dragon rebirth

Chapter 16. feasting to feed

"Wake up kid" I heard something say to me. As I emerged from the Infested sack, I smelled some food in front of me. "Eat up kiddo" I heard it say. I wasn't completely in control of what I was doing. On top of that, I was hungry.

I grabbed the meat with my fangs before swallowing the pieces whole. Not knowing what they were organs of their prey. "Now just stay calm kiddo. You'll still have your share" it said to me.

"Share of what?" I sluggishly asked. I look up and see that it's nightfall. That's when I saw the other creatures laying around me. The Infested connecting their backs to the sack I was in.
    "What's going on here?" I heard something say. That's when I saw a creature that looked completely normal with its green scales the color of the leaves. "What are you doing here? You're completely fine" I asked him. 

"I was born into this nest. I lived here my entire life" He said to me.

He seemed so in touch with the world around him. He even had one of those spiders for a pet. Though he didn't seem too happy about being part of the nest. "Some of us with Infested running through our body can hide it in our bodies," he said as Infested appeared on his arms.

That's when something tinged and I felt some slight energy drain. "Apologies if you're uncomfortable, but some of those in my care cannot properly swallow" I heard her say. 

"No, it's fine, if it's what I can do to return the favor I'm alright" I replied. 

"Then eat up, this is the last of their meal anyhow" she replied, pulling out what looked like an intestine. 

I wasn't going to question where she got it from. I swallowed it without worry, glad to pass some nutrients to them. "If you need me I'll be asleep in here," I said to her before crawling back in the Infested sack. 

"Umm actually," I heard her say. I poke part of my head out to see what she needed to find that she had a young snake creature in her arms.

"How old is she?" I asked her. 

"About 8 months, she's got enough strength to move on her own but she doesn't sleep well without someone of her kind near her," she replied. I pulled out my arms as she handed her to me. As I held her she calmed down in my arms. Her head was resting to where she could hear my heartbeat.

That's when I felt something off about the toddler. Her mind, her blood, her heartbeat, it all seemed human. "Is there something your not telling me about this child?" I asked her. 

"Not that I'm aware of," she replied. That's when I heard a voice say "use the crystal" to me. I used some crystal on her back to see if anything's different. Sure enough, my feelings were right. 

"Her parents seem to know how to make tools as if by instinct, but they keep looking for the metals in our world. The dragonaires are the only other species that makes tools any better," she said. 

"You know what that means?" I asked her. She nodded no. 

"This toddler and at least one of her parents are human. I would have never thought there'd be my kind living here already," I said to her. 

"Your kind?" She asked me. 

"Let me out of the Infested, I'll show you," I replied.

"Just transform in it," she said. I transformed into my human self. Then causing the toddler in my arms to do the same. She was in shock as if she's never even seen my kind. "Is that what I've seen represented in cave paintings before?" She asked. 

"Cave paintings? You mean petroglyphs?" I replied. That's when the toddler started crying. I felt like she preferred me with scales so I transformed both of us back.