The Endless Forest

Felix sat quietly, only letting a smile show. Beside him, Eri was laughing at some joke that Lorem told. All the while, they held hands.

Behind the two were Zira and Kyrith, both laying down and watching with different expressions. Kyrith was soaking up the atmosphere, letting a deep and joyful rumble escape. Zira, on the other hand, was solely focused on her partner…

Felix, are you okay? she asked.

I’m just worried about Solanna… Perhaps I should go speak with her? That wasn’t the entire truth. Yes, he was worried about the elf, but there was more, and Zira knew that.

Felix…

He had to hold back a sigh, Okay, fine… It’s not like I can lie to you. I’m just– How should I put this? Worried about the future? I want to make sure nothing bad happens. He added quickly, To anyone.

After his moment of weakness earlier, Felix came to a decision. Yedril’s near-death experience had lit a fire under him. The entire ordeal proved that he wasn’t taking this seriously enough.

He could only blame himself.

Zira considered his words. You don’t have to do this yourself. You have me, Eri…and even Kyrith. We all could have done better. There is no reason to beat yourself up over this–

No, I’m mad at myself because I knew better. I knew I could ask for more help, to plan things out… From this moment onwards, I– We will do it right. He paused, as a new thought came to mind.

I think tomorrow I will show Eri the Sanctuary, after we have a proper meeting. He ended their conversation with that, though he could tell that Zira still had more to say…

A moment later, Solanna reappeared. Her expression was…mixed. To Felix, it looked like she figured something out but it wasn’t what she wanted or expected. Still, she looked in better spirits than when she left. The elven woman sat back down at her spot and began eating, the food no doubt cold by now.

He wasn’t the only one to notice. The others all turned and either watched her or simply gave her a nod. Nothing more was said or done.

Probably for the best, he thought.

As Solanna worked on her meal, Felix decided to give her time. He was going to make an announcement shortly and, depending on how the news was received, he wasn’t sure there would be time to eat…

Do you know how you are going to tell them? Zira asked, breaking their silence.

I think so, but you know me… I like to wing it, he answered with dejected sarcasm.

She didn’t immediately respond, but he could feel she wasn’t pleased by his answer. You know, I don’t like seeing you like this… Also, what happened to asking for help? You have me, let me help you.

This time, he did let out a sigh.

Eri gave him a curious look. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah, just having a discussion with Zira…” He tried to maintain his smile and hoped it worked.

She studied him for several moments and opened her mouth to speak. Thankfully, the sound of laughter distracted her and pulled her back into Lorem’s storytelling.

I know, Zira, but… What else can I say? That I will always be happy? To never let anything negative ever cross my mind?

No! But this self-deprecating humor, these thoughts of yours, it isn’t good for your health. You are hurting yourself! And by extension, me!

Felix felt himself wince at that. I’m sorry Zira.

She snorted, but he didn’t need to see her to know she was frustrated at him. Yet, even with all that, there was a very real feeling of concern for him.

It pained his heart to see her fret and worry over him like this. But it also made him appreciate Zira even more. She didn’t have to hatch for him, to imprint and bond to him. It could’ve been another, or none at all.

The bond could be weakened and broken… He reminded himself. The thought sent a chill down his spine. He never wanted to lose Zira, to lose the special bond they had between each other.

It can, but I won’t let it. And neither will you, she said. We may have our disagreements and fights. However, like I told you before: I never once regretted my decision.

Her reassurance made him smile, this one genuine. I know… And I will do all that I can to please you, your Majesty. He added the last bit in jest and to lighten the mood.

Another snort came out from behind him.

I see you are finally starting to understand, peasant! The great and mighty Zira shall spare you your life, for now at least. See now that I don’t come to regret it!

Long live the great and mighty Zira! he added before busting out laughing. That brought all the attention to him, but that was fine. Thank you, yet again… Oh, and I think I know what I will say.

Felix stood, meeting the eyes of everyone in turn. They were watching with a mixture of curiosity and excitement. No doubt they had some inkling of what this was about.

He cleared his throat.

“Two days. You all have two days before the eggs hatch– Well, I should say, roughly two days. I don’t know when they will exactly hatch… Anyway, from this moment until they hatch, you all are free to do as you like–”

Yedril and Lorem cheered with Noria and Solanna looking more thoughtful.

He waited for them to calm down. “However, things will change once they do. Your lives will be different, and you will have to reconcile that for yourself. Me, Eri, Kyrith, and Zira are here to help. But there are limits to what we can do.

“As I said, you may do as you like. But take this as personal advice: Reflect on what this will mean for you.

“You will no longer be alone in your mind. You will have to share thoughts and feelings with another, and at such an intimate level. You will not always agree or even get along with your partner. But the two of you must learn to live together, or else…”

He let his voice trail off for a brief moment.

“Your bond will break.”

***

The next day Felix was sitting back down in the hatchery. Directly behind him was Zira, to his left was Eri with Kyrith behind her. To his right was Watcher. The kobold had disappeared after the previous morning and had only now reappeared. He had yet to say a single word.

There was one final guest among them: Ithea. She stood above them, looking unconcerned. The fact that she was here at all was a little surprising to Felix, but he was glad that she joined them.

They had a lot to discuss…

Felix let out a sigh, staring up at the false sky above them. It showed the sun near its zenith without a cloud in sight. Sweat rolled down his brow, it was looking like they were entering the hottest part of the season.

“Do you mind telling me what this is all about?” Ithea asked, breaking the silence.

He brought his attention back to her. “You can sit, you know?”

“I’d rather stand… You didn’t answer my question; what do you want? I don’t have all day.”

Felix had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. Zira, on the other hand, had no problem letting her displeasure be known with a deep rumble.

“Right,” he cut in. They really didn’t have a lot of time for any arguments or fighting. “Mainly, I have questions regarding raising dragons. The moment the four eggs hatch, I want to get them all on a training schedule. I need you to tell me everything you know.”

He pulled out a journal and one of those magical pens to accentuate his point. “Me and Eri will both be taking notes.”

Ithea cocked an eye at him. “Hmm? A little late–”

Zira growled.

“–But I suppose it’s not entirely your fault… I should warn you though, there is a lot I don’t know. There’s too much variance between us dragons.”

Felix quickly glanced over to Eri, she was already writing things down. I suppose I should start as well. “That’s fine. Whatever you know is more than I do.”

He started jotting down notes as Ithea began. “Well, I suppose we shall start with the basics.” She took a deep breath, as if preparing for a long-winded lecture. It turned out to be exactly that.

“When a hatchling…hatches, it needs to be close to its parents– Or, I guess, its bonded partner. It’s important that they remain close by, at least for the first day or so. This is the time when the bond is at its weakest, it can easily be broken.

“Now, I know you are well aware of what a bond is. But, tell me, what do you think would happen to a fresh hatchling that loses its bond?”

Felix paused to consider her question. “I take it that something bad would happen. Would they die?” He certainly hoped he was wrong–

“If they are lucky. Breaking a bond is bad enough, one of the most painful things that can happen to us. But for a fresh hatchling? It will almost certainly drive them insane. It’s nearly impossible to come back from that. And even if they do, they would never form another bond.”

Felix felt a cold chill, but it wasn’t from him… Zira shifted uncomfortably behind him.

He made sure to underline that in his notes.

Ithea, surprisingly, waited for him and Eri to finish before she continued. “Moving on… The next important thing to know about our young, is that they must refrain from using their magic as much as possible. It will stunt their growth.

“Our bodies need mana to grow, especially during the first year. In fact, back…before we used to never let them leave our homes until after their first year. If they did, it was only to take them to a place that was denser in mana.”

Felix froze at that. Have… Have I stunted Zira’s growth? he asked himself.

Zira snorted, she was clearly listening in to his thoughts. Hardly, me and Kyrith are about the same age and size.

Before he could respond to her, Ithea beat him to it. “I bet I know what you are thinking, and the answer is probably not. She is about the size I was at her age. But take this as a warning, for both you and Eri:

“Those soon-to-be hatchlings cannot use their magic too often. It will have negative side effects as they grow.”

Felix felt himself calm down and made sure to add that to his notes. Still, I think we need to be careful… Maybe we should delay flying until–

No! As soon as I’m large enough, I will take you into the skies. Damn the consequences, Zira said, not letting him finish.

He said nothing and returned to his notes.

“Right… You two done with your conversation?” Ithea asked. She had obviously picked up on that he and Zira were talking with each other.

“Y-yeah, please continue.” He gestured towards her.

Ithea shook her head in annoyance. “Outside of mana, hatchlings need to eat…a lot. I don’t think you’ll have too many problems with that here. These kobolds are resourceful enough, and that chef one is talented.”

Watcher perked up at the compliment but still remained silent. However, it was Eri who asked the next question.

“Is there anything we should be aware of when it comes to different types? Like Zira and you are void dragons, you eat mana. Should we be concerned about other uniques?”

Ithea gave her an icy smile. “Uniques? Types? We used to just call them morphs… Zira and I might be uniquely void dragons. But we are hardly rare– Actually, do you even know what morph Kyrith is?”

Eri furrowed her brow in confusion. “I…” She turned around to look at Kyrith. No doubt they were talking with each other. A few moments later she faced Ithea again. “We’re…not sure.”

“Oh! Do you know what type I am?!” the ember-colored dragon asked, hopping onto his feet. For a moment Felix worried he would rush the dragon woman.

Ithea let out an amused hum. “But of course, I can taste your mana–”

“What am I then?!” Kyrith asked impatiently.

“You are a magma dragon.”