The Dragon Rider

A little history:

Amongst the races of fairies, is a race that inhabits the mountain range of the Dragon’s Teeth, the main city being Mountatus. After the war, fought off the fields of this mountain range, most dragons disappeared from the area and migrated for to wilder parts. Although the surrounding land is bare of dragons, the mountain range itself is still filled with them, and so Mikel had grown up with dragon riders all his life.

A very special bond can exist between dragon and rider, when the rider risks his life for the dragon, if it is seen fit, he is marked with the tattoo of his dragon, and this bonds them for life.

A brief character history:

From a young age Mikel always showed a headstrong brash personality. At the age of 12 he wandered out of the comfort of Mountatus, the city beneath the mountain. Following the rivers out of the city, he found his way out of the protection of the mountain and into the forest side.

Coming upon the forest Mikel wandered out to find a new adventure. He hadn’t travelled far before overhearing some racket in a nearby clearing. Ducking down into the bushes, he peered into the clearing, and saw three raggedy looking men, hunched over what appeared to be a cage. Mikel maneuvered himself around until he could see what the men we’re peering over in the cage. Catching a glimpse of the rough scales covering its body, he recognized it right away, in the cage was a dragon. He watched as one of the men lifted a rusted looking knife over the cage, and dragon shrank down hissing. Before the man could bring the knife down, Mikel bolted from the bushes and threw himself down on the cage. The man with the knife looked momentarily stunned, but recovered quickly. 

“You dare to stop us little boy? Do you even know what that beast is?” 

Mikel stared the man in the eyes, “He’s a rock dragon” he proclaimed stubbornly. The man sneered an ugly smile, showing crooked yellow teeth,

“That my dear boy, is an untamable, wild dragon full of good meat, and he wouldn’t give two thoughts to ripping ya limb by limb”

“That’s not true, he wouldn’t hurt me!” yelled Mikel at the stranger. The man’s face turned grim,

“You’re one of them folks aren’t you boy, the dragon riders” The man seemed to share a look with his friends and grinned, “You know” he said, fiddling with his blade, “Me and my friends here don’t appreciate you getting in the way of our meal. Actually, you look quite tasty yourself” said the man, lunging for him, but Mikel had already anticipated the man’s actions and grabbing the bolt that kept the cage closed, he dodged out of the way. He landed a few feet from the cage and covered his head as the rock dragon leapt out of the cage and attacked the men. 

Mikel kept his head hidden in his hands, as he heard a struggle ensue. After a couple of minutes of quiet he looked up, to find the dragon sitting in front of him, head bent to the side. Looking around, Mikel saw the bodies of all the three men laying motionless around him. He quickly jumped to his feet and backed away from the dragon. Deciding he had had enough of adventure, he quickly spun around and began making his way back to the mountain. 

As he began walking, he heard the crunch of leaves behind him. Carefully peeking over his shoulder, he saw the rock dragon following him and began to speed up. As he reached the clearing of the forest, and the dragon was still on his tail, he began to run for the comfort of the cave. Suddenly, in two large bounds the dragon had over taken him and jumped to intercept. Mikel, fell on his back in surprise, and watched as the dragon bent down on his front legs and leaped atop of him. As he braced himself for what would come next, the dragon licked him. Surprised he hoped his eyes, to find the dragon sitting on his haunches, looking at him sideways. Mikel slowly stood up, sticking his hand out to let the dragon smell him. The dragon came up to his waist while seated, and as he stuck out his hand, it began to rub its head, purring. 

Mikel felt a sting on his side, and lifting his shirt, found the mark of the dragon rider spreading across and up his left side. Knowing what was happening, he smiled, “I will name you Kaymen” he said, and with that, began leading the dragon back into the caves of Mountatus.

 ~

From the day of the rescue, Mikel and Kaymen became inseparable. They slept side by side every night, even after Kaymen outgrew the bed. At the age of twenty, Mikel had grown into a strong handsome man, tanned by the sun and hardened by the mountain. He could always be found playing with Kaymen on the mountainside. Often he would be engaged in a game of chase with his companion, running along the cliffs edge, climbing and jumping from one side to the next, all the while with Kaymen in pursuit. Once he had reached the end, where there was no longer any place to run or climb to, he would leap off the edge of the cliff, knowing that Kaymen would swoop down to catch him.