Had I not seen the Sun
I could have borne the shade
But Light a newer Wilderness
My Wilderness has made —
Had I Not Seen the Sun by Emily Dickinson
He had long ago learned to stay quiet. The slightest of sounds, and he would be beaten. The blue dragon (this was not his name, only what he was called) huddled in the mouth of his cave. Master would soon come to get him, to force him to hunt with his eyes. Those damned eyes. The blue dragon pet the squirrel on his lap, Ao, to keep himself from being scared.
Suddenly, Ao squeaked and jumped up onto his shoulder, where the little thing buried itself in the fur that hung from the blue dragon's mask. He lowered his head, knowing if he didn't, it would be a whip to his arm, or back, or stomach. He saw the polished boots of his master approach him, each step making his heart beat faster. A sharp, manicured nail pierced the skin underneath his chin, and master raised the blue dragon's head. Golden hair covered half of master's face, and his green eyes sparkled.
"Hello, there," he cooed. "Time to hunt." The blue dragon swallowed and nodded.
When master said, "Time to hunt," it meant one of two things: either he wanted food, or he wanted the blue dragon to kill someone. Much to his relief, the blue dragon was only handed a sack. That meant master wanted food. Not that he enjoyed killing animals (he hated using his power in general), but animals didn't cry and beg for you to spare them.
The blue dragon had already killed a deer when he smelled the scent of smoke. Ao jumped to the ground and sprinted ahead. The blue dragon followed, each step near silent. Finally, he reached a a small campfire. It was rather sloppily made, and the meat cooking over it still had a few small patches of fur on them. Sitting before it was a girl. She had short dark pink hair, the color of the dawn, and purple eyes. Almost against his will, he stepped forward into the firelight. When she looked up in surprise, he noticed her pretty face was tearstained.
Ao scampered up to her, and she gasped. The blue dragon immediately tensed, preparing to defend his little friend. But a second later, she held out her hands, and smiled when the squirrel hopped up onto them.
"So cute!" She cried. "Is she your friend?" She looked up at the blue dragon, and, hesitantly, he nodded
"His name is Ao." It felt strange, to talk. But she just smiled at him. Ao scrambled up on to her shoulder, and the girl looked at the blue dragon.
"Are you hungry? The meat is almost ready." As she said this, she reached over and grabbed one of the sticks off the fire. She hissed in pain.
"Careful," she warned, sucking her fingers. "It's hot." Feeling that it would be rude to refuse her invitation, (and because, in truth, he was rather hungry), he sat down. He set the sack behind him, concealing it under the the fur trailing from his mask. She reached into a bag lying next to her and pulled out a small bottle. She sprinkled something from it onto the meat, then slid a piece off for herself. She handed him the stick, and he did the same, carefully leaning the stick up against a tree when he had retrieved the meat.
He hesitated, looking down at the strange herbs. The girl smiled.
"Oh, don't worry. That's just seasoning," she said, taking a bite. "See?" Hesitatingly, he nibbled it. His eyes widened under his mask as he chewed. It was good! Ao ran over to the him, and the blue dragon ripped a piece of meat off his and handed it to him. The little squirrel nibbled at it contentedly. The girl leaned back, and looked closely at him.
"So what's your name? Mine is Yona." She said it with a smile, but there was darkness in her eyes as she said her name, almost like she was ashamed of it. The blue dragon opened his mouth.
"Blue dragon," he whispered. Yona frowned.
"That can't be your name," she said. A moment later, her eyes widened.
"Could it be that you don't have a name?" Her voice was soft as she said this. The blue dragon blushed and shook his head. Yona hesitated.
"Would you like it if I gave you a name?"she asked. The blue dragon nodded after a moment. She tapped her chin and looked at the sky. Then, she clicked her fingers and grinned.
"How about, Shin-Ah?"
The blue dragon's eyes widened.
"Shin-Ah," he whispered, testing it. It was perfect. He nodded. Yona squealed and clapped her hands.
"Yay! It really fits you, Shin-Ah!" She beamed at him. Shin-ah smiled shyly. He never really had a reason to smile back home...His eyes widened. He had been gone for too long. Master would start wondering. He popped up, grabbing his sack.
"I have to go," he murmured. Yona looked sad for a moment, then she brightened.
"Oh. It was really nice talking to you!" She said, a smile on her face. He didn't want to leave. He didn't want to go home to master, and live in fear. He wanted to be with her. But he couldn't run away. Master would know, and master would find him, and master might hurt Yona. Shin-ah put the sack over his shoulder, then swallowed.
"Will you leave?" He was almost quieter then he normally was, if that was possible. Yona shook her head.
"I'm waiting for someone," she said, then her voice dropped a little. "He's going to come. He'll definitely come back." Shin-ah tilted his head.
"Can I see you again?" He asked quietly. Yona wagged her finger at him.
"Don't be silly! Of course you can come back!" She said with a laugh. Hesitantly, Shin-ah reached forward, and touched her cheek. Yona's eyes widened in suprise, and he turned and ran, becoming nothing more then a blur in the wind.