Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville

Jeremy took advantage of the truce to study the beast.

Once it sniffed, sending a tiny puff of smoke out of its nostrils. It simply lay on the desk staring at him. Moving slowly, the dragon resumed its curled position. Suddenly colors began to swirl in Jeremy's head, almost as if he were looking at the egg again.

The dragon hissed again, then arched its back, stretching its leathery red wings into the air.įor a long moment boy and beast stared at each other. A slender red tongue flickered over the tiny fangs, reminding Jeremy of the lightning that had split the sky earlier that night. The dragon opened its eyes and reared back, hissing ferociously. After the beast's eyes had been closed for several minutes, he put out a tentative finger to stroke its head. Jeremy found himself longing to touch the gleaming red scales. Curled up, the dragon was no bigger than a medium-sized grapefruit, and about as threatening. But he was also beginning to feel a little safer. Then the baby curled up, dropped its head over its tail, and closed its eyes. He stared at the dragon, and it locked eyes with him.įor a moment, Jeremy felt as if he were drowning in green. Something began to tickle at the back of his mind.

Holding his breath, ready to run if necessary, he watched in wonder. The little dragon looked around, sniffed, then began crawling across the desk. When they were finally fully extended Jeremy felt a surge of triumph so strong it was almost as if he had managed to pump up the wings himself. Red, they looked a great deal like a bat's wings.

Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville