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A New friend, A New Beginning

A man with dark brown hair was aimlessly scrolling through Movies on TV, trying to find a show that may interest him.

After several minutes of trying to find anything worth watching, he laid back in his recliner moaning in defeat.

"James, you work at a night club, you can get in for free. Let's just go and find some chicks to take home with us?

"It's not as easy as you think taking them home Dillon, the ones I did do so with, knew me for months before doing so". James replied.

"Yah, big bad James... Risking his life, searching people for bringing weapons in the club, fighting drunks, all them women to protect and still brought none back after last night's shift". Dillon said grinning.

"Dude, it can't happen every shift, most patrons are boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, and wives. Hit on those and a fight is bound to happen. You haven't even been in a club.

You gotta search for a group of women who had no men with them...

Without me, you'd get none at all. Last four women here, they where so bomb, you where scared of them. It was kind of sad when all they wanted was some fun." James replied in a matter of fact tone.

"I'm going fishing tomorrow, to get out of this shithole apartment, not to pick up tail for you Dillon. All I wanted was to relax today, and go fishing tomorrow. Nightclubs are quite overrated when you are a guard at one" Today and Tomorrow... Tuesday and Wednesday... my only days off? Once in a while, I'll bring chicks who want a fling, but those don't come every day". I'm going fishing, and you do whatever you will, Dillon". James added in an annoyed tone.

"Okay... Okay... Don't get snappy... Sheesh..." Dillon Replied...

"Yah... Me too, gotta get up early morning to get out on my own. Just me and the woods. Sound of birds chirping, the sounds of river rapids, and not a fucking human in sight". James said cheerfully looking forward to his day trip...

"Yah I like the city more so than risking getting in contact with pollen that takes my allergies into overdrive, and getting in contact with poison oak". Dillon replied...

"If that's what make you avoid nature? You're a bitch!"

"Asshole"... Dillon replied

"You should make some dinner dude, I've cooked already yesterday before I went to work". James stated.

"You're 30 years old, make your own". -Dillon said.

"Make something easy. Like tacos or something. Come on I cook all the time. We live with each other to keep bills cut for us both, I'm not your mom dude". James said.

"Hey James, if the woods aren't so scary, why do you always bring a gun?" Dillon asked as he was making dinner.

"Well Dillon, you never know what you may face. The area I like going is very secluded, no people for several miles. When I go fishing there, I never, ever see anyone there. I actually doubt many know of this place along the river. I myself discovered it on accident a couple years ago. It's so quiet.... Like, a place completely untouched by people. I always pull really large fish out. The place has almost a magical feel to it".

"Magical huh? Well, have fun. Dillon Replied.

"I'll be leaving at 2am. I plan on being there around 6am Long drive, but it's like my getaway". James said.

"Dinner is done", Dillon said.

At 2am, just a few hours of sleep, James began loading his pickup truck ready to go to his secret spot along the river about 4 hour drive from his residency... "Chair, rod, tackle box, food, water, ice chest, ice, and beer... All there"... James merrily thought to himself as he thought to himself as he reached for the door handle of his pickup truck.

"Oh shit... My revolver... not a good idea to go to my unknown spot alone without a weapon... Just in case..." James spoke out loud to himself as he began to run back in his apartment. James quietly entered his apartment and made his way to his bedroom and being as quiet as he could be.

Now in his bedroom, he reached for his duty belt, and grabbed his revolver from its holster and two speed loaders, each of which hold 6 .357 magnum rounds.

James put his weapon in a backpack, and looked back at his duty belt... He reached for it and pulled a pepper spray container out of its pouch that was attached to the belt.

"Pepper spray is a better line of defense against dangerous wildlife if possible... A revolver should be a very last resort. After all I'm out to enjoy nature, not kill it... James thought to himself as he put his pepper spray in his backpack...

James tossed his backpack in the back seat of his truck, then started his vehicle and set off to his secret spot along the river.

Approximately 4 hours passed by, and James stopped by a gas and sporting goods store not far from the river. "5:45... Excellent timing. 15 minutes shorter than what it usually takes". James thought to himself.

James got out of his truck and locked his doors, then walked inside the store.

James gathered some extra lures he didn't have in his tackle box, he also picked up some barbless hooks due to the fact he usually releases the fish when he caught it and barbless hooks are least likely to kill the fish by minimizing tissue damage to their mouth. Trout, the fish he is targeting, are much more fragile than other species, so the lesser harsh hooks keeps the fish living.

James walked up to the clerk. "Hi Walter, how are you this morning?" James asked...

I'm fine, thank you. Doing some fishing along the river today? The elderly man with white hair, who stood at only 5'7" tall asked.

"Yes I am, just catch and release. I want to fish sun up to sun down today. So just releasing so I cannot max out on a catch limit". James said.

Walter had a concerned look on him. Walter let out an auditable sigh. "Be careful young man. There was an incident along the river two weeks ago. Two hunters where killed by an unknown creature. Forestry Service found their dead bodies with claw marks on them. On their necks, teeth marks. One body, had a tooth in the neck. The Fish and Game warden believes it to be reptilian. But we are still waiting on news from a lab test to prove the tooth's origin. What more troubling is....

The rifles the hunters used where decent ones.

Springfield SOCOM rifles chambered in .308 Winchester ... Semiautomatic, uses a round that will kill anything in these woods. The rifles James where fired... Whatever this creature is... The hunters seemed to defend themselves and those rifles did them no good". Walter explained.

"Not very experienced with such weapons myself, Walter. They should be carrying bear spray or pepper spray. Fish and Game says that tends to deter animal attacks better than a firearm. Most animals don't like it in their eyes and it scares them off. Bears for example, are thick muscled, this makes it harder to take them down so I've been told. And often when people use a firearm for self defense, they still get wounded or killed. A firearm should be a last resort because of that. I think the story of it being a reptilian tooth in that hunter's neck is like a ghost story". James said...

"Be careful out there young man. Those bodies where quite mangled. That'll be thirty five dollars and 17 cents". Walter said.

James reaches into his wallet and pulled out his debit card. He inserted it into the chip reader and the machine printed the receipt.

"Don't let the reptilians get you Walter, you wouldn't want a tooth in your neck". James sarcastically said as he was making for the store door.

James took the small bag of lures and barbless hooks to his truck, unlocked the door, and entered his truck setting the small bag on the passenger side seat.

"Crazy old man... Trying to scare people about some mythical reptile. Nothing but snakes and lizards live in these parts". James said to himself as he started his truck.

James pulled out of the parking lot and made a right hand turn on the small two lane country road. And he he headed to his secret spot along the river.

Five minutes latter, James turned right on a very rough and poorly maintained dirt road that leads into a small valley. It was another 16 minutes till he'd arrived to the river.

Even with his Ford F-150, which was also four wheel drive, his vehicle struggled and strained in the rough terrain. This inevitably was the reason why no one sets a camp here. The road being too long to walk, and too rough for most vehicles.

James shut the engine off, and got out of his truck. Hearing water flowing just beyond some brush made James more excited. He reached for a plastic bag containing new lures and barbless hooks, as well as his backpack containing his pepper spray, and his revolver.

James opened his backpack, and placed the pepper spray in his left hand pocket. He then grabbed his revolver. James opened the cylinder and placed a speed loader over the cylinder which contained six rounds.

With a twist on the aluminum knob, the rounds fell from the speed loader and into the cylinder of his revolver. James then placed the firearm in the back of his pants. And began unloading the truck.

James set up all his equipment for his day at the river, and finally he casted his line into the water, retrieving his lure to make it act like a smaller fish. Several minutes latter, after several cast and retrieves, he saw a fish leap out from the water's surface and his drag was making a very fast clicking noise.

"Wow, good size trout I'm sure". James said to himself. As he continued to reel in the fish, the fish began fighting harder. The reel was strained and so was his line. "Not a good size, a rather large size trout". James corrected himself as he continued to fight the fish.

Several minutes later, James was able to get a good look at the exhausted fish, as the fish gave in to the extra pressure the line and rod tip put on the fish. "Biggest one I've ever pulled out of here. That's for sure". James thought to himself.

James pulled the fish out of the water by the gill covers. James then pulled out a pair of pliers to gently work the barbless hook out of the fish's mouth, a few moments and the hook was out. He then placed a scale in the gill covers and found it to read 12 pounds.

"You're a big fish. Don't know to keep you or throw you back". James said to himself.

As James admired his catch, there was a loud rustling noise in the bushes. The brush rustled even more violently as whatever creature was approaching closer. The alarmed human set the fish on the river bank and reached for his pepper spray, He saw the back of the creature as it made its way to James and the closer it got, the faster James's heart began to race.

James then used his other hand reaching for his revolver... Just in case the pepper spray was to fail to deter the animal.

"I'd stay still If I where you, little fisherman". The feminine voice said coming from the bushes where the unidentifiable creature is.

The creature's head came out of the brush, it released a subtle hiss as it exhaled.

With neon green serpentine eyes, slender, but long snout, and definitely a feminine head structure, long horns coming from the back of the creature's skull, and large plate like jet black scales, the creature slowly made it's way to James. Revealing slender, yet well defined long, lean muscular forearms, Large jet black wings, Slender, yet long lean muscles and well defined hind legs. Her tail last to be revealed, was also long, and at the end had ball like scale plates that could easily kill if she chose to use it like a mace.

Over all the creature was a good thirty five feet long.

James stood there in absolute disbelief and seemingly crippling fear.

"Human, what are you doing in my forest?" The dragon asked James.

Not knowing how to even respond to the question due to the dragon calling him a fisherman before, he reasoned this to be a trick question. "There is no defense for a creature this powerful". James reasoned in his head. A loud sigh came from his mouth as he was trying to gather his resolve.

"As you called me, I'm a fisherman". James replied.

"Wait... I've seen you before... You come here time to time. Sorry to startle you. You've never posed a threat before. I'm on edge myself you see. Not long ago hunters saw me and shot me. I defended myself against them and their iron rods that fire some kind of small metal object didn't piece my scales. Fortunately, I was able to defend myself from them and escape. Unfortunately, they had their lives ended". The dragon said.

"You've seen me before!" James exclaimed with a look of shock on his face.

"Yes, I have, and your smell I recognize. You can relax human, I see you here every few weeks... Also, killing your kind is a last resort of mine". The dragon said.

James sighed audibly in relief that killing him was not the creature's immediate intent. He then removed his hand from the back of his pants where his revolver was.

"Are you armed human?" The dragon asked with a concerned voice.

"Out here? By myself? Can you blame me for having weapons?" James asked, basically answering her question with a question.

"You're the first to speak before using it". The dragon stated.

"You speak, that makes you a creature of reason. That means it's wise to reason with you and not have an anxious trigger finger". James stated as he reached for the fish.

"Interesting, and smart of you", the dragon cooed as she approached closer to him.

James stepped back several steps hinting the lack of trust.

"In your tongue, as a rough translation, my name is Sasha". The dragon said introducing herself.

"My name is James. Nice to meet you Sasha. Are you hungry?" James asked the dragon as he raised the now lifeless fish due to it being out of the water too long.

Sasha approached very close to James. From her head to front claws, she stood eight feet tall, looking down at the human, and his offer.

"I already ate an entire deer, I'm quite full thank you"

Sasha said in a matter of fact way, attempting to assure James she isn't going to harm him.

James made an auditable sigh of relief. He walked to his ice chest and put the fish in the chest. He reached for a beer and cracked it open and took a sip.

"I don't know know if dragons drink, but it's rude for humans not to offer company a beer if they're drinking. Do you want one?" James asked Sasha holding up another beer.

"I heard alcohol makes you humans rather silly, to say the least". Sasha said.

"You're telling me, being a nightclub guard for a living, I'm basically babysitting a room full of drunk people. But just one doesn't suddenly make you silly. Judging by your height and length, It'd take allot more beer than I have to get you drunk". James said in matter of fact way.

Sasha smelled the bubbling liquid, she then poured a small amount of it in her mouth and swallowed. The beer tingled her tongue,

the bitter taste made her cringe a little, however the alcohol made her stomach slightly warm inside. She did like the feel of that. With great curiosity, she held the beer with her front paws, sitting upright looking at the drink with her reptilian eyes constricted and focused on the beer. She then downed the entire beer, and began to purr in content to the feeling she had in her stomach.

"I take it that you enjoyed it", James said smiling at the dragon.

"Can I have another?". Sasha asked...

"Of course", James said and he reached for another beer in the cooler and opened another beer for her.

Sasha drank the beer quite quickly this time and she purred as she licked her lips with her eyes closed as it warmed up her stomach.

"You're not from here, are you?" James said

"What do you mean?" Sasha replied.

"In folklore, the sidhe, fairy folk live in the other world. A realm parallel to this one. It's said to have many creatures that are now a days, myth". James said.

"How did you know where I came from?" Sasha asked.

"The drink... The vast majority of creatures in the other world really like alcohol. It also explains why you speak. Even if you personally never drank, you'd naturally enjoy it if you had a drink. If you where not from the other world, where else would you have come from?" James reasoned, explaining to Sasha how he figured her origin out.

"You know the old religion"... The dragon cooed in a massive interest of James.

"A little, much of Druidism is reconstructed, not as traditional as it once was. The tradition was ravaged by time", James said.

Sasha gave James a toothy grin...

"Tell me human, would you really like to know the truth behind the old ways? The things that are unseen, to be seen"? I sense you would want to sense you always come here simply to escape society". This location is more magical than you understand. No... Why don't you forsake the human world and come with me to the other world". Sasha said.

"Sounds dangerous, the fairy folk are often tricksters, there are creatures with benevolent intent but figuring out who is who isn't so easy. I know creatures like werewolves are benevolent, often times protect ors of children. But I'm slightly rusty on lore". James informed Sasha.

"I will be your guide. I can tell, you got a pure heart, human... But it's weathered... You had a very misfortune upbringing that send you on a direction to nowhere. Think of it as a restart, without death. The creatures of the other world do not give this invite to just anyone. First off, you'd be with me, and my clan, my kin... You being under my protection, you'd be perfectly safe. Also you'd find them to be quite friendly with you. Not to mention you would never die simply due to time sense it is irrelevant there. However, you'd have to decide by sunset. The veil in the tree roots will thicken after sunset, and It'd be a must for me to return. I encourage you to make your choice wisely". Sasha said...

James kept thinking as he continued fishing. He wanted to enjoy the world he was born in, he knew such a choice would forever change his fate. This choice was permanent, and this choice would mean leaving his world behind.

"Well, my life here has always been shit".

James thought to himself as he recalled his abusive parents, recalled the constant bullying in school, not having any friends worth keeping save for Dillon who was a total slob making the apartment a pig pen all the time.

Constant fights at the nightclub he guarded, he then finally seen something about himself.

Seeing basically nothing but violence in his life, he learned to fall in love with violence, and of course consorting with women for a night, but dates never gone far, him being 30 years of age, he knew his odds of actual success in life. It's why he's a guard at a night club, always getting the thrill of a fight from violent drunks and of course single women at the nightclub. "Is Sasha offering a re-start? Creatures of the other world are tricky sometimes, but they are also notorious for never lying to anyone". James reasoned with himself after recalling every experience he had in the world he was born into.

"Human, you're deep in thought", Sasha said, snapping James's focus back on her.

"When do we leave", James said.

Sasha gave James a toothy grin, her savage neon green reptilian eyes stared directly into James's eyes. "Now is a great time, human".

"Shit"... James said as he felt like he was staring In the eyes of death...

"Come with me", Sasha bade as she lowered a shoulder and pointed her snout towards her shoulder, implying him to get on her back.

"One more thing to do". James ominously said as he walked away from the river bank and towards the hill side.

He reached for his revolver, the firearm he carried at the nightclub as a guard, he drew it out of his jeans and pointed it at the hillside.

"Cover your ears, gunshots are loud". James said.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

He then moved next to the river bank and dropped the revolver.

"If they find my last location, they'll surely assume I met the same fate as those hunters, and with a revolver with four spent casings will be the evidence for it. I'm now dead to this world". James stated as he stared at the river for a final time.

"Clever human, you'll thrive where I live, I am of liberty to assure you that". The dragon said.

James got on Sasha's back and his heart was racing...

"Time for something new, human". Sasha said as she took to the air.

Several miles they flew, then there was a patch of trees with exposed roots.

Sasha dived vertically towards the ground where an unusually large hole in the ground was within the tree roots.

"Hoooollllllyyyyyyy Sssshhhhhiiiit!!!!!"

James screamed clinging on to the dragon's neck for dear life as they made a death defying dive into the hole. They entered the hole and disappeared into the world underground, never to return.