• She opened her eyes slowly. Her first thought was that it was hot, too hot, even for the middle of the warm season. She tried to sit up, but the movement set her head spinning and her stomach tumbling. Instead, she rolled to the edge of the bed, and promptly vomited over the side. The force was enough to send her crashing to the floor.

    She remained still for a moment, resting her forehead against the floorboards, and waited for the initial pain to subside. Finally, chancing movement again, she pushed herself to her knees. Her stomach flipped, but she didn't throw up. Taking it as a good sign, she turned to see her mother and older sister slumped over the table. Or their shapes, at least; the air was strangely hazy, and she couldn't see very well.

    It seemed to take forever to crawl over to where they sat. She reached out with a shaky hand and tugged on her mother's skirt as hard as she could. Receiving no response, she laid back down. It was so hot, and she could barely breathe. So hot...She began to drift off.

    Warning bells went off somewhere in the back of her mind, and she struggled back to consciousness. It was still hot, still hard to breathe, but now there was a crackling sound. It seemed to her that she knew the sound, but not precisely. She forced her tired eyes open and raised her head. The room was darker, the air even hazier than it had been, and as she managed to focus her sight, she could see the flames beginning to creep along the floor and ceiling.



    Janna opened her eyes and sat up, gasping for air, her dark hair plastered to her forehead. It was still night, and the warmth and familiar darkness of the cave she called home surrounded her. She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes and shook her head. That dream was disturbing; she'd had it off and on for some time now, but it was recurring more frequently these days.

    Beside her, a small golden dragon raised its head and trilled a sleepy question. She rested a hand on his head crest. “It's all right, Kito. Just a bad dream. Nothing to worry about.” He whistled softly, and pushed his head against her hand in a plea for attention. Janna smiled and stroked his head; after a short while, his eyes closed and he fell asleep again.

    She shifted around and laid back down with her head on his flank. Listening to the soft hiss of his breathing, she tried to relax herself, but sleep would not come. Instead, she found herself staring at the ceiling, awaiting the dawn. Eventually, she lifted her head and looked out the mouth of the cave; from where she lay, she could see the horizon was tinged a dusty rose. She crawled out from under the hide she used as a blanket and made her way to the ledge outside her home.

    This late in the season, the ground was frosted in the early mornings, and she wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. Behind her, she could hear Kito snuffling in his sleep, and she smiled again, wondering what it was that dragons dreamt about, or if they dreamt at all. After a time, he fell silent again, and she watched the sun begin its slow ascent.

    Kito crept up behind her, belly low to the ground, and rested his head on her shoulder. She hadn't been aware of his approach, and she started slightly at the feeling of icy scales on her bare skin. But she was grateful for his company, and leaned against him as he curled his tail around her. They sat that way for a while, watching the sun rise, girl and dragon entwined. Vague thoughts and emotions flowed between them through a bond born of years spent together. Presently, Janna became aware of her friend's growing hunger. “Are you ready for breakfast, big guy?” She reached back to pat his head.

    He cooed and tugged on her hair. Laughing, she turned around and crawled back into the cave, toward the remains of last night's fire. The sun's first rays added some much needed illumination to the dark interior, and she was able to find a few bones with meat still attached. It wasn't much, but it would keep him satisfied until they'd had time to hunt for more. She tossed them at him, smiling at the acrobatics he performed to catch each one before placing it in a pile in front of him. After she'd thrown the last, he sat and looked at her expectantly.

    “Sorry,” she shrugged. “That's it.”

    He snorted and started ripping the meat from one of the bones. Janna shook her head in amusement and groped under the blanket for her clothes. While she slipped into the trousers and loose-fitting shirt she'd filched from a clothesline some weeks ago, Kito finished his meal and rolled over into the patch of sun on the ledge outside. In moments, he was snoring and snuffling.

    As she crawled to join him, her pants caught on a jagged spur of rock rising from the cave floor, and a loud ripping noise echoed through the interior. She grimaced when she heard it, knowing she would now have to make time to find new clothing as there was no way for her to mend it. Outside, she nudged Kito with her foot, trying to wake him. The only response was a louder snore. She sighed and bent down and gave his foreleg a good hard shake. “Up, boy. It's time to get going.”

    The dragon opened his eyes slowly, and gave a huge yawn as he hoisted himself upright again. Janna pointed back inside the cave. “Harness.” Kito yawned again and trundled off to fetch the riding harness she had spent weeks making. While he was inside, she took the opportunity to stretch. The cave was small, and while it had been more than accommodating when she was a child, there was no longer enough room to stand up.

    Using the leather thong that had at one time laced the front of another shirt, she tied her hair back. Kito lumbered back out of the cave, the harness dangling from his jaws. She reached out and took it from him. Looking rather bored, or as bored as a dragon can look, he stretched his wings out and held his head up. Janna looped the toughened hide strap around his neck and cinched the wide belt around his middle.

    With a helpful boost from Kito, she swung one leg over his back and secured additional straps around her thighs and waist. After a careful check to be sure each strap was tight and not likely to come loose, she nudged him forward, closed her eyes, and held tight. She felt the sudden lightness as he stepped off the ledge, followed by the short but sickening sensation of falling before they were airborne. Once she could feel the air rushing past her face, she opened her eyes; the thought of seeing the ground coming towards her, even for only a short time, made her stomach turn.

    Despite all the times she'd flown over this very area, the sense of exhilaration was always as sharp as it had been the first time she'd ridden on Kito's back. The landscape spread out below them in a panoramic blend of greens, yellows, beiges, and grays. She could see the dark shapes of the elpi darting through the grass, running for cover. Kito started down after them, but she restrained him. “Not yet, boy. There's something else we need to do first.” She glanced down at the gaping hole in her pant leg, and sighed; these hadn't lasted very long.

    Tugging on the harness, she pointed him to an outcropping of boulders near a small house where items on a clothesline fluttered in the breeze. It was far enough from the village to provide some isolation. The last thing she wanted was to terrify an entire town. As Kito began his landing, she closed her eyes again, and clung to his neck. When they were safely on the ground, she unfastened her half of the harness and slid off. As she tucked the straps into the widest part so they wouldn't dangle, she said, “You know what to do. Now, go!” With the last word, she slapped his hindquarters.

    He ran out a short distance, flapping his wings, and took off. Janna climbed the backside of the rocks and watched as he approached the house, waiting for the opportune moment. She didn't have long to wait, for as he came nearer, he swooped low, and she heard screaming. It was only breaths before the poor couple who owned the house came tearing out of the door. They headed for town, shouting something Janna was too far away to make out.

    As soon as they were out of sight, she scrambled down the other side and made for the clean laundry. She scanned the line quickly, and grabbed at a pair of trousers that looked as though they might fit. Kito landed close behind her and she started to turn back to him. Another glance at the trousers, though, and she decided they might be a bit big in the waist. After a quick check in the direction of town to ensure no one was heading back this way, she grabbed an end of the clothesline and motioned Kito forward. He stepped toward her, and she held the line out, marking a spot with her fingers. “Cut,” she said, and he reached out a claw and sawed through the rope.

    Janna wrapped the length of rope around her hand, tied the pant legs around her waist and mounted Kito again. She strapped herself in once more and prepared for takeoff. As they rose into the air, she could hear distant voices. Once she opened her eyes, she looked back and saw the couple from the house and another figure examining the vandalized clothesline. She urged Kito to a greater speed and before long, the house and its occupants were lost to sight.

    The pair landed on the ground below their home, and Janna dismounted. Kito lay down in the grass and looked at her pointedly. She laughed. “In a little while. Be patient.” He snorted, and nibbled disinterestedly at a flower blooming close by his head. Shaking her head, she untied the pants from her waist, and switched them for the torn ones she wore. Kito watched as she dug a hole in the earth and buried the discarded garment, being careful to make it look as though nothing had been disturbed.

    As she rose from her task, so did Kito. He shook himself to remove the pieces of grass clinging to his scales and waited. Janna rolled her eyes and once more fastened herself into the harness. Takeoff was quicker than usual, and she sensed that he knew it was time to hunt. Trilling with glee, he soared over the hills in search of an elpi herd. Kito's eyesight was much sharper than Janna's, and she knew it, so it was little surprise to her when he angled downward.

    They came closer, and she could make out the individual animals, running as fast as they could. But they were still no match for a dragon. She cringed as she heard the shrill squeal of the one Kito grabbed in his claws. It's food, and you need to eat, she reminded herself. Burden in claw, he flew back towards their home and set the limp animal on the ground before landing. Janna slid off and removed the harness; he could finish the hunt without her. Besides, there was work to be done here now.

    He trilled a goodbye at her and headed out again. Keeping one eye out for any other predators that would try to steal their catch, Janna climbed up to the cave. Inside, she quickly pulled a crude stone knife and a pouch made of hide out from under a small pile of pelts at the back. She chucked them down by the dead elpi and made her descent with care. In the grass again, she stripped off her clothing and set it aside; there was no sense in ruining her only garments. After a quick hunt for the knife's landing place, she sat down and began the messy process of skinning the elpi. The first two were always Kito's meal, so there was no real need to prepare those for cooking.

    As she worked, Kito flew in and out, dropping three more elpi beside her. After he delivered the final catch, he started to settle down beside her. Janna shook her head and tapped his snout. “You're not done yet.” She pointed at the only completely skinned elpi and then at the cave mouth. “Take.” Kito blew smoke out his nostrils and tried again to lay down. “Take.” She repeated the gesture.

    He made a whining noise deep in his throat, but she refused to give in. Once more she pointed at the elpi and the cave. “I said take.” Letting his head droop a bit, he picked up the animal and fluttered up to the ledge, where he dropped it. Janna watched, and when he began to lay down on the warm rock, she whistled sharply. Snorting and snuffling, he returned to where she sat and waited for the next elpi to be ready.

    Before she started preparing the last for cooking, she located the pouch and handed it to Kito. She pointed at it and said, “Water.” He chirped and took off in the direction of the mountains, and she went back to her task. By the time she was finished, Kito had returned with the pouch full of water. After instructing him to take the last of their catch up to the cave, she unplugged the opening and poured the water over her arms to wash away the blood. It was icy, fresh from a snow-fed stream she assumed, and raised goosebumps on her skin.

    She had just reclosed the water pouch when Kito fluttered down, chirping and trilling rapidly and looking towards the top of the rocky outcropping. Unable to understand him, but seeing something had agitated him, she quickly redressed and followed him up the rocks, past the opening to their home. She gripped the uppermost edge and peeked over.

    In the valley down the hill, there was a road. It was seldom traveled, but someone was using it today. Far away, yet close enough to cause alarm, she could see a caravan of wagons headed their way. Peddlers, she thought. As long as we stay out of sight, there shouldn't be any trouble. With a skill born of long practice, she made her way back down to the cave and sat cross-legged on the ledge. She motioned Kito down, and pointed at the fire circle.

    He cocked his head to the side. “Yes, I know it's early, but we've got to put it out before those wagons get close enough to see...Oh, you don't understand anyway.” She gave up explaining and pointed again. Kito gave a dragonish approximation of a shrug and blew a thin stream of flame at the remains of last night's kindling. They caught soon enough, and Janna went about cooking her dinner; part of it would be cold by evening, but she dared not risk being found.