Chapter Three
It was dark out when everyone had returned to their cabins. I quietly slipped away while everyone was asleep. Getting away had been the easy part. Finding the dragon while it was dark, now that was going to be almost impossible.
The forest was a completely different place at night. The trees seemed to be a lot more ominous than I recalled. And with a slight breeze causing the leaves to rustle every now and then, it only seemed to add to the effect. I tried pushing down the fear that threatened to overwhelm me.
When I tried picturing the dragon in the back of my mind, I knew that I had to find it again. I wanted to tell myself that seeing it hadn't just been my imagination. Proving to myself that I hadn't made it up would at least alleviate any worries I felt earlier.
Determination kept me marching forward. I decided that ignoring that fear was the best way to keep moving ahead. That story about the ghost girl had left everyone feeling nervous and wary. But I couldn't leave that dragon alone out here. Not when I'd seen how badly injured it was. Fortunately, I'd packed a few supplies with me this time – they consisted of aloe, cleaning cloth and something I could use to wrap around the wound.
Eventually, I'd found the familiar path that led towards where the dragon had crashed. Not for the first time, I noticed just how different the path looked at night. I had to be careful about where I stepped or which direction I went. And that was when I realized that this was probably the dumbest thing I'd ever done.
Why the hell was I out here alone, in the dark? Someone could easily pick me off, or worse… I shuddered and couldn't finish that last thought. Yep, my mom was more than likely going to kill me if she found out what I was doing. She wasn't much of an adventurer, and doing things like this was beyond anything we've done together. I was about to turn when I spotted the trees that were broken or pushed out of the ground.
Carefully, I approached the area where I'd last seen the dragon. To my surprise, it wasn't there anymore. But the spot where it had been laying looked fresh, as if it had left recently. I pulled out the hot dog I'd stolen from my backpack, wincing at the stench rolling off of it.
I wasn't even sure if the dragon would've eaten an old hot dog. Considering the meat had been out all night since I left the cabin, I couldn't blame it if the dragon felt insulted towards the offer. But, it was the only reasonable kind of food I could think of at the time.
"So, now I feel stupid," I muttered after realizing that the dragon was gone. Maybe I really had imagined it all. With a shrug, I was ready to turn around when a growl sounded behind me. My heart nearly skipped a beat at the sound, and I turned in time to see the dragon standing there, only inches away from where I stood. I could only gape when the dragon's wings drooped, still showing obvious signs of pain. But it held its head high, eyes narrowed while its eyes locked with mine. "I uh, brought you some food," I said sheepishly, holding out the hot dog.
The dragon sniffed it warily. My hands were trembling as it suddenly opened it mouth and took the hot dog right from my hand. I jumped at the odd feeling that rushed through me. By now, it felt like I was going to pass out from shock. But the dragon hadn't attacked me or bitten off my hand like I was expecting. Instead, it continued gazing into my eyes, until suddenly, it's snout pressed against my open hand.
An odd feeling rushed through me once again. A familiar one. My heart was racing as an image flashed through my mind. An island out in the distance, covered in clouds and surrounded by mountains. The island itself looked familiar. But the image lasted for only a few seconds when I found myself staring at the dragon. I could see mixed emotions in her eyes. She was afraid, and she was worried.
Wait… she? How did I know she was a female? Did dragons even have genders? I mentally smacked myself, realizing that of course, they would. If dragons were real, that was. The dragon finally lifted her head and looked down at me.
'Thank you, little one.'
My eyes widened when I heard that voice. Oddly enough, it was gentle and soothing. Not anything like what a dragon should sound like. My mind was reeling with shock as I struggled to comprehend what was happening. None of this should have been happening in the first place.
"D-Did you just speak?" I asked, gaping at the dragon in disbelief.
'Of course. I would not speak unless you were someone I trusted.' Her eyes never left mine, and for a moment my legs felt like jello. This had to be a dream. Dragons shouldn't be able to talk, or exist for that matter. My brain kept trying to tell me that none of this was happening. That I was still back in the cabin having one of the wildest dreams ever. 'This is no dream, hatchling,' she chided softly, as if she'd read my mind.
A shiver swept through me at the thought. The last thing I needed was anyone in my mind. I wasn't in any hurry to reveal whatever dark secrets I might have kept from people like my mother for so long. And with the dragon looking at me the way she did, I had no doubt she was able to read such thoughts.
"Wait, you're talking to me through your mind!" I realized out loud, suddenly wishing that a hole would open up and swallow me. This was by far the strangest thing that ever happened to me. The dragon only added to the shock and hummed in amusement at my reaction, and I crossed my arms in annoyance. "You think this is funny? This shouldn't even be happening."
'It is quite amusing, watching you,' she replied. 'You continue telling yourself that I am not real, yet here I am. I could easily rip your throat out.'
Another shiver swept through me at the thought of how easily that could happen. And how painful it would be. I supposed I should have considered myself lucky that the dragon didn't pull off that stunt. She didn't seem to pose a threat towards me. And that was what surprised me more than anything else. I'd always been under the assumption that predators as big as this one would have attacked first and asked questions later. Then again, they usually only resorted to attacking when times were desperate.
"So, I brought stuff that could be used to heal your wing," I murmured, glancing down at my feet warily. If I wanted to get straight to the point, I needed to remind myself why I had looked for her in the first place. The dragon kept her firm gaze on me as I pulled out the first aid kit. "The ointment will sting, but it'll speed up the healing process," I reassured her as I pulled out the bottle of liquid aloe.
The dragon ground her teeth as I applied the aloe to her wound. It looked like it was getting infected. I wondered how long she'd been out here, alone and hurt. For a moment I felt like asking when I pushed the question aside. There would be time for questions later. Now, I needed to focus on making things right.
'Thank you,' she sighed in relief.
Once I finished wrapping the wound with a cloth, I checked to make sure that it was tended to properly. I suddenly thanked my lucky stars that I'd spent some time volunteering at the local zoo when I was younger. Even if I didn't have much experience tending to injuries, at least this was better than letting it turn into something worse.
"It should heal within a few days," I explained after making sure that it was thoroughly cleaned. The ointment could only do so much unless it was thoroughly cleaned of any bacteria growing inside it. "But you probably shouldn't use it for the next few days. It's best to let it rest until then."
'That will be difficult,' she muttered crossly. 'I do not enjoy being restricted to the ground.'
I couldn't help but smirk at that. Considering she had likely been stuck there for the last few days, I couldn't necessarily blame her. It couldn't be easy being confined to one space with wings her size.
"Well, just take it easy," I told her before sitting down cross-legged. The dragon eyed me cautiously before settling down as well. At least now she seemed more relaxed after I'd taken care of her injuries. "Do you have a name? I feel weird just calling you 'dragon'," I added.
'My name is Snowfire,' she replied, her voice filled with pride.
I tilted my head to one side, wondering where that kind of name came from. It sounded beautiful, strangely enough. And oddly fitting for a dragon that also likely breathed fire. For a while, I just found myself staring at her self-consciously.
"My name's Alex," I introduced myself with a smile.
Despite my earlier fears, I felt oddly at peace as she rested her chin on my lap. This felt right. I couldn't describe it exactly. Something told me that this was the start of a beautiful friendship.
…
A loud ringing sound woke me up, causing me to jump in surprise. I held back a groan as I climbed out of bed. Everyone else was wide awake. Mr. Blight had entered the cabin and held up a chime, glaring down at me as my eyes widened in surprise.
Eventually, I found my way back to the cabin just minutes before the alarm went off. I hadn't realized until returning how late it was. Or how exhausted I was. Meeting Snowfire had taken a lot of time out of that evening, and I knew I was going to suffer the consequences for letting my curiosity get the better of me.
"Looks like someone's in trouble," Jessica snickered.
"Tardiness is not tolerated on this camping trip," the gym teacher snapped. "You get kitchen duty for the rest of the trip, no questions asked."
Everyone kept their distance as I got ready. Miss Attwater had everyone gathered outside in the usual meeting spot this morning. Her eyes narrowed when I took my place between Abigail and Jacob. I couldn't shake off the feeling of dread when I noticed the scowl Jessica was giving me. It was painfully obvious that she'd already planned on taking away everyone I cared about, and she, would keep doing so until she felt satisfied.
My shoulders sagged at the thought. Maybe isolating myself would have been a lot easier than dealing with whatever was going on right now. I couldn't help but think of how difficult it was going to be to explain how Snowfire was real. Or that our paths had somehow crossed in the first place.
"I don't expect this kind of behavior from my students," she explained to me before Mr. Blight told her that he'd already given me a proper punishment. "Well, I do have to agree that that is a proper punishment. So, today we will be going on a little expedition. Once again, you will be teaming up in pairs. I expect you to meet back here at noon sharp."
"Alex, maybe we should go together, this time," Jacob suggested.
I looked at him in surprise before shrugging.
"I suppose that's good," I replied as the teachers handed us our charts. My eyes widened in shock when I realized we were going through the same route that led to Snowfire. I glanced nervously at the paper before looking back at him. "On second thought, maybe I should go alone. It's better that way," I murmured.
I couldn't look at him after saying that, and after seeing his hurt expression. Jessica whispered something to him, and his expression changed from depressed to happy.
Shame crawled through me as I walked away. He was my best friend. I should be able to trust him. Yet, in the back of my mind, I knew that I couldn't. Not with this secret. Snowfire was only just beginning to trust me. If I broke that trust now, I knew that it wouldn't end well for anyone.
Without another word, I made my way towards the destination Miss Attwater had planned out. Oddly enough, the side of the map had numbers and words scribbled on it. I glanced at it in confusion as I tried to make heads over tails of it.
Miss Attwater had been trying to make use of the material she took with her since she left everything else behind. But to me it all looked like gibberish when I tried making sense of it. The numbers and riddles were just another way of giving me a headache.
I glanced over my shoulder and raced over to the path that led to our hiding place. Sure enough, Snowfire was already waiting there when I arrived. Her eyes narrowed as I approached cautiously, still unsure whether she would attack me or not.
After our first encounter, I wasn't sure whether or not she posed a threat to me or anyone else around the campground. The fact that she hadn't left her hiding place told me that she had been following my advice. And I hadn't realized until then how grateful I was that she hadn't left.
'You seem upset.'
I blinked in surprise, then suddenly remembered that she could communicate with me. I was not going to get used to the idea of her voice in my head. The weirdest feeling was knowing that she could probably read my thoughts. Though, Snowfire didn't bother letting me know whether she could or not.
"Well, I did just pretty much tell my best friend to bug off," I muttered under my breath. "The map leads right to where you're hiding, and…"
I broke off as I looked down at the ground in embarrassment. Once again, I had to ask myself why I wouldn't tell him. If I thought she was nothing but a dream, wouldn't he have thought the same thing? I couldn't help but fear the worst possible outcome each time I thought of how he would react upon seeing her.
'You will not tell them,' she finished for me. I closed my eyes and nodded. 'Why does this bother you?'
Did dragons not understand the meaning of keeping secrets? I had a feeling that she didn't. Though, if she was here alone, I suspected that she wouldn't understand the bond that humans had for one another, either.
I tried pushing that thought aside. Snowfire wasn't human. She was a living, breathing and wild dragon that could have just as easily killed me if she wanted to. She chose instead to take me by surprise and act as if we were friends ourselves. Maybe one day she would understand how important the trust and bond between ourselves was.
"Because, I hate lying to him," I admitted. "Jacob has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. He just wants to make sure that I'm safe."
Snowfire dipped her head in understanding. At least, I thought she understood what I was trying to tell her. He would more than likely freak if he found out Snowfire was real. I couldn't shake off the feeling that telling them would only end in disaster.
'He will betray you,' she suddenly growled.
My eyes widened in horror at her suggestion. Jacob Faux was many things, but a traitor wasn't one of them. I knew him better than that. He'd kept secrets for me that should have probably been shared with my mom. I would never admit to her that I'd been terrified of dad, and with good reason.
"He's not that kind of person," I snapped. "He wouldn't do that to hurt me."
Snowfire narrowed her eyes, and for a moment I was afraid she might actually attack. Instead, she lowered her head so that her snout was pressing against my head again. My shoulders instinctively tensed until I realized she wasn't posing a threat. The feeling of her snout pressed against my head sent shivers through me.
'You seem to care quite a lot about this human,' she said thoughtfully.
I simply nodded in agreement, grateful that she at least understood.
At one point, I did have a crush on Jacob. Maybe I still did. But I was never brave enough to admit my feelings. Plus, I didn't want to make things awkward between us if he said no. Sometimes it was better not to know the truth. Besides, we were still friends, as far as I was concerned. Nothing was going to change that.
"It's getting late," I whispered. "I should probably get going."
The last thing I needed was for Jessica to look for another excuse in making my life a living hell. She already did that on a daily basis while school was in session. Luckily Snowfire had let me go then and there. By now it was almost noon, and I did not want to get chewed out for being late again.
AN: Well, there's the third chapter :) So, was anyone surprised by how things went? I like to add a few surprises here and there ;) By the way, I also finally saw The Good Dinosaur. I'll admit, I did cry at the end. It's definitely a good movie, and probably now one of my favorite Pixar movies aside from Finding Nemo and Wall-E.
The Silent Fury - Thanks, I appreciate your feedback, it's always reassuring knowing someone is reading the story ;) As for the writer's block, whenever an idea comes to mind, I usually write the idea down in a notebook or on my iPod. Definitely helps in keeping things interesting :D
Sil - Lol she is an annoying twit, isn't she? ;) And thanks, while they won't be making too much of an appearance throughout the story, they'll play a more important roll later on :)