A Dragon Named Splinter (Dragon Adventure Series 1: Book 1) Read online

A Dragon Named Splinter

  Ben L. Hughes

  Dragon Adventure Series, Jr.

  The Dragon Egg That Rolled Away

  Dragon Adventure Series 1

  A Dragon Named Splinter

  The Blue Dragon

  The Dragon Wizard

  Dragon Adventure Series 2

  Fire Dragons

  The Cave of Secrets

  The Lost Dragons of Fire Island

  Copyright 2014 Ben L. Hughes

  Edited By: Jen Hughes and LJ Cummings

  Revision Date: February 28th, 2017

  Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

  Table of Contents:

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  About the Series

  Chapter 1

  Kevin’s eyes lit up the instant his dad turned down the dirt road leading towards Wellington Lake. Not only was it one of his favorite places to camp in Colorado, his parents had also invited his best friend Emalyn to come along.

  “How much longer until we get there?” Emalyn asked as she peered out the window at the passing trees.

  “We should be there pretty soon, it’s only ten miles to the lake,” Kevin replied.

  “How big is it?” Emalyn asked as she tried to picture it in her head.

  “I think the lake is a mile long, but it’s not that wide,” Kevin replied.

  “Can we swim in it?”

  “We could, but the water isn’t very warm. So unless it gets really hot, I doubt that we will want to.”

  “What do you do for fun?” Emalyn asked.

  “I usually just play along the edge of the lake with my mom, and when I get tired of that, my dad likes to take me up to Castle Mountain for some off-trail adventures.”

  “Where is that?”

  “It’s on the back side of the lake. You can’t miss it, it’s a huge granite peak that towers over everything around it.”

  “Have you ever made it to the top of Castle Mountain?” Emalyn asked out of curiosity.

  “No, the last time we tried we had to turn back because our dog couldn’t make it past the boulder field that’s just below the peak.”

  “Why is that?”

  “She was old, and the boulders were too large for her to climb over,” Kevin replied.

  “You and I should try and reach the top… if your parents will let us go up there.”

  “I think they will. My dad calls me his mountain goat because I do so well off-trail whenever we go hiking. I know it’s kind of silly, but I like it.”

  “What did you have to do to earn that name?” Emalyn chuckled.

  “The last time we were here, my dad took me on a grueling hike around the base of Castle Mountain and then asked me to find my way back to the campsite without a map or compass. I knew it was a test to see if I could navigate without him in case we ever got separated, or if I wanted to go hiking on my own.”

  “Were you able to do it?”

  “Yeah, the first thing I did was locate a couple of landmarks that I was familiar with, and then I used them to guide me back to the campsite… and that’s how I earned the nickname mountain goat.”

  “That’s pretty cool,” Emalyn admitted. “If we reach the top, I want a nickname like that.”

  “How about bark beetle?” Kevin joked.

  “Eew, you know I don’t like those kinds of bugs,” Emalyn cringed.

  “How about, centipede?”

  “That’s even worse.”

  “Meal worn?”

  “That’s even more disgusting… maybe you should stop while we’re still friends,” Emalyn smiled since she was just kidding.

  “Okay, I’ll try and think up something that you would like,” Kevin promised. “Hey dad, when we get to the lake can Emalyn and I go hiking up Castle Mountain?”

  “We had kind of a late start, so I don’t think there’s going to be enough time to do that, but you can go tomorrow if the weather is nice.”

  “Alright,” Kevin sighed as he turned and stared out the window. When he saw the lake in the distance, he tapped Emalyn on the shoulder so she wouldn’t miss it.

  “That is a big lake,” Emalyn remarked with a look of excitement in her soft brown eyes.

  “And that’s Castle Mountain right behind it.”

  “Wow, it’s a lot taller and more rugged looking than I imagined,” Emalyn admitted.

  “Do you still want to try and climb to the top of it?”

  “Of course. You know how I like a challenge,” Emalyn smiled.

  “I do,” Kevin replied as he thought about how neither of them would give up on a video game no matter how hard it was, or how frustrated it made them when they played it.

  “We’re almost there,” Brian announced as he turned down the road leading to the entrance to the campground. Then he parked at the office so he could go in and pay for the campsite.

  “How many days are we staying?” Kevin asked when his dad returned.

  “I took Monday off so we can stay until then,” Brian replied as he pulled out of the parking area and started down towards the lake. When he looked in the mirror, he noticed a cloud of reddish dust billowing up behind the camper, so he slowed down a bit so he wouldn’t dust everyone out along the way.

  “Which spot is ours?” Kevin asked as they drove past several that were empty.

  “The one on the backside that is closest to Castle Mountain, and still has a nice view of the lake.”

  “I love that spot!” Kevin exclaimed.

  “I know, that’s why I picked it,” Brian replied as he continued around the lake until they reached their campsite. Then he backed the trailer in, and parked the truck in the shade.

  Once everyone was out, he unhooked the pop-up from the hitch and started setting it up. While he was busy doing that, Kevin and Emalyn helped Josephine unpack the camping supplies and move the picnic table closer to the fire pit.

  “The trailer’s ready if you want to go in and setup your beds,” Brian remarked after he finished leveling it.

  “I’ve never been in a pop-up before,” Emalyn remarked after she followed Kevin inside.

  “It’s small, but it beats sleeping on the ground,” Kevin admitted as he set both of their sleeping bags on the bed and started unrolling them.

  “Can I put mine next to yours?” Emalyn asked after she noticed there were only two small sleeping areas on opposite sides of the trailer.

  “Yeah, this is our side.”

  “That’s cool, we’ll be bunk mates,” Emalyn smiled.

  “If you need to use the bathroom there is an outhouse across from our campsite, but hold your breath when you go inside, because it’s deadly,” Kevin warned as he pinched his nose.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. It’s so stinky that your eyes will water, but it’s either that, or the bushes.”

  “Maybe the bushes would be safer?” Emalyn whispered.

  “That’s what I use when no one is looking, but watch out for poison oak.”

  “I know exactly what that looks like,” Emalyn remarked as if she had had an encounter with it in the past.

  “I was going to go down to the lake, do you want to come with me?” Kevin asked after he was done setting up his sleeping bag.

  “Okay,”
Emalyn replied as she followed him down to the lake.

  After they had walked half way around it, the sun disappeared behind Castle Mountain, which gave the sky a soft warm glow.

  “It’s very pretty up here,” Emalyn remarked as she gazed out over the tranquil water.

  “I know, I like how quiet and peaceful it is compared to home, and school, where it’s noisy all the time.”

  “Does that bother you too?” Emalyn asked.

  “Yeah, that’s one of the reasons I like coming here,” Kevin admitted.

  “I just saw a little fish dart out of the shadows,” Emalyn remarked. “Look, there he is again!”

  “Oh yeah, I see him,” Kevin replied as the tiny speckled fish darted around the clumps of algae looking for food. When the fish noticed they were watching him, he quickly swam out into the deeper water.

  “That was neat,” Emalyn remarked after the fish was gone.

  “There is a large boulder at the south end of the lake, if we climb up on it, we might be able to see some larger fish,” Kevin suggested.

  “Okay, and even if we don’t, we can practice our climbing skills for tomorrow’s hike.”

  “Weird, that’s what I was just thinking,” Kevin replied as he headed over to it.

  “We’re such close friends, that maybe we know what the other one is thinking.”

  “What am I picturing in my head right now?” Kevin asked.

  “Pickles.”

  “Ha-ha, that’s not even close,” Kevin laughed. “I was thinking about that fish we just saw.”

  “Try me,” Emalyn suggested.

  “I see a dragon hiding near a tree.”

  “That’s exactly what I was picturing!” Emalyn replied as she tried not to laugh.

  “Really?”

  “No, silly. I was thinking about the raven I saw over by the campsite.”

  “Was it the one sitting in the tree?”

  “Yeah… I guess you weren’t that far off after all,” Emalyn admitted after she thought about it for a moment.

  When they reached the boulder, Kevin helped her up the last little bit since her shoes were slipping on the surface of the rock.

  “Don’t worry, I brought my boots along, so you won’t have to pull me up the mountain when we go hiking tomorrow,” Emalyn smiled.

  “I don’t mind,” Kevin replied as he reached into his pocket and handed her a bunch of round stones.

  “What are they for?”

  “I thought it would be fun to see how far we could throw them out into the lake.”

  “Thanks,” Emalyn replied as she launched one way out over the water.

  “Wow, you have a really good arm.”

  “I get a lot practice throwing a tennis ball for the neighbor’s dog.”

  “It’s nice that I don’t always have to do girlie stuff when I hang out with you,” Kevin admitted as he handed her a few more rocks.

  “And I like how you look out for me at school, and make up fun games for us to play when we get bored in class,” Emalyn replied.

  “I guess that’s why we’re such good friends.”

  “It looks like your mom wants us to come back,” Emalyn remarked when she saw Josephine waving at them.

  “It must be time for dinner,” Kevin sighed as he helped her down from the boulder.

  “Are you kids hungry?” Josephine asked when they arrived back at the campsite.

  “Yeah. Can we roast marshmallows after dinner?” Kevin asked when he saw that his dad had started a fire.

  “That’s why we brought them,” Josephine replied as she handed each of them a plate of food.

  “Thank you,” Emalyn replied before sitting down at the picnic table.

  “Have you gone camping before?” Josephine asked.

  “No, I’ve been hiking a bunch of times, but this is my first camp-out.”

  “We’re cheating a bit with a pop-up trailer, but other than that, it’s pretty much the same thing.”

  “Thanks for inviting me, so far it seems like a lot of fun,” Emalyn replied before taking another bite out of her hotdog.

  Once everyone had finished eating, Brian opened the bag of marshmallows, and passed them around. Kevin took a handful and then put one on a stick for Emalyn.

  “Have you ever roasted a marshmallow before?” he asked when she seemed a little hesitant about what to do with it.

  “No, but I’ll give it a try.”

  Kevin couldn’t help but laugh when she stuck it directly into the flames and it immediately caught fire and fell off the stick.

  “Would you like me to show you how to cook it?” he offered.

  “Yeah… I guess it’s not as easy as it looks,” Emalyn admitted as she handed him back the roasting stick.

  “The trick is to hold it up above the flames while slowly turning it so it doesn’t burn. Once it’s golden brown, it’s ready to eat,” Kevin explained as he handed the stick to her.

  “Like this?” Emalyn asked as she slowly rotated it in her hand while keeping it away from the flames.

  “Yeah, that’s perfect,” Kevin replied as he handed her another marshmallow.

  Once the bag was empty, they all sat quietly by the fire and watched it slowly burn down.

  “Do you want me to add any more wood to the campfire?” Kevin asked when the last little flame died out.

  “No, I think we’re about done for the night,” Brian replied after the distant rumble of thunder revealed an approaching storm.

  “Is it coming our way?”

  “I think so,” Brian replied as a gust of wind swept through their camp, breathing new life into their dying campfire. When he saw that happen, he picked up a pan full of water and poured it over the red-hot coals, causing a cloud of ash and steam to billow high into the air.

  “Wow, that looks like an erupting volcano,” Emalyn remarked.

  “My dad never leaves a fire unattended after he set fire to a tree on school property when he was a kid.”

  “Kevin! That’s not something I’m proud of,” Brian scolded.

  “I know, but it’s a good example of what not to do.”

  “I suppose, but only if you tell the whole story and don’t leave out the key facts, like it was an accidental fire… or the fact that my older brother was the one playing with the matches. I’m not saying he caused the fire, because I was playing with sticks that he had lit on fire, and I might have caused it. Either way, we weren’t being very careful, and after we left the school a fire broke out in a cluster of trees where we had been messing around. Luckily, someone saw the fire and put it out before it got very big. They also saw us leaving the school right after it happened and they told our parents what we did. Even though it was an accident, we got into the most trouble you can ever imagine.”

  “So would you say the moral of that story is, don’t play with fire, or you’ll get burned?” Kevin snickered.

  “Nooo, not another bad pun,” Brian cringed.

  “Oh dad, you love them,” Kevin laughed.

  When another gust of wind swept through the camp, Brian got up and opened the door to the trailer, signaling it was time to go in.

  “If you kids need anything during the night, just let me know,” Josephine offered in a motherly tone.

  “Goodnight mom,” Kevin replied.

  “Goodnight, and thanks again for inviting me,” Emalyn added as she climbed over Kevin to get into her sleeping bag.

  “You’re welcome,” Josephine replied before turning off the lights.

  As the storm approached, the thunder grew louder and the wind started to gust so hard it caused the trailer to rock back and forth unexpectantly.

  “Are you alright?” Kevin whispered when Emalyn moved her sleeping bag closer to his.

  “Yeah, that last bolt of lighting seemed kind of close,” Emalyn whispered back in a frightened tone.

  “I think it hit Castle Mountain, at least that’s where the flash came from.”

  “I hope the next one does
n’t hit the trailer.”

  “It won’t,” Kevin insisted. “We’re not the tallest object around, and I read somewhere that that’s what usually gets struck.”

  “Okay,” Emalyn replied as she scooted a little closer to him.

  When the next few rumbles of thunder seemed further away, she closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.