9
Up above Sally entered the hatching ground and let her eyes adjust to the dark. She placed her clothes on the ground and walked forward. She could hear Oreo meowing, and then purring loudly.
I am Rah, First Wing to Jake, Mate to Lady Jennie. You are my companion, chosen by Jake. You are my rider and my friend. We bow to no one, but Jake. He reared up and laid his head at her feet. She reached out and touched him, and a charge of electricity shot thru her.
Rah raised his head so their eyes met. Transfixed she felt the charge build up and saw the energy passing thru them. Then she felt herself rising, she saw his huge wings wrap around her. She felt the electric charge shoot thru her body, but she wasn’t afraid. She could feel something happening to her. A beam of light encircled her head and went to Rah and back to her. They merged as one. She felt another charge of electricity, light filled the cavern; her clothing fell away in shreds. She was suspended in the air, slowly turning around within Rah’s great wings. Her mind was flooded with images; all the people she knew, dragons she had yet to meet, an enormous amount of information; all the dragons chanting her name; Michael standing before her. Behold your mate who loves you. Michael held his arms open and she moved towards him. Time stood still and they were engulfed in a beam of light. She could see their future together. She could feel Michael holding her; she wanted to remain like that, suspended forever in his arms. A mighty roar from Rah brought her back to her senses. She felt renewed, filled with love for this wonderful creature. Gently he placed her back on the ground.
Then he turned and stared at Oreo; a beam of light shot out to Oreo and she rose up and was engulfed in Rah’s wings. Loud purring could be heard coming from the both of them. A half hour later he placed her on the ground, and chuckled. She was changed too! She was larger than Tabs & Ash; she had been enhanced like Sally!
I must go and present myself to the First, and his Queen. I shall feed and then return in two days. I am well pleased in you Lady Sally; you have much courage. As does the fur ball! He went to the opening and bent over, spread his wings, and glided out of the cave.
Sally sat for a moment. Then she took the time to inspect her new body, what she could see of it at least. She took the clothing that Beth had given her and quickly dressed. She did not know it yet, but she was beautiful. I just hope that they recognize me, she thought to herself.
She looked at Oreo, ruffled her fur and hugged her, “wait till they see you!” She and Oreo started down the mountain. It had been almost four hours since she had left. As they emerged from the opening and came down the last path there was an audible gasp from those below. She hesitated for a moment. Then she continued with her head held high; her Rah was First Wing!
For those below the sight before them was ethereal. Sally’s physical change was nothing short of phenomenal. She was about 5’2” when she left; now before them stood a 5’5” beauty. Her hair had doubled in length, the white streak thickened, framing her face. The scar she had hated for so long now accentuated her lovely face. Her body was perfect, tall, lithe, well formed and muscular. Any man would consider himself indeed fortunate to receive a smile from so lovely a young woman. The Sally they all knew was still there; she was just hidden beneath the smile of this lovely young woman.
But the sight that took them all by surprise was the size of Oreo. She was as big as a tiger, probably larger by half. She pranced by Sally’s side as if she were still a kitten, tail in the air.
Michael stared openmouthed at Sally as she made her way down. God Jake, she’s beautiful.
Of course she is Michael, would I give you a mate that was not beautiful? She has gone thru the first phase very well. Go to her, she needs to rest now.
Michael went to her as she stepped off the last landing to the ground. He held out his arm to her and as she placed her hand on it he felt an electric shock throughout his body.
“You’re beautiful, Sally, unbelievable… absolutely gorgeous!” Michael was staring so intently at her that the others were getting uncomfortable. He put his arm around her protectively, and led her over to the others.
Steve piped up quickly, “And look at Oreo, she was changed too! This is amazing, wait till the twins see her!”
“His name is Rah; he’s First Wing to Jake.” Sally said in a silky deep voice looking about at everyone. “He’s Jake’s second in command.” She turned in her happiness and grabbed Michael by both arms, “Oh Michael, he is so beautiful, so magnificent! You won’t believe till you see for yourself; Lady Jennie is going to be well pleased I can tell you!
Do you hear Lady Jennie; he is a wonderful mate for you. His name is Rah. Michael told her.
I must wait till he presents himself to Jake, and feeds before I can see him. It will be two days! Please keep me busy during that time My Michael, so it passes quickly.
I shall try my friend, he assured her.
Daniel and Kate came forward. Kate gave Sally a big hug and Daniel scratched Oreo’s rather large head. She purred, loudly, and rubbed against Daniel almost knocking him down.
“She’s the size of a tiger,” he blurted out, “Oh, the twins are going to have a surprise next time they decide to chase her!” Everyone laughed at the thought of Oreo chasing the twins around.
“Michael, I’m suddenly very tired, the change took a lot more out of me than I thought. Can we go home; I want to rest for a little?” With that statement Sally accepted Michael as her mate; a fact not lost on the others. “Kate, will you please tell Sam and Lucy I will come and see them after I have rested?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll let them know you are all right, you go. We’ll talk later Sally.” She leaned close and whispered, “you’re a beautiful young woman Sally, absolutely beautiful.”
Sally smiled at Kate and bid her a silent ‘thank-you’ shaking her head.
Michael called for Lady Jennie to take them home. She landed, and as they mounted, Oreo jumped on one of the seats that Steve had made for the ‘twins’; and they took off.
My Michael, Oreo has changed also. She chuckled loudly; this should be interesting. Very interesting indeed!
In the end, they were all pleased. Jake said the dragons were a good brood. They would serve well. Now all that remained was the ‘first flight’.
Things are going well. He crooned to his queen. We will be ready by spring to begin cleaning this planet of those vermin.
Yes my love, purred Queenie, you are most wise.
Kate went to the Great Hall to inform Sam and Lucy that Sally had gone thru the change and she was spent; she had gone home with Michael to rest for a while. She would come and see them when she woke.
“Well, I can’t think of a better husband for her than Michael,” Sam said cheerfully trying to ease Lucy’s pain. “I always said he was a fine young man. But it will take some getting used to, you understand.”
“My little girl is all grown up,” sobbed Lucy.
“Lucy,” Kate began, “she is a beautiful, stunning young woman now; wait till you see her.”
“She will always be my little girl Kate,” she sobbed as she leaned against Sam. “You above all others knows what she meant to me; she was the child I could never have. And now she is all grown…” She buried her face in Sam’s shirt.
“Ah, my Lucy, you should be proud of her,” Sam told her gently. “She has done something wonderful. And she did it willingly, just as Michael did. They are well suited for each other.”
Kate left the Hall and sought out Daniel. They walked the camp, talking to people and seeing that all was well. “Daniel, do you think when people see the change in Sally that they will come forward then, wanting to be riders.”
“I think that some will, but not enough. Jake said that we needed at least thirty riders before spring. I hope he knows where we are going to get them,” he told her.
“Oh I wouldn’t worry about that. Jake has had a plan all along. We were just the beginning of it; I’m sure he already knows where to get them.” She snuggled against him, “It’s really been getting cold these past few nights. We are in for a snow storm I think.”
Daniel smiled, held her to him and kissed her on the forehead. “Let’s go home my love; I think I know how to keep you warm.” As they ran up the mountain to their cave, a deep throaty chuckle could be heard echoing throughout the valley.
Yes Daniel, do not concern yourself, Jake purred to himself. I have been preparing the riders for some time now. They will be ready when the eggs arrive.
Several hundred miles away, set deep in the woods on the outskirts of a small town in upper Michigan, stood a very special private school; The Osborne School for the Gifted. It had stood for over one hundred years. It had produced titans of industry; leaders of legend, and far thinking scientists who provided this country the advances she enjoyed. It was geared for the very young; the young geniuses who would someday come of age and run this world of ours. They would control the businesses and countries that shaped the world.
A great number of these students were seven, eight, and nine years old. The teachers and professors of Osborne knew better than to underestimate the intelligence of these students simply because of their ages. They were all very self sufficient, and were left on their own many times to finish their lessons at their own speed.
When the dragons first came and began burning, most of the professors panicked and fled, leaving the students alone to face their fate. It was a time of great confusion, great terror, and mind-numbing fear. Screams could be herd throughout the woods, and more than one student saw what became of their fleeing teachers.
Two professors chose to remain with the students, John Hudson, 31, a biology and sciences teacher; and Alexandria Grissom, 33, a math and history teacher. They gathered up all the students they could find and herded them below into the underbelly of the ancient school. There they waited for 8 long days, until the burning stopped, and the dragons flew over no more. The old cellar proved to be the perfect place to hide. It ran the length of the old school, and after two days without food, they had no problem finding the kitchen area. Food was foremost in everyone’s mind. Several of the older boys squeezed their way up thru the flooring and found the school pantry. There was plenty of food, and much they could use amid the debris.
In the years since, they had not had a repeat of that attack. The two professors continued to teach, but they threw in an extra course – survival; teaching the students to use their wits and their knowledge. They gave great leeway to the students, thus instilling great confidence. They had 20 students, eleven boys and nine girls.
And of course, they had the dreams, the dreams of the dragons.
Over the years the students had analyzed the dreams carefully, had taken each person’s variation and blended it with the others. A story began to emerge; a story of what was to take place in the future. They all knew, believed with total conviction, that they were destined for something great. Something far greater that anything they could imagine; and it involved riding the dragons of their dreams.
The students were now 14, 15, and 16 years old. They all thought of John and Alex as their parents. The teachers had protected them, and taken loving care of them over the years. They had taught them everything there was to know about math, physics, the sciences and the history of man. They allowed their minds to expand on a variety of subjects, especially ESP and telepathy.
Then came the day when Jason, the oldest of the students, heard Jake for the first time. He listened carefully to all that Jake told him. He agreed with Jake on many points, and argued with him on others. When Jake asked if he felt his destiny was to ride a dragon and fight the black devils, Jason knew he had been right all along. He wanted Jake to come and get them all right away, but Jake told him to be patient; they would come for them soon. Jason tried to tell all the others, tell them that Jake was real and would come for them. They laughed at him, said he was delusional, and they didn’t believe him. By the next morning after being chastised in their dreams, they believed him.