Luna Caelum Solum: The Luna Project
an excerpt

“Rune?” The almost eighteen-year-old, Sailacel was slightly shorter than Rune with long brown hair and green eyes that sat behind glasses most of the time. Her built was similar to Rune’s though she wasn’t nearly athletic. “What are you doing here? I thought you were grounded.”
“Long story short, I snuck out. Look, we have to save a world and I’d like your help. Remember how I told you about Luna?” Rune asked.
“And gave me those weird dreams, yeah.” Sailacel replied, leaning casually against the doorframe.
“Well it’s real and I can prove it.” Rune took the egg out of its pouch and held it up to Sailacel. “Listen. You can hear its heart beating. It’s a dragon egg, Sailacel. The elves gave it to me and told Sera and me that we’re destined to return Luna to its original glory and prevent the dragon slayers from destroying it.”
Sailacel stared at Rune for a long moment. “… You’ve been cooped up in that house for too long, haven’t you?”
Rune scowled. “Sailacel! I’m serious! Not even I’m stupid enough to tell you a lie that absurd sounding. Besides, when have I ever lied to you?”
Sailacel sighed. “Yeah, good point…” She carefully took the egg and put her ear against it, listening carefully.
“Hear it?” Jin asked, being impatient.
“Ssh…” Sailacel said and closed her eyes. She opened them after a moment a blinked. “Oh my God…!” Startled, Sailacel dropped the precious MeAni egg. It seemed to fall to the ground in slow motion. Rune tried to catch it but only the tips of her fingers managed to brush against it before there was a sickening cracking sound as the egg hit the ground.
Rune felt as if her heart had stopped beating. The egg was sitting on the ground, half of it cracked. Jin gasped and Sailacel covered her mouth with her hands.
“Rune… I’m sorry… I’m so, so sorry!” Sailacel apologized desperately. Rune just stared at the broken egg. “I didn’t… I mean… I didn’t mean to…”
Rune felt cold inside. Her very own dragon… gone… She was so despaired that she didn’t notice the egg move, unlike Jin and Sailacel whom merely stared at the quivering egg. The rest of the egg shattered and something black and blood red in color hissed viciously and darted quickly between Sailacel’s legs and into her house. Sailacel screamed and ran out of the house and behind Rune while Rune blinked, startled. Jin was laughing at Sailacel’s reaction.
“Holy shit! Rune! It’s in my house! Get it out, get it out, get it out!” Sailacel yelled, holding onto Rune’s shoulders. Rune pried the older girl off of her and walked inside, looking around.
“Here dragon, dragon, dragon… Come here, little one… It’s alright,” Rune called. The dragon wasn’t in the living room. Rune walked into Sailacel’s room and looked around. Sailacel’s cat was sitting on her bed, back arched and fur fluffed up. “Little dragon…” Rune got down and looked under the bed and saw a sight that would have made her scream had she been five. The hatchling blended in perfectly with the darkness under the bed and what little light that shone in reflected in the hatchling’s eyes, making them reflect red as it hissed lowly.
Sailacel and Jin peeked into the room from the doorway but stayed at a “safe” distance, allowing Rune to handle her newly hatched, unruly dragon. Rune reached under the bed, trying to reach the hatchling. It snarled as fiercely as a newly hatched dragon can and bit onto Rune’s hand.
Rune winced and pulled her hand out, dragging the hatchling out with her. It was surprisingly small, only about the size of a small cat. It had small immature wings and tiny horns poking out of the back of its head and one barely poking up from its snout, almost like a baby bird with an egg-tooth. It was jet black in coloring except for its stomach, the small frill running down its spine, the membranes on its wings and its claws and its large cat-like eyes. Rune noticed it had large bat-like ears and eyes only a nocturnal animal would have as it let go of her hand and licked her blood off of its snout, learning how she taste. This was a MeAni, a dragon of darkness and shadows.
“It’s okay, guys…” Rune said slowly, watching the strange new creature that belonged to her. “I think the light outside just scared him.”
Jin came in but Sailacel stayed by the door, trying to get a good look from there. The dragon was licking itself clean, grooming itself like a cat would. Hesitantly, afraid of being bit again, Rune reached out to touch the hatchling. She paused as her fingers came close to it and it perked up, sniffing her fingers curiously, and intelligent look in its eyes that no animal possessed. It opened it mouth and made a strange clicking sound before rubbing against Rune’s hands.
Rune blinked, surprised. Its scales were soft and smooth, not armored-like as many stories claimed and it felt warm. It wasn’t cold blooded at all. It was very different from any scales Rune had ever touched. The young dragon licked the wound it had inflicted on her, its tongue rouge like a cat’s as a rough purring sound rumbled up from deep in its chest.
“Awwh… He likes you!” Jin said, grinning and amazed by the dragon.
Sailacel finally came over, watching the strange creature with awe. “Either that or he’s just tasting you and dreaming about when he gets big enough to eat you.” Sailacel paused. “… He is going to get bigger, right?”
“Of course,” Rune replied. “And I think he does like me.”
“Lies…!” Sailacel hissed in a playful tone. “He’s going to eat you.” Rune rolled her eyes. “And only you could manage to get a dragon as a pet…”
“Okay, you can shut up now,” Rune said, stopping Sailacel from going on a rant about all the stray animals Rune was infamous for bringing home. “Come on. We’ve got to get going.”
“Going where?” Sailacel asked.
Rune picked the dragon up. It mewed in protest until Rune stuck it inside of the pouch, then it stuck its head from the pouch and yawns, showing sharp, immature fangs. “To get Sera then go to Luna.”