Birth of the Dragon

Love Bites

Dakota found herself standing in the midst of drunken partygoers, wondering why she ever decided to go. When the rains started to fall, she should have gone straight home rather than follow everyone to Zac's house. Dakota had only gone in the first place to meet the other teenagers in the town and see what they were really like. It seemed most of the people were not too interested in speaking to her, except for the occasional stoner.

Despite only having the one drink - from a bottle she had bought herself - Dakota found herself feeling rather lightheaded and dizzy. It hit her quite suddenly, and to remain on her feet she had to grab the nearest table. Her drink fell, and some people looked over to see what the source of the shattering noise was before they turned their attention away. The dizziness subsided after a moment, but she had this strange feeling inside her. It was a longing, but what it was for Dakota had no idea. When she took a step she found the ground wobbled as though she had far too much to drink. This was strange; Dakota was not a lightweight.

For no reason in particular, Dakota felt suddenly ecstatic. The music started to sound so good and her hips started to sway along to the beat. She was joined soon by a guy she passingly remembered from school. When he got too close, rather than telling him to shove off, she just giggled and moved closer to his body. His breath smelled like alcohol, but there was another lingering scent; sweeter and much more appealing. Dakota rested her head on the crook of his neck and took in the smell of him. She wondered if he tasted as lovely as his body smelled and noticed how close her lips were to his neck. She kissed.

When Dakota tasted something wet on her lips, she knew something was amiss. She pulled back and saw with horror the deep punctures on his neck. The drunk boy grinned and continued to dance as blood seeped from his wound as though he could not feel it. Dakota touched her lips and reluctantly looked at her finger tip. It was coated in shiny, crimson blood which smelled strongly of nectar. Her eyes widened in fear and confusion, wondering if she was the cause of the blood. Did she bite him? Dakota felt like she was going to vomit.

The drunk boy protested as Dakota ran off, trying to not stumble too much. She passed a pair of lovebirds making out in the hallway and pushed the door she thought led to the bathroom. Somone was throwing up in the toilet, but Dakota ignored him. She found the mirror and saw the blood dripping from her chin. Why did no one seem to notice? Dakota opened her mouth and saw her teeth were coated with the red liquid. She stared in open-mouthed horror at her gorey reflection, knowing she must have bitten that boy. She didn't remember doing it; she thought she just kissed him. Her hands shook and the need to vomit hit her like a Mack truck, but she kept it down. Dakota sucked breath in and turned around to leave. She was going to go home to her family and cry herself to sleep. That was when she saw the blood pouring from the vomiting boy's throat. It was like a steady waterfall, hitting the edge of the toilet and spreading across the floor. She ran.

In the hall, Dakota could see deep wounds in the necks of the couple making out and the blood on their lips as though they were trying to give new meaning to the term love bite. They seemed unperturbed by her scared, disgusted stare. She moved back to the main area of the party and tried to pass through the throng of dancers. Dakota wanted nothing more than to get out, but it almost seemed like the party-goers were doing their best to surround her, to stop her. All of them were thickly coated with blood from their hair down to their feet, and as they rubbed up against her they smeared it onto her own skin. Dakota was so terrified she felt as though her throat had constricted, cutting off her air supply.

Someone grabbed Dakota's shoulders and turned her to face them. "Hey, are you alright?" Although the rest of the world was covered in blood, this exotic-featured girl wasn't. She looked almost familiar, but Dakota couldn't place it. She shook her head vigorously, unsure she could speak without bursting into tears. The girl put an arm around her. "Come on, you need some fresh air," she said whilst leading her away from the party.

Dakota allowed the girl to lead her into the nearby forest, glad to be away from the crowds and with someone who looked so normal. "Did you see that?" Dakota asked shakily, tears brimming at her eyes.

"There's nothing out here to be afraid of," as she said it the forest seemed to appear lighter and more vibrant. Dakota found herself relaxing a little, focusing on the sounds of the forest animals. She never thought she would go into the forest, but she wished she had sooner. It was beautiful and relaxing.

"Where are we going?" Dakota asked curiously as the thumping sound of the party died away.

"To meet someone I know." Dakota nearly asked who it was they were going to meet, but something stopped her. She looked around and realized she should have been keeping track of the turns they had been making; now Dakota had no idea how to get back out.

"How much further?"

They stepped into a clearing, which was empty except for what appeared to be a large stone roughly in the middle and a girl kneeling before it. "We're here." Dakota looked to the girl who had led her here, only to realize that somehow, she was the kneeling girl.

It seemed to Alex the stone was almost emitting a faint glow as its words appeared in her head. "It's time."

Alex nodded, sitting cross legged on the ground in front of the orb with her hands on her knees and eyes closed. Responding via their mind link, "I will do my best." It did not respond with words, but a pleased feeling washed over her for a second and she knew it was the stone.

"From this one you will feel unbridled terror, excitement, and power. There is one sensation you will feel which you will not understand, not yet. She fears an attack, so it is up to you to see her paranoia and exploit it," the stone explained in a stern manner.

"Fear and paranoia is about the extent of what i can do currently; we'll see if I get better at this as it goes along." When Alex's body felt like it was constricting itself, she knew the orb was not pleased.

"You will find her. You must" the stone insisted.

The orb felt the girl mutter something in the real world, but she obviously knew well enough by now not to talk back. Alex took a deep breath and the orb's awareness widened as Alex probed for the mind it wanted. "Terror, but excited. Fear of attack. Ah, found her. Let's take a look shall we?" The girl glazed over the other's mind, not willing to press too deeply into what she believed as the privacy of another person's mind. She then found the image that frightened her target. It was a boy who looked abnormal, with black scerlas, fangs, and strong, sharp nails. "Hmm. Scary, yes, but lets exaggerate those fangs and claws to give it that little bit of extra kick. Now how do I do this? Okay, here we go."

"Very well done, Alex. Hold that image, and bring me the girl," the orb commanded in a pleased tone.

It did not take long. The orb watched from Alex's mind as the girl projected her mind, keeping up the vampiric image of the boy as she approached the other girl. She came across Mel after a few minutes, and it was all smooth sailing after that. What Mel saw was the very thing that frightened her at the party; Sam. It was hard for the orb to hear what she was yelling, as its powers were not fully developed. Still, it could see Mel's tight fists and her clenched teeth. Even without hearing her words, the orb could sense her fear hidden under layers of anger. Alex was either ill-prepared for conflict, or her own magic wasn't strong enough to hold the mirage fully. When the image of Sam shifted to Alex for the briefest second, Mel's fear and confusion grew. She ran and Alex followed, trying and occasionally failing to hold the illusion. Still, the trap worked, and soon Mel found herself in the clearing where the stone waited.

Alex's body was sitting in the clearing as the orb explained to her the next target. "The next one you will be familiar with; you used him to trick the girl. His mind has a real animalistic edge to it, you will see. He is gentle, but has a hard edge. He feels like a trapped wolf," it explained.

"Okay, a guy this time." The orb could feel the girl straining to use her relatively new powers and she gasped and breathed heavily when she finally found the boy. "Found him... ah that shouldn't be too hard."

Alex appeared before the boy in the image of a large, black wolf. She was sitting not far from him, hiding in the bushes. It took a moment, but he soon noticed her. His fear and confusion was evident. His body was tense and shaking hard, but he did not move until Alex turned around and walked into the forest. It was harder to keep up this shape as it was so unfamiliar to her, but she managed to maintain it whilst the boy was watching. She could hear him taking slow, hesitant steps behind her, as well as another person. Alex took a look back to see a pretty blonde girl was trailing behind the boy, keeping her distance. It was unlikely the boy even knew she was there. It did not take long for them to arrive in the clearing.

"I hope you are paying attention, because these next ones might be harder to find than the others," the orb interrupted Alex's projection.

Alex quickly remade her wolf but devoted less energy to it. What am I looking for?"

"This one will feel like a normal human, but wilder. Feeling this one's mind will make you feel uncomfortable and trapped, but push past that."

Alex relaxed and reached out. "Wild, wil-oh!" She recoiled at the contact. "I found it." He was at a party, sitting on a chair against the wall and bobbing his head to the music slightly. Alex approached him, a red solo cup clasped in her hand and a fliratious smile aimed at the dark-haired boy. "I know your secret," she revealed almost teasingly.

The boy stiffened, "W-what?" he asked incredulously, staring wide-eyed at Alex.

She walked over with a laugh and placed her hands on his knees. "You know what I mean."

He looked worried, but leaned closer. “Who are you?”

Alex brushed the hair back to reveal a pointed ear. "A friend."

As his eyes widened even more, he lifted a hand tentatively to her ear. “You’re an elf - like Renwyn.”

"Follow me and I'll show you."

He blinked, as if in a daze whilst she pulled him to his feet. “Okay, but I have to get back soon."

She nodded as she drew him into the forest.

After walking for a few minutes, he slowed down. The forest was silent and dark around his barely visible silhouette, lined by the distant glow of the party through the trees. “W-wait, where are we going?”

She smiled as she walked up to him and caressed his cheek. “Trust me.” He nodded and they continued on, coming to the clearing where the others waited.

Mel, Sam, Selina, Ryan, and Dakota were trying to grab Alex's attention and figure out what was going on when Sebastian ran into the clearing and grabbed Alex by her shoulders. He was trying to wake her from her trance-like state as he stared into her now-white eyes and yelled. Alex was unresponsive to him, but the orb could hear Alex screaming in her head. It wished everyone would be quiet as its energy pulsated. It was time.

When the first crack came upon the surface of the egg, it was like a clap of thunder. Most of the group jumped and stared open-mouthed. There came a long split along its stony surface, and then another. With one last burst of energy the egg fell to pieces, revealing the baby dragon. Everyone except Sebastian and Alex stood in shock, none of them believing what they saw before them. Sam and Dakota both looked like they were unsure if they were even awake; dragons were the stuff of legends, not real life.

"So it's real," a newcomer stated incredulously. Everyone turned from the dragon for a moment to see a black-haired girl standing behind them.

"Alana?" Dakota questioned, "What are you doing here?"

Alana pointed at the dragon. "Looking for her."