#wow i only opened this blog out of curiosity and wow did i miss the vibe

[i-am-beckyu]

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~~

—

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

[isthisthingeven0n]

not so secret santa : j.w

with natalie’s help, jeff is your secret santa this year and proves to be the perfect opportunity to tell you how he feels (1.7k) 

all of my links 

requested: yes, by anon - thanks for the idea angel! warnings: none 

(everything on my blog is my own writing. if it is shared on another page or website know it hasn’t been approved me unless specified. all rights reserved. - i have to start doing this as I had some shit on my other blog with plagiarism)

DO NOT STEAL MY WORK - IT IS ALL MY OWN WRITING

“Come on, I’m not asking for much.” Jeff pleads as Natalie remains silent, scrolling through her phone. “Please, Nat.”

Glancing up from her phone, Natalie can’t ignore the puppy dog look Jeff is presenting. A heavy sigh leaves her lips as she lowers her phone. “You better have a good gift in mind, I’m not sacrificing my secret Santa just for you to fuck up.” Natalie states.

Smiling brightly, Jeff launches onto Natalie as he hugs her tightly. “Thanks, Natalie. I’ve got the perfect thing in mind.”

“I’ve got conditions to it though.” Natalie muffles through Jeff’s arms as he leans back, allowing Natalie to breathe. “You have to get her this,” Holding her phone up, Natalie watches as Jeff’s brows furrow together. “and, tell her how you feel. As I know I’m not the only one who can’t stand you tiptoeing around her anymore.”

“She’s got a point.” David chimes in as he wanders into the living room as Ilya files behind him, nodding in agreement.

“Oh come on, guys. It’s not that bad.” Jeff shrugs his shoulder, but the looks exchanged between his friends says otherwise.

“Dude, Scott was filming the other day and recorded you looking at Y/n in awe as she worked out.” Ilya comments and Jeff knows there isn’t any point denying it, he just can’t help himself when you’re around.

“She’s got a good body and strength.” Jeff comments confidently. “Besides, Y/n doesn’t see me that way, she has said plenty of times how much I mean to her as a friend.” Jeff reminds the others as his heart sinks back in his chest, remembering just last week when he went over to yours.

“What was so urgent?” Jeff asks with wide eyes as he pants lightly whilst you stand in your doorway, wearing your pyjamas as you rub your tired eyes.

“Oh, sorry,” You laugh innocently. “I didn’t mean to scare you, Jeff. I just, I needed help making Christmas cookies.”

Resting his hand against your door frame, Jeff exhales deeply. “You texted me, stating you had an emergency at 10pm, just to make Christmas cookies?”

Nodding in response, you hold your door open further. “So is that a yes you’ll help?” Your smile starts to grow as Jeff steps into your apartment, rolling the sleeves of his hoodie up.

“Where do you wanna start?” He asks, admitting defeat as you happily clap behind him, a spring in your step as you follow him into your kitchen.

“Thank you, thank you, Jeff! You’re the best, my Mom will adore these knowing they’re from her favourite of my friends.” You comment, missing the way Jeff’s smile drops for a second before standing beside him in the kitchen as you gather the ingredients, prepping your kitchen knowing the mess that is about to follow.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Taylor sings as all eyes turn to her. “I’m just saying.” Taylor holds her hands up as Ella nods in agreement.

“It’s not too late to back down from being her secret Santa, Jeff.” Natalie nudges him, but Jeff shakes his head.

“I’m not backing down and like I said, I’ve got the perfect gift.”

*

“So we’re actually organised this time?” You ask, looking around at everyone sat in David’s living room whilst David sits beside one of the many Christmas trees in his house.

Across the room, Jeff tries to remain composed as Natalie sends him a reassuring smile, knowing two of those gifts under the tree have your name on it and a confession to follow.

“For the first time, it seems so.” David chuckles as he rubs his hands together, scanning over the various presents underneath the tree. “So, how do you guys wanna do this?”

Scott rises to his feet, adorning his Santa hat as he remains dressed as Mrs Claus from recording his music video earlier today. “I’ll hand them out.” He suggests and everyone agrees.

Jeff watches as Scott hands out presents to everyone, the joy radiating in the room as Christmas songs play faintly in the background.

“And this one is for Y/n.” Scott walks over to you, handing you the soft present wrapped neatly with a ribbon and perfectly tied bow on top.

“Wow, who paid for gift wrap?” You chuckle, looking around at everyone as they remain silent, no one admitting who their secret Santa was just yet.

Watching in earnest, Jeff is distracted as he’s handed his present, quickly catching your smile as you look away from him.

“Okay, go ahead and unwrap your gifts.” David states as the sound of paper tearing fills the room and excited responses follow suit.

Yet, Jeff puts his gift to one side as he focuses on you unwrapping yours.

Ripping the paper off, you pause as you look at the gift on your lap. “What’d you get, Y/n?” Natalie asks you, a bright smile on her lips as you remain quiet.

Feeling his heart rest in his throat, Jeff takes a deep breath as you lift the hoodie out from the paper. “I, this is just,” Struggling to form words, you look around at everyone before your eyes land on Jeff. You silently mouth a thank you as tears fill your eyes.

No words are exchanged between you both as everyone continues to film for their channels and social media, slowly filing out of the room until it’s just you and Jeff sat in silence.

“I thought you might like it.” Jeff speaks up as he rests his arms on his thighs, trying to suppress his leg from shaking as you hold the hoodie in your hands, your fingers running across the fabric.

Lifting your head up, Jeff’s heart melts as tears fall from your eyes. “You did this, for me?” Your voice remains soft as Jeff nods. “But why?” Curiosity encroaches in your tone as you wipe your eyes, Jeff taking the chance to sit down beside you.

“Well, I remember that time your Mom came to visit you.” Jeff starts, remembering the day clearly despite it being months ago.

“Oh honey, I brought you something!” Your Mom exclaims as she reaches into her bag whilst Jeff busies himself in your kitchen, having come over to help you film as he knew your Mom was visiting.

“Mom, I told you I don’t need anything.” You roll your eyes playfully, just as Jeff walks into the room with three mugs.

“Thank you, dear, you’re a true gentleman.” Your Mom gushes to Jeff as he chuckles, shaking his head before sitting down in your armchair. “It’s in here somewhere,” Your Mom mutters under her breath before grabbing something and lifting it out.

“Mom, why did you bring that?” You ask, trying to conceal the fact you were beginning to get hot from embarrassment whilst Jeff watched curiously.

Holding your old teddy up, your Mom raises an eyebrow to you. “Honey, you loved this teddy, you brought it everywhere! Honestly, Jeff, she could never sleep without it!” A laugh is shared between Jeff and your Mom whilst you internally groan.

“I’m an adult Mom, I don’t need my teddy bear.” You sigh, but the sight of the ratty teddy bear does warm your heart. “But, since you brought it all this way, I guess I’ll keep it.” You reach out, taking the teddy in your hands as you keep it on your lap, the sight something Jeff hopes he’ll never forget.

“But, how?” A laugh escapes your lips as you run your index finger across the embroidery sitting on the left breast of the hoodie, an exact replica of your teddy bear down to the bowtie around its neck.

Jeff shrugs a shoulder in response. “I have connections.” He states. “And since you always steal my hoodies, I thought I’d give you one to keep and make it personal to you.” He adds, watching as you slip it on.

The sleeves hang over your hands, it clearly doesn’t fit but your smile grows. You loved Jeff’s hoodies as they felt like a warm hug from him, enveloped in his aftershave even if he wasn’t there with you.

“I just, this is the most thoughtful present anyone has ever gotten me, Jeff.” You admit as Jeff rests his hand on your cheek, wiping away the stray tears that fall as you sniff quietly.

“There’s erm, something else I got for you too.” Jeff mutters as you focus on his eyes as your hand rests on his thigh, the distance between you both minimising.

“Okay?” You chuckle under your breath.

“You have to close your eyes first if that’s alright with you.” Jeff asks as you nod, complying as you close your eyes.

Taking a steady breath, Jeff closes his eyes and leans in until his lips are on yours. It takes a moment for you to respond, and once you do, the kiss deepens as you lift your arms up, wrapping them around his neck as you lean back on the sofa, Jeff leaning over you.

Pulling away, you rest your forehead against Jeffs. “Was that the present or something you just felt like doing?” You question, rubbing your lips together as Jeff smirks.

“A bit of both.” He admits. “But I like you, Y/n, a lot. And if you’ll let me, I’d love to take you out sometime.”

“I thought you’d never ask, Jeff.” You breathe out, kissing Jeff softly as the sound of applause interrupts your moment.

Breaking apart, you look up to see all your friends stood with their phones and cameras.

"It's a Christmas miracle!” Natalie yells as Todd stands behind her, his arms around her waist. “There’s still one more present, and now I think you might actually have a use for it.” She motions to the small gift on the sofa, and Jeff reaches over for it.

Passing it to you, you unwrap it and bury your face in the sleeves of Jeff’s hoodie.

“Stay safe you guys.” David laughs whilst Natalie winks to you.

“I’m sure we’ll put them to good use.” Jeff mutters into your ear as you look up to him, quirking a brow before kissing him once more.

“Just you wait, Wittek.” You giggle. “Just you wait.”

#ugh christmas fluff is my favourite #jeff wittek #jeff wittek imagine #jeff wittek imagines #jeff wittek angst #jeff wittek fluff #jeff wittek x reader #jeff wittek oneshot #jeff wittek writing #jeff wittek fic #jeff wittek headcanon #vlog squad #vlog squad imagine #vlog squad imagines #vlog squad fluff #vlog squad angst #vlog squad x reader #vlog squad oneshot #vlog squad fic #vlog squad writing #vlogsquad #vlogsquad imagine #vlogsquad imagines #vlogsquad fluff #vlogsquad angst #vlogsquad x reader #vlogsquad oneshot #vlogsquad fic #vlogsquad writing

[mm2305]

Hi Mil!!

I thought those Meet Cute asks were so much fun!! I am glad you did too!! If you have time I would like to request #35 for Ethan and Olivia.

Thank you!!

-Kate

Please drive!

Pairing : Ethan Ramsey x f!mc (Olivia Valentine) ¦¦ Words/Rating : 1.4k / T ¦¦ Warnings : mention of aggressive dogs ¦¦ Setting : Alternate Universe ¦¦

Prompt : They jump into your car breathless and tell you to keep driving

A/N : Hello!! I'm sorry this took so long but it's here now and I really hope you like this Kate! I certainly had lots of fun with this. Request from the meet cute prompt list (requests still open). Happy reading!

Disclaimer : all characters belong to the rightful owners. Also the Thomas Mendez headcanon here is by @jamespotterthefirst

Masterlist

-/-

It was a warm, sunny afternoon, the sun high upon the sky, the air unusually filled with humidity. A dreadful combination, for sure. The street was mostly empty, the sight of another soul, rare during this time that the heat was at its fullest. Most people would be sensible enough to not go out at 103°F, but as much as he needed to be one of those people, Ethan was on borrowed time that day.

Being an intern at a hospital was probably the hardest - and let's be honest, shittiest- situation you could be in, right? The answer is a big fat no. At least that's what Ethan Ramsey, a doctor who at just his second year as an attending was at the top of his game and highly successful, would say. Why? Because someone has to deal with the interns and that brave soul has to deal with a lot. He speaks from experience.

Hence why this was the only moment he could slip in his schedule to take a break and get some decent coffee. His best friend Tobias, had suggested he go to the new place in the suburbs to get his caffeine fix. Of course, Ethan didn't believe him at first. A coffee shop in the suburbs? Sounds like one of Tobias' usual pranks. Still, his curiosity won and he drove all the way to the suburbs in search of the infamous coffee shop.

He would die before he admitted that Tobias was right, but that was some pretty good coffee. Content and somewhat more ready to go back, he began walking to his car. He could hear some barking in the distance, but that was to be expected. All those rich people around here sure would keep a dog or two. "Well maybe I should adopt the pup Thomas stole. I could use the company of someone not constantly talking" , he thought to himself as he unlocked the car.

Ethan quickly got in and immediately turned on the air conditioning. He sinked into his leather seat and closed his eyes for a minute, finding some relief from the unbearable heat. Suddenly he heard the door of the car open and close along with some very loud barking and he instinctively jumped in his seat, turning to look at the person who jumped in his car.

He didn't even get to utter a word before the woman turned to look at him with pleading eyes.

"Oh my God I'm so sorry for barging in but please please drive ! I'll explain everything I promise!"

Not even thinking about it, he started driving, while keeping an eye on the woman next to him, who was breathing heavily and looking out of the mirrors. It was then that he saw six big dogs running after his car and all that barking he had heard started making sense.

The dogs stopped following them after a few more minutes, their endurance making them seem understandably terrifying. Only then did she relax and take a deep breath.

"Thank you so much for this. I'm so sorry for jumping into your car.", she thanked him with a small smile.

"Uh… it's no problem. Glad I could help."

"I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Olivia Valentine, nice to meet you.", Olivia extended her hand towards him in a handshake.

Turning his eyes on her he briefly shook her hand. "Ethan Ramsey, it's…certainly interesting to meet you"

She laughed slightly at that, shaking her head and looking out of the window.

Ethan couldn't help but really notice how attractive she was. Her hair was gold blonde and tied back into a high ponytail, shaped in loose curls. Her eyes were big and green and her skin was spotless. Olivia wasn't wearing much makeup but what really stood out was her plump, bright red lips, perfectly contrasting with her fair skin. She was dressed in a simple, professional, dark blue , form-fitting dress with black high heels that accentuated her long legs. She was wearing a silver, elegant wrist watch and in her lap rested a black briefcase.

"Would it be okay if I asked what just happened to you, Miss Valentine?", the urge to solve mysteries whether it was regarding medicine or this beautiful woman, propelled him towards asking her this question. Besides she just came out of nowhere, I have a right I ask her. Right?

"Please call me Olivia."

"Only if you call me Ethan"

She grinned and nodded. "Deal"

"So, Ethan , I am a real estate agent. I had an appointment with a client to show him a villa that was for sale but I had been waiting outside the house for thirty minutes and he hadn't shown up. And of course, he didn't even call to let me know that he wouldn't come, instead of letting me roast in the sun. Anyways, I decided to leave and I walked a couple of blocks down the street in hopes of getting a cab. You can guess how well that went in this time and area, so I called a colleague to come pick me up. I was waiting for her to come, when two of these huge ass dogs escaped their homes, thinking I was an intruder just because I passed by and began coming closer, teeth bared and all. Since I am so lucky today, somehow more dogs gathered so I panicked and ran. They started chasing me… and then Olivia met Ethan", she finished her story with a dry chuckle.

Ethan was left speechless. His surprise must have been written all across his face because next thing he knew she was bursting into laughter.

"I'm-I'm sorry… it's just--that you should see your face", she said in between laughing.

"I mean. Wow. And all because of that jerk of a client."

"Definitely a jerk and not only because of that. He's a plastic surgeon and he's all about how successful he is or some shit. "I'm Dr. Thorne and I'm one of the leading plastic surgeons in Massachusetts." As if I give a damn. ", she rolled her eyes hard.

"Dr. Thorne you said? Ugh he's one of the worst of his kind"

"You know him?!"

"Yeah unfortunately. He works in Edenbrook, as do I. I'm a doctor."

"Ohh interesting! Let me guess. Internal medicine?"

"Actually… yes. How did you guess?", he turned to give her a surprised look.

"You previously said of his kind. I know enough about doctors that one working in internal medicine isn't particularly…fond of surgeons. Am I right?", she asked giddily.

Ethan chucked at that. "Yes, you are. Mostly at least"

"Nailed it."

Valentine. Where had he heard that name though…?

"You work in the big firm downtown don't you?" , he stated rather than asked after a moment of silence.

"I was wondering when you would figure it out Dr. Ramsey.", Olivia teased him, smirking.

"I am a diagnostician Ms. Valentine. I notice things. And your firm is difficult to miss"

"Technically not mine. My father owns the business."

"So it's safe to assume, your mother is the doctor?"

"Bravo, Doctor. Yes indeed. She works at Mass Kenmore."

"I see… So. Want me to give you a lift? We're already in the car and your work is on my way.", he raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Sure! Thanks Ethan", she replied, grinning widely.

They spent the rest of the way comfortably talking to each other, both genuinely enjoying each other's company. For someone who was so talkative and gregarious, Ethan found himself interested in anything Olivia had to say. She was smart and confident, but in the most charming way possible. At last they reached the firm and Ethan pulled over.

Both turned to look at each other and started talking simultaneously

"Olivia--"

"I --"

"Ladies first.", he motioned for her to say what she wanted.

"Right. Thank you once again Ethan, both for the save and the ride. It was really nice to meet you.", her hand reached and squeezed his arm.

"You're very welcome, Olivia. I uh… wanted to ask…only if you want to of course… can I have your number?". He was quite visibly stuttering, but he tried to hide it behind a cough.

Olivia looked him in the eyes, clearly seeing through him and smiled. "Yeah, absolutely. Can I have yours too?"

He smiled back at her. "Yes of course"

They exchanged cards and after saying goodbye, Olivia got out of the car and walked back into the office. Just as she sat down at her desk she received a text message.

Ethan : Meet me this Saturday at 8, in "Gaston's Bistro"?

Olivia : I'll be there :)

Ethan : Perfect :D

She put her phone away and got down to work, smiling all the way, already excited for her date this weekend.

-/-

A/N : Of you made it till here, then thank you for reading! Likes, comments and reblogs are always appreciated :)

Taglist :

Perma (all OH edits and fics) : @romewritingshop @codykosuckmytoe @sophxwithers @actuallybored @potionsprefect @ethansramsey @crystalwillow @gryffindordaughterofathena @kiara-36 @mrsethanfreakingramsey @writer-ish @panda9584 @genevievemd @jamespotterthefirst @queencarb @shanzay44 @nikki-2406 @starryeyedrookie @coffeeheartaddict @schnitzelbutterfingers @mysticaurathings @starrystarrytrouble @lsvdw-blog @izzyourresidentlawyer @silma-words @stygianflood @headoverheelsforramsey @maurine07 @natureblooms24 @a-crepusculo @barbean @choicesaddict5

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+ @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Please let me know if you want to be moved to another category or totally removed. No hard feelings promise.

#open heart #ethan ramsey #choices open heart #ethan ramsey x mc #choices stories you play #choices #open heart mc #open heart fanfiction #open heart au #ethan jonah ramsey x mc #dr ethan ramsey #ethan x mc #ethan jonah ramsey #ethan ramsey fanfiction #dr ethan x mc #ethan x f!mc fanfic #ethan x olivia #oph au #oph #fics of the week #Mil writes #cfwc

[sapphire374]

Soy Sol: Chapter 11 (The Cut that Burrows Deep)

Wattpad Link

Ch.1 / Ch.2 / Ch.3 / Ch.4 / Ch.5 / Ch.6 / Ch.7 / Ch.8 / Ch.9 / Ch. 10 / Ch.12 / Ch.13 / Ch.14 / Ch.15 / Ch.16 / Ch.17

Ámbar feels like every step she takes, the more she can feel her heartbeat. It’s like she’s carrying it in her arms with nothing to guard it, out in the open alone. She opens the cold rusted handle of the entrance to the restaurant. There she is, her biological mom trembling while drinking a glass of water. Ámbar sums up all the courage inside her and takes the chance to approach her. When she grabs the seat in front of her, Sylvania can’t help but stare in shock. “Wow Ámbar, you truly have grown.��� Ámbar may have brought all her walls down for the people she loves, but she puts them back up with this stranger.

“You can’t say that since you were never there for me. That’s no fair,” Ámbar chided. Sylvania chokes up and avoids eye contact. “Look Ámbar, I now know after everything that has happened the big mistake I made, but at the time it felt like the best option for you. I was young and didn’t have the means nor felt ready to take care of a child. I thought Sharon would’ve been a better parental figure instead of a young girl like myself. I later on regretted it and that’s something I shall have to carry with me for the rest of my life.”

Ámbar grips onto her purse trying very hard to hold back all her tears. She wonders why did this lady chose Sharon specifically and why did Sharon try to keep it a secret for so long? “I understand you were young, but I know that’s not the whole story because I have memories being in a different house that was NOT Benson Mansion. You saw me, you knew me, and didn’t like me enough to keep me,” Ámbar rebuked. Sylvania is showing tears now, she’s choking up with every word as her hand trembles just to take a sip of water. “It wasn’t like that at all Ámbar. I tried, I really did try to see if I was capable of taking care of a child. I noticed my arms weren’t so comforting for you. Sometimes when you love someone, so much, you have to let them go because you care,” Sylvania responded. Ámbar doesn’t know whether to believe what she’s saying or not. She wishes she can get out of these tornadoes of lies that always come chasing her. She’s sick of it all. She wants the truth. Is that too much to ask for?

Silence crowds the room, they’re breathing the same air but can’t even look at each other. Sylvania speaks up again. “I know this feels hard to believe but why do you think I came back? It was for that reason, I thought Sharon would be a better parent than me and would take great care of you. I realized I was sadly wrong.”

“Sharon? Of all people? What made you think that a woman who put a place on fire because she was jealous of her own sister would be a perfect parent for a child? Do you know she never showed me affection or love? I had to learn it all on my own. She only showed any signs of care when she needed me part of her plan that only benefitted her. You left me to a person who only cares about themselves,” Ámbar fumed.

“It wasn’t like that at all. I had no idea about her being the cause of the Benson fire and she had already adopted you before that even happened. When I met her, she was a kind woman, I was friends with Lili from work, so I had already knew the family. I assumed that Sharon had a good heart just like Lili, even though she was seemingly different. The whole time I would interact with her, she was always nice and seemed to really want a child because she always felt alone. It all just felt fitting.” Ámbar is trying to put together all the puzzle pieces in her head with Sylvania’s story. Part of her doesn’t believe it but…. It does kind of make sense. For her it justifies nothing even though she has hope.

Before she gets up from her seat, she leaves a wad of cash. “Ámbar where are you going? We haven’t even ordered yet?” Sylvania asks. “I’m not feeling hungry anymore, here’s some money for dinner.” Ámbar heads out the door with no remnants behind other than the tears that fall to the floor.

Jam and Roller

“Eyyy amigo I’m so happy for the release of your new music video!” Gastón exclaims to Matteo. They’re both drinking smoothies while watching the Youtube countdown from Matteo’s phone. These are the special moments Matteo loves to share with Gastón since he’s always been his pal for the longest. He also loves sharing it with Luna too, but they sadly haven’t hit it off as well for a while. Matteo is hoping Gastón’s plan will work for the upcoming days.

Simón heads to their tables with a fresh batch of popcorn. “Wow, how exciting! It’s even more special since you get to enjoy it here at the Jam and Roller with us!” Simón states. Matteo grins but it slowly fades when he sees Luna walk into the cafeteria and completely ignoring him. “What happened?” Simón asks when he sees Matteo’s vivid expression abruptly change. “No nothing, I just wish I got to share this moment with another person too.” When Simón turns his head and sees who Matteo is staring at, he realizes what Matteo meant.

Nina pulls out her purse and hands her phone to Luna. “I know you’re trying to pretend you don’t care but you do. Watch the video, it’ll get rid of all your curiosities.” Luna shakes her head in disapproval. “Nina, the least I want to do is watch a music video of the one I love flirting with a girl who has a huge crush on him as well. They’re practically soulmates, meant for each other,” Luna exaggerates. “Oh c’mon, I know it’s complicated, but you know that’s not true. If you’re not going to do it for him, then do it for yourself. You deserve to see why he arrived late to your date.” Luna glares at Nina and decides to take the phone.

Once the music video is out, everyone begins to cheer for Matteo. Luna sits even more depressed seeing at the ‘amazing’ chemistry Matteo and Viviana had in the music video. She can’t help but doubt herself even more when all the comments from his fans say they ship him with Viviana. “Nina, I’m not feeling so good. I think I’ll just head home.” Nina nods and Luna begins to get up from her chair and head out. Matteo notices and follows her out.

“Luna! Luna, wait up! I need to tell you something,” Matteo yells out. “Matteo not now, I’m not in the mood. Congratulations of your video, it was very nice. I just don’t feel so good okay.” Matteo catches up to her and stands in front. “Look Luna, I don’t know if you’ll listen to me now but please go to tomorrow’s concert I’m having. My manager is having me make a concert to promote the single, but it wouldn’t be the same without you. Please Luna. You never miss any of my concerts,” Matteo begs. Luna gradually smiles. “Really? You still want me there?”

“Of course, I do Luna.” Luna now can’t help but blush. “Matteo, of course I’ll go. Even though I’m still a little upset at you calling me jealous, standing me up on our date, and not believing or listening to me, I still care. Since you want me there, I’ll be there.” Matteo is surprised by Luna’s comment and begins to graciously smile too. It was a moment for them, they hadn’t had one like this in a long time. It felt needed.

Nico is in the rink sitting on one of the chairs, he seems to be working on something since he has his notebook open with his pen. Jim enters and sees him alone. “Hey there, what are you working on?” Jim asks. “Oh just a few verses, I’m trying to get ahead on the Roller Band song for the competition, but nothing seems to come into mind,” Nico says. Jim heads to the seat beside him. She sits down and carefully glances over his blank page. “Oh yeah you do seem to be having some trouble,” Jim chuckles. “If you’d like I can help, I’m use to writing songs with Yam.” Nico turns and faces Jim, “Yes of course. I need all the help I can get; it’s been a while for me since I got to write a song with the Roller Band.” They both laugh together and get working on the song.

Jazmín dashes to Delfi holding a small slip of paper. “You won’t believe what just happened?” Delfi carefully places her books into her locker after seeing Jazmín rush to her. “Is it something new for the Fundom or for your blog, Ja Jazmin?” Delfi predicts. “Nope, you’re very far off. Look at this,” Jazmín hands Delfi the note. The more she reads it, the more her eyes grow like a flower blooming in the season, keeps opening. She’s in plain shock as Jazmín nods from her amusement. “Right! I have a secret admirer!! I have to post about this on my blog!” Jazmín frantically grabs her phone from her pocket but right when she’s about to film, Delfi stops her. “No Jazmín, this is something special. Honestly, I think this is something you should keep for yourself, every celebrity likes to keep their personal life separate from their work life,” Delfi advises. Jazmín thinks for a second and says, “Nahhh I’ll still post it, plus this can even help us discover who the anonymous writer is!”

The Restaurant

Yam is wearing her golden shimmery dress that Jim helped her pick out. She’s very anxious about her date with Ramiro, she wants it to go out perfect since this was something she had been dreaming of for a while. He puts down the menu and slips his hand under hers to her surprise. He gives her a shy smile. “I had been dreaming of this for a while. Before, I would always try to move on, but I just couldn’t. My mind just couldn’t forget about you,” Ramiro admits. Yam begins to tear up. “I felt the same way for so long but never said anything worried you didn’t feel the same way. I’m so happy about this moment. I don’t care how long I had to wait, it was totally worth it.”

Throughout the whole night, Yam and Ramiro shared college stories and even old memories of each other. How Yam never stopped writing songs about him and how Ramiro would skate imagining about her. Everything went smooth till dessert came. A random man with a suit and tie approached their table and faces Yam. “You look familiar, are you Yamila Sanchez from that Ja Jazmin blog?” Yam stays startled and stutters, “uhhh yes why?” The man quickly pulls a card out of his pocket. “Hillside Records, I’m the owner. I would like to set up a meeting with you for a chance at a record deal.” Yam immediately glares at Ramiro for a response. He shows his approval and gestures for Yam to respond. “Yes I would love to!” Yam exclaims. “Great! I’m available tomorrow at 5 pm. There is one important detail I have to tell you,” the man says. “Yes, what is it,” Yam asks. “The record company is not in Buenos Aires. It’s in California.” He proceeds to hand her the card. “Think about it, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He leaves and Yam shows her disappointment to Ramiro, she couldn’t believe how such an exciting offer can turn to something so depressing. If she took this offer, that means she would have to leave her family, her friends, and her chance at being with Ramiro.

“Look I know this is hard to think about but just follow your heart. If this is something you truly want go for it, I can wait longer,” Ramiro grabs her hand and holds it. “I don’t know what to say. I never knew me pursuing a music career would mean I have to leave everything and everyone I love,” Yam gradually lets her tears fall onto her glittery dress.

#soy luna #soy sol #soy sol universe #soy luna fanfic #lutteo #simbar #soy luna fanfiction #disney soy luna #sl fanfic #sl fanfiction #soy luna wattpad #sl wattpad #gastina #pelfi #yamiro #jico #Karol Sevilla #Valentina Zenere #Soy Luna one shot #Soy Luna one shots

[turtletimewriting]

Tickletober Day 1- Teasing

Summary: Sokka just can’t take it any more and finally gives in to his curiosity.

Note: HAPPY T-TOBER!!! This is part of a mini AU I’m doing for Tickletober so this will leave on a mysterious cliffhanger, mwuahahaha!  Next Day!

_._._

It was a perfectly ordinary day. Nothing unusual or even noteworthy about it. Sokka got up at his usual time of noon and slumped over to the kitchen to make pancakes. He bickered about how his roommate Zuko must be eating his Nutella when he wasn’t looking despite knowing for a fact it was his secret chocolate toast at two in the morning habit. Zuko came in a bit later to grab a quick lunch before diving back into his room to copy up more notes. He then quickly did his seminar prep work before rushing off to his own seminar at two and had only just walked back in. There was nothing else to do but sit around and enjoy the free time. Again, nothing remarkable at all.

He was sitting in their living room with the television blaring as he scrolled through his phone. He paused as he heard faint mumbling through the wall. Ah yes, and it wouldn’t be a normal day without Zuko making his tickle teasing thing for his tumblr.

That, admittedly, had been a bizarre conversation. Zuko had meant to keep it completely hidden and so had exploded when he had questioned why he talked to himself in the middle of the night. He ran a blog dedicated to tickling. Yeah, Sokka didn’t even pretend to understand it. But hey, everyone has their thing! And out of all the things, tickling seemed the most innocent someone could have. I mean… it was a little bit completely adorable. Can you imagine! Boring grumpy pretending to be more emo than he is Zuko, liking tickling. Zuko would occasionally record teases for his following. It was clear that the tickling thing was a sensitive topic (get it! Like sensitive as in ticklish!) and so he didn’t tease too much about that. But that was never going to stop him from teasing Zuko talking about best times to post and how many notes he got. Zuko, the social media influencer! That was at the beginning of term he learned that weird little fact and it had since been three months?

 Surely that’s where the story ended, right?

Well… Sokka could admit to himself that he was starting to get curious. And didn’t that make his face burn. He hadn’t been tickled since he was only knee height. And even then, he remembered squealing and desperately running away. Surely, he didn’t like it, right? But it’s not like he could remember what it actually felt like. Surely, he wasn’t missing much! He knew he wasn’t missing much. Right?

But that curiosity slowly crept in. Surely, he was missing something though… Zuko liked it. And Zuko never liked anything! But Zuko clammed up whenever he tried to ask why he enjoyed it.

 It was only last week that Sokka gave in to that curiosity and ended up searching for tickling on Tumblr himself. It seemed… fun enough? He didn’t really get it still. It felt that bit too impersonal looking at gifs or fanart. That didn’t make him feel him anything! But yet…

 “Heh, what? What has you all giggly? I’m not doing anything! Just sitting here… I’m not even touching you… yet. Tickle tickle tickleee.” Zuko’s voice was already muffled through the wall and he was speaking softly and extra raspy anyway. But still it seemed to pierce through the living room. Sokka cleared his throat and slightly turned up the volume of the TV.

 It was a silly thing to think about. Totally not worth his time. It was just tickling! Stupid childish tickling!

 “Coochie coochie coo…”

 It was whatever. It was beyond stupid.

 “Tickle tickle tickle…”

 Wow, his television show was definitely so interesting…

 “Stop squirming…”

Sokka sat bolt up as he realised, he had been squirming around. His feet gently rubbing each other and him sitting up and adjusting constantly. Hah, that was stupid. He was just uncomfortable. Whatever. It was nothing. He definitely wasn’t getting a little flustered.

 “Or else. Try to hold still. Unless you want to uh… get t-tickled more… That’s dumb. Right, start again,” Zuko’s now awkward voice rattled through the room and Sokka now felt like he could breathe again.

 He sighed and buried his face in his hands. This was all so ridiculous. He opened up his phone again and tried searching again. Yep, none of the results made him feel anything like what he just did. There truly shouldn’t be anything he’s missing out on! Like a month ago, Katara tazed his side and he couldn’t say that he really wanted to feel that again. But that curiosity still lingered. That was surely his biggest flaw. Once a thought took hold, it would never leave until he satisfied it.

But what did he even want! Zuko to tickle him! That would definitely be weird. Zuko wasn’t the most affectionate open person in the world, that’s what made the first tickle conversation on this so weird. But yet… Maybe he did want to be tickled, just to finally move on.

 There was a moments pause. Sokka found himself holding his breath. What teases would he be doing now? He usually just focused on the word tickle. The way his raspy voice curled out the word was so… A lot. He could really see why people would follow for that. He felt more ticklish just listening in. But instead, Zuko’s door opened. Sokka felt his face burst into flames. He sat upright like a child caught sneaking extra cookies. Zuko walked in the kitchen like nothing was unusual at all.

 It was as Zuko was pouring himself a glass of water that Sokka snapped to. This could not keep happening. He had to grit his teeth and just face the music.

“Heeeeey Zuko, you up to much right now. Well, other than drinking,” Sokka spoke like the functioning human he is. Zuko looked over completely innocently.

“Not much. I’m uh… doing stuff for my blog. Sorry if that’s getting in your way,” Zuko answered honestly. “What were you doing? What you watchi-“

“Would you, like would it be… W-well talking of your blog… What would you say if… Like I just wanted to know,” Sokka tried to fumble about for the words as Zuko looked on. As if Sokka was actually going anywhere with any of what he was saying. Ugh, why did he have to have a nice roommate! “Like… listening to what you were recording… Not that I was like d-deliberately listening in! J-just like out of curiosity… why do you like ti-tickling so much?”

As expected, Zuko then also exploded into a blush. “Uh, I don’t know? I just guess I always did? It’s like… a fun thing.”

“Cool. Cool. Cool. I… guess all I wanted to say was you’ve now made me curious.” Sokka looked down and completely missed Zuko’s confusion.

“Curious?”

“Like… I even tried searching myself! So I guess… I don’t know. I don’t want to pressure you or do anything you wouldn’t be comfortable with.”

“Wait, are you asking to be tickled?” Zuko finally stepped out from the counter and sat next to him.

“Yeah?” Sokka responded casually like his voice hadn’t rocketed several octaves. “I-I don’t know. You know me, once I have an idea I need to…”

“Um. Yeah?” Sokka finally looked up again. Zuko looked extremely flustered but also vaguely optimistic, “That could be kinda fun? I… I don’t tend to tell people if they wouldn’t understand. But… if you’re curious then it could be fun to actually do… If you’re ever uncomfortable or want to back out then just say. There’s no shame!”

Sokka perked up, “Are you sure, dude? Yeah, that does sound ‘fun’,” He teased at his awkward wording, finally feeling his confidence pick itself back up.

“Sure.” Zuko finally smiled.

 (Stick around for day two!)

#tickletober 2021 #tickletober day 1 #tickling #zuko #sokka #turtle writing

[hiddendreamer67]

Gilded Cage- The Witcher

What’s that? Peter Pan Witcher AU, you say??

Summary: Geralt has been watching Yennefer through her window for weeks now. Jaskier flew ahead to scope it out tonight, and now Geralt’s fairy is doing time behind golden bars.

Word Count: 1,623

(In which young Geralt is Peter Pan, the lost boys are all witchers, fairy!Jaskier is his chattering Tinkerbell, and young Yennefer is the mysterious Wendy.)

Feel free to send in more prompts from my bingo card below! Also check out my writing blog @hiddendreamerwriting for more of my work!

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“You are one insane little girl.” Jaskier huffed, his wings twittering irritably on his back as the fairy fluttered about, trying to find a weak spot within his new prison. The golden bird cage seemed perfectly sturdy, unfortunately. “Mentally deranged, in fact. Completely off your rocker!”

“Hmm.” Yennefer gave him a predatory grin, for an eerie moment sounding like Geralt. “Could an insane person do this?” She pushed the side of the cage with her finger, making it sway.

“Yes! Indubitably- indefinitely?” Jaskier cursed his own lack of focus. “You cannot lock me up. Young lady, if you’re even a lady at all, I demand you release me at once!”

Yennefer huffed. “And why on earth would I, pixie, when all you’ve done in chant school yard insults in my direction?”

Jaskier felt his face turning very, very red, and forced himself to try and calm down. He couldn’t let his temper get the best of him, not when this child was holding all the cards.

“Now now, let’s be reasonable.” Jaskier hovered to the middle of the cage, crossing his arms to look stern. It never worked on the lost boys, but perhaps girls were different. “I am a very important fairy, darling. Without me, the very essence of nature would be thrown entirely off balance. Centuries in the making, gone! Poof! I certainly wouldn’t want that to rest on your young conscience, knowing you single-handedly destroyed the world.”

“I don’t have a conscience.” She teased.

“Of course you don’t.” Jaskier muttered. He fluttered up closer to her end of the cage again, glaring. “I’m serious, you know. 100%, total collapse of the earth, entirely in your hands. Ooooor, you open this measly little door, let one harmless fairy go free, and BAM! Savior of the world, right before me. Oh, wouldn’t that be wonderful? You could save everyone, wow, what an honor!”

Yennefer didn’t seem keen to take his deal. Even worse, she didn’t seem to be paying any attention to Jaskier, instead staring out the window.

The music-talent fairy couldn’t make sense of it; here was a child who has successfully caught a fairy, possibly the first to do so, and she wasn’t even interested in the actual fairy? What? Jaskier knew it couldn’t be about him personally, after all he was a sight to behold. A wonderful conversationalist as well (when not trapped in a cage), and though Geralt would never admit it Jaskier knew he made a delightful companion.

“...alright.” Jaskier sighed, knowing his curiosity could get him into trouble. “I’ll bear this burden, address the elephant in the room. What is it you want with me, hmm? I can’t grant wishes, not really my specialty, music’s really my passion but you don’t seem like the lullaby type-”

“You’re with the flying boy.” Yennefer cut him off, once again glancing his way.

...oh.

It wasn’t a question, but Jaskier answered anyway. “Well I’m certainly not with anyone now.” He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Strictly speaking, Geralt was meant to be a secret. Of course, so was all of fairy kind, but clearly that ship had sailed.

“Don’t play coy.” Yennefer rolled her eyes. “It’s unbefitting. He’ll come for you, of that I’m certain.”

And- well, she had a point. Jaskier had to hand it to her, it wasn’t a bad plan. Geralt may take pleasure in telling Jaskier off, but Jaskier knew the boy cared for him deep down in that stone heart of his. After all, it was Jaskier who had first found Geralt, the first lost boy, helping him settle on the island before they both discovered more abandoned children to bring to neverland. Jaskier was constantly flitting by his side, ever since Geralt first united the boys under one name: The Witchers.

But, sadly, despite their history, Jaskier knew when Geralt came it wouldn’t be for him.

“And if he doesn’t?” Jaskier asked bitterly. “Plan on keeping me behind golden bars until I starve to death? I won’t make it easy on you, mind you, my death will be slow and painful and vocal, I assure you.”

Yennefer considered this for a moment. “I suppose I’ll just have to transfer you to a jar, then. Put you out of your misery when the air runs out.”

Despite the teasing glint in her eye, her blatant comment made Jaskier turn furious. His chittering rose to such a high pitch that to Yennefer’s ears his swearing sounded more like tinkling bells. The young girl laughed, amused at his plight.

In all the commotion, a light breeze at the window went unnoticed, a figure with glowing eyes floating in to stand on the windowsill. He cleared his throat, immediately pulling all attention to himself. The young boy was dressed in dark rags, white hair tugged out of his face.

Yennefer let out a gasp in awe, appearing almost reverent. “You’re here.”

“You took my fairy.” Geralt jutted his chin towards the cage, and Jaskier ignored the pleased warmth that came with that title.

“True.” Yennefer admitted. “But I assure you, your firefly is unharmed.”

“Hmm.” Geralt’s face betrayed no emotion as Jaskier’s voice went too high to hear again.

“Mouthy, isn’t he?” Yennefer tilted her head, glancing at the fairy. “Don’t know how you haven’t gone deaf.”

Geralt’s lip twitched, clearly torn on how to respond. “...I’ve no idea.”

“Geralt!”

Geralt sighed at Jaskier’s indignant response. “Release him.”

The girl stood up, crossing her arms and coming closer to Geralt. “No manners? Perhaps think you can give me orders because I’m a little girl?”

Geralt wisely said nothing.

“Or perhaps you think it’s alright to come peer into my window when I’m sleeping.” Yennefer squinted at him with a knowing eye. “How long have you been watching me sleep, witcher?”

“Mmm.” Geralt looked displeased with where this was going.

“Hope you enjoyed the view.” Yennefer moved her hands to her hips. “But I think it’s only fair I get some repayment, I know fathers who have beat boys for doing less to their daughters. Not that mine would give a damn, of course, but a lady deserves her secrets.”

“I hardly think it’s fair recompensation, my life for his adolescent tendencies!” Jaskier called out, completely neglecting all the times Geralt had to save him after Jaskier’s own wandering eyes got them in trouble.

Geralt growled in his direction, clearly embarrassed.

“I won’t keep your fairy, boy, not to worry.” Yennefer patted Geralt’s cheek, making the lost boy flinch away from the unexpected contact. It had been years since someone had touched him so, even in jest. “I only ask for one favor.”

“What’s the favor?” Geralt asked.

“Teach me to fly.” Yennefer glanced out the window. “So I can escape this life.”

Jaskier and Geralt shared a look, glancing around the elegant nursery. They had met plenty of abandoned or neglected children on the streets, but in such a lavish home?

“You’d miss this life.” Geralt murmured.

“Don’t speak for me as if you know a thing about my life.” Yennefer snapped. “My choices are my own. I won’t stay where I’m not wanted, no matter the golden trim. My parents play a charade I want no part of and they’ve made it clear my less vocal siblings are preferred. I will start anew on my own terms.”

“Or you’ll die on the streets.” Jaskier piped up. “Starving, freezing, perhaps abandoned on a bench. Only so much pixie dust to go around, really, before you end up in the middle of nowhere. At least here it’s safe with a luxury pillow beneath your head.”

“Jaskier.” Geralt issued in a warning tone.

Yennefer ignored the musician’s squabblings, narrowing in on one fact in particular. “Pixie dust?” She glanced between them. “Is that the secret to how you fly?”

Geralt let out a long sigh. “No. And yes. It’s … complicated.”

“Then perhaps you should un-complicate it.” Yennefer challenged. “Or I’ll simply push you off and learn by observation.”

Geralt raised an eyebrow in a gesture that clearly stated ‘I’d like to see you try.’ Yennefer stared him down, the two clearly caught in a silent match for dominance.

“Let Jaskier out.” Geralt was the one to break their silence. “Only then.”

“Say please.” Yennefer challenged.

Geralt stayed quiet.

“Oh Geralt, come on!” Jaskier threw his arms out. “It’s one word, we’re so close- give the crazy child what she wants?”

Geralt’s jaw tensed, his teeth gritted. “...please.”

Yennefer smirked in triumph, sauntering over to the cage. “And I thought manners killed witchers. Perhaps you’re not all uncivilized urchins.”

The moment Jaskier was free he zoomed over to Geralt’s side, tugging at the boy’s hair. “Alright, we did it, time to go!”

Geralt looked at him as though he’d gone mad. “Jaskier, she let you go. I need to help her.”

“She also kidnapped me.” Jaskier hissed, clearly still peeved to be in the nursery at all.

“And you both spied on me first.” Yennefer frowned. “We can play the blame game all night.”

“No need.” Geralt brushed Jaskier to the side, easily stepping towards Yennefer. “I’ll teach you to fly.”

Jaskier felt his heart shattering, watching Geralt so casually pass him by. This was his big fear, the reason he had flown ahead to try and lock the nursery window. Geralt had fallen head over heels for Yennefer the past few nights and that was before she was even awake. Now Geralt continued to take her side, even when she proved herself to be a dangerous fairy-napper.

The music fairy huffed, sliding down to sulk atop the bookshelf. With his luck, Geralt would want to do something reckless like invite the girl back to neverland.

#badthingshappenbingo #the witcher #gilded cage #g/t #giant/tiny #fairies #fairy #fairy!jaskier #young!geralt #young!yennefer #yennefer #geralt #jaskier #peter pan #peter pan AU #peter pan witcher AU

[cutesuki--bakugou]

Ancient Soul

Time Travel, Quirkless, Feudal Japan AU

“Your soul does not belong here.” Those were words you never thought that you would hear. Now, thrown into the past in feudal Japan, you must find a way to survive, all while struggling to avoid the growing feelings for one hot-headed war general. War, romance, death and love drive you forward, to find the place where your soul truly belongs.

Bakugou Katsuki x Fem!Reader

Want to start from be beginning? Check the Ancient Soul tag. New chapters released every Wednesday as long as schedule permits.

Genre: Romance / Angst Story Rating: Explicit | Adult Themes, Sex, Death, Depictions of Violence, Alcohol

Chapter 17: Truth

Chapter Rating: Teen | Cursing Words:  2002

Standing before the pristine tori that marked the entrance to the stairway leading up to Shōshitsu Shrine, you couldn’t help but remember how you had felt the day you came to this world. The uneasiness that had crept upon you back then was crawling across your skin like millions of tiny spiders, making you nearly want to collapse on the floor and just cower in fear. The place horrified you. It was so heavy with the many centuries of sadness and torture it had caused for hundreds, if not thousands of souls. 

“Katsuki,” you spoke softly, as if trying to not disturb any malicious spirits around you. “Do you know any history of this shrine?” 

Deciding that you weren’t going to start walking up on your own, Bakugou gave you a slight push with his hand against your back, forcing you to start following him up the stairs. “I don’t know why it was originally built, if that’s what you mean. But I do know the story of it and why it’s called the Vanishing Shrine.” 

“O-oh? What is it?” 

Bakugou gave a small grumble in thought, as if he were trying to remember all the details. “People say that a widowed woman came here every day to pray for the soul of her lover to return to her. It was constant prayers, rituals, anything that she could do that she believed would work. I think she did this for… twenty years?” 

“Wow… that’s dedication.” 

“Nothing worked in the end. She was still a lonely, foolish old woman. Until she decided to hang herself on a beam at the entrance of the shrine. From that moment on, people believed that it was cursed. Any idiot can feel that it’s different here… It’s heavy.” Bakugou turned his gaze to look out into the forest that ran along the stairway, which were dense and dark, even in the sunlight. “There is something here… and strange things do happen. Like you, for example.” 

“What about me?” 

Bakugou looked down at you, his gaze curious and almost cautious. “Everything about you. The things you talk about, the way you were dressed, that black item that I destroyed that you called a… phone?” 

“Yeah, that’s right…” 

“People are found here all the time, screaming and being incoherent. But I think that just being in this place curses the mind. Makes people do and say crazy things.” 

“Hm… I see. That is an interesting story.” Keeping your eyes down on your feet so you wouldn’t trip, you could only imagine what his reaction would be if you had told him the truth last night. He probably would have thought you were completely insane, but that didn’t really matter now. Who knows what would happen at the top of these steps, or what would become of you when all of this was over with. Still, when that final step was before you, there was no hesitation as you crossed the threshold onto the shrine grounds. 

Almost instantly, everything was lighter. You could hear the birds and bugs chirping away in the forest, the sun warm against your exposed skin. It seemed so welcoming that any story or rumor could nearly immediately be dismissed. That is what made it so dangerous, you realized. It called people in and made them stay long enough for tragedy to strike. 

“Well?” Bakugou interrupted your thoughts, having not taken that last step up. He seemed content to stay outside of the boundaries, and in truth, you wanted him to. “Can you remember anything?” 

“Ah… Give me just a moment, I’m going to walk around a bit. I’ll call if I need you.” You gave him a comforting smile, feeling your heart flutter at the worried furrow of his brow. “I’ll be okay.” 

“Fine. Don’t go too far.” 

Gathering your courage, you began your exploration, walking around the beautiful, pristine building. As you did, you tried to look for… well, anything. Anything at all that stuck out as odd to you, but by the time you walked around twice, all you had found was an oddly placed rope still dangling ominously from a beam at the entrance to the shrine. Giving a frustrated sigh, you eventually stopped, crossing your arms over your chest. 

“Anything, [L/N]?” Bakugou called to you, still in his place and barely within your field of vision. 

“No, nothing. I can’t find a single-- EEK!” You squealed out in shock as the bushes beside you ruffled violently, making you stumble back over your feet and land square on your ass. 

“What was that?! Are you okay--!” 

“-- I-it’s okay, Katsuki! I’m okay, it’s just… a fo-...” Your throat closed up as you realized what it was you were looking at, glaring at you hunched over in the grass. “-- a fox.” 

Sure enough, familiar dark brown eyes were staring back at you, glancing over every inch of your form as the animal stayed low to the ground. With a flick of its left ear, you immediately saw that it was missing quite a large section, making your heart nearly leap out of your throat. “Y-you… It’s you!” 

With your loud exclamation, the fox hissed as it’s back arched, tail and fur along it’s back flared in defense. Unlike what you had experienced, the animal was completely feral with no signs that it could understand you, let alone recognize you. In a panic, you shifted to your hands and knees, crawling closer to it. “P-please, you have to recognize me! You sent me here!” The closer you got, the more aggressive the fox became, snarling with pointed carnivorous teeth. It was then that any hold on sanity you may have had broke, almost lunging at the creature, but you found you were held back by strong hands on your arms. 

“[L/N], what the hell are you doing?!” Bakugou pulled you back away from the fox as it dashed off into the woods, which only made you even more hysterical, trying to fight Bakugou to get away from him. 

“N-No, come back! You sent me here, you damn thing! Come back!” When you were swept off your feet and into Bakugou’s arms, you finally gave up on struggling, clutching on tightly to his robes. “T-That was the fox, it knows me! It sent me here!” Sobbing and wailing, you could barely hear Bakugou curse or feel the movement of him going down the stairs. 

“Damn it, [L/N]... I told you, this place takes hold of those with fragile minds. I should never have brought you back here…” 

From that moment on, time went by in a blur. 

You couldn’t seem to register or focus on anything. You felt numb, lost and completely alone in the universe, more than you ever had before. Your only hope of getting home had failed, and now you had to accept that here is where you would be until you died. You would never again experience scrolling through your favorite blogs, playing videogames with your friends, cuddling with your cat, or the calmness of driving a car in the warm evenings. All the mundane activities that you had taken for granted were gone, and though you had tried to come to terms with it way before you came to the shine, having a definitive answer was crushing. 

There was no more ‘maybe’. Instead, it was all absolute. You would live out the remainder of your life here. 

Period.

End of story. 

“I guess that settles that.” 

“Eh?” 

You and Bakugou shared a confused look, flames of the fire in front of you creating shadows that danced across his face. He seemed genuinely shocked that you had said anything in the first place, but you felt too numb to really ask why. 

“Don’t you think?” 

“Think what? [L/N], you haven’t said a single word to me in three days, and that’s what you all the sudden come out with? What the hell are you thinking about? I thought that place had made you go completely mad.” Bakugou reached up to rub the inner corners of his eyes, obviously at his wits end with this whole situation. “Damn it, I thought you weren’t ever going to snap out of it.” 

“Three days?” You gave your forehead a good rub, trying to recall any recent event besides your interaction with the fox. “Have I really been quiet that long?” 

“Not just quiet, but damn comatose.” Bakugou handed you a stick, one end of it skewered through a cooked fish. Timidly, you took it from him, trying to remember when you had stopped to go fishing. “But to answer your question,” Bakugou continued, starting on cooking another fish over the fire. “It does settle it. We’re about halfway back home.” 

“Can I have some sake?” 

“Only if you eat.” Bakugou watched you closely for a moment, waiting until you took your first bite of the fish before handing you the alcohol flask. You let it sit on your lap for a while, eating most of the fish before you took your first sip. The heat of the alcohol warmed you almost instantly, bringing feeling to your numb body. 

After your first hefty swig, you gave a sigh, leaning back on your hands. “I should have known that was going to happen. I should of just… expected it.” 

“I still don’t understand what happened…” Bakugou mumbled, only sparing you a quick glance as you took another drink. “What the hell were you even doing yelling at that animal?” 

“If I tell you, I know you won’t believe me. Even I wouldn’t believe me. It’s absolutely bonkers!” 

“What the hell is ‘bonkers’?” 

“Look, Katsuki.” You shifted yourself to face him, taking another drink. “Can you just… have an open mind right now? Just for a minute? I’m about to tell you something that you won’t understand and that sounds absolutely insane. But I swear to you, on my life, that it’s the truth. Every word of it.” 

Bakugou observed your face for a moment, giving a heavy sigh. The contemplation and curiosity were obvious on his stern expression, but you could tell by his stiff body language that he was wary. “Fine… Go on, then.” 

“I… am from the future. A different era completely, about 500 years from now, more or less.” You were surprised how casually the truth came out of your mouth, even feeling comfortable enough admitting this to take a huge bite out of your fish. “I am, or I mean, I was a college student in Kyoto studying [degree]. My best friends Mirio, Nejire and Tamaki talked me into visiting that damn fucking shrine as a little trip. I even skipped my class for it! We drove here down the highway on Mirio’s dinky little blue car, though I slept the whole two-hour trip.” 

As you went on and on, Bakugou listened silently, munching on his fish. You told him about your entire past, where you grew up, your family and everything that you used to love doing. “... I miss real shoes and jeans. Jackets with the fluff on the inside that keep you nice and toasty. Coffee! Oh god, I miss coffee.” With an agonized groan, you leaned forward, your head resting on Bakugou’s shoulder. “Mm… And chocolate. Just candy in general. My cat used to love licking lollipops…” 

At the mention of your furry best friend, your eyes immediately welled up with tears, sniffling as you squeezed in closer to rest against Bakugou’s side. “My cat… I miss my cat. I wonder what happened after I left… I hope someone is taking care of them. It must have been so scary for me to just up and vanish like that…” 

“That seems to be who you miss the most. But I’m sure that they are being cared for…”

Bakugou’s quiet, judgement free comfort brought a heat to your chest, your tears escaping you as you nuzzled your face into his robes. “Katsuki… You believe me?” 

“[L/N]... I…”

#bnha imagines #bnha scenarios #bakugou x reader #bakugou #katsuki bakugou #bnha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bnha fanfiction #fanfiction #bnha writing blog #xreader #personal #ancient soul

[tori-beanie]

Part five has entered the ring!!!

Please refer to other previous passages of ‘Soulmarked’ to get the full story. For now....

Inspiration: https://fanartfunart.tumblr.com/post/184661279405/filed-under-aus-i-do-not-plan-on-actually-doing

If you aren’t already, please follow FanartFunart. They make amazing content and their blog is super great. Now on to the story...

PART FIVE

JOBS

Logan worked in a library. He had started after graduating two years ago, and now was in charge of most of the libraries duties. He had been happy with his soulmates, but was confused. Logan still had one black line on his arm. Virgil, Roman, and Declan were amazing, but he was still missing one. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like for his final soulmate to be by himself. Logan knew that his final soulmate was a man. After all, Logan had never been attracted to a woman before. He doubted fate, however unreliable, would give him someone he wouldn’t be attracted to. Logan sighed, walking through shelves and lost in thought. He could only believe they would meet soon.

Logan Foley worked his shift and made his way back to his home around six at night. He lived in a nice house, not too large, with his three soulmates. They all had their own jobs and helped pay for their home, and all four of them did their best. However Declan was the one that brought in the most money. Logan was just happy to live comfortably, waiting for their final soulmate. Logan was the only one of the four going to collage, but none of the others really wanted to. As he arrived home, Logan knocked four times to show who he was, then opened the door. He did that for Virgil, as if the door opened suddenly it scared him. As he walked into the living room, he only saw Roman. Virgil had the evening shift at the grocery store, and Declan liked to take walks on occasion. It was a nice way to relax, and it was some exercise. Logan removed his shoes, then moved to sit on the couch with Roman. It was time to relax.

Patton had just graduated recently. However, he was still alone. His world was in shades of grey, and he was scared. He still hadn’t meant his soulmate, and he wondered if he ever would. After all, Patton didn’t know anyone who hadn’t met their soulmate before graduation! The boy was sitting at the park, feeding squirrels as he sat in his sorrow. However when someone sat next to him, he was surprised. Patton wasn’t used to others stopping near him, especially when he seemed sad like this. With curiosity overtaking him, he looked over and gasped in surprise.

This man’s eyes… One seemed to be yellow, and the other was green. He could see the colors again! Patton’s eyes widened as he looked around in confusion, not able to see everything. He had yellow and green, but everything else was still missing… The boy gasped as he saw a bright light. What looked to be a heart filled in with another shade of grey. It was a beautiful locket that went over this boy’s chest, a key slot right in the middle. However there was more. Yellow ribbons seemed to fill in, connecting all of the images together. It seemed he had found all of his soulmates.

Soulmates…

Patton gasped. This man was his! At least, he was one of his. He obviously had more since he couldn’t see all the colors yet, but he had them! All he had to do was meet his gaze, and Patton had gotten some colors.

“Oh wow… Hi there! You have uh… I mean, I’m Patton! It’s great to meet you! I’ve waited so long to get this chance!”

Roman was bored. He had been job hunting all morning, as after his graduation he needed something to do. He didn’t really get paid for acting in the community theatre, and he needed to being more money in the house than he could just working at a gas station. He wanted a real job. Something better! At the moment, Roman was rather sure that he would be a waiter at a diner down the street. It was something, and would pay him more than the gas station did. Yes, it would be a good change.

He looked up as Logan walked inside, grinning and motioning for the man to come and sit beside him. When Logan did, Roman leaned over and gave him a short kiss. After all, Logan wasn’t one for excessive displays of affection. They both turned towards the TV, silently reaching to hold each other’s hands. Yes, Logan was much more accustomed to gentle displays like this, so Roman did his best to keep it a bit lower with Logan. It would only upset him if he got too eccentric.

“How was work Lo?”

“It’s fine. Same as yesterday. How has looking for a job been going?”

“Oh, great! I got an interview for tomorrow at that costume diner down the street.”

Logan nodded, seeming to be fine with the thought. He wanted Roman to be happy with his job, but they all had a duty to pay for their house as well as food and clothes. Roman did bring in some money from his job at the gas station, but as a waiter he would bring in even more! It would be good for their family. Roman paused as he heard his phone go off, and his eyes widened. It was a picture of Declan smiling beside another boy. He was crying, but had a bright smile on his face. But the one thing Roman noticed was blue. Declan’s heart on his chest was blue. De had found him. Their final soulmate!

Declan felt complete. He was holding his crying soulmate with a grin. Honestly they were both overwhelmed, but smiling brightly. Yes, Declan had been lucky enough to meet their final soulmate. He already sent a picture to Roman, knowing he would share it with the others. He was excited for their group to finally be complete. Now he wouldn’t have to watch Logan think about it all the time with a frown, or watch Virgil angst about the words they had yet to be spoken to him written on his arm. Maybe Roman would stop complaining about the music thing too. And from what he understood about Patton, they could give this boy his colors back. Apparently he eighteen year old had been living without them since he was four years old. He really had been waiting a long time.

Declan stayed at the park and talked to Patton for nearly an hour. The sun was setting by the time they finished their conversation, and Patton had a bright smile on his face. He had been told about his other soulmates, and another picture had been sent to them, one with Patton actually giving them a happy grin with Declan’s arm around him. He really did seem happy. As time passed, Declan offered Patton the chance to come home with him, and The younger boy accepted immediately. He had earned his impatience after all. Fourteen years without color! Patton wouldn’t be alone anymore. Not with De and the others by his side. Patton wanted to meet his soulmates. The people he had been kept away from for so long! Declan offered him a hand, and they were on their way to the house that would soon be complete.

Virgil was tired. He had the evening shift stocking shelves at a local grocery store. He liked it, as late at night, not a lot of people showed up. And when closing the store he always got to have time to himself. Yes, it could be rather relaxing. However something that distracted him today was Romans text tone. They usually didn’t text Virgil when he was at work, so this must be important. He seemed uneasy, not knowing if the message would be positive or negative. Then again, Virgil was rather good at worrying… He hummed softly. Virgil knee he should look at the message, but he should also wait for a break first. No need to upset his boss by being on his phone. Besides, he would get a break in twenty minutes. He could look at whatever had been sent to him then.

Virgil was an efficient worker, getting through a few more shelves before he headed into the back room for his half hour long break. Finally he pulled out his phone, opening up his message from Roman and gasping. There were two pictures now, one of a crying boy with light blue eyes with De, and a second one with the same two people, but both smiling and looking to be very very happy. Had it happened? Had Declan finally come across their last soulmate? Virgil couldn’t agree he looked like a puffball. Hopefully he wouldn’t be too sensitive.

After texting back and forth a bit, Virgil was told that this boy, Patton, would be coming over to the home in a bit. Too bad Virgil was still at work! He wouldn’t get to meet Patton with everyone else. He wasn’t too happy with that, but Virgil could always meet him later. They were soulmates, and Virgil needed their meeting to be natural. After all, Patton’s words on his wrist still needed to be said. He still needed to hear them. But Virgil had something now he didn’t when he was smaller. He had hope. And with this Patton, they could all be complete

They could be together.

General Tags: @midnight--fox @your-friendly-neighborhood-enby @heathers-dorkness-0923

Soulmarked Tags: @logan-sanders-is-my-binch @fanartfunart @dragonsworn05 @i-have-n0-idea-what-im-d0ing @astraheart04 @aitsyagirlanxiety @bexxbeauty @asphodenizen

#finally everyone can meet #no more sad patton #ts virgil #ts patton #ts logic #ts deceit #ts roman #ts soulmate au #soulmarked

[vore-scientist]

Goldilocks and the Giant Wizard

A Tale of the Mystic Woods

(safe/soft GT vore w/fearplay)

Premise: The Giant Evil Wizard Yonah HaEsh has a uninvited visitor to his tower, and she’s quite the troublemaker. I worked a lot of silly lore into this one. 

**Content Warnings**: The titular Goldilocks lives! Do not worry! But there is minor skin irritation/burns (multiple factors involved). Descriptions are not graphic but are intense. Also Yonah briefly considers killing her (but not digesting her alive, he would never!). [please message me for additional info if needed!]

Goldie’s POV is 1st person, Yonah’s is 3rd. 

----

So.

Hi.

My name is Zahav Goldstein-Goldbloom. But most people call me Goldie. It’s great to meet a fan! Oh? Are you not a fan? Surely you’ve heard of me. I’m a pretty awesome adventurer if I do say so myself. And I do. Say so. All the time. I am brave. I am strong! I can run for hours! I am resourceful! And I always come out on top… always… well. Except for right now. Right now I am…

FREAKING! THE! FUCK! OUT!

You will never guess where I am. (Or maybe you will, given fairly universal theme of the author’s blog).

I’m in the stomach of a giant! Who is also a wizard! What’s up with that? Giants can’t become wizards!

Yeah. I was eaten. Gonna die soon. That sucks. A lot.

It’s terribly smelly and terrifyingly dark in here. I briefly took out a light stone but that was worse. The horrible angry pink walls… the slimy mucus… the acids that I’m sitting in… I would rather not watch my own demise. But don’t worry, I’m not going quietly! I’ll scream my loudest up until the very end! This I swear. And I can scream very loud. If you’re worried that I’m using up my air faster: better to pass out and not die painfully right?

There’s no point in telling me that I shouldn’t be complaining, or that adventuring is far from safe. I know. I know. It’s super duper dangerous and adventurers die all the time but I never figured it would happen to me! I always do everything right. So how could this have gone so wrong? Must have been something. I should have just enough time left to reflect.

How about we start at the beginning. Not of my life. As exciting as my entire life is, or… was… I don’t think I have time before well… you know. My skin is already feeling a bit tingly. That’s probably a bad sign.

Anyways! Let’s start a few days ago. When I entered a rather mysterious forest.

—-

The day had been pretty darn great so far! I broke a curse put upon the charming town of Shevana. I guess I did a really good job since they carried me out on their shoulders! Singing my praises! And gave me a nice reward. They told me that I’d done such a good job that they never needed me to visit again. I waved to the crowd as I walked down the road into the bright sunny day.

Ugh. I’d forgotten how boring this part of adventuring was. Travel. Walking. Just me and me thoughts. For hours. So many hours.

I wish I’d stayed in town awhile longer. They gave me some gold but didn’t give me any food for my journey. And you can’t eat gold! Unless maybe you’re a lava snake. But I’m guessing you aren’t since they can’t read. Can’t really hold books in molten coils.

Usually I manage to find something, a stray fruit tree, shoot a rabbit. However I saw no such things on the side of the road! Not that I was concerned. One day without food could not worry me.

But that one day became two. And on that second evening I came to a forest.

I figured I could find something to eat in a forest! Right? Berries at the very least. Countless people have told me to be careful about eating plants I’m not familiar with but I’ve never had any problems.

I didn’t expect the sun to set so fast. Nor for it to start raining. I could barely see three feet in front of me let alone forage for sustenance. What I needed was shelter. Warm and dry shelter. Hell I would take a hole in the ground!

That’s when I spotted it: A hole in the ground!

Right between the roots of a small group of trees growing on a sizable mound of earth and rocks. And it was very dry, the earth inside covered in a soft moss! Finally things were making sense again.

One thing was missing: warmth.

What I lacked in food I made up for in flint and tinder! Miraculously still dry tinder thanks to my awesome waterproof bag that I got from a witch. I offered to return it after I was done with my quest but she wouldn’t let me near her hut and insisted I leave and never come back.

So I lit a small fire.

That’s when the rumbles started.

That’s when I found out that this wasn’t a mound made of earth and rocks.

Well it was made of bears. Large, no-longer-sleeping bears.

Made of earth and rocks.

I was able to get out of there and make a run for it as they disentangled themselves, the roots of the trees had grown deep and I could hear them ripping out of the ground as the beasts roared.

Miracle is an understatement. I shouldn’t have gotten away from the bears. I couldn’t actually run since I couldn’t see even if when the rain stopped. I collided into every thorn bush and tripped on every rock and root. From behind me I could hear them, they were getting closer. Surely at their size they could reach me in just a single bound!

And then I didn’t hear them! I also felt really nauseated as I stumbled into a clearing.

Not a true clearing. It wasn’t an empty meadow. From what I could see it was a garden, and possibly a small orchard? The sky was still dark with clouds. Thankfully The plant beds were spaced very far apart; not the most efficient use of space. And no, I didn’t pick any fruits or vegetables! This is clearly a magical garden! I’m not stupid. I don’t know what gave you that idea!

Fine! I took some apples! They smelled normal enough, and I’m not cursed or anything. Plus I was thoughtful enough to carve the adventurers symbol for “safe” on the tree, to let others know.

After that I just wanted to be out of this rain, out of the dark. And I was still hungry. Apples aren’t very filling.

There was a light!

Shining from the window of a tower at the opposite end of the clearing. I could not believe! And even better, the tower was covered in strong vines, miraculously free of moisture and easy to climb! With the prospect of a roof over my head, I had the strength to make my way up.

That fall from the window into the tower should definitely have broken a few bones.

This was no ordinary tower. It was magical. And whoever lived here was… well giant isn’t the right word. I’ve seen giants and they are about 40ft tall, this isn’t nearly big enough. I’ve heard stories of smaller varieties of giant but none from this continent. Perhaps some really large ogre lives here? But what ogre needs a magical workshop?

I should have maybe, maybe, just waited for whoever lived here to show up, because they weren’t around, and there was a freshly burning candle on the desk.

My hunger having been momentarily abated with apples and distracted by my curiosity, I climbed up on to the desk.

Wow! What treasures! Magical gizmos And whatchamacallits And doodads And doohickeys, And thingamabobs! I wanted to play with each to find out what they all did! And there were books! So many books and scrolls and bottles full of who knows what! I almost did, when I spotted the letter.

Whoever lived here must have left suddenly, for at the edge of the desk was a piece of parchment shiny with ink, and even though I could not read the writing, it was clearly an unfinished letter.

I tried to skim some of the books only most were in languages I couldn’t read. And they hurt my eyes.

It was time to continue my explorations. What I needed to find was a bed, or something suitable as a bed. And if I was lucky, something to eat and drink.

From my vantage point on the desk I could see an open trap door with a staircase leading down into the dark. There weren’t any other exits aside from the window so down I went.

Climbing down giant stairs is not fun. And I didn’t fancy having to climb back up. Hopefully I would find food and be recharged by then. Wow I was hungry.

Was that? That smell. Savory and meaty! Food! A doorway appeared on the wall of the stairwell, which led into a kitchen. There was no way I could prepare food here. Thankfully the table was set for dinner! And with the serving being so large, surely I could take some and it wouldn’t make a difference.

Ow!!! The soup, which had been luke warm, burned my mouth! I’d never eaten anything so spicy in my life! Ow ow ow!!! I reached into the goblet for handfuls of what I figured was water. But it wasn’t. Whatever it was it was sweet and bubbly, and it soothed the pain so I drank more.

No more soup for me, but there was a small, relative to the rest of the place, loaf of bread. A personal sized one. If said person was a few stories tall. It was as large as a bolder with a nearly rock hard crust to complete the illusion. I had to use my knife to carve into it.

The bread wasn’t spicy, it was full of raisins and nuts! Regular sized ones. Delicious! I ate my fill, and had more of the sweet drink before continuing my quest for a bed!

Woah!!! I almost fell off the table. I must’ve been really tired, the room is spinning a bit. But I was fine. I didn’t fall so I was fine! In fact I felt GREAT! I used the chair to get back to the floor and back to the staircase. No way was I getting up it. That way lead to the workshop, I only made it down one floor. So down I must go once more.

This time I found a living room. It was lit by a roaring fire in the hearth. There was a couch, an ottomon, and an armchair.

I tried to climb up onto the couch but it was too far off the ground. I used my grappling hook and it snagged the upholstery but as I tried to climb it just ripped down. I tried again with the same result except my hook got on a seam! It wasn’t far enough up so I left it there.

The armchair was the better bet, I should have inspected all of my options rather than just heading to the first thing i saw.

A large blanket was draped over the chair, tassels reaching the floor, and I was able to climb up. I couldn’t pull the blanket up to wrap myself in it, but beggars can’t be choosers. The Chair was very soft all things considered, though the fabric of it and blanket were rough, it was enough of a bed for someone as tired and small as I.

I promptly went to sleep.

—–

Fuck. That was. Not fun. Bruised and bleeding, he was looking forward to getting back home. At least the storm had passed and the early summer sun was rising. Well, he deserved to sleep a day and a night for this. And get a handsome paycheck. The king was damn lucky to have him at his beck and call! He had postponed dinner to finish writing a report when he got the call too! Now he would have to write a second report!

Finally he stepped over the stone path of his garden, careful not to slip as his shoes were covered in mud. At least he wasn’t tracking blood anymore. Not much at least.

What?

As he passed by his dancing sunflowers they bent towards him. They shouldn’t be active this early in the morning, even in summer. Was something wrong? Were they sick?

All their faces were turned in the same direction. He crouched down to their level (about 4 meters). Their attention was on the apple trees. That’s when he saw it.

One of the trees had been vandalized! Some sort of symbol carved into the trunk. He didn’t have a hope in finding the person, but he wrote down the symbol just the same. He needed to know what it meant. He didn’t want his tower being marked by some guild or cult.

Irritation pushed away some of his exhaustion as he Leapt up to snag the tower windowsill. His wounds stretched and blood trickled out again. He landed in his workshop with a muddy, bloody, thud. Maybe he could finish off the first report after all. Future him would thank him and-

The report was covered in footprints! The not yet dry ink had been tracked all over his desk! He held the now ruined report under the magnifying glass.

Human shaped.

A thief most likely. If they were so foolish as to still be around (and judging by the lingering scent of human, they were), they just won themselves a ticket down his throat. And if they were very lucky, because Yonah was now in quite a Mood™, it wouldn’t be one way.  

It took a lot of focus to make his way silently down the stairs. He wanted to stomp and scream, to be monstrous, but that would give the thief warning. Give them a fighting chance. They did not deserve that chance.

Using his nose he followed the smell of the human to the kitchen. But he did not find them. Instead he found his now cold dinner.

Which the human had clearly helped themselves too! Did this person lack manners? Just, eating off of someone elses plate! Or rather, bowl? There were dried splashes of soup and mead all over the table, and his bread had little holes carved into it. What kind of person did that! Was this even a thief?

That didn’t really matter, he would eat them either way. He took a sip of the mead. Alcohol wasn’t what he needed, but it was what he wanted. Mmmm, it tasted better than he expected. It tasted like…

Had the human just stuck their HANDS INTO HIS CUP? He wasn’t grossed out. It’s not like he bothered to wash the humans when he swallowed them whole or anything. It was just so weird!

Tasted good though. It made him excited to eat the real deal.

Maybe a change of clothes first? And a bath? His current adornments were getting crusty and smelled horrible. So was he. The wounds had dried into the threads and pulled with every movement. Then again, he probably looked really scary. He couldn’t even imagine the state of his hair. 

As he passed through the living room to the bedroom he had a strong urge to pass out on the couch and deal with all of his problems when he woke up. He caught himself unconsciously taking a few steps towards it.

That’s when the scent of the human caught his attention once more. And something else caught his eye.

Something was off about the couch. Inspecting it he found it had been torn! The stuffing spilling out and a small hook stuck in the fabric. First his report, then his bread, now his couch! This thief’s chances of survival were dwindling by the minute.

No time to change his clothes he was going to find the human before they wrecked anything else!

Oh. They were. right there. Sprawled out, halfway under the blanket on his armchair. Sleeping. As peacefully as one could be. Not for long. But he did not want to wake them just yet.

He sat down on the ottoman and leaned forward.

The human certainly looked like a thief. At least, she had adventuring gear. Not all adventurers were thieves but the ones who entered his tower were usually there to steal.

Her shining golden hair made of large curls was impeccably clean and fell across her face with perfect delicacy. Her golden-brown skin was free of blemishes, though her cheeks were flushed, the scent of alcohol lingering on her. She was beautifully innocent looking. And he was furious.

Was she not a thief? Thieves may be foolish but they didn’t break into his house to eat his food and drink until they passed out.

Then he spotted her knife and ink stained boots, about a meter from her head, tossed aside.  

He took a deep breath, filling it with rage and fire.

—

Ouch! What was that! A blast of hot steam?

I woke up to find a very angry giant man in wondrously patterned robes standing over the bed, eyes angrily aglow. As my vision focused I saw that the robes were torn in several places and dreadfully bloodstained. So was the man, and he was still bleeding out of a few wounds, in particular a nasty gash on his left cheek and a black eye to go with it.

More hot breaths growled forth.

Well I am nothing if not polite. Even to grumpy people. I sat up, yawned, stretched a bit, and cheerfully greeted this giant man.

“Hello! I’m Zahhava Goldberg-Goldstein, adventurer extraordinaire! you call me Goldie! What’s your name?”

I held out my hand and smiled. No one can resist my smile.

—-

That’s all she had to say? He pushed the fire in his eyes to grow more intense. But she just continued to smile. Her huge golden eyes sparkling with irritating innocence.

“I don’t believe you’ve earned that information.” he growled and she blinked, “What the fuck are you doing in my tower?”

She considered for a moment, “Sleeping? Well I was sleeping. Boy does one get tired without a steed! I should really get one! And I call myself a hero! Wow You have really hot breath!”

Crossing his arms Yonah let out another snort of steam before he straightened up and leaned back.

“Do you always break into people’s houses?”

The human spoke with her whole body, wild motions that Yonah suspected some people had been in the line of fire of.

“I- there wasn’t a door or anything! Quite perplexing, but i’ve heard of towers like this before. Tricky stuff, but I’ve handled worse. Never met a vine I couldn’t climb, and the window was open!”

“Can I assume those are your footprints smeared across my report to the king?” It did not escape Yonah’s notice that she didn’t actually answer his question.

“Is that what that was? It was in a very strange language, it looked similar to dwarvish. Is that the language of this land? I must have crossed a boarder… I only ventured two days from town..”

Guess she didn’t read giant. Thankfully the king did, and let him write reports in his own language. And again… not actually an answer from this little, absent minded, egotistical, delectable, thief.

“Is this yours?” He held up the hook.

“Oh yes! Thanks so much for getting it loose! It was stuck something fierce wasn’t it!” She held out her hands but he only grinned, used the hook to pick his teeth and tossed it into his sleeve. Her smile wavered only briefly.

She still had not apologized.

“And you who poked little holes in my bread and drank my mead?” Yonah’s left eye twitched.

“I was hungry! After not a bite to eat for two days I Couldn’t believe I found such a bounty. Did you make that bread yourself it was incredible! The soup was way to spicy though, nearly burned my tongue off!”

Yonah raised an eyebrow. So not a thief? Just a poor lost soul? A bit of his anger subsided as a hint of pity grew within him.

“Before I got here I found this hill see, I was trying to get shelter from the rain. There was a small cave so I went in! But then… the Hill… it turned out to be made of bears! And- YIPE!”

—

Out of nowhere I was pinned under his right hand and smoke started billowing out of his hair; the roots of which sparked to life. We had just been talking! Having a nice conversation, what could have prompted this change?!

His face loomed over me, smiling. Not a kind smile either. Why was he smiling? He was clearly mad! Oh what had I done?

Now scalding spittle joined the breath as he shouted at me.

“IT WAS YOU!”

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t! He was crushing the air out of me and I struggled my hardest to get his hand off.

“YOU’RE THE REASON I WAS CALLED AWAY FROM MY DINNER TO PACIFY TALLEKS! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO GET THEM TO GO BACK TO SLEEP?”

“N-no-“ I coughed, my only reward was a lungful of the hot breath.

“Ooohhhohoh I’m going to enjoy eating you!” he laughed. The unmistakable laugh of -

A villain.

This was a villain’s lair! Stupid stupid!!! Of course! The tower! The vines! The mysterious Workshop filled with bubbling noxious things in jars! The sweet, perfectly trimmed goatee this giant man had! It all added up, but all too late.

My heart stopped. Not literally but it sure felt like it. DID HE SAY ‘EAT ME’?

The hand lifted slightly and I took painful breathes.

But Before I could do anything to save myself the fingers curled around my back and I was Brought to his face. His grin stretched ear to ear and he drew his tongue over his lips.

Using the breath I managed to get, I tried my best to reason with him.

“PLEASE DONT EAT ME! I DONT WANT TO DIE!”

—-

No. Of course she doesn’t. But beaten up and oh so hungry, Yonah was not in a merciful mood.

Why should he let her live? This idiot humans had no respect for other people! She disturbed ancient spirits and felt no remorse! In fact she was acting as if she did nothing wrong!

He was done talking to her. Lowering her from eye level he pressed her onto his tongue and licked her bodily. She shrieked as she was covered in his near boiling slobber.

She tasted very very good. Her tears adding to her already savory flavor. He shoved her torso into his mouth and closed his lips around her.

The blood thundering in his ears drowned out her shrill cries, and after a few more seconds of enjoying her flavor he tipped his head back and swallowed her down.

Alive.

Yonah didn’t know why, but he decided against killing her. For all she had done… as thoughtless and worthless of a person as she clearly was, she had made no attempts on his life. She was just completely oblivious, and tactless. Not an execution worthy crime. Though… he had come very close. He almost snapped her neck when he held her in his hand. And again, almost bit down to do the same between his teeth. It would have been quick, bloodless, painless.

Neither times he did he take the opportunity. And as the struggling mass filled his stomach he wasn’t about to make her suffer a slow painful death as his meal. That was never something he could do, no matter how angry. 

/Of course/ he thought, a wicked grin growing on his face as pat his stomach, making her scream and scramble /she didn’t know any of this/.

—

I don’t know why I continued to scream as I was crammed into the Giant’s mouth, he wasn’t listening to me at all! He was true to his word, he was going to eat me! Oh right it was because it was painful!!! Everything around me burned and I was pushed against the teeth, though the grace of a god who I could not name, I was not bitten.

Not yet.

In hindsight I should have started saying my prayers much earlier. Surely he was much too small to swallow me whole and was going to bite my head off or something. Or maybe my waist? He sealed me inside his mouth, letting my legs dangle out. The tongue was still active and shoving me into the hard teeth.

The end was surely near!

Gravity shifted and I slid down to the back of his throat! As my arms and head were pulled into the tight passage of flesh my legs were sucked into his mouth. I kicked as best I could but all I got were triumphant chuckles as my legs met his enthusiastic tongue.

Powerful rolling muscles shoved drew me down again and again! As my legs were pulled into the restricting tunnel my outstretched arms passed through a tight ring of flesh. Then my head escaped the esophagus. I took a breath and choked on the humid vomit smelling air.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

I didn’t stop screaming as the rest of my body was squished into the stomach. I didn’t stop as my face was pressed into the bottom, where a small pool of fluids was gathering! NOT GOOD! I did not stop as I hurriedly I rolled around to get my head away from the digestive juices.

There was still air. Not the most breathable, but it was air. How long it would last?

And it was even hotter in here, in the belly of the beast. I swear the pool of liquid boiled. I was thrown about, squished and shoved, as the giant laughed and laughed at my impending demise.

And it must be soon. For we are back where we started!

Me.

Eaten by a giant wizard.

And judging by the pounding on my left side, a disgustingly pleased giant wizard. I knew there was evil in the world. But it is really disheartening to know there were those so cruel that they relished in the death of others. And I was so powerless against him! I hadn’t even a sliver of a fighting chance.

I couldn’t tell if it was sweat or his stomach fluids flowing down my face, it all burned the same. It was like a boiling sulfur pool. The worst sauna ever.

ACk! Some of the fluid got in MY MOUTH!!! And the fluid level is… it’s rising. It was at my ankles when I began telling you my tale but now it halfway up my calves, and i’ve got my knees to my chest so… it’s getting worrisome. I’m done screaming. It’s not worth it. I’m sure I’ll start again once my flesh starts literally being eaten away, but for now…

“Hey!” the voice of the giant hit my already pounding ears like a mallet. Oh gods. He was gonna talk to me as I died! Did he have no respect for his meals!? Or was this respectful in his culture… I doubted that.

“Have any last words?” the chuckle shook and swirled around me.

Last words. Did I have any? Were they worth it? Just for him to hear. He knew my name but I couldn’t imagine him seeking out my friends and family. Especially since I don’t have any. Did I want the last meaningful thing I say to be for my killer’s ears only? I kinda wanted to say SOMETHING.  Through sobs I managed:

“Like- like what?” before realizing that asking him for suggestions wasn’t smart. There was a forceful pushing on my left side.

The prodding became more forceful. Helping his stomach soften me up I guess. 

“Are you really THAT Dense?” his evil laughter making the offensive fluids splash my face. I would NOT show any sign of pain. Not yet. But it still hurt. Everything stung and burned like I had waded into a boiling salt sea with a million paper cuts.

“You break into my house! Fuck up my report, tracking ink all over my desk!! Carve little holes into my freshly baked bread and splashing mead and soup everywhere! Rip up the upholstery on my couch! And not to mention you Disturbed the ancient forest spirits which I HAD TO DEAL WITH! ”

“But, I didn’t realize, I didn’t mean to-” I was just trying to survive the storm! It’s not my fault. Right? RIGHT!? But. I would be angry too. If I had written a letter to my mom and someone got grubby food covered hands on it. I would be quite mad! If I had made myself a nice meal and some kid picked at pieces of it, even small ones, I would be furious! I would be beyond outraged if hmmm if some idiot accidentally summoned a demon which I had to banish and said idiot didn’t thank me or admit to their mistake… Oh. I’m the idiot. I’m the assole.

“Yes, you are an asshole. Glad you finally figured that out. I was getting worried.”

Fuck did I say that out loud? My mind must be on its way out. It is getting difficult to breathe. Wait? Why did he care? What was going on?

—

Man it would have just been a cherry on top of his horrible day if he released his victim without  her learning her lesson. Otherwise it would have felt like a terrible deed to unleash her back onto the world. But he wasn’t about to keep her captive. His place would be a pile of rubble in a week if she even so much as looked at his magical artifacts.

You see, he’d heard of entities such as her…

The Heedless.

Wreckers.

Agents of Chaos And Entropy.

She was clearly still developing. There was still time. Not to stop her, just minimize her catastrophes. And getting her to access her Hindsight was a step in the right direction. Now he just needed to send her to someone to unlock her Foresight. But he couldn’t think about that right now.

As he pulled her unconscious form out of his throat he saw her golden skin was now tinged red and blistering in places. He frowned; he didn’t think that he’d pushed the time limit for “unharmed” with Goldie. It had only been a few minutes.

Mucus, spit, and stomach fluids hit the counter top with a loud TSSSS; steam rose.

Ah. Those weren’t acid burns, they were… regular burns. He had been so mad, he couldn’t even begin to imagine what his internal temperature was.

He immediately dumped her body into the half full sink, while he continued to spit up more fluids. Gross. Along with the painful effort involved was almost enough to make him question why he let them live through him. Ok not really. He might have embraced being a monster, but not that much. He was still a person. And so were his victims.

He made sure to keep her head above the water, she was still breathing. She had been awake up until he spat her out. His best guess was she passed out from screaming so much. He held her gently and let cool cleansing water flow around her.

A few moments later she gasped and sat up. Then dived towards the running faucet, she had to get the fluids off of her face. And the waterfall was more forceful than the continuously draining pool.

—

My skin and body ached. I think this is what it feels like to be boiled alive. The ever flowing water kept the heat at bay. All I could do was close my eyes and sit there.

Eventually I opened them, through the water I saw the distorted face of the giant. Still angry. Still bloodied. Still… I was on the outside of his body again! I just wasn’t sure why.

“You can’t stay there forever” the voice of the giant came through the water.

I leaned forward just so my lips breached, “yes, I can.”

The giant’s face came close to me once more and I screamed. But back under water nothing but bubbles came out.

“No. You can’t. This is MY house, so if you stay you will become MY food. Got it?”

I fell over, cowering under his gaze, “You’re going to eat me again!” And huddled up as best I could but I’m no turtle.

“If you dont get the FUCK out of here, yes.” he bellowed, eyes glowing again. “I’m feeling generous, as well as stupid, so I didn’t kill you. Do not push your luck.”

He picked me up! Didn’t even warm me! Rude! But I didn’t dare scream or struggle lest he lose his temper with me. And he wasn’t being gentle, his calloused fingers brushing over my burns, squeezing my sides surely bruising something!

Of course it was better than being eaten! Better than being dead! Not that much, as I was shaken and swung about!

By the time I dared open my eyes we were back in the workshop. And I was dropped on the windowsill, the cool stone just barely won over the rough texture.

“Now,” his face was my entire sky, eyes two burning suns while his hands on either side. I could run, I could leave the tower. But I didn’t think he would approve.

“What do you have to say for yourself?”

Say? What could I say? I’d said everything! right? RIGHT? ...!

“I’m sorry!” I squeaked.

“What Was that? Tasty one?” A drop of hot spit landed next to my face.

“IM SORRY!”

His smile became a crescent moon before he picked me up and set me on my feet.

“There’s hope for you after all,” he said.

—

A part of him, and not a small part, felt a bit bad for what he was about to do. And there wasn’t time or opportunity to get it approved so he might get reprimanded. Plus it might mean he would have to see her again. But it was the only way. Ok, maybe not the only way, but the quickest way, and the sooner the better with Heedless Wreckers.

“For your transgressions I should have killed you, or at the very least made you work to repay the damage,” he tried to look thoughtful.

Goldie inched ever so slightly to the edge of the windowsill. Yonah flicked his eyes and tapped a finger so she knew he’d noticed. She gave him a guilty smile, but made no more motions to flee. Hopefully she was paying attention. This was a bit involved and Heedless Wreckers weren’t known for being able to handle complex tasks.

“Instead I’m giving you a quest!”

—

Out of all the things I anticipated him saying, “I’m giving you a quest” was not one of them.

No one ever gave me quests. I’ve always had to find my own. They were never as glorious as I wished. For some reason I’ve always had to give up most of my reward money or loot for “damages” or whatever. So unfair.

Fuck I needed to pay attention! If I failed he would surely eat me. And kill me this time!

“I’m in need of some hard to get spell components, including the missing piece of the spell itself. Fortunately they can all be found in th capital city. From Fowl Business Apothecary i require powdered hens teeth, 5 grams filtered through dried Red Fanged Weaver webs. I need some of those webs too, fresh.”

Oh gods this was a lot already and it was the first item!!!

“At least 6 pieces of Prickly Pear Fruit and the crystallized thorns from those pieces! Keep track of whose quills belong to who! I believe Midbar’s Emporium will have them in stock, if not they can point you to and imports market, make sure to get pears attached to the leaf, I’ll just have to crystallize the quills myself.”

What? Prickly pear? Quills? Oh he means desert candy!

“Petrified Snail Skulls, pilfered woodlouse hats, and Bottled Pygmy Goat laughter from Pixilious Proprieties.”

He stopped and considered, “you won’t have a problem with riddle solving right? Pix doesn’t let anyone into their shop without answering a riddle. Powers their magic I think. And while you can then make purchases, they will generously discount items for each additional riddle answered”

I dearly wished I could write all this down! I would never remember it. But I had no paper! No pen! No parchment or ink! And even if I did, I’m still damp.

The giant stroked its goatee.

“I should really write all this down,” he mumbled, and walked over to his desk, rummaging through the drawers, which I thought odd since it was just paper and ink right?

Then a thought struck me… I could.. Run. Right now. While his back was turned. No quest! No problems! Running is one of my special talents, it has saved me many times. This might be my only chance. But I didn’t, which was definitely the right choice as the evil giant came back, snatched me off the window sill and placed me on the desk as he finished gathering supplies.

I refrained from mentioning that I couldn’t carry a giant sized list. At least he wrote in a language I could read. Repeating each line as he wrote them; very considerate.

“Oh!” he said halfway through, “There are some more common components I’m running low on, if you can’t find them all don’t stress about it.”

His new calm, almost friendly attitude was freaking me out! Speaking as if I was his regular delivery boy, and not someone he was inclined to eat for dinner just 15 minutes prior!

“Make sure you visit The King’s Treasury first, I’ll notify them of your visit. You need a Treasury Seal to purchase things, as you won’t have the coin with you, and the merchants don’t know you and thus wouldn’t be inclined to sell you some of the rarer items even if you did. Not without considerable mark-up.”

The treasury!?

“And finally,” he looked down at me. There was more than a glint of hunger in those eyes.

“The Library. You will be heading to the Mystical Archives, they will be expecting you, but tell them your name and that you are in search of the following items: First, 27th page of the 12th book on the 3rd shelf of the nearest bookcase right of the door to the section on hyper-natural phenomenon”

“Why-?” but he narrowed his eyes. Yep. not going to question it.

“And a copy of A Nation of Ash Volume 5: Compendium of the Historical and All Too True Sorcery of the Kingdom of AniDeva in the 4th Era Following The Pheonix Storm With A Thorough Index of Relevant Spells and Enchantments By Omexaryl Othar Odelis, Grand Magister of the Realm (3rd Edition)”

Was that even a real book?

It suddenly occurred to me this could be a wild cockatrice chase.

The list was complete, and he blew on it with breath that shivered in the air, drying it instantly.

Then he folded it up, his eyes flashing orange every time he pressed in a crease. I just stood there as it got smaller and smaller until I could easily fit it in my bag.

“Don’t open the list indoors,” he said, handing it to me. I took it without thinking. “It’s not shrunken. It will fold back up itself.”

The trip back to the windowsill was only a few seconds and he did carry me. It wasn’t so bad now that he wasn’t playing the villain. He still didn’t like me, and I couldn’t blame him. We definitely got off on the wrong foot. Mostly my fault. But he did eat me…

That’s all in the past. I was ready to get on with my quest. Even if it was just shopping.

“If I may ask something, Sir-“

“Mr HaEsh” an eye twitched but didn’t flare. He hadn’t given me his name beforehand after all.

“Mr… Ha-Esh” … his name was ‘The Fire’, a bit on the nose.

“Where is the capital from here?”

My hair dried as he heaved a sigh right at my face.

“I couldn’t tell you. No, I really can’t. Just keep walking until out of the forest. Ask someone for a map or directions at the first town you come to.”

Before setting off, he gave me a satchel of provisions. I took this as a sign that he actually wanted me to succeed in my mission.

I thanked him for this chance and he just grunted. But the corners of his mouth twitched upwards slightly.

If I wasn’t on a quest I would have lingered in the garden! In the daylight it was incredible. I wanted to smell every flower, caress every leaf! Not the time.

I ran off.

—-

Finally he could breathe easy. And hope she didn’t burn down the woods on her way out. That… shouldn’t happen. The Mystic Woods was too powerful for even a developed Heedless Wrecker. It was more likely to hasten her exit, at least make that part of her quest uneventful.

Yonah would have loved to go downstairs, reheat his dinner, even drink the certainly flat mead, take a bath, dress his still aching wounds, and sleep all the rest of the day. And he would. But there were a few things to take care of.

Mainly one thing.

He returned to his desk and touched the filigree frame of the mirror and spoke.

“Please put me through to an Operator of His Majesty King Benyamin of Orr, on the request of His Royal Mage, Yonah HaEsh, designation phey-tef-dal-memi-gamil-gamil ” it was long but at least he didn’t have to make up a stupid rhyme. And Yet, if one didn’t say “please” it wouldn’t work at all. Mirrors.

It took a minute for someone to answer, but finally the familiar face of Nava Holtz materialized. Skin almost as dark as warm night night sky, and long black braids ornamented with gold and silver.

She had been an Apprentice Op when Yonah was first hired, assigned to him because none of the more senior Ops wanted to deal with the evil giant firewitch who, as far as the administration was concerned, was more trouble than he was worth. Working well with him earned her some fast promotions and Over the years he’d proven himself. Ops were less rude to his face at the very least. Nava was still his favorite, she had been so patient and kind with his adjusting to his new position.

Which is why he wished someone else had answered, he didn’t want her to deal with this bullshit. Of course, he could think of no one better.

“Yonah! It’s good to see you, oh my word” she gasped, “I heard you had to wrangle talleks.”

Actually, he was glad it was Nava, he didn’t feel up to polite formalities.

She had not failed to notice his sorry state.

“Oh, yes! Um… I’ll have the report later, you can let Marni know I got them to settle down. It wasn’t easy,”

“No, I can see that,” she said, her genuine concern was much appreciated.

In his full report he would mention how they resisted magical restrained, requiring him to physically wrestle them. With diamond claws and fangs, and jagged rocks sticking out of their fur, he was thankful to have only suffered lacerations and bruises. Once they calmed down, and thank fuck they spoke dwarvish (an ancient dialect, but it was sufficient), he burned some inscence and played a flute and off to slumberland they went.

One of them, the youngest, but the largest, wanted to remain awake. And the sleeping ritual only worked on bears who wanted it to. That would be interesting. And he should tell The King, but that wasn’t why he called. For now it sat by its parents, keeping vigil.

“I figured out who woke them,” he said, Nava’s eyes went wide, “and you’re not going to like it…”

He explained about the girl.

“Are you sure she’s Heedless?”

“Yes, I could smell it on her,”

“So if you unlocked Hindsight then…” he could practically hear her heart plummet to the floor.

“You didnt!”

Yonah grimaced, “I did… she’ll be at the treasury in a few days. The tasks I set her should help her think things through. It was a long list, she can’t wing it. And some of the items require special transport methods. She’ll have to plan. I copied the instructions I gave her, I’ll send them over. I trust you can contact the necessary guilds?”

Nava sighed, “Yes, of course. And you did the right thing. It’s just going to be a lot of paperwork.” In fact she was already writing as they spoke.

“The last thing she’ll be doing is a library quest. Two actually. Standard and Precision Exploratory. Can you put me through to Archivist Ahava?”

Nava stopped writing, “Don’t they hate you?”

“Yes,” exactly.

Nava smiled, “So you want them to deal with this. Fun. They are the best brownie for the job. Just don’t give them any grief.”

“I’ll try. And thanks, I’ll call again soon,” he smiled.

“Transferring call,” she said, smiling back, as she fiddled with her mirror set up.

The mirror swirled And went iridescent before resolving into shelves of book! Directly in view of a pile of that rose from largest to smallest.

“Oh me oh my this had better be good! I was in the middle of some important business, very important indeed!” the squeaky yet harsh voice belonged to a stout brownie with light grey-brown skin, straw like hair nearly bursting from its bun, and 4 jewel-like eyes. On their body they wore a fancy, flowing, but rather plain colored suit. And on their face they wore a scowl.

“/Yonah/,” Ahava never refused to be formal with him, and not out of familiarity. They climbed up the stack of books to sit facing the mirror.

“Ahava,”

Their lower left eye twitched as he too addressed them informally. He really shouldn’t, they were higher ranked… one of the highest ranked, Royal Mages.

“Fortune has once again done the disservice of connecting us so make it snappy, I have work to do! And what is the meaning of calling me looking like something a dragon chewed up and out”

Yonah grinned and Ahava’s scowl deepened, “Couldn’t be helped, I was wrestling Talleks. And don’t lie to me, I know for a fact you take tea at this time, for an hour.”

Two eyes narrowed and two eyes widened, their long fingers curled and uncurled.

“But I’ll get to the point. I encountered a Heedless Wrecker today, who needs to be taught the use of Foresight. I’ve sent her on a quest, and it includes the library,”

He explained to the increasingly annoyed Archivist, who was turning an amusing shade of blue.

“I cannot sign off on sending a Heedless into the catacombs! No way no how! There is not a single archivist trained to handle such things!”

Yonah raised his brows and blinked a smile.

“No no no! Out of the question! I will turn her away, yes I will! See if I don’t!”

“But I really do need that book. Otherwise I’ll have to come myself.”

That earned him a glare from all four eyes. Yonah could see the gears turning in their head. Thanks to his status as a dangerous magical entity, he had to be under escort when visiting The Archive. The King required Ahava to be that escort. It was either him or Goldie.

“I gave her a list of items to get for me, several of them are actually for her use in the catacombs’ challenges.”

All but one of the eyes closed as Ahava crossed their arms, taking deep breaths.

“Fine, I’ll do it. I got nothing better to do, and it’s been a while since I went on an adventure. Now, I must get back to my tea. Yes I must”

They disconnected without another word.

It would take at least a few days for Goldie to reach the capital. He had time to take a bath, eat, and change into a soft nightgown before using the Magic Pantry to send the quest details to Nava.

Along with a loaf of bread small enough to share with the entire Ops Team.

[FIN]

[Thanks for reading! please reblog/message me with feedback! for more mystic woods go to vore-scientist.tumblr.com/tagged/+mystic+woods+story or search ‘mystic woods story’ on my blog! For thief stories only search “MW Thieves”]

#safe vore #soft vore #gt vore #g/t vore #vore writing #vore art

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Through His Eyes - Part 7

Summary: Losing your sight after your accident was traumatic, and Jaebum’s guilt of knowing it should have been him instead creates an intricate bond between you both, as you overcome adversity and try to find your way in life again.

Genre: angst / romance

Characters: Im Jaebum x female reader

A/N: This story is emotional and raw compared to some of the content on my blog. It is in no way an attempt to glamourise or undervalue the lives of those who suffer from something similar. This story is purely fictional.

Through His Eyes will be posted every Tuesday at 10am NZST.

Index: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 [M] | 13 - FINAL

After opening the door, Jaebum helped you inside before going over to his desk and signing into the computer. Turning back to you, he looked around his studio, and then walked over to the clothing rack in the corner and rummaged through for something for you to wear.

“Okay, if you don’t tell me where we are soon, I’m going to lose it,” you said softly, not moving from where he had let go of your hand. Jaebum smiled to himself, knowing that you were waiting for some direction. It was foolish of him to feel important from gestures like this, but being someone who could make you stop and move all by his touch made Jaebum feel a strong sense of purpose and need. 

You noticed his returned approach and turned your head towards him at the last moment. Jaebum rocked back on his heels, noticing how warm your eyes were tonight. You had been fortunate that your eyes had no disruptions on how they appeared, though the light scarring just above your eyes and cheek reminded him of the day you received them. He glanced away, his stomach dropping as he found it hard to swallow. Tentatively, your hand grabbed onto his lower arm and Jaebum looked at it sadly.

“We’re in my studio,” he finally mentioned and your grip lessened at the knowledge. Your head shifted slowly around and you took a deep breath, assessing the room for any telltale signs that you could store in your mind to recognise it again in the future. Jaebum had watched you do the same thing last time you were together in this room and that fuelled his thoughts back to the reason he had brought you here. “I want to share something with you.”

“What is it?” you asked brightly, curiosity making you gingerly step forward. Jaebum quickly moved you back so you wouldn’t bang into the table and you stumbled, grabbing onto him more tightly for support. You both stood there for a moment, and Jaebum watched as your cheeks reddened from embarrassment. “Ha-ha, oops.”

“Before you get to find out, how are your legs?”

“My legs?” You were momentarily confused and then remembered your damp jeans. It only seemed to make her skin darken. “Ah, well…”

“Here, put these on.” He led you over to the couch and then gave you the sweats he’d picked out just before, which you stood awkwardly holding onto. Jaebum frowned and waited for you to make some kind of gesture, but nothing happened. He realised he needed to turn around to give you some privacy and whipped about, scolding himself inwardly for being rude.

“Jaebum… I uh, need assistance.”

Turning back around, he found you fumbling your hands along the material, searching for an indication of the top of the pants. Groaning lightly at how he hadn’t taken into account how changing clothes would be for you, Jaebum moved back to your side, grabbing the sweatpants and righted them. “I’m holding them out for you the right way.”

“Um, maybe I should just stay like this.”

“And catch a cold because you didn’t remove something wet?”

“It’s just that, well, I can’t exactly just change alone. With my own clothes my Mum helps me, not as in dressing me, well some times she does, but… oh my god, I need to stop talking, I’m sorry!”

Jaebum smiled sadly and instinctively leaned in to hug you. You froze at his sudden gesture before relaxing into him. “I was thoughtless, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not that, I think you were very thoughtful actually, just… I lack the skills to do this with you out of the room, and uh, it’s inappropriate for me to change in front of you. It’s fine; do you have a blanket instead?”

“I do.” Grabbing one off the sofa and then gently guiding you over to the chair next to his desk, Jaebum placed the blanket over your lap, and you arranged it to your desire. The uncomfortable air between you continued as he started clicking through files on the computer, organising the event he had suddenly felt the need to share. Jaebum had been planning it ever since he wrote the song the same night you had last been in this room, but the timing always felt off. After hearing your despair about the university attempt, Jaebum knew you needed to hear what he had created for you.

“So what are we going to do today? More playing on the equipment?”

“It’s actually about that. Do you remember this?” He pressed play on the music you had created last time, and you smiled brightly. Jaebum stopped the music and then clicked onto the next file. “Well, this is what I did with it.”

Letting the song play, Jaebum turned his chair and focused on your expression. You stilled, your shock evident as the beat played around the room. Reaching over, Jaebum flicked on the vocal line to the song, and you jumped back in your chair, hearing Jinyoung’s voice fill the room. You were intriguing to watch, your expression was subtlety changing as the song progressed. Once it finished, Jaebum nudged you gently and you shook yourself out of her reverie.

“You, you recorded it into a song?”

“It’s a song that I created a while ago for our upcoming album, but I felt it was missing something. Our music together gave me an idea of how to revamp the sound. What do you think?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Really?” Jaebum frowned. “I thought you’d be happy.”

“I’m beyond happy. Just, wow Jaebum. I don’t know what to say.”

He couldn’t help but feel accomplished by your words, or lack of them, and turned back to the computer, readying the actual surprise. A flutter of apprehension rose in his stomach as he hesitated to turn it on, and Jaebum swung back to you, grabbing your hand. “I have another song to share with you. Do you want to hear it?”

You nodded slowly, your eyes widening and you chewed your bottom lip softly. Taking a deep breath, Jaebum hit play and allowed the song to fill the room. For the first part of I’ll Protect You, he found it impossible to look over at you, wanting so badly to see your reaction, and yet worrying if you would dislike the song. It wasn’t every day that he wrote lyrics for someone still in his world, and so the feelings within his chest were wrestling with his rationale. By the time it reached the second chorus however, Jaebum managed to glance over at you, his eyes slowly connecting to the raw emotion upon your face. Once again, you remained still, apart from the blinking you were doing to try and keep your emotions at bay. You seemed to have lost the ability to breathe, and although your hand was still holding his, Jaebum was surprised to feel no distinctive weight within it. Your mouth was curled ever so slightly, and he watched as the first tear finally fell, the music becoming distant the longer he stared at you. It took Jaebum a moment to realise the song had stopped as your tears flowed silently down your cheeks and Jaebum reached over to gently wipe them away.

“You’re crying,” he stated, then removed his hand away from your face and back into his lap. He didn’t know what else to say or do with how intense the air felt around you both.

“You have suffered so much,” you spluttered, and Jaebum turned your chair to face him, wondering why that was your first statement to the song.

“Me? Y/N, I wrote this song about you.”

“It’s for me?”

He shifted closer to you and held your upper arms gently. “Over the past few months, I’ve watched you struggle to find who you are after losing your sight. How often you would try to hide your feelings behind being optimistic. You tell me that your therapy sessions are seen as great improvements because you never wanted to let them know how much it hurts or how sad you felt deep down. You’ve been struggling so much and I want you to know it’s okay to feel. It’s alright to express your troubles. I’ll always be here. Like today, I came running as soon as you needed me. I want to be that person to you always.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, a new wave of tears running from her cheeks.

“Y/N, you don’t owe me an apology. It’s not your fault. You could have died! It was meant to be me up there, not you. Don’t you realise you saved me?”

“But it’s still affected your life. It’s made things harder for you.”

Jaebum shook the grip he held on you gently. “And what about you?”

“I…”

“You deserve to be whatever you want to be. I wrote this song to tell you that. Let the world know you are angry when you’re angry. Let them know it hurts. Don’t hide behind your disability or let it hold you back. Accept help, but don’t stop moving forward okay? I’m going to protect you and make sure you can reach all your dreams.”

“You wrote a song for me.” Your voice trailed off as well as the rest of your energy and Jaebum stared at you, watching as you tried to stop crying and yet you started smiling too. Your arms soon moved forward, reaching out to hug him, your head resting on his chest. Jaebum took a deep breath and shifted to push play on the song again, moving back to make so you could remain comfortable where you had put yourself. It wasn’t long until you were humming along to the song, and Jaebum felt a calm wash over him, his message to you being delivered. Closing his eyes, he relaxed into the chair, enjoying the sense of pride he held for his song and your friendship.

Eventually, you had both left the studio and walked back out to Jaebum’s car, the ride to your home being in silence. Unlike how the last drive home from the studio had been, the air between you felt the most relaxed it had ever been. Jaebum was certain you were feeling many emotions at once still, but you were content enough to not need to address each feeling in one go. He noticed how you gripped onto the USB he had given you of the raw tracklist of the upcoming PRESENT: YOU album like your life depended on keeping it safe after his warning that no one but yourself could know of the songs. Jaebum smiled and pulled into a park at the apartment building, nudging you lightly.

“Are we home?”

“Yeah, you can put the USB away, you know.”

You shook your head. “I can’t see anything so I’m keeping it on me in case anything happens.”

“What if you drop it?” Your face filled with horror and Jaebum chuckled. “Relax, just pop it away in your bag until we’re inside. I’m scared your hand is going to break.”

“Jaebum?” He paused in opening the car door, turning back to face you. You gathered your composure and then smiled at him. “Thank you, what you did with everything today, it means a lot to me.”

“I know.”

“I don’t think you do,” you continued and then hesitated to say anything further. You sighed. “I don’t like being blind. However, it is teaching me things about myself and showing me, sometimes harshly, who and what I need to have in my life. I’m really glad to have you.”

Jaebum didn’t respond immediately, your words catching his breath. Jaebum cleared his throat. “I’m always going to be here, I made that promise, remember?”

“You won’t get sick of me?”

Jaebum laughed and nudged you lightly again. “Come on, I’m going to take you up to your Mum. I’m sick of you today already!”

“Ha, some promise!”

For some reason, Jaebum felt the need to lighten the mood in that moment. Just like you, Jaebum knew he had emotions that needed assessing, but for now, he wanted to hold onto the happiness of creating a song of strength for you.

Everything else could wait.

_________________

[Part 8]

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[rwoan]

    𝒉𝒊  𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆  !  oh  gosh  ,  i  am  so  excited  to  finally  be  posting  this  ?  ya  girl  has  been  ecstatic  about  this  group  for  the  past  few  days  and  just  wow  ,  thank  you  all  for  being  here  !  not  to  be  emo  ,  but  i  really  appreciate  your  interest  and  excitement  ,  i  truly  can’t  wait  to  meet  and  write  with  you  all  .  briefly  ,  my  name  is  lenny  (  22  ,  mst  ,  she  /  her  )  and  i’ve  been  freezing  my  ass  off  in  -  40  temperatures  all  week  #canada  .  i’m  a  huge  harry  potter  nerd  and  will  gladly  scream  with  you  about  ariana  grande  ,  harry  styles  ,  or  the  jonas  brothers  .  below  the  cut  is  all  that  you  need  to  know  about  my  dear  rowan  ,  one  of  my  favourite  muses  who  i’ve  developed  so  much  in  the  past  that  what  lies  below  is  a  novel  and  a  half  ,  so  i  apologize  in  advance  .  i  will  likely  be  messaging  you  all  through  discord  ,  so  keep  an  eye  on  your  dms  !  i’m  the  biggest  h*e  for  plots  ,  so  straight  up  just  throw  ‘em  all  at  me  —  angst  ,  drama  ,  fluff  ,  tension  ,  we  love  it  all  !  okay  shut  up  ,  lenny  ,  no  one  cares  —  mwah  ,  love  you  all  already  !

❛  ⋆  ․  i  totally  just  saw  𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒏  𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒔  walking  down  sunset  boulevard  ,  looking  so  much  like  𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆  𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒔𝒄𝒉  that  i  had  to  do  a  double  take  !  the  𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚  𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓  year  old  has  been  living  in  the  city  of  angels  for  𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓  𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔  now  and  has  made  quite  a  name  for  𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇  working  as  a  𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅  𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓  /  𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒃𝒆𝒓  .  i've  heard  they  can  be  quite  𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄  &  𝒐𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆  ,  but  at  least  they're  𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒆  &  𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕  ,  hey  ?  they  remind  me  so  much  of  𝒂  𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒂  𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒍  𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍  𝒐𝒇  𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅  𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒔  ,  𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒅  𝒄𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒆  𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓  𝒂  𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈  𝒓𝒖𝒏  ,  𝒈𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒏  𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔  𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈  𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅  𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔  (  lenny  ,  22  ,  mst  ,  she / her  )

*  /  ♡  𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒  .

full  name  :  rowan georgina collins

nicknames  :  row

age  /  dob  :  twenty4 / september 1 , 1995

gender  :  cis female ( she / her )

sexuality  :  openly bisexual

hometown  :  calabasas , california

label  :  the epicure ( a person who takes particular pleasure in fine food and drink )

*  /  ♡  𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘  .

rowan comes from a fairly opulent background : her parents never married — in fact , her father came out as gay when she was young — but both were quite successful on their own independent ventures and raised row in a very happy , yet slightly spoiled , childhood

her mother is a big - time magazine editor and had sole custody of rowan in their lush calabasas home , but rowan has always remained incredibly close with her father , a celebrity chef , and often spent weekends and holidays in his long beach penthouse apartment .

because of her wealthy lifestyle ( and having a chef for a father ) rowan was exposed to fine cuisine at a young age . she had incredibly mature tastebuds — even at the age of like 6 she was munching on calamari and truffle oil . she honestly can’t remember a time she ever turned her nose up at trying something new , her father having instilled a deep curiosity and passion for all foods in her .

there honestly isn’t much else to say about her upbringing , there’s no big sob story or rising climax — rowan is incredibly grateful for the stable , happy , and comfortable life her parents blessed her with . she found going between homes quite exciting and looked forward to the double christmases and birthdays — which is a great symbol of how rowan looks at the world . while some may call it “ rose coloured glasses ” , rowan sees herself as an optimist and prefers to find the silver lining in most situations and considers dwelling on the negatives a waste of time .

alright , continuing on : when she was in her early teens , rowan started a food blog purely out of boredom and a general desire to share her passion for food . she started out by sharing low quality images of her meals and writing littles blurbs — nothing too fancy .

however , fast forward a couple years of ritualistic posting , her father discovered the blog one day and immediately shared it on his own social media ( because of course he had to brag about his little food connoisseur ) and row’s blog blew up from there . by the time she was 18 , rowan was getting paid to visit some nice ass restaurants around los angeles and write reviews on her blog , which was gaining interest with each post she wrote . 

high school graduation came and went , and row’s online influence grew bigger and bigger , and continued to grow even as she attended the university of california to major in communications , which she envisioned would only serve to aid her in her online endeavours .

during her college career , rowan started up her youtube channel . it started as a couple videos that she linked in blog posts , prompted by questions from her followers about how she juggled her busy calendar , what her favourite recipes were , and more . her videos opened her up to an entirely new audience , and thus rowan blew up even more . she has since become a popular youtube star , her channel a collection of daily vlogs , cooking videos , restaurant reviews , and more .

my main inspo for rowan’s youtube aesthetic was alisha marie , our queen , with her casual daily vlogs and fun challenge videos , but with a mix of madelaine herself and laurdiy ( i imagine row as the foodie version of lauren ) , and those sort of vlog queens !

rowan graduated uofc with her degree in communications 2 years ago , when she was 21 , and has since been able to fully dedicate herself to her online presence . for the last two years , she’s been mainly focused on consistent posting on both ( although she did get rid of having a set schedule about a year and a half ago in order to ease up her stress ) .

*  /  ♡  𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄  .

label(s)  :  the epicure , the icarian , the aesthete , the sybarite

epicure : the whole basis of rowan’s existence is food . like , it’s pretty much the whole basis of everyone’s existence , but rowan is extra in love with food . she’s both incredibly passionate about eating and cooking , although possibly more so about eating — it is her job after all .

icarian : curiosity , adventure , and spontaneity are likely the three words most commonly associated with rowan — aside from food of course .

aesthete : to be a popular food blogger / youtuber / instagrammer you kinda have to have a good aesthetic , but rowan’s is extraordinarily good . the girl is always on the look out for cute backdrops for selfies , decor for her home , and new clothes to fill her wardrobe .

sybarite : materialism is probably row’s biggest downfall . she can’t help but have a deep inner desire to own all things on trend .

traits  :  materialistic , creative , passionate , self - indulgent , obsessive , honest , expressive , confident , starry - eyed

aesthetics  :  a camera roll full of food photos , large red waves , hourly instagram stories , iced coffee after a morning run , a red kiss pressed onto a white napkin , golden rings decorating manicured fingers , keyboard clicks at midnight , chilled mimosas paired with laughter .

personality  :  rowan’s definitely very bubbly and charismatic , but can also come off as quite spoiled , materialistic , and bossy at times . she knows what she wants , how she wants it , and she’ll stop at next to nothing to get it .

she practically radiates bde and oozes confidence .

her friends are literally her everything and she’d likely do anything for them . she’s definitely that Rich Friend™ who will buy your lunch for you , take you shopping for the perfect outfit when you land the interview of a lifetime , and also buy the first ( and most ) of many rounds of shots at the bar .

her home has an open door to anyone she cares about . no point in letting two spare bedrooms sit empty , as she says , and she’ll always welcome you in with open arms when needed .

she’s a party girl , but is also the girl who will be texting the group chat at 9am after a night out asking when brunch is .

above all , she’s incredibly passionate about her work . she is a virgo after all , so she’s very organized , ambitious , and a bit of a perfectionist . she’s never afraid to stay up all night ensuring her latest video is perfect , or will re-read a new blog post at least twenty times to make sure she didn’t miss a thing . 

this ambition and perfectionism is both her saving grace and her downfall . it makes for incredibly cohesive , put - together , and strong content , but can also often drive her to the point of insanity of trying to make sure everything is just right .

*  /  ♡  𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐎𝐔𝐒  .

in order to keep this from becoming a novel ( too late ) , you can find some extra info about rowan by following the links below :

wanted plots .

headcanons .

pinterest .

playlist .

#( 𝒄 . 𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒏 ) / * ooc . #😘 #angeles.intro

[fluffy-marshmallow-heart]

Drake's Diary ch.25 -A Spot of Tea

The Royal Romance canon from Drake's POV

Words: 1619

I know you guys have been waiting, but it seems this is a filler chapter on PB's part. But it can still be fun. I believe things start coming to a head starting next chapter though! I hope you enjoy this in the meantime!

 Master List (Catch Up Here)

Drake was glowering at a table all by himself. Another tea party. I can’t believe I’m at another tea party. What is with nobles and tea parties? Why can’t they have a whiskey party or a hearty food party? It’s always gotta be tea…

His thoughts were interrupted as he saw Emma walking onto the grounds, and his breath hitched as he took in her slim figure in a scarlet red dress, with lots of little detailing. She looks gorgeous. Wow. Make way for the Lady in Red.

  He waved her down. “Rose! Over here. I thought I’d be stuck drinking tea alone.”

She grinned at him as she approached the table, and his heart fluttered at the way her eyes shined brightly directly at him.

“Sadly for all of us, that’s not the case.” Olivia sits down beside Drake as the tea house’s staff begins carrying trays of tea cups and pots to each table. As Emma joins them, he looks around for Hana, but sees her with Xinghai and her two noble suiters, Neville and Rashad, close to the royal party’s table.

Alrighty then.

He slid his eyes over to Olivia. “Hmph. Did Madeleine send you to sit with us exiles?”

“Not as such, but there was only one other available table.” She nods at said table, where Penelope is eagerly chatting with Kiara. Her voice carries over the word “poodle” and Olivia shuddered.

“Your company seemed…marginally preferable.”

“Olivia, It’s okay. You can admit that we’re friends.” Emma broke in.

Once again, speak for yourself, Rose. She is not my friend.

Olivia’s mouth fell open, and Drake thought he saw the hint of a smile. “I…I just find you less insufferable than Penelope.”

Ha. Yup, definitely was a smile in disguise. “Coming from you, that’s like a confession of love.

“We’re basically besties.” Emma laughed, as Olivia rolled her eyes.

A server approaches with a kettle and tray. She carefully adds tea leaves to the pot and fills it with water. The server drains the first infusion into a pitcher, and after filling the tea pot again, pours the pitcher’s contents over its closed lid.

“Nooooo! Not my tea!” Maxwell races over to the table, looking stricken.

Emma rose an eyebrow. “Relax, Maxwell. It’s part of the service.”

“Oh, good.  I thought my tea privileges were being revoked.”

“Not unless you’ve committed tea crimes you haven’t told us about.” She teased

“I wouldn’t hurt a leaf! Except by drinking it!” Maxwell chuckled at his own joke while everyone else just stared at him.

“Where on earth have you been?” Drake demanded. Leaving me here alone, leaving Emma to fend for herself, letting Olivia sit down, I could just go on. I deserve an explanation.

Maxwell looked at him like he had two heads. “Looking into Tariq’s whereabouts! We got a tip that he’s somewhere in Los Angeles. Hiding deep undercover.”

Drake scoffed. “That figures. He’s off living it up in Hollywood while you’re here cleaning up his mess.”

“I’ve started calling any menswear store whose price tags start at three figures, but since we’re on opposite sides of the Pacific…they’re all closed right now.”

“Oh. Thanks, time zones.” Emma frowned, and Drake took her hand under the table. She gives him a grateful smile.

“Don’t worry, I left them a bunch of voicemails. I told every store that if they don’t call me back as soon as they’re open, they’ll face the wrath of House Beaumont’s lawyers! I think Bertrand would be impressed.”

A look of surprised crossed Emma’s face. “We have lawyers now?”

“The stores that I called think we do!” Maxwell told her happily

Squeezing her hand lightly, Drake turned to face Emma. “How are you holding up, Rose? Now that we’re finally getting to the bottom of this whole mess?”

She scowled. “I am ready to throw a party when this is all over.”

“Just say the word and I’ll make it happen.” Maxwell jumped in excitedly

Oh boy, here we go. We definitely don’t need another Beaumont Bash…

“Whatever you’re picturing is probably too much party.” Drake informed.

Maxwell gasped. “There’s no such thing!”

The server finishes readying the second infusion of tea and pours each person a cup.

Maxwell takes a sip and his eyes widen. “Wow. I though top-shelf wine had layers, but this tea’s undertones have undertones.”

Drake sniffs his cup and takes a tentative sip. “Huh. Strong stuff.” This really isn’t so bad for tea. But still…coulda been a whiskey party…

“Is that a compliment?” Emma gasped.

He shrugged. “You’ve got to respect a drink that doesn’t pull its flavor punches.”

“I think it’s delightfully full-bodied.” Emma agreed.

“I’m surprised you like anything that didn’t come out of a little mesh bag.” Olivia smirked.

Emma chuckled. “Tea bags aren’t half bad. And they’re convenient.”

Olivia shook her head in disdain. “I’ll take a proper cup of tea like this any day.”

“Then it sounds like we’re going to need more.” Emma said, gesturing to the empty pitcher.

“Another!” Maxwell raises his tea cup over his head…

“If you break that, we’ll have to pay for it.” Emma acknowledged nervously.

Maxwell looks at her, then at his tea cup, and slowly sets it back on the table.

Holy shit. He actually listens to someone. I need to remember this for future reference. If anyone needs Maxwell to do something, just have Emma say it.

“Here. You can finish mine.” Drake handed him his cup.

“You’re a true friend, buddy.” Maxwell accepted.

Drake narrowed his eyes. “Don’t call me buddy.”

“You’re a true friend…friend?”

“My name is Drake.”

“Aww, look at you two. Getting along just like old times.” Emma teased them, obviously trying to get ahead of the situation and the dialogue Drake was sure he was about to start spewing.

Instead he sighed. “Yeah, yeah. No need to make a big thing out of it.”

“Are you sure? I’m feeling a group hug coming on…”

“There will be no hugging at this table.” Olivia’s voice cut through menacingly as she glared at the entire group.

“For once, I agree with Olivia.” I can’t believe I just said that. Can I take it back? No, damn, because then I would have to hug Maxwell…and Olivia…and Emma…okay, I’d love to hug Emma right now.

“…Maybe later.” Maxwell whispered loudly enough for all of them to hear.

Nope. I side with Olivia. 100% Team Olivia.

I’d better go check on Hana.” Emma announced abruptly, standing up and nodding towards where Hana is seated, as Neville and Rashad both stood and left their seats.

“I’ll keep them in line while you’re gone.” Olivia grinned.

Excuse me??  “Who died and left you in charge?”

Maxwell nodded in agreement frantically. “I didn’t vote for that!”

“I just expect everyone to be in one piece when I get back.” Emma makes her way between tables, not even glancing at them as she left.

I’m not even sure she heard us right now…

Olivia turns to Drake and Maxwell. “So, boys. Whatever should we do with ourselves? You can start by finding more tea. I do love more than one cup. Certainly one of you can handle this.”

“I uh…just remembered I have to go do that thing…” Maxwell started.

“Oh yeah, me too.” Drake chimed in.

“Oh, sorry, it’s really kind of private Drake. It’s the thing. In the place. That you…can’t go?” Maxwell darted away, and Drake’s jaw dropped as Olivia burst out laughing.

“I guess it’s you and me, commoner. And the tea. Go, shoo. Get the tea.”

“I’m not…getting…your tea.” Drake gritted out

Fucking Maxwell. I cannot believe he just did that!! Just leaving me here, again, alone, with fucking Olivia at my table. And he’s talking to Emma!! Damnit!!

Olivia begins speaking again, and Drake immediately tunes her out, watching Emma approach Hana and her father and wondering what they’re arguing about.

“I’m sure they’re not arguing about you, Drake. For some unknown reason, Emma has taken quite a liking to you. Hana’s got her own issues. She can’t handle them on her own, so she drags Emma along to help her speak.”

“Why would Rose be talking about me?” He questioned.

“I just she wasn’t. What, are you deaf too?”

Drake was about to return a snappy comeback when Emma plopped back down beside him.

“That could’ve gone better.”

He turned to her, full of worry. “What happened? We saw Hana leave.”

Emma sighed. “She and her dad got into a fight. She actually told him she wasn’t interested in Neville. I’m not sure if me being there made things better or worse...”

Drake’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, good for her. It’s about time she told her parents to lay off.”

Olivia tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Interesting. It seems she’s discovering a backbone.”

Maxwell sauntered back over as well, and guests start rising from their tables as the servers clear the tea trays away. They begin forming a line into the garden with King Liam waiting at the front.

Emma watched with curiosity. “Where’s everyone going? Are we line-dancing now?”

Olivia blinked. “This is a court, not a barn.”

Maxwell shook his head. “I think we’re just supposed to pay our respects to King Liam before we leave.”

Ugh, I just want to go.  “Leave it to the court to turn saying goodbye into a ceremony.” He grumbled, getting up and leaving the table. Everyone else can say their goodbyes. Drake is heading back to the hotel to find himself a nice hard drink.

We’re leaving for New York tomorrow. Back where everything began. Back where we met. Back where…Back where Maxwell chose her for Liam…Yup. I’m hitting the bottle tonight.

@annekebbphotography @carabeth @gardeningourmet @eileendannie @dancetothestoriesinyoursoul @alesana45 @thequeenofcronuts @zigortega4life @drakewalkerfantasy

  @hrhdes @drakewalkerisreal @akrenich @feartheendlesssummer @moonlightgem7 @i-miss-trr @noey718-blog @snyggflicka @rhymesmenagerie @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction @crookedslimecreatorpasta @be-still-my-aching-heart

#drake's diary #drake x emma #drake walker fanfic #the royal romance fanfic #drake x mc #drake walker #the royal romance #choices the royal romance #playchoices #choices stories you play #trr drake #trr fanfic #choices trr #trr

[onepunchmiss]

OPM Live Blog S2e1

Note that I’m watching this from the perspective of someone who is up to date on the manga, so spoiler warning on that. Now WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY LETS GET TO IT

“Return of the Hero”

“Sensei” I wouldn’t have had season 2 start any other way if I’m being honest.

Ok right off the bat, the animation difference is noticeable. Especially on Genos’s arms, But! I was expecting this and honestly I don’t mind it all that much. “I will call toy manufacturing companies” Genos stop you’re being too precious and my weak heart can’t take it.

Oh. My god. There he is! The King engine! Man it really is no wonder everyone is so quick to assume King is such a hero. The fluidity of the scene being animated really lends to the believability, despite how absurd it is on paper. Like if you told me that someone, completely by accident came to be seen as the strongest man in the world despite trying to avoid exactly that, I’d say it’s corny and unrealistic. One and Murata already worked magic to have it work as well as it has in the manga/webcomic, but hearing and visualizing the scene makes it even better. His voice over monologue here too really sells it. He just sounds so resigned oh my god

Paused just for 3 things-this face, the little chuckle while making this face, and “Doki doki Hottie Sisters 2.” King I love you.

WOW OK WAY TO JUST CALL US ALL OUT THERE THANKS

Aaaaaand panic attack. Oof. Poor guy. Two monsters just on the way home. This is actually kinda getting to me too, like hearing the hyperventilating while he hides in the bathroom stall is WAY too personal King my guy I feel your pain it will be ok ouch

On a side note, not only am I completely used to the animation already, but I am REALLY digging the visuals through the whole King introduction so far.

Ok I take that back but only a little. You can tell with the fight scene they’re trying SO HARD to live up to the animation MadHouse put out for season 1, but it just feels slightly off. Though i’m 100% certain that (at least with this sequence specifically) if I didn’t have s1 to compare, I wouldn’t think twice about the animation. Also, you go bby kick robot ass strive for top 10! Gosh I missed Genos.

King wtf you have NO business being this adorable

Oh fuck that got me good. The cutesy music and king talking to himself/Saitama without noticing and then SILENCE I am cackling. This is the good stuff, this is why I watch the anime even though you can read the manga. The comedic effect is just that much better with scenes like this oh god. And King, for not wanting the reputation of being an S class hero, you sure whipped that gimmick out quick.

Ok, I keep pausing every few seconds wanting to write something about this whole King-Saitama exchange, but that would just be excessive, so I’m just going to say I have been consistently cackling the whole time the humor is not lost at all this is a blessing thank everyone who made s2 happen

“maybe you’re just bored fighting monsters” With all the jokes and action aside I forget sometimes that Saitama is still struggling with the burden of being too powerful. I honestly feel bad for him because here he thinks he might have found someone to relate to but poor King is the exact opposite. I mean he gets a great friend out of it, but I wonder if he had a glimmer of hope for a second there. Now I made myself sad, ah man. anyway

Ohhey Vaccine man. Fitting that the first villain of the first season makes a cameo in the first ep of the second.

I’m so torn between having all these feels for King being all emotional, and oogling over Genos being actual badass oh my god. Good fight scene good animation badass Genos i’m 0% mad

There it is. Just wow. I know so many people were waiting to see that moment and I hope everyone felt that as much as I did. So good. I had to watch it twice it’s so satisfying to finally see it I wish it were longer? Saitama is just such a good guy. Although, I was kind of expecting the episode to wrap up with this bit, but there’s still 10 minutes. My curiosity is piqued.

Oh right, Genos needs his post-battle repairs. I hope they tone down the weird metal shading just a tad. Its a bit distracting ngl

OH HEY WELCOME TO THE ANIME GUYS

Ah, how could I forget all the Sonic fans out there? Mouthing off as usual. We missed you. Welcome back you charming disaster.

AH THERE SHE IS QUEEN BITCH SUPREME. Ok ok I actually feel dumb now for not realizing that every scene in the preview was from the first episode I should’ve seen Sonic and Fubuki popping up I’m a fool. And so the fubuki group ordeal begins. The back and forth of Fubuki and Sonic hyping up Saitama’s power with the intense music playing is getting me more and more hype. I’m getting excited despite the fact that I know how it all plays out for a while, which is a great sign

And I’m cackling  again. Saitama is a mood when I play video games I love them but I suck. God their dynamic is perfect please I need more please SAITAMA you better buy King a new controller don’t be that guy

oh

OH

Ok so the ENDING THEME has me MORE HYPE than the ENTIRE EPISODE I WAS BUMMED BY THE LACK OF OPENING BUT LIKE NOW I CARE ZERO

OH OHHO YES. GUYS. IM SO READY TO WATCH THE S CLASS KICK THE FUCK UP OH MY GOD

Alright now that I’m breathing like a normal person again-

All in all, I thought it was great! Barely feels like we skipped a beat from season one even though its been three years. I GUESS I can understand why some fans may not like it, but at the same time I feel like anyone going into the episode with a negative mindset is bound to be disappointed. At the end of the day I can’t complain about the animation, the story and framing stayed true to the manga and the pacing felt right, so I’m really happy.

Sorry this was messy but now that I’ve actually done this once I think the next episode will be a bit cleaner on my end. And I cannot WAIT

#ONE PUNCH MAN #live blogging #opm #season 2 episode one #return of the hero #webcomic spoilers #saitama #genos #sos sonic #fubuki #magic trick man #blue fire #king

[qwertythepopstarian08]

JSAB AU Fanfic: Imposter

Description: Taking place in the Wonderful Nightmare AU, Blixer has been captured by a revived Suenami, locked away and forced to do his bidding as a veritable war machine. Just as his hopes are dwindling, an unlikely savior comes to his aid… or perhaps, it’s who he expected after all.

Warnings: Major character death, violence, and paranoia. Angst!

Wow, two fanfics in one day!

The Wonderful Nightmare AU is based off of @small--crcle !!! The WN AU was created by me, but the characters belong to @plaquebeat

The purpose of this fic was to show how dire this AU is. There’s no real happy ending, no matter what route is taken. Also, I really love Kubix’s impersonation powers and can’t wait for them to be canonically used again, so I included those in this story, heheheh.

Also, forewarning for... ahem... certain readers (cough cough Rayne). This fic deviates from how I’d normally portray these characters, as well as how they are portrayed in the canon blog. I love your characters, New!! But angst!!

((Reblogs are appreciated!!))

The door to the cellar creaked open, a faint glow spilling in from the outside world. The musty smell of dust and mildew was filtered out, a fresh, crisp breeze rushing in as someone stepped inside, their boots lightly tapping against the harsh, concrete floors.

Blixer’s horns flicked in the direction of the sound, and he slowly raised his head.

The magical chains binding him to the room clanked and shook as he tried to stand, his eye glimmering in slight curiosity. He hissed softly as the light assaulted his retinas, having not seen any source of light in days.

For a moment, the light filled him with hope; he hadn’t been outside for a long time. The last time he’d seen Kubix… or any of his family, for that matter, seemed so long ago, although the calendar that he’d taken to writing on said otherwise.

Just three short months ago, he’d been kidnapped by his worst enemy. Just about ninety days prior to today, he’d been forced to say goodbye to his friends, torn away from his life in favor of serving Suenami as the manic shape’s living weapon. His powers were valuable. Although he wasn’t infected with the mutagenic pink virus, he was still a strong shape, and arguably, his sentience made him a more effective fighter. He couldn’t count how many shapes he’d been forced to shatter. As much as it hurt to admit, the more he fought, the less he felt….

As he blinked tears away to clear his vision, the small hiss grew into an aggressive snarl, his gaze focusing on the horrid shape before him. Suenami entered the room, looking a bit less… smug than usual. Blixer narrowed his eye, watching carefully as the other pink shape stepped towards him.

The chains around him did little to restrict his movements, as long as he didn’t try to leave the room, but they were quite cumbersome and heavy, making the effort to move more of a bother than anything. They didn’t even bind him directly to the wall; Blixer supposed that they were meant to break his spirit more than anything… until there was nothing left but the urge to fight.

However, each time Suenami entered, Blixer feared the worst, counting down the days until the manic shape grew bored of the novelty of having captured Paradise’s hero… the days until he was finally infected and turned into a complete monster. With each passing day, Blixer’s will to escape waned, and he found less and less energy to fight.

Exhausted, the small shape settled on just arching up a bit, his horns flicking back as his eye flashed threateningly.

Suenami twitched, but he didn’t seem afraid, staring down at Blix with an unreadable gaze. His eye shone dully in the low light, and Blixer caught what he thought to be a frown curving at his captor’s mouth.

Blixer fidgeted, a bit off put. Few things could make Suenami lose his trademark grin. It was almost as eternal as New Game’s, although the sight of it made the former hero’s stomach turn.

Quietly, Suenami addressed him, “Blixer…” He seemed to flinch a bit when the small shape’s growl increased in volume. It was almost as if he was… afraid. When he continued, his voice was tinged with a desperate, faltering tone. “Please… calm down. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Like I’d…” Blixer huffed, managing to stand… or at least crouch; he hadn’t stood in so long… His eye twitched angrily. “Like I believe that…”

This was the very monster who turned his friends and family into abominations… the very same monster that nearly cost him his life and sanity. And now, this demon expected him to believe a single word that he said? Disgraceful.

Before Suenami could respond, Blixer rushed at him, screeching. He narrowly sidestepped, causing the feral shape to hit the wall with a loud crash. Blixer hissed, standing shakily. He only managed to stand for a few moments before his legs gave out, forcing him to kneel.

Not missing a beat, Suenami raised a hand, creating a barrier around Blixer and trapping the young shape in the corner of the room. Blixer screamed, clawing futilely at the glasslike wall. HIs eye flashed threateningly.

He glared up at Suenami, snarling, “Whatever you’ve come to tell me… I don’t want to hear it!” He shook his head, his hands glowing. “I’m not a monster… I’m not going to keep shattering people for you…”

Suenami stepped closer, his eye starting to glow not pink, but a soft shade of… cyan. Blixer froze, a small whimper escaping him as he stared up at his captor…

The other shape kneeled so that he was at eye level with Blixer, exhaling softly. He couldn’t enter the barrier, but he was just close enough so that the small shape felt threatened.

“I’m not asking you to shatter anyone; I need to tell you something.”

Blixer snapped, digging his claws into the barrier. “Like I have time to talk to you of all people!” He bristled, his horns flicking back as he bared his fangs. “The only shape I feel like shattering right now… is… you!”

Suenami narrowed his eye, sighing. With a snap of his fingers, the barrier around Blixer faded from a toxic pink… into a soft, familiar blue. Blix tilted his head, hissing lowly in agitation.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The small shape snarled, “You’re more powerful? You can use cyan corruption? You-” He was cut off by a sudden, curt yell.

“Blixer, just stop!” Suenami’s gaze filled with a distant fear, a small frown stretching across his face in place of the once mad grin. “Blix… It’s me… Kubix.” The cyan glow intensified, surrounding the once pink ‘villain’ like a peaceful, luminous aura. “This is just a disguise… I came to get you out of here.”

Blixer felt his heart stutter, his eye’s glow faltering as his growl cut off abruptly. He squeaked, scrambling backwards as he stared at ‘Suenami’, his gaze fearful and bright.

“No no no no, you’re not him!” Blixer screamed, panicked. “You’re not Kubix! You can’t be, you-”

The so-called villain sighed, standing. For a moment, Blixer feared an attack, but ‘Suenami’ merely stepped back, holding his arms out to his sides, showing that his hands were free.

“I’m unarmed, Blix. I promise.”

Blixer narrowed his eyes, stuttering, “P-prove it!” He shook his head wildly, tearing futilely at the chains. He could hardly stand, the magical locks draining his powers… preventing him from so much as summoning a cannon without getting shocked. “You’re not Kubix! You’re more insane than I thought you were if you thought this would work!”

‘Suenami’ flinched, taking a step back. He was… genuinely shocked by Blixer’s anger… he hadn’t seen the shape react so violently to anything in a long time…

He sighed, shaking his head. “Alright… If you insist…” The cyan glow spread, becoming so bright that Blixer had to shield his eyes. Blixer felt his heart stop as he heard the oddly familiar voice, “I’m sorry if I scared you… it was the only way to sneak in here…”

Blixer hesitantly opened his eye, squinting to see through the lingering glow. As his eye refocused, his breath caught, and he found himself trying to stand, shaking.

“Dad.” Blixer’s voice broke, the growl completely dropping from his tone as he stared at the square before him. “Dad…” His eye watered, and he began tearing at the chains holding him back, wishing he could exit the barrier blocking him from reaching Kubix.

Kubix smiled sadly. “Don’t worry… I’m gonna get you out of here…” He raised a softly glowing hand.

Blixer’s smile grew, and he shuddered, pausing in his attempts to escape.

“H-how… Suenami has the key…?” He tugged at the chains again. “He locked me here… forced me to shatter shapes for him, Kubix…” He hugged himself, shaking. “I don’t want to be a monster anymore… please don’t let me hurt anyone again…”

“I promise, you’ll never hurt anyone again.”

Blixer’s eye lit up, and for a moment, he looked just like the innocent, happy child that Kubix once knew. However, as his smile stretched to unnatural lengths, the square was suddenly reminded of what happened to him… of what Blixer had become.

“I missed you so much, Dad…” The smaller shape chirped, “Can we go out for ice cream? Or… or fly a kite?” He pressed his face against the barrier. “I know it sounds boring, but… I just want… to be a normal kid again… please…”

Kubix’s gaze softened, his cyan glow dimming slightly, save for the energy collecting in his palms. He smiled at Blixer.

The manic shape continued to ramble, “I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for you… for a while, I thought you weren’t coming, but here you are! I missed you, Dad. I was so tired of being a monster…”

“Hey… Blix… don’t worry.” Something changed in the square’s tone, and Blixer squeaked in slight fear, afraid of the sudden spike in Kubix’s power… specifically, his attack power… Kubix lowered his voice to a whisper, trying to sound comforting but only succeeding in scaring Blixer even more. “You don’t have to be a monster anymore, kid…”

Blixer tilted his head, squeaking, “Dad?” His horns flicked back in worry, and in the reflected light, Kubix could almost see a glint of childish naivete shining… or perhaps, a glimmer of insanity, ready to lash out at any given moment. Blixer frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Kubix hissed, “I knew it was too late…” He shook  his head. “I wanted to believe you were still there, but…”

Blixer scrambled back, his eye wide. “Kubix… what are you-”

Kubix cut him off. “You’ve been stuck here for so long… I’m sorry we couldn’t get here sooner, bud… we could have saved you…”

Blixer’s eye twitched, and he seemed to falter, his head starting to ache as he tried once again to stand. “Kubix.” His tone became harsh. “You’re right here… you can save me, just get me out of here!” He lashed out, raising a claw and attempting to summon forth his offensive magic. He winced as the magic chains sparked, blocking most of his natural power. “Get me out of here!”

“I can’t!” Kubix snapped. His eyes flashed with a rage-filled light, and he snarled, “You’re too far gone… but you don’t have to be this way anymore… I promise.”

Blixer shook his head, disheartened. “N-no… you wouldn’t hurt me…” His voice grew frantic, his tone becoming shrill and anxious as his horns flicked back, tears welling up in his eyes. “You came all this way just to hurt me?”

Kubix cringed, turning away. He raised a hand, sighing as a familiar, harmful, corrupted energy swirled in his palm. “I’m sorry…”

Blixer’s eye widened, and he let out a ragged scream as the cyan blast hit him head on. He had no time to dodge it, the corrupted energy searing through his body painfully. It tore cleanly through his chest, leaving a gaping hole that, unlike the time he fought Suenami, wasn’t going to heal. He stared up at Kubix in disbelief, shaking, unable to speak for his throat was filling with blood and bile. He let out a gurgling cough, pink liquid rolling down his face.

Kubix kneeled at the edge of the barrier, staring hollowly through him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. His impersonation powers kicked in, pink energy shimmering around him and changing his form to that of Suenami again. The disguised king forced a wide grin, yet his eye glowed with a sad light.

He didn’t want Blixer to spend his last moments feeling so betrayed, so he changed his face, looking as much like that wretched Suenami as he could handle. Blix didn’t deserve to be shattered by his own father, no matter what he’d done...

Blixer’s confusion instantly melted into rage, and he shrieked, slamming his entire body against the barrier.

Kubix winced. He ground out in his best impression of Suenami, “It’s a shame…. A shame indeed.” A bitter chuckle left him as he stood, backing away from the barrier. “You lost your usefulness so quickly…”

Blixer hissed, arching up and clawing at the barrier. He cleared his throat just enough to screech, “Suenami!” He slammed his head against the wall, his horns digging into the glasslike forcefield. “I’ll shatter you... I’ll shatter you!”

Kubix left the room, squeezing his now singular eye shut. His horns flicked back, and his steps became quick and anxious. He mentally begged Blixer to stop screaming, barely able to focus on his own thoughts as the child… no… monster’s cries rang out.

It was for the best, he assured himself. In those horrid months trapped by Suenami, something about him had changed. Blixer was no longer the heroic, childish shape he’d once been. Kubix had watched him shatter innocents in cold blood, having been mentally broken down by Suenami’s torment. He was a threat, and no matter how much it hurt him, Kubix was the best shape to take him down.

He sighed as the screams finally ceased, trailing off into pitiful whimpers. Blixer’s sobs echoed through the building. Kubix felt his heart clench as his son began crying for not his father, but the very monster he’d just been threatening to kill.

“Suenami… please…don’t let me die here…”

Kubix hesitantly peered inside the room, flinching as he saw Blixer. His breath caught, and he ducked back behind the wall, shaking. His transformation dropped, his appearance flickering back to normal as his distress took him over.

The forced, manic smile that had stretched across his face before faltered, curving into a deep, despaired frown.

He repeated a mental mantra, “That’s not Blixer… that’s not Blixer… that’s not my son anymore…” It was the only thing keeping him from running in there and healing, or at least comforting his son… or what was left of him. He shuddered, sliding down the wall until he sat there, face buried in his hands, shaking and crying.

Blixer’s pathetic croons continued to assault his senses, filling him with a dangerous mix of protective anger and regretful, despondent sadness.

“Please… I’ll shatter them all… I’ll break them to shards… don’t let me… don’t let me die… please… not again…”

Kubix shuddered. “That’s not Blixer… that’s not Blixer… that’s… not… Blixer.”

The square kept repeating his mantra, unable to ignore his former son’s pained cries. He forced himself to stay there, practically planted to the spot, until he heard the sounds cease entirely. Hesitantly, he stood, his movements slow and cautious. His eyes dimmed to a hopeless, dull blue, and he looked around, sighing. He glanced in the room, wincing a bit when he spotted the pile of dimly glowing dust and shards. He backed away, his breath catching.

He did this… he shattered his own child once again…. Although, in this case, he was the hero of the situation. He shook his head, closing his eyes tightly. All traces of Suenami’s maniacal infection were gone… every shape that had been infected was cured. Every creature that allied with him was dead… including Blixer.

Kubix took a step back, collecting himself. He sighed.

“Sorry, Blix…” A bitter smile quirked at his features. “See ya soon…”

#jsab #Wonderful Nightmares AU #blixer #kubix #suenami #just shapes and beats #oops all angst #Oh Look a Story Thing #jsab au

[somethingjustsouthofbrilliance]

I Got You (Tony/Rhodey secret service AU) Chapter 2

Wow... so I was definitely not expecting such a warm response to this story. Yay :D I guess we’ll keep going then.  In this chapter President Rhodes gets to meet the (in)famous Tony Stark.  And the first impression he makes may not be the best.  Or perhaps it’s quite the opposite... ;-)

Link to chapter 1 is here.  I will keep that chapter as the master post, all subsequent chapters will be linked on it and to it.  

I got requests for tags, so I’m starting a tag list with this chapter.  Please note that tumblr sometimes acts up and randomly refuses to acknowledge some blogs, so if your tag doesn’t work, I will try my best to send you a message to give you a heads up about the update (and also, please, do watch this space ‘cause I may forget).

Tagging @jamesrhodey @supernaturalyloki @chanderefk @aimeeroot21 @markedplaces @mostly-marvel-stuffs

Chapter 2

 James isn’t sure what he was expecting Tony Stark to be like just from reading the reports prepared for him by his secretary, but the guy that saunters into the Oval Office 15 minutes after his scheduled appointment time, looking equal parts disdainfully reluctant and bafflingly self-assured, like he goddamn owns the place, is definitely not it.

 He sweeps a quick and decidedly bored gaze around the room, seeming patently unconcerned about the two secret service agents that stand guard at the door behind him, their eyes boring holes into his back.  Directs a genuine smile at Happy, giving him a conspiratorial wink as he comes to stand beside him and seeming to take an almost childlike delight in the way the other man seems to shrink in on himself, visibly discombobulated by such an open show of familiarity and disregard of protocol.  And only then does he deign to direct his gaze to where James is sitting, acknowledging his presence with a cool nod.

 “Mr. President.”

 James leans back in his chair, narrows his gaze at the dark-haired suit-and-tied insolence before him. “You’re late,” he points out, dry and just this shy of caustic.

 The corner of Stark’s mouth upticks minutely.  “My apologies, Mr. President,” he says, sounding anything but contrite.  “I overslept.”

 “You overslept,” he repeats, unimpressed, flicking a questioning glance at Happy, who looks like he’s ready to have the ground open up below him and swallow him up.  “Are you frequently in the habit of napping in the afternoon, Mr. Stark?”  

 “Only on my days off, Sir,” the other deadpans, nonplussed, but there’s a hint of mirth in the honey brown eyes that stare calmly back at him.  “I have a stressful job, I try to relax when I can.”

 James stares at him a moment longer, lips pinched with annoyance.  Wonders not for the first time if Obadiah was right, if this guy is nothing more than a washed-up asshole who has no business guarding anything more valuable than a bottle of cheap booze at a liquor store.  Has half a mind to call this joke of a meeting to a close and send this guy back to whatever hole he crawled out of.

 An awkward cough brings his attention back to Happy, to the earnest, desperate plea in his faithful bodyguard’s eyes, and he relents.  Letting out a heavy sigh to forcefully release some of the tension, he shifts forward a bit, reaches for the folder on his desk.  Flips it open, making a show of scanning the contents.

 “I have your file here, Mr. Stark.  There seems to be an inordinary number of complaints against your person at your current work.”  He looks back up at the man over the rim of his glasses.  “Care to explain?”

 Stark shrugs, nonchalant. “The only ones who complain are those that get caught breaking the law.  I’m fairly certain you won’t find any complaints there from shoppers that don’t indulge in illegal activities or otherwise threaten the safety of others.”

 And that is just the opening James needs.  He relaxes back into his chair, steeples his hands underneath his chin, pinning the man before him with a steady, attentive stare, determined not to miss a single tell.  “Is that what Senator Hammer did?” he asks with feigned insouciance.  “Was he indulging in illegal activities or threatening the safety of others?”

 The change that comes over Stark is immediate: his posture stiffens, brown eyes growing instantly, uncomfortably cold.  “I’m sure you already have all the information pertaining to that particular incident in front of you, Mr. President,” he responds, his voice carefully, carefully neutral.

 There’s a warning there, James can hear it – a barely polite request to let it go.  He isn’t quite ready to do so, however.

 He hums pensively, allows himself the tiniest of smiles.  “I’ve been doing this job long enough, Mr. Stark, to know that there is usually more to the story than what is allowed to leak onto the pages of any given report.  And this particular report, while it describes in great detail the injuries sustained by the senator, is suspiciously lacking in motive behind your assault.”  

 Stark blinks and pulls his gaze away, choosing to stare at the oversized windows behind James’s back.  And James can see the telltale hardening of the man’s jaw, can virtually feel the tension in his body.

 He pushes on.

 “I also know that sometimes seemingly unrelated events have a much deeper underlying connection than may be readily apparent.  For instance….” He reaches for the folder again, pulls it toward him.  “There’s a resignation letter here from a Ms. May Parker, Senator Hammer’s secretary, filed on the same day that you had your altercation with her boss…”  He trails off, brows knitting in curiosity as he sees Stark flinch at his words.  Notes the way the man’s right hand clenches momentarily into a fist at his side before relaxing once again.  Notes the uncharacteristically worried, sympathetic expression on Happy’s face as he glances Stark’s way.

 “Did you call me here to help you read some 10-year-old report, Mr. President?” Stark asks finally, his gaze still firmly fixed on some indeterminate point beyond. “Because I can find much better use of my time.”  He shifts his gaze finally, directs it back at James, and the latter has to fight an uncomfortable urge to squirm away from the undisguised cold fury he sees there. “All due respect.”

 James didn’t get to where he was in life by squirming away from uncomfortable situations, however.  And he isn’t about to start now.  Besides, he has to admit, the man intrigues him despite all of his reservations.  There’s a darkness to him, an undeniable edge of danger that should be enough of a reason to stay the hell away, and yet he finds himself being drawn closer instead.

 “I can read just fine, Mr. Stark,” he waves him off, putting just enough hardness into his tone to remind the man who he’s talking to.  “What I would like from you is a certain clarification.  Perhaps you could enlighten me as to the reason behind Ms. Parker’s abrupt departure.”  

 He watches Stark intently as he speaks.  Doesn’t miss the subtle tightening of the skin around the man’s eyes, the stubborn jut of his chin.

 “It’s not my story to tell,” Stark denies coldly, ignoring Happy’s hissed out warning of “Tony!”. Raises an eyebrow in silent challenge – to James, to Happy, to the whole world.  “If that will be all, Sir…”

 James shakes his head slightly, not sure whether to be offended by this man’s impudence or impressed by it.  He surprises himself by deciding on the latter.  

 “Do you know why I called you here today, Mr. Stark?” he asks, dropping the obviously touchy subject for the time being.  

 Stark shrugs again. Shoves his hands in his pockets with feigned ease.  “I came as a favor to a friend.” He tilts his head in Happy’s direction, his eyes never leaving James’s face.

 “Right.” James glances at his bodyguard, suppressing a smile at the man’s flustered expression.  “Would you mind telling me why you refused to do so when it was my Chief of Staff that called you to arrange this meeting?”

 Stark doesn’t bat an eye. “Mr. Coulson asked if it would be convenient for me to meet.  I didn’t find it convenient.  Frankly, I don’t understand why you felt the need to call on me in the first place.  …Respectfully.”

 The audacity momentarily leaves James speechless.  He blinks, huffing out an incredulous breath.  He can absolutely see why a man like that wouldn’t last long on Justin Hammer’s security detail.  And he honestly doubts he’d be able to work with this guy without resorting to fisticuffs. And how would that look – a president and his bodyguard going at it like a couple of schoolyard punks.

 Still…

 “Happy tells me you’re the best there is.”

 Stark holds his questioning gaze, calm and unblinking.  “I am,” responds, and that’s not a boast, James realizes, the man simply states it like it is – a fact.

 “Care to demonstrate?” he challenges, feeling a glee of anticipation deep in his belly.

 Stark tilts his head slightly to the side, looking bored.  “I can neutralize Happy here and your two dress-up dolls there by the door in under three minutes with my hands cuffed behind my back,” he offers with a careless twitch of his shoulder.  “But I can’t be held responsible for potential damage to your fancy furniture here.”

 “That’s alright,” James allows, motioning for one of his agents to come forward.  “I’d like to see what you can do.”

 Stark doesn’t resist as the agent pulls his arms back, clasping the handcuffs around his wrists with perhaps a bit more force than necessary judging by the way Stark flinches minutely.  

 “Touched a nerve there with the dress-up comment, Doll?” Stark quips, eyes glistening with dangerous amusement.

 The agent snarls, tugging sharply at the chain around the cuffed wrists, and James winces in sympathy, because that had to hurt.  And in the next moment all he can do is gape in mute wonder as Stark moves with quick, catlike grace, dodging, weaving, striking – his movements beautiful, sharp and precise like notes in a perfect symphony, a deadly rhythm that crescendos with the crash of a broken lamp and the sound of three bodies thumping heavily onto the floor, and then stills, punctuated by the diminuendo of heavy breaths.  

 Stark straightens out, casually fixing the tie that got twisted during his brief scuffle.  Walks up to the desk, demonstratively placing the apparently useless cuffs on the smooth surface.  “Good enough?” he asks, a smirk twisting his lips.

 James can’t help but return it.  “Come work for me,” he offers.  And is only slightly surprised (and quite a bit disappointed) when Stark shakes his head in the negative.

 “Sorry, Mr. President, but I like it where I am now just fine.”  

 Stark turns, walks back over to where Happy is slowly collecting himself off the floor.  Helps the man up, steadying him with gentle hands and an apologetic look that Happy brushes off with a genuine if exasperated smile.  Claps the bodyguard lightly on the shoulder and walks out without so much as a backward glance.

#tonyrhodey #ironhusbands #secret service au #special agent tony stark #president james rhodes #hurt/comfort #angst #drama #somethingjustsouthofbrilliance writes