The Dragon's Son (Chapter 4)

Chapter 4

Kim and Christian walked in silence for a while. Christian, however, was very anxious. He was looking around, staring at everything he saw. The slightest movement and the sight of everything he saw intrigued him. He had never been this far from his mountain before. Kim felt as if she were leading her little brother around a new town. However, she felt it was kind of strange, but funny to be escorting a boy about her size and age around.
"Where are we going?" Christian asked. Christians voice was still the same as Kims…it made Kim laugh to hear her voice coming from Christians mouth.
"I'm taking you to Avendal…or…what's left of it." Kim said sadly. Her thoughts went back to her family…and her friends. Where they alright? Was the griffin still around? Then another thought came to her mind…what would her family think of Christian? Would they be able to accept a dragon boy?

"Christian, may I ask you a question?" Kim asked. Christian turned to face Kim and nodded.
"Of course…" he said in Kim's voice. Kim was very careful with her words.
"Does it feel…different…being half dragon?" Kim asked. "What is it like?" Christian simply stared at her with his deep yellow eyes and thought hard about how to answer. Kim could tell he was thinking extremely hard.
"Father told me…when I very young…that I not human or dragon. He say…'you something better'…but I never understand." Christian admitted. "Do not mind being different…Just feel very…alone."
"Why do you feel alone?" Kim asked.
"Never had friend." Christian said simply. "Dragons look and only see human…humans look and see monster…no one to play with…or talk to." Kim looked at him in surprise. How could someone go through life without a single friend? She knew that he wasn't fully human, but she had never stopped to consider that the other dragons wouldn't accept him as one of their own…he was part human after all.
"Christian, I'm so sorry!" She cried. Christian just smiled, showing his small sharp teeth.
"It alright!" Christian cried. "I have friend now." He turned and ruffled Kims long black hair with his hand. "Kim is friend, yes?" Kim looked at Christian very softly. She stared at his shaggy brown hair and his piercing yellow eyes. She looked at his sharp teeth…though they were sharp, they were rather short. They looked almost human, if they weren't so sharp! She stared at his body…it was built and it was very fit…but she knew that it was far stronger than it looked. This was something that wasn't human…it was a thing…a creature. However, she also saw a young boy in that body. She saw a boy that desperately wanted to belong…to have a reason to exist.
"Yes, I'm your friend." The boy beamed and walked on. Kim followed behind him. Christian was walking with a new sort of strut about him now…he seemed so happy and very carefree. It was hard for Kim not to be happy for him.

"What is human town like?" Christian asked. Kim smiled and started to answer, when Christian suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong, Christian?" Kim asked. Christians eyes went wild and he turned around to face the opposite direction.
"Something wrong." He whispered. Kim glanced around, trying to figure out what had set Christian off. Christian looked very concerned…and there was a look of rage on his face. "Something is coming." He growled. Kim suddenly remembered that Christian wasn't used to dealing with other humans. He might identify this person he was sensing as a threat.
"Christian, let me deal with them!" She cried, grabbing Christians hand. Christian felt her hand and looked back at her. He nodded and backed away. Kim took a few steps forward and looked down the pathway.

"Come out!" Kim cried. "We won't hurt you." No sooner had she shouted the words than a very familiar figure came running down the pathway.
"KIM!" He cried.
"Aaron?" Kim replied. It was indeed Aaron, who had come running up the path to find Kim. Kim rushed to her little brother, wrapping him in her arms. "What are you doing here? Where is Amy?" Aaron pulled away and looked at Kim with terror filled eyes.
"Bandits, Kim! They came and tried to rob us! They have Amy!" Kim let out a gasp of horror. Avendal was full of small bandit parties…and she had seen the danger they possessed before when they burned down a few houses in the town. The thought that a bandit party had Amy was…just too much to bare.
"Don't worry, Aaron…we'll save her." However, she had no idea how…she wasn't strong or dangerous…how could she possibly be a threat to any bandit? She then remembered Christian…and a sudden realization struck her. He was part dragon!
"Christian! Come here!"
"Who is Christian?" Aaron asked. His question was answered as Christian came running up the pathway to see Kim.
"Aaron, this is my friend, Christian…he's going to help us get Amy back." Aaron smiled and waved at Christian, who stepped back nervously. He stared at Aaron hesitantly and then waved back.
"He's just a little shy, Aaron…trust me, he's going to help!" Christian was indeed very shy. Kim noticed that he looked very nervous around Aaron…but how would he act around armed bandits?
"Christian…I need you to do me a favor."

The three hiked for almost three miles back in the other direction. Christian said little as they walked. Aaron, on the other hand, was asking Kim every question he could think of. It was evident that he had really missed his older sister. Kim listened to every word that Aaron said, but her mind was elsewhere; with the bandits who had Amy.
"How is Christian going to help Amy?" Aaron asked. Kim paused, taking Aarons question into account. Aaron had a valid question…how WAS Christian going to save Amy? They needed a better plan than just run in and attack.
"Christian," Kim asked, "my sister is in trouble…and to save her we need to get through a bunch of bandits…what do you think we should do?"
"Leave bandits to me…you save sister." Aarons eyes widened in surprise as he heard Kim's voice come from Christians mouth…Kim laughed at his bewilderment.
"It's temporary, Aaron. His real voice is-"
"Quiet!" Christian cried. He grabbed Kim and Aaron by the scruff of the neck and pulled them behind a tree. Kim snuck a peek around the tree and saw a man walking by…he was dressed in dirty clothes and he was carrying a dagger at his side…he looked like he was guarding something, the way he was pacing.
"Bandit." Aaron whispered. Christian stepped out from behind the tree.
"I take care of them. Go find sister." Christian said. Kim took Aarons hand and pulled him deeper into the forest, trying to get to the bandits camp. It didn't take long for them to hear the laughter and chatter of people. They stopped and peered from behind a blueberry bush. In front of them, they could see a small camp of bandits…at least 8 thugs walking around, drinking, laughing, or wrestling with each other.
"Amy!" Aaron cried. Kim looked and saw Amy. Her wrists were chained and she was tied to a wooden post at the other end of the camp. They could get to her…but they needed the bandits to be distracted.
"How do we get the bandits attention away?" Aaron asked.

Before Kim could answer him, there was a scream. Kim and Aaron looked up to see a bandit running into the camp screaming. His clothes were ablaze with fire and he was running in circles trying to put himself out. The bandits watched him with a mixture of horror and amusement. Kim and Aaron exchanged glances…this wasn't what they had expected.
"MONSTER!" Another bandit screamed. From up the hill, Kim could make out a figure sprinting at the camp. The figure stopped and let out a very familiar and very dragon like roar that caused trees to tremble and birds to take fight.
"Christian?" Kim whispered. Before she could take a closer look, the bandits had all leaped from what they were doing and running to fight the monster. Aaron tugged at his sisters sleeve.
"Come on, we have to get Amy!" Kim nodded and tore her eyes away from the spectacle before her. She followed Aaron silently over to their sister, who was unconscious, with a small trickle of blood seeping from her head. Her black hair was died red along the side where the blood had coated it.
"Amy…I'm so sorry." Kim whispered. She quickly went to work untying her bonds. Aaron was looking away from the post and down to the other end of the camp, where the battle was raging with the "monster." Curiosity got the better of Kim, and  she looked up to see the bandits battling the beast.
Bodies flew left and right! Bandits were lying on the ground, covered in dirt and blood. Some had already started running away from the creature. Kim was so entranced that she almost forgot to finish freeing Amy. Once Amy was cut loose, she looked back up to watch the fight.

The world fell oddly quiet. There was a strange feeling in the air…like something otherworldly was about to happen. Kim could hear a sharp intake of breathe…like something was sucking the air around him down into his throat extremely quickly. Then, the hill side exploded! A pillar of fire burst from the hillside, engulfing the remaining bandits in a long tongue of roaring fire. The light of the fire showed that the monster was indeed Christian…and the fire was being expelled from his own mouth. Aaron screamed in surprise and horror, and Kim had to keep from doing the same.
"What IS he?" Aaron asked in wonder.
"He's half dragon." Kim replied. Kim tried to lift Amy up, but her sister was too heavy, and she couldn't lift her up. Aaron scrambled backwards as he saw Christian come sprinting toward them. Aaron didn't take his eyes off of Christian, as if expecting him to shoot fire at them again. Christian came running to meet the three.
"Roalis-k!" he cried. "We must flee!" He cried. Kim shook her head.
"We can't!" she cried. "Amy is unconscious…she can't run." Christian looked over Amy and held out his hands.
"I carry her. We leave NOW!" Kim didn't feel like arguing with him. She handed Amy's limp body over to Christian, who carefully cradled it. He then nodded for Kim and Aaron to start running. Kim sprinted in the direction they had come. Next to her, Aaron was very quiet, not quite accepting what he had just seen take place.
"Christian…breathed fire…didn't he?" Aaron asked in amazement.
"Yes." Kim answered.
"He isn't human is he?" Aaron asked. Kim took a glance back at Christian, who was running not far behind them, holding Amy carefully in his arms, making sure not to drop her. She remembered what Christian had said earlier…about what his dragon father used to say to him…
"No…he's something better." She whispered.