1 Chapter One

The northern air. It was always the freshest. Even above the salty ocean, the north had the strongest winds. It was powerful and fresh, especially thousands of feet above the ground. It has been nearly a century since I've been exposed to the world outside my prison. I can't help it if my first instinct is to fly. It is in my blood after all. Flight. You can imagine my annoyance when I was forced to return to the ground after a short amount of time.

This may sound a bit confusing, so let me take you back to the start of my day.

3 Hours Earlier…

There is no name for the island I've been calling my home for the past 100 years. After the grand council banished me from the Westerlie kingdom, I was forced to live the rest of my life in exile. It's a rocky island far north, but not isolated. Settled between Westerlie territory and the Northerner Kingdom, it shouldn't be hard to miss, but it is. Long before my time, a cloak was placed around the island, making it non-existent to the rest of the world. Only the councilmen of the Westerlies and Southerners kingdom know of its existence.

I look across the dark horizon and see nothing but waves crashing on the rocky shore, the moon granting me a slightly clear view. "There's a storm coming". I whisper to myself. After deeply exhaling, I make my way back to the castle. I walk into the entrance only to be greeted by silence, not that I was expecting to see someone. This island has been abandoned for so long, I was surprised myself when they sent me here. It's the perfect place for a criminal, I suppose.

Making my way towards my room, I felt my heart pound. It lasted for a few seconds but managed to make me nervous. My instincts kicked in, and I surveyed the hallway. Nothing but the flickering candles on the walls. After a few more moments of looking down both directions, I continued to my room, but not fully oblivious. I've been alone for so long; why was I nervous? I decide to shake off my uneasy feeling. Maybe my isolation has made me crazy. I have been having a full conversation with myself, after all.

I make it to my room and light a few more candles. As I was lighting the last one, a large boom echoed throughout the castle, causing them to go out. My eyes widened at the sound. What the hell was that? A sudden wave of wind had burst through my windows, shattering them. The sound had come from outside. I run through my balcony door, not caring about the glass on the floor. There was nothing but the cloudy night sky. Could it have been caused by the storm? No, that's unlikely. Something like this has never happened in the last hundred years.

That's when I heard it. A sound completely different than the sonic boom I heard moments ago. It didn't scare me; the opposite. It sounded like...home. I frantically searched the sky, hoping I wasn't wrong. But maybe I was. This is impossible. There's no way. Then I heard it again. The roar of a dragon. Tears burned my eyes, fighting to get out, a sad smile cascaded across my face. Is this a dream? My questions were answered when I spotted a dragon beginning to circle me. Letting out a final roar before landing in front of me, I realized who it was."Impossible."I mumbled, staring up at the beautiful creature.

Phoebion. She was my mother's dragon. We all thought she died along with her, but clearly, that was a mistake. I took small steps towards her with a raised hand, being careful not to startle her. She needs to recognize my scent. She needs to be sure it's me. When I was banished, they stripped me of my mental connection with dragons. My own won't even realize it's me. The only way they'd know for sure is because of my scent. I carry dragon blood in my veins. That's how we're forever connected.

My hand grazed the tip of her nose and she gently pushed forward, wanting to feel more of me. I couldn't contain the sobs anymore. It's Phoebion! She's here, and she remembers me! "Oh, Phoebion!" I wrapped my arms around her face. It's been so long since I've had physical contact with, well, anyone. "How did you get here?" How the hell was this possible?

Suddenly my attention switched towards the horizon. Did she break the barrier? But that's impossible! No one could leave or enter unless there was a change in the verdict. Did they prove my innocence? If so, why didn't my father or the council come to tell me? Maybe they didn't know. Either way, I'm not wasting any time waiting to find out. I look back at Phoebion. She spreads her wings, almost reading my mind. We're flying out of here.

I give her a small nod and she bends one of her wings down, wanting me to climb on her, and I do just that. I had almost forgotten what it was like to ride a dragon. I pray to the gods I don't fall off. Settling myself at the base of her neck, I give her the command to take off. "Velita". Thankfully, she remembers the westerlie tongue and flaps her wings. She suddenly takes off into the sky. I inhale at the wind that hits my face, happy that I get to feel such a great breeze again.

"Take us home, Phoebion," I shout, tears still rolling down my face. Finally. After one hundred years of exile, I can return home. A large smile creeps on my face while I think of my siblings and father. Oh, how I missed them so much. And Vision, my sweet Vision. I raised him into a fine dragon. He was exiled as well, but differently;turned to stone. Our separation has been the hardest on me. But I will see him again. Phoebion and I decided to head east towards the Westerlie capitol. There was Westerlie territory southwest of us and fairly closer, but I needed to be where my family was, and that was in the capitol far south of the kingdom.

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I spent the last few hours of flying thinking about what I was going to say. I have no recollection of events that happened while I was away. What if we've been invaded by another kingdom? What if my family is dead? I shake my head at the racing thoughts going through my mind. We've made great progress, most likely reaching the capitol before sunrise. The southern star led the way for us. It was the only way I knew for sure would direct us the right way.

I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize the land below. Finally, after the many hours flying across the sea, I finally reached civilization, or so I thought. I have Phoebion lean to the side so I can get a better view down below. We aren't in the Westerlie kingdom, that's for sure. The winds are still cold and strong. We must have flown too far east and entered the Northerner kingdom.

The Northerners aren't like us Westerlies. They're a kingdom of werewolves; grounded travelers. They were a strong kingdom, last I checked, or well, remember. I shouldn't be here. A dragon flying through their kingdom would raise many eyebrows. "Esa valencio"(go left), I command. We haven't covered too much ground so it will be easy to leave as quickly as we entered. That's easier said than done.

Out of nowhere, my head began to throb painfully. I closed my eyes and held my head for relief but it pain didn't end. Flashing lights appeared so quickly, I almost mistook them for images. I didn't know which was worse, the blinding light or the knife stabbing on my forehead. When it started to subdue itself, I felt my grip on Phoebion loosen. My body learned so much that it was too late for me to grab on.

I was a few thousand feet above the ground. I tried to get a clear view of the terrain. Hmm, looked like trees. My suspicions were correct when my body crashed into the tall trees, being knocked back and forth by the branches in the process. I hit the ground with a large thud. My body instantly jolts up, and a rush of pain cascades over me. I looked at my arm to see it dislocated from my shoulder and my abdomen which had blood gushing out of it.

After painfully popping my shoulder back in place and clutching my injured stomach to keep it from bleeding out, I make my way out of the trees. Luckily, I landed near a lake. I rush over to it, cleaning my wound and rehydrating. Then a realization hit me.

"Phoebion!" I practically shout. Where did she land? "Phoebion!" I call her name again. I don't care if anyone heard me. That's when I realized I should have. I heard growling from behind me. I turn to see six large werewolves beginning to circle me. There was nothing I could do. I was too greatly injured to fight them off. The pain was too much for me to even stand. I knelt on the ground. So this is where I die. I bowed my head and accepted my fate. Vision, I'm sorry I couldn't save you. Finally, I felt the darkness took over.