22

My wings twitched as I kept focusing on the light element in the air. To others it almost appeared as if I was napping with the way I held my head, and the still way I sat with my eyes closed. It was just intense focus. Savannah, Ethan, and Jax were all well aware of how intensely I was focusing. The alpha started deferring to them before trying to talk to me.

They knew when I would come out of this intense focus, and he'd get a chance to talk to me. The alpha seemed to be training them well from what I could tell. Part of me thought he might be up to something when he came up the path to my cavern one night with my bonded. I was at the opening of the cavern when he made it to me.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"It has come to my attention that you have never actually flown," the alpha stated bluntly, "I'm curious why that is?"

"I never had the opportunity," I cocked my head to the side, "When I was in school there was too much risk of discovery. Spreading my wings was pretty much a guarantee of getting caught."

"Why haven't you flown since you came here?" the alpha smirked slightly, "Everyone that lives on the island already knows about you, and your wings appear big enough to hold you so why haven't you flown?"

I couldn't answer that one. They wouldn't believe me if I just said I'd avoided it because of almost dying. It was a dumb reason. The fact that I was afraid of heights was an even worse reason. While I was busy mulling it over the alpha slowly moved closer to Ethan.

I didn't have access to his emotions so I had no idea what he was planning. The alpha picked Ethan up, and tossed him over the edge. I slammed the alpha into the wall with my tail as I leapt over the edge without the slightest hint of hesitation. My wings pulled in close to my body as I dove for Ethan. My hands stretched out to grab hold of him.

I caught him before he could slam into the ocean, and snapped my wings open. I was still going down though it wasn't enough to stop me from slamming into the water. This was different than what had happened with me, and Savannah. My wings didn't hurt or buckle. They felt reassuringly strong.

I flapped down hard, and started following the air currents I sensed all around me. Suddenly I was flying over the surface of the water safely. All my muscles working in unison felt far too right. I got a bit more distance between me, and the water before grabbing Ethan with my mouth, and setting him in his notch between my spines. I'd never felt anything like this before.

I didn't think I'd be able to resist feeling anything like this again. Ethan clung to me tightly. I flew higher off the surface of the water. Higher, and higher until I could see the whole of the island below me. Any thoughts or feelings of fear completely forgotten.

The only thing keeping me close to the island was the vague feeling that I shouldn't leave. I flew until my wings got tired before landing on the peak of the island next to the tower. I had to be careful not to slam into the tower itself with my wing outstretched like this. I laid down calmly at the top of the hill as I let my wings rest. Then the irritation of what the alpha did got to me once again.

I let Ethan off, and rushed the direction that he should be. My irritation hit its peak when I found him down in the village. I was moving so fast that he had no clue what hit him until he felt the weight of my hands pinning him down in front of his house.

"Do that again," I growled with my face inches from his, "And I will kill you."

"It was a one time thing," he smiled nervously, "Swear on it."

I let him get up without pushing the matter further before heading back up to my cavern. I didn't come down to the town the next day. Opting to stay up near my cavern for the day. I did however decide to fly around a bit when I woke up before dawn that day. Just until I was tired again.

I figured out that I could fly for about four hours before I needed a break, and that was a long ways. My fear of heights was completely forgotten as well as the fall. Tomorrow was the full moon, and I wanted my bonded to come stay in the cavern with me for the night. Savannah, and Ethan agreed right away. Jax needed more convincing since the wolves seemed more human than me.

I was stronger then the wolves, and I could beat them back if they came after us. I had been working on my other elements whenever I fell asleep, and entered my inner world. I'd been steadily improving all my elements. I focused on light element during the day. Anytime I lost focus all I had to do was think back on the notification the system had given me when I picked up that egg.

It told me all I had to do was get enough light element, and I'd be able to revive that egg. I'd made a complete recovery from when I'd sacrificed body mass for mana as well so I looked like a lean muscular young dragon again. I wondered how humans would react if when I got strong enough that they lost the ability to take me down by themselves. When I got strong enough to face human armies, and bring back dragons as a prominent race again. I extended my wings slowly as I thought about it, because me becoming strong enough to make the human race as a whole think twice before attacking me was a when not an if scenario.