I feel myself exiting a dream state and begin to wake. I can both see and feel the sunlight from behind my eyelids. Keeping my eyes closed, I naturally roll over and attempt to fall back asleep.
"Look, I already know you're awake." I here Cam say, but proceed to ignore it.
"Stop playin' Jared. It's a new day and we're about to get something to eat."
I give in at the thought of food and as if on que, I feel my stomach grumble.
"Alright. Yeah, I'm up." I say, removing my earphones and sitting up.
Cam chuckles.
"Yep, I know food will work every time. Good morning. How was your first night?"
I rub my eyes before looking out the window.
"It was...decent. Slept pretty good. How bout you?"
"Great, actually. Got up probably 20 minutes ago or something like that."
I check my phone, wondering if the time matches up with this world.
"8:30 huh?" I mumble.
Cam's always been a morning person like my mom which I support. But I'm not one myself. Though, if I'm in a bad mood, I try not to put that negative energy on them. But right now, it almost feels like Christmas getting to wake up to the sight of dragons. This doesn't happen everyday.
"Oh yeah, and if you need to brush your teeth and all that, I brought some water bottles you can use to rinse. Just check in my bag." He explains and points to his slightly open gym bag.
"Alright, sounds good. Thanks." I say before yawning.
"Cool. Well, meet us out front when you're done, and we'll head out to get food in Heart. There's some cool people down there, and you'll get to meet Pengu and Amba's sister Sisu, and her friend Raya."
I nod my head in understanding, looking forward to the events of today.
"Ok bro, see you." Cam departs and walks out the house.
I take a moment to stand up, stretch, and look out the window. The trees calmly sway back and forth as the sun illuminates their leaves. I silently admire the scenery, gathering my thoughts and taking it in before I begin my small modified morning routine.
About 10 minutes later I finish everything and make sure I have my usual belongings with me. Usually my phone, earphones, wallet, Keys, and of course my trusty fidget spinner. My most important item. Since I'm feelin' really good today, I'll bring it along. I most likely won't have much use for these things over here, but sometimes you've gotta stay prepared. I put all of those things in my backpack before putting it on and heading out.
I walk outside and am greeted by the sight of even more colorful dragons. I stand at the entrance for a second, observing my surroundings in amazement. Dragons roaming about their day, interacting, hanging out, conversing, and some even flying while doing all those things. Many of them in the sky were just flipping around and playing, while others headed to specific destinations at different speeds. Others found enjoyment in higher altitudes while some wanted to stay on the lower end. If I was a dragon, I would probably be in that group. Or on the ground preferably. I noticed how each dragon created magical platforms to stay elevated. Seeing use of their magic like that is mind blowing. I feel out of place, but not in a bad way at all. Cam and I may be the only two humans over here, but I still feel comfortable because the dragons have made me feel that way. I feel special to have an opportunity to be amongst these magnificent creatures.
"Aye Jared, over here!"
I'm snapped out of my thoughts as I hear Cam call my name. I look over toward his direction and he signifies me to come over. I notice the group we had yesterday congregating behind him, as so as Amba who looked toward my direction at the sound of my name. I notice her smile once she see's me and I already begin to get nervous from that familiar feeling, whatever it is. I close the distance between the group and I, navigating past other dragons as I go.
"Yo" I say, dapping up Cam.
"Morning Jared." Amba greets me.
"Morning Amba. How're you feeling." I ask.
"Really good actually. Ready to go flying. How about you?"
"I'm doing good too. First night here was enjoyable. So uh, you're going flying?" I ask, watching the other dragons occupying the sky.
"Yep. Actually, we all are. Getting to Heart by sky is way quicker than on foot." Amba explains and I nod my head in understanding, but still have questions.
"Gotcha. Then um...how are Cam and I gonna get there?" Then a realization pops into my head.
"By taking you both with us of course."
My stomach clenches.
"Wait, in the sky. You'll pick us up and take us up there?"
She nods her head, but notices my lack of comfort and reassures me.
"Don't worry though Jared. It'll be quick and you will hardly feel any turbulence. I will make sure."
I nod my head and smile nervously.
"Okay. Sorry it's just, I'm afraid of heights so..." I trail off.
"No worries. I'll make sure you're comfortable." She says, and smiles.
"Thanks Amba." I say, returning a smile and already feeling slightly better about the situation.
"Yeah, first time flying. Scary before, but once you get up there you can really appreciate the feeling." Cam explains, causing Amba to agree and nod her head.
"Well, I'm looking forward to it a little more now." I say, half lying and telling the truth as my anxiety rises.
"Everyone ready? Oh, and good morning Jared." I hear Pura say.
"Morning Pura." I say back and greet Aramis and Juule.
Everyone nods and says their ready.
Cam walks over to Pura and I look over toward Amba who silently nods her head, gesturing me to get on her back.
"So do I...Just..." I trail off, full of confusion and wanting to respect her.
"Yes, just hop on my back." She finishes and lowers herself to make it easier for me to get on.
"Okay."
I carefully climb onto her slender back and situate myself. I make sure to see if she's comfortable as well.
"Are you good? Or should I move in some way?" I ask.
"No, I'm fine. Are you ready?" She asks me.
"I uh...think so. Should I hold onto you more?" I ask while sitting awkwardly.
"I would recommend, seeing how Cam has struggled with stability in his first couple of flights. I would say he's slightly better now with some experience, despite his lack of practice." She explains.
I look over to Cam who's talking with Pura.
"Alright bruh, don't do nothin' too crazy."
"Like what?"
"You already know what. The flips and twirls and shit. You almost killed me."
Pura and Aramis laugh.
"See, Aramis knows what's up." Cam points to Aramis.
"It's true." Aramis says.
"Alright, I won't do anything crazy. Maybe a little something here and there just to mess with you."
Cam mugs him and causes him to laugh again.
"Alright, alright. Hop on."
Cam swiftly get's on Pura's back and hugs closely to his body, wrapping his limbs around him.
"Dang, you really don't wanna fall huh?"
"Nah, I don't trust you all the way. I gotta take precautions."
Pura chuckles.
"Well, I don't blame you. Don't want you sliding off accidentally from my shenanigans. Ready?"
Cam looks over to me and gives a thumbs up to which I reciprocate.
"Let's do it."
And with that, Pura jogs into the sky and I hear Cam yell, but not out of fear. Aramis and Juule follow behind, leaving only Amba and I.
"So, I guess that answers that question further. Except I trust you more than he trusts Pura. But because it's my first time, I'm gonna hang onto you for dear life. If that's okay."
Amba laughs.
"Of course."
"Cool, thank you."
I then imitate Cam and wrap my body around her torso. The instant comfort I feel is unexpected as I feel the warmth of her fur.
"Wow.." I quietly express.
I hear Amba giggle.
"Comfortable?"
"...Y-yeah." I almost mumble.
"Great. Let's meet with the other's then."
I suddenly feel weightless and a rush of air surround me as Amba takes off toward the sky. Then I realize, "Holy crap. This is actually happening." It happens so fast, my mind takes longer to register than my body the fact that I've been elevated. It feels as if I'm on a roller coaster, except I'm not strapped in. I'm the one responsible for holding on and avoiding flying off. To be honest, I'm terrified despite Amba reassuring me. My fear of heights is in full effect and I hug Amba even tighter. To avoid looking at the quickly descending ground, I close my eyes tightly and try to calm myself.
I lose my sense of awareness and time. All I know is that I am somewhere in the sky, on a dragon. Not a plane or a helicopter. A dragon. I would attempt to fathom the magnitude of this insanity immediately, but my mind and body are not in the right place for that currently.
Eventually, I hear Cam laughing over the sound of the rushing wind. He sounds distant, but not too far.
"Haha! Bro! You look so scared!"
Ignoring his observation of my intense fear, I simply snicker.
"You gotta open your eyes bro! The view is crazy!" He continues.
"Nah" I shake my head in disagreement.
"C'mon Jared, you can trust Amba more than Pura honestly." I hear Aramis say and laugh.
"Hey! I'm not that bad. Aren't you fine right now Cam?" Pura asks.
"Yeah, right now. You still might pull something though. You're still a little sus."
"If you say so." Pura says, feeling unconvinced by Cam's lack of trust.
"Let's go above the clouds!" I hear Juule say excitedly.
My stomach clenches even more as I think, "We're not already above the clouds!?"
"Yeah, let's do it!" Aramis says and I hear the sound of their paws against the air become distant as they ascend to space I would imagine.
"Oh shi-" I hear Cam's voice fade into the distance as Pura follows the others without hesitation.
"Jared, we don't have to follow them if you don't want to." Amba states.
I debate internally for a moment, "No, no. That's way too high up. No way. But Amba, I don't want to hold her back because of my fears. That's selfish."
"No...it's fine. We can go. I don't want to hold you back from the fun."
"Are you sure? It's really okay Jared, I fly all the time. Plus, I usually do my own thing anyway." She exclaims and I feel her stop in her tracks.
"Did you just...stop?" I ask in realization.
"Yes. I don't want to continue until I know that you're content with your decision." She exclaims.
"Thank you Amba, you really don't have to do that."
I attempt to open my eyes to confirm her sudden halt in movement, but immediately decide against the idea.
"Yeah, nevermind. Not doing that." I mumble before continuing. "Amba, you're literally standing in mid air."
Amba laughs at my amazement.
"Yeah, I am. Apart of dragon magic." She states.
"Sorry, I'm just really buggin' out right now. This is all just...so cool. But, really Amba, it's fine. I actually kinda want to do it."
This is both a lie and a truth.
"Even against your fear?"
"Well, I've made it this far and that's insane within itself. So I might as well go all the way." I say and instantly feel my body brace for the reality of such a thought.
"Well, I understand. I applaud you for developing the courage to face your fears." I hear the smile in her voice.
"Thank you." I say while smiling from her compliment.
"You guys coming!?" I hear Pura ask from a distance above us.
"Did Jared open his eyes!?" I also hear Cam add.
"Yeah, we're coming! He's working on it!" Amba responds before turning to me. "Do you think you'll open them? One thing I want you to see is the beautiful sea of clouds that stretch throughout the land."
I might consider now since Amba wants me to. I know that I'm currently missing out on so much breathtaking scenery, but I just can't get my mind and body to relax enough for me to open my eyes and see it all. I feel as if I'll freak out or I'll fall off or something. But I trust that Amba would catch me before I did.
I sigh in slight frustration.
"I want to, I really do. But, I don't know. I'll try to I guess." I say, unsure of my decision.
"It's okay, that's all you can ask for. Now, hold on."
I waste no time in reapplying my grip around Amba's torso as she suddenly ascends to a higher altitude. I once again feel the air rushing around me as it fills my ears. We're clearly moving very quickly. I don't exactly know what a cloud feels like, but I assume it's kind of similar to fog. This thought appears as I feel small forms of moisture against my skin. The thought of passing through a cloud like this is both interesting and scary. Scary because of my constant fear of heights, but also interesting because this is a situation that I never thought I would be in.
After what feels like a while for me, the temporary shade of the cloud I pictured behind my closed eyes vanishes and is replaced with the rays of sunlight. The air is still cold, but warmer because of the sun.
"Ayye, you made it!" I hear Pura say.
I begin to reel back the thought of, "How high up here are we actually? Especially since we're above the clouds now."
As I think about this, I picture myself looking out the window on one of my trips from the past on a plane. I used to travel between two states to visit family almost every summer when I lived with my mom. It was so cool to look out the small window and observe the ground and the endless sky. A few times, the plane went above the clouds and the view really was breathtaking. It was almost like being in another world at that altitude. That's what makes this moment so unreal. Forget a plane, I have a dragon taking me up here instead. There's no words to describe how awesome this truly is.
"Sure did!" Amba responds enthusiastically.
She comes to another stop.
"We're uh...here right?" I ask.
"Yeah, we're here. One of my favorite places to be."
I smile, but also contemplate testing my courage.
"Alright, Amba. I'll try the thing."
"The thing? You're going to try to look?" She asks with a hint of surprise in her voice.
"Yeah. I'll just go for it."
I give myself an internal countdown, "Alright Jared. This is easy. On three, 1..2..." My three takes a little longer than expected. "...3!" My eyes snap open, and instantly my heart falls into my stomach.
"Woah! We're so high up here! This is crazy! The clouds, the sun! Amba I can't." I close my eyes and tuck into her fur once again.
She laughs at my reaction.
"Oh, c'mon. Of course you can. You just did it."
I open my eyes again, this time a little more hesitant. The bright blanket of clouds and sea of blue skies enter my vision, as so as 3 familiar colorful dragons playing in the distance. I'm still scared and hanging onto Amba like she's a last beacon of hope, but I'm also struck with beauty and awe of the scenery. I'm also proud of myself for facing my fears on such an extreme level.
"Wow" I say while looking around.
"It's incredible right. This is why I love coming up here. It's an escape from down there." She looks below us and then back at me. "Look at you! Facing your fears Jared. I'm proud of you."
"Thank you Amba. You're the one who got me up here. I don't think Cam or anyone else could honestly convince me." I say and smile at her.
"You're welcome Jared. I'm glad I can share this with you. You've made it feel like it's my first time coming up here."
I feel butterflies from making her feel that way and chuckle.
"Wow, really?"
She nods her head and smirks.
"Dang...well I'm glad I can make you feel that way." I say, feeling genuinely surprised and thinking my fear limited her.
"No way! Jared finally opened his eyes!" Cam says as he and Pura show up next to us.
"Yeah, I really did." I say proudly while nodding my head in approval.
"I'm glad man cause you couldn't miss this view. This is one of the main highlights of coming here."
"That and giving Cam a heart attack." Pura says and laughs. I laugh as well.
"So you're not gonna do any flips and twirls?" I ask jokingly.
"The hell he is!? Not with me on his back at least." Cam exclaims.
But Pura had other ideas. He smirks and winks at me and I get the idea, so I smirk back. I also hear Amba chuckle to which Cam notices.
"See Amba, Jared's lucky. He ain't gotta worry about all tha-"
Cam doesn't get to finish as Pura suddenly freefalls through a cloud below us. Cam yells and I hear his series of curse words and Pura's hysteric laughter fade below us. Amba and I bust out laughing, as we saw this coming from a mile away.
"Welp, I guess Cam is riding with me from now on." Aramis says as he and Juule approach.
"Oh yeah, definitely." Juule adds as she looks down at the cloud they fell through.
"Nice on facing your fears by the way Jared. Now you really get to see the beauty of the skies." Aramis says and gives me a thumbs up.
"Yeah, and thanks. But Amba's really the one that convinced me and I definitely don't regret the decision." I say and Amba smiles. "How often do you guys fly up here?" I ask, feeling my body relax a bit more.
"Pretty much everyday. Sometimes not this high though." Juule responds.
"Yeah, and it depends on the weather which has been very nice lately. The weather in this region is consistent and there are rarely days where we are not able to fly at high altitudes." Amba explains.
"But unless Pengu changes it right?" Juule asks.
"Right, but he doesn't always have that ability. He's explained to me that the natural weather sometimes overides his ability to change it."
I'm still currently stuck on the fact that Pengu is able to manipulate weather in the first place.
"Ah ok." Juule nods her head in understanding.
"Wait, hold up. I didn't know that Pengu could change the weather at will. That's nuts." I say and look at Amba surprised.
"Yep, he can. That's his own power. In fact, each of us have our own magical abilities." Amba explains.
"Man, that's really cool."
I begin to imagine the different range of magical abilities the other dragons have, including Amba. I glance at each of their horns and wonder if they play a role in making their magic possible.
"So, what's your power?" I ask Amba.
"Well, I can glow."
"Glow?" I ask.
"Oh Amba, you've gotta show Jared. It's really cool." Juule says excitedly.
"For sure, Jared's gotta see it." Aramis adds.
Amba chuckles.
"Alright, alright. I'll show Jared."
My face still shows visible confusion as I try to imagine this. But that instantly changes into astonishment as I realize the dragon I'm holding is covered in a bright glow from head to tail.
"Wait you're...you're actually glowing! Like literally glowing! What!?"
Amba, Juule, and Aramis laugh at my reaction.
"It's epic right?" Juule says.
"It really is..." I say as I observe Amba's violet glowing fur.
I feel a desire to rub her fur and try to understand how this works.
"Can I...move your fur around?" I ask as my curiosity increases.
"Yeah, of course." Amba confirms and smiles to herself.
I begin to gently play with her fur. I'm reminded of how much of it there is. It reminds me of an extremely soft blanket or pillow texture. But instead, one that is glowing, way cooler in my opinion. I start to wonder, "How would it be to sleep in it?"
I override that thought and develop another lingering question.
"So uhh...does your magic come from your horns?"
"Yeah, exactly right. They allow us to harness our magic." Amba explains.
I nod my head in understanding as I continue to experiment with her fur. We then hear a faint yell approach us from one of the nearest clouds. Not long after, a navy blue dragon carrying my friend appears and rushes to the group, doing a few tricks along the way.
"Oh look, they're back." I say and hold back a fit of laughter as I see Cam.
Cam was panting and held a surprisingly light but still annoyed expression on his face.
"Gottem Pura." I say and hold my hand out.
"Gottem!" Pura says and hits my hand with his paw.
"How did it go? Is that a done deal?" Amba asks and chuckles.
Pura laughs before responding.
"I actually think Cam had fun this time." He looks at Cam on his back. "Right Cam? I mean, you were laughing and everything bro."
Cam looks into the distance before showing a visible smile.
"I hate you Pura." He says jokingly and causes everyone to laugh before continuing. "Ight, it was cool. But that freefall you did? I think I gotta cut this loose for that alone." He looks over to Amba and I. "And I know you two were definitely in it."
"Nah, what? You're trippin' Cam." I say and try to play dumb.
"See, I know it's true cause Amba's glowing." Cam points out.
Amba immediately ends her glow and plays dumb as well.
"What glow? I don't know what you mean."
Cam and the others chuckle.
"I can't with y'all. But Pura, I lowkey died when you dropped us like that. I basically already hit the ground and everything in my mind. But, I can't lie. Everything else was hella fun this time around."
"Wow...you know what? I'll take it." Pura responds with shock in his voice.
Everyone else was also kind of shocked, but glad to hear that Cam is getting more comfortable with Pura's absurd behavior in the skies. I'm starting to think that if Cam's given Pura this many chances to be normal in their aerial travels, he simply wants a challenge while on a dragons back. Otherwise, Cam would've switched from the lack of trust a while ago instead of giving out more warnings despite knowing the eventual outcome.
"Well, Heart isn't much further from here. It should be right around the corner. You guys tryna race the rest of the way?" Aramis asks the group.
Pura doesn't hesitate and already lines up.
"Let's go then Aramis. It's been a while actually."
Aramis lines up next to him.
"It has, but I'm still pretty quick."
"Alright, yeah. We'll see." Pura says as the two of them face in the same direction with competitive intent. Meanwhile, Cam looks at the two uneasily."
"I'll count down." Juule moves beside them.
"Wait, woah, hold on. We're not finna just-"
"3...2...1..."
"Aye Juule, stop them! I still need a brea-"
"Go!"
The two dragons rush into the distance at an incredible speed. I chuckle as I hear Cam once again yelling as he fades into the distance.
"Who's the faster one?" I ask.
"They actually tie like, every time." Amba responds.
"Yeah. It's kind of unreal, and they race at least 4-5 times a week in water, on land, and air. I guess their both equal in speed or something." Juule explains.
"Huh, that's pretty strange." I say as I watch the figures disappear in a cloud.
"Since that's the way we're going, why don't we follow them? Not at that speed of course." Amba says.
Juule and I nod our heads.
"Sounds good to me." I say.