Ancestral Dragon

Chapter 17

"To your shelters!" Douay yelled as the alarm sounded for a dragon raid.

The trainees desperately scanned the sky around the northern mountain as they finished getting their things together. Only Jak stood still as his motionless gaze fell upon the mountain itself. The ancestral dragon finally reached out with its roar and now it waited. Jak's adrenaline pumped through his body as he anticipated climbing the trail to find the ancestral dragon. There was already a mystical connection between the two of them that he hadn't realized how eager he was to explore.

As the village went on lockdown again, Zachario ran over and pulled Jak toward the cabins but Jak stood his ground.

"That's a dragon," Zachario said when Jak didn't move. "We have to follow orders and take shelter."

"Rio," Jak said. "I need to go somewhere else."

He debated whether or not to reveal where he intended to go in that moment. It would be simple enough to go to the cabin and then secretly make a run for it. But there was an urgency in the dragon's call.

Zachario held Jak's gaze. In the chaos of people running to find shelter, the two stood still as Jak impressed the importance of what he had said through eye contact alone. Zachario seemingly understood and let go of Jak's arm. Just before Jak was about to sneak to the mountain, Douay came running over.

"What are you two doing?!" he yelled. "Get to the cabins now!"

The look in the instructor's eyes told Jak that he would carry them off the field if there was no other choice. He was about to comply when Zachario started to get fidgety. Douay raised an eyebrow.

"Douay," Zachario whimpered. "I've never... seen... a wild dragon...before."

The act was so good that Jak almost consoled his friend. He had to hide a smile so Douay would believe Zachario.

"You'll be fine kid," Douay said. "Just get to your cabin."

"But what if it finds me?" Zachario dramatically grabbed onto the instructor's shirt and slightly pulled on it as if the closeness would comfort him. Douay's mouth dropped and eyes widened as he tried to pull away.

Jak coughed to suppress a laugh. The act was a little dramatic but Douay's attention was completely on Zachario now. Jak slowly moved out of the instructor's peripheral vision just to be sure and then ran to the northern trail that led up the mountain. Blue sky tried to break through the dark clouds as the wind whipped Jak's clothes against his skin and bent the trees to its will.

Jak had all but given up on the ancestral dragon returning. The connection that they shared had felt like a loose strong that barely tied them together. It seemed like it had been lessening in strength over the past week. Now that the dragon called upon Jak, the string felt taut as it pulled him up the trail.

If the dragon chose to bond with Jak, like Viktor implied that it would, then what did that mean for Jak and his attempt to go home? Would the bond prevent him from going back to Earth? And if the dragon did bond with Jak, what did that mean? He didn't have nearly enough knowledge to make a decision to bond or not to bond.

Yet, Jak ran to the clearing he had trained with Rory.

Not understanding why, but Jak worried that the dragon would choose not to bond with him. Having this secret connection with the ancestral dragon made him feel unique and special. If he lost it, what was left for him? Would Viktor show as much interest in Jak if the dragon chose not to bond and leave the floating mountains? Having a taste of being different made Jak reject the idea of returning to a life of mediocrity back on Earth.