Dragon Dreams

Epilogue

Six months later.

A breeze rolled across the verdant meadow in fragrant waves, carrying the sweet aromas of spring in the valley. The grasses tickled my belly scales as I walked with my wings outstretched, soaking up the sun. But my reverie was shattered when I got tackled from behind and was quickly wrestled to the ground. I knew it was Tenaya before her familiar scent filled my nose, and she giggled at my futile attempts to escape.

"You're easy to get when you're lost in thought," she teased, watching my halfhearted struggles until she snorted and released me.

I couldn't stay mad at her after she dipped her head to lick my snout, and I returned the kiss with a burst of joy in my athka. A moment later I was back on my paws, shaking my head to dislodge a tangle of grass from my horns. "You never miss a chance, do you?"

We started walking across the field together, heading nowhere in particular. "Well, Stolvir's up there with Senga and Ferenor, so who else am I supposed to mess with?" She jerked her head up to the clear sky where three silhouettes darted about in playful chaos. Their jubilant spirits touched mine faintly from a distance.

"I was expecting a 'welcome back' at least," I said dryly.

"Oh, well, welcome back!" she smiled innocently. "How was your visit? Your family is doing well?"

A shadow passed over us from one of the dragons above, and I looked up into the sky for a moment. "Yeah, they're good, everything's fine," I said. "They do really miss me though. It's still hard for them to adjust, but they're getting there."

"I know it must be hard." Tenaya's soothing touch on my athka was a welcome presence. "Nyraz must be able to help you with some of these things, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, she has. Speaking of her, how is the egg doing?"

The lilac dragon rolled her eyes. "Same as it was before you left. It probably won't hatch for another month or so." She shook her head and gave me a wry smile. "I think you're more happy about it than me; my apprentice duties are probably going to double once she's taking care of a hatchling."

I snorted. "Admit it, you're excited too. And Nyraz is going to be a great mom. But I also wanted to tell you some other good news. My family is planning to move closer to the valley in the near future. Up in Canada, only an hour or so of flying away from here. They told me they're going to move once Alex is off at college in the fall."

"Oh, that is exciting! But you'll have to explain what college is again," the lilac dragon admitted. "I don't think it makes sense to me at all."

I laughed. "I can try."

"So, you'll be able to visit more often, then?"

"That's the plan," I confirmed. "What's interesting is how much they seem eager to learn about dragons. I think they're trying to be more accepting, and they really want to meet all my friends properly."

Tenaya chuckled. "Really? They want to learn about us? I think that's great!"

A grin split my muzzle. "I just want to see how they deal with all of Stolvir's endless questions," I said, and we both giggled along with each other.

"That's really great, though," Tenaya said. "I look forward to getting to know them too."

A resonant dragon-call drifted out from the direction of the great hall. Tenaya and I turned our heads in unison. "Ah, our leader calls," she said.

We adjusted our path to take us in the direction of the village, and soon an enticing scent of cooking reached us. "You think Eysri has a good feast prepared?"

Tenaya smiled. "I think I'm looking forward to the bonfire even more. Her stories are always the best."

"One thing I'm not looking forward to is the dancing," I sighed.

"Oh, you're going to dance with me all night!"

We shared a laugh. Her tail twined with mine as we walked to join the gathering. The reassuring contact lifted my heart, and our joined athkan breathed with the life that was bursting forth all around us.

I inhaled once more, tasting the savory aromas of the feast that awaited me, and a content smile curved along my muzzle. Good food, terrible dancing, just another night in this strange and wonderful place I now called my home.

I could live with that.

This is the end of the story! I hope you enjoyed reading it. I would love to hear your thoughts and would appreciate all comments. Thank you for reading!