Path of Dragons

Oscar was content.

As he sat at the edge of the meadow, his back against a lichen-covered rock, he watched his pack live their lives as dogs should. Unconcerned about fighting giants or other monsters, they chased one another through the tall grass, barking happily all the time.

The children were there, too, which brought a smile to his face. In his view, no childhood could be truly complete without a dog with whom to share the joys of growing up. As self-serious as those kids were, always training and meditating, they couldn't resist the call of good companionship.

Once, Oscar had been no different, living his life like any other child. His family dog – Canela – was a red-furred mutt, but she was as loyal, intelligent, and playful as any canine Oscar had ever seen. They'd shared so many adventures, from stealing mangos from a neighbor's yard to defending him against some older boys who wanted his new sneakers, and through it all, she'd been a stalwart companion.

She was family.

If only she'd held on for a few more years, she might still be with him. But back then, dogs weren't meant to live more than a decade or two. She'd made it to seventeen years before her body gave out. Finding her curled up beneath the porch had been one of the saddest and most traumatizing moments of his life.

It had also taught him that death was just a part of existence. In a way, it had prepared him for what was to come. His family had survived the initial wave of chaos after the world's transformation, but not much after that. Once they were gone, he and the pack had set off in search of something else. Purpose, maybe? Or just somewhere safe they could rest.

In the back of his mind, Oscar could concede that, at least for a while, his only motivation was to take out his frustration on any dangerous creatures he could find. By the time he came back to his senses, he and the dogs were at the top of the world's rankings. Since then, he'd rarely stopped moving for more than a few days. Always hunting. Always fighting.

It should have been hell.

But somehow, he and his pack had not only survived. They had thrived. And at some point, Oscar's purpose morphed into something else. He was driven to protect his family in any way he could, and from his perspective, the best way to accomplish that goal was to gain more power.

After all, as the dogs leveled, their longevity increased. One day, so long as they gained enough levels, they might become immortal.

Would he rest then?

Maybe. But probably not. Age was not the only threat. Everywhere Oscar turned, there were things trying to kill them all. Right now, it was the Primal Realms that threatened everyone, but even when they were under control, he knew that another danger would present itself.

The only answer was to keep moving forward. To grow so strong that nothing could threaten his family.

Still, in the middle of that, it was nice to see the dogs having fun.

"Hello," came a voice from behind him. "May I sit with you?"

Oscar glanced back, and his breath caught at the sight of the elven woman. She was petite, with tan skin and white hair, but what Oscar found most striking was the presence of the artful blue markings on her cheeks and arms.

"Of course," he said, tearing his eyes away. Otherwise, the look might have devolved into a stare. To call her beautiful would have been an understatement, but there was more to it than simple appearance. He felt an immediate connection to her, probably due to her attunement.

But he was self-aware enough to recognize that her looks played just as big of a part.

As the sea elf settled in, she asked, "You are new to the grove as well?"

He nodded, his forearms on his knees. "I arrived shortly before you and your people did," he stated. The actual time had gotten lost somewhere, but he suspected that it had been months since they'd left the Elemental Maelstrom. Most of the days since had been filled with recuperation, but he'd also taken the pack into the local tower. He'd spent some time hunting the wilderness on the mainland as well.

Still, such was his situation that he'd made very little progress regarding his levels. That was the lone detriment of his class. All experience was split between him and the pack, so they needed to kill quite a lot of enemies if they wanted to grow. In the past, that hadn't been such a problem. He'd had no issues finding towers or powerful beasts to fuel the pack's progression. But now, staying in one place, it was much more difficult.

"Does the Arch-Druid typically spend so much time away from the grove?" she asked.

Oscar shrugged. "I think so," he admitted, feeling the closeness of the elf. She was more than a foot away, but she might as well have been sitting in his lap. His stomach twisted into knots. "Elijah is abnormal. I have met no other Druids – besides you, of course – but I know that he is unique among humans. The things he can do are…special. I believe he has only discovered a small part of his potential."

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"He is not human," she stated.

"He is where it matters."

After that, she went silent, and together, they continued to watch the children play. So far, the young ones who'd accompanied her were incapable of enduring the grove for more than an hour or two, but they were slowly becoming inoculated to the high ethera density of the island. In that endeavor, they were forced to stay in Ironshore – for now. One day soon, they would take up residence in the homes Nerthus had grown for them.

Oscar lived in one of them, though his was much larger than normal because the dogs needed the space. Plus, he and Nerthus understood one another on a deep level, which probably warranted at least some special treatment, even if neither acknowledged it.

Either way, the elf children were stuck in Ironshore where they could not play with the dogs. A sad thing, as far as Oscar was concerned. Everyone could use a little playtime with a dog – especially after what those kids had experienced.

Nara sat beside Oscar, silently watching as the play continued. At some point, a crow descended. At first, Oscar had thought the creature – which was a powerful beast in its own right – was dangerous, and he feared that it might target Escobar or one of the smaller children. But then, the truth became clear when it started leaping about, cawing at the dogs.

The dogs responded, jumping around and play-fighting.

That was when Oscar remembered something he'd read long, long ago. "Wolves and crows often form symbiotic relationships," he said aloud, prompting a slight flinch from Nara. "Some crows can even understand the meaning behind different howls, and they have been known to lead their adopted pack to prey."

"What do these crows get out of it?" Nara asked.

"Carrion," he answered. "The wolves will leave bits behind for their ally. Like I said, it's symbiotic."

"We do not have wolves on my world."

"Oh? Does that mean you don't have dogs?" he asked. Kurik had claimed that every world played host to canines, but it occurred to him that the dwarf wasn't quite as knowledgeable about the multi-verse as he often put on. He was also prone to hyperbole, which made him an unreliable source of information.

Nara shook her head. "My world is mostly ocean," she admitted. "We live on archipelagos, but even those are flooded for half the year. Our homes stand on stilts to keep them from washing away."

"That's…sad."

"Not for us. We love the water, and –"

"No – the water sounds nice. Like home. I'm talking about the not having any dogs," Oscar elaborated. "I don't think I'd want to live without my pack."

"You have the soul of a Druid."

Oscar shook his head. "I'm not like you. This grove is fantastic," he stated. "But I need something more…wild. Less constrained. What Nerthus does with this island is commendable, but…I prefer the wilderness."

"I see."

She once again went silent, and together, they continued to watch the dogs, crow, and children, all of whom seemed inexhaustible.

"There is something to be said for peace," he admitted. "It is good for the pack."

"And you?"

Oscar shrugged. "I don't make judgements based on what's best for me. The pack will always come first."

"Noble," she said.

"I don't see it as a choice."

"Me neither," she responded quietly. Then, she asked, "What are the dogs' names?"

Normally, he was not much of a conversationalist, but when it came to talking about the pack, he opened up. Soon enough, he was telling stories about his family. From how Escobar had been kidnapped by a bunch of fire giants who thought he was their chosen one to Freddy's motherly instincts, he went on and on for quite a while. But eventually, night began to fall, and the children were forced to return home. As their escort, Oscar rose to lead them back to the docks where he would ensure they crossed the strait in peace.

"May I walk with you?" asked Nara.

Oscar agreed, noting how her skin practically glowed in the faint light. The pair silently led the children through the forest and along one of the paths Nerthus had created. After a few minutes, they finally reached the dock. Everyone piled into row boats, and Oscar took one set of oars while the little gnomish girl – Rosabella – insisted on taking the other set.

The dogs – all except Escobar – chose to swim. The little chihuahua took his place at the front of the boat, where he could enjoy the breeze. Secretly, Oscar thought Escobar took that spot because he thought it made him look more heroic.

And it would have, if he wasn't so small and bug-eyed. The downsides of being a chihuahua, Oscar supposed.

Nara chose to accompany him, saying that she enjoyed the ocean.

The trip across the strait was longer than Oscar would have liked, largely because Rosabella couldn't really propel the rowboat to great speeds. Oscar kept his own speed to a minimum so as not to leave her behind, which allowed him to enjoy the cool sea breeze.

"Winter is coming soon," he said aloud.

"Seasons are an odd concept for me," Nara revealed. "Kashii – my home world – is what you would refer to as tropical. No seasons. Just endless warmth."

"The place where I lived before the world changed was like that. Miami."

"Miami," she echoed. "It sounds nice."

"It wasn't."

"I am sorry if I brought up bad memories. I didn't know –"

"No, it's not that. It's just that my family…we were very poor. Things were difficult, even before the world changed. We made the best out of our situation, but it was difficult not to feel a little resentful when others clearly had so much more than we did," he admitted. "Poverty has a way of snaking into your life and suffocating ambition. One wrong turn, and all your plans crumble. I was supposed to…"

He sighed.

"Never mind. It's not important. That world is gone."

Of late, he'd given a lot of thought to his past as well as his future, and he'd come to the conclusion that it was time to leave the former behind. He couldn't change what had happened, but that didn't mean he needed to dwell on it. So, he resolved to remember his family – including poor Jojo and Canela – but he couldn't allow his sadness to continue ruling his life.

He needed to move on.

"You look as if you have experienced a revelation," Nara stated.

Oscar nodded. "I have."

"And what was it?"

"I would prefer to keep it to myself."

Just then, the crow landed on the edge of the boat next to Escobar. He graciously accepted its presence.

"It looks as if you may have picked up a new member of your pack," Nara remarked.

Oscar narrowed his eyes. He was not against the idea of adding to his family, but that didn't mean he would accept anyone. Oddly, the fact that the crow was a bird didn't really matter.

"Maybe," he allowed. Though it would take a lot more than a single play session for him to accept any new member, he felt good about the crow. Even so, his thoughts quickly settled on Nara. He felt even better about her – a telling development that he wasn't altogether ready to accept.