Draconic Tales - Chapter 6

I woke up the next day and sat up on my bed. I started my morning routine like usual skipping the shower because I had one the night before and I walked into the kitchen when I was done. My mother had her back turned and was cooking something for breakfast. I really just wanted some cereal so I went into the pantry and grabbed the closest box of breakfast cereal. I poured my cereal into a bowl and filled it with milk from the fridge. I had finished preparing my meal and sat down to eat it but felt uncomfortable as I did. I shifted my position many times until I found a decent one. As soon as I started eating my mom turned around, “Good morning.”

“Mornin’ mom,” I replied sleepily. I continued eating but noticed my mom staring, and I slowed a bit. “Something wrong?” I looked at her and she didn't respond. Then I felt something behind me and I turned around and looked. I had completely forgotten about my tail. I wanted to slap myself so hard at that point. I put my head between my hands and rested my elbows on the counter. I groaned in frustration and my tail swayed back and forth slowly. My mom just stood there in shock with a gaping mouth. I pushed away my bowl as I figured that there will be a ton of explaining to do. Soon my mom sat down trying to calm herself.

I quickly decided I needed to cover the whole truth and twist what I can. “Well while I was taking my little nature hike I found something on the ground and when I went to pick it up is just disappeared under my skin!” I knew my mother would have my hide if she found out I was lying but there was no avoiding this. “I was the weirdest feeling but I still had work to do so I kept on going,” I wasn’t worried about her finding out now but I still had to sound the part.

My mom was nodding silently every so often while warily keeping an eye on the foreign appendage growing from my backside. My tail was twitching side to side nervously, “Then last night wasn’t pleasant I can tell you that.”

As I finished my mother opened her mouth to say something but decided against it and closed her mouth turning her head. She suddenly turned and hugged me tightly including my tail sobbing, “I’m just worried about you.”

“I’m okay mom, really it’s nothing.”

“I hope you are right,” she released her grip on me. She stared silently at the eggs I saw she had on a griddle. When the eggs began to burn she just stood there.

“Mom, the eggs,” she jerked back to reality from whatever fantasy had taken over and she quickly shut of the gas and then she put about two eggs on a dish and laid it out on the table.

“Steven, get your breakfast!” my younger brother who had apparently arrived late last night from a trip, came running down the stairs. My brother is a short, scrawny, blonde kid about eleven years old. I don’t really like to mention my brother, he’s a pain in the butt that I try not to think about. My brother has ADHD which is absolutely wonderful.

The moment he landed on the first floor he stared at me and then put a big goofy grin on his face. “Cool!” he shouted with his eyes wide.  “It’s Halloween already?!” My mother and I chuckled a bit lightening the mood in the room. That is, until my brother decides he is going to touch my tail.

My brother ran up behind me and picked up my tail. It twitched of its own accord and my brother jumped back dropping it. “Woah that thing is real?!” I just nodded silently, a little embarrassed. My brother fired off question after question about how I got it, if he was getting one, and so on. I just finished my cereal and ignored him because I’d rather not get annoyed right now. I just put my bowl in the dish washer and walked off to my room my tail swaying lazily behind me. The silver scales on it reflected light onto the walls and ceiling and the patterns swirled as my tail moved back and forth.  When I closed the door my arms began to itch so I scratched at them idly. I disregarded it knowing that I itch at the most random times.

My whole body became uncomfortable in a matter of seconds so, grunting I fell stiffly onto my bed. I landed face first into a pile of bunched up bed sheets that I didn’t bother to straighten out. When I tried to get up I found I couldn’t, as if some invisible restraints were placed over me. I struggled relentlessly but to no avail. My muscles began to tire and my hope of escaping was diminishing by the second. Soon I was spent and just laid on my bed waiting for something to happen.

Then, something did.

You are bold to reveal yourself so soon. I expected you to hide a little longer, but no matter, my plan is becoming a reality. You just don’t know it yet.

The voice faded away with an echo but I was curious and a bit confused.  My jaw was still moving freely so I decided to ask a question even though my voice would be muffled by the bed sheets, “You wouldn’t mind explaining, would you?”

Ah, but where would the fun be in that my dear boy? Explaining myself ruins my game.

The voice became dark and menacing before it faded out once again. I was beginning to get worried as to what this ‘voice’ wanted of me. I could only hope that he couldn’t torture me and if he could that he wouldn’t. I still couldn’t move because of the restraints that are seemingly holding me down. I tested it every few seconds to make sure that I was still immobile. I decided I would respond in thought this time.

‘Well get to the point and tell me, what is it you want?’

Oh that, I only want you. I want you to be my slave and work for me because of your ‘gift’ shall I say. You would be a fine warrior among my ranks. In addition to that I could give you all the power you’ve ever wanted and more. All you have to do is just agree to work for me.

‘You think I would just give you that answer right away? I think I won’t be doing it because of the terms of this little deal of yours.’

I still had my face in the bed spread making it more difficult to breathe than normal. I started to feel drowsy but at the same time I felt energy still in my body so I figured that whoever it was I was talking to was putting me into an unnatural sleep. My eyes drooped lower and lower until they shut and my thoughts became muddled but then were forcibly brought back into focus.

Like a vivid dream, I was in some sort of dark dimension within my own mind. All around me was total darkness but I could feel myself lying on the ground. I couldn’t see a thing, not even my own hand in front of my face. Panic began to set in, I was confused. My heart was racing, pounding against my ribs. I could hear the blood pumping through my ears. Glowing red eyes opened off in the blackness, they didn’t have pupils or even slits, and it was a solid glowing red color. I got to my feet and backed away from these dismembered eyes as they floated towards me in the darkness. I backed up into something solid and I turned around. There were the eyes, mere feet from my face! I took off in the other direction as fast as I could go but every time I looked back the eyes only got closer. I ran as fast as possible trying in vain to escape from this creature following me. No matter how hard I tried, all my attempts to escape were futile. I gave up and waited to see what was going on, my heart was still pounding in my chest and I could feel it in the tips of my fingers. Soon the eyes were inches from my own face before they blinked and the owner of the eyes began to appear right in front of me. As the body came into existence I saw something I guess I should have expected, there was a large quadrupedal, black dragon standing before me with its head ducked to my level.

The large dragon opened its maw to speak to me, “I can smell your fear boy” I could tell by the tone of the voice that this dragon was male. I knew that he could at least sense it because I was afraid of this vision because I could feel so torture would be unwelcome especially. I stayed silent so the dragon continued, “My, where is my manners? My name is Korugean and you best not forget it because you’ll only be hearing it once.” I just nodded acknowledging what Korugean said. “So, Jake, correct?” I nodded, “Shall we begin? I have some information you might like to hear.”

Immediately I was interested to hear what this dragon had to say even though I still remained cautious and kept my mouth shut. “Why don’t you speak boy? Eh, it doesn’t matter I will continue regardless.” His deep rumbling tone almost rattling my bones making me feel on edge. “Where should we start, hmmm, I know we will begin with where you got that…” he lifts a large claw about as thick as half the diameter of my head and taps my necklace with the claw on it. “That is my property, obviously I can’t get it back inside this dream world but I will have it returned to me,” Korugean growled to emphasize his point. “I will tell you more when we truly meet but I have to keep this short, I have a planet to take over. Anyway what I wanted to say is that you, my little human scum, will be mine one way or another. No one ever turns me down and you will not be the first.” I began to sense unease well up inside me. I knew this dragon was out of his mind but I had a feeling that his heart wasn’t the purest thing in the world. In fact probably the blackest things I’ve ever seen.

I gathered my courage and spoke, “I refuse to give myself up and I will never be yours.”

Korugean launched himself at me grabbing me around the neck growling, “Why you little…”

The dream dissipated and I was left curled up on my bed in a cold sweat. My heart was still racing and I stood up quickly but I still hadn’t gotten my ‘sea legs’ back so when I stood my legs wobbled and I fell to the floor with a muffled thump. I stood back up quickly and ran into my bathroom with my tail dragging behind. I stared into the mirror and didn’t see anything but when I turned around and lifted my shirt I saw a new development in the transformation. My entire back was covered in gleaming silver scales and when I ran my fingers over them they felt warm and I could feel through the scales on my back. I concluded that my scales had nerves in them. This was definitely not what I expected.