Chapter 3: A scarlet memory

Ramirez hadn't had time to set up his small tent, but the dragon had offered him cover from the wind and the rain, without any hesitation he accepted.

Putting up a tent in the rain isn't any fun; it just gets dirty and soggy and ruins the fabric.

The fire Na T'hel had started was still aflame even though it was raining; it was miraculous to see it move for some reason, like a majestic creature, like it had its own mind.

Na T'hel had already fallen asleep, and her wounds had healed completely now, and the rain washed away the last bits of blood that was on her scales.

Her wing was right above him, if he didn't know better he could've thought he was under a roof, it was huge. The wingspan was bigger than she was, if it wasn't how could they bear such a huge dragon?

He crawled into the beige tent and felt the night drawing in on him, his vision got blurry and he fell asleep, with little concern of the night.

***

"Ramirez! Come on in, dinners ready!"

The voice was familiar and nice, but distant and stump, of a female, he opened his eyes, and a saw a familiar sight, but long gone.

His birth home, Crimson Vale, Named after its famous red oak in the town square.

He saw a beautiful woman standing outside her house, just by the red oak, she looked familiar. "Mother..?"

He walked towards her, but a bright flash appeared, and when it faded, the entire town was a flame.

He panicked and started running away, just like that day 13 years ago when his hometown burnt to the ground. His friends, his family, everything he cared for, disappeared. Mother, Father, and James.

He heard a roar from the dark skies above, it was the same creature that burnt the town, and yet again everything faded in a bright light.

He heard a noise, it was like a quiet rumble, but he heard a voice behind it, he couldn't quite hear it.

He opened his eyes, it was morning and the sun was just rising over the horizon, the rumble he heard was Na T'hel snoring, but the voice he heard lingered for a while, but then faded.

***

The sun was nearly at its peak; he had been packing up the entire morning and chatting a bit with Na T'hel. She had said that she was just a librarian, keeping books, scrolls and scriptures in her care. She said she wasn't that strong by Dragon standard and actually quite weak, but proud of her position in their society, as writing was a big part of their culture. Ramirez had told her about his home town and his life back then, about his father, who was a revered Dragoon and a man of legends amongst humans. He told her about his life out in the wilderness, his travels and stories from all around the land.

"Must be nice to see so much of the world and at such a young age too. I don't mind being a librarian, but getting out and flying like this, it's magical, it's tranquilizing and I love it."

She raised her head looking at the sky, there were only a handful of clouds, like white cotton dotting a blue wall.

"I love this world, the lands, the oceans, the forests and mountains, the plane grasslands, the skies and the clouds, everything... It feels nice knowing such beauty exists, I wish to see more of it."

She smiled, she felt relaxed and calm and most importantly, she felt free to roam this world.

"Too bad this feeling will be so short lived."

Ramirez looked up at her from the rock he sat on, she sighed.

"You going back home?"

Na T'hel tilted her head slightly, still looking at the sky

"Yes, I am going back home, Dragoons have located me, this wasn't part of the councils plans, I have to go back and report this failure."

Ramirez stood up and looked up at the sky.

"Don't worry, there will probably be no more problems for now, you could get home without a hitch, Godspeed to you, friend."

Na T'hel looked down at him; his silver eyes seemed to glimmer in the sunlight, looking like two dimly lit stars.

"Likewise Ramirez."

She stood up on her legs and with one big swoop she was in the air, the gust she stirred up nearly toppled Ramirez, but he stood firm on the ground.

"Good luck on your journey, Ramirez."

~End of chapter~