Astraeus, a baby dragon, escapes from his old coven and stumbles upon a little shop that he spends months stealing from and hiding in to survive. The witch and familiars who live there are... strange. They know he takes from them but don't put up different wards, don't do things that could hurt him. They know that he has a hide out in the aster tree, that he lives close-instead of getting rid of him and forcing him to move, they visit him. Talk to him, leave him things, they're kind. Different. Stranger than any other witch or familiar he's ever met. Stray is not used to things that don't hurt. The gentleness is terrifying. He'd rather stay away from them than learn why they don't have sharp tongues or bruised knuckles. However, on the night of a bad storm, he gets trapped inside of the shop, trapped with kind strangers. After getting caught, he discovers another dragon. He learns that life is not meant to be painful. He learns that he can be loved. He's allowed to want things with them. To eat, to not fear the cold, to live instead of survive. Everything changes and Stray is determined to make them his hoard, to make it complete.

A short novel about interstellar colonization, the dangers of scientific discovery, and the end of the world. Image credit goes to Space Engine.

Poetry written by me. Inspiration found in everyday life continues to spark ideas for my poems, if anyone reading this has any poetry please tell me I would love to read it. Top ranking: #11 in poems

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