Right when Viliant got comfortable threading his body through the spikes on Sage Rokirith's back, the elder dragon snapped, "Not you." A giant claw reached over his shoulder and snatched Viliant off.
"I'm coming with her!" he objected. Viliant would never let this unreliable stranger whisk Fia away; he would follow them across the continent on foot if he had to. Of course, he would rather not do that, so Viliant demanded, "You're taking me too."
"Indeed. Just you're too big for my back." Sage Rokirith fanned his wings out to the side and looked down at Viliant smugly. "Make sure you hold on tight because I'm not going to." With that, the sage leaped into the air with the adolescent dragon cupped loosely in his claws.
The ascent happened so fast, Viliant clamped his mouth shut to keep from hollering out of shock. His heartbeat thrummed away as they soared higher into the sky and entered a warm wind current. Watching the ground below the entire time, Viliant's slitted pupils constricted into tight lines. Even with the excellent, long-distance eyesight of the dragon species, Viliant could no longer make out the fine grit and cracks of the wasteland. If the sage dropped him from this height, his body would be mangled like the vultures killed by his shadow magic.
A foreboding tingle ebbed from the soles of his feet up to his shoulders. His limbs felt like rubber, but Viliant latched onto Sage Rokirith's claws anyway. The length of his tail entwined around one talon.
"Scared?" Sage Rokirith asked, his deep voice reverberating in humor.
"No! What kind of dragon is scared of heights?" Viliant scoffed.
"A smart one if he can't fly."
A tremble ran down his spine. Between his youthful size and dilapidated wings, Viliant was just that sort of shameful dragon. Previously, the closest that Viliant had ever gotten to flying was when Fia glided off the top of the coliseum and city walls with him. If his parents had ever taken him into the sky as a hatchling, he had no proper memory of it. I don't like this one bit, he thought, decidedly. Flying is overrated. I'm glad I can't fly.
The wind rushed against his scales and whistled against his eardrums. Instinctively, he flexed some muscles on the side of his head to protect his ear canals. Already, he knew to close the translucent film of his second eyelid but he closed his primary one as well. Like this, he neither had to look at the ground nor regard the dragon carrying him. Is this what it would feel like to fly? With his eyes closed blissfully, Viliant could not resist the temptation to extend his wings and savor the breeze above and below them.
However, the unused flight muscles were not strong enough to keep his wings spread wide. Viliant's wings folded and whipped back against his sides. The young dragon hung his head and ignored Sage Rokirith's jeers.
The terrain grew rockier, steeper, and too perilous for any creatures which still traveled on the ground. The mountains rose along with the dragon's flight path. Sage Rokirith beat his wings and climbed higher, so that he could soar above the lofty peaks. As they flew to the other side of the mountain range, some foggy clouds drifted all around them. The haze made it difficult to see the new landscape on the other side of the mountains, but Viliant's eye reflected the greenery. The humidity in the air made every single breath that he took feel thick in his lungs.
"Welcome to the Malakow Jungle." After a long journey, Sage Rokirith finally began his descent following a river which originated from the mountain. The dense, leafy canopy of the trees prevented the large dragon from landing anywhere else. His forelegs tucked close to his chest as he skimmed over the water with Viliant in his claws.
Drops of water sparkled across the streaming surface. If he felt so inclined, Viliant could lower a single claw or flick out the tip of his tail to touch water. However, he was certain that he did not regard the experience with the same wonderment as Fia would if she were awake. He fully accepted the grisly reality in which they lived, so it came to no surprise when Sage Rokirith hovered over the bank and dropped Viliant into the mud.
"My bad. My claw slipped. Sorry about that," the sage said without a hint of apology in his voice. Without looking back, he ventured into the trees with his wings folded primly against his back. "My wingspan is too great to fly through the trees, so we'll have to walk from here," Sage Rokirith said.
In response, Viliant gave a sputtering sound as he spit the mud off his tongue. Before following the sage, he turned the other way and dunked his head in the water. Viliant came back up and shook the water off his scales, freshly washed of mud. That's better.
"Hurry up, or you'll fall behind," Sage Rokirith called. Against the teasing tone of his voice, he did leave Viliant alone on the bankside.
"I'm coming." Viliant loped to catch up with Sage Rokirith who had already disappeared through the gloomy trees.
A constant racket of insects assaulted his senses. Viliant strained his ears to drown this out and listen to the footfalls or vocal calls of more notable wildlife. Though the vibrant jungle had plentiful water and food unlike the wasteland, he expected more dangerous, exotic creatures to reside here. At least it's dark down here, Viliant thought as he tread carefully across the forest floor. Darkness was always a boon to his magical prowess, but he hoped the presence of an adult dragon would ward off any threats.
The grand, gray dragon led the way. Viliant followed like a shadow, staying close to the tip of his tail. His worried eyes looked up to Sage Rokirith's back where the pink dragoness rested her head.
"How much farther?" Viliant tried to ask.
Sage Rokirith abruptly froze in place. "Shh. Do you hear that?"
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Viliant nearly tripped as he came to a standstill. Though he listened closely, his senses could perceive nothing out of the ordinary in the strange environment. What is it? His pulse elevated, awaiting instruction from the sage. If danger was near, he would obey Sage Rokirith's command as readily as he had expected Fia to listen to him.
Finally, Sage Rokirith whispered, "It's the sound of a child whining." In a loud, nasally voice, he cried, "Are we there yet?"
"I do not sound like that…!" Viliant spat back. He had only bothered to ask out of concern for Fia. A soft grumble caught in his throat as he stalked after the sage.
The dragons winded through the staunch tree trunks until Sage Rokirith halted at one which he seemed to recognize. The trunk had scores of scratches delivered by dragon claws. As if to knock, he thwacked the thick of his tail against the tree a couple times. "Diwa!" he called. "You home?"
A creak came from somewhere higher up in the tree.
Viliant had seen a rare few trees in his life before his recent escape with Fia. Even the smallest tree in the Malakow Jungle dwarfed the biggest oaks in the Kingdom of Syene. His awe at the tropical trees led him to ponder if there was more to the trees than met the eye. "Are the trees here… conscious?"
"No," Sage Rokirith said, "not most of them, at least."
But some of them are? Viliant thought, alarmed to hear a major fact referred to so casually.
A green blur suddenly fell from the tree. The creature landed on all fours like a cat, but after a moment, Viliant recognized her as a dragon unlike any he had ever seen before. She had a lithe form and little wings that looked like they could hardly support her weight for more than a short flight. Her horns were small stubs at the top of her head, even smaller than Fia's despite their difference in size. The new dragoness with verdant scales evenly straddled the size difference between Viliant and Sage Rokirith. Her eyes, emerald like his own, fluttered up to their guide. "Aw Roki, I swear you just left. What brings you back so soon?"
Roki? Viliant opined, reeling. Really? He could not imagine Sage Rokirith on friendly enough terms with anyone to go by such a demeaning name.
As expected, Sage Rokirith reacted with a lofty attitude. "The distance I've traveled is far greater than the time that I've been gone," he said with a cough—a thin veil for his boast. "I flew over the mountains and back."
"Did you miss me that much, Roki?" the green dragoness asked, ruffling her wings to plump them up on either side.
As he hid behind the sage, Viliant gave a silent gag. The nickname 'Roki' was as cringeworthy for Sage Rokirith as he found 'Vilie' for his own name. She definitely reminds me of Fia, Viliant determined.
"If I did miss you, Diwa," Sage Rokirith replied, "I would've remembered how annoying you are and stayed away."
"So, I'm unforgettable is what you're telling me."
As much as he wanted to scream at them to hurry up, Viliant contained himself. It would do no good to offend the dragon who might provide Fia with life-saving care.
"Speaking of forgettable…" Sage Rokirith said, using it as a transition and shooting a glare back to Viliant. "I almost forgot about my guests." He stepped aside so that Diwa could see Viliant face to face.
Out of habit of his distrust, he turned his head to one side. Viliant tried to soften the leer in his eyes.
Diwa gasped. Her tiny wings framed either side of her jaws, but they were not quite long enough to hide her joyous shock. "Tell me. Who is this shy, little dragon?"
No one reacts like that when they see me. Viliant adjusted himself uncomfortably, but in doing so, his wings stiffened in a dragon's blush. And I don't like it.
"Ignore that one," Sage Rokirith said to ruin the moment. "He doesn't matter."
"But of course he does!" A fleeting look of concern passed through Diwa's eyes for Viliant. The adult dragoness stepped closer, lowering her head but keeping her wide eyes trained on the sage. "You do care about children, don't you?"
"I have no idea what you mean," Sage Rokirith said gruffly. "I just needed to get these little hooligans off my land, and dumping them on you is the best way to ensure they don't come crawling back." The sage turned and crouched to reveal Fia on his back. "Not so much this one, though. She's not crawling anywhere, mostly dead."
A sudden outburst roared from Diwa, much fiercer than her size would suggest. "Rokirith! Why didn't you say something sooner?" Her attention immediately shifted to Fia. "Oh, you poor thing," she cooed. Diwa rose onto her hind legs and accepted the baby dragoness into tender claws. Once she had her, Diwa opted to stand on three legs so that she could cradle Fia in the crook of one leg. "I need to treat her immediately."
The green dragoness fluttered her wings and latched onto the bark of the tree. Rather than flying, she climbed her way up. And though she used her legs, her body slithered from side to side almost like a snake.
Before she got too far, Sage Rokirith called, "I'm leaving this other one here too. Be warned: he's a menace. I can take care of him if he gives you any problems."
Diwa released her short, hooked claws from the tree and landed immediately in front of Sage Rokirith's nose. While she held Fia close to the crest of scales on her chest, she spoke in Viliant's defense. "You will do no such thing! I won't let you scratch a single scale on his head." Her narrow snout stuck defiantly up to Sage Rokirith. Her pupils danced as if trying to discern whether or not his suggestion had been serious.
The sage let out a dull chortle. "Alright. I'll bring meat to help feed the mouths that I've brought you. Farewell, Diwa, till next time." Sage Rokirith glanced upwards, where he would have taken to the sky if not for the dense trees trapping him on the ground. He turned and walked back towards the river.
Viliant watched him go until he had disappeared among the trees. Left alone with the new stranger, Viliant turned back to Diwa. "Thank you. I appreciate your willingness to help us."
"It's no trouble, none at all!" Diwa insisted. "My nest is in this tree. Would you mind hanging onto my back? I'd be happy to take you up there."
"No," Viliant said at once, his ingrained reaction anytime he might want to depend on others.
"You sure?" she asked. "It's okay to accept help, you know. You're safe now."
A heavy sigh left his muzzle. Now that a sense of relief was sinking in, an ache enveloped his body down to the bones. Viliant felt as though he could pass out where he stood at the foot of the tree. His exhaustion had reached a breaking point long ago, but he could not allow himself to be lulled into a false sense of security. The rainforest could host any number of deadly creatures in the understory.
Since he was uncertain if Diwa could defend herself while carrying Fia in the event of an attack, Viliant had the duty to escort them up the tree. "I can climb," he muttered without looking up. His long claws were poorly adapted to the task, but he persisted and followed Diwa up to her home anyway.