The Black Pirates

Nine

I stretched as I walked above deck then I frowned when I saw shade over the ship and looked up, seeing Yunho flying above us.

"Damn bastard said he felt cramped here!" Mingi said and Yunho shot an icy look at Mingi, letting out a rumble.

"YEAH, I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU!" Mingi yelled and I heard the dragon let out a roar then laughed as I shook my head at him.

"He's touchy!" Mingi shook his head and Yunho growled, moving from over us.

"Uh oh!" I quickly stepped behind Mingi as Yunho used his wing to fling water up onto the ship, soaking literally everything except for the few of us that had taken cover. When Yunho went back above the ship, I stepped out from behind Mingi and giggled as Mingi spit out sea water, reaching up to push his hair back.

"Great-"

"Don't insult the dragon that can literally sink the boat with a wing!" I said and went to the wheel, standing beside Yeosang as Hongjoong and Seonghwa leaned over the map.

"He's playful finally." Yeosang softly spoke, even though we both knew the dragon could hear us.

"He's been grumpy since we got to the warmer south." I said and he nodded.

"Yunho mentioned he hated the heat." I said and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Are we sure this ritual will get rid of all your faery blood, Wooyoung?" Yeosang asked and I glanced at him then sighed.

"He believes it will, and he knows more about this than us-"

"What about getting us to the faery capital? How will we do that if you're not half-Faery anymore?" Yeosang asked as he adjusted the course just a little.

"I don't know." I whispered and looked up at Yunho. Then I went to the ropes and climbed up to the crow's nest, Yunho slowing down so his head was beside me. Jesus, his eye was the size of my whole head, maybe two of my heads put together.

"We're getting close to RM's waters, so you'll have to stay human for a while." I said and he let out a grumble sound, which made me laugh softly. I reached out and set my hand against his scales, which still felt like ice.

"Suppose it's your magic that makes you cold, huh?" I asked and looked into his blue eye.

"Not like you can tell me." I whispered and sighed, petting his scales.

"Seonghwa and them said dragons who shift to a faery, giant, or human were typically cursed, as punishment for something. So what did you do, Yunho?" I asked and huffed, dropping my hand.

"You don't have to tell me, we barely know-"

"YUNHO!" We both looked down at the captain then he shielded his eyes with his hand.

"TIME TO CHANGE BACK! WE'RE ENTERING RM'S WATERS!" He called and Yunho moved to fly above me, the snow storm forming before he dropped into the crow's nest with me, looking down at me.

"I dared to love, Wooyoung." He vaguely explained his reason for being cursed then we climbed down, standing on the deck together.

"When will we see them?" I asked and Yunho's head lifted.

"Soon. This RM's dragon is watching us." He said and I looked at the clouds, but I couldn't see anything weird.

"You can tell how?" Seonghwa asked, but Yunho shook his head.

"We dragons have a way to sense each other, and I sense the young dragon. He's a few years older than even you, Captain, but he's young for a dragon." He explained then frowned.

"He's the dragon from the Hot Lands, but not the one that owes me a favor." He said and I licked my lips.

"And what does that mean for us?!" San asked, but Yunho sighed.

"If this new dragon took over the Hot Lands from the last one, it could be either good or bad. It means he either inherited it, and will honor the favor, or he killed the dragon and took it by force, which will mean we're fucked. In human terms." He said and I sighed, looking at the clouds.

"Captain, how long do you estimate until we reach the Hot Lands?" I asked and he sighed.

"Within the next two hours." He said and we nodded, tension falling over the ship as we sailed closer to the lands. When we docked, only the eight of us left the ship and that was just to travel to this ritual site. Yunho refused to tell us what the site was, just that only dragons could lead the way to it.

"The dragon is close." He warned me, keeping quiet.

"Can he hear us?" I asked and he nodded.

"Most definitely. He smells of pirate, so I assume he is claimed by this RM that the captain has a rivalry with." He said and I frowned at him.

"You can tell what he smells like?" I asked and he smirked.

"I can tell the difference between scents, yes." He said and I smiled softly at him.

"Hope I smell good-"

"You do." He said and I smiled.

"What do I smell like to you then?" I asked and he laughed some, leading us down the path to the mountains of sand.

"You smell like a campfire, the wonderous smell of burning wood on a crisp cool night. There is a hint of something sweet in your scent, perhaps even a flowery smell, but I can't quite tell what that is." He said and I smiled as I looked up at him.

"You say that like you like my scent-"

"It brings me comfort." He smiled and I felt something in my chest flutter at his words. Then we heard a roar above us and looked up, but Yunho growled and threw an arm out in front of me.

"Yunho-"

"Fire dragon!" He snarled and glared at me.

"STAY!" He roared and I nodded as he went forwards, the snowstorm forming around him and his dragon form suddenly guarding us as a black dragon landed in the sand mountains, kicking up sand. Yunho was easily bigger than this other dragon, but they were both pissed off and I knew we were fucked!