Until we meet again
Pinkish strips sliced through the cobalt blue sky, dotted with a handful of stars.
Wavern looked up beyond the dark canopies of the trees. A corolla of orange-yellow light began to advance and the stars gradually faded.
She still had time. Naga probably would have slept through the middle of the day, after the long party the previous evening.
A gust of wind tickled the feathers on her neck. The exposed skin behind the horns began to burn again and she hissed in pain.
Perhaps, once she returned to Obscuria, she could have asked Ydrano for healing herbs ...
No, Naga would have been angry, if he came to know about it. He had told her not to confide in other bakugans, but she had begun talking to that centipede just the same.
Something began to squeeze her chest into a vise. A couple of sobs rose up her throat.
A stupid dragoness, as always. A dumb dragoness who never listened to her brother.
The murmur of a river caught her attention. The leaves of the trees rustled, shaken by a breeze that smelled of damp earth.
Many small needles stuck in Wavern's bare skin. How long would it take for the feathers to grow back?
She took a deep sigh and quickened his pace. At least it was close to the Willow.
The forest opened into a large meadow, on which dewdrops still glistened. Above it towered a willow tree, whose pale leaves cascaded to the ground. Between its broad, gnarled roots gurgled streams, which branched off from the main river to the edge of the meadow.
A soft heat spread from Wavern's chest to her wings. She felt lighter, as if ready to take flight.
Her old refuge ...
The pendulous branches of the Willow caressed the scales and membranes of her wings. At the base of its inclined trunk there were still the leaves of the bed, now dark and rotting.
She had slept there since she was an hatchling, embraced by her brother's wing. Even if it rained or hailed, he stayed there nestled between her and the roots, trying to protect her with his body.
However, that tree was not a home.
In a house you are not devoured by cold and hunger. You aren't afraid that it would fall in a storm.
Nobody rips of your feathers to make potions ...
Guilt pierced her heart. She shook her head as if to dismiss those thoughts.
She had no right to complain. Not after all that Naga had done to secure them a place in Obscuria.
Fool! Where would she be now without him? She would have died alone, abandoned by her mother like an object under that damned tree.
A lump tightened in her throat. The paws began to tremble. She sat down and rested her forehead against the trunk. She let out a soft sob and a few tears crept into the grooves of the scales.
Her mother… What element did he belong to? Why had she kept Naga for a few years but then abandoned them both? Was it her fault? What about her father?
She rubbed her muzzle on the rough bark. She imagined that they were the scales of her father, a big and gentle dragon embracing her, after so many years spent looking for her and her brother ...
But what if he was a Pyrrian?
The willow branches swayed, driven by a strong sulphurous-smelling wind. Wavern's stomach went cold.
Something landed behind her with a thud. Behind the light green hair the imposing shadow of a dragon was drawn.
A long thin horn, similar to a sword, emerged from that curtain of leaves and a pair of emerald eyes fixed on her.
"Oh, you are… you really are here. I didn't expect that," he said. His massive body was covered with large red scales, overlapping each other like plates of an armor.
All of Wavern's muscles tightened and her claws began to scratch the ground.
It was him… He had been hunting her all that time. And now he had found her!
Her heart started pounding against her ribs. She wanted to escape, but the dragon's broad wings embraced most of the space under the willow canopy. She was trapped.
The Pyrrian exhaled deeply and just lowered his gaze. "I know you're probably scared after… our last meeting. But, I don't want to hurt you. I swear."
He had a calm, baritone voice, and his tone sounded almost sorry.
The skin behind the horns began to pinch and Wavern pressed against the tree trunk. Between her paws he gripped a clod of earth and soft leaves.
She wasn't so stupid to trust again.
"I didn't think I was really here, but I was looking for you to… er… ask your forgiveness."
What?
He looked her in the eyes again.
Those intense green eyes reminded her of the forests of the Sacred Land during the summer. She had the impression of sinking into them and, for some reason, she knew he was sincere.
"F ... for ... for what?" whispered.
"For chasing you. I know it may seem strange to you, but until recently I did not know of the existence of Whites like you ". He took a step towards her.
Wavern backed away until her whole back was pressed against the willow and held her breath. She crushed the dirt and leaves into his paw.
He noticed it and turned back. "Forgive me, again. I chased you because I thought you were an intruder in the Mother Earth. I had no idea that ... "he pointed to the tree.
That they had abandoned her there as an hatchling.
"Don't ... isn't there anything else? Don't you want anything else from me? " The words came out in a soft hum, but the Pyrrian seemed to understand it.
"Nothing else, I swear to you. I haven't told anyone about you. Nobody will accuse you of ... Wait, what's on your neck? Is it blood?"
She touched the wound behind the horns. Pain pierced her to the living flesh. She yelped, his paw stained with blood. It had to be more serious than expected ...
"Are you allright? May I take a look at it?"
"NO!" she snapped. Her breathing became heavier, and streams of blood crept between the scales.
He would have killed her if she had allowed him to get close ...
"I just want to help you," he said. There seemed to be a hint of sadness in his quiet voice. "Allow me. Let me make amends. You can't heal that spot by yourself. "
The wound throbbed harder. Her whole neck must have been smeared with blood by now.
What if it was infected? What if Naga noticed?
She narrowed her eyes and nodded weakly.
The dragon approached cautiously, as if waiting for a gesture of refusal from her. He stopped with his muzzle next to hers and sniffed at her neck.
"There is a slight infection. Fragments of scales and feathers protrude from the wound… " he murmured. "What happened to you?"
"N-nothing." The heart raced again. "Nothing of your buiseness," she said.
He didn't answer. His breath tickled her skin and then he began to clean up the congealed blood. His rough tongue rubbed against her scales without lingering longer than necessary.
When he came to bare skin, Wavern held her breath. It hurt terrible!
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm almost done, hold on a little longer."
He pulled the pieces of scales and feathers out of the flesh. More pain, as if large thorns had been pulled out of her ...
The Pyrrian apologized again and then resumed his work.
Why was he doing it? Why didn't he attack her? What did he want from her?
"Here, clean."
Wavern opened her eyes and looked at him. His breath gave off a sulphurous smell mixed with something of sweet. He smiled at her, in a sincere way that relaxed her.
"Thanks, for trusting me," he said.
Did he even thank her?
"Why are you doing all this? I ... I have nothing to ... "
"Calm down. I don't want anything from you. It's just that… I don't think the way White Onse like you are treated is right. I wish it were different and I want to talk to the board of Pyrria about it"
"For real?"
"Yes. I wish all of you could stat with the other bakugan of the Free Realms, safe from whoever did this to you. "
"Nobody did anything to me," she stopped him. "It was an accident."
The Pyrrian was silent for a few moments. Then he sighed. "I advise you to wash the wound often. In a moon cycle you should be healed. "
"Thanks… for everything." He didn't look like one of the dragons Naga had told the Assembly about.
"It's a pleasure." He made a slight nod. "Draco Skamadride, at your service."
He said it solemnly, and Wavern felt her face flush. She had only a name ...
"W-Wavern."
Draco smiled, as if to thank her again. "Will we meet again?"
Did he want to see her again? Why?
"N… I don't know. Perhaps…"
"When?"
"I do not know!"
She shook his muzzle and inadvertently touched Draco's. Embarrassment made all the feathers on her neck stand up. He also quickly moved away, looking down.
He cleared his throat. "Okay, I'll wait. Maybe when the wound gets better. "
"Y ... yes, all right," Wavern murmured. She had to hold back a smile. Was a dragon as big and strong as he really embarrassed?
"Until we meet again."
Author's note: here I am, back again! And finally our two lovebirds met! What do you think will happen next? Are we going to see some sort of rivalry between Dracon and Ydrano?
And Naga? He probably won't be happy of Wavern's new friend…
Anyway these are the names of the Six Realms:
Pyrria: land of the Fire.
Aquaria: land of the Water
Gea: land of the Earth
Anemos: land of the Wind
Luxa: land of the Light
Obscuria: land of the Dark
If you like the story save it as a favourite and leave a review!
See you next Friday!
