I just sat there in my hospital gown, trying to process what the shaman had just told me. My parents, sitting in a pair of seats next to my hospital bed, were in their human forms. They sat their patiently, holding each other's hands, allowing me time to process what the shaman had just told me.

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The shaman finished typing something on his wall mounted computer and said, "well, I need to make some phone calls, that'll give you time to change and make arrangements. If you have any questions or anything at all, don't hesitate to ask anyone at the nurse's station." With that he walked out the door, closing it quietly behind him. I was still in shock, just sitting there, nothing like this had happened in centuries.

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"Alex," my mom said after several minutes of silence, "sweetie, are you ok?" I nodded my head slowly, "I uh, I just can't believe it, it's uh..." I trailed off into silence again, still trying to wrap my head around it, it was a lot to take in. "Everything's not going to happen all at once," my dad said softly, "you're always going to be our son, I'm sure there will be a transition period and training and what not." I nodded my head, his words were helpful, I was a lot like him so his rationalizing of the situation started to bring me back to reality.

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"I just can't believe it," I said, "I'm relieved, and it explains why I've never been able to make the transformation, but it's been what? Three hundred years since there was a new elder dragon?" My parents both nodded their heads in agreement, and my dad said, "I know, it's completely unprecedented, but you can do it, you'll be great." My parents stood up in unison and embraced me, and they held me for several minutes before separating, tears in mom's eyes.