Consciousness was not welcome. Not to Artha. He hurt. He couldn't remember what he had done to warrant this kind of full body ache, but he would never be doing it again.

When he opened his eyes, Artha realized he didn't recognize his ceiling. This was not his room. It was way too quiet to be on the stable property. The stables- and the house that shared the property- constantly hosted the sounds of various dragons; croons, shrieks and roars being abundant. This room was silent.

That, more than anything else, is what made Artha perk up.

He pushed himself to a sitting position and observed the room around him. It was a girl's room. There were pink sakura blossom lights, posters of various boy bands, and a soft cream colored rug over much of the floor. Confused, and alarmed at being in a girls' room, previously untouched territory for him, he pushed himself to his feet. He felt weak, shaky, and light headed along with the various aches of his body.

Gingerly, Artha shuffled to the door, hoping it would lead out of this unknown woman's room. He passed a mirror and chest of drawers on the way and happened to glance up. He took a second look when he saw something flash on his forehead. Bringing a hand up to swipe his bangs out to the way, Artha beheld a strange, twisting star pattern in the middle of his forehead. It was small, approximately a centimeter and a half wide, but as it was slightly reflective, the mark was eye-catching.

Artha lifted his other hand to scratch softly at the mark. It didn't come off and it didn't feel like marker or pain. However, the mark was familiar.

It was the same symbol as the amulet his father had given Artha yesterday.

Yesterday!

Artha's legs lost their strength and he fell to his knees, clutching the chest of drawers with what little energy he had left. Flashes of powerful emotions and memories burst across his mind as he remembered what happened the day before. His heart pounded in remembered panic and his breath rushed in and out of him in a great gust.

For a moment the adrenaline paralysed him and all he could do was cling to the furniture and hyperventilate.

Then the moment passed and his racing heartbeat galvanized him instead.

Artha stumbled up to his feet, rushing to the door. He flung it open and saw an open concept den and kitchen layout. This at least was familiar. This was Parmon's house.

The room Artha had just fled was Parsli's room, which Artha had never been in. Parsli, he remembered, was out of town for the next few months to attend a higher education institution in some other city.

Still breathing hard, Artha took a few shuffling steps into the living room and caught sight of Beau peaking around the sofa. His pulse started to calm as he continued around the couch. On the other side, Lance was curled into Parmon's side, out cold and snoring softly. Parmon himself looked up at Artha with relief.

Seeing his brother and dragon safe and close by helped Artha calm down. He could feel his respirations slow and a sense of calm sank into his bones. As exhausted as Artha still was, it left him boneless with relief and he sank down into the sofa cushions on the other side of Lance from Parmon.

Mindful of the sleeping child leaning on him, Parmon spoke softly. "Artha, you have no idea how happy I am to see you awake. Do you feel okay?"

"Not really," admitted Artha, "But I feel worlds away from how I felt earlier, slightly less like fresh roadkill."

Parmon breathed a sigh of relief, glad he wouldn't have to take Artha to a doctor. "That's good. You were looking pretty rough earlier, bud. Err, I hate to ask you this right after you wake up, but…. What happened last night? What happened earlier? You were….. you were a…"

Artha took a deep breath to brace himself, the more bizarre memories of last night confirming what he need to say. "A dragon," he finished. "I was a dragon."

To admit such a thing out loud felt unreal, like it happened to someone else.

"Yeahhhhh," drawled Parmon, "I'm going to need you to extrapolate on that, Artha. I do hope you have a perfectly logical, scientific explanation for that."

Artha snorted. "Not really," he replied and laughed at his own helpless ignorance. If there was some kind of logical reason that would explain away all the crazy, traumatic, terrifying events of the previous day and night, Artha would like to hear it. Maybe it was all a dream, or a hallucination. Artha would love a hallucination right about now. Just let him wake up in his own bed, in his own room, with Dad and Lance downstairs waiting on him for breakfast. A normal morning.

Artha jerked in realization and turned to Parmon. "Have you heard anything from Dad? He was at the house."

Parmon winced, but he expected that question. "No, the police and emergency services showed up to the property around 2 AM due to your neighbor's complaints about fire, yelling, and an explosion. When they arrived, there was nobody on the property, even the stables were empty. They put out the fire and searched the stables and house, but didn't find any traces of anyone in any of the buildings."

Artha frowned in confusion. "So, they didn't find him? Or… any proof of him? They didn't find a- a.."

"They didn't find a body," completed Parmon as Artha breathed out in relief. "They didn't find your dad, but wherever he is, he's alive."

"He's alive," breathed Artha. He was quiet for a moment before he asked, "If he's okay, where is he? Did he go to a hospital or the police looking for us?"

"No, the police never saw him and he didn't turn up at any of the hospitals nearby. Do you know where he might have gone?"

"I don't know. He was in the house when the explosion happened. I thought he would be in a hospital. Do you think he might be looking for Lance and I?"

"That's what Lance thinks, too, and I agree. If you two were missing, there's no way your dad would sit around at a hospital or police station. He'd be boots on the ground and looking for you."

"So we should go find him. He could be hurt," Artha said as he pushed himself to his feet. Still weak and achy, he wobbled once he was upright.

"Like that?" Asked Parmon. "Dude, you're not fit to go anywhere but a hospital ward. Sit down and think for a minute. If you're out looking for your dad and your dad checks all the places you're likely to go, like my house, you're just going to miss each other. Plus, Lance is conked out. He doesn't need to go tramping around the lower city again, either. You're both going to get mugged that way."

Artha winced and sat back down. He glanced over at Lance guiltily. Poor kid looked plum tuckered out.

"As if I would let anyone mug you." A voice in the living room rang out, affronted.

Artha jerked and glanced over at where Beau was curled just a few feet away. That's right. Beau could talk now. Or, more likely, Artha could now understand him.

Artha stared at Beau for a moment, unsure how to address this new facet of his life.

Parmon broke his concentration and said, "You okay, Artha? You bugged out there a bit. Is something going on with Beau?"

Artha brought his gaze back to his hands, which were picking at his cuticles- a nervous habit he thought he got rid of a long time ago. Apparently, stress brought it back. "No, he's fine, I just thought I heard something. Uh, so if we're not going out to look for Dad, what are we doing? We've got to help somehow."

Parmon glanced down at Lance to check that he was still asleep. "Well, if you're going to wait here for your dad, you should probably tell the police that you're not missing anymore. But, I didn't want to call them until I knew what all to tell them. You know, with the whole… dragon thing."

Atha winced. He didn't know what he thought about that experience himself, let alone what he should tell Parmon or the police. The dragon of legend…. it felt like something out of a dragon-tale. Unbelievable and gossamer-like in reality, yet a heavy weight as the pressure and responsibility spilled over onto Artha's shoulders. Suddenly, Artha was desperate to tell Parmon. Just to share the burden with someone, even just a little.

His dad's warning stuck out in his mind, telling Artha to be careful with the amulet and avoid trusting others. But, Artha couldn't imagine Parmon, whom he had known for over ten years, ever doing anything to hurt either Lance or himself.

So Artha told him.

-O-o-O-o-O-o-

"So, you don't turn into a dragon, you are a dragon. And a human. At the same time." Parmon, left his statement without inflection, as though he was trying to digest the new information.

"I think so?" Artha answered. "That's what my dad told me. But, he didn't really get to explain everything. And, actually, I don't think I was supposed to tell you."

"Well, I saw you glowing like a sparkler on City Independence Day, so that race has already left the line. I'm involved now and it's probably a good thing. What were you gonna do if somebody showed up wondering why you were squatting in their garage?"

"I don't know. To be honest, I couldn't think that far then. I think Beau was just trying to get us away from those goons," answered Artha.

"Right," said Parmon, "The ninja thieves? With ninja dragons?"

Artha winced, a broken memory skidding around his brain about Lance saying something to that effect. "They weren't ninjas, they were just regular gang members. Sort of. They knew they were looking for me, which is weird cause Dad said the dragon thing is a secret. I don't know how they knew I was there or how they even knew about the dragon thing at all. But, at least, they were regular humans and dragons, so freaky ninja powers. Lance probably just said that because he watches too many cartoons and they scared him pretty bad."

"Okay, but that doesn't make them less dangerous," Parmon pointed out. "Do you think they'll recognise you now? If we talk to the police and tell them you're not missing, are they going to come find you?"

"I don't know." Artha admitted. "It wouldn't make sense, though. I don't think they know who I am as a human, or else they would have come to kidnap me before now. There was ample opportunity before. It's not like I was that sheltered or kept at home all the time. So, they can only recognise me by my dragon form, which is pretty distinctive."

"That's a relief, but still freaky. Is there any way they could recognise you now?" Parmon shifted to lay Lance's head against the back of the couch, doing his best not to wake him up. He kept snoring as Parmon stood up and took the two empty mugs to the kitchen.

"Maybe? I had this mark on my forehead when I woke up, but my hair hides most of it. I think I can just wear a hat or something. Hey, did you see an amulet when you found us? It would have been on a necklace, a spiraling star shape?"

Artha remembered his dad's worry about the amulet and felt a chill go down his spine. It had disappeared during his initial transformation and he hadn't thought about it since. The idea that those gangsters had somehow gotten a hold of it made his stomach sink. Was there any chance they wouldn't recognise it? Or maybe it was in the garage? His dad has said he couldn't transform without it. Surely, he had to have had it when he became human again.

"That's a gnarly mark, Artha. But, no. I didn't see anything like that when I found you. It was just Lance, Beau, and you," Parmon answered as he returned to the living room to inspect Artha's forehead. Artha's bangs covered most of the sigil, but an occasional golden gleam peaked through his dark locks.

"Hang on a minute," Parmon instructed Artha. "Let me grab you something to wear over that. I think I have just the thing."

Parmon turned and left the room for a few minutes, disappearing into his own room for a moment before coming back out with a strip of fabric in his hand.

Artha inspected the bandanna- or dew rag- that Parmon handed him. It was white with blue borders.

"Thanks, man. We really need to find that amulet, though. My dad said it was super important. It's gotta be back in the garage or I wouldn't have been able to turn back into a human."

At this point, Beau perked up and glanced between Parmon and Artha. "Are the two of you blind? It's on your head, you ninnies"

While Parmon had no reaction, unable to understand Beau's warbling, Artha jerked and glanced at the dragon before raising his hand and feeling again at the star sigil taking residence on his forehead. It didn't even have any texture, how was the amulet on his head exactly?

Feeling curious, Artha pressed harder at the mark and tapped at it. His fingers jerked back at the sensation of warmth and he saw sparks in his periphery, then he startled when a weight fell into his hand. He almost dropped the amulet as he yelped, unsettled by the sensation.

"Oh drac!" hissed Parmon, leaning over to check on Artha. "That just popped out of your skull, dude!"

Artha turned the amulet around in his hand, morbidly curious. It looked the same as it had when his dad gave it to him, despite having been… attached to his head somehow.

"How did that even-?" Artha lifted the amulet close to his face again, bewildered. The amulet itself was larger than the mark had been. Tentatively, he pressed it to his forehead again.

With a zap sensation, the weight of the amulet disappeared from his hand with a splash of golden sparks. Artha didn't need a mirror to guess that the mark had reappeared on his forehead.

Other than a sense of unease over the change to his forehead, un-asked for, Artha felt a profound rush of relief. He hadn't lost the amulet. The warnings his dad told him yesterday rang in his mind. Artha, this amulet is very important, you must never misplace, misuse, or allow it to be taken from you. Dad may still be missing, but Artha would still have the amulet when he got back.

"Did it just- just disappear again?" Asked Parmon.

Artha ran another finger along the outline of the mark one last time and replied. "Yes? I guess so."

Turning back to the bandanna in his lap, Artha tied it deftly around his forehead and said, "Dang. I'm just glad I didn't lose it. At least this way, I can keep up with it easier."

"That you can," replied Parmon. He eyed Artha's new bandanna with a raised eyebrow. "It's literally attached to your head, Artha….. There's a joke about losing things if they aren't attached to you that I'm too polite to mention."

Artha snorted at his friend's lack of subtlety. "Of course you are, Parmon."

Sobering up quickly, Parmon sat up straighter. "While it's good we didn't lose the magic, super power dragon amulet, we still have bigger problems, Artha. We need to figure out what we do now. You said that those gangsters won't recognize you. Are you comfortable with contacting the police? It might help your dad figure out where you are and come back."

Artha thought about it for a moment and looked down at Lance, still sleeping soundly despite the conversation going on over his head. He must have been exhausted after running from 'ninja thieves' all night long.

"There's no way they would recognize me," Artha said, "But I'm a little worried about Lance. It was dark and he was hidden behind me. I don't think they could pick him out of a crowd, but I don't know for sure."

Parmon shook his head, thinking out loud. "It doesn't matter if they can't recognize him. How many other kids would be at Penn Stables after midnight? Only one. If they don't know Lance's name already from casing out the stables, they will soon."

"Snag-dag-it," cursed Artha as he ran his fingers through his hair. "How do we keep him safe, Parm? As soon as we go to the police, those creeps will know Lance is here."

Parmon winced. "Any chance they could possibly assume he isn't very involved with the whole mess? Just a random witness?"

Artha shook his head. "No. Lance was literally hiding behind or under me the entire attack. You don't do that with an animal you don't trust. It's a good way to get kicked or clawed. They would know he's involved just from where he was hiding."

"Drac it. If they know he's involved in some way and they can't find any other leads- which I don't think they will, with you being very not scaly right now- they're going to go after him even if he is a kid. Or maybe even because of it. More vulnerable target and more likely to spill the beans."

Artha twisted his bangs between his fingers, twirling it tighter and tighter until he could feel the sting at his hairline. "Then what do we do? We can't stay hidden forever. Heck, we can't even stay at your house too long. Your parents won't stay as Parsli's place forever, Lance has school, and we need to get back to Dad."

Parmon bit his lip. "I think you should go to the police. Tell them everything-" he stopped at Artha's sharp look, "Okay, not everything, not any of the golden dragon magic stuff. But, tell them about the gangsters and how they were trying to steal the dragons, and mention that they saw Lance. Maybe there's some kind of witness protection program? Or they can offer an escort till your dad gets back."

Seeing Artha's unsure countenance, Parmon pointed out, "They already know the compound was attacked, Artha. It would be weirder to say nothing and there may be some benefit from involving local law enforcement. Your dad's going to have to involve them once he gets back anyway."

Something occurred to Artha then. "Parmon! The dragons. What happened to all the dragons in the stables?"

Penn Stable, despite being a home for Connor Penn and his children first, was still a commercial stable. Various dragon riders or racers kept their mounts, some of which were valuable champions, boarded at his stable and had Connor Penn train them or coach them frequently. During any given month, the stable had between 12 and 20 dragons boarded that don't belong to the stables. That's not even mentioning the 26 dragons that Connor owns and keeps on the property personally- many of them prize breeding stock, well-trained lesson dragons, or retired athletes and champions themselves. As many as 46 dragons were at risk from the attack that night- for which Penn Stable was financially responsible for and had contractually agreed to take responsibility of.

Parmon's face sobered further as he replied. "Gone. By the time emergency services arrived on scenes, the stables were empty and they didn't find anyone else on the property. They were investigating leads last time they contacted me, but… with what you described about your attackers, I'm not sure they're going to find anything. No gang signs, nonverbal communication. Those guys were professionals."

Artha felt his face turn white and then green with nausea. He felt sick at the realization. 46 dragons. If the stable lost all its personally owned dragons and the dragons belonging to clients, it would never recover. Never mind the loss of reputation among the dragon rider community, the financial weight of it would pull them under.

Artha wasn't familiar with the stable's economics, but he knew they didn't have the finances to eat the loss and reparations for losing 46 dragons. They'd lose the stable and their house in the blink of an eye-and still not be able to fully repay losses for the clients!- if they couldn't find those dragons. Artha swallowed down his panic. He had to think rationally. He knew what to do in case of a theft, his dad had taught him.

He looked over at Parmon. "Call the police and tell them we're here. We can deal with any risk to Lance as it comes, but I need to give the police the list of chip numbers for all the dragons on the property. The longer we wait, the less likely recovery becomes, because those thieves will either cut the chips out or stick a subdermal neutralizer in. But, if we can get the police to start scanning chips now, we might catch them in time. If we lose all those dragons, we'll lose everything. There won't be a home to go back to."

AN: Hello Again! Surprised? We're still having review days and I'm still bored. So, here you go!

Also, special thanks to the reviewer that pointed out the discrepancy in the names (and thank you for your lovely and kind review. It made me very happy to hear my writing has improved over time)! At some point I spelled Parmon wrong and turned Penn into Pendragon- because the names are all references to Arthur and the knights of the round- and I just kept spelling it that way. Whoops! I'm planning on fixing it with this chapter update, I just didn't want to fix it without a chapter because it would disappoint yall. That way when you get an email or alert, it's actually a chapter, haha.

Special thanks to my sister, Blitza, who is always so supportive of this story and loves reading it. Her love of reading this and how excited she gets when I write on it or update is the biggest encouragement. Your reviews are similarly encouraging, so thank you to everyone that supports me with reviews and constructive criticism.

I probably won't update again till after Christmas- big surprise, right?- because I'm planning the next arc and it takes me time to plot things. I like thinking on it while drinking coffee. It could take a few weeks before I decide the fine details of what I want to do.

So, Merry Christmas! Give all your relatives a hug and pet your dog/cat. Be happy! Eat some good food and make your new years resolutions. I wish you a very good 2025 and I hope your future is happier and healthier yet.