The Hunter’s Moon hung low in the sky, glowing like the embers of a fire. From his watcher’s post, Gaelen stared in awe. He’d been born under a Hunter’s Moon, but it was the first time he’d actually seen one. In the distance, he heard the drumming coming from his village, where the Hunter’s Ceremony was underway.
Gaelen tried to shake off his jealousy, turning to kick dirt into the fire. His father had insisted that Gaelen was to keep watch over the hatchery tonight, despite Gaelen’s pleas to be included in the ceremony. Guarding the hatchery was an important job because the village relied on the bounty from the chickens, but that didn’t temper Gaelen’s frustration.
As the moon rose higher, Gaelen wandered over to look at the eggs, nestled closely together next to the fire. He noticed that one egg, sitting at the edge of the group, was not like the others. Gaelen stepped closer and peered at the strange egg. Not only was it the biggest egg he’d ever seen, but it was also emitting a fiery glow just like the Hunter’s Moon. He reached his hand out to touch it. As his fingers stroked the shell, a tiny crack appeared on the surface of the egg, followed by another and another. Gaelen pulled his hand back and watched the fissures spread.
The drumming from the ceremony in the village grew louder and more intense, reaching a crescendo when the first piece of shell gave way.
Gaelen stared in amazement as tiny claws reached through the cracked shell and pulled it open. Within seconds, a baby dragon the colour of flames sat in the hatchery, surrounded by fragments of eggshell. It turned coal-black eyes towards him and chirruped.
In that moment, Gaelen of the Hunter’s Moon understood why his father had insisted. He gathered the dragon in his arms and turned to greet the villagers making their way to the watcher’s post, eager to see the Moon Hunter’s new steed.
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This is my submission for this week’s Trifecta challenge. This week, the word is crack
and the third definition is:
3a : a narrow break : fissure
b : a narrow opening <leave the door open a crack><cracks between floorboards> —used figuratively in phrases like fall through the cracks to describe one that has been improperly or inadvertently ignored or left out <a player who fell through the cracks in the college draft> <children slipping through the cracks of available youth services>
Remember:
- Your response must be between 33 and 333 words.
- You must use the 3rd definition of the given word in your post.
- The word itself needs to be included in your response.
- You may not use a variation of the word; it needs to be exactly as stated above.
- Only one entry per writer.
- Trifecta is open to everyone. Please join us.
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Image credit: Sandra van der Steen / Photoxpress.com
Yes, yes, yes!!! DRAGONS! I liked the subtle build…
😀 Thanks Natalie!
This could be the opening to a great novel. Will there be more?
Thanks Bryan! There may well be more… 🙂
Dragons. What a surprise. Excellent story!
For some reason, I’m not buying your surprise. 😉 Thanks babe!
Dragons!! ❤ This is fantastic. I hope there will be more.
Thanks Robin! I’m already working on more in my poor, overcrowded head! 🙂
LOVE! I want to know more of the story please :). Thanks for linking up! ~Mary Beth
Thanks Mary Beth! 🙂
Awesome, Suzanne. Your brilliant description of every thought and detail. Loved the hatching of the dragon and learning it was a dragon. Wonderful write!
Aw, thanks so much Maggie Grace! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
haha, I don’t know why but as soon as I read eggs I thought ‘Oh! Dragons!’ so you subtly slipped it in there. Or my ridiculous obsession with GoT has now permeated every single corkin thing that I read 😉 Regardless, I thought this was great as a stand alone tale but would totally work for the prologue of a longer story about the Moon Hunters *nudgenudge*
I have the same reaction to eggs these days – pretty sure it’s the GoT influence. (Ain’t nothing wrong with that!) And okay, okay, you can stop nudging me! Message received and understood. 🙂
I’d like to see more of this as well. Dragons are awesome, and the Hunter’s Moon angle was very nicely done. 🙂
Thanks Michael! This story took some wrestling, so I’m glad to hear you liked it. 🙂
Dragons – everyone loves ’em. Do dragons imprint? Is he now completely attached to Gaelen? I love the drumming growing louder as the dragon hatched. I could see it unfold in a film. Screenplay maybe? Sweet story.
In my world, dragons definitely imprint, so yes! Okay, so I will start working on the screenplay just as soon as I get the rest of the plot sorted out. 😉 Thanks Steph!
Now they can pass around cigars and the dragon can light them.
Imaginative work with the prompt.
😀 Indeed! Thanks Draug!
Lovely setting, lovely exposition. Your writing always pulls me in to new worlds, Suzanne. :))
Thank you so much Jo-Anne! 🙂
You did it beautifully.
Thank you!
Captivating, and magical, Suzanne! Sometimes I wish real life could be more like the stuff of fantasy:)
You and me both Valerie! 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
Baby dragons.. cute cute 🙂
Thanks Björn! 🙂
I was surprised by the Dragons (I’ve heard of Game of Thrones, but don’t know anything about it :)) As always, I enjoyed your descriptions. I’m curious about the ceremony and where this leads.
Thanks Janna! 🙂
Pissed-off teenagers, lol.
Beautiful descriptions, Suzanne.
Ah yes, teenagers. They certainly make interesting character studies! 😉
Thanks Kymm!
I am sorry I had missed this great story. Very well-written piece!
Aw, thanks so much! 🙂