I followed the scent of running water to the river and came across a flock of wild sheep grazing. Upon noticing me they started to bleat in mad terror and fled.

My predatorial instinct must have kicked in because before I knew it, I was giving chase. "Come back you tasty-looking fluffy fuckers!" I cursed while releasing a white fireball off to their side.

"Hmm, maybe cursing in draconic really does have power because I swear that one came out extra spicy," I thought to myself while running.

Just as mom had taught me, the fireball made them panic and run perpendicular to the flames, right into the river. It briefly occurred to me that I could have just hit one directly and burnt it alive, but I found the notion absolutely horrendous. A couple of the smaller lambs seemed to struggle to swim in the current so I jumped and landed on top of the nearest one. It tried to resist as I pulled it onto the riverbank. Seeing it frozen in fear underneath me snapped me to my senses.

"What the heck is wrong with me?" I thought to myself before turning around to catch the sight of the other young lamb being taken downstream. I ran after it, and with a bit of sprinting, was able to pull it to the side. I had no intention of letting an innocent animal drown to death as a result of my hunt. I looked down and saw again, a frightened lamb with eyes darting around wildly.

"Yeah, I'm not sure I can do this," I said to myself.

I released my presence to try and suppress it, but to my horror that only seemed to make things worse. The poor thing now looked like it was resigned to die, so with a sigh, I retracted my aura.

"Come on Amartho, you're an apex predator. You're built for this," I said in an attempt at a self-pep-talk.

I imagined my brother and sister easily catching sheep and ripping their necks out viscerally. Melonhead, in particular, would've happily bit its guts open, and ate them alive.

"Okay, that really didn't help me in any way. Maybe I could fireblast its head for a quick death." I thought. I imagined its flesh burning off as it released sheepy screams and decided against it.

"God damn it. I'm such a fucking hypocrite. I loved animals on Earth, but I loved eating them too!"

I recall how guilty I felt regarding Earth cattle being tortured with terrible living conditions and antibiotic injections in mass meat-producing farms, whereas now I had the opportunity to hunt naturally in what is probably a much more ethical way to get meat for consumption and I couldn't even go through with it.

"I was trying to wean myself into becoming a vegetarian before I died. But a vegetarian dragon?! I'd be a joke."

I let out yet another defeated sigh after looking at his (I could somehow smell its gender and decided I rather not question it) cute lamby face.

"Yeah, I'm just not feeling the whole, killer of the innocent look. Now, what am I going to do? Hmm, since my aura is an extension of my will..."

I released my presence again but this time I tried to send out calming, 'I'm not going to hurt you, I'm a friend' vibes. The lamb looked confused at first but slowly calmed down. I got off the poor thing and it unsteadily rose to its feet. I was extremely glad that actually worked.

"I better bring it back to its family." I thought, so I scooped it up into my arms carefully and awkwardly stood up on my back legs, using my tail for balance. Seeing my big scaly arm tucked underneath him I wondered how big I was relative to a human.

"A question for later." I decided as I waddled toward the other lamb I had... attacked and picked it up with my other arm.

When I reached the flock I learned that my presence must extend pretty far, as they didn't flee despite spotting me well over the distance I observed in my siblings' auras. I let the lambs down and watched them run to their bleating parents.

"Maybe I'm a failure as a dragon, but that felt right." I thought as I walked away in search of alternative sustenance.

Remembering that I could digest pretty much anything, I tried taking bites out of a nearby tree. It tasted like a tree, not great. I tried eating various ferns and other greenery and found a few that were halfway palatable but none that were satisfactory. Nearby mushrooms I ate happily without hesitation, as my constitution rendered me immune to most toxins, but it still wasn't nearly enough to fill me up. Following the river further toward the scent of smoke, I passed by various berry bushes. I enjoyed most of the sour ones but found the sweeter variants to be rather offputting. I was never a huge dessert guy but the taste of sweetness was somehow a lot worse compared to what I remembered from Earth.

A couple of hours passed and I realized that t amount of effort I was putting in was doing little to fill my stomach. I needed to consume a decent amount of my body's weight in organic or metallic matter if I was to stay healthy. Then it hit me-

"Fish! Fish you buffoon! My conscience can handle some sashimi!" I realized gleefully.

I ran back to the river and looked around carefully. To my delight, there were plenty of smaller fish swimming near the surface and even what looked like trout further down. I leaped into the water and swam with my third translucent eyelid closed. Having totally forgotten about my darkvision, the sight surprised me; I could see underwater so clearly! I stilled my body and let the current carry me closer to a school of fish, then I snapped my neck to the side and tried swelling some of them up. I, of course, missed all of them.

Instead of getting upset, another good idea hit me - "I should be fishing with dynamite, not flailing around like an idiot!"

I used my tail for some gentle propulsion and approached the trout. I opened my mouth and released a jet of white fire. After the bubbles cleared, success stared back at me. My rumbling stomach made the sight of a bunch of floating, lifeless fish a welcome one. After gobbling them up I swam out of the river and did a little jig to celebrate my success. With that, the issue of food seemed to be solved, so I continued down the river, foraging, fishing, and walking. Earth's storybooks hadn't prepared me for the dull moments that actually make up the majority of adventures.

When the sun dipped below the horizon and I had the new problem of finding a suitable sleeping arrangement. Still, being able to see through the dark of night felt pretty friggen rad. Putting off the search for shelter, I laid on my back to enjoy Angnora's night sky. Without technology, there was almost no light pollution, so the number of stars was stunning. But the moon was a perfect, eerie white and the absence of visible craters reminded me once more that I was stuck on an alien world, acting as a bit of a buzzkill.

I got up and trudged onward only to come across a new flock of mostly sleeping sheep. I guessed that they had a large wild population in this area. I quickly extended my friendly aura and the ones that were awake turned to look at me but stood in place, unperturbed. I sat down in the middle of the flock and tried to really amp up the super ultra-friendly vibes.

"Yes, come to me, my fuzzy friends!" I rejoiced inwardly, as a decent amount actually got up and plopped down next to me. "Magical aura powers are awesome!"

The nearest ones cuddled up, presumably content to enjoy the warmth my body radiated.

Enjoying my time in wooly heaven, I rested my chin gently on top of one of my new pals and closed my eyes.

Before falling asleep, I whispered aloud, "I am Amartho'Manadhmedion, lord of lambs, sovereign of sheep. And you know what? I can live with that."

----------------------------------------

Days two through four went about the same, except that I had a couple of nights of sleeping alone due to the lack of any nightly sheep encounters. On those nights, I'd dig a hole for myself against the side of a hill, break apart a few trees, and set up a campfire. I figured that with my back protected, a fire at my front, and the little detail that a baby dragon is still a god-damned dragon, there wasn't likely anything living nearby that would rush to pick a fight with me. At least, that's what I tried to tell myself. Thankfully, both nights went smoothly it seemed I was right.

It was now the night of the fifth day, and at first, it seemed like it was going to be a bit of a downer. In the morning I had come across what appeared to be someone's impromptu forest shelter, only to find it empty, dashing my hopes of finding a lifeform I could actually communicate with. But, as luck would have it, it seemed I'd get my wish after all. Tiny whispers and giggles had just awoken me from my latest sheepy slumber party.

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"See? A dragon sleeping with sheep! I told you I wasn't lying!" One high-pitched voice said.

"Are you sure it isn't a cow? Or maybe a really big pig?" Another voice replied.

"Pigs and cows don't have wings, stupid! And it's too big to be a bird!" Said a third.

"Shhh, he's opening his eyes! Quick, hide!" The first voice whispered.

Without moving my body I glanced over in the direction of the voices and spotted three tiny, scantily clad women with butterfly wings hiding behind a patch of grass.

"I can see you," I said to them.

The smaller of the two pixies looked toward the tallest who comedically shook her head left and right in an exaggerated fashion while covering her mouth.

"No really, I see all three of you hiding behind the grass over there," I nodded my head in their direction.

"Nuh, uh! We're invisible!" Squeaked out the smallest only to have her mouth quickly covered by the hands of the other two.

"Yuh-huh!" I teased back. "The biggest among you has white hair, the medium one of you green, and the smallest pink. I can see you just fine."

All three squealed in response and started flying away.

"Wait, please don't go! I mean you no harm. I could really use some friendly company."

They darted behind a tree and began to consult each other.

"It's a trick, he wants to eat us, or burn us, or worse! There's no such thing as lonely dragons!" Said the tallest.

"He's not so scary though. The sheep seem to like him and he feels safe to me," said the medium one.

"I think so too... He's kinda weird!" giggled the smallest.

"I am not weird! Well, maybe a little weird. But more importantly, I swear on this sacred land, on the name of my mother, Gwaelaraumorainë, and my own, Amartho'Manadhmedion, that I will not harm you so long as you swear the same to me," I vowed.

All three popped their heads out from behind the tree trunk and gave each other a knowing look.

"He made the true vow!" Said the tallest.

"A promise is a promise." admitted the medium one.

"This is going to be so much fun!" The smallest exclaimed.

All three flew toward me and then around my head giggling. After they calmed down they formed a midair lineup.

"I'm Dandelion," said the taller, white-haired pixie as she scratched her afro.

"You can call me Bitterleaf." The medium, mossy green-haired pixie said with her arms crossed

"Hi, I'm Lily." The small pink-haired one spoke bashfully with her hands behind her back.

"We three swear that we shall bring you no harm!" They swore in unison.

"Great. It's nice to meet you three. As I said, I'm-"

"We already knew who you were, Son of Hope!" Dandelion interrupted, pointing at my face.

"Son of Destruction!" Added Bitterleaf.

"True heir to The Great Song," finished Lily, throwing her hands upward.

"Oh really? And how did you know all that?" I asked, thoroughly amused by their behavior and mannerisms.

"Uh, duh! We're of the fey. We know lots of things," Lily replied in a pontificating voice.

Bitterleaf floated down and patted the ground. "The lands speak to us. It tells us secrets."

"And it says that just about everyone who's anyone knows of your coming," Dandelion waved her finger at me.

"Well, that sounds very ominous. I'm going to compartmentalize that. It really is nice to meet you girls, and I hope you will stick around. But it's very late and I'm very tired. Let's talk more tomorrow because I need to get back to sleep."

"Nooo!" They all complained.

"We want to play!" Lily pouted, and the others nodded multiple times in agreement.

"And I want to rest. I'll also bet that I'm the one who gets what he wants because if you try and keep me awake I'm going to interpret that as a subtle means of harming me. Which means I get to start breathing fire everywhere. But if you choose to behave, you get to join the prestigious club of pixies who slept on a mean ol' dragon and lived to tell the tale. That, and I'll play with you lots tomorrow. How's that sound?"

The three of them all pretended to be extremely torn before Lily asked, "Lots and lots?"

"Fine, lots and lots." I nodded.

"Okay! I like sleeping anyway!" She chirped and floated down onto my wing's membrane, passing out instantly.

"You're a sneaky and clever mean ol' dragon," said Bitterleaf before landing on my head. Apparently, my scales were too hard for her tastes as she got back up to retrieve a nearby fallen leaf for bedding. She laid it atop my skull and settled in.

Dandelion gave me a funny look and a shrug before flying under my other wing, opting to use it as a blanket.

And so I settled back to sleep, happy to finally have... somewhat intelligent company.

----------------------------------------

I awoke the next day with a series of huge sneezes. The three little sparkle-shits had shot pixie dust up my nose!

"Roar! You three are going to be in a lot of trouble when I catch you!" I bellowed in my best playful-villain voice.

"Catch us! Catch us!" Lily screamed.

"I'd like to see him try!" Taunted Bitterleaf.

"Good luck, you're going to need it!" Mocked Dandelion.

And she was right. After half an hour of chasing the giggling trio, I accepted that they were much too quick for me to catch. Unfortunately for them, I thought of a plan. I let out a huff and put on a grumpy face, then walked toward the river with my head hung low.

"Aw, is the mighty dragon giving up?" Bitterleaf chided.

"Is he upset?" Lily asked with innocent concern.

"I think he's up to something!" Warned Dandelion.

Once again she was right. As I reached the river I continued to ignore them in favor of slurping up water. I quenched my thirst before taking in a final mouthful, holding as much water as I could before flopping down and closing my eyes. After discussing it amongst themselves briefly they started to draw closer, unable to resist the pull of their curiosity. A dragon I had a general awareness of my surroundings at all times and could feel them get in range. The moment they did, I instantly turned to face them and with a giant raspberry spat the water out!

Thbbftbbbbftftbftbt!

Thanks to my powerful lungs, the cone of spray was too far-reaching for them to dodge! They wailed in surprise as my attack hit them.

"Eww, dragon spit!" Complained Bitterleaf while the other two laugh.

"Mwahahahahaah! I've evolved into a water-breathing dragon! Prepare for my revenge!" I hammed, as I took another mouthful of water and began another chase.

My chest was pounding with the joy of getting to spend the morning with my playful pixies companions. After some more spraying, getting small objects thrown at me, and bantering, we settled down. I noted how charming it was that they're able to giggle and laugh for so long and so often.

"You got us good!" Lily said with a smile.

"We're soaked," Bitterleaf whined.

"That we are. Sisters, let's clean up," Dandelion said with a clap.

They formed a circle in the air, holding hands, and began humming. A small wind appeared between them, drying them off. Observing the whole process, I was able to vaguely make out the form of something faint that appeared in the middle of their circle when they hummed, but that disappeared when they finished.

"Was that an air spirit you summoned?" I asked.

"Yup, yup! It takes three of us to call one though because we're so young!" Replied a cheerful Lily.

"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

"Forty-seven!" Answered Lily with a smile.

"I mind." was Bitterleaf's reply.

"One hundred and twelve cycles," Dandelion replied nonchalantly.

My head spun at the revelation that the childish trio could be so much older than me, even including my past life. I realized that I would have to tread extra carefully when trying to judge creatures by their appearances.

"Forget I asked. I have another game in mind. Can you summon another air spirit for a longer duration than it took to dry yourselves off?"

"We can, but it takes a bit out of us. Why?" Answered Dandelion with a curious look.

"Great, hop on my back and summon one beneath me. If you help me get some serious height our next game will be 'The Three Brave Pixie Dragon Knights.'"

For the first time, all three looked a bit taken aback.

"It is an honor," Dandelion solemnly replied and all three curtsied.

"Don't be so serious. I'm not like most of my kind anyway. Weird dragon, remember? Besides, it'll help me travel a bit faster to my destination."

"Okay!" Came Lily's excited voice. And she became the first to wedge herself tightly between two of my spines.

"This better be safe..." muttered Bitterleaf under her breath before picking a spot below Lily's.

"Hold on a sec, this will help." Dandelion sprinkled pixie dust over me before picking a spot above Lily. I felt lighter, floatier, and a bit giddy.

"'Thanks, Dandy. Now you three do your thing and we're ready to go!"

As they hummed another wind spirit into existence I jumped as high as I could. I let out an involuntary "Woah," as I got what must've been twenty feet of height from the jump alone. Pixie dust was potent stuff. I flapped as hard as I could and with the spirit's breeze pushing me upward, we steadily gained height. Mom taught me all about the fey, so I knew that pixies would never fly too high without first poly-morphing into a bird. That meant that I was giving the three a real treat since they'd retain their normal mental faculties for this flight. Not that left them much better than bird-brains anyway.

After climbing hundreds of feet the tiny terrors began shouting commands like, "Do a loop-de-loop!", "Spin! Spin!", "Go that way!" and more. Hearing how happy they sounded, I decided to follow their directions, and thanks to the pixie dust the aerial maneuvers became rather easy to accomplish. I was even able to glide upside-down.

After some time passed and I began to get tired, I smiled and shouted, "Time for the grand finale girls!" And before they could process my words I pulled in my wings and began a nose-dive toward the river. Their pixie screams could barely be heard with all the wind hitting my face as our descent got faster and faster.

"Pull up! Pull up!" Shrieked Bitterleaf in terror.

I laughed maniacally in response, and at the last minute possible, spread my wings to barely shift into a speedy glide over the river. Eventually, we slowed down, and with a few final flaps, I landed.

After all three finished some heavy breathing Dandelion said, "You're wild! Even by Fey standards!"

"I just have a lot of pent-up frustration," I answered.

"From what?" Asked Bitterleaf.

"Never mind, it's a long story. Let's just focus on the journey ahead. All that playing has left me super hungry, I'm going to grab breakfast."

After roasting and eating some fish in the river I emerged to find a crying Lily and two angry faces. Between sobs, I heard complaints about how I "Ate the innocent fishies," and despite explaining my physiological needs the three were unmoved. I once again resisted the urge to apologize profusely, as I really didn't mean to offend them, but I remained true to mom's teachings. Instead, I made a bargain with them that I would not hunt in their presence, but they'd have to help me find an alternative source of food.

They took me into the nearby woods, and after disappearing under a bush for a while they each returned with what looked like purple heirloom tomatoes.

"These are chiarac fruit," explained Dandelion. "A single one can keep a grown human fed for a whole day."

I ate one and stored the other two. It felt more like a snack to me so I asked them if they could provide me a lot more of them as so I could spare more woodland critters. They agreed, and to my surprise, returned after a long while from under the bush with numerous other fey creatures. Most were holding as many chiaracs as they could carry. I could make out brownies, thorns, pixies, fairies, boggles, a kappa, a satyr, and many minor spirits. Before I could get a comment in I was bombarded with introductions and questions.

"Uh, nice to meet you all." I said to the cacophonous group.