Young Writers Society

A/N: Sorry for the errors, I don't have anything to save this on so I am just posting it as it is. I'll edit it later.

Fern couldn't contain her excitement. The entire day she was talking about the flight to anyone who would listen. Her sisters, Iris and Lily, eighteen and sixteen, both smiled widely when she burst into their rooms, remembering their first dragon flights.

Fern was a chatter-box at dinner, going on and on, even to the servants. She couldn’t contain herself. After dinner she returned to the massive dragon stables. The trainer was sitting outside, smoking on a long pipe, book in hand. Fern tried to read the title, but all she could see was the word “dragon”. He looked up as she approached, standing from his chair which sat in front of the entrance to the stables.

Fern smiled as she walked up to him. “Hello,” she said.

He returned the smile. “Hello missy. Come to take a look at your new dragon I assume?”

Fern’s mouth dropped. “How did you know?”

The trainer laughed lightly. “I’ve been doing this job for nearly thirty years. Both of your sisters came to look at their dragons. And you are a lot more curious than them. It was just a matter of time before you showed up.”

Fern giggled. “She’s so pretty and strong! Can you show me the way?”

“Of course,” the trainer said, dropping the book onto his chair.

Behind him rose the entrance to the stables. It was an open-roofed building, about a hundred-and-fifty feet wide with massive pine double-doors. They were a good fifteen feet tall. The trainer lived in a lean-to next to the building and inside he grabbed a large ring of keys. He unlocked the tall pine doors and they yawned open with a loud groan. Fern watched in awe. She loved big doors. She wasn't sure why, but she always had. Maybe it was their immense majesty. The doors in the castle were especially incredible. One such pair was painted glass, depicting a massive battle on a mountaintop.

The inside of the stable was vast and spacious. There were three separate cages. Fern looked up at the trainer, who nodded towards the one on the far left. Each cage was about thirty feet tall and fifty feet wide with ten foot tall steel doors. Fern heard Jumper before she saw her. The sun poured down into the cage, glancing off of her emerald scales sending beautiful splashes of green through the cage.

It was like looking at stained glass, Fern though. She hopped into the cage filled with hay. In the far back corner she saw a brown mushy blob. She wrinkled her nose and looked back the trainer.

"It will now be your job to keep this cage clean. Of course, Jumper won't be in here very much, now that she has been trained and has a rider. But it will still be your responsibility to tend for her and her cage." he said.

She groaned but decided instead to focus on Jumper. She was currently leaning against the left wall, eyes closed ,apparently taking a nap. Fern walked over quietly, trying not to disturb her new pet. The entire place smelled of hay and animal body odor, and before she could stop herself she let out a big sneeze. Jumper's eyes popped open in an instant, swinging back and forth. Then she realized that Fern was there. She began to rustle about and stretch her wings from their folded position. Fern jumped out of the way just before getting knocked over.

"I guess they need some room to wake up," she said, more to herself then anyone, but the trainer responded.

"Yes, they like to stretch, just as humans. Always give them a clear berth so they spread their wings. After a few seconds they'll tuck them back in some of the way."

Fern nodded, mentally lodging the information in her brain. The last thing she wanted to happen was getting smacked in the face by a talon. Jumper extended fully. Her wingspan was a good twenty feet, taking up almost half of the cage. She was about the same length from head to tail.

Fern took some time to study her body make. The skin under her chin and on her belly was a whitish green. It was soft and fleshy, probably the weakest part of Jumper. Her scales were a few inches wide in the shape of V's. Each one was a dark rich green with a light yellowish-white lining and was hard as iron. Fern tapped them with her fingers and listened to the clicking sound it made.

Jumper's head was by far the most fascinating part of her body. Besides the deep and exciting, yet calm and mesmerizing eyes, the rest of her face was loaded with amazing features. Her face and head was mostly smooth, besides the big ivory horn on her brow. He face was nearly the same green as her scales. There was a large scale covering her head, and another straight down her nose. The rest of her face was unprotected. Her mouth was lined with two-inch long, razor-sharp teeth. And she had a big pink tongue.

In the waning sunlight, her scales seemed to reflect all sorts of dazzling colors and lights. Fern giggled. Jumper was beautiful! Now that she had stretched, she began to tuck her wings for easier movement on the ground. Fern thought they looked like massive green leather strips, cut in the shape of a wing, and supported by big arm bones.

She rubbed Jumper's nose. Jumper snorted loudly and Fern felt hot breath cover her hand like a cloak. She smiled at Jumper. Her skin felt rough and yet for all the fierceness of her looks, she was so still and gentle like a kitten. Fern turned to ask the trainer about how Jumper could breathe fire, but the man was nowhere to be seen. Fern shrugged. She would have to ask him later.

She turned back to Jumper who was eyeing her with those big round yellowish eyes that seemed to glow. It appeared as if Jumper was looking Fern over. Just like like Fern had done to her. Fern giggled loudly. It can't be! Whether or not the dragon was merely looking at her or not, she decided to close here eyes and just imagine what it would be like from Jumper's perspective.

Jumper would see her as a small petite girl, hair the color of dark hay, eyes closed, but light blue if she remembered correctly. A little frightened no doubt.

Jumper snorted as if in mockery, and Fern's eyes shot wide open. She couldn't read thoughts could she? Jumper settled back down to a lying position, pulling her wings tightly against her back. Fern rubbed her head briefly. There was something about this beast that was mesmerizing, enchanting, fun and yet mysterious.

She looked up into the sky and realized that the sun was sinking low in the horizon. She said: "Goodnight," to Jumper, patted her side once, and left with a warm and fuzzy feeling in her heart.