This is an old-ish short story i did for a writing comp. I wanted to share it to give the people following me a taste of what my stories are like. Enjoy!

The urge to move today was stronger than usual, an annoying itch he couldn’t scratch. He sighed, staring out the window. The same sights awaited him that had been there for as long as he had been at this temple. Though he had to admit, they were rather beautiful, with the shimmering turquoise sea and the tranquil mountains.

He shuddered, remembering what it was like before he learnt to slip his spirit out of his stone body. Even still, it wasn’t the same as moving though, feeling the wind beneath his huge powerful wings, flying wherever he pleased. He sighed, once again longing to taste the salt of the ocean.

There was a commotion out front. He slipped out of his petrified stone body, taking a moment to marvel at his flawless scales and elongated snout twisted in a sardonic grin. He shuddered, feeling a strange mixture of awe and eeriness.

The temple monks burst into the room without warning, carrying a dragon statue identical in size to his own, yet completely different. While he was bulky and muscly, she – for it was definitely a she- was lean, yet still strong. His wings spread wide and menacingly over his body, while she had none. His head was sharp, spiked with horns while hers was soft and round, wisps of hair flying free.

He saw a movement in the corner of his eye. A small spirit huddled in the corner.

She cowered as he came closer. “Shh, don’t worry, I won’t harm you” he said soothingly. She was young, probably no older than 200. “I won’t hurt you.”

“What’s your name?” she asked quietly.

“Lucius. What’s yours?”

“Mei”

“Mei, would you like me to tell you a story,”

She nodded.

He took a deep breath. He hadn’t told this story to anyone since his imprisonment. Finally, it would be free. Someone would know what had happened to him.

“A long time ago, I was once a real dragon…”

I flew alongside the Great Wall, built by generations of humans, centuries of work going into creating it. It was such a shame it was so… ugly.     “Lucius! Come back!” my mother called. Great. Just as I was starting to enjoy being here in China. Landing beside her, I asked in an annoyed tone “What?”

“I just wanted to tell you be careful. There are dangerous beings here in China. It’s not like in England. You need to be careful”

“Fine.” I turned to leave.

“Lucius Thomas Demarco, come back right-“

But I was already gone.

Mountains, wall, people, village, village, wall, desert, village, wall. Nothing interesting. Then I spotted it. A beautiful, lush forest brimming with life and untouched by human hands. Perfect for exploring.

After an hour or two, it was getting quite boring and all I had to show for my adventures where a few scrapes and bruises. I sat there, and my stomach growled. I needed to go get something to eat. Not making a move, I waited.

It wasn’t too long before I heard the quiet, soft thud of a deer’s footsteps. I followed it soundlessly, hidden in the shadows. Not before long, it came to a stop to drink from a pool. I crept closer. It tensed for a moment, then relaxed. Suddenly, I pounced, pinning it to the ground.

A blinding light appeared. I backed away and covered my eyes. “STOP THIEF!” it yelled, the sound rebounding everywhere. “What did I steal?” I asked back. The light receded, till it was just a glowing dragon, unlike any I’d seen before. It waited a moment, before saying, “I am the guardian of this land, and its life. Try to take from me again, and you will be punished. Understood?” Before I could even nod, it disappeared.

I was spooked from the experience. Now I couldn’t wait to go home. But as I was flying along the wall, I saw a commotion. Thousands of humans were celebrating, wearing brightly coloured clothing, and throwing balls of exploding colour in the air. One of them almost hit me, but I dodged out the way. Wow. That was…

BANG!

Everything was black, and I was falling, falling…

I opened my eyes. Everything hurt, particularly my ears. A human was leaning over me, rubbing a sticky liquid over the burns. “How are you feeling?” asked one of the humans. He was very plump, and wore brightly coloured clothing. He looked very important. I still felt dazed from the explosion. “Fireworks can be nasty. I know from experience” He showed me his arm. It was covered in gruesome scars.

It was night, and I couldn’t sleep because of my injuries. I tossed and turned, then stilled. There were movements. Someone, creeping quietly, trying not to be heard, but I did hear them. The moon came out from behind the clouds, glinting on the blade a man held above the kind man’s head. Quick as lightning, I darted out, and tackled him to the ground.

I retracted my claws as the unknown man’s blood bled out of his body. I turned. I hated killing, especially humans. I lay back down, tired as hell. The light seemed to grow brighter, and brighter, until…

“The blood price shall be paid.”

“And that’s why I’m here,” he sighed, now sounding old and weary. Mei had been paying attention the whole time. She nodded wistfully, sounding sad. Finally, she looked up at Lucius.

The room grew lighter by a little bit.

“I have made my decision,” she announced.

The light was now pouring in.

“You have been unfairly judged,”

He was drowning in it,

“I will grant you your life back,”

Everything was so bright. Then it faded to a normal tone. He was in a different room, and he saw-

“Mum,” he whispered.

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