The afternoon sunshine high above, casting its light upon the sea of clouds, provided shade to those below—creating excellent conditions for Hestia to venture out to run some errands. Despite thinking about the dragonet, whom she left back at her camp in the cave, she knew she had things to do. She didn't want to leave the young SkyWing alone, but she still had a job to finally finish.

The dragonet wasn't in the talking mood, like she was afraid of her. But it couldn't be that she recognised her is it? Unless the dragonet's parents told her. Hestia shook her head, she was paranoid. Hopefully, that dragonet listened to her and ate her food, she needed it.

Being gone from the Sky Kingdom for nearly two decades, surely those who know her are long dead from the war. While, it was a risk coming back, word got to her that the moron of a queen got killed a couple of months ago, she figured that it would time to come back and see how things had changed.

As she soared above, Hestia passed over several of her fellow SkyWings and tents. She kept an eye on a couple of pairs of guards, ever vigilant, as she flew over them, ensuring they couldn't get an angle on her face. Continuing her journey, she circled above a secluded flat area of the city, scanning it for any potential dangers. Satisfied that there were no guards around, she landed, double-checking her belongings for anything out of place.

After confirming everything was intact, Hestia headed towards the crowded parts of the city. She found the tight crowd and multiple voices overwhelming, with wings and tails occasionally slapping her face. She couldn't understand how anyone could enjoy living in such a bustling environment. It was dreadful.

Pushing through the crowd, Hestia kept an eye on the guards whenever she got close to them, ready to react if necessary. As she arrived at the area with multiple tents, she stretched her neck to find the specific tent she was seeking. Spotting the tent adorned with a sign depicting various critters, she knew it was the one. Hestia pushed her way through the crowd once more.

Stepping out of the crowd, talon tightly gripping her strap bag to ward off any potential thieves, Hestia approached the counter of the tent. "Hello?" she called out, waiting for someone to respond. When no one did, she leaned in and repeated, "Hello? Miss Ingle?"

"Y-yes?" came a voice from inside, and a pale orange SkyWing emerged into view.

Hestia noticed that Ingle was older than her and a fair bit larger than her, with rougher and brittle scales. Ingle would probably be almost a hundred hundred years old.

"My name is Sierra," Hestia said, using the alias she had adopted when she accepted Ingle's job. She took a letter out of her strap bag and showed it to old SkyWing. "I'm the dragon who's been delivering you the critters I hunted. You sent me a letter to come for my payment."

Ingle stared at Hestia for a moment before smiling. "Ah! I remember! Come in, come in!"

Ingle disappeared behind the counter, Hestia watched Ingle move to the side and followed her to the side of the tent, where the entrance was. Inside, Hestia could see several pelts from different animals hanging, all in great condition.

"I take it that you make clothes here, then?" Hestia asked, which earned a laugh from Ingle.

"I don't make clothes, Miss Sierra," Ingle replied.

Hestia tilted her head. "Then what do you make?"

"Follow me," Ingle said cheerfully, her wings partially flaring, before leading Hestia to another section of the tent, separated by a large piece of cloth, effectively forming another room.

"Come and meet my friends and see the world you helped build," Ingle continued, stepping to the side and revealing what was inside the dimly lit room.

Hestia's eyes widened when she saw multiple stuffed animals in various poses, doing different tasks. She even noticed a stuffed raccoon roasting frogs on a stick over a fake campfire.

"I make art!" Ingle said, smiling. "Well, not really art, but life. Life as art!"

Hestia's eyes drifted to the stuffed animals and then back at Ingle. She made an uneasy smile at her client, trying not to offend her, all she wanted was to get her payment and leave the strange place.

"This is... really something," Hestia said, holding back her true thoughts.

Ingle walked to a stuffed sloth riding on a stuffed fox's back. Hestia blinked a couple of times when she saw the sloth seemed to be smiling, or at least it looked that way.

"This one is my favorite; he looks really happy getting a ride," Ingle said, pointing at the sloth. "He's so full of life... in a way."

"Y-yeah," Hestia made a nervous chuckle, pointing at the sloth's smile. "I like how… he looks thrilled."

"Sometimes I make little voices for them," Ingle moved to another part of the display, which showed a beaver reading a scroll. Ingle pointed at the beaver. "I call this one Beaverly, I don't know why."

Hestia just nodded at the old dragon, a talon in her strap bag, trying to reach for her canteen that contained alcohol to drink. She cursed quietly when she couldn't find it.

Ingle turned her back to Hestia, as she seemed to grab something. "I did this with dragons once, during the war."

Hestia's eyes widened in horror, wishing the old dragon would stop talking. She shook off the disturbing thought of those stuffed dragons.

"But no," Ingle continued, facing Hestia again. "Animals are much better, their fur is just wonderful!"

The old SkyWing turned to face Hestia. "Here is your payment," she handed Hestia a bag of gold coins.

Hestia sighed in relief. She already eyeing the exit to leave when Ingle called out to her.

"Please take this as a gift," Ingle handed Hestia a small stuffed bird wearing pieces of gold jewelry around its neck, sitting peacefully with its eyes closed. "After all we did this together."

"I... I don't know how to say," Hestia said, trying not make a snarky comment.

"Oh, I get that a lot. Even the previous queen said that to me."

"You don't say," Hestia said almost sarcastically, before putting the stuffed bird and bag of gold into her bag. "Thank you... I should get going now. I still have errands to run." She tipped her head at Ingle. "Be well."

"Bye!" Ingle said, as Hestia quickened her pace to desperately exit the tent.

It was nearing dusk, and Hestia had now reached the outskirts of the city. There were still some SkyWings wandering about, and a few tent shops remained open. Most importantly, there were no guards around.

Hestia was browsing through some of the shops when she noticed a tanner shop. She thought about getting something for the dragonet and figured that the little one might like a bag. She walked towards the shop and scanned through the leather strap bags displayed.

"You're looking for something, miss?" a voice said from inside the tent, and a male red-scaled SkyWing appeared at the counter.

"Do you have some strap bags for dragonets?" Hestia inquired.

The shopkeeper nodded. "We do." He went back inside and returned with two bags, laying them on the counter for her to choose.

Hestia observed the two bags. The first one seemed too big for the dragonet, with a cracked texture, indicating its age. The second one was in better condition but smaller, and it would be more suitable for her.

"I'll buy this one," she picked up the second bag.

"That would be two coppers," the shopkeeper said, and Hestia handed him the gold coin.

She placed the bag into her own and continued her journey. As she moved further from the city, the number of dragons walking about decreased. When she was about to take off and fly, a voice stopped her.

"Hey!"

Hestia jumped, before she quickly turned to her side and saw an adult male red scaled SkyWing with a missing wing.

"Aren't you that noble's daughter?" he said.

Hestia felt her body shiver. "What? Of course not!" She gestured to him to come close, "Can you come here for a bit?"

"Yeah, you are. You're the one who killed those SkyWings in the palace!" he accused before dashing down the path on the mountain.

Hestia cursed, looking around to make sure no one else was nearby, before spreading her wings and jumping off the mountainside to chase after the dragon. The old dragon gained some distance from her, but she flapped her wings faster, determined to catch up. However, she was caught off guard when he blasted a breath of fire, causing her to dive down. She heard the old dragon laugh mockingly, but then he yelped in surprise and started screaming.

"Help!" his voice cried out.

Hovering in the air, Hestia searched for the source of the voice and saw the old dragon hanging from the mountain side, struggling to climb up with his talons shaking from the effort.

Hestia landed on the mountainside, her talons and wing claws holding onto the rock edges firmly to avoid falling.

"You're not the brightest dragon, you know," Hestia said.

The SkyWing looked at her with a horrified expression. "P-please help me up. I got it wrong!"

"I'm not the dragon that killed those dragons in the palace," Hestia said firmly.

"Then why did you chase me?!"

"I hatched with a very unfortunate face," Hestia said, dismissing his question.

"Yes, I'm sorry! Now please pull me up! My grip is slipping! Please, my son needs me; he's still young!"

Hestia looked at the dragon before sighing. She knew he recognized her, which worried her, but she also couldn't just leave him there, she wasn't like her family.

"Alright, come on," she extended her talon for him to grab. The crippled SkyWing seemed to sigh in relief as Hestia stepped back and helped him climb back onto the paved path of the mountain.

Gasping for breath, Graphite thanked her for saving his life. Hestia gave him time to calm down.

"You okay now?" Hestia asked.

The SkyWing took a breath. "I'm a mess."

"At least, you're still breathing."

"There is that," he said, extending his talon toward her. "M-my name is Graphite."

Hestia looked at his talon but decided not to shake it. "It'll be good for the both of us to pretend this didn't happen."

Graphite retracted his talon. "Y-you saved my life. I was wrong; you're a good dragon…"

Hestia looked at him, unsure if he was being genuine or merely trying to get out of trouble. She let the matter go for now. But she needed to make sure Graphite would shut his mouth.

She approached him, making him step back nervously. "I'm not a good dragon, Graphite, not usually. You see, I did kill all those dragons my dear aunt sent for me and I have killed many more after that... Maybe I should have killed you..." Hestia narrowed her eyes at him, placing a claw under his muzzle. "Should I have killed you too, Graphite?"

Graphite choked on his own breath. "I-I promise I won't tell."

Hestia backed off, satisfied. Giving Graphite some space to breathe, before patting him on his arm. "Graphite, right? I'll remember you," she smiled, as tapped a talon on the side of her head. "I have a very good memory."

"I-I won't tell anyone, I never saw you."

"You better don't, for your sake," she turned her back on him and leaped off the mountain, flying away. Leaving a relieved Graphite behind.

Hestia sighed, hoping he wouldn't go to the authorities. She needed to leave just in case. She already had enough trouble as it is, hopefully, the dragonet would be in a talking mood, so she can finally help her.

The sun finally set when Hestia touched down roughly in front of the cave, a swirl of dust and leaves rising in the wake of her wingbeats. The sounds of animals in forest quieted down at her presence.

With things settling around her, she approached the entrance of the cave, already piecing together an apology for her prolonged absence. Hopefully, the dragonet would be understanding and willing to talk, allowing her to provide the help she needed.

Hestia moved closer to the cave's mouth, her voice hesitant yet earnest. "Hey, I'm sorry I was gone longer than expected. I had…"

Her words trailed off as she scanned the area. The dragonet was nowhere to be seen. Her attention shifted to her bags, noticing their displacement. She hurried over and hastily checked their contents, a sigh of relief escaping as she found the plant in the jar and her pelts undisturbed.

Gazing back to where the dragonet had rested before her departure, and where the carcass lay, Hestia noted that while the meat was taken, at least the dragonet had eaten. But her eyes couldn't help but notice the trickle of blood that trailed out to the cave. She stepped out of the cave and surveyed the surroundings, her eyes searching the scene. A trail of talon prints etched into the soil caught her attention. These were unmistakably the tracks of the dragonet. Perplexed by the situation – her wings had seemed fine when checked the previous night – Hestia began to follow the trail deeper into the forest. Why wasn't the dragonet flying, did she even know how dangerous these woods are?

A new scent reached her, and her heart sank as the realization dawned upon her. The smell was unmistakable – bear droppings. Quickening her pace, she followed the trail with renewed urgency. Bears were known to already do a number to older dragons, and dragonets aren't known for their strength. Dread

rushed to her as the idea of a bear stalking a dragonet. Hestia looked at the sky, there were already stars showing up, but there was still some light, she reckoned that she had a few minutes of light before the night settled in.

Author's Note:

This chapter was beta read by LookyIt'saJess.

I apologize for this, but I may not update frequently for a bit, since I'm back in University, and Pharmacy is a pain to study. And I may only write in small amounts.