[52] How to not ride your dragon

Gritting my teeth against the furious wind and the spiraling vertigo, I shifted my grip on Aurelia's thrashing tail. It was like holding onto a rampaging bull, every twist and turn threatening to dislodge me into the yawning abyss below.

I clenched my hand, my knuckles turning white against the azure scales, and began to haul myself upwards. My muscles strained under the effort, the wind resistance pulling against me as I climbed. Each inch gained felt like a victorious battle, a defiant stand against the storm.

Her tail bucked under my grip, coiling and uncoiling in furious attempts to dislodge me. Each lash sent shockwaves up my arm, my grip faltering at each violent tremor. But with a stubborn determination, I clung on, my fingers digging into the scales for purchase.

Slowly but surely, I inched my way upwards, ascending her coiling tail, traversing the long length of her spine, and gradually coming to the broad expanse of her back. Her scales were rough under my hands, radiating the intense heat of her inner fire.

With a final, taxing effort, I managed to pull myself up to the base of her neck. I felt the thrum of her heartbeat through the thick scales, the steady rhythm grounding me amidst the turmoil. Below us, the world was an abstract painting, the details lost to distance and vertigo.

My fingers threaded through the spines at the back of her neck, anchoring myself against her aerial acrobatics. The wind whipped around us, tangling my hair and stealing my breath, but I held on, locked in a fierce dance of wills with the azure dragon.

As the ground rushed towards us at a dizzying pace, I fumbled in my pocket for the golden ethereal reins. My fingers brushed the cool metal, and with a surge of relief, I tugged them free. They shimmered with an unearthly light in the midday sun, contrasting starkly against the backdrop of the azure sky.

I stretched my hand out, attempting to secure the reins around Aurelia's expansive neck. She twisted in the air, her form seeming to elongate and distort as she picked up speed, her intent clear. The world blurred around us as we continued our headlong plunge. Panic welled within me, but I quashed it, focusing on the task at hand.

With a swift, deliberate motion, I looped the ethereal reins around her neck, feeling the cool, magical metal come in contact with her heated scales. She let out a furious roar, her claws raking the air as she attempted to dislodge the foreign object. Her movements became more frenzied, her body coiling and uncoiling in the air like a serpent.

As the ground neared, I could make out the glassy surface of the lake beneath us, shimmering invitingly under the bright sun. With a last-ditch effort, I tugged on the reins, pulling with all my might. I felt Aurelia's body buck against the motion, her momentum making it difficult to control.

But then the reins tightened, and she jerked upwards. A powerful gust of wind rushed past us, leaving a chilling touch in its wake. We were still going too fast, too close to the ground. The lake was fast approaching, the once distant mirror of water now an inescapable crash-landing spot.

With a crash that echoed throughout the valley, we hit the lake, a huge column of water rushing upwards to meet us. Water enveloped us, its icy grip wrapping around us in a numbing cocoon. The impact jolted me, the reins slipping from my grasp for a brief moment before I hastily secured them again.

Surrounded by an underwater world, Aurelia and I spiraled down in the depths, the golden ethereal reins a beacon in the watery darkness. Our descent slowed, and I managed to steer her back to the surface, gasping for breath as we broke through the water's surface. The golden reins held, wrapped firmly around Aurelia's neck. I was still mounted on the azure dragon, our bodies drenched but unbroken from the harrowing plunge.

With a burst of azure light, Aurelia's form shifted, shrinking from the massive form of a dragon to the smaller, more manageable size of her humanoid form. Her golden horns and sapphire eyes were all that remained of her majestic dragon appearance, a testament to her true nature.

Without the buoyancy of her dragon form, she started sinking. I quickly wrapped my arms around her, struggling against the lake's current to bring us both to shore. The water's icy touch bit into our skin as we fought our way through the waves.

Her body was limp in my arms, her breaths coming out in shallow gasps. Panic flared within me. Pushing my exhaustion aside, I redoubled my efforts, finally managing to heave us both onto the sandy shore.

Aurelia was choking, her body convulsing with the effort to cough up water. Her skin was pale, her lips tinged with a blue hue. I didn't waste a second. I turned her on her side, patting her back in an attempt to clear her lungs. But her breaths were still ragged, her body shuddering.

With no other options, I positioned myself above her, pinching her nose shut and giving her a few quick breaths of air from my mouth. Her chest rose and fell with my breaths, but she didn't respond. I pressed on, my lips meeting hers in an effort to bring her back.

Then, suddenly, her eyes fluttered open, wide and startled. I felt a strong shove against my chest as she pushed me away, rolling onto her side and coughing up water. Relief washed over me as I watched her body shudder with deep breaths, her eyes still wide as they met mine.

Q: Have you watched the move "How to train your dragon"?