Through Smoke and Ashes

Seventeen||A Life Debt

When a foreign bee enters a hive not of their own, there are multiple outcomes that may happen. There's a slim chance that the bee survives and is able to stay in the hive, in other cases the bee is either killed or driven away. In my home, Acrine, the forest was plentiful with beehives. We harvested some of the bee's honey for our own uses. I studied the bee's behaviors in my spare time just for the hell of things.

At this moment, I felt much like a foreign bee who went into the wrong hive and was not welcome within. But, in this case, I was in a dragon's nest who held the same behavior.

My vision was becoming accustomed to the darkness of the cave, but I could not make out the color of the scales attached to the dragons. I internally scoffed at myself, it would not matter what dragons were going to kill us, we would die no matter what.

"We are not dying. Not today twoleg." Naxan growled through my mind. He had positioned his body so that a leg was in between me and most of the dragons. His tail lashed viscously behind him, I heard the sound of barbs protruding from his body. He probably looked like a porcupine.

"Pork pine?" Naxan's confusion momentarily pierced the bond but was soon replaced with anger as one of the dragons swiped a heavy, clawed foot in his direction.

"If we make it out of this, Nax, I'll show you what a porcupine is." I moved closer to his body as the dragons tightened their circle around us.

Naxan's chest rumbled as he opened his mouth to reveal a gullet of flames. Lightning flashed before the cave's entrance, illuminating the inside for a few moments. I caught a glimpse of red and purple bodies around us. I'm going to use my deductive reasoning skills and assume that these dragons were birthed from fire. How lovely, I thought bitterly. We were going to be roasted alive.

"Maybe twoleg will. Not Naxan." He sassed.

What a comforting thought to know that my dragon cared about me so little.

"I care!" His voice vibrated within my skull, its assault tormented my brain and left a dull ache.

The flames building in his gullet grew brighter, illuminating the purple dragon right in front of us. Its scales started of purple on its face and then faded to a dark red wine colour the rest of the way. The yellow in its eyes were glowing with Naxan's flame pointed right at them. The dragon stepped back a couple of steps, sensing the danger before it.

I sensed another creeping closer than the others dared. It was on my right, I was between it and my dragon. I turned towards it even though I could barely see it, the outline of its head barely registered in my vision.

Lighting flashed again outside, illuminating the cave in a soft glow. Then, we were left in the dark once again.

The dragon spat out a heaping pile of red, liquid rock before my feet. I scampered back until Naxan's side was pushed against my back. It barely illuminated the features of the dragon, all she could see was red and sharp teeth. Violet eyes were glowing in front of the molten rock.

I recognized the dragon. Or so I hoped that this was the same dragon that Naxan and I had saved from the hunter's trap. I put my hands out in front of me and walked one step forward. The dragon snapped its jaws at me, I barely saved my fingers from being chewed off.

Naxan rounded on the dragon and was about to release the flames formed in his maw, but I stopped him. "Nax, wait!" I said out loud. I then turned to the dragon again that watched the obsidian dragon warily.

"Calm," I spoke quietly, hoping that this was the dragon I thought it to be. The dragon's baring mouth softened and he raised his head. His nostrils flared as he took in mine and Naxan's scent. His defensive stance relaxed and his eyes held a knowing recognition. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.