It's a stormy day and the wind is bending the trees back and forth as if to rip them from the ground. You are still on your way home, having decided to take the shortcut through the forest since it seems like the clouds are about to break and you don't want to get wet. There aren't many people out in the forest at this time of day, and there is only a small path slithering between the trees, making it troublesome to navigate. After a little while, you hear a snapping in the branches above, and glance up fearfully, but it's only the stormy weather.

Then the very thing you dreaded begins to fall - large drops of rain begin to shower around you and you pull your hood tighter over your head.

'Oh great,' you think to yourself, looking desperately for shelter. In this downpour you'd be soaked to the bone before getting anywhere near home.

You try venturing off the path, pushing through the quickly soddening undergrowth. Through the haze of the almost literal waterfall coming from the clouds, you see a dark spot against the rocky cliffs. Thanking the universe for this stroke of luck you quickly run towards it, finding the entrance to a dark but dry cave.

Quickly, you shuffle inside, taking care not to hit your head on the ceiling. The air inside has a surprising warmth to it, and without any of the dank moisture you'd expect from such a place. A sigh of relief escapes your lips as goosebumps spring up all over your skin from the change in temperature.

You sit down against one of the walls, staring out into the rain as it continues relentlessly pounding the whole area. At this rate, it would be a long while before it cleared, but at least you were out of it for the time being.

A sudden noise startles you from your thoughts, and you look down at your stomach, wondering how hungry you'd have to be to make that kind of noise. Then it comes again, but deeper and louder, and definitely not from your stomach. You gaze fearfully into the darkness of the cave, fumbling your phone out of a jacket pocket and attempting to enter the password with numb fingers. The sound echoes closer as you finally manage to log in and turn on your flashlight.

The shape that forms out of the dark is both familiar and terrifying, and it takes you a few seconds to register what it actually is.

"No way...i-is that a...Night Fury?!"

As you stare dumbfounded at the fantastical creature, your eyes fall to it's stomach, where it seems to be curled around something protectively, wings and tail blocking it from view. Thin, slitted eyes meet yours for a moment, another growl emanating from its throat before seeming to relax a little. You get the distinct feeling it's a female as she looks you up and down, and notice how much larger she is compared to what was shown in the movies you loved as a child.

Then something even stranger happens - she seems to nod, and her pupils widen into rounded squares. The growling stops, and her body language seems to gesture you closer. You take a few steps nearer, and she lets you without a motion or sound of objection. For some reason you can't stop looking into her eyes - they're a light blue, reminding you of a sparkling river on a sunny summer's day.

Before you know it, you're only feet away from her large form, and you snap out of your trance.

"The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself," you whisper to yourself, feeling both fearful and overwhelmingly grateful that she hasn't decided to kill you.

She sniffs at your clothing and notices how wet you are, despite running for shelter as quickly as you could. She raises her head and glances around the cave as if searching for something, then gazes back at you, opening her wings slightly.

You can now see the thing she was protecting - a lonely hatchling, cuddled up to her underside.

You smile at the sight of the small scaly bundle curled up tightly against its mother, and wish you could do the same; wanting to forget about the rain and the cold.

You are ripped from your thoughts when the Night Fury suddenly nudges your side, making you lose your balance and fall into a sitting position against her torso. You can do nothing but watch as she moves her tail onto your lap and pulls you against her scales, next to the baby dragon.

You're amazed at how gentle such a large creature can be, especially with a human who she barely knows. From the movies you know that many dragons feared or even hated humans, but this Night Fury cared for you as if you were one of her own.

You stretch your hand out to the hatchling, watching its mother for permission. She gives a small nod and you gently pet the tiny creature. Its newly formed scales are surprisingly soft to the touch, and you can feel every breath as its chest rises and falls against your palm.

It stirs and gives a miniscule yawn before moving sleepily onto your legs and turning around a few times before falling asleep again, now against your stomach.

The mother giggles in a draconic fashion before stretching out her wings and closing them around you and her hatchling in a dark cocoon. You feel a small surge of panic as you lose all sight against her black scales, but the warmth that envelops you quickly assuages your fears, making you feel comfortable and sleepy.

The Night Fury shifts around you, coiling her tail smoothly around your waist and gently nudging you to lie on your side. You cradle the hatchling against your stomach and allow her to move you around, finding yourself calm and at peace in her embrace. She wraps her paws one by one around your shoulders, arms and legs, pulling you close against her underside.

You snuggle deeper into her full-body hug and get a happy but quiet murr in response, then a small lick on the top of your head as if she's wishing you goodnight. She squeezes you a little tighter, engulfing you in her natural warmth, and you try to emulate the motion to the hatchling sleeping against you. You feel a small movement from it, blunt rounded claws curling around one of your arms.

You fall into a deep peace, surrounded by comfort, warmth and love as the mother's breathing begins to rock you back and forth like a cradle, her tender embrace a strong guardian against the wet and the cold outside. You slowly start to drift asleep, hearing only the heartbeats of a mother and her child; dragons, who you had thought to be fiction mere hours ago.

Rowan Mackenzie and Crazy