Home is where the Heart is
Growing up an orphan is a lonely life. The fleeting moments of friendship and family that arise every so often are never enough.
My earliest memory, being told my old family didn’t want me, still sat icily in my mind. I never even knew them, and yet 28 years later that gaping hole awaited. I didn’t know what to fill it with, only that something was missing.
The orphanage was the only place I could call home, but even that failed me. I was kicked out as soon as I came of age to live on my own. So what do you do when you have no friends, no family? You pave your own path. You build your own home. You make your own family… because everyone —everyone— wants a family.
Monster hunting. That was the life I chose. There are monsters everywhere, there is always work to be done. It was an easy enough decision. I’d either have a way forward, or I’d perish on the journey. No one would remember me either way.
It’s a lonely life, but you make do with what you have. The singing trees and whistling winds are my friends now. The towering mountains and rolling rivers follow me on every adventure I begin. They’ll always be there for me.
I turned away from the dragon’s enormous corpse. Its deep blue scaly shell lay across a quarter of the battlefield covered in blood from soldiers. Seared bodies scattered the surrounding terrain. I was the only survivor.
I returned to my campsite with one of the dragon’s fangs in tow as proof of a job complete. Scooping up the rest of my belongings I set out. The swaying grass and flowing flocks of birds filled the air around me. The sound intensified further.
My vision darkened and the surrounding forest and dirt trails were plunged into shadow. Not one, but three massive dragons circled overhead.
“Little one. Was it who hath slain Frivienth the blue?” Their voices boomed in my mind as a chorus.
“Yes.” I stopped and looked up, admiring their majesty. “Yes, it was me. Are you here to take revenge and kill me?”
“Kill you? No, we are the bloodless dragons. We elderly have sworn away death and do what we can to keep the peace.”
“In that case I’m sorry. I’m sorry I killed your friend, but it wasn’t personal.” I looked away and resumed pace.
The three elderly dragons followed. “He had a family you know. Two children. Who will take care of them now?”
“I’m sure they can find another dragon father,” I called back, irritated.
“You would do that? Leave orphans in the wild to their own devices?”
I stopped. “What is it you’re after? Why are you here?”
“The hatchlings need someone to care for them. As the one who has killed their father, their responsibility falls to you.”
My arms shook slightly, images of my own youth flashed in my eyes. “You mean…” my voice creaked in my throat but the dragons heard me clearly. “You mean, they want me to be their family?” I whispered the last word.
“Yes. But you won’t be alone, as part of our clan, we will look out for each other and lend support as necessary.”
Wasn’t this what I always wanted? The hole that persisted within me, the loneliness of abandonment. I never once imagined it would be filled like this… I couldn’t go forward with it, could I?
The dragons, sensing my hesitance, pressed further, “Little one, we beg of you. It is an ancient dragon tradition, but if you choose to leave, we are powerless to stop you. We are, after all, bloodless dragons.”
What do you do when you have no friends, no family? You pave your own path. You build your own home. You make your own family… because everyone —everyone— wants a family.
I might not be a child anymore, I might have made a path for myself, but I sure as heck wasn’t an exception.
I looked up, “Yes. I will be their family.”
681 words
May 05, 2021
all-stories