Clay left the shore to lie down in the same mud puddle Gretel had first met him in. Veils slid over his blue eyes, then he sank all the way into it, head and all. Her heart skipped a beat with worry when he didn’t resurface; her first instinct was to save him from drowning, but the wind type hatchling only then registered the conversation he’d had with his grandkids a little while ago: water dragons could hold their breath for hours.
He’s fine, Gretel soothed herself, then shifted on her perch, only to realize she was still holding the duck she had hunted for Efron. Oh, I forgot I had it! She moved the existing air beneath the willow tree upward to slow her descent as she let herself drop from its branch. With an aileron roll on the way down to shake the rainwater off of her–giggling from the fun of it and because she was glad to be dried from the motion–the little wyvern landed lightly in the long grass and cheerfully skipped back to Wren’s grotto.
“I'm back!” Gretel announced as she trotted through the shrubs at the entrance without missing a beat.
The medic reactively jolted from her sudden appearance; the crackling sound of electricity scared the striped juvenile even before it caused the older dragoness’s long reddish mane to clump into sharp, quill-like spikes making her appear as a larger threat. Her matching-colored eyes were almost feral, trained on Gretel the instant the latter had entered.
Gretel immediately suppressed her survival instincts that were kicking in; Efron was right behind the electric type, seeming just as alarmed by the medic’s newfound hostility as his friend was.
Wren blinked and immediately drew in a breath to calm herself, the crackling sound ebbing as her fur and mane fell back to their usual softness and she sat, wrapping her arms and very long tail around herself. “...Sorry about that,” she sighed after catching her breath. “You scared me.”
Geez! Clay wasn't kidding when he said she was skittish, Gretel silently remarked. I wouldn't want to see what happens if I upset an electric type who isn't friendly like her… “It's okay; I guess I should have gotten permission to come in like Clay did…”
Wren laughed slightly. “That’d help, thanks.”
“See, you just learned another unspoken social rule,” Efron spoke up proudly as if to lighten the mood.
“Huh? What rule?” Gretel asked.
“You learned to copy Clay’s way of entering, so you wouldn't upset Wren,” he pointed out.
“Oh.” I still don't think there's anything wrong with how I entered, though… I like Clay enough, but I don't know anything about Wren. I just want to stay on her good side so she doesn't kill me otherwise.
“Really, I apologize,” Wren said again, her genuine regret more audible now that she was calm. “I should've warned you before you left that I scare easily. I just thought Clay would return with you, since the two of you left together. I wasn't prepared this time, that's all.”
Seeing the adult’s fur flattened now made Gretel aware of just how small electric dragons were, even as adults. Upright, Wren was only three-and-a-half feet tall, which was six inches taller than Efron–who was big for his age–and the same distance shorter than Gavin.
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“He-e-ey, don't beat yourself up,” Gretel chuckled in an attempt to ease the tension. She almost felt guilty for being frightened by Wren; the latter had only reacted that way out of fear of Gretel. I'm still young, but wind dragons do grow up to be as big as Clay, and I've already proven myself able to take down revealers like Kendra, even if she wasn't fully grown. I'm so used to being potential prey at my age, that I forgot wind dragons are also predators…
“What's that?” Efron asked, pointing a clawed finger at the duck she brought.
“Oh! It's your breakfast. Well, I should say ‘lunch,’ since it's almost afternoon.” Gretel brought it over to him on paws so lightweight that they hardly made a sound even though she wasn't using any abilities. She sat beside him.
“Didn’t it only just stop raining?” he asked, concerned. “I thought you were bringing the fish Clay hunted for me this morning… I didn't mean to make you go out to find prey during a downpour like that–”
“It's okay! It didn't rain until I was on my back from hunting it.”
“Really? Then where were you while it was raining all this time?”
Gretel could tell he was more-so asking if she found a shelter from the rain, but when she was about to explain how she'd hidden in the willow tree to watch Clay’s family visit, she stopped herself, once again reminded of the latter’s conversation. She reflected on it for a moment. “Hey, Wren… Do you know anything about shadow dragons?”
The violet revealer tilted his head, confused by the sudden change of topic, but ultimately followed her gaze to the medic as if wanting to know the answer as well.
“Yes, and no,” Wren replied. The tufted tip of her tail twitched slightly.
“Uh…” Gretel wanted to ask what she meant, but also didn't want to risk upsetting her again.
“Yes, I know about them,” she elaborated, “but, no: I can't tell you if there are any around.”
“Uhhhh…” Gretel was even more confused by that vague explanation.
Wren sighed. “I wouldn't worry too much about them, honestly. They're even smaller than we electric dragons are, unless they happen to be an alterant or an elite, neither of which are very common. Your average shadow dragons will likely stay in hiding or camouflaged out of our sights to avoid being hunted, if they do live around here.”
“Oh.” Now we're getting somewhere. “What are alterants?”
“Shadow dragons who specialize in altering their base bodies. Some can even double their size, or give themselves wings to fly, or even gills to breathe underwater.” The medic’s voice lowered at that last part.
Gretel hesitated. Was it an alterant who killed Clay's mate…?
Efron glanced between them, even more puzzled by their sudden somberness. But when his stomach audibly growled, he couldn't help but begin eating the duck.
Wren purposefully cleared her throat. “Anyway, your friend seems to have already recovered a lot, given the extent of his injury,” she told the wind type, gesturing to the revealer’s bruised neck. To Efron, she added, “I don't think there's anything to worry about. Just make sure you use those sharp fangs of yours to chew your food all the way before swallowing, okay? The swelling right now could cause you to choke if you don't.”
He nodded. “Thanks. Can I finish eating before we leave?”
“Yeah, I don't care. But if another patient stops by for me before then, I'd expect you both not to be in the way of that.”
“Do you get patients often?” Gretel wondered.
“Only as often as others get hurt to the extent your friend was. Clay might bring others over, though, like he had back when he found the revealer hatchling last month.”
“Wait–Clay is the one who found her?” Then how did she end up with Gavin?
“Yeah. Unlike most of us here on this island, he actually doesn't prey on small or injured dragons. He brings them to me and begs me to help them. It got to the point where he even asked me to teach him some basic medical stuff so he could help them if I wasn't there.”
“Medical stuff?” Clay told me resuscitation was common knowledge for water types.
“Yeah. Like how blood-loss can cause more than just death, even if the patient survives it. I also told him what cauterizing was, and about some of the herbs he helps me forage for.”
Wow. So me and Efron aren't the only ones Clay saved.