Learning to Fly (7 Hunters)
The sun’s rays were bright silver on the calm surface of the sea as King Michael and his Hunters set up their tents on the beach. They had planned a sort of picnic outing to celebrate Ezra’s success. He’d been practicing with the bats all week and wanted to surprise everyone with his abilities. Their small gathering quickly turned into an impromptu festival when word got around the city that their resident dragon was going to give a flying exhibition. Dragons had always been a part of Itreya Proper and its history, so the residents were very excited at the idea of actually seeing one fly.
Booths had been set up to sell food and trinkets. Merchants were hawking dragon memorabilia. Blankets were strewn along the shoreline in anticipation. Michael had given in to the tide of enthusiasm and suspended school classes for the day, knowing children would be playing hooky if he didn’t.
Ezra stood on a cliff, high above the water. It was the same cliff he’d fallen from countless times. This time would be different. He looked down to see all the people waiting for him to begin. Not a month before he was living in a dark, damp cave, hiding in fear from humans. Now he was living amongst them, a welcomed presence. He had not met a single person in the capitol city who had treated him badly, in fact, quite the opposite. And it wasn’t just because he was a Hunter. It was mostly because he was a dragon. People here seemed enchanted by him, wanted to talk to him, get to know him. Life had taken a totally unexpected, but wondrous, turn.
And now they were all waiting for him.
Ezra closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and jumped. He changed in mid-flight, wings stretching out into the breeze. He flew down towards the beach and whizzed over the heads of the delighted crowd. The sun beckoned as he turned sharply up, flying into the blue. Then he glided down and out over the sea to show off some more moves. The people cheered each maneuver, the king and his Hunters cheering loudest of all.
Ezra had never heard anything so wonderful. It sounded like home.