The lapis lazuli beads clattered along the basin. Shaynen opened his eyes and nearly snatched the bracelet right back out. Inside the basin the beads melted into a glowing liquid that filled the basin half-way.
“Very potent,”
Shaynen gasped sharply at the item's disappearance.
“You said you’d give it back!” He yelled.
“And so I will, it is not gone. Only gone from the basin,” The dragon sat back, looking at the basin. Shaynen stared at them distrustfully. He glared into the water, his reflection was murky and held very little resemblance to him. One of his eyes itched, he rubbed it with the back of his knuckles but it burned. He covered his face and stumbled back.
“Do not rub at it, you could damage your sight.”
“What’s happening!” Shaynen’s mind screamed. The burning intensified. When he tried to open his eyes, all he saw was blinding white. He hit the back wall and slid into a ball. Pressing down on his burning eye and desperately trying not to rub it or scratch at it. He growled and pressed against the wall until his back hurt.
All at once the burning stopped, leaving half of his face tingling. Shaynen uncovered his eyes and blinked away the stars from his vision. Staring at the dragon accusingly.
“What was that?” He growled.
“My fulfillment of the compromise.” The dragon laid back down and looked at him. Shaynen crossed his legs and stared back.
“Now what?” He asked.
“That’s up to you, little one. What you do from this point is your choice.”
Shaynen looked around the single room. He rocked himself back and forth as he tried to think of what he should do next. The thought made him want to cry again. He hung his head.
“I don’t know. I just want to go away, as far away as possible.” Shaynen sniffed, rubbing the tears from his face.” I want to go far into forests. With trees and rain where it isn’t hot all the time.”
“Very well.” The dragon lifted their wings and brought them down, kicking up more of the starry dust. Shaynen closed his eyes as the mist swept over him. The stiff wind blew and took with it the static feeling that kept him completely numb. His body felt heavy again and goosebumps raised over his arms and legs. Shaynen opened his eyes. He sat back against a large tree in long dew-covered grass. All around him towered giant dark wood trees and large green bushes filled with flowers. It was cool as an early morning sun looked between the leaves.
Shaynen sniffled and wiped his nose. Using the tree behind him to push himself onto his feet. He looked up to the canopy high above. Unfamiliar bird sounds flew overhead, and the trees smelled like dirt and something sweet.
“Where am I?” Shaynen said. Finding his thoughts were staying safely in his head, the small happiness cut short by realizing he was talking to himself. “Hello? Where are you!”
“I am here, little one.” Shaynen heard the voice in his head. Between the trees the shape of the starry feathered dragon appeared. “There is no place you can go that I could not find you.” Shaynen sighed in relief, he rubbed his eye. Still feeling little itchy.
“Where are we?” He asked.
“You wished to be far away from anyone in the forest.” The dragon motioned to the surrounding forests. “So here you are.” Shaynen looked around thoughtfully.
“And I can do whatever I want?” He asked excitedly. The dragon nodded, Shaynen felt a little spark of adrenaline twitching his muscles.” You won’t-” Shaynen looked back to the dragon, but it was already gone. His excitement plummeted.
“I am still here, I have not left.”
Shaynen let out a tense breath and looked around for what to do next. He looked up at the tree he’d leaned on, with a smile he jumped and scaled up the tree in record time. Launching himself up the branches with remembered practice. He reached the tops of the trees and looked out at the endless sea of trees that met the horizon on every side. There truly was nothing but forest forever. It put Shaynen at ease in his soul.
He spent the rest of the daylight hours running through the moss covered forest floor, climbing every tree he saw, jumping through the branches. Enjoying the smell of moisture in the trees that signaled rain was coming. Despite the heavy weight holding his heart down, the familiar territory made him weightless. Heavy droplets fell from the sky and hit his already chilled skin. At first it was the most wonderful thing he’d ever felt. Refreshingly cold and a harsh shock to his system that was so used to hot, dry climates. Shaynen looked up, dropping his mouth open and sticking out his tongue to collect the rainwater. The sudden stop of rain caused Shaynen to open his eyes. Hovering overtop of him, was a large black feathered cloud. Following it to its base, Shaynen saw the large black dragon only partially corporeal.
“You will catch your death in the rain,” they said. Shaynen snickered.
“I was in the rain all the time back home.” Shaynen laughed, but the mention of a home made his throat choke. Pausing his cheer for a second like a sobering slap to the face.
“That was a different kind of rain,” The dragon sighed. They looked around and then back to Shaynen. “I am not familiar with what needs small things like you have. I rarely extend to anything without suitable life experience.”
“Small things? You mean children?” Shaynen snapped back to the conversation, he crossed his legs and sat down on the wet dirt.
“Is that what you are called? Yes, children.” The dragon nodded awkwardly.
“Really? I was always told that legendary things always appeared to children.” Shaynen picked the stray pine needles and dirt off his legs. “Y’know when a kid’s in trouble that’s when a fairy or a witch or a dragon or y’know something like that appears to save them. Isn’t that what happens?”
“Is that so?” They nodded, still staring off into space. “That is not something I’ve ever heard. I was told to never interfere in the lives of… children.”
“Why?”
“Possibly the youth of it. There is a stark difference between my life and yours. I will live long, long after your life has ended.” The dragon shook their wing and heavy water flew off of it. Shaynen rolled over onto his hands and knees and crawled into the dragon’s side. They recoiled at first but allowed him to lean up against them.
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“Isn’t that a good thing?” He asked.
“So you would think, but the younger the follower. The higher the chance they will transition to another deity or come to despise their childhood beliefs.” They rolled around so that their tail and neck circled around Shaynen. “Your little mind is very malleable. Any little shard of persuasion can wiggle its way in and fester. I do not claim to know or preach what deities and beliefs are better or worse than others. But I do know that without belief, without that faith, we meet our end.”
“So, you weren’t born? You were never a child?” Shaynen asked. Pulling his knees to his chest and bracing his arms against them. The dragon didn’t answer, their shifting moon eyes turning to full moons as they reflected. Shaynen watched a full cycle of the dragon’s eyes before losing interest and looking down at the dirt under his fingernails.
“What is it you call when you are not a child but not fully grown?”
“Adolescent?”
“Yes. That is what I am called.” They turned their triangular head and rested it over one of their thick legs.
“How can that be? My mom and dad said that you’re ancient.” Shaynen’s hand darted to his pocket where he’d stored his mother’s pendant. He fished it out and held it up. “Said that you were the being that was born with the astral realm itself. Out of the bones of the mother of all dragons.”
“Yes. Sort of.” The dragon looked away troubled. “It would not be wrong to say that. But you are aware of how skeletons work, yes?”
“Yes?” Shaynen agreed but was uncertain he knew where the conversation was going.
“It is the very barest form a creature can have. The beginning of a creature’s form, so to speak. Stories and legends are like that. Stripped of all its flesh to the barest connections. Which everyone whoever tells the story creates additional details to cover those connections. Think adding flesh to bones long after finding them within the grave.”
“Why would you dig up a grave?” Shaynen asked with a slight disgust.
“That is an excellent question, little one.” The dragon laughed. The fresh rain smell from their breath had changed to smell like sweet blooming spring flowers.
“Shaynen,”
“Beg pardon?”
“My name is Shaynen.”
“Ah. A very good name. It means ‘Star that Shines.” The dragon nodded.
“Does it?” Shaynen asked. “Did my mom and dad know that?”
“I do vaguely remember one of them spoke fluently, yes.”
“Which one?”
The dragon again thought reflectively.
“Which one was the aggressive leader with the sharp tongue?” They asked.
“I think that was my mother.”
“Then it was your mother.” The rain filled the silence, the chill crept along his skin and his clothes felt heavy. He shivered and huddled up around his knees. He drummed his fingers on his shins.
“Where were you,” he hesitated and his chest stalled. “When it all happened?” The dragon lifted their head to look at Shaynen.
“I am not all-knowing. I cannot know what is happening here in this realm until there is disaster or I am called upon.”
“Then you aren’t much good at keeping your pacts, are you?” Shaynen snapped bitterly. The dragon huffed a hot cloud of smoke at Shaynen.
“I’m here now, aren’t I?” They growled.
“A little rain never killed anyone,” Shaynen huffed. Huddling up tighter into a ball. “But those people-”
“Yes, I am aware of them,” The dragon growled. It drew in a breath and Shaynen’s head snapped around to see the glint of light between the starlit teeth. His eyes widened, and he flinched when they blew out a stream of fire. A small campfire now bloomed in front of him, the warmth of it chased the chill away.
“Do not recoil, I will not harm you.” They rested their head again with a last irritated sigh.
“Sorry,” Shaynen mumbled. Not sure what he was sorry for but sure he felt apologetic. They nodded and watched the flames. “I miss them.” Again they nodded. Shaynen watched their eyes, watching them circle through the cycles.
“Do you miss yours?”
The dragon shifted their head to look at him.
“Your family. Do you miss them?” He elaborated, crossing his legs as the fire kept him warm and the wing above him kept him dry. The feathers shifted as the dragon looked back into the distance.
“I do not have family,” they said. Shaynen shifted closer so that he could lean against them with his whole body.
“That’s so sad, I’m sorry.” He whispered. They looked back at him and then to the distance. They said nothing. Shaynen crab-walked closer, out from the shelter of the wings so that he could curl up closer to their head. The rain water followed the creases of their pointed face to make it look like they were silently crying. Shaynen rested his face against the feathers and reached his arms as far around as he could to hug them. They moved the wing to cover their head and Shaynen from the rain.
He watched the rain come down, listened to the pattering sound on the leaves. It was enough to make Shaynen want to fall asleep, but he wasn’t tired enough, so instead he watched the rain.
“Did you know you can make yarn from tree bark?” Shaynen asked. Trying to avoid the silence.
“I did not,”
Shaynen scratched his hair and explained in every little detail in stripping bark into thread that could be woven into a yarn, which then could be made into textiles. The dragon listened patiently. Humming in acknowledgment every so often. But once the explanation was over, they fell back into silence.
“This rain is taking forever,” Shaynen sighed. He felt his stomach rumble. “I’m hungry,”
“I am sorry to hear that,” the dragon said disinterestedly. Shaynen kept staring at them, waiting for more to be said. He looked out at the rain again disappointedly.
“Is there anything we can do about it?” Shaynen tried again.
“About what?”
“Oh.” Shaynen curled into a ball again. The sound of the rain let up and fewer raindrops made it through the tree leaves. “Can I go now?”
“Sure,” The dragon looked up through the trees, deeming the rain let up enough to let him venture off again. Shaynen stood up and tried to brush the mud off his pants but only smeared it around. He planted his dirty hands on his hips and looked around the forest. Thinking about where he was going to find something edible.
“Is there any- oh.” Shaynen turned to ask a question, but the dragon had vanished. Leaving no trace that they had ever been there. Not even ashes from the fire. Shaynen shrugged and started walking, trying to let out his inner Crina for any wisdom on where to look for food. He snatched a bunch of random leaves off promising looking bushes. He knew that just eating whatever he came across was dangerous, but when he had a large enough collection of leaves, he found a flat dry place to sit where he laid out his harvest. One by one, he tore off a small piece and sniffed it, tossing out the ones that smelled sour or offensive.
He picked the most promising looking leaf and slid it into the crook of his elbow and placed his hand on his side to keep it bent. With the next test in place he moved on to gently touch the ripped parts to his lips. One was itchy, so he tossed it. He stowed the rest into his pocket for later. Continuing on in his search for something to eat, he looked for anything that looked familiar to him.
When the daylight faded, another peal of thunder rumbled across the sky. Rain was coming again and Shaynen was getting hungry enough to forgo common sense. Shaynen forgot he was testing a leaf and grabbed a low branch on a tree, the leaf fell to the ground and he didn’t notice a thing. He climbed up the tree and found a little nook to hide in. The branches and leaves clustered in a way that they kept the weather off from above as the thunder traveled overhead and a few rogue raindrops fell. In the blink of an eye, the rain came pouring down. Shaynen pulled his mother’s pendant out of his pocket. Lost, confused, and still hungry. The snap of a branch and a low growl turned his head to the dark treetops.