by Lacy LeRoch
One of the young pup’s barks with excitement and starts to chase Dragon down the tree line. Dragon slows his speed to allow the little one to think that he’s caught up to us.
“It would seem that the fun is over.” Dragon laughs as we see Jordi the wolf pack’s alpha running from the opposite direction.
Jordi in his black wolf form jumps up onto a fallen log and bares his teeth. He opens his mouth and snarls. The sound so lethal, that it shakes the leaves on the nearby trees. His alpha snarl reminds the little one of who’s in control. The silver pup runs back whimpering to join the pack at the tree line. He narrows his eyes and glares at Dragon as we fly past.
I feel a stirring enter my mind as Jordi’s voice pushes through laughing, “Dude, stop stirring my pups. You know how much of a big deal you are.”
I start laughing as I talk back telepathically, “If you learned to control those little ones, he wouldn’t have run after me. Should I make a loop back? I could land and introduce myself.”
“Don’t you dare, go annoy someone else,” he sends back, trying to sound serious but failing miserably.
Dragon and I laugh as he flaps his wings and flies us forward. Dragon flies out over the river, and he swoops down low. His feet graze over the surface, leaving ripples on the twinkling, smooth water. The Sirens that protect the water start to surface and sing their greetings, waving to us.
The Mountain of the Guardians appears ahead, the snowcapped mountains reminding me of my duty to these people and all that stay here on the Island.
Dragon sets us down on the top of the mountain, at the mouth of the grand entrance.
“We’re here, Philli. Now let me sleep.”
“Thank you, Dragon. Go rest my friend.”
My soul is pushed forward, Dragon controls the shift, allowing me to take my time to adapt to the switch. If done too fast, it can cause significant damage to my internal organs. Once on my own two feet, I start walking toward the majestic gold entrance. Two guards stand alert at the massive glowing doorway.
“Welcome, Philli.” The men bow, and step aside, to allow me entrance.
I always get the same reaction every time I enter the great hall. Everywhere I look, I see what I helped build all those years ago. Memories start flying at me hard and fast, catching me off guard and making it hard for me to breathe.
“Son, this building will allow us to do great things,” Father explained, stretching out his hand. I stepped over to him and took the outstretched hammer from his waiting hand. He pointed to one of the gold railings on the ground that we needed to attach to the structure.
“Why are we helping them, father?” I ask confused. I glanced down at the hammer in hand and scowled. “It seems to me that they’re going to be the end of themselves. So why should we great dragons, need to join forces with them?”
My father looked down at me and shook his head in disappointment. “Son, here I was thinking you’d make a great leader. There are things that you need to understand,” sighing he continued, “We help the Watchers, to help them from themselves.”
“I don’t understand, Father. I really am trying to, but I just don’t get it. Why would we need to help a species that are hell bent on taking themselves out?”
“Philli, we should never forget where we come from. That’s one of the most important things that I will ever try to teach you, my son. We may be the mighty dragon, but we ourselves will find a point in our lives when we will need someone’s help. I need you to remember, we are not perfect. And that it is okay to ask for help.”
“I will never need the help of a Watcher. And for the record, Father, I do think this is a very bad idea. We need to rule, to conquer, not make nice with a Watcher or build a council for that matter.”
“Philli…”
I turn toward the voice that called out and smile. “Claude, am I glad to see you.”
Claude lowers his head and bows, remaining with his head lowered, while he waits for me to step over and run my fingers over the top of his head. His Dragon pushes to the surface, causing him to purr in contentment. The younger dragons have been raised to bow and wait for the touch of an elder. It’s their way of showing respect.
“Stand, Claude.” I take a step back and wait for the younger Dragon to become upright and face me. Claude is one of my favorite trainee Dragon Warriors. He is strong, fit, and a fast learner. He will never disrespect me, or talk back. It won’t be long and he’ll be rising through the ranks as a leader, just like his father and brother.
“Philli, my father said you’d require my assistance today.”
“Oh my, I’d almost forgotten. I do think I’m going to enjoy your help very much. Shall we?” I point over to the large pile of decorations in the corner of the room. Watching Claude’s face drop in horror, I have to bite the inside of my mouth when he notices the sheer amount that we need to complete.
Chapter Two
“Do I have to explain to you where it is that I want you to put that? I feel like I’m repeating myself over and over again.” I point to the thick red ribbon hanging loose in Claude’s hands.
We’ve been in the great hall all morning trying to get everything set up. I feel like I keep telling him the same thing over and over again. Claude shakes his head and looks over at me dumbfounded.
“Apologies, Prince Phyllis. I… um…” Claude mumbles lowering his head in submission.
Oh, Mon Dieu! He didn’t just call me by my birth name, did he? My temper snaps and Dragon comes to the surface enough for Claude to see him in my eyes.
The growl that leaves my throat is low and to the point. “Since when have I ever allowed you to call me Phyllis? I may have been born with that name, but I will not use it. Ever! I do not permit anyone in the council to address me that way, so what makes you think I’m going to allow a young one to refer to me as such?”
Dragon growls loud in my ear, letting me know exactly how he feels about this whole situation. The young male standing in front of me is at a loss for words. Claude’s hands shake as he stands there, trying to work out what would be the safest thing for him to say right now. I don’t like watching him squirm in front of me, as it makes me feel like an extreme jackass for allowing my anger to come out.
“My apologies for yelling at you, young one. But as you know, it’s coming up to the tenth year, and this is hard for an old dragon with no mate such as myself. I should not have taken my anger and frustrations out on you, Claude, and for that, I am truly sorry.”
Mon Dieu, when did I start becoming this violent? This easy to anger male? With each mating cycle, it has become even more unbearable for me to manage. Along with the change I have started to go through, Dragon was kind enough to remind me that I was also going through my mating cycle.
“We need a mate and you know it,” Dragon huffs in my ear.
I try not to listen to Dragon talking in my mind. His offhand comment about needing a mate has now turned into a long blown rant about how it’s been long enough, and that he needs the warmth that only being between a women’s legs can provide. I feel his anger bubbling forward, making me agitated. But, there isn’t anything I can do about it right now.
“Quieten down, Dragon. I cannot think with you complaining like a woman,” I tell him telepathically.
“I am not a woman, but I would love a woman. Hmm… yes… a woman. One with soft curves and a good sized chest would do just fine. Yes, yes, that’s what I want. Now, stop being such a girl and find me a damn woman.”
Dragon’s antics have me laughing aloud as I turn to face Claude. The mating cycle hits the dragons every ten years, and in two months’ time, I’ll be at my tenth year. With no mate to take and claim as my own, this pushes home just how lonely I really am. I already woke up feeling like crap, and to have Dragon kindly remind me about the mating heat, well I feel like I just might lose my grip on reality.
“That’s okay, Philli. My brother is on his cycle now, and I can see how hard it can be.” Claude shakes the r
ed ribbon roughly, groaning in frustration as he tries to unlodge the mass of knots. “This ribbon is to go around the rafters… yes?”
I point to the rafter directly above our heads and nod my head. For the second time today, I have to hide the huge smile that threatens to break out over my face, as I look at the shock and dismay on Claude’s face. I take a step forward and place my hands on my hips. “This is good practice for you, young one. Do not shift, keep human form and use your floating gifts.”
Claude tilts his head back and looks up at the beams with a groan. I feel his pain, the roof in the great hall was built to house fully shifted dragons. So that means that the roof is, at least, fifty feet tall. Claude turns a lovely shade of white and starts shaking his head violently, his shoulder length brown hair starts to swish from side to side across his back.
Claude is young in dragon years, but to the human’s, he would look as any twenty-year-old would. He stands close to six-foot-tall, with wide shoulders, brown eyes and light brown hair. He hasn’t developed the solid build of the warrior yet. But his father, Luke, will make sure that Claude continues the intense weight training needed to mold the body required of the Dragon Warriors.
It is also why I have been stuck with Claude for the last three hours, much to my disdain. I lost a hand in a game of poker against his father. The bet was that if I lost, I would have to train the child and take him under my wing. I already liked the young one and thought I’d love the extra set of hands today. But after the morning we’ve been having, I’m now having second thoughts.
Like I really need to have a young dragon hanging off me, as I come into my own heat cycle. You’d think I would have learned my lesson by now, but nooo… I always think that I can win. Now that Rafe, who’s a High Lord on the Judadic Council, isn’t coming to our weekly poker games, Luke is having all the luck. He hasn’t lost a single game in weeks now.
“Human form, but…?” Claude mumbles narrowing his brown eyes and continuing with more attitude, “We are Dragons. We don’t need to stay in this…” He points down at his body, screwing his nose up in disgust and shivering he says, “I can’t even bring myself to continue my line of thought, I’m that grossed out.”
This is where the young are stupid, they don’t stop and think. All they want is to be Dragon, no thought for anything else. They will learn, it’s another reason why we train them as hard as we do.
“Claude, you’re fully aware of the fact that we get to choose what form we keep, right?” Seeing Claude nod, I continue, “There will be no buts here. Now, off you go, this is all the training you need, to hone in your powers and be able to control, not only your dragon side but your human one as well. You may think you only want to be in dragon form, but things change, and if you cannot control yourself in both forms, I will not allow you to enter the Warrior Program.”
The Warrior Program is one of the most sort after programs on the Island. I run a strict regimen and won’t allow anyone to join if they don’t meet my exact standards. I’ve had a lot of complaints about how strict I am with the criteria, but I want only the best in my fleet. After all, we are the first ones the council call, so I would never want anybody that I can’t trust to have at my back.
Claude’s face twists in anger, as he stares over at me. Good, I hope this makes him think about what it is he wants and desires from his training with me. I have no intention of wasting my time with this young one if he doesn’t desire to be taught. I want to laugh at him when he places his hands on his hips and tries to stare me down.
Oh, come on. I’ve been playing this game longer than he’s been off his mother’s teats. I place my own hands on my hips and raise my eyebrow in his direction. Claude notices that I won’t break and sighs, he spreads his legs apart and bends his knees slightly. Claude just earnt my respect without him even realizing it. Not many are game enough to stand up to me like that, I’m an elder, honored above all others. I am known around the Island as the Dragon Prince.
“Don’t get a big head, Philli,” Dragon tells me.
“I’m not getting a big head,” I reply, sending the thought back.
God, as old as I am, you’d think that I’d be used to the second voice in my head, but sometimes Dragon just annoys me.
“You know you love me.” He chuckles.
Dragon’s proving once again that it really is a problem to have him in my mind. I choose to tune him out, and I turn my attention back to Claude and getting this hall set up for the ceremony.
“Breathe Claude, you need to clear your mind of everything. Think of floating and nothing else.”
“Oh yeah, he’ll think of floating all right. He will think of floating over toward us, just to punch us in the face. Well, your face anyway.” Dragon laughs at his own joke.
I send him the mental image of me strangling his neck. My body starts to vibrate from the inside out as Dragon starts laughing hysterically.
Goddamn, Dragons.
“Are you forgetting… you are me, and I am you?” He laughs, then adds, “Hey, that was pretty awesome advice.”
“Not now, Dragon.”
The more time I spend talking with him in my mind, the more energy I use. I need to be on alert. Something doesn’t feel right. I’m probably being paranoid, but there’s an electric current in the air that feels amiss.
Claude doesn’t move at first. He tilts and turns his head around, making sure to take in everything around the room. He’s a smart Dragon, and I would have done the exact same thing. I would have mapped out the area, and knew where everything was, so if I fell I’d be safe. A good Dragon will always know their surroundings. I could definitely get used to being around this young one.
“That is your need to breed talking, Philli,” Dragon mumbles.
I keep my focus solely on Claude and shut Dragon out. I don’t want to begin to think about what he’s just said. Claude closes his eyes, his chest starts to rise and fall in shallow movements, and then he draws in a deep breath and purrs softly. His eyelids flicker as his mind overworks. He’s overthinking, and not allowing the power to flow through his body. That is the biggest downfall for us because our dragons have a mind of their own and we cannot allow our heads to be overthinking. We need to try to have a clear mind at all times.
“You’re thinking too hard. If I were to walk into the great hall right now, I’d think that you needed to go to the bathroom,” I tell Claude.
Claude huffs out in anger. His eyes remain closed, but he clenches them together tighter. I want to remind him about relaxing, but I know it won’t help. It’ll only push his buttons and cause him to try too hard. I keep my mouth closed, and allow him to work this out himself. Claude takes a step outward and relaxes his legs. I watch as his shoulders unbunch and his breathing becomes level and calm.
God boy, keep the mind clear. I’m proud of him, not many can get all the pieces of the puzzle to click into place, allowing them to control their powers in the human form. I feel ecstatic as his focus changes, feeling the moment as if it is my own. His excitement flows through my own veins. I continue to watch mesmerized as Claude’s body starts to float off the ground. Slowly at first, his heels lift and drop in a slow up and down motion, much like a teeter-totter. A strong power surge knocks me back a step, as Claude’s whole body floats up from the tiled floor of the great hall.
“I’m surprised at how strong the young Dragon is,” Dragon whispers to me, as he watches through my eyes.
“He’s strong, just like his father. I knew he would be, but I didn’t think for one minute he’d pick this up right away,” I tell Dragon, keeping my focus on Claude.
I need to be on standby, I need to be able to contact his Dragon if the power that flows through his body becomes too much for him to handle. If he allows the power to bounce around, it will cause him to short-circuit, and it will knock him out cold. If we can’t contact the Dragon, that would be a very dangerous situation for everyone involved.
“He’s almost too strong, Philli. W
e should keep an eye on him. He shouldn’t have been able to pick this up as quickly as he has,” Dragon cautions.
“Agreed. Now hush,” I send in the thought with a warning vibration.
I do see why Dragon would be anxious, but while we’re training the boy, I don’t see why we need to worry so much. Dragon is just concerned because he’s worried about being knocked down off his mountain as the almighty Dragon.
“We will always be the leader, Philli. I won’t accept anything less,” he growls.
The doors on the far end of the great hall open with a loud crash as it hits the wall with force.
“Philli, please forgive me. I didn’t mean to come barging in so fast,” Sophie yells over the bang of the door. Her long blonde hair dangling beneath her legs, almost tripping her over as she runs over to me.
Sophie is one of the protected young female dragons. We got very lucky with her, she’s a Healer and a damn good one. There isn’t much she can’t fix. Her healing powers are some of the strongest I’ve seen.
Crash!
What the hell is going on, now?
Low moans call out from behind me. I spin around fast, my boots squeaking on the tiles of the great hall. I find it hard to restrain the laughter that threatens to bubble up, as I stare down at Claude sprawled out on the floor like a starfish. It would seem that the young dragon was startled by Sophie’s fast entry into the room, and lost his concentration.
