Dragon Reincarnation
Just got bord so here's this. Please tell me what you think.
Huh...? I lay in the dark, feeling as if I was underwater. Where am I...oh, that's right. I died. I...drowned, right? I'm not too sure how I died. So is this the afterlife? I tried to open my eyes and found they were sealed with some sort of gel-like substance. Hm? Now that I think about it, it feels like I have four arms and...a tail? I moved around a bit and found myself stuck inside of something. What's this? Am I not dead? A bright flare of light flashed over my closed eyelids and I suddenly wanted nothing more than to beat at the smooth thing around me. There was a loud cracking sound when I slammed my head against it, the pressure around me beginning to disappear. What seemed to be thick fluid carried me out of a hole, my body barely slipping through. I gasped for air but found a weird film was completely covering me. I tried to pull it off, my hands slipping each time. Why can't I get a grip?! It's so slimy! When it finally tore I took deep gulps of sharply cold air. I felt something soft was under me and instinctively rubbed against it, wiping my eyes so I could open them. This was the strangest sensation I had ever felt and I didn't know how to respond. All I knew was that I was sticky, slimy, and continuously slipped around, failing to find grip. What exactly happened to me? Didn't I die? I began to open my eyes, blinking against painful light. Huh? I stared at the empty ice cave and recoiled from the blasting blizzard wind outside. Where am I? Looking behind me, I saw an empty eggshell. Did I come out of that? I know I was a fan of stories where one died and went to a different world, but I never imagined it might be possible. Part of me wondered as to why I was so calm right now, but the other half thought everything around me was natural...maybe instincts? What am I? I looked at my hands to find them covered in delicate opal scales with tiny talons poking out of my fingers. The structure didn't change too much, but the appearance certainly did! I might need to twist to see the rest of my body...I went to turn my head only to find I could look over my shoulder without any problem whatsoever. Woah...is my neck longer?
After I got over that surprise, I saw my back. Ah! Two wings! Four legs! Small spine-spikes! A tail! Is my body aerodynamic? My body was slim-looking, clearly streamlined. Wow...am I a dragon? I tried moving around and soon found it challenging. This is harder than it looks...ugh. My front legs got tangled together and I fell on my face with a yelp. That hurt. Hmmm...if I'm a dragon, aren't I supposed to be able to use magic? I wriggled back to my feet and did my best to learn how to walk. I flinched when a shadow dashed by the cave opening, then quivered when it returned and made to land inside. The dark shadow huffed and walked heavily, coming closer. When it got close enough to see clearly, I was immediately full of curiosity. A marvelous dragon blinked at me in apparent surprise, but it didn't take long until it smiled at me...at least, it seemed like a smile. With a voice full of exhaustion, the dragon whispered, "Hello, little one. Welcome to the world." I gaped. The dragon talked! The voice was smooth and honey-like, almost as if a bird was given words for their song. A female...is this dragon my mother? I didn't know how to respond when she lowered her muzzle to rub it against me. Is this how they hug? "Your name...I wish your father was here right now and not lost in the blizzard. I never thought you'd hatch so soon." She laughed lightly. "Although you're awfully small, even for a hatchling. You were the only egg we could have..." She started cooing to me and I found it getting harder and harder to stay awake. "Well, we'll just have to wait for him, right?" I yawned and leaned against her cold scales, drifting to sleep. Don't know if this is a dream or reality, but either way, I think I can enjoy having a mother for the first time--even if she isn't human.
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I stretched as I woke up, trying to make sense of the eeriness of the silence around me. Where...? Oh yeah, I died and woke up here, as a baby dragon. Ah...! My dragon mother isn't here! And the storm has stopped! I started to panic. Had this amazing dream turned into a nightmare?! I don't want to be an orphan again, not if this is a second chance at life! I made an attempt to talk but could only squeal, screech, chirp, and squeak. I can't speak yet! I began to despair when I heard the heavy beat of leathery wings. Talons clacked on ice as she returned. I lay there in shock as my heart rate slowed. "Here." A small rabbit was dropped in front of me, already dead. "I brought you some food." I blinked at it in confusion. Food? Does she want me to eat it raw? How much of it is edible? "Sorry, this is all I could get. I'm not too used to the cold of the north." Not used to the cold? Is it really that cold? I hadn't noticed. Oh, now that she's in the light, I can finally see her beautiful scarlet scales and golden eyes. "You don't look like you're shivering though, so it's fine." I looked back at the rabbit. I don't want it raw... "Hmmm..." My eyes snapped back to her to see a glint in her eyes. She inhaled and blew out a tiny stream of flame that engulfed the rabbit. When she stopped, it had been roasted perfectly, the scent making my stomach growl. I didn't know I was so hungry! I attacked it with so much ferocity I was surprised. I'm definitely not human anymore...I can't even eat nicely. Or it's just because of my hunger. Hey, wouldn't this be my first meal? "I thought so. What a surprise. I thought I would be the only one in this family who wants cooked meat." Was it her mother's intuition? Only way to explain it unless she was simply testing. "Now then...I noticed you're having a hard time walking. I'm not too sure of a hatchling's normal habit, but you'll have to get stronger than that, considering who your father is." She took a single step forward to gently pick me up by my spikes. A dragon's fangs can retract? Cool!
I then wanted to know what she was trying to do. "It's too slick in here for you to learn." That is awesome! I don't even have to say something but think it, and she knows I have a question or problem! She didn't fly but crawl down the startlingly huge mountain. I didn't realize it was this large! She set me on a stone platform close to three times her size and blasted it with fire. "Come on, get to your feet. I'm sure that once you learn to walk you'll know how to grip the ice." She nudged me with her front left paw. The force was unexpected and made me stumble away. Ugh! I know the basic idea of standing and walking, but I can't put it to use! Out of pure frustration and rage at my own disability to even stand, I found my balance at last. "Yes! You can do it! Come over here!" Filled with relief and joy, I tried to run. I almost fell multiple times but managed to keep going. With a loud bugle, my dragon mother scooped my up in her paws and held me against her chest. I can hear her heartbeat. "I'm so proud of you!" With that, she put me back down and told me to do it again. She had me repeating the whole day until I could sprint without the slightest little problem. Got to say, for a day old dragon, this is impressive. I ran circles around her and hopped onto her proffered paw. "There you are. Come, let's go back to the nest." She climbed up to the cave and placed me inside, beaming with pride. She made a double-step and paused. "I should have gone for more food for you. I'm sorry there's so little here." Her expression and tone made me want to be human so I could wrap my arms around her properly and give her a mighty hug. "We should sleep. I'll find food while you dream." She lay down and gave me space to sleep by her head. I closed my eyes to find that being a baby meant my energy reserves were way lower than I was used to. In other words, I fell asleep Immediately.
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