Blue - 2

I growled, lightning within my breath. The cavern we were in. It felt… unnatural… No, even that wasn't the right word. The blood within the stones. The unnatural carvings that spoke of long fought battles.

With dismembered bones and teeth scattered about. A visage that spoke of atrocities. But my mind was not worried about such a small thing. For a dr-

I scowled.

Part of me was frightened, the part that spoke of human conventions and human greeds. Further amplified by my draconic influence. Wanting nothing more than the most glorious horde.

But what made this conflicting. Was that part of me that was terrified? Who wanted nothing but to curl up in a ball and rest from this terrifying world.

The dragon part of me loathed this part of my personality. And something even more terrifying happened. It was not physical. Nor was it mental. It was within my very soul.

That part of me, the fear of the unknown. It was eaten. A burp echoing within the very confines of my soul. That fear, it was completely gone. Leaving only a general weariness for situations I had never seen before.

Terrifying. It was absolutely horrifying. On an existential level. Knowing that my emotions, key beings of my soul, could be eaten by my more dragon-esque side.

But I stifled those thoughts, thinking… knowing that if I dwelled on them too hard - as I had done those other fears - that they too would disappear. And with them a part of me. One that was still human.

I looked down at the weakened girl. Her smile was peaceful as she slept upon my back. My wings had curled, almost without input - to protect her from the cold and heat her with the innate heat of my wings.

I snorted. A huff of some sort that echoed a cloud within the chamber. I tore a rock from its place. Where it was blocking the exit.

A cave in, my mind supplied me.

Rock after rock. Until I could see the other side. A relatively shallow hole that shone with light. A sun that beat back the cold and gave life to this planet. 

I just knew… within me, that this was not my realm. 

But when I took a step. No longer was there nothing between me and the ground. There was a soft squelch that disgusted me. A small creature. Not fit to even lick the bottom of my claw.

They hissed, an echo I merely scoffed at. My instincts told me that they held no threat. But that other part of me told me another story.

Worried for the girl I had taken as part of my horde. 

That she would not survive such a vicious horde of bugs.

Each of them were as big as my claw. And there was over a thousand of them. Each buzzing with poison in their stingers. Anger in the fact that I had killed them.

I knew, as again my instincts told me, that if I were more grown. Then they would never even dare to touch me. A sort of presence that only older dragons gained.

But either way. They were absolutely fucked. There was no way for them to survive me. As I let that deep growling sensation flow through my mouth.

Aimed at the thousands. Each and every one of them trying to fly away, to scatter. But not before that lightning echoed through the small chamber. Bouncing off of each of them and reaching another.

Until they all turned into a smothering pile of burnt ash.

I snorted.

And after all that had happened. Through the combat and unknown sensations I had welled up within my soul. Between the rumbling of rocks as I pushed and pulled them out of my way.

She had not woken. Erryn had not woken.

But when I snorted. Climbing the small cliff to the outside world.

It was only then that she found herself waking. A panicked expression upon her face as she scurried to my neck. Holding tight.

Like I was going to drop her. It was not within my pride. No, if I was going to protect someone then - according to my pride - they would suffer no harm.

None.

…

I squint. My eyes slitting more and more until they could handle the sun that shone voraciously within my sight. A teasing voice grabbed my attention.

"Mr. Dragon~" She sang. Using that same language, that same instinctual language. 

I growled, grabbing her cloak with my tail and pulling her towards me. That smirk still wildly apparent among her face.

"Where are we?" I asked. There was no sign of amusement within my voice. Only pride. A dragon's pride. One that welled up within my chest. A crescendo.

"The dessert…?" Erryn responded, her tone still teasing in nature. As if she had won some kind of nascent victory.

I merely scowled. My tail whipped her to the ground. Sand coughing up into her lungs.

"I did it… truly I did~!" She proclaimed to the sky. Even as ravenous beasts tore their way towards us.

I growled, crouching down and releasing a roar. Of which most ran away, though those that didn't found themselves dead within moments.

Young I may be, but even that cou-

I grimaced for a moment. Pride and arrogance swimming through my mind. Knowledge. Knowledge I should have had no reason for knowing.

It painted my mind white. Telling of the power and destructive force that was a dragon.

And when I turned tail. Picking her from the sand again. I followed her finger. Pointing at some random direction.

For that was all I knew. I had no hoard to return to, no place to establish. Merely a connection with this girl of mine.

'Was I-' 

Within the confines of my mind. Yes, yes I truly did think of her as mine. Part of my nascent hoard. And when the time-

'Fuck-' I yelled within my mind. My instincts warring with each other. Trying to find reason with the thoughts that now spoke to the forefront of my mind.