Dragons line
The night passed uneventfully, and in the morning they all ate a hardy breakfast and quickly set out again. Since they planned on traveling the whole day, they walked the horse. This time Phoebe stayed in the back to watch as Nye continued to teach Tonto. They were focusing on Tonto’s ability to call on his essence as needed. It was different from changing into a dragon since that was instinctual and natural.
Phoebe found the most interesting thing to be the fact that no matter what it was that Nye had Tonto trying to do, Tonto eye’s would go dragon, and his ears would also get pointed. It was so hard for her to keep herself from touching the tip of the ear, just as Nye had. It was a neither a pointed ear like she or Nye had, nor was it like that of an elf. Instead of simply coming to a point, they came free and rotated around like that of an animal.
By the time they were ready to stop for lunch Nye was exhausted from the amount of magic he had used to demonstrate what he wanted Tonto to do. Tonto was also beginning to tire, and as he grew more tired, he began to lose what little control he had. It was while trying to create a trickle of water in his palm, just as Nye had in the clearing, that the surging of power he had experienced in the courtyard hit him again. Once again it caused him a great deal of effort to stop, and knowing that he was already tired, Tonto feared that he wouldn’t be able to stop the change if it came again.
Nye saw Tonto shaking, and assumed that he was finally growing tired. “Let’s try that one again.” He didn’t wait for Tonto to reply as he placed another cup under Tonto’s extended hand to catch the water that he would create.
Tonto looked at the cup, and then pulled his hand back. “I need to take a break.”
“I’m tired too, but we can’t give up. Do it once more, and then we’ll take a break for lunch.” Nye pushed.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Tonto replied.
“Do you want to learn or not? If you don’t try things even when you’re tired you will never fully gain control.”
The statement was just enough to push Tonto into trying again. He held out his hand and thought of a clear rippling stream, just as Nye had taught him. Unfortunately he could not hold that image in his head for very long, because as soon as he thought of a stream, he thought of home and what had happened the last time he was at the stream. There was another surge and with horror Tonto stood and pushed toward the door. He tried to fight it down, but he knew that he was going to change no matter what. If he didn’t make it outside, then he was going to destroy the carriage, and probably hurt everyone there. Even as he yanked the door open he could feel his body beginning to lengthen. He jumped as best he could from the moving cart, putting as much distance between it and him as he could.
Sedgwick heard the commotion and pulled up to a stop. At the same time he dismounted to see what was going on, Nye and Phoebe both rushed to the door.
There, a few yards behind the carriage, Tonto had sprawled on the ground. He lay on his belly with one wing pinned underneath him. His head was ducked under and tail stretched toward the carriage he had been fleeing.
Sedgwick was shocked. “He really is a dragon…” The man stood rooted to the spot.
Phoebe stood in breath taken wonder at the site before her.
Nye was the only one to react, as he leapt from the cart and ran over to Tonto. “Are you ok?” He gently placed a hand on the exposed shoulder. There was a minor shudder under his hand as Tonto pulled his head up.
Tonto answered by trying to stand up, tripping on his wing, and finally getting to his feet. “I couldn’t stop it…” Was the only thing he said in response.
Nye with his hand still on Tonto’s shoulder was the only one to understand what Tonto had growled. “It’s not your fault. I should have realized that you were close to losing control. I pushed you too far.” As he spoke Nye let his hand drop.
Tonto growled and then sauntered off of the road, in case anyone should come along. He went far enough into the trees that his body was hidden and then he laid down and waited.
“I guess we’re eating lunch now.” Phoebe went back to the cart and dug around until she found a leg of smoked venison. She dug out a knife and began slicing off bits for everyone, and passing them around. When she got to Tonto she looked at the small portion in her hand and then at the dragon in front of her.
Tonto snorted, rose and disappeared into the woods.
Silence reigned for several minutes after he left, and then Sedgwick spoke. “I have to be honest, last night when Tuatha was weaving his tales of elves and dragons; I thought it was all just a bunch of stories. I thought Tonto was just another shape shifter like the two of you.”
“I found it hard to believe too.” Phoebe chimed in.
“I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen him as a dragon first.” Nye added to the conversation.
“The only reason I asked if he wanted a ride was to confound the Paladins.” Sedgwick looked down the road they had traveled. “I can’t believe I had a dragon in my cart with all my wares.”
Phoebe looked at Nye. “Why do you think he changed?”
“He said he couldn’t stop it.” Nye answered.
Phoebe arched an eyebrow. “I didn’t hear him say anything; he just kept growling.”
A puzzled look crossed Nye’s face. “He said it very clearly when I went to see if he was alright.” Comprehension flashed. “Right when I had my hand on his shoulder.”
Phoebe’s face lit up. “So it was almost like he pulled another mind meld to talk to you?”
“Think that might be what happened.” Nye looked across at Phoebe. “I don’t know as much about dragons as you do. I never tried to learn anything about them at all actually.”
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that dragons don’t use magic; they are magic.” Phoebe paused briefly to let that sink in. “So far as I could tell they don’t choose what magic they use or when. It just happens around them.”
Tonto who had moved deeper into the woods to hunt could still hear everything that was said. He tried to concentrate on finding food, but he could only hear the voices of the people talking about him. He hadn’t known that when he was talking no one could understand him, until hearing Phoebe say that. They are magic? What did that mean? If he couldn’t choose what magic he used and when, then what was the point of all the training that he had been doing with Nye? Tonto didn’t think it was completely pointless. He had learned a few spells and had changed forms.
He pulled away from listening any further, and went deeper into the woods. He wasn’t really hungry and didn’t want to wander too far, but he didn’t want to hear anything else. How was it that everyone knew more about him than he did? He stopped when he heard people on the road. It sounded like another carriage was coming up behind where they had stopped. He moved closer again to hear what was going on.
Phoebe found the most interesting thing to be the fact that no matter what it was that Nye had Tonto trying to do, Tonto eye’s would go dragon, and his ears would also get pointed. It was so hard for her to keep herself from touching the tip of the ear, just as Nye had. It was a neither a pointed ear like she or Nye had, nor was it like that of an elf. Instead of simply coming to a point, they came free and rotated around like that of an animal.
By the time they were ready to stop for lunch Nye was exhausted from the amount of magic he had used to demonstrate what he wanted Tonto to do. Tonto was also beginning to tire, and as he grew more tired, he began to lose what little control he had. It was while trying to create a trickle of water in his palm, just as Nye had in the clearing, that the surging of power he had experienced in the courtyard hit him again. Once again it caused him a great deal of effort to stop, and knowing that he was already tired, Tonto feared that he wouldn’t be able to stop the change if it came again.
Nye saw Tonto shaking, and assumed that he was finally growing tired. “Let’s try that one again.” He didn’t wait for Tonto to reply as he placed another cup under Tonto’s extended hand to catch the water that he would create.
Tonto looked at the cup, and then pulled his hand back. “I need to take a break.”
“I’m tired too, but we can’t give up. Do it once more, and then we’ll take a break for lunch.” Nye pushed.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Tonto replied.
“Do you want to learn or not? If you don’t try things even when you’re tired you will never fully gain control.”
The statement was just enough to push Tonto into trying again. He held out his hand and thought of a clear rippling stream, just as Nye had taught him. Unfortunately he could not hold that image in his head for very long, because as soon as he thought of a stream, he thought of home and what had happened the last time he was at the stream. There was another surge and with horror Tonto stood and pushed toward the door. He tried to fight it down, but he knew that he was going to change no matter what. If he didn’t make it outside, then he was going to destroy the carriage, and probably hurt everyone there. Even as he yanked the door open he could feel his body beginning to lengthen. He jumped as best he could from the moving cart, putting as much distance between it and him as he could.
Sedgwick heard the commotion and pulled up to a stop. At the same time he dismounted to see what was going on, Nye and Phoebe both rushed to the door.
There, a few yards behind the carriage, Tonto had sprawled on the ground. He lay on his belly with one wing pinned underneath him. His head was ducked under and tail stretched toward the carriage he had been fleeing.
Sedgwick was shocked. “He really is a dragon…” The man stood rooted to the spot.
Phoebe stood in breath taken wonder at the site before her.
Nye was the only one to react, as he leapt from the cart and ran over to Tonto. “Are you ok?” He gently placed a hand on the exposed shoulder. There was a minor shudder under his hand as Tonto pulled his head up.
Tonto answered by trying to stand up, tripping on his wing, and finally getting to his feet. “I couldn’t stop it…” Was the only thing he said in response.
Nye with his hand still on Tonto’s shoulder was the only one to understand what Tonto had growled. “It’s not your fault. I should have realized that you were close to losing control. I pushed you too far.” As he spoke Nye let his hand drop.
Tonto growled and then sauntered off of the road, in case anyone should come along. He went far enough into the trees that his body was hidden and then he laid down and waited.
“I guess we’re eating lunch now.” Phoebe went back to the cart and dug around until she found a leg of smoked venison. She dug out a knife and began slicing off bits for everyone, and passing them around. When she got to Tonto she looked at the small portion in her hand and then at the dragon in front of her.
Tonto snorted, rose and disappeared into the woods.
Silence reigned for several minutes after he left, and then Sedgwick spoke. “I have to be honest, last night when Tuatha was weaving his tales of elves and dragons; I thought it was all just a bunch of stories. I thought Tonto was just another shape shifter like the two of you.”
“I found it hard to believe too.” Phoebe chimed in.
“I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen him as a dragon first.” Nye added to the conversation.
“The only reason I asked if he wanted a ride was to confound the Paladins.” Sedgwick looked down the road they had traveled. “I can’t believe I had a dragon in my cart with all my wares.”
Phoebe looked at Nye. “Why do you think he changed?”
“He said he couldn’t stop it.” Nye answered.
Phoebe arched an eyebrow. “I didn’t hear him say anything; he just kept growling.”
A puzzled look crossed Nye’s face. “He said it very clearly when I went to see if he was alright.” Comprehension flashed. “Right when I had my hand on his shoulder.”
Phoebe’s face lit up. “So it was almost like he pulled another mind meld to talk to you?”
“Think that might be what happened.” Nye looked across at Phoebe. “I don’t know as much about dragons as you do. I never tried to learn anything about them at all actually.”
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that dragons don’t use magic; they are magic.” Phoebe paused briefly to let that sink in. “So far as I could tell they don’t choose what magic they use or when. It just happens around them.”
Tonto who had moved deeper into the woods to hunt could still hear everything that was said. He tried to concentrate on finding food, but he could only hear the voices of the people talking about him. He hadn’t known that when he was talking no one could understand him, until hearing Phoebe say that. They are magic? What did that mean? If he couldn’t choose what magic he used and when, then what was the point of all the training that he had been doing with Nye? Tonto didn’t think it was completely pointless. He had learned a few spells and had changed forms.
He pulled away from listening any further, and went deeper into the woods. He wasn’t really hungry and didn’t want to wander too far, but he didn’t want to hear anything else. How was it that everyone knew more about him than he did? He stopped when he heard people on the road. It sounded like another carriage was coming up behind where they had stopped. He moved closer again to hear what was going on.