Giant Fire Breathing Lizard

As a solitary water elemental, my choice of animal companion was the talk of not only my family and friends but of my curious neighbours as well. Unlike most water elementals, I chose not to live by the coast but instead preffered to live by the raging yet somewhat peaceful rivers of the Bouddi national park...right on the border of the Elvish empire. 

I enjoyed my life, despite the curious daily stares of the Earth elementals who were my neighbours...they just could not understand me, not that I blamed them. A water elemental living without a companion was weird enough...were were a social element afterall. A water element living in the middle of the bush with a dragon...that was another story altogether. It wasn't that I had chosen 'Ignia' as my pet, she had simply just arrived and we had forged a bond. 

Although, to be fair...as she constantly reminded me, she wasn't my pet...but rather a companion. Dragons were loyal, majestic and almost immortal noble creatures. For one of them to choose you as a companion was one of the highest honours imagineable. Although Ignia had never told me how she came to be almost 500 000km south of the Dragon Plains of the Northern Elvish lands, she was barely 7000 years old...an infant in a dragon's lifespan. 

She hadn't been noticeably injured when I had found her relaxing at the small waterfall near my cosy cottage, considering the fact that a fire dragon had sought out water and was alone despite the pack nature of Dragon's...it was something that niggled at my brain day in and day out yet she never uttered a word about her past. To be fair, she never had nagged at me about my past either so there was certainly no injustice in the relationship.

I know my neighbours were curious as to our circumstances. Why was a young fire dragon and a solitary water sprite living alone in the midst of the bush? Sure it was unusual...but we were happy. I made a humble living as one of the national park's rangers, thanks to my natural affinity with the water I ensured that the health of the park's rivers, natural pools and waterways were always at their optimal health. It was something I enjoyed, knowing that I could use the abilities I had been born with to help maintain ecosystems and improve others lives.

Ignia had never verbalised it, but I could tell she was grateful for my abilities as well. From living with her for quite some time now...I was beginning to be able to piece together her backstory in tiny fragments. For one thing, my abilities were most of the reason why she could continue living with me in the national park...I was the sole reason she hadn't burnt the place down yet with her volatile temper and frequent mood shifts.

Considering that the dragons society was built upon a strict system of formalised hierarchy and traditional 'respect your elders' attitude, it was no wonder that the kind and caring yet passionate and volatile youth living with me had fled the incorrigible confines of her origins. It was a similar situation with myself.

 I did not fit in to the 'status quo' of a typical water elemental. I was not constantly bubbly or calm...in fact my moods were almost as sporadic as the fire breathing lizard that was my roommate. I hated socialising and would literally rather watch the sun make it's daily trek across the sky rather than spend the weekend 'partying' and then recovering from severe intoxication.

The only visitors Ignia and I had to our little cottage were either my family or the well meaning yet frightfully nosy neighbours. As Earth elementals went, they were an incredibly kind bunch with their constant enthusiasm and their love of nature. Most of them were my professional colleagues as well and we worked well with one another to preserve the natural beauty of our landscape and to ensure it flourished. It was my shortcoming I know, but I wanted this relationship to stop here.

I didn't 'do' friendships, I simply wasn't the type. I was friendly and apparently charismatic enough for people to want to hang out with me...yet I simply didn''t have that social energy that others seemed to have. Ignia was the same, which was what made our partnership so perfect. 98% of our communication was non-verbal and even then it wasn't conversation but rather exclamations. 

Our longest period without speaking had been a couple of months...yet it wasn't tense at all and we had been on great terms, we simply melded together. Even this spiel had only been interrupted by me burning myself on the campfire she had lit in honour of the new year and swearing as I healed myself...it always tingled. Her response had been a light chukle yet she still kept a keen eye on her creation after that...a clumsy water elemental and fire never bode well together, it was lucky that an elemental could heal themselves if they were around their particular affinity.

The only time we were reminded of how odd we were was when my family came to visit. Despite my love for them, I secretly dreaded these social calls. They lived deep within the Elvish capital city of Ochre, which meant that had to travel several days to see me and therefore I should at least let them stay with me for a few days...it was the right thing to do afterall. As the youngest out of eight children, my oddity was swept aside at home thanks to the loudness of my siblings. But here on my turf when it was just my parents, Ignia and I...our eccentaries became all the more obvious to one another. However that was what family was all about right? Unconditional love.

I think...well I am pretty sure Ignia and I work so well together because we both know we are loners, rejects amongst our own kind and we are perfectly fine with it.