Golden Dragon

Chapter 12 It’s Her

Tiny’s POV

Darkness: I am surrounded by darkness, “What the hell happened?”

“Katia, Karema,” I am met with silence. “Where are they?”

“The better question is, where am I?” This place reminds me of the void in the human show Stranger Things.

I keep wandering around this empty void, looking for a way out when I hear rushing water.

“Where is that coming from?” I follow the sounds until I see a light. I step through the opening where the light is, and my feet touch plush grass. I take in my surroundings, “This is beautiful!” “Am I dead?”

“No, we are not dead, girl.”

I recognize that snarky voice “Katia, is that you?”

“Who else would it be?” my wolf asked, stepping out of the bushes on the side of me.

“Holy crap, you are huge and gorgeous!”

“What did you think we were little?” Katia asked me while laughing.

“No, but I didn’t think we were this big; no wonder Dad won’t let me shift in front of everyone. You're like a giant!”

“Wait, if you are here, where is Karema?”

“I am not sure. I have not seen her.”

“Okay, do you know where we are?”

“No, not a clue when I woke; I was here.”

“I love your dress, by the way; you should dress like this more often”

“What dress, and what do you mean by that? What is wrong with what I wear?”

“Nothing if you are a 15-year-old boy.”

“Hey, that's not nice, Katia. I thought you liked my style?”

“No, not at all; you have a great body. You should flaunt it and not cover it up in those god-awful hoodies you wear.”

“Well damn, tell me how you really feel!”

“I am just saying you are a beautiful girl, Tatianna, with a killer body; maybe you should stop hiding so much.”

“I wouldn’t really call it hiding”, she scoffed at me. “I mean, it’s not always hiding. I like being comfy.”

“You can still be cute and comfortable,” Katia told you. “Look at the dress you are wearing. It is very beautiful. Are you comfortable?”

“I am quite comfortable, actually, and this dress is beautiful; I have never seen anything like it.” That was true; the dress fit my curves perfectly and was a shimmery white that sparkled every time I moved. It reminded me of the moonlight reflecting on a lake.

“I wonder if I can get Jess to make me a dress like this; you know she is really good at that kind of thing,” I asked Katia.

“I don’t see why not, and she will be happy to try anything to get you out of those sweatpants.”

“You know what! You fur ball!”

“Shhh,” Katia cut me off.” Do you hear that?”

“Is that singing?” I asked her. We started walking toward the sound, “Katia, why does that song sound so familiar?”

“You noticed it too? That is the song Mother used to sing to us when we were a baby. “

We continued to walk towards the signing when we came upon a clearing with a beautiful lake and waterfall.

I bolted to the water's edge, eager to climb in the crystal-clear water.

“My stars! This is beautiful!”

“It is my daughter.” I froze. I knew that voice.

“MOM?”

“Yes, my little moonbeam?” I turned around, and there she stood. I thought I would never see her again. Tears filled my eyes. She opened her arms, and I ran straight into them, crying my eyes out. Katia was still frozen in shock till my mom called her over, and she went running to my mom, bouncing and yipping like a puppy whose owner had just come home.

After all the excitement and the tears, we sat down and talked, well more like my mother sat down, and I laid on her while she played in my hair and petted Katia.

I told her everything that was going on in my life right now, and she was eager to listen after I finished telling her about the recent turn of events.

“Mom?”

“Yes, my moonbeam, are we dead?”

“No, princess, you are not; you are just asleep.”

“Then how am I talking to you?”

“Well, because of recent events, your great-grandmother sent me to you, someone is messing with the fates using black magic.”

“Your great-grandmother said since they are not playing fair, we won’t either, so I was sent to unlock one of your many gifts.”

“Wait great grandma, like the moon goddess? Where is she?”

“She couldn’t be here today. She had an important meeting with the gods about recent events, so she sent me.”

“Okay, so what is the gift that you will be unlocking?”

“It’s called Praesidium Ex Tenebris!”

“A what now?”

My mother just laughed at my confusion and told me I looked like my father when he can’t figure out the answer to a crossword puzzle.

“Think of it like a protection spell. Well, I guess it is more like a dark magic detector; if something or someone possesses dark magic, you will see its dark aura.”

“That is nifty. Will I be able to see it in my other forms?”

“Yes, you will still be able to sense dark magic when you shift.”

“Speaking of shifts, have you seen Karema?”

“Yes, she is resting. I have already explained your new gift to her; I see you looking around. You are probably wondering why you don’t see her. Am I right?”

“Yes, where is she?”

“Since you have not shifted into your dragon yet, you can not see her. It is against the rules.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“Now come, child, I need you to stand to unlock your gift. It is almost time for you to wake.”

“I don’t want to leave you just yet,” tears start to well up in my eyes.

“I know, my little moonbeam, but you must go back. You have people depending on you and a full life to live.”

I gave my mother one last hug; she put her right hand on my cheek and her left hand on Katia’s cheek. She started speaking in a language that I did not understand, and my body started to feel very warm, then darkness followed.