Book 5: Chapter 4 (1/2)

“Alright, Vur, that’s enough sleeping.”

Vur rolled over onto his back and let out a sigh. Why was his sleep always being interrupted? His eyes remained closed, and he spread his arms and legs out. Maybe if he didn’t move or respond, he’d be left alone. He wasn’t even sure who was trying to wake him up.

“I know you’re awake,” a feminine voice said. “You don’t have a snot bubble coming out of your nose.”

Vur grunted and opened his eyes. Floating just above his head, there was a fairy with silver hair and golden horns staring down at him. “Good morning, Stella. Why’d you wake me up?”

“I was doing some eavesdropping,” Stella said and nodded. “Grimmy and Leila are going to check on their children soon.”

Vur sat up and tilted his head. “So?”

Stella gestured behind herself. The two baby dragons were still held in place by their earthen restraints. “They have big plans for their children, and I think you should be a part of them.”

Vur scratched his butt and furrowed his brow. He waved his hand, and the brown runes on his arms lit up. The earthen restraints crumbled into piles of loose dirt, and the baby dragons shook themselves free. “Plans? Why should I be a part of them?”

“You see, recently, you’ve been sleeping a lot,” Stella said, bobbing her head up and down. “On the last few adventures we had, you were always either sleeping or completely unmotivated. You have to think about us, the creatures living inside your body and watching your adventures. It’s boring when you sleep all the time. We want to see action! Excitement! Take the initiative and do something instead of letting Tafel decide everything for you.”

Vur scratched his chin. “Do something…. Like what?”

Stella wrinkled her nose. “I can’t tell you what to do. This is something you have to find for yourself.”

A shadow covered the entrance of the cave, and a certain black dragon poked his head inside. “There you guys are,” Grimmy said, his slit pupils focusing on Ramon and Gloria. “Come on out. Your mother and I have something to discuss with the two of you.”

“Yes, Papa,” Ramon said as Grimmy’s head stopped blocking the entrance.

Ramon and Gloria trotted out of the cave, and Gloria whispered to Ramon, “You’re not going to tell Daddy about Vur trapping us?”

Ramon snorted. “Dragons have to be independent!” he said and swiped his tail against the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. “I’m not a snitch like you. If someone’s picking on me, I’ll deal with it myself!”

Vur rubbed his nose as he and Stella watched the two baby dragons leave. He glanced down at the floor of his cave at the spot that a baby silver dragon had dubbed the comfiest spot in the valley. It was calling him, beckoning for him to take another nap. Vur turned his head to look at Stella. “Will you get mad at me if I take a short nap?”

“I won’t be mad,” Stella said and let out a soft sigh. “I’ll just be disappointed. Life has so much to offer, but you’re sleeping through it all. There are certain things you can only witness once, and when they’re gone, you’ll never be able to see them again. Are you sure you want to go to sleep and miss out on so many wonderful adventures?”