You know those days you dread life, those days you wish you were dead, the emptiness and pain of it all? Today, was one of those days, a day known as Monday. The dreaded word that made adults, teens, and children shudder in fear. The word that made the bravest of men crumble like ash. The word that I honestly can’t stand!
So the first thing that happened on this day, was me waking up to… nothing? My alarm clock hadn't gone off, said alarm clock being my mother yanking me out of bed. She would always do it during weekdays, and if I didn't get up the first time I would have a nice cup of cold water dumped on me.
To put it basically, I hated her in the mornings. Especially Monday, so why am I not on the floor or soaking wet? Was it a holiday or somthin’ I didn't know about? My answer came in the form of opening my eyes to… grass?
I blinked a few times to make sure I was seeing this right. Yep, a thick layer of grass filled my vision. It was a nice green too, much to the irritation of my eyes, why you ask? I hate bright colors. Actually, color in general that isn't in the black or grey category, or the exception of blue. What? I’m not a emo, I just hate color!
Another thing I noticed, is I couldn't feel my body. This happened time-to-time where I think if I laid a certain way I end up in a state of paralysis, I usually got out of this by moving a limb a certain way… which happened to be my fingers. Over a period a time I was able to move again, pushing myself up I looked around.
A large field of grass that had a thick layer of frost on it surrounded me, the air was freezing cold, and some trees seem to dot the clearing that I seemed to be in.
I laid there for a moment, trying to fight through the drowsiness and cold. My brain was still catching up, when it did five words came to my head.
“Where the fuck am I?”
Not the most gracious of words, but they served their purpose. I rubbed my eyes and looked around again, yep, I wasn't seeing things. Unless (A. I lost every ounce of my sanity and was hallucinating. (B. I took a drug of some sort, but unlikely. (C. I’m in a coma, pulled that one at random but still possible. Or (D. I'm asleep and dreaming.
I slowly got to my feet, keeping my eyes on the foliage around me. I also noticed how different the air was, it was much cleaner when it entered my lungs and more easy to breath. Actually, everything felt different, even my body!
‘Wait...’ I looked down to where my shirt was supposed to be. Only to find a nice white patch of scales with blue ones covering the rest of my body beyond the front part of my torso. My brain instantly shut down, hands down just stopped! I stared at my body, trying to process the information my brain is receiving. Finally, my brain came up with an answer.
“WHAT THE FUUUUUCK?!”
I yelled at the top of my lungs, my brain was going hay wire. I began to look at what appeared to be my new form. My arms were covered in blue scales (or what looked like them), overlaid by scales in a black diamond shape in a horizontal angle. It seemed to be the same with my legs that had the same diamond pattern to it, only difference was my legs didn't just have one joint in the middle, now it had two ending in clawed feet. My hands had turned into claws (who would of guessed?) and I had a tail! A Tail having the same diamond pattern.
You know that diamond shape you learned in school? It was that diamond, just skinnier.
Now, I looked at my back only to find freakin' wings attached to it! Though, it felt natural. It all felt natural, the movement, the wings, the tail felt like I had em’ since the day I was born! This only made my mind overload with information, I fell back to the ground clutching my head in pain.
The pain was unimaginable! It felt like it was being squished in a garbage compactor and I just wanted to rip my eyes out of my sockets, soon it became a burning feeling for God knows how long. Then, it just vanished. Like that it was just ‘poof’, gone. I had no words. Slowly getting up I made my way to the nearest tree and curled up into a ball. My sanity was drained and my mind slowly was recovering from the pain. I was shaking like a leaf and felt nauseous, I wanted to burst into tears but I was able to keep them in.
‘OK, ok… calm down. L-lets review what the h-hell is going on.’ I thought to myself. ‘I seem to have been turned into something, I don’t know what… but my mind isn't ready to make conclusions just yet.’ I looked around again, to find a pond. I slowly stood up and made my way over to the pond. Once there I got on my hands and knees and looked into the pond.
My face had a well defined muzzle I can call it, filled with sharp white teeth and snake like tongue. My eyes still had that basic brown to them, though my pupils looked more like a reptiles or cats. My hair had been replaced by a mess of horns, the top ones being bigger than the bottom ones with two being at the edges of my chin and more along my lower jaw. The same diamond pattern went across my muzzle and head. I guess that my back also had the pattern since it seemed to run down my neck. One final thing was I still had my thick black glasses on that somehow fit to my new face, you can explain that.
I sat back down in the grass, near the edge of the pond as my mind slowly put the pieces together.
‘Tail, muzzle, bat-like wings, scales, horns, and cat-like eyes… this could mean one thing. I have been turned into a dragon.’ I sat there in silence for a few moments before bursting out in laughter, followed by me asking randomly to the forest to hit me with a crowbar or something. This had to be a dream or hallucination…. Right?
Well, at least it’s better than being a wyvern. They are like dragons, but they don’t have arms, just wings. Skyrim and the Elder Scroll Series messed that one up, as well as a few other games. What, I love Skyrim! I play it nearly everyday and I’m still finding shit! It’s just they got the dragon thing wrong…
The more I sat there the more I began to realize…. this wasn't a dream or hallucination. If it were a dream I should have woken up upon realization that it was a dream. It wasn't a hallucination because what kind of hallucination can be this detailed?! It could only be a coma, and it felt to real to be a coma! So, it had to be real.
I finally began to crack, bursting into a fit of laughter before breaking down in tears. This was to much to take in, to fast, so sudden. It didn't give my mind a chance to recover, nor even choose what to do. I threw up right on the spot, a thick yellow and green substance came up my throat. It was followed by more crying and wailing, I didn't care at this point if it was embarrassing or something. I didn't have a choice.
"Why God?! Why me of all people!? What sins have I done to deserve this?!" I cried to the heavens, I wasn't expecting an answer though.
What would you do if you were lost and was changed into something?
I sat there in silence, finally calming down and trying to get over the feeling of dread and hopelessness. This wasn't a dream nor nightmare, it was REAL. My eyes were bloodshot from how much I had been crying and my mind empty, not knowing what to think.
‘Suicide?’
No...
NO!
I will not fall to such level, I will march on just as I have done before. I will take this curse and shape it into something else. If I was sent here, in this form, it must have been for a reason, a reason I will find and accomplish!
'What about our family?' Asked a voice in my head. I sat there, trying to find an answer.
'They will survive without me, I pray God to watch over them as well as me, for I'm going to need all the strength I can get.' I thought to myself. 'But for now... lets just figure out where we are.' I looked up to the sky, the sky was filled with stars of all shape and sizes. The sight was breath taking, I even had a few tears fall from my eyes. Not in sadness, but in... I can't say. It just brought tears. It looked like someone painted the sky in a beauty that was unfathomable!
You could see far off nebulae and stars that you wouldn't see in our own. It also supplied the strength I needed, I felt energized and a new found hope. I slowly got to my feet and continued to look around the sky.
According to the order of the stars, they were completely alien. I found no consolation that even resembled Earths night skies. That could mean only a few things, I was on Earth just not in the same time frame as my own or... I was on a different world altogether. Most likely, the ladder.
So, I have been sent to an alien world with no reason to why. Well, isn't my life a grand adventure!
Now what?
…
…
…
I don’t know.
…
Literally, I don’t…. Ok, maybe something. I needed to make a plan of some sort. Thinking it over I came up with something.
First, I need to find other dragons. That is if they are willing to help. Another being if they have different customs or language. At this point the odds are against me so I guess I’ll have to play it by ear.
Second, I can find out where exactly I am at. Collect info on the world I'm on and try to make contact with the inhabitants here.
So, I set off in a random direction and prayed for the best.
-***-
Much to my surprise, nothing happened for the next few hours of walking. I strangely hadn't gotten tired from the walk nor have had the need to stop.
To put it lightly I wasn't very physical. I spent most of my time on computers, school, and video games, and no lie; I was skinnier than a pencil… literally. I ate a lot, and I couldn't gain a single thing of fat. So I’m guessing my new body is more fit than my last, well it’s not bulky, but the muscle is noticeable.
How am I taking this so calmly all of a sudden? The truth is I’m inwardly screaming, but right now I can focus on just moving maybe I can push past this. Trust me, my mind is a wreck of emotions. My body is still trembling, nausea is still there. Actually I did throw up again, I'm just not sure when.
I sat down on the nearest log before taking deep breaths, filling my new lungs with the cold morning air. The fog in my mind slowly began to clear, allowing my basic form of thought to come back. At dull headache was there though, my best guess my brain is trying to adapt to the new info it was starting to receive.
Now, after sitting there for who knows how long I began to notice how dry my throat was, I didn't notice it until now, my mind had been too preoccupied with other things to even care. It hurt a bit, meaning I needed water stat! Forgetting other priorities I began looking around for another pond or river, after walking a good distance again I picked up the sound of rushing water.
Making my way out of the dense trees I was greeted by a small stream. Getting on my hands and knees I looked at the water. It looked crystal clear, you could even see a few fish swimming in it, without a second thought I dove in. I greedily drank the cold water, uncaring for manners, for all I care I could chunk them out the window now.
It did quench my thirst and putting my full head in it helped wake my mind up. Pulling my head out I let out a groan and laid on my belly. I laid there for a good amount of time as my gaze fell on a distant mountain. It was tall alright, but not to tall… though it was the only mountain within’ viewing distance. Which was odd, usually mountains would be in a range of them not just one in the middle of nowhere.
Also, the last time I ever heard of a mountain that was alone was Mt. Kilimanjaro, and that didn't look like Kilimanjaro. Since when did Kilimanjaro have a castle on it… wait what? I did a double take, yep that’s a castle. Or it looked like one, what I can describe as a city was hanging on the side of the mountain. Though it was a distance away and barely noticeable, it was still there. I don’t want to explain it, I can do that when I get closer.
I turned focused on my new form, like why this scheme and color of scales. I had a fascination with dragons for a large portion of my life, and I got my aunt to draw me as one. (She was a way better drawer than me.) The same dragon that I had used for my Steam avatar and other things was perfectly identical to the one I am now.
So what, did the universe decided to be kind to me (For Once) and gave me the body of my own fictional character?
Hell… fucking… YES!
This was a big mood booster. A dream come true in fact, I always wanted to know what being a dragon was like, though I wish not in this way. Now was my perfect chance. Though, I’m not one of those ‘go destroy a village’ and ‘hoard a bunch of treasure’ kind.
Come on, I honestly don’t want to guard a pile of useless gold all the time, including one that doesn't even do anything! Unless it has some sort of importance I ain't guarding sheit!
I want to fly around and explore, have adventures and fight bad guys!
Speaking of which… I need to learn how to fly. As well as breath fire.
…
…
…
Oh screw it, I may just go jump off a cliff or something.
-***-
So, here I was… on top of a small platform, ready to try and fly. Well, that is if I could find the will to jump. I had spent a good part of an hour running towards it and stopped right before the edge. Now I was pacing in a line, going back and forth trying to find the courage to jump. Many scenarios played in my head, some being I get off without a hitch and others being just hitting the ground… painfully.
‘Come on, just do it!’ My subconscious stated. Which I countered with more fear.
‘But, what if I fall, what if I just freeze up right after jumping?’
‘You’ll be fine, what do you think these scales are for, show? They’ll take most of the blunt.’ My subconscious reasoned. It was right… but the majority of my mind was saying don’t. So, finally coming up with a decision, I found the courage to jump.
‘Ok…. lets do this.’
By Leroy Jenkinsing it…
“LEEERRROOOY JEEEKIINS!” I yelled at the top of my lungs before running of the edge, before plummeting. Out of fear I opened my wings, and began to do a steep glide. “Wow!”
So here I was, balancing myself out before doing a superman pose with arms out forward and legs straight back. After near stumbling a few times I gave my wings a short flaps that kept me in the air, next I tried gaining altitude, then turning that almost resulted in falling out of the sky. It was unimaginable, it’s like a freedom you never had. Now I have it, the power of self-sustained flight filled me with joy, happiness, and a new sense of pride.
“Woooooohoooooooo!” I said trying to do loops and sharp turns, I felt like nothing could stop me.
I was wrong.
Trying to land was another feat altogether.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!” I yelled before slamming into the hard unforgiving earth. Face first. I created a decent sized trench before coming to a halt. after laying there for a while I slowly lifted myself up and spit out a large chunk of dirt that had been unfortunate to collect in my mouth. I spent the next few moments spitting out what was left of the soil that had collected in my mouth.
Somehow my glasses survived though... maybe I have been granted the glasses of Gordon Freeman. Now there's a funny thought.
‘OK, need to work on my landings...’ Looking around I was somewhere higher up on the mountain, enough to see a village off in the distance. Even though I was planing on going all the way to the top, the village was good enough distance for now. Flapping my wings a few times I took off, I climbed just above the clouds and began a simple glide. The air brushed up against my leathery wings, in honest opinion; it felt good and strange at the same time. I have new limbs that I never had before, indeed that was why it was strange, but the cold air blowing against my leathery wings felt gooood.
The sun was slowly coming above the horizon giving the sky a nice orange to it. The night giving way to the day, the city on the mountain seem to gleam in the sunlight. Another sight that was breathtaking, I even thought about flying there instead. I dismissed that idea, if it was truly a castle then no doubt there were guards and I didn't feel like fighting anytime soon.
Just below it I could make out another town, a bit bigger than the one I chose but it was a greater distance away.
So, looking down to my target I began to dive.
End Chapter One.