10

I jolted upright. Throwing him off in the process. His wings flared as he suddenly righted himself enough to land on his feet. He squeaked at me in an attempt to roar. I laughed at his playful irritation.

My wings trembled as I waited for Goliath to send her over. If I had to guess then her mana capacity was a little less then my own. My abilities were focused on healing. Perhaps I could convince her to spar. Goliath had told me that combat was a form of communication.

If I could convince her to spar then we would be able to communicate on a physical level that words couldn't reach. I smiled when I noticed her coming my way. The other humans had dispersed into groups. They were discussing things amongst each other quietly. She had three other humans following her.

All three had the water affinity so if I had to guess they were her students. I leaned up. Coming to attention. Making Copper bounce off my chest when I suddenly stopped playing. She hadn't seen Copper yet so her surprise at there being a third dragon was genuine.

"Copper," I picked up the little squirming hatchling, "Go back to Bryce. He might have time to play with you."

Copper huffed since he wasn't allowed to play rough with Bryce like he could with me. He'd accidentally cut the poor man on multiple occasions. Bryce jumped out of my grip when it loosened, and rushed off to find Bryce.

"Was that?" she started to ask.

"That was Copper," I watched him go, "He is a dragon hatchling. He's harmless."

"There are three dragons!" one of the girls behind her raised her voice in surprise, "Can you guys reproduce on your own?"

That question drew a laugh from me. My large gummy grin as I shook my head.

"No," I reigned in my humor, "We require a male, and a female just like the humans. However." I looked right at the four of them, "Dragon eggs can remain fertile, and healthy for thousands of years. Wyatt found a few hidden eggs, and he hatched them. That's all there is to it."

"Did Wyatt hatch in a way similar to you?" the leader asked.

"Wyatt was here before me," I tapped my talons against the scales of my other hand, "You'll have to convince him to tell you how he came to be."

She glanced over to where Wyatt was laying.

"That's not an ordinary slumber," she stated.

"Gaia says that he will either wake a king or die," I huffed.

Slightly irritated that I could do nothing about the current situation. I snapped my attention back to the woman.

"What is your name?" I looked right at her.

Clearly indicating that I wanted her name specifically.

"My name is Eliza," she answered with a tense smile, "What is your name?"

"Aurora," I smirked.

I stood, and started shifting to human form. It wasn't nearly as quick as Wyatt's transformation, but the whole transformation only took about thirty seconds. At the end of it I stood before them in my mana clothing. My long slightly curly hair was tipped with red. I found their expressions amusing.

My mana clothing was shaped like a simple ankle length dress. I'd been told that my human form was quite beautiful by multiple werewolves as well as Goliath, Aaron, and Bryce. I didn't really care for Bryce's opinion, but his input was still appreciated. The surprise of the three girls behind Eliza wasn't well hidden.

"Did your students not know that I can take human form?" I waved my hand dismissively, "My transformation is quiet slow compared to Wyatt. He can transform in an instant. I am getting close to learning the skill that allows him to transform instantly like him. My skill at transformation is pathetic in comparison. I can't even keep this form for longer then an hour."

"Being able to take human form at all is impressive," Eliza smiled gently.

"I would like to spar you," My sudden change in subject seemed to surprise all of them.

"Where did that come from?" she asked with genuine confusion.

"Goliath has told me that combat is an excellent way for two parties to understand each other on a deeper level," I rolled my shoulders as my clothing changed to something more suited for combat, "I have more mana then you, and I'm physically stronger, but my abilities are focused in healing so we should be close to equal terms in actual combat."

Eliza looked at me with a bit of surprise, "You want to fight me?"

"Yes," I smiled, "I can heal just about any wound we inflict on each other so there is no need to hold back."

"I don't sense the water element in you," she shook her head, "How do you intend to heal yourself?"

"I don't use the water element," I smirked, "The light element is far superior when it comes to healing."

Flames danced around my wrists as I prepared for combat.

"Jax," I shouted over to him, "Can you prepare a ring for us?"

Jax sighed heavily. He didn't refuse though. Slapping his hand into the earth, and turning the ground beneath our feet to stone. The surprise on Eliza's face was funny.

"He's a lot stronger then you remember," I chuckled, "I'll show you the trick behind it if you beat me."

This was the first time she looked at me seriously. She was actually seriously considering this now.

"What are the rules of this little spar?" she asked with complete seriousness.

"I will remain in my human form for the entirety of the battle," I smiled, "If I show any draconic traits then it'll be an automatic loss for me. I will refrain from using the light element to attack. Since the light element is lethal when used to attack it would end the fight way too quickly. The first one to land a potentially lethal attack wins."