Winged Secrets

The Beginning - part 4

"HURRY!"
I grab my bag and rush out of my room, down the stairs, and through the tavern doors where Maisy is waiting for me.
"Sorry. Wasn't aware we were getting up at the crack of dawn..."
"Don't act like you don't do this every morning to go see the soldiers train"
I roll my eyes even though she's completely right. I've been getting up early like this ever since I was young, maybe 10 or 11. It's crazy to me that I'm 17 and still haven't gotten tired of watching the morning duels.
"Do they have training today? We can swing by and watch them if you want?"
"No not today. It's Sunday they have training off."
"Darn. Would have loved to see some fighting technique."
"Oh yeah because that's why you go with me some mornings, to see the technique."
She laughs at my comment. You can hear it quietly echoing through the empty streets, it's a little earlier than usual but I don't mind. As we walk, I start thinking about what things I could find in the woods today. Sadly I know it's the same old lizards, bugs, and maybe squirrels. If I'm lucky I may see a rabbit, but this early in the morning I wouldn't doubt if they're still asleep. I can just image their cute little noises twitching as they dream about carrots, or what ever rabbits may dream about. I begin to become lost in thoughts and before I know it we reach our destination.
"Don't go to far ok?"
"I'm 17. I'll be fine."
"I'm 20, and I'm saying to stay close. Unless you want me to drag you back home?"
"Fine."
She walks of to an area of bush's and flowers, she has a basket in her hand which will soon be full of different plants and such. I walk into the more tree covered area of the forest looking for any small sign of life. I find a small hidden area and sit down. Then I wait, listening to my surrounding and watching the leaves for movement. I hear a bird chirping, which with the rising sun will become what feels like hundreds. I begin to close my eyes and image I'm in a different forest, not the same one I've gone to since I was young. The one I used to catch lizards in, make little maps about with all the little hiding spots I've found. No I'm in another forest, far from here, on another island, with different creatures, plants, and people. I hear a sound, and new sound, the sound of wings. Except the sound isn't in my head. I snap back to reality, my eyes flying open. Where is it coming from! I start looking up, to my left, to my right, in front-. I see it. It's small, with scaly and leather like skin. I'm behind a bush so it doesn't seem to notice me, or it could be from its exhaustion. It curls up in a ball, its tail flapping down over its head as if to hid it from the world. I step closer peaking more over the bush, it looks familiar, but from where? I step closer and see its piercing eyes fly open, how ever it keeps its tail over its head. Its eyes are a beautiful yellow color, like a bar of gold. Its color is black, but as the morning sun hits I can see a hint of gray, and maybe some purple. It has small spikes on its head that look like baby alters, and its tail looks almost like a lizards tail. As I stare into its eyes, it hits me. A dragon. You're a beautiful, and dangerous dragon. Not only that, your size suggests you're young. As I stare I notice its wings wedge beside its body covering its stomach, it's protecting itself from harm, covering its most important parts of its body. Its head and body. I almost couldn't tell it had wings from how close it's holding them to its body. Your scared. Terrified even. I didn't notice it till now.
"Evie!"
The creature scurry's back at the noise, falling to the ground again in the same position but deeper into the brush.
"Let's go! What are you doing over there?"
I get up and rush to Maisy. I don't dare yell back to her out of fear of scaring the poor creature more.
"Hey what where you looking at?"
"Nothing. It was just a rabbit. Let's go come on."
"Ok, ok. Look what I found!"
As we walk back home Maisy shows me an array of plants. Most I've seen before but they all still excite her. She goes on and on about what the colors mean, the shape of the leaves, and more. I just node my head in agreement as my mind wanders. How did it get here? Where did it come from? How long had it been here? Who had seen it? Is it in danger?  A million questions were flooding my head, but I could only answer one. I need to study it. I have to study it.