Soul-Bound

Something touches his shoulder, gently nagging Leonidas out of unconsciousness. Something warm and... almost soft, accompanied by a very sharp prickling sensation. For a moment, the nudging stops, replaced by soft snuffling. A cold strip appears on his chin, the pattern of scales pressing against his chin, and a breath of hot air ruffles over the boy's face and hair.

"Right. I'm with Ausren," Leonidas remembers blearily. His memory is patchy at best, intact only until the blue dragon tore into his stomach. After that moment, everything is scattered like leaves in a hailstorm: There but impossible to reach. All Leo can recall is pain, then darkness and heat. It seems as though he was surrounded by that darkness for a very long time, but how much time passed or what happened in that place is lost on the human. The next thing he knows is that he woke up, burning with a new heat he could not, and still cannot place. It wraps like lava around his heart, brushing against his ribcage, but never hurting. It is just there, sitting and waiting to someday be used.

After his awakening, Leo was greeted by Ausren. Vividly, the human remembers hearing the prince's voice, yet not being able to identify where it was coming from. Instead, his very being was bombarded with a sense of otherness. Black tendrils of another being were there, in his mind, somehow invading the sacred space without effort. Leo, like any other human, had always been alone with his thoughts. The intrusion of the dragon prince was simply too much and the boy promptly passed out again, out of shock.

Altogether, the experience is a mess in his mind, shrouded in uncertainty, leaving the boy to wonder, "What happened?"

Peeling his eyes open, letting out a low groan, Leo peers around at his surroundings. He is still in the cave, flat out on his back staring up at the craggy rock ceiling. Directly in front of him is a large, sparkling, inky object.

For just a moment, the human stares at it, trying to discern what went on during his conscious absence. Slightly, the object moves, warm air rushing from it to tug on the brown curls adorning the boy's head. With a yelp, Leo sits bolt upright, scrambling backward, recognizing that he is inches from the snout of a dragon. The boy vividly remembers the agony of the blue dragon's claws and the overwhelming smell of blood. His instinct now is screaming and pumping adrenaline through his body, telling him over and over to get away from the beast above him.

Startled by the commotion, Ausren raises his head, bringing himself into full view of the boy. Leo stills, heart raging in his chest, and locks eyes with the dragon. Heartbeat loud in his ears, the human gasps violently, his entire being vibrating with residual terror.

Ausren is not a threat, yet memory serves to prove that not all dragons are willing to spare lives.

Pulling himself into a sitting position, Leo coils his feet beneath him and closes his eyes once again. Calming his gasping into deep breaths, the human attempts to re-order his brain, identifying what he does know. He feels much stronger than usual, as if his body would like to get up and run until he drops; the warmth in his chest feels nearly alive, flinching and reacting to everything the boy does; and despite being certain he was going to die, he is in no pain whatsoever. He is safely in the little cave he found for Ausren, tucked up close to the dragon, and still covered in blood. The blood is dry, a dark liver color that is flaking off his arms every time he moves and falling gently to the sand.

There is no new blood. Why is there no new blood?

The boy reaches down, hooking a finger through his shredded shirt to peer at his stomach, attempting to identify the state of his wound. Before he can survey the damaged area, the boy's sight locks on his hand and arm, which now resembles one of Ausren's feet much more than a human digit. His fingers -- long and slender-- are covered in scales, which close perfectly around his fingers and cause him no discomfort. Near the webbing between his fingers and the underside of his knuckles, the scales become much smaller, allowing them to bend and overlap without catching on each other. They provide no hindrance to movement. To complete the look, each of Leo's fingers is topped by long, thick, serrated claws, like tiny versions of Ausren's. The new additions are anchored not only on the top of his finger, but also at the tip, which removes the possibility of the nail being ripped from his digit when used.

Staring at his hand, a shock of wonder runs through the human. Surprisingly, all he feels is curious, turning his hand over to peer at his scale-covered palm. In any other situation, waking up with his arm mutated would cause him to panic. Yet in light of all the confusion surrounding his current alive state seems to remove any weirdness for the situation.

Tracing the scales up his forearm, to his bicep, then shoulder, Leo admires the way their size shifts to allow for the perfect combination between protection and movement. They really are more perfect than a masterpiece of art, and the idea that just one of his limbs works so fascinatingly makes him want to study Ausren in much greater detail. What mysteries the dragon must be hiding!

Finally peeling his eyes away from his newly-scaled hand, Leo returns his attention to his abdomen. The skin is miraculously closed, now also covered in a light patterning of black scales directly over the scar. The scales here, however, do not spread very far, instead fading back to tan skin. Just like a dragon's, the scales sparkle like gems, taking any light in the area and reflecting it in many directions. How dragons ever manage to be stealthy is as much a miracle as it is a mystery.

"Scales?" Leonidas finally breathes, looking up at where Ausren is standing above him. It seems like the only appropriate thing to ask."What--"

"How do I explain? A matter of this complexity might take a while to describe and he will have many questions. Perhaps I should suggest leaving it to tomorrow."

Leo goes pale, feeling his blood drain to his toes and immediately creating the sensation of spinning. The thoughts come from seemingly nowhere, squeezing down on the human's consciousness. As soon as they are there, however, Leo can feel the vastness of the dragon's mind not far behind them. The sensation isn't quite painful, but it is uncomfortable.

Pressing his lips together, much less surprised this time around, Leo locks eyes with the dragon. Somehow, he has come from being almost dead to being covered in scales and hearing Ausren's thoughts. What happened?

Leonidas sits for a second, folding his hands together and laying them in his lap. Suddenly, as human minds do, the boy's consciousness becomes aware of his surroundings, his attention switching from the mystery to information collected by his other senses. Not only can he hear his own heartbeat, but he can hear the mighty thud of Ausren's heart and the soft brushing of wings on scales as the dragon breathes. He can hear the shifting of the sand as Ausren coils his claws into the sand. Things that he has never noticed before. Things that were too soft to hear before.

His hearing is not the only thing affected. Even with the distance between them, Leo can see the streaks of red in the dragon's eye, nearly buried by the fiery pink of the orb. Not only that, but he can pick out where a single, tiny scale is missing from the dragon's lower eyelid. Fascinated by his new-found vision, Leo turns his gaze down, studying the sand between his boots. Despite being quite fine, lending to its softness, Leo manages to pick out individual grains of rock in the sand's body.

As he focuses his eyes on the sand, the boy's focus shifts sense once again. Hovering around the cavern, accompanying the nostalgic smell of a wood fire, is a much more subtle scent of leather. Leather and earth. A very distinct smell that reminds Leo of his time back at his home, riding horses and oiling his saddle. It is a very crisp and clean smell, much like that or the earth after rain. For a short moment, the boy finds himself confused. The smell is surprisingly strong and it is lingering in the space. It is not simply carried by wind, but is rather coming from something in the cave. Drawing in a deep breath, the boy suddenly realizes. The smell is coming from Ausren. Or, rather, is Ausren's scent. Not at all what Leo -- having caught snakes around his family's farm when he was younger -- expected the prince to smell like.

Once again, Leo's focus shifts, and everything he is experiencing seems to fall away and overwhelm him at the same time. It manufactures the sense of spinning dizziness that comes with being lightheaded. In a desperate attempt to minimize the information bombarding him, Leo squeezes his eyes shut and leans back on his hands to ground himself.

"What happened?" Leonidas finally manages to ask, his voice loud in the space. The information bombarding the human, accompanied by the uncertainty of how exactly everything came to be and how it might affect him in the future, is slowly shredding the boy's composure. To an extent, he can simply accept that what is, is. His curiosity, however, and a growing sense of anxiety, want to know why."I can hear you in here," Leo murmurs, touching his temple with his taloned fingers. "I'm covered in scales and hearing your heartbeat. Did I die and you somehow brought me back? Or am I still dead, and that's why my senses are going crazy?"

Ausren is silent, his mind moving with incredible speed. Unlike last time, Leo cannot hear the words behind his thoughts, but rather only their presence. His thoughts are rapid, flying by so quickly that they make Leonidas dizzy.

After what feels like much too long, Ausren murmurs, "I gave you a piece of my soul. I did not know exactly what it would do, simply that it would keep you here."

Immediately, Leo's head quiets, his mind becoming still as he takes a moment to process. Then, floating up from somewhere within that hole in his memory: "Here. Hold this for me, Leonidas. I will entrust only you with it."

Hundreds of questions explode into Leo's head. A piece of the dragon's very soul? Why in the vast world would Ausren entrust that to the boy? What makes Leonidas worthy to hold the soul of a dragon prince? Why did the scrap of soul give him scales? What is the new warmth in his chest, and why did the fragment of soul give it to him? Why can he hear the dragon's thoughts? Why were his senses impacted so drastically? What else is going to change? Is it going to change him so considerably that he will no longer be able to stay with the humans? Is he even human anymore?

Silence stretches on between the two as the human blinks, trying to settle on any one question. Eventually, he chooses one, and simply asks, "Why?"

Ausren blinks, raising his head a little as he looks down at his human. There is another great silence, the cave darkening slowly as the two look at each other, their eyes locked. Once again, Leo can feel the dragon's rapid thoughts but is unable to keep up with them. The prince's mind is incredibly vast, filled with rage, knowledge, sorrow, and guilt, but lined with a surprising force of love. It is much too great for the human to comprehend all in one. The boy could easily lose himself in the ancient landscape that is Ausren.

Trying to retreat from the space, Leo grasps at the white webs of thought that describe his own being and attempts to hide within himself. It works to an extent, but the human can still feel the dragon right there.

Finally, the dragon shifts his front end, tucking his right front foot underneath his chest, wings rustling softly, and simply murmurs, "I... I am not sure, Leonidas. I simply did not want you to die, so I did what I must to keep you here."

The human surveys Ausren's face for a moment, shocked into silence by that answer. Ausren didn't want him to die, which seems oddly important. Any life debt would make one feel like they must save the life of their savior, but that doesn't necessarily mean they would want to.

Leonidas -- who has always felt like the odd one out, the one continually ignored -- finds himself as someone worthwhile. Here he is, staring up at a mighty beast that was born and bred for killing, somehow loved and trusted enough to hold a piece of the dragon's soul. For once, he feels needed and protected, unlike when he was with his brothers. For a long while, with Cecil living beside them, the eldest brother took on the role of being the guardian. Leo felt loved, then. Suddenly, however, Cecil vanished off into a faraway war, leaving Leonidas in the role of caring for his brother and sister. Suddenly, Leonidas was the caregiver, and all his siblings ever did was run to him when they needed something. Yet they never did look at him like they did Cecil. Cecil was still their hero, and Leonidas was just a stand-in, unloved and unappreciated, taking every fall for his siblings. Always defending them to the best of his abilities, even when he could not win, and always being cast aside in the end.

Here, his role has suddenly been reversed. Ausren protected him, Ausren loves him, and Ausren trusts him. The age-old enemy was the one to show Leo more respect than any of his siblings.

Ducking his head, feeling his eyes prickle with tears, Leonidas whispers, "Thank you, Ausren."

The prince tilts his head sharply to the left, his horns creating a low whistling sound with the severity of the movement. "For what?"

"Saving my life," Leo breathes, curling his clawed hand to his chest, "And entrusting me with this." "And everything else you could never understand."

Everything about the dragon seems to soften, the muscles around his eyes relaxing as he lowers his head, gently bumping his nose against the boy's chest. "You are one of a kind, Leonidas.I realized that I did not want you to die, so I gave you the one thing that would allow me to make sure that the world would not miss out on everything that you are. You do not need to thank me. It was a purely selfish act, one that could have cost you your life."

"Without it, I would have died," Leo responds, smiling slightly as he finally relaxes. With his eyes lowered, the human watches as the scales melt from his arm. They simply fold into black bands, which form together into a complex, swirling tattoo. The pattern immediately reminds Leonidas of snow, swirling in and out of itself, forming sharp and beautiful angles. The tattoo is not one that could be replicated by even the finest artist, mainly for the fact that its color is much too dark. It is as if one took ink and dumped it directly onto his skin, removing only its shininess. The matt color seems to gobble up any light that dares to touch it, nearly to the point where it appears to be the very absence of light.

Turning his hand over in his lap, admiring the lines coiling around his fingers, Leo notices the absence of the claws. Why, or how, they and the scales decided to disappear is beyond him. The very idea that they can disappear is equally shocking and comforting. If they stay in the form of the tattoo, then it will be much easier to hide the markings.

Taking a deep breath and coiling his fingers into a fist, Leonidas looks back at the dragon once again. This time, he attempts to widen his area of focus and eliminate the overflow of information that comes with small details.

It would be then that he notices the dragon has new markings as well. Sprouting down from his horns, wrapping delicately around his forehead and nose, are silver scales producing a pattern that closely resembles the tattoo adorning Leo's arm. The scales really do look like snowflakes on Ausren's hide, sparkling with greater brilliance than their darker counterparts. Where Ausren's dark scales do reflect light, they absorb a considerable amount as well. These silver ones, however, seem to shine brilliantly, reflecting any photon of light that would strike them.

"Oh," Leo breathes, his voice quiet with awe. He didn't think that dragons could be more beautiful, yet watching these scales shimmer in the falling light as Ausren moves, he finds himself proven incorrect.

"What's wrong?" Ausren questions, confused by the human's shock.

"Nothing," Leo replies softly, not taking his eyes off the light show. "Not really, anyways. You have a pattern, like mine, on your head. Made out of silver scales."

Ausren lets out a huff, lowering his head as if he could peer up at his own forehead. Leo follows the movement, watching curiously as the scales seem to dim. The dragon's thoughts once again blast past Leo's mind, whipping through the white webs of the human's own thoughts and scattering them into pieces. The effect is instant nausea and dizziness, leaving the boy to grasp at straws.

Eventually, the prince's thoughts slow, allowing Leo to collect himself, and Ausren mutters, "I see. You seem to be taking this very well."

"Well, it's not exactly like I can change my situation. Without this, I would be dead. Yet here I am, alive. You saved my life, and you've protected me. I'm more grateful than I am uncertain. I trust you. Whatever has happened, has happened. Now I just need to figure out how to live with it." Despite his calm reply, Leo knows that tonight he will be overwhelmed by the day's events. What happened while he was out? What became of the blue dragon? What side-effects from Ausren's soul might affect him? How can he best hide his markings from his fellow humans? He needs answers to everything but now does not seem like the time to bring it up.

Ausren surveys his human for a moment, before murmuring, "I'll answer as many of your questions as I can, but for now, you must return to the humans. It is getting late. If you wait much longer, you will be missed at the fort."

Immediately, Leonidas's eyes go beyond the dragon to where the sky is peaking through the cave entrance. Indeed, it is darkening rapidly, the rare sunny day whittling down into nothing.

Scrambling at the sand, suddenly slammed with a sense of urgency, Leo gets to his feet. Once there, he totters unsteadily, the world spinning uncontrollably around him. Any clear thoughts he might have had are immediately flung away by the force of Ausren's mind.

"Oh..." he mutters, tipping sideways, "that's not good."

Before he can go crashing into the sand, Ausren extends his head, allowing the boy to hold onto his nose. Momentarily steadied, Leo shakes his head in an attempt to clear it. The dark cobwebs of Ausren's mind refuse to be budged.

"There's no way," the human pants, shaking as he clings to the prince, "That I'm making it back before they notice I'm gone." At the thought, Leonidas can feel as the blood drains from his face. Despite being ignored, and in some cases abused, by the humans around him, the boy cannot bring himself to face the possibility of leaving. Being on his own is a terrifying thought. He's never been truly alone. Surrounded by strangers, sure, but never fending for himself in the wilderness. He's not ready to separate from the pack, not ready to strike out on his own and forge his own path. He would much rather stay in the safety of the fort and take his brothers' disappointment. And what about Ruhban? Who would protect him? Pushing off of Ausren's nose, gritting his teeth with determination, Leo stumbles toward the cave entrance. "I... I need to get back. I have to get back."

The boy only gets two steps before his balance goes and he hits the sand.

With a grunt, Leo sits up and takes one hand to press it into his temple. The world around him continues to spin, his upgraded eyes picking out random details. The information, without context, gets thrown into the confused mess that makes Leo's mind and only serves to muddle the picture further.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Leo lets out a feral snarl. He needs to get back and he cannot. If he is discovered to have disappeared into the mountains for a day, somehow avoiding the sightlines of the watchtowers, he will be considered even more guilty. Cecil already seems to think Leo let Ausren go instead of killing him, which is treason enough in the High King's eyes. His disappearing act will not help his case. He could be banished, or, more likely, killed. Gritting his teeth together, the human digs his fingers into the sand. Warmth slams through his left arm, accompanied by a weird sensation, tingling and prickling as it races across his skin. The human's fingers sink deeper into the sand, the claws now crowning his fingers ripping easily through the substance. The scales have returned.

Leonidas snarls again, throwing himself forward with this newfound purchase. He finds his feet, the world tilts and he again falls. With a frustrated shriek, the boy slams his clawed hand into the sand, throwing the fine particles in every direction.

I have to get up. I need to get up.

Gently, warm air hits the back of his neck, rustling his mop of hair. A black strand of thought reaches out to Leo's mind with purpose. Echoing in his mind, the prince's voice murmurs, "Deep breaths, Leonidas. Do not go too far too fast. Whatever changes have been wrought on your body will take time to get used to. In the meantime, I will help you. Come now and stand, lean on me."

Slowly, Leo opens his eyes, nearly recoiling as he rolls over to see Ausren standing above him, his muzzle inches from his face.

"Get up, Leonidas," Ausren says, his voice surprisingly soft. Leo flinches as those massive teeth flash in front of him. "Tomorrow we will talk, and I will answer what questions I can. But for now, allow me to help you."

Leo swallows, his frustration momentarily shelved, then reaches out and grabs two of the spikes running down Ausren's nose. As soon as his grip is secure, the dragon raises his head, easily lifting the human to his feet. For a moment, the two of them stand, nearly nose to nose, the dragon's breaths ruffling Leo's bloodstained shirt.

For the first time, Leo feels truly safe around the dragon, staring at his eye, inches from him. So much power could so easily put the flame of his life out, and yet time and time again the dragon has chosen to use it to protect and provide for the human.

The prince saving his life shocked Leo, and made him feel worthwhile. It made him realize that Ausren, to whatever extent, enjoyed his company and did not wish him dead. It made him realize that somehow he and the dragon are something like friends. The giving of the dragon's soul made Leo feel important and trusted. It is a momentous gift that touched Leo deeper than he is even ready to realize. It means so much, Leo knows, and yet he is blind to its exact significance. It was a gift of love, the giving of a life for a life. On top of these things, it is the little, inexplicable movements that cause Leonidas to relax; that soothe the instincts that have been inadvertently drilled into him his entire life. Every little action the dragon makes that is to either help or protect the boy serves to further Leo's understanding that, under no circumstances, would the dragon ever dare to reach out and strike the human. It is the small things, that no one else would care to notice, that have gained Leo's undying trust.

Ausren breaks the trance between them, pushing the human with his nose and making him stumble a step. It is only when he turns that Leo notices the vertigo is mostly gone, his eyes having an easier time not attempting to find every detail in the space. Instead, focused on Ausren now, he is able to easily ignore other minutiae.

Allowing the human to use his nose a little like a crutch, the prince helps the boy up the slope and to the entrance of the cave. Then, without warning, the dragon grabs Leo by the cloak and lifts him to the lip of the cave. With a yelp, suddenly finding himself suspended in the air, the human scrambles at the ledge. His new claws score marks in the rock but refuse to find purchase. Before the boy can completely panic, Ausren drops him onto the ledge. Immediately much more comfortable being on the ground, Leo steadies himself.

Ausren launches himself out of the cave, careful not to catch his wings on the jagged rock. The human turns just in time to watch the prince stretch his wings above his head, expanding their significant length into the air. Rimmed with the dying sunlight, the wing membranes light up with red, the millions of little veins like a spiderweb between bones. Beating his wings once, Ausren rears up onto his hind legs and lets out a soft roar, stretching his head into the air. Then, coming back down to the earth, the dragon tucks the large leathery limbs back to his sides and turns to his human.

Leo stares at him for a moment, before breathing, "Your shoulder... it's healed."

Ausren raises his wing, peering back at his shoulder, and says, "Oh. Yes, that. I'm not entirely sure how that happened. It just... did. I needed to get to you, so I did. Now, we must be going."

Blinking, Leonidas shoves down his curiosity and forces himself to accept the statement as truth. "Okay," the human breathes. "How are we going to get there before dark without giving away our position? Are you going to walk down with me?"

Ausren snorts softly, shaking his head and letting out a ruk ruk ruk sound. He is laughing.

"What?" Leo mutters, climbing to his feet. He feels immediately dizzy, but the feeling subsides after a moment of staring at the dragon's nose.

"Have you ever rode a horse?" Ausren asks.

"Yes," Leo snaps. "For nearly all my life."

"Good. Then you shouldn't have too much trouble adapting to this." With that, the dragon lowers himself to the ground, balancing himself carefully on the rocks, and lowers his shoulder to the human.

For a second, Leo simply stares. Then: "What."

The dragon snorts again, seeming amused, and cranes his head around to look at Leo. "Get on. It is the only way to reach your destination in time."

Mind going blank in fear, Leonidas simply states, "I'm not flying."

"I could not fly you in safely regardless," Ausren remarks. "Your human comrades would spot me and shoot me down. We will run. Now, move quickly! The sun is setting!"

Getting shakily to his feet, Leo moves over to the dragon. "You promise you won't fly, Ausren?"

Ruk, ruk, ruk.

"I promise, Roirra," the dragon murmurs. "No flying today."

"Today?" Leo asks suspiciously, laying his hand on the dragon's shoulders. Unlike the scales near the dragon's belly, the ones adorning his spine are a deep, true black. Just like the color of the tattoo now winding down Leo's left arm. They are also quite sharp when Leo runs his hand against their grain.

This time, when the dragon exhales, he sounds exasperated. "Get on, Leonidas. We have no more time to waste."

Carefully clambering onto the dragon's back, taking care to avoid the spikes sprouting between scales, Leo settles in the spot where Ausren's neck meets his shoulders. The space makes a sort of natural saddle, Leo's legs sitting in front of Ausren's wings.

"Ready, Leo?" Ausren asks, his neck winding up gracefully to allow him to peer at the human.

Gulping, clinging to the dragon for dear life, the boy nods shortly.

In one movement, the dragon comes to his feet, splaying his wings to keep his balance. Leonidas yelps, grabbing at the thick neck in front of him to steady himself. Despite riding horses most of his life, Leo has never ridden without some sort of apparatus to give him control. A bridle, or hackamore, really anything that might allow him to control the beast's head. In the worst of situations, he at least had a long, flowing mane to hold onto. Now, however, the boy finds himself on the back of a sleek, flowing creature, whose massive neck gives no support other than the small spikes running its length. The dragon also has all the control, leaving Leo to simply trust that he won't hit a tree or scrape the boy off on a low-hanging branch. The wings don't help either; simultaneously creating the effect of Ausren's back being larger than it is, while making it feel as though Leo's seat is constantly in motion. With his wings opened, Ausren has to perpetually adjust their position, minimal little movements to keep control of himself in the slight breeze. To anyone watching, the movements would be imperceptible, but to Leonidas, it feels as though the dragon's body is swimming underneath him.

Ausren's current position -- despite his body being much more massive than anything Leo has ever ridden before -- only serves to make the human feel as though at any moment he might fly right over Ausren's head to his death on the rocks.

"Ausren!" Leo shrieks, clawing at the dragon's neck to gain any semblance of control.

A slight motion of the dragon's head, bringing it farther up, solves Leo's problem of feeling too far forward.

Softly, in Leo's mind, come the words, "Relax, Roirra. I will not allow you to fall."

With that, the dragon spreads his wings to their fullest and launches down the slope.

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Feel free to leave comments below! If you spot any mistakes, whether it is spelling, grammar, or plot related, let me know. I'm attempting to improve my writing, so suggestions are welcome!