"The jungle was dark and dim, seemed so lonely at the time… my dragon, Ben, followed along close by my side and was making various noises to let me know he was okay. I had just escaped my captors of Gorge Valley and was quietly making my getaway. Blane had previously taken control of my village and was taking all the dragon's hostage.

The harness I created suddenly stopped me in my tracks, the one I kept attached to my waist so Ben and I would never become separated. I looked behind me, noticed his scales becoming dark, watched his eyes become slits. I stopped, listened, and looked. Something I had learned in the military. I heard shouts from the East, and roars from the South.

They were closing in on us. I felt a mist on my shoulders and signaled at Ben to lie down so I could mount him quietly. He did as he was told and I was soon listening again. They were close now, only a few feet away.

In the thick jungle foliage it made it difficult to see anything. Sounds were easily heard but forget about sight. I tugged at the harness and Ben began to climb. The trees in this region were enormous, five times the usual Giant Oaks I was used to. The way his claws dug into the tree was painfully loud. He knew it as well and took it very slow.

One, two, three…

-BOOM-

At once I knew we were caught. I looked below to find a dragon of black scales and red eyes, the man mounted on it was cloaked in black and looked at one with his beast. A blast of flames had taken poor aim to the trunk directly above us.

Ben took off, climbing as fast as he could, trying to free us from the horror of being caught again. The dragon was hot on our heels, tearing into the tree, dripping fangs of hell and an eye for death. I knew that we would not get another chance to escape their grasps, they were out to kill.

Ben and I were fleeing for our lives, I clung to him, not letting go for fear of falling. We finally were able to see the sky, dark and cloudy, storming. Ben cried out as the dragon behind him caught his tail with fangs of night.

I could feel Ben slipping, trying to hold on and pull himself up. I quickly took the sword from my back and turned, slashing wildly at the black death-dragon, hoping to catch his skin.

I heard a blood curling scream, not that of a dragon, and turned to find the rider crying out, blood pouring from his arm. My sword became stuck and the dragon let go of Ben.

Ben thrust his wings out and took off from the tree-tops. We were off, finally in open sky, ready for the battle ahead of us. Ben let out a victorious cry, but I warned him that this was hardly the end, we would discover many more hardshi-"

"Enough dad!" My mom walked into the room, rolling her eyes. "My kids can't be poisoned by your fairy tales." She took my 5-year old brother by the hand. "Come on Jake, time for bed."

Jacob was thoroughly disappointed. "But mom…" He got up from his spot on the carpet, knowing he was defeated.

Holly sighed and looked at me. "You too, Pete." She began towards the stairway, taking Jacob with her.

I grimaced. "I should get to stay up later, mom. I'm nearly eighteen."

She turned and scowled at me. "Don't talk back to me, Pete." She picked Jacob up and brought him upstairs. "Thirty seconds Pete!"

I groaned and got up from the chair across the room from my grandfather's. "Goodnight grampa Luke."

He smiled, his eyes wrinkling up the way they do. "Goodnight Peter." He hugged me tighter.

I let go and grinned. "Tell me more about you and Ben tomorrow?" I whispered in his ear.

Luke nodded and winked at me. "Sure thing Peter." He whispered back with a twinkle in his eye.

I smiled and ran up the stairs. I turned the corner and ran into my mom.

"Pete, why do you always go against what I tell you?" She frowned and shook her head at me. "I mean, it's almost like you want me to get angry at you."

I shrugged. "I'm old enough to know real from fake, mom. Grampa is getting older; I'm going to spend every moment I can with him, so he doesn't end up leaving this world lonely." I frowned. "Like dad."

My mom pushed by me, tears welling up in her eyes. I exhaled. I knew it still hurt her; I knew I shouldn't have said it… But it was the only truth she would believe. I sat by the stairway and overheard her talking to Luke again.

"Dad, you don't really believe you had a dragon… do you?"

"I know I did, Holly. I just know it. I remember every moment I spent with Ben; he was part of me…"

"Well don't tell your 'stories' to Jacob and Peter again. Dragon's. Aren't. Real."

"You used to believe me, remember Holly? You used to believe the stories I would tell you… About Ben and me. When you were little?"

"Not anymore, dad."

They went silent.

I walked to my room, the one I shared with Jacob. I had my own room, sure. But he was afraid of sleeping alone since dad died last year. Slipping into my covers, I looked across the room to see Jacob frowning at me.

"What's up, lil' britches?" I smiled at him, hoping to lift him up a little.

"Mommy yelled at me again… told me I shouldn't believe gramps." He furrowed his eyebrows. "I thought we should trust him?"

I drew the covers over my body. "We can trust grampa Luke, buddy. I promise. He doesn't lie. He just…" I shook my head. "mom doesn't want you to be disappointed if… if there aren't dragons."

He looked at me, his brown eyes sad. They reminded me of dad's, the way he looked right before he died.

"But… There are dragon's… Aren't there brother?"

I frowned. "I-I don't know," I smiled. "maybe we'll know for sure someday," I laughed. "maybe we'll even get to ride one someday, like Grampa."

He giggled. "Yeah, maybe so!"

I smiled, happy that I'd made him feel better.

"I'mma go bed now." Jake turned away from me and settled into the covers. I heard an owl screech from outside.

I smiled. "Goodnight brother, I love you."

"G'night, Petaa."

I turned to the window near my bed, looked outside at the sky, it was a little cold, and I shivered, almost thinking I could see the dark silhouette of a dragon coming closer as I drifted off to sleep.