The sun shone brightly upon the small town, little clouds lazily inching their way across the sky. The people below went about their daily business, working and learning, enjoying their lives. Why wouldn't they? The day was beautiful, as most days were during the tail end of summer. The children were making the most of the free days they had left, and parents were anticipating the beginning of the new school year. Altogether, there was a very calm atmosphere in the town, making it a very comfortable place to live.

Yet, somewhere within the buildings and people, a young teenage girl was about to make a dire mistake. Moving through the streets, catching snippets of several different conversations as she passed several people, thirteen year-old Grace could not believe how bored she was. The sun was shining, the world around her vast and open for exploration, and yet she couldn't think of anything to do. Sure, there were chores around the house and her father's small farm to be done, but after participating in the same routines for so long, she had found the need to break away and partake in something new. But what? There wasn't much to do for a young girl like her, at least not without someone to join her.

Sighing, her hazel eyes darted from building to building, door to door of each business, and person to person. Nothing caught her interest, as was probably best since she had no money. At the realization that she wouldn't be able to do or buy anything, Grace was about to turn around and head for somewhere else when something did catch her eye. Turning her head, she spotted a small shop, door open to keep a breeze going inside and welcome potential customers. Grace had never noticed it before, meaning it was something new. Figuring it was better than aimlessly wandering the streets, she headed inside. Once in the shop, Grace found it to hold several trinkets, mostly rocks and gems. There was a musky scent in the air, and specks of dust lingering on the shelves. Whoever worked there was nowhere in sight.

The more she looked around, the more she realized how uninterested she was in what was offered. After a few minutes, she was about to leave when something caught her eye once again. Sitting on the main counter, at just the right angle for a gleaming ray of sunlight to hit it, was a peculiar object. At the distance she stood, it appeared to be a stone. But, maybe it was something else? Without another thought, she walked up to the counter, the floorboards creaking in protest beneath her worn sneakers. Upon getting closer, Grace leaned over the counter to look over the register, trying to get a better view of the object.

It looked like a gem. A very large, round, oval-shaped, beautiful gem that seemed to glow in the sunlight. She had never seen anything like it, and couldn't even attempt to guess what kind it was. The shades of black and gray flowed so perfectly, accented by a hint of white. Grace was mesmerized, almost in a trance. It was just sitting there, on the counter, with a cloth beneath it. Would it be so bad to just...take it? It was left out right there in the open, surely it would not be missed.

Glimpsing up, she saw that there was no employee in sight, and began to wonder if there was even anyone there. This was her chance. Turning her attention back on the gem, she reached for it and quickly snatched it in both hands, taking the cloth with it and covering it up. Before she could be caught, she swiftly walked out of the shop with the gem tucked tight against her chest, hoping no one had seen her. The streets were barren of any pedestrians, with only a couple cars zooming by. No one was there to see her.

Maybe she should have thought it over, considered the consequences for stealing something of such obvious worth. Yet, would it really be missed? If someone had wanted it, he or she should have kept a better eye on it, instead of just leaving it where anyone could see it. At least, that was the excuse she used to rationalize her actions. Nonetheless, what was done was done. Within half an hour, she was walking onto her family's property and into her house, which was empty, her father out tending to something on the farm, likely the animals. It was just her and him there, so his absence meant the house was hers for the time being. Everything seemed to be falling in her favor. Perhaps she was meant to have the gem! She smiled at the thought, quickly vanishing into her bedroom. There, she placed it on her bed, uncovering it before gently running a fingertip over the smooth surface.

It glimmered in her eyes, making her question what sort of mineral it was. It didn't appear to be the right shade to be an onyx, or any other gem that was generally dark colored. And it felt like it was hallow, or maybe that was her imagination. Perhaps it was something newly discovered? Well, maybe she could look it up on the internet later. For the time being, she sat on the bed and placed it in her lap. She again ran her hands over it, not feeling a single crack or flaw in the surface. It was then that she finally noticed the faint heat that radiated from it. Well, that was strange. Puzzled, she took her hands off it. The longer she had the gem, the more it confused her. Then again, that just made it more interesting. After several minutes passed, she carried it to her dresser. The top of it was littered with only small things, leaving plenty of room for the gem. There she placed it, then stood back and again admired how beautiful it was. A few minutes passed before Grace looked away. If her father questioned where she had gotten it, she'd just say it was something she had found while exploring the woods. She had found things before, rocks and forgotten possessions, so it wasn't too farfetch'd.

She smiled to herself, and for the rest of the day lingered in her room, wondering about that peculiar gem. She even missed dinner, much to her father's confusion.

When night came, she thought it would be best to cover it up, which she did with the cloth she had carried it home in. Giving it one last look, Grace left it and climbed into her bed. With all the day's excitement still buzzing around in her head, she didn't think she'd be able to sleep. Yet, eventually, she dozed off.

"Always liked the sun." The lonely shopkeeper muttered to himself as he opened his store. Wandering around inside the room of mystery and all sorts of trinkets, he made his way to the backdoor. He didn't expect anyone to arrive at the early hours, he used that as an opportunity to get some fresh air in the shop. He opened the back door as the rays from the sun met him. He smiled.

Outside stood an older man. He wasn't very tall, not compared to the shopkeeper at least. He had a small white beard which was really the most notable thing about him. The old man's eyes scanned the shopkeeper as they had done for many years. At first they didn't say any words to each other. They usually didn't to start off with. They had a deeper understanding of eachother, a sort of connection.
"Is it safe?" the older man asked. The shopkeeper simply nodded and replied "As always. We've kept it safe for centuries, it will stay safe." the two men nodded as the shopkeeper reminded them of the purpose of the egg.

"Dark magic dwells within, my friend. It could destroy us all. Nothing good can come out of it. Nothing." The old man said and left the conversation silent. He tapped his foot before he continued "Or so the legend says." they both let out a grin. It had been kept safe for so long they were starting to doubt their purpose. But then again, centuries ago their family had been chosen to keep the dragon egg safe. Mostly because of their magical ability to keep the hatching away. And they had done exactly that. "Nonetheless, I just wanted to check up on you." the shopkeeper nodded as he went inside the shop, leaving his father outside.

As he went inside he thought his world froze, perhaps it did. Something was different. Very different. His eyes glanced around in the shop until he realized it. It was gone. What his family had protected for so many years was gone in a matter of minutes. "No... No no no." he kept muttering to himself as he searched everything through. He had to make sure he had not just forgotten it somewhere. But why should he have? He never did. He rushed out in the street and looked all around.
But everything was as it used to be. Everyone was doing their usual thing. Except for him. He was in panic. He shouted and cursed and ended up sitting on the ground, staring into nothing.
"We're doomed. Doomed..."

The egg had not moved since being moved. But the creature inside was slowly becoming full of life. Dragon eggs had always had a certain effect on humans. Those who couldn't resist would usually be drawn to their beauty. But some were able to control the hunger for admiring the egg. Those wielding magic. Long lost enemy of the dragons. Of course it wasn't all dragons who were these reckless creatures, as many was led to believe. Some had been peaceful. But others weren't. Sadly, this egg was one of them. Naturally evil. Hungry for death. Chaotic, monstrous, corruptive, sinister, hellish. Some were the words used to describe the race. Evil at heart, truly.

The egg was growing restless, for so long it had been kept away from hatching. Finally it was time to break free. Becoming warmer and warmer, the egg started to release a certain light. For a time it would seem the heat became too much to bare, but then it disappeared. And the egg began to hatch. First a little crack, then another. With a little headbutt the little head poked out of the egg. A little and silent sound was released from the hatched creature. It fought it's way out of the egg. However, the little creature already found it's first challenge ahead of it. It was a long way down for a little creature. The creature let out a whelp to call for help, however, no one came.

The creature looked around in the room. It began wagging it's tail and attempted another call for help. It attempted to find a way to climb down. Using different tables around the room and anything else it could use, it finally made it down. It's wings were of no use at this time, it even had a hard time moving around. When the little dragon had made it's way to the floor, it was overwhelmed by all the things to sniff. Too many things for it to concentrate, it was acting like a little puppy. And then something caught it's eye. Another creature! The little dragon almost cheered out of joy, it had to be it's mommy! Excited it ran across the floor, and heroically climbed the bed (after many failed attempts). For a few seconds it sniffed the other creature. Deciding it was safe, the dragon cuddled itself to sleep on top of the sheets, in the other end of the bed, and quickly doze off.

Grace, unaware of the "gem" hatching, was sound asleep. She was a deep sleeper; none of the sounds woke her up, nor did the little creature climbing up onto her bed. In unconscious response, she pulled her covers a little closer to her body, and nuzzled her head against her pillow. She mumbled something incoherently, but still did not wake. She dreamed of hazy lights and small squeaks, with no clear picture to stay focused on. There came the sound of water, and a sudden, bright flash of light that startled her so much that she jolted awake. She sat straight up, heart pounding from the quick awakening.

Rain tapped at the window, and lightening momentarily lit up the entire room. Her curtains billowed in the breeze, signaling that the window had been left open a crack with no screen to filter out the falling water. The fresh, earthy smell of rain filled the room. A loud boom of thunder followed, making Grace cringe and tug her blankets up to her chin. Along the way, she felt them resist, as though something was holding them down at the other end of her bed. Confused, the teen peeked over the edge of the told blanket, glancing at the foot of the bed. At first, she saw nothing. Then, a lightening strike once again lit up the area, revealing the reptilian animal.

Grace jumped, letting out a confused sound. "Wha-What the?!"

The small black reptilian animal remained in it's sleep. Not the rain nor the thunder could awaken such an animal, they were known to sleep through most things. The bright light revealed the dark scale on the animal. But something made it wake up. The reptile looked up at the girl, stretching it's little body. It sat down and observed her, slightly wagging it's tail from left to right, right to left. It looked around the room again, before deciding to explore again. It started to make it's way closer to the her, and it started to sniff her. The black eyes looked up at the girl, looking like an innocent animal, at this time.

The shopkeeper was devastated. It was thundering. He had been staring into the distance for hours. He had looked everywhere for the egg. But it was gone, gone with the wind. He slammed his head onto the table, cursing out gibberish. Anger was starting to overtake him, and his hand was glowing red. A dark spot was left on the table when he raised his hand again. "They'll kill me. Bury me alive, burn me, or maybe just kill me off if I'm lucky." he muttered to himself. A friend had been keeping him company the latest hours, a friend by the name of whiskey. The bottle was almost empty as the shopkeeper took another swig.
"I'll find you. Find you and make a nice omelet out of you, dragon."

Grace's heart thumped, racing so fast that it was almost painful. At first, she thought she was still dreaming, caught in the world between waking and sleeping. Hallucinating, really. There came another strike of lightening, once again lighting up the whole room for a second at most. The thing was still there. And now it was awake. She moved up a little, trying to get away from it before she decided to tumble out of the bed and scramble to the light switch. The flood of light nearly blinded her, but she was too busy and frightened to really care.

She whipped her head around at the bed, hoping that the animal was gone. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't. But she was able to get a better look at it. Scaly, black, fairly tiny. Were those little wings on its back? She blinked, trying to recall all the reptile species that lived around their farm, yet came up with nothing. She glanced at the dresser, remembering the gem from earlier, and saw that it was gone. Her eyes widened, gaze trailing down to see the remains of what looked like an egg shell.

She was too tired to put all the pieces together. Instead, she slowly moved to the bed, fuzzy vision clearing just in time for her to see how innocent the creature looked. It was just...looking at her, wagging its tail like a regular puppy. At that sight, she relaxed a little, letting it sniff her. With a surge of curiosity, Grace gently offered it her hand, palm up. "Hey...Little guy," she softly said, trying to keep her voice from shaking too much.

The creature remained calm as the girl approached. The little reptile put it's two paws on her palm, as it sniffed it. It whined slightly when it found out that she didn't offer it any food. It looked up at her with a reptilian version of puppy eyes. But in the same moment a small bug had flown into the room, surely attracted by the light. The bug flew to the other end of the bed and explored the surroundings. It caught the dangerous attention of the animal. It moved from the girl's hands and ran to the bug. The little creature stumbled along the way a couple of times. When it made it's way to the bug it stopped and looked at it.

The dragon let out a light growl and attempted to do something it appeared. After a few moments the chest area of the dragon became more dark and let out a light. The dragon opened it's mouth and out came a small breath of hell. A darkish fire attacked the poor bug and tormented it before finishing it off. The small dragon became very excited and attempted to find the dead fried bug, not having any idea that the tiny flame might have hit something it wasn't supposed to.

Grace watched in near horror as the bug was roasted and fell to the floor. She saw it land near her dresser, but was a little too concerned with another pressing matter to help the little creature find it. The small flame it had let out had not only hit the bug, but also the foot of her bed. The top comforter, which was old and worn, caught a small spark and began to smoke. She grit her teeth and felt her heart leap, before actually thinking of doing anything about it. She finally leaped into action, grabbing her pillow and hitting it against the burning spot on the blanket. If she didn't hurry, the smoke would set off the alarm. And the alarm would wake up her dad. And her dad would no doubt rush in to find out what was going on, and would find the...Dragon?

She didn't want to think past that. She didn't really want to think at all. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the smoke to fade and the spot to stop burning. The blanket now had a decently sized hole in it, but it was better than the incident creating a huge commotion. Grace sighed and dropped her pillow, then let herself sit back down on the bed. Maybe this was all just a dream...

She'd wake up soon. She was sure of it.

The dragon kept wagging it's tail in excitement. However, it became quite surprised when the girl started hitting the flame with her pillow. It stumbled backwards on the bed, falling down on it's back. Another small roar could just be heard from the small creature. Almost insulted it stood up again, looking around for the dead bug.

With a light jump, he had made his way down to the floor, running around like a little playful puppy. When the bug was finally in sight, the dragon crawled slowly towards it. It jumped right in front of the bug and examined it. Careful, the small creature lowered itself and sniffed the bug. The tail began wagging again as the small bug was quickly eaten by the reptile.

Satisfied, he stumbled back to the bed. After a few failed attempts, the creature was able to crawl his way back up. With silent steps it walked towards Grace. Tired, it yawned and decided to lay down in front of Grace, on the bed sheets. The animal had a certain aura around it. An aura that gave a feeling of uncertainty, curiosity and fear. The strange creature had become calm again, and was out like a baby. There it lay tired, completely vulnerable for anything.

"Hey, don't complain. I can't let the house burn down."

Grace couldn't help but smile as she watched the little reptile stalk its probably-already-dead prey. She let out a small laugh as it finally got its snack, and laughed a little more at its failed attempts to get back onto the bed. It was almost like any other baby animal - behavior wise anyway - and it certainly struck and warmed her heart. She watched as he climbed over to her and promptly fell asleep. She smiled again, reached over, and gently covered it with the edge of the top cover. After tucked him in a little, she scooted down, got settled, then turned the light off.

At that point, she was so tired, she didn't care if it was a dream or not. Perhaps it wasn't a dream. Deep down, she wanted it to be real, or at least not some kind of hallucination from over-exhaustion. If anything, she was surprised by how unafraid she was. That reptile could spit out more fire and do some real damage, she was sure, but she was also put off guard by his vulnerability and cuteness.

Damn, what a risk. And just what kind of shop had she walked into?

'Questions later...Time for sleep,' she thought as she drifted off to dreamland. It would be morning in just a few short hours, and dawn was creeping upon them. Her father would be getting up soon enough to start his regular chores around the farm. Hopefully, he wouldn't peek in on her.

The baby reptile snuggled around in it’s sleep, making various light-voiced snores and whatnot. It slept easily, not being disturbed by anything now. It had gotten it’s first snack, after all. For whatever proud it could be, it was. Satisfied, indeed.

After a few hours, the sun finally shone again. The rays of sun gleaming through the window, and into the room. The tiny eyelids lifted off the small round eyes. Dragons were known for waking up as soon the sun woke. Or well, to the people actually knowing about their existence. They had not been present for decades, and those that were so long ago, had been hunted down and killed.
The little baby dragon crawled out under the cover, tongue sticking out. It gazed around the room, before climbing on to the girl’s bedsheets. A little sound escaped the creature, in an attempt to wake her up. The sound reminded of a baby-dinosaur trying to sound as mighty as possible.

He started jumping around on her, like a little puppy wannabe. The dragon crawled over to her face, sitting down with a thud. The small head tilted, and the tail started wagging again.

Outside the farm was waking up too. Animals starting to sing their morning songs, as it sounded like Grace’s father had not given her a visit, but gone straight on with his work.

At first, Grace was tempted to roll onto her other side and completely ignore the bouncing, noisy creature beside her. She squeezed her eyes a little tighter against the ray of sunshine that could now flow right in her face. She groaned in annoyance, clenched the blanket in her fist to bring it closer to her chin, and snapped her eyes open. Unlike her father, she wasn't a morning person. She didn't want to be a morning person. Her usual farm chores were capable of being done in the afternoon, just after she liked to wake up, even if it meant working in the heat.

Oh, wait. She had more than just farm chores to worry about that morning.

Blinking, she shoved the blanket down a bit and peeked over her shoulder at the tiny reptile. Memories came flooding back of only a few hours earlier, when the room was dark and all she could see were faint shimmers of scales on an unfamiliar figure, and hear the sounds of an obviously very young animal. Now that it was light and she could finally get a good, detailed look at what she was dealing with. And yes, it really was a dragon.

She sat up, blew her unruly bangs out of her face, and stared at the creature. "Good morning," she finally said.

The tiny creature started wagging it’s tail more violently, seeing as the girl woke up. It started to jump around happily, the light squeaky sounds from it started to fill the room. Clumsily, he jumped off the bed, landing almost face first, both of his back legs sticking straight up into the air. It slid a little across the floor, the newborn scale preventing any serious injury. The back legs landed with a thud on the floor, as the reptile rose up, as if it was almost oblivious to how it landed there.

Swiftly it turned around again, looking up on the bed, trying to spot the girl. Tiny, tiny wings tried to fold themselves out, on his back, as he attempted to rise higher up, only supporting himself with his two back legs. It barely stood up, before returning to it’s sort of clowning behavior, and falling back on all four legs. It wasn’t like it was thinking much at this point. For him, the entire world was that room, and he explored it all the time. Little did the dragon know, that a much larger world actually existed outside the window, and the door. For now, it was all about exploration, food, sleep, and sticking to the pack of the two of them.

And the second requirement struck him. The tiny belly started rumbling, demanding more food. A pair of small ears flopped down instantly, as reaction to the sound. Barely knowing what it meant, besides the hunger for food, the dragon cried out at Grace, trying to hopelessly ask for help. The world had been kind to the reptile so far. And wether or not that kindness would be returned, was yet to be revealed.

Grace again couldn't help but smile at the little reptile's antics. She was very aware of what young animal behavior consisted of, having been around many of them in her lifetime thanks to living on a small farm, but she couldn't quite recall seeing any other animal who acted like him. Well, she hadn't exactly been around any other dragons. Or any other supposedly mythical creature. So there was no other example to compare him to, other than puppies, but even that seemed a little off. In thought, she scratched the back of her head, momentarily forgetting the dragon.

His loud, crying squeaks brought her back to the problem at hand. She looked down at him, only taking a few seconds to realize just what was needed. Food. That bug he had roasted last night would hold him off for only so long. But what was there to feed him? What was safe to feed him?

"Okay, okay. I hear you." She threw back the covers and stood. Caught between leaving him there and bringing him with her, she quickly figured that bringing him with her would be better than leaving him alone. Bending down, she carefully picked him up, doing her best to support him as she carried him out of the door.

There was bound to be leftover food in the fridge. Meatloaf, maybe even chicken. She'd go for the meatloaf first - no bones made it easier to deal with. Once she was in the kitchen, she looked around to be sure that it was safe, then set him down. "Stay there," she said a little more firmly than she meant. Hoping that he would listen, she turned to open the fridge, beginning to dig through it for something suitable for the baby dragon.

His eyes flew around as they went downstairs. Curiosity stroke the young reptile, causing him to do a few attempts of getting down. When they arrived to the kitchen, he was placed down. The tail slowly starting waving around, as the dragon stumbled around. He started sniffing various things in the kitchen - not moving out of it, however. Whether or not he understood the command, or it simply didn’t cross the young creature’s mind, was unclear.

At the shop…

The shopkeeper sat hopelessly against the counter, barely having gotten any sleep all night. The empty bottle standing by his side, with his eyes staring at the closed door, of his peculiar shop. A small orb laid by his other side, having a faint blueish glow. He had gone to last resort. It frightened him, but compared to what could happen if that dragon grew up-… it was necessary. His eyes were locked straight on the orb, the glow disappearing entirely. While filled with fear, he turned his head.
A hooded figure stood in front of him. It was dressed in a blue trenchcoat, with silver lines running down over it, like a waterfall.

The face was darkened, though a few strings of brown hair lay out through the front of the hood, by the shoulders of the figure. The arms were crossed, and the head bend down towards the shopkeeper.

“I-… it could be anywhere. But… it’s gone. I know what it means to you, I truly do. It’s-… it’s why I called for you.” he dared not to make eye contact with the figure, merely staring down at him.
Within a few seconds, the hooded figure turning it’s head; looking out through the open door.

The voice was low and careful, a hint of fear hidden within the words.
“It’s out there then? Do they know?” the voice of a young female asked, returning the attention back to the shopkeeper, shaking his head.
She nodded at him, before continuing.

“They still don’t know of me, then? I’d like to keep it that way. You know exactly how they feel about my kind - our kind, I suppose it is now. With the egg gone from the hands of a magi, it must already have hatched.” she shuddered, burying her arms around herself.

“I’ll look for it. If it discovers -… when it discovers it’s abilities, I’ll feel it, surely. It’ll lead me to it, I hope… It pains me that this is the fate of the only other one of my kin-…” she sighed, before being interrupted by the shopkeeper, who had a frown on his face.

“You told me your -kin- did not wish to be compared to the kin of the egg. You said they were considered enemies -“ he rushed in his words, now being interrupted by the woman, who seemed to be raising her voice.

“It was centuries ago! When there were -more- of us! I know what I said, but I cannot speak of myself as a higher being than him. If he grows up, becomes a full-grown dragon, I’ll stand no chance. His fate is sealed. If we do not prevent it, he won’t just be the end of me, but of everything.” she leaned down, kneeling down to the shopkeeper.

“The dragons of Cairmere made a deal with the Aspect of Corruption. Eventually, the aspect will know of his existence, and continue the deal he had with the ancient dragons of old. His mind will be destroyed - and his powers greatly increase.” she rose up, pulling down her hood and revealing a young female face, with thing brown hair running down to her shoulders. A light-blue emblem sat upon her forehead, with a pair of small wings, and swords crossing over them.

“There only so much us of Nellewair are able to do. I do not know the ways of my ancestors - the dragons of Nellewair - but I know enough about those of Cairmere. Unless there are more dragons hiding like me, hidden in your society-… The man you work for, the one who fights against all dragons - he cannot know of me. He does not realize that you cannot simply hunt a dragon. You -need- me. We both do.”

She paused again, the shopkeeper nodding several times at her. She spun around, facing the outdoors again.

“I pray that we won’t be too late.”

A few years later, back at the farm.

A series of tables were lined up, almost like a little airstrip. It was a clear day, the animals walking happily outside. The farm was left to Grace and the dragon, as Grace’s father was out to some farming convention.
By the end of the tables, the dragon stood ready. His body had grown - quicker than a normal animal, but he was still years away from being fully grown. Over the year, he had been attempted to be trained. He was almost capable of even saying a word or two. It was more a mix of a roar, and the actual word; rather than a proper pronunciation.

“Morghnm!” the dragon blurted out, wagging his tail happily around. He even jumped in his place, before starting to run quickly over the line of outdoor tables. Almost stumbling along the way, soon being by the end of the tables, he attempted to take off. He jumped off, spreading his fairly small wings out.

For a short second, it seemed like he was going to actually fly, but after not flapping his wings even once, he fell unto the ground again with a loud thud, growling in annoyance at his failed attempt.