The wyrym was no longer earth bound, now that it had absorbed enough magic to complete its growth, great wings stretched far over the desert. It had transformed into a true dragon. With one massive beat of its wings it travelled over a small caravan of camels and desert horses.

An instant later it hovered over an oasis and saw through its disguise, the magical mirage wavered slightly as the dragon pulled at the magic. The mirage was strong and it's binding spell reacted, pushing the gigantic creature away. The dragon landed on the sand shaking the foundations of a hidden town and waited patiently for the perfect moment.

It's passing hadn't gone unnoticed, for a small child had been flying a kite from the back of a camel as the dragon passed overhead. Luckily the child had released the cord but a small stray dog had snapped at the end to catch the kite, hoping to be fed in return.

The kite had caught in the dragons tail, dragging the dog into the sky before it could let go and swung it through the air, where he landed stunned in an unfamiliar place. Somehow, by pure chance or maybe fate, he had slipped through the magical barrier surrounding the oasis town of Sahara'Eden.

As he slid down a luckily well placed sun shade, stretched across the street, the dog thought about his life and how a simple mistake had caused him to be cursed into this form. You see this dog had originally been a boy sent to pick oysters by his father far away, by the ocean.

But he had seen a sparkle in the water. Thinking it could be a pearl which would bring a good price, he reached out but it was a fish scale which burned his skin like acid. He rose to the surface in agony as his body melted and changed.

For a time he lay still as if dead and was buried alive by his weeping parents. When he dug his way out, his parents threw rocks at the scavenger they believed was after their sons body. The rest was history, he had wandered far in search of a decent meal and a place to sleep, until a dragon had dropped him into heaven.

The dog shook it's head and smelt the delicious stew cooking nearby, some colourfully dressed people walked around with various snacks in their hands. Half eaten food was swept into a corner by an old man and scooped into a bucket.

Food was everywhere. He chose the bucket of scraps and wolfed some down before being chased away. A water pump nearby held an open pool of water which quenched his thirst and he was content.

However it was only with a full belly that he noticed something odd about the people here. The old man swept without touching the broom. A cook spoke to spoon which stored the pot on its own. A child clicked her fingers at a spinning top which took off around the legs of those passing by, tripping them accompanied by her laughter.

It was a strange place but maybe this was his chance to be cured of his curse. He decided to search for a doctor, hoping that they would know how to fix this but everywhere he wandered the magic was used only for simple things.

A doctor ground herbs magically as he spoke to a patient but he didn't directly use the magic to heal the patient. The dog sat and howled at the door but every time he was chased away he came grovelling back, whining softly.

Suddenly a rope tightened around his neck causing a surprised yelp. He was dragged away to a butchers shop. Sadly in this plentiful oasis, dog meat was a rare treat. He had wondered why the dogs here cowered and hid.

He cried out in his loudest whine as the butcher sharpened his knife. A girl heard his cry and came to his rescue.

"What are you doing with my dog?" She shouted.

"He looks like a stray to me, if he's your dog what is his name?" The butcher demanded.

The girl looked at the intelligent spark in the dogs eye. "Come Fido!" She called with a grin.

Fido wagged his tail and yapped happily, the butcher gave his rope to the girl in disappointment.

They quickly walked away but when they were out of the butchers sight the girl slipped the rope off. "Go, you're free!"

But the dog didn't go because now he was Fido, the girls trusty companion. Instead, he followed behind her until she finished all her errands and returned home.

"Mother, didn't you want a guard dog?" She called as she entered her home.

Her mother looked at the skinny creature following with disbelief. "You better wash it first, I don't want fleas in the house."

Later Fido napped on his very own blanket at the end of the girls bed. She had washed and brushed him herself, only using magic to throw out the water. It felt good to be clean.

Months passed as Fido, who had forgotten his original name, was finally able to get enough food to grow. Unfortunately he kept getting larger until he had to sleep outside. The magic of the oasis was definitely doing something strange to his body.

He overheard Trilla, his girl, chatting to her mother.

"Fido is not an ordinary dog, he can read, I think I saw him do a spell and something weird is happening to him. We need to see the head wizard."

This was true, Fido had learnt to read a simple spell book. He had fixed the door when his large tail had thumped into it.

"You're right dear, I regret calling him a scrawny rat. Let's go now, I'm sure he understands everything."

They took him through the market and past the butcher who nearly had a heart attack, into a tall stone tower. It was built for impact so Fido could fit inside. His head nearly touched the ceiling as he was now the size of a shire horse.

"What is this?" Said a plump man draped in dark blue cloth. "Ahh! I see, so that's where the power has been going."

He beckoned them into a large room where a red and gold lined book lay open.

"Hmm, there is a problem. If I release the curse, this dog will return to his original form but he will be considered an outsider. The mirage barrier will fall and all the magic will return to me. There might be a riot!
If I don't release it, he will continue to grow until the oasis is destroyed or all the magic is absorbed."

He flicked through the book, pausing at a page. "Here's just the thing, you girl. Sit on his back as I release the curse. The magic will pass to you and he will be considered one of us."

She climbed up and gripped his fur, Fido smiled as dogs do, his tongue hanging out of his open mouth.

A large bang and a ball of smoke came out of nowhere. When the smoke cleared, Trilla realised she was gripping the hair of a handsome young man and her legs were wrapped around his naked body.

"Well that was unexpected! Now how do I change him back into a dog?"

"No! Don't change me back!" Fido cried as Trilla blushed and handed him her scarf to cover his body.

"The dog speaks!" the wizard gaped in shock.

"I was never a dog, I was always a boy. Thank you for lifting my curse and Trilla thank you for saving my life. I always wanted to tell you something. Trilla, I love you." He grasped her hand and smiled as she blushed and looked away.

"Young love, eh!" He chuckled as he rushed them out the room. "Wait here." He hurried into another room and brought out a set of clothes for Fido. When the tall boy was decent he threw them out, shouting. "Don't you dare come back." He winked as he said this.

They shuffled home awkwardly as Trilla remembered all the times she had washed in front of Fido, her face got redder by the minute. She tried to pull away but Fido didn't accept it. "Now I have hands again I'll never let you go!"

She looked at his face and smiled.

Outside the oasis the dragon absorbed the burst of escaping magic and felt the barrier strengthen. It wouldn't get anything out of this place anymore. It stretched and stood, it didn't need magic from this world anymore.

It felt another magic on the other side of a screen, the magic of imagination. With this power it could escape the world of quorin and finally be free.