A New Time
The hatchling has had time to grow. His travel East long in the past but he had started to learn the rhythm of the world and the the rhythm inside himself.
And in the process he has developed some scars, that I suppose are part of the growth process. Full dragons prefer to mate for life but sometimes the original mate is not the right one and a new truer mate must be found. It is that process that started to polish the outer shell and show that as I suspected this was not a lion, a wolf or a bear but indeed a full dragon starting to show his iridescent shell. Finding that wrong is wrong not matter how you slice it, he pulled back for the sake of his offspring. He saw that he could only find his wings if he let them know what it is to be true to who you are.
As time passed Boo found a new mate a phoenix who herself had risen from the ashes and found her wings in truth. They had similar views on how to help their progeny find their way and as his belief in himself grew, so too did his wings. Full flight, shiny scales sharp stinging tail with which to guard his family and full control of it all. And, inside beats Boo's heart to its own rhythm, steady, strong and true, with all its warmth and kindness .
Understanding
Of course it didn't take long for the dragon to notice the sullen, smoldering anger simmering beneath Boo's surface. It was that, the beginning of the inner lava that sparked the memories within the dragon. Looking back along his shimmering, iridescent scales he seemed to remember a time, well in the past, when he too held some of the same qualities.
So perhaps all dragons began with a softer more pliable outer shell. What process, what works shape the path that leads to the power and strength of the dragon? And how does one accomplish it without adding scars to the already bruised? Indeed it was possible that what he had on his hands was a young innocent dragon. It was not that the dragon had not seen young like this before but often they turn out to be lions or tigers or bears at best. The birth and growth of a new dragon is in reality a rare event.
As the world opened towards the east, the challenge became clearer and more interesting. It was indeed, as it often is, a question of accomplishment. Males of the species to which Boo belonged are expected to be leaders. In days long gone they would be hunters and defenders of the village. Killers, rending flesh with their teeth. And now, weak, muling and puking they no longer have a way to show their movement through to full adulthood. The inability to engage in some of the traditional manhood rites have left many a nascent dragon short of fulfilling his/her potential and that is of course how the other species have evolved. That is not to say those species are inferior, merely that they were unable to make the adjustment to full dragonhood.
Boo it appeared, had the internal strength necessary but needed to have it brought forward and be recognized. Of course, as with all such processes, the first to recognize it would have to be Boo himself. Anyone can be told they have strength, but unless they acknowledge it and work towards developing it, it dies without flowering. The dragon could see that it would be a long process and the first step was going to be making Boo understand that he really could accomplish his goals, and the key to that was responsibility.
True, the dragon was taking care of the food, transportation and shelter but Boo had put his two cents in and was entitled to make some decisions. He just had to know which ones he could reasonably be expected to make and which he would be overruled on. What kind of food, when to take a break, when to recharge, were all areas that were properly in Boo's baliwick. This would provide him the feeling that to a certain level he was in control. How much to pay for lodging, how long to travel for the day, those were left for the dragon.
Soon, Boo found that he was actually stating an opinion, carefully listened to but not judged by the dragon. And when the dragon disagreed, he explained why and came at it from another perspective. Often this explained to Boo what he had really said and why it may not have made sense while still encouragong him to continue to try. Further, the dragon reminded him that not many hatchlings could or would have made the committment to travel with the dragon, through fears of one form or another. This piece of knowledge took some time to sink in but the end result was amazing. Boo also learned that there is no point in looking at a map (or planning to go anywhere) without first understanding what his starting point was. Lost does not become found merely because you wish it to be so. Still the eastward voyage took them to the home of a fellow nestling and there the true growth began.
Discovery
As Boo and the Dragon traveled east it was obvious that the Dragon would have to spend some time finding out who Boo was and why he had been placed with him. As an early prototype Boo had various wiring's that were not part of the regular model but were variations on the original. Some of the mods were positive but some seemed to be slowing down the proper use of the model. For example, Boo's fears stopped him from experiencing many of his types common pleasures, gathering in multitudes, high speed energy dispersion and other semi-tribal rites.
Dragon searched within the Boo complex core to find how the wiring had been altered to engage those particular fears. It would seem that some of the fears were not actually Boo's at all but random fears pulled out of the environment, while others had been instilled through close associates and possibly pod leaders.
As the Dragon moved East, Boo began to open up and to learn how to be free. As part of the move Boo was also learning how to fend for himself and how to find his own way. Without it he would forever be lost in a swirl of dreams, phantoms and clouds. it was up to the Dragon to help him any way he could.
