The sun had already set when John left his workplace, only for him to step out into the worst blizzard the city had seen in the past decade. The snow fell in thick white flakes, like a filter on a photo, covering everything in its way. All the buildings, the cars, and even the roads were buried under a thick layer. One might have thought the city had decided to retreat to a cozy room with a white blanket covering it.

However, John was not prepared for such an ungodly strike of nature; to his dismay, he was the kind of man who believed weather forecasts and decided to leave his gloves, coat, and scarf at home. His situation would have been dire if not for the fact that he lived just across the park adjacent to his workplace. Walking home during the summer took no longer than 15 minutes; in this blizzard, however, it might take longer.

As always, John decided to message his wife that he is on his way home. In the past, this became a thing for them, especially when he left work in the dark. Sadly, messages like that became quite frequent due to the overtime he had to do, but his wife made up for it by always preparing a cup of hot tea or a cold lemonade when he arrived home. As luck would have it, his phone was dead, which was weird because he could swear, he still had charge on it when he looked at it a few hours ago. Maybe it was broken; it was an older model after all, and John had to prioritize much more important things now that his wife was expecting.

Stressed and angered, John was no longer just John; he became the shivering man. He decided to start walking, treading carefully as his shoes were not designed for traversing safely on the icy road in such a snowstorm. On his way, he entertained the thought that usually helped him zone out – thoughts of games he wanted to play at his computer, series he wanted to watch, and things he wanted to do with his wife. These thoughts kept his mind from the icy touch of the air.

Even though the shivering man was tired from a full day’s work and freezing with no music to listen to, he found some beauty in his surroundings. It was dark, and the streets were completely empty. Not an animal or man in sight, no cars or sirens disturbing his thoughts; just the crunching sound of the snow beneath his feet and his own shivering. Silence was a rare commodity in the city, so whenever he encountered it, he cherished it greatly.

For an outsider, his track through the street might have seemed comical, as the shivering man struggled to maintain his balance on the slippery road. But there was an inner doubt in him, as he knew that his struggles had just begun. The street was easy to cross, but the park was presented a different scenario. The snow was already knee-deep, and he wasn’t about to go around, as a shortcut through the giant snow was much preferred to a detour towards home.

Bracing himself, he stepped into the snow of the park and headed towards a small bridge above a creek, knowing that after crossing it, he just needed a good two minutes to arrive home. The fresh cold snow went into his shoes like playful little snow sprites biting his ankle. He tried to focus on his surroundings, not the cold he felt, but even though the landscape was beautiful, he couldn’t help but cry out in frustration.

He walked for a while, trying to push his stride longer, only to kick into something hard under the snow. It felt like stone, especially in those slim shoes he had on, but stone does not move after being kicked into. This thing, however, jumped up and ran away with such speed that it dumbfounded the shivering man. He could only catch a glimpse of the creature, but for sure, it was not a dog nor a cat, definitely not a bird. But then what was it? How did it move so fast, and why… was it red??

Despite its speed, the creature left a clearly visible track in the snow, leading toward the wooden bridge. The shivering man got curious and started to examine the track. He used to be a boy scout and loved identifying animals based on their prints, and this was no canine’s nor any feline’s he knew. The print was the size of a grown man’s palm with three fingers on each foot. It also might have ended in a claw or a talon. The prints were in groups of four, indicating that the creature, whatever it may be, was quadrupedal.

The shivering man’s excitement grew, and adrenaline started to rush through him. Is this a new type of animal? Something that was undocumented? Maybe this is his chance to reach the fame and fortune everyone desired so much. He relentlessly started to move, following the tracks; even in the dark, they were easy to follow. He was not shivering anymore; he was on the hunt and thus became the Hunter. He followed the tracks with precision, sometimes doing circles around himself following the footprints. For an outsider, it would be one of those crazy moments you encounter in a big city – a grown man in a suit running back and forth in deep snow, following an animal's track that he accidentally kicked.

The Hunter followed the tracks leading to the wooden bridge he was supposed to cross. The prints led downwards below the bridge. The Hunter decided to approach the bridge’s underside with great care, especially since the tracks died off due to the lack of snow below the bridge. The Hunter found its prey, but he was not there for the kill, so he became the ranger.

The ranger barely saw anything due to the darkness, but he could hear some movement. A shape was moving, rustling the stone floor, making high-pitched sounds that were most comparable to a mix of a cat’s meowing and a snake’s hissing. The ranger tried to focus his gaze and saw that once every minute or so, a small light rose around the creature, illuminating its surroundings.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

What the ranger made out, however, struck him harder than anything he encountered before. The creature was about 3-4 feet tall, with an expected four legs, an elongated neck, and a long muzzle. It sported two black horns only a few inches long. The ranger was dumbstruck by what he saw. The creature did not seem to have any fur, but a reflective reddish-tinted skin that the admirer decided to be scales. The ranger also identified a long tail not yet spiky, and a small pair of wings, which the creature, although seemed to be able to flap, were not yet serving any function. The ranger was now sure that he was watching a baby dragon, in a grotto under the bridge.

The ranger got tense; his muscles were strained, not daring to move. He was not afraid because he feared for his life, and not because he was seeing danger in the dragon, but because he was scared to his bones of screwing up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by frightening it. The ranger pondered his opportunities. Should he charge the creature? Maybe talk to it? Sneaking up should definitely be discarded. The ranger decided to watch the dragon for a little bit longer.

The dragon seemed to be tired; it was curled up on the pavement, huffing and puffing some bits of fire and smoke. Few minutes felt like hours, the snow fall seemingly slowing. But the ranger didn’t care; he was not freezing anymore nor was he shivering; all that existed for him was the dragon.

It happened between one of the fiery puffs of the dragon, that something went wrong in exhaling fire and the creature seemed to have frightened itself. Only for it to look up straight in the eye of the ranger. The dragon immediately stood up not breaking eye contact, trying to look as big as possible. But the admirer decided to kneel down with his hands being raised, showing that he meant no harm to the dragon. His excited observation, turned into manipulation; thus, he became the dragon tamer.

The red creature seemed to be convinced, as it seemed to relax, taking a step towards the dragon tamer. But he did not move and did not make a sound, and thus, the dragon moved closer and closer, until their heads were close enough for the dragon tamer to smell the creature. It was reeking of sewer and rotten fish, with a hint of sulfur and brimstone, quite one would expect from a dragon. Much to the dragon tamer's surprise, however, the dragon did not seem to have any teeth, only a beak-like ending of its muzzle that seemed to be a hardened version of its scales and horns. The dragon used this beak to gently prod the tamer’s hand, who, in return, started to lower them, slowly resting one hand on the head of the dragon.

The dragon tamer was now stroking a creature nobody thought existed, a thing of stories and magic. A creature of another world. While stroking the creature, the tamer looked into its eyes, an endless yellow depth separated by a black spear radiating intelligence. The dragon tamer does not know how long they held eye contact, but the dragon broke it first.

Thus, the dragon tamer became the master of the dragon. The dragon nudged him to stand up, leading him to the backwall of the grotto. His master followed its instruction, still having a hard time believing that he just befriended such a majestic and magical creature. But what came next did not help him find his bearings because when they reached the wall, the dragon took a good look at its master and turned to the wall with determination.

The dragon inhaled deeply than ever before and held it for a minute, only to release a streak of fire that consisted of colors never seen by a man of this world. The flame struck the wall with sheer force, but it did not dissipate nor did it melt the wall. The fire was shifting atop the wall, first forming arches and then connecting into an oval shape the size of its. The dragon, seemingly satisfied with the fiery shape on the wall, stopped breathing fire.

The oval shape immediately started to harden, forming something reminiscent of a mirror. The master of the dragon investigated the oval shape and the fire surrounding it, and within the shape, he could see another world. The shape was transparent, but on the other side was no wall, but another world. A world where it seemed that the sun was up, with endless grassy hills, and an inviting field. Warmth was emanating from the portal, something that, for the master of the dragon, was a more than welcome addition.

The dragon nudged him forward, trying to encourage him to enter the portal. Somehow, he knew, somehow, he felt that he could enter this portal, he could leave this world behind. He could see himself become a dragon rider and a hero of this magical world, living adventures, exploring a brand-new world, learning the mysteries of it. Who knows, maybe learn magic and become a sorcerer? This is more than he ever dreamed of, something truly unique that deep within him always existed as one of his deepest desire or more like a true wish.

The dragon went into the portal, disappearing only for his head to return back hanging in the portal, further encouraging the soon to be hero to enter the portal. He could leave this world behind… He wouldn’t have to go to work tomorrow where his boss makes him work overtime… He wouldn’t have to be cold ever again… He could change this ridiculous suit to an armor… He would never have to worry about rent, and bills. He would not have to compromise for a cheap phone because he is saving up for his wife’s dream baby-stroller. He would never see his wife and unborn children… He would miss out on tomorrow’s doctor's appointment where he would finally find out if it’s a girl or a boy. He would never see the baby grow up... He would never see it smile... He would never be there for them…

Amidst this trail of thought, he knew what he needed to do. With sheer will and focus he stepped away from the portal, to him it felt like cutting of his arm with a rusty spoon. It felt like a part of his soul was cut off. He took one good look at the dragon, who still had a curious expectation on its face.

The soon to be hero became John again and took the magical scenery in for the last time. He kneeled to the dragon patting its head while saying: - Thank you. Without looking back, without reacting to the begging cry of the baby dragon, John kept walking home struggling with tears, but knowing that there is more warmth home, then the portal was providing him with.