Bright blue eyes, like the colour of the sky, stared back at him in silence. Esmond sat there in fear but also in awe. To him, it was the most beautiful dragon he had ever seen, even though it still had the blood of the drake that it had killed just moments prior. The dragon's scales were a deep purple colour, exhibiting an almost iridescent shine as they reflected various facets of the light. Its wings' membrane is a light pink colour, making it stand out against the darkness of the rest of its body. The overall appearance is regal. Even the placement of its four long horns on its head gave it a sculptured appearance.
Esmond couldn't help himself as his shaky hand reached up towards the dragon's face, but before the hand could touch its target, the dragon snarled at Esmond's confidence or audacity, but that didn't stop him as his hand touched the top of the dragon's nose.
As he touched the Wyvern's nose, he felt almost a spark, but then a calming feeling washed over him, a feeling he had never felt before. All he could do was sit there in amazement. He himself had no clue what was going on, but he wanted it to last forever. He moves his hands across the face, feeling the hard and, at times, sharp scales. The Wyvern leaned in, letting him pet its face, and almost made a cooing sound as if in enjoyment. When he touched the dragon, he could feel how hot it was to touch it, though not enough to burn him. The dragon scales kept the heat within. He had not been able to touch many dragons before, as they don't like anyone but their owners from touching them, so he never got the chance to feel the proper heat from them. Even his mother's dragon, Miasma, didn't like him touching her for more than a few seconds.
It then gently pushes Esmond in the chest, toppling him over in a playful manner. Esmond laughs at this. A dragon so big and powerful could be so gentle, knowing its strength yet holding back. It tilts its head in a humorous way.
He lay there for a moment more, a tear falling down his face. He had finally achieved what he had been trying for so long, it felt unreal, like a dream. He eventually gets up, but almost stumbles over. The adrenaline from before starts to wear off, but the dragon leans over and uses its head to help balance Esmond. He thanked it while giving it a scratch on the head before noticing the dragon had leaned down, almost laying down, leaning the shoulder of its wing down, almost beckoning him to get on. Esmond was unsure at first, the dragon was wild and had not had an owner before since it had no saddle.
He attempts to scale the beast but finds it challenging, even with the dragon's assistance in pushing him upward. But once up, he felt unsure of what to do. It was extremely uncomfortable, and he had nothing to grip onto, so he grasped the dragon's back spikes and held on as tightly as he could. But it appeared that the dragon understood this and kept itself steady. Esmond initially thought it would take off flying, but it just walked. Esmond thought about the safe zone and how to get back, but it seemed like the dragon had read his mind or understood him and started walking in the correct direction, using its wings to pull itself forward in a steady way.
The ride wasn't comfortable, but it was faster than walking. The dragon knew the layout well and was taking paths that were simple and wide enough for it to cross through with ease.
Esmond had noticed that during the walk, most dragons coming into sight would run away in fear or back off without any resistance. There were a few that would come by and snarl, almost challenging the dragon, but a quick snap or roar from Esmond's dragon sent them packing without a fight. Esmond's dragon seemed to get annoyed at these ones, shaking its head with an annoyed grumble, as if to say how dare they try and challenge it.
Even though he was riding a dragon, which made their journey faster, it still took them nearly the entire day to return to the safe zone. As they emerged from the tree line, he could clearly observe that the sun had begun to set. He smiles at this, but he can feel exhaustion starting to creep up on him. He signals for the wyvern to carry on, and it calls out a bit before walking forward.
Getting closer to the temple, he could see the workers had started to gather at the entrance, they seemed to be discussing something amongst themselves, but Esmond couldn't work it out. Once he got close enough to start working out facial expressions, he could see shock, amazement, or confusion. One of the head priests walks up to him, the only one not showing any expression that would cause concern. He bows towards the dragon, then looks up at Esmond. "Welcome back, young lord. I must admit, you have surprised me; I never thought Flytrap would ever have a rider."
"flytrap?" Esmond was a bit shocked at the name, how could they give a dragon as beautiful as this an almost crude name?
"Ahh, yes, we will get to that later. First, would you like to take a rest and clean up? While you're doing that, we can sort out a saddle so you can properly ride your dragon."
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Still feeling a bit sour about the name, he accepts the invitation and jumps off Flytrap, giving him a pat on the neck once on the ground. He respectfully follows the head priest into the building, while the other workers guide Flytrap to another location.
As the priest walks through the building, he begins to explain why they called her Flytrap. It seems that she often used her appearance to attract her prey, whether they were other dragons, animals, or humans, and then she would strike, snatching an effortless meal. She would apparently often raise dragon eggs and babies, giving her prey a false sense of security, even though she would sometimes eat the babies herself. She had nurtured numerous dragons until they could stand on their own. To the workers on Dragon Island, she was a mystery.
"Dionaea Muscipula, the Venus Flytrap." The priest suddenly says. "We could never think of a name fitting for her as we didn't see her much, more so stories from other people, she is a mystery, so we told people who were going deeper into the island to try and avoid the flytrap area. It was a simple and easy name to remember."
Esmond thinks for a bit; he also was not good at naming, his past animals generally ended up with human-type names. He thinks more of the scientific name of the plant, but while it still means the same thing, it would be nicer to say out loud than flytrap.
"Can I just call her Dionaea?"
"Of course she is yours. I will tell the worksmiths to carve that name into her saddle. But for now, here is your room." While passing him a key to a door they were standing in front of, he tells Esmond to get some needed rest, promising to come and collect him when everything is ready. Esmond unlocks the room and walks in. It wasn't the nicest of rooms; it was pretty plain and empty, just holding a bed, a mirror, and a set of drawers. But that didn't bother Esmond. He was just happy to finally have a bed to sleep on. He jumps onto the bed and lays down. He thought he would just lay there for a bit, but ended up falling asleep just as fast.
A week later, the Dragon Island workers come to collect Esmond. During the week, he was mainly resting, but he would also go down to bond a bit more with Dionaea and get his measurements done for the saddle and harness makers. They worked quickly and got everything properly fitted. Esmond had also written to his family, sending a messenger bird to quickly send his message over, letting them know everything was fine and he had finally gotten his dragon.
Going through the temple gave him relief. He was relieved that he wouldn't have to visit the temple again, as he was beginning to dislike its appearance. But while walking through the temple's main corridors, he walked past his family's tapestry that was on the wall. He stopped to look at it. He knew it well, but thought nothing great about it. The Cyneheard family owned several houses, and their crest featured elements unique to each house, such as a birch tree that transformed into a sword the further down it went. The crest featured a falcon with a stag on each side, encircled by thorny vines that also encircled some swords, framing the image. The thorns represented House Briar. Some see the thorns as controlling the rest of the family, as House Briar was the head of the family. Other patterns and shapes were also incorporated to make it appear like a work of art, but Esmond found the crest to be silly and felt that too much effort had gone into it when it could have been more simple and less chaotic. On a smaller scale, the clothing appears more appealing due to its simplicity, which is a prerequisite for its inclusion. Typically, the house briar would feature a simple sword and thorn design.
Esmond had enough of looking at it and marched towards his destination. Once he went through the main room of the temple, a priest was waiting for him at a corridor he had never been down before, because this was meant for the riders to meet their dragons—an almost run-way for a dragon. Going through the halls brought nerves to Esmond, he had never flown on a dragon before. The hallway had large windows on one side, brightening it up. Esmond could also see his dragon sitting there, waiting for him.
The priest opens the door with a smile and bows his head, waiting for Esmond to walk out. As he exits with a smile, Dionaea makes a joyful noise, approaches him, and gently rubs her nose against him. After a quick cuddle, some of the workers come over and double-check the harness on Esmond. It was just a harness that went around the waist and legs, with material to make it comfortable to wear.
Dionaea leans down for Esmond to get on, and he gladly climbs up, making the saddle easier for him to climb. Once on, he grabs the saddle clips and clips them to his harness, making sure everything is secure. The design of the saddle allows for a more forward sitting position, enhancing safety and ease of use, particularly in situations where wind and speed could easily cause someone to lose their balance without a saddle. He quickly checks the bags on the saddle, making sure his belongings are also fixed properly. "All ready!" Esmond shouts down to the workers, and they all back off, some bowing and some waving, wishing him luck on his first flight.
His first flight was going to be his flight back home. He didn't really want to stay on the island much longer, so it was going to be a long first flight, but he was convinced it would be fine. He pats Dionaea on the neck one last time before shouting, "Let's go!"
Dionaea stands on her hind legs, stretching her wings up and doing a few flaps. With an excited roar, she takes some big steps forward while flapping her wings before taking off into the sky. She was fast, and Esmond could feel the power with each beat of her wings. He was excited and had the time of his life flying around in the air. After completing a few laps around the temple and confirming everything was in order, he departs from the island, heading towards his home.