January 17, 2025
So, crazy thing happened to me...
I’d been seeking refuge in a small cave, something I wouldn’t normally do since it’s a great place to hide for vamps and other things out to kill me, but I was desperate. The weather took a turn for the hellish and lasted for two days. It was blowing so hard I could barely stand up. I’m not kidding – I was literally pushed a few steps more times than I can count, even fell over a few times. I couldn’t even keep my eyes open! It was a miracle I found the cave when I did, though how much of a miracle, I’d had no idea.
While I didn’t find any vamps or fae, I also didn’t find it empty. At first, I thought I’d found dinner, though I couldn’t figure out why a hare would be in a cave, but I was very wrong. S/he was a small, white, fluffy dragon pup! I don’t actually know what a baby dragon is called, but pup sounded good. But, yeah, I found a freaking dragon…
Initially, I was worried about, you know, mama coming home, like in all the fantasy stories my dad used to read, but that never happened, and the pup never seemed to be waiting or yearning for a mother. S/he did, however, warm up to my company pretty quickly. Today, s/he even brought me my very own hare when she went hunting.
I really wonder how old s/he is and how long s/he’s been here in the cave. It seems quite capable despite being so small and young-looking. I also didn’t find any egg pieces so either dragons aren’t actually born via egg or s/he was born elsewhere. Either way, it’s nice to have someone(thing?) to talk to. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed physically speaking, even without a response. Though, I will admit, s/he does respond, but with little chirps and not-so-catlike purrs.
Oh, and s/he’s so impossibly adorable! The fluff feels like the softest cat fur and s/he has captivating ice blue eyes that always seem on the verge of tears, though s/he always looks happy. Two days ago, s/he was about the size of a chihuahua but is now almost as big as a shepherd. S/he’s gonna grow FAST. I’d love to stay here in this cave with this amazing creature, but one, I don’t stay put too long as a rule and two, s/he gets much bigger, and I may end up on the menu. Sadly, in the morning, I will need to move on, so long as the wind doesn’t kick back up again.
Of course, I write this fully aware that until this point, I’d never considered that a dragon could exist for real in our world. I may seem nonchalant about it now, but boy did I freak at first. I’ve had a few days to get used to it and convince myself this was lasting way too long to be a dream.
Then again, we had a war with mythological creatures that no one knew existed and it completely changed the world, so…I guess anything is possible.
Man, my dad would have loved this. He was such a fan of all the big fantasy writers of the 80s right up through the 2010s. It wasn’t my thing, so I don’t remember their names, but he would talk about those wondrous worlds all the time. I much preferred to listen to his retelling than to read the books myself. He was always so animated and excited, like a kid talking about his favorite video game. I do wish I’d listened better, though. He died in the beginning of the war, before we humans really knew what was going on. He never got to see the fae and the merfolk or any of the mythoskind. He’ll never get to meet this amazing little (guy?). I wonder what Dad would do.
He’d probably want to stay and nurture the dragon, befriend it, danger be damned. If only…If we were all here as a family surviving, that might work, but being alone, I can’t bring myself to stay in one place. I’ve seen too many people who made that choice, slaughtered. I’ve survived this long; maybe I should keep my routine up.
Oh, but this thing is just so cute! S/he just curled up right next to me, laid his/her head right on my leg, and looked up at me with the most pathetic eyes. S/he whimpered, rubbed her cheek along my thigh and snuggled closer. S/he's right.
It is late, and I really should get some sleep while I can. The next place I stop, I’ll have to spend hours building before I can sleep.
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