Chapter 25: Fight!
Goldana opened the door, and then slammed it shut. There was a drake right before her hut. She bolted the door, and then felt, as the wood splintered. Oh, how was she to know that the morsel was a dragon shifter? She had not eaten in months. Even a drake could destroy her hut now.
Erin used his tail, to batter at the hut's door. With every whip, he remembered all the scorn the people of Crystargar had shown him. How, the nicest one there, hadn't been very nice.
There is this thing about dragon shifters. Their hearts start off pure, just like the hearts of all children. Yet, for them to unlock their power, they needed to feel hatred in their hearts. And Erin's heart was overflowing with the emotion. It was slowly twisting, being poisoned. He wasn't thinking of Goldana as a person, just as she hadn't thought of him as such. She was prey, and he, the predator.
With one last whip, Erin managed to break the door. He opened his maw, and then ice began to stream in the hut. Yet, Goldana was nowhere near the door. She was by her cauldron, with a net in her hands.
Erin gave an icy snort. As if she could capture him again. He was a dragon, and he won't end up as a soup. He would gnarl at her bones. If Erin, the kind and adorable Erin, could look at himself from the side, he would see that his inner dragon was taking over him. Yet, that Erin had taken a back seat, so lost was he in his anger.
Erin rushed towards Goldana, with shaky legs. He was not used to walking around as a drake. Yet, when she attempted to place the net over him, he breathed ice onto the net. He heard a yelp, and stared, as her hand got encased in the ice. A part of him was gleefully glad about that. Another, smaller part, began to think.
This was a person. One who could talk, and had feelings...
Erin shook his head. This type of thinking was what had led him to here. What had given him to the witch? He couldn't think like that anymore. He was a dragon, and dragons didn't end up as soup!
Erin lunged, and then bit into the hand which was still holding the net. He managed to bite it off, and then he gulped it down, without chewing.
His eyes went wide. This was better than the cabbage stews, which Lysander had made. Even better, than the stews in which there was some kind of meat. He wanted to feel more mana in his stomach. He wanted to eat. Erin lunged for the throat of the witch, who gave a yelp, and fell down.
Before Erin could have the chance to think about what he was doing, his instincts took over. He bit the throat out with a single bite, and then began to eat. He ate everything, not even leaving the feathers. As he was licking the blood from the ground, he heard barking.
Erin looked around, to see a small puppy, and a wide-eyed Lysander in the doorway. Suddenly, Erin saw himself in Lysander's eyes. He looked to be covered in blood and feathers. An intestine hanging from one of his fangs.
"Rin?" Lysander made a step forward, and Erin tilted his head. He could smell the mana rolling off the boy. Yet, the small part in him, which had tried to stop him before, was now roaring. A voice, once small, now that of a giant.
Ly, mate, friend, mama, papa!
If the inner dragon hadn't feasted on the witch, perhaps it would have fought back. Yet, the puppy was making too much noise, and the little voice was yelling at it. So, the dragon took a step back, knowing it will have a chance to come back to the surface.
Erin shifted back to his human form, but there was blood all over his clothes. Not the clothes that grandpa and grandma Thinker had given him, but the clothes they had gotten at Crystargar. Finally, the puppy stopped barking, and it sat down.
"Ly, I did badly," Erin said, between sobs. "I killed. I ate..."
Erin felt bile rise in his throat. He bent to the side, and began to puke. What came out, was meat and bones, which served to make him heave.
"You are a dragon shifter?" Lysander asked. Just how was Erin a dragon shifter? Weren't his parents humans?
"Ly, I did badly," Erin was shaking then. The gore, the thing down by his feet, the blood on his clothes. Soon, he was crying. He felt a hand pull him away from the bloody ground, and then arms wrap around him.
"You didn't do bad. You protected yourself," Lysander said. He recognized the feathers spewed on the ground. This must have been a witch. The broth, which was still simmering over the fire, was enough of evidence, that Erin had been in danger.
"What will mama say, when she sees me from the sky?" Erin continued to cry his little heart out. Lysander didn't have an answer to that. The princeling was a dragon, and it was Lysander's job to protect him.
But protect him from what? Just how many outbursts like this could happen, before they chip away at Erin's innocence? Just how many deaths can pile on the little boy, before he began to think of them as nothing more than the death of an ant?
Lysander didn't want for Erin's kind heart to blacken. If that happened, Lysander would lose his light in the world. The colors that Erin brought to him, during these past couple of months, will turn to the old gray life, which Lysander had known before Erin had come to be his friend.
"You lost control. We will learn not to lose control," Lysander promised. He patted Erin on the back. The truth was, Lysander didn't know how he could train Erin into showing more restraint. Yet, he knew he had to try.
"Ly, if I ever look at you like food, promise you will run," Erin mumbled, between sobs. "You have to promise you will put yourself before me."
"I can't promise that, princeling. Don't ask it of me. As long as I am alive, I will always be by your side," Lysander gave his vow then. As sacred as any he had given before. One, he intended to keep.
Chapter 25: Fight!
Goldana opened the door, and then slammed it shut. There was a drake right before her hut. She bolted the door, and then felt, as the wood splintered. Oh, how was she to know that the morsel was a dragon shifter? She had not eaten in months. Even a drake could destroy her hut now.
Erin used his tail, to batter at the hut's door. With every whip, he remembered all the scorn the people of Crystargar had shown him. How, the nicest one there, hadn't been very nice.
There is this thing about dragon shifters. Their hearts start off pure, just like the hearts of all children. Yet, for them to unlock their power, they needed to feel hatred in their hearts. And Erin's heart was overflowing with the emotion. It was slowly twisting, being poisoned. He wasn't thinking of Goldana as a person, just as she hadn't thought of him as such. She was prey, and he, the predator.
With one last whip, Erin managed to break the door. He opened his maw, and then ice began to stream in the hut. Yet, Goldana was nowhere near the door. She was by her cauldron, with a net in her hands.
Erin gave an icy snort. As if she could capture him again. He was a dragon, and he won't end up as a soup. He would gnarl at her bones. If Erin, the kind and adorable Erin, could look at himself from the side, he would see that his inner dragon was taking over him. Yet, that Erin had taken a back seat, so lost was he in his anger.
Erin rushed towards Goldana, with shaky legs. He was not used to walking around as a drake. Yet, when she attempted to place the net over him, he breathed ice onto the net. He heard a yelp, and stared, as her hand got encased in the ice. A part of him was gleefully glad about that. Another, smaller part, began to think.
This was a person. One who could talk, and had feelings...
Erin shook his head. This type of thinking was what had led him to here. What had given him to the witch? He couldn't think like that anymore. He was a dragon, and dragons didn't end up as soup!
Erin lunged, and then bit into the hand which was still holding the net. He managed to bite it off, and then he gulped it down, without chewing.
His eyes went wide. This was better than the cabbage stews, which Lysander had made. Even better, than the stews in which there was some kind of meat. He wanted to feel more mana in his stomach. He wanted to eat. Erin lunged for the throat of the witch, who gave a yelp, and fell down.
Before Erin could have the chance to think about what he was doing, his instincts took over. He bit the throat out with a single bite, and then began to eat. He ate everything, not even leaving the feathers. As he was licking the blood from the ground, he heard barking.
Erin looked around, to see a small puppy, and a wide-eyed Lysander in the doorway. Suddenly, Erin saw himself in Lysander's eyes. He looked to be covered in blood and feathers. An intestine hanging from one of his fangs.
"Rin?" Lysander made a step forward, and Erin tilted his head. He could smell the mana rolling off the boy. Yet, the small part in him, which had tried to stop him before, was now roaring. A voice, once small, now that of a giant.
Ly, mate, friend, mama, papa!
If the inner dragon hadn't feasted on the witch, perhaps it would have fought back. Yet, the puppy was making too much noise, and the little voice was yelling at it. So, the dragon took a step back, knowing it will have a chance to come back to the surface.
Erin shifted back to his human form, but there was blood all over his clothes. Not the clothes that grandpa and grandma Thinker had given him, but the clothes they had gotten at Crystargar. Finally, the puppy stopped barking, and it sat down.
"Ly, I did badly," Erin said, between sobs. "I killed. I ate..."
Erin felt bile rise in his throat. He bent to the side, and began to puke. What came out, was meat and bones, which served to make him heave.
"You are a dragon shifter?" Lysander asked. Just how was Erin a dragon shifter? Weren't his parents humans?
"Ly, I did badly," Erin was shaking then. The gore, the thing down by his feet, the blood on his clothes. Soon, he was crying. He felt a hand pull him away from the bloody ground, and then arms wrap around him.
"You didn't do bad. You protected yourself," Lysander said. He recognized the feathers spewed on the ground. This must have been a witch. The broth, which was still simmering over the fire, was enough of evidence, that Erin had been in danger.
"What will mama say, when she sees me from the sky?" Erin continued to cry his little heart out. Lysander didn't have an answer to that. The princeling was a dragon, and it was Lysander's job to protect him.
But protect him from what? Just how many outbursts like this could happen, before they chip away at Erin's innocence? Just how many deaths can pile on the little boy, before he began to think of them as nothing more than the death of an ant?
Lysander didn't want for Erin's kind heart to blacken. If that happened, Lysander would lose his light in the world. The colors that Erin brought to him, during these past couple of months, will turn to the old gray life, which Lysander had known before Erin had come to be his friend.
"You lost control. We will learn not to lose control," Lysander promised. He patted Erin on the back. The truth was, Lysander didn't know how he could train Erin into showing more restraint. Yet, he knew he had to try.
"Ly, if I ever look at you like food, promise you will run," Erin mumbled, between sobs. "You have to promise you will put yourself before me."
"I can't promise that, princeling. Don't ask it of me. As long as I am alive, I will always be by your side," Lysander gave his vow then. As sacred as any he had given before. One, he intended to keep.
