She turned her attention back to the book before her. After setting her cup down she turned the page, reading all of the scrawling script on the pages before her.
She stretched, her back sore from reading all afternoon. Her eyes scanned around the small cottage. The guardians of the forest had offered to let her live with them in the center of the forest, but she had politely declined. She had nothing against the kind people, but she felt better left alone in her own solitude. She rarely ever saw any of them, and she liked it that way. They had kindly accepted her opinion and had helped her erect this home.
Already her home was cluttered with papers and books, ink pots and quills. She had her own library now, each book telling of adventures which she read often. She continued writing her own short stories and poems, and of course, made a mess of her home in the process.
She liked living here, free from the noise of the old world, free from crowds of people. She would be able to lead a happy life here, one that she looked forward to living. And the dragon which she would adopt would only make her life better.
With that in mind she turned back to the book held in her hands. The cover of the book was worn, in some places gone. The book had been used quite often, most pages bent or torn. Nen wondered breifly why Iris had not taken better care of the book.
She had decided to adopt from Silver Valley, and had made a home with help from others who had adopted already. Here form was sent in, and she was waiting patiently for response that would come any day now...
***
A knock sounded at Nen's door one morning, dragging her from a restless sleep. She had had dreams all night of something, she knew not what, that was coming and coming quickly. She quickly stumbled out, shivering against the cold, she pulled a rough coat over her shoulders before making her way to the door. Opening the door, and letting the morning chill spill through, she found Desiree standing on the small steps leading up to her cottage.
"Good news," Desiree said as she smiled and roughly pulled Nen through the small door.
"What is it," Nen asked in a sleepy voice, still unsure as to why Desiree would be waking her up so early. Even Desiree knew the importance of sleeping in... Desiree continued to pull Nen through the small clearing, surrounded by the hundreds of white trees, without speaking a word of her quiet reasons. At the end of the clearing, a large blue dragon waited with folded wings.
"Alright, Ajax," She said to the blue dragon. Ajax pulled a large leather sack out from beneath one of his wings, where it was staying warm in the dragon's heat. He then handed it to Nen, who took it with questioning eyes.
"Just came from Silver Valley! Take good care of it," Desiree finished as she crawled up the side of the dragon. In no time, Ajax had opened his wings, and with a powerful leap, had taken into the sky. Nen watched the two fly back in the direction of the Forest's clearing, flying towards the setting sun.
Nen opened up the leather sack, and looked within. Inside the warm leather, a large yellow egg rested softly. Nen smiled, warm emotions threatening to spill out. She clutched the egg to her chest, and with a few soft-spoken words, headed back into the small cottage that was her new home.
***
The sun had gone not an hour ago when Nen heard the first sounds of cracking coming from the yellow egg in the green nest. Hurrying over, she found a small gray dragon peeping its head out of the reamins of the broken shell...
As the small gray hatchling fell asleep upon her lap, Nen's eyes focused upon a small blue flower that reminded her of the small hatchling's eyes...
Click the picture
above to go on
Pic (C) by me, Des H