Dragon Blood - Chapter 6 - Welcome to the clan - Part 2
At the other end of the forest, Heather and Daniel where walking together on their way home. Daniel was constantly blabbing about how he believed he made it onto the university sports team, even though he'd told this story over 100 times before. However, Heather wasn't listening to her brother as her mind was elsewhere. She was questioning why Astrid had run off and left them. But she believed it had something to do with them learning the truth about Hayden's past. The real question was, how did she know where Hayden was?
Astrid had jumped over the fence and was running full speed after Hayden. The speed of a fury dragon was one of the fastest in the world, even in human form. The wind was brushing past her face as the adrenaline in her veins was getting higher. She felt she was going as fast as possible, but Hayden was still getting further away from her and in a blink had disappeared. She suddenly stopped, catching her breath as she turned to see where Hayden may have gone. Suddenly, she heard a whistle come from up in one of the trees. She looked up to see Hayden stood on one of branches, smirking down at her. She felt her cheeks go warm and her body slightly tingling. She smirked back at him and shook her head sarcastically. He chucked back and jumped down from the tree to continue the chase.
They continued running after one another, but this time it felt different. Hayden kept looking back at her with a big smile on his face. Astrid was starting to feel like someone completely new, like her dragon inside her was being fully awakened. She was smiling the whole time she was running, and she wasn't going to let Hayden win this chase. Her eyebrows turned down and a big smirk on her face as she built up enough energy to run faster and the gap between her and Hayden closing in. Finally, she managed to pounce onto him and they both tumbled down a hill in twined with each other into a pile of dried leaves. They both laughed together, and both looking in each other's eyes for a split second before they noticed they had an audience, specifically Heather and Daniel.
The two shocked faces in front of them said they had a lot of questions to answer. Astrid and Hayden both stood up, dusting off the leaves. "Hi Guys" Astrid knew this situation wasn't going to go smoothly but had to give her best friend an explanation. Heather crossed her arms and didn't look to impressed along with Daniel shaking his head in disappointment. "I'm sorry I ran off but there was something important I needed to... "What, playing chase with each other in the forest is more important than us?" Daniel cut her off in a harsh tone before she could finish. She knew she had upset her friends but with her and Hayden's secret on the line, she had to stand up for Hayden but also give a pretty believable excuse to fix this issue.
"You guys are important to me, but Hayden is also important to me" Hayden turned to Astrid slightly shocked that again she was helping him, but a smile then appeared on his face. "You see, Hayden and I... are related, distance cousins" Heather and Daniel weren't expecting that as an answer. "He's the black sheep of the family and I didn't want him here, which is why we lashed out in the cloak room". "You guys don't need to be best friends, but Hayden's part of my life now" Astrid turned her head and smiled back at Hayden, to reassure him that it would be okay. Heather and Daniel both looked at each other before turning back to Astrid and Hayden with a smile and both nodded that they excepted Astrid's apology.
Heather and Daniel decided it was best for them to return home. Leaving Astrid and Hayden alone to chat as they walked back together towards the village. Sat at the back of their local cafe, they secretly talked about their abilities and lifestyles. Hayden told Astrid about how many times he moved foster homes trying to keep a handle on his dragon. But it was hard for him to talk about his past cause he didn't remember much of it. Astrid also told Hayden she hadn't fully transformed and asked what to be expected.
The two of them got along better than they thought and for a moment, just stared and smiled at each other. "Hey, can we maybe start over properly and move on from today, I'm just used to being on my own and pushing people away". Hayden spoke with a slight sadness in his voice and his hands crossed on the table top. Astrid went on instinct and placed her hands over Hayden's. "I'm sorry for how I treated you, I should have given you a chance". Astrid replied with a synthetic tone. "But you're not alone anymore, this is your home now and I welcome you as part of my family's clan". Astrid got up from her seat and stood next to Hayden. "I best be going home before my parents go crazy and wonder where I've been". Before she left, Astrid bent down to Hayden's cheek and giving him a quick peck. Hayden turned to Astrid with a surprised face. "See you later, Haddock". Before Hayden could respond, Astrid left with a pink glow on her cheeks and a big smile on her face. Hayden watched her walk away smiling and whispered to himself "See you round, Hofferson"