Story: Shooting Star
Written for:
brigits_flame, October 2011, week 1
Prompt: Baptism by Fire
Words: 504
Rating: PG
Shooting Star
Pyrnala crouched low on the satellite she had called her home until today. She took one last look at the cocoon her mother had built and her siblings who were still clinging to the satellite. There was no sign of her mother, who had left them days ago without any fuss, knowing her children were old enough to leave, to take the jump and become fully grown dragons. Now the remaining food and air were almost used up and the young dragons had begun leaving.
Pyrnala coiled her long, pale tail and tensed her leg muscles. She adjusted the direction she was facing. Then she took a deep breath of the thin air, closed her eyes and pushed off as hard as she could.
At first, there was hardly any friction, but soon her scales grew warm. As the warmth turned to burning heat, Pyrnala could only hope she was entering the atmosphere at the right angle, or she would turn to dust. The heat became almost unbearable for a while, until Pyrnala opened her mouth as wide as she could, just as her mother had told her to. The burning sensation spread to her lungs and her stomach but suddenly, the pain was replaced by exhilaration. She was finally becoming an adult!
After a while, the heat became less. Cautiously, Pyrnala opened her eyes and saw the earth racing towards her. Although it was night, she could see more details than ever before. The small, bright dots she had seen from the satellite were now becoming sprawling cities. She aimed for a dark patch, shifting her weight before she realized that her wings were no longer the weak, folded skins they had been but thick, fully functional wings. She spread them and, feeling the resistance of the air, managed to slow down.
Pyrnala took a deep breath of the fresh air and let out a roar. An enormous flame erupted from her mouth. She grinned, knowing she had succeeded in making the atmosphere's fire her own.
The smell of smoke still in her nose, Pyrnala soared downwards, reveling in the strength of her wings and her enormous body. She saw dark hills spread out below her and occasionally saw a river or lake reflect the moonlight. She looked up to see the moon, where generations before her had grown up. It had become tiny in comparision to how close it had seemed on her satellite. The stars looked no different, but as she gazed at them, she saw a bright streak of light, probably one of her brothers or sisters shooting into the atmosphere.
After a while the sun rose and Pyrnala turned her head to look at herself. Her scales were no longer a milky white, but shimmered in a deep blue-green. Her wings were truly enormous and her claws strong and dark. Pyrnala hummed with happiness as she imagined her life. Soaring over the hills and mountains, feasting deer and the occasional sheep, there was nothing she couldn’t do.
Finally becoming tired, she found a crack between stones in the mountains and fell asleep exhaustedly. There was a smile on her scaly face as she dreamt of all the adventures she would have.