A dragon story

Time, not magic, changed the appearance of the Dragon. Misunderstood and hunted, they went into hiding for many centuries. They learned to adapt to the changes on earth, and are one with nature. Now they have returned, but only those that truly believe in them will be able to find them. They can sense the openness in a person.

Not the giant creatures that movies make, but large enough to be ridden. The size of a horse would give an accurate description. Intelligent beyond any human understanding, and why not, after all the years they have survived. They have horns that crown the head, and spikes along the tail. Their bodies are mostly covered in small cone-shaped features, with a smooth, leathery spot along their back and bellies. They are four legged creatures with the ability to stand on the back to legs to give them more height and a more intimidating look, although they are actually gentle creatures. Their wings are made of a thick, leathery skin covering the cartilage and bone. This allows them to fly gracefully as well as very high. The wing span usually doubles that of the length of the dragon. This as well gives them an intimidating look, but allows them to have the power to carry themselves as well as anyone that rides them.

They have come out of hiding to help us fight the evils of the world. Of course their magic is still with them, able to cloak rider and dragon from the rest of the world. If they were found out, they would surely be hunted again. They are able to breath fire, though it is not by magic, but through the glands in their neck. It actually starts out as an extremely flammable gas. Once the gland shoots the it out, it causes a friction which then ignites the it. Hence, the flame. It is natural in a dragon, but is only used as a last resort. The dragons are natural earth tones with sky blue eyes. This helps to hide them when they do not want to use magic.

They can communicate through ESP. But only the chosen person can communicate with a specific dragon. It’s almost as if their thoughts are combined. Not so much as talking, but more like thinking as one. This helps when they go against the evils in the world since both dragon and human know exactly what the other is planning on doing.

Well, this has given the description, now it’s time to find out how I know about all of this.

I had taken some time out from life. At the age of thirty, I needed to find myself again. I love to hike, so I went out to the “molehills” that we call mountains where I live in Oklahoma. I have always grown up here, and heard rumors of the caves that I don’t think anyone ever found. I was following a well-trodden path when I came upon a fork. Of course, I had followed the most traveled path all my life. How I spotted the second path, I’m not real sure. I would call it more of a path that a deer had made. Call it being rebellious, or just curious, but somehow I knew I had to take the least traveled path.

After climbing over several boulders, I came to a spot that was breathtaking. The view below me alone was worth the decision to change my normal ways. The trees were plentiful down the mountainside. All colors of yellow, red, bronze, and even some that were still green. Hawks soared with extended wings above the treetops in search of their prey, or just gliding on the wind through the blue skies. Down at the bottom, the sunlight glinted off a small sparkling blue lake that reflected the sky. I wanted to get to the bottom. I had to! Slowly and gingerly I started down. Now, I must tell you that I am not very fond of heights. So as you can imagine, this was a very slow process. There were plenty of boulders to cross, but I stayed to the path. A difficult feat in itself since it barely showed.

As I reached the bottom, I noticed that the mountains seemed to come together to form the lake. Close to side of the lake was a beautiful waterfall. As the water hit the pool below, it sent sprays into the air. Rainbows were forming everyone I looked. I felt like I had just walked into a dream and the unicorns were going to spring out from the forest of trees to drink the sparkling liquid. I had always believed in magic and all the mystical, mythical creatures, and this would be the perfect place to daydream about them. I had only ever seen one other waterfall in my life. That was in Eastern Oklahoma. It was a perfect swimming hole with a small river flowing to the pool at the end, but it was not as enchanting as this one. I had spent summers there enjoying it. Just like that one, I could see an opening behind the waterfall. What I did not expect to find was a cave!

I couldn’t believe it. There really are caves here, I thought to myself. My excitement was building quite rapidly. I looked around thinking there had to be a picnic area or something. Surely someone knew about this wonderful place! But no one came in sight. Across the lake a few deer came to drink the cool liquid, and the squirrels scampered about while the birds chirped from the tree branches. But, there was not one single human in sight! I had to check out the cave. I really didn’t care that I would be soaked before getting through to it. I had to climb some very slippery rocks to get to the ledge. As I climbed through, the water rushed over me and was very cold. Easing inside (I really don’t care for spiders either) my eyes began to adjust to the darkness. It was quite a deep cavern. About ten feet from the ground to the ceiling. The walls sparkled from the occasional trickle of water or from the crystals in the rock.

Curious now more than scared, I began to walk further into the cave. The darkness deepened the further I went in, so I had to follow the walls with my hands. I was hoping that I would not get lost, but still not willing to give up. As I came to the end, it seemed to lighten some. It appeared that some of the sun’s rays were finding their way through the cracks in the walls. The end was here! It was a circular room and a large lizard was lying in the middle. It was looking straight at me! Oh lord, I thought. What has my rebellious nature gotten me into now? Its blue eyes were intriguing and captured my attention. It was as if it was looking straight into my soul. And it was just as scared as I was. Wait a minute……how did I know this???? As it rose on, I backed up a few feet. Not really scared, but this was quite an intimidating creature. “What in the world” I whispered to myself. As soon as I voiced that, I thought of the stories of dragons that you read about as a child. Knights in shining armor, princesses, and even unicorns! You know the wonderful stories that all little girls want to come true. I knew this was impossible, but the thought would not go away.

It radiated confidence and gentleness. I wanted to touch the creature, but my feet did not seem to want to work. Then it started towards me slowly and lowered its head to my hand. It was communicating! The longer I spent in the cave the more I realized this creature could feel my emotions and read my thoughts. And somehow, I knew what it wanted. It was a bond stronger than anything I had felt before. Don’t get me wrong, my children and I have a bond, but this was beyond that. Not a soul mate, but a soul friend. The one you always long to find, but never seem to. It was as if I had finally found mine. It took me for a ride through the mountains on its back, and I saw the world from the sky! There were times we just floated on the breeze, and times I felt like I was on a fast roller coaster. It seemed to know my fears and gave me its own courage. At the end of the day, it dropped me off at the top of the mountain. Somehow it knew I would be back soon. I couldn’t wait to share the days ahead with my new friend. But, first I would have to find out its name… “Azure”, somehow it was fitting. “Goodnight Azure. Surely I will see you again soon”. As I hiked back out to my car, I couldn’t believe the events of the day. Even more, I couldn’t wait to return. There were so many things I wanted to learn about my new found friend, and so many things I wanted her to know about me. Tomorrow would come, but for me, it would not be here soon enough!