Leo awoke to a squealing of what sounded like a pig getting angry when not given its way.
He looked toward the foot of the bed to find the hatchling digging around in his blankets. Every so often, it would arch its little neck back and screech before continuing its fruitless search in the sheets.
Leo groaned as he slowly slid his feet out of the covers and sat up. The dragon squeaked again, only this time it was a happy sound as it looked up at him. It put its front paws on his leg and began kneading like a cat.
Leo smiled and scratched it by its webbed ears where the scales were soft. Excited for his father to see, he scooped up the little dragon and plopped it on his shoulder where it sat perched.
Leo dressed into his trousers and buckled on his sheath. He stepped out of the door and went downstairs to greet his father eating a bowl of porridge. The man looked up from his food and stared for a moment.
His face lit up at the sight of the baby dragon on Leo's shoulder.
He picks up the glass of milk that sat next to his breakfast and swirled it for a moment.
"It's ironic to me," he began, "how you are a Symbiote and now hold a young hatchling. If things go the way they're looking you would be the first Rider in the lineage of the Symbiotes."
Leo sat down and rested his head on his palm. The dragon crawled onto the table and crept around sniffling the food. Leo gently gripped the end of the creature's tail and pulled it back with its protesting squeaks.
He picked it up and plopped it back on his shoulder where it clung.
Matthew came out of the stairwell still tired enough for his clumsiness to dominate in the morning.
Leo's mother hadn't been around in several years. After the first year of searching, the search parties throughout the area had called it off after their reports always came back with a "Not Found" or "Still Missing".
Their father still took it hard even to this day. The drinking, though it was controlled, was frequent.
Leo could walk by his father's bedroom at night and catch him gazing at a locket she'd gotten him years prior.
Leo finished his breakfast and sat there at the table for awhile as the dragon dug into his hair.
He pushed the chair back and stood up.
He had to visit Halafrid today to get new arrow heads.
Halafrid was always charmed to see him considering he was always popping a new joke to Leo. Half of them would be about his wife in bed. Whenever those would pop up Leo would shake his head laughing.
If she only knew half the things he would say about her, Leo could half expect to hear the dull thud of a cast iron pan to Halafrid's head followed by a crash from him falling over.
This one time though...Halafrid was dumbfounded by the dragon on Leo's shoulder and the stories of the nights prior. He became quiet while working with the forge.
He continued on with his current piece, what looked like an axe of sorts. He finished it momentarily by taking it in a pair of metal tongs and dipping it in the massive barrel of water to cool the metal.
He then completed the tool by hammering the wooden handle into the axe head's hole and set it down on the anvil to cool.
He looked up at Leo and started moving toward the front of the shop, grabbing a rag to wipe his face along the way.
"What you got there, mate?" He inquired, his rough voice echoing through the forge.
Leo grinned.
"It finally hatched," he said with a cheery tone.
"But not just that, but something else happened too."
Halafrid raised his eyebrow while he dipped his hands into a well nearby. He sipped the water from his palms and rubbed his face, rinsing it off.
"What might that be son?"
Leo unbuttoned his jacket and untucked the undershirt.
He lifted it up to expose the intricate silvery dragon tattoo on his chest.
Halafrid started to chuckle.
"Don't let the local girls see that on yeh Leo, they'll be drooling to get their hands on yeh."
Leo smiled a bit uncomfortably.
"I only like one," he said as he fixed his shirt. He reached up and pet the hatchling on the head. The little dragon seemed opposed to this and hopped off to explore. It spread its wings to glide but to its dismay, it didn't yet have that ability and tumbled to the floor.
"And she has the most wonderful complexity that I've ever seen."
Halafrid waved his hand.
"Ba! I get it mate I do," He shook his head.
"Be careful chasing after the love of a woman."
Leo nodded and rubbed his chin.
He set his gaze on the dragon. It seemed that the subject at hand was now irrelevant compared to this.
The pits of his heart felt as if they were breaking. He never dreamed that his life so suddenly. Almost as if it was within the timing that it would take for one to snap their fingers.
There was nothing he could do to change his fate.
And he knew this.
He whistled to the dragon as it ran its side against a brass milk jug near the fire. The ring of the metal resonated through the room as the hatchling's scales rubbed against it.
The dragon scurried over to Leo like that of a lizard. He looked up at Leo's face with its pupils widened like that of a cat. He picked the dragon up and set it on his shoulder.
Halafrid took a sip out of a flask he had nearby and watched Leo as he stood up."You'd make a fine rider, young man," he stated as he stepped over to a wash basin.
"But when you get that far, don't let it get to yar head.
If yeh do, I'll have to give you a beating like my pa used to do. With a shovel."
Leo chuckled.
"Don't worry, you won't have to pick up a shovel if you see me."
"I better not. You be good out there."
He walked with Leo out the door. And shut it behind him.
Leo rubbed his hands over his face as he stood by the street. Carts pulled by big muscular horses were full of goods from the local farm. They were heading to town to set up in the markets.
Leo stepped off toward the woods that he often trapped in when he had free time. The snow was still deeper in there but the signs of spring were showing.
He tucked his shirt to keep in heat and buttoned his jacket. He looked at the dragon that perched on his shoulder. It seemed very much preoccupied with taking in the surroundings.