The Mates of Dragons

Pain Hidden Inside

'How many are here?' Zani asked via mind, moving through the empty place. There was a man watching the building but he never saw them come in through a window. There were papers everywhere and the rooms didn't look all that used but for sleeping. It was empty at the moment, the humans out on some mission. They decided to see what these humans hunting them were up to and look around their base.

"Good question. Should we burn it down?"

'I think we should wait until they are inside. Then burn it down.'

"Good thinking." Xerxes said with a smile. These humans had gone out to try and capture a few werewolves. He'd wait and see if they actually did. Though he was moving around the area now managing a few here and there like those in this city now.

"They are rather informed are they not? They know plenty about the different kinds." Xerxes said. "Humans such as these are dangerous to our kind."

'We should find out where they are hiding the other nonhumans, and set them free. That group would be very willing to go after the humans.'

"Assuming they are the rational kind, not just animals." Xerxes moved through the house and looked at the small rooms that were used for sleeping. In all he counted perhaps twelve different human scents in the building and the odd woman's. He paused in the doorway of her room just taking in the scent for a moment. It just really stuck with him. Why?

"What do you think she is?" He asked Zani who was perched on his shoulder. Xerxes ribs were still sore, but that was starting to fade now too.

'Not sure, I've never smelled one like her before. But it feels familiar, like we should know it.'

"Exactly. Either way, we have things to do. To make sure that we can get a foothold in the human world. We will go and east, toward a large city there. Plenty for you to eat because I can't take your hunger pains anymore."

'I've been watching you over the past days. I didn't have time to properly eat.' Xerxes had the layout of the building and knew what the enemy did now. They were watching his mountain, but didn't have the means at the moment to get up there. Even if they did, he'd kill them.

'Let us go.' Zani said excitedly and he was the one that wanted to fly this time, so Xerxes let him. He crouched low over Zani's shoulder and held one of the spikes that protruded from his back as he took off. Riding a dragon was not the same as in movies. Xerxes had to stand or crouch most of the time because Zani shifted his weight a lot and the muscles in his back constantly moved with his enormous wings.

He was so used to it now though, he didn't even notice discomfort as he knew how to move with him. It took them a few hours flight before the huge city spread out far below them. They could see the haze that was over it. The cement and metal that scared the land. From up here they would look nothing more than a bird this high up.

'Plenty here.' Zani said.

'Yes. Ready?' Xerxes said and moved simply taking a sideways jump and he plummeted toward the ground. He felt Zani's snout and wing touch him, and then he was part of his body. Xerxes aimed toward a bit of a wooded area and spread his wings wide so he wouldn't impact the ground at his current speed.

He'd hit the ground before, it was extremely painful. He'd shattered a lot of bones in his body. He was surprised by the things he could live through sometimes. Zani had never plowed into the ground like Xerxes had, but he'd hit the ground and broken wings before. Learning to fly wasn't such an easy thing, luckily the two of them had years behind them now.

He landed with a soft touch of feet to the ground and with a thought his wings were no more. He moved to the path that was there and moved toward the town. He'd purposely picked a part of it that was in sad need of thinning out. What better place to feed than the worst of human society? No one would miss them.