The forest just outside the village of Duddlewick was quiet. Too quiet. Not in the "sneaky assassin" way, but in the "all the birds saw something terrifying and left town" way.
Kip crouched behind a bush, peering through the branches at the still-smoking crater in the middle of Farmer Billow's abandoned turnip patch.
He squinted. "That's... definitely not a turnip."
Lying in the center of the crater was a small creature, about the size of a goat. Its scaly body shimmered with deep blue and silver, smoke curling off tiny nostrils. Wings twitched weakly at its sides, and its tail—lined with spiky little fins—gave a lazy flick.
Kip's mouth went dry. "That's a dragon."
The dragon opened one golden eye, blinked slowly, and sneezed.
FWOOSH.
A small tree burst into flames.
Kip yelped and fell backward into a bush. "Okay. Baby dragon. Magical explosion. Fire sneezes. This is fine. This is great."
The dragon sat up, sniffed the air, and let out a soft, confused chirp. Then, it looked straight at Kip.
Kip looked back.
They stared at each other for a long, awkward moment.
Then, with the tired grace of someone who had done this before in a dream that ended badly, Kip raised both hands and said, "Hi there, little guy. I'm Kip. I come in peace, and I'm very flammable."
The dragon tilted its head. Then it chirped again and waddled forward.
"Whoa, whoa, no sudden—"
BONK.
The dragon headbutted Kip in the chest.
Then it sat on his lap.
Kip blinked. "…Are you bonding with me right now?"
The dragon purred like a content kitten crossed with a kettle boiling over.
Somewhere deep in Kip's gut, a warm sensation spread—like sunlight, or maybe indigestion, but more magical. His eyes widened.
"Oh no. Oh no no no."
He'd read about this. Only in legends, of course. Ridiculous, ancient tales. But still.
Dragon-Rider Bonds.
Magical, unbreakable, incredibly rare, and usually reserved for powerful warriors or chosen heroes.
Kip?
He was allergic to heroic destiny.
"Okay," Kip muttered, panicking slightly. "This is fine. This is manageable. I'll just walk away, and you'll forget all about me and bond with someone more qualified, like a knight. Or a squirrel. Squirrels are brave."
The dragon yawned, curled up tighter in his lap, and immediately burst into a small fireball.
Kip's eyebrows were now gone.
He sat there, smoking slightly.
"…Granny is going to kill me."