Contents
Title
Stonfire Dragons Shorts Series
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Epilogue
Copyright
The Dragon Camp
(Stonefire Dragons Short #2)
Jessie Donovan
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Books in this series:
Stonefire Dragons Shorts
Meeting the Humans (SDS #1)
The Dragon Camp (SDS #2)
The Dragon Camp Synopsis:
Daisy Chadwick and her class are the first humans to visit the new human-dragon camp near Clan Stonefire, in the Lake District. While meeting dragon-shifters is brilliant, she's more excited to see her friend Freddie again. He even has a surprise for her. Too bad something threatens everyone, and they have to practice safety drills. Will they be able to have their whole camp time so Daisy can spend time with her friend? Or, will the bad things make them all go home for good?
Chapter One
Daisy Chadwick tried her bestest not to be cross with anyone. After all, being angry wasted energy. Energy she could use for things like adding to her ever-growing dragon-question list. Or, for trying to remember not to touch a dragon-shifter's tattoo without asking. Maybe even for finding the right colors to describe a dragon-shifter's scales since words like blue or purple seemed too boring.
All the important stuff.
However, as she looked at one of the girls also sharing the same cottage inside the first ever human-dragon camp, Daisy couldn't help but be a little bit upset.
After all, Emily Barlow never left the room. All she did was read and read some more, and never talked with anyone.
Daisy had tried being nice, especially since her bestie Lucy hadn't been allowed to attend the dragon-human camp. But every time she tried talking, Emily scowled and raised her book a little higher and pretended Daisy hadn't said anything.
Really, some people were rude.
And normally, she could handle that. Her mum always said not to let others' grumpiness ruin your day. It was so much nicer to focus on the happy things.
But Emily was keeping her from sneaking out to meet Freddie Atherton, her dragon friend who should be waiting at the edge of the camp right now. It would be the first time they could have fun together since Daisy had visited Clan Stonefire several months ago. Writing letters could be fun—Freddie was pretty good at drawing dragons, and she hung the pictures on her wall—but it wasn't quite the same as chatting and exploring.
And Daisy really, really wanted to go exploring.
However, it had to be done in secret. If the adults caught them, then Daisy could be sent home. And since she didn't know if Emily would tattle on her or not, Daisy wanted Emily gone when she finally snuck away.
A light tap on the window caught her attention. She glanced and did her best not to make a sound at Freddie's face. He really shouldn't be near the girls' cottages.
However, she failed at keeping quiet because Emily's voice filled the room. Although, she spoke really slowly for some reason, like she was thinking of every word really carefully. "Why…is he…here?"
Ignoring Emily, Daisy raced to the window and opened it a little. Freddie frowned and said, "You're late. What's going on?"
She liked that he didn't think she'd forgotten, or maybe that she wanted to make him wait on purpose. "I was waiting to sneak away with no one noticing, but now you've ruined it."
Emily's voice came from over Daisy's shoulder, slowly again. "What…sneaking?"
Freddie shrugged. "Just outside to play for a bit. Why, do you want to come?"
Oh no. After so many weeks, Daisy didn't want to share Freddie. Maybe that wasn't the nicest thing, but she wanted to spend time with her friend.
Before she could say anything, Emily was standing beside her. For the first time, she spoke faster. "Y-you want me to play with you?"
Daisy looked at the other little girl. Emily almost never spoke, and when she did, it was only slowly in front of the others. Was it because she stuttered?
Not that Daisy would care. Emily had never been nice to her, and how she talked didn't change that.
"I thought you wanted to read a book?" Daisy asked.
Emily didn't look at her but at Freddie. "I want to c-come."
Freddie glanced at Daisy, his pupils flashing, and he tilted his head as if to say they didn't really have a choice, did they?
Daisy wanted to sigh really loudly. The dragon camp was supposed to be amazing and fun, and let her learn more about dragon-shifters.
But with Emily coming, they'd have to start from the very beginning.
Which meant wasting the day, and Daisy only had four of them left.
Taking a deep breath, she turned toward Emily. "Okay. But you can't tell anyone. It's a secret. Do you promise?"
Emily looked off to the side and nodded.
For the first time, Daisy thought maybe Emily was just really shy and not rude.
Well, no matter if that was the truth, the clock was ticking. She grabbed Emily's hand. "Come on. Let's not waste any more time."
~*~*~
Freddie Atherton had done loads of tasks for his brother over the last week, all so he could have an afternoon alone with Daisy. His brother, Alfie, was one of the camp counselors. While his brother wasn't a stuffy rule follower, Alfie took his new job seriously. It had taken weeks of asking and chores for Freddie to get this afternoon.
And now he'd have to share it with the other human girl. What was her name? Emily?
His dragon spoke up. It's not the end of the world. The more humans we play with and share things with, the better it'll be.
But I could've done that the other four days.
The success of the camp is more important. If it doesn't go well, then maybe Daisy will never come back.
He mentally grunted. I suppose.
His dragon snorted. You just wanted to show off to Daisy.
Maybe. But we can shift pretty easily now. And it's something I wanted to share with her first.
Daisy appeared from around the side of the brick cottage with the other girl in tow. As soon as Daisy stopped in front of him, she released the other girl's hand and hugged him.
He patted her back once and did his best not to look at the other girl. He hoped his cheeks weren't pink.
His dragon laughed, but Freddie ignored it. Once Daisy finally released him, he said, "Come on. We don't have a lot of time to head into the woods now. Just follow me, okay? Both of you."
Daisy looked at the other girl. "Don't think you always have to listen to Freddie. But for the next few minutes, we probably should. Okay, Emily?"
So he'd been right—the other girl's name was Emily.
Emily bobbed her head. Daisy faced him again. "Right, then let's go. I'll be extra quiet and everything."
He doubted it'd last long, so he waved a hand for them to get going and walked quickly to the side.
Thanks to his brother, Freddie knew the entire layout of the camp by heart. Which meant he also knew which parts were a little bit more quiet than others.
Not that he thought they could go anywhere they wanted without getting caught. Cameras were everywhere, and there were more adults inside the camp than he'd ever had watch him before.
However, there was a section of the woods that was still technically part of the camp and shouldn't have any activities going on. And just in case someone did stop them, he had a special pass signed by his brother. As long as they stayed within the walls, they shouldn't get
into too much trouble.
His dragon spoke up. Let's hope not. And that's only because we can't fly yet. Once we can fly, then maybe we could try sneaking away in the air.
We'll be able to do it soon enough. Mr. MacLeod promised we'd start flying lessons after the camp was over.
His beast grunted. A dragon should fly as soon as they're able to shift. I don't like waiting.
Freddie smiled. His dragon was usually the more mature, more levelheaded half. Except when it came to flying.
Even though they had to walk behind some scratchy bushes near the wall, neither of the humans complained. He already knew Daisy was brave, but maybe the human Emily was too.
They reached the corner of the wall, and Freddie put up a hand. The two girls stopped, and he listened carefully. Since all he could hear was the wind and a few small animals—squirrels, maybe—he slowly poked his head out.
Not seeing anyone, he whispered, "Come on."
He held the branches back so the girls could come out without scratching themselves too much.
Daisy spoke first, keeping her voice low. "So, what's the surprise? You didn't tell me."
"Of course I didn't. Then it wouldn't be a surprise."
Daisy frowned. "Freddie."
He grinned. "Okay, okay. Come over here. There's a small clearing, and no one should be in this section of the camp for at least an hour."
As they walked, Daisy spoke again. "I hope later you'll introduce me to your brother. It was brilliant of him to share so much information with you. I mean, a lot of older brothers are mean. My friend Lucy's brother always tugs our hair and puts spiders in our bags. I can't imagine him doing something nice like this."
Emily spoke up. "My b-brother is nice."
Daisy replied, "Well, you're lucky. Of course, I have no siblings, so it's just me. And that's really boring. But I can't be too mad. I know my mum was lucky to have me. It took a long time, and she's sorry she couldn't have another baby for me to play with."
Freddie jumped in. "Dragon-shifters almost never have more than two or three children. Sometimes even just one is lucky, my mum says. But it's different when a human mates a dragon sometimes—if they're true mates. Maybe your mum should come to Stonefire and find a mate. Then we could always play together."
Daisy tapped her chin a second. "I don't know. I suggested it to Mum a few times, especially since my daddy lives in Australia now and we never see him. But I don't think she would. She's kind of afraid of dragons, although she pretends she's not. I saw her jump back a bit when we went to the Lake District on holiday."
Freddie stopped and turned toward Daisy. "She just needs to meet some nice ones. We have lots of nice dragon-shifters on Stonefire." He snapped his fingers as an idea came to him. "I know. We should talk to the counselors and other adults in charge and tell them we want to throw a party for our parents. Then your mum could come, and I'm sure my mother could tell her which of the nice, kind dragonmen need a mate. There are quite a few still. Even with all the matings in the last year or two."
His dragon spoke up. Do you really think the adults would let us have the party? If we can find Daisy's mum a mate, then Daisy could always be here.
Maybe. She'd have to leave all her friends behind.
But we're her best friend.
What about Lucy?
Well, with a little more time, we'll be Daisy's best best friend.
Daisy tilted her head. "What's your dragon saying?"
Freddie was getting better at responding to people who talked to him while he talked with his dragon in his head. So he didn't have to ask for Daisy to repeat herself. "I'm not sure you want to know."
Daisy stood straighter. "Of course I do. I want to know everything about dragon-shifters. And since I'll never have a dragon in my head like you, I have to pretend your dragon is also my dragon."
His dragon laughed. I sometimes forget how funny she is.
Daisy pointed. "See! Your eyes changed again! Tell me, Freddie."
He debated telling Daisy, but then he noticed Emily kicking at the ground. Maybe she didn't know about how inner dragons worked.
And even though he wanted to tease Daisy, he didn't want to be mean to the other girl. "Hey, Emily." She met his gaze a second before looking away. He added, "Do you know much about inner dragons?"
She shook her head. "N-not much. They talk sometimes."
Freddie looked back at Daisy. "You should tell her. It'll make more sense coming from another human, I think."
Other children might complain, or sigh, or roll their eyes. But Daisy merely turned toward the other girl and said, "It's like having a second person inside your head, talking all the time. Except with dragon-shifters, it doesn't mean they're crazy. Or a little weird. It's just how they are. I think it's like having a best friend with you all the time. No matter what, you're never alone. Does that make sense?"
Emily bobbed her head. "Sounds w-wonderful."
Daisy replied, "I think so, too. Although, Freddie never wants to tell me everything his dragon says, which is a little annoying. It's the closest I have to my own dragon, after all." She looked back at him. "So? What did he say? You promised you'd tell me more."
Rather than tell Daisy how his inner beast wanted to mate off her mother so Daisy could live full-time on Stonefire, he decided to distract his friend. "I could, or I could show you my surprise."
"Surprise?" Daisy echoed.
He shrugged. "So which do you want? If I tell you everything my dragon says, I may not have time for the surprise. Then you'll have to wonder for a long time what it is because we may not have time alone again during your stay at the camp. And I'll make sure to tease you every chance I can."
Daisy placed a hand on her hip. "You can be a little mean, Freddie."
"I can't stop time, so pick one."
She sighed. "Fine. I'll take the surprise." She leaned closer. "Is it here?"
"Almost." He turned his finger in circles. "Turn around."
Daisy frowned. "Why?"
"Just turn around. I promise it'll be worth it."
She searched his eyes a second, and complied. Emily followed suit without a word.
As he took off his clothes, he heard Daisy whisper to Emily, "From now on, if you have questions about dragon-shifters, ask me. I know a lot. And I learn more all the time."
He smiled, but his dragon spoke up. Stop it. We need to concentrate, or we might not be able to shift fully. And that would disappoint Daisy.
Right, then let's do this.
Freddie stared at his arm, imagining the fingers turning into talons. They morphed slowly, but as they became fully formed into sharp points, he then closed his eyes and concentrated on the rest—his arms and legs changing into fore and hind limbs covered in scales; his nose elongating into a snout; and finally, the hardest part, wings growing from his back. The wings didn't come at first, but he squeezed his eyes tighter and pictured the delicate yet strong skin of his wings, glinting dark blue in the sunshine.
Finally, finally, he felt the wing bones extending from his back. Once he was sure he finished, Freddie opened his eyes and glanced down, and then behind him.
After swishing his tail, he knew everything was okay. He was fully shifted into a dragon now.
Taking a step, he nudged his nose against Daisy's shoulder.
She glanced at him. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
He did his best not to grin—dragon grins were full of teeth, and sometimes humans screamed at it—and waited to see what his friend would say about his dragon form. She was the first human to see it, and that was important to him.
Chapter Two
Daisy stared at the small, dark blue dragon and tried to make her mouth work.
Maybe some humans would scream, or run away, or even try to hurt the young dragon. But looking into the beast's eyes, she knew it was Freddie.
No, not beast. Even though dragon-shifters used that term a lot, she didn't like it. Freddie was too kind and brave an
d loyal to be a beast. He couldn't even kill a spider, as she'd found out in one of his letters.
It was only when Emily reached out to touch Freddie's snout that Daisy snapped out of her shock. She couldn't let Emily be the only one to pet him.
As she stroked the smooth, hard scales on Freddie's jaw, she said, "You're beautiful, Freddie."
He grunted, and she laughed. He'd told her before that male dragons weren't beautiful. They were brave, fierce, or mighty. But not beautiful.
Daisy didn't agree, but she wouldn't poke him right now. Especially since he'd just shown her his dragon form for the first time. "Okay, you're fierce. Well, a little fierce. I don't think you'd win against a grown-up."
Freddie walked backward, but before she could say anything, he stood on his hind legs and spread his wings behind him.
And with the light shining behind him, making his wings appear almost see-through, she forgot how to talk again.
Dragon-shifters were the only ones able to do that to her.
However, Emily moved behind her, and Daisy realized that maybe the other girl was afraid. And that was silly. No one should be afraid of Freddie. Well, for now. He might be a lot fiercer when he was older, but he was only a little dragon at the moment.
Daisy said over her shoulder, "It's okay. Freddie's just showing off. He drew all kinds of pictures of him as a dragon, and usually, they stood like that." She lowered her voice, even though she knew Freddie would still be able to hear her. "He probably thinks he is scarier standing up like that. But just remember something—he's afraid of spiders. And really, that makes him a lot less scary."
Freddie returned to all fours and gave a small roar. Daisy swung her gaze back at him. "Oh, stop. You were scaring her. And you should be nice. After all, she hasn't seen a teenage dragon like me. He was much bigger and taller and stronger. So you're not scary after that."
She barely noticed Freddie narrowing his eyes before Emily spoke up. "You s-saw one? When?"
The Dragon Camp (Stonefire Dragons Short Book 2) Page 1