Cole lay on a lush patch of grass and played with some shrubs with his paws. A few of his packmates sat near him and enjoyed the warmth of the daylight's heat shining on their pelts. Others rolled around happily or engaged in an easy game of tug of war with pointy branches.
Cole's mind began to wander. Not long had passed since Kai and Ember left the forest, but everything suddenly felt a little dull without them. He rarely got any visitors anyway—there was no chance he would let anyone find his home in the first place—but one of the wolves in his pack somehow got him to do otherwise. Cole's ears twitched as he remembered her demanding him to leave Kai alone, right after kicking her at that! It was a pretty weird thing to encounter in the moment, but she was a wolf he had come to respect for a long time. And it was kind of impossible to ignore her based on how desperate she seemed.
Feeling a little bored, Cole stood up and arched his back just enough to hear a quiet crack from his spine. He yawned happily and slumped on the ground again, rolling on his back to enjoy the sunlight on his belly. One of the other wolves, a carefree runt in the pack, perked his ears and dove onto Cole, yipping at him as a playful challenge. The alpha growled teasingly and lightly shoved his limbs to knock him over.
A sharp bark surprised the runt, and he turned to see his mother stroll over to him and push his shoulder impatiently.
"It's fine, you don't have to worry," Cole told the mother, his tone flat, disinterested. His tail shook once, twice, then he rolled around again. "It's so boring without Kai. I don't know what it is, but he isn't threatening at all. It's hilarious! And is it just me, or has it not been long enough? It's kind of weird that I want him back already."
The same packmate who saved Kai approached him and pressed her snout into his fur reassuringly. Cole listened carefully and quietly agreed with her reasoning. "Yeah, maybe I just haven't played with anyone for a while. It's always been so serious trying to fight anyone out of our territory, and I can't even be with Mom at night." A grin pulled the edges of his mouth. "She's still out there, probably giving the humans a taste of their own hindquarters!"
As moments passed, Cole rolled on his belly and waited. His ears twitched again, and he wondered what time of day it was.
"It's past the midday sun, right?" he asked, but he didn't go without a heavy sigh. "I've gotta go check up on her." Cole pushed himself to stand on his paws and shook himself awake, sending twigs and grass flying from his dark fur. His wolves instantly left their places and raced over to him, completely overtaken with excitement. They trotted and circled around him, expecting good news, but he lightly scoffed at them instead. "Don't be ridiculous, all of you! We aren't gonna go hunting for townies right now, but I promise we'll do it later. And hey, I'll give you a bonus if you catch some coming a bit too close to our territory!"
They howled happily at the news, leaping on the tips of their paws. Cole, glad to have distracted the wolves for the time being, stealthily crept under a dip in the brushes. His dark pelt vanished into the shrubs, leaving one blue-pelted wolf tilting her head in wonder. Quietly, she followed him. It wasn't the first time Cole would visit his den, but what usually came out of those trips didn't end very well. Still, she would be there most times if he allowed her presence.
The she-wolf slipped beneath juniper bushes and slinked through fallen logs. Cole was only a few paw-steps ahead of her, but it intrigued her how quiet he could be in comparison to his usual behavior around the pack. Not long after did she smell the faint stench of the alpha's cove, and she knew that Cole would greet his mother again, as he did regularly.
She saw them again—the markings etched in stone. They glowed only for a brief moment, but the light dimmed as quickly as it had come. Her ears drooped a little. She sensed Cole's misery when his magic signal was weak. Lilly still wasn't responding.
Cole bent his head forward and sat down, curling his tail neatly over his large paws. His fur was all fluffed up, and his gaze lingered on his human form close by. The human version of himself held a solid poise, fists pounded together, head hanging low in respect. Cole suddenly scrunched his nose and considered leaping into the lake for a quick wash when he switched forms. His greasy hair wouldn't fix itself.
Another thought passed through his head, this time in his mother's voice. She would have definitely chastised him for not putting some thought into masking his scent, for it would alarm prey nearby. Cole closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath.
"Hey, Mom," he said quietly. The she-wolf stopped to listen carefully. The alpha tended to use a different form of communication when speaking personally with his mother, so it was a little hard to understand most of the words.
"So… notice… haven't come back? Fine… still after… right?"
As expected, there was no voice to accompany her son's questions. Her eyelids were sealed shut, as if they hadn't been opened in a while. The she-wolf continued to strain her ears as best she could to hear Cole. It wasn't the first time she tried to listen, and she could definitely tell that Cole knew she was there. The she-wolf presumed that the other pack members knew not to disturb him during these times. Maybe she was a bit crazy for following him instead. Either way, her methods of gathering information seemed to work, even if it did not concern the young alpha.
After a few mutterings, the she-wolf stepped aside and raced out of the cove. She headed down the rocky steps on the edge of a giant cliff, spurting out a load-full of water which cascaded into a flourishing lake below. Agile as can be, she dipped into a fissure that remained hidden behind the thunderous waterfall. Sure, it would've been fine sleeping with the rest of the pack, but finding a comfortable spot near a massive source of clean water and a personal nest without constant shuffling was good enough for her.
Besides, it was already obvious that Cole would stay with his mother for a long period of time. He always did.
The azure wolf padded over to a smooth corner that had a nice, round dip in the middle. She had already brought ferns and grass to soften up the perimeter, and it didn't take long for her eyes to droop. The darkness surrounded the cave, and the fresh, cold smell of minerals filled her nostrils, lulling her to a deep peaceful sleep.
. . .
Ragged breathing came from the beat-down Water Dragon resting inside the cage, if it was even considered resting. It tried its absolute hardest to move its tail even a little bit, unfortunately without any progress. To make matters a little worse, the cage was barely big enough for the size of that dragon alone. It was torture having to squirm under that much strain.
To make matters a lot worse, a stationary guard stood a few feet away from the poor creature. There was a bucket, half full of water right at his feet. It didn't really serve a purpose for being there. Other than the fact that it could piss off or agitate the dragon while also catching the guard's spit. The soldiers thought punishing an already-drained Water Dragon by withdrawing it of its primary element was… definitely saying something. It was just stuck there, too weak to move any of its limbs while enduring the painful stings from the whiplashes it took, and these soldiers were straight-up mocking it.
Apparently, it couldn't even let out a groan of pain, since the stuck-up human banged on the cage bars with his obsidian staff and barked at it to shut up.
"Shut it over there!" he shouted. "You want another print to the scales, you foul beast? Huh?"
I have a name, you bloodthirsty mangy old geezer, snarled the Water Dragon, but it only translated to pained growling. The soldier scoffed, not understanding a word.
"Yeah, yeah, you dolt. Save me the workload and maybe I'll spare you the heat," he said distractedly. He lightly kicked the water bucket, nearly toppling it over. "And maybe I'll spare you the trouble of completely dehydrating. Now, wouldn't that be nice, eh?"
The Water Dragon eyed the bucket with so much want, it was honestly very sad to any sane human-being witnessing the situation. It groaned again, murmuring, You deceiving scoundrel… you wouldn't do this! Stop it! Oh, I swear to the gods, I will tear every bit of you apart, flesh down to bone…
It continued for hours, the taunting and the growling. No one except the guard was able to listen to the pained yowls, for they were stationed outside the walls of the town. The stone was soundproof enough, and nothing emerged from the outskirts of the forest. Over time, the daytime turned to night, falling into a skyless void with white specks peppered across. The one guard made sure to drag his bucket away from the dragon and set up a small camp for himself, already fast asleep once the bed was ready. The fire crackled on the chips of wood keeping it alight. Only his snores filled the cool air.
The Water Dragon's head was tilted sideways, its chin slightly grazing the grass through the thick bars. If not for the almost unnoticeable heave of its belly, anyone would've taken it for dead. Its eyes were glazed over, unmoving and awfully distant. Its wings were bent at awkward angles, sides squished in weird positions to fit comfortably within the cage, to no avail.
Not too far away, the bushes rumpled and swayed as a tall woman suddenly appeared. As soon as she saw the sleeping guard, she made sure to bound on the balls of her feet as stealthily as possible. Twigs stuck out of her long, wavy black hair from all over, splotches of dirt covering her clothes. That did nothing to distract her. Her sharp eyes focused on the dragon ahead, quickly widening at the familiar sight.
The Water Dragon sensed her movements and carefully lifted its head.
Maya. It wheezed. You sure look awful tonight.
"Adira," she mumbled softly. She couldn't help her voice cracking. "You're not that far off yourself."
Maya didn't waste a second to run over and carry her dragon's head in her arms. She pressed her forehead against her companion's warm scales, nearly pulling back in shock at the strange sensation. Just then did she really take in the full form of Adira, her former Water Dragon since she was a girl. Her stomach churned uncomfortably at the sight of all the damage done to her friend. She nearly cried out at the cramped prison made for the dragon and how horrible it bent her proportions.
Before Maya could speak, Adira surged forward and stared right into her human's irises. And where have you been all this time? Here I am in this cursed pit of a town, suffering like nothing else a dragon would expect nor endure from foul humans. And I thought our species were at peace with one another! What is the meaning of all this captivity and abuse? And why have you not been around? What was the purpose of losing contact?
She hissed softly, careful not to wake the guard and alarm him, but with everything that had happened, it was very difficult to remain calm. She tried shuffling around in her personal crate, then she ultimately deciding against it when throbbing pain pulsed throughout her body.
Maya couldn't begin to form words at first. Then she slowly started talking about what she remembered from many years ago, the transition, the adaptation, the attacks. She couldn't get too far into the story, though, when the soldier moved around a little too much to her liking. Adira stifled a scowl but gently laid her head against Maya's shoulder for support, no doubt relaying her long-lost affection after so many years.
"Now please," Maya whispered urgently, "tell me what has happened to you. I cannot stay here for long, but I swear to you I will set you free when the time comes." Her eyes scanned the surroundings and spotted the bucket of water. She crept over to it and carried it towards Adira, allowing the dragon to finally bask in refreshment as the droplets soaked between her scales. It wasn't enough to renew her full strength, but certainly enough to be conscious and eternally grateful.
Adira began to tell her side of the story with the guards and straining her down. I had to, Maya. My firstborn. It came late. After all these years, reproducing was a difficult task to do on my own. They forced me to breed with another Water Dragon, much to our disappointment. It never felt like a haven where we could prepare on our own. It was forced, uncomfortable, like a nasty experiment. It was painful. But once the procedure was complete, my mate flew through the portal. He knew he had done his job. I was expecting an egg, Adira explained. Maya felt like her heartstrings snapped. All this time and she never knew. She never could have helped, and it infuriated her beyond belief.
The Keepers took me in and got a hold of my egg. I didn't even know whether my child was a male or female. Adira winced as she recalled the memory. Alas. I entrusted them with the incubation. I shouldn't have. Not too long after they declared its time of hatch, my firstborn died inside the shell. They were impatient with its birth. They wanted it out soon. So I watched as the Keepers increased the fire. I knew it would burn my child, since fire hurts our breed, but I could do nothing. It was already dead.
Adira and Maya interacted telepathically, but Maya could faintly hear a choked cry come from her dragon. Her hands closed around her companion's head as a comforting gesture, but she said nothing.
It's a mother's instinct, is it not? Wreaking havoc across the town, threatening every citizen I could lay my eyes on, especially the ones with newborn dragons roosting on their shoulders or playing with them. I did not trust them. I trusted none of them.
Maya felt a drop land on her arm. She couldn't tell whether Adira was beginning to salivate her scales again or if it were an actual tear. The fire brightened her teal-colored hide. It was a beautiful, yet haunting texture.
I fought as best I could. The soldiers caught up to me, strapped me in binds, pulled me down. I refused. Then they pulled out these sticks, like the one that guard has there—both turned toward the obsidian staff with the emblazon on the end of it—they hurt so much. It wasn't normal to have that on me. I hated it all but kept going. I did not know what the rampage would accomplish, but it was better than surrendering. Then… something peculiar happened. Maya, there was a boy. Relatively young, I'd say. He jumped in front, took the crest to the back. I was too alarmed to think clearly, and I… I smashed my tail into something, but I couldn't see any more at that point. And I ended up in this cage. Adira finished her story on a disturbing note as Maya contemplated the last bit of information. She refused to let go of her, but the only young boy she remembered was…
"Adira, I'm sorry… please, answer me this," Maya pleaded. "I swear on my life I will get you out of this prison once and for all, and give you my condolences about your dragonet"—Adira purred in response to that, leaning her head forward to nuzzle Maya's shoulder—"but can you please remember what the boy looked like? I need to know…"
Adira hummed for a moment. It was a whiz of colors. I recall something black, like a cape of some sort, and something red flashed in and out of my vision. It grabbed on to my horn and pulled my head, but that is all I can think of.
That was all the information Maya needed. "Thank you, Adira," she said solemnly. "I will not forget this."
She stood up and gazed toward the front gates amidst the town walls. It was impossible to see in the darkness, and she thought she must've had to walk a few more paces until she could see an opening.
And where do you think you're going? demanded the Water Dragon. Despite the bittersweet reunion, she would always keep up her attitude with Maya. Always.
It took a few seconds for Maya to respond. "I'm going to find my son," she said quietly. "I will return for you." With that, she raced off into the shadows, as quiet as a literal mouse.
Adira sniffed. Her shuffling and clanking set her on edge in case the guard had woken up by now, but he was still snoring as loud as a snorting warthog scrounging around for scraps. She turned to the snoozing man, suddenly noticing the bucket near him. When had Maya placed it so close to him? And Adira remembered draining all the water from the pail. Since when had she refilled half of it with water…?