Young Writers Society

Dusty carefully looked around cradling the small blanket in her arms. She bit her lower lip and ran across the decks and towards the closest ship. She looked around and slipped up onto the deck then moving quickly to a door that she figured would take her down to the bottom of the ship. She found some crates and huddled behind them as she heard footsteps moving past her.

She bit her lower lip and looked down at hte bundle in her arms.

"We're safe for now, Pery." She whispered. The small ice blue dragon poked it's head out of the blanket and looked at her nuzzling her hand as she did.


***IT's short I know. If you want to change the name then ok. ***

**The name's fine.**

Matt looked around the ship that had been his home since he was born. His dad was a pirate, so naturally he wanted his only son to take over the family business. Matt, however, had had other ideas the last couple of years. Oh, sure, he played the part really well. No one knew that this was not what Matthew wanted. He knew how to steal, how to minupulate, how to woe women, and how to capture people.

these days, the biggest trade was dragon skins. Live dragons were not worth as much as the skins. Matt, however, had made a friend in a helpless black dragon. it was growing rapidly, but it was his. One day, Matt planned to train it and fly it all over the world, learning history and culture.

He sighed as he was orderded to grab something from below the deck. He ducked under and stiffened. something was down here, he could feel it. he saw a flash of color in the corner and stealthily snuck over to it, grabbing it by the collar. He was shocked to see a gorgeous girl, shrieking.

"Shut up!" Matt commanded. "Unless you want the whole crew down here using you at their pleasure." That made her be quiet. "Now, who are you?" He asked.

Dusty had felt the hsip be pushed off. THen heard someone coming down the stairs. She quickly stuffed Pery behind a crate bidding him to be quiet. Just as she turned around she felt someone grab her around the neck and yank her up to her feet. She screamed

"Shut up!" The man commanded. "Unless you want the whole crew down here using you at their pleasure." She shut her mouth and bit her lower lip. Why had she thoguht this to be such a good idea? "Now, who are you?"

"D-dusty." She whipmered. She heard little feet below her then the man hissed letting her go. She saw Pery standing at the man's feet. She had scratched his leg. Pery couldn't breath fire yet. She could break a man's leg with one bite of her jaw, so Dusty had taught her to just scratch, unless she was in serious danger. She grabbed Pery and backed away from the man.


*tears*

Matt looked at the little dragon. It reminded him of his black dragon, Midnight. Midnight was a bit bigger and was able to blow fire.

he looked at the frighted girl. His dragon lumbered out of his hiding, as tall as his waist. "This is Midnight." He said hoarsly. "Izm sorry if I scared you, miss. i'm Matthew, but everyone calls me Matt. are you okay?"

Dusty looked at him and clung to Pery who was standing defensively in front of her looking at the other dragon. She knew that sense Pery was the size of a new born baby she was defensless.

"I'm fine, well was til I found out I'm stuck on a pirate ship." She whimpered pulling Pery closer to her. "Y-y-you won't kill Pery will you?"

Matt chuckled. "If I killed your Perry, then i'd have to kill my Midnight. and I'm not going to kill my best friend." This girl was so cute. So defenseless. He just wanted to pull her close and hold her and tell her everything was going to be fine.

"Perry is safe. from me at least." He smiled. "And I'm practically the only one allowed below decks. My f-...the captain is afraid of other pirates stealing his precious treasure. It's hidden. He hardly goes in. he always sends me." He looked at her. "You sure your okay?"

Dusty felt the blood running from her face. Pirates, she was on a pirate ship. This man in front of her was a pirate. She swallowed hard and held Pery closer. Would he hurt her? WOuldn't he have already hurt her.

"W-will I get killed for being donw here?" She asked. Pery hissed.

"Not if no one knows." He rpelied.

"I can't just stay hidden down here! I'll die." She whimpered. But he knew it was her only choice. She curled up in a ball holding Pery close. SHe would stay down until the next port. She wished Pery was old enough to carry her away. To fly. She'd been told that the female dragons grew faster, but that they didn't get as big. Pery was only a few days old, but she looked big enough to be a few months old.

Matt felt sorry for her. "There's...there's another option. But I don't know if you'll like it." He said gently.

She looked so frightened. she just waited. He could've sworn he saw tears in her eyes.

"You can cut your hair, put on boy clothes, and become part of the crew. You would be my own personal serving boy. You could sleep in my cabin..we could put up a sheet or something to divide the sides..." he shrugged. "What do you say?"

"What about Pery?" She asked.

"She'll stay down here with Moonlight." He replied.

"Do you have sissors?" She whispered hoarsly.

"No, but I have a knife." He replied, he pulled it out and handed it to her. She swallowed hard and looked down at it. She then looked at her long hair, she'd waited forever to get it this long. She bit her lower lip asshe grabbed a handful. Then closing her eyes she sliced it off.

"You should really keep your eyes open." he replied. "YOu nearly took off your ear."

"Whatever." She looke dat the handful of hair in her hands and then laid it down. Pery nuzzled it confussed then looke dup at her. "Just a few more times." When she finished her hair was chopped short. She swallowed hard and looked at the hair next to her. So much for braiding it any time soon.

Matt could tell it was hard for her to cut it. He knew women valued their hair. He felt bad...but this girl shouldn't have climbed aboard a pirate ship! He sighed. He grabbed a broom, brushed up the pieces of her hair, and dumped it out in the sea. Then he retreaved his knife from her. she still looked cute. Now she had short hair, but the dress she was wearing made her look unmistakably feminine. He smiled. "Wait here."

he went up to his cabin, grabbed some pants and really baggy shirt, and handed it to her.

No one questioned him. No one ever questioned him. Being second in command and the captian's son made them keep quiet. Actually, he was more like the captain. His dad spent most of his time drunk and sleeping in his bed, normally with a girl.

he turned around so that the frightened girl might feel more comfortable, though he doubted it. Dusty. what a beautiful name. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth while he waited for her to be done.

Dusty turned and hide behind some crates pulling the clothes on. She bit her lower lip when she looked down at them. She had to pull the rope that was a belt tight so that it fit, and the shirt hung lossly on her. She looked down at Pery who was eyeing her.

"I wish you were old enough to talk to." She wispered gently rubbing Pery's head. She picked the dragon up and walked back over. "Now what?" She asked. He turned around and frowned.

"Wait again." he walked in another direction and came back with a bucket of something. He put his hands in it and they came out dirty. He reached over and she flinched. "I won't hurt you, just stay still." She froze and he rubbed her face with his hands, probably making her face dirty. She felt Pery hiss in her arms and she rubbed Pery's head to calm her. "Put it on your arms too." He said. She did what he said and then waited.

Matt looked at her. She now looked like a dirty street erchin. she would make a great cabin boy. "Are you willing to work?" he asked.

"Wh...what?" she whimpered.

"Are you ready to work? You have to be able to work." He looked at her. she...she still looked cute to him. even covered in dirt. He chuckled.

"What kind of work?" She ask as she bit her lower lip.

"Different stuff, anything from getting food, to cleaning. Shouldn't be to hard. You just have to stay out of the way of the pirates." He replied.

"S-s-sure." She said as Pery nuzzled her head into the crook of Dusty's neck.

Matt sighed. "You are going to have to get over the whole scared nervous thing, okay? Now follow me, and keep quiet, okay?"

she nodded and put her dragon down. Matt gave Midnight a rub on the back of his head. His dragon looked at him intelligently. He could speak, but he didn't do it often.

matt walked back up onto the deck. he grabbed a pale and a mop and handed them wordlessly to Dusty. "Swab the decks. they are to be spotless." He said harshly. he could sense people easdropping. He couldn't seem weak. if he seemed weak, they'd know something was up.

he watched from the corner, lazily, as she struggled to do the chore he had given her. he sighed. "Here, boy, let me show you." He helped her by placing her hands in the right place. "I won't show you twice. Now, get to work."

Dusty wanted to move away from his harsh voice. But she did as she was told. As soon as they got somewhere for her to get off she was getting off and fast. THis was horrible. She bit her lower lip as she thought about her hair floating behind them in the water.

"YOu missed a spot." A pirate hissed spitting wehre she'd just cleaned. She ground her teeth and clenched her fists, but cleaned it wtihout a word. She had a temper, and she was bound to lose it soon. The pirates kept jeering at her, but she just took it in.

I'll have Pery burn you all to a crisp when we leave. She smiled at the thought and kept going.