Forewarned (BEING REWRITTEN)

Shadow Walking Practice

“One two… cabinet,” I mumbled, jumping into the shadow.

I stepped back out, finding myself on my knees on someone’s bed. Not the right place. I grit my teeth and plunged into shadows again, only to reappear at the edge of the room, facing the rows of tidy cots. “How does Caedmon direct himself?” I mumbled, concentrating really hard on that shadow by the cabinet on the far end of the room.

I’m pretty sure a vein was going to be permanently sticking out of my forehead as I concentrated before stepping into the shadow. The world whirled around me for a second before I yelled in a sudden fall, plopping hard on my back onto a bed, my head bumping against the headboard. “Ouch,” I mumbled, going limp as I rubbed my tender head. Splotches of black wandered across my vision. Either my mind was really on going back to sleep or I just plain sucked at this.

“Fairy goddragon.. tell me how to do this,” I mumbled and lazily reached back, looking at the wall behind me as I stretched. My fingers slid into the wall.

What?

I fought the urge to snatch them out. I’ve never had this happen! I reached inside and it felt like I wasn’t touching anything at all. Just.. blank space..

I was about to wave my hand before I felt something warm wrap and smooth wrap around my hand. And bite my thumb.

“Ahh!” I scream before tugging my hand out. Slowly something black emerged. It was hugging my hand, nomming on my thumb with playful growls. Like a creature emerging from a gushing oil spill, the tiny fat dragon slowly took shape as the shadows dripped off him. “Woah.” Was all I could say as my fairy goddragon grinned at me and drooled on my nose.

I pulled him to my chest. “That was a cool trick buddy, no lie,” I said, scooping my hand under his hindquarters, making him curl into a ball. “I know you don’t know much words yet.. but could you perhaps tell me how to get places on my own?”

He sat in my hands like the warm tub of lard that he was and chewed on my thumb, gazing up at me with bright purple eyes. “Meep.”

“Okay. What next?” I asked dryly, poking at his wings.

“Meep.” He said seriously, shaking slightly.

Wait, was he laughing at me? I narrowed my eyes. “You’re going to be a downright troll when you grow up,” I poked his belly this time. “Just tell me you little bugger.”

He rolled his big purple eyes. Then he jumped into the shadows, melting into the wall. I twisted around in bed, watching the shadows closely.

Suddenly a Caedmon sized shadow popped up right by the bed. The fat little dragon picked up his paws to try and pretend he was regal but he just looked like a fat pony waddling along, dragging his wings behind him like a cape. He trotted down to the floor, the incline looking steep from the bed to the ground but it seemed like it was even ground for him. He walked along the slim line of the shadow of the headboard before walking up the shadow again. He continued walking on shadows before his shadow paused at the top of the cabinet and he stepped out before sitting down on his butt.

I could swear he winked at me.

“Okay mister smarty pants,” I swung my long legs over the side of the bed. “So.. you’re saying I walk the shadows right?”

He nodded.

I inhaled slowly and put my hand back into the shadow. Or tried to. My finger almost bent back and I cursed under my breath as I pulled it back. How was I supposed to do this without Caedmon’s help? I was starting to think it wasn’t even possible…