Page 50 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
“You’ll see.” He was pleased with himself, which made Saphira only more excited. It didn’t even matter what the surprise ended up being; she was happy to see him happy.
As they drove, heading up to the hills, they listened to music, chatting about random things, time slipping away. It was strange to think that just a few months ago, Saphira hadn’t even known Aiden, and yet he was such a prominent part of her life now, as if he had always been there.
Aiden parked in a seemingly random place on the edge of a forest and stopped the car.
“Where are we?” Saphira asked. She didn’t recognize the place. He gave her a small smile.
“Come on.”
Saphira exchanged a glance with Sparky, but they obliged, getting out of the car and following Aiden. They passed through a short section of trees before arriving in a clear field. There seemed to be pieces of rotted wood set up at different distances, each marked with a slab of red paint.
Saphira gave Aiden a quizzical glance.
“Sparky can practice his dragon fire here,” Aiden said,looking excited. “See, I set up different markers for him to aim at.”
“Oh!” Now it made sense. Pleasure swept through her at the initiative he had taken, and he looked happy at her delight. “That’s wonderful.”
“I know about this place because the sunset around here is beautiful,” Aiden explained. From beyond the field, she could see the rolling green land of the hills. “Grandad and I go for hikes up here.”
“Lovely! Though that old man should not behiking.”
“Well, more like nature walks.” Aiden laughed. “Nothing too intense, don’t worry.”
Sparky was intrigued by the field and the setup, looking curiously at the red-painted marks. Saphira crouched down to get eye level with the baby dragon, giving him her best encouraging smile, even though she was a bit nervous herself, now.
Saphira didn’t exactly have good experiences with baby dragons and their fire, as a melted espresso machine would attest to. But she was confident that Sparky could be trained, that her baby dragon would not cause such a mishap.
“Okay, Sparky-Pie, it’s time to work on your flame,” she said.
He looked at her with big purple eyes, watching as Saphira opened her mouth wide, taking in a big breath. She closed her mouth, holding the air in her cheeks, then slowly blew the air out onto his face, hoping he’d understand she meant he was to make dragon fire.
Sparky blinked at her, and she repeated the gesture until it sunk in. He nodded, then took a breath.
Sparky puffed out a little flame ball. Saphira clapped. “Good job!”
“Okay, now, Sparky, look,” Aiden said, setting up a piece of wood about six inches away from the baby dragon. “Aim at this.”
Sparky turned to Saphira, and she pointed at the wood, blowing out air.
Sparky settled into position, a determined expression on his little face. He inhaled, then aimed a flame ball right at the wood. It hit the mark, the piece lighting into flames.
Saphira jumped up, hooting, and Aiden clapped. “Yes! Good job!” Saphira cheered.
Sparky grinned; he adored being praised. Saphira opened her arms for him, and he ran into her lap, where she kissed his face. Aiden petted Sparky’s scales, and Sparky closed his eyes, content.
“Alright, now let’s keep going,” Aiden said.
They continued with a similar practice all throughout the green field, each time aiming for a mark a little farther away. This way, Sparky could slowly build up his fire.
The baby dragon did well, taking a few tries in the beginning, then hitting each mark with perfect accuracy by the end. They all worked together, Saphira staying by Sparky’s side, urging him on, while Aiden stood by the marks, encouraging the little draggo. After Sparky hit the mark, Aiden would snuff the fire out.
Sparky seemed surprised by his capabilities and satisfied by his own strength, which gave him more energy. He would run to the next mark before the initial one was put out, aiming without Saphira’s encouragement.
Which was good, by the end, for Saphira was getting extremely tired. She felt lightheaded, her vision swimming. Theheat was perhaps getting to her; the sky was cloudless now, perfectly sunny. She just needed a moment to rest, that was all.
“Aiden, why don’t you come stand with Sparky so you can practice commanding him, too,” Saphira suggested, trying to keep her voice normal. She didn’t want Aiden to notice she wasn’t feeling well or he would want to stop, and Sparky was progressing so beautifully. She didn’t want to ruin the dragon’s momentum or dampen his energy.
Aiden came over to Sparky. “Okay, Spark, aim there.”
