#oh writing this was such a blast and…the way I am so soft right now 🥹💞💚 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

i-am-beckyu · 2 years ago

Text

Hiiii

Here's a story I wrote in middle school! THE ENTIRE BOOK! Me writing female oc?? Rare but I like this girl...

I'm planning to rewrite this and now the only way to read this version is by giving Becky's blog love HA

-It's about a girl who died in her base world and was reborn as a dragon! She begins her life anew with her imperfect dragon family...but was that really the last of her old world she would see?-

Tw: death (several times), fear, fights (I can't remember if there was a lot of blood/detail or not), illnesses, (idk if there's more or any I missed)

Word Count: 55~k

You've been warned

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HI! BECKYU TYPING HERE! IT WORKED DA3DM!!! WOOOOOOO. This is also crazy amazing good but has just been hard to find time to finish reading the whole thing in one sitting but I know I've been dying to share it I just wasn't sure how so this works!!!!

ANYWAYS! I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I am because middle school da3dm writing is still just as incredible as now da3dm!! <3

Draconic Reincarnation

Awaken, Young One

Huh…? I lay in the dark, feeling as if I was underwater. Where am I...oh, that’s right. I died. I...drowned, right? I'm not too sure how I died. So is this the afterlife? I tried to open my eyes and found they were sealed with some sort of gel-like substance. Hm? Now that I think about it, it feels like I have four arms and...a tail? I moved around a bit and found myself stuck inside of something. What’s this? Am I not dead? A bright flare of light flashed over my closed eyelids and I suddenly wanted nothing more than to beat at the smooth thing around me. There was a loud cracking sound when I slammed my head against it, the pressure around me beginning to disappear. What seemed to be thick fluid carried me out of a hole, my body barely slipping through. I gasped for air but found a weird film was completely covering me. I tried to pull it off, my hands slipping each time. Why can't I get a grip?! It's so slimy! When it finally tore I took deep gulps of sharply cold air. I felt something soft was under me and instinctively rubbed against it, wiping my eyes so I could open them. This was the strangest sensation I had ever felt and I didn't know how to respond. All I knew was that I was sticky, slimy, and continuously slipped around, failing to find grip. What exactly happened to me? Didn't I die? I began to open my eyes, blinking against painful light. Huh? I stared at the empty ice cave and recoiled from the blasting blizzard wind outside. Where am I? Looking behind me, I saw an empty eggshell. Did I come out of that? I know I was a fan of stories where one died and went to a different world, but I never imagined it might be possible. Part of me wondered as to why I was so calm right now, but the other half thought everything around me was natural...maybe instincts? What am I? I looked at my hands to find them covered in delicate opal scales with tiny talons poking out of my fingers. The structure didn't change too much, but the appearance certainly did! I might need to twist to see the rest of my body...I went to turn my head only to find I could look over my shoulder without any problem whatsoever. Woah...is my neck longer?

After I got over that surprise, I saw my back. Ah! Two wings! Four legs! Small spine-spikes! A tail! Is my body aerodynamic? My body was slim-looking, clearly streamlined. Wow...am I a dragon? I tried moving around and soon found it challenging. This is harder than it looks...ugh. My front legs got tangled together and I fell on my face with a yelp. That hurt. Hmmm...if I'm a dragon, aren't I supposed to be able to use magic? I wriggled back to my feet and did my best to learn how to walk. I flinched when a shadow dashed by the cave opening, then quivered when it returned and made to land inside. The dark shadow huffed and walked heavily, coming closer. When it got close enough to see clearly, I was immediately full of curiosity. A marvelous dragon blinked at me in apparent surprise, but it didn't take long until it smiled at me...at least, it seemed like a smile. With a voice full of exhaustion, the dragon whispered, “Hello, little one. Welcome to the world.” I gaped. The dragon talked! The voice was smooth and honey-like, almost as if a bird was given words for their song. A female...is this dragon my mother? I didn't know how to respond when she lowered her muzzle to rub it against me. Is this how they hug? “Your name...I wish your father was here right now and not lost in the blizzard. I never thought you’d hatch so soon.” She laughed lightly. “Although you're awfully small, even for a hatchling. You were the only egg we could have…” She started cooing to me and I found it getting harder and harder to stay awake. “Well, we’ll just have to wait for him, right?” I yawned and leaned against her cold scales, drifting to sleep. Don't know if this is a dream or reality, but either way, I think I can enjoy having a mother for the first time--even if she isn't human.

<->1<->

I stretched as I woke up, trying to make sense of the eeriness of the silence around me. Where…? Oh yeah, I died and woke up here, as a baby dragon. Ah…! My dragon mother isn't here! And the storm has stopped! I started to panic. Had this amazing dream turned into a nightmare?! I don't want to be an orphan again, not if this is a second chance at life! I made an attempt to talk but could only squeal, screech, chirp, and squeak. I can't speak yet! I began to despair when I heard the heavy beat of leathery wings. Talons clacked on ice as she returned. I lay there in shock as my heart rate slowed. “Here.” A small rabbit was dropped in front of me, already dead. “I brought you some food.” I blinked at it in confusion. Food? Does she want me to eat it raw? How much of it is edible? “Sorry, this is all I could get. I'm not too used to the cold of the north.” Not used to the cold? Is it really that cold? I hadn't noticed. Oh, now that she’s in the light, I can finally see her beautiful scarlet scales and golden eyes. “You don't look like you're shivering though, so it’s fine.” I looked back at the rabbit. I don't want it raw… “Hmmm…” My eyes snapped back to her to see a glint in her eyes. She inhaled and blew out a tiny stream of flame that engulfed the rabbit. When she stopped, it had been roasted perfectly, the scent making my stomach growl. I didn't know I was so hungry! I attacked it with so much ferocity I was surprised. I'm definitely not human anymore...I can't even eat nicely. Or it’s just because of my hunger. Hey, wouldn't this be my first meal? “I thought so. What a surprise. I thought I would be the only one in this family who wants cooked meat.” Was it her mother’s intuition? Only way to explain it unless she was simply testing. “Now then...I noticed you're having a hard time walking. I'm not too sure of a hatchling’s normal habit, but you’ll have to get stronger than that, considering who your father is.” She took a single step forward to gently pick me up by my spikes. A dragon’s fangs can retract? Cool!

I then wanted to know what she was trying to do. “It’s too slick in here for you to learn.” That is awesome! I don't even have to say something but think it, and she knows I have a question or problem! She didn't fly but crawl down the startlingly huge mountain. I didn't realize it was this large! She set me on a stone platform close to three times her size and blasted it with fire. “Come on, get to your feet. I'm sure that once you learn to walk you’ll know how to grip the ice.” She nudged me with her front left paw. The force was unexpected and made me stumble away. Ugh! I know the basic idea of standing and walking, but I can't put it to use! Out of pure frustration and rage at my own disability to even stand, I found my balance at last. “Yes! You can do it! Come over here!” Filled with relief and joy, I tried to run. I almost fell multiple times but managed to keep going. With a loud bugle, my dragon mother scooped my up in her paws and held me against her chest. I can hear her heartbeat. “I'm so proud of you!” With that, she put me back down and told me to do it again. She had me repeating the whole day until I could sprint without the slightest little problem. Got to say, for a day old dragon, this is impressive. I ran circles around her and hopped onto her proferred paw. “There you are. Come, let’s go back to the nest.” She climbed up to the cave and placed me inside, beaming with pride. She made a double-step and paused. “I should have gone for more food for you. I'm sorry there’s so little here.” Her expression and tone made me want to be human so I could wrap my arms around her properly and give her a mighty hug. “We should sleep. I’ll find food while you dream.” She lay down and gave me space to sleep by her head. I closed my eyes to find that being a baby meant my energy reserves were way lower than I was used to. In other words, I fell asleep Immediately.

<->2<->

When I woke, my mother wasn't there. Again. Does it really take so long to find food? I sighed and watched the snow drift down. I'm so hungry...it hurts. With such suddenness I jumped, she slammed into a wall at the entrance. “Here!” She shoved away from the broken ice and tossed a small songbird to me. “That was all I could catch!” With the next breath she roasted the bird. I picked it up and swallowed the small thing whole. I felt bad when she hung her head. Should I have eaten it slower? A shadow suddenly fell over the cave, blocking the light. My mother didn't seem to notice, since her eyes were closed. I screeched at her and she whirled around just in time to smack the strange vulture-like creature. It shrieked and latched onto her, yanking her out and trying to tear at her. I watched scarlet scales drop from the attack with fear. My dragon mother! I don't want to lose my first parents! Before I could move to help, however, a roar sounded that shook the whole mountain. The creature’s blood-curdling cry echoed for miles around when a heavy thump voiced the snapping of bones. As it all became quiet, I understood that the thing had died...but why hasn't she come back up? I got to my paws and started to walk to the edge. Once again, my movement was interrupted by the sound of leathery wings snapping and creaking. My mother came in and immediately nuzzled me, but another dragon followed her in. This one was almost twice mother’s size and looked far more muscular. It seemingly regarded me with disdain, but its expression lit up when it registered my presence. “Little one, he has returned.” She turned to face the dragon behind her and rubbed against it as well. “Our hatchling wants to know you, my dear mate.” Mate? So that’s my father?! He watched me closely, which made me afraid to move. I instead spent that time recognizing his appearance. Wow...he’s very majestic. His scales were similar to mine, but there was definitely a visible hue of dark blue cast over them. So...blue-white opal color? It was fascinating to watch the scales glint a slightly different color every time he moved or breathed.

“This...is our hatchling?” His voice was surprisingly honey-like with a soothing base tone. Amazing.

“Yes. I have not named the hatchling yet.”

“You haven't?! How long ago did the thing hatch?!” It’s almost disturbing, the way they refer to me.

“Two days ago. A delicate baby who has only just learned to walk.” I paid close attention as he made a low gurgle and moved past my mother. He came closer and brought his muzzle to nudge me. His eyes were a brilliant sky-blue that spoke of far more emotions than what his expression did. “I was waiting for you. Are you still okay with the agreed name?”

“Yes.” He stepped aside so she could approach.

“Then, my mate, we have a pretty daughter, Zavi.” Zavi? Is that my name now?”

He purred--a weird sound from such a brute-like dragon. “Zavi...I have a daughter. Looks like she inherited my traits somewhat.”

“Sure, sure, sure, but where did the white come from?”

“Perhaps my own mother. She was an ice dragon. Ah, before I forget, I shall retrieve our meal.” He vanished from the cave for several minutes and returned with the grey and black bird that had attacked my mother. It’s so big! It could've swallowed me with my wings outstretched easily! He brought it to the center of the nest and waited patiently for us to come over.

“You may want to take your portion now, because we both like it fried.” He rolled his eyes, tore off what he wanted, then set it aside to eat later. With that, my mother took a very deep breath, creating a huge plume of crimson flames. So much power! It took around ten minutes before it was finally cooked all the way through. “Eat up. Starting today we’ll be living a different life.” A different life? What could she mean by that? I shrugged and decided to think about it later.

<->3<->

Two years have passed. I have discovered that my father leaves for many months on a mission to find another place to live. Why it takes so long is something I don't know yet, but I will eventually. “Mother, I'm hungry.” Yep, I can talk now. Not super great, but enough to be understood.

“I'm sorry...I'm too tired to hunt right now, Zavi.” She groaned and huffed, smoke trailing out of her nostrils. I'm not too sure, but I think she might be sick. Instead of wondering what my father does, shouldn't I just ask? I was once told in my past life that parents love being asked questions.

“Mother, why duph father take so long?” Ack, my pronunciation slipped up a bit there.

Her eyes considered me kindly. “He has to find a home that’s safe.” That’s what she told me last time!

I won't give in this time! “Safe from what?”

Her sigh sent plumes of smoke into the air. “Humans.” Humans…! “We can sort of almost make agreements with elves, dwarves, and beastkin, but humans are too arrogant to listen. If they found us, it would be bad, not to mention finding you. It would be a complete nightmare if they found and caught you. That’s why, when I'm not too tired, I’ll teach you to fly. Then, in a few more years, you will be able to use magic...if you're like me. If you're like your father, you’ll learn by accident way sooner.” Her following laugh made her cough violently. Humans...I do enjoy my first real family, but I kinda miss human contact. I would like it if I could eventually hold a conversation with one. Even an elf would be fine...they aren't much different--at least the ones I know aren't. “Settle down. If you're hungry, you could try catching something. Ah, but don't wander off too far.”

“Alright, mother.” My first time going outside alone! Can I do this? I gripped the edge of the cave and looked down. It’s so high...I’ll fall if I'm not--my thoughts slammed to a stop when I remembered my wings. I've already gotten down how to move them around...can I at least glide down? I spread my wings tenderly and gazed down. My mother chuckled and I knew she was watching. Proud, or just finding me goofy? Either way, I can't back out now! I was given another chance at life and I should live it to the fullest! I went to jump and ended up scrambling when my mind changed. I was still afraid! My still-soft talons scraped over the ice without finding grip and I slid off the edge. I screeched in fear as the wind pelted my tiny body. Having the memories of a past human life doesn't help! I'm too used to avoiding things like this! Why did I ever think I could change so quickly?! Without realizing it, my instincts made me spread my wings. I yelped when I lurched, my fall interrupted. When did I open my wings? I was still falling, just slower. I’d have to angle different to go forward...I straightened out and pointed my nose at my destination. However, I had fallen further than I knew and promptly slammed into a snowbank head-first. I lay inside the deep snow, trying to figure out what had just happened. My mind had been overridden by my draconic instincts! I thought about that height again and I only flinched a little. Woah! I'm not near as afraid anymore! Hmmm...this snow is so warm. Shouldn't it be cold to the touch? That was what I remembered as a human, but now it felt amazing. It seemed to be radiating warmth for me to enjoy, almost like it was a fuzzy fur coat. I lay there for who knows how long, too comfortable to move. Small squeaks underneath me made me freeze and tilt my head. When the sound grew louder, like it was under me, my body moved on its own and I dived deeper. I automatically opened my mouth when I did. To my further surprise, when something furry touched me, I snapped at it and pulled it out of the hole. A vole! I hadn't eaten for a week and didn't bother to have it cooked when its blood dripped on my tongue. I was far too starved for patience. I repeated this process over and over until I finally felt full.

That was...strange. I feel so satisfied that I know I'm guilty. My mother needs food too. Sadly, now that I was no longer hungry, I couldn't properly follow the movements of the voles under and around me. I don't think I would be able to climb back up even if I did catch something, so I might have to stay here. No, not this low. I need to at least climb up as much as I can. I wiggled out of the snow to see the darkened sky signaling dusk. A shiver of terror ran down my spine when I registered that the night was coming and the dangers with it. Scrambling along, I scurried up the steep incline until I got to a point uncrossable for a small body. Giving up on getting any further, I buried myself so deep that I pressed against the cool and smooth mountain rock. I may be able to stay safe here. I tried to sleep but found it impossible. I was awake through the scary night, listening to the howling of dyre wolves and the snarling of wyverns. Why doesn't mother hunt those? She’s bigger than them, wouldn't it be easy to break their spinal cord in a fight? I poked my head out when I heard the muffled chirping of birds nearby. It’s day! I didn't sleep at all! I crawled out and sighed. I had told myself I was a slim and very streamlined dragon, but I was chubbier than expected. I hadn't fully noticed that until I saw my reflection last night on the ice beside me. I even found out my eyes were golden, just like my mother’s. I should not expect too much from a body that is only two years old...I'm still a baby. I looked up at the cave, losing hope of making it up there alone. Father will be home sometime soon...I shook my head and spread my wings with a determined expression. If I can't climb, I’ll fly! I jumped up and down, flapping my wings desperately. She said she’d teach me once she got better, so I'm old enough to fly! My hind paws slipped on one jump and I fell off the mountain. Ah! I just need to open my wings! My sparkling wings snapped open to slow my fall. I took the chance to try beating my wings, trying to engage my natural instinct. I can feel it coming...I balanced out when the basic idea of flight with this body just up and appeared in my mind.

Where did that come from?! I struggled to make my way upwards. Only knowing the basics makes this harder than I thought. The cave came into view and I reached out, gripping the edge with my front paws and flapping to get the rest of me inside. I flew! It was a bit awkward, but I flew! My mother was sleeping in the depths of the cave, so I went to her and curled up, exhausted. Relieved, I finally fell asleep.

<->4<->

I felt like I could barely move. I opened my eyes sleepily to see my parents chatting quietly. When they noticed I was awake, they smiled. My mother spoke gently, saying, “Hello, Zavi. You've been sleeping for an entire week. How are you feeling?” I was out for that long?!

“I can't move…”

“Wait for your body to finish waking up. You must've eaten until you were way past being full. You've grown so much because of that.” I have? I looked down to notice that my scales were harder, my claws sharper, and my wings bigger. “I never realized you had your father’s ability to grow faster and stronger by eating more than necessary.”

“Hey, wasn't that last part unneeded? Besides, I don't know how it’ll work in the second generation, nor what will happen with a female possessing it. You should be grateful she even woke up this soon.” My mother snapped at him, making him yelp when she plucked a scale in the process.

“Hush up. Give her something to eat.” He tossed a small chunk of meat my way and I automatically snatched it before it hit the ice.

“See, she moves fine.”

My mother growled at him and he looked away. “Teach her to fly yourself then. She’ll have to be able to travel long distances eventually if we’re gonna move. Now hurry up!” He dodged her second snap and picked me up after retracting his fangs.

“So pushy.” She bit his tail for the remark and he hurried away. He set me down at the edge and sighed. “Open your wings.” I did. “Stand up first.” I tilted my head and did as he asked. “Watch me closely. He leapt past me, spreading his wings and beating them down the moment he had the room. I marveled at seeing a dragon flying for the first time. He had seemed too bulky and huge all the time, but right now he looked as agile as a cat. His wings changed position to make him turn. I noticed that he bent the tips of his wings in opposite directions to turn or loop back. He slowed and hovered, watching me. “Your turn.” What?! How could I ever be able to fly that gracefully?! “Come, or I will not give you your share of meat tonight.”

“Huh?!”

“I'm not asking you something hard. Just come to me.” I slid my paws closer until my fingers were hanging over the edge to grip. He huffed as he began to lose patience, a cloud of icy cold mist shooting out his nostrils. If mother breathes fire, what about him? If his element was fire, that would've been smoke, not mist. Not sure what he could do to me from over there, I closed my eyes and jumped into the open air. The basics sped through my mind and I evened out, drifting on the startlingly strong winds. I didn't know they were this strong up here! I gritted my fangs in my effort to stay in the air. “Hahaha~! What are you doing?! Hahahaha~!” His laughter made me growl. To my further annoyance, it sounded babyish and cute instead of mean and intimidating like his. I opened my eyes to glare at him only to find I was much higher than expected. Woah! How’d I get here?! “You should pay more attention!” He shot past me, flying up to the clouds. Wow...his scales make it hard to see him against the pale blue sky. Can I eventually fly like that? He furled his wings and dived, the speed of his passing making me tumble through the air. He laughed at me again and flew under me. “Can you catch me?” His taunting worked. I hissed and tried to chase him. It became a ridiculous game of tag that was mostly one-sided. I was all over the place, mangling how a dragon is supposed to fly while my father laughed and swooped around deftly. “You've got to do better than that!”

“Father!” My irritated shout just made him chuckle. After a few hours of this ridiculous game, I showed up in front of his snout and landed on his head. “Hah! I caught you!”

“You sure did. Now that you can fly so well, why don't you get off me?” He tossed his head, throwing me off. I was too busy being stuck on his words to panic though. I can...fly well? I focused on what I was doing and I found more than the basics flowing through my mind, but everything. Woah…! He taught me to fly by making me mad! Excited, I dashed back to the cave, zooming right past him and up to mother.

“Look, look!” I flew in circles around her head.

“Oh, how wonderful! Tell you what, next week, when your father leaves, you can go outside on your own for the day! As long as you come back by at least the next day, then you can do whatever you want.” Awesome! We celebrated, even when my father came in grumbling because I was faster than him. At least he brought food with him, so the mood brightened even further. We ended up having fun all night.

<->5<->

I danced from paw to paw waiting for my mother. A week has now passed and she has declared I'm ready to try my ‘paw’ at survival. “Patience. Your father left while you were asleep, so I have to maintain the condition of the cave.” She sighed after finishing up, turning to face me. “You can leave now. I expect you to be back by tomorrow and no later.”

“Okay!” I leapt out, delighting over the rushing of the wind across my scales. Over the week of continuous practice, my wings had become sturdy enough to carry me properly and automatically moved according to my wishes. I've gone out before, but not on an adventure like this! She doesn't care where or how far I go as long as I make it back tomorrow. I went higher so I could drift on the stronger gusts of winds. I had discovered not long into flying that flying against the wind was a small amount easier than going with it. Since the wind is going to the north, I’ll head south. After a long few hours of flying, trees started showing up, dispersed around the area. It’s getting really warm. When the trees got closer together and started forming a forest, I noticed small rodents that looked exactly like the ones I knew in my previous life. Curious and a bit homesick, I dived to get closer. Of course, they spread out and hid upon my approach, but their scent still remained. Ah...I never noticed what they smelled like before. Sadly, the scent of animals is making me hungry. Hmmm...comparing myself to the birds and rodents I've seen, I’d be about the size of a dalmation dog from earth. What is this world called anyway? I’ll find out eventually. I landed, taking a stroll through the thickening forest, relishing the scenes and smells of everything there. Maybe I can spend the night here...that would be nice. But, after perhaps half an hour or so of walking, I realized the forest was too quiet. I didn't hear anything but my own breathing and movements. Something’s definitely wrong. I stopped, listening for any sound. A low growl from behind sent a shiver down my spine. Whatever it is has been concealing its presence until it noticed I knew something was off.

Now it has no reason to hide anymore! When that dawned on me, I felt like an idiot, especially when three wolves stepped out snarling at me. I trespassed on their territory! I ran immediately, finding it impossible to fly with so many trees. I'm not good enough to get through all those branches yet! I was looking back when I slammed head-first into what I thought was a boulder, but turned out to be the side of a cliff that went straight up. How do I get out of this?! Hearing them coming after me, I made an attempt to change direction only to find I was tangled up in the vines growing on the cliff and from the ground. No! I was starting to regret being happy that my horns had been growing in. I struggled to get free in vain, afraid of the snarls directly behind me. I gritted my fangs and turned around to stare them down. If I die, I’ll go down fighting! Right as that thought finished giving me the determination to stand my ground, the one in the front yelped. It took me a moment to figure out that something had hit the wolf and sent it flying. Is it mother or father?! A pair of leather-covered feet appeared in front of me and I froze. Is that…! “B-back off! I-I'm n-not a-a-afraid of you!” A human boy with ruffled black hair was standing in front of me, holding a large stick that almost, almost, mind you, qualified as a branch. All I can see is his back...but it’s clear to me this is the mideval times or something. His clothes are just tanned pelt. Why is he helping me? The wolves hesitated, their eyes on the unconscious wolf. “Go a-away!” He threatened them with the stick and they submitted, growled one last time, and took off. They left their companion...they don't seem to function as a very good pack. The boy turned to face me and I became enraptured by his eyes. They were a crystal-like version of my father’s, but a lighter tone for sure. Pale, icy-blue eyes...I can't look away…! “Are...y-you okay?” He knelt and reached for me. I freaked out from the motion and flinched away, hissing. He bit his bottom lip and tried again. What does he want?! I don't know how the humans in this world think! I hissed again so he used the stick to gently pin me against the flat rock so he could come closer. Ah! Now what?!

I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting the worst...but nothing happened. After a minute, he pulled the stick away without having touched me at all. I peeked open an eye to see that all the vines had been cut away or untangled! Why does he keep helping me?! I watched the boy suspiciously. If I was human right now, I might've thanked him, but I'm not. I don't know what he’s planning. “You're free now...are you g-going to go?” He looks and sounds like a nervous wreck. Does he actually know what I am? He tapped a finger on his knee before pulling off his glove and holding out his hand carefully, his palm flat and facing the sky. He’s treating me like you would a dog...that’s fine. This is the first human contact I've had in so long! I’ll take this opportunity to see if I can get closer to him. “I-I'm a friend...are you…?” Abandoning all caution for the moment, I came forward to smell his hand. Smells like wood--a fireplace. Come to think of it, he’s really dressed up in very warm clothes. Another scent aroused my curiosity and I slipped closer, my muzzle bumping his hand. He’s warm...I like it. Ah, I mean, why am I happy over that? I'm immune to the cold but getting happy over warmth...I'm definitely not normal. The last scent I had a hard time identifying was the smell of animals. I froze up when his hand moved, seeming to be trying to pet me. He’s so nervous...I don't think he proposed any real danger so trusting him might be good. That, and I want his warmth. With only that thought in mind, I stepped to the side and climbed into his lap so I could slip between his thick fur coat and his shirt. He was at a loss and fumbled around to find where I’d gone. “A-are y-y-you cold?” He stood up straight and I gripped his shirt tighter, struggling not to fall. “Oh! Sorry!” He wrapped his arms underneath me from outside the coat.

Still avoiding touching me? Alright, I'm okay with that. “I...I’ll get you s-something to eat!” He began running, which was bumpier than I liked. I know I'm big because I'm barely small enough to fit in even this huge coat, but he’s carrying my weight like it’s nothing. He must be stronger than he admits. Where is he taking me? I can always fight back if he intends harm, but I'm not feeling any warnings from my instincts whatsoever. Rather, I want to protect him. It suddenly became much warmer and I smiled. This is very nice. Too curious to stay hidden, I hopped out of his coat to land on a wooden floor. Gazing around, I ended up gaping at my surroundings. I'm in a house! But there’s no-one else here! Does he live alone? “Here…” I turned my head to see him grabbing something from the cupboards. He set fried fish in a bowl and placed it in front of me. It’s fish! I haven't tried that yet! And it’s cooked! “I'm sorry it’s already cooked...you would want it raw, right…?” He trailed off when I dove at the meat. “You must've been hungrier than I thought!” Is it just me, or has his stutter started to disappear? Eh, I’ll deal with it if it becomes bad. Now that I think about it, his clothes aren't in the best condition. He got on his knees and leaned forward to touch me. I watched him closely but didn't respond, even when his hand brushed my scales. Its doesn't feel horrible, just weird. I used to be human, but my behavior is already being influenced by my species. Now that I'm a dragon, is my brain structure different as well? Most likely. He moved his hand down my back, stroking me. Why? I'm not a cat… “You're so smooth...and cold. Was that enough food?” I'm not certain he’ll understand me if I try to talk, or how he’ll react. His language is the same as the one in my previous life, but a bit different than the one I learned as a dragon. Instead, I just nodded. “You...u-understood me?” I rolled my eyes at him, starting to get tired of speaking to this kid. “So...are you really a dragon? I wasn't sure since you're so small...I thought dragons were bigger.” I chirruped at him in my depressingly babyish voice. “Oh...are you a kid? Can't dragons talk?” He knows about that? “Maybe you're too young to speak. My name’s Xyon...or Senra. Depends on which parent you want to agree with. I usually go by Senra Xyon, but I don't think anyone knows about the name Xyon.” His eyes were beginning to be a bit watered. He’s trying not to cry right now...let’s distract him.

I pushed the bowl away and climbed into his lap, trying to ask where his parents were with my eyes. He watched me carefully before nodding. “Yes, I'm alone. My parents died a few years ago. When my father died, I had to watch my mother fall apart trying to keep me fed. My father was a beastkin, my mother was human. Because too many hate beastkin, they forced my mother to work herself to death on the premise that she was ‘filthy’ for having a child with one.” He blinked and a small tear slowly dripped down his cheek. “No-one in the village wanted me, so I'm living in our old home, where I was born. My father...he’d protected us when we were attacked, but it got him killed.” Killed...something wanted him dead then. “I...I wasn't sure if I could approach you...because my father was killed by a dragon.” I tensed up and narrowed my eyes, but he didn't seem to notice. “It was...a sickly green dragon with red eyes and dark yellow spikes...so I knew you weren't that dragon…” Hm, I’ll have to ask mother about this. She might know what dragon he’s talking about. He started sobbing and I remembered he was a kid, one who didn't have much control over their wavering emotions yet. I stood on my hind legs, placed my front paws on his chest, and brought my muzzle close to lick a tear off his cheek. Oh, tastes pretty neat. He became quiet, only sniffling. A child has to be handled differently than a teen or adult, but it’s easier than most think. He lifted his arms and hesitated to wrap them around me. I eyed his hands for a moment before leaning closer. He doesn't have anyone to talk to or trust...it’s normal for him to want to hug the first ally he finds. I feel bad that I’ll be leaving tomorrow. I shouldn't have gotten so close to him. “I...should go to bed. It’s been two days since I've slept.” I can tell...he’s been drooping for a while now.

I started to move to go away, but his grip only tightened. “No...please...let me stay like this for just a little longer…” He stood, walked across the room, and lay down on a wooden bed. “You're heavy…” He closed his eyes and put his head on his straw-filled pillow. It wasn't long until he fell asleep holding me. You know, now that I'm closer, he smells like a fireplace and wolves mixed in with fish and roots. It’s strange but not unpleasant. I need to leave as soon as possible, so sleeping now to go back tomorrow would be a good choice. I cuddled closer and was soon lulled to sleep by his breathing and heartbeat. My dreams carried me into the clouds and took me on adventures. It was around midnight that I was startled awake by him tightening his grip by double. I would've started clawing my way free but his whimpering made me pause to see what was wrong. It surprised me to see his human ears had been replaced by big wolf ears on the top of his head. They were pinned down tight and his eyes were squeezed shut, his brows furrowed. He looks...frightened. A nightmare? Ugh...he has to let go...it hurts...I wiggled around to get my tail free. I used my tail to pry one of his hands off me. Woah! I stared at his hand when I noticed his nails had turned into claws with points almost as sharp as my talons. He did say his father was a beastkin...but what even is that? His lips moved like he was saying something, but not a sound came out.

In the dragon language, I said, “Wake up.” Talking in another tongue like that is better than him waking up and hearing me speak in his. Giving up on speaking, I sighed and bit his nose. His eyes snapped open and he let go of me, shoving himself off the bed with a yelp. Oh...he has a big fluffy tail too--both ears and the tail are black like his hair. Is that normal? He was breathing very hard, his eyes wide with fear.

When he registered that it was only me, he closed his eyes. “You...it was you.” He touched his nose and laughed lightly. “Thank you.” The wolf features shrank away and he looked like a human again. So this is why they don't want him in the village. They must think he’s a freak...but I believe it’s cool. I blinked when he passed out right where he was. Ah...seems he’s just fine. As for me, I should start heading home. I hopped off the bed and went to the door. Oh...how do I open it? I looked at my paws and then reached up, grabbing the knob and turning it. Much easier than I thought. The door creaked open, waking him up again. “Ah! You're leaving?” I felt guilty when I looked at him. “I heard that dragons don't remember anything or anyone they met when they grow up...are you going to forget me?” I tilted me head at him. I wouldn't think so, but maybe I should do something to make him feel better. Perhaps I’ll visit him when I grow up. I took a moment to search for a loose scale. After finding one, I tore it the rest of the way off. Huh, felt no different than pulling a hair. I tossed it over to him and dashed out the door into the blizzard. This action set many things into motion I didn't understand at that time, but they would definitely eventually catch up to me. I fought the storm, trying to find a sense of direction. Thirty second breaks every half hour helped me change direction, but I knew I was lost, I just didn't want to admit it. At some point, when my wings were stinging and the joints felt like they were on fire, I fell into the snow the way a rock would. I lay there in despair. My life was in a lot of danger right now, danger I had no way of completely comprehending as of yet. Rather than worry too much more, I buried myself underneath the snow so I could tell the four cardinal directions apart.

I made my way home like a worm, refusing to come out of the warm snow. I don't know when I’ll get back or how far it is, but this is as much as I can do right now. I went on until I became so exhausted I couldn't move any further. I should be almost there...but I can't tell without being able to see. Just as I was beginning to let myself relax to regain energy, three very long and very sharp talons shoved down from above and grabbed hold of me, yanking me out. It’s one of those birds that I saw when father came home for the first time! Its cruel hooked beak pecked at me, but I dodged every attack, pissing it off. It shrieked in rage and went higher with a tighter grip. My scales creaked under the pressure. But that was when I saw my nest about five miles away. I'm so close! Taking a deep breath, I shouted, “Mother! Help me!” No response. The bird’s responding laughter made me cringe. It knows what I just tried and failed to do...it’s smarter than I thought. With the deepest breath I had ever taken in this life or the other one, I screamed, “Mother! Help me!” Nothing. I lost hope upon the realization that I was too quiet to be heard from so far off. It felt as if my very soul had been ripped out. Maybe because I trusted my mother just that deeply that it hurts so much. Right as I was about to give up, my human and dragon minds completely integrated into one another in acceptance. For all this life I had shoved the dragon part of me aside, thinking it was of no value...but now I found out just how wrong I was. With newfound strength and a terrifying willpower, I took a breath that seemed to gather both the icy cold around me and the heat from me and the bird. With surprisingly great power that would be extremely hard to replicate, I roared, “MOTHER! HELP ME!” Huh?! If I'm capable of that much power, why am I still shouting for help? I realized my body had now become limp and understood.

That’s right...I'm a baby. A roar that sounded like a volcano blasted toward me and my attacker, signaling my mother’s will to protect. She charged out of the cave and headed right for the bird. It was panicking over two things--the incredibly loud baby it was going to eat and the fire-breathing mother dragon coming to roast it alive to save said baby. In my mother’s rage, she disregarded me and blasted her flames at the bird. I was amazed at the destructive power of her attack, even as it swirled like a tornado to entirely encompass it--in other words, it also came at me. I was frightened when I noticed that, but when it touched me, I felt nothing. Nothing. Does my body have an advanced cooling and heating system or something? Because this is insane! As it died, its grip was gone...but as I fell free, the talons sliced my underbelly. Ouch! My mother was there in an instant, scooping me up in her paws and instantly taking me back to the cave. When we got there, she set me in the center of the nest and fussed over me. “Zavi! Why’d you go and get yourself caught?! And now you're hurt! Let me close them…” They aren't even that deep...they’re more like those scratches one gets from playing with a kitten. "Stay still so I can heal you." She placed a talon on me and it began to glow with a faint golden light. Was that...magic?! The scratches were healed so well, no trace was left behind. I was lucky. She scooped me up again and held me tight against her chest, her wings curling around us protectively. "You startled me...I was so frightened for you." Her eyes squeezed shut and a tear dripped onto my face. Dragons can cry? "Still though...I'm impressed. You made that loud roar with such a tiny body from so far away. I'm proud of you." She nuzzled me with a crooning sound. "Your father will be simply ecstatic to learn you can already use magic." Huh? That was magic...and I used it?!

"Mother, can you teach me magic?"

"Of course! I'll teach you what I know before your father can! Haha, don't worry, you'll learn healing magic first so as to endure his harsh magic!" That...is terrifying! I don't want to learn from him! "We'll begin tomorrow." Now that the adrenaline had faded away, the fear of what that magic could be made me pass out. I had already been tired, but this was insane!

<->6<->

It has been almost four months since I came back and starting learning magic. I have nearly mastered healing magic to a degree far greater than my mother's ability, so she had taught me a few other things. This mainly had to do with breathing fire and hunting. She even went so far as to make me cook my own food. Although that made me really good, I'm not entirely too pleased with her snickering every time I turn food into ash on accident. My father will be home soon, so I'll have to be ready for whatever training he has in store for me. After another few hours of hunting and grilling, the familiar creaking of massive wings made me smile. He's back! I watched him land in the cave with a mixture of joy and regret. I'm not sure what mother meant back then, but it does kinda worry me. He smiled back and tapped my wing with his. I had come to the conclusion that this was their form of a high five. "Something about you seems different...is your mana pool larger than before?" Mana Pool? What's that?

"Mother has been teaching me magic! Look, I can breath fire and use healing magic!" I let my claws glow and puffed out opal flames simultaneously.

"Awesome, but has she taught you to combine them yet? Or light yourself on fire to enhance your power?"

"Uh...no, she didn't even mention those."

"Perhaps another time then. I need to speak with your mother. Where is she?"

I cocked my head. He wants to speak with her? "She might be at the hot springs right now." He nodded to me and left. Must be something important for him to go so quickly. All I know of her location is her mentioning using up the water's heat before it was gone, then disappearing. They'll come back eventually though, so I'm not all that worried. I stared out the cave as he flew away, watching his graceful flight. I had asked my mother about the green dragon Xyon mentioned, and her eyes had filled with intense fear. She had wanted to know if I’d seen that dragon, her tone sharp. I said no, that I’d heard of it mentioned by other animals on my trip. All she told me of the dragon was that it was an enemy of all creatures alive and was to be avoided at all cost. Never said why, just to stay away from that dragon. Maybe she’ll explain more when I'm older. I messed around until nightfall, practicing magic and jumping off ledges to get rid of my fear of heights. It’s getting dark...shouldn't they be back by now? I paced in the cave fussily, upset by their long absence. Where are they? Are they okay? I'm not going to be an orphan again, right? I passed out from exhaustion sometime in the middle of the night, only to wake up and discover they still weren't back. I continued on, forcing myself to eat and practice magic. At some point near noon, I discovered I was crying nonstop. I wasn't making any sound, just blinking and having tears stream over my face. It was then that I realized the trauma from my previous life hadn't gone away...but gotten worse. I found it getting harder and harder to breathe or stay still, even my hunger had vanished. There was almost a cloud of despair and terror surrounding and following me constantly. That’s right...I had been abandoned before. They had gotten attacked by a mugger which resulted in my mom’s death. After that, my dad fell apart and forgot about me and her by going to bars without end.

After consuming too much alcohol, he died in his sleep, on a park bench. Of course, I had been staying home the whole time. The first night I’d had a friend staying for a sleepover, so I wasn't bothered by it. But, after they left, it eventually dawned on me that I was still alone, that my parents hadn't come back yet. I waited patiently like they’d taught me, but that got nowhere. In fact, it was close to two months before social security showed up and took me to an orphanage. A lady with cruel eyes told me the whole story without any restraint, even though I was only six years old. To me, I don't feel like I ever had parents in the first place...I don't even remember who they were. All I know is how they left me and died. I gasped when I noticed the sun was setting. No, no, no...please don't leave me again! I curled up in a fetal position and buried my face under my paws. I couldn't sleep from the stress and just remained frozen like that, hoping beyond hope it wasn't happening again. I faintly remember a rush of air, the soothingly cold touch of icy scales, and the rhythmic beating of a giant heart.

<->7<->

When I woke, I had to pause to figure out what was happening. A cloudy blue opal paw was gently pressed against me protectively. It’s...my father! My anxiety disappeared and I grabbed a tight hold of him, desperate for comfort. He woke up and hugged me back. “I'm so sorry...when I got back, I never expected to find you in here in that state. You were so limp I thought you were dead at first.” I cried, pressing my muzzle against his. “Your mother had to switch roles with me. Apparently, the humans have seen me too many times and filed a hunting report on me, so she had to go. Also, it would be rather hard to teach you anything in just a few days.” He spoke gently, trying to soothe me. “She might be gone longer than I was...nah, she’ll definitely be gone for a few years. I always had to rush back to find her the proper amount of food and help her heat up before she perished. I'm afraid this arctic cold could be deadly to her.” I only rubbed my face on his scales with a strange sense of joy. I wasn't left behind! He came back and she’ll be home later! “I understand that must have been harder on you than we thought...you didn't think we abandoned you, right?” I laughed while sobbing again. I'm just glad I was wrong!

“Father...please don't do that again…” He made a crooning noise that was much deeper than mother’s had been.

“Alright, little one. Do you want to just rest today?” I nodded and he smiled. “Then training can wait til tomorrow.” We cuddled closer and stayed there all day.

<->8<->

I yawned and stretched, rubbing against my father’s scales. “Awake? Good. Get up, rest time is over.” He stood up, using his tail to make me do the same. “We have quite a bit to do. Follow me.” Rather than leaving like I thought we were, he turned away from the cave mouth and traveled further into the nest. I've never gone any deeper than this...what is he going to teach me back there? I trailed behind him, a little afraid of what may lay ahead. It began to get very dark and I hesitated. He stopped and I bumped into his leg. “What’s wrong, Zavi?” I stayed silent, not sure how to respond. “Let your eyes refocus and stop paying attention to the absence of light.” I wavered between doing as he said or refusing. In the end, I decided to go along with what he’d told me. To my surprise, everything lit up as if the sun could reach all the way back here. I’d always had night vision, but it had never been like this! “Better?”

“Very much so…”

“Hmmm...I was wondering whether you could use it or not.”

“What do you mean?”

He continued walking and began, “I belong to the water element, the opposite of your mother who belongs with fire. She taught you what her element is capable of and you soaked it all up, so…” Ah, I see, since the two are opposites it’s very unlikely for me to be able to use both. “But you have the night vision that the water dragons can use.”

“So you use water magic?”

“Hm, yes and no. while I do belong to that specific element, I'm just a mere category of it. The highest section, but still.” Ah! That’s right!

“Can you tell me more about the sections?” I don't know the hierarchy of the dragon tribes. I do understand they're four tribes separated by their element, but nothing more than that.

“Sure. Water users, while it is the name of the element, are at the bottom. They can at most spit water at opponents. As you go higher, you get some who can control water at their will, all the way to those who can harness the power of ice, like me. Those ones can freeze as well as melt the water at will, so they're a force to be reckoned with.” I nipped him and he laughed, his scaly lips curving into a grin. “Any who use ice can survive in even the coldest temperatures. I believe the same goes for your mother’s tribe. The stronger you are, the more likely you are to be able to use lava.” Lava?! “That would be the fire’s only relation with earth. Ah, here we are.” He stopped at a smooth deep blue wall that had an extremely thin layer of ice running over it. “You know how to breath fire, right? Explain it to me.”

Explain how fire is used? Not sure how that’ll help, but I’ll do it anyway. “Focus on the heat radiating from your body (if there isn't any in the air or others) and center it into your core by inhaling. From there, let your lungs feel the warmth as something soothing, then breathe it out.”

“So that’s how she explained it to you? Jeez, you're an awfully smart little dragoness. I want you to do the same, but with the cold. When you breathe in, allow the cold to be a refreshing chill that re-energizes you with its friendly icy blast. Then release it.” Wow, they're even complete opposites for using the power. One is soothing while the other is refreshing. Like how I pictured one would bundle up with a blanket in winter for fire, I imagined sitting on a beach in the blasting summer sun with an ice-cold water. I thought through the process many times until I coughed, a tiny cloud of mist trailing up and disappearing. “Very good. Keep going.” Hmmm...if using it as breath, wouldn't it be like that character from that disney movie? Frozen, right? I took a deep breath and activated my mana. When I let it out, it came as a solid blast of freezing mist that turned to ice when it touched a surface. My father watched wide-eyed. “You…” I stopped with a gasp, shocked at the huge difference between the two elements. Is he...mad? What did I do wrong? “You're already so advanced!” His voice hit a high note in his excitement and he picked me up, giving me a huge hug. He’s so much larger than mother is...it’s really strange. “I can't believe you can use powerful skills in both elements! That’s really rare!”

While he was spinning and hopping around, I came to a realization. “Father…”

“Yes, my brilliant Zavi?”

“If the dragons live in a tribe together...why are we isolated?” He froze and looked at me with sadness.

“I'm sorry if not having any friends your age is bothersome, but there’s not much we can do about it. All I can say is that fire and water aren't supposed to be near each other. I’ll tell you more when you're older.” He set me down and left with a heavy air about him. I don't think there’ll be any more training for a long while...I should've kept my big mouth shut! Seriously, why can't I ever learn?!

<->9<->

The sun shone gloriously as it rose on the horizon. I've been living with my father for four years now and my mother still hasn't returned. At least I've continued to practice what she taught me as well as what my father pounded into me. It has been the same everyday so far, which basically means not much has happened except basic survival. He’s still asleep in the deepest part of the cave--apparently the nest ‘wasn't cold enough’. For the past two years I've been hunting for my own food altogether...unless he happens to catch something huge and shares with me. I leapt off the ledge and spread my wings, enjoying the scents carried on the wind. I think I’ll fly around for a while. Unlike my mother, he doesn't seem to be quite as attentive to me so I can vanish for a few days without him batting an eye. Kinda sad, really. Well, after getting his permission to leave anytime under the condition I learn every language, it almost makes sense, actually. I feel like I've forgotten something important...I debated over it for a few minutes and shrugged. If it was that important, it’ll pop to mind at some point. At least I'm fluent in every language now, so if it something to do with that, it won't matter much. I tasted the air testingly. Seems a storm will come in again tonight...same old, same old, I guess. The ensuing hours had become almost boring from being so inactive. Rather ironically, right after that thought, a continuous shouting sound caught my attention. What’s that? I drifted on the wind, searching for movement on the white ground. My head jerked to the side when motion flashed in the corner of my eye. There, I saw what seemed to be a human running from a group of dyre wolves--giant and nasty cousins of normal wolves. Should I help them? It doesn't necessarily concern me and the person might attack me...I saw them stumble multiple times, seeming to spew curses every time they got a mouthful of snow. Ah screw it, I'm going in. I furled my wings, diving at the retreating human. Well, it could really be any of the humanoid species, but I'm gonna go with human for now. I prepared all four of my legs for the impact, certain I would have to use all of them to carry the human.

I'm almost three times the size I was, but the weight is the main issue. The jumped off a tall snowbank right as I grabbed them. Wow, they made that easy for me. Since they’d been airborne, it had been much simpler to grab their arms and sides. The person became very stiff with surprise. Better reaction than others might have had. I beat my wings to gain height, not wanting to deal with the wolves at the moment. I brought the human up to a conveniently placed glacier and set them down. The person stumbled and waved their arms to balance while I landed nearby. There are so many glaciers in this place that it’s almost like a maze...way more than there are around the cave. I observed the surroundings before remembering the human. I faced the hooded person skeptically. They have some really thick clothing and a huge hood on...what were they doing out here? I flinched when they asked, “D-did y-y-you s-save me?” That voice...sounds familiar...I smelled the air and blinked. Wolves and firewood. Where have I encountered that before? Not sure whether it was good or bad I remembered them, I approached menacingly. The human’s entire demeanour changed as they backed up hurriedly, falling. I stood over them as they tried to scoot away, letting a low growl threaten them. The hood slipped off, revealing startlingly icy blue eyes and black hair with big wolf ears pressed over their head in fear. I fell silent instantly.

They covered their face when I opened my mouth to speak. The first word that popped out of my mouth was, “Xyon?” Ah! That’s the name of the boy that was in the forest! He stared at me, not seeming to understand. “Xyon! You're Senra Xyon, right?!” I'm sure glad I learned other languages!

“H-how do you…?” I used my thumb and fore talons to pick up the tiny opal scale hung around his neck.

He kept it! “You made it into a necklace? How’d you even get a hole in it? I didn't think you'd hold onto it at all.”

“Ah...ah…!” His eyes widened in realization. “Y-you're the b-b-baby dragon from the f-forest!”

“I sure am.” I stepped beside him and offered my wing. “I'm sorry. Let me help you up.” He grabbed my wing hesitantly and let me help him. I made a mistake that might come back to bite me later. “I had no idea it was you.” As he calmed down, I saw his wolf ears going away. How does that transformation even work? I tilted my head at him. I wasn't able to talk last time...this must be confusing. “Xyon, I spent a lot of time learning other languages. How have you been?”

Xyon stared at me. Is he not happy with seeing me again…? “You…” His breath wavered and his lips quivered. Huh? When his face went still and blank, I noticed a tear fall down his cheek. At that moment, he suddenly hugged me, wrapping his arms around my neck. In reflex, I flared my wings and raised my front legs off the ground. He’s...giving me a hug? I didn't realise he trusted me that much--especially since a dragon killed his father. His face was hidden, pressed into my scales. “What...what’s your name…?” Oh! I never told him!

How did I forget about that? “Zavi.”

“Zavi...thank you for helping me.” There’s something off…

“What’s wrong?” He tightened his grip.

Hmmm… “I've been trying to get the village to let me in...they said that I could come in if I got them something…” I narrowed my eyes.

“Get what…?”

“Ugh...I agreed but I can't even go high enough.” It feels like he’s stressed out. “I have to get a harpi egg.” Harpi? What’s that? Is it that giant bird?

All I want to know is… “Why? How is an egg important to them?”

“When it hatches, the bird inside can be trained and even ridden. I found one I could reach by climbing, but I was attacked by those wolves.” I sighed at him and he looked up at me.

He’s doing something like this...ugh. “I don't understand...why? Why are you going so far to enter a place that forces you to risk your life? Weren't you happy they didn't force you to live with them when I first met you?”

“Yeah, but--”

“Uh-uh. It was you who said they hated you because you had the blood of a beastkin. Are you planning to do this to live there, breaking any ties you have left to your father? You probably need to bring them an egg anyway if you're worried they’ll hurt you though.” He was very quiet. His breath was ragged but his heart sounded perfectly fine, speeding up only slightly.

“No. I...I won't get it for them...they can do it themselves.” I smirked at him. The stuttering coward is starting to show bravery--they're doomed.

“So you're going back?” He nodded. “How long will it take you to get home?”

“Oh...I should be back by nightfall.” It’s the morning right now! I shook my head at him, not sure whether he was still sane.

“No, no, you're only an hour or so away. I’ll take you back.”

“Huh?! Are you saying you'll carry me?!”

“Yeah, but I'm not big enough for you to get on my back yet. So, I will carry you the same way I did earlier.”

“But I've never flown before…”

“You'll be fine. Let’s go.” He hesitated but soon nodded. I grabbed him and jumped off the glacier. The weight I hadn't noticed before became very apparent now. I hissed through my teeth and dived. I dropped him in the snow so I could land. “Too heavy. Adrenaline does crazy things. Get on my back.”

“But didn't you just say I couldn't do that?”

“As long as I'm not flying, it’ll be fine.” He climbed on my back, sitting with his legs draping over my tightly furled wings. I knew it. He's too big and I'm too small. Too bad, I was kinda hoping for one of those dragon and rider scenarios. “Hold on tight.” I raised my spikes so he could grab them before setting off with as much speed as I could manage. I'm slower, but I'm certain I'm still faster than a horse. I could feel his death grip from his effort to stay on. I did like stories or movies of going to another world, but I truly obsessed with dragon rider ones. I wouldn't mind it one bit if he wanted to get on my back and fly around...when I get bigger. Actually, it would be a dream come true if that happened. Sure, I was the one who wanted to be the rider, but now that I'm the dragon I want to share the excitement. I made sure to continuously glance at him to be certain he was still there. Don't want him to fall off. It took only two hours of taking breaks and resuming sprinting to get him to the forest. I slowed to a casual walk so as to not run into any trees. “See, I got you home before sunset. Go ahead and get off.”

“Wow...you're so fast...I almost fell off…” He seemed to be struggling not to stutter. That must've been scarier than he admitted.

“Are you sure you’ll be fine? I don't think they're going to appreciate you turning down their so-called ‘generous offer’...”

“Uh, yeah...I-I'll be fine.” He avoided looking me in the eye. He’s lying. “Alright then. Since this is your house, I’ll be leaving now.” He quivered as I turned around, but didn't say anything. Once I was out of his sight, I burrowed under the snow and traveled that way. As long as I'm careful, there won't be any different in the snow surface. I listened closely to pinpoint Xyon’s footsteps and then stayed beneath him as he walked. Ah...I kinda feel like a stalker right now. He doesn't know I'm here, which means I can get the pure truth. When he reached his house, there were three other people there. I'm glad I was able to learn my mother’s heat vision. He stopped a few feet away from them and hung his head.

“Ah, Senra! Where is it? Give it to me.” One of the others came up to him and held out his hand.

“I…”

“Come, I can't wait all day!”

“I don't have it…” His muttering was filled with fear. Xyon...he has to go through this?

“What?! Then how am I going to pass the trail?!” Reminds me of bullies in school who want you to give them the answers to tests and make you do their homework.

“Y-you need to...do it yourself…”

“How dare you?! A filthy half-beast like you is telling me what to do?! Damn you!” I had to hold back a roar when the older boy grabbed Xyon by the collar. “You need to learn your place! Get back out there and get me an egg!”

“No...I-I'm not going t-t-to d-do it f-f-f-for you!” His courage was ruined by the tell-tale terror shown in his voice.

“You...you dumb animal! How dare you talk back to me?!” The other two boys came forward and grabbed Xyon’s arms, pinning him against his own house. “Hold him still for me!” when I saw him raising his clenched fist, a felt intense rage tear through my whole being, activating my magic unconsciously. I suppressed it, knowing that it wasn't a good idea to be found. The boy punched the wall beside Xyon’s face with a sneer. “You're too disgusting for someone like me to touch.” I glared at them as they released Xyon. His legs trembled and he fell to his knees. “I'm going to have to take a bath now, after being in your presence. I knew a wimp like you would either die or run away with your tail between your legs.” I sighed when I realized Xyon’s wolf ears and tail had popped into being the moment the boy began to swing his fist. It may be why he’s picked on, but at least it saved him. I could've tried to fight them, but I don't actually know how to fight properly...when I return home, I have to ask my father to teach me to fight. I'm fairly positive dragons are taught around my age and up. Humans are nastier than I was told, possibly even worse than those from my other world. They don't seem to care about anyone else--a world where only the strong survive. I hissed quietly as he walked away laughing. That human boy will need some teaching. I began to use magic but stopped when I realized they might think Xyon had been the one to do it. That’s not fair...ugh! I watched helplessly as they vanished into the forest. I would invite Xyon to stay near or in the cave with me, but I don't think my father would approve.

It could anger him far too much for me to handle. He has been trying to keep me hidden where the humans can't find me...it makes sense. I have to return before I do something that makes the situation worse. I retreated swiftly, mentally vowing to return after getting stronger. The way I am now is...sure, I can use powerful magic, but what happens when I run out of mana? I have no physical strength to speak of...I could barely even carry Xyon! I also have yet to ask my father about the green dragon, so I’ll do that as well. I’ll do my best to grow stronger so I can take Xyon with me to hunt that dragon down to his revenge...otherwise, I'm certain he’ll charge in alone if he sees it. The flight back was tiring, but swift. He’s going to teach me no matter what! I nearly collapsed trying to breathe when I got back, stumbling to the far end of the cave to find my father. He opened his eyes to watch me. “What happened to you? You look like you got hit by a tornado.” The shine in his eyes made me want to bite him. He’s laughing at me!

“Father, I want to learn to fight.”

He raised a scaly brow. “What about the magic I taught you? Isn't that sufficient enough?”

“No! You know that it isn't! My mana won't last forever!”

“Neither will your stamina.”

“But there are plenty of situations it would help in. What if I came across an enemy who could counter my magic? What would I do then?” He smiled at me.

“I don't know...what would you do?” I growled at him and he laughed. “Very well. It should help you get rid of some of that energy.” He got up and started for the exit. “I’ll warn you now that you better know healing magic.” My breath hitched as he walked past me, taking flight to go to the stone platform. Healing...magic…? Like what my mother mentioned…? Ah...please no…!

<->10<->

Of course I’d already realized it would be impossible to avoid it after asking for it, so I had been obedient. But, now that we’re out here, I'm getting scared again. He tilted his head at me and stood straight. “Come at me.” Huh? “Charge. Try to land a hit.” A bit too frightened still to think through it, I did as he asked. He smirked and I was suddenly on my back, slammed down by a force I hadn't seen. What…? His paw...he smacked me! “That’s not going to work~! Try again!” I got back to my paws and glared at him. Let’s see...he’s big, but fast, stronger than me--yeah, no, I don't see any openings. I ran again, watching out for his movements. I was smacked away again, but not before I noticed a flaw. There’s a gap between his eyes creating a solution, the flexion of his muscles in response, and the actual action. He’s...not undefeatable! This means that if I aim for the gap, I can slip through his defense. I dashed into motion, paying attention to his eyes and using them to whip my body around his swinging paw. I did it! I smacked his paw with my tail as I passed, calling out my victory with a whoop. “Well done!” You know, I'm just glad my healing magic had gotten advanced enough to be applied automatically. In other words, even if I was unconscious, it would still activate. “What did you think? Tell me, how did you dodge me?”

“It hurt. And...if I tell you, I won't be able to use it again. Figure it out yourself~!” I smirked at him like he had to me. This made him grin.

“I was worried for a minute. Turns out my sassy little dragoness hasn't changed one bit! Not sure if that’s a good thing though.” I nipped at his scales and he laughed again. “Yep, it's definitely not a good thing! Ready for more?”

“Is this your revenge?”

“Absolutely.” I rolled my eyes at him but continued with it. He had me go to the other side of the platform. “The way to learn is to do it over and over again--experience trumps brute strength.” Well, it’s good to know why he’s bruising me. I studied him. He looks relaxed, but it doesn't take much to tell he’s completely guarded. It's going to be so much harder. I moved with grace, avoiding attacking at random. I paid attention to the plans he came up with and dodged them accordingly. At one point, I understood I would have to fly to avoid his next move. I leapt, using the wind his paw created to easily glide over him. I yelped when his tail came out of nowhere and wrapped around me, plucking me from the air with zero effort. I forgot...dragon tails are prehensile! And so much faster than they should be. I had only barely caught the glint in his eyes before I was grabbed. “Not good enough. Don't be too cowardly. Staying in the air for too long in a fight will expose you far more than being on the ground. Using your wings to get out of the way was brilliant, but not when you went higher. Get back down as fast as you can. I can't let you get in the habit of doing that.” So that’s why he went after me so quickly--to stop me before I got used to it or thought I was being smart. ugh...I have a lot more to learn than I thought. After that, he started waking me up at dawn and having me train till dusk. It continued for a month every day, until my mother finally returned. I was breathing hard where I’d sprawled out on the platform when a shadow fell over me.

“What are you two doing?” My mother! I got up immediately and flew up to meet her. She held out her paws to let me hug her, changing the position of her wings so she was hovering. I rammed into her with glee. “Oh! You've gotten so big! Hey, did my healing magic come in handy?”

“Yes! Father has been teaching me to fight.”

“What?” she sent him an annoyed look. “I thought I was going to get to do that with you…” Oops...but she wasn't here!

He shrugged and flew up slowly. “Don't look at me. She was the one who asked.” Yeah, I did, but I didn't know they had made some sort of deal.

“Besides that, can I ask a question?” I never got the chance to ask my father about that dragon, but now they're both here.

“Sure, my sweet girl,” My mother crooned.

“Uh, don't get mad. Can you tell me about that green dragon?” Her breath hitched and my father tilted his head. He doesn't know what I'm talking about.

“I thought I already did.”

“What green dragon?” Their voices seemed to overlap. Great, one is clueless and the other won't tell me anything.

My mother eyed him for a moment before speaking. “That dragon.” His eyes narrowed and he let out a low growl.

“How does she know about that thing.” His held back rage was quite a sight to behold. His muscles were bulging and instead of smoke, he was snorting out surprisingly hot mist.

“I have no idea. I let her go on a journey right after you left the last time, and she came back wanting answers about it.” Maybe I shouldn't have said anything back then, because now he’s looking at me suspiciously.

My mother let go of me and nudged me closer to him, forcing me to flap my wings frantically to stay aloft. “Zavi, where did you go?”

“Huh? I-I don't see what that has to do with…” The look in his eyes became fiercer. My mother had never been able to interrogate me because she was too gullible...but he had never been that close to me, or bothered to care anywhere near as much as she did. I’m treading dangerous waters. “I went where it felt warmer…”

“Which way? Did you actually see that dragon?”

“South, I think...no, I just heard someone talking about it.”

“South? Who exactly was talking? Another dragon?” I avoided making eye contact. “Zavi, this is far more important than you understand! I need to know, was it another dragon?” He was just barely able to keep his voice patient. More important than I understand? What have they been hiding from me?

“No. Not a dragon.” A twinge of relief passed through his expression.

“What was it then?” I bit my scaly bottom lip with my fangs, discovering they were sharper than I thought when I began to bleed. I don't want to tell them. My mother is listening just as intently as he is...I can't tell them. Although I knew that, they're still adult dragons and I'm just barely out of the infant stage. How could I possibly prevent them from knowing about Xyon? “Zavi...tell me.” My mind was warring with itself. The dragon part was growling at him and demanding to know why I had to give secrets when they didn't, and the human part was beginning to get scared. At least both sides agreed that Xyon was to be kept hidden. What now, genius?

“Ah…” What speaks other than humans? What creatures? Do dyre wolves speak? What about those harpies? No, they don't either. I'm running out of options! Time to play with words! I can't let them interpret what I say next as a lie! “A small group of three humans. They were there hunting dyre wolves and complaining about the cold. They left before night fell, but not before I got a chance to listen to their conversations. I don't know which way they went.” I could've just said I forgot! But then why would I be so sure I didn't hear from a dragon?! This is driving me insane!

Finally, my mother breaks the awkward silence. “Humans? You hadn't learned other languages yet...how would you be aware of what they were saying?” I whirled around to face her instead. I swear my heart skipped a beat at that moment--I could hear it.

“That’s…” It’s easier to face her than my father, but it feels dangerous to turn my back to him, so I changed my angle to assure I could see both of them at once.

“Zavi?” My mother’s probing is much gentler, which does make me feel a little better.

“I...uh...guessed…?” They stared at me.

Eventually, my father drawls, “You understood everything they said...by guessing?” I nodded slowly. I technically did guess, basing it off of what I knew in my previous life. It wasn't until my father started teaching me that I knew for sure it was the same.

A thought popped to mind. “Why? Do you hate other races?” They seemed taken aback. I managed to change the topic to something relatively similar to what we were discussing, just with me asking questions and getting answers instead of them.

“What? Why would you think that?” My mother seemed truly concerned.

Time to get them back somehow. “You were intent on knowing if I was talking about another dragon. You still wanted to know where I found out after that.” I started holding out talons for every one I named. “You question a six-year-old dragon why they could understand another language when they were two...what else? You didn't even try to believe me when I gave you my answer.” By now I was holding up four talons, my thumb still pressed firmly against my palm as if proving a point. I raised the last one testingly and said, “You expect answers when you have secrets yourself.” There was a stunned silence. Just what I wanted.

My mother sighed. “Go back to the cave...no, let me explain. That dragon you wanted to know, is a very cruel and nasty creature. If that thing finds another dragon, that dragon will have to fight for its survival, and...if they lose, the green dragon will kill and eat them. No-one even knows if that dragon is female or male because you can't ever get close enough to see and live to tell about it.” I know someone who did. Xyon. “Every race and creature knows that dragon, but not their gender or age...perhaps hundreds of years to be that powerful. I've told you that much, now let me discuss with your father about the rest. Go to the nest.” She guided me forward, making sure I left. Didn't expect that. I entered into the cave and lay down in the center, where I’d hatched. I still haven't found any clues to my rebirth, but I'm aware I may never find anything. It could've been a random coincidence. Perhaps I'm dreaming all of this--possibly the other way around? What if that human life was this life’s dream? Was I ever human or have I only been a dragon this whole time? It could be anything...any question, any answer, and I’d never know for sure. although...I'm fairly positive my mind isn't creative enough to create a world like this. I sighed in defeat, deciding this train of thought was giving me a headache. I need to think of something else. I should sleep. Yeah, that sounds good. I don't know how long it had been since I’d drifted off into dreamland, but I was shocked awake. What was that?! It came again, a mighty battle roar that shook everything, seeming to make the mountain sway. Huh?! Isn't that my father?! I stumble through the earthquakes he generated to the entrance, gazing out to see what was wrong. I found myself rooted in place at what I saw. My father was fighting with another blue dragon, trying to keep him away from my mother.

“Traitor!” The midnight blue dragon spat in his face and swerved around. Wow...that guy doesn't have a voice near as deep as my father’s, nor as powerful sounding. Hold on--did he just call my father a traitor?!

“I never betrayed you!” My father smacked the smaller dragon away with his tail.

“Then why are you protecting the fire tribe female?!” What’s going on here? That other dragon is smaller than him, yes, but even though they're the same tribe, he isn't colored like an opal. His scales are normal like my mother’s are. Is my father more important than he lets on?

“You have no tiff with her! If your trouble is with me, then fight me!” They break apart and begin circling each other, my mother watching intently. I have a feeling my life would end if I was seen by that dragon. Where did he even come from? Did he follow my mother here?

“I have more for her than for you! That fire tribe is always full of tricks! I'm certain she entranced you to force her onto her side!” It sounds to me like my father used to know this dragon. They clashed once again, locking talons, snapping at their faces, beating the other with their wings, using the tail to land glancing blows. I've never seen anything like this before! My father smacked him in the head, dazing him long enough for my father to pull his head back and inhale, blasting the younger dragon with what looked like incredibly hot water. The dragon barely dodged his attack, splitting off and circling again. My father huffed, appearing as if that wasn't the attack he’d intended. They stopped, hovering to glare at one another. They both breathed in, readying their power. I felt a touch of my father’s magic just before he let out searing fire the color of water--almost transparent. How'd he do that?! He’s a part of the water tribe, right?! The young dragon panicked, swooping underneath in my father’s blindspot and blasting him with icy water that doused his flame momentarily. But that was all the time he needed to drive his two straight and terrifyingly sharp horns into his underbelly, landing a grave blow. No! They were both powerful and quick...my father was winning in the strength department but losing in speed! My father shoved him away, yanking out the horns with a sucking-slurping sound. That’s...he’s hurting my father! Now wounded, my father moved much slower. “I'm sorry, Balthazar, but you're leaving me no choice but to eliminate a traitor!” Balthatzar…? Is that my father?

My father shot him an annoyed look. “You little...you’ve always been a pest, but now you're a mosquito instead of a fly.” His characteristic smirk let me know he wasn't done fighting yet. He’s fine...for now. This made the other dragon snarl and come for him without a tactic. Ah! It’s just like what he did to teach me how to fly! The young dragon unsheathed all his talons and aimed them for my father’s neck and back. At the last second, my father whirled out of the way, using the powerful swing of his tail to knock the dragon spinning out of control. My mother still hasn't done anything to help. Why is she just watching? Shouldn't she be helping him fight? This doesn't make any sense. The one thing I hadn't noticed was how the young dragon had clawed his left eye, leaving my father with only one good eye. The young male did a flip to regain balance, coming for my father. They slammed into each other, once again becoming a tangle of fangs and talons. My mother cried out in dismay when the dragon bit down on my father’s neck, getting a good hold. She turned and retreated, flying past me into the cave. She didn't even pause to recognize me...her mind had been too jumbled and frightened for logical action. The pure brutality of two dragons fighting is an awesome sight to behold, but not one to interfere with. Huh? How did I know that? Their snarling sounded murderous as they continued to tear into each other, my father struggling to get the dragon’s grip off his neck. I'm so scared...scared for my father, my mother, and my home. I felt tears well up in my eyes when my father roared in pain after the dragon bit down harder. No...no...no…! I forcibly shoved off the ledge, rocketing towards the two dragons. For my father! I came in so fast that I stitched a neat hole into the dragon’s right wing. I maneuvered around the bigger dragons, avoiding talons and snapping fangs. I will help him in my mother’s place! I appeared in front of his face blasting fire, making him release my father’s neck and reel backwards. Looking at the way he’s rubbing his eyes, I got him. He growled, blinking his watering eyes, trying to make them focus.

“What just...did that fire tribe just attack me?” His mumbling made me cautious of coming too close. If he is a water element, I should use fire against him. “No...the flame was too small and hot to be her…” He squinted, making another attempt at seeing, but I was no longer paying him any attention. I was fussing over my father who was barely able to breath. He slowly drifted down, lowered himself onto the snow delicately. These wounds are deadly...that dragon...he was going to...going to...kill my father! Rage infuses my whole being as I darted away, ready for my revenge. I may be a child, possibly even a baby, but I can put up a heck of a fight! My talons scrabbled over his tough scales. Not quite sharp or big enough yet. Fine, I’ll go for a different approach. He swiped where I’d been, but I was already gone, choosing to tear at his wings. He took my father’s eye--I’ll take his wing! I was constantly spitting fire as I bit and clawed at the membrane. He tried to fling me off multiple times, but I used that momentum to take whole strips out. He roared, rearing his head back to blast freezing water at me. I breathed out mist that turned it to ice that bounced on my scales harmlessly and fell away. That water was in the negatives for sure...it could probably turn a human to a frozen statue--or a fire dragon--but I'm neither of the two. “Get...off!” He whipped me with his tail and I winced. Ouch! It’s not as heavy as the blows my father lands, but they sting! I flew off and smirked when he smacked his wing again and ended up breaking one of the joints. Hah, I'm not there anymore! What I didn't expect was for him to spread his wings and whack me with them. I yelped in pain and heard an enraged snarl come from the nest.

I witnessed my mother’s full wrath as she charged out of the cave right for him. Her roar sounded like a deranged scream, “You hurt her! Leave or die!” The scarlet dragoness hit him with tremendous force, audibly cracking bones upon impact. “Leave or die!” He spat blood, coughing. She got his ribs. I held my dislocated shoulder while watching her ferocity. Wow, I'm sure glad she’s on my side. I’ll pop this back into place later. The young dragon cried out in dread when she spat lava on his face and back. He fled quickly, not even glancing back for fear of seeing her chasing after him. I learned a valuable lesson today--don't mess with a mother dragon’s child. I think he did too. “Zavi!” She snatched me, shoving my shoulder back into the socket with the force. That hurt, but helped. “You're not hurt, right?!”

“No...I'm fine, mother. Is my father okay?”

“Bal!” I almost laughed at her nickname for him. She took me with her when she went to him, setting me down to tend to his wounds. This situation...is very bad. His blood is staining the white snow bright red, showing just how grievous his condition was. He’ll live, right? I stepped up to join my mother, placing my tiny paws next to hers. “Thank you, Zavi.” The healing magic shone brightly and the gashes began to stitch together. She made a sound similar to a dog’s whine, her eyes narrowed. “You father is going to be fine...but he’ll never see out of that eye again. You were very brave. He’s only alive because of you. I...I couldn't move.” ‘Couldn't move’? Was her situation worse than I originally thought? Being here in the icy north has to be painful for her...but they never found somewhere else to live, right? She hung her head with a sigh, then started pressing her forehead against his neck. “We will stay for a few more years...until he completely recovers and adapts to having one eye, moving may be more perilous than staying here. Zavi, I want you to be aware that we won't be here for much longer. Try not to grow too attached to anything.” The first thing that flashed through my mind was Xyon. Why him? Wouldn't I think of something else? What happened for him to become my main concern? That was when I remembered I wasn't human--I'm a dragon now. I’ll have to get used to emotions and reactions I never had before. It might be a while...for me to figure it out, anyway--this feeling for him. Gratitude for saving me? No, I returned the favor. My obsession with dragon rider stories? Not quite. It can't be an attraction, not when I'm a completely different species. This might be something I can't solve...unless it’s pure friendship. Sounds closer than the rest did. My father groaned, opening his eyes to look at us.

“You two...stop…” Mother gently pulled me away from him as he tried to sit up. “Zavi...that was amazing...never...do it...again. You will...from here on out...train without...breaks. Get stronger...to protect yourself...Zavi, as well...as those you care...about.” His voice was shaky and his breath raspy. Sounds like he had internal bleeding before we helped him. He looked at my mother. “Teach her...while...I recover.” That day was never forgotten, and became my stepping stone for the future I would walk. I just didn't know it yet.

<->11<->

It’s been two years, and I've doubled in size. I think I'm about half the size of my mother currently. According to her, this means I’ll be bigger than her when I finish growing. As it turns out, that young dragon back then had definitely been following my mother, recognizing her from almost a decade ago. It doesn't really matter to me, because they never came to get revenge. “Zavi! Pay attention!” I received a hit from her tail on my cheek, causing my head to jerk to the side. I rolled my eyes at her and came back in. Fighting her is way different from battling with my father. While he stands there like a brick wall, she’s as elusive as a snake. I’ve only landed a couple of hits on her, other than with magic. She had even been forcing me to try using both elements at once, combining burning flame with freezing ice for a fire so cold it burned. Reminds me of the blue fire scientists use sometimes--even doctors. It had even turned that very color, which made me rather pleased with myself. I've always liked the color blue. We whipped around each other, trading blows and magic. She smiled when I snapped at her, managing to take a single scale from her neck. We stopped and landed so I could take it from between my fangs and present it to her. “Nicely done!” She examined it, applauding me for taking it flawlessly--not a scratch. It hurts to have a scale pulled out, but they grow back way faster than hair. She tossed it aside and nodded to me. “Again.” We dashed at one another, but before clashing, we jumped, doing a backflip and opening our wings at the same time. She seemed to expect me to do as I always did and start right for her, but I caught her off-guard. When she looked up for me, I was nowhere to be seen. While I opened my wings, it doesn't mean I have to fly...I can just land with my wings spread. Now I leapt, only having to beat my wings once to reach her. Rather than actually use my horns, I headbutted her harmlessly. She yelped, flailing around.

“Got you that time!” After regaining balance, she snorted at me.

“That was nothing like I taught you!” Her eyes were fierce, but soon became gentle. “You did great. I'm sure your father was the one to teach you that?”

“Possibly. Actually, I copied the move that dragon did to father but added to it.” She just hovered there, blinking at me.

“You were watching that closely?” I nodded and she grinned. “You're a force to be reckoned with. I'm certain now that anything used against you will be reflected right back at them. Now that I know that, let’s get serious.” A cold chill ran through me at her words. That sounds painful. When we began, I learned two things; one, I was right, it hurts, and two, my mother is terrifying when she gets serious. After she finally slows down, I droop and become a scaly opal puddle on the platform. “What’s wrong? Weren't you stronger than that?”

“Ugh...it’s too hard. You're too strong.”

“Just because something is stronger doesn't mean you shouldn't try, it means you should just try harder. Who knows, you may become far more powerful than me in the long run.” I doubt it. My father’s coughing carried from the cave down to us. “He hasn't gotten much better. We may never be able to leave, Zavi, if this continues.” It seemed like a veil of grief shrouded her from my heart when she looked to the side. “You can go. I want you to have fun while you can.” She left for the nest, wanting to tend to my father. ‘Have fun while I can’? I don't like the sound of that. Although, I have an idea of who I’d like to hang out with. I smirked and took off, zooming with renewed vigor. Xyon. I want to know how he’s doing. My speed and strength have increased by a lot compared to the last time I met him. I think I might be able to carry him now. It didn't take long before the forest he lived in came into view. I glided on the breeze, watching for him among the trees--as well as making sure there weren't any other humans there. Where is he? Ah! I smiled at the smoke coming from his house’s chimney. He’s home, or at least was not long from now...no-one would leave a fire unattended for too long. I don't see him...huh? Why are there so many footprints? Some are definitely his size, but others are far too large. A shudder ran down my spine, making my whole body quake for a moment. What happened to Xyon?! I furled my wings to dive, landing outside his house and hooking the handle with my talon. I opened the door, peering inside, taking in the scent. Woah...so many different people were in here, it’s dizzying. He’s not inside? I bent my long neck to examine the print on the ground. Looks like there was a struggle of some sort. What did they do to him?! I shoved off, pounding my wings to race in the direction of the village. That scuffle is very recent...they won't be too far off yet--if they went to the village. Did they go elsewhere? I’ll scan their trail. I backtracked, making sure of where they went.

Village, definitely. They might have switched their route at some point, so I watched the tracks carefully from the air. I lost his unique scent among theirs the moment I opened that door...so I can't search for him directly. The cool breeze gently lifted me higher, providing a wider range of view. That must be the village...neat little houses resembling cottages from my old world were spread out, some bigger ones clumped together rather than separated. They all had chimneys with smoke wafting into the air, but their homes didn't look near as neat as Xyon’s. Now...I focused my eyes, examining anything that moved. I’ll find him, but they won't like it if he’s hurt. I hid the last time...not going to promise I can do it again. What’s that trail of smoke? It’s not around any buildings I can see. The heat rising from the village helped me stay aloft, erasing any need to beat my wings. Cheering made me tense up. What are they so happy about? I drifted overhead, freezing up in terror at what I saw. Isn't that a pike?! Like what the people from my world used to tie ‘witches’ to?! I tuned in my ears, making sure I was too high to be seen, but close enough to hear them. “Burn it! Burn the monster! The creature of dark magic!” Dark magic? They began to spew curses and shout threats when a few people brought a hooded person out towards the pike, tying them up tight. Who’s that? A man stepped up and raised a fisted hand, getting complete silence in a matter of seconds.

Taking a deep breath, I heard him say, “Now, all of you knew of the witch, right?!”

They chorused, “Aye!”

“The witch, a wretched hag who loved a beast, a monster! A foul being from the depths of hell itself!?”

“Aye!”

“You know of the vile offspring between them?!”

“Aye!”

“And for so long, we’ve allowed that creature to live among us?!”

“Aye!”

“And how does it repay us?! It practices black magic! Sorcery created by the king of demons!?”

“Aye!”

“Shall we sacrifice this creature?!” Now he joined them in their ‘aye’ cheer. “Shall we allow it one last look at the world?! One last wish?!”

“Aye!” This is like a cult...so disturbing

He reached up, grabbing hold of the cloth and ripping it off the person’s head, revealing their victim. My heart skipped a beat. “Speak! What might be your last wish upon death?!” Xyon! Why is he tied up there?!

He licked his lips and gazed at the crowd before hanging his head. His voice barely carried up to me as he whispered, “I just want to speak with Zavi one more time. She will be destroyed if she can't find me.” The man scowled at him. Xyon looked at him with sad eyes. “That a no…? That’s fine too. There’s no way she cares that much anyway.” He went completely limp in submission, his sadness and hidden fear causing his wolf features to appear. “Hurry up.” I was so lost in his sorrow I couldn't do anything but stare wide-eyed, tears hardly beginning to well up along with remorse in my heart.

“See before you, the spawn of a monster and a witch?!” I'm a dragon...of course he wouldn't think I care.

“Aye!” Did he ever believe I was a friend?

“Shall I spare this foul being?!” Or did he think I was some sort of monster, something to be feared?

“Nay!” It makes more sense than him accepting me so easily.

“Shall I cast this creature from hell back where it came from?!” I mean, who would trust a dragon?

“Aye!” His parents were killed by dragons.

“Then witness as I purge this village of a demon!” No. A dragon. Who trusts a dragon? Him. The torch was tossed onto the kindling and they fanned it, trying to speed the flames along. What am I doing?! A rush of guilt made me move quicker, falling into a vertical dive, tilting up just enough to aim right for Xyon as the fire began to engulf the wood. I let out a cry when I swooped in low, barely brushing the hair of those in the crowd with the tip of my tail.

Xyon had his wide eyes trained right on me. “Z-Zavi?! Zavi!” His tail wagged gently and his ear moved down. He’s happy I'm here? Awesome, because I'm glad too.

The humans were screaming when I blasted the flame with icy water, slamming onto the platform. “Xyon! I’ll get you out of here!” I hadn't landed where I’d intended, but that’s due to the unusually warm air here. I'm not used to flying somewhere with heat. It was so easy to fly that I lost control. I tore at his bindings with my talons, careful not to hurt him.

“That demon even has a mighty dragon under his control! Quickly, take them down before they can escape!” I hissed and knocked a row of them down. They're getting spears...Xyon finally fell free. I scooped him into my paws as he fell, taking off and going as high as I could--making sure I didn't go so high he couldn't breathe. On instinct, I started for my home, not completely thinking it through.

“Hey Xyon, what was that about?”

He looked up from my cupped paws. “That was the village neighboring mine. They are the ones who were cast out of the towns elsewhere...they heard of my situation from those guys two years ago who wanted a harpi egg. More like they tortured them.”

“But didn't they say you’d ‘been allowed to live among us’?”

“By ‘us’ they meant everyone in the world.”

I looked at his happy expression. When did his wolf tail and ears vanish? “Are you sure you're okay?”

“Haha, I truly believed I was about to die.” He scratched his head in an almost embarrassed manner. “Thank you Zavi!” He stood on my paw, found balance, and hugged me--at least, I knew it was meant to be a hug, but for the most part he wasn't quite able to wrap his arms all the way around my neck. “Other than that...you seem stronger than before.”

I smirked at him. “That reminds me, Xyon, why I made sure to increase my strength.”

“And why is that?”

“Get on my back and find out.” I raised him up to my shoulders, adjusting my position in mid-air. He grabbed hold of my spikes and pulled himself up, taking his seat at the base of my neck over my shoulders. “Ha! You're a dragon rider now!” He blinked at me, then glanced down. His ears and tail popped out immediately in a mixture of excitement and fear. “Cool, right?” He nodded, seeming not able to from words.

“But...I'm kinda cold…” I wanted to face-palm when I realized the problem--a human-like reaction, I know. They stripped him down to torn and worn down tunic and trousers. His arms, hands, part of his chest, and halfway down the calves to the feet...are bare. Why didn't I notice that sooner?! I closed my eyes, focusing my magic on the area he was sitting. My scales heated up as I generated fire magic, creating a little heat pocket. That should work. He rubbed his arms one more time before settling down. “Much better...you're warm.” He leaned forward, pressing his face against the back of my neck, his arms wrapping around me. He’s warm too. This is pretty cool though...I have a dragon rider! Maybe not something viewed very well in this world, but I'm enjoying it enough to make up for any of that.

“Have you been watching the scenery?”

“Yeah.” I wracked my brain for what was bothering me, but got nothing. “Are you and your parents doing well?” My wings hitched and I changed direction as fast as I could. I almost brought him to my home...where my parents are.

“Yes. How about you?”

“Great...what was that about?”

“What was what?” I kinda didn't want to dwell on that topic too much. And, you know, while I'm stronger than before, all he did was get heavier...not by much though. Even with it only changing a tiny bit, I can still feel his weight as stress on my wings, and his body is creating drag that I'm not used to. I’ll have to learn how to fly all over again...I should start putting things on my back and flying with them if I'm going to follow through with this. He doesn't know yet, but I plan to be strong enough to help him avenge his father--if he so wishes.

“Why did you change path?”

“Ah...the wind. Where we go doesn't really matter, does it?”

“I don't think so.”

I glanced back at him to see he was gazing at the ground, his wolf ears and tail gone. “Xyon, have you ever thought about that dragon? The one who killed your father?” It’s a sensitive subject, but I want to know if hanging out with him will give me a fun life or not.

“Where did that come from?”

“Just curious.”

He nodded slowly, then sighed, leaning further into me. “Yes...I have. He annihilated my proud father, yeah, but that’s not it.” I felt his hands clench and his body stiffen with what felt like rage. His beastkin features slid into being as he glared at the sky. “It mocked him, making fun of his bravery and sacrifice, stating that he would never win…” He took a shaky breath. “It said...even if he crawled and begged for mercy, it wouldn't spare a newborn pup like him.” The snarl in his voice made me shudder, sensing the aura of malice coming off of him. Ah...remind me not to mess with either him or my mother too much. Geez, I would not want to be that dragon right now. “I want it to suffer like my father did…” I felt a tear fall on my scales and frowned. A sensitive subject indeed. “...but I don't have the power to do anything about it.” Great! Then I didn't train for nothing!

“Hey, Xyon, try and grin instead of crying. I’ll help you rid this world of that cannibal.”

“What? Seriously?”

“Of course! You're my friend! I have literally rushed right into roaring flames to save you...can't get better than that!” He coughed, then slowly managed to turn it into a laugh. Not sure if I've decided to deal with more than I can handle, but I want to know why I'm here in the first place. If this is a dream, I’ll wake up at some point, so let’s relish in it for as long as possible with the friends I make along the way.

“Didn't you freeze those ‘roaring flames’?” He made air quotes with his fingers, grinning. It’s strange how those wolf parts just pop out and vanish all the time...are they ever out for an extended amount of time?

“Details, details...do they really matter?”

“Ha, I guess not. You're my first friend, though…” I flinched.

“Agh! That’s not good! You need more friends! For now...this is your first time flying, right?”

“Yeah, other than the time you grabbed me.”

“Shhhh...we’ll never talk about that again--in fact, it never happened. Here, let me give you a taste of real flight.” I shot out small blast of fire that raised me higher on a bed of heated air. “You might want to hold on tighter.” He squeezed my spine spike and made himself flatter. “Here...I...go…!” I folded one wing, falling that way then switching them around so I did a flip. He yelped in surprise, but was doing great. He hadn't budged at all. Seems like I can do more. He’s so going to hate me. I let my wings go limp, free-falling. Hah, he looks like a beastkin again. I whipped my tail and furled my wings, regaining control and diving. My wings snapped out the moment before I slammed into the snow, bringing me so close my scales brushed the white powder. I swerved, beating my wings to gain enough height to do a barrel-roll. He sounds both happy and terrified--like a screaming laugh kind of thing. I spiraled up, then fell and spiraled down. I jerked to a stop and he ended up shoved against me by the force. “How was that?” His ears were straight up in attention.

“Fun! Scary, but fun!” Hmmm...now that I think about it, what I did was similar to a roller coaster at a theme park. The only difference is he didn't have a safety buckle. “Can you do it again?!”

“Ha, I would, but too much and you’ll lose grip. I don't even want to think about how fast you’d rocket off me.”

“Ah~! That sucks.” His pouting seemed awfully childish, like he was purposely trying to make me feel bad. He doesn't stutter anymore, but he’s still quite reserved...a nervous bundle of joy that is everyone’s worst nightmare when angered. This whole time I've been doing my darndest to ignore it, but...there’re a few holes in my wings. They were probably made from those spears back there. If I keep doing too many tricks, they’ll tear.

“Later, I’ll do it later. Want me to take you back home yet?”

He hesitated. “I don't think it’s safe there anymore. With what that village of barbarians did, there’s bound to be a war between the two villages here. They had tension long before this incident...they will attack because I existed, and my village will fight only for the boys who were kidnapped.” He’s a child too, just like those kids. In my opinion, he acts and sounds older than he is, but at least he looks his age, if not younger. Thinking about it now...he looks like a ball of fluff, especially when he has his wolf ears and tail out. He, most likely, won't like it if I try to touch his hair to find how soft it is.

“So…? Is that a no?”

“It’s a no, but where else could I possibly go?”

I tilted my head and evened out, hardly going anywhere, just kind of floating there. “I would take you back to my own home, but I don't think it would turn out very good.” Then a thought hit me. “What if you built a home in the trees?”

“The trees?”

“Yeah! If you placed a house that high up in the thicker parts of the forest, you can see when someone is coming but they’ll never see you!”

“That’s...I've never heard of something like that, other than what the elves do.” Oh, I forgot I'm in a different world.

“If that’s so, then what about those looking for you? It would never even cross their mind that you might be above them.” In my world, it’s only logical to get the advantage by a higher standing...perhaps those living here haven't quite completely figured that out yet. “You wouldn't be found unless you wanted to be.”

“Awesome...but won't I be exposed while making it?”

He has a point, but I wasn't done yet. “Definitely, so I’ll show up every day to both help and distract. I can't guarantee I can be there every day, but you can bet I’ll try.” I read so many books about dragons and their riders, but I never realized how much the human weighed during those daring trips they made. From the direction the topic went, it feels like he’s avoiding accepting my help with that dragon. Anyway, he needs to stay hidden. Too many are after him. “How does that sound?”

“Great…” He relaxed against me, all tension seeming to melt out of him as I flew gently. It wasn't long until his breathing evened out, signalling his journey into dream-land. He fell asleep on my back? This has got to be the best trust exercise in history. His true child-like behavior kinda leaked into his expression and position as his dreams continued to transition from one to the next. I honestly didn't know how to react when he rubbed his face with his fisted hand before nuzzling in more. How old is he, anyway? I’ll ask when he wakes back up. I checked the temperature around him, making sure to keep it comfortable. In the end I was flying in circles, trying to avoid both my home and the villages. Faint voices made my wings stutter for a moment, but Xyon slept on. Who…? I scanned the area, taking in just how far I’d truly traveled. Many miles from either place I wanted to keep away from. There, a few hills over and below, a group of four was pointing at me and whispering. Huh? Looks like a human, elf, dwarf, and beastkin...why are they together...and carrying weapons…?

I tuned in to listen to their conversation. “Why can't I?! We’re lost in this blasted north!” They're lost?

“No we’re not! And even if we were, I wouldn't think asking a dragon is smart! What makes you think that thing will even understand us?! What if it attacks instead?!” Dragon? Are they talking about me?

“What’s with you?! Are you saying dragons are not intelligent?!” Ah...I'm being called an idiot. How pleasant.

“I never said that!”

“But you were thinking it!” It was fascinating to watch the elf argue with the dwarf without raising their volume above a whisper. The human and beastkin were watching them with almost panicked expressions. Not a very stable group.

“No I wasn't! You have no proof!” From what I can tell, the dwarf is on my side and wants to ask directions, but the elf thinks otherwise. This is a fun show.

“I don't need proof!” They leaned in closer and glared at each other, locking eyes with ferocity. They're really going at it. The human and beastkin said something I didn't understand and turned, waving their arms.

The beastkin cupped their hands around their mouth and shouted, “Hey! Can you help us?!” The dwarf started laughing when the elf threw a fit, throwing his bow at the snow. I do believe I can approach now. Furling my right wing a bit, I turned, swerving to head over. As long as they don't attack me, I won't attack them. I should keep Xyon hidden. I flared my wings and hovered in front of them, tilting my wings so I could do so with little effort.

The beastkin helped the dwarf hold the elf back, leaving the human to talk with me. “Do you know where we can find a village? It’s full of bandits and rogues that escaped persecution a few years ago.”

They're trying to talk in dragonish...it’s broken so they're filling in the gaps with the human language, but it still works perfectly fine. “Yes.” My language seems hard for them, so I’ll use theirs. “You don't have to try so hard to speak with me.”

“A-alright. So, you know the village I speak of?” I nodded this time, not wanting to speak too much...waking up Xyon doesn't sound like a good idea. “Can you tell us where to find it?”

“How about I show you instead?” She glanced at the others before facing me again.

“Yeah, that sounds better. Lead the way, dragon…” She looks almost afraid of me. I'm not that scary, am I? I rose up and turned around, waiting for them to settle down. When they began to follow, I continued forward. Due to boredom, I was doing small tricks that wouldn't make Xyon slip but still keep me entertained. At some point I got tired of doing even that and just flew right above them, watching for danger in their place. I hadn't noticed I’d drifted so far down until the beastkin reached up and touched me. I flinched, but did nothing more than that.

She smiled at me and got the attention of her group. “I should do some scouting with the dragon. Those trees up ahead will be hard to get through otherwise.”

“Alright.” The elf nodded, refusing to look my way.

“Excuse me, dragon.” My mind went blank when she jumped high enough to land neatly on my back at the base of my tail. “I hope you don't mind too much…?” I eyed her for a moment then sighed, giving up.

“You don't have ill-intent, so it’s fine for a short bit.” I say that but the weight has practically doubled now. I flapped hard to rise enough to clear the hills, continuing until the others were too far to hear anything said. “Why did you get on me?”

She tilted her head from where she’d crouched...why hasn't she moved from there? “I know dragons are smart, possibly even more so than everyone in this team here. We only want you to show us the way and give me a good layout so we can properly capture them.”

“How did you jump so high?”

“Hm? I'm a puma beastkin. We’re known for our leaping and scouting capabilities.” Puma...that’s a mountain lion, right? Are the animals in this world really that similar to those in mine?

“Would you mind telling me your name? I might as well know the name of the one who is daring enough to hitch-hike on a dragon.”

She laughed at my simple joke. At least they know what hitch-hiking is. “Sure. I'm Lalian, you?”

“Zavi.”

“Is that short for something?”

“No…”

“Ah, how unique. I was under the impression the water tribe had longer names…?” Her prying is annoying...wait, where’d that come from? My sudden rage had already quelled, going unnoticed by Lalian. These impulses have always confused me. Is because I'm a dragon now?

“Possibly. I wouldn't know.”

“Really? How old are you?”

“Yes. What are you doing out here?” I acknowledged her question of my age but didn't answer.

Her tone changed from suspicion to friendly. “We’re adventurers. We were selected specifically by an unknown client to travel all the way up here to capture and bring back the people here who have wanted posters.”

“Not everyone?”

“No, just them. How come you knew of that village?”

I barely managed to stop a growl. Seriously, what is up with these crazy emotions?! “I've been there.”

“Is that where the holes in your wings came from?”

“Yes.” Her ears flicked and I caught her taking in the scent carrying in the air.

What is she doing? “Zavi--I can call you that, right? Do you smell another beastkin?” It took my full effort not to flinch or give any sign I did.

“No…only you.” She’ll find Xyon if this keeps up. How she hasn't already is a mystery all in itself. “Why?”

“I smell wolves. Is there a pack in the forest?”

“Yes.” I clearly remember those guys.

“We’ll have to take them into consideration as interference.” She shifted around and it felt like she stood. “Who’s that?” I looked back at her to see she was staring at Xyon. Ah...at least he looks human right now.

“A friend. He’s sleeping.”

“Now it makes sense...why you didn't snap at me when I touched you and why you didn't try to kill me when I jumped up here. You've already been letting someone do the same, right? How long have you known each other?”

“Since I was little. That’s all I wish to say on the matter.”

“Alright. Is that the village? Let me off on a tree.” I went lower to allow her to get off, glad there was less to carry. My wings ache. She crouched on a top branch and saluted me. “I hope we can meet again in the future as allies. That said, I have one more request…” I rolled my eyes but tilted so I would circle around her rather than drift away. “They're scattered all over the place right now. If you could just go in there and destroy something, anything, it’ll group them together and make it easier for us. When you're done with that, do as you like. I couldn't care less.”

“What do I get out of this?” I'm definitely being taken advantage of here.

She paused to think. “You won't have any use for money...what about a magic stone? I found it in a cave on our way here. It was trapped in some ice but fascinated me.” She dug around in her bag, pulling out a crystaline stone that continuously alternated between every color. “Not sure what it is. Will this be good?” A stone that no-one knows of? That was trapped in ice until she broke it out? Sounds just as mysterious as my rebirth.

“Yes. give it to me on my way back.” I shot off, careful to not disturb Xyon. He’s going to wake up if I do this, but I want that stone. Something about it makes me want it...like it’s a part of me. Could be a bad thing, but I don't want to risk it having been good and have thrown it away. One thing needs destroyed. This is the correct village, right? I found the scattered spears, the frozen post, and my talon marks. Yeah, this is it. How about that chief guy’s house? The one who convinced the crowd Xyon needed to be burned. I examined the village, tracking him to find his home. Ah, of course it’s the biggest one here. No...that won't make them swarm. Where’s the storage building? I swerved away from that course and found the second largest structure. Looks almost like barns from my world. I blasted a single ball of fire at it and raced off, trying not to be seen. If they like burning things that much, they should try this on for size. I hid among the clouds on my way to Lalian, watching the fireball strike the wood and explode upon impact. Too much power? Probably. Did they deserve it? Most likely. Does it make me feel guilty? Not in the slightest. How has Xyon not woken up yet? He sleeps way too hard.

“Zavi!” Lilian tossed the stone from her perch on the tree. It raced toward me like a miniature rocket. My paw snapped out to snag it as if the speed was meaningless. “Thank you for your assistance!” With that, she vanished among the trees. Didn't I just do something really bad? I kept my eyes on the small group as they made their way through the forest. There’s something bothering me about this, and it’s not the stone. Aren't there too many children stopping the flames? Where did that tiny army go? The chief hut...why are they all in there?

I rolled my shoulders. “Xyon. Hey, wake up.”

“Hn?” He blinked sleepily, yawning. “What?”

“There’s a group here sent to capture the wanted people in that village, the one that tried to kill you. Can you tell me why I'm bothered by the chief’s hut?”

“What?! You mean adventurers are here?!”

“Yeah...what’s wrong?”

“Uh, um...nothing. They’ll be fine as long as they don't get hit by their catapult.”

“That’s quite an interesting thing for you to say!” I narrowed my eyes at him and he shrugged.

His voice remained quiet. “It’s easy to avoid. There’s only one shot. Leave them be. If they were sent then they're more than qualified for this. They’ll live.”

He seems afraid of adventurers. “I’ll take you to your house then.”

“My house?”

“With those guys gone, you won't be in danger anymore. You can stay in your home where you've always been. Just be careful of the possible forest fire coming your way.”

“Okay.” Is it just me or did he deflate when I said that? Is it really that bad? “You’ll come visit, right?”

“Hah, I’ll do better than that! I can take you flying every time or help you with whatever!” I set down in front of his house, crouching to make it easier for him to get off. He slid over my shoulder and down my foreleg onto my paw. He hopped off and faced me.

“You promise?” I snorted, slightly offended.

“I would never lie to you on that.” I smiled at him, my first friend in this strange world.

“Shake on it.” He held out his hand and took a step back to give me room. I smirked, raising my paw gingerly to shake his hand. “The promise has been sealed! Break it and lose your life!” He added a little flair to the end, acting like it was the most dramatic thing he’d ever done. It might well have been.

“Alright. Goodbye for now.”

“Bye for now.” I took off, speeding home. He’s been a great friend.

<->12<->

My mother glared at me the way she had every day since I helped Xyon. I got rid of all scents on my way back but that seemed to have only made her suspicious. I was out rather late, after all, so smelling like nothing must have been confusing. Maybe I should've caught some food when I came back? At least as a peace offering. Good thing I also healed the holes in my wings before showing up or it would've been much worse. I stared back at her instead of running away this time. “Why have you been looking at me like that?” He eyelids quivered before she closed them and hung her head, sighing.

“You never answered me honestly.” She stood straight and stared me down, approaching almost menacingly and walking around me, her scales brushing mine. I cowered away this time, hardly able to hold back a squeal. She’s way too scary for even me at my bravest to handle. My mother pressed in closer, locking my eyes to hers. “Why did you erase your scent? Did you do something we told you not to?” Yes!

“No.”

“Do you have any particular reason then?” Yes! One I don't want you to know!

“Not really.” I shouldn't tell her, but what else can I say?

“Are you saying you did it randomly?” I shook my head, an idea coming to mind.

“Uh, there was a group of four adventurers...they asked me if they were going anywhere near the right way.”

“Then what?”

“They weren't, so I offered to lead them to their destination...I was surprised by how slow I had to fly.” She huffed, her signal to move on. “That’s it. I took them to a village way in the south. Because they had a beastkin with them, I wanted to erase my scent to avoid them following me.” Her eyes didn't leave mine, testing the truth of my words. We can't always talk in certain situations, so it wasn't hard to discover how expressive a dragon’s face and position is. I have to convince my own mind I wasn't lying! Alright...I did lead adventurers and they did indeed have a beastkin with them. The village, I brought them to a village. Then I said goodbye and erased my scent on my way home. None of it was a lie!

She watched me carefully, then pulled away. “Accepted. Were you seen by the villagers?”

“No.” Xyon’s an outcast, not a villager. They were all bandits anyway.

My mother flicked her tail. “Good. make sure they never do if you insist on going there. Now, it’s time for your training.” I froze looking at her with wide eyes. Again?! “What’s that look for? You're the one who goes there, aren't you? I want you to be able to defeat them if the need arises, which it most likely will. Come on, the faster we do it the sooner you can leave.” I reluctantly followed her outside. She already knew I found that village? When did she learn that? Has she just always known? I gazed at the sun as I glided down to the platform. It’s amazing how the snow glitters and the ice gleams when hit at just the right angle. Which reminds me, what am I going to do with the stone I got? I accepted it on a whim but don't have any actual use for it.

“Mother, one questoin before we start.” She slowed so as to fly beside me. “Do dragons have any use for magic stones?”

“Magic stones? Uh, sometimes we do. A sudden magic boost, a substitute for food when starved...not much else. I know that if you eat one you won't be hungry at all anymore. Although, using one that isn't your element can be deadly, especially if it’s the opposite one. Why?”

“Uh, I was just curious. Those adventurers had some and offered me one, but I refused because I didn't know what it was…”

“Quite the loss. If you could rewind time then taking it would be the best option. I doubt any of the other four races have discovered its use yet. Just remember to accept it if that happens again.”

“Okay.” This stone is really that important? So even if it isn't connected to me, I can still use it in an emergency. Good to know. I hope Xyon is safe...who knows what happened with that village.

<->13<->

Turns out, my mother had decided to force me to stay home for three more years. She didn't like my interaction with the adventurers at all, the opposite of what she pretended. I've been trapped in the cave or on the platform since then...with my father watching me when she went out to hunt. He hasn't gotten better and has been holed up in the back of the cave. Most likely because of how cold it is back there. “Mother! Let. me. Go. Explore!” I whipped around her, my talons brushing her scales. Alright, I understand how weird that sounded, but I'm getting tired of being cooped up in a cave!

“Why would I?!” She swiped at me and I slipped aside, avoiding it altogether.

“Because you promised!” We whirled around each other, dodging any and every strike made by the one another.

“The condition was that you beat me in combat!”

“That’s not fair! I never agreed to that!” I switched our combat from elusiveness to brute force, rolling into a ball midar, and rammed into her. She flared her wings in surprise, barely managing to recover from the impact. I took advantage of that hesitation to come at her again, grabbing her spread wings and forcing them to close, and drove her toward the solid platform. I'm still smaller than her, but she’s better at evasion tactics or battles than face-to-face brawls. Lucky for me, I excel at both of them. I twisted my paws, flipped her over just before we slammed into the ground with a boom. I pinned her on her back, trapping her wings, neck, tail, and legs with a growl. I had my mouth around the space beneath her jaw, my front paws pressing her front legs down onto her wings, my hind legs holding hers, and my tail wrapped around her scarlet one like a vise. “What now, huh? Doesn't this fulfil your stupid condition?” She was holding back though, wasn't she...there’s no way I could've beaten her this quickly otherwise. Her eyes met mine and I let go, stepping off her.

She sighed, rolling onto her side. “You pass. At that strength no human can beat you, but be wary of the other species. Never...ever...let your guard down.” I nodded, but found myself staring at her.

“You mean I can leave?”

“What do you think?” A wave of joy overtook me and I rushed over, giving her a hug. Human-like, again. If they haven't figured out my past life as a human yet, they will eventually.

“Thank you! I’ll be back, I promise!” I left immediately, not so much as blinking at my automatic compulsion to go to Xyon’s house. He’s my first and only friend in this world...I can't let that go to waste! Her eyes didn't leave me until I was out of sight. I get that she’s worried, but watching me that closely seems a bit excessive. He’s not going to like how long I've been gone for sure...maybe. There’s a chance he won't mind, right? Hold on, why am I, a dragon, scared of someone as small as him? Is it because of my human mind? Sounds about right. I've noticed that as every year goes by, I become faster and stronger...what will I be like as an adult then? By now I can fly to Xyon’s in half an hour at a sprint, so what about a couple of minutes? Is that even possible? Ah...there’s his home. I lowered down in front of his house, furling my wings neatly and glancing around. Where is he? I closed my eyes, spreading my senses around me. Ah, there he is. He’s in a tree? “Xyon!” I faced him, seeing his grinning face on top of a platform. Woah...he’s higher up than my head right now. “You built it? The tree house?”

“Yep! Never thought you were coming back, you were gone so long!” On his hand and knees, he crept forward and leaned out before laying down with his arms dangling over the edge.

“I wouldn't do that, not after having promised.” His wolf ears and tail have been out for a while...is it intentional this time? “Why do you look like that right now?”

“Huh?” His ears flicked and he touched them. “It’s warmer like this. Haven't you noticed it getting colder lately? I got tired of freezing every time I tried to climb up here.”

“I haven't noticed. Not that I really can tell the difference. What happened with the adventurers?”

“Them? They got what they wanted and left.” He smirked at me and sat up. “You know, I think I can do that now.”

“Do what?”

“There’s a part of this that I can't quite put together because of the angle. Can you ‘give me a hand’?” From the tone he used and the motions he made, he meant a literal hand. I rolled my eyes at him.

He hasn't changed at all. “Alright.” I balanced on my hind legs and stood. Hah, now I'm higher than him. I held out my right paw, placing my left against the tree. “Where?” He climbed on and pointed up, at the point the branches become too thin to stand on. Makes sense he had problems. He grabbed some rope as I lifted him up to it, giving him the opportunity to tie part of what seemed like a ladder. “What’s that for?”

“I'm going to take it all the way to the top of this tree. I could see you coming sooner that way...it might give me the chance to greet you first.” That bothers him? How unusual. I'm glad someone like him is my ally. “Okay, take me down.” I let him hop back to where he was earlier, leaning back to sit on my ankles. This works...I'm at eye-level with him when he stands. “Hey, Zavi, why were you gone for so long?”

“I was forced to. My mother didn't like my interaction with the adventurers and made me stay until I could beat her in a duel...of course, she was going very easy on me.”

“Sounds painful.”

“It was.” I was fighting her without magic...extremely painful. I wasn't permitted to use healing magic either.

“Zavi. Look at this.” He held up a wooden stick...ah. It took me a minute to realise it was a flute. “I made it. Based on my memories of the one my father used to play. It always made the most wonderful sound...but it vanished alongside him.” He presented it to me, but I didn't dare try to touch it. “I think I have it working, but a few of the notes aren't quite right. Here, let me show you.” He pressed it to his lips, a crisp note cutting through the air. He played each note slowly and carefully. Then he reached one that sounded higher than the one before it instead of lower.

“There, that hole isn't the right size. Might not be the right shape either.”

“Oh...you're right!” He fiddled with it, carving a bit with a small knife. I couldn't completely see what he was doing, but I could hear every slice he made. “How’s this?” He played through the notes again, and now it fell in nicely. The last one didn't make any sound at all and we both scowled at it.

“Did you make it too small?”

He tilted his head and angled the flute differently. “Maybe. Perhaps some wood chips are stuck in it.” He snapped his fingers, making me flinch, then faced me. “You can breathe water right? Can you clean it out for me?”

“Huh? I'm not sure I can get any inside of that tiny thing.”

“Ah...it must be very small to you. Can you try anyway?” I nodded and he held it up with the mouthpiece towards me. Hah, almost like he wants me to play it. I gently touched it and filled my mouth with water, but didn't do much to spit it out. Instead, I let it trickle through the flute, slowly clearing it. “Yes! Right there, it’s a clump of dust.” I stopped, pulled away, and swallowed the water. At least I’ll never be thirsty. “Thanks, Zavi!” He tossed it away and tried playing that note again. It was very low, the way it was supposed to be. “Great...now I can play that song. He showed me how to, once.” He took a deep breath and started playing the flute. This song...it’s amazing. But haven't I heard it somewhere before? Like in my old world...I know it’s identical to one from there. Although...it’s still pretty cool. I found myself closing my eyes and humming the lyrics I didn't remember. The scenes I saw going through my head were the images of the words I had no recollection of, but they were amazing. I saw dragons, a human full of curiosity, and frosty northern mountains. He finished it off, but I barely noticed, falling asleep. “Zavi, what’d you think?” I felt his small warm hand touch just under my eye, leaning toward it. “You must be tired. But don't sleep like this, put your head down.” I could feel him climb on my head and slide down my neck before I set my chin in the snow. That song seems far more calming than I remember.

Huh? Where’d he go? I don't feel his touch anymore. “Xyon…”

“I'm right here.” He placed a hand on my snout. “This is cool. Does music really have this kind of affect on you? Here, I'm going to try something.” I'm so tired...was I this exhausted before that song? Out of seemingly nowhere, he began playing a completely different tune that was extremely upbeat for something on a flute. I felt awake again, the previous music gone from my mind for the moment. The more I thought about what I saw, the more I wanted to sleep.

“Xyon, what do you think just happened?”

“You woke up! So is it only that one?”

“I think so.” He tapped the flute, thinking.

He glanced at me curiously. “My father did mention that this was a song meant for dragons...their souls, anyway. Do you think you can trying humming it again? I want to test something.”

“Sure, sure, at my expense.”

“I’ll wake you up if you fall asleep again.”

I raised a brow. “Only if you really will.” I thought it over and started humming, discovering my vocal chords as a dragon were insane! They were able to go up and down at will smoothly. I wish I’d had such a good voice as a human...I might have lived better. With this kind of skill, would I ever have had to have an instrument? Aren't I one all on my own? Really cool, but most likely not helpful in this life. That was when I realized I wasn't affected by it at all.

“Hmmm...seems you have to hear someone else doing it. Ah! What if…” I fell silent when he tried humming as well, watching him closely.

“Nothing. Was it the flute you have? If so, I’d prefer if you wouldn't play that one too much then.” He smirked and did the first half of the song. I felt slightly dizzy, but it was nothing like before.

When he stopped, he held it at his side and tilted his head. “Were you doing something different last time?”

“I was seeing what was happening in the song...is that the problem?” He shrugged, but an idea came to mind. “Maybe it only works if the dragon is unaware? So...if it works against other dragons, couldn't it be used to our advantage against the green dragon?”

“What?” Or I was just tired beforehand, which is the most likely case.

“Nevermind. It probably won't work.” It was only familiar...that’s why that happened. There’s a small chance it’s connected to my reincarnation, but not much more than that. Was it ever actually from my world in the first place? Or have I gotten everything mixed up and completely backwards. Nothing has been clear anymore...not recently. It feels like there’s something I have to do, but can't quite reach to even start.

“Is something wrong?” He waved a hand in front of my eyes and I snapped back to attention.

Why can't my mind stay focused? “Huh? No. I'm fine. Xyon, do you want to go flying?”

“Sure! I want to find more wood for my tree house and carving, I have for a while!” I got to my paws, testing to make sure I wasn't too dizzy. I seem to be fine for now. He waited for me to crouch so he could grab my spikes and pull himself up, taking a seat right where I’d taught him previously. “I'm ready.” I nodded to him, shoving off and beating my wings down in huge strokes, clearing the trees quickly. I'm stronger than before, I can feel it. His weight doesn't have as much of an affect on my wings as it used to. “Zavi, what’s wrong?” I didn't respond immediately, wondering why he was still trying to ask me about that.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Then why are your wingbeats uneven? Your heart and breath rapid? That is totally different from what I heard, saw, and felt last time.” I clicked my tongue in annoyance. Why would he pay that much attention in the first place?! “I'm worried...is it bothersome to carry me? Is that it?”

“No!” He’s worried? About me? “I'm fine, I really am. It’s just...I'm a bit confused. I feel like I'm supposed to be doing something, but I don't know what.”

“Are you hungry?”

“No...I ate a few hours ago. I don't need food.” What’s wrong, what’s going on?

“Wow...you can last much longer without food than I can. Over there...land over there, where the two trees are crossing to form an X. There are a lot of great pieces for carving there. Try to figure out what you need to do while I gather some. Sound good?”

“Yeah.” I went down gently, setting down carefully next to the trees he described, laying down. He slid off, patting my neck before walking off. He started picking up thick chunks of wood that were scattered all over, examining each one he grabbed. “What makes these so special?”

“Hm? They are harder and last longer, but are also easier to shape at the same time. I don't know how else to explain it. Oh! That one looks great!” He dashed to one a few yards off from my right wing, reaching for it. My scales prickled when he got extremely close, telling me something was wrong. I intercepted a slitherhowl that leapt out at him, taking the bite in his place. They are snake-like wolves, with no legs but a serpentine body, fur poking out from under their scales, bat-like ears, and a face mixed somewhere between a snake, hellhound, and your worst nightmare. They're extremely venomous and agile, but not very strong. The bad part is...its fangs slid between the gaps of my scales, slipping into my skin beneath. Ow, ow, ow…! I think I just got poisoned! “Zavi?!” I flung my paw, tossing it far enough it retreated. I'm the most unlucky dragon there is, for it to get between my scales! My vision clouded over and I began to panic. I'm...going to die? Again?! “Hey! Can you see me?!” I could tell he was waving or standing in front of my eyes, but I couldn't see it.

“Xy...on…” His hands seemed warmer than I recalled...ah, I must be about dead now, then. This is so sudden...but...why do I feel relieved? Like whatever it was I’d had to do was now accomplished? My soul is far more at peace than it should be. What’s going to happen to me now? As I felt I was being pulled away, I made an attempt to clutch to Xyon’s bright shining soul, not wanting him to leave me.

<->14<->

Am I...dead? It’s so cold...this is nothing like before. Shouldn't I be immune to temperature? No...not if I don't have a body. Huh? Then I shouldn't be thinking or feeling anyway, right? I tried to move around, which took quite a bit of effort. It feels like water...not like when I was in that egg and the goopy slime feel, but actually liquid water. I struggled to open my eyes, blinking slowly as the light above me. What? I turned my head to find I was underwater, lying in the sand among the weeds. How did I get here? Agh...I need to breathe! Kicking my tired legs, I went for the surface, aiming for air. After breaching, I gulped in oxygen like I hadn't had any for years. Once I was able to focus my eyes on my surroundings, I froze up, my jaw hanging like I was an idiot. What did I see? Civilization. Houses, bridges, power poles, and electricity. This is...my world! In a panic, I looked down to find hands, holding them up out of the water. No scales...I didn't realize I’d gotten so used to seeing scales when I looked at myself. This is skin--human skin. I touched my head to find long hair, then pulled it in front of my eyes. What?! Why is my hair...why is it the same color as my scales? Am I dreaming? I bit my hand hard enough to bleed and felt intense pain. Ouch! Let’s not do that! So this isn't a dream...then what about being a dragon? I was able to feel pain then too. Are they both realities? I paused when looking over my arms. Are those burn marks? I glanced back down and saw ropes laying scattered over the sand as if whatever they’d been around had exploded...or grew in size. I shook my head, turning away. I don't remember how I died, but it looks as if I was tied up and drowned. Whatever the case, I'm alive now...I think. With a shrug, I began to swim to shore, ignoring the weight of the simple white dress I’d been wearing since I woke up. By the time I made it, I was ready to collapse. I coughed violently and vomited water on the soft grass. Woah...how was I able to breathe?! My breath was wheezing for a few minutes as I just lay there gazing at the sky. This is so...it’s been so long since I’ve seen plants and heard the amazing chorus of birdsong.

I touched my throat tenderly, tracing the indent around it. I was strangled. For sure. What happened to me? I have all my memories except for a few hours before my death. It must have something to do with why I’d been reborn...again. This hair needs cut shorter. Ugh...I don't even want to know what’s going to happen after this. I watched the sun as it set over the mountains around this small town, allowing the sounds, smells, and sights to lull me to sleep.

<->15<->

My eyes flickered open sometime around dawn. Where am I again? Oh, that’s right, I'm back in my old world--the boring one. I simply lay there on my right side, bringing my knees up to my chest and my hands in front of my face. Why should I do anything? Staying here sounds much more pleasing. “Excuse me...are you okay?” I flinched, startled by the voice. I heard movement close to me right before a hand touched my shoulder. “Hey…” They trailed off when I started shaking, for some reason afraid of the male voice. Huh? Why? Why does a deep voice scare me so much? I bit my lip and squeezed my eyes closed. No. I did not live with my dragon father to still be afraid of that. His voice was like an earthquake compared to this one’s mouse squeak.

“Y-yeah. I think s-s-so.” His warm hand brushed my arm and he winced.

“You're cold as ice. Uh, can you trust me long enough to come with me? Huh?!” Stranger danger, I know, but he was just so warm I had found myself whipping around to hug him before I knew it.

“Warm…” I hadn't been able to feel cold for the past eleven years...this isn't completely comfortable. Well, I didn't realize my skin was such a low temperature until he touched me. By the way, what is it with how I always run into guys when I need help? This is similar to when I met Xyon nine years ago. I pulled away quickly after it occurred to me that this wasn't a medieval world anymore, but one based on technology. Oh…I have to remember that. “I'm sorry.”

“Uh...no...it’s fine. Why are you wet?”

“Oh, I almost drowned. I think I'm good though. So…” I had to stop and do a double-take. He looks exactly like Xyon! Same age too...this looks like a normal young teen. Only a couple of years younger than me.

“Miss? C-can you tell me where I am?” That made me freeze. Those clothes...that expression...this is Xyon! How did this happen?! Was it when I reached for him as I died? Maybe I shouldn't have done that. He took off his coat to cover his head...for his ears? I grabbed his hands to draw his focus.

“Xyon? Senra Xyon?” He froze with his eyes wide, a shocked and scared expression on his face.

“W-wha?! D-d-did I die too?! O-or was I b-b-b-bitten from t-the b-b-beginning?! Does t-that m-m-mean y-y-y-y-you're a d-deity?!” I stared at him with a blank face for a moment, then stifled a laugh by pressing the back of my hand against my mouth. I didn't bother to let go of him for it, so he was forced to lean closer.

“Hahaha…! Oh, your face! Priceless!” He shook his head slowly, not completely understanding. “Look! Do deities bleed?” I showed him the bite on my hand and he bit his lip. “Xyon, I do apologize for dragging you along with me, but I'm also grateful for not being alone.”

“What?”

“Calm down. It’s me, Zavi.”

“Z-Zavi?” He suddenly started glowing, disappearing as particles. “Huh?! Help me!” I gripped tighter but he vanished, leaving me all alone again. Was he actually here? I looked at my hands. Yes...that warmth wasn't fake. Then what happened to him? I hope he didn't die just now. Using the small amount of energy I had left, I pulled myself to my feet. I need to find out where I am and who killed me. They might know what this rebirth is. I made my way through the sparse trees, heading for the town. I’d never lived in a city or anything, just a simple and small place that could’ve been called a village in the other world. The school here is poor and very tiny, so we’ve never done much besides lessons. Although...kids of all ages were grouped in together which isn't the best system possible. After passing through the trees, I stepped onto the road and followed it to the town, walking in the middle. Oh, I'm definitely going to be yelled at if someone drives by, but at least I’ll have gotten someone’s attention. On my way, I didn't run into anyone at all, making the place seem like a ghost-town. They must be asleep right now. Hmmm...where was the orphanage again? I followed the vague map of the town in my head to where I remembered it to be. It took around ten minutes until it came into view, its large from casting a huge shadow over the courtyard. It looks like a church, really. If I haven't aged since I died, then I still live here. Xyon...after this, I must find out how to get back to him. Uh, not that I feel I need to, you know. But if he appeared alongside me, then what is going on?

“Zavira…!” A small child I barely remembered ran up to me and hugged my legs. Her name...what is it? “You look so cool! What did you do with your hair?! Make mine like that next!” I blinked at her. What did she call me? Is that supposed to be my name?

I did my best at faking joy, picking her up and spinning. “Hahaha!” She giggled excitedly. “Just call me Zavi!”

“No…! Never!” Why does it feel like I've told her that before? And how is my name so similar to the one I was given as a dragon? I don't...I'm missing a large amount of memories, much more than I thought.

“Oh! Zavira!” An old lady charged for me, hugging me much tighter than I expected. Who is she? Even she is calling me Zavira? She started bawling her eyes out on my shoulder, which made me tense. “I'm so glad! I'm so glad you're okay! When the mistress said you’d been adopted, I feared the worst! You children never return for your belongings!” She clearly knows me. Who’s this ‘mistress’? Should I play along or tell them I forgot everything?

“I...wasn't adopted.” How do I carry this out? When I think about it, this could be considered a battle strategy...I'm good at those.

“Then where on earth did you go?!” She gasped, her eyes trained on my hair and clothes. “You're all wet! And your hair…! There must be something wrong! Come with me, girl!” She clamped her hand around my wrist and dragged me inside. Woah! It’s like a maze in here! But...it’s always been like that. I pressed my free hand against my head in confusion. My mind’s all mixed up. Nothing is very clear at the moment. She led me into a room that smelled of medicine and took me to a chair. “Sit!” She began rummaging around. What will happen if she gives me medicine I don't need?

“Uh…” Her name! I don't know it! Forget it, I’ll wing it. “I don't need anything...I’m fine, I really am.”

“Hush. I’ll be the one to decide that.” I blinked in surprise. That command made me stop wanting to speak for a moment...just who is she to me? She grabbed a stethoscope and came back over. “Take deep breaths for me.” I inhaled calmly, trying to figure out what she was listening for. This continued for another five minutes before she finally pulled away with a nod. “I'm going to listen to your heartbeat now.” Didn't she already do that?! I went with it anyway, but that was definitely being overprotective. “It’s even...girl, are you really healthy? You don't feel sick?”

“No, I don't. I think I'm just fine. Say...can you tell me…” I trailed off, not sure what consequences it would bring to say I don't remember her.

“Yes, dearie?”

“Uh, who are you?” I at least had a small recollection of the child, but she doesn't show up anywhere in what I have left of my past. But now she’s staring at me like I'm insane.

“A...ahahaha...don't joke around too much, Zavira. You know who I am.” She doesn't believe me? No...she doesn't want to believe me. Must be awfully close for that kind of reaction.

“Who are you…? I should know you then, right?” Her eyes went wide and she rushed off, returning with a flashlight. She grabbed my face and shined the light on my eyes.

“Good, good, your pupils are normal…” Now she just sounds desperate. She’s got to be an important person for this response. “Zavira, tell me the truth. Do you really...not know who I am?”

“I don't.” She drooped, but offered me a kind smile.

“Then I guess I better tell you. I'm Anaun, a maid at the orphanage. I raised you since you were little, Zavira, even if you don't remember me. Must be amnesia...should pass with time.” In a normal case, sure, but this seems different. So I grew up with her near me...oh!

“The...the one who showed me how to make a paper snowflake.” She teared up and hugged me.

“I'm glad you kept that memory, at least. Seems you still have the experiences from childhood, but no names or people starting a few years ago.” Very observative. I want to go back to being a dragon...life was so easy. All I had to do was train, eat, and sleep. That may have been boring, but at least it wasn't full of as many backstabbers as in this world.

“Miss Anaun, who was I with the last you saw me?” She hesitated, pulling away from me.

“I believe it was a man. Yes, a man in a black suit and wearing a fedora. I don't know what he looks like other than how tall he was, he kept his head ducked, after all...couldn't properly see his face.” I sighed, drawing a light laugh from her. “I'm just glad you're safe. How about we get you to bed.” She helped me get up, guiding me out into a long hallway. We walked quietly through many different pathways, getting to the point I got dizzy. No...I don't think it’s because of all the turns. I took in a shuddering breath and went on, pretending nothing was wrong. Anaun stopped in front of a simple, run-down door, pushing it open to reveal a room that made me calm down. This room...it must be mine. A sharp pain rose from my heart and I stumbled. It hurts! It literally hurts! Every beat of my heart sent agony through me. Agh! Why?! My hair dulled, then faded into black, the color it had been in my previous life. “Zavira! Your hair!” She rushed forward, trying to support me as I lost balance. This doesn't feel good. “Hold on, let me get you to the bed…” She hauled me over then up, pulled the blanket so it rested on my shoulders. “Please get some rest. I’ll notify the orphanage that you're here and see if they'll let me get you food.” I tried to grab her shirt, but she was already gone. No...I don't want to be alone. I closed my eyes and focused on Xyon’s presence. I can still sense him, so he’s not quite gone.

“Zavi!” He appeared next to the bed, crying. His mind’s stuck in the moment I died...he can't see me. But it does help that he’s hugging the side of the bed, not some invisible force further away. “I-I'm so s-s-s-s-sorry…! Zavi…!” I felt tears well up in my eyes and drip down my cheeks, but didn't even try to brush them away. But...I shifted around, trying to reach whatever was digging into my back. Aha! Got it. I pulled it out, then gasped. The stone! It’s the magic stone the adventurers gave me! Why is it here?! I glanced at the weeping Xyon and felt a twinge of guilt. He’d traveled with me for a short period of time, then went back and forgot about it. He's sad...and it’s because of me. Xyon started to fade away before vanishing, returned to wherever he came from. I wanted him to stay...why must I be forced to cause someone so kind so much misery? A nice smell wafted toward me, making my mouth water. What is that? I brought the stone closer and took a deep breath. This? Why does this smell so good? Good enough to eat...half of it broke off, falling next to my head. When I touched it, I realized it had become soft, like cotton candy. Can I eat this? Is it safe? Ugh...only one way to find out. I've already died twice, I'm not afraid to do so again. I shoved it in my mouth and quickly swallowed it. I readied myself, but nothing happened. Was I overreacting? Suddenly, my hair flashed opal for a split second, then whipped back to black. A chill ran down my spine and my vision became clearer--more vivid. What was that?! I inhaled slowly, trying to calm down.

“I can figure this out…” Hearing a voice, even if only mine, was soothing. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep while hugging the stone. My dreams were made up of memories all tangled together. I was in a dark room with silky webs intertwined around me, becoming a struggle to unravel. Some of them burned me when I touched them, some threatened to turn me into an ice cube. The door of the room creaked open, waking me. My eyes flicked open to see a masked man wielding a knife, raising it above his head. When the situation dawned on me, I made an attempt to scream, but he covered my mouth to stifle it. Why?! What did I ever do to this person?! Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a young lady with blonde hair standing in the doorway with a smirk. Who is she?! Her! It’s her! She must be the one trying to kill me!

“This is your punishment for crossing me, Zavira. If drowning you doesn't work, I’ll just do this.” She walked away just as the metal glinted, swinging down. The pain was sharp but short, not long enough to even seem real. I drifted off into a void, my mind wandering and my thoughts scattered. What was that? What were her last words? I don't remember.

<->16<->

I gasped when I blinked, an icy world opening up before me. I shivered, my whole body quaking. I'm flying...Xyon’s on my back...was that all just a dream? “Zavi? What’s wrong?” I shook my head and glanced at him.

“I'm perfectly fine.” Except for how fast my heart’s pounding.

“Hey, can you land down there? The wood is really good for carving.” No…! That was a flag! It wasn't in the exact same wording as before, but I know how this turns out.

“Hold on.” I went lower and hovered over where the slitherhowl was hiding. Where is it...I scanned the snow, focusing on finding it. The moment I caught sight of the beast, I blasted a strong stream of fire at it. It leapt out, it's whole body on fire, writhing. “There was a slitherhowl.” Why are there so many wolves or wolf-like creatures in the north? I hope that’s not all there is--yeah, I probably said something unnecessary.

“How’d you notice that?!”

“Hm? Uh, intuition. Something didn't feel right.” He doesn't remember any of it...I need to find out what that was. It died with a blood-curdling screech, making me feel a bit bad. “I want to keep flying. Are you brave enough to meet my family?”

“Huh?! But they're dragons…” He trailed off when he looked at me. “...just like you. I guess if you grew up to be like this then those that raised you won't be bad, right?” I smiled appreciatively, my eyes glinting with my emotion the most, and nodded.

“You’ll have to let me grab you. She won't like it if you're on my back.”

“Oh...okay.” That bummed him out.

“You don't have to until we get within sight.” Only my mother. With my father’s condition, I'm not bringing Xyon anywhere near him. I’ve been wanting her to meet Xyon for a while now...I hope this doesn't end badly.

<->17<->

I flared my wings and lowered, setting down gently near my home. Xyon slid down my leg and stood next to me. “I’ll have to yell pretty loudly...you may want to cover your ears.” He raised a brow but did so anyway, pinning his wolf ears against his head. I took a deep breath, then shouted, “Mother!” In the dragon’s language. I heard her coming our way and started to regret. What if she hurts him or something else happens? Too late now...she can already see us. I moved my tail slightly closer to him when she landed, her wings generating strong gusts that tore at Xyon’s clothes.

Her eyes stayed on him for only a moment, flicking over to meet mine. “Yes, Zavi? Did you want something?”

She’s not directing hate at him, only wariness. “Uh, yes...I never told you before, but when you let me explore for the first time, I almost died…” She gave me patience--the willingness to hear out why I had brought someone to our nest before grilling us both alive. “It was this boy who saved me that time...I was afraid to tell you about him or show him to you...but he has continued to help me…”

“And?”

“Mother, this is Senra Xyon. He’s an orphan and half beastkin, half human.” What am I doing?! What was the point of this?!

“Right...now, explain to me why you brought him to our nest?” I don't know! My mind feels like it’s on fire! Xyon clicked his tongue and I snapped to attention. Woah!

Was I under some sort of spell? “His father was killed by the green dragon!” The snake-like presence in my mind reeled and disappeared. She was doing something to me!

“What? That green dragon?”

“Yes…”

“Then it knows his scent?”

“Maybe…”

“Then it can follow him here?” I froze, my eyes growing wide. She’s…! The world seemed to slow when she took a deep breath and said, “Then we’ll have to remove that threat!” She released a billow of flame at him and he ducked, covering his head. No! I went to move knowing full well that it would turn him to ash, when a loud thud was heard. Her fire was being repelled by an invisible barrier at the same power level. Wow! Where’d that come from?! My mother’s expression turned to one of confusion, and Xyon hesitatingly stood straight. She cut off the fire and huffed smoke before whirling on me. “Zavi! Did you give him one of your scales?!” I could only stand there in shock. She just tried to kill Xyon. “Zavi, get ahold of yourself!”

I glared at her. “You…!”

“Answer me!” Her bellow banished any thought of rage.

“Y-yes...I did.” She showed no change of emotion, just frustration.

“Ugh! You silly dragoness! But...I do have to admit that your scale will cancel out his scent and make it your own. At least that explains why I could only smell you.” She nipped me and faced Xyon. In his language, she said, “I'm not afraid to admit when I'm wrong, because I wasn't. If she had not bequeathed that scale to you, you’d already have been dead long ago. That dragon never allows its quarry to escape. Why you saved my daughter back then, I don't know, and I don't ever expect to. Now, can you give me the real reason you came here?” Her gaze bore into me.

I wracked my brain for the answer, knowing it was in there somewhere. Ah! “I want you to teach him how to fight. He wants revenge, and I recently realized he’s not strong enough.” That slitherhowl almost ate him and only didn't because I died for him. “Then I would appreciate it if you could allow us to learn to fight together. I have questions I need answered, and I believe traveling with him after that dragon will help me.” Where did I get the courage to say all that?

She scowled and I wanted to hide...but then she suddenly smirked. “Finally! I’ve been waiting for you to talk back to me for years!”

“Does that mean…”

“Yeah, I’ll train both of you. Him to fight and both to synchronize with one another. From what I can tell...Senra Xyon, right?” He flinched when she turned her attention to him. “Your element, is it dark?”

“Y-y-yes.”

“Alright, then your first lesson is to resist your own element’s mental attacks. Zavi, you might not want to watch this.” She raised her paw near his trembling frame, mana circulating around it before darting out at him. He jolted, then fell over. I wanted to rush toward him, but I could hear his heartbeat and breathing. He’s fine...for now.

“What did you do?”

“I trapped his mind in the dark dimension--in a nightmare. When and if he escapes, I’ll teach him. Otherwise it’s not worth teaching someone who can't handle even this tiny attack.”

“It’s an attack?!”

“Hush. Yes, it is. When he runs into danger, or especially feels pain, he’ll writhe and scream. I did tell you that this wasn't something you’d want to watch. Now, Zavi, come with me.” She gently set Xyon in her paw and shoved off, flying away. Fine...I’ll go with her. I had to pound my wings to catch up, but that was fine. I don't want him out of my sight...I feel like that would be dangerous. She spun in place and raised her free paw to make me stop. “This maze of glaciers should work. You won't be able to travel far just holding him in your paw, nor will you be able to fight. I'm sure you've already let him on your back.” The knowing glint in her eyes made me want to squirm. “Seeing as you are so determined, I’ll make sure you're unstoppable...don't want my daughter dying, after all. You will never know what situation you can end up in, so while he’s unconscious, I want you to carry him on your back through this maze. And not slowly...you’ll be dodging my attacks the whole time. Learn to protect both yourself and him.” She glided over and placed him carefully right where I’d told him to sit. I was right! “He won't be able to hold on, so be careful not to drop him. I’ll be firing at him, by the way. If he falls, even if the flame won't actually make contact, the force against the shield will send him flying. Keep that in mind. Now go.” I nodded, adjusting the spikes on my back to hold him in place more before racing off. My danger sense blared at me and I zagged to the side, the tip of my tail becoming engulfed in fire. She’s already attacking?! I'm not in the maze yet! And she’s chasing me! I yelped in shock when she swerved into sight in front of me. How’d she get there?! “You’ll have to try harder than that.” She charged at me and swiped at Xyon. I curved my back, barely managing to lower him enough. At least her talons were sheathed.

She came from underneath me, snarling. I linked paws with her, wrestling midair. Xyon began to slip and I put more pressure on him. I don't know if my spine spikes can hold him down! Her grip tightened and she pressed in closer, snapped at my shoulder. She’s still after Xyon! I growled and bit her, forcing her to let go and vanish behind glaciers. Hurry, I have to hurry! I furled my wings and dived into the maze, beginning to understand the lesson. I need to protect both of us and lose her inside the maze! He’s still staying on my back for the moment, so there’s the good part. The bad is that I'm being hunted down while he’s unconscious. It took most of my attention to avoid slamming into ice within this world of reflections. “Why?” I whispered to myself in this eerie silence to bring sound in. But why is she being so vicious?

“Zavi!” Her roar startled me, almost making my spikes go straight. No, if I do that, he’ll fall! I panicked as she drew closer. What do I do?! Fly faster and risk dropping Xyon?! Stand my ground and fight it out?! My eyes caught on a crevice between the tightly fit glaciers. There! I can hide! With a beat of my wings, I was over there, holding Xyon in my paws so I could wiggle my way inside. After I figured I was far enough in, I breathed out a wave of ice, sealing the opening. This should help long enough for me to find another way out. I turned away from there and went deeper, chasing after the glimpse of light I could see at the end. Once I had slipped free, I held Xyon against my chest with a cupped paw. I still have three to use in a fight, but it’s still one less than the enemy. He’s not very secure either...I'm not exactly a big dragon, not yet anyway. Xyon started groaning and I instinctively covered his mouth before he screamed. The nightmares she told me about! This will expose our position! I zipped off, trying to gain distance from where we’d been. Not good! Without so much as a slight warning, she slammed into me from the side, aiming to snatch Xyon. It was clearly surprising to her that he wasn't on my back, but it didn't take long for her to find him. “He’s safer, but you're weaker!” She blasted fire in my face, blinding me for several seconds, but I only tightened my grip on Xyon and put my other paw on top of him, completely shielding him. I don't care...he’s the main focus right now. I inhaled deeply, accepting the fire inside my lungs. She cut off the moment I released my blue flame. It was shocking to watch her dodge it in a panic. Is that really so strong? I never thought it was.

I stopped, taking deep breaths. “No! I'm stronger when I have someone to protect.” I fought the darkness clouding my vision. I've been using high-level skills and I'm getting tired and hungry.

“Too naive. Your determination practically doubles, but you grow exhausted faster because of a state of fear...the fear of losing the one you're protecting.” She’s...she’s right. “You've already lost. I've backed you into a corner...any idea how to get out of it?” I shook my head slowly, trying to think clearly. My strength drained, I went numb, passing out.

<->18<->

I woke to the scent of roasted harpi. Huh? I opened my eyes to see my mother cooking a harpi. Where’s...ah, I found him. Xyon was hugging his knees to his chest, leaning against me and watching my mother. “Hey…” His ear flicked and he trained his eyes on me.

“You shouldn't prioritize me too much. If I'm in the way, you should just tuck me away somewhere and fly off with my coat or something.”

“She already explained...right. Any news on your training?”

“Not much. She said I woke up far sooner than she thought I would, nothing else other than what you just went through.”

“Hey, both of you! Stop mumbling among yourselves and get some food.” I stood on wobbly paws, still weak. Xyon seemed hesitant to even move. Her eyes fell on him, brimming with kindness. “You may choose first, young hybrid. You’ll eat far less than we will.” I used my tail to nudge him to his feet.

“Go. Let her apologize.” He nodded in what appeared to be slow motion. He’s so nervous. Am I sure about my decision? Not like I can change it now, but was it really wise?

My mother must have noticed the beginnings of my regret, as she said, “You made the correct choice, coming here instead of trying to fight without any knowledge. In fact, I have to thank you. I would've been grieving if you'd gone off on something so dangerous without learning properly. Perhaps I hit you too hard a few times earlier, but you needed to understand. Put too much protection over him and you sacrifice yourself.”

“I would rather die than let him die--”

“Naive!” Xyon flinched at her roar, but kept selecting what he wanted. I don't think he can even understand what we’re saying.

“What part of it?! I don't see what’s wrong with helping a friend survive!”

She huffed, barely holding back fire. “You can't comprehend the flaw in your own plan?”

“No! I don't see what part of it is flawed!” Her tail came out of nowhere and smacked me in the head, making me stumble.

“You're not that stupid! Think it through!” I...I don't know! What am I doing wrong?! I can't figure it out! “Zavi!” I glance up at her, my eyes clearly conveying confusion and panic. “If you die, then who will protect him?” Her words cut deep. “Maybe it is worth giving your life to save them, but if it’s so dangerous you had to do so, then what will happen afterwards? There'd be no-one left to save them and they would die anyway.” How didn't I see that?! “I just want you to be safe. You can't focus on only his safety or you’ll both go down.” She switched languages so Xyon could hear her, saying, “So no matter what happens, no matter how cruel the choice is, don't forget about your own life. I can see how much you care for each other, which only makes me worry even more. You’ll have to make your choice many times. When I cornered you, instead of saving yourself, you didn't even move. I don't want to see you die.” Xyon was staring at her, his icy blue eyes wide and his ears perked forward. He knows what she’s talking about...but I'm not sure I do. “Cherish your friendship, but don't let it be your downfall. Now eat up and go to the cave. I can take Senra back home so you can rest...if he wants to go.” He stepped away from the harpi and went back to where he’d been when I woke up, allowing us to eat. “You first Zavi. I made today much harder on you than I ever have. I’ll eat whatever you leave behind.” I moved past her and tore into it, discovering just how starving I really was. “Now, Senra, do you want to go back to your own house? You may stay with us if you’d like, but I’ll leave it up to you.”

“To me?”

“Do you want me to make the difference clearer? If you go home, then who knows when the training will continue or when we’ll come get you. If you stay here, training would be every day and early in the morning...and you’ll be sleeping in a cave with three dragons. You won't be able to come and go on your own either. Well, you could leave if you really want to jump, but it’d be hard to climb back up.” Xyon didn't seem to know how to respond.

“S-so...if I stay here, I’ll be training? If I don't…”

“If you don't, I can't guarantee if you’ll ever see us again.” His ears twitched in response.

“But w-would I be safe here?”

“Of course. As long as you stay clear of her father. And we would return you to your home every now and then, especially when Zavi goes in the coma-like state she inherited from her father.” That’s right! I've been so distracted by everything recently that I’d forgotten. I have evolved many times by now, my body incredibly slim and my wings surprisingly large. “It will be further training on your regimen, to fly there and back ten times with you on her back, ten times without.”

“Then...I guess...I’ll stay…”

“Alright. Then I have some things about flying I need to teach you. I want you to know when something is wrong with Zavi so you can take care of her accordingly--you can't afford missing even the tiniest of changes. By the time I'm done, you’ll be able to tell the difference between a change of breathing and alteration in heart rate. So, I’ll be the one carrying you back to the cave.” So serious...I downed the delicious meat, realizing only then how hungry I was. “Hahaha, make sure to understand when she needs to eat as well. I can't wait to see what name you make for yourselves. Oh, keep in mind that in the human nations you need to appear as a human, but for any other race, your beastkin from is much safer. Never forget that. Now, then, shall we get going?”

<->19<->

Over the course of the next five years, a lot happened. The two of us learned to coordinate to the point he could dance a jig on my back mid-combat. Well, not too serious of a fight, but the same idea. It was amusing how shocked he was at finding how ripped he’d gotten from constantly arm-wrestling dragons...not that he was much bigger--still slim as always. I grew to be almost the same size as my mother, just slightly smaller, and Xyon got taller--almost lankier. It turns out that he’s only three years older than me. Besides that, my father has just gotten worse, his mind slowly slipping. That fight had been far too brutal to survive without any side-effects. At the moment, I'm watching my mother and Xyon battle one another. He’s using his dark magic to every advantage he can think of, and she’s not even sheathing her talons anymore. His magic is so cool...some of the things it does are creepy though. It can look goopy or like mist, but it’s constantly changing forms. Ah, speaking of forms, he’s still in the process of mastering using his dark magic to shapeshift. Surprising no-one, he can easily become a wolf...but other creatures are quite hard. He’s gotten good at becoming a cat though. His magic wrapped around my mother’s torso and held her there. Not one to give up easily, she began using lava, forcing him to release her in order to dodge the blob that came his direction. My job is to pay attention to learn, as well as interfere if necessary. She roared and dived, pinning him against the icy snow in a cage of talons. “My win.” He stayed still, then sighed, dropping his head and breathing hard.

“That was...really difficult.”

“If you can't beat me, you’ll never beat the green dragon.” She released him and walked off my way. “Time for you to take and do your rounds. Build up your stamina.” I ducked my head and went to Xyon, who was still sprawled on the ground.

“Again?” His voice was telling of his exhaustion.

“Yeah.” He sighed again, then got up to his feet, waiting for me to crouch.

“Your mother is just too strong for me. Why would she ever think I could beat her?” I helped him climb onto my back before standing up and going to the edge.

“The fact that you can hold on for as long as you do is amazing. I don't think there are very many who could solo a dragon...she’s just unusually strong for a dragon.”

“Don't think I didn't hear that.” We both flinched. “Stop chatting! Get going!” She swung her tail and I leapt off to dodge it. My mother has made me fly to his home and back once every year of our training, the same amount of times she duels one of us. Like she just did. Normally both Xyon and I are fighting together against her. I think it’s her way of seeing how much we’ve grown compared to the previous year.

“I haven't been home in a long time. Maybe I should grab my flute this time.”

“Don't see why not.” It was interesting to have him sleeping in the cave. Since he gets cold easily, he was always cuddled up with me and my mother at night...my father’s reaction was one of pure rage that soon turned into boredom. She had sweet-talked my father into letting Xyon stay. I played with the gentle breeze, using it to rise higher effortlessly. “So...she made you run a mile before fighting her? Do you know why?”

“According to her, it was to force me to use my energy sparingly. Why?”

“She’s going to duel me after this...I just wanted to know what you got out of it.” I'm always tired anymore, most likely due to how hard she drives us.

“Are you okay?”

“Hm? Yeah, why do you ask?”

“Your wings-beats aren't even. Your breath is short, and you keep wriggling.” Ugh...why’s she have to teach him how to nag better?

“I'm just hungry. Everyday occurrence out here. Only thing to eat is monsters and the occasional fish.” We fall silent for a while longer, cruelly leaving me to my thoughts. I like talking, because then I'm not thinking about weird things, nor do I have to admit that I died and came back to life five years ago. Although...there was one thing that I haven't managed to shake off--make that two things. First, I ate half of that stone in my world, and I only have the other half here with me. Second, can Xyon shapeshift into a dragon? His magic doesn't only change his appearance, but all the way down to the biological stuff that I’d rather not think about. Magic is more useful than science in this world anyway. I can only ask. “Xyon, have you tried any other creatures to turn into?”

“Mostly just the smaller ones.”

“Have you thought about attempting becoming a dragon?” I craned my neck around to look at him. He blinked at me in surprise, like I’d caught him off-guard.

He opened and shut his mouth a few times before he got out more than a gasp. “I...hadn't even thought of that! It would be so cool! I could fly alongside you, Zavi!” It struck me with unexpected force--he wouldn't be a dragon rider anymore. I turned my head back to the front so he couldn't read my face. He would fly next to me and experience what I do...but then what about my job? Wouldn't he become strong enough to fight the enemy on his own by then? I would become useless. “Probably not for very long...but it would be a good trump-card. I could use it when you're not able to reach me in time, or even to save you. Too bad I can't hold it very long.” My wings stalled for a moment when I heard him. That’s right! He won't be a dragon forever, only temporarily!

“Ha, ‘not for very long’? Eventually you may be able to stay in a different form for days, possibly getting up there at months.”

“Surely not. There’s no way I'm that skilled.”

“Oh, come on. Don't give up before you even try.” The forest zoomed into view in front of us, spreading out in the distance.

“You're going too fast...won't you run out of energy?”

“Perhaps, but she never said I couldn't pause briefly.”

He laughed, wrapping his arms around my neck in a hug. “You're enjoyable, but I hope you know your mother as well as I do. She won't like that if she finds out.” I glance at him, understanding exactly what he meant. All hell would break loose.

“You think you're so smart?”

He smirked, sitting up straight and crossing his arms. “Why, of course I am. While you may have a mighty heart, your brain is rather small.”

My eyes glinted. “It’s bigger than your pea-brain.”

Under my challenge, he countered, “That’s because yours is swollen from being used.” I snorted--something between a scoff, a cough, and a laugh, with a small plume of smoke added in. WIth a few rapid-fire adjustments, I was immediately upside down. Since I’d moved too fast for him to catch on to my motive, he cried out and grabbed my spikes, his legs dangling in the air.

“Think you can use that intelligence of yours to get out of this?”

“Zavi…! That’s not fair! But...neither is this!” He let go, his magic swirling around him, obscuring him in a cloud of darkness. When he came back in sight, he’d turned into a hawk. How do I know that’s him and not just some random bird? His feathers are pitch black and his eyes are blue, not to mention the fact that he can't quite get rid of the fur that appears around his ears in every form. I watch him closely as he flies next to me. I'm still flipped over, which is really hard to keep doing. The look in his eyes though...I narrowed my golden eyes at him in suspicion. What’s he planning? My attention switched to the approaching forest, wondering if I would clear the trees at this height. That was a mistake. He suddenly dove at me, not necessarily at my eyes, but my face in general. If I wasn't a reborn human, I might have swatted at him. Good thing he’s doing this to me and no-one else in my family. Dark mist started coming off of him, signalling how close he was to being forcibly turned back. He’ll fall. I swiped at him, careful to keep my talons sheathed so I didn't hurt him. He’d moved away fast enough that I only grabbed him by his right wing, making it a bit harder to not hurt him. The mist swirled around him, turning him back. Now that he was in his natural form, it was his right arm that I had hold of. “Hey!” He wriggled and I rolled back over, placing him on my back.

“You shouldn't do that. It’s dangerous. Anyway, other than that, we have arrived at your house.” He sighed at me, closing his eyes and laying down. I think he’s just tired, bored, and excited all rolled into one. Was he trying to see how long he could maintain that form while exerting more energy than normal? That, or he only had annoying me on his mind. Either way, it won't do much good to dwell on anything in the past when I have to do a marathon.

“I'm not sure I want to go back. Those guys from the village have always done something to me.”

“Why don't you just fight back?” He fell silent for a few minutes--so quiet I began to wonder if he’d fallen off.

“I...don't want to hurt them.” There was an undertone I couldn't quite interpret, especially since he moved on quickly. “I'm just hoping you do better today.”

“What do you mean?”

“Remember the last time? You were found passed out halfway between.”

“I was just...uh…”

“You were just…?” I gave him a glare and he only laughed, raising a brow. He’s trying to make me admit it.

“I was just taking a nap. Never thought I would sleep for multiple days.”

“No, no, I clearly remember that you ate too much and went into ‘evolution’--,” He made air quotes, smirking. “--and then you were stuck like that for the next two weeks.” Instead of trying to retaliate and make it worse than it already is, I ignored him, furling my wings to go into a dive. The cold wind hissed as it passed over my scales, making my approach less than quiet. What happened earlier has me thinking...if he can't read my sudden movements, what’s going to happen if I have to make a last-second dodge? But that doesn't seem to align with what my mother taught us. In other words, he needs to be secured down--not to the point he can't get free of it, but enough that he doesn't fall. What would that be? I should think about this later. I pulled up to land, crouching to let Xyon get off. “Right...you have to leave me here?”

“Yep, just like the other times.” He gave me a nod and entered his house, leaving me standing there alone. He’s gotten so much stronger and his personality has changed a bit from living with dragons and doing constant training. It’s a fact that there is unbridled hatred lurking behind his eyes, staring accusingly into the distant soul of the dragon who stole his family. I'm glad he doesn't look at me like that. I jumped, spreading my wings and beating them down with a powerful sweep. The trees closest to me rocked, the snow falling off. I'm qualified as an adult dragon now, being sixteen, so at any time I’ll receive knowledge of a new magic...every dragon does when they turn sixteen. Although, seeing as I have a human soul, will that still occur? I flew in silence, moving quickly. Before, it was no big deal to travel to visit him every now and then, but...after having him so close for so long, it feels like a sibling has left and might never come back. At the speed I'm going, it’ll only take a little longer to get there. The tall glacier-mountain thing that held my home came into view slowly. Don't get me wrong, it took around half an hour to get this far, but with my mind so distracted it was fast. I adjusted my wings, folding in one slightly and making slight changes to the positions of the wing struts, bringing me in for neat landing inside the cave.

“Nicely done, Zavi. That was faster than the other times.” Why does she sound rushed? “Since you've done so well, why don't you take a break when you get back...perhaps a few hours.” The worry in her voice is scaring me, sending shivers down my spine and making my spine-spikes stand straight. “What are you waiting for? Get going.” She urged me out, forcing me to leave. “See you later, Zavi!” A note hit her voice that sounded sad. What’s going on?

“Okay...bye…” My fear sped my flight as it turned into a sprint. So scared! I'm so scared! Her eyes! They were haunted! Her posture! It was guarded! Something isn't right and she’s trying to keep me away…! By the time I reached Xyon’s house, I had managed to somewhat calm down...until I saw them. The same boys from before cornered Xyon against the side of his house, sneering. Why won't he fight back?! Then I saw his face. He’s scared. Just as I was moments ago. No, not quite fear...that look is trauma. They've hurt him so many times that he can't resist. My previous fright turned into rage and I was done. My mother just kicked me out for a reason unknown and I returned to find Xyon being tortured. A force inside me rose that I had forgotten--my talons twitched, my fangs itched, my tail waved, and it felt like I needed to clear my throat. I settled for a low growl and furled my wings, unconsciously going into attack-mode. Xyon! The stress stemming from what happened with my mother was making me act differently, to the point I didn't really understand how I felt anymore. Hold on, what am I doing?! I pulled up short at the last second, crashing with an explosion of snow and a loud thump. Ugh...have I still not gotten used to my dragon mind and nature? Forgot to keep control of my emotions. I was only about fourteen feet away from them, where they were all covering their heads in surprise and panic. But Xyon, he was hiding his face and cowering, his whole body shaking.

“What was that?!” The boy who seemed to lead the others was the first to respond. He’s got quick reflexes and a sharp mind...too bad he’s a horrible person. The sight of Xyon was heart-breaking. His strong will and carefree attitude was gone, replaced by someone who was stalked by constant terror, something always waiting to pounce and ruin him. The anger made me start growling again, standing. “Wha?!” The guy stumbled away, his eyes wide. He sees me, but the others don't. “Why is there a dragon?!” Xyon shuddered when he mentioned a dragon...but that was all. I need to save him. Ah, I couldn't see this guy’s features last time, but it seems he’s got reddish-brown hair and hazel eyes. I’ll never forget. I held back a roar, not wanting to make my mother worry more than she is. I have to deal with this on my own. “This isn't good! Oi, all of you, we need to get out of here!”

“Huh? Why?” They sound drowsy...did they get hurt when I fell? Not that it matters. The one I want is the guy in front of me. I growled louder, stepping closer and flaring my wings. The motion cleared away whatever was left of the cloud of snow, making my presence obvious. I pinned him down with a glare, doing my best to hold back any form of magic. He’s a human, I'm a dragon...it won't be hard to win with just physical strength alone.

“You…” I started to whisper, not quite ready to talk.

“Huh?!” The other two boys fled when they saw me, leaving their ‘leader’ behind. Figures they would do that. Not very much trust between them. “Where are you going?! Don't leave me!” He jolted when I hissed the moment he tried to run.

“You...it was you! You!” His eyes bulged as I yelled, clearly surprised. “You hurt him!” He began shaking his head, raising his hands nervously.

“T-the dragon’s...t-t-talking…” Of course I am..I'm not stupid.

“How dare you hurt him!”

He ducked his head. “Who? H-how have I offended you? I don't understand.”

I snarled, “Don't lie. He’s right in front of you.” His eyes flicked around and landed on Xyon.

“Y-you mean Senra?! How could he possibly be related to a dragon?!” I swept my tail under his legs, tripping him. “Ah?!”

“I've seen you. You're always hurting him. I'm tired of watching.”

“I'm sorry!” He lowered himself, bowing on all fours. What…? “Please let me go!” I could only stand and stare. Is he seriously giving himself up like that? He’s vulnerable when he exposes his neck. Does he understand how much meaning that has?

“Why?” I watched him carefully when he raised his head to look at me. “Just leave. I have no interest in ending a life as pathetic as yours…” What he said to Xyon flashed through my head. How will he feel if I use them on him? “You're ‘too disgusting for someone like me to touch’, was it?” He jolted. “I feel the same way about you.” His arrogance had been replaced by total guilt and complete terror. He hopped to his feet and fled, vanishing into the thick forest. Wow, it hurt way more than I thought to say something like that, even to that kind of person. Let’s never do that again. I lay down with a sigh, exhausted. I flew too fast, I used energy from my ragin emotions, and then I ‘attacked’. That was way too much exercise. My attention turned to Xyon, who was still quivering. Not okay. I got back up to go to him, pulling him closer. “Xyon…” I cooed his name the way my mother always did when I was scared or sad. He lifted his head slightly, acknowledging my presence. “Calm down…” This is just horrible. They've scarred him for life with no end in sight.

“Zavi…?”

“Yep.” When I saw his face, I was enraged again, flames roiling audibly inside of me. His eyes were soulless, as if he’d been abandoned with no hope of being saved. There was the beginnings of a bruise on his left cheek, his ears were drooped, and his tail was submissive, tucked between his legs. He should never have had to go through that. As he stared into my own golden eyes, his slowly became clearer and brighter, eventually giving way to his trapped joyous self.

“Hey, you’re loud, you know that?” I grinned at him--which, being honest, must look like I'm baring my fangs...a lot of sharp, long fangs. If it wasn't for how expressive my eyes are then he might've mistaken it as such.

“Yeah, yeah, what’d I do, disturb your beauty sleep?”

“Well, it does take a lot of effort to look this good, you know.” I nipped his coat, being careful not to hurt him. He’s far too sassy for his own good.

“Are you full of yourself now?”

“Why, of course!” Even the drama is unnecessary. Too bad he has a side that is so scared of everything.

I don't really want to say anything, but I can't just leave it be either. “Why did you give in? You're much stronger than them.”

He cast his eyes aside, refusing to look at me. “They are superior...they hold a higher position than me.” Is he thinking in wolf pack terms? That’s the only thing that would make any sense right now.

“Hmmm...then why don't you try to rise in the ranks? You'd be at the level of omega, right?”

“No, no, no...I'm the scum the omegas walk upon.” I shook my head.

“Why not simply overtake the ‘omegas’ then? You give up too easily. As far as I'm concerned, you're worthy of being at the rank of alpha.”

“No I'm not. I'm weak.”

“Fine. Block this.” I took a step back and whipped my tail, proving him wrong when he blocked it effortlessly--with his bare hands, even. “Liar. If you were weak, that would've sent you flying. How would someone as powerful as you be at the bottom?” I'm doing my best to make him understand, but it’s starting to confuse me.

“My strength is irrelevant. If I can't face them then I'm still the weakest.” I’ll never get him over their bullying.

“Alright, then I'm done discussing this. Be the weakling in their...pack, but don't be in ours. Make sure to keep going. Now, I'm tired and ready to collapse.” I got down and curled up, barely able to keep my eyes open.

“Why did you come back so soon?”

“Hm? My mother frightened me...she looked scared and told me to leave for a few hours.” I almost forgot about that. “I returned to see them hurting you.” I'm no longer a hatchling--I can protect him this time.

“What do you think was wrong?”

“I don't know. All I know is the way she refused to let me enter the cave, the urgent tone in her voice, and how much it scared me.”

“Are you sure it was a good idea to leave? What if there was something bad happening?” He walked over, positioning himself in the crook of my front left leg and my curved neck, using the bend in my ‘elbow’ as if he was sitting in a chair. He’s tiny and warm...it's nice.

I moved my head even closer, opening my left eye to peer at him. “Maybe, but she didn't want me there. It's not that easy to disobey a terrified powerful dragoness. I just want to sleep and go back to find everything is perfectly fine.”

“Okay...I hope that’s all that happens.” We both allowed ourselves to fall asleep, giving up worrying about something we knew nothing about.

<->20<->

I was shocked awake by a bellowing roar that shook the ground. Xyon scrambled trying not to fall over when I stood abruptly, facing the north. That was my father! “Wo-ah…! Zavi!”

“That was my father!” My talons unsheathed and dug into the icy snow. That was his battle-roar! I flared my wings, preparing to take off.

“Hey--wait! Take me with you!” He ran in front of me and waved his arms. “Let me help!” I hesitated, not sure it was a good idea to bring a human-beastking hybrid into a dragon battle. But then again, that was the whole point we were training for. I grabbed him and shoved off, forcing him to have to climb onto my back as I flew. Once he had gotten situated, I sped up tremendously, the wind whistling over my scales. He pressed himself down to reduce drag and prevent wind buffeting his face, helping me go a bit faster. Even at this speed it’ll take close to half an hour to get there...it's so far away! My eyes started tearing up, but the sheer force of my passage ripped them away. Mother…! Father…! What’s going on?! Just wait for me, I'm coming to help! I came upon my home like a lightning bolt, whipping around the towering glaciers and pulling up short when I saw something that chilled my very soul. No...no, no, no...this isn't happening! My father had finally lost it completely and was attacking my mother with the intent to kill. I’ll lose them both! “Zavi, over there!” I pulled my eyes away from my parents and followed Xyon’s finger to see an approaching group of three dragons. What is this?! “Hide!” Panic fueling me, I found the energy to listen and ducked into a crack in the glaciers. So much danger! I could only watch as the dragons descended on my parents silently.

Giving up, I shouted, “Mother! Watch out!” She rolled out from underneath the onslaught of dragons, managing to dodge them in time. I saved her! Her head was turning to-and-fro, searching for me as she danced away from the developing brawl.

“Zavi! Where are you?!” I jumped back out into the open, hurrying closer. “Don't! I want you to leave!” The other dragons were all blue, so it was fairly clear what tribe they belonged to. A smaller dragoness was a blue so dark it bordered on black, the largest was a green-tinted sky blue...the last one shocked me. It was a tourmaline opal...just like me and my father. “Leave…!” I was too surprised to move, not even hearing those around me. The tourmaline isn't fighting, but watching, stalking my mother.

“You! You're the one who stole my brother!” The tourmaline dragoness bared her fangs and dived, aiming her curved talons at my mother. “Look what you've done to him!” The two dragonesses clashed, tumbling over the edge. Her brother? Is she talking about my father?

“Zavi, she told you to leave!” Finally, I started hearing Xyon when he began hitting my neck. “You should do as she said!” I glanced back at him to see he was crying, hurt by the scene just as much as I was. Xyon…

“No.” I shook my head, making up my mind. “She trained us for this. We can't just turn away when she needs us.” The clouded look my father had in his eyes before was gone, his sanity ever-so-slowly returning in the fight. He pinned the two down, winning his battle. My mother, on the other hand, was beginning to lose. The dragoness snarled and snapped at my mother, going at her with full force. She needs help! “I'm going in, are you helping?” He stared at me uncertainly, then nodded.

“I'm with you, Zavi.” I hissed through my fangs and rose higher to get a better angle. Xyon used his dark magic to strap himself down so he wouldn't fall off, preparing for my attack. I won't let this dragoness take my family...I won't lose them again! I furled my wings, slipping into a dive that made my eyes sting. I'm not going to give up and let others control my life, not anymore! I didn't even bother slowing down for the impact, understanding that the victor could be decided in an instant with any hesitation. If I want to win, I’ll have to fight like I mean it. I slammed into her with a boom, the force sending both of us flying into the side of another glacier. The tourmaline’s sapphire eyes registered pain and confusion. I must look like someone on her side, being an opal.

With flames hissing at the back of my throat, I growled, “Leave my mother alone! If you want to fight, then fight me!” I think I snapped a few of her ribs a minute ago, judging by the blood around her mouth...she’ll have a hard time moving. I met her eyes, refusing to look away. Unexpectedly, her hind paws shoved me off her, raking my side and freeing her from the glacier. I flared my wings, knowing full-well that I can't fall with Xyon on my back. It hurts, but she didn’t get through my scales. She zipped all over the place, trying to confuse me.

“Who are you?! I didn't know there were other opals!” If my father is her brother, then she’s my aunt...a pretty young one, being not much older than I am. “This has nothing to do with you! Leave before you become my enemy!” I glared, charging at her again. She’s ignoring me!

“You already are!” I shoved my horns into her underbelly, stabbing fairly deep. This is a fight...she shouldn't have taken her eyes off me. “I'm strong enough now! This time, I can fight too!” She scrabbled at my head, somehow pulling herself off of my curved horns. I can't believe I have to fight my own aunt to protect my parents...it's insane.

She coughed violently, whirling on me. “How dare you! I tried to spare you, insolent hatchling! Now that you've insisted on being my opponent, you won't escape alive!”

“Try me!” I blasted the fire I’d held back in her face, startling her, increasing the temperature as I went on. At some point, she got free and I stopped, keeping my eyes trained on her.

“How?! You're of the water tribe!” Is that what it looks like? Guess I break rules by existing.

“Don't make assumptions!” Xyon lashed out with long trails of dark magic, wrapping them around her waist.

“What’s this?!” She struggled, making his magic waver.

“Xyon, don't let her go! Keep her down!” I have to avoid using my trump-card...something similar should work just fine. I inhaled and blasted shards of ice at her wings, but she furled them close to her body to prevent damage. She’s not allowed to do that, it’s cheating! Well, all’s fair in war. I gasped when she bit down on a vine of dark magic, yanking us closer with it. Adjusting quickly, I turned her deadly swipe into a grapple. I bit down on her neck when she lifted it back to attack me with breath, choking her. She dug her talons into my paws and smacked me with her tail. It hurts! I released her for a brief moment to take a deep enough breath in all this pain, but she returned my attack, locking her jaws around the middle of my throat. Ouch! I can't breathe! I could turn enough to see her reaction to finding Xyon there. He stood on my back and climbed up my neck to kick at her eyes. Fire licked around her bared fangs in response, but she couldn't attack him without releasing me, so he was able to continue for quite a while. Where’s my mother? She was fending off the large green-tinted sky blue dragon. Did he get away from my father? This dragoness has it out for us though, so I absolutely have to keep her here. I forced words through my crushed windpipe, spitting, “Xyon! I'm...flame coat!” won't make sense to anyone who doesn't know me, but he understood, tying his magic around a single spike and hopping off, hanging like a cat toy on a string. Now that he wasn't touching me, I released my own magic.

My scales became as hot as my mother’s lava attack, glowing from the heat. “Agh!” She let go, the scent of burning flesh carrying to my nostrils. Ha, I burned her! “You...that one on your back...it’s unprecedented! You're spitting on your honor!”

“Friendship is more important than honor.” My voice was quiet, still hurting from her tight grip. I heard my father bellow in pain and looked at him, seeing the tiny dragoness latching onto his back and biting at his wings and neck. “Father!” I started for him, but the tourmaline raced in front of me, blocking my path.

Her eyes blazed. “Father…? You're the spawn of that fire dragon?!” She needs to pay more attention...I’d already called her my mother. “That dragoness...defiled my brother…?! I’ll kill you, you abomination!” Seeing as she was my aunt, it stung to hear her say that. Are we only being found by the water tribe because of how dangerous the north is for the fire tribe? My mother can't even fight at full strength here. She launched into the attack, but her movements were dulled by emotions. Nevertheless, she had me on the defensive, forcing me to back away with every strike. This fight is hard! I never knew how much it took to fight another dragon, especially one that wanted to kill you! Her ferocity terrified me, driving me into a corner. She went for a fatal strike, but something bumped into me, taking the brunt of the attack in my place. When I refocused my eyes, I recognized the cloudy-blue opal scales in front of me. Father…! He just saved me! But at what cost? His body slumped and I grabbed him, trying to keep him from falling. The dragoness screeched in panic and regret. “Brother! No, no, no...brother!” She helped me support his weight, lowering him slowly. “Why?! Why would you protect this fledgling?!” I shook my head and quickly closed off my heart. My mother is still fighting...Xyon fell off over there when I changed direction too suddenly. Where did he go? I spotted him hiding himself away, trying to avoid getting attacked. I’ll leave him there. No need to risk his wellbeing for a problem within my family. I sped skyward, intercepting the tiny female with a snarl. She yelped, dodging my swipe. Not much smaller than me, but definitely older. Maybe my size is due to my father?

“Zavi! Stop, I told you to leave!” She hissed at me, but I refused to abandon her. With the flare of my wings, I caught up to the dragoness effortlessly, stabbing my talons into the membrane of her wings. I'm going to do my best to survive this. With her pained scream, the last one broke free from my mother and dove at me, ripping me off her. Ouch! I tumbled through the air, struggling to regain balance. My mother appeared out of nowhere, blasting fire in their faces. “I want you gone, now! Don't make me fight you myself!” She clobbered me with her tail, sending me to the ground. “You have…” She paused to bite one of them. “...more to do! You were going to help Xyon! Have you already forgotten?!” Her words stung. She’s...right. My promise was to Xyon--to help him. It’s time for me to leave. I got to my feet, grabbed Xyon--who had run up to me when I fell--and took off. My soul wailed but I kept going. “Don't worry about me! I’ll see you again, Zavi! I can't wait to see how much you grow by then!” I found myself crying, barely able to hold onto Xyon in my cupped paws. I'm so tired...I've lost so much in my first life and now in this new one. Do the gods hate me that much?! To the point they give me hope with a perfect family and friendship, only to rip it all away like removing a bandaid?! Why me?! After this, I could be an orphan again...the only one I’ll have will be Xyon. How much more will be taken before they're satisfied?!

“Zavi…” I glance down at him to see his own tears dripping freely down his face. “You're not alone. Not everything has been taken yet.” We were technically talking in dragonish since the beginning of the fight, but we’d taught him the language since he had chosen to live with us. That means he heard everything. “There’s no guarantee your mother will die. Same goes for your father. You have a violent aunt, but at least she seems to care about your father, so she won't let him die. We can't help...you aren't strong enough yet. I'm not either. We have to grow stronger, just like your mother said.” I pulled him in closer, holding him carefully against the base of my neck, above my chest. That way, he could wrap his arms around my neck like he always does. I would've never seen that without his help. I'm only a burden to my family during this fight...there’s no way I could fight at the height of my strength because I can't fight with the intent to kill--the polar opposite of my enemy. With heavy hearts, we fled.

<->21<->

I had been flying for a few hours, going west. We had stopped at Xyon’s house to get his belongings, but left swiftly when we discovered even more dragons at that forest. They were leaving the humans alone, but it had looked like the entire army of that tribe had come. Just how serious is this situation? It won't do much good thinking about it, not now, not when I'm not going to return for a long time. He only grabbed about two bags of things, but I can still feel the extra weight as stress on my wings. “I can already feel the air getting warmer...but are you sure it’s a good idea to go inland? There are towns and villages this way, far more than in the north.”

“It’s fine...I’ll get by somehow.” Maybe.

“How? You're exhausted...does this weigh too much for you?” I appreciate his consideration, but I don't want to worry about it. Going to warmer climates is the safest bet I have right now. The water tribe is after me and knows what I look like, so I don't necessarily possess much choice here. I need to keep flying until my wings feel like they’ll fall off, then keep on until they do. “Zavi. Land. Right now.” I spared a glance for him at his tone. “Do it yourself or I’ll jump off and drag you down with me.”

“How could you possibly--”

“You're weak right now. It’d be a piece of cake. Especially with these.” I looked back at him to find out what ‘these’ are. He held up his hands, dark magic swirling around them. When the black mist disappeared, what I saw sent a jolt through my whole length. Starting halfway between his elbow and wrist, black scales spread down to his hands. There, replacing his fingernails, he possessed obsidian talons that gleamed menacingly in the sunlight. That’s...dragon paws! How?! When?! He wiggled his fingers at me with a grin. “I do believe these would be sharp enough to go through your scales, right? Fascinating.” There were two scales beneath each of his eyes and his teeth had sharpened slightly. Amazing! This is insane! He took me seriously!

“When did you…?”

“When you left me at my house...when you fell asleep...after I fell off of you...and just now.” He blinked at me and closed his eyes. His dark magic whirled around him and he bit his lip. Does it hurt? The scales spread further up his arms, reaching his shoulders. When he reopened his eyes, they were slit, but maintained their icy blue color...although, they look a bit more like gemstones, the same as every other dragon. Flawless so far. I gazed into those eyes and didn't want to look away from the gentleness I found within. “What do you think?” I snapped out of the trance and smiled.

“Cool. Is that as far as you can go?” I glanced at his feet to see they had become changed up to his knees. He’s really putting in a lot of effort.

“I managed to get a tail when struggling...I’ll try more.” He resumed practicing, and, just as he’d said, his wolf tail morphed into a scaly dragon tail. More than that, there were scales coming up his neck to underneath his chin and the number under his eyes had turned to five. The eyes themselves had become even more crystalline too. “How’s that?” His face was pale and he didn't seem to be feeling well. What if I filter magic into him?

“Great...I'm going to experiment with something. Please allow my mana to bond with yours temporarily.” He nodded, breathing too hard to speak anymore. When I sent it through contact, I was surprised at how easily it bonded with his. Because of his dragon form? Most likely. As I sent him my mana, his complexion slowly got better. "Try again." His magic went through some sort of shift and my wings hitched when he sprouted wings of his own! And long straight horns parallel either side of his head.

"Wha?!" He stared wide-eyed at his back. I smirked, about to pick on him, when he flared those pitch black wings experimentally. He was instantly yanked off my back, flailing in panic after his blunder. Why?! There’s no way he’s that stupid! I whipped around, grabbing hold of him with my front right paw.

“Xyon! You idiot! You can't just open your wings like that!”

“Ugh...yeah...I kinda figured that one out…”

I gently lifted him up to my back. “Don't do that again. Still going west, right?”

“Well...don't see why not. It’s our best bet.” I turned back around and continued on. The wind blew from behind me, making it slightly difficult to adjust properly. A good headwind would be better. His magic evaporated and he looked like a normal beastkin again. Lasted longer than I thought it would, but that must've been only because of the magic I fed to him. “Now, find somewhere to land. I almost forgot about it, but I won't let you off this time. Go down. Now.” I growled but did as he said, folding in the outer wing struts to descend. I don't feel like diving. He fussed with his bags as I set down gently in a field. Hm? This looks like wheat...a farm? I examined the area while he finished up. Sure enough, I could see a barn and farmhouse not too far away from us. I can already hear chickens and cows...what else do they have? “You know...it’s hot this far out. I don't think this form is very helpful here.” He switched back to his human self, sliding down my leg. “What are you looking at?”

“A house. This is a farm. It wouldn't be a good idea for me to go ask them anything, so I’ll leave this up to you. Think you can get me some food?”

“Us. You're not the only one who’s hungry.”

“No, but I am the only one who’s flying. My exhaustion trumps yours.” He laughed liltingly.

Genuflecting, he said, “As you wish, your majesty.”

With a smirk, I replied, “Go, slave, before I have to chew on your worthless hide.”

He kicked my leg. “Ouch!” After his cry, he began hopping around on one foot.

“That doesn't look like it felt very good. Maybe you shouldn't hit a dragon’s scales when your only protection is a boot.” I helped him with healing magic anyway, feeling guilty. “Better?”

“Yes. Thank you. I’ll be off then!” He walked away slightly moodily. He’ll get over it soon enough. I sighed, laying down and curling up, trying to use the wheat to hide better. I listened closely when I heard Xyon knock on the door with a tap-tap-tap. The door creaked open seconds later.

The voice of an old lady said, “Yes? Who is it?”

“Excuse the intrusion, ma’am. I'm Senra Xyon and I was wondering if you had some food…?” He sounds so scared...at least he’s managing to keep the stutter out, if barely.

“Food? Of course, of course. Is there anyone with you?” I tensed. Please don't outright tell them you're traveling with a dragon…

“Yes. My friend Zavi. She’s waiting for me elsewhere...I didn't want to risk any danger, so I told her to wait.” He never said danger to me, just danger in general…does he think I would hurt them? Hah, only if they attacked first.

“Ah, what a brave young man. Come in, come in. I’ll get you something to eat.” I crawled closer when the door shut. It’s clear these forests aren't entirely safe. There’s bound to be something dangerous that attacks when you least expect it. I could hear her introducing him to others in there. Most of them sound younger...a family group? He’s fine at the moment, but I won't put down my guard because of that. I don't know what dangers there are out here, or if I can actually fight them well. This went on for another eight minutes. How long is this going to take? Okay, I get it, being accepted by the people in there must feel amazing, but I'm waiting for him! Seeing as I was growing impatient, I stopped caring about my surroundings entirely at some point. That may have been one of my most stupid moves that day. Something prodded my ribs and I turned sharply to find a teen just barely younger than me. He gaped at me, but was too scared to make sound or even run away. Yep, people are way more frightened by dragons than Xyon or those adventurers I met. How do I fix this? Is it even possible to fix? I abandoned trying to hide and sat up, facing the kid and tilting my head.

In a quiet voice, I asked, “Is this where you live?” He gave me a tiny nod. “It’s lovely here. Please don't mind me. I'm just waiting for my friend to come back.” I did my best to smile without fangs. If they don't know me, then that smile is one full of death to them. “He was invited inside your house a bit ago and hasn't come back out yet.”

“S-Senra?” Ah, he knows him. How did I not see him leave the house?

“Yes.” Keep him calm and it will be fine. If he yells or screams, even cries, then I'm in trouble. His eyes were on my sharp talons when I shuffled around. “Do I scare you?” I already know that answer. I lifted my paw carefully and sheathed my talons where he could see. “Want to touch me? I promise I won't hurt you.” He stared at my opal scales and seemed to unconsciously be raising his hands. He’s holding a spear...is that what prodded me? Not like it did any damage though. I carefully moved my paw closer to him to let him touch me. His tiny hands were calloused from working in the fields every day, but still felt like those of a child. I gazed at him with a gentle expression, the awe on his face entertaining. Dragons seem to be a symbol of fear, so touching one has got to be incredible. I'm perfectly fine with it, so I don't see why not. That’s probably only because I have a human’s experience in life, but still. He looked up and saw the bags tied to my spine-spikes.

“Does he sit on your back?”

“Yes.” He’s very curious. I have to warn him before he starts trusting other dragons. “You need to understand that I might be kind to you, but that doesn't mean the other dragons will be. Never forget that.”

“Okay.” He traced a scale with his finger. “You're very nice. Are you Zavi?”

“Yep, that’s my name. Say, would you mind running inside and telling...Senra...to hurry up?” I prefer the name Xyon, but both are still amazing.

“Sure!” He hopped up and down then ran off. If he says I'm a dragon...great, now I'm making even more mistakes. Is he thirteen? Twelve? Either one, it doesn't really matter. Worried, I settled down even lower than I had last time, practically praying that this didn't turn into a fight. It wouldn't be much of a fight for me or Xyon, but the farmers could get hurt. Despite what I thought would happen, there was a short goodbye and he walked out carrying three huge bags of food. Two were full of meat and the other with bread and vegetables.

“Zavi?” He kept walking but clearly couldn't tell where I was. I slid my tail closer and wrapped it around his leg before yanking him to me, “Awah!” catching him in my front paws. “Why?!” I couldn't help but laugh at his startled expression.

“You looked so confused! I was just helping!”

“No! That was not helping!” Hah, his face is red! Embarrassment for sure! With a flick of my wings, I flipped into the air and went between the trees. “Woah! Careful! I'm not armoured!”

“Relax. You're fine. So, what’d you get me?!”

He eyed me for a minute, then presented the bags to me. “Chicken, beef, and mutton.” He shoved the meat-filled ones closer to my face and pointed at the last one. “Carrots, bread, potatoes…” He opened it and rummaged around. “Onions, garlic, lettuce, cucumbers, and zucchini. Geez, just how much land do they own?!” That was a long list, but a delicious one! All of those can be used to cook fantastic dishes! I would know, since I used to do it all the time--I did? A hint to my past showed up at the oddest of times. When did I learn to cook? “You know, the most surprising thing is how green everything is. The only things that are white are plants and the clouds. It’s amazing! So many colors!” His amazement startled me out of my thoughts. Ah...that’s right. I've seen this in my past life, but he never has. It’s all new to him.

“You're right.” I gave him a smile, understanding his reaction perfectly. “So, are we going to eat?”

“Ah, I forgot. Here, let me get you some meat.” My confusion must have been written all over my face, as he asked, “What? Something wrong?”

Bare? “You're not going to cook anything? Just eat it all separately?”

“Well, yeah. Onion and garlic are hard to chew through...but isn't it normal?” I was appalled by this discovery. Does this world not know about mixing them?! They're able to make bread, but haven't put it all together?!

“Has no-one taught you otherwise?”

“No...my mother and father did the same, so did the villagers. What’s wrong with it?”

“Try putting some of it together! I must teach you.”

“Huh? Teach me wha--aaaah!” I set him down abruptly, moving away just enough to give him space.

“Take out some beef, onions, and garlic. This will be a simple lesson.” He was obviously wondering why I had suddenly gone insane, but he did so anyway. I cut a neat slice out of a hunk of beef he offered, ending up with a raw steak. “The rest. Hand it here.” I carefully cut thin strips of onion and lay them over the meat, then ground down a tiny chunk of garlic to sprinkle it on top. This is hard to do without a table or human-sized hands. I have four fingers and a thumb all placed correctly, they're just the wrong size. I'm actually having to use my left paw as a table and I'm not sure if that’s a good idea. I blew a tiny stream of fire on it, making sure to keep it from being uneven, then flipped it over to do exactly the same to the other side. When I was done, I so badly wanted to eat it myself, but the portion was small and better suited for Xyon. I’ll find another time to eat something like this. Took too much time to do. I held it out to him with a grin. “Well? Gonna try it?”

“Seriously? It smells good, but you put so much on it...are you sure mixing all that will be okay?”

“Yeah. Here…” I cut a few slices off with a few deft swipes of my talons. “Try it for me.” He hesitated, but grabbed a piece and ate it.

His face lit up immediately. “Wow! So cool!” Sure...I hope I get to have something like this eventually. Besides that, when did I learn to do this? It all felt so natural, as if I’d done it a thousand times. I cut the rest for him and watched our surroundings as he ate. I need to be far more careful than I was earlier, no matter how tired or bored I am. After he’d cleaned away the steak, I licked my paw to discover just how yummy it had been. Woah! Come on, when did I learn this?! How?! With so little to work with, I made something fantastic!

“Full?”

“Yep! Thank you, Zavi! I really liked it!”

“You're welcome. By the way, you’ll have to make it yourself next time. I'm not making it for you again--it was too hard. My paws are too big.”

“Ack! I’ll never be able to do that!”

“You’d be surprised. Anyway, give me what’s left of that garlic piece, the onion, and the beef I cut into.” He handed it over and I skipped cooking, just dumped it all in my mouth. The flavors won't combine like when cooked, but it still tastes better. I should've cooked that meat first though. “I want to keep going. It’s still cold enough here for them to approach. We need to get to higher climates.”

“Are you kidding? It’s really warm here.”

“No, it’s just warmer than the north you lived in. The water tribe can go incredibly far into this heat but have to stop by the time they get completely inland. My father made sure I understood the weaknesses of every dragon tribe. He said it would be very important.”

“Well, it’s certainly paying off now.” He reluctantly climbed onto my back with the food, tying it all together to ensure we wouldn't lose any of it. I think I could've gone hunting, but I don't know what lives here, not in this world. I'm not sure how similar the two worlds are, so I’d like to refrain from certain things for a while.

“Definitely. Ready to set off?”

“...Yes. I’d rather you didn't, Zavi.” The concern in his eyes made me hesitate.

Eventually, I said, “Fine, I get it. I’ll walk, but you should stay on. When I'm unconscious, you're the one who will have to work. Leave the travel to me.” I'm going to pass out. It’s no longer a debate, it’s a reality. I can feel it creeping up on me and turning the corners of my vision black...I have to go just a bit further. Not ready to give up, I ignored the warnings and went on, forcing my mind to keep thinking and my body to move. There’s a good distance I need to cover. I’ll get there at some point. The exhaustion began to warp my mind and draw on painful memories. I felt like I was running from danger as well as trying to save a life.

After an immeasurable amount of time, I felt Xyon kick me angrily. “Zavi!” Even his tone betrayed his barely contained rage. “You will stop here, right now!” Agitated, I reflexively snapped at him in response. “Hey!” He easily dodged me and stood up. “Don't hurt yourself!” What’s he trying to do? I'm not sure anymore...all I know is how much I want to keep going. I panicked when black tentacles made of magic wrapped around my snout, looping around the back of my head and under my chin. What is this?! “Zavi? Is your mind even okay?” His voice was far calmer, but only served to startle me more. The vine-like magic tightened and suddenly forced me down. The moment my head touched the ground, I forgot my mission to continue and went limp. “Uh...are you...tame...now?” He sounded so uncertain, but I had already begun to slip into my dreams.

<->22<->

At some point, when the moon was high, I woke to see Xyon sitting close to a fire. What happened? My head hurts...I guess pushing myself too far will have darker consequences than I thought. “Are you feeling better now?” He didn't look my direction, but must have sensed a change in my breathing patterns or something. Impressive, but I'm in too much pain to care. “What was that? Is it that the reality of what we left behind caught up to you? That would be the most obvious answer...what else? Give me your tail.”

“I don't know. I felt like I had to keep running and never stop. Ha…I didn't go very far in the end though, huh.” With a sigh, I flicked my tail closer to him.

“Are you kidding me?” He leaned forward to grab my tail and use the end to poke at the coals.

“What are you doing?!”

“Every stick I use has caught fire. Now stay still.” His grip tightened, and I gave up, letting him do whatever. “Zavi, you have taken us over ten miles away from that farm. I wasn't sure what to think or do, but then I noticed your breathing was ragged. That’s dangerous. Never do it again. Ever.” Are those tears in his eyes? “Please.” I tilted my head and scooted a bit closer.

“Hmmm...so you were worried about me?” He didn't answer, only wiping at the tears. I must have made it quite clear I saw them. “I'm still worn out...I ache all over. But I can't sleep...can you help me?” His icy blue eyes flicked to me and he shrugged off the blanket that was on his shoulders, leaning back.

With a smile that seemed forced, he said, “Come here. You can put your head in my lap for a while.” Interesting. What made him decide to go with that? While I know I'm somewhere between forty to fifty feet long, my head and paws aren't actually that big...it shouldn't hurt him to do what he asked. I mustered up the last of my strength to wiggle over and curl around Xyon, placing my head carefully in his lap. The top of my head measured a little higher than his chest, while my curved horns went a foot above his head. My snout is kind of hanging off the side of his lap too...is he sure about this?

“If this hurts, don't be afraid to wake me up or shove me off...I don't want to hurt you.” He gave me a more genuine smile and placed his hands on my head.

“Don't worry, I will. Let me calm you down.” Reaching into his little bag, he pulled out the flute he’d made and fixed. “Remember the song that made you sleepy? I’ll be playing that one.” The gentle notes practically forced my body to relax, my freed tail moving back and forth somewhere. I cooed contentedly and allowed myself to fall asleep once again that night.

<->23<->

This time, when I woke up, I felt much better, and the sun was peeking over the trees. We could continue our trip today. It was when I tried to move that I realized we had slept with my head in his lap and him sitting against my curved neck. How did we stay like this the whole night?! Ugh...this means that if I move, he’ll wake up. How long do I need to keep still? Unknown at the moment. Or, I could just forget it and get up. I looked at him and understood that he had been awake all night. He even took all the bags off me at some point. That must have been hard...but I can't stay here. Carefully, I lifted my head and glanced around. As far as I can see, there aren't any monsters here right now. I pulled away slowly, taking care not to bother him. Cupping my paws around him, I set him down right next to the smouldering fire and backed away. Good...he’s still sleeping. After placing his blanket over him, I leapt as high as I could, trying not to blow the blanket back off. Let’s find out what muscles need taken care of. A few twinged immediately, and I nearly fell right back down to earth. Ouch...that needs attention quickly. I focused my magic on them and flew steadily. I have to heal them while they're being used or they won't get stronger. I wish I’d known that sooner in this life. I can't believe she waited until I was ready to pass out to tell me something that important. Mother...I need her to be okay. The sound of branches and twigs snapping made my wings lock up for a few seconds in surprise. What’s that?! I trained my senses in on the source, searching for answers. Short, cut-off breaths--they're running in panic. Would it be a good idea to help? Whimpering, crying...definitely not someone or something hunting. From what I can hear, they're using two legs and words, so it’s not an animal, but a person. But what are they saying? I glided in closer to make it out. “Help...help me…” They kept repeating that line over and over, nonstop. A low roar that made the birds scatter alerted me to a monster. They're being chased.

Since I didn't have much of lips, I bit my tongue. They want help. Should I? Or is there a reason someone was abandoned out here? No...there’s no humane reason to leave somebody out here to die, especially one so young, from what I can tell. This is a child. Giving in to my innate protective instincts, I furled my wings and dived for them, sheathing my talons and reaching out. I’ll grab the kid and fly off. Everything can be explained to the child later, after I’ve gotten them out of danger. It was a challenge to fly between the trees, but I managed, snatching the child the moment I saw it was within range. Alright, saved. Of course, they freaked out and wiggled, but what shocked me was how quickly they gave up, going limp. Geez...it’s not like I'm going to hurt them. Still crying, but not putting up any kind of fight. Curious, I lifted my front right paw and curved my neck to get a better look. A little girl...her hair is dark red and tangled, her frame is tiny...you can see her ribs and she has sickly skin--all signs of malnutrition. So delicate and yet treated so harshly. She wore a torn up simple black dress that went just past her knees as well. I feel like I have to be incredibly careful or I’ll break her. Because of that, my grip was loose and gentle. Do I return to Xyon with her? No, it might not be the best option at the moment, seeing as I don't know how she’ll react. I’ve already frightened her enough, I don't need to make it worse. I noticed a small stream and angled for it. There are a lot of those here. I set down quietly beside the water, lowering her to the soft grass. Her breath hitched when I let go and she went still. Is she breathing? Her heart is hammering away in her little chest...I could've handled this much nicer. Experimentally, I said, “I'm sorry. I seem to have scared you.” She turned her head ever so slightly. Good, she’s listening. “It was a surprise to hear someone calling out for help...I promise I won't hurt you. Cross my heart and hope to die?”

I heard her breathe in and swallow, so I fell silent. “R-really…?”

“Yes. My name’s Zavi. You?”

She curled up. “I'm...Minca.”

“That’s a lovely name. Can you sit up and let me untangle your hair?” She nodded slowly, a little smile pulling at her lips from my comment on her name. I waited for her to sit cross-legged and turn her back to me. Takes a lot of courage to show your back to a dragon. I unsheathed the talons on my right paw and flipped my paw over so I could use the dull side to brush it out. I took care no to cut her accidentally, slowly but surely getting out all the knots. “Does this hurt?”

“No.” Her voice was meager. She quivers and her heart accelerates every time I touch her. I narrowed my eyes. She was most likely tortured...but why? I sheathed my talons again when I finished, placing my paw down next to her.

“I'm done. You should bathe in the stream to get rid of your previous scent...we don't want that monster to track you down.” There was hesitance, but she obeyed. It kinda pissed me off that she was obedient. A slave-like life, no doubt. But her curly, shoulder-length hair is amazing...ah. I shook my head slowly when I saw the small horns on her head, then the thin tail ending in a spear-shaped tip. Classic demon tail from all those games and movies...hm? How’d I know that? Oh well, forget it. It’s clear that she was mistreated because she’s a demon...but I don't recall ever being told there was a demon race? Or I was and I just don't remember. She washed the dress at the same time she cleaned her body. All those bruises and cuts...it took a lot of effort to not growl when I saw them. Don't scare her, don't scare her. Minca left the stream wearing a wet dress and an unsure frown. Her eyes...they're violet. Cool. “You're wet...hold on.” I touched the hem of her dress carefully and sent magic into it. The clash between the hot and cold air I controlled created a warm breeze, but it didn't last long because I then pulled all the water off her skin and out of the fabric, turning it into steam. She gasped, startled by the magic. That should work. “Do you feel better, Minca?” I sighed when all she did was nod. “Say something...or not. Do you want to come with me?”

“Yes…please...don't leave me here…”

“I won't if you don't want me to.” So she wants to go with me. How do I get her to Xyon? Carry her in my paw again? No, that’s too dangerous...but I don't have any bags on my back, so there’s not much for her to hold on to. Either one is bad.

“Thank you...take me away from here...please.” I unconsciously rubbed my snout against her, my aim to sooth her.

“Alright.” Xyon will be able to do more. I have to remember I'm a dragon now, and that makes taking care of a child hard. “Stay still, spread out your arms.” She did as I asked and I grasped her frail body delicately. “Let me get you to someone who can help.” After making sure I wouldn't lose her, I took off, cradling her close to my chest. I've met so many people after leaving the north...more live here, where it’s warmer.

“You...you're from the water tribe, right?” I flinched when she spoke, but looked at her. So now she wants to talk.

“Not really. My father was, but my mother is part of the fire tribe. I don't belong in any tribe. How about you? What’s your story?” Ah...my muscles are screaming in various places. Is it because I'm carrying someone? Most likely.

“I...was thrown away.” I sighed, not surprised.

“Don't worry, I won't do that. My friend should be able to help you more than I can.”

“Your friend…? Another dragon?”

“No. He’s half human, half beastkin.” She became quiet, and I stopped talking. Something I said definitely bothered her. The small clearing we’d slept in came into view and I swerved in for a landing, spotting Xyon cooking with the restoked fire. “Xyon.” I set down and held Minca out to him. “She almost died. Can you help her?”

He stared at her in surprise. “Isn't this child a demon? She should've been able to handle any of the monsters in this place.” Even so, he still stood and walked up to her. “I can, but you owe me.” He held out his arms evenly, so I placed her in his arms. She kept still from a mixture of fear and confusion. He almost lost balance, but quickly caught himself. “Do I look scary?” Xyon carried her to the fire and sat down with her, rummaging in his bags. “Is it because I look like a human?” When she didn't respond, he said, “I’ll take that as a yes. Does this help?” His wolf ears and tail popped up out of nowhere and her eyes went wide.

“Yes…”

“Not much, but just enough.” I tilted my head at him when he took out some green paste. “This is some medicine. Show me your wounds.” Nervously, she pulled the dress down so it rested around her waist, presenting her back to him. “Whip marks.” He gently started putting the paste on her, making sure to smile when she glanced at him. I could’ve used my magic to do that...I'm way more tired than I thought. “There. That should help them heal faster.” I can't help but feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew this time...is it really possible to care for her?

"Xyon, what places are safe to leave her?" She stiffened, but he completely ignored it.

"Back in the land the demons claimed, or just anywhere but with humans. We won't come across either one for a while." He wrapped any open wounds and set her in the grass. "Stay here." Now what? We'd have to take her with us, right? "Are you feeling better? If so, then we should leave after eating." Why the hurry? There’s so much stress emanating off him it’s almost nauseating. Saying nothing more, he took care of the pot and doused the fire. After, he handed Minca a bowl of the soup inside and waited for her to finish before getting his own. Seeing as there’s only one bowl in the first place, it makes sense they’d have to take turns. When they had their fill, he walked up to me and dumped the rest of it in my mouth. Yum. Xyon was still being nervous, but he was doing an impressive job of hiding it at the moment. I still couldn't figure out what was bothering him as he gathered our supplies and tied them to my spikes. He held out a hand to Minca. “We have to leave. Get on her back.” She took his hand cautiously, then let him help her up.

“I don't know how far I can go with this weight.”

“Just go. We can stop to rest periodically.” His voice is monotone. Yeah, this is definitely setting him off in many different ways. I took off, my wings halting momentarily from the surprising weight of another person. At this rate I’ll only be able to go for maybe an hour or so...unless I can find some nice winds to help me.

<->24<->

We’ve been traveling for almost four days and Minca still hasn't said anything since we first took her with us. She’s scared and can't seem to come to terms with her situation yet. “Zavi, can you move this log over?” Xyon tapped a particularly giant fallen tree and I sighed.

“What makes you think I can lift that much?”

“You're a dragon.”

“So?”

“I can tell you're not going to.” He gave up and sat down with his back to the downed tree. “That’s fine. We don't need to get too comfortable anywhere.”

“Talking like that when you're trying not to be sad makes you depressed.” With my quip he shot me a glare.

“I know. Hasn't she been a bit too quiet over there?” He nodded to Minca.

“Yeah. Been silent this whole time.” She’s an incredibly innocent young demon girl...too bad she’s afraid of everything.

“There’s a town a short walk from here, so don't go flying around.”

“Don't treat me like I'm a hatchling. I know better than that.”

He raised a brow. “You do, but it doesn't mean you won't anyway.” He knows me too well. I simply can't get over how amazing it feels to fly. “On that topic, I was thinking of heading to that town to get a map and whatever else I find. I’ll take Minca with me...all I need to do is cover her horns.” So he still isn't confident around her, but he’d rather be with her than wandering around alone.

“Fine by me.” I settled down and placed my head on my crossed paws, closing my eyes to rest. “Go interact and leave me here to sleep. You're heavy.”

“You sound whiny.”

I scoffed at him, smoke curling around his feet. “You would too if you were carrying two people combined with their clothes and food.” Since when did he get so close to my face though? He’s gotten too good at using his dark magic unconsciously. One of these days I'm going to accidentally smack him when he pops out of nowhere.

“Yeah, yeah, now it sounds like you're snappish.” I sighed, deciding to ignore him. “Minca, you're gonna be coming with me. Get something to hide your horns.” They left quickly, hoping to be in and out without problems. Right...well, let’s at least dream that goes well for them. This grass is so soft...I like this so much more than growing up in a frozen wasteland. Way more comfortable. The breeze brushed over my scales, the warmth sending a shiver down my spine. Are we that far into the continent already? I may be immune to drastic temperature changes, but I can still feel the difference between warm and cold. It shouldn't be this...it just got hotter. Suspicious, I cracked open an eye just enough to see. My muscles quivered, prepared for anything. Something’s off. A roar shook the ground, an enemy diving right for me. I flipped over, locking talons with a crimson dragon. Why is he attacking me?! My scales! I look like I’m from the water tribe! When he blasted fire, I countered it with my own, the heat singeing the grass near us. He looks to be a few years younger than my father. The shock on his face showed when he let go of me and stumbled away. I got to my feet with a supple movement, flaring my wings high above my back, my front paws close together and my hind paws spaced apart. This was a move my mother taught me in case I ran into a dragon from the fire tribe...how lucky that I paid attention. Using this stance is meant to show that you will not fight unless you have to, but you won't back down either.

Looking at him again, he’s a beast. He has so much muscle that you can see it rippling under his scales when he moves...his shoulders are wide and he’s built like a brick. How did I stop his dive?! Maybe I dueled my father one too many times. “How do you know that stance?!” There was a hint of respect in his gold eyes.

Unsure what else to say and not wanting to lie, I said, “My mother.”

The much larger male dragon stood to his full height and watched me closely. “Why would a dragoness from the water tribe have learned a fire tribe battle tradition from their mother?”

“I'm not water tribe. I may look like it, but I can promise that I am not.”

His eyes locked on mine. “Your eyes speak to that truth, but your scales say otherwise.” Now what do I do? Xyon could be back any moment and there’s a hostile fire dragon in front of me. “Show me the highest temperature your fire can reach. Prove your words.” Sounds easy enough. I eased into another position that had my body a bit more supported. Inhaling slightly, I let loose a stream of flames at the ground that started red and slowly but surely morphed into white, then turned purple. Knowing I could go further, I relaxed, creating my perfect blue fire. Oh...I feel dizzy. I had to stop or risk passing out. His eyes shone brilliantly. “Impressive. Even I haven't learned to breathe white, let alone purple or blue. I��m being pursued, so I have to apologize for not staying longer. I am Kathgar. Remember that name, young dragoness.” He flared his wings and vanished, fleeing farther inland. If he was being chased...did he lead them here?! I ducked down and crawled over to the trees, hiding in the shadows. Ah...it seems the ground I used turned to glass. Amazing. The whoosh of wings made me squeeze my eyes shut and hope to not be found. I’m no match for another dragon...not yet, anyway. After the clearing was quiet again, I slid back out and curled up on the spot of glass. So warm. How did this happen? I know that sand turns to glass...were there sand particles mixed in?

Well, it probably isn't as strange as how he suddenly dropped in, threatened me, told me to breath fire, said he was being chased, then left. There sure are a lot of creatures outside of the freezing tundra I got used to. So many interruptions...how does anyone find sleep in this place? I spent another hour or so simply lazing in the sun with my wings stretched out. This feels so good. My healing magic may have become stronger than my mother’s, but I’m beginning to wonder if it was actually as great as I thought it was. I could've sworn it held more power at some point...when did it weaken? A nagging feeling barged in on my thoughts--see, no true rest. Wait...how long has it been? Shouldn't they be back by now? Forcing myself to stand up, I tried to see if they were coming back. No luck. Would it be good to look for them? Or could that make whatever’s happening worse? Beginning to stress over my cursed indecision, I began pacing, my wings flaring randomly. Xyon...did he accidentally show his beastkin blood? Did they see Minca’s horns? Far too overwhelmed to stand it, I shoved off, letting the wind catch me and carry me higher. I don't like being alone...I’m scared for so many reasons. Do they need my help? Would I be interfering? I have to know! With a glance, I confirmed their bags were still on my back, the last deciding factor. I’m going to look for them. Adjusting a few minor struts, I went forward, scanning the ground carefully.

The movement of the animals made my talons tense, a barely manageable urge to hunt them coming to surface. Not right now. I kept my eyes moving, panic crawling into my mind. “Zavi!” My wings locked up and I almost fell out of the sky. Xyon! I dived, slipping through a gap in the trees to land in front of them. “What were you doing?!”

“I was just--”

“Nevermind, try this.” He had shoved something into my mouth when I tried to respond. Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten so close. Salty sweetness flooded over my tongue when I bit it. Is this what I think it is?! “A shopkeeper gave us two of them for helping fix his cart. That’s why we took longer than we thought.” Watermelon! Not very many others at the orphanage like this, so it was always me and a few friends who shared them…! Huh? Did I just remember something?

After swallowing, I said, “That was good, but don't do that again. This place has so much more going on than back home...I didn't even know what to think when you took so long getting back.” I had gotten ahead of myself earlier and automatically assumed the worst rather than believe in him. If I had gone back for Xyon that day, could I have fought easier?

“Calm down. Nothing’s going to happen to us. We have to go farther in before you can take a break, you idiot.” I wasn’t taking a break! I snapped at his legs, but he didn’t even blink. Instead, he tapped my snout, saying, “Feisty. Seems to be a bit too much fire in there...we’ll have to figure out how to tone down the flames.” Minca seemed worried about the situation--just as always though, she kept quiet. “Hurry up and let us on. They were getting suspicious, us being strangers and all.” I sighed and crouched, watching them closely as he first lifted Minca onto my back before climbing up himself. “We’re good. Get going.” So demanding...I’ll yell at him for it later. I shoved off, pounding my wings down to provide enough lift to carry them and the new supplies. The trees rocked from the force of the blast and I dashed skyward. What’s in that bag anyway? I rode on whatever pocket of air I could find, trying to prolong my flight as long as possible. You know...I want to go back to see what happened to my mother, but I’m too scared to look back at what I might find. It’s so painful to be unable to do anything. I’d done reasonable during that fight, right? No, I was in the way. After a few hours, as the sun was just barely vanishing behind the mountains, Xyon broke the silence with, “Minca’s asleep.”

“Is she? I’m glad that she’s able to relax, but until she tells us more, we won’t know anything for sure.”

“What are you trying to say?”

I sighed, twizzling my neck to look back at him. “Do you know the closest settlement we can leave her in? I’m worried that taking her with us for too long will endanger her life.”

He crossed his arms for a moment, saying, “You sure you’re a dragon?” I’m more dragon than human recently, but nevermind that.

“I don’t know...I kinda met this kid in the woods who threatened wolves with a stick.” He smacked me half-heartedly.

“I’ll take a look.” He reached into the bag they’d brought back with them and pulled out a map. Narrowing his eyes, he placed his finger on the parchment to scan it. When he found it, he shook his head doubtfully. “We would have to go south in a few miles.”

“And how far is a few miles?”

“Well...it seems you should come across a town that was made into a fort in the past due to wars. It’s amazing how much info is jotted down on here...that merchant guy sure has been places.”

“What merchant?”

“The one we helped back there. He marked areas that weren’t on the map and added notes.”

That’s an awfully generous thing for a merchant to do. “So go directly south, or what?”

“Direct. The land is wide so you can get to it by just heading in its general direction. Although, going that way right now would be idiotic and get us lost. So you need to keep flying west until you see the fortified town. It’ll look different from all the other ones, so it should be relatively obvious.” Sure, you’re not the one who’s flying.

“Stay awake with me to make sure. I don’t know what that looks like, you know.”

“Oh! I forgot...how’d I forget something like that?”

“I don’t know, just do it.” Maybe there’s still more human in me than I realized...how else would something so obvious slip his mind? Aware of the waking nocturnal monsters, I flicked my tail and went higher, trying my best to avoid them. “So...are you mad at me for taking her with us?”

He sighed, patting my neck. “No, not really. I was irritated and startled, but not much else. It still bothers me to be around others--believe it got worse when I moved into your cave back then.”

“What, so it’s supposed to be my fault you’re antisocial?!”

“Yep.”

“Hey, I’d have you know that it wasn’t my decision for you to move in!” I bounced in the air and he tightened his grip before laughing at me. “What now?!”

“Heh, you remind me of some of those girls I met once. Hard to see you as a dragon when you talk like that.” I bit my tongue nervously. How bad would it be to tell someone, even one I trust with my life, that I used to be human?

“You should refrain from teasing a dragon until you’ve got a pack behind you, at least, and not one that can be scared off by a five year old waving a stick.”

“You’re still going on about that?!”

“Of course. It’s entertaining to see your reaction. I mean--who else would turn red as a tomato when I say that?” This time he punched me as hard as he could. Due to my scales, I felt the impact without pain, but he started waving his hand around and blowing on it. “That hurt? Try it again, maybe it’ll hurt less.” Xyon grumbled at me for a minute then moved on, checking the map again.

“Zavi, it seems to me that all the territories of the dragon tribes are on different corners. Practically none live primarily in the center. As long as we make it to this neutral area, we should be fine.” I twisted my neck to look at him and he turned the map towards me. “From what I can tell, we should be getting close. What do you think?”

I scanned the paper carefully. “I’m not sure it’s that easy. The center is human territory, that’s why there aren’t any dragons. If we go too far, we’ll get caught eventually…”

He frowned, saying, “Well...would you rather be caught by a tribe of dragons, or a human kingdom? Those are our only two options.”

“Uh, how about neither.”

He nodded, troubled, then hooked his eyes on something. “Hey! Slow down and look over there!” I flared my wings and followed his arm to where he was pointing. A green dragon was gliding a ways off, making our hearts pound.

Looking closer, I sighed in relief and relaxed. “It’s a lime green dragoness...her eyes are dark green. Not the one we’re after.”

“Really? We should still keep our distance though...remember what the other one said before? Other dragons don’t like this at all.” They really don’t.

“Wasn’t I called an abomination? I’m not sure…”

“Eh, don’t worry about it. Either way, we’ll be fine. Just keep going and stay away from her.” I already know that. Rather than yell at him for repeating, I cast my eyes to the ground to watch.

After about six minutes, I asked, “Xyon, is that the town you mentioned?”

“Huh? You mean that dot over there?” Oh, I guess it’s still too far off. Getting tired and wary of being watched, I sped up, startling him. “What are you doing?!”

“I want to get there quickly and I can feel eyes on me. Can you see anyone?”

Faintly, I heard him gasp, then he tapped my shoulder to say, “Dive! Go now!” Set to a panic, I closed my wings so fast they made a loud slapping sound. I dropped just in time to dodge an attack from something I’d never seen before.

“What is that?!”

“I don’t know! Get us in the forest!” It came in for another strike, giving me a great view of its strange appearance. It looked like...I’m not even sure! It had the body of an owl, the face of a cat but with a cruel hooked beak, only two legs but with gnarled cat paws, and weird furry feathers. It’s twice my size! This thing is terrifying! I rolled out of the way and blasted it with fire, too panicked to do anything more. It screeched angrily when we vanished under the trees, struggling to follow. I kept my wings clipped and tried to remain focused on where I was going. All it took was for it to swoop down over us to make me slam face-first into a tree. In pain, I groaned and slid to the ground, very certain I couldn’t fly anymore. “Zavi! Are you okay?!” Minca joined him as they hopped off and ran up to my head.

“Ugh…” I’m so dizzy. “Both of you, take everything off my back and hide with it. I can’t fight while I’m protecting all of this…” Nor with all that weight. The creepy owl-cat thing was screaming and tearing at the top of the trees, urging them on. Xyon bit his lip but did as I asked, getting Minca to help untie all of it. “Hide over there and stay quiet.”

“Zavi, let me help you!”

“I’ll be fine. You need to make sure Minca stays safe long enough to get her home.” He grabbed her arm and led her off without arguing. Well...if I make it out of this alive, he’s so gonna tear me a new hide. As I watched them leave with a strange feeling of emptiness, I was suddenly grabbed from above and yanked upward. I held back a scream, hoping not to have Xyon end up out here. Even if we’re strong together, we have to be strong when separated too or it’s useless. It snapped at me and I twisted around, narrowly dodging it. Pulling myself free, I zipped around it and roared, forcing its attention on me. Peeved, it charged at me, striking with both its talons and its beak--even slapping me with its wings. I moved around the attacks and bit one of the wings, drawing a pained screech from it. Unexpectedly, it jerked me closer with it, wrapping its taloned paws around my waist and squeezing. I bit back a roar, clawing at its stomach. Ugh...I can’t breathe! Out of nowhere, it dropped me like it’d been burned, screaming about something. A flash of green entered and left my vision at the same time, then came from beneath my falling form.

“Hold on!” The green dragoness from earlier was supporting me, keeping me in the sky. Now that I can see her closer, her scales are actually closer to emerald than lime. Brilliantly stunning, really. “Can you fly?” I grunted at her and opened my wings, shoving away from her. Why is she expecting to get from helping me?

“Why?”

“Can we save it for later? I’m a little busy right now!” She flicked her wings and spun around the monster, spitting something at it. When the substance touched it, the creature reacted the way it did earlier. Not ready to be disqualified from my own fight, I growled and sent an ice spike through its leg. Damn it...I’m still too dizzy to aim! “I’ll distract it while you attack! Does that work for you?!” She’s annoying...she came out of nowhere and is telling me what to do! Woah…! The dragon part of me is practically rearing to rip her throat out! Putting it aside, I decided to work together and started firing off ice spikes. We did this for ten minutes without fail, but then it made a weird gurgling sound and faced me, completely ignoring the dragoness. No matter what she did, it was me it was after. Its pitch black eyes stared into me, sending a chill down my spine. “Hey, watch out…!” Her warning slightly too late, it appeared in front of my face, its talons extended towards my eyes and chest. Caught off guard, I freaked out and blasted a stream of white-hot fire at its face. It jolted away from me, letting out a blood-curdling scream as its face started to melt. I blinked at it as it suddenly went quiet, falling silently. The fall put out the flames and luckily didn’t start a fire, but now I had another problem. My breathing was screwed up and my vision wonky.

“Xy...on…” I began to lose strength in my wings when she showed up behind me again, grabbing my spine spikes to hold onto me.

“Careful! Let me help you down.” Just as she offered, she lowered me back to the tree I’d crashed into. She set me down gently, alighting beside me. “Hey there. I saw you fighting and stopped to watch, but then you kinda got grabbed...it didn’t look good, so I figured you needed some help. Oh, and I’m Petra. How about you?”

“I’m...Zavi…”

“Zavi? That’s short for something right?”

“No…”

“Really? I thought water tribe names were longer than that. It’s a pretty name though!” She paused and tilted her head. “I might be a bit lost...can you tell me where I am? I intended to wait until you were done fighting and all but had to assist, and…” She’s very chatty. Weary, I looked at her then closed my eyes, not ready to talk yet at all. “Oh, sorry. If you want to rest I can just go find someone else...uh…”

“Wait...where are you...trying to...go?”

“You’ll help me?! Thank you! You see, I got separated from my fire tribe friend and can’t figure out where our meeting place is.” She couldn't possibly be talking about…

“Kathgar?”

“Yes! You know him?! Wait, you’re not one of the dragons who were chasing him right?!”

“No...I’m not.” I glanced at the forest, noticing Xyon and Minca watching us from a safe distance.

“Oh good! I was worried for a moment there!”

“Petra.”

“What?”

I worked myself up to my feet, meeting her eyes and taking a deep breath. “What is your opinion of humans, beastkin, and demons?”

“Humans can be annoying, especially when all you wanted to do was help and they start trying to kill you. As for the other two, I think they can be somewhere between sweet and downright evil all at once.” One thing I discovered is that a dragon can’t lie--even if they passed a lie detector, their eyes always tell the truth. She was looking right at me with all of that and hasn’t told me a single lie. Way too innocent. I nodded and Xyon started coming closer with Minca. “I mean, really, I just want to help. Everyone has always gotten mad at me for it...you’re the first to not yell at me! Thank you!”

“Sure. In return, help me carry my friends to the town and I’ll show you your meeting place.”

“Your friends?”

I gestured to Xyon. “Them.” She turned her head to look, seemed surprised, then got excited.

“Are you on an adventure?! Is it fun?! Where are you going?!” Her seemingly endless energy is making me feel even more exhausted.

“Taking her home. Can you carry the bags?”

“Of course!” Xyon warily set everything in front of her, then hurried over to me. He helped Minca get on as fast as he could so that it would be his turn. “Oh! So cool! Like that you can still fight but take them home! Brilliant!” Wha….? A dragon who likes the idea of people sitting on my back?

“Uh, Petra, do you know what that thing was?”

“The monster? It was a cawl. They’re nasty creatures that only eat meat! Even dragons are omnivorous, you know?”

“Yeah.” I tested my balance, then used the tree for support so I could take off. She followed close behind, humming to herself with the bags clutched in her paws. Well, that’ll take some weight off for a while. I led her closer to the town before finding a place to land in the area nearby. Wow, there sure are a lot of forests in this world. Petra smiled and set down next to me, placing the bags in front of me. “Thank you.”

“Yep! So can you help me?”

“Yes. There’s no way I would make you do all that and not return the favor.”

Xyon took Minca and hopped off before saying, “I’ll take her to the town to find somewhere to stay.”

“Alright.” And leave me all alone with this dragoness?! Seriously?! He took the bags and guided Minca away, abandoning me with Petra. Why?! “So. Where was it you were supposed to go?

“To the border of the fire tribe territory. I think it’s somewhere around a demon-run kingdom, but I’m not sure.”

“Ugh. If that’s the case, then we’re going in the same direction.”

“Really?! Then can I tag along with you?!” I hesitated, feeling kinda sick.

“If you can carry the bags and Minca. I…” Darkness clouded over my vision and I stumbled, falling.

“Zavi! Are you okay?!” She fussed over me, trying to figure out what was wrong. As her voice became more and more muffled, I was made aware I was falling unconscious.

<->25<->

I groaned in agony, my waist and chest in pain. “You had a few broken bones. I used a minor healing spell I know, so it isn’t very good...but does it feel better?” She examined me carefully, the sun glinting off her scales. It’s already day?!

“Where’s Xyon?!” I made an attempt to get up and she shoved me back down with a warning hiss.

“You can’t get up! That flight was way more than you should’ve done last night in the first place! Don’t make it worse!” Unable to fight back due to weakness, I gave up and settled for looking around. “He came back earlier and was upset when he saw you. I think he thought I did something because he started to turn on me, but then the tiny demon girl made him stop and listen to me. She’s a brave tiny thing!”

“Do you know where they are right now?” Minca was able to stop him?

“I don’t know. Maybe they’re over by the stream or in town. You were trying to tell me something last night. What was it?” She’s been keeping her voice lowered...aware that too much noise might hurt my head?

“Uh, can you carry Minca for me? The demon girl? Along with the bags and everything?”

“Sure! You’re not strong enough to do it anyway!” I have to wonder how far her helpfulness actually goes. There has to be a stopping point, right? “It sounds like it’d be so much fun!” Slower this time, I pushed myself up, counting on her excitement to make her forget I was supposed to be resting. “Oh! Here, let me help you up!” Success. She supported my weight so I could get to my feet. “So when are we leaving?”

“Uh, how about when I can fly while carrying Xyon. I want to know where he is, exactly where.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to wait for them to come back!” She kept me up rather than choose to go find Xyon for me.

“You could just go find him too.” I sighed when she shook her head at me but didn’t say anything. She could at least put her refusal into words. “You know what, go look for him and I’ll lay down. Deal?”

“Oh! Yeah, that’ll work!” She took off immediately. One moment she refuses, the next she moves as quickly as possible...I can’t understand her. Even though part of me had planned to move around anyway, I found it nearly impossible to move without help. Now what? The fact that I didn’t collapse when I lost her support is a bonus though, right? Either way, I’m not just going to lay here and behave. Running healing magic throughout my body, I managed to bring instant relief. She never told me what was broken, but I can kinda guess from how much it aches. There’s no time to rest. I feel like we have to move quickly or something will catch up. “Zavi!” Petra landed lightly, the force of the gale she brought making me sway. “Found them!” She set both Minca and Xyon in front of me with a silly grin. At least she didn’t notice my part of the deal wasn’t upheld.

“What did you think you were doing?!” Xyon immediately smacked me and started berating me. “You can’t do things like that!”

“I--”

“No! There’s no excuse for that!” Is he crying? It’s a bit hard to tell, seeing as he’s hanging his head.

“I’m sorry.” Those were the only words I could find at that moment, confused by the multitude of emotions I felt coming from him.

Petra made a clicking sound. “Sorry to interrupt, but if I’m tagging along, then staying in one place isn’t a good idea. And the human boy is right. If he can fight, or even if he can’t, you should at least let him try.” It’s clear from her size that she’s older than me, but this is the first adult-like thing she’s said. “Now then! Little demon girl, are you ready to get going?” Of course her true personality will resurface so strongly. Xyon was silent as Petra placed him on my back, keeping his gaze cast down. His weight made me tense, but it wasn’t enough of a problem to worry over. Now let’s see...she must be in her twenties or going into her thirties, judging from how much bigger she is. “Let’s go!” She took off, grabbing me to give me a boost as she did. I flared my wings to catch the breeze, trying to glide as much as possible. “We should go faster. How fast can you fly right now?”

“We’ll see.” I picked up the pace, stopping when it started to strain. This is a reasonable speed. “Ah...Petra? What was that stuff you used on the monster?”

“That? It was Acid!” Even the way she flies is playful. And since when were those bags tied onto her spikes? “What about you?” She matched me so that talking became easier. “That fire was very pretty!”

“It was only fire.”

“Really? Alright, well our path is this way.” She jerked to the side and started going for it directly. Many protests came to mind, but I pushed them back and followed, too tired to argue at the moment. I can’t really remember our planned path anyway. Minca keeps looking back at me...is something wrong? A sudden gust occupied my thoughts, almost throwing me out of the sky. “We have to keep going.” I simply nodded, moving a bit higher despite how much it made my muscles scream. Healing magic was once again circulated, easing it, but unable to fix it. I wasn’t imagining it. My healing spells specifically got weaker. “Zavi!” I snapped out of it and realized I had been falling. Seriously?! If I don’t focus, I’ll fall?! Petra flew circles around me, then continued on. My mind is so lost. I must be more injured than I thought. Feeling magic behind me, I glanced back to see Xyon testing his magic again. It shocked me when he successfully covered the entire surface of his skin with black scales. His weight hadn’t changed, as he still had a human form, but it was still surprising.

“I’ll prove I’m not useless.” His eyes glinted determinedly as he messed with it more. “If you really feel that I’m too weak to fight alongside you, then I’ll just have to become stronger.” He stood up and jumped off, turning into a hawk and going where he wouldn’t see me anymore. Did that really upset him so much? As I watched, he went from one form to another in quick succession, a few times attempting a dragon form, but never completing it. Should I stop him? No, there’s a chance he truly wants to be left alone. The rest of the day was full of flying without even a single second of rest. Petra had been showing me breezes that could carry me, but Xyon hadn’t said a single word to me since leaving me.

“How much farther?” It hurts so much...I forced my wings to move, going higher.

She looked at me with a smile. “Not much. We’re almost there.” Are we? I looked down and flinched when I realized it was all ashland and fields, not a single tree in sight. So there are places without forests. Never mind that, how did we get here so quickly?! She went over me and reached down, grabbing a few of my spikes gently. “Don’t fall! Look, over there!” I traced her gaze over to a city with fortified walls, sporting spires so tall, they seemed to pierce the sky. I heard a gasp from Petra’s back. When I looked, Minca was watching the city with joy. Petra took me down to land, still flicking her wings happily as she did. When my paws finally touched the ground, I lay down immediately, rubbing my face against the dirt. “I’ll be right back!” She took all the bags off and smiled at Minca. “I have some friends here that would love to take care of her!” As I watched her leave, Xyon set down too, bent over with his hands on his knees. He went a bit overboard...hold on. Didn’t Petra say she was lost? How did she suddenly know where to go? I hope it was through a conversation with Xyon and not something else.

“Alright, now I need to let my mana replenish.” He looked over at me. “By the way, Zavi, didn’t you have a magic gemstone thing?”

“Do you mean this?” I set it on the ground between us.

“Yeah. where are you even carrying it?”

“Not sure I can explain that.” When will I get a chance to nap?

“Try anyway.”

I sighed, giving in easily. “All I have to do is make it match mana frequencies with me, then it can be absorbed into my scales and appear at will. Kinda like those spacial magic things from the stuff I liked so much…”

“Spacial…? No, nevermind. How you managed to do that is a mystery to me, though.” I locked eyes with him, then touched the stone, giving him an example. The scale touching it and the stone started vibrating, and when they matched, it was ‘sucked’ into my scale, vanishing. “Neat! So, when are you going to teach me?”

“Weren’t you mad at me?”

“Yeah.” He kept looking at me expectantly despite his nonchalant attitude.

I chose to stare at the dirt around my paws. “I don’t know how to teach it to others. I’m just...able to.” Before he could respond, Petra appeared out of nowhere with a powerful blast of wind.

“Uh, turns out those guys didn’t want her! So, uh, we should go to my other friends!”

“Tell us what happened first, at least…!” Xyon started scolding her as she placed him on my back, but the urgency in her actions was too startling for me.

“The town has a new ruler and he just so happens to despise me...we’ll be going a bit further, where we’re meeting Kathgar. There is a guild there that’s always open to newcomers.” She gathered the bags, watching me struggling to take off with a frown. “Perhaps you should just run. We have to get to the Forest of Ashliif if we want to be safe.” I’ll question her later, but it would seem that this moment isn’t a very good time for it. She landed, using her wing to help keep me up as we both ran. Minca had her face buried, Xyon was glaring at Petra, and I was awfully confused and in pain. As we moved, I decided to practice my healing magic, working its quality back up. Well, for someone with several broken bones and bruises I’m doing fairly well. “It isn’t far, but…”

“We’re not going fast enough?” Xyon had twisted around to look at the city. “If possible, I recommend picking up the pace.” You think that much wasn’t obvious? I can feel the tremors of movement through the earth and sense the mana of other living beings coming closer.

“Yes, yes.” Petra growled in frustration, glancing back every now and then.

“Can either of you supply me with mana? I should be able to catapult us the rest of the way.” I know I'm too busy using magic to stay on my paws at the moment...so I can't.

"Alright. Touch my wing." He did so, and after a minute or so, he pulled away and started forming his magic, black strings forming together into a net. Its shape reminded me of a slingshot almost instantly. When he finished, he made a sudden movement with his arms, flinging us forward with frightening power. Petra and I only flared our wings when we started to fall towards a dead-looking forest that had trees with grey and black leaves. "Wow! So cool! You sent us right to it in an instant!" Her usual excitement returned, making her dance a bit as she went to land. "They won't follow us inside, so no worries! Right then, take a break and we'll head that way!" She motioned the direction, but it was hard to tell which way that was. "There's a stream that way as well, Zavi, so you should get some water." I watched which way she nodded her head, forcing myself to stand properly. Xyon slid off, taking some of the extra weight with him. I'll do just that. Without paying much attention, I simply wandered off in the stream's vague area, starting to lose focus a bit. With a suddenness that made me shudder, I had stepped into the warm water. Seeing this, I smiled and lay down, opening my wings to let them soak in the relaxing warmth.

"Much better…" The aching was soothed, calming down enough that my mind was clearing back up. We have been trying to flee from our attackers in the north this whole time, and yet they haven't come for us even once. If they have no intention of following after us, perhaps focusing on getting stronger would be wiser than constantly moving. Huh? My scales vibrated as the magic gemstone changed frequency, falling to the dirt beside me. I stared at it, then went to grab it. When I did, I found that it had become soft, similar to what the other half had done. Once again, the urge to eat it washed over me, so I bit it carefully, curious about it. This one had an unusual taste, but I went ahead and swallowed it anyway. A chill was sent through me and I shivered, the sensation of icy magic seeming strange. Now, a thought--or something closer to an idea or formula started to build itself up. The process was painfully slow and didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. It was almost as if something was being downloaded directly into my mind. Exhausted, I put my head down and closed my eyes, drifting to sleep.

<->26<->

I groaned at them as we walked, unsure why we’d been going non-stop. “Come on, smile! We’re safe and sound here, so there’s no need to worry!”

“That’s not what I’m complaining about,” I mumbled. The stone seemed to have healed what was broken, but left me with soreness and bruises. At least I can think clearly. She led us through untrampled foliage, away from the paths. “Are you sure we’re going the right way?”

“Yep! Just be careful of the traps!”

“Traps?!” Xyon stood straight, glaring at her nastily. “Not once have you mentioned traps!”

“I didn’t? Oh well, I did now!” I chose to slow down and watch where I was stepping.

Right, there was another problem… “Petra, why did we have to run away in such a hurry back there?” She flinched, then came to a stop.

“Well...apparently, the new lord runs things differently, and everyone gets scared when a dragon suddenly shows up...haha…” She sounds way more guilty than she should if that’s all.

“Also.” She flicked her tail and started walking again. “I want to know...you had us come with you because you didn’t know the way. How did you suddenly become able to lead us here?”

“I remembered...also, he had a map and left it open when you were unconscious. There really isn’t anything more to it than that.” Now that I think about it, I know absolutely nothing about her, what she’s doing here, and why she helped us so willingly. “Is that all? Anything else to ask…?” I shook my head slowly. There’s no point to it. Not once yet have I been given a straight answer, so I doubt I’ll get one anytime soon. “Alright.” More than that, I want to know what I’m going to have after this finishes ‘downloading’ itself. Information of some sort? A skill? More mana capacity? So many possibilities. As we went further, Petra started making a clicking sound that echoed strangely.

“What…” She motioned for silence, so I grumpily complied. I’m not okay with this...she could at least explain it. There was the sound of a snap and a crackle, making her pause for a moment.

“Kathgar, we’re over here.”

A roar shook the trees and the red dragon from a few days ago appeared, landing in front of her. “Petra, do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting?! And how much I’ve had to keep running?!” He’s certainly in a foul mood.

“Yep! I kinda got lost, then I met someone who knew you!” He blinked at her, then leaned to look at us, confusion written in his eyes at the sight of Minca on her back. When he saw me, it seemed to click.

“Indeed I do know this one.” Well, at least she didn’t lie about being his friend. “Good to see you alive and well, dragoness. I’m not sure who your companions are, but I reckon they’re just as trustworthy, correct?”

“Yeah! Xyon has dark magic, and he used it to throw us here in an instant when we were being chased! We were able to run away better because of him! It was so cool!” He humored Petra with a smile, then flinched.

“Hold up. Why were you having to run? What did you run from?” She jolted, locking eyes with him.

“N-nothing…” Hey, hey! Don’t look away so slow like that! “The point! The point is! He saved us! Is there anything else to discuss about that?”

He just sighed, “Fine. I’ll forget it this time. We have to get moving.”

“Ah, right! But first, we need to get this demon girl to them!”

“...Do so quickly. Whatever you’re here for, dragoness, it might not be the wisest decision to join us. Petra, separate and take her on your own.” She gave a nod and dashed off immediately, vanishing into the foliage effortlessly with her emerald scales.

I almost wanted to stop them from taking Minca when he said that. “Alright, but tell us what you’re doing.”

“Us?” I stood firm, disregarding my injuries and entering a partially threatening stance. He looked me over for a moment. “So you’re including the little half-breed on this? Very well. I don’t think it’s the most important or dramatic thing, but we’re trying to dethrone the leader of the water tribe.”

Dethrone…? “Why?”

“He’s a vicious dragon who’s trying to kill off any other dragons they meet. I suppose it isn’t entirely his fault, but we have to make him switch out.”

“Not his fault?”

“Ah, are you not aware?” I shook my head. This was all news to me, having grown up separated from everyone else for so long. “His son ran off with a dragon from another tribe. He felt betrayed, so now he thinks every other tribe is full of tricksters and liars. It’s possible to make him leave by simply talking to his tribe and making them turn against him as well, but that would only make his rage worse. If we’re found, I’m certain we’ll be killed.” I feel like I just got wrapped up in something ridiculous. He’s staring at me...I ducked my head slightly, unsure what he was doing. “You...have knowledge of my tribe but have the appearance of the water tribe.”

Before anything else, I blurted, “I don’t want to participate in any fights.”

His following smile was warm. “Of course. Rather, I’d prefer it if you simply made an appearance.” I tilted my head to prompt him to continue. “There are a few who think it’s a suicide mission and believe it’s stupid, even ones who are with us.” I narrowed my eyes at him. I really don’t like this. “It’s not something that requires an army, but more of sabotage, and many think that’s low. I can’t really disagree, but it’s better, seeing as…”

“As?”

“They’ve started targeting other races as well. I was surprised to see you with a half-breed due to this. You can leave, or you can participate.” I paused for a moment, thinking back. There’s something clawing at me, but I can’t pin it down.

Taking a guess after a new question bloomed, I asked, “What...what tribe was the dragon he took off with in?”

He studied me again. “Mine. My younger sister, to be exact.” His eyes had a hint of sadness buried in them. “She came back to us on the brink of death not long ago, not in her right mind.” Oh, that’s depressing. With that, my train of thought had been disrupted and I forgot what I'd discovered. “Here, come with me and I’ll show you the cave we’re in.” I glanced at Xyon, who had his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Seems like he’s thinking about something. With no other idea of what to do, I went after him, watching my step the whole way. At some point, he stopped so suddenly, I ran right into him. “Haha, well, stay close to me when we enter.” He continued, disappearing into the dark entrance. I stared at the darkness with a frown. Honestly, I’d rather not enter something that I can’t see in even with my night vision...it’s not very comforting. “Are you coming?”

“Ah...yeah.” Reluctantly, I followed him inside, flinching and squeezing my eyes shut at a sudden flash of light. Slowly, I opened my eyes to see something magnificent. Glowing crystals were growing out of the walls and ceilings of the entire cavern, and seemed to spread into a maze-like cave system. It was just as bright as if you were outside during midday with no clouds. While I was focused on the enormity of the place, Kathgar had already moved on and wasn't even bothering to make sure I was behind him. Oh! A few glares my way made me feel like hiding and I dashed over to him, using him as a cover to prevent myself being seen.

"Young dragoness, what is your name, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Zavi…"

"I should've asked for your name earlier, I apologise."

"No...it's fine." Taking another peek at Xyon, I found he was still in the same position as before. Alright, so he's either thinking like I originally thought, or he's royally pissed.

"Zavi, I believe you were interested in the dragoness I mentioned?"

"Oh, yeah, I'd like to meet her if you'd let me."

He tilted his head slightly and an aura of depression seemed to fall over him. "My sister, Kavita, is a very kind soul that has only ever wanted to help others and find peace with a family of her own…"

"Is she still not recovered then…?"

"No, not entirely, but I can take you to see her if you still want to." He looked around the cavern before saying, "But first things first, I need to calm them down." He slapped a dragon away from me with his wing, then faced everyone present. With a booming voice, he said, "This dragoness is with us! You are not to harm her, or her companion at any point in time! If I catch news that you did, well...I'll leave it up to your imagination." The last words were snarled threateningly, his gaze piercing as fire and magic welled up within him with surprising power. He's stronger than me. Not by any small margin either, but by what seems to be an impassable mountain range or as deep as the ocean...how did I ever deem myself as strong? Complete and utter silence fell over every dragon there, and he led me away with a huff, going down a separate tunnel.

Now I only feel like there's an even bigger target on my back. "Did you really have to…?"

"That was necessary. Not many here are willing to challenge me, so you should be safe enough for now. The first thing I'll have to do is get you trained…"

"I already--"

"Not enough. You slacked and were content enough with what strength you had when you stopped being taught--what you failed to do was continue all of it on your own. All this does is make you more susceptible to loss or even death. You gave up and you're losing power as you go. You should've kept honing it." He stopped and turned into another cave, this one with what looked like large cages spread out. "She's at the end, in the biggest one. Come." He took me over, remaining in front of me even after reaching her. "Kavita. It's Kathgar." I heard a low growl, then a pause.

In broken speech, she uttered, "Big...b-brrr-brotherrrr…." A lot of growling became intertwined with it, but it was clear she at least has enough mind left to speak. Even so, it's hard to miss the dangerous insanity mixed in with it.

"Yes. It's me. I brought a friend with me today, would you like to meet her?" Only silence was her response. He nodded to me, then stepped aside. I cautiously walked to stand next to him, glancing at Xyon to see even he was interested in this. When I could finally see inside, I froze up, a whining sound whispering out from me as tears welled up. Xyon had stiffened as well, feeling almost as I did. "This is my friend. Will you turn to take a look for her?" Now, her eyes locked with mine and a maelstrom of emotions made me confused.

Finally, Kathgar began to notice our reactions just as I managed to say, "Mother…" Of course. How did I not figure it out sooner?!

As she looked at me, her eyes shone and she ground out, "Za...vi…" I had no idea how to react to this, and neither did Xyon.

Kathgar turned to me in surprise. "She already knows your name? And you said 'Mother'. Are you…" I need to leave. Right now. Without another word, I whipped around and strode out, biting my tongue in frustration. She's alive. Barely, but alive. What am I expected to do with this information, exactly? Cry for joy and give her a hug? Her mind isn't all there, she would attack me unintentionally, or not react at all. Besides, like he was saying, I failed at getting stronger. That was the last thing I was told to do, and I failed.

"Zavi...was that…" I could feel Xyon shaking, just as stunned. This is...too much.

"That was my mother. No doubt about it. Which makes Kathgar my uncle. All three of us have gold eyes, yet I didn't notice. None of the other fire dragons in the cavern had gold eyes. It was a stupid thing to miss." He leaned against me.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

"What for?"

"Fresh air."

"You'll be okay with me joining you, right?" I was already at my limit and couldn't seem to find a way to answer. I did, but I also didn't. I felt eyes on me as I went through the cavern towards the exit. A lot of them appeared quite suspicious or angry. As I neared the entrance, a yellow dragon stepped in front of me with a sneer, completely blocking the path with his bulk.

With a voice that gurgled slightly, he said, "And where are you going in such a hurry?" I looked at all the gnarly scars riddles throughout the entirety of his body. His vocal cords must be damaged.

His intentions are very apparent. "Outside."

"And what business do you have out there?" A few dragons surrounding started to tense, watching me closely.

Irritated, I inserted the exact amount of nastiness he was using to say, "None of your business, that's what." He started to growl at me.

He's mad now. "You little...you should show some respect to your elders."

"I see no reason to when they won't give me any in return." Xyon was about ready to start using magic, but was keeping it held back to prevent any further provocation.

"You're rather cocky for a hatchling. Tell me what you're doing."

"No. Move." His nostrils flared and he growled even deeper. Giving up on talking, he went to take a chunk out of me, but I was faster. I had already blasted fire in his face and struck him with heated talons that scorched the wounds they made. That was as far as I went, for anything more would be going too far.

"T-this is…!"

"Fire?!" A huge upset had spread through everyone, so I took the chance to slip past them while they were still shocked. I had no chance of winning a fight with that dragon, but I'd used a power he hadn't been expecting.

"Zavi, are you sure that was alright to do?"

"No." I took to the sky the moment I got outside, fleeing for open air. "I was scared. I'm not welcome there, that much is made clear. The only reason they didn't do anything else was because of a threat, but that only brews further hostility. And...my mother is there. I'm so lost…" with nowhere to go, I chose a random direction and fled. This is too much to handle all at once. I can't make anything out of the tangled net of confusion my own mind had become in the last ten minutes.

"I can see that."

How-- "How are you so calm?! One moment you're mad at me, the next you're asking if I'm alright! I'm not! My mother, the one who I thought was dead, isn't even herself and is buried within a group of powerful dragons that all hate me!" My voice started to screech a bit as I went on, the strain to speak only getting harder. "I'm weak and pathetic! I never kept getting stronger, I just stopped and assumed I'd be able to handle myself! But I have others to protect! And I can't even do that!"

Now, I felt his fist hit my neck. "I'm not calm! I...I'm trying to stay calm enough so that you can handle it, like you always have. From the start, you've refused to let me help you in battles and only shield." His tone suddenly changed when he gave up on holding back." I'm not a child anymore! You make decisions without asking me, just like with that demon child! I don't mind it, but it still hurts! I'm not useless or defenceless! I've told you this before, but you didn't listen, did you?! No! You said you would, then repeated it! You did it again only a few minutes ago!"

"How? What's so wrong about protecting you?!"

"Because I want to help too! I didn't sit still and do nothing for so long just for you to leave me out of everything! If this is how it was going to turn out, I'd have rather just stayed home and not saved you as a child! I'm not being treated any differently now than I was by that village!"

The last two stung and only made me snap back, "I'm not hurting you! Would you have rather I not save you from those dyre wolves that one time?!"

"Being hurt isn't the problem! I don't even seem to exist!" Silence fell as neither of us could continue. The emotional tension had made us break, our long-held grudges coming up to present themselves like demons. In a quiet voice, he said, "Land. Let me get off." I didn't say anything, but chose one of the many clearings to do so. When my paws touched the ground and my wings folded, he jumped down and went a good ten or so feet before standing with his back to me. It hadn't gotten this bad until I was stopped while leaving. If they'd let me go, it could've ended better. Now, though, looking back at it...he's right. I acted like I was more important and forgot to check with him. I'm not a hero, I shouldn't be refusing offered aid. If either of my parents had seen me do that...well, I'm fairly certain the consequences wouldn't have been very fun. Then, I noticed Xyon start to reach up.

"Xyon? What are you doing?"

"I need a long break from you and anything to do with you. I can't even look at you right now."

"You didn't answer what I'd asked…"

"No need to." He presented a small opal scale on a thin leather string without looking at me. He took it off. "You can have this. I don't know what I'll do to it right now if you don't take it."

Wait. "Xyon, you have to wear it. There was something…"

"If you won't take it, then…" He dropped it, letting it fall into the grass without a second thought. This clawed at my very soul to see, especially when he started walking away silently. More than the other, why is it bugging me that he isn't wearing it? What's so important about it? For the life of me, I couldn't remember. All I could do was watch as he disappeared into the trees. Now what? He'll be back eventually, but when? I'm alone, with no ally, no friend to talk with...and it's all my fault. Because of my brainless actions, my friendships are damaged and I can't face anyone. I don't even deserve to know these kind people. I was too afraid, too scared of losing everything I had, that I became too possessive. I forgot the soul-crushing sadness my death had brought to Xyon, if that was even real to begin with. I'm such an idiot. I grabbed the necklace and made it morph into my scales like I'd done with the magic stone not long before. So...now what? That's the only question I'm able to ask myself, as I've run out of options. No, there are a few left, but I can't bring myself to go through with any of them.

With nothing to do, I moved to find cover and lay down, completely lost and baffled. I got my mother back, although broken, so why did it hurt so much? And Xyon...he should've--no, he already has, I just didn't listen. It's a mystery that he doesn't already hate me. I'm not suitable to help him. I closed my eyes, hoping everything was simply an illusion that I was trapped in to torment me. After a few minutes, I felt the 'download' of whatever I was receiving finish as it brought new knowledge. This is...what?! Then, suddenly, as I lay there, I heard Xyon cry out and the sound of a dragon's battle roar.

<->27<->

In a panic, I stumbled to my paws and raced off, heading for where he disappeared to. Xyon! Dread chilled every vein in my body as I went to him. What do I do if it's something I can't beat?! What if I'm too slow to get there and I don't find anything?! I don't want to lose him! Desperation fueled my energy, giving me a temporary speed boost. Branches either snapped or gouged me as I just rammed through, giving up on carefully moving through. I came to a stop, frozen with absolute chilling horror. A monstrous green dragon that stood taller than the trees and seemed more like a small mountain, with a scarred and missing left eye, was standing in a clearing of its own making. It looked as if it'd just crashed down and knocked over all the trees rather than finding a nice place to land. When I finally looked lower, I almost screamed in despair. A pool of red blood with torn bits of clothing was around its massive paws. From the scent alone, not even counting the clothes, I could tell who it belonged to. Unable to accept it, I screeched and flew out at full speed, going for the giant dragon's face.

It blinked at me slowly, then swatted me aside as if I was nothing more than an annoying fly. Overwhelming misery mixed with my spite in a torrent of rage and sorrow. I came at it with everything I had, but it seemed merely amused. I was nothing to this dragon...the power gap was too large. When it reached a point that I was more of a nuisance, it took one paw and slammed me into the ground with no trace of restraint. My entire rib-cage caved as almost all my bones snapped. Not one to give up so easily though, I pushed through the jarring pain movement brought and looked at it. Using whatever energy I had left with practically my entire pool of mana, I breathed my strongest flame, managing to literally melt scales off where it hit. I couldn't help but grin when I saw this, even as I ran out of mana. Its scream was enough for me. Enraged, it took its huge talons and sliced at me, ending the pain I'd felt.

I opened my eyes to see a ceiling above me, a window beside me, and a nice blanket on top of me. What? Was that a dream? I sat up slowly and looked around the room, then at my hands. Human again, just like before. The pain from earlier had been too much for me, so I pushed it to the back of my mind and continued on. I died not long after by staying here. Getting up, I opened the window beside the bed and climbed out, gazing at the lake. The setting sun reflected beautifully off the water, making it glisten like ice. I need to leave here, or I’ll die. I don’t remember how, but I know I will. Ignoring the bareness of my feet, I turned away from the only place with answers, walking down the road without looking back. There’s no reason to stay. I should just live a normal life for as long as I can and forget about it all. What ever made me believe either one was reality? What if I was asleep that whole time as a dragon, and I’m still dreaming even now? That’s the only logical conclusion. It isn’t possible for someone to have two separate bodies in two different worlds, let alone wake up in one of them after dying. I started to recede into my own mind, refusing to accept what had happened. That means, even if I don’t stop walking, I’ll inevitably die because that’s how dreams work. Following that thought, I kept going, not even momentarily taking a break. As I went down that road for days, not a single car passed and I further started to lose it.

Eventually, I even began mumbling, “It’s all a lie. I’ve been asleep through all of it. Not a single thing was real. It was a dream,” repeatedly. As it turned into a week and my legs were giving out, a car at last went by, the driver shocked when they saw me. They stopped the car and rolled down the window, leaning out to get a better look.

“Young girl? Are you okay? Huh? What’d you say?” I looked at him with sunken eyes.

“This is a dream. None of it is real. Nothing actually happened.” Now he was worried and got out, stepping in front of me to make me stop. I just tried to go around, but he blocked me.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” My words were set on repeat, and when I locked eyes with him, a few tears began to fall. “Can you tell me your name?” My whole frame was shaking, my feet were bloody, my gut was empty, and my mouth was dry.

When he went to touch me, I jerked away and shrieked, “It was a dream! A lie! I’m asleep, even now!”

“I’m sorry about this.” He grabbed me and pinned my wrists together with one hand, trying to get me to answer. “What was a dream? If you’re asleep, there’s nothing wrong with telling the dream people what happened, right?”

I looked at him with clouded eyes. “I didn’t die. I only have one body. I’m not a dragon, and I never met the boy named Xyon. I never met him, so he never died.” The man was stunned by my reply.

“Here, come with the dream person and tell me more.” He got me into the passenger seat and turned his truck down the road to go to his home. “So, who didn’t die?”

“Xyon didn’t. My mother didn’t...my father didn’t...no-one did. It was a dream.”

“Right…” I wasn’t entirely conscious at the moment, but I snapped out of it when I felt something strange coming.

I looked at him, then scanned the trees before lunging at the wheel. “Stop! Turn around!”

“Woah!” He didn’t seem to know what to do and took a lot of effort just to make the truck stop swerving. “What’s up with you this time?!”

“You’re a kind man! Please, don’t keep going down that road!” But it was already too late. Guns started firing loudly. Before I could truly process what had happened, the tires had been blown, making us go out of control and crash. I gasped at the sudden flames popping up around me and checked the driver. He didn’t have a pulse. Shoving the instant wave of emotions away, I crawled out of the burning vehicle and coughed, my body extremely weak and frail. I had glass stabbing me in multiple places with far too many cuts and bruises to count. I can’t move...boots showed up in my line of vision.

“Oh Zavira~!” A young lady with a hood on walked up behind the large guy in front of me. She knelt and looked at me, smiling like her every wish had just come true. “You naughty girl~! Running away like that~!” She whipped out a knife and stabbed it through my hand into the dirt, pinning me there as I screamed. “No matter how far you go~, I’ll find you~!” She stood back up and walked off, raising her hand then flicking it to the side. The guns fired and everything went black. I inhaled deeply when I woke up in the forest, slamming face-first into a low-hanging branch. What…? I looked around to realize this was when I’d been running towards the scream. Knowing this, I paused and waited. After a good ten minutes or so, the ginormous one-eyed green dragon flew away. My eyes clouded over when I saw this and I raggedly walked forward. When I reached the area from before, I saw the same pool of blood as I did back then. This is a dream. My vision blurred and I turned away, leaving the spot of death that seemed to haunt me. Where are we going next? No matter what, I wasn’t returning to that cavern, especially in this state. I walked like I had earlier--continuously. My scales were blackening from soot as I went deeper, closer, to the volcanic home of the fire tribe. I ignored any beasts that attacked me, but not once did I let them knock me over. After a long time and my legs started to lock, I took to flying low over the ground, not letting anything stop me.

At some point, Kathgar had tracked me down and tackled me out of the sky, pinning me to the ground. “Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I’ve seen you?! You left back then and never returned! Where’s your little friend, anyway?” He was heavy, but I still made lifeless attempts at wiggling out of his grasp. “Zavi?” I looked up at him and he froze, then growled, “What’d you do?! Why are your eyes glazed over?! Speak to me!”

“This is a dream,” I rasped. He fell silent to listen, but was still upset. “None of this is real. Dragons don’t get that big. Xyon wasn’t real, and neither was that dragon, so no-one died. Everyone never even existed in the first place.”

“What?”

Looking him dead in the eye, I repeated, “This is a dream. None of this is real. Dragons don’t get that big. Xyon wasn’t real, and neither was that dragon, so no-one died. Everyone never even existed in the first place.” There was a look of utter horror in those eyes of his that so perfectly matched mine.

“He died? What happened?!”

“This is a dream. None of this is real. Dragons don’t get that big. Xyon wasn’t real, and neither was that dragon, so no-one died. Everyone never even existed in the first place.” He shuddered, freaked by the repetitive behavior I displayed. Not even a single word was different.

Rebuilding his composure, he tried to calm himself down, doing his best to ignore my creepy appearance. “Zavi. Think. Use your brain. I want you to tell me what happened. Why do you think this is a dream?”

Now, tears streamed down my face, but all I said was, “This is a dream (I’m scared). None of this is real (No-one helped). Dragons don’t get that big (I was in danger). Xyon wasn’t real, and neither was that dragon, so no-one died (I couldn’t save him in time). Everyone never even existed in the first place (I’ve lost everything).” To my inner-self’s dismay, he couldn’t hear my pleas for help, no matter how loud I screamed. Thinking there was nothing he could do, I had no choice but to watch as Kathgar abandoned me there, where I didn’t have enough strength to even get up from. Deep in my subconscious, I was inside a dark room devoid of light, crying silent tears as I whispered, ‘Save me.’ I blinked and looked around in confusion. ‘Huh…?’ I lay in the dark, feeling as if I was underwater…

~~End of Book One~~

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That is all! Thanks for reading it!

#submission #beckyu speaks #da3dm my beloved #da3dm writes #this is just so amazing already and I love the main character so much #oc characters #da3dm! yell at me if I need to add other tags in the comments okay!!!#dragons #trigger warnings

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