Dragon Egg

A kid hiking with their dad discovers a glowing egg in a cave that hatches into a baby dragon, launching a dangerous quest to protect it from those who would capture it.

You and your dad have a tradition: every Saturday in summer, you hike a new trail together. Your dad is a park ranger, and he knows every mountain and valley for fifty miles. You are the kind of kid who stops to turn over rocks and peer into tide pools, always hoping to find something nobody has ever seen before.

This Saturday, you are tackling Blackrock Mountain, the tallest peak in the county. Your dad has been promising you this hike since your eleventh birthday, and you have been training for weeks.

'Keep your eyes on the trail, not the view,' Dad called over his shoulder, his hiking boots crunching on the gravel switchback. 'Plenty of time to look around at the top.'

'But Dad, look at it!' you said, stopping to stare at the valley spreading out below like a green patchwork quilt. You had never been this high up before.

He turned back and grinned. 'Okay, yeah. That is pretty spectacular.'

The trail was steep and the sun beat down through the pine trees, but you did not care. Something about today felt different -- electric, like the air before a thunderstorm. Like the mountain was holding its breath, waiting for you to find something.