"How do you know me?" She didn't really plan to ask it, the words just slipped out.

"Candy, we have to go," Odix transformed into his dragon form, but it was not what Candy expected. Instead of a fire-breathing, bat-winged lizard, Odix was now an elegant, furry blue griffin. It was all too overwhelming, Candy's head was starting to fill with air.

The griffin - Odix - made a chirpy sound somewhere between a chirp and a growl. She had a feeling that meant it was time to go. She leaned towards the stranger.

"You're going to be safe now, just hold on," she leaned back and let her muscles change. Instead of transforming, a fiery-hot pain ripped through every muscle in her body. She didn't realize she'd let out a scream until Odix was rushing over.

He looked her over, his giant eyes were wide. Then he grunted, pointing his talons at her leg. She looked down. Woah. I didn't realize it got so . . . bloody. The memory of the guards and their conversation popped into her head. Oh. they were looking at my blood. How she hadn't put two and two together until now was beyond her.

But now that her energy was fading, she did feel pretty light-headed. Then time slowed. Odix was leaping over to attack the swarm of guards emerging from the doors, and one was already firing. The gun was aimed right at her.

Candy squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the impact of the bullet, but it never came. She opened her eyes, but her view was blocked. Sound - which she didn't realize had left - flooded her head again. The body in front of her crumpled to the ground. It was the boy.

She caught him as he fell, cradling him in her arms. She really, really, really hoped she hadn't already guessed what had happened. She watched in horror as a dark red circle of blood soaked his shirt in his stomach.

"No no no no no. Oh no, why did-"

She couldn't really speak so she stopped trying. Her head filled with worry. "Please, don't die! Please," she begged, pressing her hand against his stomach, encouraging a yelp.

"Why would you do that!?" she shouted weakly.

"Candy," he was out of breath and even those were shallow. "It's me, it's Th- it's Thunderclap."

Her heart had been broken before, but now it was both melting and shattering. Suddenly, they were picked up off the ground and carried into the air. It took a moment for her to realize it was Scorpian. She roared something, but Candy couldn't tell what.

Scorpian flapped to the ground in a hurry, carefully but quickly setting her cargo on the ground in front of Enders' shop. The crowd around looked over, surprised, but no one dared ask or come close. Scorpian roared, thumping the building with her tail.

Enders, Silver, and Night were out in a flash, surrounding Candy and Thunderclap. Silver and Enders took him inside, while Night helped Candy to her feet. She whimpered as her leg made contact with the pavement, drawing his attention toward it.

"Wait, what about Odix?" she looked up to Scorpian, who had her head pointed to the sky. She took one look at Candy and leaped into the air.

"Here," Night pulled her arm around his neck and picked her off the ground. He carried her into the building, through a couple of doorways, and up a flight of stairs before setting her gently down on a bed. She subconsciously noticed it was his own bed, and that her leg was bleeding all over it.

He carefully unwrapped the blood-soaked coat and threw it to the side. Despite his trying to hide it, she noticed him wince.

"What did you do?" his voice was soft but firm. Candy glanced at her leg, and quickly looked away, swearing to herself never to see the sight again.

"I'll be right back, okay?" he hurried to the door, then stopped himself and shot her a nervous but saucy grin. "Don't go anywhere."

Then he was gone. Candy leaned her head back, staring up at the ceiling. Her head felt lighter by the minute and her body was starting to lift off the bed. Feeling in her leg jerked her attention to it. Had she dozed off? It hadn't felt like a long time, but something told her it had been.

Night, Silver, and Enders were all crowded around her bed, mostly her leg, staring down at it and whispering to each other. Night glanced at her and noticed she was awake. He winced.

"You probably shouldn't have woken up."

"Well, excuse me, I-" Enders touch her leg, even that made her want to rip it off.

"Candy, listen, we have to reset your bones, you made it much worse by all that running and fighting so . . . take a deep breath," Enders held his hand out, palm facing up as Silver placed something in it. Her head was spinning.

"Wai-" then she blacked out.

* * *

Candy had dreams of her old life, her parents' murder, her missing friends, and griffins. Then she finally, slowly, awoke. She was still on Night's bed, and he was sleeping on the couch across the room. She looked down at her leg. The bedsheets had been changed and a new pair set under her along with a heavy cast around her leg. Where Enders got the materials or even knew how to make it was beyond her.

She sat for a moment, letting everything sink in, then sat up.

I need to see Thunderclap, she carefully pulled her legs off the bed and set them on the floor. The cast started below her right knee and wrapped around her foot. Something in her leg felt off, but she was sure it was just the broken bones and gripped the wooden headboard.

With a few strangled grunts and heavy breaths, she pulled herself to her feet (more like to one foot). Even though she wasn't putting any weight on it, her leg still ached and hurt like the dickens. But she was too curious and worried about Thunderclap to stop herself.

She kept an eye on Night as she slowly made it to the doorway. Wait . . . she stopped, taking a breath, then waddled over to him. She gently tapped his shoulder. When that didn't work, she gently shook him, waking him with a sharp intake of air.

"Oh . . . hi," he quickly sat up. "Do . . . you need help?"

"I want to see Thunderclap, and I was hoping-"

"Thunderclap? What do you mean- is he here?"

She explained what happened as he stood all the way and pulled her arm around his neck. His hair was tossed around from sleep, and the sight kind of made her want to laugh. His eyes were as wide as the could go after waking up as he helped her to the door. Every step made her want to ball her eyes out, but she swallowed the painful lump in her throat. She glanced at (sort of up to) Night, who was intently staring at her.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Uh, Night?"

"Here," he tightened his grip around her waist and pulled her up, supporting her legs with his other arm. "I have a feeling there's something about your leg that you're not telling me."

She felt tired just from walking around the room, so she didn't have any sassy comeback. This time.

He took her down the hall where the door was cracked open. He nudged it all the way open with his shoulder and carried her in. There were people in the room - Enders and a stranger. He was slightly younger than Enders and stood a head shorter, but he was much more muscular. They were standing at the end of a bed, quietly chatting together. Night cleared his throat as he stepped in.

They both turned around in surprise.

"Oh, I'm glad to see you're awake. This here is Dr. Ouial. He helped me with your leg, Candy," Enders spread his hands, welcoming them farther into the room. Night gently set her down on a chair next to the far end of the bed. The boy there was asleep, it looked peaceful, but he was pale and sweaty. His golden-brown hair stuck to his forehead.

"So far," Dr. Ouial spoke this time, and his voice was much deeper than Candy thought, "we haven't been able to wake him up and get a name-"

"Thunderclap. He's a friend of mine," she added so that they'd look away. She noticed the doctor's confusion at the strange name. For a dragon, the name was perfect, cool, even. But for a person? It just seemed unusual.

"You look a good deal better," the doctor smiled, creasing the corners of his eyes in a friendly and warm way.

"Thank you . . . for helping with my leg and everything," she gave him a small smile. He turned back to Enders and muttered something. Enders jerked his head in Candy's direction. His expression read guilt and . . . fear?

The doctor shook his hand. "Tell me if you need anything. You know where to find me."

"Thank you, Tinial," Enders said sincerely as he shook the man's hand with both of his own hands. Dr. Ouial smiled and nodded to Candy and Night, then he was gone.

"Enders . . . what did he tell you."

"That if I need anything-"

"Enders," she said flatly. He sighed, sitting at the edge of Thunderclap's bed.

"I didn't want to tell you now, or ever, and I didn't want to be the one to tell you but . . ." his eyes darted to her leg, encouraging her to follow his solemn gaze.

"Please just tell me. You know I won't shout at you," she put as much pleading in her voice as she could muster. He sighed again, his shoulders slumping.

"I'm afraid you messed up your leg pretty bad. There was only one way to help it so . . . it's probably not permanent . . ."

"Enders," Night broke in. She could hear the frustration in his voice. Night wanted to know as badly as Candy.

"Your leg . . . there's a metal bar inside."

Candy tried to swallow her panic. "What?" Night tensed beside her. He was squatting on the ground next to her chair, but now he stood.

"I'm sorry Candy. But . . . do you know what this means?"

She could guess but asked anyway. "I don't."

"You can't transform. That's why you couldn't on the roof. Because as a shifter, your bones, muscles - everything changes into something new. If one of those bones are broken . . . the metal is going to make it even harder. Actually impossible," it seemed the old man couldn't stop talking once he'd started. His eyes fell to his lap.

"It was the only way," he mumbled it more to himself than to her. She sort of wanted to be angry, but he looked and sounded so heartbroken - like he'd gone through something similar before - that she couldn't.

"It's okay," she gave him a tiny smile. His head shot up. The surprise and hope on his face made her smile grow - just a bit.

"What?"

"I said it's okay - I understand," she said softly. The room fell quiet.

"I - the - I'm going to check on the others and make some tea," he stood quickly and shot her another shocked expression-smile hybrid before disappearing behind the door.

"You just . . . forgave him? Candy, you don't know if you'll ever be able to shift again and you just . . ."

She pulled in a deep breath before slowly releasing it. "Yeah."

A sound from Thunderclap startled them and drew their attention to him. His sparkling blue eyes were fluttering open. Candy leaned near to him, instinctively setting her hand on his shoulder. That's what she would want if she was in his place. A familiar face.

"It's okay, it's okay. Thunderclap, you're safe."

He sat up, more sweaty than before. His breathing picked up. "Take a deep breath, Thunder, you're okay."

She kept her hand on his shoulder, staring him dead in the eye to try and get him to understand (secretly also because she couldn't look away from his super cool, beautiful, icy blue eyes). He calmed down a little as she scooted onto his bedside.

"Look, Night's here too. We're all here," she gestured to her friend, who was peering around her shoulder.

"Dude, I didn't know you were a dragon shifter," he sounded pretty shook.

Tears welled in Thunder's eyes.

"Hey, it's okay. It's alright. What's wrong?" Candy wished she could magically make him feel better. A small sound in his deepening breathing told her he was going to cry but was trying to hold it back. She pulled him close, wrapping her arms around him. Was this really her long lost friend? He didn't look, talk, and definitely didn't act like the Thunderclap she knew. It worried her.

He just rested his head against her shoulder and his body heaved with every sob. He felt so frail under her she thought he might break. 

Finally, his breathing slowed and he relaxed.

"Do . . . can you tell us what happened?" Night sat down on the chair Candy had been in. When she shifted to get comfortable, she noticed him tense out of the corner of her eye.

Thunder pulled in a deep breath, harshly wiping tears away. "Yeah, I can."

"I should start by saying, I'm not a dragon shifter. I never was," she heard his voice break at the end, but he tried to cover it by clearing his throat. 

"Then how-" Candy shot Night a glance and he closed his mouth like a fish.

"I was born a dragon," he didn't notice Candy and Night's silent conversation, "and I was fully just dragon. Nothing else."

"Well a snob, maybe but go on," Night smiled playfully, encouraging a smile from their friend. It was like the room got a billion times brighter when Thunder smiled. Then it faded and the clouds came back, casting a shadow over his face.

"Ho did you know who I was, Thunder? I mean, you'd never seen me as a human."

"I don't really know. The moment I saw you I just had this - this feeling. Anyway, that night, when we were in Nigintia, traveling to the mountains, I was walking behind everyone else because you guys walk so fast when out of nowhere this giant bug flew right into my face. I was held back, but it was long enough for you all to disappear. Now don't get me wrong, I don't blame you. I would've done the same . . . I know I was a bit of a snob . . ."

Night snorted, a cover-up for a laugh, so Candy kicked him gently in the leg. It just so happened it was her right leg. She winced, tensing as the pain eased.

"Are you okay?" Thunder didn't search her face for answers like Night did, his eyes darted over her. 

"Yeah, I just hit my leg a little. What were you saying?"

He eyed Night for answers before turning back to her with a heavy sigh.

"Anyway, these guys came out of nowhere, all dressed in black. I couldn't tell what was going on and was about to scream for help, but then the world tunneled and I passed out. Next thing I know I'm laying in a weird-smelling white room with nothing but a little blanket. After waiting way too long, these people finally showed up. But they weren't helping me - not in the least. Just the opposite.

"They took me back to a different room, and looked under my wing to see if I was a dragon shifter, I guess. When they finished, they squeaked things to each other - none of which I could understand - and I thought they'd let me go after seeing they'd gotten the wrong one. But . . ."

His eyes grew misty and his gaze fell to his ribs. Right where the 'special mark' was, supposedly. 

"Can I see?" She leaned closer, earning another tense-up from Night through her peripheral vision. Thunder reluctantly pulled his shirt away so she could see his ribs. She couldn't squash the little gasp that escaped. 

Nasty new and old scars were slashed across the spot, with a plethora of multi-colored bruises. "It's not supposed to look like that I'm guessing?"

"If that was a joke . . ." she trailed off. She looked over to Night, for some reason, who was eyeing both of them nervously. Finally, he let out a strangely defeated sigh and stood. 

"Look," he was wearing his new favorite shirt; the neckline was close to his throat, and it was an all grey t-shirt with rolled sleeves. He pulled it up, surprising Candy and making her sweat. Her eyes immediately went to his noticeable six-pack, but then she noticed what he was showing them. 

Near his armpit, the same color as a dark birthmark, there was the shape she'd seen so many times on herself; it looked like a checkmark had been tipped over to the right slightly, and where the two lines met and made an angle, there was a paintbrush stroke. It wasn't even as long as the short side of the "checkmark". Then at the top, near the short line, there was a dot.

She looked back and forth between Thunder's slashes and Night's perfect birthmark. She noticed a barely, barely visible shape in all his scars, one that vaguely resembled the birthmark. She sighed. 

"Candy . . . they turned me into a shifter, and I'm guessing I'm not the first."

"Or the last," Night added. It was funny in a sad way. Candy had possibly just lost her ability to shift forever, and Thunder had - very painfully and wrongly - gained it. She couldn't be mad at him though - she didn't let herself. It wasn't his fault.

"There's one more thing . . ."

They both looked over.

"They told me my name was really actually Kade."