Grandpa Max sighed as he examined the flat tire on the RV. "Great. Just what we needed." He glanced up at the cloudy gray sky.
Ben poked his head out the door. "Grandpa, what's the problem?"
Gwen stuck her head out too. "I hope it's not serious."
"It's just a flat tire. I'll have it fixed in a minute."
Ben sighed. "Boring. I'm going back inside."
"Well I'm gonna go take a walk." Gwen said, as she made her way into the nearby forest.
"Well don't go too far! It looks like rain!" Grandpa Max called after her.
The forest was silent except for the occasional chirping of birds, and the air smelled like ozone, hinting at the future rain. "It's so nice here." the girl mused. "I should get out more often." She was so busy examining the view that she didn't see the tree root in front of her until she tripped and fell over, rolling down the hill and screaming all the way until she landed with a 'thump' at the bottom.
"Ow..." glancing upwards, Gwen realized she was in front of what looked like an ivy-covered cave. On closer examination, she realized the 'cave' was made of entwining tree branches and covered in ivy. Quietly, she moved forward, not sure of what she'd find. As her eyes ajusted to the dim light, she saw, nestled in a pile of leaves, a huge egg, about half her height, and colored robin's egg blue with lighter blue swirls.
"It's beautiful..." she breathed, quietly stepping towards it. For a brief moment, her eyes widened and her pupils dilated. But as soon as it had come, it passed. Shaking her head, she turned her attention back on the egg.
"What are you doing here all by yourself?" she cooed. Bending down and picking it up, she whispered, "Don't worry. I'm gonna take good care of you."
"Gwen, where are you?" Startled out of her thoughts, Gwen looked at the cave entrance of familiar voices floated in on the breeze.
"I'm coming!" she yelled back, and, egg in her arms, ran out of the ivy covered tree cave and climbed up the hill where she found her grandfather and cousin waiting for her.
"Where have you been?" Grandpa Max asker her sternly. "We've been looking all over for you."
"I'm sorry," the girl replied, "I got kinda lost."
"Well, at least you're okay. Come on, let's get back to the RV. It looks like it'll rain at any moment."
As they headed back though the woods, Ben noticed that Gwen was hiding something behind her back. "Watcha got there?" he asked.
"N-nothing! Just mind your own beeswax!" she snapped at him. The boy moved backwards.
"Okay, okay, sheesh. No need to yell."
As he ran off, Gwen took out the egg from behind her back, and whispered softly to it as she returned to the RV. Once she got there, she wrapped in towels and hid it in the back so no one could find it.
What she didn't realize, was that the creature whom the egg belonged too had just returned to the tree cave... only to find the nest empty. With a roar of anger, it rushed out of the 'cave', giant wings flapping, for it was none other that a true, living dragon!