A Dream of Dragons
I see dragons in the sky while Eva sees attacking bears. Too quickly, the clouds shift and both sky creatures dissipate.
The snow is on its way, Eva says. We better head home.
We race each other back to the cabin on the hill where we have lived all our lives, Eva still faster on account of her being born seconds before me. I tease her that she must have nudged me aside to exit first, too excited to see the world.
Mama waits for us by the door, a frown on her face. “You remember how you shouldn’t wander too far this close to winter?”
“Yes, Mama,” we reply, heads bowed and sorry for making her worry.
We sit together by the fireplace after supper. Mama gently grooms our fur while retelling the tale of our ancestors, our tradition every winter.
“Once, we were wildcats, living out in the wilderness. Your pregnant grandmother’s paw got caught in a cruel poacher’s snare. Our human rescued her and destroyed the trap. He nursed her back to health in this cabin and we have lived here ever since, safe from the monsters.”
We purr and curl up against her. A long winter is coming and I will dream of dragons.
