Draconic Transformations.

The, “thud…thud,” of galloping horses were approaching from behind me. In less than ten minutes they would over take me. I had to escape. I re-doubled my pace. I had to get away. I was panting. I could not last much longer but my destination was less than 25 meters away. However I had to get there before the king’s men got here or they would just follow me in. “Thud…Thud.” I was getting closer. There was only 5 meters left, when I tripped. I lay sprawled on the ground. I looked back. They would soon be able to see me. I crawled as fast as I could in the direction of the tree that marked the entrance to the tunnel. “Thud…Thud.” I grabbed the branch that hid the opening and pulled it aside to reveal a fissure in the cliff side. I crawled into the fissure and stayed there and waited for the men. Not thirty seconds after I got into the cave the horses galloped passed.
I stayed there for ten minutes after they left, not wanting to make a sound and alert them to my location. When the sound of galloping horses died away to nothing I turned and started heading up to the tunnel that lead to the cave at the top of the mountain.
My best friend lived in that cave. She had been my best friend since I had first met her 6 years ago.
I was ten then. Before that night my family had lived in the warrens on the outskirts of town, however we were of no means desolate. My father had run a small restaurant there. We had enough to get by. Although we had some tough times I was happy. I was free. My parents we so busy running the restaurant that they didn’t pay me that much attention allowing me to go and do as I pleased.
Then one day one of the upper nobility attended my father’s restaurant. This was such an unexpected occurrence that none of the other patrons knew what to do. They just sat there and watched him. Despite that the noble man thoroughly enjoyed the meal. He bought my father larger premises in the main part of town. Where this made my family better off and more respectable it meant the end of my freedom. My parents made me act all “good and proper”. I hated it.
One day I was so sick of it that I sneaked out of my room in the dead of night and slipped out of the city all together and into the woods that surrounded the city. Even when I lived in the warrens I never went into the forest. This was the first time I had ever left city, and I was planning on never going back. I wanted to live off the land and become one of those hermits the bards were always telling stories about.
I headed north. 8 kilometers north of the city was a mountain range. My plan was to find a cave and stay there for a while. It didn’t look too far from the city but since I did not know my landscape and I had to stumble my way through the dark to get there, it took me over three hours to get to the mountains.
I then began to search for a cave to sleep in. I searched for an hour and did not find anything. The only caves that could be seen were kilometers into the air. I traveled further into the mountain range looking for a cave. I was beginning to feel desperate and would have settled for any from of shelter to rest in.
Then all of a sudden I turned a corner and found a cave that opened at ground level. Relieved I rushed recklessly into the cave. It was not that deep only about 20 meters. I lay down in the back corner exhausted. I had nearly fallen asleep when I heard a low growl coming from cave’s entrance. I looked up and saw a large she-wolf standing at the only entrance to the cave.
I was trapped.
I didn’t know what to do. I stood there a small ten year old boy, weaponless and trapped. I had no way out. I knew I was going to die then.
The wolf growled again and crouched ready to attack. It sprung. I closed my eyes waiting for the searing pain that signified the attack had hit home.
But it didn’t come.
A loud thud filled cave.
I opened my eyes and saw the wolf was lying on the side of the cave. A huge gash stretching from the wolf’s mouth all the way down the creature’s groin tore 13cm into its flesh. It was dead.
Any relief from the wolf’s demise was overshadowed by the fear at the claw that was reaching into the cave and grabbing me.
I struggled as hard as I cold but to no avail. Nothing could break its grip.
As I was pulled out I was able to see the creature that had control of me. It was a dragon.
Everyone in my city was terrified of dragons ever since a dragon had made its home in these mountains over fifty years ago. The current king was the one who finally killed the beast and one had not been seen here since, but still the city lived in fear of a day when another dragon would nest here.
It looked like that day had finally come. And that I was going to be its first victim.
I redouble my efforts to escape but that had as much of a result as it did the first time. I could not get out of the dragons grip.
It brought me up to its head level. I was sure that it was about to eat me, but no matter how hard I tried I could not break free. As his hand came to a stop it occurred to me that even if I did escape from its grip I would just fall to my death anyway.
The dragon held me up at face value for a while just looking at me. I looked at it terrified. It was huge, so large that its claw covered my neck to my feet. It had shiny emerald scales, pointed ears and slanted eyes. Its tail was the same length as the rest of its body about 5 meters.
Then suddenly it turned and took up. It flew higher and higher. I was terrified. I had no idea what it was planning to do.
It flew for a good half an hour. However it felt much longer to me. I was beginning to think it would never stop when it landed on one of the highest peaks near the end of the mountain range.
It put me down on the ground of the cave and just looked at me. I didn’t know what to think. What was it going to do? Was it going to eat me or was it going to just stand there looking at me?
That was odd place to find one of your kind.
I was so startled by the noise that I jumped. However it wasn’t really a noise. It was if I thought it, it came from within my own mind.
“Was that you?”
A sort smile stretched against the dragon’s face. Figured that out did you, maybe there is hope for your species yet. The, or lack of a better word voice, was a kind female voice. It sounded compassionate
“You can talk?”
Well not exactly, I lack the ability to make human speech but I can project my thoughts into your head.
“You can get into my head?”
No not exactly but I can make you hear my thoughts in your head. Nothing more.
“Why did you save me?”
Well if you didn’t want me to I can go and find another wolf and give you to it.
“No…no… I appreciate it but what are you planning now.”
Planning…nothing. You are free to go whenever you wish.
“Really. But don’t dragons eat human…?”
Oh god no.