You Look Different

"There wasn't always Dragons in the valley'' Malakai said to his mother as she sat with a few of the villagers.

"They don't be around often, but they can come out of hiding and there is not much we can do but hope our fighters can fend them off and protect the village before they pass!" The woman watched through the door way,

"Silence!" a rattling voice from the room commanded attention.

"If one more person makes a noise we are all going to be dinner for that beast!"

Malakai whispered across the room, "How do you know it want's to eat people?"

From the shadows in the corner an old woman leaned out, she had long finger nails that curled at the top, and pointed her finger mysteriously across the room as Malakai, ''I have not heard one of these beasts since I was your age!"

"So maybe he has been lonely?"

Malakai stood up as everyone in the room turned to see the conversation unfold.

"Malakai!" his mother said with a snap. Malakai peered out the door to see the dragon for himself. As he looked down the street as far as he could see all of a sudden a massive shadow passed over head.

"Your going to have us all seen!" a voice whispered from the crowd,

All the people,

Scared of the beast,

Hoping they would be noticed the least,

Malakai wondered why..

..maybe it just stopped by to say hi.

It could have been lost, it could have been lonely, story's and suspicion's lead everyone to fear, even though it only passed by every hundred or so years!

Malakai pushed open the door as the shadow passed over head.

His mother covered her eyes as he stepped out on to the street. He looked above as the sky was blocked by a huge winged beast! Malakai froze in the middle of the path as he watched overhead his eyes analysed the beast, it has claws at the end of it's four legs, and wings half way between them. The wings swallowed gusts of air keeping it afloat as it glided. Scaly and rugged and all sort of red and orange and yellow, the most magnificent colours.

Malakai eventually looked to see the face, as he did he saw a twitch in the massive nostrils. The dragon had caught his scent, still frozen in awe o what he was seeing Malakai just watched as the dragon expanded it's wings pulled itself to a haul, landing on the opposite side of the street. It crashed to the ground, shaking the earth. The rumble rattled the near by trees and flocks of birds dispersed through the air in all directions. The dragon had turned to face Malakai, gazing straight ahead he locked eyes with the dragon. His hands began to shake. The dragon was at least twice the size of any nearby building. Villagers had began to peek from the window Malakai had left. The dragons face was rough and looked like nothing Malakai had ever seen in his life. It peered down the road to him through its piercing yellow eyes. It raised its head with its long neck and its chest began to expand as it took in a gust of air, exhaling aggressively through its nose a massive burst of fire flashed through the air. Malakai watched as some of the birds that had taken flight evaporated. Not fast enough to escape the ball of flames that had been pumped into the air. The flames evaporated shortly after and the dragon began to walk forward towards Malakai. "Stop right there!" Malakai shouted as he ran forward. The dragon seemed surprised and almost flinched a bit as Malakai ran through the street towards it.

Now only feet away from each other Malakai looked up and raised his hand reaching out. "What is your name?" he shouted.

The dragon leaned forward and grabbed Malakai by the back of his jacket and held him up in the air out in front of his face. "Aren't you scared?" the dragon asked with smoke still streeling from its nose.

"You can speak?" Malakai was shocked.

"Yes, although I don't get to do it very often." the dragon replied.

"I knew it!" Malakai said delighted to confirm what he had spoken earlier that the dragon didn't want to fight the people or eat them.

"Everyone here thinks you've arrived to eat us and destroy the land. Were all told to hide from you." Malakai said as the dragon placed him on the back of its neck. "Hmm, I guess that's because I'm different and people expect the worst from things they don't understand."

"Why is that?" Malakai asked.

"Hmm, I guess so they don't end up hurt if bad things do happen." the Dragon replied.

Just like a defence mechanism, the unknown can scare people, and things unfamiliar can make them scared, when really there isn't much to fear at all. So why worry when it may never happen.

The dragon fly over the village with Malakai on his back. The villagers had ran onto the street and looked above. "The Dragons going to eat him!" someone shouted.

The Dragon heard the scream and turned sharply. The crowd gasped. Malakai's mother stepped forward "Don't you hurt him you monster!"

Malakai poked his head from in between the dragons ears. "Don't you's hurt him!" Malakai shouted back.

"I should leave you back down." the dragon muttered to Malakai.

The crowd stood in silence. Malakai's mother astonished at her son and the predicament he had found himself in.

The dragon lowered Malakai to the ground and placed him beside his mother. "Mother just because he looks different doesn't mean he is going to hurt you."

Malakai proceeded to the crowd behind, "All you should take note of that! To judge something on how it looks is very wrong and unfair!"

"But what about the fire?" a voice shouted from the back.

"I sneezed.." the Dragon replied.