\u201cI\u2019m too scared to Mama!\u201d whined Phoenix.\u00a0 With a puff of smoke, Silver replied<\/p>\n
\u201cPhoenix, you are a dragon.\u00a0 Dragon\u2019s breathe fire.\u00a0 It\u2019s going to happen whether you want it to or not but you need to learn to control it son.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s foot-claws.\u00a0 With a flutter of her silver wings, she quickly raised herself off the soil and into the air.\u00a0 The grass where her claws had rested a few moments earlier was black and smoldering.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Silver watched her son closely as the tear slipped off his nose and hit the soil between his foot-claws.\u00a0 A second later a beautiful purple orchid bloomed into life where the tear had landed.\u00a0 Purple for guilt, Silver thought as she brought herself back down to stand in front of Phoenix again.<\/p>\n
\u201cLesson one Phoenix.\u00a0 Your fire is controlled by your emotions.\u00a0 When you learn to control your emotions then you will be on your way to controlling your fire.\u201d\u00a0 Folding her large wings around his little body, Silver led her son home.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 Learning to control his fire was just a small part of growing up for a young dragon.\u00a0 Phoenix also had to learn how to fly, be a guardian to a human, learn magick and learn how to protect.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 He had seen her once through the water in the fountain that stood in the court of Dragonna, his home.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Phoenix\u2019s human was a young blonde lady that he would have guessed to be about seventeen seasons old, which in human terms was young.\u00a0 She had the sweetest laugh he had ever heard and when she smiled, the whole world seemed to light up with her.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell\u2026 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo how do you guard and advise him Mama?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to do it while he is sleeping.\u00a0 That is the only way to get through to him.\u00a0 I can only hope, for your sake, that your charge will be more open to the possibility of dragons than what mine is.\u201d\u00a0 Silver sighed heavily.\u00a0 After a long silence Phoenix spoke of the afternoon they had spent together<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really sorry for getting angry at you Mama.\u00a0 I know you are only trying to help me find my way in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s alright son, sometimes young dragons just have to find their own way without any help.\u201d\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cNite-nite Mama\u201d Phoenix murmured as he drifted off to sleep in his own little nest by the fire.<\/p>\n
Waking early the next morning Phoenix went to sit outside in the court to think about all that lay before him.\u00a0 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?\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 As he sat there watching her, she turned and looked straight at him!<\/p>\n
\u201cThat can\u2019t happen!\u00a0 That\u2019s not meant to happen!\u201d he cried into the still air and noticed how his voice traveled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong little one?\u201d\u00a0 The voice behind Phoenix startled him and again a stream of fire shot from his open mouth.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look like you could do with a few lessons in control young one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry\u2026 but did you see that?\u201d Phoenix asked him excitedly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I saw.\u00a0 You are a very lucky young dragon, do you realize that Phoenix?\u201d\u00a0 Phoenix sat looking only confused at Elroy, so he continued to explain.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a few humans down there that seem to have some sort of special link with the beings on this plane, and I\u2019m not just talking about us dragons Phoenix, but everything up here.\u00a0 These humans can sense when we are near and they are believers.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Now, don\u2019t get me wrong, she couldn\u2019t see you just then but\u2026 she did feel you.\u00a0 Or you energy anyway.\u00a0 Is any of this making sense boy?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, yes sir.\u00a0 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.\u201d\u00a0 Phoenix could not believe that he would be so lucky as to have got a natural as his charge.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 In the evenings he would sit under the protection of the moon and by the light of the stars and enter his humans dreams.\u00a0 Through doing this he found out that her name was Zoe Priston and she was indeed seventeen seasons old as he had thought.\u00a0 Zoe was a very intelligent young woman and during their journeys together in her dreams they became close and trusting friends.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 Sitting on top of the high cliff in which Phoenix would have to jump off, he and Silver looked out over Dragonna in awe.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo how are you doing with your charge?\u201d Silver asked him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t think you were all that interested,\u201d he replied trying to keep the surprise out of his voice.\u00a0 Silver sat there wordlessly for a moment or two before turning to face him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always been interested Phoenix, it\u2019s 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.\u00a0 So I thought I would just leave you to sort it out on your own.\u00a0 I thought that\u2019s what you wanted.\u201d\u00a0 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.\u00a0 This was the special place that Dragon kind came to when they had problems of any sort.\u00a0 This cliff top must have seen and heard a lot over the years, Phoenix thought to himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love you Phoenix, you know that don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes Mama.\u00a0 And I love you.\u201d\u00a0 With that said he threw his arms around her large body.\u00a0 At that moment he sensed something within her that was somehow different, and not in a good way.\u00a0 Was his mother sick?\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know and was too scared to ask.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes Phoenix, I\u2019m sick.\u00a0 In fact, I am dying and I don\u2019t know how much longer I have got left son.\u00a0 I need to know that you will be able to take care of yourself when I am gone.\u201d\u00a0 She paused to take a long shuddering breath before continuing.\u00a0 \u201cYou know as well as I do that if a little dragon loses his mother, no other dragon will take them under their wings.\u00a0 Dragons see it as a test for the little one that he must pass on his own.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get me wrong Phoenix; there will be plenty that will look out for you but none that will look after you.\u00a0 You will get all my belongings, including the hut we share.\u00a0 Do you understand son?\u201d<\/p>\n
With the tears streaming down his face, he nodded to his mother.<\/p>\n
Spending as much time as possible with Silver became vitally important to Phoenix as he was soon going to loss her forever.\u00a0 How he was going to carry on without her, he didn\u2019t 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.\u00a0 Not so sure of how long they had left together, the two of them made the most of every moment.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u2018Mama, how long have we got left together?\u2019\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
\u2018I don\u2019t know for sure Phoenix.\u00a0 I know that the time is getting close though.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018How do I live without you?\u00a0 You are my whole world Mama!\u00a0 I can\u2019t do it without you.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018Phoenix, you are strong, you are brave, and you have the biggest heart of anyone I know son, you will get through.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018But why Mama?\u00a0 Why do you have to die?\u2019 Phoenix asked, not expecting an answer.\u00a0 Silver paused a moment before answering,<\/p>\n
\u2018My charge is dying Phoenix, and when your charge dies, so does the dragon that protects him or her.\u00a0 I will be reborn when there is another charge born that needs a Guardian Dragon.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018Oh\u2026\u00a0 Will I know who you are?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018Maybe, maybe not. \u00a0But Phoenix, we need to concentrate on getting you ready to face the world on your own for when I\u2019m gone.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018I know.\u00a0 I just don\u2019t feel ready to face this yet Mama.\u2019\u00a0 Phoenix sighed heavily, and started to doze off to sleep.\u00a0 Noticing this, Silver stood and lifted her little son beneath her wings and gently placed him in his nest.<\/p>\n
\u2018I love you Phoenix, and even if I can\u2019t always be right here next to you, I will always watch over you!\u2019\u00a0 But Phoenix never heard her declaration of love.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 For quite some time, he sat there watching her and thinking about his mother.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Standing to stretch his legs, he wondered why his mother hadn\u2019t been out yet to see where he was, and started to make his way back to the hut.\u00a0 Pausing in the doorway, he stopped and listened for the sounds of Silver moving about inside, that he knew he would hear.\u00a0 All was quiet within.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 She was dead!\u00a0 He could feel it in his heart and it felt like shards broken of glass trying to rip his insides into ribbons.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
\u2018Noooooo\u2026\u2019 he screamed into the still air.\u00a0 He was on his own from this moment on.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 He would be ok.<\/p>\n
Emerging from his little cave five days later Phoenix blinked rapidly as the bright sun hit his eyes.\u00a0 With his sore eyes slowing adjusting to the light again Phoenix slowing walked towards Dragonna and the hut that now belonged to him.\u00a0 Entering the hut gave him an eerie feeling; it was as though nothing had changed.\u00a0 Everything was exactly the same but with the exception that Silver was not there to greet him when he walked in.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
\u2018Zoe, I wish you were here with me right now.\u00a0 I need you!\u2019 he told the reflection in the water.\u00a0 Phoenix could now hear Zoe\u2019s voice in his head,<\/p>\n
\u2018Me too Phoenix, I wish I was there with you.\u00a0 If only there was some way I could take away your pain because if I could do it, I would.\u00a0 But Phoenix, there might be a way!\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018What do you mean Zoe?\u00a0 What are you talking about?\u00a0 There\u2019s no way\u2026 is there?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019ve been doing some research on the internet lately\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018What\u2019s the internet?\u2019\u00a0 Phoenix interrupted<\/p>\n
\u2018That doesn\u2019t matter right now, I\u2019ll explain it another time, but like I was saying\u2026 I\u2019ve been doing some research and there is this thing called Astral Traveling.\u00a0 It\u2019s where I can train my body to sleep while my soul can go anywhere I want!\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t that be great Phoenix, if I could learn to do it!\u00a0 Then I could come and see you whenever I want, and really be with you!\u2019\u00a0 Zoe was getting more excited with each word and Phoenix found the excitement contagious.<\/p>\n
\u2018That would be great Zoe!\u00a0 Do you really think you could do it?\u00a0 I mean\u2026 I know you can do anything you set your mind to, but is it really possible?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018Yep, I do.\u00a0 I will do some more research on the subject and we will talk about it later.\u00a0 But for now, my little friend, how are you coping?\u2019<\/p>\n
Eyes shining with tears Phoenix replied the best he could.\u00a0 \u2018O.k., I guess.\u00a0 Its lonely and strange without her.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018You know that you can come and see me any time Phoenix.\u00a0 I will always be here for you!\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018Thanks Zoe.\u00a0 I know that but sometimes its nice to hear it.\u2019<\/p>\n
Sitting next to the fountain just thinking after Zoe had gone, Phoenix wondered about this Astral Traveling thing.\u00a0 Could Zoe be right?\u00a0 It sounded so strange to him that he just had to ask one of the elders about it.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
With the colder months starting to settle in, Phoenix made his way back to the hut before to long.\u00a0 Placing dry kindling in the fire hearth, he stood in front of it and cleared his mind and settled his raging emotions.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 A thin, steady stream of fire shot from his open mouth and set fire to the dry wood that was his target.\u00a0 Clamping his mouth tightly closed, the flame was cut off and smoke came bellowing out of his wide nostrils.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Dissolving into tears, Phoenix crumpled to the dirt packed floor in front of the now blazing fire.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t do this!\u00a0 Give her back to me!\u00a0 Please!!\u201d he screamed into the still night.\u00a0 Only the single hoot of a far away owl answered him.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Elroy later, Phoenix found that what Zoe had told him was true.\u00a0 She could indeed travel to his world but he couldn\u2019t go to hers.\u00a0 So excited that he couldn\u2019t wait, he ran to the fountain to talk to Zoe and tell her how to do it.\u00a0 He had been told exactly how she should go about doing it so in his mind it should be no problem at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cZoe\u201d he called into the fountains still water.\u00a0 Her image shimmered up in front of him and he felt a swell of love in his heart for her.\u00a0 She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.\u00a0 \u201cI have spoken to Elroy and he told me how you can do the Astral Traveling.\u00a0 It is so easy Zoe, I can\u2019t believe we didn\u2019t think of it sooner!\u201d\u00a0 In his excitement, Phoenix rushed the words so that they came out in a rush of air.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, do tell, Sir Phoenix!\u00a0 The sooner you tell me how to do it, the sooner I can give it a try\u201d Zoe laughed, the excitement catching like a wildfire in the height of summer.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 Sitting on a rock outcrop Phoenix jumped as though he had been struck by lightening.\u00a0 Inspirational lightening.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh dear me!\u00a0 I\u2019m falling in love with her!\u201d\u00a0 Speaking out loud when he didn\u2019t mean to, made Phoenix jump again.\u00a0 Continuing to speak aloud to himself, Phoenix thought some more on the subject while blowing smoke rings out of his nose.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure that\u2019s not suppose to happen.\u00a0 It can\u2019t be right.\u00a0 And even if I am falling in love with her, what\u2019s the chance that she will love me back in the same way?\u201d\u00a0 Breaking down into tears yet again, Phoenix wished desperately that his mother were there with him to help with this new development.\u00a0 In one aspect he felt so young yet in other ways he felt wise beyond his years but he always felt alone.\u00a0 \u201cDistance myself!\u00a0 That\u2019s 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.\u201d\u00a0 Feeling down and without thinking about what he was doing, Phoenix jumped off the rock outcrop and flew to the ground.\u00a0 As soon as his claws touched the hard packed dirt and grass, he realized what he had done.\u00a0 \u201cI did it!\u00a0 I flew.\u00a0 And I didn\u2019t even think about it.\u201d\u00a0 Jumping into the air and rapidly flapping his wings, Phoenix lifted higher into the air and began to move forward.\u00a0 With the sunshine reflecting off his scales, and the light blue colour of his wings looking transparent, he flew home.<\/p>\n
Once in his hut on his own Phoenix started dwelling on his mothers\u2019 death and the situation with Zoe but the more he thought about things, the worse they seemed to be.\u00a0 He was all on his own and there was nothing he could do about it.\u00a0 Slowly slipping into a depression, Phoenix roams around the hut feeling lost and crying tears that should have been long cried.\u00a0 Days passed without noticed, then turned into weeks.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo away and leave me alone Elroy\u201d Phoenix calls through the closed door yet again when there is a knock.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not Elroy and I have come a long way to see you Phoenix.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how long I have so come out and see me little buddy.\u201d\u00a0 Running to the door and throwing it open, he launches into Zoe\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t leave me.\u00a0 Please Zoe, I need you so badly!\u00a0 Don\u2019t leave me like Mama did!\u201d<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 And in a way it was, they were so closely connected that she could feel the agony and torment within his heart.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you got any tea or coffee I could make us?\u201d\u00a0 At Phoenix\u2019s puzzled look, she answered her own question.\u00a0 \u201cI guess not.\u00a0 Well, have you got any peppermint growing around here anywhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s some in the little garden outside by the edge of the court.\u00a0 But what do you want peppermint for?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo make a cup of tea.\u00a0 Just wait and see.\u00a0 Do you want to try some?\u00a0 I promise it won\u2019t hurt you and you never know, you might like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still a little weary he replied \u201cYea ok.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u00a0 Put some water over the fire to boil and I will go and get the peppermint then make us some.\u00a0 I have got a funny feeling that a good cuppa might make things look a little brighter,\u201d she instructed as she walked out into the sunshine.<\/p>\n
\u201cI doubt that\u201d Zoe heard Phoenix mumble to her back.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know that it was my eighteenth birthday last week?\u201d Zoe asked tentavely.<\/p>\n
\u201cYea, I know.\u00a0 Sorry.\u00a0 I just sort of forgot but happy birthday for last week.\u201d\u00a0 Feeling guilty he looked up at her through long, black eyelashes and offered her a small smile that just about broke her heart.<\/p>\n
\u201cPhoenix, you know I love you, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYea, of course\u201d he replied with a sulky pout.<\/p>\n
Zoe continued without caution of his feelings knowing that she had to be cruel to be kind.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re killing yourself bud.\u00a0 Your mother wouldn\u2019t want that.\u00a0 You really have to get on top of this and carry on with your life.\u00a0 I know that sounds harsh, but somebody has to say it, and it seems that I\u2019m the only one that might be able to get through to you.\u00a0 Just think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cO.k.\u00a0 And thanks!\u201d\u00a0 He answered with a heavy sigh.\u00a0 Standing and taking their cups inside, Phoenix wondered if Zoe had any idea about how he felt about her.\u00a0 She had said that she loved him, but in the same way he loved her?<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 How could he have fallen in love with his charge?\u00a0 Surely there would be big trouble if anybody ever found out.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t right!\u00a0 He was meant to protect her, not fall in love with her.\u00a0 Oh god, what was he going to do, he wondered.\u00a0 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?\u00a0 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.\u00a0 If Elroy felt he had to tell somebody of the problem, then so be it.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026 so the long and the short of it is, I have fallen in love with her.\u201d\u00a0 Phoenix finished his story and sat to wait for Elroy\u2019s reaction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not really surprised Phoenix.\u00a0 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.\u201d\u00a0 Elroy\u2019s words made no sense to Phoenix, but it was clear that Elroy knew a lot more then he was saying.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean Elroy?\u00a0 What are you not telling me?\u00a0 I know there is something, so please\u2026\u201d He left the sentence unfinished, afraid of what he might hear.<\/p>\n
\u201cZoe is your soul mate Phoenix!\u00a0 And, yes, she feels the same way about you, as you do about her.\u00a0 I have seen it in her heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh no, please Elroy, tell me this is not true!\u201d\u00a0 Phoenix pleaded.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry son.\u201d<\/p>\n
After meeting with the Elders, Phoenix couldn\u2019t wait to talk to Zoe, but it was something he wanted to tell her face-to-face, not in the dream world.\u00a0 They arranged to meet at the top of the cliff, then all Phoenix had to do was wait for the time to arrive.\u00a0 How would she react?\u00a0 Would she want to go through with his plan?\u00a0 If she felt the way Elroy thought she did, then things might work out better then Phoenix ever would have dreamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cZoe, do you believe in soul-mates?\u201d\u00a0 Phoenix asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYea I do.\u00a0 Wh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
He interrupted her with his next question.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you feel about me Zoe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPhoenix, I love you.\u00a0 You know that, now what\u2019s with all the weird questions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut\u2026 are you in<\/em> love with me?\u00a0 Like I am with you?\u201d\u00a0 The last was said at a whisper.\u00a0 He rushed on before she had a chance to answer him.\u00a0 \u201cCause, you know, if you did feel the same about me, we could be together.\u00a0 But I completely understand that you don\u2019t, after all, I\u2019m and dragon and you are human.\u00a0 It\u2019s one thing for me to fall in love with you, but to expect the same back would be asking too much of you.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry Zoe, but I don\u2019t think I am going to be able to visit you any more.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPhoenix, would you shut up for one second and let me speak?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cO.k.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry!\u201d\u00a0 Phoenix dropped to the ground and rapidly started blowing smoke rings out of his nose, in a sign of his agitation.<\/p>\n Sitting on the grass beside him, Zoe cradled his small body in her arms as she spoke to him.\u00a0 \u201cI do love you Phoenix, and I am also in<\/em> love with you.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter to me that you are a dragon.\u00a0 I am in love with what is in here.\u201d\u00a0 She lightly tapped his scaly chest with her fingernail.\u00a0 \u201cI hope that this doesn\u2019t change things between us, I mean, I know it will change things but, hopefully we can still see each other?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, do you think you could handle me on a more\u2026 human level?\u201d\u00a0 Phoenix asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean, a more human level?\u201d\u00a0 The confusion on Zoe\u2019s face made Phoenix laugh.\u00a0 Getting his laughter under control, he explained to her about what the Elders had told him.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are soul mates Zoe!\u00a0 Because of that, the Elders have agreed to turn me into a human and send me down to you to live.\u201d\u00a0 He held his breath waiting for her reaction.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have to wait long.\u00a0 Jumping up from her place, Zoe squealed in delight.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you mean it?\u00a0 Can we really be together for the rest of our lives?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI mean it Zoe.\u00a0 I love you and I want to be with you.\u00a0 Say the word and it will be ours.\u201d\u00a0 Phoenix grinned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cI\u2019m too scared to Mama!\u201d whined Phoenix.\u00a0 With a puff of smoke, Silver replied \u201cPhoenix, you are a dragon.\u00a0 Dragon\u2019s breathe fire.\u00a0 It\u2019s going to happen whether you want it to or not but you need to learn to control it son.\u201d Eyes blazing red with his anger at his mother, Phoenix opened his mouth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4814,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Playing With Fire - Mel's Writing Blog","description":"\u201cI\u2019m too scared to Mama!\u201d whined Phoenix.\u00a0 With a puff of smoke, Silver replied \u201cPhoenix, you are a dragon.\u00a0 Dragon\u2019s breathe fire.\u00a0 It\u2019s going to happen whethe"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/melboulton.blogtown.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/melboulton.blogtown.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/melboulton.blogtown.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/melboulton.blogtown.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4814"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/melboulton.blogtown.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/melboulton.blogtown.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20,"href":"https:\/\/melboulton.blogtown.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18\/revisions\/20"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/melboulton.blogtown.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/melboulton.blogtown.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/melboulton.blogtown.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}