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Dr. Patterson reveals his past to Ragnar. Fieldstar offers the two of them a place to stay for the night on his ranch, The Upper Crust Ranch.
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Ragnar stopped. “Wait, what’s a shifter?” The red dragon raised a brow.
Patterson froze. Fieldstar opened his maw as if to say something, but the human quietly placed a hand on Ground dragon’s forearm and sighed. He turned and pulled the odd pendant out from under his shirt. The shining emerald paw pads sparkled in the fading light. With a worn and tired gaze, he rubbed the smooth crystal. A weak smile flickered across his face. “A shifter is Fieldstar’s name for anyone who changes form.” Patterson pointed to the beige dragon behind him.
“But he called you a shifter,” Ragnar’s eyes stung, fearing another betrayal in his life.
“Yes—”
“But you look human.” The dragon’s tear-stained eyes narrowed.
“Yes—”
Smoke leaked from behind the hybrid as his anger grew. “You told me that you were from Earth,” His voice had turned cold, a cold that barely chilled a fiery rage. “Then, then is everything you told me a lie?” His voice broke, “Are you even human?” A beat, “Or are you some kind of shapeshifter, ready to kill me once you get the chance?” Ragnar’s arms wrapped around him in a terrified hug.
The man sighed and rubbed his brow. The long hike through the forest and the recent…encounter were taking their toll. After a long pause, he spoke, “I am human, Ragnar.” He took a step forward, “but you weren’t entirely wrong when you called me a shapeshifter.” He pulled the emerald pendant out from under his shirt. “This pendant is very special. It lets me change into any kind of creature I’ve seen.”
“Prove it.”
Patterson was taken aback for a moment. After a second of thought, he nodded quietly. A green aura emanated from the pendant and engulfed him. Quickly, he shifted to all fours. Fur sprouted all over his body and a wolfen maw grew from his face. When the aura faded, all that was left was a regular grey wolf, except for its emerald irises. Ragnar gasped in astonishment. He took a step closer to the beast, but before he could reach out and touch it, the wolf shifted back into the human, Dr. Patterson.
The smoke stopped pouring from the dragon's back. “How did you get something like that?”
“When I was a young man back on Earth, I met the love of my life during a research study in a sleepy town deep in the mountains of Colorado.” Patterson paused as he chose his words, “I soon realized that she came from a whole other world, another dimension. That realization instantly spurred my curiosity! Against her better judgment, she helped me with my research regarding the fabric between dimensions and the curios effects it had on the town.”
“Over the years, we got married and settled down near what we had identified as the gateway to the world between worlds.” The man turned his attention toward the ground, a hollow, lonely expression, “Eventually we had a child…our little John.” His voice broke. “God, he must be in his early teens now.” With a sniffle, he resumed his tale, “But a family wasn’t enough for me. My research remained unfinished. I had to resolve this burning desire to-to explore what waited on the other side. I had fought with her over opening the gate. She was scared of what could be waiting, she had escaped to Earth after all. I assured her it would be safe, but she wasn’t satisfied until she brought me to an odd little jewelry shop.”
The man’s gaze returned to the alien sky above them, the warm glow of the setting sun, bathing the trees of the forest in a golden light. “Inside, I learned of a whole new…being. I still don’t completely understand how they live or even how they truly function. The shopkeeper called them Animal Gems.” He reached into his shirt and pulled out the emerald pendant. “My wife wouldn’t let me go without one of these in my possession. So…I became bonded to an Animal Gem.” He clutched the pendant tightly. With a shaky breath, “Trebor, come on out.”
The glittering emeralds began to glow. An ethereal Wolfen maw appeared from the emerald pendant. It too had an emerald green color, albeit wispy and ethereal versus the gemstone’s hard and shiny surface. Slowly, the rest of the wolf pulled itself from the pendant. The wolf’s body stretched like rubber as it emerged from the emerald paw. Once free, the wolf’s left hind paw glowed alongside the emeralds of the pendant.
The ethereal wolf floated between the trio of travelers. Its spectral body illuminated them in an eerie green glow. Despite the creature’s haunting appearance, a wide, goofy grin was plastered across its muzzle. It waved a paw at the stunned dragon and spoke, “hi!”
Ragnar stood perfectly still, shellshocked by the sight in front of him. The wolf was like a ghost in almost every way. Though, given the context, a spirit animal might’ve been a better term.
The wolf reached his paw forward. Its goofy smile turned to a warm, kind-hearted one, excited to meet a new friend. “I’m Trebor. What’s your name?”
Ragnar cautiously returned the handshake, “Ragnar?” He turned his attention to the human.
“With Trebor at my side, my wife let me travel into the new world and explore. I was finally able to complete my research. What we hadn’t expected was for someone to be waiting on the other side. Needless to say, they weren’t the friendly sort. My wife stood helpless from Earth as I was taken away. After some time, I arrived here. I became lost, unable to leave this world, let alone find my way back to Earth.”
Trebor floated over Dr. Patterson and set a comforting paw on his shoulder. “Over time, I lost faith in ever finding my way home. I always kept what I learned from my research in the back of my mind, a small spark of hope that my labor would finally bear fruit.” He sighed, “When you arrived at my clinic, saying you were from Earth, I could hardly believe it. I wasn’t alone in the world anymore!” Patterson paused another moment, “but…in some ways, I still am. Still viewed as a monster in this world. Even though I have the power, I could never fit in properly.” He managed to stifle a sob. It caught in his throat. With his next breath, it heaved out in a pained cry.
Trebor and Fieldstar wrapped around the broken man in a tight hug, slowly calming the man down, giving the hybrid a moment to process everything Patterson had just said. Animal Gems? Multiverse? Colorado? Ragnar stood, utterly baffled and confused. His draconic maw wide with surprise.
Eventually, Fieldstar picked up Patterson and nudged the hybrid with his rocky shoulder, motioning for them to continue on ahead. A short distance beyond the edge of the forest sat the edge of a large ranch. Spiked fences held back a large herd of the same boar creature they had encountered earlier. The brown-scaled dragon beamed with pride at the land before them. Farther away stood a small farmhouse, the walls a dull yellow color. A nearby windmill spun and twisted erratically under the blustering winds of the sky above.
Fieldstar was the first to speak up, “Welcome to the Upper Crust Ranch!”
“You changed the name.” Patterson’s voice was raw, a lump still settled in his throat.
The Ground dragon smiled a toothy grin, “Yeah, Oasis just wasn’t a good fit for us.”
“Us?”
“Yeah, I finally found someone!” His smile widened. “I can’t wait for you to meet her!” He set the man back on the ground. “Just let my fly ahead and let her know that we’re having guests.” With that, Fieldstar leaned down and spread his wings wide. In a flash he leaped into the sky, taking off toward the homestead and a gleeful rhythm to his beating wings.
Trebor turned to the human. “Fillip, do you want to fly to the house?” Trebor asked.
Patterson silently nodded. Trebor quickly returned to the pendant, instantly triggering a change in Patterson’s body. His body swelled as green and brown scales emerged from the man’s skin. His legs shifted to a digitigrade stance. A large tail flopped to the ground, leaving a small patch of fresh grass and dandelions around where his tail made contact with the ground. Wings sprouted from his back and a large, gnarled snout pushed its way forward. Patterson’s eyes squeezed shut before quickly opening to reveal subtly glowing emerald green eyes.
The odd dragon quickly erupted into the air, leaving Ragnar behind, even more baffled than before. “Why didn’t you just keep yourself like that the entire time you’ve been here?” he yelled as he too took flight.
Fillip flapped his newly grown wings and slowly higher before settling into a steady glide. “I never fit in, remember? Plus, this power has its limits.” The two began to fly side-by-side. “Besides, if you had met a real Plant dragon, you would understand how poorly I fit in.” Ragnar grumbled under his breath as the two soared toward the quaint home on the range.
When the two landed, Patterson returned to his human form and stepped across the threshold first. He was immediately greeted by a cry as a female Ground dragon jumped back in shock. She quickly ran further into the house and slammed a door.
Soon after, Fieldstar appeared from the same hallway with the shaken female. “Cornelia, this is Fillip, the human I’ve told you about.”
“Oh! That’s what humans look like.” She pointed to the man’s comparatively skinny frame. “So, he’s the guy who helped you out so much back in the day?” Her fear instantly melted away into a bubbly glee as she nearly tackled him in a hug. “Thank you for all of the help you gave my Fieldstone all those years ago!” Fillip blushed as he quickly wiggled himself out of the tight embrace.
“It was no problem! Your man there helped me a lot in turn!”
Ragnar slowly stepped across the threshold into the home, holding his arm in that awkward son kind of way.
Fieldstar swung his arm toward the hybrid. “This young one is Ragnar, a new friend of mine, who I’m helping out right now!” Ragnar waved and leaned against the wall awkwardly.
“You are young, barely even an adult by the looks of it!” She quickly dove in for a hug. She squeezed him tight and whispered in his ear. “Oh, life must have been so difficult for you.” She tapped the emblem on his pauldron before pulling away and stepping into the adjacent kitchen with a cheerful step. “I’ll whip up some dinner for us and you two can tell me all about yourselves! My Fieldstone overexaggerates his stories, so I wanna hear it all straight from the source!”
Half an hour later, the three men sat at the large dining table, crafted with wood from the forest. The tabletop was a large tree trunk coated with some kind of clear material to protect the wood from weathering down and rotting away. The base resembled most tables Ragnar had seen on Earth, particularly the kind found in ranch-style homes.
The group sat down around the table. Fieldstar and Fillip chatted like old friends, occasionally bringing Cornelia into the conversation. Before long a piping hot pot of stew sat in the center of the table with a few bowls and sets of utensils resting in front of each of them. “Everyone, dig in!” she beamed.
They all quickly dug into the stew, the boar meat Cornelia had used was surprisingly juicy and tender. The meat melted into their mouths, the sparse vegetables making for a nice pairing. The broth was rich and thick, almost like gravy. The men all had seconds, thoroughly enjoying the hearty stew. Ragnar had a third portion, scarfing it all down like a black hole, though enjoying it no less than the others.
Once everyone had had their fill. Cornelia resumed the earlier conversation, setting things back on track. “So, where do we start?”
Ragnar started first, recounting his last memory on Earth before waking up by a pool of water. Tearing his wing, meeting, and getting stitched up by Fillip. Working in Quartz Quarry. He even included the altercation with Slaktullr.
“And then, something snapped in me…I dunno, but I just broke and…well…I torched Fieldstar’s boar. I’m really sorry.” He rubbed the back of his head, “I don’t really remember what happened after I snapped. These two said I had some sort of feral episode.” The red dragon shuddered in his seat.
Cornelia’s face softened into a motherly sort of pout as she got up from her seat and gave Ragnar another hug. The hybrid leaned into it, letting the warm embrace surround him, his body shaking violently as he tried to hold back a sob. A lot of the tension that had built up over the past week finally started to release itself from his body. Cornelia just cooed and gently continued to pat his back.
Cornelia eventually let go of Ragnar and began clearing the table. “Well, how about we move this to the living room?” Ragnar lingered and gave her a hand as the two older men waltzed into the living room and resumed their own conversation.
The four of them spent the rest of the night chatting. Ragnar remained quiet for most of it, letting Fieldstar and Fillip catch up properly. Cornelia took notice and pulled him off to the side when the two older men started to play an old game of theirs.
“I can tell you’re having a really hard time with all of this,” she started. “I know that I can’t really understand what you’re going through right now, but I want to help you in whatever way I can!” The Ground dragon paused a moment, “Stay a couple of days. Lend us a hand and let me be here for you and help you process everything that’s happened, alright?”
The red dragon nodded, his eyes burning with new tears. “I haven’t had someone who cared for me or loved me this much in a long time.” The two of them shared another long hug just before the other two wrapped up their game. Fieldstar watched them with a warm smile and whispered something in Fillip’s ear. The man nodded and muttered something back before the group briefly reconvened.
The night was short-lived from there. The sun had long since set. The nightlife of the ranch roared to life, a symphony of nature. Fieldstar stretched his body in a wide yawn. “I think it’s time we all turned in. We have a couple of spare rooms for the two of ya. Stay the night and get some rest.” He pointed sleepily to two of the doors in the hallway. “Filip, take the room in the back, it should be a little more your size.” The sandy dragon winked before following Cornelia to their room. She turned and gave a quick wave to her guests before disappearing behind the door.
Fillip and Ragnar trudged to their rooms. The red dragon’s limbs drooped with exhaustion and weariness. The bedroom was nothing special. It looked like an ordinary guest room, simple and free of too much decoration. The dragon dropped his things by the nightstand and flopped onto the bed. He groaned as his tight muscles released and relaxed. The hay-filled mattress drooped under his weight and bounced back on his supports in just the right way.
Ragnar slowly rolled over and retrieved Klipp’s scale. He slowly turned it around and around in his claws, thinking back on all he’s been through so far. The hybrid gripped the scale tighter before resting it on his large chest, falling asleep shortly after.
Ragnar found himself in the middle of a small, cramped jewelry store. Old wooden shelves lined the walls, each filled with a variety of sparkling gemstones and precious metals. An old, human man stood behind the counter. A large inspection glass covered one eye as he hunched over a workbench. Above him sat a shelf full of raw, uncut gemstones. They sparkled in the dim light. A pair of oil lanterns were the only thing illuminating the shop, aside from the focused lamp at the workbench.
One gemstone that particularly caught the dragon’s eye was a stone that looked like a nebula in space, a strange combination of red and blue with streaks of silver, all in a crystal-clear cloud.
The dragon could swear the crystal was glowing more so than the others in the shop. He stepped closer to the counter, transfixed on the peculiar gem before him. Something about it called to him. He reached out, his long arms reaching far over the counter, mere inches from the sparkling stone.
“Hello there!”
The dragon jumped out of his scales in shock, nearly knocking over several shelves of fragile jewelry. The man laughed at the unexpected timidness of the dragon. His well-worn eyes sparkled with a passion for his craft and just a bit of glee at the sight before him.
“I haven’t had anyone come visit in quite some time! I was starting to think that I’d have to close up shop.” The old man walked around the counter and held out a wrinkled hand. Ragnar took the hand in turn, gazing into the man’s kind eyes.
He squinted, inspecting the dragon with the glass that still covered one eye. His gaze seemed to look past the dragon, searching for something deeper. Once he found it, he smiled and turned back toward the counter.
“I see that you’re destined for change.” He reached up and grabbed the crystal that transfixed the dragon. He turned it in his hands nodding his head for him to come closer. “This is Krobinium, a special gemstone only found in Draconis! It’s a very special kind of ruby as you can see!” He held out the gemstone for Ragnar to inspect the strange crystal.
The crystal reflected something in the dragon’s eyes, a strange, mixed-up beauty chaotic in nature, yet peaceful in the stillness of the suspended nebula. The man set the Krobinium on his workbench and returned his attention to the dragon.
“It’s clear that you’re meant to do something important with a gemstone like this.” He snapped his fingers, “I’ll make something special with this, just for you!” He tapped his chin in thought, “But what do I make? Something big and strong like yourself to be sure. A pendant around the neck? No, it’ll just fly off in the wind…” he trailed off as he returned to the counter, looking through a number of designs. He tapped the table, finding the design he was looking for. “Something that’ll bridge the gap in who you are.” The old man smiled, holding up the design to the dragon. “A modification for the strap of your pauldron, a unique design sitting just above your heart.” He nodded to himself and set the design aside. “Come find me before the molting season. I’m sure that you’ll love what I have in store for you!” Suddenly, Ragnar grew weary falling to the floor in a deep sleep.
[43976816,41010149,-]
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Chapter 8: Reality Shattered
Written by: Ryker-Wolf
Ragnar stopped. “Wait, what’s a shifter?” The red dragon raised a brow.
Patterson froze. Fieldstar opened his maw as if to say something, but the human quietly placed a hand on Ground dragon’s forearm and sighed. He turned and pulled the odd pendant out from under his shirt. The shining emerald paw pads sparkled in the fading light. With a worn and tired gaze, he rubbed the smooth crystal. A weak smile flickered across his face. “A shifter is Fieldstar’s name for anyone who changes form.” Patterson pointed to the beige dragon behind him.
“But he called you a shifter,” Ragnar’s eyes stung, fearing another betrayal in his life.
“Yes—”
“But you look human.” The dragon’s tear-stained eyes narrowed.
“Yes—”
Smoke leaked from behind the hybrid as his anger grew. “You told me that you were from Earth,” His voice had turned cold, a cold that barely chilled a fiery rage. “Then, then is everything you told me a lie?” His voice broke, “Are you even human?” A beat, “Or are you some kind of shapeshifter, ready to kill me once you get the chance?” Ragnar’s arms wrapped around him in a terrified hug.
The man sighed and rubbed his brow. The long hike through the forest and the recent…encounter were taking their toll. After a long pause, he spoke, “I am human, Ragnar.” He took a step forward, “but you weren’t entirely wrong when you called me a shapeshifter.” He pulled the emerald pendant out from under his shirt. “This pendant is very special. It lets me change into any kind of creature I’ve seen.”
“Prove it.”
Patterson was taken aback for a moment. After a second of thought, he nodded quietly. A green aura emanated from the pendant and engulfed him. Quickly, he shifted to all fours. Fur sprouted all over his body and a wolfen maw grew from his face. When the aura faded, all that was left was a regular grey wolf, except for its emerald irises. Ragnar gasped in astonishment. He took a step closer to the beast, but before he could reach out and touch it, the wolf shifted back into the human, Dr. Patterson.
The smoke stopped pouring from the dragon's back. “How did you get something like that?”
“When I was a young man back on Earth, I met the love of my life during a research study in a sleepy town deep in the mountains of Colorado.” Patterson paused as he chose his words, “I soon realized that she came from a whole other world, another dimension. That realization instantly spurred my curiosity! Against her better judgment, she helped me with my research regarding the fabric between dimensions and the curios effects it had on the town.”
“Over the years, we got married and settled down near what we had identified as the gateway to the world between worlds.” The man turned his attention toward the ground, a hollow, lonely expression, “Eventually we had a child…our little John.” His voice broke. “God, he must be in his early teens now.” With a sniffle, he resumed his tale, “But a family wasn’t enough for me. My research remained unfinished. I had to resolve this burning desire to-to explore what waited on the other side. I had fought with her over opening the gate. She was scared of what could be waiting, she had escaped to Earth after all. I assured her it would be safe, but she wasn’t satisfied until she brought me to an odd little jewelry shop.”
The man’s gaze returned to the alien sky above them, the warm glow of the setting sun, bathing the trees of the forest in a golden light. “Inside, I learned of a whole new…being. I still don’t completely understand how they live or even how they truly function. The shopkeeper called them Animal Gems.” He reached into his shirt and pulled out the emerald pendant. “My wife wouldn’t let me go without one of these in my possession. So…I became bonded to an Animal Gem.” He clutched the pendant tightly. With a shaky breath, “Trebor, come on out.”
The glittering emeralds began to glow. An ethereal Wolfen maw appeared from the emerald pendant. It too had an emerald green color, albeit wispy and ethereal versus the gemstone’s hard and shiny surface. Slowly, the rest of the wolf pulled itself from the pendant. The wolf’s body stretched like rubber as it emerged from the emerald paw. Once free, the wolf’s left hind paw glowed alongside the emeralds of the pendant.
The ethereal wolf floated between the trio of travelers. Its spectral body illuminated them in an eerie green glow. Despite the creature’s haunting appearance, a wide, goofy grin was plastered across its muzzle. It waved a paw at the stunned dragon and spoke, “hi!”
Ragnar stood perfectly still, shellshocked by the sight in front of him. The wolf was like a ghost in almost every way. Though, given the context, a spirit animal might’ve been a better term.
The wolf reached his paw forward. Its goofy smile turned to a warm, kind-hearted one, excited to meet a new friend. “I’m Trebor. What’s your name?”
Ragnar cautiously returned the handshake, “Ragnar?” He turned his attention to the human.
“With Trebor at my side, my wife let me travel into the new world and explore. I was finally able to complete my research. What we hadn’t expected was for someone to be waiting on the other side. Needless to say, they weren’t the friendly sort. My wife stood helpless from Earth as I was taken away. After some time, I arrived here. I became lost, unable to leave this world, let alone find my way back to Earth.”
Trebor floated over Dr. Patterson and set a comforting paw on his shoulder. “Over time, I lost faith in ever finding my way home. I always kept what I learned from my research in the back of my mind, a small spark of hope that my labor would finally bear fruit.” He sighed, “When you arrived at my clinic, saying you were from Earth, I could hardly believe it. I wasn’t alone in the world anymore!” Patterson paused another moment, “but…in some ways, I still am. Still viewed as a monster in this world. Even though I have the power, I could never fit in properly.” He managed to stifle a sob. It caught in his throat. With his next breath, it heaved out in a pained cry.
Trebor and Fieldstar wrapped around the broken man in a tight hug, slowly calming the man down, giving the hybrid a moment to process everything Patterson had just said. Animal Gems? Multiverse? Colorado? Ragnar stood, utterly baffled and confused. His draconic maw wide with surprise.
Eventually, Fieldstar picked up Patterson and nudged the hybrid with his rocky shoulder, motioning for them to continue on ahead. A short distance beyond the edge of the forest sat the edge of a large ranch. Spiked fences held back a large herd of the same boar creature they had encountered earlier. The brown-scaled dragon beamed with pride at the land before them. Farther away stood a small farmhouse, the walls a dull yellow color. A nearby windmill spun and twisted erratically under the blustering winds of the sky above.
Fieldstar was the first to speak up, “Welcome to the Upper Crust Ranch!”
“You changed the name.” Patterson’s voice was raw, a lump still settled in his throat.
The Ground dragon smiled a toothy grin, “Yeah, Oasis just wasn’t a good fit for us.”
“Us?”
“Yeah, I finally found someone!” His smile widened. “I can’t wait for you to meet her!” He set the man back on the ground. “Just let my fly ahead and let her know that we’re having guests.” With that, Fieldstar leaned down and spread his wings wide. In a flash he leaped into the sky, taking off toward the homestead and a gleeful rhythm to his beating wings.
Trebor turned to the human. “Fillip, do you want to fly to the house?” Trebor asked.
Patterson silently nodded. Trebor quickly returned to the pendant, instantly triggering a change in Patterson’s body. His body swelled as green and brown scales emerged from the man’s skin. His legs shifted to a digitigrade stance. A large tail flopped to the ground, leaving a small patch of fresh grass and dandelions around where his tail made contact with the ground. Wings sprouted from his back and a large, gnarled snout pushed its way forward. Patterson’s eyes squeezed shut before quickly opening to reveal subtly glowing emerald green eyes.
The odd dragon quickly erupted into the air, leaving Ragnar behind, even more baffled than before. “Why didn’t you just keep yourself like that the entire time you’ve been here?” he yelled as he too took flight.
Fillip flapped his newly grown wings and slowly higher before settling into a steady glide. “I never fit in, remember? Plus, this power has its limits.” The two began to fly side-by-side. “Besides, if you had met a real Plant dragon, you would understand how poorly I fit in.” Ragnar grumbled under his breath as the two soared toward the quaint home on the range.
When the two landed, Patterson returned to his human form and stepped across the threshold first. He was immediately greeted by a cry as a female Ground dragon jumped back in shock. She quickly ran further into the house and slammed a door.
Soon after, Fieldstar appeared from the same hallway with the shaken female. “Cornelia, this is Fillip, the human I’ve told you about.”
“Oh! That’s what humans look like.” She pointed to the man’s comparatively skinny frame. “So, he’s the guy who helped you out so much back in the day?” Her fear instantly melted away into a bubbly glee as she nearly tackled him in a hug. “Thank you for all of the help you gave my Fieldstone all those years ago!” Fillip blushed as he quickly wiggled himself out of the tight embrace.
“It was no problem! Your man there helped me a lot in turn!”
Ragnar slowly stepped across the threshold into the home, holding his arm in that awkward son kind of way.
Fieldstar swung his arm toward the hybrid. “This young one is Ragnar, a new friend of mine, who I’m helping out right now!” Ragnar waved and leaned against the wall awkwardly.
“You are young, barely even an adult by the looks of it!” She quickly dove in for a hug. She squeezed him tight and whispered in his ear. “Oh, life must have been so difficult for you.” She tapped the emblem on his pauldron before pulling away and stepping into the adjacent kitchen with a cheerful step. “I’ll whip up some dinner for us and you two can tell me all about yourselves! My Fieldstone overexaggerates his stories, so I wanna hear it all straight from the source!”
Half an hour later, the three men sat at the large dining table, crafted with wood from the forest. The tabletop was a large tree trunk coated with some kind of clear material to protect the wood from weathering down and rotting away. The base resembled most tables Ragnar had seen on Earth, particularly the kind found in ranch-style homes.
The group sat down around the table. Fieldstar and Fillip chatted like old friends, occasionally bringing Cornelia into the conversation. Before long a piping hot pot of stew sat in the center of the table with a few bowls and sets of utensils resting in front of each of them. “Everyone, dig in!” she beamed.
They all quickly dug into the stew, the boar meat Cornelia had used was surprisingly juicy and tender. The meat melted into their mouths, the sparse vegetables making for a nice pairing. The broth was rich and thick, almost like gravy. The men all had seconds, thoroughly enjoying the hearty stew. Ragnar had a third portion, scarfing it all down like a black hole, though enjoying it no less than the others.
Once everyone had had their fill. Cornelia resumed the earlier conversation, setting things back on track. “So, where do we start?”
Ragnar started first, recounting his last memory on Earth before waking up by a pool of water. Tearing his wing, meeting, and getting stitched up by Fillip. Working in Quartz Quarry. He even included the altercation with Slaktullr.
“And then, something snapped in me…I dunno, but I just broke and…well…I torched Fieldstar’s boar. I’m really sorry.” He rubbed the back of his head, “I don’t really remember what happened after I snapped. These two said I had some sort of feral episode.” The red dragon shuddered in his seat.
Cornelia’s face softened into a motherly sort of pout as she got up from her seat and gave Ragnar another hug. The hybrid leaned into it, letting the warm embrace surround him, his body shaking violently as he tried to hold back a sob. A lot of the tension that had built up over the past week finally started to release itself from his body. Cornelia just cooed and gently continued to pat his back.
Cornelia eventually let go of Ragnar and began clearing the table. “Well, how about we move this to the living room?” Ragnar lingered and gave her a hand as the two older men waltzed into the living room and resumed their own conversation.
The four of them spent the rest of the night chatting. Ragnar remained quiet for most of it, letting Fieldstar and Fillip catch up properly. Cornelia took notice and pulled him off to the side when the two older men started to play an old game of theirs.
“I can tell you’re having a really hard time with all of this,” she started. “I know that I can’t really understand what you’re going through right now, but I want to help you in whatever way I can!” The Ground dragon paused a moment, “Stay a couple of days. Lend us a hand and let me be here for you and help you process everything that’s happened, alright?”
The red dragon nodded, his eyes burning with new tears. “I haven’t had someone who cared for me or loved me this much in a long time.” The two of them shared another long hug just before the other two wrapped up their game. Fieldstar watched them with a warm smile and whispered something in Fillip’s ear. The man nodded and muttered something back before the group briefly reconvened.
The night was short-lived from there. The sun had long since set. The nightlife of the ranch roared to life, a symphony of nature. Fieldstar stretched his body in a wide yawn. “I think it’s time we all turned in. We have a couple of spare rooms for the two of ya. Stay the night and get some rest.” He pointed sleepily to two of the doors in the hallway. “Filip, take the room in the back, it should be a little more your size.” The sandy dragon winked before following Cornelia to their room. She turned and gave a quick wave to her guests before disappearing behind the door.
Fillip and Ragnar trudged to their rooms. The red dragon’s limbs drooped with exhaustion and weariness. The bedroom was nothing special. It looked like an ordinary guest room, simple and free of too much decoration. The dragon dropped his things by the nightstand and flopped onto the bed. He groaned as his tight muscles released and relaxed. The hay-filled mattress drooped under his weight and bounced back on his supports in just the right way.
Ragnar slowly rolled over and retrieved Klipp’s scale. He slowly turned it around and around in his claws, thinking back on all he’s been through so far. The hybrid gripped the scale tighter before resting it on his large chest, falling asleep shortly after.
******Ragnar found himself in the middle of a small, cramped jewelry store. Old wooden shelves lined the walls, each filled with a variety of sparkling gemstones and precious metals. An old, human man stood behind the counter. A large inspection glass covered one eye as he hunched over a workbench. Above him sat a shelf full of raw, uncut gemstones. They sparkled in the dim light. A pair of oil lanterns were the only thing illuminating the shop, aside from the focused lamp at the workbench.
One gemstone that particularly caught the dragon’s eye was a stone that looked like a nebula in space, a strange combination of red and blue with streaks of silver, all in a crystal-clear cloud.
The dragon could swear the crystal was glowing more so than the others in the shop. He stepped closer to the counter, transfixed on the peculiar gem before him. Something about it called to him. He reached out, his long arms reaching far over the counter, mere inches from the sparkling stone.
“Hello there!”
The dragon jumped out of his scales in shock, nearly knocking over several shelves of fragile jewelry. The man laughed at the unexpected timidness of the dragon. His well-worn eyes sparkled with a passion for his craft and just a bit of glee at the sight before him.
“I haven’t had anyone come visit in quite some time! I was starting to think that I’d have to close up shop.” The old man walked around the counter and held out a wrinkled hand. Ragnar took the hand in turn, gazing into the man’s kind eyes.
He squinted, inspecting the dragon with the glass that still covered one eye. His gaze seemed to look past the dragon, searching for something deeper. Once he found it, he smiled and turned back toward the counter.
“I see that you’re destined for change.” He reached up and grabbed the crystal that transfixed the dragon. He turned it in his hands nodding his head for him to come closer. “This is Krobinium, a special gemstone only found in Draconis! It’s a very special kind of ruby as you can see!” He held out the gemstone for Ragnar to inspect the strange crystal.
The crystal reflected something in the dragon’s eyes, a strange, mixed-up beauty chaotic in nature, yet peaceful in the stillness of the suspended nebula. The man set the Krobinium on his workbench and returned his attention to the dragon.
“It’s clear that you’re meant to do something important with a gemstone like this.” He snapped his fingers, “I’ll make something special with this, just for you!” He tapped his chin in thought, “But what do I make? Something big and strong like yourself to be sure. A pendant around the neck? No, it’ll just fly off in the wind…” he trailed off as he returned to the counter, looking through a number of designs. He tapped the table, finding the design he was looking for. “Something that’ll bridge the gap in who you are.” The old man smiled, holding up the design to the dragon. “A modification for the strap of your pauldron, a unique design sitting just above your heart.” He nodded to himself and set the design aside. “Come find me before the molting season. I’m sure that you’ll love what I have in store for you!” Suddenly, Ragnar grew weary falling to the floor in a deep sleep.
[43976816,41010149,-]
Category Story / Fantasy
Species Dragon (Other)
Size 120 x 120px
File Size 30.8 kB
Listed in Folders
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