Dragon Homes

Mr. Effert sighed. Dani's instincts were correct, but it was still impossible.

"Dani, you and the dragon could never reach the Dragonhomes, they are only for mature dragons and their riders."

Dani's eyes stared at every word coming out of Mr. Effert's lips. "Why can't we go there?"

Shaking his head, Mr. Effert started looking through some of his shelves. "You just... they're out of reach." Mahina and the Green Dragon could fly there in a day. To walk there would take weeks, and it would put you, and the Purple Dragon in danger."

Dani shook her head slightly in defiance. "Mr. Effert, I have to protect the dragon-"

"Don't underestimate the Purple Dragon little girl!" Mr. Effert sharply spoke. "It is much more powerful,and dangerous than you realize. Dragons have been taking care of themselves for much longer than little girls have been around." He lowered his tone as he found the map he was looking for and placed it on the table where she could see.

"Look here, this is Lisdon, where we live," his finger pointed to a spot below the center of the map.

Dani's brown eyes thoughtfully followed his finger, and saw the river that flows nearby Lisdon, but the town wasn't marked.

"The Dragonhomes are up in these mountains." His fingers slid straight north towards the top center of the map, where there were a few mountain peaks peeking out amongst a couple large rivers and a huge forest.

Dani blinked and looked at the map in whole.  She had rarely imagined the world much outside of Lisdon, and the enormity of it made her hold her breath.

Mr. Effert was correct.  Dani couldn't get the dragon, much less herself there. She started to lose her composure as the situation seemed hopeless.

Seeing the disappointment, Mr. Effert quickly jumped in, "Dani, you are right in so many ways. The dragon does need your protection. You will eventually need a place like the Dragonhomes, it's just not the time."

Seeking Mr. Effert

Dani went into Mr. Effert's shop as soon as it was appropriate the next day.  He was sitting at a tall table studying some papers, and turned and smiled warmly at Dani.

"Is it ok?" he asked as his lean figure stood up to greet her.

"Oh yes Mr. Effert, thank you for helping me save the dragon from that horrible man." Dani stood still near the door.

"I'm glad I could help." He replied as Dani walked along some short bookcases and traced some circles in the dust.

"I think I need more help Mr. Effert."

Mr. Effert held his breath as he gave Dani some time to consider her words. She wasn't the sobbing mess of a girl that burst through his door yesterday. She was walking with a strength he had not observed before.

"He'll be back." she continued finally. "Probably not right away, but someday, and probably with a better plan."

She stopped and admired a statue for a moment, than turned and looked straight at her friend.  "Where can I hide a dragon Mr. Effert?"

Looking away, he thought about how to answer.

"Where did Mahina hide the green dragon?"

Her question startled him. Where was she going with this? "What are you talking about Dani?"

"You told me Mahina and the green dragon lived in this area, where did they live? I want to take the purple dragon there."

Mr. Effert's eyes betrayed his surprise.  "Oh Dani, it's only close if you and your dragon can fly there.  It would take you weeks to walk there."

"Take me there Mr. Effert.  I need to protect the purple dragon."

Mr. Effert shook his head vigorously. "Dani, it's too far, and you... you..."

"What Mr. Effert?" Dani took a couple steps towards him, and stood tall.

"You... and the dragon... you're too young."

The Dragon is Saved

After Dani got the latch on the wagon freed, and dragon silently slipped out of the cart and flew straight away and out of sight.  Dani gently closed the latch and sneaked a peak at Mr. Effert talking to the stranger driving the cart.

""Oh those are probably Pinus monticola..." Mr. Effert explained to the gentleman as a smile of victory crept over Dani's face, and she quickly slid herself back in between the trees she hid in before. She thought about what a good hiding places like this were when she played with the dragon in the forest."


She heard the Mr. Effert bid the guy farewell, and heard the cart pulling away.  Dani held her breath as the sound drifted off, and the minutes ticked by, making her feel safe for herself, and the dragon.


After waiting a terribly long time she peaked out, and satisfied the cart was out of sight, stepped out in full view, looking for Mr. Effert. He was nowhere to be seen.  He was also probably hiding himself in case this dragon thief showed himself again.


She reflected on her grief earlier in the day, when it was clear the dragon was gone. Mr. Effert didn't act surprised at all when she told him about the dragon, and went straight to work to help her devise a plan to save it. He never questioned her about the dragon at all.


It was fortunate he saw the cart leaving town through the woods. She had played in the forest so much, she where to find the quickest path through the forest so they could get a ahead of the cart.  Mr Effert took a very serious disposition as they developed their plan to get the wagon out of the cart.


But now where was he?  Dani didn't want to call out his name, in case the thief came back, so she decided to slip back to town. She would visit his shop tomorrow, after she met with the dragon.

Getting out of town

Vincent couldn't stop smiling!

With the dragon in the wagon, he made a brief stop in town to pick up some supplies and he started heading out of town.  The dragon strangely quieted down after the first few minutes in the wagon.  Vincent peeked a couple times into the cart just to be sure it was still in there.

It was late in the morning when he was finally heading out of town.  He worried that the little girl would see him as he was heading out of town, but what could she do anyway?  The road out of town was not great for carts, and the going was slow.  The road twisted through the forest west along a river.  He saw no other travelers on the road, it was just him, the horse, the dragon, and the open road.

Until a tall lean figure approached from out of the trees and hailed him to stop.

Vincent tried just waving him off, giving a look of being in a hurry, but the man was determined to stop him.

"Hello, am in need of help."  said the stranger.

"Excuse me," Vincent said with a smile, "I really have no time to chat".

"Oh it will only take a minute." the stranger replied as he put himself in a position of harm if Vincent didn't stop the cart. Vincent thought about running him over, but thought better of it.

"What can I do for you?" Vincent asked as he had the horse stop.


"I'm a herbalist, and I'm looking for some Nemophilia and Torenia. I got a women in town who as a condition of Haemochromatosis and if I don't find some of those petals and grind them into a-"


"Uh, what did you say you were looking for?" Vincent interrupted him.


"Nemophilia and Torenia. You couldn't miss them! You see, once I grind the petals, I'll mix it in some sap from a Pine tree. Like one of those," he pointed as some trees off the road ahead some way, "and I mixe it up as best I can-"


"What are those?" Vincent interrupted again, getting a little annoyed.


The tall figure stood on his tip toes to look at the trees he gestured to, "Oh those are probably Pinus monticola , they are fairly common in this area on the west side of town. It's funny you don't see-"


No, I don't mean those." Vincent clearly showing his irritation. "What is it that you are looking for, the Nee-mo-fish-a and the torrent things you mentioned before."


"Nemophilia and Torenia are these lovely black flowers that grow along the river-"


"I haven't been near the river since leaving town, and I haven't seen any black flowers." Vincent said quickly, and urged his horse to begin moving, forcing the man to step aside.  "Good day to you."


The lean figure of a man stepped back and smiled politely, "Thank you for your time, sorry to hold you up."


Vincent didn't look back as he tried to speed up his pace.  The encounter made him wary of the few other people he saw that day, and he steer wide and clear of anyone else that look like they might approach him.


The dragon stayed quiet the whole day, and before they entered the next town that evening, Vincent stopped to take a peek into the cart.  It was getting dark, and the shadows were still inside the cart.


"Where are you?"  He asked the dragon as his eyes darted around, trying to make sense of the shapes and shadows.  There was no answer.


Getting concerned, to stuck a thin stick into the cart to poke the dragon, make sure it was alive, and could move.  Nothing moved.


Vincent panicked, and threw the back door open in astonishment.  The dragon had escaped!

Missing!

Dani was leaving the meadow and heading straight to the forest with a terrible ache in her heart.

The dragon failed to show up as it usually might while she played in the meadow.  She deliberately stayed away from the forest, afraid that the strange man would be there again asking for her dragon.  She wished she looked harder for where the dragon stayed at night, because if the dragon didn't find her in the forest, she feared the worst.

Might that terrible man try to take, or hurt the dragon?

What she got to the usual spot in the forest, she sat down on a log to catch her breath and wait.  The minutes took forever to pass as she looked in the seemingly empty sky, searching for her friend.

Her stomach knotted up as she became aware that the dragon was not coming today.  That man must have taken it, there didn't seem to be any other option.  Tears welled up in Dani's dark eyes as she took one last look to the sky, than ran back to town.

There was only one thing she could think to do.  She ran straight into Mr. Effert's shop and burst into tears when he turned to greet her.  She collapsed to her knees in exhaustion and tried to hold back the sobs.

"Help me... he's taken... the dragon." Dani managed to utter out.

Capture!

Vincent felt like he was on top of the world.  His plan was flawless.  Never in his wildest dreams did he believe he would have a dragon!  Now here is one within his grasp.

The dragon went into the old mill for the night and Vincent laid his trap.  He put the cart up to the only opening big enough for the dragon, the main door.  The door wide open, Vincent expected the dragon to just fly right into the cart when it woke early in the morning.  Vincent laid his blanket on top of the cart, ready to slam it shut.

Vincent didn't sleep all night.  He tensed up at every noise that came out of the house.  When it was quiet, he turned on his back and dreamed about climbing on the back of this beautiful dragon and flying amongst the stars above him.  He thought about all the things he could have with a dragon on his call, the power, the money... and how people would respect him, and fear him.  This was going to be the beginning of it all.

Early that morning, Vincent felt the cart below him move.  He jumped up, and slammed the door shut.  He felt the anxious dragon start to claw and scratch at the door and walls inside the cart, and growl in anger.

Vincent smiled as he held and latched the cart door shut.  The dragon was his.

Planning the Capture

Vincent called out to the girl walking quickly away from him.  "Why are you walking away?  I'll get you whatever you want little lady!  What would you like for the dragon?  I can get you clothes, money, toys... whatever you want!"

She stopped for a moment, considering his words.  Than she turned around and looked at Vincent again with those penetrating dark eyes.  Eyes that were used to showing joy were trying to hide the fury behind them.

She took a deep breath, and said in a very controlled manner, "He's not "my dragon", he's his own.  I don't want what you offer, I only want us to be left alone.  Now please go away."

Vincent sighed as is was clear she was not going to be any help.  Getting this dragon without her help was going to be very difficult.  Fortunately he had already formulated a plan.

She turned and walked away, leaving Vincent amongst the tress by himself.  He looked around and didn't see any signs of the dragon, and considered chasing the girl down.  Remembering the scratches he received last time he did that changed his mind.

Vincent knew where the dragon spent it's nights.  He saw it come and go from an old abandoned mill up the river a ways.  He came across it as he was heading out of town, and happened to see the dragon return with some fish it was clearly planning to eat.

Back in Lisdon he acquired a horse and a small cart that had an enclosed box that sealed tight and strong and opened in the back and slowly headed up towards the abandoned Mill.

An Offer

Dani never did get used to waking up alone.

Every time she woke up, she unconsciously reached to feel for the dragon, but it wasn't there.

She did enjoy meeting up with the dragon later.  She had been at this routine for so long now that her parents questioned her less about her daily disappearance.  She spent more and more time with the ever growing dragon (who was the size of a large dog now) making up and playing games.  They played every day now like this, unless Dani couldn't get away from her mother.

She did all the talking of course, but the dragon was intelligent in it's own way... and she was able to understand it's many moods and intentions as they spent more and more time together.

Mr. Effert continued to interrupt from time to time, but Dani was never certain if he knew there was a dragon or not.  Occasionally the dragon would mysteriously fly away when they were in the woods, and not come back.  Dani decided after this continued to happen, that hunters or trappers were in the area, and the dragon clearly did not want to be seen by other people.  She realized of course that she may be the only person the dragon has ever been with, with the exception of that animal thief the dragon revealed to her.

Dani explored a little bit, trying to figure out where the dragon was spending it's nights.  She wanted to be sure  it was safe.  But whenever she asked the dragon, it just gave her a blank look, and she could never find the dragon's home.

One cloudy day Dani and the dragon were playing a spy and stalk game where Dani would pick an animal to look for, and she and the dragon would work together to find it, and try to watch it without being seen.  They had just found a crow they were looking for, when suddenly the crow flew away, quickly followed by the dragon.

Dani sighed, and put on her innocent smile, assuming the footfalls she heard coming towards here Mr. Effert.  However, instead of the familiar lean figure of Mr. Effert came through the trees, it was a shorter, medium build man walking towards her.  She froze as her full dark lips lost their smile, and she braced herself for this encounter.

The unfamiliar man stepped forward and in a very casual way greeted her.  "Hello little lady!"

She didn't answer at first, but regarded him closely.  He wore dark clothes of green and brown that were slightly dirty, and worn.  His face wasn't the cleanest, but he gave the look of intelligence and humor.  His eyes were as quick as his words, and it was clear it was no accident he was here.

After a moment of her not saying anything, he paced around a few trees looking up and around.  "I know you have a dragon around here... I would be interested in acquiring it."

Dani's dark eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Oh hey, I'll give you a fair price little lady... dragon's are dangerous creatures you know."

Vincent

It wasn't the fines Vincent had to pay that bothered him.

Nor was it the time he was locked up in Lisdon's 'jail'.  He got caught fair and square by these simple folk, and the penalty for stealing people's pets wasn't very severe.  He was let go after only a couple days.

The snickering however... that is what got to him.

They all heard about how a creature attacked him, and no one believed him when he said it was a dragon.

Vincent knew it was a dragon.

He heard the snickering under people's breath while he was preparing to leave town. 

He also knew he couldn't do any business here in Lisdon, and had to move on.  People walked by, and averted their eyes.  Some just plain rolled their eyes.  Some just looked at him, square in the eye with disbelief.

Vincent knew it was a dragon.  When they captured him, he couldn't get the vicious little beast out of his head, and so he told everyone about it.  That was a mistake.

The more joking and laughter he heard, the more he wanted to prove them wrong.

As he was walking out of town the next day, he started walking through the woods, hoping to catch a little game.  Prison food wasn't satisfying, and efforts to get food otherwise lead to more snickering.

He was following a small game path, where he heard some gentle talk and noise.  Curious, he walked towards the gentle noises, when a familiar purple flashed in a distant clearing between some trees.

Vincent stopped and stared.  The noises were coming from the movement he saw.

He took a few more gentle steps, and then froze when the picture became clear.

It was the dragon that attacked him, sitting on a log!

Vincent took another step to improve his angle, when suddenly the dragon jumped up and flew away, revealing a darked skin girl on the log, who seemed a bit saddened to see the dragon leave.

Not moving another muscle, Vincent waited for the dragon to come back.  Watching the girl, it appeared she waited too.  After a few minutes, she stood up, and walked back towards town.

After watching her leave, Vincent sat right down on the ground he was standing on.  He was right.  A dragon did attack him!

Now he wanted the dragon for himself!

A Dragon Grows Up

It didn't take long for life to return to normal in Lisdon.  After the first day, few people said anything to Dani about the pets.   She overheard a couple of people joking about the guy talking about the dragon, but nothing else was said about it.

She worried most about Mr. Effert, as his gazes towards her were becoming more persistent and penetrating.  She didn't feel like she was in danger from him, it was more like he saw through her, and knew more than he let on.  Avoiding him wasn't easy, as he seemed to be out nearly every time she was.

The dragon continued to be on her bed every morning when she woke up, but it was growing.  She was pretty sure it wasn't going to fit through the window pretty soon, and was worried that the claw marks it was making on the window were going to be noticed soon by her mom or dad.  She also wondered what would happen to the dragon after it couldn't come to her bed.  It was strange to think this way, but she was really feeling like the dragon was her best friend.  If she didn't see it anymore, it would make her terribly sad.

Their morning and afternoon playtimes continued nearly everyday.  Sometimes Dani couldn't get away from her mother, or the dragon didn't show up, but their friendship continued to grow.  A smile started to flash on Dani's face when the dragon would suddenly fly away, usually a precursor to Mr. Effert coming along looking for such and such a herb, or mineral.  She would greet him kindly, and it seem that the conversation would always turn to dragons.  He might tell her another story about the hero Mahina and the green dragon, or talk, in a nonchalant way, about ways dragons would sleep, or what sort of treasures dragon's like to keep.  Dani was certain Mr. Effert knew something, but he never did let on.

And of course the morning came when the dragon was not there in Dani's bed.

Dani worried all morning if the dragon find her in the woods later.  As she got to her usual spot, the dragon found her as normal.  She breathed a heavy sigh and gave her friend a huge hug.  They sat like that for a couple moments, when the dragon suddenly pulled away, jumped, and flew up and over the trees.  Dani flashed her innocent smile, expecting Mr. Effert to come stomping through the trees, but he never came.  She sat on the rock for a while, happy that the dragon showed up at all.  Yet, something was different too.  She waited to see if it might come back, wondering why it flew away.

When it was clear the dragon was gone for good that day, she walked home.