The 'Dragon Defender'

Mate Talk

Thanks to my history of being able to sleep alone, I struggle to fall asleep until Selene lays a wing over me. Once that happens I'm out like a light and off into a dreamless sleep.

When I wake up I can hear voices. "You have the water ready, right?" Adriana asks someone from behind me. She sounds extra bubbly for some reason.

"Yeah, are you sure she's asleep?" Asher's voice comes from my side. I listen closer and hear sloshing above my head. Ohhhh, that's what they're up to. Idiots.

I quickly slash my tail against whatever container is holding the water at an angle that causes it to tip all over Asher and Adriana. I can tell they're both soaked because they both yelp as the cold water makes contact.

I quit pretending to be asleep and look at them both, laughing. "You're suck a jerk!" Adriana growls at me. "You were the ones trying to do it to me!" I say in my defence. Asher just laughs along with me, seeing the funny side to this as usual. "It's true, Addie. We can't get mad at her for this one."

"Ugh, you're lucky you're my best friend and you're cute," She scowls, talking to me first and then Asher. "You think I'm cute? How sweet," I joke, earning laughs.

"You do realise that for every time you tease us about being mates, we'll just tease you back when you find one, right?" Asher asks. "First off, you'd tease me anyway," I point out. "That's true," Adriana agrees.

"And second I'm not going to have a mate," I conclude. "Yes you will!" Selene roars as she runs back into the cave. The freshly caught fish she's carrying suggests that she was out fishing. "I want grandbabies before I turn one hundred!"

"With these two? I'd say you'll get them," I gesture to Asher and Adriana, who blush. "Indigo, don't say stuff like that," Asher begs. "You get to state the obvious, so why can't I?" I shrug innocently. They only blush more.

"Why don't you want a mate, anyway?" Selene tactfully redirects the subject back to where it was. "Because they'd be in danger if they stuck around me," I reply. "We're sticking with you and we're not in any danger," Adriana points out.

"Just this morning Plasma and I took out an approaching group of dragon hunter ships," I inform her. "And there have been other attacks from them, too. I bring destruction wherever I go."

"No you don't," Asher argues. "You said it yourself; you defend dragons. Your sanctuary stands only because you want to protect dragons. If you were really such a living disaster, the sanctuary wouldn't have been built, let alone such a successful place."

I shake my head and mumble something under my breath. "What was that?" He asks. I sigh. "Tell me," he demands.

"Then why am I too scared to show this safe haven to any of you?"

Before he can answer I fly out, needing to get away for now. I want to go back to the sanctuary, to my home, but Alpine still won't allow me back until my month is up. I'll be allowed home just after everyone is back from the trip to wherever they go for the mating season.

Ugh, great. Somehow I'm back on the topic of mates.

I shake my head, forcing the very word to the back of my mind. Hopefully nobody else will bring it up again. I don't want a mate. I don't want to be tied down to someone who will think that it's an excuse to take over the sanctuary or something and have control over me. I'm only controlled by one person and that's because I made that choice and gave myself up willingly. To this day I don't regret it at all.

But with a mate... no, don't think about mates, they're just a fantasy to you, Indigo. You can't be so selfish as to accept someone as your mate. They'll become just as much of a target as you are.

If I have a mate, they'll be killed. I can't do that to anyone. I already put the ones I love in danger just by being around them. I can't make it any worse. It would be so cruel.

I fly around the island, burning off my excess energy. I guess it's just that it's the mating season. It'll be making me think about mates more often, in other words at all. That's why I'm thinking about it. Well, that's my logic for something I don't know the actual answer to, anyway.

"Mind if I join you?" A voice asks. I automatically growl at them, but I calm down when I see it's only another dragon. A Scauldron, to be exact, swimming beside me in the ocean that I'm just barely hovering over. "Oh, sorry. You startled me."

"It's fine, just don't kill me," they joke. "Hey, this probably sounds weird, but... do I know you from somewhere? You seem familiar."

I look at the Scauldron for a moment, trying to figure out if I've seen them before. "I don't think so," I reply. "Though chances are you've just seen my human form."

"Human form?" They seem surprised. "Are you with a human?" I question, looking around. "Of course not," they confirm. "Then let me on your back for a moment and I'll show you what I mean," I bargain.

They obediently surface enough that their back floats above the water. I hover over it and morph, landing on their back. They watch with a shocked expression.

"I knew you were familiar!" They say. "You're that human I helped get off a boat filled with dragon hunters! You were with that Razorwhip and bunch of other humans and dragons came along! Remember?"

Suddenly it clicks. "Oh, that was you? Good to see you again! Thanks for the help back there, by the way."

"All I did was knock you out," they reply almost guiltily. "You also got that hunter away from me and distracted them long enough for one of those humans to get me out of there," I point out. "I'm Indigo. Do you have a name or...?"

"River," The Scauldron replied. "So can all humans become dragons or are you just special."

"Let me tell you a little something about Morphwings," I smirk beneath my mask.