THE ADVENTURES OF ANDRASTE THE DRAGON

Chapter 7: Flemeth the Shape Shifter

It was not till about a week after my awakening that I was caught doing something I was not supposed to do as a dragon.

The two women whom I learned was named Flemeth and Morrigan were indeed the Witches of the Wilds. Flemeth I can sense is very old and very cunning for someone of her stature; while Morrigan is just as cocky as anyone about twenty five or older.

Now the reason I was caught was rather simple. I had gotten careless in my observations of the two.

I managed to figure out a routine for the two of them. Every morning Morrigan would wake around the crack of dawn and shapeshift into an animal such as a wolf or a bear and go out foraging for food. Flemeth being very old would mind the fire in the hearth and tend to the small livestock they have behind their home. After regaining my strength I went out hunting for my own food and managed to steal some cattle from a nearby village and share it with the old woman while she was sleeping. Being that I do this at night during the day I am seen as a very lazy dragon rather enjoying my naps in the sun rather then doing what other dragons do.

It was one rather moonless night that I yawned and stretched myself out getting ready for my flight when a shadow flew over me. Startled I never noticed it till the sound of flapping wings drew my attention. Turning my head I spotted another dragon landing next to me.

The dragon hissed at me; spat fire and flared its wings at me…

Like any typical dragon…

I just rolled my eyes and pulled myself to my full height. I was in fact slightly bigger then the other dragon and when I flared my wings and gave it a good draconic glare; it cocked its head at me at first then in a flash of light became Flemeth.

"Well it seems I was right when I believed that you are not as you seem my friend," she said

I figured I might as well let the cat out of the bag.

"Well what gave you that idea," I said.

"My, my this one can speak! Flemeth is quite surprised by this," she said truly surprised

Rolling my eyes at her laid down on my hunches, "Well tell that to the woman that did this to me in the first place," I replied back to her.

Now Flemeth was curious as she looked at me strangely.

"Now normally when I am in my dragon form other dragons would challenge me for my territory, but alas you were not impressed aren't you?" she asked

"For God's sake no!" I said laughing.

It was then that the sound of footsteps could be heard and Morrigan stepped out of the hut.

"Mother I heard someone else talking? Is everything alright?" she said

"I believe our guest could speak for herself ain't that right dragon," she said

"What ever old lady," I said.

"By the Maker mother that dragon is talking!" Morrigan said

"And by all means she is, isn't she," Flemeth replied with a knowing smile.

"You knew didn't you? You knew this whole time that the dragon could talk and never said a thing!" Morrigan said

"Um said dragon is still here," I said to both of them before they could get into any fighting.

They both stopped whatever argument that was about to take place and gave me both cold glares. I shrugged used to such antics back at the hospital.

"Look if it is not too much trouble I need to find the Grey Wardens do you know where they are at?" I said to them.

"Well if you are talking about Ostegar they are only a few soldiers there. If I were you I would give it few days time by then you would see the Wardens. Why are you looking for the Grey Wardens in the first place?" Flemeth asked

"I was told to seek them out and offer my help," I said

"By whom?" asked Morrigan

"By a ghost who thought it was funny to pull me from my work place and my home and drop me here in the middle of nowhere looking like this!" with that I raised my clawed hand.

"Oh so you are actually a spirit of sorts in a dragon's body?" Flemeth asked

Shaking my head I began to explain how I had gotten to Ferelden in the first place. By the time I was done dawns light began to show and the sounds of battle approach. Turning my head in that direction I noticed that Flemeth also saw it.

"Ah so the battles have begun," she said

"Really? Between whom? I know one side is the Darkspawn the other must be the Grey Wardens!" I said getting up.

"I don't think it is them my dear there are not many left and last time I checked my sources tell me that there are too few to be an army." Flemeth explained.

"Oh," I said sitting back down on my hunches. My wings folded against my back as I looked down at the two women.

"You have not fully recovered from your ordeal with the Darkspawn how would they react if you flew over a human army and they saw a dragon? Why they would kill you of course! Dragons around here are savage creatures and would stop at nothing before everything is destroyed. And by your size I would say they could mistake you for the Archdemon," this time it was Morrigan who spoke.

"The Archdemon is a dragon?" I replied

Thoughts to that night sleeping with the werewolves and my time in the fade have shown me that indeed the so called Archdemons are in fact very large dragons. Now in all my stupidity I would have known better then to show up in front of an army of trained soldiers who would gladly cut me up and sell me as trophies.

Now that is a scary thought.

The sounds of battle have been going on for some time and seeing as both Flemeth and Morrigan hid well in the wilds I might as well look at my new surroundings. Opening my wings I took flight rising into the sky and letting the wind take hold of me.

Soaring high into the cloud line I hid being at this height I know no arrow is going to get me. My keen eyesight took note of the battlefield and saw the carnage for the first time. Another set of wings joined me and I knew it was Flemeth taking her side being smaller as we road the winds together. She remained with me as I fought not to fly down there and burn every one of my former captors while the battle raged. One human in particular caught my attention for he was dressed in gold. I guess he is royalty of some sort. I watched as he fought off some of the worst of the horde of monsters.

It seemed like hours before the fighting finally stopped and the wounded men were dragged away back towards the ruins. The king (at least that is what I would call Goldie) is dressed in blood. I guess for men it is some sort of trophy as they cleaned themselves in the nearby river and then polished their armor. Very clever at least they know that blood can cause the metal to rust.

As they battle ended I turned back towards the hut and allowed myself to land in a heap. Morrigan was gone so I assumed he had gone to hunt. Flemeth flapped her wings and landed beside me. Returning back to her human form she folded her arms around her body.

"So is the doctor going to scold the disobedient patient?" I said with amusement.

"No, but I do hope you are satisfied with what you saw," she said and turned to leave.

LATER THAT EVENING

After finishing the third kill that I have made in the wilds that was untainted with Darkspawn blood I sat down on the nice warm earthen clearing I call a bed. My head in my lap as I listened to the sounds of insects and pests. I heard from Morrigan that they had visitors from the ruins not too long ago. They seemed to want the scrolls that Flemeth had hidden in her hut to protect them from destruction.

Another thing that struck me in curiosity and I was meant to ask Flemeth that when she comes out the give me my dose of medicine. After all I am still slightly in pain and from what she said exerting myself like that has reopened a few wounds that took some time to heal. I never noticed this till I looked on my back and saw them for myself. They were burn marks from the chains that held me to the wagon. Flemeth said that they were magical chains so anything that has to do with magic takes longer to heal. Well the salve she put on me had numbed the pain that is why I could not feel it at first. But now that I feel it now I regretted it. I bet that is why Flemeth did not scold me.

Speaking of the hag here she comes now.

Walking slowly up to me with a cup full of that horrid medicine I opened my mouth and gulped it down. Man was that nasty! Oh well I've had worse in my experience.

"So Flemeth tell me what were on those scrolls that those soldiers came to get?" I asked

"They contain the ancient pact between the Grey Wardens and the armies of Ferelden." She said sitting down and enjoying the night.

"A pact?" I asked

"Yes, my dear an ancient one made long ago after the first blight when the Grey Wardens were honored as heroes. They were made to ensure that should more blights come then the Grey Wardens can count on the kings of all the different races to come to their aid. I guess you don't know much of the different races here don't you?" she asked

"No, I don't; I only know of the humans such as yourself and Morrigan and the Werewolves," I said

Laughing Flemeth began to explain about the different races here in this continent called Theadas. Ferelden is one of many countries in this world the others are Orlay, Antiva, and Tivinter, these lands have their own kings and their own rules. Well I am all too familiar with those. What got me is the different races that occupy this land. From what Flemeth explained there are many races here and one underground! There are elves, humans, dwarves, werewolves (if they are counted as a race), mages, Darkspawn, Qunarri all of them are different and all of them have their own cultures.

I told her a bit about myself and where I came from along with trying to explain a bit about my world. All the things that went on in my world and how it works.

"My if Flemeth has the chance I would like to see this world for the first time," she said, "A world without magic and sorcery is surely to make me cringe a bit but worth while to see," she said.

Shaking my head the woman and I spent the rest of the day conversing about meaningless things such as potions ingredients to even using the Darkspawn's own blood for poisons. I for one would rather not but I learned a bit that night and into the next day. The sounds of battle never bothered me only Morrigan when she came to give her mother dinner or me when I have to fly off to use the bathroom, or find my own dinner.

It was not until three days later that something terrible happened.

Something that would change my life forever.

TBC