• The dragoness lifted her head as the dawn began to filter into her cave. The soft orange sky was flecked with soft pink clouds as strands of sunlight began reach over the horizon, dancing over her glistening crystal white scales. The soft spring breeze stirred and the dragoness breathed in deep, her nostrils flaring.
    Today was a good day, a fresh new day full of life and opportunity. Her scales slithered with a slight rasp against the smooth rock floor of the cave as she pulled her lithe body up so she stood on all fours and stretched. Strong muscles groaned at being moved from their previous comfortable position but soon the pleasure of the stretch took over. Nose tip to tail tip, everything was stretched and adjusted ready for this new day.
    As she stepped forward to meet the new day, the sun peeked over the horizon and met her in a brilliant clash of light and colour as her crystal-like scales grabbed a hold of the beams and burst them out onto the gray cave walls, covering with a thousand rainbows.
    As more of her body moved to greet the sun, the displays grew until she was a shining beacon of brilliance on the mountainside. Yes, today was definitely a good day.
    Flaring her wings, she launched forward into the air, spiraling down gracefully towards a lake of spring water that had formed at the base of her mountain many years before. The water was always crisp and cool and fish had found their way to it from upstream so it served as a very good place for breakfast. On the far side of the lake was a singular small cottage. As the dragoness landed she could see smoke already rising from the stone chimney. Her neighbor was up earlier than usual it seemed.
    Dipping her great head, she began to drink, one silver eye closing. After a moment the door to the cottage open and a young woman dressed in a simple blue and white linen dress, her hair loose and flowing, her long feline tail swaying idly behind her. The dragoness lifted her head and watched as the young woman made her way around the lake, her bare feet stepping light with practiced delicacy.
    As the young woman got within a few yards the dragoness smiled and lowered her head so it was level with hers.
    No words were spoken, none ever were. The girl had never said a word in her life and the dragoness preferred the peace of silence when she wasn’t singing.
    Lowering her head still further, the dragoness allowed the girl to climb up and sit in between her horns before flaring her crystalline wings once more.
    Silently but with a huge rush of downdraft, the mighty dragoness lifted into the air, her young charge clinging on in a strange mix of delight and terror.
    Gleaming in the still waking sunlight the dragoness and her silent companion flew for to greet the rising sun.
    Today was going to be a very good day.