Part 1: The Hatching

The Hatching-by M.E. Starr 2/4/2009

         The egg quivered and rocked on its hot bed of sand. A tap-tap tapping noise could be heard coming from within as the creature it held tried to force its way out of the thick shell. Peony sat on her haunches staring at the egg. She had thought it to be a rock at first and had been sitting upon it when it first began to move. The shallow cave was warm and dry, the perfect place to escape the late spring rains. The child had crawled into the cave, desperate to evade the driving rain. The cave was heated by a vent at the back which had a smell that reminded her faintly of the rotting eggs her step-brother Jordan had hidden in her bed last week. Her father had recently remarried, and now she and her little brother Stephen had to suffer the abuses of a heartless stepmother and her cruel stepson.

         Peony’s was drawn from her musings by a loud *CRACK!* She scooted closer to the egg, peering intently at it. A tiny green head popped out and she let out a yelp, tumbling backwards onto her bottom. Large blue eyes peered at her, full of curiosity.  The little lizard wiggled and squirmed its way out of the broken shell and tumbled in a heap onto the sand before her. He was about four feet long from snout to tail with mossy green and brown scales rippling in a repetitive diamond pattern all the way down the length of his body.  He had two curved hind legs similar in style to those of a cat and two shorter forelegs that ended in hands with 5 claw-like fingers plus an opposable thumb-claw.  He had a tiny crown of premature horns ringing his head, and soft leathery wings that stretched out behind him like a cape. When she reached out tentatively to touch them, she realized they were covered in green and gold downy feathers, softer than a baby’s kiss. As he fluttered them for the first time, Peony realized they didn’t look like the bat wings dragons were depicted with in stories, but more like huge bird wings. He stirred up a warm breeze as he fluttered and flapped them in the air. Then he stumbled forward, a piercing cry erupting from his throat. As it came out of his mouth, Peony noticed the scales were everywhere, even on the inside of his mouth and tongue. He was toothless still, and crying piteously now.  The little creature lurched forward, sniffing at her jacket, and Peony realized it could probably smell the beef jerky she had tucked into her coat. She reached in and pulled them out. There were three sticks in all, each about six inches in length. Sniffing carefully at them, the little lizard then snatched them out of her hands with his taloned paws and stuffed them in his mouth. He sucked on them, nearly choking as he tried to chew without teeth. He began to whimper pitifully.

         The twelve year old girl hugged him. “Oh, you poor baby, let me help you.” She took the jerky from him and chewed it in her mouth. When it was soft and easy to swallow, she spit it into her hand and fed it to him. He began crying again immediately, his hunger not yet sated. Her pockets empty, she stroked his feathery eye ridges. “Stay here and I’ll get you something you can eat. Don’t leave the cave yet, I don’t think you’ll like the rain.” She whispered at the whimpering creature. A wave of overwhelming hunger flowed over her, and her stomach growled in response. It was a few intense moments before she realized it wasn’t her hunger she was feeling, but the baby dragons. Realization dawned on her. “He communicates by feelings.” She whispered to herself. She tried to project the feeling of cold outside the cave to him, hoping he would get the idea and stay inside. She rushed out into the screaming wind and biting rain, racing for the cabin as fast as she could.

         The door crashed shut behind her as she burst into the kitchen where her grandmother was baking cookies. Snagging a hot cookie off the tray, she juggled it from hand to hand as she made for the pantry. “Peony, stay out of the cookies. They are for Marjorie’s guests this afternoon.” Her grandmother scolded, barely looking at the disheveled girl. “And keep that mud out of my kitchen!” Peony muttered a response as she pulled down the picnic basket and began stuffing things into it. On the shelf in front of her was a large can of tuna fish and another of SPAM. She shoved them into the basket figuring they would be easy to break into tiny pieces. Opening the refrigerator, she saw the bowl of Marjorie’s favorite custard sitting on the shelf. With a wicked grin, she slipped that into the basket too. Closing the lid, she exited the kitchen before her grandmother could question what she was doing...



To be continued...