The pale dragon stayed entirely still, locking gazes with Rehm. Rehm held eye contact with the Elder, neck unbent and frame proud.

“As always Jyun, you enjoy tempting fate as much as possible.”

Jyun blinked once, deliberately, the rest of his pearlescent body eerily still.

“Fate is an old friend, she does not mind.”

“It is good to have friends both older and wiser than oneself, hm?”

Rehm gave the ancient dragon the playful look I had seen countless times in the months I’d spent as her daughter before she broke their little staring contest by drifting gracefully to the raised platform directly next to Jyun. Landing next to it, her weight making no sound, she placed a foreclaw on its edge. My brother and I waited, still half-bowed, unwilling to shatter the tranquility that filled the cavern.

“So these are the two reasons the gathering was delayed, Rehm? They take after you much more than I’d expected.”

Suddenly under the spotlight of Jyun’s gaze, we froze up, almost enchanted by his milky eyes. I was unable to speak, not from any spell or trick, but from a dry throat. Not that I really wanted to say anything; the Elder’s stare alone was unsettling enough. Before he could say anything more, Rehm answered him.

“My.. apologies for that. They hatched much further apart than I expected, though I suspect it is due to her circumstances.”

I now found both adult dragons focusing on me alone, Rehm still next to the raised bed of granite and Jyun still motionless on his back legs. I thought I caught a sigh escape the Elder’s closed mouth as he finally moved again, reverting to a lounging position on his seat. He settled his head on a willowy arm, and for a moment it seemed as though he might shatter into a thousand crystal shards. Instead, he simply stretched to get comfortable.

“Children, as I said, welcome. Until the end of this gathering, treat this place as your home. Most will not arrive until tomorrow, at least, so do what you please until then.”

The hatchling by my side nervously looked to Rehm, and with her affirmation he bowed his head and turned to leave, wings twitching subconsciously. I half-turned to follow him as he peeked my way expectantly, but Jyun ushered only him on.

“Your sister will join you soon, I wish to ask her something.”

With this he hurriedly flew out of the spacious room, leaving me standing awkwardly in front of two massive dragons centuries my senior. The older of the two chose his words after a pause, and stated his question rather than asking it.

“You come from another land entirely, don’t you.”

His voice was subdued, entirely placid, and Rehm still faced away from us. Well, I expected as much. Even if Rehm never asked about it, at some point… I gulped, the noise unsettlingly loud, and gave the only answer I could.

“Yes.”

Jyun’s tail flicked, and he seemed satisfied, either with himself or with my answer. I just stared at him, the mana-infused air of the cave settling into silence. That’s it? That’s all you have to say? Really? My own tail twitched in irritation.

“Is it a problem?”

My hand shot up to my mouth, covering it despite the fact that were we conversing telepathically. Dammit Mia, isn’t this guy even older than Rehm, he could probably kill you with a single finger?? Jyun still didn’t move save his tail, and he responded in the same calming tone as before.

“I fear it will become one. It-”

“It will NOT become a problem.” Rehm snapped her head around to glare at Jyun, teeth bared in a snarl and eyes burning with anger. Even if her fury was directed at someone else, I still flinched in a brief surge of instinctive terror. The target of Rehm’s words didn’t react as she continued. “She is my child, and hatched from the egg I laid. I will not tolerate this becoming a problem.”

Hissing the final words at Jyun, Rehm locked gazes with his pale eyes, but neither dragon was willing to look away.

“I did not say I had an issue with your spawn, Rehm. I intend to abide by your wishes, out of respect for you if nothing else.” His words did nothing to cool her head, and I thought I saw tendrils of smoke snaking out from between her teeth. Even so, the Elder pressed on. “Some of the others will undoubtedly complain or cause trouble, that is all I mean.”

“Well, I do not intend to let any of those damned lizards touch her. Touch either of my children.”

“...I know.”

With that Jyun closed his eyes and conceded, stretching the joints of his hazy wings. I hadn’t moved so much as a muscle, my claws clenched tightly. Rehm seemed to remember I was still in the room, and the anger in her eyes receding a touch as she looked to me. As she did, Jyun’s wings reached out to either side but remained unfurled and frozen as he floated from his seat, craning his neck to address us.

“Child, I apologize. In this place, at least, no harm will come to you. Rehm… there is one more thing we must discuss. In private.”

I looked from one dragon to the other, seeing the brief confusion in my mother’s expression. Her crimson face was still lined with irritation, but she gave a reluctant nod, and moved to follow Jyun. I felt a rush of her mana flow through my body as she established a private channel to speak to me. Her mana was familiar, comfortable; but roiled and burned in my veins, as if I had put my hand into the hearthfire instead of over it.

“Once the rest of the dragons arrive, stay by your brother as much as you can. Understood?”

“Okay.”

She gently slid a claw over my head, a ridiculous gesture given the size difference, but reassuring nonetheless. She beat her wings once to leave the ground, falling behind Jyun. I watched them leave the cavern through its only door, one dragon gliding like a phantom, wings unmoving, the other pushing with hers only occasionally.

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Finally alone, I sucked in a huge breath of damp air and exhaled. I quickly tested all my limbs which had been locked in place, including my tail that was somehow extended straight out at a 45 degree angle. Frick, what am I, a housecat? My eyes now wandered about freely, taking in the empty room. The flat slabs of stone, which I now could see had been carefully carved into, each one showing a string of characters from some alphabet unknown to me. I squinted up, where the countless black stalactites oversaw everything from the ceiling, each letting out a faint light-

“I wonder, will you become angry if I say you’re no true dragon?”

Jumping back in surprise at the new voice, my head spun to find the source. It didn’t take too long, as its owner was lounging on the slab opposite to Rehm’s, a leg and an arm hanging off one edge. The dragon’s head slothfully rested on a forearm, a bored eye watching me. I blinked once, then twice, making sure I wasn’t imagining things. No, there was definitely a dragon in front of me, and wherever the hell he had come from I couldn’t guess. Regaining my composure somewhat, I proceeded to promptly realize that I had bitten my tongue in my surprise and blood was currently welling in between my lips. I raised a claw to my mouth, and the dragon in front of me continued unbothered.

“Don’t answer that, I don’t really care either way. That old drake is right, though.”

Swallowing some of the blood in my mouth, I reined in my thoughts enough to get a question out.

“Wh-Where did you come from?”

“Don’t ask stupid questions, human brat.”

He shifted an arm, finding a better spot to lay his head, and inspected me briefly. I blinked, and he disappeared entirely. Where a lounging dragon with dark green scales had been was now… nothing. Rather, I could see through the spot he’d been to the back of the cavern. A moment later, he reappeared, still laying on the raised platform.

“You… you’ve been here the whole time?”

All I got in return was a grin full of jagged teeth. A sickly white tongue slithered between a row of pale yellow knives nearly as tall as me, most of which were chipped or scarred to some degree. A dark orb watched me from behind the malicious smile, waiting. I tore my stare away and rubbed my face with the back of a claw, and sighed. Compared to the Elder or Rehm’s fury, I barely felt the pressure of this dragon’s gaze.

“Well, whatever, what do you want? Eavesdropping is pretty rude, you know.”

The eavesdropper raised his head to take me in with both eyes and stopped grinning, dejected.

“Keh, no fun. Don’t tell me you didn’t get either of your parents’ tempers? How boring, maybe the other brat did.” Closing his eyes and resuming his lazy demeanor, he continued. “I didn’t hear anything I didn’t already know, brat. Why do you think they left when they needed privacy?”

“Nothing… you didn’t already know? Then-”

“I’m not a fool, child, it’s not difficult to figure out. I’ve seen things like you before. Halfers, demihumans, whatever.”

“You’ve seen… others like me? From another world?”

“Most of them weren’t. But some were. And every time, they were killed, or exiled.”

I glared at the dragon, who if I didn’t know any better looked asleep and at peace. He was… he was kind of a dick. But… my mother didn’t seem very talkative about people from other worlds assuming she knew anything, and the Elder had been content with just confirming it.

“So what, will I be lynched by you and the other dragons then? The Elder didn’t seem too keen on that.”

“Kekeh, how should I know? All the ones I’ve seen like you were of other species. And the lower races do enjoy ripping themselves apart. For you, though? Maybe, maybe not.”

“Well that’s reassuring, thanks.”

He opened an eye again to look at me, his voice tinged in irritation.

“It won’t happen in this damned place, at least. That drake has always been determined to keep us from killing each other, as much as some of the mountain whelps try to copy lower beings.”

Meeting his glare with one of my own, I crossed my arms and flicked my tail haphazardly about.

“If you don’t like these gatherings, then why are you here?”

“Brat, I’m only here to watch all the self-important wyverns bicker with each other. I’d hoped you would take after your parents and I could see something interesting, but I guess it wasn’t to be.”

“You keep saying that, about me taking after my parents? If you wanna say something then spit it out.”

Ruffling the wings tucked between his shoulder blades, the jade dragon in front of me made an exasperated sound.

“You saw some of it yourself, just now. Your mother and father both are quick to anger and slow to cool off. There’s no way I’m risking my tail getting them pissed, though there are some less… discerning here.”

Despite saying he didn’t want to piss my parents off, I couldn’t help but think he didn’t spare a single thought for me, or anyone else. Still…

“You… then you know who my father is?”

“Hah? Yeah, brat. Wish I didn’t though.”

Swallowing my instinctive, somewhat vulgar response, I calmed my thoughts and continued in a diplomatic tone.

“All I heard about him from Mother is that he lives in the mountains, so I wanted to know more...”

“What more is there to know? His territory is near the central peaks. Why do you care?”

“Well, he’s my father, for one. Why wouldn’t I want to know about him?”

He glanced at me as if I was insane, and rolled his eyes.

“Know more about him? What an absurd notion, halfling. He stays among the mountains, like the rest of them. I was surprised he even mated with your mother, you know, ever since she made her nest down here.”

I don’t know if it was something in his voice, or the way he spoke about my mother, or just his general demeanor, never facing me to speak. Whatever it was, I had enough.

“Fine, whatever, I don’t know why I’m even asking you. Rehm told me none of the dragons here live in the mountains, but at least she has a reason! With your attitude, they probably fucking chased you off the mountain-”

I’d been glaring straight at the jerk reclining on the granite bed, and even so I didn’t see him move. It took my mind a few faltering seconds to register the weight pressing down on my body, the pressure nearly causing my knees to buckle underneath two clawed fingers, each placed on one of my shoulders. No longer was the dragon draped on his stomach like a lizard baking in the sun; instead my view was filled with his menacing visage the color of uncut emeralds, two dark eyes piercing into me, his bored expression vanished. We stood like that for a moment, his green scales glittering gently in the faint light, my own scaled arms shining to match but unable to move an inch.

“Just because I don’t do something, does not mean I can’t. Remember to watch your tongue, brat, in case you bite it again.”

With a sweep of his arm, he returned to his spot and laid down. The pressure blanketing my shoulders and suffocating the air around me receded, but I found myself unable to move a muscle for the second time today. Sparing a glance my way, the green dragon flicked his tail dismissively, and spoke as if nothing had happened.

“Well, maybe something interesting will happen after all. Be sure to give me a good show tomorrow, halfling.”

My tail twitched, and I unfurled my wings briskly to fly from the room. I shot through the cavern’s entrance and into its sloped hall, claws clenching and unclenching as I passed several natural entrances leading to side passages, including one I felt my mother’s mana drifting lightly from. I kept on flying until I found the room I was searching for, a natural cave with a low ceiling halfway from the complex’s entrance that was filled with various preserved animal corpses, and one tiny red dragon. As I entered, I saw faded blue writing along each wall, including the ceiling and floor, that flickered with a feeble light every few seconds. At the center of the room, my brother had his face halfway inside of the corpse of a very odd-looking elk-moose hybrid thing. His red tail was raised and swaying contentedly, and he was happily munching away. Drifting up to land lightly beside him, I avoided looking at his snack, instead poking a dead wolf with ash grey fur. The knot in my stomach from dealing with older dragons very quickly resolved itself, in order to be replaced with another knot of equal intensity that threatened to send my last meal back up. The part that made it all worse was knowing that I’d be unable to resist doing the same as my brother if I was just a bit hungrier.

“How are you hungry already? We just ate.”

Sitting back from his food, my brother shot me a toothy grin full of viscera and gore. It was somehow the least terrifying smile I’d seen all day.

“What do you mean, sis? It’s normal to eat like this, it’s you who’s weird!”

“Huh? That’s no way to talk to your elders… come back when you decide on a name.”

Using the back of a claw to wipe some of the blood off his face, and instead only succeeding in spreading it further across his jaw, my brother gave me a triumphant look.

“I think I’ve decided, actually. But it’s a secret! Since you never told me yours.”

I gave him a poke in the side before he could dodge, the pit in my stomach feeling lighter already. I watched the dragon next to me try to wipe his face on some fur, and only got half of the gore off.

“Bro.. do you think I’m a dragon?”

“Yeah? What else would you be?”

Meeting his confused eyes, I found myself scratching my head and feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Well, even with how different I look?”

My brother’s confused expression remained just as bewildered, an uncomprehending look in his eyes.

“Won’t… won’t you look like Mother when you get older?”

For a moment I didn’t understand, but soon a chuckle was ripped from my lips, and a cascade of laughter followed it. My brother, to his credit, remained determined in the face of my laughter, the indignation barely showing on his face.

“Hahah… no, no that won’t happen. I’ll probably look like this my entire life.”

Even more confused now than before, my brother seemed to give the matter some deep thought, before scratching at his neck with a sharp claw and hazarding a guess.

“Well… maybe you will at least get as big as her?”

The image of Rehm and I standing side by side, both the size of a small two story condo was the final crack in the dam holding back my laughter. Hunched over, wheezing and gasping for air, I barely dodged a sucker punch from my now very miffed little brother. Stealing a pat on his head, I kicked off the ground still cackling unapologetically and raced off into the massive underground cave system. I wove from room to room dancing around him in the air, all the while hearing him threaten to burn me to a crisp and feed me to the first creature with sharp teeth he could find, the knot in my stomach less prominent than before.