A Strangers Request
#4 of The Silver Dragon
There was a brief silence. Then the stranger; or Light as he had introduced himself, took a deep breath and faced Sky.
Light was very tall, much taller than Sky; and garbed in a suit of full, heavenly white armour that was made of a strange, unearthly metal; unlike anything Sky had ever seen. His choice of wardrobe struck Sky as peculiar, as it was the middle of summer, and the armour should have made him extremely hot and uncomfortable; but to Sky, he seemed perfectly cool and still, as if the weather had no effect on him at all.
Light then began to speak, "As I have said, I am Light. And I am in need of your services, young Sky."
Sky was startled, "I never introduced myself, he thought. So how does he know my name?" Sky was confused and a little scared, had this strange man been following him? How much about him did the stranger know?
Sky noticed Lights serious body language and understood, now wasn't the time for asking random questions.
"But how could I be of any help?" Sky queried. For how was he going to be any help to this man? For he was, after all, just an ordinary 15 year old boy.
Light paused for a brief second then replied,
"As you can see, this dragon is quite badly injured.
Sky then examined the dragon closely, it was true. The poor dragon looked to be around his age, and appeared to be in critical condition, his body was battered, bruised and appeared to be burnt almost all over. Sky shuddered; who could have done this? And what could anyone possibly gain from inflicting near-fatal wounds to him? Sky felt sick just thinking about it.
Light then continued,
"And by any chance, would you be able to treat his wounds? I would do it myself but-"
"But what?" Sky asked, for surely he was more qualified than a teenage boy to care for a badly injured person; especially a dragon- which Sky new nothing about. What if the dragon woke up and attacked Sky? He wouldn't know how a dragon would react to find suddenly itself in a foreign place- let alone a teenager's bedroom. And even with the dragon injured he could still easily kill Sky if he so desired. How would he defend himself against a dragon?
"But, I can't. For you see; the one that inflicted these wounds to this poor dragon is, almost certainly, going to target me next. So I must stay on the move. This would also put both me and this dragon at significant risk."
Sky was shocked by this, but understood his reasoning. He would have to stop frequently to replace the dragon's bandages and if this guy was following him it would put the dragon and Light in very big danger, and judging by the condition the dragon was in, he wouldn't be able to fight. So he would only be a burden to Light. But something did strike Sky as odd.
"Why ask me? Surely a doctor or someone with more medical knowledge would be better suited to treating him?" Granted he had taken a first aid course a few years ago, and was very good at treating injuries like cuts, burns and a few broken limbs, he had to be, to take care of his injuries; but this was hugely different. This was treating a severely injured dragon. He just wasn't sure if he was the right person for the task, and how would he even go about treating him anyway?
"True. A doctor or a medical professor would be better suited to the task. However what would stop them from rejecting my request, or even taking the dragon away to be experimented on."
Sky thought about it. They would probably hand him over to the government and they would experiment on him-or worse; they might even dissect him. Sky felt a shiver go up his spine. He couldn't let that happen, what if he had a family waiting, worried sick about him? He didn't want to be responsible for killing an innocent person- or dragon.
"So do you accept my request?" Sky was still rather sceptical. Surely he had some close friends or family who could take care of the dragon. Or even another human who he knew. It just seemed too much of a coincidence that; a strange man who knew his name, holding a dragon he had drawn a week before, asks him to take care of the strange dragon. It just didn't add up. But he couldn't just reject his offer; he didn't want to let another die because he thought it was strange.
So Sky brushed his scepticism aside, and nodded at the armoured man.
"I'll do it. But what should I do when he wakes up?" Light thought for a moment, and then spoke to the boy.
"Explain the situation our young friend here. Then if you wouldn't mind, take care of him until I return."
Sky nodded. But was a little worried, "What do dragons even eat?" he thought. "What if he doesn't like me and decides to eat me?" Sky was worried now, and this must of shown because Light then stepped towards him and put his hand on the boys shoulder.
Then he whispered to Sky. "Don't worry Sky, it'll be fine." He spoke so softly, it's as if his voice melted Sky's doubts away;
Sky was surprised by this- it's as if he has a separate personality. Before his voice was one of a king; a proud, commanding voice now it was a compassionate, soft voice. Like a mother, reassuring her child after they have been hurt.
Renewed confidence and hope burned through Sky as he believed everything was going to work out and that he was going to make a difference to this dragon's life.
Light smiled at his newfound confidence. Then returning to his other, prouder voice said,
"Thank you young Sky. And if you'll excuse me I'll have to be leaving now. I will return soon; until then farewell!"
Sky snapped out of thought and bid farewell to Light, he wished he had time to stay to answer some of his questions, like how did he even get in his room? But Sky understood the situation and knew there was no time for such trifling queries. The strange light appeared and enveloped Light's entire body. Sky shielded his eyes; the light was unnaturally bright. The light was extinguished as quickly as it has surfaced and he was left standing...alone with the strange dragon.
It then dawned on him. The poor dragon had been there the whole time, bleeding, bruised and in huge amounts of pain. Sky cupped his hands around his face, hiding his tears. He felt like such an idiot. "Why didn't I just agree quickly and help this dragon! It would have saved the poor thing from so much pain!"
Sky slapped himself across the cheek. This was no time to feel sorry for himself; he had to help this dragon, otherwise it would be in more pain. He sprinted out his bedroom, wiping his tears on his sleeve, and went into the bathroom and opened the cabinet above the sink.
Quickly he scooped up all the first aid equipment, being careful not to damage it or himself; and ran back to his room, stumbling a few times on the way and nearly falling down the stairs.
He then proceeded to carefully flip the dragon over. He marvelled at the dragon's well sculpted body and smooth, glittery scales, he shook his head; trying to rid his mind of distracting thoughts. He then began to unpack all the first aid equipment...
End of Part 3