The tale of how Northern Star joined our adventuring group.
The Gift
On the way to
Thunder Tree, we camped in the forest off the road. The night was clear, and I took in the clean air and the stars as they twinkled. The only thing lacking was the sound of the ocean waves.
New Haran, as much as I liked it, just wasn't for me. Though the keep? That was different. There, I could let the sea crashing against the cliffs lull me to sleep.
We sat around the campfire after dinner and chatted about what we might find when we reached our destination. Too many unknowns.
Spotting the northern star above us brought me a calm I hadn't known since I left
Tabaxi islands. When I could find that navigation point, I knew where I was and what direction to go. We were going where we were needed.
Wolves howled in the distance as I played and sang a tribal song from home. Their cries grew closer and closer until all five of us were on our feet, listening. Those wolves weren't hunting us, were they?
The pack encircled the camp. Each of them focused on us, their eyes aglow from the firelight. I gulped and raised my bow. They outnumbered us.
Then the alpha wolf approached low in submission. Those teal eyes. I knew him! When I lowered by weapon, he loped over and bowed.
Using my ability to speak with animals, I greeted him warmly. "Look at you, leading a pack of your own! You've done well since we met. Was it 10 years ago? And you've travelled so far!"
He licked my hand and asked that I introduce him to the group as
Straff. Next, he barked and a she-wolf lugged a large bundle of fabric and dropped it at my feet. It fell open to reveal a metallic egg that shone in the firelight.
I knelt to investigate. My hand trembled as I reached out.
Could it be...? Scooping it up, I stumbled under the weight.
How did the she-wolf carry this thing?
Straff said, “We are even.” He barked again, and the wolves raced off into the darkness.
I wanted to wave, but I'd drop the precious being Straff entrusted me with. "Even? There wasn't ever a need for that. But, thank you! I'll do my best to watch over this little one! Safe journey and good hunting until we meet again!"
Hatching Day
"Straff was the wolf cub I saved outside of
Sandvik, my people's new settlement in the
Fallen Realm. Did I tell you what happened that day, besides following the little
yellow bird? No? Well, the wolf pup's eyes turned that wild, unnatural color. Events unfolding around us affected him, too, I suspect."
As I tried to figure out what to do with this precious gift, I scrunched my eyes closed and wracked my brain for every piece of lore about this kind of egg. If my suspicion was right, the fact that this egg wasn't warm was a terrible sign. The baby wouldn't fully develop, let alone hatch.
"If my hunch is right, we have a
dragon egg. A bronze or brass one. I'm not sure which. But he or she is cold. Could one of you stoke the fire? I'm going to keep the baby toasty until they hatch."
"Yes, it's inconvenient. We'd planned on heading straight to Thunder Tree. But this little one's life depends on me to help them hatch. If you all feel you need to head out and let me catch up, I can do that."
My adventuring companions asked just how hot we needed the fire and said they'd wait. I hugged my egg and tears threatened to seep from my eyes. "You guys are the best! Thank you!"
Cita and I pulled on our gauntlets from our leather armor and we set the egg in the center of the fire. The group asked how long we might have to wait here. I shrugged. "No idea. But this one is heavy and there's been some movement. We're not at the beginning of its development."
We settled in for the night.
Cernan took the first watch. But I tossed and turned. Had we made the fire hot enough? What if we were here for months? Or years?
I gave up attempting to sleep, put on my leather gauntlets again, and put my hand to the egg. "We'll do our best for you, little one."
Scritch. Snort! The egg wobbled.
I scrambled back. I'd mentally prepared myself for the long haul, for having the time to research what we'd need to help a baby dragon and how to help them get settled with his or her own kind.
Cernan raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"
"It-It might be hatching. I-I might be a 'p-parent' soon!"
He laughed. While I deserved it, I wasn't remotely ready to deal with a little one, let alone one from another species! Usually, my people have 9 to 10 months to prepare for a babe.
The egg rocked.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Growl! The horrible high pitch of something scratching on metal grated at my ears.
Everyone stirred.
"If we don't reenforce the edge of the campfire, the egg might roll out who knows where! The baby needs the fire to harden its scales or it'll be defenseless," I shouted and scrambled to gather large stones. Cernan explained the predicament as the others groggily joined me.
It seemed like forever as we watched the baby try to emerge, but
Rashid said the stars had moved only a small fraction in the sky. Finally, the cracks in the shell grew enough for the baby's egg tooth to break through. A slimy, shimmering bronze snout poked out. It was a dragon!
Thankfully, my gauntlets were still on, because on instinct I reached out to comfort the little one as he or she took a first breath. Upon contact, the heat scorched through my gloves and an intense yellow glow filled my vision. I cried out as my palm seared. But that didn't matter. All I knew was that this baby was exhausted and about to give up! SHE needed help!
Without thinking of the consequences to my wellbeing, I tore at the shell. This dragon's life depended on it!
Thoradin braced me as I worked, and Rashid kept the fire roaring with magic. Cita gathered water from the stream. Cernan grabbed the recently laundered
Red Brand cloak from my pack.
Eventually, the little dragonette collapsed into the fire. I struggled to roll her and harden those scales. Would the fire be hot enough to provide the armor she'd need? Only time would tell. But her body cooled to the touch as the soft scales annealed. She’d drained every ounce of warmth from the fire.
Her eyelids opened, and those beautiful blue orbs pierced my soul. She rasped, "Food." But it wasn't in common or any of the animal languages. How was this possible?
I gave her the grouse I'd set aside to cook on the trail tomorrow. One gulp from the dragonette and it was gone. On wobbly legs, she crawled out of the ashes of the former campfire and curled around my feet. "Sleep," she whined.
I was glad to oblige, and so was the rest of the group. I coaxed the little one over to my bedroll then rubbed her down to clean the ash off her.
Poor Cita had the next watch. I didn't envy her having to stay awake.
One of Us
The sun was midway to its zenith before a nudge at my shoulder woke me. "Hungry."
I stretched, yawning. "Good morning. Me too. You ate my lunch. So we'll need to eat rations unless you're up for hunting. How are you feeling?"
"Hun-gry!" she growled. I chuckled and patted her head. We'd have to find her a foster home soon.
Then the charred gauntlets caught my eye. "Man! I'll have to buy new ones." Taking them off revealed a dragon-shaped mark burned into my palm. It was then I understood the meaning. The moment I'd laid my hand on her nose as she hatched, a bond formed between our spirits. She was mine, and I was hers—companions for life.
"Do you have a name, little one?" I asked as I pulled the rations from my pack.
"You give me a name. Something befitting a dragon." She sat attentive, head tilted as if expecting me instantly to know what I should name a being and friend with such a long lifespan. She'd likely outlive me.
Click. "I was gazing at the Northern Star last night, the one that guides navigation. It centered me. How about that?" While she considered, I shared with the group what the interaction was about.
My dragonette said it in common a few times, since I didn't know the name in her language. It sounded odd coming from her mouth. But she nodded. "Northern Star. I am a Guiding Light."
Cita added, "And she shimmers in the sun."
So I translated the comment. Northern Star Guiding Light gleefully repeated as she pranced around the camp with her head held high. 'Shimmer! I shimmer!'
And so Northern Star, more commonly called Shimmer, joined our adventuring group.
Comments