The next day was a blur for Arcturus as he went through the usual routine that preceded his combat training. Although it was true that the final test was still a few days away, his father had kept him training the entire time. There was the morning run of several miles, followed by pushups, sit-ups, squats. During these exercises, his father was shouting questions to him on a dragon's weak spots, along with various other inquiries about their lives, such as their eating habits. Arcturus got many of them right, and, as he began to get cocky, his father started asking him questions about other creatures like werewolves, vampires, and displacer beasts.
But as the day went on, it became harder for Arcturus to focus. His thoughts could simply not get away from the dragoness that was laying bound in a tent several hundred meters away. So, when his father and him split ways for lunch, Arcturus made sure to quickly gather something from his nanny. He asked her for two helpings of the pork that she had managed to cook up with her deft talons.
Her feathers ruffled as she had glared at him with her inquisitive eyes. “It's for a date!" She had laughed through a series of squawks and chirps. “I knew it! You finally took my offer to go date my niece! You really are doing yourself a favor." She gave a pleased chirp from her orange beak as she started to put the slabs of meat on his plate. “Gryphons are more fun, after all."
Arcturus rolled his eyes as the gryphon nanny gave him the requested food. She had always tried to set him up with her niece. The young lass had a fun attitude as bright as her snow-white feathers, and often spoke of interesting things that charmed Arcturus. Still, even with all those qualities, the gryphoness was not his type. Besides, he always was far too busy for pursuits of the heart anyway. “No... I'm just hungry is all...Growing boy and all that."
“Oh...sure, sure, my dear boy," She clacked her beak and handed him the plate. “Just don't get up to no good. Your father will have my head if he finds out you two got into any FUN activities." She gave him a wink along with a flick of her tail.
“You can certainly bet on nothing of that sort!" He protested as she just gave him a smirk like she knew something he didn't. Gryphons. They were always up to no good.
Not him though. Arcturus knew better than arguing. He quickly shoved a piece of bread into his mouth and left the cackling brown gryphon to her own devices. His steps carried him through the tournament grounds, past the people that frolicked around the sea of tents, past the stern-faced contestants, and across the brightly lit grass field. Soon enough, he had snuck around the tent he visited last night, and with a quick glance to confirm no one was looking, the boy slipped past the wall of cloth to greet his mysterious dragoness once again.
“Hello." She turned her head slightly towards him, seconds after he had emerged from under the flap. “I honestly did not expect you back so soon hatch- excuse me. Arcturus." She corrected herself with a smile. “What wind brings you back? The sun is still high. Is it not risky for you to be here in broad daylight?"
“This!" Arcturus blurted out as he held the plate out to proudly display the assortment of tasty meat he procured for her. “I know it's not the best food you can catch…but I figured they would not be feeding you anything." He scratched his head sheepishly while he waited for her response. The dragoness looked to him, as if in deep thought for the moment.
“Could you bring it closer?" She asked, to which he found himself complying, setting the plate down softly before her. She gave him a pleased croon before quickly snatching up the pork, and swallowing the pieces whole with a loud gulp. “Thank you.... that was most kind of you."
“You're welcome. It's the least I could do, heh." He turned to leave, quickly gathering the plate. He did not have long before his father once again would be looking for him to continue their grueling training.
“I'm sorry I have to leave so soon. Wish I could have talked to you more, but…"
“You must be going," The female's gaze drooped. “I understand, Arcturus. Do not feel sad. Even though it was short, your visit pleased me greatly, and not only because you brought me food."
“Really?" The boy's eyes lightened a little. “I'll return as soon as I can. Promise."
The way she spoke pinched his heart. Oh, how much he wanted to stay here and listen to one of her stories. To catch a glimpse on how life felt through the eyes of a dragon!
It'll just be a few hours. A few hours that felt like a drop of eternity for sure. Nevertheless, it was better than to risk an untimely discovery. Arcturus sighed as he went to leave the same way he had arrived, taking a quick peek back at the dragoness that was still looking at him. Her tail tip flicked ever so slightly, reminding Arcturus how a cat's tail might do the exact same thing.
“Fare you well, little Arcturus, and may the sun warm your path." She called after him as he slipped under the tent flap and quickly returned to the day's boring routine of training, with the thoughts of the dragoness swirling within his head.
His day was filled with sword training under the watchful eyes of his father, horseback riding, listing off weak spots of various monsters, and finally, techniques on how to kill a dragon swiftly. His little heart shriveled as his father listed off gruesome ways on how to stab a dragon right through the eye. With shaking hands, the young boy pictured himself with a cold, glimmering blade of sharpened steel in hand. He approached his quarry, pulled his arm back to gather momentum…
Then sunk the sharp tip into the beautiful eye of the dragoness that had been staring at him so kindly before. The voice that came out was not the calm soothing river that cascaded upon his ears the night before, but a wail, sharp as the knots that tightened into his gut. Arcturus closed his eyes. He didn't want to be here. To see her.
But after years of training, his father's voice had a way of slithering into the deepest crevices of his mind, filling his thoughts with vivid images of the techniques he imparted. Warm blood sprung forth like a river, washing over Arcturus like a tide, covering his body in a curtain of the sticky, warm, crimson goo.
“Imagining the glory of your first kill?"
The heavy hand that fell on his shoulder ripped Arcturus away from those dreadful images.
“You're shivering."
Arcturus froze. He dared not even look at his father, out of fear that somehow, his old man could read his very thoughts, so he kept his eyes on the ground and his lips tightly pursed, hoping that he would not be the death of the bronze female. Praying that the flashes of cruelty produced by his mind would not come to pass.
“It's alright, boy. There can be no strength without weakness."
Arcturus let out a short sigh once his father took his hand off. “I felt the same way when I was your age." He started to pace around with his arms crossed. “Afraid. Undecided. Wondering if my first dragon won't make a meal out of me instead. But here I am, standing in the same place as my father, teaching my own son the very things I've learned."
The man approached once again, this time ruffling through the boy's shaggy hair. “Worry not about the future, Arcturus. This weakness you feel will be forged into courage. The trembling in your arms will give way to strength! And when you are ready, know that I will look upon you with pride as you bring glory to our name."
Arcturus couldn't listen to another one of his father's words. There was no glory, only the sight of innocent blood being spilled for no reason. He ran to the shelves of books and buried his nose into a drawn-out lecture of dragon habitats as his father went on and on about how to kill the beasts. Arcturus did his best and managed to answer every question correctly, but during this time, he occupied his mind with more pleasant things. Things that did not have him killing such majestic creatures based on his family's history of hatred.
It was no surprise that when the sun sank below the horizon, and the moon started to bathe the countryside in its white light, that Arcturus quickly gathered his usual things and practically sprinted towards the tent of the bronze dragoness. With a quick, deep breath, he entered the tent to stand once more before the great bronze dragon. “Psssst....Howling Storm." He whispered harshly as he slunk his way through the dimly lit tent.
She turned her head slightly with a pleased trilling noise as her eyes locked onto him and narrowed into amber slits. “Welcome back, little hatchling."
“I thought you predicted my arrival?" He carefully made his way to her front, peaking his head up to make sure that indeed they were alone.
“I must confess that… I was not completely certain you would return." She licked her nose. “Although it is pleasant to know that my words proved true...So." She tilted head slightly to the side. “What wind brings you back? Do you wish to talk to the dragon you are supposed to hate? Or is it another reason that got you here?"
“I am not a hunter!" Arcturus snapped back rather harshly, pointing at her with a scowl. She had to understand he was not like his father, or the rest of the hunters.
The female didn't get angry. Instead, she just gave him a chuckle, her amused eyes sparkled with a set of feelings Arcturus could not fully understand. “You seem very sure of your words."
“That's…that's because I mean them, and I…" His words stopped coming as he thought back to the conversation they had the night before. How her words had proven so different than what he had come to expect.
“I don't want to harm dragons. Even thinking of that makes my stomach feel weird. Instead, I want to know more about dragons. About you."
He blushed and quickly looked down to avoid the female's eyes. “You think I'm weird."
“Not at all," said the dragoness. “I am a bit surprised by what I hear, considering you are a Lund, but I also realize that I cannot always see you through the eyes of my memories. You are not your name. That is what you try to convince me of, is it not?"
“Mhm." Arcturus quickly nodded. “So…you don't think I'm weird?"
She gave another chuckle. “Not at all. In fact, what I see here now is the same sweet boy that brought me a tasty treat this morning."
A rush of pride and excitement rushed through the boy's spine. Her warm words instilled him with the unrelenting urge to hug her, but she was still a dragon…and he, a feeble little boy. Arcturus settled for a meek smile instead of the hug and sat down before her, still outside her reach, but with a relaxed posture.
“What's on your mind, hatchling?"
“Nothing." Arcturus lied.
“Nothing, is it?" The female teased him with her wonderful voice. “Well then, nothing, one thing you need to know about dragons is that our eyes can not only pierce shadows, but lies as well."
Arcturus scrunched his face. She caught him. How, he could not tell, as the books mentioned nothing of a dragon's ability to divine lies. Sure, there were plenty of mentions on clever manipulation, yet in this case, he was the one doing the lying.
“Uhm…ok. I guess I…what I want is to…" He shook his head off the embarrassment that twisted his tongue. Do you think I could get a better look at your scales?" The confidence with which he spoke surprised him.
And by the look of it, surprised her as well.
“You may approach." The female smiled kindly.
Arcturus remained conflicted. Trust her? Or trust his father? Dragons were supposed to be dangerous monsters that lashed out at the world around them, harming any mortal they came in contact with. But when he fell on her last night, she had not attacked him. No slash of claws mauled his flesh, no teeth broke his bones. In the back of his mind, he felt a little more at ease, enough so that he pulled himself closer, so that she could reach him if she wanted to.
“I am curious about one thing. Why not look in a book to learn more about us?" She snorted, her eyes still giving him an amused look. “Your family is also renowned for its resources, and I am sure the answers you seek hide within the pages of a book."
Arcturus shook his head.
“No?" The female inquired. “Why not ask your father? He must have had a few close encounters with my kind during his life."
“I don't want to." Arcturus said sternly. “Please. Don't make me talk to him."
“Alright, little one. It is not my intention to put you in an uncomfortable position." She lowered her snout towards him, making his heart pound a bit faster. He fought the urge to run. She had not harmed him before, after all. “As for that closer look you speak of…I can always give you a better look if you undo some of these straps." She gestured back to the leather binding her. “They feel like rugged vines twisting and coiling around me. I'm not surprised if they peeled a few scales off."
“I know what you're doing." Arcturus scowled as she slowly turned her attention back to him.
“You're trying to play me. Trick me into freeing you!" He crossed his arms defiantly, like a knight standing in the face of danger. He was not Arcturus the child anymore, but Arcturus the dragon slayer. The boy who trained for years to resist a dragon's manipulation.
“Arcturus, I assure you that-“
“NO!" His frown deepened. “I won't be tricked into doing your bidding. You will have to find some other sucker."
“Sucker?" She laughed, “I begin to think you are, for assuming the worst. Have we not talked peacefully before? Have I harmed you in any way so far?"
Arcturus' conviction faltered a little. It wasn't fair to attack his feelings like that.
“I am only asking for this small favor so that I can offer exactly what you requested. Just release one limb at a time to get a good look at any part of me you wish. You would still get to gaze upon my scales up close, and I can stretch that limb. Then, after you are pleased, you can redo the binding, and undo another one. One by one, you can get a good look at all of me."
Her words were true. More than that, they made sense to him. After all, he yearned to see every part of her majestic body. He just wrinkled his face as she just smiled at him. It was like she knew what he was thinking. Aware that she was winning this little game with him.
“And the book thing? You can agree that you are certainly not a book written by mortals. You can give me deeper insight and knowledge that I would not be able to find there...as for my father…" His face darkened at the thought of the man that was so comfortable with killing that he could smile and joke about doing it. The man that despised dragons so much that he shut down any pleasant talk about them. They were always monsters, silver tongued devils, evil beings that were never supposed to be trusted or shown mercy. “I want to learn things unburdened by his hatred."
“Once again you speak strong words. Are you sure you are not a hatchling?" She gave a pleasured rumble from her throat. “Now...What was your first question? I do have one condition to mention."
“What is that?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Despite being slightly against what the books had said about her kind, the dragoness still seemed to be planning something.
“For every question that you ask, I request you release a limb to inspect. It will pass the time and allow me to stretch. And besides." She snorted. “Maybe after a few questions and a thorough inspection of my scales, you will see that we are more than mere monsters to be hunted and killed. Do we have a deal?"
“We have a deal." He approached her further. “Uhm, so for the first question…I want to know…how does it feel like to fly with the sky beneath your wings?"
“Do you not know?" The dragoness seemed surprised. “I know you don't have wings, but surely you have been on a gryphon's back by now. I heard of no Lund, child or otherwise, to stay away from the grasp of the sky."
“No…" He fidgeted slightly. “I… I am afraid of heights. Never been on a gryphon or on the deck of an airship before." He looked away, his face reddening as he admitted that fact. He waited for a moment for her reply, then looked back when she cleared her throat. He turned to see she was gesturing to her right forelimb.
Mentally kicking himself, Arcturus approached her, placing his hands on the tight leather. He took a deep breath as he hesitated with the bindings. Was he really going to do this? Risk her getting loose to get some answers? He looked back to her kind eyes, and her soft smile that melted away his doubts. Of course, she could not escape, and she had been quite nice to him. Without another thought, Arcturus confidently undid the binding.
“Aahhhhh...That's better." She let out a small groan as she stretched the scaly appendage. “Thank you for trusting me, Arcturus. Here. Look as long as you wish." She replied, holding her limb out for him to see. The fine smooth scales shimmered in the mana lantern light as he reached out to touch it with his hand.
His breath quickened as he hesitated at first, hovering his fingers over the smooth armor. With a quick shake of his nerves, he ran his fingers along the warm scales. He could not believe what was happening as he traced them. Here he was, getting to touch the dragon without fear of getting hurt. He could feel her muscles tense and relax as she sighed from his touch. “How about that answer?"
“Hmmmmm...mind on task…" She chuckled. “The wind feels nice beneath my wings, dear little one. When I am up there, I feel as if I were more free than any creature that inhabits the world. To be up there along the white clouds is pure joy. I especially love the feeling of the sun bathing me in its warm rays. There is… hardly another way to describe it...it's pure bliss."
Arcturus closed his eyes as he continued to touch the dragoness. For a moment, he imagined himself as a dragon, with wings flapping high into the sky. His green eyes were full of joy as he let out his own roar of happiness. “That sounds delightful," He laughed as he made his way down to her paw. “Now tell me about-"
“That was not the deal, little human." She cut him off with a snort. “One limb for one question."
He retracted his hands, letting her place her limb back on the ground. “Okay." He grabbed the leather and rebound the limb. He was surprised when she did not resist and let him do so. “You… did not fight me."
“Why would I? I gave you my word that everything will go exactly as we agreed." She lowered her voice, taking a deep breath. “I do not lie to somebody I care about."
Arcturus looked back to her as the words lingered in his mind. They certainly sounded truthful, honest, and he felt that familiar feeling about his father's words spring forth. He followed her scales, down her belly, until he was near one of her larger hind paws. He undid the leather there to allow the female to stretch out her hind leg with a groan of relief.
“Are dragons afraid?"
“What kind of question is that, Arcturus? I am a living being blessed with intelligence...I have of course felt fear that has shook me to the very marrow of my bones. I have felt joy that has threatened to lift me into the sky aloft in its embrace. I have held love that has made my heart threaten to leap from my scaled chest." She suddenly stopped, as her mood darkened and her head drooped. “And I have also felt sadness that has stabbed my heart, and made me wish that I were dead." Arcturus watched the navy color of her frills turn a darker shade of blue, almost midnight black. It started out slow from her head frill and worked its way towards the tip of her tail.
“I..." Arcturus felt guilt strike him like a spear to the chest. He turned back to the dragoness. Her eyes were closed. For a moment, it looked like she had a tear trickling down from her eyes. That was ridiculous, right? Dragons could not possibly cry! However, with the lingering silence that engulfed the tent, he was not so certain anymore, as that tear dripped down her pebbly cheek and dripped onto the ground. “I'm sorry." He approached her snout without any thoughts for his safety, and wiped her tear away from her warm cheek. “What happened?"
“I..." She opened her eyes with a sniff, and Arcturus saw an honest look of pain within them. The look his father had the day his mother had died, the look he had seen in the mirror as well. “I lost a mate to hunters." She snarled, “hunters like your parents."
Arcturus took a step back as it felt like she had struck him with a dagger. “M-m-m…Mmmy…" He stuttered heavily as he remembered her kind brown eyes, her soft touch, and the voice that had brought comfort to him for seven years of his life. Despite her being gone for five years, he still felt like a frightened child when his thoughts wandered back to her. “M-My mother was not a hunter…she…she loved dragons." He felt his eyes start to mist up as he looked away from the dragon.
“Oh," He heard her voice, calm and gentle once again. “Are you crying, little one?"
“N-no." He wiped his eye with his sleeve. “M-men don't cry."
“That's stupid. You are not a man yet, little hatchling...Tell me please. What happened to your mother?"
“She...went on a riding trip with her horse. The horse got frightened and reared up. My mother fell from her saddle and hit her neck on the hard ground." Arcturus painfully gestured to his neck and made a cracking noise. “She died almost instantly." He wiped his eyes again, this time clearing away the crystalline tears that made his vision fuzzy. With a few deeper breaths and extra help from his sleeves, his eyes were dry again. He tried to focus on the dragoness in front of him instead of his missing mother.
“It's not wrong to cry." She said softly, sounding more like his mother with each word she spoke from her snout. “You don't have to hide your feelings from anyone. Especially me...I bet you miss her dearly."
“I do." He hung his head as he felt his heart wrestled away from his chest. “Even after five years, it isn't getting any easier. I miss her every day."
“Tell me about her." The bronze dragoness lowered her head towards him, slowly approaching him with those same kind and caring eyes. Arcturus found himself raising his hands and running them along her snout, with one hand on her nose.
Her scales were once again soft to the touch, and made him think of a warm blanket pressed against his skin. One that had been warmed by the afternoon sun. He told her through misted eyes about all the times he spent with his mother. He told her about the pleasant days, the great nights, and how he longed to hear her voice once more. When he finished, his throat was tight, sore, and his eyes were red from tears.
“She sounds like a very kind human. Please excuse my thoughtless words. I am truly sorry for judging such a fine human on a whim. I have allowed hatred to find its way back inside me, but that is wrong…so wrong. I know my mate would not approve of it. He…he would have…" She suddenly opened her maw quickly and gave him a gentle lick across his face with her large, slimy eel of a tongue.
Arcturus froze as the tongue retreated back into her maw, leaving him covered with a thin layer of clear saliva. His eyes widened in shock as he just stared at her for a few moments longer. She had just licked him. Right across his face! And he had done nothing to resist it. “W-Why did you do that?" He asked her quietly, looking up into her eyes once again.
“It's a comforting thing to do when someone is in pain." She replied quickly without skipping a beat. “That is something dragon mothers do to their offspring, to show them affection and help fight away the encroaching sadness that might lurk within their minds."
Arcturus wiped away the sticky liquid from his face, sticking his tongue out as it slowly dripped down his finger. He flicked it away without another thought. “It's gross."
“You're welcome." she snorted and narrowed her eyes.
He quickly snapped his mouth shut, as he realized that he might have hurt the dragoness. She was close, after all, close enough to bite him if she wanted to. “I-I didn't hate it though." He said, lowering his head. “It was warm, and it helped. Thank you very much."
“You are most welcome, my dear little human." She said soothingly. “Quickly, hide!" she then hissed, causing Arcturus to bolt towards the closest thing available, which was her. He crouched low behind her neck, finding himself pressed up against her scales. He lowered his head as he listened to the sounds of heavy footsteps moving within the tent.
“Anyone here?" Came the slurred voice of the midnight guard. “Cause ya ain' suppose ta be hya...its da rules!" Arcturus heard him burp, and suddenly take a large gulp from whatever he was drinking from.
The boy just stayed crouched low, trying to keep himself as tightly against her as he could. He covered his mouth as he felt his heart beat faster with each approaching foot step. He could feel the sensation of his heart being pulled in all directions at once. He dared not think what the guards would do if there were to find him here with the dragon. Would they disqualify him? The thought sent a shiver down his spine as he pictured his father's disappointed gaze, his wrinkled brow, and his stern words about failure.
“Coulda swore I 'eard someone talkin' wit ya." He heard the sound of a sloshing bottle as Howling Storm just snorted in disgust. He could feel her muscles tense up beneath her scales.
“There was no one in here except me, you sweaty pig. I suggest you go somewhere else before you fill up my tent with the fine scent of a distillery."
“Oy? What's tha? Ya haf da guts ta speak to me? Don't need a talkin' to from a fockin monster. Besides...who'd want to talk to somethin' like yaself? Tis like…courtin' death or somethin." The man laughed, turned back around, and exited the tent as quickly as he had come. Arcturus emerged from the warm dragoness when he heard the sound of the flaps closing behind the man.
“That was close." She said, relief ever present in her voice as she looked to him.
“You can say that again." He wiped several beads of sweat from his brow, giving her a smile. “Thanks for acting as my hiding spot."
“Did not really have the choice, dear." She pulled against the leathers. “Not bound as I am, anyway. Arcturus, can I ask you a question?"
“Yes?" he found himself smiling as he placed a hand to her snout once again, running a hand gently up her warm cheek.
“We have grown…closer over the few times we spent together, and I am wondering if, perhaps, you can find it in your heart to free me from these shackles."
“I..I..." Arcturus stammered, feeling his chest tighten back up again. The dragoness spoke truly. They had grown closer, but to go against his father, his family, against everything he knew…it was too much, even for a friend.
“I can't," Arcturus pulled his hand away. “I'm sorry, but you are asking me the impossible."
“I understand. It was worth a try." She lowered her head, her eyes drooping. “I thought you would be able to help me."
“I want to, but…" She was a dragon sent here to be bound and killed. There had to be a reason for all of this. There had to be, unless his father was interested in killing innocent dragons for sport and glory. “I want to help you. I really do, but they'd start to suspect me, and they'll probably track you down and capture you again anyway." He finally admitted with a sigh.
“No matter then." She replied almost in a whisper. “I think you must go for the night. I wish to be alone with my thoughts for the time being."
“With who? Why?" he found himself asking as turned to sneak out of the tent.
“If you return tomorrow, I will tell you why."
Arcturus nodded as he snuck his way out of the tent, offering her a sweet goodbye. She just returned the sentiment with the same endearment she had shown before. Arcturus tried to fight the guilt building in his heart as he passed the plethora of tents, but it was of no use. He turned back to the tent to admire it flapping gently from the breeze in the air. He made a mental note to return tomorrow night. He had to know why she was here, and where her thoughts were keeping her.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Welcome back, Arcturus," came Howling Storm's voice as he entered the tent the next night. The entire day had been a blur. Everything he had done was just a way to get back to the dragoness. The scaled creature that had him captivated with its magnificence, drawn in with her unnatural kindness.
“Hello.“ He said back quietly, looking around quickly and taking a seat cross-legged before her. “How was your day?"
“You ask as if I were not bound in these leather straps while I wait for my death." She glared at him, snorting a small plume of air out of her nostrils. “But to answer your question...Boring."
“Sorry. I could not sneak any food for you today. My father had his eyes on me like a watchful hawk." He looked down when she pulled against her bindings once more. “Can we go back to the conversation we had the last night? The one where I ask a question and I let you stretch a limb?"
“Once again, straight to the point." She sighed, lowering her head to the ground. “We may do that, but I have to change our little arrangement a little bit. Instead of being asked every time, I wish to ask you a few questions of my own."
“I…yes, that's doable," Arcturus nodded, “what do you want to know?"
“Arcturus...I want to know what you honestly think of dragons. I want to know what lurks within that part of your mind that is still unburdened by your father's judgment, your family's history, and most of all, their hatred. I want to know what the hatchling in front of me really thinks."
“That's…complicated. Need to think." He searched his mind for the right answer, finding it fairly easy. He remembered all the nights looking into his books, and every story where he wondered if his father was telling the truth. Every time he looked to Radiant Flame, or any other dragon, Arcturus wondered if there were more sides, more details to the story. “I don't honestly know, Howling Tempest. I want to know more about you...about all dragons. I want to learn so I can make my own decisions regarding them."
“Would you ever harm a hatchling that had done you no wrong? Even if their parents had done terrible things?"
“Never." Arcturus stuck his tongue out in disgust at the thought. “That would be horrible. Can you tell me what you were thinking about last night?" He moved closer to her as she rumbled in her throat, then took a deep breath that made her scales clink slightly.
“I can do that. Yes." She gestured back to her hind paws. “Although I wish to stretch my left leg if you would not mind. I think it has fallen asleep and that is driving me with a madness you would not even begin to understand."
Arcturus nodded and quickly undid the bindings on her leg, letting her stretch it before him with a groan.
“Mrawwhhhm...That is nice..." She closed her eyes and started to purr as she wiggled her leg slightly.
Arcturus ignored the cute noises she was making and touched the paw that moved towards him. It stopped wiggling as his soft hands caressed the digits there, running over the smooth scales and finding the hide beneath them. He laughed as she suddenly pulled away with a giggle. “Whoa....Didn't expect you to be so ticklish!" He gasped as she let loose another giggle as he followed her paw with his deft fingers.
“Grrrr...." She closed her snout, and continued to steadily pull from his grasp but, never getting away for more than a couple of moments. “As embarrassing as that is to admit, even dragons have their weak spots."
“Tickly dragon tickly dragon tickly dragon!" Arcturus giggled as he traced his fingers from the soft digits to the paw pads beneath them. He caressed the soft leathery hide with the palm of his hand, finding them rather warm and pleasing to the touch. It was hard to believe a creature like this would have such soft paws, especially when the rest of the foot was armored with heavy scales that could turn even metal blades with their strength.
“Ok, I'll slow down. Tell me about your thoughts." He continued to caress the soft toes, finding them captivating and soothing as his thoughts drifted to his mother.
“Well…this might not be what you expect." Her voice lowered as her laughter died and her mood darkened, almost like a shadow had wrapped itself around her heart. “I was thinking about the little hatchlings I left behind. They are small, vulnerable, just like you…waiting for their mother to come home and comfort them."
Arcturus' fingers froze on her paw. She was a mother? His heart began to feel heavy again as the guilt started to creep back in. Not just because it was his family that was keeping her here, but that she had a small family of her own. She had offspring that cared about her, that would miss her, that would...
Arcturus shook his head. His thoughts immediately flew back to his mother, particularly to how he had hurt so badly when she perished. How he still hurt after all this time. “I..." he coughed, the tightness in his chest getting heavier. “Sorry. Didn't know you had hatchlings."
“Oh yes." She snorted weakly. “They are a bundle of energy, and they make my heart crack and go as soft as your human skin. I cannot fathom what their life will become if they are forced to grow on their own...if they even manage that."
“No…they can't…die." Arcturus looked up to the female, trying hard to keep his tears where they belonged. “Can they?"
“They are still small, Arcturus," The dragoness' whisper seeped into his flesh. “Imagine you are left in the wilds to fend for yourself. How long would you survive?"
“I…don't want to think about that. Not if I can let you go back to them!" He found himself saying without another thought. He was surprised, covering his mouth instantly after the words flew from his mouth. He imagined his mother would have just been proud at his exclamation.
“You can do what?" She asked, as if she did not hear his words the first time.
He froze for a moment as she stared at him expectantly. Her breaths were the only sound he could hear as his heart rammed against his chest. He thought to his mother, who was surely watching him in this moment. He cleared his throat and found his bravery as he looked into that dragon's eyes. “I said I can free you.... on one condition."
“You but only have to name it, human. I imagine you want treasure or something of material value like most of your kind?" She rolled her eyes.
“No…I want to know if you did any of the crimes they accused you of. I want to know if you belong here, in these bindings."
“You want to know if I deserve to die over my actions." She chuckled. “I hunted in what one of your lords deemed his forest. I killed what he considered his deer, a big stag that I needed just for my hatchlings and myself. The coward must have hired your family to capture me, all in the name of one little beast I took for food. Are you happy now, little one?"
“Sorry. Didn't mean to sound mean."
“The fault is mine," The female spoke over him. “My hatchlings…I worry about them so much. If you'd only know how heavy my heart feels, maybe-“
“I will free you." Arcturus forced himself to smile. “A promise is a promise, yes?"
The dragoness closed her eyes.
Arcturus nodded. He felt his heart pound harder. With shaking hands, he undid one belt around her limbs. One by one the others followed, his quick fingers letting the leather plop onto the ground before he undid the bindings on her wings. His smile broadened as she stood up, easily towering over him.
“B-b-big." He stuttered as the female spread her beautiful wings. The dark navy of her membranes had shifted to a bright shade of pink that reminded Arcturus of the cherry blossoms that he heard about in Drenedar. “There you go, Howling Storm...Go home to your...."
His words were cut short as the dragoness suddenly wrapped her limb around him and charged through the tent. She bounded over the grass, stretching her wings wide and giving them a mighty flap that carried them both into the cold air of the night.
“Aaaahhhhhhhh!" Arcturus screamed out, holding tight against her limbs as he felt his stomach lurch in his body. This is how I die...Please....Not here. Not now. Not before I get to…
He felt her tighten her grip on him, holding him firmly against her warm scaled chest. He felt sorry for himself as she carried him higher and higher into the dark, cloud filled sky. The chill of the biting wind made him shiver in her grasp. His heart sank as his father turned out to be right. Dragons were good-for-nothing, silver-tongued devils, and now he was going to die for being a gullible fool. If not from the fall, she was no doubt going to bring him somewhere and eat him. He cried out into the night air as loudly as he could, tears starting to trail over his flushed little cheeks.
“Cease your screaming, little human." She snarled out. “You sound like one of those banshee creatures that can kill with a shriek like yours. Stop it, unless you want me to cork your little snout."
“Eep!" Arcturus shut his mouth and hugged her fingers tighter. Fear wrapped his heart in its embrace as he continued to sob quietly into her scales. For he, Arcturus Lund, was going to die this evening at the claws of the dragoness that he had trusted. The one dragon he decided to help.
This is what your good deed gets you...Eaten by the dragon you tried to save.
It was almost ironic how right that sounded.
* * * * * * * * * *
Arcturus shivered in the night. His breath, as well as his heart rate, slowed down during the cold flight. The dragoness had not looked to him once the entire time, her wings beating steadily against the air. It was their constant rhythm and her steady heartbeat that allowed him to shift his focus away from how high up they were right now. Not like he could turn around and look, for she clutched him so painfully close to her chest. He had stopped his sobbing a while back, trying to think about what needed to be done. He was trapped in a dragonesses' grip with little chance of escape. His mind went to his dagger as he wrinkled his brow. There was always the option of making a last stand, one final effort before he would be devoured alive.
His heart started beating faster when he felt her decent towards a rocky area located near the ocean, if the sound of the waves crashing against the stony shore was any indication. He closed his eyes and readied himself as he felt her back-wing and touch down with her hinds, her pads only making the softest of noises against the stone. Arcturus was let go softly, landing onto the stone, and falling backwards onto his read end. He was left staring up at the towering dragoness that had plucked him from the earth. The little boy immediately scrambled away from her as she refolded her wings against her back.
“Please don't try anything foolish. We are miles away from civilization, and I assure you, the best choice you can make is to stay here with me for the night." She quickly reached out to him with a paw like lighting. Arcturus made sure to turn, and in one swift motion, he yanked the dagger out of hiding and plunged the sharp tip into the soft underside of her paw.
“I will not be eaten without a fight!" He shouted out with false bravery as she reared back with a snarl.
“You call that an attack?" She lifted her lips to expose her teeth as she advanced on him. “I have felt thorns inflict more pain on my paws. What were you thinking, little Arcturus? What result did you hope for? Please, tell me. I am extremely intrigued to hear more about your escape plan." She snapped at him, causing Arcturus to yell out in fright.
“Stay away from me! I know what you plan. What you want to do. Dragons…You're all the same, and I stupidly fell in your trap!" He shivered, stuttering as she just glared at him. He looked past her, towards the rocky ground beneath her paws. She was blocking the only way out, and the way behind him led deeper into her cave. She had him trapped. She knew it, and he knew it as well. Arcturus narrowed his eyes and held the dagger out with both shaking hands.
“Oh, drop the act already." She smacked the dagger out of his hand with a swipe of her paw that made him stumble backwards, rubbing the reddened area. “You are not a warrior, Arcturus. Give up."
“P-please...you can't just…eat me…" He cried as she advanced and pushed him into her cave with her scaly tail. “I helped you! I let you go! Please, we're friends!"
“Will you ever stop talking? Consider yourself lucky that I bothered to bring you all the way here." She growled, guiding him with her tail whenever he slowed down or tried to shift directions. “You are mine now. I suggest you deal with your predicament in smarter ways than fighting like a drunkard or shouting like a little banshee."
How did I end up here? How? He found his eyes misting again as the female's tail smacked him roughly to force him into the dark confines of her cave. It was only like that for a short portion. A glow came from inside the cave, thanks to the glowing algae on the walls that painted the dark stone with a soft turquoise light. They did not stop as he felt another smack of her tail along with a growl that escaped her throat.
“Don't think about escaping." She pulled him again with her tail. “I have some dragons that are very eager to meet you, little hunter."
“For the thousandth time, I am not a hunter!" Arcturus stammered. “How many times do I have to say it? You're right! I'm not my father. I'm not a warrior!" He shouted out, causing her to turn to him with a great big snarl.
“That remains to be seen." She held her head up as they came to what looked like a large room of stone spikes jutting from the floor. On the opposite side of this open space was a rather soft looking nest laid out in a circular shape.
Arcturus' eyes widened at what lay inside the nest. Three little bronze scaled hatchlings, all huddled together, shivering and whispering to one another when they strolled over. He felt the female's tail leave him as she bound towards her little offspring.
“Momma!" They all cried in unison as she began to lick and nuzzle them with an affection Arcturus never witnessed before. The hatchlings bounded around her legs, grabbed at her scales with their tiny paws, all to get their share of attention. A bleak smile forced Arcturus' lips to move slightly. He was almost certain Howling Storm had forgotten about him completely now that she had been reunited with her children.
Maybe I can hide and avoid getting fed to her little monsters. Arcturus quickly bolted behind one of the stone spikes that grew from the ground, peeking out for a few moments as he watched the bronze mother continue to purr and pull her offspring close against her. She fell back with them clutched in her limbs, laughing as her wings hit the back of her nest. He could not make out what she was saying, as the only sounds escaping her maw were snarling, hissing, or growling noises. It could only be described as cute as she touched her hatchling's snouts, licked their cheeks and nuzzled their little bodies. She continued this up for several minutes before carefully picking them off her one by one and setting them on the cavern floor. It was when she shot her snout right in his direction that he noticed his hiding place had not been as useful as he imagined.
She advanced on him, looking like a great predatory cat as Arcturus scrambled backwards away from her. His heart threatened to burst out as she quickly closed the distance and cut off his escape with her lengthy tail.
“You will be staying for dinner, little human."
He gulped as he turned around to face the imposing dragoness. “Don't eat me!" He screamed out, tears filling his eyes as he begged for his life. “I'm sorry for stabbing you! I'm sorry for speaking bad things of dragons. Please, just don't eat me!"
“Grrrah! You are exasperating! I am not going to eat you." She snorted, “What I am going to do is hunt something that will fill my belly after the warm reception your family gave me." She thrust a talon right between his eyes. “You are to stay here with my hatchings. If I catch even a single scale of theirs out of place, I will start assuming things you don't even want me to think about. Then I will personally eat you, letting you experience digestion while still being alive. Do you understand?" She snarled loudly, snapping her jaws right in front of his face, causing the frightened boy to yelp.
“Y-yes!" He collapsed onto all fours as he hung his head. He only rose it when she had made her way out of the cavern and up the rocky path. Arcturus was left alone to look at three sets of green eyes staring at him from the nest.
Great…now I have them to deal with. Arcturus scrambled back towards his protective spikes as he saw three tails swish back and forth behind them. The little dragons started to whisper in those same growls and hisses to one another. He thought he saw them shiver, and crouch low to avoid his gaze, although he pushed that thought from his mind. What reason they had to be afraid of him? He was the one who had been captured by the deceitful dragoness. Probably find himself on the evening menu too, if she returned empty handed. He imagined himself as an appetizer, or possibly a snack after they feasted on whatever she brought back.
Arcturus waited among those cold stone spikes for countless minutes. Time seemed to freeze when he just continued to glare out in terror at the little hatchlings that looked back at him from the nest. He finally devolved into small whimpers as he hugged his knees and looked away. If only he had listened to his father, if only he was not stupid enough to fall for her lies. He might still be back in his tent, inside his warm bed, under the fluffy covers he looked forward to each night, instead of laying on a cold stone floor, about to be fed to a bunch of dragon hatchlings. Sure. She said she was not going to eat him, but she had already lied to him once. What difference did it make if she lied to him again? He shivered and hugged himself tighter when he heard the sounds of Howling Tempest's claws against the stone as she returned into the cavern.
Howling Tempest held onto the scruff of a large stag that hung limply from her jaws. Her bronze scales were painted in a thin layer of red that made Arcturus shiver at the thought of what she would do to him. Her eyes went to her hatchlings, and then straight to him. It felt like she was piercing into his soul with her fearsome eyes. Her stern gaze caused the little boy to crouch lower and hug the stone spike as the female made her way over to her offspring and set down the animal a few feet away from the nest. She spoke to the little dragons with the same hisses and growls, getting little pleased sounds back. Like little rumbling purrs or chirping noises the gryphons made in similar situations.
Arcturus' mouth dropped in horror as the female ripped into the stag, pulling it apart in one great tug, painting the stone beneath in dark crimson ooze. As if on cue, the little ones grabbed hold of sections of the stag with their little teeth and started to rip and tear just like their mother had done, chomping away happily as their little snouts started to resemble that of red dragons instead of bronze.
'
Arcturus almost vomited as he continued to watch. The sounds of flesh ripping, snouts chewing, and the feasting lingered in his mind like a thick haze you couldn't get rid of. Despite how disgusted he was of what was happening, he could not force himself to look away from them. To his surprise, something else happened in this feeding frenzy of blood. The dragoness was acting very loving to them. Her saw her lick their snouts once or twice to make sure they were not splattered in the blood of the deceased stag. She also cut out sections with her onyx claws and handed them over to the hungry hatchlings. Arcturus was not familiar with sections of the animal, but it occurred to him she might have been offering them the best parts of the kill. The process continued until there was only a small section of the stag left. All three hatchlings purred with fulfillment. They pressed up against their mother, and Howling Storm licked each one in turn from snout to tail, until not a single drop of blood sullied their little scaled bodies.
“Are you ever going to come out from your hiding spot, fierce, brave Arcturus?" Howling Tempest looked up with a smile, licking her snout with what Arcturus painted as satisfaction. “You're not doing a good job at hiding, so I suggest you come over and grab this last piece of stag. For me, it is insignificant, but to you, this is very much life, unless you prefer to clutch your growling stomach throughout the night."
Did she want him to feed it to her little ones? He took a step out as she growled her instructions again.
Arcturus sheepishly walked over to the family of dragons. What choice did he have? She could just snatch him up whenever she wanted, and feed him to her hatchling with ease. Without a word he hung his head and sat down before them. “What is it you want me to do before you eat me?" He shut his eyes tight and fought off the sobs threatening to burst out of his throat.
“Eat you?" Her voice devolved into growling laughter. “It's the third time I have to explain that and you...Oh…I see what the problem is."
Arcturus opened his eyes to see that her snout was wrinkled up like she was going to sneeze.
“Ever since I snatched you from the bowels of that ugly cloth-home, you think I am still lying to you." She lowered her snout as the hatchlings dove under her. “I have a family like I said. My mate is not here for the reason I mentioned in our earlier conversation. To say I lied to you is an overstatement."
“A what?" Arcturus frowned. “You took me from my home!"
“Yes, for reasons you made me painfully aware of. If your hunters come looking for me, I can make a deal with them. Your life in exchange for the lives of my hatchlings."
“That's what I am? A pawn?"
“An insurance for a day that hopefully never comes. Now please, relax. I am not feeding you to my hatchlings, nor am I keeping you for myself." She gestured to the bloody mess of the stag. “I figured you were hungry, and since you were kind enough to feed me during my captivity, I thought it best to return the favor."
Feed him? He looked back to the stag, trying to not vomit as he looked to the ragged bits of flesh left still on the corpse. “I…that's not…I can't eat raw meat. It makes humans sick."
“Oh, that." She said flatly. “I forgot you mortals don't have strong stomachs in that regard." She reached down with a talon to cut out a section of the stag for him. She made several quick and precise cuts with her talons. Arcturus watched and imagined what those things could do to armor, or even her enemies if she wanted to really hurt someone. “Here," She held up another paw, and with a simple touch the meat started to change color from the dark red to a well-cooked brown. “Simple bit of magic, and you have yourself a cooked piece of stag that you can hopefully digest."
He felt his stomach rumble, as if wolves were ripping at his insides. When the dragoness lowered the meat, Arcturus grabbed hold of it with his hands, the juices leaking through his fingers. He wrinkled his brow at the thought of getting so dirty, but he was hungry, and the piece was not that hot to the touch. He took a bite as he saw her, along with the three sets of eyes, watch his feeding. It was not the tastiest meat, magic-cooked and without any sort of seasoning. However, he politely chewed, swallowed, and offered a pleasing sounding. “Mmmmm."
The dragoness gave him a pleased trilling noise as he continued to gobble up the meat she had provided, and when he was finished he set it aside with the stag, patting his belly as he did so. “That hit the spot. Thank you for being...well, like this, and sorry for my behavior. After you captured me, I jumped to the worst conclusions and eeeeeep!"
He was greeted by her slimy tongue in the most surprising and inappropriate of moments. The warm organ bathed him in dragon saliva in the same sloppy way it cleaned the hatchlings. “H-Hey!" He tried to protest, but she insisted. He tried to push her away at first, finding it disgusting and a bit weird for her to be doing it. But then it, occurred to him -as she continued his assault on him with her tongue- that she was licking him exactly like she had done with her little ones, so he stopped resisting and let her work. It was hard to describe what the tumultuous feelings that coursed through his body were as she licked across his brow, across his neck, and eventually all over his clothes. It felt like he was one of her offspring, and could feel the caring nature she held within her heart through each one of her tender licks. Arcturus found himself liking the sensation after the first few minutes of grooming. He even felt a pang of disappointment when she licked her nose and pulled away from him.
“There now. You are clean, just like the rest of my family."
Arcturus mumbled his gratitude when the shrilling voice of a hatchling startled him.
“Story, momma!" The little male jumped on her right forelimb, rustling his little frills that looked like his mother's, except he bore a dark red strike at the base.
“Yes! Tell us story!" Came the voice of another one, clearly a female, with a yellow stripe.
“Please?" The last one bounded over, another male with a blue stripe. He nudged and pushed the others out of the way as all three snouts looked to her expectantly.
“Story! Story! Story!" The three hatchlings chanted in unison. They tapped their tails against the stone, refolded their wings against their backs, and at times clacked their little charcoal talons together.
Arcturus felt a smile come to his face from that display. He let out a small gasp when, suddenly, a larger bronze tail pushed him to sit with the little bronze hatchlings. “Whoa…" He went to protest only to be silenced when she started speaking in a loud and booming voice.
“This is not a story per say, little ones, but a statement of facts." Howling Storm lowered her snout to each one of them in turn, including Arcturus. She lingered for a few moments on him, her eyes looking tired and pained as she began to speak. “We are leaving this home, these lands, and everything they offer behind." She rose her head to gaze out to the way that led outside. “I will take my clutch far from Lumara, away from the rule of a despot who kills dragons based on nothing but lies."
Arcturus was about to ask a question about this. His king, killing dragons based on lies? Was the man just like his father in that regard? Lumping the bad deeds of certain dragons in with the rest of their species? Before he spoke, however, Howling Storm carried on.
“Your king would end our lives based on numerous small offenses. Theft of animals, trespassing on his land." She snorted, “He spews such horrendous nonsense. As if all of us were the murdering monsters of old. As if all of us kidnap mortals, eat them, or destroy your villages. All we want is a patch of land to call our own, peace to raise our hatchlings, and freedom to soar along the sky. Surely that should not doom a whole species to death. Gryphons are not targeted for extermination as far as I know."
Arcturus said nothing as she continued telling her tale about the king's misdeeds towards her kind. Several more dragons that had been killed with nothing more than minor crimes, or some that had done nothing at all. It was a rather difficult thing for Arcturus to stomach on such a strange night, but with the conviction of her words and the honesty blazing in her eyes, Arcturus found himself believing every word that was coming out of her maw. He was even deeply saddened when he heard a story of hatchlings that were stoned to death by an angry mob of mortals, because they thought the little dragons were associated with a villainous monster that had lurked within their hills in ages past. He watched as her own hatchlings shivered at the story, quickly bounding under her wings. They even pressed themselves against her with little whining noises.
Arcturus felt his heart start to ache as she wrapped her wing around them, whispering soothing sounds to them, and nuzzling their little snouts. It made him long for his mother's touch, to hear her words once again grace his ears.
With her tale about the state of dragon kind finished, the bronze dragoness brought her little ones back into her nest, laying down and having them cuddle against her in one pile of striking bronze scales. She wrapped one wing around them and just looked up to Arcturus, then opened her other wing. Howling Tempest gestured to it with her snout. “Come and slumber with us. My wings and scales are warmer than the cold floor, and much more comfortable."
Arcturus looked to the dark stone, then back to the expectant female dragon that had fed him, shared tales, and licked him in the same affectionate way she treated her hatchlings. He shivered from the cold air of the night before scampering over to her. Once there, Arcturus lowered himself into her warm embrace. He felt her wrap a forelimb around him, followed by her wing. It was rather warm, pleasant, and the comfort of being protected by such a powerful creature made him want to sink further into her grasp. He closed his eyes, sighing at the pleasant heat exuded by her body and the pleasant comfort of her scales. Arcturus realized that with her breaths, and steady thumping of her heart, he felt at peace. With a final exhale, the young boy left his dreams take him away upon the ethereal winds of a realm where he too could soar upon the sky like a dragon.
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