Chitter

by Jacqui Ainsworth

Chitter

  by Jacqui Ainsworth

  Copyright 2012 Jacqui Ainsworth

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover Art by Alissa Ainsworth

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, trademarked products, events, and locations are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual events or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.

  Chapter 1: Chitter

  Madeline finished helping her mother hang the clothes out to dry. Her mother did laundry for the castle and needed help in these later days of her pregnancy. It was her second and everyone had long given up hope that Madeline would ever have a sibling. The pregnancy was a pleasant surprise. It was a hard one though and Madeline was doing everything she could to ease her mother's workload. Her father was in charge of the stables and was having to get used to doing without her help. She would much rather be immersed in the smell of horses and hay than a tub of harsh-smelling laundry water!

  Sounds of protest came from her apron pocket as she reached down for another tunic. She rested her hand gently on her pocket and the chattering subsided. She glanced at the sky and realized that twilight would soon be upon them. Madeline quickly finished her job and brought the basket back to her mother. Her mother had fallen asleep on the chair by the fire while doing some mending. Her womb was so swollen and looked so cumbersome. As much as Madeline wanted a sibling for her mother's sake, she worried about the outcome. Other than the pregnancy, her mother was still a lovely woman. Her long hair was the same chestnut color as Madeline's but her eyes were a brilliant blue rather than the deep brown that Madeline sported.

  Madeline quickly went into her room and settled down in a corner. She reached into her apron pocket and pulled out the brown ball of fluff. She rested it gently on her hand and fondly watched as it adjusted its wings and raised its head to look at her. His sweet little kittenish face melted her heart. She pet him softly as he made a chittering sound in greeting. She had named him Chitter for just this sound. Chitter was a big brown bat that she had found last summer. Upon finding him in the woods, she had left him there and rushed to get her father. He had quickly put on the thick leather gloves that he always seemed to have with him then carefully picked it up and brought it to the stable. After determining that the baby bat had merely bumped into something on his first flight and was not rabid, he had given her permission to feed it grubs and try to nurse it back to health. She had taken the job gladly. Chitter had responded well to her treatment and now they were great friends. She no longer collected grubs for him. She let him go every evening and woke up to find him hanging from an eave of the roof every morning. Depending on her chores during the day, she would either let him rest there or gently collect him to carry in her apron pocket as he slept. Twilight was their time to snuggle and chat before she raised her arm out the window and he flew from her hand for another evening's flight.

  In her twelve years, Madeline had never formed any close friendships with other castle children. She wasn't ladylike enough to satisfy the other girls and wasn't coordinated enough to successfully barge her way into the boys' games. So she spent her days in the stables with her father or the gardens with Father Richard. She had been as happy as she thought she could be until Chitter came into her life. Now she had an intelligent presence with her most of the time. She felt he could understand her troubles as she shared them with him. There was such intelligence in those brown eyes. It didn't hurt that his fur was as soft as kitten fuzz and he felt so warm and trusting in her hand.

  She was quietly telling him about her fears for her mother when she heard noises from the main room. Her mother was stirring and would need some help.She kissed Chitter between his ears and gently released him out the window. She watched him fly back and forth for a minute before he went off into the night to seek his dinner.

  Her mother was awkwardly struggling to her swollen feet when Madeline got to her. She quickly gave her a hand then started to set the table for dinner. They usually ate in the castle but her mom couldn't make that trip at this time. Her father would bring something home from the castle kitchen.

  Her mother's transformation when her father walked in the door was endearing. As she heard his steps outside she visibly forced herself to stand up straighter. The strain lines eased from her face and she gave him a genuine smile as he opened the door. His own weariness was visible in the hard-etched lines of his face. He had the same deep brown piercing eyes of Madeline but his hair was a darker brown and was beginning to be peppered with silver. He wore it in a long ponytail, tied back with a piece of leather.

  “How were things today, love?” her mother asked with concern.

  “Squires Roderick and Ferdinand were missing at breakfast this morning. The other squires were murmuring about the riches they would come back with.” Her ordinarily exuberant father sounded defeated.

  “Ah, to be an immortal youth again,” her mother sighed. “They are so sure that they can do what more experienced knights could not.”

  “Yes,” her father replied, “throwing their lives away for nothing and leaving us without enough manpower for a real threat.”

  The baron of the next village, Baron Godfrey, had recently begun hunting dragons. In contrast, Baron Humphrey, their baron, had a live and let live policy with the beautiful creatures. The dragons didn't interfere with people's lives in any way. The older ones hunted grazing animals such as elk in areas far from human populations. The younger dragons hunted in the farther outreaches of the forest. Their prey differed based on the age of the dragon. They did well in not competing with themselves or the humans. They nested in the high caverns of a nearby mountain range. Their forms could be seen flying above the forests and occasionally over the castles as they ventured out. They looked no bigger than flying foxes from the land but Madeline was so sure their true size was much more impressive. Although Madeline enjoyed watching Chitter's larger relatives in flight as well.

  Baron Godfrey had been so far down the list of heirs that no one had paid much attention to him or his idiosyncrasies as he was growing up. A series of unfortunate accidents had resulted in him bearing the title. He had quickly gone through the royal treasury and shortly proceeded to squander all he could tax from his peasants. His greedy mind had alighted on the rumors of the dragons nesting with jewels and the value of the dragons' scales. Anything that glittered so richly had to be worth fortunes! In his mind everything had a monetary value and he had decided the dragons were his key to luxury.

  Baron Godfrey had promptly sent his lesser knights and older squires on the hunt. They boldly went into the forest, heading for the darkest, deepest folds of the mountain range where the dragons were often seen circling. The dragons' forms were small in the distance but one couldn't misjudge the shape. The dragons had large bodies, huge wings, and long serpentine tails. The colors varied greatly from earth colors to jewel tones. The noticeably larger females were mostly of greens and browns and the svelte males could be amethyst purple to ruby red. The knights focused on these shapes as they headed across the forest.

  The greedy baron had lost twenty-three of his own knights and squires before he started advertising for more. His promises of a share of the jewels as well as the glory tempted men and older boys of many backgrounds. Baron Humphrey had not lost any knights to the temptation. They were loyal and shared his beliefs of not harming intelligent creatures that did nothing to harm you. But some of the squires weren't so noble. They were still dreaming of fame and glory and were sure of their amazing prowess. Every week or so a couple more squires would pack up their rolls and disappear before first light.

  This distressed Madeline's father. He had taught these squires from the age of 6. They had learned horsemanship and animal husbandry from him. Tha
nks to him they could saddle up quickly in any conditions, care for minor injuries in the horses or themselves, and in general keep themselves and their animals cared for in the wild. He had become attached to these boys and to have them heading off on a quest that so far had resulted in no returning questors was very upsetting. He also had the warring feelings of concern for the dragons and the squires. He detested Baron Godfrey for his greed and unconcern for life, human or dragon.

  Madeline was exhausted so headed to bed after she had helped clean up from dinner. She could hear her parents murmuring in the other room. Despite her efforts, she couldn't stay awake to follow their conversation.

  Chapter 2: Chitter's Distress

  The moon was shining brightly in her window when Madeline awoke to loud chattering noises. Chitter was squeaking loudly as he flew in circles over her bed. This behavior was very strange for her little friend so she promptly climbed out of bed and pulled on a tunic. Chitter flew out the window and circled just outside. Madeline shrugged and hitched her foot over the windowsill. She climbed out and followed the loud little bat.

  He led her into the forest, flitting back and forth as she struggled to catch up. Her familiarity with these woods was very helpful as she ran as swiftly as she could. She stepped over the roots and rocks deftly, knowing each one's placement well. His chattering became more and more insistent as she followed him. After awhile she could have sworn she heard him saying “Hurry, hurry! Just a little further! Quick, quick!” She laughed a bit at her overactive imagination but sped up just the same.

  Suddenly she came upon a clearing filled with moonlight. As she waited for her eyes to adjust to the brightness after the forest depths she heard “Mad's here! She will help! She's a kind human!” She shook her head in confusion and looked toward the sound. There in the clearing was a small brown dragon. To call it brown was a vast simplification. The dragon's scales encompassed every shade of brown one could imagine. The ventral side was covered in scales of tan and creamy caramel. The dorsal side glistened in mahogany and rust. One of its golden wings was folded at its side but the other was lying awkwardly bent on the moon-dappled forest floor.

  Chitter had been fluttering around the dragon's ear but flew over to Madeline, chattering quickly “please help dragon! Wing broke against tree! Bad boy chased!” Caring for dragons was a bit beyond feeding grubs to a baby bat but Madeline quickly promised to help. She had decided to worry about her sanity in the light of day. The dragon was the size of a large dog and Madeline was sure she could carry it if she could figure out how to pick her up without damaging her wing. It had to be a female due to her coloring although anyone who saw her could not say she was plain.

  Madeline walked over to the dragon and knelt by her russet head. She was startled by the deep golden orbs with such depth for what had to be a very young dragon. The dragon looked up at her with trust and groaned pitifully. Her heart ached for the small creature.

  “It's okay baby. I'll help you,” she crooned. The dragon nodded, almost imperceptibly. She glanced quickly around the clearing and found some thin, strong branches. She tore off her tunic and undershirt then started ripping her undershirt into strips after replacing the tunic quickly. She gently formed a crude splint for the broken wing and fashioned a rough sling to lessen any jarring on the walk home. She was thankful she had hung around as her dad had taught the squires the basics of wound care. He had taught them how to stabilize wounds until they could get to help. He hadn't taught anything about wings but she did the best she could. The wings were thicker than she expected and felt more like the webbing of a duck's foot then the gossamer wings of a butterfly. The dragon was remarkably compliant during her far from professional ministrations. She was surprised that the dragon trusted her so fully.

  She went to the uninjured side and gently lifted the dragon off the ground. She was almost thrown off guard by the dragon's relative lightness. She had expected her to weigh as much as a large dog since that was her size. But, in reality, she weighed little more than a large cat. That would make the walk back easier but a lighter dragon was still shaped like a dragon and a bit awkward to carry.

  The walk back seemed much longer and rockier as she tried to avoid tripping on rocks in her bare feet and jarring the baby dragon any more than absolutely necessary. She soon lost track of time and was almost surprised to find herself at home. She gently laid the dragon by the door then climbed back in through her window. She took a blanket from her bed and laid it on the floor. She quietly walked through the house and unbarred the door. She brought the dragon in and set it on the blanket. It was still in obvious pain, wincing and moaning quietly. She deliberated for awhile but there seemed to be only one obvious course.

  She looked around for Chitter. He was flying outside the house, hunting for insects for his interrupted dinner but staying close. She clucked with her tongue, her normal method of calling him, and he flew over, hovering about a foot in front of her face. Still unsure of what was happening with his language, she spoke directly to him. “I'm going to get my dad. Please tell the dragon not to be afraid.”

  “Yes! Yes! Mad's dad is okay!” he replied in his squeaky voice. This would take some getting used to. Providing she wasn't crazy that is. He flew to the dragon's head and started reassuring her.

  She softly crept to her parent's room and knelt by her parent's bed. She softly touched her father's shoulder and whispered “Dad! Dad! I need help!” He groaned softly but opened his eyes. He sat up in concern.

  “What's wrong, Mad? Bad dream?” he asked

  “No, a hurt animal. Its in my room. Please hurry!” she whispered urgently.

  To his credit, he didn't ask questions. He waved Madeline out of the room and quickly followed her. She stepped back at her doorway. Her room wasn't big enough for a dragon, a man the size of her father, and herself.

  Her father glanced at the dragon and raised his eyebrows at her in a clear “we'll talk about this later” way. She nodded and he got to work. He patted the dragon gently on the head then made soothing noises as he made some modifications to the splint. The dragon moaned but let him work. Chitter hovered at first but went to hunt when he saw the dragon would be cared for.

  “Great job!” he muttered as his fingers deftly adjusted the splint. He ran his fingers along the wing while he made sure he found every injury. He looked the little dragon over thoroughly from the tip of her soft pointed nose to the end of her scaly tail. Madeline was sure that his primary motive was to make sure that less obvious but potentially more serious injuries didn't go untreated. However, she was sure that he also wanted to take every advantage of this rare chance to examine a live dragon. He made a quick run to the tack room of the stable for some ointment and treated a few surface scratches.

  “I know you aren't a horse, baby, but it's all I have” he said to the dragon apologetically. Madeline's heart was filled with affection for her father. Not many fathers would have been so sympathetic to the little dragon's plight.

  “That is all I can do,” her father said. “Let her rest for the rest of the night and I will check on her in the morning. I will hunt up some squirrels for her first thing but you will need to do it for the rest of her recovery time. See me in the stable after your chores and I'll show you how to use a slingshot. You can tell me then how she ended up here. Please do not tell your mother, she does not need any more to worry her right now. I do not think I need to tell you not to tell anyone else either. The last thing we need is a squire getting big ideas.”

  “Yes dad,” she agreed somberly. “We will keep it between us. And Chitter.”

  He looked at her oddly as he hugged her then slipped out the door. Madeline checked on the dragon one last time. It was sleeping soundly. Chitter was still out hunting. She lay down but could not quiet her mind. She went over the events of the evening over and over again. It was as if it had all happened to someone else. A dragon in the forest near her home? It was far out of range, especially for
such a small one. Had she really heard Chitter speak and spoken to him? She had always felt that he understood her but he had never spoken to her before. Or if he had, she hadn't understood. Was he speaking human or was she understanding bat? Her mind pondered that until the rays of dawn began to cross her window.

  Chapter 3: Understanding

  The rays landed on the sleeping dragon. Her brown tones were even more awe-inspiring by the sun's light. The dragon began to stir as Chitter belatedly flew in the window. He hung from his favorite rafter and adjusted his wings.

  One part of her brain heard his typical chittering but she also heard “sleepy! Sleepy! Dragon okay!Sleep now!” How could that be? She seemed to be understanding bat! She was even more astonished when she “heard” in her mind “that is my doing.” She looked around and her eyes settled on the dragon which was staring directly at her.

  “You?” Madeline asked aloud. “You made me understand bat?”

  “Yes,” she heard again, “in the presence of a dragon, all creatures can understand one another. We used to be an important part of negotiations between animals. We even helped humans that way long ago, before they separated themselves from other life.”

  “Oh,” muttered Madeline, unsure of what to say upon finding the creature not only intelligent, but seemingly more so than her.

  “Thank you,” she heard in her mind. “The boy could have come back and I don't know if I could have defended myself. My scales haven't hardened yet. I should have never left my cave so young.”

  “Why did you? What were you doing on this end of the forest?” Madeline was finally getting, well not exactly used to the idea of a dragon talking in her mind, but as close as she could.

  “I was sent as an ambassador to Baron Humphrey. We heard that he might be sympathetic to our plight. I'm small and agile and it was hoped that I could sneak through the forest and in to see the Baron. I made the mistake of relaxing my guard when I entered Baron Humphrey's lands. Two boys spotted me and chased me. I got away from the first but my wing hit a tree and broke. The boy must have lost sight of me when I fell. Then your cave-friend saw me and offered to get help. I'm so glad you came so quickly.”