Dragon Bond

“There weren’t always dragons in this valley.” Jackie said to herself, “Not until those crazy scientists started re-creating them.” She added under her breath. She inched closer to the ledge, the dragons were breeding now, and Janos said there was a nest up here. “I didn’t believe it until I saw that monstrosity fly in. What kind of DNA had they used anyway?” She had heard that once they dug up a cache of dinosaur bodies that had been in a deep freeze for a millennium, they had to mess around and try re-making them, Janos said they mixed dinosaur, crocodile, and frog DNA and then added eagles to the mix to get wings. ‘Who in their right mind thought making a dragon was a good idea?’

She edged closer, still unsure about her decision to try getting a look at a dragon. Janos had said that most dragons stayed clear of humans unless they had taken a rider. She had asked but Janos said he didn’t know what made a dragon choose a rider, but he did know it was not the human that chose, it was the dragon, he just didn’t know the process that made it possible. She held still now, there was a noise she could not identify, it sounded like the breeze as it filtered through the elm trees on a soft summer night. She held her breath and inched closer.

As she peered over the ledge, she realized she was eye to eye with the giant beast. Somehow, they had manipulated the DNA into a textbook looking creature, huge leather wings, long tail, long neck and a small to medium-size head with the teeth the size of small swords, the fins, the whisker things that looked more like snakes hanging from her snout and cheeks, horns, covering the ears were fins, four legs and feet with claws, larger in the back than the front. This one was iridescent, teal green. Her huge blue eye was staring into Jackie’s own soft green ones. The breeze was the soft breath of the huge beast.

Instantly fear sliced though Jackie’s body, she wanted to run, but froze instead, no bravado left at all. The eye was nearly as big as she was and shone with a glisten that Jackie could not decide was anger or sadness. Suddenly she heard a voice in her head, it was the same one that she had heard for the past week, it was the reason she had found her way here. She had thought it was some dream or magic that had come to life. “My babies have no humans to bond with, they will go the way of the rogue dragons and soon be lost.”

It was sadness in her voice, the voice of a dragon inside her head was filled with emotions that seemed to be seeping into Jackie’s very soul. “What do you mean ‘humans to bond with’ why would a dragon need a human?” Jackie asked, still frozen in fear, and completely astounded, that she was having a conversation with a dragon, inside her head no less. She realized she was now asking one who could tell her things, Jackie somehow had not thought the dragons would be so intelligent, what exactly their level of intelligence was she now knew she had not even thought through anything she had been told, they had to be intelligent.

The dragon sighed, “If the dragon hatches and impresses with a human they bond for life and the tiny fledglings will learn to love and respect humans. If they don’t and grow up simply as dragons, they then see humans only as another animal beneath them. That leads to problems and the problems lead to them being hunted down. I see no future for my little ones." She laid down and curled her long tail around the nest of seven eggs.

Thinking over what was said Jackie suddenly had questions filling her mind. She sat up and then made her way down to the ledge where the dragon and her nest were nestled. “So, you can’t teach them anything about humans? They have to learn it from humans?” The dragon nodded and sighed again. Jackie reached out and slid her hand over the hard shell of the closest egg. She was by no means a small woman, in her late teens she was better than five seven, the egg was easily as high as her waist and nearly as long as she was tall. “So are there age limits on a human bonding to a new hatchling?” Jackie finally asked.

“No’ the dragon said softly and watching the girl closely that she had lured here, “they do have to be able to feed the hatchling.” She now studied Jackie closely. The girl was strong willed, the dragon had sensed that when she had first made contact with her. She was alert, with sharp green eyes and had a knowing look. She also noticed Jackie was no small woman for her age, she looked several years older and carried herself with an assurance most her age does not have.

“How long before they hatch?” Jackie asked timidly. The eggs were various colors, one was a soft yellow, almost gold, the others were a sandy color, some darker and some lighter. “Does the color mean anything?” She asked before the dragon had answered her previous question.

Thinking over the decision to call this girl to her, the dragon wondered if even one out of the seven would bond. A queen was badly needed to rule over the other dragons that were wreaking havoc across the valley. Their numbers were still small and the possibility of curbing the wild dragons and keeping them from taking over was still a real possibility, but more dragon riders were needed. ‘They should hatch in three to four days. I am not sure the smaller one will hatch, sometimes they don’t. And yes, the different shades mean that there should be a full range of colors, my dear. The one that shines golden is a queen, a queen that is bonded is desperately needed.” She watched the young girl take all this in.

“Is there always a queen in a hatch? Jackie asked softly and ran her hand over that egg. It was slightly larger than the others. “What color is a queen?”

“No, in fact I was surprised to see that one in my clutch. It is usually only a queen that lays a queen egg. I am exceedingly proud and yet distressed at the same time.” Jackie looked at her now in wonder. “You see a queen does not always hatch first, they are white by the way, and if you ae the only human here and one of the others bonds with you then I will have presented the valley with a rogue queen. The one they have now is old and cannot lay she would be easily de-throned by this one. Her guardians though are let by a great red, he is unusually large and powerful.” She continued to study Jackie, pinning her hopes on this child was taking a great risk, but there seemed no other choice to make except to do nothing.

“I will talk to some friends of mine,” Jackie said as she turned to face the dragon. “I never did ask your name, I do apologize.” Without thinking Jackie reached out and placed her hand on the gentle giant’s nose that came to a very sharp point, a very intimidating beak. “I want to go see if I can find some friends to help, good friends that will do right by the dragons.”

“My name is Zarah, and I am hanging my hope for my children on you.” The dragon smiled as best a dragon can smile and curled back around her eggs.

All the way back down the mountain trail Jackie kept asking herself how she had gotten into this mess. Was she really ready to dedicate her life to being a partner with a dragon? She wondered too if the friends she had in mind would think she was crazy.

Once she reached home, Jackie fought with herself, after several hours, and then just before dawn a quiet voice in her head, Zarah, said, “Be sure you want this life before you choose it because it will consume you.” That was where Zarah left it. With this information Jackie made the hard decision to go ahead. There was no other solid prospects for her life unless she wanted to quilt and sew patches on other people’s clothes.

She found Thomas, he was a lanky seventeen-year-old, who had quit school early like Jackie had, neither one could stay out of trouble and reading and basic math they both felt were enough. Thomas was all for it and immediately headed out to talk to Zane and Randall, they were both his age. Zane wanted to ask his sister because if he left she would not have help supporting herself, Serena was sixteen.

It took both Jackie and Thomas all the next morning to track down Seth. He and his girl Sasha were on a picnic on Raven’s Lake. Time was running short, and Jackie was having trouble deciding who else would be a good candidate they needed one more person. Seth was eighteen and his girlfriend was still fifteen though nearing her sixteenth birthday. Her and Seth would sneak off because Sasha’s father didn’t approve of Seth, he wanted to marry her off to someone with money. Seth refused to come unless they also brought Sasha.

Jackie had reservations about Sasha, first she was young and flighty. Jackie had always thought of her as all beauty and no brains. Thomas had always told her to give Sasha time she was just too young to act mature. ‘I was mature at her age and so was Serena.” Jackie had protested,

“Yes, but you were on your own and so was Serena, Sasha had her father to deal with all her life, grooming her to be some count or some noble’s little princess wife. She doesn’t want that life she wants to be with Seth.” Thomas had insisted. “She is choosing a life of poverty for love, that has to say something about her character.”

Jackie could not answer that observation negatively, so she agreed with Thomas. She still thought the girl was far too immature to raise a dragon. But time was too short to hunt down another, or rather two as Seth would not go without Sasha. When they all gathered together Jackie explained the situation. “Listen guys this is a lifetime commitment, the thing is there are seven eggs and seven of us. If one or more does not hatch, then one or more of us is not bonding with a dragon. I will tell you ahead of time there is a smaller egg that the mother is not holding out hope for a hatch, if it doesn’t someone will not get a dragon. We will have to commit to spending a great deal of time with Zarah to learn how to care for and cultivate the bond. I do not know where we go to learn to ride a dragon but I am sure Zarah does.” Jackie made it clear that not all had a guarantee, including herself.

“So,” Thomas broke in, “We do not have any part in who the dragon peeps choose? We just accept the bond. What if one rejects the bond?”

“Zarah said the fledgling will likely die.” Jackie said, “So decide now if you are committed.” She locked eyes with each one and received a nod of acceptance. It took very little time for each one to gather clothes and a few personal items, all except Sasha, it took nearly an hour before she could sneak back out of her father’s house.

By nightfall they were only halfway to the dragon’s nest but, despite the hot, sticky conditions, complicated by biting insects, they decided to press on, Sasha was afraid her father might be tracking them and would lock her up if he caught her. Jackie thought she was being dramatic, but Seth said no, her father had done it before.

Once the nest was reached the six friends were introduced one at a time to Zarah to allow her approval, she hesitated on Sasha but wanted to give each a chance to prove themselves worthy and also to give all her hatchlings a chance to bond. “They should begin hatching tomorrow and I need to prepare you all for the task involved. Did you bring the fish?” Jackie and Thomas nodded even as the other looked on helplessly. “You will spend hours catching fish and bonding. A dragonette will choose whom it desires, it one does not suit it then no bond will be made. I cannot say yes or no and a decision by the hatchling is final.”

All agreed to this and it was clear all were determined even though they were intimidated at this point. As the morning wore on Zarah gave more information and tips on how to make a hatchling happy, and also how to discipline one.

Soon the first egg hatched, a tiny beak appeared, tiny in comparison to their mother, but as large as Thomas’s hand. The seven stood in a semi-circle, and within minutes the tiny mind reached out to Seth, he was a beautiful shade of deep, garnet red. He was followed by four others that were two greens, a bronze and a blue, Thomas and Zane bonded with greens and Randall a blue. The two eggs left were the queen and the smaller egg. It was several hours before the queen hatched, and to Jackie’s complete shock and dismay the small white queen reached out to Sasha. Jackie turned to the smaller egg and tried to hold in the tears. Sucking it up and knowing there was not a thing she could do to change the decisions the tiny hatchlings had made she went sit with the final egg.

It was warm and Jackie held out hope, she embraced it and promised a wonderful friendship if the tiny creature would simply hatch.