I Thought I Died!

The little girl walked through the dense forest, having not a care in the world, until she came to the base of the closest mountain.

"Perfect!" she shouted as she prepared to climb up the mountain.

Unbeknown to her, all the hidden dangerous creatures that were in her path had scurried away as she came closer.

Why would they run away from such a small creature... one may ask.

The answer was quite simple. They sensed a superior predator currently stalking said small creature.

Every predator has, ingrained in them, the instinct to not steal the prey of an apex predator, unless they were willing to be seen as prey themselves.

The little girl located a pathway up the mountain and started the dangerous climb up the rocky slope.

"What does she think she is doing, and better yet where the heck is she going?" Samuel asked himself as he watched her from a distance.

She climbed until she reached a smaller path on the side of a cliff. She started to slowly walk on the path, her back to the wall to prevent herself from falling off.

Shockingly, she had a thrilled look on her face which freaked Samuel out.

"Is she an adrenaline junkie? At her age? Isn't that dangerous?" he asked himself again and again but he could do nothing but watch...for now.

The girl moved on the path slowly and carefully until she got to a large flat ledge high up the mountain that served the purpose of a foothold perfectly.

She stood on it and took in the sights, as far as her child eyes could possibly see, and casually took a breath of fresh air.

She then brought out her expensive looking brand new kite and released it into the strong breeze plaguing the mountains.

The breeze was too strong for her to withstand as it tugged on her kite but she grabbed onto it firmly, fully wrapping the string around her small arm.

"The breeze here is very strong, more than I anticipated. I'd better step back", she said as she held on firmly and tried to move a few steps back.

Unfortunately for her, continuous weathering of the rocks had left the ledge highly prone to landslide.

The entire ledge suddenly gave way and she began falling to what was undoubtedly, her doom.

She screamed loudly as she fell into the ravine below, images of her short life flashing before her eyes.

She closed her eyes as she approached the ground at a tremendous speed, awaiting the impending split-second crushing pain that was to end her life.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of small but strong arms grab hold of her and slow down her descent to the ground.

She tried opening her eyes but she was too dazed and could only see the silhouette of a boy before falling back into unconsciousness.

.......

She woke up next to a stream with a thick canopy of trees above her and a cool wet compress on her forehead.

"What's going on? I thought I died. Where am I?" she asked herself as she lifted herself up into a sitting position and took a look around her immediate vicinity.

She turned and saw her kite by her side. "What a weird dream. Was it something I ate?", she asked herself.

"That wasn't a dream, it was as real as it could get", a voice suddenly echoed around her.

A...Am I just hearing things?' she asked herself as she turned her head all over trying to trace the owner of the voice.

"I see you are able to move well enough", she heard the voice say again behind her this time.

She turned but no one was there. "Who is it? Show yourself" she demanded, a little scared now.

"I don't think that would be wise, I don't want you to freak out and pass out again", the voice warned.

"That's nonsense. There is no way I'll pass out", she claimed confidently.

"And yet why don't I believe you", the voice replied sarcastically changing her fear into irritation.

"Uh, fine...I promise not to freak out. Is that okay with you", she reassured the voice with a pout.

"Fine then, but don't say I didn't warn you", the voice said as, out of the shadows, stepped a young boy, probably her age, with an appearance straight out of a fantasy book.

Huge darkish-red feathered-leather wings, a large fluffy-tipped tail, curved horns on his head, scaly-skin and yellowish-reptilian eyes that seemed to be staring deep into her soul.

"Wow, that's one hell of a Halloween costume. Such an elaborate design. What are you supposed to be?", she suddenly chided with admiration completely taking Samuel by surprise.

He took a deep breath and sighed. "Listen, this is not a costume, it's all real", he responded with a serious look on his face.

"What? Get out of here. Stop messing with me", she said with disbelief while gazing, eyes wide, at his swaying tail.

Samuel sighed again and thought to himself, 'I guess I'll have to show her'.

He took a step back and spread open his magnificent feathered-leather wings, completely stunning her. As she stood in shock, he decided to take it a step further.

With a gentle beat of his wings that blew a strong breeze, he lifted himself off the ground and took to the air.

Under the light of the morning sun, his wings appeared to be coated with shiny crystals, giving them a regal look.

He soared in midair for a few seconds for her to see and believe that indeed, everything she was seeing was all part of a single set...him!

He turned to look at her, only to find her back on the ground unconscious once again.

"I knew it", he said as he dropped back down to the ground. He picked her up and laid her in the right position on the same spot she had originally been lying on.

She woke up a few minutes later to find a picnic basket laid on a nicely spread blanket.

"See, I told you so", she heard the voice again. She turned to him and took a good look at him from the tip of his horns to the talons of his feet.

"So, he wasn't kidding. How is this even possible?" she mumbled questioningly to herself.

"Don't think about it too much", he said as he turned to the basket.

"Anyway, I thought you might be hungry, so I got some snacks", he said as he sat down cross-legged on the blanket, stretched his wings and tail behind him and relaxed with a sigh.