Jarek grumbled under his breath, occasionally letting out several mutters of irritation.

"Where does she get off…" Jarek said, "Can't believe I'm being lectured. Who does she think she is?"

It had been that way since Jarek had set off from Dragontown Kumandra. Ever since Sisu had called him out for his deception, he had stormed off without a clear goal as to where to go. He didn't care where, all he knew was that he wanted a deal of distance between him and Sisu. But for some reason, that made him taste bitterness upon his tongue.

He was upset, mainly because his lie had been found out. That much was apparent, but for some reason, he couldn't get rid of Sisu's disappointed face from his mind.

Why did seeing her saddened eyes make him so disappointed in himself? That had never happened. He was Jarek! The luckiest man in Kumandra! He was always certain of himself. He never faltered, never swayed, just kept going on his path no matter what anyone said. Then his little "accident" happened. If being knifed in the gut and having your corpse tossed into a river count as an accident. No, it was straight-up murder.

He stopped a moment to take in his condition again. Staring down he found he missed the familiar digits of a human hand, and instead was greeted by a dragon's paw. He felt the length of his lithe body, swishing his tail behind him as he did.

It provoked a serious groan from him. This shouldn't have been such a big deal for him. Of course, it wasn't as if he didn't have a heart. He cared about his sister and niece, but that alone made him think back to his sister's words for him, the night before he set off on his doomed heist. The heist that led to him becoming a dragon.

Coming to a halt, he let out a growl, and for a moment was surprised he found an animalistic sound coming out. Without warning he punched a tree, feeling only a slight burst of pain.

But that proved the least of his worries as he heard a crack of thunder from above. In short order, a series of raindrops fell, as if a gaping wound had been opened up in the sky and splattered upon Jarek. One by one the tiny drops drenched Jarek's fur, sopping down his beard until it stretched downward. The human-turned dragon could only stare blankly in the distance.

"Really?" He muttered.

He didn't even say Can it get any worse?

Taking the moment to stop, he found he had wandered far from Dragontown, and into a forest. The thing is he had walked so far that he hadn't plotted out where he had gone.

Wherever he was, he knew he had to find shelter fast, so without thinking, and not knowing exactly how to backtrack, he kept going, hoping for any sign of shelter. As he continued, he soon spied something ahead. Just standing out there in the open.

"A cave?" He questioned.

Curious as to what one was laying out there in the open, he couldn't deny his luck had won out again. Swiftly he ran towards it. Though moving so quickly drenched him further, he wanted out of the downpour as soon as possible. Soon he no longer felt the rain upon him, and the minute he was in a dry area, he shook himself clean. For a brief moment, his fur puffed up, giving him an impression of being a wet dog. Sniffing himself, he certainly felt he smelled like one.

Gazing out towards the downpour, he looked behind him in the cave giving a satisfied but disgruntled sigh as he did. The cave seemed deep enough. He supposed he could wait it out until the rain stopped. Staring out at the rainstorm he couldn't help but wonder if Sisu's brother Pengu was responsible for this? She had mentioned his magic was bringing rain, but he had barely any interaction with the green dragon. What reason would he have to do this? More than likely he was overthinking and it was just a random rainstorm. The rain didn't always require dragons after all.

Just as he was about to get himself comfortable, something pricked at the back of his ear. Or rather, in his ear.

"How long do we have to stay here?" A voice asked.

Jarek craned his neck backward and felt a strange sense of familiarity with the voice.

"I told you, we have to lay low before we sell this thing," Another voice spoke, this one female, and even more familiar.

"Sell this?" Jarek questioned whilst trailing off at the same time.

"Come on Sayua I think Fang has to get lazy sometime!"

Now Jarek's attention was full, "Sayua?" He hissed with a growl.

"Don't underestimate Fang idiot! They're trying to make up for nearly destroying the world, so of course, they aren't going to be lazy!"

Jarek found another growl escaping him, so loud that for a moment he heard, "Did you hear that?"

Letting out a tiny gasp, Jarek instinctively did the one thing he could think of.

Footsteps followed and rounding a corner was one of Sayua's minions. The thin man looked ahead but shrugged and replied, "It's nothing."

Jarek was surprised at first, but staring down at himself, he noticed something in particular: he was invisible. He nearly let out another gasp at this revelation, but while he was many things, he was not repetitive.

Thoughts raced through his head, and he found himself thinking.

"Wait? Does she still have it?"

The question itself was more towards himself. But if it was what he thought it was?

Sneaking ahead further, he turned his head around a corner and his eyes widened with anger, so much he felt another growl start to creep up from his throat.

Their situation beside a fire was Sayua and her two goons. Several objects lay scattered about, trinkets with some vestiges of living space. This was probably their hideout, but what caught Jarek's attention was what was currently laying in Sayua's hands: the statuette. The very same dragon shape and the polished wood crafting. The very same item that caused his troubles, and perhaps salvation?

Jarek brushed that thought aside as a new feeling swelled up in his head, a thought he knew full well he wanted to partake in. And that happened to be revenge.

But Jarek was no murderer. Though it would be poetic justice, Jarek had standards, standards his late father passed onto him. Instead, he would try something else.

Slinking his lithe body towards one of the goons, he did a hard tap on his shoulder.

"Ow!" the man exclaimed, rubbing his sore spot and looking towards his fellow, to who he responded by hitting him.

"What was that for!" The other man said crying out in pain.

"Don't play stupid!" He responded with another shove.

The two men grew close and the beginnings of a tussle for sounding out. Jarek held in laughter as he noticed Sayua's face wrinkling in annoyance. Just as she was about to get up to stop the chaos, Jarek decided to cut to the point. Swirling around he grabbed hold of one of the goon's legs and held him up high.

"What the!? W-W-What's going on!?" The thug said and the invisible Jarek held him up, shaking him like an old sack.

Both Sayua and the other goon stood up in shock, but more so as the goon was tossed aside.

"Oh so sorry!" Jarek retorted sarcastically.

Sayua and her remaining henchman turned white as the disembodied voice spoke.

Jarek couldn't help but chuckle at this, "You know what? I was going to mess with you guys some more. But I'm more of a cut to the chase kind of guy."

Suddenly the invisibility coat dropped, and standing before the two thieves was a black-furred dragon. The two thieves were left standing in both awe and fear at the massive creature before them.

"What? Don't recognize me? I guess I have changed a bit," Jarek stated.

While the goon merely looked at his leader, Sayua's face began to flash through several emotions until at last, it came at a clear recognition.

"Jarek?" She said.

The black dragon flashed a grin and replied, "Bingo,"

Before any of them could act, Jarek swept the ground with his tail, both Sayua and her henchman were knocked off their feet, but Jarek didn't end there, he grabbed hold of the henchman and tossed him at the other, who had since recovered from Jarek's throw. Sayua rose to her feet but found herself face to face with an angry dragon.

"Do something, you idiots!" She ordered her henchmen.

Before the two men could act, Jarek swept his tail against them, hitting them against the wall, then with another sweep, he grabbed hold of them and tossed them far across the room. The two men didn't need much time to recover as the minute they did, they ran straight towards the entrance.

"Wait! Where are you going! Don't leave me here!" Sayua cried to her men, but they were too far gone to hear her, or even care.

Before she could even utter another word, she found herself lifted high into the air, staring face first with an irate dragon. Jarek let out a growl, one of pure animalistic rage.

Sayua stared fearfully at the dragon, "What? How?"

"Doesn't matter," Jarek stated, "Only thing that matters is I'm the one holding all the cards now."

Sayua knew very well there wasn't much she could do against a dragon, let alone one she was unprepared for, "Are you going to kill me?"

Jarek snorted a puff of air in her face. Another growl emanated from him. Sayua awaited the end but found no end, no gnashing of dragon teeth, but instead the gentle feeling of the ground upon her feet.

The ruthless woman stared up at Jarek, her face etched in confusion, "What are you-"

"Don't read too much into this, I'm not like you Sayua," Swirling over, Jarek grabbed hold of the figurine, "I'm taking this, and I'm going to forget you were here," Leaning down until he was right in front of Sayua, he growled, "And I never want to see you again, understand me?"

Sayua's frightened expression turned to one of bewilderment, "Fine, I know better than to tangle with a dragon, but I doubt a dragon has such use for money?"

"I'm not selling this," Jarek stated, "I'm putting it back where it belongs."

"Are you now?" Sayua rhetorically asked.

"Unlike you, I have a conscious," Staring down at the idol, Jarek added, "At least I do now."

"How touching," Sayua replied with a grin.

Perplexed momentarily, Jarek was jolted out of it as he felt a sharp pain in his claw. He let out a roar, one as animalistic as his previous growls.

Sayua withdrew her knife and jolted out of there as has as she could. Jarek grunted and groaned as he felt the sheer pain in his limb.

"Ugh…asked for that didn't I?" He asked no one.

Seeing as he still had one claw, he grabbed hold of the idol with his uninjured palm and slowly limped out of the cave. Soon he made it to the night air and the minute he did he realized perhaps he had made a mistake, he was a distance away from Dragontown, and no one was in sight. He could make out Sayua's form in the distance, soon to be long gone.

Letting out a weary breath, he raised his head to the sky, "If someone's up there please throw me a bone here."

"Jarek!"

Jarek's ears perked up as he recognized the voice, "Sisu!?"

Sure enough, the blue form of the dragoness made its way out of the woods and headed his way. The dragoness did a few leaps into the air till she soared to his spot.

"Jarek! There you are! I was so worried...Oh my gosh is that blood!? You're bleeding!?" The dragoness spoke all at once.

Jarek managed a toothy grin and held up his prize, "I know you usually give your teachers fruit as a gift, but I think I'll do you one better."

Sisu eyed the idol statue before recognition hit her at last, "Is that?"

"Yeah," Jarek responded.

Perplexed as Sisu was, The dragoness put a leg around Jarek and replied, "Come on, let's get you back."

Sisu was smart enough to know Jarek was in no condition to fly.

"You might want to ask your brother to make bring on another rain shower, "Otherwise I might dye your fur purple."

"Don't be gross," Sisu said concernedly, "Let's just get you back."

Jarek didn't argue, instead, he merely replied, "Whatever you say Ms. Datu."

A/N: One chapter left