Dragon Rider (#Wattys2016)

Snow Storm

~~Theas POV~~

I woke up early morning with the sun streaming onto my face, I remembered Andrew's death, and grief washed over me again. I can't spend my whole life feeling sorry for myself. I got up and changed into t-shirt and shorts, I walked down into the living room and headed into the kitchen, I made myself a sandwich and ate it. I wrote a quick not saying I had gone to work. I worked at a farm, looking after the plants and sheep. Today I was taking the sheep out to graze with one of the poor Shepard boys. "Anyone die?" I asked him, he looked at me in surprise, "yes, I can talk!"

"Sorry, just never heard you speak, only one person died, but he was a beggar." He told me.

"Andrew died as well," I told him.

"Really? I'm truly sorry, I am couldn't have happened to a better man." I didn't say a word for the rest of my shift and he didn't either. When the Farmers Wife told I could go, I hurried home. When I reached home I saw Father and hurried to him.

"Be at the graveyard at 5," he told me.
I knew Tom and Tony would be at work so I went to visit the egg. I could see cracks running alongside the eggs shell. I touched it gently and it broke apart, I saw a silver head poke out. I held my breath it was a dragon the dragon tried to get out, but found the sides to high. I watched as e egg fell and the shell broke completely the dragon had landed upside down and was waggling his legs in the air. It was quite funny I put the hatchling in his feet, the dragon turned around and nipped the palm of my hand only one tooth went through my skin. A silver spiral appeared on my hand, I covered it with dirt so you couldn't see it. I felt a intelligence enter my mind, I saw something that looked like me through... Someone else's eyes? Hungry! It complained I looked down at the dragon.

"Was that you?" I asked him, he nodded his head, then opened his mouth. I grabbed my bow and arrows from their hiding spots in the trees and watched as a fat rabbit appeared. I sighted and released the arrow in three seconds, I had been practising for years. I grabbed the arrow and pulled it out I gave the rabbit to the Dragon. I then told it to stay, I went off and hunted, I saw a deer herd. But I couldn't carry a deer with me. I ended up with 4 rabbits, 2 fish and a squirrel, I gave the fishes and the squirrel to the dragon. And took the rabbits home for meals, I reached home and handed the rabbits to Father without a word and went upstairs. I looked at the sun dial from my window it was 4:30ish. I went outside and headed to the graveyard, Andrews funeral went by without a problem.

After Andrew died I withdrew into myself, and became quite and moody. I hardly ever talked and I knew my brothers were worried about me. Andrew was the only person I had told about Father beating me, and with him gone, the beatings started again. I had only one person to talk to and that was the dragon, I named the dragon Snow Storm. Storm, I called him for short grew quickly, he soon caught his own food and ate deer and sometimes bears. I visited him every day, and told him about my life. He showed me pictures and memories and talked to me, if he saw me with a bruise he got angry. One day I came back from hunting and visiting Storm, when Father started whipping me with his belt for no reason. I cried out for him to stop but he didn't he had tied me down, so I didn't move. Then Tom and Tony walked in, they saw me being whipped and hurried to my defence. Tony untied me as Tom shouted at Father then Father punched him. And shortly there was a full blown fight going on. Tom knocked Father unconscious and hurried to my side, I could feel my blood dripping from my back and I whimpered before falling unconscious.