Cloud's Journey: Banished

Banished

I buried my face in my hands and wept. No one was around to hear, so I let it all loose.

It made my head hurt. I had never really cried before. My tears felt sticky on my pale face and hands. The same thought continued to pound against my skull: "They gave up on me! They gave up on me!" A fresh bout of sobbing wracked my throat.

At last I wiped my eyes and looked around, fresh tears still clinging below my eyes. Dragons flew free above the treetops.

"If you love dragons so much, you can live with them!"

I could still hear my father's words clearly in my head. My Mother had been just as disappointed. But it wasn't my fault. None of it. It was they who couldn't accept me for who I was. Other people had been banished before me. My village just didn't accept change.

Dragons. I frowned. They had landed me here. It was their fault my parents had banished me. They had endangered my village, so my parents put it, yet I had felt for them. Look where it got me.

When I stood up, hunger growled in my stomach. I should look for food. Maybe there would be berries I could eat.

Everywhere I stepped on this tiny island there seemed to be a dragon. None of them attacked, though they eyed me carefully. I walked past them all. They had ruined my perfect life.

Ferns started popping up, growing taller as I walked. When they grew higher than my knees, I found myself at a spring, bubbling and calm. I kneeled sown and drank.

When I had finished, I stared at my reflection in a clear puddle. My face was naturally pale. I imagined it getting scratched. Out in the wild my skin would gain scars I had never asked for.

A Deadly Nadder landed in a tree. It seemed to be laughing.

I glared at it, but there was nothing else I could do.

Some of the berries around the spring I recognised, but there weren't many. Thankfully I was never a big eater anyway. Not that my growling belly agreed.

A flock of dragons unknown to me flew overhead. I couldn't stand it any longer and marched back to the shore. Finding some vines, I tied pieces of driftwood together into a raft. I stood back with sore hands and back. The raft was small, but it was enough. I couldn't stay here any longer.

The raft wobbled in the water when I stepped on. I sat down and pushed off. Waves lapped around me and I was heading out to see.

It was time for a new life

There was water as far as I could see. Salt water of the ocean. It wasn't for drinking, and I was thirsty and hungry.

I stared at my pale blue leggings, darkened in spots by water. My leggings, my fur boots decorated with seashells, and my light purple shirt wouldn't keep me warm overnight on the ocean, even with my white sheep's wool vest. I fingered my necklace made of seashell fragments. It was a wonder Mother hadn't taken it away from me.

The raft must have been carrying me for hours. My belly growled again and I felt claws of hunger knead my insides. I looked up at the seagulls cawing above. I was probably hungry enough to eat one of those birds. But they were hundreds of feet higher than I could possibly reach.

I sighed, hugging my knees. Then my gaze lifted in realization.

Seagulls only flew near the shore.

Maybe over beyond a human's vision, there was another island, so close one just had to paddle over a few more waves to see it.

Gasping in hopes this was true, I got on my belly and paddled forward. Sea spray was fresh and cold on my face. My rafted moved faster. I kept paddling, breathing hard, eyes wide. There might be food, or shelter. I could start a new life.

Who knows how long a paddled? My arms were aching and I was still in the middle of the waves. With a tired sigh, I gave up.

The sea breeze tried to talk to me. I couldn't understand. If it was telling me not to give up I wouldn't bother to listen.

I'll either drown or wash ashore eventually. I told myself.

A shadow rushed over me, making me stiffen.

The sound of flapping wings reached my ears over the waves. I lifted myself up, resting on my elbows. The sky was empty except for the seagulls. What had I heard?

It was just some seagull flying too low. I thought. If only I had caught it.

My head shot up again. There was a low grumbling sound in the sky. I flipped over, spotting a flying black creature against the blue sky.

"I knew it wasn't a seagull!" I made a fist.

The dragon flew closer, its wings beating the air. My mouth fell open. It was beautiful... I had never seen a dragon like it.

But look where dragons got you. A voice in my head reminded me, and I closed my mouth. The black dragon came to hover above me. I sat taller despite me fear. Black was an evil colour. This dragon was going to kill me.

"Are you alright?"

I jumped. The dragon had spoken to me! My mouth fell open again.

"Wh-what do you want with me?" I asked it.

A human face peered over the dragon's shoulder. So that was where the voice had come from.

"We just want to help." The young man replied, flying his dragon closer. The wind from its black wings swooshed past me.

"You fly dragons." I quivered. I hadn't thought it possible. Dragons were free creatures.

"Yes, we do." The young man said. "Can I help?"

I got a closer look at this person. He had a mop of brown hair, a dusting of freckles, and green eyes. He wore a suit of black leather armor that seemed to go with his dragon.

"What's your name?" I asked at last.

"Hiccup."

I snorted.

"It's not funny." He looked embarrassed. "Look, I can't leave someone in the middle of the ocean, so climb on." he held out his hand.

"I won't." I told him. "I hate dragons."

Hiccup's eyes widened a bit. "You can't stay here." he said.

"I can." Sadness welled up inside me. I wanted to go with him so bad.

"It's your choice." He turned his dragon around flew away.

I hugged my knees, closing my eyes and letting tears spill from my eyes. I should have gone. I didn't want to die.

There was a rush of air. My body pitched forward, my feet left my raft. I screamed.

What was going on? My mind wailed, as I saw the dark claws around my figure.

"What's happening?" I shouted out loud, my voice shrill.

"I couldn't just leave you." Hiccup shouted back, leaning over his dragon's wing so our eyes met. I couldn't believe it.

Someone hadn't given up on me.