asked in surprise.
"The dragon General adopted me when I was still an egg, and him and his mate raised me. I've never seen another dragon like me." Zane explained with a note of sadness in his voice.
I was standing in front of him now.
I felt bad for him. It was hard being different and I knew that from experience. I reached out my hand and cautiously pet his cold scaled skin. "I'm sorry." I said.
"W-what are you doing?" He said awkwardly as he climbed a little higher up the tree so I couldn't reach him. I pulled my hand back towards my sides awkwardly.
"Oh, right, I was.. Well.. Petting you." I said then laughed awkwardly.
"You mean the animal massage?
Dragon tip #1, we don't like petting."
Zane said, with an almost disgusted tone.
17/July/2019
BlueWhiskers1
Dragon Age
Chapter 12; Meeting Zane.
1624 Words.