Dragon Dream

by Elena Van Peborgh

“Try to tell me your name.”

  My lips moved but there was no sound. I put my hand over my throat. What was going on? I wasn’t deaf. I could hear Bernardus and Revan. I only couldn’t hear myself.

  “You lost your voice. You’ve sacrificed your voice when you chose to become an earth dragon,” Bernardus said.

  “She needs to go outside. She needs to complete the ritual. She must transform.”

  The two druids dragged me out of the room and outside through the halls. They suddenly treated me so harshly and even pushed me over when we were outside. I didn’t know why it was necessary to treat me so bad.

  “Undress yourself,” Revan ordered me.

  I looked angrily at him. I knew the mountain druids and the dragons had a whole different culture, but that didn’t mean they could treat me this cruelly and order me around, especially if I needed to undress myself. I wouldn’t undress in front of their eyes.

  I got up and made a turning movement with my hand. Bernardus immediately turned around but Revan frowned. He only turned around when I folded my arms over each other. I undressed myself and put the clothes on the ground. I concentrated and pictured the earth dragon in front of me. I could suddenly feel the wings on my back. I had transformed very fast and was startled by it; I hadn’t felt the same pain Lilith had felt when she had transformed into a fire dragon. I was surprised by just how fast it had happened. I felt the wind along my wings. It tickled. I spread my wings and felt how they moved with the breeze. I was excited.

  I pushed off with my hind legs and jumped off the mountain. I dove straight down, keeping my wings tightly behind me during my dive so they wouldn’t clap and slow me down. I spread them horizontally when I was flying low above the ground. I clapped my wings, so I gained height again. It was amazing to fly. I was so happy, I felt free. This was a wonderful feeling. I still had to learn and try out a lot, but I would learn by practicing. It wasn’t hard to fly; I was already able to. It was in me; I was born with this talent. I belonged here. It was amazing to know I had made the right choice.

  Someone whistled. I glanced at the spot where Bernardus and Revan stood. They signed I needed to come back. I landed on the mountain and Bernardus threw my clothes towards me, turning around. Revan rolled his eyes at first but then turned around as well. I transformed. It surprised me how fast I changed into my human form again. I recovered quickly and put on my clothes.

  The three of us went back inside after I had dressed myself. I found Sil, Jenna, Emma and Lilith in our sleeping cave. Adam was there as well. I smiled when I saw all my friends sitting together. I went to sit in the cave with Bernardus and Revan. There were so many people in the room now, so the space was a bit tight, but it was cosy.

  “Tatiana is an earth dragon now,” Bernardus informed everyone.

  My friends cheered for me. They clapped their hands and were truly happy. I smiled wide.

  ‘she did lose her voice though. She can’t talk anymore,” Revan said.

  Suddenly, it became silent. Great, Revan just had to ruin the mood.

  “Lilith... Tatiana is a messenger. Is it an issue she can’t talk anymore?” Sil asked.

  Lilith quickly looked at me. I tried to read her expression, but her face was blank. I wanted to remain a messenger. Would I not be able to because I had lost my voice and become mute?

  “Well, she doesn’t need her voice. She doesn’t need to talk. She will need to use a lot of notes though. She’ll need to write everything down and communicate through notes. It’s a disadvantage she can’t speak anymore but it’s not necessary.”

  I smiled at Lilith and she returned the gesture.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to Isaak and tell him. He won’t let you go. You’re the best messenger we have. It doesn’t matter if you have a voice or not. That doesn’t make you less capable at your job. You’re still better than we – George, Isaak, and I – are.”

  That reassured me. Lilith was a good friend. It would be difficult without a voice. I would be frustrated a lot because I wouldn’t be able to express myself well, but there were still solutions. I was a messenger, so I had notebooks and pens. I could write down what I wanted to say. And in case of an emergency I would be able to express myself by using some sort of sign language. I had friends and they would help me.

  I followed the same pattern as the dragons during the next couple of weeks. I ran through the hallways and passed messages. First, everyone had needed time to get used to the fact I couldn’t talk anymore after I had become a dragon, but I could help myself. Everyone had gotten used to it now. I felt good; I felt at home in the mountains between the dragons. I hadn’t thought of my parents, Vera, or Jon anymore.

  Today, I was looking for someone who I needed to pass a message onto. I noticed Marthe – Zoran’s youngest sister – running over the fields. She was about my age, but she was still a playful child. It was weird to see her running around over the fields because they mostly kept her inside. I didn’t think too much about it during that moment. I was too focused on my task.

  Everyone panicked later that day when they couldn’t find Marthe anywhere. Nobody knew where she was, and no one had seen her. I had seen her running around over the fields though, but that had been a while ago. Someone else must have seen her afterwards. There was even more panic when a druid entered who had been standing watch outside.

  “I’ve seen her. She was outside. She was still close enough to the mountains, but she wasn’t supposed to be that far away from them,” the druid said to Zoran.

  Zoran didn’t know what to do. He grabbed the druid and shook him. “Why didn’t you stop her? Why didn’t you bring her back?” Zoran snapped.

  The other two giant dragons needed to calm him down. I heard people whispering about the hunters.

  “The hunters are in the neighbourhood. They’re very close. They were only a few miles away a couple of weeks ago.”

  “It’s spring. They’re looking for dragons.”

  “Marthe is lost. The hunters will catch her.”

  The fear and tension were palpable. They were terrified of the hunters. But they forgot Marthe was still young. She hadn’t transformed yet; she was too young for that. She was still fully human for now. I looked at Zoran who seemed to be lost. The other two giant dragons comforted him. Lilith stood all alone in a corner. Their facial expressions clearly showed grief and fear. It was awful to see them like this. I decided I would search for Marthe and bring her back. I knew it was forbidden to leave the mountains, but I didn’t care about the punishments at the moment.

  I snuck out of the mess hall and dashed outside. I undressed myself and tied my clothes with a rope to my leg once I was outside. I had practiced a lot on this. I transformed and jumped off the mountain. I flew as low to the ground as possible. I flew through the tops of the trees when I left the mountains behind. I kept myself out of sight. Some branches collided with my body, but they only caused small abrasions which healed instantly.

  Finally, I found Marthe. She had collapsed onto the ground next to a tree. She hid her face. There was a small branch next to her foot. I directed my attention to it and manipulated it. I let the branch tap softly against her foot. She looked up. At first, she was relieved but then her facial expression turned into fear. Was she afraid of me? I let the branch draw a question mark in the air right in front of her face. She pointed with her thumb to a spot behind her.

  I quickly went to check what she was pointing at. I noticed the hunters and they were carrying guns. They were too busy to notice me or Marthe. I moved so I could see the rest of the scene. There was a girl about my age; her clothes were ripped, and a wolf stood in front of her. The wolf tried to protect her from the hunters. They were confused; they didn’t know why the wolf was protecting this girl. But it wouldn’t take long before they would point their guns at the wolf and start shooting at him. I knew who the wolf was; I recognised him. It was such a shock to see Jon again after such a long time, and he was in danger.

 
I directed my attention to Marthe again. I nodded in the direction of the mountains and let flowers grow on the ground. The flowers formed a path towards the mountains; they would lead her to them again. I hoped she would understand this. She looked at the flowers before she directed her attention to me again. She didn’t understand. I didn’t know what I had to do. She must go back. She must follow the path of flowers back to the mountains. But suddenly she understood and started to run along the path. She quickly disappeared from my sight. I hoped she would arrive safe and sound.

  There was a gunshot. No! The hunters couldn’t kill Jon. I flew into the air, so I was fully visible to the hunters. I clapped my wings audibly. It worked. They all looked up at me. I didn’t have much time. I had to act quickly.

  Twenty

  I made a smooth dive and landed in front of the black wolf. I directed my focus to the ground. The earth cracked and started shaking. It split in two as I manipulated it, so a local mini earthquake occurred.

  The hunters were terrified. I found a couple of loose stones with my mind and threw the rocks at them. I also pulled out a few bushes and threw them at the hunters as well. They quickly ran towards their vehicle. They threw their guns in the back of their car and jumped in. I pulled out a tree and threw it at the car. They drove away in haste. The earth stopped shaking and came to rest. I examined the ravage I had caused. It seemed like a local mini storm had passed.

  “Wow,” I heard the girl say.

  She sounded full of awe. I turned around. Jon had turned into his human form already.

  “That was impressive. You’ve done this. You’ve caused this,” he stated.

  It didn’t sound like he was accusing me. I nodded.

  “Why did you help us? Why did you protect us? You risked your own life. Why would you do that?”

  I couldn’t give an answer; I didn’t have a voice, so I didn’t react. I just sat still. Why? Why had I done this? Jon had been my friend, but he had lied to me several times. Could I still trust him? Could I still be friends with him?

  “Can you transform? Can you take on your human form?” Jon asked.

  I looked at my leg where I had tied my clothes. Apparently, he noticed it as well.

  “I’ll turn around for a bit. Lena, turn around too.”

  Lena? I tried to remember where I had heard that name before. Oh, right. Lena was Jon’s sister. They both turned around. I transformed and quickly put on my clothes. I tied the rope around my waist like I always did. I softly tapped Jon’s shoulder when I was dressed. He was surprised to see me. I smiled at him.

  “Tatiana?” he asked, and I nodded.

  He put his arms around me and hugged me. I was taken aback for a bit by that unexpected movement. But it felt good. I had missed him. I put my arms around him and leaned with my head against his chest. He released me and looked at me.

  “Sorry. I’ve missed you.”

  He had such a sad expression. It broke my heart. I put my hand on his shoulder. I had missed him as well. I wished I could tell him but had no clue how to sign that. I was very frustrated I had lost my voice.

  His expression suddenly changed. I noticed panic on his face. What was going on? Why was he panicking? He pushed me away. I was confused. First, he had hugged me and had told me he had missed me and now he almost pushed me over. I looked at him in a questioning way.

  “Run! Go away! Run away!”

  I was even more confused. Why did he want me to go away? Why did I need to run? Was there danger? I moved my fingers and felt the earth come to life. I could easily cause earthquakes and manipulate the earth if I took my dragon form. In my human form, I could only manipulate the earth slightly, and it was more difficult; I could barely control a rock or a branch in my human shape. But the earth was alive and patiently waited until I would give an order. I wouldn’t run away. I wanted to stay and fight.

  “Run! Now!”

  I shook my head. He was frustrated. He put one step in my direction, but I raised my hand, which caused the earth to vibrate slightly. It had been a very short and light vibration, but he had noticed it. He stood still abruptly. He even held his breath, looking at me and pointing to the ground.

  “You’re an earth dragon now. You’re connected to the earth. Just listen.”

  I went to lie down on the ground and placed my ear against the ground. I could hear the vibrations of paws running over it.

  “Wolves. My pack. They’re calling me. They’ve ordered me to stay where I am. They know I’m here,” Jon said, and he tapped with his right index finger against the side of his head.

  A pack of wolves was very close. All the wolves in a pack could communicate telepathically with each other. The alpha’s willpower was so immense, he could command other members of the pack and even impose his will on them so they would be forced into obedience. Jon’s dad was the alpha of the pack, and had probably imposed his will and orders on Jon.

  I stood up and folded my arms; I wouldn’t go anywhere. I had abandoned him once. I knew he was in trouble. He wasn’t allowed to leave the wolf community without permission, and he had also put his sister Lena in danger. I would help him.

  He didn’t say anything, and we waited patiently. Five wolves all showed up in their human forms. I immediately knew that the man standing in the middle was the alpha – Jon’s dad. They had similar appearances, but I mostly knew he was the alpha by his bossy attitude and arrogance. He immediately noticed me.

  “Who’s that?” was the first thing he asked.

  It sounded like he directed his question at me, but I knew he didn’t expect me to answer. Jon collapsed. His dad had telepathically imposed his will on Jon, forcing Jon to answer. Lena ran towards her dad and jumped into his arms.

  “Daddy! She’s a dragon, daddy. The bad humans wanted to hurt me. James tried to protect me, but they had guns. Then she fell out of the sky and caused this storm and chased them away,” she cooed.

  She was so childish, so young. She didn’t behave like a fourteen-year-old; she seemed to be much younger. Only now the wolves seemed to notice the damage I had caused. Their eyes became wider except the alpha’s. He didn’t seem impressed, he seemed to be plotting.

  “Can dragons do this?” he asked.

  “According to the legends, they can, yes.”

  I moved my hand, so I caused the earth to vibrate slightly again. I didn’t know how spectacular the legends were, but they were true. Dragons could manipulate their element and control it. Huge storms, tsunamis and earthquakes had been manipulated and controlled by dragons in the past. There was a reason why humans were so scared of them. Humans hunted dragons so heavily because of their fear.

  “Anton... She’s a dragon. If she can really do what the legends tell...”

  Anton? Was that what Jon’s dad was called? Anton... I remembered the story my mom had told me. She had been betrayed by a wolf named Anton. I looked at Jon. He was four years older than I was. When my mom had been friends with Anton, he had had a son. Could Jon have been that son? I directed my attention to Anton. He inspected me from my head to my toes.

  “You’re right. She’s a dragon. She can be useful. Avalon, make sure she comes with us,” Anton said.

  He turned around and dragged Lena with him while disappearing between the trees. The other wolves followed him almost immediately. I made a weird face and stuck out my tongue. I didn’t like Anton; I already hated him. He was so bossy.

  I looked at Jon who had collapsed on the ground. He looked lost. I sat down next to him. I wished I could say something but, yeah... I had lost my voice. Maybe that was a good thing. I couldn’t shut my mouth easily and otherwise I would have given Anton a piece of my mind. I hoped my presence would be enough to cheer Jon up.

  “Am I dreaming? Is this a nightmare? Because if it is, I’d like to wake up now. I should never have tried running away and I definitely shouldn’t have taken Lena with me,” he murmured.

  I shook my head. Sadly enough, this wasn’t a dream or a nightmare.
It was great to see him again, but it felt a bit like a nightmare. I had to go with the wolves.

  “You can still run away. You can still return to the mountains,” he said.

  His words sounded feeble. I shook my head again. I wouldn’t abandon him anymore. I wanted to return to the mountains, to the other dragons. I belonged there. But Jon needed me, more than ever.

  “Why don’t you say anything? You’re so quiet. You haven’t said a word yet.”

  Had he only noticed that now? I put my hand over my throat and waved my hand. I hoped he’d understand what I meant.

  “Have you lost your voice?” He sounded surprised. I nodded. “How? Since when?”

  I shrugged. I didn’t know how to sign I had lost my voice when I had become a dragon. It was pretty tiring to communicate through sign language. I didn’t want to do a lot of effort.

  “Will you come with me?”

  I nodded heavily. I got up and turned my back towards him so he could transform. He snorted, his sign to tell me he had transformed. He lay flat on the ground on his stomach. I clambered onto his back and he stood up as I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. He kept the same pace the whole time. He only stopped when the community was in sight. I glided off his back and made sure to face away from him.

  “Are you ready?”

  I turned towards him. I noticed by his expression he felt the same way as I did. He was nervous and feared what would come next; he didn’t know what to expect. I extended my hand to him. He quickly took it and squeezed it slightly. Neither of us knew what would be next but no matter what would happen, we had each other. We would get through it together.

  There was a welcoming committee waiting for us. The whole wolf community had gathered together to admire me. Anton stood at the front of the line, of course. He didn’t show any emotion.

  “Good. Dragon, you’re one of us now and you’ll behave like you’re one of us. You’ll follow the rules of the wolves. You’re here now and you’ll stay here. You’re not allowed to transform. Do you understand that?” he directed his attention fully to me, and I nodded. “Do you have a name? What’s your name?”