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As I awoke to a sea of pain, the first thing I noticed was I was moving. My muscles ached and a sharp pain in my side awoke whenever I moved. My tail-hole felt like I'd had a tree shoved up it at some point. After a few moments my mind began to clear, and the events of the previous night filled it... I couldn't help but let out a whimper.

"Ah! So you're awake!" My reveries were interrupted by a voice. I turned my head to hone in to the source, and saw an ageing avian of some type, most likely a Falcon from the looks of it. He was dressed in plain dirty robes, and was eyeing me with a look of idle fascination and sympathy. There was an overwhelming silence as we sat there and stared at each other. I wasn't sure what to say and he looked perfectly happy sitting there watching me. After a few long silent moments I decided to speak.

"Where...am I?" I asked in a raspy voice.

"You're in one of our caravans." he replied. "We are merchants and we travel around the Tribal lands selling goods from other villages. Would you like some water?"HE bent down and offered me a bowl. I nodded eagerly and he held to my lips tilting some water into my mouth. The cool refreshing drink felt fantastic against my hoarse dry throat. Actually,I'd tried to drink a little too fast, and began to choke. "Easy now young one. It seems as though you've been through a lot." The avian said. I nodded and took a moment to survey my surroundings. The caravan was a large wooden cart with a cloth covering its roof and sides. It was filled with various miscellaneous items, some I recognised and others I didn't. Rugs, wooden crates, jars filled with unknown things, baubles... the smell in the air was heavy with the aroma of spices.

"Thank you." I said quietly after my coughing fit had ended. "How did I get here?"

"We found you on the road half dead and we took you in and treated your wounds the best we could. You obviously have been through quite an ordeal. We didn't know where to take you as we found you on the boarder of one of the Wolven tribes, and since you look like a dragon, we didn't think it right to hand you over to them with the grudges and all." He stopped for a moment. "But what strikes me as peculiar is that you don't look like any Dragon I've ever seen before, and I've been around a long, long time." He smiled at me.

"I...I..."

"It's all right. You don't need to tell me if you don't want to. But where do you come from?"He questioned.

"I came from one of the Wolven tribes." This remark earned a look of confusion from the elderly Falcon. I feared the approaching admittance, but I continued non the less. "My... my mother was a Wolf but my Father was..."

"A Dragon?" He finished and I nodded shamefully. "Well now isn't that a rare thing. It's not often two separate species are able to give birth to a child such as yourself."

"My tribe tried to kill me...I managed to escape but..."my fuss was politely cut off by the Eldar's kind voice.

"It's all right young one." the Falcon cooed, like a parent would to a child. "Rest now, you need to rest."

"All right." I agreed and laid back down, my eyelids becoming heavy. "What is your name?" I asked drowsily.

"My name is Eric, young one. What is your name, if I may ask?"

"Malakye..." I managed to say before sleep came over me.

******

I awoke again and felt far better than I had the first time. So much better in fact, that I decided to try to get up. That was a mistake. A stabbing pain in my side made me fall back into bed. I must have cried out because no sooner than I had landed had Eric come rushing in.

"Easy now. You're still not healed! You'll risk opening your wounds if you're not careful."

"Please, I don't want to be a burden on you."

"Nonsense! You are not well and what kind of person would I be if I had just left you to die where we found you. Anyone with a drop of compassion in their soul could never abandon someone injured and in need of help. I am a proud follower of teachings of Shal'Naresh."

"Shal'Naresh?"

"You are not familiar with her teachings?" Eric asked.

"No, I'm afraid I only know that she is one of the Twelve Guardian deities that watch over our lands. I know only what my mother had time to teach me as a child."This seemed to only further confuse Eric, and he said;

"Do they not follow the teachings of the Twelve where you grew up? Surely they would have taught their children about the Twelve?" I shook my head.

"I was an outcast in my tribe. When my mother died I had to fend for myself." I stopped to take a breath. "I had to learn to survive because no one would have cared if I had died... they simply tolerated my existence. So long as I kept to myself they would leave me alone. But the other night... some of them took it a step further..." I was struggling to hold back the tears but somehow I managed.

"It seems as though you've had a hard life, much harder than most." The Falcon pitied "Well, you should stay here till you are healed, and then you are free to do as you wish."

"Thank you, Eric." I said sincerely. He smiled again, so reassuringly.

"No thanks are needed Malakye. Now while you recuperate I'd be more than happy to teach you about the Twelve, and anything else you might feel you may have been deprived of during your cub hood." He grinned and I smiled in return.

"That's very kind of you Eric. So long as it doesn't put you out I'd love it if you would."

"Don't be silly, I'm an old bird now and if there's one thing old birds like me like to do, it's educate you young folk with stories of folk lore and religion." He stops and chuckle to himself. "But mainly, it's the rambling we can't get enough of."

We both laughed.