Attention: I have changed Sakura's age from six to eight. The reason being that it just makes more sense, and also because this chapter will give you some info. on Sakura's past and if she was six the content made her seem too fantastical (sp?)

Ok, thats it until the bottom.

Rising of the Dragons' Dawn

by Ally Lei

Chapter 4: Awakening

'Wait for me. I will join you soon.'

The voice had said. Well Sakura Kinomoto had been waiting for somebody to come; for somebody to join her in the almost prison-like mountain with a serious, boring guard who wouldn't play with her.

'Wait for me.'

She had been waiting for fourteen days now and still there was no sign of anyone coming to her. In fact, almost everyone had left her. The Elder dragons, as Avatre called them, had stayed for roughly three days time (her estimation was based on meals because she wasn't allowed outside to see the sky). They had left in what she perceived as disappointment. She didn't know why they were saddened but it seemed that it had something to do with her, as it seemed almost everybody was.

Sakura wasn't one to give into self-pity because her brother had said it was the downfall of humanity; whatever that meant she didn't know but it sounded bad. Sometimes, though, it felt as if she was….

incomplete.

As though something was missing from her life and she was left to fill the gap, as cliché as that sounds. She felt as though she should be doing something, somewhere, somehow, but she couldn't for she was only a child and a girl.

So she tried to fill this metaphorical gap with family, friends, and knowledge. Sadly it didn't work out as she had hoped. She was very well off compared to other children of the world. Her family tried to be there for her, she knew, but they were busy helping the townsfolk. And as for her friends, well, she never had many because they feared her and her parents. The townspeople, while respecting the Kinomoto family, they were also suspicious of Sakura's family because they didn't understand the Powers. It is the nature of every species that roamed the earth to fear and shun what they don't understand.

As a result of this exclusion, Sakura came to know a thirst for knowledge and understanding of the world, deep within her. She read many of her parents' historical books, and even the ones she wasn't allowed to even look at. She read diaries of kings, magicians, witches, and sorceresses; of the great wars of the land and the good deeds of the people. She learned about all of the creatures discovered on the face of the planet. She studied and tested her theories and hypothesizes with Power. She came to control her Power with utmost discipline and a lot of exercise. She became what many would call a child prodigy. And she did all of this in the eight years (remember, I upped her age from six to eight because it makes more sense) of her very short life.

No one knew of her awareness except her brother because he was the one to start it all by giving a lonely Sakura an easy Power exercise book. After she finished that she asked for another and another until, finally, Touya had to sneak books to his little sister. And if she was caught with them he covered for her by making himself seem at fault. He did this because he alone guessed at the full potential Sakura possessed, and he knew her Power could destroy her if not controlled.

But now her brother was gone along with her parents and the townsfolk. She was alone; awaiting her fate to come for her. The only special event that she was actually looking forward to was the hatching of Kero, as she had come to call him. Avatre said that the reason she had been chosen by Kero to hatch him was because he approved of her personality, her Power, he destiny, and because he was drawn to her. When asked why he was 'drawn to her', she received a blank look as if asking how she could be so ignorant, and then Sakura received this long-winded speech on the complexities and reasons of a dragon's life. Basically everything had to do with Power and what a being chose to do with it; Kero chose to be unbreakably bound to her and that was the end of it. Sakura only wished that Avatre had shortened her lecture to that explanation and saved her human brain a monumental headache.

Green orbs flickered up to lay a scornful look on the rose and violet dragon who was currently longing in the center of the humongous cave while she had to scrunch into a corner. Avatre refused to play or even entertain the girl on grounds that the past few days had been very trying for her. Sakura felt a little put off by this because the female dragon had had fourteen days to 'recover'. Personally she felt that Avatre was anxiously waiting for Kero to hatch so she could gambol around with him, but she avoided confrontation because she realized that Avatre was her main source of food for the time being. At least until Kero hatched and could hunt for her.

This thought inevitably raised another question as Sakura glanced at Avatre and the back to the egg in her hand.

She had been carrying around the egg with her through her every waking moment and she had to put it close to her when she was sleeping so she didn't crush it. According to Avatre she had to quicken and provide warm, life force energy to the developing dragon which should hatch in the next day or so (something she couldn't wait for). Because she had been carting around the egg she had had a lot of time to observe it and make mental notes, and during this time she noticed that her warm, butter-cream colored egg was the size of her fist. Not something you would expect a great hulking beast to come out of. A glance again at Avatre proved that the physics were beyond possible and she intended to find out why.

"Avatre", she called out to get the dragon's attention. The dragon's majestic head rose and came to rest before her with a query in its eye. The dragon had been contemplating the future and what it in store for the Dragonkin race and the beings of the world.

"Why is this egg so small? Do all dragons hatch out of an egg this size?" Sakura let bewilderment color her voice, hoping that Avatre will give a small simple answer instead of a blank gaze and a lecture.

What she got, however, was not something she had expected. A rumbling sound came from deep within the dragon's body and slowly a connection was formed between the two. Sakura received the impression that Avatre was laughing and the link only proved that the dragon was indeed finding something amusing. Sakura pouted; she did not like to be laughed at (though this was a first from Avatre).

"I have been waiting for you to ask that question these past few days. I had almost begun to worry." Avatre's teasing voice filtered through their bond. Sakura scowled as much as she could by making her baby face look as menacing as possible though she suspected it wasn't at all.

Avatre seemed to find more amusement from this and the rumbling sounded again.

"Settle down, child, I was only teasing. And as for your question it is very simple. I, nor the dragons you have seen, hatched from an egg like that" Avatre replied

"Why not?" Sakura demanded as she thought of dragons springing from the ground or out of thin air. The idea did not make sense for Power wasn't made like that and Dragonkin were being of Power.

"Merely because that baby dragon is what is called a Minor dragon, though by no means less powerful. Minor dragons are smaller, thus smaller eggs. Their power though is somewhat different from a Greater Dragon."

"How so?" By this time Sakura was past bewilderment and had dove right into confusing.

"They only have Power over a specific element. For example, your dragon is a Luck and Loyalty dragon. He can smell deception and lies that people have told you even if he wasn't there. He also puts you on the rather good side of Fate, but I wouldn't rely on him to much. You may never know when Fate will not be swayed." Avatre warned as she closed her eyes, hoping to mediate a bit more on the future.

Sakura stared at her egg in contemplation, her mind whirling, mentally measuring and weighing how big of an egg Avatre could have come from. The result was mind-boggling, something she could just not believe.

"Avatre." She called again, and the multi-hued eyes opened in slight frustration.

"How bigger was your egg." The child's country upbringing and her age making her draw on bad grammar. Another small thing that Avatre hoped the girl would grow out of or learn from a role model the proper usage of words.

As Avatre considered the girl's question, she felt a small Power tremor coming from the tiny egg in the girl's grubby hands. No doubt the dragonling would hatch tomorrow. Avatre mentally smiled and whole heartedly approved because she had felt somewhat guilty for not being able to play with the girl. She was the Egg Keeper, not a baby sitter so she didn't the first hint of how to entrain the child. Usually the egg chose when to be quickened and she called the mother or father depending on the case to come and claim their charge when it was hatched by her.

And as for the girl's question Avatre felt it better to actually show her for the girl probably couldn't even begin to imagine the size even if the female dragon told her. She rose onto her powerful, scaly legs and made her way to the opening in the way that stood in for a door. She curved her head around and looked to see what the small body was doing. Currently she was staring at Avatre in befuddlement and small inkling of fear. The young mind probably thought that her new mother was angry with her but with a small jerking of the great beast's head; her doubts were eradicated as she rose to follow the dragon out.

It was the same journey that Avatre had made many times but still always gave her a sense of wonderment. What was surprising was that the halls were not extraordinary, the air was cool as it was throughout the mountain caves, and there was not anything significant about the passage. Other than it was the Greater Egg room and where the unhatched Prince resided, a little voice whispered in her heart.

When they reached their destination, Sakura didn't even realize it. The entry was covered with protective spells that made the opening look and actually feel like solid granite by playing tricks with your mind. Essentially an intruder would walk on by it never knowing it was the safe haven for hundreds of eggs. If not it would at least buy some time for the Egg Keeper to sacrifice herself to move the eggs while the trespasser was confused.

As she would be able to for the rest of her life, Sakura stepped through first at the directing of Avatre. She walked a couple of feet in before her legs gave out underneath her as she looked on in awe, once again, at hundreds of eggs glowing in the blue light cast from the ever-changing protective runes in the walls and curved ceiling. Except this time the eggs were almost as tall as her two and three-quarter foot frame.

The eggs were placed at random throughout the room and varying in size too; though none of them went below the height of a foot and a half. Each egg, Sakura was sure, had its own soft, pale color if one were to roll the egg out into direct sunlight but with the eerily blue light dominated in the cave.

Avatre entered behind the girl but had to stop short a few feet in if she didn't want to step on her soon-to-be Consort of the Emperor. She watched the blue-cast, childish face for any signs of something of what she knew not. As she had anticipated the small head rose of seemingly its own accord for the child still seemed to be in a daze. If Avatre was human she would have grinned at the expression of admiration etched onto the girl's face. She connected herself with the child's thoughts to find the girl was reveling in the comfort given to her by all of the eggs. In short she wasn't thinking clearly and Avatre intended to give as much information as she could before that small mouth opened in the inevitable questions. Avatre wanted to beat the onrush of them.

"The reason these eggs are so big is because they house the dragons that will eventually grow to be the size of a small hill or even a small mountain, though that is very rare. The difference between the Greater and Minor dragons is size but also a Greater dragon can control any element he or she wished to use while a Minor dragon can only control one. But I warn you now, never discriminate to a Minor dragon. It is against all morals and you will find yourself at the end of every prank the Minors have and will come with over the years.

"Also, they may be able to control one element but the can tap into Power unimaginable for the specific element. So don't you ever let me- or anyone else for that matter- catch you discriminating others. The punishment is exact for everyone even if you are….uh….important." Avatre almost slipped during her lecture and momentarily glanced at the wonder struck girl. She didn't catch it though, which was excellent because it wasn't Avatre's place to tell her who she would become. If she learned who she was going to be, she might get what the humans called 'airs', and acted as if she was superior to everyone. The Prince would not hatch for her if she did indeed acquire 'airs'.

Avatre sensed a thought forming in the child's mind and immediately answered:

"Yes, child, we do have the power to metamorphous or transform, whichever you prefer. We can change into humans or any other creature, and we used to frequently in the past."

The satisfied question moved away into the recording recesses of Sakura's mind only to be replaced by another. And again Avatre answered before the red mouth could open.

"We haven't for five hundred years because it was restricted by our former Emperor before he died. It can only be reinstated by our Prince but he hasn't, as of yet, hatched."

Sakura's thoughts were whirling, trying to absorb all that she could. Avatre had to weaken their bond so she wouldn't get trapped by the flurry of Sakura's thoughts. But before she did so she caught one inquiry that she had been waiting for. In the next few minutes she hoped that she would be proved right, that a momentous happening would occur. Oh! She couldn't wait! She would finally be able to see the Prince awaken.

Putting on a somewhat chilled tone to hide her excitement she spoke to the girl softly:

"The Prince is not hatched yet, my dear. His egg lies yonder." Avatre's wing fanned out to point at the monstrous egg in the corner.

The egg lay on its side but still managed to reach three feet upwards and four feet lengthwise. It shone with the ray of sun shed through a crevice in the far wall. No shadows could corrupt or even touch it because the being that would be born out of the shell was all-powerful and he disapproved of the Shadows' games.

But right now the egg looked relatively harmless. In fact if Avatre didn't know any better she would probably have guessed that the egg was dead for it didn't hum with life or even give off a sense of Power.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed movement; the girl-child was slowly crawling towards the egg. Avatre stretched her neck out and turned her head to see the girl's expression and to read her intentions. She, however, received a surprise.

Sakura's face was blank except for the look of determination that gave the impression that for all intents and purposes, Sakura was going to touch the egg. Avatre tried to connect her mind with the girl's but she was knocked aside. Her connection was forcefully shoved back at her as if something was blocking all communication and contact with the child. Avatre started to fret over the possibilities of why Sakura was acting so. She couldn't sense the Prince awake or even calling the girl so what, in the name of the Stars, was going on! She began to fear for not only the girl but for the Prince as well. Was the child corrupt and acted as if she was the innocent only to be able to access the Greater Egg chamber? Was Sakura being compelled by dark forces? If she was Avatre had to stop her.

Fearfully she called out again to the girl: "Sakura!"

But Sakura was deaf to the world. As soon as her eyes rested on the smoky-colored egg, her ears rejected all sound but one: a hum. The hum was more of a vibrating like the tuning fork Touya used with his piano; it rung with the clarity of nothing else Sakura knew. It wove its way into her mind, controlling and compelling her to move, to touch the egg.

So she rose on her weak hands and knees and crawled over the space between her and the egg. She was unable to hear to all noises or callings for the hum deafened her senses. She knew only one and it seemed to be coming from the egg.

As she stumbled over to the hardened shell she began to notice a glowing of the egg. It seemed as if the egg was glowing from something inside of the shell. Sakura received a feeling of soothing warmth and love. She wanted to reach the love, this acceptance so she sped up her awkward crawl, eager to reach the egg.

She, finally, was in arms' reach of the shell after what seemed an eternity had passed by. The glow had changed into a shining light, and Sakura was able to see a form moving within its shell. She stretched out an arm to feel the egg. In the egg it seemed as if a creature was doing the same, for a stretched-out claw shape shadow formed from within the egg.

If Sakura had placed her hand on the cool shell, it would have landed on the shadow, but the appearing of Avatre's wing halted her. The dragon was standing over her with her wing stretched out in front of the knelling girl. Sakura felt a rushing sense of clarity as stared at Avatre. What had she been about to do?

A glance at the egg told her nothing because it was just an egg now with no inner glowing or hum. She moved her eyes back up to Avatre in silent query but the dragon only gave a mental image of smiling contently and moved away.

After another glance at the egg, Sakura hurried to stand up and ran after the female dragon. She hoped it was lunch time because she was starving and maybe Kero would hatch in the next hour or two.

As both females traversed down the stone corridor, the Prince egg let off a dazzling flash and a nonexistent sigh permeated the room.

The Prince had awoken.

Ok, so is it good or bad?

Ipersonally think it could have been better but no matter how many times I rewrote it it just seemed...childish. I don't know maybe its me.

I give a heartfelt thanks out to the people who reviewed this story.You guys really make my day when I get them. Please review me again!

To all new readers: please review and tell me what you think. Youthoughts are reallyappreciated even if you say some not so complementary things.

Thanks again,

Ally Lei