Chapter One: Un-happy Birthday

A human couple walked along a lake shore, a male and a female. Young couple they were they never wanted their life changed; they were laughing and walking back to the cottage to announce they were engaged.

"Oh derrick you are hilarious! I never thought of that they way!" she was holding on his arm laughing hard.

"Well living around here you can come up with almost anything." They embraced and kissed holding on each other tightly. Walking backwards Derrick tripped and fell backwards holding onto his fiancée.

"OW! What was that?" he said rubbing his side. He looked in between his legs and saw a rock sticking out of the ground. It was rounded and a dull gray, looked more like a clump of ash or a dead fish. It was buried up to its top but enough for it to stub a toe

"Ah it's a stupid rock get rid of it!" he began to storm off back to the cottage.

"Wait!" squeaked the female said as she dug it up. "Look at it!" In her muddy hands was a stone perfectly smooth but large. "Isn't it pretty?" she said fluttering her eyes teasingly.

"Yes, yes now get rid of it!" Derrick said while he was storming off down the shore.

"Oh Derrick come now it can be my wedding present! It just needs cleaned off and polished with some of your grandfather's good polish from his whaling."

Derrick stopped and turned around bewildered, "Are you kidding?! You don't know where it's been. Also he would never let anyone use his gold polish unless it was a precious silver coin."

"Derrick….My sweet Derrick surely you wouldn't deny me….." she said popping her hip teasingly while walking towards him cradling the grey stone.

He smiled only one thing on his mind. "Of course love I would never." He said pulling her in.

She smiled and looked up at him, "Then let's head back home….." With that they ran back to the cottage along the embankment. It was small shack the held a large family that they were staying by the lake with a small fishing dock with a tiny wooden boat. They went inside, it was lit only by candles a warm roast on the table. A man looked up from his plate along with the other family members. "It's about time you showed up, we were worried. Sit down and eat, we left some from you two." The other family members nodded their heads in agreement; they scowled and continued to eat. Derrick spoke up quickly, "Sorry grandfather but we found something and we decided something, well we kind of decided a while ago." He knelt and offered the a while ago." He knelt and offered the stone up to her and with crystal clear words he said, "Will you marry me?" She smiled and took the stone and kissed him. "Of course Derrick" she kissed him.

The old man spoke up and nearly chocked, "Derrick! Why didn't you tell me? I would've I mean……Where are you going to have it?"

The woman smiled and spoke up, "The docks will be fine, and the lake is beautiful in the morning, it would be perfect for our wedding." She sat down and the old man spoke up.

"Well eat! This is worth a celebration!" The cottage suddenly bursted into conversation, celebration and laughter all the family members were in high spirits. The marriage stone was set on the dresser by the foot of the table in between two candles on it. When the table was cleared the old man stood up and raised his old ragged hands. "Tonight we have witnessed a great thing. We have witnessed the union of our two great families! To-" he was cut off when a loud squeak filled the air. The family looked around for the source of the noise. To draw their attention back the old grandfather cleared his throat and continued his speech full of pride, "Tonight we rest! Tomorrow we-" he was cut off again when the squeak was louder and the stone trembled the family had turned around and looked at the egg. "What in the name of the gods is going on?" The old man walked to the dresser and looked at it with deep aged eyes. "I think we have a big Rat that's all" he cleared his throat more annoyed now then anything, "as I was saying we will-" the squeak finally kept going on and on the stone was shaking violently and it fell to the floor. The woman that was with Derrick was in hysterics. "Make it stop! That's my wedding present!" she dove for the stone and held it. "WAIT!" yelled Derrick and the old man as they dove for her, but it was too late. Just then the stone cracked and a little figure's head popped out.

The family stopped and froze the air was cold and tense, the figure in the stone which was now an egg turned and faced the woman and squeaked reveling a set of hatchling teeth. The woman screamed and dropped the egg, "What is it?! Get it away!" She backed up into the table horrified by the egg. With a final push the creature crawled out and began to clean off the sticky membrane on itself. "Ewww! That's nasty get rid of the slimy thing!"

After cleaning off the membrane the creature stood up and stretched, it was dignified and strong. Its scales were now a dull gray but they reflected the light perfectly, it turned around and faced the woman and squeaked and stumbled towards it. She screamed again and smacked it across its tiny snout and the creature squealed in pain and retreated to the wall hunched over. "Get it away! Derrick help!"

Shaking his head clear he walked over quickly and kicked it again, the creature cried out in pain and ran away in a corner crying out in pain and trembling.

"What is this thing?! It looks terrible!" Derrick said as he helped his fiancée to her feet regaining balance.

The old man spoke up as he walked over to the creature, "I don't know, but it looks like-" the creature snapped out and bit the old man's hand and bit deep. The old man roared in pain, "OW!! YOU LITTLE!!" he punched the creature in the face making it let go and blood fell to the floor. At the same time he broke the bone above its eye.

"Derrick take care of that thing! Get rid of it!" Yelled the old man who was in pain still clenching his gnarled bleeding hand, the little creature had bitten clean through the hand almost taking off the index finger. Derrick grabbed it by its small wings and threw it into a small storage room into the wall. The small creature cried out in pain again as it violently hit the wall and hit the ground. Derrick then slammed the door shut and bolted it leaving the small creature trembling and in pain in a small cold room.

"You alright grandfather?" He asked as he approached looking at the damaged hand. "Yes, yes I'm fine, just get the others to bed we will discuss this more tomorrow." He said walking away wrapping his hand in cloth. Derrick spoke up softly from behind the old man.

"What is that thing? What did the thing do?"

The old man spoke softly, "grandson I believe that is a Dragon hatchling….."

Author's note: Ok I've finally decided in chapter four is when Saphira and my friend's OC's will appear. Please I ask that you be patient and keep reviewing Thanks!