The sudden wind whips across the open meadow of the Dale.  My jeweled eyes watch as my father dodges the shrapnel in its wake, wincing each time the shiny delicacies strike his dark scaled body.

Soon his wings unfurl, forming a protective shield around my serpent like body.  I snuggle in close to him, a slight tremble finding my clawed limbs.  

The wind howled for only a moment more before it dispersed into an echo amongst the mountains to the north.  I peer out from his leathered wings, checking to see if the coast was clear.

"What was that Father?" I ask in angelic tones with a twitch of my tail, curiosity now overpowering my fear. 

With his nudge of reassurance I bound from my still position.  The flattened grasses made for better visibility and a soft landing for my paws.  

Looking up I find the snow capped hills towering above me.  They look violent and uninviting but still I stare at them in awestruck wonder with unblinking eyes.

A shake to my elongated face is all that is given as he inquires if I am hurt before I bound off to continue exploring.

My pace slows to a waddle and soon I fall behind my father.  Eyes uplifted to the large craggy walls of stone, my mouth gapped in awe.  In my distracted musing I do not notice an upcoming rock in my path of travel.  With eyes and mind fixated on the world surrounding me there is no place for caution, which leads me to colliding with the sharp stone head one.

It wasn't so much a bodily hurt that causes a tear to well in the corner of my eye, but an uncontrollable rush of sadness washes over me, nonetheless.  The armor of my dragon scales ensures that I am unscathed.  Even at such a young age they have hardened into a protective layer around my squishy core.  I sniffle away the tear that had surfaced, my bright eyes looking up to my father.

In my upward gaze I notice dark clouds churning above the mountain peaks.  They look just as fierce as the stone hedges in which they begin to shroud.

Soon a drip of liquid lands on my nose causing it to wrinkle.  Then another drop lands along my scaled body.  I turn to look as it slips down the interlocked edges of my pearled plates.  Another falls, then another, until they are falling all around us.  Again I look to my father with questioning eyes...

The cool drips of liquid cause me to shudder.  If not for the slight coldness, then because of the gentle tickle it causes as they roll down my body.

When I look up to him and he gives an explanation of sorts my face scrunches in thought.  Weather?  I decide this world is much more complex than it seemed and that causes a yawn to gape my long jaw.  Sleep heavies my eye lids as I will myself to stand once more.  I try my hardest to remain upright, but my limbs begin to quake.  

Decidedly I curl my long body around in a tight circle, while in once smooth motion fold my legs under me and tuck my tail over my nose.

As I settle the rain clouds dissipate and only a gentle blue sky remains above them.