At the next moon, I flew with Valtrax alternatively with Rubix who was riding on her.

Once alone, once with two people and she showed me beautiful places as always. Rubix was translating for me and had become like a sister to me, a little sister.

"You know. Torrrrin...Mama Valltrrraxsss loves you very much... She has been looking for you for years... You can't imagine. "

I stroked Valltrax's neck, my dragon friend...

"Valtrax is trying to tell you that there has been an accssident... arrrrow sssir darrrkkk aiiiim mom. Mama fleee You coughssche plassse mama...You fell brrrrrek eggf ssssurviving human...."

"Rubix...what are you talking about??"

"Verrrity...Valltrax heartbroken you wounded...found mutilated...."

I stroked Valtrax. I couldn't accept the impossible...But one thing was for sure, these dragons adored me more than anything. They were family to me now.

Rubix: "Torrrin...Exodus blood....Rubix sanf Exodus..... Rubix cushion Torrrin... Rubix love Torrin life..."

And I could feel her breath on my back and her heart beating against mine...

But Rubix was careful not to force her love. She respected me.Then Valtrax came to her den and game was prepared for us and even a pig was braised and roasted!

She brought a book to Rubix

"My dear, this is a simple human grimoire... of no value to us but will be of great value to you. Inside, there are the basics that you will have to learn. And... the most important of all: Shield followed by enlargement and reduction.... Do you know what it means??? .............You will be able to keep your human size even if you keep growing to become a giant... Basically... Everything to be happy...There is even to take semi-human form or you can hide your wings and tail... but it's a very high level and you have to master the basic of the basic...You would have magic missile, fireball, electric grip, lightning and useful magic like wash, wash, water purification, opening, stealth, and lots of useful little spells. But as you have a lot to catch up on and I see that you are struggling a lot, here is an introduction book to magic with pictures.

But you're having a hard time and that's normal and cruel for you...So, just before you read this introductory book, you will use this scroll. It is a parallel thinking scroll. Basically it will make your brain work 4 times faster, as if you were 2 dragons in 1.

You will be able to absorb a year's worth of knowledge in one or two days. The concentration will be maximum but after that you will have to sleep 24 hours. So prepare yourself.

The lessons will be easier right away and you won't have that unpleasant feeling of being left behind..."

Rubix explained to me in 2 three grunts that Valtrax was going to stuff her head.

I laughed at her explanations. But I moved closer to Valtrax and looked into her eyes.I was crying and I understood a little better.

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The dragons were not as crazy as I thought. On the contrary. They were full of love.

And then I felt the pain and the sensation of the invisible arrow in my soul as I tried to convince myself that they were right.

Valtrax licked me...

"Mom???"

The dragoness collapsed in front of me and whimpered like never before. She was crying with joy and also with sadness. She pushed me against her heart which was beating very hard and purring. She managed to say "Torrrin..."

But the more my love for her grew, so did the pain. It became unbearable and I started to bleed from my nose, mouth and ears...

We moved aside and she gave me a lick, a hug. A part of me wanted it to be true but my heart, pierced by something invisible that I felt like an arrow, was pushing me in the opposite direction.

I was in physical pain too.Then Rubix cried and collapsed, holding the shiny blade in her paw. I felt a spike in my back..!!!

It was going to pierce me!

"HIII HIIII HIIIIII HHIIIIIIII"

she screamed, She pressed and I was held, trapped between Valtrax's talons.

Then Rubix threw the blade...

"No.. Valtrax, forgive me.... I can't hurt Torin... I love him just the way he is! It's Torin that I want. I don't care about Thor..."

Valtrax frowned and his prehensile tail returned the dagger to Rubix.

"Now or I'll eat you...!"

Rubix, by reflex, tried to hide under me...

"Torrrin HEELP!!!! She wants to eat me!!! "

The rage rose in me and I managed to free myself and put myself between Valtrax and Rubix..

"Why???"

And I bent down to look at the shiny blade...

"Valtrax... why? Is it to heal me??? Is it for the arrow?"

The dragoness cried but nodded.

"You're not going to hurt Rubix???"

She answered no and then she engraved runes..."

Test Rubix..."

She smiled at Rubix. She thought Rubix had passed his test. She loved Torin for Torin and not for what he was or could be.

She was a straightforward, non-calculating dragoness.Valtrax apologized but had to see if she was up to it, if she could also protect Torin and not always the other way around.

After the meal was over, and the emotions had subsided, Valtrax explained the basics to Rubix and she repeated them to me. Then we went home to the girls and Rubix couldn't resist the female interrogation during the girls' night.

Saphie: "So Torin is going to have fun with her friend Valtrax? But that's crazy...! Torin is friends with the black widow! The widow of Exodus!"

Beth: "I knew it and spirits never lie... but I have confirmation..."

They wanted to know more but Rubix said.

"Ssssecrrrret... Valrrraxsss was scary Rubixxx little..."

They too looked out the window and thought they saw two bright moonlit eyes that met their gaze. Valtrax was still there... on the lookout!

The size, the distance and the spacing gave the imagination disproportionate dimensions to the dragon. Gloups!

The laughter became whispers. Rubix was rightly afraid and the house was not a shelter. The girls were afraid that night and huddled together with Rubix.

In the middle of the night, Torin heard her name called several times.

Sapphia: "Torin... we're scared now. You know Exodus... it was terrible... It's too much but you play with Valtrax? Is that your dragon?"

"I don't have a dragon but it's my family too you know about my blood... you listen to everything and it's hard to hide something from you.

"Go... sleep... Nothing will happen to you..."

A hand held me back... it was Rubix...

Me: "But Rubix... We are all together... You have to sleep... and get strong... Think of it as a blessing. Valtrax protects you...protects us...She is not our enemy...Give her a chance..."

Esme drawn in by the racket understood that the girls were asking for Torin not for fun but because they were afraid...which is really different.

Next time, she would put a spare mattress in place at the foot of the beds in case it happened again. But Esme could see her little one growing into a man capable of protecting his family, dragon or human, and it no longer mattered.

She too loved Rubix as a person now. All morning, Beth and Saphie taught Rubix the basics with the precious book with pictures in it. Then Rubix tried to make water appear by the stream, but being a red dragoness, her element would be fire. But we tried anyway and she got her paws wet. She had mana. And a lot of it. She also remembered the words of her "Educator"

"Rubix, you have a monster crystal like all dragons. It is incomplete, and full of impurities.You must cultivate your crystal heart and make it grow. Normal dragons have their crystal growing like monsters and animals and never use it except by instinct. You must purify it. Prayers, concentration and visualization... melting, restructuring and most of all... you must awaken the blood of Exodus in you. The recipe is concentration and understanding, listening and when you feel the telluric energies you will be able to circulate your mana. Don't forget .... You are a queen...! You will be stronger than me! But you are not alone!"