He was laying there, in this dark room, slowly regaining consciousness. As he awakened, he soon felt able to open his eyes, but his body was numb. He couldn’t think about anything, he just kept progressively waking up and tried to move a little. Still dizzy, he could feel that the control of his head was coming back to him. Left, right, up down, it slightly hurt his neck, but soon it felt comfortable enough. Then, his legs. Moving them felt strange, as if he was not used to move, as if he had never moved them before. It just felt... Different, yet he didn’t remember feeling any different before. He opened his mouth, then realized it was a jaw. Slowly getting on his paws, he felt two more organs which were situated on his back. It was his wings. They were quite small, and he didn’t manage to make them move.
He became used to the dark, and could see his surroundings clearer. The place that he was in was just a square room, and apparently there was nothing inside but him. In the darkness, he couldn’t see what colour he was. From what he could feel of himself and his body, he guessed that he was a dragon. Curious, he began to smell the edges of the room, and a part of one wall smelt different than the rest. Strangely, he knew what a door was, so he guessed that it was a door. With his claws, he scratched it repeatedly, and instinctively, he said «Is there anyone out there?». He didn’t know how he could talk. He just could. He repeated it many times, and nobody answered.
After several minutes, he began to worry. He had no idea where he was, how he got there, and the worst was that he had no idea who he was. He didn’t know his own name, and he didn’t know what happened before he woke up in this dark room. But it wasn’t the time to think about that. He had to get out.

??The dragon thought that perhaps he could break the door. A dragon is strong, so he must be strong as well. He took a few steps backwards, lowered his head, and rushed into the door to hit it. It seemed not to be effective, yet he tried many times. Nothing happened, and his head began to hurt a little. Suddenly, he heard a voice from the other side of the door. «Hey! Do you hear me?». The dragon immediately came close to the door and answered «Yes I can hear you! Please open the door!». There was the sound of a lock several times, and at last the door opened, bringing the light into the room and making the dragon cover his eyes.
«I’m so sorry! I was in an other room and I didn’t hear you. How do you feel?»
«Ngh... I feel fine, I guess.»
«That’s good. When did you wake up?»
«I dont know... Maybe half-an-hour ago?...»
«Okay. Take your time, get used to the light, and follow me upstairs.»
The dragon became less and less blinded by the lights as he stepped out of his room. The one who opened the door was a human; he knew what a human was; and he was wearing a long white coat. Probably a scientist. He was in some sort of laboratory, there were tables, computers, a lot of glass containers. He followed the man to a staircase, and walked upstairs with him.
«Say...» the dragon began as he looked around, «should I be worried that I don’t remember anything? I mean, I have no idea how I got here, and I don’t know my name.»
«There’s nothing to worry about. You have slept for a really long time, and it’s common to have a slight amnesia after such a long time. I’m sure it’ll get back to you after a while. And your name is Firrothe.»
«Firrothe...», the dragon looked at himself. He was green-scaled. His height was almost the same as the human, of course he would be way taller if he tried to stand up on his back legs. He noticed a mirror in a corner, and walked in front of it to see how his face looked like.

??His eyes were blue. A beautiful light-blue. He had two big horns on both sides of his head, and a smaller one on the tip of his nose, with two tiny ones behind it.
«I kind of like it.» Firrothe said.
In the reflection, he saw the scientist smile at him. Firrothe turned around and looked back at him.
«What is your name?»
«My name’s Kristof. We are many here, a crew of ten.»
«A crew?...»
Kristof didn’t say anything for a few seconds, then patted Firrothe.
«You must wonder what this place is and why you’re here, right?»
«Yes.»
«Alright, Follow me.»
The scientist led Firrothe though a few corridors before entering an other room, which seemed to be the main entrance of the building. Kristof opened the door that led outside. The dragon slowly walked out and was able to see the environment that surrounded him. It all looked quite familiar to him, there were trees, there was grass, the sky was blue and the air was nice to breathe. He was sure that he had seen such a scenery before. He started walking around, smelling the flowers and the bushes, running a little and getting used to his body.
«Let me tell you why you’re here, then you can wander around and explore the area.» Kristof said.
The dragon went back to the scientist and sat.
«Okay, I’m listening»
«Good, listen closely. You are here on a planet called Celtio. It’s exactly like on... Well you can see there are trees and everything. You are a dragon, and this planet is, in additional to the normal animals, populated by dragons. The problem is that female dragons are getting fewer and fewer and we haven’t seen any in a long time.»
«Hum... I see. So I have to find a female?»
«Yeah, your mission is to help repopulate the planet, so you’ll need to go and find a female.»
«Okay... I understand. Do you know if I’ll get my memory back soon?»
«I can’t tell. It might take a few hours like it might take a few days.»
«Okay...»
Firrothe began to walk around again. Kristof told him that he can go explore but not go too far. Then the dragon started to walk away, exploring his surroundings. He continued to walk, looking around him without thinking and before he could realize it, he was lost.


??He found himself in a forest where the trees were quite high and the ceiling of leaves allowed a few sun beams in. The atmosphere was darker than before and it was a little colder as well. Lost in his mind, only thinking about the surroundings, he was not thinking about his mission anymore. Just walking, smelling the trees and the leaves on the ground, looking at the light passing through the leaves up the trees, and contemplating the gorgeous scenery he was in.
However, eventually he became hungry and soon he had to look for anything he could eat. There were plenty of mushrooms on the ground, but they smelled strange to Firrothe and he thought he’d rather not eat them. It was only after several minutes of looking that he saw a potential source of food, a rabbit. He didn’t know why, but the idea of killing it felt both natural and weird. He couldn’t quite grasp what it was that he was feeling, it was as if he used to eat animals, but never killed them himself. The dragon was therefore new to hunting, and his lack of tact caused the rabbit to hear his steps easily. Seeing the wild animal suddenly running away, Firrothe immediately began to run after it. It was faster than him, but the more Firrothe ran, the more control and mastery he had of his legs, so he managed to catch up and once he got close enough, he opened his jaw and closed it firmly on the animal, who didn’t die directly but it was still badly hurt and unable to move. The dragon stared at the rabbit on the edge of death, trying to move and covered in blood. He felt pity for that poor animal that he had just taken down. In order to quickly shorten the agony of the animal, Firrothe thrusted his claws into its neck, killing it instantly. Now, he was not sure about how he was supposed to eat it. Should he leave the fur and eat the animal just like that or should he open it and eat only the meat inside? He decided to go for the second option, for eating fur didn’t feel like a good idea. He ripped the rabbit apart and the smell of blood struck his nose, making him gag. He had to eat though, so he just stopped breathing and put his muzzle inside the animal, and bit and chew. It took him about ten minutes to eat everything, Firrothe was disgusted by what he had done, but at least he was not hungry anymore. Now that this was done, he remembered about his mission, and that Kristof told him not to go too far. He had to go back to the building, but his sense of orientation wasn’t really good. He couldn’t remember where he came from.

??Eventually, after having walked for quite some time, he manage to get out of the forest. However, it didn’t seem like where he came from, and the dragon guessed that he went the wrong way. About to walk back, he noticed a big shadow on the ground, then heard the sound of wings flopping in the air. He looked up, and he saw a quite big bird-like creature. It had feathers, a beak, and magnificient wings. A griffin! It landed in front of Firrothe, and intimidated him with a loud, shrill roar. The dragon was trembling.
«Kim keissor zia, drra simi?»
Firrothe didn’t understand what the creature said but it sounded threatening. He could run away but the griffin would surely catch up in no time, unfortunately it seemed like he had no other choice than try to fight for his life. He never had a fight, he didn’t recall facing danger before.
«I... I don’t understand...», he answered, shaking.
The griffin had this creepy sadistic smile on his face, like he wanted to make Firrothe suffer and take pleasure from it. He stepped forward slowly, creating more and more anticipation. The dragon decided to run away in the end, that would be his only chance if he wanted to live, perhaps he would be able to dodge his enemy’s attacks. He quickly turned around and fled with the highest speed he would use. The griffin laughed and didn’t start chasing him before some time, as if he wanted to let his hope build up just to be able to destroy it more violently. He let Firrothe run, and then he deployed his wings and flew off. Flying above the running dragon, he was probably thinking about the right moment to pounce down. Firrothe was running as fast as he could, scared like he never was before. He thought he was going to die, that it would be all over. The evil creature was laughing and screaming words that the poor dragon couldn’t understand. After a minute of restless running, Firrothe began to become tired, and the griffin had more and more advantage on him. Then, the creature flew down and tried to bury his claws in the dragon’s neck. The latter saw him arrive at great speed and manage to dodge his enemy by jumping quickly on the left. The griffin hit the ground and looked at Firrothe.
«You think that will save you, right?», he said, showing that he can speak English.
Firrothe kept on running, chased by the griffin, when suddenly he heard a loud howl. The griffin immediately reacted.
«Oh no!» he screamed.
A pack of wolves appeared from the forest, and ran all together towards the griffin, who barely had the time to fly away. As the creature took slowly some height, one of the wolves managed to grab his tail and bring it back to the ground. All the other wolves; there seemed to be about ten of them; rushed to him and all burried their claws and teeth in him. The griffin screamed in pain and tried to fight back but he became defenseless against so many enemies. Firrothe watched it happen, not knowing if he should run away. What if afterwards, they will attack him too?
Soon, the griffin was dead, and one wolf began to eat his meat. The wolves looked at the dragon, who didn’t know what to do. He wanted to know if they were friendly, so he slowly approached them. They all began to groan and bark at him. The one who was eating stopped and walked to Firrothe.
«If you want to eat, find your own prey. You don’t deserve this meal» he told him.
«I... I’m not hungry, I just want to thank you... For saving me», Firrothe said.
The wolf smiled at the dragon.
«You would be dead if we hadn’t come. What’s your name?»
«My name is Firrothe»
«My name is Tannihn. I’m the alpha of my pack.»
The other wolves said, impatiently:
«Hey, if you’re talking with that dragon, can we eat?»
«Sure, go ahead» Tannihn replied.
Firrothe smiled brightly.
«Thank you so much, Tannihn. I owe you my life!»

??The dragon and the wolf talked for a while, he explained to Tannihn that he couldn’t remember his past, how he got lost and how he was supposed to find a female dragon. When he mentionned the females, it made Tannihn switch to a tone of voice that inferred there was very little chance of finding a female dragon. Tannihn cared about his wolf pack, but Firrothe needed help and he couldn’t leave him all alone with all the dangers around. He decided to temporarily choose a new alpha among his pack so he could stay with him. Firrothe watched the wolf go and talk to one of them for a few minutes, it seemed he made his choice quickly. The other wolf looked happy, his eyes were full of recognition towards Tannihn. Once the talking was done, Tannihn went back to the dragon.
«So... Where do we go?»
«I need to find a building. From that building I got too far and then I got lost in the forest.»
«Okay... Is there anything you could recognize, that could help you find your way back?»
Firrothe thought for a few seconds.
«Well, I killed a rabbit when I was hungry. Maybe we could find the corpse.»
«Okay! Where did you kill it?»
«Well, I don’t really know... Can you smell it maybe?»
«Well, if you still have some of its blood on you, I could do it...»
Tannihn began to smell the dragon’s scales, but hardly smelled anything close to blood. Then, he remembered that Firrothe said he ate the rabbit, so he brought his muzzle close to his friens’s and sniffed it. He smelled blood.
«Yeah, that’s rabbit’s blood.» he confirmed.
The wolf told his friend to follow him, Firrothe walked along with Tannihn, who was following the scent. As he followed the wolf, Firrothe recognized some trees, some parts of the forest, some details that indicated him that they were going the right way.
Eventually, after having walked some time, they found the rabbit’s corpse.
«It was the first time I ate an animal like that» said the dragon.
«Really? How did you eat before?» Tannihn asked.
«Well....», the dragon began, not knowing what to answer, «I... I don’t recall having ever eaten anything before that rabbit.»
«What?...», the wolf became puzzled.
«I told you I don’t remember anything... The humans, they told me I would recover my memories quickly, but it’s not coming back»
«...How do you know your name?»
«Well the humans told me it was Firrothe»
«So... It might not even be your real name, the one who were given when you were born»
Firrothe looked down, not knowing what to think.
«And you family?», Tannihn continued, «you must remember something about your fmaily or where you’re from, right?»
The dragon tried as hard as he could to get at least a glimpse of memory back in his head, and felt like something was coming slowly, but it never arrived. No matter how hard he tried.
«I can’t remember... I just can’t...» Firrothe said.
The wolf was very confused about this, but there was more important matters at hand. They had to find the humans back so that Firrothe can finally start his mission.

??Knock knock knock, they had finally found the building, and Firrothe knocked on the door with his paw. Tannihn looked around and smelled the walls. The scent was unfamiliar to him, it looked like it was the first time he was getting close to them. A man opened the door, it was Kristof. When the latter saw Firrothe, he showed a bright smile on his face, then became angry.
«Oh my god! Where were you? We were so worried!»
«I’m sorry, I got lost...»
Kristof looked at the wolf.
«Who is that?»
«He helped me find my way back», Firrothe said, «he’s very kind.»
«My name is Tannihn», the wolf said.
The scientist smiled at the wolf and let the two friends enter the building.
«Did you see any female dragons on your way?»
«No, I didn’t see any...» Firrothe answered.
Kristof showed a concerned face. He seemed to be thinking about something. He walked around the room, mumbling things and then he said he might have a solution.
«The females are going extinct, it’s even possible there isn’t any left...» he said.
«That’s not possible, a planet is big, there has to be at least one somewhere» Firrothe replied.
«Yeah, a planet is big. Too big for you and your friend alone to explore it whole. But I know someone...»
The scientist told them about about a dragon who might live alone quite far from where they were. He was said to know the planet very well, and if someone knew where to find a female dragon, it would be him.
«Where does he live?» the dragon asked.
«We sent him in exile... in a mountain that’s quite far. It was a year ago so if he respected it, he should still be there.»
«You want me to go there and find him?»
«Yes» Kristof said, «you’ve made a strong friend, you two can surely find him easily. The mountain’s far but it’s visible from here.»
The scientist showed them outside the building where they would have to go. He pointed the top of the mountain.
«From here, the mountain is around 250 kilometers away. By feet, you coud be there in two days or more, depending on your speed. Could be longer or shorter.»
Firrothe and Tannihn looked at the mountain, then the wolf asked:
«Why did you send him in exile?»
«It’s not your problem», Kristof answered, «just go find him and tell him he’s forgiven, and he’ll help you.»
«What if he doesn’t?» the dragon asked, a little worried.
«If he doesn’t... I’d say we’re fucked.» Kristof replied, laughing ironically.
«Very reassuring» the wolf said.
«You will go tomorrow morning» said the scientist.
Kristof gave Firrothe food and water, Tannihn didn’t want to eat offered food. They didn’t talk to him much because they stayed outside. They talked about their journey, about the dragon and about the quest of Firrothe. Tannihn couldn’t hep but find it strange and distubring that his friend didn’t remember anything, didn’t know his real name, and obeyed the scientists without really questionning them. When he talked about it to Firrothe, he answered that it was important to save the planet, that it was a normal thing to do to help others for a good cause. Tannihn agreed, but he still felt like something was wrong. Who was Firrothe? What was he doing here?
Later, they talked about Tannihn’s wolf pack. He said he missed his companions a little, but he was sure that they were doing good. Firrothe was glad to learn about how the other animals lived, how they hunted together, how the hierarchy worked... When night came, they slept under the stars, in the quiet night.

??When morning came, Kristof opened the door and told the dragon and the wolf to wake up. The two friends came in and saw a breakfast that Kristof had prepared for Firrothe. The dragon said that he shouldn’t get used to be given food, and preferred to go hunt with his friend. Kristof said that they don’t have time to hunt and should go soon. Firrothe agreed, and Tannihn exceptionally ate the breakfast. It was some roasted chicken with potatoes. When they were done, they said goodbye to Kristof and went outside. He told them that the dragon was likely to live at the top of the mountain. As they walked away, the scientist watched them through the window, until they disappeared. During their march, they couldn’t find a topic of conversation, it was a little awkward. Tannihn wanted to talk about Firrothe, but the latter didn’t really want to think about it. Though, he did say that the other dragon might have answers, with luck. The wolf talked about his pack again. The one he had chosen as leader in his place was called Mandir, they didn’t really get along well but he was the most fit to be the leader, as the other ones were less mature and had less experience than him. He mentionned the griffin again, and how lucky Firrothe was that they were there. The dragon thanked him again. Then, he remembered something about when he was facing the creature.
«The griffin... He talked to me in a language I didn’t understand.» he said.
«Before the humans arrived here, we had our own language, you know. It’s called Celtuo.» the wolf replied.
«Could you teach me it?»
«Sure.»
So, on the way to the mountain, Tannihn taught some Celtuo to the dragon. First he had to learn how to introduce himself. To say his name he had to say «Kom korro Firrothe», and if he wanted to say his friend’s name he said «Kim korro Tannihn».
«Kim means you?» asked Firrothe.
«Yes», answered the wolf, «and kam is him, and kym is her»
«So korro means to be, I suppose?»
«Exactly»
Firrothe was happy to learn Celtuo and so was Tannihn to teach him. After hours of walking, they were hungry, and had to find some food. Conveniently, there were many apple trees, and Tannihn had smelled a few preys not far. There was also a small river nearby. The dragon was not used to journeys and long walks, and was way more tired than his friend. He didn’t want to chase an animal, he just ate dozens of apples and drank a lot of water. He asked to take a break and rest for a while before getting back to walking. Tannihn was far from being sleepy or tired, so he went to hunt something while his friend took a nap.

??Firrothe slept long, and when he woke up, the sun had disappeared and it was all dark. Tannihn was peacefully sleeping next to him, with two dead animals nearby. One of them was eaten, and the other one must have been left for the dragon. It was calm, and no noise could be heard. Such a quiest atmosphere made Firrothe feel slightly uneasy, so he looked at his friend asleep, he stared at his idle face. «What a cute wolf», he told himself. He slowly brought his head closer, and took a deep breath of his friend’s scent. A wild scent, a hunter’s scent. His hero’s scent, the wolf who saved his life. Firrothe started having a rush of feelings and emotions flowing through his chest. It could be admiration, it could be love... He looked at the rest of Tannihn’s body, and smelled it as well. «I can’t believe i’m doing this», he thought, yet he was doing it, he couldn’t resist. New emotions came up, filling his heart, and the lower part of his body. These feelings felt familiar, he had felt them before for sure. Firrothe was slowly becoming aroused, and an urge told him to do something he would never dare to do. He approchaed the wolf’s face again, and inhaled his scent, then his overwhelming emotions made them give a kiss on his muzzle. He didn’t expect his friend to open his eyes at this moment.
«What... what are you doing?...», asked the wolf.
Firrothe backed off immediately.
«Nothing!» he said.
«You kissed me?», Tannihn asked, already knowing the answer.
The dragon turned around in embarassment.
«I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have...»
Tannihn stood up and came closer to his friend, and looked at him. The dragon did the same, they stared at each other for a moment.
«Can we... just forget about this?» Firrothe said.
«Wait, don’t you think we ought to talk about what just happened?», the wolf insisted.
«I... That was wrong! I don’t know what happened... You...»
Firrothe tried to continue his sentence but became too shy, he turned his head to his side because he couldn’t look in his friend’s eyes.
«You were so cute... You smelled so good... I’m sorry.»
Tannihn looked surprised, and then walked away, to lie down where he was sleeping.
«You’re tired. Go to sleep.» he said.
«Yeah... you’re right.» Firrothe said, lying down as well and closing his eyes. He had a mission, he had to be full of energy.

??The next morning, the dragon was brutally woken up by a scream. He got up in panic.
«What’s wrong?!», he asked.
«An other griffin!» Tannihn shouted.
The dragon looked up, and saw it. As magnificent and scary as the other one. The two friends quickly went to hide under trees and hope that the creature will not notice them. They could see it fly above them.
«If it sees us...», Tannihn whispered, «wait for it to get on the ground, and try to bury your claws in its eyes.»
The dragon nodded nervously, the griffin was not flying so high and it seemed to be circling the zone where they were hiding.
«Kristof should have fucking warned us there were going to be griffins here.», said Firrothe.
It kept flying around for a short while and finally went away. They stayed hidden until he was far enough.
«You think it’s safe now?...» whispered the dragon.
«I think it is... but let’s walk slowly and carefully».
They walked away from the trees and checked the sky, it looked clear. Firrothe was trying to contain his emotions, he was so afraid. He lived because Tannihn had his pack with him, but now it was only the two of them. If a griffin attacked them, they would certainly be killed easily. They carried on walking in the direction of the mountain. According to Kirstof, it would take them about up to two days overall, so they still had a long way to go.
Fortunately, they didn’t meet any dangerous animal during that day, and when night came they were both tired.

??Kristof was wrong about the walking time. Firrothe and and Tannihn had walked two days and they were still far from the mountain. They didn’t encounter a griffin again, but they were always afraid to see one. At night, it was always quiet and peaceful. And every night, Firrothe was tempted by the body of his friend. When he couldn’t sleep, he stayed by his side, watching over him and listening to his calm breath. He approached his snout closed to his fur and enjoyed his scent. Somehow, it made him feel good, relaxed. He knew that it was wrong, but he couldn’t help it. One night, Tannihn woke up during the night, and saw his friend by his side. He kept silent, and tried to sleep again. However, Firrothe’s presence near him made him feel funny. The fact he kissed him once and the fact he stayed close to him, he made him feel like he should do something. He had never felt that way before, and he thought it was wrong, so he turned to his friend and asked him to go to sleep. Every night, that feeling grew stronger, so much so that even during the day when they just walked, they still felt weird. They both knew that something was happening, but didn’t dare to do anything.
It was dark, the night was silent as usual, and Tannihn decided to talk with Firrothe about whatever was happening between them. He pretended to sleep, knowing that Firrothe would stand next to him. When the latter did it, the wolf, opened his eyes and slowly stood up looking at Firrothe in the eyes.
«Don’t you think we should talk?...» he said.
Firrothe sighed, he knew it was coming, he knew Tannihn would keep quiet about it forever.
«Okay, yeah...»
«I’m not stupid. I can see that you’re in love with me» Tannihn said with confidence.
The dragon’s face went surprised, he didn’t expect his friend to be that direct.
«I... What do you know?» he replied, trying to deny it.
«I’m not stupid, I’ve been in love before, I know how it is. Every night you smell me, you stare at me, your behaviour has changed since that night when you kissed me. Don’t deny it.», the wolf moved closer to Firrothe, the two snouts were almost touching. The dragon laughed, and looked at his friend in the eyes.
«Damn, alright you got me...» he said, finally admitting it.
«You’re a nice fellah, Firrothe. You’re really nice and you’re good looking... But you know it can’t work. You’re going to mate with a female dragon and you’ll spend your life with her. When your quest is done I have to find my pack and go back with them... I don’t belong with you.»
Firrothe struggled to keep his smile, and took a disappointed tone.
«Yeah... I know that»
«Moreover... We don’t even know who you are! You still have no memory of before, and to you it’s not even an issue!»
«It is an issue! But... I’ll take care of it after.»
«When? You’re going to do what Kristof tells you without questionning it? You’re going to keep thinking your amnesia is just a coincidence? Hasn’t it occured to you that it might be on purpose, that they’ve done things to you before?»
Firrothe started walking in circles, as if he was annoyed.
«I don’t want to think about it... I trust Kristof, I believe my memory will get back, I just have to be patient.»
Tannihn stared at his friend, slowly walking up to him.
«You know nothing, Firrothe.»
The dragon didn’t say a word, and stayed silent for a moment. Neither of the two friends knew what to say, the silence became opressive.
«So...» Firrothe began, «You really don’t want to try?»
«It’s not a matter of wanting», Tannihn replied, «we just can’t.»
Firrothe’s face was full of disappointment, and frustration. He nodded and gave him a false smile before going to lie down. The wolf lied near him and said goodnight.

??For the rest of their journey, they didn’t talk about it again. They kept moving towards the mountain, staying careful of any dangerous creature that could appear. They were getting closer to it, and started to wonder how they would climb it. After all, Kristof didn’t precise where on the mountain the dragon would be. They often looked in the sky and checked if they would see a dragon flying, but saw none. After quite some walking, they finally reached the end of the forest that had been walking in for hours. Now there was just a vast plain with a long river running though it, and at its end was the mountain. They could at last see it more clearly and they were happy to be near their destination. Their only concern was the fact that no dragon was in sight. Morever, they were in a big landfield with no tree to hide them, therefore if anything bad would happen, they had nowhere to take shelter to. The sky was all blue, not a cloud could be seen and the temperature was quite nice. The scenery appeased them, allowed them to look around and enjoy nature for a while. The river had a pure and clean water, they had no such drink since they started their journey. Tannihn noticed a few rabbits running away, and felt like hunting them. Firrothe told him that he wouldn’t mind some food at the moment, so the wolf ran after the wild rodents with his greatest speed. The dragon decided to join him, and aimed for an other rabbit to hunt down. They both caught one, and the few others managed to run away while they killed their preys. Firrothe could taste the meat of it a second time, with less disgust than before: he had got used to it. When the meal was over, they walked along the river that led straight to the beginning of the mountain, it ended in a lake that looks rather small from the distance. As they were walking, they started hearing a familiar sound in the distance. The sound of wings flopping in the air, and it sounded like it came from around the mountain. Firrothe and Tannihn looked at each other, and they share the same thought through their mutual smile: they found the dragon. They walked in the direction where the sounds were coming from, and as it was coming closer, it appeared at last, and it was a griffin.
??
??Suddenly full of fear, Firrothe couldn’t move and Tannihn pushed him into running away with him. The dragon tried to find somewhere to hide, but there were no cave, no tree, no rock. The lake occured to him as an idea, but the griffin would certainly see them before they reached it. It was still worth a try, Firrothe told him to follow him to the lake. Running with all their speed, they heared the griffin scream, and the flopping sound became faster. The two friends made it to the lake and jumped in the water to dive as deep as they could, but to their surprise, they hit its bottom instead of diving: the lake was not deep at all. They both stared at the griffin arriving them quickly, and saw death coming.
«Ssermuk!» shouted the creature, before grabbing the dragon with its fierce claws which he shoving in his scales. Firrothe screamed while Tannihn, powerless, tried to run after the griffin.
«Let him go!» the wolf shouted.
A hope showed up when the griffin quickly lost endurence due to Firrothe’s weight, and lost height. The dragon managed to reach his assailant’s paw with his jaw and bit him as hard as he could. The pain made the creature let go of his prey and Firrothe fell violently on the ground. The griffin landed near him and tried to grab him again but Tannihn manage to reach him in time and buried his claws in the griffin’s back. The latter let a roar of pain before sweeping the wolf away with his powerful paws.
«You worthless piece of shit!...»
He rushed at the wolf and tried to give a fatal bite, but Tannihn clawed him in the face, and almost touched his eyes. The griffin bled and said incomprehensible words with anger. Tannihn gained confidence.
«The worthless piece of shit made you bleed, and he will do it again, and again! Until there’s no more blood in your body!»
«You made me bleed once, but I promise the next one to bleed won’t be me!»
The griffin turned around and hit him with his tail, and when the wolf was weakened on the ground, he shoved his claws in his flank and flayed it. Firrothe, still half-unconscious from his fall, heard his friend’s screams and managed to get back on his feet. He was weak and had to think quickly, so he reached for the griffin’s tail and bit it, before being tossed away by it.
«Oh what is it?» the griffin said, «you’re hurt, little wolf? You’re in pain?»
«Fuck you!...», Tannihn growled, trying to defend himself in vain.
Firrothe was back to his senses, and remembered what Tannihn told him the last time they saw a griffin.
«If it sees us, try wait for it to get on the ground, and try to bury your claws in its eyes.»
That was what he had to do. He filled himself with courage, and ran to the creature, climbed on his back and to his head. The griffin turned his head around, and the dragon roared as he shoved his claws right in the eyes. He screamed and hit Tannihn madly, flaying his flank with frenesy. He fell on his side, throwing Firrothe away, and moved his paws in the air, hoping to hit the dragon, and he did. Firrothe took hit after hit, and managed to escape, but he bled a lot. The griffin was now blind but he was not giving up yet, and by listening to Firrothe’s pantings he got track of where he was. He rushed to him like an angry taurus and hit Firrothe so hard that he almost passed out. The griffin screamed loudly and ran away. Firrothe, lying on the ground with blood flawing out of flank, struggled to lift his head and saw Tannihn covered with blood. He gathered the strenght he had left and crawled up to him.
«Tannihn... are you okay?...»
The wolf looked at his friend and could barely move his paws.
«Th... thank you...» he said, «I don’t know if I’ll make it, Firrothe...»
The dragon contained his tears and didn’t know how to save his friend, he was too weak as well.
«No... You’re not done... Don’t leave me!...»
«Just find that dragon... I’m happy I helped you...»
«No... No... Don’t...»
He lied down on Tannihn’s belly and cried, begging him to stay alive. They were both weak, and soon the dragon passed out.

??After a few hours, the young dragon was awakened by someone’s nuzzle rubbing on his face. When he looked at who it was, he became filled with joy as he realized that Tannihn was still alive, and in good shape. He looked at himself and saw that he was not hurt anymore. He got up.
«But... How?» he asked.
«Look over there» his friend told him, pointing his muzzle to the left.
Firrothe saw the dragon. He was bigger than them, red scaled. He smiled at them.
«You’re lucky I arrived in time to stop the bleeding and heal you.»
«How did you bring us back?» Firrothe asked.
«Well, you weren’t dead, even though your wounds were pretty bad. First I pulled you to the lake and let your wounds get better, and then I licked them clean. You’ll be left with big scars though.»
Indeed, their scars would be wide and impressive. They looked like that had fought a hundred wars. The two friends stared at each other, happy that their lives weren’t over, the dragon hoped to live it fully in the future.
«So... I didn’t introduce myself. My name is Felmyr.»
«I’m Firrothe, glad to finally meet you.»
«I am Tannihn. We owe you big.»
Firrothe took a more serious tone and exposed the matter to the dragon.
«We came all the way here to find you. We’ve been sent to you by humans to...»
«Humans?», Felmyr interrupted, «I am done with them. They sent me in exile here.»
«They said they forgive you.» he insisted.
The red dragon’s face showed concern, and he also looked curious.
«It must be serious I guess... What’s the matter?»
«They gave me as mission to find a female dragon to breed and repopulate the world. But we didn’t see any and they told us you’d know where to find one.»
«Females...», Felmyr thought loud, «They disappeared, they’ve gone. It’s hopeless.»
«It’s not!» Firrothe said, «The world is not made of a few forests and one mountain, I don’t know how big it is but there must be one somewhere!»
«You think I haven’t searched? I’ve tried to help with the future of this world, but females... Now that’s something to put down in a history book.»
Tannihn approached and tried to reason him.
«Please come with us to the humans, all together we’ll find a solution.»
Felmyr couldn’t seem to find anything to answer, and sighed. He sat, looked at the two fellows and thought for a moment, showing a diversity of expressions on his face in the process. Firrothe and Tannihn waited, sitting as well.
«I...» the dragon began, «I don’t know... Can we wait until tomorrow? I’ll make my mind up.»
He led them to a safe place where predators would not see them, a cave that Felmyr had found around the mountain. The sun set quickly, and the three of them went to sleep in the cave. Firrothe couldn’t help but stare at Tannihn again, watching him sleep. He closed his eyes, and tried to relax. Tannihn didn’t belong with him, he never would. He could never have him all for himself. Once he’ll have found the female to mate with, the wolf would say goodbye and go back to his pack, or find a new one. Sleep slowly came.

??Firrothe felt something touch his body. He opened his eyes and saw Tannihn, staring at him with eyes more beautiful than ever. He winked at the dragon and gestured to say «follow me». Firrothe stood up and saw the wolf quickly walk out of the cave. He looked around, Felmyr wasn’t there. He walked out and Tannihn was outside making sure he followed him. He smiled brightly, and ran away, with all his speed. Firrothe begged him to wait, and began to run after him. He didn’t know where they were going, Tannihn sounded amused, he laughed as he let his friend chase him. Firrothe tried to shout and scream, but nothing could come out of his muzzle but unaudible sounds. They ran through bushes, leaped over small rivers, and as the dragon caught up to the distance, he became filled with desire and lust. He had nothing but one thing on his mind: to catch the wolf. He kept on running without ever becoming tired, and Tannihn seemed to let him reach closer on purpose. The closer Firrothe caught up, the more his emotions were taking over, almost making him a predator, and the wolf his prey. He ran faster, faster. He caught him. He jumped and fell on him, pinning him to the ground. Tannihn was laying on his back, smiling at Firrothe. Standing above him, feeling powerful, the dragon brought his muzzle to his fur and smelled it. He became intoxicated with the scent and went to lick his neck. I will never hurt you, he said, I will never let anyone hurt you. Let me be yours, he begged. Tannihn didn’t say a word. The smile didn’t change. Firrothe engaged a passionate kiss. The two muzzles were playing together, the two tongues were dancing. The dragon lied down on the wolf and they rubbed their bodies together. He held him tightly, the claws almost forcing inside, as if to never let go. Firrothe became one with Tannihn, he whimpered with lust. Suddenly, the wolf said something. Firrothe... he said. He said his name without stopping. The dragon was pulled away.
«Firrothe...», the wolf repeated.
Firrothe woke up, and realized that was just a dream. Looking into his friend face, he did not see the smile.
«Firrothe... Are you crying?»
He realized that his eyes were wet and he felt tears slide down his scales.
«Uh... It’s nothing...», he sobbed.
He walked out of the cave, the sun had risen. He looked about the landfield, the trees in the distance, the river running through. Nothing looked like in his dream. He took a deep breath, and told himself to forget it. He waited for his tears to stop flowing, and his pain to be appeased by the song of the birds. He walked back in the cave to Tannihn waking Felmyr up. The latter yawned and stood up slowly. He told them to wait in the cave for him while he went to hunt some animals. Firrothe was left with Tannihn, not knowing how to act.
«I’m gonna have a walk.» he said.
«Okay, me too»
«No... I want to be alone.»
The wolf watched him walk out without following him. Firrothe went to the small lake and drank some water before venturing around the mountain. He had to get rid of his feelings for his friend, somehow.

??An hour had passed, and Felmyr came back from hunting, he brought two boars: one for him and the other one for Firrothe and Tannihn. The wolf ate with appetite, while the dragon ate slowly and carefully. He suggested to cook the meat. As much as Tannihn didn’t understand why, Felmyr agreed and blew a bit of fire on the boar’s flesh. Tannihn actually found it tastier, and Firrothe managed to eat with more ease. Felmyr understood why it was better when cooked. They enjoyed their meal until only bones were left.
«Have you made your mind up?» Firrothe asked.
«Yeah. I’m going to go with you.»
Firrothe smiled brightly. Felmyr prepared himself to leave that mountain where he had been living for a year now.
The way back was surprisingly calm, and troubleless. After defeating the griffin earlier, they expected others to avenge him. None came. Therefore they walked safely back to the humans. The walking was for Firrothe and Tannihn because Felmyr was grown enough to use his wings and fly. Perhaps that was what kept the avian predators away. With him, the two friends felt safe enough. After a few days, they made it to the destination just as the night came. Kristof welcomed the two friends back and said hello to Felmyr. The latter speaked his fears about there being no females anymore and the human seemed to believe no word of it. Kristof was convinced that there was a chance to find one.
«To you, what is the place that had the most female dragons?»
«It was the Forrek Falls, but last time I checked it, it was empty.»
«Maybe you didn’t check it well enough.»
«I did, and I checked all the main places where females met and went? They’re all gone.»
«That’s not possible. Tomorrow you have to go to the Forrek Falls with Firrothe and Tannihn and check again.»
Felmyr sighed. He doubted that they had any chance in succeeding, but what did it cost? It was a little farther than the mountain he lived on but he knew that the way to it was way safer and he didn’t recall seeing any predator around the Forrek Falls. They spent the rest of the evening planning how to go there and having dinner.

??At night, Firrothe was woken up by Felmyr.
«Sorry to wake you up, but can I talk with you a moment?»
«Uh... Sure.»
They walked away to some trees.
«Do you remember anything of your past?» Felmyr asked.
«No... Nothing. Kristof told me that my memory would come back quickly...»
«The humans told me that too.»
Firrothe suddenly realized that he was not alone.
«You mean you don’t know who you are either?...»
Felmyr sat down, and sighed nervously.
«I woke up in a dark room and those humans got me out of it, and told me that I had a mission to do. The mission was to explore the planet to help them make a map. When I complained about not remembering anything, they told me that it wasn’t a problem and it would come back soon. Of course it didn’t. I explored the areas and came back with clear descriptions of what I saw so they could draw maps of everything. As days passed on, I realized that my memory wasn’t coming back at all, I still didn’t remember anything and the humans kept on saying that it was okay and that sometimes it could take some time. So I kept doing what they wanted, and patiently waited. I waited weeks and months, and nothing came back to me. I still didn’t know my real name, I still didn’t know where I came from...»
«And now? Do you remember anything?»
«I don’t know. But I had a dream... It was so realistic that it affected me until weeks after... I was a human.»
Firrothe stared at the dragon, listening closely, almost hypnostysed.
«I had two legs, two arms and two hands. I was wearing clothes, I was standing. It felt like that’s what I had always been. And most of all, I had a family...»
«And what if that was real? What if you actually were a human before?»
«That would be incredible... Completely unbelievable...»
«And what if I used to be a human too? What if I have the same dream someday?»
Felmyr stayed silent for a short moment.
«Anyways... One day I got furious at them, and I threatened to hurt them if they didn’t tell me the truth. They managed to put me down, and they sent me in exhile to that mountain where you came for me.»
Firrothe understood now. Kristof lied. His memory was not supposed to come back, the humans didn’t want him to remember, as if they wanted to hide something, hide that he was human before, certainly.
«What should I do?»
«Do what you want, but don’t trust Kristof and the others...»
«Okay...»
The young dragon thought intensely. After a lot of reflexion, he decided to finish what he had to do, and then he would go away and make hiw own life; hopefully with Tannihn by his side. Firrothe, with Tannihn and Felmyr, would go and find a female dragon that he would breed, and then it would be over. They went back to sleep.

??When the sun rose and illuminated the world with its beams, Firrothe almost did not want to wake up. Felmyr woke him up, then woke Tannihn up. The three of them ate once again the breakfast that Kristof had made for them. The human seemed to look at Felmyr in a strange way, like bothered by something. Firrothe stared at the wolf’s face, wondering if what he hoped would ever happen. That dream that he had still gave him shivers everytime he thought about it. Once the breakfast was eaten, Kristof reminded the three fellows how to go to the Forrek Falls. Of course Felmyr didn’t need that, for he knew the way. Once again, they left the building and began their new journey. According to the red dragon, arriving there would take a few days. If he was alone he would fly there and go much faster but he had to go at the same speed as Firrothe and Tannihn. As they walked through a small wood, the young dragon felt like he had to talk to Tannihn.
«Hey...», he began, not really knowing what he should say.
«What?», Tannihn said with a low tone.
«Maybe... After we do this I will quit being with the humans and I will go make my own life.»
«Cool.», the wolf answered. He didn’t sound like he was in the mood to talk.
«What will you do when we’re done?»
«I’ll go back to my pack or find a new one.»
This hurt Firrothe a little. Of course Tannihn would not stay with him, he knew it but he had hope. He would give everything just to live a few seconds of the dream that he had, and see Tannihn smile like this again. A smile that didn’t correspond to his personality, the wolf would probably never show his face in such a way. Firrothe went to the right, a bit closer to Tannihn. The latter didn’t move away.
«You know... After we find a female and I... You know... I don’t plan to stay with her.»
«Huh?»
«I want to... stay with you.»
Tannihn’s eyes met with the dragon’s for a second after he said that, then he kept looking in front of him.
«We will see.»
Suddenly the dragon had hope again.

??After having walked the entire day, they were exhausted and famished when evening came. They stopped next to a small lake circled by trees and bushes. Felmyr said that preys were rare in this place and that hunting would be useless, so they fed on apples and berries. However, Firrothe a fox at one point and ran after it. The fox’s speed was high but the young dragon eventually killed it. He offered half of it to Tannihn, who could have refused it but he knew what it meant to Firrothe. Felmyr felt left out and went to look for a prey as well. He got an elk. Once all three were full, they swam in the lake and washed themselves. Then, they went to sleep. For the first time in a while, the wolf said goodnight to Firrothe first. It was not much but it made Firrothe happy, made him feel like Tannihn cared.
??
??Firrothe was awakened by a human. It was a girl. She had long brown hair and she was a bit chubby. He wasn’t with Tannihn and Felmyr anymore, but in a bed, covered with a warm whooly blanket. He was in a small room. Next to his bed there was a desk with books and sheets of paper on it. There was a window, he could see the blue sky through it. He was human too. Two arms, two legs, no claws and no wings.
«Victor! You’re late for school, come eat your breakfast quickly and go!», the woman said.
It seemed that she was his mother, and his name was Victor. He got out of his bed and walked out of his room. The living room was messy, there were papers everywhere on the table, and there was a bowl of cereals. He knew all these things, he felt like he had always been this way.
«Did you finish that homework?»
«Yeah, last evening.», Victor said.
He unconsciously knew what she was talking about. He was a student in university and he had a homework due for this day. He sat at the table and ate his bowl of Kellogs. Then, he went back to his room and grabbed his school bag. He opened the entrance door and everything outside was black. He stepped forward and his foot didn’t touch anything. It was just void. Without really knowing why, he jumped outside. He started falling, without ever reaching a bottom. It was an infinite void. While falling, he began to have allucinations. He saw more humans. He saw his mom dead, run over by a car. Then he saw his body change, slowly turning into Firrothe. He looked down and he could distinguish shapes appearing, as if he was reaching the bottom. He saw trees, grass, and a lake. He spotted Tannihn, Felmyr, and himself sleeping. He eventually hit the ground and woke up.

??Firrothe gasped as he was awakened. He looked around, Tannihn and Felmyr were still deeply asleep. When the sun would rise, he had to talk about his dream to the dragon. He walked by the lake and sipped some water before trying to go back to sleep. He didn’t dream again. He woke up with his two friends when the morning came. They ate more berries and apples, and carried on their journey. Firrothe didn’t find any occasion to talk to Felmyr. The latter always flew above them, and he didn’t want to talk about it when he was on the ground because Tannihn didn’t need to know. The journey was calm, and quiet. They rarely talked while walking, they could never find a subjet of conversation to bring up.
The next day they arrived to a long river that Felmyr said would lead to the Forrek Falls. They continued to walk along the river, eating and drinking regularly. They didn’t encounter any dangerous predator. They were sometimes attacked by a wild bear but it was no match for them after they fought a griffin. There was no a single danger that could stop them. At night, Tannihn began to sleep closer and closer to Firrothe. He would even smile at him once in a while. Firrothe sensed that the wolf’s feeling towards the relation changed. Though he couldn’t stay next to him, he had to talk with Felmyr about his dream. He went to see him and woke him up.
«Hey, Felmyr...»
«Ummm?...» he said, slowly opening his eyes.
«Last night, I had the same dream you had.»
Felmyr woke up faster.
«Uh? You were human?»
«Yes, I woke up in a bed and I was human. My mom told me to go to school.»
«Okay... It can’t be a coincidence.»
«So you think we really were human before?»
«I’m sure of it... But how did they do?... and why?...»
«I don’t know...»
They talking about it for a little while, and they went back to sleep.

??They eventually reached the Forrek Falls, and they saw no one. The water was falling from the hill peacefull down to the lake, and the place seemed desert.
«I told you it was hopeless.» said Felmyr.
«Wait!...», started Tannihn, «I see something.»
He approached the water and showed a little shadow: there was something swimming. They approached the lake, and something indeed got out of the water. It was...
«A dragoness...», said Firrothe.
She was blue, her wings were small and she looked gorgeous. When she saw the three fellows she started to look afraid.
«Who are you?», she nervously asked.
Firrothe didn’t know what to answer. He approached her timidly.
«I... I’ve been looking for you.»
«Stay away!» she shouted before running away.
«Wait!» Firrothe screamed.
Felmyr told him to run after her, they all three tried to catch up.
«Damn that is fucked up!» Tannihn said.
She was extremely fast and even Felmyr had troubles following her. They ran across woods until they ended up on a huge field. She kept shouting, asking them to leave her alone. They were all running as fast as they could, and they were getting tired. The dragoness kept gaining distance. Firrothe was slowing down, and was about to give up. Suddenly, a griffin arrived. It rushed on her, and grabbed her. It burried its claws in her neck and she screamed with horrible pain. The group tried to save her, but she had gained too much distance. The griffin killed her, then flew away. They reached her body, she was laying on a flask of blood. All three were shocked, unable to say a thing. Firrothe and Felmyr stared at each other, not knowing what to think. Tannihn tried to say something but words wouldn’t come up. They let one of the last females; if not the very last one; be killed.
«It’s... It’s over...» said the older dragon.
«We have to tell kristof...» Firrothe replied.
«He’s not going to be happy...» said the wolf.
«Let’s burry her.» said the young dragon.
They all used their claws to make a large hole in the ground. Once it was ready, they pushed the dead dragoness in it, and covered her with the dirt they had taken out. Then, they sadly started walking back to the humans. They wondered how they were going to explain to Kristof what happened. Firrothe thought that perhaps it was going to be the end of his mission, and that the humans would let him go with Tannihn. Felmyr was unsure of what was going to happen. He would probably try to find more informations about his previous life, even though he knew that Kristof wouldn’t tell him anything and would deny everything. They went back to the Falls and followed the river backwards. Then, they remembered the way. After long hours of walking, the night had come and they stopped at a lake filled with fish. Firrothe and Felmyr caught a dozen of them and Tannihn caught a bit fewer, but he still ate his fill. After their dinner, they went to sleep and Tannihn lied extremely close to his friend, almost touching him. He stayed lying there for a few minutes and Firrothe didn’t do anything, just wondering what Tannihn would do. The wolf touched the scales with his muzzle and rubbed his back gently. Firrothe still had no reaction, so Tannihn whispered to his ear with a playful tone:
«Do something, you dummy.»
Firrothe’s heart suddenly raced. He turned around on his side and stared at Tannihn in the eyes. He was smiling.
«But... I thought you didn’t want...» said the dragon.
«I changed my mind...»
Without saying more words, Tannihn kissed Firrothe. The dragon kissed back, and stared at him for a while.
«I love you...»
Tannihn stood up, and told Firrothe to follow him. They walked away from Felmyr and hid behind some bushes. They cuddled and kissed for endless minutes, and Tannihn ended up making love to Firrothe wildly. They had never lived a more intense moment in their lives... Maybe Firrothe did before.

??The day after, they all continued to walk back to the humans. It took a little longer because they were tired of what had happened. When they finally arrived there, Firrothe knocked on the door. He was thinking about what he was going to say, he tried to imagine what would be Kristof’s reaction. After a moment, the door opened and six humans walked out, it was the first time they saw someone else than Kritof, but he was there. He had a shotgun. The three became scared.
«Hey! What are you doing?» Firrothe shouted.
Kistof aimed at Felmyr’s head and shot. The bullet fired right through his skull, killing him instantly. Firrothe and Tannihn screamed with fear and backed off.
«What the fuck?! Why do you!!...», Firrothe shouted, struck with deep shock.
«Anyone who learns the truth must die.»
Kristof aimed his shotgun at the young dragon. Tannihn launched at him. Kristof tried to shoot the wolf but missed.
«I’m going to kill you!» screamed the wolf, filled with anger, burying his claws in the human’s skull. «Firrothe, run!»
The dragon looked at Tannihn, and before he had the time to do what he said, the other scientists had immobilized him.
«We’re sending you back», said one of them.
«What are you doing? Let me go!»
They immobilized Tannihn as well, and brought Firrothe inside the building. They took him down some long stairs to a large room willed with machinery.
«You thought you weren’t watched? You thought you’re going live happy with that wolf? He has his own pack, he doesn’t give a shit about your ugly scaly face. Great, you found out you were human. You want to live, then you will live where you came from. To Earth. You cam from there. Every dragon here came from there. There was never dragons in the first place. They were fiewer and fiewer because killed them, because they remembered. But we’re not killing you.»
They put the dragon in some machine that they closed, letting him trapped inside, with only a small window to see outside. Firrothe screamed and begged them to let him out. They went back upstairs. A few minutes later, they brought Tannihn down, he wasn’t moving and his eyes were closed.
«No...»
They opened the machine’s door and threw Tannihn. He opened his eyes.
«What the fuck?» he shouted, as the humans closed the machine again.
They operated some mechanisms and the machine began to tremble. One of the humans crouched and smiled bitterly at the two lovers.
«Bon voyage!» he laughed.
Then, he stood up and pressed a button. A gas got released in the chamber. Firrothe and Tannihn were holding each other in fear. The gas slowly made them feel sleepy. They were going to be sent to planet Earth, where Firrothe used to live as a human, as Victor Kerrin. They were not being turned into humans. No one knew what had become of Earth. Firrothe struggled to stay awake, and held Tannihn’s paw, thinking they were going to die. The moment arrived when they couldn’t resist anymore and shut their eyes, and slept. Maybe they were going to sleep for weeks, months, or years, but they would wake up on Earth, on an unknown land. Nothing would ever be the same again. In the end, the whole mission, the whole adventure was nothing but a joke.