A few days later, Theo found herself staring into the clear waters of the creek that ran through Camp. Not far away from her was Sky.
I should have just jumped, she regretted, thinking back on what happened at the cliffs. I’m sure everything would have been fine. I just had to trust Sky and take the leap.
She refused, however, to admit to herself that her chance was still open. If she truly wanted to fly, the cliffs were still there, waiting for her.
Looking across the bank, Theo was pleased to see a smattering of colors put on by the flowers of spring. High and low- red, purple, white, and yellow broke up the constant green of foliage, calling to the bees and butterflies.
A striker bounded up beside her and crouched to drink.
“What is the name of this creek?” Theo asked.
The striker looked at her strangely. “The creek hasn’t named itself,” she scoffed.
“Exactly,” Theo concurred. “So it’s up to others to name it.”
“What do you name a creek?” the striker asked with a puzzled expression on her face.
“I guess that’s up to you,” Theo replied pleasantly, noticing that Sky was approaching them.
The striker was quiet as she thought. “Oh, I know!” she exclaimed. “We can name it ‘The Creek that Falls into the Sea and Provides Us with Many Fish.’” She smiled at Theo proudly.
Theo shook her head, trying not to laugh. “That’s not a name,” she told her. “It needs to be something shorter.”
“Well then!” the striker snapped, clearly offended. “Why don’t we call it ‘River’s Creek’ since you have all the say in the matter?!” She stalked away in a huff.
Theo stared after her in bewilderment.
Sky leaned in close to her. “Strikers!” she laughed. “Always so quick to the offense.”
“That’s what I’m gathering,” Theo agreed, shaking her head.
As she lowered her head to drink from the cool stream, something caught her eye. From behind a branch, trailing in the water, she saw something the color of aquamarine. Curious she approached, only to draw back sharply when she realized what it was.
“Sky!” she exclaimed and the dragon bound to her side, gasping as she saw what it was.
With its wings and legs tangled in twigs, a hatchling was being pressed against the branch by the current, its head bobbing under. Coming to her senses, Theo rushed to lift the branch out of the water with her jaws, seeing that the hatchling came with it. Sky leapt to and fro, trying to keep out of the way as Theo slowly swung it up onto the bank.
As gently as she possibly could, Theo laid down the branch, making sure that the little one wasn’t smothered beneath it.
“Quick! Help me!” Thinking her claws were more dangerous than helpful, Theo and Sky tried in desperation to delicately detach the hatchling from the trap. As a human, she could have scooped the baby dragon up from the ground and cradled it close like an infant, but to do such a thing as a dragon was impossible. Finally, they succeeded in untangling it, but by then the bitter truth had made itself clear. The hatchling had drowned before anyone had even noticed it.
“No!” Theo cried, overwhelmed.
It’s too young to die!
Sky bowed her head mournfully, wings trembling.
Someone nearby who’d heard Theo’s cry came hurrying to the scene. It was Damon.
“I’ve got it,” he assured her, his fingers tenderly wrapping around its underbelly. Wings, legs, tail, and head all drooped as he lifted it.
“It’s too late, Damon,” Theo whimpered.
“I know,” he said grimly. “There was nothing you could do. Don’t blame yourself.”
Theo silenced herself. Before, when she had been a human, she’d not have understood the severe loss of such a treasure. Now, the dead hatchling held against the Wizard’s chest was a sight unbearable to her. She looked down at the ground in grief.
“Poor thing,” she heard her brother murmur.
What Theo felt was incomprehensible. All she recognized was a terrible, terrible feeling that seized her from the inside- the worst of sensations.
Sky clearly felt the same, standing there with eyes closed, as though unable to function.
“Theora,” Damon asked for her attention and she looked up at the sound of her true name. “Theora, I need you to find Adder for me.”
“But Damon,” she sobbed.
“Sister, please.”
A tremor ran through her body and she nodded.
. . .
She looked for Adder, asking those at Camp where he was, but without telling them what was wrong. It was dusk by the time she finally found him talking to Wycker.
“Adder,” Theo begged for his attention.
Wycker turned his sharp eye and Adder gazed at her in patience. “Yes?” he said.
“Please come with me to Damon.” Theo broke down. “It’s- it’s a drowned hatchling.”
Wycker was on the move immediately, headed in the direction of Damon’s shelter.
“Wait!” she called. “That’s not where I left him.”
Wycker didn’t stop. “This is where he will be,” he responded with certainty, disappearing into the trees.
Theo stared after him.
“Best to trust Wycker,” Adder told her gently, moving forward to follow Wycker’s lead. “He has the instinct for this sort of thing.”
. . .
Wycker was right. Damon had returned to his home, bringing the hatchling with him. He had placed the tiny body down on a neatly folded blanket.
“I see,” Adder exhaled, spotting the little one next to Damon, where he sat in front of a campfire outside.
Damon stood to silently greet his company.
“Is this the first time this has happened?” Theo asked, but was given no reply as Adder took his time to think.
“Let us bury her,” Adder decided eventually. “I cannot think of anything better.”
“Adder,” Wycker interjected, bothered. “That is a human tradition.”
“That I should know, Wycker, considering I used to be human,” Adder replied. “However, do you have a different suggestion for us?”
Wycker paused for a long time. It became apparent to Theo that he wasn’t going to answer.
“Damon,” Adder said. “Would you please…?”
Damon bowed his head. “Surely,” he answered, knowing well what Adder was asking of him.
“Thank you. A simple burial should suffice.”
. . .
Theo found Sky flying in dismal, troubled circles, high above the creek where they had found the hatchling.
Terrible feelings whirled within Theo, twisting her insides. She wished she could cry them out with tears, but her cold, reptilian form would not allow it.
Who knows how many times something like this has happened without anyone ever knowing! Theo was in turmoil. Yet there is so little we can do! All the hatchlings…they split up and hide so no one can find them. They’re small. They make no sound…What could we do to better protect them?
Theo could see the flaw in the dragons’ society. They respect each other as equals, but have no way to nurture their youth. In Wystil, a mother would never leave her infant. But here?! Here, the mothers let their infants leave them!
“Sky?” Theo called up to her distant friend, but got no response.
From the woods came Plover and Chestnut, parading with dead quails in their mouths.
“Sky! Sky!” they cheered. “See what we caught!” They craned their heads back to see their mentor so far up. Plover dropped her quail and beat her wings to meet Sky in the air.
Proudly, Chestnut marched in front of Theo, his quail swinging by the head from his mouth. “Look,” he demanded. “I caught it all by myself.”
The bird’s body was mangled, flesh torn by abuse and feathers glossed over with slobber. Theo forced herself to acknowledge him with a meek nod.
She could see Plover talking to Sky, who had finally ceased her dreary buzzard??
?s flight. Together, the two descended back down to steady ground, where Chestnut met them, eager to show off his quail.
“Good…catch,” Sky told him in a raspy, faltering voice. “I’m very…proud of you.”
It pained Theo even more to see her friend so sad. Plover looked up at her mentor with concerned curiosity, but Chestnut was oblivious, enraptured in a new game of chasing his tail.
Sky approached Theo, her stride sapped of joy and liveliness. “What did the Wizard do with-” Her voice cut out.
“He buried her,” Theo answered softly, looking into her friend’s eyes with the feeling of shared sorrow connecting them.
How beautiful it is to understand one another.
Sky’s face crinkled and her jaw trembled as she confessed, “I can’t help but blame myself! No one can say it was the hatchling’s fault…She couldn’t recognize danger like that. But we could…if we were watching her! How can we be so comfortable with neglecting them?”
Theo shook her head. She didn’t know what to say.
If only we had been there in time…
Chapter 12