With the moon now in the center of the sky, you made your way back to the small valley to get some rest. The bright, luminous glow of the full moon lit your path back to the nature-made sanctuary. Nightsong gave a yawn as you both jumped from the cliff, soaring down to the ground. "Yeah, me too. After a good night's sleep we'll feel better." The dragon nodded her head in agreement, making her way to the tree you had slept under earlier that day. Giving your own yawn, you snuggled up to your companion and tucked yourself under her leathery wing. Closing your eyes, you drifted into a deep sleep.

Images flashed through your mind from the night you fled. You were leaving your home, the one in which you had lived alone in. Your mother died when you were eight, leaving you on your own. You recalled her stories of how you were conceived, and why no one could ever find out your secret. One night while your mother was out gathering wood for the home, she had been ambushed by a dragon. It was the peak of mating season, when the males were more aggressive and hormonal. He had taken your mother by surprise, holding her down until he was satisfied. Once he had left, your mother retreated back to her home and locked herself in.

You recalled how she had spoke of curling up in a corner, afraid to even leave the house for fear of being attacked again. The villagers had been harsh about her misfortune, calling her a desperate, lonely bitch. You resented your father for what he had caused, making tattered ruins of your lives. You were now 14, and heading home when you were attacked by a group of boys. To them, you were just some girl to be sold for money. One grabbed your wrists while the other two tore your jacket and tossed it aside. Struggling, you managed a kick to their stomachs. Throwing your head back, it collided with the other's nose. By instinct, he released you and stumbled back in pain.

Running as fast as your feet could carry you, you bolted towards the house; the only safe place for you. You rounded the last corner too quickly, your shoes unable to get traction and causing you to slide. The impact with the ground had ripped your shirt, exposing your wings. As you stumbled to your feet, you glanced up to see a child of about 10 years staring at you, mouth agape. Paralyzed with fear, you locked eyes with the child. Neither of you moved, frozen to the spot. Suddenly, his screams filled the air, and you took off once again. You ran to the house, only grabbing a few things; pictures of you and your mother, the locket she had given you, and the claw of your father that your mother kept.

Once you had tucked the items away safely and grabbed new clothes, you opened your wings and leapt into the sky. You were flying under the cover of night, enjoying the feeling of the wind on your face and under your wings when the face of a dragon flashed before your eyes. It was so sudden, menacing and close. It hissed and roared loudly, opening it's jaws widely. Then, everything went blank. You sat up in a cold sweat, your heart racing and pounding in your ears. You felt a coolness of your cheek, though your body was warm with the new rush of fear and adrenaline. Placing your fingertips to your cheeks, you realized you had been crying while you had slept.

Shaking your head, you blink the remaining tears away and pull yourself into a sitting position. You looked at the slumbering Nightsong and questioned how you became close with the very animal that had destroyed all chances of you ever having a normal childhood. You knew your friendship with the dragon was unusual, absurd to everyone. Yet... you felt a connection with this dragon, one you had not felt with anyone else. Something about Nightsong made her different. Why had she chosen to befriend you, rather than simply kill you off? Was is because you were different? Alone? All the possibilities swirled around your mind in a jumbled mess, moving faster with each thought.

You had felt alone since your mother's death, having no one to converse with. Well, no one that wouldn't risk exposing your secret. You placed a gentle hand on Nightsong's side, feeling them expand and contract as she slept peacefully. You ran your fingers over the smooth scales, almost entranced by the texture of them. You looked at your arms, though your own scales were covered by your clothing. 'I wonder if they feel the same... smooth, strong... almost... comforting...' You thought to yourself. Thoughts of your father seeped back in, a mixture of emotions stirring in your gut. You felt anger for him doing what he had to your mother, a strange sadness for him not being around, nervousness as to if he would have rejected you as his daughter, curious as to if he were even alive. You also wondered what he looked like, or what species he was for that matter.

You bit your tongue, not wanting to think about him or who or what he was. But no matter how hard you tried, the questions pushed their way back in. Why had he chosen your mother? Why didn't he look for a female dragon to mate with? Why was he so close to a village of dragon slayers to begin with? Did he even care that he would have offspring? The more you thought about it, the more you realized what you were really asking with that last question; did he care about you? "Do you, father? Do you care that you had a daughter with a human? Do you care that you left me and my mother own our own, at the mercy and ridicule of others? Do you... do you care about me?"

Tears had started to fall again, your heart aching like a thousand arrows pierced your chest and dove into the beating organ. You hated your father, but no matter how strong your hatred was, curiosity always outweighed it. You leaned into Nightsong, finding a strange, calming comfort in her presence. As your tears hit the ground, you buried your face into the crook of her wing, the tears sliding off of her scales. Your body curled itself until your knees met with your chest. "For once... I'd like to feel accepted... wanted by someone instead of being outcasted, left out in the rain." You longed to know what it was like to be loved. Truly loved.

You tossed and turned the rest of the night, thoughts and memories tugging and pulling at you. Never fully able to go back to sleep, you yawned several times before getting up and walking to the water's edge. Looking at your reflection, evidence of your crying last night, hung around your eyes. They were duller than usual, puffy around the edges and bloodshot. Taking notice you now looked like hell, you cupped your hands and dipped them into the clear water. Rinsing your face, you used a bit of the water to smooth down the strands of hair out of place. Sighing, you gaze into the water for a moment before looking up.

The sky was becoming a soft, baby blue, dotted with wisps of white clouds. The sun's heat was less intense today, to your gratitude. A soft nudge to your back told you that Nightsong was awake, her hybrid eyes scanning your figure. Smiling faintly, you glance over your shoulder at her. Suddenly, the sound of a screeching dragon fills your ears as a black scaled dragon barrels down into the valley, crashing into the ground. Nightsong quickly brushed you behind her, taking a protective stance. Glancing over her shoulder, you stared in awe of the green eyed dragon. "It's... It's a NightFury..."

Upon hearing your voice, the black dragon snapped his head in your direction. Catching sight of Nightsong, it froze in place and stared at both of you intently. The deep blue female cautiously steps towards the newcomer, her ears pinned back. The other continued to watch her closely, it's gaze switching between the both of you. Nightsong kept you close, her eyes never wavering from the stranger. The new dragon seemed awestruck by the odd sight; a dragon protecting a human. Taking a breath, you inched your way towards the newcomer. Now just a few feet away, you gazed at the dark beast.

You were entranced by it's eyes. They showed fear, yet also a calmness of the current situation. You slowly outstretched your hand, holding it palm up to the dragon. Noticing your sudden closeness, it bared it's teeth and growled. Nightsong growled a single warning, staying by your side. Looking at your companion, you let out a sigh and walked back to the water. Kneeling beside the edge, you swirled your hand on the glassy surface, watching the small wakes crawl over the surface and disperse. Your arm falls limp at your side, the heel resting on the soft soil as your nails dug into it. A light, hardly noticeable nudge to your back snapped you back to reality.

You had fallen prey to the thoughts from last night once again, watching the waves as they had traveled. Slowly, you look over your shoulder. Rather than the deep blue scales and dual colored eyes you had become accustomed to, you gaze met black scales and stunning green eyes. The new dragon had approached you on it's own, seeming to sense your sadness. It's eyes softened as it glanced over your figure, yet retained it's cautious glare. You turned your gaze away from it, looking down at your lap. You felt the gentle nudge again, though this time ignored it. Frustrated with your decision, the new dragon huffed. When you felt it's nose this time, it was harsh. The force used was enough to send you head first into the water.

It was cold upon impact, soaking through your clothes and chilling your skin. Fish scattered from your location, frightened at your sudden appearance. Swimming to the surface, you spit out a stream of water and narrowed your eyes the now laughing dragons. Nightsong had found this humorous as well, their chests rising and falling with low rumbles of laughter. Flustered, you shake out your (h/l), (h/c) hair and swim to the bank of the small lake. Crawling out and standing, you crossed your arms over your chest and mumbled. Soon, you found yourself laughing with them. This was just the thing you needed, a little fun to ease the stress.

Wringing out your hair, you watched the two dragons eye the swimming fish. It then hit you that the new dragon probably hadn't had food in a while, being wild. Looking around, you jog to some nearby vines that had overgrown the rocky cliffside. Grabbing onto a thick vine, you wiggled your sword from it's sheath and sliced the vine free. Making sure you had a good length of it, you double knotted the vine around the hilt. Your mom had taught you spear fishing when you were younger, and you were about to put that knowledge to use. Gripping the handle, blade sideways, you used it like a scope to pinpoint where to throw. Taking aim, you drew back your hand and rocketed the sword into the water.

Slowly, you pulled the makeshift spear out and smiled. You had only took aim at one, but had luckily snagged three. Caught up in the excitement and task of fishing, you failed to notice someone watching you. They stared in awe, shocked by the fact the dragons had not attacked you. Trying to get closer, they had slipped over the edge, now clinging to a vine. To their relief, you nor the dragons took notice. They crept down the vine, almost to the ground when it snapped. They hit the ground with a thud, this time catching the attention of all three of you. Your gaze snapped to the other human, your eyes widening as both dragons growled and stepped towards him. The new human that had fallen was the boy from yesterday, and if you didn't act fast, he might soon be a dragon's chew toy.

A/N:

Sorry about the late update! I had a small technical error and had to find a different way to update. With the error solved, I hope to be able to update faster with Livv!

- Serenpuppy16/ Kimmi