FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 8

"Infinity?" The soft words of an elven child tugged the black dragoness from her slumber. Her ears twitched as consciousness returned to her with every steady breaths. He body wiggled and gavea large paw twitching yawn.

Standing before her was the not so young Amatae dressed in a simple dark green robe with a rope belt around her waist. She had a large dark purple leather book about the size of her chest clenched tightly against her body. Standing on he tippy toes she was peaking into Lyyreth's padlock, her eyes no doubt trained on the his unconcious form.

Infinity's snout wrinkled as she saw a sliver of fear tremble within the little girl's eyes. Twisted knots formed in the dragonesses stomach, rippling outward like a sickness. She licked her nose, and twitched her ears every which way before going to speak. That was when Cordenth came strolling in, hunched over and wings pressed uncomfortably to his side His head held low but otherwise looking calm and collected.

"Hello. Amatae." The green dragon spoke softly, his eyes darting to the padlock. "Did you find anything to help him?"

"That I did." The little elf flung the book outwards, although it was too heavy for her. The book made her topple over forwards and onto the ground with a grunt. The little elf chuckled nervously as she rolled over to her rear and began to dust herself off of dirt and hay. Her cheeks may have been red but she ignored their looks and pointed to the cover of the book which had a large red rune carved into the surface. It had smooth strokes in it, looking to be in the shape of a box but with swirling lines in many directions. "My..." The girl's brow stitched together. "Father kept information on most of his trinkets, baubles, and other things that adorned our home." Amatae scooched over towards the book on her knees as the dragons slowly snaked their heads closer to get better looks. The little elf opened the book, flipping through many pages with rapidly darkening eyes. Each page was filled to the brim with symbols of the draconic variety mixed with pictures or images of the items contained within.

Infinity stood in surprise that there was so much stuff but none of it caught the elve's eye. There was small thought in her mind of what to do with such a treasure. It entertained keeping all these trinkets, maybe use them for her own? She shook her head as Amatae continued to work, biting her lip.

"Here." Amatae pointed to the page with a crude picture of a wavering beast with non colored eyes. She held her head up high, pride flowing in her words. "Those things that your friend stumbled upon. It was called the Shade of Taranoth."

"Shade of Taranoth." Cordenth's gaze hardened at the book. "That sounds very unpleasant."

Infinity nodded, shifting her weight from one paw to the other.

Amatae's face darkened,"It says here that it would envelop a person and drain them away over time. Each day part of them would be consumed until only the shade remained behind the victims eyes."

Infinity's scales itched as she shook her head to try and combat it. Her insides squirmed like eels as she pictured Grozzo grinning at how his vengeance would be taking the form of this shade creature. Her frills drooped without her knowledge as she continued to stare absentmindedly at the pages opened.

"It says here that father collected it from the ruins of some old wizard's prison by the name of Glanchester. It was there that this spirit was collected by at least six mages. It had been terrorizing villagers across Rothdell for years. Hundreds of victims it drained."

"Why didn't they destroy it?" She snapped, "How stupid could those mortals be if they let something like this remain? Something that only spent its existence trying to kill or cause them misery?" Her heart throbbed as she left the book, rose her head, an set her eyes on Lyyreth's sleeping form.

All your fault. If you had just listened to him, none of this would have happened.

"Maybe they couldn't. Perhaps they instead wanted to keep it around for some purpose."

Cordenth snorted, "Like a weapon." His frills fluttered in and out as his eyes became as sharp as his talons. "That they could use against their enemies."

So much good it did them. Infinity rolled her eyes, scattering some hay with a sway of her tail. All of those wizards ended up dead while their weapon here went unused. Unused till now. Ice creeped across her scales the longer she stared at Lyyreth's scales. It slithered and slunk up every smooth piece of her armor, eventually starting to seep into her hide.

"Amatae." Cordenth's calm voice came softly, and was laced with more concern than she had heard him previously. "Does the book say anything that can be done to remove the spirit from my brother? I will not sit idle while this unholy thing drains him dry. I will go to the ends of the globe if that's what it takes."

Infinity nodded in agreement. "And how much time do we have until..that..thing does away with him entirely?"

Amatae leaned forward, her eyes practically pressed to the page as she followed lines of runes with a finger. "Well it says here that the shade within drains a victim of its mind within one month of wrapping itself tightly within them. Although it does mention here that the process can be extended for two months should the person have a protection from evil spell cast upon them each day."

"Fantastic. And how do we cure it? You didn't mention that."

"It..." The girl desperately traced the runes, eventually folding her hands into her lap as a frown overtook her face. "Doesn't say." She looked up to Cordenth and Infinity, her face wavering as her ears drooped. "I'm sorry."

"No." Infinity stood up, banging her head onto a wooden beam with a groan as sudden white motes sprung into her vision. She took a few stumbling steps before convincing them to leave with a shake of her head. "There has to be something. A mystic healer, some cleric that can help us!" She darted her head between the three as her heart throbbed painfully within her chest. Like someone had cast an enlargement spell and it was threatening to burst free of her ribs. "Well?" She glanced to the two that would not look her in the eye. It only made the dread that was lingering in the air even thicker as it snuck it's way into her mind and wrapped itself tight. "I don't know much about this world other than what I've seen. I'm relying on you here!"

"Lets see a map." Cordenth said dryly, glancing up to his brother. "I may have heard of a wood-elf that can cure all wounds. Surely a shade such as this would constitute as a wound of some kind. If she can not perform this then I don't know what else to do. Unless we find a strong enough cleric to work their own magic on him."

"I'll go get a map!" Amatae suddenly bound off from the floor like a fire had been lit beneath her. She passed through the doorway, calling out for some person walking by and asking about a map.

"This healer sounds like just a story." Infinity curled her neck, trying to fight the dread within her by licking her scales. Her eyes glanced up to the black spot on Lyyreth's scales. It was all she could do to not have her face twist in fear. There was a moment of guilt that plagued her before settling down onto her side, continued with licking her scales .

All your fault

"I'd like to not bet your brother's life on a simple story or rumor."

"I'm afraid it's all I have at this point ." Cordenth replied, focusing his snout on the unconscious dragon. He sighed before turning to her with pain pulsating through his eyes, more so than they had been when he looked to his injured brother. "I knew a dragon once that went to this place. He was destined to die by a dragon slaying arrow." Cordenth's tail trembled softly as the green's head sunk. "He...didn't survive in the end."

"Doesn't sound like much of a healer if she couldn't cure a slaying arrow." She rose up, pacing as she grumbled and dragged her talons through the dirt. She saw how her words injured the green, like she had ripped open his scales laid bare his beating heart.

Look. I can apply the runes and help strengthen any spell that I cast. It even has it last longer! Axton's voice suddenly whispered to her from the depths of her mind. She recalled him opening a leather book, smiling happily as he poked at the page and demanded she pay attention. She stopped in her tracks, remembering the vial of ink contained within the little boy's pack. Even now you help me out.

"Cordenth" She said cautiously, striding over to the leather pack that had belonged to her son. Ice teased at her senses as she looked at the worn leather, but she pushed it down with a narrowed stare and deep breath. Axton...Lyyreth needs you again...Please be here. She opened the pack, practically shoving her snout into it without concern for herself. "I think I have a way to prolong your brother's life."

"Really? You can cast the spell?" He sounded intrigued, hopeful. She liked the sound of that. It was better than him sounding all moppy and sad.

"Yes. But I also learned how to properly apply runes that strengthen magic." She snorted as she pulled up the pack and slowly let the contents fall onto the floor. There was a series of soft clinks as empty glass potions clinked together. One however was not empty. Inside the glass container was a thick black liquid that seemed to soak all the light into itself. On the glass was a label that simple read. "Rune ink."

"It involves my claws and a very special ink that Axton snatched from the lich." She picked up the smooth glass carefully in her jaws, like a mother carrying her young. With tentative steps she slowly made her way into the enclosure with the silent Lyyreth who was slowly approaching his doom.

Focus...no time to think about that now. She placed the vial softly on the dirt, using her front paws to push the unconscious Lyyreth's wings to spread out around her. She had to fold one wing at a time because of the size of the enclosure but she figured she could reach every inch that was required.

"Are you certain?" Cordenth's wary voice came softly as she grabbed the bottle. "You usually don't know things."

She curled her neck around to flash Cordenth daggers with her eyes. The sudden fierceness sent the green's head curling backwards and almost hitting the ceiling. "Yes I'm sure. I learned it in the tower."

"From the lich?"

"No." She looked away as her heart pounded strongly in her chest. She took a deep breath as it seemed her chest was constricting her lungs. "From my son." She uncorked the vial. The smell of damp leaves rushed up to meet her, it poked at her nose, begging her to sneeze. She fought it off with a twitch of her tail before focusing on the spell that the Emerald Lady had taught her during her brief months of study. One that would help shield the mind and protect against demons, devils, and undead. "Spaane norl vakul." She said clearly, dipping a talon into the glistening ink. When she pulled her talon up from the blackened liquid it began to shimmer and glow like gems caught within the sun's enchanting rays. She held the green's wing taught as she traced wavy lines, each one gleaming with power as she hummed and tapped her tail away. Her scales felt like they had gone to sleep as the magic flowered through her veins like a raging river. She could feel every twist and turn it traced to make as she kept it under control with her reserved breaths.

Push through...focus. Axton's words came sweetly from within as she dipped away into the ink and painted line after line onto those lime green membranes within her claws. She ignored Cordenth when his snout came over her shoulder and he watched her work with raised brows.

"Wow." The dragon gasped as her claws gently glided over his brother's delicate membranes. He looked like a piece of art now as she moved onto the other wing with a soft sigh. The runes were flowing waves, each one meant to spread the enchantment throughout the body and help maintain it's form.

You're doing great mom! He'll be good in no time! Axton encouraged her, the phantom human leaning up against her, and for a fraction of a second she felt his warmth upon her scales. Her eyes misted as the warmth faded into cold but she still worked. She owed it not just to herself, but to Lyyreth and Axton. She could do this. She was more than a beast meant for killing and fire. More than a thing that could regenerate her heads. She could protect the ones she cared about. Even silly green dragons who were incredibly awkward. She snorted at the idea that the twin brothers had grown on her so quickly.

"Are you almost done?" Cordenth's voice struck through her mind, the imapatiantness in his words making her roll her eyes.

"Yes. If you stop nagging me I might be able to work better you little hatchling!" She hissed, snapping her jaw as she dipped her talons again into the ink. She completed the last few strokes on his wings with a happy smile. Lyyreth looked beautiful if she said so herself. His wings were like a grand tapestry that she had poured not only her soul into, but Axton's as well. Each and every curve that she had drawn made her smile, and warmth filled her as it glimmered in the light with a faint magical power. She tapped her tail against the ground as she corked the vial with a happy rumble from her throat. She gasped in surprise when suddenly the unconscious green dragon started to shift and groan. His scales rubbed up against the stable wall as his tail wiggled cutely beneath her paws.

"Infinity?" Lyyreth spoke softly without a hint of pain or sorrow. Just the sound of someone who had been sleeping for far too long.

She shook away the ice as a smile came to her face. Not even the knowledge of the shade could ruin this moment for her. Before he could even get out another word he yelped as she tackled him with a hug. "You're okay!" She laughed as the wall whimpered at their combined weights. "You're okay!"

"I think I am." Lyyreth groaned, wincing as she accidently put all her weight on his chest.

"Brother!" Cordenth was next to practically attack the green dragon with a near trill and nuzzle across his snout like he hadn't seen him in ages. "Infinity was so worried about you brother. It was to the point I thought she was going to start singing to help you wake."

"When have I ever sang?" She snapped back, the good cheer of the moment making her chuckle at the suggestion. "You could have been more concerned for him you know." Her cheeks warmed as Lyyreth's eyes met her own. How glad she was to simply have him conscious. She pushed aside his snout playfully with a paw. "Just good to have you back chippy."

"It's good to be b..bac...achoo!" Lyyreth turned away, sneezing at the wall as his body shuttered and shook. Silence fell for only a moment before they all burst out laughing. They unwound themselves from his scales, giving the green dragon a moment to recover and get to all fours. "So what did I..." Lyyreth went to stand, his limbs shaking for a moment before the green dragon's forelimbs collapsed out from under him. His chest slammed into the ground and his snout crashed into the dirt with a thud.

"Lyyreth!" Both Infinity and Cordenth cried, their snouts descending to inspect the green dragon like concerned parents.

"I think my legs are still asleep." The chipped horn dragon chuckled weakly, blowing air at their snouts until they left him alone. "Think I just wounded my pride here."

"I won't tell anyone..." Infinity laughed as her heart beat faster. "Well...not too many people."

"Hey!" The green's frills started to darken. "I'd like to not have you go on about how undignified I am!"

"Then stop tripping and sneezing." She rumbled, teasing the green dragon by poking his nose with a talon. "

Lyyreth's nose wrinkled as his eyes narrowed and he let out a long sigh. "I suppose I have to wait here until they wake up then."

She bumped his snout playfully with the underside of her paw. "Try to not kill yourself by breathing though. You're going to make us worry even more about you."

"What'd I miss while I was out?" He shifted his weight, wiggling his tail against the wall with a soft smack."Wait.." His eyes widened as they shifted from herself to Cordenth, filled with the brim with fear. "I haven't been out for a year right? Oh gods, that's why you're all concerned..."

She silenced him by placing a paw on top of his snout and lowering hers. "No silly. It hasn't been years." She sighed, her spines drooping when she remembered him squirming and whimpering on the stable floor. "But it has been a week." Relief spread through his eyes as they eased, and a heavy breath filled him. "We're in that village Grozzo owned, the place isn't too bad. Once we redecorated it became much more cozier." She smiled, fondling remembering ripping down any poster with the grinning dragon's smug face, topping any statue that bore his likeness. Her ears twitched at the mere thought of doing it again. Then it was Cordenth's turn to tell him some things. They spun him the tale of what had happened during the week besides him being unconscious.

Infinity grumbled to herself when they described the spirit that lurked within him. How those radiant spheres of his suddenly darkened and filled with a cold chill that tugged at her heart something awful. Despite her reluctance and the unpleasantness, it needed to be done. There was no good to come from hiding it from him or beating around the wing. Thankfully he seemed to understand that.

"And that about covers everything." Cordenth sighed, raising his head and bumping his horn accidently into a wooden beam and wincing. "Damn." The scarf wearing dragon ducked with a grumble as they threatened to not laugh too hard.

"So..I'm dying then." Lyyreth's chuckles died as he glanced out to the stables, but looked like he was glaring out into oblivion.

"Yea but only cause we don't have a healer yet." She playfully shoved him, rolling her eyes and hoping he bought her fake smile as her heart ached. Like a knife was being dragged under her scales it made her want to wince but she held strong, flicking her tail and giving the green brothers a convincing laugh. "Your brother had this wonderful idea of going to visit this legendary wood elf healer. I think he mentioned your..." She paused for a second, flicking her tail before fighting the urge to growl in the back of her throat. "Mother talked about it."

"You remember the one right brother? The one that Storm visited?" Cordenth's head snuck closer as Lyyreth started to shift his weight and push hay around with his paws.

"Yes I remember..." The green dragon's frills drooped as he sighed. "Though that's not the best selling point brother. We lost two friends because of that."

"Only cause they had to die from a legendary dragon slaying arrow." Infinity rolled her eyes, nosing at Lyyreth's snout to try and cheer him up. "You only have a stupid spirit lurking around in your chest threatening to drain you of who you are and take your place!"

Lyyreth stared at her blankly, blinking several times as if he didn't understand the words coming from her maw. His tail twitched as a low chuckle radiated from his throat. "That sounds infinitely more terrible." His demeanor darkened as his talons kneaded the floor in large chunks, then without warning he sneezed powerfully, scattering any loose hay against the wall and thrashing his tail against the ground. "Sorry." He wiped his snout with both his claws, his frills from head to tail turning a darker shade of green.

"Hey." She descended slowly as he plopped onto the floor. She nudged at his finer scales, giving him a soft whine until he glanced up to her. "You're going to be alright. Your brother even gave you his word. We both know how he likes to be heroic and junk. We're not going to make him into an oathbreaker right?" She turned her head slightly to the scarf wearing dragon, lifting a scaley ridge and offering him a smile that he returned.

The green brother moved in, nuzzling his brother with a soft sigh. Lyyreth pressed right back as the air started to fill with a warmness and both dragon's purrs. "We won't rest until you're healed. Do you trust us to get it done?"

"I don't know." Lyyreth chuckled. "Last time I trusted you I ended up with the chipped horn." He pointed to his horn with a wing talon.

"That was an accident!" Cordenth pulled back, dismissively batting at the air. "How was I supposed to know you were going to stick your head up when I flung that bolder?"

Lyyreth rolled his eyes with a snort, them wiggling his tail as he took a long extended breath. He pushed Infinity away with a casual flick of his wings before tensing his muscles and pushing himself to all fours. His limbs wavered for only a moment before the dragon was smiling and lifting up his forepaws in delight. "Look! Look! I'm not helpless!" He practically bounced for joy before suddenly realizing they were staring and placed his claws onto the ground with a claw. "I'm not helpless." He coughed.

She smiled when he blushed and nosed at him with a laugh. "We better go tell the gods that a dragon can walk. I'm sure they will be thrilled." When Lyyreth returned her laughter she felt all warm and tingly. Like she had sprawled out in the sun and bathed all afternoon. She glanced around the thatch ceiling, maybe he could do with a change of scenery. He had been here for a week after all. "Come on." She nudged Lyyreth softly, guiding the slow moving dragon from his padlock and out towards the broken door.

"Are you sure about this?" Cordenth followed, concern flowing from his words like a river. "He just got up! What if he gets hurt or something?"

"Worse than being already dying?" Lyyreth replied with a snort, smirk, and curl of his serpentine neck. Cordenth didn't return the gesture and only gave his brother a hardened stare.

"I'm only worried about you little brother."

"Only little because five seconds or minutes!" Lyyreth snorted, swaying his neck softly with a groan. "Besides, Infinity I think has the right idea. I haven't been outside in a week! I want to feel the sun on my scales! The wind on my cheeks!" Lyyreth's snout shifted to her, his eyes softening as met her gaze.. "Thank you by the way. Don't know if I mentioned it."

"You might have." She teased with a flick of her ears. "Just remember to do that for me if I'm ever in that state chippy." She supported him when he leaned up softly against her. Though it was not all of his weight if she could tell, probably to hide it from his brother of all things.

"Feeling better already." He rumbled as they passed through the doorway. He only looked at it for a moment as silence between the two of them. "Your handiwork?" He asked with a grin.

"I don't want to talk about it." She rolled her eyes, guiding him out over the worn dirt path and through the sections of grass. The moment they neared the tree that she had shaken the trumpet birds from his weight against her was hardly anything.

Lyyreth sneezed when a breeze tickled at their noses and brought the sweet smell of violets. "Damn winds." His nose wiggled as he wiped it with a paw. Frills darkened when she giggled at his display.

"So this healer that we were talking about...Do you guys remember where she is?"

"Relatively."

"And I'm already working on it brother. Amatae was off to go fetch us a map to look at." Cordenth trotted over proudly, his chest swollen and head held high.

"Nice to know in my absence you had your mind to task. No princesses to keep you distracted and confused."

Cordenth snorted, letting his scarf batter against his scales as another breeze picked up. "Oh please, she wasn't that much of a distraction." He gestured to Infinity with a wave of his neck. "Infinity here made sure no one disturbed you. Was almost the perfect bodyguard."

She settled down onto her hinds, her eyes settling on the mountins. How they rose and fell like waves along a sea amused her. Their grey and white capped tops that flowed down into mixtures of off color green and red. Rocks dominated one side of one that looked to be a dragon's chipped talon. Though her snout wrinkled at the fact it looked ready to collapse. Like one pull from a bottom bolder would send the entire thing toppling down. Whispy clouds drifted overhead, stretching out as far as her eyes could see. "Course on the brightside." She chuckled as Lyyreth settled down beside her and his eyes joined hers in taking in the view. "The village is safe and we have another adventure."

"Lyyreth curled his neck to her with a large smile. One so infectious that it spread to her own and for a brief moment she forgot he was dying. Though that feeling came back to mind as Cordenth brought it back to the forefront.

"You're happy at being wounded and dying? How can you look so pleased brother?" The scarf dragon curled his head into an S as he tilted his head to the side. "Did the spirit rattle your common sense?"

"No." Lyyreth replied softly, glancing to his brother with an even softer expression on his snout. "But there's no sense in dwelling on the bad right? I mean we got what we wanted in the end. More exploration, things we've never seen before." Lyyreth spread out a wing, gesturing to the countryside before them. "Look around brother! We saved those villagers down the hill. We stopped an evil tyrant right in his tracks. We saved lives, so what if I got cursed in the process? We now have another adventure to see a mystical healer. Besides..." Lyyreth's claw rose to scratch at the blackened spot on his scales. "It doesn't even hurt that badly."

"You're crazy sometimes you know that right?" Cordenth rose a scaly ridge, turning to Infinity with a sigh. "Can you believe this? Are you sure you didn't smack him in the head too hard?"

She wiggled her tail, giving the green dragon a smile. "I find it admirable." When Lyyreth blushed at her words she felt her cheeks warm, and how it spread to her toes. "That despite the darkness he still finds the good." She didn't mind that if it sounded silly or naive to do so. It awfully sounded better than staying dwelling on the bad situation.

What about Axton?

Her tail swayed softly over the grass as she was reminded how the little human would have loved the view, probably pointed out things that reminded him of fantastical creatures he had only read about in books. Cold threatened to consume her as it touched and caressed her. She fought it off by licking her nose.

"I got it!" came a little cry from behind them.

Infinity's ears perked up at the sound of Amatae's voice as she sprinted across the grassy field towards them. She was holding up a manilla paper rolled into a cylinder and clutching it tightly in her hands as she bound over the ground with red cheeks.

"I got it!"

"Has she been running the entire time?" Infinity rumbled, "She must really have her mind set on this."

"Here!" Amatae darted into the grass, spreading out the parchment onto the grass with a smile. "It was easy. We had plenty of these things lying around." She suddenly looked up to see that all three dragons were there and looking rather well kept. Even Lyyreth showed no sign of his tiredness.

"Viridian knight!" She smiled when her eyes fell to him. "You're okay.." She traced his fine scales until they rested on his folded wings now covered in runes. "And your wings...They look beautiful."

"Thanks." His frills darkened as Infinity couldn't help but feel the same.

"And you're up and about. Looking healthy even. That is most surprising!"

"Yes!" His voice bounced with happiness. "All thanks to Night Rising here." He flared out his wings, his eyes following the patterns as if they were some great piece of art. "Look what wonderful work she did. All to keep a spell working!"

"It was nothing really." Infinity glanced away as her blood warmed through her veins. Her heart started to beat a little faster on it's on accord. "Just something I picked up..."

Why is my heart beating faster? Why do I feel so warm?

She glanced down to her paw, admiring the blackened scales as her tail wiggled softly behind her. "The healer." She said, trying to draw everyone's attention off of her and her handiwork. She curled her neck towards Amatae, nosing at the paper covered in ink. "Where can we find her?"

"Depends." Cordenth slunk over, placing his snout next to hers. "Where are we?"

"Right here." Amatae thrust a finger right onto the parchment with a picture of the continent spread out on it. There were way passed the dragon neck mountains and working their way towards wood elf territory.

"If I recall correctly she resided here within this forest south of here." Cordenth placed a talon right onto the page where some tree symbols were drawn "The Crimson forest" scratched next to them in thin strokes of ink.

"Which would make us about two weeks from there by horse." Amatae folded her hands in her lap. "Probably less if you are flying there."

"Well then it's settled." The green smiled, pulling his head away with a rumble. "We have our destination. We head south west towards this healer, speak with her and have her free my brother from this curse that afflicts him. Then we can continue onward deeper into Rothdell. Wasn't that the plan?"

"That is was." Lyyreth smiled, "And we leave first thing tomorrow I presume? He gestured to the wing with his snout. "That way I can regather my strength to fly. They kind of still feel sore. Like I've been flying for hundreds of miles without rest." He folded his wings with a low rumble, striding over towards Amatae who placed her hands on the top of his head. "Thanks for letting us stay in your village."

"It was not a problem." She smiled warmly, caressing the fine scales of his snout. "It's not going to be our home for much longer. We'll finish packing our things this evening and head out towards your mother's forest in the morning. "You have our eternal thanks from freeing us from my father. The gods truly sent you to us in our most dire time of need. I almost thought we'd never be free."

Infinity shifted her weight as the girl's words struck a cord deep within her. How we were once alike little one. She frowned, slinking away from the elf and her friends. She took to the sky, spiralling upwards on her mighty wings. Higher and higher did she climb till breath started to become scarce. She closed her eyes, letting the winds caress her snout like a lover before flipping and spirally downward. She righted herself and spread her wings into a glide before folding her wings and entering another long dive. Up and down she went. Cycles of dives and spiralling accents for countless minutes as she let out the built up energy of the past week shoot off of her like a coiled spring. She was free. And that fact made her heart ache as he remembered what it had cost her. She knew how Lyyreth could see the good, and not dwell too much on the past, though as she stared out into the vast cerulean expanse before her she could not help but picture that little face that had made it possible.

Axton

She gazed longfully to the clouds, little shapes of memories formed from the tower playing out before her eyes. She was prancing through the grass with him chasing right behind. Flying high in the training room with him as a wyrmling, laughing and giggling away at jokes shared.. Nights curled up on their bed as he leaned against her with an opened book on his lap while he stroked her head softly. Her heart throbbed as her eyes misted, and she felt more alone out in the sky than she had ever been before. She cried as her wings carried her around, long sorrow filled sounds that were lost within the wind as she dove. When her eyes were tired out she angled a wing and headed back towards the village, following the patterns of the multicolored ground below her.

She returned to the field where she had left, back-winging her descent and folding grass in her wake. Extending her hinds she landed softly on the ground, snapping her jaw several times in amusement before refolding her wings against her back. She paused, looking down to the multitude of little huts that dotted the overgrown village before her. She recalled from the sky how little it looked. How insignificant that it's dot was within the vast quilt that lay before her eyes. If she hadn't known it was there she might have missed it. Her tail swayed softly as she pondered what would have happened if they hadn't stumbled across that broken caravan only a week ago.

It was almost like it was a miracle of the gods.

She lingered for a moment longer, enjoying the breeze teasing at her and letting the smell of the forest fill her every breath. It was not long before an itch started at the base of her skull and she found herself drawn towards the stables. Cordenth could be seen standing proudly along with the mortals, his scales gleaming in the sun like one of those hero types Axton would read about in certain tales before bed. She was drawn to the real hero however, who was currently on his back in the grassy field with his wings spread wide and his tail wiggling back and forth every few moments while his paws batted at the air like some unseen attacker. She smiled, approaching the cute dragon with a rumble in her throat, and sway of her tail.

"Enjoying the grass are we?" She bound over as the green dragon wiggled his snout across the grass with a pleased sounding hum. He suddenly froze, one eye opening to lock onto her as realization came in that he was caught.

"Perhaps." He replied wiggling his lower body. "It's just good to be out here in the sun and not cooped up in that building. It's like if I make one wrong move the rotted thing will collapse! Besides," His tail flopped against the grass. "It has it's warm moments."

"Warm?" She scoffed, poking his black underscales with an extended talon. "The wind has had a chill for the last few weeks. The sun is hardly what I'd call warm. Perhaps you have a fever?"

"Better than that place." He flicked his paw towards the stables dismissively, his eye widening as he stared at the pockmocked roof. Within his sunflower like eyes she saw a glimmer of fear, pain, and something else she couldn't put a claw on. Though she was certain she'd seem the same expression in her reflection many times before.

What are you not telling me? She cocked her head slightly to the side, admiring the way he gave her a searching look. His lone singular eyes grazing her scales and focusing on the scars that lined them. She padded over to him, flopping onto her own back and lowering her spines.

The grass tickled beneath her scales in a way that fished out a rumble from inside her. It reminded her of something long ago, a distant memory she had no recollection of. "Hmmm." She sighed, wiggling her way towards Lyyreth in a playful manner. "So what did you dream about while you were out?" She swayed her tail, bumping it against his with a small pat. "Its okay. I won't tell your brother if it was truly embarrassing."

"No." He wrinkled his snout, "It wasn't anything like that." He rose his head, sighing before flopping it back down into the grass with a groan. "I just hate being a burden is all."

She rolled her eyes and smacked him hard with the backside of her paw. "You're not a burden greenie. So stop being stupid and just relax. It was as you said." She closed her eyes, sighing as the cold wind kissed her scales. "Focus on the good and now. No sense in trying to let the bad things poison your spirit." Her ears twitched slightly as the sound of those trumpet birds could be in the distance and her stomach grumbled. It appeared as though the first one had gone through her faster than she would have liked. "Perhaps we can snag some good from the villagers? Or better yet we can go explore Grozzo's home. He must have had something good to eat." She licked her lips, rubbing her stomach with a paw in small circles. "Maybe that purple ass will even have had chocolate." The mere mention of that culinary confection made her maw water and the urge to wiggle unbearable. So she did so, grinding away at the grass beneath her as she remembered the sweet flavor on her tongue.

"They were strange." Lyyreth replied softly, small and almost a whisper. Like a small bird's chirp. It made her ears perk up, desperately trying to hear more of his words.

"The chocolate?" She laughed. "I admit it's good but I wont say it's weird. That would just be silly." She smacked him again with her tail, and thrashed her neck until she struck him and giggled. "Besides. These dreams. You have to be more specific than strange. Cause if I have to bet I have you beat in the whole strange scenario." She thought to the dreams with Hadarial and how real they had felt. The imposing sun beating down on his skin, the smell of dry sand lingering in the air, and how he had suffered thus far while she lived through his eyes.

Lyyreth snorted, almost as if he didn't believe her. "How so?"

Well that had done it. She flipped onto her belly, curling her tail around her as she settled her snout into her paws. "I've been dreaming about someone."

"You're dreaming of someone?" He asked with a raised tone, his frills changing color.

"Someone in Rothdell I think, goes by the name Hadarial. Don't know why." She wrinkled her snout, pulling it slightly back with a flick of her tail.

"Oh." Lyyreth's frills drooped.

She ignored him and pressed on. "They seem so real, like I'm actually there experiencing them. Though when I awake I am always back in my own body." She tapped at the ground with a paw, grumbling as she thought to the way he had been captured. Her scales shivered at the why this was happening. Was it not enough she was tortured by an undead monster for years? Or that she could have her head sliced off and they would regrow but with more? How about when her son was killed before her very eyes? Was that still not enough? How much more weird did her life have to get?

Lyyreth seemed to sense her uneasiness as she had stayed silent during the time of contemplation. He scooched closer towards her and flipped over. "Maybe that was you?" He asked with a raised brow, placing his snout right next to hers.

"Yea, cause I was always a human. Just look at my perfect skin and sunflower hat."

I's a human. A small voice whispered into her ear, her spines flaring up so fast as she practically shot from the earth. Her nerves had frozen over as she felt it spread to the marrow of her bones. She had a flash of blue scales appear before her, and that of a laughing human with olive skin. She wiggled her nose as the smell of a rainstorm filled her next few breaths.

"Infinity?" Lyyreth's concern filled voice snapped her out of her frozen stupor.

She shook her head with a snort, casting away the images. "N..Nothing. Thought I heard a voice, then I had more flashes of...memories I think?" She flopped down next to him, licking her nose and settling into place with her tail curled up around her. "Maybe if I wasn't such a broken mess these bad things would stop happening." Her limbs trembled as she tried to pull more of the memories from her mind. Though like someone trying to snatch sand it kept pouring out of her claws and away from her.

"Okay. Say these memories are yours. That you were this Hadarial at one point."

She snorted, casting the green dragon a withering glance. "That is crazy. How could I have been a human of all things?"

"Reincarnation." He answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He rose a paw and drew a circle in the air. "Think of life as a circular thing. One moment in time you were this Hadarial person. You lived and died and then your spirit was sent to inhabit the body of a dragon."

"See?" She settled her head into her paws, rolling her eyes with a snort. "Crazy." She covered her snout with her tail, blocking out the silly looking green dragon like a wall.

"Yea." He trailed off, "I've never heard of mortal souls going into dragons anyway. Guess it was really a foolish idea."

Great, now she felt guilty for shooting down his idea. She wiggled her tail and yawned. "Good guess I suppose. Better than anything I was coming up with. I was going to say I was going insane." She licked her nose, grumbling as she shifted her weight across the grass. "Though whatever it is I hope it doesn't end up hurting us."

"Maybe your memories are returning. Not the hadrial one, but the one you just had? That after all this time away from the tower is finally paying off for you."

She paused, tapping her paw slightly. She rose her head and stared down towards the stables. She hadn't thought of that. She had gone so long without her memories of her past. The dragoness she used to be before Nigel did such things to her. Awful things that she must have repressed in order to save what sanity she held onto.

"Perhaps because the runes were removed they will return one day? You just have to wait and you will be restored to normal. Wouldn't that be nice?" He rose a brow, his naivety showing through. He pushed against her snout with his nose and she wiggled away with a grumble.

"You forget that I was at that tower for years. Maybe those memories are gone for a reason. Would you want to remember every horrible thing an undead monster did to you? Why my scales are covered in some scars that even I am not sure how I got?" She glanced towards the empty sky as silence fell between them. The blue expanse looking so empty, a perfect reflection of her heart in this moment as she remembered what her freedom had cost her. She felt cold, colder than the wind that was currently biting at them like frozen teeth. Her heart started ache, pounding powerfully against her chest as she kneaded the dirt beneath her paws. "The past can never really be gotten back."

"Would you forget the tower if you were given the chance?" Lyyreth's voice came softly, like that of the wind whispering passed her ears. "Would you want to forget Ax-"

"Never." She hissed, snapping her snout inches from the green dragon's nose. "Like a flame had been brought to life within her, the cold vanished in an instant. "I'll never forget him till I die."

"Sorry." Lyyreth shied away, blushing as his eyes looked to anything that wasn't her.

She sighed, lowering her head and looking away. She knew he meant well, probably didn't mean to poke at her scales like that. "It's complicated like it always is. And your injury just makes things even worse. I don't want another one I care about to suffer because of me."

"You care about me?"

Her snout snapped shut as her cheeks started to warm. She hadn't meant to mean it like that. "Course I do silly." She laughed, smacking his scales with an open claw, hoping to distract his thoughts. "I'd be dead if not for you. You and your brother are the only friends I have!"

"Ah." Lyyreth laughed, nervousness lingering in his voice. "I thought it might be something else."

"Would that be so bad?"

Silence suddenly fell as an awkwardness lingered in the air. Her ears flattened against her head as her heart pounded away in her ears.

Did you just say that? Her inner voice screamed as she scanned around for anything that could change the subject. "How about that bucket huh?" She gestured to a metal container sitting beside the stables covered in dirt and grass. "What a wonderful contraption for those without magic right?" It was her turn to chuckle nervously until Cordenth strode up the hill towards them with a swaying hind end.

"How are you two doing? Not interrupting anything I hope?" The scarf wearing dragon smiled, slinking over to them with a low rumble of amusement.

Oh thank the gods.

Lyyreth gave her a nervous laugh, his frills twitching on either side of his head as he gave his brother a blushing smile. "Nothing at all brother. We were just enjoying the grass and each others company."

"Sure." Cordenth's spade head went from Lyyreth's nervous smile to her cocked head. "The others were preparing for a feast for tonight." He lingered on Infinity and gave her a knowing smile. One that implied he was thinking something and it made her hide crawl.

"Feast?" She inquisitively tilted her head to the other side. "I thought they were packing up. Shouldn't they be saving the food for their trip to your mother's forest? Besides, what food could they possibly have?" She laughed at the idea. She had seen lots of things during the last week but she knew that Grozzo most likely didn't share his feast worthy food with his slaves.

Unless they caught a few dozen of those trumpet birds...Okay that sounds good. She licked her lips as she pictured ripping into those annoying birds with her tail tapping away in delight.

"They finished that. I helped them retrieve some of Grozzo's food stuffs from his kitchens. The dragons dead so we all figured he doesn't need them.

"Oh." She shifted her weight as her snout instinctively went to the towering mountain where the purple had called his home. "What about the treasure? That's just going to sit there?"

Cordenth nodded with a sigh. "I know. My blood hates the very idea but we can't really travel with it. Besides, they don't need the treasure trove in their cars. Will only bring unwanted trouble the elders said. They are just going to take enough coins to get them by, nothing to warrant thieves or brigands. Better it rest here within those caves. Who knows, maybe one day an adventurer will come by and find an unguarded treasure trove ripe for the taking."

"Shame." She chuckled, picturing herself leaping from gold pile to gold pile with warbles escaping her maw. Like an excited child she would scatter it around, maybe wiggle over the shining coins. The thoughts to the feast drew her wandering mind back to focus as she wiggled her nose.

"Guess it will be good that someone gets that food. I'd rather it go to the people he wronged rather than his allies." She stood up as her stomach voiced it's opinion on the matter at claw. She stretched herself out as much as she could as her scales shifted and clinked. She nudged at Lyyreth to do the same and he followed her actions with a grumble. She smiled when his limbs didn't even wiggle in protest. She imagined it wouldnt be too long till he was back in his right state at all.

"That's what I was thinking. They wanted a final send off. Way to thank us for freeing them from his claws."

She cocked her head, tail swaying softly behind her as her ears picked up. "Is letting us stay here not enough?"

"Evidently not."

"Hmmph." She strolled out down with hill with another yawn forcing its way past her lips. She admired the sun that had reached passed it's high point and was now descending towards the horizon at a snail's pace. It would not be long she imagined until the golden rays had shifted into a pleasing mix of red and orange that would encase the trees in their glow. Her ears trembled as she heard a sound chanting on the wind. Not unpleasant but it did make her head tilt in curiosity towards the houses. They were singing, not only that but by the sounds of it someone had gathered some instruments and were playing a melody that hung in the air and reached out this far.

"Don't worry." Lyyreth slipped beside her when she stopped, groaning as he shook his neck. "We used to have these things back at mother's forest. When mother's servants celebrated our hatchdays or harvests. It's just a large party to enjoy with food, drinks, maybe some dancing and music to let them, bask in happiness once denied them."

She wrinkled her snout, picturing all the little faces of mortals staring at her. She was reminded of that time within the town where the lich had made her hurt them. "I don't like the sound of it. I don't do well in crowds." She wrinkled her snout as she took her next tentative step helped by the green urging her on with gentle nudges. "Can't we just stay away from them and watch them from afar?"

"I suppose." His neck bounced as they walked in tandem. "If you don't feel comfortable, but let's make a deal then." He shifted his neck to the right with a rumble. "You go down there and try being around the mortals who wish to express their gratitude. If you don't like it we can go back and enjoy the rest of the evening just together till morning. Deal?"

She sighed and looked away from the smug smile that was not spreading to his lips. How he thought to know how she would respond made her tail twitch and her scales tremble. It sounded like a fair enough compromise, and the sound drifting along the air was rather pleasant. She kind of wanted to go see what that was all about. When his snout moved towards hers to continue his question she laughed softly and batted it away with a playful strike. "Fine! But if I say so we leave." She snapped at him, head raising as she puffed out her chest and began to stroll powerfully towards the sounds.

"Deal."