Jami

Story:
Jami stood on his tiptoes, looking over the nearly full-grown crops to where he saw what almost seemed like a mirage. A drak, bright white in colour, with golden wings, was spread out on Reya’s rock. It was the only stone surface in the vicinity, acres of barren land that could not be used. Not many humans came close, but Jami’s fields were there.
He’d been growing crops on his own for 2 years now, ever since he’d reached adulthood. Maybe that was an overstatement, his field still belonged to his parents. He still lived at home, bringing in his crops and receiving very little for them in return. But then, being out on his own, wit no-one to do his laundry, cook and clean for him, might be a great deal harder.
Things wouldn’t always be that way. If he got married and started a family of his own, the land would really become his. A new farm would be built alongside his parent’s farm and life would pass by quietly like was the norm in the little, sleepy village. Jami wasn't opposed to the idea, but he still hadn’t found the one person he’d want to spend the rest of his life with yet.
Thoughts about his future were far from his mind though, while he got a look at that marvelous creature. Not even daring to go close, Jami wondered if this drak was one of the newly established Acicade Castle, or if it was one of the older wild draks that now and again flew over their little village.
That problem was soon solved when a stocky little man, came from behind the drak’s torso, obviously grooming the mane of his beast. Jami looked on in wonder, like a child who’d just seen his first snowfall in winter. He was pretty sure the two of them didn’t know he was there, though oddly, sometimes the drak did glance in his direction. But that might have been his imagination. The drak was looking the other direction as well after all.
After a time that could have been five minutes, or thirty, Jami turned away and started walking home. He didn’t dare go closer and disturb the two, and staying there just standing also wasn’t in Jami’s nature. Still, Jami did not feel disappointed. He was already dreaming up more chances for him to see the knight and the drak. After all, the drak seemed to have really enjoyed Reya’s rock. He probably had also taken a dive into Clear Water Lake only a 10 minute walk north from there. Maybe next time there’d be even more draks.
Excited by that thought, Jami did not really take notice of his surroundings. Still, his innate farmer instinct stopped him on the verge of a trap. His sudden stop in front of the net left him reeling his arms around to get back his balance. Not being able to make it, Jami fell back, causing more than enough noise to alert whoever had made the trap that there were unwanted visitors.
Jami knew that this trap was not one for catching animals. For one thing, animals usually didn’t keep to the roads. Second, he knew who’d be hunting and almost no-one in his village would use the net the way it was strung here. It looked amateurish at First, but on a second glance was actually well prepared. The large squares would enable the spindly-legged bicorns to pass by unharmed, while an unsuspecting human would be caught instantly. At the same time, creature lighter than your average 4-year-old child would not trip it, looking at the counterweight.
Jami took all this in, in the few seconds he remained lying on his back. Then the racket started. People, many of them, came rushing through the trees and bushes. Jami scrambled to his feet and turned back to where he came from. Instinctively trying to get to the safety of the drak. He ran the distance back in a fraction of the time it had taken him walking. At first he could not find the drak. The place where he’d been was empty. The knight was also gone from sight.
Wasting seconds looking around frantically, Jami heard the bandits closing in on him. There haggard breaths seemed to jump at him. Turning around he saw that there were 7 of them, catching up fast. With nowhere left to run, Jami made for the lake, hoping to lose them in the fields.
Most fields however had already been harvested. He had disappointedly little cover to hide and the bandits were now keeping his pace. After the next bend in the road, Jami saw the lake glitter beneath him in the sunlight. A white island was floating in te middle of it.
The drak!
“Help!” Jami screamed, “Bandits!”
The drak looked up first. After a few hissed words, the knight followed the extended wing and saw Jami approaching. Jami dashed into the water, losing most of his speed as the water resisted his legs.
The knight was now coming toward him, his drak not being able to fly without his four wings wet. On the ledge overlooking the lake, one by one, the bodies of the bandits appeared. Some stumbled back when they noticed the drak, but the knight was but one man and they were seven in number.
However, the drak had now reached land and his wings were drying rapidly in the summer heat. With a few more strokes he’d be able to lift off, with a few more paces he’d walk on air. As the drak took flight, the bandits scattered. Swooping behind one, then the other, the drak chased off the men, giving up the Chase when they found shelter in the forest that surrounded the lake on the eastern side.
“Are you alright?” the knight asked when Jami, bent over from overexertion, stood gasping.
“Didn’t expect to run sof ar today.” He wheezed.
“What’s your name friend?” the knight asked.
“Jami.”
“My name is Riku, and this is my drak Mikoraob. Pleased to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Jami said, taking the hand the knight had stuck out and being swished around by it when the man shook it.
“Say, are you always this fast?” the knight asked.
“I like to run.” Jami shrugged, “Though it didn’t help much.”
“A lesser trained man would be dead by now.”
Jami whinced at the thought, “I suppose so.”
Riku grinned and called over his drak.
“Say Mikoraob, do you think this young man would pair at a hatching? We could use some fast runners in our ranks.”
Mikoraob came close and Jami could look into his eyes for a brief moment before he was sniffed and slobbered all over.
“He would for the right drakling.” Mikoraob concluded, “Shall we take him?”
“What do you say?” Riku asked.
Jami felt common sense leave him. Only an hour ago had he thought to only watch the drak when he returned to sunbathe, maybe talk in the distant future. But this? Going with them to a castle and pairing? Jami had never seen his life like this. On the other hand…
“Are the girls at the castle nice?” Jami wanted to know.
Riku laughed out loud and muttered; “Boys will be boys.”
“They are lad. Aren’t they nice enough here?”
Jami grimaced, “None of them seem to like me, they all just giggle and run away when i pass.”
Riku smirked, “Well in the castle they might come up and talk."

*Drak*

All images were made by me with images found on the web.