A Dream of Dragons

     It wasn't the most sensible thing to do but she was feeling bored and there was a decided lack of entertainment in the cozy confines of the lair. She poked her head into the fireplace and started wriggling upwards to the small square of open sky at the end of the chimney. Her claws scraped against the soot-stained bricks of the chimney's inner walls, sending clouds of fine ash into the surrounding air. They didn't bother her. She was a fire-breathing creature after all. After a few minutes of squirming and clawing her way to the top, she felt the cool morning breeze caressing her scales as her head finally cleared the top of the chimney. Her slender, sinuous neck, bulky body and long tail followed soon after. She was free. Shaking the fine dusting of soot from her green scales, she slowly unfurled the wings that were tucked tightly against her body. She felt the muscles of her back flex as the slightly translucent membranes of her wings snapped open, sending a gust of wind rattling through the tiles of the roof. The joints of her wings ached a little from disuse but the pain quickly faded as she got used to their weight and span. She indulged in a moment of vanity as she arched her neck up so that her iridescent scales caught the sunlight, glittering like a bed of emeralds with glints of gold. She eyed the scenery before her, hungrily taking in the view that had been denied to her for so long. The valley and the blue-grey mountains beyond beckoned to her like a song that resonated within her very heart and soul. Home. She flapped her wings a few times and adjusted her stance, loosening her limbs and tightening the muscles of her back. Taking a deep fortifying breath, she teetered at the very edge of the roof and launched herself off of it, causing a few tiles to tumble down onto the ground. She let herself fall through thin air until her claws almost touched the ground, and then, she brought her wings down and propelled herself upward with all of her strength. For one terrifying second, gravity refused to let her go but she soon broke loose from its grasp and found herself skimming the top of a sea of swaying grass, her wings beating a steady rhythm in the air. She let loose a roar of triumph and flew higher into the sky, leaving behind the farm and its environs far, far below. She hung suspended in the sky as she turned her neck around for one last look at the quaint farmhouse and the stables next to it. She would miss the farmer and his boy. One day, she would come back and repay them, she promised herself. Releasing another loud roar, this time of farewell, she spun around and headed for home.