When you are young, you have great and many visions of things that could only be considered Fantasy. Little boys will fight and play with wooden swords, while little girls play with dolls and imagine to no end that they are some movie star, or princess in a lost castle; beckoning to their prince charming to rescue them from some imaginary monster. All of this happens in the light of being young and creative, having an imagination that dissolves sometimes in our short period of adolescence.

    But in my own youth, something felt out of place. I could never put my finger on it because at that time, I did have fantasy worlds I tread in. Marching through the forest, seeking out all of life’s creation; from the oldest tree to the youngest and most vigorous plant. I’d stomp through the mud for hours (much to my Mother’s dismay) then triumphantly sit down and eat Mulberries and Raspberries that grew in the wild growth. I felt alive surrounded by the forest, but it shook awake a feeling I could not have understood then. What started as a curious feeling, grew into an intense need to know, some living part of me I could not see.

    Between sessions of romping through the forest, I would sit down and read fantasy novels. I was six when this all started happening, reading at a level most would call adult. These books ranged in pages from 500 to 1000 pages, and I was often met with queer looks from the other kids I knew then. I look back on it now and see that it was quite a bit unnatural, I was more interested in stories of Dragons then my peers. All when I was six.

    Dragons…to me they were the epitome of all things, the greatest and most magnificent of beasts that this world could have seen. Deep feelings were always roused when I read of them, when one would die, when one would hatch, and even when one were injured. In these books; it took my emotions for a tailspin.

    This is what sparked my “Awakening” and set the fire burning for a dream that would arrive a short time later. This dream summarily changed my life forever, and took away my ability to be just another ‘child’. I was about to learn a lesson long before my time…

    Late one night after school, I had been lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking of things: Of Dragons and Wizards, Bards and Magick, and there I laid, wondering if life hid any secrets. Somewhere in my thoughts I drifted off to sleep, the lights glaring overhead, but I didn’t notice. Shortly I was swept off into dreams, the only fantasy that never stops. Sometime in the night, I was stirred awake and jolted upright in my bed. Through the crack in my opened window I heard noises like that crushing and snapping of Branches in the forest, as if a tree were being dragged across the marches. Curiosity is the worst enemy of some, but to me, I needed to know. Once more I felt drawn and enthusiastic to see what could create such a magnificent noise, and shot out of my room after pulling on my shirt and jeans.

    As I came out into the kitchen, I could see something gigantic moving in the woods beside out house. I was frightened and intrigued in the same moment, something felt odd, and I couldn’t make out what it was from inside…so I crept low to the door and opened it, trying to make as little sound as possible. Quick thoughts shot through my head and I hesitated; what if it were a wild animal that had escaped from the zoo? Would I get mauled to death? I scorned those thoughts because I wanted to get a closer look, so I crept outside and around the bend.

    What I saw, my friend, shocked the living hell out of me.

    There in as much magnificent glory as I could have imagined was a Gold Dragon and a Blue Dragon, standing side by side and ducked low behind the brush. If a car had passed they would not have been seen. I stood staring with my mouth agape, captivated in total awe, staring at two beings that could not have possibly been real. With a startled disposition I opened my mouth and stuttered out, “W..wh…what do you want?” but it came out a raspy whisper.

    The gold lifted its head and peered around for a moment, then began to speak. He beckoned that I hurry and not dawdle, that I make haste in coming down to where they hid in the growth. I hesitated, eyes likely bulging from my head, looking quite silly. My hesitation was met with a terse command and my feet moved on their own it seemed. Down the steps, around the corner I crept over to them, and looked up, staring up at those magnificent beasts. A slow conversation passed in low tones, and ended with the gold lowering his wing and displaying a type of Harness to me, in his deep voice he told me he needed to show me something, but we had to hurry and see it before it was gone. Once more I hesitated but the beast looked at me in a way that clearly said I had nothing to fear, except if I disobeyed him, of course.

    Up onto the harness I crawled and the Blue dragon lifted up and began securing belts of sort to me. It was all very rushed and quite suddenly the beast moved rather awkwardly into the open and out into the other side of my house, hurrying to not be seen. The Gold began to say something, but I didn’t recognize the language. I suddenly drooped in the harness and dropped off into dreams again, as if I hadn’t slept for years. The last noise I heard was a rush of air like a jet, and what sounded like the beating of massive wings. Through my sleep slit eyes; I could open them just enough to see the ground disappear away below me…the strange thoughts I had only echoed in my mind as I slipped into the darkness of unnatural sleep.

    Slowly I recovered consciousness, and opened my eyes staring up into the sky. I heard waves rasping on a shore all around me and once my wits recovered, I realized I was lying on a beach. I looked off one direction, and then another. I remember stifling a shriek as a silver plated muzzle appeared over me hovering. Taken aback momentarily I couldn’t form words. The creature looked at me curiously then nudged me with her nose. “Are you alright?” she said.

    My mind fumbled with the words, it couldn’t have been english, and my mouth felt strange. Trying to speak in english did no good, but when I did speak, it was in the same language she used. “I think…so” I managed to say, with as much awe at myself as the awe I had for this silver Dragoness huddled over my form. She only nodded and said I should hurry and take a look around, that I couldn’t stay long. I tried to sit up, but my muscles wouldn’t respond in some ways, but over-responded in others. For a moment I declined moving, and just asked her where I was…her muzzle creased in what appeared to me to be sorrow, ”You’ll see” she said, and at that point she indicated that she needed to move along, and had many important things to do. I thanked her for her help and concern, and she crept off across the beach.

    I sat and lay, staring at the sky, wondering why I felt so strange. I tried to sit up again and managed to get onto my side and on my hands and knees. I looked down and was met with a shocking site. My hands weren’t hands anymore, they were paws. My arms weren’t arms anymore, they were scaled. Slowly I took in the entire magnificence of what I was, I was a Dragon. On second thought, I was a rather stiff Dragon. My muscles didn’t want to work, as if I had been paralyzed. I managed, rather jerkily, to make my way up the shore, and took in the surrounding land. I came over a crest and had a view of the entire island. In the center a tall mountain lined with greens and moss sat, Dragons like the Silver where flying to and Fro, buzzing about the mountain like Bees around a hive. I looked down at the base of the mountain where a city had spread out, a city of Draconic proportions, buildings likely twice the size of the Toledo Recreation Center. The city, the mountain, the island itself; was immense.

    As I started to walk I felt myself change again, get smaller…the feeling was so odd it felt as though I were melting, but it didn’t startle me, it felt natural somehow. When I looked down again, my body had returned to its human counterpart. I was slightly glad for this little blessing; it was more what I was used to, and I could move easier. I moved down and into the city. Dragons walked like humans through the streets, tending strange business in that odd language, other humans like me walked along too, several had very long straight ears, and with a strange chuckle, I thought to myself “Elves” and considered myself loony as I walked along. I ducked into what looked like a store, and looked about at things on the shelf, this building was sized for human entrance obviously, but there were many larger items, one reminded me of a wire brush that would be used to scrape scales from a fish. That sort.

    Remembering that the Silver dragoness had not given me the name of the place, I asked the woman at the counter. She had long black hair, and very dark eyes, and wore a strangely meticulated collar about her neck that had a rather large red piece of metal in the center. It vaguely reminded me of a scale, for some reason I assumed this woman were a Red Dragon, and that she took this form to serve in this shop. I approached cautiously and she looked up from what she was doing, so I asked her in all simplicity, “What City is this? Where am I?” The woman chuckled at my seemingly ignorant questions and chimed up in her delightfully deep voice, “Why this is Avalon, of Course. Are you lost or something?”

    “Avalon!?” I said in a bit of a shock, but I shook my head and she looked at me curiously. I was beginning to get this feeling that I should return to the shore, but thanked the woman anyhow and exited the shop. I looked around as much of the town as I could before the feeling that was building got to intense to ignore. It was much like being summoned quite sharply. I did not disobey and made my way back to the beach. This time only the Blue Dragon was there, wearing the same saddle-harness the gold had been. He was wordless in his indication that I should climb back up and secure myself. I did so, and just gazed back at the island, enawed, watching with some ancient feeling at the dragons flying to and from the mountain in the center…I felt…as though I were finally home, and that I could be truly comfortable there…

    Once more I felt the blue dragon shift, it was at this point I heard it whispering, and I summarily was put back to sleep. It had already occurred to me that I was being put to sleep by some weird Magick I didn’t understand, and this time I enjoyed the nap. My muscles had begun to hurt horribly since I had taken the dragon form, and now my human body seemed to be ill to respond as well to my movements. To this date, and since that dream my muscles don’t respond well at all to my motions, and jerk and twitch and shake as if there is more stimulus then response from my brain. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

    This time I awoke again at home, and there stood the Gold Dragon again. He looked at me and nose-bumped my chest to stir me from sleep. I looked up and did something odd; I hugged his muzzle in my arms and stood up. He said he needed to go now…but that he would always be there for me, and always be a part of me. I was curious about what he was saying and looked at him, wondering what he ment. He must have heard my thoughts because he explained briefly…”My name is Dracasethaen, I have been with you for a long time, and will always be a part of you. One day you will understand what I mean. And in that time, you will have a new direction in your life. Be Strong…” and he turned away, I frowned, wanting him to stay, feeling so young and stupid, I didn’t understand then what he had ment. I sat quietly and watched him move away, looking up I saw him spiral out overhead, his body glinting in the moonlight, and he was gone.

    I made my way onto the porch and just sat, taking in everything that had happened. Enthralled I had not only seen dragons - I had gotten to be one. If it was a dream, I didn’t want to wake up…but my thoughts were short lived as the ache in my muscles came back and I suddenly felt very tired. As though I had been sucked through some vortex in space and time…I fell asleep on the porch outside my house, sitting there and leaning against the wall.

    I awoke the next morning right where I had fallen asleep. To this day I question the reality of what happened. Was it a dream? Or did it actually happen? The last words Dracasethaen had spoken to me resounded for a long time…after several months it finally sunk in and I understood. I was that Dragon, and he was I. On the Island, I had been him, and we had been one. Almost 12 years have past now, since that dream. It has changed my life, and indeed has given me a new direction. My family knows that I am a Dragon now, I told them with much bravery, desiring their acceptance. Now I exist as I am today, even some of my friends at School are others like me, self proclaimed Dragons. These days I look at the world and realize that nothing is as it seems, and some great story is being told. Together and after I will always remember that even in Death I am more then just human. To me, it is a reason to live, to free Dracasethaen and let him live once more. It has become my charge in life, and slowly I remember why I exist, and what I am here for. Tomorrow is the next page in the story, and forever and after, I am a dragon.

    -Dracasethaen Therionolinthe Goldwing