Broken Wings

Homecoming

Just as the sun began to touch the peaks in the ridgeline of the mountains far behind us, the dragon stepped into a clearing and paused. I looked up and glanced around, bleary-eyed and numb from hours of dangling while the dragon stalked through the forest. There was a cliff directly ahead, about a hundred feet from the tree line. It stretched a fair distance to either side and it looked at least fifty feet high. The cliff-face was jagged, with multiple recesses and outcroppings in sight.

Here, the dragon growled. My gut dropped. Its growling had become much easier to understand since it first spoke several hours ago. It had tried to talk to me several times after it destroyed my radio, but until that moment, I'd studiously ignored it.

"What's here?" I asked, responding to it for the first time in hours.

It snorted, surprised. Home.

It stepped forward without further words, walking along the tree line. After just a few minutes, it turned and walked straight toward the cliff. I squinted and spied a cave opening hidden in the shadows of a deep crevice. Even though it was large enough for the dragon to fit into, I would never have noticed it if it wasn't right in front of me. The dragon stalked into the cave, lowering its head to make sure there was plenty of room between my own head and the jagged ceiling.

It was very dark inside, but as my eyes adjusted I made out some dim light coming from up ahead. The air was warm and somewhat stale and carried a thick scent of smoke. Unsurprising, considering what lived here. The light grew brighter, and the dragon rounded one final corner in the passage to arrive in a large chamber. Quickly glancing around, I saw several other passages leading off, a small pool of water, a light coming from the roof, and a bed of embers smoldering in the corner.

The dragon stepped into the room and set me down next to a wall opposite the dying fire. I groaned through clenched teeth when my feet touched the ground, forced to put weight on my legs until I managed to lay down. The dragon settled down in the middle of the chamber while I propped myself up against the wall in a decently comfortable sitting position. I looked straight up, curious as to where the light from above was coming from, and saw a rough, soot-stained hole in the roof illuminated by the fading daylight. It seemed to serve as both a chimney and skylight. Clever.

The dragon stopped me from surveying any more of the chamber when it growled to get my attention. Reluctantly, I looked down and found my gaze captured by the dragon's again. You, it 'said,' Stay away. It finished its command by flicking the tip of its tail toward the bed of coals behind it.

"You want me to keep away from your fire-pit?" I asked to clarify. The dragon grunted a definite affirmative. I was a little confused. "You know, I'm not exactly unfamiliar with fire. I know how to warm up near it without getting burned." The dragon lunged forward without warning, snapping its teeth only a foot away from me!

Stay away! Kill you! It snarled, still baring its teeth!

"OK! I won't go near it!" Too tired to drag my broken ass over there even if I wanted. The dragon relaxed and laid back down as soon as I agreed to do as it said. I watched it for several long moments, trying to make up my mind. Even after the threat, I still didn't think it wanted to kill me. It could have done that without dragging me all the way here. I decided to just ask. "So, what now?" Maybe I could get it to just tell me what it wanted with me.

Questions. It replied.

"What kind of questions?" It growled something lengthy in response, but I didn't understand any of it. "What?"

Not ready. Soon.

"Can't you explain any better than that?"

No.