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nDawn removed her fingers from it immediately. The dragon was coming to life. When all its spikes poked out one by one, it uncoiled itself from her ankle and plopped on the bed upside down revealing its smooth and shiny greyish belly. Dawn's mouth dropped open. After such a long time, her baby dragon had come to life. It looked weak. Somehow it managed to get up on its legs and coughed some smoke out. It looked up at Dawn with its dull eyes.

nDawn blinked twice and then a smile wormed on her face. Gently she picked it up in her hands and caressed its leathery green wings that felt like smooth velvet with numerous thin veins interspersed. Soft ripples of water touched her consciousness.

nShe carried it to the kitchen knowing that it was really hungry. A basket of fruits was lying vacant. Dawn placed a neat white cloth in it, cushioned it a little. and placed it inside. The dragon screeched demanding food. Last night's uncooked lamb pieces were in the fridge. She took them out, defrosted and chopped them into small pieces.

nReturning with them in a bowl, she found it staring at her with his deep blue eyes. She picked meat in her hand and offered it to it. The dragon yanked the meat from her hand hungrily and gobbled it quickly. After five chunks, it was satisfied and turned upside down in the basket. It no longer demanded food, rather Dawn fed it like a baby. Once it was well fed, Dawn took her finger and caressed it on the neck. To her surprise, it slept leaning in her.

nSuddenly there was a loud knock on the door. Startled as to who could that be, she covered her dragon with a cloth and rushed to her room to change.

"Coming! Hold on!

" she shouted from the inside. When she opened the door, her head jerked.

"Arawn?

" she rasped, staring at him without blinking her eyes. The memory of the night when he had turned into a centaur returned. She was terrified and could almost hear the sound of her heartbeat thrashing her ears.

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"Won't you let me in?

" Arawn asked, cocking his head. His curly long hair was tied in a ponytail and few curls played on his forehead.

n

"S— sorry. Pl— please come in,

" she stuttered. Stepping out of his way, she let him in.

nSomehow collecting her thoughts she said,

"Arawn, I— I didn't expect that you— you— are a—

"

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"A centaur?

" he completed her sentence with a chuckle.

nDawn lowered her head and bit her lip.

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"It's not your fault,

" he laughed.

"I was planning on giving you a ride inside the mystical lands today. Would you be interested?

"

nThere was a glint of excitement in her eyes. She nodded vehemently. She wondered if the dragon was still alive or crystallized.

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"Okay! Then give me something to eat and we shall go.

"

nDawn rushed to the kitchen. Her gaze fell on the dragon who had removed the cloth from his body and was now walking on the counter trying to breathe fire as though exercising. There were small black patches of soot on the white counter stone.

"What are you doing?

" She chided him and picked him up again to place him in the basket.

"Stay there, okay?

"

nShe called Arawn.

"Oh! Can you please come in the kitchen?

"

nShe took some cookies out of a jar when she heard him coming inside. Arawn's eyes bulged with excitement when he saw that the dragon was awake. Slowly, he walked to him as though not believing the scene. The dragon stared at him and jumped out of the container. It breathed fire immediately to ward him off. It was no more than a little flame that came out as if a candle was flickering in the wind.

nArawn laughed heartily. He went near it and the dragon repeated the exercise as if threatening him to back off.

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"Keep calm,

" Dawn communicated through the connection that had formed that day hoping that it remembered. She wasn't sure that it would listen, but it growled like a baby dragon it was and stopped. However, it maintained its posture of defense. She realized that the dragon didn't become dormant because it sensed that Arawn was from the same mythical land.

nArawn closed on it. The dragon screeched. It opened its small mouth and bared its white fangs and spanned its green wings flattering them hard.

nDawn picked it up carefully and caressed on its hard triangular head.

"He is a friend,

" she assured it with a soft voice. The dragon eased, collected its wings behind and settled with a cautious gaze in her arms.

nArawn was watching them interest.

"In all my years of existence, I have never seen a dragon's egg hatch,

" he said totally mesmerized. And he had lived for over a thousand years now.

nDawn pursed her lips. So many things were happening to her that this looked like a normal day to her. She asked,

"Sometimes I wonder how big it would become. My knowledge is limited to the folklores that the dragons were gigantic creatures. Would this little baby become huge? And then would it fit on my ankle? Is it a boy or a girl?

" She looked at Arawn and prodded,

"Do you know anything?

"

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"No, I don't know anything.

" The skin around his eyes crinkled as he smiled again at her inquisitiveness.

n

"Would it crystallize into a giant animal?

" she said with a sigh.

"How would I even feed it? Or how would I keep it? I think we should leave it back in the lands I found it from.

"

n

"I am afraid that isn't an option now. The baby has made a connection with you,

" he said in a deep voice.

"You just have to wait for it to grow and see.

"

n

"Hmm,

" she said lazily.

"How will things pan out in the normal world?

"

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"You have to take each day as it come.

"

nArawn walked towards the door.

"Let us go, else if Cole would come you won't be able to get this opportunity again.

"

nNodding, she went after him and asked something that nudged her for a long time.

"How come you are able to stay alive in the world outside all the time but my dragon can't?

"

nA soft wave of joy splashed through her mind when she said, 'My Dragon'.

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"Because I am the Gatekeeper. All gatekeepers of mythical worlds have powers beyond your comprehension.

" They had reached the backyard by then. Arwan jumped off the fence and transformed into a centaur.

nDawn's breath was caught in her throat. From the waist up, he appeared like he was, except that his thick curly hair that fell to his mid-back was open and blowing softly in the wind. His lower body was like that of a horse—soft velvety black skin. His long hairy tail swished behind. He looked mesmerizing.

nArwan glared at her with his grey eyes.

"If you are done staring, should we go?

" He extended his hand to her.

nThe dragon was perched on her shoulders now.

nDawn took his hand and climbed his back.

nThe dragon flapped its wings trying to balance itself and the moment she was on Arawn's wide warm back, she enclosed it in the safety of her arms.

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"Hold tight!

" Arawn said and took off.

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