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Myst and Selena: A Friendship of Loyalty and Trust

Myst sat in the field and watched the different races and species that Ratholin had in his legion. The dragons were her favorite, with their beautiful colors, their grace and poise. They were amazing creatures, ones that she would always love. She fingered the pendant she wore under her clothing, a very special pendant, from a very special friend. She closed her eyes and leaned back on the grass to remember…

It was about 4 years ago, before she had met James. She had been hunting a criminal who had murdered a farming family in cold blood, including 3 small children, a family who had been kind enough to give her shelter and food a week before. She heard scuffling in a small cave, nestled in a mountain she was climbing, and went to investigate. Inside she found 2 things, the man she’d been tracking and an oval rock of sorts. It was shiny and a beautiful aquamarine color. The man was hoarding it like it was gold or something, but that didn’t matter. He was going to die anyways. That’s when she felt it, another presence but young, vulnerable, feeling threatened, and it seemed to be coming from the rock.

The man noticed her then, and came charging at her with a long sword. Myst was prepared and easily sidestepped the attack. She took the rock with her kinetic abilities and with one fell swoop of her sword, she rid the world of that monster that had killed her friends. She flew the egg over to her and took it in her hands. That’s when she felt it again, that feeling that there was a young, vulnerable presence nearby, very close actually. As Myst waited for it to show again, she felt the rock in her hand move! Startled, she almost dropped it, but caught it with her telekinetic abilities before it hit the ground. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the rock for a second, instead of what was around her. It was the rock that had the presence of a young, vulnerable being! Myst studied the rock more carefully now, then it struck her. This was not a rock, this was an egg, and judging from the size, it was a yellow dragon egg, a very rare species. No wonder the man was so happy to have found it. But he would have had a problem when it hatched, he wouldn’t have been able to control it. Dragons can sense good and evil.

Myst stared dumbfounded at her discovery, wondering what she should do. Should she take it to the nearest town and barter it? No, she couldn’t do that, not to such a helpless creature. She might be a mercenary, but she would never harm someone who didn’t deserve it. And this young dragon certainly didn’t deserve to be sold for gain or profit. She decided then that she would keep the egg safe, and take care of the dragon until it was old enough to take care of itself. She didn’t know how she would do this, but she would certainly give it her best shot.

The cave she was in seemed to be abandoned and looked like it had been that way for quite a while. Myst immediately set to work, clearing out most of the debris, and setting up a decent habitat in which to raise the dragon. She wrapped the egg in soft cloths and placed in on the ground while she gathered wood, and started a fire. She spent most of the afternoon piling up lots of wood, and gathering food to store. She caught a few small animals and smoked the meat till it was cured, and then put it in bags for storage. She went to the nearest small town and picked up some extra food items, things that wouldn’t go bad very fast. She found a fresh water stream and gathered some water as well. Confident she had gathered enough things to get her started, she settled in to her new temporary home for the long haul.

The egg wiggled more and more with each passing day. Myst figured it should be hatching anytime, especially when the feelings she was getting from the baby inside were getting more mature. Then, while she was sleeping one night, she heard it, the first signs of the dragon breaking out of its shell. Quickly Myst sat up and went over to the egg. She stirred the fire so there would be more light, the she watched as the tiny form kicked its way through the shell, making tiny noises as it struggled.

Myst smiled and reached over to help the small creature finish the job. It flailed as she picked it up and lay it down on the soft fur from the animals she had killed for food. She put a small piece of meat down for it, making sure it was soft and easy to chew, then watched as the tiny mouth reached over and took a small nibble. A tear rolled down her face as she realized that she had just witnessed a miracle of life. The dragon looked up at Myst, as if sensing her change in mood. It came over closer to her and laid its head down on her leg, then went to sleep. Myst was touched by this gesture, but still tried to remain alert. She knew that any person or thing could lurk in here at any second. As an extra precaution, she placed a shield up in front of the cave entrance and soon she was sleeping as well.

As the days and weeks went by, the tiny dragon began to grow and eat more and more. Myst learned also, that the dragon was female. At one month old, the dragon was at the point where Myst had to take her out to hunt her own food, because the small pieces of meat were no longer enough. Myst always scanned the area first with her telepathy to make sure there was no one around, and then she would take the dragon in a limited area to hunt. The dragon caught on fast and soon was able to find food with in a few minutes.

Myst grew closer to the dragon with each passing day, and the dragon felt the same towards Myst. Soon they were able to communicate through telepathy, both being able to understand the other. Now that they could communicate, Myst decided she should name her friend. She thought about this a lot, and then she decided on one, having another choice on hand in case the first was a disaster.

‘My friend, you need a name,’ Myst conveyed to the dragon, ‘and I’ve given this a lot of thought. How do you feel about the name Selena?’

The golden-scaled beast gave Myst a sideways glance. ‘Selena? I think that name will do very well. Yes, very well indeed, thank you my friend.’

As Selena grew, so did her power. Selena learned invisibility, telekinesis and she learned to breathe fire. Myst was able to help Selena with a lot of these things, being able to do them herself. Selena learned to control wind as well, often extinguishing the fire that Myst had made to prepare meals. It was easily fixed though, for after extinguishing the fire, Selena started it up again.

Selena was changing in appearance as well, Myst noticed with keen interest. Her golden scales were becoming shinier and more color was starting to show. The main color was still a bright golden yellow, but now the scales were also showing the most beautiful bright blue, and a bright, vibrant red color. Her talons were black and gold, and shinier than her scales. Her eyes became like rubies, blood red, with a hint of gold. Her size had already increased greatly, now dwarfing Myst by at least 10 feet. But no matter how many changes were taking place, Selena never swayed in her loyalty and devotion to Myst.

Their days had pretty much become routine as time passed. After their hunt each day, Myst would go down to the stream to bathe. Selena would wait in the cave and would remain invisible till Myst returned. Both had made a pact with the other, that being if anyone came near the cave or near where Myst was bathing, they would signal the other for assistance. Although Myst didn’t require help most of the time, the pact had been made to test the other’s loyalty. Selena and Myst were both aware of this fact, and both agreed to the test.

That test came when Selena was nearing 6 months old. The hunt had been a huge success, better than usual. There would be enough for 2 days at least. The animals were skinned and cut then set over the fire to be dried out for storage. Selena turned invisible as Myst prepared to go down to the stream. Myst went to the secluded area of the stream, and scanned for intruders before bathing, same as she always did. She didn’t feel any threats and proceeded to remove her clothing so she could continue with the bath. She didn’t sense the movement behind her till it was too late.

The man who had been watching her bathe every day had decided it was time to play with his beautiful nymph. He’d been watching her for a few days now, and he couldn’t wait any longer to get his hands on her. He’d clamped his hand over her mouth and slipped a drug into her skin before she had time to react. Her body became almost paralyzed except for her mind which was working fine. She looked at the man who was intent on doing her harm, and she sickened at the thought of what his intent was.

He whispered in her hear, “You have nothing to worry about; I won’t kill you for now. You are far too pretty for that. I intend to have some fun with you instead. And if you are good, and I like the way you feel, I may keep you instead of killing you.” With a wicked grin, he started dragging her to a secluded alcove near the stream, eager to start having the ‘fun’ he had suggested.

Myst had no intention of allowing this man to have his way with her, and she let out a very loud telepathic scream to a very specific being. The man didn’t hear it, even though he was a telepath. The telepathy was what had allowed him to get near her so easily. Selena was sleeping when the scream filled her mind. Without a thought for her own safety, she came out of stealth mode and made her way down to the secluded stream. She saw Myst; half dressed, being dragged towards the alcove by someone. Fury filled Selena’s eyes, and she ran full force towards the man.

The attacker was mortified to see a dragon running towards him with murderous intent in its eyes. He dropped Myst and ran as fast as he could, but it wasn’t enough. Selena bent her head down and grabbed him with her large mouth and sharp teeth. Without a thought she bit down, killing him instantly, then she ate the pieces. Myst watched Selena attack the man and devour him. Myst looked at her friend, horror mixed with curiosity in her eyes.

Selena simply said through telepathic link, ‘I am sorry my friend if you do not like the way I dealt this man justice, but he was going to hurt you. A dragon takes friendship and loyalty very seriously. I could not allow such a man to live, knowing that he might do it again to someone else, or worse, come after you again. I hope you are not offended.’

Myst quickly regained her composure and tried to smile at her friend. ‘Sorry Selena, I didn’t take offense, really. I was mildly shocked at what I witnessed yes, but I understand your ways. I am grateful for your assistance. Thank you for saving me.’

Selena gently picked up Myst with her telekinetic ability and moved her back to the cave to recover from the drug. After that day, Myst and Selena were closer than ever. She continued her daily trips to the stream with one exception, Selena now accompanied her, staying invisible of course. Myst was glad for the company and it gave Selena more time out of the cave.

When Selena turned 6 months old, Myst decided to give Selena a special gift. She crafted 2 beautiful pendants, one for her and one for Selena. Then she infused them with telepathic ability, something that would allow the two friends to communicate no matter where they went. Selena was touched by the gesture, but added something of her own to the pendants. She breathed on both of them. The dragon’s breath turned the regular pendants into dragon-shaped ones.

‘I am grateful for you coming into my life Myst. We will always be friends, no matter where life takes each of us. You know I must go and find my own kind, but if you ever need me, you have but to call my name and I will aide you in whatever trials you may be facing.’

Tears welled in Myst’s eyes but she tried to hold them back. She came close to Selena and the dragon bent her head down. Myst hugged her then. ‘You will always have a place in my heart Selena. Take care of yourself. And the same thing goes for you my friend. If you ever need me, you have but to call my name. Good bye Selena.’

Selena flew off into the sun-lit sky, her golden scales shining brightly in the light. Myst was proud of how well Selena had turned out. She stood outside of the cave and waved goodbye to her friend as she flew off.

Myst sighed as the dragons continued their flights around the fields, and hoped that one day she would see her friend again. She occasionally did communicate to Selena through the necklace, and Selena always replied back. Maybe one day in the not too distant future, she would be reunited with her friend…

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