An excerpt from the short story WiP. It is was inspired from two photos. It is fantasy, involves a baby dragon, and a princess-witch. It may have healing magic of sorts – I hope anyway, because otherwise the baby dragon will be dead and I don’t want that. I also don’t have a name yet for the girl. Hopefully that will come soon.

She caressed Ajani. His purple hide was scaly under her fingertips, scaly and rough as tree bark. It should be as dewy as a new leaf, especially since he was still just a baby. He stirred on the window seat, raised his small head to peer up at her. At least his eyes were still a bright, beautiful gold. “You’ll be well again,” she murmured to him. She would make certain of it. She was almost out of the potion, but if she had to, she would stay up all night to make it. He would get well again. He would! He was hers and she was keeping him.

His long, painfully thin tail warped around her arm and he mewled piteously. He lurched toward the window, dragging her arm with him. His claws scrabbled on the glass and she caught her breath.

A dignified, gloriously violet dragon walked under the triple-arched entrance into the courtyard. It was the only entrance large enough to accommodate a full-grown dragon. The females were always bigger and Nneke was bigger than any other. She stood a full seven feet tall from snout to hind-legs, with an additional seven feet of tail. She was also poor Ajani’s dam. When she knew for certain he was gravely ill, she cast him out. Dragons did not suffer weak babes.

“Hush,” she said. “Come along. We will go somewhere else.” Somewhere with no reminders about how his mother had rejected him. She gathered him up in her arms, blanket and all, and made certain her grip on him was secure. He weighed no more than one of her silk dresses.