The Dragon and the Fox

Finally, the storm stopped, and Kira found herself once again in the land of snow and ice. The moon had disappeared, replaced by the bright fingers of dawn clawing its way up the horizon. A thousand different shades of blue and purple glinted and peered from their hiding spots in the landscape. Kira figured she was at the very edge of the Wolf Lands, or Canay, close to the ocean.

And also very far away from where she had lost Deya.

The portal to the Moon Dragon Palace was located roughly in the middle of Canay, which would take roughly two to three days of flying—

And then Kira realized: it was a portal. It wasn’t actually where she had lost Deya; in fact, she had no idea where the Moon Dragon Palace really was. Her heart sank down to her tail as she considered this information.

Kira touched down on the powdery ice crystals, sighing as she tucked in her wings.

“Lost?” a voice asked.

Kira turned around and came face to face with a wolf about her age. His expression was mischievous, with a grin that stretched all the way across his teeth.

“No,” Kira sniffed. “I have wings.”

“I can see that,” he said, tilting his head. “Where on Cyalia did you get those?”

“None of your business,” Kira snapped.

“Ooo, an attitude!” The wolf’s grin broadened. “Me likey!”

“Shut up and leave me alone.” Kira turned around and stalked off west, in the direction that the portal had been.

The wolf followed her. “How about no? You’re in my pack’s territory. That gives me a right to keep an eye on you in case you do something dangerous.”

“And by ‘keep and eye on’, you mean ‘annoy me until I explode’?” Kira retorted.

“Maaybe,” the wolf said playfully, wiggling his eyebrows. “What’s your name?”

“None of your business.”

“Hello, None of Your Business. I’m Aspen.”

Kira gritted her teeth and sped up. “That’s not my name.”

“Oh?” Aspen trotted to match her pace. “What is it then?”

Kira ignored him.

“I’ve never seen a fox your color!” Aspen said cheerily, continuing the conversation. “Mind you, I haven’t seen a lot of foxes.”

“You wouldn’t,” Kira muttered. “Most of them are probably dead by now.”

Aspen froze. His grin slid off his face like ice melting in a desert. “W-what?”

“Nothing.”

“What happened to the other foxes?” Aspen demanded, trying to cut her off as she walked even faster.

Kira finally whipped around and faced him, teeth bared. “You really want to know? A Dragon killed them. Killed them all. I saw it. Now go away, you yapping worm.” She started running and flapping her wings, preparing to take off despite the pain in her shoulders.

“W-what?” Aspen stammered. “N-no! Wait! I didn’t—I didn’t mean it! Come back! Please!”

That’s right, Kira thought with relish at his fearful expression as she shot into the sky. Beg me. Plead with me. I am all that matters.

But Kira ignored him, flapping even harder. His anguished cries followed her until she was far away, flying over pine trees and white hills.

What am I looking for? she wondered. There seemed to be some sort of instinct guiding her. Her wings tilted of their own accord, sometimes adjusting her course without her even realizing.

After a few hours, Kira was long past the point of pain in her shoulders. She knew that she should have rested, perhaps a long while ago, but she was curious.

A mountain peak approached in the distance. Kira was grateful for the change of scenery—never ending snowy hills tended to get a bit boring after a while—but the new appearance made her question even further where she was going.

However, when she crested the next hill, everything became apparent.

An ice palace was hidden at the base of the mountain. Its top reached halfway up the peak, and it glittered in the afternoon sunlight. Rainbows shimmered in the blue crystalline walls, jumping and shifting through them like a snowstorm. The palace was almost as wide as the mountain, with various spiraled towers and paths crisscrossing the bounds. Holes where creatures—Dragons, Kira realized—could fly through were situated at certain places along the palace, all dusted with an elegant layer of frost. There were no precise edges in the building; each wall was a curve leading unto another spiral—yet somehow it all connected and made sense to Kira.

Activity spread all through the palace. Kira saw Dragons everywhere, flying from towers to the courtyard, flitting between holes, carrying various things and going at various paces. They were all white and blue, with sparkling scales brighter than the snow, and more beautiful. As Kira got closer, she could see that their horns all curved smoothly and elegantly from their heads, even the males. The Dragons’ wings were also curved, but they sliced through the wind so efficiently that Kira’s own wings looked like blocks of wood in comparison. Their long tails swished behind the Ice Dragons, decorated with sharp, jagged spikes that were just as clear as the palace walls, and looked like they were made of ice.

Kira decided to land at the door instead of barging in on these Dragons—they looked a lot more formidable than Deya, and Kira had a feeling that they were much less forgiving as well.

She landed on a snow platform, in front of a door made of crystal that she could not see through. Two guards approached, wearing silvery armor and carrying metal spears.

“Who goes there?” one of them asked, his voice as cold and sharp as the air.

“My name is Kira.” Kira bowed formally to them, as her instincts said. “I have come to ask for help from the Ice Dragons.”

Could they help her find Deya? Kira wasn’t sure, but even if they couldn’t, she might as well warn them of the Black Dragon.

“She doesn’t look like any fox I’ve ever seen,” one of the guards said suspiciously, pointing his spear at her chest and poking her experimentally. She frowned at him.

“That’s because a Dragon gave me…um, some abilities.” Kira wasn’t sure whether or not to mention Deya, but as she was a wanted rogue in the Dragon kingdoms, the fox didn’t. She also didn’t elaborate when it came to her abilities…mainly because even she didn’t know what they truly were.

The guards eyed her up and down.

“She doesn’t seem to be lying,” one of them speculated.

“And those colors do resemble the Light Dragon markings,” the other guard acknowledged grudgingly. “And, of course, there’s no other way she could’ve gotten wings…”

“You may pass,” the other one said, lowering his weapon and reaching up to the door. As soon as his talon touched the surface, it rippled and disappeared. Kira walked through without a backward glance at them.

Kira entered a gargantuan courtyard, with even more activity than the sky. Dragonets and even wolves ran back and forth with their tasks, chatting with each other and playing together.

Most of them didn’t spare her a glance, but Kira saw a few stop and stare at her. A group of wolf pups gaped with their mouths open as she passed. She stuck her tongue out at them.

At first, Kira didn’t know where to go. Nobody had given her directions or anything; there was no one to show her the way. She walked towards the door at the end of the courtyard, assuming that was the one she should go through to find someone. Now many of the creatures in the courtyard were shooting her furtive looks filled with ice and anger. Kira felt like a mouse in a den of lions.

Suddenly, a Dragon ran up to Kira. He was only a bit bigger than Kira, and wore a cute, nervous expression on his face.

“Hi! Hi! I’m so sorry! I was supposed to get here earlier! Ack! I was distracted because Mistress Iceberg had me go to the kitchens and get her some snow cones but then I got told to go escort you to the throne room but Mistress Iceberg REALLY wanted those snow cones and I didn’t want to displease her and I’m so, so sorry!”

A curious feeling was coming over Kira. Normally, she would snap at anyone who made her wait. She hated waiting, especially when she had such an important mission. But looking at this Dragon, her anger melted, replaced by a different emotion—pity? Warmth? Why was he SO CUTE and why did his nervous talon wringing make her want to smile and it was so WEIRD and WHAT WAS THIS FEELING and she had an IMPORTANT MISSION so she couldn’t afford to goggle at incredibly good-looking Dragons that made her feel like she might want to fall over!

Kira smiled, squashing her thoughts. “It’s totally fine. I wasn’t waiting that long.”

The Dragon’s handsome snout now looked incredibly relieved. “Thank you.”

“What’s your name?” Kira asked, her tail wagging.

“Oh, um, we servants aren’t supposed to give our names, so. Um.”

“Can I…order you to give me your name?” Kira asked, blushing.

“That would work!” the Dragon confirmed, smiling at her. It was nothing like the cold glances she got from the other Ice Dragons. It was comforting and it made her forget about all of her troubles. It brightened the day she was living.

It reminded her of Deya, only in a more handsome and blinding way. Deya was all elegance and gentle light, while this Dragon was blinding and twitchy, occasionally tripping wolves with his tail or bumping his wings into something, and then shrinking away as if he expected someone to hit him for his mistakes.

“U-um, I order you to tell me your name,” Kira said.

“It’s Ayaz,” the Dragon said. His voice was like snow falling, soft but clear and carrying. It expressed so many emotions with only two words, and yet somehow he wasn’t overwhelming.

“I’m Kira,” Kira responded. “Can you show me to the throne room?”

Ayaz blinked. “Oh. Yeah. Right. This way.”

They sped across the courtyard and through the doorway, then up a spiral staircase. Everything seemed to be made of ice or crystal, and Kira couldn’t tell which—everything radiated cold, yet shimmered with colors.

“So…” Ayaz looked at Kira, then ducked his head away. “What, um, what brings you here?”

“I have to warn everybody,” Kira explained. “There is a Black Dragon rampaging around, destroying villages and massacring creatures.”

“Black?” Ayaz asked in disbelief.

“I saw him with my own eyes,” Kira said vehemently.

“Well, crab sins and shark fins,” Ayaz cursed. “I have no idea what type of Dragon could be black…which means its powers are unknown and definitely dangerous.”

“Well, he definitely has fire.” Kira swished her tail, thinking.

“He?” Ayaz looked surprised.

“It looked like a he,” Kira said uncomfortably. “I, um, don’t actually know.”

Ayaz opened his mouth to say something, then glanced ahead and stopped. “We’re here.”

Kira looked forwards and saw a large, elaborate door. It looked like it was made of silver, with diamonds and opals set into it, creating the design of a dragon sitting on a chair with a crown.

Ayaz raised his talon to knock, but a servant came out of the door before he could.

“Ayaz?” the other Dragon asked, tilting her snow-white head. Blue, swooping marks under her eyes and along her snout made her look rather beautiful. Her expression wasn’t cheerful like Ayaz. In fact, she was hard to read. If Kira had to guess, she would say that this Dragon was both bored and a little nervous.

“Hi, Frost!” Ayaz said, smiling. “I’m just taking this guest here to see the King and Queen.”

“Oh, um, they aren’t taking visitors right now,” Frost said. “We can get you in at about two days’ time, perhaps?”

Ayaz deflated. “But, wait—”

Kira stepped in, glaring at Frost. “I need to get in there, now. It can’t wait.”

Frost shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you in. If the King and Queen don’t want anyone in there, no one will go there.”

“Okay,” Ayaz said. “Can you contact Bai and tell him that there will be a guest in the palace, and that I will take care of her?"

Frost nodded, looking confused.

“So what, I’m just supposed to sit around and do nothing until your monarchs get off their butts?” Kira demanded loudly.

Frost narrowed her eyes at Kira, then shook her head. “You will be in room number 528.”

Kira bared her teeth. “Why should I let you boss me around?”

“Kira,” Ayaz butted in, “come on.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hallway.

Kira reluctantly followed him, gritting her teeth.

“You can’t just insult the monarchs like that,” Ayaz chastised gently. “If you want an audience with them, you have to show them some respect.”

“Hmmph.” Kira flicked her ears irritably.

They walked in silence the rest of the way.

After a few minutes of winding passageways, Ayaz stopped at a door that depicted a diamond shining in the shadows.

“Your room is right here,” he said. “I will serve you personally. If you ever need assistance, ring that windchime over there. Enjoy the view.”

Then he left, leaving Kira to think angrily about how her mission had been postponed.