Chapter 45: Burial
Erin ate, each mouthful as mana rich as the last one. He felt himself grow, like a tree. Like Belle's tree. He wanted to grow some more, so he kept on eating. When he saw Lysander come towards him, he bared his teeth. A meat thief was not going to be allowed to come close to Erin's find. For, Erin had killed the bear himself.
Lysander seemed to catch on this quickly, for he backed away.
"Do you want to eat the entire bear, Rin?" Lysander asked. Erin gave a soft purr of agreement. Yes, the entire bear, and he would grow. A small part of him, asked him what his mama would say if she could see him now. Yet, he didn't answer. The meat was tasty; his teeth were making short work of the hide. He needed more. More meat, more blood, more mana. More...
Power.
Erin kept on eating, until only the pelt was left. Not even the bones were left, or the claws. Just the pelt. The drake, now the size of a large tree, licked his chops. From the corner of his vision, he could see a boy and a wolf, sitting by a tree, and staring at him.
Erin, like a cat, moved to them, and sat by them. He purred when the wolf licked him. This was not prey, he told his inner dragon. This was family.
"Do you think you could turn back now?" Lysander asked. Erin didn't want to turn back. He was big, strong, and fed. If he turned back, then he won't be any of these things. "Come now, Rin. I know you feel comfy like this, but don't you want to pet Paul? He is all healed up."
Erin did want to pet Paul. So, with his tail, he tickled the wolf. Paul gave happy yelps, as Lysander sighed.
"I want to cuddle you, Rin," Lysander tried again. Erin huffed, and placed a wing over both Lysander and Paul. The wolf quickly snuggled under the leathery blanket-like wing, as Lysander sighed once more.
"You are my big spoon, Rin. I can't sleep, if I can't feel your legs on my back," which was a lie. Lysander could sleep better, without legs digging into his back. Yet, he needed to get Erin to change back. "Really, don't you want for me to get a good night's rest?"
Erin knew that Lysander just wanted for him to change. His inner dragon protested loudly against such a change. Yet, Erin decided to proceed. When he was a human again, he looked at the bloodstained grass and the remains of the bear's pelt, and he felt uneasy.
"Ly, what did I do?" He asked. Back when he was a drake, his mind was hazy. It was almost as if he were asleep, and dreaming. Lysander snuggled into him, and Paul got up, to snuggle on their feet.
"What you had to. If you hadn't defended Paul, he might be dead now," Lysander said. When he felt the blonde's legs dig into his back, he knew that the boy was ready to go to sleep.
"Who send the bear?" Erin asked, as he snuggled closer to Lysander. "And did you get Eli's head off the door?"
"Tomorrow. We will bury him, and go to Snowfalls," Lysander said. Erin nodded, and then said a prayer for Elias's spirit. Then, because he was good at heart, he said another one for the bear, and the druid who sent it.
Morning came with the chirping of the birds. Lysander stretched, and tried to ease the knot he felt from Erin's feet digging into his back the whole night. He was hungry, but knew that he needed to feed Paul first.
"Rise and shine, Rin. We have berries for breakfast," Lysander said, and then the boy finally woke up.
"We have to leave some over Eli's grave. We did want to share with him," Erin said. Lysander nodded. Maybe, they could try to plant about ten berries into the soil. With a bit of mana, they could be shrubs in minutes. Elias would have wanted, for weary travelers, to have a reason to sit by his grave.
"Yes, let us do that," Lysander said, and then finally got to the door. With much effort, he managed to get the satyr's head off the door. The boys spend some time, searching for the rest of him. Yet, the head was the only thing they found. That saddened them.
Armed with shovels, the two began to dig a hole in a sunny spot. When they were done, Lysander placed the head into the hole, and then ten berries, right next to it. The hole was deep enough, so no animal could dig out the head, but shallow enough, so the berries could grow.
Another water skin was emptied over the head and the berries, and then the boys covered the head of the satyr with dirt. Lysander placed his hand over the small mount, and then looked at Erin.
"Come on, some of your mana will go a long way to help the berries grow," Lysander said, as Erin stared at the grave.
"Are you certain? Won't my mana freeze the berries?" Erin asked. After all, he was an ice dragon.
"Focus, and make it into water mana," Lysander had full faith, that Erin would manage to do as asked.
The boys poured mana inside the grave. Healing mana mixed with water mana, the rays of the sun warmed the soil, as the two boys waited. Then, a small green berry twig pocked out of the grave. Followed by mana branches, and leaves. Soon, the first berries began to form. Yet, they weren't ripe, for that, only the sun could help.
"Eli is at peace now. Look, he helped us make berries," Erin said, and Lysander nodded. The truth was, that a dragon's mana was the most potent mana there was. There was no telling, if Lysander's mana had done anything on its own. Yet, he didn't tell that to Erin. Let him take some comfort, in these troubling times.
"Ok, we better double back, and get to Snowfalls," Lysander said.
"Can we fly there?" Erin asked. Before Lysander could protest, Erin was already shifting into his dragon form. Now, big enough to support flight.
Chapter 45: Burial
Erin ate, each mouthful as mana rich as the last one. He felt himself grow, like a tree. Like Belle's tree. He wanted to grow some more, so he kept on eating. When he saw Lysander come towards him, he bared his teeth. A meat thief was not going to be allowed to come close to Erin's find. For, Erin had killed the bear himself.
Lysander seemed to catch on this quickly, for he backed away.
"Do you want to eat the entire bear, Rin?" Lysander asked. Erin gave a soft purr of agreement. Yes, the entire bear, and he would grow. A small part of him, asked him what his mama would say if she could see him now. Yet, he didn't answer. The meat was tasty; his teeth were making short work of the hide. He needed more. More meat, more blood, more mana. More...
Power.
Erin kept on eating, until only the pelt was left. Not even the bones were left, or the claws. Just the pelt. The drake, now the size of a large tree, licked his chops. From the corner of his vision, he could see a boy and a wolf, sitting by a tree, and staring at him.
Erin, like a cat, moved to them, and sat by them. He purred when the wolf licked him. This was not prey, he told his inner dragon. This was family.
"Do you think you could turn back now?" Lysander asked. Erin didn't want to turn back. He was big, strong, and fed. If he turned back, then he won't be any of these things. "Come now, Rin. I know you feel comfy like this, but don't you want to pet Paul? He is all healed up."
Erin did want to pet Paul. So, with his tail, he tickled the wolf. Paul gave happy yelps, as Lysander sighed.
"I want to cuddle you, Rin," Lysander tried again. Erin huffed, and placed a wing over both Lysander and Paul. The wolf quickly snuggled under the leathery blanket-like wing, as Lysander sighed once more.
"You are my big spoon, Rin. I can't sleep, if I can't feel your legs on my back," which was a lie. Lysander could sleep better, without legs digging into his back. Yet, he needed to get Erin to change back. "Really, don't you want for me to get a good night's rest?"
Erin knew that Lysander just wanted for him to change. His inner dragon protested loudly against such a change. Yet, Erin decided to proceed. When he was a human again, he looked at the bloodstained grass and the remains of the bear's pelt, and he felt uneasy.
"Ly, what did I do?" He asked. Back when he was a drake, his mind was hazy. It was almost as if he were asleep, and dreaming. Lysander snuggled into him, and Paul got up, to snuggle on their feet.
"What you had to. If you hadn't defended Paul, he might be dead now," Lysander said. When he felt the blonde's legs dig into his back, he knew that the boy was ready to go to sleep.
"Who send the bear?" Erin asked, as he snuggled closer to Lysander. "And did you get Eli's head off the door?"
"Tomorrow. We will bury him, and go to Snowfalls," Lysander said. Erin nodded, and then said a prayer for Elias's spirit. Then, because he was good at heart, he said another one for the bear, and the druid who sent it.
Morning came with the chirping of the birds. Lysander stretched, and tried to ease the knot he felt from Erin's feet digging into his back the whole night. He was hungry, but knew that he needed to feed Paul first.
"Rise and shine, Rin. We have berries for breakfast," Lysander said, and then the boy finally woke up.
"We have to leave some over Eli's grave. We did want to share with him," Erin said. Lysander nodded. Maybe, they could try to plant about ten berries into the soil. With a bit of mana, they could be shrubs in minutes. Elias would have wanted, for weary travelers, to have a reason to sit by his grave.
"Yes, let us do that," Lysander said, and then finally got to the door. With much effort, he managed to get the satyr's head off the door. The boys spend some time, searching for the rest of him. Yet, the head was the only thing they found. That saddened them.
Armed with shovels, the two began to dig a hole in a sunny spot. When they were done, Lysander placed the head into the hole, and then ten berries, right next to it. The hole was deep enough, so no animal could dig out the head, but shallow enough, so the berries could grow.
Another water skin was emptied over the head and the berries, and then the boys covered the head of the satyr with dirt. Lysander placed his hand over the small mount, and then looked at Erin.
"Come on, some of your mana will go a long way to help the berries grow," Lysander said, as Erin stared at the grave.
"Are you certain? Won't my mana freeze the berries?" Erin asked. After all, he was an ice dragon.
"Focus, and make it into water mana," Lysander had full faith, that Erin would manage to do as asked.
The boys poured mana inside the grave. Healing mana mixed with water mana, the rays of the sun warmed the soil, as the two boys waited. Then, a small green berry twig pocked out of the grave. Followed by mana branches, and leaves. Soon, the first berries began to form. Yet, they weren't ripe, for that, only the sun could help.
"Eli is at peace now. Look, he helped us make berries," Erin said, and Lysander nodded. The truth was, that a dragon's mana was the most potent mana there was. There was no telling, if Lysander's mana had done anything on its own. Yet, he didn't tell that to Erin. Let him take some comfort, in these troubling times.
"Ok, we better double back, and get to Snowfalls," Lysander said.
"Can we fly there?" Erin asked. Before Lysander could protest, Erin was already shifting into his dragon form. Now, big enough to support flight.
