The Last Dragon

by Ella Hart

  “Thank you, Mr. Jenkins.” Paulina beat him to it. He nodded his agreement. The elderly man hobbled away, and Cobalt found himself scratching at that stubborn little patch of scales. “Are you okay, Cobalt?”

  “Hmm?” The surprise showed a lot this time. She laughed a little.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. You keep scratching at your hand. Are you all right?” She seemed genuinely concerned, which surprised him even more than the fact that she asked about the scratching in the first place.

  “Eczema.” He managed a small smile. “Nothing helps it, and I know I shouldn’t scratch at it, but I do.” The excuse had been developed over the course of many years. When he had first heard of eczema, he though it had been a myth. The local doctor, however, had shown him what it looked like and thought his scales looked like it. “Oh. Interesting.” Paulina didn’t quite seem to know what to say to that. There was an awkward silence as they waited for Mr. Jenkins to get his son, broken only by the occasional burble from the radio.

  Mr. Jenkins finally returned with Ryan. Cobalt smiled at the younger man. Ryan Jenkins – a stout man of about 30 – took after his mother in many ways. His eyes sparkled with a brilliant hue of hazel – an odd color when his parents’ eyes were brown and blue respectively. Then again, considering the genetics of the eyes, it could be a little more natural for the humans. His smile was wide and clunky, with a white sheen to his teeth. “Well, well, Cobalt. I haven’t seen you in a long time.” His slight Southern drawl shined through at that particular moment. It always came out when he was trying to impress someone. If he had to guess, the young Mr. Jenkins was trying to impress Paulina. He wasn’t sure if that was going to work or not. For a split second, he wasn’t happy with the idea, but cut it off before it could go any further.

  Paulina giggled, shaking her head.

  “I’m Paulina. You must be Ryan Jenkins.” She held her hand out and the man shook it softly.

  “Yes, indeed. Are you new to town, or just passing through?” He smiled at her warmly. “Because if you’re new to town, we have quite the beautiful town around here.” He kissed her hand, and was interrupted by a snort behind him.

  The beautiful wife of Ryan Jenkins walked into the room. She went by the name of Lily, as she hated Lilith due to the supposed demonic nature of it. Her personality was sweeter than honey and her full name just didn’t seem right for her. With that, Ryan let go of Paulina’s hand. There wasn’t much else he could do.

  “Are you flirting again, Ryan?” She teased him gently, and his cheeks flushed. She laughed a little. The look on his face seemed to ask his wife how he could possibly entertain new customers if he wasn’t allowed to tease or flirt with them. Cobalt tried not to laugh. It wasn’t quite as funny as some of the other looks he could give her. He was known in town for that kind of look, especially if there was a newcomer around.

  “I’m new to town, yes.” Paulina smiled softly. “My name’s Paulina, ma’am.” She had a sort of Southern charm to her that was highly unusual for a New Yorker. Granted, Cobalt didn’t know much about NYC, or even the rest of the world beyond what he had learned on his travels as a pup. “Lily.” She smiled and introduced herself. “I’m Ryan’s wife.” The older woman’s other name – mom – was called from the back of the house. The voice had a shrill shriek to it, sounding like a cry of pain. “Oh, that’s my son. Excuse me, please. Nice to see you again, Coby.” With that, she smiled and left the room.

  “What brings you to the Jenkins’s dairy farm, Miss Paulina?” Ryan picked up the conversation quickly. It didn’t take him long at all this time. The last time Cobalt had brought someone here, it had taken Ryan a half hour to figure out what he wanted to say to her. It didn’t seem to be a problem at all this time, Cobalt observed with amusement

  “I’m here for some milk. I just moved in with my grandparents – Mr. Maddox Monson and his wife.” She smiled a little as she spoke. There was no reason for her to be intimidated. At least, if there was, she didn’t let it show. There was something to be admired about this girl. She didn’t like to show her emotion.

  Like a dragon.

  “Ah, so you would be the lovely Paulina Monson I hear so much about when I visit him.” Ryan smiled. “All good things, don’t worry. He’s incredibly proud of you for everything you’ve done. Even if he doesn’t tell you that a lot.” He turned to get some milk. “How many gallons would you like?”

  “Just two. My grandparents don’t drink it all that often, but I do.” She smiled.

  Cobalt watched the conversation, leaning against the door frame. He felt out of place from time to time. Watching them have a normal conversation brought that feeling back. The fact that she was absolutely gorgeous, and not in a big city kind of way, didn’t help. He admitted to himself that he had developed a crush the moment he saw her, and it had only been growing as he spent more time with her.

  “Do you need any milk while you’re here, Cobalt? We don’t normally see you here in the town. Is there a reason you’re here?” Ryan asked, rubbing the back of his neck. He was in the habit of playfully giving Cobalt a hard time.

  “I happened to meet Paulina in the grocery store. She needed help, so here I am.” While it sounded like a made-up story, it was true.

  “Yeah, right,” Ryan teased. Like you’d be able to pick up a girl like that.

  “It’s true, though, Mr. Jenkins.” Paulina attempted to correct the man, but Ryan wouldn’t hear of it. He had to know what had ‘really’ happened. Any normal person would go mad with boredom in this quiet town, and this story was the day’s entertainment for Ryan. Cobalt couldn’t blame him for teasing them. At the end of the day, when all was said and done, Cobalt was still alone in his cave. It wasn’t a bad cave, but the feeling was intolerable now. He needed to find a friend.

  As he reflected on the rest of the day with Paulina – seeing her grandparents again after so long– he wondered what she thought of him. Did she want to be his friend? Did she think it was worth continuing to see him? Or was he just a tour guide to her?

  He sighed. There was nothing he could do now but leave the events of the day to be. Stressing about them would not make any difference, least of all cause Paulina to like him if she didn’t.

  Shaking his head in a feeble attempt to clear it, he walked from his entrance to the small alcove he had carved for his nest. His tail curled around him as he drifted into a deep sleep. Thoughts of Paulina continued to swirl around in his head and find their way into his dreams.

  Chapter Three: A New Friend

  The next morning, he woke to birds chirping. The sun shone on the wet grass and rocky floor of the cave. This would be a brighter day than yesterday. He could feel it already.

  Cobalt sat up, stretching. His wings – a deep cobalt blue, for which he was named – had appeared during the night. It must have gotten colder than he had anticipated it would.

  He admired them for a moment before folding them away. A dragon shifter could hide his wings in a number of different ways in order to prevent a human seeing them. He preferred to fold them up and tie them to his waist if it were possible that day. It worked especially well in winter. For spring, summer, and fall, he preferred to fold them into the sides of his chest. It gave the women the impression that he had abs when he really didn’t have any.

  He smiled a little. No one had figured that part out yet. Even the men the age he pretended to be admired his shape. Quite a few of the older widows had crushes on him. As flattering as that may be, it wasn’t quite what he was looking for.

  His tail, curled around his waist for the moment, hid nicely around his legs in the winter time. He had grown accustomed to wearing pants, no matter the weather. In summer, he had to hide it by laying it upright against his spinal cord. It could be incredibly painful if he wasn’t careful when sitting down, and went to great lengths to avoid sitting as much as possible.

  He was halfway through dressing himself when his wing cramped up. He grimaced at the shooting
pain.

  It had been a long time since his last flight. It was too late to fly today before it got dark. He’d have to either sit in pain until he could fly, or risk a midday flight. At this point, he didn’t think the village would care if they saw a dragon. They were thought to be extinct, after all.

  He took a deep breath, and let his wings out again. It was almost time for the next full moon. Like werewolves, the race of dragon shifters he belonged to could only fully shift under the light of a full moon. It got harder to stay human – and to blend in – as the full moon grew closer. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to go to town after tonight. Despite how much it hurt, he would have to go now.

  He carefully re-hid his wings and tucked in his tail. There was no time to be a wimp. If he was going to make it through the full moon, he needed food. That was the purpose of going out yesterday, but when he met Paulina, it had gone out the window. Today he wouldn’t let himself get distracted again. Maybe after the full moon, he would allow himself to think about her again.

  After making sure he had a little extra padding on, Cobalt began the trip into town again. The walk helped him get his mind off the pain he was in. He’d have to make this trip quickly, otherwise his wings would come out in the middle of town and he’d really be in for it.

  As he approached the town, his heart sunk as he realized it was going to be harder than he thought. It was the day before a national holiday, and every shop was going to be full. Everyone would be busy. The stores could even sell out. Why did the full moon have to coincide with a holiday? As a dragon shifter, he needed to eat almost his entire weight in food when in dragon form He did this pretty much once a month.

  Everyone would most likely guess it was his ‘pig-out’ week. That’s what he called it, anyway. In truth, it was only a day that he needed so much food for. He didn’t like to admit to anyone that he ate it all in a day. It made him feel insecure compared to everyone else. They didn’t have to worry about this kind of pain. This kind of relentless hunger.

  When he got to the grocery store, he was happy to find that it hadn’t already been picked clean. He grabbed a cart and began hurriedly going through his usual checklist in his head as he walked down the aisles. He’d need lots of healthy foods. Vegetables, meats, fruits, dairy, and the like. However, candy never hurt anyone.

  As he piled his cart full, he began to wonder if he’d be able to keep it all good until he was completely changed. He didn’t have a fridge or a freezer. Caves just weren’t built for modern-day convenience. His small icebox wasn’t much of a match for the volume of food he needed at this time, but he made do. “I thought you got all the food you needed yesterday, Cobalt?” Paulina’s voice disrupted his thoughts. He turned to look at her. There, in all her glory, she stood just behind him. Her cart was less full than his was. “I guess that’s where all the lettuce went.” She laughed a little.

  “Yeah. I have a big feast for the Fourth of July.” He smiled a little. “I know, it’s not a typical feast for this holiday, but it is what I do. I love my lettuce.” He had somehow managed to figure out what to say in seconds. She smiled back.

  “Mind if I shop with you? At least until you’ve picked up everything you need?” The newcomer didn’t seem too interested in making any friends beyond him at the moment. What he felt was odd. Did she like him? More than a friend? Or was she trying to repay him for the kindness he had shown her the day before?

  “Not at all.” The words that came from his mouth were not the ones he’d been thinking of. He’d wanted to politely decline her offer, and the words he said came as a surprise to him.

  “Wonderful.” She didn’t seem to notice it wasn’t what he had meant to say. Why ask him to hang out? That’s practically what they were doing. Hanging out. Almost like a date, he guessed. Humans never ceased to confuse him.

  What brings you back to the store?” He decided to divert the conversation away from himself. “My grandparents want me to grill hotdogs tomorrow. They didn’t have the stuff to do so.” She shrugged. “I was going to make a salad too, but you’ve got all the lettuce.” He couldn’t tell if she was teasing him or if she was serious. “I’m just teasing. We’ve got lettuce at home.” She clarified. He had probably seemed a little confused.

  “I see.” He managed to smile at her. There wasn’t much to say for a moment. “So, how is your grandmother? I didn’t get to see her yesterday.”

  “My grandmother is doing well, considering what she’s been through. She does have trouble walking from time to time. She hasn’t really been able to walk for a few days.” Cobalt looked visibly sad for the old lady.

  “Well, will you give her my best when you see her?” He wanted to see Amelia again soon. She had been one of the first people he truly loved. His first heartbreak. He still regarded her as someone special, but she was not one he trusted with his secret. The night he had gone to tell her, she’d dumped him before he could share it with her. She had broken his heart and the trust she would’ve had.

  “Yes. I’ll give her your best.” She smiled. “So, do you have plans to invite anyone over for the holiday?”

  “No. It’s going to be just me.” It sounded a little silly saying it aloud. He felt his cheeks flushing.

  “Wow. That’s a lot of food for a party of one.” She teased him again. He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that. Was it meant to be a good thing? Was it meant to show that she thought of him as a friend? Or was that simply her personality? He chose not to reply to her comment, and continued placing items in his basket.

  “Do you often make two trips to the store in a week?” Paulina managed to find a way to continue the conversation. She must be a hoot at parties if she could keep the conversation flowing so easily. It wasn’t his strong suit.

  “No. Usually I only take one trip a week. Sometimes my food will spoil, but otherwise, just one a week. Most people only shop here weekly. It helps keep the demand on our farming families down, but we can still ship in things that aren’t in season.” He didn’t quite know why he was telling her all of this.

  “Oh, I see. Do you have a job or something that keeps you up at nights?” She kept talking. He felt a gradual annoyance at her questions creeping up on him, but he wasn’t ready to tell her off quite yet. For some reason, she made him feel wanted with her relentless conversation.

  “I don’t sleep well sometimes. Last night was one of those nights.” He sighed softly. It wasn’t quite true, but that’s what he often told people when he had a rough night that involved shivering and nightmares.

  “Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.” The concern on her face touched him, and he felt guilty for being annoyed with her just seconds before.

  “Thanks.” He pressed his lips together softly as she picked up a packet of crackers. Maybe Maddox was having a hard time keeping food down again. Or maybe she simply liked that brand. Who knew?

  Chapter Four: Found Out

  Cobalt eventually managed to convince Paulina to leave him alone, and all it took was checking out. She didn’t seem too excited about waiting in line with him. Instead, she decided to go do her own shopping. She wasn’t quite finished.

  He let her go. With a silent sigh of relief, he began to put things up on the conveyor belt. His wings were cramping up again, and he winced. He had to hurry home. If he didn’t, there wouldn’t be any reason for him to stay. In fact, it’d only be harder for him to stay.

  Despite having a ton of food to carry, he managed to get it all home without spilling anything. He knew there was limited time before his transformation, and he had to get home to put his food into his little ice box before his claws grew. Once his claws had grown in for the night, he would only be able to do minor tasks.

  Mainly, that meant eating.

  Once he was satisfied that he had everything in the right place, he sat back and looked around him. There was nothing else for him to do but wait. The transformation came on slowly. First his tail and wings would grow. That had already happened.
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br />   Next, he would grow claws. Then his scales would begin to emerge, and he’d walk on all fours for a few hours before his legs would change. The transformation happened quickly after that. Quicker meant more pain was clear, but he’d rather be in pain for a few minutes than be stuck half human, half dragon all night and have it take two days for him to fully shift. He’d take the pain

  His claws grew out a few minutes after he sat down. It was happening quicker every year, he observed. This meant he was approaching puberty. Once he was fully grown – which took approximately four thousand five hundred years for his race – he would be able to change at will.

  That was a skill he was excited to get. It was such an inconvenience shifting only at the full moon. While it would still be easiest to transform under a full moon’s light, it wouldn’t be the only time he could do it. He reveled at the prospect of the freedom it would bring.

  It took him just under an hour to change this time. Last time, it had taken about an hour and two minutes. He didn’t usually keep track, but he was interested now. If it continued to decrease by a few minutes every few months, he might be maturing faster than he thought he was.

  He placed his head on the floor. This cave was the only one that was large enough to hold him when he was fully changed, and now it was almost too small. He’d have to carve more of the mountain out. He’d made this cave himself as a boy, and had continued to carve it out as he grew. Soon enough, it’d have to be bigger.

  As his stomach rumbled, he dipped his smallest claw into the ice box. It came up with a head of lettuce, which he promptly stuck into his mouth. Chewing quickly, it was only a few moments before it was small enough to swallow.

  . He could feel some of the bigger chunks as they moved down his throat, and then it was gone. A sudden tickle in his throat made him sneeze, and a small flame hit the wall.