Mistaken Identity

By Lindsi McIntyre

The wind howling across Haiz’s brown, leather wings could not drown out his roar as he sliced through the air back toward his cave. His voice bounced from valley to village and on toward the mountains, declaring his sovereignty over all things within his territory.

His scaled eyes scanned the ground below, searching. Always searching.

After all, a dragon could never have too much gold.

The warm rays of the late autumn sun coated everything beneath him in yellow, turning the entire world into his favorite substance. It was why Haiz loved the season so much despite the chill that stiffened his joints. He would search for new treasure long after others of his kind retreated to their dens for hibernation.

The world was too beautiful to sleep away. Although finding real gold was a bit harder as he flew high overhead.

His shadow passed lazily over a field of ripe wheat. Each stalk heavy with a golden crown. He dropped a bit closer, admiring the way the wind caused the light to dance over them as he passed by.

The flash of reflected light somewhere hidden in the field drew his eye. Haiz turned his head, craning his neck, trying to find it again. With a surge of power, he pushed himself higher and turned to make another pass.

There. The distinctive glint of raw gold winked up at him, hidden beneath the grain. What fools humans were. Thinking their fields would hide such treasure from his sharp draconic gaze.

Haiz flew over the spot and dropped suddenly, claws extended. His movements were carefully calculated: wings tucked in tightly so that he slipped through the stalks of wheat with the least resistance, claws extended to grab his treasure in one pass, and head already pointed toward his path out. He never even touched the ground. Treasure securely held in his left claw, he rose back into the sky, briefly catching the sound of screaming children below him as he ascended.

Curious. From Haiz’s experience, younglings did not share the same love of gold held by their parents.

The same love he held. Yet now they were putting up quite a racket behind him as he flew away.

Haiz shook the thoughts out of his head. It didn’t matter. Human kings were barely worth worrying over. Human children were of no consequence at all.

Haiz soon reached the base of his mountain and flew in lazy circles upward, keeping an eye out for any knights plotting to sneak in while he slept. It was an old habit he’d picked up from his grandfather. He’d never actually found anyone waiting in the cracks of rock beneath his cave.

The entrance to his home was a black hole in the grey stone. Ducking through the tight space, Haiz inched inside awkwardly, his shoulders tucked as close to his chest as possible to give his wings room to slip through, clutching his latest treasure in one claw and scooting inside with the other three. It warmed his scales, throwing off an unusual heat. They must have left it sitting in that field for hours. Sunlight poured into the entrance at his back as he moved deeper inside, and small rays filtered in from cracks above, landing softly on his hoard.

Gold coins, amber stones, and an occasional flash of ruby red sparkled before him. A smile drew his lips tight, a trail of smoke slipping out through his fangs. The fire in his belly rumbled as he reached out, holding his clenched claw over the sparkling bed.

But instead of the satisfying clink of metal falling on metal, a tiny grunt came from his newest prize. He frowned down at the tiny human girl, who stared back at him with wide eyes.

Her hair was the exact texture of processed gold. Several different shades of yellow, layered atop one another, glittered under the ribbons of sunlight.

She matched the rest of his hoard perfectly.

Her tiny face scrunched up around the edges, and she started to make an awful mewling sound that echoed off the walls. Ugh. Gold never did that.  Haiz covered his head with his front claws, trying to block out the terrible sound.

“Hush. Be still.”

Instead, she stood up and started to step all over his gold. Her awkward footsteps dislodged his carefully stacked coins and jewels, sending them tumbling to the ground. They scattered across the cave floor with a rain-like cadence.

This wouldn’t do at all. She looked like gold, but that was where the similarities ended. Besides, human men were often willing to allow a dragon to get away with gold. They rarely held the same feelings when one of their children was snatched, however. Humans never seemed dangerous, until they were sticking a sword through your heart.

Haiz sighed. He’d have to take her back.

“Come along then, little nugget.” He slid the tiny human between his razor-sharp fangs and carried it back toward the cave’s entrance.

He had a rather embarrassing return to make.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lindsi McIntyre is a linguaphile from Texas who hopes to use her words, both written and spoken, to bring glory to the Lord Most High. When not writing, she can be found lost within the pages of a good book, or watching the latest episode of her favorite tv shows, and drinking way too much tea while doing both.

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