Chapter LVII: Whispers

Atem paused as he looked around. The trees were huge overhead, with long foliage and a stunning amount of vines which dripped like human rope. Ferns touched every inch of his paws and huge rocks rose beneath the surface of some of the large leaves. Roots stood almost the height of his shoulders in certain areas and some of the trees were looming and blocked the sky overhead almost completely. He could catch only a few small patches of white and blue where the clouds scattered across. He looked down as the shadows draped across his flesh, glancing at Yugi sideways as the Gandora picked a path across the dense foliage.

"We're going to be here for a pretty long time if we have to follow each path," Yugi said abruptly, turning to him. "I hate the suggestion, but splitting up might be easier."

"And how would we find each other after?" he asked, skeptical and flustered. He glanced around. The forest seemed to eat his voice, swallowing it into nothing instantly. Something called out and his skin crawled, the scales along his spine rising. "I cannot call you as I would in our territory. They'd see it as a war cry."

Yugi grimaced and looked around. "I guess they would," he mumbled. "Okay, um, can you take to the air then? It might be easier to… Oh, well… I guess you can't see through all of that, can you?"

Atem shook his head. "No. My eyes aren't so keen that I could see through that." He paused. "Can you?"

"No. I…was hoping you could." He sighed and then laughed. "Oh well! I like spending time with you more than anything! If it takes us all day I'll be happy."

"If I didn't know any better I'd think you were trying to get rid of me." Yugi scoffed and rushed over to lick his face, butting his shoulder before nipping his wing. Atem snickered and shook his head. "I take it back."

Yugi grinned. "Yeah, you do!" he laughed, turning away and trotting forward a few more steps. He stopped again, peering up and around after a moment. "I hope we don't have to stay the night. I don't want to sleep here. The cats are so mean. And gods forbid we run into a cassowary. They're so nasty."

"I'll do as Jonouchi did and eat it out of anger."

Yugi snickered and turned to him. "You eat a cassowary? I can't even picture you eating a peacock even though I know you do every now and then. Somehow trying to picture you eating them is just…impossible to me."

"Because they're birds?"

"Because the cassowary is ugly but the peacock is elegant and looks gorgeous. I kind of picture you with feathers sticking out of your mouths and it makes me giggle. But seriously? I can't picture it as more than a joke."

Atem hummed. "I don't usually eat birds. They don't do much for me. They were better prey when I was younger." He padded alongside him for a while, narrowing his eyes and considering for a long moment. "If I were your parents, where would I go?"

"A mile in," Yugi snorted and Atem smirked as he shook his head. "Honestly, I don't know where they would have gone. I can't imagine it's too much farther, but I also wouldn't have thought they'd have moved so far into the rainforest either at this rate."

Atem paused a step and looked around slowly. "I'm sorry. You must be uncomfortable by now. I'm sure you're tired of walking with this much humidity."

"It's not your fault." He smiled. "You don't live in a rainforest so I don't, either. A visit won't slow me down too much. It would if we were here forever, but we're thankfully not going so far as to move here."

He nodded. "I don't think even I could desire to remain here for long periods of time."

"It's keeping your scales moist."

"Ants keep biting at my paws and I can't step on the ground as usual. I have to put more weight down so I'm leaving more of a trail than I'd like. That alone makes me incredibly nervous." He paused. "The deafening noise of animal cries is overwhelming at times as well. I don't think I could stomach this place for long bouts of time. I can't imagine your parents enjoy this so much."

"Probably not. But if war is being threatened, I have a feeling it's because they want to hide and see if they could bring me here for a long time should something happen."

Atem had begun to suspect something similar. He was relieved Yugi had come upon the same line of thought. It was comforting to think Yugi's parents loved him so much they were prepared to hide him from any outside threats. He tilted his head and considered the Gandora a moment. He wondered if he'd even be willing to take them up on the offer, or if he would turn his back instead if they spoke ill of him again. The few times Atem had encountered a dragon who had, Yugi had lost his temper and lashed out. He'd knocked Jesse around and almost killed him had Atem not grabbed him by the back of the throat to stop him. And all Jesse had done was call him bitter.

Yugi's overprotective streak made his hearts warm. He was so sweet and wonderful and Atem could not think of a better mate. There was none.

"But how are your scales? They're not dried out, right?"

Atem blinked. "No more than usual. The humidity keeps them warmer than I'd like, considering it's not from sunbathing, and they feel slightly heavier but they are moist which means they're slippery like they're supposed to be." He paused. "Your scales have to be heavier than usual…"

"A little, but it's not so terrible." Yugi smiled. "I'm used to it. I used to swim, remember? The water used to weigh my scales down just like this does. I thought you had a much longer rainy season before we mated, so I tried to get used to water as often as possible when it came to that. I figured the rain season had to be during the summer so I thought humidity had to be high in times like that. I…practiced dealing with it, I guess is the best way to phrase it?"

Atem tilted his head. "I see." He tried to ignore the tingling in his paws where the ants were biting furiously at his flesh. Usually he would not have noticed, but the continued attacks were more annoying than he cared to admit. "I'm lucky you were so willing to adapt like that."

Yugi tilted his head and his eyes lit up like coals, so warm it made Atem falter a step. He didn't feel the ache from the ant bites any longer, startled but also grateful for the expression Yugi offered. "I would have done anything for you—I still will. I love you more than anything. You know that, right?"

He nodded. "I do."

Why was another question, but he did know.

"But you're right." Yugi grinned wider. "You are lucky to have me!"

Atem snorted. "Yes, yes, of course," he snickered. "I am indebted to you for falling in love with me and being so amazing."

The Gandora leaned forward to lick his beak, pouncing away after a moment. "Yeah, you are," he laughed. Atem followed a step behind, humming in agreement. Yugi continued forward for a long time, then sighed and turned around. "I don't know how wide the forest is, nor how long."

"That's fine. We'll find them when we find them." He paused. "Unless you're tired? We can always turn back and go home. It wouldn't upset me to do that."

Yugi seemed to falter for a long time. He stared at him, almost flustered, and Atem saw his eyes briefly flicker to the trees overhead and back. He shifted his weight, then turned to him again. "No. We're staying. We've come this far. We're going to talk to them." And then he spun around again to lead Atem along once more. "I won't be the reason we don't get answers."

"Yugi, it's okay. I promise I won't be upset if I don't get to speak to them about this. Maybe it's for the best." He stopped short when Yugi spun around to face him with narrowed eyes. "I just… I don't want to hurt you just because I want to ask questions."

And maybe it was for the better. He still remembered what Yami had said. He still remembered Ironheart's warning. Perhaps answers were something he shouldn't seek.

"It's fine. I'm sturdier than you think," Yugi said firmly, raising his head and starting forward again. Atem picked his way after him, uncomfortable but curious. "Besides, I've lived in a similar area before. I'm just not as used to it anymore."

Atem tilted his head but didn't argue, following as faithfully as he could manage in the thick undergrowth. His claws tangled on a root and he paused, glancing around and up at the branches overhead. Something had begun wailing above him, and it took a moment to notice the little brown and tan figures skirting about the branches.

"Monkeys?" he scoffed, looking at Yugi. "You're kidding, right? I hate monkeys. They always throw things."

"Ignore them. They tend to be okay if you ignore them." Yugi looked back at him, seeming to reconsider after a moment. "You take the lead. They're less likely to throw things at me. They don't see darker colors as well. You stick out like a sore paw."

He grunted. "They can't aim at me if they can't see me."

Yugi peered at him in confusion for a split second, then laughed. "I always forget you can turn invisible like that. You never do it, so I just always overlook it."

"I use it to hide from the humans. The rest of the time my territory is my domain," Atem muttered, stopping to shake himself out. It took all of a moment. He knew it, but he still felt and saw it in a much slower transformation. The rich red of his scales began to drain to an unhealthy pink. Then it turned paler, like a strange beige, and then to a clear and translucent shade. His scales became transparent, mimicking his surroundings where he stood over any foliage, and when he moved he could feel his flesh as it changed. Every little ripple of color was an itch or warmth or chill along his body. He picked his way more delicately behind Yugi now, so as not to tangle himself in any roots again, and kept his pace steady. "I do not like turning invisible."

Yugi looked back. "I don't see why not. I would love it." He paused. "Being able to turn invisible to sneak around would be amazing. I wouldn't do it for malicious reasons, of course, but I do remember wishing I could be sometimes with the humans when they got out of hand and rambunctious."

Atem snickered. "You had your limit of them at some point?"

"I did. They were exhausting after a while." He looked over again and smiled slightly, eyes warm. "It was worth it. I would do it again if I had to, but they could be exhausting."

"You speak as if you're old," Atem scoffed.

Yugi laughed. "I could be!" He shook his head, trading his smile for a more contemplative expression. "No. They have a way of making you feel much older than you are at times. There was always something happening, no matter if it was small or large. It was exhausting sometimes, more so because they liked to drink fire water so often."

Atem tilted his head. "I thought it was for celebrations?"

"It was a celebration every night as long as I was there. They considered having such a healthy dragon among them a reason for celebration, no matter how exhausted they were after. They tend to wounded ones a lot, because some of their traps are easy for hatchling to fall into, so me being there unharmed and just spending time with them made them rambunctious."

"So, they…knew you were a dragon?"

"They did. When I asked for help to learn how to use the nets, I was teased relentlessly for being a silly dragon and unable to manipulate things to my will. They refused outright to reach me, because they saw me as a divine being and said I should learn on my own rather than be taught by a species as low as humans. I spent a lot of time spying and shadowing them to learn how to use it." He paused, looking around once more and tilting his head. "It was all in jest, and they found it funny rather than pitiful as they teased me. They loved me being there. They adored me and worshipped me around the jokes and laughter. But they knew I was dragon because of my initial visit. And they confirmed it later when their shaman approached me and…used some of her own magic to make my human form turn dragon again to their eyes. It's…a strange experience. Human magic is…so odd."

"I didn't realize they had magic."

"It's limited. It's nothing like breathing elements or being able to see the future in large chunks like Ironheart or the other God Dragons can." Yugi shivered. "I don't know how to explain it. It's just…odd. They use the earth to render images and sometimes they can make smoke appear out of nowhere. Once or twice they showed me images through smoke and stale water. I don't know how they did any of it. It was amazing and terrifying."

Atem bristled slightly, but didn't speak. He didn't think he had words. He remembered once that his parents had told him every creature had magic. But he didn't know if that was true or if it had been a story made up to help them sleep at night.

The idea humans—one of the most fickle and disastrous creatures in the world—had magic made him physically ill. His stomach lolled and his skin itched as if to shed his scales. He tried not to growl with frustration, shifting his weight and following more slowly.

"Yugi?"

The Gandora paused a step, then turned and peered into the trees. He blinked several times, studying the area around them, and then looked to Atem and back. "You heard that, right?"

He snorted. "You overlooked your father."

"I what?" He turned and looked again, then laughed. "Oh! Hi!"

Yugi's father stepped from the foliage, shook himself out, and stretched leisurely. He flicked each paw and looked to Atem with a tilt of his head. "I can't say I was expecting to see you here. But you seem healthy from what I can tell from your body heat. Nothing feverish, nothing too cold. So I can say you aren't running from something."

Atem narrowed his eyes and shed his transparency. "Not that I'm aware of," he growled. "Although I've been told I'm expected to go to war with Jaden—or that I was already meant to have waged it, actually."

The Luster Dragon smiled tightly. "Yeah. That's the consensus. Everyone is afraid you and Jaden will go for each other soon enough."

"Is that why you're here?"

"Not quite." He glanced at Yugi and grinned more genuinely. "You look well."

Yugi rubbed beaks with him and smiled, turning to Atem. "He keeps me fit and active. Otherwise I'd be a lazy slug sleeping my days away!" Atem scoffed and Yugi's father snorted so hard he sneezed. Yugi laughed at them and turned back. "So, what are the two of you doing out here then? Last I knew you were near the oasis again and then you visited and said you'd be a mile into the forest. This is much further than a mile."

His father nodded and sighed. "Right. Well…" He looked at Atem. "Rumors began there was a Divine Dragon and it was a…second generation Gandora. No one could say who the parents were, but I figured if it was a second generation it meant Yugi was involved and considering how devoted he is to you… News hit and rumors began, and we decided to be preemptive and move further along toward the river. We didn't want to have to evade Jaden again if another edict was declared."

"Everyone is so afraid of this potential war."

"I don't understand. How did these rumors begin?" Yugi blurted, flustered. "It doesn't make sense."

"You and Jaden fought once."

Atem nodded. "Yes. He overstepped in my territory. I attacked him."

Yugi's father looked away. "We heard it here."

The God Dragon narrowed his eyes. "You heard it…here?"

"It was deafening. Everyone alive had to have heard it. It was like the sky had cracked in half and threatened to fall on our heads." He laughed softly. "You didn't realize it was so loud?"

Atem fought a snarl. "I didn't realize my voice carried so well. Sky Dragons aren't known for that."

"Maybe not regular Sky Dragons, but you're a God Dragon." Yugi's father snorted and smirked, shaking his head. "It felt like my bones were going to fall apart."

Yugi looked away. "A second generation Gandora, huh?"

His dad looked over. "There's another rumor that there's a Lightning Dragon hybrid that's been declared a Divine as well, but there's only been a few whispers about that. The second generation was mentioned more times than I care to count." He turned to Atem again. "Yugi isn't a God Dragon. I couldn't expect him to have mated with a female and produced a Divine."

Atem scowled. "I laid the egg. It hatched. He's dead." He bore his teeth when Yugi's father froze and stared in shock. "He didn't make it a full year. It's over. The only Divine left is the hybrid you just mentioned, but no one knows exactly who he is. There are five of them and they're all males. Any of them could be the Divine. The others can't see them in visions and I have no ability to look into the past, present or future. I don't see visions. So I can't help them. Yami could have, but seeing as he's dead, it no longer matters. The option is no longer valid."

Yugi's father opened and closed his mouth, then looked away. "I'm sorry. I had no idea. I thought you'd tell me it was just a rumor." He opened and closed his mouth twice. "I'm so sorry."

Atem grunted. "You may be the only one to sound genuine when they say that," he mumbled. He turned away and glanced around before shaking himself out again. "I didn't come here to speak about Yami."

"Right. So, to what do I owe this visit?"

"I wanted to ask you and your mate a few questions."

Yugi's father looked up, tipping his head to the side in bewilderment. "I'm sorry? You came here to ask us a few questions?" He snorted. "Yugi couldn't have answered them for you?"

"Considering he was an egg at the time, I highly doubt he can."

His father blinked once, then twice, and laughed bitterly. "The edict."