Chapter VIII: The North

Atem drifted closer to the ice than the others, studying the expanse of white even as the sun threatened to blind him. He flapped his wings, slowing, and hovered a moment or so longer. He tilted his head and considered the expanse of ice around him. There was no movement to see, nor any animals to spot, and disappointment made his belly ache. He considered the ice, glancing about rapidly, and followed more diligently when Jaden called his name.

"What are you looking for?" Yusei asked, banking to his side. "Did you expect to see something?"

He hesitated, then glanced at the ice and back. He didn't want to miss the opportunity, but he did not want to admit he was looking for anything. He frowned and debated. And then he tucked his paws closer to his chest, stomach knotting. He flexed his claws, then turned to the other male.

He wanted to be able to tell Yugi he'd seen one…

"The black and white birds that slide on their bellies." He said it as firmly as he could, feeling foolish and stupid for the very desire. Yusei peered at him in confusion for a single second, then chuckled. "Are they not here?"

Yusei grinned. "Oh, they're here. This time of year, they're closer to the mainland, though, because spring is just arriving." He snickered. "I didn't think you'd be interested in penguins."

Atem blinked. "Is that what they are called?"

The Ice Dragon smirked. "It is. They're unable to fly so they swim for food and glide on the ice across their bellies." His royal blue eyes glittered with laughter. "Are you so interested in them, Atem?"

"My mother told me stories of them when I was younger." He felt foolish again. He glanced at the Ice Dragon and turned back briefly to peer down at the ice. "She also claimed to see a black and white beast in the water that preyed on them."

Yusei grinned wider than ever. "Your mother told you about penguins and killer whales?" he laughed. "How interesting. Why would she share stories about them?"

"She told me stories of anything she could think of to help me sleep," he admitted, regretting asking about the two animals now. Yusei looked delighted to tease him and the thought made him bristle. Play like this had always ended badly when he was younger. Now, Yugi usually laughed and teased and licked him into submission. "I was always awake. I was the hardest to exhaust, so she would tell me stories until I fell asleep. Since I'd never been north, it was easiest for her to tell me stories about this region."

He didn't know the land. So he imagined it differently each time. He imagined the killer whales as black and white dogs or cats or human-like beasts. He imagined the penguins to look like ostriches or hawks that slid on their bellies. He didn't know how big they were, so he'd imagined them huge as buffalo or smaller than deer. He didn't know. His mother had utilized his fixation to her advantage, helping him to rest when he was unable to fall asleep on his own.

"The whales are harder to find. But the penguins will be apparent against the ice soon." Yusei pointed his beak towards the expanse of white. "You'll see them easily soon enough. I wonder if we'll see any polar bears soon. I love how cute their cubs are."

Atem considered him a moment, then looked down again. Jaden and the Leviathan glanced at him over their shoulders but did not speak. The Sky Dragon refused to acknowledge them, watching the ice until he was too frustrated by the glare to care any longer. Their pace slowed still as they came closer. A heavy mist had begun to form, rising as if to swallow the sky entirely. He could see trees against the tendrils of white and silver. He blinked against the cold touch as it began to coat his wings. Jaden had slowed further, looking flustered and annoyed, and the Leviathan seemed comfortable in the fog that covered their path. The mist was not dense enough to block the ground, but somehow the world seemed silver and white and shimmering. He found it amazing and odd, as if the air might dance beneath him. He thought of when he summoned snow, but the cold was mild rather than terrible and the natural ice did not hold the same terror the magic did. The devastation was not present. Life still survived here.

"Atem."

He looked over. Yusei had banked to the right, heading for the ice. He frowned but followed, hovering, and moved as if to land when he saw the other male drop toward the ice. He glanced back at him as his paws touched the ground. Then he blinked, smiled, and gestured he land as well. Atem hesitated a moment, glancing back toward Jaden and the Leviathan as they considered them, and slowly landed.

"They colonize over here." He turned to him again, picking his way confidently across the ice. Atem noted the way his toes were spread, claws curled faintly to dig further into the ice. He mirrored his position and found himself treading comfortably across the snow as if there were no chance it might shatter beneath them. "I forgot they move along the cliffs during their mating seasons."

Atem glanced over his shoulder again. Jaden and the Leviathan had landed but they were not following. They stood about, speaking as Jaden craned his head back and considered the fog surrounding them. The Leviathan looked bored as he took a seat. He turned back to find Yusei watching him, yards ahead with his head tilted and eyes sparkling. He lowered his gaze and moved more intently toward him.

"Sorry."

"For being curious?" Yusei said softly, sounding incredulous. "Why should I be upset with that? You're still a hatchling in comparison to us. I haven't forgotten your age, Atem."

He bristled, uncertain whether he should snap at him or merely accept the comment for what it was. He knew Yusei didn't mean it in a derogatory manner, and yet he was fearful all the same. He hated himself for the feeling. He hated himself more for fearing the Ice Dragon might turn on him when they were alone.

He hated the idea of the other male judging him. He looked down at his paws and bore his teeth for a single second. Then he raised his eyes to the other God Dragon.

Yusei led him along the edge of the forest, then toward the sharper incline of a cliff. The ledges were covered in ice and the fog was denser, laced with blue and gray like the snow beneath their paws. He led them along for what felt hours, though he knew better. The rocks were hard and frozen beneath their paws, and the Ice Dragon traced the roots of one of the largest conifer tree they passed. He jumped down a few more ledges, then peeked down toward what seemed a large and flat expanse of pure ice with no definitive beginning or end. Atem pressed himself to the length of the stone beneath him, tilting his head as he considered. And then he slowly glanced back toward the ice and stared until his eyes ached from the harsh sunlight.

"We'll have to move a little lower. They're closer to the rocks than I expected." Yusei looked to him, then sprang down once more. Atem followed slowly, uneasy but willing, and froze only when he saw the other male drop to the ice completely. He hesitated for a long minute, then finally came to his side. The ice did not so much as creak beneath their weight. He glanced back up and then behind himself.

Yusei burst out laughing.

Atem's mouths dropped open as he stared. His eyes felt as if they might pop from his skull with shock. He bristled faintly, blinking and tilting his head stupidly.

They were tiny! They were the size of his paws to his wrists, with glossy black feathers along their backs and white along their fronts. One was oddly golden. They were huddled together, some motionless and others dancing about frantically.

He crept a step closer, then froze and bristled harder. They were…so odd. He opened and closed his mouths once more, then tilted his head in bewilderment. He tucked his wings, then flexed them and stiffened further. He blinked, looking at Yusei over his shoulder.

"These are them?"

Yusei laughed harder. "That's them. They mate during spring and summer, hence the courtship dances. The ones that are standing so still are the males. They're incubating their eggs."

Atem stared, mystified. "They don't…lay them, do they?"

Yusei shook his head, snickering. "No, they're not seahorses. They just incubate them for the females."

"Seahorses?"

"They look like living coral. They're weird little creatures." Yusei tilted his head, blue eyes sparkling with mirth. "The males give birth. The females basically leave them alone to it."

Atem blinked and looked back toward the birds. They were unlike anything he'd expected. He found himself lowering to his belly across the ice, tilting his head and shivering. "They… I've never seen anything like them before."

Yusei snickered. "They're very strange. They're unlike any animals I've ever run across in neighboring regions. Killer whales are nasty beasts. I've seen them swallow juveniles whole."

Atem froze. "Juveniles?"

He nodded and took a seat. "They'd swallow Yugi in one bite. You would likely take two." Yusei smirked when he looked over his shoulder. "They burst from the water when they sense penguins or bears nearby and swallow them whole."

He shivered and looked over, flexing his claws uneasily. "They are so large?"

"And violent." Yusei smiled. "There's a reason they are called killer whales, Atem. They are nasty creatures, with large teeth they rarely use but for land prey too big to swallow. I saw one of them attempt to swallow a Water Dragon once. The fight was bloody and disgusting and they were barely winded by the end of it, despite nearly having their head hollowed out."

"Do they not feel pain?"

"They do. They simply do not care." Yusei shot him a wry smile and Atem had the faintest feeling he was comparing them to him. No doubt he'd heard the rumors surrounding him, how he never tired and always won no matter how battered and bruised it left him. He did not value the comparison and his belly ached to consider it. They did so often claim him a monster, refusing to admit their own faults that incurred his wrath. "The humans call them the gods of the sea. They hunt them for good luck. When they harvest their teeth for necklaces, it's said to give them invulnerability."

Atem tilted his head. "Is that so?"

"Do they not spread such stories in your region?"

"They believe the wolves one of the wisest creatures and follow them as a family unit because of how closely knit they are. They worship them as the gods of the forests and mountains. But they pray to the deer when they go to hunt, for the blessing of speed and the moose for the sake of strength." Atem fell quiet a moment, then lowered his eyes. "They worship me as the most divine creature in the east, as the God Dragon. My Blessing is requested each solstice and they often have ceremonies in my honor when their leaders are expectant of offspring."

Yusei nodded slightly. "They sound ideal."

"Hmm?"

"They respect you enough to minimize exposure. They do not chase you about." Yusei sighed softly. "They worship you from afar and they respect your existence."

He bristled. "Do your humans not do the same?"

Yusei smiled slightly. "They do. But I see far less worship from them than you. Your humans think the dragons the greatest of creatures, and know their place among them. Mine are secluded enough they forget themselves but for their respectful fear of us." He sighed. "It does not matter. Come along. We need to go see the camp."

Atem was distracted by thoughts of describing penguins to Yugi when they got to the camp. It was scattered about hollowed caverns of stone beneath a forest of huge conifers. The air was dense and heavy here, thick enough it weighed his wings and made his shoulders almost ache from pressure. He shifted his stance and shuffled his paws, blinking several times as he considered their surroundings.

The cliffs were huge and looming, rising high over their heads. The mist was almost blinding, seeping down from the treetops like water. The entire camp was shrouded so completely it was almost impossible to make out the features until one was close enough to bump their beaks into the walls. Had Atem not been a Sky Dragon and so used to an array of climates, he would have been uncertain and blind. He would have needed the others to help find his footing and guide his paws.

Genetics had offered him a paw up in this matter, however. Whereas Jaden visibly squinted and occasionally seemed to stumble, he saw straight through the mist as if it were a light breeze stirring beneath the sunlight. He saw the stones and the various faces, each individual branch as it shed water and the air shimmered. He saw the expanse of shadows and the soft stones scattered about the clearing they stood in.

He, Yusei and the Leviathan were unaffected in the slightest. Only Jaden seemed wary and unsure, and for some reason Atem felt vindicated in this.

Perhaps it was his anger when Atem had gotten exhausted in the desert and Jaden had turned on him. Maybe it was simply that he no longer felt the lowest on the hierarchy now that Jaden was forced to acknowledge his own weaknesses.

He didn't know. Frankly he did not care. The feeling warmed his scales and left him inexplicably thrilled and he relished it.

"Obsidian," Yusei called into the clearing.

Atem looked about for a moment, studying the way the ice glinted with blue shadows, and faltered when he saw a shift of movement. He bristled as the light glinted more fiercely and the air shimmered even more gorgeously, as if the mist were dancing before his eyes. He blinked and tilted his head, tensing, as the ground before him seemed almost to shift and twist about like a snake. Black dorsal scales rose and quivered in the air as if from nothing, so tightly spaced he'd have assumed them stones at first glance. Brilliant blue eyes glowed against a pale, gray skull of narrow bones and sharp, needle-thin teeth. A plume of red feather-like scales lined the back of its head to its jaw where it seemed to disappear to nothing. Along its flanks were large scales like feathers, and its lack of wings was only second to the four tails it possessed, each webbed and colored red like the feathered mane.

Nothing about the dragon's gorgeous blue scales or glittering eyes justified its name. Atem blinked stupidly and glanced at Yusei sideways. Maybe it was a Clan mate sitting vigil…

"I'd expected a visit much sooner, Yusei." Her voice was sharp and raspy, but somehow lyrical all the same. He bristled again and considered her intently. She was smaller than him, but her body was long and could easily constrict him should she have struck. "You seem to forget the Clan exists."

"Other things take priority," he answered, plopping down. He gestured with his muzzle. "Be a good little sister and greet the newest God Dragon."

Her head snapped around, eyes widening drastically, and Atem studied her shocked expression with bewilderment. Was he always to be greeted like this? Was he always to be considered a spectacle?

He understood why, but it angered him all the same.

She peered at him a long moment, then began to change and shimmer. Her form shuddered and cast a glow as if the sun were upon a pool of water. The air rippled. And then there she stood, on graceful feathered legs despite her lack of wings. She eyed him curiously, then smiled faintly.

"So, you're Atem."

He bristled faintly but nodded. "I am."

"I imagined you to be older than the rest of them. Your reputation is far reaching and all-encompassing. And yet you seem so small and secluded, separated from everyone else." She took a seat and smiled warmly. "Yusei speaks about you a lot."

Atem glanced over as the Stardust Dragon looked to him. "Oh?"

"He admires you." She considered a moment longer. "I can see why."

Jaden made a small noise of disapproval. "Obsidian, we did not come here to hear you or Yusei fawn over him. We came to see if there were any new nests."

She looked as if she wanted to spit at him. Instead she turned to Atem and hissed, "He's just jealous he's not the most popular anymore."

"Most popular?"

"You usurped him in all manners of gossip," Yusei provided, snickering as Jaden chomped his teeth in his direction. The other male snickered and hummed. "He's envious of all the attention. He used to be the most common dragon spoken about and now it's all you."

Atem grimaced. "Me?" His hearts threatened to beat out of his chest. "Everyone speaks of me?"

Why? He was not so incredibly interesting. He supposed it had to do with the rumors. They must have been curious as to the beast he was meant to be. They must have been curious as to the dragon said to hang corpses by branches.

The embellishment had likely gotten their attention.

"There are no nests," Obsidian snapped when Jaden repeated his demands. Yusei sighed loudly and shook his head. The Leviathan had curled up with his back to them, snoozing. Atem studied him with wide eyes and glanced between them as Obsidian and Jaden scowled and snapped at each other. Yusei clicked his tongue and turned to him with a tired smile.

"They used to be best friends. Now they only argue and fight. You get used to it." He paused and searched his face. "Or…perhaps you won't have to. If there is no omen for the four of us to determine, it is unlikely we shall all travel like this again throughout regions."

Obsidian paused mid-argument to look over. "You're always welcome to come visit, though! You're adorable."

Atem shot her a puzzled look as Yusei laughed, "Yugi would kill you if he heard you say that to him."

The Sky Dragon turned to him, flustered. "He's more likely to bristle and spit at her than kill her."

Immediately she sat up straighter. "Is that your Gandora mate?" she squealed, and Atem realized the raspy and cold timbre was gone. Had she been resting prior and her voice rough from lack of use? He blinked stupidly at the thought. Yugi's voice did that sometimes, but mostly only when he didn't sleep well. It sounded as if he meant to snarl but the noise was small and his tone too soft to be aggressive. "He's so cute! I've heard so many things about him. Yusei showed me his reflection once in a vision. He's adorable!"

Jaden grumbled something that sounded like "Oh, everyone is adorable" before laughing awkwardly when she spun on him.

"Yugi is a blessing," he said quietly to dispel the rising tension, "and I'd like to return to his side as soon as possible."

Obsidian looked vaguely disappointed even as she smiled. "There are no nests to check, though I'll still show Jaden the nursery and then you can all leave. It was a pleasure to meet you, Atem." And with that she spun around and began trotting away. Jaden huffed and hurried after her, stumbling several times and almost falling over his own paws like a clumsy hatchling.

Yusei smiled at him. "Today has to have been overwhelming. Let's get ready to go and you can see Yugi again, okay?" he said gently.

Atem wondered what he looked like to invoke such a response.