Chapter Two
I pretended insouciance as I watched the large human male through slitted eyes. He spoke to me before he lumbered into the house. His words held no rancor, nor had he made any threatening gestures. Still, one couldn’t be too careful with humans. The last one I’d encountered had shrieked and thrown things at me! Totally uncalled for. I’d simply been partaking of the still steaming offering of food they’d left on a window ledge. A sweet treat that I’d barely had a chance to taste before being rudely interrupted. When I grew in size, I’d be paying them a visit and explaining—possibly while chewing on them—that mistreating a dragon was a bad idea.
The human before that used a long stick that made noise and caused the tree trunk beside me to explode into shards.
Such violence and disrespect. I couldn’t wait until I could teach them manners and tell them just how badly they’d erred. I’d been working on my speech, sidling close to dwellings to absorb the words of those within, however, this male appeared to use a different language.
A foreigner! But one who’d not shown any signs of panic other than very wide eyes. Would he be the first of my many servants? Time would tell.
In the meantime, since he’d graciously vacated the tub, I soaked in the hot waters, a balmy reprieve after the wretched cold.
When I’d been driven from the network of caves in the mountain in search of food, the temperature proved chilly. While I didn’t like it, I’d had no choice but to tolerate the cold for I needed sustenance. Alas, the hunting in the area proved less than adequate. My current size impeded my ability to take down the larger prey that would have satisfied my always-rumbling belly. Still, the squirrels did prove more palatable than the spiders and salamanders I’d decimated in the caves.
It had been quite a shock to find myself hatched underground. The pool of lava, that cradled my shell, contained within a schism in the rock that barely allowed my head to clear the surface of the magma. I’d swum from it to find myself in a narrow tunnel through which thin rivulets of molten rock ran, already hardening at the edges. A less-than-spectacular volcanic explosion by all signs, and hopefully not a portent of my future. With dragonkind there was a belief that the more spectacular and destructive the eruption that brought about the hatching, the more likely that dragon would achieve great things.
Then again, I wouldn’t let a thing like a volcano that did little more than sputter stop me from beginning my quest to dominate, a task that required the acquisition of servants who would feed me at all hours until I grew enough to hunt larger prey on my own.
Did the human have food in his abode? The structure seemed sizeable, indicating a man of certain wealth. A wealth I would, of course, claim. And if the male disagreed? Well, like the female who’d chased me, he’d pay for it when I eventually reached a size that would allow me to exact retribution.
Assuming he proved reluctant, of course. Much better to conscript him into my service. After all, a dragon needed people to tend to their needs.
Once the chill in my flesh dissipated and my hunger became too much to bear, I slid from the tub and stalked to the door he’d used to enter the house. The handle remained annoyingly out of reach. A light within indicated the human might not have gone to bed. What was he doing? Sharpening his weapons to murder me? Or had he recognized my greatness and rushed to prepare me a feast?
Curious as to his actions, I grabbed hold of the wooden siding on the home with my claws and climbed to the second story where I could peer inside the window. No curtain blocked my view, so I clearly saw the male sitting at a desk, partially hunched, his hands moving rapidly on a strange device while staring at an illuminated rectangular picture frame.
Had I stumbled across a sorcerer? My inherited memories had a name for those who could do magic, even as those same recollections indicated they were extremely rare—usually because dragons ate them. Those who could wield esoteric forces posed a threat and supposedly tasted delicious.
What kind of spell did this male craft? Should I flee back into the wretched cold before he wielded it against me?
A shiver went through me, making the decision. I would not flee. It was undragonly to even contemplate.
The man rose suddenly and paced, murmuring to himself before grabbing a mug and raising it to his lips. He must not have liked the sip because he grimaced at the cup. As he exited the room, I rose high enough to run a claw against the glass. Clear and obviously of high quality. The window casement did give me pause though, the material strange and slippery. Not wood or glass, but some strange composite that I had no word for.
Light appeared below me. The man must have gone to the first level of the home. It took but a moment to lower and reposition myself. A glance within the newly lit window showed a kitchen the likes of which my memories couldn’t comprehend. The man stood in front of a large, rectangular, upright chest, the lid of it pulled open, showing shelves holding what appeared to be food.
So much food. I salivated at the sight.
He pulled out a jug and poured what appeared to be milk into his mug. He put the milk away and then grabbed a container with a red lid which he peeled off. He began popping morsels of something into his mouth and my hunger intensified.
I pressed my muzzle against the glass, steaming it with my breath. The man glanced in my direction and must have seen me for he frowned.
“Feed me.”
Surely he heard, because he cocked his head, however, he didn’t move. Most likely he didn’t understand. His speech didn’t match any of the languages I’d been hatched with. How to make him understand?
I licked the glass.
The human laughed.
I smacked my lips.
More chortling.
I stood on the ledge high enough for him to fully see me. I tapped with a claw, trying to indicate I wanted what he ate, then pointed to my mouth.
His brows lifted and he said something.
I repeated my actions but also grabbed my rumbling tummy.
