On a mountain plateau sat a lone farmstead, protected from the winds by the lush conifers of the deep forest. Trees surround the house and barns. Inside, a young man was kneeling beside the fresh fire. Eldrick appeared to be in his early teens, tall and lanky, with a shock of short curly dark hair. It had been snowing for three long weeks, the harsh north wind piled deep drifts over the fields. Those sheltering in the confines of the farmhouse ventured out only to tend livestock and bring in firewood.
High atop the mountain sat Sebastian, a blue dragon, looking down on the farmstead longingly. His meagre supply of firewood was nearly gone.
An old man sat in his chair by a roaring fireplace, a rictus of pain etched his face. His gnarled hands gripped the arm of his chair. The explosive crack, of the wood on the fire, made Eldrick jump. It sounded like a large tree branch had snapped and fallen on the roof.
“Eldrick, go check on the livestock, but first bring me my medicine. I do not like the sound of this wind,” grumbled the old man.
“Sergei, you never like the sound of the wind," replied Eldrick
“When you have seen as many years as I have, you learn a wind that sounds like this tends to bring trouble. The last storm this bad was when I was about your age. That year we had a drought and were beset by brigands.”
Eldrick retrieved the jug of brandy and brought it to the old man. Donning his heavy wool jacket, he left to check on the livestock. The wind ripped the door out of his hand and slammed into the side of the house. Leaning into the gust, he closed the door and walked across the yard to the barn.
Maybell, the pinto bay mare, was fractious and took a few moments to calm down. After filling the manger with fresh straw and adding a few oats, Eldrick turned to check on the old milch cow. Jemima chewed her cud, ignoring the howling outside. Once he finished tending to those in the barn, Eldrick headed to the chicken coop. The hens seemed unperturbed by the weather.
A sound like a torrent of water raging down the old riverbed, caused Eldrick to turn his glance up the mountainside. A huge plume of white was barreling toward the farm. Caught halfway between shelters, he dove behind the woodpile. Turning the barrow used for carting wood over himself, he braced for the impact.
The roar of the snow as it cascaded down the mountainside grew deafening. Eldrick struggled to hold onto the barrow so it wouldn’t be torn away, exposing him to the torrent crashing down on the farmstead. After what seemed an eternity, all became silent. Try as he might Eldrick couldn't move the barrow. Breathing became difficult as panic overtook him. His fleeting thoughts were of how he had disappointed his mentor.
As he blacked out, he breathed "I failed."
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Sebastian, hearing what sounded like a huge thunderclap, looked up. The sky was clear and bright blue. Peering down the mountain, he saw a huge wall of snow raging toward the farmstead. Knowing the kind of damage an avalanche that size was capable of causing, he took wing and followed it down.
With his *superior visual acuity he saw a small figure running from an outbuilding to the farmhouse as the wave of snow *crashed down. They dove behind the woodpile and turned something over themselves mere moments before snow buried the farmstead. Realizing people were in danger, he *performed a wing-over converting his glide into a dive.
As the snow crashed over the woodpile, Sebastian feared he was too late to save the young human. With fear driving him he folded his wings and plummeted toward the ground. As the wind whipped past him, he ploughed into the snow pile, nearly *breaking a wing in the process.
“Hold on! I will get you out of there,” Sebastian sent.
Digging frantically, he cleared the snow off the barrow and woodpile, he realized others were also buried under the snow. They were inside buildings with larger air pockets and had more time.
It took him about ten minutes to reach the barrow. Panic overwhelmed him as he considered the person may not have survived. Flinging the barrow out of the hole, Sebastian, reaching down, lifted the trapped person and leapt out of the pit. Peering at his rescuee, shock hit him. The person looked like he couldn’t be more than twelve or thirteen years old and was rather effeminate. The short black hair looked hacked off by a knife wielded by someone who didn’t know about cutting hair, as it was all different lengths and a regular mess.
Looking closely Sebastian noticed the young man wasn’t breathing. At least he thought the person was male. Having not yet mastered shape-changing, he hoped he could revive him. Listening, Sebastian heard a heartbeat. Thanking the Great Dragon, he carefully breathed into the young man’s mouth. After a few breaths, the young man started coughing.
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Eldrick, with air entering his lungs, tried drawing a deep breath. *Once the racking coughs receded, he drew a deep breath of precious life-giving air. Amazed he was still alive; he opened his eyes. A monstrous blue snout with dagger-sized teeth and large blue eyes peering down at him filled his vision. Freaking out, Eldrick scrabbled back to put distance between himself and the monster.
"I mean you no harm. I am very pleased to see you did not perish in that avalanche. I am Sebastian."
Eldrick shook his head in confusion, certain he was hearing things. The monster was communicating with him somehow, though its mouth never moved.
“Wha... what are you?” he exclaimed.
"Me? I am a dragon." Sebastian pointed to his chest with a claw.
Mustering his courage, Eldrick examined the strange creature. He was covered in small interlocking scales of blue and copper from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail. Sebastian was about the equivalent of a medium-sized horse, maybe a bit bigger. His leathery wings were deep indigo. His four legs were like small tree trunks ending in clawed feet that looked like they could eviscerate a bull, with ease. The blue eyes held intelligence and compassion.
"I think we should dig out the house. I can sense the distress in your father."
“My father? Oh, Sergei. He is my master.”
"He has taken good care of you?"
“What do you mean by that? He has fed, clothed, taught me, and kept a roof over our heads. If THAT isn’t taking good care of me what is?” Eldrick exclaimed.
"I was just asking. I didn’t mean to upset you. We should hurry and unbury the house, or at least the doorway."
Eldrick, considering the suggestion, nodded in agreement. Heading toward the house, he realized he didn’t have the tools for the job.
“I can't dig,” Eldrick muttered.
"I can. But I need to know where the door is."
Eldrick pointed to the ground. “It should be somewhere around here. But first, we need to clear the chimney before the smoke kills him".
"Stand back then. I am going to do something I don’t usually do."
*Drawing a deep breath, he belched flame, melting three feet of snow from the top of the house. The flames turned the snow to steam.
With the chimney clear, smoke billowed out. Eldrick and Sebastian started digging through the snow with their hands and feet. Working quickly, they found the portico roof, they worked their way to the edge. The setting sun leant a purple glow to the sky by the time they cleared the door. Even though they tunnelled through the snow, Eldrick thought it was warmer than it should be.
Eldrick reefed on the door, fearing the scene on the other side. As it swung open, frighteningly thick smoke billowed out. Peering through the door, Eldrick scanned for Sergei. Seeing him lying prone on the floor, blood pooling around his head, Eldrick feared his mentor was dead.
Sebastian had a look of intense concentration, "Let me in. I can help him. I can hear his heartbeat. It's faint, but there."
Stepping into the room, Eldrick's lungs filled with smoke, causing a series of racking coughs. Dropping to the floor he filled his lungs with cleaner air as the fit subsided. Sebastian ran across the floor to the old man and gently carried him outside. After a couple of moments of breathing for him, Sergei began to breathe for himself. Listening carefully, Sebastian heard the thin, thready heartbeat strengthen.
“He will live.”
Eldrick watched as the house emptied of smoke while Sebastian tunnelled toward the outbuildings. Using a combination of flame and claws he created a protected pathway.
Sebastian returned to the farmhouse to assure those within that everything was secure. Sergei met him at the front door with a pitchfork.
“What do you want? We're poor folk with very little meat on our bones. If you were thinking of making a meal of us, we won’t be more than a light snack nor taste very good.”
"Good sir, if I'd wanted to make a meal of you, I would hardly spend the effort to save your lives." His mental voice was filled with pain and suffering. With drooping wings, Sebastian turned to leave.
“Sergei, he rescued us from the avalanche and saw to our livestock. He created tunnels to traverse the area without having to face the elements. Have you noticed how much warmer it is in here?" Eldrick placed a hand on Sergie's shoulder. "The least we can do is offer him some hospitality instead of trying to threaten him. I mean, he breathes fire and is covered in scales. Do you really think a pitchfork will do much harm?”
“Boy, I have seen more summers than you," Sergei turned his head to give Eldrick a hard stare, "and have dealt with the wiles of dragons before. They've been known to create a situation just to be a hero and get whatever they want." Returning his gaze to Sebastian. "This young male may have caused the avalanche in the first place. I have sensed his presence near the summit of the mountains for a while now. If you thought it was cold down here, you should try living up there," he shuddered. "Colder than a frozen heart and barer than a newborn baby’s bottom. There is nothing to eat or burn up there.”
Eldrick looked shocked to learn Sebastian had been living up there and he didn't know. One of the lessons he was trying to master lately was the ability to sense life around him.
“My young apprentice does make a compelling argument; you did save our lives. I truly hope you didn’t have anything to do with the avalanche. But anyway, you are welcome to stay as long as necessary. I hope you're willing to help around here, we have more work to do keeping us all fed and comfortable. “
Sebastian turning had a look of pleasure and reassurance in his eyes. "I have cleared the woodpile so we can easily get at it."
