( This is the beginning of a story I wrote a very long time ago. I don't think I'll ever get much farther than this 'cause I kinda lost my muse for it... But enjoy anyway!
)
The Dragon Tamer
Part 1
A tall, dark, shadowy figure slowly walked forward. Its face was in almost full shadow, even though some small and unimportant details could be made out. Each time the figure took a step the chains around its muscular body would clank together making it sound more and more intimidating. The dull light of the area made a streak of sliver shine on a large, double-headed ax that it carried in its scaly hands.
In front of it, about three feet away, was a young girl. She was on her knees with her thin hands tied behind her back with poorly made rope. Her small, round head hung downward with her long, dark brown hair covering the sides of her face. She was breathing heavily, and her body was trembling, but she was quiet and her face showed no sign of fear.
The figure continued to walk, its large feet thumping against the ground. Slower and slower it came until it stopped right in front of the girl. It quietly raised the shiny ax above its head, with a loud cling and the sound of rumbling chains. The girl took one last deep breath, tightly shut her eyes, and the ax was dropped…
I shot up in my bed feeling like I was in an oven set to melt rocks. Tiny beads of sweat formed on my forehead and the palms of my hands became sticky. I was breathing heavily as if I had sprinted for three miles without stopping. My body was also trembling beyond my control, so hard that I could've sworn that my bed was shaking with me.
The slid my hands up and down my neck checking to see if it was still attached to my body. Realizing that I was fine, I sighed heavily and stared into the darkness of my room. I could only make out the small green light of my smoke detector on the ceiling, but the dark seemed somewhat peaceful. I hoped that it would cool down soon; my room was burning hot though it could just have been me. I kicked my heavy comforter off to the floor and I laid back down on my back putting my hands behind my head.
I stared at the ceiling for sometime before I started to think. Why did I keep having this dream? This was the third time in two weeks, the same thing over and over again, and I always wake up just as scared as the last time. I sighed again and I turned over to my side. I looked at my window where the small air conditioning was. I was thinking about turning it on, but it always made my room smell like the pool at the recreation center, so I didn't bother.
There were a few flashes of bright yellow light in my window. They cast a long, heavy shadow on the floor that led up to the wall. 'A car out this early?' I asked myself. It was strange. It had to have been at least three o' clock judging by the time I went to bed and the darkness of my room.
Slowly my breathing returned to normal and my body cooled down. As I relaxed I listened to the soft pitter-patter of rain hitting the roof of the house. It was very slow for a minute then it started pounding as though wanting to come in. There was a big flash of light, brighter than the first one and a lot shorter in time, only a few seconds. A moment later, there was a loud booming noise and a few crackles. I jumped a little and I almost rolled on my other side away from the window. Great a storm...
I hoped and prayed that it wouldn't storm tomorrow and that it'd stop shortly. My mom was taking my brother, Lenon, and I to the zoo the following morning. I didn't want the event to be rained out since the zoo just won an honored award. I thought it would be exciting to visit such a great zoo. There was another flash of light and a loud bang.
I'd visited other zoos in the past. Ones that didn't deserve the right to own any animals or be in business anymore. Zoos where the polar bears had no snow, but all grass and a little tiny pond to walk in. Not even deep enough for their whole dull white bodies to be covered in water all at once.
Zoos where all of the African animals were crammed all in a half acre exhibit. The lions would take down a few animals sometimes and it would be all over the news. I was surprised to hear that the zoo wasn't shut down, it should've been. The rain finally started to let up.
I took a deep breath and I slowly closed my eyes. There was one more small rumble of thunder. I rolled over to my other side, so I was facing the wall. I wasn't tired anymore, but I knew that I had to get as much sleep as I could if I was going to walk around the zoo all day tomorrow. Deep in thought about my dreams I drifted back to sleep.