With horror, the words of her friend's cousin rushed to the forefront of her mind:
“His mother never really stopped treating Galen like prey with her reveals. To his credit, Galen did tolerate it with his conceals for a very long time–until he finally reached a breaking point and willingly revealed just how he felt about her. That really made her angry… She wasn't used to anyone standing up to her. At that moment she reclaimed his name and… retaliated. Hurt him pretty bad. Probably would have killed him if Gramps hadn't taken him away.”
A sense of unease surged through Gretel’s body. So it wasn't just his mother who would get physically violent when defied by their kin…? That's something all revealers do?!
She fought the urge to call Efron back, to beg him to tell her this wasn't true–that his scar had been obtained by some irrelevant accident. But there was no mistaking that subtle wince indicating that he related it to his own perceived failure of living up to their expectations.
I've spent my entire life searching for a retreat where I wouldn't risk getting attacked… Yet the place revealers call home is where they get attacked by their own kin…?! She shook her head fiercely. I can't let him go back to a revealer society… I can't let him go anywhere that he'll get hurt or killed!
Gretel paced within the foxhole. What should I say about the revealer island? Where else can I bring him once he's able to fly? Would he be okay without me afterward?
Her tail lashed as an outlet for her anxiety. As she considered all the nearest places she's been to, her mind flashed back to the light dragon’s unexpected heat ray that would have burnt a hole clean through her wing had she been any later dodging it, and her heart skipped a beat before racing as the terror she'd felt back then presently overwhelmed her.
No place is safe… For either of us. Even light dragons–who are supposed to be healers–won't hesitate to maim strangers… The wind-type hatchling felt herself trembling and she halfway-sat, halfway collapsed under her own weight, trying unsuccessfully to catch her breath.
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No! I can't let doubts consume me…! I'll find a safe retreat just for me and Efron, Gretel thought decisively. But that internal assurance was extremely outweighed by the external symptoms those doubts had triggered. She still felt too constricted to breathe, too weak to stand, and that feeling of unease was enough to drag her hope back down into the depths of helplessness. But what if I never find a retreat of my own…?
Gretel let her front paws slide forward until she was somewhere between crouching and lying down, feeling lightheaded as she wasn't getting enough oxygen. Why can't I breathe…? Am I dying…?
Almost as if in answer, her vision clouded as her head pounded. The world went dark.
Gretel caught the scent of a rabbit before she realized she was awake. The tiny wyvern opened her eyes to see one freshly killed on the ground beside her, then glanced up at her friend, who seemed to be daydreaming again as he rested against the inner walls of the foxhole gazing absently outside.
She was about to call to him, but her stomach growled again despite her lost appetite. Everything felt kind of surreal. She was physically hungry but the thought of eating at this moment made her feel sick. Instead she took a deep breath–grateful that she could–and then curled up and tried to get her thoughts in order. Unfortunately she couldn't focus on anything, almost drawing blanks anytime she managed to pin down any single thought. Eventually she gave up and just shut her eyes again until she dozed.
“Are you okay?” Efron’s voice faded in. “I brought food.”
“...Huh?” was all Gretel managed to say, once again realizing she was awake. “Oh. Thanks.”
That pang of hunger was stronger than ever, and by this point she was starting to feel back to normal. So the little wyvern went ahead and took a small bite. Her hot pink eyes shone. “Mmm! I don't think I've ever tried a rabbit before. This is good!”
Efron chuckled with amusement at her enthusiasm, watching her chow down. “It was fast. Took me a while to catch it.”
“You did great,” she praised him between mouthfuls.
He beamed from her approval.
She swallowed and licked the scraps off her muzzle. “Aren’tcha gonna eat too?”
"Hm? Oh, uh, I'll eat whatever's leftover. Consider this a ‘thank you’ present for helping me so much.”
“Aw, thanks! Well, I'm full now,” she lied, “so you can have the rest.”
Efron blinked. “Are you sure?”
“Yep!”
“Alright.” He picked the remains of it up in his clawed hands and began eating his share.
Gretel looked outside to see that dawn was nearing. For once she didn't feel deterred by her instincts to leave. I guess it doesn't matter where I am… Efron will keep me safe.