Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh
XXI: Sharp
Yugi poked his head over the den lip once more. He strained his eyes as he heard a soft thump and the sound of paws against the straw. He blinked, searching, shifting to sit up further. His eyes stretched huge again and he froze in place, hearts thundering.
Atem!
The red male was yards away, standing alone in the clearing. He was staring up at a large tree, head angled all the way back to observe it fully. He stood motionless for a long time, then looked back toward the trunk. It was larger around the base than Atem's body was long. Yugi imagined it had thousands of rings inside, and had to be millions of years old. Atem peered at it for a long time, then raised his paws to run over the bark. He sniffed it, tilted his head, curled his claws against it to shed some bark, and then dropped to all fours.
Yugi was amazed by how long and sharp his claws were. They were longer than his paws were flat and his body was full of lean muscle. He looked powerful and slender, with large wings and a long tail. The Sky Dragon paced several steps, narrowed his eyes, stared at the trunk, and turned back with a flustered expression. Yugi didn't understand what he might be looking for. He seemed so intent and it was only a tree. It might have been old and huge, but it was still just a tree. Yugi didn't even know why he'd gone to this one in particular.
Had Atem seen something special that Yugi didn't?
The Sky Dragon backed up several steps, then whipped around to stare at it again. He looked up into the branches, then down into the trunk and towards the roots exposed partially. He looked at all of it, then shifted his weight and began to slink along once more. He huffed, spun around twice more, and circled about the clearing.
He looked…agitated.
For the first time since Yugi had laid eyes on him, Atem looked…upset.
He shivered and forced himself not to call out.
He didn't want to scare him.
He didn't want to attract attention, either.
But Yugi only really cared about scaring him. He didn't want to startle him and make him lose his concentration. He didn't want to make him run away. He just wanted to talk to him, but his parents insisted he was too young.
So he settled for watching as Atem circled once more.
He paced, slung his tail as if it to smack an opponent, and then spun quickly. Yugi heard a soft yet definitive clicking noise. He saw a flash of silver and white. And then he heard the tree crack and splinter as if struck with lightning. He jumped, hearts thundering in his chest, and froze with a horrified expression.
Atem stood motionless there. His tail was embedded halfway through the tree trunk, cutting a huge gaping chunk from its foundation. The red male blinked several times, frowning, and then placed a paw on its top half. He pushed on it once, then shoved and threw himself at it. But the trunk did not budge.
Yugi almost panicked for him. His tail was halfway inside the tree trunk and yet Atem hardly seemed to care but for throwing himself one more time at the tree. It did not waver, as Yugi knew it wouldn't. Even Atem seemed to realize. His expression was calm and cool, however, whereas Yugi wanted so badly to race forward and ask if he was okay.
His tail had to hurt!
Yet, Atem didn't seem to feel it if it was. Instead he eyed the trunk again, studying, huffed softly, and shifted his weight. He steadied himself on all fours, wiggled his rump where he could, and braced his claws in the dirt. In an instant his wing nearest shot forward and struck the trunk. It cracked and screeched as the wood shattered and fell backward.
Yugi flinched back as it fell into another which caught it and supported it halfway. When he looked at the Sky Dragon again, Atem had withdrawn his tail and his wings were folded into his sides. He wasn't hurt, but the gem on his forehead was oddly dark and discolored. When he backed away and looked around, the movements allowed Yugi a glimpse of his front right paw.
The inner toe was bloodied and missing a claw. It looked as if it had been torn forcefully at some point, though it was healed for the most part. It was not bleeding and had not been for a while.
But now Yugi understood the screams and hideous laughter he'd heard the day before. Atem's brothers had torn his claw off. Atem had been shrieking in pain, terrified and pleading, and they'd ignored him.
Yugi shivered and wished so badly to jump out and hurry over. He wanted to ask if he was okay, to offer to groom it—to do something. Atem had been upset enough to knock an entire tree down. Yugi had never seen him behave like that before. It made his body feel cold.
Atem looked around after a moment and for a split second he seemed to stare straight at Yugi. But he didn't see him. His eyes were glazed over and his expression was unreadable. The gem on his forehead was almost black with tumultuous emotion. And then he blinked slowly, drew his head up, and turned away.
He was taller than when Yugi had first seen him. He was leaner, his paws larger, his tail longer. His wings were twice the length of his body, by far the most powerful part of it. His chest plate sported two sharpened blades of keratin much akin his claws. His mouths were more defined, his teeth jagged and long, and a set of tusks had formed on either side. The crest of his skull no longer seemed feathery as his tail had, with more definitive spikes, and his wings had two joints each. One was a spear of keratin, the other a sharp knot of bone hidden beneath his brilliant scales.
Atem looked all the more divine. He truly looked a God Dragon, fierce despite his young age. Yugi admired him even as he realized Atem looked tired and maybe lonely. He felt a rush of desire course through him, but it was gone in a moment.
If Atem was developing so well, his brothers had to be as well. They were bigger than him by a full head. They could easily kill Yugi if they realized he was there.
Heartbroken, Yugi remained where he was and tried not to draw attention to himself. Atem looked down at his paws and then around, glanced at the tree remorsefully, and took off from the clearing. Yugi watched him until he was gone.