A vivid light radiates outside the cavern door. I have to shield my eyes against it, blinking through watering eyelids as it pierces my retinas after the darkness of the cavern system. At last, when my eyes adjust, I find the sun shimmering upon a small valley.

I blink, then blink again, rubbing my eyes with my paws to be sure my eyes aren't deceiving me. We are on a plateau hidden within the mountain. Winding trails lead down to a valley blanketed with green vegetation and healthy trees, plus a winding, clear blue stream stretching lazily across the near-center of the valley. Above the valley, the mountains stretch and peak sharply into the sky in a slight oval, some reaching into the clouds above us, the white puffiness hiding the tallest peaks from view.

But what is most surprising? The temperature. We are currently in a deep winter, as the other side of the cave system can attest to. Snow coats the ground and free-flowing streams have pockets of ice… but here? It’s almost warm, as if we’d stepped into a nippy spring day.

There are people in bedraggled clothing racing up the incline toward us. The panthers who came with me disappear behind trees; they reappear almost instantly, walking on two legs.

“Imperial!” a booming cry comes from a grizzled man almost as big as a bear. He races up a trail to the left with the speed and grace of a mountain goat.

“Brendan? Brendan!” the Imperial says as he meets the man as he tops the incline. They clash with a bear hug that would knock me out. The Imperial… this is the first time I have seen a smile so big parts his beard and a carefree laugh booms from his throat. “I thought—we all thought—I can't believe... you were dead,” the Imperial chokes out.

“My death was exaggerated.” The man grins, and it splits his deep amber beard enough to see white teeth. “This great beast here saved us.” He gestures to She-Dragon.

Others make their way up the incline behind Brendan. They meet with those who came with me, tears of joy on the faces of many as they find loved ones again, alive and well, when all hope was once lost.

“If not for her, the other beast would have killed us all one by one,” Brendan says, his grin parting a beard bushier than the Imperial's.

“The other is dead,” the Imperial says with a meaty thwack of his fist hitting his other palm.

A shocked silence covers the whole plateau.

It lasts for all of a second before the people around me break into loud war cries. They embrace each other and shout, celebrating.

“He is? We’re free!”

"We can go home."

“Hoorah!"

My dragon sits majestically, watching all with a slight up-tilt of her jaw. I realize she’s smiling. But her joy is tempered by the grief of her mate, the horror he had caused.

Her anguish comes through the bond, almost becoming a part of me. She doesn’t know how she will raise these little ones on her own. That is part of the reason she never fought him, having nowhere else to turn and no one to support her and her little ones.

But the way he played with thinking beings... it set her off. And am I glad it did, for it brought us here.

Within my heart I find the words: I find the image. I send it to the Imperial, and his nod with a smile parting his beard is all I need.

I push an idea to She-Dragon, showing her the panthers assisting her in finding sustenance for the mini versions of her. I show Werecats watching over her offspring as she goes on hunts and flights. And last, I show her babies years in the future; flying in the sky with large cats running along the ground, chasing their shadows and encouraging them on.

She tips her wing, allowing me and her dragonlings to slide off smoothly. When my feet touch the sun-warmed ground, she touches her nose to mine and sends gratitude so full it almost drops me to my knees. I lick her nose.

She bows her head before me, going down gracefully upon one knee.

Shocked beyond words, I stand as a statue made of stone instead of flesh and bone. I don’t know what to do as each of her younglings follows her lead; then the Were at my back follow their lead.

If they had surrounded and attack me, I'd be less dumbfounded.

I spin wildly, still in wolf form, incapable of forming a coherent thought, much less muster the focus needed to change forms.

The dragons rise—starting with She-Dragon who has a sparkle in her eye, as if perceiving just how completely she flipped my world on its head.

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The Imperial rises first of the Were, just after the dragons. He comes over and sets a hand on my back, looking out to the bowing throng before me with pride.

“I believe the dragons realize what I have noted all along. You, my friend, are a True Alpha who leads—not with power—but with heart. Who cares for his subjects, who works with his people for the good of all. You will lead us to a bright future, Alpha Vistrue Imperium. A bright future indeed,” he says, knowing eyes meeting mine with a wisdom and deep, bittersweet hope I'm unsure I can grasp.

Cheers abound as the Were take turns patting me on the back. I don’t know how to take all this.

It’s too much. My wolf wants to attack those who come in, and I can't help my flinching even in this form as the people come with smiles and booming laughter. It grates on my nerves and stands at odds with my instincts. My ears swivel constantly, trying to keep every motion, every hand, in sight—just in case.

Flash hovers as if he were a guard, watching me and the surrounding folks, but not interfering with their gratitude.

I ignore him as best as I'm able, but I accidentally catch his gaze when one woman gets a little too enthusiastic and tries to hug me. One glance at my eyes, and he immediately sends the cats left in the vicinity on tasks. I don't know what he saw, but it put the cat into speedy action with his easy smile absent as he sends the Were away.

I nod to his understanding eyes, knowing that despite his bantering, in his own way he looks out for me like I'm a younger brother. Which is humorous, considering I'm likely older than him.

“Pants?” I ask the Imperial.

He nods knowingly and waves Flash over. They both locate something in a pack, then Flash trots back to me.

“Let’s go,” he says.

I hesitate as Flash walks towards the cavern we emerged from.

I don’t wish anyone to see the weakness that will be my next shift. I can’t let anyone see. With a few limping steps, I grasp the pants in my fangs and ease them from Flash.

I gesture for him to stay.

“As Your Highness commands.” He bows deeply, a smirk tilting his lips and tightening his eyes.

I roll my eyes with a huff. He hides a grin behind a cough.

“Take care, Alpha.” He salutes as he turns and walks off. I stare at his back for a moment. I don’t get that cat.

I turn and stumble to the cavern entrance, the pants too long and tripping up my paws. I can't imagine the sight I must be to the Were, the great and mighty Alpha Vistrue Imperium toddling around like a pup with a big toy.

But it's worth it, for around the first bend allows the privacy I desperately need.

I study the walls a moment, eventually realizing where the golden glow is coming from; pinpricks in the rock allows the sunlight through, making it appear as if the walls themselves are alight. We were moving quickly, much quicker than I thought, which makes me understand why the walls seemed to have a heartbeat earlier.

Just She-Dragon's ambling walk is as quick as my jog. And that made the walls seem to pulse.

I turn my focus inward and force the shift. It takes everything I am not to howl from the pain. I get stuck. Mid-shift, I get stuck. Panic blossoms in my mind and my limbs tremble as half my body is man with fur covering and my mouth is still elongated into the wolf. It’s a bit like when I’m the half-man abomination, but without the control of my limbs and everything is awkward and painful instead of powerful.

This has not occurred since I could command the shift at will. I take a deep breath and force myself past the fear strangling my breath. I think of the feel as a human and how colors show much brighter and more vivid than as a wolf. I think of the hug of my birth mother; the warmth of her kiss on my cheek. Her smell of chamomile, lavender, and sunlight. How I miss her.

At last, my wolf recedes, and the transfer leaves me panting on the floor. I stick the pants on, and then allow a small moment for my body and mind to relax—which is... horrible.

Without hardening myself against the pain of my soul, it brings memory. It brings the worry of what could have been, especially if one thing had gone even slightly array. Almost a hundred Were would've died, all on my head. It brings shock of what I have endured and not allowed myself to feel.

But that's almost the least of it all. I have found people. Good, kind people I thought didn't exist. And they were almost killed when I led them into battle... and yet, they bowed to me.

Even as an assassin prepared for many contingencies and with backup plan upon backup plan, I wasn’t trained for this. Battling dragons a hundred times my size? Rescuing Werecats and forming a bond with a dragon? Being named King by the Imperial of the Were? My family is out there, those I care for are being bent to the will of a madman, and the Were are declaring me king.

It’s too much.

I put my head between my legs and let the shakes take their course. It’s scary how weak I am, how little I could do if someone tried to kill me here and now. I would almost welcome my death willingly. It seems the easier path.

A big nose rubs gently on my knee, and She-Dragon coos softly while sending warm and soothing feelings my way.

I hug her nose to my chest, grounding myself in her smooth scales and soft, skin-like muzzle. She wraps her wings around me, making me feel truly safe for the first time in many years. As she continues the tender cooing, my limbs unwind, the shaking eases, and my hands begin to obey my commands. I rub the soft hollow of her chin with my hand.

“Thank you,” I say, faintly.

She pulls back to look into my eyes, and I see her worry there. For me. I cup her cheek. “It’s alright. I’ll be alright. And so will you. I’ll do everything in my power to see you and your little ones happy.” She dips her head and once again wraps her wings around me as she nuzzles my chest.

I kiss her nose and rise slowly, using her snout as a ladder.

"How are your wounds?" I ask, concerned I didn't think about this sooner.

She trills a soft purr, then brings her chest wound near for me to see.

Something inside me purrs back to the dragon, something wild and untame. The Beast. And I reach a shaking finger to find where The Beast trailed its touch. Instead of harming her further, it actually cauterized the gaping wound and stopped the bleeding. It'll be a nasty scar, but its already healing.

I stagger against the wall, and she presses her nose against my chest, purrs from her and The Beast making a beautiful, melodious symphony I am not a part of, but yet... I kinda am.

This is one of the most disconcerting things I have ever been a part of. Which is saying something since I have an old relic living in my head.

Hey!

Amusement flares at my ability to rile Cynic, and She-Dragon pulls back with a sleepy sort of contentment in her eyes.

“I’m sure the others are worried. Shall we?” She nods, but sends an image of me asleep in her din. I almost laugh. “Yes, I’ll sleep soon. But first, let’s make sure everyone’s taken care of.”