Legend of Kataria (Draft Version)

Chapter 19

The beast circled the field twice and then came to hover uncertainly before the teens. And that was when Greeny got his first good look at it.

Huge wings, enormous talons, and teeth as sharp as daggers. This creature was exactly how he'd always imagined it would be. Big, scary, and carnivorous.

But there was one thing that seemed different about this dragon. Greeny wasn't sure if it was simply the fact that it wasn't trying to swallow him whole, or the way it seemed to be...watching him...with its large, chocolate brown, judgemental gaze, but it didn't seem particularly dangerous, or hungry. It seemed...intelligent.

"Green Bush, meet Doppler, our youngest drake and--"

The dragon lifted its head in a triumphant roar that flattened several nearby trees and sent a flock of crows flying. Greeny clapped his hands over his ears, bowing back with a grimace until the noise was gone.

And then he looked up and realized that no one else had covered their ears.

"--most talkative," Rylin finished with a sigh as Doppler lowered his head to snort a breath of hot air in their faces. "Ew, Dop, no. We talked about this. You need a giant toothbrush, dude. You smell."

The drake blinked, twisting his head away from Rylin and focused his reptilian orbs on Greeny instead.

"Yeah, he's new," Josh laughed. "Dragons have extremely keen memories," he explained to Greeny. "They can remember faces for over a hundred years. They also can sense the presence of Tapushians, their traditional riders, which is why he finds you so interesting."

"Oh," Greeny frowned. "So...wait...we're what? Dragon Riders? You're kidding. That's just a movie. It's not real." His head ached and he ran a hand through his hair tiredly.

Rylin arched an eyebrow. "You mean, just like dragons aren't real?" She smirked as Doppler spread his wings majestically, making a gurgling noise that sounded a lot like a laugh. "Yeah...what he said."

"Dragon Riders are very real," Josh added. "Though it's not exactly like in the movies, they do have a connection with their dragons. We could show you if you'd like." He and Rylin shared a grin, one that Greeny didn't like one bit.

"I really don't think I should--"

"Oh, come on," Rylin said, taking his hand and leading him toward the gates. "Don't be such a wimp. This will be fun! Trust me."

"But I...Josh?"

But the brunette was grinning wickedly. "It'll be okay," he said, folding his arms and leaning against a post. "Rylin won't let anything happen to you. And besides, Dop is just a baby. What's the worst he could do?"

Tear me apart limb from limb, Greeny listed darkly. Use my bones as toothpicks. Reduce me to a pile of ash. He could imagine a dozen ways for this to go wrong. Morto wouldn't have to kill him. A dragon would do it for him.

"Hey, Doppler," Rylin said carefully, opening the gate slowly and urging Greeny after her. "Hey, boy. It's just me, all right? We're just coming to say hi."

Doppler flicked his tongue, eyeing them suspiciously. He took a step back, blinking, as Rylin held out her hand to him. "Dragons are smart," she told Greeny as they approached. "They can sense a person's true self. They can see whether you are good or evil." She smiled as Doppler cautiously leaned down to study Greeny with wide eyes.

Rylin smiled. "He likes you. That must mean you're a good guy."

"Yeah..." Greeny whispered, unable to avert his gaze from the creature. "I guess so."