“I’m too scared to Mama!” whined Phoenix. With a puff of smoke, Silver replied
“Phoenix, you are a dragon. Dragon’s breathe fire. It’s going to happen whether you want it to or not but you need to learn to control it son.”
Eyes blazing red with his anger at his mother, Phoenix opened his mouth to reply when a burning stream of fire escaped out of his mouth towards Silver’s foot-claws. With a flutter of her silver wings, she quickly raised herself off the soil and into the air. The grass where her claws had rested a few moments earlier was black and smoldering. Looking at the ground trying to form an apology in his mind, Phoenix felt a crystal tear slide down his face to rest briefly on his nose. Silver watched her son closely as the tear slipped off his nose and hit the soil between his foot-claws. A second later a beautiful purple orchid bloomed into life where the tear had landed. Purple for guilt, Silver thought as she brought herself back down to stand in front of Phoenix again.
“Lesson one Phoenix. Your fire is controlled by your emotions. When you learn to control your emotions then you will be on your way to controlling your fire.” Folding her large wings around his little body, Silver led her son home.
Phoenix was only three seasons old but by dragon years he was not considered a hatchling any more. He was at the age where he had to start learning about himself in ways in which he had never had to think of himself before. Learning to control his fire was just a small part of growing up for a young dragon. Phoenix also had to learn how to fly, be a guardian to a human, learn magick and learn how to protect. Wondering through a meadow filled with lots of different coloured wild flowers at the bottom of a great cliff, he started to daydream about the human whom he would be the guardian for. He had seen her once through the water in the fountain that stood in the court of Dragonna, his home. The fountain was a place for dragons to go to make contact with their humans for the first time and until they got the hang of contacting them on their own. Phoenix’s human was a young blonde lady that he would have guessed to be about seventeen seasons old, which in human terms was young. She had the sweetest laugh he had ever heard and when she smiled, the whole world seemed to light up with her. Already Phoenix was feeling very loving and protective about this human and he knew that once she had acknowledged him in her conscious mind, that they would remain very close friends for eternity. As he started back towards home with the sun warm and bright on the back of his wings, Phoenix wondered when he would meet his human charge.
Later that evening sitting in his thatch hut with Silver, Phoenix asked her what it was like the first time she ever meet her human change.
“Well… my charge is a closed minded old bugger so it was hard for me to enter his life and even now he will not acknowledge me in his conscious mind.”
“So how do you guard and advise him Mama?”
“I have to do it while he is sleeping. That is the only way to get through to him. I can only hope, for your sake, that your charge will be more open to the possibility of dragons than what mine is.” Silver sighed heavily. After a long silence Phoenix spoke of the afternoon they had spent together
“I’m really sorry for getting angry at you Mama. I know you are only trying to help me find my way in the world.”
“It’s alright son, sometimes young dragons just have to find their own way without any help.” With that said she gave him a kiss on his scaly nose and went to snuggle down in her nest in the corner of the room.
“Nite-nite Mama” Phoenix murmured as he drifted off to sleep in his own little nest by the fire.
Waking early the next morning Phoenix went to sit outside in the court to think about all that lay before him. He knew of all the places that young dragons needed to go to learn their different powers but could he do it on his own? Knowing there was no other way to do it, Phoenix stepped across the sunlit cobblestones that surrounded the fountain and up to the fountain itself. Settling himself on one of the stools that were positioned all around it, he gazed into the fountain water and focused all his attention on the young woman that was to become his charge. Within the water and his own minds eye, he saw her sitting on some grass in a patch of sunlight, he could see her smile, hear her laugh and even smell the Lavender scented shampoo in her hair. As he sat there watching her, she turned and looked straight at him!
“That can’t happen! That’s not meant to happen!” he cried into the still air and noticed how his voice traveled.
“What’s wrong little one?” The voice behind Phoenix startled him and again a stream of fire shot from his open mouth. With a deep chuckle that sounded as though it were coming from the ground itself, the elder dragon, Elroy, sat Phoenix back on the stool.
“You look like you could do with a few lessons in control young one.”
“Sorry… but did you see that?” Phoenix asked him excitedly.
“Yes, I saw. You are a very lucky young dragon, do you realize that Phoenix?” Phoenix sat looking only confused at Elroy, so he continued to explain.
“There are a few humans down there that seem to have some sort of special link with the beings on this plane, and I’m not just talking about us dragons Phoenix, but everything up here. These humans can sense when we are near and they are believers. It seems to me that your little lady down there is one of these special ones, therefore it should be very easy for you to make contact with her and keep those lines of communication open. Now, don’t get me wrong, she couldn’t see you just then but… she did feel you. Or you energy anyway. Is any of this making sense boy?” he asked.
“Oh, yes sir. And thank you so much for telling me, I thought I had done something wrong that was going to get me in trouble or worse, harm us all.” Phoenix could not believe that he would be so lucky as to have got a natural as his charge.
Over the coming days, at any given time Phoenix could be found sitting beside the fountain staring intently into the water trying to focus on making contact with his human. In the evenings he would sit under the protection of the moon and by the light of the stars and enter his humans dreams. Through doing this he found out that her name was Zoe Priston and she was indeed seventeen seasons old as he had thought. Zoe was a very intelligent young woman and during their journeys together in her dreams they became close and trusting friends.
Taking time out from Zoe to work on his flying practice Phoenix told Silver where he was going and why and was pleasantly surprised when she asked if he would mind if she joined him on the cliff top. Sitting on top of the high cliff in which Phoenix would have to jump off, he and Silver looked out over Dragonna in awe.
“So how are you doing with your charge?” Silver asked him.
“I didn’t think you were all that interested,” he replied trying to keep the surprise out of his voice. Silver sat there wordlessly for a moment or two before turning to face him.
“I’ve always been interested Phoenix, it’s just that when I tried to tell you about controlling your emotions to control your fire, well, I kind of got the idea that you resented it coming from me. So I thought I would just leave you to sort it out on your own. I thought that’s what you wanted.” Phoenix looked up at his mother and saw the tears shining in her eyes and he suddenly realized why the meadow below the cliff was so full of different coloured wild flowers. This was the special place that Dragon kind came to when they had problems of any sort. This cliff top must have seen and heard a lot over the years, Phoenix thought to himself.
“I love you Phoenix, you know that don’t you?”
“Yes Mama. And I love you.” With that said he threw his arms around her large body. At that moment he sensed something within her that was somehow different, and not in a good way. Was his mother sick? He didn’t know and was too scared to ask.
“Yes Phoenix, I’m sick. In fact, I am dying and I don’t know how much longer I have got left son. I need to know that you will be able to take care of yourself when I am gone.” She paused to take a long shuddering breath before continuing. “You know as well as I do that if a little dragon loses his mother, no other dragon will take them under their wings. Dragons see it as a test for the little one that he must pass on his own. Don’t get me wrong Phoenix; there will be plenty that will look out for you but none that will look after you. You will get all my belongings, including the hut we share. Do you understand son?”
With the tears streaming down his face, he nodded to his mother.
Spending as much time as possible with Silver became vitally important to Phoenix as he was soon going to loss her forever. How he was going to carry on without her, he didn’t know but he would have to be strong for her for now and together create many happy memories for him to carry through the cold, lonely years without her. Not so sure of how long they had left together, the two of them made the most of every moment. Silver took the time to try and teach her son the things in life that she felt he would need to know to survive without her there to guide the way.
Sitting next to the fire in the hut one evening, Phoenix finally found the courage to ask his mother some questions that had been playing in his mind since she had told him she was sick.
‘Mama, how long have we got left together?’ The tears were streaming down his face like a fast flowing river and he felt as though his heart was breaking into a million separate pieces.
‘I don’t know for sure Phoenix. I know that the time is getting close though.’
‘How do I live without you? You are my whole world Mama! I can’t do it without you.’
‘Phoenix, you are strong, you are brave, and you have the biggest heart of anyone I know son, you will get through.’
‘But why Mama? Why do you have to die?’ Phoenix asked, not expecting an answer. Silver paused a moment before answering,
‘My charge is dying Phoenix, and when your charge dies, so does the dragon that protects him or her. I will be reborn when there is another charge born that needs a Guardian Dragon.’
‘Oh… Will I know who you are?’
‘Maybe, maybe not. But Phoenix, we need to concentrate on getting you ready to face the world on your own for when I’m gone.’
‘I know. I just don’t feel ready to face this yet Mama.’ Phoenix sighed heavily, and started to doze off to sleep. Noticing this, Silver stood and lifted her little son beneath her wings and gently placed him in his nest.
‘I love you Phoenix, and even if I can’t always be right here next to you, I will always watch over you!’ But Phoenix never heard her declaration of love.
Rising early the following morning, Phoenix noticed his mother was still sleeping soundly so he quietly snuck out of the hut to the fountain in the court to watch Zoe for a little while. For quite some time, he sat there watching her and thinking about his mother. The sun rose slowly in the cloudless sky and the court was so peaceful that Phoenix could hear the breeze rustling the leaves on the trees nearby. Standing to stretch his legs, he wondered why his mother hadn’t been out yet to see where he was, and started to make his way back to the hut. Pausing in the doorway, he stopped and listened for the sounds of Silver moving about inside, that he knew he would hear. All was quiet within. Turning abruptly away from the hut, Phoenix ran as though his life depended on it, and in that time realized that he would never see his beloved mother again. She was dead! He could feel it in his heart and it felt like shards broken of glass trying to rip his insides into ribbons. He also knew that by the time he returned to the hut, her beautiful body would be gone and nobody would ever speak her name again.
‘Noooooo…’ he screamed into the still air. He was on his own from this moment on.
Retreating to a nearby cave Phoenix made himself a nice warm nest and lit a fire before venturing outside to collect some food for the days ahead. He knew what was expected of him over the course of the next five days and he was prepared to show everybody that he was old enough to cope with whatever came his way. The thought of spending the next five days alone, and apart from everybody else to deal with his grief was somehow comforting to him and he knew that he would do a lot of thinking and self-exploration in this mourning period. He would be ok.
Emerging from his little cave five days later Phoenix blinked rapidly as the bright sun hit his eyes. With his sore eyes slowing adjusting to the light again Phoenix slowing walked towards Dragonna and the hut that now belonged to him. Entering the hut gave him an eerie feeling; it was as though nothing had changed. Everything was exactly the same but with the exception that Silver was not there to greet him when he walked in. After tiding up and packing away some of the things he would not need that had belonged to his mother, Phoenix ventured out to sit at the fountain for a while.
‘Zoe, I wish you were here with me right now. I need you!’ he told the reflection in the water. Phoenix could now hear Zoe’s voice in his head,
‘Me too Phoenix, I wish I was there with you. If only there was some way I could take away your pain because if I could do it, I would. But Phoenix, there might be a way!’
‘What do you mean Zoe? What are you talking about? There’s no way… is there?’
‘I’ve been doing some research on the internet lately…’
‘What’s the internet?’ Phoenix interrupted
‘That doesn’t matter right now, I’ll explain it another time, but like I was saying… I’ve been doing some research and there is this thing called Astral Traveling. It’s where I can train my body to sleep while my soul can go anywhere I want! Wouldn’t that be great Phoenix, if I could learn to do it! Then I could come and see you whenever I want, and really be with you!’ Zoe was getting more excited with each word and Phoenix found the excitement contagious.
‘That would be great Zoe! Do you really think you could do it? I mean… I know you can do anything you set your mind to, but is it really possible?’
‘Yep, I do. I will do some more research on the subject and we will talk about it later. But for now, my little friend, how are you coping?’
Eyes shining with tears Phoenix replied the best he could. ‘O.k., I guess. Its lonely and strange without her.’
‘You know that you can come and see me any time Phoenix. I will always be here for you!’
‘Thanks Zoe. I know that but sometimes its nice to hear it.’
Sitting next to the fountain just thinking after Zoe had gone, Phoenix wondered about this Astral Traveling thing. Could Zoe be right? It sounded so strange to him that he just had to ask one of the elders about it. If there was such a thing and it was possible, then Elroy would know about it, and would be able to explain it to him.
With the colder months starting to settle in, Phoenix made his way back to the hut before to long. Placing dry kindling in the fire hearth, he stood in front of it and cleared his mind and settled his raging emotions. Just a small flame was all he needed, so he opened his mouth slightly and thought of his mother, all the while keeping a tight rein on his emotions so the flame would not rage out of control. A thin, steady stream of fire shot from his open mouth and set fire to the dry wood that was his target. Clamping his mouth tightly closed, the flame was cut off and smoke came bellowing out of his wide nostrils. So proud of himself, he spun around to tell Silver of his achievement only to remember that she was not there anymore, nor would ever be. Dissolving into tears, Phoenix crumpled to the dirt packed floor in front of the now blazing fire.
“I can’t do this! Give her back to me! Please!!” he screamed into the still night. Only the single hoot of a far away owl answered him.
Speaking to Elroy later, Phoenix found that what Zoe had told him was true. She could indeed travel to his world but he couldn’t go to hers. So excited that he couldn’t wait, he ran to the fountain to talk to Zoe and tell her how to do it. He had been told exactly how she should go about doing it so in his mind it should be no problem at all.
“Zoe” he called into the fountains still water. Her image shimmered up in front of him and he felt a swell of love in his heart for her. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. “I have spoken to Elroy and he told me how you can do the Astral Traveling. It is so easy Zoe, I can’t believe we didn’t think of it sooner!” In his excitement, Phoenix rushed the words so that they came out in a rush of air.
“Well, do tell, Sir Phoenix! The sooner you tell me how to do it, the sooner I can give it a try” Zoe laughed, the excitement catching like a wildfire in the height of summer.
After explaining to her how to do it, Zoe went her way to work on it and Phoenix went for a walk to think about what it would be like when she finally got here and he could touch her at last. Sitting on a rock outcrop Phoenix jumped as though he had been struck by lightening. Inspirational lightening.
“Oh dear me! I’m falling in love with her!” Speaking out loud when he didn’t mean to, made Phoenix jump again. Continuing to speak aloud to himself, Phoenix thought some more on the subject while blowing smoke rings out of his nose. “I’m sure that’s not suppose to happen. It can’t be right. And even if I am falling in love with her, what’s the chance that she will love me back in the same way?” Breaking down into tears yet again, Phoenix wished desperately that his mother were there with him to help with this new development. In one aspect he felt so young yet in other ways he felt wise beyond his years but he always felt alone. “Distance myself! That’s what I need to do, distance myself from Zoe for a few days so I can sort out my feelings and get things in perspective again.” Feeling down and without thinking about what he was doing, Phoenix jumped off the rock outcrop and flew to the ground. As soon as his claws touched the hard packed dirt and grass, he realized what he had done. “I did it! I flew. And I didn’t even think about it.” Jumping into the air and rapidly flapping his wings, Phoenix lifted higher into the air and began to move forward. With the sunshine reflecting off his scales, and the light blue colour of his wings looking transparent, he flew home.
Once in his hut on his own Phoenix started dwelling on his mothers’ death and the situation with Zoe but the more he thought about things, the worse they seemed to be. He was all on his own and there was nothing he could do about it. Slowly slipping into a depression, Phoenix roams around the hut feeling lost and crying tears that should have been long cried. Days passed without noticed, then turned into weeks. Every couple of days Elroy came to him to try and convince him to come out but Phoenix ended up just telling him to go away without even opening the door. The depression deepened until Phoenix felt so overwhelmed by all that had happened that one afternoon he broke down in tears and curled up in the corner of the hut just hoping to die.
“Go away and leave me alone Elroy” Phoenix calls through the closed door yet again when there is a knock.
“It’s not Elroy and I have come a long way to see you Phoenix. I don’t know how long I have so come out and see me little buddy.” Running to the door and throwing it open, he launches into Zoe’s arms.
“Don’t leave me. Please Zoe, I need you so badly! Don’t leave me like Mama did!”
Holding him tight in her arms Zoe started to sob for the pain that this little dragon was feeling as though it were her pain. And in a way it was, they were so closely connected that she could feel the agony and torment within his heart. Leading him inside and settling him in his nest, Zoe started cleaning and airing out the hut as it was painly obvious that Phoenix had not done so for some time.
“Have you got any tea or coffee I could make us?” At Phoenix’s puzzled look, she answered her own question. “I guess not. Well, have you got any peppermint growing around here anywhere?”
“There’s some in the little garden outside by the edge of the court. But what do you want peppermint for?”
“To make a cup of tea. Just wait and see. Do you want to try some? I promise it won’t hurt you and you never know, you might like it.”
Still a little weary he replied “Yea ok.”
“Good. Put some water over the fire to boil and I will go and get the peppermint then make us some. I have got a funny feeling that a good cuppa might make things look a little brighter,” she instructed as she walked out into the sunshine.
“I doubt that” Zoe heard Phoenix mumble to her back.
After gathering the peppermint and seeping it in the boiling water to make their tea, Phoenix and Zoe sat together just outside the doorway of the hut enjoying the refreshing taste.
“Did you know that it was my eighteenth birthday last week?” Zoe asked tentavely.
“Yea, I know. Sorry. I just sort of forgot but happy birthday for last week.” Feeling guilty he looked up at her through long, black eyelashes and offered her a small smile that just about broke her heart.
“Phoenix, you know I love you, right?”
“Yea, of course” he replied with a sulky pout.
Zoe continued without caution of his feelings knowing that she had to be cruel to be kind.
“You’re killing yourself bud. Your mother wouldn’t want that. You really have to get on top of this and carry on with your life. I know that sounds harsh, but somebody has to say it, and it seems that I’m the only one that might be able to get through to you. Just think about it.”
“O.k. And thanks!” He answered with a heavy sigh. Standing and taking their cups inside, Phoenix wondered if Zoe had any idea about how he felt about her. She had said that she loved him, but in the same way he loved her?
Once Zoe had gone Phoenix went for a walk through the woods to try and clear his head, and his heart, of the conflicting emotions that raged within him. How could he have fallen in love with his charge? Surely there would be big trouble if anybody ever found out. It wasn’t right! He was meant to protect her, not fall in love with her. Oh god, what was he going to do, he wondered. Elroy was a wise old dragon and Phoenix felt that he could trust him, but could he trust him to advise him on this issue? Realizing that he would get no peace until he had spoken to somebody about his problem, Phoenix decided to inform Elroy of what was going on inside his heart and see where things went from there. If Elroy felt he had to tell somebody of the problem, then so be it.
“… so the long and the short of it is, I have fallen in love with her.” Phoenix finished his story and sat to wait for Elroy’s reaction.
“I’m not really surprised Phoenix. You never should have been allowed to be her guide to start with, but your mother pushed for it, and because she was dying, the elders gave in to her wishes.” Elroy’s words made no sense to Phoenix, but it was clear that Elroy knew a lot more then he was saying.
“What do you mean Elroy? What are you not telling me? I know there is something, so please…” He left the sentence unfinished, afraid of what he might hear.
“Zoe is your soul mate Phoenix! And, yes, she feels the same way about you, as you do about her. I have seen it in her heart.”
“Oh no, please Elroy, tell me this is not true!” Phoenix pleaded.
“Sorry son.”
After meeting with the Elders, Phoenix couldn’t wait to talk to Zoe, but it was something he wanted to tell her face-to-face, not in the dream world. They arranged to meet at the top of the cliff, then all Phoenix had to do was wait for the time to arrive. How would she react? Would she want to go through with his plan? If she felt the way Elroy thought she did, then things might work out better then Phoenix ever would have dreamed.
“Zoe, do you believe in soul-mates?” Phoenix asked.
“Yea I do. Wh…”
He interrupted her with his next question. “How do you feel about me Zoe?”
“Phoenix, I love you. You know that, now what’s with all the weird questions?”
“But… are you in love with me? Like I am with you?” The last was said at a whisper. He rushed on before she had a chance to answer him. “Cause, you know, if you did feel the same about me, we could be together. But I completely understand that you don’t, after all, I’m and dragon and you are human. It’s one thing for me to fall in love with you, but to expect the same back would be asking too much of you. I’m sorry Zoe, but I don’t think I am going to be able to visit you any more.”
“Phoenix, would you shut up for one second and let me speak?”
“O.k. I’m sorry!” Phoenix dropped to the ground and rapidly started blowing smoke rings out of his nose, in a sign of his agitation.
Sitting on the grass beside him, Zoe cradled his small body in her arms as she spoke to him. “I do love you Phoenix, and I am also in love with you. It doesn’t matter to me that you are a dragon. I am in love with what is in here.” She lightly tapped his scaly chest with her fingernail. “I hope that this doesn’t change things between us, I mean, I know it will change things but, hopefully we can still see each other?”
“So, do you think you could handle me on a more… human level?” Phoenix asked.
“What do you mean, a more human level?” The confusion on Zoe’s face made Phoenix laugh. Getting his laughter under control, he explained to her about what the Elders had told him.
“We are soul mates Zoe! Because of that, the Elders have agreed to turn me into a human and send me down to you to live.” He held his breath waiting for her reaction. He didn’t have to wait long. Jumping up from her place, Zoe squealed in delight.
“Do you mean it? Can we really be together for the rest of our lives?”
“I mean it Zoe. I love you and I want to be with you. Say the word and it will be ours.” Phoenix grinned.