Dawn of the Wolf Dragons: Book one; A Dark Beginning (unedited version)

Chapter 13

We had reached the cave where we had left Kiko and Skye. After hours of listening to the insults and hisses Saber was giving, I was grateful to finally be able to get away from her for a few minutes. 

I gasped. "Oh my gosh Kiko!" I said. "you've grown so much!" 

Kiko was the size of Skye's aquarium thing!

"You bet!" She said. "I am so excited to FLY!" 

"How did you learn to talk that fast?" Red asked, puzzled.

"Because I've got skillz. Unlike you! You can't even fly!" With that, She jumped up into the air and flapped. She remained aloft for a solid ten seconds.

Saber whistled at the insult and laughed.

Red turned redder than she already was. "Oh ya? I bet by the end of this day , I'll be able to fly twice as better than you!"

"You're on!" KIKo roared playfully.

I shook my head, chuckling. "I guess we should start your lesson, Red."

She nodded but said nothing. She looked as if she was trying to act determined and brave.

I took her out into the clearing. I was followed by everyone else. I guess they wanted to see too.

Sky trotted up. She ran and then started flapping her wings. When she got liftoff, she angled her feathers downward. She glided for a few seconds and then returned to the ground.  Red gave it a shot. She ran and then flapped. She came up and glided but she was too close to the ground and then she crashed. Skye continued for a few minutes trying to teach her technique. Cymry also tried to pitch in by flapping her wings in encouragement. Simba was cheering whenever she glided.

"All right stop!" I commanded after a few more crash landings. "Let's teach ye the old fashioned way." I smirked. "The way I prefer."  I picked Red up and flew up high above the clearing.

"What are you doing!" Red screamed. "Put me down! Let go!" 

I frowned. "What was that you said? Let go? Oh!" I dropped her. She was about fifty feet in the air.'

She plummeted down, howling with fear. She flapped and then, caught a breeze! She glided on the thermals, about halfway to the ground. She looked around in amazement. When she landed, She yelled, "That was amazing! Please please please do it again!"

We repeated the same thing for about an hour, each time getting higher. 

At the end, Quinn came up to me. "You're a great teacher Nova." he said, brushing against my flank. 

I caught Saber watching from the other side of the clearing. She looked at Quinn and winked. 

I felt my face get hot. I turned away in embarrassment. "Let's get some rest. We've been awake for a long time." I chose a corner in the den and lied down. I felt Red come behind me followed by Cymry and then Quinn curl up beside me. I fell asleep with the warmth of their fur.

I was thrown into the dungeons, by such force that it could kill a young dragonet. I would be confronted by the king in a few moments, I was told by the guard. I sauntered around aimlessly, paced and sighed while I awaited my fate. I was most likely to be executed. The King would have no other use for me. My egg. The dragonet or- Wolf dragonet was going to die without protection. I needed Jamar to find it so badly. My beautiful... Daughter. Yes. I would like a daughter. she would have beautiful pink and green scales or... whatever dragonish characteristics she would have. And then her fur... would be black, just like Jamar's. I cried into my talons for the remaining minute I had until I was to be taken. When the guards came, I went with them, tears in eyes and with a sombrely walk. Please, Lupus, save my daughter, I thought as I was marched off to the King's chambers.

I woke to the soft breath of Quinn against my fur.  I stood up and went outside. I walked through the cool morning breeze. I heard someone walk up to me. I turned. "Saber?" I said, surprised.

"Yeah." She meowed. "I suppose we have similar traits." She hesitated. "About Cymry, I apologize for the inconvenience. She wanted to free me. And I personally, would have taken care of myself."

I laughed and nodded. "No, It's fine. We got out of it ourselves, didn't we?"

"That was because that fox left those notes everywhere!" She hissed, snorting.

I was defeated. "Fine." 

"We should go back now. They may start to worry if we are gone for much longer." Saber said.

We headed back. We roused the others from their sleep.

 "I am starving!" Cymry said. The others agreed.

"We should pair up. To catch as much prey as possible. Quinn and Nova will be a pair." Saber said, giving me the same look she had yesterday. "Cymry and Red will be a pair. And finally, I will go with Kiko to teach her some real hunting."

"But shouldn't I teach her hunting?" I said. I morphed into my dragon form.

Saber cursed and knocked her head against the tree. "Don't do that again. That scared me like heck."

"Why not? " Quinn asked.

"It makes you seem untrustworthy and also, I had no  idea you could do that!" Saber hissed.

"What about me?" Simba asked. 

Saber gave him a look that said. Don't be a jerk. "You can come with me." She sighed.

I looked at Red. She shrugged. "Let's go!

I set off with Quinn. 

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" He said, sniffing the breeze.

"Have you wondered what would happen if we never left?" I asked.

"All the time." He said. 

"I miss my mom." I said. 

He nuzzled me. "Me too. But we'll see them again. We'll end this nonsense and then we can both return to our home and do whatever he want." He said, looking into my eyes.

I looked away. What if we never get back? What if we... I shuddered. I didn't want think what would happen if we didn't.

"is something wrong?" Quinn asked, concerned.

I shook my head. "Nothing. Look" I pointed. "Tracks. Deer. Let's follow them."

We followed them until they led us to a small herd of deer, grazing. 

"Let's take one." I had my eyes on the buck.

"No think logically. That doe over there is old and injured. We should take her. "

We sprang from the bushes. With two swift movements it was done. We carried the doe back to the camp. When we arrived, Simba, Saber and Kiko were waiting. They had caught two rabbits and an abundance of rats. Shortly after, Cymry and Red arrived with a squirrel and an opossum. 

Saber eyed our catch with an impressed look on her face. "You and Quinn make a good match."

I caught her eye. What was she trying to do?

Quinn smiled and trotted away with a pleased look on his face.

We feasted. When we were finished, we were all so full we could barely move. 

"Yum" I said.

"How did you catch this deer?" Asked Saber.

"It was Quinn's idea to take the injured one." I said.

"But Nova did all the work. She killed the deer. I would have never been able to do that." He said, grinning at me.

I blushed at the compliment. 

Red nodded. "Well, whoever did it, that was good!" She said.

"We should get ready to go." Simba said. "If we are going to find Lumist before the dragons destroy us, it ought to be now."

"You're right! Let's go!" Quinn cried. 

We gathered our things to begin the quest.