Josh dreams of dragons.
He thinks it's just a welcome escape from everyday life. Until one morning, he wakes up with scales, wings, and a tail.
Josh faces a harsh new reality: he has become something that shouldn't exist outside the pages of his fan...
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The voices faded in the background as I entered the thickening forest. The fresh evening air barely whispered through the needles overhead. A meditative sound. I was aimless and lost in thought as I padded softly among the trees. It was not yet so dark that my draconic eyes could not see clearly as I went.
The sound of my breaths stood out in the stillness, footfalls like echoing drumbeats. I wished I could just be angry. I wished everything could be simple, black and white. Like it was for Ares.
Every attachment he had to his old life as a human had long since burned away. He could be cold-blooded and without conscience; I had seen as much. Any tenderness that lay deep beneath the surface was solely for dragonkind. I had felt it, and Ferenor had too.
I grit my teeth in frustration. Was there any way to stand on both sides? Ares had told me before that letting go would just make things easier. That seemed such a long time ago. His scorn for my human weakness, as he called it.
I was stronger now, wielding ancient and powerful magic he had taught me. There was no question it felt good. For the first time since my transformation, I had felt truly in control. Maybe the first time in my life. I thought back to the previous night, standing on the volcano. It would be that easy. We could cause such destruction without lifting a talon.
"Maybe—"
A flying shape hit me with teeth-jarring force.
I rolled. The world spun in crazy confusion. When everything settled, I was looking into the wild eyes of a livid dragon: it was Tenaya.
I could smell the anger rolling off her body as she stood over me, paws firmly planted on my chest as I lay half-dazed on the forest floor.
"Have you gone completely insane," she hissed, spitting with rage. "Tell me. Is there not a single scale of yours that's honest?" The blue eyes flashed. "Tell me!"
"How..." I stammered, wheezing. "You...?"
She hit me squarely on the muzzle.
"Yes, it's me, you unbelievably idiotic—"
"Hey," a timid voice cut in from nearby. "Maybe you should, um, let him say something before you keep insulting him." Stolvir faded into my periphery, concern on his youthful face.
Tenaya merely answered with a growl, but reluctantly ceased berating me and moved aside to let me stand. Her eyes never softened. I rose up groaning and rubbed my face. "Thanks," I mumbled to Stolvir, avoiding Tenaya's steely gaze.
A quick shake of my head dispelled some of the lingering dizziness. "So I guess I owe you some sort of explanation."
They stared at me.
"Long story short, everything fell apart when I left the clan," I began. As I proceeded to tell them about the fire, my split from my family, and my subsequent alliance with Ares, Stolvir's face softened more than Tenaya's. I pushed right through until I completed a summary of the past few days, the ancient magic lessons, and my reunion with Wes.
