My father's animal was a goose, his father's a goose. My brother's a goose. My sister's a goose.

  As I stood at the front of the assembled crowds in the grand hall of the school, it was almost a foregone conclusion. I too, would have a goose.

  As a precaution, guards stood close by to handle any of the more powerful spirits that occasionally materialised. Even horses could buck or send a student flying with a stray kick, but things like tigers and lions were one in a million.

  I could see my friends laughing near the front. Tom already had his spirit animal perched atop his shoulder, a fine white eagle. He was the talk of the school. Fred was doubled over laughing, and I could just make out his jokes about "the guards saving us from the power of the goose."

  Idiots.

  Geese were actually fantastic spirit animals. Kind, affectionate, and very territorial. But they weren't going to change your life, or win you any fans.

  The headteacher approached, holding the stone of the summoning.

  "The spirit approaches!"

  The stone acted as a signal for when the spirit would manifest, and my stone was finally burning a full and bright green, which was normal for spirit stones to do.

  Then it turned red.

  The headteacher dropped it as flame began to lick at its edges.

  "What in the world..." he began as gasps escaped form the student crowd.

  Golden wisps began to circle around me in the air, growing in size and number before concentrating behind me in a gust of wind.

  A mighty roar exploded from my back , pushing me and the crowd off our feet. No goose made that kind of sound.

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  As I rose from my feet and turned, everyone else began to run from the hall.

  My heart stopped.

  "If that is a goose, then I am a rabbit," the headteacher said as he stood, unblinking.

  It was one helluva goose.

  Standing 20ft tall, with scales as black as night and monstrous wings that tucked into its side against the pressing space in the hall, my dragon stood, its clawed feet crunching into the wooden floor beneath them. Its eyes flicked to and fro, as if scared. One burned red, the other a glacier-like blue. Small squawk like sounds escaped its huge mouth lined with rows of sharp teeth.

  The headteacher without moving, spoke. "Garen, the first moments after the awakening are the most important. You must bond with your animal, or have it run amok. Usually this is not a problem, but in this case I implore you to please, connect with your spirit, and bestow upon it a name. Before we all are killed."

  All the students had left the hall. The guards that had initially fled had reformed around the perimeter, more joining their ranks with long spears by the second.

  Screaming could still be heard around the hall, as the panic spread.

  Despite my pounding heart, I knew what I had to do. Slowly, I approached the monstrous beast. My beast, I kept telling myself. My beast.

  I walked through its talon like legs, eyeing the spiked tail that began whipping at its side as I came closer.

  It's eyes locked with mine, and it dipped his head. Heat rippled the air between us, stifling and dry.

  I reached out my hand, and it flinched away, before returning. My palm pressed against the scales on its forehead, the huge balls of red and blue light closing as I felt its power, felt its very essence.

  "Give it a name , Garen, hurry!" the headteacher cried behind me.

  My mind was blank, but I knew I had to hurry. The tail whipping around at its back became more violent, smashing the stage and ornaments at the edges of the hall.

  "I name thee...Goose."

  Instantly the Dragon became calm, settling his writhing movements and the violent smashings of its tail.

  The headteacher visibly sagged, and relaxed, signalling to the guards to stand-down.

  Breathing heavy, I took my hand off it's head and turned to the headteacher. He walked up to me and smiled.

  "Garen, well done my boy. This is a truly historic occasion that will no doubt send shockwaves through our world. You and this Dragon are going to be famous! What did you name it?"

  "Goose," I could barely say as I tried to calm my rampaging emotions, still feeling the heavy and hot breathing of the dragon at my back.

  The headteacher almost fell over laughing, "You called it goose? Haha, my boy, that is brilliant, and true to your family. He may be the most magnificent goose ever to live."

  "Now," he continued," let us see how we can get this thing out of the hall."