The dragon flapped its heavy wings on top of the tower. Everything—leaves, bushes, flowers—bent down to its power. It let out a hurtling cry, alerting everyone in the country of its presence.
I crouched behind a tree, making sure my earmuffs stayed on tight. I didn’t want to lose my hearing just because I had the wild idea to go see a dragon. I had only heard of them in fairytales before. I just had to see it with my own eyes.
From that angle, I could see the dragon without it seeing me. Its red and orange scales blended together with more orange toward the center. Its wings blended in with the environment a tad, transparent. Its tail wrapped around the tower.
I was glad the dragon chose that abandoned tower to hang out on. If it had chosen one closer to town, I bet the whole town would be dead. It had bent its head and killed many animals in the surrounding area already. It didn’t hurt humans though. At least so far.
I moved to another bush, making sure the dragon couldn’t see me. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do anymore. I couldn’t turn back around; that was a coward’s move. I couldn’t get much closer either without it realizing my presence either.
A sudden small cry made my skin tingle. My eyes widened. I crouched and turned toward the noise.
About ten feet away, a tiny red dragon stood with its head held high. Its transparent wings lifted a bit. It had a smirk along its face like it was proud. It stood still, waiting for something.
“Good dragon,” I muttered. My hands shook as I moved them between the baby dragon and I. “Stay right there.” I doubted it would listen though, but I couldn’t think of anything to say. No one taught me what to do in these situations in school.
I stood up. Following the tree’s shadow, I kept away from the older dragon’s view.
The baby dragon took a couple of steps toward me. It tilted its head like a puppy, but there was no way I could make that association. It could still kill me easily.
I staggered back, behind another tree. But my sudden movement got the baby dragon moving. It followed and stood beside me, waiting.
An idea popped into my head. I took a small diagonal step back, away from the older dragon. My step wasn’t sudden nor large enough to peak the baby dragon’s interest. It didn’t follow, but it kept its eyes on me.
I kept creeping back. The baby dragon followed me a bit, but it didn’t chase me. It cried out a couple of times, confused, but no one answered. It did keep me in its view the whole time though.
After a while, I made it out of the forest. The baby dragon stayed at the edge as if it was its boundary. It turned away and headed back through the trees.
I ran all the way home.
Copyright © Robin LeeAnn
Robin LeeAnn 