I woke up surrounded by dense forestry, it was gorgeous... but (and there's always a but in these's types of situations) it didn't seem real. Now that didn't really come as a surprise to me because I remember that I was on a spaceship just before this weird dream allusion thing. Now here's the really thing I found weird, the forests temperature was so hot that I was surprised that the plants hadn't caught fire. So hot that it was hard to breath, just standing still has me sweating buckets kind of hot, I could literally feel my blood boiling but funnily enough my skin was not turning crispy.
Just as I was thinking about this odd phenomenon something change, the air started to sizzle and the plants shifted like static on a TV. The lush green grass I was standing on started to move, it groaned under my feet making me panic if the floor would split in two. The rumbling of the earth was further intensified as the white fluffy clouds turned ashen with the sky dulling to grey.
I watched as the beautiful landscape changed to something completely different.
What I was now standing on was ash. Lots and lots of ash. the crisp sound it made as I shifted my weight nervously was disturbing and uncomfortable. The trees were now charcoal, they stood there looking ominous and so burnt that breathing on it would cause it to fall apart, the trees where definitely dead no donut about that. There were no longer any plants decorating the landscape and the animals were reduced to blackened bones littering the ground.
Now this place was real. It didn't feel fake like the green landscape I was previously in, this one was real and I have no idea why I was here or how I ended up here. To be hornets I wanted the fake greenery back, I'd rather a beautiful lie than this horrible in this situation. This place freaked me the fuck out this was next level shit.
I held my arms and rubbed my hands up and down my forearms soothingly, it was boiling hot but for some reason I could feel the cold sweat forming on my back,the cold clutches of fear was grabbing at my sanity the longer I was here. "W-where am I?" My voice was the only sound in the landscape, braking the eerie silence. I looked around some more but all there was to see for miles was burnt land, everything I saw was dead.
"Don't you recognise you're own mind, child?" A voice answered, the voice sounded so ancient and powerful that I took a step back. Not that I knew where exactly the voice was coming from, so for all I knew I could have stepped towards it rather than away from it. Why was this situation worsening?
"Who-who?" I stuttered.
"I'm you. Well sort of." the smile in its voice was very apparent. Whatever this thing is it was definitely powerful, I felt like I was it's food and it was plying with me. It annoyed me greatly knowing this voice was enjoying tormenting me but the fear I was feeling out striped my annoyance.
"wha-what?" The air was so suffocating and deprived of oxygen I thought I was going to choke on my words, the added affect of this domineering presence wasn't helping either. The more time when by the hotter it became, I could feel my throat clamping shut with the lost moisture.
"No need to fear, I won't be able to control you or take over you unless you want me to. Think of me as your spirit beast." I was at a loss for words I really couldn't understand what was going on. "You look lost, let me explain. You are undergoing something like an awakening of sorts. Don't worry I'll help you." That put me on edge. Help me with what exactly? "Here let me show you."
I was utterly shocked, in front of me stood a dragon... He was huge! He was a red and black dragon, he was a base red with tons of viscus looking black horns adorning his entire body making him look deadly. His talons were incredibly sharp cutting up the hard dry earth like butter, his tail looked as though it could pierce you through with little to no effort while his wings rippled with muscle telling of countless journeys flown in the sky. His beautiful scales gleamed with a hidden bloodlust and his deep red eyes told of meany battles. All in all he was a deadly creature that's beauty drew you to your inevitable doom.
As cool as he looked why the fuck was my spirit animal a dragon? I wasn't that ruthless right? I mean I did send Harry to the hospitals because I broke his legs when he called my family dirty beggars because we are poor. Was it maybe because I pushed Betty in a ditch and left her in the middle of the forestry with no help when she tried to bully me? Or maybe it was when Susie and her brother Gorge made fun of my dog so I let him go and chase then five miles while I laughed cycling behind them. Oh my god was it because.... wait... I think I'm a bad person...
I looked back the the proud looking dragon clearly trying to show himself off.
"Like what you see?" He gave me a toothy smile, showing off his countless rows of teeth meant to shred bones like paper.
I didn't know what to say, I mean yeah I did like what I saw, it's a bloody dragon! How is that not awesome!? But is it going to... I don't know, eat me? Because if it's going to eat me then no, no I don't like what I see.
The dragon sat down and looked at me with its red hot gaze, his red eyes swirled and flickered with oranges and yellow as he studied me, measuring my worth. It seemed like hours passed when it was probably only a minute or two of our stare down, I wasn't winning... it was frightening how easily he paralysed me by only staring. I broke out in a cold sweat all over again that was quickly becoming uncomfortable in this heat. I knew I could look away but my pride was refusing to back down even if I was as good as dead.
"I like you!" The dragon stated happily. What? He looked me up and down once more before giving me another toothy grin. "Normally you humans would run away screaming for your life, but you..." he looked at me again with his intense unwavering gaze. "You are staring at me with so much misplaced confidence, it's so stupid. I like that. If my partner is going to be a human it has to be one with enough guts to look a dragon in the eyes." He laughed deeply enjoying himself. I'm totally not following him but I'm guessing I did something good?
"And if I had run away?" I needed to know what would have happened. Not that I would have stood a chance this dragon was built with huge muscles and no way was I gonna be able to out run him, especially when there was no where to hide.
"I would have eaten you." He pointed to where a mountain of bones lay, not animals bones... human bones. How in the hell did I miss that!? "Point is you didn't and you aren't going to end up like you're ancestors over there. Well, that is if you can answer all of my questions honestly." He gave me a devilish grin that spread so wide you could see all of his pearly whites. My gaze didn't falter as I continued to stare at him head on, I knew that the only way I didn't end up as lunch was to do as he says if its reasonable enough. "Oh! And don't even think of trying to lie, I can tell, after all I'm almost a part of you at this point." His nostrils flared like he was anticipating a delicious meal.
I swallowed hard and said "Ok." The quiver in my voice was noticeable but I like to think I answered strongly.
"Excellent! Now then first question, would you kill someone?" He smiled again but this time there was something in his eyes, it was something malicious and hungry.
I thought about it, would I? I mean has somebody wronged me to the point that I'd kill them? No, nobody has wronged me to that extent but would saying 'no I wouldn't kill' be true? I pictured myself killing someone on my street someone that I recognised their face but didn't know their name or anything about them. Then I though of what ifs, what if he had a family? A wife? Kids? Did I care? If I was going to kill him would I really care? No, no I guess I wouldn't care.
"Yes, I would kill." I answered.
His smile became wider. "Really?... But you're not lying... ok well you passed that. Next, will you be an obedient little human? Do something someone asks obediently?"
My reply to this was immediately and without hesitation. "No. I will not be ordered around like some dog."
"Really even if it's from a commanding officer?" He asked sceptically.
"I guess that would depend on the situation, ideally I want to be able to respect that person first but I guess it depends. If it involves self sacrifice or some bullshit then no, get some other self righteous stupid persons to do it." I said happy with my answer.
"I like it! But are you lying?... No, you're not! Well ok then on to the last question, would you die for someone?" He seemed pleased with me so far but he looked confident in this last question. Licking his lips readily.
I don't know though. Would I? I mean I don't think so. My friends? No. Would I die for my brothers? As much as I love them I probably wouldn't. My parents? No I don't think I'd do that either. My country? My world? Probably not. Then my lover?... yes...yes, I probably would.
"Yes." I breathed.
"Oh? Would you now? You know funny thing is every single person has lied on this question, have you? So tell me who would you die for, your friends?"
"No." I whispered.
"Family?" He smirked.
"No." I looked at him without fear, I'm not lying. This answer surprised him a bit but he cared on.
"You're world?"
"No." I honestly would never.
He looked irked at this point. "Then who?" His voice was calm, he was waiting. I could see it, he was ready to devour me like the others. Waiting to get his hands on the meal that stood before him, denying him.
"My mate." My eyes never left his and what I saw was utter shock. He was definitely not expecting that. And I was not expecting this.
He bellowed in laughter on the floor rolling on his back and kicking up ash all over the place. "HAHAHAHAHA" he laughed for a good five minutes before he calmed down enough to look at me in the eyes. "I can tell you aren't lying, but I must say you have surprised me. How did you know about the mate bonds dragons develop for their loved ones? After all you are human."
I shrugged my shoulders. "There was just this nagging feeling in the back of my head and the word that came to mind was 'mate'." I honestly don't know how I knew, I just did.
"Well I am impressed, yes the only thing a dragon would die for is their mate and maybe hatchlings... but I would not expect you to know that feeling just yet." He smiled at me and for once this didn't seem malicious so I smiled back. the feeling was strange the heat had chapped my lips badly and that pulled awkwardly on the tender flesh.
"Well then I guess you're going to become a dragon now." He smiled warmly at me. "Welcome to the dragon family."
What?
"Now it's time for you to wake up a new person... no, a new dragon! Welcome little hatchling, to the world of dragons!" He nudged me with his snout and everything exploded to white. This was the trippiest dream I have ever had.