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Chapter 6: The great dragoness and a lost child

Darkstalker wakes up on a soft surface, his mind still hurting despite his relative comfort and pleasant presence he can sense. Slowly opening his eyes, he can make out a dark blue shape spreading all around him, and feel essences calmly flowing inside it, like blood in any being. Trying to ignore his condition, the nightwing focuses on his breathing and lets himself be relaxed by simply laying there.

Of course, the nightwing remembers the last time he was conscious, how he was beaten to the ground by a tremendous force. But now… it sounds distant, like a bad memory that has been tamed, the feelings it evokes no longer being a dangerous fire...

It does feel good for the night dragon to just be on the verge of awakening, staying still and with a calm mind after all that has happened to him. The war, Clearsight's betrayal, that desolated world and him crashing into the ground, there is something great about being able to forget all his worries for a moment.

To just be in this comfy place a bit like a dragonet, feeling your body in good health, and be safe and content, almost cared for even as you do not know if there is anyone, but still feel like there is a ghost caring for you. Where he is and to an extent in what state his body is, seems to matter little for Darkstalker, who desires this peace to last...

Watching the relatively small and scratched dragon carefully laying on the elevated surface, the dark blue dragoness decides to approach him step by step until her head is above his body. While the nightwing is not small for a young one, the great dragoness is far bigger than him, big enough that her talon could cover all of his body, wings folded of course.

Understanding the nightwing before her really behaves like a sleepy child, the great one picks him gently and folds her talon to put him against her chest like she did so many time in the past. The young one flinches as he now feels the dragoness' mind and body more than ever, powerful and overwhelming, but also kind at the moment, and certainly reassuring like the slow but powerful beating of her heart. It surprises him enough that he starts to truly wake up this time.

Sensing that, she softly lays Darkstalker on his surface and watches him awakening patiently. And after a moment, the nightwing is standing up and looking at her as his sight returns... Reacting with shock and fear as he sees a new great dragon, these feelings become more moderate as he realizes she is the entity that was with him since he has been sleeping.

Continuing to read her mind, the night dragon sees the dragoness' feelings have not changed, and while she is threatening and worthy of suspicions like the two great dragons he has met, with some of her thoughts concerning his value and usefulness, those thoughts are placed deep within her mind, almost hidden by the intensity of the kinds feelings for the child she sees in him, the memories of young and very young ones being cared for in the fitting and decorated room of a temple coming to her mind.

But remembering all to well what a great dragon like her is capable of, Darkstalker takes a little step back and stays on his guard, his expression tainted by controlled fear and mistrust. Seeing him like that, the dragoness decides to start thing by slowly presenting herself, putting a paw on her belly to designate her own being.

- "Ythias tekel ajek… Akhanta."

My name is... Akhanta.

- "Akhanta?" Answers the nightwing trying to be as neutral and distant as he can, but failing to be emotionless with his voice.

- "Ko, Akhanta… Lieju uthutias ajek Darkstalker?"

Yes, Akhanta… Is your name Darkstalker?

Despite trying to not be vulnerable, the night dragon can not stop himself from reacting when he hears his name, blinking and slightly turning his head in shame when Akhanta gets her answer indirectly.

What is happening to me? Why I am not able to keep my calm? Thinks Darkstalker more annoyed than anything, making the great dragoness wonder why he has such feelings when he was so relaxed and content minutes ago.

Choosing to not answer in any way, the young nightwing lets silence happen that last for a very long moment. One that he handles very poorly, his doubts and feelings scratching his mind while Akhanta has far more patience than necessary to handle of few minutes of waiting. But starting to be really be concerned by the night dragon's state, she extends her huge and magnificent wing to him.

After being reluctant for a while, Darkstalker stares at her again and starts to touch the delicate but solid membrane, making him hesitate. She does care for me, her worrying about my well-being is not false, and she can genuinely thinks like a mother. But…

Staying in place, the night dragon just does not know what to do, he can not make out his mind between taking a step back or forward, presenting himself as even more odd to the dark blue giant.

Finally, the hints of pity from Akhanta's mind are what resolve his dilemma, pushing the nightwing to come closer, climbing her giant wing and accepting to be more exposed…

Her wing does feel nice to lay on, and her mind is a pleasant one. If only I had no reason to doubt and fear her… I guess I can't avoid taking risks, not if I want to be free nor if I want to progress in this world...

After a long moment of reflection, Darkstalker musters his will and initiates the conversation with the few strange words he knows, having the courage to look into the caring blue eyes of the great dragoness.

- "Akhanta…"

- "Ko Darkstalker…"

- "...Huko…"

- "Heij uthu huko?"

The nightwing thinks for a time about what to ask, then finds he needs clarification about a basic word.

- "Uthu"

- "Uthu huko heij 'uthu' otije?"

- "Ko." Says the night dragon while nodding.

A little surprised, the great dragoness answers by being fixated on him, moving a talon to point it at him.

- "Uthu."

Seeing how she directly addresses him, the nightwing suddenly realizes 'uthu' is the second person pronoun like 'you'. Giving him little time, the mystical being continues with an appropriate voice, a lower one appropriate for their closeness.

- "Yth." Says the dragoness while posing a paw on the dark blue scales of her chest, making Darkstalker do the same in reaction.

- "Yth, yth Darkstalker?" Akhanta nods, confirming the pronoun 'yth' is.

- "Uthu ajek Darkstalker."

- "Yth huko 'ajek'." Replies the night dragon, having ideas about the word's meaning but wanting to but sure.

The dragoness stays silent, almost not moving her massive body while she thinks for a way to explain the meaning of the word, and as the nightwing looks at her curiously.

- "Uthu akek Darkstalker, yth ajek Akhanta, ythe ajek dolmukaran."

Darkstalker slowly nods, having more of an idea of what 'ajek' means as the image of him, herself and many dragons appear in her mind. It must be something similar to the verb 'be', but in any case, I'll have to wait to know if it really means that.

- "Yth huko 'ythe'." Tells the nightwing to the dragoness he is on.

Hearing that, she suddenly seems to have an idea in her head. Laying him on his dedicated soil, the dragoness extends an enormous wing over him, obscuring his sight if not for the glowing markings and motifs present all its beautiful mambrane.

- "Ythe." Says the dragoness confidently and with a smile.

So that's how one says 'we' in this language… Observing her minds, the seer finds out she was a teacher and even a mother, his interactions with her reminding the dragoness of young ones of her kind she seems to take care of…

But she seems to be alone with the four other ones, no normal dragons, adults nor dragonets, are in that world from what I saw from their mind. Are these five all that's left? It could be, after all they might have so much power that they must know their realm quite well to be able to spot any dragon…

- "Darkstalker?"

The nightwing comes out of his thoughts to face a slightly worried Akhanta, but that feeling fades away as soon as he 'wakes up'.

"Uthu hute hefum, yth gynhim." Says the dark blue one, understanding his thoughtfulness.

And before the night dragon can say a thing, the enormous dragoness leans her head and asks him.

"Heij uthu zikos Darkstalker?"

Seeing he might not even understand the question, Akhanta folds her gigantic wings and moves her paw over her body with closed eyes.

"Zikos."

Watching her mind, the seer gets more of an idea of what concept she associates with that word, but not all is clear. Is she speaking more about feeling, or passion, or even the heart?

- "Yth huko zikos." Replies Darkstalker with his paw over his belly to show he understands her to some degree, and she gets it.

- "Uthu huko uthutias zikosen."

Unexpectedly, the dragoness takes a crimson stone and puts it in before him, making the nightwing wonder.

"Th ajek uthutias malek, lumu th."

- "Yth… thank you?" Says the night dragon, surprised a stone would be brought now.

Grabbing the strange stone, the nightwing feels the object is surprisingly soft and behaves more like a sponge than like a rock. Looking closer, he realizes its crimson colour is very close to that of blood, but rotating it, the reflection of light reveals a dark purple shade, and looking even closer, he discovers that the stone emits a faint light reminiscent of its power.

Then the smell of the thing hits him, that distinct metallic scent can only be reminiscent of blood, and the only one who the nightwing is sure was wounded, is himself. Which makes him wonder…

What were the size of my wounds last time? How much did I healed? In need of answers, the night dragon starts to look at and move all his body parts, from head to tail.

Without doing anything, Akhanta watches Darkstalker looking at himself and finding out that tiny but numerous, mostly blue veins spreading all over his black body. Dumbfounded, the night dragon rubs the membrane of his wings to check if anything has changed about that, and he now feels the fabric has become softer and more sensitive.

What is this change? Or is it my body still in the process of healing? Is it a temporary skin? I'll have to be careful…

Seeing the scene unfold and understanding the young one's worry, Akhanta turns her back and seems to searches for something, until the nightwing sees her drawing a circle of glyphs on the ground with her own claws and essences. After finishing her task, she faces the night dragon again, and extends her wing in way that he can descend to the ground.

- "Surik." Says Akhanta with a quieter voice, her gaze hinting at her kindness.

Darkstalker does not hesitate to climb down her wing, trusting her enough for now. Descending to be at the same level, he finds out her membrane is surprisingly good at not being pierced, deviating sharp objects like his claws until the very end... Looking at her very healthy body once he has finished, the nightwing finds it odd he does not spot a single scratch. I guess she has very good scales, or advanced medicine and regeneration, or both. No wonder she can be happy in this world…

- "Darkstalker, tsekat."

Having no problem in understanding her demand, the young one walks to the glyphs but stops before them by fear they might do something wrong. Folding his back talons, the night dragon then jumps over the glowy marking and arrives at the center, all under the watch of the chuckling dragoness. Now being where he is supposed to be, Darkstalker stares back as she gives him the blood stone again.

Tapping against the circle, Akhanta closes her eyes and her power pours into the glyphs all around him. A moment later, the power flows to the stone he holds, then into himself, plunging him slowly into a trance like state. The nightwing could step outside the circle and free himself from the spell, but he does not, not doubtful enough...

As time passes, the young one feels his inner being, his essences and their flows dilating. No longer does he senses a compressed and confusing mass of otherworldly power in the core of himself. What he sees now is a stretched web of many essences reflecting his whole being. Despite seeing it for the first time, Darkstalker can instinctively understand some basic things, like the silver essences the moons gave him being there, unaltered but liking to the little sun that was his burning spark before.

Is that sun a growing power inside of me? It could, but how much will it behave? What I am supposed to become ifit keeps growing? And will that hurt? It stopped to recently but... These great dragons must know, and if I have luck, I'll only need Akhanta for answers…

As the spell fades, the two dragon come back to reality, facing each other again.

- "Lieju yl olkarh ifyat uthu nestoq uthutias zikosen?"

The nightwing ponders for a moment, trying to answer the question he grasped is about feelings. A moment later he genuinely responds with an unsure voice.

- "Yth huko… ko?"

- "Jykon, ofemyl uthu kenib kalup."

- "Akhanta… Why?" Says Darkstalker, presenting the stone and expressing his desire for answer.

The great dragoness appears surprised more than anything, then confused as she tries to determine what he wants. She then appears reluctant to answer as she understand what he has gone through, but the young one can see the dark topic she tries to avoid, and that is shown on his face. After a long moment of indecision, Akhanta curls around him, her massive body not scaring him in the slightest.

- "Darkstalker…"

- "I know."

The night dragon does not seem uneasy here, just sort of tired as bad memories and doubts cling on his mind, so many feelings have been repressed as he had no one to talk about it, and now it just exhausts him to have them partially reappearing.

Will I ever have anyone now? Even if I come back to Pyrrhia, who will be there for me? Maybe my sister, but I fear what could happen to her now, she is alone, or at least last time I saw her there wasn't a dragon strong enough to protect her...

Seeing Darkstalker in a less than good state colours the dragoness' mind with sadness, a feeling fuelled by her lack of power and solution. Akhanta can barely communicate with the young seer, and already what he suffered was just… too much for any youngling to bear, let alone a lonely one. And then, the great one wonders about the nightwing's past, what he went through, before shaking her head to focus on what she can change.

Having seen her all little turmoil, Darkstalker is surprised enough to fully gaze at her, and seeing that, the great dragoness smiles, strengthening her caring stance as her doubt is pushed back in her mind, even as the nightwing's mood falls again as time goes on… She will do what is necessary for him.