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From the Mouths of Babes

Dragon Whisperer

By Mary HaynesPublished about a year ago 9 min read
3
Photo by Taksh on Unsplash

Grundle let out a roar so loud it rattled the ground around him. The frightened baby startled and stopped crying. The dragon blew a puff of smoke in relief.

“Thank the Gods; it finally stopped that endless noise!” Grundle leaned against a tree and closed his eyes.

The tiny boy recovered from the shock and continued wailing. The dragon opened his eyes and stomped over to the ragged nest.

“I should have let Dracu eat you. Hell, maybe I’ll just eat you myself and be done with this crap. What in Hades was I thinking? You’re nothing but a dung pile of trouble.”

The baby took a few shaky sobs, then opened his big brown eyes and stared lovingly at Grundle.

“Stop looking at me like that! I ain’t no hero.” He grumbled.

The baby blinked and jammed his fist in his mouth. Getting no satisfaction, he resumed the shrill crying.

“Oh, leaping lords, there you go again. I guess I need to find you food. That’s a challenge. You, human babes, don’t have teeth like our whelps. Stay put, try to shut up, and I’ll see what I can come up with.”

Grundle stalked out of the cave and flew off in the direction of the village. From a distance, he could see Farmer Amstel milking his cattle. Grundle watched as the farmer filled a large metal container and capped it. The farmer wiped the lid with a white cotton cloth and hung it on the handle of the churn. The dinner bell rang, and the farmer headed to the farmhouse.

Grundle silently swooped down and picked up the milk churn, and returned to the cave. The baby made no noise and didn’t stir. Concerned, the dragon gently nudged him. He opened his eyes and cried weakly.

Grundle pried open the lid and dipped the cloth in the milk. He held it to the baby’s lips. “I sure hope this works, he mumbled. Because I don’t want to escalate a dragon, human war by snatching a wet nurse for you!”

The baby suckled from the cloth. Grundle refilled it until the infant fell asleep. Crisis averted for the moment; the dragon closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. In his dream, he saw a woman in white with blood on her gown and on her shaking hands. She was searching for her child. “Navin,” she cried, “Navin, where are you, my son?”

Soft crying woke Grundle. He looked at the baby and asked, “Navin? Are you Navin?” The baby gurgled and smiled.

“By the Gods! I don’t know how you got in that old orchard, but I feel in my old bones that I must get you back to your mother.”

By Tengyart on Unsplash

Spring passed, and summer wildflowers were bright in the forest. The baby grew bigger and stronger. Grundle tried feeding the boy raw deer meat, resulting in a full-on temper tantrum. The dragon scowled but flamed the meat and diced it into small pieces. “Kid, we gotta find your momma. I ain’t no babysitter.”

The dreams kept coming. Vivid depictions of what happened to the mother and baby. Dunbar, a man with little education but a persuasive personality, killed a dragon, claiming it was eating the villagers. Frine, the self-pronounced leader of the dragons, retaliated by torching part of the village. The woman escaped with the baby, leaving it in an orchard out of town. She ran back to try to talk sense into the villagers who were declaring war on all dragons. She found her husband, the mayor, dying of a stab wound to his chest. He beckoned her closer and implored her to find Navin. He said Navin was the answer, that Navin was omnilingual like her but more powerful. He could speak to dragons and all living creatures; he could alter sound waves and frequencies.

The dreams made no sense to Grundle. He was permanently exhausted because Navin was now a mischievous toddler. The dragon looked over and saw Navin playing with a poisonous snake, which he snatched out of his hands. “Grrrrr! Kid, you are a pain in my scales! You gotta go. And I can’t flippin’ sleep because your momma haunts me all night. She wants you; I don’t. Let’s go find her.”

Dracu appeared at the entrance to the cave, “I see you still have that brat. Frine would love to take him off your hands. I just tricked him into going in the opposite direction. I hate our phony, self-appointed leader. I guess he’s into eating small children these days.”

Grundle greeted his old friend. “Thank you. I gotta get this kid out of here and back to his momma. It’s a long story.”

“I’d just leave him in the orchard where you found him. Frine, and an uneducated snake oil salesman, have started a dragon vs. human war again. It’s not safe out there for us old guard.” Dracu started to leave.

“Please come with me, I can’t tell you why, but I feel it’s important to us all to get this kid back to his mother.” Grundle blocked the exit from the cave.

“I told you to let me eat the stupid thing. Curse the Gods that led us to it.” Draco shook his tail and beat his wings in frustration. “But fine, let’s do this and be rid of it for good!”

The two old dragons headed out with the child. It was difficult to fly hanging on to a toddler, but Grundle used the blanket he’d been swaddled in as a net. Navin didn’t cry or make any trouble on the trip. He seemed to enjoy the adventure.

The dreams urged Grundle to hurry. A map floated through his dreams. Dracu started dreaming too.

“That’s it; now she’s in my head too! I’m way too old for quests and crap like this. I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”

By Nik Shuliahin 💛💙 on Unsplash

The next morning as they readied themselves to leave, the woman in white stood before them. She ran and scooped up Navin and held him close. She turned to the dragons and said, “Thank you so much for finding him and caring for him. I will repay you for your kindness.”

Dracu answered, “Well, you can thank that old dragon. I just wanted to eat the little jerk! Anyway, nice to meet you, dream stalker. Now please get out of our way and out of our heads! Adieu.”

The woman pleaded, “Please don’t go. We need your help to end the war! My name is Jenine, and my husband was the mayor before he was killed by the rogue, Dunbar, who has led us into the war with your kind.”

Dracu pushed her aside. “I ain’t no friend to humans. I helped get that hellish creature back to you to help my friend and stop you from living in his head, but I’m not siding with your kind in this war.” Grundle slowly followed him.

Navin held up his tiny hand, and a wave of vibrations stopped everyone dead still. An adult voice came out of his tiny mouth. “Grundle and Dracu, we need you. The peaceful survival of your species and ours depends on stopping the violence. Trust me!”

Grundle shook off the residual vibrating in his bones and said with a sigh. “Whatcha say, old friend? Let’s you and me and this annoying little twerp go save the world!”

Dracu rolled his eyes and roared. “Fine, but by the Gods, I’m too old for this crap. Besides, how are we supposed to go with them? Walk?”

Jenine held up two leather sling saddles she had made. “I’ve been dreaming about the two of you as well! We don’t walk. We fly!”

She put one sling onto Grundle and secured Navin inside. Then she turned to Dracu. As she tightened the strap around his middle, Dracu swung his tail and knocked her down the hill. Jenine climbed back up, smacked him on the nose, and climbed on his back.

Navin and Grundle laughed. Dracu let out a blast of flame but said, “Fine, but if she falls off, I ain’t coming back for her.”

By Daria Nepriakhina 🇺🇦 on Unsplash

They flew over the Great Lakes and into the Northwest.

Dragons have telescopic vision when flying, and Grundle directed them to a crowd that had gathered near the base of a mountain. Upon arrival, they encountered a chaotic band of malcontented mercenaries. They had a dragon pinned to the ground. It was writhing against the ropes and trying to chew through the muzzle chained to its face. Dunbar was standing on its back with a long sharp spear.

The sky over the Rockies darkened. Silently the dragons flew over where Dunbar stood on the bound dragon. Dunbar raised his spear, and the mob cheered. Frine, the proclaimed leader of the dragons, roared and sent a ball of fire toward the rebels. The war was on!

Navin had quietly slipped out of his sling and now stood by the head of the captured dragon. He raised both hands in the air and stamped both of his toddler's feet. The ground shook, and the air filled with white noise. All the dragons and the mob froze in place. The ropes and chains broke, and the dragon was freed.

Navin spoke, not in the voice of a child but in a strong, clear voice, full of wisdom.

“Rise, dear Erina, return to your place as the rightful leader of the dragons. You need not fear the traitor Frine. Nor should the villagers and dragons be afraid of Dunbar. Their lies have led to this needless strife between the dragons and humans. Both Frine and Dunbar shall be banished into the cave of the doomed!”

A sudden gust of wind swept Frine from the sky. It swirled downward, and Dunbar spun up to join Frine. And then they were gone.

The dragons hovered; the crowd stood with gaping mouths. There was no sound from either side.

Jenine ran to her son’s side and scooped up the toddler. He hugged her tightly and settled in her arms. The dragon, Erina, bent her head low in front of Jenine. They both leaned forward until their foreheads touched in the time-honored tradition of respect. This signaled to the crowd and the dragons that the pact of peace between them was once again the rule of the land.

Grundle looked at Dracu and saw the old dragon had a toothy grin. “You old softy! Aren’t you glad you didn’t eat that boy?”

“Speak for yourself. You got something leaking from your eyes, Grandpa.” Draco sighed, “I’m just too old for the fight. I guess since the brat managed to bring peace to us, it was worth missing a small snack.”

Navin looked at the dragons and laughed. “Just remember, you two, humans are NOT snacks. And never underestimate the power of love. Now go find your grand dragons and give them a snuggle.”

Grundle puffed up his chest. “Snuggle? Dragons do NOT snuggle!”

Dracu winked and said, “See, I told you we should have eaten the brat! Come on, Grandpa, let’s go find a nice, remote forest to retire in.”

By Nick Reijrink on Unsplash

Fantasy
3

About the Creator

Mary Haynes

Mary Haynes splits her time between a romantic old sailboat in tropical waters and a beach home in Ontario. A wanderer, by fate, she embraces wherever she roams! Mary recently completed her first children’s book, “Who Ate My Peppers?”

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  • Jori T. Sheppardabout a year ago

    Yay, the day is saved. Thanks for the easy to follow read and funny old dragons.

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