The smell of the roasted meat wafted into the air as Fia unleashed a stream of fire, the perfect temperature to cook it to the dragons' liking. The carnivores descended on their supper and gnawed the goat down to bones.

Mm. That was delicious! Thanks for bringing it back, Viliant, Fia cheered.

No problem. Thanks for cooking it. Once he had finished licking the blood off his chops and claws, Viliant rustled through the basket of herbs like an after-dinner salad. His fangs were not as efficient as molars at mashing the leaves into a pulp, so he chewed at it like gum for a long time.

Is that medicine for me?

Yeah, Viliant said.

Fia flitted around him, confused, with her big blue eyes turned up to him. If it's my medicine, shouldn't I be the one eating it?

Not eating it, it's for you, he said. Ugh. Tastes like grass. Once Viliant had finally pulverized the leaves thoroughly, he spit it onto Fia's wound and spread out the green mush with his tongue.

What is this? she asked, intrigued by what the plants could do that dragon saliva could not.

It's my signature blend of herbs that'll help you get better. The touty pride was evident in the mental projection of his voice.

No, I mean, what plants are they? What do they do?

Heals faster. Viliant finished smoothing out the herbs and wrapped her shoulder in the cloth. Between his teeth and claws, he tied it in a tight knot on the far side of her neck. This should keep it clean.

Fia sighed in contentment. Her wounded shoulder now had a sling and a bandage, as well as saliva and medicine to aid in her recovery. Thanks for taking such good care of me! With this grave injury, she really would be at loss without him.

Thanks… for looking out for me too. For a moment, a conflicted look of guilt flashed through Viliant's eyes. Back in the arena, you didn't have to do that.

If she had fled at first opportunity instead of attacking the Dragon Slayer in explosive force, Viliant likely would not have gotten out of the arena at all. Of course, I did! I'd never leave you behind, she said. After that big stink he made when she had mistakenly thought that he might leave her, Fia snorted at the irony.

Still, his shoulders were hunched, and his neck was lowered shamefully. Just, I'm sorry you got hurt.

Fia stomped in front of him with her chest puffed up in pride. Don't look at me like that! I'm p-proud of my shoulder right now, you know. Like how you are with your wings.

My wings aren't going to…! The thought in his head suddenly trailed off. Viliant had deemed his reaction unsuitable to share with Fia. He snorted and turned his back on her, tail swinging wide. We leave tomorrow at dawn.

Fia was left blinking in concern, knowing that she had said something wrong. Never ever mention his wings again! she reminded herself. Every time she did so, she just seemed to offend him. With a sigh, she turned away and nestled behind her own tree. Sleep claimed her, more sound than the previous morning now that her belly was stuffed full of yummy meat and her shoulder was properly wrapped.

Their relatively little rest yesterday combined with their big meal made them sleep long past dawn. The baby dragons kept snoozing until rays of sunlight snuck between the leaves overhead. The light warmed their scales and stirred the reptiles to a more wakeful state.

Viliant spread out his wings to naturally sun himself, but quickly, awareness came back to him. He leaped up and shouted aloud, "Fia!" much to her surprise.

"Gah!" she said, jumping up just like he did. What is it?

We overslept. Let's get moving.

A big yawn curled from her jaws. As much as she wanted to keep laying in the sun and enjoying the lazy morning, she knew that Viliant was right. Just because they had made it out of the humans' capital did not mean that they were safe yet.

Humidity had settled in the air, making their journey muggier than previous days. Smells like rain soon, Viliant observed, flicking out his tongue as if he could lap at the moisture in the air. Hopefully our tracks can wash away.

That would be super good luck! Fia chimed.

If it's one thing we have, it's good luck, the older dragon mused.

Unsure if he meant that ironically or not, Fia tried to cheer him up. We also have each other!

Yeah. Quietly, he accidentally shared a thought over their mental link. I have a friend.… His chin lifted a little higher as they continued their travels.

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The goat kept them satiated for four days. Fia and Viliant made excellent progress during that time. The dragons stayed away from all manner of towns and roads, crossing the countryside where their pursuers would have the greatest difficulty in their search. The one time that they got anywhere near a road, the dragons crouched atop a hillside. Below, a group of horses charged to the next town, looking like ants from afar.

Do you think they're searching for us? Fia asked.

I'm sure they are.

In the evenings, they rested their weary legs. Viliant checked the state of her shoulder each night before they went to sleep. The medicine seems to be helping your wound.

Seems to be helping? I thought this was your special blend! Fia whined.

Definitely helping! Viliant hastily exclaimed right back at her. I'll try to get more when I go into town. High time we get more food too.

Be careful, Viliant! The horses which they had spotted recently were especially worrisome. Out of anxiety, she plucked a random wildflower into her jaws. The petals were yellow like sunshine, exactly the sort of color that Viliant needed in his life. Fia shoved the flower into his face. Take this for good luck! It'll make sure you come back safe.

The pollen so close to his nostrils made him sneeze in her face. A few petals blew off the flower's center and tumbled to the ground. Uh, no thanks. You keep that. Attract another butterfly or whatever keeps you entertained. No fire, though! Don't draw any attention to yourself.

When Fia lay down, she curled herself into a tight ball. The limp flower dangled between her fanged teeth. I'll be right here when you get back—promise I won't budge a claw!

The dragons bid each other farewell as Fia was left behind with her worries. Just like last time, Viliant would return safely with all the supplies that they needed for another few days. The dragoness insisted this to herself since she had nothing to do but wait.

***

The consecutive, peaceful days in the Syene countryside had given Viliant ample time to rest from the mana overexertion of their escape. His longer legs and uninjured body allowed him to walk much easier than Fia, leaving him with plenty of energy to go into town. He had covered the ground faster than expected and outpaced the dying sunlight.

It was not as dark as he would like when Viliant arrived, though he was confident that a heavy cloak of shadows could get him out of a pinch. Interested in the happenings of the town, he snuck amongst the buildings and stayed hidden around the corner, ready to cast a spell if anybody came close to him. For the time being, he observed the last of the peasants making their way home after a night of drinking.

The noise of human merriment grated against his eardrums. Viliant started a low growl in his throat, too quiet for those fools to hear over their own ruckus. He did it solely for his own benefit. The aggressive sound helped him endure the time that he had to wait until nightfall, watching these buffoons.

"You're a liar!" a young man said while clapping one of his companions on the shoulder.

"No, I was really there! I saw the dragons with my very own eyes. They were just baby dragons, but they were already the size of horses!"

Viliant snorted. I only wish Fia and I were as big as those dragons. The additional strength that came along with a dragon's size would make fighting their way out of human territory easier.

"Oh yeah?" One of his friends scoffed. "And where'd you see these dragons? Did you buy a front-row seat in the coliseum itself?"

Wait a minute…. As soon as Viliant heard a mention of the coliseum, he realized, They must be talking about us!

"Nah, of course not." It must have been a feat of great restraint for this man to keep his story more realistic for the sake of believability. "I went to the capital to sell my carvings and make money, not piss it all away. I saw them on the street when they escaped!"

Though Viliant did not know these men and had no stake in the petty argument, he was inclined towards his friends' skepticism. Liar. You're lucky you didn't see me. If any civilians had caught a glimpse of them in the city, he would have killed them to prevent them from alerting the guards.

Even now, that temptation was aroused at the back of his mind. The drunken idiots would not have time to realize what was even happening to them before he had them all dead. If they started to say the wrong things about the dragons, Viliant really might do it.

The teller of tall tales claimed, "Their scales were all sinister colored. One was black as night while the other was blood red!"

Hmph. I'll have to tell Fia about this. Pinkie turned into a blood red dragon.

"Well," the most sober man said, "I'm glad the dragons were caught already. Wouldn't want them treating our livestock like a feast or stealing our women like princesses!"

The first part of that statement was fair enough, but Viliant was perplexed by the latter bit. What would a dragon want with human women? In his draconic mind, he reasoned that they did not seem too different from livestock—just another thing to potentially eat.

"I went to the front of the coliseum myself and gazed at their ugly heads on stakes!"

"The Dragon Slayer sure lives up to his name," another remarked, nodding happily.

But we're not dead…. Viliant's tail started to curl around in a wicked smile. Their public escape was too great an insult for the prince to handle; the so-called Dragon Slayer could not even kill a couple of baby dragons. He had chosen to cover his own back, but in doing so, the Dragon Slayer severely hampered his own ability to catch them.

Both Viliant and the humans went their own way, happy as could be. Their surroundings had become dark enough to allow the shadow dragon to carry about his business. Though he scoured the whole town, he could not catch a whiff of herbal remedies.

His claws curled around in the dirt, clenching out of frustration. Fia's shoulder had only started to look a bit better. Even so, her wound would not be able to heal entirely without proper medical treatment. However, the cauterized flesh looked less inflamed, and no odors developed. Viliant took all this as a promising sign that the herbs had helped.

As far as he was concerned, she needed those herbs. What should I do?

Viliant could plunder the shacks out of pure desperation, hoping to find something which the scent receptor at the top of his mouth already told him did not exist. Or he could give up. With a hefty sigh, he turned away with a dragging tail. Though Viliant's head was constantly mired with irascible thoughts, he was too cautious to risk anything.

Useless humans can't even keep their houses stocked with herbs…. I hope they all get sick and die. Viliant grumbled ill wishes to the entire town while he went off to find food.