The village is small and peaceful, surrounded by
fertile fields. Children run and play
as the adults are working in the fields, or near various huts. Several of the children run to greet Nathen
as he returns from his journey. Nathen
has returned with a stranger, she is a cloaked figure, the children stop some
turning to run away, and others stay to meet the newcomer. She is a woman, with a small dragon perched
on her shoulder.
Nathen: "Its ok, come meet Hitomi. And this little one is her friend Goldie."
Some of the braver children come closer as Hitomi
removes her hood. She is a dragon; her
smile warm and the children stare in wonder. One girl comes up touching her lightly on the arm.
Jana: "You're a dragonmere, a real dragonmere. I told you boys they are real."
Hitomi: "Nathan, what's a dragonmere?"
Nathen: "They are creatures of the legends, told in
stories to children at bedtime. There
just like the tales of people from the Mystic Moon, they don't exist."
Hitomi thinks back to when she was a small child at
bedtime, to the stories told to her by her grandma. "Hitomi is a small child, sitting on her bed, drawings of
princes, and dragons decorate the wall beside her play area. And above her bed, her favorite, a small
painting done by her grandma of a prince, the prince of dragons, holding a
glowing crystal, small dragons flying in the background. 'Tell me a story,
grandma; I'm not sleepy yet. Please
tell me the story about the dragon prince and the stone.' The dragon prince looked a lot like she does
now. Could this mean something"
Hitomi: "Fairy stories, children's tales usually
have their beginnings in truth, Nathan."
Nathen: "Come, we are almost to my home. Mother and Father are in the fields now, but
my sister Kala will be getting ready for the meal."
As they arrive, children still following, a cat
girl comes running from the hut, flinging her arms around Nathen, hugging him
tightly.
Kala: "Nathen, your back, you were gone far too
long this time. Mother was worried.
Nathen: "Mother is always worried, she will be fine
when she sees what an excellent hunt I have had."
Hitomi looks at Kala, she reminds her of
Merle. The girl is about the same size
as Merle was the last time she saw her. Her fur the same color. She
again is missing her friends. She even
misses Merle.
Kala stops talking, just noticing that Nathan is
not alone. She holds tighter to her
brother, her eyes wide and the fur on her tail standing.
Nathen: "Kala, this is Hitomi. She saved my life when a band of land
poachers attacked me in the forest. She
is my friend. Welcome her."
Kala: "Welcome to our home Hitomi. You are so pretty, I have never seen a
dragon before."
Kala giggles and walks over to Hitomi. She reaches her hand up to the small dragon
on Hitomi's shoulder.
Kala: "May I pet him?"
Hitomi: "Yes you may. His name is Goldie, and he is happy to meet you. He likes to have his chest stroked."
Hitomi waits quietly as the little girl pets and
talks to Goldie. He is chirping softly
his enjoyment at being the center of attention.
Hitomi: "Is there someplace I can go to rest. I need to get this hot cloak off and
stretch."
Nathen: "Sure, I have to see to the meat, but Kala
will show you, there is a place behind the hut with rocks and a tree for shade. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Hitomi: "Goldie, go find some bugs will you."
The dragonet flies off as Hitomi follows Kala to
the back to the place Nathen spoke of. There is an outcrop of large flat rocks next to a tall tree with large
star shaped leaves. Lots of shade and a
nice breeze too. Kala leaves to return
to the hut, as Hitomi
Removes the cloak. The shade feels good to her hot body. She stretches out her wings and sits laying her head in her arms and
yawns. Hitomi is starting to relax now,
to relax and to drift off to sleep.
Sounds, giggles as hushed whispers. The child from earlier has returned with
friends. They are watching Hitomi. Kala comes around the hut carrying a drink
for their guest.
Kala: "Scat, run along and play. Let Hitomi get some rest, I'm sure you will
all get a chance to meet her later."
Jana: "But Kala, those boys didn't believe me when
I told them Nathen brought home a dragonmere. I had to show them, they were laughing at me."
Kala: "Ok you have, now go! News of your arrival will spread fast. We have never been blessed by the arrival of
a goddess here before; it is a great moment for the whole village. A sign of good fortune."
'Is
this the real reason Nathen has brought me to the village, He must have known
the villagers would react this way ". Nathen will be a hero to his village. She should be use to being used, but it
still hurts. This was one of the
reasons she left Gaea, back then. She
knew she had Van's love, but she was too young to fulfill the kind of love she
was feeling. And too used to completely
trust anyone but Van.
Kala: "Hitomi, are you alright you look so
sad. Here I brought you a drink. I'm sorry those children were bothering
you."
Hitomi: "Thank you, they weren't bothering me, at
least they weren't afraid. I've been
nervous. Kala, I'm not a goddess, I'm a
real person, that's all just a being that looks different from your people or
the people in Fanilia. I'm sorry, I'm tired and I seem to be going on and on."
Hitomi sits back down with the drink. This conversation is at an end. Kala is young, but she knows when it is time
to leave someone alone.
