Sorry for the delay. I was updating my fanfics. :)
*.*.*
Parker Dooley was all done crafting his toy wooden ship. The sails fit perfectly with the rest of the ship, giving it an elegant air of mystery, one he didn't expect. He looked at it in wonder, guessing that whoever the seventeen-year-old red dragonoid was that made this ship must have a certain set of skills… he remembered that he was the seventeen-year-old and that it was him who would sail away from the Land of Oz to worlds unknown.
Parker remembered bits and pieces of his past. His dragonoid family, made up of red dragonoids, were far away and split up. It would take ages before he found them again. Wherever there were, he wanted to go with them.
Much of his life was spent living in Oz, a land where four witches guarded and protected the peoples, creatures, and animals from harm, or so he was led to believe. Then again, what did he know? He was a simple farm boy, living in secret because no one wanted to believe in dragons—
Bah! What did he know? He was young and still had much to learn. Well, if all else failed, then he'd find a group of dragonoids who believed in him and helped him find his family, his kin. That's what counted, right? But who were his real family? Would they approve of him? There was only one way to find out, and that was to leave Oz and begin his journey—
"No! Our son is not for sale! Go away!" The farmer, a man with short brunette hair and donned in a yellow straw hat, a grey shirt, and a blue jumper, closed the door on some folk. Parker looked at him, wondering what was going on. He waited until the folk outside were away and out of earshot before speaking to his foster father.
"What? What is it?" Parker asked, curious.
The farmer shook his head. "My boy is not a dragonoid!" He patted Parker on the shoulder. "He is a good and decent lizard, who happens to be our son." He turned to a heavier set woman donned in a white dress and apron, knitting wool into a blue sweater. "Isn't that right, my sweetie?"
"Oh yes, you're quite right!" The woman, Parker's foster mother, said, deep in her task. "Parker is our boy and we treat him well, even if he is a dragonoid."
"Not helping," Da said, moving away from the red dragonoid.
Parker sniffled. He felt so out of place, like he was not meant to be in Oz. If only he could find his true parentage. But where were they? Would he find them first? Either way, he knew he couldn't stay here.
"Where are you going?" Mama asked, watching Parker pick up the milk bucket. "Oh, don't worry about it, dear. You don't have to do that today! Remember what happened to our last cow."
"Yes. You scared her away!" Da stifled a laugh.
"I'm going to milk her. Old Bonny Blue won't get away from me this time." Parker said, heading outside.
.
Parker managed to get the milk bucket filled up to the brim when Bonny Blue decided to walk away from him, tipping the milk bucket over in the process. The dragonoid spit in amusement, wondering if it was the cow's intention to do this. Oh well. He picked up the bucket carefully, checking to make sure he still had some milk. To his surprise, only a few droplets remained inside the bucket.
The cow, on the other hand, decided to keep her distance from him.
"Oh, so that's how you want to play! Alright," Parker stood up, leaving the wooden stool he'd been sitting on be as he reached the cow. The cow moved to another spot, mooing like she always did. "Slow down!" He chuckled, giddily, following the cow. Still, Bonny Blue turned to another spot for comfort, forcing the dragonoid to chase after her and also give him some much-needed exercise. "This is fun. Come here!"
"No!" The cow cried.
Parker stopped, shocked. Did the cow just speak? Steadily, he approached her, unsure what just happened. The moment he touched her furry spotted body, he was wafted by a vision: it was a fair, beautiful landscape. And there, in front of him, was a lion named Aslan. Who was he? No! He was showing Parker his real family of dragonoids, all waving to him. Some looked like they wanted to kill him, while others were just glad to see him.
He turned to his left. A group of strange creatures were clumped together. Short dragonoids, anamorphic cats, a dragonoid his size, and a girl – a seventeen-year-old human girl to be precise – looked his way in wonder and amusement. Ah! She was beautiful! The most beautiful creature he ever saw. If he could, he would marry her… wait. Was it possible for them to lead a life together, human and dragonoid? If he could, he'd give up this dragonoid form to be with her—
The vision stopped, forcing the red dragonoid on the grass. What had he just learned? It was a vision, but there was no telling where it would lead. Aslan was the key to finding his family. Now he had a good reason to go out and look for them.
"Aslan, I will find you. I promise." He stood up shakily, doing his best to keep it together as he held onto the cow's rope.
"Find them," the cow declared softly, "and leave Oz knowing I gave you hope."
"Th – thank you!" Parker said, encouraged.
"Parker, I made you your favorite!" His Mama said, distracting him.
"Coming Mama," Parker said, watching his foster father bring the cow into the barn, before making his way inside the thatched house.
.
The dragonoid scarfed down his big bowl of cooked beef. It was too delicious to pass up. All those meaty flavors, the way the meat pulled apart … it was like heaven! The huge cooked carrots just made his meal better, as did his whole milk, which he greedily dowsed. What could be better than this? Honestly, he didn't know! He was just relieved he wasn't starving.
"We can't keep him forever, Antonio!" Parker's Mama declared in whispers.
"Janean, what would you have me do? Throw him out on the street!" Antonio said to his wife, concerned. "Look at him! He's hungry."
"He'll be having us for dinner," Janean stated, annoyed. "We should make him go out there and find his real family. He wasn't delivered on our doorstep for no reason." She approached Parker, placing her hands on his shoulders. "He deserves better than what we already have."
Parker stopped eating, swallowing his food. His parents were kicking him out? Well, he would just have to grin and bear it. Maybe now was the best time to leave.
"Maybe I should go," Parker stood up.
"No! You stay and eat." Janean said, sitting him down once again. "It's what you're good at."
"I'm not so sure about that," Parker admitted, astonished. He dowsed down some more milk, realizing with a sigh that he didn't have much of a choice. He would have to leave, especially if he wanted to find his real dragonoid family.
But where could he start looking for them? Why, that beautiful landscape where he saw that lion. Well, he hoped a team would be put together: the team of misfits, like the ones he saw in Bonny Blue's vision. Maybe, he would find the girl of his dreams as well. The human girl. He couldn't deny her beauty, but he hoped she had intelligence on her side; otherwise, he was in huge trouble, before his quest ever began.
*.*.*
References:
Bonny Blue is the name of the canon character from the film, "Gone with the Wind". Aslan is from C.S. Lewis' book series, The Chronicles of Narnia.
