Fapallo left the inn and headed into the forest to hunt. He loved this forest. He also was overjoyed that his mother had not made him come home. He was still a young dragon, and his mother had generally been very protective. For some reason, despite the fact she knew he would hunt for Kaitlyn, she had not minded him living in this forest. Of course, it helped she was far enough away she couldn’t see the hut or the forest for herself. She hated this kind of place.

He lifted his nose to see what he could smell. Old troll. Rabbits. A vixen left heat scent, she must have a den nearby. He would have to remember that, they might try to get into Kaitlyn’s garden for rabbits and mice, digging up the vegetables in the process. Birds in the trees were singing as he sauntered away from the inn.

Alive was different. She hadn’t asked him for that before. It would be a challenge. He loved a good challenge. He clambered onto a fallen tree and began sharpening his claws on it, luxuriating in the feeling of the bark sloughing off broken claw bits. He rubbed his scales next, scratching off some loose scales from his side. He could tell he was going to start molting soon, his feathers and scales were feeling a bit too tight.

He shook himself head to tail. It felt so good to be outside and not watched all the time. With a hop, he spread his wings and half hopped-half flapped to take to the air. He wasn’t a glider like his mother, who could fly long distances and enjoyed riding thermals. His wings were smaller, giving him more speed than his mother but also lending him to flying shorter distances.

He landed and paused, looking at a squirrel as it chided at him. He grinned at it and then sent a wisp of air out at it. The air knocked the squirrel out of it’s tree. He heard the chirp of a surprised and unhappy bird below, a grouse of some kind. Kaitlyn liked a nice fat late summer grouse.

Fapallo pounced and caught the bird in his mouth, chomping down just hard enough to kill it. He swallowed, carefully sending it to his secondary stomach pouch which would hold it. He then continued on his hunt for something alive for Kaitlyn.

An old elk watched him as he approached and made a low sound of pain as it tried to move away. Fapallo humphed in disgust, surprised the creature hadn’t been brought down before by wolves. He stopped, something this old and sick should have been brought down by wolves. It wasn’t injured, he couldn’t smell… anything.

Fapallo growled deep in his throat. He slunk around the clearing, pulling his wings close to his sides. Sure enough, hiding behind a tree he found a saci. Wearing a red cap, like a red cap, he was clearly different in two ways. He only had one thick leg instead of two and his skin had a grey-blue cast looking a bit like a rock.

“That behavior could be seen as hostile,” Fapallo growled, “I am a dragon.”

“Eep!” the saci cried, “I’m sorry! I thought you were those damn werewolves.”

“Go away, I am hunting,” Fapallo said.

“Yes!” the saci jumped up on its foot and the elk fell apart as an illusion wrapped around sticks and dirt.

Fapallo snorted as the saci lept upwards and vanished in a little puff of smoke. He shook out his feathers again as the dust of the saci’s construct brushed over him in a breeze. He huffed, it was hot and dry and he was still hunting. He lifted his nose to try to scent anything in the air, but very little was carried on the breeze.

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Taking to the air for another hop, Fapallo headed diagonal from the hut and looked for anything which might suit Kaitlyn’s need. He realized he should have asked what she really needed, would something small like a rabbit be enough or did she need an elk? He saw some boar laying in the remains of a dried creek and decided this was a good set.

Landing basically on a sow, he roared at the rest and sent most of them running. A single young male boar was stupid and decided to fight instead of run. The dazed sow stayed under one claw while Fapallo chomped the young boar. He chortled a little in his throat as he enjoyed the taste of the boar’s blood in his mouth. The sow under him smelled it and suddenly began panicking.

Fapallo snarled fiercely at her, “Silence prey. You live by my mercy.”

He picked the dead boar up in his mouth and held the sow firmly in his front claws, careful to keep her alive even if he couldn’t prevent her getting a few nicks and cuts as she fought to escape him. Fapallo hopped into the air to fly back home as quickly as possible.

Inside, Kaitlyn still stood beside the fireplace. She saw him and said, “Oh! Thank you so much.”

She closed her eyes and a black, inky tendril pulled out of the fireplace to cover her hand. She touched the sow, which squealed once as it died and then began to turn desiccated in his claws. He dropped it in surprise and watched with wide eyes as skin, muscle, fat, and finally bones vanished under Kaitlyn’s hands.

“Oh my,” she said. Her eyes had also turned a solid black color and Fapallo growled deep in his throat.

“What sort of magic was that?” Fapallo couldn’t keep the frightened growl out of his communication.

“I don’t know,” Kaitlyn said with a thoughtful tone, “I’ll need to ask Master Garthis tomorrow when he comes.”

Fapallo looked at his friend and then whistled, “What will you do?”

She was still staring at the fireplace. She finally whistled, “This is my nest. I will defend it.”

“This is our nest,” Fapallo replied, but then said, “Don’t let it burn you.”

Kaitlyn nodded once, looking thoughtful. Fapallo knew by now, she was worried what would happen if she tried to leave. He leaned against her and then told her, “Maybe you should try to fly again.”

Kaitlyn thought about his words and then nodded, “I think you’re right. We’ll try after we talk to Master Garthis.”

For a long time that evening while she was serving, Kaitlyn felt the house. There was a sense of contentment which spread to the folk who came in. It was a quiet evening, and Kaitlyn was able to spend some time sitting with several others catching up on the gossip of the forest people.

The satyrs were tired, the two who came in talked to her about the poor harvest they were expecting this autumn. With so little rainfall, the satyrs had been supplementing their plants by carrying water up from the river, but they were tired from the work and worried the plants weren’t growing well.

A pair of silves elves sat in the corner, looking tired. When Kaitlyn approached them they barely nodded as she set down two tankards. She asked, “Are you alright?”

“Ye…yes mistress,” the elf stumbled on the word.

His comrade lifted their eyes and said, “Is that a lie Athar?”

The elf, Athar blinked and then shook his head, “I don’t know Goren.”

Kaitlyn set some steamed vegetables in a bowl between them and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“There has been a lot of restlessness in the forest,” Goren finally said, “Old things moving to new dens. New things in the trees driving out old residents. The satyrs and the giants are raiding each other. Red caps attacking anyone they can find… the scouts are all trying to help where we can… the queen says it’s nothing but the heat.”

“The heat?” Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow.

Athar nodded and said, “Everyone is angry and the queen says it’s because the temperature of the forest is high. She says it will cool with the winter winds.”

“I hope so,” Kaitlyn said kindly. “Until then, know my door is open to your people to rest.”

“Thank you,” they both echoed.