Dragon Dream
by Elena Van Peborgh
Publishing by
Hydra Productions Online LLC
Cover Art by
Adrijana Cernic
Copyright
© 2020 by Elena Van Peborgh
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any from or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organisations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorised reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Dedication
I dedicate this book to BVC. Thank you for having the patience to teach me about physics. I might not have understood the subject matter always that well, but you got me very excited about the sciences and your way of teaching really paid off during my studies in university.
Contents
by Elena Van Peborgh
Publishing by
Hydra Productions Online LLC
Cover Art by
Adrijana Cernic
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-one
Twenty-two
Twenty-three
Twenty-four
Twenty-five
Twenty-six
Twenty-seven
Twenty-eight
Twenty-nine
Thirty
Thirty-one
Thirty-two
Thank you
One
I took a deep breath and smelled the essence of the trees and the grass before entering the house. Summer was coming closer, so everything smelled fresh.
Even though I loved nature, I hated living here. I detested this place. Longingly, I glanced towards the north. I could see the contour of the mountains from here.
I’d love to live there, but I wasn’t a dragon. I hadn’t even transformed for the first time yet.
Step by step. Set goals, I reprimanded myself.
My first goal was to talk to my parents and tell them what I wanted to be my animal form. Just like all fourteen-year-old Lower shape-shifters I had to choose my animal form now. Most children chose the same animal form as their parents had. The different shape-shifters all lived in different communities so their parents were the same kind of animals. But I was the child of a lynx – a Higher – and a bear – a Lower – and my parents and I lived in a mixed community. This meant I was free to choose my animal form, I could even choose to be a Higher, a lynx more specifically. I entered the house and noticed my parents were already sitting at the little, wooden table. They waited until I sat down.
“Were you able to make a choice?” my father asked.
Last week, I had turned fourteen years old. I still had one more week to make my choice, and I had; I had decided that a long time ago.
“I want to be a dragon.”
“That’s not possible, Tatiana, and you know why. They’re different; they aren’t like us. They are even different from the wolves; they don’t look like the wolves at all. The dragons aren’t akin to us at all,” my mother replied with a stern voice.
“You can become a lynx. That’s the highest status you’ll be able to achieve.”
I could hear through my father’s words what he really meant. I knew becoming a dragon was next to impossible, but the druids could perform magic. They hid the communities and the shape-shifters from the human world with their magic and they healed shape-shifters when they were hurt badly. So maybe there was still a chance for me to become a dragon.
Dragons were born, they couldn’t choose to transform into one. They couldn’t even choose which dragon they wanted to be. Dragons were held in higher regard and were considered sacred; it was totally forbidden to hurt or kill one.
Wolves had the highest rank in the world of the shape-shifters, followed by the lynxes. They were both called higher shape-shifters – shortened to the Higher.
Other shape-shifters like bears, pumas, tigers, lions, dogs, foxes and birds were called lower shape-shifters – also known as the Lower.
“I don’t want to be a lynx. Ever.”
My father’s face turned harsh. I folded my arms before my chest. I knew he wanted to force me to become a lynx – it would only be good enough if I chose to become one of them. He looked down on the Lower.
I wanted to make my own choice.
My mother looked at us both, from one person to the other, feeling out the tension between us.
“Go easy on her, Andrew. It’s a big decision for her.”
“At least she gets to decide it for herself. I didn’t have that luxury, Diana.”
My mother looked back to me. “So, what do you want to be, Tatiana? You can’t be a dragon, so what’s your second choice?” she asked.
I needed to think for a bit but couldn’t immediately come up with an answer.
“We’ll give you some more time. You have one more week, after all.” Just like her, keeping the peace.
For a moment, I didn’t know what to do or say. I sat in my chair and blinked a few times, surprised by this twist. I hadn’t imagined this conversation to end like this; I had hoped there would be a chance for me to become a dragon. I had thought they would let me talk to Flora, my druid aunt, or at least consult her themselves.
Technically, she and my mother weren’t biological sisters. During the war, Flora had been left behind in front of my grandparents’ house. Her parents had fled from the mountain druids who had occupied a part of The Third Capital. It was actually strange to think the mountain druids and the druids from The Capitals had fought each other for a decade, but the war had ended twenty years ago.
When Flora turned fourteen, she discovered she wasn’t a shape-shifter; she couldn’t transform. This caused her to go on a quest for her true nature and that way she found out she was a druid. Two years later, the war ended, and she moved to The Capitals.
The discussion was now closed in my parents’ eyes, but I wasn’t giving up yet. I still wanted to be a dragon. More than anything.
“By that time, you’ll maybe realise it’s a great honour to be a lynx,” my father murmured.
He had said those words quietly to himself, but I had heard them.
Hot rage coursed through my veins. I jumped up from my chair and dashed outside. I started to run so I could leave this stupid village far behind me. I ran to the only place where I always felt right.
I sat close to the edge of the river valley. If I moved any closer, my legs would hang over the edge, and then the river would only be about three feet under me. But I was terrified of the river because I couldn’t swim; I had never learned how to.
I patiently waited for a dragon to fly over. Every time I sat here I always saw one.
Instead, behind me in the forest, leaves rustled, and branches cracked, but I pretended li
ke I hadn’t heard anything. I remained very calm.
If it were a human, they wouldn’t be able to just chase me away like that. I was very stubborn sometimes.
The sounds became louder, which meant that the person or the animal was coming closer and closer to me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a towering, black wolf standing among the trees.
It wasn’t a normal wolf; it was too tall for that. The wolf also had human traits to his face, so there was no doubt this was a shape-shifter.
The wolf disappeared behind the trees for a few minutes, and then reappeared in his human form.
“Would you mind if I sat next to you?” he asked.
I shook my head and looked back at the river.
“What are you looking at?”
“For now, I’m not looking at anything particular. I’m waiting for something. Just wait, and you’ll see.”
I directed my attention to the sky. I had to wait a little longer, but then I heard the faint sound of flapping wings. It was a light blue dragon with grey wings; a water dragon.
“Were you waiting for that dragon? Do they fly over this place a lot?” the boy asked.
He wasn’t really a boy. He was probably a lot older than I was.
“I always see a dragon flying over when I’m sitting here.”
“Are you here regularly?”
“I don’t sit here daily, but I try to come here as often as possible.” I moved so I could face the him more easily. I extended my hand to him. “I’m Tatiana,” I introduced myself.
He looked waveringly at my hand like he didn’t know what it was or what he had to do. I waited patiently, but he didn’t return my friendly gesture.
I frowned, a bit confused.
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” I asked.
“No, not really. I just don’t know which name I should use. Three months ago, I transformed for the first time. I received another name then, my pack name. My birth name is James, and my pack name is Avalon. I barely know who I am anymore,” the boy responded.
“Yeah, I can imagine that’s pretty troublesome. I think you have two options. Either you use James when you’re human and Avalon as a wolf, or you can mix those two names,” I suggested.
He looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“If you mix your names, you can always use the mix. I’ll try to contract James and Avalon. I think Jon suits you well.”
“Okay. Can we redo the acquaintance?”
I smiled and nodded. “Tatiana,” I said and extended my hand to him again.
“I’m Jon,” he responded, and we shook hands.
“So, are we friends now?”
He nodded. We let go of each other’s hands, and for a while, we quietly looked at each other.
“What are you?” Jon asked eventually.
“I’m a Lower but not an animal yet. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Yes, I understand. What do you want to be?”
I looked away and shrugged. “I want to be a dragon,” I whispered.
I didn’t know why I was suddenly so insecure about this. I had always been very clear that I wanted to be a dragon. Was it important to me what Jon thought about me? Was his image of me more important to me than the opinions of the others?
I had only just met him, and he was a Higher.
“I don’t want to be an alpha, but I can’t change that either,” he said.
Alpha? How could he already have his own pack? He had just become a wolf. “My father is alpha of the pack now. That means that I’ll be the next alpha,” he continued.
“Is that why you’re here?”
He nodded, and I knew enough. He had run away.
It was silent for a while again.
“Tat? Can I call you Tat?”
“Of course. I call you Jon, so you can call me Tat,” I replied with a shrug.
“Where do you live?”
“If you assume that the mountains are in the north, then I live in the east. I live about four miles from here.”
“How have you gotten here?”
I didn’t understand what he meant by that question, so I made up a ridiculous answer. “I’ve teleported myself here,” I answered in a light tone.
Jon laughed at that. “Where did you get that from?”
“I read a lot. But I don’t really understand your question. How have I gotten here? I have legs which I can use to walk.”
“I meant to ask if you used your human form to run to this place,” Jon explained.
I nodded. I thought this was a stupid question. I had just told him I hadn’t transformed yet. Anyway, this wasn’t important at all. Jon opened his mouth to say something else but decided to remain silent when he saw my annoyed expression.
It was quiet for a while again. He seemed to be thinking. Eventually, I started to wonder why this was so hard for him to accept. Then, I realised he thought it was odd I had gotten here as a human.
“Is that odd? You’ve only been a wolf for a very short time. How did you move before you became a wolf?”
“I live in the west about six miles from here. I would never be able to run to this place as a human.”
“I have excellent stamina. You can improve it over time if you exercise a lot. I’ve been coming here for a long time,” I told him.
“Oh, okay. What else have you learned as a human?”
“I’ve learned how to read and write. Writing requires my full concentration though, and it also takes a lot of time, so I write slowly. I can easily climb up trees, and I’m also very good at hiding myself.”
“I’ve also learned how to write and read, although I don’t have any troubles with writing or reading at all, and I’ve learned how to swim and the basic rules of mathematics as well.”
What? I anxiously glanced at the river. Was it possible he didn’t fear this river as much as I did? “Would you dare to jump in this river?” I asked.
“Sure. Wouldn’t you?”
I shook my head. He made me feel so insecure.
“You can’t swim, can you? That’s probably the reason why you wouldn’t dare to jump in the river. Do you want me to teach you how to swim?”
I swallowed with effort while staring down into the river. I felt like my head started to spin around, and I felt dizzy.
“Maybe I should let you think about it. Do you want to meet me again?”
I couldn’t say a word, so I nodded.
“Next week, same day, same time? Then, you’ll have a week to think about it.”
I nodded again. He put his hand on my shoulder.
“Hey, are you okay?”
I looked at him and forced a smile. “Yes, I’m perfectly fine. Can you… Can you maybe tell me something about yourself and your life? I don’t know what it’s like to be a Higher. I don’t know anything at all about the Higher.”
He examined me to figure out why I wanted to know about him and his life, but I was only curious. Finally, he nodded. I sighed internally, relieved my attempt to change the subject had succeeded.
I listened very carefully while he narrated about the wolves and the pack. When he had finished telling, we quietly sat next to each other again. I directed my attention to the river and pondered everything he had said.
“It’s late. I should go home again,” I said, breaking the silence.
“Okay, I’ll see you next week.”
I nodded in confirmation and stood up. I glanced at him one more time and then ran away.
Two
When I arrived in the village, I bumped into Vera. She was the only person in this deadening village who understood me a little bit. She was my friend, but sadly, we weren’t that close.
I never shared my secrets and feelings with her. I always tried to keep her at a distance.
“Tatiana!” Vera waved with both of her arms. She ran towards me and covered the distance between us quickly. “Have you talked to your parents?” she asked.
“Yes, but I haven’t made my choic
e yet.”
“Don’t you know what you want to be yet? I’ll help you. So, your dad is a lynx. Why don’t you want to be a lynx?”
“No! I don’t want to be a lynx! If I hear that sentence one more time, I think I’ll become insane.”
“Okay, okay. Remain calm, please. What about a bear?”
“No! Stop! I don’t want to be like my parents.”
“Hmmm… You can be a bird just like I am. You can still choose to be a falcon, an eagle, a hawk, or a buzzard. Then we’ll be able to fly side by side.”
Vera was a giant eagle. I considered being a bird because I’d be able to fly just like the dragons. But that wasn’t the main reason why I desired to be a dragon.
Everything about them was fascinating, and they could even manipulate their own element. So, I shook my head. I didn’t want to be a bird either.
“Do you still have other options?” Vera grumbled. She pursed her lips while thinking. “A fox!” she suddenly yelled.
She had frightened me by screaming that word so suddenly. I stepped back a little. “Do you want to be a fox? It’s probably the only option you have left.”
“Okay,” I said and shrugged.
“I will find out if there’s already a fox living in our village. There probably is. Then, you can talk to them about what it’s like to live as a fox.”
I actually didn’t care, but it gave Vera a goal, and that made her happy. I turned around, waved my hand to say I approved her idea, and walked home.
***
Exactly one week later, I got up very early so I wouldn’t have to encounter my parents. I didn’t want to tell them yet I had made my choice.
First, I wanted to know Jon’s opinion. I wanted to tell him first.
I left the village and ran to the river. I sat down on the ground and waited patiently.
Apparently, I had fallen asleep, and I suddenly woke up when I heard a sound in the forest behind me. I glanced over my shoulder. I couldn’t see the big, black figure of the wolf. But Jon suddenly appeared in his human form. I jumped up and turned to face him.
“Hello, Tat,” he greeted me while walking towards me with his blonde hair being lit up by the sunlight like it was gold.
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