Chapter 10(?)

This took a while to come out huh?

Sorry, could not figure out how I wanted to pace this story. My Kyle chapters are already mostly written but figuring out how to make them flow is hard. Pjs o burned out on Spyro for a while and wrote A TON of other stories that need finishing. Started too many future projects…

And I also shot mysely in the foot because this story ended up being slow burn ( sort of?)

It might end up being like 200k words by the time I am done. Is that what people like?If I had paced this better instead of doing filler chapters like the one with the park I could have finished this study by now…

Oh well. I guess it just kind of evolved into a lover tale. The story is not even going to be very complicated. I don't wish it too be a hard-to-follow, convoluted mess. Well, I still wish to make it work and to deliver a satisfying story overall.

So enjoy

"Mommy?" A small girl asked as Lilith grabbed her badge.

"Mommy, where are we going'?" The girl asked again.

Lilith took a second to stop and looked to her child.

Meredy was about two years old, having recently turned said age. The girl had light skin, raven-black hair, blue eyes and was wearing a blue dress. She tilted her head up her mother on curiosity.

"To your Auntie Kira's house." She said simply, putting on a smile. She finished getting her uniform and gear on and picked up her daughter from the floor.

In truth, she was getting ready for work again. Being a police officer was not an easy job. Especially not when she had a toddler running around at home. The morning had been frantic for her, as usual. A mad dash to get her daughter awake, dressed, and fed. Being only two, getting Meredy to even sit still long enough to do any of those things was next to impossible. Not helping matters was the fact she was on call and was needed at the station.

As such, she had to scramble to get herself out of her sleepwear, into her police uniform, gather her gear, and call her sister so that she could babysit Meredy again.

Future complicating matters was the fact Meredy had to be changed again only a few minutes ago; the girl has not even been potty trained yet. Her least favorite task of being a mother…

Holding back a groan, Lilith carried her daughter down the stairs and towards the front door, passing a mirror on her way. She looked at herself briefly…

Her raven black hair flowed long behind her head but was unkempt. Her though her blue eyes still has the shine to them, she could not help but notice the bags under her eyes. From stress no doubt. Pulling extra shifts and taking care of a toddler tested her limits a lot…

However, when she looked at the giggling child in her arms, she could not help but smile. She planted a kiss on Meredy's forehead as they walked to the door.

"I love you Meredy. " Lilith said with a smile.

The dream faded as a strange yet familiar voice called to her.

"Do not worry. You will see her again."

The sunlight peering through her window had awoken her. She looked around her room: a simple room-sized to accommodate a dragon. It was carved of grey stone, with a window on the left wall, a simple mat she slept on and an elemental banner depicting Earth. Dragons loved those things it seemed.

Taking a moment, she gathered her thoughts. It had been another, half-restless night. She thought constantly to her daughter; stressing each second that she was out there. Not helping matters further was the fact the sheer ridiculousness of all this was weighing on her as well; her dreams of her past life only made that sink in.

She was tired, she realized. Not just physically, but emotionally. Just what the hell was going on anymore? How was any of this possible? She went from being a cop to be a freaking dragon with shadow powers, living as a homeless vagrant in a world populated by fantasy creatures and anthropomorphic animals. With magic non-the-less….

At least she now had a bed to sleep in. Or rather a giant pillow. Apparently, that's a thing dragons did here. There was a weird magic crystal light fixture that turned on and off as needed but it was still so strange.

She shifted on her pillow for a few minutes before she finally got comfortable. Yeah, sleeping as a massive quadruped was strange. She wished that, if she had to come to this world, she could have stayed a human or at least become someone of the humanoid race. It would be weird but hey, at least she would still have hands. Wow, she missed having hands.

She missed that thought. "Maybe it would be cool to have been a mage or sword fighter. At least as a human, I could fit into places." She thought. Just what was it like for a dragon

That voice from her dream assured her daughter was safe. Against her better judgment, she trusted it, even though it was probably just her subconscious telling her what she wanted. But where was Meredy?

This question gnawed at the dragon's mind to no end. Dreams of her past life with her daughter were all she could think about. Her worry worsened over time. Part of her considered asking around the town or putting out a search warrant but she could not hope hit wonder if that would achieve anything. She was not even sure if Meredy was here after all…

"Lilith? Lilith?" a voice called to her from the doorway.

The black dragon jolted awake, gasping in surprise.

"Huh? Meredy? Kira, are you- oh." she muttered as she got up and recognized Mistral in the doorway.

"Oh. Good morning." she greeted her employer.

Mistral nodded in acknowledgment but raised her brow.

"Are you ok? You mentioned those names again…" she noted.

Lilith sighed. She had a habit of muttering Meredy's name in her sleep, from what she was told by her land lords. They had not pressed her in the weeks since she moved in, but Lilith could tell they were getting curious.

"Never mind it. I will be down shortly." the former human said, dismissively. Mistral nodded and left, leaving Lilith to pull herself awake.

Within minutes, Lilith was seated at the table in the downstairs dining room. The room itself was simple carved stone and rock. Walls were made of grey stone and the floor was too, but it was smooth. The area was built to accommodate dragons, it was spacious and had a few windows made of glass. The 'table' was a stone slab. The arteries were rather intricate, as she could see the building was co-structure from hand-carved slabs, much like the others around here. It felt both medieval yet somewhat modern. She guessed dragons rarely used wood to construct homes, in light of their fire magic and the need for sturdier materials.

At the table table, Alarick and Terra were seated next to each other on mats.

Alarick's black scales stood out against the rest of the room much like Lilth herself.

"How'd you sleep, Lilith?" Alarick asked.

"Fine," Lilith responded simply. She was not much in the mood for idle chatter.

Alarick raised a brow as she got seated. He looked as if he wished to say more, but opted not too.

"Miss Lilith, how come you've gotten so fluffy?" Terra suddenly asked. Lilith would be where's out at such an out-of-the-blue question but considering how young this kid was in dragon years, she was not surprised.

"That's just how I am. My coats coming in." She said, smiling at the child.

It was not a lie. Over the past two weeks, she had begun growing black fur over her scales and black feathers on her membranes.

She guessed she was one of those "Corva Dracona" she had once read about. How gif grew on scales she did not know, but apparently it was not unheard of this species would shed their fur in Warner regions. Maybe her arrival in this world through off the process of growing fur?

She did not know. It was a violation of science but this was a world of magic dragons. Neither Mistral nor Alarick batted an eye at this or questioned her, so she guessed it was a normal thing.

"It's what her kind does, Terra." Alarick simply responded.

"Oh, okay." The child said, content. He then looked over to his mother.

"Mommy, what's for breakfast?" Terra asked, bouncing up and down in his seat in excitement.

Mistral was pulling something out of their 'fridge'. In this case, it was simply a small room with, what Lilith guessed were, small magic ice crystals used to keep things fresh. Lilith heard his adoptive mother laugh lightly before she started carrying over their breakfast.

"Deer meat," she said with a smile, as she plopped a raw deer carcass on the middle table.

Everyone started digging into the deer, ravenously biting at it. If dragons had more 'civilized' ways of eating, Lilith did not know.

She eyed it somewhat nervously. She had of course eaten raw meat before, she had to fit into this world. An all too familiar draconic instinct kicked in and overridden any hesitation in Lilith before she too tore into the deer.

Within a few minutes, each dragon had eaten, every last scrap of the deer gone. Being a carnivore had its perks she guessed.

Now that everyone had eaten, Mistral spoke to her mate.

"So, what's on the agenda for you today, honey?" She inquired.

"Got a few orders to fill. More armor for the guards. Those ape bandits they've been finding outside of town have gotten the better of some of their own." he stated. "They want to upgrade their armor," he stated. "Creates plenty of work for us. They pay out the nose but I'm not sure I have the materials we need to fulfill the order." He mused. He turned to Lilith.

"Lilith, would you mind picking up some supplies? There's an old ape army smith named Roukan in town; a friend of ours. I'd like you to pick up some stuff from him." He stated.

Lilith silently nodded.

Mistral spoke up. "I'll take Terra to the park; give you some time to focus." She stated. Terra jumped for joy at this.

His mother began herding him towards the other room in order to get anything they needed for the trip to the park.

The male dragon turned to Lilith. "If you'll come with me, I'll give you what you need." He told her, signaling for Lilith to follow him to the smithing area. Lilith followed him.

And so Lilith left the house, heading down the street to her destination. Alarick gave her a bag and the money tipsy for the goods, as well as a list and directions.

Walking down the streets, she noted the various creatures who composed the population of the town:

Humanoid felines like cheetahs, leopards, and tigers. Those must have made up half the population in town. Of course, dragons of different colors and events were going about their business too. Then there were those Panthras walking around as well. Seeing quadruped big cats walking next to humanoid cats was nearly surreal; almost as much as the preselects of magic and dragons.

Weirdly though, she saw a small amount of apes amongst the crowd. Each was a different shape and size. Some are pretty small( others the size of an adult dragon. Maybe they were different species? But it's not their bipedal appearances or wearing clothing like humans that got her, it's the fact apes were in town at all.

Sure she had seen some in the weeks prior but very few. She knew how much the dragons hated the ape species due to the war with Malefor and his Dark Army. She did not know but she guessed this town was simply a rather rural settlement unbiased to different species, given how many types of creatures lived here. Maybe that's why the apes were allowed in the town at all. She doubted dragon-centric places like Warfang would let an ape into the city with how much they hated the species. Genocide and subjugation tend to illicit such a response, and the dragons would not soon forget what the apes did to them, Lilith knew. The guards and other dragons in this town must be barely concealing their scorn for these apes.

As she kept walking she passed by the town's elemental practice field; a simple open area made up of dirt and gravel that towns had for dragons to practice there. since learning elements was a key part of a dragon's education, as she learned.

Over the past few weeks, she had been going there in in free time to hone her elemental usual. That and just to take her mind off things, as the practice brought a welcome distraction from her constant worries for her daughters. She was not particularly good but she had gotten basic control at breathing her. "shadow breath" as she called it, but not much beyond that.

But experimenting with her new powers and learning things about this world, while interesting, was more of a distraction to her than anything. A distraction from her own loneliness. She had no one here; no friends or family left. She already had only a few of those back on earth. Only her daughter and sister truly kept her going. But now she was robbed of that too…

But, despite that, she still held out hope… hope that Meredy was safe. The thing was… she got the feeling Meredy may be here too. It was mostly a guess, but given how she was caught in the light too… she had to be. That and, well, the previous night, something assured the black dragoness her baby was ok. Whether it was a mother's intuition or something else, she did not know.

Her pondering made her think back to her dreams. Over the past few weeks, she had dreamt, something in the back of her mind whispered to her not to give up. It was a silent, fleeting voice but still. Maybe her own subconscious?

Her pondering stopped briefly as she passed by another feathered dragon, much like her. She was a light white but with violet underbelly and horns. The rest of her body was covered in white fur and her wing feathers were white as well. Interestingly, Lilith noted a noticeable bulge in her midsection. Was she expecting perhaps?

Lilith was not normally to stop and stare at a stranger but she could not help but be a bit surprised. She had hardly seen any others of her apparent species around here.

The feeling would seem mutual as the other dragons stopped at the sight of Lilith.

"Oh! Another Corva! " she said in surprise. The black dragoness raised a brow.

"Oh, my apologies just did not expect to see another of our kind here. Most of the Corva I now live amongst the mountains and don't really come to places like this." She noted.

Lilith cocked her head. "I… see." She said.

The white dragoness seemed to note the awkwardness of the conversation. "Oh sorry about that. Where are my manners? I'm Silvia. " she introduced herself.

Lilith nodded in acknowledgment. "I'm Lilith. Lilith Glydewell." She stated.

Silvia blinked in surprise. "Oh I see," she said a bit surprised. Lilith noted this.

"Something wrong?"

"No no." She shook her head. "Not many of us use last names, that's all." She noted. She tilted her head in curiosity.

"So, what brings you here to Talon's Nook?"

Lilith thought for a moment. She was honestly just sticking around because she had nothing better to do or to be. Until she found a trace of her daughter.

"I… have work here. Simply as that. You?"

"Just visiting to pick up some supplies for hatchlings." She said, gesturing to her expanded belly. "I'm preparing a nest back at the Sanctuary."

"What is this "sanctuary" she speaks of?" Thought the black dragon. She pushed the thought aside. Best ask in a minute. She glanced at her belly. "How far along are you?"

The white dragoness smiled warmly. "Six months, so about halfway there." She said, looking down to her belly warmly.

"It's all very exciting. In a few more months I'll be a mother!" She noted cheerfully. "The best part is my children won't be alone; there are many others who are having hatchlings back at Sanctuary, or brought their families." She said, in a rather cheerful tone.

Lilith nodded. "I bet it would be." She said, thinking about her her thoughts during her own pregnancy. "How

"Pardon me but what's this "Sanctuary" you speak about?"

The white dragoness tilted her head. "Why, it's my home, as well as that of many Corva." She began. " It's been so long since our kind had a place like this to call home." She stated. "Ever since the war with the Dark Master, we've lost so many of our habitats to those damned Dark Armies' raids," she stated, with a hint of disdain at the last part.

Lilith sighed but grew curious. That did not exactly answer her question directly. Maybe this dragoness was just a bit ditzy? However, she expected this dragon might expect her to already know these subjects to some extent. The way she talked made it seem like this "Sanctuary" was common knowledge. She did know a thing or two from her research but not much of current events. Maybe she should ask?

"Forgive me, but you didn't say what it actually is." Lilith pointed. "I never heard of it before.' She clarified.

The white Corva dragon raised a brow before she seemed to realize her mistake. She blushed in embarrassment.

"Whoopsie. Sorry, I get a bit carried away. she noted, before clearing her voice.

"Well, it's a, well, Sanctuary and refuge for our kind. A safe haven I guess. Survivors of our race banded together to build a new home for our kind after those damned Dark Army scorched many of our villages and nests during the war." She said with scorn in her voice. Her soft expression turned to one of anger briefly but returned just as fast. Lilith made note of the hunt of anguish in her voice as well.

"But to spare you the history lesson: survivors from different tribes banded together after the end of the war twenty years ago to form this place. They are hoping to reunite our kind and give our species a better future, as well as a place to call home for all those who need it."

Lilith's interest was piqued. "What's this place like to live in? Nests, buildings?" She inquired

Silvia hummed. "It's, well, a bit of a mix I guess. As you know, we lived in the mountains in the open but I guess some of those who founded this place enjoyed the culture of the western elemental dragons. They've erected housing for those who wish to use it. We have more traditional nests too, however. I personally prefer the open air of the nests." Silvia noted

"And they just let any Corva move in? No costs or anything?" she pressed.

Silvia nearly did a double take. "… no, not really. I mean we trade for the costs of food and building materials but it's supposed be for the king's refuge and preservation. Our kind would never charge refugees and families in need." She said, in a tone indicating she was caught off guard at the question.

Lilith raised a brow. "Forgive me. I'm… I was not really raised like most Corva. I loved, um, pretty far away from our kind." She said.

The white dragoness hummed. "Oh. I see then. I for others all our are born into our traditional ways. Well, I am not sure what else to say other than we are all about community and helping out members of our race." She stated. "The elemental dragons would probably think a place like this too good to be true; I just sound like I'm sprouting propaganda?" She joked lightly.

Lilith did not want to agree but this place sounded too good to be true at first. But if this species was all about community and wanted to rebuild, she guessed this made sense. Some cultures back in her old world were like that too, emphasizing community. This seemed to be the case with the Corva species.

Eager to shift subjects, she decided to ask the dragoness more personal questions. She wanted lore perspective on this place; and hoped to gleam more info about Corva dragons.

"If you don't mind, I am curious to ask more."

Silvia nodded. "Sure. If it helps you. " she noted.

"So… how did you find it then?" She pressed.

Silvia hummed in thought.

"Well… after the war ended, my tribe relocated to some mountains far off from here. Stayed there for a while but a few years ago, we caught wind of Sanctuary a few years ago from a scout spreading news of it, hoping to attract more Corva to it. It was a bit of a recent project; most be a bit around five years old now. Anyway, we relocated and joined up with others from there. " she stated.

"It's been building up over the years. I joined as a guard at first. And then I met my then-future while on duty. " she said, blushing.

"We grew close, made it official, and one thing led to another and…" she blushed once more, gesturing towards her pregnant belly with her muzzle. "Parenthood can catch you by surprise." She joked.

Lilith chuckled. "Yeah. I know the feeling…" she said. "I wasn't expecting to be a mother but things happen…" she said, a bit wistfully.

The gravid dragoness raised a brow. "Oh, you have a hatchling too?" She said, a bit surprised.

Lilith noted her surprise but did not press her. Might be a bit awkward for her taste. .

"Yes. I do., Her name is Meredy." She said, looking a bit forlorn.

The white dragoness seemed to note this. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"She's missing. I don't know where she is." Lilith confessed.

Silvia frowned and her eyes widened in shock. "Oh no. What happened? Maybe I can help?"

Lilith could no longer hide it. She needed help. Maybe this dragoness could aid her somehow? The story was outlandish but this was a world of dragons and magic after all. Maybe it won't be too unbelievable.

"It's hard to explain. I… kind of teleported I guess and woke up in the forest a ways from a few weeks back. I… don't know what happened?"

Silvia seemed perplexed but looked at Lilith in concern.

"Do you… recall anything at all before that?"

Lilith thought. She was simply leaving her house on Earth, carrying Meredy out to take her to daycare.

Then there was that weird flash of light…

"I saw a flash of blue and white light I think; moments before blacking out. We were just leaving our home… cave that is." She noted, changing her words at the last second. Surely the story of living in a cave was convincing, right? She did not exactly lie beyond the cave part. Everything you that point was what age truthfully recalled. She just could not say she was an 'alien' from another world. Who would believe her?

Luckily the expectant dragoness seemed content with her answer.

"Odd… but from what I know of magic, it nearly sounds like teleportation. What you describe is pretty similar to what I and my friends have see during the use of portals and such spells." The Corva mother noted.

Lilith's eyes widened. "How does she know that? Is such an occurrence of teleportation common knowledge here?" She thought. She mentally berated herself did even wonder; this was a freaking dragon she was talking to! Magic was inherent to them; second nature practically! Surely this was not as ridiculous as it might have seemed to a former human such as herself.

Silvia hummed. "But neither you nor your daughter have such abilities or knowledge in spell craft?" She pressed.

Lilith shook her head. "No. She's only three. Plus I'm not even very good with my own element; I barely know anything about magic." She admitted.

Silvia frowned. "I see then. I… I am just guessing but maybe someone did that too you? I suggest bringing this to the authorities. " she suggested.

Lilith paled. Of course, it was so obvious to do so now. Her tale, minus the whole human thing, did not ring nearly as outlandish as she previously thought.

Lilith sighed. "Y-yeah, I should. Probably should have done so earlier. I was worried no one would believe me…" she noted.

Silvia shook her head. "Sure, to the races without magic, it might be weird. But we dragons are shall I say, cut of a different clothe." She stated.

"However…. What does your daughter look like? I can pass her description off to the rest of my tribe and spread the word but I need to understand what to look out for." She said.

Lilith froze for a moment. She had not seen her daughter in this world. Heck, she did not fit certain if she was here; or had become a dragon like Lilith. However, something in her brain seemed to be working, or imagining things, but she had an image of a young hatchling who looked just like Lilith herself.

Better than nothing she guessed.

"Her name's Meredy. She three. She looks like me: black fur, blue underbelly, white horns, blue eyes. She's super kind to everyone but shy…" Lilith noted.

Silvia nodded to her. "Thank you. I will spread the word around. How do I let you know if anything comes up?."

Lilith smiled at her. "Inform the guards here in town. I… I will pass the word on as well." She stated.

The white dragoness nodded.

"Well, I think I need to get back home. My landlord is probably expecting me." She stated. "But thank you so much for your help. And for informing me about the Sanctuary. It's been a pleasure to meet you."

The expectant dragoness smiled warmly. "Likewise. I hope to see you around, Lilith." She stated.

The two mothers departed wats after that, with Silvia heading in the opposite direction of Lilith. As she walked off, Lilith could not help but wonder about that apparently image of Meredy in her head. She seemed so certain that the hatchling she thought of was her…

First, that voice was assuring her in her dreams that Meredy was fine, and now she had a description seemingly implanted in her head of her child. It would seem to confirm her fate; being sent to this world and transformed into a dragon. As well. But how would Lilth know or think of any of this?

Was it delusion? Or was someone or something helping her?
Lilith did not know. However, the prospect of this "Sanctuary" did sound enticing. She did not yet know anything about how she would get home if… no, when she found Meredy. She had to keep hope up. However, it was good to weigh her options.

Remembering her errands, she continued onward through town, heading in the direction of the shop she was directed towards.

Sorry if the exposition feels a bit out of nowhere. I am trying hard to figure out a way to make it natural

Sorry to cut off here, the chapter was getting too long. I actually cut the original version of this chapter in half and moved the rest to the next for pacing reasons. Otherwise, we have several scenes with way too much info and conversations to digest.

Writing and pacing this chapter and the next has been such a mess I had to delay it and the other already-written chapters for months. I honestly shelved it for a time to write some otter stories but wanted to move this one along some notes

. There was a whole other scene or two I had that I decided to break off into its own chapter. Don't worry, The Next chapter will follow up the rest of her day.

Yes, her daily life in the dragon realms will get more focus, as well as her job at the blacksmith shop, training in elements, and her relationship with her landlords/ host family. I know Mistral, Alarick, and Terra did not get too much characterization in this chapter. That's why I split up the next scenes, to focus on them a bit better. I tried expanding on them in this chapter but it would give killed the pacing for this already tedious chapter if I had the dado dragon family a whole new scene here.

So that's why the next chapter is going to be one focusing on them and Lilith.

The chapter after next will cut back to

Spyro, Cynder, Meredy ( you know, the characters you actually care about. Sorry you have to put up with my OCs solely in this chapter. I hope you liked them, if not, oh well. Such is is life.)

So see you next chapter