Where Dragons Rule
A Dragon's Pain


By Sonny Dae


© 2020, Sonny Dae, All Rights Reserved

The moon was unusually bright tonight. Usually, it sat in
the sky, extending its light towards the world but never quite reaching. Tonight,
the lonely streets were bathed in its pale glow. The silence and still breeze
were calming as if the world held its breath in anticipation of some grand event.

Reks always enjoyed nights like
these. The moon was better than the sun which always seemed too bright. Not
that there was anything he could do about it. He remembered hearing somewhere
that Silver Horntails spent most of their life underground and ventured out at
sunset. That could explain the light sensitivity.

            But it
didn't explain why his scales were a silver color, or why he had spikes on his
tail, or why he could breathe fire if he lived underground. The humans couldn't
explain a lot of things. But there was nothing he could do about that either.

He stood and stretched raising his
tail towards the sky and holding that position for several seconds before
sitting back down. Guard duty was the worst. Most places wouldn't dare break
into a place with a dragon parked out front which was why he was there, but it
wasn't a full deterrent. Some humans were more than willing to shoot a dragon
to get what they wanted.

            But it
wasn't the danger that bothered him. It was boredom. Sitting in one place for
hours with no hope of entertainment, sustenance, or relief.  He was stuck there in front of the large
warehouse door until morning. If hungry, he went without eating. If thirsty, he
had to hope for rain. If he needed to piss, he had to go where he stood. Sleep
was not an option. The consequences should anyone learn he left his post were
too severe to take a risk.

            A rat ran
past and Reks's stomach growled. He purposely didn't eat dinner because then he
would want to relieve himself. He learned a long time ago it was better to go
hungry than to have to put up the stench of his shit.

            The sound
of claws on the ground brought his attention back to the present. He quickly
stood and adopted a threatening stance. “Who's there?"

            A large dragon,
a Highwind Ravager, appeared from behind a stack of crates. Instead of the
usual blood-red scales Ravagers were known for, he was a light shade almost
pink in color. But the drake's size was the real problem. He was similar in
size to a large horse which made him bigger than Reks. The drake wore a wide
grin on its face, fangs glistening in the moonlight.

Something about the dragon's calm
demeanor made him feel uneasy. It felt like a calm moment during a storm. From
the drake's posture to the way he hummed to himself felt like a thinly veiled
threat. “Oh, hello. Don't mind me. I was just passing through."

            “Well,
you're passing through private property. Keep walking, friend."

            The drake's
smile fell. “Did you just give me an order, pet?"

            Reks swore.
Of all the dragons to bother him, why did it have to be a clan-born?

            “Listen,
I'm in a good mood, so I'll let that go, but I'll move on when I'm good and
ready to." The drake dropped his rump on the ground and stared at Reks.

            Reks said
nothing and relaxed his stance. Two dragons would give the most ambitious thief
pause. So long as he didn't speak to the drake, nothing bad should come of the
encounter. Now he was especially glad he never ate or drank tonight. He didn't
want to think about how this drake would react to seeing him sitting in a
puddle of his own urine.

            He wasn't
sure how long they sat in silence, but the drake never looked away. Most
clan-borns couldn't stand being around a domesticate.

            “Hey, you,"
the drake said. “I don't like pets, but I'll give you one chance to walk away
now."

            Reks stood
up. “Wait, what?"

            “Last
chance, pet. Walk away and we'll pretend we never saw you."

            “We?"

            Reks sensed
something approaching him from above. He looked up just in time to see a large
dark shape descend on him, pinning him to the ground. The air rushed through
him as pain wracked his limbs.

            “Did you
really have to do that?" the Ravager asked. “We're trying to do this quietly."

            “No, you
wanna do this quietly," a female dragon replied. “If we're fast, no one
will even know we're there." She squeezed Reks's head until he whined in pain. “Besides,
I don't like pets."

            Reks cursed
himself for not seeing the setup sooner. The dragon sitting on his back had to
be a Nightstalker. They were known for hunting prowess especially at night when
their black scales blended perfectly in the darkness.

            But more
worrying was the dragon herself. She gave off a murderous vibe not caused by
the paw gripping his head. Her scent carried only rage whether toward him or
all domesticates he didn't know and did not want to find out.

            The Ravager
sighed and approached Reks. “Well, you were too slow, pet. Now the decision's
made for you. But I guess you're used to that." He laid on the ground and
looked Reks in the eye. “Now are you going to be a good dragon and stay down or
do we need to put you down?"

            Reks said
nothing. Partly because he was still trying to breathe with the larger
dragoness on top of him, but he also knew mouthing off to a clan-born was a
dangerous mistake.

            A sharp
pain dug into his back. “He asked you a question, pet," the Nightstalker said.
“And why are you asking him anything? We should just kill him now."

            “We're not
here for him," the Ravager said. Then he smiled and Reks's stomach dropped.
“Although, we could make it look like that's why we're here. It's not like the
humans will give a damn. There's plenty more where came from."

            Reks racked
his mind for ideas. With the dragon on his back, any chances of flight or
fighting were off the table.

            “Wait! I'm
not a domesticate! I just took this job so I could buy food!"

            The Ravager
tilted his head. “Really? Where do you live? I've never seen you in the dragon
district."

            “Um, I just
came here from Diamus. I haven't really introduced myself yet." He prayed his
lie worked on them. He was dead if it didn't.

            The Ravager
stood up and left Reks's field of vision. For several moments, there was
nothing. The silence made it worse.

            Finally,
the Ravager spoke. “Let him up. If he's not with the humans, we don't need to
worry about him. Right?"

            Reks knew
that question was aimed at him so he quickly nodded.

            The
Nightstalker climbed off him and he gulped down large helpings of the cool
night air. The Ravager stood and headed for the warehouse. “Now you stay right
there. We won't be long."

            Reks lay on
the ground, listening to the two dragons break the door down and unleash their
fury on everything inside. He wondered what he should do. There were only two
of them and they weren't around. He could make a run for it. By the time they
realized he was gone, he could be long gone or possibly returning with help.

            But what
would his master say? The whole point of him being there was to deter anyone
from breaking in or deal with it himself. But two fully grown dragons? Even if
it were just the Ravager, he didn't like his odds. Clan-borns were much more experienced
in combat while he had never fought another dragon or human.

            Still, his
master wouldn't take kindly to knowing he sat there and did nothing. Maybe it
would be better if he died fighting. Zachary would kill him anyway. He stood up
and spun around. Perhaps he could wound one of the dragons before they ripped
his throat out.

            The two
dragons were still inside, the sounds of things shattering echoing into the
night. Reks ran into the warehouse. He imagined how a potential scenario would
play out as he approached.

            Most
likely, the Nightstalker noticed him first. She would warn the Ravager of his
intrusion, but if he moved quickly enough, it wouldn't matter.

All he needed was one tackle to
knock the Ravager down. Then Reks could use his tail to keep the Nightstalker
at bay while he bit on the Ravager's neck. With at least one dragon taken down,
his odds of surviving the night would be that much better.

At least that was the scenario he
saw in his head. In a blink, he was on his back and staring up at the angry
face of the Nightstalker.

“I told you stay put," she said,
her growl loud and threatening. “Looks like you're not that good at following
orders after all."

“Look, I'm sorry! But I need this
job! I haven't eaten in three days!" His stomach growled as if on cue.

The Ravager laughed. “So his
stomach does his talking for him! Tell you what, in return for pretending you
didn't see anything, I'll treat you to something nice."

Reks already knew he wasn't getting
a say in the matter so he just nodded and hung his head in shame.

The two dragons went back inside
the warehouse. The sounds of their destruction wracked him with guilt. He had
been entrusted with protecting this place. It would make his master look bad
and his master would no doubt he would pay for it. But if he tried to stop
them, they'd kill him. Being torn apart by angry dragons sounded like the
better option.

The district went quiet. The two
dragons returned.

The Nightstalker snorted. “I'm
surprised you're still here. I thought you'd go running to your boss."

Reks flinched at the venom in her
voice.

“Leave him alone," the Ravager
said. “He just lost his job because of us." He turned to Reks with a friendly
smile. “What's your name anyway?"

“Uh, Reks."

“Hey, Reks. Call me Lolus." He gestured
to the Nightstalker who turned away again. “This is Coralin. Don't mind her."

“We're wasting time," Coralin said.
“We need to keep moving."

“Yeah, someone will be making
rounds soon enough. You should join us, Reks."

“I…what?"

“You don't want the humans to blame
you, right?"

Reks nodded slowly. Blame would be
placed on him regardless.

The dragons spread their wings and
took to the air. Reks followed wondering how he was going to get out of this
situation. He had nowhere to go until morning. Going home early and taking his
punishment was an option, but he preferred to hold off on that for as long as
possible.

            Lolus led
them to another warehouse not far away and landed on the roof.

            “What are
we doing?" Reks asked.

            “Teaching
the humans a lesson," Lolus said. “They underpay us to guard their stuff then
keep us out of the stores where they sell them." He bared his fangs as his
claws scraped the roof. “Or they send their pets to do it for free."

            Reks
couldn't deny that. He wouldn't see a single coin for sitting outside that
warehouse all night.

            “Wouldn't
it be easier to just burn the warehouses down?" Reks asked.

            Lolus
tilted his head. “That would tell the humans a dragon did it. This way is
better."

            “But what
about your message?"

            “It's not
about the message," Coralin said with a wry smile. “It's about watching the
stuck-up humans suffer. Now you two go down there and see if there are any
guards. When it's clear, send me the signal."

            Lolus
nodded and leaped off the roof. Reks didn't want to follow, but he did anyway. He
went around the other side of the warehouse, opposite the direction  Lolus walked. A question nagged at him as he
circled the perimeter. Why wasn't he making a run for it? This was the
opportune moment to break away from the dragons, perhaps even notify the
authorities to what they were doing.

            But instead
of walking away, he continued to circle the warehouse. It felt good to walk
among the clan-borns without fear. Not to see hatred in their eyes or feel the
sting of their venomous words. It felt good and the moment they parted ways, it
would be gone.

            He heard a
voice and stopped. The voice came from around the corner of the warehouse.
Carefully, he peeked and saw a single Horntail stood outside the back of the
warehouse. Reks's stomach dropped when he saw the red collar around the
dragon's neck.

            There were
no signs of Lolus or Coralin nearby. Reks quietly approached the drake.

            The
Horntail spun around and raised his tail into the air. “Who's there?"

            Reks
stopped walking. “Whoa, calm down. It's just me."

            The
Horntail maintained his aggressive stance. “I don't know you. This is private
property so you need to leave."

            “I can't do
that." He inched closer but stopped just outside of striking range. “My name is
Reks and I wanted to warn you. A pair of clan-borns are scoping this place. If
you want to live, you should run now."

            “Did…did
you say…clan-borns?" the Horntail's tail fell behind him. “But…I can't abandon
this place. My master will kill me."

            “Are you
kidding me? These dragons will kill you!"

            “Well,
maybe we can take them. You said there's only two."

“We are not taking on clan-borns."

“Please?" the Horntail dropped into
a submissive position. “My master needs this warehouse. If we lose it, he'll go
bankrupt. Please, I'll do whatever you want."

Reks's tail slapped against the
ground. “If we fight them, we'll die."

“I don't care! My master saved me
from the last human who owned me. I won't abandon him!"

            Before Reks
could argue further, a black blur descended from above and tackled the collared
dragon. The two slid for a bit across the ground, the Horntail on the bottom. A
chill went through Reks as a dark chuckle cut through the air.

            “Nice one,
Reks. Thanks for distracting him for me."

            “Help me!"

Reks could tell Coralin had her
guard up and expected him to move to help the domesticate. He shook his head
and turned away almost walking into Lolus. The Ravager wore a look of sadness
and disgust.

“When did you--?" Reks began.

Lolus turned back towards the
warehouse. “Come on, let's get started."

            “But what
about--?"

            “She'll
catch up. Besides, you don't wanna see what happens next."

            Reks dropped
his head and followed Lolus to the warehouse. A single shoulder charge to the
door and the locks gave in, granting them access. The moment they crossed the
threshold, a scream of pain and terror broke the silence. Reks froze. The
screams intensified into a shrill shriek that made him cringe.

Somehow, he managed to hear Lolus
swear. “Couldn't she wait until after we done?"

The screaming slowly died down to
loud groans and whines. Not long after, Coralin trotted into the warehouse the
scent of blood wafted from her. Her muzzle and claws glistened in the light
shining through the broken door. Reks's stomach turned.

“Did you have fun?" Lolus asked
bitterly. “Thanks to you we might have to make a run for it."

“Relax, no one's gonna come running
after hearing that. We have plenty of time."

Lolus growled, his tail slapping
the floor.

“Um, maybe I should go outside and
keep watch just in case?" Reks offered.

Lolus kept his gaze fixed on
Coralin. “Yeah, you do that. Tap your tail twice on the roof if you see
something."

Reks hurried outside. The metallic
scent of blood was heavier than he imagined along with the stench of fear. The other
Horntail still lay groaning on the ground. He didn't dare get close to see the
damage. He shook his head and flew up the roof.

Thankfully, the sound of crates
being smash covered up most of the noise of the dragon likely bleeding out on
the ground. Reks looked everywhere except the Horntail's direction.

“Anything?" Lolus asked.

Reks started at the Ravager's
sudden appearance. He quickly composed himself and said. “No. I thought humans
would be swarming this place by now."

“I guess if they hear a dragon
screaming, they stay away." He looked down at the Horntail writhing on the
ground. “Poor bastard. He won't be the same if he survives the night. Coralin
likes to tear pieces off pets to make an example of them."

Reks stiffened to hide his tail
shaking. “Wow, most dragons just kill domesticates and be done with it."

Lolus looked around before
answering. “You never heard this from me, but Coralin once fell in love with a
pet."

“You're joking," Reks said, his
eyes wide.

“It's true. Almost had a clutch,
too. She didn't know it, but she's lucky to have found out when she did." He
sighed and a low growl entered his voice. “Some pets are good at hiding what
they are. It's disgusting."

“So what happened when she found
out?"

Lolus turned away, his expression
grim. “What do you think happened?"

A tense silence hung between them.
Reks stared at the sky and hummed to himself. It didn't drown out the Horntail
below still moaning in agony.

Eventually, Lolus spoke again. “You'd
think he'd shut up by now."

“Maybe we should leave before
someone comes."

“Nah. No one's coming. Besides, if
we leave Coralin without telling her, she'll skin both of us."

“If you two are done talking about
me behind my back," Coralin said from behind them. “We can go now."

Lolus grinned nervously and
followed Coralin into the air. Reks looked down at the domesticate on the
ground then spread his wings and followed. They soared higher until the city
below dissolved into a blur of distant lights and color.

Lolus and Coralin stopped and faced
Reks. They wore similar grim looks.

“Um, is something wrong?" Reks
asked.

“You think we're stupid?" Lolus
asked. “We know you're a pet, Reks."

“What? I'm not!"

“You know what gives it away?"
Coralin asked, the growl in her voice deepening. “You accuse anyone else of
being a pet and you'll be lucky they don't rip your throat out."

Reks folded his wings and plummeted
towards the buildings. He cursed himself for forgetting something so simple. Outrunning
a Nightstalker in the open wasn't possible, but if he landed amongst the
buildings, there may be a chance.

Something slammed into his back and
pinned his wings to his sides. Over the roaring wind, Coralin whispered into
his ear. “Going somewhere, pet?"

Reks swung his tail, hitting what
he assumed was his captor. A roar in his ear and the claws releasing his body
confirmed his aim. Immediately he flapped his wings, surging towards the ground
at greater speed.

He just managed to level out before
slamming into the roof of the nearest warehouse. A crash followed him, but he
didn't look back and hoped it was one of the dragons. He landed on the ground
and continued at a full sprint towards a large stack of crates nearby.

Lolus's rage-filled voice filled
the air. “You're dead, Reks! When I find you, I'm gonna tear you apart!"

The crates Reks sought for cover
had been arranged in a way that provided cover from the air. He crouched low
curling into as small of a ball as possible. He held his breath and closed his
eyes fearing they would shine in the darkness and give away his position.

“You're real proud of yourself,
aren't you?! You really thought you had pulled one over on us! But you didn't
even hesitate to let that other Horntail take the fall for you! That's what I
hate most about you pets; you're a bunch of fucking cowards!"

The sounds of Lolus's rage drew
closer. Reks curled tighter until it hurt.

“Would have joined in if Coralin
asked? Would you have helped her? I bet if she offered to lift her tail for
you, you would've jumped right on that pet."

Reks heard Lolus's steps
approaching. Every few moments, there came a loud crash. He bit his tail to
keep from screaming.

“So how long did you plan to keep
up the lie? How far did you plan to go? Not far enough would you? You would
still go running back to your 'master' like a good little slave!"

Reks snapped his eyes open and
stared at the opening of his hiding place. There would only be one shot. If
Lolus appeared, he could stun the drake with his fire breath and make a run for
it.

The swears and threats and the sounds
of things shattering moved away. Reks didn't dare so much as blink until the
sounds disappeared.

Slowly, he reemerged from his hiding
place. It was too dangerous to fly, so he ran back to his master's mansion.

****

“You stupid, spineless lizard!" Zachary Bachmann yelled,
spittle flying from the human's mouth. “I gave you one job to do!"

            Reks
maintained his submission posture. “But…but master, they would've killed me if
I—"

A glass object shattered near his
head.

            “I don't
want to hear your excuses! How am I supposed to look Mr. Nazaretian in the eye
and explain to him that his product is destroyed because my dragon is a coward?"

Reks stared at the floor and said
nothing.

His head was pulled backward by the
horn and he was forced to look at his master's wide face that grew
progressively redder. His black hair hung wildly as if he just climbed out of
bed and he gnashed his teeth together. “You look at me when I speak to you! Do
you know how much you've just cost me?"

“N-No, I…I don't."

“Of course you don't. Why would I
expect a dragon to understand the value of anything they can't shove down their
greedy throats?"

“You shouldn't," Reks replied
meekly, his eyes fixed on the manic fury in Zachary's eyes. “I'm sorry, Master.
I promise I'll do whatever it takes—"

Zachary released Reks's horn, much
to Reks's relief. He immediately scampered away from his master's reach.

“Shut up," Zachary spat. “Just get
out. I'll deal with you in the morning."

Reks hurried out of the room.
Something shattered near his head again and he doubled the pace. He didn't stop
until he reached the stables.

The horses nickered as if in greeting
when Reks came inside. After living among them for so long his scent was
familiar to them. He went to his stall at the far end and lay on the pile of
hay that was his bed.

            Nightmares
of Lolus visiting him plagued his sleep.

            The sun
peeking through the windows was an unwelcome sight knowing it meant Zachary
would be coming to scold him more properly.

He heard footsteps approaching. He
tensed and awaited his punishment. If he were lucky, a verbal lashing would be
the worst of it. Instead of Zachary Bachmann, Edward came into view wearing a
wide grin. He had always been tall and thin, but the sleeves of his shirt were
folded yet still reached his wrists. His brown hair had begun to thin despite
being in his late twenties. Dark circles were under his kind brown eyes. Reks
would have smiled back if not for the tray of food in the human's hands.

“I figured you would want some
breakfast," Edward said. “I know you skipped dinner last night to take that
security job."

“You didn't need to do that. If Zachary
sees you—"

“If my brother has a problem with
me bringing you food, he knows where to find me." He sat the tray down in front
of Reks. “I'm not about to let you go hungry."

“But—"

“Just eat. I had the cooks make you
something nice. I'm sure you're sick of eating scraps."

Reks's hunger got the better of him
and he devoured the meal. It had been so long since he ate cooked meat instead
of gnawing off what little fat remained on the bone and bread crusts. Edward
sat on the edge of the mattress and watched him eat.

While he was licking the plate
clean, Edward said, “I spoke to Zach and convinced him to give you a more
creative punishment."

Reks froze mid-lick. “You…did?"

“I did. He wanted to whip you, but
I convinced him that doing that would mean he had to explain where the marks
came from."

Reks flinched at the thought. “So
what did you convince him to do to me?"

“Well, since he insists on going on
about the money you cost him, I told him you should be able to work it off." He
stood and picked up the tray. “You're going to work with Charlotte to work off
your debt."

“Oh. Do I have to work for her?
She's so…energetic."

“Come now, she isn't so--"

The tray fell to the floor. Edward
quickly turned away but Reks saw the shaking of the human's hands.

“Did you remember to take your
medicine?"

Edward hunched his shoulders. “I
was going to after I brought you breakfast."

“You know you're not supposed to—"

“You're not my nanny," Edward
interjected firmly. “I appreciate you worrying about me, but I wouldn't leave
you to the mercy of Zack."

“Rose did," Reks mumbled. He cursed
himself for the reaction.

Edward sighed softly. “Technically,
someone else made that choice for her. I promise you she would've chosen
differently given the option. Just like she would be glad to see you still got
out of that terrible situation."

“Can we talk about something else? I
don't want to think about that right now."

“You're right. Let's think about
more cheerful things. Now I'm going to take this inside and take my medicine
before you and Zack force-feed it to me."

Reks cut in front of him and took
the tray in his jaws.

“Come now, Reks, I won't drop it
again."

Reks snorted and left the stable
with the tray. He wasn't allowed inside the mansion, but in this case, Edward was
with him. Even without the human, he would've gladly taken the punishment and
came inside anyway.

The kitchen was empty, but that worked
in their favor. He sat the tray on the nearest counter and accompanied Edward
to his bedroom. By the time they reached the stairs, Edward stumbled a lot and
had to lean on Reks to stay upright.

They made it to the bedroom without
incident. Even with the space of Edward's bedroom, it took some maneuvering to
get him to the bed and to get his medicine out of the bottle. Edward swallowed
the pill dry and they waited a few minutes for the effects to kick in.

“Thank you," Edward said. “I never
would have heard the end of it if I had collapsed on the way back."

“You shouldn't be pushing yourself
so hard."

“Says the dragon who skips meals."
He rubbed Reks's snout. “I want you to know that what happened last night was
not your fault. Even if Zack won't say it, he's glad you are safe. And so am I."

Reks remembered the other Horntail
and pulled away.

“What's wrong?"

“It's nothing. I…I'm just tired. I
was up half the night."

Edward gave him a stern look.
“Reks. What is it?"

“What the hell are you doing here?"
Zachary asked.

Reks immediately bowed low to the
floor. “I'm sorry! It's just—"

“I asked Reks to help me to my
room," Edward said. “I wasn't feeling well and couldn't  get here on my own."

“Are you all right?" Zachary asked,
all his anger from before had vanished.

“I'm fine thanks to Reks. You
should thank him."

Reks risked raising his head.
Zachary wore a disgusted frown. “Thank you, Reks, for assisting my brother," he
said stiffly. “Now, please excuse us, Edward. I must have a word with my
dragon."

“If it's about his punishment, I
already informed him."

Zachary clenched his jaw. Reks
stared at the floor again.

“Very well then. I guess that's
all. Now you." Reks flinched from the bitter infliction in his master's voice
that he knew was aimed at him. “It seems my brother is more than capable of
moving on his own so why are you here?"

“He's here because I asked him to
be."

“He's not some puppy to be coddled.
Reks, go outside before you break something."

“If that happens, I'll take
responsibility."

Zachary began to turn red in the
face. Since he was blocking the only exit, save for the window, Reks curled up
near the base of the bed.

“Edward, do not contradict me,"
Zachary said. “With these beasts, you must be--"

“Beasts?" Edward interjected
coolly. “Rose would never have allowed you to speak about him that way."

“You leave my wife out of this!"

Edward jumped to his feet. “Every
time you mistreat the most precious thing she left behind, you bring her
into it!"

Zachary started forward. Reks took
advantage of the opening and hurried out of the room without a word.

Zachary shouted behind him, “If you
leave any scratches or tracks on the floor, you'll be licking it clean for the
next week!"

            He didn't
stop to look at the floor. The bright sun greeting him brought little comfort.
Not when the threat about spending the next week licking the floors clean wasn't
a bluff. He cursed his carelessness. Zachary always made him wipe his paws
before coming indoors.

            The scent
of a female dragon caught his attention and he whirled around to see a
Green-Crested Genial standing before him. Like the species' namesake, she was
covered in green scales, particularly her horns which were a dark forest green
unlike the lighter of her body.

            Reks
snorted. “What are you doing here, Glee?"

            “Wow,
someone's pissy today. Your master giving you a hard time?"

            “What do
you think?"

            Glee looked
back at the house before replying, “That your master is an ass like he always
is. Anyway, I came to warn you; Not sure if you heard or not, but a clan-born
was killed last night. The district lord is pissed."

            Reks sat on
his tail to keep it from betraying his trepidation. “Are you sure? What kind of
dragon was it? Was it a Nightstalker?"

            “Yeah,"
Glee replied slowly. She gave him a sideways look. “How do you know that?"

            He thought
about lying to her, but she was the only domesticate—or rather only dragon—he
could count on. “I…I might have been the one who killed her."

            “What?!
That was you?" She circled him, scanning his body like a concerned parent. “But
how? You don't have a mark on you."

            “She
attacked me in the air and hit her with my tail. I might've slashed her wing
and she fell."

            “Yep.
That'll do it. I guess you were attacked in the warehouse district, too."

            “Um, too?"

            Glee sat on
the grass, wearing a forlorn expression. “Yeah. You know Argentine?" When Reks
shook his head, she continued. “Well, he belongs to the Kings. He was also attacked
last night. He'll live, but he won't be the same." A small whine escaped her.
“They gouged his eyes out and carved his body up like a piece of meat."

            Reks felt
weak in the legs.

            “Anyway, his
master will need to get him some special care, so I'm asking if anyone can
spare something."

“I…uh, I can ask, ask Edward if he
can spare anything."

“Thanks. Sorry to cut this short,
but I need to spread the word."  She
turned and spread her wings, but froze and turned instead of leaving. “Oh, and
thanks for killing the dragon responsible. I won't tell anyone it was you, but
I feel better knowing the bastard who did that won't attack anyone else."

Reks lay down on the grass as she
flew off. He never felt as low as he did now. “I didn't do it for him."

He rolled onto his back and stared
at the sky. “You humans like to say you're watching us when you die. What about
you, Rose? Are you watching me? Or are you too angry to look at me? I'm
surviving like you told me to, but…is this what you wanted?"

A gentle breeze caressed his body. With
a heavy sigh, he rolled onto his side again. “I guess it doesn't matter
anymore, does it? I kept my promise. I'd do it again if I had to."

---

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