Warmth flooded around me. It pressed down on my shoulders, in a fashion that would’ve felt oppressive if not for the motherly embrace the darkness seemed to wrap me in. I let out a sigh in my mind, not understanding the feeling but unwilling to move. I could stay like this forever.

A loud CRACK sounded, giving me the sneaking suspicion that I wouldn’t be staying like this forever. Or even for that long. Another CRACK came from behind me, and the weight on my body began to dissipate. A light shone from below what I now could understand was eye level for me. Sighing internally once again, I gave up on ignoring this disturbance.

Pushing out with my arms, the warm darkness surrounding me shuddered and collapsed all at once. Closing my eyes, I shielded my head as whatever I was in fell, leaving me lying face down on something soft.

Ah. Another comfortable spot. Maybe I should lie here for a while…

My thoughts started drifting off to a warm and happy place when the ground around me shook with tremendous force. In response, of course, I curled up into a ball and tried to ignore it. A third sigh escaped me as the ground shook again, and I pushed myself up from the ground and opened my eyes.

Two yellow and red orbs gazed at me from about an arm’s length away. Through me, more like. Not now, brain, not now. First, what the hell is that? Two beautiful orbs, separated by red… rock? Clay, maybe? Whatever it is, it looks tough, but it shines lightly… just as beautiful as the two-

As thoughts swirled in my head, the two orbs flickered. Well, blinked. They definitely blinked. Wait, if they blinked, then-

“Hmmmm. You look odd, child.”

The voice resounded through my head, bouncing around on the inside of my skull. All at once, I fell back, and I realized what I was looking at. What was looking back at me.

The eyes, shimmering in yellow and red swirls, set deep in a reptilian face the same hue as a burning village. Ah, maybe I’m starting to panic. I’ve never seen a burning village. Why would I-

“Hopefully you shall never see a burning village in your lifetime, child. Those seem to be the precursors of our doom.”

Again the voice sounded in my head, accompanied by the reptilian head moving back with a slightly playful look in its eyes. As it moved, I took in the crane-like neck it was attached to, covered in the what I now could see were scales of that same color. Further along, a massive body the size of a townhouse was sprawled out on the grass, with two forearms resting in front. The claws those arms ended in seemed larger than me, but my attention was quickly grabbed by something else.

Behind its head, two wings unfurled to either side, catching the sunlight that streamed down and reflecting it seemingly in all directions. From my view, the underside of the wings seemed to glimmer every color I had ever seen; and a few more I had not.

“Child, fix that face of yours. You may look odd, but my daughter shall never be caught with her jaw hanging like so. It is unbecoming of a dragon.”

Realizing my mouth was hanging wide open, I closed it, and then quickly felt it drop again.

“cough..cough..bleh”

What did… A dragon? Her daughter?

“fufufu… Yes my dear, you are my offspring, emerged from the egg I laid many moons ago. What else would you be, but a dragon? Here, let me show you something.”

The dragon in front of me lowered her head to my level once again, mouth slightly ajar, showing a grin full of sword-like teeth. Expecting to be frozen with fear, I instead felt something wash over me, a feeling very familiar, full of the warmth of a fireplace and the safety of home. Without a doubt it came from the creature staring at me, and as it coursed through my entire body I realized it was akin to the state I was in earlier - only without the darkness. As it gradually left my body, receding like the tide, I came to two realizations.

First: this dragon in front of me is, without a doubt, my mother. Second: my mother is terrifying.