How A Dragon Trains You

Part 6 – Welcome Home

Relief. That's what I felt as I spotted the sign, the tip pointing along the path into the direction of Dummerston. The outlines of the buildings were reaching over the town's wall, already standing out upon the horizon. My legs were weary, my body was heavy. The sun was burning hot and aggressively, the heat sending multiple drops of sweat run down my forehead, always reoccurring no matter how often I wiped them off. It had made multiple areas of my clothing nearly soaked, feeling the moisture reach to the small of my back. It made me pause every now and then beneath every unenlightened spot on the path there was, and every time I came across a relaxing shadow… I stopped, or at least wandered significantly slower, feeling my body cool down for the brief moment. But seeing the town's silhouettes gave me hope. I determinately strived on, not even the dense warmth on my whole body making me interrupt my travels. Not even the gruesome hunger, which has faded away by now, leaving nothing but an internal pressure reaching up to my throat.
Everything felt so hot. I eventually undressed my shirt and wrapped it around the top of my head, keeping the sweat and my tousled hair from creeping into my face. The roads were surprisingly empty, even when in the near of a town. No traveling merchants roaming the streets, no wanderers, no adventurers, no breakneck bandits or highway men… no other hunters, no scholars… just me. Just me, and the surrounding blue of the sky, the white of the few clouds, the green foliage of the trees, the golden rays of the burning sun, the shrill sounds of the birds, the rustling of the wind caused by cooling breezes… yet seeming unsatisfying to me. Something was missing. The dragon being away left an empty spot in my chest, as if my heart had a hole. A feeling I just couldn't get used to, no matter the beauty of the nature around me. Not matter how many steps I've taken on the path's cobble bringing me closer to my home, how many breathtaking views I've come by. I didn't want them, I didn't care. All I ever desired was to see the dragon again, hoping it would follow me like it usually had done. I wanted it to lick my face and wrap its arms around me so nicely, so protecting. Why did I ever leave? Why didn't I stay some longer? If I were to make that decision again, I would have tossed all of my other needs, desires and wishes aside. I would have stayed, no matter if I could have or not. But here I was. Already too far to go back. And the town was close.
I used to admire the look of the wall's and building's frames. I used to look upon them in awe. I used to turn around to them when and look back each time I left them. But now they seemed old and boring, such as my everyday life seemed now. Because now, I turned back around to look at something else, watching with an awe far greater, or seeking it at least. The dragon… I stopped and turned around again. It still wasn't there…
My everyday-life seemed like an unfair trade to me, now knowing that there is so much more I could get. The love angel with scaly wings. The warmth it gave me and the pleasing nights it granted me. I didn't feel any shame anymore as I thought back to them, now feeling remorse instead. No urge had ever been stronger than the one that shouted at me to turn around and go back to its forest and drop myself into its chest, hugging it. But I couldn't.
Now, I had nothing left but the memories, which I kept in my head like a dragon kept its prettiest gemstones.

My mind stopped idling as the walls were so close I could make out the blue-yellow banners hung upon them, proudly presenting Dummerston's crest. Usually each time I arrived there from my travels and hunting the big gate seemed like a relief for me, but not this time, because I realized that once I'm inside of those walls the dragon would not be able to come to me, or cause chaos trying to do so. I felt worried as I saw the guards in their light bluish armor and steel weapons stand there, watching over the road, and probably the skies as well. If the dragon was really to track me down, it might get spotted! Horns would be blown and alarm bells would sound all over the town, and the entire watch would be swarming all over the place within minutes. That'd mean a lot of trouble for both sides. Steel arrows and silver spears flying into the one direction and fireballs into the other… It was odd suddenly hoping that the dragon would not search after me. But from what I've seen, I figured it knew how to stay undetected, and more importantly, how to not get killed. There shouldn't be a lot to worry about…

…it probably wasn't even looking for me anyways…

As I realized that I was about to enter civilization I took the shirt off my head and put it back on my heated upper body, the cloth feeling relaxingly cool on my sweaty skin. I had to push my wet hair back multiple times before it finally stayed where it was supposed to be, as I stepped closer to the gate. It took me some moments to get back into the role of the boy who survived a dragon attack. Not just any attack, but a hopeless ambush of which I would have no chance to escape, as the beast's teeth were already stuck deeply into my shoulder -But then, with my-

“Greetings, Mervyn."

The gate guard's voice rudely interrupted my thoughts, and for a second, I looked back at him concerned.

“Oh- err- Good afternoon." I hastily replied. It was no surprise that the guards knew my name. There weren't many people who were leaving and entering the city as often as me, and I surely already got around the tavern conversations of some guards. But soon, I shouldn't be known merely as that guy who hunts for a living because he has been kicked from the Tivan army and couldn't make it into the Fighter's guild because of it. I shall be known as the boy who survived a dragon attack, and people shall share my story around! In this town soon every market trader and salesmen, every Inn keeper and worker, guard, every attractive court lady, every chapel priest, every doctor, the beggars- everyone will know!
I made my way in between the enclosing stalls which were typically positioned by the gate to each side of the path. Before my mind could wander off again my arm was already touching one of the slightly opened heavy gate doors as I pushed it aside enough for me to peek through. Quickly, my focus was caught by the eventful and living streets inside. I've always stopped for a moment when I returned home, doing nothing but stand there at the gate and take the town's life in, curiously watching and observing the street's sides which were clad with blue, red and purple mountain flowers, and if it wasn't for the various colors of people's clothing covering and surrounding the centered market place like a paddock fence, I could have stared all the way to the opposite wall from there, containing the entrance to the count's palace which looked way more beautiful from the inside than it did from the stone-grey outside. The town was little, but too large and too secured to be considered a village. This place had just recently become the Dummserston County as it was known this day, and my grandpa still remembered the time in which Dummerston was but a settlement. Wide fields were enclosing the wooden farm buildings, the hardworking farmers delivering wheat and turnips to the nearby counties, and the market place, which today reminded me of the crowdedness of the Tivania capital itself, was barely enough for the daily residential business. Back then there were no walls, no guards and watchmen, and without the protection of the Tivan regiment this place would have had no chance to be upkept. Just as the council recognized Dummerston's importance on declaring a major part of the West-Weald and West-Woods as a new portion of Tivania's territory, this town has been given all of this life, meaning and protection it had to this day. I've always figured that to be the reason why joining the Tivan army has become such a strong family tradition. Why many, including myself, were home-taught from the childhood how to handle blade and arrow, and why they're all so upset about my expulsion, even my mother who never had anything to do with the Tivans.
This time I took more moments for myself, standing around at the gate, feeling unusually hesitant about entering my own home town. Once I've set my first foot onto the pavement, I realized that I had no idea what to do and where to go first. It felt hard to transition from the recent events with the dragon back into my old life, in which I now felt like a wayward stranger. As if I was at the wrong place. As if I didn't belong here. Nowhere, but to the dragon.
It was afternoon, the market places and stores were as crowdy as ever. The perfect condition for fast spreading tell tales, I thought to myself. Yet, the determination wasn't big. I didn't feel like making myself the center of attention, at least not as soon as I got home. I wanted some calmness before the storm. I needed to speak to somebody first…

I let go of the gate door, hearing it loudly fall shut behind me, the banging noise drowned out by the constant buzz of busy crowds which seemingly sounded from every direction, every shop and every market stand, despite it all happening one or two streets away. I headed directly to the right and walked along the town's very edge, following a narrow and dark alleyway with the at this place mossy wall to my right and the side of a building, the town's most successful and expensive tavern which also offered beds for travelers and was actually therefore an Inn, to my left, clad in unkempt plants growing along the bricks. But I soon was glad to leave the shady alley behind me, as I stepped out into the light of another road, which wasn't as busy but also not empty. There were only three businesses nearby. The “Drunkardston Tavern", the tavern, or Inn, which I just walked by, “The Travelers Backpack" another one of those general goods store of which you never knew what mostly useless things they currently had in offer, and “Levi's Hunt"  a rather poor shop which mostly sold, pelts, furs, venison, homemade hunting gear and anything else that was worth something, out of mere hardship. It was my friend's store. Levicus had to cater for his whole family himself.
Just like me, he used to be an applicant of the Tivan army, but unlike me, he was a damn good one. He was on his way to the top! Back then we didn't know each other well, as we were from entirely different age groups, but from what he's once told me, around the time I was an aspirant, he already fought in interior operations, such as clearing out ruins from bandits or keeping them from sieging unused castles. But eventually, he was forced to quit too. Our reasons were polarly different though. While I was expelled because of the suspicion of participation and membership in forbidden cults and religions, he wasn't kicked out at all. He had to quit, because he got along with a gal whose family he then had to take care of, for which the salary of his rank wasn't enough, and before he would have ascended to a rank which would have given him the money, he and his family would've been living on the streets for years.
He was a talented hunter, and with that knowledge he founded his shop, “Levi's Hunt", in the bottom floor of his two-story house which reached over the wall, to help himself out financially. It worked for some time, but eventually taking care of the army duties, the hunting for the store and his family all at once became too much. So, he quit, coincidentally the same evening I was kicked. That's pretty much how we got to know each other.
I actually was one of his last hopes to upkeep the store and the wellbeing of his wife and kids, so he taught me the arts and tricks of hunting with which I could help him out. It was a fair deal, as I was pretty much jobless at the time and had no source of income. I could cover my own needs by selling the catches off on the market and help out my friend while I was at it -My only friend, as all of my other friends were in connection with the Tivan regiment. To sum up, I was hired as some sort of a helper of Levi's little corner shop. I even occasionally spent days and nights behind the counter and went onto expeditions with him or took care of his kids -or his wife's kids, to be more accurate. And it was a hell of a job for both of us. Levicus had to pay rent for a two-story family building with cellar, and buy food, clothes and whatnot for the rest of the family.
Eventually, we both tested our luck and tried to join the fighters guild, which had moved into the town just recently, claiming one the empty building of a shop which had gone poor and decided to sell the property. Levi was accepted, I was not. The fighter's guild had a strong bond with the army, and when you're expelled from one organization, so you are from the other. However, Levicus rarely had the opportunity to get a contract of which he'd have the gear and the time required to fulfill. If there was something, he took me with him, but so far, we have been only hunting down some black-bears.
The regular hunting has been my everyday job. I spent a lot of time in the local surrounding woods, and I've been to them so often I could draw a map out of my mind. It has been just recently that I had left town because there has been a high demand on exotic furs lately, and I wanted to get some coin out of it myself. To avoid any competition, I had chosen a desolate place… namely the dragon's forest. I had left six days ago. Yet it felt much longer. The first two days were as usual, but since the night of the third one, my life hasn't been the same. It was that fateful night in which the dragon decided to confront me, and… do some other things while it was at it. On the fourth day I traveled to Moonlight Inn, to which the dragon followed me and met me again. On the fifth day I found George… and got to hug the dragon as it felt guilty about having had to kill him. I made up a lie about his death which got exposed, and while I was escaping the Inn's upset people, I met the dragon again. It got spotted, and the dragon chose to let the people confront it, which in hindsight wasn't a necessarily good idea. We both escaped to that river… at which the dragon went to sleep… and I left it behind, returning to the Inn and falsely reporting the dragon's death. Then, the next day -today. Today I went back home. With empty hands, emptier than what I've left with.

I hesitantly moved away from the alley. Most of the people were standing by the Traveler's Backpack, while Levi's store was quite empty, which was even during the busy afternoon times not uncommon. The demand on the wares he was selling were disappointingly low, otherwise scraping by wouldn't have been so difficult for him and his family. Only rarely Levicus had something on the shelves or by the counter that would raise people's attention, usually being forced to sell it ridiculously cheap since he didn't have a choice. He needed the coin. Any coin. He, or we together, earned the most money with selling off furs, or letting the inns and taverns buy off the meat we've acquired.
Levi surely was expecting that I would have returned from my far travels into the West, which made me so uncertain. But if I get around… if my tale gets heard by whole Dummerston… then we will both come to find that this kind of sacrifice was perhaps worth it.
I looked his house up and down one more time, seeing the windows of the top level gleam yellowish from the torches' and candle's light inside, being in contrast to the rather dark windows at the bottom. The corner, in which this house stood, has always seemed so quiet to me, despite still being able to hear the market's buzz and the blacksmith hammer on an anvil… It felt like this place was isolated from all the other things happening around me, and in Dummerston, and was therefore a place to flee to in case it all got too much. Not the best location to open a shop. But we didn't have any choice on that matter.
I stepped onto the wooden porch and could already peek inside through the large windows placed on each side, showcasing self-crafted leather armor pieces behind the one window and various bows, hatchets and short swords behind the other, obviously haven't been cleaned for a long time. Almost all of the showcased pieces inside were here since the first day we opened, which had always depressed me a little. But our time would come, Levi always told me. Someday we will have a shop in the market district of the Tivanian capital itself… and live a rich, unworried and happy life. We would get out of here, out of Dummerston. Out of poverty. Out of having to hunt and having to make terrible bargains for a living. I didn't feel so certain about those hopes anymore. I didn't want money. I didn't want wealth. I wanted to be with the dragon. But I couldn't leave Levi behind.
We both knew, those futures were pipe dreams. But we kept telling ourselves that, as it was the only thing that prevented us from giving up, all efforts and hardships would pay out someday.
Moving towards the entrance door I took a quick glance at the sign again. A wooden blanked with “Levi's Hunt" written into it, carved with a knife which had went blunt after we were done. Someday we would melt that name into a plate of white-gold, Levicus always said, and each time I saw it hang there I imagined what it would look like. I used to fantasize about it being called “Mervyn's & Levi's Hunt" by then. But I didn't have that wish anymore. The dragon's warm hug is what I wished for now.  
After having stopped and hesitated for another second, I finally pressed the handle down and pushed the secured door open, ringing those small store bells which indicated an entering customer. As I had expected, Levicus was there, leaning onto the counter with his arms, expressionlessly staring onto the ground. He was wearing the light leather armor with dark green colored patches, as usual. He always was in his hunting-armor. He also had this crossbow strapped onto his back again. The crossbow model has been the latest invention lately, so Levicus got his hands onto some plans and crafted one himself. It took him months until he managed to make it actually function. He then always carried it around with him, hoping it would attract somebody's attention and interest to buy it. Surprisingly, no one came by yet. As if they didn't trust this kind of progress of technology. To be honest, I also had my doubts with this thing. An arrow, shot by a simple finger movement? I don't believe it until I see it.
At first, it almost seemed like Levi didn't notice me, but then his weary head finally lifted.
He had to look twice. Not because he was expecting a customer or anything, but because I appeared so much different than usual.
“Mervyn?" Levicus' voice asked concerned “Did you… drop off your gear at your family's home or something?"

I had almost forgot about that. Just like him, I had always worn my hunting armor and kept my weapons with me. We didn't have the time to get changed. However, my gear was gone now. Almost everything. Either scattered and lost or ripped apart by the dragon's powerful bite. I was still wearing the shorts and the sleeveless top I picked up by the Moonlight Inn, both being dirty from the gravel by that river. The bow from the army, which Levi always told me to keep like treasure, was laying somewhere in the grass about 40 miles away. Just like this old short sword, which was the last one of its kind we owned and hadn't sold yet. I had no clue where the quiver with the iron arrows was as well…  
I wanted to open my mouth and explain, but ended up hesitating again, freezing in my movement. Saying something about the dragon felt so uncomfortable to me… as if mentioning a secret lover. But I couldn't evade his question.

“Levi, look…"

I let go of the door, and my bewildered gaze searched a place to sit down and rest or something. I ended up pacing around the room, to various shelves back and forth to the counter.
Facing Levicus again, I stopped. “…You have a moment?"  

Levicus' questioning expression on his face was enough as an answer. He just stood there, motionless.

My mouth opened, saying nothing again. I nervously walked around a couple more steps, until I managed to calm myself down a little and stopped again.
“There i-is something that has happened…" my shaky voice said, while I held up my shivering finger as I was about explain.
Levi's forehead frowned. “What? You want to quit?"
I sunk my arm back down, just shook my head and ended up pacing again, seeking an explanation. Levi stepped out front from behind the counter, scampering after me. “You do wanna bail! What happened to 'die with a sword in your hand-"
He quieted down, and froze, having spotted the biting mark which reached from my chest, over the shoulder, to my back. A row of little but many teeth, all having impacted by at least an inch or two. His jaw was dropped, taking a hasty step forward and pulling some of my shirt's cloth out of the way to expose a better view. 
He stared at the wound, sighing. “Good lords above…"
Just like I did, he nervously walked around too, peeking out the windows as if checking if whatever-it-was was still after me.
Cursing to himself a couple times, he stopped by me again. He looked into my eyes for a long silent moment.
“What happened? And what on earth was that!?"
He gestured towards the wound… he must have realized that no creature we knew had a jaw this big -except a dragon.
“I- I was… I mean, I had this camp set up, and th-then… this d-dragon came out of nowhere… a-and then-… and then it…-"
Finding the words now was so much harder than I had planned it in my head.
“Calm down, man" Levi interrupted me, having already figured what happened, not wanting me to go through the horrid memories again and explain it. “…Let's head upstairs."
He quickly took a 'closed' sign and placed it by one of the windows, pushing a few sliding bolts to lock the entrance door. Then I was already being pushed towards the staircase behind the counter.
…
We were both sitting at rather small round dining table which barely had enough space for four people, or four plates, to be present at once. I just sat there, my sweaty hands folded in, held onto the table, as if warming them on the candle placed on a neat white slightly soiled table cloth, losing my focus to the small flame melting down the reddish wax. Levi had gone up and brought us some cheap ale, having placed a bottle nearly into the middle of my sight. But I didn't even wince when he did that. I didn't move at all. I just sat there, as if paralyzed. Motionless and tensed up. As if I was in an interrogation room, Levicus was the inquisitor and I was a criminal, about to be questioned for something horrible I've done. That's what it felt like.
I, in fact, was about to be questioned. He wouldn't pass on acquiring the information of how I managed to escape a dragon attack, even when it already had its sharp teeth on me, and would have been just one pull with the neck away of ripping me apart and letting me bleed out… I knew, I had to make something up. I couldn't tell about what me and the dragon had done the past three days. I couldn't tell what we were. In my mind it had all seemed so easy… tell everybody how I've heroically survived a dragon ambush. But now I wished I hadn't said a thing. It wasn't just any dragon I was talking about… What was I even doing here? I could be lounging around with the dragon amidst some high grass right now, looking at the sky, and…-
“So…"
Levicus' rather hesitant words took my thoughts away again.
“Let's… calm down for a second" he spoke, trying to sound softly, gesturing with his hands holding the cork from his opened and already halfway empty ale. “And tell me, simply and concisely… what happened?"
My head lifted, finally facing forward. I knew, I couldn't stay silent for long to his questioning face. His worried eyes, his confused frown on his forehead.
My glance slowly went sinking down, and I began to just… talk, not even intensively making up my mind about what I was going to say as I usually did…
“I… I don't really remember. It all happened so fast…"
I finally opened my ale, actually just needing something fidget around with my nervous fingers.
“I… was- I had headed out to this… forest. About sun rise to dawn away from here… It was desolate, but I- I thought it would be safe! And it was safe for a couple days. But then one night…"
I stopped talking again, just as Levicus began to lean forward in his chair in suspense. I sighed, took a quick sip, and then proceeded.
“I… was about to lay down..."
I interrupted again. Now would the part come where I'd make things up, since I couldn't just speak about the dragon having its way with me. No one shall know about that. No one will know. Not even my best, and currently only, friend.

“I was about to lay down… then it came out of the darkness… and lunged at me. Before I could do anything, I was already trapped beneath it…"
Saying this felt strange. I clasped the bottle tightly. Lying into his face made me feel remorseful. But this way, it was better for the both of us. He wouldn't be able to take hearing what the dragon had really done to me. And me… I had taken it. Literally.
“Then… I'm not sure what happened… I think I tried to stab and swing at it with this short sword I took with me. The next thing I remember is that I was running away…"

…

“…Well" Levi disrupted the silence which had emerged and held on for so long it almost became awkward. “Weren't there any signs of it being present before it attacked?"
I was about to answer, but the words backed down my throat. I was thinking about the marks on the tree trunks. The strange noises. The moment when I had seen it on the river side, and the bright eyes stared at me the first time… but I just ended up shaking my head as a response.
Levi's head sunk down a little. “Strange…" he mumbled to himself, as suddenly the eyes attentively came back up again.
“So… did it die? Did you manage kill it?"
“What- o-of course not."
“Was it still moving after you've slashed it?"
“Y-yeah… and I was sure it was gonna chase after me-"
“Did it move controllably? Or just some last twitches before it…"
He stopped speaking as if he saw the answer in my eyes. As if he knew that there was no way that I could have killed a dragon. As if he could see the dragon in there, still out there in the wild, still hunting. He said nothing for a moment, sitting upright in his chair, the situation obviously starting to reach him too.
By the silent way he was sitting there, I almost figured he uncovered my lie. Then his concerned glare wandered down to the spots on my chest and shoulder.
“We need to get you to the healer" he then mumbled. Not the reaction I had expected, but anything that didn't doubt what I've stated was fine by me. “Come on" he added, already pushing his chair back a little, making it screech over the floorboards, as he stood up, reaching a hand out to help me.
“But- we don't have the coin-"
“Don't worry about that" he interrupted me, so eagerly that it seemed like he was worried about that too. “We'll go to Benton. Just have some minutes of his time and… have him check if those would require treatment." He gestured to the teeth's impact on my upper body.
I couldn't protest that. Benton had already treated an injury of mine every now and then. So far, the only reason I've been to him was because I had snapped my foot again or something, not… something as bad as this. A god damn biting wound from a dragon. Still, the good thing with going to Benton's was that he worked with the guild, and furthermore, happened to be really close to Levicus. I never knew why exactly, I've always figured that they must have been applicant-mates which went down different paths. But that didn't matter, what did matter was that he was willing to practice certain treatments for free – but only for us - which always had been a great advantage to us both considering our financial situation.
…

I found myself doing nothing but sit around again, staring at the chapel's ground while constantly asking myself the suspenseful question if I was doing the right thing. It was hard to hear myself think, as I didn't feel one bit comfortable at this place. Not comfortable at all. For me the hall of the sick was a horrible place to be, and I admired every single healer and priest here for their endurance. I wouldn't have been able to take it. To have heard the pained moans, to have seen the gruesome wounds… or to have administered the last rites to the hopeless causes. It was hard to not go bananas by the hours me and Levicus were spending here, which was a rather short time that had only felt so long. Outside of the hall in the busy streets I had felt like I was the center of attention when I hadn't had the arm end of the shirt pulled all the way down to not let anything of the biting marks show. But being surrounded by people who have been hurt far worse… my own injuries didn't seem so bad anymore. As if I had a splinter or something.
Levicus had a short chat with Benton as we got in and being very busy he's only lead us into one of those rather obsolete break rooms, letting us wait. But at least it meant that I was halfway shielded from the sight of the beds on which the sick and injured were laying beneath a large roof window, or hole, letting through bright sunlight and giving a clear view into the sky. So clear you could even make out the small clouds. I have caught an unfortunate glimpse though on my way in which was still occupying me. It was another huntsman, who must have had his leg nearly ripped apart by a wolf or something, whose pained groaning I could still hear. Seeing what a canid's bite is capable of had made me realize how easy the dragon had went on me. Yet here I was stating it meant to ambush and kill me… I just shouldn't have said anything at all… I should have grabbed something to eat and returned to the forest again… and just be with the dragon… be happy, and away from this place… That thought had crossed my mind many times, but I couldn't leave for a reason. I couldn't play Levi like that. I couldn't betray him, and his family, by leaving them in the dust while headed back to the dragon's forest to never return. But at the same time, I couldn't leave the dragon behind by not returning to begin with. I found myself being caught in this conflict of decisions. Stay in Dummerston with Levicus or stay at the forest with the dragon. The dragon surely would have been able to survive without me, but Levi… he and his family might've ended up on the streets. I couldn't do this to them! But I also couldn't do this to the dragon! I couldn't do this to myself!
I had this urge in me, which seemed to never cease. An urge, which with nervous impulses I could feel in my rather empty stomach commanded me to do something. Make a call, think of a solution! But I had no idea what on earth I was supposed to do. 

After another while of lounging around, I heard familiar sounding footsteps strive down the hall, headed for our room. This time I was certain, that must be Benton. Some other healers have already given me false hope by just walking by the room, but something told me that now the time had come.
“Finally" I heard Levicus mumble under his breath in relief. “Benton, you're ought to have a look at this." He already sprang up like a wild bull before Benton even came into view, and as he finally strolled around the doorway without replying a word, in a manner so calm it seemed kind of careless, I noticed a rather indifferent look on his face. Annoyed, almost. The same look a store clerk had when a customer came in just minutes before calling it a day. He had no idea apparently. Not yet. Must be thinking I bumped my toe into a stool or something.

“So, Levicus' buddy…"
I leaned forward on the table I was sitting, as Benton stood in front of me in his yellowish priest-like robes.
“You got yourself hurt again, didn't ya?" 

“Got himself hurt?" Levi chuckled from his place leaning on the wall, as if answering for me. “That's very euphemistic to say. You wouldn't believe what happened to him!"

I glanced up to Benton's face, an almost challenging look, as I undressed my still gravel clad shirt, and I could've sworn, I saw his jaw drop for second.
…  

After hearing what has supposedly happened to me he has done an entire check up on my body and has found far more alarming things, however never having seemed very impressed by it, saying nothing and causing a concerned silence interrupted by when he told me to shut up whenever I asked if I could put my pants back on. I didn't expect it myself, but I had other injuries on my body I somehow failed to notice. Next to the very obvious biting wound, which, according to Benton, narrowly missed an import artery which would have killed me if it'd've been hit, there were those teeth marks on my left ankle too. I could at least remember that wound, but there was a lot more. My shoulder was slightly dislocated, there were nearly flesh deep scratch marks on my back and partly even right in my face and all those wounds were so soiled that there was a risk I might have gotten a blood poisoning. But Benton's main focus was still on the huge biting print on my shoulder, which he had entirely cleaned with wettened wool pads to observe it better. He did nothing but stare at it in disbelief. A confusion so strong it made me dread if he knew that there was a little more to that… if he was onto me...

“Those teeth are very oddly shaped" he mumbled in concern “Are you entirely sure it was a dragon?"
He asked that question again. He has already asked me that throughout the entire check. I hesitated with replying, as I always did when talking about the dragon. But I still got myself to talk eventually.
“Yes" I confidently said, remembering the role I wanted to take. The boy who survived a dragon attack. “Yes, it was a dragon. I've seen its head up close. It was one. I'm certain."

“This…"
He moved away from me, pacing around the room a little.
“This… this… can't be" he kept saying, sounding so worried it concerned me too, knowing that this wasn't typical for his traits.
He eventually stopped by a shelf, almost panicky rummaging through the books. One row after another… pulling every single one out and hastily pushing it back in as he figured that it wasn't the right one.
Finally, he took a rather thick and old looking book with him which's edges were already crumbling. The cover was barely readable, but I managed to recognize the words 'dragon species' while he scampered by, carrying it towards a table. There he dropped the heavy book and didn't hesitate to open it, rushing through the pages. I've caught glimpses of some of the pictures displayed. It must be some type of biology book for dragon kinds. Some sort of dragon-lexicon perhaps.

He finally stopped at one page, and before I could see which one it was he had already picked up the book and held it in front of him, making me face the cover.
He erratically switched between focusing on my biting wound and onto the book he held almost directly into his widely opened eyes.

I looked around worried, but he didn't seem to pay attention to that, such as Levicus who did nothing but stand there and frown, having as less clue of what is going on as me. Benton finally let out a sigh, one that sounded rather sad but accepting.
“Seems like you're not as dull as you may sound, look or smell."
He dropped the book onto the table on which I was still sitting, and pointed towards one of the many pictures. My heart skipped a beat as I saw the dragon species pictured there look exactly like… the dragon. The black hide, the wide eyes, which were pictured extra, the ears, the tail, the head shape, the… everything! As if those were all pictures of it, the dragon itself. At the very top of the left one of the double page it said in big letters 'Night Fury' and next to it was a symbol of a red skull, probably meaning that it was classified as extremely dangerous.
Levicus had jumped up from the wall and hurried to the book, examining the shown pages too with the same surprised expression on his face as me.

“Did the dragon look like this? Did that kind of dragon attack you?" Benton asked solemnly, dreadfully waiting for my answer.

I carefully examined the pictures, pretending that I wasn't sure. There were pictures of its top and downside, representing the wing span, pictures of its strong and large legs and a detailed close up of jaw with the teeth which had Benton that it must've been that dragon. The teeth of Night Fury were rather blunt, small and similar compared to other dragons. There were also close ups from the dexterous paws and a sketch of the different sizes those Night Furies were believed to come with.
The silence I was causing was suspenseful, but I didn't let that concern me. I took a close look at the warnings listed below in a red box. It was said that this dragon kind was one of the most dangerous to still exist, or to be believed to still exist. The last time someone caught a glimpse of it was a couple decades ago, and it was just some adventurer seeing it swoop through the sky in the distance before he ran away, which many people doubted… not believing his story. As I read on, one sentence nearly shook me. 'It is believed that any other encounters have not been able to be reported' which was a euphemistic of way of saying that nearly no one who has met, let alone seen, a Night Fury lived to tell about it. Sights were so rarely that there were a lot of doubts about its mere existence. That they weren't just the result of optical or magical illusions or irresponsible drug consumption.
The moment I have seen the first picture I was sure that the dragon, which I knew and loved, was one of those. It was a Night Fury. But I wasn't certain if it was wise to confirm that to the others. It could cause a huge uproar, and I could get the dragon into a lot of trouble. But on the other hand, I could get… famous, and I trust that the dragon can watch out for itself. Besides, I wouldn't just be known as the boy who survived a dragon attack, but as the first boy to survive an attack of the pretty much most dangerous dragon kind there was! A dragon kind which has been sighted so rarely that everybody thought it wasn't real, just one of those would-be-scary-monsters which parents told their kids about to keep them from going too far from the village. But that was because the ones who actually got to see it… were never seen again. At least not with a head that was still in one piece… poor George…

In my guts I felt that my silence might have been raising suspicion… and the suspenseful glares began to put pressure on me. I took one last look at the teeth marks on my shoulder and back to the picture of the jaw.

“Yeah… I think so."

“You think so?" Benton solemnly inquired, as if warning me.

I glanced around the pages. Examining the unique eyes and the black hide… and the warning box. 'It is believed that any other encounters have not been able to be reported'

“…It must be that one. But I'm still not sure, I couldn't see it, it was too dark…"

“You probably couldn't see it because its hide blended into the night." Levicus took the words out of my mouth, and then looked back at Benton's bewildered face

“This can't be… you survived an ambush of /this/ dragon? You!?"
His head scanned me up and down. He was right, I didn't look like much. But actions speak louder than appearances.

“Is this dragon really that dangerous?" I asked, playing stupid.

“You better god damn believe it" Benton mumbled, still not quite wanting to accept it. “You might be the first one… to have ever experienced an attack of that kind of dragon and managed to come back."
He had a tone of impression in his voice, one that I have never heard before.  
“To me it looks like it must have gone easy on you… Usually those things kill ya five times before you hit the ground. How on earth did you even manage to do that?"
That question struck something in me. I still couldn't tell about the things I've done with the dragon, especially in front of those people. I had to evade to telling the same thing I've told Levicus.
“I'm… I'm not quite sure what had happened. I had a camp set up, it was the middle of the night and I was about to crawl into the bedroll as suddenly… this dragon was right above me! It pounced me down… and lunged at me…and-"
I've noticed a small crowd gather in front of our room, mostly cleaners of this place, probably having caught some fragments of the interesting conversation. They all had that same look on their faces. As if surviving something like that was impossible, and probably was, if the dragon hadn't had other intentions with me. This was the kind of reaction I was expecting. They didn't expect a simple like me hunter like to achieve this.
I could make something out of this, I thought again.
“… It was nearly hopeless! But I didn't accept my defeat, I still had one option left. So, I've taken my short sword, which I had next to my sleeping place just for this occasion, and swatted and slashed and stabbed… only as I rammed the tip of the rusty blade right into its maw almost to its hilt, the beast retreated, and I felt its teeth letting go. Then I got up and fled… and left it in the dust. It never bothered me again."
I purposely tried to make the events seem a little more heroic. Something that would impress the people. Something that they would talk about at the dinner table. Something they would pass on in drunken bar nights. Something they would chat about at the market places. At the stalls, at the shops… Something even the count might hear about… although talking about doing such things to the beloved dragon made me feel horrible inside.
The people which were crowding at the door looked flabbergasted. A buzz emerged and everybody was sharing looks of disbelief with each other, which reminded me to the one when I had given the dagger to the inn lady.
Levicus was beaming. Benton was stunned.

“…Y'know what? I think I'm good. Thanks for the help though" I said into Benton's frozen face with a tone sounding much more confidently. I got up from the table, not bothering to put the shirt back on, Levi following closely behind me after having laughed into Benton's face too. The awaiting crowd, which had gathered by the doorway seemingly hanging from the frame so numerous that they were blocking the exit off, respectfully moved out of my way, gasping behind me as I passed them, allowing them to observe the wounds from the fight up close.     

…

The second I stepped out into the rather chilly air outside, and out of the view of the mob which had watched me in awe, I put my shirt back onto my bare upper body. I couldn't believe that I was in this place for so long that the darkness has already fallen entirely. Pitch black voids covered the sky over the orange of the street lamps and the yellow of the lit windows, leaving only tiny white dots visible, surrounding the weak gleam of the moon. By the time I had arrived here the dawn had just begun… How long was I in there even?

“Mervyn" Levicus surprised me from the side as I was staring into the night sky. “I'd really like to stay, but I have to get back to Amanda. She's probably wondering and worried where I'm at" he quickly said while already scampering away. He always did that. Ditching me so he could be with his family. But I couldn't blame him.
“But, what about-"
“We'll speak tomorrow!" he shouted back as goodbye, at first disappearing in the night's fog and then around a corner shortly after.

I was left there standing in front of the hall of the sick. What do I do now? I thought to myself, staring into the night sky. The answer was simple. I probably should get back to my family too… I rather hastily took off, disappearing around another corner on the opposite side of the house.
…
The lights were still on, the candles and chandeliers were still lit, making the old wooden and cobble building, which was placed by a plaza with a tree in the middle, visible from the distance. It was a large and old building, for a large and old family. So large that there were people move in and out on a monthly basis of which I gave up keeping track. According to the tales which were passed down from generation to generation, our family, which had always been the size of a clan, was one of the first settlers which founded Dummerston along the side of the Tivan regiment. Our farms, our shops and our swordsmen have contributed a good share of building this place up to what it was today. My great-grandpa fought in wars out there, and so did my grandpa. My father used to be captain of the guard until he retired, my sister was still in the application ship of the army and some of my cousins had steward positions in the Dummerston palace. And what did I do? I shoot arrows at animals for a living. But soon, I too will have contributed something. Fame. Glory. Honor… So far, they only knew that I was gone for a couple days, perhaps a week even, for that hunting expedition, but they didn't know yet what had happened to me… word of what the people at this hall saw, or heard, hasn't gotten around yet… and in the moment, I preferred it that way. I wanted some calm moments, some relaxation in this familiar unknownness and anonymity, and their surprise would be larger if they'd hear the astonishing tale from someone else's mouth, which would happen during the next day.
All but one of the windows were brightly glowing from inside, the dark one being mine. Seeing it looking so different from the others made me realize how distanced I have become from my family since the Tivans threw me out of the application ship. I barely was home anymore. I was either up on my feet helping Levicus wherever I could or on another hunting expedition. But the closeness didn't matter to me that much anymore. Besides, if I stayed in the army I would have gotten to see them even less. We were all better off that way.
I calmly strolled the rest of the few yards I was away from the lit goat horns placed over each side of the front door, removing a strap from my knapsack and rummaging in the front pocket for my key. As I stood by the door, my searching hand still in pocket, I heard a couple voices and drunk laughter come from the open window of the dining room. Just some old sounding ones… it must be my uncles again. The other's must have already gone to their rooms… was it that late already? Seems like I have to make and eat dinner by myself again…
… 

With exhausted steps, and finally a full stomach, I headed up the creaky stairs, away from the awkward conversations my uncles tried to bound me into. 'Didn't you say you were going to be gone for only five days?' was the only new question, since I usually always came back on time. I evaded it the best I could with retreating answers or excuses which were on the edge of ridiculousness. That I got lost and so on. I've heard all of those other questions they had pelted me with already before from all of my other family members, and I heard them almost every time I got home. 'Why is your face so scratchy?' 'Why are you so dirty?' You catch a few cuts and scratches every now and then when sprinting through scrubs and bushes even, and the dirt… should be self-explanatory. Kneeling, crouching and laying down onto the ground tends to make your gear a little filthy, although I wasn't wearing my gear this time. Just those clothes I had picked up by the inn. Maybe that's why they were so confused? It didn't matter, because soon, they'll hear that story from anybody they ask. The boy who survived an attack of the most dangerous dragon kind there is.
Once in the second floor, I lazily strolled along the corridor, not having the excitement I usually had about being able to sleep in my own bed again after a long day or an eventful journey. Now, it didn't matter to me where I slept… all I wanted is to be with the dragon… to pass out with its arms and paws wrapped around me, just like it did at the river… With my focus lost in the seducing fantasies, I mindlessly had walked the rest of the way to my room located at the very end of the dim corridor and pushed the door open. The candle of the lantern on my nightstand was melted down again… I must have forgotten to put it out when I left. The streetlights were the only thing which illuminated my room which was barely enough for me to make out my bed, its silhouette standing there by the window. I set down the knapsack down on the ground, carelessly ripped the shirt off my chest and quickly undressed my pants, tossing them aside as well. In just a few seconds I was wrapped up in the blanket of my own bed… no sheets I have ever come across in my travels were as comfortable as my own, even in the wealthiest inns… but even my very own bed didn't feel like the right place anymore. Any place that wasn't anywhere near the dragon didn't feel right anymore…
The tiredness quickly made me fall asleep…

…

My weary feet were carrying me forward, strolling through high grass in a deep purple and foggy night, stars nearly illuminating the sky above me and the horizon around me. I knew this place, I had this feeling in my guts. I've been here before. This was the place where I passed out before my travel back to town. The place where I had seen the dragon the last time. I found myself constantly looking around, checking for its structure to appear somewhere, certain that it would be around here again.
The open landscape seemed endless. I was wandering from side to side, from hill to hill, from tree to tree… almost automatically, not one thought crossing my head. Feeling nothing but the grass tips slightly tickle my shins as I kept searching.
What felt like an eternity of walking around later the dragon was suddenly there. Not far away, right in front of me. Its eyes were directly staring at me.
I stepped closer, now feeling something. Dread. The way it glared at me… I could tell, it was being angry with me.
I noticed that the ground around us wasn't there anymore. We were standing on another platform, surrounded by an abyss…
“Liar."
I had barely noted the deep voice speak to me, then the grip of my feet disappeared and I found myself falling-
-----

I flinched again, yelping, waking up to the deeply orange light of the rising sun shining through my window.