The Wyvern's Gift

Chapter Five

"Don't hurt her!" Haelyn shouted.

The wriggling bundle of scales and leather crushing her finally moved off of her. A pair of pale purple wings unfurled from its back. A row of sharp teeth glowed from a building fire in her throat. She only held back because Haelyn had wrapped her arms tightly around her long neck.

"That's a dragon," Evander stuttered.

"It's a dracontix and she's harmless," Haelyn insisted.

The dracontix wriggled harder against her arms, trying to break free. She may have been only the size of a pony, but the wings gave her an advantage. The claws didn't hurt either. Unless they dug into flesh the same way they were gouging the dirt beneath her.

"Isra, stop, calm down," Haelyn begged. She looked nervously at Yophiel who still had his sword drawn. "Just back up, she's just a little nervous."

Wren set his bow on the ground and lifted his hands slowly. "You're sure about that?" He glanced between Isra and Haelyn.

"I'm sure, please."

After a bit more hesitation, Yophiel put his blade away and held his hands up as well.

Isra settled bit by bit, dropping her wings against her back. She turned her head back to nudge Haelyn. The fire in her mouth died away but her chest stayed warm. She made soft chirps and blew a puff of sweet smelling smoke over Haelyn's face.

"This is the same one you got thrown in the cell for, isn't it?" Evanora asked. While they'd been panicking she had moved closer. Her hazel eyes were wide with curiosity.

"She's my girl.I found her egg in an abandoned clutch and brought her home. I never thought she would actually hatch." Haelyn pushed Isra's sniffing snout away.

"How did she find you?"Evanora took another step forward.

Isra eyed her wearily but allowed the mage to move close enough to feel the heat of her body.

From further away,Wren spotted a woven bit of leaves with a purple flower at the end. It was hung loosely off Isra's left horn. "You left a trail."

"I had to find her," Haelyn said.

"I suddenly have a very clear picture of why you ended up in a cell," the ranger sighed. "Are you hiding any other surprises?"

"Do you think I'd tell you even if I did?"

Wren sighed and grabbed his bow, ignoring Isra's alarmed growl. "I suppose I can't force you to leave her somewhere, so I'll ask you to keep her under control."

"Mate, that is a dragon. You don't control them even when they're that small," Evander told him. The pirate hadn't moved from his crouched position by the fire. He flinched at Isra's every move.

"She's not a..." Haelyn began, going quiet and shrugging her shoulders. "Nevermind."

"How big was she when she hatched?" Evanora asked. She had inched her way close enough to touch the purple scales if she only reached out her hands. The two fangs peeking out at the front of her mouth kept Evanora from trying.

Haelyn held her hands apart, widening and shrinking the distance between them. "About as long as my forearm I suppose. It was hard to get her to stay still long enough to measure in the beginning."

"Looks like she's got enough control now, relax Evan," Weylyn said as he and Evander settled into sleeping bags on the other side of the fire. They could still see the women chatting from where they were, but their voices were low enough that they couldn't make out the multitude of questions Evanora was spouting. Isra's eyes slipped shut and the golden irises blinked out of view like a goldfish swimming into its home.

"And when she falls asleep? What then?"

"Then you're on your own," Yophiel said.

"Don't knights kill dragons?"

Yophiel looked back at Haelyn leaning her weight against the sleeping reptile. She looked calm, more so than he'd seen her since entering the forest. Even his aunt looked more at ease. "Not all of them, and not me. Not today."

"Some help you are," Evander scoffed.

"You talked all day, are you going to talk all night?" Wren asked. His bow was back in his hands, half resting on his bent knee. "Go to sleep."

Evander shuffled in his sleeping bag to face away. The words he mumbled under his breath were less than pleasant but only Weylyn could make them out clearly. It took some time and a few snores from Isra before he was able to fully fall asleep. Yophiel and Weylyn weren't far behind. After a bit, only Haelyn and Wren were awake.

Leaves crunched under his boots as he moved closer. The air shimmered with warmth around the sleeping dracontix. "Why take the egg home at all? Isn't just having it around asking for trouble?" he asked when he was close enough to whisper.

"To study." Haelyn shrugged. Her right arm was draped over Isra's side, making her rise and fall with her breathing. With her left hand, she carefully stretched a wing over her lap. "I wanted to know everything there was to know. Did the shell have some sort of effect? Was it fireproof? Could it be fashioned into armor?"

"Did you figure any of it out?"

"No, she hatched." She laughed and ran her finger over the thin wing membrane, following a vein across it. The skin shuddered and relaxed under her hand. "It wasn't like I could just take her apart after she looked at me for the first time."

Wren tapped the tip of his bow across his boot. The sound mingled with the crackles and pops from the fire. "That's a strange and dangerous hobby to pick up."

"My father tried to study dragons when I was younger. I guess you could say he inspired me."

"So you were out investigating together and that's how you found the egg. I can understand wanting to bond with your father, but that still seems unnecessarily dangerous." Wren settled back against a tree stump with his arms folded behind his head. "When I was younger, all I wanted was to know who my father was and to spend time with him."

"Where is he?" Isra's wing had pulled back to her side and she opened one eye to a slit to shoot a glare at Haelyn. She settled back to sleep after a few head rubs.

"He is everywhere except where I am," Wren muttered. "There was a prophecy when I was born, he thinks I'll be his undoing."

Haelyn frowned and leaned forward. "He abandoned you because he thinks you'll kill him."

"Abandoned implies he was around to leave me in the first place," Wren pointed out. His mouth twitched upwards and fell back to his standard frown. "It doesn't matter. If the prophecy is true at all I'll have to see him by the end."

"Thank you for that morbid final thought," she snorted. "I think I'll try to get some rest now. Will you be okay alone until Yophiel takes watch?"

"I'll be fine, I prefer the silence anyway."

"Then I'll leave you to it," Haelyn said through a yawn, settling down against Isra's side. She was half asleep when Wren called out to her.

"Is your father still in the cells?"

"I thought you enjoyed the silence." Haelyn rolled over. She dug around under her hip and tossed a rock to the side.

"Are you going to answer or not?" Wren asked.

After a few moments of silence, Haelyn sighed. "He died when I was five. If he's in a cell then I have some concerns."