Our Kind

Being grown is highly overrated.

MAJORLY disappointing, in fact.

That is the first place my mind goes as I stumble across this human youngling in the forest. A toddler, I think they call it.

My instant reaction should be shock, or maybe, caution, skepticism; questioning where it came from and how it got here.

But, no. My thoughts are immediately nostalgic; memories of the easier, more carefree days that are behind me.

As I stealthily, and from a distance, watch this…toddler, venturing out here independently, I think to myself, “Why is it, when we are innocent and unknowing little younglings, what we long for more than anything is to be grown?" What we crave is the freedom of being independent and completely in control of our own lives. We just can not wait to go before the elder counsel and be accepted as a mature dragon, the youngling status left behind us forever; our fledgling phase proven to be cast off our being.

And then….we arrive.

Those events happen, whether you are ready for them is not up to you. The counsel, and time itself, decide your fate in that regard.

So, here I am, wandering the forest, searching for my mature nature. As though I will just stumble into it, as I have stumbled on this human youngling who is seemingly abandoned, as am I.

All the other dragons my age have acquired their mature status at this point. I am the last one. I have fallen behind the echelon. Then again, I have always been a late bloomer. I was the last one in my order to sprout wings. I was one of the last ones to develop my fire breathing. I was most definitely the very last one to master my skill of tactical flying.

Yes, I am used to being behind at this point. It's no surprise I am out here alone now.

As I observe this toddler, wide-eyed and innocently exploring the tiny meadow of flowers, untainted by fear or expectation, I vividly remember my youngling days, wistfully and daringly telling my mother of all the grand schemes I would delve into once I entered into mature dragon life. I could not wait. If she were here, I feel she would be slightly disappointed in my lack of fulfillment of my grandiose purpose.

Falling behind the rest of my order turned me into somewhat of a pessimist. My failures fostered a sprout of fear and anxiety. When I am granted maturity and suddenly expected to handle everything on my own, how can I ever be ready? I was already left without a mother far too early, as I suspect this human youngling has been. How could I have known then that the maturing is nothing to want after all.

Perhaps because, back then, I was just the same as everyone else and had no fear; simply dreams and aspirations. My ignorance and lack of experience tricked me into thinking maturity was something to chase after. Oh, if only I could go back and cling to my youngling ignorance. To go back to only knowing the present and basking in it.

The human is stirring up all these emotions in me and I just want to run to her, squeeze her and feel some of that purity again. Alas, that is not allowed. We are forbidden to interact with humans. They are not ready for the knowledge we hold. They are not yet worthy of it.

Though, we wouldn't know if they were as we rarely observe them. I think that is just a lie the younglings are told, manifested from an old fear, embedded in the mature mind from long ago experiences. The humans think those times are just myths, legends passed down, but they are real. We know, because we live longer and carry memories farther than they do. We store history within each generation more intentionally than the humans do. They are always focused on the present and quickly fall into patterns of the past, never quite learning from them.

I will say, of what little I have seen of them, they seem to feel more deeply. Where we carry history and memories, they carry love and devotion; a loyalty and bond to the other humans around them we dragons do not match.

I see all of that, the rush of my own longing, the naïve and bold spirit of youth, the well of emotion within it, and a present corrupted by the past, just within a few moments of being in this human youngling’s presence. I can sense it in her being. I know it to be true.

Everything falls into place.

I know my purpose.

I know why the ancestral spirits have granted me maturity.

It is time; time for dragons and humans to come together again. I can feel it in my scales. I can sense it pulsing through my blood. I can hear it in the balance calling to me from the great forest.

This is why I have been sent here. This was not something I stumbled into, but something I was destined to discover. The toddler and I have been brought together to mold the generations that will decide the future. I had never fallen behind, I had been stored away, kept in a separate time for this moment. I am exactly where I was always meant to be.

I slightly, and carefully step out into the light of the meadow, away from the cover of the trees and brush, heart racing. I am breaking all of the traditions, disregarding all of the warnings from my youngling training, on an impulse, on a calling I have never heard before, but trust in completely. I move slowly to avoid startling the human, I need for her to know I am with her.

A twig snaps beneath my foot and her tiny head pops up as she spins and looks back to find me, eyes wide and locked on mine in an instant.

There is a moment of stillness, both of us peering into each other’s being. I do not move a muscle, I try to barely even breath as I offer the essence of my spirit to her, gently reaching for hers in tandem.

There it is, I take hold and release a glimpse of all of my mature wisdom to her, the wisdom of dragons. I see the understanding flooding her innermost being. Her maturity, even at such a young age, is coming over her too, not one of man, but of dragons. A purpose seeps into her.

We both see it now. The intertwining of our spirits creates a new kind of magic, that connects the vision and future of both dragon kind and human kind.

It is all the same world.

We will make it so.