1 Chapter 1

Huh…? I lay in the dark, feeling as if I was underwater. Where am I...oh, that's right. I died. I...drowned, right? I'm not too sure how I died. So is this the afterlife? I tried to open my eyes and found they were sealed with some sort of gel-like substance. Hm? Now that I think about it, it feels like I have four arms and...a tail? I moved around a bit and found myself stuck inside of something. What's this? Am I not dead? A bright flare of light flashed over my closed eyelids and I suddenly wanted nothing more than to beat at the smooth thing around me. There was a loud cracking sound when I slammed my head against it, the pressure around me beginning to disappear. What seemed to be thick fluid carried me out of a hole, my body barely slipping through. I gasped for air but found a weird film was completely covering me. I tried to pull it off, my hands slipping each time. Why can't I get a grip?! It's so slimy! When it finally tore I took deep gulps of sharply cold air.

I felt something soft was under me and instinctively rubbed against it, wiping my eyes so I could open them. This was the strangest sensation I had ever felt and I didn't know how to respond. All I knew was that I was sticky, slimy, and continuously slipped around, failing to find grip. What exactly happened to me? Didn't I die? I began to open my eyes, blinking against painful light. Huh? I stared at the empty ice cave and recoiled from the blasting blizzard wind outside. Where am I? Looking behind me, I saw an empty eggshell. Did I come out of that? I know I was a fan of stories where one died and went to a different world, but I never imagined it might be possible. Part of me wondered as to why I was so calm right now, but the other half thought everything around me was natural...maybe instincts? What am I? I looked at my hands to find them covered in delicate opal scales with tiny talons poking out of my fingers. The structure didn't change too much, but the appearance certainly did! I might need to twist to see the rest of my body...I went to turn my head only to find I could look over my shoulder without any problem whatsoever. Woah...is my neck longer?

After I got over that surprise, I saw my back. Ah! Two wings! Four legs! Small spine-spikes! A tail! Is my body aerodynamic? My body was slim-looking, clearly streamlined. Wow...am I a dragon? I tried moving around and soon found it challenging. This is harder than it looks...ugh. My front legs got tangled together and I fell on my face with a yelp. That hurt. Hmmm...if I'm a dragon, aren't I supposed to be able to use magic? I wriggled back to my feet and did my best to learn how to walk. I flinched when a shadow dashed by the cave opening, then quivered when it returned and made to land inside. The dark shadow huffed and walked heavily, coming closer. When it got close enough to see clearly, I was immediately full of curiosity. A marvelous dragon blinked at me in apparent surprise, but it didn't take long until it smiled at me...at least, it seemed like a smile.

With a voice full of exhaustion, the dragon whispered, "Hello, little one. Welcome to the world." I gaped. The dragon talked! The voice was smooth and honey-like, almost as if a bird was given words for their song. A female...is this dragon my mother? I didn't know how to respond when she lowered her muzzle to rub it against me. Is this how they hug? "Your name...I wish your father was here right now and not lost in the blizzard. I never thought you'd hatch so soon." She laughed lightly. "Although you're awfully small, even for a hatchling. You were the only egg we could have…" She started cooing to me and I found it getting harder and harder to stay awake. "Well, we'll just have to wait for him, right?" I yawned and leaned against her cold scales, drifting to sleep. Don't know if this is a dream or reality, but either way, I think I can enjoy having a mother for the first time--even if she isn't human.