Fated Encounter

Camouflaged perfectly into his surroundings, the dragon lay silent and invisible on the ground, transfixed on the creature that brought him down from the skies. Except it wasn’t a creature at all, but a human child wandering the forests alone. Unlike normal human’s her age, who would be terrified to be caught in the forest in the dead of night without their parents, there wasn’t a trace of distress on her face. Normal humans… She didn’t look like a normal human either. She had strange, beautiful silvery white hair, pale yellow eyes and rich dark skin. She was like the night sky given human form.

Curiosity growing the dragon reached forward with his mind, not to make contact, just to view her memories of her life thus far. Shockingly he was met with resistance, a mental defense stronger than any of the other races who’s minds the dragon had touched. With that mental wall came the girl’s eyes snapping to where the dragon was crouched invisible on the ground. The dragon froze holding his breath as the hackles on his back began to stand on end. None of the other races had ever been able to detect his mental presence in their minds if he chose to only observe. The fact that this child knew exactly where he was had set the beast’s instincts on fire. They stayed like that for a short while, waiting for the other to concede defeat and either turn away or make themselves known. Then a strange feeling brushed against the dragon’s consciousness, like a soft breeze on an autumn morning.

“Safe.” The breeze whispered. “Friend.”

He was left dumbstruck, which to do to a dragon was quite the accomplishment. Keeping his mental defenses up, the dragon reached his mind around for any other creatures that might be lurking in the darkness. There were none. This gentle breeze whispering softly into his mind was coming from this strange yellow eyed child.

“I know you’re there…” Her inner voice whispered. “Please let me see you.”

Human children were not taught to protect or communicate with their minds like other races were. This was an anomaly. Curiosity growing stronger than his instincts, the dragon huffed out a sigh, conceding defeat. His scales shimmered and rippled across his body as he became visible once more. Instead of reacting in fear there was a shadow of surprise behind her yellow eyes, but her jaw was set as she widened her stance to face the creature. They held their positions, quietly sizing the other up. The girl’s eyes wandered along the glittering midnight blue scales on the dragons hide and the spikes that ran along his back and down his tail which was curled around his feet. Finally the dragon reached out with his mind again.

“You are quite strange for one so young”

“You are quite strange for one so old”

The dragon snorted, a puff of smoke escaping my nostrils.

“May I please see into your thoughts, young one? I wish to understand you, if you’ll let me.”

She scowled as the walls around her mind squeezed tighter and she shifted uncomfortably on her feet. This one had secrets, this one had a story.

“Come closer hatchling, you have nothing to fear of me. I will allow you to touch me so you may know it to be the truth.” The dragon lowered his great head to the ground so that their eyes could be somewhat more level.

She didn’t move at first, just watching his large amber eyes with her yellow ones. Cautiously she began to move forward, extending her fingertips towards the creature’s snout.

“I know you…” She whispered into his mind as she traced the shapes of the scales on his nose, admiring the color. “I’ve watched you with momma and papa. You fly around all the time, all over the world.”

The dragon mulled that over for a few minutes, stunned into silence.

“I see and who are your momma and papa?”

The girl pursed her lips together, a tiny line forming between her brows. She didn’t answer, just kept rubbing her hands across his nose. Suddenly a stream of smoke puffed into her face which shocked her so much she couldn’t help but let out a trilling laugh. A chuckle rumbled up the dragon’s throat.

“Will you not tell me anything about yourself?”

“You’re a stranger, I’m not suppose to tell you anything.”

“Except you just said you knew me, so does that make me a stranger?” The dragon countered.

Her brows came closer together, “yeah… but I don’t know who you are as a… person?” She looked up at him sheepishly due to her phrasing.

He chuckled again, “yes I suppose you don’t. Where is your home, young one? Perhaps I can help you find your way.”

The girl laid across on his snout, stretching her arms across to rub the sides of his nose, “oh my home is really far away. I don’t think you could take me back, but I also don’t know how to get home…”

“May I offer you a deal?” She looked up at him. “If I open my mind up to you, will you open your mind to me? That way we are no longer strangers and I can understand you better so that I may help you find your way home.”

The girl smiled and agreed to the proposal. As their mental barriers came down the strangers reached forward into each other’s minds. When child retracted her mind from his, she looked dazed.

“Wow… you’ve done a lot of things in your life… How old ARE you?” She looked up at the dragon incredulously.

The dragon snorted a thin trail of smoke escaping his nostrils again, but he ignored the question. He pondered the child’s memories which was made difficult by the fact that there weren’t many to begin with. She had her recent memories of wandering the forests and meeting the great dragon, but before that there was a strange nothingness. It wasn’t blackness like there normally would be with lack of memories. There were tiny pin-pricks of light amongst the darkest blue landscape, a soft white light glowing in the distance. The feel of her mind wasn’t like that of a human child’s either. It felt… Older? More Other worldly?

“You gave me more questions than answers, young one, but it’s alright, I will help you find your way home.”

The child smiled and scrambled onto the great midnight blue snout of her new companion, hugging any part of him she could get. “Thank you, old one. I guess since you’re helping me, you should know my name. My name is Selene!”

A low chuckle rumbled in the dragons chest. “A beautiful name and quite fitting, I think. My name is Midnight, the Knowledge Seeker. Now sleep. We set off in the morning.”

The next day the pair set off on their journey together to search the most extensive archives across all the races. They also visited any dragons they met along the way to ask of their knowledge and advice. Surprisingly the youngest dragons said they did remember some of what Midnight shared of Selene’s memories, but it was memories they had before their spirits had come down from the heavens and been given physical forms. Perhaps those memories faded from the ancient ones minds and that was why they couldn’t recall them when Midnight shared her memories.

“If I were able to guess who your parents were correctly, would you tell me?” Midnight asked one day as they rested beside a stream.

“Yes! I think that would be a fun game!” She squealed with delight, splashing her feet in the water. Selene loved her games and she never ran out of ideas for new ones. He chuckled low and rhythmic, then rattled off a few options to entertain her; every time he answered incorrectly she would squeal with excitement at her dissent.

“Selene… Are you mother and father spirits?” The small girl froze then crouched down in the water.

“Maybe…” She said evasively, trailing her fingers across the surface of the water.

Continuing with his theory, Midnight said “Is one of your parents the moon spirit?”

“Yes! Momma is!” Selene said as she jumped up to her feet again, she clearly could not contain her excitement.

“And your father?”

“Papa is the night sky. Momma lights up the night and together she and Papa watch over everyone!”

Midnight thought about that for a minute, contemplating another question he had ever since he theorized who her parents were. “And the stars? Are they spirits?”

Selene’s lips split into the purest smile as she strode forward touching her hands to Midnight’s nose. “Of course, all the stars in the sky are the dragons that Momma, Papa and I take care of after they pass away.”

Even though he had already theorized this, it still filled the dragon’s heart with emotion to hear it confirmed. It was commonly assumed by dragons that when their spirits returned to the heavens that nothing would remain of their legacies after their bodies decayed. For them to become stars was a great honor. Selene squeezed Midnight’s nose as hard as her little body could muster, trying to comfort him.

“Selene, you have become so dear to me in the short time we’ve known each other. I promise you that I will find a way to get you back to your parents and your home, if that is what you wish.”

Selene pressed a kiss to his nose. “Thank you, Ni-Night. Momma and Papa told me to keep things a secret, but you figured it out all by yourself so it’s ok! I’m suppose to be with you and the other dragons until it’s time for you all to come home.”

With a final kiss on his nose, the pair became bonded and the Dragon Keeper was born.