Hey, guys! I know I usually update this on Wednesdays, not Thursdays, but I've been gone so long that I can't leave you guys waiting any longer! So sorry! I've been dealing with both anxiety and writer's block at the same time, which...is not fun, but here I am.
Quick disclaimer for future updates...I'm going back to college in a few days (we get a really long winter break because there's a separate, optional winter session that I didn't take), hence...the anxiety, so I don't know how much I'll be able to adhere to my schedule from here on out. I don't want to put this story on official hiatus just yet, I want to see how things go first, but know that I will place more priority on RFL 2: Into the Dark than on Becoming a Guardian. Now, that being said, I love writing this story and I'm not about to give up on it anytime soon. Things just may continue to be a bit shaky for a while because I'm going back to school, and I would prefer focusing on Into the Dark for the time being. I will still update Becoming a Guardian whenever I can, but I will not promise weekly updates. Thank you for understanding! With that, onto the reviews!
Thanks so much to Loftcat27 (I'm glad you thought so! :) and Demi clayton for reviewing!
And with that done, onto today's extra long chapter!
~ Here Be Dragons ~
You may remember me claiming that all sorts of magical creatures, both good and bad, are indeed real. We've got mermaids, we've got unicorns, fairies, kappas, kelpies, wendigos, vampires, werewolves...I believe that's all I brought up at the time, right? Well...there's one extremely popular type of creature that I honestly can't believe I haven't mentioned up until this point...that is completely, 100% real.
Dragons.
That's right, people, those badass fire-breathing beasts do indeed populate this world, and there's actually more of them around than you might think. I mean, there's really no dragon census, so...I don't know exactly how many there are, but there's quite a lot of them hidden just out of sight of humanity.
And they're awesome.
Now, you might think, what with me being a winter spirit and all, that I wouldn't really get along with a creature known for spitting flames. But in reality? Dragons tend to like me quite a bit. Unlike typical reptiles, you see, they're actually quite hot-blooded (I mean...they've even got literal fire in their bellies, so it's to be expected), so rather than residing in hot places like volcanos or active lava fields, you're instead much more likely to find them living in ice caves where they can keep themselves cool.
As a result...they like cold spirits like me a lot. Which is also awesome, 'cause that means I'm able to hang out with dragons!
...sorry for fanboying a little, dragons are cool, okay?
Anyway, let me get to the actual reason I'm bringing this up. Remember how I said I made Jamie an ice sculpture of a dragon for Christmas? Well...this immediately got him asking me if dragons were real too, and...of course I'm not gonna lie to the kid, so I told him that they were. And then one thing led to another, and long story short, today, I'm taking Jamie to meet a dragon.
I'm definitely the cool uncle, guys.
So! What I do is get a potion from North's magic room that can temporarily allow a human to completely be able to withstand any level of coldness without being harmed, go to Jamie's house in the middle of the night, sprinkle a little dreamsand on Mrs. Bennett so that there's no chance she'll wake up randomly in the middle of the night and notice Jamie missing, go get Jamie and give him the potion, then take him through a snow globe portal to an ice cave where I know a friendly dragon will be waiting for us. (Don't worry, I know I'm leaving Sophie out for now, but...I'll take her when she's older!)
And thus...here we are, at the entrance to said ice cave, with Jamie practically bouncing all over the place in excitement while I look on, amused.
"This is...this is so awesome!" he exclaims, a wide grin on his face. "There's seriously a dragon in there!? Like...really!? What does it look like!? Is it more European-style or does it look like a Chinese dragon!? Is it a boy or a girl!? What's its name!? Does it have a name!? Is it all old and wise or does it act more like an animal!? Can it talk!? Can it really breathe fire!? And fly!? And-!?"
I laugh, finally bending down and putting a hand over Jamie's mouth to stop more words from cascading out. "Easy, kid, remember to breathe!" I tell him teasingly, with a wry smile. "To answer all of your questions...yes, there's seriously a dragon in there, yes, really, you're about to see what it looks like, this one in particular is more European-style, he's a boy, his name is Kalefahn, though I just call him Kalef, so yes, he has a name, he's not necessarily "old and wise," but he's more young and playful like a child than he is animalistic, he can't conventionally talk, but he can project thoughts into people's minds to communicate, yes he can breathe fire, and yes, he can fly. That about cover it all?"
Jamie starts to nod, then hesitates, thinking. After a moment, he grins sheepishly and, after pulling my hand away from his mouth, says, "Um...one more question. How do you like...know a dragon!? Like...that's the coolest thing ever! How did you meet him!?"
"There's not really much of a story to that," I say with a light laugh. "I was exploring these ice caves one day about two centuries ago-oh and believe me, two centuries is still quite young for a dragon-and I just sort of...found him. I was afraid at first, but then he started speaking telepathically to me, and it turns out...all he wanted to do was play. And for a future Guardian of Fun, well...how could I say no?"
...I'm gonna be honest with you guys, that's...not the whole story. Not even remotely. I wasn't exploring the caves so much as I was, well...hiding in them. I had been heavily wounded by a few lesser summer spirits (even spirits with not much power can still hurt me pretty badly if they wield flames...especially when I don't fight back), and I had been flying for my life for a while. I escaped into a cold area and found a network of ice caves where I figured I'd be safe from the summer spirits, which ended up being true, but not quite for the reason I thought.
I was indeed admittedly terrified at first upon encountering a dragon in the caves, as I had never met one myself up to that point. I had heard tons of differing stories about them, and I had no idea what to expect. All I knew is that I, lying on the ground, burnt and bleeding, was at the complete mercy of the fanged, clawed, fire-breathing creature that stood over me. For a few moments, I was certain I was going to die.
...thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised. Despite being very young, especially at the time, Kalef seemed to sense that, not only was I not there to hurt him, I also was gravely hurt myself, and in need of protection. Dragons are far from the demonic beasts some media portrays them as...they are incredibly smart, loyal, and even protective creatures. Due to the icy conditions quite literally being my element (as well as having minor healing properties for winter spirits like me), I was able to recover soon enough, but I don't think I would have gotten the chance to do so had it not been for Kalef.
The summer spirits, being incredibly cocky for how little actual magical power they possessed, had tried to follow me into the ice caves, and likely would have managed to finish me off had it not been for the dragon that curled himself around me and drove them off by showing his fangs and roaring. Such a simple yet intimidating display sent those summer spirits running, and they didn't bother coming after me again, at least not when I was with Kalef. With him, I was safe.
While I recovered, Kalef telepathically spoke to me, about...well, pretty much anything that was on his mind. It seemed that he too had gone without companionship for a long time; his mother and two siblings had passed twenty years prior due to some rare, notoriously fatal draconic illness. Kalef had also been infected, but had managed to survive long enough to get over the sickness, despite being severely weakened in the process. When I had found him, he was still in the midst of his own recovery period, though he had gained enough strength to run for short periods of time, allowing him to hunt game on the mountain, and thus continue to survive. Still, he had not yet regained enough energy to allow him to fly (he has since made a full recovery, though, and is currently perfectly capable of flight), so he was essentially stranded alone in those caves.
As you might be able to guess...I found myself relating to him. I too had lost my family (not that I had known at the time that I ever had one in the first place), and had been spending most of my time alone, frequently weakened by other spirits' attacks. Once I was away from the edge of death and could think clearly enough, I began speaking back to him. What I'm trying to say here, is...this is basically how I made my first friend other than the Wind.
...I'm really not good at making conventional friends, am I?
Well, either way, Kalef and I ended up getting along very well, not just due to our tragic, lonely backstories, but also because of our playful nature. I've rambled for long enough, so I won't go into too much detail, but...we've had fun together. I couldn't continue visiting him too much, as my job as Spirit of Winter often demanded that I be elsewhere, thus...unfortunately keeping my own isolation quite intact, but those times with Kalef, no matter how few and far between they had to be, were part of why I never fully snapped at any point during those long, long years. I...kept reminding myself that, no matter how lonely, or upset, or angry, or scared I was...there was still a friendly dragon out there that would always be willing to play with me whenever I could find the time. It's true that those years alone still messed me up very badly...but I truly believe that having a companion for some of it saved me from breaking completely.
It was never easy...but at least there was some light in the darkness that was my life.
Anyway...I've been talking about this for far too long. Now that you know the true story (I don't want to tell Jamie yet...it would involve discussing how I am frequently attacked by the other spirits, and I...I'm not ready to have that conversation with the kid. It's best that he doesn't know for now…), let's resume the tale at hand, shall we?
"That...that's awesome!" Jamie exclaims in response to my fabricated explanation. "And I'm about to meet him too!? Like...right now!? Do you think he'll like me!?"
I laugh slightly. "Of course he will, kiddo, what's not to like? Come on...let's head inside. I've gotta have you back home by daylight, and I know you'll want to spend as much time with the dragon as possible."
"Well of course!" Jamie confirms with a grin. "It's a dragon!"
"That it is, Jamie," I chuckle. "That it is."
With that, I lead my extremely excited nephew into the ice caves, where I know Kalefahn will be waiting (I did stop by ahead of time to tell him about our visit, don't worry). Sure enough, after heading through a short tunnel that opens out into a wider area, we see him.
Despite being a creature of fire, Kalef looks every bit like a being of ice, with his shimmering silver scales and sharp, crystal blue eyes. Dragons truly are beautiful creatures, and my friend here is no exception. His body is lithe yet powerful, capable of darting movements, graceful flight, and feats of physical strength. He's lying on the ground when we enter, but upon seeing us, he lifts his head and bares his teeth in what I recognize as his typical attempt at mimicking a human smile...still kind of needs work, given all the deadly-looking fangs in his mouth, but hey, he tries his best.
Jack? And friend? Come to play?
I'm used to it by this point, but Jamie is clearly startled by the "sound" of the dragon speaking into his mind. To the kid's credit, though, he recovers quickly, and doesn't seem afraid.
"Wow…" Jamie breathes, staring at Kalefahn in wonder. "This...this is awesome…"
I shoot a smirk in his direction. "I think you're gonna have to come up with a new adjective at some point, Jamie," I tease.
"But it is awesome! It's...I mean he's...he's a dragon!" Jamie insists, face practically glowing with excitement. "There's a dragon right there!"
"I think we've established that by this point," I chuckle playfully, but honestly, I understand the kid's excitement. It's not every day you get to meet such a popular mythical creature, you know? Even for someone who frequently interacts with the other Guardians and I...a dragon's certainly something else.
Kalef, meanwhile, seems a bit more confused by Jamie's constant exclamations of "It's a dragon!" He tilts his head curiously and once again "speaks."
Yes, I am dragon. Why do you say again and again?
"Heh...don't worry about that, Kalef," I say with a smile. I've always liked Kalef's somewhat-broken manner of speaking...he'll grow out of it soon enough once he grows older and eventually gets a better grasp on human languages, but I personally think it's endearing. "He's just excited...anyway, how about you introduce yourself?"
Kalef dips his head a bit in a nod as he turns to look in Jamie's direction.
Hello, Jack friend. My name Kalefahn, but Jack always say Kalef, so that name good also.
"H-Hi, Kalef!" Jamie blurts out, bouncing happily. "I-I'm Jamie! It's...it's really nice to meet you!"
This is wholesome. This is like...really wholesome. And I'm about to make it even more so.
"So, Kalef…" I begin, grinning. "You remember what we talked about earlier, right? Mind telling Jamie about it?"
Kalef nods again and steps forward a bit, looking at Jamie.
Jack say you would like ride. I will carry you through sky.
It takes Jamie a few seconds to process this new information, but once he does, I'm fairly certain his head is now moments away from just straight-up exploding from sheer excitement and happiness.
"I...I can ride you!?" he practically squeals, voice going a few pitches higher than I figure he'd prefer it to be. "L-Like...on your back!? In the air!? Flying!?"
Kalef blinks and looks back at me.
Jamie ask many question...many time.
"Like I said," I chuckle. "He's excited." I glance at Jamie with a grin. "What do you say, Jamie? Wanna ride a dragon?"
"Heck yeah!"
()()()()
"THIS IS SO AWESOME!"
Heh...there he goes with the "awesome" thing again. But hey, I can't fault him for it...riding a dragon is awesome!
As you may have guessed, the two of us are currently seated on Kalef's back (and don't worry, I have Jamie sitting in front of me and properly restrained so he doesn't fall), racing through the night air above the mountain that houses the dragon's ice caves. And honestly, in terms of thrills, Kalef's spared no expense for us: for the past twenty minutes, we've been soaring, tumbling, freewheeling, through an endless diamond sky.
It's a whole new world, I tell you.
And of course, Jamie's been screaming things like "THIS IS SO AWESOME!" for the entirety of that time. Kid's gonna be real tired tomorrow...but I think he and I both know that it's been entirely worth it.
This is the kind of thing that really makes me feel like a Guardian...not necessarily with the "protecting kids" part...but with the part that the others haven't yet seemed to fully grasp, at least not on a personal, face-to-face level. That part...it's connecting with children. Knowing what will make them happy and helping them experience it. Sure, Jamie's my nephew and my first believer, which of course makes him particularly special to me...but I think doing something like this with any child would make me just as happy, because it would make them happy.
This is showing a kid a whole new way to enjoy themselves. This is Fun...this is what I put into the world. This is my purpose.
My Center.
Every child has a different perception of fun, of course. Some are daring enough to want to ride dragons, others are more content with sitting quietly and drawing. Some like video games, others like books, others still like both. Certain children enjoy playing sports, while others love to sing. Some kids may even be jacks of all trades, enjoying every activity I just described, and then some.
It's my job to get to know a child, to learn their hobbies, their interests, their dreams, their hidden talents...and encourage them to go for it. "Fun" doesn't have to be written off as childish or unnecessary. It should be built upon, and nurtured, and maybe someday turned into something great. Fun is, without a doubt, an essential part of childhood, and, indeed, of life...all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, as the saying goes.
Thus...Fun is what I guard.
I can't help but smile silently to myself. I don't think I've ever been as certain of my purpose as a Guardian as I am in this moment.
Suddenly, since we're flying straight and smoothly now, Jamie has the opportunity to turn around and hug me tightly, taking me by surprise.
"J-Jamie?" I ask, somewhat bewildered by the abrupt action.
"Thank you so much, Jack!" he exclaims, voice slightly muffled since his face is buried in my shoulder. "You...you're the best uncle ever!"
...and there goes my heart. Melted to a puddle, once again, by the best nephew and first believer I could ever ask for.
A smile still ever-present on my face, I hug him back, just as tightly. "No problem, Jamie…" I tell him softly. "Anything for the best nephew ever."
Yeah...this is exactly why I do what I do. And I wouldn't trade this job for the world.
:) I hope you guys enjoyed, and don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you think, because it really does help! Thanks so much for everyone who's stuck with me up to this point, and I'll see you in the next update, whenever I can put one out!
'Til then, Sapphire316, out.