Ovolara: Claws of Darkness

Chapter 3: Understanding

Abyss~

"Why can't you come with me?!" Abyss desperately yelled.

"I have to hold off any dragons that try to come after you, I'll be fine, my little dark-" Shade started, when her heart got pierced by a jet of water.

"M- mom?" Abyss blurted, his expression full of despair. "MOM!" He shouted, waking up in the middle of the cave and realizing it was a nightmare, and the real events slowly coming back to him.

"Ugh... awful nightmare..." He got up, shaking his head. "I should hunt for something to eat... oh, the bear from yesterday, I wonder if nothing snatched it." He thought while making his way to the exit, forgetting not to move his injured leg too much. "Ow!" He blurted.

"My leg still hurts..." He said, now awkwardly limping toward the cave's exit. "This will hurt for a while." He told himself.

As if a dragon emerged in front of him, he took a fighting stance. "Who's there!" He snarled, feeling something entering the shadows of the cave.

He stepped a bit closer, trying to stay in the darkest corners of the cave, until he noticed a small, skinny figure next to the entrance, holding a tiny torch.

"Oh, it's the human, it came back." Abyss realized, relaxing his body. "What's it carrying behind it?" He thought, noticing a tiny basket on the human's back.

He approached the human. "Hello, little friend!" He said, petting it.

The human let out a weird giggle and a few different noises, then went behind him "Do you want something?" He asked, as the human put down the basket, and took out a tiny, cute jar. "Awwwwww... wait... a jar?" He suddenly realized. "Can humans make-" He started as the human poured a slimy, green thing on one of its paws, and rubbed it on Abyss's wound, giving him a stinging feeling.

"Ouch! What are you doing?!" He quickly jumped to the side, startling the human. "What is this- wait, it kinda feels... nice?" He noticed. "You knew I was hurt... and you came back to treat me?"

After a few moments of confusion, Abyss sat down, facing his wounded leg with the human, and it continued to rub it with the green thing.

"I'm actually starting to think you're as smart as a dragon now..." Abyss said.

Hope~

"I'm so sure you're as smart as humans." Hope said, continuing to rub the medicine on the hatchling's wound.

"You quickly understood that this is medicine, and you've been letting out so many different growls as if you're talking to yourself... or me." She explained to herself. "I really hope I'm right, because if I am... Oh please let me be right." She pleaded, spinning a big piece of cloth around the hatchling's leg. "Alright! Try to move it!" She told it, looking accomplished.

The hatchling tilted its head in confusion. "Oh... right, can't understand me." She smacked her head.

She bent her leg and knee up and down for the dragon to see "Move... Your... Leg!" She said slowly, and loudly.

Then finally, the hatchling slowly bent its wounded leg up and down, getting faster each time. "See? All patched up!" She declared, right before being tackled by the hatchling, rubbing its snout on her belly "Hahahaha, stop it! It tickles." She laughed with joy, before the hatchling stopped for her to get up.

"Whew! that went well." Hope declared. "Were you going somewhere?" She asked the hatchling.

After a few moments, it began heading toward the forest. "Ooooooh is it hunting time? So exciting!" She said, following the hatchling into the forest.

As the two went through the forest, she began to admire the hatchling's features. "You look so... cool!" She expressed. Its scales were much clearer in the day, a very dark black, but it had two dark gray stripes going from the sides of its neck to its tail, which somehow made him look cooler. And she didn't notice at first, but its eyes were this dark, shiny shade of purple as if they were reflecting the most beautiful night sky.