The Endless Forest

Felix stretched out his arms as he opened his eyes. He found himself currently sitting down in front of the manor after having meditated. The sun above was still rising but soon it would be noon.

As he relaxed a light breeze blew, a hint that summer would soon be over.

Fall will be here soon. The thought carried with it a foreboding feeling. I– We don’t have that much time left.

His expression turned into a frown but the voice of Yarnel distracted him before he could carry on worrying.

“What did you feel this time?” the small dragon asked.

The question made him blink and he began to pick at the grass absentmindedly as he considered the question.

“Nothing different,” he answered after several moments.

“Why?” the dragon pushed.

With a sigh, he looked up to Yarnel, who was floating above him. “I don’t know. Maybe if I understood what it is I’m supposed to be feeling, I could try again?”

“That’s not how this works. You have to discover it for yourself.”

“Why?” Now it was Felix’s turn to push.

“Because.”

His frown deepened. “That’s not helpful, you know. And what about last night? You never told me if I was right or wrong. I thought you were supposed to teach me, not string me along.”

After his discovery the previous night, the dragon had promptly ended their session. All he and the elves were told was to ponder it more.

“Later,” the dragon said, dismissing his concerns. He lowered himself to the ground, eye-level with Felix. “Right now, you need to focus on your soul–” He cut himself off as something round appeared in one of his hands.

“Hmm, it looks like I am out of time. I must go and work with the hatchlings now.” Yarnel’s attention came back to him. “As to your concerns, more will be explained at class this afternoon. Rest assured, I have my reasons.”

Before Felix could respond, the dragon vanished.

Alone, he fell onto his back and stared up into the sky. Already, he could feel Zira’s annoyance spiking. It seemed Yarnel had gone directly to her.

Good luck… Hatchling, he said, teasing her.

Her reply was a simple grumble, but one that put a smile on his face.

Can’t be any worse than what I had to go through just now, he retorted.

Oh, please. If I had my way, we wouldn’t be dealing with him period. I’d have eaten him when we first met.

Felix laughed aloud at that. Wouldn’t that be cannibalism?

I’m not convinced he is even a dragon, she said dismissively. Just a scaly chicken.

The imagery of that caused his laughter to increase. He’s a little too big to be a chicken, though!

Her annoyance was temporarily replaced with humor. I don’t know about that. Apparently, creatures can get quite big out in the unstable areas of the forest. Maybe he’s from there? Would make sense to me!

Turning over onto his side, he involuntarily clutched his stomach. He waited until his laughter died off before responding.

Possibly… But, try not to roast him. As much as he annoys us, we still kinda need him.

For now, Zira added.

Yes, for now. But even afterwards, I think Ithea might have first dibs.

She didn’t respond. Instead, her amusement faded, and with it, her attention. It seemed Yarnel was starting whatever lesson he had planned for the other dragons.

Back to being alone, Felix decided he needed to get up. There was still plenty to do and he needed to check in with Oralyn and Calinna.

Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Eri at all this morning. But, then again, I’ve been out here… Standing, he made up his mind. He would go look for her and the other two candidates.

He began his trek by making his way through the manor. The interior was mostly quiet save for the usual noises of the kitchen. However, even with it, it was peaceful. It was familiar and comforting.

Yet there was a faint, almost ghostly hum. It was gone as he attempted to listen in on it.

His mind briefly wandered, going back to the rhythmic hum he heard last night. He might not have fully understood what it was, but now it seemed to permeate from everywhere. It came and went, disappearing like it did when he attempted to focus on it…

Opening the door, the noise grew tenfold, becoming almost deafening. Now, instead of only kobolds, there were elves. A lot of elves in fact.

So many people crowded the kitchen that the backdoor that led to the outside was almost permanently open. Beyond the door, newly constructed tables were laden with food in the process of being prepared. Further away, fires were set up to assist with cooking.

Overall, Felix guessed that maybe a fourth of the elves were helping in some form or fashion.

But his thoughts were elsewhere as he squeezed through and inadvertently bumped into people. Through the door, he caught a glimpse of one of the candidates.

“C-Calinna!” he called out, finally managing to squeeze himself out of the group.

“Felix– Are you okay?” Her expression went from surprise to concern.

He chuckled, rubbing a spot where he had been elbowed. “Yeah, it’s just really crowded in there.”

Taking a moment to straighten out his clothes, he approached her. Well, I guess since she is here, I can speak with her and then go find Eri. “Anyway, I was hoping to bump into you.”

“Oh? I was hoping to find you as well…” She smiled, but her voice wavered before trailing off.

I wonder what for? “In that case, let’s take a walk.” He gestured for her to follow as he set off towards the edge of the clearing, far enough away that they could speak without being overheard or interrupted.

As they made their way further from the bustle of the manor and camps, Felix decided to speak first. “So, I was hoping to speak with you and Oralyn and find out how things are going. Have you had a chance to speak with Gillador? I know you know about coming up with a design for the dormitory.”

Calinna gave him a nod. “I’ve been working with him.”

“But?” he asked, sensing there was more that she wanted to say.

She came to a stop and looked up at him. “I don’t know much about dragons,” she admitted. “I don’t know what they would like.”

“Ah.” He had been expecting this would happen. “Well, you are free to ask me questions. Or you can ask the dragons themselves. There is nothing stopping you from doing that.”

For an instant, Calinna seemed to lock up but she quickly recovered. “I know,” she said meekly. “But I… But I…”

“Are you afraid of them?” he asked frankly.

“Huh?! Oh… N-not exactly. I’ve met Kyrith, he seems really nice.”

“Then what is the issue? Kyrith is about as harmless as they come. And–” he stepped closer to her and lowered himself as if to whisper. However, he caught the elven woman flinching away from him.

Seeing that, he quickly pulled away. “Sorry,” he said awkwardly.

“No, sorry, it's my fault…” Her eyes shifted away from him, as if ashamed.

That’s concerning, he thought as he cleared his throat. “Right, well… Anyway, do you want me to tell you a little secret?”

Her eyes widened as her gaze fell back onto him. “A secret?”

“Yep! A little secret about Zira.”

“What is it?!” Calinna asked with a bit too much excitement.

Seeing her demeanor change, he let himself smile. “Zira likes to act all high and mighty, and likes to pretend that people annoy her. But that is just a facade. She actually loves the attention.”

“Really? I’ve only seen her from afar, but she looks so scary…”

Felix let a light chuckle. “She can be scary but I assure you, she likes people.”

“Then… Then I should try and talk with her.” Calinna’s expression faltered even as she tried to maintain her excitement.

There’s definitely something more going on. “I can see to it that you and her meet. Though, at the moment she and the other dragons are training.”

“Training?” Her head cocked to the side as she spoke.

“Yeah– But it's a long story.” Felix decided it was better to not mention Yarnel, at least for the time being. He knew the dragon’s discovery was sure to happen, especially because Yarnel wasn’t hiding.

“I see…” Once again, she trailed off. However, this time she immediately added, “Could I see the hatchery?”

The moment the words left her mouth she cringed.

Where did that come from? he wondered. “Why?”

Felix had no intention of letting her, or anyone else, into the hatchery. But that seemed forced. Did Chief Calson put her up to it?

“I was thinking… I mean, I don’t know much about dragons or how they hatch. I wanted to see how they are taken care of– Like is there anything special about them? Do they… Do they need any consideration?”

Furrowing his brow, he gave her his answer. “The dormitory isn’t meant for the eggs. Only for dragons that hatch– Along with their partners. Seeing the hatchery wouldn’t tell you anything.”

Calinna suddenly looked desperate. “Please! I-I mean… I…” She clutched tightly at a journal, something he only became aware of as she held it to her chest.

“I want to draw them!”

Her shout surprised Felix. “What?”

“I want to draw them,” she said again, this time almost in a whisper. Tears were beginning to stream down her face as she looked away from him.

He could only blink at the sight of her. Did I misjudge her? Is that all she wanted?

Felix bit his lip, torn about what to do. On one hand, he still couldn’t rule out that Calsen put her up to this. But on the other? She seemed so genuine.

“May I see your journal?” he asked.

“Huh?”

“That is where you are keeping your drawings, isn’t it?”

Calinna slowly nodded, sniffling in the process.

“May I see it?”

Hesitantly, she held it out for him.

“Thank you,” he said, accepting it.

Opening it, he flipped to the first page and went wide-eyed. It was a drawing on Kyrith, one that was highly detailed and life-like.

He flipped to another page, his jaw hanging open. It was of a scene of elves and kobolds, hard at work hauling lumber. Again, the detail was superb. If it were in color, he would’ve thought it a moment frozen in time.

Another page, another stunning image drawn. And another… And another…

Felix soon reached the last drawing, this one of a sunrise from what he could tell. It was rougher than the others and definitely unfinished. Yet, there was beauty in the way she captured the shadows and clouds.

If she had finished this… He was almost certain it would have been her best work yet.

He understood then. He understood why she was so desperate to see the eggs. It wasn’t for any malicious reason. It was pure, it was innocent.

She wanted to capture their beauty, their purity, their innocence. She wanted to capture it all and save it.

I did misjudge her.

He spoke. “I will take you to see the hatchery.”

Calinna let out an excited gasp. “Really?!”

“Really–”

“Thank you! Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!”

“However!” He had to shout to get her attention. “We will have to take Oralyn as well!” There was no way he would be able to exclude her. Eri, of course, already had permission.

“Yes! Of course! That’s fine– Oh! I can’t wait! When shall we go? Can we go now? I know where Oralyn is and–”

“Calm down!” He waited until she was listening. “First, we’ll get Oralyn. I have a feeling that, like you, she will have some questions about the dormitory. We should handle that first. Then we can discuss when to take you two to the hatchery.”

His words seemed to have the desired effect as Calinna began to deflate.

“Right… I do have questions.”

He gave her a nod. “Then it's settled.”

Calinna, again, deflated before suddenly perking back up “Can I draw her– Can I draw Zira?”

Her question caught him off guard. “Uh, sure… Though, I suppose you should ask her yourself. But then again, you didn’t ask Kyrith did you?”

She shrank back at that. “No…”

Letting out a laugh, he shook his head. “Don’t worry, I think he will like it. You should show him.”

“I will!”

Taking a deep breath, Felix gestured back towards the camp. “Well, let’s go see if we can find Oralyn at least.” Hopefully, I will bump into Eri.

With that, the two set off back the way they came. One walking as casually as possible and one practically skipping.

Gods, I hope I’m not making a mistake.

A light breeze blew…